My Little Pokemon

by Alabenson

Into the Oven

“Is it bigger than a breadbox? Is it smaller than a breadbox? Is it a breadbox? Is it bread?”

“We’re here!” Derek exclaimed in absolute joy, putting an end to Pinkie Pie’s game of Twenty Million Questions. “We’re finally here! I have never been so happy to see Port Maganese in my entire life.”

“It’s certainly…um…well, it’s…” Fluttershy began as she searched for the best words to describe the city laid out before the group.

“It’s a giant industrial dump,” Derek said, sparring Fluttershy the need to find a diplomatic way to state the obvious. “In fairness, the place does have a lot of practical value. The power plants here supply energy to most of the island, and none of the other ports are really equipped to handle large scale shipping like Maganese is. It’s just, there’s a definite difference between something being important and useful versus something being pleasant.” Fluttershy nodded her head at this in understanding.

“It’s just like in nature. There are plenty of things that are important for everything to work right, but even I can’t say I like all them,” Fluttershy said, thinking back to the time her friend Benny the buzzard had offered her some fresh carrion to eat. “I definitely can’t say I like all of them.”

“Well, at least as far as we’re concerned, the important part of Port Maganese is the fact that this is where the Fire-type gym is located,” Derek said.

“And that’s where I’m going to get my next badge! Woo! Gym battle!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she broke into a sprint without warning and started dashing down the road towards the city.

“Wow, Pinkie’s really excited to get her next badge,” Fluttershy said, as much to herself as to Derek.

“Sure looks like it,” Derek agreed. “Still, we should probably head to the local Pokémon Center before going to the gym. It generally isn’t a good idea to try challenging a gym leader when your Pokémon aren’t well rested.”

“I guess it’s probably a good thing Pinkie Pie doesn’t actually know where the gym is, then,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah…um, Fluttershy? What are the chances that Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense could help her track down the gym?” Derek asked. Watching Fluttershy’s expression as she pondered the question for a few moments, Derek found he had the answer without needing Fluttershy to respond. “We should probably hurry and catch up to her before she does something reckless.” Fluttershy nodded her head, and the pair dashed off to catch up to their friend.

*********

“Of course I was going to go to the Pokémon Center before I tried taking on the gym, silly,” Pinkie Pie said as she, Fluttershy, and Derek sat around a small table in the center’s lobby. “I mean, trying to take on a gym battle when your Pokémon are tired would be like trying to throw a birthday party when you don’t have any cake.”

“That…actually, you know what? I misjudged you, Pinkie, and I apologize,” Derek said. “So, once your Pokémon are done being treated, I’m guessing you’ll want to head over to the gym?”

“Yup. I mean, its not like there’s going to be some sudden emergency that we’ll need to deal with before I can have my gym battle, right?” Pinkie Pie said. While Fluttershy nodded her head in hopeful agreement, Derek winced and began nervously glancing around the room,

“Um, Derek, you don’t really think an emergency is going to just jump out at us because Pinkie said something like that, do you?” Fluttershy asked. “I know it can seem as though saying things like that can make them happen, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t really work like that.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Derek admitted as he settled back into his seat. “I mean, it would be a pretty crazy coincidence if some emergency suddenly snuck up behind us right after Pinkie Pie said something like –”

“Pardon me, Mister Derek, sir? Gym Leader Ignatius requested that I come to find you. There’s a bit of a minor emergency at one of the power plants that we could really use your help with.”

“OH COME ON!” While Derek loudly lamented the universes apparent dedication towards aggravating him, Pinkie and Fluttershy took stock of the new arrival. Standing directly behind Derek was a nervous-looking young man wearing a dark-red jumpsuit and clutching a clipboard in front of him as though were a shield.

“You’re from the guy here?” Pinkie Pie asked. “How did you know we’d be here? And how does the gym leader know Derek? Let me guess, Derek and the gym leader both used to train at the same gym, but then—”

“Pinkie, I can guarantee that whatever you’re about to say is not actually the case,” Derek said, though Pinkie continued her reciting her increasingly dramatic fantasy unabated, before addressing the newcomer. “What I’m curious about is what exactly is going on that Ignatius can’t handle on his own? And that’s so bad that he’d feel the need to bother me about it?”

“Well, the truth is, there’s a bit of a situation at the main geothermal plant. Normally, Mister Ignatius would have handed the issue himself, but we got word from Ferrum Village that you were probably going to be passing through and…this sort of thing is kind of your specialty.” Derek heaved a sigh before turning to Fluttershy and Pinkie.

“Well, whatever this is, we’re probably going to need to deal with it before Pinkie can have her gym battle. So, with that said, who’s up for a field trip?”

“Ooh! Ooh! Me! I am!” Pinkie exclaimed, practically bouncing out of her seat in excitement as she waved her hand in the air.

“If Pinkie wants to go, then I guess I should probably come too,” Fluttershy added as the group rose and started to follow the messenger. “Though, I do have one question. What’s a geothermal plant?”

“It’s a type of power plant, one that uses the heat from under the earth to generate electricity,” Derek explained. “This is the most volcanically active part of the island, so the geothermal plans we use are all located here.”

“Wait, are you saying we’re over a volcano right now?” Fluttershy asked in sudden alarm.

“Well, technically sort of, but not really. We’re over magma chambers, be we have ways of keeping the magma where it is for the most part, and we have systems in place to vent the magma into the ocean if we really need to,” Derek explained. “Of course, that all depens on everything working properly, so if something has gone horribly wrong then someone would need to deal with the situation. Specifically, it should be Ignatius dealing with this, but apparently that would be to much to ask for.”

“It sounds like you’re a little upset with the gym leader here,” Fluttershy said, to which Derek sighed.

“If there’s a problem with the plant, then it would his responsibility to handle it. A gym leader shouldn’t be running off to the league for help unless things are really serious, and I have a sinking suspicion this isn’t that kind of problem.” Whatever Derek thought the problem was, he wouldn’t say, which unfortunately left the question to Fluttershy’s imagination. By the time the group had reached their destination, the pegasi-turned-Pokémon trainer was frantically trying to think of how best to flee from an erupting volcano. The fact that neither Derek nor Pinkie seemed especially worried did little to calm Fluttershy’s nerves, and unfortunately neither of her friends seemed to quite notice her impending panic attack. Pinkie Pie was to busy staring awestruck at the various industrial buildings they passed, and Derek appeared entirely focused on getting the entire business over with as quickly as possible. As the group approached the front gates of one particularly large building, Derek increased his pace and headed straight for a bespectacled, middle-aged man standing near the entrance. “Alright, Ignatius, what’s going on that’s so serious you needed to bother me about it instead of handling it yourself?”

“Ah, Derek! I understand your frustration with the circumstances, and normally this would be something I’d have handled myself, but—” Ignatius paused as he noticed Pinkie and Fluttershy hurrying up behind Derek. “Pardon me, young ladies, this is a—”

“Those two are friends of mine, you don’t need to worry about them,” Derek interrupted. “Well, actually you might want to worry a little about the one who’s bouncing around like a Spoink. That’s Pinkie Pie, and she’ll be challenging you for her third badge once this is over. Which brings me back to my original question, what exactly is ‘this’ anyway?”

“Ah, yes, well—” Before Ignatius could finish, the building’s PA system squealed to life.

“Yo yo yo yo, it’s yer boys from Team Skull, the hardest boneheads around, comin’ at ya’ from this power plant’s control room!”

“That’s right! Femur here! Me and my boy Ribcage here have taken over, so you suckers better get ready to listen to our demands, because we’ve got all the power now!” As the PA system turned back off again, Derek turned to Ignatius with a look of what could be charitably called disappointment.

“You know,” Derek said as he pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “I’m honestly having trouble deciding what bothers me more; the fact that you allowed the plant to get taken over, or the fact that the plant has been taken over by those two. How did they even manage to get access to the plant’s control room, anyway?”

“They haven’t,” Ignatius replied. “The room that the pair have barricaded themselves inside of doesn’t contain any equipment aside from the PA setup. It wouldn’t be an issue at all, except for the fact that they’ve been constantly using the system to broadcast whatever seems to come to their minds. The workers simply can’t concentrate with the nonstop barrage of nonsensical demands and, frankly, amateurish rapping.”

“So, it’s less that they’re dangerous and more they’re being annoying,” Derek concluded

“At least they’re consistent,” Fluttershy said.

“I can’t really argue with that. Anyway, that still doesn’t explain why you haven’t been able to deal with them yourself. I’ve run into these two before, and they’re not exactly—”

“Smart?” Pinkie Pie suggested.

“Scary?” Fluttershy added.

“I was going to say competent, but all of the above, to be honest,” Derek said. “The point is, this really shouldn’t be a situation that a gym leader needs to call in backup for.”

“Well, it isn’t so much that I don’t feel that I could deal with them so much as the plant’s foreman has requested that I find some other way of resolving the situation that doesn’t entail direct action on my part. It seems he has some concerns about my ability to avoid…if I recall correctly, the phraseology he employed was ‘catastrophic collateral damage’.”

“In other words, you can’t be trusted to handle the situation without burning down the plant in the process,” Derek said with an exasperated sigh. “Alright, fine. I’ll figure something—”

“I’ve got an idea!” Pinkie Pie suddenly exclaimed. “I know exactly how to get those two out of there, no problem!”

“Really? Well, all right then, Pinkie, show us what you’ve got,” Derek replied, causing Pinkie’s face to light up with joy.

“Wow! You’re really going to let me try my idea out, just like that? Well, don’t you worry, I’ll have those two taken care of faster than you can say ‘sarsaparilla syrup’!” Pinkie immediately dashed off into the power plant before anyone could utter a word of protest.

“Are you sure that was such a good idea?” Fluttershy asked once Pinkie had vanished from sight. “Pinkie Pie’s my friend, but I’m not really sure just letting her run off is such a good idea. Especially if there’s anything important and breakable where she’s headed.” Derek however, simply shrugged his shoulders.

“Eh, what’s the worst that could happen?” Fluttershy said nothing to this, not that she needed to. The silent look that Fluttershy gave Derek said far more than any verbal response possible could have. “I’m guessing I probably don’t want to hear the answer to that, do I…ah well, this should at least be fun to watch, no matter how it turns out.”

*********

“Aw man, dude, this has got to be the best idea we’ve had yet!” Femur crowed as he leaned back in the office chair he was sitting in and rolled away from the PA console.

“You know it! Takin’ over this place is some old school, super hard bonehead level stuff. Hey, what do you think the boss is gonna say when he hears how we took over a whole power plant? I’ll bet he’s gonna be all “You two really are the hardest boneheads in Team Rocket’ or somethin’ like that. Only, he’d say it a lot classier and stuff.” Ribcage paused and drummed his fingers on a nearby table for a moment before continuing. “Hey, I’m gettin’ kinda hungry. You mind if I make these losers bring us some lunch or somethin’?”

“Sounds good to me. Make them get something for me, too,” Femur said as he lazily spun around in the chair.

“No problem,” Ribcage replied as he cleared his throat before switching on the microphone. “Yo yo yo, it’s yer boy Ribcage here, and I got another order fer all you lame suckers workin’ at this plant. I want you to hustle and get us some grub up in here, and it better be tasty. Otherwise…uh, well…well, I’m gonna take pity on you losers and not even say what we’d do. ‘Cause if I did tell ya, every last one of ya would be havin’ nightmares just from hearin’ it. So hurry up and make with the grub already!” Ribcage switched off the PA before collapsing back into his own chair and rolling over towards Femur. “Hey man, quick question. What exactly are we supposed to be threatin’ these fools with, anyway?”

“You know, man, that we’ll trash this place and stuff,” Femur replied, though he didn’t sound particularly sure himself. “I mean, all this electronic junk looks pretty important. I bet if we trashed this place it would, like, totally mess up the poser for the whole island or something.”

“Oh, yeah. Hey, do ya think we could use this stuff to send more power to the boss or somethin’? That’d be like some super hard stuff, takin’ over this place and stealin’ the power.”

“Yeah! We just got to keep the losers from figuring out that we’re sending the power to Team Rocket so the boss doesn’t get all mad. Maybe if we—” a sudden knock at the door interrupted Femur’s plotting.

“Cupcake delivery!” a bright voice called out from the other side of the door.

“Cupcakes? Man, I thought I told those fools to get us some lunch, not dessert,” Ribcage grumbled.

“I don’t know man, cupcakes for lunch sounds pretty good to me. Plus, you’ve got to give it to those losers, they sure got the fast part down,” Femur said as he headed to the door, which was blocked off with a desk and several file cabinets. Femur proceeded to pull the desk back just a bit, enough to crack open the door and peer outside. Standing in front of the door was a pink-haired girl, somehow sporting a large, bushy mustache and holding a platter of cupcakes in front of her. “Man, those things actually look really good. So, uh, just put the cupcakes down and buzz off, alright?”

“Put them down? Are you sure? There really isn’t anyplace for me to put them except the floor, and cupcakes aren’t nearly as good once they’ve been on the ground. If you open the door I could bring them in for you,” the delivery girl offered.

“Uh, hold on a minute,” Femur said before shutting the door. A brief argument in hushed tones could be heard coming from inside the room, quickly followed by the sounds of a desk being dragged away from the door. Moments later, the door opened again, this time all the way as Femur stood in the doorway. “Alright, now hand over those cupcakes and scram. We’re working on some serious bonehead business in here.”

“Oh, I’ll give you the cupcakes…but that’s not all you’ll be getting! Go Munchy! Hold that door open!” Femur was forced to leap back as the delivery girl tossed out a Poké Ball that unleashed a Snorlax that completely filled the doorway.

“What the heck? Not cool!” Ribcage protested as he saw what was happening. “Who even are you, anyway?”

“You expected a cupcake delivery girl, but it was me, Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie declared as she tore off her fake moustache with a flourish. “And now, Munchy and I have another delivery for you; a big heaping serving of justice!”

“Aw come on, this is so uncool,” Femur wailed. “How’re we supposed to run wild when the good guys are even sneakier than we are!”

*********

“…So, then they complained a bit more, but neither of them really wanted to try fighting Munchy, so they agreed to leave,” Pinkie Pie explained.

“And you let them keep the cupcakes?” Derek asked.

“Of course, I’m not a monster,” Pinkie Pie replied, sounding shocked that that was even a question. “They might be annoying and troublemakers, but not even those two deserve to be denied cupcakes. That would just be cruel.” As Pinkie Pie shuddered at the sheer malice required to deny someone delicious baked goods, Ignatius spoke up.

“Well, regardless of how it was accomplished, the fact remains that it’s thanks to Miss Pie that we’re finally able to operate the power plant again without any further issues. And, with that all resolved, I believe there was some mention of your wishing to challenge my gym, is that correct?”

“Yup, I’m ready to win my next badge,” Pinkie Pie declared. “So, where do you have your gym? Ooh, let me guess, is it in a volcano with the field surrounded by lava and the battles are all dramatic but then the volcano starts to erupt and we’re all ‘we have to get out of here’ but our Pokémon are like ‘no, not before we finish this’ and then—”

“Is she always like this?” Ignatius asked as Pinkie Pie continued her stream of conscious fantasy uninterrupted.

“Yes,” Fluttershy and Derek replied in unison.

“Ah, well, in any event, if you could all follow me, I will be happy to take you to the Port Maganese Gym, which I’m sorry to say is not in fact located inside a volcano, and we can take care of your gym challenge there.”

“—and then he’d be all ‘haha, this isn’t even my final form’ and then—oh, are we going to the gym now? Yay!” Pinkie Pie cheered before skipping after Ignatius while Derek and Fluttershy followed behind.

“You know, I’m not sure which is scarier,” Derek said. “The fact that I was actually able to follow what Pinkie was babbling about, or the fact that it was actually starting to sound pretty interesting.”

“It wasn’t bad,” Fluttershy replied. “But I think it would have been even better if it had had more giant robots.”

*********

It didn’t take long for the group to reach their destination, which indeed was not a volcano, much to Pinkie Pie’s disappointment. Instead, the gym was housed in a massive industrial building that practically seemed to radiate heat.

“Our gym doubles as a fully functioning steel mill,” Ignatius said proudly as he led the group in through the front gates. “When properly utilized, the heat generated by Fire-type Pokémon produces some of the finest metal available, and at only a fraction of the usual cost and energy requirements. Plus, the process lends itself well towards creating an environment that many Fire-types find quite agreeable.”

“Really?” Fluttershy said somewhat dubiously as she looked at the soot-covered, metal structure.

“Oh yes. Many Fire-type Pokémon tend to favor habitats with active volcanic activity, so the elevated temperatures and the soot don’t really bother them.”

“I see. Nature really is fascinating.” Ignatius continued to talk with Fluttershy about the Fire-type Pokémon who lived and worked at the gym as he led the group inside, clearly thrilled to have someone show any interest in what he had to say. Fluttershy, however, was the only member of the group actually paying attention to Ignatius’ expounding on how the Pokémon had adapted to living in a man-made structure. Pinkie Pie was far too distracted by virtually everything about the gym’s interior to pay much attention to anything Ignatius was saying, and Derek was too preoccupied with keeping Pinkie from bouncing off into something red-hot or otherwise dangerous. As such, both were taken a little by surprise when the group came to a halt in a particularly massive room.

“If I recall correctly, this will be your third badge, will it not?” Ignatius asked.

“What? Oh, yeah. This’ll be badge number three alright,” Pinkie replied, giggling a bit at her rhyme as she continued marveling at the room the gym’s arena was housed in. Despite the battlefield being just as large as the ones Pinkie had seen in other gyms, it scarcely occupied a third of the space in the room. A wall of pipes and metal supports separated the arena from the rest of the room, but a massive array of heavy machinery could still be seen churning away just beyond. Of particular interest to Pinkie were a series of large metal crucibles that were being hoisted through the air. Each one was ponderously moved down towards a large metal structure, where it would be carefully tipped over, depositing a glowing river of molten metal into the device.

“It is all quite impressive, isn’t it?” Ignatius said with a hint of pride. “If you would like, I’d be happy to give you and your friends a full tour of the facility after our battle. But for now, though, perhaps we should proceed with the task at hand. As this will be your third badge, we’ll be having a three-on-three match. Do you have any questions before we proceed?”

“Nope, I’m good,” Pinkie Pie said, already preparing to send out her first Pokémon.

“Splendid. In that case, to begin, I shall send out Fletchinder!”

“Alright, Twenty Three, you’ve got this!” As Twenty Three took to the field, Derek raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll give Pinkie Pie this, you really can never predict what she’s going to do next.”

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, between Toothy, Munchy and Lombre, Pinkie could probably wrap this battle up pretty easily. Instead, she sends out Twenty Three of all Pokémon. A Growlithe isn’t necessarily a terrible choice here, mind you, but I wouldn’t exactly call it conventional.”

“That’s Pinkie Pie for you,” Fluttershy said as the trainers began shouting orders to their respective Pokémon.

“Fletchinder, start things off with your Peck attack,” Ignatius commanded as he watched Twenty Three carefully.

“A peck? We can do better than that. Come on, Twenty Three, show them your Bite attack!” Twenty Three gave a ruff of affirmation as it readied itself to face Fletchinder’s attack, glowering at the fierce bird as it circled overhead. At first it didn’t appear as though Fletchinder noticed Twenty Three’s stare, but as it dove down to attack it appeared to falter for just a moment, stalling in the air and losing much of its momentum as a result. Fletchinder quickly found its nerve and followed through with its attack, delivering a quick jab with its beak to Twenty Three’s shoulder. The loss in speed, however, meant that Twenty Three had little difficulty in clamping its jaws down on Fletchinder’s midsection in retaliation.

“Fletchinder, another Peck attack! Quickly!”

“Don’t let that mean old birdy beat you, Twenty Three! Take it down with Take Down!” Spurred on by its trainer, Fletchinder proceeded to frantically stab at the side of Twenty Three’s face. Twenty Three, however, was undeterred by his as it charged forward, still holding Fletchinder tight in its jaws, until it crashed headfirst into the side of the arena.

“Oh boy, this doesn’t look good,” Derek said as he watched both Pokémon stagger upright, Fletchinder now free from Twenty Three’s grasp.

“What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked.

“I just realized that this matchup has Pinkie Pie at a major disadvantage. Here, just watch, you should see what I mean in just a moment.”

“Fletchinder, use Roost before that mongrel has a chance to assault you again!”

“Mongrel? That does it! Twenty Three, get in there and give it another Take Down!” Fletchinder promptly hunkered down on the floor as it became suffused with a green light. This, unfortunately, rendered it an easy target for Twenty Three, who came barreling towards Fletchinder at top speed before crashing into it with enough force to send both Pokémon tumbling across the ground.

“Are you sure Twenty Three’s the one who’s having problems?” Fluttershy asked as they watched the two Pokémon pull themselves back up. “It looks to me as though Twenty Three’s doing a bit better.”

“Twenty Three has been more aggressive, and yet it’s just as beat up as Fletchinder is,” Derek pointed out. As Fluttershy looked closer at the two Pokémon, she realized much to her shock that Derek was correct. Despite having launched more devastating attacks than its opponent, Twenty Three was teetering back and forth on its paws, as if it had been the one taking a beating. “Twenty Three’s best offensive option right now is Take Down, but that attack takes a tool on the Pokémon using it. And, since Fletchinder can heal itself with Roost, that means that unless Twenty Three can find some other way of attacking, Fletchinder can just wear it down. If her expression is anything to go by, I’d say Pinkie’s probably already figured it out herself.” Sure enough, Pinkie was watching the two combatants with narrowed eyes and a look of intense concentration as she plotted her next move.

“Okay, Twenty Three, try taking another Bite out of that birdie.”

“Fletchinder, get in the air and use your Peck from above. Just stay clear of that thing’s head!” Twenty Three moved in swiftly, trying to reach its target before it could escape, but Fletchinder was too fast for it. Fletchinder shot into the air, well out of range of Twenty Three’s snapping jaws, before wheeling back around and diving in to deliver a vicious jab to Twenty Three’s hindquarters. Twenty Three reacted faster than Fletchinder expected, however, quickly spinning around and biting at the fiery bird as it went past. While Fletchinder was able to avoid becoming trapped in Twenty Three’s jaws yet again, it still lost several of its feathers in the process. “Good work, Fletchinder. Now, retreat and Roost again!”

“Oh no, not this time buster,” Pinkie Pie said with a sudden glint in her eyes. “Okay, Twenty Three, this time we’re gonna try something new. Use…Reversal!” Twenty Three raised its head and let out a howl in response as a bright orange and gold burst of energy exploded out of the ground around it. The glowing energy swiftly wrapped around Twenty Three as it charged towards Fletchinder, turning Twenty Three into a streaking comet. Fletchinder scarcely even had time to process what was happening before Twenty Three collided with it in an explosion of energy that sent Fletchinder tumbling across the floor of the arena. “Way to go Twenty Three! Nothing’s gonna be able to stop us n—huh?” Pinkie’s cheers of victory were cut short as she watched Fletchinder unsteadily pull itself back to its feet. “Oh come on!”

“It would appear you’ve underestimated Fletchinder’s resilience,” Ignatius smirked. “Now then, Fletchinder—”

“Another Peck attack,” Derek muttered under his breath in a bored tone.

“—another Peck attack!”

“Oh yeah? Well, Twenty Three will just use another Bite attack! So there!” Pinkie declared as she stuck her tongue out at Ignatius. Once again, both Pokémon charged full force at each other to exchange attacks, Fletchinder delivering another strike to Twenty Three’s shoulder and receiving a nip to its side in return. As the two turned back around to face each other once again, it became plainly obvious that the extended fight was taking its toll on both Pokémon. Each was breathing heavily and struggling to stay upright, though neither seemed quite ready to give up just yet. “Just hang in there, Twenty Three, we’re still in this! All we need to do now is—”

“Fletchinder! Quick Attack!” Pinkie barely had time to blink before Fletchinder seemingly vanished from sight, only to reappear directly behind Twenty Three. For a moment it seemed as though nothing had actually happened, but then Twenty Three toppled over onto its side, unconscious. “I’m afraid it appears that your Growlithe has been left unable to battle,’ Ignatius said.

Pinkie Pie sighed as she recalled Twenty Three to its Poké Ball. “It’s alright, Twenty Three, you did a great job. But, as for you,” Pinkie Pie said as she looked up angrily at Fletchinder. “No more Miss Nice Pie. Go Munchy!” The entire building seemed to shake as Munchy landed inside the arena, performing a few quick stretches as it waited for its trainer’s orders.

“Fletchinder, use Roost before that thing has a chance to attack!”

“Not this time! Munchy, that birdie just beat up Twenty Three real bad, so I want you to use Body Slam!” Munchy looked down at Fletchinder upon hearing this with a glare of cold fury before abruptly launching itself into the air and belly flopping down on top of Fletchinder. After a moment or two, Munchy ponderously stood back up to reveal that Fletchinder was now lodged firmly within Munchy’s stomach fat.

“I think I can safely say that Fletchinder is no longer able to battle,” Ignatius said as he recalled Fletchinder. “Perhaps we should see if your Snorlax can handle fighting something more its own size. Go Turtonator!” Igantius’ next Pokémon looked like a six-and-a-half-foot tall turtle, its jagged, spiked shell a vivid riot of reds and yellows. The unarmored portions of its skin were more of a greyish green, but Pinkie could only catch glimpses of them as it was careful to keep its shell facing towards Munchy. “Now we’ll see how your Snorlax handles an opponent who’s equipped to withstand its bulk. Turtonator, use Iron Defense.” Turtonator nodded its head as it seemed to tense all of its muscles. Moments later, a blue aura began emanating out from its body, while its shell started to glow with a bright white light.

“Ooh, shiny,” Pinkie said before quickly shaking her head. “Careful, Pinkie, this is no time to get distracted. That shell is probably bad news, so we’ll need a way around it. Wait, I know! Munchy, use Metronome!”

“You’re doing what now?” Ignatius asked with a mixture of concern and bewilderment as Munchy lifted its arms above its head and began waving them back and forth. A few tense seconds ticked by as Munchy’s fingers started to glow white, until suddenly Munchy pointed both fingers straight up as the glow vanished. A split second later, a furious waterspout erupted over Munchy’s head, which then twisted to surge forth and envelop Turtonator as Munchy pointed down towards its opponent. While Turtonator was able to keep itself from being washed away by the attack, it was clear that it was a struggle to do so.

“Alright then, let’s try going on the offensive. Turtonator, use Incinerate!” As the water continued to swirl around Turtonator, it looked over its shoulder at Munchy and scrunched up its snot before firing out a large ball of glowing fire. The attack ripped through the raging water and slammed directly into Munchy’s unprotected belly. Despite the ferocity of the attack, however, Munchy scarcely seemed to even notice it, absentmindedly scratching its belly as it stared blankly at Turtonator.

“You’re going to have to do a lot better than that if you want to beat me and Munchy,” Pinkie Pie crowed happily. “And now…another Metronome!” Once again, Munchy lifted its arms up and began swaying them from side to side as it prepared to attack. This time, when Munchy stopped waving its arms, its hand erupted in a brilliant white light and Munchy promptly charged forward at full speed. Once Munchy was close enough, it began frantically swiping at Turtonator’s neck. However, between the difficulty in getting around the spikes on Turtonator’s shell and the water still swirling around from Munchy’s previous attack, all Muncy could really do was flail about ineffectually.

“A Guillotine attack? It would appear your luck cut both ways that time. Regardless, Turtonator! Use your Smog attack! If a direct attack won’t work, then we’ll just have to wear it down gradually instead.”

“Well, if Metronome is a dud…Munchy! Give it one of your Body Slams!” Munchy obediently backed away from Turtonator to give itself room for a running start as Turtonator craned its head over its shoulder. Keeping its eye on its surprisingly quick opponent, Turtonator took a deep breath before exhaling a dark cloud of noxious vapor right into Munchy’s path. Munchy, however, charged through the smoke without pause before leaping into the air and tossing itself onto Turtonator’s back. Turtonator crumpled under the force of the impact, collapsing onto its stomach with a thunderous crash. Even so, Munchy’s attack wasn’t a complete success as Munchy was quickly forced to pull back from its opponent due to the spikes on Turtonator’s back. “Uh ow, sorry Muncy. I guess we should save the Body Slams for a Pokémon who’s a little less pokey. We’ll just stick with Metronome for now, alright?”

“Well, don’t think for a moment that I’m going to make it that easy for you. Turtonator, we’ll start with another Iron Defense, and then—Turtonator?” To Ignatius’ alarm, Turtonator was struggling to even move as Munchy readied its next attack, once again charging forward before wildly slashing at Turtonator’s shell with its claws. By the time Turtonator’s shell finally started to stiffen and glow, Munchy had already left several deep scratches in its surface.

“Woo! That’s right, Munchy, bright it home with another Metronome!” Pinkie chanted in an impromptu cheer, complete with a set of pompoms.

“Where did you get those—actually, you know what, never mind, there are more important things to deal with right now. Turtonator, use another Incinerate. We’ll wear it down eventually, one way or another.”

“Come on, Munchy! Get those arms up and wave around like you just don’t care! Metronome!” Pinkie cheered as Munchy once again waved its arms above its head until suddenly stopping, this time its eyes glowing bright blue. Nothing else seemed to happen, however, and Turtonator took the opportunity to turn around and launch another ball of fire into Munchy’s midsection.

“Good work, Turtonator. Now, follow that up with a—”

“Munchy, quick!” Use Body Slam before it has a chance to turn back around and point all its spikey bits at you again!” Still suffering from the aftereffects of Munchy’s previous Body Slam, Turtonator could do little more that watch in abject horror as Munchy thundered across the arena floor before throwing itself forward and tackling Turtonator to the ground. As Munchy rolled back off its opponent, Turtonator could be seen twitching on the ground, the spikes on its shell having been forcefully embedded into the ground.

“I suppose that was the inevitable outcome,” Ignatius said as he recalled Turtonator back to its ball. “This is far from over, however. Prepare yourself to face my final Pokémon…Numel!” Despite Ignatius’ best efforts at injecting drama into its unveiling, his final Pokémon appeared far from intimidating. The doleful expression of the small, camel-like creature was more pathetic than frightening, and even Munchy seemed unsure if it was supposed to fight Numel or give it a hug.

“Is that really supposed to be your last Pokémon?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I mean, you can switch it out if you made a mistake, I don’t mind.”

“Oh, I assure you there was no mistake here. While Numel may seem harmless, I assure you, you will soon learn to fear the destructive power of its flames. Numel! Are you ready?” Numel did its best to look fierce as it glared at Munchy, but it still came off as more adorable than ferocious. Pinkie’s coos at the rather unthreatening display quickly faded once she noticed that the Z-ring on Ignatius’ wrist had started to glow brightly. “Now then, prepare yourselves for Numbel’s true power! Inferno Overdrive!” As Ignatius roared out the attack name, a torrent of golden light streamed forth from his body, flowing towards Numel and vanishing into a hole on its back. Numel continued to absorb the energy until it was completely contained within itself, trickles of gold fire leaking out of its eyes and mouth. Numel then proceeded to turn to face Munchy before blasting out a massive gout of ire so large it nearly filled the entire arena and so loud it drowned out the orders Pinkie Pie frantically shouted out. Whatever it was that Pinkie Pie said, Munchy scarcely had time to react before the flames completely engulfed it along with the rest of its side of the field. “Finally,” Ignatius said with no small amount of satisfaction as he watched the aftermath of Numel’s attack. “It took everything we hand, but we finally dealt with that overgrown—” The words died in Ignatius’ throat as Munchy burst forth from Numel’s flames, already airborne in a flying Body Slam aimed straight towards its opponent. Numel, still recovering from using its Z-move, could do little but watch as a half-ton of Snorlax came crashing down on top of it. “H-how?” How is that thing still standing?” Ignatius sputtered as Munchy pulled itself back up and plucked Numel out from an indent in its stomach. “Alright, Ignatius, calm down. As durable as that thing is, it clearly isn’t going to be able to maintain this battle for much longer. All Numel has to do is—” Even as Ignatius plotted his next move, the air around Numel began to shimmer as bright blue ripples formed in the air around it. Moments later, a massive barrage of energy erupted out from the ripples, sending Numel tumbling backwards until it came to a stop several feet away, completely unconscious.

“And that, ladies and gentleman, is what a successful Future Sight attack looks like,” Derek said dryly, only just barely suppressing the urge to burst out laughing.

“Indeed,” Ignatius sighed as he recalled Numel to its Poké Ball. “And with that, you have successfully defeated my third and final Pokémon, which means you have won this battle. Congratulations.”

“Woohoo! Do you hear that, Munchy? We won!” Pinkie Pie cheered while Munchy sat down with enough force to cause the entire room to shake. “Aw, I bet you’re pretty tired after all of that battling. Well, come on, I’ll take you back to the Pokémon Center so you can get all fixed up, and then we can have a big victory dinner!” While standing back up would have been too much effort, the promise of a large meal prompted Munchy to throw its arms up in the air as it shouted for joy.

“I have to admit, your Munchy certainly earned its reward in that battle,” Ignatius said as Pinkie recalled Munchy back to its ball. “As for yourself, you have proven your skill as a trainer and therefor have earned the right to your own rewards; the Plasma Badge and a piece of Firium-Z.” As Ignatius spoke, he pressed a hidden switch on the wall, which caused a small door to open on Pinkie’s right revealing a cupboard containing a small box. Pinkie eagerly opened the box, inside of which was a badge in the form of a blue circle with a red dot in the middle along with a crimson crystal.

“Yay! That’s three badges down and five to go, and then I’ll…I’ll…well, I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do after that, but I bet it’s gonna be really fun!”

“Actually, now that I think about it, I’m not really sure what happens after we get eight badges either,” Fluttershy said while Pinkie Pie began launching into her own speculation, which as usual was equal parts stream-of-consciousness and wild fantasy.

“Getting eight badges means you qualify to take part in the Javik Leage Championship Games,” Derek said. “It’s basically a giant tournament to see who the best trainer in the region is.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy said rather unenthusiastically. “That all sounds…um…”

“Well, the championship isn’t for everyone,” Derek said. “I’d say, for most trainers, collecting badges is more about the journey and building your bond with your Pokémon than it is about trying to compete in tournaments like that.”

“That’s a relief,” Fluttershy replied. “Just going to these gyms is about as much as I can take, I don’t know if I’d want to go through a whole championship too. That just seems like much too much pressure.”

“I don’t know, I actually think it sounds like it’d be a whole lot of fun,” Pinkie said as she popped up behind Fluttershy. “Besides, just think of all the different Pokémon we could see at something like that!”

While Pinkie and Fluttershy started debating the merits of attending a championship tournament, Ignatius walked over to Derek. “I have to say, it’s rather unusual to see you traveling with other trainers, especially ones who aren’t particularly experienced. I’m guessing you must see something very special in these two.”

“They are special, just probably not in the way you’re thinking,” Derek replied. “I’m mostly keeping an eye on them as a favor for a friend. Not that I really mind, this has been some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

Comments

[Booster Spice]

Pinkies Metronome is swapping all the worst times moves with othres best timed moves, but given Pinkie, in not the worst trade off manner?

[readsponies]

it would, like, totally mess up the poser for the whole island or something.

This is one of the most ironic typos I've seen in a while.