• Published 12th Aug 2017
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My Little Pokemon - Alabenson



After a magical accident Twilight and her friends, along with numerous other ponies, find themselves trapped in the world of Pokemon.

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A Junkyard Scrap

“This is absolutely intolerable!” Rarity yelled to an overcast sky as her Piplup looked on in concern.

Rarity’s other traveling companion, however, proved to be far less sympathetic. “Consarn it, Rarity, what’re y’all on about now? Ever since we headed out from Mercury City y’all’ve been gripin’ ‘bout every little thing. Now, Ah get roughin’ it ain’t usually yer thing, but y’all could at least try and be a little positive.”

“It’s not the ‘roughing it’ part of all this that I object to,” Rarity countered. “If we were somewhere at all pleasant this wouldn’t be all that different from the camping trips we take with our younger sisters. But, here, instead of a lovely forest we have…this!” Rarity’s voice dripped with revulsion as she swept her arm across the horizon. The road the pair were traveling along cut through a heavily industrialized section of the island and the desolate landscape was littered with the rusting remains of gigantic machines unlike any either mare had ever seen before.

“Ok, Ah’ll give y’ that, the scenery ‘round here ain’t exactly anythin’ to look at,” Applejack conceded. “But complainin’ nonstop about it ain’t gonna change the situation. All y’all’re doin’ at this point is makin’ things miserable fer everypony else.”

“I suppose you do have a point,” Rarity admitted with a sigh of defeat. “I just wish our route could have taken us through somewhere more picturesque than this…this…”

“Manure pit?” Applejack offered.

Rarity wrinkled her nose. “That’s not quite the term I would have chosen, although it about matches my sentiments,” Rarity added.

“Can’t say Ah can really disagree with y’all on that account,” Applejack admitted as she kicked at the dirt. Aside from a few patches of stunted grass and weeds there hadn’t been any vegetation along the roadside, a fact which made Applejack distinctly uneasy. “There’s just somethin’ that ain’t right about a place that don’t have anythin’ growin’. Heck, Ah’ve barely even seen anythin’ livin’ ‘round here at all, ‘cept maybe those things we say swimmin’ in that pool of sludge yesterday.”

Rarity shuddered at the memory. “You mean those revolting piles of purple filth? I’ve been trying to convince myself that that whole encounter was just a bad dream.”

“Nah, Ah reckon a bad dream would a smelled better,” Applejack quipped. As the two friends shared a much needed laugh Applejack reached into her bag and pulled out her Pokédex.

“Applejack, darling, whatever are your doing?” Rarity asked.

“Well, talkin’ ‘bout those crawlin’ piles of sludge reminded me of how Ah’d been kickin’ mahself fer not scannin’ them with this doohickey here.”

“I’m not sure I’d call that a great loss. I can’t imagine that device would have anything particularly interesting to say about those creatures, except maybe a way to repelling them,” Rarity replied. “And that still doesn’t explain what you’re doing with it now.”

“The reason Ah wanted to scan the things is ‘cause Ah’ve been tryin’ to get the hang of workin’ this thing,” Applejack replied as she pressed a series of buttons. “That’s why Ah’ve been messin’ with it every night. And thinkin’ of that reminded me of somethin’ Ah saw last night –Hah! Got it!”

Rarity leaned over to peer at the screen of Applejack’s Pokédex. “That’s nice and all, but it still doesn’t answer my question as to what exactly it is that you’ve got?”

“Last night Ah finally managed to get the hang of usin’ the map on this thing,” Applejack said proudly. “Y’see, this blinkin’ dot’s supposed to us, down there’s Mercury City and over there’s Keystone.”

“Dear Celestia, it looks like we’re barely even halfway there!” Rarity wailed.

“Now hold yer horses, Rarity, Ah’m not quite finished yet. Take a look at this spot right here,” Applejack appeared to zoom the map in on the area nearby and pointed to a structure located further along their route. “It’s some sort of rest area,” Applejack explained. “Basically a Pokémon Center with extra beds and stuff fer trainers. Ah reckon they set it up so anypony travelin’ along this route could rest up and resupply. Anyway, Ah’d say we could probably make it there by tonight if we push ourselves a bit.”

“Now, when you say ‘beds and stuff’, do you mean to say that we’d be able to sleep in actual beds there? And we’d have access to a proper shower?” Rarity asked hopefully.

“That’s how Ah understand it,” Applejack replied with a grin.

“Then what are waiting for? Onward!” Rarity declared, the prospect of indoor plumbing appearing to have completely revitalized her.

*********

Applejack’s assessment as to how long it would take to reach the rest area Pokémon Center proved quite accurate, the pair reaching their destination just as the sun had begun to set. “Ah wonder how that works here,” Applejack pondered out loud.

“How what works?” Rarity asked.

“Ah was just wonderin’ ‘bout how the sun works here. Princess Celestia ain’t exactly here to take care of it like she is in Equestria and they don’t even have unicorns to do it like they did in the old days.”

“Perhaps they have some sort of Pokémon that handles it,” Rarity suggested. “Though to be honest I’d say we have more pressing concerns at the moment. Such as finally taking a proper shower,” Rarity added as she strode towards the Pokémon Center building.

The Pokémon Center itself was a large, round building of dark wood which appeared to have been built in front of a massive scrapyard. There was a large open area between the building and the rusting abandoned machines where a number of trainers had congregated. Two of the trainers were currently engaged in a battle, one’s green dog against the others monkey. While Rarity paid the battle little attention, Applejack found herself slowing down as she walked by.

“Why don’t y’all head in and get us a room,” Applejack said. “Ah think Ah’m gonna stay out here fer a bit before Ah settle in.”

“Suit yourself, darling,” Rarity called back without breaking her stride. Turning back to the battle, Applejack was surprised to see that it had already concluded, the two trainers shaking hands as the spectators dispersed. “Huh, Ah kinda figured that would’ve lasted a bit longer,” Applejack said, more to herself than anyone else.

“Eh, you didn’t miss much,” a girl with short, dark hair said. “Neither of those guys really knew what they were doing. My guess is they’re both going to wash out before they even get their fourth badges.”

Applejack shrugged in response. “Ah’d still have liked to see it, just to get a better feel fer this whole battlin’ thing. Anyway, it would’ve been more interestin’ to look at than the scenery ‘round these parts,” Applejack added.

“Yeah, this scrapyard’s not exactly postcard material, is it?” the girl replied with a laugh. “I think most of this stuff is old mining and construction equipment that’s waiting to be recycled. They leave it all out here to attract Pokémon that eat metal. The idea is that if they have plenty of scrap to eat than they won’t eat anything actually important.”

Applejack stared at the girl for a moment as she processed what had just been said. “Yer pullin’ mah leg, right? Pokémon don’t really eat metal, do they?” The other trainer simply shrugged as she rushed over to join a group headed into the center. “Then again, Ah guess it ain’t impossible that some of these things might eat metal. Heck, Spike’s eatin’ gems all the time and that ain’t all that different,” Applejack reasoned. Seeing nothing more to be gained by waiting outside, Applejack turned and headed into the center herself.

The lobby of the Pokémon Center consisted of a large, semi-circular room that likely took up at least half of the first floor by itself. Numerous tables surrounded by padded seats dotted the room and at the back of the room Applejack could see what looked like a reception desk staffed by a pink haired woman. Applejack quickly made her way to the desk, noting that many of the seating areas were occupied by small groups of trainers.

“Howdy,” Applejack cheerfully greeted the young woman at the desk as she approached.

“Oh, hello, your name wouldn’t be Applejack by any chance, would it?” The woman, who Applejack could now see appeared to be some sort of nurse, asked.

“Sure is, Ah’m guessin’ mah friend Rarity mentioned Ah’d be comin’,” Applejack replied.

The woman nodded as she handed Applejack a small, rectangular piece of plastic. “The two of you are in room 5, just head up the stairs on the left and it will be on your right?”

“Thank y’ kindly, miss,” Applejack said as she took the keycard. It didn’t take long for Applejack to locate the room she and Rarity would be staying for the night. The room itself was tiny, barely holding a pair of bunk beds and some space for their bags, but it would do for the night. Rarity was nowhere to be seen, but given the sounds Applejack had head coming from the girl’s bathroom she guessed Rarity was likely taking advantage of the shower. With nothing more pressing to deal with, Applejack flopped down onto the bottom bunk, took out her Pokédex and decided to check something.

Aron, the iron armor Pokémon. The steel carapace of this Pokémon is formed from metallic minerals that it consumes. While normally it consumes iron ore, Aron can sometimes cause problems by eating parts of bridges and rails. In extreme cases, an Aron may attack vehicles as large as a dump truck, demolishing them and eating the remains.

Applejack let out a whistle as she listened to the entry. “Sweet Celestia, Ah guess that explains why they went to the trouble of settin’ up that scrapyard then. Kinda like that vampire fruit bat sanctuary Fluttershy had me build, now that Ah think about it.”

Any further ruminations on the subject Applejack might have had were quickly set aside, however, as Rarity walked into the room with towels wrapped around her hair and torso. “I never thought I’d be so thankful to have access to a public shower,” Rarity declared as she began repacking her beauty supplies. “For what it’s worth, Applejack, apparently this center also offers a place for us to do our laundry, something that I intend to take full advantage of. I only bring it up because I thought you might want to use those facilities yourself.”

“Nah,” Applejack replied with a shrug. “Ah’ve got enough clean clothes to last me until we get to Keystone.”

“Perhaps I should make myself a bit more clear,” Rarity said frostily. “If we are going to continue traveling together than you are going to first avail yourself of the bathing facilities here and then you are going to have your clothing cleaned as well. Am I understood?” While Rarity didn’t quite possess Fluttershy’s infamous stare, the look she gave Applejack was an impressively close approximation.

“Uh, yes ma’am,” Applejack said quickly deciding that discretion would be the better part of valor in this case.

*********

“Yeah, most Pokémon Centers are gonna be located in major cities, but the league has a few standalone ones like this along some of the major routes,” a trainer said as he tossed a treat to his Pokémon, a hyperactive green dog-like creature.

“Well, I suppose that does make the prospect of traipsing all over this island a bit less unpleasant,” Rarity said. After Applejack had finished with her laundry the pair had decided to head back to the common area and socialize with some of the other trainers. While Applejack was trying to gather information as to what lay ahead, Rarity found herself put off by how the topic of conversation continually drifted back to battling. “To tell the truth, I can’t really say I have any interest in all this battling nonsense.”

The trainer who Rarity had been talking to shrugged. “Yeah, I know a few trainers like that. It’s too bad Javik doesn’t really have a contest circuit like they do back in Hoenn, you seem like the type who’d be more into that sort of thing.”Before Rarity could inquire about what these contests were exactly, a commotion at the entrance of the Pokémon Center commanded the attention of everyone present.

“Oh my God, this place is, like, literally the most disgusting Pokémon Center I’ve ever seen. Whose idea was it to set up a Pokémon Center in the middle of a junkyard, anyway?” The demanding voice belonged to a young woman who looked a year or two younger than Rarity or Applejack and was dressed in a garish mix of overly flashy clothes. “Does anyone even work here? Ugh, I can’t even…”

Applejack, who had been chatting with a group of trainers closer to the entrance, stood up and approached the girl. “Pardon me, miss, but Ah think the nurse might be in the back. If y’all’d like Ah could –“

“Whatever. Just get my gabs, will you?” the girl snapped, cutting Applejack off.

“Excuse me?” Applejack replied testily.

“Get. My. Bags. I mean, you, like, work here, right?” the girl fired back.

“Work here? Ah was just tryin’ to be helpful, y’ stuck up little –“

“Do you, like, have any idea who you’re talking to? I’m Krysta Lapidan.” When this declaration failed to elicit the expected reaction, Krysta let out a disgusted sigh. “Lapidan? As in Lapidan Mining? It’s only the biggest company on the island.”

“And what exactly makes y’all think Ah particularly care about any of that?” Applejack snorted in irritation.

Krysta narrowed her eyes and glared back angrily at Applejack before finally responding. “Ok, if you’re going to be like that then maybe we should settle this with a Pokémon battle. You and me, outside, one-on-one, right now.”

“Ladies, I’m certain there’s no need to do anything like that over a silly misunderstanding,” Rarity said as she rushed to interpose herself between the two. “Why don’t we just go our separate ways before someone does something they might regret?”

“Alright, this, like, literally doesn’t have anything to do with you,” Krysta countered dismissively. “So, why don’t you go back to whatever thrift store dumpster you got your outfit from and mind your own business?”

Rarity was completely silent for a moment after hearing Krysta’s reply, a slight twitch of her eye the only sign of any emotion. “Applejack,” Rarity finally said as she turned to her friend. “Annihilate her.”

Krysta, however, was clearly unintimidated. “Annihilate me? Wow, I, like, literally cannot even. Let’s just go outside and get this over with.”

“Sound good to me,” Applejack growled as she and Krysta headed out the door. The pair’s argument had attracted quite a bit of attention from the other trainers in the room and a large crowd quickly followed them outside.

“Just so we’re, like, clear, this is just going to be a one-on-one battle, alright? I don’t have time to fight every grody little Pokémon you have with you,” Krysta sneered as she took her place on one side of the open space in front of the center.

Before Applejack could respond, however, a small, four-legged creature with crimson eyes burst out from the nearby scrapyard and interposed itself between Applejack and Krysta and Applejack. Once the creature had the attention of everyone present it began leaping about while yelling frantically. “Aron! Aron Aron, Aron!”

“What they hay does that thing think it’s doin’?” Applejack asked as she backed away from the spastically jumping Pokémon. Moments later, Applejack received her answer as a rumbling, metallic groan filled the air. “What in tarnation – Sweet Celestia, everypony look out!”

Any momentary confusion over Applejack’s use of the term ‘everypony’ swiftly gave way to panic as the rusting remains of a crane came crashing down right between where Applejack and Krysta had been standing.

“Applejack, are you alright?” Rarity called out as she rushed over to her friend.

“Ah’m…Ah’m fine,” Applejack replied as she tried to catch her breath. “But why the hay did that thing come crashin’ down like that? And where the hay did that Aron get to?”

“That stupid Pokémon was probably the reason we nearly got crushed!” Krysta yelled as she picked herself up off the ground. “I bet that little runt totally chewed through the crane so that it fell over. I say we track it down and, like, make sure it doesn’t hurt anyone else. Who’s with me?”

There were general murmurs of agreement from the trainers who had followed Applejack and Krysta outside. Few of the trainers seemed to be particularly enthusiastic, however, none the least of which was Applejack herself.

“Now just hold on a minute, y’all don’t actually have any proof that that critter was the one responsible fer that crane fallin’. It seemed to me that it was actually tryin’ to warn us about the collapse,” Applejack argued.

“Well, maybe it had, like, chewed up the crane first, but then tried to warn us when it figured out it was going to fall on us and stuff,” Krysta countered hesitantly.

“Why don’t you take a look at the base of the crane?” one of the trainers in the crowd called out. “You could probably figure out if something had been eating it by examining the base of the crane.”

“Ok, that’s actually, like, a really good idea,” Krysta said. The rest of the crowd seemed to agree, so Krysta began leading the crowd into the scrapyard towards the base of the crane. Applejack, however, kept to the back of the group, allowing her to speak with Rarity without drawing attention to themselves.

“Ah don’t like this, somethin’ about the way that Aron was actin’ just doesn’t add up,” Applejack said as they followed along with the group.

“Well, that is the reason we’re wandering into this – ick – junkyard, isn’t it?” Rarity asked as she flinched away from the rusting remains of some unidentifiable vehicle.

“Ah know, but-“ Applejack’s thought was interrupted as a commotion suddenly broke out at the front of the crown. “Aw ponyfeathers, what now?” Racing to the front, Applejack and Rarity quickly saw the source of the latest furor. The cruiser portion of the crane had rather clearly been partially eaten, to the point that there were so many holes in it that it resembled a lump Swiss cheese. Even more concerning, though, was the condition of the crane’s boom, which looked as though it had been chewed apart by an especially ambitious beaver.

“See, what did I tell you? That Aron, like, totally wrecked this crane!” Krysta declared as she stood atop the remains of the crane’s cruiser. Before Krysta could try whipping the assembled trainers into a frenzied mob, however, a dissenting voice called out over the din.

“Ah’m still not so sure that Aron was the one responsible fer all this,” Applejack said as she exclaimed what was left of the crane.

“Seriously? Are you, like, blind or something? I mean, just look at all those bite marks. It’s totally obvious that stupid little Aron was the one who did this. I mean, I literally cannot even…”

“Don’t get me wrong, Ah can see that somethin’ chewed up that crane. Ah’m just not convinced that that Aron was the one that did it. Look at how many bit marks there are, if y’all ask me Ah’d say this was done by a whole swarm of critters, not just one.”

“So?” Krysta retorted. “That just means that there’s, like, a whole bunch of Arons that we need to deal with and stuff.” Unfortunately for Applejack, it quickly become apparent that the sight of the partially devoured crane had convinced most of the assembled trainers to go along with Krysta’s plan. “Alright, so, let’s spread out and then, like, get rid of this Aron or catch it or whatever.”

*********

“While I can certainly appreciate your desire to help that little metal whatever it was, is it really necessary for us to go searching for it in this filthy junkyard in the dark?” Rarity complained.

“If it bothers y’all that much y’ can always head back to the center, Ah won’t think any less of y’” Applejack said.

“Absolutely out of the question!” Rarity replied firmly. “I will not leave you out here to wander through this rubbish by yourself. Even though I really wish you had decided to wander somewhere that didn’t reek of motor oil.”

Applejack let out a chuckle. “Ah’m just a little surprised y’all’d know what motor oil smells like.”

“You forget, Applejack, I work with sewing machines rather extensively and they do require maintenance from time to time,” Rarity retorted. “It’s hardly the most glamorous aspect of my profession, but fabulosity does sometimes demand sacrifices. But, back to the issue at hoof –“

“Hand, remember?” Applejack corrected her.

“What exactly do you plan to do if we find this Aron?” Rarity asked, ignoring Applejack’s reminder that they weren’t ponies at the moment.

“Ah dunno, to be honest,” Applejack admitted. “At the least Ah’d want to warn it about what that Krysta’s up to. Seems like the least Ah should do seein’ as how it’s in this mess ‘cause it tried warnin’ me about that collapsin’ crane.”

“You do seem to be rather certain that that Aron wasn’t the one actually responsible for the accident,” Rarity remarked.

“Dang it, Rarity, y’ saw how bad that crane was chewed up! And there weren’t any rust along the bite edges, so all that damage must’ve happened pretty recently. The way Ah reckon it woulda taken a whole mess of critters the size of that Aron to do that kinda damage.”

“Um, Applejack,” Rarity said hesitantly as she put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Would you say a dozen or so Arons would have been sufficient?”

“Yeah, that’d probably about do it, why do y’ ask?” Rarity said nothing in response, but rather simply pointed up towards the tops of the junked vehicles. “What the hay are y’all pointing – whoa nelly!” Applejack exclaimed as she looked up. Perched atop the vehicles were at least a dozen or so Arons balefully glaring down at the two girls. “Um, hi. Mah friend and Ah were just lookin’ fer the one of y’all who warned us about that collapsin’ crane earlier.”

Before Applejack could say anything further, a particularly large Aron leapt down to the ground in front of them. “Aron!” it snarled threateningly.

“Easy there, Ah don’t want to start nothin’. Ah just wanted to warn y’all that there’s a whole mess of trainers out lookin’ fer y’ who’re all riled up on account of what happened with the crane.” As Applejack spoke, she and Rarity slowly started to back away, the Aron’s apparent leader steadily advancing forward as they did so. “All right, well Ah can see y’all’ve got everythin’ under control here, so we’re just gonna leave y’all to yer…whatever it was y’all were doin’,” Applejack added nervously as she watched several of the other Arons leap down and join their leader.

“We should probably start running, shouldn’t we?” Rarity asked as she eyed the steadily approaching Pokémon.

“Ah think that’d be a good idea. On the count of three…one…two…three!” Moving in unison, Applejack and Rarity both turned and bolted away, the Aron pack chasing after in hot pursuit. “If we can just get back to the Pokémon Center we should be alright,” Applejack said as she did her best to keep ahead of the charging Pokémon.

“Lovely plan, darling, but I see one tiny problem,” Rarity replied. “I for the life of me can’t tell which direction the center is in!”

Unfortunately, Applejack had no answer for this. Between the dim light of the evening and the maze-like layout of the scrapyard Applejack had become completely lost as well. “Just keep runnin’,” Applejack finally said. “Maybe if we can lose ‘em somehow we can find a way to get our bearings.” Rarity was about to comment on the primary issue with Applejack’s suggestion, namely the question as to how she proposed they lose their pursuers, when Applejack suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a mound of junked vehicles.

“Applejack, what in Equestria are you –“ Rarity’s protests were abruptly cut off as Applejack placed a hand over her mouth and pulled her into the remains of an abandoned bus. Crouching underneath the windows, Applejack released Rarity from her grip and placed a finger to her lips. Moments later, the pair could hear the rumbling of the Aron pack as it approached. Rather than pass by, however, the thundering herd drew to a stop right outside the ruined bus. “What’s going on?” Rarity whispered as she listened to the confused mutterings of the Pokémon assembled outside. “Why aren’t they going away?”

Before Applejack could answer, a loud crash reverberated throughout the bus as something heavy landed on top of it. Moments later a dark shape dropped past the bus windows, landing on the ground with a solid thud. Curious, Applejack cautiously crept to the window and peeked out of it. Outside, Applejack could see what appeared to be two of the Arons staring each other down while the rest looked on from a safe distance.

“Huh, Ah think one of the Arons out there is pickin’ a fight with the big one leadin’ ‘em,” Applejack said quietly as she watched the two Pokémon slowly circle each other while letting out the occasional snarl. Suddenly, the two Arons charged at each other, a loud metallic cracks ripping through the air as the two iron clad bodies collided. The larger of the Arons quickly recovered and easily pushed its opponent into the direct before kicking a glob of mud into its eyes. Seemingly satisfied with this outcome the pack leader turned and marched off, the rest of the pack quickly following suit.

“It sounds as though it wasn’t all that much of a fight,” Rarity whispered as she watched Applejack slump back down. “At least it sounds as though the rest of those horrid things are finally leaving. But why in Equestria were they fighting in the first place?”

“Ah ain’t sure exactly, but Ah think Ah might have an idea.” Before Applejack had a chance to elaborate, however, she was interrupted by a series of crashing thumps form the front of the bus. Turning to see what was going on, the pair saw that the Aron that had lost the fight had hopped up the steps leading into the bus. The crimson-eyed Aron regarded the two girls coolly for a moment before waddling into the space beneath the moldering seats.

“Well, at least that one doesn’t seem to be quite as ill-tempered as the others,” Rarity observed. “Let’s see if we can sneak past it and then find our way back to the – Applejack, what in Equestria do you think you’re doing?” Much to Rarity’s consternation, Applejack had already gotten up and was carefully approaching where the Aron had sequestered itself.

“Hey there, little fella,” Applejack said as she knelt down next to the Aron, ignoring Rarity’s protests. “Don’t worry, Ah’m not gonna try to hurt y’all. Ah just wanna talk. Ah’m guessin’ y’all were the one who tried warnin’ us about that fallin’ crane. And, Ah’m also guessin’ that those other fellas were the ones who were actually responsible for chewin’ the crane up in the first place.”

“Aron,” the Aron replied simply with a nod of its head.

“Ah thought Ah recognized those eyes of yers,” Applejack said. “And now it looks like we owe y’all again fer convincin’ the rest of yer friends to look fer us someplace else,” Applejack added.

“Aron! Aron Aron,” the Aron snapped irritably.

“Yeah, Ah guess ‘friends’ might be a bit of a stretch from what Ah saw. That’s a real shame, believe me Ah know how important havin’ friends is.” As Applejack spoke she leaned forward causing her bag to slip off her shoulder. Upon hitting the floor one of Applejack’s Poké Balls rolled out of the bag, coming to rest at the Aron’s feet. Before Applejack could react, the Aron tapped the Poké Ball with its muzzle twice in quick succession. The first tap enlarged the Poké Ball and the second caused it to split open, engulfing the Aron in red light before pulling it back into the ball. A few moments of half-hearted wiggling later the ball came to a rest and let out a low chime.

“What just happened?” Rarity asked as she crept forward.

“Ah’m not entirely sure mahself, but Ah think that Aron’s decided that it wants me to be its trainer.” Applejack smiled as she picked up the now occupied Poké Ball. “Well, alright, little fell, welcome to the –“

Applejack’s greeting was abruptly cut short as something crashed into the side of the bus with enough force to cave in its side. The power of the impact caused the entire bus to shake violently, sending Applejack and Rarity crashing to the floor. “What in Celestia’s name was that?” Rarity shrieked.

“Just guessin’, but Ah think those Aron figured out we’re in here,” Applejack groaned as she pulled herself to her feet. Sure enough, as Applejack looked out one of the few remaining intact windows she could see the Aron pack had indeed gathered outside the bus. The largest of the Arons appeared to be recovering from having head butted the bus and was already readying itself to charge the bus once again. “Oh horse apples!”

“Poliwag, Water Gun!” The pack leader’s assault on the bus was put to an ignominious end as a stream of water came from its left and struck it in its side. Moments later the air was filled with a cornucopia of blasts of fire, bolts of lightning, jets of water and even leaves striking at the rogue Arons. Ringing out above the din were the commands of trainers directing the attack.

“Growlithe, Ember!”

“Electrike, Charge Beam!”

“Roselia, Magical Leaf!”

“Magikarp, Splash!”

The rogue Arons were quickly forced to flee in the face of this onslaught, disappearing back to the scrapyard. In minutes the area outside the bus had been completely vacated, leaving nothing but churned up mud and scorch marks behind. “Y’all sure picked one hay of a good time to show up,” Applejack called out as she climbed out of the bus. “How the hay did y’all know we were in here?” Disconcertingly, Applejack’s question was met by confused silence from the various trainers present.

“Actually, we were just tracking down that bunch of rouge Arons,” one of the trainers admitted. “I don’t think any of us even realized you were in there. Are you alright?”

“Ah think we’ll be fine,” Applejack replied as she helped Rarity exit the bus herself. “Leastways nothin’ a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”

“Maybe you’ve, like, forgotten, but you and me still have a score to settle before you fall asleep,” a shrill voice called out as Krysta showed her way to the front of the crowd. “Now that those stupid little Arons know better than to mess with me and stuff I’m ready to, like, totally kick your butt.”

Applejack glared back at Krysta in annoyance as she hefted the Poké Ball that Aron had allowed itself to be captured in. “Y’know what, Krysta? Ah actually think yer absolutely right, we do have somethin’ to settle.”

“Huh, well, I’ll give you this, at least you’re not, like, trying to wimp out or anything,” Krystal replied with a hint of grudging approval. While a few of the trainers in the crowd elected to continue chasing after the Aron pack, the majority followed Krysta and Applejack back to the Pokémon Center.

“So where exactly do y’all want to do this?” Applejack asked as they finally emerged from the scrapyard. “It ain’t like we can use the field we were gonna battle in, not unless someone’s cleared out that crane anyway.”

“You’re not, like, chickening out, are you?” Krysta sneered. “There’s literally a ton of room in front of the center. Besides, it’s not like this is going to take very long,” Krysta added with a vicious grin. “Are you ready?”

“Ah’m ready as Ah’ll ever be,” Applejack replied as she took her place opposite Krysta.

“Alright then, let’s do this! Carbink! Go!” Krysta tossed a black and gold Poké Ball into the air while split open to unleash a creature that looked like a dark gray rock studded with blue crystals. The only recognizable feature the creature seemed to possess was its head, which sat atop a mound of white fluff.

“Huh, well Ah can’t say that thing looks all that tough. Alright little fella, time to see what y’all can do. Go Aron!”

“Wait, what?” Krystal sputtered in shock. “You actually…did you catch…I, I can’t even. No, you know what? This is fine. Carbink, use Sharpen!” As soon as Krysta gave her command the crystals studding Carbink’s form started glowing blue. Luminescent blades then began extending out from the Carbink’s crystals until it resembled a giant ball of spikes.

“Whoa nelly. Alright, Aron, why don’t y’all…um…” Frantically, Applejack pulled out her Pokédex and flipped it open, much to Krysta’s amusement.

“Wait, you seriously sent out a Pokémon you just caught without even knowing, like, anything it could actually do? That is literally the funniest…I can’t even…” Krysta was unable to continue as she doubled over with laughter.

Ignoring Krysta’s mockery, Applejack gave her Aron a quick scan.

Aron: Moves currently known are; Harden. Mud Slap. Headbutt. Metal Claw.

“That sure sounds promisin’. Ok, Aron, let’s hit that thing with a Metal Claw!” Aron let out a snort of acknowledgement before leaping forward, one of its front paws glowing a brilliant white. Desperately, Carbink attempted to ward off Aron’s attack by spinning around to threaten Aron with its glowing spines. Its efforts were for naught, however, as Aron’s assault smashed through the luminous blades and sent Carbink slamming into the ground.

“Wha-What just…” Krysta stammered in disbelief.

“Carbink is unable to battle! The winner is Applejack!” a voice called out from the sidelines, answering Krysta’s question.

Krysta stood speechless for several seconds as she processed what had just happened. Eventually Krysta raised Carbink’s Poké Ball and recalled it without a word before glaring at Applejack with barely contained rage. “Don’t think for, like, a second that this is over. You have not heard the last of Krysta Lapidan!” With that, Krysta turned and stormed back into the Pokémon Center.

Applejack paid little heed to Krysta’s outburst, however, instead focusing on her Aron. “That was some real impressive work, little guy,” Applejack said as she wiped some of the mud off of Aron’s metallic hide. “Ah think the two of us are gonna make one hay of a good team.”

As Applejack returned Aron to its Poké Ball, many of the trainers gathered around to congratulate her. One pair of young trainers who had been keeping to the edge of the crowd, however, seemed more interested in discussing Krysta’s behavior. “That girl was just…ugh! Just watching her makes me feel like I should apologize to Apple Bloom and her friends again just on general principle.”

“Oh come on, Diamond Tiara, you were never that bad,” Silver Spoon assured her friend, eliciting a disbelieving stare from Diamond Tiara herself. “Well, I mean, you never used the word ‘like’ that much, at least.”

Diamond Tiara regarded her friend for a moment before letting out a sigh. “Whatever. Let’s just get back inside before Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle’s sisters notice us. They’d probably just send us back to that city, and I want to see more of this place before we go back to Equestria.”

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