"There it is!" said Rainbow.
The chromatic-haired girl was standing on a pier. In the distance, an island with a colossal mountain loomed. The island was none other than Mt. Aries, a place of legend and the site of Silverbolt and Rainbow's next formidable gym challenge. After aiding a police officer in apprehending a smuggler, she returned the favor to the group by driving them to the port; they thanked her and were now standing on the pier.
"I'm ready to conquer my next Gym badge!" declared the athletic teen, her voice brimming with determination and anticipation.
"Yeah, well, guess what? You're not the only one trying to enter the Equestrian League," said Silverbolt as he and the others made their presence known. "Besides, you can't get there without a boat. Speaking of which, here!" The boy presented the girl with her ferry ticket as they needed to catch a ride to the island.
"I can't wait to be on a boat!" said Pinkie excitedly.
"Are we sure it's safe?" asked Fluttershy.
"I promise, Fluttershy. We'll be perfectly fine—you know, unless we hit an iceberg or a Wailord," the boy said.
At that moment, a loud horn was heard. The four teens and the other passengers on the pier looked ahead with excitement as a massive ship approached them. The thrill of boarding the vessel for their next adventure was palpable.
"Guys! Check this out!" said Rainbow as she was on the ship's top deck. "They got a mini-golf course."
"Oh, an all-you-can-eat buffet!" stated Pinkie as she rushed to check all the food.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
A sound was heard over the ship's PA system.
"We welcome you all to boarding our beloved cruise ship. Our destination is Mt. Aries. So sit back and enjoy yourself!" said the voice.
As if on cue, the ship began to move, and all four teens and the other passengers felt it and instinctively held onto the nearby railing. After getting used to the boat's movements, they began moving about the deck as some passengers made noises. They all looked over the railing. While swimming along the boat, several Water-type Pokémon were skipping about, and a few Mantyke and Mantine leaped out of the sea and into the air before diving back down.
The boat ride soon ended as the vessel approached the island of Mt. Aries quickly. The boat soon docked, and all the passengers got out. Upon stepping onto the dock, the group noticed something. There were several decorations and tons of banners around the docks.
"Must be some kind of holiday," said Rainbow as they proceeded to walk forward along the pier.
"Oh, I love holidays!" said Pinkie.
"I don't know. Judging by the image on the banners, it doesn't seem like a holiday," said Silverbolt as he saw the design and logo of the many banners.
"Maybe they rolled out the red carpet for us once they found out I was coming," bragged Rainbow, not seeing the faces of her friends.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure-" Silverbolt started sarcastically when his attention was interrupted.
The group then heard some noises, and farther down the pier, there was a small boat. Inside, a girl struggled to keep herself in the boat. To the group's eyes, something was moving about the water as it collided with the boat. The girl lost her balance and let out a yelp before tumbling overboard.
"Hold on!" shouted Silverbolt as the group began to run toward the girl.
The girl popped out of the water and spat out some water. She then noticed the thing that attacked her boat coming for her. It torpedoed through the water, and the girl was its target. Silverbolt quickly dove into the water as he removed his backpack and immediately began swimming toward the girl who remained frozen. The girl watched the thing coming at her when she felt the boy wrap his arms around her, which caught her by surprise.
"Huh?"
"Come on!" said Silverbolt as he grabbed a hold of the boat and managed to get both of them inside. He looked as the thing was about to ram into the vessel when he pulled out a Pokéball. "Greninja!"
The teen threw his Pokéball, and out came his Pokémon. The thing in the water then leaped as it made its presence known; Silverbolt's Pokémon then countered as it extended one of its legs out to kick the Pokémon square in the mouth and knock it back into the water. It landed on the edge of the boat, and as the thing it kicked away was shown coming back, it wasn't just one but several now charging straight for the boat.
"Get ready!" instructed the boy to his Pokémon.
"Hold on!" shouted the girl as she dove back into the water.
"What are you doing?! " Silverbolt asked as he saw the girl swimming toward the looming objects heading their way.
The others made it to the dock as they saw what was happening. The girl their friend rescued stopped as they saw the objects coming at her; she put her hand out, and as if on cue, just inches from running over her, they stopped. It confused the group as the girl smiled when something popped out of the water. A Pokémon appeared, making a happy noise before rubbing against the girl, who giggled and petted its face.
"What's going on?" asked Fluttershy as they were confused. Rainbow just pulled out her Pokédex to scan the Pokémon the girl was petting.
"Sharpedo, the Brutal Pokémon, and the evolved form of Carvanha. Its fang rips through sheet iron. It can swim at 75mph and is known as the Bully of the Sea."
"Bully of the Sea?" said Rainbow as she looked up at the pod of Sharpedo as they enjoyed getting petted by the girl.
"Doesn't look like a bully to me," said Fluttershy as she approached one of the Pokémon. "Hello."
The girl bent down as she waved at one of the sharks, who immediately fell in love with her as he swam to her and allowed Fluttershy to pet it.
"I guess it's only a bully if you piss it off," commented Rainbow, putting her Pokédex away as Silverbolt called back his Greninja and got on the dock before wringing out his clothes.
"I'm terribly sorry," said the girl.
"Oh, think nothing of it," said Silverbolt.
"Oh… I was actually apologizing to the Sharpedo for them being attacked."
"Oh," remarked the boy as he felt a bit embarrassed.
"Apologies. But these Sharpedo are actually very nice. We were just rehearsing."
"For what?" asked Pinkie.
"I can tell you all aren't from here. Did you happen to come from the mainland?" asked the girl.
"Yeah. We're actually here to challenge the Mt. Aries gym," said Rainbow.
"Huh, well what do you know," responded the girl as she got to the ladder and climbed onto the dock. "I happen to know the Gym leader of Mt. Aries quite well."
"Yeah, you think you can take us there?" asked Rainbow, rather excitedly.
"See… the thing is… Mom's kinda busy with the festival."
"Hold on, your mother?" repeated Pinkie.
"Oh, guess I never introduced myself. My name is Princess Skystar, and my mother is the Queen. Queen Novo."
"Hold on, you're a princess!" stated Silverbolt as all four did a double take after hearing Skystar say she was a princess.
The four were with Princess Skystar in the island's town port, and they were seated at a nearby cafe. More decorations, banners, and streamers were hung around town. It seemed the group had arrived just as the citizens of Mt. Aries were about to hold their annual Water Festival.
"So, let's get this straight. You're an actual princess, and your mother is the queen and gym leader," said Silverbolt.
"It's a lot to take in, but yeah. You see, Mt. Aries has been around since the great Equestrian War. The king at the time helped one of his comrades by lending them some of our most powerful Water-type Pokémon."
"Wow, that's quite a tale," said Pinkie.
"So what's all this?" asked Fluttershy, looking at the many decorations around town.
"It's our annual Water Festival. See, we hold one each year on this day to celebrate when our kingdom first started," explained Skystar. "Every year, there's music, games, and all sorts of cool stuff. Lately, Mom's been so busy with some royal duties that she hasn't had time to plan the festival properly. So I decided to lend a hand."
"So, is it safe to assume she won't be taking any challengers?" asked Silverbolt with a smirk while looking over at Rainbow, waiting to see her reaction to the news.
"Sorry," apologized Skystar.
"Aw, man!" groaned Rainbow as she put her head down. "I was so looking forward to getting my next badge!"
"I'm really sorry. I know you all came this way just to hear the sudden news."
"Don't be! It's okay. Sure, we came here expecting a gym challenge, but this festival seems important. It's okay if we can wait a little longer, right, Dash?" grinned Silverbolt, looking at his friend, who was still upset. "By the way, we never introduced ourselves. My name is Silverbolt, but you can just call me Bolt."
"I'm Fluttershy."
"Hi, my name is Pinkie Pie."
Rainbow still groaned as Bolt just shook his head.
"And this grumpy airhead is Rainbow Dash. Please excuse her," stated the boy.
"It's nice to meet you all. Say, why don't I show you all around town? It's the least I can do."
"That would be nice," said Silverbolt.
Meanwhile, at Queen Novo's castle, the woman spoke with some royal designers.
"Mmm. I'm not so sure about the color," commented the Queen as she looked at the pieces of cloth. "See if you can find some in navy blue."
The royal designers nodded as they left. Queen Novo then looked at some of the mannequins, spotted an outfit, and made a face.
"Take three centimeters off the right. Lower the hem and take the sash off," stated the Queen as they nodded and got to work. "I wonder where my daughter is."
A motorboat was shown, and inside was the group and Princess Skystar, who was being given some supplies. One of the guards stood on the pier as he looked at the girl.
"Are you sure about this, Princess?"
"I'll be fine. Just make sure my mom doesn't find out."
"Very well, Your Highness," responded the man as he untied the boat from the docks.
"I'll be back in time for the festival!" said the girl as she started the boat and began to propel them forward.
The kids were racing across the water as they felt the cool breeze blowing in their faces. They saw several Pelipper, Wingulls, and other flying Pokémon soaring above them. Silverbolt turned to look at the princess controlling the motor stick as they continued to travel.
"So, where are we headed, princess?" asked the boy.
"Take a look at this," said Skystar as she handed the boy a folded paper.
The teen took it and opened it as Rainbow leaned over to look. Some writing and other texts were on the paper.
"See, that's a treasure map."
"Treasure map?!" responded all four.
"See, there's been this ancient legend that long ago, a group of pirates was traveling these waters when they sank to the bottom of the sea along with the treasure it was carrying. Some say it's a myth, but ever since my mother told me about the story as a young girl, I often wanted to see if it was true. According to legend, the ship's captain hid his Pokémon-related treasures on an island just moments before his ship was lost."
"That's cool!" said Rainbow.
"What kind of treasure did he hide?" asked Pinkie.
"No one knows. That's why I need your help," said Skystar. "Normally, my mom would freak out if she knew that I was doing this, but since today is the Water Festival, she's got her hands full. So, I figured today was the perfect day to go treasure hunting. So, what do you say? Want to help me and get your share of whatever treasure we find?"
"Hell yeah!" said Rainbow, as she didn't need to think twice.
"Sounds like fun," responded Pinkie.
"I guess it could be worthwhile," stated Silverbolt, as the idea of going on a treasure hunt left by pirates was entertaining.
"Great, because… we're here!" said the girl as she pointed ahead.
The group turned as, sure enough, they were fast approaching the island they were heading to. From just afar, they could see the tall cliffs one would have to climb to get to the top of the island. The princess began to ease up on the motor as their speed was reduced upon entering the island's inner area.
"Now, according to the map, there should be a passageway that leads inland."
"I think I see something over there!" stated Silverbolt as he pointed in a direction.
"Let's check it out," said the princess as she turned the boat and accelerated the motor stick to make them move forward.
The boat began to circle around the island as they approached the potential sighting Silverbolt had spotted. As they came up to where he pointed, a small enough crack was hidden. At that moment, the water before them broke apart, and a whirlpool appeared. The boat was caught in and fell as it spun, making everyone shout.
"Everyone, hold on!" shouted Skystar as she tried to get them out.
Soon… everything went black.
Princess Skystar opened her eyes and shook her head to get her bearings straight. The others began to stir as they sat in the boat cruising along the inner passageway.
"Looks like we somehow survived," groaned the princess.
"That was scary," said Fluttershy as she nearly lost her lunch.
"I can't believe we made it," groaned Silverbolt as he stretched his back out.
The boat continued to move along the passageway as Princess Skystar made sure to steer clear of the cliffs to avoid crashing. The passage itself was a maze as turning around the many corners of rock led to more rock. With the tight space to navigate such things, the teens were now seeing why so many people in the past who sought out the treasure had a difficult time. Rainbow took a moment to look up as she saw some nearby Pokémon perched on a branch. The looks they were giving the humans were rather cold as they flew off. The chromatic-haired girl felt a shudder run down her spine as it felt like they were watching them.
The boat then reached the end of the shallow passageway as it came to a lake.
"According to the map, we should be close," said Silverbolt as he looked at the paper the princess gave him.
"Over there!" shouted Pinkie.
The group turned as, sure enough, there, stranded on the beachfront, was a ship.
"A really pirate ship!" said the boy.
"It's time to go ashore!" said Princess Skystar as she turned toward the vessel.
The waves crashed along the sandy shore as the giant vessel was a few meters away from where the group got off. No one knew whether it was the assumed pirate ship from the princess' fabled tale, but it was worth checking out.
"Are we sure this is safe?" asked Fluttershy as she was a bit nervous.
"It's okay, Fluttershy. Just stay behind me, and I'll protect you," assured Bolt as the girl smiled and grabbed his arms from behind as if using the boy like a shield, and he smiled and walked forward.
Pinkie approached the boat first as she looked at it. The girl knocked on the wooden structure and it made a noise. She then put a finger on it as it began to crumble. The rotting wood gave way to the girl's weight as it created a small opening.
"I found the entrance!" shouted the pink-haired girl as the others stood beside her.
"It looks in bad shape," said Skystar as the rotting wood was the first sign that this ship had been here for who knows how long.
"I think we should check it out!" said Rainbow excitedly.
"Maybe that's not such a good idea, Dash," whimpered Fluttershy as she continued to hide behind Silverbolt. "I feel like there's danger around here."
"You always sense danger!" retorted the girl to her childhood friend.
"It'll be fine. We'll never find the treasure if we get scared by a tiny little thing," smiled Skystar as she proceeded inside.
"You know, for a princess, she's not worried in the slightest," commented Bolt, seeing how Skystar acted contradicted his views of what a princess should act like.
The group soon entered the abandoned vessel as they took in the darkness. Fluttershy was still afraid as she tightened her grip on Bolt's arms. The boy groaned a bit, feeling the fingernails of the girl digging into his skin as it was painful.
"Fluttershy," spoke the boy through his teeth.
The girl looked up at her friend and noticed she was pressing her fingers into his skin, so she released her hold.
"Sorry," muttered the girl as she hid behind her hair.
"N-No worries. Just… don't squeeze too hard," chuckled the boy sheepishly as she nodded before returning to hiding behind him.
The group continued to look about the ship but to their surprise, there was nothing.
"Are we sure the treasure is here?" asked Rainbow.
"That's what the map says. It says we're supposed to find a door," responded Silverbolt as he looked at the folded paper.
"Here's a door!" said Pinkie, grabbing a handle and prying it open.
The girl struggled before putting a foot on the wall and yanked back before it broke off completely, and she fell. The door that Pinkie tore off led to a closet filled with dusty pirate clothes, and it seemed she had found the captain's private closet of outfits.
"Wow, I'm stronger than I thought!" said the party-eccentric teen.
"Yeah, let's go with that," remarked Bolt as he helped the girl.
"Let me see that!" shouted Rainbow as she swiped the map from her friend. "It says there should be a giant door with symbols that lead to the treasure. I don't see that shit anywhere!"
"What about out there?" asked Skystar.
The group turned to see the princess standing on a crate and looking out the portside hole. In the distance, there was some kind of door with some markings. Upon leaving the ship and heading to where the door was, the princess discovered the door they were looking for.
"Alright, we're here, so now what?" asked Rainbow.
"According to the map, in order to open this door, we have to decipher the code," said Skystar as she looked at the paper she had, which displayed some symbols. However, none of the symbols on the door matched the ones on the map she printed. "How are we supposed to decode this?"
Pinkie walked up to the door as the princess began to wrap her head around deciphering the message. The girl wanted a better look at the symbols, so she put her hand on one of the stone squares. As she did that, the one she had her hand on slid in before the one on top dropped down.
"Hey, guys. Check this out. The stones slide around." said the girl with a smile.
"They slide around?" repeated Rainbow with a raised eyebrow.
"Like a puzzle… Pinkie, you're a genius!" said Silverbolt.
"I know," smiled the girl.
"Alright, so let's solve the puzzle together!" stated Princess Skystar.
The teens stood before the door after an hour and a lunch break. The symbols on it and the ones on the map she printed matched, and they took a moment to admire it.
"Perfect! They match!" said Skystar.
At that moment, a rumbling was heard as the ground shook. The teens felt it shaking as the door before them collapsed. With the doorway gone, it revealed a hidden staircase.
"Let's go!" said Rainbow as she rushed forward.
"Rainbow, wait!" said Silverbolt as the others raced after the girl.
Rainbow came out the other end of the tunnel as she stopped before looking at her surroundings. The others caught up as they noticed the girl halting.
"Okay, where are we?" asked Rainbow based on what she had seen.
The tunnel staircase that the teens took led to some kind of forest, which confused the pair since they expected them to come straight to the treasure. Before anybody could do or say anything, an attack was fired in front of them, making them flinch and cover-up. Smoke occurred before it disappeared, as standing before them was a Pokémon. The Pokémon was a bipedal monkey. Its hair was voluminous, with numerous long blue locks sprouting from its head, which curled at the ends, resembling spouts of water flowing from a fountain. It had a mostly cyan blue body; the top of its head, hair, ears, torso, and tail tip were cyan, while its arms, legs, face, and abdomen were yellowish tan. It had rounded ears with light blue insides, ovular eyes that appeared closed (giving it a cheerful, smiling appearance), and a round black nose. It had a white and blue apron-like shag of fur covering its chest and extending down to its abdomen. Its tail was tan with a tuft-like blue tip.
"What Pokémon is that?" asked Fluttershy.
"That's a Simipour!" said Skystar.
Rainbow was pulling out her Pokédex when the Simipour fired a Water Pulse attack. Silverbolt quickly grabbed Rainbow and pushed her down with him as they ducked down with the orb of water flying past their heads into the cave they had just emerged from. Rainbow then aimed her device at the Pokémon to learn its info.
"Simipour, the Geyser Pokémon, and the evolved form of Panpour. The tuft on its head holds water. When the level runs low, it replenishes the tuft by siphoning water with its tail."
Simipour fired another Water Pulse as the group got up and split to the side.
"Alright, I've had it! Snivy, you're up to bat!" shouted Rainbow as she pulled out her Pokéball and threw it.
"Snivy!" said the Pokémon as she appeared before her master.
Simipour fired another Water Pulse, heading straight for the small snake-like creature.
"Dodge it!" commanded Rainbow.
Snivy leaped into the air as she managed to avoid the attack from the water monkey.
"Now use Leaf Blade!"
Snivy then rotated her body frontward so that her tail glowed, came right down, and smacked the Simipour on the head.
"Come on!" instructed Silverbolt as he and the others booked it right past the Simipour before it could get up. Rainbow recalled her Snivy as she took off.
The group soon stopped as it seemed the Simipour they encountered didn't seem to follow them. Taking a moment to catch their breath, Princess Skystar looked at her map and began to examine it.
"You see this?" asked the girl to Silverbolt.
"Yeah?"
"This here says there's a mountain. And on top of that mountain, there's a symbol. If I had to hunch a guess, I'd say that's where the treasure is."
"Wow, we're almost there!" chimed Pinkie excitedly.
The group was traveling through the forest path to the mountain when Fluttershy tensed up. Rainbow took notice of her friend and turned.
"What's up, Fluttershy?" asked Dash.
"I sense danger."
"Seriously?" stated the chromatic-haired girl as she felt she was being paranoid.
However, at that moment, a figure jumped from above. The shadow caught everyone's attention as they opened fire with a Razor Leaf attack that the group barely avoided. They all fell to the ground as the mysterious shadow landed before them to reveal itself. It had a yellow bulbous head with dark green spots. It also sported two eyes close to its large mouth with a pink tip resembling lips. It had two green leaves at the sides of its body. Inside its mouth were two fangs. A brown vine was also connected to the back of its body, which sported a yellow bulb on one end and a large leaf covering its mouth on the other.
"It's a Victreebel!" said Bolt as the Pokémon fired a Bullet Seed attack.
"Torkoal, use Flamethrower!" instructed Rainbow as she threw another Pokéball.
Her tortoise appeared and immediately fired its attack as it made contact with the Bullet Seed. The attack caused a smokescreen to appear as a result.
"Eevee, come on out!" stated Silverbolt as he called on his fox Pokémon.
The boy's Pokémon appeared as it landed before the boy.
"Use Swift!"
The small fox shot out yellow stars as it headed toward Victreebel, who was smacked by the attack and sent flying into some nearby bushes. At that moment, the bush from where it landed shook as five more Victreebel appeared and stood before the group.
"There's more of them!" said Rainbow.
"Guess it's got friends! Stay close to me, princess. Wouldn't want you to get hurt," said Silverbolt.
"Thanks, but… I can take care of myself," smirked Skystar as she reached into her pocket to pull out a small Pokéball before enlarging it. "Now… Buizel!"
The girl threw her Pokéball forward, and out emerged her Pokémon. The weasel stood before the girl, and the others were shocked to see that the princess had come prepared.
"Use Ice Spinner!" instructed the princess.
Buizel began to spin its twin tails rapidly as its ice began to form. It concentrated and condensed into the shape of a top before the weasel threw its attack out from its tail and sent it forward. It made contact with all of the Victreebel as it was super effective and encased some of them in ice before flinging them into the air.
"Wow!" said Rainbow as she and everybody else was amazed by Princess Skystar.
"She's really not your everyday princess," said Bolt.
"Great work, Buizel," said Skystar as she petted her Pokémon before addressing the group. "Well then… shall we continue?"
"Hold up. Why do Pokémon keep attacking us?" asked Rainbow, feeling it was more than a coincidence that the two encounters they had back-to-back Pokémon attacked them.
"There's got to be a reason…" said Silverbolt as he noticed Skystar slowly walking away. "You know, don't you?"
The princess froze up when called upon and slowly turned with a sheepish smile.
"What didn't you tell us about this treasure?" asked the boy.
"Well… I may or may not have mentioned that the treasure on this island was guarded by Pokémon who would fend off any robbers."
"You couldn't have told us that before?!" shouted Rainbow.
"Well, if I did, I'd figured you'd all say no. Besides, we don't even know what the actual treasure is. Come on, we're almost there!" said Skystar as she booked it up the mountain path with her Buizel.
"Wait!" said Silverbolt as he tried to get the girl to stop, but she took off.
The group then went after her as they knew that if their first two encounters were anything to go off of, the princess might end up in trouble. Princess Skystar raced up the mountain path to see what treasure was hidden there. If the Pokémon that were said to guard the stuff attacked them, then it must be something good. As the girl reached the mountain top, she stopped and saw some rock statues. She looked at them, and there was some kind of huge star symbol mapped out on the rocky terrain below her, matching the one on her map. The teen took it all in before a leg appeared in frame.
Atop one of the rock statues was a Pokémon, which appeared to be some kind of Yeti-like crab. It growled as it spotted the girl and her Buizel before executing an Ice Hammer attack as it leaped into the air. Skystar saw it coming as she and Buizel rolled to the side just as the Pokémon came down with the attack.
"Alright, Buizel, Water Gun!" instructed the girl.
"Bui!" shouted the Pokémon as he reeled his head back and fired off a power stream of water.
The Pokémon then cloaked itself in a metal sheet; its entire body was solid iron. It took the attack head-on before it died down and its body returned to normal. It then put its claws together to create a white orb of pure energy as it shot it forward. It made contact with Buizel and hit the ground hard.
"Buizel!" shouted Skystar as the crab leaped into the air and was about to execute another Ice Hammer attack on the princess.
Slurpuff, Cotton Guard!"
A pink blob soon appeared between Skystar and the crab in the blink of an eye. It then embedded itself in a layer of cotton as it took the powerful hit from the rogue Pokémon. It landed and skidded to a halt before the princess, as it didn't seem to take too much damage. The girl was ecstatic as she saw the others finally reach the mountaintop.
"You okay?" Fluttershy asked as she bent down and helped the princess.
"Greninja, use Water Shuriken on Crabominable!"
The boy called on his Pokémon. As he appeared, he quickly threw out a ninja-throwing star made of water. It headed toward the crab, which was knocked out of the air and landed. It then concentrated to create another Focus Blast attack as it shot forward.
"Double Team!"
Greninja then made several copies of itself as it surrounded Crabominable. The crab looked at the many duplicates of its foe as if the real Greninja were shown directly behind it.
"Aerial Ace!"
The crab noticed as Greninja delivered a kick that knocked away the Pokémon.
"Water Shuriken!"
Greninja then threw out a water star as it made contact with Crabominable, flung off the mountainside and down to the forest below.
"Great work, Greninja," said Bolt as he recalled his Pokémon. He then approached Skystar as she dusted herself off. "You good?"
"Thanks for the help," said the girl, walking past the boy and pulling out her map. She began to look at it, trying to wrap her brain around what she saw. "This doesn't make any sense. The treasure's got to be here."
"Is it possible there are other clues that we haven't seen?" asked Silverbolt. He could see the princess's distraught, as she wanted to find the lost treasure.
"The only clue I see is the star."
The teens started giving up hope when Princess Skystar's Buizel noticed something. The weasel looked at the dirt before him as he used his paws to dig some out to reveal something. He then called over to his owner.
"What'd you find, Buizel?" asked the girl as her Pokémon dug some more to reveal what looked like a trench.
"A trench. It looks man-made," said Rainbow.
"Maybe it was used to gather rain," suggested Silverbolt.
"Buizel, use Water Gun and clear the dirt!"
The weasel nodded at the princess's command as he returned his head and fired a stream of water at the trench. The water began to push back the dirt as it made contact with the base of one of the statues; it moved the thing as if clicking into place before ricocheting and following the path of the trench. The other statues also moved back when the water made contact. The water gathered near the last statue before Buizel ceased his Water Gun to reveal the cave under the final statue, disguised with dirt.
"Think this leads to the treasure?" asked Rainbow as she and Pinkie stood near the entrance and peered down the flight of stairs into the darkness.
"It has to be!" said Skystar as she felt confident they were close.
The group then began to travel down the stairs as it proved to be a bit darker than expected. Thankfully, with the princess's flashlights, they could see where they were going. The journey went on for quite a while, but just as it seemed all was lost, something caught the princess' eye. She walked a bit further, and sure enough, some light lit up at the end of the cave. A small hole in the ceiling above let in some sunlight that shined down on a chest.
"I think we found it!" said Fluttershy as the others came into view and saw the chest themselves.
"I'll open it," said Princess Skystar.
"Be careful," responded Silverbolt as the girl walked toward the chest.
She carefully approached the object and placed her hand on it. Seeing that there were no traps, she slowly opened the chest, which gleamed with a bright light that lit up the cave. Once the light inside died down, there was nothing but a ton of evolution stones in the chest. The colors of the stones all glimmered and shined with one another as it created a rainbow coloring of sorts.
"Unbelievable," said the princess as she saw the many stones.
"So that's the treasure? Really?" said Rainbow as she was expecting some other stuff.
"You know… that Simipour evolves using a Water Stone, Victreebel with a Leaf Stone, and that Crabominable with an Ice Stone," said Silverbolt as he put two and two together. "I bet the Pokémon that attacked us got into contact with one of these stones and used it to evolve."
"Even so, how is this considered treasure? You can just buy one of these at the Pokémon market," said Dash.
"Back then, Evolution stones were more precious than they are now. Like you said, you can find them anywhere nowadays in markets. But in the past, they were so rare that people would pay insane amounts of money just to buy one. So, having a chest full of these things could make you rich beyond your wildest dreams. Why, I bet even half of these would be worth a million?" said Princess Skystar as she picked up some of the stones. "Well, I'm true to my word. You guys take your share."
"I'm good," said Silverbolt. "No offense, but I think out of respect for the Pokémon living here, I think I'm good with the memory of this treasure hunt."
"Are you sure?" asked Princess Skystar.
"Yeah," smiled the boy.
"What about you, Fluttershy? You have an Eevee. Have you thought about what you want to evolve it into?" asked the girl.
"I'm not sure. But when Eevee is ready to evolve, that's when I'll make my decision."
"I see," responded the princess as she looked back at the chest full of stones. She let out a sigh before putting the stones she grabbed back. "You're right. We should keep this our little secret out of respect for all the Pokémon here."
"Wise choice, princess," smiled Silverbolt.
"Come on, we should really get back before my mom finds out," smiled Skystar.
The trek back to their boat was long, but as the group was heading away from the island, they took a moment to look back. From afar, they could see the Pokémon they encountered as they watched the teens disappear. They each waved goodbye, knowing this was one adventure they wouldn't forget.
The group arrived back at the port of Mt. Aries, and to Princess Skystar's surprise, her mother and some guards were waiting for her. The girl knew she was in for an earful, and when she docked and got out, she found it hard to look her mother in the eyes.
"You're in so much trouble," said Queen Novo.
"I can explain, Mom."
"I'm sure you can. But for now, we've got a festival to host. So let's go, and you can bring your friends with you!" said Queen Novo as she turned to leave.
"Aw, yeah! Time to party!" shouted Pinkie as it panned upward to show fireworks going off.
The Water Festival was in full swing, with music playing for everyone on the island. There was even a Pokémon Water Relay Race, in which the participants raced around the island while standing on some rides, and their Pokémon pulled them forward. Even the prepared food was stellar, as some exotic types couldn't be found on the mainland. Even the play in which the princess starred amazed the group. Her performance moved them, and they stood up with the other island citizens to give a standing ovulation.
"I thank you all for looking after my daughter," said Queen Novo as she stood before the teens near the plaza's center while the party continued.
"It was nothing, your highness. We had fun," said Silverbolt.
"And from what she's told me, you two are trainers. Well, then, starting tomorrow, I look forward to our battles."
"Finally!" said Rainbow as she was going to get what she wanted, making the others laugh aloud.