Tribes and Tribulations
Continuing their journey to Dragonia City, site of Flash's final Equestria Gym Challenge, the group was still making their way through the snowy wilderness between the Crystal Empire and Mount Tartarus. They had been travelling for three days and had covered about half the distance to the mountain, currently walking through a section of the land that they had been warned about. A place filled with snow covered holes, traps for people to easily fall through.
"WHOA!" Spike yelped as he walked over a snow covered trap, Flash and Twilight quickly grabbing him by the arms before he could fully fall in. "Thanks."
"We need to be careful," Doc added, "If we're not, we could end up walking over a pit large enough to catch all of us."
"Well it's not like there's any signs to tell us where the snow's deep," Flash chimed in, Springer walking ahead of him, only to suddenly go through the snow with just his ears now being visible. "Hang on buddy!" Flash kneeled down and thrust his arm into the snow, shivering at the cold as he grabbed Springer's fur and pulled him out by the scruff of the neck. "You okay bud?"
"Ri..." Springer shivered, his fur now soaked to the bone.
Once they managed to get most of the snow off of him, Peewee using Incinerate to dry him off, Springer chose to ride on Flash's shoulders piggyback style. Meanwhile, Doc took an extra long length of rope out of his bag. "Here." He tied one end of the rope around his waist and handed it to Spike, who tied himself up before giving it to Twilight. She did the same and handed the remaining end to Flash. "Now if one of us falls through the snow, we can pull them out with the rope."
"Nice thinking," Twilight replied, only to glance up and frown, "Though that might not be our only worry. I don't like the look of those snow clouds." The others followed her gaze, now seeing a large number of dark clouds.
"I'm with you there," Doc sighed, "I think we're about to be in the middle of a blizzard. Maybe it would be best to set up the tent and wait it out." The others nodded and quickly began to get their tent out. But as they started to set it up, the dark clouds blew closer, only for a beastly wind to hit the snow and clouds, pushing them toward the group.
"Ahhh!" Spike cried as some snow flew up the back of his hoodie, "COLD!"
"Just get the tent up and we'll be fine," Twilight told him over the roar of the wind. But as she pushed the tent's line into the snow, a powerful gust blew past and pulled the line free. "NO!" She tried to grab it, but another gust pushed the line high into the air.
The boys had tried burrowing their lines in the snow, but it just wasn't strong enough, the lines flying out due to another gust. Flash and Doc grabbed the two lines and tried to push them back into the snow, but in that moment, the wind hit the yet to be raised tent and pushed it into the air.
"NOOO!" They all cried, Flash and Doc holding onto the lines and trying to pull it back down. Twilight and Spike grabbed the lines as well, pulling as hard as they could. "We can't lose this!" Twilight yelled, "There's no way we're gonna be able to get the other tent out before we freeze to death!"
"PULL!" Flash roared, the four pulling as Springer and Peewee even grabbed the lines, but the wind was just too strong. They could feel the lines rubbing against their hands, their gloves the only thing protecting them from rope burn. And one last super gust, the lines were yanked from their hands, making them all cry out as the tent went flying into the darkness of the clouds.
"NOW WHAT?" Spike yelled, needing to do so as the wind drowned out anything quieter then that.
"ANYONE KNOW HOW TO MAKE AN IGLOO?" Doc asked, the group shaking their heads. "THEN OUR ONLY HOPE IS TO FIND SOME KIND OF CAVE!" They nodded and began to trod through the blinding snow, still connected to one another by the rope.
And with every second, the temperature fell more and more. They all tried to keep themselves as warm as possible, but the deadly cold was just too much. After they had been walking for an hour, the snow became too much for one of them.
"Unnn..." Spike moaned before falling over, the rope tugging the others, signalling Flash and Twilight as they turned to Spike.
"SPIKE!" They all yelled, running over as Doc trudged up and now saw him in the blinding blizzard. "Spike..." Twilight said as she pulled him out of the snow, "Spike, wake up!"
"Come on!" Flash added as Peewee fell out of Spike's hoodie, the teen catching the Dragon-type and finding he was ice cold. "Wake up!"
"Return him!" Doc told Twilight, who quickly put the Terragon back in its Pokeball. "We need to find shelter, NOW!"
"But there's nothing around!" Flash barked back, the three then continuing to run through the snow. But as they did this, Twilight slumped over, falling face first until an arm grabbed her. "Twilight!" Flash yelled as he pulled on her, only for Doc to step on a snow covered hole, making him trip.
"Whoa!" He yelped, falling forward with Spike in his arms. Flash glanced up at this, seeing Doc trying to pick himself up, only to stagger.
"Come on Doc. I can't carry you all."
"Ri!" Springer chimed in as he hopped down and tried to help Doc, "Riolu!" He smacked the gym leader, telling him to stay awake.
"GUYS!" Flash yelled, but they wouldn't respond, Doc now fully slumping over. "Please, WAKE UP!" As he yelled this, he felt himself start to fall over, only to see Springer hug himself while sinking into the snow. "Springer..." he saw his partner frown back at him, making him sigh, "Sorry bud."
"Ri?" Springer asked, only to see Flash point his Pokeball at him. "RIOLU!" Was all he could say before the red light hit him and he was sucked inside, Flash quickly shrinking the ball down before Springer could get out. "I know you don't like it bud, but this'll keep you safe."
He then turned to the others, grimacing as he saw the group was all knocked out. "I can't carry you all..." He glanced down at the snow, "I have no clue how to make an igloo, but I've gotta try." With that, he started digging into the snow, trying to compact them together to make snow bricks. His gloves soon became soaked, making his hands go numb while the snow bricks crumbled no matter how hard he tried to make them. And as he did this, he felt himself beginning to drift off. "No," he whispered, "I have to...have to...stay..." With that, he fell over, his eyes trying to glance up at the group one last time as he whispered, "I'm...sorry."
But as he lose himself, his eyes squinted as he stared above his friends. Within his pupils, he saw a...shape. Unable to tell what it was, but he could mutter out, "Please...please...help us." He lifted his hand up, only to fall over and pass out.
And as he lay in the snow, the figure came close enough for him to see. It was a Pokémon, a pig-like creature similar in appearance to a Tepig, only this one was covered in a thin layer of blue and white fur. Its legs and underbelly were white, while the rest of its body was ice blue and spiky at the back. The bottom half of its head was white while its forehead, ears, between its eyes and its entire snout were ice blue and the tips of its feet were blue while its tail was white and had a blue ball on the end of it.
The Pokémon stared at the unconscious humans laying in the snow and tilted its head, "Fridge?" It oinked before sniffing at Flash. It then pushed him over, rolling him onto his back. "Fridglet." It moved over to the others and did the same, all while trying to get them to wake up.
It was here that it's ears twitched and it turned the way it had come from. "FRIDGE!" It cried at the top of its voice, echoing through the snow. A moment later, several other figures appeared from the snow. They were a quartet of humanoids, two appearing much smaller then the others, all appearing bulky and moving with large footsteps.
The figures stared them over, the Pokémon that called them looking up at the group. Several moments later, the new figures picked the travellers up and threw them over their shoulders. "Fridglet," it cheered before running off into the snow with the others following after it.
"Uhh…" Flash moaned, his lips smacking as his eyes began to open. The teen blinked, only to feel something prick the back of his neck and hands. He let out a groan as his eyes focused, only to see he was staring at a ceiling made entirely of straw. He then felt under himself, finding he was laying in some kind of bed packed with straw. "What the-" He sat up at this, glancing around with wide eyes.
"Where am I?" he asked as he stared around, now seeing he was a mud hut. Someone had taken large trees trunks and branches, stacked them into a house shape and filled the gaps with mud and straw. The ground was...ground, along with a large rug laid out, though it looked like it had been crafted by a master rug maker.
He saw several more beds around the room, all made with wooden frames and filled with straw...and laying in them were his friends. "Guys!" He pushed himself to his feet, only to fall over, "Augh!" He hit the dirt, making him flinch before trying to get back up, trying to stagger over to Twilight's bed before grabbing her arm. "Come on," he shook her. "Please be alright."
"She fine." Flash's head spun around at this, turning to see a creamed skinned girl with brown hair that was in two long braided pigtails that were so long that they almost reached her feet. She was wearing a thick dark brown top with white fur around the neck and light brown pants, with a green sash running around her front. She had walked through a doorway in the mud-hut, which had previously been covered by a red blanket. "But she need rest, same as you."
"Errr...okay." Flash slumped beside Twilight at this, now staring at the girl, only to see she was carrying a bunch of familiar clothing...his clothing. "Wait," he looked down and saw he was dressed in a shirt and pants combo similar to the girl's. He then glanced over at the others, seeing them all wearing the same. The only thing of theirs they were wearing were their shoes.
"We sorry," the girl chimed in, "Your clothes wet, so we had to take them off."
"We?" Flash asked, "Wait...where are we?"
The girl smiled as she stepped aside, though she almost tripped over her hair, and gestured to the door. Flash slowly walked over, glancing outside and seeing he was in an entire village of mud-huts. Countless houses, surrounded by a large circle of wooden posts that made up a giant wall. There were multiple people, all dressed the same as them, who were talk and bulky...even the women and kids. Many of them were wearing hats on their heads with large horns on the sides. "Welcome to Yona's village. I...Yona."
"Yona?" Flash asked, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Flash." She nodded back as he continued, "Did you save us from the blizzard?"
"That right!" Flash leapt on the spot, turning to see one of the tallest and bulkiest members of the village heading their way. He was also dressed in a long blue, brown and gold cloak, and had a horned helmet with stylized gold accents and a long mane of orange and brown hair that seemed to cover his eyes, and wrapped around the sides of his head to join together at his chin, giving him a bearded look. "We find you sleeping in snow. Not smart place to sleep."
Flash frowned at this, "We weren't sleeping. We got caught in the blizzard and our tent was blown away. We tried to find shelter, but we passed out."
"Lucky you found by Fridglet," the man replied, "One minute too late and you be buried under snow forever."
"Yeah..." Flash sighed, now imagining what he would like after being frozen solid. "Wait...what's a Fridglet?"
"Fridge!" He turned to see a pig Pokémon, multiple of them running around, playing with one another and the children. "I'm guessing that's a Fridglet?" The two nodded as Flash reached for his Pokedex, only to get nothing. "Oh yeah. Not my clothes. You didn't happen to find anything in my pocket when you were drying my clothes, did you?"
"Mean this?" The man asked as he reached into his cloak and took out his Pokedex.
"That's it," Flash nodded before taking the device and scanning Fridglet.
Name: Fridglet
Category: Snow Pig Pokémon
Type: Ice
Info: Its main food source is a special kind of truffle that only grows in snowy mountains. To find them, it uses its incredibly powerful sense of smell to detect them below the snow's surface.
Yona was wide-eyed at this, leaning over to Flash while almost tripping over her long hair. "Magic talky box," the girl gasped, making Flash raise an eyebrow.
"What?" He asked, "No. It's just technology." But as he said this, he glanced back at the village, staring at the mud huts, "Right..."
"Ignore his toy," the man told Yona. "We not use those things. They make us weak. Make us forget what we know about the world around us."
"Huh," Flash added, "I don't supposed you guys have our Pokémon, do you? They should have been inside red and white balls we were carrying."
"We know what Pokeballs are," the man growled, "That one piece of tech we allow in this village." He reached inside and took out a strange looking Pokeball. It looked like a normal one, but instead of a metal bottom, it was made of wood and instead of a button, it had a latch over the front and what appeared to be a metal hole in the top.
"That's a Pokeball?" Flash asked as the man handed it to him. "Never seen anything like it. So...low tech."
"Ancestor learn to craft it long ago in distant land. Making one is right of passage for all members of tribe."
"Cool," Flash handed it back to him. "So...where are our Pokeballs?"
"We took them to make sure Pokémon not injured in blizzard," he replied, "They fine and all happy you not hurt. Riolu very worried before. Kept crying about you." Flash frowned at this as he continued, "They currently at food hut. We take you to them." Flash nodded at this, only to hear another voice.
"Flash?" He glanced back and saw Twilight, Spike and Doc step outside, "What's going on? Where are we?"
"Why are we dressed like this?" Spike added.
"And where are our Pokémon?" Doc finished just as Flash walked up to them.
"It's okay guys." He gestured to the others, "They saved us from the blizzard, and our clothes are being cleaned, and they said our Pokémon are all okay." He pointed to the girl, "This is Yona."
"Hello," the girl smiled back as he gestured to the man.
"And this is...err...sorry, didn't actually catch your name."
"Rutherford," the man responded, "Chief of village."
"Right," Flash nodded, "Rutherford. They're gonna take us to our Pokémon." The three nodded and thanked the two before they all headed over to nearby hut, stepping inside to find Springer, Peewee, Astro, Riptide, Prongs and Viper eating out of bowls. "Guys!"
"Ri?" Springer looked up and saw his trainer, quickly leaping into his arms. "RIOLU!"
"Hey Springer!" He hugged him back, patting him on the back of the head. "Sorry I made you worry."
"Rio," Springer barked, telling him it was okay. The other Pokémon ran over next, Peewee hugging Spike while the rest tackled Flash.
"Where are the others?" Twilight asked, only for Yona to move over holding a basket of Pokeballs.
"We feed bigger Pokémon first. Not all fit in food hut...and unable to feed shiny metal ones."
"Yes...Tockwork and Higear don't eat." Doc commented as he took his Pokeballs, their stomachs growling as Twilight did the same.
"Hungry?"
"Starving," Spike replied.
"Sit," Rutherford told them, "We bring food."
"Thank you," Doc nodded before sitting down. "You're too kind."
"All who brave these harsh lands have my respect," Rutherford sat with them. "Speak. What bring you here?"
"We're heading to a city beyond the mountains," Twilight replied, "Where our friend can compete in a challenge."
"Ahh," Rutherford nodded, "Badge challenge." Flash nodded back as Yona and a few others walked in carrying wooden boards with bread and juice on them. "We rarely see those brave enough to make travel to Dragonia City."
"One part bravery, one part foolishness." Flash turned to the others, "I'm sorry guys. I brought you out here and we almost froze to death."
The others shook their heads, Twilight chiming in, "It was our choice."
"You don't have to apologize," Doc added, "Who wouldn't want to test themselves out against who's supposed to be the most powerful Gym Leader in the region?"
Flash frowned at this, only for Rutherford to speak up, "It in past. Do not dwell. Only focus on what is to come in future."
"Maybe...but I still feel bad." He then ripped apart his bread loaf and took a bite, only to be met with the most flavourful taste in the world. There was some kind of berry baked into the bread, giving it an amazingly sweet taste. "Wow," he whispered once he swallowed, "What is this?"
"Buckle Berry Bread," Yona replied, "Best thing in all Equestria."
The others took a bite, gasping as Twilight added, "Delicious. I've never heard of Buckle Berries."
"Very rare," Rutherford replied. "Only grow in snowy land. Grow all year round."
"Incredible," Doc gasped, "I can't believe the rest of the world doesn't know about it."
"Well, I guess if this village doesn't normally communicate with outsiders-" Twilight's words were interrupted by Rutherford.
"No, tribe have yearly interaction with outside world." This made them go wide-eyed, "We have trade agreement with special group. They give us medicine and parts needed to make Pokeballs, we give them hard to find item that they can't find anywhere else."
"What item? The berries?"
"No. Truffles."
"Truffles?"
"Only place in Equestria truffles grow," Yona replied, "We use Fridglet and Boaraurora to find them."
"Boaraurora?" Flash asked.
"The evolved form of Fridglet," Doc chimed in, "So you hunt for truffles and trade them with this group?" They nodded as they finished their food. "How long has this arrangement been going on?"
"Many moons," Rutherford responded, "Many year ago, we meet man heading for Dragonia City like you. We help him and he learned of the truffles we harvest. At time, we almost out of Pokeballs ancestor created and did not know how to make device used by them. Man left and month later, new man arrived explaining to be first man's brother. Leader of big company, willing to give Pokeball device in exchange for truffles. We agree and has been good agreement since."
"Cool," Spike chimed in, "So you guys hunt for truffles and give them to this guy?"
"Not all truffles," Rutherford replied, "About half of yearly harvest."
"I'd love to see how you farm them," Twilight added.
"Yona show you," Yona cheered.
"Yona is soon to attempt catch of first Pokémon," Rutherford added, "Big event for her."
"That does sound interesting," Doc finished as a woman stepped into the hut and whispered into Rutherford's ear.
"Ah. Clothes ready. You can change into them if like."
"Yes please," Twilight nodded before blushing, "No offense," she began to scratched her back. "But these clothes are kinda itchy."
Rutherford laughed at this. "Weak skin. Normal clothes too soft. That why cold almost got you." The others laughed at this as they headed out of the hut, spotting a new Pokémon as they did so.
This one looked similar to Fridglet, but it now stood hunched over on two feet. It had less fur on its body, its pork belly now revealed along with its hands and chest. The features were all dirt brown in color while the rest of its body was covered in white and blue fur. Its waist, flank and legs were white while its arms, shoulders and neck were ice blue. Its head was similar to Fridglet, but its nose was now much smaller and it had a pair of long tusks coming out the sides of its mouth. These tusks appeared to be made entirely out of ice and was walking through the village, several others walking with it.
"I'm guessing that a Boaraurora," Flash commented as he pulled out his Pokedex.
Name: Boaraurora
Category: Snow Pig Pokémon
Type: Ice/Ground
Info: The evolved form of Fridglet. Its sense of smell is significantly weaker then its prevolution's, but its new physical strength makes up for it. You can often find a tag team of Fridglet and Boaraurora hunting, with Fridglet sniffing out the truffles and Boaraurora digging them up.
"That thing does look tough," Spike chuckled as they headed over to where they had woken up. They looked inside and spotted their clothes on the beds, the boys letting Twilight in to change first before doing so themselves. When they were back in their normal clothes, they only then realized that night was about to fall.
Rutherford led them over to a large stone circle surrounding a massive bonfire, where they sat around. "Friends!" Rutherford called out, getting everyone's attention. "Today, we welcome new friends to our village. Flash, Twilight, Doc and Spike!" The villagers all cheered, stomping their feet on the ground to cause a mighty applause. The ones in question all smiled and waved as the stomping finally came to a stop. "New friends. We curious to hear your many adventures up to this day. Please, tell us of your journey." The four smiled and happily obliged, telling the people many of their amazing adventures.
The tribe were all on the edge of their seat as Flash explained his many gym matches, Twilight retelling their time with legends such as Eclixie and Sirenity, Doc recounting the many obstacles they had overcome, and Spike flamboyantly stating how they vanquished many evils.
By the time they ran out of stories to tell, night was upon them, all ready to go to sleep. That is, till Rutherford said, "You not sleep yet. You miss best things about life in village."
They raised an eyebrow at this, only for a bright light to shine out above them. "Wow!" Spike gasped as they looked up and saw a river of light that flowed through the night's sky.
"An aurora," Twilight whispered.
"Beautiful," Flash finished.
"Boooooaaaaar." yelled a new noise, making them turn to see the many Boaraurora of the village looking up at the lights in the sky, all crying out in a rhythmic way. They all said the same words, the sound gentle and flowing in a perfect echo.
"They're singing," Twilight gasped.
"Boaraurora always sing to the night fire," Yona replied, "It most beautiful thing in all world." They couldn't deny it, amazed at this as they saw around the warming fire, surrounded by kind people and watching an amazing light show.It made one appreciate everything, kinda making almost freezing to death worth it. And so they all sat there, listening to the sound of the Boaraurora as they sang. And when they stopped, the entire village headed off to bed and slept peacefully due to being calmed by the soothing music.
The next day...
As soon as the sun was up the next morning, everyone in the village was up and got to work. Flash and his friends were each given a basket that could be worn like a backpack, the group leaving the village with Yona along with some adults and a few Fridglet and Boaraurora. They quickly found that the village was situated on a large hill, all needing to be careful not to slip in the snow and roll down, Yona having to grab the ends of her hair and hold them up, so as to not trip.
Once at the bottom of the hill, they headed to a large forest a mile or so away, only to find this was when the truffle and buckle berry gathering began. "Fridge..." Fridglet sniffed the ground as they followed it through the snowy woods. "Fridglet."
"I can't believe Fridglet can smell the truffles through...how much snow are we standing on?" Twilight turned to Yona, who shrugged before holding her arms about as wide as Springer was tall. "Two feet."
"That's one heck of a snozz," Flash commented before a stream of light shot out of his belt and hit the ground. The red light took shape and faded, revealing his Starvern.
"Star!" Astro smiled before his feet dug into the ground, causing a cold shiver to run up his entire body. "STARVERN!" Astro leapt up and hugged Flash's face, "Star!"
"Yes," Flash groaned, "I know it's cold. That's why you should have stayed in your Pokeball." The others laughed as Flash pulled him off his face, Astro then leaping out of his arms and landing on Springer.
"Ri!" The Riolu cried as he staggered under Astro's weight, only for the Starvern to start sniffing.
"I get it," Twilight added, "Astro wants to try and find a truffle."
"Well, he does have a pretty good nose," Flash stated as Springer started to carry him. The Starvern kept sniffing the ground as best he could, but found nothing...mainly due to not knowing what a truffle smelled like.
"Fridge!" One of them cried, catching everyone's attention. They moved over to it as the snow pig dug an X in the snow, the Boaraurora gathering around and quickly beginning to dig in the snow. Everyone moved back as the snow went flying, the boars making their way down to the frozen ground.
"Boar!" They roared as their fingers started glowing, the group slashing at the ground.
"Wow," Twilight whispered, "They're using Metal Claw."
"That's a move Fridglet can't learn," Doc chimed in, "That must be part of why they're the only ones that can dig the truffles up."
And as they did this, they carved away the frozen ground to reveal a small black plant. "That's a truffle?" Spike asked, "Doesn't look edible."
Doc chuckled at this, "Trust me, it is. Most restaurants charge a fortune for meals including these things." One of the adults took the truffle from Boaraurora, Astro leaning up and sniffing it to get a grasp of its scent, then put it in the basket on his back.
Once that was done, they covered the hole back up and started searching for another one. A few minutes later, they found another one and dug it up, this one being a bush full of blue blackberries. "Are these buckle berries?" Twilight asked, Yona nodding before they started picking them.
The bush had so many that they were able to fill an entire basket with berries from it. As this happened, the Fridglet and Boaraurora managed to find several more truffles along with some wood they could use for fire, and after an hour, they found something very special. They had reached an area in the middle of the woods where the trees canopy was incredibly thick, causing the snow to get thinner until they were standing on just grass. It was a grass circle surrounded by trees and in the center of the circle stood a single smaller tree that had a round hedge of leaves and some kind of red fruit growing out of it.
"No way," Twilight gasped, "Its an Apricorn tree."
"Apricorn?" Flash asked, Twilight nodding.
"Its a special type of tree that grow in the Johto region, though I read that long ago they could be found in many other regions. They produce a special kind of nut that can be used to make Pokeballs."
"Yup," Yona nodded. "This tree planted by ancestor that brought first Pokeballs here. We come and pick fruit when we want a new one." She moved over to it, almost tripping again, Spike noticing something as she did this.
"Anyone else getting a Pokeball design from it?" The others raised an eyebrow at this, then squatting down to Spike's height and seeing there were two circles on the tree that did give it a Pokeball look.
Yona then reached the tree and looked it over, as if judging the many apricorns hanging from the branches. And after a minute, she reached out and grabbed one before pulling it free of the branch. "Now Yona make her own Pokeball and catch her own Fridglet."
"So how exactly do you make a Pokeball out of that thing?" Spike asked as Yona reached him while staring at the apricorn.
"It very difficult," she told him. "One mistake make thing worthless. That why Yona been practicing hard so she make perfect Pokeball." As she said that, an oinking sound caught their attention, making them turn to the noise...only to see it wasn't a Fridglet or Boaraurora. Instead, it was a brown ball of fur with a pink nose.
"Swine," it whispered as it walked past them.
"Awww...its a Swinub," Twilight giggled, "I didn't know those lived around here."
Yona nodded. "Swinub and Piloswine strong wild Pokémon. That what Yona catch when Pokeball is ready."
"I thought you were gonna catch a Fridglet?" Spike asked, Yona shaking her head.
"Tribe breed Fridglet. Yona make two Pokeballs and use one to catch baby Fridglet. Then use other to catch Swinub."
As she said this, they heard a crashing sound suddenly fill the air. "What was that?" Flash asked before Yona turned to run toward the sound, the others following. They soon reached the edge of the forest, now spotting what caused the sound.
"PILO!!" A Piloswine charged and tackled a tree, causing it to be pulled from the ground and topple over. This caused a loud crashing sound, the villagers coming up and next and carrying the lumber over to a wooden sled tied to another Piloswine.
"We use Piloswine to help with heavy lifting and battling Pokémon that attack village."
"Do a lot of Pokémon attack your village?" Twilight asked, Yona shaking her head.
"No. But better safe than sorry."
"Makes sense," Flash nodded as he watched the Piloswine pull the sled full of tree logs across the snow without issue. He then remembered what Piloswine evolved into, only to shine a big grin, "Say...does anyone in your village have a Mamoswine? I'd love to battle against one of those."
Yona nodded back, "Chief Rutherford have Mamoswine. Strongest Pokémon in tribe. He might battle you if ask nicely."
Flash smirked at this and rubbed his hands together, the rest following the sled pulling Piloswine back to the village, arriving there just as the snow began to fall. It wasn't as heavy as the blizzard that had almost killed them, but they still decided to stay inside. Yona lead them to one of the larger huts, this one actually made out of large pieces of stone.
When they stepped inside, they found that the place was a forge with a large kilm at the back, and several blacksmith instruments around the place. "Is this where you're gonna make your Pokeball?" Doc asked, interested in seeing an old fashioned Pokeball being created.
"Yup," Yona nodded again, "You can watch, but no help."
"Understood," Flash replied as Yona began to thrown wood into the kilm.
"Can we at least help you light the fire?" Spike asked, Yona nodding as Peewee shot a fireball into the kilm and lit the wood. She waited for the flames to grow hot, the group suddenly feeling the temperature in the room rise. Once hot enough, she used a pair of metal tweezers to hold the apricorn before putting it into the kilm. They watched as the red sphere heated up, the process taking almost a half hour before Yona removed the apricorn and placed it in a metal vice.
Once it was tightly in place, she put a bucket under the apricorn and then took out a metal drill. She placed it on the top of the ball and started turning it, drilling into the apricorn with incredible effort. It then jerked downward, indicating she had broken through into an empty space. She pulled the drill out and turned the ball around, the six watching all seeing a strange substance pour out of the apricorn and into the bucket. As it poured out, Yona drilled into the bottom and made another hole perfectly opposite the first.
As she did this, the substance finished pouring into the bucket and she quickly picked it up and carried it over to a table with two stone blocks, which were actually four stones that were pushed together by another two vices. She poured the liquid into holes in the top, using all the substance and moving away to focus back on the apricorn. It had cooled down enough for her to remove it from the vice and place it down on another table. There she picked up a very sharp looking knife which she used to carve a line around the sphere that cut deep into it, the watchers taking a closer look and realizing the apricorn had turned into a metallic surface. And once she made a perfect circle around the orb, she placed a chisel into the gap before hitting the top with a hammer. This split the orb in two, creating a pair of domes with holes on the top.
"Now we add the machine," Yona explained before reaching into her sash and removing a device along with four more domes that were made of wood. She placed the devices inside the metal dome, with a tube sticking out of the hole, then screwed something onto the tube to make the vent. Once that was done, she moved over to the stones and opened the vice, allowing her to take out what the substance had become. A pair of metal rings that split using a hinge.
She took them over to the work bench and connected them to the apricorns, then attached the wooden domes to the bottom to create the Pokeball Flash had seen Rutherford hold. All they were missing were the latches, which Yona pulled out of her pocket to connect to the front.
"Yona finished," she smiled before holding the newly made Pokeballs up.
"Amazing. I can't believe a young child was able to make something like that," Doc gasped as Yona lifted the blanket blocking the exit, letting the heat out.
"Now Yona catch Fridglet and Swinub." They walked out of the hut and saw Rutherford waiting for them, the snow having stopped falling. She held up the Pokeballs and Rutherford looked them over, smiling with a nod.
"Yona make good Pokeball," he handed it back to her. "Ready for next step." Yona nodded back and Rutherford led them over to an area of the village near the wall, where a large pen could be found. Inside the pen was a bunch of Fridglet, by the looks of them, they were newly hatched and uncaught.
"So you get to pick any Fridglet and it's yours?" Spike asked, Yona shaking her head.
"Yona no pick. Fridglet pick Yona."
"How's that work?" Spike asked, only for Yona to leap over the fence and walk up to the Fridglet. She caught their attention, and when she did, Yona sat down and stared at them. "What's she doing?"
"Everybody have unique scent," Rutherford replied, "Fridglet can smell that. If don't like, won't go near."
"So Yona has to wait for a Fridglet that likes her smell?" Twilight asked, Rutherford nodding as they turned to watch. Yona smiled at all the Fridglet, who just stared at her for a moment. Then, they started sniffing the air. Three of them instantly cringed, moving away while four others stared at her. But one quickly smiled and ran up to her.
"Fridglet!" it exclaimed as it leapt into her lap, Yona smiling and hugging it as it rubbed its face against her.
"Hello," she laughed as the pig's fur tickled her. She then pulled back and smiled, "Want come with Yona?" Fridglet nodded back, clearly happy to be allowed out of the pen. Yona then put it down and got up before taking out one of her Pokeballs, gently throwing it at the Fridglet.
It opened and sucked the Pokémon inside, everyone watching as the ball wiggled for a few moment before the top let out a puff of steam to signify it was caught. "Yona did it!" She cheered before turning back and jumping over the fence, only to land on her ponytail and trip. "WHOA!"
The others flinched as she crashed, running to help her up. When they did this, Twilight decided to do something about her hair and grabbed the end of one. She then wrapped it into a loop and used a ribbon she had in her bag to tie it up, then did the same with her other one. Yona saw this and gasped, loving this new hairstyle and thanking Twilight with a hug.
"Now Yona ready to truly catch first Pokémon! Go out and find Swinub! Battle and catch!"
She nodded and opened up her Pokeball, letting Fridglet out before picking it up. "Yona make tribe proud. With Fridglet, we smash any Swinub that we find."
"Good," Rutherford nodded. "But must remember important lesson before can catch Swinub." Yona raised an eyebrow at this, "In battle, power least important. Trust in partners what should be most important, with courage needed to overcome any wall. When scared, take deep breath and then smash fear."
Yona blinked at this, tilting her head before nodding. She turned to the exit of the village and strode out, Flash and the others following after her. "Are you sure you wanna do this now?" Flash asked, "You and Fridglet just met. Don't you wanna spend some time getting to know him before throwing the little guy into a battle?"
"Yona and Fridglet bond through battle," she replied as Fridglet smiled. "That how tribe befriend Fridglet and Boaraurora."
"If you're sure," Twilight added, "Well, we'll come with you and cheer the two of you on." Yona nodded again as they headed out of the village and down the hill, Fridglet leaping out of her arms and running around in the deep snow.
And as they reached the bottom, Flash took out his Pokedex and scanned Fridglet. "Alright...the moves it knows are Tackle, Ice Shard, Odour Sleuth and Aurora Beam."
"Those are some pretty good moves," Doc chimed in, "As long as the Swinub isn't to strong, you should do pretty well against it."
They then got to the forest from before, Yona having Fridglet start sniffing the air to try and find a Swinub. But she soon learned that wasn't going to work, since Fridglet didn't know what Swinub smelt like. Instead, they decided to blindly search, only for Twilight to suggest going someplace with a lot of food since the Swinub would likely be around there. They agreed and headed for an area that hadn't been picked clean earlier, eventually finding buckle berry bushes...but there was no sign of a Swinub.
"So where do you think they are?" Spike asked, only for the sound of rustling to catch their attention and make them turn to see something shoot out of the bush.
"Swine!" A Swinub leapt out and landed in front of them. "Swinub."
"There it is," Twilight turned to Yona. "Now's your chance."
Yona nodded and stepped forward, catching the Pokémon's attention. "Swinub," she took out a Pokeball, "Battle me!" The Swinub seemed to understand this and got into a battle stance, Fridglet running in front of Yona and getting into its own fighting stance. The two snow pigs stared one another down, prepared to duke it out.
"Swine!" Swinub roared before breathing out of its nose, causing a jet of mist to fly out and fill the woods.
"What's happening?" Spike asked.
"It's Mist," Doc replied as Yona tried to see through it.
Years of living in a snow filled environment had keened her eyes, letting her see the Swinub trying to make a break for it. "There!" She pointed, "Tackle!"
"Fridglet!" Her Pokémon charged into the mist and slammed into something, the group hearing Swinub cry out as it was thrown back. The Mist suddenly vanished to reveal the Swinub on the ground while Fridglet leapt back.
"Ice Shard!" Fridglet opened its mouth and created a small clump of ice, the Swinub growling at this.
"Swine!" It roared before creating its own ice clump, firing it at the same time as Fridglet. The two attacks collided, breaking apart as Swinub charged it's next attack. "Swine!" It began to glow and light flew off it to form a sphere in front of it.
"A Swinub that knows Ancient Power?!" Twilight gasped as Swinub fired the attack.
"Yona, be careful!" Flash yelled, but it was too late as the Ancient Power hit Fridglet head on.
"Fridge!" It cried before slamming into a tree, Yona gasping at this.
"No!" She ran over to it, only for Fridglet to quickly push itself back up and glare at Swinub, who seemed to want keep battling now. "Tackle!" Fridglet charged at this, which Swinub then unleashed another cloud of mist, blinding it.
"Fridge!" It skidded to a halt in front of the cloud.
"Left!" Yona ordered, Fridglet turning to the left.
However, as it did this, something smacked its face, "FRIDGE!" It yelped as the object struck it in the face, knocking it back. When it tried to open its eyes, it found something had glued them together. "Fridge?" The others saw it was a bunch of mud, which had been fired by Swinub's Mud-Slap attack.
"Fridglet!" Yona cried, starting to panic as the mist faded to reveal Swinub, who was about to use another Ancient Power.
"Yona!" Flash called out, "You've gotta stay calm. If you panic, so will your Pokémon."
"He's right," Twilight nodded. "Fridglet's counting on you. You have to direct him, or there's no way you'll win."
"Remember what Rutherford told you," Doc finished.
As she heard this, his words echoed through her head: "In battle, power least important. Trust in partners what should be most important, with courage needed to overcome any wall. When scared, take deep breath and then smash fear."
"Be brave," she told herself as she saw Swinub fire the attack at the still blind Fridglet. She took a deep breath and yelled, "Jump right!" Fridglet heard this and did so, the Ancient Power barely missing. It was in that moment Yona remembered one of Fridglet's other attacks, "Odor Sleuth!"
"Fridge!" Fridglet sniffed the air and suddenly caught Swinub's scent.
"Tackle!" Fridglet charged into Swinub, knocking it back as Yona pointed at the pig, "Now, Aurora Beam!" Everyone watched as Fridglet leapt up, taking a deep breath before breathing out its nose.
"FRIDGE!" From its nostrils, two beams of rainbow light exploded out and merged into one. The beam shot across the battlefield, slamming Swinub before it could pick itself up, Swinub crying out as it was knocked back once again. When the light of the attack faded, Swinub was down, looking close to defeat.
"Now Yona!" Twilight added, Yona nodding as she took out her last Pokeball.
"This it," she commented before pulling her arm back. "You mine! Pokeball...GO!" She threw the steampunk Pokeball toward Swinub as it picked itself up, the device bouncing off its head before opening up and engulfing the Swinub inside. The Pokeball slammed shut and fell to the ground, everyone watching as it wobbled once...twice...three times. Then, from out of the top, a puff of steam shot out the hole. Swinub was caught.
Yona let out a gasp, "Yona did it!" She cheered as she leapt up and down in joy, Fridglet then walking up to the Pokeball and poking it. The others applauded her as she moved over and picked up the Pokeball.
"Well done Yona," Twilight smiled.
"You were great," Flash agreed.
"Thank you. Yona only win thanks to you."
"Don't mention it," Doc added.
"We're happy we could help," Spike finished.
With that, the five and their Pokémon headed out of the forest. And as they did this, Springer's ears caught something. "Ri?" They twitched and he turned around, catching the other's attention.
"Springer?" Flash asked, "What's up?" Springer didn't reply, instead charging into the trees. "Hey!" Flash followed after him, the others on their tail. They ran for about a minute before Springer stopped, everyone gasping at what he had found.
"Our tent!" Spike yelled, seeing the tent they had lost hanging from a tree and blowing in the wind. Doc and Flash worked to get it down.
"It's in perfect condition," Doc commented, "Not sure how, but it looks like it wasn't damaged at all." The others smiled, happy they had retrieved their lost equipment. They quickly packed it up, soon returning to the village afterward.
"Yona!" Rutherford cheered, "You return!"
Yona nodded before holding up her Pokeball, "With Swinub in hand." The tribe all cheered hearing this, Yona turning to the others. "But she couldn't do it without friends."
Rutherford nodded and turned to Flash and the others, "We give thanks for all you do."
"No problem," Flash replied, "After all, we owe you way more." Rutherford nodded, but then said something Flash had been hoping he would say.
"If there anything we do for you, all need do is ask."
"Well..." Flash smirked as he said this, "I was kinda hoping...maybe I could battle you." Rutherford raised an eyebrow at this, "Yona said your Mamoswine is the strongest Pokémon around. I'd love to test my strength against it. What do you say?" The response he got was the exact one he had been hoping for.
Rutherford let out a might bellow, a smile etched on his face. "Battle you I will. We love good battle, and facing new opponent gets us riled up." The rest of the village all cheered, eager to see a battle between the chief and their new friends. "But be warned," Rutherford took out his Pokeball. "Battle won't be easy. Mamoswine and I smash you!"
"We'll see," Flash laughed as he took out his own Pokeball. "Let's brawl!"
They headed back down the hill and into an empty field of snow, "Mamoswine," Rutherford threw his Pokeball, "SMASH HIM!"
"Riptide!" Flash replied, "I choose you!" The massive pig and water reptile appeared between the two, Flash only now seeing how big and imposing the creature really was. "Ready Riptide?"
"Tidal!" Riptide got into a battle stance.
"Looking forward to this," Rutherford chuckled as Mamoswine stomped its feet on the ground. "GO!"
"GO!" Flash repeated as both Riptide and Mamoswine charged, ready to duke it out in a no holds barred battle. Everyone watched with excitement, not daring to blink for fear of missing something cool. This would be a battle of epic proportions.
The next day...
As soon as the sun was up, Rutherford and Yona lead the group through the snowy outer lands. They soon reached an area close to where they had originally found the passed out travelers, the sight of Mount Tartarus in the distance.
"This where we leave you," Rutherford said, "We wish you luck on your travels."
"Much luck," Yona added.
"Thanks," Flash replied, "I'll be sure to give the next Gym Leader an extra tough time. I have to after how our battle ended." Rutherford nodded as Yona ran up and hugged Flash. She then hugged Twilight, Doc, Spike and the Pokémon. Springer and Peewee suddenly found themselves getting nearly squeezed to death, but hugged back none the less. Once the goodbyes were all given, the four trainers began to head toward Mount Tartarus once again. Their surprise visit to the winter village had been dangerous, but it had been a happy one. And with Mount Tartarus so close, one could only wonder what adventures await them next.
In an area near the base of Mount Tartarus, far from the snowy biome, a lone Absol was wandering the mountains, looking for shelter.
It then noticed a cave, glancing inside before walking in. But before it could get far, it felt a tingle down its spine, making it leap back. As it did this, the spot it had been standing on was suddenly struck by a blue sphere of energy.
"Ab?" Absol stared into the cave and saw a humanoid figure, its arm raised while glaring at it. The lights of its red eyes filled the cave, allowing the Absol to see a long scar that ran over the eye. The figure then let out a growl.
"Loo...cario."
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I dont have trouble how Pokeballs are made, i have the theory they have many ways to create one from the most primal to the tecnhnological one.
Nice introduction to Yona and Prince Rutherford, makes sense because its a snowy mountain.
It was a really good chapter, nice job
Way to go Yona, the boar/pig pokemon motif is somewhat fitting as in the 'My Little Mage' AU, originally drawn by Didj, the Yaks are Orcs and Orcs actually have a pig like face... okay reading too much into it.
So we're never gonna know who won between Riptide and the Mammoswine?
That ending bit... Flash and company are about to have a run in with the Lucario that tricked Springer to expose himself to that stone that has blocked Spinger's evolution. I know I should be rooting for Springer, but statically that Lucario has a massive edge, unless Springer manages to evolve... but I wouldn't put it past this Lucario that it has managed to enable itself to Mega Evolve,
This was a nice and relaxing chapter, but I was invested through the whole thing. I enjoyed the explanation given here of how Pokeballs are made, Yona’s Fridglet picking her was a cute moment, and her battle to catch Swinburne was surprisingly intense.
I think it might be a bit obvious at this point, but I am guessing Smolder will appear when we eventually get to Dragonia City. Then all of the Young Six will have made appearances throughout the series.
It looks like a Lucario is going to be playing a big role soon. I just wonder if it is the Lucario I think it is, and how it will effect Flash and Springer.
Oh you massive tease!
It was really fun to see the yak tribe adapted into this fic like that. And with that thing at the end of the chapter, there's going to be quite the interesting confrontation.
Good work
I love this chapter since Yona is just as cute and funny as she normally is, and her battle to catch Swinub was actually really intense and awesome. Though the beginning when Flash and the others were caught in the snow storm unprotected was surprisingly dark, since they could have died if the villagers hadn't of found them and nursed them back to health.
Nice nod to Hisui