Canterlot Castle.
Repairs had finally been done thanks to Pokemon. Canterlot was looking fresh and new once again. Today at the usual class, Hollow came in with some old friends of his. Each of them seemed to be tailored to specific colour pallets. In fact, these pallets resembled all 18 Pokemon Types. Celestia and Luna were here to see what this was all about. This specific lesson intrigued them.
"Alright, so." Hollow clapped his hands together. "Last week, some of you kids said you wanted to try and become Gym Leaders. Most of you anyways."
"That's right! I want to become a Gym Leader real badly!" A young pony from the class raised his hoof up.
"It sounds fun form what we've heard!" Another said.
"Meh. Gym Leader's sound boring. I wanna become a trainer so I'm not stuck to just one type, ya know." said Sunrise.
"Well, for those who want to become Gym Leaders or Monotype trainers...I've brought along some of my friends who are specialists in each typing. They'll recommend all the typings to you and you can decide which type is best for you. After that, we'll head out and have a Pokemon Battle. Sound good?"
"Yes sir!" They all said.
"Great. Alright. You guys got it from here." Hollow moved to the back of the class as all of his friends were ready to say their stuff.
"I'll go first!" A Fire-Type specialist moved forward as he held out a Pokeball. His entire outfit was designed after the Fire-Typing, similar to the others who had a similar look. "Yo, future champions. You wanna know what type is the best for you? As a Fire-Type, you can burn anything that stands in your way! And the most popular starters are mostly Fire-Types, so the choice is obvious!"
"Yeah right. Do you know what's hotter than fire? Electricity and lightning" A second specialist walked up, shoving the Fire specialist aside. "As an Electric-Type specialist, you can outspeed most Pokemon a large majority of the time. It's the faster typing after all. Paralyzation allows you to make sure your foe doesn't move as fast, and plus, that Ash Ketchum kid who is so popular here owns a Pikachu who's an Electric-Type, so you all wanna have one of your own, eh?" She winked at them, hoping they'd choose it.
"Yeah, those are cool and all. But what are the others gonna do against the Ghost-Type?" A young teenager stepped forward, specializing in Ghost-Type Pokemon. "I mean...how are you gonna hit something that doesn't even have a physical body? You can even possess stuff and other people and Pokemon. I'd go for the choice of being sneaky any day."
"FORGET THAT!" A martial arts stomped his foot on the floor, kicking the Ghost specialist away, startling everyone. "As a Fighting-Type specialist, you can master an arsenal of various martial arts and fighting styles across the world! No one is defeating the inner focus and skills of a true fighter! And if they even think about getting up close and personal to you, crush them! They don't stand a chance against your physical prowess! Choose Fighting-Type! You'll be the world's greatest fighter alongside your Pokemon!"
"Fighting-Types can't even affect Ghost-Types dude..." The Ghost specialist replied silently, holding his back in pain. "Ow...But they can affect me..."
"These sure are some interesting friends you have, Hollow," Celestia said with Passion sitting on her back.
"Yeah. I met them all during my travels. They're definitely something, that's for sure. They can get pretty passionate about the typings they love, though."
"Personally, I don't see the value and gain from focusing on only one typing." Luna shook her head.
"Alright. You four have had your say. Now let me introduce you little ponies to the typing that's sure to get you as many hits in as you want." A girl who specialized in Ice-Types stepped forward. "With the shivering Ice-Type, you can freeze your opponents in place. It'll allow you to hit them as many times as they want before they get the chance to thaw out. All they'll be hearing will be the clinking of ice. Choose Ice-Types. You won't regret it."
"The freeze effect is cool and all...but there's no better effect than poison." A Poison-Type specialist was up next. His whole appearance was of that of someone who looks like they would create chemicals in a lab. "As a Poison-Type specialist, you can deal damage over time to your opponent, and they can't do anything about it. Plus, certain Poison moves increase in power if your opponent has been poisoned, so that damage can be extra huge. Your opponent can't do anything against something that's seeping into them and corroding their body."
"Hmph. Please." A Psychic specialist raised her glass, smirking. "Poison is weak when face to face with Psychic. With the psychic ineptitude on your side, you can control the battle from a faraway distance with your own mind. The vast potential with the Psychic-Type is limitless as long as the brain itself improves with the Pokemon and trainer. Mind over muscle after all, isn't that right?" She said whilst turning to the Fighting-Type specialist."
"Well...obviously these other types sound pretty impressive. And compared to this typing...it's pretty...unimpressive." A young boy stepped up who was dressed much more basic than them. Mostly because he was all about Normal-Types. The toast sandwich of Pokemon as some people call it. " "But Normal may be ordinary and basic, but simple is best. You have a ton of variety of moves that you can access to throw your opponent off guard. They have the most versatility out of any Pokemon Typing and have the largest movepool. Choose Normal!"
"Oh, those do sound like some pretty good options. Normal sounds fun because you can do a lot with it." Sapphire Flash said.
"I'm leaning towards that Fire-Typing! My big bro has a Blaziken as his ace so it'd be cool if I had my own ace Fire-Type." Sunrise nodded.
"Slow down, my little ponies. You have yet to hear the other typings." The next specialist stepped up. A woman who was all about water. "As a Water-Type specialist, you have the least amount of weaknesses. If you control the smooth and flowing waves, you practically control most of the world. Have a go with Water."
"I mean, Water-Type isn't the only one that allows you to control most of the world." A man who was a Grass-Type specialist was up next."As a Grass-Type specialist, nature is at your command. You have access to a ton of healing moves. You can take the opponents health as your own and even utilize the power of the sun. Pretty clear that Grass is the way to go."
"You wanna talk about nature and the world at your command?! How about Ground-Types!" An aggressive woman exclaimed. "You can draw the source of all your power from the earth itself! It's one the hardest hitting types out there and it even has the best selection of moves that deal some delicious damage! The entire earth trembles before this type! Go for Ground!"
"Hah! Yeah. But what's it gonna do against something in the sky?" A Flying-Type specialist said as he was sitting on top of the teacher's table next to Hollow. "You can fly freely across the azure skies as a Flying-Type trainer. As long as you have a faraway distance from everyone else, you're in the clear."
"Yeah, but as a Bug-Type trainer, you can be insanely annoying!" A young boy who was all about Bug-Types exclaimed. They may be the weakest type, but when they work together in large groups, they can pull off amazing stuff and even chip away at health! Plus, annoyance is the greatest weapon in battle!"
"Uh-huh, that's cute. But it won't do anything against a rock that crushes it." A man who was a Rock-Type specialist uttered. "As a Rock specialist, you can deal with anything that even thinks about trying to run away. Just toss a rock of any size at them no problem. Attacking with all your guts is a sure-fire way to win, plus there's great defence involved. Go with Rock."
"Heh. But as a Dark-Type trainer... you don't have to worry about rules." A pretty shady guy said as he blended well with the shadows. "You can battle however you want without having to go by the book. Heck, you can even steal from your opponent or even prevent them from using certain moves. Doesn't that sound like a quick way to win against anyone? Choose Dark. It's worth it."
"Don't listen to this creep. Steel-Type is the best type." Up next was a man who was all about Steel-Type Pokemon. "You have the most defence out of all these types. You can cut through anything no matter how tough it is and even return the same amount of damage right back at your foe. And it's also pretty to look at when it shines."
"ALL OF THOSE TYPES ARE WEAK COMPARED TO THE MIGHTY DRAGON!" A highly aggressive trainer, the most aggressive out of all of them bellowed as he was all about Dragons. Even his eyes and teeth resembled the sharp appearance of a dragon. "YOU'VE PRACTICALLY GOT THE RAW ESSENCE OF POWER AT YOUR DISPOSAL! BLAST ANYTHING INTO SMITHEREENS, CLAW YOUR WAY THROUGH THOSE THAT TRY AND STOP YOU AND BECOME THE MIGHTIEST OF THEM ALL WITH A RESOUNDING ROAR! There's a reason why so many legendaries are dragons!"
"But that so-called mighty dragon is quickly taken out by the cute and charming fairy." A young girl landed on top of the Dragon trainer's head, making him fall flat on the floor. She was the final one. "WIth Fairy, you have full control over magic and the beauty of the world itself. Go for Fairy. It's too cute to deny." She winked.
"So which one are you kids gonna choose?" All 18 of them leaned forward, ready to hear the answers of the young foals. The little ponies had no idea what to think. From each type they've heard, they all have their strengths and even some weaknesses here and there. It was actually harder than they thought it would be. As a result, they were feeling nervous.
"Alright. I think you guys have said your stuff. Please back away from the kids." Hollow pulled his friends back. "I'm sure they'll decide on what type they want to go with eventually. And if not, then when they end up coming to visit our world next week, they'll have their answer eventually, hopefully."
"Well... I was gonna choose Fire but...the others sound pretty awesome too. This is actually pretty tough!" said Sunrise. He placed his head on the table, unsure of what he wanted.
"Choosing a Pokemon type is tough ain't it?" Hollow nodded.
"If I may, I have a slight suggestion." Celestia joined in the conversation. "If the children can't decide on what typing they want to choose, why not have the Pokemon they already own go up against the other types. Our mother always told Luna and me that the hardest choices require you to see that choice at it is best. So, let them see the types at their best and they can perhaps decide."
"Oh...that's actually not a bad idea." The Fire specialist said as the others agreed. "I guess we can all battle against them at once, maybe."
"No need." Luna stepped forward. I shall do the honours." She gave off a sort of devious smirk."
"Luna? You?" Celestia was confused.
"Of course. I have a plethora of Pokemon at my disposal. I've personally been catching countless amounts of Pokemon overnight once I finish patrolling the dream world. I have a Pokemon of every type. You shall face me instead."
"Uh...but are you sure you can do it? I mean, no offence...but you guys are still young to Pokemon. Us humans have been doing this for years." said the Flying specialist.
"I think it's better if we let Princess Luna do it. She's a very good battler despite still being somewhat new to Pokemon. You guys tend to go overboard anyways." Hollow replied.
"Splendid! We shall battle at Canterlot Garden my little ponies! But I can assure you, I shall not hold back for a second."
Over at Canterlot Garden, the stage had been set. Each student will have to face Princess Luna and her mass array of Pokemon of each type. The one that everypony feared the most was Darkrai. They were worried that they were going to have to battle her Darkrai last or worse, first.
"So...who's going first?" A young pony said.
"Uh...Sapphire! You look like the most capable out of all of us! You should go!" Sunrise shoved Sapphire to the front. She was the first victim of Luna.
"Haha! My first opponent! So, which typing interests you the most Sapphire Flash?" Luna asked, intimidating Sapphire.
"Uh...I'm pretty interested in Ice-Types. The Freeze effect seems nifty." Sapphire shrugged.
"Ice-Type it is then. I have the perfect Pokemon for this." Luna had in her hoof a Pokeball with a single Ice-Type inside. "I assume your Pokemon is ready as well."
"Y-Yes! Come out, Petilil!" Sapphire sent out the small Grass-Type Petilil. It was the only Pokemon she actually owned and it had yet to evolve. Not a good matchup against the Pokemon that Luna had. The one she sent out was the Aurorus she obtained when the class were learning about Fossils. "Oh, I forgot about that." Sapphire gulped.
"Aurorus and I are on slightly good terms with each other. So prepare yourself. Your call, Hollow."
"Oh, right. Both trainers ready?" Hollow looked to the two as they both nodded. "Battle start!" He made the call to begin.
"I can do this...hopefully..Petilil! Use Leaf Storm!"
"Peti!" The Bulb Pokemon conjured up a storm of leaves from thin air, releasing it towards Aurorus.
"Aurora Beam!" Luna returned the favour by having her Pokemon generate a rainbow coloured beam in its mouth. Once it was fired, it tore through the leaves, hitting Petili head on, knocking the Bulb Pokemon out in one hit.
"Petilil..." It groaned.
"Ah! Petilil!" Sapphire gasped, running to her fainted partner.
"Petilil is unable to battle! Aurorus wins! That means the victor is Luna! Yikes that was brutal..." said Hollow.
"Huzzah! My first official trainer win! Albeit very lackluster. Now. Who's next?"
"Since Sunrise was kind enough to let me go first..." Sapphire returned the favour by pushing Sunrise up front. "He'll go next."
"Huh?!" Sunrise turned to Sapphire.
"I expect impressive skills from a pony as aggressive as you, Sunrise Sprint. What is your favoured type?"
"I'm all about uh...still Fire-Types and maybe Fighting-Types?" Sunrise gulped.
"Undecided? Very well then. I'll battle you with both! Starting with this one!" Luna sent out a Darmanitan as a Fire-Type choice.
"Darma!"
"Go! Gurdurr!" Sunrise sent out his Gurdurr which used to be a young Timburr when he first had it. At least his Pokemon was evolved so it could stand a better chance against whatever it was about to face off against.
"Gurdurr!" The Muscular Pokemon raised its steel beam in the air.
"I can already see both are ready. Then in that case...battle start!" Hollow gave the command to start.
"Gurdurr! Use Slam!" Sunrise made the first move by having his Pokemon run forward, utilizing its steel beam as a weapon.
"Offensive are we? Darmanitan! Fire Punch!" Darmanitan pulled its arms back with flames surrounding it. The Blazing Pokemon's fists made contact with the steel beam, knocking them out of Gurdurr's hands. "Now! Strike Gurdurr!" Darmanitan followed up by striking Gurdurr's gut, sending him flying while leaving a trail of flames.
"Gurr!" The Muscular Pokemon rolled on the ground, but luckily for Sunrise, he hadn't fainted.
"Gurdurr! Get up and use Stone Edge!" Gurdurr headed for its steel beam, attempting to pick it back up
"Like I'd give you the chance to do so! Darmanitan! Bulldoze!"
"Dar..ma!" Darmanitan stomped on the ground continuously, dirsupting Gurdurr's focus as he couldn't get his beam or even pull off Stone Edge. The rocks from the ground even attacekd Gurdurr thanks to Bulldoze. "Now! Fire Punch! Once more!" Darmanitan lunged forward, plummeting Gurdurr to the ground with Fire Punch. The force of Gurdurr hitting the ground caused a small crater to form as Darmanitan had sealed the deal. Gurdurr had fainted.
"Gur..."
"Gurdurr is unable to battle! Darmanitan wins!" exclaimed Hollow. "At least that was slightly longer."
"Aw...bummer." Sunrise sighed, returning his Gurdurr.
"The battle isn't over yet, Hollow." Luna said.
"It isn't?" Hollow turned to her.
"Not at all. You haven't yet battled my Fighting-Type, remember?" Luna held her second Pokeball, making Sunrise shake. "What do you say, my little pony?"
"Uh... I THINK I'M GOOD WITH FIRE!" Sunrise dashed to the back of the group, terrified.
"Very well. So, which one of you has an interest of a certain type? Perhaps one for Electric?" Luna asked. Everypony else said nothing since they didn't want to be absolutely steamrolled by Luna and her Pokemon. The moon princess was getting a bit too into this. Her thirst for battle was comparable to that of the pegasi. After all, she tends to get very competitive over the smallest of things. Doesn't matter what. Celestia realized that the foals wouldn't stand a chance against Luna at all so it was probably best to not scar anymore of them. So instead, Celestia will have a go.
"I'll gladly give it a go." Celestia spoke as everyone turned to her.
"Sister? But you're not a student at all. Why would you possibly want to join in?"
"I may be interested in a certain type of my own. Right, Passion?" Celestia turned to her Pokemon who was sitting on her back.
"Kirlia!" She raised her arms in response.
"Psychic or Fairy."
"Both actually. But mostly Fairy." Celestia nodded.
"Are you challenging me, sister?"
"Maybe." Celestia smirked. The two alicorn sisters locked eyes with sparks of lightning clashing against each other. Everyone could see that a tension equal to that of rivals was rising.
"I think it's best that we keep our distance for this one." Hollow realized that this imminent battle might get ugly quickly due to the look in their eyes and by chance, mass destruction might occur. "Um...I suppose you two are ready?"
"Oh, I'm ready indeed. This Fairy-Type is my choice!" Luna sent out a Florges as her Fairy-Type.
"Florges!"
"Passion. Are you ready?"
"Kirlia!" The Emotion Pokemon hopped off Celestia's back, ready to go.
"I've never seen Celestia battle actually. What's she like?" Sapphire whispered.
"No idea. I actually wanna see this." Sunrise responded.
"Alright. You both seem more than ready. So I'll just let you go at it. Just please be careful princesses. Battle start!"
"Allow me to go first this time! Florges! Moonblast!" Luna stomped her hoof down.
"Flor..." The Garden Pokemon began drawing power from the moon itself all the way up in space, borrowing strength from it. "Ges!" Florges then sent a ball that was in the shape of a moon towards Passion.
"Mystical Fire!" Celestia followed suit by having her Kirlia burn away the Moonblast with blazing flames that travelled toward Florgres, hitting her directly and causing massive damage on the first go.
"Huh?!" Luna was perplexed by that. She broke through the attack so easily with that. "Fine then! Petal Blizzard!" Florgess sent magical petals that were moving with the intensity of a blizzard. They seemed to be unavoidable from the speed the petals were moving at and the area they covering.
"Passion! Teleport in front of Florgress and use Mystical Fire!" Celestia gave off an unexpected command. Passion had used her psychic prowess to teleport forward, avoiding the petals.
"What?! Florgres dodge it with haste!" Luna was surprised once more, attempting to have her Pokemon move out of the way. But it was too late. Passion was already up close and in front of Florgres. A burst of magical flames was released onto the Garden Pokemon, faster than she could set her eyes on Passion. Massive damage was dealt to Florgesa as it was enough to even make her faint. Which it did.
"Florges is unable to battle! Passion wins! Which means the victor is Princess Celestia!"
"Well done, Passion." Celestia congratulated her Pokemon who went to give her a hug. "I think Fairy-Type is definitely the one for me. But I may cycle through other types sometime if I ever have a second Pokemon of my own."
"Hmph. Lucky." Luna was a bit bitter from losing as she returned Florges. "I had no idea that you were such a skilled battler, Tia."
"I've been watching Ash and his battles for some time now. I've learned a lot from the antics that he pulls with his Pokemon."
"I see. Perhaps, another time. We have a second battle, but a proper one instead of a test run."
"Alright. If we ever get the time to do so. I'll challenge you again, Luna." Celestia nodded.
"So. Now that that's done with. Has anyone decided on what type they wanna go for now?" Hollow asked the class.
"On second thought, we'll just use whatever Pokemon type we want." Sapphire answered.
"Yeah. Monotypes are cool and all, but I don't wanna be trounced by typings that can beat me in one hit, ya know." A young colt said.
"Aw...so no one's choosing a typing?" The Ground specialist groaned.
"Sorry guys, maybe next time." Hollow patted her on the back. "But some of you do wanna be Gym leaders one day, right?"
"Definetely! I want to be a gym leader personally!" Sapphire exclaimed as a few others went on about being Gym Leaders. So monotypes weren't out of the question yet. As a result, Hollow let his friends stay behind a bit longer so that they could teach the kids more about typings. If they were going to become gym leaders, they'd have to get accustomed to a certain type. Celestia and Luna watched the lesson continue as Passion was asleep on her trainer's back.
"Sister. Do you ever wonder...how far can Pokemon really go?" Luna questioned.
"What do you mean, Luna?"
"Ever since our worlds crossed, Pokemon have continued to exceed our expectations over and over again. I'll even admit, at times they surpass us in everything we're special at. And with a Pokemon like Arceus existing, who knows what else could be waiting there."
"Luna...are you perhaps...thinking of going on a Pokemon Journey."
"Something like that. You see, I've grown fond of Pokemon battling and capturing. These months that I've experienced with Pokemon has made me realize that there are lot of little things that I have yet to do. Sister. I want to become the champion of the Equestria Pokemon League."
"Really now?" Celestia was surprised by that statement. "You're actually joining the league?"
"Mhm. I want to become the first champion of Equestria! It's a dream that I never knew that I wanted to achieve until recently. What do you think?"
"I think you should go for it. You've been gone for thousands of years ever since you were Nightmare Moon. You deserve all the enjoyment you can have. Besides, Pyrestar wouldn't mind filling in from time to time. Although, I worry we might be making her overwork despite this universe not being her own."
"Oh, thank you so much, Tia!" Luna hugged Celestia which ended up waking Passion up. "I promise I'll become the best champion in Equestria! Before anypony else!" Luna declared into the sky.
A new goal has been realized for Luna. One that has grabbed every ounce of her attention. Now it wasn't just Rainbow Dash aiming to become the champion of Equestria. Many other ponies were seeking this title, and you can bet, when the league finally begins, the best trainers in all of Equestria will come together to see who truly stands at the top of the strongest, as the journey continues.
Chapter 141 End!