//------------------------------// // Chapter 60 // Story: A New World, a New Way // by zeusdemigod131 //------------------------------// It was early the next morning when the citizens of Ponyville awoke and found, to their surprise, that the Princesses had come to town. And they’d brought their guards with them. Surprisingly, only a small handful of ponies, and even fewer Pokemon, were nervous about the Solar guards who were patrolling the town, with only a few more avoiding the Lunar guard. Of the Princesses themselves, Celestia was at Golden Oak’s Library, meeting with Twilight and her friends, while Luna was on a mission of her own. “Abby!” Luna called as she knocked on the door to the hotel room where the Ninetales was staying. “Wouldst thou please open up? Our sister has sent us here to assist thee.” There was a bit noise from within the room before the door opened to reveal Abby standing there in front of her, a smile on her face. “Ah, hello Luna, thanks for coming.” "Tis no trouble " Luna said with a smile. "Young Twilight has informed us of thine mates request." The Ninetales nodded, leaning up to give Luna’s cheek a lick. “Still, thank you so much... this means quite a lot to me,” she said as she turned around and Luna saw a pair of eggs tucked carefully between her tails like a nest. “Here, also, if you don’t mind, I’d like my mother Scarlet to go with you.” Luna nodded and gently picked the eggs up in her magic before gently placing them in her mane. "We promise we shall take good care of thine young ones." “Thanks, mom is right across the hall,” Abby said, nodding towards the door on the other side. “She’s going to be the Director of the new Rangers so I thought she might like a chance to visit Canterlot and get accustomed to the way things work there.” "Wonderful!" Luna said with a grin. 'With my sister away for the day, today will be the perfect occasion to show her the inner workings of Canterlot." “Thanks Princess,” Kasai called from inside the room, Luna looked over Abby to see the large dog doing stretches. “Means a lot to us, believe me.” “Yeah, even if we do end up getting captured I know our eggs will be looked after well,” Abby said, smiling. "Hah!" Luna laughed heartily. "These usurpers hath no idea with whom they quarrel, I'm certain my sister will be able to handle them should they go too far." Luna smiled at the pair. "Thou shalt be fine, my friends, of this, I am certain." Abby nodded. “It seemed that way, and yeah... I suppose if nothing else I could curse them, though I’d prefer not too.” She frowned. “I’d prefer not to rely too much on that.” Luna nodded. “Curses are a rather... temperamental branch of magic,” she sighed. “That much is certain, but I’m sure thou shalt be fine Abby,” Luna placed a wing over Abby’s back and smiled reassuringly. The fire fox leaned into the wing and let out a soft sigh. “Thanks again...” she leaned up and gave Luna another lick on the cheek. “Once this is over, you and I need to spend some time just talking, I need some more friends who’ll be here for the next thousand years of my life...” “It shall be refreshing, having more than only my sister for company,” Luna said with a smile. “But for now, we have work to do.” “Indeed,” Abby smiled. “Right then, mom’s across the hall, Kasai and I need to do more stretching, we’ve got a battle to fight... or rather he does and I’ll be there to shout encouragement because I have no idea how to fight in this body yet.” Luna leaned forward and hugged Abby, whispering. “Be safe, my friend,” before she made her way out of the room and across the hall. “Miss Scarlet?” She asked, knocking on the door across the hall. “I am Princess Luna, we are here to take thee to Canterlot.” The door was opened by a surprisingly tall green snake, a small smile growing across her face as she look down at the alicorn. “Ah, Princess Luna, it’s an honor to meet you,” the Serperior said with a small respectful bow of her head. Luna smiled at the Serperior. “Tis nice to meet you as well Miss Scarlet, Abby has spoken rather highly of you.” “And of you too, at least in helping her out that one time with a bad dream I think. I must thank you for that,” Scarlet said, bowing her head in thanks. “So, I have the honor of you escorting me to Canterlot, if I heard you correctly.” “Indeed,” Luna said with a smile. “Kasai asked that his and Abby’s eggs be moved until the situation here comes to a close, so we volunteered to take them to Canterlot, as well as to show you around and introduce you to the workings of Equestria’s government.” Scarlet nodded her head once more. “Sounds like a very good plan. I was meaning to come to Canterlot sooner but... got a bit sidetracked to say the least. Anyways, I’m all up for the travel now, though I would like to ask if you don’t mind Lance come along with me,” she asked, gesturing her head to a Bisharp whom Luna hadn’t noticed standing idly by on the far side of the room. Luna blinked once when she noticed him, then shrugged. “I don’t see why not, the more the merrier I suppose.” “Good, give me a moment to say goodbye to someone and I’ll be right with you,” Scarlet informed the mare before turning and heading through a door on the north side of the room, leaving Bisharp alone with Luna. The Bisharp gave Luna a constant expressionless look, his bladed arms casually folded over each other. “So... Lance was it? What is thine relationship with Miss Scarlet?” Luna asked, trying to break the awkward silence. “I’m her bodyguard,” he said neutrally. “Ah,” Luna said with a nod. “Mind if we ask how you met her?” “She found me after I was left for dead by my pack. She saved my life, so I am indebted to her,” he answered casually, though his state of tone did not change. At that point Luna decided the silence was preferable. Lucky for her Scarlet came slithering back into the room. “Alright, all set to head out. Whenever you’re ready, Princess Luna,” she said, moving up to the alicorn, Lance pushing himself off the wall to stand by the serpent’s side. Luna nodded and lit up her horn, her magic surrounding herself, Scarlet, and Lance, before she teleported all of them in a puff of smoke. “So... that’s pretty much what we’re dealing with,” Twilight finished. She had just spent the last half hour explaining everything she knew about Hastings and his group, with occasional inserts from Solana and Lunick about the Rangers and Gym Leaders, to Princess Celestia. Celestia took a calming breath as she processed the information. “So, from what Professor Rowan said, it’s likely they have more fighters than just those you encountered in town yesterday.” “They probably have their partners,” Solana pointed out. “Or... teams, if they’re not Rangers.” “Does Hastings have any Pokemon?” Twilight asked, looking over at the Medicham and Hitmontop. Lunick shook his head. “He invented the Capture Styler, but I’ve never even seen him use one, and if he ever did have a partner... well, he doesn’t now.” Celestia nodded and sat silently for a moment. The guards she and her sister had brought with were mostly to protect the citizens of Ponyville if things got out of hand. Likewise, Arceus had provided the Swords of Justice as added protection, along with a promise to intervene if any of these... usurpers, went too far. Now he decides to limit his influence, she scoffed mentally. “And the Professor didn’t just say Pokemon, he said trainers,” Twilight remembered. “Which means they have even more Pokemon than the ones accompanying everyone from yesterday.” “Unfortunately, that seems to be the case,” Celestia sighed. “But it seems like Professor Rowan is on our side,” Solana noted with a small smile. “So that’s... good.” “Yes, it is... do either of you have any ideas that we could use to get through to these people?” Celestia asked. Solana and Lunick looked at each other. “We don’t really know any of them aside from Hastings,” Lunick admitted. “We’ve only met Sven and Wendy a few times, and we’ve never met any of the gym leaders,” Solana added with a sigh. “Sorry.” “Not your fault,” Celestia said. “Yeah, and Iris and the others have told us a bit about some of them... actually Ash seemed to know about most of them.” The amount of information the Pikachu had been able to provide had surprised Twilight. Solana and Lunick looked at each other again, then turned back to Twilight. “Ash Ketchum?” They asked together. Twilight blinked in surprise. “Um... yeah... how do you-?” “He saved the world... a few times,” Lunick informed her. “Usually when he encountered a Legendary Pokemon.” “The Union briefly considered offering him a position,” Solana added, but then winced. “We... decided that he wasn’t really Ranger material.” Twilight blinked again and made a mental note to take Ash up on his offer to tell her about his adventures later. Celestia, meanwhile, was still considering her options. I’m certain they’re not just going to come charging in, in an ill conceived attempt to abduct Gene and Abby. Celestia’s eyes widened in fear. Oh Harmony no. Meanwhile, in the area that had been used as a base camp by Hasting’ and his group...things weren’t quite so orderly. “I say we hit them now!” Surge said angrily. “We know where they are, we can take them!” “Are you crazy?” Rowan sighed. “If we did that, that would only aggravate issues. We’re here to do what’s right, not terrorize the locals.” “Strike from the shadows, quickly, quietly, and efficiently,” Koga said. “Brute force is for fools and barbarians.” “You calling me a fool?” Surge shouted at the ninja. “If the glove fits,” Koga replied tersely. “What did you say?!” “Come on guys, let’s not fight!” a Golduck wearing a pair of glasses said, stepping in between them. “Max is right. This isn’t the time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves,” a Vigoroth wearing a red jacket nodded in agreement, though he still sighed, as this wasn’t the first time those two had clashed. Surge turned away in a huff and a sigh of relief went through the camp. “Thank you Norman,” Hastings said to the Vigoroth, who simply nodded in reply. “Rowan has a point you know,” Candice said nonchalantly. “We’re trying to ‘bring justice’ not terrorize ponies.” “I’m beginning to wonder if this is worth the risk,” Wendy said with a sigh. “Abby was right, we don’t really have a plan for if we catch her or Gene... not to mention Kasai and that Gardevoir will be pissed if we do.” “I’m still can’t believe Abby and Kasai are a thing!” Sven commented. “I can,” Sven’s partner, Luxray, added in. “I smelled him on her when we met them.” Several sets of eyes locked on the Electric type. “And you didn’t say anything?” Hastings asked in shock. “How often did you talk to me?” Luxray deadpanned. This lead to a bit of a shouting match between several of the more temperamental of the group, and served as a perfect distraction for one other. “I’ll gather my team and sneak into town,” Koga said with a smirk as the Toxicroak strolled away from the rest of the group, red scarf billowing behind him. “And then the Phillips child shall pay.” Life was bustling on Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Fritter and Seth were teaching Applejack about Berries and various planting methods. “If certain Berries are planted in the same vicinity, mutations can also occur,” Seth informed the mare. “And with the magic that permeates the land here in Equus, along with the unique placement of Sweet Apple Acres, I wouldn’t be surprised to see entirely new Berries be born.” “Well ah’ll be, but are the mutations dangerous?” Applejack asked with a hint of concern. “It’s how a lot of new Berries have been discovered.” Seth replied. “If a new type is discovered, one not even known to us humans, you might be best consulting Lady Shaymin to see if they’re safe, before you cultivate them.” “That’s a fine plan, and ah can’t believe y’all have already started on this in Canterlot.” AJ gave her cousin a warm smile. “You’ve really come into yer own Fritter. Ah’m mighty proud of you!” Apple Fritter squeaked and blushed. Applejack... was proud of her? This made her more happy then you could imagine. Absolutely nothing could ruin this day now... A bit later, the family was sitting down for a snack, while Fritter and Rika were teaching granny Smith a few Berry recipes. A distant sound caught Seth’s ear and he gave it a small flick. “Hmm, that sounds...” He excused himself from the table and headed outside, and quickly caught a foul stench. He saw trails of smoke and hoped Christine hadn’t set anything on fire, but a closer investigation found a group of Poison-type Pokemon. “Hey!” Seth called out. “What are you doing on Miss Applejack’s farm?” A Toxicroak sporting a red scarf turned towards him and his eyes narrowed. “That... is none of your concern... we will be gone momentarily.” “What are you sneaking about for?” Seth said, stepping closer. He didn’t know what it was about this group, but something about them unsettled him greatly. And that scarf looked familiar somehow... “We have some... business in town,” the Toxicroak continued, his tone never changing and his eyes never leaving Seth. “That we would prefer to complete as stealthily as possible.” Yeah, Seth totally wasn’t buying that for a minute. There was a shout as Apple Fritter and Rika caught up with him, the Sylveon eyeing the Poison types wearily. “Sethy? Are these friends of yours?” “I have yet to see about that,” Seth replied. “Care to introduce yourself, Mr. Toxicroak?” He was silent for a moment before he said, barely loud enough to be heard. “My name... is Koga.” “Koga?” Seth’s breath paused. “As in, Koga of the Kanto Elite Four?” “Whut’s an ‘Elite Four’?” Fritter asked. “A collection of some of the most powerful trainers in the world,” Seth explained. “Remember how Diantha is a Champion, while Elesa’s a Gym Leader? Well these guys are higher than a leader, but lower than a Champion.” He turned his gaze back to Koga. “And what business do you have in a little town like Ponville Mr. Koga? If you’re looking for Red, you won’t find him there.” Koga smirked. “While finding the Champion would be a rather pleasant surprise... that is not why we came,” he looked back at the rest of his team. A Weezing, an Ariados, and a Crobat. “We are hunting a... quarry of ours that has escaped us for far too long.” “That’s... yeah, that’s pretty ominous,” Seth sighed. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Seth Crescent, Captain of the Canterlot Guard, Pokemon Division. If you’re here to start trouble, then I’m afraid that I cannot permit that.” Koga scoffed. “There will be no trouble,” he said, turning away from Seth. “We will be in and out with our quarry before anyone even knows we’ve been there.” “To my knowledge, no-one in Ponyville has committed any illegal acts,” Seth said. “And even if they had, it would be up to myself or Ranger Trombley to apprehend them.” “Master,” the Ariados spoke up. “Doesn’t his name sound familiar?” Koga closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Yes... yes I know who you are Mister Crescent,” he opened his eyes again. “But you are not the prey for whom I hunt today.” “As I said,” Seth replied. “By Equestria law, you have no power or authority here. If you choose to act, then as a member of the Royal Guard, I will be forced to apprehend you.” A slight shiver ran up his spine. It was kinda fun to deliver a line like that. “Ooh, Sethy’s being all cool,” Rika giggled, kissing him on the cheek. “Rika, not in front of the bad guys,” Seth sighed. The Weezing chuckled, though it sounded more like a cough. “Please Master, may we handle them?” The two heads asked in perfect sync. “We are certain that we can take them,” both heads smirked. “Especially the Fairy.” “You’d be surprised,” Rika smiled sadistically, her ribbons cracking like whips. Seth put his paw up and shook his head. “I will not resort to violence. You can come with me into town and plead your case with princess Twilight Sparkle.” “I have... met the Princess,” Koga said calmly. “She and I do not exactly... see eye to eye.” “Well, that’s a shame, but it’s either that or you turn back and return to where you came from.” he smirked slightly as he decided to say something else. “I’m afraid you lack the necessary Gym badges to proceed.” Koga glared at Seth, but said nothing to him, instead, he turned to his Ariados and said. “Pin Missile.” The Bug type grinned and turned to face Seth before firing several of the projectiles from the spikes on its back. The missiles never reached their target, as Rika jump forward and erected a Protect barrier. “You dare attack my beloved!?’ Seth looked at Fritter, “Go and get Ignis and Selena. NOW!” Fritter nodded and she galloped away, leaving Seth and Rika to defend themselves. “You’ve started a fight with a Guard member,” Seth said. “Note that I will now place you under arrest by the authority vested in me by the Crown of Equestria. I will take you by force if necessary!” “He’s not gonna listen,” Rika replied. “So just say the word Sethy!” “What will it be Koga?” Seth said. “Last chance to walk away peacefully.” Koga simply rolled his eyes, unimpressed. “Leech Life, and Sludge.” Koga’s two other Pokemon sprang into action. The Crobat opening its mouth wide and shooting towards Seth, fangs exposed, while the Weezing spat an unsanitary orb of poison spit at Rika. “Rika, dodge and use Psyshock!” Seth said as he ducked the swooping Crobat and fired a blast of lightning at it. Rika stepped to one side as the gunk splattered against the ground. She glared at the Weezing as her eyes shone with blue light as several stones levitated around her, before firing at the Poison Pokemon with extreme prejudice. Crobat managed to dodge Seth’s attack, while Weezing took the full force of Rika’s, sending the Poison type reeling backwards in the air momentarily. “I’ll admit, you have skill,” Koga said to Seth. “But you’ll find that I do as well. Crobat, Supersonic.” The Bat Pokemon righted itself in the air in front of Seth before opening its mouth and uttering an unearthly screech. The Luxray had no time to dodge as the blast of sound hit him dead on, now, being on the receiving end as a human was loud and painful, but as a Pokemon? Seth saw red as his body exploded with lightning, firing errant bolts everywhere. Rika shrieked as she tossed up another Protect. Her Heal Bell didn’t work on confusion status, so all she could do was guard and try not to get hit. Relief quickly came as a fist smacked Seth right on the head, knocking the Luxray to the ground as Ignis waved the tingling feeling of striking an Electric type. “Well that’s annoying,” he said as he turned his gaze to Koga. “So... who’s first to the forge?” Koga took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He might not be a Pokemon by birth, but he was a ninja by choice, having trained his body for years to the peak of human fitness, one thing he’d found, it had translated over somewhat. “Poison Jab,” Koga sprang forward, his arms glowing purple for Poison energy, prepared to strike the Charizard with all he had. Ignis hadn’t expected the sudden move and stepped to dodge, but the ninja was faster than he expected as the Poison Jab grazed his side. While the damage wasn’t that high, Ignis could already feel the poison setting in. “Damn!” he growled as he twisted his head and fired a burst of Flamethrower at the ninja frog. Koga sprang upwards and landed on a tree branch looking down at Ignis, then he smiled. “Ariados, use Venoshock.” Ariados, having gone mostly unnoticed after the initial attack, fired a spray of purple liquid at Ignis. Where were these guys coming from? Ignis had utterly failed to notice the spider as the attack struck, doubling in power due to him being poisoned. He roared in pain as he doubled over... The tree that the Ariados was clinging to was suddenly severed, and the spider leapt away, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the toppling tree. Behind said tree was an Absol, her horn-blade humming with Psychic power from a Psycho Cut attack. “Your deaths will be quick, but painful,” she murmured. Meanwhile, Rika had moved away from the flailing Weezing and over to Ignis, her Heal Bell going to work and curing the Poison. Seth got to his paws, rubbing his head. In the brief moment he had been out, things had really gone to hell in a handbasket. “Okay, we need a plan, fast!” Koga, noticing Rika’s Heal Bell, frowned. I’m going to have to take her out first... “Crobat! Use Poison Fang! Weezing! Use Sludge Bomb! Ariados, keep the Absol busy with Fell Stinger!” While Ariados attempted to strike Selena with one of its stingers, Crobat and Weezing simultaneously attacked Rika with their Poison type moves. Crobat once again prepared to sink his fangs into something, while Weezing fired a Sludge Bomb at the Sylveon. Dammit... no choice! Seth flung himself in front of Rika and Ignis, “Use Wish to heal Ignis, Ignis! Give us a Smokescreen! Selena evade and use Psycho Cut again!” he just finished his orders as the Sludge Bomb nailed him, causing him to stumble and Crobat crashed into his side, sinking the venomous fangs into Seth’s thick fur. “Seth!” Rika cried, but used Wish regardless. Ignis opened his maw as a thick blanket of smoke covered the area, while Selena parried Ariados’ attacks with Psycho Cut. Koga peered down into the black smoke from his perch. “Crobat, use Defog.” The Ninja smiled as the fog began to dissipate, revealing Rika, Ignis, and Seth. “Well Mister Crescent,” Koga said with a grin, jumping down from the tree. “Perhaps it’s my turn to ask you if you’d like to surrender.” “I’ll admit,” Seth coughed. “You’re no slouch, the Elite Four really know their stuff...” He placed a paw against his chest, “Still, we’re not without our own tricks!” He activated the charm on his torc, as he felt the magic of the night imbue him. He took a deep breath and then... “RROOAAARRRRR!” his attack, strengthened by the Royal Canterlot Voice, was ungodly loud, it sounded like some primal beast from the Everfree. Windows in Ponyville rattled and several trees in Sweet Apple Acres dropped their apples. “Ahhhh! Warn us next time,” Rika said as she clutched her ears. Likewise, Koga had his hands over his ears, and watched as his Crobat spiraled out of control before slamming face first into a tree and slumping to the ground. Once his ears stopped ringing, Koga looked around, Weezing was floating by his side, while Ariados was still parrying attacks with Selena. Crobat may be down, but we’re not out yet. Seth wasn’t done yet though. “I trained under Champion Diantha, so don’t think you have it easy today! Selena, dance in the light and strike from the shadows! Mega Shinka!” “This will be fun~” the Dark type giggled as her form erupted with light, her Mega evolution complete. “Yo, Puffball!” an unfamiliar voice said as a Gabite came in from the farm and stood by the Luxray’s side. “You called?” “So?” Seth said, “You still game ninja boy?” Koga eyed Ariados, who was currently surrounded by the Gabite and Mega Absol, then looked at Weezing, then nodded. “Ariados! Cross Poison!” The Bug type spun around, both its front legs glowing purple as it slash at Christine and Selena. “Too slow,” Selena said as she leapt into the air. Oh crap! She’d left Christine there... Oh dear... The not-very effective hit caused the dragon to flinch, thankfully not poisoning her, but it still changed her type. The forcible change and purple flash was punctuated by her glare at the arrogant Bug. “You LITTLE INSECT!” She screamed, smoke coming out of her mouth. “I ATE bigger bugs than you in the wilds! NOW TASTE FLAMETHROWER!” Koga watched in mostly concealed horror as the Fire attack engulfed his Pokemon, the first real emotion he’d shown since the fight began. “Weezing,” he said, clenching a fist. “HIT HER WITH EXPLOSION!!” “Get down!” Ignis yelled as he gave a powerful flap of his wings, tackling Christine to the ground as the Weezing detonated. The dragon howled as his body took the brunt of the attack, Rika’s Wish kicking in at the same time. Being hurt and healed at the same time was a really, really weird feeling... “Ignis!” Selena yelled, diving down and throwing up a Protect to block any further damage, though Ignis would be feeling this for a while... “Oowwwww,” Ignis moaned. “That... that really hurt.” Christine slowly wormed her way out from under his form and looked at both him, then Selena, before glaring at the Toxicroak that had ordered the Weezing to explode. “You hurt Ignis,” she stated simply, her every move sending tremors through the earth as she prepared Bulldoze. “I hurt you.” “Christine! Stop!” Seth yelled. “You’ll injure everyone else here too!” A claw grabbed her ankle as Ignis gave a cough. “Y-yeah... s’cool, barely felt a thing.” Koga looked around the clearing for his Pokemon, Crobat appeared fine, and Weezing, despite having blown himself up, had looked worse for wear, but Ariados... Koga gulped as he finally spotted the Bug type, his exoskeleton appeared to have been fried, and had melted in a few places. “... it... it can’t end like this,” he said, holding back his emotions. “He... deserved better than this.” “Rika, use Wish on Ariados. Now!” Seth coughed, the poison still coursing through his system. “Selena, go and fetch my bag, and I want it here yesterday.” He looked at Ignis, “Can you hang in there for a moment?” “M’cool,” Ignis said. “Just... owww...” “Christine, take care of Ignis!’ Seth said. “And don’t kill anyone please... *cough, hack!*” He doubled over as a few spots of red appeared on the ground in front of him. “Oohh, that’s not good...” He collapsed, his breathing becoming more shallow. “No promises,” the Gabite said as she stood between Ignis and the Toxicroak. “It takes a minute or two for me to change my Type back, and this little arrogant frog ordered these ‘mon around to hurt us. He steps out of line, I’ve got a Bulldoze with his name on it.” With that, she sat down near the Charizard and pulled his head into her lap. Selena bolted as fast as she could to the farmhouse, almost knocking over Applejack as she raced upstairs to find Seth’s bag. In the meantime, Rika had crouched near the Ariados, first using Heal Bell to cure the burns and then following up with Wish. “It takes a moment to set in, just hang on until then okay?” she whispered. Fritter had run off as well, grabbing all the Berries she brought for Applejack and hurrying back. She tripped as she reached Seth, spilling the assorted fruit all over the place. “Nononononoo which one is poison heal again!” she panicked, trying to remember what Seth had taught her. “Pecha,” Christine absently replied. “Lum if you have any. Also if you have any Oran or Sitrus, they’d be good for getting their energy back. Could use a few over here...assuming flame-brain opens his mouth.” “I suppose,” he groaned. “And you never close yours...” He could make jokes, he was fine. Selena returned, along with several members of the Apple family. She pulled items from Seth’s bag and handed them out, barking orders to who got what. Rika’s Wish kicked in as a pale light shone on Ariados, his wounds slowly recovering. It would be days before he was back to full strength, but at least he wasn’t at Yveltal’s door anymore. Applejack hurried to Seth’s side, calming Fritter as she held a small vial filled with a yellow liquid. “This here is an Antidote!” she said. “Selly says to give him this.” Fritter nodded and she tried to give it to him, but the Luxray was out. “No, what do I do?” Then she got an idea. She placed the vial against her lips and drank the liquid. Holding it in her mouth, she pressed her lips against Seth’s and forced the liquid inside. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom had brought a square container to Christine, filled with a bright blue liquid. “Give Mr. Ignis this,” she said, hoofing over the Full Restore. “Y’hear that, hothead? Open wide~” the Gabite sing-songed as she pried open the container with one claw, revealing the liquid within. “In front of everyone?” Ignis coughed. “That’s pretty bold scales~” “While I normally wouldn’t mind your teasing,” She returned, bringing the open Full Restore closer, “I think you’d rather drink a different fluid right now.” Big Macintosh and Rika were tending to the Ariados, using potions and Wish to heal him as best they could. Applejack had moved over to Weezing, placing a green herb in its mouth, the Poison type’s face scrunching up in disgust at the sour Revival Herb. Seth eventually opened his eyes and despite Fritter’s protest, got to his feet. “Well that sucked,” he groaned. “I hate poison...” He looked at Koga, who had been silent until now. “And what about you?” he said. “Has this foolishness gone on long enough?” Koga looked at Seth for a long moment before he finally moved, unwrapping the scarf from around his neck and placing it at Seth’s feet as he kneeled to the ground. “I surrender.” “...You mean I don’t get to teach this arrogant frog why you don’t attack me?” Christine commented as Ignis drank the miraculous healing liquid. “Ah wouldn’t mind kickin this varmit all the way to the Frozen North,” Fritter growled. “He surrendered,” Seth said with a calm, yet stern voice. “His Pokemon are unable to battle and he himself is greatly outnumbered.” Seth sighed as he sat, standing was hard right now. “Let me rest for a moment, then I will escort you and your Pokemon to Ponyville. They are in need of medical attention and you yourself will be placed under the Ranger’s care.” “I accept my fate,” Koga said calmly, still kneeling at Seth’s feet. “Oh good. Me, him, five minutes in the forest…” Christine trailed off with a growl. “Christine, be a good girl and cuddle Ignis for me while I help Seth,” Selena said. Ignis blinked, but was in no position to argue right now. Selena helped Seth get back to his feet, the Luxray leaning on the Absol and Fritter. “Koga, answer me this,” Seth replied. “Who is this ‘prey’ you are after?” “I was going to apprehend the fugitive Gene Phillips,” he said, his tone never changing. Seth’s eyes widened, this was really not good. “We need to get to Ponyville, NOW!” Seth said. “Rika! I need you to run ahead, in case anyone is hurt or needs protection. We’ll catch up with you shortly.” The Sylveon paused for a moment, but she saw that Seth was serious, much more so than usual. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and hurried down the road towards Ponyville. “Stay safe, we’ll be there soon,” Seth said.