The Jagged Pass: A mountainous route of danger. The result of a volcanic eruption from centuries ago, many strange Pokemon inhabit this route. Steep hills and sharp rocks scatter across the pass, adding a sense of thrill to trainers traveling across Hoenn.

The boys walked down a short flight of stairs. The carmine red soil seemed to crumble underneath them. Fortunately, nobody had tripped on themselves. All their Pokemon were safely put away, the path too unstable for even the toughest Pokemon to handle.

"Tank, are you sure this is the quickest way to Lavaridge Town?" Kidd asked.
He nearly tripped on a root, tiptoeing over it instead.

"Yep, it is" Tank explained as he stepped over a large boulder. "We should get there by sunset!'

Benedict picked up a large branch. It was at least twice his height and felt smooth to the touch "I ain't sure what all's in Lavaridge though. Well, 'cept for the gym of course!"

He stopped in his tracks, then used the branch as a pole-vault to hop over a large puddle.

"Yeehaw!"

"Are you sure that's safe?!"

Kidd called out.

"What? Yeah I've done this before!"

Benedict yelled as he pulled the branch out of the puddle. "Wanna try it out?"

"I do!" Tank hollered, waving one of his hooves in the air.

"Here, toss it over!"

The boys continued traveling through the first path of Jagged Pass, blissfully unaware that a wild Pokemon had been watching them from nearby.

A small blue reptilian Pokemon hid behind one of the trees. The Pokemon in question had a blocky grey head, sharp eyes and fangs, and small stubby limbs. The wild Pokemon chirruped to herself as she ran away from the trees, stopping nearby a small patch of grass.

High pitched squealing echoed nearby.

The draconic Pokemon tensed up, then rushed towards the squeaking. A group of small grey pig Pokemon were bouncing around a large rock, flailing their little limbs around in panic.

Another pig Pokemon was pinned underneath the rock, trying to pull its tail out from underneath. Its stubby limbs weren't enough to push the rock off itself.

The dragon Pokemon hopped over

"What's going on?!" she asked.

One of the pig Pokemon squeaked, tears forming at the corners of its eyes

"Our- our sister's stuck, and our mom's on the other end of the cliff!"

The dragon Pokemon walked to the crying pig, firmly patting it on the back

"There there. Hey, you know what? I can break that rock!"

Another pig squeaked

"You can? Yay, thank you!"

"Just don't hurt our sister!"

the first pig Pokemon squeaked

"Don't worry, I got this!"

The dragon Pokemon stepped back. Her head glowed white as she sprinted to the stone. She threw her head back and smashed her forehead against the stone. The grey rock exploded into little pieces, some of the pebbles tumbling down the steep hills.

The pig Pokemon was relieved to be free again; she hopped back on her tail, slowly bouncing in her spot to regain rhythm. A small bruise had formed on her left side. The other pig Pokemon oinked and squeaked in joy, crowding around their sister.

One of the pig Pokemon waved to the dragon

"Thank you! You're really strong, um….what kind of Pokemon are you?"

The dragon Pokemon waved her paws happily "Bagon!"

"Bagon? Cool!" the pig squeaked. "I'm a Spoink! Hey, I don't think I ever saw a Bagon around here before!"

"Oh, well" Bagon shrugged before she explained herself. "I'm from Meteor Falls, but I ran away! I saw some mean trainers in there, and I was worried they'd attack me!"

"Wow! What kinda mean trainers?"

the Spoink asked.

"Really, REALLY mean!"

Bagon waved her paws around. "I even saw one of them almost push a scientist guy off a cliff!"

"Wow, that is scary!"

Spoink shuddered.

Footsteps echoed near Bagon and the Spoinks.

The ground rumbled slightly, almost knocking several Spoink over.

A massive Grumpig climbed up the cliffs, stopping in front of the group of Pokemon. She looked down with a frown, unimpressed by the sight in front of her. A wild Pokemon, not a species she had seen before... Just what was that thing doing next to her babies?!

Her nostrils flared out while she death glared at the Bagon.

"You! Get your filthy paws away from my children!"

Bagon held her paws up

"But Miss Grumpig! I was only trying to help your daughter! A rock fell on her and I had to get her out!"

"It's true, mom!"

One of the Spoink pointed out.

"She's the only one who could crush the rock! We asked the Machops and they didn't wanna do it!"

Grumpig looked down at her children and frowned

"I don't believe any of you!" she pointed at one of the smaller Spoink. "Look at that bruise! Clearly this, this thing was trying to hurt you!"

"Oh come on, Miss Grumpig!"

Bagon defended herself. "She only got that bruise because of the rocks!"

"Quit lying to me, you little brat!" Grumpig stomped loudly and roared. She swiped at Bagon, trying to knock her down. The dragon Pokemon ducked below the swipe.

"You're crazy!"

she yelled before jumping down a nearby cliff.

"How DARE you call me crazy!" The wild Grumpig's eyes glowed red. She leaped down the cliff as well, chasing Bagon just to teach her a lesson about laying a hand on her babies.

Bagon screamed in terror as she slid down the cliff, trying her best to out-speed the furious Grumpig. Dirt and pebbles flew into her face, while the mud helped her slide faster.

She looked over her shoulder; three teenage boys were walking together, one of them pulling out a Poke Ball.

A-ha, trainers!

She jumped off the mud slide, leaping onto a rocky cliff like her life depended on it. Bagon sighed in relief, knowing she didn't get bruised from that fall alone.


The boys stopped at one of the clearings.

They sat down at some rocks, opened up their bags and dug around for some snacks.

Benedict frowned as he turned his backpack upside down; a lot of stuff had fallen onto the ground, but no snacks! He scrambled to put everything back into place.

Kidd rummaged through his messenger bag; he found a few packs of instant noodles, but sighed once he realized they'd need clean hot water. Welp, that was ruled out.

Tank dug around in his backpack; why could he find everything EXCEPT something to eat?! His phone buzzed on the rock; huh, this was interesting. Professor Nook texted him! Apparently he wanted a Spoink in the lab soon. The tanuki had heard a rumor its' pearl is made of the same material as a Clamperl's pearl.

He looked over at the cliff; he saw a large wild Pokemon chasing a much smaller one. The smaller one screamed in distress, stopped in its tracks, then came running towards the boys.

The small blue Pokemon ran between rocks and stumps, nimbly flipping before landing in front of the boys.

Kidd was starstruck at the performance; even being chased by another Pokemon, it was still so, so acrobatic! He held a hoof out to the wild Pokemon

"Aw, hi there, little guy"

"Bagon?"

the wild Pokemon tilted its head, looking up at the trainer.

Kidd pulled his Rotom Phone out to take a picture, then scanned the wild Pokemon.

"Bagon, the Rock Head Pokemon. A dragon type. Bagon harbors a never-ending dream of one day soaring high among the clouds. As if trying to dispel its frustration over its inability to fly, this Pokémon slams its hard head against huge rocks and shatters them into pebbles."

Kidd thought to himself as he looked down at Bagon; it would be fun to have a large Pokemon to fly on across the Hoenn region…. Hey wait, they could train together!

The wild Grumpig stomped closer, the ground rumbling as it came closer to the group. Kidd tensed up, standing up and blocking Bagon from Grumpig's sight.

Benedict leaped up, grabbing one of his Poke Balls. He was about to throw it in the air, but was stopped when Tank grabbed him by the arm.

"Tank, what are you doin?!" he protested.

"Benedict, listen" Tank assured him.

"You've put yourself through a lot at Mt. Chimney, you need to take a break for today!"

"Awww alright" Benedict sighed as he put the Poke Ball back in his pocket. Tank did have a point; none of them had been to a Pokemon Center in a while, and he could always battle a wild Grumpig another time.

Tank grabbed his wings with both hooves

"Hey if it makes you feel any better, I was gonna go look for some wild Pokemon myself. Wanna come with me?"

"Sure!" Benedict walked over to gather his stuff up. After throwing his backpack over his shoulder, he followed Tank into a nearby clearing.

Kidd glared down at the wild Grumpig. Guess it was up to him to take down this porker. He stepped onto a rock, steadily keeping balance.

"Aries, now!"

He held one of his Poke Balls in front of him, watching as Aries leaped out and stood on a rock as well.

"Pika-pika!"

Aries trilled as she wagged her tail in determination.

Grumpig stood completely still. The pig Pokemon slowly moved its arms in the air, the black gems on its forehead glowing white. The psychic type launched a bright white beam of energy across the air, the beam sparkling like gemstones.

"Aries!" Kidd commanded. "Slice its' attack with Iron Tail, then stun it on the head!"

"Pika!"

Aries hopped up and pirouetted in the air, her tail glowing silver as she sliced through the beam. She flipped through the air, using her tail again to attack Grumpig. The tip of her tail slapped against Grumpig's snout, knocking it backwards.

"That was amazing, Aries!"

Kidd cheered on his Pokemon.

"Pika-chu!"

Aries squeaked as she hopped back on the rock.

Bagon tensed up. She ran back from the other two trainers, hopping onto another rock and standing next to Aries.

"Oh? You wanna join us?"

Kidd asked the wild Bagon. The dragon type grunted with a determined nod.

"Then follow my lead!"

Kidd took a step backwards as he pointed ahead. "Aries, Electro Ball!"

"Chu-pikaaa!" Aries formed a large glowing yellow ball above her body. Yellow sparks of electricity shot out in the air. She jumped up and used her tail to throw the ball across the cliff.

The ball exploded against Grumpig's body, knocking it backwards against a tree.

Grumpig stumbled in its spot, but quickly regained its footing.

Bagon was in awe at the Pikachu's strength. She felt a new resolve; if Grumpig wouldn't listen to her through words, then she'd better listen by battle!

She jumped across several rocks, her head glowing white as she hopped closer to her opponent.

She threw her head back and headbutted Grumpig in the stomach.

The wild Grumpig wheezed from the impact, stepping backwards to regain her balance. Bagon leaped away, landing on a rock next to Aries.

"Keep it up, you two!"

Kidd hollered to both Pokemon.

Aries looked over her shoulder and gave her trainer a thumbs up. "Pi-kachu!"

"Ba-GON!"

Bagon roared, still burning up with energy.

Grumpig stood still, completely unfazed by the other two Pokemon. Both of these little runts need to be taught a lesson, she thought to herself.

Her head glowed bright blue. She lowered her head and charged towards the duo.

Bagon's mouth turned black as she leaped above her opponent. She dived down and bit down on Grumpig's head, clamping her jaws around the black pearls.

Grumpig stopped in her tracks, trying to shake Bagon off of her. The dragon Pokemon clamped down harder, her body whipping around like a flail.

"Aries, now's your chance!" Kidd yelled. "Quick Attack!"

"PIKA!"

Aries darted across each rock, her body glowing white and forming a white trail behind her. She jumped up and tackled Grumpig on its side, forcing her to fall over onto her stomach.

Bagon let go of Grumpig's head and jumped to safety.

"Grum…." the wild Grumpig groaned, too exhausted to even get up. She looked up at the two Pokemon, worry spread across her face.

Bagon put her stubby limbs on her hips, then looked down at the pig Pokemon. She yelled her heart out at her opponent, ripping her a new one.

Grumpig lifted herself up off the ground, then wiped some dust off her stomach. She put her arms at her side and gracefully bowed.

Aries tilted her head as she watched Grumpig head back up the cliff. The two small Pokemon chattered with each other. They waved their limbs around; it looked like they were telling each other stories. Aries and Bagon ran back up to Kidd.

He asked them

"What's going on, you two?"

Aries squeaked loudly

"Pika, pika-pi. Chu chu chu! Pika?"

"Hold on"

Kidd looked down.

"You're saying I should catch Bagon?"

"Pika-chu!"

Aries held her paws together and nodded four times.

"Hmm…..Yeah, I'd love to!"

Kidd grabbed an empty Poke Ball. He held it out so Bagon could see it better. "So, would you like to join us?"

Bagon looked down at the ball. She thought for a while; if she traveled with him, things could get better! No more creeps at Meteor Falls, no wild Pokemon harassing her like nobody's business, no more being pushed around! She could travel the world, learn to fly, meet more Pokemon, maybe even evolve! She nodded yes.

Kidd flicked the empty Poke Ball up, watching as the red light absorbed Bagon into the ball. The Poke Ball fell onto the ground, rotated three times then stopped. Three white stars shot out from the ball. Kidd picked the Poke Ball up and tenderly held it. He still refused to believe it; a Dragon type of his own…. He opened the ball up, watching as Bagon popped out of her ball.

She turned around and tilted her head

"Ba?"

"Hey Bagon"

Kidd kneeled to her eye level and waved.

"Now that you're a part of my team, how'd you like to have a name for yourself?"

Bagon thought to herself; it would help her fit into the group better….

She nodded in approval.

"Perfect!"

Kidd clapped his hooves together. He had the perfect name in mind for a dragon type.

"How about….Scorpio?"

Bagon kicked a pebble, hmm…. It sounded just right! She roared in excitement, flailing her little arms around in joy. Scorpio sounded…. just so cool!

"In that case. Scorpio?"

Kidd grabbed his other Poke Balls.

"Say hello to everyone else!" He tossed the Poke Balls up, releasing his other two Pokemon. Aquarius jumped and struck a pose, while Libra calmly hovered in her spot. While Kidd looked through his bag for his phone, the four Pokemon chattered with each other.

"Ummmmm, hi" Scorpio shyly waved to the other three.

"Aries, right?"

"Yea?"

Aries tilted her head to the right.

"How did you meet our trainer?"

Scorpio asked.

"Well…" Aries kicked some of the dirt beneath her feet.

"I met him after his first Pokemon Contest, all the way in Slateport City!"

"Pokemon…..Contest?"

Scorpio tilted her head.

"It's like…"

Aries tried to explain, before Aquarius interrupted her.

"It's about performing for the crowd! Showing your best moves! Aaaaaand, bringing out the bond between us Pokemon and our trainers!"

Aquarius posed again with a wink, sparkles shooting off her body.

Libra looked over at her teammate

"You're pretty confident for someone who hasn't won a contest yet"

Aquarius stuck her tongue out

"Hey! I only lost because of that high and mighty Luvdisc! AND that was before I evolved too, Libra!"

Scorpio frowned

"Do they always argue like this?"

"No way!" Aries reassured her.

"Well, we take Contests kinda seriously. Heck, I had my share before Kidd caught me! Although I wasn't the best at them…"

A lime yellow hippopotamus walked around the dressing room. He pushed some of his wavy brown hair behind his ears, stopping in his tracks to yell at his Pokemon.

"How could you lose another contest?!" he screamed in Pikachu's face.

"When are you going to learn to get your act together!"

Pikachu flinched from the yelling, lowering her ears and putting her paws on her cheeks.

"Will you stop cowering and listen to me!" the hippo lifted her chin up, forcing her to look into his hate-filled eyes.

"Screw up one more contest, and I'm throwing you out! Got it?"

"Pika…."

Pikachu sighed and nodded.

The next contest came and went; despite all the effort Pikachu put into her performance; all the high kicks and Electro Balls across the stage… "And the winner is…

Woolio Woolsworth, and his radically awesome Yuchi the Sharpedo!"

A purple sheep in sunglasses smiled as he waved to the crowd, beaming as the judge pinned a red ribbon to Sharpedo's dorsal fin.

The hippopotamus felt like he was struck by a Thunderbolt. After the contest was over, he grabbed Pikachu's Poke Ball, snapped it in half, and pointed at the door.

Pikachu sighed in defeat as she ran out the door. Weeks had passed until she entered the Contest Hall again. She danced in the lobby, trying to catch the eye of any trainers, but nobody had wanted her on their team.

Aquarius teared up and sniffled,

"That's horrible, Aries!"

"Yeah, it is"

Aries sighed as she sat down on a nearby rock. "But I don't need that jerk in my life anymore! At least Kidd is nice to me! My old trainer never praised me, ever!"

"Funny you say that, Aries"

Aquarius pointed out. "When I first met Kidd, he was so snotty and impossible to please!"

Scorpio cracked out a laugh

"What? No way!"

"Yeah, believe me, Scorpio!" Aquarius shrugged. "He was such a priss, wanting an Eevee instead of me, like I wasn't good enough for him. But after we took on some weird cat guy, he came around, AND he even told me he was proud of me!"

"Weird….cat guy?"

Libra opened her eyes. "Do you mean Team Pastel?!"

"Team….Pastel?"

Scorpio sat down and tilted her head.

"Yes, Team Pastel" Libra explained. "They're ruthless thieves who terrorize most of the Hoenn region. Although, they're not as messed up as Team Cottage"

"Cottage? Oh!"

Scorpio gasped. "Those are the trainers I saw in Meteor Falls! They stole some rocks from the falls, and I don't get why!"

"Probably for some weird plan to destroy the world"

Aquarius shrugged.

"It is odd though"

Libra pointed out. "I don't know much about Pastel either,

even though I've battled them several times"


The skies faded from a muggy shade of grey, to vibrant tones of orange and pink. Tank and Benedict hid behind a large tree. A slight breeze blew through the air. They watched as seven Spoink bounced around in a circle, happily hopping to their own rhythm. Their pink pearls rattled around as they performed a little dance.

"So, what exactly are we doin' again?"

Benedict whispered as he kept watching the pig Pokemon bounce in sync.

"Well" Tank explained.

"I need to catch a Spoink for Professor Nook; he wants to see if their pearls are made from the same material as a Clamperl's"

"Oh, that sounds pretty cool" Benedict nodded. "An' how are y'all gonna catch one though?"

"It's easy"

Tank pulled a Poke Ball out. He pressed on the button so it'd grow larger.

"I'll wait for the group to get bigger, look at the one with the nicest pearl, throw the ball, and kerpow! I caught a Spoink!"

Benedict looked over his shoulder

"It's kinda gettin' late though"

"Yeah, that's part of the plan" Tank pinched the bridge of his noise.

"It's easier to see the pearls around dusk"

More and more Spoink joined the group. At least twenty-five Spoink had gathered around the rock, squeaking and bouncing together.

The boys watched as some of the Spoink hopped onto the rock. Some of them squeaked at the top of their lungs, others waving their stubby paws around like they were explaining something.

Tank took note of one Spoink in particular; a smaller one with no pearl on its head. But why would it be missing a pearl… Two of the Spoink held their paws out, helping their pearl-less companion onto the stone.

The largest Spoink chirped out to its fellow Pokemon, explaining something about coming of age and ready to be one of its fellow Pokemon.

Tank pulled his Rotom Phone out, put it on silence and snapped a picture of the Spoink gathering.

Three Spoink hopped up to the rock, carrying a stone together. The rock was smooth and white, shining from the sunset. The pearl-less Spoink bowed its head down, staying still as two other Spoink placed the stone on top of its head.

The group of Spoink awed as they watched the rock glow; the color fading from white to pink. Now crowned a pearl of its very own, the small Spoink squeaked and did a backflip. Together, the pig Pokemon celebrated and danced around the rock.

"I don't know which one to catch"

Tank frowned as he watched the celebration unfold.

"I got this!"

Benedict grabbed one of Tank's Poke Balls.

"Benedict, I'm not ready yet!"

Tank yelled as he grabbed the ball back.

The wild Spoink stopped playing around.

They stood in their spot, slowly bouncing in sync. Just what was that?

"Okay, now I am"

Tank closed his eyes and tossed out the Poke Ball. He heard it bounce against something, rotate three times then click. He opened his eyes; most of the Spoink had ran away from the Poke Ball.

Benedict walked over and grabbed the Poke Ball. He handed it over to his friend, before the ball disappeared in thin air!

"Did y'all forget to change your party?"

"Heh, yeah"

Tank placed a hoof on the back of his neck, blushing hard. "Well I was so caught up in everything else"

Meanwhile, back in Littleroot Town...

Professor Nook sat at his desk. He worked on writing a paper about the phenomena of Mega Evolution. In between each finished paragraph, he took a sip of coffee from his tacky leaf-print mug. A ding echoed from one of his machines.

He grabbed his coffee cup and walked over to the machine. He opened the machine; ah, a Poke Ball.

He tossed the Poke Ball up in the air. The red light dissolved into a small Spoink, looking around in curiosity at the new surroundings.

"Hello, hello" Professor Nook kneeled down to Spoink's eye level.

"You must be the little guy Tank caught, yes yes? I think we're going to be friends"

"Spoink?"

the pig tilted its head, curious at who this large fellow was.

Kidd slid down the cliff, looking away as dirt and pebbles flew into his face. He held onto his Poke Balls, tucking them into his coat.

He jumped away from an incoming rock and landed on a grassy plain. He pulled his Rotom Phone out, relieved that service had come through this part of the pass. A call had come in; oh thank Arceus, it was just Tank!

"Hey, Kidd!"

Tank waved from the other end of the call.

"Oh, hi Tank!"

Kidd sat down on a rock.

"Where are you at?!"

"We're still up north!"

Tank explained.

"How'd that battle against Grumpig go?"

"Pretty great, actually! I've got something to show you two anyways"

Kidd perked up. "I'm near the end of the cliff. Should I wait here or no?"

"Yeah, I think you should wait here. We'll be there soon!"

Tank nodded.

"Sounds good to me! I'll see you then"

Kidd waved before hanging up.

An hour later, the boys met up again.

"So, what was it that y'all wanted to show us?" Benedict asked as he crossed his arms.

"Just watch," Kidd winked. He twirled in his spot, tossing a Poke Ball into the air. "Scorpio! Spotlight!"

Scorpio jumped out and barked at the top of her lungs. "Ba-GON!"

Tank's eyes sparkled in joy. "That is awesome! How'd you catch such a cool Pokemon?!"

"Oh, well," Kidd flipped his hair. "She decided to join me after helping Aries battle that Grumpig. Quite impressive, non?"

Benedict reached down to pet Scorpio on the head, surprised at how smooth her head scales felt. "I still can't believe y'all caught one of these,"

"I couldn't either," Kidd nodded as he returned Scorpio to her Poke Ball. He looked behind him; oh joy, the skies were already dark. A colony of large Golbat flew through the skies, chasing after a pack of wild Murkrow. The boys rushed through the last of Jagged Pass, branches snagging against their clothing as they slid through thick glass.

After rushing through the last of the grass, the boys saw a faint trail of smoke waft through the air.

"Come on, let's go!" Tank led the way, charging through the cool skies with utmost determination. Benedict and Kidd rushed behind him, determined to see what misadventures Lavaridge Town had in store!