The Ties That Bind
Canterlot City was still buzzing from the Equestria League battles that had taken place a few days ago. The tournament had been insane, and the winner of the contest was none other than the hero of Equestria: Flash Sentry. He and his team had overcome every battle thrown at him, and now he had the chance to earn the title of Equestria League Champion.
The battle would have happened tomorrow...but the stadium's maintenance had found that there had been some serious damage caused by all the intense stress the battlefields had undergone during the fights. While this meant the battle had to be delayed, it also meant that the challengers had more time to prepare.
In Professor Celestia's garden, Flash's Pokémon were now taking their bandages off. They had been completely healed from the battle with Lightning, and were ready to start training. "Yup," Twilight commented as Riptide raised his legs without any pain, "You're good to go."
"So's Prongs and Skyler," Sunset added.
"Hopper's ready for action too," Kaida giggled as the King of Dragons spread his wings and roared.
As he did this, Spike frowned at them. "Are you sure you can't stay a little longer? Flash would love it if Hopper got to see his battle with Shining in person."
"Sorry kiddo," Ryu chimed in, "But we've already stayed longer than we expected. The Dragon Kingdom needs its ruler back, and I'm sure Princess is starting to miss him." Hopper nodded back, showing a small blush, "We've got a long way to go, so we'll need to head out soon if we wanna get back before nightfall."
"Well, I guess this'll be goodbye." The group turned to see Flash and Doc at the doorway, Doc holding Flash's backpack as he moved over to them. Flash and Ryu smiled at one another and high-fived, "Thanks for bringing Hopper over."
"No problem," Ryu replied, "I now see why Hopper so wanted to come and fight Lightning." He turned to see Flash's bag, "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah..." Flash scratched the back of his head. "Me and the rest of my Pokémon are heading out for a training trip in the woods. It's just gonna be the seven of us training our butts off until it's time for my match against Shining."
"Why?" Spike asked, "Can't you train here in Canterlot? There's plenty of places for it, and you'd get to sleep in a real bed instead of camping out."
Flash sighed and shrugged, "Yeah...but every time I step outside, some reporter shows up and asks me a bunch of questions. I'll never get anything done at that rate."
Twilight nodded, "Its something that happens a lot. In fact, most Equestria League winners have that problem. Last year, the guy who won was so busy having interview after interview that he didn't spend a moment training and Shining completely crushed him."
"I am not letting that happen to me," Flash deadpanned, "So, I'm gonna sneak out of the city and go train in the woods."
"And your camping gear's all set and ready for you," Doc gave him his backpack, Flash taking it and nodding.
"Alright gang." He held up his Pokeballs, "Time to get going. We've got a lot of training to do, and not a lot of time to get it done in." They all nodded and were sucked into their balls, Flash putting them away as Twilight stepped up next to him.
"Here," she held out her journal. "Celestia will know when the stadium's ready for battle. I'll ask her to let me know and when she does, I'll message you on this."
"Got it. Thanks." Flash replied before placing the journal in his bag. As he put it on, Springer hopped onto his shoulder, the two soon making their way around the side of lab.
However, when they got onto the main street, they found themselves being ambushed, "Flash Sentry!" One of thirty reporters and camera-workers ran over, "What's your strategy for dealing with Shining Armor?"
"WHOA!" Flash yelped as the paparazzi instantly appearing in front of him.
"Are you worried that Shining Armor knows everything about you from watching your previous battles?!"
"Have you considered swapping your Pokémon with ones he hasn't seen?!"
"What do you say to the people who say you've been using Rare Candies on your Pokémon and have been using more than the recommended daily amount?!"
"Is it true you spent some time travelling with Shining Armor's wife?! What's the story there?!"
"Ahhhh!" Flash yelled as he tried to backpedal, the reporters yelling more and more at him. But as he did this, Rainbow, Applejack and Cloud suddenly appeared.
"Back off yah vultures!" Applejack barked.
"Flash has more important things to do than deal with you guys!" Rainbow added as they started pushing the paparazzi back. Suddenly, Pinkie appeared with Fluttershy, Rarity and Trixie. In her hands was something that looked like a bazooka.
"Lock and load!"
"Flash!" Cloud yelled, Flash turning to his grandma, "Get out of here!" Flash nodded as Pinkie fired the bazooka, making a blast of smoke and confetti. The reporters yelped as they were blinded by the fog, only for it to fade and saw that Flash, Hopper, Ryu and Kaida were gone.
"Where'd they go?" A reporter asked, only another one looked up.
"There!" The others glanced upward and saw three Pokémon appear in the sky, a Skeidran, Noivern and Dragonair all flying away. "Come on!" He ran off, "We gotta catch him and get the answers we need!" The crowd ran after the flying trio, Flash's friends sighing as they watched the paparazzi try to catch them.
"Good luck Flash," Twilight smiled.
The three flew to the edge of the city as fast as they could, the people below seeing them thinking they were nothing but a stray Chickling trio. And as they arrived at the edge of Canterlot, they all changed direction and headed around the outer edge of the city. "Thanks for the lift Hopper," Flash commented as his Skeidran roared back, telling him it was fine.
"Why are we flying around the city?" Kaida asked next.
"Those reporters think Flash is heading in the direction they saw him fly off," Ryu replied, "But the forest he's gonna train in is actually in the other direction."
"Exactly," Flash added, "And by the time they get to the edge of the city, I'll be on the other side and free to train to my heart's content."
It wasn't long till they reached that end, landing and staying low in the forest for a few minutes. "Sky," Hopper said as he touched down and allowed Flash and Springer to jump off his back.
"Thanks for everything Hopper," Flash scratched him behind the ear. "Now you'd better get going before Princess has both our hides."
"Dran," Hopper nodded, only to put a claw on Flash's shoulder and pull him and Springer in for a hug. The two embraced back, doing so for a minute until the pulled apart. "SKEIDRAN!" Hopper then roared, telling Flash to do his best before turning to get a running start. He raced across the field before taking to the sky, Flash and Springer laughing as they watched him, Ryu and Kaida following him. They waved him off as the three became nothing more than blips in the sky, leaving the duo alone in the woods.
They both continued to stare at the last spot they had seen their friend before Flash took a deep breath. "Okay." He turned to Springer, "Let's get to work." Springer nodded as Flash took out his Pokeballs and threw them into the air. In a flash, Skyler, Riptide, Prongs, Viper and Astro appeared, "Alright gang!" He cheered, "It's go time!" The others all cheered in agreement before the seven headed into the woods.
Twenty minutes later, they came across an area that was clear of trees, completely flat with zero rocks. The perfect place for them to set up camp. "Alright," Flash took his bag off, "The first thing we need is wood." They nodded and once Flash put his bag down, they began to look around. They began to pick up loose twigs and broken branches, and after about fifteen minutes, they had enough and returned to the site. Flash, Springer, Riptide, Prongs, Viper and Astro piled the wood together and nodded at their handwork.
"That should be enough for the next few days." Flash commented before glancing around. "Hey, where's Skyler?"
The others began to look around, unable to find the Tornavian anywhere. But just before Flash could call out to him-
"TORE!" They glanced up and saw Skyler fly into the clearing.
"What's wrong?" Skyler swung around and flew back the way, the others following after him. It wasn't long till they reached where he was going, now going wide-eyed as a large tree that had falled over.
"Chop!" A Chopmunk cried, staring at something underneath the tree.
The oak had fallen atop a hole in the ground, blocking anyone from getting in or out. Flash heard several cries coming from it, "Your friends are trapped?" He ran over to the Chopmunk, who looked up at him before focusing back on the hole. "Can't you just cut through it?"
"Chop," Chopmunk tried to bite into the wood, but its super strong teeth weren't able to get through the bark.
"Too tough, huh?" Flash frowned, "Alright, let's try and move it." The seven went up to the tree and began to push, but found it was too heavy, "Nevermind." Flash glanced back at his Pokemon, only to point at Riptide, "Use Aqua Break." Riptide nodded and formed a sword, the Ocean Champion stepping up and raising his weapon high before slicing downward.
"Tidal!" He yelled as the sword hit the wood above the hole, the water splashing off but leaving a nice chunk cut out of the wood. He formed another sword and slashed at it again, the cut growing bigger. He continued doing this for several minutes until the three's trunk was cut halfway through.
"Alright," Flash chimed in, "Now use Rock Smash on that cut." Riptide dispelled his sword and took several steps back, "Get away from the exit."
Once he heard the Chopmunks inside scuttle away, he nodded and Riptide charged in. "Rep!" His legs glowing as he leapt, "TIDAL!" He swung his feet down and smashed into the tree's cut, the force causing the rest of the trunk to split.
"Yes!" Flash cheered along with his team. They all pushed on the two sides, which were now movable, and unblocked the exit to the Chopmunk hole. The Normal-type ran into its home, returning a moment later with four more Chopmunk, one its size and three smaller ones. They all happily squeaked at them, Flash chuckling back. "Happy to help." He turned to the tree and suddenly had an idea, causing him to smirk. "You mind if we take this?" The Chopmunk nodded before heading back into their hole.
"Ri?" Springer asked him, Flash moving over to the bed.
"Alright guys, let's get to work. This thing's gonna come in majorly handy."
They all raised an eyebrow at this, only for him to point at the tree.
A bit later...
After much effort and hard work, they managed to cut the fallen tree into several large pieces. There were now ten six foot long logs that they quickly started rolling back to their campsite. Once there, they arranged the logs into a rectangle that was two by three.
"Now we just need some leaves."
The group soon started shaking, body slamming and rattling the nearby trees so that the leaves came loose. Springer used Extreme Speed to grab them and throw them into the rectangle, the group not stopping until the whole things was packed full of leaves.
"There," Flash smirked as they stared at their creation, "A pretty good bed if I have to say so myself."
The others nodded and looked forward to sleeping in it, Astro not bothering to wait. "Gal!" He leapt and cannon-balled onto the bed, the force causing the leaves to be thrown up and rained down upon them.
"Ri/Tore/Rep/Stag/Vi!" The others cried at the youngest of the group, the dragon sheepishly blushing and poking his claws together.
"Hey," Flash held up his hands, "let's relax. Astro's just a little exited, right?" He turned to the dragon and he nodded, "And he's sorry." Astro's nods grew faster, "So let's just put it behind us and pick the leaves up." The others sighed but decided to let it go and they all started picking up the leaves and filling the bed once again. A few minutes later, the bed was repaired. "There. Now as long as we're careful, it shouldn't happen again."
"Gal," Astro nodded, promising to be careful next time.
With their campground sorted, the seven decided to explore the surrounding area to find some good places to train. They found a rocky area, an area with a steady flowing river, and even a cliff.
"Stag," he then heard Prongs cry out, turning to his Stagrowth and saw he was staring up at a tree filled with Oran Berries. The Grass-type licked his lips and Flash had to agree before turning to see another tree that had some Cheri Berries, and another that had Rawst Berries. He continued to look around, now seeing a giant supply of food that made his stomach happily growl.
"Who wants some berries?" They all raised their arms, or tail in Viper's case, and then started getting to work. Prongs slammed his hooves into one of the trees, making it shake and causing the berries to fall. Skyler caught them on his back, landing and letting the others remove the berries before he and Astro flew back up.
This time, Riptide struck the tree and knocked the berries loose. Both Skyler and Astro caught them before Springer used a Bone Rush to hit another tree. Several times they did this until they had enough berries to feast for a week.
"Nice work guys," Flash cheered as he started picking up the berries they had gathered. The others followed suit and soon enough, they were all walking back to their campsite while weighing down with their hard gathered earns. By the time they got there, the sun was beginning to set. Flash moved over to his backpack and took out a sheet, the trainer flipping it up before laying it down on the ground. "We'll keep the berries on this so they don't get dirty." The Pokémon nodded and started carefully placing their food down onto the canvas.
With the sun already half set, Flash decided they needed a good campfire. Grabbing the best sticks they had in their collection while the others dug a small round pit, they surrounded it with rocks and finishing it before Flash had selected his sticks.
"Alright," he carefully arranged them and turned to his Vipeacon, "Viper, let her rip." Viper nodded and after taking a deep breath, unleashed a powerful blast of fire. "WAIT!" But it was too late.
The fire struck the sticks and completely engulfed them, unleashing a cloud of smoke that consumed them. Flash and his Pokémon cried out as they worked to fan the smoke away, all coughing as it cloud began to fade. And when it did, they saw there was nothing but ashes filling the pit.
"Rep!" Riptide cried, glaring at Viper, who glared back.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Flash yelled as he and Springer got between the two, "Let's relax. That was probably my fault. If I heard someone tell me to let her rip, I'd probably unleash a blast of fire too." Riptide rolled his eyes as Viper smirked, Flash quickly gathering more wood and putting them into the pit. "Alright," he turned to Viper, "A small blast this time."
Viper nodded and after taking a deep breath, he let out a tiny fireball into the pit. It hit the sticks and they caught fire, Flash quickly puffing on it to make sure enough air was getting to it. Soon enough, they had a roaring campfire and everyone cheered happily.
And once the sun was completely set, Flash and his Pokémon sat around the campfire enjoying their meal. As they ate, Flash looked around at his team before smiling and looking up at the stars. "You know, sitting here like this, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic." The Pokémon raised an eyebrow at this, making Flash smirk. "You guys remember how we all met?" Now they began smiling as Flash turned to Springer. "I sure do. Like when I met you Springer. I was just a little kid and barely knew the first thing about Pokémon. Then one day, I went into the forest and saw you."
"Ri," Springer nodded, that day had been both the worst and best day of his life.
"You were so strong. Strong enough to even learn Aura Sphere when Riolu can't normal do that. So strong that the leader of your pack felt threatened and slammed you into a massive Everstone, preventing you from evolving forever." Flash then patted the Riolu, "But Shining caught you and gave you to me." Springer smiled back, "We've been best friends and partners ever since. And together, we've proven you're just as strong as any Lucario."
"Ri," Springer nodded before Flash turned to another Pokémon.
"Skyler, when we met, you were a Chickling who hadn't even learned to fly yet." Skyler nodded. "I caught you, and together we got your feet off the ground. Now look at you, an awesome Tornavian that's strong enough for even Ghost-types to be no match for."
"Tore," Skyler happily spread his wings as Flash turned to his Water-type.
"Riptide, when I met you, you were still a little Aquana." Riptide smiled at this, as he too remembered the day he met Flash. "We met at Professor Celestia's Lab and Lightning went off about how much of a weakling you were. But I could tell you could be something awesome if given the chance. And you proved it when you helped me stop Champagoon and saved a Chopmunk from a flood. We've been through a lot since then, and have had a lot of setbacks, but every time you fell, you got back up stronger than ever. And now look at you: You're the Ocean Champion."
Riptide smiled and gave him a thumbs up, Flash turning to his Grass-type.
"Prongs, when we met, you absolutely hated me. In fact, you hated pretty much every trainer that went through your forest. You were its prince and you were awesome even then. I'm glad I was able to convince you to join me and ever since then, you've bailed me out of one jam after another." He then got an idea and smirked. "I don't think it's right to call you the prince of the forest any more." Prongs raised an eyebrow at this, "I'd say you're now the king of the forest."
"Stag," Prongs chuckled at the name, Flash then turning to his Fire-type, who callously munched on a berry.
"Viper, you gave me a whole lot of trouble when we first met. Even after I caught you, you still kept trying to do your own thing. But eventually the two of us managed to find some common ground and now, you're the best Fire-type I could have asked for."
"Vi," Viper smirked a coy smile and kept eating as Flash turned to his final Pokémon.
"And Astro. I'm so glad the people of the Dragon Kingdom entrusted your egg to me." Astro smiled as Flash began to pet his head, "When you hatched, you wouldn't listen to a thing I said and kept wandering off whenever you saw something you were interested in. Not to mention all the bites you kept giving me." Astro laughed at this. "But you slowly started to settle down and grew into a really strong Pokémon. Now look at you, you're a super powerful Galvern that even took down a Gym Leader's best Pokémon."
"Gal!" Astro cheered as Flash leaned back and looked up at the stars once again. "A lot sure has happened since I left home. There've been great times and bad times. Tough times and times I thought I couldn't go on." He looked back down at them, "But I never gave up because I had you guys there with me. And no matter what threat we faced, we stayed strong and never backed down. And because of that, we have the chance to beat Shining Armor and become Equestria's new champions."
"RIO/TORE/TIDAL/GROWTH/CON/VERN!" The others cheered as they finished their meal before going to bed.
The next morning, the seven got up, ate and got to work. Flash watched as Skyler and Astro flew overhead, Skyler's wings glowing as he practiced his Steel Wing attack. On the ground, Riptide and Springer were clashing with their weapon attacks while Prongs was jumping around Viper as he breathed fire.
The entire day went like this, though they did stop every hour or so to rest and catch their breath along with meals. When night time came, they all slept in the leaf log bed they had made together. Those that wanted warmth were curled up next to Viper and Skyler, the lot snoring the way in which boys usually do.
This continued over the next few days, the seven training in different areas of the woods. Some area with rocks, other areas with ponds and streams. At one point, Flash accidently walked off a cliff and it was up to his team to save him. They certainly laughed at his expense when that was over.
By the end of the fourth day, the group were exhausted in a good way, now knowing they were truly stronger. "Oh yeah," Flash commented as they walked back to their campsite. "I can tell. Shining Armor's gonna be in for a tough time tomorrow."
His Pokémon nodded, though the seven knew they couldn't risk getting cocky. They then arrived at their campsite and were looking forward to another peaceful night under the stars, only for a crackle of thunder to fill the air and made them look upward. They had been so busy with training that they hadn't noticed the dark clouds that had appeared above them, all looking ready to unleash a torrent of rain down upon them.
"Great..." Flash gulped while Viper looked terrified.
The teen tried to think of what to do, knowing they couldn't get to the city in time before the rain. He grabbed his bag, pulling out Twilight's journal and opening up the map section. Luckily for him, this area had been well documented and the map showed a cave not far from their location.
"Come on!" Flash threw his bag over his back, Riptide quickly tying up the sheet holding their remaining berries and threw it over his. "This way!" They ran through the forest as the sounds of the thunder grew stronger, the group hoping beyond hope that they could reach the cave before the rain started.
No dice.
The heavens opened up and the downpour began, showering the seven as they raced through the trees. "Vi!" Viper cried as the water made him flinch, Skyler and Astro then flying above him. "Con," he thanked them as they shielded him from the rain.
After a few minutes of searching, they found the cave and ran inside. It wasn't a large cave, but it was big enough for them all to fit inside and be protected from the weather. "Finally..." Flash took off his jacket and flapped the rain off of it, Springer and Skyler both shaking to get the water out of their fur and feathers. Astro didn't seem too upset about being wet, but was still glad he was out of the rain. The only ones who seemed happy to be in the rain were Riptide and Prongs, the pair taking the space closest to the exit so the others remained as dry as possible.
"Vi!" Viper unleashed a Flamethrower, using it to heat the cave and get rid of any excess water that may have gotten into the cave. Flash held his jacket close to the fire, allowing it to completely dry before he put it back on.
"Well..." he leaned against the wall and slid down it, "Looks like we're staying here tonight." The others nodded and tried to get comfortable, now feeling water logged. "Great...I hope Twilight and the others aren't out in this."
Celestia's Lab...
Twilight stared out the window, frowning as she watched the rain fly down and smack the windows. Spike, Doc and Sunset walked up to her, soon watching the rain as well. "You worrying about Flash?" Her brother asked.
"Not really," Twilight replied, "I know his Pokémon will keep him safe...but knowing him, he'll get stuck in this. I just hope he's okay cuz I doubt the league will postpone his match with Shining until he gets better, so he'd have to either forfeit or try and win despite being sick."
Doc laughed at this, "Flash would probably wanna battle even if he had a hundred and twenty degree fever." This made the others laugh as they stepped away from the window to make sure the Pokémon in the garden were okay. Luckily, Celestia's garden had a retractable roof that she put up to keep them dry when it did rain.
They looked out the back and saw Peewee, Shine, Owlicious, Higear, Tockwork, Flitanium and Aggron all happily resting and completely dry despite the bad weather outside. Hopefully, Flash would be just as comfortable wherever he managed to find to sleep that night.
"Twilight," they turned to Celestia as she and Luna walked into the room. "I just got a message from your journal." She raised an eyebrow, clearly not knowing that Twilight had lent Flash the device.
Twilight's eyes went wide hearing this, "What did it say?!"
"I don't know. I didn't open it yet." She took something out of her pocket, a Holo-Caster, then clicked the button to switch it on. The screen appeared as a hologram and after a few more clicks, the message sent my Twilight's journal appeared. "Here we are." She showed them the message and they all smiled as they read it.
Found a cave to spend the night in. I'll be fine. Tell Twilight she can un-clench.
Twilight's face turned red, making everyone laugh while she crossed her arms, "Last time I worry about him."
"No, I don't think it will be." Sunset added, causing another round of laughter as Twilight rolled her eyes. She asked to borrow Celestia's Holo-Caster and the professor nodded, Twilight taking the device and typing away at it.
Flash and his team calmly sat in the cave, listening to the rhythmic pattering of the rain on the cave's roof. Then that rhythm was interrupt by a beep, coming from the journal. He opened it up and read the message, instantly reading it and laughing at the words.
Jerk. You're lucky I'm not there right now. Have you at least gotten some training done?
"Yes," he said out loud as he typed, "And everyone's looking great. I'm probably not gonna be any more prepared for the battle than I already am." He hit send and sat back as a crash of thunder filled the air alongside a flash of lightning. After a minute, the journal pinged again.
That's good. Celestia seems to think the arena will be ready by tomorrow. I'll message you if that's true. Just in case, better get a good night's sleep. Don't wanna be exhausted when you face Shining.
Flash smirked and replied with an OK, then shut the journal and put it back in his bag. And as he did this, he thought about Shining Armor and wondered if the Champion was doing any last minute training. No doubt he didn't get to remain champion this long by slacking off on his training.
Meanwhile...
At an indoor battle arena, Shining Armor and Galladin were currently battling it out against Cadance and her Crystardian.
"Sacred Sword!" He yelled, Galladin charging and slashing at the Psychic Rock-type with his glowing sword.
"Power Gem!" She countered, Crystardian flying up as the crystal drones that were connected to it detached and shot down for Galladin. The Steel Fighting-type dodged one, then deflected another before leaping over the third. "Flame Burst!"
"Star!" Crystardian roared as a fireball exploded from its eye, Galladin raising his shield in response before Shining even gave an order.
"Iron Defense!" The metal glowed as the flames struck, Galladin not being pushed back an inch and quickly charging as Crystardian flew down. "Night Slash!" With one mighty slash of a purple glowing blade, Crystardian was sent flying back, crashing into the ground. It skidded across the battlefield before finally stopping in front of Cadance, the professor's eyes going wide.
"You okay?" She asked, kneeling down to look the Protector Pokémon over. "I think maybe that should be it for the battle."
Shining nodded and thanked Galladin before returning him, then walked over to his wife while pulling out a Hyper Potion. He kneeled down and sprayed the Psychic Rock-type, who cried at the stinging but it quickly passed along with the pain. "There you go." Crystardian's eye no longer gave off a look of pain as it began to float back into the air, Cadance holding out her Pokeball and returning it.
"You're in top form," Cadance said as the pair walked over to a bench and sat down. "Beating you isn't going to be easy."
"You're right," Shining nodded. "But Flash isn't gonna just lay down and let me beat the snot out of his Pokémon. This battle's gonna be tough no matter how strong I am."
Cadance smiled at this, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted Flash to beat you or something." Shining smirked back as Cadance raised an eyebrow, "You do?"
"No. I don't want Flash to beat me," Shining replied while shaking his head, "I love being champion...but I know I can't be it forever. Though to be honest, I was more worried when Grand told me about Lightning, and what I saw with Lightning in the league...he was right to be worried. But that's over now thanks to Flash winning, and if I had to give up my title to somebody, I think Flash would be a pretty good trainer to give it to."
"So you want Flash to win, but you're not gonna make it easy for him?"
"Exactly," Shining nodded again, "If Flash wants to be champion, he's gotta prove he's up to the task. Not just to me, but to all of Equestria."
"Well, I hope he wins," Cadance responded, Shining raising an eyebrow at this before she put a hand to his chin, "With him as the champion, you won't have to go off to a bunch of unknown places for weeks at a time. You can stay with me and help with my research."
"Oh," Shining groaned, "Hooray." Cadance smacked him on the shoulder, "Hey! You know I'm kidding! Though research was never really my strong suit..."
"Well, you don't have to just help with research. I'm sure there's plenty of things you could do in the Crystal Empire. We still have one of the Heart Fragments and the Shadow Spear. I'd like to think nobody would be stupid enough to try and take them again, but you never know. We need a strong trainer to keep them safe." Shining nodded again, "And maybe you could make your own Gym or something in the empire. You never know."
"Tempting...though if I do end up losing, I think I'd like to take some time off as a trainer."
"Really? But you love being a trainer."
"I know. Its not forever. Just a few years or so. Give my Pokémon some time to enjoy life without needing to constantly be ready to battle at the drop of the hat." He then shined a big grin, "Maybe I can focus my attention on raising something other than a Pokémon."
Cadance's eyes went wide at this, only to pull him into a hug, Shining holding her tight. The pair kissed a second later, only for Cadance to put a finger on his lips, "Now I'll be rooting for Flash even more." Shining laughed at this, Cadance soon joining in.
And after a few minutes, Shining went over to a nearby window and stared into the night, "Flash, you better bring your all when we face off. I know you have what it takes, but the time has come to show everyone that. I know you can do it."
Flash shivered as he sat there in the cave, him and his Pokémon eating the last of the berries they had gathered. He bit into a Rawst Berry and instantly felt a warmth flow through him, the teen glad he had saved some of these. Nothing beat away the cold like a berry with the power to cure the Frozen Status. The rest of his team were all gathered around him, Springer siting right beside him with Viper coiled in front, Skyler and Astro on either side while Riptide and Prongs sat the furthest back.
Once they had all finished their food, Flash tried to get comfortable and go to sleep. But even though the cave was dry, the lumpy rock wasn't comfortable, his Pokémon soon trying to help him. Viper was the first, slithering over to Flash and coiling behind his back. "Viper?" He asked as the Vipeacon did this, Springer then jumping onto his lap and pushing him back so he leaned against Viper. "Springer?" Astro then lifted his tail and placed it on top of Viper's back, giving Flash a comfortable pillow to rest his head on. "Astro?" Skyler hopped over and raised his wings so that they covered Flash's chest, Springer adjusting his head so it was hidden under the wing. "Skyler?" Riptide and Prongs walked over and leaned against Viper and Skyler to keep them both protected from any stray rain that flew into the cover. "Riptide...Prongs?" Finally, Viper radiated heat from his body. Not enough to cause a flame, but enough to keep Flash and the others warm. They were all huddled up together, the sight making Flash well up tears, "My...my friends."
The teen quickly wrapped his arms around Springer and held him tightly. "Thank you. All of you. You guys really are the best." His Pokémon happily called back that he was also the best, the seven snuggling closer to one another.
And as Flash soon fell asleep, he dreamed about everything he and his Pokémon had been through. The many challenges, obstacles, and strong opponents they had overcome. It hadn't been easy, but they had managed to stand tall against them because they were together. No doubt there would be many other challenges waiting, but as long as they stood together, nothing would stop them.
The next morning...
The dark clouds from the night before had completely vanished, allowing the light of the raising sun to shine brightly into the forest. The water still covering the trees and the grass reflected the light, causing it to shine right into the cave and hit Flash in the face. He flinched at this, his eyes slowly opening as he glanced down and saw his Pokémon all huddled around him to keep their trainer warm.
"Guys..." he started shaking them, "It's morning." The Pokémon start to respond, all opening their eyes. They glanced around, now seeing he was right and got up, all stretching themselves out. Flash let out a yawn and reached for his bag, pulling it open and staring at the pocket for food...and it was empty. "Looks like that's the end of our camping trip." He then grabbed Twilight's journal, a light glowing off it. "Twilight must have sent me something..."
His eyes darted over the words and read aloud, "The battlefield's completed inspection and will be ready for Shining and us whenever we're up for it." He looked up at his team, all standing tall in response. "Nice. We're ready." He quickly sent a message back to Twilight, telling her he and his team were on their way back. "Let's go." They all nodded and once Flash had packed everything into his bag, they left the cave and began to make their way for Canterlot.
It didn't take long for them to get to the edge of the forest, arriving at an area that was atop a hill that gave them all a great view of the city. Flash smiled at the sight, seeing it was the same place he and Springer had been the first time they had come to Canterlot. A lot had happened since that day, and Flash wasn't the same naive boy he had been back then.
"Ri," Springer's ears flickered, making his teammates look down at him.
"What's up?" Springer replied by turning back into the forest and running down into the trees, "Springer!" Flash and his Pokémon raced after the wayward Riolu, a noise soon hitting Flash's ears that brought back many memories. "Water?" The sound of a running stream grew louder at this as Springer began to slow down.
And after a minute or so of running, the seven arrived at the destination Springer had been seeking out. It was an average sized lake with a river running into it, a layer of mist coming off the water. A place Flash and Springer had been too only once, but they would never ever forget. "This is..." Flash walked up and placed his hand in the water, "Where we met Pegasoar for the first time."
Springer stepped up next to Flash, the trainer turning to see him staring at the other side of the lake. Flash followed his eyes and went wide-eyed as he whispered, "Pegasoar..."
Standing on the far side of the lake, his form previously obscured by the now fading mist, was the Legendary Flying-type. The winged horse Pokémon was staring back at Flash, who slowly stood up without taking his eyes off the Legendary. "It's you."
"Soar," Pegasoar nodded. Flash remained completely still, unable to do anything but think back to that day. And as he did, something clicked in his mind.
"It was you." Pegasoar tilted its head as he continued, "If you hadn't shown yourself to me that day, I would have gotten to Professor Celestia's Lab a lot sooner. I would have been registered for the Pokémon League and left before Lightning arrived." He smiled at the Legendary. "It's thanks to you that my rivalry with Lightning started. It's thanks to you that I battled him, stayed in Canterlot overnight and helped save Champagoon. You're the reason Celestia trusted me to look after Twilight, so I could journey with her and Spike. Everything I've done since I met you, everything I've learned and done...it's all thanks to you."
"Peg," the Soaring Wing Pokémon spread its wings and calmly flew over to Flash. The teen backpedaled as the Pokémon landed in front of him, Flash smiling as he carefully reached out and started petting Pegasoar's mane.
"Thank you, for helping me become the trainer I am today." Pegasoar nodded. "You chose me to be your champion because you saw something in me. I'm glad I was able to live up to your expectations." Pegasoar nodded again as Flash thought about every time he had helped someone or saved some part of Equestria. "If I become Champion, I promise I'll do whatever it takes to keep this region safe. Heck, even if I don't, I'll still do it." He glanced around at this, the teen thinking back to all the incredible places he had seen on his journey. "Equestria is an amazing place, and no matter what, I won't let anyone or anything hurt it." He turned to Pegasoar, "I'll keep it safe."
Pegasoar smiled and with one final nod, he flared his wings. Flash and his team stepped aside, allowing Pegasoar open range to start running, galloping along the grassy terrain before leaping upward, spreading his wings and taking to the sky. The seven watched as the Legendary flew away and disappeared into the clouds, Flash smiling every second.
"I promise," he repeated. "Equestria will remain safe as long as I'm around."
Back in Canterlot, Twilight, Doc and Spike were standing at the city's entrance waiting for Flash to return. The Equestria League representatives had contacted them that morning, asking if Flash would be ready to battle the next day. Fearing they would force Flash to forfeit if they said no, Twilight had agreed and now they needed to get Flash back to the city. Luckily, Flash had sent a message to them saying he was on their way.
"What's taking him so long?" Spike asked, pacing side to side in front of the city entrance. It was clear he had taken on some of Twilight's bad qualities while Twilight calmly stood there.
"Relax Spike. He has all day to get back here. There's plenty of time before we have to-" She stopped and smiled, making Spike and Doc turn to her.
The pair followed her glance and saw seven figures making their way up to them. Flash led the group, Springer and Riptide on either side of him with Prongs and Viper on the outer line while Skyler and Astro flew above them.
"Flash!" Spike cheered, Peewee happily roaring as the seven reached them. "We were worried you weren't gonna get here!"
"Um...thanks?" Flash laughed, "Nice to know you have so much faith in me."
Twilight stepped up and glanced over Flash's team, smiling at the sight before raising an eyebrow at the teen, "I hope you weren't messing around out there."
"Nope," Flash replied, "We pushed ourselves as much as possible."
"Well, you'd better spend the rest of the day resting up," Doc responded, "We don't want you losing tomorrow because you exhausted yourself by training to much." Flash nodded in agreement, then noticed something behind his friends. The others spun around, now seeing Shining, Cadance, Celestia and Luna all making their way up to them.
Flash and his Pokémon walked past his friends, Shining now stopping in front of him and staring down the young challenger. Their eyes locked before flickering to the teen's Pokémon. It was clear just from looking at them that the six were even stronger than when they had beaten Lightning.
"Alright," he nodded, "I'll see you on the battlefield." He turned to walk away, "Don't be late." Flash nodded and Shining left with the professors, the seven standing firm together. Everyone who saw this knew Flash was gonna be in for the fight of his life.
"This is gonna be awesome," Spike chuckled.
Doc nodded, "They're probably two of the strongest trainers Equestria has ever seen. A battle against them is gonna be the fight of the decade."
Twilight giggled before patting Flash's shoulder, the teen turning to her as she winked at him, "I know you can do it."
The next day...
All of Equestria was hyped beyond belief, every street in every town empty as their residents were now all sitting in front of the nearest television. In the stadium itself, Twilight, Doc, Spike, Cloud, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Trixie and even Sunset were sitting in the stands, the Gym Leaders also in their box and the professors were in the commentators' booth.
Inside his waiting room, Flash and Springer sat. He spent his time calmly polishing his Pokeballs, the only thing he could think of to calm his nerves. He slowly rubbed Springer's Premier-Ball and pulled the cloth away to see it shine in the light, making him smirk as he held the ball up to the Riolu. "What do you think?"
"Ri..." Springer nodded as he saw himself in the Pokeball's reflection. Flash chuckled and put the ball down next to the others, all of which looked brand spanking new. But before he could think of something else to keep himself busy, the door knocked and opened to show a stadium worker.
"It's time." Flash nodded, collected his Pokeballs and stepped out of the room with Springer.
This was it. The final battle to determine Flash's future. Would it end in his victory, or crushing defeat? Only time would tell. As the journey...continues.
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This is it…the final showdown. I’m so nervous I can’t help it!
Personally, I'd rather focus on what's ahead in the new year, much like how our eyes are in the front of our heads and not the back, and see where we're heading come closer. Yeah, that's a paraphrase of Kaminia from Gurren Lagann, but he's right.
A little too saccharine for what is the last bit before what will be the anti-climax for my tastes, a reflection chapter would be better suited for the recovery after the fight with Shining and Flash elects to let his teammates go, but not too bad.
Not much to say, Flash will either win or lose and it really doesn't matter what my thoughts are on it. Maybe Spring will evolve mid-battle or something happens that cuts the match short. Who knows?
Wow, what a great way to start the new year, not only with a new chapter from you but a nice relaxing one that looks back on the journey Flash and his Pokémon have taken as it slowly draws to a close.
Flash and his Pokémon camping out and reflecting on what they were like when they first met reminded me of the Battle Frontier episode. But the best part was definitely when Flash and his team met Pegasoar again in the exact same spot as the start of the series. I never realized how much Pegasoar affected Flash's journey beyond choosing him as his champion until Flash explained it. It was a pretty heartwarming moment, and it almost felt like Pegasoar was going to join his team or something. Though I am glad that didn't happen so Flash can use the team he has trained with the whole series, I do think it might be cool if after Flash becomes champion he manages to catch Pegasoar afterwards at some point in his career, since it turns out he owes Pegasoar a lot.
Now he can finally get into the final battle between Flash and Shining. I can tell this is going to be epic, and if it lasts the rest of the story then that means it should be about four chapters long: even longer than the battle with Lightning! Time for Flash to show just how far he and his team have come!
A nice breather chapter after the battle with Lightning. It was nice to see everything with Flash and his team. I also love that scene with Shining Armor and Cadance. After the tournament, he wants to start a family. Flurry Heart will obviously be shown in an epilogue or something. I want her to be surrounded by Pokémon with a smile on her face.
(Pulls up a chair and a bag of popcorn with vitamin water) I’m ready!
You know, it's been a while since I've read about Flash being a total Poke-dad. Seeing all of them being so affectionate with each other was really sweet.
Well, this is essentially the final breather chapter of the entire series. Flash and his team prepare for the most important battle of their lives, their championship match with Shining Armor. I liked the scene with Flash reminiscing with his team on how far they have all come, just like the scene with Ash's original team in the Battle Frontier. It is too bad Hopper couldn't be there during this, but his goodbye scene with Flash was good enough for me.
Flash messaging with Twilight and Shining and Cadance talking about the future together were also really cute scenes. The biggest surprise though was Flash seeing Pegasoar again, in the same place he was in the first chapter of the series. Flash realizing how that moment at the start when Pegasoar showed himself to him pretty much influenced his entire journey and made him the way he is now is pretty incredible. Pegasoar gliding over to Flash and allowing him to pet him shows that Flash is more than just Pegasoar's chosen champion, he's his friend.