//------------------------------// // Togekiss will be there // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Ponyville. Twilight's lab, day. "Toge...Toge..." Right now, the Jubilee Pokemon was dozing off while sitting on the table. Living here with Twilight can be calming even when experiments and other activities go on. Speaking of which, Twilight had just finished giving out Starter Pokemon to new upstart trainers from across Equestria. And due to the first gym being here in Ponyville owned by Roseluck, they were already raring to obtain their first badge. "Bye, bye! Good luck on your journey!" She wished them good luck, waving her hoof to them. Twilight's words and the sound of the door closing had woken the Jubilee Pokemon up. "To?" "Okay. That's one thing done. What's next?" The young alicorn turned around to face all of her Pokemon. Right now, most of them were either asleep or relaxing aside from Absol and the just awoken Togekiss. Ash's Pokemon were resting here as well. Since Ash is still unconscious and at the Vermillion City Hospital, Twilight is currently taking care of all his Pokemon. From Pikachu to Farfetch'd. Pikachu had also just woken up. "Pika?" "Toge?" "I'll just let them rest for a while. Anyway...Summer's about to start very soon. I can't wait. But...I really wish I could start it with Ash." "Togekiss?" Togekiss could see Twilight's happy face quickly transforming into one of sadness as she was reminded of Ash's absence and unconscious state. Even if she knew that Ash would eventually wake up, the fears and worries were still prominent. But that's where Togekiss comes in. As a Pokemon that has a sole purpose to bring gifts of kindness and sweet blessings, she can't ignore a good soul that is down and upset. And that's what she was going to do. The Jubilee Pokemon looked at the calendar, noticing that summer was drawing near. Twilight would obviously have plans for summer. Togekiss has been around long enough to know that Twilight has plans for everything. So, to make her happy, Togekiss chose to set everything up for Twilight as he spread her wings out, soaring out of the windows. "Huh? Togekiss!" Twilight cried out, looking out the window. "Where are you going?!" "Pika?!" "To!" Togekiss gave out one last cry before she flew off into the distance, heading off to find whatever she can to make the best summer setup possible. And she would most likely do this on her own. "Pikachu. Can you please go after her? Last time she wandered off well..." "Pikachu!" Pikachu had it covered. He would take charge and follow Togekiss so that she wouldn't get into any trouble. She was still a baby mentally in the body of an adult. The Electric Mouse Pokemon jumped out of the window, following the Jubilee Pokemon as closely as he can. "Now um...What was I thinking of?" Twilight turned around. "Oh, right summer. Unova has Undella Town which is a great summer spot, but Alola's practically summer all around. What do you think, Absol?" "Sol." Absol didn't care really. Any season is fine with him. His fur body can practically withstand anything as he sat in the corner, resting away. "Oh yeah." Twilight's attention then turned somewhere else. Her bookshelves. She recalled something that happened yesterday. "Spike brought me a book from Unova. Apparently, there's something here that I'll find interesting." Instead of heading there to grab the book, Owlicious chose to bring the book over to Twilight instead, placing it near her hooves. "Thank you, Owlicious." Twilight thanked the owl before using her magic to carry the book. "An extended history of Unova, eh? Wonder what else I'm missing here..." Meanwhile, with Togekiss, she started venturing Ponyville itself first to see what she can do. Togekiss isn't really that accustomed to summer festivities or any of the like. She's been in summer before but only in the wilderness. Things are a lot different when it comes to civilizations. But, Togekiss knew there were good places to start. One of which was SugarCube Corner. She could most definitely count on Pinkie Pie to do so. The Jubilee Pokemon flew through the window, entering the building. Since it was close to summer, the heat was more frequent and powerful than it's ever been so open windows are going to be common almost everywhere. Inside, Pinkie Pie was taking a look at the pictures taken by Maud and Jade when they went on a little rock expedition tour together. Brock was a part of the image since Maud had a lot to learn from Brock. "Here. This is when we found an entire rock kingdom ruled by a Tyrantrum. And this is when we found fossil pokemon frozen but they weren't found as fossils. Their bodies survived and were just caught up in ice. We didn't need to restore any fossils to bring them back." Jade spoke in her usual dry and monotone voice. "Oooh." Pinkie Pie gawked at the photos with Mr and Mrs Cake also having a look. "How'd they survive that long in the ice without being fossils? Ah, whatever. Tell me more about that rock kingdom!" "There's a lot to say about it. I don't know where to start really." "Togekiss." In came Togekiss, here for advice. She came upon Mew and Spinda playing with the Cake Twins with the Slurpuff standing by and laying around until they were needed. "Mew-Mew?" The New Species looked over to Togekiss on the head of Pound Cake. "Kiss. Toge." "Hm? Togekiss!" Pinkie Pie turned around. "Are you hungry? You need something to eat here?" "Kiss. Togekiss!" Togekiss pointed her wings at the decorations of SugarCube corner which are always present here. She was trying to communicate by telling Pinkie Pie about summer. Thankfully, since Pinkie Pie had obtained some of that Fairy magic in her when she drank from the water at Frenzy Forest, she could actually communicate with Fairy-Type Pokemon thanks to Valerie's teachings. It was similar to how Dragon Trainers can communicate with Dragon-Type Pokemon. "Hmm..." Pinkie narrowed her eyes. "You want...oh! Summer stuff?! You wanna set things up for Twilight?!" "Togekiss!" The Jubilee Pokemon nodded in confirmation. "Summer's already approaching? It feels like time's moving faster than usual..." Jade said. "Hah! I've got you covered on that. Summer's where everypony shines best!" Pinkie spread her hooves out as she dashed over to grab over some recommended items for Togekiss. "This'll be Jade's first summertime fun soon so that makes all of this even better!" "Oh." Jade realized how true that was. She would experience her first moments with summer fun. "Here. This is one's one of my faves." Pinkie Pie brought over an assortment of objects before holding an ice cream mould set up to the Jubilee Pokemon. "Silicone Ice Cream Mold! It's perfect for making ice cream by yourself. It even comes in multiple shapes. This one looks like a unicorn horn, see?" "To..." Togekiss gawked at the mould set and its many appearances. Each just waiting for various ice cream flavours to be made on it. "We also have these playful beach towels." Mrs Cake held up a giant beach towel with a wing pattern on it. They wrap around multiple grounds of friends instead of just one." "Can't forget the young ones. How does this Baby Water Play Mat look?" Mr Cake poked his hoof at a playmat that would act as a mini-pool for babies. Mainly his children. "Toge." "There's a bunch of stuff like this orange cider pong table, snow cone makers, really super big sunhats, this food bag and my personal favourite..." Pinkie Pie held her favourite item to hold in the summer. A sort of shooting object that served one purpose. "The Bubble Cannon. It doesn't beat out the party cannon but boy is it fun." "So, what do you think?" Mr Cake asked. "Kiss! Togekiss!" Togekiss clapped her wings together. She approved of the items as she wanted to use those to set it up for Twilight. "Pikachu?" Pikachu had just entered SugarCube Corner after following Togekiss. He had just come across the large assortment of summer objects laying about. "Pika?" "Hey there, Pikachu! You need some summer stuff too?" Pinkie asked. "Togekiss." Togekiss put her wings on the objects, trying to carry them. Unfortunately, there was no way she was going to carry every single one of them on her own. "Sorry dear, but that's too much for anypony to carry on their own." Mrs Cake apologized with a smile. "But don't you worry." The pink earth pony nudged the Jubilee Pokemon. "I'm already planning a major summer party for the whole run. It's gonna be here in Ponyville so you won't be alone with the whole set-up stuff." "To?" "You can have of this stuff. We've got backups anyway." Pinkie flailed her hoof. "Pikachu." Pikachu saw what was going on and why Togekiss was here thanks to Pinkie's words. Understanding, the Electric Mouse Pokemon offered to assist by picking up the ice cream mould set while Togekiss put the smaller objects on her back. Unfortunately, her wings weren't exactly built for grabbing. "We should get to work too and set up for summer immediately." Mrs Cake spoke. "How are we with roses?" "Roses look pretty good in summer. I bet there are some Pokemon that are also the same." Pinkie Pie squeed. "Maybe like Floette or Cherrim." "Toge?" Hearing flowers gave Togekiss another idea. Roses. Without wasting any time, the Jubilee Pokemon took off once more, flying through the window. And of course, Pikachu had to follow. He was now willing to help Togekiss out as he placed the ice cream mould down. He couldn't exactly carry it while running. "Pikachu!" "Oh. Uh, goodbye!" Pinkie Pie waved to the two Pokemon with a farewell. "Okay! Just 3 months of summer, right? I mean, the Pokemon might make that different since ya know, they made winter longer than usual." "A bit too long..." Mr Cake sighed. "Last year's winter might've been the longest one yet." "On the bright side..." Mrs Cake put on some sun shades to block out the intense sunlight. "That eliminated any time constraints we had when preparing for Hearths Warming. I'm not sure if that Dialga Pokemon's doing but I appreciate it. Hopefully, spring is just as long." Ponyville Gym. The first gym in Equestria. As usual, Ponyville has the first official gym in Equestria for the Equestria League and upstart trainers. And the Gym Leader here was Roseluck who specialized in Grass-Type Pokemon. Currently, she was going against a young pegasus trainer and her Torchic. And as always, Roserade her ace Pokemon Roserade by her side. "Torchic, use Flame Charge!" The little pegasus commanded. "Torchic! Torchic!" Cloaking itself in flames, the Chick Pokemon ran at the Bouquet Pokemon, ready to slam into her and raise its own speed. "Here it comes! Roserade, use your thorns to grab Torchic!" "Rade!" The Grass-Poison-Type narrowed her eyes before sliding to the side, avoiding Torchic's head-on charge with superior speed. When she avoided it and Torchic's Flame Charge came to an end, the Bouquet Pokemon revealed one of her hidden thorns from her flowers. The thorn shot out and wrapped around Torchic, restraining the Chick Pokemon. "Tor?" "Gotcha! Now use Power Whip!" "Rose...Rade!" Roserade then pulled Torchic in with her thorn, bringing the Chick Pokemon closer to her. Roserade then used the other hidden thorn from her flower hands, enveloping it in a green light as she whacked Torchic with it, sending the Fire-Type flying. "Tor!" "Torchic! Quick, use Incinerate!" "Torchic-chic-chic-chic!" Out of the Chick Pokemon's beak, it shot out a wide crimson flame that spun around. "Counter with Shadow Ball!" "Rose!" The Bouquet Pokemon put her flower hands forward and out before creating a dark purple ball in between its flowers. She then hurled the blob of shadows upwards. The strength of Shadow Ball had easily overpowered Incinerate, consuming it into the shadows. "Tor?!" Torchic gasped as it had also been engulfed by the ball of shadows just like the flames of incinerate. Once engulfed, the ball blew up with a shadowy explosion. "Chic!" "Oh! Not my Torchic!" The little pegasus gasped as she had witnessed her partner take a heavy Shadow Ball. It was actually impressive that Torchic managed to even withstand a move as powerful as Power Whip. But Shadow Ball was the nail in the coffin as Torchic fell, fainting. "Torchic..." "Torchic is unable to battle! Roserade wins! Thus the winner is the Gym Leader Roseluck!" The unicorn referee announced. "Done and done." Roseluck stood tall with confidence and a proud smile. She has most certainly improved ever since her battle with Appleajck taught her a few useful things. "Great work as always, Roserade." "Rose." And the same went for Roserade. She's learnt a lot over these past months and she was definitely a roadblock for early trainers. But she does feel guilty for giving them such a hard time in the beginning. Roseluck and Roserade have become such a formidable duo for being the very first Gym challenge that the Equestria League managers are actually recommending to make Roserade's gym an optional gym instead. "Aww...Sorry, Torchic." The pegasus sighed, flying over to her partner. "We got close too." "Torchic." "You did well, don't worry." Roseluck walked over to the pegasus and her partner. "But, not quite there yet. Try again next time, okay? Roserade and I will be waiting." "I will! Thank you!" With a thankful grin and a recall to Torchic, the little pegasus flew off, exiting the Gym to try and improve herself so that she can come back for another round. When she opened the door to leave, Togekiss and Pikachu both came through it, greeting the pegasus before having the door closed on them. "To. Togekiss." "Hm? Oh, hey there." Roseluck walked to the two Pokemon. "What brings you two here? Do you need anything? Oh, and sorry for what happened to Ash, Pikachu." "Pika-Pika." "Toge. To-Togekiss." The Jubilee Pokemon pointed her wings over at the flowers that decorated the interior of the Gym. Since the Gym was Grass-themed and mostly everything here had Roseluck's touch on it, Togekiss chose to come here first for one reason. Roses. "Uh..." Roseluck was trying to understand Togekiss' wing movements. "Roserade. Ro-Roserade" Luckily her partner was there to help. After listening to what Togekiss had to say, Roserde explained it to Roseluck with simple arm movements. The two of them are so close that they could understand each other. Plus, they've been practising as Roseluck watched and listen to Roserade. "Ooh. You want roses for summer, do you?" "Togekiss!" The Fairy-Flying-Type nodded in confirmation. "Ah, I gotcha. Well, if you need roses, you can count on me. And Dasiy and Lilyvalley too. I can give you one of my baskets if you want. But...are you also interested in special roses that are exclusive in summer?" "Toge!" Togekiss liked the sound of exclusive roses as she leaned in. "Well, you're in luck. There are these Roses that bloom all summer. Knock Out roses, Multiflora, Eden and my personal favourite, the Prarie Rose. If you need any summer roses, those are the ones and more. But I also found out there's a bunch of new roses that originally came from the Pokemon World." "Togekiss?" "Mhm. Just five days ago. They showed up and bloomed pretty early. Not sure what they're called but...they look neat. If you want them, head near Bidoof Beach. They're pretty rare to find so if you feel like grabbing them, look carefully for something that looks like a Floette." "To!" Togekiss saluted along with Pikachu. Roserade and Roseluck brought them some basket to hold that already had roses within it. There were also other flowers in the mix. Togekiss held the basket with her mouth as she and Pikachu left to continue their work. Mainly Togekiss since Pikachu was just keeping an eye on her. As they left, Roseluck yawned, feeling a bit exhausted at the moment. Being a Gym Leader can take a lot out of someone especially if they have the first Gym and every upstart trainer heads here first. "Oh boy." She yawned. "Maybe we should take a break from Gym Battles for the next two days, why don't we?" "Roserade." Near Bidoof Beach. Togekiss couldn't carry everything so she placed the gathered items she obtained right near the doorstep of Twilight's castle for safety. After that, the Jubilee Pokemon had set off to find these exclusive flowers along with a few other things she would need for summer. To make things simpler, Togekiss brought a bag with her so that she wouldn't have to use her mouth and back constantly to carry everything. The Jubilee Pokemon had already placed some of the items that Pinkie Pie had recommended earlier, bringing them with her. Pikachu rode on her back whilst she soared through the air. The Jubilee Pokemon and Electric Mouse Pokemon got a good view of everything below them. Things sure did look different in the summer. Alongside that, they noticed a nearby Ultra Wormhole just laying about casually. And out of that wormhole and joined by a certain pegasus, was Buzzwole. A Buzzwole was the one that had arrived here in Equestria but it was hard to tell if it was the same Buzzwole that showed up in Ponyville. Aside from that, this Buzzwole could be seen flexing and posing with the pegasus known as Bulk Biceps or Snowflake as he's also known as. These two quickly found out that they share one thing in common. They love their muscles and enjoy showing them off, so they hit off instantly. "Yeah!" "Buzzwole!" "Pika?" "To?" After seeing that, they kept on soaring, passing by other Flying-Type Pokemon and pegasi along the way. But while they soared high above the land, another thing caught their attention. Mainly Pikachu's attention. Next to them, six Murkow decided to fly by their side. The six Murkrow originally crept up from behind in a suspicious manner with making light caws. "Pikachu?" "Togekiss?" "Murkrow. Mur." At first, it didn't seem too off that the Murkrow were just sneakily following Pikachu and Togekiss. After all, they are known for walking in a shady manner. That's just how they are. They even played it cool and casual. However, another thing they're known for is collecting. Mainly for their head honcho Honchkrow. All Murkrow do this for their boss. But, when looking at them in the eyes, Pikachu quickly recognized these Murkrow and which Honchkrow they work for. "Pika?!" "Mur!" After being found out, the six Murkrow each struck at the right opportunity with one of them using Steel Wing to cut the handle of the bag off of Togekiss' wings. "To!?" Togekiss gasped as the handle of the bag had been cut off by Murkrow's glowing wings, falling from a high height while the other five Murkrow used Tailwind to throw Togekiss and Pikachu off balance. Due to five Tailwind's being used, it was equal to an entire tornado. "Murkrow!" "T-Toge!" "Pika!" "Krow!" After that, one of the Murkrow grabbed the bag with its beak, carrying it as they all collectively dived down, heading off to the one individual who would want these, probably. Honchkrow. More specifically, the same Honchkrow who is a major rival to Mayor Mare and her Stoutland. It was by looking them in the eye that Pikachu realized which Murkrow they were. "Pika-Pika! Pikachu!" After flying away from the area of Tailwind, Pikachu told the Jubilee Pokemon about the Murkrow and how they had to follow them. But Togekiss didn't need to know that. She had a mission to make a great summer set-up for Twilight. It is a Togekiss' dedication to send wonderful gifts and blessings and she wasn't going to let a Pokemon that was the slightly opposite type to her get in her way. "To!" Thus, she and Pikachu pursued the six Murkrow. In terms of speed, Togekiss could keep up with the Murkrow but they were surprisingly fast. Murkrow are well known for their speed after all. She could see that they were heading into a nearby deep forest. Murkrow are most commonly known for luring travellers into deep forests and sometimes mountain trails so that their foes will be lost there. And the same goes for those it steals from, especially Pokemon. The Murkrow that had the bag was the fastest out of all of them. The Murkrow made the wise decision to have the fastest of their group carry the goods while the rest distract the ones they stole from. They work well as a team. And speaking of which, the rest of the Murkrow chose to keep Togekiss away so that their teammate can enter the forest and head to their boss, Honchkrow. "Murkrow!" Each of them used Air Cutter to try and knock their pursuers out of the sky by flapping their wings ferociously, launching razorlike wind. "Pika!" Pikachu jumped off Togekiss' back while Togekiss used her aerial mobility to try and avoid the razorlike wind from hitting her. And if she couldn't avoid it, she could always use Dazzling Gleam as a shield. The Jubilee Pokemon spun around, avoiding the blades of Razor Wind. She then created a rainbow-sphere around her body to block the attacks from fully landing. "Toge! Togekiss!" "Pika...Chuuu!" As for Pikachu, once he hopped off Togekiss' back, he immediately prepared a Thunderbolt. By summoning a burst of electricity around his body, the Electric-Mouse Pokemon unleashed a wide and powerful blast of lightning from above. "Krow?" The Murkrow looked up to witness the bolt of lightning raging towards them. They had been smitten by Thunderbolt as it caused a chain reaction, affecting one Murkrow before jumping over to the next with its large aura. "Mur!" "Toge!" And Togekiss helped out by using the sphere of Dazzling Gleam, expanding its size and crashing into all five of the Murkrow. The unification of Thunderbolt and Dazzling Gleam was strong enough to take out the Dark-Flying-Types, knocking them out of the sky. However, they gave enough time to let their fastest Murkrow escape into the deep forest. They weren't planning on winning away. Togekiss swooped by, catching Pikachu on her back as the duo advanced towards the forest. The entrance to the forest was through an archway of birch trees. Togekiss swooped underneath the trees before entering the forest with Pikachu. Once inside, the Jubilee Pokemon descended with Pikachu hopping off. Now that they were here, all they needed to do was find the Murkrow that stole the bag, return it, grab some of those special summer flowers that look like Floette and continue the set-up mission. The forest was most certainly perfect for Pokemon like Murkrow and Honchkrow to live in. It had a dark aesthetic to it for sure with many of the trees blocking out the sun itself. "Pika..." Pikachu, being the sleuth that he is, decided to use his nose to try and track the Murkrow down. Since he is meant to be a mouse, he has the potential to detect almost anything with ease. Togekiss would just follow as she had to get that bag as soon as possible. It was all for Twilight. The Jubilee Pokemon stayed airborne, gently floating in the air while Pikachu would take care of everything on the ground with his nose. But he wasn't the only one using his nose in this forest. Some rustling could be heard from the nearby bushes, putting Pikachu on high alert. His hair stood up with electricity sparking out of his red sacs. "Pika...!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon growled, staying on guard in case it was one of the Murkrow here to attack him and Togekiss. But it was quickly found out that it was just Stoutland who had come out of the bushes, also using his amazing sense of smell. It pays to be of the dog family when you're a Pokemon. But, this Stoutland was very recognizable. This was Mayor Mare's Stoutland. And speaking of Mayor Mare, there she was, emerging from the bushes as well. "Hm? Oh, Pikachu. And Togekiss. Glad to see you two here." She said "Pikachu." Pikachu could stay calm knowing he had allies here. "You're looking for Honchkrow too, are you?" "Pika." "FIgured. Just recently, those Murkrow have made a return, this time they've become more aggressive and ambitious than ever. It's not just Ponyville anymore. Stoutland and I are here to retrieve objects stolen from the Wonderbolt Academy." "Stout." "Pikachu. Pika-Pika." Pikachu pointed south as he could sniff out the direction of where the Murkrow went. But so could Stoutland. They were on the same page here so that was a plus. By working together, the four of them tracked down the source of where Murkrow and their boss Honchkrow were. Further down at the forest, it was only getting stranger here-on. The trees were closer together while also sporting darker stem and branch colours. The sounds of Murkrow cawing could be heard in the distance along with other Pokemon that lurk within this forest. Mayor Mare could also hear the sounds of items being shuffled around, proving that they were close. And lo and behold, they were. They had passed through a passage of leaves, arriving at their destination. And there he was. One of Mayor Mare's two major enemies only second to Togepi. Honchkrow. Honchkrow sat on a throne of objects, flaunting off his gatherings as usual. This time, Honchkrow was more successful than ever. He had been avoiding Ponyville for a few months now, knowing how he doesn't have good luck there. So, he's been moving across Equestria, having his Murkrow snatch objects from other locations. And they had been getting away with it too. This time, he got creative. Since the object count was getting larger, Honchkrow personally used a large bag to carry all of the stolen items so that they could manage them all. Like a carrier. And due to him being a powerful Pokemon, he could lift it despite the weight difference. But in actuality, the Murkrow have been doing all of the heavy liftings because of course they have. And in truth, the bag was stolen as well. When Ash was being chased down by most of Equestria, that gave Honchkrow and the Murkrow the perfect opportunity to steal while everyone was chasing Ash down. Millions of items were now at their disposal. Thus, they had their biggest steal yet and they hadn't been caught. Until now. "Honchkrow!" Mayor Mare cried out. "Honch?" The Big Boss Pokemon responded to the cry as he noticed his arch-nemesis standing before him in his territory. Mayor Mare. "Honchkrow!" "Long time no see, hm?" She adjusted her glasses. "You've been busy. I see you've gone past the usual number count and reached a million, haven't you?" "Honch." The Big Boss Pokemon scoffed as all the Murkrow stood in front of him, protecting their boss. "Toge! Togekiss!" Togekiss noticed the bag she originally had that was stolen, sitting amongst the piles of objects. Since it was the most recent object here, it was hard to see. "Returning all of these objects will take a while, especially to their original owners. Luckily, I've already got in touch with Canterlot for that. The guards should be here to pick them up. Pikachu. Togekiss. Grab what you can." "Pikachu!" "Togekiss!" "Honchkrow!" Honchkrow gave the call for the Murkrow to attack them while he would personally get the bag away from here with all the items. He didn't want to risk being foiled by Mayor Mare again. He wasn't even sure how she found him. "Kro! Murkrow!" Honchkrow's posse had also grown since last time. Now there were more Murkrow to deal with than usual as they each approached Pikachu and the others or just stood back for ranged support. "Pika!" Pikachu quickly used Electroweb by summoning a ball of electricity. That ball was then launched at a flock of approaching Murkrow before transforming into a net. The net that landed on the Murkrow that approached, forcing them down and trapping them while also giving them electric shocks in the process. "Stoutland, use Play Rough!" "Stout!" Stoutland barked as he lunged at another flock with a pink aura trailing out of him. Once he pounced at the Murkrow, the Big-Hearted Pokemon gathered them all up, forming a large pink cloud as he started attacking them frantically. No one could see what was happening within the large pink cloud, only sounds Stoutland hitting the Murkrow constantly as some of them were flying out of the cloud, fainting from the attacks. As for Honchkrow, he already had his talons on the bag, closing it while flapping his wings. The Big Boss Pokemon took the skies, carrying the bag with millions of items with him. "Toge!" Togekiss couldn't let that happen. Pikachu got onto her back as the two of them went straight for the Dark-Flying-Type. "Togekiss!" "Krow!" Honchkrow wouldn't let anyone stop him as he used Dark Pulse by shooting out a purple and dark beam imbued with horrifying thoughts. "To!" Togepi countered this by shielding her body with Dazzling Gleam's sphere, nullifying the beam of dark thoughts with it. "Honchkrow!" Honchrkow called for more of his minions as some of the Murkrow that hadn't been attacked yet came to their boss' aid. "Murkrow!" Many Murkrow ascended, approaching Pikachu and Togepi with their own attacks. Mainly Wing Attack, Peck, Air Cutter and more. Togekiss kept the rainbow shield up as anyone that touched the shield would take super-effective damage and be launched back by the Fairy magic. But the constant barrage of attacks would eventually break it. Pikachu fended off any approaching Murkrow by using Iron Tail, whacking them away. "Togekiss!" Togekiss cried out to Pikachu, warning him of what was coming next. Knowing that the rainbow shield was going to break, Togekiss chose to use the second property of Dazzling Gleam. The brightness of it. By increasing the brightness of the sphere, Togekiss created a blinding light that flashed in front of everyone's eyes, throwing them off balance. It was a good call for Togekiss to warn Pikachu to close his eyes. "Krow!" The Murkrow all cried out after being blinded. Even Honchkrow became dazed from it. With the Big Boss Pokemon and his cronies being befuddled, now was Pikachu's time to strike. "Chu...Pika!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon leapt off Togekiss' back, hardening his tail even further with Iron Tail as he swiped, cutting the top of the bag off. Just like how the Murkrow from before cut the handle of Togekiss' bag, Pikachu did the same to the bag. Due to this, the bag was now falling with all of the items within it. However, some of them were fairly fragile and it would be a problem for the original owners if they broke. "Catch it, Stoutland!" "Stout!" After knocking out all of the Murkrow in the cloud of Play Rough, the Big-Hearted Pokemon quickly ran over to try and save the bag of items. How would he do this? With his own body weight. When the bag fell, Stoutland ran underneath it using his back to support the bag. Stoutland was a fairly heavy and built Pokemon even if he looked old. When the bag fell on him, the Big-Hearted Pokemon used every ounce of his strength to hold it. It did put some pressure on him since they are millions of objects after all, but the Normal-Type could handle it. It's a good thing that Murkrow and Honchkrow only gather small and medium-sized objects that are shiny. "Honchkrow?!" Honchkrow gasped after seeing his grip on the bag fade away. Enraged, the Big Boss Pokemon whacked Pikachu away with Night Slash, knocking him far back. "Krow!" "Pika!" Pikachu cried out after being hit in the face and launched but Togekiss caught the Electric Mouse Pokemon, saving him. "To!" After saving Pikachu, Togekiss used Sky Attack, covering herself in a golden aura as she barged through the Murkrow, knocking them down while heading for the small bag. Honchkrow cawed as he also used Sky Attack, aiming for Togekiss and Pikachu as he raced towards the duo, ready to strike them down at all costs. "Giga Impact!" "Stoutland!" But, Stoutland would protect them. After saving the bag and gently placing it down, the Normal-Type then lunged himself at the Dark-Flying-Type with his body being cloaked by an invisible white aura. "Pika!" Pikachu put his arms out as Togekiss swooped by, allowing the Electric-Mouse Pokemon to grab the bag. The bag of summer items was now in their possession. "Pikachu!" "Stout!" "Honch!" Both Stoutland and Honchrow smashed their heads together with Stoutland getting in front of Pikachu and Togekiss, protecting them both. Afterwards, the two of them entered a head clash before they knocked each other back from how hard they connected. "Pikachu! Togekiss!" Mayor Mare cried out. "You can leave now with what you have! Let Stoutland and I handle the rest from here!" "Pika-Pikachu!" "Togekiss!" The two of them thanked Mayor Mare as they immediately flew out of the area, getting away from here as fast as they could. It was all Stoutland and Mayor Mare now. After the clash, Honchkrow shook his head, feeling the vibrations while Stoutland had finished recharging after using Giga Impact. "Honch...Honchkrow!" Clearly unhappy with how things turned out, Honchrkow's hatred for Mayor Mare and Stoutland has increased yet again as the remaining Murkrow that were still conscious stood by their boss. "Now then." Mayor Mare turned to Dark-Flying-Types with Stoutland. She let out a devious smile that could intimidate the Murkrow. "We have you all to ourselves now." Ponyville. Afternoon. A success. Togekiss had returned the bag to the doorstep of Twilight's castle with all the objects intact. Plus, she had a new bag with her. One that still had its handle. The Jubilee Pokemon continued to move around Ponyville, asking as many residents as she can of what she can do for a summer set-up. They were all grateful and helpful to assist Togekiss and Pikachu. With that, progress was swift and effective. Bags upon bags were being gathered by Togekiss. She had collected so many items from Ponyville's residents. It wasn't long until she and Pikachu got to work by beginning the official summer set-up. They would start with the castle. Twilight was still in the lab, reading the book that Spike brought her. All of her attention was fixated on the pages about Ghetsis' farthest ancestor. Harmonia. Twilight was stunned that someone as great at making peace and harmony like Harmonia was somehow the ancestor of Equestria's greatest threat. Twilight was learning more than she expected. "That's a leap in a million..." She gawked as her Pokemon were also looking at the pages with her by leaning over. But as she read, she quickly came to find out that the pages regarding info about Harmonia were about to end. The information was large and juicy but the pages weren't as extensive as the rest. Twilight left a bookmark before closing the book and placing it back. "Well then. That's something that won't leave my head for a while." She chuckled nervously. "How about we all head over for some lunch now?" "Espeon!" Eve and the rest of her Pokemon agreed to eat since they were starting right about now. The princess and her Pokemon exited the building heading straight for the castle where all their favourite foods can be found. They had no idea what was waiting for them inside. When approaching the castle, Twilight noticed a basket with roses and a few bags with items inside of them just sitting around outside the doorstep of her castle. Some of these items had already been taken out. "Hm?" Curious as to why all these bags were here, Twilight looked to the door, narrowing her eyes. She also recognized some of them belonging to Pinkie Pie. Wondering why these were here, the young alicorn opened the door with her magic, curious as to what was going on and where Togekiss had gone as of now. She wouldn't have to wonder any longer. Once that door was opened, she was greeted by the sight of Pikachu and Togekiss setting up her castle with summer decorations and objects with the assistance of Sunset and the others. Pinkie Pie was here too since she promised to help after all. "Pika?" Pikachu turned around, spotting the young Princess of Friendship and her Pokemon. "Pikachu!" "Pikachu? Togekiss? What is this?" "Oh! Twilight!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Just in time to see what these two are doing!" "Huh?" "You see, Togekiss wanted to do some summer set-up for you herself, so she started moving around, grabbing everything she needed. She didn't know too much about summer, but I got to help with that. And so did Pikachu." Pinkie Pie explained. "Pikachu!" "She apparently did it to cheer you up and save all the trouble of doing the work yourself." Sunset walked over. "I think it's because of-" "Ash. Right?" Twilight finished the sentence, looking at Togekiss. "Toge." The Jubilee Pokemon confirmed it to be true. Being a Togekiss, it was her natural drive to bring joy and happiness to those that avoid needless strife and have a good heart. But also to those feeling down. She is a Pokemon of delight and joy after all. Like Blissey. She couldn't ignore a friend's sadness as well. "Oh, Togekiss. Here I was worried about what you would do alone." Twilight smiled, feeling proud of Togekiss. "Thank you. I would've done the set-up myself but this works too. But...I do have plans in other regions..." "Other regions?" Starlight spoke. "I was thinking of Undella Town and Alola for summertime fun. But this works too. Maybe we can swap between them." Twilight chuckled. "Uh...sure that sounds good." Sunset nodded in confirmation. "I kinda wanna know what Pokemon beaches are like actually." "Pikachu." "I hope Ash wakes up in time for us to enjoy it." Twilight scratched her mane. "I know that Delia would want to-" "Toge?!" Just then, when mentioning Delia Ketchum, Togekiss' friendly instincts kicked in once more. She forgot about Delia who was just as distraught about her son's unconscious state. Knowing this, the Jubilee Pokemon took off like a rocket, flying out of the window to do one more thing before she could call it a day. Twilight and everyone watched the Fairy-Flying-Type dash off as Pikachu followed yet again. "There she goes. For a baby, she sure is a hard worker, huh?" Pinkie Pie asked. "She sure is." Twilight smiled, nodding in agreement. Togekiss flew over to one spot. She didn't go to Delia just yet. Instead, there was one thing she thought of that could make Delia smile. And it involved the Dazzlings. The Jubilee Pokemon went over to their home, moving from point A to point B in seconds. It seems that her battle with Honchkrow and the Murkrow had increased her speed a bit. After reaching the home, the Jubilee Pokemon gently descended, knocking on the door for a call. "Togekiss!" "Coming!" And of course, the first one to answer was the most energetic of the group. Opening the door after a swift and immediate response and with a wide smile on her face was the youngest of the Dazzling, Sonata Dusk. "Toge!" "Who is it, Sonata?" Aria asked. "It's that Togekiss Pokemon! Oh and Pikachu too." "Hm? What do you two want?" Adagio walked up to the two Pokemon with Kricketot clinging onto her face instead of staying in her large mane this time. "Krick?" "Toge! Toge-Toge-Toge!" "Pikachu! Pika!" "Uh..." Sonata couldn't translate that at all. Neither could Aria or Adagio. "What?" Thankfully, this is where Pikachu's expert communication methods kick in. If there's one thing Pikachu is also very good at, aside from battling, it's impersonations. Not only can he impersonate many Pokemon, but even humans as well. "Pikapi! Pika-Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu began changing the shape of his face and expression, making it look like Ash, he then changed his face shape again before tying his ears, making them resemble Delia Ketchum's hair a bit. Pikachu then moved his arms around while suddenly trying to sing. Then, he made it look like he was holding what seemed to be a sheet of paper, looking right at it before pointing at the Dazzlings. Adagio looked carefully at what Pikachu was trying to say. Ash. Delia. Singing. Paper. Us. "Hm..." "What do you think, Adagio? You get what he's saying?" Aria asked. "Ash. Mrs Ketchum. Something about singing and paper..." Adagio began translating. She used every bit of her brain to put the pieces together. Then, it hit her. "Oh. You want us to sing about Ash to Delia, don't you? That Type Wild song." "Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded. "Oh. Again? I didn't wanna sing about him for the first time, let alone his mom." Adagio sighed. "It's fine. Besides, we don't have to sing it." Sonata slid over. "We don't?" Adagio raised an eyebrow. "Nah." Sonata held out the lyric sheet of Type Wild. "Besides, some humans recorded the whole thing during the Talent Show, so we can just give her the video. "She's right ya know." Aria nodded. "We can just ask someone for the footage and let her watch it. Don't need to do all the hard work." "Hm. Fair enough." Adagio liked that idea. "Alright. You'll get your song. Let's just find someone who has it quickly. I have things to do anyway." "Pikachu!" Pallet Town, late afternoon. Delia was in her home, sorting it out with some cleaning. It was awfully quiet here. Without Ash, everything felt empty. Then again, Ash has been on journeys for so long that the silence that fills the air shouldn't be out of the ordinary for Delia. But, this time it was different. Mimey helped out with the cleaning as everything was now spotless. Delia finished up in Ash's room by sorting out his Unova clothes, placing them in the cupboard. She had done enough work for today. Some dinner was needed. Her usual cheerful smile was no longer seen on her face. It was either a frown or a blank poker face. Seeing her son in such a state could do that to her. "Thanks, Mimey. Let's eat and call it a day, okay?" "Mr Mime-Mime." But before she could make some dinner, there was a surprise waiting for her. A knock on the door arrived. Delia walked to the door, putting her apron to the side before opening it. There, some familiar faces stood before her. Pikachu. Togekiss and a resident of Pallet Town with who she was good friends. Everyone in Pallet Town knows each other after all. "Sorry to interrupt, Delia. But apparently, this is important." The woman said. "Hm? What is it?" Delia asked. "Pikachu. Pika-Pika." "Your son's Pikachu here has something important to show you. And this Togekiss right here. Something that'll cheer you up for a while." The woman held out a small tape, lending it to Delia. "I turned a little video into a tape that I could watch in my free time. It's about the Pokemon Talent Show." "Pokemon Talent Show?" "Mhm. For your son. Well, I'll leave you to it now. Have fun, Delia. Take care!" The woman waved goodbye to Delia, Pikachu and Togekiss before heading off. "For Ash?" Delia looked at the tape, wondering what to expect. She knew about the Talent Show though. Delia entered the house with Pikachu and Togekiss following. Curious as to what it could entail, Delia went over to the TV that still had a tape player with it. Delia couldn't help but keep items from her nostalgic past after all. Once arriving at the TV, she turned it on along with the tape player before placing the tape inside. With a smooth slide in and satisfying closing sound, the video responded to the TV as it was ready to play. Delia sat down with Pikachu, Togekiss and Mr Mime by her side. Then, the video showed the title of the Pokemon Talent Show from Canterlot. Just 2 months ago. Obviously, there was a lot to get through, but there was one moment here that was very important. And Pikachu wanted her to see it. The Electric Mouse Pokemon grabbed the remote as he started fast-forwarding, skipping all the other acts of contestants and heading to the one that he needed. That Delia needed. The one about Ash. Type Wild. Once arriving there, Pikachu put the remote down, getting comfortable as Delia's eyes shot open. She leaned forward as she recognized this sound and image. The day the Dazzlings sang about her son's many journeys. From Kanto all the way to Equestria. A tribute song. Delia and everyone stayed silent as the song began playing. She looked at Togekiss who smiled back, knowing that this was her idea from that innocent and pure smile. Knowing this, she could only smile, like Twilight. And with that, she pulled Pikachu and Togekiss in, hugging them and thanking the duo for doing this to her. Seeing how far her son has come and how much more he's going to grow and develop as a trainer was wonderful to experience. Even if ends up in dangerous situations, he's always going to bounce back from it either way. Delia was still worried, but she could still be confident, knowing that Ash had amazing friends by his side that will get him through it all. And Togekiss felt proud of herself. For anyone upset, Togekiss will be there to make everything better. No matter what. It wasn't even the Fairy-Type kindness in her. It was just who Togekiss was as the journey continues. Chapter 438 End.