What she enjoys
SugarCube Corner, afternoon.
"Okay! I know you two haven't talked much other than the first time you met at the Gala...but now's your chance!" Pinkie Pie squeed. "You'll hit it off perfectly!" She pulled both of the ponies she cared for close to her. Maud Pie and Jade Skies. One was emotionless and the other was just as emotionless but didn't understand friendship. "You can learn a lot from Maud, Jade!"
"I can"? Jade turned to Pinkie.
"Mhm! Maud knows a lot about friendship! And she volunteered to help you! She can run you through the ropes with ease. Right, Maud?"
"Right," Maud replied in a similar bland tone as Jade.
"Great! I'll leave you two to it! It's all you, Maud! Come on, Slurpuff. Spinda." Pinkie went out with her Pokemon. Now it was just these two in the same room. And they'll have to start their connection here in SugarCube Corner.
"So. Pinkie Pie told me that you're not great with friendship." Maud spoke in a dry matter.
"It's more than that. I didn't even know it existed until they brought it up." Jade replied in the exact same matter.
"Oh. So friendship is new territory for you?"
"Very new territory. Even when I've been around Pinkie Pie and everypony else, I still don't really get it. At least...not a lot of it."
"Really? If you're friends with Pinkie Pie and the others, then you at least know a few things."
"Not much." Jade lowered her head. "The only things I know are defending my friends, helping them or just sharing things. That's about it. I can't do much of anything else."
"That's not so bad, Jade." Maud put her hoof on Jade.
"It's not?"
"No. I may not show it but I'd defend Pinkie Pie and my entire family no matter what. If you defend your friends, that's already a great start."
"I guess so. But I'm not sure how to...emote. I can barely smile. In fact, I've never smiled. Can you?"
"I can smile. But not often. If you've never smiled once, then this is bigger than I thought. I guess we can start with having you experience something that you enjoy."
"Well...what do you enjoy, Maud?"
"Rocks." Maud explained in one word.
"Oh. Right. Well...I don't know what I truly enjoy. I just follow Pinkie Pie and everyone else around to see what happens. Most of the time I'm just...there. A face in the crowd."
"And you're worried that you'll be left out of the group, right?"
"Mhm." Jade nodded.
"In that case...I know what we can do today for a while."
An idea was set by Maud. She realized that Jade had a fear of having a hard time fitting in due to how unresponsive she is compared to the rest of her friends who are brimming with personality and energy. So the best option was to get her involved in a new smaller group.
"If you want to stand out from Pinkie's group, you'll have to find out how other groups work. You and I are a pretty small group together."
"We are?"
"We are. I can understand you a ton, Jade. You remind me of when I was younger." In reality, Maud was still emotionless in the past, but slightly less enthusiastic. "That's why I want to help you."
"But how? You already know a lot about friendship and you're just as emotionless as me. At this point, I don't even know if I'll be able to perform what you can do."
"You don't have to. You already have friends beside you. All you have to do is do what you find fun with them."
"Fun, huh? I guess every time Pinkie brings me along, I end up seeing everypony do something fun along the way. But I never join in. I just stand there."
"That's why we'll find something fun that we can both do. Here we are." Maud had brought Jade along to an attraction that had been built near Lapras Lake. This was specifically for rocks and Rock-Type Pokemon. Maud actually comes by this spot to experience it. The attraction was shaped like a dome, similar to the Equestria Gyms.
Out the attraction came Cold Colt, who had just finished the attraction inside.
"Whew! That was just as fun the twelfth time!" He shook some pebbles out of his mane. "Oh hey, Jade and uhh...Maud, right?"
"What's in there?" Jade asked.
"I come here a few times to experience the rock activities here. It caught my attention. Mostly because it was actually Pinkie Pie who requested this to be built for me a few months ago."
"Yeah. And it's a blast. Even for rocks. In fact. I think I might just head in the thirteenth time!" Cold exclaimed, rushing back inside the rock attraction.
"Come on. I want to show you this." Entering the rock attraction, they were greeted to a room full of Rock-Type Pokemon of all sorts. The reason why this was a rock attraction was not just because there are a ton of Rock-Type Pokemon. Instead, it's what you can do here with the Pokemon.
Many Rock-Type Pokemon are often seen taking part in certain activities. Due to their bodies being made up of all sorts of rocks, they can perform many actions that can bring enjoyment out of anyone. You could see that some young ponies were taking part in a rock climbing activity, but instead of ordinary rocks, a bunch of Geodudes and Graveler are what you climb on.
Bastiodon is used as some sort of bull ride, testing trainers to see who can balance on the bucking Shield Pokemon without falling off. And whoever can make it through to end gets to keep the Bastiodon as their Pokemon, becoming its trainer.
Rampardos helps out in an activity where you challenge him to see if you can destroy a specific object that you put in front of him. Rampardos is a Pokemon well known for their headbutts. They're so powerful, they can knock an entire skyscraper with ease as it was light work. Unfortunately, their constant actions of headbutting into other Pokemon much stronger than them in ancient times along with their small brains is what led to their extinction in the first place. But with them being revived by many trainers over the years, Rampardos is no longer an extinct species at this rate.
Some are just there for show. Like Minior's Core Form emanating nano-particles, Aurorus's body giving off beautiful lights similar to that on an aurora and it's also very popular in the petting department. Although, you are recommended to put on a special glove to pet Auroros since its skin is hundreds of degrees below freezing. -240 exactly.
This was a Rock-Type Paradise which many to see and much to do.
"This is impressive." Jade was impressed, even if her voice and face didn't show it.
"It is. I'm glad Pinkie Pie convinced BigTime Ben to build this. I come here if I end overworking myself at times. It's a nice stress reliever." Maud walked over to the glove section, placing her hoof through a hoof-shaped glove. She petted the Arurorus's body, causing it to feel good. "You should try some of these. This Aurorus is made out of part diamonds. The most beautiful rock in the world."
"Ain't that right?" Cold walked by.
"Hmm...You really think I'll be able to enjoy myself here, Maud?"
"I know so. I can tell that you want to emote, but you don't know how to. Try that Bastiodon Buck over there. The excitement might come out of you."
"Alright." Jade went over to Bastiodon who had just finished with another pony. Yet again, nopony can win this game since Bastiodon is much more intense than a bull by a long shot.
"Bastio." The Shield Pokemon looked over at Jade, giving the head sign to 'get on and try the ride.'
"Try it." The human managing this ride said to Jade. Bastiondon will make sure you have a good time... Even if you lose.
"Tiodon."
"Here goes." Jade got on the back of the Rock-Steel-Type, preparing herself. She's never really taken part in anything similar to this at all. So this was all new territory for her in terms of fun. The human gave the command to start the buck as a whistle was blown.
Bastiodon could see that Jade was new to this and unsure, so it decided to take it easy on her. The Shield Pokemon spun around slowly, moving at gentle paces for Jade. The jade-coloured pegasi held onto Bastiodon's shielded neck, feeling a bit nervous. Whilst Jade's face never emotes, she could feel fear and other emotions. It's just that her face doesn't show it. So at this moment, she was nervous.
After a few seconds of gentle movements, Jade adjusted herself to Bastiodon's back, sitting upright. Bastiodon noticed that she was slowly getting used to this, so now it was time to speed up. The Shield Pokemon moved around at a slightly quicker pace, forcing Jade to keep her grip steady.
"I got this..." Jade said as she held on tonight to Bastiodon's neck. She looked over to see Maud nodding directly at her, having confidence in her. Jade's own confidence started, rising up, feeling that she could take faster speeds from Bastiodon. The Fossil Pokemon increased its speed, now moving at a normal pace that was challenging enough.
Jade could feel her body bounce with Bastiodon's increased speed, her hooves almost left the Shield Pokemon's back but her hooves stayed firm on it. So far, she was proving that she could indeed handle this. At least, the normal section of it. Because unfortunately, once Bastiodon moved up from the normal pace slightly, Jade fell off the Shield Pokemon'sback, finishing the ride.
"Ooh! Sorry. Better luck next time maybe." The male human running it said to her as he helped her up.
"Bastiodon!"
"Jade. How did you find it?" Maud walked up to her.
"That was...It was...pretty enjoyable actually." Jade felt a genuine feeling from that experience. The experience of her trying to overcome this challenge with her own confidence was actually rewarding. Granted, she didn't succeed but the fact that she believed she could for a moment gave her a sensation that sparked new energy within her. In fact, Jade almost cracked a smile. From her frown slowly moving up. However, it quickly returned to a frown. Oooh, so close.
"That was good. You almost smiled." Maud congratulated her.
"I did...I was so close too."
"Then that means we should have you experience even more in here. How about that?" Maud pointed her hoof over at the Rampardos Ram challenge. And so it was. Thus began a series of actions where Jade would partake in everything she can. Maud's main goal was to get her to smile. Maud can crack a smile here and there at times, albeit rare, so she's determined to have Jade pull off that smile. Even if it's just once.
Jade chose 50 large gemstones in order to challenge Rampardos. The Head Butt Pokemon broke straight through the layers of gemstones with ease, proving its destructive capabilities. It's short but sweet and fun, but still not enough to get a full smile out of her.
Next, Maud had her pet the Aurorus. She placed the special gloves, placing her hoof on the Tundra Pokemon's back. Even though its skin was cold, it was also very soft. Jade could feel the softness from the Rock-Ice-Type as her hoof was melting in it. It was a nice feeling. One that made her feel comfortable like Dragonite's hugs. But again, not enough.
They went over many other actions to try and get that single smile out. Rock climbing. It tested Jade's athleticism without having to use her wings. It was fun, but no smile. Although it did have her enjoy climbing a bit. An attraction where you see if you can throw a rock longer than the move Rock Throw, an attraction where you race with Rhyhorn, more Aurors petting, getting to drink some Shuckle Juice, some Minior watching and so and so forth.
All of that. And yet. Still no smile.
"Sorry, Maud. I've barely enough come close from a straight line mouth." Jade lowered her head.
"That's fine, Jade. You've been doing great so far." Maud actually gave off a smile on her own surprisingly. "I can tell that you really want to improve." Maud put her hoof around Jade's neck. "But so far, I like you the way you are."
"You do?"
"Mhm. The way you are makes me feel like I have somepony like me at my side at all times. If anything, I'm glad that you and I are so alike." Maud nodded.
"Thanks, Maud. I just wish I could break out of my emotionless state. I want to smile at least once."
"...Hm. I know one way you can possibly smile." Maud knew one last-ditch effort that can make anypony smile. She pointed her hoof over at one final attraction. An attraction that trainers who aim to take part in the Equestria League go to. A small battle attraction. A double battle even.
"A double battle? But Maud. I don't even have a Pokemon of my own. Still to this day."
"That's fine. You can use one of my own." Maud held out one of her Pokeballs. "Brock helped me to catch some Pokemon when we spent some time together. So here you go." She gave Jade a Pokemon of her own as they both went up to the Pokemon Battle attraction.
"Double battle?" The man who managed this attraction asked.
"Double battle. Me and my friend over here would like to take part." said Maud.
"Alright then. Your opponents shall be those two Pokemon." He pointed over at a Barbaracle and Lunatone. "Good luck!"
Both emotionless ponies stepped forward, preparing themselves against the two Rock-Types.
"Out you come." Maud chose her Pokemon. The Shieldon she caught a while ago was her choice.
"Shieldon!"
"Then, who's this?" Jade sent out one of Maud's Pokemon. Carracosta. The Prototurtle Pokemon.
"Carra!"
"Aqua Jet, Shell Smash, Stone Edge and Earth Power. That's all you need to know about my Carracosta's moves."
"Are you sure I can do this, Maud? I've never battled before."
"I know you can. Jade. When you set your mind to something for your friends, you can do a lot of great things. You want to continue defending Pinkie Pie and the others, right?"
"I do. I do a lot."
"That's good. Then just keep calm and have faith in Carracostra."
"Carracos."
"Battle Start!" The man gave the command to start it off.
"Shieldon, Flash Cannon." Maud showed off how she battles. She doesn't shout out her words like every trainer else. Instead she just says them the way she normally speaks.
"Shield!" The Shield Pokemon gathered up light energy, shooting it towards its opponents as it was hard as steel itself. Barbaracle cut the Flash Cannon straight in half by using Razor Shell, causing it to fall both ways.
"Um...Oh. Aqua Jet."
"Costa!" The Prototurle Pokemon covered itself in a veil of water, dashing towards its opponents. It hit Barbaracle who was already wide open after cutting the Flash Cannon. The impact on the Collective Pokemon was enough to slightly push it back. However, Lunatone had taken advantage of this by also attacking with Carracosta's guard down. The Meteorite Pokemon utilized Psyshock, materializing odd psychic waves in order to attack Carracosta.
"Stone Edge." Shieldon had destroyed the waves by summoning up sharpened stones from below the ground. "Now Shieldon. Iron Head." The Shield Pokemon charged into Lunatone, smashing its shielded head onto the Meteorite Pokemon's rock-solid body. Barbaracle had attempted to hit Carracosta with Night Slash, but the Prototurtle Pokemon kept its distance by moving back. And if the attacks did manage to reach it, it would get inside its shell for protection. Carracosta knew that this was Jade's first time battling. So she'll give the attack commands while he does the rest.
"Carracosta. Earth Power." The Prototurtle Pokemon came out of its shell, knocking its head on Barbaracle's and forcing it back. The Water-Rock-Type then caused the entire ground to erupt all of a sudden. Powerful stones conjured up by the erupting force smashed onto Barbaracle's body, forcing it up into the air. Jade then remembered something similar to this to when she saw Ash battle. She decided to take a page out of his book. "Now. Aqua Jet." She followed up. Carracosta used Aqua Jet to fly up towards the airborne Pokemon, smashing its water covered body onto it.
"CARRA!"
"Barbaracle!" Barbaracle quickly recovered however. It used Cross Chop all of a sudden, smashing all four of its arms down on the Prototurtle Pokemon. Carracosta was forced back down to the ground, causing a crater to form.
Shieldon had hopped on Lunatone's head, blasting it with Flash Cannon repeatedly as ordered by Maud. The Meteorite Pokemon used Psychic to toss the Shield Pokemon off its head, but that did little to stop the assault. Shieldon fired one final Flash Cannon whilst being tossed as it struck Lunatone dead on. And that impact was enough to knock out the Rock-Psychic-Type, causing it to tumble on the ground.
"Carracosta. Are you okay?" Jade asked.
"Carra!"
All of a sudden, Barbaracle had used Grass Knot, ensaring both Carracosta and Shieldon with grass, catching their feet.
"Shield?!"
Carra?!"
"Barbaracle!" The knots slammed both Pokemon down on the ground. The heavier the Pokemon, the harder the impact. Shieldon got the least damage from it but Carracosta, who's typing was weak to Grass felt a lot of damage from it. "Barba..."
"It isn't over yet. Right, Jade?"
"Right." Jade nodded. "Can you stand Carracosta?"
The Prototurtle Pokemon could indeed stand.
"Alright. Shell Smash." Jade suddenly stomped her hooves. The ancestor of all turtle Pokemon had went inside of its heavy shell, causing it to burst with energy. Carracosta was now stronger and faster, but way less durable than it was before. "Now. Aqua Jet."
"Shieldon. Iron Head."
Both Pokemon made their way towards their single opponent. Shieldon jumped on Carracosta's head, using him as an extra boost of speed. Barbaracle had gone for Brutal Swing, swinging its four arms violently towards the approaching Pokemon. Their teamwork showed thanks to them battling alongside Maud for a while. Shieldon hopped off Caracosta's head, avoiding the Brutal Swing whilst Aqua Jet collides with the attack. From above, the Shield Pokemon smashed its head onto Barbacle's head, causing it to flinch in the process. This gave Carracosta the opportunity to finish it as he pushed further with Aqua Jet, smashing into the Collective Pokemon.
A burst of water was left behind as Barbaracle was sent flying into the walls of the dome building at high speeds. The impact startled everypony and Pokemon inside due to how hard it was. And that impact was a guaranteed faint on Barbaracle.
"Barba..."
"Both Pokemon on the opposing side are unable to battle! Which means that the trainers are victorious!" The man announced to both of them and the small crowd who decided to watch.
"Awesome!" Cold yelled.
"Great job, Jade. For your first battle, you did well." Maud went over to Jade as Shieldon hopped on her back. She looked over to notice that Jade's eyes had widened all of a sudden. "What's wrong Jade?"
"That..." It was happening. The one consistent thing that happens to anyone who enters a Pokemon battle. "That was..." Jade's body was shaking all of a sudden, uncontrollably. Then in a surprising fashion, her frown slowly started to morph into a smile. It didn't even stop at the straight-line mouth. Not this time. "Amazing..." And just like that, she cracked a smile.
"Jade. You cracked a smile." Maud pointed out as she rushed over to her friend.
"I did...?" Jade looked at the shield on Shieldon's face as it was also like a mirror. It was true. She did in fact, smile. "I did."
"I knew this would bring it out in you." Maud let out a gentle smile as well.
"You did?"
"Mhm. Pokemon battles are known for getting the blood pumping. They bring out the adrenaline and rush out of anypony. Even me. I enjoy Pokemon battling from time to time myself. And the same can be said for you too." Maud had managed to complete her mission to get Jade to smile once.
"Yeah...I did enjoy that." Even though she let out a smile, it quickly morphed back into a frown. But hey. She still smiled anyways.
"I saw that!" All of a sudden, Pinkie Pie emerged from the ground below, wearing a hard hat and goggles. "You did it Jade! For the first time!" Pinkie had been spying on them the entire time, anticipating this moment.
"How long has she been down there...?" Cold wondered.
"I did do it. It felt...weird but nice at the same time. I can't describe it."
"That's what makes it so great!" Pinkie pulled both Jade and Maud in. "I knew that Maud would be able to bring it out of you! If there's anypony that can understand you, it's her!"
"Anything for a friend of Pinkie Pie."
"So...since I smiled for the first time, is this the only thing that can make me smile? Pokemon battling?"
"Maybe. But there's always something else that can give you excitement and cause you to crack a smile." Maud replied. "How about this? Next week is Hearth's Warming. I can come over and we can continue to find something that makes you smile, alright"
"Alright. Thanks, Maud." Jade suddenly returned the favour by giving both Pinkie Pie and Maud a hug. The smile she cracked also managed to bring out her hugging nature. Although that was most likely due to her being hugged by Pinkie Pie and Dragonite so many times. Cold Colt quietly snuck in, getting involved in the hug.
Jade's path to emotions and understanding friendship is slow. Possibly slower than Twilight and Maud combined. But her determination to gain them and understand them is strong. Whatever else comes her way, whatever situation. Whether it's protecting her friends, finding enjoyment or just being around the ones she loves, her knowledge on this world and the world of Pokemon and how they function with bonds is ever-growing as the journey continues.
Chapter 185 End!
Stats
Page generated in 0.081 seconds
Total duration
673 users online
900,847 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.®
10526403
What do you mean?
Totally worth it!
Anyway, does Ash and the ponies ever wonder where Jade came from? Will they at least make an effort to find clues about her past or help Jade remember? I’m not in any hurry for the truth about Jade getting revealed. I enjoy her being Maud 2.0
10526150
Actually there was a Pokémon 1st movie. It wasn't 3D Anime, just 1st season anime
10526403
Can you explain what you mean when you said 'Might have to go above and beyond when I reach mid Season 6 actually' ?
10526789
Oh, that just means the story will ramp up.
first place
It's
her
knew
wide
then
victorious
"slow" or "slowly progressing"
10527282
Okay. Just wanted to know what you were saying.
10527282
By the way, when will you plan for Fluttershy to catch Chikorita in season 6?
10527291
Appreciate it.
10527332
-Repost-
By the way, when will you plan for Fluttershy to catch Chikorita in season 6?
Great chapter!
10528118
GOtcha
10527429
Fairly soon.
Yeah, thats loyalty.
you choose your friends lives over yours and want to defend them because you care for them.
And that cracked a smile for me
10527282