"Ekaaaaanssssssss," the Ekans hissed as it lunged at Chikorita.
"Chikorita, dodge and Tackle!"
"Chiiika!" Chikorita leapt out of the way; Ekans slammed into the road, kicking up a cloud of dust, then slithered around to glare at Chikorita. Chikorita shot forward, catching Ekans just behind its head.
"EKANSSSS!" Ekans' tail rattled; it swung it around and wrapped it around Chikorita.
"Riii!" Chikorita cried. Ekans' tail constricted, squeezing Chikorita.
"Hang in there!" Apple Bloom called. "Use Razor Leaf!"
"Chikari!" Chikorita's leaf spun, launching a dozen tiny leaves which slammed into the Ekans. It hissed, shaking its rattle, but continued squeezing.
"It's a Poison-type!" Sweetie Belle said. "Grass isn't very good against it!"
"Ah know!" Apple Bloom cried.
"Ekansssssss!" Ekans reared up, baring its fangs, which dripped venom. It prepared to sink its teeth into Chikorita...
"TAAAAAIIIII!" Taillow suddenly lunged in, hopping off the ground and pecking Ekans repeatedly in the head.
"EKANSSSS!" Ekans released Chikorita and slammed its tail into Taillow, knocking it over to the edge of the road. Taillow shuddered and twitched, struggling to stand.
"Now, Chikorita! Tackle!"
"Riii..." Chikorita pushed itself to its feet and, with a strangled cry, piled into Ekans, nailing it right between the eyes.
Ekans hissed and struck Chikorita with its tail, then reared up, focusing its terrible yellow eyes on Chikorita. Chikorita drew back, shuddering; its leaf fell limp.
"That's Ekans' Glare attack!" Sweetie Belle said. "It can paralyze other Pokémon!"
Chikorita struggled to move, but fell to one knee. Ekans shook its rattle menacingly, then slithered purposefully over to the Taillow, which could no longer move to defend itself...
Apple Bloom pulled an Apple Ball out of her bag and threw it at the Taillow. "Ah hope this works..."
The ball popped open as it hit Taillow, sucking Taillow inside in a flash of red light. The ball dropped to the ground, wobbling; the white button began to flash red.
"Ekans?" Ekans drew back, watching warily.
The ball's wobbling ceased, and the button turned white with a loud *ping!*
"Looks like you caught your first Pokémon, Apple Bloom!" Sweetie Belle said.
"EEEEEKANSSSSSS!" Ekans rounded on Chikorita, eyes burning with rage. It bore down on the stunned Chikorita, who could only watch in terror...
"Chikorita, return!" Apple Bloom said, throwing Chikorita's Pokéball. Chikorita was recalled, and the ball snapped back to Apple Bloom's waiting hand.
"Ekansss..." Ekans glared at the three girls menacingly, its tail rattling.
"Now what?" Scootaloo asked.
"Ah gotta git t' that ball," Apple Bloom said.
"I don't think either of us can battle that thing and win," Sweetie Belle said fretfully.
A dark shape dropped out of a tree on the side of the road. "CAPTURE DISC!"
A shining silver top flashed through the air, trailing beams of light as it looped around the Ekans. The Ekans looked around in confusion, but its gaze turned placid, its tail stilling its rattle.
The girls looked up to see a man in a black muscle shirt and black cargo pants standing in front of them. He had short, stiff, spiky grey hair, and held a small blue device in one hand. He looked back at them. "Are you girls alright?" he asked.
"Y-yeah..." Apple Bloom said.
The man turned his attention to the Ekans. "You were lucky...I've been tracking this Ekans all day. It's been terrorizing wild Flying-type Pokémon all around Ponyville."
"Who...are you?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Name's Thunderlane," the man said. "I'm a Pokémon Ranger."
"A Pokémon Ranger?" Apple Bloom asked. "Ah heard'a y'all!"
"You should get that Taillow and your own Pokémon to the Pokémon Center," Thunderlane said. "I'll take this Ekans and release it somewhere it won't be so much of a nuisance."
"Right!" Apple Bloom said, edging past the Ekans and picking up the ball containing the Taillow. "Umm...thanks..."
"Just doing my job," Thunderlane said. He jerked sharply on the device in his hand. Ekans slithered forward and coiled itself around his leg, then up his arm, still entwined in beams of light. Thunderlane waved at the girls, then leapt into the tree again.
"Whoa," Scootaloo said, her cheeks heating up. "That guy's awesome."
"C'mon y'all," Apple Bloom said. "Let's git back t' th' Pokémon Center..."
* * * * *
"You girls are back already?" Nurse Redheart asked.
"We ran into a little trouble right outside town," Scootaloo said.
"Yeah, there was this real nasty Ekans," Apple Bloom said. She handed Nurse Redheart the two Pokéballs. "Mah Chikorita got beat up pretty bad, an'...an' this here Taillow's hurt."
"That stupid snake was about to kill it," Scootaloo said.
Nurse Redheart gasped. "That's horrible!" She accepted the Pokéballs and set them in the scanning aparatus, studying the readout. She frowned. "Well, your Chikorita will be fine with some medicine and a little rest, but this Taillow...it'll take a little while longer."
"But it'll be okay, right?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Of course," Nurse Redheart said. "By tomorrow it should be flying again."
"Great!" Apple Bloom said. "Well then, as soon as Chikorita's ready t' go, we'll hit th' road again..."
Nurse Redheart frowned. "You're...not going to wait for your Taillow?"
"Huh?" Apple Bloom asked. "Oh, it's not...Ah mean...yeah, Ah caught it in a Pokéball, but...that was jes' t' protect it from that Ekans..."
"But it's your Pokéball, and you caught it," Nurse Redheart said. "That means it's your Taillow now."
"Huh," Apple Bloom said. "Ah...didn't really think about that..."
"It's okay, Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle said. "We can wait until tomorrow to leave." She gave Scootaloo a stern look. "Can't we?"
"Yeah," Scootaloo said.
The front doors whooshed open. "Hey, Nurse Redheart!" a familiar voice twanged. "Got a minute? Ah got a peaky Pansage here...oh, hey Apple Bloom! You're still here?"
Apple Bloom whirled around. "Applejack!" she cried, throwing herself at her sister.
"Hey now, li'l sis!" Applejack chuckled. "It ain't even been six hours yet!" She mussed Apple Bloom's hair, then walked up to the counter, laying down a Pokéball.
"I'll have a look in just a minute," Nurse Redheart said. "I've got to take care of your sister's Chikorita and start treatment on a badly injured Taillow first."
"No rush," Applejack said. She looked at Apple Bloom as Nurse Redheart left the lobby with Apple Bloom's Pokéballs. "So, you got'cherself a Chikorita, huh?"
"Eeyup!" Apple Bloom smiled. "It's pretty strong, too! After all, it's one of ours."
Applejack chuckled. She looked at the other girls. "Now Ah know Sweetie Belle here, but who's your other friend?"
"I'm Scootaloo," Scootaloo said. "So you're a Gym Leader, huh?"
"That's right," Applejack said. She looked at Apple Bloom. "So whut happened t' yer Pokémon?"
Apple Bloom told Applejack about their encounter with the rogue Ekans, the injured Taillow, and Thunderlane.
"Wow," Applejack said, blinking. "Y'all sure are havin' a...uh...excitin' start t' yer journey." She smiled. "But hey, not even outta Ponyville yet an' you already got two Pokémon! Not bad!"
"Yeah, but Ah caught it by accident," Apple Bloom said, frowning. "If...if it don't like me...Ah'm gonna hafta let it go..."
"You totally saved its life!" Scootaloo said. "Why wouldn't it like you?"
Nurse Redheart returned. "Chikorita is all better," she said. "It needs to rest a little while, though. Don't let it battle again today." She handed Apple Bloom her Pokéball back.
"Thanks," Apple Bloom said. "An' Taillow?"
"Taillow will have to stay overnight," Nurse Redheart said. "It'll take me a few hours to finish tending to that wing. You can come back for it in the morning." She took Applejack's Pokéball and began examining her Pansage.
"Well...since you girls can't rightly leave Ponyville yet," Applejack said, "why not stay th' night out at Sweet Apple Acres? Y'all can get t' know each other better, have a good home-cooked supper, then make a fresh start bright an' early tomorrow!"
"Sounds good to me," Sweetie Belle said.
"Yeah, I guess since we're not ready to leave yet," Scootaloo said. "Maybe you can give me some pointers about battling."
"Scootaloo's...got a lot to learn," Sweetie Belle said.
Applejack scratched her head. "Well shucks, didn't we all at your age..."
"Your Pansage just needs some vitamins," Nurse Redheart announced. She walked into the back and returned with a bottle of pills, then handed it and the Pokéball back to Applejack. "Give it a few days, it'll be good as new."
"Thank ya kindly," Applejack said. "Well, girls? Wanna head out t' th' farm?"
"Let's go!" Apple Bloom said happily. The three girls followed Applejack out of the Pokémon Center and down the dusty trail to Sweet Apple Acres.
* * * * *
The group arrived at Sweet Apple Acres just in time for lunch. They wasted no time in digging into Granny Smith's home cooking while regaling the Apples with their eventful day.
"That was so good!" Scootaloo said as she put down her fork and leaned back in her chair. Her belly was distended; she patted it and let out a belch.
"Heheh...glad y' liked it, yung'un," Granny Smith said.
"So, Sweetie Belle, how's ol' Rarity doin' nowadays?" Applejack asked.
Sweetie Belle blinked. "You know my sister?"
"Yeah...we had sort of a friendly rivalry back when she still lived in Ponyville," Applejack said. "Her prissy fussin' got on mah nerves a lot, but Ah sure do miss her sometimes." She sighed. "So how's she doin'? Last Ah heard, she was a top Coordinator up in Canterlot."
Sweetie Belle nodded. "She's still doing that," she said. "She wants to come back to Ponyville for a visit, but she's been really busy...I visit her once in a while, but now that I'm about to start my own Pokémon journey, I won't see her again until..."
"Until you girls head up t' Canterlot?" Applejack broke a cornbread muffin in half. "Yeah, but you can keep in touch with her, let 'er know how you're doin'..."
"Why can't we just go to Canterlot first?" Scootaloo wondered. "I mean it's half a day's train ride up the mountain..."
Applejack laughed. "You can't even git inta th' gym there without at least six badges, so it'd be a waste'a yer time," she said. "Anyway...Canterlot's where th' Pokémon League Castle is, so...best t' take on that gym last. Trust me..." She shuddered. "Y'all really wanna be ready afore you go up against Twilight Sparkle. Ah ain't never won a battle with that gal."
"What's her Pokémon type?" Apple Bloom asked.
"She uses a mix of types," Applejack said. "She changes up her team a lot, too, so tradin' tips ain't gonna do no good."
"Oh..."
"Why do we have to go to Salt Lick City first, anyway?" Scootaloo asked. "I mean, can't we go where we want?"
"Well, y'all could, but..." Applejack scratched her head. "The Caballos League recommends y' take on th' eight gyms in a certain order. Reason bein' that th' gyms are ranked. Ah could give y'all an Apple Badge if'n ya battled some'a th' weaker Pokémon on th' farm, but that ain't how it works. Ah'm ranked seventh of th' Caballos League Gym Leaders, so even if Ah do have some Pokémon y'all might be able to battle now..."
"What rank is Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked.
"She's ranked second," Applejack said. She began counting off on her fingers. "Th' first rank gym is in Salt Lick City. Now that'n used t' be run by Maud Pie, but she went on a study of th' coastal mountains an' left her sister Pinkie in charge. Like Ah jes' said, Rainbow Dash is the second gym leader, up in Cloudsdale. Th' third ranked gym is in Fillydelphia, that there's Vinyl Scratch. Fourth gym's in Manehattan, an' th' leader there's...Octavia, Ah think her name was?" Applejack tilted her head, her brow furrowed in thought. "Then y'all gotta go all th' way to th' Crystal Empire up north for th' fifth gym, which is run by Cadance. Th' sixth gym's deep in th' Everfree Forest, so you gotta have strong Pokémon t' make it through, an' Zecora ain't no pushover. Then y'all gotta get through me, an' th' last gym's up in Canterlot, an' if'n you manage t' beat Twilight Sparkle, only then can you enter th' Pokémon League and face th' Elite Four."
"And who are the Elite Four?" Scootaloo asked excitedly.
"They're th' top four Pokémon trainers in Caballos," Applejack said. "An' Ah can't tell ya who they are. You'll find that out for yourselves. Ah reckon Ah probably told you more than Ah should have about what you're up against already."
Sweetie Belle called up the map on her Pokédex, tracing out the route. "Wow," she said. "That's a really long journey!"
"Yep, so y'all better rest up tonight, git yer gettin' t' know each other done quick as you can, 'cuz come sun-up, y'all best be off t' Appleloosa." Applejack stretched. "But first, Ah reckon Ah better give y'all some tips about battlin' an' what-not."
"We could sure use the help," Sweetie Belle said. "Especially Scootaloo."
"Hey!"
* * * * *
A short while later, the girls gathered out in a clearing on the farm, where Applejack taught them how to use their Pokédex to check their Pokémons' moves, as well as a brief lesson on type matchups, catching wild Pokémon, and battling other trainers.
By the time she was done, Scootaloo and her Torchic were able to hold their own against a weak Bellsprout, and Sweetie Belle had coaxed an almost-respectable Water Gun out of her Oshawott.
Applejack watched Oshawott shoot a stream of water at one of her trees and scratched her head. "Ah hate t' say it," she said quietly, "but that there critter ain't..." She frowned. "Ah mean, it's cute an' all, an' maybe you'll have some luck with it, but..."
Sweetie Belle looked down. "You don't think it's very strong, do you?"
"Ah think you might not wanna rely on that one in a serious battle," Applejack said. "Unless it gets a heap stronger..."
"Shaaaa," Oshawott said as it watered another of Applejack's trees, then plopped down on its butt.
Sweetie Belle frowned. "I'll help Oshawott get stronger, you just watch," she said.
"We all will," Apple Bloom said, smiling.
After dinner, the girls had an impromptu slumber party in Apple Bloom's room.
"To be honest, I'm not sure if I want to be a Coordinator like my big sister, or a Trainer," Sweetie Belle said as she kicked her bare feet in the air. "She works so hard all the time...she never comes home to visit anymore..."
"How about you, Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Well..." Scootaloo began. "Honestly? The only reason I'm even doing this Pokémon journey thing is to meet Rainbow Dash. And because, well...Ponyville's kinda boring. I want excitement!"
"How about you, Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Apple Bloom grinned. "Ah've wanted t' be a Pokémon Trainer since Ah was little," she said. "Ever' since Ah can remember, Ah been watchin' Applejack train Pokémon an' battle trainers at th' gym. Ah wanna..." She drew her knees up to her chin. "Ah wanna be stronger than mah big sis one day...an' Ah wanna git there on mah own, with mah own two hands." She looked at the others. "Course, Ah'll be happy t' have y'all with me all the way."
* * * * *
The sun was barely up when the girls were summoned for breakfast. After breakfast, they returned to the Pokémon Center to retrieve Apple Bloom's new Taillow. Once outside, she released it from its Pokéball. "Hey there," she said.
"Tai!" it cried, ruffling its wings.
Apple Bloom knelt down. "You don't gotta come with me if you don't wanna," she said. "But if you do...Ah'd be happy t' have you."
The Taillow strutted up to her, tilting its head and bobbing curiously. "Tailloooooow!" it screeched. It pecked the button on its Pokéball with its beak; in a flash of red light, it was withdrawn into the ball.
"I think that's a yes," Scootaloo said.
Apple Bloom stood up and held up the Pokéball with a huge grin. "Yes! Ah got a Taillow!"
"Well then...we'd best get on the road," Sweetie Belle said. "I sure hope there aren't any more ugly surprises waiting for us..."
"Yeah, we need to make better time than this, even if it was fun spending the day at Sweet Apple Acres," Scootaloo agreed.
Apple Bloom looked behind her at Ponyville, squared her shoulders, and turned to face the open road. "Let's go, girls."