Mick smirked as he crouched into a low stance, most of his training coming back mentally as he watched for any sudden moves from the ice type pokemon, knowing that he could end the match quickly with fire type moves.
Pryce was unsure what he should do. He didn’t know how powerful this former human could be, but he knew that it couldn’t be that much. He had been a gym leader for many years and knew this couldn’t go too well for Mick. “You should take the first move.”
“No problem!” Mick smirks as he quickly leaps into the air and takes a deep breath, unleashing a small gout of flame at the large ice-type while using the flames to propel himself out of striking distance.
Pryce didn’t bother to move. It hurt a bit, but with such a weak attack, it felt more like he had briefly picked up a hot pan. Pryce was not fully sure what he should do next. After much though, he tried a move he was only partially sure he would be able to do. “Hail!”
Mick’s eyes widened a little as he felt the little spheres of ice pelting him from what seemed like nowhere. He shook his head and stoked his flame once again to let out a thick cloud of smoke.
“Heh, that actually worked.” Pryce mumbled to himself with a fairly impressed tone. “Now then, I believe you go again.” The smoke continues to fill the room, slowly thinning out as it creates a haze throughout the whole arena. “Fine then, let’s hope this won’t be too much.” Pryce said aloud. “Icy Wind!”
Something solid seemed to smack lightly into the back of Pryce’s head. “TACKLE!” Mick shouted.
“Well hello there.” Pryce said. “I believe I should try again. Icy Wind!” With a yelp of surprise Mick was sent tumbling across the room while practically frozen in ice.
“Mick!” Emma shouted as she raced onto the battlefield, quickly picking up the little fire type as he seemed to already be thawing.
“Is he alright? I’m sorry, but other than Hail, Icy Wind is the weakest attack I know. Even though he’s a fire type, I knew even it would hurt him badly.” Pryce explained and Delcatty hopped on top of him poking him again and again with her paws.
Emma takes a deep breath. “It… he’s fine, it’s just that when Arceus dropped us here we both nearly froze to death in Canida.” She picks up Mick and lets out a light flame to help thaw the Cyndaquil quicker.
“Try and keep him from battling Lea if he meets her. Last battle she was in didn’t really go well. It could possibly have scarred her for life.”
She nods. “I just hope he doesn’t make a habit out of this.”
“We should get him back upstairs. Bluegrass should be working on lu- give me a moment, Can you please stop poking me Delcatty? I realise I won the battle.” Delcatty looked sadly at Pryce and stopped poking him. “Thank you. But anyway, lunch should be ready shortly upstairs. do you want to carry him up or should I?” Pryce felt one more poke. “Or should she?”
“Should who?” Emma asked as she hesitated on the bottom step.
Delcatty started to wave her paws in front of Emma’s face. “Her.” Pryce replied.
“Oh… Uh… I… I guess…” Emma replied nervously as she held the ex-trainer out for the Delcatty.
Delcatty bounced over and put Mick on her back, giving him a small lick on his forehead. She then started up the stairs, making sure Mick wouldn’t fall off.
“I really wonder how Samuel dealt with her back when she was a Skitty.” Pryce remarked.
“I’m not even sure how I deal with Mick now that his childishness and maturity are both seeming to be amplified by being a pokemon…” Emma sighed as she leaned against the large ice type.
“So, What have you done since coming to Equus?” Pryce asked Emma.
“Found out that there’s a dog in Canida that can turn ‘special dirt’ into a translation potion that tastes like pecha berries.” Emma replied. “...Survived a train accident… and Mick’s planning to ask Arceus something.”
“Oh, what would that happen to be?” The former gym leader questioned.
“We’re going to be primarily asking if Professor Elm can have a copy of the research he had already accumulated on earth, since he’s the one that was looking into pokemon evolution. Though Mick wanted to ask where we could find the rest of the team and possibly his parents if they’re here.” Emma answered as she started her way upstairs.
“I believe one of the things Lea was going to go ask Arceus about was about her dad. I believe she also mentioned asking for something that was left on Earth. I believe she called them her apocalypse papers. They’re better than they sound!” Pryce quickly added as he realised what he had just said.
“I really wouldn’t be surprised… everyone needs some sort of disaster plan...Oh yeah! We were also talking the other day about just having pokemon speak the regular languages of this world, we’re not sure if he can really make it so every pokemon can suddenly speak the language that ponies and whatnot can already understand, but we at least want to see if it’s possible since we shouldn’t even be able to understand each other if logic were to have its way with us.”
“Well, If my memory is correct, I believe there have been rare cases of pokemon learning to speak English. It seems odd that any former humans would not have been given that same ability.”
“Sadly, that’s not the case… so ex-humans can only talk to pokemon without learning a new language entirely. Mick was learning Canid.” Emma said with a smile.
“Still, I wonder if that’s something Lea may have thought of. I know there were a few things she was questioning when she got the chance.” Pryce mentioned.
“Hey! You’re done already?” Bluegrass asked as she saw them upstairs. “Let me guess, ya want somethin’ ta eat?”
Emma nodded. “We could use some lunch… berries from the wild only make you enjoy them for a short time.” She chuckled.
“That’s good. Now, ah‘m not as good as some cooks, but ah made a large pot of corn chowder for the place. Ah think ah might have even made too much.” The pony commented.
The Quilava chuckled a little as she started to smile a bit more. “I think we’re all due for some good corn chowder. How long has this place been up and running?”
“Maybe about… hmm, ah wanna say twenty days, so ‘bout three weeks now. Not that long. Before then this place was abandoned and a wreck. Lea actually got a whole ton a ponies to help work ‘n fix it up.”
“Cool, we haven’t had much of a chance to rest out in the wild. I’m sure Mick will want to stay here for a while so that he could evolve before we get to Ponyville.” Emma explained as they reached the top of the stairs. “I also get the feeling that Allen, that’s the Aggron… big metal dinosaur, hasn’t quite eaten his fill during the whole trip.” She paused for a second in mid-stride. “Wait… how can you understand me? I know I’m not talking in Canid… or Equestrian…”
“Ca-Kiwi cast a translation spell on me personally. It’s a form of the spell that lets me understand ya instead of letting anyone who can’t understand me know what ah’m saying. She has a little bit more trouble with the translation spell for pokemon, so now we’ve got Ire doin’ that.”
“Oh… well… Mick is actually going to Arceus to solve that problem, he wants to ask Arceus if he could make it so Pokemon and the species of this planet can understand each other without needing to resort to translation spells.”
“Huh, well, ya might have wanted to meet with him already ta ask him for that. Ah remember someone ‘round here mentionin’ that before they went ta go see him. Ah think ah also remember somethin’ about ghost pokemon too, and some other stuff like that.”
The Quilava sat down at one of the empty seats. “I’ll be napping for now… Let me know when everything’s all ready.” She explained with a smile before curling up in the seat.
“Well, Ire just got back a little bit ago with the last thing ah need, so shouldn’t be too long. Give me ‘bout ten minutes, tops.” Bluegrass told her before heading off to the kitchen.
In the kitchen was a very large metal-armored dinosaur. He gave her a slightly confused look. “Uhm… I think I got lost…” Allen chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.
“Ah think ya meant to go in the door to the right when ya came in, not the left. Ah hope you didn’t mess up anythin’ when ya went through the dinin’ room.”
“Well… while I’m here, need any help?” He asked.
“Yeah, actually. We keep the bowls in the cabinet in the corner over there.” Bluegrass told Allen, pointing to the cabinet in question. “There should be about a hundred bowls in there. Can ya take ‘em out and place them in stacks of ten on the counter here?”
He nodded and opened up the cabinet, reaching in and grabbed several of the bowls out, two to three at a time to make sure he didn’t accidentally lose his grip on any. “O’course ma’am… that’s a fine accent you got. Reminds me of Kanto.” He said with a small smile. “Anyone tell you about that country?”
“Yeah, one of mah pokemon friends was from there originally. She told me ‘bout the other countries as well. Ah think she said there was also Hoenn, Kalos, Almia, Unova, and ah think there was one other, but ah can’t remember it right now.”
“There’s also Sinnoh…” He replies with a small smile. “I spent much of my life travellin’ around. My favorite region had been Kanto because of how wide open and natural most of it was.”
“Nice ta know. Anyway, I think this is about ready. Thanks for helping to get it ready.”
“No problem, I’m happy to help long as someone asks.” Allen replied. “It’s good to have somethin’ to do.” He sighed a little. “Keeps my mind off of the past…”
“Not somethin’ ya want ta think about huh?” Bluegrass sighed. “Ah get what ya mean. I wasn’t there for some of mah family when they needed me, and because of that, she became somethin’ no one wanted her ta be.”
Allen gave a hollow chuckle. “I was in prison when my family needed me the most… caught up in a case that was rigged against me from the start. I’m still lookin’ fer my team. If ya happen to find a Grovyle named Lorna or a Flygon named Kirstin… be sure ta let me know or send ‘em my way if I settle down in one place long enough.”
“A Flygon by the name of Kirstin?” Came a voice from the doorway to the dining room. The two turned to look at a Cacturne standing there. “I saw one awhile back when I was out of town doing something for Quarry. I remember her mentioning a Grovyle too, though you won’t like it.”
Allen’s eyes narrowed a little. “What do you mean…? What happened to Lorna?”
“He’s dead Jim.” The Cacturne replied to Allen.
“My name’s not Jim, and Lorna’s a female Grovyle.” The Aggron growled.
“She’s dead Allen… doesn’t have the same ring to it. Anyway, you’re friend ran into me and I wanted her out of my way. She ended up getting a little beat up before she flew off. Not sure exactly where though.”
The Aggron went silent for a few moments, straightening himself to his full height as he slowly began walking over to the Cacturne. “What did you do to her?” He asked quietly.
Cacturne shrugged. “We had a battle. What, have you never been in one? Let me guess, You’re one of those humans that just became a pokemon and just happened to be like this. Didn’t even need to fight to evolve.” He finished with a sneer.
Allen brought his left claw to the Cacturne’s throat to lift him off the ground. “I may not have had to fight to evolve… but I did train while I was in prison… you learn to watch your back and get stronger in there, especially when your entire life is ruined by Rangers…” The Aggron growled. “She’s like my daughter though… and I swear to whatever god you pray to boy… I will crush your head like a grape if she died or if you’re using Lorna’s death as some sort of joke without a punchline.”
“Listen, I don’t really care what you think. In fact, I don’t really care about anyone, but I swear if you don’t put me down, you’ll get some hurting from me. Yeah she’s fine, at least last I saw, but who knows what after that.”
Allen dropped the Cacturne. “Rock and Steel, the best you could hope is to make me flinch a little.” He turned again to continue helping Bluegrass. “Is there anything else you need some help with Ma’am?”
Bluegrass had found a place to hide briefly, just incase the two pokemon started to battle. “Ah, well, lunch should be ready to serve. Ah think ah have another ladle in the cabinet above the sink. If ya want, ya can help me serve the chowder.” Allen nodded and gave her a small smile as he reached for the Cabinet.
He shot the Cacturne a look. “You had better get a better attitude… next person you piss off might not have as much control as I do… losing a life because of stupidity is never a good thing.”
“Hey! I personally like this attitude.” Cacturne replied to Allen. “It actually is what’s kept me alive this long.” Cacturne paused for a second. “Arrrggg! Poison Jab!” Cacturne attacked Allen, knowing that the attack would do nothing. “That’s for making me think about it!”
Allen simply punched the Cacturne in retaliation, not using any particular move. “It’s your own fault for acting like a punk.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about! If you knew what it really was, maybe you’d actually be nicer!” Cacturne yelled back.
“Hey! Can you two just stop! Everyone is hungry and ah’d like ta give them their lunch soon.” Bluegrass shouted, more at Cacturne than Allen. “Cacturne, can ya just go see how your buddies are holding up? See if any of them feel like eattin’ today?”
“Fine! But I doubt they will.” The scarecrow pokemon replied.
Allen stepped into position dutifully behind Bluegrass. “Ready?” He asked the mare quietly.
“Ah guess. Hey Bright Ire? Soup’s on! Can ya help send the food out as we dish it?”
Ire poked her head in briefly. “Yeah, I got it.”
Bluegrass and Allen worked quickly in filling the bowls. Soon most pokemon had their bowls, though the ones that were asleep didn’t really need any.
Mick let out a small sneeze as he woke up. “Aww… man…” He groaned. “Really? I got… I got…” His face twisted as he tried to keep himself from sneezing again, going so far as to cover his nose with his paws. His body began to relax as it seemed like the worst of the sneezing was done with. “Got anything for a-...” He was interrupted as he let out another sneeze, each attempt to speak was met with him covering his muzzle in order to keep it from getting everywhere so he simply laid down on his seat and let out a small groan.
“Bluegrass… do you have any medicine for a cold?” Emma asked.
“Ah’d have to run out and find some. Ah think we used up the last of our supply on Sparks. Ah meant to go out and buy some more, but with everythin’ else goin’ on, Ah guess ah forgot.”
“If you want, I can go Bluegrass.” Quarry Arrow volunteered. “Flying will probably be faster than walking anyway. Anything else you might need while I’m getting that?”
“Anythin’ else you can think of Emma?” Bluegrass asked the Quilava. Emma shook her head as she gently stroked Mick’s back.
When Quarry got back with the cold medicine, Some of it was instantly given to Mick. He smiled a little as the pegasus gave him the medicine. “Thank you…” He croaked before curling up and snuggling against Emma’s side.
“I think we’re good for now… Thank you Quarry…” The Quilava said quietly as it seemed the day was fading fast.
Linoone came into the room yawning a little. “Hey, Turns out they have a bunch of rooms on the second floor for large groups that came to stay, almost like a hotel. If you guys want, there’s a few you could choose one. Otherwise you’re gonna have to find a hotel to stay in, and those cost bits.”
“We’re fine down here… It’s just till tomorrow anyway…” Emma replied quietly. “We don’t want to be too much of a burden on supplies since we’re not going to be here long.”
“Eh, we’ve got enough supplies here as it is.” Ire said to the pokemon. “Basically this town was fine with the thought of pokemon living here and lots of them have been helping fund this building so we can keep making it look better.”
“Perhaps… but we’re not going to be living here, once we’re done talking to Arceus we’re going back to Canida… I just hope we can continue living a safe life there.” Emma sighed. “I don’t want Mick getting hurt… he’s just a kid…”
“Hey, the rooms were always just supposed to be for anyone who needed a cheap place to stay for the time being. Basically staying there is using it for just what Lea would have wanted.” Ire smirked before holding a hoof to her head. “If you don’t mind, I need to go. I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”
Emma nodded a little as she gently picked up Mick by the scruff of his neck and made her way upstairs.