Helix and Hooves: Trainers of the Future

by The Kelduo

Chapter 2: An Encounter of Legendary Proportions

We hurried towards where the crash came from, and the source of it was obvious. I turned to the others. "I never thought that such a woolly sheep Pokemon could break through a fence like this."

The Doctor looked at the gate in surprise. "I must admit, I'm quite impressed. Those sheep Pokemon seem to have incredibly soft bodies. Did that one really break though the wooden gate?"

Keldeo nodded. "I'm pretty sure it did. Pokemon have been underestimated so many times. I know that because Ash, Cilan, and Iris were pretty impressed when I broke through that iron gate."

I used my sharp eyesight to look further down the path now opened up. "That forest looks pretty dangerous and difficult to traverse. The poor thing could be in trouble."

Hop warned, "But the Slumbering Weald's off-limits! Nobody's supposed to go in there, not even heroic guys like you who want to rescue the Wooloo! I remember the professor's granddaughter went in once, and she came back in a real state... And that was nothing compared to the earful she got from the professor afterward!"

The Doctor replied, "But that is no excuse to allow an innocent Wooloo to get harmed! We've got to do something!"

I nodded. "We're heroes where we come from. This could be a very risky trek, but we still need to rescue that poor Wooloo!"

Roborygon said, "You're right. However, it would be wise for at least one person to stay behind and come rescue you if you need help."

"Good point." I thought about who should come with me. "...Okay. Doctor, Pummel, Roborygon, you're coming with me. Heart, Hop, we'll call you if we need help."

---

We entered the woods of the Slumbering Weald, which was as mysterious as the name implied. The path twisted and turned, and the dense fog did not help. The Doctor turned to me. "Where could this so-called Wooloo have gone? Do you have any ideas?"

I sighed. "It's quite stereotypical for something to wander all the way into a dark and dangerous place like this. We'll just have to take this path to the end, unless an emergency occurs."

Pummel added, "We'll have to find it fast, before the fog becomes too overwhelming for us."

"Okay. Let's go!" The Doctor proceeded to gallop along the path.

I exclaimed, "Careful! Tall grass tends to house--"

"Whoa!" The Doctor was jumped by a light gray squirrel with a dark gray tail and ears. Its cheeks were filled with something, most likely food for storage.

"--wild Pokemon... Send out your Grookey, and do battle with it!"

The squirrel yelled, "Hey! If you're after my food supply, then beat it!"

"I'm sorry?" the Doctor asked. "I don't speak squirrel."

The squirrel facepalmed. "I'm not a squirrel, dang it! You should know a Skwovet when you see one!"

"Oh, I see." I turned to the Doctor. "Apparently, that Skwovet thinks you're after its food supply, and it won't let you go without a fight."

"Understood. Go, Ukiki!" The Doctor sent out his Grookey. "Use Branch Poke!"

"All right!" Ukiki thrust his stick forward and poked Skwovet in the right cheek.

"Ptoo!" Skwovet spat out some nuts and Berry seeds due to the stick. "How dare you! I was saving those!" It then tried to tackle Ukiki, who took the blow head-on.

The Doctor looked at Skwovet in surprise. "I think that we should refrain from poking its cheeks. That seemed to make it even more irritable. Jump to the side and use Branch Poke!"

This time, Ukiki poked its stick into Skwovet's tail before throwing Skwovet onto its head using the stick as a handle. "Ow! Okay, okay, fine! I give up! Take whatever berries you want!"

I rubbed Skwovet's head. "It's okay, Skwovet. Relax, we're not here for any Berries."

It looked up at me in surprise. "Wait, what? Then why are you guys here?"

"We're here to rescue a Pokemon that wandered into the Slumbering Weald. You see a Wooloo roll by?"

Skwovet shook its head. "Nope, I was too busy gathering berries to notice if one came along. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some berries to gather!"

"Okay, good-bye!"

We left the patch of grass and moved on. After crossing the short bridge, we came across another patch of grass that was to be traversed in order to proceed. "You said that wild Pokemon live in tall grass," the Doctor said. "Any tips on how to check if a Pokemon is lurking in the grass?"

I turned to him. "Do ponies like you have a good sense of hearing?"

"Why, yes. The auditory senses of ponies are exceptional! I don't suppose that means we could hear the Pokemon moving through the grass?"

I nodded. "Indeed. I also have honed my senses, so I can tell that there's a Pokemon about ten feet away. Let us put my hypothesis to the test."

We took about five steps, and we were ambushed by another Pokemon. This one was a stout, blue bird with a black "mask" around its red eyes and gray beak, the black pattern continuing along the sides of the bird. It had a thick yellow stripe going from its belly to where its legs begin. "I'm Rookidee, and I'll be your opponent! I won't take no for an answer!"

The Doctor smiled. "Okay. Ukiki, use Branch--"

I stopped him, saying, "I'll take on Rookidee, Doctor. Your Grookey has a type disadvantage against such a Flying-type." I sent out Hotshot. "Hotshot, use Tackle!"

"Here I come!" Hotshot charged towards Rookidee.

"Nope!" Rookidee hopped to its left, dodging Hotshot's Tackle. "Time to see who's better at dodging--you, or me!" Flapping its small wings, Rookidee flew into the air and tried to use Peck on Hotshot.

"Use Ember!" Hotshot breathed an ember that struck Rookidee's beak directly.

Rookidee's beak was put ablaze. "Whew, a little too hot for my taste! Not that it matters, because I'm still gonna Peck you!" It flew towards Hotshot, but then it zipped right. "Psyche!" Having caught Hotshot off-guard, Rookidee pecked him on the back.

"Hey, that tickles!" Hotshot laughed.

The Doctor tilted his head. "Why would that tickle? It should hurt!"

I explained, "When a Pokemon is burned, it slowly takes damage, and its attacks do less damage. Additionally, Fire-type Pokemon have a resistance to fire and Fire-type moves. Hotshot, Tackle!"

"Let's try this again!" Hotshot used Tackle on Rookidee successfully, knocking it onto its rear.

"Thanks for the battle," Rookidee weakly said with a hint of happiness. "I won't let this defeat keep me from getting stronger!" It then walked away with a slight limp.

"All right. Let's keep going!" I said.

We left the tall grass and kept moving onward. After walking about ten meters, we saw another patch of tall grass ahead. We proceeded towards it when...

"ARRRRROOOOOOOHHHH!!!" A mighty howl pierced the silence.

"That sounded like a Pokemon!" Pummel exclaimed. "And from the sound of it, this one's really tough!" He stepped forward. "I think I'd better take the lead."

We walked a few more feet into the tall grass, and we were ambushed by a Skwovet. "You better not be after my food!"

The Doctor asked, "Didn't we just do battle with you?"

Skwovet raised an eyebrow. "What's that? I don't remember fighting the likes of you... Wait a minute, you must've been the one who bullied my little brother!"

I sighed. "That's the thing about Pokemon; individuals of a species tend to look the same, save for those with different forms or easily noticeable gender differences."

The Doctor smiled. "Oh, I see. I suppose we'll have to battle this one, too?"

Before I could answer, Hotshot punted the Skwovet away. "Team Helix, three! Team Wild, zero!"

We looked at Hotshot in surprise. After a long pause, I said, "...That's the strongest critical hit I've witnessed from a level 7 Pokemon."

We walked out of the tall grass and only got a few meters when...

"ARRRROOOOOOOOHH!!"

I turned to the others. "Stay on your guard. I feel that we're getting close."

We went from walking to running, and we ran a few hundred meters ahead, where the fog was even more dense. "Visibility levels are becoming slim," Roborygon said. "Engaging thermal vision."

"I can see now why this area is off-limits..." the Doctor said with a hint of fear. "I can't even see my own hoof in front of my face!"

We looked around in caution, wary of what could attack us. Even with my sharp eyesight, I had great trouble seeing. I closed my eyes, concentrating on using my other senses to find danger. Then... "Something's at twelve o'clock!" I exclaimed.

We looked straight forward, and two canine Pokemon stood before us. One was indigo; it had long orange-brown braids along each side of its body. The other was deep crimson, with a dark indigo tuft of head fur and tail. The tip of the indigo one's right ear and the tip of the crimson one's left ear were missing for some reason.

The Doctor began to send out Grookey, but I stopped him. "Wait. We don't know if it is hostile to us." I calmly looked at the two Pokemon. "Hello, resident of the Galar region. My name is Helix, and these are my friends, Doctor Hooves, Pummel Fist, and Roborygon. Have you seen a Wooloo come by?"

"..." The Pokemon did not respond. Then they roared, "Lrrroooaaarrrd!!!" "Grrrrrrriiieeeld!!!"

"I don't understand. As a Pokemon, I should be able to understand these fellow Pokemon." I took on a battle stance. "And it seems like they doesn't want to negotiate. They seem like very powerful Pokemon, so I will take them on myself!" I plucked an arrow quill and fired it at the indigo Pokemon using the tension created by my bow-like vine.

However, a familiar blue paw grabbed the quill before it hit its target. "Stop, Helix!" The blue vulpine to whom the paw belonged turned to us. "This strange creature... it has no aura! We stand before something that either is not alive or does not even exist!"

"There is but one way to determine these creatures' existence, Lucario. Activating Ghost-type schematics!" Roborygon changed color, so that he had a black body with purple highlights. His eyes were now white. "Initiating Shadow Ball module." He charged up a purple ball of energy and fired it at the red creature. But the blast of shadow energy went right through the beast, only causing it to ripple. The creature's gaze was fixed on us. "Unbelievable! Shadow Ball had no effect?!"

Lucario groaned, "It's just as I thought. These beings... must be an illusion. We should leave."

I nodded. "Agreed. Let's go!" We tried to flee, but we couldn't. "What's this? It's as if an invisible force is not allowing me to leave!"

"I have the same problem!" the Doctor replied.

"Me too!" Pummel said.

"What are these abominable monsters?!" Lucario exclaimed with a mixture of fear and rage.

"It appears there's only one way out of this. Time for Leaf Blade!" I flew towards the indigo creature and slashed at it with my arrow quill. Still, it had no effect. "This monster... we have no chance of victory!"

"Lrrroooaaarrrd!!!" "Grrrrrriiiieeeeeld!!!" The creatures howled, and more fog rolled in. It was becoming even harder to see.

"I'll contact the others! We need as much assistance as possible!" Roborygon buzzed and whirred, but he sighed. "I can't reach anyone. Something's tampering with my long-range communication features!"

"How can we even fight if we can't even...!" Then I had an idea. I reached into the TM/HM case in my coat--which was outfitted with a hammerspace dimension split into various sectors, each sector in a different pocket--and pulled out the fifth disc my feathered fingers felt. "Trainers have the Poke Dude Show, but I wonder what Pokemon have... Roborygon, time to load a Hidden Machine."

"Excellent! Preparing Teachy TV disc container." Roborygon stretched his beak and split it along the middle horizontally. I inserted the disc, and Roborygon closed his beak. From his antenna came video footage from 2006. I could tell it was from 2006 because of the fairly pixelated graphics, the dense fog, and the thin rope connecting two plateaus near the black and white bird in the center of the picture. I concentrated hard on the bird because I needed to learn the technique to be taught by the video.

"Hey there!" The bird said. "I'm today's host of the Pokepals Show, Starry the Staravia! How are all my feathered friends out there? Ready to learn a new move? I can't hear you! ...'Course, I wouldn't be able to anyway, because this isn't filmed in front of a live audience. Anyway, today I'm gonna teach you how to use Defog!" Starry motioned towards the background. "Having trouble seeing with fog like this? No problem! You got wings for a reason! Don't look at them just yet, because you've still got to watch mine! Stretch those bad boys out like this, then..." Starry thrust his wings towards the fog, flapping like his life depended on it. "...just BLOW that fog outta here!" He then waved to the camera. "Remember, all you wind masters out there: a smart move a day brings happiness to stay!"

"Episode H5 completed!" I retrieved HM5 and returned it to my TM case.

"Okay, time to put this to the test. Defog!" I stretched my wings out as instructed, then I aimed my gusts at the fog and blew as hard as I could. The fog dissipated, but only for a moment. I stepped back in fear. "Oh no, it came back!"

The Pokemon roared, and the fog grew even thicker. "I can't see a thing!" the Doctor exclaimed.

Lucario said, "There is still one thing left to do... absolutely nothing."

The Doctor was taken aback. "What?! How will that help?!"

"I'm glad you asked. Doing nothing is what made a friend of ours famous. He is a mighty ghost-hunting warrior who will not back down from rescuing his friends..."

Just then, the fog began to rush into a very narrow area, and we were soon able to see. "Come on, let's-a go!"

We ran towards the source of the voice, which was also where the fog was disappearing towards. By the time we could easily see, we saw a portly man in a green cap and long-sleeved shirt, as well as blue overalls. He was using a red vacuum to suck up the fog.

Lucario smiled. "...Luigi! I knew you would come to rescue us!"

Luigi smiled back. "Heart Fist called me to find you all, because she was getting nervous about how long you've been gone. You alright?"

The Doctor replied, "Yes, we are, thanks to you and Heart Fist!"

"Doctor! Helix!" Suddenly, Leon came rushing up to us. He seemed quite upset by our actions. "You had me worried sick! I'd been waiting ages for you and your pals Pummel and Roborygon, and you never showed! Why would you wander into the Slumbering Weald like that?! It's out of bounds!"

"Guys, I found the Wooloo!" Pummel came to us carrying a Wooloo. "Good thing it isn't injured. Although I wouldn't understand how it could get injured by physical attacks; the wool could probably make anything bounce off of it!"

"That makes sense. I admit, it took courage to come in here all the same. And I can understand well enough why you did it. You did good, all of you!"

Pummel continued, "But still, we'd better get out of here while we can, before those strange Pokemon come back and the place gets foggy again! We almost fainted because of that!"

Leon looked at Pummel with curiosity. "Strange Pokemon? What are you talking about, Pummel?"

"You'd never believe me. They were canine Pokemon of some sort, and one looked indigo in color while the other was red. When they howled, more fog came in. And when we tried to attack them, our moves went right through them, literally! It's like the Pokemon were made of air, and all that it did when it was attacked was make ripples throughout its body!"

Leon crossed his arms in thought. "Your moves passed right through them? So, the fearsome Pokemon they say live in the Slumbering Weald... Are they actually illusions or something?"

I shook my head. "Can illusions prohibit one's attempts at escape?"

"Good point. Get strong enough and maybe you could be the ones to reveal the truth someday. For now, let's do as Pummel suggested and get out of this place. You'll be all right now that I'm here with you!"

Still carrying the Wooloo, Pummel said, "Sure, we got lectured by the Champion, but this was an amazing experience! This makes a great start to our adventure!"

And so, we left the woods to return to Postwick.

---

We met up with the rest of the group, and Lucario said, "Our apologies for making you wait. Two unique Pokemon stood in our path, and it's a good thing that you called Luigi to rescue us. Go on ahead, everyone. I'll tell Victor's mum that you're all off to Wedgehurst before I catch up. She would go crazy if nobody told her what happened."

I asked, "Before we go on, I must know something: Why isn't Kirby with you?"

He explained, "The poor pink puffball's still trying to hunt down Faust. He's still sore that he won't be able to see the ponies he knows and loves anymore. The only reason I left him is to spare the writer. She never did anything wrong, and I'm hoping that one of two things happens: either Kirby's anger dies out before reaching her, or he comes to like the new generation and thanks her."

"That's a good idea, Lucario. Okay, we'll see you later!"

We continued to Route 1, where we saw patches of grass on the east path. At this point, Pummel and Heart had already gone ahead and began without me and the Doctor. "Which path should we take?" the Doctor asked me.

I replied, "I believe it's always better to take the path that will give our Pokemon a chance to get stronger. Besides, the path straight north is blocked." Four sleeping Wooloo were laying in a horizontal line across the path. "I respect the privacy of sleeping creatures, so I'd rather not wake them up anyway. Let's take on whatever wild Pokemon jump out at us in the tall grass!"

"Okay. Then onward into the tall grass!"

So we proceeded along the east path, taking on a few Skwovet and Rookidee in the process. As I finished battling my second Skwovet, though...

"I beg your pardon, sir, but might I have a moment of your time?" I used my sharp eyesight once more, and I saw a fairly small larva Pokemon in the grass. It had an indigo neck, top half of its large head, and bottom half of its abdomen. The center of its abdomen was yellow, and it appeared to have a yellow bow tie.

I bent down to the larva. "Of course. My name is Helix. How can I help you?"

The larva said in its helium-like voice, "Thank you very much for offering your aid, Helix. My name is Blipbug, and I am collecting information on various species of Pokemon. However, I am finding trouble with getting close enough to study them, for my species appears to be rich in nutrients."

"If it's knowledge you want..." I pointed to myself. "...then you have asked the right Trainer. I am also on a hunt for as much knowledge as I can obtain. Speaking of which, I would like to know why you asked an owl Pokemon for assistance. Are not owls predators to insects?"

Blipbug nodded. "True, but your scientific attire alluded to the fact that you were filled to the brim with useful information. In my experience, beings that thrive on knowledge tend to be less hostile towards other insightful beings."

"I am glad to know that you are trusting of me. If you don't mind, I have a request for you..." I reached into my right exterior coat pocket. "...Oh, of all the times I could have emptied my Poke Ball Pocket! I hadn't expected to go on a Pokemon adventure."

"Helix! Doctor Hooves!" Lucario came back with something in each of his paws. "Victor's mum said for you to have these. You'll need them for the Gym Challenge." He gave each of us five Poke Balls. "You can't catch 'em all, as they say, without Poke Balls."

The Doctor asked, "Thank you, but how do I use a Poke Ball to catch a Pokemon?"

Lucario facepawed. "It's as simple as throwing it so that it makes contact with the Pokemon you wish to catch. You should have no problems catching that Grubbin."

"Very well, then. Go, Poke Ball!" The Doctor tossed the Poke Ball at the gray larva with the orange head and pincers. It hit the larva's head and opened up, causing the larva to be turned into blue energy that rushed into the ball. It rocked once, twice, three times... click! "Helix, is that a good sign?"

I grinned as I looked at the Blipbug that was now securely in my own Poke Ball. "Yes. When the Poke Ball clicks shut, you know you've caught the Pokemon."

"And another thing..." Lucario handed each of us P30,000 worth of Pokemon Dollars. "This is the currency of the Pokemon world, Doctor. It's known as the Pokemon Dollar, or Poke Dollar, if you prefer. And before you express your surprise at how much I gave you, you should know that most items have prices that are multiples of 100 or 1000."

"I appreciate the information, Lucario. Now, let us proceed!"

Before leaving the tall grass, I found another Rookidee, this one not even trying to hide in the tall grass. After battling it, I added the battle-hungry Flying-type to my team. Just three more Pokemon, and I'd have a full team...

"Helix, can you tell me what this is?" The Doctor showed me a purple spray bottle.

I replied, "That's a Potion. You can use Potions to restore Pokemon's health. Different kinds of Potions restore different amounts of health. As the most basic of them, this Potion restores a small amount of health. Where did you find it, anyway?"

The Doctor pointed between the patch of grass that we were in and the next patch. "I found it over there, inside of that curiously large Poke Ball."

I walked over to the large Poke Ball. "Personally, I prefer to call them containers, so as to avoid confusing them with actual Poke Balls."

"I have to agree with your logic. And would it be safe to--hey, come back here!" While the Doctor was talking, a red and brown fox with black paws, a large tail, and black ears stole his Potion and began to make off with it.

The fox snickered. "If you want it, you're gonna have to catch me first!"

I prepared to fire a Spirit Shackle, but I discovered that the sun had reached its peak, so that the fox's shadow was directly below itself. "Darn, I can't strike its shadow at that angle."

Luigi motioned to the Doctor. "Give me a boost!"

"Okay, Luigi!" The Doctor bent down to give the green Mario brother a footstool to jump on to.

"Oh, yeah! Let's-a go!" Luigi cupped his hands together, and blue electricity formed between them. He then used the Doctor's back as a footstool to jump even higher. Once he reached the peak of his jump, Luigi launched the orb down at the fox, and the orb exploded in a burst of lightning. "You can't run from the Thunder Bro!"

The fox let go of the Potion with a groan. "Well, looks like this Nickit couldn't knick it..."

"This one's mine!" The Doctor tossed a Poke Ball that consumed the Nickit. It rocked one, twice, thrice... click! "Just a few minutes into our adventure, and I've already caught two Pokemon!"

I said, "Nice job, Doctor. And yes, it would be safe to expect more of those containers throughout our adventure. I've found them in all the other seven regions I've been to."

After defeating a Grubbin and catching a Wooloo, I came across another container next to the wall in a bare patch. This one held two yellow bottles with a spray cap. I gave them to the Doctor. "Here, these are Paralyze Heals. They help Pokemon recover from paralysis caused by electric attacks or contact with a Pokemon that has the Static Ability."

"Ability?"

I explained, "Every Pokemon has their own Ability. Different Pokemon have different Abilities, but some Pokemon can have the same Ability, much like some Pokemon can learn the same moves. However, Pokemon can only have one Ability. This ability affects the way they battle. For instance, the Overgrow Ability boosts the power of a Pokemon's Grass-type moves when it is low on health, and a Pokemon with the Static Ability inflicts paralysis on those who make direct contact with it."

The Doctor laughed. "What would I ever do without you?"

I smiled. "If you ever need information and I'm not around, ask your Rotom Phone. It's a vital source of knowledge. And yes, I knew that was a rhetorical question."

After catching a Skwovet, I followed the Doctor out of the grass and returned to the main path. We crossed the stone bridge and made our way to Wedgehurst. Several people were outside, and we supposed they were fans; they were saying things like "The Champion's here!" and "It's the ultimate Charizard!" We followed their gaze to a large building with a purple roof and a Poke Ball symbol on the front.

We ran to the building, and Leon was standing in front of it. "Well done! You two reached the goal and managed to find the Pokemon Research Lab! You did a far sight better than I did my first time. I'm hopeless with directions."

The Doctor laughed. "It's a good thing you have that Charizard to help you. Truth is, I'm feeling a lot more confident now that I've got Pokemon with me. My world has grown so much!"

"Glad to see that, Doctor! Now, in we go!"

---

The interior of the Pokemon Research Laboratory was incredibly vast. The far walls were lined with bookshelves that even required stairs to reach all the books. In the far left corner, there was a window that stretched from floor to ceiling, behind which we could see various kinds of plant life.

Pummel looked around in awe. "So this is the Pokemon Research Laboratory... The Professor must have a great taste for interior design!"

"That's something the both of us can agree on," Leon replied. "Everything in here looks fascinating..."

"Hi there!" a high-pitched voice yapped. We looked down and saw a stout little puppy with a short lightning bolt-shaped tail, a thick yellow band around its neck (probably an electric sac), very short legs, and light green irises with a diamond-shaped reflection. It ran to Leon. "Glad to see ya, Leon!"

"What is it today, Leon?" Up on the second floor stood a young woman with a brown leather coat, a green undershirt, orange sunglasses on her head, and orange hair with a ponytail on the right. "Looking for info on another never-before-seen, superstrong Pokemon? I wish you'd stop it with these outlandish requests."

As she walked down the stairs to talk to us, Leon looked at the puppy. "Good to see you, too, Yamper!" He turned to us. "Yamper here is a real champ when it comes to helping you find your way around. He came to my rescue plenty of times back in the day, when I got lost on the road. Oh yeah, and that's his Trainer, Sonia. What can I say about Sonia? Well, I like the way she cooks. She makes food you can gobble down in a flash."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's it?"

"Seriously! You should try her food. She's the best at cooking!"

Sonia scoffed, "Tsk. What kind of an introduction is that? Did you forget we were rivals during our Gym Challenge? It wasn't just Yamper helping you out. I did, too." She looked at us and smiled. "Anyway, nice to meet you all! Name's Sonia. I'm the professor's assistant."

The Doctor looked at her in confusion. "The professor's assistant? Well then, where's the professor? I was told that Pokemon Professors tend to stay in their laboratory."

"Professor Magnolia? She's up in the purple house on Route 2. You can't miss it."

"Oh, thanks for telling us."

I said, "My apologies if my colleague Doctor Hooves appeared to be somewhat rude when he asked of the professor's whereabouts. My name is Helix, and these are Pummel, Roborygon, Lucario, and Heart Fist. The art of Pokemon training is very new to the Doctor. We all wish to take on the Gym Challenge, but the Doctor and I are in great need of taking it on; we need as much help as we can to conquer a villain that will soon rampage around the Doctor's home planet. Could you set us on the right path, particularly the Doctor?"

As if that was a prompt for him, Leon followed Yamper away from our conversation. Sonia sighed. "What does he think I am? He's always got his head in the clouds. It's no wonder he gets lost all the time." She noticed Heart Fist taking a picture of the lab with her phone. "Oh. Looks like you've got a Rotom Phone."

I took out mine. "We all do." The Doctor took out his, and Pummel took out his. "Except for Roborygon, of course. As a multipurpose robot based off of Porygon-Z, he has no need for a Rotom Phone." I held my phone up, and it began to float. "Say hi, Rotom."

My Rotom Phone obliged. "Greetings, Sonia!"

Sonia said, "Those Rotom Phones are handy little things, aren't they? They've got a map and a navigation tool. That said, Leon still gets lost, so..." As Rotom returned to my pocket, Sonia snapped back to the matter at hand. "Oh, sorry. So tell me, do you know a lot about Pokemon?"

Pummel and I smiled. "You bet!" we both said.

Sonia smiled. "Well said! In that case, I'll make it so that you can use the Pokedex on your Rotom Phones!"

We all offered our phones, including the Doctor. "I would like you to allow me to use the Pokedex on my own Rotom Phone, too, if you don't mind. I'm only a novice when it comes to Pokemon, after all."

His Rotom Phone replied, "Actually, since Victor took on the Gym Challenge, he already got me equipped with the Pokedex function."

"Oh, right. Didn't think about that."

"No worries, Doctor." Sonia took our phones and tinkered with them. "Let's see... Poke App Store... Pokedex application, and... installed!" She returned our Rotom Phones. "Just so you know, those Pokedex applications are a gift from my gran! Could you let Gran know that you received the Pokedexes? She's the professor."

"Okay." We proceeded to leave the lab, Roborygon staying behind to check it out and read the books to learn more about Galar.

---

When we exited the house, a man in a gray shirt stopped us. "Hey there, Trainers! Sorry to stop you. You just left the Pokemon Lab, right? So that means you've all got a Pokedex, yeah? I love talking to new Trainers and giving them useful stuff." He gave each of us a Potion. "You know what a Potion does?"

The Doctor nodded. "Helix told me that it restores the health or stamina of a Pokemon."

"Yep! You can even use Potions during battle." The man smiled. "Knowledge is power! It's a good idea to talk to lots of different people and read everything you can on your journey!" Then he walked away and did his own thing.

"He sounded like he knew his stuff. I'm going to follow his example." The Doctor proceeded to enter the first house he came to.

I sighed. "There's an easier way to do this. Rotom, call Roborygon and put him on video chat."

"Okay." My Rotom Phone rang a few times, then Roborygon appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Helix! Did you know that Yamask here in Galar evolve into a different species than the one you're familiar with? The books here say that is possible."

"I didn't know that. Thanks. But the reason why I called is because I want to complete this adventure to one hundred percent without having to peek into every household. Can you transmit a map of the places in Galar that have something to offer, such as an item or a Pokemon, or even a battle?"

"Of course. I am preparing it right now." After about fifteen seconds, he said, "Transmission completed. Enjoy your 100% completion adventure!"

After hanging up, I went north past the train station, and Hop was at a fork in the road; the left path went towards a flower shop, and the right path led to a building with a red motif and a Poke Ball symbol above the door. "Hello, Hop. The Doctor and I got our Rotom Phones upgraded with the Pokedex application. Now we can record information on all sorts of Pokemon!"

Hop smiled. "Then it's time to meet lots of different Pokemon and start building up a strong team! But battling strong Pokemon in the wild can leave your team in a bad way, not to mention what battling another Trainer can do, but you already know that stuff as a professional Trainer, right?"

"Right. And that's why we've got Pokemon Centers!"

Doctor Hooves exited the Wedgehurst train station and met up with us. "Helix, have you found out anything good?"

I nodded. "You're right on time, because Hop is going to teach us about Pokemon Centers."

"Right you are, Helix!" Hop turned towards the red building. "Lucky for us, they're dead easy to spot. They look the same wherever you go. Come on, Doctor, bet you've never been inside one!"

---

The interior of the Pokemon Center was split into three different counters. Straight ahead of us was the most iconic part of a Pokemon Center: the pink-haired Nurse Joy standing in front of a machine with slots for six Poke Balls. Behind that was a large blue screen. To the left was some sort of a cafe. At the counter was a man wearing a plaid shirt and a yellow bow tie. His Pokemon partner was some kind of furry, dark indigo, bipedal... maid? To the right of the center counter was a man in a blue vest, behind whom were shelves of useful items. Between the cafe and the recovery counter was a white and pink computer embedded into the wall. On top of that computer was a spherical white object with a black center of its Rotom-like face and two appendages similar to gloves, with pink ends.

I turned to the Doctor. "This must be your first time in a Pokemon Center, correct?"

He replied, "Well, this is my first time in the Pokemon world overall, so..."

"Then the future Champion's got you covered!" Future Champion, huh? I wouldn't be so sure of that. Regardless, Hop pointed towards Nurse Joy. "First things first--you talk to Nurse Joy at that counter if you want your Pokemon healed up." He walked to the computer. "And Pokemon you catch are kept in computers like this one, see? After all, you can only bring six Pokemon with you on the road in your party." Finally, he showed us the right counter. "The Poke Mart sells all kinds of useful items, like Potions and Poke Balls. Their Potions got me out of a real rough spot the other day!"

A teenager next to the counter of the cafe turned to us. "If you all are Pokemon Trainers, you might want to buy some Potions before you head out!"

"Thanks," I said, "but I'm good. I brought some healing items with me."

Hop said to us, "I'm heading to Route 2! Come find me when you're done here!" Then he ran out the door.

I followed him, but not before healing my Pokemon and purchasing ten Poke Balls, and getting a free Premier Ball as a bonus for buying ten Poke Balls in one purchase.

---

Before I proceeded to Route 2, I went to the boutique and found a container holding a Clefairy doll to the west of it; a Poke Doll, as they're called. Then I went north and found Hop along the path. He said, "Listen, you said you wanted to take on the Gym Challenge, right?"

"Right. Can you tell me more about it?" I called the Doctor with my Rotom Phone. "Doctor, you'll want to hear this."

Hop said, "The Gym Challenge, mate! The annual competition where Trainers can battle it out for the right to challenge the Champion! But the trick is that you've got to be endorsed if you want to take part. Lee endorsed me about a year back, and I tried to take on the Gym Challenge, but Victor beat me and challenged the champ himself. You heard that Victor lost?"

I replied, "Yeah, but he's planning to join the Gym Challenge again this year. He said he's got a trick up his sleeve."

The Doctor asked, "So, an endorsement? How can we be endorsed, and who has the authority to do so?"

Hop answered, "I'm thinking the professor could help get you an endorsement! Hey, you could be rivals with Heart and Pummel! A proper rival is just the thing every Trainer needs to keep growing stronger, after all. Keeps you motivated, right?"

"Oh, I know all about having rivals!" Pummel came racing towards us alongside Keldeo, Heart, and Roborygon. "I've had rivalries with people such as May, Silver, Barry, Hugh, and especially Helix and my mom!"

"Glad to see you're pumped up about having a rival! The professor's house is way down at the end of Route 2, so let's head there... and give our teams a chance to train up a bit along the way!" With that, Hop ran off to Route 2.

I soon followed him, but something caught my eye as I got to the stairs. "Hmm, what's this?" I walked towards the rock to the left of the stairs, and I saw something glittering. I bent over and picked it up, then I could tell that it was a yellow octahedron with pointed ends, like two rectangular pyramids attached by their base. I tossed it towards Heart, who caught it. "Take that Revive and give it to the Doctor when he catches up to you. Be sure to explain that it restores half the health of a fainted Pokemon."

"Sure thing," Heart replied.

I proceeded down the stairs, crossing a bridge soon after. I saw a sign with the number 02 on it, signifying that I had entered Route 2. When I passed the sign, I found Hop up ahead next to a patch of tall grass. He waved to us. "Over here, guys! It's time we filled in our teams a bit--"

Just then, Leon came rushing to the group, startling Hop. "And I'm here to show you how! You'll need to catch Pokemon if you've got any hope of filling in those Pokedexes of yours."

"Lee?! Where'd you come from?"

Paying no attention to Hop's question, Leon looked at the Poke Balls on the Doctor's outside pockets of his backpack. "Only... look at you, Doctor! You've already caught some on your own!"

"Thanks, but I got a little help..." the Doctor sheepishly replied while looking towards Lucario.

Lucario shook his head. "Don't be modest, my timely colleague. You caught two without my advice on throwing Poke Balls. All I did was teach you how to throw one and give you and Helix five each, the Poke Balls gifts from Victor's mum."

Leon said, "His mum gave you those Poke Balls, did she? I'll give you some more Poke Balls. In return, I'll only ask that you catch plenty of Pokemon! The Pokemon around here seem pretty easy to catch, almost like they're itching to join some Trainer's team, am I right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. In fact, the first Pokemon I caught here was a Blipbug, and it wanted to join my team in order to obtain knowledge on various Pokemon itself!"

"Nice! So, here you go!" Leon handed each of us... twenty Poke Balls? He must make a lot of cash as Champion. "The Pokemon on your team will get experience points when you catch Pokemon, too. And of course, they get experience from battling, so take on the other Trainers you meet along the way to help your Pokemon get stronger. Your team will keep on changing and growing as you get stronger together, no doubt. But that's something even I don't know exactly how yet! Show your Champion something good, all right?"

We nodded. "Got it." Leon and Hop ran ahead along the route, leaving us to do our own thing.

The Doctor beamed. "With all these Poke Balls, I'll catch as many different species of Pokemon as I can! I'm sure even the professor will be impressed!"

We continued onward, taking on a few Skwovet in the first patch of grass. A Nickit I fought seemed to be giving off a yellow aura, and I felt as if I had done something brilliant when I caught it. In the next patch, I accidentally defeated a Caterpie, which disappointed me. Suddenly...

"BANZAI!!!" A racoon Pokemon with black and white stripes and a black band across its eyes ambushed the Doctor. "C'mon, put 'em up!"

"Yikes!" The Doctor jumped back in shock. "This little Pokemon is pretty feisty! What should I do?"

I chuckled. "Relax, Doctor. It's just a little Zigzagoon. These little rascals are no problem." I bent down to the surprisingly hyper Zigzagoon. "Look, this one can't even touch a Ghost-type like me. All a low-level Zigzagoon like this could do is use Normal-type attacks and Sand Attack--" I was interrupted when it suddenly opened its mouth and let its long tongue graze my left cheek. "...Galarian Zigzagoon can use Lick, a Ghost-type move?!"

My Rotom Phone got right to work. "Zigzagoon, Galar form, the Tiny Racoon Pokemon. A Dark- and Normal-type, it restlessly runs around, running into any Pokemon it sees in an attempt to start a fight."

I gasped, "A Dark-type?! I hate to do this, but..." I sent out Blipbug. "...it's your turn. You have any good Bug-type moves?"

He sighed. "I have but one move: Struggle Bug. I do hope it will suffice for my first battle."

"It should. Struggle Bug!" Blipbug became surrounded in a dark blue aura.

"I'm gonna tackle you to the curb!" Zigzagoon charged towards Blipbug.

"Now!" The aura then burst outwards, shoving Zigzagoon several meters away.

Blipbug watched his successful attack in awe. "That was incredible! Perhaps my Struggle Bug attack landed a critical hit?"

I smiled. "I believe so. Now, go, Poke Ball!" I threw the Poke Ball at the stunned Zigzagoon, and after rocking three times, it clicked shut. "Now I've got a Galar form Pokemon!" The Poke Ball shrank back to golf ball size.

"What happened to your Poke Ball?" the Doctor asked.

I explained, "As was said earlier, Trainers can only have up to six Pokemon on their team. All other caught Pokemon will be rendered useless and must be sent to a PC like the computer in the Pokemon Center."

Just then, a strange ring-shaped portal opened up. A disembodied, purple, mitten-like hand reached out from the other side. It floated with its palm upwards, as if waiting to be given something.

The Doctor watched the hand in sheer horror. "Helix... what is THAT?!"

I looked at the hand calmly. "Trust me, this is actually a friend of mine. He must want to help me by taking one of the Pokemon I have to the PC. I'll narrow my choice down to types. I have two Normal-types now, so I'll part with one of them. Between Wooloo and Skwovet, I'll give him..." I handed the hand a Poke Ball. "...Skwovet." The hand disappeared inside the portal, which also disappeared.

"Are you sure this creature is trustworthy?"

"Definitely!" Keldeo replied. "He's helped us out in a bunch of tough situations! However, he can be a little mischievous at times..."

I sighed as I thought back to his antics. "And sometimes his mischief gets a little out of hand. Remember when he thought it was a good idea to prank the Heat Master?"

Pummel laughed. "Oh man, he really had it coming! Not that I don't think that the most fiery Charizard ever was asking for it. Now, if he was Dynamaxed, then the little troublemaker would be nothing but ashes."

The Doctor asked, "How exactly was the prank pulled on the Charizard? I don't understand the true reasoning behind your laughter besides the fact that it was a prank."

I opened my right wing with a smirk. "It would have been more in the prankster's favor if Charizard's nostrils didn't have such an... infernal reaction to the feather used to tickle him."

"I admit, that is quite a humorous--and foolish--prank to pull. But what is the name of the pranking creature?"

I chuckled. "You'll find out eventually. He always refers to himself in the third person, so you'll know his name if he pranks you, which will inevitably happen. For now, let us proceed."

I left the tall grass, leaving the Doctor to catch a Rookidee, and further ahead, I saw a young boy dressed in a red shirt and black shorts. Our eyes met. He said, "It's common manners for Pokemon Trainers to battle when their eyes meet. I'm Jake, and I hope you're ready to take on Skwovet!" Jake sent out his Skwovet.

"Go, Hotshot! Use Ember!" Hotshot fired a burst of flame at Skwovet.

"Use Tail Whip!" Skwovet used its large tail to block the Ember. "Bet you didn't know he could do that!"

I nodded. "That's a clever use of such an attack. But I've got even more clever maneuvers. Use Quick Attack!"

"It's go fast or go home for me!" Hotshot became outlined in white as he rapidly sped around Skwovet, confounding it. "Say when, Helix!"

I patiently anticipated the right time. "Wait for it, wait for it... Now!"

"Yeah!" Hotshot suddenly rammed into Skwovet.

"Again!"

Hotshot used Quick Attack again, bringing Skwovet close to defeat. "No, Skwovet!"

I grinned. "Ember!" Hotshot fired another Ember, this one hitting its target and defeating Skwovet.

Jake groaned in exasperation. "Whenever there's a strong Trainer, I always look right at them... Since you won, I guess I've got to give you this." He gave me P360.

The Doctor looked at me in confusion. "Why did he give you his money?"

I explained, "It's traditional for Trainers like us. Whenever a Trainer loses to another Trainer, he or she gives the winner some prize money. But since you're a novice Trainer, I won't force you to give me your money if we fight and you lose. Besides, I don't need more money since I brought some along to Equestria in case they would trade my cash for bits that can be used to purchase the local amenities. You can take the Poke Dollars that I won."

He smiled. "Thanks, Helix!"

"No problem."

In the next patch, I defeated the third Blipbug I had encountered so far on my adventure. On the left side of the path onward was a red sign. I chose to read it. "Trainer Tips," it began.

I motioned to the Doctor. "See this sign, Doctor? It's a Trainer Tips sign. They always offer useful information, so you might want to read it."

As the Doctor read the sign, I passed the container for him to purge before I jumped down the ledge to the other side of the path. Seeing the grass that I passed rustle, I ran back and caught a Seedot--an acorn-like Pokemon--and a Purrloin, a deceiving purple cat Pokemon. I sent Nickit and Purrloin to the PC. I then proceeded back up the path and noticed that the Doctor had jumped the ledge and gotten ahead of me. He was searching the next patch of grass, on the right side of the fork in the road.

"I wonder what could--Ow!" the Doctor screamed. He turned around and saw that a small blue turtle Pokemon with an orange horn and cheeks had clamped down on his tail. "Now that's just rude! Show him some manners, Ukiki!" His Grookey poked the Pokemon a couple of times before the Doctor caught it. "Rotom, time to see what I caught!"

"Okay!" The Doctor's Rotom Phone brought up the Pokemon. "Chewtle, the Snapping Pokemon. A Water-type, Chewtle feels the urge to chomp on anything in front of it because of its need to teethe."

"I see. Well, that makes seven Pokemon, since I also caught a Skwovet and a Lotad. I'd better send Lotad to the PC, since I already have a Grass-type."

The Doctor took the right path, which ended in a container and a ledge which led further along the left path, which I took. I walked through the next patch of grass behind a Lass, whom I allowed the Doctor to battle. While in the grass, I defeated a Hoothoot, knowing that more of those owl Pokemon would appear at night, and I heard the Doctor's joyful shout of victory.

Further along the path, I let the Doctor take on the third and last Trainer before the professor's house, a Youngster like Jake. At this point, he was skillfully using type advantages, taking down the Blipbug with Rookidee's Peck and defeating Nickit with Grubbin's Bug Bite.

"Lose to wild Pokemon... Lose to many Trainers..." the Youngster sighed before giving up his prize money.

After crossing the bridge, there was a patch of grass to our right and a court to our left. But further to our left... "Look!" I pointed past the court, towards a shadow in the lake. "Whenever you see a shadow like that in water, then you can fish for a Pokemon there! Doctor, does your backpack have a Fishing Rod in it?"

"Let me see." The Doctor took off the backpack and opened it up. He soon took out a fishing pole. "Nice to see that Victor was prepared to fish! Any tips, Helix?"

"Yes. When you feel the rod shake, that's your cue to reel in the catch. Some Pokemon can only be caught while fishing, just as some can only be caught by encounters in tall grass or in caves." I demonstrated by casting my line into another shadow nearby. After about twenty seconds, I felt the rod shake. I reeled in a Pokemon, and I smiled when I saw that I reeled in a Magikarp. For me, it's the greatest Pokemon I could catch by means of fishing. I caught it without hesitation, sending Wooloo to the PC.

"Okay. Let's see how my first attempt at fishing fares for me." He cast his line with exceptional skill, and the lure landed right in the middle of the shadow. After about fifteen seconds, the water showed signs of agitation, and the lure fell below the surface. "Whoa!" The Doctor had some trouble hanging onto the rod, but he succeeded in pulling the Pokemon out and onto the surface of the water. Unfortunately, the Pokemon cloaked itself in water and slammed into him. "Ow!"

It tried to get away, but I used Spirit Shackle and pinned its shadow down while it was in the air. As it was suspended, we discovered that it was a new Pokemon: a long, thin fish with a predominantly brown body, a pointed jaw, and an egg-white chin. My Rotom Phone immediately got to work. "Arrokuda, the Rush Pokemon. A Water-type, Arrokuda will charge at anything that moves, leading with its sharply pointed jaw. It's very proud of its jaw."

The Doctor shook his head. "That can't be right. My Rotom Phone's Pokedex has a different entry."

His own Rotom Phone said, "After eating its fill, Arrokuda become very sluggish in terms of movement. That is when its main predator, Cramorant, swallows it up." It then switched to a blue stork Pokemon. "Cramorant, the Gulp Pokemon. A Water- and Flying-type, it swallows Arrokuda whole. Occasionally, it makes a mistake and tries to swallow a Pokemon that isn't its preferred prey."

My Rotom Phone offered different information: "Cramorant is so strong that it can knock out opponent Pokemon in a single hit, but it sometimes forgets what it's battling in the middle of a fight."

"They're both right, actually," Roborygon said. "Maybe they have differing information because you are going on different versions of the sword and shield adventure?"

"Different versions?" the Doctor asked.

"Sword and shield?" I asked. "...Oh, I see!" I turned to the Doctor. "Have you seen any Seedot?"

He shook his head. "Never even heard of one. Any luck, Pummel?"

"No, just Lotad. How about you, Heart?"

"Yeah, I've found a Seedot. No Lotad, though."

I brought my wing down in revelation. "Then it's true. We're taking on opposing versions of this adventure!"

"Right..." the Doctor said with uncertainty. "Anyway, I'll take on Arrokuda!" He used Ukiki to weaken Arrokuda, which was easier because its shadow was pinned down, and he caught the Arrokuda. Rather than add it to his party, he sent it to the PC.

We then went to the grass patch, where we each caught a Yamper. The Doctor sent Skwovet to the PC, while I sent Zigzagoon. After adding the electric puppy to our party, we continued to the purple house, where Pummel and Heart were waiting for us in front of Leon, Lucario, and an elderly woman with a cane and a lab coat.

Pummel waved to me. "I think that might be the professor, considering her conversation with Lucario."

Lucario was currently talking to the woman, probably asking what Leon was going to ask her. "So, how goes your research? Are you doing well in your attempts to unravel the mysteries of the phenomenon known as Dynamax?"

She answered, "Yes, but I am still far from uncovering them all. The whole thing is still full of questions. I'd hoped that my granddaughter would take over my research, but..." She turned to us. "Dear me, I'm sorry. I didn't even notice my guests!" She walked to us while adjusting her glasses. "My name is Magnolia. Welcome, new Trainers of Galar! Now come, let's head indoors."

---

Magnolia looked at Lucario with a smile. "Why, Lucario dear, I see you've made some new friends."

The Doctor and I exclaimed, "You know Magnolia?"

Lucario nodded. "We go back a long ways, back when I was a little Riolu. Truthfully, this region... was my original home. I lived in the Wild Area with my parents and my brother. Mom and Dad taught us all we needed to know about the Darkest Day, Aura, Pokemon Dens, and how to defend ourselves from Pokemon that have a type advantage over us, such as Heatmor, Sandaconda, and Claydol. We felt at ease with our parents around, but they eventually had an encounter with a Golurk who had been confused by Sigilyph. Its confusion led it to attack us. Fearing for our life, my dad sent a troop of Falinks to lead me and my brother to safety. The Falinks brought me to the Pokemon Professor, Magnolia. However, my brother wasn't quite as lucky as I was; as the Falinks led us, my brother failed to notice the Roggenrola in his path and tripped over it. He tried to keep up with us, but the angry Roggenrola dragged him into a battle. If it hadn't been for the one-track mind of the Falinks, I would have immediately turned around to rescue my brother."

Magnolia sighed. "I saw that the Falinks were somewhat agitated. They must have realized one of the Pokemon they were leading had gotten lost. Little Riolu here, however, had learned well from his parents, for he used his Aura to locate his brother. I know this because I could see the big smile on his face. I bid him farewell as he went back to look for his brother. Such a hopeful little Pokemon, he was."

Lucario smiled. "My determination was definitely worth it. I searched far and wide for my brother, going so far as to head east out of the Galar region to find him. I encountered the ocean, but purely out of my brotherly bond, I gathered up the Aura to evolve into Lucario and find a way to cross. I searched for some kind of ride, and then I looked back to the Galar region. I saw a Snorlax sleeping by the water. Of course! Snorlax could probably be used as a raft to help me cross. I went around and asked some of my Machop friends to help push Snorlax to the edge, and then I climbed on top of it. After it was pushed out onto the water, I concentrated my Aura into a bone, and I used Bone Rush to propel myself across the water.

"At last, I found the Kalos region, which was famous, I had heard, for its Prism Tower in Lumiose City. I went there and asked for help finding my brother, and finally a young woman named Alexa guided me to Shallour City. I first went to the Gym, and its sign mentioned Fighting-types. Riolu and its evolution are Fighting-types, so I went in and asked Clyde at the front. He mentioned someone named Korrina, so I used my Aura to find her in a place called the Tower of Mastery. Luckily, she had adopted my brother, who had also evolved. After pouring out my heart to my brother, he did the same. He explained that the Roggenrola used Explosion and launched him to the Kalos region. I know Explosion is powerful, but I didn't know it was that powerful. Also, it turned out that he was quite happy with Korrina as his Trainer. Therefore, I joined Korrina to be with my brother, and Pummel knows the rest of the story."

I introduced each of us. "Magnolia, I am Helix, and these are my friends Doctor Hooves, Pummel Fist, Heart Fist, and Roborygon. We obtained the Pokedex from Sonia, and we'll be sure to complete it!"

Magnolia replied, "That's good to hear from you."

Leon asked, "Now then, you all know about Dynamaxing?"

Pummel raised his hand. "I do! I watched your latest match on my Rotom Phone, so I know that Dynamaxing makes your Pokemon huge and awesome-looking!"

I shrugged. "I only just heard about it, but Pummel showed me and the Doctor some of the match."

Leon laughed. "Right, right. So, Professor Magnolia's been doing research into the Dynamax phenomenon for years and years. And it takes a proper understanding of the thing if you plan to use Dynamaxing to the fullest!"

Magnolia shook her head. "There you go again, Leon, always talking about Pokemon. There are other things that are worth knowing about, too, you know. Like how many different types of tea there are!"

I nodded. "True, it is important to tell the difference between green tea and mint tea. But I have a very important request: We believe it would help us to rescue the Doctor's home land of Equestria if we took part in the Gym Challenge. However, we need an endorsement for that, and I think the Champion would be the perfect person to endorse us."

Magnolia turned to Leon. "Oh, why wouldn't you endorse them?"

He explained, "The Doctor only just started out as a Pokemon Trainer... There's still loads he doesn't know yet!"

"Dearie, I thought your dream was to have everyone in the Galar region become strong Trainers. Isn't that right?"

"Well, yeah... you're not wrong. That goal's precisely the reason I gave him a Pokemon too, in fact. Right, then. In that case..." He turned to the Doctor. "...how about this? Let's see if you can show me such a brilliant battle that I'm left with no choice but to endorse you. Same goes for Helix. And don't worry. I'll make sure both your teams are in good shape before the battle starts." He then restored our Pokemon.

Hop turned to us. "Right! I'll be waiting outside to watch the battle!" He then ran out the door. We followed him.

---

Once we got outside, we got on the court. I faced the Doctor. He seemed nervous. So was I. I knew that Pokemon didn't get experience points if they fainted, and I wanted both of us to gain experience. We need experience to become strong enough to protect Equestria. If we fought each other, one side's Pokemon would have to faint. This was a predicament that worried even me...

Lucario broke the tension by saying, "Helix, you're worried about how you want both teams to gain experience to defeat Tirek. I have a solution." He looked at Pummel. "Have you heard of a Raid Battle?"

Leon, Magnolia, and Hop nodded. Hop said, "Totally! Raid Battles are where a bunch of Trainers each use one Pokemon to take on a super tough opposing Pokemon!"

"Good. I think it would be wise if Helix and the Doctor took on you, Pummel, with all six of their own Pokemon."

"But that sounds pretty easy. I mean, Pummel is just a human who got turned into a Machop!"

Pummel chuckled. "You think I'm just a regular old Machop? Think again. I've underwent vigorous training with each of the Master Pokemon and learned all that I could to become the greatest Machop of all time. You don't stand a chance! But to make it even, I'll hold back, at least for the first part of the fight."

I smirked. "We accept your challenge! This will be a battle between classic and modern Pokemon!"

Pummel took the Doctor's place, and the Doctor stood with me on my side of the court. We sent out all our Pokemon. Magnolia watched us with curiosity in her eyes. "I'm rather interested in seeing how you three battle, too."

Leon said, "Listen up, Doctor. The reason I'm unbeatable is because I learn from every battle I see or take part in. That's how I've gotten to where I am today. So show me something good in this battle like no other!" He raised his right arm, as if he was a referee. "Battle begin!"

I exclaimed, "Rookidee, use Hone Claws!" Rookidee flexed its talons, and it gave off a quick burst of orange aura that signified a stat boost; in this case, its attack power and accuracy increased.

"A status move?" Pummel asked. "No doubt you're preparing to hit me hard, but you should know that I hit harder! Bulk Up!" He flexed his own muscles, increasing his attack and defense.

The Doctor turned to me. "What's a status move?"

I explained, "Status moves can either increase the attributes of your Pokemon's skills or decrease those of the opponent, as well as doing other things that are useful in strategizing. Keep using Hone Claws, Rookidee! Hotshot, back him up!"

"You think a fire rabbit can protect Rookidee from this?" Pummel crouched down before charging a small ball of energy from his hands. "Time for a little Focus Blast!"

"Oh, no, you don't!" the Doctor said. "Grubbin, use Mud Slap!"

Grubbin dug up dirt from the grassy area surrounding the court and launched it at Pummel, hitting his glasses and disrupting his move. "Whoa! I can't believe you'd do that, Doctor!"

"Thanks! Now, Chewtle, use Tackle!"

Chewtle rammed into Pummel as he was cleaning his glasses, knocking them out of his hand. "Oh no, my glasses! I can't see without them!"

The Doctor grinned. "Nickit, it's time to gang up on Pummel! Use Beat Up!"

Nickit whistled to the other Pokemon. "Hey guys, time to beat the stuffing outta this guy!"

And then, they charged at Pummel. "Did not see that coming..." In a last-ditch effort to dish out damage, he wildly punched without looking where his fists were going. He made contact a few times, catching my Rookidee and the Doctor's Grubbin off-guard. Pummel found his glasses in the grass and finished cleaning them with Keldeo's help before putting them on. "I didn't know you were such a dirty player, Doctor. For that, I think it's time to show you some real strength! Keldeo, it's time to lend me your might!"

Keldeo smiled. "I thought you'd never ask! It's time to unleash... the Bond Phenomenon!"

At that moment, Keldeo and Pummel became cloaked in a rainbow-colored light, and they proceeded to take on the forms that made them famous. After the light dissipated, Keldeo was revealed to have attained a burning mane, hooves covered in water that could supposedly be controlled, and... lightning bolt-shaped yellow protrusions that gave off electricity rather than blue protrusions that served only for aesthetic purposes? Wait, where was his Magnetic Heart?

However, Pummel's outfit answered my question: he was no longer wearing his red and yellow Nike shoes, instead wearing light blue shoes that were now covered in water. Without the Nike shoes, Keldeo must have forgotten how to use his Magnetic Heart. Additionally, Pummel had donned a glove made of pure fire and electricity due to his red and yellow watch on his left wrist. "What do you think? Like my sweet kicks?"

Hotshot was slowly backing away from the shoes. "Nope... I don't... Nice watch, though. You're pretty hot stuff with it on!"

Blipbug added, "And your hair looks appealing as well. I daresay it makes you appear quite... sharp."

Pummel laughed as he poked his spiky hair. "If you think that's sharp, then you haven't seen a thing!" He thrust his hand outwards, toward Keldeo. The small, beige, diamond-shaped mark on Keldeo's chest changed color to brown, and suddenly, a long object of the same color emerged. I recognized that new move, a move they coined Type Unsheathe. Pummel grabbed the object and swung it around, revealing it to be a sword of stone. Pummel smirked. "What's the matter, Hotshot? You're not looking so hot after all."

Hotshot was backing away even further. "You've got both rock and water on your side. No way I can compete with you now!"

"Excellent use of type advantages," Blipbug said. "I can see now that you truly are quite smart and don't have the bark without the bite."

Pummel laughed. "You're strong against trees, but not against stone." He dug his sword into the ground, causing a large boulder to rise up from the ground in front of himself. "Feel free to compare me to igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic rocks: I ignite my burning determination, take on water and wind without eroding my strength, and can morph to fit my circumstances. That's the power of the phenomenal bond of the Kelduo!"

"The... Kelduo? What an incredible name for the team consisting of you and Keldeo! And a speech with such rock-solid resolve... Thank you. Thank you for providing me with enough knowledge... to show you what I can truly do!" And then, Blipbug began to glow in a bright blue light.

"Wow, that was early in this adventure," Keldeo said, clearly surprised.

But the Doctor was even more surprised. "Blipbug! Is it okay? What's happening to it?"

I smiled. "Evolution. A lot of Pokemon can do it. And it's usually good for a Pokemon to evolve. They change and become stronger than before."

"Nice job, Blipbug. But I don't think that's going to help you beat me!" Pummel swung his sword at the boulder, sending it flying.

"That comment... I do not concur with!" Suddenly, a barrier appeared that blocked the projectile. It seemed to be created by Blipbug's new form: a beetle with a dotted yellow shell covering its whole body, only leaving its glowing blue eyes and yellow "whiskers" visible. "Let us see who has the advantage now: an incredibly versatile Machop, or the Galarian evolutionary family that always goes mind over matter!"

Our Rotom Phones worked together to offer data on the new Pokemon. "Dottler, the Radome Pokemon. A Bug- and Psychic-type, Dottler barely moves, even though it is definitely alive. Hiding in its shell without food or water appears to have awakened its psychic powers, which it uses to analyze its surroundings and prepare for evolution."

Pummel adjusted his glasses. "A pupa-style first evolution, huh? I wonder if you're like all the other Bug-type first evolutions I've encountered."

"In what manner?" Dottler asked.

Pummel closed his left fist. "It's time to find out if you're the odd one out; in other words..." He lunged towards Dottler with his fist pulled back. "...if you're able to defend yourself!"

"I am very honored to be asked such a question." The dots on Dottler's shell glowed bright blue, stopping Pummel in his tracks. "Beware the tantalizing glow of my Confusion!"

Pummel stared at the dots, as if in a trance. "Those lights bring back memories..." He was quick to shake himself out of it. "No! I'm not falling for Confusion this time! I'm a whole new Machop now!" He lunged again with his blazing fist, only to be tripped by a white thread sticking to his feet from behind. "Hey! I'm starting to think that you're trying to troll me, Doctor! Seriously, your Grubbin's String Shot was just rude."

I smirked. "Actually, he's helping me set up a little combo. Get ready, Rookidee!"

"Stop that, you little pest!" Pummel overpowered Grubbin and slammed him around by the string before tearing the string from his shoes. "Now you've done it! Here comes a classic!" He fired a blast of blue energy from his hands, with no starting lag. "Hadouken!"

"Hotshot, knock it back!"

"Time to get into my element!" Hotshot jumped forwards... and kicked the energy ball back at Pummel. "Whoo! I learned Double Kick, perfect for a pyro power player like me!"

"I can kick too, you know!" Pummel deflected the shot with his own kick.

"You like football too? Sweet!" The battle quickly turned into a game of shooting the ball at each other.

After about twenty volleys, both sides were growing bored. "You know what?" Pummel said. "I think it's time to stop playing around. Here comes... my Mega Strike!" The next time the ball came at him, he imbued his shoes with fire before kicking the ball hard enough to send it high above the clouds. Then, with the leg strength of a Mega Blaziken, Pummel leapt after the ball, going so high that the only way we knew he was present was by hearing his bold declaration: "Rising above villains of darkness, the burning determination of the Kelduo is made visible. One punch to win them all... the Elite Torch Fist!"

Moments later, a dozen small fireballs rained down on our team. Most of the Pokemon panicked, except for Dottler and Hotshot. The latter of the two grinned. "...Challenge accepted!"

Pummel landed with a loud crash from reaching terminal velocity. "Well, that should be enough for me to easily...?" He looked up just in time to see Hotshot kicking all the fireballs at him. "You're good." He put his arms up to block the fireballs, and he succeeded. "But not good enough!"

I exclaimed, "Now, Rookidee! Use Power Trip!"

Pummel turned around and faced Rookidee as he prepared a Fire Punch. "Falcon..." Rookidee's deep purplish-crimson form made contact with Pummel's Fire Punch. "...PUUUUUUUUNNNNCH!!!" However, Rookidee was somehow stronger than the reverse Fire Punch and charged him with enough force to throw him into the nearby lake.

"Uh oh..." Just then, Keldeo collapsed.

"What's wrong with Keldeo?" Hop asked, bewildered. "Not a single move touched him!"

Pummel pulled himself out of the water, clearly exhausted. "Side effect of the Bond Phenomenon... We share pain... One of us goes down, so does the other..."

"Just a small drawback for having such an amazingly powerful skill!" Leon turned to us. "Now then, everyone! Well, after seeing a match like that one... I suppose I've little choice but to give you all an endorsement as Champion!" He gave me, the Doctor, Pummel, Lucario, and Heart an envelope with a red ribbon sticker sealing it.

Doctor Hooves beamed. "Thank you very much, Leon! We will be sure to win our way through the Gym Challenge to take you on!"

"You may be a beginner still, and plenty rough around the edges, but it was a proper Raid Battle, and you succeeded against a professional Trainer even with weak Pokemon. Charizard and I were both feeling the excitement in every last cell in our bodies! Doctor, I can tell you've grown a lot since you first fought alongside Helix!" He looked at the rest of us. "And I'd like to see some more thrilling battles out of the rest of you, too."

The Doctor smiled as he looked at me. "This is exhilarating, Helix! We'll be competing for the Champion's title, so I will now know what it's like to have a true rival!" He then happened to look skyward. "Incredible! Could that be... a shooting star?"

We looked in the same direction as the Doctor, and he certainly was right: a small pink meteor of some sort was falling through the atmosphere. It landed next to the court, near the lake, before breaking into four small pieces. I walked over and carefully examined them. "These stones... what could they be?" I kept one and gave the other three to Pummel, Heart, and the Doctor. "Hop, you know anything about these?"

Hop answered, "They're Wishing Stars! With one of those, your Pokemon can Dynamax! They're gonna be massive!"

Leon walked over to us. "Trust you to pull something like this! They say Wishing Stars fall down for those who have a true wish in their heart, you know."

The Doctor sighed. "I should have made my wish as it fell through the sky. Now that it's already fallen, could my time for wishing have passed?"

Magnolia replied, "Don't be silly, Doctor. Those Wishing Stars are composed of a curious sort of rock containing unknown power. They are one of the most precious resources we have here in the Galar region. But they won't do a thing for you in that state. Give them to me now, and I'll have you sorted."

We gave her the Wishing Stars. The Doctor was grinning from ear to ear. "I cannot wait to discover the power of Dynamax! Perhaps we'll even stand a chance against those strange Pokemon in the Slumbering Weald as we progress through this adventure!"

"I do understand your excitement, but don't get carried away. You want to save your energy for tomorrow's journey!"

Sonia came walking down to the professor's house. "Seems I came home right in time for all the excitement!" She turned to us. "Hey, you lot, why not have some dinner. You must be hungry, right? I've been totally obsessed with making the latest trendy curries."

And so, after enjoying Sonia's curry, we slept in the professor's home to restore our energy for tomorrow.

---

I woke up rejuvenated and ready to continue my journey. "Good morning, everyone! I am ready to begin my latest, most important adventure yet!"

Magnolia turned to us. "Good morning to you, new Challengers."

Sonia asked Pummel, "Is it true that you really met some Pokemon you didn't recognize? Is there anything more you can tell us about them?"

Pummel nodded. "First, as we journeyed further into the Slumbering Weald to rescue the Wooloo, the fog got even thicker. Soon after, two canine Pokemon approached us. As a Pokemon myself, I should have been able to understand them, but all we heard were roars. Our attacks seemed to pass right through them! If it hadn't been for Luigi and his Poltergust G-00, we would have been wiped out by the fog!"

"A right fount of information you are, Pummel."

Magnolia said, "Here, these are for you." She gave me, Pummel, Heart, and Doctor a predominantly white wristband with a black screen on top, a blue logo on the screen. The band was red along the top rim and blue along the bottom rim. "Those are your Dynamax Bands. I made them by fitting the Wishing Stars you found last night into those bands, although I had to improvise a tad for the Doctor, what with his hooves and all."

We slipped the Dynamax Bands onto our right wrist. I examined mine with curiosity. "This constrains my wings a little bit, but that's just a small hindrance. I can always take on another form to Dynamax my partner." I turned to Hop. "So, where do we start our journey?"

He smiled. "We're heading to the station back in Wedgehurst! Let's go!"

Comments

[The Kelduo]

9986391

An aviary is where birds are kept. You mean avian.

Thanks. I'll fix that.

Also, does EPOCH double as a reference to Chrono Trigger?

No, I was referencing Doctor Who's TARDIS and Mr. Peabody and Sherman's WABAC time machines.

Why can Helix talk?

I had a feeling someone would ask that. You see, it actually all begins in a non-MLP fanfic of mine that transitions into this story and its prequels. My self-insert OC is a human named Pummel Fist, who was transformed into a Pokemon alongside his mother Heart Fist due to a potion used on them by Archie and Maxie. In order to be able to talk to other humans, they got some help from a Pokemon friend who constructed Pokemon-to-human translators (shaped like the Battle AR seen in Pokken Tournament) for them. After hearing about their adventures, Helix used his Beautifly's Absorb to sap some of the potion from Pummel's body for use on himself; he had thought ahead and created his own translator.