//------------------------------// // Sweet as Honey Mustard // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Galar. The Isle of Armor. The Pokemon Festival. Day. The Isle of Armor. A Large Island, located off the east coast of mainland Galar, close to Spikemuth. Showing up here were Ash and his friends when searching for Cobalion, who apparently shows up here from time to time as well as another location out there. The Crown Tundra. While some stayed at the Armor Station's Gift Shop, others were already out there. Such as Ash, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy Lucas Celestia, Luna, Spike and Twilight Sparkle. Moving by were some Buneary, led by a Lopunny. In the distance that massive Wailord could still be seen. Teleporting away when anyone got near, such as Lucas, was an Abra. Already, they came across a Galarian Slowpoke, reading up on its Dex Entry. "Hm. So that's what it was. I thought it was just mustard." Ash commented when facing the Dopey Pokemon. "Hmm..." As for Celestia, she was searching high and low for any sign of Cobalion. Perhaps even a trace. And she was already gaining some clues based on the hoof prints. Celestia already saw a familiar hoof print plastered on the ground that couldn't be ignored. Celestia was always an observant princess, but now she was even more observant than ever.. Love does do that to someone. It can increase their capabilities to new levels. "He's been here without a doubt." "They do look recent," Luna observed. "Perhaps those locals over at that building might have seen him and the other swords." "Mmm...I don't see the footprints of the other Swords of Justice anywhere. It must have been just Cobalion who came by here." "There you are!" Finally catching up with Ash and the others was Sci-Twi, who just got done having a rather peculiar encounter with a girl named Klara. "Found you! Oh, I was worried I might've gotten lost there!" "Hey. Did you visit the dojo yet?" Ash asked. "No. I was planning to but I had to make sure I met up with you all. What are you doing?" "Right now, I'm tracking down Cobalion. And I know for a fact that he's close with these hoofprints. Maybe far but I'm sure I'll find him. And when I do find him, we'll have a great time together!" "All this just to spend time with him? Seems like a hassle if you ask me." Lucas shook his head. "You can hassle for love!" Celestia bellowed. "At least, that's what I think anyway. I'm not exactly an expert on love." "Oh. Maybe you can talk to Queen Chrysalis and she can give you some pointers. She's reading all those romance novels after all." "Absolutely not." Luna shut it down immediately, still expressing her opinion on romance stories. "Those books are so unrealistic. "I don't know...I actually like them." Putting on a smile, Sci-Twi had a different opinion. She was a bit of a fan of those books, admittedly. "It's so romantic that you're going this far to find him." "Uhh...S-Same." Twilight slowly raised her hoof. She was in the same boat as her counterpart, being a bit fond of those types of stories. They shared that in common. "They're okay, I guess." Spike was neutral. He didn't mind them. "If they had comics of that stuff, I might read 'em." As for Rainbow Dash, she was too busy observing all the Pokemon here, wanting to know who could join her team and carry her to victory. Plenty of options here at the Isle of Armor with a variety of Pokemon. Joining her was Fluttershy. "Heh. Who's prints are these?" Rainbow Dash also spotted some prints of her own. But these prints were much smaller than Cobalion's. In fact, they looked more like fist prints instead of footprints. They seemed to have dug deeply into the walls of the rocks, leaving some rubble behind. "No clue. It doesn't look like Keldeo or even Virizion's. Terrakion's is too big." Fluttershy answered. "They look more like fist prints. Someone must've hit it hard." Casually, Rainbow Dash touched the dents on the rocks and by doing so, she felt a sharp burn that caught her by surprise. "Ow! What was up with that?!" "Oh, they're very recent..." Fluttershy gawked. "And powerful. For you to feel that pain from a dent is something else, Rainbow Dash. "Yeah...Geez that smarts." Rainbow Dash groaned as Audino used Heal Pulse on her sizzling hoof. "It must've been an incredibly powerful Pokemon to leave such an impact," Celestia added. "Well, the Swords of Justice could do the same but this wasn't done by them." "Ah! I bet it's an Alpha Pokemon!" Sci-Twi came to her own conclusion. She fully believed in the strength of an Alpha Pokemon since they are naturally stronger than their average species. "It must've been a Fighting-Type Alpha Pokemon then! I just know it. And if there's an Alpha out here, I have to try and find it! But first...I want to know what that dojo is all about and if they know something." It was off to the Master's Dojo. Sci-Twi already set her sights on it since it raised her curiosity. Celestia would simply stick outside, focusing on Cobalion only while the rest made their way to the only building here in the Isle of Armor aside from the Armor Station. The Master Dojo. Nestled here in the Isle of Armor, not much was known about it at the moment but that was all about to change. Free for anyone to enter, whether they were a student or not but obviously, someone who clearly doesn't want others showing up here for the sake of standing out. Up ahead, Sci-Twi already saw a familiar face standing there. It was Klara. An odd character with a tendency to speak to herself, facing away from others. Sci-Twi defeated her and in return, received a surprising response. Currently, she was speaking with someone else at the moment. "Oh, fiddlesticks. Our new student decided to go back home?" The lady said, clearly disappointed. She was looking forward to a new student as opposed to Klara, who failed to chase Sci-Twi away. "Seems that way! Yep! And I did my best to welcome her but...she just suddenly left after our battle." Klara was clearly lying through her teeth. "And I'd be hoping we'd get to welcome a new member to our little family here, too..." She sighed. But her attention was soon drawn to the new faces standing before her. "Oh? Well, hello? And who are you all, darlings?" "Huh?" Klara soon faced them. The look on her face said it all. She instantly spotted Sci-Twi, currently present here. Klara's Words failed to steer her away from the Master Dojo and now she showed up with extra friends. "Agh!" "Oh, my. Which one of you is the new student?" She looked over at the list of characters, struggling to find the right one. She would mainly focus on Twilight, Sci-Twi, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. "It's a girl so it has to be one of you..." "Well, I was thinking of showing up to it." Sci-Twi raised her arm. "Ah, so you must be the new student that's supposed to join today." The older lady approached. Immediately, Klara bolted forward to try and speak on this. Now that Sci-Twi was here, she had to switch things up. "Right, right, right, right!" Klara rapidly said. "Exactly ma'am! I swear! She must've changed his mind about joining the dojo!" Trying to play it off, she would bring back that smile for Sci-Twi. "Oh, but here you are! I'm so happy you decided to come after all!" "Oh, everything's just coming up roses!" The lady said with glee. "Now, who might you be and who are all of your friends?" "I'm Twilight Sparkle. And this is also Twilight Sparkle." Sci-Twi introduced herself, plus her Equestrian Counterpart. "And these people right are...Ash, Lucas, Rainbow Dash plus Fluttershy. And right here are well...Spike and Spike." "Hey." Spike, the Dragon and Spike, the Dog, both grinned at Mustard with smooth faces. Or at least, faces that tried to be smooth in the face of someone beautiful. "Well, my name's Honey. I help keep this place running. You can consider me the lady of the house. Not that the Master Dojo is just any old house. You can bring your friends in. They're free to join as well." "Aagh...! Why?! What does she think she's doing just showing up like that?" Klara turned around, speaking to herself once more. But this time, her words were not invisible. With Audino here, she could be heard. "This ain't good...Mrs. Honey will know that I lied!" "Audino?" "Seems you already met our Klara. Bit of an odd Ducklett, but she's one of our own." said Honey. "She's training hard at the dojo so she can become a Gym Leader someday. I can trust the two of you to get along, right?" "Hee, hee! I'm sure we'll be best friends!" Klara giggled as her eyes twitched a bit. "You're working to become a Gym Leader? Sweet." Ash commented. "Oh, that explains the getup. It looks like Allister's and the other Gym Leaders." Rainbow Dash pointed out after getting a good look at Klara. "This is just too many cooks in the kitchen. If they all join, how am I possibly going to stand out?" Klara grizzled her teeth when thinking to herself. "Oh, dear! But look at me! Here I am, making you stand out around outside. All of you are free to enter." Honey allowed access into the dojo, much to Klara's chagrin. Ash and the others would gladly do so. "If she tells Mrs Honey about what happened, I'll have to melt her down to size." Klara growled. "But I can't say that or do it with so many of her friends here. This is unfair. I just have to try and stand out somehow..." Feeling some pressure, Klara continued onwards, joining the others in the dojo. But at that moment, Ash and Sci-Twi looked up as their senses went off. They felt as if someone was near. Both looked up but no one was there on the roof of the dojo. With no one in sight, they continued off to the dojo. The Master Dojo. The Master Dojo. As the name suggests, it was a singular dojo out here in the middle of the Isle of Armor. An image of a Lapras was plastered on the wall as well as special symbols that come from the east of this world. Galar certainly wasn't in the east, making this place stand out. Entering here, Ash's group was met with the sight of multiple people already lined up, here to train. But unlike Klara, they weren't wearing outfits that related to the Galarian Gym Leaders. In this case, they were all wearing one consistent uniform. Some weren't and were just rocking what they normally wear. "Everybody! I have an announcement to make! We've got a new student joining us today!" Honey spoke to all of them. "Please welcome Twilight and her friends. I'm sure you'll have lots to teach them." "Hi-yah! Welcome to the Dojo!" They all greeted them, pulling off a martial arts pose as well. "All our students are so good and hardworking, everyone really gives it their all around here." "This is so cool...!" Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up when looking at this place. She never thought she'd be in a dojo until now. "Okay, I think I can commit to it for a while." A smile met Sci-Twi's face. "Maybe not the martial arts part." "So this is where Leon used to train at, huh? Nice." Ash nodded as he liked what he was seeing. "Do you think we could get those outfits?!" "Well, sure. There's only one person you need to ask. My son Hyde isn't here right now. He would usually support you with the gi, so you'll have to go to my lovely husband~" Honey hummed. "That handsome gent in the back is my darling hubby and the very master of my master dojo." Their eyes soon met with one more individual who stood there, facing the wall. He was silent for the most part until he turned around. An old man was revealed to be the husband of Honey was technically the top dog here at the Master's Dojo. "Why hello there! I'm Mustard!" Immediately, his silence turned to noise as he cheerfully introduced himself, pulling off his own stance. "I'm rather good at Pokemon Battles, you know! I'm pleased as cheese that you could join us!" He obviously pulled off a pun that he was hoping the newcomers would've gotten. But so far, none of them got it as Sci-Twi chuckled nervously. Lucas stayed silent, scratching his face while Rainbow Dash grimaced a bit. "...Pfft!" But it resonated with Pinkie Pie compared to everyone else. She immediately broke out into laughter. "Bahahaha! Cheesed to meet you!" Pinkie would entertain him, throwing her own pun in there. "Heh, heh. Glad you got it! Most rarely do." "Don't let him fool you into thinking he's just a silly old man," Honey warned. "He's a real best when he gets serious. Well, darling. I'll leave the rest up to you." "He married quite young, didn't he?" Twilight pointed out the gap between Honey and Mustard. "Yaaay! This is my favourite part!" Mustard grinned, elated to start teaching the newcomers. "I wanna see just how good you are. Now um, which one of you is the new student? Unless you're all the new students?" "Well, I guess I'm the one spearheading this." Sci-Twi stepped forward. "Starting now, I'm the new student it looks like." "Great. But in reality, once you enter this dojo, everyone's a student in my eyes. There's always something to learn and you can never be devoid of anything new." Mustard added. "Why not have a battle with little old me?" "Oh yeah! That'd be great!" Ash, Lucas and Rainbow Dash collectively said. "Slow down there, young'uns. Usually, multiple trainers don't ask to challenge me." Mustard halted them. "I always usually start with one. How about we stick to that." "Well, if it's just one, you should take a crack at it, Twi." Ash opted for Sci-Twi to take a spin. She did seem to be the most involved in this. "Although...I can already see a great fire in your eyes. The two of you." Mustard then pointed at Ash and Rainbow Dash, seeing something within them. That was potential. "I think I recognise you in the blue." "Me?" Ash soon saw Mustard focusing on him. "That's right. I heard about you from Leon. Ash is the name, right?" Mustard was aware of Ash's existence and that was all thanks to Leon. "I'm pretty lucky to have you here." "W-What about me? Do you recognize me?" "Do I?" Mustard stroked his beard. He took a closer look at Rainbow Dash, trying to see if he could lock down her appearance. "Mmmm...Not really. Must be my age." "Figures..." A gutted Rainbow Dash lowered her head. "She wasn't quite there yet, unfortunately. Whether it was on Ash's level or Leon's level. "But there is one thing my age won't fail me at. I can always tell who is powerful. And right now, I'm looking at quite the collection of powerhouses." Mustard nodded as he instantly knew that everyone here was a formidable trainer in their own right. Sci-Twi was also seen as a powerful trainer, even with the Alpha Pokemon. Mustard looked past the Alpha Pokemon and just saw Sci-Twi's expertise as a Pokemon Trainer. The same went for Fluttershy. She was more about caring for Pokemon but Mustard already knew that she could put up a fight without a doubt. Pinkie Pie had a Mew poking out her mane that the students here all noticed, flabbergasted. Her strength was self-explanatory. "Well, it's not just us. We came here with the rest of our friends and they're out there in the Isle of Armor right now." Ash didn't forget about Celestia and the others. "Well, of course they're powerful too! Hoho!" Mustard chuckled. "When surrounded by friends, anyone can be powerful. That's how Pokemon and Pokemon Trainers grow after all. It's been my belief that we teach each other. Now then. Shall we get started?" "R-Right!" Sci-Twi nodded, already holding out a Poke Ball. "I'm ready! Sorry if my Alpha Pokemon turn out to be difficult. They're pretty strong." "Oh, no need. I think I'll be just fine." Mustard laughed, showing no signs of worry whatsoever. Sci-Twi moved back, taking her position for this Pokemon Battle. Recently, Sci-Twi's been going through a few battles, more so than she usually does. Typically, it takes a long time for her to get involved in a Pokemon Battle as a majority of the time, it's against Alpha Pokemon. But now, she was having consistent Pokemon Battles. Starting with Scione, then to Klara and now Mustard. And since this was a Dojo, there was a high chance Sci-Twi was going to have some more battles down the road. "For this, I'll send out my Mienfoo." "Mienfoo!" Emerging from the Poke Ball was Mustard's Mienfoo. "Mienfoo? Then I'll choose Dusknoir!" Sci-Twi thought smart, bringing out her Ghost-Type, Dusknoir. "Dusknoir!" "Yipee! Oh, I just can't wait to see you battle your heart out!" Unbothered by the type disadvantage, Mustard expressed his feelings. "Sheesh. He doesn't look that bothered at all." Rainbow Dash commented. "That makes him pretty cool actually..." "Hmm..." Sci-Twi adjusted her glasses, feeling as if something was amiss. She was taking what Honey said earlier about her husband. He was not a simple old man. The way he seemed fearless in the face of a Dusknoir was rather telling. "This is bad...If she beats Master Mustard, she'll really stick out. No one's beaten him at all." Klara was sweating bullets. She was worried that this would be the moment when Sci-Twi would become famous in the dojo. "Beating the Dojo Master might make her the New Dojo Master! And with an Alpha Dusknoir of all Pokemonon her side too?! What kind of cruel joke is this?! "Here goes! Use Dynamic Punch!" "Dusk...!" Going first was Dusknoir, who pulled his fist back. The Gripper Pokemon would advance, preparing to slug Mienfoo with a truly dynamic strike. "How about a Knock Off?" "Mien!" Mienfoo responded with a move that would be super-effective against Dusknoir. Mustard came prepared for a situation such as this. With a flash in its eyes, Mienfoo leapt off the floor at high speeds, becoming a blur for a moment. It immediately moved past Dusknoir's punch once it was thrown, outspeeding the attack. "Dusk?!" Dusknoir gasped, noticing Mienfoo up close in his face. Mienfoo's Knock Off connected, smacking Dusknoir's round belly. The Ghost-Type groaned after the initial hit before being pushed back. "N-Noir!" "Oh!" Sci-Twi's glasses almost fell off as Dusknoir was briefly outsped by Mienfoo. "That's not too much of a surprise. I've got a Mienshao and she was super fast even as a Mienfoo." Rainbow Das commented. "But at the same time..." "Use Ice Beam, Dusknoir!" "Noir!" Retaliating, Dusknoir held one hand out, unleashing a chilling beam of ice to try and freeze the Martial Arts Pokemon. But speed was one Mienfoo's side once more. "How about an Aerial Ace for that Ice Beam?" "Foo!" Mienfoo took off at breakneck speeds once more. Once the Ice Beam got close, it would flip over the attack, leaving behind an afterimage of itself. After doing the attack, Mienfoo came crashing down with an axe kick, striking Dusknoir's head at confounding speeds. Once more Dusknoir took a hit but this was then followed up by a third hit as Mienfoo then swivelled in the air for a moment, smacking the Gripper Pokemon in the face and once again knocking him back. "D-Dusknoir!" "Okay, so it's fast. That's what I can expect from a Mienfoo...But I know I can catch it somehow." Sci-Twi gulped, focusing as hard as she could. Clearly, behind that kind smile of an old man was a truly capable Pokemon Trainer. Just as Honey said. But Sci-Twi wondered if she could outsmart him. "Don't be shy." Mustard added. "Mienfoo's ready to take whatever you have to offer. Make sure to show him a good time. He loves a good battle." "Mien-Mien." "Alright then...Extend your arms, Dusknoir! Grab him!" "Dusk!" Dusknoir would do what he does best. By holding out both his arms, he extended them, making shadows trail out. Surely there was no way Mienfoo could retaliate against such a mighty grip since very few can escape Dusknoir's clutches. "That deserves a deflection, Mienfoo." "Mien!" With his brute strength, Mienfoo deflected Dusknoir's Shadow Arms. The arms went flying to the other side and in return, the force of Mienfoo hitting them sent a strong vibration through Dusknoir's body, making him stagger. "Dusknoir?!" "No way he deflected that!" Lucas bellowed in disbelief. How could Mienfoo muster that much strength when Dusknoir was an Alpha Pokemon. A Fully Evolved one too and Dusknoirs were known for their physical strength. So was the Mienfoo line but most of that was for Mienshao and this wasn't even an Alpha Mienfoo. "Try and reverse your arms! Use Payback!" "N-Noir!" Dusknoir wasn't going to let himself go down easy, however. He managed to barely manipulate his shadow arms, harnessing a dark energy. He retracted his arms after forming the dark energy in his hands. Once he gathered it, the Gripper Pokemon unleashed black tendrils forward. "That deserves a Stone Egde!" "Mien!" Stomping his foot on the floor, Mienfoo would summon large crystal rocks. Afterwards, with just a few kicks, he sent them flying. The crystals clashed with tendrils, but only one came out as the victor. The crystals broke through the tendrils, crashing into Dusknoir. Dusknoir was unable to get a hit in at all and instead, was the one who took the most hits in this battle. And unfortunately for Dusknoir, he wasn't going to get any more hits at all. The Ghost-Type fell on his back, unable to continue at all. Dusknoir had fainted. "Dusknoir..." "Well, it looks like that's that," said Mustard. "That was everything I hoped for. Clever use of Dusknoir's arms there and quick on your feet too." "Aw, Dusknoir." Sci-Twi went up to Dusknoir, helping him up. "Sorry about that. I was sure that we would've won this quick battle but...guess not." "Are you okay, Raine?" Hisuian Zorua asked. "Dusk. Dusknoir." Dusknoir needed some time to think. Even he couldn't believe it. Dusknoir was one of Sci-Twi's strongest Pokemon. He was easily on par with Alpha Rapidash and he lost so quickly. How powerful was Mustard to snag such a quick victory? "Hmmm?" Klara then put on a smile as this was not the outcome she was expecting. But it was the outcome she preferred, which prompted her to change her tone. "She lost. Oh, that's a relief! Here I thought she was some prodigy having Alpha Pokemon and a Zorua I've never seen before. This is great. It means I can still stand out! So much for your advantage, Twilight." "I didn't think Mienfoo would overpower him so easily though." Sci-Twi was a bit bewildered. "Mien-Mien." Mienfoo giggled after Sci-Twi saw his true strength. "H-He might even be stronger than my Mienshao when she was a Mienfoo. I mean, I'm just guessing..." Rainbow Dash whistled, already intimidated by Mustard's Strength. "Well, Twilight! Don't let it get to you too much!" Klara took the opportunity to approach Sci-Twi, buttering up to her. "Master Mustard is on a league of his own after all. It's only natural something like this would've happened." "I'm not too beat up by it though..." "And that's good," Mustard added. "That battle showed much you really care about Pokemon. Easily. Even if you've come because of a misunderstanding or even curiosity, as long as you have a will to learn, then you're welcome at the Master Dojo." "I love to learn! Always!" An excited Sci-Twi exclaimed. "And I want to learn from you! I already learn from Ash, Sunset and some of my friends, so this will be another chance to gain something." "Glad to hear it! I think we can all help each other become stronger. I'm happy you've all come to join us. So on that note...How would you all like Dojo Uniforms?" This was where the uniforms came in. Ash and the others were eager to take a spin at this since Mustard was all for newcomers and people trying out his dojo. He was a very welcoming man. Uniforms were immediately handed out by Mustard and the other students here, all fitting for Ash, Lucas and Sci-Twi. But as the ponies, Mustard had them covered too. To their surprise, a Pony-shaped gi was made as well as one for a Dragon. It's almost as if he was expecting them. Or he was just incredibly prepared for this Grander World. Once they got their uniforms, they wasted no time heading off to put them on. Lo and behold, it fit them all like gloves. A mustard-yellow top with training shorts, kneepads and even gloves. That was the standard for humans. For the ponies, they received the same mustard-yellow top but since they had no kneepads, those were skipped on as well as the shorts. But the Dragon Spike was certainly in the same class as a human. The same couldn't be said for the Dog Spike, who wouldn't get a Dojo Uniform at all. "Oh, I look great in this! Rarity and Applejack don't know what they're missing!" Rainbow Dash cackled. "I feel a bit itchy though..." Twilight groaned. She had to get used to this uniform since it was something completely different from what she knew. "I think I look cute in this." Fluttershy thought differently as she stood upright in this outfit. "Hm. Victor was right about these." Lucas tugged on his uniform as he was also aware of them thanks to the one known as Victor. "Sweet." "Now that you're comfortable, it's time to start the three trials." Mustard would get right to business, preparing them for something special that he was cooking up for them. Sci-Twi would especially pay attention to this. This was the Pokemon Festival. They had all the time to spare and all the fun they could have. It didn't matter where they were. The Isle of Armor was just a part of it. As the journey continues. Chapter 299 End.