I'm feeling a lot better now that I've got one-third of my whole team. i'm not disappointed in my findings so far, either. Nova was a priority, and Maple could easily get lost, due to her size. Now the other Pokemon that were left were pretty noticeable, but also a lot stronger.I knew I had to face them in battle as I did Maple. But, each time, the Pokemon had a darker behavior than behavior. What was causing this? The only reason why they return to normal is because I start sharing memories of how I met the Pokemon. It's a weird cure for an even weirder ailment.
"Stephen," Nova had been silent since we got Maple back. I looked to her.
"What's up, Nova?" I asked, trying to be casual, despite the situation.
"Besides the obvious," She rolled her eyes, and continued speaking. "I feel like we're not alone. Something's watching us."
"How can you tell?" I asked, I hadn't heard or seen anything the whole time we had been walking.
"I can sense energies, Stephen." Nova replied. I recalled her training with Riley and his Riolu. "Every once in a while, there'd be a quick burst of energy, like a Psychic type's energy. I didn't see anything, but I could tell they were close by during Maple's fight."
I turned and started walking backwards for a few seconds. I heard Nova giggle at this quick and somewhat silly action, putting a smile on my face; it's good that she's staying happy, and not panicking like I am. My eyes scanned the thick green behind us. Nothing was shifting, no predators stalking from behind. Nothing seemed to be following us.
"I don't see anything." I reported before calling out, "Heeeeey! Anyone out there?" No response. "It's a pretty thick and dangerous forest, Nova, I don't think anyone would want to live here, let alone follow a stranger into it."
It was then that Nova pulled my shoulder and forced me to turn around to see something spectacular; A huge lightning bolt was splitting through the air. It was very strong and very close; I could feel my hair standing up in shock. Nova and I looked at each other and nodded. It was time to get another member back: Volta.
Pony POV
Applejack was sneaking ahead of the rest of the group when the biped turned around. They sure do move fast, she thought. At that moment, the monkey thing turned around, making AJ come to a full, quiet stop. Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy followed suit.
"Applejack," Rarity complained. She wasn't whining, she was complaining Would you like to hear her whine? Exactly.. "What's going on? If we stand for too long, I could get my hooves muddy."
"Heeeeey!" The whole group went silent as the tall being spoke. "Anyone out there?" The ponies stayed silent, no attempts were made to make their presence known. The voice began to fade away, as the unnatural pair kept moving, the group only catching the words, "forest" and "stranger." All of a sudden, Twilight gasped.
"Look at that!" All four mares' head look to where the Alicorn pointed, and were once again awestruck as a huge lightning bolt struck somewhere ahead of them. They watched as the otherworldly duo started racing towards it.
"It might be another one of those Pokemon creatures!" Fluttershy whispered.
"Let's keep after them, girls!" Twilight led the charge to the edge of another small clearing, where a tall, dark yellow creature stood. It wasn't as tall as the ape, but was just as peculiar. It was also bipedal, and had a yellow belly. Black stripes appeared on its slender neck and long tail. The tail ended in a red orb, and a similar red orb was on its forehead. Could that be a horn? Twilight mused. Its arms were like long ovals, ending in a kind of point. It let out a loud cry, "AMMMPHAAAAA!"
Stephen's POV
"Hey Volta," I approached her as cautiously as I would a frayed wire. Her entire body was sparking with electrical energy, and she looked like she was really going to hurt me.
"Be careful Stephen!" Nova warned. "It's just like Maple! She's not acting right!" At that, Volta fired a Thunderbolt in my direction and I just barely dodged it. So I stood back and retrieved the only other team member so far. "Are you sure?" Nova asked. I nodded and tossed the ball.
"Leafeon!" The little Grass type yelled. I had her charge in with Iron Tail, only to be countered by Volta's own shining tail. The latter then fired a harsh Thunderbolt at Maple, knocking her back towards me. This was going to be tough.
"Maple, use Razor Leaf!" I commanded, and the green projectiles flew at high speed at the Ampharos. They hit dead on, leaving an opening. "Now, Iron Tail!" I ordered, and Maple obliged. I felt this would be a smart idea, as Ampharos aren't exactly known for their physical defense. It struck Volta right on her belly. Before the Electric-type could rise, I had Maple perform Stun Spore on her. With Volta now paralyzed, I approached her carefully, even though there was a low chance of her getting up to attack me.
"Hey, Volta." I spoke calmly, so as not to provoke her any further. "I'm sorry, but there was no other way to talk to you without getting hurt. But as usual, you fought bravely, and I didn't expect anything less." Volta ceased struggling against her paralysis to listen more. "Do you remember when we first met, Volta? You had the them same determined look in your eyes. You wouldn't give up, no matter the odds."
Flashback
A now preteen Stephen walked slowly through the tall grass, his Gardevoir right behind him. There was a reason why he was taking his time in this particular route in Johto; there was a certain Pokemon that he just had to catch. It took ages, but soon enough, Stephen and Nova encountered a small family of baby Mareeps, and a motherly Ampharos.
"Look, Stephen! Small one, has trouble." Nova was still learning how to telepathically speak English. But her message was easily translated, as Stephen saw an exceptionally small Mareep, struggling to keep up its siblings. When the family fed together, the bigger siblings would shoo the little one away. After five attempts, the little Mareep ran away unnoticed.
"Let's follow it!" Stephen said, and he and Nova followed the basic Electric type to a small patch of flowers. However, it was being antagonized by a gang of Quagsire from a nearby lake. Seeing this, Stephen was about to have Nova use Magical Leaf on the bullies, before the Mareep charged one Quagsire head on with a Tackle attack. It was a tough little Pokemon, and no matter how many times it got knocked down by the Water/Ground types, it got back up and did Tackle after Tackle. After several moments, the mother Ampharos came dashing in with an Iron Tail to one of the Quagsire. The other gang members watched as their leader was sent flying, and immediately retreated as fast as they could. Before Stephen could turn away from the scene, the little Mareep shot out a Thundershock at him. He could see a burning fire in the Pokemon's eyes; it wanted a battle. Stephen recognized the young Pokemon's challenge and reached for one of his Johto-based Pokemon.
"Go, Cannodor!" At the call, a Phany flashed in front of Stephen and Nova. The Ground-type saw the Mareep and took a more fighting-style stance, ready for the first order. At the moment of the two battling Pokemons' collision, Stephen saw the potential in the little Electric-type.
Real Time
"There was a reason why I accepted your challenge, Volta." I was petting her head now. I didn't pity to for being the smallest and teased by your siblings." Her black eyes now focused on me. "I chose you to be on my team because of what I saw I your fight against those Quagsire. Despite the fact that you were much weaker, you didn't give up and kept fighting. I admired you for it. You even managed to take down Claire's team fairly easily." I began to softly pet Volta's head. "I was always so proud of you. Right now though," I looks right back into her eyes. "We need some of your fighting spirit. We need the rush of energy we get when you're usually here. Please Volta, come back to me."
The same white appeared by the red circle on Volta's head, and she regained her normal bright yellow color. I sprayed another Paralyze Heal spray on her (I'm saving Full Heals for emergencies) and she immediately go up and actually hugged me. I hugged back, and immediately regretted doing so, as a hundreds of volts surged through me body. When it was over, I swore I could see smoke rising off of my arms. I should have expected this; She always did this, even as a Mareep and Flaafy.
"Welcome back, Volta." I patted her head. "It's good we found you; we'll need you for a certain other member." Ampharos nodded, and I put her into her Pokéball. However, I wasn't given even an entire minute to relax, as Nova grabbed my shoulder got my attention.
"Wait," She said, eyes closed. "Do you hear that?" I stood quietly and tried to listen to what she was hearing. "It sounds like... water, crashing waves." I tried listening again, but this time, I not only heard the sloshing of waves, but the distant sound of someone crying. "We should go, Stephen." Nova was right. If what we heard was right, then we were very lucky we stumbled upon Volta before this next Pokemon.
Pony POV
Rarity, before the other three mares, was able to hear something in the distance. Twilight noticed that the fashionista pony was trying very hard to listen intently to something.
"What's up, Rarity?" Twilight asked, but was shushed by the ivory coated unicorn who responded after a moment of silence.
"I think its the river serpent from way back when," Rarity answered. "The one with the mustache problem. I can hear him crying again. But what happened this time?"
"I don't know," Applejack replied. "But it seems to me that the tall critters are running towards his river!"
"Let's go, girls!" Twilight led the charge, Fluttershy quietly brought up the rear. "This might be more important that a mustache!" When the girls reached the river, they once again saw their old friend, Steven Magnet the river serpent. He was crying, but he wasn't the source of the violent waves around him this time. They were about to confront the purple creature when Applejack held up a hoof and pointed at the human and his companion approaching Magnet.
Stephen's POV
As Nova and I raced along a river, we came across a very unusual sight: a giant purple serpent! Even as a well traveled Pokemon trainer, I had ever seen a creature like this! It also happened to be crying. I swallowed my confusion and slight fear and approached it.
"Hello? Are you okay?" I asked, offering a small smile. However, my mouth found gravity to be its master once I heard the serpent actually respond to me.
"Whoa!" The purple serpent exclaimed, and backed up a few feet. "Just what in the world are you?"
"I'm...," I started not sure how to answer a talking purple serpent. "Uh... friendly?"
"I hope you are, because that ruffian of a serpent," the purple one pointed in the direction we were running towards, "Didn't even stop to say 'hello!' All he did was roar at me and slap my goorgeous face with his tail."
"Are you sure he was blue," I asked. "Mr... um... what was your name, sir?"
The giant serpent theatrically raised his arms and claws and said, "I am Steven Magnet, the most magnificent river serpent ever lived, and the inhabitant of the Everfree River." He gestured to the water. "But there won't be any water left in my river, seeing as that bully won't stop thrashing around."
"Well Mr. Magnet," I replied. "My name is also Stephen, and I thank you for your assistance. We will be on our way now to deal with this bully."
"Oh, do be careful!" Magnet called after us as we continued running. "He does seem to pack quite a bite!"
After a few more minutes of running, Nova and I finally reached a large section of lake where the waves were strongest and most violent. In the middle of a whirlpool, thrashing around angrily in the waves, was another huge serpent. However, it was blue as Steven Magnet had said. It had a gaping mouth, and the fangs in it were definitely not just for intimidation. This was Tempest, my Gyarados. However, like all the others, his colors were a darker shade. His yellow and white became gray and ash. His blue was a menacingly devious looking shade of cobalt.
"Tempest!" I yelled over the chaotic waves smashing on the riverbed. "Please, calm down! Don't make us force you to!" My only response was a small wave of water caused by Tempest's tail.I had no choice, as he was definitely going to start getting destructive if I didn't do anything. So, I decided to do the sensible thing: reach for the most effective Pokemon on my team so far. "Go, Volta!" I summoned my Electric type with haste.
"Ampha!" She cried, ready to take on the blue leviathan. I didn't want Gyarados to faint, I needed him to be weakened and paralyzed. Thunderbolt and Discharge would outright knock him out. Time for desperate measures.
"Volta!" I shouted over the water. "Use Thunderpunch!" As I said this, Tempest started honing in on Volta with a Waterfall. The Water type made contact, knocking Volta out of her focus. Tempest was going for another try, but I wouldn't try for another physical hit; Volta's defense was very weak. "Now, before he makes contact, use Discharge!" Electrical energy pulsed all over the Ampharos' body. As expected, just as Tempest was about to strike Volta with another Waterfall attack, the Electric type let loose Discharge. It had so much power that it knocked me and Nova onto our backs; it was like an explosion!
Pony POV
"Yoohoo!" Rarity called to the purple serpent known as Steven Magnet. "Mister river serpent!" Magnet recognized her right away.
"Ah yes, the generous unicorn who helped with my mustache!" He bowed in respect, then noticed Fluttershy, Twilight, and AJ behind her "How can I help you?"
"Which way did the weird bipedal creatures go?" Fluttershy asked.
"The one that looked like a monkey and the white one with what looked like a dress, yes?" The mares nodded. He pointed upriver. "He said that he would face the bully that keeps making all of these horridly chaotic waves. I would go after him, just in case." The ponies came in time to see the yellow creature charge and release its Discharge attack. They, also, were pushed back a bit.
"Such power!" Twilight remarked. "What other things can these creatures do?"
Fluttershy was being comforted by Applejack, as she was mightily frightened by the huge blue serpent, and the yellow biped.
Stephen's POV
"Man, that hurt." Stephen got up and dusted the back of his pants. He held out his hand and helped Nova up as well. He looked to Volta and saw that she stood proud above the now paralyzed Gyarados.
"Be careful, Stephen." Nova warned. "His tail is still in the water. Just because he's paralyzed does not mean he cannot attack."
I nodded and approached the leviathan I called Tempest. "Hey there big boy." I put my hand on the three pronged crest on his forehead. "I'm sorry we had to do that. If we let you continue ravaging the river, there might not be any river left. You might have started destroying the forest around you." I looked down at the serpent, a bit sad that things had to turn out this way. Then I smiled. "Then again, even as a little Magikarp, you were always the center of trouble."
~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~
At 15 years old, Stephen was on a very important mission: Stop Team Rocket from kidnapping a certain Pokemon. He had been running after them for quite a while. It helped that he was on a bike and the evildoers were not. He finally cornered the two grunts from Team Rocket on the edge of a pier south of Lavender Town.
"Stop right there, criminal scum!" Stephen's voice still wasn't done developing, and had cracked when he said "scum." Still, the two thieves turned at his voice, saw their pursuer, and started to laugh.
"Hehe... HahAAHAHAAHAAhA!" The grunt carrying a large duffel bag was cackling agh the sight of Stephen. "Are you serious? A kid thinks he can take us out?"
"Right?" His companion added, then looked to the kid. "Listen shrim, we ain't no match for you."
"Yeah!" The first grunt added, then grabbed the contents of the duffel bag. "And with this Pokemon, we will be able to rule the world!" He took it a cylindrical tank. "This Magikarp we stole from the aquarium will be a prime subject for the boss to rule the world!"
"Guys," Stephen said, eyebrows raised. "You do know that a Magikarp won't be able to do anything as is, right?"
"Trust me, kid," Grunt One answered. "Once we unlock the potential of this measly fish, Team rocket will have reign on the entire world!" His partner laughed along with him. Before Stephen could reach for Nova's Pokéball, then Magikarp in the tank began to throw itself against the glass.
"See?" Stephen said. "The Magikarp knows how stupid your plan is and will certainly be able to take you both out by itself!" He mocked the villains. "It's stronger than you or your Pokemon will ever be, and it's not even evolved yet!"
"Bah, what does it know?" Grunt Two said. "It's just a useless fish Pokemon." And with that the Magikarp tacked its way out of the cylinder, breaking the glass barrier. Upon touching the ground, the orange fish began to glow and grow to gigantic proportions. In the end, stood a giant leviathan of a sea serpent: the great and powerful Gyarados had come out to fend its honor.
It wasn't Stephen's first time to see a Gyarados, but it was nonetheless an impressive sight. The Water/Flying type Pokemon let out a giant roar at the Rocket Grunts, who in turn swore loudly and sent out Pokemon of their own: Arbok and Golbat. The second the two Poison types were out, a bluish green flamelike energy was blasted from the Gyarados' giant maw and at the evildoers. Though Dragon Rage only did a set amount of damage, it managed to knock out both Arbok and Golbat in one hit. Stephen stood there in awe of the giant serpent. It was so powerful, and determined to stop these criminals.
The two Team Rocket grunts were sent running with their fainted Pokemon, swearing empty threats of vengeance. Then, the Gyarados turned to Stephen, its intense glare and fearsome jaw were quite the sight. However, the giant Pokemon seemed to have calmed down, and before he knew it, it was by Stephen's side.
"Huh?" Stephen thought out loud. "You heard what I said about you as a Magikarp?" To this, the leviathan seemed to nod. "My mother always told me that size doesn't matter, and that big things can come in small packages. Those two morons should have known not to mess with you." The Gyarados' grunted, and it sounded very similar to a deep chuckle. "Hey," Stephen started. "Wanna come with me?" The Gyarados seemed confused. "We can travel together and become stronger friends as we go along." At this, the Water/Flying type nodded again. "Well then, it's official." Stephen said. What should I name him? he thought. Gyarados were known for being destructive, and loved to be in the middle of raging storms out in the ocean. "I think I have the perfect nickname for you, too." The Gyarados looked down at Stephen, waiting to hear his new name. "Welcome to the team, Tempest!" The serpent was satisfied and let himself be captured by the boy, and they would go on to dominate the Kanto League together.
~~~~~~Real time~~~~~~
"I remember how happy you were to by my side, and it was a mutual feeling, Tempest." I now sat down in front of the still paralyzed Gyarados' face, and he was calm and listening to me talk. "You took down Blaine's team all on your own, and took bravely went head on against Cynthia's Garchomp and came out victorious." I looked into the fierce monster's eyes and continued. "I have never regretted meeting you and adding you to my team." I put my hand on the three pronged crest once more, and like the three previous times, a white light enveloped the Pokemon's entire body, and leaving behind my Tempest with his original sea-blue hue. I used a Paralyze Heal on him and returned him to my Pokeball. He's an absolute must if I find the final two Pokemon on my team; Tempest is the only one super effective against them. I beckoned Nova towards me as I rose to my feet, and we continued walking.
I needed to prepare myself for the two highly intense battles that were to come.
Pony POV
"What?" Twilight was awestruck of this creature's abilities. Not only did he command and control his own Pokemon creatures, he managed to stop and tame possibly one of the scariest and strongest looking monsters she had ever seen! "Where did he learn to do all of that?"
"Fluttershy, the monster's gone now." Rarity said to the shy pegasus, who finally stopped hiding in Applejack's arms. "To be very honest darlings, those colors on that beast were absolutely marvelous!'
"That monkey thing managed to calm that monster?" Applejack quieried. "He must be a bit like you, Fluttershy, he can understand and communicate with animals."
"But, he hurts them." Fluttershy countered. "I'd never have my animals fight like that."
"He has no choice, Fluttershy." Twilight replied. "He has to calm them down, as I had to calm you all down to break you from Discord's spell. And it would seem battling is an effective way for him to get close. He even heals them of their injuries with that spray!" The pegasus couldn't argue with that. "Now that I think about it, this biped's creatures seem to be under something that's very similar to the spell Discord put us under. But he's reformed now, with the Princesses at his back, so he couldn't have done anything. I wonder..." She trailed off as the four of them watched the pair of aliens begin walking away.