Under the warm embrace of a bright and sunny day, our heroes, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Silverbolt, and Fluttershy, pressed on their journey towards Mt. Aries, the next gym. The group traversed a picturesque road that cut through a lush, green grassland dotted with vibrant wildflowers. The air was filled with the sweet scent of these blossoms, and the sound of chirping birds provided a pleasant, melodic backdrop. However, Silverbolt, who was leading the way, abruptly halted, his keen ears catching a faint yet distinct sound.

"Hold on. What was that?" asked the boy.

"What's the deal, Bolt!" Rainbow asked, wanting to know why they stopped.

"Did any of you hear that noise?"

"What noise?" asked Fluttershy.

The girls all looked around them to see if they could spot the sound that their friend was hearing. However, there was nothing around them but grass.

"I don't hear anything!" said Rainbow.

"Maybe you imagined it…" said Pinkie.

"No, I definitely heard something," said Silverbolt as he stepped forward.

Once again, the group looked around them to see what the boy was talking about. They listened and remained quiet. At that moment, a low growling sound was heard, followed by Silverbolt clutching his stomach.

"Was that…" said Rainbow as she looked sternly at the boy.

"Heh," chuckled Silverbolt sheepishly as he rubbed his neck for embarrassing himself due to his hunger.

While Pinkie and Fluttershy smiled, Rainbow rolled her eyes at how much of an idiot the boy was. Fluttershy's ears then seem to pick up something.

"Wait a minute. I hear something now," said the animal-loving girl.

The group all took a few more steps forward, and their ears picked up on something this time. It was a low rumbling sound that they couldn't exactly make out. Soon, it began to get louder and louder as a jeep came over the hill in front of them. Inside the jeep was a person, and in the seat next to them was a large toad-like Pokémon. The kids quickly got out of the car's way to avoid being run over.

"Asshole!" shouted Rainbow at the crazy person who was driving.

"That was close," said Fluttershy. They saw the jeep driving off, and a large tarp in the back was being held down by some rope.

"What's his problem?" responded Silverbolt.

"Out of the way, kids!"

The group turned to look behind them as a siren was heard. A police car came over the hill and jumped a bit before landing on the road as it began to head toward the teens. They all again jumped out of the way to avoid being run over as they witnessed the police card continuing to drive away in the same route as the jeep they saw moments ago.

"What is it with people driving these days?!" complained Rainbow as she dusted herself off again.

"I think we should get going," said Fluttershy.

"Maybe we should check out what's happening," said Silverbolt.

"Do we have to? If the police are involved, let them handle this. I got a gym to get to!" said Rainbow, as she didn't want to take any more delays.

"Come on! It couldn't hurt! Besides, what if the person the police are after is a wanted criminal?" asked the boy.

"That's why we let them handle it! Now, let's leave them to do their job. I got mines to do!" said the chromatic-haired girl.

"Hey, guys. Look what I found!" said Pinkie as she was near a bush.

The others were curious about what their party-loving friend had found. They approached Pinkie, and sure enough, she did find something hidden in the bushes nearby. It was a metal cage of sorts, as the door was slightly ajar with something inside.

"There's something in there," said the pink-haired girl.

Pushing the cage open was a Pokémon of sorts. The Pokémon was a quadrupedal mammalian Pokémon that resembled a deer fawn. The small Pokémon emerged as it stood before the group of kids and looked at them innocently.

"Deer?" said the Pokémon as it looked at the humans.

"Never seen that Pokémon before," responded Rainbow as she pulled out her Pokédex and lifted it up at the deer to scan it. Soon, her device pulled up the image and the info of the Pokémon.

"Deerling, the Season Pokémon. Their color changes according to the seasons and can be slightly affected by the temperature and humidity as well. The turning of the seasons changes the color and scent of this Pokémon's fur. People use it to mark the seasons."

"So that's a deerling, huh?" said Rainbow.

Deerling looked at the four teens gathered around it as it got a bit frightened, kicked some dirt up, and thrust its head forward as if to intimidate them into leaving.

"I think it's trying to scare us off," said Silverbolt at the Pokémon's rather weak attempt to be intimidating, which was rather cute.

"You don't have to worry about us hurting you, Deerling," said Fluttershy as she bent down to the fawn's level and looked it in the eye. "We're your friends!"

The deer looked at the girl momentarily before it fell to the ground.

"Deerling!" said Fluttershy as she grabbed the fawn and held it in her arms.

"Deerling looks kinda weak," said Rainbow as she got a stare from the boy. "No, not in that way. I meant it doesn't look good."

"We'd better hurry and take it to a Pokémon Center!" suggested Pinkie.

"I'll look it up," said Silverbolt as he pulled out his Pokédex to access the map. "It's over this way! Come on!" said the boy as he took the Pokémon from Fluttershy's arms and began to run with the others soon following.


The four teens eventually arrived at the Pokémon Center that Silverbolt had located as they quickly rushed to the front desk and informed the person working there about the Deerling they had.

"So, you'll be able to help Deerling?" said Fluttershy.

"Of course," said the nurse as she grabbed the Pokémon from the boy's arms and placed it on a rolling medical bed that was being pushed by a Wigglytuff. "Take care of it, Wigglytuff."

"Wigglytuff!" said the large pink Pokémon, pushing the bed to the back to begin working on the healing procedure.

"Now, you kids, don't worry a thing."

"Thanks a lot!" said Silverbolt.

"It looks like your Deerling doesn't come from around this area."

"Huh? Wait- you can tell just by looking at it?" said Rainbow as the others were also confused.

"Yes! Take a look up at the screen…" said the nurse as she turned her head as the others did the same.

On the screen above the group came the image of a Deerling and three other similar Deerlings.

"Look, a Deerling!" said Pinkie.

"But they all look different. Sort of," said Rainbow.

"Deerlings have many different patterns depending on where they come from. The Deerling you brought in has a lush green pelt, indicating the summer season. The ones around here are from the spring season since they have a pelt of flowery pink. Deerlings who represent the autumn season have a pelt of brilliant orange, and for the winter, Deerlings have a dull brown pelt." explained the nurse as the kids looked at the fur of the Pokémon and noticed the different styles and colors.

"Wow!" said Silverbolt as he spoke for everyone about Deeling's uniqueness.

"And it's not just Deerling. It also affects their evolution," said the nurse as the kids looked back at the screen to see all four Deerlings now replaced by another deer-like Pokémon. "Sawsbuck is the evolution of Deerling. And as you can see, the differences here are more noticeable and clearer."

"A Pokémon that is tied into the seasons… that's kinda awesome," said Rainbow as even she had to admit it was cool.

"I'm very interested to know where you found this Deerling," the nurse told the kids.

"Well…" started off Silverbolt.

"I've got you!"

The kids turned after hearing a sudden voice. As Silverbolt turned, a rope wrapped around his wrist and pulled him to the ground; standing before the boy was a female police officer, who currently held a rope as next to her was a Growlithe who also growled at the boy.

"What's going on here?" said Silverbolt as he tried to pull free from the rope around his wrist but to no avail as the female officer pulled back.

"Don't make a move, or I'll throw the lot of you in even more trouble than you're already in!" said the officer.

"Move? I couldn't even if I tried!" said Silverbolt because the lady had him by his wrist.

"Believe me, I know who you are! If you have the stolen Deerling, then you're with that Pokémon smuggler!" said the officer.

"Pokémon smuggler?!" said Silverbolt in disbelief.

"We're not smugglers!" said Rainbow.

"Then how did you find that Deerling?" asked the officer.

"We found it in a nearby bush. We assumed it must have fallen off," said Fluttershy.

"Then that means…" said the officer as she let go of the rope she held.

"It seems the Pokémon smuggler must have dropped the cage without knowing he had," said the nurse.

"Well, then… forgive me," said the officer as she approached Silverbolt, who removed the rope around his wrist. "I'm so sorry. I'm always jumping to conclusions and messing things up."

"I mean, officer, is he still in the clear if he stole five bucks from me when we were little?" asked Rainbow.

"Rainbow, shut up!" said Silverbolt. He hated the girl who was trying to claim borrowing five bucks as an excuse to try to put him in jail. He then turned to face the officer as she had an apologetic look. "Don't worry, Miss. It's okay."

A jingle was then heard as everybody turned. The door opened from the back; the Wigglytuff that was responsible for the Deerling appeared as it had the Pokémon on the bed tray.

"Deerling is all fine now!" said the nurse, much to the delight of everyone.

"Deer!" said the Pokémon to the group.

"So glad you're okay," said Fluttershy as the deer jumped into her arms.

A while later, the group was at a nearby table. Deerling was beside them, munching away some Pokémon food to regain strength. It warmed the teens' hearts to see the small fawn would be alright as they began to listen to the officer about the Pokémon smuggler they ran into earlier.

"So all that stuff you were talking about earlier…" said Silverbolt.

"I've never heard of a Pokémon smuggler before," chimed Rainbow as she took a bite of a carrot with her arm resting on the head of the bench.

"What are they?" asked Fluttershy.

"Pokémon smugglers are people who steal and then sell Pokémon online to unscrupulous Pokémon collectors worldwide!" said the officer to the kids.

"First, they steal Pokémon…" said Fluttershy.

"... then they sell them online?" repeated Pinkie.

"Exactly. The smuggler that I was working on specializes in catching Deerling. He tries to get as much as possible to make a valuable profit."

"So that means he must be keeping lots of them at his hideout!" said Silverbolt.

"All those poor, helpless Deerlings…" said Fluttershy as she could only imagine the horrors of the Pokémon being stuffed in cages and mistreated.

"I'm sure he's got countless Pokémon and once those Deerlings evolve into Sawsbuck, he sells them at a premium," explained the officer.

"That's no excuse for that!" said Silverbot.

"What an awful man!" remarked Pinkie, even though she didn't like the idea of catching Pokémon for profit.

At that moment, Deerling began to act up as it jumped on the table, getting everyone's attention.

"I think Deerling is getting restless," stated the officer.

The kids looked at the small fawn as it seemed to run in a circle, confusing the teens about what the Pokémon was doing. Silverbolt then noticed something as a faint light caught his eye.

"There seems to be something in Deerling's fur," said the boy.

"Well, what is it?" asked Rainbow as the boy reached into the fawn's back and pulled out a small device.

"It looks like a tracking chip of sorts that's used for transmitting signals," responded the boy.

"A signal? But for what?" asked Pinkie.

"I know! That Pokémon smuggler must have implanted that chip as a tracking device so he could hunt down any Pokémon that might get away from him!" said the officer.

"Then he might be close by," said Rainbow.

"Well, if he is, I'll get him!" said Silverbolt.

Deerling approached Fluttershy as it spoke with the girl who looked at it.

"What's wrong?" asked the girl to the Pokémon as she petted its head.

"Deerling's probably worried. After all, that Pokémon smuggler is still holding its friends captive," said the officer.

"You wanna get your friends out, right?" asked Pinkie to the fawn as it nodded its head.

"I've got an idea," said Rainbow. "Here's the plan. First, we let the Pokémon smuggler take Deerling back, and then we'll follow, using the transmitter's signal. That way, he'll lead us to the hideout and all the Pokémon, too!"

"And that'll make rescuing all of Deerling's friends easier. Huh, that's not a bad plan, Dash. How'd you come up with that?" asked Silverbolt.

"Duh, spy movies. They do that shit all the time!" said the chromatic-haired girl as she couldn't believe nobody else thought of that.

"Well, I like the plan!" said Pinkie.

"Can we pull it off?" asked Fluttershy, a bit nervous about the whole thing.

"Lucky for you, kids. You got an officer in the house. I'll get right on decoding the signal," said the officer as she took the Deerling with her to examine the device's signal.

The others followed the woman and her Growlithe as they arrived at her vehicle. She opened the passenger side and pulled out a device before putting the tracking chip inside and closing the lid.

"The first thing we need to do is detect and memorize the frequency of the transmitter chip," said the woman as the device made a sound and opened it. "We can then pinpoint Deerling's location, no matter where it goes!"

"Sounds like we're in business. Alright, let's do this!" said Rainbow.

"I feel uncomfortable about all this," said Fluttershy. "Maybe we shouldn't use Deerling as bait. It's dangerous."

"Seriously, Fluttershy! Come on, we're trying to save Pokémon here!" said Dash as she couldn't believe her friend was trying to back out now.

"Come on, Rainbow. Ease up on her," said Bolt as he tried to get the girl to settle down.

"Fine! Then, if we're not going to use Deerling as bait to avoid hurting Fluttershy's feelings, then what the hell is the plan?!" asked the chromatic-haired girl.

"Oh, I know. A decoy!" said Pinkie as she waved her arm around rapidly.

"Pinkie, we need a smart idea."

"Actually… that could work," said Silverbolt as the more he thought about it, the more Pinkie seemed right. "We could always use a decoy."

"Then where the hell are we gonna find a decoy?"

"Well, there are some around here," suggested Pinkie.

"No!" said Fluttershy.

"Great idea on the decoy, Pinkie, just… not so good on the execution. I get it what you're saying, but perhaps we should maybe use a decoy without putting even more Deerling in danger. Just a thought, you know," said the boy, trying to relay the message to her.

"So, what? We just make a decoy," said Rainbow.

"That's not a bad idea when you think aloud," muttered Bolt. "Yeah, let's do that!"

"Huh?"

"Like you said, Dash. Use a decoy."

"Okay, and how?"

"Have no fear, Pinkie is here!" said the girl as she reached into her hair and pulled out what appeared to be a costume kit.

"Um, where did you get that, Pinkie?"

"What, you don't carry around a costume kit so that you can disguise yourself whenever you want?" asked the girl with a smile.

"Never mind, forget I ever asked," said Silverbolt, as he didn't want to spend time trying to understand the girl's antics.

"Alright, what will we use as a decoy?" asked Rainbow. "Oh, I know. Fluttershy, get your Eevee."

"No!" said the girl, who didn't want to harm her Pokémon.

"Oh, come on!" said Dash.

"How about we use mine instead?" said Silverbolt as he pulled his Pokéball out to bring out his little fox.

"Eevee!" said the Pokémon as it approached its master, and the boy petted its head.

After a bit, Eevee was now standing there wearing a costume over its body that made it look like Deerling, as the only thing to say it was Eevee was the eyes through the holes.

"Not bad!" said Rainbow.

"Except for one teeny tiny problem," said the officer. "Eevee is a bit shorter than Deerling."

The others all exchanged looks before glancing between the two Pokémon as, sure enough, the fox was just a few meters short of the fawn.

"Deerling is about 0.6 m high, and your Eevee… is only 0.3 meters tall. Sorry," said the officer, bending down to the fox as it felt sad it couldn't carry out the plan. "You're still cute and fluffy, though."

"Alright, back to the drawing board. What else we got?" asked Rainbow.

"Wanna try, Pikachu?" suggested Silverbolt as he brought his yellow rodent.

"Pika," said the mouse before he put on the Deerling costume.

"Well?" asked Pinkie.

"Better but… only 0.4 meters," said the officer as even Pikachu's height, standing on its back legs, didn't work.

"Not what!" shouted Rainbow. "Torkoal is too big, and my Taillow can't move on four limbs."

"What about your Snivy?" asked Silverbolt.

"What about it?"

"Just bring it out."

"Sure, whatever. Snivy!" said Rainbow as she pulled out her Pokéball and called upon her Pokémon.

"Snivy!" said the Pokémon as she stood tall and proud before her owner.

"Alright, now what!" said the chromatic-haired girl.

"How tall is Snivy?" asked Silverbolt as the officer measured the Pokémon's height.

"0.6."

"Looks like we got a winner," said the boy.

"Okay, but that's when she's standing up. Deerlings don't walk on their hind legs," stated Rainbow. "Plus, how the hell is she gonna walk on all fours with her arms."

"Look, just leave the details to me, alright," stated Silverbolt as he waved his hand to dismiss the girl's concern.

"Fine, whatever, but if anything happens to her," said Rainbow as she gestured to her Pokémon.

"Snivy!" said the Pokémon as she made some vines appear from her collar, and one of them slapped Silverbolt across the face as if to tell him what was in store.

"Duly noted," said the boy to the Pokémon as he rubbed his face.


Once things were mapped out, the group returned to where the cage was. They found the thing as they turned it so the entrance to the cage was facing the sky. Rainbow's Snivy, in Deerling's disguised costume, was placed inside the cage as it did its job of waiting. Once the bait was set, Rainbow and Pinkie rushed back to the police car, where everyone awaited.

"All we do now is wait for him to show up," said the officer.

"Unless he makes an appearance, the whole plan will be rendered useless," stated Silverbolt.

"Don't worry. Pokémon smugglers are very greedy individuals. They'll definitely come back, or they won't make all that money," responded the woman to the teens.

"And once he makes his pickup, we'll follow him," said Rainbow.

"Then we can track him down to his hideout," said Silverbolt.

"Listen!" said Fluttershy.

Everybody hunkered down as they heard a rumbling of sorts. As if on cue, a jeep was shown riding along the path. Sure enough, the person driving the jeep was indeed the Pokémon smuggler who had dropped the cage earlier during his getaway from the law. He'd noticed he had indeed missed one of his precious cargo and, as everyone predicted, was currently tracking the chip. He rode down the small slope and stopped just a few meters away from where the cage was.

"The signal from the chip's coming from here, somewhere… ah, there you are!" said the smuggler as he found the cage and picked it up. "Is my precious merchandise safe and sound?" The smuggler looked inside, and he found the disguised Snivy, who stared at the human. The smuggler examined the decoy for a while as if trying to determine if something was off. Under the costume, Snivy was sweating a bit as she knew what could happen if the plan didn't work.

"Come on!" said the smuggler as he closed and locked the cage before putting it under his arm to carry it back to the jeep. Inside, Snivy released a breath she held in, knowing the plan was still in motion.

"Looks like he bought the disguise," said the officer.

"I know what I'm doing," boasted Pinkie as her costume idea worked out tremendously.

"Save it for later, Pinkie," said Silverbolt as they still had to rescue the other Deerling from the smuggler's hideout.

"Buckle up, kids!" instructed the woman as she turned the engine on and began to follow the jeep from a distance.

They tracked the signal for a few minutes before the officer noticed something new on the tracker.

"Looks like he just turned into the forest."

"Is that bad?" asked Fluttershy.

"Depends. As long as we don't lose the sig-"

"What?" said Silverbolt.

The car stopped, and everyone wondered why they weren't moving.

"What are you doing? We're supposed to be following him!" stated Rainbow.

"The signal is gone," said the woman to the kids.

"Huh?!" said the group.

"Well, what do we do now?" asked Dash. "I need my Pokémon back!"

"What if we try getting a bird's eye view?" suggested Silverbolt.

"That could work," said the officer.

"Rainbow, bring out your Tailow."

"Fine!" said the girl as she and the boy stepped out of the car.

"Taillow, come on out!"

"Rowlet, you too!"

The two teens brought out their aerial Pokémon as they hovered before the pair.

"See if you two can spot a vehicle," asked the boy.

The two nodded before they turned and took the skies. The two birds split up as they began to look for the missing vehicle. Taillow was soaring above the forest, as it didn't see anything that was mentioned by the kids. However, something caught its eye with a faint glint. It turned as it spotted a nearby mountain as well as a trail. And on that trail, there was indeed a vehicle riding up it as, sure enough, it was what the group was tracking. With that, the small bird turned to return to the others.

"Anything, Rowlet?" asked Silverbolt to his Pokémon.

The Pokémon shook his head as he found nothing. At that moment, Taillow appeared and began to make some noise.

"What is it, bud? Did you find something?" asked Rainbow.

The smaller bird nodded before using one of its wings to point where it was spotted.

"Awesome. Nice job, Taillow. Lead the way!" instructed Dash as the bird turned to fly back with Rowlet by its side.

"Follow them!" said Silverbolt to the female officer as she pushed her foot on the gas pedal and began to follow the two birds.


The group followed the pair of birds as they traveled through the forest, avoiding all the twists and turns. Eventually, they found the mountain path Taillow had found earlier and slowly rode up, which was full of bumps and unsteeped rocks. Eventually, the two birds perched onto a branch growing out of the mountain as the vehicle below them stopped.

"What's the matter, Taillow? Did you find it?" asked Rainbow as the bird responded.

The group all peered out of the windows as they looked ahead; sure enough, there was a building in the distance.

"Great work, Taillow!" said Rainbow as she pulled out her Pokéball and called back her Pokémon.

"You too, Rowlet!" said Silverbolt as she did the same.

"I think it's best if I go by myself, kids. I don't want you all to get in danger."

"Are you sure?" asked the boy.

"I can handle it."

The four teens got out of the car as the officer continued driving. The four teens decided to wait nearby in the event something bad happened.

Some time had passed as all four were currently behind a set of bushes. Pinkie pulled out a deck of playing cards, and she and Fluttershy played some Goldfish while Rainbow and Silverbolt just kept watch. The pair examined the massive building on the mountainside, which was surrounded by some fences. In the yard of the hideout, there was the jeep.

"What's taking so long?!" said Rainbow.

"Dash, give her time," said Silverbolt, as he could tell the girl was getting impatient. "For now, we just sit tight."

"But what if he escapes?!" responded the chromatic-haired girl. "Let's go!"

"Rainbow!" shouted the boy, grabbing the girl's hand to stop her. "Look, just calm down. Besides, if we rush without a plan, he might see us. And who knows what he'll do to all those Deerlings he has captured?"

"Well, we can't sit here and do nothing!"

"We need to ensure the safety of the Pokémon, which is our top priority."

"Then what are we supposed to do!" shouted the girl to her friend.

"We need to find out if anyone's inside," said the boy before pulling out a Pokéball. "Greninja."

Out came the large bipedal frog as it stood before the group.

"Find out if there's anybody inside that building, okay?"

The Pokémon nodded before he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving a log behind. The Pokémon reappeared atop the roof of the building as he noticed some opened windows below it. It then crawled using its webbed feet before grabbing the open panels, swinging about to rest on the ledge, and looking inside. Below it was a garage of sorts, as there were several boxes and crates, and off to the far side was a holding pen. Inside were tons of Deerlings, and they seemed to be afraid. Seeing the collection of Pokémon, Greninja then got back on top of the roof, got his trainer's attention, and made a hand signal with his webbed feet.

"Greninja is saying the coast is all clear," said Silverbolt.

"Then that means now's our chance! Let's go!" said Rainbow as she leaped over the rock and took off.

"Rainbow, wait!" said Fluttershy as the girl got up with the others and chased their friend.

The girl had entered the base as she was quietly sneaking about with the others not too far behind. Fluttershy was still carrying Deerling when the fawn sensed something that caught the girl's attention.

"What's wrong, Deerling?" asked Fluttershy.

Suddenly, a net below the feet of the girl, Pinkie, and Silverbolt was triggered as it brought the net up and captured the three teens. Deerling jumped out of the girl's arms at the last second and quickly rushed to Rainbow's side. The girl heard the sudden trap go off as she turned to look at her friends hanging from the tree.

"Guys!"

"Well, well, well. Guess I missed a Pokémon and a kid."

Rainbow turned as she was now face to face with the smuggler.

"You! Let my friends go!" demanded Rainbow.

"Give me a break! Nobody tricks me and gets away with it! You punks are responsible for this, aren't you?" said the smuggler. He held the cage with Rainbow's Snivy, and the disguise fell off to reveal said Pokémon's face.

"Snivy!" said the girl as she saw her Pokémon.

"It was a rough ride, so the disguise fell off. But, I'll get even with you by selling this one as well!" smirked the smuggler as he held the cage before Rainbow and dangled it.

"You're not doing that!" barked Dash as Deerling ran behind the girl's legs.

"You've got a mouth on you, little girl! Now, hand over that Deerling!" said the smuggler as he called upon his giant bipedal toad.

"Who's that Pokémon?" said Rainbow as she quickly pulled out her Pokédex to see what creature she was facing.

"Seismitoad, the vibration Pokémon and the evolved form of Palpitoad. The vibration of the bumps all over its body causes earthquake-like tremors. This Pokémon is popular among the elderly, who say the vibrations of its lumps are great for massages."

"Snivy would be really good right about now," muttered Rainbow to herself, given the type advantage of her opponent's Pokémon. "Alright, Taillow, you're up to bat!"

The girl called upon her Pokémon as it appeared before her.

"You ready?" asked the girl to her Pokémon as it nodded.

"Seismitoad, Mud Shot!" commanded the smuggler.

"Dodge it, Taillow!"

The giant bipedal toad reeled its head back before opening its mouth and shooting mud bombs at the small bird. The small raven was flying about and dodging all the attacks as it avoided the first wave of attacks.

"Great! Now use Wing Attack!"

Taillow had its wings glow in white as it zoomed toward the giant toad, who didn't expect the small thing to attack so soon. It put its arms up to block the attack and managed to hold on as it was pushed back a few feet.

"What?!" exclaimed the smuggler at how the small raven could make his giant Pokémon move. "Use, Dig!"

The giant bipedal toad jumped before digging into the ground below, making stone and dirt kick into the air.

"It could be anywhere! Taillow, stay focused and be on high alert!" instructed Rainbow.

The bird nodded, but something was moving on the ground at that moment. It moved so fast that even with its senses, it couldn't react in time as Seismitoad came out from the ground, and bits of stone hit the small raven in the air.

"Taillow!"

"Hydro Pump!" instructed the smuggler.

The giant toad blasted a powerful stream of water at Rainbow's smaller Pokémon, and it was sent crashing to the ground.

"Taillow, are you okay?" asked Rainbow to her Pokémon by her feet.

"Now use Brick Break!"

"Taillow, use Aerial Ace and counter that!" instructed Dash.

The small bird took off and did some crazy acrobatics in the air to avoid the initial swings from its foe, but when it tried to get closer, it got nailed with one of Seismitoad's Brick Break and swatted the bird back toward Rainbow, crashing before her feet.

"Taillow!" called out the girl as she bent down to check on her Pokémon.

"How sweet!" mocked the Pokémon smuggler. "Finish this! Use Brick Break and attack as hard as you can!"

"Taillow," said Rainbow as she was more concerned about her Pokémon's health.

The Pokémon was still coming at them as if it were a matter of instinct. Deerling leaped out from behind the girl and ran forward. It ran full speed at the giant toad and delivered a headbutt to the gut of the Pokémon, knocking it back and saving the girl and her Pokémon from danger.

"What the?" said Rainbow as she didn't expect the small fawn to run out and protect them.

The fawn looked at the girl as it had a brave face on.

"Hey, thanks," said Dash to the small deer.

"Hey, don't forget that's my merchandise! Forget it! Use Brick Break and teach that Deerling a lesson!" said the Pokémon smuggler.

The giant toda rushed forward as Deerling stood its ground and put up a protective barrier. The webbed hands of the toad made contact with the shield as it tried to break through but couldn't and was pushed back by the strong defense.

"What move was that?" asked Pinkie.

"That was Deerling's Protect," said Silverbolt as he was amazed the small fawn knew that powerful move.

The small fawn wasn't done, as it then leaped into the air and opened its mouth to fire several seed bullets that began to pelt the giant toad, which covered up and had a massive effect on it.

"And that's Bullet Seed!" said the boy as the deer fought back.

"Awesome! Nice job, Deerling!" said Rainbow as she was impressed by the small thing's courage.

"That's enough! Finish that deer off!" commanded the Pokémon smuggler as the giant toad pounded angrily.

At that moment, Deerling stood its ground before a white light encased it, getting everyone's attention.

"What's happening?" asked Fluttershy.

"Deerling is evolving!" said Silverbolt.

The small white light then got bigger before it faded away to reveal what was left behind. A much larger deer with antlers on its head stood tall as it made a sound.

"Saw!" said the Pokémon.

"Wow. That's cool! A Sawsbuck!" said Rainbow as she pulled out her Pokédex.

"Sawsbuck, the Season Pokémon and the evolved form of Deerling. They migrate according to the seasons. People can tell the seasons by looking at Sawsbuck's horns."

"Gorgeous. You should fetch a high price," the smuggler smirked, wondering how much money he could make off the Sawsbuck before him. "Seismitoad, get rid of the girl and her Pokémon, now! Mud Shot!"

The giant toad fired several mud bombs from its mouth at Rainbow and Taillow as Sawsbuck stood before the pair. Again, it used Protect to put up a barrier, this time engulfing Rainbow and Taillow inside of it as the mud bombs just bounced right off.

"Thanks, little- I mean, big guy," said Rainbow, remembering that it was no longer a small fawn. "Now go for it!"

The deer obeyed the girl's instructions as it charged forward. Its antlers began to glow as an orb appeared by its head, and it shot it forward. The orb fired and made direct contact with the giant toad; it was dazed and knocked to the ground.

"What move was that?" asked Fluttershy.

"Energy Ball," said Silverbolt.

"Seismitoad!" shouted the smuggler to his defeated Pokémon before looking up and glaring at the Sawsbuck. "Find then, I'll just catch you myself!"

"No, you don't!"

At that moment, a rope flew through the air as it wrapped around the smuggler's wrist. Sure enough, the officer the group was with earlier appeared as she pulled back.

"Sorry to keep you kids waiting," said the woman as she was busy freeing the rest of the captured Deerlings.

As if on cue, all the small fawns that were in the holding pens emerged from the garage and stood next to the officer.

"Looks like she freed them!" said Bolt as they noticed the Sawsbuck that had just evolved was untying the knot and making them all fall to the ground.

They all groaned for the rough landing before the large deer licked each of their hairs as a way to apologize before walking away.

"You were great, Snivy!" said Rainbow as she got her Pokémon from her cage.

"Snivy!" responded the Pokémon to her trainer as she took pride in doing her job.


The sun was already going down when everything was taken care of. Sawsbuck stood before its friends as the many Deerlings were amazed at their friend's sudden transformation.

"Well, you're all free now!" said Fluttershy.

The small group of deer turned to smile and acknowledged the girl with a collective sound before they all glowed. It caught the group of humans and police officer off guard as, sure enough, nearly every single Deerling was evolving, and in their place were tons of Sawsbuck. However, not all of them were the same, as nearly every single season was shown by their appearance.

"Would you look at that," said Rainbow.

The Sawsbucks gave one last collective goodbye before they all turned to leave. The one our group had been with stopped and turned to look at them before approaching Fluttershy.

"Go on, now. You're free," said the animal-loving girl as she petted its nose.

The large deer nodded as he understood and looked at the group before making a sound and turning around.

"Take care!" shouted Silverbolt.

"Try not to get caught again!" exclaimed Rainbow. Everybody waved goodbye to their latest Pokémon friend, who disappeared down the mountainside.

"Thanks for the help, kids. Can I give you a ride?" offered the officer, as it was the least she could do.

"Do you know how to get Mt. Aries? We're going for a Gym badge," stated Rainbow.

"Oh, I know the way. But I only get you four as far as the port. After that, you'll have to catch a ship to get to Mt. Aries itself." responded the female officer.

"That's good enough," said Silverbolt as all three agreed.

"Then get in!" said the woman as all four teens quickly hopped into the police car.

The officer started the engine as she began to make her way down the mountain as she looked to take the kids to their destination.

Author's Note: It seems our group was able to help a police officer not only stop a Pokemon smuggler, but were able to help free some Deerlings/Sawsbucks from capture. And now, they're on their way toward Mt. Aries for Rainbow and Silverbolt's next gym battle.