The Prince of the Forest Returns
"Tackle!"
"Hoppin!" Hopper roared as he charged at Prongs.
"Fey!" The Thawn casually said as he effortlessly leapt to the side, dodging the weak attack.
Our heroes are on the road again, their destination being Dodge Junction so that they could head into the Grand Desert before making their way to Appleoosa City. They had been travelling for several days before taking a break on the edge of a small forest, Flash feeling it was time to get some proper training in for his newest teammate. "Now use Tail Whip!" Hopper spun around before shaking his stubby tail at his opponent, Prongs staring at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Now use Tackle!" Hopper charged with a leap into the air, only for Prongs to spin and slap Hopper with his tail.
THUNK!
Hopper smacked his body into a tree, his form slumping down to the grass. "Ooh!" Everyone flinched as they saw the Pokémon eat dirt, Spike commenting, "That had to hurt."
Twilight nodded in agreement before turning to Flash, "Maybe that's enough for today."
Flash sighed at her suggestion, but as he looked down at his Pokémon, swirls in his eyes, he sighed again. "Yeah...alright. Return Hopper." He held up the Pokeball, unleashing a red beam that sucked Hopper back into the safety of the sphere. Flash then turned to Prongs, "Thanks bud. I know holding back isn't your thing, so I'm glad you didn't overdo it."
"Fey," Prongs nodded, knowing how he needed to hold back with Hopper. Flash had chose him due to his history with protecting a forest and its Pokémon, remembering how newborns were so fragile at the start. And with the training out of the way, Prongs, Springer and Peewee went off to play while Flash moved over to the others, which had set up their lunch table.
"Give Hopper time," Twilight told him as he sat down. "You just need to be patient."
"She's right," Doc added as he started cooking their lunch. "There's a reason the term 'baby steps' exist."
"I know...though I might need to work on teaching Hopper some new moves. Tackle, Tail Whip and Screech won't be enough to win a battle." He pulled out his Pokedex and brought up Hoppin's data page, going into learnable moves. "Let's see what he can learn..." Flash's face cringed up as he began scrolling down the list...and hitting the bottom almost instantly. "Or not. This might be a challenge..."
Meanwhile...
The Pokémon were having the time of their lives, Riolu now swinging from some vines. "Riolu! Rio ri!" he cheered as he did a spin after hopping off a vine, snagging the next one with a giggle in his voice. But as he jumped off another branch rope, he then landed next to Prongs.
That is, till he let out a yelp as the ground under him suddenly sunk in, "Riolu!"
"Fey/Terra!" Prongs and Peewee both laughed, Springer growling as he picked himself up and started patting his behind.
"Ri..." He let out a small sigh, only to suddenly go stiff as his ears flared up. "Ri?" his eyes started to dart around, the other two staring at him. But as they did this, the Riolu suddenly sprinted into the treeline, Prongs and Peewee sharing a glance before running after the Pokémon.
"Lunch is ready," Doc announced.
"Alright," Flash turned towards the forest, "GUYS! FOOD IS READY!" But as his words echoed into the trees...nothing happened. "Guys?" A few more seconds passed, making him look back at his friends with a big frown before yelling at the forest again, "GUYS!"
"That's not good." Spike commented, only for Twilight to bonk him on the head.
"Don't say that Spike. They've probably just gone too far and can't hear us."
"Yeah...you're probably right." Flash added as his friends got up from the table. "Let's go find 'em."
Back to the Pokémon...
Prongs and Peewee were in full sprint, just barely keeping up with Springer. And as they ran through the forest, they soon came to a stop as Springer suddenly hopped into an opening. It was here that they found a Bellsprout and a Budew, the two Grass-Types now locked in 'battle'. At least, a battle between the two pulling a large plum. The three newcomers stared at the fight, all turning their heads to the side and raising an eyebrow as they watched the scuffle.
Eventually, both Pokémon lost their balance and fell back, the plum rolling over to the trio. Springer was about to speak up, only for Prongs to pick up the piece the fruit. The two glared at him as they picked themselves up, only for Prongs to put the plum down...and slam his hoof in it. The blow split it in half, Prongs nudging both parts to the two.
"Fey! Fey, thawn!" Prongs said as he pointed at both, the two doing small nods before chowing down on the fruit.
"Bell/Dew!" They cheered as they finished, both showing giant smiles at Prongs. Prongs was about to reply, only for his stomach to start growling, Springer's and Peewee's doing the same. The three all frowned, about to go back to the campsite.
"Dew! Budew!" Budew exclaimed as it pointed to a nearby tree, the trio looking up to see a bunch of plums in the branches.
"Bell!" Bellsprout added as it fired a Razor Leaf...only to miss every piece of fruit. "Bell..."
Prongs shook his head at this, walking up and patting the Grass-Type's head before going up to the tree, spinning around and slamming his hooves in the tree. "Thawn!" he roared as the plums fell to the ground, the sight making the others lick their lips at the approaching feast.
But as more plums began to fall, Springer's ears suddenly shot up. "RIO!" he yelled as he quickly grabbed Peewee, pointing at the others as he commanded, "Rio, Riolu!"
"Fey!" Thawn replied as he grabbed Bellsprout and Budew, only for a barrage of missile-like objects to fly right out of the treeline. The deer quickly hopped around, explosions littering the area as Springer dove into a bush.
And as the attack ceased, the smoke clouds started to fade as plums now fell in the basket full. The group stared at the sight, Prongs asking, "Fey, thawn fey?"
"Riolu…" Riolu responded, pointing to the cloud as a shadow began to appear inside. A sudden green spiked vine swung through the dust, destroying the cloud to reveal the perpetrator. It was roundish silver and green disc-shaped Pokémon with three vines as legs, its body covered in spikes.
"Ferrothorn…" he hissed as it began picking up the plums in its long feeler tipped vines and throwing them into its mouth.
"FEY!" Prongs yelled as it gave the two little ones to Peewee before hopping into the area, "Fey thawn!"
"Rothorn!" It said back, giving him a 'come at me' gesture.
"THAWN!" Prongs roared as he charged at the monster, only for the opponent to throw a glowing pink vine into him. "FEY!" he cried, slamming him flying back.
"Ri!" Springer yelped as he got ready to hop in.
"Fey!" Prongs barked back as he picked himself up, "Fey, thawn!"
Springer was about to reply, but he then turned back to forest, now sensing something else. "Springer!" his trainer called out as he walked into the treeline, having been directed by the explosion noise.
"Riolu! Rio ri!" Springer replied as he pointed at the battle, Flash looking up at the Ferrothorn.
"What the heck is that?!"
"It's a Ferrothorn!" Twilight gasped, "But what's one doing here?!"
"Uh...causing trouble?" Spike guessed as they watched Prongs growl at the monster.
"Ferro!" It roared as it pointed its feelers at Prongs, the spikes glowing before firing at the deer.
"That's Pin Missle!" Twilight cried.
"Dodge it!" Prongs began to jump all over the field, the Pin Missiles exploding all over the forest floor. "Now use Energy Ball!"
"Fey..." Prongs created the sphere of nature energy, Ferrothorn swinging its vines around its body in response. "ON!" The Energy Ball launched itself, but Ferrothorn's entire body glowed silver before it made contact.
Doc growled at the sight, "Not good. It just used Iron Defense."
"Then we'll hit it with a move that can break iron! Use Double Kick!" Prongs sprinted at the still Ferrothorn before spinning around, thrusting his back hooves into the creature. The blow sent it flying into a tree, but as it smacked the pillar of lumbar, the Ferrothorn uncoiled its vines, looking perfectly fine. "Dang it." Prongs also growled, only to jump back when Ferrothorn threw another pink glowing vine at him.
"Now it's using Power Whip!" Twilight added, only to see it fire another Pin Missle.
Prongs tried to evade all the shots, but the onslaught was just too much. Several of the projectiles slammed into his back, exploding as it made Prongs stagger backward. "THAWN!" it cried as Ferrothorn use a back vine and swing up to a branch, pulling itself up while starting to laugh.
"Ferro ferro ferro..."
"Grrr…we'll teach you to laugh at us!" Flash barked as he pointed at the Pokémon. "Energy Ball!" Prongs nodded before firing another Energy Ball at Ferrothorn, but the metal plant Pokémon simply swang over to another branch, easily dodging the blow. "Again! Rapid-fire!"
"FAY!" Prongs began launching one Energy Ball after another into the trees, Ferrothorn simply leaping branch to branch as it avoided every shot.
"Thorn!" It roared as it leapt off into one branch, one of its feelers now glowing pink. "FERROTHORN!" He thrust the appendage, the vine smacking Prongs in the face.
"THAWN!" He yelped as he fell back, just barely managing to get his hooves under him and skidding to a stop. "Fey..." he panted as Ferrothorn landed in front of him.
Spike gulped at the sight, "That Ferrothorn's fast."
"And strong. Prongs is gonna have trouble finding a way to beat it." Twilight turned to Flash, "Maybe switch to another Pokémon. Viper could probably take it down in one shot."
Flash bit his lip at the suggestion, but Prongs glared back at him, making Flash nod, "Sorry, but I've got to trust him. Leech Seed!" Prong's horn nubs began to glow before shooting off, the metal plant raising its feelers in response as it launched a Pin Missile.
The two attacks met in midair, the Pin Missile's numbers being too much as it overpowered the Leech Seed before raining down on Prongs. "Fey!" He cried as he was bombarded by the attacks.
Ferrothorn then recalled its vines, now balancing on a spike before spinning around, turning into a spinning top. "Ferroth!"
Doc's eyes went wide, "That's Gyro Ball! You gotta get Prongs out of there!"
"Energy Ball!" Prongs tossed the sphere at the spinning Ferrothorn, only for it to somehow circle around it before flying off and hitting a random tree. "What the heck?!"
"What just happened?" Spike asked, Twilight and Doc gulping at the sight.
"It's the spinning. It's creating an air cushion around Ferrothorn that redirecting the Energy Ball, just like a tornado."
But before Flash could ask how to stop it, Ferrothorn charged as it spun like a top. Flash let out a yelp as he screamed, "Uh...Energy Ball!" Prongs started firing the spheres at Ferrothorn, but each one deflected as it got closer.
"Ferroth!" It roared, Prongs beginning to jump back to avoid it.
"Double Kick!" Flash commanded, everyone watching as Prongs spun around and performed the twin kicks. But as they struck Ferrothorn, the top instantly knocked him away, smacking Prongs into a tree.
"FEY!" Prongs cried as he hit the tree, slumping down with spirals in his eyes a second later. "Thawn..."
"Prongs!" Flash yelped as he ran up to his Pokémon, holding his head before glaring back at the Ferrothorn. The Pokémon had stopped spinning, now laughing at the trainer as Flash growled, "You'll pay for this."
"Ferro ferro ferro..." it chuckled, dangling its vines while laughing.
"FERROTHORN!" yelled a new voice, making everyone turn to see a man in ranger gear walk into the area. He had orange skin and green spiky hair, his eyes glaring at the Grass Steel-type, "Not again..." Ferrothorn just smirked before leaping up into a tree and swinging away. And as it vanished into the trees, the man sighed, "Ugh...what am I gonna do with that thing?" He then turned to the others, seeing Flash carrying Prongs in his arms. "Sorry about that Ferrothorn. Please, come with me. My place isn't too far from here, and you can treat him there."
One transition to a wooden hut in the forest...
The old man was a ranger, his name being Tomar as he introduced himself to the teens. And as he unlocked the hut, he walked inside as everyone waited outside. As they did this, they all started to see the many eyes around them staring at them through the trees. "This is creepy," Spike commented, only for Bellsprout and Budew to walk up and let out several cries, the sounds echoing through trees.
A few minutes later, the owners of the eyes stepped into the clearing, revealing themselves to be a bunch of Grass-Type Pokémon. Oddish, Gloom, Weepinbell, Paras, Sunkern, Sunflora, Seedot, Nuzleaf, Shroomish, Roselia, Cottenee, Petilil, Sewaddle and Swadloon all gathered around them.
"So many Grass-types," Twilight whispered.
"That's the whole point of this sanctuary," they turned to see Tomar walk out with several Oran Berries in his hands.
"Sanctuary?" Doc asked, Tomar kneeling down next to Flash and holding out one of the berries.
"Yes. This forest has been in my family for generations. Many Grass-types like to make their home here. It has become a safe haven for them to live in peace, somewhere they can all live with no need of worry about losing it." He then looked away, "At least, that's what it was supposed to be..."
"Fey," they looked down at Prongs, his eyes opening as he chewed on an Oran Berry.
"Hey bud, how ya feeling?" Prong's answer was a growl, Flash sighing as he rubbed his head.
"I know. I get ya..."
"Bell!" they both turned to the voice, now seeing Bellsprout as it walked up to the two. Flash then helped Prongs to his feet as other Grass-types walked up to the deer, Prongs kneeling down and talking to the group.
Everyone smiled as they watched Prongs enjoy the Grass-type's company, Springer and Peewee joining in as they all started playing. "Wow," Tomar commented with crossed arms, "It's rare for the Grass-types to accept a new one into the group so quickly."
Flash chuckled at the sight, "That's Prongs for you."
Twilight nodded in agreement, "There's a reason he's known as the prince of the forest."
Both Tomar and Doc turned to her in confusion, the others quickly explaining the events surrounding how Flash met Prongs. "Amazing," Tomar said before turning back to Prongs, now seeing him run around with a few smaller Pokémon on his back, "I sure wish we had someone like that here. Then maybe Ferrothorn wouldn't be such a problem."
"What was with that thing anyways?"
"I wish I knew. It just showed up one day and started making trouble." He let out a long sigh, "This forest used to be such a peaceful place till he showed up. I don't know why, but that beast just appeared and started attacking and stealing from any Pokémon in came across. Everyone was too scared to stand up, so it always got away with it. Eventually, its greed began to spread. Fearing their food would get taken, the others have all started hoarding whatever food they get their hands on." Everyone turned back to the Pokémon, seeing them looking perfectly happy together. "It may not look it, but they're all worried about not having enough food. If something isn't done, that Ferrothorn might push everyone out of the forest."
"So why don't you do something?"
Tomar sighed again, "I'm not a trainer. I don't have any Pokémon that could stand up to that thing."
Flash's eyes narrowed at his response, the others all frowning as Flash stepped up and said, "Then I'll stop it."
"Flash, that thing just beat up Prongs. Don't you think you're jumping in the fire too early here?" Twilight asked with a tilt of the head. "Then again, if you use Viper-"
Flash shook his head, "No way. I know someone who will wanna beat that thing more."
"Fey!" his Thawn replied as he seemingly teleported to Flash's side, nodding.
"Flash..." Twilight replied, "Prongs didn't stand a chance against Ferrothorn."
"That's fine. We'll just train, and next time it won't stand a chance!"
Twilight wanted to facepalm, grumbling as she shook her head, "Flash...training isn't enough. I don't know if you noticed, but that thing is smart. Ferrothorn's Gryo Ball made Prong's moves useless. And don't think Leech Seed will help, as I suspect it could shake that off too."
Flash just shrugged in response, "Eh, we'll figure something out. Ready to start training bud?"
"Fey!" Prongs replied, scraping his hoof along the floor and puffing air out his nose. "THAWN!"
"That's the spirit!" Flash cheered before gesturing to Springer to follow, "Come on, let's figure something out."
As they watched him walk away, Tomar turned to the others, "Kid sure volunteered instantly, didn't he? Do you think he can beat Ferrothorn?"
"Eh, don't sweat it," Spike threw him a thumbs up. "Flash does this kind of thing all the time."
Twilight sighed before rubbing the temple of her nose, "That's definitely true. Once he sets his sights on something, he doesn't stop until he's done it."
Doc patted her shoulder, "Don't worry so much Twilight. Yes, I know you want to suggest Viper as he would be a better candidate, but you know Flash will say no."
"I know. He just needs to understand strategy better. After all, he needs a way to break that Ferrothorn's defense."
"True..." Doc rubbed his chin, "Then again...maybe that could work."
"What could work?" Twilight asked, only for Doc to walk over to Flash.
"Flash! I think I have an idea to help Prongs win this."
Flash turned to him, ready to give Prongs some orders before responding, "What's the plan?"
"Simple. It's obvious from the last battle that Prongs lacks the power to get past Ferrothorn's armored shell. That means we need to find a way to up his power, and I know exactly how to do it without going full power training."
"How's that?"
"We get Prongs to evolve." This statement left everyone speechless, Flash raising both eyebrows in response, "It's simple. When a Pokémon evolves, it gains a large increase in all its stats. It also gains the ability to learn moves it couldn't learn, which is something a Chitaleaf could truly give Prongs the advantage he needs."
"Fey..." Prongs backpedaled at the suggestion, only to stare at the ground in surprise.
"Oh yeah!" Spike added, "Remember how strong Granny Smith's Chitaleaf was? If Prongs became one, he'd be supercharged!"
"Maybe..." Twilight hummed, "But once a Pokémon evolves, there's no going back. Prongs would never be a Thawn again." She looked down at the Pokémon in question, "We shouldn't have the right to force that change on Prongs if he doesn't want too."
"That's dumb." Spike barked back, "I mean, come on! Don't you want your Pokémon to be more powerful?!"
Twilight shook her head, "Not exactly. Remember the circumstances around Springer?"
"What are you...oh. Right." Spike glanced away, "Sorry, I forgot about that."
Flash opened his mouth, ready to say how on board he was for the idea...only to shut it. Humming at the statement, he patted on the Thawn's head as he asked, "Twilight's right. Prongs...what do you want to do?"
"Fey?" Prongs looked up, a sad frown on his face.
"It's your choice. If you want to evolve, I'll help in any way I can. But if you don't want to evolve, then that's alright too. So what's it gonna be? Do you want to evolve?" Everyone stared down at Prongs, the deer gulping at all the looks. But as he did this, he let out a sigh, only to nod, "You do want to evolve?"
"Fey," Prongs shook his head no.
"You don't want to evolve?" Spike asked, Prongs shaking his head. "Make up your mind!"
"Hold on Spike. I don't think that's what he means." Doc chimed in, a smirk on his face, "Are you saying you don't want to evolve yet?" Prongs smiled and nodded, Twilight and Flash catching on.
"Ah. I guess that makes sense." Twilight commented, only to feel her brother nudge her.
"Well I don't! What's going on?! Does he wanna evolve or not?!"
"Prongs is saying he doesn't want to evolve until he's ready." Flash replied before turning back to the grass deer, "You wanna prove you're ready to evolve before you do it, don't you? And I bet beating Ferrothorn is just the ticket."
"Thawn!"
"I like that attitude. Evolving's cool, but it's more worth it if you've earned it." Prongs nodded again, "Then let's get training. We'll beat Ferrothorn as we are. Like Twilight said, we've just gotta fight smarter rather than harder. You with me?"
"THAWN!"
"At least he's learning." Twilight added as Flash and Prongs left to go find a place to train. The next few hours whizzed by, Doc and Twilight returning to their previous campsite to bring their stuff to the cabin while Flash and Prongs trained. Meanwhile, Tomar asked the forest Pokémon to gather as much food as possible and bring it here, knowing that there was no way Ferrothorn would be able to resist that much food in one place.
Eventually, night time came with everyone going to bed except Flash, Prongs and Springer.
"Riolu!" Springer threw a Drain Punch at Prongs, the deer using his powerful legs to leap up and over to evade. Over the last few hours, they had been focusing on increasing Prong's legs muscles, all so that he could jump higher. If Ferrothorn tried jumping up into the trees, Prongs would be ready to follow him.
"Alright, let's take a break for a few minutes." The two nodded and moved over to Flash as he leaned against the cabin and slid down to take a seat. Once there, he began patting Prongs's head, "You're doing great. No doubt Ferrothorn won't stand a chance against you."
"Fey!" Prongs nodded.
"You know, I'm proud of you for not taking the easy way to win." Flash added while looking up at the sky. "You're right in that evolution shouldn't be a shortcut. It should be a reward for working hard."
"Thawn..."
"And you know, it's probably better this way. Doc said that evolving pumps up your stats. So the stronger you are when you evolve, the more power you get." The two Pokémon then sat down beside him, the teen chuckling in response, "You know, it kinda reminds me of a story my gran used to tell me. Ya wanna hear it?" The two Pokémon turned to him, both nodding, "You see, it's set in the Galar Region. There was once a knight who wanted to be the best, but had no skill in battle. He then found a magic sword that would always grant its wielder victory. With it, he defeated foe after foe until he was considered the best. But then one day, another knight discovered the secret of his sword and tricked him into a duel."
"Ri?"
"Before their duel, the challenger switched the magic sword with one that looked identical. The first knight didn't know the difference and went into the battle. But because he had relied so much on the magic sword, he never learned how to really fight. So he was defeated and cut down, his opponent having no trouble achieving victory." They both stared up at their trainer, wondering what he was getting at. "The moral of the story is that having power can take you far, but without the knowledge of how to use that power, then it's worthless to you. Power that is earned will always overpower something that is given or taken."
The two smiled and nodded, Prongs getting up before pointing at the training ground, "Fey! Fey, thawn!"
"You wanna continue?"
"Thawn!"
"Nice. You ready Springer?"
"Ri riolu!" Springer cheered as he hopped to his feet, his paws consumed in a blue aura flame.
"Alright, let's get back to work."
The next morning...
Everyone was squirming as they stood outside the cabin, all of them waiting for Ferrothorn to show up. The berries had been hidden inside the cabin, which was locked up in case something went wrong with the plan. And as they waited, the Pokémon in question suddenly leapt out of the trees and landed on the edge of the treeline. The forest Pokémon all shivered at the sight, quickly hiding in the bushes as Tomar walked in front of the group.
"Ferrothorn, you have to leave. You've done nothing but cause trouble since you got here, so leave and don't come back!"
Ferrothorn just laughed at his statement, as if asking what would happen if it didn't. "Fey! Fey thawn!" Prongs yelled in response as he walked up next, the Ferrothorn's laughter now increasing.
"We'll show you," Flash growled as he stepped up to Prongs. "We won't let you bully anyone anymore! You ready Prongs?"
"Fey!" Prongs nodded, glaring at the Ferrothorn as the other stopped laughing. Everyone watched as an intense staredown followed, now waiting for the first move to be thrown.
"Ferroth!" Ferrothorn suddenly leaped into the air as its feeler spikes began glowing white, pointing them at Prongs, "THORN!" The spikes shot off, Prongs quickly hopping back just in time to miss the Pin Missle.
"Energy Ball!" The grass deer opened its mouth, nature energy now building a sphere inside.
"Fay...ON!" He launched the attack, Ferrothorn not able to evade due to still being in the air. As such, it instead wrapped its vines around its body.
"Thorn!" It began glowing silver, it's entire being going as hard as iron as the Energy Ball collided and exploded. "Ferrorth!" It was blasted back to the treeline, only to extend its vines to wrap around a nearby branch to break its fall.
"Fay..." Prongs growled, narrowing his eyes at the recovery.
"Fire another Energy Ball!" Prongs nodded before firing another Energy Ball at Ferrothorn, but the metal plant Pokémon simply swang to another branch with ease. "Again! Back to back!"
"FAY!" Prongs began launching one Energy Ball after another into the trees, Ferrothorn simply hopping around branch to branch. It was here it started swinging deeper into the forest, Prongs and the others following after it.
Eventually, it came to a stop as it swung around the trunk of a tree. "Thorn!" It leapt up next as one of its feelers glowed pink. "FERROTH!" He thrust the appendage forward, the Power Whip moving so fast that it struck Prongs instantly.
"THAWN!" He yelped as he fell back, just barely managing to get his hooves under him as he skidded to a stop. "Fey..." he panted as Ferrothorn landed in front of him.
"This isn't going so well," Doc commented.
"It's going just like their last battle," Spike added. "What's Flash thinking?"
"It's like he hasn't learned anything at all," Tomar finished.
Twilight bit her lip at the statement, only to stare at the Ferrothorn. Despite its minimal facial expressions it could make...it looked cocky in her eyes. Glancing back at Flash, she saw that Flash was still wearing the same face since the start of the battle, one of deep concertation. "Wait...maybe that's what Flash's plan is. Maybe he's repeating it to make Ferrothorn think he hasn't changed."
"What do mean?" Doc asked, only for his attention to be pulled back to the battle by Ferrothorn's outcry.
"THORN!" It pulled its vines in so that only the feelers could be seen, then started spinning like a top on its bottom spikes.
The Gyro Ball was heading straight for Prongs...only for Flash's face to change to a smirk.
"We got 'em! Use Bounce!" To everyone's surprise, Prongs suddenly leapt a good fifteen to twenty feet off the ground. Everyone stared up at the Pokémon, Ferrothorn now stuck as he tried to look up while spinning. But as he did this, Prongs flew right over him.
"Thorn?" It called out as it kept going, slamming into a tree with a resounding crash. "Rothorn!" It cried as the top half of the oak pillar fell over on top of it, Prongs landing gracefully a few feet away.
"Thawn."
"Alright!" Flash cheered, "Way to go Prongs!"
"What just happened?" Spike asked, Twilight shining a big smile as she gave the answer.
"Prongs must have learned Bounce."
Doc chuckled at the sight, "Looks like all that training paid off. Fantastic!"
"I'll say," Tomar added as the Pokémon all started cheering. But that joy was short-lived as the fallen tree began to move, the group turning to see Ferrothorn lift the tree and throw it away.
"Now Prongs!" Flash ordered, "Leech Seed!"
"Fay!" Prong's horn nubs began glowing before firing a barrage of seeds, all of them landing on the still-recovering Ferrothorn.
"Ferrorth?" It said before the vines flew out of the seeds, wrapping around before the attack activated, making it cry out as its energy was drained.
"Yes! Now, use Body Slam!"
"Thawn!" Prongs galloped in response, Ferrothorn still reeling from the Leech Seed. But at the very last moment, it opened its eyes and saw the Thawn coming.
"Roth!" It threw its vines up and caught the nearby branch, pulling itself up just in time avoid Prong's attack. Once it was upon the branch, it pointed its other two vines at Prongs before launching a Pin Missle down on him.
"Dodge it!" Prongs began jumping around the field, the projectiles exploding all around him. Everyone else cried out as they ducked and covered, the Pin Missles reforming the field into a crater filled mess. But standing between the craters was Prongs, who was panting as Ferrothorn jumped down.
"Roth!" It pulled its vines in and started spinning once again, forming a top that sped towards Prongs.
"Use Bounce again!" Prongs leapt over Ferrothorn again, the spinning Grass-type flying under him towards another tree. Everyone smiled at this, only for shock to cover their faces as they saw Ferrothorn suddenly disappear into the ground.
"WHAT?!" They all yelped before the top suddenly shot out of the ground, now spinning in the opposite direction.
"Prongs, look out!"
But Flash's warning came too late, Prongs landing just as the top reached him. "FEY!" He cried as the spinning Pokémon slammed into him, sending him flying into a tree as Ferrothorn stopped spinning. As he did, the Leech Seed flared up, draining him again.
"What happened?" Spike asked, only for Twilight to gasp.
"The craters!" Everyone stared at the field, now seeing that Ferrothorn had used the craters to spin back around and change its trajectory. Now if Prongs leapt over it, it'd just use them to shift direction without losing any speed.
"Ferrothorn!" It pointed its feelers at Prongs before launching another PIn Missle.
Prongs opened his eyes just in time to see them coming, "Get out of there!"
The deer quickly leapt to the side, only to be hit by the end of an explosion. "Fey!" He grunted as he staggered back, Ferrothorn now preparing to use another Gyro Ball. Prongs saw this, but his legs began to trip as he tried to recover.
"Just use Energy Ball!" Prongs fired the sphere at the spinning monster, but the air cushion from Ferrothorn's speeding spin simply knocked it away before it slammed into the Thawn.
"FEY!" He flew back and crashed into a tree, sliding down as Ferrothorn hopped into one of the craters.
"You okay?" Flash asked, now seeing Prongs try to pick himself up while Ferrothorn started to circle the edge of the crater. "Come on, you're stronger than him! Don't forget, you've got something to fight for!"
Flash's words made Prongs turn to see the Grass Pokémon all cheering for him, all alongside his old friends as they did the same.
"THORN!" Ferrothorn roared as it hopped out of the crater, the sight making Prongs pump all his energy into his legs and leap back against the tree.
"Fey!" He felt his back hooves hit the bark before thrusting forward, using it as a springboard to fly over his spinning opponent.
"Thorn!" It cried in shock, feeling itself begin to carve into the tree before stopping when it was only a third of the way in. "Feroth!" It turned to Prongs, who landed behind it with a smirk on his face.
"Alright Prongs, use Energy Ball!" The Thawn fired the nature orb at Ferrothorn, the Pokémon responding by using Iron Defense. "Now Bounce!" Prongs began hopping forward, getting higher with each bounce as Ferrothorn used its back vine to reach up and grab a branch to pull itself up. "GO!"
"FEY!" Prongs bounced as high as he could, heading right for Ferrothorn. However, the monster met his attack with Power Whip, the two meeting and ricocheting off one another. Prongs fell back, stumbling to the ground while Ferrothorn's feeler flew back into his face.
"FEY/THORN!" The two flinched at the impact, Ferrothorn losing grasp of the branch before crashing as well.
"Now! While it's defenses is down, use Energy Ball!"
"Fey!" Prongs launched the attack, aiming right where Ferrothorn would land. But the Grass and Steel-type recovered quicker then expected, pulling its vines in before spinning. And as it touched down, the Energy Ball reached, only to bounce off the air around it.
"Dang it!" Flash growled as he saw the attack fly away,"Come on...that move's gotta have a weakness." He watched as Ferrothorn spun at Prongs, who kept jumping from side to side to avoid it while the spinning top used the craters to move around. As it did, Flash stared at the top...only to notice something that was barely spinning at all. "That's it!" He exclaimed as Ferrothorn got closer. "Prongs, jump straight up!"
"Fey?" Prongs yelped, only to hop straight up. "THAWN!" He yelled as Ferrothorn flew under him, ready to jump into another crater.
"Energy Ball, straight down!" Prongs quickly formed the sphere before shooting it downward, reaching Ferrothorn's head. And as it struck, a sudden explosion occurred on impact.
"FERROTHORN!" It cried as it began to wobble, only for it crash right into the crater.
"Wow! What just happened?!" Spike asked with a dropped jaw.
Twilight clapped her hands, "Of course! It's just like a tornado! The wind is always weakest...at the eye of the storm."
"Brilliant!" Tomar cheered as the others all gave their own cries of happiness.
"Come on Flash, keep the momentum up." Doc added.
Flash nodded as Prongs landed in front of him, seeing Ferrothorn start to pick itself up. "This ends now. Bounce!" Prongs began bouncing along the ground, picking up speed as Ferrothron got up. As it did this, it then tossed a Power Whip his way.
"Fey!" Prongs jumped back to avoid it, landing near a tree.
"Keep using Bounce with the trees!" Prongs nodded again before using the tree as a springboard, leaping off and over Ferrothorn before reaching another tree and bouncing off that one. This kept up, Prongs jumping tree to tree while picking up as much speed as possible.
Ferrothorn tried to keep up, trying to fire a Pin Missle...only for his eyes to start spinning. Every time it caught sight of him, Prongs jumped someplace else. "Roth, roth, roth, roth?" Ferrothorn yelped as he kept turning around, trying to keep focus...only for spirals to appear in his eyes as he began to get dizzy.
"NOW!" Flash yelled as Prongs leapt right above Ferrothorn. "BODY SLAM!"
"FEY!" Prongs flew down with all the speed he had picked up, gravity doing the rest as he slammed all four hooves into Ferrothorn's face. "THAWN!"
"FERROTHORN!" It cried as it flew back from the blow, slamming into the tree it had carved into before and breaking through it. Everyone watched as the tree fell down on the Ferrothorn with a loud crash, making the ground shake as Prongs landed in front of Flash.
They watched as Ferrothorn began to pull itself up again...only to flop over with spirals in its eyes. "Feroth…"
Everyone sighed in relief, right before Spike cheered, "ALRIGHT!" The rest of the forest Pokémon did the same, all running to gather around Prongs and congratulate him.
Flash fell to a sitting position, his heart racing a mile a minute. He then noticed someone step up beside him, looking up to see Twilight and Tomar, "You did great. That counter you came up with for the Gyro Ball was brilliant."
"Thanks," Flash panted, "I had no idea if it was gonna work. Guess I got lucky."
"There was no luck in that," Tomar assured him. He would have said more, but at that moment, the forest Pokémon ran past them and returned a minute later carrying a bunch of berries.
"Bell!" Bellsprout cheered as he held an Oran Berry up for Prongs.
"Fey," he replied before taking a bite. But as he finished it off, movement in the corner of his eye made him turn to see Ferrothorn beginning to get up.
"Not again..." Spike moaned while the others got ready to fight. But as they did this, Prongs got up...and grabbed an Oran Berry before walking over to his fallen foe.
"Prongs!" Flash exclaimed as he was about to run over to him, but Tomar grabbed his shoulder and shook his head.
Everyone watched as Prongs got within striking distance of Ferrothorn, the two staring at one another for several long seconds, only for the Thawn to drop the Oran Berry before kicking it over to him. "Fey," he added as Ferrothorn's gaze shifted between the two.
Ferrothorn glared at him for a long while...only to lean down and take the berry, chomping on it slowly. As it did this, Tomar stepped in front of Prongs, "You see? There's enough for everyone. You don't need to force anyone to give you anything." He took another berry and held it out to the Pokémon, "We'll be happy to share as long as you play nice." The rest of the forest Pokémon did the same, each offering Ferrothorn a berry.
After a few seconds, the Grass Steel-Type smiled before taking each offered berry and eating it. "Feroth..." The rest of the Pokémon cheered as they started climbing on the Ferrothorn, who didn't seem to mind as it started playing with them by using is feelers to gently lift them up and spin them around.
Everyone else laughed at this, glad Ferrothorn had calmed down. It was here Flash stepped up to Prongs, crouching down to pat him on the head. "You did it Prongs. Showing Ferrothorn kindness when it was down really helped it see that being all tough on your own isn't always the way." The two looked into each other's eye, "I'm proud of you."
"Fey..." Prongs shined a big smile, only for his eyes to suddenly go wide. Before Flash could ask what was wrong, Prong's entire body was engulfed by a white light.
Flash gasped as he pulled back a few inches, "Prongs?" Everyone watched as the Thawn grew bigger, a pair of sharp spikes growing out of his head. And as the light stopped, Prong revealed himself in a new form. His body was now mostly light green, brown running from the end of its nose to its lower mouth and down the front of its neck to its underbelly. It was also at the end of his flank while having a pair of brown spots on his back, one on either side, along with a large brown spot on his rear. A patch of grass could be seen sprouting out of his chest, growing around his neck to form a collar while his back legs were brown, running from his knees to his hooves while his flank had a small assortment of large leaves. On his head were a pair ten-inch antlers, both with one or two leaves on them.
The newly evolved Pokémon opened his eyes and looked over himself, "Leaf?"
"Prongs..." Flash whispered out, "You evolved!" Prongs looked back at his trainer, only to cheer as the Chitaleaf leapt into his arms. "PRONGS/LEAF!" The two laughed as they hugged, everyone else rushing over to congratulate them.
"Riolu!" Springer leapt up onto Prong's back. "Rio ri!"
"Chita!" Prongs exclaimed back.
"Congrats Prongs," Doc added, "I knew you were close to evolving."
It was here that Spike spoke up, "But I thought Prongs didn't wanna evolve."
Twilight shook her head, "No Spike, he wanted to earn his evolution." She then started to scratch behind Prong's ear, "and I'd say he's more than proven he has. You're more than ready to move on to the next stage of your training, as I suspect you had already reached the very limits of what you could have learned as a Thawn."
"Leaf!" Prongs cheered as he hugged Flash again. The two began laughing as the others joined in, all celebrating Prong's new chapter in his life. And as the celebrations continued, Prongs knew he was looking forward to seeing how that chapter played out.
Time passed as Tomar directed the heroes to the edge of the forest, he and the many forest Pokémon standing behind the treeline as the others stood beyond it with smiles on their faces. "Thank you for helping," he told them before patting Ferrothorn on the head. "Ferrothorn has agreed to become my partner, and together we can work to keep this sanctuary safe from any trouble that might show up."
"That's great," Flash added before smirking at the Pokémon in question. "You be good and play nice. We don't wanna have to come back remind you not to be a bully."
"Feroth..." it nodded before turning to Prongs, now holding out one of his feelers, which Prongs took with his hoof and shook.
"Well, we'd better get going." The others all waved goodbye, Tomar and the Pokémon doing the same as the teens began to leave the Grass Sanctuary. The unexpected trespassing on the land had brought many advantages, including helping stop the issue alongside helping Prongs reaffirm his own self-worth. Now that Prongs had earned his evolution, Flash's team has now grown in even more power. And with that, the journey continues.
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Yeah, now that I think about it, most evolutions on TV tend to happen in the middle of a battle or some other desperate situation. Also, that story within a story sounds like just the kind of story I imagine Flash being drawn into as a kid.
That was a good way for Prongs to evolve, with him earning it after defeating a tough opponent. I also enjoyed that small story Flash told, it actually has a really important lesson.
Im hoping to see Timber in the next chapter. Cause you've been dodging him alot...and yes this count as a dodge too.
10017787 This wasn't a dodge. This was just something more important. How have I been dodging him?
10017808
Since what chapter has Celestia introduced Twilight the existence of camp everfree. And how many chapters Chapters were added...oh...it is not a dodge...
10017813 That's called foreshadowing.
10017785 Confession, the story is basically the three brothers story with a sword in place of the wand.
Alright! I’m so glad that Prongs evolved! This was the best chapter ever!
10017823
I always call it: 'Theory time!' Since it is what I do to most of your stories, calculating and figuring out the possible outcome depending on the actions and characters that is present. Like for example, on how I theorized Hiveena's return, since she is introduced as a future queen turned exile from your stories, and her interactions with Thorax, proves of her coming to the future chapters.
Great chapter. That evolution was well-deserved. Now the only starter left is Viper. I'm sure that he'll evolve in the future.
I can understand why Prongs wanted a rematch, but I have to side with Twilight, Flash should have used Viper. Being a fire type, he does double to four times the damage to Ferrothorn (based on being a grass-steel dual type).
But I find it appropriate that Prongs didn't want to evolve just to beat Ferrothorn, but upon defeating Ferrothron evolved.
Random question: What's the Pikachu clone (the cute electric rodent) for this series? I know you're a Riolu/Lucario fan boy with an axe to grind with the electric squirrel (and yes Pikachu is based on a squirrel not a mouse), but let's be sincere, Pikachu made Pokémon as popular as it is.
10018636
That's the thing with shows based on these games. Gameplay isn't as important as the relationships made while playing the game. There's no way Flash could have taken Twilight's advice without severely wounding Prongs's pride, especially since both he and Viper just barely learned to swallow theirs.
10018699
While a fair point it is a moot and irreverent one in the context present in this discussion, as my commentary is on which pokemon is the logical choice for Flash to choose to combat the Ferrothorn, and since Ferrothrons are grass-steel dual type pokemons, the logical choice of Flash's team to combat the Ferrothorn is Viper, as he is a fire-type and as such he will survive the fight more easily and stop Ferrothorn sooner (as steel types take double damage from Fire types and deal half damage to fire types, and the same is true for grass types), which is Twilight's argument, which I have to agree with.
THAT being said, I do find it appropriate that Prongs didn't want to evolve before the second fight, that he won it and that he evolved after it.
I just agree with Twilight, that Flash needs to start thinking strategically with his pokemons. His emotional connections are strong and great, but at some point unless he losses a pokemon fight that he would have won had he fought it with logic, and lose it soundly, possibly crippling or (if Banshee would be so bold) killing one of his pokemon in the process.
At which point Flash will be forced to confront the short comings in his ideology and he can either break down and stop, or start to incorporate the logos that Twilight has been offering him since day one into his ideology and become the Pokémon trainer he seeks to become, the best ever.
However, I don't expect such a lose until after Viper evolves... if Banshee would ever be so daring.
10018915
Oh, I don't know. Flash has been thinking through his battles more strategically since his loss against Thorax. The only reason why Flash decided not to use Viper in this battle is because not-Bambi decided to make the fight personal and go "Put me in, coach." Flash can plan all he wants, but that's not going to mean a thing if his Pokemon don't want to follow his orders. This isn't like the games where the Pokemon are just a bunch of ones and zeros. Besides, I think Flash, Twilight, Doc, and Prongs came to a pretty satisfactory compromise in this story.
I think I can see why you prefer Digimon over Pokemon.
10019041
Still doesn't negate that the logical call would have been to use Viper, and sometimes a coach has to say, "You're injured, you're in no shape to play, stay on the bench." and this was a situation where the best decision of a coach was to bench Prongs.
To quote pretty everyone from Game of Thrones "You know nothing, John Snow.", but pray do tell me your hypothesis.
10018636 Go read how to catch a Pokemon 101
10019134
I could be wrong about this, but unlike Pokemon or Yugioh, I don't think Digimon is based on a game. If it is, I had never heard of it, and no one I knew played it. Besides, even if Digimon was based on a game, I don't recall the TV show having any blatantly game-based elements like points, counters, or tournaments. If my memory is correct about what little Digimon I watched back in the day, a typical episode was more like Power Rangers with cartoon monsters as opposed to anything similar to Pokemon.
Pokemon, on the other hand, adapted quite a few game-based elements. The trouble is that what makes for good gameplay and what makes for good television isn't always going to line up, and that discrepancy is probably going to be more obvious for more gameplay-minded fans, which would probably make the show harder to enjoy.
10019199 Digimon was a V-Pet inspired product where you'd walk around with the Digimon connected to you and the more steps you take the more...something happened. I can't remember exactly how it's played, but I know it's something like that.
10019202
So, unlike Pokemon, it's not strategy-based, meaning there's fewer game-based elements to adapt into a TV show.
10019207 Yeah, the only thing they kept were the levels and the Data, Virus, Vaccine line up.
10019213
Not entirely true, well in at least the Saban Entertainment adaptation which air on Fox, the changed the names of 'levels' and the 'evolutions'
10019199
while everything you stated is true... baring the v-pet origins, you haven't presented your hypothesis for why I prefer Digimon to Pokémon
10019149
Also, you didn't answer my question about the Equestria region's take on the franchise's mascot.
10019300 It's in that chapter.
10019295
Simple. The discrepancy between good gameplay and good TV in Pokemon annoys you, but that's pretty much absent from Digimon, so you're able to enjoy it more.
10019409
not a bad guess... not correct, but not bad
10019419
My other hypothesis is that you don't like the gameplay of Pokemon because in real life, the game dynamics would be considered animal cruelty.
10019615
... well the reasons I like Digimon over Pokemon in part is because Digimon was more niche then Pokemon and Pokemon was every f#(×!^& where, and also many of the non-human characters had more narrative weight, while most of the pokemon's came off as the monster of the week... there are a few more like all the chances the series took between seasons... but one of the main one was that the Digimon-Digidened relationship was that of true equals while at the core the Pokemon trainer and their pokemon is... well... let's be sincere master and slave.
10019721
Is it bad that none of your reasons for disliking Pokemon really bothers me? I feel as if those points you brought up, especially the last bit, should bother me, yet they don't.
Also, in both this series and Banshee's Yugioh series, you seem to nitpick the gameplay a lot even though the stuff he writes is pretty faithful to the spirit of the source material, just saying. I guess I just assumed that your main beef with the franchise was gameplay-related.
10019790
it not the game-play mechanics base degree of faithfulness, its the logic that seems to used in the writing of it.
10019853
Like I said, the tricky thing about these shows is that the most logically sound way to play the game doesn't exactly always make for good TV.
This was a great focus chapter for Prongs. Making it so he he worked to get stronger and earn his evolution instead of just using it to get stronger instantly or as a second wind was very unique and not something seen often. The story Flash told is also a good lesson of how being strong can only take you so far without the technique to use it properly.
Honestly, the only downside to this chapter I see is how Flash and his friends continued their journey without there really being a scene here or in the previous chapter of them saying a proper goodbye to Applejack, Rarity, or the CMC, so their absence feels a bit sudden.