//------------------------------// // Rock your soul out, Ash // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Canterlot. The Pokemon School. Day. It's been 2 days since Ash and Ghetsis went through that body swap debacle. Everything has somewhat returned to normal. However, after what Ghetsis did, some damage had been done. Even though he lost, he's learned quite a bit. Plus, in the few hours that Ash and Ghesis were away from each other, Ghetsis managed to do so much that had affected Ash's reputation. While all of Ponyville knew of the body swap, everywhere else was a different story. Ash was outside at the Canterlot Gardens which was just near the Pokemon School. He needed some time to rest after everything that has happened. But aside from that, the Pokemon School was in session as always. And this time, the focus was on Roxanne's class. And as always, it was on the topic of music. They had already covered a lot with the hours they had left. Right now, it was about to finish for this class as they would go home early. So Roxie had to be quick. "Yeesh. He's had it rough, huh?" Roxie looked outside the window to see Ash in the gardens. "Kinda impressed how he can keep going after all of that." "He's amazing isn't he?!" Sweetie Belle said with glee. "I'll say. Okay, you guys!" Roxie exclaimed. "I've got you all the instruments you wanted. Wasn't easy. Getting and making instruments for your size and preference was pretty tough. Plus, hooves are kinda hard to deal with it." Indeed, Roxie, who has encouraged her students to be more passionate about music, got them all their own instrumental sets. What they preferred and what they believe they would work well with. Since they were all foals, these were miniature versions of popular instruments. The only ones that weren't new were violins, trombones and drums since ponies can already play those without issues. But considering Roxie's all about rock, it was clear which instruments were the most common to use. "Thanks, Ms Roxie!" Scootaloo held a guitar that was suitable for her size. "You made all of these for us? Wow!" "Well, not just me. I had help. From the same guy who made my instrument back in the day. He's a real craftsman about all this stuff." "So, we're gonna finally play some real-real music?" Sapphire Flash said while having a violin. "Like in a band?" said Sweetie Belle. "Today's that day. We're gonna rock so hard that all of Canterlot is gonna know about us. No! All of Equestria! Even better! This whole world! Even more than that! Both worlds!" Roxie was getting into it as she pumped her fist into the air. And with her enthusiasm, everyone else did the same with their hooves. "Yeah!" They all screamed in unison. Roxie knew how to fire everyone up. "Now let's-" "Roxie!" But ruining the mood via a heavy door open was the voice of a fairly burly man. Roxie and everyone got startled as they froze in place. Roxie recognized that voice instantly and the aggression behind it. All the students sat down as if an imposing force had shown up. And indeed there was an imposing force here. One of the teachers, Drayden of Opelucid City had shown. His presence made everyone silent and Roxie petrified. The Poison-Type specialist then slowly turned around, giving off an innocent smile to try and sway Drayden. "Y-Yes, Mayor Drayden?" "Hmm...!" Drayden grumbled before holding out a sheet. This sheet turned out to be about the Unova League and the Gym Leaders that major obstacles towards the league. Drayden then pointed at Roxie's name on the sheet. "It has been 2 weeks. 2 weeks of you skipping missing out on your Gym Leader duties. Many trainers are waiting to earn their final Gym Badge and make it to the Unova League. What have you been doing this whole time?!" "S-Sorry, Mayor!" Roxie bowed her head in apology. "I got really into making instruments for the kids! I wanted to make sure they had the best stuff they could have so it took longer than I thought!" "I understand teaching here, but you're still a Gym Leader after all. Don't let that slip away from you. And again..." He sighed. "We've been over this. I'm not even Mayor of your city." "Yes sir!" Roxie then started calling her sir. "Sorry, sir!" "You can make up for all those missed Gym Battles tomorrow. Spend hours there against the trainers who have already completed their 7th Gym Battle." "I'll take full responsibility, sir! Totally!" She then saluted. "Alright then. Good luck with your lessons." Drayden then left, closing the door and hoping that Roxie would do some catching up. Missing out on two weeks was a big deal for a Gym Leader. It was essentially delaying a trainer's pathway to the league. "Hah..." Roxie let out a sigh of relief before facing her students. "Almost blew that one. Talk about some corrosion." "Are you gonna be okay, Ms Roxie?" Apple Bloom asked. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine. Just got a lot of work to do tomorrow. And a lot of battles to go through." She chuckled to remain optimistic. "Let's uh...take it slow this time, okay?" "Aw, slow?" Rumble groaned. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But we'll pick things up along the way. That's music for ya." She replied. "Let' hear each of you play and see what you've got. Sweetie Belle." "Mm?" The unicorn was alert. "Let's use our imagination for this. Close your eyes and let me see you play that harp." "Close my eyes?" "Yeah. Just break through those conventional obstacles and let your mind do what it wants you to, okay? And also feel what it...well...feels like." "Got it." With that order, the little unicorn closed her eyes. She had her mind only set on the harp as she placed her hoof on it. The strings on this harp were made to tailor to Sweetie Belle's preference. These strings were also made from an Oval Charm. With some tweaking, it was capable of being utilized by a pony. Sweetie Belle started strumming on the har, but the melody was only 7 seconds long. But it was 7 seconds long of good sound. And as she closed her eyes, she felt like she was on the beaches of Alola right now with the crashing waves. "Feels good?" Roxie nudged her. "Feels good!" And Sweetie Belle agreed. "Awesome stuff. Here." For a reward, Roxie tossed Sweetie Belle some candy from her box. Sweetie Belle grinned, having her magic catch the sweet midair. "Okay. Sapphire. How's your violin skills? You hyped it up pretty big last time. How does it feel to play it?" "Good as they can get so far. When I play it, feels like experiencing Las Pegasus for the first time again." "You've been to Las Pegasus?" A student said. "Lucky." "Let's hear it then. I wanna know what a big-time place sounds like." Sapphire started playing her violin via her magic. She already had some experience with it so she was not a novice. Roxie was lucky to teach the children and not those around her age like Twilight and the others. It helped her teach new blood about variants of music. When Sapphire played the violin, she wasn't kidding when saying it felt like experiencing Las Pegasus. The sound that came from the violin had a sort of jazzy feeling to it. Roxie could picture herself in someplace similar to Las Pegasus. AKA Nimbasa City. One that she was familiar with. "Great, great. Makes me wanna head to Nimbasa right now. Those football games get pretty good." said Roxie. "How does everyone else feel? Sunrise. What about those drums?" "Well um...I don't know." He scratched his mane. "Come on, we learned about this a few weeks back. You've got something with those drums and I want to hear all of it. Plus, your Gurdurr has something there too. Kinda surprised those steel beams haven't broken the drums yet. Just show me your imagination." "But he's got no imagination." There went Sapphire, teasing Sunrise as always. "Yes, I do! Watch this!" He then used his magic to raise the drumsticks. And the moment he started drumming, he was envisioning his big brother Daylight Blazer. The pony who he looks up to the most. The way he was drumming had the momentum of a Pokemon Battle. Something that Roxie could relate to. "Nice. That reminds me. Tomorrow. You can all come to my Gym and watch me battle. You'll learn from that too." "A Pokemon Battle's always fun!" Rumble shouted. "It sure is." Roxie gave a thumbs-up in response. "Okay, but there's another sound we need. Like singing. And a bunch of other stuff. Like naming our band. And maybe getting some sweet clothes too." "Ooh, can I name 'em?!" Apple Bloom raised her hoof along with a few others who had names of their own. "Will get to that when we get to it. Now, let's make all of those sounds come together." Roxie then cleared her throat. "Scoot. Play that electric guitar and follow me. Remember what I thought you." "Okay." Scootaloo held her electric guitar as she was using her wing to hold a custom pick. This pick was made for her, crafted by Roxie's own hands. "Pluck along with me, kid." Roxie started off by playing a small tune of one of her favourite songs. Afterwards, Scootaloo followed, playing that same tune as well, but hers had a different pitch, yet sounded the same. Roxie then went for another tune, playing the strings to a different song. She even put some emphasis by nodding her head to the tune. Scootaloo did the same with her electric guitar, also nodding her head. "Yes...!" Roxie was feeling Scootaloo's momentum as she was a quick learner as much as she is in a Pokemon Battle. Fittingly, all of this was meant for Pokemon Battling. Roxie's unique take on it that also seems to exist within Vinyl Scratch. Scootaloo was getting into it as she kept following all of Roxie's movements carefully, wanting to do her best. And when she wishes to do her best, she makes great progress. "Okay. Awesome. Stay right there." Roxie pointed at her before gazing at the rest of the students. "Amber. Play that piano. Let's use the tempo of the song we listened to last time." "Uh, sure." Amber nodded as she looked at her piano. She then started playing on the keys as Roxie and Scootaloo started playing to the rhythm of the song. Roxie was getting ready to sing, but she wanted some assistance with that. "Who here wants to sing along with me?" Roxie then wanted some backup singers. The ones to raise their hooves were Sweetie Belle and Sapphire Flash. "Sweetie Belle. Sapphire. Drop those instruments for now and sing with me. Sunrise, you stay on those drums." "Yes, ms!" Sunrise exclaimed. Roxie started banging her head as she would sing from the beginning. Sweetie Belle and Sapphire would be her backup singers for this. Roxie was about to sing... Until the bell rang. That was it. And immediately after hearing the bell, the students placed everything down as Roxie gained a frown on her face. At the worst possible time for the lesson to finish. After the class had finished, the students started leaving with their instruments being left here. They would return for them in the next lesson as they were school property still. "Seriously? But I didn't finish teaching you guys how to bring all the sounds together yet." She sighed. "Sorry, Ms Roxie. Maybe tomorrow you can do it," said Apple Bloom. "She's gonna be at her Gym tomorrow. Plus, we're gonna be there, right?" Scootaloo replied. "Right. Right. Head home and show up at Virbank City for another lesson." Roxie twirled her head as all the students had left the scene. A shame they couldn't fully play today. But as they left, along came Dew Drop who was a part of this class. She waited for almost everyone to leave until the only ones left were her and Roxie. She had something to say. "Um. Miss Roxie." "Hm? Yeah, what's up, Dew?" Roxie asked the shy pony. "I want to sing too. Like Sweetie Belle and Sapphire. And you as well." "You want to sing? Well, why didn't you raise your hoof when I called for you?" "Sorry about that." She looked to the side. "Well, don't worry about it. If you want to sing then you've got the position." She kneeled to get on her level. "We'll do great together when we jam out. Okay?" "Okay. Thank you, Ms Roxie." A smile graced her face. "Awesome. Now head home and get ready for tomorrow. Music is just one way to battle after all." Roxie was ready to leave back to Virbank. She would have to take the Manehattan gateway to Castelia since there was still a gateway problem across Equestria. And as she was about to leave the school, she came across Ash in the hallways. "Hey, Ash!" Roxie called out for him before running over. "You doing okay? You know...after all that stuff that happened 2 days ago with Ghetsis." "Roxie. Doing good. Still, pretty burnt out though." Ash said. "Pikachu." "I've been thinking of taking things easy and having fewer battles here and there. But I also have a lot I gotta do. Like helping Celestia and making sure nothing bad happens to the Sea Temple. Then I gotta help the Rift and get it back to its family. Cheer Twilight on in the Friendship Games. Stop Lucien and Sienna. Deal with Aura Ataxia and...Yeah." Ash sighed. "There's a lot, alright." "You're a real trooper for doing all of that. But you need to take it easy." Roxie put her arm around him. "Look. Head to Alola, Undella Town or even the Resort Area. Take your mind off all that stuff and do what you love best. Like me. Rock makes me take my mind off stuff always even if it's super loud." "Yeah. That'd be awesome." Ash agreed with a nod while staring into the air. "How about this? Come and check out my Gym Battles tomorrow over at Virbank City. And uh...how are you at singing?" "Pretty decent." Ash shrugged. "Good enough." She then removed her arm off of him. "I'll see you at Virbank City Gym tomorrow then?" "Sure thing. I'll be there, Roxie!" "Pikachu!" Virbank City. Virbank City Gym. Afternoon. Over at the Virbank City Gym, Roxie had some catching up to do. Many trainers who had already defeated the 7th Gym have been waiting a total of 2 weeks just to get their final badge and reach for the league. But thanks to Roxie's absence, the Toxic Badge had been straying away from them for a while. 14 Pokemon Trainers. Each having powerful Pokemon and a team full of 6 for Roxie to overcome. Roxie's gym had the unique rule of allowing Trainers to use 6 Pokemon while she stuck with 3. However, Roxie was no pushover. After all, Gym Leaders are constantly holding back, just to give the upstart trainers a fighting chance. Gym Leaders at their best are almost as strong as an Elite 4 member. And Roxie was no exception. Ash was here, watching Roxie battle all 14 Trainers back and forth. Right now, Roxie was going up against her 7th Trainer. She had beaten three of them beforehand and lost to three more, giving them the Toxic Badge. And as is tradition, here in Roxie's gym, she had fans of her music who would come over to cheer her on and listen to the music she had to offer. Truly an enjoyable gym. "Scolipede, Steamroller right through with some nice brute force" She commanded her Scolipede. "Scol-Scol!" Scolipede had curled her body to match a ball, much like her second evolution Whirlipede. The Bug-Poison-Type then raced at her opponent which was a Donphan. "Donphan, use Rollout!" "Do-Do-Do-Donphan!" Donphan did some rolling of its own, rushing towards Scolipede. Both Pokemon crashed into each their spinning moves. Afterwards, they had separated from their spinning clash. But not before Scolipede left something in particular. Her ability, Poison Point. Donphan had been poisoned because of it, staggering for a moment as its face had a poison streak. "D-Don!" "Ah! Donphan!" "Hook line and sinker! Now, Venoshock!" Scolipede fired a stream of purple liquid from the side of her body afterwards. And since Donphan was now poisoned, the power of this attack was doubled. "Don!" Donphan had been hit by Venoshock and it hit like a truck with this doubled power. Donphan stood for a moment with opened eyes and a mouth. But not before falling on its back after such a powerful attack. It had fainted. "Donphan's unable to battle! Scolipede wins! Which means win the winner is Gym Leader Roxie!" The referee of this Gym announced. And once Roxie won, all of her fans went wild, cheering for her victory. Usually, this would be the part where Roxie sings a victory song. But she wasn't feeling it right now. Whether from battling so many trainers and having to battle some more for the day or how she has a song already in mind later on tomorrow. She had to move on to the next opponent. The 8th challenger and then a few more for the day. Plus, later in the afternoon, more trainers to catch up with. "Awesome! I'm psyched after watching that! I wanna try having a quick battle with her!" Ash got all giddy. "Don't you think you should take a break from battling, Mr Ash?" Sapphire said. "I mean, after what just happened and all that." "I know." He chuckled. "Couldn't help it. I know I should be taking things easy like Roxie told me. But Pokemon battles just pump me up, ya know." "Can't you just stay home for a few days or weeks? That's what I do sometimes." Sunrise suggested. "That way, you'll be so relaxed, you won't even notice a bunch of days went by." "Probably why you're pretty slow with things all the time." Sapphire snickered with Sunrise growling at her after her usual teasing. "Try something less energetic. That Ata-Atax..." Diamond Tiara was trying to find the word for Delayed Aura Ataxia. "Oh! The Ataxia thing's a big threat, isn't it? You could pass out at any time if you use too much aura." "Wait. Ash always uses Aura when battling." Sweetie Belle looked at Diamond Tiara. "A bit of it sometimes. Does this mean he has to stop battling for a while?" "That'd be lame." Scootaloo, Sunrise and a few others groaned. "Nah. You all don't have to worry about what I do." Ash slumped on the seat. "But ya know...it can be pretty exhausting. Doing so much for a lot of your friends." "Are we gonna go through that one day, Mr Ash?" Dew Drop asked. "Yeah. There's always a lot to do. Even if you're ready for it or not." He nodded. "But, I haven't let that stop me before in the past. And it shouldn't stop you guys when you get older. Okay?" "Pika-Pikachu!" "Yes sir!" All of them cried out after receiving a quick lesson from Ash based on his personal experiences. They then all continued watching the battle until the last ones came and went. 1 hour later. After the last battle, Roxie had made up for most of her missed Gym attendance battles. But there were still a few in the late afternoon for her to catch up with. Right now, the 14 Trainers had been defeated already. Before she could prepare for that, she went to speak with Ash for a bit. As for the foals, they were over at PokeStar Studios, having fun with whatever random movie they could make. "Say, Roxie. I think I could sing something with you and everyone else," said Ash, standing outside the gym. "Great! Love to hear it. What do you got in mind?" "Well, Apple Bloom suggested it. How about a song about journeys? Anyone's journey." "That sounds good to me. Those kinds of songs have a lot of Oomph in them. Just what I like. How about I write those lyrics and we can jam out in the Karaoke club tomorrow. Or the Gym. That works too. You just sit tight until Thursday, okay? I bet we'll blow their socks off with whatever song they have." "Can't wait!" "Pika-Pika!" Virbank City Gym. Afternoon. The gym was the choice for this song to be played. Gathered here as always were Roxie's fans. But this time, some of Ash's friends were here to listen to this after catching wind of it. Plus, Applejack and Rarity's little sisters were said to be part of this incoming song. "Pretty big crowd for a gym. You don't see that do you?" Rainbow Dash said. "Wish I had a big crowd like this in all my Gym Battles." "Wouldn't it be for the Gym Leader actually?" Twilight asked. "Yeah, but we'll equal things out with my own crowd. I mean, Pokemon Contests are like Gym Battles in a way and they've got a crowd always." "Fair point." Rarity couldn't disagree with that. "I'm more interested in seeing my little sister sing!" "Apple Bloom's gonna look great up there." Applejack nodded, expecting her little sister as well. "I'm not playing." Suddenly, Apple Bloom appeared beside Applejack instantly, startling her. "Ah! W-What do you mean by that?" Applejack stuttered before pulling back. "Sorry. My instrument ain't gonna work here. Plus, I ain't doing the singing for this." The little unicorn shrugged. "But Scootaloo's in it. So are Sapphire and Sunrise." "Then why does Roxie teach you about music in the first place exactly?" Rarity asked. "She says that she can teach us other stuff that isn't just Rock. I mean, I didn't think she knew more than rock with how much she plays it and says it too." "Hah...Bummer..." Applejack sighed. "Oh well. I can still get something good out of this. No problem." "Hey, look it's starting." Fluttershy alerted her friends as they all faced forward. Roxie appeared, ready to speak into the microphone. But she wouldn't be doing the main singing for this." "Sup," Roxie spoke. "Here's a new kind of song for this. Last time it was about the Twin Dragons. This time, it's about a journey. This song was written by me, but not without some help from a guy who beat me in a Gym Battle. I know a lot of you know him when first appeared here years ago. It's called Start of a Journey." After the introduction was over, the band playing in this had shown themselves. It consisted of Roxie's usual band involving Roughneck Nicky and Guitarist Billy Jo. But assisting in this was Scootaloo, Sunrise Sprint and Sapphire Flash for some backup singing with Roxie. And holding the microphone was Ash. Granted this would take a lot of energy, but nothing that Ash wasn't used to. Energized or tired, he would do whatever he finds fun either way. The music started playing with Roxie, Billy Jo and Scootaloo playing their guitars. Roxie's was the loudest but Billy Jo's and Scootaloo's were good backup noise. The drums were also being played instantly as Ash started singing. Time to get up and out the door It's time to go, there's a world to explore Taking the first step I feel the thrill in my heart I've always loved this part My hopes will keep on burning bright No wind or water could put out this light Facing the unknown can be intimidating But there is no hesitating. Quiet voices are calling out as I gaze out toward the warm dawn So let's put our heart in it Let's go, move it on! Ash then pumped his fist into the air with lights flaring across the area. Roxie picked up the flow and speed of her guitar along with the other guitarists. This was where the song picked up as it was clear that this was about the two worlds crossing over and how Ash met his new friends in that instance. So come on now, let's go! 1, 2, 3, 4! What would I be holding back for? My friends are all I need, do you wanna tag along? He then took off his jacket, getting super excited while singing. It was only natural as everyone started cheering, clearly loving this song and its momentum. Ash was singing his soul out right now. Sweetie Belle, Sapphire and Roxie started singing along with him too as his backup singers. Their harmonic voices worked well in this. Come into my world, hey, and take my hand We'll take a journey to a new land Endless adventure is always where I belong! Sometimes I'll be struck with fear and fright. Still I will get up and I'll join the fight! I'll never run from anyone, I'll charge in the battle 'til I have won! So come on let's go! 1, 2, 3, 4! What would I be holding back for? I have always dreamed of this so now that we're a team, together let's go! He didn't slow down for a second. For someone who was told to take a break, he sure knows how to get back into the heat of things instantly. Ash kept singing with the others rocking as cheers radiated from Vibrank Gym. Pikachu, Twilight, Goh and everyone loved this. Twilight even screeched when Ash took her jacket off while Rainbow Dash felt proud of Scootaloo. And even though Daylight wasn't here, he would've cheered his little brother on. Ash is a busy trainer. But a trainer who enjoys things to the fullest and tackles what he can at any given time and chance. No matter how bloated, time-consuming, gut-wrenching, difficult or even comical the scenario and even may be, he'll always be active. After all, the road to becoming a Pokemon Master was far from over as the journey continues. Chapter 587 End.