Twilight and friends had spent the night in the hostel that the Pokémon Center provided for trainers to use. She woke up early with a vigorous yawn, and quickly made herself ready to face the day's challenge head-on.
Before going to bed the night before, the three mares who wanted to win the Gym Badge, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Twilight, had reached an agreement about how they would go about competing. Since two of them would need to compete in order to stand up to Flim and Flam's combined skill, it had been decided that Twilight and Rainbow Dash would go first, and then Twilight would battle again to help Applejack. Each of them would leave with a badge, and Twilight would get some much-needed experience from the extra battle.
The ate the now-familiar oatmeal and apples breakfast offered by the center, and readied themselves for the day's event. "You ready to kick some serious butt?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying to build up Twilight's anticipation.
"You know what Rainbow? I am, I really am!" Twilight answered with a smile. "I don't know why, but I feel like I could take on the world today!"
"That's great to hear Sugarcube, now eat up so we can get goin." Applejack ordered while she gobbled down her food.
The six walked out of the Pokémon center in a confident air, with Twilight leading the pack. The Fillydelphia Gym was located a way down the road, a few blocks from the park. Twilight couldn't help but stare at the peaceful scene she saw in the area. Hard to believe there had nearly been a mass-robbery there yesterday. She thought back to the Admin who had confronted her, the so-called "Commander Sunset Shimmer". The fact she somehow had managed to capture a legendary pokémon such as Moltres, and commanded its full obedience, worried her. Such a powerful pokémon could cause untold destruction if it were allowed to stay in evil hooves. Fortunately the Gym Leaders had arrived when they did, otherwise the afternoon's events might have taken a turn for the worst.
She pushed those thoughts behind her as she continued toward the gym. There was no point in thinking about any of that now. All of her energy would be needed in order to beat the two gym leaders. She was still relatively new to battling, and the whole idea of a double battle just intimidated her further. She would need every last bit of her huge brain working full tilt in order to win today.
The Gym was certainly more imposing than the one in Ponyville. It was commonplace for Gym Leaders to have a profession alongside that of their post. For Cherilee, that was as a schoolteacher. For Flim and Flam, it was as the heads of an Apple Cider brewery. FlimFlam Cider was the most popular beverage in Eastern Equestria, and their entire factory was powered by electric pokémon.
The Gym was connected to the factory, but to avoid damaging the facility, was separated by a good two feet of solid concrete. Flim and Flam could easily enter and leave the gym to monitor production, and as was tradition in Fillydelphia, also offered free drinks to anypony who could best them in battle.
"I've never been too hot on FlimFlam Cider." Applejack commented, "But when you get it along with a gym badge, that stuff must taste mighty sweet."
"Personally I find it a bit less harsh than your family recipe." Rarity commented, "Although I do respect a local brewery's tradition."
"Who cares? They're both good!" Dash interrupted. "But if we keep talking about cider, we're never gonna get around to winning it!" The group laughed. Twilight wasn't sure which Rainbow wanted more, the badge or the beverage.
They pushed open the massive doors to see a much grander setup than in Ponyville. Instead of small bleachers, the gym featured a full set of stands which had already begun to fill with an audience, come to watch their town's Gym Leaders at work. The stadium was well maintained, with a smooth cement floor and a freshly painted outline. Waiting at the back stood one of the brothers, Flam, judging by his moustache. The twin tipped his hat to the new arrivals, before quickly galloping off through a door on the right side of the gym, presumably off to fetch his brother.
Flam returned a few minutes later with Flim in tow, and both brothers quickly took up their places on their side of the gym. "Fillies and gentlecolts, foals of all ages!" Flim spoke into a microphone. "We have for you today a battle against the mares who boldly fought against Team Umbra yesterday in City Park! They will be putting themselves on the line to compete for the coveted Fillydelphia Gemini Badge!"
"The rules are simple," Flam continued, "Each participant will be allowed to use one pokémon each, for a total of two per team. Each team will battle until both members of either team are no longer able to battle. If victorious, the challengers will not only receive a badge each, but will also earn a sample of our city's specialty- FlimFlam Apple Cider!"
The brothers turned their attention from the audience to the challengers. "Now, who will be battling first?"
"We will." Rainbow Dash and Twilight said in unison.
"Take your places, and let the battle… BEGIN!" Flim and Flam announced, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers. If these brothers were half as good at battling as they were working a crowd, Twilight and Rainbow would have their work cut out for them.
"Plusle, it's showtime!" Flim announced, releasing his pokémon.
"That goes double for you, Minun," Flam added. The two electric pokémon, both similar in appearance, gave a cheer to the crowd, and touched tails, generating a spark. Twilight couldn't help but notice they were each holding something in their paws.
"Rainbow, what are those?" She asked, meanwhile sending Cubone onto the battlefield.
Rainbow Dash tossed out Pidgeotto and squinted to see what her partner was talking about. "Are those… iron balls?"
"What do those do?" Twilight asked. They looked incredibly heavy.
"I know they make you move slower. Other than that I don’t know." Twilight was worried after hearing that description. Flim and Flam were veteran trainers. They wouldn't put themselves at a handicap unless doing so had some sort of benefit.
"Let the battle begin!" The brothers announced. Twilight cast aside her worries and focused on giving orders.
Rainbow Dash was able to move first. Normally electric types would be faster than any other, but the heavy metal balls they carried weighed them down enough so that they would not be moving first. "Alright Pidgeotto, hit them with gust!" Pidgeotto whipped up a gust of wind, and flung it at the two opposing pokémon. It knocked them down, but didn’t seem to hurt much.
"Cubone! Use bone club!" Twilight shouted. A ground type move would devastate a small electric type. Cubone charged at Plusle, and bashed it with its bone. Plusle was visibly hurt, bu still remained standing.
Flim and Flam were smiling. "Well brother, it looks like it's time for our strategy to start paying off." Flam chuckled.
"Right you are, brother of mine." Flim laughed. "Plusle, use helping hand!"
"Minun, use fling!"
Twilight realized what they were doing. The iron balls were throwing weapons. Plusle grabbed on to Minun's, and they both gave it a chuck toward Pidgeotto. It was a devastating hit that barely left her conscious.
"This isn't good." Dash growled. "And they have another one, so they can keep doing it."
"We need to take one of them out of the fight." Twilight shot back. "Plusle and Minun are strongest when they're together. If we can get rid of one, the other is stuck.
Rainbow nodded. "Right. Do we go after Plusle or Minun?"
"I already hit Plusle. Let's try and knock it down."
"I have an idea." Rainbow Dash grinned. "Hey Pidgeotto, pick up Cubone on your back!" Pidgeotto scooped up Cubone and took off into the air.
"Hmm? What's this?" Flim asked aloud.
"Go in for a steel wing!" Rainbow shouted.
"Cubone, go for a bone club!" Twilight shouted. The two pokémon began a rapid descent from the air, down towards the small mouse pokémon.
"Brother, this isn't good." Flam shrieked.
"Quick Plusle, use bestow!" Flim shouted. Plusle handed the iron ball over to Minun, but without its partner, it couldn’t throw it.
At the last instant, Cubone lept from Pidgeotto's back, just as Pidgeotto's wings crashed into Plusle. As he came down, Cubone brought his bone right down onto Plusle's head, knocking the poor pokémon out instantly.
"You won't get away with that!" Flam shouted. "Minun, go for a thundershock!" Minun shot a lance of electricity at Pidgeotto, but without Plusle to boost it, the attack was a pittance. Pidgeotto came around for another run, and with another round of hits, Minun had fainted along with its partner.
"And that concludes the gym battle!" Flim announced. "Challengers, you've proved that you are able to work together to accomplish something nopony could do on their own. In recognition of your triumph, we are honored to grant you each a Gemini Badge.
Rainbow and Twilight each took a badge from the twins. "Thank you so much!" Twilight said, a goofy smile evident on her face.
"Say nothing of it, you earned it fair and square."
"Um, misters Flim and Flam, our friend Applejack also wanted to challenge you." Twilight commented.
"Oh, well very well, come out, Ms. Applejack." AJ stood from the bleachers, leaving the group to come before the leaders. "Who will your partner be today?"
"I will be." Twilight announced.
Flim and Flam looked at each other awkwardly. "I'm afraid you can't, dear." Flam said with a frown.
"It's pokémon league policy that a trainer who has already won a badge cannot fight again to help somepony else win a badge." Flim explained. "It's to prevent stronger trainers from carrying their friends through battles.
Twilight gave Applejack a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry Applejack. Is there anypony who you can battle with?"
"Would anypony at all who would like to battle with this young mare?" Flam asked over the microphone.
The room went silent for a solid minute. Finally, from the front row, a single voice rang out over the arena. "I volunteer as tribute!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"Pinkie?" Everypony simultaneously said, startled. If Rarity had said she has no interest in battles, and Fluttershy that she wasn't cut out for it, Pinkie had never said anything. She did indeed have pokémon, as Twilight had seen on several occasions. But she never talked about battling or expressed any interest in it. Twilight figured that, like Fluttershy, she had some sort of a career she meant to go into in a few years, but was going on a journey to learn and to enjoy herself.
"No way one of my friends is going to leave without her badge!" Pinkie declared, pointing a hoof right at Flim and Flam. "I challenge you!"
Rainbow and Twilight settled into the bleachers with a mug of cider each and their badges secure, Rainbow's on her jacket and Twilight's securely in her case, which was stored in the pockets of her saddle bag. Flim and Flam took a minute to get their pokémon healed before returning to take to the field against their opponents.
"Fillies and Gentlecolts, welcome to the second battle of the Fillydelphia city gym!" Flim announced, building up excitement in the crowd. "We have for you another thrilling fight to the finish."
"Challengers, are you ready?" Flam asked aloud.
"Yes!" Pinkie and Applejack replied. Each mare threw out a pokéball.
"Phanpy, it's your time to shine!" Applejack cried.
"Come on Steve, show them how strong you are!" Pinkie giggled. Her Hoppip materialized and began happily floating around in the gym's air currents.
"Then let the battle… begin!" The brothers shouted, eliciting huge cheers from their fans.
"They should have a pretty easy time," Twilight commented, elbowing Rainbow Dash as she chugged her cider. "Plusle and Minun don't learn many attacks that aren't electric type, so AJ should have the upper hoof." She could tell that the pokémon were no longer holding the iron balls. It seemed Flim and Flam weren't keen on using the same tactics over and over, instead opting to switch strategies to keep their opponents guessing.
"Plusle, go for a helping hand!" Flim announced.
"Minun, it's time for swift!" Flam added. With Plusle's help, Minun unleashed a volley of fast-moving stars that shot straight at Phanpy.
Applejack didn't seem fazed. "Dodge that there move Phanpy!" The small pachyderm obeyed, rolling up in an attempt to evade the barrage.
Flim and Flam wore dirty smirks on their faces as Phanpy began to roll. "You're wasting your time trying to dodge, young filly." Flim taunted. Applejack looked back at her opponents with confusion, then terror as the stars began to follow Phanpy. Even though its rolling was fast, the stars moved faster still, gradually catching up and finally delivering a decisive hit onto Phanpy's rear.
"Swift can never miss!" Twilight shouted from the stands. "Unless you can use a move like protect, you're going to get hit!"
Applejack growled. "Any time you'd like to help, I'd surely appreciate it Pinkie!"
"Way ahead of you!" Her companion assured. "Steve, use poison powder!" While Phanpy had been desperately trying to avoid the attack, Hoppip had been lazily floating around near the ceiling. It seemed even Flim and Flam had forgotten he was there. Now Steve began raining toxic spores down onto the combatants, covering Plusle and Minun in the sickening fumes.
"Well, this is certainly annoying." Flim sighed.
"We aren't done yet!" Pinkie announced through a giggling fit, "Now let's use Fairy Wind!" Hoppip twirled it leaves and threw a mystifying gust at the two opponents, blowing the two small pokémon over.
"And now its time for cleanup duty!" Applejack added. "Let's finish 'em with rollout!" Phanpy curled itself up and bulldozed over Plusle and Minun, who were struggling to help each other up after being knocked over by the wind. Each went flying in opposite directions, and both fell, unconscious.
"And that's all she wrote folks!" Flam announced. "Both of you challengers have done a fine job today. It's our honor to give you each the Gemini Badge!"
All of their friends from the audience galloped out to wrap Applejack in a congratulatory hug. Pinkie Pie stood aside from the group, looking concernedly at her Hoppip. "Steve… are you feeling okay little buddy?"
"Hop… pip…" It squeaked. Hoppip became cloaked in an unnatural light, which illuminated the entire gym. Its form began to shift as the light continued to grow only brighter. Its body grew bigger, and the leaves atop its head contracted downward. Finally, in one great flash, the light had cleared. Hoppip was gone, in its place something different.
"Steve!" You evolved!" Pinkie cried.
"You saw it here first folks!" Flim announced. "Through this trainer's hard work, her Hoppip has evolved into a Skiploom! You should be mighty proud of yourself."
"Skip! Skiploom!" Steve cried, twirling around in the air. Pinkie wrapped her hooves around her pokémon.
"I'm so proud of you!" She cried, tears welling up in her eyes. "We've come such a long way, haven't we?"
"Skip! Loom!" It beamed.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked on with a smile. "Good for her." Twilight sighed with a smile." She thought back to her own pokémon. I want to see them evolve, but I don't want to force them to change. She shook her head and let out her breath. Nah. I'm happy with them just the way they are. If it happens, it happens, if not… then that's fine by me!