Twilight, along with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy, sat along the sidelines as the second match of the semis began. Rarity and Pinkie would be going against each other, the winner moving on to face Trixie in the finals. None of them were sure who would win. Kirlia seemed to be the stronger pokémon but the way Pinkie battled with Steve had certainly taken Applejack by surprise. Both trainers were incredibly in sync with their pokémon. With Rarity it was as if she didn't need to even give orders; Kirlia almost seemed capable of reading her trainer's mind. Pinkie Pie and Steve were on a very similar wavelength with each other; one that made sense to them and to absolutely nopony else.
"And welcome back to our next match!" The emcee announced. "If both trainers are ready, then let's get this battle underway!"
"Pinkie Pie, I hope you understand that I cannot allow you to win!" Rarity yelled, trying to engage in some good-natured taunting while still retaining her composure.
Pinkie Pie just grinned at her friend, "That's okay Rarity. I'll let you win. In your dreams, that is!"
Their friends watched intensely as the two pokémon were sent out onto the field. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had both made a trip to find the snack vendor and returned with a bag of popcorn each. "This oughta be a good fight." Applejack commented, sticking her hoof into the bag. "I gotta put my bits on Pinkie Pie."
"You only say that because she beat you." Rainbow remarked, stuffing her mouth full of buttery popcorn, "Rarity definitely has this."
"Oh yeah? What do you think, Twi?" Both mares stared at Twilight, waiting for her answer.
"I don't know who to pick." She sighed, half lying. Twilight thought Rarity would be more likely to win, but didn't want to say it aloud, to avoid possibly hurting Pinkie's feelings. Both of them were strong though, stronger than Twilight had given them credit for when she first met them. Just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover. Except Vampony romance novels.
Steve, with its quite high speed, was able to act before Kirlia. "Alright Stevey, let's go for a bullet seed!" Steve began rotating rapidly and began spewing seeds right at Kirlia.
"Kirlia, use teleport to escape!" Rarity commanded. Kirlia nodded, and disappeared, warping herself across the arena behind Steve. "Now use double team!" Kirlia's body shook rapidly, suddenly splitting itself into two, then four, eight, and finally sixteen identical mirror images. The illusory clones completely encircled Steve, who spun around in the air, looking dreadfully confused.
"So many Kirlias…" Pinkie Pie marveled, a bit distracted from the battle at hand. "Looks like we're gonna have to find out which one's real! Bullet seed on all the clones!" Steve spun again and started shooting volleys at the clones.
"Kirlia darling, let's keep up this little charade for now. Go for psychic!" Each of the Kirlia clones perfectly mirrored the actions of the original, down to the distortions in the air around them as the true Kirlia began preparing her attack. Pinkie's eyes desperately darted back and forth to figure out which clone was the real one, but as far as the naked eye could tell, the original and her clones all moved in perfect unison.
Finally, the real Kirlia made herself known. Steve had blasted three clones, making the illusions fade as soon as they were hit. The real Kirlia, standing halfway between Pinkie and the midfield line, fired a blast of psionic energy that sent Steve reeling. Then Kirlia used teleport, once again scrambling the clones and trapping Pinkie Pie in a hopeless version of the cup and ball game.
Pinkie Pie's chipper demeanor began to crack under Rarity's brutal but effective strategy. Steve had no moves that would be able to hit the entire field, like earthquake or surf. She was beginning to wish she had instead entered Lombre, who would have been able to use surf to clear away the clones. "Okay Steve, let's try using Bounce!" Steve sprung up into the air, looking to smack down onto one of the clones.
"Sigh… Pinkie Pie, you have a one in sixteen chance of hitting the real Kirlia. How likely do you honestly think that your pokémon will actually-"
"And bounce connects!" The emcee excitedly cried, drawing Rarity' attention back to the battle.
"Hit…" She groaned. Somehow Steve had been able to identify the proper target from midair, and landed smack onto her head. Kirlia certainly looked worse for wear, but the fight was far from over.
"Very well then." Rarity huffed, irritated that Pinkie had, once again, managed to defy all logic and had hit Kirlia on a 1/16th chance. "It looks like it's time to go for the coup de grace. Hit them with yet another psychic! Give it your all!" Kirlia focused her psychic energies as Steve began bombarding her with bullet seeds. Kirlia struggled to keep up her concentration while under heavy fire, each seed pushing her a little further back. The strain was apparent on Kirlia's face as she tried to muster up enough concentration to fire off her attack.
"This is getting dangerous folks! Kirlia can't take this for much longer, but if she can get off that psychic, it's curtains for Steve and Pinkie Pie!" The narration of the emcee inflated the already electric tension in the stands. Twilight especially was paying rapt attention. This entire battle would come down to whether or not Kirlia would be able to attack before Steve's bullet seed barrage finished her off.
Kirlia's aura had been growing more and more powerful, to the point where it was causing the air to ripple around her. Her body began to levitate into the air as her eyes took on a purple glow. "Kir..." She cried as a dust cloud started to swirl around her. "LIA!" A rippling blast of psychic energy blasted forth from Kirlia, knocking Steve straight out of the air. The pokémon went soaring past Pinkie Pie and hit the wall behind her with an audible smack.
"Skiploom is unable to battle! The winner is Kirlia!" The stands erupted into stomping applause as the spectators commended the battle. Slowly, Kirlia's energies faded and she peacefully floated back down to the ground.
Rarity galloped out to check on her pokémon. "Are you alright darling?"
Kirlia's eyes opened weakly. After a moment, she nodded weakly. "Kirlia. Kir, Kir." Rarity smiled. Her energy had been drained but otherwise she was fine. She would likely need awhile to rest before the next battle.
While Rarity had been checking on her pokémon, Sheriff Silverstar had stepped out onto the field. "Rarity, congratulations. You will be moving onto the final round to compete for the title. Are you prepared?"
"Always." She answered. "Although my Kirlia will need some time to regain her strength.
Silverstar nodded. "Of course. The final round will begin at seven o'clock. For the time being, you and your partner have earned some rest."
Rarity, with Kirlia laying an arm on her side for balance, left the stadium to return to the pits. Kirlia had earned a rest, and would need some sleep before she could battle at her fullest again. Fluttershy and Twilight pulled together some hay and made her a suitable bed to sleep on. Kirlia curled up happily, and quickly fell asleep. Rarity sat beside her, and began gently stroking her head, silently singing a lullaby. A pinkish aura began to form around Kirlia, which radiated happiness and health.
"Kirlia can rest better if accompanied by a loving trainer." Rarity whispered, taking great care not to wake her. "She will be rested sooner and more soundly if I stay here."
"Okay. I think we're going to go find some dinner." Twilight whispered back. "Want anything?"
"Just a blueberry muffin please." Twilight nodded and went off to the catered buffet. The food was kept in a fenced off area separate from the pits, both of which were behind the stadium. Several other ponies, leftovers from the earlier stages, were still there, taking advantage of the free food while it was there. They spotted Braeburn and Prism, who were having an intense discussion at the far side of the outdoor dining area.
Trixie was sitting near the buffet, eating a biscuit and sniggering as the group entered. "Why hello losers."
Twilight knit her brows into a scowl. "What do you want Trixie?"
"Oh, nothing." She smiled, taking another bite out of the cheese biscuit in her hoof. "Trixie cannot help but notice you're one short. You know, the only one strong enough to make it this far?"
"Oh, you mean Rarity." Twilight shot a glare at Pinkie Pie, who had begun running her mouth without thinking. "She's back with her Kirlia taking a nap."
"Pinkie, ix nay the ossip gay." Applejack rasped, jabbing Pinkie with her hoof.
"Pathetic." Trixie scoffed. "Trixie finds it hard to believe that she's the best your rag-tag group has to offer. No matter. One more match to stomp and Trixie will get her hooves on that trophy."
"You never know Trixie. She might surprise you." Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. "She's been surprising all of us."
"Hmpf. Trixie is going to crush that frou-frou unicorn, just you wait." She tossed the last bit of her snack in her mouth and began to saunter off. "Trixie has a plan. That poor mare won't see it coming."
"That sounds mighty fishy." AJ sighed.
"We need to tell Rarity." Fluttershy added.