A New Dimension, A New Threat

by ZeroChill

Greenhorns

Spitfire, Mono and Lith walked up a set of stairs and approached a door with an image of a burning tongue of fire upon it. Spitfire pulled out a black card with her image on it and flashed it over a metal banner. The door opened, revealing a small living room furnished with a black sofa, an orange recliner and a black disk upon a simplistic television cabinet. Beyond a windowless counter at the far end of the living room was a small kitchen that had a fridge, a stove and a sink.

“Are you sure you it is okay if we stay with you for the night, Spitfire? It seems like a bunch of trouble to go through.” Mono asked.

“You two don’t have a place where you can stay. Jasmine is staying with Strawberry Delight, Gnasher is staying with Razor Wind, Custard is staying with a civilian deer family and councilman Carapace was quick to invite Rondo to stay for the night after hearing him sing. At the very least, this is my way of expressing my gratitude for coming to our aid.” Spitfire explained.

“We will try to make sure our presence here is as minimal as possible, Spitfire.” Lith assured.

“I don’t know what your nightly rituals are, but I’m going to hit the shower now. You’ll find my room near the end of the hallway opposite the bathroom door.”

Saying these words, Spitfire traveled down a dark hallway with only four doors in total. She opened the door to the left near the end of the hallway and a bright light illuminated from the room. Spitfire slammed the door shut.

“Well, at least we know where her room is now. But… is she doing what I think she is doing?” Lith asked.

“I’m sure she just wants to keep a close eye on us. We should sleep on the floor, right?” Mono responded.

Walking into the room, Mono moved his paw over a blank space next to the door. The room lit up, revealing a Queen-sized bed with thick sheets and fluffy pillows all colored in navy blue. Lith smiled, whistling and stepping into the room.

“Nice bed she has. I never got the opportunity to sleep on a Queen-sized mattress before.”

Mono hopped onto the bed, bouncing on it.

“I know exactly how you feel, Lith. Though I consider the Opelucid Lab home, not even Professor Pasque sleeps on a bed bigger than a Full-size.”

“I just wonder where everyone else is.” Lith stated. A small frown formed on her face.

“Don’t feel sad, Lith. I’m sure they are alright.”

“I know, but this is the first night where everyone is away from each other. Not everyone would have been fortunate enough to find a warm bed and shelter from the weather.”

“Now that you mention it… I didn’t see Stereo at all.” Mono grimaced and grasped the center of his chest. “He usually gets moody while he’s separated from me. I don’t want to see him sad and miserable. I really hope we can find him as soon as possible.”

“Don’t worry, Mono. Stereo is very tough and will more than likely scare off any potential threats… if he doesn’t blow out their heads first.” Lith assured, laughing at her final statement.

“I know, right? Taking a Hyper Voice from him would be the same as having your head explode from a grenade in your mouth.” Mono stated in an enthusiastic voice. “I also wonder how Professor Pasque, Professor Gentian, Einstein and Tesla are doing as well. I know for a fact that all the humans with us also turned into Pokémon. I just don’t know which ones.”

“Well, it looks like Spitfire has an unusual device on the cabinet back in the living room. If the new technologies being developed in our world are any indicators, then that must be a hologram used for watching television. Are you interested in seeing what sorts of programming this planet broadcasts?”

“You think they have some cleverly-written animations available?”

“These Equusians appear cultured enough for that sort of thing. It would be an interesting experience to view their entertainment.”

When Mono and Lith hopped off the bed, a veil of steam hissed out from the open bathroom door, revealing a smiling Spitfire with narrowed eyes and a mane full of volume with a towel around her neck.

“The bathroom is available right now. Nothing beats having a quick steam bath and a shower after a hard day of work.”

“That was kind of quick.” Mono noted.

“The faster I can get to bed. Why don’t you two try having a steam bath and shower together?” Spitfire asked.

“Ummm… that would be very awkward for us.” Lith responded.

“You two aren’t walking around with clothing, so how would bathing with someone you trust make you feel awkward?”

“Good point.”

---

Mono and Lith stepped out from the bathroom with narrowed eyes and open mouths, exhaling relieving sighs.

“Spitfire was right; that steam bath really rejuvenates one’s mind and spirit.” Lith stated.

“And there’s nothing like a good shower to help remove the impurities of the body.”

The two of them walked into Spitfire’s bedroom, lying down on the floor and placing their front paws underneath their head as makeshift pillows. Up from the bed, Spitfire released an audible cough from her throat. Mono and Lith stood up, looking onto the bed and seeing Spitfire lying down on the right side of the bed.

“You two can sleep here with me.” She invited.

“But… isn’t that your bed, Spitfire?” Mono asked.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t invite others on it. I promise that I won’t hog the sheets.”

“Well, now that you mention it, that bed does feel comfy and looks like it can give you good dreams just for lying down on it.” Lith stated with a perky smile.

They ambled towards the bed and climbed onto it, nestling themselves into the blanket nest. With a clap of Spitfire’s front hooves, the lighting in the room blacked out. Spitfire then buried her right front hoof underneath Mono and Lith’s resting bodies, letting their soft fur brush against her plush hoof, and wrapped her left front hoof over their bodies. She smiled, slowing her eyes down to a close.

“Ummm, Spitfire, why did you wrap your hooves around us?” Mono asked.

“Because… I’ve always… wanted to… cuddle with cats…”

Spitfire began snoring and her left hoof became heavy in exhaustion. Lith squirmed underneath the grip. She poked her head towards the front and gazed upon Mono’s shut eyes and content smile. She smiled, letting the exhaustion plaguing her subside and her eyes close.

---

Mono and Lith walked into a dark room, where Rondo, Jasmine, Gnasher and Custard all stood around a black table displaying a shimmering hologram of a land shaped in the form of a star split into multiple pieces. Spitfire walked into the room, dressed in her clothing and dark shades. She walked behind the desk with a strong glare directed towards everyone.

“If you are in this room, then you are now officially a part of H.O.R.S.E. and shall be given the organization’s basic rules. But first of all, the each of you needs to be fitted into H.O.R.S.E.-authorized uniforms. Luckily, a H.O.R.S.E. member shall tailor to each of your individual and unique needs.”

A door slid open, revealing a white unicorn mare with a swirling purple mane and tail and was garbed in a sleek uniform of a shade of gray. Her crystal-blue eyes scanned through each of the Pokémon with intrigue.

“You were not making a joke when you said that I would have some unique members to fit.” She said.

“If any fashion designer can do this task, it would be you, Rarity.” Spitfire responded with a casual smile.

“Your name is Rarity? You have a very fetching style and appearance.” Jasmine commented.

“Why, thank you, Jasmine. Before you ask, I know each and one of your names through the H.O.R.S.E. database.” Rarity responded. “But, because you seem to understand the toil of maintaining a beautiful appearance, why don’t we start fitting you first?”

“It would be my delight, Rarity.” Jasmine responded, curtseying.

Both Jasmine and Rarity left into the other room.

“So, I’ll fill you each in on your roles in H.O.R.S.E. Whenever a newbie joins, they are assigned into a group that would best fit with their race and personality. But, since you all are entirely new to the world, I’ll have to create an entirely new group for Pokémon. Each group is ran by a representative, got that?” Spitfire explained.

“I understand.” Rondo called out, nodding.

“Alright.” Spitfire stated, nodding and touching the table. The flat map expanded beyond the air, becoming three-dimensional. “Let me teach you kids a geography lesson; prior to the Galactic War, Equestria used to be one whole land where everyone flourished. Upon the invasion of the Van’Goth, however, this land splintered into many pieces due to an unidentified alien force. I’ll only tell you about our continent for now.”

She tapped a land mass on the northwest portion of the map. The continent highlighted in a denim blue color. Several holograms appeared before everyone, depicting a grassy region with plentiful hills and caves.

“This is the Terraformed Wilderness. It’s a relatively peaceful land compared to the other continents that our agents are sent out to, but it still is filled with many monstrous beings and is often a target of attack by the Van’Goth. Neo Canterlot is located here.”

“So, if the Van’Goth constantly attacks this area, then why doesn’t the council move this city into another continent?” Lith suggested.

“Because practically every other continent is unsuitable for living. I would be happy if we could move into another continent if those continents didn’t have features that weren’t trying to kill us.” Spitfire responded.

“Well, that’s terrible.”

---

Jasmine and Rarity walked into a bright room littered with pink armchairs and carpeting. A raised platform stood near the ray of sunlight emanating from the window.

“This room is definitely different from anything else I have seen in this city.”

“I take that you like it? This is my office of operations here in H.O.R.S.E. One of my roles within this organization is to create clothing as well as lead the architecture design for new buildings designed for H.O.R.S.E. use.”

Jasmine floated up to the platform, placing her left arm on her hip and leaning her stance to the left.

“I hope this gives a good view of me.”

Rarity grinned, hiding a squeal of delight. Her horn lit up in a light blue color, levitating a yellow measuring tape next to Jasmine. Using the tape, Rarity placed it against Jasmine’s height, her width and her circumference.

“Your body type is a bit alien, but I can definitely make this work.”

Jasmine stepped down from the platform.

“I saw you trying to hide your excitement, Rarity.”

“Well, you definitely have one of the most adorable body shapes I have witnessed. For all intents and purposes, I would love to work closely with you outside of H.O.R.S.E. matters. You seemed to enjoy it as well.” Rarity explained.

“It’s not every day when a Pokémon models for clothing. Even if our time was short, I quite enjoyed it.” Jasmine responded.

Using a stylus, Rarity placed all of her calculations up on a silicon-made board.

“Thank you for your time, Jasmine. Now, can you fetch me one of your other friends?”

Jasmine nodded and opened the door, stepping out of the room and walking into the briefing area.

“Rarity asks for another Pokémon in there.”

---

Rarity wiped her forehead, airing away the beads of sweat from it. She looked onto the silicon board, seeing the calculations of Jasmine, Lith, Mono, Rondo and Gnasher’s measurements and body shapes.

“Lith and Mono would be easy to fit, Jasmine and Gnasher will prove to be an arduous task to make clothing for, and I’m sure that Rondo would be easy to fit if I can fit other winged Equusians.”

She looked down upon the list, eyeing Custard’s uncrossed name. Custard slipped his way into the room, smiling and waving.

“Come in, Custard.” She asked, waving her hoof inward and smiling. Custard took small steps towards Rarity, leaving lilac-colored goo on the carpet.

“You must forgive me for ruining your carpet, Rarity. I can’t seem to control my goo when I get nervous.”

“You don’t need to be nervous. You are just being fitted. Though…” Rarity touched Custard’s side, feeling sticky liquids and a solidus body underneath. “Your body’s composition is a bit unusual, but I’ll see what I can do.”

Rarity levitated a roll of measuring tape around Custard, checking his width, height and circumference. She smiled.

“Your measurements are not too bad. The only real challenge is just getting some material that would best suit your physical needs. You see, the clothing that H.O.R.S.E. members wear is made of a combination of rubber and cloth. Seeing how much goo your body makes, cloth will only get wet and rubber will be very uncomfortable for you.”

“Yeah…” Custard stated, frowning. “So what material would you believe would be best for me to wear?”

“There is a substance found within the caves of the Terraformed Wilderness known as Nytherium. Nytherium is a very strange material that molds itself around wet surfaces and develops a rubbery consistency. Because of this, it is very comfortable on those that have damp skin. But, H.O.R.S.E. does not normally keep Nytherium.” Rarity explained.

“If I find Nytherium, would you be able to make these clothes?”

“Of course! Actually, that is a wonderful idea you have there. You and your friends could use some experience on the field, and Nytherium is not in any dangerous areas either. I shall go post a special request for your group, Custard.”

With these words, Rarity walked out of a door to the side of the board. Custard glanced down upon the goo-covered carpet and chuckled with a strained smile.

---

Fluttershy guided Mono, Lith, Rondo, Jasmine and Gnasher into a steel-walled room the size of a forum. A few lights hung from the ceiling, casting a shadowy light into the room.

“I’m sorry if this room doesn’t suit to your group’s needs, but this was the best possible room I can get you in short notice. Sorry.” She said.

“You do not need to apologize, Fluttershy. This room is very reminiscent of home for us.” Mono said, smiling and walking over to a set of tall lockers.

“You mean you’re all not mad?”

“Mad? Why would we be mad? You took the time out of your busy schedule to help us get better acquainted with this place. That’s one of the kindest acts I have seen out of anyone who I barely know.” Lith responded.

“Ummm… thank you…” Fluttershy whispered out, smiling and hiding behind her mane.

Jasmine glanced towards the right side of the room, humming.

“I would love to administer a bit of Feng Shui in this place when I have the chance. Do we have to pay for our furniture?”

“Unfortunately…” Fluttershy responded. “But, H.O.R.S.E. stores sell all operations-related goods at a heavily discounted price, especially furniture.”

“That is fine as well. I shall look forward to being able to design my dream corner in this room.”

When Jasmine said this, a chorus of coughs emerged behind her. All the Pokémon in the room glared at her.

“Well, our dream room with the ability to change it to whatever we want.”

Custard sprinted into the room, carrying a black device in the end of his right arm.

“We got our first mission!” He called out.

Everyone else in the room glanced at Custard, cocking their heads with eyes glinted in curiosity. Custard touched the base of the disk. It emitted an electric-blue light with a square sheet being projected. Everyone leaned their heads towards the message, scanning it with widened eyes.

“It’s from Rarity! It seems like she wants us to gather Nytherium!” Fluttershy said, her voice rising with excitement the more she spoke.

“Ummm… what’s Nytherium?” Rondo asked.

“Nytherium is a very mysterious substance that molds around sources of moisture. No one knows how it is done, but it is a very interesting material found only in the caves of the Terraformed Wilderness.”

“Better question is why are you are so interested with Nytherium?” Lith asked.

“It’s not the Nytherium that I’m interested in, but it is the ecosystem where it is located in! So many wonderful creatures that only live in the caves on this continent, and they all vary from cave to cave! I must come with you all if you are going there!” Fluttershy called out with sheer excitement brimming in her timid voice. “If that’s okay with you.”

“I don’t know about this… you don’t exactly look like the kind of pony who’d go out of her way to start a fight.” Gnasher stated.

“I promise I won’t be a burden to you six. I just want to see the Terraformed Cave Bat and I will never pester you for another thing again.”

Fluttershy looked into Gnasher’s face with pleading eyes.

“Alright. I can’t resist that face you have.” Letting out a defeated sigh, Gnasher stated.

“You will not regret having me along. I know where the sources of Nytherium should be.”

---

The group sprinted across the sprawling field, seeing the horizon pop up in front of them. Upon Gnasher and Custard’s backs were tall backpacks that could hold a flood of items within it.

“Do not worry everyone. We’re almost at our destination.” Fluttershy assured, pointing towards a hill with a cave mouth that descended into the land.

“I thought it would have been much longer away.” Rondo stated.

The group of seven walked down into the cave. The light dimmed into darkness and the air became moist and cool. Drops of water from stalagmites echoed throughout the cave. The smell of water seeping out of porous rocks lingered in the air. Looking at the depth of the infinite darkness of the cave, Mono’s spine shivered.

“Ummm… I’m starting to have second thoughts about this.”

“Don’t be so timid about it, Mono. It’s just a cave.” Lith assured.

“It may be a cave, but your rash decisions would lead us into danger, Lith.” Mono responded.

“Of course I may be rash at times, but how many times did my decision-making skills save us?”

“They did… as much as they brought us into trouble.”

“Mono… just man up. You’re an adult. Stop being afraid of the dark.”

“Mono, Lith, let’s not argue about it. After all, this is our first mission. What would this make our group look like if we were falling out this quickly?” Jasmine rationalized.

“She has a point, you know. This bickering between the two of you is what will actually get us killed.” Rondo stated, shaking his head in disapproval. “So, make up and say you’re sorry to each other.”

Mono and Lith scratched the back of their heads, uttering out a soft sorry to each other.

“Look!” Fluttershy stated under her breath, pointing towards a gray bat with pink-edged wings. “That’s a Cosmos Bat! It’s so beautiful!” She whispered out, having a mad hatter-sized grin plastered on her face.

“Fluttershy, you look like you’re about to have a heart attack. Should I alert the paramedics?” Gnasher asked.

“The Cosmos Bat is an extremely rare creature found only in this particular cave in the Terraformed Wilderness. The change of the world caused a slew of bats to develop changes of evolution over the years and this is the current form of it. How can you not be excited upon seeing it?!”

“Ummm… yeah… it’s just a bat. Shouldn’t we be looking for that Nytherium?”

“Alright, fine.” Fluttershy pouted out. Her eyes shot open and a soft squeak left her mouth. “Oh no! I’m sorry, Gnasher. I didn’t mean to sound so rude about it.”

Gnasher grinned and patted Fluttershy on her back.

“Something tells me that you are normally this apologetic, Fluttershy.”

“…Yes. I’m sorry for apologizing so much.”

---

The group crept through the cave. Light poured into the cave from the ceiling, making the lustrous minerals sparkling within the wall. A stream of water fell through a gap in the ceiling, crashing down into the abyss below with a mighty roar. Mono’s nerves rested and a calm sigh passed its way through his mouth.

“It’s beautiful. I didn’t think it would have been this magical.”

A sly smirk appeared on Lith’s face upon hearing his words.

“And you didn’t want to come here.”

“I never turn my back on a mission. Speaking of which, is Nytherium somewhere nearby?”

“Actually, yes!” Fluttershy responded. “Nytherium absolutely loves to be around damp and brilliant areas within caves. There is some Nytherium over there, actually.”

Saying this, she pointed towards a deposit of gray masses with a rubbery consistency. The group ran towards it, each with a grin on their face.

“Alright then. Shall we start harvesting it?” Custard asked.

The Pokémon approached the Nytherium in waves, scooping up handfuls of the material and dumping it within the two backpacks.

Mono approached the Nytherium, scooping up more than normal. As he brought it into Gnasher’s backpack, his right ear perked up at a sudden movement within the shadows. He jumped out of his position, where a bullet crafted out of shadows shot towards. The bullet dissipated, garnering the attention of everyone in the group towards the origin of the shot.

“Damn it! Missed.”

A bipedal figure emerged from the shadows; a humanoid man with gray skin and stringy hair colored in a brilliant yellow stood out in the light. He stood at Custard’s size and was garbed in a gray and tattered poncho, vest and pants. His ominous yellow eyes glanced down upon a black revolver in his hand, still fresh with smoke emanating from the muzzle. On the barrel showed the word ‘Chaotic’ written in cursive.

“Who are you, why did you try shooting my brother and what is with that get-up? I mean, hello, 1849 wants their clothes back” Lith asked with a sharp tongue.

The humanoid twirled the gun around his finger and brought it back into its holster.

“A smartass bitch, are you? The name’s Giacomo of the Van’Goth, and I’m afraid I can’t let you all live.” Giacomo responded.

“Wait… you’re a…” Jasmine uttered out, piecing out the information in her mind. Realization oozed out of her face and her red eyes contorted into anger. “I’m afraid that we can’t let you live either you warmonger.”

Giacomo reached his left arm to his back, grabbing a metal pole upon it. Holding it in his hand, a blade made of black energy curled out from the top and revealed a scythe.

“You see, you guys are starting to be big trouble to the empire. You’ve defeated two transformed grunts and even scrapped our invasion plans of the only Equusian city left on this planet. I’ll send you all on a one-way path to hell!”

He sprinted forwards, disappearing within the shadows of the light.

“Where did he go?!” Fluttershy called out.

Giacomo appeared right behind Lith. Swinging his scythe, he slashed Lith’s back and kicked her. Lith shrieked.

“Lith!” Mono called out.

With his eyes contorted in anger, they flashed in a blue light. Giacomo found his feet were off the ground and his head turning towards the ground.

“What the hell?! Get your hold off of me!”

Mono slammed Giacomo into the ground with a loud boom that sent a shockwave of dust out. Mono’s eyes dimmed to its regular state. From within the cloud of dust, four consecutive chamber explosions erupted. Four bullets shot their way towards Mono’s direction and struck his knees. Mono grimaced in pain.

“That hurt… more than it should have.” He uttered out.

A creeping shadow crawled its way towards him at breakneck speed. A blob of darkness formed at the tip, shaping itself into Giacomo. With his legs imbued in darkness, he kicked Mono across the floor. Mono lied onto the floor, twitching with pain gripping his body.

“Wow, you may be a pussy cat, but I didn’t think you were that much of the former word.” Giacomo taunted.

A burning anger erupted within Gnasher’s eyes. Her claws became cloaked in a green light. She ran up to the distracted Giacomo, slashing him with a Dragon Claw. Giacomo anchored his feet into the ground, dragging along it. He raised his fingers to the three gashes on his face, touching the red liquid on his face.

“That hurt, you bitch!” He shouted.

“That hurt? I’ll do more than hurt you for hurting Mono, you lunatic. I’ll end you!” With a fiery roar, Gnasher threatened.

She punched the ground, causing an Earthquake. The stalagmites fell down to the ground towards Giacomo. Giacomo dodged them and pulled out his revolver, raining a storm of shadow bullets upon Gnasher. Gnasher stood unfazed by the bullets, walking towards Giacomo.

“Dark-type bullets, eh? Have to hand it to you; you have some good taste in weaponry. But, those bullets don’t do very much to a Pokémon that resists Dark-type moves now does it?”

Saying these words, she curled her claws into a fist and thrust it forwards. Giacomo held his scythe up to his face, blocking the punch. Forcing Gnasher back, he sprinted forwards and kicked her in the gut. Gnasher’s eyes shot open as she shot towards a wall with a bullet’s force. Gnasher fell onto the ground face-first. Her eyes twitched.

“All bark and no bite? I thought something as naughty as you would have at least put up a better fight.”

Giacomo eyed a brilliant flash emanating from Jasmine’s body. The light solidified, firing towards him. Giacomo shot several bullets into each of the solid lights, but they pierced through the darkness.

“Oh shi-“Before he could finish, he found himself being pelted by an onslaught of light shooting his body and exiting through it. He clenched his teeth and panted heavily, staring at Jasmine. His eyes narrowed and a fire built within them. “I’ll kill you!”

A Charge Beam shot out from Lith’s direction, striking him. Twirling his gun, he fired three bullets aimed towards her. A red barrier surrounded Lith, protecting her. Mono stood on his knees with his knees out.

“God! I can’t even catch a damned break!”

Right behind him stood Custard, whose glaring form towered Giacomo.

“You thought you could hurt my family? I’ll give you on the count of three to run before I show you why I’m a Dragon-type.”

A cold shiver went down Giacomo’s spine when he heard the dark-spoken words of Custard. He clicked his tongue.

“Outnumbered and overpowered by a group of bastardized animals.”

Saying these words, he disappeared into a shadow and fled from the area.

“Whoever that guy was, we have to keep a careful eye on him.” Lith stated, brushing off her fur with her paws.

“Lith, your back…” Fluttershy said, pointing towards the sizeable slash on Lith’s back.

“Oh, that. It doesn’t hurt as bad as it looks.” Lith responded.

“I cannot allow you to walk around like that, Lith. Fortunately, I came prepared with a medical kit just in case something like this happened.”

Fluttershy pulled out a red case with a cross from her satchel. Opening it revealed a white ointment, a brown bottle of peroxide, a bandaging roll and a black device with two conductor tongs within the vicegrip.

“I’ll get you up good as new.” She tore out a scrap piece of the bandage and tapped the open bottle of the solution with it. “This might sting, so please hold still.”

Lith rolled her eyes and stood still. She felt a cold dampness on her back that turned into a burning sting. She winced. Following it was a sound of crackling electricity. She let out a faint shrill when it came into contact with her wound.

“Do you really need to zap me, Fluttershy?”

“You should have seen the size of your wound. I had to seal the wound in some way so that you would be fine.”

Lith then felt a cool cream against her back that smelled of liquid with medicinal herbs boiled within it. Finally, Fluttershy took out the bandage and wrapped it around her body. She smiled and wiped her forehead.

“You’ll be fine now. I’ll treat your brother and then Gnasher for injuries they have sustained.”

She ran over towards Mono, whose legs were wobbling and his mouth was clenched in pain. She looked over his legs and rubbed her hoof over the skin of his knees at a gentle speed.

“What is the prognosis, Fluttershy?” He asked.

“It’s worse than I thought. Those bullets he shot into your knees maligned the connecting joints in your legs. They’re standing on an inverted position.” Fluttershy explained.

“That’s not going to require surgery, is it?”

“No, but it will require that I dislocate your knees from their places so that they can normally align with each other until we can get back.”

Mono gulped on a pocket of air upon hearing her words. He blinked and nodded. Fluttershy placed her hooves around Mono’s left knee. With a quick jerk of her hooves, she separated the joint. Mono clenched his teeth, shrieking underneath his breath. She moved her hooves towards the other knee, jerking her hooves and separating them.

“Gah! Mother of Arceus did that hurt!” Mono shouted.

Fluttershy scooped Mono up with her hooves, frowning with an apologetic stare towards him.

“I’m sorry that hurt, Mono. I didn’t mean for it to be that bad.”

“A-apology accepted, Fluttershy. S-s-some things have to be d-d-one for healing to take place.”

“Luckily, Neo Canterlot has a way to accelerate the re-alignment process to about a day so that you will be back on your feet by tomorrow.”

She then rested Mono onto his back and walked over towards Gnasher, who was standing up and smiling.

“You don’t need to worry about me, Fluttershy. I’ve been through worse.”

“Ummm… alright. But, Gnasher, can you please hold Mono for the remainder of the trip? We can’t let his legs align themselves back into that position.”

“It’ll be my pleasure. I’ll be sure that he gets home in good shape.” Gnasher responded. “But, someone else will have to carry the bag. The straps might get in the way of giving Mono the best possible stability.”

“I’ll do it.” A voice called from deep within the mine. From among the shadows stepped an Exploud, grinning at the sight of the Pokémon in front of him.

Wait a moment… is that you, Stereo?!” Mono called out, pulling his upper body upwards.

“What happened to you here?! Are you hurt? Are you alright?” Stereo asked, hyperventilating at the sight of Mono’s decrepit body.

“I’ll be back into good shape in no time. Gnasher has a backpack filled with Nytherium you can hold onto, Stereo.”

“It’ll be my pleasure to bring it in the place of Gnasher, Mono.”

---

Spitfire walked down through the hallways, her ears perking up towards the sound of jovial laughter echoing through the Pokémon-assigned room. She hummed and walked through the open door.

“And just what is up with the laughter in here?” She called out, bringing forth a silence within the room. Her eyes glanced over towards Mono’s legs within white fabrics, Lith’s bandaged torso and the unfamiliar Pokémon in the room. “Ummm… I must be missing something here.”

“Good afternoon, Spitfire. We completed our first mission and even found one of our friends.” Mono stated, pointing over towards the Exploud who had a translator around his neck. “This is Stereo. Somehow, we found him in one of the depths of the Terraformed Wilderness’s caves while we were filling out Rarity’s request.”

Stereo raised one of his bulky arms up to his forehead and saluted her.

“Mistress Spitfire! Mono told me all about you. Let me just say that it would be an honor to work for H.O.R.S.E.” He stated.

“Wh-wait. I don’t even know if you are qualified to even be a member of H.O.R.S.E.”

“I specialize in sound control.”

“Well… H.O.R.S.E. does need some sound-based officers in its rankings and you are a Pokémon… very well.” Spitfire admitted. “But seriously, what happened to Mono and Lith here? They look like they have sustained some serious injuries.”

“Apparently, we came across an agent from the Van’Goth known only as Giacomo. He specialized in Dark-type magic.” Rondo explained.

“Wait… you encountered that lunatic and survived with only injuries? Not even a squadron of elite members can overcome him.”

“To be fair, he did have a type advantage against Mono and me because of our injuries. He didn’t have much of an advantage against Gnasher because of her typing though. Then, Jasmine unleashed a Dazzling Gleam on him and Custard scared him away.” Lith stated.

“Well, color me impressed. You know, maybe it might be worthwhile to have as many types as possible at H.O.R.S.E.’s disposal. I’ll have to see our head of our R&D department to discuss these matters with her.” Spitfire said, smiling with a calm expression. “And Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy turned towards Spitfire with a confused glint in her eyes.

“Y-yes, Spitfire?”

“I was hoping if you would be the Equusian representative of the Pokémon group here. You have a very nurturing and understanding spirit, which would make you a wonderful addition to this group.”

“A-are you sure about that, Spitfire? I mean, I still have to do my environmental research and field studies with the other group I am affiliated with.”

“One thing I like about our organization is the ease of transferring a member’s work from one division to the other. I’ll simply do that for you so that you can spend more time researching our new brethren.” Spitfire stated.

“That means… I can spend more time with my new friends and study them AND their world?!” With her voice rising, Fluttershy asked.

“Yep, and considering their strengths and goals of finding other Pokémon, I’ll give them permission to go onto intercontinental missions. That means that you are free to do research for other areas.”

“This news makes me so happy that I can cheer!”

Fluttershy took a deep breath and closed her eyes. A weak and audible hum crawled its way out of her mouth.

“…Ummm, I think I’ll help Fluttershy with her cheering ability.” Stereo offered.

---

Giacomo walked into the presence of the emperor with a scowl on his face. The emperor glared at him with an impatient stare.

“I assume that you failed in the duties assigned to you?” He asked.

“I followed them down into one of the caves in the Terraformed Wilderness, hoping to get a surprise bullet in on them. But, those bastards were able to evade me and we clashed directly. That croc and Miss Smells there were real bitches to deal against and made my time a living hell.” Giacomo explained.

“So can you give me your prognosis on their combat ability, Giacomo?”

“They’re all definitely strong, no doubt about that. But, they apparently have an edge when it comes to the elemental affinities they control. That Miss Smells bitch pelted me with light that burned like a mother fu-“

“We do not need any more profanity coming from your mouth, Giacomo. You are free to go back to where you normally go off to and continue your duties.”

Giacomo turned around, walking towards the gates to the throne room. The emperor looked in Wilhelm’s direction.

“What are you suggesting, my liege?” Wilhelm asked.

“We’ll have to put our invasion plans on hold for the moment. What Giacomo says about elemental affinities has me concerned that any plans we make without the proper knowledge on our new enemy are doomed to fail. We will have to bide our time and observe all of their strengths and weaknesses. Then, that is when we will strike.”

Comments

[Robot972]

The cosmos bat sounds so adorable!!!