Tricks of the Trade
Still on their journey to the Crystal Empire, the group had arrived at the edge of the forest with a small town a mile or so away. They were currently resting outside a store they found on the side of a road, Spike, Cadance and Doc each having a drink as they waited for their travel companions. Springer and Astro were also there, Flash telling them to stay there since the store didn't allow Pokémon inside.
"What's taking so long?" Spike asked as he finished his soda.
"Twilight wanted to look for something," Cadance replied, "I'm sure she won't be that much longer." As she said that, the doors opened to reveal Twilight, "See?" She turned to her, "Find what you're looking for?"
"Yup," Twilight nodded before taking out a bone made entirely of rubber.
"That's what you spent all that time in there for?!" Spike asked, "A chew toy?!"
Twilight rolled his eyes as Flash took the bone, "It's for Astro." He held it out to his Starvern, who took the toy. "It's so you can practice your Bite attack." Astro cheered at this as he started biting into the toy, finding it to be rather strong and resilient to his jaws.
"That was the strongest one they had," Twilight added, "No way he'll be able to bite through it, so it'll help strengthen his jaw muscles."
"Meaning his Bite will be even more powerful," Doc chimed in, "It almost sounds like you're trying to teach him Crunch."
Flash shrugged at this, "He already knows Bite and can learn it, so why not?" He turned to Twilight, "Thanks."
"No problem." Twilight giggled back.
"Well, I guess you did just get him to master Shadow Ball," Spike continued as Astro kept chewing into the bone. But before any of them could say anything else, Springer suddenly hopped off the bench.
"Ri?" He turned to a nearby bush, everyone seeing him walk over to it.
"Springer?" Flash asked, "What's up?" Springer didn't reply as he stared at the bush, only for it to start rustling. And before he could do anything, something shot out of it.
"Bun!" The creature yelled as it charged, now coming face to face with Springer. "Bunounce!" The two slammed into one another, both falling over.
"Springer!" Flash called out, "You okay?" Springer groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head and barking back that he was fine.
They then turned to the Pokémon, Cadance commenting, "It's a Bunounce." The High-Jumper Pokémon picked itself up and rubbed its head, only to go wide-eyed at the sight of Springer, the Riolu now gasping before the two began to talk to each other. "Huh. It...seems like they know each other."
This made everyone exchange glances before Twilight leaned down, "Angel? Is that you?" The Bunounce turned to her and nodded, "But if you're here-"
"Angel?" They heard a soft voice call out from behind the bushes.
"Hey fuzzball!" a boisterous now yelled, "Where'd you go?!"
They all looked up to see Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash walking behind some bushes, both turning to see the group. "Guys!" Rainbow exclaimed as she ran up to them, "Hey! What are the chances we'd run into you guys here?"
"Yeah," Flash replied, "Sure took us by surprise." He then looked down at Angel, "Your Bunounce crashed into Springer."
Fluttershy gasped as this before turning to Springer, "I'm so sorry," she bowed her head as Springer just told her not to worry about it. As he did this, Fluttershy spotted Astro beside him, "Oh my!" She reached down and picked him up, "Who's this little one?!"
"That's Astro, my new team member."
"Oooh!" Fluttershy hugged him tight, "He's so cute!" Astro let out a cheer, happily rubbing his face into her chin.
"It's great to see you guys again," Rainbow added before noticing Flash's clothes. "Loving the new look."
"Thanks," Flash responded, "So why was Angel running out here?"
Rainbow and Fluttershy grimaced at the question, only for a new voice to call out, "I think they went this way!" They turned to the sound, now seeing fear appear on Fluttershy's face.
"Hide!" Rainbow whisper screamed before the group ran over to the store and hid behind it. As they did this, several trainers walked out from the bushes.
"Where'd they go?" A girl asked.
"No idea," a guy replied. "But they couldn't have gotten far. Hey!" He yelled out, "Would you prefer a Nidoqueen? It knows Ice Punch!" The others were yelling out different Pokémon names and what they can do, but the group stayed quiet as they voices began to quieter.
And once they were gone, Rainbow and Fluttershy sighed as they walked out from behind the building. "What was that about?" Flash asked.
"It sounded like they were offering a trade," Cadance added.
"More like demanding a trade!" Rainbow almost yelled, only to ask, "Wait...who are you?"
Twilight laughed at this, "She's my sister Cadance. We're travelling together right now." She then crossed her arms, "Now, what did you mean demanding a trade?"
Fluttershy let out a whimper, "They saw Angel and started harassing me to trade him for something else." Angel let out a huff as he crossed his arms, "They wouldn't take no for an answer, so we had to run."
"Damn trading meet," Rainbow growled.
"Trade meet?" Spike asked next.
"It's a fair where trainers show off their Pokémon and try to get another trainer to trade for it." Doc replied, "They're quite a common occurrence in certain parts of the world."
"And there's one going on in that town," Rainbow grumbled as she pointed away, "And the minute we stepped into it, everyone kept hounding us to trade our Pokémon away."
"What?!" Spike yelped, "That's horrible!" He turned to Peewee and scratched him under the chin, "Why would anyone wanna trade their Pokémon?! They're supposed to be our friends, not livestock!"
Cadance nodded at this, "True, but sometimes trading can be very beneficial." The others turned to her with raised eyebrows, "Like how not all humans get along, not all trainers and Pokémon are destined to become friends. It's clear you all managed to catch Pokémon you care about and that care about you in turn, but sometimes a trainer will catch a Pokémon that's not a good fit for them."
"So you just trade them away for something better?" Flash replied, "That's still awful!"
"Well, you don't just pawn it off on anyone," Cadance countered, "It should be someone you know will get along with the Pokémon you're giving them. And they, in turn, could trade a Pokémon they can't bond with that you're able to befriend. Most of the time, that's how trading is used. Shining Armor traded once." This made everyone go wide-eyed, making Cadance giggle, "You see, he caught a Crawlder that he didn't get along with no matter how hard he tried. We then met a trainer who was having trouble with his Ghouwail, and that trainer actually got along quite well with Crawlder. Shining also became friends with Ghouwail, so they agreed to a trade. We met that trainer again about two years ago and they managed to evolve his Crawlder all the way into a Stalorn. Something Shining probably wouldn't have been able to do."
The others slowly caught up to what she was saying, only for Flash to mumble out, "Maybe...but those guys better not try and get me to trade."
"Then maybe you should return Astro," Twilight pointed at the Starvern. "A shiny rare Pokémon like him's gonna catch a lot of attention." Starvern tilted his head at this, now seeing Flash sigh as he pointed his pokeball at the dragon in Fluttershy's arms.
"Sorry bud, but she's right." A beam of red light went took the dragon, Flash turning to Springer, "Want yours?" Springer shook his head, "Okay...just be careful."
"Ri."
The group soon made their way to the town, soon finding out the trade meet was only for a day. And as they walked toward the place, they started to talk about recent events.
"So you managed to win your seventh badge?" Rainbow asked as Flash showed her his badge case, "That's awesome. Now you're only one badge away from the Equestria League."
"You know it," Flash put his case away. "What about you?"
"I managed to get my sixth badge a few days ago," Rainbow replied, "Now I'm only one badge away from facing off against Spitfire again."
"I'm sure you'll get it in time," Twilight added as they entered the town's limits. "What about you Fluttershy? Training hard?"
Fluttershy nodded before Rainbow laughed and put an arm around her neck. "She's got her own little win record. Ten straight victories." This made everyone raise eyebrows as they entered the town's park, only to be distracted when they heard a strange scratching sound. "What's that?"
"Not sure." Twilight replied before they turned to see a teenage boy a few trees away. He had light green skin and hair that was two different shades of blue, wearing a white shirt with turtles on the front under a dark green open shirt and blue hawaiian shorts. In front of him was a Sandshrew, which was slashing at a tree with its tiny claws. The attack made the sound that had caught their attention while also leaving tiny marks in the side of the tree.
"Nice!" he called to it, "Let's do it again! Use scratch!"
"Sand!" Sandshrew leapt and struck the tree again, leaving more marks.
"That's the way," he added before walking up to the tree, seeing how deep the scratches were. "Hmm...this isn't gonna do much damage in a battle." As he said this, he turned to see Flash and the others. "Err...hi?"
"Hey," Flash waved, "sorry for staring."
"We heard a noise and came to see what it was," Cadance continued, "I hope we're not disturbing your training." The teen shook his head as he moved over to them with his Sandshrew.
"Not really. We were just about finished anyway." He pointed a thumb at himself, "I'm Sandbar."
"Flash. And this is my partner, Springer."
"Rio."
"I'm Twilight and this is my little brother-"
"Spike. And this is Peewee."
"Terra."
"Call me Doc."
"I'm Cadance."
"Fluttershy."
"And I'm the one and only Rainbow Dash."
"Nice to meet you," Sandbar replied, "Are you all here for the trading meet?"
"Nope, just passing through. What about you? Are you here to trade your Sandshrew?"
"No way," Sandshrew leapt into his arms. "I'd never trade Sandshrew. We've been friends for years. I'm just training so we can win our first Pokémon battle. But by the looks of things..." he turned to the tree and sighed at the small damage, "We're a long way off from winning any battles."
"I'm sure Sandshrew's a lot stronger than you think," Rainbow chimed in, "I mean, trees are pretty tough. I'm sure you'd do really well in a battle by the looks of things."
"Maybe..." Sandbar responded, only for a grumbling sound to ring out of his stomach. He looked down at this before chuckling, "Sorry. Been here a while. Haven't had the chance to eat anything since this morning."
"That's alright," Fluttershy replied, "I'm actually a little hungry too."
"Same," Flash added. "I know we're trying to avoid the trading meet, but you think this place has a few booths that sell food?"
The others exchanged glances, Sandbar then speaking up, "They should. I think I remember seeing a hot-dog booth on my way over here." That got everyone to lick their lips, the group all agreeing to head for the trading meet to get some food. And as they left the park, they began to talk some more.
"So..." Cadance turned to Sandbar, "How long have you had Sandshrew?"
"I've only been his trainer for a few weeks," Sandbar replied, "But we've been friends for years. I met him in the woods outside of town, and we became friends after he helped me out. My dad caught him and held onto him until I was ready to be his trainer."
"That's nice."
"So what moves does Sandshrew know?" Spike asked, "You were wondering how effective it would be in a battle."
"Just Scratch, Defense Curl, Poison Sting and Sand Attack." Nobody said anything, but they all knew those weren't exactly super moves. "I'm trying to get Sandshrew to power up its Scratch into a Slash attack, but so far we haven't had much luck."
"Well it's all a matter of perseverance," Twilight chimed in, "Keep trying and you'll get it eventually." As she said that, the group arrived at the area of the trade meet. Everywhere they looked, people had their Pokémon out and were showing them off.
"I guarantee you'll never find a Furfrou with a coat as shiny as this one!"
"This Bronzong has been polished to perfection!"
"My Munkarve is like none you've seen before! It can chop through twenty-five boards of five inch wood in only ten seconds!"
"This Beakula's a potion mixing genius. It knows what to make to cure anything that ills yah!"
"Geez," Flash grumbled, "The way they're talking, you'd think they're trying to sell you a used car." As he said that, someone near them was trying to convince someone to trade a Stantler for a Wobbuffet.
"As you can see, it's in mint condition." The Wobbuffet owner announced as his friend nodded.
"It's got very responsive handling."
"Wob," the Patient Pokémon replied as the Stantler trainer thought about it.
"Just imagine the looks on the other trainer's faces when they see you with this little baby."
"We'll even throw in a free ninety day warranty of parts and labor." The group felt a serious amount of cringe at this, all of them turning away, only to see multiple trade machines a few feet away, the group spotting to people using one. They placed their Pokeballs into one of two bowls and activated the machine, the Pokeballs getting hit with lightning that transformed them into energy, sucking up into a tube that connected to a large screen in the middle. They stared at the screen, now seeing a Machoke and Haunter appear on either side of the screen before swapping places. The tubes then spat out more energy into the bowls, both taking shape before revealing the Pokeballs. The trainers took them, revealing their now evolving Pokémon from the trade before walking off.
After this, they found the snack area and treated themselves to some hot-dogs, burgers or a salad in Cadance's case. They began to chow down while telling Sandbar about some of the adventures they had. "Wow!" he went wide-eyed when Flash showed him his badges. "Those are so awesome!" He looked up at Flash, "You must be a really great trainer."
Flash chuckled as he put his badges away. "I'm okay I guess." he blushed while scratching the back of his head. "But the only reason I'm so good is because I kept training and believing in myself."
"I get it," Sandbar nodded before turning to Sandshrew. "That's what we've gotta do. Keep training."
"Sand!" Sandshrew replied before it smelled something. It sniffed the air several times before starting at something like it had just seen heaven. The others raised an eyebrow at this, but Sandbar knew that face.
"Cupcakes?" Sandshrew nodded before the two ran off, returning a minute later holding a cupcake each. "Yum!" he licked his lips, "My favorite."
They both began to snack down while the others chuckled, only for Rainbow to speak up, "Hey Sandbar." He turned to her, "Why don't we have a battle? That way we can see what your style is, and maybe we can give you a few pointers on how to get better." Sandbar went starry eyed at this, instantly nodding back.
They soon found a battlefield next to where the trading meet was taking place. Rainbow and Sandbar walked onto either side as Sandshrew jumped onto the field. "Alright kid," Rainbow took out her Pokeball. "Let's do this thing. Gliscor," she threw the ball up, "Wings up!" The ball flew through the air before opening up, revealing the Fang Scorpion Pokémon.
"Gly!" It roared as it balanced on its tail and snapped its pincers. "Gly Gliscor!"
"Wow..." Sandbar's eyes went wide, "So cool!"
But before either of them could say anything, someone from the trade meet turned to the battlefield. "Hey, look!" He yelled, multiple other people turning to the sight and becoming as starry-eyed as Sandbar. Before anyone knew what was happening, a large group of people ran over and began to surround Gliscor.
"So strong!"
"I bet its a really good flyer..."
"You think it actually knows any Flying or Ground-type moves?! Every time I see one of these in battle, they only ever use Dark, Poison and Bug-type attacks."
They then turned to Rainbow, the girl trying to backpedal away. In the blink of an eye, she was also surrounded, now being given constant offers for Pokémon to trade Gliscor for. "No way," she cried after someone offered a Hippopotas. "I only train Flying-types!" Saying this got a new series of offers for stuff like Skarmory, Emolga, Wingust and other Flying-types. "I SAID NO!" But as she screamed this, they refused to listen. "That's it!" Rainbow screeched, "Gliscor, use Earthquake!"
"Gly!" The Fang Scorpion leapt into the air before spinning and slamming its tail into the ground, causing it to shake and knock almost everyone off their feet, Rainbow managing to stay upright and turning to Gliscor.
"Let's get out of here!" Gliscor nodded and jumped back into the air, Rainbow grabbing it by the legs. They were pulled upward, soon gliding away as the crowd recovered.
"Come back!"
"Trade with me!" They ran after them, only for Flash to point at the crowd.
"Aura Sphere!" Springer created the orb and fired, hitting the ground in front of the crowd. They all came to a stop as a cloud appeared from the attack. But as it faded and a few traders followed, the others turned to Flash and Springer.
"Did that Riolu just use Aura Sphere?"
"Uh-oh," Flash whispered before he and his friends turned to run. They only got a few feet away from the battlefield when they ran into another familiar group.
"There she is!" One pointed at Fluttershy, who recognised them as the trainers wanting her to trade Angel.
"LEG IT!" Spike screamed before the group ran off, their stalkers running after them, leaving Sandbar and Sandshrew all alone.
The teen sighed as Sandshrew returned to him. "I guess it would make sense so many people would want to trade for their Pokémon." The two left the battlefield and walked through the busy street, "They've all be trained by really good trainers. Any Pokémon they train are probably A tier." Sandshrew nodded in agreement, "I wonder if I'll ever be that skilled a trainer?"
Sandshrew looked up at him with a frown, only for another voice to call out to him. "Hey! Hey kid!" Sandbar glanced around, unable to see the voice's owner in the crowd. "Over here!" Sandbar turned around and saw the person, a bulky man with purple skin and black hair while wearing black leather clothing. He was sitting on a bench, and on either side of him were a pair of humanoid Pokémon.
The first was a figure that was sitting cross legged and actually hovering a few feet off the ground. Their skin appeared light blue, though it was hard to tell since only the area around its eyes was visible. They were wearing a light blue robe that covered their entire body, which had dark blue armor around the chest and shoulders. Both the robe and armor were covered in stars, while a black cape flowed from its shoulder-armor down its back. A light blue mask was covering its mouth and nose while its head was covered in a large dark blue wizard's hat. Laying on its lap was a long wooden staff with a star-shape on the very end.
The second Pokémon was much taller, being around nine foot tall, and was incredibly bulky. Its skin was yellow and black with its head, neck and hands being yellow while its chest, stomach, arms, waist and legs were black. It was wearing a large silver viking helmet with giant wings on the side and with metal running down the side of its chin while long golden hair flowed from under it. On its chest were four metal disks in a square pattern with two other disks on the fronts of it shoulders that held the ends of a long red cape that flowed over its shoulders and down its back. Finally, being held in both hands, was a large war hammer that had a black staff as long as it was tall.
Sandbar and Sandshrew moved over to the three as the man smiled at the Mouse Pokémon. "That's a pretty good looking Sandshrew yah got there kid. I can see a lot of potential from it."
"Err...thanks," Sandbar replied, "We're training really hard so we can do well in battle."
"I'm sure you are," the man chuckled, "But let me ask, have you thought of trading your Sandshrew?" Sandbar's eyes went wide at this, "I'm sure if you traded it for something stronger, you could win any battle super easily."
"But...but we're trying to train ourselves."
"Yeah, but until you've got Sandshrew trained up, you're gonna have a hard time winning any battle."
"I...guess?"
"Now think of this. If you battled today, which Pokémon would you think would have a better chance of winning?" He pointed at the Ground-type, "Your Sandshrew?" He then pointed to the two Pokémon beside him, "Or my Sagic and Volthor?"
"Well..." Sandbar stared at the two, then looked down at Sandshrew. "I guess...your Pokémon would have a better chance at winning."
"Exactly," the man nodded before staring at Sandbar in the eyes. "I've got a sixth sense about these things kid. I can tell what a person accels at just by looking at 'em."
"Really?" Sandbar asked, the man nodding again.
"Yup. And I can see you're a skilled battler. With a strong Pokémon, you could defeat any opponent you faced." Sandbar's face lit up, but that smile vanished with what the man said next. "But I can also see what a person's worst skill is, and your training skills are sub-par."
"What?!" Sandbar gasped, "But that means-"
"Any Pokémon you train will take a long time to reach their true potential and be ready to battle." Sandbar grimaced at this, only for the man to chuckle again, "That's why you should think about trading. It'll be good for both you and your Sandshrew. You'll get to win lots of battles, and your Sandshrew will have a trainer who can help them unleash its true potential."
Sandbar's head was spinning, unable to comprehend trading away his Sandshrew for their own good. "E-e-even if that's true, who do I trade with?"
"I'd be happy to take your Sandshrew on," the man replied as he sat back. "I'm not much for battling, but I'm one heck of a trainer." He gestured to the two Pokémon beside him. "I caught these two a month ago as a Wizentice and Electhor."
Sandbar's eyes went wide at this, "Wow..."
"Yeah, but like I said, I'm not much of a battler. Now that they're trained up, it would be a waste to keep them with me. What do you say kid? Wanna trade your Sandshrew for one of them?"
Sandbar looked down at Sandshrew, then up at the two powerful looking Pokémon. And after a few seconds, he turned to Sandshrew and held out his Pokeball, "Maybe this is for the best." He returned the Mouse Pokémon before turning back to the man, "Which one are you gonna trade me?"
"Which one do you want?" He asked as Sandbar glanced between the pair, then pointing at one.
"The Volthor." The man nodded and returned both Pokémon before the two went to a trade machine.
"Alright," the man placed his Pokeball down, "You ready?"
Sandbar looked at the Pokeball containing his friend before taking a deep breath and placing it on the machine, "Goodbye Sandshrew." He turned to the machine before staring at the man, "Can I-"
"Go ahead," he replied, Sandbar nodding as he took one final breath, pulling the lever down before turning to the screen, but then-
"What's that!" The man yelled, pointing to something behind Sandbar as the machine sucked up the Pokeballs.
"What?" He asked, spinning around before not seeing anything.
"Oh," the man chuckled, "Nevermind. I thought I saw something." As he said that, the trade completed and the Pokeballs were dropped in the opposite bowl they were in before. "Whelp," he took the ball, "Trade's completed. Thanks kid. I promise I'll take really good care of your Sandshrew."
"Yeah," Sandbar took his Pokeball, "And I'll-" he stopped when he looked up and saw the man was already gone, vanished like smoke. "Huh?"
Flash and the others had finally managed to get away from that horde of trade happy nut-jobs. It hadn't been until they ran into an Officer Hard Case that they got rid of them, the police man threatening to arrest them for harassment, allowing them all to return to the area without fear of being strong armed into giving away their Pokémon. "Glad that's sorted out," Flash sighed as he sat down on a bench.
"At least now we shouldn't have to worry about those psychos bothering us again," Twilight added as she sat next to him. "Now we can finally rest."
Rainbow nodded and looked around, "I wonder if we can find Sandbar and get that battle..."
The rest stared at the town, seeing no sign of the boy. "Looks like he went home," Fluttershy commented, "I hope he and Sandshrew are able to get a little more self confidence." The others all chuckled at this, making her turn to them, "What?"
"Nothing," Twilight replied, "It's just...coming from you, that's kind funny." The others nodded as Fluttershy blushed, only to then spot someone a few feet away.
"Look," they all turned to where she was pointing, seeing Sandbar walking through the crowd while staring at his Pokeball.
"Sandbar!" He turned to them as they ran over. "Sorry about ditching you earlier," Rainbow told him. "Still up for a battle? Like I said, I'll teach you a thing or two if you and Sandshrew impress me."
"Thanks," Sandbar nodded, "But I don't need any pointers now." He tried to smile, but showed a half-frown, "Because I traded Sandshrew."
"WHAT!" The group screamed in absolute shock, Flash walking up and putting his hands on Sandbar's shoulders. "What do you mean you traded him?! You guys seemed so close."
"Yeah," Sandbar looked down at the Pokeball. "But someone made me realize it was better if I let them train Sandshrew while I start winning battles with a more powerful Pokémon, so I traded him for a Volthor."
"That doesn't make any sense," Twilight added, "Why would training with someone else be any different from training with you?"
"I don't know the first thing about training a Pokémon, and the guy that took Sandshrew's an expert. So of course Sandshrew will get stronger faster with him."
"That might be true," Cadance responded while shaking her head, "But getting stronger and learning are two very different things." Sandbar raised an eyebrow at this, "The training you two would have done might have been slow, but you would have learned and grown as a trainer through that experience. You and Sandshrew would have made mistakes and have to overcome those mistakes, but that would have allowed you to grow closer to one another."
"She's right," Flash chimed in. "You think I knew what I was doing when I first got Springer?" Springer shook his head, agreeing with Flash. "I was hopeless. It took forever for me to learn what I needed to do to be a good trainer." He kneeled down and patted Springer on the head, "But learning to be a good trainer was what helped me and Springer go from being just friends to the best of friends and partners."
"Riolu!" Springer cheered before Flash scratched him behind the ear.
Sandbar sighed as he looked down at his Pokeball, feeling a tear start to appear in his eye. He wanted Sandshrew back. "But it's too late. I've already traded him, and that guy is probably long gone by now."
"We'll find him," Rainbow declared, "And when we do, we'll get him to trade Sandshrew back."
The others all nodded, only for Spike to speak up, "But can we have a look at that Volthor first? I've never seen one before." Sandbar nodded and held out his Pokeball, which opened up. But instead of a large red light to come out, a small beam appeared, revealing the Pokémon Sandbar had traded for.
"Weedle," the Hairy Bug Pokémon said as the trainers all went wide-eyed.
"I'm no expert..." Rainbow muttered out, "But I don't think that's what a Volthor's suppose to look like." Sandbar was just as confused, but then remembered back to when they traded. The man had made him look away from the screen when they traded, making his eyes grow even wider.
"No..." he whispered, "He tricked me! He switched the Pokeball!"
"Now that's just uncool." Rainbow growled as she took out two Pokeballs, the others doing the same.
"Skyler!"
"Owlicious!"
"Flitanium!"
"Wondor and Gliscor!" They threw them upward, unleashing the five Flying-types, Rainbow turning to Sandbar. "What did this guy look like?" Sandbar quickly relayed the appearance of the man who stole his partner, the Flying-types then taking to the air.
"Don't worry," Doc told him. "They'll find him. And when they do, we'll get Sandshrew back."
"Yeah," Sandbar looked away, "But will Sandshrew even want to be my Pokémon again? I threw him away so easily! He probably hates me..."
"Don't say that," Fluttershy added as she patted his shoulder, "You made a mistake. If you tell Sandshrew you're sorry, I know he'll forgive you." Sandbar looked up at her with a glum frown, now knowing all he could do was hope she was right and be willing to accept whatever judgement Sandshrew was willing to pass on him.
Meanwhile...
Near the forest Flash and the others had passed through, the man known as Double Cross smiled as he and his two Pokémon made their way. "Man," he took out the Pokeball containing Sandshrew, "What an easy scam. I was hoping we'd get something a little better, but this'll do." He chuckled at the ball, "You shouldn't take that much work to train up and evolve. Then I can trade you for something else, maybe a Camerupt or an Absol. Or maybe, if you prove useful, I'll keep you around for myself. You could learn dig, so that might come in handy. Digging pitfall traps should be a lot easier." He and his Pokémon laughed, not noticing a pair of Pokémon flying above them.
Wondor and Gliscor were hovering above, glaring at the man as they saw he matched the description. Gliscor told Wondor to go get the others while it began to glide down.
"Door," Wondor wished him good luck before heading back to the town while Gliscor kept his glide. Luckily, the wind today was pretty good, allowing him to keep its elevation. However, a few minutes later, the man and his Pokémon grew closer to a more condensed part of the forest.
"Gly!" It yelled, its mind going to the one choice Rainbow would tell him to do if she was there. "Gly Gliscor!" It dived down and shot past the three, creating a gust of wind that almost knocked them off their feet. Gliscor then spun around and roared, "GLY!" It slammed its tail into the ground, causing it to shake, Double and Volthor getting knocked off balance while Sagic wasn't effected.
"What the-" Double yelped before looking up and seeing the Gliscor, now balanced on its tail while snapping its pincers open and shut. "I don't know why you're here, but you just made a big mistake." Volthor hopped to its feet at this as Sagic joined it, "I think I'll take you for myself. Even if you belong to someone, I think I'll find a way to get you into another Pokeball. GO!"
The two Pokémon charged, Volthor being the first to reach Gliscor as it swung its hammer at it. "GLY!" Gliscor used its spring-like tail to shoot itself up, dodging the hammer as Sagic pointed its staff at him.
"Eerie Spell!" Double yelled as Sagic fired a blast of magical power that struck Gliscor, knocking it out of the sky. "Heavy Slam!" Volthor charged and swung its hammer down, smacking Gliscor's stomach and smashing him into the ground.
"GLY!" He screamed before being knocked away, "Gliscor!" It stayed on the ground, wincing in pain while Double laughed.
"HA! Two easy catches in one day!" He shined a toothy grin, "Now you're mine!"
"I don't think so!" He turned to the sudden voice, now seeing a group running, one of them being Sandbar. "Give Sandshrew back!" Flash yelled, as Springer and Wondor got into a battle stance.
"Now why would I do that?" He chuckled as Sagic and Volthor stood in front of him, Flash taking out his Pokedex at this.
Name: Sagic
Category: Sage Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Info: The evolved form of Magitual. Legend says that a Magitual that lives for a thousand years can become a great magician that has mastered all forms of magic. Legend also says that this Pokemon's wisdom is perused by all philosophers.
Name: Volthor
Category: Thundering Pokémon
Type: Electric
Info: The evolved form of Thoray. When it swings its mighty hammer, it can unleash a storm of lighting, which will rain down from the skies and strike the tallest thing around.
"Pretty impressive, wouldn't you say?" Double laughed, "I wasn't lying before about being a good trainer."
"But you did lie about what Pokémon you gave Sandbar," Cadance pointed to the Weedle he was holding. "Trade them back right now."
"No thanks. Besides, it's not like it's a crime to swap which Pokémon you're offering to trade. He just wasn't paying good enough attention."
"If you won't give him Sandshrew back," Doc took out a Pokeball. "Then we'll take it back."
"You can try," Double snapped his fingers and his Pokémon charged, "Psybeam and Thunder!" They both raised their weapons and unleashed their respective attacks, both heading straight for Springer and Wondor.
"Crystardian!" Cadance threw her Pokeball, "Protect!" In a flash of light, the Rock Psychic-type appeared and used its crystal to create a force-field that blocked both attacks. This allowed Springer and Wondor to charge as Twilight, Doc and Fluttershy threw their Pokeballs.
"Shine/Lairon/Harry!" The three Pokémon appeared, landing on the field while Gliscor picked itself up and flew over to Rainbow. Double Cross stared at all the Pokémon, smirking at the sight.
"Nice. After this, I think I'll take these too! Go!" He pointed ahead, "Take 'em out!" Sagic and Volthor split up, taking on several opponents at once. Volthor found itself facing Springer, Lairon, Gliscor and Shine while Sagic's opponents were Wondor, Crystardian, Peewee and Harry. "Eerie Spell and Volt Breaker!"
"Sage!" Sagic held up its staff and fired the magical blast while Volthor's hammer sparked with lightning.
"Protect!" Cadance yelled as Crystardian created a barrier, blocking Sagic's attack. At the same time, Volthor slammed its hammer into the ground, creating a crack filled with lightning.
"Block it!" Rainbow ordered as Gliscor flew down and slammed its tail in front of the crack, causing the lightning to shoot out and hit it. Being a Ground-type, it didn't feel anything. "Now use X-Scissor!" Gliscor shot up and slashed Volthor, causing it to stagger back as Springer ran up while Lairon and Shine were ordered to unleash a Flash Cannon and Psybeam.
"VOL!" It yelled as both attacks hit it dead on, only to Springer about to reach him. "THOR!" It tried to swing its hammer at him, but Springer leapt onto the weapon.
"Drain Punch!" Springer hopped off the top of the hammer and threw his fist into its face, making it cry out.
At the same time, Sagic wasn't doing much better. "Crush Claw!" Fluttershy yelled as the Grizzor charged, slashing at the wizard as it used Reflect to dodge. But as it did this, Peewee and Crystardian moved in close.
"Dragonbreath/Flame Burst!" They fired their attacks, both flying through the Reflect and striking Sagic, causing an explosion that knocked it back while Wondor flew up.
"Brave Bird!" The Marvel Pokémon dived down as its body burst into flames, spreading its wings next as the flames turned blue. Before Sagic could react, it was slammed by the attack, knocking it flying along with Volthor.
Double growled as his Pokémon fell, hissing as he stared at the army of opponents he was now facing. "Fine," he took out a Pokeball, "You want Sandshrew?! I'll give you Sandshrew!" He threw the ball into the air and in a flash, the Ground-type appeared.
Sandbar gasped and ran up, "Sandshrew!" But he stopped when Sandshrew raised its claws.
"Careful," Double chuckled, "Sandshrew's not yours anymore. It obeys me now." Sandbar's eyes shrank at this, looking down at his former Pokémon. And by the look on Sandshrew's face, it wasn't happy to see him. He then glanced back at the others, seeing them all smiling and nodding.
Sandbar took a deep breath before turning back to Sandshrew. "Listen Sandshrew...I'm sorry." He said as he started to lean down, "I...I never should have traded you. I thought I was helping you by giving you to someone else, but the truth is I was just pushing you away so I could have a stronger Pokémon." He looked down at the ground at this, "And...I was wrong. I don't want a stronger Pokémon. I want my friend back." He fell to his knees next, tears beginning to appear, "I have no right to say this, but I want you back. I was an idiot to toss you away and I'm sorry." He closed his eyes at this, "And I would do anything for the chance to be your trainer again."
Sandshrew stared at Sandbar, only to hear Double suddenly start laughing. "Oh, that's cute." They all turned to him, "But you seem to be forgetting that I'm Sandshrew's trainer now. Even if it wanted to be your Pokémon again, it's mine. And there's nothing any of you can do to change that. Sandshrew," it glanced back at him, "Use your scratch attack on this fool." Sandshrew went wide-eyed at this, turning back to his former trainer.
He and Sandbar locked eyes at this, the Mouse Pokémon readying its claws while the others prepared to stop it. But as they stared at one another, Sandshrew seeing tears going down his face, they both started to remember their past. They remembered meeting in the very forest they were next too, Sandbar having got his foot caught in a Diglett hole and being unable to get it out until Sandshrew appeared and dug him out. They remembered returning to Sandbar's house and enjoying cupcakes together, becoming close friends with his father agreeing to catch Sandshrew until he was old enough to train him. The days playing together on the playground or in the woods, enjoying every minute of it. And then the look on the other one's face before Sandbar traded Sandshrew away. Both were a look of sorrow at never being able to see each other again.
And now, Sandshrew stared at its friend's face, seeing tears drop to the ground. And that made something inside Sandshrew click.
"Hey!" It heard Double Cross yell, "What's the deal?! I said use Scratch!" He held up the Pokeball, "This means your mine, so do as I say!"
But as he yelled this, Sandshrew turned to Double and leapt at him, its claws glowing before they extended to five times their normal length. "SAND!" It roared before slashing at the ball, hitting it with enough power to create three large trenches in the metal.
"What?!" He cried as he staggered back, now staring at the damaged Pokeball. As he did this, it sparked several times before suddenly exploding in his hand. "AAARRRGGHHH!" He screamed as the metal fell out of his hand, Sandshrew now glowing for a second before the light exploded off of him.
"What happened?" Spike asked as Cadance showed a big smile.
"Sandshrew used Slash. And it destroyed its Pokeball."
Twilight turned to Sandbar, "That means he's wild." Sandbar turned to her with wide eyes, "Don't you see? It freed itself so it could be caught by you again."
"It forgives you," Fluttershy added.
"Really?" Sandbar turned to Sandshrew as it turned to him, a smile on its face. "Do you really wanna come with me again?" Sandshrew nodded back, but a growling from Double Cross made they all look back up at the dirtbag.
"You little twerp!" He yelled as his Pokémon picked themselves up, "That Sandshrew's mine! Get them!" The three charged at this, but the others were faster.
"Extreme Speed!"
"Aerial Ace!" Rainbow called out, Springer running up while Gliscor flew up and then divebombed, creating a slipstream as it drew close to the ground.
"RI/SCOR!" They roared as Springer kicked Volthor and Gliscor V-turned to slam into Sagic. Both flew back and crashed into Double, knocking him over.
"Ahh!" He screeched as he tried to pick himself up. "GET OFF ME!"
"Let's send this guy packing!" Flash told the others, the group nodding back. Even the Weedle Sandbar had gotten crawled onto the ground, ready to battle.
"Really?" He asked, getting a nod from it. "Alright then," he turned to Sandshrew. "You ready?" He nodded as well as everyone got into a line, Rainbow deciding to get things started.
"Gliscor!" She yelled as the flying scorpion leapt up, "Use Earthquake!"
"GLY!" It flew down and slammed its tail into the ground, sending shockwaves at the three. The blow knocked the trio into the air, the ground shaking that hard. "Now guys!"
"Aura Sphere!"
"Dazzling Gleam!"
"Flash Cannon!"
"Dragon Breath!"
"Power Gem!"
"Hyper Beam!"
"And you two use Poison Sting!" The barrage of seven attacks were launched in the three, causing a massive explosion that sent Double Cross as his two Pokémon flying into the air and disappearing into the horizon.
Everyone smiled at the sight, happy that the dirtbag was gone. "So long," Flash waved him off.
"Let's hope he learned his lesson from that," Cadance added as Sandbar turned back to Sandshrew.
He kneeled down and looked him in the eyes, "Are you sure you want to come back to me?" Sandshrew nodded back, a happy smile still on its face. "Oh....thank you so much. I'm so sorry I did that."
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Twilight chimed in, "You messed up, but you were able to make it right and you've learned from this mistake. Right?" Sandbar nodded back, "Then everything's fine. And honestly, I can't think of a better person Sandshrew could have as a trainer."
"Really?"
"She's right," Doc responded, "After all, Sandshrew learned Slash and damaged a Pokeball. That's not something any old Pokémon can do. Most Pokeballs are designed to be nearly indestructible, so being able to break one, and with a Slash attack no less, shows just how well trained Sandshrew is."
Sandbar smiled at this and turned to Sandshrew before taking out a new Pokeball. "Alright, let's make a promise. That no matter what, we'll always stick together and keep trying no matter what. And one day, I know we'll reach the top!" Sandshrew nodded and with a smile, it leaned up and tapped its head onto the ball.
It opened up and sucked the Mouse Pokémon inside with a flash of red, the ball closing and dinging without a single shake. Sandbar smiled before letting Sandshrew back out, the Mouse Pokémon leaping into his arms, both giving each other a huge hug. At the same time, the Weedle crawled up onto Sandbar's shoulder, Sandbar patting him next before introducing him to Sandshrew, telling him that he was their new friend. Sandshrew greeted him back, Sandbar telling the insect he would train him as well, promising to make him evolve into a Beedrill someday.
When the gang returned the town, they found that the trading meet had finally ended. The machines had been removed, and the madness was over. "Today sure got crazy," Flash sighed, the group nodding before beginning to head for a good night's rest at the Pokémon Center.
"But before that," Rainbow turned to Sandbar, "You and I still have a battle to wage." Sandbar gasped before nodding back, the two running to the battlefield with Gliscor and Sandshrew ready to duke it out. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be!" Sandbar called back before Doc announced a start to the battle. The two Ground-types charged at one another, ready to see which was stronger. The group's arrival in the small town was certainly an interesting one, meeting friends new and old. Only time will tell what other adventures await them. As the journey continues.
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Well it was cool to see another of the young six, and i really know you only change with your most closest friends, thats the only way to create a strong bond with the trade Pokemon, like my Goodra.
Is there gonna be more filler episodes??? Or the next one is gonna be The Crystal Empire, i can't wait to see the Gym Leader and someone Brave and Glorious
.
... ... ... we got to see Sandbar... ... ... not much else worth saying... as much as Flash et al want to preach about the bonds they force with their pokemon, given that have to be captured and are pretty much told what to do and when to do it and can be put in cell at the whims of the human and can be exchanged... when it comes down it in, assuming Pokemon are neither sentient nor sapient, they are pets, assuming that they are at least sentient, then they are slaves via conquest... and no mater how 'friendly' their bond can be, it's still a owner-property relationship and to be sincere the stance taken by the author on those that don't deny this core truth of the Pokemon-Human relationship, comes off as one-dimensional and oversimplification.
What would be interesting would be an 'antagonist' that views Pokemon as the propety they are inherintly in the Pokemon-Human relationship and basically be someone that can't be beaten in a battle and forces Flash et al to confront the inherint hypocracy of their own stances specially when forced with no other option then to finally accept the truth of the owner-property relationship that is at the core of the vast majority (99.999999%) of Pokemon-Human relationships...
In other words... the heroes need to have their world view challenged by something they can't ignore nor counter until they accept and incorporate the points made by the challenging world view into their own
This was another fun filler chapter. For one, it was nice for Sandbar to appear here and play a major role. It was also an interesting look at trading.
I agree with most of what the characters here said about trading Pokémon in the anime. Pokémon are sentient beings, so it just feels wrong to trade them away in exchange for a better one, especially if you have a strong bond with them. Though, if you are trading with a close friend, or if the Pokémon themself is consensual to the idea, then I agree that is okay.
As for real life trading, I say only try to do it with someone you know and trust. The fact that some Pokémon only evolve via trading is another factor, but you probably shouldn’t trust a complete stranger to give you a good deal, otherwise you could get ripped off like Sandbar here, or someone might not give you back your newly evolved Pokémon. One other time I think it is pretty fair to trade is when you have different versions of the game and are just trading to get an otherwise unobtainable Pokémon.
Not much to say about this chapter. I mean, it's not bad, but it's not particularly memorable. Usually when you have fillers like this, it means you're planning something big in a few chapters.
That was good.
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Where's Lightning?
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Dude, I get that you want Flash and Lightning to battle again, I do too so Flash can get revenge for what happened last time, but asking it over and over again isn't going to get you the answer any faster, it's just going to annoy Banshee. Just wait patiently.
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Sorry. by the way, I notice that their are some creatures that aren't Pokemon like Piedoom. are they from a familiar anime show or something?
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I don't know what you are talking about. Every creature in this series is a Pokémon, but some like Piedoom have their designs based on characters from other shows and franchises.
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I think that some of them are from Yu-Gi-Oh.
Funny thing is, I didn't realize until I checked later that this chapter shares the same name as the episode from the anime that Jessie got her famous Wobbuffet by accidentally trading her Lickitung for it. This chapter might not be as important as that episode due to it being filler, but I still enjoy how you deconstruct the aspect of trading Pokémon and it was a good chapter for Sandbar as a guest star.