My Little Pokemon

by Alabenson

The Muddy Road Ahead

“—and do you have any idea what marsh gas can do to your hair? I’m going to need to use my entire shampoo supply just to get the sulfur smell out. And don’t even get me started on what it’s going to do to our clothes. Celestia only knows how long it will be until they’ll be fit to wear again, and that’s not even considering what all that much could—"

“Oh, fer Celestia’s sake, would y’all give it a rest already? Ah get it, y’all don’t wanna have to go through the durn swamp. Heck, Ah ain’t exactly lookin’ forward to havin’ to slog through it all that much mahself, but it needs to be done, so we’re gonna do it,” Applejack said firmly.

“But, Applejack—”

“Ain’t no buts about it, we’re goin’ through the swamp, and that’s final. Y’all may as well look on the bright side, at least Trask was able to point us to a friend of his who’ll be able to get us a boat. That’ll make it a little easier on us.”

“That would be preferable to trying to wade through swamp muck,” Rarity replied in a tone that made it clear it wasn’t preferable by all that much. “And you’re certain we can’t try boating along the coast? It seems to me that might be even faster than—”

“Ah already asked Trask about it, and accordin’ to him there ain’t nowhere to land a boat between the swamp and Mercury City, and it didn’t sound like any boat we could get would reach that far.” A frustrated Rarity wracked her brains for some other alternative to a trek through the swamp before finally pouting in sullen acceptance. “Y’all don’t have to like the situation—”

“Good, I don’t.”

“But we need to get back as fast as possible, and this here is the only real way to do it. Now, from what Trask told me, the place where his friend has this boat should be someplace around…here.” While there were several buildings near the edge of the marshlands, one in particular stood out amongst the rest. Nestled in between a bait shop and a café offering something called ‘swampberry tea’ was a corrugated metal shack sporting a faded wooden sign proclaiming it to be ‘Crazy Jim’s Botes’.

“Applejack, this friend of Captain Trask that we’re supposed to meet with, his name wouldn’t happen to be Jim by any chance?” Rarity asked.

“Eeyup,” Applejack sighed as she pulled her hat down over her face.

“I have an unfortunate suspicion that this boat, or ‘bote’, isn’t going to be quite the improvement over wading through the swamp as we had hoped,” Rarity said as she eyed the shack suspiciously.

“Well, Ah mean, it don’t look that – well, alright, it does look that bad. Ah mean, Ah’ve seen sheds thrown together by Rainbow Dash that look sturdier than that thing. But, looks aren’t everythin’, and we’re here fer a boat and not a shed. Who knows, maybe the reason this place looks so rundown is because this Jim fella puts all his effort into keepin’ the boats nice and runnin’.”

“You don’t actually believe any of that, do you?” Rarity asked pointedly.

“Nope, not one bit,” Applejack replied as she walked up to the shack and knocked on it. “Hello? Anybody in there? We’re lookin’ fer Jim, Captain Trask told us he’d be able to help us with gettin’ a boat that could get us through the swamp.” Applejack’s question was initially met with silence, quickly followed by a yell and a crash. Moments later, the door creaked open and a disheveled old man poked his head out.

“Dagnabbit, it’s too early fer it to be this bright out,” the old man grumbled as he squinted down at Applejack.

“Beggin’ yer pardon, but it’s one in the afternoon,” Applejack said.

“Yeah, whatever. So, y’ two are the ones Trask called me about. Well, the boat’s set up out back if ya want to take a look at ‘er. Just gimmer a bit and I’ll be out there with ya.” With that, Jim pulled his head back through the door and closed it. Moments later, the sounds of someone rummaging through piles of junk began echoing out from inside.

“Well, at least we’re not gonna have to go in there,” Applejack said as she motioned for Rarity to follow her. “From the sounds of it, that guy’s got more junk in there than Goldie Delicious. But, with any luck, at least the boat’ll – aw horse apples.” As Applejack and Rarity made their way around the shack, they were confronted with the sight of the ‘boat’ in question. Sitting in the brackish water was a fan boat that appeared to be primarily constructed of rust and duct tape, with the odd bit of scrap metal welded to the hull for good measure.

“There she is,” Jim said as he stepped out the shack’s back door. “She don’t look like much, but she floats (fer the most part) and the engine should be good to get ya through the swamp quick enough.”

“Not that we aren’t ungrateful, but you wouldn’t happen to have any other boats available, ones that might be a tad more…”

“Seaworthy?” Applejack suggested.

“Sorry, ladies, but this here’s the only boat Ah got left. Sold the rest of ‘em years ago. Still, good news fer you is that I don’t mind just givin’ her to ya free and clear, seein’ how Trask’s willin’ to vouch fer ya and all. Ain’t like Ah could sell the stupid rust bucket, anyhow.”

“Welp, if this here’s all y’all got, then Ah guess we’ll take it,” Applejack replied. “Still beats tryin’ to get through the swamp on foot.”

“Yep, I wouldn’t recommend tryin’ that. Actually, that reminds me, if y’ ladies really are plannin’ on headin’ straight through there, yer gonna wanna watch yerselves. The local Grimer have been gettin’ real restless as of late, and there’s been a heap of a lot more of ‘em runnin’ around than usual. They ain’ so bad when they’re by themselves, but if you run into a pack of ‘em, well, things can get pretty nasty.”

“This trip is sounding more delightful by the moment,” Rarity grumbled as she clambered into the fan boat.

“Thanks fer the warnin’, we’ll be sure to be careful,” Applejack added as she climbed in as well and began trying to start the engine. After a few attempts, the aging motor roared to life, spewing out dark clouds of noxious black smoke as it powered the fan that propelled the boat into the swamp.

“Hope those two get where they’re goin’ alright,” Jim said to himself before shrugging his shoulders. “Eh, I’m sure they’ll be fine. If they beat Trask, they’ve gotta at least know a bit ‘bout trainin’, and it ain’t like those swamps are all that dangerous.”

“Oh, don’t worry. We intend to fix that.” Jim spun around, only for a dark purple blur to launch itself at his face and knock him to the ground. As Jim rolled around on the ground in a blind panic while his assailant savaged him, a pair of dark figures emerged from his shack.

“I still don’t understand why you insisted we allow those two to enter the swamp,” Chrysalis snarled as she disdainfully glanced around the back of the shack. “We could have struck and finished them off already. Now we’re going to have to chase them into that reeking mud pit.”

“Exactly. We’ll chase them into the swamp, where there are no witnesses or potential rescuers,” Sombra retorted. “If we had struck here, the battle would have attracted too much attention. This way might take a little longer, but—”

“No! Lord Grogar wants–neeHaw!—this taken care or right—”

“Shut up, Bray,” Chrysalis snapped as she aimed a kick at the unfortunate Mudbray. “That said, the little idiot does have a point. We’re essentially at Grogar’s mercy until we can complete this task, and it isn’t wise to keep a monster like that waiting.”

“If you’re that concerned about it, then why don’t you handle this attempt yourself? I’ll even offer a bit of my magic to help things along,” Sombra said, earning a raised eyebrow from Chrysalis.

“Oh? Has the mighty Sombra finally given up? Or have you just come to your sense and realized that I should be the one in charge of this mission?”

“I wouldn’t trust you to be in charge of a foal’s picnic!” Sombra snarled before quickly recovering his composure. “The truth, if you’re going to be annoying about it, is this next bit of magic is far more potent than my last experiment, but I’m not entirely sure how stable it is. I’d be concerned about using it on Sableye, but you’re Scyther, on the other hand—” Before Sombra could even finish his sentence, Chrysalis had shoved a demanding hand in his face.

“Hah! So, the mighty Sombra has gone soft! Well, if you’re too worried about you’re precious Pokémon then hand this magic crystal over. I’ll show you how a real ruler commands her subjects!”

“A ‘real ruler’ with only one subject,” Sombra smirked. Still, he reached into his jacket at pulled out a finger-sized, black crystal, which Chrysalis promptly snatched out of his hand.

“So this is your all-powerful magic crystal? I’m not impressed,” Chrysalis said as she disdainfully inspected the crystal. “Well? How does it work?”

“It responds to willpower and desire, so given that you’re pigheaded and greedy using it should come naturally. But rather than wasting it here, we should head into the swamp. Those girls were nice enough to head someplace without any witnesses, and it would be a shame to waste their thoughtfulness.”

*********

Grimer, the Sludge Pokémon. These creatures spawn from industrial waste, and are commonly found in areas of high pollution. Because they consume pollution, some countries have been known to import them to assist with waste disposal.

“Ah guess that’s one way to make the best of a bad situation,” Applejack said as she listened to Rarity’s Pokédex.

“And these…things are supposedly infesting this part of the swamp? I think I’m going to be sick,” Rarity groaned. “Is there any possibility we can get through here any faster?”

“Ah’ve got this thing goin’ as fast as Ah think it can take. If Ah push it any harder, the engine’s liable to give out, and that’s assumin’ the whole durn boat doesn’t fall apart. So, unless y’all are lookin’ to swim to the other side of this swamp…” Rarity visibly blanched at the suggestion. “Yeah, that’s about what Ah thought. Now, if y’all don’t mind, Ah’d appreciate it if y’all’d hold off on anymore bellyachin’ so Ah can focus on – Whoa nelly!” The fan boat swerved violently as Applejack pulled hard to the left.

“Applejack! What in Celestia’s name do you think you’re doing?”

“Did y’all see that? That big patch of oil over there just moved!” Applejack said as she slowed the fan boat so that she could take stock of their surroundings. The surface of the stagnant water here bore a distinct iridescent sheen, which swirled around the mounds of muck and rotting vegetation that comprised the only visible ground.

“Ugh, really, Applejack? I think breathing in all the fumes that engine gives off is making you see things. There isn’t anything here but rotten muck and polluted water, and given the stench they’re both giving off I’d much prefer if we could keep moving.”

“Ah swear, Ah saw somethin’ risin’ up otta the water over there,” Applejack protested.

“It was probably just a bubble of swamp gas,” Rarity said as she rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Applejack, you’re making it sound as if the swamp is going to come alive and –” As Rarity spoke, a small, three-fingered hand comprised of iridescent sludge grabbed hold of the edge of the boat right next to her. “WHAT IN CELESTIA’S NAME?” Rarity shrieked as she recoiled from the sight.

“Grimer!” the creature cried out as it pulled its blob-like form up from the water.

“Still think Ah was seein’ things?” Applejack asked with more than a touch of smugness as she watched Rarity scramble to the other side of the boat.”

“No, you were right. You were right. Now, hurry and start the engine back up, please!”

“Alright, just gimme a – aw hay.” As Applejack spoke, the idling engine let out a grinding wheeze before stopping entirely. Applejack immediately began frantically pulling on the engine’s pull cord, but to no avail. “Dang it! This durn piece of junk’s fightin’ me worse than a…a…” A brief glance up from the stubborn engine caused all countryisms to fall from Applejack’s mind. A large number of what Applejack had previously dismissed as ‘oil slicks’ were now steadily drifting towards their boat. More concerningly, as Applejack watched she saw that occasionally one of the slicks would sprout a pair of eyes peeking out from the water’s surface. “Come on, y’ rotten piece of junk! Start already!” Applejack yelled as she redoubled her efforts to restart the engine. Finally, just as the swarm of toxic Pokémon started to close in, the fan boat motor roared back to life, sending the boat tearing deeper into the swamp.

“That was far, far closer than I would have liked,” Rarity said as she regarded the wet stain one of the Grimer had left on the edge of the boat with disgust. “Those things smelt even more foul than I thought they would, and that’s saying something. Also, is it just me, or did they look different than the picture in the Pokédex?”

“Maybe some Pokémon just come in different colors. Ah mean, everybody’s always sayin’ how mah Aron’s special on account of it bein’ more gold-colored than usual, maybe those Grimer are like that.”

“Well, uniquely colored or not, I’m just glad to be clear of them. So, how much long is this boat trip going to take?”

“Um, lessee, we were makin’ pretty good time before we ran into those Grimer, and we came from back that way, but we were headed…uh…”

“Applejack, please don’t tell me that we’re lost, in the middle of a sludge-invested swamp, in a boat that’s liable to fall apart at any moment.”

“Look, it ain’t quite as bad as yer makin’ it out to be. It’s too overcast now, but once the sun start’s settin’, we’ll know which ways east and that’s the way we wanna be headed. It ain’t exactly precise, but it’ll still get us through the swamp good enough.” Rarity simply glared at Applejack in stoney silence for several seconds before finally responding.

“Next time, I pick the route we take.”

*********

The primary flaw in Applejack’s plan turned out to be that, by the time she was finally able to get her bearings, it was swiftly becoming too dark to actually see. Not helping the situation was the fact that the direction the pair needed to go took them into a wooded area that restricted their visibility even further.

“At least it looks like we’re clear of those Grimer,” Applejack offered as they drifted under the moss laden branches. “Things should go a mite smoother tomorrow.”

“And what are we supposed to do until then? I’m sure I care for the idea of sleeping out in the open on this thing while it drifts off to Celestia knows where.”

“Ah’ll admit, y’all probably have a point about the driftin’. We should try and find someplace we can tie the boat off so we wake up in the same place we fell asleep. Best bet’s probably gonna be one of these trees, just gotta find one that—”

“Applejack! Look over there!” Rarity suddenly cried out in excitement.

“Huh? Y’all see a good place fer us to tie off?”

“No! Look, there’s a light over there, it looks like a lantern or something. And, if there’s a lantern, there’s probably people, and if there’s people than there should be dry land. Or, drier land, at any rate. The point is, that could be our ticket to finding someplace tolerable to sleep for the night.”

“Maybe. But, Ah’m not so sure runnin’ after some mystery light in a swamp is all that good an idea. Ah’ve heard plenty of stories about ponies who’ve done just that, and not one of ‘em has a happy endin’.”

“Darling, that’s back in Equestria,” Rarity countered. “Even if that light isn’t coming from a person, then it’s probably some harmless Pokémon. Either way, they may be able to help with our little predicament.”

“Well, if y’all are really sure it’s a good idea,” Applejack said, sounding none too convinced. Despite her reservations, Applejack maneuvered the boat towards the glowing light Rarity had pointed out. Strangely, as they approached the light, it seemed to continuously move further into the swamp, sometimes holding still for just a few tantalizing moments between dashing back into the darkness. “Yeah, Ah don’t like this one bit,” Applejack said as she watched the light dart into the distance yet again. “Whatever the hay that thing is, it’s definitely tryin’ to lead us someplace, and Ah got a feelin’ it ain’t someplace we wanna be.”

“I hate to say it, but you may be right,” Rarity replied uneasily. “If we turn around now, we should at least be able to—”

“Oh, it’s far too late for you to run now.” The light which Applejack and Rarity had been following emitted a brief flare, revealing itself to be a glowing crystal held in the claws of a maliciously grinning Sableye. Standing next to it on a patch of exposed tree roots, was a triumphantly leering Chrysalis.

“Dagnabbit, Ah shoulda know y’all’d be the ones behind all this!” Applejack snarled in frustration. “Haven’t y’all gotten whupped by us enough to give up?”

“Just keep talking, you’ll be eating those words soon enough,” Chrysalis hissed as she took our her Poké Ball. “Scyther! Prepare to destroy these worthless grubs!”

“Ah think Ah can take care of this one. Rarity, y’all think y’ can keep Sombra’s little monster busy?”

“Oh, you needn’t worry about that self-important wretch,” Chrysalis sneered. “Sombra has finally come to his senses and decided to leave me in charge of destroying the two of you.”

“So, in other words, Sombra’s going to sit back and let you do all the work,” Rarity countered as she pulled out one of her own Poké Balls. “Tell me, which of you is supposedly commanding the other again?”

“I am! Sombra is merely…he’s just…I mean, I’m…ENOUGH! Arguing with the two of you is a a waste of time. In a few moments, you’ll both be destroyed and I’ll be able to put this whole, miserable experience behind me.”

“We’ll see about that. Prinplup, go!”

“Two on one? If it were anybody else, Ah might feel a little guilty about this. But…go Aron!” Applejack called out, sending her Aron out onto a nearby log, which sank a bit under the sudden weight. Despite being faced with two opponents, however, Chrysalis didn’t seem to lose a bit of her confidence.

“I’ll give you credit this is a respectable effort. But, I came prepared to deal with your futile attempts at resistance.” As Chrysalis spoke, she pulled out the crystal that Sombra had given her, which was now pulsing with an unearthly red light. Rarity’s eyes widened in recognition at the sight of the crystal as she recoiled in horror.

“Applejack, be careful! That’s the same crystal Sombra used when he attacked me in the graveyard!” Even as Rarity cried out her warning, the crystal in Chrysalis’ hand unleashed a blinding flare, causing Scyther’s eyes to glow bright crimson.

“Oh, this is going to be far from the same as when you fought Sombra. Scyther! Destroy the penguin first!” Scyther twitched violently before launching itself at Prinplup with a bloodcurdlingly feral scream.

“Prinplup, Bubble Beam!” Rarity yelled quickly, prompting Prinplup to unleash a torrent of bubbles straight into Scyther’s path. This proved to be a futile effort, however, as Scyther heedlessly plowed through the exploding bubbles before wildly slashing at Prinplup with its foreclaws.

“Yes! You see> You miserable grubs don’t stand a chance against me!” Chrysalis cheered as Scyther continued its frenzied assault.

“We’ll see about that. Aron, Rock Slide!” Despite her best efforts to hide it, there was a definite hint of fear in Applejack’s voice as she called out her attack. Despite this, Aron’s eyes took on a bright blue glow as dozens of large rocks appeared in the air above it before raining down onto Scyther. After the first few rocks struck home, however, Scyther spun around and began rapidly flailing it claws in front of it, deflecting most of the attack.

“Ha! Struggle all you want, it won’t make a difference! Though, if you’d really prefer to be destroyed first, then I’m willing to oblige. Scyther, tear that little metal beast apart.” Scyther paused for a moment, its head spasmodically twitching on its neck, before lunging itself towards Aron. Aron was just barely able to escape the frenzied attack by hopping out of the way, but the log it had been standing on wasn’t so fortunate. The force of Scyther’s attack reduced the rotting wood to a shower of splinters and muck, sending Aron toppling into the swamp where it was just barely able to keep its head above the mire. Chrysalis, naturally, found this situation to be hilarious. “Excellent! So, any parting words before I dispose of your worthless little minion?”

“I have a few!” Rarity called out, her Z-ring already glowing with power. “Hydro Vortex!” Chrysalis barely had time to process what was happening before a massive waterspout erupted from underneath Scyther and swiftly shot upwards to engulf it. This momentary ray of hope proved to be all too fleeting, however, as the waterspout bulged outwards and exploded, revealing an injured, yet all too conscious Scyther.

“Even those accursed Z-moves are no match for me now,” Chrysalis cackled. “I actually have to admit, Sombra’s little toy is rather impressive. But, I still have my own powers as well.” As Chrysalis spoke, she raised her arms, her own Z-ring glowing a sickly green. “I can’t allow Sombra to garner too much credit for your destruction, after all. Now, Scyther, unleash your full wrath!” To Applejack and Rarity’s mounting horror, Chrysalis proceeded to perform what had to be the movements for a Z-move. Unlike other times they had seen such attacks performed, however, the energy surrounding Chrysalis was a bright green, while the aura around Scyther was the same crimson red as its eyes. As Chrysalis complete the movements of her attack, the power emanating from her surged forth, but rather than absorbing into Scyther, it clashed with Scyther’s own aura before dissipating into the air. “What? Why isn’t it working? I even performed that ridiculous little dance, so why is it still not working? Bah, it doesn’t matter. Scyther should still be more than powerful enough to destroy you both.”

“Well, we ain’t fixin’ to make it easy fer y’all,” Applejack retorted. “Aron and me have still got plenty of – Aron? Aron!” Applejack stared at the patch of swamp where Aron had landed, Aron itself no nowhere to be seen.”

“So, your miserable little cretin has sunk into the swamp? How terribly unfortunate for you,” Chrysalis said with an evil laugh. “Don’t worry, though, you’ll be joining it soon enough. Scyther, forget the penguin and destroy the girl before she can send out any more of her minions.” Scyther started to spasm even more violently than before, before suddenly stopping and staring directly at Applejack with a look of pure malice. Giving one final shudder, Scyther launched itself towards Applejack, but right as it passed over the spot where Aron had vanished, the surface of the swamp erupted as a large creature surged out of the muck and headbutted Scyther in the gut.

“What in tarnation…” Applejack muttered as she quickly pulled out her Pokédex.

Lairon, the Iron Armor Pokémon. The evolved form of Aron, these territorial Pokémon establish dominance by charging into one another.

“The evolved…Aron, is that y’all?” Even as Applejack spoke, she could catch glimpses of Lairon’s metal armor from underneath the muck coating it that showed it had her Aron’s distinct coloration. “Well now, don’t that beat all. So, Chrysalis, still feelin’ all high and mighty?”

“This doesn’t change a thing!” Chrysalis snapped angrily. “I still have all the power I need to destroy you.”

“Let’s give that a test, then. Lairon, time to give that new body of yers a workout. Use Rock Slide!” Lairon grunted as large rocks once again began to emerge from the air above it, before raining down onto Scyther. While Scyther made an effort to swat the falling rocks away, its movements had become sluggish and it wound up taking the full brunt of the attack before collapsing into the mud.

“No! Get back up and fight! I command you!” Chrysalis shrieked with barely contained rage. Despite her curses and threats, however, Scyther continued to lie motionless in the muck.

“Looks like takin’ us on all by yerself wasn’t such a good idea after all,” Applejack said. “Now, why don’t y’all make it easier on yerself and surrender before things have to get messy.”

“Never!” Chrysalis snarled as she recalled her Scyther. Meanwhile, Sableye, which up until now had been simply watching the battle, leapt forward as its crystal eyes unleashed a blinding flash of light. By the time either Applejack or Rarity could see again, both the Sableye and Chrysalis had vanished from sight.

“At this point, I’m not even sure if having Chrysalis gone makes me feel more secure or less,” Rarity said as she recalled her Prinplup.

“Ah hear y’, not knowin’ where that rotten varmint’s hidin’ is almost as bad as havin’ her right here. Either way, Ah say we skedaddle before anythin’ else happens. The sooner we get through this swamp the better.”

*********

Sombra leaned back against a tree as he listened to the crackle of the campfire, idly debating the merits of having a cabin built outside the Crystal Empire once he returned to power. Someplace he could relax in relative isolation, maybe with just a favored slave or two to keep him entertained. Sombra’s musings on his post-conquest actions were abruptly interrupted, however, as Chrysalis came storming out of the woods and into the campsite.

“Miserable weak useless garbage!” Chrysalis raged as she threw the crystal Sombra had provided her at his head, only for Sableye to dart out of the darkness and catch it midair.

“I take it you failed to destroy Twilight’s mewling friends,” Sombra said, not bothering to get up or even open his eyes.

“No thanks to your worthless magic,” Chrysalis fumed. “I don’t even know why I thought anything you created would have been any use.”

“Neither do I, to be honest. Even with my magic helping you, you never stood a chance trying to fight both of them at once. I’m still surprised you were stupid enough to try.”

“What?” Chrysalis replied flatly, her eye twitching with barely contained rage.

“You were taking on two-on-one odds against opponents who could already challenge you in a fair fight by themselves. Even my magic can only compensate for so much incompetence.”

“Then why—”

“I wanted to test my magic’s effectiveness. You just happened to be a convenient guinea pig. On the bright side, I’ve learned a great deal from your failure, so you’ve finally managed to be useful for something.” Sombra continued to grin as Chrysalis launched into a furious tirade while he considered the information his Sableye had brought him. There still seemed to be a few wrinkles to iron out, but his enhancement spell was almost complete. All he needed now was to find the right Pokémon to use it on, and then not even Grogar would be able to stop him.

Comments

[Xanderfox]

Ok so Shadow Pokemon can't use Z Moves, and the local swamp has Alolan Grimer in it.