//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7: Wildwoods 
// Story: Hoennshy 
// by Fenix 
//------------------------------//

And that’s how you get kicked out of flight school with style,” Rainbow Dash touted as she spun around in the air. The forest was thick with trees, leaving Rainbow Dash’s trick obscured in the shadows. Fluttershy didn’t mind; she liked hearing her friends talk about themselves even without visual aid.

“Did you really pull that off?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah, who else has that kind of speed?” Rainbow said, flipping once again. She looked up at the canopy, slowed her flying, then landed next to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. “You know, I think I’m going to walk. The clearance is so low I can barely maneuver.”

Fluttershy and Pinkie laughed. “That’s why I landed when we got here. I flew in a forest here before and it was hard to get out without getting hit by tree branches.” This forest was much bigger than the one outside of Oldale Town. Thicker trees were flush with darker bark as a deep green moss made its home across the forest floor. Only small rays of light could penetrate the forest ceiling, making the woods appear ominous. Both Rainbow and Pinkie looked around curiously at everything, with a mix of excited and annoyed looks.

“I’m getting a bad Everfree Forest vibe from this place,” Rainbow Dash stated. “I mean I’m not worried about it or anything, it just reminds me of it,” she backpedaled.

“Well since there are strange animals in here I can see why. I wonder what kind of pokémon will be in here. Bugs maybe?” Fluttershy wondered, checking for any signs of movement or animal sounds.

“That sounds cool I guess,” Rainbow stated. “I was just hoping for something, you know, cooler. By the way Pinkie, did I give you those Poké Balls yet?”

Pinkie looked up in thought, “No, I’m not even registered for the league. Should I even have a Pokémon, I mean I wouldn’t want to take any of yours—”

“We need all the help we can get if that Norman guy is right,” Rainbow Dash interrupted as she stuck her hoof onto Pinkie’s mouth to silence her. She took her hoof out and rummaged through her new bag, pulling out three Poké Balls.

“That’s great! I could look for an alligator, it’ll be just like Gummy!” She jumped up and gasped. “Oh no I forgot about Gummy! I hope he’s alright.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Fluttershy assured her. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake probably know how to take care of him. The animals back at my cottage however—”

“But he needs so much attention! I can’t imagine what Mr. and Mrs. Cake are going through,” Pinkie Pie said as she sat down to ponder. The three had a good laugh and pressed onward. Red spiked worms crawled on the leaves, along with hanging white and purple cocoons. Only the sound of rustling leaves and the crunching of fallen sticks filled the forest, giving Fluttershy some time to relax. The events of the other day still haunted her: the memory backlash, Alerce’s strange transformation, and the fight with Norman still caused her to shake. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and focus. This was a new day, filled with new outfits for her friends, a sea side view off the shallow cliffs, and a forest with new animals to explore. Everything was serene, just as Fluttershy liked.

Fluttershy’s ears perked up. She could hear a small chirp in the distance, something that didn’t come from a worm or cocoon. She thought maybe it was one of those birds that flew with her above Oldale Town as she stopped to get a better sense of the noise. Rainbow and Pinkie stopped and looked back, confused. “Hey, are you alright? Is it another one of those weird flashes?”

“Shhh,” Fluttershy shushed them. “Do you hear that? It sounds like a tiny bird in the distance. The sound is coming from the ground, and it hasn’t moved. That’s so strange.”

Rainbow looked around, trying to see past the large thicket. “I don’t hear or see anything except us. Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Fluttershy crept closer, keeping her ears perked and listened for any sudden movements. Several chirps made their way through the forest, each one louder than the last one. She increased her speed, weaving her way through the mass of trees until she came upon a large opening. Except for a few twigs and rocks, the area was completely empty. Only a small figure at the other end showed itself from beneath the forest shadows. It was hard to see, but as Fluttershy got closer, she began noticing an orange tint to the figure. Its silhouette became clear to her, causing Fluttershy to stop in her tracks.

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow asked, stopping next to Fluttershy.

“Over there, that’s—” she inched closer, trying her best not to startle it. A few more chips came, as she approached. They sounded like sobs. “T-that’s Brendan’s torchic.” She spread her wings and flew, landing next to the abandoned bird. It looked up at her, staring straight into her eyes. “What are you doing all the way out here? Where’s Brendan?” she quietly asked, trying to comfort the distraught torchic.

“Wait, Brendan? As in the crazy fighter Brendan you were talking about?” Pinkie asked as she trotted to the torchic. 

“Yeah, but I don’t understand. This was the Pokémon his father gave him.” The torchic got up and ran around the group, its small bout of depression seeming to gone. “He was so proud of it when he challenged me. Why would he leave it here?” Flutttershy looked around, trying to find any signs of Brendan. The forest floor was so dense with leaves and moss that if he had left any hoof prints, they would be impossible to find.

“Maybe it ran away? You did say he was kinda mean, I mean I would have.” Pinkie chimed in. 

“Considering how Brendan acted, I don’t think it would’ve done that. It’s scared of something.” Fluttershy watched the Torchic make its way towards Rainbow Dash. It jumped up and down with glee, causing Rainbow to look down at it. A faint smile ran across her face as she patted it. It looked up at her and smiled back. Laughing, Rainbow reached down and picked up the torchic, holding it up in the air. It began to laugh with her, making random hiccup noises as well.

“So, I don’t understand. If this is Brendan’s, then why is it hovering around me?” Rainbow asked, placing the bird on her back.

“Maybe it just likes you,’ Fluttershy assumed, walking to the torchic to examine it.

“Oh! Catch it! It can be your first Pokémon, Rainbow Dash! We could celebrate afterwards, I’m sure there’s a place to make a cake or something like for Flut—” Rainbow shushed Pinkie, and ran her hoof across her mouth like a zipper. Pinkie nodded and sat down, making the same hoof motion.

“So, what do you know about catching these things?” Rainbow dug into her bag and took out a small Poké Ball. She tapped the button, causing it to enlarge to its normal size. Her head jumped back a little, but she quickly went back to pondering.

“Well, I don’t think you can catch a Pokémon that another pony owns. It just... doesn’t sound right.” Fluttershy explained. “I... I think.”

“Only one way to find out.” Rainbow exclaimed, “We should try it out!” She took the Poké Ball and tossed it in her hoof, ready to catch the bird. “Uh... what do I do? Just toss it?”

“Umm, maybe we should try it with Alerce first. I’m sure he won’t mind a small toss on the shell.” Fluttershy looked down at Alerce who nodded at her suggestion. She stepped away from Alerce, waiting for Rainbow to make her move. With a quick toss, the Poké Ball bounced off of Alerce’s shell, causing it to bounce in the air and open up. He became enveloped in in white light and turned into a wisp of energy. It went inside the Poké Ball and it closed shut. Only a moment later, it burst open in a green light, bringing Alerce out and back to his original form. “Well, I guess that didn’t work.”

“What should we do then? We can’t just leave it here.” Fluttershy started to pace, looking up at the forest canopy.

“Wait, where is it?” Pinkie asked as she frantically searched. The other two turned their heads, and looked in disbelief. It was gone. Fluttershy bolted out to the perimeter of the treeless opening and poked her head between the trees to look. Rainbow took off, hovering just below the canopy. The three yelled out the to the torchic, trying to catch its attention. Pass after pass yielded no results. Distraught, Fluttershy approached the two Poké Balls that lay in the clearing.

“Did you find anything?” Fluttershy asked with her head hung low.

“No, all that’s here are these Poké Balls. Oh, maybe you can use your memory thing to find it.” Pinkie suggested.

“But, it only shows up when something weird happens. Also I’ve never tried actually conjuring it before.”

“You’ve got to try! Maybe we’ll be able to find him faster!” Fluttershy slowly nodded and swallowed nervously. Her breathing became stuttered from the tension, but she closed her eyes and concentrated. She could only hear the ambient sounds of the forest, and saw nothing but black. The only memories that appeared were ones of her own. She bit her lower lip, straining to get a memory to appear.

After a few moments, a wave of wooziness fell over her. She stumbled to the left, almost falling over, then heard faint cries for help. They became louder and louder each time, and it began to hurt Fluttershy’s ears. Suddenly, a flash of the image of a man appeared. He held a manila envelope and was on his back, scurrying away from a man in pirate’s clothing as he yelled for help. The assailant had a knife and a wolf, waiting to attack. The vision became clearer as she felt herself running towards the man to save him. “Leave him alone!” It was May’s voice. Right as she reached the man, her vision went white. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on the ground, surrounded by Rainbow, Pinkie and Alerce. She got up and shook her head, trying to keep the memory at the forefront of her mind.

“Did you see anything? You kinda just fell over.”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t about the torchic. There was some thing being attacked, and the girl in the memory was trying to save him.”

Rainbow cocked her head, “Some ‘thing’? What do you talking about? You’re usually better at explaining animals to us than that.”

“I-It’s, well,” Fluttershy lowered her head. “It’s hard to explain. I’ve never seen a creature anywhere close to this, and they have the intelligence and language as us.”

“What did it look like?” Pinkie Pie jumped around with excitement.

“Well, their face was like that of a monkey’s, but he had no hair on its face and it was more defined. The only hair it had was on the top of its head, and it was quite short. Also it stood on two legs and had hands, similar to a monkey’s as well.” She looked up at the two. “I’m sorry, I’m not great at explaining things.”

“Whatever. We still need to find that bird.” Rainbow Dash trotted to the two Poké Balls that still lay in the grass. “That’s... strange. I only took out one. Pinkie, did you drop one?”

“Nope! Mine are still in my pocket.” Pinkie tapped on her pocket, causing the capsules to rustle and clank. Fluttershy and Pinkie began to slightly panic, glaring at all the trees to make sure there was nothing hiding in their midst. Rainbow picked up one of the capsules and opened it. It was empty. She sighed and closed it. After placing it in her jacket pocket, she picked up the other one. It felt slightly heavier to her. She pressed the button, causing a bright white light to burst out from it. Rainbow backed away and dropped the Poké Ball, wings spread in defense. The light formed into a familiar figure and faded, leaving a smiling torchic. It shivered, then looked up at Rainbow.

“Did it just... did it just catch itself?” Rainbow wondered as she inspected the Torchic. “Why would you do that?” she asked as she ruffled the torchic’s feathers.

“Maybe it did run away from Brendan and went to you. It was probably feeling lonely after it fled and clinged to you.”

“Ooo, you should give him a name! Is it a guy?” Pinkie rushed to Rainbow’s side and placed her hoof on her friend’s back.

“Hmm...” Rainbow began to think. “How about Igni? That sounds cool.” The torchic began jumping up and down with joy. “It seems to like it.”

“He was a lot less fussy than Alerce was when I named him,” Fluttershy stated, patting Alerce on the head. She donned a frown and looked to the north. All she could think of was the memory vision she conjured. “We... we should go find that creature. He could still be in trouble.”

“How do you know that he would even be here? Maybe that’s supposed to happen later, or it already happened.” Rainbow took Igni and placed him on her back.

“Well, every time I’ve had a flash, it’s been at the time it should be happening. I think.” Fluttershy started pacing. “We have to go see.”

“Fine,” Rainbow said as she headed to the edge of the clearing. “Let’s get going then.” The three headed through the forest’s thicket, keeping their eyes peeled for the troubled creature. Fluttershy kept her ears perked for any sounds, but all she heard was the sound of rustling leaves. None of them made a sound as they peered behind and between the trees. Neither Pinkie or Rainbow had a clear idea of what they were searching for, but Fluttershy did. She was hoping that the memory was false, or that they weren’t too late. 

The rays of sunlight began to dissipate as an overcast of clouds loomed over them. The once vibrant colors of the forest became muted and dull, and everything started to blend together. She kept her head east, hoping her friends were checking in other directions. The only visuals she remembered were the two figures. The layout of the tress were obscured, but she noticed sunlight dappled their clothes and skin. It was still sunny then.

“Where could he be? It feels like we’ve been searching forever, and that fog isn’t helping us one bit,” Pinkie stated, causing Fluttershy to turn her head.

Fog? What is she talking about, there’s no fog, it’s just— Fluttershy’s train of thought stopped as a saw a thick wave of fog was headed towards them from the west. “This is all wrong. They where covered in sunlight, like it was... a few...” She stopped and frantically jumped around to find the figure. “No, no,” she whimpered. “We need to find him, now.”

“Calm down, we don’t even know if he’s out there.” Rainbow grabbed a hold of the frantic pegasus. “I know you haven’t done things like this before, but you can’t lose your head,” Rainbow said in a calm tone. “We don’t even know if your memories are correct, they could be completely fake.” Fluttershy’s breathing began to stabilize as Rainbow backed away. It had been a while since Fluttershy had heard Rainbow use that tone of voice. She figured it was the unfamiliar land they were in that caused her to act as she does with her weather team. She let out a small sigh and ventured into the fog, trying to avoid the silhouetted trees. Rainbow and Pinkie followed close behind.

After a half-hour of searching, they found nothing. Fluttershy leaned up against a tree, taking a break from the search. Pinkie was still hopping around, quickly peeking behind each tree while Rainbow sat along side Fluttershy. Alerce jumped off her trainer’s back and played around with Igni, each of them laughing as they rolled around. Rainbow Dash watched them with fascination. “So, we have to fight with them.”

“That’s what Norman said,” Fluttershy explained.

“Before I got Igni, I was all for it. I never really owned a pet, so I never knew what it was like,” Rainbow explained as she watched her Torchic run around. She paused. Igni began jumping on Alerce’s back, happily chirping. He lost his balance and fell to the ground, but quickly sprang back up. “This might be harder than I thought.”

Fluttershy’s right ear twitched, catching the faintest bizarre sound from the thicket. She turned her head and stood up, just staring into the fog. “I heard something,” she stated. She crept her head closer to the north, waiting for the sound to come back. Pinkie jumped over, crunching sticks and leaves as she went.

“Pinkie! She’s trying to listen for something,” Rainbow yelled in a whispered tone.

“Sorry, I’ll try to be quieter.” Pinkie halted, now tip-hoofing closer to the pegasi. Fluttershy slowly made her way through, keeping her ears pointed to the north. With each step, she became more nervous. The noise was sickening, making her uneasy. A moment later it cried out again and it was loud enough to pierce Pinkie and Rainbow’s ears. “What was that? It sounded like someone having a stomach ache.”

“No, it sounds like...” Fluttershy knew that sound. She increased her speed, hoping she could get there quick enough. Weaving her way through trees, she leaped over fallen branches and charged her way through the thicket. She shook from the knowledge of what was ahead, but she couldn’t stop. Both of her friends kept pace, seemingly unaware of what Fluttershy knew.

A hazy figure came into few. It was lying on the ground, making it hard to see exactly what it was. Fluttershy slowed her gallop into a trot, trying to casually approach the creature. It had not made a sound for since she started her gallop, making her nervous. After a few methodical steps, the creature became fully visible. It was a grey stallion in a while coat and black pants, with a massive bite wound on his left shoulder. He was moaning and shaking, trying to stave off the pain. Fluttershy rushed over and started to inspect the wound. “Are you alright? C-can you hear me?”

He groaned again, then forced his head over to the yellow pegasus. “I’ve been better...” he trailed off into an episode of shaking and yelps of pain.

“What happened? This wound doesn’t look good at all.” Rainbow and Pinkie caught up to her and stopped. They looked over him and stayed back to let Fluttershy work. Fluttershy began digging through her back, taking out a bottle of antiseptic and bandages.

“I was attacked. A pony came at me with a knife and a Poochyena. Just like that one over there.” He lifted his right hoof and pointed at a wolf who stood behind Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy looked over, jumping back from shock. She didn’t hear anything following her, but it just stood there, staring at her. Turning back to the stallion, she began covering the would with the antiseptic. 

“This is going to sting, I’m sorry.” The stallion bit his lower lip, trying not to make a noise. He panted and let his head fall back to the ground. “Who attacked you? Do you know why?” Rainbow got closer and inspected the area around them.

“It was somepony from Team Aqua. He was wearing a blue bandanna, and had a black and white—”

“—white striped shirt and blue pants,” Fluttershy finished. Both Rainbow and Pinkie looked straight at Fluttershy, then looked at each other. The stallion stopped mid-sentence, and looked at her dumbfounded. Fluttershy quickly recoiled, “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“You’ve seen Team Aqua before?” he asked, then winced.

“Um, no. It was a lucky guess,” Fluttershy fibbed. She quickly went to change the subject. “So, what was he after?”

The stallion sighed. “He took a package from me. I was making my way to the Devon Corporation, and he stopped me. He sicked his dog on me and stole an important document I was delivering.”

“So, he used his Pokémon as a weapon...” Fluttershy looked over at Rainbow as she paced and messed with her coat. She took the roll of bandages and wrapped them around the wound, pulling hard to make sure it stayed on correctly. “Where did he go?

“He went north, probably passed right through Rustboro City. Please don’t go after him though, it’s Devon Corporation business. I don’t want you fillies to involved in this.” 

“Is there anything we can do though?” Pinkie asked.

“You’re doing enough as it is, but if you really want to help I do have something you can do.” The stallion planted his hoofs into the grass and tried to stand. He wobbled and fell back down, grunting in pain. “If you can, could you tell my boss about what happened? I’m being expected to arrive with it, and they need to know now.”

“What about your job? Won’t you lose it if we say it was stolen?” Fluttershy interjected.

“Don’t worry about it.” The stallion rubbed his wound, trying to soothe it. “As long as they know about it, it’s fine.”

“So how do we go about getting in? They aren’t going to let three random ponies talk to their president, will they?” Rainbow asked as she looked over at the Poochyena. “Also, what should we do about this guy?” She approached it and it began to snarl. Quickly she stepped back, making it stop. “Well, that’s new.”

“Tell them you need to talk to the president about ‘Project 746’. The receptionist will know what you’re talking about.” He tried standing again, bracing himself better this time. “Could you help me get out of these woods? There’s a house in the next route that I can rest at.”

Fluttershy took his injured foreleg and put it around her neck, trying to lift him to carry. “Could someone take the other side? I can’t do this myself.” Pinkie Pie hopped over, and took his right side. With Pinkie out of the way, the Poochyena approached Fluttershy, nuzzling her torso. Her body shifted, trying to still hold onto the pony as the wolf tried to play. “Not now, maybe later.” The wolf looked into her eyes and backed off, keeping itself at a good distance.

“Why does it come up to you, but when I get near it it growls at me?” Rainbow asked, then looked ahead. “Whatever, I’ll lead the way.”

“Thank you so much for this,” the stallion said, walking in sync with Fluttershy and Pinkie. The fog was lighter than before, giving way for details to show themselves. It made it much easier for the four to navigate the rest of the woods. The striped Poochyena walked along side them and glanced in all directions, seemingly watching for sudden movements. “The path to Rustboro should be just up ahead. It should take too much longer.” They pressed on, side-stepping around trees and bushes before seeing a clearing in the distance. Rainbow spread her wings, flew ahead and checked their distance. She turned and nodded her head towards the clearing, signaling them through.

As they passed through the forest, a large city sprawled in front of their eyes. Giant towers threatened the sky, and loomed over the trees and houses along the path to the city. They appeared as sentinels, silently standing in the fog’s midst. Fluttershy took her eyes off the sight and noticed a small house west, right near the beginning of the path. “Is that it?” she asked, pointing to the house with her head.

“Yeah, that’s it.” He grunted and fell to knees, bringing both Fluttershy and Pinkie with him. Struggling, they brought him back up and trekked to the building. It was small but cozy, nestling itself amongst the trees. Rainbow dashed ahead and looked inside, inspecting the building thoroughly. They crossed over a small wooden bridge and made their way to the front door. There was a sign that read ‘Rustboro Rest House’ hanging on the door. Rainbow knocked and waited for an answer. A light flickered in the window, as they could hear something approach.

“Hello, welcome to—” A dark brown unicorn stated as he opened the door. He stopped mid- sentence, glaring at the injured Devon employee. “W-what happened here?”

“It’s a long story. Can we come in? I heard you house trainers needing some rest.” Fluttershy asked, trying to look around the unicorn to see the inside.

“Well, I can’t refuse an injured traveler. Please, come in.” He stepped aside, revealing an inside filled with beds and an area to cook. There were several other ponies inside, each with their Pokémon out. The variety of them intrigued Fluttershy, but she had other pressing matters to attend to. She and Pinkie brought the stallion to a bed and laid him down, making sure he stayed on his left side as to not ruin his shoulder more. With that taken care of, Fluttershy turned to the Poochyena who sat on the floor, wagging its tail.

“Why did it follow us all the way over here? Shouldn’t it still be in the forest?” Fluttershy wondered as she began inspecting the wolf.

“I don’t know. I didn’t even hear it behind us when we were finding this guy.” Pinkie said.

“D-do you want to be my friend, wolf?” Fluttershy asked, rubbing its fur. It closed its eyes and began wagging its tail. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” It happily barked as she dug into her bag and pulled out a Poké Ball. She brought it close to the wolf, far enough away for it to make its own decision. Without hesitation, the poochyena tapped the button on the Poké Ball. It opened and enveloped the poochyena in a white light then trapped it inside. She let go of it, letting it fall on the floor. It wobbled back and forth a few times before it was completely dormant. She picked it up and looked at it, smiling. “I’ll have to name you later.”

“Ugh, thanks,” the stallion spoke up. “I would give you something to reward you, but that thug took my wallet as well. I’m sure that Mr. Stone will be able to reward you kindly.” He took the blanket and draped it over him.

“Will you be fine by yourself? I-I mean you’re still badly injured,” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh yeah, I’m sure if anything happens the pony who runs it can help. When you reach the city, it’s on Celestial Road. It’s about four blocks north and to your left, and it’s the tallest building on the road. You can’t miss it.” He motioned Fluttershy over, bringing her head close to his. “Remember, it’s ‘Project 746’,” he whispered.

“Why do you trust us so much with this?” she said under her breath. “Isn’t it really important?”

He chuckled. “No matter what, they’ll find out eventually. The project name isn’t important, I’m just trying to get the news there faster. It doesn’t hurt anyone that three filly trainers knows that Devon is working on a project.”

Fluttershy lifted her head and backed away from the stallion. After placing her new pokémon in her bag, she turned towards the door. “Well... let’s go.” She didn’t want to leave the stallion, but she had no choice. They smiled to the unicorn as they left off to Rustboro City. “So, what should we do? I really don’t want to get involved in something like this. Well, more than we’ve already been.”

“Maybe it’ll lead to an adventure!” Pinkie gasped, “I’m always wanted to go on an adventure. I mean the Nightmare Moon and dragon trips were fun, but this has intrigue and suspense.” Pinkie began hopping as they turned north.

“Yeah, adventure sounds good,” Rainbow said. “I mean as long as we’re here, we might as well do something cool, right?”

“I guess...” Fluttershy squeaked.

“Great! Let’s do it right away so we have a better story to tell when we get back. We can get supplies and stuff later, adventure calls!” Pinkie let her expectations get the best of her.

“We don’t even know if this will lead to anything though.”

“Well, you can always use that weird memory thing again, can’t you? It worked for that pony, we were just a little late,” Rainbow said.

“Let’s just deliver the news and be on our way. We should probably talk about this when we know more about it, shouldn’t we?” Fluttershy asked as they approached the beginning of the city’s main road.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Rainbow said, looking over at Pinkie.

The Pokédex began to beep, startling Fluttershy. She closed her eyes and groaned, then took the Pokédex out and flipped it open. The screen flickered and the automated voice ran through its routine. “Rustboro gym at 3:30,” Fluttershy repeated to her friends. She took a look at the clock. It was 12:15 p.m. “Well, we have enough time at least.”

“Um, shouldn’t we train a little bit before your fight? I mean Alerce didn’t do so hot against Norman.” Rainbow asked in a worried tone.

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt,” Fluttershy said painfully. She swallowed nervously and looked over at Igni who was sleeping on Rainbow’s back. “If we finish this early enough, maybe we can... spar?”

“I never thought you’d ask!” Rainbow said with excitement. “I can’t wait to see what Igni can do,” she sighed, and looked at Fluttershy. “I know what I said back in the forest about Igni, but if there really are ponies out there using these creatures as weapons we have to be ready for anything.” They both looked on ahead and stared at the city that was laid in front of them. The streets were crowded with ponies without their pokémon in view, all of them dwarfed by the massive buildings. It looked like Canterlot to them, except the buildings were more rectangular and dully colored, and the layout was much more structured and rigid. Ponies trotted with suits and formal dress, while others in more adventures attire. A battle took place on the side of the road between two ponies, each one of them looked as if they were only sparing.

“I’m so hungry. Shouldn’t we stop somewhere to eat?” Pinkie asked, rubbing her stomach.

“After the we visit that ‘Devon’ company. That is what you wanted, Pinkie.” Rainbow said.

“Okie dokie!” Pinkie exclaimed as they traveled another block. Fluttershy couldn’t help but stare upward at the towers. They eclipsed anything she had ever seen built by ponies, and it amazed her. Glass surrounded the perimeter of each of the buildings, and fanciful decorations garnered the front of each, attracting the view of everypony. She turned her head towards where they walking, looking up at the sign they were approaching.

“Alright let’s see, that was one, two, three blocks?” Pinkie asked.

“Yeah, we’re coming up to it now I think.” Rainbow said, turning her head to the left. Pinkie and Fluttershy followed suit. Like every other street, it was lined to the brim with compact buildings, though one did stick out. The tallest building on the street had an insignia of a swooping pegasus wing, with a sharp expanding line running opposite bolted to the front. Small statues of ponies lined the front, standing as guardians of the building. “Uh, I think that’s the building.”

“The one with the statues?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, he did say it stuck out. It wouldn’t hurt to check it out.” Rainbow spread her wings and flew towards the building, Fluttershy following. Pinkie bounced around the constant stream of ponies until they reached the front doors. There was ‘Devon Corporation’ plastered on the doors, but something stuck out to Fluttershy: there were no door handles. She crept closer, scanning the doors for a way in, but as she got close they slid open. Puzzled, she moved in closer to make sure it wouldn’t close on her. She waved her hoof between the doors. They remained motionless.

“Well, I guess it’s fine.” Pinkie and Rainbow passed her into the building’s lush interior. The carpet was a deep crimson, making a striking contrast to the pale yellow of the walls. A mare with reading glasses sat behind a counter, watching as the three gaze around with stupefying fascination.

“Can I help you?” the pony asked as she removed her glasses.

“Oh yes, we need to talk to, uh, the president.” Fluttershy responded.

“Uh huh,” the mare said sarcastically. “So, what do you need to see Mr. Stone for?”

Rainbow jumped ahead of Fluttershy, “It’s about, what was that...” Rainbow rubbed her chin in thought. “Oh yeah, ‘Project 746’.”

The mare sighed and pressed a button on a strange device and began speaking into it, “Mr. Stone, there are three fillies here about ‘Project 746’.” She waited for a response.

“Anypony else sick of being called fillies?” Rainbow asked, sneering at the receptionist.

“Follow me,” the mare said as she left the desk, and began walking down a hallway. Fluttershy hesitated, then followed at a distance. After a few steps, she pressed a button on the wall that was on the side of two metal doors. A light on the top flashed the number ‘3’, and progressively went down until it reached the letter ‘G’. Suddenly the doors slid open as the front doors did. “It’s the top floor. Please don’t be too long, Mr. Stone is a busy stallion.” The three moved through the doors into a small box-like room. There wasn’t much inside except a panel of buttons to the right of the door and that same informative light on top. The three adjacent walls were of polished metal, allowed the three to see themselves.

So... top floor,” Rainbow said to herself as she press the highest number button. “How is this supposed to—” The room began to shake and they could feel themselves being pulled to the floor. “What’s going on!?”

“I-I don’t know,” Fluttershy said, trying to make sure Alerce was still safe on her back. Just as the shaking began, it stopped. The doors slid open, revealing a small hallway and a door at the end. Couches that lined the walls for them to sit on. They each exited the room, and the doors closed behind them. Right as the exited, the door at the hallway opened, and a stallion in a black suit and sunglasses motioned the three in. Fluttershy took a deep breath and followed the pony’s invitation.

The room was as large as the base floor, but more open and grand. Windows lined the walls, leaving no sense of walls. A large Devon symbol was sprawled across the floor in front of a large wooden desk where a stallion sat in a plush chair. 

“So, you must be the three here about ‘Project 746’, am I correct?” he asked in a pleasant tone. It was a blue unicorn with a dark blue swooping mane. He wore a dark brown suit with a mark stitched on the lapel. It was a yellow crescent moon with a smaller white crescent inside. 

“Uh, yes we are.” Fluttershy couldn’t help but look around the room more as she spoke. “I found an employee of yours injured in the forest to the south. He told me that somepony from a ‘Team Aqua’ stole some documents that pertained to it.”

“Is that so?” he said, placing his hooves on the desk. “I’m not surprised.”

“D-does that mean you’re not going to fire him?” Fluttershy responded.

“Hmm, why do you care so much about one pony’s employment status?” He stood up and approached the three.

“I... uh... well...” Fluttershy shuffled her forehooves and lowered her head.

“I haven’t seen such caring young mares in quite a long time. You remind me of my daughter.” Fluttershy’s head perked back up. “I thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will make sure you are rewarded in kind. Could I see your PokéNavs?”

“A Poké-what?” Rainbow asked.

The stallion chuckled. “I thought every trainer had one by now.” He trotted back to his desk and opened a drawer. He pulled out three devices with open straps coming out from the bottom. “These are PokéNavs, they’re quite essential for every trainer. They’re of Devon Corp. design.” He carried them over and handed them to each of them. “They come with a map, clock, touch screen, feeding timer, everything you need pre-installed.”
“Why would you give us these for free? It seems like a little much.” Fluttershy asked.

“I’m letting you keep them under one condition.” He trotted back to his desk and sat down. “My daughter, Stephanie, is doing some research in the caves of Dewford Town, and I can’t contact her at the moment. I need a letter delivered to her right away. You seem trustworthy enough.”

“But, I—”

“Don’t worry, whatever is inside will mean nothing if you peek I can assure you.” One of the two black-suited ponies handed Fluttershy an envelope. “Dewford has a gym, and since you’re trainers you should be going there anyway. Also I’ve heard there are quite a lot of rare Pokémon as well.” One of the ponies began escorting the three out of the room. “Good luck!” he yelled out as they approached the door. Fluttershy was the last to go through, and she overheard the two at the other end of the room talking quietly to each other.

“Did you see those two ponies that were with the yellow pegasus?”

“Yeah, what about them?”

“Well, don’t they look fami—” She was pushed out the door and strained to hear the rest of the conversation. The door closed, leaving the three alone in the hallway.

“This is so exciting! I can’t wait to see what this ‘Stephanie’ looks like!” Pinkie yelled out as she hopped towards the metal doors.

“Wait, they were just talking about you two!” Fluttershy yelled out, desperate to grab their attention.

“Oh well, they can talk about us all they want. I’m sure its because they think we’ll be expert trainers.” Rainbow said with confidence. Fluttershy sighed and walked to the doors. She took one last sideways glance at Mr. Stone’s office. After a short sigh, she walked through to the metallic room and watched the stallion’s office disappear behind the polished steel doors.