//------------------------------//
// Quest for the Dragonheart Orb 
// Story: Pokémon: Equestrian Champions 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

Continuing their journey to the Crystal Empire, the group were now at a pass that would allow them to circle around one of the bigger mountains without needing to climb it. And as they made their way around the natural landmark, the sight of yet another mountain caught their attention...with another, this one covered in snow. The sight made them sigh despite a train station being beyond it.

"Geez," Spike rubbed his hands together, "Is it just me, or is this place getting colder by the second?" Peewee let out a roar of agreement, blowing out a quick stream of fire that heated the air in front of them before they passed through it. "Ah...thanks bud."

The others just shivered at this, glad they had got the warm clothes from the Pokémon Center. "And we haven't even gotten to the snowy areas yet," Twilight added as she stared up at the mountain they were about to climb.

"Well, you'd better get used to the snow," Cadance chuckled, "Between the Crystal Empire and Mt. Tartarus, there's a lot of snow between the two. There's gonna be half-buried trees in snow and frozen lakes, not to mention the Ice-type Pokémon that call the area home."

The others grimaced at this, Doc now asking, "You and Shining did this journey, didn't you?" Cadance nodded back. "And that was before you had the Crystal Empire to rest at..."

"And the Train Station was also just being built," Cadance added.

"Why is there a train station out here anyway?" Spike yelped as they arrived at a hundred and ten degree path that they had to climb up, Flash being the first and helping Twilight up.

"It's to connect the resort to the airport," Cadance replied with everyone turning to her. "Did I forget to mention that?" They all nodded as Spike was pulled up the path. "Well, there's a ski resort a few miles away from the Crystal Empire. It was nearing completion when Shining and I were there, but the area isn't great for flights, so they had to build the airport a good distance away. That's why they had to make a train station to ferry people between them. When we discovered the empire, it was an obvious idea to add more tracks to the existing line."

"How far is the resort from the empire?" Twilight asked as Cadance began to climb up, followed by Doc.

"I'd say it's about a third of the way between the Empire and Mt. Tartarus." The others grimaced at this, now hearing how far they still had to go...only for a boom to suddenly ring out, the mountain path now shaking.

"What was that?!" Spike yelped.

"Look!" Twilight pointed over at a nearby ridge, the others turning to see smoke floating up, "I think there might be a battle going on."

"Only one way to find out!" Flash began to run for the ridge, his friends following. It wasn't long till they reached it, now climbing up the side of a hill before seeing a pair of Pokémon they all recognized duking it out.

One was the Flame Lizard Pokémon Blazard, who was facing off against the Burrowing Pokémon Burroworm. Currently, the Burroworm's horn spike glowed before firing rocks at Blazard. The lizard leapt from side to side, evading the attacks as it got closer.

And as it did this, a voice called out. "Slash!" They watched as Blazard ran up and swung its claws at Burroworm, hitting it dead-on the face. They then turned to the voice's owner, only for it to be someone nearly all of them recognized.

"It's Heath!" Spike gasped as Heath Burns gave his partner another command.

Cadance turned to them, "You know him?"

"He's a friend," Doc replied, "We've helped him out before, and I faced off against him in the Hoof Cup. But what's he doing here?"

And as that question came out, they turned back to the battle. Burroworm had dug under the ground, preventing Blazard from being able to attack as Heath stared at the field, "Don't stay in one place! Stay on the move so it can't find you!" Blazard nodded and started running around, only for the ground to explode at his feet.

"Blaze!" He cried as he was knocked back, the Burroworm then slamming into him before slithering away.

"You okay?" Blazard nodded as he hopped back onto his feet, "Then use Flamethrower!" Blazard took a deep breath and exhaled the blast of fire, only for the worm to dodge by digging down.

"Burrow!" It roared as it popped out a hole, using Rock Throw at Blazard next.

"Iron Tail!" The lizard spun around and smashed his tail into the rocks, breaking them to pieces. "Now, use Dragon Pulse!" Blazard took a deep breath and fired a dragon-shaped laser blast. But as it got close, the Burrowing Pokémon dodged by digging again. "Oh, come on!"

As this happened, Blazard chose to stay where he was this time, knowing Burroworm could find him when he moved. He stood there, unmoving before feeling a small shake at his feet. Leaping back, the ground exploded as Burroworm flew out.

"Slash!" Blazard swung his claws into Burroworm, knocking it back, "That's it!" Heath cheered as Burroworm landed, Blazard charging as it tried to do the attack again. But as it did this, the worm began to glow.

"Burrow!" it roared as sand began to appear around the worm, spiraling into a vortex that slammed into Blazard, making it scream in pain.

"What the heck is that move?!" Spike yelped.

"Sand Tomb," Twilight responded as Blazard began to get scratched by the sand. "If Heath doesn't do something, Blazard's in big trouble."

"Flamethrower!" Heath yelled, Blazard breathing fire at Burroworm. But the sand that still swirled around him stopped the flames, snuffing them out as Heath cried, "No!"

He then saw Burroworm preparing to use Rock Throw again, stuttering out as he tried to a say a command until-

"Aura Sphere!" A ball of blue energy flew into Burroworm, exploding when it struck, making the Ground-type cry out and fall over.

Heath and Blazard turned to the origin of the attack, now spotting Flash and Springer sliding down the hill. "Flash?" He glanced up, now seeing the others, "Guys!" Before he could ask what was going on, Springer fired another Aura Sphere and struck the sand vortex. It exploded, freeing Blazard as the lizard fell to his knees.

At this moment, Burroworm picked itself up and saw the new opponents. It then noticed the others coming down the hill, letting out a hiss before digging again, this time vanishing as it continued to go underground.

His opponent now gone, Heath turned to the others. "Thanks. Not that we needed it, but help's always appreciated."

"You're welcome," Flash laughed as he crossed his arms.

As he said this, Doc took off his bag, foraging inside of it and pulling out a Super Potion. "Here," he offered to Heath.

"Thanks," He replied before turning to Cadance, "Oh...hello. Name's Heath."

"Cadance," she smiled back, "That's was quite a difficult match you found yourself in."

"Yeah. Blazard and I had just gotten down of the ridge up ahead when that Burroworm attacked out of nowhere. We tried to run, but we couldn't get away." He got down onto his knees and started spraying Blazard, "Finally decided we had to fight, but you saw how that went."

"So what are you doing here?" Spike asked as Heath sprayed the Super Potion Blazard's back, making him flinch.

"We're on a quest," Heath replied, "A quest for a legendary artifact that will allow Blazard to evolve."

This made everyone raise eyebrows, Cadance now chiming in, "You're searching for the Dragonheart Orb." Heath nodded while the others exchanged glances.

"The what?" Flash asked.

"The Dragonheart Orb is an item that'll boost the power of a Pokémon's Fire and Dragon-type attacks, but it'll also allow a Blazard to evolve into Blazegon."

"And you're looking for it?" Twilight added, getting another nod from him and Blazard.

He then turned to the mountain they were at the base off, the others following his gaze. "According to legend, the Dragonheart Orb can be found at the top of this mountain. But to get there, you have to find a cave entrance that'll lead you up the mountain. And on our way up, we have to pass through a series of trails that'll test you and your Blazard to see if you're truly worthy of it. The trail of friendship, wisdom and courage. Only when we pass all three trials will the orb be awarded to us."

"What's with this mountain range holding hidden tombs and sacred treasures?" Spike asked as Heath turned to him, "What, did someone advertise it or something? Come hid your valuable treasure in one of our premium mountain hideouts! Redecorate it with all the death traps and trials you can think of!" The others laughed as Blazard finished healing and stood up.

"So, you really want Blazard to evolve?" Doc asked, "You remember the trouble you had the last time he evolved."

"We do," Heath replied before patting Blazard on the head. "But that won't happen this time. We've been through a lot together since then, and I'm sure we'll be ready for whatever changes Blazard goes through." Blazard nodded and gaze a happy roar as Heath turned to them. "So what about you guys?"

"We're on our way to the Crystal Empire," Flash responded, Heath tilting his head at this, "Its a long story. But if you want, we could come with and help you out. I'd love to see Blazard evolve into Blazegon." The others all nodded in agreement at this.

"I don't know," Heath frowned as he crossed his arms. "Blazard and I are supposed to complete this test on our own. If we had you guys helping us, that might disqualify us from being worthy."

"We promise we won't get in your way," Twilight countered, "We'll just give...moral support." The others nodded again, Heath biting his lip at the sight, only to nod back.

"Alright, but only moral support. Follow me." He spun around, gesturing them to follow. And as they began their search for the cave, something appeared a distance away. It was the Burroworm, watching them from behind a large rock.

When they disappeared, it began to burrow once more. It dug straight down, deep under the mountain until it came out through the ceiling of a large chamber. It calmly fell down, swirling around until it landed right side up, then looked through the darkness. With it's ability to see through vibrations, it could sense another individual at the back of the chamber and started talking in its own language.

"Another challenger has arrived to take on the trials. But this time, they are accompanied by others who seek the orb as well. What do you wish to do?" He waited for the large figure to respond, Burroworm looking straight up near the top of the dark chamber.

Then, a pair of bright red eyes opened and illuminated the darkness. Then a second pair appeared, followed by a third. They stared down at the Burroworm as it waited for an answer. "Watch them and see what they do. If the challenger is helped by them in any way during the first two trials, we will eliminate them. If they do not help, then we shall allow them to attempt the final trial." Burroworm nodded back before digging back underground, leaving the six-eyed figure to stare up at the ceiling. "How will this challenger overcome the obstacles in front of them? Only time will tell..."





Back outside...

Flash and the others were still searching, knowing that they could him locate the entrance wasn't against the rules, they had Skyler, Peewee, Owlicious and Flitanium fly around the mountain. "See anything?" Heath asked Flash, who was standing on a higher up ledge with Springer.

"Nope!" Flash called back, "Not seeing any kind of cave!"

Heath sighed at this. "Darn it! It could be on the other side of the mountain for all we know." But as he said this, they heard a hooting sound, looking up to see Owlicious and Peewee.

"Find anything?" Twilight asked, getting a nod from the dragon before the pair flew back around. They began to follow, Skyler and Flitanium meeting up with them as Peewee and Owlicious lead them to a section of the mountain. There, they found an opening into a cave, the six and their Pokémon staring into the cave, seeing it was a large tunnel.

"Blazard," Heath told his Pokémon, "Give us a quick burn." Blazard nodded before spitting a fireball out of his mouth into the cave, the flames shooting a good thirty feet before hitting the back. But the illumination made them realize the tunnel actually curved upwards. "This is it."

Doc reached into his bag and pulled out some glow-sticks, illuminating and passing them around. "These should help us see." They all nodded and each began to head inside, filling the tunnel. But as they entered, three more heads popped up in the distance, watching them walk inside.

"Great," Big Score sighed, "Its those blasted kids again! What, do they have a tracker on us or something?!"

"Maybe we should forget about this score boss?" Rickashay asked, but Score shook his head.

"No way! I'm not gonna let those snot nose do-gooders scare me out of a payday! Especially one like this. The Dragonheart Orb is so rare that this might be the very last one to exist. Collectors will pay a fortune to get their hands on it." He looked back at the mountain's top, "It's obvious what we've gotta do." His cronies followed his gaze, the three staring up at the cloud covered mountain. "Beat them to the prize and make off with it before they even know we're there. And I know exactly how we're gonna do it."





Inside the mountain...

The explorers had been climbing up the passageway for several minutes, their leg muscles beginning to ache from the strain. "How much longer?" Spike moaned, not getting a response. And as they continued, they found that the ground beneath them was beginning to straight out. A minute later, they were back to walking down a straight passage.

"We must be getting close to the first trial," Heath groaned, "And if we want the orb, we need to pass it on our own." Blazard nodded while the others remembered their promise. If it was a puzzle, they couldn't tell him the answer even if they knew. If it was a physical challenge, they had to let them pass or fail it on their own. All they could do was give support and maybe a little advice here and there.

They soon found themselves at the end of the hallway, arriving at a wall with a small doorway that they had to pass through one at a time. Stepping into the room, they found it was so dark that their glow-sticks weren't much use. But then, the walls around them lit up, now seeing torches lighting.

The room was a long corridor that had some kind of puzzle on the ground. They were all standing on a flat piece of ground, and in front of them were two cobblestone paths, divided by a thin piece of rock. Each path had rows of four cobblestone lines, Twilight counting twelve rows. Each cobblestone was just big enough to fit a pair of feet on and upon closer inspection, the cobblestones all had the same image carved into them. That of a triangle with a line running through it.

"What is all this?" Spike asked as they stared down at the two paths, then to the very end of the room. There they saw another section of flat earth between the path and the wall, but that wall didn't have a door. "How are we supposed to get out?"

"I don't know," Heath hummed while Doc stared at the cobblestone path.

"This has to be one of the trials," he replied, "It's possible there's a door we can open on the other side."

"But how do we get to the other side?" Flash asked as Springer tried to step onto one of the cobblestones, only to be stopped by Blazard.

"Ri?" Springer asked the Pokémon, only to get a shake of the head from Blazard.

"Blazard's right," Cadance chimed in, "We shouldn't do anything until we're sure how to get through this trial."

It was then Twilight noticed that one of the front cobblestones had a mark different from the other. This one had a circle with an X running through it. "Look!" She pointed to it, then at the other row and saw another of the four stones with the same mark. Then another and another. "Each row has a stone with a mark that's different from the others." She glanced over at the other path and saw the same thing, with the location of the stones being the exact opposite of the other. It was like the paths were mirror images.

"Huh?" Heath tilted his head, only to turn to his Pokémon, "Blazard," he glanced at his trainer, "Get in front of the other path." He did so, Heath moving in front of the first path. "Now, on three. We both step onto the stone at the same time. Ready?" Blazard nodded. "Alright. One...two...THREE!" They both stepped onto the stone, the cobbles moving down. This caused a clicking sound followed by a grinding, the lot looking over at the far wall and seeing a section of it slide upward to make a gap of a few inches. "It worked."

This made Cadance snap her fingers, "Oh! This is the trial of friendship. It's testing how in-sync the two of you are."

"So every time they step on the right stone, the door opens a little?" Spike asked, with Cadance nodding.

"But they need to step on it at the same time. Be out of sync or step on the wrong stone..."

"Then we can't be out of sync!" Heath interrupted, now staring at the next row and saw the mark they needed, Blazard doing the same. "Alright. One...two...three!" They stepped over to the stone and the door opened a little, then spotted the next stone. "One...two...three!" They repeated the action, soon jumping from stone to stone, both landing on them at the same time. But on the eighth row, Blazard's tail accidentally hit the cobble behind him, causing the door to start sliding down.

"Quick!" Heath cried as they leapt onto the next stone together, Blazard keeping his tail safely raised. This caused the door to stop, slowly sliding back up. They both managed to get past the last three rows without incident, the pair now jumping onto the final stone and raising the door completely before walking onto the floor. "We did it!"

"BLAZE!" His Pokémon cheered before they turned to the others.

"So what do we do?" Spike asked, "Do we have to use the path as well?" He was about to step onto the rocks, but Twilight pulled him away.

"I have a better idea," she told him before taking out a Pokeball. In a flash of light, Owlicious appeared and hovered above the pathway. "Can you use Psychic to lift us over to the other side?" Owlicious nodded and with a flash of his eyes, they all began to float over. The five landed next to Heath and Blazard, Twilight thanking Owlicious before returning him.

"Smart move," Cadance told her before they turned to the door, now staring at another large tunnel. "Now we're one trial closer to the orb." They all nodded and began to run up the tunnel.

They had been so focused on the puzzle, they didn't see a pair of eyes that had been watching them. The Burroworm from earlier had been watching from a hole in the roof, the worm pulling back and slithering through a tunnel. Heath had passed the test fair and square, so it didn't have to eliminate him just yet. But there were still two trials left.





Meanwhile...

Score and his cronies were making their own way up the mountain. They had pulled out their ever faithful balloon and was using it to fly up the side, "Ha!" The greedy crook laughed, "Those idiots! Why work harder when you can work smarter?!" He patted the sides of the balloon as they entered the clouds. "This way, we'll reach the top before them and skip all those silly trials."

They soon left the clouds, now staring at the top of the mountain, which was what they had expected. But when they floated above it, they found themselves staring at nothing but rock.

"What?!" Score yelped as the balloon floated down and landed, allowing him to jump out.

"Shouldn't there be a legendary artifact here?" Rickashay asked, Score now patting the ground to locate some kind of hidden hatch or button, but there wasn't one.

"If the orb isn't here...then where is it?"





The group had been travelling for a good while now, the tunnel now getting so dark that their glow-sticks weren't being much help. And as they continued downward, Springer felt something wet, "Ri?" The others heard this, all looking down and saw Springer had stepped into a tiny stream of water that was originating from straight ahead.

"Why's there water here?" Spike asked, the others shrugging. They continued on, the stream changing from a light trickle into a thin slide. And with every few feet, the stream got bigger, soon splitting into two streams that went in a Y-formation. And following the streams, they found that they went to a dead-end.

"What?" Heath ran up and placed his hand on the wall, but it remained where it was. "No way! Why'd it stop?!"

"Maybe we took a wrong turn?" Flash suggested as he looked back.

"How?" Twilight asked, "There weren't any other tunnels were could go down."

"There has to be something we're missing," Doc added, walking up as the light from his glow-stick hit the wall, illuminating it just enough for Cadance to spot something.

"Look," she pointed, the group now seeing a wall carving that was the same triangle line marking from the previous trial, and underneath it at the floor was a tiny hole that the water from one of the steams was flowing out of. They then glanced to the left and spotted another section with the circle X marking that had another hole.

"Wait..." Heath walked up to the circle X wall and tapped it, hearing a low sound. He did the same with the other wall and heard the same noise. "They're both hollow."

"So we just gotta break through them?" Spike asked as Blazard moved up to Heath.

"I think we're only meant to break one," Doc pointed out. "Look at the water. I'm betting one of those walls has a lot more hidden behind it. Break the wrong one...and we'll get swept away."

They all went wide-eyed at this, Heath turning back to the walls. "So I have to pick correctly, or put my swimming skills to the test." The others gulped and stepped away from the wall, Heath's eyes shifting left to right. "Alright..." He placed a hand on the wall and stared at the symbols, then turned to the one with the triangle. "This one meant danger last time. So it must mean danger this time." He turned to the other wall, "So that means this way's the safe path. Blazard, use Iron Tail."

"Blaze!" He nodded before moving up, raising his tail as it began to glow.

The others watched, but just as Blazard pulled his tail back, Heath's eyes went wide. "WAIT!" Blazard stopped seconds before swinging his tail, all glancing back at Heath as he placed a hand on the circle marking, "These trials are meant to protect the orb from those who are unworthy." He commented before turning to the other marking. "This must be the trial of wisdom. An unwise person wouldn't question a mark that's kept them safe before." He pointed at the triangle marking, "This is the correct way." He turned to Blazard, "You trust me?"

"Blaze," he nodded before moving over to the wall.

"You sure about this?" Spike asked, "if you're wrong-"

"I know I'm not," Heath assured them. "Blazard, Iron Tail!" Blazard pulled his glowing tail back, then swung it.

"BLAZARD!" He roared as his tail struck the wall, causing it to crack and break. They all flinched, afraid for a barrage of water to come...only for the wall to fall apart, bursting out a cloud of dust. And when the fog settled, a tunnel was revealed. They all breathed a sigh of relief before they stared down at the ground, seeing the stream of water originated from another hole in the wall between this tunnel and the one that Heath had almost unclogged.

"That was close," Doc sighed, "If you had been a second slower figuring it out, we would have all been taking a ride of the worlds most dangerous water slide."

Cadance patted Heath on the shoulder, "You just passed the trial of wisdom."

Heath nodded back before looking up the tunnel, "Come on." He began to run up it, the others following. And as they went in, the Burroworm was watching from the roof. Heath had passed the trial alone again, meaning it was time to bring in the big guns. And as it slithered upward, the Burroworm figured this next test was one they wouldn't pass so easily.





Heath and his friends continued down the tunnel, now going up a diagonal passage. And as they headed upward, the darkness around them was slowly growing thinner, Twilight gasping, "Look!" she pointed ahead, everyone now seeing a speck of light ahead of them. That speck grew as they got closer, now knowing it could be only one thing.

"Come on!" Heath yelled as he ran ahead, Blazard right behind him. They all ran as fast as they could, feeling a gentle breeze sweep through the passageway. And as they got there, they jumped through the light, only to find themselves outside. They weren't at the top like they thought they'd be, and instead were in an another section of the mountain. The place looked like someone had used a giant ice-cream scope to remove a section out of the side of the mountain, forming a giant opening.

"Careful," Twilight told Spike as he looked over the edge, "You could fall." Spike nodded and pulled back while Heath and Blazard glanced around.

"Is this really where the Dragonheart Orb is supposed to be?" He asked, only seeing a wall of the cave was filled with giant holes.

"Hey," Flash pointed at the very back of the cave, "Look!" The others followed his finger and stared into the darkness of the cave, their eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. It was a large rock sticking out of the wall, which had been carved to resemble the shape of a head. Though it looked like Blazard, Heath realized it was actually a Blazegon.

"You think the orb's in there?" Spike chimed in.

"Only one way to find out," Heath then turned to his partner. "You ready, bud?" Blazard nodded and the two began to walk toward it, only for the ground to start shaking. The group began to stumble, most grabbing the walls as the wall suddenly exploded, filling the cave with dust. They all coughed at this, struggling to breathe while Heath stared at the cloud, now seeing a giant snake-like shadow filling it.

When the dust settled, it revealed a giant serpentine Pokémon. It looked like a Douburrow, only it was three times the size. And instead of two large heads, it had three, all having bright green eyes and a forward pointing head-spike similar to an Excadrill's. Its body was brown with orange spikes running down the three long necks, an orange spike covering tube at the area just below where they joined into one. After that tube, an orange stripe ran down its front with black lines on the front. The triple-headed beast let out a unified roar, causing the top of the mountain to shake.

"Whoa!" Spike yelped, "What is that thing?!"

"A Hydraworm!" Cadance screamed as Flash took out his Pokedex.

Name: Hydraworm
Category: Triple Worm Pokémon
Type: Ground/Dragon
Info: The evolved form of Douburrow. It digs by linking its three heads and spinning in a drill-like fashion. Unlike its prevolutions, each head has its own brain, which often times end up squabbling.

"That's not good," Doc gulped.

"What's a Hydraworm doing here?!" Twilight added, Heath's eyes shrinking at this.

"We've only completed two of the great trials..." he whispered, "We completed friendship and wisdom, but not the trial of courage." He looked up at the Hydraworm, "Are you the guardian of the Dragonheart Orb?" Hydraworm nodded back, even moving the tip of its tail to push down on the back of the stone Blazegon head. Doing so caused the mouth to open, revealing something inside. It was a round orb made of red glass that was filled with some kind of energy. On the front of the orb was a black symbol that represented some kind of dragon.

"So to get the orb, you have to beat that thing?" Flash asked, Heath nodding. "Make sense. Going up against something like that on your own's gonna take guts."

"Exactly." Blazard stepped up, ready to do battle against the giant triple-headed earth worm. At the same time, Hydraworm's hissed as they prepared for battle. "Let's go! Use Slash!" Blazard leapt up as his claws began to glow, then swung them at Hydraworm's tubed chest.

The worm barely flinched at this, two of its necks then swinging down as the drill blades on the heads began to glow green. "That's Duel Chop!" Twilight cried out, one of the heads slamming the drill blade into Blazard.

"Blaze!" He yelped as he was knocked back, only to be smacked by the other glowing blade, "ZARD!"

"Blazard!" Heath screamed as the Hydraworm brought its three heads together, their chins touching and allowing the drill blades to come together and form a full drill. Then to everyone's shock, the three necks began to spin, the whole thing spinning while the tube remained still. The spinning necks built up speed before curving down, now aiming right at Blazard.

"It's using Drill Run!" Cadance told him.

"Blazard, use Flamethrower!" Blazard took a deep breath before unleashing a burst of fire, hitting the drill head-on. But the attack did nothing, Hydraworm pushing through before hitting Blazard, throwing him back.

"This isn't going well," Flash gulped while the others nodded in agreement. They then saw Hydraworm continue to spin its drill-heads and slam into the ground, allowing it to cut through the rock and disappear underground. "What just happened?"

"Did it run away?" Spike added.

"it's using Dig," Doc commented, "Heath, be careful." Heath nodded as Blazard stood up, the pair glancing around, but seeing no sign of Hydraworm. That is, till the ground below the flame lizard began to shake.

"MOVE!" Heath yelled, Blazard just managing to leap to the side before the ground exploded, the Hydraworm now shooting straight up. "Quick, use Dragon Pulse!" Blazard rolled onto his back and took a deep breath, then roared as a dragon-shaped burst of energy shot out of its mouth.

"ZARD!" He roared as the attack went for Hydraworm, which pulled its heads apart seconds before the blast exploded against the middle one's head.

"HIGH!" It cried, but the other two turned to one another and nodded before swinging their heads around to use Duel Chop.

"Look out!" Heath yelped, Blazard now seeing the two attacks coming for him. "Counter with Iron Tail!"

"Blaze!" Blazard swung his tail back, the tail blocking the first head's blade, only for the second one to slam into his back. "BLAZARD!"

"This isn't going well," Twilight gulped.

"Blazard's attacks aren't strong enough," Cadance chimed in, "Dragon Pulse did some damage, but not enough to make this battle even."

"Hydraworm must have a weakness!" Spike added.

Doc shook his head, "Other than Dragon-Type attacks, he would need something like...Ice-types. A type of attack Blazard can't learn."

Heath ran over to Blazard and helped him up. "You okay?" Blazard slowly nodded, "There's gotta be a way to beat this thing." Blazard then walked in front of his trainer, the Hydraworm's three heads now glaring at him as they opened their mouths, fire forming within them. "Look out!" Blazard watched as the three heads shot out fireballs, which merged together into one big blast. "Dragon Pulse!"

"Blazard!" He fired the dragon-shaped energy, striking the fireball and making it explode. The smoke filled the cave, blocking everyone's sight. And as the fog faded, the Hydraworm was nowhere in sight.

"Where'd it go?" Heath asked, only to go wide-eyed, "No! It used Dig!" But he was too late, the ground beneath Blazard now exploding and launching him upward, "NO!"

Blazard cried out as the spinning drills dug into him, only to try and smack him down, but the lizard suddenly grabbed onto the tube on its body. "Blaze!" He yelled, surprising the Hydraworm while Heath smirked.

"That's the way! Now, Dragon Pulse!" Blazard took a deep breath shot the energy at Hydraworm's central neck, making it flinch while the other two heads curled around to try and get him off. But whenever they got close, Blazard shot another Dragon Pulse at them. They all cried out, screaming before turning to nod at one another.

"Another Dragon Pulse!" Heath told Blazard. But as he fired at the left head, Flash's eyes went wide as he saw the heads got together.

"Heath!" He yelled, "Get Blazard out of there!" Heath heard this, only to now see the heads spinning before going straight for the ground.

"Oh no..." he whispered. "Get off of there!" He yelled, but it was too late. Blazard was pulled underground with Hydraworm. "BLAZARD!" The others gasped as the lizard was yanked through the ground, the Pokémon still holding onto the worm as it dug. The rock and dirt dug out of the way was thrown behind the drilling heads, slamming into Blazard as it continued to hold.

But as this happened, Hydraworm dug up against and exploded out of the mountain inside the cave. Blazard finally lost his grip at this, getting thrown upward as Hydraworm swung its tail around and smashed it into Blazard. "BLAZE!"

"NO!" Heath yelled as he ran up, managing to get between Blazard and the ground. "Augh!" He yelped as the Fire-type collided with him, knocking him to the ground.

"HEATH!" The others yelled as they ran to him, Heath letting out a groan, "You okay?!"

"I'm fine..." he moaned before looking down at the Pokémon in his lap. "Blazard, are you okay?" Blazard let out a groan as he opened his eyes and nodded, but when he pushed himself out of his lap, his legs gave out, falling over as Heath caught him, "Blazard!"

"Blaz…" the Pokémon moaned, both now looking up to see Hydraworm staring down at them.

"We can't win this," he commented, "Hydraworm's too strong." The others wanted to argue, but they looked up and saw that Hydraworm was barely scratched compared to the beaten up Blazard. Heath stood up and stepped between Blazard and Hydraworm, "We forfeit." This made Hydraworm lean back slightly as he continued, "There's no way we can beat you. I'd rather admit defeat than let my friend get any more injured than he already is." He looked down, "I gues...we're not ready for the Dragonheart Orb." He then glanced back up, "But we'll keep training and come back when we are!"

Hydraworm continued to stare at them for a moment, then the three heads appeared to smile. The group blinked at this, only to see Hydraworm use its tail to once again open the stone head revealing the treasure. It slithered aside, as if to say that Heath could take it. "What are you doing?"

"I think..." Twilight added, "I think it's saying you passed the test."

"But...we lost." Heath gasped, "How could we have passed?!"

As he asked this, Cadance let out a giggle, making Heath turn to her, "Don't forget Heath, this isn't a trial of strength. It's a trial of courage. You had the courage to stand up and face an opponent that's vastly stronger than you. That's something many trainers have." Flash and the others nodded at this. "But there's another type of courage that only an exceptional few have. The courage to swallow one's pride and stand down when they know an opponent is stronger than them. Because admitting we're weaker then somebody else, even if it's obvious, can be one of the most terrifying things to do."

Heath turned to Hydraworm, as if asking if that was true. The triple-headed Pokémon nodded, then gestured with its head to the orb. Heath turned to the others, who all nodded as well, only to get up and walk over to the stone head and picked up the orb. He could feel a strange warmth as he held it, then turned back to Blazard. Several feet from his friend, he turned to Hydraworm again. "Are you sure?"

"Worm," they all nodded one last time. Heath took a deep breath back before turning to Blazard. "We did it bud!"

"Blaze!" he cheered, about to reach out and grab it. But as he did this, a long metal cable with a three pronged claw shot out of nowhere. "Blaze?!" He yelped as the claw grabbed the orb, yanking it out of Heath's hands.

"HEY!" he yelped as the others saw the orb get pulled to the opening of the cave.

There, they saw a balloon floating in front of it with three familiar individuals standing inside. "You guys again?!" Flash yelled as the three laughed, Score holding the gun that had shot the cable.

"Thanks for helping us find this place!" He guffawed as he took the orb, "All that battling lit it up like a signal flare. And now, the Dragonheart Orb is mine."

"Who are those three?!" Cadance asked.

"They're crooks!" Twilight growled, "They love stealing whatever they think might fetch them a quick buck."

"And that's exactly what this bad boy will fetch us," Score added before the balloon began to float away, "And now, we'll be taking our leave."

"NO!" Heath cried as they flew out of range, Hydraworm now glaring at them before drilling into the ground. "COME BACK HERE!"

"No thanks!" Score laughed, only to hear the sound of rocks exploding around them. "Huh?"

"Err...boss?" He looked up to see the Hydraworm bursting out of the mountain side, jumping out to attack them. "Orders?!"

"Relax," he replied before pressing a button on a remote. The bottom of the basket then opened up and unleash a bunch of metal cables, all of them instantly wrapping around the Hydraworm's body. Each cable wrapped around each of its necks, along with one around the middle of its body and the end of its tail.

"Hydraworm!" Heath cried as he watched the Ground Dragon-type struggle, now trying to slash at the cables with its drill-blades.

"Ha!" Score cackled, "Forget it, big guy! Those cables are the hardest thing you'll ever find. Just sit back and wait until we find someone to sell you too." He hit another button, this one causing a pair of thrusters to appear from the sides of the basket, which fired and began to push them further up.

"They're getting away!" Flash yelled, reaching for his Pokeball. "I gotta use Skyler!"

"No time!" Heath barked back as Blazard jumped in front of him, "Ready?" He nodded, "Then use Flamethrower!" Before anyone could ask what they were doing, Blazard faced the ground and unleashed a stream of fire. Heath grabbed on, the two then rocketing into the air.

"HEATH!" They yelped as they saw the two fly toward the balloon.

"What the heck?! He's nuts!" Rickashay screamed as they got closer, Heath then leaping off Blazard.

He landed on the basket while Blazard grabbed onto one of the cables holding Hydraworm. The tripled-headed Pokémon saw this and smirked as Blazard tried to burn through the cables with Flamethrower, Heath then grabbing the Dragonheart Orb. "Give it!"

"NO!" Score pulled back on the orb, "It's ours. And get off our balloon! No free rides!" Rickashay and Boulder would have helped, but the two's fight over the orb caused the balloon basket to swing, knocking both off balance. But as this happened, Score's grasp on the orb began to slip as his hands grew sweaty. "I said...GET OFF!" He yanked the orb back, only for it slip from his hands.

"Gyah!" Heath cried as he was suddenly yanked back, causing him to slip off the edge of the basket. "WHOA!" He yelped as he began to fall, shooting past Blazard and Hydraworm. The two saw this and gasped, along with Heath's friends.

"HEATH!" They all yelled as Blazard let go of the cable and jumped after him without thinking. "BLAZARD!" They watched as the two fell through the air, no one able to help them as they plummeted.

Heath groaned as he opened his eyes, only to gasp as he saw Blazard fall after him. "BLAZARD!" The lizard roared at him, trying to reach him faster. But even if he could, it wouldn't help.

But as they fell, Heath looked down at the object in his hands, the Dragonheart Orb. "That's it!" He exclaimed before pulling his arm back, "Quick, the Dragonheart Orb! GRAB IT!" He threw the orb at Blazard, the Pokémon catching it in both hands, causing him to explode with light. Heath watched him grow and change shape, becoming almost five meters in length as the light began to fade and reveal his new form.

He looked like a larger version of Blazard, but now his arms were like that of a bat's wings. But instead of a membrane, fire could be seen between the appendages. Its orange skin was now a dark red and the claws on its wings were now larger. The fins on the side of its head were now replaced with large curved blades, and on the tip of its tail, a large yellow bludgeon could be seen. "Blaze!" He roared as he angled himself and shot down, managing to reach Heath and get under him before spreading his blazing wings. "BLAZEGON!"

"Wow," Heath whispered as his new Pokémon began to fly up, catching his trainer as everyone saw both shoot up above them. Everyone marvelled at the sight before them, the crooks going wide-eyed at the sight of the giant flaming dragon. "You're gonna let Hydraworm go right now!" Heath yelled as Blazegon roared.

"Or what?" Score asked, only for the dragon to take a deep breath.

"BLAZE!" He screeched before a burst of fire struck the cables holding Hydraworm, causing them to heat up and slowly melt.

"WHAT!?" The three screamed, "That's impossible!"

But before they could do anything, Blazegon up as his bludgeon tail began to glow. "ZEGON!" The tail smashed into the basket, knocking it back, causing Hydraworm to swing as the cables snapped. The triple-headed Pokémon fell toward the mountain, bringing its heads together and drilling into the side for safety.

"Nice one bud," Heath patted his head while the criminals glared at him. "Now, let's end this!" Blazegon nodded and flew up to the basket.

"There's gotta be something here to stop that thing!" Score yelped as he pulled out a box in the basket and started throwing random junk behind him, including a book, chessboard and a rubber-ducky, but found nothing of use. This allowed Blazegon to reach them, using its feet claws to Slash at the balloon, "Oh great." The balloon started losing air, now dropping as Blazegon flew beneath it.

"Dragon Pulse!" Blazegon took a deep breath before firing the dragon-shaped laser out of his mouth, which struck the basket and sent it flying into the sky. The criminals could only scream as they rocketed upward, disappearing in a flash of light.

"Oh dear!" Cadance gasped, "I hope they're alright."

"Eh, don't worry about it. They're used to it," Flash added as Blazegon flew down and landed in front of them. "Dude," he told Heath as he hopped off the Pokémon, "That was awesome."

"I know," Heath nodded before turning to his newly evolved Blazegon. "You're amazing." Blazegon smirked while Flash took out his Pokedex.

Name: Blazegon
Category: Flame Dragon Pokémon
Type: Fire/Dragon
Info: The evolved form of Blazard. When a Blazard thinks it is worthy, it will seek out the legendary Dragonheart Orb to allow it to undergo the final evolution into Blazegon. Despite it wings being made out of fire, it can still fly.

"It's so...powerful," Twilight whispered.

"And you were able to save Hydraworm," Doc pointed out before the ground began to shake. Seconds later, Hydraworm exploded out the ground, dividing its heads before smiling down at them.

"Hydraworm!" Heath waved at it, "Thank you. If you hadn't have given us the orb, we wouldn't have been able to get out of that." Hydraworm nodded before turning to the now empty shrine.

"So what are you gonna do now?" Spike asked it, "You were supposed to guard the Dragonheart Orb, but now that it's gone." Heath and Flash were about to suggest it go with them, but before they could, a Burroworm came out of one of the holes Hydraworm had made. And it had another Dragonheart Orb wrapped around the end of its tail.

"What?!" Twilight yelped, "There's another one?!" Hydraworm laughed before picking up the orb and placing it in the mouth of the statue. "Where did...how did...why do?" The two Ground-types now laughed before Hydraworm began to drill its way back underground, the Burroworm leaping into the hole after it. "WAIT!" But they were already gone, likely off to wherever it was they kept the spare Dragonheart Orbs. "This is so confusing." The others laughed, now telling Twilight to not think about it too much. And as soon as Twilight calmed down, Blazegon gave everyone a lift, flying them down to the base of the mountain.

"Over there!" Cadance said as they flew down, looking up at the snow covered mountain that still laid ahead of them. Blazegon landed on a flat piece of land between the mountain they were just on and the last one before the train station. They all got off as Cadance looked at the map. "Yup. There's a pass that'll let us get around the mountain. And that's where we'll find the train station."

"Great!" Flash cheered. "Next stop, the Crystal Empire!"

"I'd give you guys another lift if we could," Heath told them from atop Blazegon. "But I doubt the cold is something Blazegon would want to be near."

"That's fine," Twilight replied, "You've already gotten us a lot further then we could have gotten on our own." Heath nodded and was about to take off, only for Flash to speak up.

"Hey, Heath!" He turned to him. "Before you go, how about a battle? I'd love to see how well I stack up against your Blazegon."

Heath shook his head with a smirk, "No thanks. Actually, tell you what...how about we save our battle for the Equestria League? Then we can go all out with everything on the line." Flash nodded back, saying he agreed. "Good. Well," Blazegon prepared to take off, "I'll see you guys around." The others nodded and stepped back as Blazegon began to beat its wings, spreading embers as it flew up into the sky.

They waved goodbye to their friends as they both disappeared, off to find their next big adventure. And once they were gone, Flash and his friends began to make their way toward the pass. They had enjoyed yet another amazing adventure, and now they were only a train ride away from the Crystal Empire. Would they be able to relax, or have their adventures only just begun? The journey continues