"It's just over this hill," Twilight announced as Trixie's wagon was pulled up over the peak. It was here that it came to a stop, Flash, Springer, Spike, Peewee and Doc leaping out and stretching their aching limbs as they moved to the front of the wagon. Everyone looked down as they finally got a glimpse of their destination.
Despite it being called Hoof Town, the town was quite large, filled with rows of buildings. In the center of the village was a large stadium, which they guessed would be where the Hoof Cup was taking place.
"Finally..." Flash moaned as he cricked his neck, "Hoof Town."
"It was a long ride getting here," Doc added.
Spike turned to the others. "But it's gonna pay off when one of you is standing on the winner's podium." The four competing teens nodded at the boy's assurance, only for their ears to hear the sound of approaching steps.
"Sorry, but that's not happening." The group spun around and saw a pair of teens, all but Trixie recognizing them. "Because the person whose gonna be standing on the winner's podium is me, Rainbow Dash."
Everyone laughed at the prism haired girl's confidence, Trixie just raising an eyebrow in confusion. One round of introductions later, (Which included Trixie and Rainbow having what Spike called a 'brag-off') Twilight then asked Fluttershy, "Its good to see you again Fluttershy. How are you doing?"
Fluttershy slightly backpedaled, hiding behind her hair, "I'm alright. Thank you for asking."
"Breeze!" That sound caught everyone's attention, making them look around, only to find nothing. "Breezie!" They followed the sound and all stared Fluttershy's hair, something then popping out.
It was a Pokémon that appeared to be only a few inches in height. It was horse shaped, with blue skin and a pink mane and tail. The creature was wearing a black and white woollen body suit and had a pair of white antenna coming out of its head. The tiny thing then jumped out of Fluttershy's hair and floated on a pair of wings so transparent that the others almost didn't notice them.
"Breeze, Breezie bree!"
Fluttershy did a small nod, "Yes, you're right Seabreeze. I'm sorry."
"What's up with that thing?" Trixie whispered to Rainbow.
"Seabreeze likes Fluttershy, but doesn't like it when she acts timid. It berates her whenever she tries to hide her face."
"I see," Twilight added as Flash pulled out his Pokedex.
Name: Breezie
Category: Breeze Rider Pokémon
Type: Fairy/Bug
Info: This Pokémon can't fly on its own, as it requires a strong wind to do so. It rides the gusts to transport pollen from tree to tree, which helps them grow stronger.
"Doesn't sound like much of a fighter," Flash commented as he turned to Rainbow. "Is she competing?"
Rainbow shook her head. "No, she just came to cheer me on. Well, I guess she can cheer you guys on as well if she really wants to." Everyone laughed at this, all now heading into town. "So Flash, I saw you compete in the Sky Battle Tournament before. Congrats on Skyler evolving."
"Thanks, but I'm a little surprised you didn't compete."
"I would if I was there," Rainbow replied with a low grumble. "But when I heard about it, there was no way we would have made it in time. Ugh...I so wanted to compete in that!"
"That's too bad," Doc added before winking. "But at least now you get to compete in this tournament."
"You know it! And, I'm gonna win!"
"You'll have to beat me in order to do that," Trixie told her from atop her wagon.
Rainbow shot her a smirk, "Bring it!"
It was here that they reached the town, the group chatting as they made their way through. Rainbow then announced she had tripled her badge count since they had last met while Fluttershy slowly got more comfortable with the added company, mainly talking to Twilight as they made their way to the stadium. And as they approached it, they saw it was a large dome-like building with a hole on top along with a outside booth where a man was taking registrations for the tournament.
"Looks like that's where we sign up," Flash pointed out.
"I hope there're enough slots for us all," Twilight added.
"I'm sure there will be," Doc assured her. As they got closer, they spotted a pair of trainers handing in their registration forms before turning around, the group hopping in place at the duo.
"Well howdy ya'll," Applejack said with a tip of the hat.
"Hello again darlings," Rarity continued. "So nice to see you again."
"Hey Rarity..." Spike gasped as his eyes turned into two pink hearts.
"So you two are competing too?" Flash asked next.
"Eeyup. Figured it'd be a good warm up for mah next gym match."
Rainbow shined a huge cocky grin, "That's cool, but I hope you're ready to lose to me." Applejack glared back at her, the two making eye contact as sparks of rivalry shined between them.
Twilight then glanced over at Rarity, "I'm surprised to see you're taking part."
Rarity smiled back, "When Applejack announced her desire to compete, I thought it might be a good chance to see how well I fare in this kind of competition. I don't expect to win, but I'll be giving it everything I've got all the same."
"Nice to hear," Doc commented as the group gave in their registrations. It seemed they had made it just in time, as once they were entered, there was only one space left. Once Flash handed his slip in, he turned back to the others, only to come to a stop. He stared at the town's Pokémon Center, glaring at the trainer walking out of it.
"Lightning..."
The ones who knew that name followed Flash's gaze, all seeing him as he and Flash shared a striking glare before he restarted his journey into the stadium.
"Guess he's competing as well," Spike commented.
Flash pumped his fists, "Good. Gives me another chance to pound some respect into him."
"RIOLU!" Springer cheered as he mimicked his trainer. Their friends quickly questioned this action, Twilight having to explain what was happening. It was here that they returned their entry slips back to the receptionist, until...
"WAIT!" They all spun around to see the pink cloud of dust heading their way. It shot passed them like a bolt of cottony lightning, the smell of sugar and candy wafting into their faces. The cloud soon skidded to a stop, its dust instantly fading to reveal on Pinkie Pie. "I'M HERE!" she screamed as she spun on the spot, dumbfounding almost everyone as she grabbed Twilight, "Please tell me I'm still in time to register for the tournament."
"Somehow, you are." Twilight replied before pointing to the booth. Pinkie squealed as she zoomed over, grabbing the last slip and writing her info onto it.
She handed it in before cheering, "I'm in!"
"That's great," Doc laughed before giving her a questioning glance. "But how did you get here in time? We thought you were staying home for a while."
"I was, but it got super boring super quickly. But when your friend Spark Plug came and told me you were heading here, I decided I'd come and play with you guys. Oh, it was so much fun getting here! I had to ride my Jigglypuff over this super big canyon, and then I-" She came to a stop as she quickly hopped in front of the others, grabbing each hand while shaking them vigorously. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie. Wanna be friends?"
The group was a little perplexed by the girl's enthusiasm to the say least, though with a gang of reluctant nods back, she let out a loud, "YAY!" while hopping up and down, everyone laughing at the sight.
"Well, it seems we don't have to worry about this tournament being boring." spoke up another voice, causing the group to turn yet again, this time all gasping as they saw two adults in lab coats walking up to them.
"Professor Celestia?!" Twilight yelped in response, only to rush up and hug her mentor. The scientist just giggled at the embrace, the two soon letting go as Twilight exclaimed, "I...I can't believe you're here! Heck, why are you here?!"
"Luna and I were both invited to be special commentators for the event."
Luna nodded in agreement. "We figured it'd be a great way to spend some time away from the lab and enjoy ourselves."
It was here that Twilight tilted her head at her teacher, "Wait...if you're here professor, then who's looking after the lab and all your Pokémon?"
This just made Celestia smile before motioning them to follow her. They headed into the stadium's lobby and moved other to where a bunch of video phones sat. Celestia sat Twilight down and dialed her lab's number, it ringing several time before being answered. "Hello?" A female voice called out as the owner's face appeared on screen, shocking not only Twilight but Flash, Springer, Spike, Peewee and Doc as well.
"SUNSET SHIMMER?!" they exclaimed in unison.
The bacon haired girl giggled back at them from the other side of the screen. "Hey guys, long time no see."
"What are you doing at Professor Celestia's lab?!" Twilight asked immediately.
Sunset laughed at this. "Well, you see, after I left you guys, I ended up just travelling around without any idea where I was going. Eventually, I found myself in Canterlot and remembered what you told me about Professor Celestia. So I decided to head to her lab."
"I was quite impressed by her story," Celestia continued. "And her Pokémon knowledge was very impressive, so I offered to take her on as my student, which she gladly accepted."
"Wait..." Twilight turned to Celestia, tears about to appear in her eyes, "You replaced me?!"
Celestia laughed at the horrified look on her face before patting the girl on the head. "Of course not. While it's true Sunset has been filling in and doing the jobs you used to do, I'm not replacing you. I never said I couldn't have more than one student." Celestia then tapped her chin with a slight frown, "To be perfectly honest, I didn't realize just how much work I had without you there to help."
"So while you're travelling around, I'm helping Celestia stay ahead of things while she teaches me stuff I never realized I wanted to learn." Sunset added with a big smile.
Flash and the others all leaned down at this. "Well, we're happy you found someplace to call home."
"Thanks Flash, and good luck in the tournament. I'm gonna need get off so I can get my work done in time to watch the matches on TV." She then blew Flash a kiss, making the boy move his head back as if to try and avoid it. Once that happened, the call ended as the screen went blank.
Everyone snickered at how flustered Flash looked, Twilight rolling her eyes as she stood back up. "Alright lover boy, get your head back in the game. Can't have you losing because you were on cloud nine." Flash just shook his head in response.
In that moment, an overhead speaker system sounded out, telling all competitors that the first round was about to begin. With that, the large group headed for the field. Celestia and Luna had to head to the VIP box, while the others were directed through one corridor, which they followed until they saw daylight and stepped out into a semi-circle shaped area with benches.
The stadium's inside were similar to a sports stadium, with the audience seating areas above them and wrapped all around. Moving over to a four foot high wall and looking over it, they all saw the battlefield was the standard dirt field with a colored line surrounding the outsides of it, one side colored red while the other was blue. Past the stadium was another walled off semicircle, this one having an elevated stage along with a table and three chairs. Above it, a large megascreen could be seen while Celestia and Luna stepped out onto that section as the seats were soon filled with an adoring crowd ready to watch some exciting battles.
"That's a lot of people," Spike gasped.
"Kinda reminds me of when Shining competed in the Equestria League," Twilight added.
Fluttershy tried to hide behind her hair, "Oh, I don't like this."
But before Seabreeze could jump out of her hair and scold her again, a voice cried out. "YEAH!!!!!" They looked up and saw a plane flying overhead, the voice yelling out as it was being projected by speakers. "What's up my peeps!?"
It was here they saw someone parachute out of the plane, soon revealing a middle-aged man wearing a leather jacket and pants. His hair was styled in a curved mohawk while a pair of orange glasses covered his eyes. "Present Mic is here!" He roared as he landed in the center of the field, several workers rushing over to relieve him of the parachute. "Who's ready to watch some high action battling?!" The crowd cheered out in agreement as Mic rushed over to the stage and jumped up between Celestia and Luna. "Sweeeeet! I'm joined here by a pair of lovely ladies who'll be rocking out with their Pokémon know how! With got...Professor Celestia!"
"Hello everyone."
"And Professor Luna!"
"Greetings," Luna told the audience.
"Sixteen trainers will be battling it out in three rounds of one on one matches, with the finalist competing in a three on three match for the title of Hoof Cup champion. And for the lucky boy or girl who manages to win the whole shebang, they'll be receiving this!" He pointed up at the screen and switched on before showing the image of six jars, each one filled with different colored triangular sweets. "A full set of IV raising candy jars, including Courage, Health, Mighty, Quick, Smart and Tough candies. They're all specially brewed to increase a certain stat of whatever Pokémon takes them."
"Wow..." Flash, Spike and Rainbow gasped.
"What a great prize," Twilight added.
"Now ah gotta win this thing," Applejack continued.
"Dream on!" Rainbow told her. "Those jars are mine!"
Before an argument could break out, Present Mic continued speaking. "Now!" They turned back to him as the images on screen changed to show sixteen faces, all of them being the contestants. "Let's see who's facing who in the first round!" The images flipped around before spinning in a circle, one by one, two of the images flew out before flipping back around.
Battle One
Flash Sentry V Cold Forecast
"Awesome!" Flash cheered as he and Springer arm pumped, looking around to see their opponent. It was here they saw it was a girl with blue skin and green hair, who coldly stared at him. "This is gonna be fun."
Battle Two
Thunderbass V Sweet Dreams
One was a boy with light blue skin, dark blue hair, and wearing a red shirt and cream tie under a gray jacket. The other was a girl with dark pink skin and light pink hair, wearing a purple summer dress. Both were glaring at each other as the announcements continued.
Battle Three
Applejack V Trixie Lulamoon
"Yeeha!" Applejack howled before turning to her opponent, "Let's have a good match."
Trixie nodded back at her, "Of course, but you're a fool to think you'll be able to stand against the great and powerful Trixie!"
Battle Four
Lightning Blitz V Micro Chips
Everyone frowned at this as they turned to Lightning and saw he had no visible reaction. Obviously believing his opponent was no one to worry about. As for the opponent, he was a purple skinned boy with blackish blue hair wearing a yellow jumper and black pants that were held up by suspenders.
Battle Five
Rainbow Dash V Rarity
"Alright!" Rainbow smirked as she punched her fist into her palm, "This is gonna be one heck of a battle."
"Just don't expect an easy match darling," Rarity told her. "Underestimating me will cost you."
Battle Six
Time Turner V Heath Burns
Doc turned to his opponent, a teen with light purple skin and red hair that was wearing a mainly red jacket and black pants. "Let's have a good battle."
Heath nodded in agreement, "I'm really getting fired up now."
Battle Seven
Pinkie Pie V Sandalwood
"YAY!" Pinkie cheered as she saw her opponent standing next to Micro Chips. He was a yellow skinned boy with green dreadlocks, wearing blue pants and a red shirt under a brown vest. She rushed over to him, giving out her hand immediately, "Let's have fun!"
The boy shook the hand back, "Right on. This battle's gonna be righteous."
Battle Eight
Twilight Sparkle V Inky Rose
Twilight looked over at her opponent, seeing she was a girl with dull white skin and hair that was two different shades of gray. She was dressed in a black and gray dress with black heels. "Hope we can have a nice battle."
"Sure, whatever." the girl replied in a dull, bored tone.
Everyone looked back up at the screen, the images returning to show Flash and Cold. "Alright boys and girls! Let's get this first battle underway! Can both trainers please head to the battle field, YEAH!"
Flash smiled as he turned to the others, "Alright guys, wish me luck. Not that I'll need it of course."
"Just be careful Flash," Twilight told him before turning to watch as Cold Forecast walk up to the field. "Underestimating your opponent is the easiest way to find yourself sitting out of the next round."
"Right. Don't worry, I'll take this seriously."
"Then go out there and start us off strong!" Spike almost yelled.
"Terra!" Peewee added, Flash nodding back before he and Springer began making their way over to his side of the field. As he did, he walked past Lightning.
"Don't go losing in the first round, loser." This made Flash and Springer come to a halt, glaring at the trainer as he pushed off the wall and started to walk away. "I want to knock you losers out of the competition myself so everyone can see how truly pathetic you are."
Flash just glared at him, resisting the urge to yell. His hands turned into fists as he looked away and go onto the red trainer podium. Once there, he stared directly at the blue trainer podium, where Cold stood.
"ALRIGHT!" Present Mic yelled into his microphone, "Let's see who's gonna be picking their Pokémon first!" He pointed at the big screen and watched as a circle appear between the two's images, which was split into six sections with three being red and the other three being blue. Everyone watched as one of the red sections lit up before shutting off as the blue section next to it lit, this happening again and again as the light travelled clockwise around the circle. As it did this, Mic turned to the professors. "Care to do the honors?" Celestia and Luna both nodded before both placing their hands on a button on the table, pressing it. This caused the shifting light to slow down, which came to a stop on one of the blue sections. "Looks like Cold Forecast will be the first to send out her Pokémon!"
"Very well," Cold said before she pulled out a Pokeball and enlarged it. "Snocicle, go!" She tossed the ball into the air, releasing a blaze of red energy that spiraled and faded to reveal the Pokémon.
The creature looked like a white snowball with a face, along with three cone shaped ice spikes coming out of its body. Two of them poked out just above theirs sides, resembling ears, while the three was pocking out of the bottom. Everyone watched as it just floated in the air. "Snow..."
"Who's that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.
Name: Snocicle
Category: Hail Pokémon
Type: Ice
Info: When a strong enough wind comes, this Pokémon is picked up and thrown into the air. If enough of them are taken, they can simulate a snow storm.
"And Ice-Type, huh?" Flash smiled as he put his Pokedex away and looked down at Springer. "Let's do this bud."
"RI!" Springer nodded before running out onto the field, getting into a fighting stance as he and Snocicle glared at one another.
Mic: "Snocicle verses Riolu, what a match up!"
Celestia: "Type wise, Riolu has the advantage."
Luna: "But a good strategy can overcome any type weakness, so this match could still be a pretty fair game."
Mic: "Then let's see if you're right. In three!
Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"
ALL: "ONE!"
Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"
"Ice Ball!" Cold yelled right off the bat, Snocicle opening its mouth and unleashing a stream of ice before it began spinning forwards on the spot. Doing so caused the ice it was breathing to wrap around its body, which froze it into a spinning sphere of ice, encasing the Snocicle within.
"What the?" Flash asked, Springer mimicking his confusion before the Ice Ball suddenly charged at him at high speed.
"RI!" Springer leapt to the side, the Ice Ball hitting the ground and appearing to bounce off as it shot back into the air while growing larger and larger.
"Not good," Flash added as the Ice Ball flew at Springer again. "Knock it away with Drain Punch!"
"Ri!" Springer pulled his glowing green fist back as it glowed green as the Ice Ball came into range. But as it did, it suddenly changed direction, moving right under the Riolu's attack. "Ri?" Springer yelped as he saw the Ice Ball bounce off the ground and rebound right into his chest, shattering as Snocicle seemed to body slam into him. "RIOLU!"
"Springer!" Flash cried as he watched his partner fall back.
Mic: "Talk about speedy."
Celestia: "Being small has its advantages."
Luna: "Higher speed, easier maneuverability and less area to hit makes Snocicle tricky to counter."
Flash growled as he watched Snocicle float away while Springer picked himself up. "We can be fast too. Quick Attack!" Springer tensed up before shooting at blinding speed, closing the distance between the two in seconds before spinning around and swatting Snocicle with his tail.
"Snow!" Snocicle went flying back, only to push itself into a halt in front of Cold Forecast.
"Again!" Springer once again charged, but Cold wasn't falling for the same trick twice.
"Not this time. Icy Wind!"
"Snow," Snocicle took a large breath in, "CICLE!" It unleashed a wave of super cold air, striking the charging Riolu. The attack chilled Springer to the bone, making it difficult for him to move at high speed.
"Ice Ball!" Snocicle began spinning again, encasing itself in ice as Springer was still shaking off the cold.
"RI!" Springer was once again pelted by the ice, only this time the ball didn't shatter. Instead, it bounced off him and flew back into the air. Once high enough, the ball doubled in size before striking Springer again. "R!" Springer staggered back as the Ice Ball repeated the process, flying up high and increasing its size until it was three times larger.
"Aura Sphere!" Flash ordered, Springer creating the blue ball of life force before tossing at the Ice Ball. The two met midair, the Ice Ball trying to pull away, which caused the Aura Sphere to nick the sides before exploding. "Yes!" Flash cheered as he watched Snocicle fall out of the smoke and ice explosion.
Cold and many other spectators were simply shocked. "A Riolu that knows Aura Sphere?!"
Mic: "Talk about un...X...spec...TED!"
This made both Celestia and Luna laugh.
Celestia: "Yes, Flash and his Riolu are quite something."
Luna: "And I look forward to see what else they can pull out of their sleeves."
"Nice one Flash!" Spike cheered.
"He still needs to be careful," Twilight told him. "Ice Ball is a move that increases its power the more it's used in succession. Flash'll need to stop it on its first use before it can increase its power."
"Don't worry sugarcube," Applejack assured her. "If ah know Flash, he's already got a plan to take it down."
"GO FLASH!" Pinkie screamed.
"Win this!" Fluttershy quietly voiced.
"Knock her block off!" Rainbow cheered next.
"We know you can do it," Rarity agreed.
"Win!" Trixie finished as the rest of the crowd seemed to be cheering Flash on.
Cold simply frowned at seeing the crowd favoring her opponent. "Whatever! I don't go down so easily!" She pointed at Springer, "Use Hidden Power!"
"Snow!" Multiple purple energy spheres appeared around Snocicle, "SNOW!" They all fired at the Riolu, which didn't have time to jump to safety.
"RIOLU!" Springer cried as the orbs battered and barraged him.
"Springer!"
"How'd you like that?" Cold barked back. "Your Riolu can't take the ghostly heat?"
"Ghostly heat?" Flash repeated in confusion.
Luna: "Hidden Power might be classed as a Normal-Type move, but it's type really depends on the Pokémon using it."
Celestia: "That's right. It seems Snocicle using it has changed Hidden Power into a Ghost-Type move."
Mic: "Things suddenly got a whole lot worse for Flash!"
"Ice Ball!" Snocicle spun around and encased itself once again, shooting straight at Springer.
"Double Team!" Springer nodded as multiple copies of him appeared, the Ice Ball hitting one and making it faze out of existence. "Now, Aura Sphere Barrage!" The Springer army all turned to the now arcing Ice Ball before leaping up, each one creating a tiny Aura Sphere that they intended to thrust into Snocicle.
"Protect!" Cold ordered, the Ice Ball shattering before Snocicle was surrounded by an orb of protective light. The Aura Sphere Barrage was soon thrusted into the shield, exploding and taking all the clones out while the real Springer fell bac. But as the smoke cleared, Snocicle was revealed to be completely unharmed.
"Snow..."
"Hidden Power!" The purple orbs appeared again before launching at Springer, who saw them coming with a smirk.
"Quick Attack!" Springer began zipping around the field at high speed, managing to evade the Ghost-Type orbs as they struck the ground. Once the last orb was dodged, Springer began running at Snocicle.
"Icy Wind!" Snocicle breathed out, unleashing the stream of freezing cold air. As soon as it hit Springer, the Riolu started slowing down.
"Ri," he flinched as ice started building around his arms and legs before he came to a stop.
"Oh no..." Flash whispered as he saw Springer simply standing on the spot shaking.
"Ice Ball!" Snocicle encased itself in the spinning ball of ice, which slowly got larger and larger with each passing second.
"Get out of there!" Flash told him, but Springer's legs were now encased in ice. It was at this point that the Ice Ball was now the size of a beach ball, and still growing.
"NOW!" Cold yelled as the Ice Ball shot at Springer.
"RI!" Springer cried as he was sent flying backwards, the Ice Ball shattering as Snocicle drilled one of its spikes into him.
"Springer!" Flash screamed as the Riolu fell back, the ice on his body breaking as he hit the ground.
Mic: "Ooh! That had to hurt! Looks like Flash will be the first one saying see ya to the Hoof Cup."
"Don't count us out yet!" Flash barked back at the box, "Come on bud, get up! We've been through to much to lose here."
Everyone stared down at Springer, watching as he slowly picked himself up. "Oh no you don't," Cold yelled before looking up at Snocicle. "Ice Ball, full power!" Snocicle encased itself again, enlarging the sphere to its very limit while Springer continued to pick himself until he was standing on one knee.
"You can do it Springer!" Twilight cheered.
"WE BELIEVE IN YOU!" The rest of their friends screamed.
"Don't let it end here!" Doc called out.
Mic: "Is this it? Will this next attack seal Riolu and Flash's fates?"
"FIRE!" Cold screamed, the Ice Ball now firing down at Springer.
Flash just stared at his Pokémon, knowing it wouldn't be able to dodge the attack. It was here that Springer glanced back at him, the look in his eyes telling him to stay where he was and wait. Time seemed to slow down as the ball got closer, the sphere just about to make contact.
"Now, DOUBLE DRAIN PUNCH!"
"RIOLU!" Springer thrusted one of its glowing fists into the Ice Ball, shattering it instantly. From within, the still spinning Snocicle continued charging, only to feel Springer's second Drain Punch hit him dead in the face.
"SNOW!" Snocicle cried as he was sent flying back, hitting the ground with a thud.
Mic: "WOWZAA! Talk about slick!"
Celestia and Luna both laughed at this.
Celestia: "I told you. Flash and his Pokémon aren't those you should take likely."
Luna: "But to think that his Riolu would be able to use two attacks at once, even if it's the same attack. Impressive."
"Ri...olu..." Springer smirked as he felt the energy he had drained out of Snocicle enter his body and replenish his own. His pain started to dull as he saw Snocicle float back up.
Flash and Cold both stared at each other, Flash smiling while Cold just let out a growl. "Told you not to count us out. Springer, use Drain Punch back to back!"
"RIOLU!" Springer rushed at Snocicle, the Pokémon unable to use any moves in its current state. Seeing this, Cold let out an order.
"Protect!" Seconds before Springer got in range, the energy shield appeared around Snocicle, blocking the attack. But Springer just smiled at the sight, quickly continuing to slam into the Protect again and again in brutal succession.
"What's he doing?" Rainbow asked.
"Protect isn't a move you can keep using forever," Twilight replied. "Flash has seen another trainer use the move way too many times before."
"So he's making sure to keep Snocicle on the defensive," Rarity finished for her.
Doc nodded. "It's just a matter of time before-" In that moment, the shield flickered out of existence and Springer's fist was free to hit Snocicle dead on. But before he could, the Hail Pokémon managed to move a few inches to the side, just enough so the force from the attack pushed it's incredibly light body away.
Cold then ordered Snocicle to unleash another Icy Wind, the Pokémon using it to propel itself back a safe distance while Springer was forced to jump back to not be frozen. "Again!" Snocicle unleashed another flurry of cold air, aimed right at Springer.
"Aura Sphere!" Springer created the ball of energy and held it up, right as the ice attack was about to strike him. The spinning orb of aura propelled the Icy Wind, protecting Springer from most of the effects until Snocicle had to stop and regain its breath. Barely a second after it stopped, Flash gave his next order. "Quick Attack!"
Springer shot ahead, but Cold merely slammed her fists down on the platform. "Oh no, you don't! Icy Wind! Freeze that thing in place!"
"SNOW!" Snocicle fired the Icy Wind, the freezing gust about to hit the Fighting-Type.
"Double Team!"
"Ri!" Springer once again multiplied, the copies beginning to circle Snocicle as it tried to freeze the real one. But as the attacks struck the clones, they all created Springer shaped ice sculptures that quickly shattered.
Cold growled at this, "Spin while you fire! Take them all down!" Snocicle did so, floating down until its bottom spike hit the ground before spinning like a top while unleashing the Icy Wind. The attack struck each and every one of the Springers, freezing them in place. Finally, as the last Riolu was frozen, Snocicle stopped its attack, ceasing its spinning. The move had made it incredibly dizzy, but it was worth it since Springer was now frozen solid.
That is, till a cracking sound filled the air as the statues all broke apart, not a single one left standing. It was here it saw the real Springer standing in front of Flash with not one but two Aura Spheres in his paws.
"Let's finish this!" Flash yelled, Springer nodding before charging ahead.
"Protect!" Cold cried out, Snocicle trying to perform the attack...but it's previous overuse of it caused the shield to flicker in and out of existence. "No! Grrr…alright then, use Icy Wind!"
"SNOW!" Snocicle put all its strength into that attack, unleashing the blast of cold air at Springer. But Springer was prepared, holding one of his Aura Sphere in front of him. The Icy Wind struck the Aura Sphere, defecting the gust around him, letting him get close unharmed.
"This ends now! AURA SPHERE!"
"RIOLU!" Springer screamed as he finally burst through Snocicle's Icy Wind as the first Aura Sphere faded. "Rio..." he then thrusted the second Aura Sphere, "LU!" The attack struck Snocicle, grinding into it before exploding as it sent the two flying back.
Both struck the ground rolling, kicking up a cloud of dust that shielded them from prying eyes. And as the fog began to fade, the cloud around Snocicle showed it on the ground, swirls replacing its eyes. "Snow..."
"Snocicle!" Cold cried out as the other cloud of dust faded, only to reveal a still standing Springer.
Mic: "Snocicle's KO'd, so the winners of the match are Flash and his RIOLU!"
The crowd burst into a round of applause as Flash ran over to Springer, who was swaying back and forth. When the Riolu finally lost his balance and fell back, Flash caught him, picking him up into a hug. "You were awesome bud!"
"Ri..." Springer said weakly, Flash chuckling as he kept hugging his buddy.
Mic: "Talk about an exciting match. You didn't know which way it was gonna go."
Celestia: "While Cold may have had the Type disadvantage, she made up for it with some great strategies that would usually earn her the win in most battles."
Luna: "But the one thing she wasn't able to strategize around was Flash and Springer's unbreakable will and drive to push themselves past their limits. In the battle of brain V brawn, many usually overlook the power of heart."
Mic: "TRUE THAAAAAT!"
"That was awesome Flash!" Spike cheered as Flash and Springer returned to the waiting area.
"Thanks Spike. It was a tough one, but we managed to pull it off in the end." It was here that Flash noticed a certain rival of his walking up and lean over the wall between them and the battlefield. Lightning didn't seem to even acknowledge his presence. "So, what did you think?"
Lightning didn't turn to him, instead focusing on the two trainers now taking the field. That is, till he spoke up, "A Fighting-Type having difficulty against an Ice-Type just shows how little skill you actually have....no, you're not even allowed to have skill. That's how pathetic you are." This statement caused all of Flash's friends to frown, but Flash held his hand up to stop them before they could say anything. "Once again, you let your special Riolu bail you out again. If it had been a normal Riolu, you'd be the one leave this tournament...heck, any Pokémon would do for you." He pushed off against the wall and walked away, everyone else now glaring at the back of his head. "Don't expect luck to always be on your side, as I will destroy all of you with ease."
Rainbow let out a low growl, "Man, what a jerk."
"Indeed." Rarity added with a low 'tch', "He's quite uncouth."
Twilight walked over to Flash and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't let him get to you. He's just jealous he doesn't have a Pokémon as amazing as Springer. You two should be proud with how well you did."
Flash just replied with a small nod. "Yeah...I know." He turned to Springer and patted his head before the two continued to watch the next battle begin. "I've got better things to do then let him get me down....like focusing on my next battle." The others all nodded, knowing they needed to do the same.
The Hoof Cup was finally underway, and our heroes would all need to be on their A-game if they wanted to be the ones standing on the winner's podium. How will the rest of the first round battles go? You'll just have to stay tuned to find out.