Formalities: Pokémon isn't mine, it's property of Game Freak and Nintendo, or something like that.

Chapter Sixteen: I've Never Heard Of Yes Town

I woke up, and opened my eyes. I was laying on a bed. My backpack was near it. I got up, and realized that the sleep powder hadn't completely worn off yet, and I was still drowsy. I shook it off, put on my backpack, and exited the room into what looked to be the main chamber of the house. It was a simple enough dwelling, and nothing seemed too peculiar. Someone had taken me from the woods to here while I was asleep. Where were my friends? I looked out of a window. The sun was beginning to set. A man and a woman were standing outside, talking. Nearby were my companions, all still asleep. I left the house, and my hosts turned their attention to me.

"Hello," I said. I was unsure of what else to say.

"Ah, good, you're awake. Are you a Pokémon trainer, by any chance? Are these yours?" the woman said, pointing to my unconscious companions.

"Uh... I'm not a Pokémon trainer, really-"

"So you're a breeder?"

"No."

"Then what are you, then?"

"Well, these creatures here aren't really Pokémon, and I'm not a trainer. These four are my friends, we're from a... far away land."

"You must be able to tell us something about where you're from. What's your hometown?"

I felt it necessary, completely necessary. I grinned. "Yes Town."

"I've never heard of Yes Town," the man said, exactly repeating the words I'd expected to hear, and scratching his head. I laughed aloud.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, forget about it. Where are we, anyway?"

"The outskirts of Nacrene City, we found you and your friends in Pinwheel Forest. I'm curious, why did you come from somewhere so far away I've never heard of it?"

"We're looking for someone. I'm not quite sure who. All I know is that they appeared somewhere in this region about four weeks ago."

"I don't recall anyone peculiar coming by here, except for you. Someone did, however, recently take the mantle of Champion of the Pokémon League here in Unova, about two weeks ago. I can't remember her name," the old man said.

"Thanks for the information, and for getting us out of that forest. I must ask, though, how did a Dustox get here?"

"Another one of those? That explains why we found you all unconscious. The Poké Transfer lab had an accident almost a year ago, and Pokémon from all over started to appear. But no new ones have appeared in months, though, and you claim they're not Pokémon. What, exactly, are they?"

"Well, these three are ponies, two of them pegasi and one of them a unicorn, and this is a dragon," I said, pointing to each, their names are Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Fluttershy. The dragon's name is Spike."

"Those are some interesting names. What's yours, youngster?"

"I'm Zach."

"You can call us Mr. and Mrs. Lane. We're both artists by trade," the woman said.

"Thank you again, Mr. and Mrs. Lane, I've got to wake up my friends. Would you mind giving us some privacy?"

They nodded, and went back into their house. I didn't want to cause a fuss over my talking companions. I shook Twilight, then Rainbow. They didn't move, but continued their peaceful sleep. After a few more tries, I pulled on Rainbow's wing. Still nothing. I kicked Twilight lightly. Still nothing. That sleep powder was certainly something. I decided I had to try other measures. I picked up Spike, and shook him about.

"Ahh!" the dragon awoke. I set him down.

"What was that for!?"

"Sorry, you wouldn't wake up. Neither will they," I said, and pointed to the ponies.

"What happened?"

"Sleep powder. Some Pokémon can use it."

"Oh. I know what to do."

Spike belched a small quantity of green flame that narrowly missed the ponies' heads. Immediately, they were all stirring.

"Ponies are sensitive to heat," Spike explained.

"Good one."

"What happened?" Twilight asked. The three ponies got up.

"Yeah, what gives?" Rainbow re-iterated the question.

"Sleep powder, a Pokémon used it as a defense, we scared it. The good news is, we now know where we are," I explained. I glanced about, and saw someone, an older boy, I guessed, with blue hair walking by at a hastened pace, avoiding eye contact with me. Strange.

"Where are we?" Fluttershy asked.

"Nacrene City. West of here is Castelia City, the capital. We might be able to find out more there."

"We should get going before nightfall," Twilight suggested.

"Yes, we should." I turned back to the Lanes' house, and waved before leading the group down the road.

We walked into Pinwheel Forest once more, bound for Skyarrow Bridge. In the encroaching darkness we did not see any Pokémon, but frequently heard bushes and long grass rustling about us. The path itself was clear of the long grasses, and nothing was actually seen until we reached the forest's exit. A person flashed a flashlight at us. It was well after nine o'clock, and, blinded by the light, couldn't tell who our assailant was.

"Hey! Fancy a battle?" a male voice said. Slightly posh, but casual, playful.

"Turn off your light, no need to jump out at me," I said. What was I going to respond with? He thought I was a trainer, and if trainers saw each other, they battled. That's how it was. He turned off his light, and I shined mine at him. It was the blue-haired person from earlier, holding a Poké Ball in his right hand, a flashlight in the other.

"Oh, no, I'm not a trainer, really," I said, almost apologetically.

"Nonsense! You have four Pokémon right there." Twilight stepped forward, and extended a hoof.

"Hello, mister. My name is Twilight Sparkle. We're too busy to battle you, I'm afraid. Perhaps some other time," she said, cordially. The boy shook her hoof, and looked surprised.

"What kind of Pokémon are these? I've never met any that can talk," he asked me.

"They aren't Pokémon, they're ponies."

"Well, actually, I'm a dragon. Still not a Pokémon, though," Spike said.

"I see. Maybe we'll meet again some time. Good luck on whatever it is you were doing," the boy said, obviously disappointed. He walked away, back down the trail into the forest.

"What was with that guy?" Rainbow asked.

"I don't know, but, as I said before, trainers always want to battle," I explained, and looked ahead, seeing the bridge. "Let's get going now."

We began walking again. Mere moments passed before a voice called out.

"Halt! In the name of Ghetsis!" Ghetsis? Ghetsis is in prison or something, isn't he? I turned around and flashed my light at them. Four Plasma grunts stood there, including the boy trainer, now clad in the uniform of the criminal organization. What could they want? I took off my backpack and opened one of its pockets, and retrieved my laser rifle, putting it together.

"I'm warning you, I'm armed, and my companions are very powerful," I half-bluffed. I couldn't shoot a person.

"Armed? You hold a mere metal rod! Hand over your Pokémon to the responsible hands of Team Plasma!" the boy's voice said. Obviously, the square silhouette of my AER9 laser rifle didn't give them the indication that it was a ranged weapon. The grunts threw their Poké balls, revealing two Watchogs, a Timburr, and a Woobat. I fired a warning shot into the ground in front of them, scaring the creatures. The laser ignited a small patch of grass. Upon noticing that the blast came from my 'mere metal rod', the grunts began to panic.

"I warned you. I don't want to have to start trying to hit anything, do I? And besides, I have four 'Pokémon'," I said with added air quotes, "and a gun, you do not."

"I told them we should use guns, but no, we just had to be given Pokémon instead!" one of the grunts said. They turned and bolted, their Pokémon followed. I stamped out the grass fire.

"We could've taken them on, anyway!" Rainbow said, "who were those clowns?"

"Team Plasma. They believe that Pokémon should be entirely separated from people, as equals. They thought you were Pokémon, and that I owned you four, or something. They're total hippocrites, of course, and use Pokémon to their own ends. Why the organization still exists, I do not know. A Pokémon trainer pretty much assured their failure and disbandment, as I said before," I explained.

"How awful," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah, they'll be back in greater numbers to try again, that's how it works. Let's get over this bridge now, shall we?"

Skyarrow Bridge was one of Unova's great bridges, and was truly rather impressive. Both Fluttershy and Twilight remarked on the bridge's extravagance as we went across it. I didn't say anything, though. I was busy wondering why Team Plasma had returned, and what their plan was this time.