My Little Pokemon

by Alabenson

Accidental Villainy

“Oh. Thank. Celestia!” After their disastrous attempt at taking the cable car down the mountain and the subsequent trek through the forest they had landed in, the sight of the humble Ferrum Village looked like an absolute paradise to Rarity. “Applejack, darling, I do realize that we’re in something of a hurry, trying to catch up with Pinkie and Fluttershy, but I’m going to have to insist we stay the night here before moving on. I am in desperate need of a long shower, a hot meal, and a night’s rest in a proper bed.”

“No arguments here,” Applejack replied. “After nearly crashin’ down a durn mountain Ah could use a bit of rest mahself. Besides that, we’re gettin’ a bit light on supplies, and restin’ in town fer a bit would give a chance to stock back up.”

“Applejack, what an excellent idea! I can’t say this town looks to be the sort of place with a proper beauty supply store, but I’m sure I can make do with—”

“Actually, why don’t Ah handle buyin’ the supplies while y’all head to the Pokémon Center and get our rooms sorted out? That way y’all will have plent of time to get a shower and rest a bit before we get some grub,” Applejack suggested quickly.

“Hmm, that does sound rather tempting. Are you sure you won’t mind handling the shopping on your own?” Rarity asked.

“Naw, its fine,” Applejack said with complete sincerity. The fact that taking care of the shopping by herself would ensure that they wouldn’t be making the journey to Aquarius City with a load of beauty supplies instead of food and medicine wasn’t a detail worth mentioning.

“Splendid! Shall we meet at the Pokémon Center in – oh, you know what? Take all the time you need. I know time can just seem to fly by when you’re perusing, and I’d hate to make things stressful for you. Just head to the Pokémon Center once you’re finished.”

*********

“Flyin’ by nothin’, Ah’d bet mah favorite hat Rarity just wanted some extra pamperin’ time,” Applejack chuckled to herself as she left the grocer with a freshly loaded backpack. “Then again, Rarity sure does love her fancy shops and such, so she might’ve been serious. Either way, Ah think Ah’ll have a look around the place after Ah restock at the pharmacy. Ain’t like we’re gonna be in much of a rush ‘till tomorrow.” Though normally Applejack would have been hesitant to accept a delay like this, she knew Rarity well enough to realize that trying to push forward would likely cause more problems than it would be worth. Besides which, after the near catastrophe that had been their experience on the cable car, Applejack needed a rest every bit as much as Rarity did.

It certainly didn’t hurt that Ferrum Village was the sort of quaint town that reminded Applejack just a bit of home. The various stalls hawking food and souvenirs wouldn’t have been totally out of place in Ponyville’s market, and her general impression of the people there was that they were by and large cut from the same small-town cloth as she was. There were, of course, a few key differences between Ferrum Village and Ponyville. Such as the fact that the streets of Ponyville were seldom blocked off due to an impending Pokémon battle.

“I don’t even know why a pipsqueak like you would bother trying to challenge me,” one of the trainers, a massive man in a black leotard and red and black mask said. “The Masked Mountain is unstoppable. After Throh snaps that string bean of a Pokémon of your in half, we’re gonna do the same to La Mariposa herself.”

“You’re never going to take over the dojo, because Sawk and I are going to stop you right here,” declared the second trainer, a young boy with black spikey hair and a blue outfit similar to the one Applebloom had worn when she had taken karate lessons.

Curious as to what was going on, Applejack squeezed her way into the crowd that had formed around the two trainers and their Pokémon. “So, what the hay’s all this about, anyway? Sounds like the two of these fellas have some sort of history goin’ on.”

“They sure do,” one of the spectators said. “The Masked Mountain over there got kicked out of La Mariposa’s gym for having his Pokémon fight dirty, and Kenji over there was the one who caught him. So now, the Masked Mountain’s planning on beating Kenji to prove he’s stronger before challenging La Mariposa herself.”

“Yeah, but there’s no way the Mountain will beat La Mariposa,” another spectator scoffed. “Not unless he cheats, anyway. Hey, Mountain! You suck!” Several of the other spectators joined in on this cry as well, shouting insults at the Masked Mountain, who laughed it off derisively.

“This whole town is full of nothing but whiny little weaklings. No wonder you fit in so well here, Kenji. After I’ve taken the dojo over, I think I’ll have to clear out the trash in the rest of the village, too.”

“You’ll never get the chance! Sawk, use your Low Sweep attack!” Kenji’s Pokémon, a rocky-skinned, blue humanoid in a white robe, charged forward and kicked out at the legs of its opponent, a similarly dressed squat, orange humanoid.

“Hah! You’re too predictable. Throh, use Circle Throw!” As Sawk’s kick struck Throh, Throh winced in pain but immediately grabbed onto Sawk’s leg and yanked Sawk off the ground. Using the momentum of the grab, Throh proceeded to rapidly spin Sawk around in a circle. Suddenly and without any warning, Throh released its grip and sent Sawk flying through the air, straight towards Applejack. Applejack barely had time to think before Sawk slammed into her, sending her crashing to the ground and causing the contents of her backpack to go spilling out over the ground.

“Oh crud. Miss, are you alright?” Kenji said as he rushed over to check on Applejack.

“Yeah, Ah’m fine,” Applejack grunted as she rolled out from underneath Sawk. “To be fair, Ah really shoulda known by now that watchin’ a Pokémon battle up that close wasn’t such a good idea. Ah don’t mean to be a bother, but could someone give me a hand gatherin’ up these—” As Applejack pulled herself upright, one of her Poké Balls fell free of her jacket and rolled out onto the ground. A small part of Applejack’s mind marveled at the way she could tell precisely which of her Pokémon said ball contained, despite the lack of any apparent clues on its outside. The majority of Applejack’s mind, however, was a bit more preoccupied with which particular Pokémon the ball happened to contain, particularly as the ball came to an abrupt halt and started wriggling around. Applejack scarcely had time to let out a groan before the ball split open and its occupant came bursting out.

“SpiriTomb!” A brief moment of silence ticked by as the crowds registered Spiritomb’s sudden appearance, and then the marketplace descended into complete chaos. Panicked onlookers ran in every direction in a desperate attempt to flee, all the while Spiritomb looked on laughing maniacally at the sight.

“Dagnabbit,” Applejack sighed in frustration as she watched the scene unfold before her. “And y’all think all this is just hilarious, don’t y’all? Well, laugh it up while y’ can, ‘cause yer goin’ straight back into yer ball.” Snatching Spiritomb’s Poké Ball off the ground, Applejack attempted to recall the mischievous Pokémon before it could cause anymore havoc. Spiritomb, however, seemed to have other ideas as it darted out of the way of the Poké Ball’s beam, laughing hysterically all the while. “Consarn it, y’ durn crazy cloud of smoke, get back here before y’ cause anymore trouble than y’ have already!” Ignoring Applejack’s cries, Spiritomb raced through the narrow streets, cackling madly as it led Applejack down own twisting alleyway and then another. Eventually, however, Spiritomb found itself staring down an alley that terminated in a dead end, with a fuming Applejack standing right behind it. “Ah hope y’all had yer fun, ‘cause now y’all are getting’ back. In. Yer. Durn. Ball! Return!” With nowhere else to run, Spiritomb had no hope of dodging the Poké Ball’s call this time, and in moments it was safely back inside its ball. “There. Finally. Now Ah just gotta get mah things together, and maybe then Ah can make it to the pharmacy before anythin’ else—”

“Halt evildoer!”

“Aw horse apples,” Applejack groaned, the faint glimmer of hope she had had of the rest her day being uneventful vanishing. Turning around, Applejack found herself facing a tall, masked woman dressed in a pink leotard. “Now just who in the name of Celestia are y’all supposed to be?”

“I am La Mariposa, warrior of justice, protector of the innocent and defender of this village! I had heard there were troublemakers wreaking havoc in the marketplace, and what do I find when I arrive? A villainous trainer spreading fear and panic with her malicious Pokémon!”

“Villainous? Now, just hold on a second there, Ah ain’t no villain,” Applejack protested.” The only reason Spiritomb got loose in the first place was Ah got knocked down while a couple of other fellas were battlin’ in the middle of the street. Heck, Spiritomb didn’t even really do nothin’ wrong after it go out. Everybody just started runnin’ ‘round panickin’ once they saw it.”

“A likely story,” La Mariposa scoffed. “Tell me, though, what is an ‘innocent’ trainer doing with such a malevolent Pokémon in the first place?”

“Well, that’s kind of a long story. And besides which, Spiritomb ain’t…well, malevolent seems a might harsh. Ah mean, Ah’ll admit it ain’t exactly the best-behaved Pokémon Ah’ve ever met, but it ain’t the worst by at least a few,” Applejack said as she wracked her brains to come up with a good defense of her behaviorally challenged Pokémon. “Ah wonder if this is how Fluttershy feels whenever she has to defend Discord. Anyway, the point is, Spiritomb didn’t hurt nobody, and fer that matter it weren’t tryin’ to hurt nobody. If people start raisin’ a ruckus just ‘cause the see a Pokémon then y’all can’t really blame the Pokémon fer everythin’.”

“I will admit that you do make a reasonable point,” La Mariposa reluctantly conceded after taking a moment to consider what Applejack was saying. “That said, there are very few trainers who would carry a Pokémon such as that one with them, and even fewer who would do so who were not up to something nefarious. With that in mind, what exactly brings you to Ferrum Village?”

“To be honest, Ah’m really just passin’ through,” Applejack said. “Me and mah friend are tryin’ to get to Aquarius City to catch up with two of our other friends, and we mostly just stopped here to resupply. Originally Ah was thinkin’ of tryin’ the gym leader here, but after the whole business we had with the cable car—”

“Wait, you know what happened to the cable car?” La Mariposa asked with sudden interest. “We could see its collapse from here, but we haven’t heard any news about what had happened.”

“Well, to make a long story short, a couple of real rotten apples have been chasin’ me and mah friend all over this durn island, and they caught up to us on the cable car. Ah’m pretty sure one of ‘em cut the cables when the other couldn’t beat us head on. Anyway, we were able to get the car far enough down the line that nobody got too hurt when we finally crashed, so there’s that at least,” Applejack added.

“So, you were on the cable car when it crashed, but the crash was caused by some other villain? I don’t suppose you were able to capture the ones responsible for all this?” La Mariposa asked.

“Ah hate to say it, but both of ‘em got away, at least as far as Ah know. The one who cut the cables was up at the top near that institute place, so they might’ve caught him, but the other one snuck off right after the crash while we were busy makin’ sure everyone was alright,” Applejack admitted.

“And are any of the other passengers here who could confirm all of this?”

Applejack was forced to simly shrug her shoulders. “Probably, Ah’d imagine. To tell the truth, Ah wasn’t really watchin’ where everybody was headed to after the crash, but Ah’d guess at least some of ‘em headed here, what with this bein’ the nearest town and all.”

“So, in other words, the crash was caused by villains trying to strike at you, but they somehow escaped in the aftermath. And you don’t know where any of the other passengers who could confirm your story could be,” La Mariposa said.

“When y’all put it like that it makes it sound like Ah’m spinnin’ some sort of tall tale, but that there’s the honest truth. If y’all really needed somebody else to ask, then mah friend Rarity should still be back at the Pokémon Center, but Ah’m guessin’ that if y’all are that suspicious of me then y’ probably ain’t gonna take her word neither,” Applejack said.

“True, I would be hesitant to take the word of your traveling companion as a sign of your good character, but I believe there is a better option. You mentioned that you were participating in the League’s gym battles, correct?”

“Yeah, that’s right, and Ah’ve got two badges so far to prove it,” Applejack replied with a hint of pride.

“Excellent. In my opinion, the best way to judge a person’s character is to face them in battle. Therefore, as the leader of the Ferrum Village Gym, I shall accept your challenge, and our battle shall provide the truth of who you are!”

*********

“Well, so much fer gettin’ to take it easy today,” Applejack muttered to herself as she stood across an outdoor arena from La Mariposa. The eccentric gym leader had insisted that their battle take place in public for reasons that Applejack was too mentally exhausted to try to parse. As far as Applejack was concerned, the exact details were La Mariposa’s prerogative anyway. Besides which, years of living in close proximity to Pinkie Pie had taught Applejack that sometimes the best way to deal with crazy was to just go along with it. Regardless, the prospect of a public gym battle had attracted an impressive crowd around the edges of the field.

“As this shall be your third badge, this will be a three-on-three battle,” La Mariposa declared. “The other rules shall be the same as your previous battles. Are you ready?”

“As ready as Ah’ll ever be. Let’s just get this over with, Ah’ve still got some shoppin’ to do at the pharmacy when this is all over,” Applejack replied as she pulled out her first Poké Ball.

“Very well then. To start, I will choose you, Hitmonchan!” La Mariposa tossed out her first Poké Ball, unveiling a brown, humanoid creature wearing a purple tunic and sporting a pair of boxing gloves. The moment the creature appeared it began energetically bouncing from one foot to the other with its firsts raised in front of it in a fighting stance.

“Welp, Ah can probably guess what this one’s all about. Ah think Ah’ll start things off with…Grotle!” La Mariposa couldn’t help but smirk a bit as Grotle appeared on the field opposite her Hitmonchan.

“I can appreciate your willingness to meet my Hitmonchan head on. It is an honorable decision, but we’ll soon see if it was a wise one. Hitmonchan, start this battle with your Comet Punch!”

“No point in tryin’ to get fancy with this one, Grotle. Just blow the varmint away with yer Razor Leaf!” Hitmonchan was the first combatant to react to its trainer’s command, launching itself forward as its arms seemed to disappear into blurs of color as it fired off a flurry of punches. Grotle, however, weathered the barrage showing more indifference than anything else as the bushes on its back began to glow. Once it was ready, Grotled fired a blast of leaves from the bushes directly at Hitmonchan, forcing Hitmonchan to stagger backwards as it tried to protect itself from Grotle’s counterattack. “Now that’s how y’ do it! No fancy footwork or anythin’ like that, just good, old fashioned grit and firepower!”

“Your straightforwardness is a virtue, but one with a double-edge to it,” La Mariposa said. “Technique has a potency all its own, allow us to demonstrate. Hitmonchan, use Mach Punch!” Hitmonchan nodded and pulled its arm back, as its right fist became suffused with a bright blue light. It then snapped its arm forward as though it were punching the air, sending a glowing blue fist-shaped blast of energy streaking through the air straight into Grotle’s face. Once again, however, while the attack left Grotle bruised it appeared to do little else to damper Grotle’s spirit.

“With all yer talk about technique yer startin’ to sound like mah friend Rainbow Dash. She’s always been the type to put a little too much faith in fancy-lookin’ tricks, too,” Applejack said. “Yer Hitmonchan got us beat on speed, no use arguin’ that, but sometimes y’all don’t need to outrun somethin’ if y’ can out tough it instead. Grotle, time to break out yer Curse!” As Applejack called out her order, Grotle glowered at Hitmonchan while red energy began to emanate out from its shell.

“I’m starting to wonder if your straightforwardness would be better called stubbornness,” La Mariposa observed.

“Y’all sure as sugar wouldn’t be the first one to call me that,” Applejack quickly fired back.

“I imagine so. Regardless, we’ll soon see who can outlast who. Hitmonchan, another Comet Punch!”

“If that’s the game y’all wanna play, then that’s fine by me. Come on, Grotle, finish it off with another Razor Leaf!” Grotle steeled itself as Hitmonchan charged forward yet again, its arms already pistoning out as it unleashed yet another rain of blows down upon Grotle. Even as Hitmonchan battered it, however, Grotle fired back with a storm of leaves that forced Hitmonchan back. For a moment, the two Pokémon stared each other down while breathing heavily, until finally Hitmonchan toppled over unconscious.

“It would appear that you’ve left my Hitmonchan unable to battle,” La Mariposa said as she recalled her Pokémon back to its ball. “I will admit, that is no small accomplishment. Don’t think, however, that defeating me will be quite that simple.”

“Ah know, y’all’ve got two more critters fer me to get through before this is over, so lay off yer jawin’ and send the next one of ‘em out already,” Applejack said.

“Very well. Hawlucha, go!” As Hawlucha took Hitmonchan’s place in the arena, Applejack quickly assessed her new opponent.

“Huh, this one kinda reminds of those masked wrestlers at that show Rainbow Dash dragged me to. Welp, no matter, if it wants to try grapplin’ with Grotle then Ah sure don’t plan on makin’ things easy fer it. Grotle, give that thing a taster of yer Razor Leaf! Try not to let it get in too close!” Applejack called out.

“A wise goal, but one that will be far outside your grasp. Hawlucha, use Aerial Ace!” Hawlucha nodded its head and seemingly vanished from sight, even as Grotle began firing another barrage of leaves.

“Now how the hay are we supposed to fight somethin’ that can just up and vanish like that?” Applejack complained, at the same time scanning the arena for any trace of her opponent. Grotle seemed to share its trainer’s frustration as it sent leaves flying in every direction in a vain effort to strike its target, but this accomplished little other than forcing several spectators to duck behind cover. The mystery of where Hawlucha had disappeared proved to be short-lived, however, as without warning it reappeared right in front of Grotle before slamming it in the side of the head, sending Grotle toppling over. “Consarn it, tusslin’ with that Hitmon-whatsit must have taken more out of Grotle than Ah thought,” Applejack groaned as she recalled Grotle to its Poké Ball. “Well, if Grotle weren’t tough enough to handle this, then maybe…Aron! Time to go to work!” As Aron took to the field there were a few murmurs among the crowd regarding its appearance, but La Mariposa herself seemed unimpressed.

“Your Aron is certainly unique-looking, but a striking appearance won’t be enough to achieve victory here. Hawlucha, demonstrate your strength with a Karate Chop!”

“If y’all want strikin’ then Ah think we can oblige y’. Aron, give that thing yer Iron Head attack!” Aron nodded once before pawing at the ground and charging forward, the top of its head glowing white as it thundered towards Hawlucha. Once Aron had sufficiently closed the distance with its opponent it launched itself into the air, aiming straight for Hawlucha’s head. This, however, proved to be the moment Hawlucha had been waiting for, and right before Aron’s attack connected Hawlucha brought its hand down directly onto Aron’s head. The force of the blow turned Aron’s headfirst charge into a midair somersault, however Aron still retained enough forward momentum to crash into Hawlucha’s midsection. The impact sent both Pokémon tumbling to the ground, and as the two pulled themselves back up it became clear that Aron was worse off for the exchange. While Hawlucha may have appeared to have been left winded by its collision with Aron, Aron could only barely pull itself upright.

“As I said before, brute force and a flashy image will only take you so far. Hawlucha, give it another Karate Chop and finish this,” La Mariposa commanded. Applejack scarcely even had time to shout out a warning before Hawlucha rushed over to Aron and delivered a swift chop to the back of Aron’s neck, sending it collapsing back to the ground unconscious.

“Welp,” Applejack sighed as she recalled Aron back to its ball. “Ah was really hopin’ it wasn’t gonna come down to this, but it doesn’t look like Ah’ve got much of a choice. Go Spiritomb!” Audible gasps of horror could be heard from the people watching the battle from the sidelines as Spiritomb appeared on the field, which prompted the sinister Pokémon to start cackling manically. “Alright, laugh all y’all want, just behave yerself. We’ve got a battle to win here and Ah’m countin’ on y’all.”

“Placing your trust in a creature like that? I cannot say I’m all that impressed with your judgement. Still, I can’t afford to be careless. Hawlucha, Roost!” As Applejack watched, Hawlucha wrapped its arms around itself and knelt down while a green light surrounded its form.

“Huh, well if y’all want to take a break from fightin’ than Ah think Ah know a way we can help y’ with that. Spiritomb, try usin’ yer Hypnosis on that critter.” Chuckling evilly at its master’s apparent sense of humor, Spiritomb’s eyes began to glow red as it stared at Hawlucha. Hawlucha, however, didn’t appear to notice the attack as it continued to kneel.

“Trickery like that will be a wasted effort! Hawlucha—” Before La Mariposa could even finish her sentence, Hawlucha topped over to one side and began snoring loudly. “—has fallen asleep and is unable to battle,” La Mariposa concluded sourly as she recalled Hawlucha to its ball. “Clearly, I have underestimated your capacity for more underhanded strategies.”

“Underhanded mah foot! The whole goal of these battles is to knock the other critter out cold, and Spiritomb did that about as straightforward as y’all could ask fer, and without really hurtin’ the other critter in the process!” Applejack countered. “It’s not our fault yer Hawlucha couldn’t resist takin’ a nap in the middle of a fight.”

“If that is how you want to justify yourself than so be it, but a mere crude trick like that isn’t going to be enough to defeat my next Pokémon. Meditite! Come forth and strike this villain down!” Despite the crowd’s cheers as Meditite took to the field, Spiritomb seemed unimpressed with its opponent, which Applejack immediately took note of.

“Seems like y’all ain’t all that intimidated by our competition there, are y’, partner?” Applejack asked as she rubbed the Z-ring on her wrist. “Well, what do y’all say we give these folks a real show to end things on?” Spiritomb let out a dark chuckle at this, which quickly swelled to yet more maniacal laughter.

“Whatever you think you’re plotting, I assure you that it will fail. Meditite, unleash your Hidden Power!” Meditite nodded its head as it put its hands close together, forming a glowing ball of green light between them before firing it directly at Spiritomb. While the attack scored a direct hit, Spiritomb scarcely seemed to even notice, continuing to laugh evilly as though nothing had happened.

“Y’ know, Ah’m startin’ to get a mite tired of y’all accusin’ us of plottin’ and villainin’ and such. Ah’ve tried to be as nice about this as Ah could, but at this point Ah think nice is just gonna have to take a break fer a bit,” Applejack said, her Z-ring flaring to life as she spoke. “Now, let’s get this whole mess over and done with. Spiritomb! Never Endin’ Nightmare!” Golden light streamed forth Applejack as she completed the last movements of her Z-move, rapidly disappearing into Spiritomb’s form. As the last motes of light vanished, a palpable darkness seemed to flow out from the keystone hanging beneath Spiritomb, which quickly covered the entire floor of the arena. Meditite tried to pull its feet free of the shadows, which formed into a tar-like morass, but as it did so a multitude of hands rose up around it and engulfed it in a ball of utter darkness. As Meditite vanished from view, unnatural purple lights could be seen emanating out from inside the ball until, without warning, the ball silently detonated leaving Meditite lying crumpled up on the arena floor. Throughout the entire process, Spiritomb’s mad laughter had continued unabated.

“Clearly, I was mistaken in my assessment of your abilities, if nothing else,” La Mariposa said coldly as she recalled her unconscious Meditite to its ball. “And, as you have defeated my third and final Pokémon, I must, as gym leader, recognize you as the victor of this battle.”

“Yeah, that’s just dandy,” Applejack grunted, holding her head in her hand as the scattered protests of a handful of the spectators echoed in her mind. The injustice of the situation she was in had suddenly swelled from a minor annoyance to a source of frustration so severe it felt like it was giving her a migraine. She hadn’t done anything wrong, really just stood there as everyone around her had panicked, and yet here she was being treated like some sort of monster! The unfairness of it all made Applejack want to show the self-righteous buffoon in front of her, along with all of the idiotic sycophant onlookers, just what a monster really looked like, even if it meant risking being locked back up in that blasted keystone!

“Applejack, are you alright?” the sound of Rarity’s voice caused Applejack’s eyes to snap open as she turned to see her friend standing right next to her.

“Rarity? When the hay did y’all get here?” Applejack asked as she tried to set her thoughts back in order.

“Oh, I was in the crowd watching your battle, very well done, by the way. But, it looked as though you were in a bit of distress right after you used that Z-move of yours,” Rarity added. “If I recall correctly, Spectra did warn you about using that move with…” Rarity glanced over towards Spiritomb, which was aimlessly flying about the arena, occasionally chuckling to itself as the bystanders pulled back in fear.

“Yeah, Ah think that move took a bit more out of me than Ah was expectin’,” Applejack said as the fog over her mind finally started to clear. “Ah’m not sure it was quite as bad as Miss Spectra warned it could be, but it was definitely somethin’. Anyway, Ah think Spiritomb’s had enough fun fer one day,” Applejack said wearily as she recalled Spiritomb to its ball. “Well, that’s one bit of trouble taken care of, at least. Now Ah just gotta deal with this other one.” Rarity followed Applejack’s gaze towards La Mariposa, who was striding across the area towards them.

“As I said earlier, regardless of my feelings about how you managed to defeat me, the fact remains that you were victorious in even combat. Therefore, as Leader of the Ferrum Village Gym, I hereby present you with the Justice Badge, as well as a piece of Fightinium-Z,” La Mariposa said as she held out a small box.

“Well, you certainly don’t seem particularly happy about the situation,” Rarity pointedly observed as Applejack accepted the box. “And what, precisely, do you mean by ‘how’ Applejack defeated you? I can’t say I saw anything about that battle that looked all that different than any other battle I’ve seen.”

“And who are you?” La Mariposa asked as she turned her attention from Applejack to Rarity.

“She’s a friend of mine, the one Ah told y’all about earlier,” Applejack replied. “Y’know, the one y’all wouldn’t be likely to believe if y’all talked to her about that business with the cable car on account of her bein’ mah friend.”

“Is that what all this fuss is about?” Rarity asked incredulously. “Well, if you won’t take my word vouching for Applejack, then why don’t you try asking one of the other trainers who were on the car with us? I’m sure they’d be happy to tell you about what happened.”

“Y’all actually know where some of them are?” Applejack asked in surprise, prompting Rarity to roll her eyes.

“Where do you think most of them headed as soon as they got clear of the wreckage? The Pokémon Center her is full of them. Honestly, we’re exceedingly lucky to have gotten a room there, it’s so full. We almost didn’t, but then this very charming young lady allowed me to reserve the last room available after she recognized me from the cable car and – well, the point is, there’s quite a few people in town right now that can vouch for the fact that we were the one’s working to prevent the disaster as opposed to causing it.”

“I see, so Miss Applejack was telling the truth then,” La Mariposa said before taking a deep breath and turning back to Applejack. “It would appear as though I owe you an apology. I had treated you as a criminal when it seems the opposite was true. I hope that you can forgive me for my behavior.”

“After the day Ah’ve had, Ah’m willin’ to say all’s well that ends well and just leave it at that,” Applejack replied. “Mah name’s clear, Spiritomb should have gotten the troublemakin’ out of its system, and Ah’ve got mah third badge to boot. With all that, Ah’d don’t really have it left in me to stir up anythin’ else.”

Comments

[GamePlayer64]

“Trickery like that will be a wasted effort! Hawlucha—” Before La Mariposa could even finish her sentence, Hawlucha topped over to one side and began snoring loudly. “—has fallen asleep and is unable to battle,” La Mariposa concluded sourly as she recalled Hawlucha to its ball. “Clearly, I have underestimated your capacity for more underhanded strategies.”

What the? Ash's Corphish fell asleep with Slugma's Yawn but wasn't declared unable to battle.

[Alabenson]

11283881
The anime's never really been consistent with that, sometimes a Pokemon falling asleep or even just refusing to battle has been treated as a loss, and I went with that approach since leaving a comatose Pokemon in to be beaten up has always seemed a bit cruel. Also, I established that precedent back when Rainbow Dash fought against Mandrake for her second badge (that was the sole reason Skarmory didn't sweep that entire fight).

[invinible]

The types for the Mercury City gym are running out.

We know it isn't: bug as that is the Aurum Town gym's type, rock as that is the Keystone City gym's type, normal as that is the Faunaville gym's type, ground as that is the Mesa Town gym's type, poison as that is the Belladonna Town gym's type, dragon as that is the Drakefang Monastery gym's type, ghost as that is the Chateau Fantome's type, water as that is the Aquarius gym's type, grass as that is the Florasburg gym's type, physic as that is the Javik League Institute of Parapsychology's type, fighting as that is the Ferrum Village gym's type, dark as that is the Umbral Circle gym's type, or flying as that is the the Alumina gym's type. That leaves fire, electric, ice, steel, and fairy as the remaining possible types the Mercury City gym could be. And based on the pokémon used in the gym, I'm lending towards either electric or steel.

[Xanderfox]

11284015
Isn't it also kind of Maraposa's call as a Gym leader too if she considers her pokemon sufficiently disabled? Gym leaders do have some leeway in decided if the opponent earned the badge.

[ANW]

11289889
It has already been established it was a steel type.
In the first interlude, Scootaloo was given the steel type Z-Cystal.

An during Applejack and Rarity's first chapter, we saw the last bit where an Excadrill was used against the challenger.