"Hello, everyone. I'm Professor Celestia. As a Pokémon researcher, I work with trainers to help them with their journey. And as such… it's time for an announcement. It's time for my sister and I's annual Pokémon camp where you and your Pokémon can create marvelous memories together."

A person was shown running as they came to the top of a hill after emerging from a forest.

"Wow. There it is!" said Sky as he stood atop the hill.

His traveling companions joined the boy, who also took in the sight. The group stopped by a local Pokémon Center just days ago to rest on their way toward their next Gym challenge. During their visit, Sky contacted Celestia to inform her of his progress. The woman was glad to see the teen enjoying his adventure as she had informed the boy about the camp she and her sister ran every year, which was open to anybody. As such, she had personally invited Sky and his friends to attend their camp, hoping they might enjoy it and understand Pokémon a bit better. And so, after watching the promotional video they had just finished shooting and giving them the location, the group now stood before the sisters' camp as they were prepared for several days of fun-filled activities, all while learning about Pokémon.

The camp itself was located on a beachfront where several cabins were stationed. Behind the main building was a courtyard, and behind that was the forest where Sky and the group emerged. The group approached the campsite and looked at the shiny blue water.

"The beach. So pretty," said Rarity as the glimmer of the water caught her eye.

"I love that smell. Ocean air," said Twilight, taking a big sniff of the air.

"Hey, it's Celestia!" said Sky as he turned and saw the professor standing on the dock of the main building and waving a flag to signal the group.

"Hi!

"It was so nice of you to invite us!" said Twilight as she looked forward to learning from such a well-renowned professor as Celestia.

"Greetings, everyone. Thank you for accepting my invitation, and I hope your stay here will be useful and marvelous at the same time."

"Thanks," said Sky.

"Now then, it's time for your registration. Follow me!"

The group followed the professor inside the main building, and they were amazed at how much bigger it looked inside. They made their way to the desk, where one of the assistants greeted the professor before she typed something on the computer.

"Simply give your name. Any Pokémon you currently have with you, and you then be assigned to a team. Over the next few days, you'll be trying to earn points for your specific team. The team with the most points at the end will not only be inducted into the Hall of Fame we have, but they will also earn a special item. Oh, I should also mention that at the end of the camp, everyone will receive one free Pokémon that my sister and I have raised personally."

"Hold on… did you just say we all get one free Pokémon at the end?" said Spike as he seemed most excited.

"Yes. We'd like to think that all we teach you here will be best applied if you have something to work on. I mean, unless you don't want a Pokémon…"

"No, I'll take it!" said Spike as he stuck his tongue like a dog panting; he couldn't wait to get his hands on a Pokémon he could call his own.

Twilight just face-palmed herself at how her brother was acting. The group soon registered themselves as they were put into a system and entered into the random generator to determine what teams they would be on.

"Alright, here are the results. Sky, Applejack, and Twilight, you all will be on the yellow team. Rarity, you will be assigned to the indigo team. And Spike… you'll be on the orange team." said Celestia.

"Looks like we're on opposite sides. Most of us," said Aj, as it seemed they would all have to be competing against each other.

"Now then, let me show you all to your cabins."

Celestia then led the group to their accommodation, a cabin villa near the camp's forest. They soon reached the section where the yellow team was. Celestia gestured to one of the cabins.

"Sky, Applejack, and Twilight. This is the cabin that you'll be staying in."

The group headed up the stairs and opened the door. They all entered and saw the cabin. The living room had a nice fireplace, wooden table, couch, and nicely decorated windows. They approached a room with two bunk beds on each side.

"Nice and cozy," said Aj as she set her bag down and took one of the bottom bunks.

"Glad you guys like it. Roll call is in one hour. Don't be late. Rarity, Spike, come with me. I'll show you your respective cabins and your potential teammates."

The two left with Professor Celestia, waving goodbye to their friends for now. Twilight approached one of the windows overlooking the beach, opened it, and let the cool breeze hit her face. She sighed after feeling it while Sky climbed the ladder and took the bunk above Aj.

"Are you going to be okay, Twilight, without your brother with you?" asked the country gal.

"As long as he doesn't do anything stupid or gets in trouble, I have faith that he'll be fine," said the bookworm.

"So what Pokémon do you think you'll get?" stated Sky as he leaned his head over his bed to look at the two girls. "I'm hoping for something to help me in my next gym!"

"I don't know. It must be special if we each get a Pokémon that Professor Celestia and Professor Luna have raised."

"Not to mention powerful," added Applejack, as they would all get a Pokémon, which the two professors raised, which meant it was a big deal. "Let's do our best and try to earn as many points as possible for our team."

"That should be a walk in the park!" stated Sky. "There's no way anybody is gonna beat our team."

"What are you doing here!" exclaimed Applejack.

The hour passed, and the trio appeared for the scheduled roll call. However, the country gal was given a surprise slap in the face as she was looking at her little sister. Apple Bloom stood before her big sister, who was grabbed by her shirt and shaken to the max. The younger sister had wanted to surprise her older sibling as she was attending the camp, but that didn't seem to go as planned.

"Applejack, let me go!" pleaded Apple Bloom, feeling dizzy from the shaking her older sister had given her.

"Why are you here, Apple Bloom? Who let you attend?!" shouted Applejack.

"Granny Smith, let me come," said the younger girl who got Aj to stop shaking her sister, who took a moment to stop her head from shaking.

"I can't believe this… why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"It's alright, Applejack," said Celestia as she appeared before the farmer sisters. "Your grandmother dropped her off here a few days ago, and I've personally been taking care of her."

"See!" said Apple Bloom as she gave her sister a look for worrying so much.

"I… I… T-Thank you," stuttered Aj as Celestia smiled and left.

"Applejack, is everything okay?" asked Sky as he approached the country gal.

"Just peachy," mumbled the farmer as she finally released her sister.

"Hey, I know you. Aren't you Aj's little sister? Apple Bloom, right?" said the boy.

"Yup. Hi, Sky. I was hopin' to surprise mah sister by tellin' her that I'm attendin' Professor Celestia and Professor Luna's camp."

"Well, glad you're here. So what team are you on?" asked the boy as he rubbed the girl's head, ruffling her hair while avoiding the pink bow.

"I'm on Team Orange," explained the girl. "Oh, by the way, Applejack, I met some friends."

Two more girls appeared behind the little farmer as she stood between them as if on cue.

"Meet Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo!"

"Rarity?!" said Applejack and Sky as they saw their friend standing behind the trio.

"It seems our sisters have met," said the fashionista as she had her hand on Sweetie's shoulder.

"Heh, small world, eh!" remarked Sky as he bumped shoulders with Applejack.

Their attention was then caught as Celestia appeared on a podium, looking to address the trainers gathered before her. Her sister was beside her as she cleared her throat and prepared to speak.

"Hello, trainers. Thank you all for being here. And why are you here? You're here to build an even deeper bond with your Pokémon through your interactions with other trainers. I hope you'll have lots of fun starting today and throughout the week. Our camp has a system where each team earns points depending on how they did in each day's activities. First place, 50 points. Second place, 30 points. Third Place 15 points. And all other places after that get no points. The goal is to help each other out while competing. The team that has earned the most points by the last day will be inducted into the camp's hall of fame. Now-"

At that moment, Celestia's speech was cut short as a sound was heard. Everyone else picked up on it as they looked toward the forest, where a rumbling was heard. A large dust cloud was shown as it seemed to be heading toward the camp. However, what caused the moving dust cloud wasn't a Pokémon but four individuals who seemed to be in a hurry.

"We're gonna be late; I know we are!" exclaimed Silverbolt as he was shown running alongside other people. "If you hadn't overslept, we wouldn't have this problem!"

"If you had actually remembered what damn day it was, we wouldn't have this problem!" yelled Rainbow as she fired back at the boy for calling her out when he also was to blame.

The group picked up speed, and as they managed to run right into the campgrounds, they halted and took a moment to catch their breath. They were all spent after running through the forest to avoid being late.

"Looks like we made it," said Rainbow, panting heavily.

"You're late!" yelled Professor Luna as she instinctively pulled on the four teens' ears, earning them a hard yelp of pain. "You were supposed to be here at your scheduled call! Now come with me!"

The professor dragged away the four as she was looking to give them their consequence for failing to show up on time. Everyone watched the four before turning their attention back to Professor Celestia, who smiled and tried to cover up for her sister's strict behavior.

"Heh… now where was I?" said Celestia, trying to regain her place after that sudden interruption.

"Oh, right. Just as there are various kinds of Pokémon in various parts of our world, budding young trainers are no different! Today, you young people of differing ages and birthplaces have gathered together for a week of fun and excitement! Destiny has brought you together as you meet and work with your fellow students and their Pokémon in your classes. So get to know one another this next week, and while you're at it, have some fun!"

"I believe it's time for the Pokémon to get acquainted," said one of Celestia's assistants.

"Yes. As a tradition, it's custom to start with Pokémon introducing themselves, and the best way to do that is with a Pokémon battle. No points are awarded during this part, so feel free to challenge any trainer you'd like."

The trainers seemed to like that as they were shown pulling out their respective Pokéballs.

"Hold on a minute!" said Professor Celestia as another assistant was shown with a box and set it down. "These will be the Pokémon you will be using. Everyone will use these Pokéballs! One Poké ball per student."

"I see, so the Pokémon we get matched up will be luck of the draw, essentially," remarked Twilight.

"Okay!" said Sky as he approached the box full of Poké balls and looked ready to pick one out. "Let's see…"

The boy was looking at the Pokéballs before him, trying to figure out which one he wanted to grab. Since he couldn't tell what was inside them, and they all looked the same, he had no choice but to reach in and grab one. So the boy went in and placed his hand on the Pokéball he eyed, only for someone else to also place their hand on it at that same time. It shocked the boy before he looked up as he was now looking at the person who had their hand on the ball as it was a girl.

"Let go! I got it first!" said the girl.

"I got it first!" argued Sky, knowing he had touched the Poké ball first.

The two trainers began to pull back and forth as neither wanted to give up the Pokéball they were holding. All the while, Twilight and Applejack shook their heads at how their friend was acting, as they just ignored him, picked their Pokéballs, and walked away.

"It's mine!" retorted the girl.

"No, it's mine!" stated Sky. "I ain't letting go of this, and you can't make me."

The girl heard the boy taunt as she eyed him. The two stared at each other before the girl swung her head to the left. One of her pigtails smacked Sky on the cheek, and he instinctively let go of the Pokéball. He stumbled back, clutching his face.

"Hey, that's cheating!" exclaimed the boy.

"Serves you right. I guess chivalry is dead."

"You smacked me in the face!" yelled Sky as he didn't appreciate that.

"Now you're really getting me mad. I challenge you to a battle. The name's Juniper Montage, by the way!" said the girl, adjusting her glasses as she took a serious look.

"Oh, if it's a battle you want, then I'll be glad to give you one!" growled Sky as he reached down to grab another Pokéball. "Name's Sky, by the way!"

"I could care less," remarked the girl, wanting to put the boy in his place.

"Is he still arguin'?" asked Applejack, looking at her Pokéball.

"I stopped listening after five seconds," responded Twilight, as neither girl was interested in their friend's immature display he was doing.

"Good! That's the spirit! But first, perhaps you should get to know your selected Pokémon?" stated Celestia as she walked by the two teens who looked ready to throwdown and tried to defuse the tense situation with her words.

"In that case, come on out!" said Juniper as she threw her Pokéball.

The Pokémon inside came out as a white light outlined its shape. Once it died down, it revealed a blue, ovoid Pokémon resembling living loudspeakers. It had a tan oval with a black outline on its front and small tails that lacked a fin. Its feet were small and stubby, with just three toes. Its outline had five bumps: two small bumps easily mistaken for hands and three big ones near the top.

"Palpitoad," responded the Pokémon as it appeared.

"A Palpitoad?" said Sky, pulling out his Pokédex.

"Palpitoad, the Vibration Pokémon and the evolved form of Tympole. It weakens its prey with sound waves intense enough to cause headaches, then entangles them with its sticky tongue."

"You got to be kidding me? You mean to tell me I gave up a Palpitoad!" exclaimed the boy; he was not happy that he had this Pokémon stolen from him by the girl as he was pissed off. "What do I got?"

The boy tossed his Pokéball and out came his selected Pokémon. A bipedal rabbit with a white head and red eye appeared. Its ears were long and pointed sideways and down, and three tufts of fluffy fur stuck up from the top of its head. A bandage was on its forehead, forming a headband pattern. Its eyes were red-orange with no visible pupils, giving off a bored expression. It had red-orange fur resembling a turtleneck covering the lower half of its face, arms, and neck. Its body fur was mostly black, resembling a sweatsuit. Its front paws were white, and its back paws were red-orange. It also had a small, round white tail.

"Raboot, the Rabbit Pokémon, and the evolved form of Scorbunny. It kicks berries right off the branches of trees and then juggles them with its feet, practicing its footwork."

"So that's a Raboot, huh? Hey there, I'm Sky. Nice to meet you." said the boy, bending down.

The Pokémon looked at the teen before he leaped up and kicked him in the face, knocking him onto his back. He then stuck his paws into its abdomen fur and returned to acting cool and aloof.

"Heh! Looks like Raboot hates your face as much as I do," joked Juniper.

"Shut up! We'll be friends real soon! Just you wait!" barked Sky, as he didn't appreciate getting mocked, especially by a girl.

"Alright, let's see what I got," said Applejack as she finally got ready to see what Pokémon she selected. The farmer tossed her Pokéball into the air and out came her Pokémon.

"Grovyle," said the Pokémon as it appeared.

"Hey, that ain't too shabby. Howdy, I'm Applejack, but you can me Aj," said the farmer as she greeted her selected Pokémon.

The reptile seemed to like the girl much more easily than Sky did with his Pokémon as he smiled at the farmer.

"My turn!" called out Twilight, tossing her Pokéball to reveal her mystery partner.

A small blue mouse-like Pokémon appeared. It had a round body with a white belly, round ears, and small limbs. Its tail was black and bent in a zigzag pattern, with a blue ball at its end.

"Marill," said the Pokémon.

"Alright, alright, I can work with this," said the bookworm as she bent down to introduce herself. "Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle. I have a feeling we're gonna be the best of friends."

Marill seemed to like Twilight's statement as it wagged its tail before jumping into the girl's arms and snuggling her. Twilight giggled as she enjoyed the affection her Pokémon was giving her. Soon, everyone else began to meet their selected Pokémon. For Rarity, the girl happened to be paired up with a Trubbish, as the smell was a bit unbearable at first. Still, the pile of trash gave off a cute appearance as she did her best to bond with such a filthy creature. For Spike, the boy managed to snag Froakie as his partner. For Apple Bloom, she pulled a Bulbasaur, while Sweetie Belle got a Shinx, and Scootaloo scored a Tranquill.

While most trainers were getting along with their Pokémon, Sky was still trying to get Raboot to trust him.

"Come on, Raboot. Please," said Sky as he tried to get the rabbit to warm up to him.

The Pokémon just turned his head as he wanted to be left alone. Sky kept pleading as he got closer, but the rabbit didn't like his personal space being invaded. It then leaped into the air as its feet began to glow. Sky noticed the attack as it dodged out of the way; unfortunately, Raboot made contact with Juniper's Palpitoad as it was knocked back. The Pokémon didn't like being kicked in the face; it growled before it executed a Mud Shot attack as Raboot jumped back. The attack managed to hit Sky as he had mud on his face.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" exclaimed the boy.

"It's your fault for getting in the way," remarked Juniper.

"Oh, I'll show you! Turtwig, come on out!" shouted Sky, as he wouldn't be disrespected and made fun of any longer.

The boy called on his personal Pokémon as he appeared and stood before Sky to defend his trainer's honor.

"Use Razor Leaf on Palpitoad!" instructed the boy.

Turtwig did just that as he fired several razor-sharp leaves that made contact with Juniper's Palpitoad as it was knocked back.

"Hey!" exclaimed the girl as she didn't appreciate Sky throwing his weight around like a bully. "In that case… Vivillon, use Gust on Turtwig!"

Out came a butterfly-like Pokémon; it had a colorful decorative pattern on its wings that was used to scatter its scale or create a strong wind to attack. It did just that: the Pokémon blew a strong wind over Turtwig and Sky as they covered up. Some other trainers felt the strong wind before Turtwig was taken off its feet and fell back as it made contact with a tree.

"Turtwig!" said Sky as he approached his Pokémon before turning to growl at Juniper and her Vivllon. "Alright, I'm done playing!"

The boy was reaching for another one of his Pokéballs when a loud shout was heard.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Celestia screamed at the top of her lungs, and her voice echoed for all to hear. The vibrato and pitch of the professor's yell made it seem like there was an echo effect, emphasizing her anger. This made Sky gulp as he feared the professor, who stared him down with a death glare.

"I never said you could use your own Pokémon in battle!" shouted the woman angrily.

"But I… she's the one…"

"I said ENOUGH!" screamed Celestia even louder as Sky remained quiet. "This camp is not the place for quarreling! It's for making new friends with people and Pokémon! Do I make myself clear!?"

"Yes, Professor," apologized both teens.

"As such, the yellow team has already lost 10 points due to this outburst," stated Celestia.

"That's not fair," said Sky. He could already hear groans from other trainers on the yellow team. They didn't like that he had given them a negative score before the activities began.

"That's the end of the first hour! Due to this outburst, I've decided to move the battles to tomorrow, and my sister and I will be judging them individually. We will see how well you've befriended your selected Pokémon and award points accordingly! Till then, anyone caught battling will be disqualified and awarded negative points to their team! I suggest no more fighting, am I understood!"

"Yes, Professor," responded everyone.

Celestia glared sternly at Sky as she hoped this consequence would keep the boy in check and avoid more fighting. She then turned with her assistants as she checked up on Luna and how she was handling her scenario while also needing a slice of cake to remove the stress she had just undergone. As Celestia departed, everyone else began to leave as Twilight and Applejack approached their friend.

"You good, sugar?" asked the country gal, knowing he just got a stern talking in front of everyone else.

"Yeah, I'm good," said Sky. "But I didn't start all this. You know that, right?"

"W-Well…" said Twilight, with a sheepish smile.

"Twilight, come on!"

"I mean, you did attack first," said the bookworm, justifying her reasoning while touching her fingers.

Sky just mumbled to himself as he couldn't believe he wasn't getting any support from either of the girls.

"Maybe you should focus on getting Raboot to warm up to you, sugar. Especially if Professor Celestia and Luna are gonna be judgin'," stated Aj as she and Sky turned to see the rabbit just turn away, not wanting anything to do with its selected trainer.

"I guess you're right," sighed the boy. If things were like this, this would be a long week of camp.

Soon, the second hour of the first day arrived. All the trainers were in the camp's main building, where they were put into classrooms to prepare for their next lesson.

"Alright, for the second hour, I want you all to work on getting closer to your new Pokémon, understood?" said one of the research assistants.

"Right!" responded the trainers as they sat at desks and nodded.

"Alright, Maril, let's see how smart you are," said Twilight as she set up an experiment to test her Pokémon's intelligence. "Try this."

The Pokémon looked at the puzzle its trainer had given it before using its tail. It then began to speak while pointing at its steps to solve the puzzle.

"Wow. Nicely done!" said Twilight, impressed by how smart the little thing was. "Alright, moving on. This is called an equation-"

"Alright, Raboot, let's see what moves you can use," said Sky. His Pokémon was seated on his desk, one of its legs dangling off, and it rested its arm on its knee. The boy pulled out his Pokédex, hoping to see what potential moves it had in its arsenal.

"The moves Raboot can use are Double Kick, Flame Charge, Agility, and Acrobatics."

"You can use Acrobatics? That's awesome, Raboot!" said Sky, as he never expected the fire-type Pokémon to know that move.

Raboot just merely gave a scoff and turned his head. He didn't seem to think it was a big deal, as the boy was making it out to be.

"I can't wait for our battle to start!" said Sky, looking to tap into Raboot's power and try to get them the win tomorrow to get them back on track for his team.

The rest of the second hour was spent with everyone trying to get to know their Pokémon. For Sky, he made some progress as he offered to brush Raboot's fur. To the Pokémon's surprise, he seemed to like it, as Sky was glad his Pokémon was starting to warm up to him. However, he unintentionally pulled a bit too hard on his latest brush as Raboot felt it. The small rabbit didn't waste any time and delivered a hard kick to the boy's face. He fell out of his seat, scoffed, and turned his head. Similar experiences happened in the other classrooms as all the trainers progressed with their partner Pokémon. Soon, the rest of the day flew by with different activities to help further the bond between the trainers and their Pokémon.

It was soon sunset as the first day of camp was wrapping up. Sure enough, the upcoming battles for tomorrow were on everyone's mind as they knew this was their chance to start big. Following their late arrival, Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Silverbolt were put to work scrubbing the mess hall for lunch as punishment by Professor Luna. Eventually, they were registered and given their assigned teams and cabins. Rainbow and Bolt would join the red team, while Pinkie and Fluttershy would join Rarity on the indigo team. However, given their tardiness, they were immediately awarded negative points for their respective teams, as the other trainers on that team weren't happy when they got the news.

Sky was returning to his cabin after a fulfilling dinner, as he couldn't wait for tomorrow's battle.

"Hey, girls! Anybody want-"

Sky halted upon opening the door, and he met with Juniper, who sat at the wooden table.

"What are you doing here?!" barked the boy as he recalled the incident from earlier.

"Duh. This is my assigned cabin."

"What?!" said Sky as he couldn't believe what he heard.

"Hey, Sky," said Twilight as she entered after her shower.

"Twilight, is she?"

"Yeah, she's our roommate," said the bookworm as he confirmed what Juniper said.

"Oh, that's just great!" remarked the boy as he would have to live with the girl who got him in trouble.

"Calm down. I will put aside our differences since we're on the same team. Are you?" stated Juniper as she offered a hand to the boy with a smug smirk.

Sky gritted his teeth as he wanted to knock the glasses off the girl for all the trouble she'd been causing him; regardless, he swallowed his pride and quickly stuck his hand out to shake Juniper's before he retracted back and wiped it on his shirt as if he had just contracted a disease.

"I'm taking a shower. I need to cleanse myself," mumbled the boy as he entered the bathroom and shut the door.

"Don't worry. He'll warm up. He just doesn't like being made fun of," apologized Twilight as she went to their room.

Night soon fell on the camp as Celestia, Luna, and their assistants went around the trainers' cabins to inform them of their curfew.

"Alright, everyone. Lights out! We've got a very busy day tomorrow, so we expect everyone to get up bright and early!" stated Luna as she walked among the halls of the many different cabins, giving them their warning.

"What time is it?" asked Sky.

"It's only 8 o'clock," confirmed Twilight, looking at the clock on her nightstand.

"That's early. I'm not even sleepy," said the boy, as he still had some energy.

"I'm usually one to hit the hay, but I ain't tired, y'all," said Applejack as she was in the same boat.

"Well, we could tell stories till we fall asleep?" suggested Juniper.

"I'll pass," said Sky, as he had his hands behind his head and looked up.

"Well, how about a game?" suggested Juniper as she was shown reaching over to her backpack and pulling out something. "I got these deck of cards from my uncle a while back. We could play Go Fish or Blackjack."

"I'd be down for a game or two; how about you girls?" asked Sky as he leaned over his bunk bed.

"Count me in," said Applejack.

"I-I don't know… maybe we should just stick to the rules and go to sleep," said Twilight, as she didn't want them to get caught for staying up late past curfew.

"Aw, come on, Twilight. Live it a little. Besides, as long as we keep it down, they ain't gonna know," said Sky, trying to persuade the bookworm to bend the rules.

Twilight was still not fully onboard as she'd always been one to follow rules and regulations. The bookworm prided herself on being a perfect rule follower as she believed breaking any would result in chaos and disorder. However, the expressions on her friends' and Juniper's faces got to her, and she didn't want to be the one to bring down the mood.

"A-Alright, fine. But just for an hour," said Twilight, not wanting to get in trouble.

Safe to say, they went past an hour. The four had a small lantern to give them enough light to see. They all gathered around on the floor in a circle as they began with some rounds of friendly Go Fish. Once they had played several games, they moved on to Blackjack, which gave them a bit more excitement. Twilight had to be explained the rules of the game, but she picked up on it quickly, and soon she had the most wins out of anybody. Everyone assumed she counted cards because she won so much, but she just countered that she was using probability to know when to hit and when to stay. To think that her friends assumed she was cheating just because she was smarter than them insulted the girl's intelligence as she put on a pouting face.

"So, what about you, Juniper? What's your deal?" asked Sky as he was dealt his two cards.

"Well, I actually help my uncle with his business. He's in the filmmaking industry. He's a director."

"A director? Wow!" said Applejack as she was given a card.

"What's his name?" asked the boy.

"My uncle is Canter Zoom. He's a director who's directed a lot of famous movies."

"Hold on, your uncle is the Canter Zoom?" said Twilight as she had to do a double-take after hearing that.

"Who's that?" asked Sky.

"Have you ever heard or seen any Daring Do films?" asked Twilight.

"Oh, yeah. Wait… you mean to tell me your uncle made all those?" said Sky as he turned to look at the girl.

"Yup. Every single one of them. I should know 'cause I've been on set for almost each one. I'm a foyer for his crew."

"What's that?" asked the country gal.

"I'm his assistant and do all I can to make the actors comfortable."

"Wow. That's impressive, Juniper. I never knew you had such responsibilities." said Sky.

"Thanks, but to be honest, as much as I love filming, I want to go on a journey one day. My uncle wants me to take over the business, but I want to travel at least once before that happens because I know once I'm a director, all my time will be focused on filmmaking. That's why I hope I can go on one. My uncle is so busy that I hardly have a free moment. So you can understand, when the opportunity for Professor Celestia and Professor Luna's camp came around, I was thrilled. It took some convincing for my uncle, but he let me attend."

"I can see it would be tough to find the time for a journey. That's why I'm lucky my parents let me go with Sky and Applejack on theirs," said Twilight.

"I can tell you all enjoy traveling together. So, Sky… are you planning on entering the Equestrian League?"

"No doubt. Me and Applejack both are. Right now, we both have four badges."

"Wow! Four badges already, that means you're halfway there!"

"And once I win the league, I'm gonna challenge the champion!"

"Wow, you sure dream big," responded Juniper as she was warming up to Sky despite their initial encounter. "What about you two? What are your dreams?"

"Well, my dream is to learn all I can about Pokémon," said Twilight.

"As for me, I'm fine just settlin' on mah family's farm and takin' it over," said Applejack.

"Well, I hope you all achieve your dreams!"

"Thanks! You as well, Juniper!"

At that moment, the door to their room opened, and Luna was furious.

"What part of lights out don't you understand!" yelled the woman as everyone quickly jumped to their beds.

The light from the lantern in their room turned off as Luna ensured they were asleep before she shut the door. The group went to sleep to avoid getting into more trouble, especially Twilight, who felt dirty for breaking the rules and hoped her parents never found out about this.

The next day was the day of the upcoming battles. Sky was up bright and early, as he was with Raboot, hoping to bond with it through training.

"Raboot, Double Kick!" said Sky.

The rabbit did what he was told as he leaped into the air and used its legs to kick a large rock. He struck it with his legs, but it didn't break. He jumped back and let out an annoyed sound.

"Hey, what's wrong? Your Double Kick's gotta be stronger than that! C'mon!" said Sky, bending down to offer the Pokémon encouragement.

Raboot turned as he didn't need the human's advice.

"C'mon!" said Sky, putting his hand on the rabbit.

That triggered the Pokémon as he encased himself in fire and executed a Flame Charge attack at Sky. The boy was pushed onto the ground, and bits of his hair and clothes were covered in soot. Raboot expected that to get his message across, but to his surprise, Sky got back up with some singed hair and clothes, all while smiling.

"See this? It's proof that you're stronger than you expected. All you need to do is let it out!" said Sky.

The boy's response surprised the rabbit. He didn't expect the teen to take a Flame Charge head-on and get back up like it was nothing.

"Okay, use Double Kick and give it everything you've got!"

Raboot didn't know what compelled him to listen, but he did what Sky said and leaped into the air. He began to smack the rock as hard as he could and destroyed it.

"Alright, Raboot! You did it!" shouted Sky as the rabbit was amazed by what he did.

He looked at the boy who cheered him on as his attitude slowly changed.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who wanted to get some early-morning training."

Sky and Raboot heard the voice as they saw Silverbolt approaching the pair.

"Hey, Sky. Been a while.

"Sup, Bolt. So, were you hoping to do some training, too?" asked the boy.

"In a sense."

"Cool. By the way, what Pokémon did you end up picking?"

"Hmm… come on out!" said the teen as he tossed the Pokéball.

"Luxio!" said the Pokémon as he appeared.

"Cool, a Luxio!" said Sky as he eyed the Pokémon his friend was given. "Hey, Bolt. Let's have a battle."

"Really?"

"Yeah, that way, we can both train in prep for our battle. Want do you say, Raboot?"

The rabbit seemed to like the idea the boy proposed as Bolt could see the sudden attitude change in the Pokémon from what he heard from the others.

"Well, Luxio?"

"Lux!" responded the Pokémon as it gave a confident response.

"Alright, let's do it!"

The two boys got into position as they each had their borrowed Pokémon out before them.

"Raboot, let's start with Double Kick!"

"Luxio, dodge it!"

Raboot flipped into the air as he looked to kick the large electric Pokémon, but he backstepped to avoid it.

"Our turn! Use Quick Attack!"

Luxio took off at blinding speed as he tackled Raboot, who skidded to a halt.

"Alright, Raboot, let's boost our speed with Flame Charge!"

Raboot began to bounce on its legs as if it were on fire before he encased himself in flames. He then rocketed forward as it made contact with Luxio, who was too slow to avoid it and was pushed back a bit.

"Luxio, you good?" asked Silverbolt as he got a defiant response.

"Then counter using Thunder Fang!"

Luxio took off as its mouth sparked with electricity.

"Raboot, dodge it!"

The rabbit leaped back and made another quick jump over Luxio. With the speed of its earlier attack, it managed to avoid the attack by the four-legged Pokémon easily.

"Well, well," said Bolt, impressed by how much faster Raboot was now.

"Now… let's turn it around!" said Sky as Bolt also smiled.

At the campgrounds, everyone was gathered for the day of battle. Most girls gathered around while waiting for Professor Celestia and Luna's arrival.

"How did you ever get past Trubbish's smell, Rarity?" asked Applejack as she was stunned to see the fashionista being comfortable around the dirty piece of trash.

"Darling, there's nothing a little perfume can't mask," said Rarity as she pulled out a bottle and sprayed some on her Pokémon; he seemed to like it and nuzzled Rarity's leg as she bent down to pet it.

"Even trash can smell good. That's a new one," remarked Rainbow.

"There you go. Eat up," said Fluttershy as she was with her selected Pokémon.

"Sealeo," responded the Pokémon as he began to munch on some Pokémon treats the girl made for it.

"Where are Sky and Silverbolt, anyways?" asked Twilight.

"Sorry we're late!" said Sky as he and his friend were shown running toward them.

"Woah, what happened to you, sugar?" asked Applejack as she saw her friend still had his hair singed from when Raboot hit him with a Flame Charge.

"Training," smiled the boy.

He shook his head as he put his hair back to normal. Everyone's attention was caught as Professor Luna, and Celestia appeared then.

"All right, our Pokémon battles are about to begin! I want you to remember that your goal is to battle in such a way as to bring out the best in your Pokémon!"

"Yes, Professor!" said the trainers.

"Alright, find an opponent!" said Luna.

Everyone began to pair off as Sky noticed Juniper looking at him.

"Well, we what do you say, Juniper? Care to battle with me?" asked the boy with a smile.

"I'd thought you'd never ask," smirked the girl.

"Bring out your Pokémon!" said Celestia.

One by one, everyone began to bring out their selected Pokémon for this showcase.

"Raboot, I choose you!" said Sky.

"Palpitoad, let's go!" said Juniper.

"Grovyle, lend me yer strength!" stated Applejack.

"Marill, lend me your assistance!" said Twilight.

"Trubbish, show them your elegance!" responded Rarity.

"Blitzle, you're up to bat!" shouted Rainbow.

"Sealeol, help me, please," said Fluttershy.

"Vanillish, let's have some fun!" responded Pinkie.

"Tranquil, fly high!" said Scootaloo.

"I call on you, Bulbasaur!" said Apple Bloom.

"Spotlight's on you, Shinx!" said Sweetie Belle.

"Froakie!" shouted Spike.

"Luxio, time for us to show them what it's all about!" said Silverbolt.

"Alright, begin!" said Luna after everyone paired up and brought out their Pokémon.

"Alright, Raboot, let's start with Double Kick!" said Sky.

"Palpitoad, Hyper Voice!" instructed Juniper.

Raboot charged head as it looked to execute its attack but was stopped in its tracks by the loud soundwave that Palpitoad emitted from opening its mouth. The rabbit began to cover its sensitive ears as it tried to muffle the sound, but it proved difficult.

"Is that all you got, Sky?"

"Raboot, use Agility!"

The rabbit quickly vanished as Palpitoad ceased its soundwave attack and looked around. It tried to spot the rabbit but couldn't see him before he quickly appeared behind it.

"Now use Double Kick!"

Raboot lunged forward and delivered two hard kicks to the back of Palpitoad as he wobbled forward.

"Come on, don't quit! Use Mud Shot!" said Juniper.

Palpitoad turned around and fired several mudballs, which made contact with Raboot. The latter raised its arms to cover itself before skidding back a bit.

"You good, Raboot?" asked Sky as the Pokémon gave him a response. "Let's turn up the heat with Flame Charge!"

Raboot encased itself in flames and charged forward. It crashed into Palpitoad, who took the attack head-on and fell back before he got back up and let out its goofy tongue while smiling.

"Did you forget that Palpitoad is a water and ground type? Your Flame Charge doesn't have much effect on it!" smiled Juniper.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm using it again! Raboot, Flame Charge!"

"Huh?"

The girl was confused as Raboot crashed into Palpitoad, who was knocked over but quickly regained consciousness with little damage.

"What are you doing?" stated Juniper.

"Now, use Acrobatics!" instructed Sky.

"Palpitoad, dodge it!"

The rabbit quickly vanished as he reappeared before the larger foe and delivered a hard kick to the gut as Palpitoad felt it. Juniper was amazed as the Pokémon moved so quickly that Palpitoad didn't have time to react.

"Use Hydro Pump!"

Palpitoad recovered quickly and fired a steady stream of water that made contact with Raboot as he fell to the ground.

"Raboot!" shouted Sky in concern.

"Hydro Pump again!"

"Flame Charge!"

Palpitoad fired his attack as Raboot quickly recovered with its boosted overall speed. It took off and encased itself in fire as it headed toward the oncoming attack. Upon contact, vapor appeared as steam was coming off from both attacks. The two Pokémon tried to push back the other as they were in a stalemate. Juniper and Sky had serious looks, and neither wanted to give an inch in this fight. Before anything else could happen, a whistle was blown.

"Time's up!" shouted Luna as she signaled everyone to stop.

Hearing that got everyone's attention, and as Raboot touched the ground, Palpitoad ceased his attack. The rabbit fell to the ground as he was more tired than he expected; Sky put his hand on the rabbit's head as he began to pet it.

"Wow, Raboot, you fought hard!" said Sky to the Pokémon, who responded happily.

"I knew you could do it!" said Juniper as she hugged Palpitoad, who enjoyed the affection shown by the girl.

Sky and Juniper approached each other, and their smiles said it all. They exchanged a fist bump as Celestia, Luna, and their assistants clapped. The two trainers getting along made Celestia smile even bigger, and she was glad they could work things through.

After some time, the points were tallied among the different teams as everyone was gathered. All the Pokémon that everyone borrowed were returned to the professors as they awaited the results. Celestia stood before the group as she cleared her throat.

"You've all done very well working and battling with your new Pokémon, and so from this moment on, I would like all of you to make it a point to meet and make friends with the rest of the Pokémon in attendance!" stated Celestia.

"And now it's time to announce the standings as they are now!" said Luna as a board was brought out, and she used a laser pointer. "For the past two days, the team with the highest accumulated points is… the Red Team!"

"Aw, yeah!" shouted Rainbow, ecstatic to know she was in first place. She then gave a hard slap to Silverbolt's back as he let out a yelp. "I told you we got this in the bag!"

"Yeah… go, team," groaned the boy as Rainbow hit him harder than he expected that he was hunched over.

"In second place, it's the Blue team. Third place is the Indigo team. Fourth place is the Orange team. Fifth place is the yellow team. Sixth place is the Green Team and seventh place is the Pink Team."

"Aw, come on!" said Sky as he couldn't believe they placed fifth.

"Due to yesterday's quarreling, that is what's penalized the team's points," explained Celestia.

"Oh, right," chuckled the boy sheepishly as he remembered his and Juniper's argument. "Well, that's okay. That just means we're gonna have to make it up!"

"That being said… it's chow time!" said Celestia. "I'm sure everyone has worked up an appetite."

At the sound of the dining hall bell, everyone began to rush toward the mess hall. Despite getting off to a rocky start, most of our heroes were determined to do their best in the next round of activities. The week-long camp was only beginning, and many new adventures would undoubtedly come.