Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo released their Pokémon, which stared down Miss Cheerilee's team.
"Let's see what you girls can do," Miss Cheerilee said.
"Torchic, shoot fire at them!" Scootaloo declared, pumping a fist.
Torchic turned and looked at her, tilting its head curiously. "Torchic tor?"
Apple Bloom facepalmed. "Scootaloo, ya gotta call out an attack yer Pokémon knows!" she said.
"Oh. Okay. Umm..." Scootaloo frowned. "Do...whatever fire move you know!"
Torchic fell over. "Toooor..."
"You...have no idea what you're doing, do you?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Sure I do!" Scootaloo replied hotly. "I...!" She sagged. "Okay, not so much."
Apple Bloom sighed. "Torchic," she said, "do you know Ember?"
"Tor!" Torchic declared, flapping its tiny wings and bobbing its head.
"Okay then!" Scootaloo said. "Torchic, use Ember on that floaty weasel!"
"Buizel," Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said together in a flat tone.
"Toooor!" Torchic jumped forward and spat out a tiny fireball. It hit the Buizel right in the chest.
"Bui," Buizel said.
"That's it?" Scootaloo cried. "That sucked!"
"Well, Buizel's a Water-type," Sweetie Belle said. "Of course your Fire-type isn't going to work very well against it." She pointed at Geodude. "Oshawott, use Water Gun on Geodude!"
"Wott!" Oshawott declared, opening its mouth wide and issuing a stream of water at Miss Cheerilee's Geodude. It thoroughly soaked the other Pokémon, who grunted in annoyance.
"Dude," Geodude said irritably.
"Hah! You didn't do any better!" Scootaloo declared.
"Oshaaa," Oshawott said, looking down and kicking the grass.
"Cut it out, Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom said. "These are young Pokémon! They gotta train an' get stronger!" She knelt down and rubbed her Chikorita on the head. "Show 'em somethin' good, Chikorita. Use Razor Leaf!"
"Chiiiiiikariiii!" Chikorita chirruped. The large leaf on its head began to spin like a propeller. A flurry of leaves burst forth, striking each of Miss Cheerilee's Pokémon.
"Buiiiii!" Buizel cried, covering its head with its paws.
"Geoooooo!" Geodude moaned, shuddering.
Emolga dodged and weaved, evading the attack.
"Nice, Apple Bloom!" Miss Cheerilee said.
"Whoa," Scootaloo said, eyes wide. "What happened? That was just...a bunch of leaves!"
"Grass-type attacks are very effective against Water-type and Rock-type Pokémon," Miss Cheerilee said. "Water-type moves are also good against Rock and Ground-types..." She frowned. "Actually, your Oshawott should've done a lot more damage to Geodude," she said.
"Wott," Oshawott whined, plopping down on its butt.
"Awww," Sweetie Belle said, picking up her Oshawott and cuddling it. "You'll get the hang of it..."
"Osha, wott."
"Now it's my turn!" Miss Cheerilee said. "Geodude, use Tackle on Chikorita!"
"Geo!" Geodude sprang forward, its impressive bulk flying through the air like a miniature meteor. Chikorita, caught off-guard by the speed, couldn't dodge in time and was knocked backward.
"Chikaaaaa!"
"Emolga, use Nuzzle on Oshawott!"
"Eep!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, recoiling as Emolga flew toward her, its cheeks sparking. Oshawott jumped out of her arms and began running around in circles, trying desperately to avoid the flying Pokémon. It was a futile effort; Emolga caught up and rubbed its sparking cheeks against Oshawott. With a crackling, popping sound, Oshawott fell over, eyes spinning.
"Oshaaaaa...."
"Buizel, use Water Pulse!" Miss Cheerilee commanded. "Go for Torchic!"
"Buiii!" Buizel cut loose with a pulsing jet of water, which caught Torchic and lifted it off the ground. Torchic slammed against the trunk of a tree and slid down.
"HEY!" Scootaloo cried, running over and picking the little Pokémon up. "Not cool!"
"Sorry, but this is what it's like to battle with other Pokémon," Miss Cheerilee said. "You have to be careful—"
"Not that!" Scootaloo said. "That was so lame, just taking it and getting knocked around like that!" She bapped Torchic on the head with a fist. "Don't be so lame!"
"Tor tor!" Torchic spat a tiny fireball at Scootaloo. She coughed as her face was smeared with soot.
"Don't treat your Pokémon like that!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.
"Okay, I think that's enough," Miss Cheerilee said, recalling her Pokémon. "I just wanted to give you girls a little taste of a real Pokémon battle...don't feel too bad about how it turned out. My Pokémon are way too strong for yours. You'll have to train your Pokémon well once you start out on your journey so they'll get strong enough to battle." She smiled. "You girls need to take your Pokémon over to the Pokémon Center and get them healed up so you can...oh! I almost forgot! Come inside."
The girls recalled their Pokémon and followed Cheerilee inside. She rummaged around in her desk, then handed each of them a slim handheld device with a red cover. "I have a Pokédex for each of you," she said. "This is the latest model. The Pokédex contains information on the Pokémon you'll meet, as well as a map of the Caballos region and a GPS so you won't get lost. You can also use it to call anyone you know from anywhere in Caballos."
"Cool!" Scootaloo said.
"Thank you," Sweetie Belle said.
"Mah own Pokédex...an' it's a lot better than mah big sister's!" Apple Bloom said enthusiastically.
"Alright...head on over to the Pokémon Center and get your Pokémon taken care of," Miss Cheerilee said. "After that, you should get going. You'll want to head west to Salt Lick City." She frowned. "It's going to be good experience for you two, but Scootaloo may have some trouble...still, it's the ideal place for beginners to learn a lot about becoming a Pokémon trainer."
The girls thanked Miss Cheerilee, then left.
"Man...the only one who got a cool Pokémon is Apple Bloom," Scootaloo complained. "Ours are junk."
"Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle snapped. "That's not a nice thing to say!"
"Scootaloo, give your Torchic a chance, okay?" Apple Bloom said. "It's jes' starting out...jes' like you." She looked at Scootaloo. "Do you think you're junk?"
"Of course not!" Scootaloo cried.
"Then don't call your Pokémon junk."
"Mine either!" Sweetie Belle said. "Oshawott just...needs time to get good."
"Yeah yeah," Scootaloo said. "So...Salt Lick City, huh? Sounds like Dullsville." She brightened. "Hey! Why don't we head to Cloudsdale instead?"
"Or Canterlot!" Sweetie Belle said.
"We'll go to all those places," Apple Bloom said. "But if Miss Cheerilee says we should go to Salt Lick City first, then that's what we're gonna do."
"Who died and made you leader?" Scootaloo challenged.
Apple Bloom smirked. "Wanna battle for it?"
"You bet!" Scootaloo said hotly.
"We need to get our Pokémon to the Pokémon Center, you two!" Sweetie Belle reminded them.
"Alright, fine. But after that...we battle! Whoever wins decides where we go first!" Scootaloo declared.
"You're on!" Apple Bloom said, pumping a fist.
Sweetie Belle sighed. "This won't end well..."
* * * * *
"Here you go, girls," Nurse Redheart said as she returned the girls' Pokémon to them. "Are you just starting out on your Pokémon journey?"
"We sure are!" Scootaloo said. "And as soon as I show Apple Bloom here how awesome I really am, we're gonna go straight to Cloudsdale!"
"Cloudsdale?" Nurse Redheart asked, tilting her head. "Are you sure?"
"Sure I'm sure!" Scootaloo declared. "That's where my idol is! But Apple Bloom wants to go to Salt Lick City—"
"Ah don't want to necessarily, it's jes' that's where we're supposed ta go—"
"—so we're gonna have a battle to decide where we're gonna go first!" Scootaloo declared, pumping a fist.
"Oh dear," Nurse Redheart said. "Girls, I...don't think you should really use Pokémon battles to settle something like that..."
"Eh, it'll be good trainin'," Apple Bloom said. "Miss Cheerilee's Pokémon whupped us somethin' fierce."
Nurse Redheart sighed. "Well...if you insist..." She looked around; the Pokémon Center was quiet and empty for the moment. "Alright...I'll be your referee." She looked at the egg-shaped Pokémon which was organizing magazines on a rack. "Chansey, keep an eye on things for a little bit, alright?"
"Chan~sey!"
The girls and Nurse Redheart headed out to the back. "Alright...this will be a one-on-one match," Nurse Redheart declared.
Apple Bloom tossed her Pokéball confidently. "C'mon out, Chikorita!"
"Riii!"
Scootaloo held out her Pokéball. "Torchic, let's win this!"
"Torchic tor!"
Chikorita and Torchic stared one another down with determination.
"This'll be interesting," Sweetie Belle said. "With the type difference, you'd think Scootaloo would have this one in the bag, but..."
"Torchic, use Ember!"
"Chikorita, dodge and Tackle!"
Torchic spat out a tiny fireball. Chikorita leapt to the side, then closed the distance, ramming full-force into Torchic. Torchic went flying, landing on its back.
"Good hit, Chikorita! Now use Razor Leaf!"
"Torchic, get up and use Ember!"
Torchic jumped up and spat out several tiny fireballs, which intercepted the spinning leaves that bore down on it like shuriken. The leaves burned away to nothing. Scootaloo grinned. "Okay, do Ember again!"
"Does...does she only know one of her Pokémon's moves?" Nurse Redheart asked.
Sweetie Belle sighed. "Yeah..."
Torchic spat out another tiny fireball, which staggered Chikorita. "Shake it off, Chikorita!" Apple Bloom said. "Hit it with another Tackle!"
"Chiiika!" Chikorita lunged forward, slamming into Torchic again. Torchic went down, flailing its tiny legs for a moment before falling still.
"Torchic is unable to battle!" Nurse Redheart said. "The winner is Apple Bloom's Chikorita!"
Scootaloo sighed as she recalled Torchic. "Can't even beat a Grass-type," she muttered.
"You gotta learn how to battle," Apple Bloom said. "Ah been watchin' mah sister battle for years. You don't even know your Pokémon's attacks. That's why we gotta go to Salt Lick City, so we can all learn together." She smiled. "We'll git t' Cloudsdale sooner or later. Jes' trust me, alright?"
Scootaloo groaned. "Fine," she said. "But if this gets boring, I'm bailin' and goin' to Cloudsdale on my own."
"Now that that's settled," Nurse Redheart said, "let me heal up your Pokémon...again...so you girls can get on the road."
* * * * *
"So why are you all fired up t' git t' Cloudsdale, anyway?" Apple Bloom asked as the girls left the Pokémon Center and headed for the northwest road out of Ponyville.
"Because the coolest, most awesome, most radical Pokémon trainer in Caballos is the Cloudsdale Gym leader!" Scootaloo said. "I've been waiting my whole life to meet her...Rainbow Dash!" Stars filled her eyes. "She's everything I've ever wanted to be!"
"I've heard of her," Sweetie Belle said. "She's part of that Flying-type Pokémon stunt team, right?"
"The Wonderbolts? Nooot exactly," Scootaloo said. "She quit the reserves to take over the Cloudsdale Gym. But she still does her own stunt show when she has time, and when the Wonderbolts are in Cloudsdale, she performs with them. Oh, I want to see it in person!"
"Well, Ah guarantee we'll be headed that way before you know it," Apple Bloom said. "Jes' be patient, alright?"
Scootaloo sighed. "Alright..." She looked down the long, dusty road that lay before them. "So how far is it to Salt Lick City?"
"It'll take us about four days t' git there," Apple Bloom said.
Scootaloo's jaw dropped. "FOUR DAYS?!"
"Eeyup," Apple Bloom said. "An' we gotta pass through Appleloosa first."
"Is there a gym there?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Nope, it's a settler town," Apple Bloom said. "One'a mah cousins lives there. Ah reckon we might drop in on him."
The grass alongside the road ahead of them rustled suddenly. With a loud shriek, a Taillow darted out into the road. It flapped its wings uselessly. One of its wings was noticeably mangled.
"Oh my gosh! It's hurt!" Sweetie Belle declared. She pulled out her Pokédex and aimed it at the Taillow. It chimed, then reported in a halting mechanical voice:
//Taillow. The Tiny Swallow Pokémon. It has a gutsy spirit that makes it bravely take on tough foes. It flies in search of warm climates.//
The grass rustled again, and a thick purple snake slithered out into the road, its slitted yellow eyes fixed on the Taillow. "EKANSSSSSS!"
"It's an Ekans!" Scootaloo cried.
"Oh, I don't like those," Sweetie Belle moaned. "an Ekans fell down my sister Rarity's brassiere one time. She screamed for three solid hours!"
The Ekans lunged at the Taillow, who struggled to get out of the way.
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Apple Bloom shouted, pulling out her Pokéball and throwing it. "CHIKORITA, AH CHOOSE YOU!"
In a flash of red light, Chikorita appeared.
"Chikorita, protect that Taillow!" Apple Bloom cried.
"Ri rii!"
The Ekans hissed and reared, poised to strike...
Scootaloo has a long way to go if she wants to be a Pokemon trainer.
I hope Apple Bloom's aware of the fact that her Chikorita has a type disadvantage going into battle with an Ekans.
5454600 Yeah, but it's that or let Taillow become a snack...
5454607 True. She'll just have to be careful. Especially since she probably doesn't have any antidotes.
I'm going to guess that Sweetie Belle isn't going to be too much of a battler, but more of the contest type. She doesn't quite seem to have the heart for battling.
Scootaloo, on the other hand, certainly has the spirit needed, but she really needs to work on learning. Apple Bloom had an unfair advantage being the younger sibling to a Gym Leader.
5454600
I think AB is fully aware, but she has to do *something*, right? And as it stands, neither Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo are good at battling. Plus, Chickorita had a type disadvantage against Scootaloo's Torchic too, and she managed to win decisively.
--
Well, Best Pony confirmed. I now have a part of the story to eagerly await! I also kinda like how you're naming the chapters kinda like episodes of the anime. It's a nice touch. Keep up the good work, Mythril!
Judging by the lack of reaction, I doubt Rarity is going to end up being a gym leader. Maybe a coordinator, but not a gym leader. I could be wrong though.
5454858 You're exactly right. Rarity is a Coordinator.
Wow, Scootaloo has a lot to learn.
I can already see the problems each of the CMC will face as trainers. Apple Bloom's a little too confident in herself, and will probably face quite a few humbling moments.
Sweetie Belle's a little too coddling of her Pokémon, and will need to learn how to give them the push they need to shine.
Scootaloo needs to learn about Pokémon in general, and needs to learn the difference between looking cool and being cool.
Seems like a fun journey so far.
5454858
Yeah, Rarity seems like the coordinator type...
Also, we know only four of the Mane 6 are gym leaders from that one blog about this story.
Personally, I'm hoping the other two gym leaders are Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Twilight would too obviously be a psychic type leader, but how would you define Pinkie and Fluttershy's bag of tricks?
...
Pinkie would probably use a Ditto, a Mr. Mime, some evolution of Totodile - called Gummy, because he has metal denture-type implants - and one from that cannon-type Pokémon I can't remember.
Oddly, I could imagine Fluttershy having Angel the Lopbunny, and the rest are all strong ghost types. She's easily frightened, so she runs the Ghost Gym. ...well, considering in canon her cottage is right next to the terrifying Everfree Forest...
Well, our young heroines are off to... A start, at least. Sweetie has some knowledge, but not any fighting spirit; Scootaloo, on the other hand, lacks both knowledge and empathy for her Pokemon. It appears AB will be earning one or two more additions to her team; let's hope things go well!
5454858
But there gym leaders who aré coordinators too, like Fantina o Wallace
5454987 Of the Mane Six, only Fluttershy and Rarity are not gym leaders.
5454984 Thought so.
5454987 That just leaves which other mane 6 isn't a gym leader. While Twilight would make a good gym leader, I think she would make a better Elite Four member, or possibly Champion. We already know Applejack is a grass type leader, and RD is flying type. I'm going to guess that Fluttershy is either ghost (oh the irony) or bug type, and Pinkie is either an Electric or Psychic type leader.
5455014 Yeah, but by the sounds of it, Rarity's home/shop is in Ponyville, which already has a gym leader.
Boy, when you said 2015 I was expecting a few weeks in. Off to a great start
5455165
5 of the Mane Six live in Ponyville, but that not means that they can't be gym leaders in other citys. Rarity could be a gym leader in Manehatan.
Electryc type for Pinkie it's a good option for her, but she's from a rock farm so, rock type is a good possibility too
Good Can we get a map of the region?
5455484 Who said the Mane Six all live in Ponyville? Or that any of them other than Applejack do? This is an AU.
5455492 I may try to whip one up later...it'll suck though.
Man, I can understand Scootaloo not knowing any of Torchic's moves due to them not telling her, but my head HURTS thinking that if she just used Growl a couple of times that that fight would have gone on for a bit longer... Also Chicorita is stronger due to Apple Bloom's bond with it, right? (Is IT a he or a she, I'm really confused....)
5455640 Since I'm adhering to anime conventions wherever possible, all Pokemon are "it".
And it's less that and more that Apple Bloom actually knows what she's doing because jher sister is a Gym Leader.
I'm a but disapointed that fluttershy isn't the nurse but I guess she's a GYM leader or something.
Honestly, it looks awsome so far. Can't wait for the next chapter!
You should totaly look for somepony to make a game out of your story. Each time you write a new chapter he'd use the info in it to make the game. When the story end, he release the game. That would be awsome. I would probably ask you if you'd let me do it if'd I knew how to do it but unfortunately... I don't
Well I guess if you'd let me do it i'd probably learn how to because that would be awsome!
EDIT:
Well I guess if you'd let me do it i'd probably learn how to because that would be awsome!Scratch that, i'm way too bad at this to even learn hot to do it.
EDIT:
I just read some of the comments and... fluttershy... isn't... a gym leader...oh, Celestia whyyyyy... *sob sob* *snif*
well, it's your story so I guess it's ok. And it's not like she won't be in the story at all... right?
Will she work at the Safari Zone or something?
I feel like this suits their group rival battles best.
You know, I can't help but think of certain characters having certain Pokémon. Like Applejack having Toprius or Rarity having Sableye. Also, I have a quick question. Is their any mega evolution, or is this just original Pokémon?
5455766
What about gender-specific evolutions like Gallade and Froslass? Or are they just a matter of "I want that one, use the stone".
Also, trade evolutions? How're they going down?
5456188 Haven't decided but will most likely include Mega Evolution at some point.
5456220 I'm pretty much using Pokemon anime conventions straight through wherever I can, because it makes more sense for this kind of narrative.
5456144 I don't know if you've noticed because I can't quite sense well-hidden sarcasm, but you do know that the characters are humanized, yes? (The chapter title lies... LIES, I TELL YOU!)
5456650 He said legendaries, not event Pokemon.
Now this is a concept I can really dig. Saved for reading later.
5456721 Yes, but technically, Victini is an event Pokémon, and therefore, it can't be traded over the GTS... or Wonder Trade, for that matter.
5457177 Yeah, Victini can't, nor can other event Pokemon, but legendaries can.
5455766 Ahh, why didn't I think of that sooner...
5455484 What Myth said. Don't make any assumptions about the setting, just because of how it is in the show. As far as I can tell, the only things that'll be the same are character names and personalities. Even the personalities can be different due to being raised under different circumstances.
I assumed Rarity lived in Ponyville because Sweetie Belle was from Ponyville. It might've been a stretch to assume they lived together though.
I suppose Pinkie could be a Rock gym leader, but considering there are 4 more Gym slots to fill, I'm guessing Maud might take it. The Pie family might run the gym together like Misty's family (kinda) does.
5457842 All of the gym leaders and locations will be revealed in the next chapter. Which I'll be posting this afternoon or possibly this morning...it's written, it's up, I just have to hit the button.
For a moment i thought Applebloom just had the strongest pokemon, because it was a pokemon from their own farm, even if it was a young one, i think i thought because of Applejack it would be a little bit stronger.
I guess i would like it if they get a few unusual Pokemon, i mean some which we normally would not choose. It don´t have to be Ekans, but i would not mind either.
I vote for a sentret....(i like it but i am not sure about this one, it was just one of my first pokemon), Buneary, Sneasel one of them for Applebloom?, Swablu (for scootaloo?), Vaporeon, Sandshrew ( my favourite, and i think it still is),Mawile, maybe a Cottonee for Sweetiebell?
I would not take every of this Pokemon into my team, like Sneasel and not sure about Buneary and Sentret, but this are some suggestions i wanted to make for their Team.
I guess Applebloom is the main Char right? I really would like to see Sandshrew in her team, that is all i care for right now
Maybe you should make an Elite 12, and a fight against three Champions in the end, they could be forced to fight as a Team trough the league.
Just a random idea, but i don´t think many would like that, but it could be that they do exactly this every three years, and for that special event come two Champions of two of the other regions.
It is a bit strange how interessting this is, a bit like those old books for Pokemon red,blue and yellow. A really short book, where they described which level his Pokemon got.
It is maybe a bit to soon, but to show you i mean it and because i somehow want it, i take it into my favourites. I don´t want you to hurry, but i would like to read a new chapters soon, take your time if we get something even better this way.
...not gone through a lot of the chapter, but it feels like the move Frustration will be quite a powerfull one.
Yeah... till Scootaloo learns... it is going to be a long journy...
Oh wow. For a Torchic to lose that battle... Scootaloo needs some serious help...
5533867
i know but she didnt quite know what she was doing even with the typing advantage.
sometimes typing advantage doesnt cut it lol.
tho once Torchic becomes a Combusken and gets its fighting type then i think it will be different.
.........
i wonder if the author gonna limit the moves to 4 per mon like in the games or let em have has many moves to use like in the anime
5533867
eh, Scootaloo is about even with the majority of Pokemon game Rivals. You win against them even with a type disadvantage, the majority of the time. Of course, she may not have to be defeated to continue the plotline, so in the end she might be comparitively better.