//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Basic training // Story: Gotta Dash 'em All // by Rainbow Dash the Awesome //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash stood in the doorway excitedly, holding a Pokéball in her hoof. “Come on, guys,” she called excitedly, “I want to go catch a Pokémon already.” “Hold on,” Cilan urged her as he, Ash, and Iris walked up to Dash, “the Pokémon aren’t going anywhere.” “Besides,” Ash added, “we’ve got two more stops we need to make first.” “Aw,” Rainbow groaned, “why?” Ash chuckled a little, “Trust me, you‘ve got plenty of time. First we need to stop by the Pokémart and get you a belt to hold your Pokéballs. If you want to catch Pokémon, you can‘t just carry the Pokéballs in your hooves all the time.” Rainbow looked at the Pokéball in her hoof, “Oh, I guess that makes sense. Alright, we’ll stop at the store for a belt first.” “Good,” Ash smiled, “and after that we’ve got a special surprise planned for you.” Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrow and looked at Ash, “What kind of surprise?” “You’ll see,” Ash chuckled a bit, “you’ll see. Don’t worry, I promise it’ll be worth the wait.” Rainbow shrugged, “Okay, if you insist I guess I’ll wait. So, where is the nearest Pokémart anyway?” “Right over there,” Cilan answered, pointing to a nearby hill. “There’s a small town right on the other side of that hill.” “Alright!” Rainbow cheered and started flying in the direction of the hill, “Lets go!” “Rainbow Dash, wait for us!” Iris called as she, Ash, and Cilan started running after Dash. Rainbow stopped and looked back, “Oops, hehe,” she rubbed the back of her head. “Guess I got excited and forgot you guys can’t fly.” “It’s fine,” Ash smiled, “could have happened to anyone.” “Anyone with wings, anyway” Iris corrected. “Whatever,” Ash rolled his eyes, “all that matters is we’re on our way to the Pokémart now.” He resumed walking after Dash, followed by Iris and Cilan. About an hour later, Rainbow Dash reached a curve in the road and smiled, “Hey guys, is that it?” “Yeah, that’s it alright,” Ash replied as he walked up next to her. From where they were standing, they were looking down on a small village. The closest building to them had white walls and a blue roof. Ash pointed to the building with the blue roof “That’s the Pokémart right there.” “It is?” Rainbow excitedly turned to face Ash, then looked back down at the Pokémart. “Race ya there!” she giggled as she took off down the hill, not even bothering to use her wings and opting instead to let the slope increase her speed. “You’re on!” Ash took off after her. “Wait!” Iris called as she and Cilan got to the top of the hill. She looked down to her two friends running down the hill, “Ash! Rainbow Dash! Wait for us!” When the two didn’t listen, she sighed, “What a couple of kids.” “Let’s just take the foot path” Cilan suggested, pointing to a small dirt path down to the main street of town. “Yeah,” Iris shrugged, “we’ll catch up to those two when we get to the Pokémart.” Rainbow Dash reached the bottom of the hill about ten seconds before Ash, “Hey, what kept you?” she laughed. “No fair,” Ash paused to catch his breath, “you had a head start.” “Yeah yeah,” Rainbow smirked, “you’re lucky I didn’t use my wings. If I had, you’d really be left in the dust.” Ash chuckled, “Yeah. Oh well, let’s just see about getting you that belt.” He walked past Rainbow and around the side of the Pokémart. Rainbow Dash followed Ash around to the front of the Pokémart “Wow, this place is cool.” She followed Ash into the store and looked around attentively as the two approached the counter. Ash stood in front of the counter, “Excuse me, I need a belt for my friend Rainbow Dash.” He moved to the side and pointed to Rainbow Dash. The clerk raised an eyebrow, “But, isn’t your friend a Pokémon?” “No,” Rainbow Dash grumbled, “for the umpteenth time I am not a Pokémon.” The clerk was still confused, but decided not to press the subject, “Very well then, the belts are on the wall over there.” He pointed to the wall on the other side of the room, where a large number of belts was hanging on display. “Thanks,” Ash smiled as he and Rainbow Dash walked up to the display. “Let’s see,” he examined the display, “what belt size are you?” Rainbow looked at him in confusion, “I don’t know. I don’t normally wear clothes, so I’ve never needed a belt.” “Oh, right,” Ash chuckled a bit, “I guess I forgot. In that case,” he turned back to look at the belts until he found a dark blue one. He grabbed the belt and held it up to Rainbow Dash, “How about this one?” Rainbow Dash grabbed the belt, stood up on her hind hooves, using her wings for leverage, and fastened the belt around her midsection, “Not bad. Not quite what I’m used to, but it seems alright.” “Great,” Ash nodded, “we’ll get that one. Wait here,” he walked up to the counter and paid for the belt, then came back to where Dash was waiting. “Okay, the belt is yours.” “Awesome,” Rainbow cheered as she placed the Pokeball Ash had given her before on one of the slots on the belt. “I’m ready to catch a Pokémon!” “Almost,” Ash smiled, “first there’s someone we need to see.” “Who?” Rainbow asked. “I believe that would be me,” came an unfamiliar female voice from the entrance of the store. Rainbow Dash turned her head quickly, seeing a Iris, Cilan, and a woman in a white lab coat and yellow shirt. The woman walked up to Rainbow Dash, “Hi there, I’m Professor Juniper, and you must be Rainbow Dash,” she gave a warm smile and offered a handshake. Rainbow Dash accepted the shake with her hoof, “Um, yeah, I’m Rainbow Dash, but how do you know about me?” Professor Juniper looked over to Ash and replied “Ash called me last night after your visit from Team Rocket. He told me you were from another universe and that he was hoping I could help you get home.” Rainbow Dash nodded, “Yeah, he told me you were like the best professor around, so he told me he wanted to take me to see you. He didn’t say he was gonna call you to come see me so soon.” “Oh yeah,” Ash rubbed the back of his head, “guess I forgot to ask you about that.” Professor Juniper smiled, “Rainbow Dash, there is one other piece of information Ash gave me about you.” “There is?” Rainbow asked, confused. “Yes,” Professor Juniper stood up, “I’ll tell you about it when we get outside.” When Professor Juniper turned and started walking to the door, Rainbow Dash noticed she was holding a suitcase. Rainbow turned to look at Ash, but noticed he was already following Professor juniper out of the store. She quickly trotted after them and out the door. “So,” Rainbow turned to Professor Juniper, “what else DID Ash tell you about me?” Professor Juniper set down the suitcase on its side, “He told me you wanted to catch a Pokemon. Well, you can’t do that without one of these.” She opened the suitcase, revealing three Pokéballs. “Pokéballs,” Rainbow reached for her belt and grabbed her Pokéball, “already got it covered. Thanks for the offer, though.” “Actually,” Professor Juniper picked up the Pokéballs, “Ash told me he gave you a Pokéball to use to catch a Pokémon, but he didn’t give you one of these.” She threw the Pokéballs into the air and they opened, at which time three Pokémon appeared on the ground in front of Rainbow Dash. One was an Oshawott, the second one was a Snivy, and the third one as a small orange pig that looked like a small, quadruped version of Pignite. “Huh?” Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened as she saw the Pokémon, “What’s going on here?” Professor Juniper walked around the Pokémon and stood next to Rainbow Dash, “I’m giving you your starter Pokémon. Don’t tell me Ash didn’t tell you about starter Pokémon?” She looked over to Ash. Ash held his hands in front of himself defensively, “Sorry, I guess it just never came up.” Rainbow looked over at Ash with a confused expression, but then looked back up at Professor Juniper when she heard her continue speaking “You see, every new trainer gets one of these three Pokémon as their partner. Even though you don’t plan to be here forever, you do plan to catch Pokémon while you’re here, so I’m here to give you your first Pokémon.” Rainbow Dash beamed “Really? That’s so awesome!” She looked down at the three Pokémon. “Let’s see… which one looks best for me?” She looked over to Snivy first, but shook her head a little, “No, can’t go with that. Twilight’s terrified of snakes, and Ash said his Snivy’s a snake Pokémon.” She turned to look at Tepig, who smiled and released a few embers from its nostrils, “Oh, this must be a Fire-type. Well, for my Inferno Rainboom I’m going to need a Pokémon with Fire attacks, but it also needs to be able to fly…” She moved down to Oshawott and thought “Ash says Oshawott is a Water-type, so that could really come in handy catching a Fire-type. Besides,” she muttered under her breath, “it’s adorable.” She turned to look up at Professor Juniper and announced, “I’ve chosen Oshawott.” Professor Juniper smiled, “Excellent choice.” She held up the three Pokéballs and returned Tepig and Snivy, then handed the remaining Pokéball to Rainbow Dash. “Here, this is Oshawott’s Pokéball. Be sure to take good care of it.” “I will, thanks!” Rainbow Dash grinned as she accepted the Pokéball and put it on her belt. “Now, where should we go to catch something?” Professor Juniper laughed, “My, you’re certainly eager aren’t you?” “Sure am,” Rainbow beamed, “I can’t wait to catch a Pokémon.” “Okay,” Professor Juniper nodded, “but first I need you to tell me everything you can about how you got to or world.” Rainbow’s mouth dropped open, “Everything?” “Of course, otherwise I won’t be able to start working on a way to send you home.” Rainbow sighed and sat down, her Oshawott running up and sitting on her lap, “Let’s see…” Over the next hour, Rainbow Dash told Professor Juniper all about her stunt-flying, Twilight’s magic, and the event that sent her to Unova. Professor Juniper had a notepad and pencil out, attentively writing down everything Rainbow Dash told her. When the story was over, she looked over her notes, “Well, I must say I’ve never seen or heard anything like this.” Rainbow Dash frowned, “You mean you can’t send me home?” Professor Juniper chuckled, “No no no, I just mean that it’s going to take a while to figure out a way to send you back. How does this sound? I’ll take this information back to my lab for further study, and meet you at the Pokémon center tomorrow with my conclusion?” “Okay,” Rainbow nodded, “I guess another day won’t hurt. Besides,” she petted her Oshawott, “that’ll give me time to get to know Oshawott, and work on catching another Pokémon.” “That’s the spirit,” Professor Juniper put her notebook in her suitcase and picked it up. “I’m impressed, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow tilted her head to the side, “About what?” “Just two days ago you were sent to an alien universe where you didn’t know anyone, and already you’re able to look on the bright side and find a reason to like it here. Also, you’ve made friends with three humans and all their Pokémon.” Rainbow Dash smiled and offered a hoof-shake, “Actually, I’d say I’ve made friends with four humans.” Professor Juniper held Rainbow’s hoof and shook it, “See? With that attitude, you’re sure to succeed and find your way home. But when you do, do find some way to send me a postcard. I’d love to know more about your world.” Rainbow giggled a bit, “It’s a deal.” Professor Juniper smiled, “I look forward to it.” She turned and started walking away, “See you tomorrow.” “Bye,” Rainbow and the others waved goodbye. Rainbow smiled and looked down at her Oshawott, “Hey little guy, what do you say we go catch a friend for you?” Oshawott jumped up happily, “Oshawott! Oshawott!” Rainbow Dash giggled, “I’ll take that as a yes.” She picked up Oshawott and placed it on her back, “Come on Oshawott, you can ride up here. You’re not too heavy, forget the Pokéball.” “Osha! Oshawott!” “Yeah, let’s go catch a Pokémon.” Rainbow started trotting toward the forest, but stopped. She turned around and looked back at Ash and his friends, “Um, how exactly DO I catch a Pokémon anyway?” Ash’s eyes widened “Of course, you haven’t seen anyone catch a Pokémon yet.” He walked up and stood by Rainbow’s side, “Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash, I’ll explain everything while we search.” “Great,” Rainbow opened her wings and started hovering, her Oshawott holding onto her mane to avoid falling off, “this is gonna be great. Come on guys,” she started flying into the forest, “the Pokémon aren’t going to catch themselves.” Iris giggled, “She’s so excited about catching her first Pokémon.” “Of course she is,” Ash smiled, “she’s going to get a new friend to bring home with her.” He started running after Rainbow Dash, followed by Iris and Cilan. Rainbow Dash came to a clearing in the forest and started looking around, “So, which lucky Pokémon is going to be my new partner?” Ash and friends stepped out of the forest and into the clearing. Ash walked up to Rainbow Dash, “Okay, here’s how you catch a Pokémon. Once you find a Pokémon you want to catch, you need to battle it.” “Battle it?” Rainbow Dash looked confused. “I thought the point of catching Pokémon was to make them your friends.” “It is,” As replied, “but when you first catch them you need to make sure they stay in the Pokéball.” “Stay in the Pokéball?” Rainbow asked, holding up her vacant Pokéball. “You mean they won’t just stay in the Pokéball anyway?” Ash shook his head, “No, if you just throw a Pokéball at a Pokémon it might not work. You need to battle the Pokémon so you can weaken it and it won’t be able to get out of the Pokéball. Once it’s been caught, you won’t have to worry about it getting away.” “I get it,” Rainbow grinned, “I get to have another battle.” “Actually, Oshawott gets to have a battle,” Cilan corrected as he walked up next to Rainbow. “Oshawott?” Rainbow looked up at Oshawott. “Why Oshawott?” “That’s why Professor Juniper gave Oshawott to you,” Ash explained, “so it can help you on your journey, both by fighting battles and by helping catch other Pokémon.” Rainbow Dash blinked and looked up at Oshawott, “Does that sound good to you? Do you really want to help me battle and make my first capture?” “Osha, Osha, Oshawott” Oshawott smiled and hopped up and down excitedly. “Sounds like a yes to me,” Iris smiled. “Well then,” Rainbow started, “let’s work together to catch me a Pokémon!” Oshawott jumped up and held its seashell up in the air, “Oshawott!” “You failed again, I see” Giovanni growled over the monitor. “A minor setback, I assure you,” Jessie responded, “I promise it won’t happen again.” “IMBECILES!” Giovanni slammed his fists down on his desk, “Do you realize what it means if we don’t get that Pokémon soon?” “Well,” James began, “I assume it means-” “That was a rhetorical question!” Giovanni yelled. “If I don’t capture that Pokémon soon, it will use its dimension-jumping ability to move on to another world, and it will be impossible to capture it then!’ “Sir,” Meowth spoke up, “don’t you mean if we don’t capture that Pokémon in time?” “NO!” Giovanni glared daggers at the trio, “You had your chance. Team Rocket can not afford to miss an opportunity like this, and you three have proven yourselves to be unworthy of this task!” “Wh-what are you saying, boss?” James stuttered. “I mean,” Giovanni stood up, “that I’m going to capture that mystery Pokémon myself!”