The Last Roundup
Our story opens with Flash, Springer and his newly evolved Hopper running down the road. The three had just got to the top of a hill, smiles on their faces as they now glanced down at their destination: Dodge Junction.
The town didn't look like much, appearing as something you would see in an old western movie. The houses were simple, all wooden and built in a bottle pattern. The first six houses after the entrance were set up in a straight line of two rows of three, built side by side in perfect parallel. After that, the positioning of the houses became curved, forming a circle, showing there were only two other exits out of town. The first exit was to the left, leading to a path that led to a large orchard filled with trees that had pink leaves. As for the other, you would need to go straight, this exit going right into the Grand Desert.
Flash stared at the long, endless land in front of him. True to its name, it was grand, as sand covered the horizon. No matter how hard Flash tried, he couldn't see to the other side, his memory now trying to think back to one of Twilight's lectures. All he could remember was useless factoids, only for a faint memory to ping, telling him that the average person could only see approximately three of four miles away. That face made him sigh, knowing that the journey into the desert was going to be long since he couldn't see anything but sand.
After all, somewhere in the center of that desert was Appaloosa City, the location of the next Pokémon Gym Challenge.
"We're almost there..." Flash commented while Springer and Hopper both smiled.
"Flash!" He turned around to see his friends now coming up the hill, all looking winded as they reached him, "Did you...have to...run off...like that?!" Twilight gasped, bent over and holding her stomach.
Flash just laughed back, "Sorry. Guess I got a little overexcited. But since Hopper can run so fast now, he really wants to cut loose."
"Rush!" Hopper barked happily, running in place so fast he started kicking up dust.
"Okay, that's fair." Doc coughed as he waved the dust away, "But at least give us a heads up next time."
Flash gave another apology as Spike stared out at the desert, "So that's where we're heading?"
"Yup," Twilight replied as they headed down, "It might look barren, but it's filled with many oases that we can rest at. We'll get everything we need here and head out tomorrow. I already have a map loaded to my journal that'll have us zigzag to multiple water sources. Luckily, we won't be having any WiFi issues either."
They then arrived at the town's entrance, soon seeing a shop a feet buildings away. "There. We'll need to buy some extra water bottles, maybe some masks and goggles in case of a sandstorm and possibly more."
"Alright, let's get to shopping." Doc added as they went into the store. They soon found out that it was a rental shop, allowing them to borrow equipment and give it back to a sister store in either Appaloosa or on the other far side of the desert. The group then bought extra bottles, goggles and masks, but also got water purification tablets, candles, loud whistles, post-it notes and a series of balloons that came with a small bottle of helium.
By the time they exited the store, their bags felt much heavier. "You sure we need all this stuff?" Spike grunted, fearing he was gonna have back issues by the end of this trip.
Doc chuckled and shook is head, "It's better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it."
Spike was about to retort, only for a new voice to speak up, "He's right you know." They all turned to see a man who was roughly Professor Celestia's age with red eyes, gray skin and black hair. He was wearing a white shirt with a red vest and tie under a black jacket with black pants. "Many foolish travellers have gone into that desert, only to meet their ends due to being unprepared."
Twilight let out a gasp before smiling, "Oh my goodness! Mr. Sombra!" she ran over as her smile increased, "It's so nice to see you again. I haven't seen you since we met at the Bales Town Library!"
"Agreed. And its good to see you too, young miss," Sombra nodded before turning to the boys. "These your friends?" Twilight quickly responded by introducing them all, the boys giving their names with a wave. "Nice to meet you all. I'm Sombra."
Doc's eyes went wide at hearing this. "As in Sombra, the famous entrepreneur and business man? Investor and partial owner of over a hundred business in Equestria?"
"It just hit a hundred and fifty," Sombra chuckled before winking, "And yes, I'm that Sombra."
"Wow..." everyone whispered, Spike then asking, "So what are you doing out here?" He then turned around, making sure not to offend anyone around before adding, "I don't think there's a lot of places you'd want to invest in around here."
"There is one. I own a share in the Cherry Hill Ranch," he pointed over to the exit leading to the forest of pink trees. "Me and the owner meet up every year to go over the books and discuss what can be done to improve things and increase profits."
"Cherry Hill Ranch?" Flash asked.
"Think of it like Sweet Apple Acres, only their main source of income are cherries instead of apples." Twilight replied while pulling out her journal, "Not only that, but they also make a wide array of cherry based treats that they send all over Equestria. Bakewell Tarts, scones, jams, cakes..." Flash, Spike and their Pokémon all started to drool, their stomachs declaring mutiny on the rest of their bodies to take control. "Oh, and their famous dish known as the...cherry-changa?"
"Cherry what?" Doc asked, Sombra laughing at their reaction.
"Mashed up cherries in a tortilla that's deep fried, made with or without orange zest and silver almonds and topped with powered sugar. It's one of the sweetest treats you'll ever enjoy, and its something I look forward too every time I come."
Spike let out a mindless moan as he imagined it, turning to his sister. "Can we go?! Please?!"
"I don't know," Twilight replied, showing a big frown. "It'd be rude to just walk up there and ask to make us a bunch of different stuff."
"Oh please," Sombra told her with a wave. "You'd be welcomed with open arms. Cherry Jubilee is one of the most hospitable women I've ever met in the Equestria Region. Come, you can be my guests." He turned around and started to walk away, Spike and the Pokémon letting out excited laughs as they followed.
"Oh well," Flash shrugged before following.
"If he's offering," Doc did the same with Twilight sighing.
"Alright..."
They all headed down the road, now finding that Cherry Hill Ranch was up a hill. And as they arrived outside of the orchard, Sombra showed a confused look on his face. "That's odd," he checked his watch. "We're on time and Cherry's never tardy."
"Maybe she got busy making all those delicious desserts and lost track of time," Spike suggested with a lick of his lips. The five and their Pokémon walked into the ranch, only to find...no one around.
"Does this highly profitable farm seem a little...understaffed?" Doc asked.
Twilight nodded in agreement, "Yeah. No workers...not even any Pokémon that might be working."
"The ranch is mainly human run," Sombra added, "How strange...why aren't they here?"
"Well it's not like they have any reason to be," Flash responded, everyone turning to him as he pointed at the farm, "Look at the trees." They followed his finger, now seeing the pink trees didn't have a single cherry left in the foliage. They were completely bare.
Sombra did a long gulp, "Now I'm worried."
"Why?" Twilight asked.
"Every year that I come, it's right before they start picking the cherries. It's like clockwork. If the trees are empty right now, that can only mean two things. One, they picked them early, which isn't a good sign...or two, something else has picked them." Everyone grew tense at the words, knowing they might not like the answer. "Let's head to the ranch house. There should be someone inside to tell us what's going on."
The others nodded and followed him through the orchard. But as they got about halfway into the walk, Peewee's head went up and sniffed the air, "What's up bud?" Spike asked, Peewee answering by jumping off his shoulder and flying off. "Peewee! Come back!" He quickly ran after him, the others following until they found him staring at a tree stump.
They all blinked at another sight as they got there, seeing a plate of cherries on the piece of wood. The cherries were both red and yellow, just sitting there, waiting for anyone to take. "What the heck?" Flash asked.
"How strange," Sombra commented as they all gathered around it. The stump was surrounded by a loud of tall grass, which went halfway to their knees as they entered it. "Why would Cherry leave a plate of perfectly good product just sitting here?"
"Eh, who cares," Spike licked his lips before he, Peewee, Hopper and Springer reached for them. "Let's just enjoy-" But as he got close to the plate, Sombra went wide-eyed as he saw something in the grass.
"Spike, NO!" He tried to stop him, but it was too later. Spike grabbed a cherry, only to hear a loud clinking noise. Before they could react, a large net snatched them, quickly pulling them up into the air. A second later, they were dangling from one of the tree branches while trapped within the large net.
"Great..." Twilight moaned, "This is what you get for thinking with your stomach."
"Sorry," Spike responded.
"Let's just get out of this thing," Flash added, "Springer, Hopper, can either of you get us out?" The two started to bit/chew out of the rope, only to find it to be a slow process.
"I could have Peewee burn through the net," Spike suggested.
"No! That'd set the whole thing on fire!" Doc barked back. "And burn us to a crisp in the process!"
"Oh."
"Let's just stay calm," Sombra told them. "We'll find a way out. We just have to-"
"I gotcha, yah flithy varmits!" They heard a female voice cry, making them look down to see a woman with cream colored skin and hair that was two different shades of red. She had a mole on her left cheek and was wearing a green summer dress that had the image of two cherries on the side. The woman was running up to the net with a look of glee on her face, only for it to vanish as she saw her capture
"Hello Ms. Jubilee," Sombra said through the net, the woman looking like she was about to have a heart attack.
"Mr. Sombra!" She rushed over with a knife, cutting the rope soon after, "Ah'm so sorry." She then cut the bottom, making everyone fall into a painful heap as Jubilee winced. "Sorry a-geen."
Sombra picked himself up as he responded, "Jubilee, what's going on? Where is everyone? Why are the trees all bare?"
"Oh Mr. Sombra, it's just awful. The whole ranch is infested."
"Infested by what?" Flash asked as he and his friends picked themselves up. Jubilee opened her mouth to respond, only for a loud bang and whizzing noise to fill the air. Everyone turned to the source and saw a flare shoot up from a short distance away, Jubilee gasping.
"They're back!" She began to run off, the others giving chase after her. It wasn't long till they got to where the flare came from, now seeing a bunch of men running around while carrying buckets of cherries. But it was what was chasing them that caught their attention.
"Instick!" Twilight cried, everyone seeing hundreds of the stick insect Pokémon scurrying about the place. Some were chasing the workers while others were in the trees, snacking on the few berries that were left.
"No!" Jubilee screamed, seeing her livelhood being stolen.
"We have to do something!" Twilight cried.
"I'm on it," Flash pulled out a Pokeball. "A quick Flamethrower should scare them off."
"NO!" Jubilee yelled as she swung her arms in front of the teen, "You can't! This area is so dry, a single ember could turn into a raging wildfire before we could hope to stop it!"
Flash growled at this, putting the ball away. "Alright, then we'll do this the hard way. Springer, Hopper, Extreme Speed and Quick Attack!" The two shot ahead, Springer's body sparking with blue lightning while using his momentum to knock the Instick away. Springer punched and kicked the Bug-types while Hopper slammed them with his tail, the two making quick work of the swarm.
The two swept through the orchard, knocking the Instick into one large huddle. And once the last one was knocked into the pile, the two landed on either side before spinning around it. This caused a tornado to form, throwing the Instick into the air and blasting them out of the orchard. Once they were all gone, Springer and Hopper came to a stop and started panting.
"Nice work guys," Flash told them, patting both on the head.
"That won't stop'em," Jubilee added. "They'll be back, either tomorrow or the next day."
"I assume this the infestation you were talking about," Sombra asked.
Jubilee nodded in response, "Yes. It's been happening for the last few days now." She turned around gestured to the group to follow, "Come with me to the house. Ah'll explain everything there." The others nodded and followed, introducing themselves as they arrived at the ranch house as they saw the workers they had saved entering a barn with large buckets in hand.
Once inside, she led them to a table and sat down before pulling a large jug of pink liquid from her fridge. "Cherryade?" Everyone nodded at the offer, Jubilee pouring each a glass.
"So what exactly is going on here?" Sombra asked first.
"Ah wish ah knew," Jubilee grumbled as she sat down. "We've always seen the odd Instick every now and then around this time of year. We never minded them resting here or enjoying the odd cherry or two...but a few days ago, they started swarming the place. They'd come from the desert, gobble up a whole section of the orchard, then leave until the next day. If this keeps up, ah won't have enough cherries to sell. Cherry Hill Ranch will be doomed."
"That's awful," Twilight whispered.
"Why don't you stop them?" Flash asked, Cherry shaking her head in response.
"Ah'm a business women. Ah've never been in a Pokémon battle before, and none of mah workers own any kind of Pokémon. Even if ah called for some to come help, by the time they git here, the trees would be bearer than an Grizzor."
Sombra sighed while rubbing his chin, "This isn't good. We need to stop them before they destroy the ranch."
"So what do we do?" Doc asked, Sombra standing up to look out the window.
"We find them and end this," he replied before turning to Jubilee. "You still have that jeep?" She nodded, "Good. We'll head out tomorrow and find where they're staying."
"Then what?" Flash asked.
"Then, we drive them away and make sure they never come back."
The others almost went wide-eyed at that, Jubilee replying, "Don't yah think that's a little extreme?"
"You want to save your ranch, don't you? This is how we do it." Jubilee shrunk back at the question, making Sombra shake his head, "Ms. Jubilee...this is the way the Pokémon World works. For centuries, humans had to live in fear of Pokémon. They were so powerful and we were just...weak. All we could do was bow to their whims, praying they wouldn't see fit to destroy us. Because of this, we humans invented Pokeballs so mankind would have the power to claim Pokémon as their own. Now, we're able to reshape the world the way we see. And those with the strongest Pokémon have the most say about how that world is shaped." He turned back to them, "That is how our world works. Remember that."
Everyone exchanged glances at this, frowns on each face. The lecture made them squirm, the viewpoint being a bit too dark for the group. Flash was biting his lip at this, knowing he saw Pokémon as partners and family. But despite this, Flash stood up and declared, "Alright, we'll help you out."
"We will?" Spike asked, Flash nodding back.
"Ms. Jubilee's in trouble, and we need to help her. Besides, who knows what'll happen to Equestria if the ranch goes under."
"He's right," Doc added, "We should help."
Sombra shined a confident grin, "Excellent. We'll head out first thing tomorrow. You all might want to get an early night."
Jubilee sighed as she stood up, "Come along, ah'll show you to the guest rooms. If ya'll gonna help, might as well let yah stay the night." Everyone nodded and followed Ms. Jubilee, Sombra remaining in the kitchen.
"We're really gonna help drive them away?" Spike asked the others.
"Hopefully not," Twilight replied, "First, we have to see if we can find out why the Instick are attacking. Something must have changed for them to act like that."
"I just don't want get into an argument with Sombra," Doc finished. "He's not someone you wanna cross." Spike nodded back, all doing a small glance back at Sombra.
That night...
As the sun set below the desert's horizon, the temperature began to drop. Many nocturnal Pokémon chose this moment to come out, most preferring the cooler atmosphere alongside the safety of the shadows. This did not include the Instick, who were scurrying across the sand while hoping to get home. They were all groaning after being dropped by that tornado, their hunger draining their strength.
Now they were limping across the desert, seeing their home just a little ways away. It was a large collection of cherry trees, a bit smaller than Jubilee's orchard. They scuttled up to the trees' branches, not going any further than the first tree of the outer line.
It wasn't long till they started to go to sleep, knowing they would have a long journey tomorrow. But as they did this, the sound of heavy footsteps suddenly rang out. They all opened their eyes and looked down at the forest floor, seeing a bulky figure hidden by the darkness trod through the trees.
The figure stopped and glared up at them, the Instick all trying to camouflage themselves into the trees while staying perfectly still. A long growl escaped the being's breath, only to walk away, its shadow disappearing into the forest.
Seeing the threat gone, the Instick all sighed in relief, soon drifting to sleep as they tried to keep watch from the looming monster that had just left.
The next morning...
As soon as the sun was up, the group were climbing into Jubilee's jeep before heading into the desert, everyone armed with binoculars while looking out at the endless sandy environment.
"Anything?" Twilight asked the others.
"Nope, nothing yet."
"Nothing on my side too," Spike added.
"None on mine-wait! I think I see something." Doc announced as everyone turned to him, now seeing a speck of pink in the distance. "Think that might be it?"
"Its worth checking out," Sombra said before turning to nod at Jubilee. She quickly spun the jeep's steering wheel, soon speeding toward the pink speck. It wasn't long till they arrived, finding it to be a small cheery orchard in the middle of the desert.
They soon park up in front of the trees, getting out of the jeep as Twilight whispered, "Amazing..."
"How the heck can a cherry orchard grow in the middle of a desert?" Spike asked, Jubilee giggling.
"Ah recon ah can gander a guess. Mah family's ranch started when mah great great gran-gran wandered into this here desert. She was on a pilgrimage, trying to discover what to do with her life. Then one day, a great sandstorm blew away her food, water and tent, leaving her stranded with no idea how to get home. That's when she eyeballed a bunch of trees in the distance, though she thought it was a mirage. Even so, she chose to follow it and eventually found a desert spring, surrounded by several cherry trees. She stayed there and ate the fruit, drank from the lake and regained her strength. Once she was ready to head home, she took the seeds from the cherries she had eaten and planted half of 'em before taking the other half with her. Those cherries grew into mah families ranch, and it looks like the ones she planted grew into this."
"Amazing," Twilight repeated before looking down at the sand, now noticing how damp it was. "That spring must be strong if it can hydrate the sand enough to allow these plants to grow."
"It would also explain why the Instick are determined to eat your cherries," Doc added. "If this is where they live, they must be used to only eating cherries."
"But why take mah cherries when they've got their own?" Jubilee asked.
"You could always ask them," Flash responded as they pointed up at the trees, everyone else looking up too see a swarm of Instick in the branches.
The stick insect Pokémon where all glaring at them, only for Sombra to yell out, "Instick! Why have you been attacking the Cherry Hill Ranch? You've obviously lived here long enough to grow accustomed to the fruit's flavor, so why leave a place that's safe and well stocked with food to steal from Ms Jubilee?" The Instick said nothing, just long glares. "Answer me!"
It was then that one of the Instick jumped down, gesturing to follow before walking away. Blinking at the sight, Spike turned to others, "What's it doing?"
"Maybe it's showing us why they're all doing this," Twilight replied, "Maybe something happened so they can't get food here anymore."
"That would explain why this place is so bare," Doc added as he pointed at the trees, all of them devoid of the fruit. "Come on, let's follow it."
All nodding, they followed after the Instick, soon going into the forest. And after five minutes or so passed, the Instick came to a stop, the others doing the same. "Stick," it pointed ahead, the others going ahead, only to find themselves in a clearing with a small oasis spring. The water inside looked pure, the many bushes around it showing great health. Beside the lake was a large pile of red and yellow cherries, all seemingly picked from that very forest.
"I don't get it," Spike commented, "What are we supposed to be looking at?"
"Not sure," Doc continued, "Something must have-"
"POUND!" They all flinched at the sudden yell, the group jumping into the safety of the trees as a being came out of the back of the cherry pile. The group blinked at the new sight, seeing it to be a Pokémon that looked eerily similar to one they had seen before.
It was a four and a half foot tall humanoid with orange skin. The monster had a bald round head with a large black curved horn coming out of its forehead with a bunch of smaller spikes running down its behind to give it a mohawk appearance. The skin around its eyes were black while its wrists, hands, feet and ankles appeared to be wrapped in white bandages that went all the way up to its knees and elbows. The final distinguishing part of it were the black sleeveless hooded jacket it wore, which had an orange trim around the hood, shoulders and zipper.
"POUND!" It roared, everyone quickly realising it was actually yawning. The Pokémon began to stretch its body, rubbing its eyes and even scratching its butt.
"What is that thing?" Jubilee asked as they hid behind the trees.
"It looks like a Scrapow," Spike added.
"That's because it's Scrapow's evolved form," Doc finished as Flash pulled out his Pokedex.
Name: Scrapound
Category: Street Fighter Pokémon
Type: Fighting/Dark
Info: The evolved form of Scrapow. They test their strength through all out battle royales. They're well known for fighting dirty in order to win, caring nothing of honor or respect.
"Why do we keep finding this Pokémon family in places they're not supposed to be?" Twilight hissed, only for Flash to shake his head.
"We'll worry about that later," Flash put his Pokedex away. "It's clear this thing's the cause of the Instick attacking the ranch." Scrapound took this moment to grab a handful of cherries and throw them in its mouth. "It's stolen their home and all their food."
"That's horrible," Jubilee whispered, "That's what's been happening to those Instick? Why would that varmit being do this?"
"That's just the way the world works," Sombra replied, sighing with crossed arms, "The strong take from the weak. Then the weak can either try to fight back and be defeated, or find a way to live with the change that occur."
The others frowned at his response, only for Flash to stand up with a long glare at Scrapound, "Or option C: Someone else who's strong can help the weak." Flash then walked into the clearing and yelled, "Hey, Scrapound!" The Dark Fighting-type turned to him, "You need to go! This isn't your home, so get lost before I'm forced to make you!"
"Scrap?" Scrapound raised an eyebrow, only to start laughing before turning to sit back against the cherry pile.
Flash growled before pointing at it, "Get him Springer!" The Riolu shot out of the trees, using Extreme Speed to zip right up to the creature. Scrapound opened an eye and saw him coming, watching as Springer spun forward to deal a flying side kick. But before it could land, Scrapound leapt to the side, making Springer land into the pile of cherries.
"Scrap," Scrapound chuckled as he got to his feet, Springer growling as he pulled himself out of the pile.
"Alright bud, use Aura Sphere!" Springer jumped to his feet and began forming the orb in his hands. But before he could finish, Scrapound suddenly shot forward and slammed him in the gut.
"Ri!" He cried as he was sent flying back, slamming into a nearby tree.
"SPRINGER!" Flash yelled in shock, the others gasping.
"That was Sucker Punch!" Doc commented.
"Come on Springer!" Twilight called out, "Get up!" As the Riolu worked to pick himself up, Scrapound walked over while cracking his knuckles. He lifted the hood up over its head, showing it was ready to get serious.
"Loss!" Hopper ran up as it took a deep breath, Flash nodding in response.
"Alright Hopper, use Screech!" Everyone covered their ears as Hopper readied his mouth.
"VELOCIRUSH!" He unleashed a powerful scream that hit Scrapound, making him stagger back while trying to cover his ears.
"Now, Drain Punch and Quick Attack!" The two ran forward, Hopper faster than Springer, ready to launch their attacks on the disorientated Scrapound. But as Hopper got close, Scrapound's eyes opened and he raised his arms, crossing them to block Hopper's high-speed headbutt. This pushed him away before side-stepping Springer's Drain Punch.
"Screech and Drain Punch!" Hopper prepared to let out another scream, only for Scrapound to spin around with a left purple glowing punch. The hand chopped into Hopper's throat, making him cry out as he was sent backward. Scrapound smirked before spinning again, throwing another Sucker Punch.
The attack connected with Springer's Drain Punch, the force knocking both back a good distance as Hopper picked himself up. "Rush..." he said weakly before trying to use Screech, only for a sudden pain in his throat made him wince in pain, making him clutch his neck.
"That's not good."
"Scrapound's Throat Chop stopped Velocirush from using Screech," Sombra commented, rubbing his chin at the sight. As he watched, he stared at Flash, seeing the determination on his face. His mind raced as he watched Flash help his Pokémon up, 'I don't understand. Why is he doing this? He doesn't owe the Instick anything...weren't we just going to get rid of the Instick?'
"Come on guys!" Flash told his Pokémon, "We can't let this bully get the better of us." The two Pokémon got back into their fighting stances, but Scrapound just let out a yawn. The next thing they knew, Scrapound shot over to Hopper and hit him with another Sucker Punch.
"RUSH!" He was sent flying back, hitting another tree as Scrapound turned toward Springer.
"Aura Sphere!" Springer tossed the orb at the Scrapound as it started charging, but Scrapound just backhanded the attack before it reached Springer.
The Riolu didn't have time to react as his opponent's whole body tensed up. "Scrap..." in a fraction of a second, Scrapound unleashed a barrage of quick and deadly attacks. "Pound, pound, pound, pound, pound, pound, pound, pound!"
"RIOLU!" Springer cried as the onslaught overwhelmed him.
"SPRINGER!" Flash cried as he watched Scrapound stop his flailing attacks before spinning around and smashing its foot into Springer's stomach, sending him flying backward. Flash quickly got behind him, catching the Riolu, only to flown back as well.
"Augh!" He cried as he landed on his butt, not caring for the pain as he looked down at his partner, "You okay bud?"
"Ri..." Springer moaned in a half-conscious way, Flash frowning as he looked over and saw Hopper was no better.
"Scrap!" He turned back to see Scrapound punching his fist into his hand with a sinister smile on his face.
"Flash, get out of there!" Twilight cried as Scrapound ran at him with another Sucker Punch ready.
"FLASH!" Everyone screamed as Flash turned away from Scrapound, clutching Springer in an attempt to protect him.
And as he waited for pain...it never came.
"POUND!" Flash spun back around, seeing Scrapound fall back with a yelp. The cause of the sudden attack then landed between him and Flash, the teen looking up and gasping at the sight.
It was a Pokémon that was humanoid in shape, looking like a walking suit of dark gray and black armor, standing at around six feet in height. The armor was also covered in red spikes, coming out of its shoulders, arms, legs and knees. The metal around its fingers were also red, while a black leather cape was connected to the back of his shoulder pads and went down to just above its feet. It's head was encased in a helmet that covered all but its eyes, which were red with green in place of white while a purple smoke came out of the sides. The helmet also had five spikes coming out the top, one large red one on the front with two smaller ones on either side of it.
Before Flash could ask where it came from, Sombra stepped out in front of him with a Pokeball in hand. "You're strong, but you still have a lot to learn." He turned back to the Pokémon, "Let's go Tyrandark!"
"Ty!" It roared as it got into a fighting stance, it red claws primed to attack as Flash ran over to the others with Springer.
"Talk about fast," Spike whispered. "Sombra called that thing out before any of us even noticed he moved."
"And he's using a Tyrandark," Doc added with a long gulp, "That's not a easy Pokémon to train." Hearing this, Flash pulled out his Pokedex.
Name: Tyrandark
Category: Shadow Tyrant Pokémon
Type: Dark
Info: This mysterious Pokémon has power over shadows and can somehow control them, allowing its Shadusk minions to have more of an advantage in battle.
"Wow...." Flash gasped as everyone watched the two humanoid Pokémon stared each other down, Sombra and Tyrandark looking calm while Scrapound growled.
"Scrap!" It charged, ready to use another Sucker Punch on Tyrandark. But the shadow tyrant's cape suddenly came to life, wrapping around its body like a cocoon as it stepped out of the sun's light and into the shadow of a nearby tree. Scrapound threw its fist forward, only to find it phase through Tyrandark. This was followed by its whole body, Scrapound hitting the ground behind Tyrandark.
"What happened?" Spike asked, Tyrandark unwrapping itself and turning to Scrapound.
"Shadow Cloak," Doc explained. "Tyrandark's ability. As long as it's not in any source of light, Physical Attacks have more chance of missing. It's a move best used at night or in dark areas like caves."
"Shadow Claw!" Sombra commanded, Tyrandark flicking its cape off it as its hands became surrounded by a blackish purple aura.
"Ty..." it shot ahead and slashed at Scrapound before it could react, "DARK!" Scrapound let out a mighty cry of pain as its back was struck. Tyrandark raised both its claws as they glowed in the shadowy aura, only to start slashing repeatedly at its opponent.
Sombra smiled at Scrapound's pained expressions, the others looked almost concerned by how much glee he was taking in it. Scrapound eventually managed to jump away from Tyrandark, rolling into the light and staying there. "Think we won't fight just because we won't have Shadow Cloak?" Sombra asked before laughing, "Tyrandark." The armored Pokémon ran ahead, Scrapound preparing a Sucker Punch. "Haze!" Before it could do anything, Tyrandark's cape wrapped around it again before it exploded into a cloud of black smoke.
It filled the clearing, blocking out the sun and darkening the area. Scrapound looked around in almost fear, his hands growing purple as it began to swing wildly. But all he hit was the air, no matter how much he tried.
"Sucker Punch!" Sombra ordered, the Scrapound hearing this and quickly trying to use Throat Chop. Unfortunately, all he felt was a powerful force slam into his face.
"Scrap!" He cried as he staggered back, only to feel something hit him from another angle. Again and again he was hit from any and all directions, the time between hits shortening until Scrapound simply felt one continuous assault.
"SCRAP!" He screamed as he swung a Sucker Punch, feeling it connect. "Pound!" he cheered, only to feel something grip his fist. "Scrap?"
The Haze then vanished, revealing Tyrandark standing there while clutching his fist in an outstretched arm. "Dark.." it hissed as it glared at him. Scrapound suddenly felt his eyes shrink as he stared at Tyrandark's eyes, now seeing no mercy or kindness within the one in front of him. Instead, the eyes in front of him were of one thing...the eyes of a monster.
"Let's end this," Sombra whispered as Tyrandark pulled Scrapound up before slamming a foot into its gut. The force sent Scrapound flying into a tree, the pile of lumbar collapsing into the ground with the Pokémon. "Good. Finish this with Phantom-"
"STOP!" Sombra and Tyrandark froze before turning to see Cherry Jubilee step out of the trees. "That's enough."
She walked past them and went to Scrapound, the beaten Pokémon cracking its eyes open to see her staring at him. But before he could react, she kneeled down and pulled a cloth out of her dress pocket before cleaning the Pokémon up, "Scrap?"
"Ah think ya'll have been through enough to learn yer lesson," she told him. "It's clear as candy yah like cherries, ain't that right?" Scrapound slowly nodded back. "Well, what if ah told yah there was a way yah could get all the cherries yah could eat without needing to take it away from the Insticks' home." This made Scrapound go wide-eyed, the others quickly realizing what she was planning to do, "Ah can always use a worker with quick feet and a strong back. So what would yah say to coming to live back at Cherry Hill Ranch?" Scrapound blinked at her, tilting his head as she continued, "Not only would yah get to have cherries, but ya'll would be part of a family that'll look out for yah. Yah wouldn't just be some bully who steals his food anymore. Yah could have a home."
Scrapound didn't seem so happy about the idea due to sounding like work, only to turn and see Tyrandark glaring at him with crossed arms. Fear consumed him next, making him shiver before turning back to Cherry and picking himself up. "Scrap..."
"Careful," she told him as she helped support his weight. Once he was back on his feet, she then asked, "Well?" Scrapound nodded back, making her smile, "Splendid." She turned back to Sombra, "Looks like everything turned out fine and dandy."
Sombra mimicked his Pokémon, crossing his arms as he asked, "Are you sure you can trust this creature? What's there to stop it from turning against you once I leave? You should at least catch it."
"Ah don't see why ah have ta," she turned to pat Scrapound's shoulder. "Once he gets a taste of cherries he's earned, he'll be hooked for life."
The others stepped out next, and they weren't the only ones. Instick had been watching from the trees, and upon seeing Scrapound beaten into submission, the braver members jumped out of the trees and rushed over to the pile of berries. They started enjoying the fruit, more soon coming out to join them.
"Looks like they're happy," Spike commented.
"Wouldn't you if you'd just gotten your home back?" Twilight added.
Doc nodded in agreement before looking up at the trees, seeing how so few cherries were left. "Hope they don't go through that pile too quickly. If they do, they'll run through their food source before new ones grow."
But the Instick didn't seem to realize this and kept eating, the pile soon vanishing. "Oh boy," Jubilee groaned as she saw they were done. "Don't tell me they're still hungry. Ah can't take another-"
Her voice stopped as the Instick all let out a unified cry, only for all of them to start glowing. "Wow..." everyone whispered as they watched the stick insects transform, the light quickly fading to reveal their evolved forms.
"VINE!" The Movine cried in unison, all spreading their wings to take flight. As this happened, everyone watched in awe as they flew into the sky.
"Where are they going?" Flash asked.
"Wherever they want," Sombra answered.
"So there was no reason for us to take this place back?" Spike added.
"Maybe...or maybe not." Sombra responded as the others turned to him in confusion, "Maybe one day they'll come back here. When it's time to lay their eggs, they'll most likely return to this spot. When those eggs hatch, their children will stay here until they're ready to evolve and the circle will begin again." Everyone smiled as they continued to watch the Movine disappear into the sky, off to find a new place they can call home.
A Little Later...
Once the group returned to the ranch, Jubilee showed Scrapound what tasks he would be expected to do. The Dark Fighting-type quickly got to work, helping the workers unload the buckets of cherries they had managed to save.
Scrapound actually found the work wasn't so bad, his higher strength allowing him to move twice as much on his own then two workers could move together. "Great work," Jubilee commented as she carried a large tray of cherry products before holding out a bowl of cherries. "And as promised, all the berries yah can eat." Scrapound licked its lips and put the last crate on the back of the truck before taking the bowl.
As soon as the first cherry hit its lips, he groaned in satisfaction, "Pound..."
"Glad you like it. Keep it up and ya'll get to enjoy more." Scrapound nodded and kept eating, Jubilee moving over to the ranch house as the others sat around a picnic table. "Here yah go ya'll." She placed the tray down, everyone reaching out for some cherry centered foods. Flash took a few scones and a glass of milk while Doc was enjoying a large bakewell tart and Twilight and Spike had chosen some cherry jam sandwiches. They also had a cherry-changa each, the lot taking a bite and moaning at the flavor while the Pokémon enjoyed bowls of berries.
"This is great," Flash complimented.
"Yeah," Twilight nodded before turning to Jubilee, "Thank you for making this."
"Mah pleasure. After all the trouble ya'll went through to help me, it's only right ah return the favor. Now dig in. Ya'll are gonna need yer strength if ya'll wanna cross the Grand Desert." They all nodded and continued to enjoy their lunch.
A few minutes later, their attention was drawn to the sound of a phone ringing. Everyone turned to Sombra as he pulled out the device, "Excuse me a moment." He got up and headed out the room, answering once he was out of ear shot. "Report."
"Sir, we've found it."
Sombra shined a huge smile as he replied, "Excellent work Doom Raizer."
Inside the Grand Desert...
Near one of the larger mountains of the desert, which was surrounded by huge all terrain camper vans and tents, a group of people that were all wearing the same thing were running around. Their clothes made it impossible to tell if they were male of female, all of them wearing a black hooded cloak over a gray shirt along with black pants and black boots. The hood concealed all but their mouths, and on the left peck of their shirts, a large S was printed on them.
From out of one of the vans came a bulky looking man, wearing clothes similar to the others except he wore a cape in place of a hood. He was a man with bright red hair and scars covering his body, his hand up to his mouth as talked into a phone, "Don't praise me to soon. We've found the entrance, but most of it is still buried. Uncovering it without causing the place to collapse is gonna take a little longer."
"Just makes sure it's done," Sombra voice replied, "Once inside, the Heart Fragment will be ours. What do you intend to do if someone finds you?"
The man chuckled in response, "Don't worry, my newest toy will keep them thoroughly occupied. I'll call back once we're inside." With that, he cut the call before turning to the mountain. A piece of the mountain's face appeared to have been chipped away at the bottom, revealing to what appeared to be a large stone door. However, only a small fragment of the door was uncovered, the rest still hidden behind rock, "Keep digging!" He ordered as the many grunts ran around him, "For the glory of Team Shadow!"
"FOR THE GLORY OF TEAM SHADOW!" The grunts all yelled in unison.
Stats
Page generated in 0.024 seconds
Total duration
803 users online
666,462 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Dang! Why did my sisters have to show me that anime? Now, I'm hearing "ora-ora-ora" in the back of my mind.
Also, I'm getting a sinking feeling that Sombra is supposed to be a stand-in for Lysander.
Hold on. Is Lightning still Doom Raizer's offspring in this story?
10129931 No. Not in this one.
I wonder how much of these businesses does he own, because depending on how much determines how much control and how much reporting needs to be done.
A very might makes right philosophy, yep Sombra is lawful... evil maybe.
So Sombra to the extreme the pokemon. Awesome.
I take it Tyrandark is the shadow of Galladin.
This man... he understands things most don't.... this man scares me
A great leader always gives praises to a minion for a job well done. Good call Sombra!
A competent minion makes sure to let his master know what is exactly going on and makes sure his master doesn't get his hope up. Good call Doom!
All in all a great reintroduction to Sombra. I get a massive vibe that he's using his investing and partial ownership to lander the money he makes and needs for Team Shadow
10129931
Don't you mean "ara-ara-ara"?
10129986
No, I'm pretty sure the one Jotaro and Star Platinum use is spelled "ORA." Also, I'm not a fan. I mean, I can see why it's popular. It's drowning in meme-able material. However, it's also viscerally violent. "shudder"
10129989
That's not the joke I was telling. It's the 'Ara-ara' that is the center of the joke.
10129990
I must have missed it, and I don't watch enough anime to know what that means.
I was wondering when Sombra would reappear. We finally get to see him battle and see more of his personality here. He has a very “might makes right” and “survival of the fittest” attitude. Not really something you see a lot in the Pokémon world.
A great chapter to introduce Cherry Jubilee and have Sombra return. Personally, I would have expected Cherry to have a Cherrubi or Cherrim as a friend. In any case, the battles were intense and we've got a showcase of Sombra's menacing power by showing his Tyrandark. That's definitely a villain boss' ace Pokemon from looks and ability alone. Now the others will probably encounter Team Shadow again while they trek the desert. It'll be interesting to see what happens.
10130209
I get the feeling Tyrandark is not Sombra's strongest, but his personal favorite and go to. It strikes me that his Tyrandark is powerful enough to handle 99.999% of the possible 'problem' Pokemon Sombra comes across, but he has another, which he would use to tackle the mythical and legendary Pokemon, that .001%. Of course I expect that Sombra has a Pokemon to deal with those that Tyrandark is just plain over kill.
Well, this is the start of the Grand Desert arc. This one is a bit hit-or-miss for me, with the chapters in it either being really enjoyable or a bit bland. This one is definitely the former though, with us getting to see Sombra battle for the first time and him slowly establishing himself as a false friend to Flash and the others.