Bitten Down the Hatching
Growing closer to Manehatten City with Flash's seven Equestria Gym battle on the horizon, the group were now setting up camp for the night in a large meadow. With dinner over and the chores completed, Flash and his friends would usually be doing some training or going to sleep. But with it being such a clear night, they had decided to do a little stargazing. All their Pokémon were out of their balls as well, Flash's egg sitting beside him.
"Look over there," Twilight pointed to a section of stars. "There's the Teddiursa constellation." She then pointed slightly to the left, "And there's the Ursaring constellation."
"That's the Gligar constellation," Doc added as he gestured to another set of stars. "And over there's the constellation of Gardevoir and the Seviper bearer."
"Cool..." Spike whispered.
"Say...where did these constellations get their names?" Flash asked, Springer nodding at the question.
Twilight giggled at this. "They were named that by sailors who were lost at sea and used the stars to make images of things that reminded them of home."
"Awesome..." Flash replied before noticing something flying across the sky. "A shooting star."
Spike sat up, "Quick, make a wish!" Flash nodded, his eyes falling on the egg sitting beside him as a smile crept onto his lips.
"I wish my egg would hatch soon, and the Pokémon inside will be healthy and strong." The others smiled at this...only to go wide-eyed as they all stared down. Flash followed their eyes, now seeing the egg case suddenly start to glow. "What the-" he put the case on his lap as the glowing died down before starting again. "Wait..."
"It's about to hatch!" Twilight gasped as the egg began to pulse light again.
"Alright!" Spike cheered, his whole body now vibrating, "We finally get to see what it is! It better be awesome!" The group chuckled at his reaction as the Pokémon all began to gather around Flash as he removed the lid from the container. He picked up the egg, feeling the warmth from it as Twilight took the pillow out and put it on the ground, Flash now gently placing the egg on top of it.
"Come on out little guy," he quietly said, "There's a big world just waiting out here for you to see."
"And lots of friends for you to make," Twilight added as the glowing grew stronger. And as it did this, the light suddenly stopped pulsing before coming constant while turning from orange to blue. "Here it comes..."
Flash covered his eyes as the light suddenly exploded off the egg, revealing the creature beneath it. The Pokémon fell onto the pillow, everyone blinking as they saw what it was. "Wait...isn't that-" Flash said as they all noticed it was a Pokémon they had seen before, but it was also...different.
The Pokémon was small and had four legs, along with a large star-shaped head. But instead of being black like the last time they had seen it, its skin was light blue. "It's a Starvern," Twilight whispered. "But its the wrong colors."
Flash took out his Pokedex and scanned it, getting the black and yellow version he had seen in the dragon kingdom, but this one was blue and yellow. "Is it sick?"
"I don't think so," Doc replied before smirking, "I think it might be a shiny."
"Really?" Twilight asked while Flash and Spike stared at it. As they did this, the Starvern began to move, though its eyes were still closed. After a few seconds of shifting, the Star Pokémon pushed itself to its feet on the pillow before moving its head upward, opening its eyes to reveal a pair of orange lights that gazed up at the starry night sky.
"Star..." it muttered in wonder at the dazzling sight above it.
"Hey there," Flash said with a big grin, Starvern turning to him before seeing the others, "Nice to meet you. I'm Flash Sentry, your trainer."
"Starvern?" It tilted its head at this, now seeing Springer, Riptide, Skyler, Prongs and Viper beginning to try and get its attention, only for Starvern to just keep tilting its head.
"Guess it doesn't understand yet," Doc commented as they noticed Starvern's face scrunch up, glancing around at the number of stares it was getting. "Maybe we should give it a little space so it doesn't feel overwhelmed." The others nodded and moved back, Flash and his Pokémon staying still.
"You don't have to be afraid of us," Flash assured, "We're friends." He then spoke up without looking away. "Twilight, get me some Pokémon food." Twilight nodded and went to their food, pulling out the Dark and Dragon containers they had. She carefully moved over to hand the canister to Flash as the teen took a few pellets out. "Go on," he told Starvern. "Take whichever one you want."
Starvern slowly leaned over and sniffed the pellets in each hand, its eyes going wide as it smiled. "STAR!" It cheered before biting down...on Flash's hand.
"Hmm!" Flash bit his lip, his eyes wide as tears tried to escape as the others grimaced at his expression.
"Flash! Are you...okay?" Twilight gulped.
"Uh-huh," Flash nodded despite a tear of pain going down his face. Starvern then let go of his hand, which was now empty of pellets. Its bite hadn't broke the skin, but a big red mark was now on the back of his hand. Seeing this, Doc pulled out his backpack and began taking out some bandages to wrap around Flash's palm.
Springer and the others also saw this and turned to frown at Starvern, only to see nothing but obliviousness on his face. Angry glares followed this, only for the dragon to laugh, "Star!"
"Hey, lay off him." Flash told the others, "He doesn't know any better." He used his other hand and began to pat Starvern's head. "No more biting unless I tell you to, okay?"
"Star?" Starvern replied, blinking at him before smiling as Flash scratched him behind the ear.
Springer then stepped up and held out a paw. "Ri." he said as he expected Starvern to shake with it's...foot. But Starvern just stared at the paw for a few seconds...and bit it. "RIOLU!" He began swinging his arm around, trying to dislodge the Dragon-type, but Starvern just giggling as he kept his grip.
"No!" Flash grabbed Starvern around the waist before pulling on it, "I said no biting!" He and Springer pulled, but it refused to release. "Let...GO!" Starvern then opened its mouth to laugh even more, causing Flash and Springer to be thrown back into the dirt. "Ow."
"Ri..." Springer moaned as his paw was now red and began pulsing big and small in a cartoon fashion, Doc sighing as he applied a bandage and Super Potion.
"This is gonna be a whole thing, isn't it?" Spike asked the others as Flash sat back up and turned Starvern around.
"Starvern!" He said with the most serious stare he could muster, "I said no biting, and I mean it." Starvern just blinked at him before laughing. "Starvern…" he growled, only for the dragon to lean up and lick his face, "Hey! Heh...stop it!"
"It is kinda cute," Twilight giggled as some of the other Pokémon moved over to them.
Starvern then turned around, quickly running around as the other Pokémon tried to greet him. It was here that Shine walked up to the dragon, "Nee," she neighed happily while Starvern let out a happy growl, the pony spinning around and started waving her tail in his face, everyone going wide-eyed as they saw Starvern quickly bite it.
"Star!" It chomped on the tail, but there was no pained scream.
"Nee," Shine laughed as she started lifting Starvern upward, the dragon flopping in the air.
And as she did, Twilight couldn't help but laugh at the interaction, "Guess Shine's not the baby of the group anymore."
"Good thing she doesn't feel any pain from her tail," Doc added while Flash scratched the back of his head.
"Maybe, but Starvern could be a problem if it doesn't start listening to me."
"You said it yourself," Twilight responded, "It's just hatched, so it's gonna take a while before it starts listening to you the way the others would. Hopper was just as wild when you first caught him." They turned back to Starvern as it let go of Shine, now running around the place, clearly brimming with energy.
For the next hour, everyone started playing with Starvern. They had to be careful, trying to make sure it didn't bite them, though Shine and Doc's Pokémon didn't have that problem. But eventually, the gang found themselves getting tired. "Come on," Flash began to yawn as Starvern kept running around, "Aren't you even a little tired?"
"It's spent a lot of time in that egg," Doc commented, "It'll have a lot of energy it needs to run off."
"Maybe..." Twilight yawned as well, "But we're running on empty. We'll need to get to bed soon." The others nodded and called their Pokémon over, telling them it was time to go to sleep. They all returned them to their Pokeballs, Starvern looking both confused and upset by his friends disappearing.
"Starvern," Flash took out a Pokeball, "It's time to go to sleep." He threw the ball at the Dragon-type, but Starvern leapt to the side, dodging the orb, "Starvern?"
"Star!" It roared.
"Maybe it wants to experience more of the outside world," Doc added, "It did just hatch."
Flash was about to reply, only to see Starvern turn to the forest around them, about to head into it, "Hey, you can't go out there!"
Springer then ran up to the dragon, using Extreme Speed to get between Starvern and the trees. "Ri!" He spread his arms, making Starvern stop and frown. "Rio ri!"
"Starvern!" It yelled before taking a deep breath. Springer saw this and quickly leapt to the right, seconds before Starvern unleashed a cloud of blue and black energy.
"Whoa! That was Dragon Rage!" Spike gasped as the blast struck the ground, an explosion coming next as Starvern headed into the smoke.
"Starvern! Come back here!" Flash yelled as Springer created an Aura Sphere. He fired the orb past Starvern, hitting the trees in front of it. Another explosion happened, this one knocking Starvern back.
"Star!" It cried while falling back, Flash running up at this moment to grab the Star Pokémon.
"That's enough," Flash told it. "I know you want to explore more, but it's dark and there's a lot of dangerous things outside." He spun around to go to the tent, "You can look around more tomorrow."
"Starvern!" It screamed, thrashing around as Flash kept his grip on the dragon. It was soon inside the tent with Flash, Springer and Doc, Doc being sure to zip the tent up and keep the zipper up out of Starvern's reach.
"Go to sleep," Flash told it as he and Doc got into their sleeping bags, Springer sitting down against Flash while Starvern tried to find a way to escape. But there was no way out without destroying the whole tent, which it assumed would get it into even more trouble. Instead, it sat down, growling as it began to go nuts with boredom. The others were already asleep, making the dragon shift around as it tried to get comfortable. But it was too antsy, unable to stop itself from fidgeting.
Starvern wasn't sure when it managed to fall asleep, but the next thing it knew, it was waking up as light shone in through the tent, hitting its face. "Star?" It jumped up and opened its eyes, only to see it was alone, "Starvern?"
It poked its head out of the tent, now seeing Flash and the others enjoying their breakfast, the Pokémon eating out of bowls. Flash turned to the tent, shining a big smile, "Morning Starvern. Sorry we didn't wake you up, but we thought you should get as much rest as you can."
"Starvern?" It replied as it walked out of the tent, now feeling a grumbling from its stomach.
"Here," Twilight took a bowl of food off the table and placed it down, "This is all for you."
Starvern stared at it for a few seconds, sniffing it before taking a bite of the food. He chewed and swallowed the first mouthful, a giant grin appearing on his face. "STARVERN!" He cheered before continuing to eat.
Everyone smiled at this as Flash finished off his breakfast. "Alright, how about a little battle practice?"
"Spran," Riptide exclaimed as he jumped to his feet.
"You wanna battle?" Riptide nodded back.
"Alright then," Doc responded as he stood up. "How about you battle me and Higear?"
"Sounds like a plan," Flash replied as everyone watched Flash, Riptide and Doc walk out into an open section of the meadow, Doc now bringing out his Higear. Starvern looked up from his food at this, now hearing grunts and clanging sounds, making it now see Riptide and Higear jumping around one another.
Riptide shot bursts of water out of its mouth, Higear dodging the liquid before the lizard leapt and hit the machine with its tail. In response, Higear threw its gear shaped hands, Riptide dodging the attack before charging at the lizard. The Spranitor did the same, using Rock Smash as it was about to Higear in face, only for it side-step and grab Riptide's tail.
"Slam!" Doc yelled as Higear spun Riptide around before thrusting him into the ground, making the lizard cry out.
"Star?!" Food falling out of his mouth, Starvern moved up to the battle, Twilight noticing the little dragon walking up to them.
"You curious? They're having a battle," she commented as Starvern turned to her. "It's something trainers and their Pokémon do together. Battle others to test their skills and abilities."
"And Flash is one of the best at it," Spike finished as Riptide used Aqua Tail on Higear.
Starvern glanced back at the fight, its body shaking with excitement as it watched the adrenaline-fueled battle continued. And as it saw Riptide and Higear charge at one another, Starvern suddenly ran into the fight, "Wait!" Twilight cried, reaching out her hand to stop him.
"STAR!" It roared while using Dragon Rage, the black and blue fire shooting between the two battling Pokémon, making both come to a stop.
"Starvern! What are you doing?!" Flash yelped, only to see Starvern scrapping his foot along the ground, wagging his tail, "Wait...do you wanna battle?"
"Star!" Starvern cheered, hopping up and down. "Starvern!"
Twilight giggle at this, "Starvern seemed to get really pumped watching you battle." She gave Flash a small smile, "Why not give it a go?"
"It would be a good way to understand his battle abilities," Doc added, Flash biting his lip at this.
He then walked up to the dragon, kneeling down in front of him. "Alright Starvern, we can battle." Starvern shined a big grin at this, "But you've gotta listen to me, and do everything I say. Understand?" Starvern nodded back, Flash doing a small nod before turning to the others, "Now...who to battle?"
"How about Peewee?" Spike suggested as he pointed to his Terragon.
"Terra!" Peewee cheered, hopping off Spike's shoulder.
"Well, they are both Dragon-types," Twilight commented, "It might work." Flash nodded back and grabbed Starvern before he and Spike walked over to the battlefield.
He put the dragon down while Peewee jumped off Spike's shoulder. "Now," Flash took out his Pokedex, scanning the Pokémon, "Starvern knows Bite...obviously. Also knows Leer and Dragon Rage."
"Not many options," Twilight hummed.
"Starvern just hatched," Doc added he stepped up to be between them as referee. "Alright, this'll be a one on one battle. I'll decide when the battle is over and who's won. Understand?" They nodded, "Then battle...begin!"
"Alright," Flash yelled, only for Starvern to start building up a Dragon Rage. "Wait!"
"Star!"
"Dodge it!" Spike ordered as Starvern fired the blast at Peewee, the dragon taking flight as it quickly dodged the attack, "Now, Incinerate!"
"Terra!" Peewee launched a blaze of flame right at Starvern, hitting it straight in the face.
"Vern!" It cried it pain, the dragon flying back until Flash caught it in his arms.
"You okay?" He asked as Starvern shook its head, soot flying off, "Good."
He put him down as Doc spoke up, "Flash, that's your one warning. If Starvern does something without your command again, I'll be forced to stop the battle."
"You hear that?" Flash told Starvern, "If you don't start listening we'll lose." Starvern frowned at this, only to nod. "Good. Now let's do this right."
"Wing Attack!" Spike yelled, Peewee shooting down with glowing wings.
"Dodge it, then use Leer." Starvern did as it was told, jumping to the side as Peewee shot past him. And when Peewee came to a stop to land, Starvern ran up and showed an intimidating glare. "Now, use Bite!" Starvern opened his mouth to chomp down on the dragon, only for Peewee to jump back before taking to the air.
"Dragonbreath!" Peewee unleashed a stream of blue fire, hitting the dragon.
"Star!" Starvern yelped as it was knocked back. It let out a groan as it pushed itself back onto its feet, its legs shaking as it growled, "Vern..."
"Calm down," Flash responded, "Try and get close to use Dragon Rage."
"Stay in the air!" Spike called out, "Another Dragonbreath!" Peewee let out a roar as he flew around, dodging a blaze of Dragon Rage attacks that Starvern kept firing. He then shot straight down between breaths, unleashing his own that hit the Star Pokémon in the face.
"STAR!" He cried as he was knocked back, rolling down the field just as Peewee flew back up.
"Starvern..." Flash grimaced as he saw his new Pokémon push itself back up. It growled at Peewee as it flew over him, only to look back at its own wings...and started flapping them intensely.
"What's it doing?" Twilight asked.
"I think it's trying to fly," Doc commented, "But it's not going to with those small wings."
"Starvern!" Flash called out, "Watch out!" But as his trainer said this, Starvern was too focused on his wings as Peewee shot down at him.
"Wing Attack!" Starvern heard this and turned around, now seeing Peewee fly down just as he hit him in the face with a glowing wing.
"STAR!" It roared in pain, knocking it back again before its eyes turned to spirals. The others gasped at this, Flash running up to him.
"Starvern!" Flash picked him up, the group now gathering around them. "Are you okay?"
"Star..." it blinked, its eyes returning to normal.
Doc sighed at this, "I'm gonna have to call this a win for Spike and Peewee. Sorry Flash."
"That's fine," Flash replied as he saw a big frown appear on Starvern's face, "Hey, it's okay. You're new at this, so of course you wouldn't be able to battle well yet. Don't worry, we'll keep training and help you grow stronger." Starvern didn't reply, just staring at Flash in silence.
It wasn't long till Flash saw that Starvern had yet to finish his breakfast, Flash putting him down as he instantly started eating as they all began to talk, "So, what do you think? How good was he?"
"I can see some potential," Doc replied, "But I wouldn't put him in any proper battles until you can be sure he'll listen to you."
"Good point," Flash responded. "I'm just wondering where I start with him."
"You should probably start by giving him a name." Twilight chimed in, "He'll figure out eventually that the others have nicknames and he'll feel upset if you don't give him one."
Flash nodded at this, only for Spike to speak up, "Why don't you name him Chomp?" Spike then pointed to Starvern as he nibbled at his bowl, "You know, since he likes to chomp down on anything he can get his teeth around."
Flash shook his head. "Nah, that would be weird if he grew out of that...though I have been thinking about a possible name last night." He pulled out his Pokedex, "And I think I have an idea. The Pokedex says it comes from space, right?" They all nodded back, "So how about a space name? Doesn't Astro mean space?"
"It means star," Twilight corrected. "But it makes even more sense. Astro the Starvern. I like it."
"Yeah, me too!" Spike added.
Doc nodded at this, "The question is, will he?"
Flash turned to Starvern and crouched down, "Astro." Starvern didn't respond, still nibbling on the bowl. "Astro." This time the Dragon-type turned to him. "Come here Astro." Starvern raised an eyebrow, but knew Flash was talking to him. He walked up to the teen, the trainer smiling and scratching him behind the ear. "That's a good boy. So, what do you think? Astro. Pretty cool name, huh?"
Starvern just blinked at him, tilting his head. Twilight leaned down next, "A name. It's what we call you. We can't just call you Starvern. That's what you are, but not who you are."
"That's right," Flash added as his other Pokémon walked up to him. "It's like everyone else. We've got Springer the Riolu, Skyler the Tornavian, Riptide the Spranitor, Prongs the Chitaleaf, and Viper the Anahakka." He held out a hand, "So what do you say? Wanna be Astro the Starvern?"
Starvern stared at Flash's hand for several moments before letting out a smile. "Star!" He cheered as he opened his mouth, the others smiling back. Though the smiles quickly vanished when he bit down of Flash's hand, causing the teen to cry out in pain.
After Flash pulled his hand free, the group spent the rest of Astro's first day on earth showing him everything they could. They showed him a bunch of toys he could play with, Astro then getting chewed out when he tried to bite down on a ball. The group also took him into a small area of the forest, Astro marvelling at the sight around him.
"See?" Flash commented while Astro was in his arms. "This is what's called a forest. It's filled with trees and has many different Pokémon in it." He pointed up at one tree, Astro looking up and seeing a Caterpie. "Some of them are peaceful and won't cause you any issues as long as you don't cause them any issues."
"Star..." Astro nodded.
"But other Pokémon don't like strangers in their territory, so you need to be careful, or they might attack you." Astro gave a deadpan stare at this.
"And look," Astro turned to see Twilight and Shine next to a bush covered in pink berries. "See here? This is a Pecha Berry Bush." Flash let Astro down as Shine used her telepathy to pick one off and hand it to Astro, who quickly took a bite before revelling in the sweet taste. "You like that?" Astro nodded before seeing another bush with a yellow berry. "But you should always be careful with berries you don't know," Twilight tried to say before Astro ran over to the bush and bit the fruit.
"STAR!" He cried out, making him tear up.
"You might end up with a flavor you didn't like," Twilight sighed before picking up the remains of the Sitrus Berry he had chomped down on.
They spent a little more time that day showing Astro around the forest, but eventually returned to the camp much to Astro annoyance. "It's dangerous out here," Flash explained as they reached the edge of the meadow. "We'll show you the rest, but only when I'm sure I can trust you not to run off on your own."
"Star!" Astro barked back, leaping out of his arms. "Star starvern!"
Flash shook his head at this, "I'm sorry, but you're just too curious right now. I'm responsible for you, so I can't have you wandering off every time something catches your eye."
"Star!" Astro yelled, trying to say he wouldn't...only for a Mothim to fly by. "Star?" Astro stared at it, his feet reflexively moving to go after the bug, only to suddenly feel a pressure on his tail. "Vern?" He turned to see that Prongs had stepped on his tail, he, Riptide and Viper shaking their heads as he growled at them.
"You see?" Flash said as he walked over to the dragon, "Just be patient."
"Star!" Astro whined, trying to move his tail in response.
"No." Flash responded, grabbing him and taking him back to the camp. The rest of the day was spent not exploring, but instead being told all about the group's amazing adventures together before Astro was hatched. They showed him several images of places he would like to see, but was beginning to doubt he would ever get to see beyond this meadow.
Eventually, the sun began to go down, everyone getting ready to go to bed. "Alright Astro," Flash knelt down in front of him. "It's time." He took out a Pokeball, "This'll be where you'll be sleeping from now on. Trust me, you'll be comfortable in here."
"Star?" Astro raised an eyebrow at the orb Flash was holding, then jumped to the side when Flash threw it at him.
"Astro." Flash sighed as he threw the ball again, only for Astro to dodge it. "Come on. Get in the ball." He pitched the ball at the dragon once more, but Astro used Dragon Rage the send it flying back. Flash caught it, only to cry out at how hot it was. "Astro!" He yelled while dropping the ball.
"Star star star!" Astro laughed as Springer shook his head.
"Maybe you should leave him out," Twilight said as she, Spike, Peewee and Shine got into their tents. "He is still new to the world, so being in a Pokeball might be a bit strange to him."
"He's gotta go into a Pokeball sometime."
"But he doesn't have to right now," Doc responded, "Maybe give him one more night sleeping in the tent? Then try again tomorrow."
Flash stared at the dragon, letting out a long sigh, "Alright." He returned everyone else before grabbing Astro and bringing him into the tent, the Starvern squirming in his arms. "One more night," Flash told him as Doc zipped the tent up and left the zipper out of Astro's reach before he and Flash got into their sleeping bags and Springer laid down beside him.
It wasn't long till Astro found himself curling up in the tent's corner, trying to get to sleep. There was a set of three snores that soon rang out in the tent, making the dragon glare at them. He closed his eyes, trying to relax...only for nothing. An hour or so passed, and sleep evaded him. He then looked up at Flash and the others, all fast asleep as he whispered, "Star..."
He picked himself up, staring up at the tent's opening and its zipper. He gave one final look at the three, then turning back to the zipper before crouching down and leaping up at the fastener. The dragon got within a few inches of the zipper, but was unable to grab it in his mouth before falling down, "Star!" He grunted, flinching when he heard Flash let out a noise.
The youngling waited a second at this, making sure Flash wasn't responding. He then jumped again, two more times before his third attempt. And on the third time, he flapped his little wings as hard as he could, this time actually seemingly hovering for a few seconds before grabbing the zipper in his mouth. His weight pulled the zipper down instantly, opening the tent. "Star!" He cheered, only to clamp his mouth shut.
After checking that the others didn't wake up, Astro slowly walked out of the tent, a giant grin on his face. He turned to the forest, his eyes shining at the sight as he began to wander inside. He ran as fast as he could, not a care in the world while also not remembering his path back to the meadow. A world of wonder awaited him, his ears soon catching a sound above him. "Star?" He replied to the noise, the dragon soon following the sound.
Meanwhile...
A cold wind blew through the meadow, hitting the now open tent. The draft hit Springer, making the Riolu shiver, "Ri..." he moaned, his eyes slowly opening as his body kept shaking. He squinted as he saw the tent flap open, only for his eyes to close again...and open back up as he realized what that meant. The Riolu hopped onto his feet, now noticing a certain absence, making him yell, "RIOLU!"
"What!?" Flash yelped as he and Doc shot up, the trainer's eyes half open as he responded, "What's happening?" He turned to Springer, about to ask what was wrong, only to notice a certain missing Pokémon. "Astro?" He and Doc spun around, now noticing the open tent, "Oh no."
The three climbed out of their tent, the noise they made making Twilight, Spike, Shine and Peewee poke their heads out of their tent, "What's going on?" Spike rubbed his eyes, "it's still night."
"Astro's gone!"
"What?" Twilight exclaimed, her eyes fully opening, "What do you mean he's gone?"
"We woke up and he was gone," Doc replied, "He must have opened the tent and got out."
"That means there's only one place he could have gone," Flash turned to the forest, soon taking out his Pokeballs and throwing them upward, "Come on out!" In a flash of light, the rest of his Pokémon appeared, "Astro's missing and we need to find him. Follow me!" They all nodded, following their trainer as he and the others rushed into the forest.
Peewee and Skyler took to the air, searching from above while the others fanned out. "Anything?" Twilight asked after looking inside a bush.
"Nothing," Spike yelled from atop a tree branch.
"He can't have gotten far," Doc responded, "He's small, so he can't move that fast."
"But who knows how long he's been gone," Twilight added, "He could be on the other side of the forest if he left early enough."
"Can you sense him bud?" Flash asked Springer, the Riolu already scanning before sighing and shaking his head, "Augh! Where could he be?!" It was then that Riptide picked up on a sound he knew all too well, causing him to look up from his search and turned to Flash, "Find something Riptide?"
"Tore," he pointed in a direction before spitting out a burst of water.
"You hear water?" Twilight asked as Spike climbed down from a tree.
"There must be a river nearby," Doc replied, a horrifying idea now appearing in all their heads. The sound of running water was something Astro had never heard, meaning he would be curious about it.
"Oh no!" Flash ran in the direction Riptide had pointed, the others following with great haste. The sound of the river got louder quickly, soon finding they were at the edge of the forest and now saw the aforementioned river rolling through the gap in the ground.
"Here's the river, but where's Astro?"
"You don't think he fell in, do you?" Spike asked, only for Springer's ears to perk up as his eyes went wide.
"RIOLU!" He yelped as he ran up the river, the others turning to him.
"Springer?" Flash followed after him as the group made their way upstream, only to gasp as they saw what Springer was running towards.
It was a large tree rooted in the side of the bank, growing at an angle over the river that would allow someone to walk up it and over the water. And someone was doing just that, a certain little dragon. Astro was walking up the tree trunk, now at the very end that hung over the center of the flowing river. The branch he was on was already weakening, beginning to bend and buckle under his weight. However, Astro didn't notice as he instead stared at the glistening moonlight that was reflected in the water.
"Star..."
"Astro!" He looked up to see Flash and his Pokémon running up to him, "Get down from there!"
"Star!" He shook his head and jumped in place, causing the branch to wobble. The hatchling saw this and giggled, then started jumping up and down, making the branch shake as he laughed.
"Astro! Stop!" But as he said this, the branch snapped, causing a wide-eyed Astro to suddenly start falling toward the water. "NO!" The others gasped, Skyler zipping right up to the dragon. He quickly got underneath Astro before he hit the water, the Starvern landing on the Tornavian's back as everyone sighed in relief as Skyler began to circle around.
Astro growled at the end of his fun, only to notice a branch on the other side of the river. And when Skyler got close to it, he leapt off his back. Everyone gasped at this as Astro landed on the tree branch, which bended under his weight until his feet hit the ground.
He then bit down on the wood as Flash yelled, "ASTRO! Get back here!" Astro shook his head the best he could with the branch in his mouth. "I'm warning you..." As he said this, Skyler flew down and primed his talons to grab him, only for Astro to let go of the branch.
"Tore?" Was all Skyler could say before the branch sprang back, striking him in the face. "TORNAVIAN!" Everyone flinched as they watched Skyler get thrown back, hitting the dirt with spirals appearing in his eyes.
"Staaaar," Astro laughed before turning to run deeper into the forest.
"When I get my hands on him," Flash hissed as he resisted making a choking motion with his hands. Skyler moaned as he picked himself up, then heard a whistling noise as he saw Flash return all but he and Springer before holding up his arms. Skyler nodded at this before flying over the river, picking the two up.
"See if you can find another way across. If you can't, I'll meet you back at the camp." Flash called out as Skyler flew him and Springer to the other side of the river. The group nodded back as Flash landed and let out Riptide, Prongs and Viper. "Let's go!" They nodded to the trainer, the group then running into the darker section of the forest while Twilight and the others began to search for another way across.
Having lost its pursuers, Astro shined a big grin as it continued to walk through the forest. But as he did this, he saw his vision slowly darken, finding that he was now going into a darker part of the place. And as he did this, he felt a shiver go down his spine.
"Star?" He whispered, only to jump in place as a noise rang out in a nearby bush, "Starvern?"
He stared at the bush for a second, then continuing to walk as he slowly entered a place completely covered by a canopy of the trees. Now unable to see anything, Astro could feel his grin shrinking, the bravery on his face disappearing as he kept walking...and suddenly feeling himself stepping into something wet and sticky.
"Star?" he asked, trying to pull his foot off out of sticky substance. And with a strong yank, he pulled his foot off the stuff, stumbling back as he did this. He then walked over to a tree, sitting down and staring at his foot. He saw the substance was a kind of white silk. "Vern?" Astro added before looking up, now seeing more silk, all of covering the trees and making large webs and zip-lines connecting them.
The webs were all connected to one large tree in the center of the area, large roots coming out of the ground with it while they looped around to make wooden caves. There were also holes in the trunk, tons of them, all the perfect home for something that enjoyed living in deep dark areas.
Astro blinked at this, getting up and walking over to the lumber pillar. But as he did this, twin purple lights suddenly appeared in the tree's holes, root caves, and in the branches of the tree. They stared at the Starvern as he got closer, now deciding he was too close for comfort.
And as Astro took another step, he stared up just in time to see a thin stream of silk shoot out from a hole. "Star!" He yelped before hopping back, the silk hitting the ground. He then looked up at the hole, now seeing the culprit: An Ariados.
It wasn't alone as well. Several more Ariados scuttled out of their dens, all glaring at the Starvern as it let out gulp. The dragon began to shake at the sight of the spiders, some snapping their pincers together while others were making hissing noises. "Star..." he whispered while trying to slowly move backward. But as he did this, one of the Ariados suddenly leapt down. "STARVERN!" He spun around, cutting into a sprint as he tried to get to the exit of the grove, but the Ariados was quicker.
The ones in the branches shot several webs that hit the trees that Astro was running toward, quickly forming a web to block his escape. The one on the ground then shot a line that struck Astro's tail, giving him a good yank that pulled the dragon off his feet.
"Star!" He cried as he hit the dirt, then rolling around to try and use Dragon Rage. But before he could, Ariados fired another shot and hit him in the mouth. "VRRRRM!" He tried to scream, then trying to use his claws to get the webs...but his little hands couldn't reach. Instead, all he could do was struggle as Ariados pulled him closer, ready to strike before-
"AURA SPHERE!" A blue orb shot through the web, tearing through the wall and hitting Ariados. It struck the spider head on, knocking it back while dropping the thread holding Astro. The Starvern turned to the attacker, now seeing six shadows leap into the grove, flying over him before landing between him and the Ariados. The Bug-types growled at the shadows, Astro seeing them as Flash with Springer and Prongs to his left and Riptide and Viper to his right while Skyler flew above his head.
"You're not touching him," Flash told the Ariados while his Pokémon all nodded. The Ariados let out a hiss before unleashing a barrage of Pin Missiles. "Water Gun, Energy Ball and Flamethrower!" Riptide, Prongs and Viper fired their long range attacks, striking the glowing projectiles midair and stopping them in their tracks as Springer and Skyler charged, "Extreme Speed and Steel Wing!"
"RIOLU!" Springer roared as he accelerated, zigzagging between several of the Ariados, slamming a foot into each of them, knocking them all back while Skyler did the same, hitting them with his wings.
At the same time, Flash turned to Astro, pulling the webbing of him. "You okay?" The Starvern nodded back, a look of confusion on his face. He knew he had just caused Flash trouble, but the human had a look of pure concern on his face as Flash replied, "Good." Flash turned back to the battle, "Just stay there behind me. We'll protect you, right guys?!"
"RI/TORE/SPRAN/LEAF/CARRR!" They all roared as the Ariados used String Shot.
"Flamethrower!" Viper unleashed a stream of fire, igniting all the threads. The webs were set ablaze, the fire now hitting the spiders, combusting them as well. The Bug-types cried out as they burned, the flames beginning to catch onto the trees.
"Water Gun!" Flash yelled, Riptide firing a volley of water to put out the flames while also hitting the Ariados. Once they were put out, several of the Ariados leapt at Flash and Astro, but Prongs jumped in front of them, "Bounce!" The Chitaleaf leapt up, slamming into the first Ariados, knocking it back into the others.
"Great work guys! Now, let's get out of here before they try a round two!" They all nodded back, but before they could escape, the Ariados Springer had originally struck with his Aura Sphere picked itself up, glaring at the trainer before firing a Poison Sting.
The teen saw the attack, unable to react as the needle came for him. But as it got closer, he suddenly felt himself getting pushed out of the way. "STAR!" He heard Astro cry as he fell to the ground, turning to see the Starvern in midair getting struck by the Poison Sting.
"ASTRO!" He cried, the Starvern falling over. He got up and grabbed the newborn, seeing a purple blush on his face. Anger consumed the teen's face, making him glare back at the Ariados. "Drain Punch, Tornado Burst, Rock Smash, Body Slam and Flame Wheel!"
"RI/TORE/SPRAN/LEAF/CARRR!" The five leapt at the Ariados, hitting it with a flurry of moves. An explosion consumed the spider, knocking it flying across the forest. And as the Ariados disappeared into the darkness, the group began to hightail out of there.
Back at the campsite, the others had returned their after their searches had come up fruitless. "Anything?" Twilight asked, getting a shake of the head from the others.
"Maybe Flash found him," Doc added, only for the group to hear a bunch of rustling. They turned to the sound, now seeing Flash and his Pokémon running up to them.
"Guys!" He yelled, everyone seeing him holding Astro in his arms. "We've got a problem."
Everyone gathered around him, seeing the purple blush on his face, "What happened?" Twilight asked.
"He ran into some very angry Ariados," Flash replied as Doc laid out of blanket for him. "And he got hit with Poison Sting." He was about to ask for a Antidote or Pecha Berry, but Shine walked up to the dragon. Her horn began to glow, soon unleashing a wave of different colored lights, all of them spreading around Astro. Everyone watched as the light was absorbed into the Starvern, his breathing soon getting easier as the purple blush disappeared.
Flash let out a sigh of relief before scratching Shine behind the ear, "Thanks girl." Shine giggled as Astro began to move, Flash then pushing him back down, "Stay down. You need to rest." And as he did this, Astro did as he was told, layinig back while frowning at Flash. He now saw the upset look on his face, Flash then adding, "You've caused us a lot of trouble. You know that?"
"Star..." he nodded his head.
"Not only did you disobey me, but you then put us all in danger."
"Star..."
Flash let out a sigh, shaking his head, "Astro...I know you want to see the world, but the world can be a dangerous place. If you don't know about something, you could put yourself and those around you in serious danger. Do you understand?"
"Star," Astro nodded.
Flash smiled and scratched him behind the ear. "I promise, I'll show you as much of the world as possible. But you have to listen to me when I tell you to do something. Because I know more about this world than you do, and I just want to keep you safe." He gestured to everyone else, "We all do."
Astro's eyes drifted over the group, seeing everyone smiling at him, none of them showing any sign of annoyance whatsoever. The sight made Astro realize Flash was right, now knowing that he didn't know anything about the world.
"Star," he replied before turning to Flash. "Starvern!" The teen chuckled before standing up, taking out a Pokeball next.
"It's time Astro. You ready?" Astro responded by picking himself up and nodding. "Alright then," he threw the Pokeball upward. "Go Pokeball!"
"Star!" Astro leapt up and headbutted the ball, the sphere opening to unleash a light that sucked the Starvern inside before slamming shut. It fell onto the grass, wiggling several times before locking with a familiar ding.
Flash smiled as he picked up the ball, then holding it up. "Alright. I just caught...A STARVERN!"
"RIO/AVIAN/NITOR/CHITA/HACKER!" His Pokémon all cheered while Twilight and the others clapped their hands.
"Congratulations Flash," Twilight added.
"Thanks," Flash then looked down at the Pokeball. "Alright Astro, come on out!" He threw the ball up, unleashing a swirl of red energy before a series of shiny sparkles appeared around the appearing Pokémon.
"Star!" Astro cheered as he fell into Flash's arms, Flash spinning him around with a smile on his face before putting him down beside the rest of his team.
"Astro."
"Starvern."
Flash then turned to his Anahakka, "Viper."
"Carrr."
Then to his Chitaleaf, "Prongs."
"Leaf."
To his Spranitor, "Riptide."
"Spran."
And his Tornavian, "Skyler."
"Tore!"
Then finally his Riolu. "And Springer."
"Rio!"
"Together, let's aim for the top and win the Equestria League!" He threw his fist up as his team mimicked him, letting out cries of agreement while their friends chuckled. His team once again whole, now with an excitable Starvern among his ranks, Flash is well on way to attain his dream of becoming the Equestrian Champion. One can only wonder what new adventures await our heroes. As the journey continues
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Yup. I was right, which means no cookie emoji for you.
I see the Pokedad is dealing with his first "quite a handful" kid. I suppose everyone has to deal with them sometime. Amazingly, Flash somehow managed to stay calm and patient through that whole ordeal.
Honestly, I think they should have gone with Spike's idea of calling him Chomp. Beyond that it was … well... a mediocre (as in the original definition meaning middle of the road, just passing) introduction to Astro
10631532 Twilight isn't asking. She confirming.
10631536
I know she's confirming Flash's guess, but Flash's guess is wrong. 'Astro' means 'star' not 'space' and Twilight should have corrected him10631551 Oh, I thought Astro meant space.
10631553
10631572 Well Astronauts go into space, not stars. Anyone could make that mistake.
10631574
True, but 'Cosmos' is the word for 'space', which is why the USSR used the term 'Cosmonaut', and since they were the ones to get a man in space first, they could coin that term, the USA coined Astronaut in no small part because they couldn't but also as a dick measuring moveWell this was nice. I kinda had a feeling the egg would turn out to be a Starvern, given the egg had a star on it. I wonder if they knew it was going to be a shiny when they gave Flash the egg though?
Astro was cute. A bit of a troublemaker, but cute nonetheless. The way he kept biting everything, I was half-expecting it to be explained that is how he shows affection, like Turtwig or Gible. Bit of a standard storyline with Astro needing to learn to listen to Flash, but still fun. I am excited to see how strong he will get throughout the story like Hopper did. Maybe Flash will be able to use him in his 8th Gym Battle if he is strong enough by then.
10631574
So, are you keeping the dialogue as is or are you going to correct it? You don't have to, but you can.
Astro is an adorable and rambunctious new member to the team! I'm betting he'll be a very strong opponent against the other foes Flash faces during the rest of his journey when he learns to stay calm and listen. Betting he'll get at least one Gym Battle in before the League starts, but that depends on the next Gyms types.
Well, i know it was a training battle, but at least it was a win for spike xD
The introduction of Flash's final official Pokémon, Astro. I don't think Astro ever became as iconic as Hopper was, but just like the ending of the last story said, nobody can ever replace Hopper. He was unique though due to him being a shiny, and he got a lot more battle experience a lot sooner than Hopper did.
This was also a fun chapter to see more of Flash being a dad to another newborn, while also trying to deal with how different Astro is from how Hopper was. Shine taking to her role as a big sister to Astro and never struggling with him like everyone else was also cute.