Twilight Sparkle’s bone dry throat hissed with slow, raspy breathing. Her body lay flat and unmoving against a mattress, plugged into half a dozen fluid sacks and vital sign monitors. To an outside observer, nothing appeared to have changed – the strange new Pokemon was as unresponsive as ever. Had these outsiders been possessed of telepathic abilities, they would have seen a different picture.
Twilight’s mind was abuzz with activity. Ever since finally shaking off the last aftereffects of the poison and regaining a semblance of mental normalcy, she had been feverishly processing her data, reprocessing, and making plans. Circumstances: she was, once again, in an unknown world where magic apparently didn’t function. Observation: this world appeared to be far more dangerous than that of Canterlot High. Observation: she had no effective means of self-defense here. Observation: after being brought down by the dogs, she was in a bed with medical devices attached. Conclusion: some the natives must be at least amendable to her continued existence. Solution: Befriend or bargain with them.
It wasn’t exactly a difficult decision. She needed to survive this world, find Princesses Celestia and Luna, and get them all safely home, in that order. Native help would be invaluable, perhaps instrumental – her prior dimensional jaunts had certainly provided evidence for that. Idly, she wondered whether or not her friends might have counterparts in this dimension as well. Certainly something to keep eye out for. But whether they did or they didn’t, Twilight was firmly convinced that the best way forward from here was to obtain native cooperation. There was just one little snag in her plan: she still couldn’t move.
Ah well, no time like the present.
Twilight began by trying to simply flick an ear around. She could vaguely hear the sounds of nearby medical devices, such as what she assumed to be a heartrate monitor, so it seemed a good place to start. Around half an hour later, she decided that opening an eyes to gather visual data might be a better solution. So she pulled and willed and called on all the mighty magicks she had to force the lid of left eye to reveal onto her the secrets of this world. It… didn’t go so well.
This might take longer than she thought.
Many miles distant, in the forest north of Laverre City, Celestia was watching Jessie, James, and Meowth marching up and down in front of half a dozen men and women in black Team Rocket uniforms, doing their level best to look stern and imperious. For her part, the princess just thought they looked ridiculous – they might as well be wearing generalissimo outfits with chests full of medals.
“Alright, ya slackers!” Meowth snapped, pointing at one of them at random. “Stand up straight! Pay attention when we’re talkin’ to ya!”
The six grunts snapped to attention, their face-obscuring hats making them look almost identical. The only real differences in uniform that Celestia could see were between the sexes. Women got longer boots and a skirt, the men wore pants and shorter boots that didn’t quite reach up to their knees.
“Listen up!” Jessie ordered, curling one hand into a fist. “We’ve got a mission straight from the boss, and we’re counting on you to help us make it happen! Got it?!”
There were vague mumbles of assent.
“I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”
“MA’AM, YES MA’AM!” they shouted back at her.
“That’s better,” Jessie folded her arms and smiled. “James?”
“Right,” Celestia’s “trainer” sank to one knee and activated a small device. It flared into life, displaying a three-dimensional projection of a multi-building industrial complex surrounded mostly by forest. “This facility is the Laverre City Poke Ball Factory, the location of our operation. Intelligence indicates that Team Flare will be arriving here in force in matter of days. Our mission is to make sure that they don’t get back out.”
“I’ll take it from here!” Meowth butted in. “See, da boss thinks that these Flare weirdos is tryin’ ta recreate da Dark Ball in bulk right here. We gotta make sure dat don’t happen!” he clenched a fist. “Step one is watchin’ dat place like a Braviary watchin’ a Magikarp!” Red dots appeared on the hologram, surrounding the complex. “So we’re assignin’ you six into three teams of two and settin’ ya ta keepin’ yer eyes peeled on three of da biggest entrances. You two will be takin’ dis one,” he pointed. “You two dat one, and da last two dis one over here.”
“Pardon me sir,” one of the grunts spoke up. “But aren’t we a little too few to cover that much ground on our own?”
“If the boss says we can do it, then we can do it!” Jessie snapped at him.
“Also, the Team Rocket presence in the Kalos region is relatively small,” James elaborated. “Reinforcements are on the way, but they will take some days to arrive.”
“Now, as I was sayin’,” Meowth once again seized the initiative. “Do any of ya have any flyin’ Pokemon?”
“I have a Golbat,” a woman said.
“Does a Doduo count?” another asked.
“Not really.”
“But it’s still a Flying-type Pokemo-”
“A Pokemon what can’t fly ain’t a Flyin’ type!” Meowth huffed. “And dat’s dat. Now shut yer yap and listen ta me,” he cleared his throat. “Dose of you with flyin’ Pokemon – by which I mean just you,” he pointed at the woman with the Golbat. “Will be sendin’ it up ta check da forest around ya on a regular basis. If anybody’s hangin’ out in da woods, we wanna know about it pronto.”
“Yes,” James said. “Now, your objective while in the surveillance phase is simply to note who goes in an out, as well as when. Keep in mind that the factory is highly automated, so there shouldn’t be too many people there at once. We have the names and faces of actual employees on file to help you with this task. Alert us at once if there’s an unusual concentration of people or unfamiliar faces.”
“And make sure you keep out of sight!” Jessie added. “This whole operation culminates in an ambush, and we don’t those red-suited freaks knowing anything about what we’re planning.”
“They may have spies inside the facility already,” James continued. “The boss suspects as much. Now then, stage two will be sabotaging the factory’s assembly line. We don’t want to risk Team Flare managing to produce any Dark Balls, so the plan is to hit the factory ourselves the night before. We’ll be taking out the following targets,” several green dots lit up inside the projected factory. “These are the local generators powering the assembly line. Take them out, and no one will be able to produce anything in there for days.”
“So why are we waiting?” asked one grunt. “Why not just destroy them now?”
“Because we want the enemy to break in, moron!” Jessie got right in his face. “Team Rocket won’t gain anything from this unless we actually capture Team Flare’s agents and the sample Dark Ball they’re bound to bring with them! They won’t attack if they know that the factory’s just deadweight anyway!”
“As my two fellows are notin’,” Meowth resumed. “Our third an’ finally phase is ta wait for the Flare bozos ta stumble right on in, den pounce on ‘em from behind. Giovanni wants dem brought in alive for questionin’, and their Dark Ball ta be destroyed. We’ll be fillin’ ya in more on dat part when more of ya get here and we’re about ready to catch em in our net,” he looked up and down the short line of Rocket grunts. “Any more questions?”
No one said anything.
“Good! Den get to it!”
“Yes sir!”
Twilight was several hours into her attempts force her body to function, and by her own analysis wasn’t making any. She’d tried opening her eyes, flicking an ear, opening her mouth, moving a leg, twitching a wing, and channeling magic through her horn. All had ended in the same failure. It was getting to be quite frustrating and, even more so, worrying.
Was she more injured than she thought? Had the demon beasts done permanent, crippling damage to her? Was she doomed to the miserable life of a conscious vegetable on a hospital bed? More importantly, what about the other princesses? Were they alright? Had they found some civilization? Or were they still stuck in the same dark forest with the devil dogs… or worse?
Twilight’s body shivered slightly. No, she wouldn’t think like that. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were powerful alicorns with millennia of experience. They could take care of themselves! But they were all still be lost in an alien world, and who knew what could be happening back in Equestria. Sure, Celestia had been more adamant about creating a reserve structure after she and Luna had been abducted by the plunderseeds, but who was left to govern? Shining, Cadence, and Blueblood? To raise the sun? Cadence and court wizards? What if the nation were attacked? What if her friends were in trouble?! What if Sweet Apple Acres went out of business? What if an army of Diamond Dogs had sacked the Crystal Empire? What if Discord had betrayed them again and Tirek returned and teamed up with Queen Chrysalis and Starlight Glimmer to-
She had to do something!
Twilight’s mind squirmed and squiggled, trying desperately to force open unwilling eyes. Despite all her efforts, they still stubbornly refused to be moved. It made Twilight want to scream in frustration – to do anything, really. Her body felt more like a prison than a part of herself, which only served to fuel her rising panic and wild suppositions. Her brain flailed wildly, clutching for any straw that would help her. One grasping tendril happened to grasp her internal well of power, and…
Twilight’s eyelids shone purple, then slid open.
She almost immediately wished that she hadn’t. There was a blinding glare overhead that made her want to squeeze her eyes shut and stuff her head under a pillow. Lacking the immediate capacity to do that, she glanced in another direction. It took her eyes some time to adjust, but when they did she found herself staring at what was indisputably a heartrate monitor. The language on it was foreign and the machine visibly distinct from its Equestrian counterparts, but there was still no mistaking. Beyond the machine was light green room with a blue tiled, containing another medical and…
An egg-shaped pink-white blob with tiny legs?
The bizarre pink creature was doing something at the other bed, its bulk shielding the occupant from Twilight’s gaze. It was recognizably humming to itself, and soon she saw it reach for a roll of medical bandages with one extremely stubby pink arm. A few minutes passed, then it put the tiny arms (with no visible hands) on its hips.
“Well,” it said in a cheerful, distinctly feminine voice. “We’re all done for today! I’m sure you’ll make a full recovery soon, Mr. Beedrill! Your burns should be gone in no time!” it patted the bed’s occupant with one arm. “Now then,” it turned around and started towards Twilight. “For our mystery patient! Da da da da da da- Oh?”
The creature’s disproportionately small eyes made contact with Twilight’s own. They stared at one another briefly, before the pink-white creature blinked.
“You’re awake!” it clasped tiny arms together. “That’s wonderful! Master will want to know right away!” it began to run as best it could towards the door. “Don’t worry, dearie,” it said right before it left. “I’ll be right back! Professor Oak will be thrilled to meet you!”
Elsewhere, Laverre City Gym was alight with cheering crowds and clashing energies of a Pokemon battle. Valerie, the Gym Leader, was engaged in a fierce struggle with Ash Ketchum for the prize of the Fairy Badge. After half an hour’s combat, each was down to their last allowed Pokemon, creating an appropriately climactic atmosphere.
“Sylveon!” Valerie commanded her white and pink quadrupedal Pokemon. “Use Disarming Voice!”
“Syyylll…” it opened its mouth wide. “Veon!” a rapidly expanding beam of purple hearts shot out.
“Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!”
“Chuuu!” Pikachu’s cheeks crackled, and then he unleashed a massive bolt of yellow electricity.
The two energy streams met roughly in the center, pushing roughly against one another. Sylveon and Pikachu visibly strained themselves, pouring in all their power in an attempt to overwhelm their opponent. For a handful of heartbeats, the two appeared to be evenly matched – and then both attacks exploded, filling the gym with choking grey smoke.
“Giga Impact!” Valerie’s voice shouted through it.
“Dodge, and use Iron Tail!” Ash commanded, not a moment too soon.
Sylveon burst through the smoke cloud, enveloped in light purple and yellow energy. Moving far faster than anything its size had any right to, it tore across the gym floor directly at Pikachu. The yellow Pokemon held his ground, not moving one inch as the opponent drew closer. At the very last second, he jumped, tail aglow with silvery energy. Pikachu passed directly over the tips of Sylveon’s ears – then slammed his tail into the back of its head.
Steel attacks are normally super effective against Fairy-types like Sylveon, and in this case Sylveon’s own tremendous momentum worked against it. Unable to maintain balance or control the tremendous energy of Giga Impact, it slammed face first into the floor, skidding and bouncing like some rubber ball. By the time it rolled up virtually to Ash’s feet, Sylveon was twitching and moaning softly.
“Sylveon, no!” Valerie’s eyes were wide.
Ash and Pikachu stood waiting for the gym leader’s Pokemon to regain its feet. As they seconds ticked by, however, it became clear that it wasn’t about to any time soon.
“Sylveon is unable to battle!” the referee declared with just a hint of reluctance. “The winner of the battle and the match is Ash Ketchum!”
“Alright!” Ash smiled as Pikachu leapt into his open arms. “We did it buddy!”
“Pikachu!” Pikachu cheered happily after scurrying up onto his trainer’s shoulder.
“You did a good job, Sylveon,” Valerie said with a faint smile, holding a Poke Ball between the two massive, all-covering sleeves of her outfit. “Return, and have a nice long rest. You deserve it.”
Sylveon quickly vanished back into its Poke Ball in a flash of red. One of Valerie’s many female employees walked up to her as she somehow managed to put it away without showing her hands. Valerie plucked something small and shiny from the tray the woman offered her, before striding across the field towards Ash.
“This is the Fairy Badge,” she said, offering him a tiny design of pink and gold. “It’s proof of your victory against me, and one of the eight you will need in order to enter the Kalos League.”
“Thanks a lot!” Ash took the badge from her, holding it up high. “I got – a Fairy Badge!” he yelled holding it up high.
“Pi Pikachu!”
A short while later, Ash, Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont exited the gym, the former filled with smiles and confidence.
“Just you wait!” he said, hands behind his head and a confident grin on his face. “Six badges down, two more to go! I’m gonna be the Kalos League Champion for sure! I can feel it!”
“Pikachu!” Pikachu nodded, pumping his own fist.
“I’m sure you’ll go far, Ash,” Serena said.
“I would agree,” said a deeper voice from behind them.
“Huh?” As one, the group turned around. Standing there, with Laverre City’s Gym directly behind him, was a tall man in a fine suit with flaring red hair and well-groomed beard. He had one hand on his hip and a friendly smile on his face. Clemont and then Bonnie gasped slightly in recognition and then smiled themselves, while Ash and Serena looked stumped.
“I was watching your gym battle today,” the man said, starting forward. “And I have to say I was impressed. The bond you share with your Pokemon is evident.”
“Thanks, mister,” Ash said, scratching the back of his head before offering a hand. “In case you hadn’t heard, I’m Ash Ketchum.”
The man took Ash’s hand and shook it firmly. “A pleasure to meet you. My name is Lysandre.”