//------------------------------// // Deflated Defense // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Manehattan. Battle Carnival. Battle Frontier. The Pokemon Festival. Afternoon. For Rainbow Dash's next Frontier Battle, she took on the Battle Restaurant which had three trainers to tackle before she can even reach Sharon. The Frontier Brain. Altaria and her took their first bite and while nothing happened to Rainbow Dash, Altaria received a bad side-effect. Her wings were deflated, losing their playful and soft cloud-like appearance entirely. That also meant that Altaria's defences had been cut since it was thanks to her wings that she had such good defence. Meanwhile, Cinccino, who also ate the food, received a boost in physical strength, giving him an advantage. "She can't battle like that, can she?" said Pinkie Pie. "All that fluffy goodness is gone!" "All of Cinccino's attacks are going to land because of this." Rarity bit her hoof. "Hm-hm-hm. Once again, my potions prove to be amazing." Of course, Potion Nova was involved in this. Her potions were responsible for the gimmicks in the Battle Arcade and they have now carried over at the Battle Restaurant. It seems like every Frontier Facility involves her potions. "No hard feelings though." "This is making us Dragons look bad." Some of the Dragon students weren't too pleased with this. They were obviously supporting Altaria since she was a Dragon. "M-Maybe the beak can still work?" Smolder tried looking on the bright side. "Please don't tell me this is gonna carry over until the end." Rainbow Dash grizzled her teeth. "We're gonna have to improvise on the floor, Altaria!" "Tari?" Altaria gasped. The thought of battling on only the floor was rather intimidating. She was all about the sky and nothing else, but at this rate, she would have to tackle her greatest disadvantage. "Altaria...!" "Now, Cinccino! Use, Rock Blast, if you will!" "Cinno!" Taking advantage of this scenario, Cinccino generated a mass of rocks in his hands. There was no way for Altaria to avoid this so this meant that the attack would land and deal super-effective damage. "We're not completely powerless! Moonblast!" "Altaria!" Altaria still had access to her moves, such as Moonblast. By drawing on the power of the Moon itself, she generated a pink sphere that showed up in front of her beak. At the same time, Cinccino and Altaria unleashed their attacks. A giant rock and a large sphere were thrown out, meeting each other. The clash was fierce and heavy, resulting in both attacks equalizing upon contact. Altaria could still keep up in terms of the strength department. However, this was where the setbacks appeared. Even though she managed to stop one Rock Blast, it was a continuous attack. The remaining rocks came flying in, moving through the smoke and surprising Altaria. "Tari?!" Shocked, Altaria would receive these rocks that would repeatedly crash into her. The Humming Pokemon took heavy damage from this which was elevated thanks to the loss of her fluffy wings. The Dragon-Flying-Type was launched back by the rocks, staggered and stunned. "This should do it. Use Iron Tail, next!" "Cinno!" Cinccino would continue attacking, hardening his tail and moving in for another heavy blow. Altaria was still staggered by the Rock Blasts and thanks to Cinccino's speed as such a small Pokemon, he got there swiftly, delivering a powerful swing to Altaria's face. "Cinccino!" "T-Taria!" Crying out, this battle was not looking good for Rainbow Dash. And Zeraora felt the same way. She was rooting for Rainbow Dash and seeing her being put on the backfoot like this was upsetting, prompting the Thunderclap Pokemon to cry out and lean forward, attempting to jump in. "Slow down, Zeraora!" Ash and Luna held Zeraora back, preventing her from jumping in. Doing so would ruin things. She would just have to watch how things would play out. But Ash and Luna knew that Rainbow Dash wouldn't let something lik this overwhelm her forever. "This isn't over yet! Wings or not, she can still fly!" Rainbow Dash roared. "Use Ice Beam on the floor!" "Alta...!" Altaria's head was leaning back after the Iron Tail that she received. And the second that Cinccino went for another one, the Humming Pokemon quickly jolted her head forward, aiming the chilling beam of ice downwards. By doing so, not only did she avoid the incoming Iron Tail, but she made herself airborne. The force of the beam sent her upwards while intercepting the Iron Tail. Everyone's heads went up to see Altaria taking flight once more. But it wouldn't be forever. She still couldn't fly and could fall down at any second, leaving her incredibly vulnerable. "Rock Blast, please!" "Cinccino!" Cinccino wouldn't let her get away. Yet again, Rock Blast was used, aimed upwards to pursue the Humming Pokemon. "Go higher! Hyper Voice!" "Tari! Taria!" Altaria would keep herself in the air a bit longer. And she did so by using Hyper Voice, generating a mighty shockwave that would send her upwards once more. Not only that, but it would hold back the Rocks, keeping them from reaching the Dragon-Flying-Type. "Nice work! But we still need to take down that Cinccino and I know just the play! Dive down with Dragon Pulse!" "Aria!" By turning around, Altaria would send herself towards Cinccino, using yet another beam to launch herself. This time, it was Dragon Pulse, which propelled her downwards and at great speeds too. The force of Dragon Pulse had enough strength to slingshot Altaria. "C-Cinno!" A successful contact. Cinccino was struck by the incoming missile that was Altaria, causing both of them to hit the ground hard. A large smoke cloud appeared thanks to this stunning impact and from it, out flew Cinccino. "Oh no! My dear, Cinccino!" Laundress Barbe gasped upon seeing Cinccino take a rather rough blow. "This will finish it! Ice Beam!" "Tari!" Altaria would also fly out of the smoke, but by using Ice Beam. There was no way she was going to run on the floor so she had to improvise by using her own moves to propel her through the air. And it was rather efficient as seen by how she used Ice Beam to launch herself towards Cinccino. Another direct tackle by Altaria, who knocked Cinccino further away. "Cinccino..." From that devastating follow-up, Cinccino tasted defeat instead of Altaria, fainting. "Cinccino is unable to battle! Altaria wins!" "Yes! Made it through the first Pokemon! Now there's just one more left! Awesome work, Altaria!" "Tari." Altaria was glad to hear it. Even with her disadvantage, she could still make a turnaraound. Zeraora was especially happy to see this. It seems like she had nothing to fear after all. "Zera!" The Thunderclap Pokemon was excited and elated after seeing Altaria make a comeback, prompting her to unintentionally shoot lightning from her body which made the crowd jerk back. Poor Ash received a bunch of shocks because of this. "Oh, my sweet, Cinccino." Barbe sighed before returning her partner. She was now down to one Pokemon while Rainbow Dash still had her Altaria out, albeit very damaged. Altaria took a ton of damage, especially with her greatest defence being crippled and yet she hung in there and seized victory for herself. "Then, it's up to you. My dear Rotom!" Barbe sent out her next Pokemon, which was a Rotom. Specifically, it was a Wash Rotom. "Rotom!" "Rotom, huh...? Return, for now, Altaria." Rainbow Dash chose to bring Altaria back, letting her rest. Her wings were still inactive after all. "You're up! Castform!" "Castform!" Flying out of Rainbow Dash's saddlebag was Castform, ready for a battle. Rainbow Dash's approach was to have Castform's radioactive cells kick in for this battle. Plus, any Ghost-Type moves will be ineffective as long as Castform remains in his Normal Form. "This will do! Use Thunderbolt!" "Rotooom!" Its entire body started jittering, building up 100,000 volts of electricity from within. And out of the washing machine door, a blast of lightning was unleashed upon Castform. "Use Hurricane!" "Cast!" Castform had a powerful response. By spinning his entire body, he generated a strong gale of wind that would act as a barrier and a counterattack against the Thunderbolt. The strong zephyr would clash with the lightning bolt which caused a volatile reaction. Sparks would fly everywhere thanks to the outburst. To everyone's surprise, Hurricane managed to push through the Thunderbolt as Castform overpowered Rotom-Wash. "Ro!" Shocked by this, Rotom-Wash would fly back to avoid the fierce wind that absorbed its Thunderbolt. "Please, use Hydro Pump!" "Tom!" Opening its door once more, Rotom unleashed a high volume blast of water against the Hurricane. This one had a greater effect than Thunderbolt as seen by how it managed to hold the Hurricane back. Thanks to this equal power, the Hydro Pump managed to stop the Hurricane, resulting in a tie. "Go for it, Castform! Reflect Type!" "Form!" It was time for Castform's speciality to kick in. Flying through the smoke and the water, the Normal-Type unleashed the power of his radioactive cells, locking onto Rotom. He was about to mimic its typing but he would do more than just that. By focusing on the Electric-Water-Typing, his cells would release a shockwave of the two types as usual. The students witnessed Rainbow Dash's Castform's cells in action. A burst of lightning and water flew out of his body, eclipsing the entire area. This was a way for him to get some quick damage in and it was rather effective. Rotom-Wash never saw it coming as seen by how it was both shocked and launched by the radioactive outburst. "Rotom?!" And by copying the typing, the radioactive cells in Castform's body would also change his form. In this case, it went straight for his Rain Form thanks to the Water-Typing. "Now, use Energy Ball! "Form! Castform!" Castform would tap into the power of nature, approaching Rotom-Wash at the same time. The Plasma Pokemon would meet with Castform based on what Barbe said next. "Use Thunderbolt once more!" "Ro!" Rotom's Thunderbolt was shot out at the approaching Castform, making it a near-up-close encounter. Castform generated the ball of nature in front of him, using it as a shield. The lightning bolt made contact with the sphere, resulting in an explosion that did not favour Castform. "C-Cast!" Castform cried out as his sphere was destroyed and his body was immediately electrocuted. Even though he was in his Rain Form, he had the Electric-Typing thanks to Reflect-Type, which gave him some resistance. "Hydro Pump!" "Tom!" Rotom followed up with Hydro Pump, but it would be the one getting up close and personal this time. Opening its door, the Plasma Pokemon approached Castform, attempting to trap him inside. "Cast?!" Castform gasped, but it was too late to zip away. Right before everyone's eyes, Castform was pulled in and locked inside of Rotom. "Aaah!" Rainbow Dash's eyes nearly popped out of her head and so did the others. "Castform!" "Oops. A bit of a habit on Rotom's part." Barbe chuckled. "Oh well. Perhaps we can give Castform a bit of a wash. Battling whips up a lot of sweat after all, even if you can't see it." "Rotom-tom!" Rotom continued to use Hydro Pump, pulling it off as if it were cleaning clothes. In this case, it was cleaning Castform. "C-Cast! Castform!" Naturally, this was uncomfortable and perplexing for Castform in every possible way. His small body was being turned and spun around by a fierce torrent of water. His eyes were also spinning as he was obviously getting dizzy from all of this. He was so lucky that he managed to copy both the Electric and Water-Typing but he was still taking damage continuously. Meanwhile, Rotom was floating there with its smile, enjoying this greatly. "Get out of there, Castform! Energy Ball!" "Form!" But try as he might, Castform's Energy Ball was useless. He summoned the ball of nature, only for it to be absolutely crushed by the spiralling water. It was moving too fast for the Energy Ball to properly build up. "Weather Ball!" "C-Cast!" Another Ball Attack was used, but even his signature move was made irrelevant. It was made out of Water so all that did was just allow Hydro Pump to grow even stronger. Castform was getting absolutely battered by the spiralling waves with seemingly no way of breaking free. And everyone had to hear this beatdown as they could hear Castform's cries and each time his body would bang against the glass door and the walls of Rotom-Wash. "Come on, break out of it, already!" The students were certainly getting into it, screaming from the crowd. "Zera!" So was Zeraora, who would witness a Pokemon Battle without needing to worry about someone losing their home or anything related to it. "I think this one is about to wrap up, dearie." Barbe chuckled. "After this, it will be Altaria. I should warn you...once your Pokemon faints, that's it. They won't be able to join in the next battle, I'm afraid." "Say what?!" This certainly made things harder. If either one of her Pokemon faints, they won't be able to tackle the next trainer or even reach Sharon. The Battle Frontier was truly a place where a Trainer's true strength can be revealed before they could enter the Equestria League. "No way, that's going to happen! We'll do our own spinning! Hurricane!" "C-Cast...Cast! Castform!" Castform mustered all the strength that he could. There was one attack that was far beyond Weather Ball and Energy Ball. Hurricane. He would use his own spiral. With his eyes glowing, Castform released a strong gale of wind that had a stronger and faster build-up than the other two attacks. The wind would meet with the Hydro Pump, clashing against its spin which would result in a volatile reaction. "Ro?" And Rotom certainly felt it. Its smile transformed into a frown, indicating that something was very wrong in there. The force of Castform's Hurricane was actually causing Rotom's body to shake. The clash of Hurricane and Hydro Pump was the main cause of this. Rotom wasn't in control of the other spinning force from within. "Tom! R-Rotom!" "Oh dear!" Barbe gasped. "Stay steady, Rotom! You've dried worse!" "R-Ro! Rotom!" But nothing in this vain. It was used to drying clothes. Not a Hurricane. Castform was indirectly harming himself in the process, but he had to do what he had to do. Castform was currently trapped within his own Hurricane, taking more and more damage. He closed his eyes, trying to take in all the pain while Rotom was struggling to keep its door locked. The door was aggressively shaking, unable to contain the chaos happening inside. And just like that, the door would burst open, releasing a mighty burst of water and wind. Rainbow Dash closed her eye as the strong burst of elements came flying in her direction. She was drenched by the water while still managing to keep her hooves on the ground. The rest of the crowd also found themselves being drenched by the water which was spread out by the fierce wind. And speaking of the fierce wind, it ended up shooting Castform out of Rotom-Wash while also carrying the Plasma Pokemon through the air. A truly risky play from Rainbow Dash and Castform, but an effective one nonetheless. Perhaps a bit too effective as seen how by Rotom-Wash hit the ground hard. Joining it was Castform who would also drop. In the end, both of them fainted. "Castform..." "Rotom..." "Both Rotom and Castform are unable to battle! Thus, the winner of this stage with one Pokemon left is Rainbow Dash!" That was the end of the first stage, prompting an applause from the crowd. They had two more battles to look forward to and the final one with Sharon, which made the students absolutely giddy. They were starting to ignore the gimmicks that they found lame in the beginning due to how exciting this was. "Zeraora!" Pleased by this, Zeraora would unleashing a flare of electricity from her body, shocking Ash once more. "Y-Yeah...It's great, Zeraora." But Ash was absolutely used to this by now. Being around Pikachu created this stellar resistance to such powerful outbursts. "Hmph. Maybe the next battle is where it can really shine." Cozy Glow was just waiting for her food to show up, just to sabotage everything and prove herself to Daybreaker's alliance. "Phew." Rainbow Dash sighed before walking over to her downed partner. "It was worth it in the end. Thanks, Castform. You helped us get through to the next stage." "C-Cast..." Castform was happy to hear that. He helped Rainbow Dash get through this and kept Altaria safe for the next battle. Unfortunately, he couldn't take part in the next one. "Well done, Rainbow Dash." Laundress Barbe congratulated the pegasus for a hard-fought battle on the first stage. "Perhaps, I didn't need to teach you a lesson." "Well, I've got some great friends with me, that's why." She giggled. "But geez...That was just the first stage? And that's all before I can even take on Sharon?" "I did say I trained her. Lady Sharon had plenty of teachers in her life and two more of them are waiting for you just beyond this stage. But before that, you should heal. While you may not be able to let Altaria battle next, you can still heal all of your Pokemon. With this." The food would make another appearance. From the walls, the table appeared a second time, this time, with a second batch of food. Neither of it was what Cozy Glow made. Instead, all the food here was healing food, allowing Rainbow Dash's party to freshen up before the next stage. The Battle Frontier was difficult but not unfair. "Thanks!" Thanking the Laundress, Rainbow Dash made her way to the table, to freshen herself and her Pokemon up. She didn't have to worry about any side-effects this time. But if this battle was anything to go by, the next batch of food would mess either one of her Pokemon up, tackling their greatest strengths. "Zera?" So amazed by what she saw and invested, Zeraora wished to jump in there and join the battle, wondering if she could get a turn. "I'm sorry, but you can't join, Zeraora." Fluttershy said. "It's just Rainbow Dash's six Pokemon that she's already registered. But you can still watch." "Ora..." Zeraora pouted. It was a shame she couldn't join. She wasn't even Rainbow Dash's Pokemon which was another setback. All she could do was watch, which wasn't a bad thing at all. The Dragon Lands. During the Battle, the Dragon Lands, which was where Twilight Sparkle, Spike and Lucas were heading to, was still dealing with a surprise guest from another universe. Of course, that guest was none other than the Trainer Nate, who wished to leave the place. But something was obviously keeping him at bay. Not only that, but at the Dragon Lands, there were craters everywhere. Not that there weren't craters before, but suddenly, there was a mass increase in them. They were very much recent as seen by the smoke coming out of them. But it wasn't just smoke. It was also plasma. The same element that Zeraora, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Celestia's Gardevoir and to an extent Rotom can tap into. It was fizzling and sparking from the craters, running across the Dragon Lands. And completely unconscious, fainted after a battle were many Dragon-Types. Since these were the Dragon Lands, it made sense for them all to have Dragon Pokemon, but all of them have fainted. And it wasn't a result of all the Dragons battling each other, even though that would be common here, but it was done by someone else. Someone that Ember was facing, concealed by the smoke. It was the one they called Nate, who was the only Human here. "Oh, you're something else.." Ember said, looking at the silhouette of Nate, who was standing there with an intimidating aura. All the other Dragons were actually intimidated by him and backed away. They lost the battle after all, but it wasn't quite over yet. the Dragon Lord Ember was about to take her on. Before Twilight's group can get here, they will be met with a rather shocking sight. As the journey continues. Chapter 353 End.