My Little Pokemon

by Alabenson

Chaos on the Catwalk

“Ah know this cable car’s supposed to make gettin’ down the mountain a heap easier, but Ah still wish it weren’t such a hike to get there in the first place,” Applejack said as she and Rarity trudged up a path that curved along the mountainside.

“Not that I don’t thoroughly agree with you, but it is a tad surprising for you to be the one saying something like that,” Rarity replied.

“Ah know, Ah know. It’s just, we finally find out where the hay some of our friends are, and now it seems we’re just runnin’ into one problem after another,” Applejack said.

“I certainly understand your frustration, darling, but you really shouldn’t let it get to you like that. There isn’t anything we can do about the situation that we aren’t doing already, so worrying about it will just make things worse.”

“Huh, that actually sounds like pretty good advice,” Applejack said before letting out a small chuckle. “Kinda funny, though. Ah’d of never expected y’all’d be the one tellin’ me to stop sweatin’ the details and focus on the big picture fer a change.”

“What can I say? I learned from the best,” Rarity replied with a smile. “Besides, it helps that the scenery here is absolutely breathtaking.”

“Ah can’t argue with you there,” Applejack said as she looked out towards the horizon at the landscape of the island spreading out before them. “Y’all sure do get a pretty view from up here. Nice and peaceful, too. To tell the truth, Ah wouldn’t mind goin’ campin’ ‘round these parts once we – do y’all hear that?”

Confused, Rarity listened closely, and sure enough se could just make out the sounds of some sort of commotion coming from further up the path. “What in Equestria do you think that could be?”

“Well, whatever it is, it sounds like we’re gonna be walkin’ right by it. Might be best if we keep our guard up, the last thing we need is to let ourselves get ambushed by Sombra and Chrysalis.”

Rarity nodded her head in agreement as she and Applejack cautiously made their way up the path, the noise becoming progressively louder as they went. Finally, as the pair rounded a sharp bend, they saw the source of the commotion. A large number of people had set up some sort of stage on a stretch of land that was mostly level, along with what appeared to be an assortment of tents and pavilions.

“Well, at least it don’t look like a trap or nothin’,” Applejack remarked as she scratched her head. “Ah wonder what all the fuss is about?”

“It’s a fashion show!” Rarity practically squealed with delight. “Or, a photoshoot, at the very least.”

“Are y’all sure? Ah mean, Ah guess it does kinda look like the sorta setup Ah’ve seen y’all use when y’ put on yer own shows, but still –”

“I assure you, Applejack, I’ve put on more than enough fashion shows in my day to know one when I see it.” Rarity paused for a moment as she gazed at the bustling scene below. “I don’t suppose we could dawdle here for a bit? I know we’re in a bit of a rush to catch up with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, but I’m absolutely dying to learn more about the fashion here. Please?” Rarity asked, giving Applejack the most pleading, puppy-dog eyed expression she could manage.

“But we – y’all know we’re in a – we’ve lost too much time already fer –” Applejack let out a defeated sigh. “Fine, Ah guess there ain’t too much harm in stayin’ fer a little while. At the least, it ain’t that much different than mah havin’ that gym battle.”

Rarity scarcely suppressed a giggle of joy as she quickly made her way towards the event with Applejack following closely behind. As the approached, it quickly became apparent that things were still being setup, with people and Pokémon scurrying about with tables, lighting equipment and other, less readily identifiable items. “Hmm, it’s a pity, we must be here too early,” Rarity said sadly as she watched a pair of Machoke walk by carrying a sizable metla frame. “I had really hoped we’d be abler to get a glimpse of some of the models, but it looks like we’d have quite a bit of wait for that.”

“Well, look at it this way,” Applejack said. “Maybe this ain’t even a fashion show at all.”

“It’s a photoshoot, actually. Lucas, honey, be a dear and have the Machoke start setting up the frame for the lighting, but don’t start wiring it yet. Georgette’s going to want to make sure it frames the scenery just right, so you’ll probably have to adjust the position a little.” Applejack and Rarity turned to see a lanky, platinum blonde made in a black turtleneck holding a clipboard. “Hi there, I’m Toni, Ms. Georgette’s assistant. I’m guessing you girls saw our little production and decided to investigate.”

“That’s more or less the situation exactly,” Rarity replied. “I’m just so entranced by the fashions here that I couldn’t resist trying to get a peek at your shoot.”

“Oh, sweetheart, if you think the fashion scene on this little island is impressive then you absolutely have to visit Kalos sometime. I mean, this island doesn’t even have a Contest circuit. Anyway, the main part of our shoot isn’t until tomorrow, today we’re just setting up for the main shoot and taking a few preliminary shots. If you want to watch, I don’t think there’ll be any problem with that, just try not to crash into anyone, alright? Some of this equipment is pretty heavy, and I wouldn’t want you to get hurt or anything.” The moment Toni said this, however, Rarity felt something run into the back of her legs, causing her to fall backwards onto the ground and sending the contents of her backpack spilling out everywhere. “Oh no! Smoochum, how many times do I have to tell you to be careful! Honey, are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine,” Rarity said as she climbed back to feet. As she did so, Rarity saw a small, pink and cream-colored humanoid creature with blonde hair sprawled out on the ground. After a moment, the creature stirred before it leapt to tis feet and began frantically trying to help gather Rarity’s things together.

“I am so sorry about that,” Toni said. “Smoochum’s been hanging around us almost since we got here. It tries to be helpful, but it has a nasty habit of getting underfoot.”

“That’s alright, I’m sure it was an accident,” Rarity replied, almost as much to Smoochum itself as to Toni. As Rarity bent down to retrieve her belongings, however, she noticed a slim hand reach down and pick up one of her sketchbooks. Looking up, Rarity saw that the hand belonged to a thin, middle-aged woman in black horn-rimmed glasses who was flipping through the sketchbook with an appraising eye.

“Interesting…very interesting…” the woman said before turning her gaze towards Rarity, who realized to her concern that that sketchbook contained her designs for pony dresses. “Pardon me, young lady, but are these your drawings?”

“Erm, yes, they are,” Rarity replied as she straightened herself up. “They’re just a few silly little drawings I’ve done whenever inspiration strikes me.”

“I’d hardly call these silly little drawings, my dear. It’s clear you have a rather exceptional talent when it comes to designing dresses for Pokémon.”

“Dresses for what now?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, don’t be so modest,” the woman said as she handed Rarity back her sketchbook. “Some of these designs are really quite exceptional. I’ll admit, they are a touch overelaborate, but there’s definitely some real skill there. Not everyone can properly master the ability to translate a dress to a quadrupedal figure, but you’ve done so masterfully. Oh, but where are my manners? Allow me to properly introduce myself, my name is Georgette and this little production is going to be a shoot for my fall line.”

“A pleasure,” Rarity said as she shook Georgette’s hand. “I’m Rarity, and this is my friend Applejack.”

“Howdy,” Applejack added.”

“I suppose you girls are traveling the island, then? Well, unfortunately there won’t be much in the way of sights to see here, at least not today, anyway. Toni’s been doing a fantastic job setting everything up, but even under the best of circumstances these things take time to do correctly.” Georgette let out a sigh. “And none of that would be a problem if it weren’t for the fact that our main sponsor’s daughter has decided her Pokémon need to be part of the shoot.”

Rarity cringed as visions of Plaid Stripes raced through her mind. “I can see how that could make things a bit more challenging. Hopefully whoever it is isn’t insisting on being too involved.”

It was at that very moment that a shrill voice yelled out over the sounds of construction. “Okay, like, seriously! Where the heck is that annoying little pink thing?” Georgette and Toni both winced as a young woman dressed in a mix of dayglo clothing stormed up. “I, like, told that weird assistant-thing you’ve got to get me some mineral water, like, ten minutes ago. How long does it take to get a bottle and bring it back? I mean, seriously, I can’t even.”

Applejack scowled at the sight of the girl as she leaned over towards Rarity. “Ain’t that the spoiled little pest we ran into back at that junkyard Pokémon Center? Crystal-somethin’ or other?”

“Krysta Lapidan,” Rarity confirmed as she joined her friend in glaring at the demanding brat.

Krysta, however, didn’t seem to even notice the pair as Smoochum came toddling up to her holding a bottle of water in front of it. “Ugh, there you are. It, like took you long enough,” Krysta snapped as she snatched the bottle out of Smoochum’s hands, only to throw it to the ground in disgust after taking a glance at the label. “Seriously? This is just plain water; it’s not even sparkling! Can’t you, like, get even one thing right? My Floofykins needs her sparkling mineral water if she’s going to do her best! When my daddy hears about this –”

“Now, now, Krysta,” Georgette quickly said as she interposed herself between Krysta and the others while surreptitiously motioning for Smoochum to leave. “I’m sure there’s no need for you to go to the trouble of reaching out to your father about this. You look so stressed, why don’t you go back to your tent and rest a bit, and I’ll have Toni take care of your water issue.”

“Oh, alright,” Krysta grumbled as she allowed Georgette to gently redirect her back to the way she came, until suddenly Krysta stopped and turned around. “But I want that idiotic little pipsqueak out of here!”

Georgette let out a regretful sigh and nodded her head as she continued to guide Krysta away. “I’ll take care of it.” Hearing this, Smoochum took a step back, its eyes filling up with tears, before turning and dashing off sobbing. Krysta gave a snort of satisfaction at the sight of it before leaving the way she came with Georgette in tow.

“Why that rotten, spoiled little…” Applejack snarled as she watched Krysta leave. “Throwin’ a fit like that just ‘cause it brought her the wrong sort of water. She’s even worse than that creep who latched himself onto Rara.” Applejack paused for a moment before continuing. “And what the hay’s so special about that fancy schmancy water anyway?”

“Svengallop at least did something for Coloratura’s performance,” Rarity agreed. “You may have particularly approved of his additions, but even you have to admit he did more than just strutting around while making unreasonable demands. What I’m more concerned about, though, is what’s going to happen to that sweet little creature?”

“Oh, Smoochum?” Toni asked. “We’ll probably have to start shooing it away from the shoot. It’s sad, you should have seen the way its little face would light up whenever we’d bring out any of the outfits. But, it was one thing to let it run around when all it did was get in the way occasionally. Now that Krysta’s upset with it there’s not much else we can do. Now, if you girls will excuse me, I need to figure out where I’m going to find a bottle of sparkling mineral water around here.” Toni quickly rushed off, leaving Applejack and Rarity to stew in their indignation.

“Well, this is just a plum rotten predicament,” Applejack fumed. “Even if that little thing was makin’ a nuisance of itself, kickin’ it out like that just ain’t right.”

“It’s a great deal more than just ‘not right’,” Rarity said adamantly. “This is an injustice that I simply cannot stand for, and I’m going to do something about it.”

“Like what? Ah hate to say it, but Ah’m not really sure there’s all that much we could do here,” Applejack said. “Ah mean, Ah guess we could try and talk to that Georgette lady and try to get her to change her mind about the whole mess, but from the sounds of it they weren’t all that keen on keepin’ that Smoochum ‘round regardless.”

“Oh, I don’t have any attention of trying to change her mind,” Rarity replied. “I have something quite a bit different in mind.”

*********

It didn’t take long for the pair to track down where the Smoochum had run off to, a spot on the rise of the mountain overlooking the photoshoot. The Smoochum itself was simply sitting along and tearfully staring down at the shoot. The forlorn Pokémon was so engrossed in it sadness that it failed to notice Applejack and Rarity approaching until the latter sat down on the grass next to it.

“I hope you don’t mind if I join you,” Rarity said. At first, the Smoochum didn’t seem to recognize Rarity, regarding her sudden appearance with cautious confusion. After a moment or two, however, Smoochum suddenly realized who Rarity was and attempted to flee, only to promptly trip and fall face-first into the dirt. “Oh dear, here, let me help you,” Rarity said as she scooped Smoochum up in her arms and began wiping its face with a handkerchief. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you like that. I just wanted to speak with you for a bit, is that alright?” Smoochum, somewhat caught off guard by this turn of events, simply nodded its head. “As I understand it, you have been spending a great deal of time trying to make yourself useful at the shoot, and I’m guessing there’s a particular reason for that, isn’t there?” As Smoochum slowly nodded its head once again, Rarity responded with a warm smile. “Believe it or not, I know what its like to want to become part of the fashion world, and I also remember how hard breaking into it can be. The truth of the matter is, I’m quite a bit more than just some ‘talented amateur’, as Georgette put it, despite my being on this island being something of an unplanned vacation, I still could use the aid of an assistant…if you’re interested, that is.” Smoochum looked up at Rarity in shock as it processed what Rarity had just said, before leaping up and embracing with its stubby arms. “I take it you’re interested then? Fabulous!” While Smoochum continued to hug her, Rarity pulled out one of her Poké Balls and held it up to the affectionate Pokémon. Once Smoochum noticed, it promptly reached out and tapped the ball, allowing itself to be drawn into the ball and captured.

“Y’all really plannin’ on keepin’ that little thing around?” Applejack asked, having witnessed the entire exchange. “Ah’m not sayin’ Ah don’t think it’s not a good thing y’all are doin’, it’s just Ah’, not so sure that little critter’s really up to bein’ an assistant is all.”

“Honestly, Applejack, there’s no need to worry so much. I have plenty of experience dealing with creatures whose desire to help can outstrip their ability,” Rarity replied.

“Sweetie Belle?” Applejack asked in a knowing tone.

Rarity nodded. “And Spikey-Wikey, to a lesser degree. He can be wonderfully helpful to have around, if given proper direction. When he doesn’t have that, well, you’ve seen what that can be like yourself.”

Before Applejack could respond, however, an angry voice called out from further down the hillside. “YOU! I, like, knew I recognized you two from somewhere. You’re those two grody trainers I ran into at that junkheap Pokémon Center!”

“Aw horseapples,” Applejack groaned. “And here Ah thought we might’ve been able to get clear of here without runnin’ into her.”

“I, for one, don’t see why we still can’t,” Rarity sniffed, making certain to speak just loudly enough that Krysta would be able to hear her. “After all, it isn’t as though she’s of any real importance.”

“Okay, first of all, I can totally see what you’re doing, and it’s not going to fool me,” Krysta huffed as she continued to trudge up the ridge. “You’re just pretending not to care that I’m here because you don’t want me to know how, like, totally jealous you are of we.”

“Er, no, we really don’t care –” Rarity started to say before Krysta cut her off.

“Second, you should be jealous. Once this shoot is done and the world sees how fantastic my Floofykins is, I’ll be famous!” Krysta crowed.

“Well, y’all sure as hay weren’t gonna get famous fer yer battlin’,” Applejack snarked, causing Krysta to stare daggers at her. “What? Y’all can glare at me all y’all want, missy, but Ah sure as hay didn’t break much of a sweat kickin’ yer patootie last time we ran into each other, and Ah’m willin’ to be not much has changed on that front.”

“You – you only won that fight because that little garbage munching mutant you caught was, like, freakily strong or something,” Krysta countered. “If you had, like, used a normal Pokémon then you’d have never won like that.”

“Is that a fact?” Applejack said before Rarity put out her arm to stop her.

“Now, now, darling, you’ve already had your turn humiliating this insufferable brat. I think its only fair that I should have a go at it. Besides, I feel I owe her for the horrible way she treated Smoochum,” Rarity added.

“Seriously? You’re actually going to try fighting me over the dumb little whatever it was? Oh my god, I cannot even. Well, if you want to lose that badly then alright. Go, Floofykins!” Krysta tossed her Poké Ball into the air, revealing Floofykins to be a poodle-like Pokémon, its carefully coifed fur styled on its head and tail to resemble pink hearts.

Furfrou, the Poodle Pokémon. Historically designated as the guardians of the kings of the Kalos region, this Pokémon’s thick fur protects it form its enemies’ attacks. Many will compete to style Furfrou’s fur in elaborate ways.

“Huh, that doesn’t really tell us too much we couldn’t figure out just by lookin’ at it,” Applejack said as she finished listening to her Pokédex’s assessment.

“Regardless, I already know exactly how I plan to deal with this,” Rarity said with a vicious glint in her eyes. “Go Golett1”

Krysta scoffed at the sight of Golett as it emerged from its Poké Ball. “I knew you were tacky, but, like, seriously? You’re actually going to try and beat me with that stupid-looking antique? Floofykins won’t even have to, like, get its fur dirty to beat it. Charge Beam!” Growling obediently, Floofykins opened its mouth as arcs of static electricity flashed along its teeth. Moments later, Floofykins fired a bright beam of crackling electricity directly at Golett…who seemed to barely even notice the attack.

“I would appear that you and your ‘Floofykins’ are a bit out of your depth,” Rarity said with an evil grin. “On that note, Golett, darling, would you kindly use you Bulldoze attack?” Nodding its head, Golett stomped down on the ground with one of its feet, sending out a shockwave through the ground that sent Floofykins toppling onto its side.

“Come on, Floofykins, get up!” Krysta yelled impatiently before turning her attention back to Rarity. “I was going to, like, you know, go easy on you, but now I’m getting serious. Floofykins, Headbutt!” As Floofykins staggered to its feet, however, lowered its head and charged straight towards Golett.

Golett, however, simply pivoted on one of its legs as Floofykins charged past, effortlessly dodging the attack. Floofykins did its best to spin around and attempt another charge, but Rarity was already prepared. “Golett, Mega Punch.” Floofykins, already running full tilt at Golett, had no hope of dodging as Golett drove its glowing fist into its face.

“Alright then, I’ll try something else,” Krysta said through tightly clenched teeth. “Floofykins, use Attract!” Pulling itself up once again, Floofykins turned to once side and winked at Golett, sending a barrage of yellow hearts flying through the air. Engulfed by the hearts, Golett regarded Floofykins for a moment before tilting its head to once side in confusion.

“Darling, you do realize that a plan involving using feminine wiles to charm an automaton has a significant flaw, don’t you?” Rarity asked as Krysta sputtered in incoherent fury. “Regardless, Golett, dear?” Another Bulldoze, fi you please. And, follow that with another Mega Punch.” Golett obliging stomped its foot once again, firing off a second shockwave that knocked Floofykins off its feet and sent it tumbling forward, straight into a Mega Punch-powered uppercut. This second blow sent Floofykins flying backwards until it landed on the ground unconscious.

“Looks like yer Floofykins has just about had it,” Applejack said with barely suppressed smug satisfaction.

“You-you-you cheated!” Krysta shrieked as she stomped her feet in impotent rage.

“I did no such thing. It isn’t my fault you skills at battling are as rotten as your personality,” Rarity retorted.

“As Krysta attempted to compose herself enough to form some sort of intelligible response, a voice called out from the base of the slope. “Krysta, where are you? We need you and Floofykins for the fitting and the preliminary shots.” Moments later, Georgette and Toni could be seen rushing up the slope towards the group. “There you are,” Georgette said. “I realize you’ve found this to be a trying experience, but – what happed to your Pokémon?” The battle against Golett had left Floofykins in a sorry state. In addition to having its face bruised and battered by repeated punches, Floofykins’ coat was now filthy ad bedraggled from repeatedly crashing into the dirt.

“The long and short of it is Krysta decided to pick a fight she weren’t ready to win,” Applejack said.

“You got into a Pokémon battle right before our shoot was supposed to start?” Georgette cried out.

“Uh…yeah, so?” Krysta replied uncertainly. “I mean, its not like its that big a deal, right? Just have, like, the stylist and makeup person fix everything up and stuff.”

Toni knelt down beside Floofykins and shook his head. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but this is going to take a lot more than a shampoo and a bit of foundation. We can take Floofykins back to the first aid tent to get patched up, but there’s no way we’ll be able to have it ready for the shoot in time.”

“I see,” Georgette replied solemnly. “Well, that’s a shame. Toni, once you get Floofykins back to the first aid tent, I want you to let that Luxray’s trainer know that it will be taking Floofykins’ place in the shoot.”

“What?” an outraged Krysta screeched. “Can’t you just, like, delay the shoot or something? When daddy hears about this-”

“I’m afraid your father made his stance on the matter quite clear when he agreed to sponsor us,” Georgette said sternly. “He explicitly forbade us from delaying the shoot for the sake of any of the models, with absolutely no exceptions. That’s why we had to be so certain that every model had understudies ready to go, including Floofykins.” Despite Georgette’s best efforts to remain impassive while telling Krysta this, Rarity could still see a faint gleam of satisfaction in her eyes.

Krysta, meanwhile, faced with the fact that her primary leverage against Georgette had been turned against her, was left largely speechless. As it slowly dawned on her that there was no help or sympathy forthcoming from anyone present, Krysta let out a guttural scream of frustration and recalled her Pokémon. “This isn’t over,” Krysta snarled at Rarity. “I will get you back for this, just you wait.” Krysta’s threat was undercut, however, as when she spun around to angrily march off Krysta lost her footing and went tumbling down the hill into a mud puddle.

“Why do Ah get the sense that ya’ll really enjoyed that?” Applejack asked.

“After spending that last several days having to put up with that arrogant little brat, I’d say I’m entitled to at least a touch of schadenfreude at how things have turned out,” Georgette replied. “Speaking of how things have been turning out today, I don’t suppose either of you have seen where Smoochum ran off to? That wasn’t really how I wanted to end things with it and I wanted to make sure it would be alright.”

“Well, if you’re looking to apologize to the little dear…” Rarity said as she pulled out Smoochum’s Poké Ball.

“You caught it?” Georgette exclaimed before looking relieved. “I see. That’s probably the best way this could have turned out, to be honest. Smoochum should be much happier in the long run with a trainer that has the time to look after it properly. Now, that said, my dear, if you ever decide to get serious about your designs then please look me up. I’m always on the lookout for talented amateurs who might make good assistants.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline,” Rarity said. “My friend and I really do need to reach the Javik League Institute of…what did Ms. Spectra call it again?”

“Hay if Ah can remember, sounded like the sort of gobbledygook word Twilight’d use. Basically the place with the cable car that goes down the mountain,” Applejack said.

“Oh, good lord, the Institute,” Georgette groaned. “Well, that’s still a fair distance away, so I won’t keep you. Just, one word of warning before you go. Be careful who you make eye contact with when you go there. The researchers there can be rather…odd.”

“We’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” Rarity said as she turned to leave. Despite nothing in Rarity’s voice suggesting that there was anything wrong, Applejack noticed a faint twitch in the corner of Rarity’s eye that told her it would be best for them to leave as quickly as possible.

“Hey, sugarcube,” Applejack began once the pair were safely out of earshot. “Is there somethin’-”

“A ‘talented amateur’?” an indignant Rarity practically shouted. “‘Assistant’? The nerve of that woman! Once we have this…situation fully sorted out I’m going to come back here and show that woman what this ‘talented amateur’ can do!”

Applejack, meanwhile, simply smiled and nodded her head.

Comments

[CarolMAssphault]

I get the training part, but why do you always have them catch Pokèmon in their weakest form? Why not have them catch a legendary, or an evolved Pokèmon, or something? Show some originality, man! This is no different from the other stories like this. Trainer starts, catches Pokèmon in their weakest form, then evolves them. Same old, same old. I just get tired of seeing the same thing over and over again.

[CarolMAssphault]

However, you could have one of the girls catch an Eelektross, like, next chapter or a really nearby chapter. It's one of only two Pokèmon without any type weaknesses, and it would be a Pokèmon in the final stage of its evolution, thus solving the problem of only raising unevolved Pokèmon that I mentioned in my previous comment. In addition, it would be ahead of the rest of whichever girl gets it's Pokèmon team in terms of evolution. Why train a Pokèmon from the ground up to be powerful when you can train one that's already strong to be super-powerful?

[invinible]

I seen some spelling mistakes in there and a grammar mistake. And I don’t feel like using a fine-tooth comb to go back to pinpoint them.

[Xanderfox]

10768003
Because catching final form pokemon and legendary Pokemon makes the hero's overpower. Also it makes no sense, HOW could newbie trainers start out with Fully Evolved Pokemon or Legendary Pokemon from the get go? I take it you play Pokemon purely for competitive play and see the story as an annoyance keeping you from getting to the PVP battling? Lore as superfluous details you couldn't care less about? Well that's not the point of a story like this, it's about exploring the world, the characters over coming struggles, and getting home. This isn't a story about winning a contest, and it's not abut becoming powerful. Also quite honestly nothing but a series of high level battles does something terrible, it makes what should be exciting moments monotonous and unsatisfying.

[CarolMAssphault]

10816261
While what you say has some truth to it, I just find it more exciting that way. Besides, who said that it needs to battle all the time? Just having it out of its pokéball at all times and it traveling with them would probably both draw surprise from others, and it would constantly be out for telepathic conversations if it were something like a Mew.

[Xanderfox]

10816720
Well like I said, it makes no sense they would start with just pokeballs, insufficient to catch full evolutions or legends. Note in the anime only a small handful of trainers have legendary Pokemon and none are newbies, they have strong teams they trained from the bottom up. It's because they characters are started at square one in this story, you can have a story where they aren't, but it's been established came in as rookies, rookies start with low level Pokemon.

[PPEF1]

wow. holy crap. i've never seen a story that has taken 4 years to publish. not only does it have 150,000 words, it's also has the incomplete tag meaning there's till more to add to. i haven't read the story but i can tell that you worked really hard on it, clearly. i'm impressed.

[readsponies]

You have Rarity refer to Georgette calling her a "talented amateur" before she actually does. Guessing the scene got moved.