Industrial Espionage
Continuing their journey through the Equestria Region, Flash, Springer and their friends finally arrived at Trottingham City. This city was a bustling metropolis, filled to the brim with skyscrapers trying to reach the sky. Seeing this sight, the gang agreed to head to the city Pokémon Center first, as Flash wanted to make sure his Pokémon were in tip-top shape.
"This is it," Twilight said as they found the red-roofed building.
As soon as the stepped through the door, they were greeted by a familiar voice. "Welcome to the Pokémon Center." The group looked towards the voice and noticed a familiar pink-haired woman.
"Nurse Redheart?" Flash asked.
"What are you doing here?" Spike added.
Redheart gave them all a questioning look. "Whatever are you all talking about?"
"We met in Stratusburg Town. Remember?"
Redheart's confusion turned to a smile, a slight giggle following. "Oh, you must have met my kid sister."
"Kid sister?"
She nodded before opening a drawer and pulling out a framed picture, which she placed on the counter for them to look at. "See?" The group looked at the picture and were amazed to see it had a dozen or so perfectly identical women, all wearing the same nurse's outfit.
"Again?" Twilight asked.
Flash scratched his head. "This is starting to feel like a running gag from a poorly made yet awesome kid's show."
"Makes me wonder about the fire department," Spike finished.
"So, what can I do for you kids?" Redheart asked.
Flash and Twilight held out their Pokeballs as Twilight said, "We were hoping you could check our Pokémon."
"We had a long trip here and I'm wanting to challenge the gym here later." Flash added.
"Of course," Redheart turned to the door behind her. "Chansey? I need your help."
Seconds later, the doors opened and a pink egg shaped Pokémon stepped out while pushing a trolley. The Pokémon had a small pouch on its stomach that had an egg in it while also wearing a nurse's hat. "Chansey."
"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.
Name: Chansey
Category: Egg Pokémon
Type: Normal
Info: It is said to deliver happiness. Being compassionate, it shares its eggs with injured people.
Redheart smiled at Flash's gesture. "Here in Equestria, Chansey is one of the Pokémon we use to help heal sick and injured Pokémon."
"Cool," Flash said as he put away his Pokedex.
"Ri," Springer agreed.
Redheart pointed at the trolley, which had a tray on it that had six spherical indents. "Please place your Pokémon on here."
Flash and Twilight nodded before placing their Pokeballs onto the tray while Springer leapt onto it. Chansey then retreated back into the door it had come from while Flash and Spike sat down on a nearby couch. Twilight on the another hand, returned to Redheart. "Excuse me, I was wondering if I could ask you something?" She pulled out her digital journal and opened it. "This device has a map setting, but its blank. I was wondering if you know where I can get one downloaded."
Redheart looked down at her journal before smiling. "Oh! You're in luck. That device was actually manufactured here."
"It was?" Twilight asked, her head leaning back slightly.
Redheart nodded. "It was made in the Trottingham Industrial Complex, Trottingham's pride and joy. They make devices and equipment that is used all over Equestria. If you head there, I'm sure they'll be able to install a map system for you."
Twilight smiled at this, only for Flash to appear right by her with a scowl, "Hey! What about my Gym Battle?"
"The Gym isn't going anywhere," Twilight told him as she put the journal. "Not only that, once I have the map, I'll be able to locate the Gym for you."
Flash wanted to retort, only for Redheart speak up first, "Actually, the Gym is very close to the complex."
Hearing this made Flash's scowl turn to a grin. "Alright! Then let's head out there now!"
Twilight and Spike nodded and Redheart gave Twilight the directions needed to get there. Once their Pokémon were returned to them, the group headed off to the Trottingham Industrial Complex.
What the group didn't know, was that they weren't the only ones in the center. In the corner of the room, three men were sitting with smirks on their faces. The first was a man with green skin along with a brown beard and hair, wearing a black suit like outfit with a moneybag symbol on the chest pocket. The second was the shortest of the group, who had silver skin and yellow hair along with wearing a black leather jacket with a wind like image on the back. He also had brown leather pants and an earring in his right ear. The last man was the biggest of the group, bulky and heavyweight with gray skin and black hair. He was wearing a white vest with a boulder logo on the back and black pants.
The suited man smirked. "You hear what the lady said, lads?"
"Sure did," the guy in the leather jacket replied. "I bet they've got a bunch of gear that's not even out yet."
The bulky man nodded in agreement.
"Exactly," the suited guy said. "If we get our hands on one, we'll be able to sell it to another company for a bundle."
"Awesome. What's the plan?" The leather jacket man asked.
"Let's scope this place out," suit guy explained while gesturing the other two to follow him. "If we see anything worth taking, we strike." The other two nodded at this, all three soon walking out of the center.
One hour later...
"We're lost, aren't we?" Flash asked Twilight, who was looking over the directions they had been given.
"No!" Twilight yelled back before immediately putting her nose back into the map, "we're just...not where we're supposed to be."
Spike let out a sigh as he facepalmed. "If we don't know where we are and we don't know where we're going, I'm pretty sure that means we're lost."
Twilight wanted to deny that, but after an hour of misreading the directions, and the fact that they were not at an industrial complex. Instead, they were wandering around a busy street surrounded by people. And as they walked down another street, Twilight looked back at the others, all seeing their dead stares at her before she let out a long sigh, "Alright, I admit it. We're lost."
"There," Flash replied while crossing his arms, "Was that so hard to admit?"
"Yes." Twilight hissed.
"So what do we do now?" Spike asked.
"I have no idea," Flash answered as he looked around. "I guess we could ask someone. If this complex is so well known, it would make sense that someone would know where it is."
"Okay....but who do we ask?"
His answer soon came from a voice, speaking up from behind him. "Excuse me."
The group spun around to see a man roughly a few years older than them, with light brown skin and dark brown hair. He was wearing a white shirt and light brown trousers, along with a blue tie that had an hour glass pattern on it and red converse trainers. On top of it all was a dark brown overcoat. The man smiled at them all as he put his hands into his trouser pockets. "Hello. Sorry to interrupt, and I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help noticing you all looking a little lost."
"That's because we are," Flash said as he held up his hand. "Flash Sentry."
"Time Turner," the man replied shaking his hand.
Flash smirked and pointed to his friends. "These are my travel mates, Twilight."
"Hello there," Twilight bowed.
"Spike."
"What's up?" Spike waved.
"And my partner Springer."
"Ri."
"Hello, I'm Time Turner. Now, where is it you need to go?"
"We're looking for the Trottingham industrial complex."
Hearing this made Time Turner smile. "Ah! If that's the case, you bumped into the right person because I happen to be heading there myself."
"Great! Think you can take us with you?"
"Oh course," Time Turner replied before turning around. "Come along. Alon-zi."
With that, Time Turner lead them through the city until they arrived at a river with a large metal bridge. Across that bridge was a row of factory buildings, all with loud machine-like sounds echoing out of them.
"What's that sound?" Spike asked.
Time Turner chuckled at the question. "That, is the sound of progress." He directed them down a path between the buildings until they arrived at one in the center of the complex. They stepped inside and found that it was a reception like area, where a lady was sitting behind a desk.
The women smiled when she saw Time Turner. "Hello Doctor."
"Hello there," he replied.
"Doctor?" The teens asked in confusion.
"You work here?" Twilight added.
The reception lady laughed at this. "No, he doesn't work here, he owns here. This is Time Turner, head of the Trottingham Industrial Complex."
"WHAT?!"
"RI?"
They all stared dead-eyed at Time Turner. "You're the boss?"
Time Turner chuckled at this, scratching the back of head while replying. "Looks that way."
"But...you're so young." Twilight commented.
Turner wagged his finger at the girl, "Age is no indicator of skill. You should never be judged by how old you are, but by what you can do."
The receptionist nodded. "Mr. Turner is actually the one responsible for making this Industrial Complex as successful as it is. He's able to instantly look at a device and realize why it isn't working. That's why everyone in town simply calls him the Doctor, or Doc."
"Awesome," Flash added as he glanced back at the doctor.
Time Turner, or Doc, smiled at the lot of them before the reception's phone began to ring. The receptionist answered, "Hello? Oh yes, he's here." She held the phone to Doc, "Building five sir."
Doc took the phone. "Hello? I see...then I'll be right over." He cut the call before turning to the teens. "You kids wanna see why they call my the Doctor?" All three of them, and Springer, nodded their heads in excitement. "Then follow me." He lead them out of the reception area and over towards another building, which had a large five printed on it. As soon as they stepped inside, their ears were assaulted by the sounds of multiple machines.
"Whoa...," Spike commented as he pointed at the machines, "Running all these things must cost a fortune."
Doc smirked at this. "Actually, running these things doesn't cost us a dime thanks to the Higear."
"Higear?" Flash asked.
In that moment, something floated into view from behind one of the machines. It was a Pokémon, which was floating in the air. It looked like a large gear, about three and a half feet in diameter. It's main body was a black circle that had a pair of red eyes and a zigzag smile on it. Around its body was a bronze ring that had square outdents that gave it it's gear like shape. Floating on either side of it were two silver gears that had five longer ridges that gave them the appearance of hands. "Higear," it said as it moved towards one of the machines.
"So that's a Higear," Twilight commented while Flash pulled out his Pokedex.
Name: Higear
Category: Mechanism Pokémon
Type: Steel
Info: There are countless gears built into its body, which are constantly rotating. For that reason, if even a single gear is missing, all of the gears in it's body will stop rotating and it will be unable to maintain its vital functions.
"That Pokedex forgot to mention that Higear love machinery," Doc explained as he pointed to the Higear floating above them. "They love just being around them, which gave me an idea. Why not design the complex's machines to run off them?"
"Off them? What do you-"
"Hey look!" Spike interrupted as he pointed at the Higear, which had moved over to a large device. That device had an indent in it that was the exact same shape and size as the Higear, which it slotted itself into before spinning around. As it did, the machine slowly repowered up.
"Over there too," Twilight added as she pointed at another machine, which also had a Higear powering it.
"And there," Flash finished as he pointed at another Higear powering a device. In fact, every piece of machinery had a Higear connected to it.
"So the Higear power all the machinery?" Twilight asked as she turned back to the doctor, "Does that mean you use those machines to build whatever you need with you by using them as a power source?"
"Exactly," Doc said with a nod. "They get to be around the machinery they love and we get to work without using as much electricity and we also make less pollution. Everyone's a winner in the situation."
"Awesome..." Spike added before a new thought went into his head. "So...do all these Higear belong to you?"
Doc replied with a shake of the head, "No, they're all wild. Before I came up with this idea, they used to swarm the complex, trying to get to the machinery. They were considered pests until I developed a way for them to work the machines, which they were all happy to do so. Now us and the Higear are considered partners."
"Neat." Spike replied before pointing to another machine, "But do they-"
"Doc!" interrupted a voice, making them all turn to see a factory worker rushing towards them. "Thank goodness you're here! We have a situation."
"Then lead the way," Doc replied as the worker nodded before leading them into another factory, totally unaware that they were being watched. The suited guy, leather jacket and bulk man had been sneaking around the complex, when they had spotted Doc and the teens. Deciding to follow them, they had overhead what Doc had said about the Higear and they all smirked.
"These Higear must be worth a fortune," guy in the suit commented as he rubbed his hands with a huge greedy grin. "If we get our hands on them, we'll be able to sell them to the highest bidder."
His partner in the leather jacket snickered. "And since they're wild, we can catch them all we want."
"Exactly. Get the nets, we don't have time to battle them all."
At the back of the factory, the workman had lead them to a large device connected to a conveyor belt. Another Higear was linked into it, but something was off about this one. The Higear had a pained looked on its face, the type one makes when they were forced to run while out of breath. "Higear..." it moaned as it wavered back and forth. "Hi....gear...."
"What's wrong with it?" Twilight asked as she pointed to the Pokémon. "It looks like its just been through a marathon."
The workman turned to her. "The Higear aren't meant to remain connected to the machine for more than three hours at a time because the overuse could cause them to undergo mechanical failure. The machines lock them in so they don't accidently fall out while spinning at high speed, along with a release mechanism that stops and allows them to be free if they feel tired."
"So what's the problem?"
Doc moved up to the machine and reached into his coat, pulling out a pair of black thick rim glasses that he placed over his eyes. "The release mechanisms aren't working. The Higear's trapped."
"Exactly," the workman said with a nod. "We've tried everything we could think of, but we can't get the Higear out."
"Alright. Then I'll just go up and ask the Pokémon what to do." Doc said in a calm, monotone voice. The others were surprised at the sudden declaration, but before they could say anything, Doc was already climbing the machine until he was face to face with the Higear. "Hello there, I'm the Doctor."
Higear opened its pained eyes and looked at him. "Hi...."
Doc let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out." He reached into his coat and pulled out a small cylindrical device that he held up, pressing a button and unleashing a blue light on the machine. "Let's see what's wrong here." He shined the light over the machinery, looking for anything that might catch his attention.
"You think he'll find something?" Spike asked.
"We'll have to wait and see," Twilight replied while rubbing her chin in thought. "Fascinating method though..."
Before Twilight could continue her comment, Doc let out a cry of joy, "HA! Here we go!" He then yanked out a piece of metal from the machine.
The Higear's face suddenly went from pained to surprised as it suddenly floated out of place. "HIGEAR!"
"He's free!" Spike cheered.
"RI!" Springer cried in joy.
Flash blinked as he watched Doc climb down, the Higear floating down with him. "How'd you do that?"
Doc smiled as he placed his glasses and flashlight back in his pocket. "Oh, just a bit of rusty metal was keeping the release from properly working. Forcing that part open allowed the rest to work perfectly."
"Wow," Twilight gasped, "and you figured it out just by looking at it?"
"That's why he's the doctor," the workman said matter-of-factly.
"Oh please, I'm just doing my job." He turned to the worker, "Is that everything?"
"Yes sir. I'll get the Higear back to work."
"Good."
As the worker and Pokémon left, the doctor turned back to the teens, "Now then....in all the excitement, I never asked why you all wanted to come here in the first place."
"Oh yeah..." Twilight replied as she reached into her backpack and pulled out her journal, which she held out to him. "We were told we could get a mapping system for this."
"Ah, one of my favorite inventions." Doc said as he took the journal, opening it up and to look through the device. "Hmm....I'm guessing you haven't had it long."
"Not really."
"Well I can definitely get you a mapping system for it. In fact, as a special treat, I'll download the latest version free of charge."
"Really?"
Doc nodded. "What's the point of knowledge if you just keep it to yourself?" He then pocketed the device, "I can have it ready for you tomorrow."
Twilight nodded as Flash stepped up. "Good. Now we can focus on my Gym Battle."
Upon hearing this, Doc raised an eyebrow at the teen. "So, you've come to face the Trottingham City Gym Leader?"
"Yeah," Flash replied before puffing his chest with a smirk. He then pointed at the doc, "Hey, you must know him. What's he like?"
They all leaned closer with an expectant look, causing Doc to chuckle. "I know he's an exceptionally strong trainer who constantly comes up with new ways to defeat his opponents. The only way you're gonna win is to have a strategy that covers every possible outcome."
Twilight turned to Flash. "That could be a problem for you. How are you supposed to strategize if you know nothing about this guy?"
Flash just shrugged. "Who needs a strategy? I'll just stick to what I'm best at, thinking on the fly."
Hearing this made Doc frown. "If you do that, you'll lose."
Flash just shrugged at this, "Maybe, but getting bogged down in trying to think up every little detail just isn't my speed. My grandmother once told me that there were four steps to winning a battle. Make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan. I just do the all that, except I skip the first three steps."
Doc's frown continued to grow. "Obviously any plan your grandmother ever made wasn't planned out well enough. If you planned enough, nothing will ever cause said plan to go as you said, 'off the rails'."
Flash was about to reply, only for the group's ears to hear a new sound.
"HIGEAR! HI HIGEAR!!!"
They all turned towards the entrance, where the sounds of many Higear cries were originating from. None of them said a word as their bodies acted without thought and rushed over to the entrance. There, they found the all the workers on the floor, all of them battered and bruised, "What happened?" Doc asked the closest one.
The man weakly pointed outside, "They're trying to take the Higear."
The five all rushed outside, where they found the three men. The first of the three was a bulky, heavyset man with a large sack over his shoulder. Beside him was a man in a black, slim suit along with another man who was wearing a thick black leather jacket.
"HEY! What do you think you're doing?!"
The three stopped and spun around, the black suited one smirking at them. "We're just doing a little shopping."
Twilight noticed the sack that bulky man was holding, which was actually a net full of the Higear they had seen earlier. "What are you doing with those Higear?! Let them go!"
The black suited guy just let out a laugh. "Why would I do that? These Higear are all wild, so why can't I catch them?"
"Because you're not catching them," Flash said as he pointed to the net. "You're kidnapping them from their home!"
"Yeah!" Spike yelled in agreement, "What you're doing is just wrong! Why'd you need so many Higear anyway?!"
At this point, Doc stepped forward. "My guess is that they intend to sell them. Isn't that right, Big Score?"
The suited man smirked at this, shaking his head as he pointed to himself. "So you've heard of me."
"You're on every wanted list out there," Doc replied as he let out a low growl. "Big Score, and his cronies Rickashay and Boulder. Wanted for theft and assault all over Equestria. You'll do anything for a quick buck."
"Which is exactly what these Higear will give me," Score admitted as he pointed to the net. "Once I sell them to the highest bidder, that is."
"That's just sick," Twilight hissed.
"We won't let you get away with this," Flash told them.
Score let out another laugh. "And how'd you intend to stop us?" He and his friends each pulled out a Pokeball before tossing them in the air. "Jesterror, out!"
"Stompice, chill out!"
"Spikorn!"
The three Pokeballs opened, unleashing the red energy that hit the ground and took form before fading. The first Pokémon to take shape looked humanoid and stood at about four feet. He had snow white skin and was wearing a red and blue clown outfit, complete with bells on its hat and shoes while its sleeves reached all the way to its feet. "Jest..."
The second was a white Pokémon that stood on two thick legs but had no arms. It stood at about four and a half feet, with a light blue cone shaped appendage on its head that was just above its face that appeared to be made out of ice. It also had light blue ice spikes on its knees. "Stomp."
The final Pokémon looked like a hercules beetle, but its entire body was made out of stone. It had a pair of longs sharp horns on its head. One long one on its forehead and another, shorter one coming out of its lower jaw. It had four insectoid like legs with spikes one the end of them and six spikes on its back. "Korn."
"Whoa..." Flash said as he pulled out his Pokedex. "Never seen those before."
Name: Jesterror
Category: Phantom Clown Pokémon
Type: Ghost/Dark
Info: This mischievous Pokémon enjoys terrifying people careless enough to wonder the streets after dark. It emerges from the shadows, strikes, then fades back into the nothingness.
Name: Stompice
Category: Ice Foot Pokémon
Type: Ice
Info: Because their feet are so large, they often find themselves tripping over them. Because of their shy nature, they are rarely seen by humans.
Name: Spikorn
Category: Rock Spike Pokémon
Type: Rock
Info: Its body is so large it can no longer climb walls. In protects itself using the spikes on its body to ward off attackers.
"Those things look strong," Twilight said with a gulp.
Flash smirked as he put away his Pokedex and stepped forwards with Springer. "I got this." He pulled out his Pokeballs. "Skyler, Riptide, Prongs, I choose you!" He three the balls in the air and they unleashed their red energy, which hit the ground and took form before fading.
"Chickling."
"Aquana."
"Thawn."
"Riolu!" Springer leapt in front of the three, ready to fight.
"Be careful Flash," Twilight told him.
"Don't worry. As I said, I got this," Flash assured her.
From the back of the group, Doc watched sternly. He remembered what Flash had said earlier about battling by thinking on the fly, wondering just how this style of battling would suit him.
"Riptide!" Flash ordered, "start with Echoed Voice!"
"Ak!" Riptide cried as he leapt into the air before taking a deep breath. "AQUANA!" He unleashed a sound-wave that struck the three Pokémon. Stompice and Spikorn flinched in pain, but Jesterror appeared to be unaffected by it.
"Pathetic!" Score yelled as he pointed at the water lizard, "Jesterror, use Night Shade!"
"Jest!" Jesterror leapt into the air at Riptide, a dark aura appearing around his body. That aura then enveloped the Aquana, sealing it in a black sphere that suddenly exploded.
"AQUANA!" Riptide yelped as he fell to the floor and a thud.
"Riptide!" Flash cried as he rush over to him, kneeling down to see if he was okay. "What happened?"
"Jesterror's a Ghost Type," Twilight told him. "Normal Type attacks won't work on him."
"Dang it!" Flash cried before turning to his opponents. "Springer, use Aura Sphere on Spikorn!"
"Did he just say Aura Sphere?" Doc asked as he watched Springer create the ball of aura and toss it at Spikorn. "Brilliant."
Score snapped his fingers, "Oh no you don't! Jesterror, block it!" The jester Pokémon leapt in front of Spikorn and held up its hand, the Aura Sphere striking it, only for it to disappear into nothing.
"Again?!" Flash gasped.
"Fighting type moves won't work on Ghost types as well Flash!" Twilight yelled as she pointed at the clown Pokémon.
At this point, Stompice and Spikorn had recovered from the Echoed Voice. "Our turn," Rickashay said. "Stompice, use Ice Shard!"
"Spikorn, use Rock Throw!" Boulder ordered.
The two Pokémon fired their attacks, Stompice opening its mouth and creating a large block of ice while Spikorn's did the same and created a large rock in between its horns. The two attacks flew at Flash's Pokémon.
"Prongs, Double Kick!"
"Fay!" Prongs leapt in front of his teammates before spinning around, bucking his two hooves at the attacks, shattering them.
"Now Skyler, Wing Attack on Jesterror!"
"Chick!" Skyler cried as he shot towards Jesterror, his wings glowing.
"Slash!" Score ordered, Jesterror now holding up its arms. The long sleeves rolled down, revealing a pair of sharp claws on its hands that glowed.
"Jest!" He yelled as it held out its claws, which it used to grab Skyler by the wings, and dug them into the bird.
"Chickling!" Skyler cried in pain.
Score smirked, but that smirk quickly faded when he heard Flash's next order. "Force Palm, Water Gun and Energy Ball!" He looked around to see Riptide and Prongs fire their attacks at Spikorn, while Springer rushed towards Stompice and thrust his paw into him. The attacks struck and sent them both back while Skyler flapped its wings and pushed Jesterror away.
"Yeah!" Spike cheered as he jumped for joy.
"Nice move Flash," Twilight clapped.
"He was distracting us with that Chickling." Score growled as he stared at the bird Pokémon. "Blast it all!"
"No worries," Rickashay said as his and Boulder's Pokémon recovered. "Use Stomp!"
"Tackle!" Boulder ordered.
The two Pokémon rushed forwards and attacked the ones that had hit them, Stompice kicking Springer in the stomach while Spikorn rushed into Riptide and Prongs, hitting both with his spikes.
"Guys!" Flash yelled as he watched his Pokémon all get knocked back with ease.
"Oh no!" Twilight cried, "Are they okay?!" They watched as the three of them picked themselves up, while Skyler flew over them defensively.
"Now!" Score yelled, "Jesterror...Confuse Ray!"
Twilight and Doc both went wide eyed hearing this as they watched Jesterror's eyes glow bright red. "Flash, watch out!" Twilight cried, but it was too late.
"Jesterror!" The phantom clown Pokémon cried as it shot a quartet of red beams from its eyes, each one hitting one of Flash's Pokémon in the forehead. The four of them all flinched and closed their eyes, only to start staggering around.
"What the heck?!" Flash yelped as he saw his team all waver back and forth, all of them completely unfocused.
"Flash, they're confused. You have to be careful." Twilight tried to say, only for it to fall on deaf ears.
"You gotta snap out of it guys!" Flash yelled as he pointed at Spikorn. "Springer, use Aura Sphere on Spikorn!"
Springer did create an Aura Sphere, but everything around him looked so blurry that he couldn't aim properly. He then threw the attack, only for his target to end up being Riptide!
Boom!
"AQUANA!" Riptide cried out as he was struck by the attack and sent flying back.
"Riptide!" Flash yelled as he rushed forwards and caught his Pokémon, the water lizard now unconscious.
"Now's our chance!" Score yelled as he clenched his fists.
"Right!" Rickashay replied. "Use Ice Beam on Thawn."
"Use Rock Blast on Chickling," Boulder ordered.
"And use Shadow Sneak on Riolu!" Score finished.
The three Pokémon unleashed their attacks. Spikorn's lower horn glowed before it fired three rock like missiles that flew at the still confused Skyler. The top of Stompice's head glowed before a light blue lightning like beam flew out, aimed directly at Prongs. Finally, Jesterror rushed towards Springer before disappearing into a shadow that stuck to the ground and raced towards the Riolu. All three attacks struck their intended targets, Skyler pelted with the rocks, Prongs hit by the below zero energy beam and the shadow flew through Springer's chest before taking the shape of Jesterror behind him. All three of them cried out in pain before collapsing to the ground, all left unable to battle by those super effective attacks.
"Flash lost!" Spike cried.
"It's not really his fault," Twilight told him. "Those Pokémon were at a higher level, plus the trainers only had to focus on one Pokémon while Flash had to focus on four. Even the most skilled trainer would have trouble with that."
Flash frowned as he pulled out his Pokeballs and returned everyone but Springer, which he picked the Riolu up and turned to Score. "I still won't let you take those Higear!"
Score guffawed at this. "And what are you gonna do about it kid? Your Pokémon lost!" He then crossed his arms with a smirk, "You've wasted enough of my time, but...you know what, I got an idea! To make it up to me, you can hand over all your Pokémon. I'm sure someone will be willing to buy them."
Flash growled as he hugged Springer tighter. "Not happening."
"And how are you gonna stop us?" Rickashay asked him. "You've got nothing to battle with." The three of them and their Pokémon stepped forwards, the Pokémon all looking ready to attack.
Spike turned to his sister. "Twilight, you gotta help him."
Twilight however, was shaking in fear. She wanted to help, but they had beaten all of Flash's Pokémon so easily. She looked at her one Pokémon, memories of the Pipple and Movine battle. "I...I can't."
Score and his minions got closer. "Hand them over. Now."
But in that moment, Doc stepped in front of the teens, an angry look on his face. "That's enough."
Score let out another dark chuckle. "Oh? You want to try and take us on single handedly? You won't last ten seconds."
"Oh, I think I'll last longer then that," Doc told him as he pulled out a pokeball. "Trust me on that."
Score frowned at this confidence. Had he not seen what they had just done to the teen? "Who are you?"
Doc's serious expression doubled. "I'm the Doctor, also known as Time Turner, Leader of the Trottingham City Gym!"
Everyone's eyes went wide hearing this. "YOU'RE THE GYM LEADER?!"
Doc then tossed the ball into the air. "Higear, I need your assistance!" The Pokeball opened up and let out an aura of red energy, soon taking form to reveal another Higear.
"Higear!" It cheered as it floated down to earth.
"He's got a Higear too?" Flash said, blinking at the sight.
Score smirked at this. "Who cares if he's a Gym Leader, it's still three on one." He pointed at the Higear. "Defeat and capture that little money maker!"
"Right!" His cronies replied in unison.
Doc frowned as he placed his hands in his pockets. "I won't let you have any of the Higear. This is their home, and I won't let you treat them like tools to be exploited. Higear, battle plan beta sigma!"
"Gear..." Higear growled. "HIGEAR HI!
"Use Slash!" Score ordered, his Jesterror rushing forwards as it showed its claws.
"Dodge and use Shift Gear!" Doc ordered.
"Hi!" Higear levitated into the air, the gear ring around its body beginning to spin.
"Shift Gear?" Spike asked as he blinked at the Pokémon.
"It's a move that increases a Pokémon's speed and power."
"Ice Shard!" Rickashay ordered his Stompice, who created and fired the ice block at Higear.
"Dodge and use Shift Gear again!" Doc yelled, the Higear obeying as he evaded the ice before spinning the gear even faster.
"Rock Blast!" Boulder ordered, his Spikorn firing five rock projectiles at the floating gear.
"One more time! Dodge and Shift Gear!" Higear managed to dodge every single Rock Blast, his gear ring spinning faster then ever.
"What's he doing?" Flash asked as he kept his grip firm on Springer. "He'll never win if he doesn't attack."
Doc chuckled at this comment, turning to Flash with a smirk. "Watch and learn Flash. This is what happens when you battle with a plan." He turned Higear, who's gear ring still spun at high speed. "It's time Higear. Use Gyro Ball!"
"HIGEAR!" He cried as he began to spin at high speed, transforming into a flying buzz-saw. He then shot towards Spikorn, striking him with a force that sent the rock beetle flying, instantly smashing the ground with a thud.
"Spikorn..." he moaned before it's eyes were replaced with spirals.
"Spikorn!" Boulder cried.
"Whoa! That was one hit!" Spike gasped.
"Gyro Ball does more damage depending on how much faster the user is compared to the target," Twilight told him. "It must be why he kept using Shift Gear."
Flash soon caught on, his eyes widening as he completed Twilight's though, "He was increasing Higear's speed so Gyro Ball could one hit KO them."
Doc glanced back to give them all a smirk before pointing at Stompice. "Gyro Ball, again!"
Before Score or Rickashay could react, the still spinning Higear shot towards Stompice, instantly knocking the ice Pokémon into the air. It soon hit the ground like a rock, moaning as his eyes turned to spirals. Jesterror saw the buzz-saw attack then turn towards it, causing him to panic before turning to run away. But Higear quickly caught up and struck him in the back, the Pokémon soon crying, "JESTERROR!"
"Dang it!" Score hissed, seeing his victory turn to defeat so quickly. He and his cronies returned their Pokémon before he turned to them, frowning. "We still have the other Higear. Let's get out of here, now!"
Rickashay and Boulder nodded before turning to run away, only to feel a rush of wind fly by them. Then, Doc's Higear appeared in front of them, a smirk on its face.
"What are you smiling at?" Rickashay growled.
Higear didn't respond. Instead, it simply pointed at the net Boulder was carrying. The bulky criminal moved the net in front of them, allowing them to see what Higear was smiling at. There was a massive tear in the net, which was now completely empty.
"He cut the others free?!" Score yelped.
"Got that right," they heard Doc say.
They slowly turned to see all the Higear they had caught frowning at them, Doc's moving over to float at the front. Doc crossed his arms before shining a smirk. "Everyone, Gyro Ball!"
"NO!" Score cried as he and his cronies began to run away. But as they did, the Higear all started spinning, building speed bit by bit. Then, before Score and the others could even get out of eyesight, the group of Higears hit them all at high speed.
BOOM!
The Higears all retreated from the cloud of smoke they created as three men shot out of it and into the sky.
"I can't believe we were beaten by a bunch of kids!" Score complained.
"That one kid was a Gym Leader," Rickashay told him, Boulder humming in agreement.
"I don't care!" Score barked back. "One day I'll get my vengeance on them!" With that, the three of them disappeared into the horizon.
Back on the ground, everyone was looking over the condition of the Higear. Luckily, none of them appeared to have been harmed by the criminals. Seeing this, Doc spoke up, "Good, everyone's okay. Seems there was nothing to worry about."
"Higear, Higear, Higear," the gear Pokémon replied before floating back into the factory.
"They're going back to work?" Twilight asked while blinking rapidly. "Already?!"
Doc let out a chuckle. "Like I said, they love being around machinery."
Spike turned to Doc, his eyes still wide from everything he had just seen. "I can't believe you're the Gym Leader."
Doc shrugged at this. "I was actually gonna surprise you. You'd show up at the Gym and I'd step out, amazing you all. So much for that plan."
"Well, I can definitely see why you're the Gym Leader," Twilight commented as she looked at Doc's Pokémon. "Your Higear was amazing."
Doc smirked at the complement before turning to Flash, who had been oddly quiet throughout this exchange. "So, still want to challenge me? Now that you've seen me in action, I'm sure you'll want some time to come up with a strategy."
Flash frowned hearing this, only to morph it into a smile. "Thanks, but I'm ready to battle you whenever you are."
Hearing this made Doc raise an eyebrow in surprise. "I suggest you don't underestimate me. I won't hold back, and I've already formulated a plan to overcome whatever you might throw at me."
Flash just waved his hand at this, a cocky smirk now on his face. "I won't underestimate you, but having a plan's just not my style. I'll stick with what I'm good at, adapting on the fly."
Doc sighed as he shook his head. "Very well. Maybe losing will help you see. Come to the Gym tomorrow, and bring your A game." With that, he turned and walked off, leaving the teens staring at him as he headed towards the factory.
"Don't worry," Flash chuckled as he pointed to himself. "I've only got an A game."
Flash and his friends have finally met the Trottingham City Gym Leader, but will Flash be able to overcome this obstacle and earn his first Gym Badge? There's only one way to find out, stay tuned.
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So this is our 'Blasting off again,' group.
And so the Doctor has made his debut. Let's see how the empty mind contends with the one always in motion.
.
9002335 Who said Flash's minds empty. There's a difference between idiots and reactionaries.
The first gym battle is coming up. I am excited to see how this will turn out. How will Flash overcome Time Turner’s brilliant strategies?
By the way, I think you forgot to include the design for Stompice in the autho’r note at the end, since it is blank.
9002378 The designs in the authors notes are to help give you imagine. When I put Kipperin in Movines, that's because Movines designed after it. Stompice is a completely original creation, so I did not have anything to put in. Whatever I wrote, would have just been like what I wrote in the actual story.
9002353
I was speaking in a zen-like, nivarana- like state, devoid of distractions, devoid of noise, calm in silence, Like a still pool of water.
Hmm, I can't tell who would be at a bigger disadvantage in the gym battle. On one hand, Time Turner is more experienced and possibly more skilled. On the other, Flash strategizing on the fly makes him more unpredictable as an opponent, and Time Turner's battle style depends on him being able to predict his opponents.
That's because it is.
XD HAHAHAHAHAHA
If they encounter another thing like this, I suggest that one of the lines be "I swear, there must be some sort of cloning facility or something with how many identical people are in that picture."
Actually, Gyro Ball is stronger the slower the user is compared to the target.
Looks like we have our new villainous trio similar to the main members of Team Rocket.
Looks like that's some foreshadowing for the battle next time.
This was a great chapter and I'm excited for the Gym Battle. It makes sense for Time Turner to be a Gym Leader, but I didn't expect him to be first. With Higear as an opponent, I think that the best choices for Flash to battle with are Springer and Prongs.
9002643
I didn't think of that. That's brilliant.
9002643
Well that makes no sense. How can something cause more damage, the slow it is? This is my story, so I'll make moves work how I want it.
9002675
Honestly, the description of the move is confusing to me too. A high speed spinning tackle that's stronger the slower you are? That's just odd.
You're an Arrowverse fan too?
I still find it amusing how the whole "identical family" thing is commented on how weird it is here. Also, this chapter introduced not only Doc but the "Team Rocket substitutes", Big Score, Rickashay and Boulder. Though Team Rocket being a constant antagonist in nearly every episode got annoying the more you watched, so I am glad you used these three much less frequently.
It is a little funny how they are a legitimate threat here due to Flash still being a rookie and Twilight being too scared of screwing up again to help, but then with only an exception or two later, they are pretty much just an annoyance like Team Rocket became. It is also a little telling how despite being threats to Flash here, they are easily beaten by Dox's Higear, which as we later learn is more or less his weakest and least memorable Pokémon (but not his worst Pokémon, that one comes later).