My Little Pokemon

by Alabenson

Battleshy

The whole of Belladonna Town was built on wooden platforms rising out of the swamp, all connected by wide walkways in various states of disrepair. Most of the buildings were boarded up and abandoned, with the only remotely modern-looking structure being the Pokémon Center and a looming, warehouse-like edifice. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie could only assume that the latter structure was the town’s gym.

“So…this place is nice,” Pinkie Pie said with one of the least convincing smiles of her life.

“It’s dark, soggy, mostly abandoned and smells like rotten eggs. If that’s your thing, then sure, Belladonna Town’s great. Personally, I can’t stand this pace,” Derek grumbled.

“Actually, I think I kind of like it,” Fluttershy said. “It reminds me a little of the village in Hayseed Swamp where Meadowbrook’s home is.” As Fluttershy spoke she leaned her hand on one of the guardrails overlooking the swamp, only to quickly pull it away when she realized the rail was covered in algae.

“Well, you’re welcome to it. Me, I try to avoid this place as much as possible. I wouldn’t have even suggested coming here if it weren’t for the fact that the Pokémon Center here is the quickest way to get that egg back to its home,” Derek said.

“That’s right, we really need to get this little guy back to his home as soon as possible,” Fluttershy replied as she patted the egg case she had been carrying. “You said that there’s a way to do it from the Pokémon Center, right?”

“Yeah, the Pokémon transport system can send it back there immediately,” Derek replied. “We may as well head over there and let Norma know that we’re sending it, we can give her a call from the center’s phone.” Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement as the group quickly made their way to the Pokémon Center.

The inside of the Belladonna Town Pokémon Center was a bit dingier and more run down than the ones Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had been in previously, with signs of wear almost omnipresent. Moreover, it appeared to be practically deserted aside from the bored-looking Nurse Joy at the desk.

At first it didn’t seem the Nurse Joy even noticed the group’s entrance as she listlessly drummed her nails on the counter. The moment she looked up, however, Nurse Joy shot to her feet and quickly tried to straighten her uniform before addressing the group. “Oh, visitors! I mean…welcome to the Belladonna Town Pokémon Center. How can you help me – I mean, how can I help you?”

“I’m guessing you don’t get all that many trainers visiting here,” Fluttershy said as she looked around the empty lobby.

“No, not really,” Nurse Joy replied as she allowed herself to relax a little. “Mostly the only trainers I talk to are the occasional visitor passing through, and Mortimer the gym leader, of course.”

“Of course,” Derek muttered darkly. “Anyway, do you think we could use your phone? We need to contact the gym leader back in Faunaville about an egg we rescued.”

Nurse Joy nodded and pointed the group towards center’s videophone, a large green device hanging on the back wall. After a few button presses and a brief moment of waiting later Norma’s face appeared on the screen. “Yeesh, it sure took you three long enough to call me, I was starting to get worried. So, I take it you were able to get the egg back?”

“We have it right here, safe and sound,” Fluttershy replied as she pulled out the egg case to show Norma.

“Yup, and we taught those mean old eggnappers to not steal eggs or kidnap frogs,” Pinkie Pie added.

Norma was silent for several seconds. “I’m just going to assume that made sense in context. Anyway, I finished reviewing the breeding center’s inventory and I discovered something about that particular egg. It turns out the egg you have isn’t in our usual records for either out nursery or our restocking program.”

“Hmmm, interesting…” Pinkie Pie mused as she nodded her head. “I have no idea what any of that means.”

“It means that egg doesn’t have a set home to go to once it hatches,” Norma replied. “Typically, in cases like this I’d either hatch the egg and try to introduce it into the wild once it’s old enough on hand the egg over to a trainer so they can hatch and raise it themselves.”

Fluttershy tightened her grip on the egg case as a look of excitement crossed her face. “In that case, do you think that it would be alright if I took care of the egg?”

“Yeah, Fluttershy should totally take care of it, she’d be a great egg mommy!” Pinkie Pie declared as Fluttershy blushed slightly.

“To be honest, I was hoping you’d volunteer for the job,” Norma said. “You seem like you’d be the type who’d do a good job raising a baby Pokémon, plus it means that I’ve got one less thing to deal with on my end.”

“Oh thank you! I promise I’ll take good care of it and give it all the love and care and support it will ever need,” Fluttershy said happily.

“I know you will, kid. Frankly I’m just glad the egg’s going to have a good home. Anyway, I need to get going. I thought I heard someone and I should probably check to make sure everything’s alright.” With that the screen went dark.

“I can’t wait to meet the new baby Pokémon,” Pinkie Pie said with a high-pitched giggle. “I be it’ll be all cute and cuddly and adorable…unless it’s one of those hard bitey Pokémon in which case maybe I’d have to hold off on the cuddles. What kind of Pokémon do you think it is?”

“Who knows? It’s almost impossible to tell what a species a Pokémon egg is before it hatches,” Derek replied. “We’ll just have to wait for Fluttershy to hatch it. In the meantime, we should probably start thinking about where we want to head next. My suggestion would be Aquarius City.”

“Actually, I kind of want to see more of the town before we leave,” Fluttershy said. “Swamps are really full of life and I’m really curious to see what sort of Pokémon live here now that we don’t need to worry about getting the egg back home.

“If you really want to then I won’t stop you, but I think I’ll just rest here in the Pokémon Center until you get back,” Derek said as he got up. “In the meantime, I’ll get our rooms settled so they’ll be ready when you get back.”

While Derek headed over to speak with Nurse Joy about their rooms Pinkie Pie followed Fluttershy out the door. “Is it just me, or does he really seem to not like this place? I mean, to be fair, this town does seem a little, you know, bleugh, but I feel like there’s something more than that.” Seeing Fluttershy simply shrug and shake her head in response Pinkie Pie continued to chatter. “So, what did you want to do first? Check out some of those creepy, abandoned houses, see if there are any Pokémon hiding in the mud under the town – Ooh! Do you think this town has a bakery?”

“To be honest, the place I really wanted to visit was the town’s gym,” Fluttershy replied. “Not to battle in it, of course, but after spending some time with Norma in her gym I think that gyms might really be the best places for me to learn more about Pokémon. Looking back, I really wish I hadn’t let myself get scared off from the gym in that first city.”

“It did seem kind of explodier than Norma’s gym, though. Anyway, are you sure you’d be alright with going to the gym here? After all, gyms are kinda where trainers go to battle, so even if you’re not battling there’s probably going to be battling going on somewhere in there,” Pinkie Pie said.

“I think I should be fine,” Fluttershy replied. “I still don’t totally understand why Pokémon are so fond of fighting with each other, but at least now I think I’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s their decision. Besides, I’m not going to get involved in the actually battling myself, I’m just going so I can learn more about the Pokémon there.”

“Well, if you think that you’ll be alright then I don’t see any way that this could possibly go horribly wrong,” Pinkie Pie replied.

*********

While the Belladonna Town Gym was certainly a large structure, it lacked the grandiosity of the gyms that Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had seen previously. The building itself looked more like a warehouse than a proper gym, and were it not for the grimy sign on the front neither Fluttershy nor Pinkie Pie would have even guessed it was a gym at all.

“To be honest, even with that sign I’m not so sure this place is a gym,” Pinkie Pie said as she looked up at the building’s weathered façade.

“Well, this is the only building I can see that might be the gym at all, and I don’t really see anyone that we could ask,” Fluttershy replied. “And besides, isn’t it important to not judge things based on appearances? There might be a perfectly good reason the gym looks like this,” Fluttershy added as she pushed the wooded doors open, only to blanche at the scene before her.

The entranceway of the gym was a shocking mess, with trash heaped in huge piles everywhere and assorted bits of junk sitting on the patched and stained furniture. Lying snoring on what was probably a desk under the mountains of takeout containers was a short, fat, bald man wearing a well-worn black leather jacket.

“Yeesh, and Rarity says I can be messy,” Pinkie Pie said as she and Fluttershy gingerly picked their way into the room.

“Even Zephyr Breeze keeps his home cleaner than this. Not that much cleaner, but still,” Fluttershy added disapprovingly. Suddenly, what Fluttershy had assumed was one of the bags of trash shuddered and turned to stare up at her expectantly.

“Trubbish?”

Several seconds passed as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie stared blankly at the Trubbish before Pinkie Pie finally broke the silence. “Um, Fluttershy, did that trash bag just say something?”

“I think it’s some kind of Pokémon,” Fluttershy said as she crouched down a little to bring herself to the Trubbish’s level. “Hello there, my name is Fluttershy and this is my friend Pinkie Pie.”

“Trubbish Trubbish,” the Pokémon replied cheerfully before frowning as it glanced back towards the sleeping man at the desk.

“It sounds like that Trubbish and that man over there are supposed to greet visitors to the gym, but they’re not quite as attentive as they should be because so few people come here,” Fluttershy translated as the Trubbish waddled up to the sleeping man and began insistently prodding him.

“Okay, but why all the junk everywhere?” Before Fluttershy could answer, the Trubbish snatched one of the takeout bags off the desk and stuffed it into its mouth. “Oh, that explains it. I’m going to have to remember that for the next time Limestone tells me that I eat too much garbage.”

“Huh, who eats garbage?” the man groggily muttered as he woke up before rolling out of his chair onto the floor. “I’m up, I’m up, don’t worry. So, who the heck are you two?” he asked blearily as he pulled himself to his feet and squinted at Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

“I’m Pinkie Pie and this is Fluttershy. What’s your name?” Pinkie Pie replied.

“You can call me Hog. So, you here to challenge the boss?” Hog asked. Now standing, it became apparent that the rotund Hog was even shorter than he had first appeared, only coming up to Pinkie’s midriff.

“We’re not her to battle anyone,” Fluttershy quickly assured Hog. “We’re just trying to learn more about Pokémon and visiting gyms seemed like a good way to start.”

“Oh, so you’re tourists. Okay then, if you want to look around the place then I’m not going to stop you,” Hog said as he waddled over to a door on the wall opposite the entrance. “Alright, the boss’ got his whole botanical garden thing through here. Stay on the walkways and try not to touch anything.”

With that, Hog pushed the door open, revealing the main interior of the gym. The bulk of the gym was revealed to be largely just a wooden shell covering a portion of the swamp with a series of wooden walkways stretching over the much throughout. Unlike the swamp outside, however, here the vegetation was a riot of different colors. “Oh wow, it’s so pretty in here,” Pinkie Pie giggled as she leaned over the railing to sniff one of the flowers, only for Fluttershy to yank her back. “Hey, what was that for?”

“You shouldn’t get too any of the plants in here. I know they look pretty, but it looks like almost everything in here is incredibly poisonous,” Fluttershy cautioned as she eyed the flowers warily.

“Aww, really? But they’re so bright and happy-looking?” Pinkie Pie said dejectedly as she looked back at the flowers.

“That’s often the…way of things in nature. The most beautiful things are inevitably the…most toxic.” Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie immediately spun around to see a tall, gaunt man dressed in a black suit standing on the walkway a dozen or so feet further into the room. “Pardon me, I didn’t mean to…frighten you. My name is…Mortimer. I’m the gym leader here,” Mortimer introduced.

“Oh, I’m Fluttershy and this is my friend Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy replied once se recovered from her momentary shock. “We were passing through your town and decided to visit your gym since we’re trying to learn more about Pokémon.”

“I see. So, does that mean that you’ve come to…challenge me?” Mortimer asked with sudden interest.

“Oh no, I wouldn’t dream of getting involved in actually battling. I’m just here to learn as much as I can about Pokémon,” Fluttershy quickly replied.

“Very well, if that’s how you feel than it can’t…be helped. Here, why don’t I…give you a tour of our gym?” Mortimer said. As Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie nodded eagerly Mortimer proceeded to take then on a leisurely stroll across the walkways while pointing out the various flora growing inside. While Fluttershy found the experience to be immensely fascinating, Pinkie Pie found herself increasingly unnerved by Mortimer’s glowing descriptions of how each plant was horribly toxic in its own special way.

“Wow, I had no idea that mushrooms could do that to your organs,” Pinkie Pie said nervously as Mortimer finished detailing the effects of eating what looked to be perfectly innocent greenish-brown mushrooms.

“Oh yes, and the true irony is that they are supposedly quite…delicious. Poison-type Pokémon are certainly rather fond of them, at least. Though they do have the…advantage of not being susceptible to the mushroom’s toxins.” Mortimer said.

“I wonder if Poison Pokémon like the mushrooms because they’re toxic,” Fluttershy mused. “Many poisonous animals become that way because they eat plants that are poisonous. They then store the poisons inside their bodies to protect themselves from predators.” As Fluttershy continued to regard the mushrooms a familiar-looking bipedal frog-like Pokémon poked its head out from behind a tree before darting over to the mushrooms and popping one into its mouth. “Oh my, a Croagunk!”

“Why yes, we have quite a…population of them here in the swamp,” Mortimer said.

Fluttershy nodded her head. “I know, we ran into a colony of them that had been getting up to some mischief on the way here. One of them even decided that he wanted to come with me. Come on out, Croagunk,” Fluttershy called out as she pulled out her Croagunk’s Poké Ball.

As Fluttershy’s Croagunk popped out in a flash of light, Mortimer looked at it critically. “So, that’s your…Croagunk. I have to say, it’s not an especially…impressive specimen.” Mortimer finally said with a faint sneer.

“Excuse me?” Fluttershy replied. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“It’s something of a…scrawny example of the species. Clearly not one that would be well suited to battling. All things considered, though its likely for…the best. A Croagunk requires a trainer with a proper…understanding of battling in order to reach its full potential. A trainer such as yourself, on the other hand, will generally be better…suited to Pokémon with a more docile temperament.”

“I’ll have you know that I am more than capable of handling a Pokémon like Croagunk!” Fluttershy snapped back angrily, while her Croagunk growled irritably at Mortimer. “Just because I prefer not to get involved with making Pokémon battle each other doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with my ability to raise Pokémon.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Pinkie Pie added. “Fluttershy is a great Pokémon trainer.”

“Really,” Mortimer said with a sneer. “Tell me then, precisely how many…badges have you managed to acquire thus far?”

“Well, I’ve never actually challenged a gym before, so I don’t have any badges,” Fluttershy admitted. “But, even so, I –”

“The fact that you’ve yet to challenge a gym speaks far…louder than anything you could possibly say. If you were the…sort of trainer who could properly bring out Croagunk’s full potential than you would have undoubtedly acquired at least one badge by now. It’s nothing to be…ashamed of, though. Not every trainer has the necessary skills and…drive to properly train an aggressive Pokémon like a Croagunk.”

Fluttershy’s face at this point had turned a bright crimson red. “You really think that they only for a trainer to raise Pokémon is to make them battle each other?” Fluttershy asked incredulously.

“Make them? Take a good…look at your Croagunk. Even as inadequate specimen as it is, it’s already…prepared to battle without any prompting on your part. It would almost certainly be better served by a…trainer properly equipped to direct it,” Mortimer said.

Glancing down at her Croagunk, Fluttershy could see that it indeed it was straining to keep itself from assaulting Mortimer over the insults being lobbed at it and its trainer. “Okay then, maybe you’re right about one thing. I still don’t totally understand it, but it’s clear that battling is something that’s very important to my Pokémon and I’m going to have to get used to that idea. And maybe I’m not the best at battling because I don’t like seeming Pokémon hurt each other. But none of that means that I’m not just as good, no, that I’m not a better trainer than you!”

“Would you care to…prove that assertion?” Mortimer asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Croagunk! Croa-Croagunk!” Fluttershy’s Croagunk snarled as it hopped angrily in place.

“He said we most certainly would,” Fluttershy translated, though she left some of the more colorful aspects of her Croagunk’s phrasing. After taking a moment to clear her throat and straighten herself out a bit, Fluttershy looked Mortimer directly in the eye. “Mister Mortimer, my Pokémon and I would like to challenge your gym.”

“Splendid. If you could…follow me, I’ll show you to our gym’s field,” Mortimer said with a grin that reminded Fluttershy of a cat that had just cornered a mouse. “Hog! Get out here, we have a challenge for you to referee!”

As Mortimer proceeded to lead Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie deeper into the gym, Pinkie Pie pulled Fluttershy aside. “Hey, are you sure you really want to do this?” Pinkie Pie asked in a loud whisper. “This guy really doesn’t seem very nice, so you shouldn’t let him talk you into battling him if you don’t want to.”

“I may not want to battle him, but my Pokémon do,” Fluttershy replied. “I may not understand why battling is so important to Pokémon, but I do understand that is important to them. Besides, maybe showing this gym leader that not wanting to see Pokémon hurt each other doesn’t mean you’re not a good trainer will help him become a better person.”

It didn’t take long for the group to reach their destination. The field of the Belladonna Town Gym, as it turned out, was essentially a field-sized patch of swamp that had been largely cleared aside from a few muck-covered logs and rotting stumps. “Here we are,” Mortimer said as he took his place at the far end of the field. “We should be…able to begin shortly. All we need now is our referee.”

Even as Mortimer spoke, Hog could be heard running up the walkways towards the field. Upon arriving, Hog fell to his hand and knees, huffing and puffing as he struggled to catch his breath. “Don’t worry, I’m here,” Hog managed to wheeze out. “Sorry, I didn’t think we were gonna have a challenge today.”

“Yes, well, one of our guests has…changed her mind regarding that,” Mortimer said as he watched Fluttershy take her position. “Are you ready, miss?”

“I am,” Fluttershy replied firmly as she dug deep to bring out her inner Rainbow Dash.

“Excellent. We will each be using two Pokémon. So, to begin, go Oddish!” With a flick of his wrist, Mortimer sent a Poké Ball spinning into the field, which split open to unleash what looked like a blue-green ball with tall green leaves sticking out the top of its head.

As Fluttershy looked at the odd-looking creature, Croagunk let out a load croak and puffed its cheeks out. “Oh? That’s very good to know, Croagunk, thank you. I think I’ll send out Quilava, then,” Fluttershy said as she lobbed her own Poké Ball into the swamp. “Alright then, Quilava, I want you to use your Ember, and be careful of any powders that come from that Oddish’s leaves.” Snarling at its adversary, Quilava lowered its head and tensed up, causing the vents atop its head to dramatically flare up. A cloud of burning cinders billowed out from the conflagration, enveloping Oddish completely. Moments later, the badly scorched Grass-type leapt out of the cloud and began rushing about the field in a blind panic.

“Oddish! Calm down. Use. The mud.” Mortimer commanded, his odd, halting dialect becoming far more clipped. His Oddish had no trouble understanding what Mortimer meant, however, as it dove into the much to cool its burns. “Good. Next. Poison Powder.”

Fluttershy gripped the railing in front of her as she watched Oddish’s leaves pop back up from the mud and start to shake. Thankfully, her Croagunk had already warned her about Oddish and its ability to emit dangerous spores from its leaves and she had a counter already planned. “Quilava, stay back and try to use your Ember to blow away that power before it makes you sick!” Quilava issued a grunt of acknowledgement before firing off another cloud of cinders. The attack consumed much of Oddish’s Poison Powder when the two clouds collided and several stray bits of burning ash struck Oddish’s exposed leaves. The poisonous cloud wasn’t completely stopped, however, with one errant portion managing to strike Quilava squarely in the face.

“Oddish! Prepare. To use…Oddish?” Mortimer paused mid-order as he noticed Oddish’s leaves wilting from the scorch marks left by Quilava’s second attack. “Hog, could you provide an…assessment of my Oddish, please?”

“Sure thing, boss,” Hog said as he heaved himself over the railing, making an audible squelching sound as he landed in the mud. Waddling over to the Oddish, Hog unceremoniously plucked it out from the ground and briefly glanced at it before shaking his head. “Nope, Oddish is unable to battle.”

“Ah well,” Mortimer said with a shrug of his shoulders as he recalled Oddish to its ball. “It was at a clear…disadvantage, yet it still performed its role admirably.”

Fluttershy was at first a bit confused by what Mortimer meant until she took a closer look at Quilava. The color in Quilava’s face had drained considerably and it was breathing heavily. “Oh no, you must have breathed in some of that powder after all. Here, let’s get you back in your ball to rest.”

Mortimer let out an evil chuckle as she watched Fluttershy recall Quilava. “Pulling it out already? I’m a little disappointed, it could…easily have lasted a bit longer. I suppose doing so was the…caring thing to do, but I’ve never insinuated that not caring enough was your shortcoming.”

Ignoring Mortimer’s jibes, Fluttershy looked down at her Croagunk, who was staring daggers at the opposing trainer. “Croagunk, are you ready?” Fluttershy asked. In response, Croagunk leapt into the filed, making a three-point landing into the mud.

“So, now we’ll be able to see the true…limits of your Croagunk’s abilities,” Mortimer said as he pulled out his next Poké Ball. “Yes, now you’ll face a far more…advantaged opponent.” As Fluttershy tried to puzzle out what Mortimer was talking about, the Poké Ball he was holding split open, sending a bright, white light arcing down into the mud. For the first few moments, nothing happened. Then, an eerie, faintly purple mist began to seep up from the muck, coating the ground in a thin layer of fog.

“I don’t get it, where’s his Pokémon?” Pinkie Pie asked while learning halfway over the railing to get a better look. “And where’s all that fog coming from? Oh, is the fog his Pokémon? A Foggy-mon?”

“You’re not far off, kid. Watch,” Hog said, having somehow pulled himself back off the field. Sure enough, as he spoke the roiling mists began to coalesce on Mortimer’s side of the field, rising into the air and condensing into a dark sphere.

“Gastly!” Without warning, the ball of gas suddenly developed a pair of eyes and a fanged mouth and promptly began making faces at Croagunk.

“That’s his Pokémon?” Pinkie Pie asked in surprise. “But it just looks like a big ball of cloud with a funny face. That’s not scary, that’s just silly.”

“Ah, you wouldn’t be the first to…underestimate what my Gastly is capable of. Permit me to…demonstrate,” Mortimer said before straightening up. “Gastly! Hypnosis!” Letting out an evil laugh, Gastly’s eyes turned a shimmering red and began to put rippling waves of energy towards Croagunk.

Fluttershy watched with concern as Croagunk teetered unsteadily on its feet as the waves of hypnotic energy washed over it. “Croagunk, don’t give in! You’re stronger than whatever that ball of gas is trying to do to you.” Hearing Fluttershy’s voice, Croagunk paused for a moment before suddenly slapping itself across the face. Doing so seemed to snap it out of the spell Gastly had been trying to put it under, leaving Croagunk to glare angrily at its opponent.

“Your Croagunk is…better trained than I had expected,” Mortimer observed. “But it –”

“That’s enough!” Fluttershy yelled. “You know, I think I’ve finally figured you out; you’re just a bully. I’ve had to deal with lots of bullies over the years, and I’ve learned quite a few things about them. For example, most bullies are mean because they’re scared of being made fun of themselves. Like this, Croagunk, use your Taunt attack.” Grinning wickedly, Croagunk proceeded to puff out its cheeks and wiggle its tongue at Gastly while hopping from one foot to the other.

The display had an immediate effect on Gastly, leaving the gaseous Pokémon visibly shaking with rage. Mortimer, meanwhile, was facing little better, a situation not helped by the fact that Croagunk’s antics had left Pinkie Pie doubled over in helpless laughter. “Gastly,” Mortimer said with an air of righteous indignation. “It. Is time. Full power.” As Mortimer spoke, he crossed his arms in front of his chest, the Z-ring on his arm already glowing with malign energy.

“Oh sassafras,” Pinkie Pie gulped as she watched Mortimer start to lurch about, his long-limbs giving him the appearance of a looming spider. “Fluttershy, look out, he’s about to do his super Z-thingy!”

Pinkie Pie’s warning came too late, however, as even as she spoke Mortimer finished the last movements of his attack. “Gastly! Acid Downpour!” As the streams of light emitting from Mortimer’s Z-ring merged with the corona surrounding Gastly, the gas Pokémon opened its mount and sent a deluge of purple vapor cascading down onto the field. The vapor quickly merged with the mud of the field, turning it into an unnatural-looking violet morass. A fraction of a second later an unseen force violently pulled Croagunk into the caustic mire leaving no trace behind. Several agonizing seconds ticked by before Croagunk pulled itself back to the surface appearing burned and battered but still able to fight.

Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief as she watched Croagunk crawl out form the muck, scarcely realizing she had been holding her breath the entire time. “You had me scared for a moment there, Croagunk. Now, why don’t we finish this. Croagunk, use Astonish!” As Croagunk leapt back into the mud, which had returned to its normal appearance, Fluttershy turned her focus back to Mortimer. “Do you want to know another thing all bullies have in common? They’re cowards.”

“I’ve heard…enough!” Mortimer hissed angrily. “Gastly! Clear Smog!” Gastly drew in a deep breath to make its next attack, but before it could strike, Croagunk burst out from the swamp right next to it, waving its arms and shaking its head. Unprepared for this display, Gastly winced, causing wisps of white smoke to trail out from the corners of its mouth.

“That’s just how it is with bullies. You might act tough, but once someone stands up to you then you’ve got no choice but to run away. And that’s why…Croagunk, use Pursuit!” Wasting no time, Croagunk bounced back into the air about Gastly and delivered a powerful blow to the top of its head with enough force to send Gastly plummeting to the ground.

“Welp, that’s it,” Hog said after taking a moment to see if Gastly could pull itself back off the ground. “Gastly’s unable to battle. And that means the challenger, Fluttershy, is the winner!”

“Woo!” Pinkie Pie promptly cheered and performed her ‘my friend just won her first gym battle’ dance. “Oh yeah, go Fluttershy, you won the battle, uh huh.”

As Pinkie Pie continued her celebratory dancing, the sound of someone clapping suddenly started to echo out. “An impressive display, as I had…suspected,” Mortimer said as he continued to applaud. “It seems you merely needed the…correct motivation to display your ability as a trainer.”

Fluttershy stared at Mortimer as the meaning of what he was saying sunk in. “Are you saying that you said all those mean things to me just to make to battle you? Why would you do something like that?”

“It is quite…simple, really. I am a gym leader. My purpose, at its core, is to test and, when necessary, to…motivate trainers so they can achieve their full potential,” Mortimer said. “In your case, it was clear that you needed a…push before you would actually try to achieve your full potential.”

“And because of that you went out of your way to insult me and my Croagunk?” Fluttershy asked indignantly.

“You have to admit, it does seem like a really not-nice way to do things,” Pinkie Pie observed.

“Yet it worked beautifully,” Mortimer countered. “She would not have…attempted the challenge without being made to feel as though she had to.”

“While that may be true, that doesn’t make what you did any less wrong,” Fluttershy admonished. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get my Pokémon back to the Pokémon Center so they can be properly treated.” With a final huff of indignation, Fluttershy spun around and marched towards the exit of the gym, Pinkie Pie rushing after her.

*********

“-so then we came straight back her so Fluttershy could have Nurse Joy take care of her Pokémon,” Pinkie Pie said as she finished recounting her and Fluttershy’s experiences at the gym.

“Yeah, that all sounds like something Mortimer would pull,” Derek grumbled as he leaned back in his seat. “Frankly that guy’s such a miserable jerk I wouldn’t be surprised if that whole ‘I was just testing you’ thing was just his way of saving face. This is part of the reason why I usually try to avoid this place if I can help it.”

“What’s the other reason?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“There’s no place to eat around here ever since Big Jim’s Gumbo Shack closed,” Derek mournfully replied.

Before Pinkie Pie could asked any questions about the now vanished culinary institution, Fluttershy came walking back from the nurse’s station. “Good news, Nurse Joy said she’ll be able to have Quilava and Croagunk back to perfect health in no time. So, what should we do once they’re ready?”

“That’s up to you two, really,” Derek replied. “I’m guessing you’re both just about done with this place.”

Fluttershy quickly nodded her head. “I’d say I’ve about had enough of the swamp for a while.”

“Well, look on the bright side, at least you got a badge and Z-crystal out of the whole mess,” Derek said as he leaned back in his seat, only to notice the suddenly distressed expression on Pinkie Pie’s face.

“Oh no, Fluttershy, you left so suddenly you forgot to get your badge,” Pinkie Pie said.

“It’s alright, I wouldn’t really worry about it. I’m not planning on doing any more gym battling and I don’t need a badge to remind me that I won,” Fluttershy said. “The important part to me is that its all over and neither of my Pokémon were seriously hurt.”

Just then, however, the door to the Pokémon Center burst oven as a visibly out of breath Hog staggered inside. “Hey, has anybody…seen a girl…named Fluttershy?” Hog gasped out before falling to his knees. “Oh jeez, I really need to act in shape.”

“Mister Hog, what are you doing here?” Fluttershy asked as she moved over to the rotund lieutenant.

“Oh good, you’re still here,” Hog said as he fished a small box out from his jacket. “You ran off so quickly the boss didn’t have a chance to give you this.”

Fluttershy took the box and opened it to reveal a small pin resembling a purple, five-petaled flower and a violet crystal. “I appreciate that you went to the trouble of getting to me, but I’m not sure it was really necessary.” Even as Fluttershy spoke, however, her expression slowly changed. “Although, that battle was never really for my sake to begin with. My Pokémon were the ones who did the actual battling and I only made that challenge for their sake in the first place. When you think about it, this badge is really more theirs than it is mine.”

“Sure…whatever you say,” Hog replied after giving Fluttershy a blank stare. “Anyway, I just came here to give you that, so I’m gonna head back to the gym.” Just as Hog reached the door, however, he paused. “You know, you really did a number on the boss. You’d probably make one heck of a trainer if you ever went all in on it. That’s just my two cents, though. See ya.”

Several moments passed before Derek spoke up. “For what its worth, I feel the same way. About the whole ‘you having what it takes to be a great trainer’ thing, I mean.”

“That’s nice and all, but I still don’t think that sort of thing is for me. Even if the Pokémon do enjoy it, I just don’t like seeing Pokémon hurt each other.” Fluttershy said.

“The thing is that’s exactly why have so much potential. The sort of trainers who get off on seeing Pokémon hurt each other are never going to have the bond with their Pokémon necessary to be a really great trainer.”

Fluttershy pondered this for a moment before smiling and shaking her head as she put away the box containing her badge and crystal. “That’s something we can worry about another time. For right now, I think we should focus on where we should go next. Why don’t you tell us a little bit more about this ‘Aquarius City’.”

Comments

[Rhino23]

I do wish these chapters came out faster but i know i can't rush
i just want to know more

[GamePlayer64]

Huh... I think I understand what the Gym Leader was saying. He's saying that battles show a Trainer’s bond with their Pokemon. He must been like Fluttershy until his Pokemon abandon him for his overprotected heart.

[readsponies]

I just don't get why Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are going anywhere except back to the breeding center to wait, which was the whole point of going there to begin with.