Following their adventure of the Pokémon dojo, the group of kids continued on their way toward Hayseed Swamp. They were passing through the nearby forest that surrounded Hayseed Junction. Rarity was still holding her egg as her mind was racing through many thoughts, primarily what Pokémon was inside. The fashionista was busy looking at the container as she failed to see the vines in front of her; her attention was brought to them as one of her feet got caught.
"Oh, dear! Oh my!" said Rarity as she started to be lifted by the vines.
"You all right, Rarity?" asked Twilight as she turned to see their friend.
The others all turned as they saw the girl in the air, being held by the vines as she still held her container, not wanting to drop it.
"I'm doing just fine, darling," chuckled Rarity sheepishly.
"Fine? Sure could've fooled me," stated Applejack to Sky.
"I'll say one thing. She sure knows how to make the best of an awkward moment!" the boy stated. "Now, Turtwig! Cut the vines with Razor Leaf!" Sky threw his Pokéball, and out came his Pokémon.
"Turtwig!" said the Pokémon as he appeared. He then began to flick the twig on his head as sharp leaves came out and headed toward Rarity.
The leaves cut the vines holding Rarity as she wiggled free and began to drop as her container fell out of her grip.
"I got it!" said Spike as he put his arms above his head and managed to catch the container.
"And I got you!" said Sky as he stood under Rarity and held his arms out.
Rarity dropped into the boy's arms as he caught her bridal style. As Rarity fell into Sky's arms, many other objects fell by their feet. The objects surrounding the kids' feet were yellow chrysalis; no limbs or other features were shown, as the only thing was the black eyes on the object.
"Whoops. Sorry about that, Kakuna," said Sky to the Pokémon on the floor. The Pokémon all gave consulting noises to the teen as they understood.
"Seems things just got a bit out of control," said Rarity as Sky set her down.
"Here you go," said Spike as he presented the older girl with her egg.
"Oh, thank you, Spike," said Rarity as she rubbed his head before grabbing her container.
The pair recollected themselves as they kept on walking through a dirt path. The pair came across a garden of bushes when a Pokémon popped out.
"Who's that Pokémon?" asked Spike.
Suddenly, someone skidded in front of them as if Spike's question triggered them to appear.
"It's Gloom, the Weed Pokémon! It gives off a powerful aroma that can cause those who smell it to faint from two miles away!" said the woman as she used her fingers to make a frame as if capturing the picture of the Pokémon jumping up and down.
The Gloom turned around to face the humans as the smell of Pokémon entered the kids' noses.
"Wow! That must be a strong scent!" said Applejack as they stood a few feet farther from the mysterious woman who showed up as they could still smell it.
The Pokémon then darted forward as it leaped over the group of kids. They all quickly covered their nose to avoid being hit by the scent of stink; the Gloom was frightened as it ran into the forest. Even Turtwig covered his nose to avoid the foul stench.
"That's got to be the worst stench ever!" said Spike as he found it disgusting.
"Aw! I really wanted to catch it, but too late!" said the woman, as she had a Pokéball in her hand before putting it away. She then noticed Sky's Pokémon and quickly bent down as she almost lost it. "Well, aren't you a cutie, too!" The woman hugged Turtwig; she nuzzled it like it was a plushie.
"Uh," said Sky at seeing the stranger hug his Pokémon. Turtwig was flattered by the woman's statement of him being cute before she set him down.
"Hey, is this your Turtwig?" asked the woman to the boy.
"Yeah!" responded Sky.
"What a great Pokémon!" said the woman, standing up to see the kids.
"Thanks! I'm Sky, and it's nice to meet you! See, Turtwig and I are training hard to prepare for my Hayseed Swamp Gym Battle, and are we psyched!"
"Is that so? My name's Mage Meadowbrook!" said the woman as she introduced herself. "I'm really into getting myself Grass-type Pokémon. Along with potion-making and elixirs. That's why I came out here!"
"Howdy, there, ma'am. I'm Applejack."
"Twilight Sparkle."
"Spike."
"Rarity, darling. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Pleased to meet you all. Oh my, you have a Pokémon egg? How fascinating!" said Mage Meadowbrook as she saw the container Rarity was holding. "Do you know what Pokémon it is?"
"Unfortunately, no," said the girl.
"Well, I'm sure it'll be something amazing. Who knows, maybe it might be a Grass-type Pokémon? Speaking of, hey, Sky! Let's you and I have a battle! Yeah! Sounds good!" said the woman, ecstatic about the idea.
"I'm down for that!"
"But, sugar, we need to get moving if we're gonna get to the gym!" said Applejack, reminding their friend that they already had enough detours if they wanted to get all the badges they needed to qualify for the Equestrian League.
"Aw, come on, Aj. A quick battle will be nothing!" said Sky as he told the country gal they had plenty of time.
The woman smirked in silence when she heard what the boy said as he turned around to face her.
"I'll use my Bounsweet to start off," said Meadowbrook as she pulled out the Pokéball containing her Pokémon before looking at Sky. "And now that I think of it, Hayseed Swamp's Gym Leader is also a Grass-type Trainer!"
"Yup! So that means having a battle with you right now will be incredible training for my upcoming match!" said Sky.
Sky and Meadowbrook made it to a nearby clearing that the woman knew as it would serve at the battlefield for their match. The others sat off on a log as they prepared to watch the two Trainers duke it out.
"You're going to see just how great my Turtwig really is!" said Sky to the woman, knowing she was fascinated by his Pokémon buddy.
"Ha! Believe me, Sky. I know a great Turtwig when I see it!" stated Mage Meadowbrook. "Okay, if we go with two Pokémon?"
"Sure!"
"Bounsweet, let's go!" said Meadowbrook as she started with the Pokémon she said she would use.
"Bounsweet!" said the Pokémon.
A round, small creature appeared. It had yellow eyes, a magenta-colored body, and a white skirt-like design on the bottom. It also had three large green leaves on its head and no arms.
"Aw! It's so cute!" said Rarity as they saw the little thing while Applejack pulled out her Pokédex.
"Bounsweet, the Fruit Pokémon. Its body gives off a sweet, fruity scent that is extremely appetizing to bird Pokémon."
"Turtwig, let's start with Tackle! Go!" shouted Sky.
On command, Turtwig began to run forward. It was picking up speed as Meadowbrook took notice of that. Turtwig collided headfirst with Bounsweet as the Pokémon was flung back.
"Way to go, Turtwig! Now, Razor Leaf!"
Turtwig then executed its Razor Leaf attack. Bounsweet got to its feet and shook itself; it then noticed attacking as it couldn't avoid the initial hit. It bounced back before quickly evading Turtwig's offense while running back and forth in place. Meanwhile, Meadowbrook wasn't bothered that she wasn't giving her Pokémon any commands to counter. If anything, she was using her Pokémon to scout out Turtwig's moves and offensives as she kept a smile.
"Well, well, Sky's Turtwig is super fast!" said the healer, her smile getting bigger and cheerier. "My kind of Pokémon! Bounsweet, return!"
Bounsweet was still running when it was retracted into its ball. Turtwig was shocked to see the woman recall her Pokémon as it confused him and Sky.
"Your Turtwig's one of the best I've ever seen!"
"Thanks! It's not so bad," said the boy.
"Boy, that was quick!" said Spike.
"Guess she was just checking it out," said Twilight with a thinking expression.
"Now... this battle gets real! Come on out!" said Meadowbrook as she pulled out her second Pokéball and tossed it.
The ball was thrown as it opened, and the Pokémon inside was surrounded by light. When it died down, standing there... was a Turtwig. Sky and his Turtwig were shocked by what they saw as Meadowbrook's Turtwig appeared and greeted them with a sound.
"She's got a Turtwig, too!" said Rarity, as they were also in shock.
"Hey, this is starting to get interesting around here," said Sky with a smile. "So let's show off some speed! Tackle, go!"
Sky's Turtwig heard the command of his Trainer as he began to charge forward.
"Now, that's fast!" said Meadowbrook as she saw Turtwig moving much quicker. It was clear that Sky trained his Pokémon well as soon, Turtwig was running at his top speed and charging toward her Pokémon like a bullet cutting through the wind. "Just not fast enough!"
As if on cue, her Turtwig knew what to do as just as Sky's Turtwig was about to make contact with just seconds before colliding, it quickly zoomed away. Sky's Turtwig ran as he quickly stopped to notice he didn't hit his target; he looked behind him to see that Meadowbrook's Turtwig had moved off to the side and made a sound about bragging to him that it was much slower.
"Huh? Turtwig should have made contact!" said Sky, surprised that his opponent managed to get out of the way.
Even the others were impressed by what they saw.
"Okay, that Turtwig moved even faster!" said Spike.
"Sky! If her Turtwig got out of the way that quickly, look out!" shouted Twilight to her friend, trying to warn him.
Sky registered what Twilight said as he looked over at Meadowbrook, as her smile grew more devious.
"Turtwig, use Tackle one more time!" stated the teen.
His Turtwig gave an affirming response as it quickly turned around while charging up and ran toward its foe. It picked up speed as its foe just looked at it while standing in place; however, just like before, it was so confident that it stepped out of the way at the last second as Sky's Turtwig went head first and collided with a tree. The Pokémon groaned as it landed on all four.
"Now use Leech Seed!" said Meadowbrook to her Pokémon.
Her Turtwig fired a seed from its head as it traveled through the air. It landed on Sky's Turtwig just as it shook off the effects of running into the tree. Soon the seed opened up as vines covered in leaves wrapped around its body and began to suck the energy out of Sky's Turtwig as it glowed red and winced in pain. The boy's Pokémon tried to fight back, but the more it struggled, the more energy was sapped.
"Turtwig's power is being drained!" said Twilight.
"Shake it off!" shouted Sky to his Pokémon.
Turtwig tried to do what the boy said but couldn't as it sat on its hind legs, its power slowly fading.
"Now use Tackle!" said Meadowbrook.
In the blink of an eye, her Turtwig took off and speared Sky's Turtwig into the tree it collided with before as it winced in pain. The Leech Seed came off when Meadowbrook's Turtwig made contact, but the damage was already done. Sky's Turtwig slid down as it lay on the ground with swirls in its eyes.
"Turtwig!" shouted Sky.
"Looks like Sky's Turtwig is unable to go on," said Twilight.
"No surprise with Meadowbrook's Turtwig being so strong!" said Applejack.
"Turtwig, return!" said Sky as he pulled out his Pokéball to call back his Pokémon. "You were just great!"
The teen smiled at his Pokémon for giving it its best effort before returning to face the woman.
"Meadowbrook's Turtwig didn't move around much, but when it did, it was fast!" stated the bookworm. "I'd say, overall, it was faster than Sky's Turtwig."
"I'll show you fast..." mumbled Sky, gritting his teeth at the woman who kept her cocky smirk. "Meadowbrook, our battle isn't over just yet!"
"I know!" said the woman, retaining her smirk.
"Okay, Fletchling! I choose you!" said Sky as he called on his second Pokémon.
"Ling!" said the tiny robin as it appeared.
"I don't care how fast that Turtwig is; it can't match the speed of a flying Fletchling!" stated Sky.
"Well, Flying types do have an advantage over Grass types," said Spike.
"But there's more than one way to win a battle," responded Twilight to her little brother's statement.
"All right, Steel Wing, go!" shouted Sky.
Fletchling spread its wings out as they were encased in a metal coating; it flew high before diving down with its wings tucked. The small robin was coming in hot as Meadowbrook's Turtwig stood still; just as Fletchling changed to coming in on its side, it moved and evaded the bird's move easily. It reappeared with a confident sound while looking up at its foe, which ticked off Sky that the green little creature was making fun of him.
"Come back around and use Peck!" said the teen.
Fletchling turned around as it dove, its beak glowing in a white light. However, Turtwig evaded that. A series of more attempts followed as each one, Turtwig dodged with ease to indicate that it was even faster than the small robin.
"You know, my Turtwig may even be a good match for your Fletchling's speed!" stated Meadowbrook, which annoyed Sky even more.
"You got to be kidding me!" shouted the teen.
He looked out to the field as Fletchling was flying high above, trying to attack its foe; Turtwig was cheerfully moving its head as it was so confident that the small robin couldn't even get close, let alone be faster than it.
"Is she serious?!" yelled Sky as he placed his hands on his head and tried to sense all this. "Okay, let's give them Razor Wind right now!"
Fletchling then flapped its wings as blades of wind shot out and headed toward Turtwig.
"There's no way her Turtwig's going to be able to outrun this!" said Sky.
The boy couldn't be more wrong. Turtwig moved as it avoided all the buzzsaws of wind as they exploded behind it. Fletchling was amazed as Turtwig appeared in front of it in the blink of an eye, and it jumped over it. The small robin was distracted by Turtwig appearing that it didn't pay attention forward as it crashed into some nearby bushes; sounds of struggle soon followed as it emerged from the brush but was now caught in the line of sight by Turtwig, who looked to end it.
"Now, Turtwig, Leaf Storm!" said Meadowbrook as she unleashed her Pokémon's ultimate move.
Turtwig heard the command as it cried. Leaves began to pick up as they glowed and spun around Turtwig like a vortex; the Pokémon then aimed its head down at Fletchling as the leaves flew toward its foe. The swirling vortex hit Fletchling as it was being pushed back by the powerful wind accompanying it and collided with a tree as the attack persisted and pelted it while being held. Soon, a smoke explosion occurred from the sheer power of the attack.
"Fletchling!" shouted Sky.
The smoke cleared out as the small robin lay against the base of the tree, letting out a groan of defeat.
"Fletchling's out!" said Twilight.
"Number one! I win!" said Meadowbrook with a cheerful smile, pointing to the sky.
"Fletchling, return!" said Sky as he called back his Pokémon. "You gave it a great shot, Fletchling."
His friends and Meadowbrook approached the boy, whose Turtwig was accompanied by her feet.
"But Meadowbrook was running things the whole time!" said Spike.
"It's alright, sugarcube. You'll win your next fight," said Aj, trying to cheer her friend up.
"I never had a chance," said Sky as he sat down and placed an arm over his knee. "First, Turtwig loses, and then, Fletchling! The Hayseed Gym's going to be tough."
"No kidding," said Applejack to herself as she started to doubt how she might fare against the Gym leader.
It was nighttime, and the kids and Meadowbrook sat by a campfire. The kids asked the woman if she wanted to join them for dinner, which she accepted. They had finished their meal when Twilight asked the woman what she had said earlier about being a healer and making all sorts of potions and elixirs.
"So, Ms. Meadowbrook, why are you out here?" asked Twilight.
"Well, I needed some to restock on some of my supplies for my cures. See, all my cures are natural, and I use stuff left by Pokémon to make them. Plus, I come here a lot to capture Grass-type Pokémon."
"What kind of cures?" asked Spike.
"Almost anything from the common cold to chickenpox. I even make remedies for Pokémon."
"Wow," said Applejack and Rarity, amazed by the woman's talents.
"Anyway, we can help?" asked Twilight.
"I don't want to bother you kids more than I already have," said Meadowbrook.
"It'd be our pleasure to help you. Plus, I am interested in seeing how you turn herbs and other stuff into medicine and other remedies," responded the bookworm.
"Well, what do you all think?" asked the woman to the rest of the group.
"I'm down for a little scavenger hunt," said Sky.
"Count me in!" stated Applejack.
Rarity and Spike merely nodded as Meadowbrook smiled; seeing these kids and how willing they were to help her with her little supply run warmed her heart like the sun's rays beating down on her.
"Well, alright. I'll be glad to show you kids some of my methods," said the woman.
Morning came as the group set out about the forest to find what Mage Meadowbrook needed.
"So what stuff do you need?" asked Spike.
"Lucky I made a list," said the woman, pulling it from her satchel. "Let's see. So I need some... Aipom hair, Spinarak thread, two handfuls of Stunky fur, and two gallons of Gulpin mucus."
"Um, what?" said Spike as he found the list of ingredients Mage Meadowbrook read out to be... odd.
"That's an... interesting list," said Twilight, sheepishly.
"I know it sounds like gibberish, but trust me, this stuff is essential to some of the potions and elixirs I make."
"In that case, we'd best get started," said Applejack, also not too excited after hearing the list.
"So, who gets what?" asked Sky.
"I'll take the one that doesn't involve anything disgusting," said Rarity as she volunteered to get Aipom hair, seeing as the others were all too dirty for her taste.
"Figures," scoffed Aj at how the girl didn't want to get messy.
"Okay, uh, Spike and I will get the Stunky fur."
"Here, you'll need these," said Meadowbrook as she reached into her sash to pull out two jars. "Fill them up with Stunky fur. You'll find them down by the river, where the berry bushes are."
"Got it," said the boy.
"Alright, sugarcube. Which you want?" asked Aj to Sky.
"It doesn't matter to me."
"In that case, mind taking care of the Spinarak thread?"
"No problem," saluted Sky.
"Here you go," said the healer as she gave a plastic-sealed bag to Sky to put the thread in when he found it. "And Ms. Applejack, you'll need this. Fill it up to the top." The woman handed the girl three vials with corks as she instructed the girl on how much to get.
"Excellent, well, I'll be off," said Rarity as she handed her egg container to Meadowbrook, who would take care of it for her while she fetched the ingredients.
"Uh, Rarity, do you know where to find Aipoms!" shouted Applejack to the fashionista, but she was already gone.
"I'm sure she'll find it," said Sky.
"In that case, we need to go as well. Come on, Spike!" said Twilight as the siblings left to find the river Meadowbrook told them about.
"Sky, why don't you check over there? There's an area full of dense shrubbery that is dark and cool. You'd bound to find some Spinaraks there."
"Got it," said the teen as he took off.
"Be careful through. You might run into some aggressive Ariados who don't like anybody trespassing!" said the healer as the boy disappeared from her view.
"Any idea where I might find some Gulpin?" asked the farm girl.
"There's a cave not far from here. A den full of them."
"On it!" said Applejack as she took off searching for her thing.
Rarity was strolling through the forest as she looked at the many trees above her. The girl was looking for any nearby Aipom, hoping they might part with some fur.
"Well, at least I don't have to do anything dreadful or disgusting," said Rarity as she walked about the forest.
The girl was unaware of something following her. The thing hopped from branch to branch as it followed the human before leaping to a tree in front of Rarity and hanging upside down from its tail. Rarity was so distracted that she didn't notice the being after passing the tree and felt something tap on her shoulder.
"Hello?" said Rarity as she turned to her left.
The girl didn't see anything as the figure tapped her right shoulder. She again looked to see who tapped her shoulder but didn't see anyone. Soon, the figure grabbed her purse and slipped it off.
"Hey!" shouted Rarity as her satchel was taken from her.
The girl looked as she saw it was a Pokémon, as it giggled at the teen. It was a purple squirrel monkey with a thin tail and a three-fingered hand-like dexterous appendage. It provided both propulsion and balance while leaping from tree to tree. Its face, belly, feet, and hand-like appendage on its tail were cream-colored and had a cowlick.
"Give me back my purse!" shouted Rarity at the Aipom.
The monkey just giggled as it began to sit on a branch and dig into her stuff.
"Don't touch my stuff!" yelled the fashionista.
Aipom pulled out some lipstick and makeup and tossed it to the floor. Rarity was scrambling to pick up her stuff being thrown by the Pokémon, clearly having no respect. It dug more into Rarity's purse as it pulled out some hand sanitizer, lotion, and tissues, all of which the girl was trying to pick up.
"Hey!" shouted Rarity to the Aipom as it looked at her to see her angry look.
The monkey cackled as it continued to dig around.
"I've had enough!" shouted Rarity as she dropped everything she was carrying and pulled out her Pokéball. "Delcatty, take care of this ruffian!"
The girl's Pokémon appeared as it used its Blizzard attack and aimed at Aipom. The monkey didn't expect it as it froze in its tracks from the attack and was encased in a block of ice as it dropped the purse. Rarity quickly grabbed it as she was relieved to have her satchel back. Aipom managed to break the ice as it shook itself before leaping away.
"Good work, Delcatty," said Rarity to her Pokémon as she petted its head, which purred. "How uncouth!"
The girl began to pick up her supplies with the help of her Delcatty as she was unaware of some tufts of hair stuck on her purse. While Rarity was handling her stuff, Twilight and Spike made it to the river bank Meadowbrook mentioned as they found a head of Stunky all munching at the berry bushes.
"Remember, don't approach them from behind," stated Twilight.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," responded Spike. "So how are we gonna get some fur?"
"Espeon!" said Twilight as she called out her Pokémon. "Use Psychic."
The Pokémon appeared and had its eyes glow as the gem on its forehead did the same. The nearby Stunky fell under the power of the Pokémon as they all began approaching the two siblings as they emerged from the bushes.
"Espeon, tell them we're sorry for doing this, but we just need some of their fur," said Twilight to her Pokémon.
Espeon communicated with the Stunky while still using its Psychic powers as the Pokémon understood. Espeon gave a nod to Twilight as the two siblings got to work on picking loose spots of Stunky for their fur while also avoiding their back end to avoid being sprayed.
Meanwhile, Applejack had found the cave as she slowly approached it. Upon entering, it was dark as there was only a light visibility. However, she didn't need to travel far as snoring was heard before the girl was a horde of Gulpin, as in the middle was a different Pokémon. It was a bit bigger than the others as it was purple and had small hands.
"What's that?" wondered Applejack as she pulled out her Pokédex.
"Swalot, the Poison Bag Pokémon and the evolved form of Gulpin. When Swalot spots prey, it spits a hideously toxic fluid from its pores and sprays the target. Once the prey has weakened, this Pokémon gulps it down with its cavernous mouth."
"Gees, I thought they couldn't get any hungrier," said Applejack as she recalled their adventure with some Gulpin a while back. "Well, I just need to be sneaky to get some of their spit."
The farm girl slowly made her way toward the herd of Pokémon as she made sure not to make any noise. She reached into her backpack and pulled out the vials that Meadowbrook gave her to put the spit of the Pokémon in. She approached a Gulpin who was snoring as its mouth opened and closed. The country gal was behind a rock as she leaned over with her arm extended; she was just under the Pokémon's mouth as saliva dripped into the vial. It took a while, but soon, Applejack filled all three vials as she sealed them up.
The Swalot began to stir as Aj froze. It yawned before going back to sleep, causing the girl to let out a breath she was holding in. The country gal then quickly snuck away to avoid any issues.
"Hope Sky is doin' alright," whispered the girl as she thought about her friend.
As he was dodging rolling, Sky was in the shrubbery Meadowbrook told him about. The moment he stepped foot in the Spinarak territory, they began to attack the boy. And the small spiders had backup as several Ariados appeared to fire their webbing at the human.
"So you wanna fight, huh? Turtwig!" shouted Sky as he called out his Pokémon.
"Twig!" said the Pokémon.
"Use Razor Leaf!"
The Pokémon fired his leaves as they collided with the String Shot, breaking it into threads. Sky didn't have a chance to collect them as more spiders appeared and fired their webbing.
"We need coverfire. Buizel, come on out and use Water Gun!" said the teen as he called on another of his Pokémon.
"Bui!" said the Pokémon before opening his mouth and firing his powerful water attack.
The spiders all moved out of the way from the water as they got on the web. It soon began to break as the water splashed onto the other spiders, and they got soaked and fell off. The remaining bugs continued their webbing assault as Turtwig used his Razor Leaf to stop and slice them up. Buizel came in with cover and fired at the spiders with his water attack.
"Nice work, you two!" said Sky as he ran and slid by some spiders while picking up some webbing and placing them into his sealed plastic bag. "Got it! Let's book!"
Turtwig and Buizel heard Sky's command as they turned tail and ran behind their Trainer as the spiders all banged their fangs at the trio who invaded their territory. Eventually, the kids all returned as Meadowbrook awaited them.
"I got my thing!" said Sky as he appeared before the woman, the girls, and Spike.
"Excellent," said Meadowbrook as Sky handed her his bag.
"Here's the Gulpin mucus," said Aj as she handed the vials over.
"Stunky fur," stated Twilight as Spike gave the bottle to the healer.
"And Rarity?" asked Sky.
"Terribly sorry, everybody. But I had no luck. I was too busy with a stupid monkey trying to take my purse." said the girl as she showed off her accessory.
"Hold on, there," said Meadowbrook as she noticed the small tufts of Aipon hair stuck on her purse. "Well, I wouldn't say it was a terrible loss. You managed to get the Aipom hair."
"I... did?" said Rarity as she blinked in confusion.
Meadowbrook took out some tweezers and began to pick off the tufts of hair from Rarity's purse as she put them in a bag.
"Thanks, Rarity."
"Ehh... my pleasure," smiled the girl, sheepishly.
"So, we got almost everything. The only thing that we need left is Honey."
"Honey?" said Spike.
"Enchanted Honey, to be precise," stated Meadowbrook.
"What's Enchanted Honey?" asked Applejack.
"Enchanted Honey is made of nectar that Combee gathers."
"Okay, and where can we find Combee?" asked Twilight.
Well, there is a place where Pomeg plants grow and a huge Combee Wall!
"What do you, Combee Wall?" asked Spike.
"A Combee Wall is where the Combee gathers up all their nectar," answered the woman.
"Then let's find us some flowers!" stated Sky.
The group then began to search for the flowers that Meadowbrook mentioned. They searched all about the forest for the flowers that matched the description of the healer but found no such thing. It seemed their luck was starting to run out.
"Anything?" asked Sky as he hung from a nearby tree.
"Nothing, sugar!" said Applejack as she and Rarity were below him.
"I'm sure that Pomeg flowers were around here," said Meadowbrook as she was getting concerned. The healer needed that last ingredient as a client hoped to have a potion to heal their sick Pokémon. She didn't even want to think of what might happen if she couldn't help the sick thing.
"Hey, everyone!" shouted Twilight.
The group headed toward the girl's voice as they spotted her and her brother.
"Check what we found!" stated Spike as they stood on a small hill and looked down to see a patch of Pomeg flowers.
"Is that?" asked Rarity.
"Pomeg flowers!" said Meadowbrook, glad to have found some.
"So the Honey must be near!" stated Sky.
"Yup!" responded Applejack.
Just then, a Combee emerged from one of the flowers as it saw the humans.
"Look, a Combee!" said Sky, pulling his Pokédex out.
"Combee, the Tiny Bee Pokémon. The members of the trio spend all their time together. Each one has a slightly different taste in nectar. It ceaselessly gathers nectar from sunrise to sundown, all for the sake of Vespiquen and the swarm."
"Huh, I never knew each one had a different taste," said Twilight, amazed to learn that fact.
The Combee then began to fly away.
"Let's go! The Enchanted Honey must be close!" said Sky as he took off after the Pokémon.
"Sky, wait!" said Rarity as she and everybody else began to pursue the Combee, hoping it would lead them to what they were searching for.
The group was following the Combee through the forest as it seemed to be heading somewhere.
"For something so small, it sure moves fast!" shouted Applejack while the humans ran.
"Can we stop to take a break, please?" said Rarity as all the running made her sweat.
"We can't, Rarity. We need to find that Honey!" stated Sky as he looked back forward to spot the Combee but didn't see it. "Where'd it go?"
The boy halted, as did the others, who all bumped into his back as they set up a domino effect, which was stopped by Meadowbrook, who caught Rarity from behind from falling.
"Thank you," said the fashionista to the healer.
"What's the issue, sugar?" asked Applejack.
"I don't see the Combee anymore! Any idea where it went?" asked Sky as he kept his head up to look about.
The others also looked up to see if they could spot the bee. True to Sky's word, they didn't spot the Pokémon anywhere.
"We need a bird's eye view. Noctowl, Fletchling, come on out!" shouted the boy as he tossed two Pokéballs.
Sky's duo of birds popped out and hovered in front of their Trainer.
"See, you can spot any Combee!" stated the boy as the two confirmed.
The two flew upward as they got a higher view to examine the area around them. The birds kept their eyes for sudden movements but didn't seem to see Combee. Just then, Noctowl sensed something. His telekinesis powers were tingling as he noticed a far distance away, there was a bush. The energy it gave off differed from a regular bush, as he figured something was off. He called out to Fletchling, telling the smaller bird to inform Sky of his discovery while he went ahead to check it out. Fletchling nodded as he dove back toward Sky while Noctowl flew ahead.
"Fletchling, did you find anything?" asked Sky to his Pokémon.
"Ling!" said the Pokémon.
"You did? Great!" responded the boy to his Pokémon.
"Ling."
The small robin turned as he began to guide the humans to where his comrade was.
"Come on, guys. This way!" said Sky as he gestured for everyone to follow Fletchling.
The humans were again racing through the forest as Fletchling led them to where Noctowl was heading. They came to a clearing and saw the owl flapping above the bush that he sensed was off.
"Noctowl, what'd you find?" asked Sky as he saw his Pokemon.
The owl gave a sound as it backed off. Just then... not one, not two... but an entire wall of Combee all stacked together neatly emerged from the bush as it created a tall wall.
"Amazing! I've never seen a Combee wall this massive!" said Meadowbrook with awe, as the girls were a bit scared.
"It's huge!" said Spike.
The wall of Combee then turned as it began to fly away.
"If there's a Combee wall, then the Enchanted Honey might not be far," said Twilight.
"There's only one way to find out!" said Sky as he took off again with Noctowl and Fletchling following behind him.
"Again with the running?" complained Rarity.
"Suck it up, Rares!" shouted Applejack as she ran after Sky.
The group began to pursue the Combee wall as it led them to a passage. They stepped through the passage as they were welcomed to a sight. They were in a ravine where tons of Combee walls fluttered about and a beautiful waterfall at the ravine's end with many bushes growing nearby.
"Amazing!" said Applejack.
"I've never seen anything like this," stated Rarity.
"There are Combee walls everywhere! I can't even count all of them!" stated Twilight.
"Noctowl, Fletchling, great work, you two!" said Sky as he called back his Pokémon.
"We're almost there. I can feel it!" said Meadowbrook.
"Sure seems that way. But where do we go now?" asked Spike.
Meadowbrook then took charge as she began to step forward. She climbed onto some rocks as she looked at the waterfall closely. The others were confused about what she was doing until she smiled and began to hop onto some other rocks in the water as she made her way toward the waterfall.
"Come on, kids! It's this way!"
"Behind the waterfall?" said Spike with a confused look.
"Better than nothing," said Sky as he began to follow the woman's example.
The teens and Meadowbrook were now hopscotching on the rocks toward the waterfall. As it turned out, what Meadowbrook saw was that behind the waterfall, there was a secret cave. Meadowbrook hopped onto the ledge next to the waterfall as she followed it behind the thing and soon stood in front of the giant opening, with the others soon joining.
"Wow! Who would've imagined!" said Twilight, amazed that there was a secret entrance.
"Do you smell that?" asked Meadowbrook as she sniffed the air.
"Smell what?" said Sky as he also sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything."
"I do..." said the woman, sniffing the air again to confirm her suspicions. "It's the Honey. It's in this cave."
"You serious?" said Applejack as she found it odd that Honey would be in a cave of all places.
Meadowbrook took steps in as she entered the cave with the others following her.
"It's so dark, I can barely see!" stated Rarity.
"Watch your step, everyone!" warned Meadowbrook.
"Ow!" said Spike as he tripped on a rock he couldn't see and fell on his face.
"Spike!" groaned Twilight at her little brother for what was just said.
"It's not my fault!" responded the small boy as he picked himself up.
The group continued to follow Meadowbrook deeper into the cave as their surroundings became a network of tunnels and caverns going about in every direction. The group soon stopped as they looked about, trying to figure out what direction to head to find the Honey potentially.
"So, which direction are we going in?" asked Rarity.
"Maybe we should split up?" suggested Spike.
"We can't! We don't even know where these tunnels lead or what dangers they might have. Plus, how would we find the others." said Twilight.
Meadowbrook closed her eyes as she concentrated. The charm she wore seemed to sense her vibes as she put a hand on the cavern floor.
"Meadowbrook?" asked Sky as he saw the woman croutch.
"It's this way," said the woman, standing up and walking down a cave.
"Huh?" said the kids.
"Follow me."
"Do you think she knows the way?" asked Applejack.
The others were unsure but knew they didn't want to be left alone in this cave maze. They followed the woman as she walked down the path her charm told her to. As they walked further down the cave, there seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel. The light got brighter and brighter as they approached the end and came out to a cliff. The teens were amazed by the shining light bouncing off the walls as it gave them a certain glow; they soon approached the edge and looked down to see more levels of caves going down.
"Whoa!" said Spike, almost losing his balance at seeing how deep it was.
"It looks like it goes a long, long way down there," stated Applejack.
The group then began to follow a path down the levels as they watched their step along the steep roadway. They could see the walls getting even more color as they descended.
"It's like crystal!" said Sky as he had his hand against the wall as he walked.
"It's beautiful... the way it all shines! The colors! The elegance! The style!" stated Rarity as she fawned over how the cave was illuminated with the different colors.
"It's pretty alright, but where do we go now?" asked Applejack.
The group noticed a small cavern opening up ahead as they entered it. Meadowbrook still led the way as she followed the instincts that her charm told her; however, they entered another series of networks of caves as they went down one. And as they got further in, their surroundings got tighter.
"Um, is it just me? Or is the pathway getting smaller?" asked Rarity.
"Look!" said Twilight as she pointed ahead.
The group looked as in front of them was a dead end.
"Great! A dead end!" expressed Sky.
"We've got to go back," said Applejack as she approached the wall and pushed against it to see if there was anything odd about it, but there wasn't.
A figure was hidden deep in the caves at the earth's center. The figure appeared to be resting as only its shadow could be seen. Soon, its eyes opened as they were blood red, and it gave off a sound. It seemed to detect something.
With the group, after the dead end, they proceeded to head back to their starting point. However, when they returned, they seemed to have taken a wrong turn as their surroundings weren't starting to be familiar.
"Hey, didn't we come this way before?" asked Spike as he looked about.
"No!" responded Sky.
"Maybe!" said Twilight. "It all looks the same to me!"
"Great, we're lost!" shouted Rarity as her voice echoed.
"Pipe down, Rarity! You want to attract unwanted attention! Who knows what might be down here!" stated Applejack.'
As if on cue, a horde of Combee was coming at them.
"See what I mean!" shouted the farm girl to the fashionista.
"That's a lot of Combees!" said Spike.
"Everyone get ready!" said Sky as he prepared to pull out his Pokéballs.
The hive of Combee were all flapping their wings as they approached the group of humans. However, instead of attacking, they just flew over their heads past them. It was almost as if they didn't see them or chose to ignore them and hurried toward their destination.
"Mmm. That's odd," said Meadowbrook, as she was sure the Combee would have attacked them for trespass, but they didn't. It piqued the healer's interest as she began to follow them.
"Let's go look!" said Sky as they followed the woman.
Following the hive of Combee, the group came to another tunnel as this one was a bit smaller, so Meadowbrook had to croutch her head while the others could walk through fine. Sky was at the front as he was looking to lead the way through the tunnel to find out where it might lead or where the hive of Combee could have gone.
"It's really dark again," said the boy as he could barely see anything but two feet in front of him. "Be careful where you're walking, guys!"
"Let's hope this isn't another dead end," stated Rarity.
"Wait... Look at that!" shouted Twilight as she stopped to point.
The others all stopped to look at what the girl was pointing at. Sky didn't stop in time as he came face first with a wall.
"Ow, my nose!" said the teen as he rubbed his face.
"A dead end?" asked Rarity as Sky put his hands on the wall.
However, this one was made of something other than rock compared to the previous dead end. In fact, if there was better lighting, one could see upon an immediate sight that the wall was shaped like a honeycomb.
"This is weird," said Sky as he felt the wall.
"Something strange about this wall; it's almost like it's moving!" said Meadowbrook as she examined it.
"Moving?" said Spike as he touched the wall when he felt something bite his finger. "Ow, hey, that wall bit me!"
Just then, the wall began to make a noise. The humans were confused as soon as the wall began to move. It created a wave along its surface as it got a bit lighter to reveal that the wall wasn't just a wall. It was a literal massive wall of Combee all stacked together. And they were pissed off. They didn't like Sky waking them up and Spike poking one of them in the face as they began to buzz aggressively, which caused the kids to all back off. Soon, the Combee launched attacks at the humans, as they all evaded them to avoid getting hit.
"Okay, Wormadam, use Confusion!" shouted Meadowbrook as she pulled out and tossed a Pokéball.
Out came a black, bagworm-like Pokémon with a coat of leaves insulation fused with its body. It had oval eyes, a long pointed beak, and a long antenna with a spiral tip. The beak was tipped with varying colors. The coat formed a pair of arm-like structures near its head. It had several white flowers covering it, giving it a green-tipped beak and large leaves for arms.
"Wormadam!" said the Pokémon as it appeared and used its Confusion move on the Combee.
It hit several Combee in the wall as they were affected by the move. Soon, they all fell off like pieces of the puzzle. As they fell, a light appeared behind the wall as it crumbled, and a massive light shined through, causing everybody to look away momentarily. Once their eyes adjusted, they looked as they were amazed. The light emitting from behind the Combee wall was a huge building made of amber. The glistening color of the amber was stunning for the humans to see, as words couldn't describe how beautiful it was.
Some nearby Combee observed the humans as they proceeded to walk onto one of the amber walkways toward the center of the hive. The group entered the hive as a light shined through. When they arrived inside, they were blown away again. Inside, nothing but golden amber lined the walls and caves. Nearby were pools and pools of golden honey leaking out from fountains and dripping down below to form the golden lake of honey.
"Unbelievable," said Applejack.
"I've never seen anything like this in any book," spoke Twilight.
"Words just don't describe it," muttered Applejack, looking about.
The group then looked to the center as there was a huge amber pod near the back of the wall. They soon saw a figure inside the pod as it opened up. The figure was from before as it became clearer who it was. A three-foot-tall humanoid bee with a red gem on her head was shown. She had a hive around her abdomen that looked like a ballroom dress with one horizontal stripe and six openings where baby Combees were born and cared for.
"Is that a Pokémon?" asked Spike.
"Yup. That's Vespiquen," said Meadowbrook.
"Vespiquen?" repeated Applejack as she pulled her Pokédex out.
"Vespiquen, the Beehive Pokémon and the evolved form of Combee. It skillfully commands its grubs in battles with its enemies. The grubs are willing to risk their lives to defend Vespiquen. Vesipquen that give off more pheromones have larger swarms of Combee attendants."
"Sounds like we don't want to mess with it," stated Applejack after looking at the data of the Pokémon.
The eyes of Vespiquen were glowing red as if it seemed angry about the intruders entering its hive. Meadowbrook kept a determined face as she began to approach the Pokémon.
"Meadowbrook, wait!" said Twilight as they feared she was walking into danger.
The Combee saw the woman walking toward their queen as they swarmed around her with angry looks.
"Look out!" shouted Spike.
The woman just kept a calm smile as she soon stood at the foot of the pod, which was the queen's throne, and looked at the Pokémon.
"Vespiquen, forgive us for forcing our way in here and startling you and all the Combee!" said the healer as she put her hands together while speaking with the ruler of the bees. "But know that I come here not of any evil intentions. You see, I have a client whose Pokémon has suffered a rather ill sickness. None of my usual remedies can cure it. But I remembered that my mother once told me about your Enchanted Honey and its healing properties, that it could cure any sickness in both Pokémon and humans. So I graciously ask you if you could spare me some."
Vespiquen merely looked at the human as it listened to her story.
"Please... won't you help me in saving a life?" reiterated Meadowbrook as she pulled out a pot and extended it out toward the queen. The Combee all appeared in front of the healer to protect their ruler. "Please? Just a little bit?"
The others watched as they were prepared to act should anything go south. Meadowbrook kept her stare at Vespiquen, who looked at the human. Its eyes were still glowing red as it examined the healer. Soon, a memory flashed as she was reminded of something. The memory was of when it was a Combee and how it had fallen ill; it had suffered a sickness that it couldn't move. Soon, a shadow came over it as it belonged to a human; the human was a healer like Meadowbrook as she spotted the helpless Pokémon.
She wrapped it in a blanket as she brought it into her home. The woman was near a pot as she poured some Honey into it; the sticky syrup flowed into the cauldron. The color changed as it shone with a golden light; a ladle was submerged into the pot and then taken out, pouring some of the contents inside a bowl. The woman then brought the bowl to the sick Combee wrapped in a blanket on her bed as she presented it to the sick Pokémon.
"Eat up, little one," said the woman as the Combee refused to open its mouth. "I know it's tough, but you need this. It'll replenish and nurture you to full health."
The woman forced the first spoon into the Combee's mouth as she managed to down it. She then went to spoon-feed it again, and this time, the Pokémon complied and let the human feed her. Eventually, it fell asleep as the effects of the medicine began to kick in. Days later, the woman brought Combee out of her home and back to where it was. She removed the blanket around it as she held the Pokémon; the Combee looked at the human as she let go, and it flapped its wings to show that its strength had returned.
The Combee was happy and energized as it moved about, causing the woman to smile. It then saw the human as it hovered near her. She merely put a hand on its face and smiled. While it couldn't directly speak, the Pokémon was telling the woman thank you for not only taking care of it but saving its life and healing it. The healer smiled as Combee said goodbye and flew off with the woman waving goodbye; the Pokémon gave one last look at its caretaker as it spotted the charm she wore.
Vesiquen finished recollecting her memory as she looked at Meadowbrook again and saw the charm she wore. It was the same charm from back then; the Pokémon knew that the woman standing before her was the child of her mother. Her mother... who healed her that day and allowed her to live on. Years and years passed, but Vespiquen never forgot that day. The day she was helped by a dear friend, and now... the time had come for her to repay the favor.
The Pokémon gave a command to her soldiers to stand down. It confused the kids as the queen began to approach Meadowbrook. They were surprised as they soon saw that the Pokémon was holding a jar full of Honey in its claws. Meadowbrook smiled as she approached the queen, who handed her the jar. The woman looked as it was filled with the Honey she was searching for; she looked at Vespiquen as, looking into her eyes, she could see the memory it thought of. The time when her mother saved her life and because of that encounter with a human, she was able to now stand here as a queen.
"Thank you!" said Meadowbrook as she said thanks on her and her mother's behalf.
Vespiqueen nodded and made a sound as Meadowbrook smiled and turned to leave.
"What do you know?" smiled Sky.
"Well, kids. Take a look for yourself. Isn't it great?" said Meadowbrook as she presented the jar to the kids. "Go ahead, have a taste."
Everyone was excited as they all dipped their fingers into the jar. They brought it to their mouths to taste as they found the Honey the most delicious thing they had ever tasted.
"Wow!" said everyone.
"Now, I know what sweetness really tastes like!" said Spike.
It was later as the group exited the cave and returned to the forest. They had said goodbye to Vespiquen and all the Combee as they left their home.
"Things sure worked out perfectly, didn't they?" said Sky.
"They sure did, and I owe a big thanks to all of you!" said Meadowbrook.
"It was our pleasure to help. Plus, I was able to learn some recipes," stated Twilight.
"Well, even though I didn't like all the running we did, I still found today quite enjoyable," stated Rarity.
"And Sky, Applejack. I look forward to seeing you two very soon for our Gym Battles," said Meadowbrook.
"Huh?" said the teens.
The healer smiled before taking off and waving goodbye to the group.
"I'll be waiting!" called out the healer.
"Wait, hold on an apple pickin' minute!" expressed Applejack. "You mean she's the..."
Sky was stunned to hear that the woman they traveled to was the Hayseed Swamp Gym Leader, but more importantly, his earlier battle with Meadowbrook. He began to think back to his battle with the woman and how she wiped the floor with him. That battle was a small preview of what the pair could expect from the Gym Leader, as it got Sky a bit worried, but moreso, he was pumped and excited for their match.
"Just you wait, Meadowbrook. I'm going to win our match!" said Sky with a confident smile as he bawled his fist and looked down the road she disappeared as his battle was upon him.
Author's Note: We're back with some Pokemon. And yowie wowie was this a big chapter filled with tons of stuff. Being introduced to Mage Meadowbrook, who is a healer that makes all sorts of remedies. The journey of finding the special honey and as it turns out, she's not only a Grass-type Trainer, but the Hayseed Swamp Gym Leader who's looking forward to both Sky and Applejack. As someone who's played most of the Pokemon games and mostly chose Grass as their starter, Grass-type Pokemon aren't to be underestimated. When we next continue with this group, it'll be the start of Sky and Applejack's Gym Challenge.