Chapter 12: Dragon Your Hooves
After their stint at the Pokémon Center, the ponies headed back out on their way to Blackthorn City, now with Eve, Twilight's new baby Eevee. She had that baby straddling her shoulder. "Wouldn't it be safer for Eve to be in that Pokéball Mr. Shelby gave you?" Applejack advised. A sigh from Twilight told the others her futility.
"I tried," she shrugged. "But all she wants is me having her on my shoulder. I'm trying to understand why." Fluttershy had the same reaction and brought out her Dex, hoping to find an explanation to Eve's behavior. That's when she found a selection that Applejack brought up.
"What's this?" she spoke as she selected the topic.
"The Pokéball," it computed. "When traveling, these store the Pokémon a trainer has captured and trained. However, there are cases in which a trainer's Pokémon will refuse to enter a Pokéball for a number of reasons." The information from Dex awed the ponies. To learn that even if their Pokémon were in their care, there would be some like Eve who didn't want to stay in a ball.
"Well, I'll be darned," Applejack gulped. "I wanna say Eve takes after Ash's Pikachu. I wonder how many times Ash tried to get his best friend in his ball before throwing in the towel?" As they wondered on that theory, a haunting but harmonic hymn could be heard echoing through the wooded area. The hymn stopped the ponies and had them looking around. "Anyone else spooked and soothed at the same time?"
"Well, at least I'm not alone," Fluttershy replied. Listening, Twilight tried to find the source.
"Over here!" she located as she ran toward the hymn. Fluttershy and Applejack joined in the run as well. They soon reached a lake where they found a lengthy sky blue sea serpent wearing white wings around where the ears should be. There was also a white horn on the top and a blue crystal sphere under its rounding snout which looked smooth. Fluttershy awed the sight of the creature.
"Is that a dragon?" asked Applejack as Fluttershy retrieved her Dex and pointed it at the creature who ceased its hymn.
"Dragonair, the Dragon Pokémon," it computed. "Dragonair is the evolved form of Dratini. Dragonair can control the weather using the jeweled spheres on its neck and tail." The information spooked Fluttershy to hide behind Twilight and Eve, who looked befuddled. Dragonair heard Fluttershy's yelp and turned to the trio. It found the pink hair behind Twilight and Eve.
("Are you scared of me?") it wondered. The ears of Pokémon and other animals picked up on Dragonair's concern. She peeked out to glare at the dragon.
"I'm just scared of big dragons," she replied. "That's all." Dragonair understood Fluttershy and her phobia.
("Not all Dragon Pokémon are terrifying. Sorry if I did scare you.") Fluttershy came out from behind the Canterlot native to see the elegant Dragon Pokémon. Dragonair leaned its head down to meet Fluttershy closeup. She approached, cautious to what Dragonair could do to her and slowly raised her hand to feel the scales. The petting revealed Dragonair had smooth skin, almost like silk on a bedsheet. The smile on Dragonair consoled peace between the dragon and the pony.
"I'd be shaking in my hooves if this is Clair's Dragonair," Applejack giggled. She'd soon eat her words as two characters made their arrival.
"Funny enough, that is Clair's Pokémon," a young man confirmed. The ponies turned to the voice, eying a carmine-haired man wearing a red/black suit and cape which draped over his back. By him was an orange dragon with arms and legs unlike Dragonair. It also had wings and a horn as well. Another dragon scared poor Fluttershy to retreat behind Applejack.
"Hey, no need to jump like that when facing a dragon." This intrigued the young man that appeared. Twilight figured the futility of the situation.
"Can you blame her?" pointed Twilight. "It's obviously a dragon." The dragon walked up to the Pegasus girl to meet her, hoping to show it meant no harm.
"See, Fluttershy? The dragon wants to be friends with you." Fluttershy slowly came out of hiding to meet the dragon as she pointed her Dex to get a better understanding.
"Dragonite, the Dragon Pokémon," it registered. "Dragonite is the evolved form of Dragonair. Despite its large body and small wings, Dragonite is one of the fastest fliers in all of the Pokémon World." The young man joined the Dragonite to know who the scared pony was.
"Dragonite may look intimidating but it's only like that in battle," he explained. "Otherwise it's as gentle as a Zigzagoon." Finally stepping around Applejack, Fluttershy met up with the Dragonite.
"I'm sorry about that," she apologized. Dragonite shook its head, not wanting an apology for her fears.
"We can understand why you'd want to duck away from Dragonite." As Fluttershy and Dragonite got acquainted, Twilight glanced back to Dragonair after he mentioned who its trainer is.
"So you know Clair since you know her Dragonair?" she questioned.
"Of course I do. In fact, she called me up wanting an exhibition battle before new trainers came by her gym." Twilight's and Applejack's eyes lit up in shock. They were so close to meeting the dragon trainer.
"So you mean to say that we made it to Blackthorn City already?" guessed Applejack.
"Yep. Now I don't want to keep a good gym leader waiting. If you want, you're more than welcome to watch." They would see Clair after hearing her and about her. "Come on, Dragonite!" The call ended whatever the conversation was between Dragonite and Fluttershy. As Dragonite returned to its trainer, Fluttershy turned to the other dragon.
"Will you be okay, Dragonair?" she asked. Dragonair nodded before getting one back. Once done, Fluttershy regrouped. They entered a complex and walked a little way to a room with a pool in the middle.
"You know, a guy like him would work for Rarity," Applejack whispered. Twilight didn't see it the same way.
"You know she's after Brock," she corrected. "You saw her give him a kiss before he left with Ash."
"Right, speaking of..."
"Don't go there, Applejack! I told you that Fluttershy understands my feelings and if anything were to happen..."
"Girls!" Fluttershy snapped with a hand out. The door on the other side had opened. Stepping out of the door was a cyan-haired woman with her hair in an elegant ponytail. She wore a black gown and black boots.
"Lance, what took you?" she joked. Fluttershy's ears stood up as well as her eyes while her jaw took the other direction. The voice she remembered back at the radio station came back to her. This was the voice of the caller.
"Clair?!" she yelped. Now the woman looked toward the ponies who stepped away from the one who was with DJ Mary in Goldenrod City.
"You're... Fluttershy?" Lance gawked at Clair's discovery. She approached the pink-haired girl, fascinated with who joined her opponent. "So now I meet the one who want to learn about befriending dragons." Both shook hands while Lance blinked at how these two knew each other.
"Okay, I missed something," he shrugged. "How did you two meet? It sounds like a mix of first time and reunion, and I'm not sure how." Clair and Fluttershy could explain in detail.
"Don't you listen to DJ Mary at times, Lance? Or is being a Pokémon G-Man Lieutenant occupying your time?" Clued in, Lance nervously giggled while itching the back of his head.
"I guess I missed that episode." Now Clair wanted to know Fluttershy's company, as did Lance. "So you two are friends to Fluttershy?"
"We are," Twilight answered. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, Eve on my shoulder and this is Applejack."
"Howdy!" Applejack greeted. Even Eve offered a welcoming bark. Seeing this and what Fluttershy came for, Lance wondered if having an exhibition battle was necessary.
"Clair, I know you asked for a spar with me but..." he brought up. "It would be better if we helped them to the Dragon Holy Land behind the Dragon's Den. That's what Fluttershy came to see... right?" Clair wanted some training but with the ponies already here, it seemed like the best option to take them to a special place.
"I suppose so," she surrendered. "I'll get Dragonair and we'll head to land." Excusing herself, this left the ponies with Lance.
"I don't know if Ash had to go through Clair to enter the Dragon Holy Land," Twilight dreamed. Lance blinked at who Twilight just blurted.
"So you three are friends with Ash Ketchum?" he asked.
"We are. We met in Hoenn on accident..." The pause reflected on how that accident happened. "...That I caused." This mystified Lance a little while cupping his chin.
"He never brought it out when we met on the that island fending off Team Aqua and Team Magma." Clair returned, her business complete.
"Okay, I'm back!" she announced. All turned to the gym leader, the Pokéball in hand. "Let's head out." Exiting the gym, they reached a river. Clair re-released Dragonair before summoning another blue sea serpent which had a huge mouth and a fierce complexion. The other was a huge blue seahorse with branch-like antennae on its head. Seeing the new sea serpent, Fluttershy dart back hiding behind Applejack who actually wanted to agree with her reaction.
"That thing would scare the apples of my flank," she admitted before bringing out the Dex.
"Gyarados, the Atrocious Pokémon," it identified. "Garaydos is the evolved form of Magikarp. Gyarados are quick-tempered and will lash out at anything in its way." Another reason to avoid this sea serpent. Now to the seahorse... "Kingdra, the Dragon Pokémon. Kingdra is the evolved form of Seadra. When Kingdra yawns underwater, whirlpools are said to develop." Another Dragon Pokémon...
"Might as well," Lance huffed as he sent out a red Gyarados. This perplexed Twilight.
"Wait, why is one Gyarados blue while the other one is red?" she asked.
"That due to Team Rocket creating a Wave-Inducing machine which forces Pokémon to evolve. They wanted this Gyarados captured but it had gone on a rampage, nearly destroying Mahogany Town via Lake of Rage. I captured it and took care of it since then." Still frightened but hearing the story, the reluctant Fluttershy approached the red Gyarados with sympathy.
"Gyarados?" she called softly. The red serpent looked down at the pink-haired girl. "I'm sorry you had to endure all that punishment that forced you to become what you are now." The red Gyarados looked back ahead, rather indifferent on the surface.
("Don't apologize for something you're not involved with,") it growled. ("If I had to, I would've destroyed those who did this to me.") Fluttershy grew scared of the Atrocious Pokémon's tone.
"And Mahogany Town as well?"
("They were everywhere, I felt it on my scales.") Anger filled its mind. Destruction was its way to let everyone know how it felt. ("There are bad humans in this world.") Fluttershy understood Gyarados' anger but glanced to Lance with a reminder who was helping it.
"...But there are good humans as well. You have Lance on your side." Gyarados closed its eyes in understanding the Pegasus girl. "So angry because some humans want to play God..." Astonished, the ponies started getting a picture of what Gyarados endured while Clair and Lance watched amazed with how Fluttershy and Gyarados communicated.
"So that's her special ability," Clair awed. "Someone who can talk to Pokémon." Lance nodded to the finding.
"Well, Fluttershy can ride with me on the Red Gyarados," he planned. "Twilight, you can hop on Kingdra; Applejack, you get on the blue Gyarados and Clair can board her Dragonair." All in agreement, they boarded the Pokémon and Clair and Dragonair led the way. Eve held on to Twilight's shoulder as much as possible as they approached a cavern with a shrine by the entrance. Passing the shrine, everyone looked around the jagged walls and sounds of the current provided a surreal setting for the ponies. Through paths and descending river flows, the darkness within the caverns made vision almost impossible until the sphere on Dragonair's neck emitted a light.
"We won't be long until we reach the other side of the cave." A light ahead marked the end of the tunnel. Emerging, the sun blinded the ponies and Eve. When the shine dimmed, they found a valley of clean water, fresh grass and flowers, and many wild Pokémon frolicking around.
"This is the Dragon Holy Land?" awed Twilight.
"It's gorgeous!" wooed Fluttershy. In the distance was another Dragonite, taller than Lance's and with wrinkles. Yet it looked in serene peace. "Is that Dragonite... old?"
"Yes," Clair replied. "That Dragonite actually belonged to the inaugural Blackthorn Gym Leader who treated the Dragon Holy Land with enormous care. When he died, his Dragonite stayed to guard this place, as well as the Dragon Flame held in a shrine by the lake." Eve leaped down to smell the flowers that bloomed. Seeing the baby's curiosity, Twilight knelt to see if Eve enjoyed the flower.
"Now that's a clear description of 'stopping to smell the flowers, right Eve?" she teased. Eve barked happily to the question. Applejack had a curious look to her about the wild Pokémon that didn't look like dragons.
"Clair, you said this is the Dragon Holy Land but why are there other Pokémon instead of dragons, specifically?" she wondered.
"The Dragon Holy Land is more than the home of the Dragon Flame and Dragonite," Clair clarified. "It serves as a paradise to Pokémon who want salvation from trainers. You could say it's like the Pokémon Preservation on Mount Silver where Ash took a Larvitar back after poachers snatched it." Fluttershy found a nest full of Swablu squawking up a storm and approached it.
"Are you Swablu hungry?" she asked. The Swablu beaked in need of food which Fluttershy brought out some Pokémon food. "Here you go!" The Swablu pecked at the food as the formerly owned Dragonite came to see the ordeal. "I guess they were starving." That's when she remembered what Swablu evolve to and released her Altaria which startled Clair.
"Wait a second..." she stuttered, thinking she lied about wanting help from her. Applejack came to her defense with an explanation.
"After the radio interview, Professor Birch gave Altaria to Fluttershy," she pointed out. Cleared up, Clair now believed Birch offered some help to Fluttershy by giving her the injured Altaria. The Swablu ecstatically chirped for its evolved form that Altaria thought they needed someone like itself to help growing up. Fluttershy watched Altaria close its eyes.
"Is something wrong, Altaria?" the Pegasus wondered. Altaria reopened its eyes, feeling needed to the Swablu.
("These Swablu need someone to watch out for them,") the Humming Pokémon cawed softly. ("With you, I can show them the kindness you gave me. I want to stay with these Swablu.") Fluttershy stood stunned. Altaria wanted to stay in the Dragon Holy Land to watch its pre-evolved forms.
"Are you sure you want this big responsibility?" Altaria's reply was raising its wing. It wanted to raise the Swablu. Hoping to get an explanation, Clair came over to the nest.
"What's this about a big responsibility?" she questioned.
"Altaria wants to stay here and watch over the Swablu. It would mean the end of our journey together." A heart-striking awe hit Clair. It wasn't that long ago when Fluttershy and Altaria first met back in Goldenrod City. Clair stroke the feathers on its head, petting the Humming Pokémon.
"Anyone who is willing to help with the Pokémon is welcomed in the Dragon Holy Land." Altaria cawed happily about staying to help with anything in this land. Out of nowhere, a swarm of yellowish-green dragonflies with green diamond-shape wings came buzzing around, one spotting humans to its curiosity. The other ponies arrived to see the new creature.
"You never told us you have dragonflies here?" Twilight giggled before getting the Dex.
"I believe in your land, they're dragonflies. Here, they're called Vibrava." The Vibrava landed on Applejack's outstretched arm to let Twilight scan it.
"Vibrava, the Vibration Pokémon," the device registered. "Vibrava is the evolved form of Trapinch. By violently flapping its wings, Vibrava emit ultrasonic waves that will render Pokémon immobile. By evolving, they gain Dragon statuses." Another Dragon Pokémon...
"This Vibrava is rather adorable, I'd say," Applejack smiled as she petted the dragonfly.
"Maybe bringing this one home would entertain Rainbow," pictured Twilight. Eve barked, almost copying Ash's Pikachu. To Fluttershy, the Dragon Pokémon were far less of a hassle to deal with than the dragons back around Ponyville.
"So far, I haven't seen any scary dragons, I kinda feel relieved but disappointed," she confessed. This interested Lance.
"You were expecting a scary Dragon Pokémon?" he guessed. Clair actually knew where Fluttershy pointed to.
"I believe the dragons she deals back where she and her friends are from are more menacing and blood-thirsty than the dragons in this land," Clair clarified as Fluttershy handed Altaria's Pokéball. "In a sense, I would like to see these dragons and try to persuade them to be nice to her and her friends." That was a nice gesture. However, that moment of calm would be shattered by a thunderous roar. Everyone heard the roar turned up but Fluttershy froze. Something big was about to come from the clouds above...
TO BE CONTINUED...