The Equestria Region

Welcome to the world of Pokémon.

A marvelous land of beauty and adventure, where amazing creatures named Pokémon exist. Across the land, below the waves and beyond the skies, Pokémon exist in plentiful supply. In this world, humans and Pokémon exist in perfect harmony with one another. Either living, playing, working or training, the two are always together. And nowhere is that more shown, than in the Equestria Region.

Here in the Equestria Region, many amazing Pokémon and trainers stories can be found. And now, we will follow the adventures of one such trainer and his partner, as they begin their quest to be the very best, like no one ever was.

Our story begins in a woodland area, where many bug and flying type Pokémon live in the harmony of the forest. In that woodland area. there was a dirt path created through the constant trekking of the forest. On that path, a small Pokémon could be seen running through the forest.

This Pokémon was a bipedal canine creature, who stood at just over two feet. It was mainly blue, but it had black on both legs and torso along with a blue tail and a yellow collar. It had rounded bumps on the backs of its forepaws and black appendages hanging from its ears. There was also a black 'mask' over its red eyes and it stood on its toes instead of its entire foot.

The Pokémon sped through the forest, running like a ninja down the path until it spotted daylight not too far off. This indicated the end of the treeline coming up. The Pokémon came to a stop and turned back the way it came. It then placed its paws together and shut its eyes as a blue light appeared around its body and the appendages hanging from his ears started floating up. It lasted a few seconds until the Pokémon opened its eyes again.

A minute or so later, footsteps could be heard coming from the path. The owner of the footsteps soon arrived, revealing himself as a teenage male with orange skin and navy blue air. He was wearing a white t-shirt with an emblem of a lightning bolt over a shield on it, which was under an open black jacket with a red and white stripe over it. He was also wearing blue pants along with black and white trainers. On his back was a black backpack with blue straps and a blue Poke-Ball symbol. The teen ran up to the Pokémon and smiled when he saw the end of the forest. He then patted the Pokémon on the head. "Nice one bud."

"Ri!" The Pokémon replied before the two of them stepped out of the woods.

The two found themselves at the top of a hill, soon spotting something in the distance. "There it is Springer, Canterlot City."

Canterlot City was one of the most famous cities in the Equestria Region, mainly due to the fact that it was where the Equestria League tournament was held. It was also where he and his Pokémon partner were heading, to be registered as official trainers and enter into the Pokémon League. Despite the city’s great size, from the distance, the city looked tiny for the duo.

"We should get going," the teen told Springer. "If we hurry, we might get there before noon."

"Ri!"

The two began their trek, but as they did, they suddenly heard the sound of rushing water. Hearing this made the teen remember something before reaching into his bag and pulling out a canteen, which he tipped upside down so a few drops dripped out. "Detour."

The two followed the sound of water and came across an average sized lake with a river flowing into it. The teen knelt and dipped his canteen into the water, as Springer scooped some into his paws to drink.. The teen was humming as his canteen filled, but as he did, he suddenly felt the strangest feeling. It felt like he was being watched, making him and Springer both lift their heads up to look around.

It was then the teen noticed an unusual mist suddenly appearing over the lake, which made it difficult to see anything on the far side of it. But it was on the far side that the teen saw it. It appeared to be some kind of Pokemon, but the mist clouded its form so all they could see was a silhouette. Whatever it was, it appeared to have an equine form that was taller than the teen. It had a long flowing cloud shaped mane and tail. Finally, it appeared to have a pair of large wings on its side.

"What is that?" The teen asked, getting a confused sounding reply from Springer.

The Pokémon then turned towards them, a pair of glowing eyes breaking through the mist. It then spread its wings, revealing them to be as big as the teen was tall. Before the teen could say anything, the mysterious Pokemon leapt over the lake towards them, a powerful gust of wind following in its wake and clearing the mist. Time seemed to slow down as the Pokémon flew over the two's head. They barely looked up to see its underside as it completed the leap and landed behind them.

The two finally felt like their bodies were allowed to move, so they looked around to try and get a good look at the Pokémon. But by the time they spun around, the mysterious Pokémon had vanished.

"Wow," the teen said as he looked down at Springer, "what do you think that was?"

Springer just shrugged, unable to give him a good answer.

The teen looked back at the spot where the Pokémon had disappeared, wondering what it was he had just seen.

Later that day...

The City of Canterlot was a bustling metropolis, where people and Pokémon lived together in harmony.

Near the center of the city was a large mansion/castle building. This was the home and research laboratory of Equestria's leading Pokémon Researcher, Professor Celestia.

In one of the larger rooms of the laboratory, which was a library, we find a young girl sitting at a desk reading a large book.

She had light violet skin and dark purple hair with a pink streak running through it, that was tied up in a ponytail. She wore a blue blouse under a pink vest, with a pink bow around her neck. A dark purple skirt with a pink star pattern was equipped to her body, along with blue knee high socks and purple shoes. A pair of thick black glasses adorned her face, making it difficult to see her purple eyes. The girl read her book with a smile on her face, obviously enjoying whatever subject she was reading about as she subconsciously flicked her fringe to get some loose strands away from her eyes.

Suddenly, the door to the library opened and in stepped a woman with white skin, and hair with multiple colours in it. She wore a gold jacket over a white and purple shirt, along with purple pants. She also wore a lab-coat over it all. This woman was Equestria's number one researcher, Professor Celestia.

Celestia looked around the room and smiled when she saw the girl. "Twilight, I need your assistance."

The girl, Twilight, looked up from her book and smiled at her. "Of course Professor," she stood up and moved over to her.

"A new trainer's coming by today so they can be registered, but they didn't tell me whether they require a starter Pokémon. So, I need you to get them from the garden, just in case."

Twilight smiled and nodded. "Of course, I'll get right on it." With that, she ran past Celestia and out of the library, down the hall towards the back door.

Twilight Sparkle had been Celestia's assistant for half her life, first starting when she was only six years old. Twilight had always been interested in Pokémon, wanting to learn everything she could about them. This enthusiasm had impressed Celestia, who agreed to take her on for a trail basis, but it quickly evolved into a full time assistance job. She had learnt so much in this time, but she knew she still had much more to learn.

Twilight arrived outside in the garden, where many of Celestia's Pokémon lived and played. The biggest of these Pokémon was a large dragonoid Pokémon, standing just over seven foot. It had mostly blue scales, with a light blue belly, neck and lower mouth. Curved dark blue spikes ran from the top of its head to the end of its tail, with a large spade like appendage on the very end. It had a pair of blue wings coming out of its back, with a purple membrane. It also had a pair of large, dark blue fists that looked like it could flip a car. The Pokémon saw Twilight enter the garden and flew over to her, letting out a happy roar as it did.

Twilight smiled at it. "Hello Champagoon," she said as she scratched it under its chin. "Do you know where the starters are?"

Champagoon let out another roar before turning away and flying into some bushes, returning seconds later along with three other Pokémon.

The first was a small deer Pokémon, standing at about two and a half feet. Its body was mostly light green, with brown running from the end of its nose to its lower mouth, down the front of its neck to its underbelly and around to end at its flank. It had a pair of brown spots on its back, one on either side, along with a large brown spot on its rear. On its chest was what looked like a patch of grass, and sprouting out of the spot on its rear was a large leaf. From out of its head, a pair of dark green thorn like horns were growing.

The second one was a snake like Pokémon, whose total length was about two and a half feet. Its skin was mostly light orange, with a yellow lower jaw and three yellow dots running down the front of its body. The tip of its tail was red, with a black cloud shaped appendage on the very end.

The last one was a lizard like Pokémon, whose head to toe height was about two feet. It had light blue skin with a dark blue belly and stubby arms and legs, with three fingers and toes on each one. Its tail was long, light blue with a dark blue streak underneath it that ran from its belly. It also had three white fin like appendages on its head, two coming from either side of its mouth, while the third was a foot long dorsal fin that ran from the tip of its nose to the back of its head. With the fin on its head, it's height was increased to about three feet.

The three Pokémon rushed up to the girl, who smiled down at them. "Hey guys. We've got a new trainer coming today, but we don't know whether or not they'll need a starter. Celestia wants you three ready, just in case." The three all let out cries of joy. "I know, I know. Just remember, if he doesn't need a starter, or if he does and picks someone other than you, please don't feel bad okay?"

The three starters nodded.

"Great. Let's get you all inside then." With that, the four of them walked back into the lab.

They walked through the hallways and into the lab's main area. It had a large table in the center of it and comfy sofas lining the walls, all that had coffee tables nearby. This was where trainers would meet their future partners, and be given everything they needed. When Twilight and the starters arrived, the three Pokémon leapt up onto the table so Twilight could do some basic health checks to make sure they were ready should they be picked. Once that was over, she looked over and saw a folder on one of the tables. Realising this was the trainer's documents, she decided to take a peek. She opened it up and saw there was no picture, just a name and some info. "Lightning Blitz..." she read out loud. "Lives in Canterlot." Her eyes then went wide. "And his grandfather's a former Champion?!"

In that moment, the lab's door opened and someone walked in.

"Hello?"

Twilight turned towards the voice, spotting the blue haired teen as he walked in. "Hello," she said as she closed the folder and looked at the clock on the wall. "You're early."

The teen showed her a confused look. "You were expecting me?"

"Of course," Twilight replied. It was then that she noticed something at the teen's feet, "Oh, you already have a Pokemon."

"Errr...yeah."

Twilight then heard a disappointed moan, making her turn to the three Starters. "It's okay guys, I'm sure the next trainer will need a Pokémon."

Hearing his, the teen walked over to the three and pointed at the trio. "So, are these the Pokémon I hear you give out to trainers when they start their journey?"

"That's right," Twilight said with a nod before pointing to the deer, "this is Thawn." She then pointed to the snake, "this is Hisscor." Lastly, she pointed to the lizard, "and this is Aquana."

"Wow...you all look awesome!" He reached out and patted Aquana, the blue lizard Pokemon enjoying the attention. "Almost makes me wish I did need to pick one of you."

"RI!"

The teen looked down at Springer, who had folded its arms and was tapping his foot, frowning at that statement. "I said almost bud."

In that moment, Professor Celestia walked into the room. She turned and spotted the teen, smiling as she moved over to him. "Well hello there, you must be the trainer who's here to start his journey."

The teen turned to her with a small grin. "Huh...yeah, that's me. But, how did you know I was coming?"

Both Celestia and Twilight gave him a confused look as Celestia answered. "Your grandfather made an appointment for you, remember?"

This time, it was the teen's turn to give a confused look. "Grandfather?" He scratched the back of his head. "Hate to break it to ya, but both my grandfathers have been dead for a while."

The duo confusion's increased, until Celestia realized something. "Your name's not Lightning?"

The teen shook his head before pointing his thumb into his chest. "The name's Sentry, Flash Sentry." He pointed to the Pokémon by his side, "and this here's my partner, Springer."

"Ri!" Springer barked, mimicking Flash's movement with his paw.

Celestia clapped her hands at this reveal. "So that's it! Seems we have two new trainers today."

Twilight blushed before bowing at Flash. "I'm sorry. I just assumed that-"

Flash quickly raised his hand, stopping her. "It's cool, don't worry about it. Easy mistake to make." He then started looking around, "so there's someone else starting their journey today?"

"Yeah, me!"

The trio along with the Pokémon turned around, only to see a teenage boy step into the lab. He had yellow skin and spiky white hair with yellow tips. He was wearing a white hoodie, with yellow around the seams and on the hood over a black coloured shirt and pants. Around his neck were a pair of silver headphones, with a yellow lightning bolt on the sides. On his back was a black single strap backpack with a yellow trim, and on the front was a lighting bolt which zigzagged six times. The teen stepped into the room, a slight scowl on his face. "I'm Lightning Blitz, here to get registered as a trainer."

"Of course," Celestia said with a bow before turning to Flash. "But you'll need to give me a minute to register Flash here, since he was here first."

Lightning rolled his eyes at this. "Whatever."

Celestia nodded before turning around, motioning her hands at everyone. "Then follow me." She, Flash, Twilight, Lightning and the Pokémon moved out of the main area and into a room that looked nothing like the rest of the building. This place actually looked like a lab, with metal making up the walls and floor and many different machines filled the room, the purpose of which only someone with an IQ of a hundred or up would know about. Celestia moved over to a computer, where she started typing away before turning to Flash. "Alright. All you need to do is imput your information." She pulled out a chair, which Flash sat on before doing what he was told.

"Name...date of birth...hometown..." this went on until he had completed all the questions. "Done."

"Good. Now for your picture." Celestia pointed at a webcam on top of the computer. "Stare at this please." Flash did as he was told and in a second, there was a flash of light as his picture was taken. "Great. Now all that data will be entered into the Pokémon League Database." She turned to Lightning. "I've already completed your registration. I just need a picture."

Lightning nodded and replaced Flash on the chair as Celestia brought up his file. Another flash and his picture was taken, entered into the database as well.

"Great," Celestia said before moving over to the side of the machine. She then took out two strange white devices and placed them inside the machine, which started to beep and boop. It soon stopped and Celestia took the devices back out, Flash noticing they had now charged colour. "These are your new Equestria Pokedexs," she held the yellow one out to Lightning and the blue one out to Flash. "They'll act as your Trainer ID and also give you information on any Pokémon you'll come across."

Flash looked the device over. It had two dark blue handle like objects on it with black buttons, connected by a piece of clear glass. Wanting to see how it works, he moved it over to Springer. Suddenly, the two handles split apart, as the clear plastic expanded to reveal a screen. A picture of Springer appeared on it as it began to speak.

Name: Riolu
Category: Emanation Pokémon
Type: Fighting
Info: They communicate with one another using their auras. They are able to run all throughout the night.

"Awesome..." Flash said as he closed the device.

Twilight nodded in response to this compliment. "It's the very latest model. It has info on every known Pokémon."

Flash smiled at this, as he pocketed the Pokedex. While he did this, Celestia walked up to the trainers, five small red and white balls in her hands. "Here are your Pokeballs. They'll allow you to capture any Pokémon you want." Flash and Lightning both nodded, taking the devices. Seeing this, Celestia turned to the three starters. "Alright Lightning. It's time for you to pick your first Pokémon."

However, Lightning shook his head. "I don't need them." He then pulled out another Pokeball, "I already have a Pokémon. Besides," he glanced down at the three, the scowl on his face increasing. "I don't need a weakling for a partner."

Celestia and Twilight gasped at this while Flash frowned before pointing at the trainer. "Hey! There's no need to insult them!"

Lightning turned to him, shaking his head at Flash. "It's true. I have this...sixth sense for it. All I've got to do is look at a Pokémon, and I'll know whether or not it's worth anything." He looked at the three Starters again. "And just by looking at them, I can tell these three have no potential what so ever." He pointed to Aquana. "especially that one. Its a piece of weak trash."

"Aq...aq...Aquana..." the Pokemon replied as its eyes began to fill with tears. "AQUANA!!!" It cried as tears burst out of its eyes, the creature soon running out of the room.

"Aquana!" Twilight called out, soon running after the Pokémon with worry on her face.

Flash's frown evolved into a full-on glare. "Not cool. Who cares about your sixth sense?! Any Pokémon can be strong if you train it right."

Lightning just responded with a smirk. "Please, only weaklings think that. In a Pokémon battle, power is all that matters. Why waste your time training a weak Pokémon when you can just catch ones that are already strong, and then train them to be even more powerful."

Before Flash could respond, Celestia stepped between them. "Okay, that's enough." She turned to Lightning. "You're free to have your own opinion, but please don't insult my Pokémon."

Lightning simply turned away. "Fine, I apologise."

Flash then pointed at Lightning again. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?!"

"To start my Pokémon journey," Lightning replied without looking at him.

"Not yet! You and me are having a battle!" This made Lightning stop and glance back at him over his shoulder. Flash smirked at his reaction, crossing his arms as he said, "And if I win, you have to apologise to Aquana and the other Pokémon."

Lightning continued to stare at him, then shifted his gaze to Springer. A smirk formed on his face as well. "Fine. Maybe beating you will help you realise I'm right."

Flash growled at him, but Celestia clapped again to get their attention. "That's enough you two. If you wish to have a battle, you may use my battlefield I have in my lab. Will that do?"

The two nodded in unison.

That battlefield, turned out to be just to the right of Celestia's back garden. It was a standard battlefield, a rectangular field with a dirt floor that had a Pokeball design in the center. Simple, but effective. Flash and Lightning stood on either side of the field as Twilight stood halfway between them on the side. "I'll serve as referee, okay?"

"That's fine with me," Lightning replied.

"Same here," Flash said with a nod to Twilight.

Twilight nodded back. "Okay. This will be a one on one battle with no substitutions. The battle will be over when I declare one of the Pokémon is unable to battle. Understand?"

The two nodded.

"Good. Please present your Pokémon."

Lightning pulled out his Pokeball. "Chimplug, battle ready!" He tossed the ball in the air and it opened, unleashing a flash of white light. The light hit the ground and took shape before fading, revealing a three foot high Pokémon. It was a monkey Pokémon, whose fur was a mix of black and yellow. It's head was yellow, while its face and the inside of its ears were black. Its body was yellow, with a black lightning bolt pattern running down from its shoulders and meeting just above its stomach. Its hands and feet were black, and it had a long yellow cord like tail with a black tip and a strange plug shaped appendage on it. On its head was a yellow lightning bolt shaped spike.

The Pokémon jumped up and down from one foot to the other. "Chimplug!" It cried.

"Who's that Pokémon?" Flash asked, only to remember his new Pokedex. Pulling it out of his pocket and pointed it at the Pokémon.

Name: Chimplug
Category: Outlet Pokemon
Type: Electric
Info: Incapable of producing its own electricity, it instead absorbs it from outer sources and stores it in its body for later use. The spike on its head acts as a lightning rod, allowing it to conduct any stray electricity.

"So its an electric type," he said as he put it away before turning to Springer. "Nothing we can't handle, right bud?"

"Ri!" Springer barked with a grin.

Flash smiled. "Alright then Springer, I choose you!" His partner leapt onto the battle field.

Seeing both sides Pokémon were on the field and ready, Twilight called out. "Alright. Battle begin!"

From the side of the building, Aquana stepped around the corner and saw the battle start. "Aquana?"

"Alright!" Flash called out, "let's start this off with Quick Attack!" Springer let out a cry and shot forward at blinding speed, disappearing and reappearing as he drew closer to Chimplug. He then reappeared right in front of the electric monkey, spinning around and slamming his tail into it.

Chimplug staggered back, but managed to keep itself upright. Lightning smirked before calling out, "Spark!" Chimplug raised its left arm as sparks surged around it, soon slamming the Riolu with the shock. This caused the jackal Pokémon to go flying backwards, but he quickly recovered and performed a handstand as he jumped back to its feet.

"Force Palm!" Flash yelled to his partner, who nodded before rushing forwards. Springer got up close to Chimplug and slammed has paw into his chest, his paw shining with light. There was an explosion between Springer's palm and Chimplug's chest, causing Lightning's Pokémon to be pushed backwards and knocked off its feet.

"Get up!" Lightning ordered, Chimplug doing just that and getting back on its feet. "Now use Karate Chop!" Chimplug charged forwards and raised its right arm, ready to strike Springer.

"Dodge it!" Flash ordered, Springer managing to side step the Karate Chop.

"Spark!" Lightning called out, Chimplug using its left fist to slam into Springer's shoulder.

"RI!" Springer cried as it felt the electricity flow into his shoulder, causing him to leap back to a safe distance.

Off at the side, Professor Celestia smiled as she and Twilight watched the battle. "The two of them have trained their Pokémon well. They're both in perfect sync with them, but." She turned to Lightning, then to Flash. "Quick Attack, Spark, Force Palm and Karate Chop. There must be more to their fighting styles than those simple moves." She smirked as a new thought entered her head. "So now that they've felt each other out, how will the rest of the battle go?"

Flash crouched down and looked his partner over. "You okay bud?" Springer glanced back at Flash and nodded, a smirk on his face. Flash smiled and stood back up. "Alright, then let's use Quick Attack again!" Springer once again shot forwards, disappearing and reappearing in different locations as it got closer to Chimplug.

Lightning just smirked. "Brace yourself!" Chimplug did just that and crossed its arms as Springer once again got close and then slammed the bottom of his foot into him. Chimplug only slid back a few inches, the bracing having done the trick. But even so, it did not fight back.

This confused Flash. "What's this guy planning?" He shook his head. "Doesn't matter, I'll just beat him before he can pull it off. Quick Attack, back to back!"

Springer nodded before once again rushing towards Chimplug, slamming into it at high speed. Springer soon leapt back before repeating the attack, followed by another and another. All the while, Chimplug remained braced, taking the attacks one after the other.

"What's he doing?" Twilight asked, blinking at the sight. "He's just letting his Pokémon get attacked. If this keeps up, he'll lose." Celestia just chuckled at Twilight's observation, knowing exactly what Lightning was planning.

Lightning watched as his Pokémon was continuously hit, until finally he smiled. "Now, grab it!" As Springer got close for another attack, Chimplug finally acted and dodged the attack. Before Springer could recover, Chimplug grabbed his arms and swung him around before grabbing his other arm.

"Springer!" Flash cried out.

Springer tried to escape, but was unable to no matter how hard he struggled. Lightning's smile increased at the sight as he yelled, "Charge Beam!"

Chimplug's cord like tail weaved up and around the Pokémon's shoulder. Chimplug gave Springer a very sinister smile as he thrust the plug-like appendage into his chest. Chimplug's body surged with electrical energy, the energy surging through his tail.

"RIO!" Springer cried as he was soon zapped, Chimplug holding its arms preventing him from getting away. Finally, Chimplug let go and the Riolu was sent flying backwards, slamming into the ground.

"Springer!" Flash cried to his partner, "you alright?!"

The Riolu slowly picked himself up, a groan escaping his mouth as he did.

Twilight was amazed by this. "How did Chimplug manage to outmaneuver Riolu, when it was moving so fast?"

"He predicted his movements." Twilight looked over at Celestia. "Lightning wanted Flash to use Quick Attack repeatedly so Chimplug could figure out Riolu's attack pattern. Even if they looked random, Riolu was following a pattern that it probably didn't know it was using. Lightning had his Pokémon focus on finding that pattern so it could counter it using a surprise attack."

"But what if Chimplug had been knocked out before it found the pattern?"

Celestia just shrugged. "Guess he trusted it wouldn't be. Lightning obviously knows his Pokémon's limits."

Twilight turned to Chimplug, then to the still recovering Riolu. "So now Chimplug can counter Flash's Quick Attacks?"

"Seems so. What's more, Charge Beam's additional effect increases Chimplug's Special Attack. If it keeps using that move, Flash will find himself getting overpowered very quickly."

"That's bad," Twilight commented as she looked back at Flash. After hearing what Lightning had said earlier, she really wanted Flash to win.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Celestia turned to her, tapping her shoulder. "Now, don't you have some reffing to do?"

"Oh...right. Sorry." Twilight said before turning back to the battle. She looked Springer over, watching as it slowly got back on its feet. "I declare Riolu can still battle."

Lightning laughed at the sight. "That won't last long. Chimplug, another Charge Beam!" The lightning monkey raised its tail over its head, electricity surging again. Once again, an electrical blast shot out of the tail, heading straight at Springer.

Flash smirked. "Double Team!"

Springer nodded before waving its arms around, a flash of light shinning off of him. Those lights each took shape before revealing five different copies of Springer. The Charge Beam struck one of six Springers, causing it to disappear. Flash let out a laugh, "Alright! Now, Quick Attack!" The five remaining Riolu charged forwards at high speed, all aiming straight at Chimplug. "No way he can stop this. All his moves can only hit one Pokémon."

"Don't be so sure!" Lightning told him as he snapped his fingers. "Chimplug...Thunder Wave!"

Chimplug let out a powerful cry as he jumping into the air and slamming his tail plug into the ground. Doing so caused an electrical shockwave to shoot out of the ground, spreading and striking all five Riolus. Four of them disappeared, while the fifth one was zapped by the electrical energy. When the sparks finally disappeared, Springer stood limply on the ground.

"Karate Chop!"

Flash watched as Chimplug charged towards Springer, arm raised in preparation. "Quick! Dodge it bud!" Springer tried to move away, but in that moment, he froze as electrical energy surged around his body. "What!?" Chimplug struck Springer, knocking him back while rolling on the ground, coming to a stop at Flash's feet. The teen crouched down at his partner. "What happened?"

Lightning laughed at Flash's question. "Obviously, you don't know the effect of Thunder Wave."

"What?!" Flash asked as he looked up at him.

Twilight then spoke up, explaining, "Thunder Wave paralyses any Pokémon struck by it."

Flash frowned as he looked down, seeing Springer still laying on the ground. "Can you still battle?" Springer didn't reply. Instead, he tried to pick himself up, only to collapse once again.

Lightning and Chimplug both let out a chuckle. "Looks like I was wrong."

Flash looked up at him in confusion. "What?"

"You remember what I said before? About how I can tell whether or not a Pokémon's got potential and all that?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Lightning once again smirked. "Well, when I looked at your Riolu, I thought I saw something in it. But now I guess I was wrong. Its nothing special...and neither are you."

This made both Flash and Springer begin to seethe with anger.

"That was just uncalled for," Twilight told him, glaring at the trainer.

Lightning just shrugged. "I'm just telling it as it is. He's weak trash, just like that other Pokémon."

By the side, Aquana watched with a frown as he saw Springer on the ground. It had really wanted that trainer to win after he had been so nice to it as opposed to that other one.

"Well, you're wrong!" They all turned back to Flash, seeing Springer had finally gotten back to his feet. Flash glared at Lightning, his hands curling into fists. "If you wanna see something special, we'll show you something truly special. Springer, time for our secret weapon!"

"RI!" Springer cried as he raised both paws above his head. In that moment, something appeared between them. It was a ball of light blue energy, which started small but was growing larger and larger.

"What's that move?" Lightning asked.

Twilight went wide-eyed as she turned to Celestia. "Professor...is that?"

"It looks like it," Celestia replied as she put her thumb to her lip. "But that's impossible."

When Flash saw the orb was now the size of a basketball, he smiled. "Alright, let her rip. AURA SPHERE!"

Springer spun on its heel, firing the orb of blue light. The Aura Sphere flew through the air towards Chimplug, who was too surprised to dodge, brace, or try to even counter. The orb struck it, causing an explosion to cover the whole field. Everyone coughed as they fanned the dust away, only for it to clear and reveal Chimplug was still standing, though it was badly damaged.

Everyone was still shocked at what they had seen, Twilight speaking up, "How?! How can a Riolu use Aura Sphere?! It's impossible."

"It seems its not impossible my assistant." Celestia told her as she stared at Flash and Springer. "Those two, there's more to them than meets the eye."

Aquana on the other hand, was celebrating. After seeing the ones it was rooting for put the mean trainer and his Pokémon in their place, it was jumping from one foot to the other in joy.

Lightning, though surprised at first, quickly recovered and looked down at Chimplug. "Stop looking surprised, you're fine. Now use Charge Beam!" Chimplug shook its body before raising its tail and unleashing another electrical blast.

"Double Team!" Flash told Springer, who created three copies of himself. The Charge Beam struck one and caused it to vanish.

"Thunder Wave!" Chimplug leapt into the air and stuck its tail into the ground, unleashing another shockwave that flew after the three remaining Springers.

"Block with Aura Sphere!" The real Springer created another blue orb and held it up, blocking the shockwave as they hit his copies and made them vanish. He then tossed the attack at Chimplug.

"Spark!" Chimplug raised its fist, sparks surging around it as it punched the Aura Sphere, making it dissipate. But as soon as it disappeared, Chimplug saw Springer rushing towards him.

"Force Palm!"

"Karate Chop!"

The two Pokémon launched their attacks, the two hitting each other as a shockwave formed from the attacks, knocking both backwards. The two landed on the ground with a thud, only to quickly recover. In that moment, the two trainers called out at the exact same time. "LET'S FINISH THIS!"

"AURA SPHERE!"

"CHARGE BEAM!"

The two Pokémon powered up what they expected to be their final attacks, putting every little piece of strength they had left into them. Finally, they let them rip, the lightning blast and orb of blue energy flying towards each other. They connected in the center of the field, the two forces pushing each other back. Then, the force of their combined power peaked, an explosion soon following as it overtook the battlefield. Both Springer and Chimplug were taken by surprise as they were then struck by their own attacks. Springer was hit by Aura Sphere as it exploded while Chimplug was electrocuted. The smoke and light prevented anyone from seeing what was going on, but eventually, the two forces began to clear and they could see the result.

That result, was Springer and Chimplug standing limply on the ground. They were covered scratches and bruises, both panting heavily from exhaustion. Before either trainer could give a command, Springer began to fall to the ground. Chimplug followed suit, and the two fell face first into the ground as their eyes were replaced with swirls.

Twilight then called out. "Both Pokémon are unable to battle, this match is a tie!"

The two trainers were shocked by the outcome while Celestia and Twilight simply watched to see what the two would do next. They soon got their answer as Flash rushed over to Springer and picked him up. "You okay bud?"

Springer looked up at his trainer, a cough coming out of his mouth. "Ri..."

Flash smiled at his partner before looking over at Lightning, who had not moved from where he stood. Instead, he simply pulled out his Pokeball and pointed it at Chimplug. "Return." A red beam of light shot out the ball and struck the unconscious Pokémon, causing it to turn red before disappearing into the ball.

Twilight moved over to where Flash and Springer stood. "It was a good battle."

"Yeah...except you got the result wrong."

Twilight gave him a confused look. "What do you-"

"Springer fell first. We lost." He turned to Lightning, wondering what he was gonna say.

"It was called a tie," the teen said as he put his headphones over his ears. "A tie is what it is." He turned to Celestia. "Thank you for letting us use your battlefield."

Celestia nodded with a smile. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah," Lightning replied before turning away and walking off, nothing more needing to be said.

With that, Flash and Springer's adventure had just begun. Along the way they would encounter many great friends, rivals and many, many great Pokémon.

Chaos in Canterlot

View Online

Outside of the Canterlot Lab, hiding in the shadows, a pair of figures crawled through the nearby bushes. The duo soon popped their heads out of some bushes, staring at the large building.

"Is that it?" One of them, a woman, asked.

"It is," a male voice replied. "And our mission is clear. Ready the spy cubes."

"Roger," the woman responded before pulling out said device. The 'spy cubes' were several odd metal boxes, all with what looked like camera lenses coming out of the top and bottom sides. The top then opened, only for rotor blades to fold out and start spinning, lifting the boxes into the air. The two figures watched as the boxes flew towards the lab, only for the woman to pull out another device. This device projected a screen-like image, which showed footage of the outside of the lab. This included the Pokémon garden, where they spotted Champagoon watching over the other Pokémon.

The male figure chuckled at the sight. "That could come in handy."

"And we have just the tool to use it," the female figure added as she pressed a button on the device. It then switched the image to one of the spy cubes flying towards an open window. It flew inside and started to obverse the layout of the building, looking for something in particular. Eventually, it found an open door, which it flew into and found itself inside Celestia's lab.

"Found it."

Inside the lab, the spy cube flew up and hid itself behind some books on top of shelf, completely unnoticed by others. As it did this, the others in the lab were all standing by a table like machine with a big glass tube. Inside the device was Flash's Pokémon Springer, who had an audience of Flash, Twilight and Professor Celestia. Flash smiled down at his best friend, who was napping in the device as it unleashed healing waves onto his body. This was to heal the damage done to him during his battle against Lightning's Chimplug.

"You'll be okay bud," Flash told the Riolu in a low, soft voice. "Once you're all fixed up, we can get going on our journey."

"Ri..." Springer slight moaned, his body fidgeting as he stirred in his sleep.

Both Celestia and Twilight smiled at their bond, which was obviously strong. Celestia then patted Flash's shoulder, "Don't worry about Springer, Flash. He'll be back in tip-top fighting shape soon."

"Thanks..." Flash replied as he gave her a nod. "And thank you for letting me use this to heal him."

"Its no problem at all. Its times like these is why I have the machine in the first place."

Meanwhile, Twilight was staring at the Riolu, scratching her chin in thought as she said, "I have to say, this Riolu is one of a kind. To think, it can use Aura Sphere. That shouldn't be possible until it evolves into Lucario." She turned to Flash, getting right up in his face. "How did you manage to teach it that move?"

To say Flash was a little creeped out at her sudden violation of personal space would be a understatement. "Um...I didn't." He scratched the back of his head nervously, his feet slowly backpedaling. "He already knew the move when I met him."

"Oh really? That's interesting..." Celestia replied as she stared at Springer for a second, only to turn back to Flash. "If it's alright with you Flash, I'd like to study Springer."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this. "Study?"

"Just for the night. If it's okay, I'd like to observe him using Aura Sphere and compare it to ones Lucario can create. That might allow us to learn how to teach other Riolus the move."

Twilight saw Flash's face morph into one of increasing confusion and decided to step in and explain. "You see Flash, Professor Celestia studies Pokémon as a way to help them and humans grow closer. By learning more about them, she hopes to help create a world where the two groups can live together in perfect harmony."

"Oh...." Flash said as he turned to look at the professor. From the look on his face, the two could tell he was judging her. Eventually, he smiled and nodded. "Sure, why not? Waiting one more night to start my journey won't be so bad."

Celestia gave a large smile to the new trainer. "Thank you. And I know that I'm asking a lot, but could I also have Springer's Pokeball? I can copy the data from it and return Springer when he needs to go to sleep."

Flash scratched the back of his head at this. "Uh....actually, Springer doesn't like staying in his Pokeball."

The two blinked at this as Twilight asked, "Really? That's odd."

Flash turned to her and just gave a shrug. "Not really. He's just not very patient. The little guy doesn't like to stay in one place for very long." He turned back to Celestia and pulled out a Pokeball, this one being white on both the top and bottom with a red section in the middle. "Here."

"Oh! A Premier Ball! How interesting..." Celestia said as she took it before turning to Twilight. "I'll go ahead and examine this, so why don't you show him the garden? I'm sure he'd love to meet all the Pokémon there."

Twilight gave a quick nod. "Sure. Follow me Flash."

"Alright," Flash said before giving his partner one last glance, "see you later Springer."

"Ri..." the Riolu responded, his body still fidgeting in his sleep.

Flash and Twilight then headed outside, where they soon spotted several Pokémon playing. There were many different types, water, bug, normal, and all being watched over by Champagoon.

"Wow!" Flash said as he looked at the dragonoid Pokémon. He then pulled out his Pokedex and scanned it, the device chiming as it showed an image of the Pokémon.

Name: Champagoon
Category: Dragon Champion Pokémon
Type: Dragon/Fighting
Info: The evolved form of Rookaco. This brutal Pokémon will seek out bigger opponents in a bid to prove it's strength. Strong opponents are considered as anyone strong enough to get up after the first hit.

Flash looked between the image on the Pokedex and the one standing in front of him, quickly noticing a key difference. "This one doesn't look as intimidating as the one shown here."

Twilight giggled at this. "This Champagoon's not like others. She's much more docile, which is why Celestia took her in. She makes sure all the Pokémon stay safe."

"Awesome!" Flash said as he moved over to Champagoon and patted the dragon, who seemed to purr like a cat as he did. Twilight was quickly taken back at this, impressed at seeing how easy it was for Flash to befriend the dragon Pokémon. She soon joined him, both playing with the Pokémon Champagoon was watching over. At the same time, Aquana was behind a bush, watching as Flash and the rest of the Pokémon played together. Time quickly passed as they all played, only for a new sound to be heard as the end of the day approached.

"Ri!" Flash spun around to see Springer and Celestia enter the garden, Springer running towards him.

"Hey bud," he said to the Pokémon as it ran up and hugged him. "Feeling better?"

Springer nodded, tightening the hug. A few moments later, the Riolu released the embrace and started playing with the other nearby Pokémon. Seeing this, Celestia turned to the two teens. "Twilight, I called your parents and asked if they'd be willing to let Flash stay at your place tonight. They said they'd be delighted."

"Really? Well, okay..." Twilight said before turning to Flash. "If that's the case, we should get there before we're late. Knowing my mom, she'll probably be making some extravagant dinner."

Flash practically licked his lips as at the sound of that. "Sounds good to me." He turned and leaned down to Springer. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow Springer, so be good for the professor, okay?" Springer gave his trainer a thumbs up as he shined a big grin. "Good." the trained turned back to Twilight. "Lead the way."

Twilight nodded with a smile before they turned and walked out the garden, leaving Celestia and the Pokémon. The professor then leaned down at the Riolu. "Okay Springer, do you mind showing me that amazing Aura Sphere of yours?"

Springer nodded as the two headed off to the battlefield.

It wasn't long till Flash and Twilight arrived at Twilight's family's house.

It was a large three story building that was painted purple and pink, with a tower like construct in the center. Stain glass windows were shown in several areas of it, and all of them had the same design as what was on Twilight's skirt. Off to the right was a small garage attached to the building.

The two walked up the steps to the front door, which Twilight opened before stepping in. "I'm home."

The first one to meet them was not Twilight parents, but a younger boy of about twelve or thirteen. with purple skin and green hair. He was wearing an open purple jacket over a green shirt and blue shorts. "Twilight!" he cried as he rushed up and hugged her before spotting Flash, "is that the guy mom was talking about?"

"Yeah," Twilight replied before gesturing to him. "This is Flash Sentry."

Flash waved at him. "Hey there. Nice to meet ya."

Spike nodded in response. "Hi. I'm Spike."

In that moment, a middle aged couple came into the hall. One was a man with blue skin and dark blue hair, while the other was a woman with gray skin with purple and white hair.

"Hello there. You must be Flash." The man said as he greeted them with a wave

"Flash Sentry," Flash replied to him before bowing. "Thank you very much for letting me stay the night."

"Oh, its not trouble," the woman responded while giggling. "After everything the professor has done for our daughter, its the least we can do." She placed her hand over her heart. "I'm Twilight Velvet by the way, and this is my husband Night Light."

"Pleased to meet you," Flash said with a nod.

"Same here." Night told them, gesturing to the duo. "Come on in, dinner's almost ready,"

They all nodded as they moved over to the dinning room, where Flash, Twilight and Spike sat down. Flash then pulled out his Pokedex and activated it, looking over its features. He then noticed a search option, which reminded him of something and he started typing away at it.

Twilight noticed what he was doing and tilted her head in curiosity. "Are you looking for a particular Pokémon?"

"Yeah...." Flash replied while not looking up, "it's the one me and Springer saw before we got to town. I've never seen or heard anything like it."

"Really? What did it look like?"

Flash thought for a moment, scratching the side of his head as he stared at the device. "I'm not really sure. I didn't get a real good look at it, but it kinda looked like...a Rapidash, only it was bigger and it had wings."

Twilight and Spike both shared a confused look. "I've never heard of a Pokémon like that."

"Like I said, I didn't get a real good look." He looked down at his Pokedex. "But I'd definitely recognize the shape if I saw it again."

In that moment however, Velvet and Night walked in carrying dishes of food. "Bon Appetite," Velvet said as they put them down.

Flash licked his lips again. "Looks delicious."

"Thank you," Velvet replied as she and Night sat down.

The whole family and Flash soon began to eat. As they enjoyed the meal, Night Light spoke up, "So Flash...tell us about yourself."

Flash gave them a small shrug. "Not much to tell. I grew up in a small town, met my partner when I was ten and together, we've been training to one day become the Equestria League Champions." He then raised his fist up into the air, the meat still slightly dangling out of his mouth. "And now, I'm finally gonna begin my adventure!" He quickly realized that he had gotten a bit carried away, causing the others to all laugh at his enthusiasm, making him blush. "Sorry about that."

"it's quite alright," Velvet replied as they continued to eat their meal.

It wasn't long till they were done, and the parents soon took the dishes to clean up. Flash offered to help, but they turned him down and asked Twilight and Spike to show Flash his room for the night. Walking upstairs, Twilight first opened another door and stepped inside. "This my room."

Flash looked inside and saw that every wall in the room was covered by bookcases, along with the floor. "Wow..." he said as he looked around, blinking. "You...really like to read."

"Of course," Twilight replied, patting her chest in confidence. "How else am I supposed to learn?"

Spike then whispered into Flash's ear. "She's addicted. If she finds a book she's never read, she won't stop until she finishes...not even sleep stops her."

"I see..." Flash replied as he continued to look around the room. In that moment, he spotted something moving atop one of the bookcases. Taking a closer look, he saw it was a bird-like Pokémon. It appeared to be an owl, with light brown feathers covering its body. It's wings, ears, eyebrows and tail were all dark brown, while its beak and feet were orange. The circular areas around its eyes were an even light brown, almost cream, colour.

"Whoa. Whose that Pokémon?" He asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Psychick
Category: Mental Owl Pokémon
Type: Normal/Flying
Info: A curious Pokémon, it can often be seen in libraries. As a weak flyer, it can only fly short distances, another reason they enjoy living in libraries or other basic buildings.

Twilight held out her arm, which the Psychick flew down onto before rubbing its head into her cheek. "This is Owlicious, my partner Pokémon. We met when he saved one of my reports from being blown away by the wind. Ever since then, we've been great study buddies. He also takes care of my room, specifically the books."

"Huh. Cool..." Flash replied as he looked around at the room. "No wonder it likes this place so much. Its practically a library in its own right."

Twilight giggled at that as she turned to Owlicious. "Thank you. We like it like that, don't we?" The owl Pokémon replied with a hoot, making Flash and Twilight smile.

Spike frowned as he crossed his arms. "I wish I was older. Then I could have my own Pokémon and go on an awesome adventure."

Flash chuckled at the young teen as he patted his head. "Hey, don't worry. Eventually, you'll be able to go on an adventure of your own."

Spike rolled his eyes before giving Flash a confident grin. "Yeah. And then, I'm gonna become the Equestria League Champion."

Flash smirked before pointing his thumb at his heart. "Well, I'll be waiting to accept your challenge."

This caused them all to laugh as Twilight stared at the teen. He was like none of the other trainers she had ever met, only to remember that that was actually wrong. There was one person he reminded her of...

Meanwhile...

Back at the lab, Celestia was scanning Springer's body.

The Riolu had a bunch of wires attached to its body, which were connected to the computer that Celestia was currently looking at. On the screen was a bunch of numbers, which Celestia stared at while humming. "Okay, nothing here looks unusual." She then started typing, "maybe an energy analysis might shed some light."

The screen changed to show new readings, which intrigued Celestia. "These energy readings...I've seen them before." She began to rack her brain for the answer, only to snap her fingers in shock. "No...how is that possible?!" She turned back to Springer, who was looking at her curiously. "Do you know?"

Springer frowned and nodded.

"What about Flash?"

Another nod.

"I see..." Celestia moved over to the Riolu and patted him on the head. "I'm so sorry."

"Ri..." Springer replied while smiling at her.

"I must say....you're very brave Springer."

"Ri."

Back outside, Champagoon continued to watch as the Pokémon played. It then looked over at Aquana.

Aquana was still upset over what Lightning had said to it. It was sitting over in the corner, frowning as it remembered how hard Flash and Springer had battled. It wished it could be like that, totally fearless and able to beat any Pokémon. Then there would be no way anyone could call it pathetic. It then felt something touch it on the head, causing it to look up and see Champagoon smiling down at it. The Dragon Pokémon patted it on the head, showing its encouragement, making Aquana smile back.

At the same time, the two figures hidden in the shadows had now leapt onto the lab's roof. They both glared at the sight below them, the man speak up, "That Champagoon is just what we need. Ready the control collar."

"Roger," the woman replied as she pulled out another strange device. She then moved over to the edge of the roof and stared down at the Dragon Pokémon before throwing the device, which instantly took flight. As it began its flight towards the Pokémon, Champagoon was still continuing to comfort Aquana. It then felt something off, but as it tried to react to the sensation, it was too late.

KA-CHINK!

Back in the lab, Celestia and Springer were walking down a corridor. The professor turned to the Riolu as she kept writing in a folder. "Thank you agreeing to the tests Springer. How about I make you something nice to eat as payment?"

"Ri!" Springer cheered in agreement.

Celestia smiled at this, but that smile quickly faded when the entire building started to shake. Celestia barely managed to keep her balance, "What the-what's going on?"

KABOOM!

The sound made both hop in place, quickly turning and rushing towards the sound's origin. They soon flung open the door to the garden, only to gasp at the sight. The once beautiful green paradise was now a wreck, the ground torn up and the trees ripped down. Then, there was the Pokémon, who were all running around the place in fear. But it was the thing they were running from that was the most horrifying, as Champagoon appeared to be in a blind, furious rage.

The Dragon Pokémon flailed its body around as if it was in terrible pain. "CHAMP...CHAMP....AGOON!"

"Champagoon!" Celestia called out to her Pokémon, "what's wrong with you?"

The Dragon Pokémon spun around, allowing her to see that it's usual orange colored eyes were now bright red. It was then that she noticed something around Champagoon's neck. It was an unusual red collar with a box like device at the front.

"That has to be what's causing it," she said before pulling out a Pokeball. "Champagoon, return!" The ball fired a red beam of light, which hit the Pokémon and enveloped it. But in that moment the collar sparked and caused Champagoon to flail even harder, causing the Pokeball's beam to be disrupted.

Champagoon turned back to her and opened its mouth, an orb of purple light appearing in it. "CHAMP!" It cried as the orb of light transformed into a beam, which flew right at the professor.

Celestia's eyes went wide as she watched the attack fly at her, only to feel herself be pushed out of the way. She landed on the ground with a thud as she heard a loud boom coming from where she had been standing. She picked herself up and looked around to see Springer, standing in front of her in a defensive manner. "Springer..."

"Riiiii," Springer growled at Champagoon.

The Dragon Pokémon growled back, as it once again fired the beam of purple light.

"Riolu!" Springer cried as he created an Aura Sphere and tossed it at the beam, the two forces colliding and exploding.

Everyone watched as the smoke filled the area, Springer using this chance to leap at Champagoon. The smoke then cleared and they all watched as Springer held onto Champagoon's arm, the Dragon Pokémon swinging it around. As she flailed it around, the Riolu was thrown off, flying into a still standing tree.

"RIOLU!"

"Springer!" Flash cried as he suddenly stood up, sweating pouring down his face.

He and the Sparkle family had been hanging out in the living room when the teen suddenly jolted up, causing the four of them to look at him strangely. "Are you okay Flash?" Twilight asked.

"Its Springer..." Flash said with a gasp, panting as he held his forehead. "Springer's in trouble."

"What's a Springer?" Spike asked.

"It's what he calls his Riolu," Twilight told him.

Flash then turned and rushed out the room, shocking the others as they followed after him. They watched as he ripped open the front door and ran outside. As he did this, Velvet spoke up, "Where's he going?"

"Not sure," Night replied, blinking at the sight.

Twilight was also confused, but then remembered what Springer was. "No...He must have sensed his partner was in danger."

"What do you mean?"

"Riolu can form powerful mental links with those they're close to, so Flash must have felt it through that link." Twilight's eyes then went wide. "Something bad must be happening at the lab." With that, she rushed out after him.

"Hey, wait up!" Spike said as he rushed after her, leaving the two older members of the family to stare at their running forms in confusion.

It wasn't long till the trio got to the lab. It was thankfully just a few blocks away, and the three were running at top speed. That being said, as they got to the street-

KABOOM!

Part of the building exploded, a large smoke cloud soon appearing as it tried to make its new journey into the sky. All three gasped at the sight, Flash doubling his speed as he ran towards the lab, the other two just behind him.

"What's going on?" Spike asked as his eyes shrunk at the sight of the smoke.

"Nothing good," Twilight replied, adjusting her glasses as she kept her pace. "There's only one Pokémon I can think of that-wait! What's that?!"

A figure flew out of the cloud, soon hitting the ground with a thud. Flash's eyes shrunk as he saw the figure, panic plastering his face as he ran up to it. "Springer!" He put his hands over the Riolu, fear in his eyes as he held Springer's head. "You okay bud?" Flash asked, only to get a small moan. "Who did this to you?" He got his answer when something else flew out of the cloud before landing in front of them, revealing itself as Champagoon.

"Champagoon!" Twilight cried out, coming to a screeching halt at the sight.

"Children!" They all turned to see Celestia rush out of the lab. "Get away from her, now! Its too dangerous!"

"What are you...what the heck is going on?!" Flash asked as he looked up at the previously gentle Pokémon. "Why is Champagoon doing this?!"

"Hey, look!" Spike cried as he pointed at the device around Champagoon's neck. "What the heck is that?!"

Twilight and Flash both frowned when they looked at the device. Twilight let out a gulp as she stated, "That has to be what's causing this. There's no way Champagoon would do this."

"Then we'll just get that collar off of her," Flash finished before standing up and charging at Champagoon. Twilight tried to object, only to see a ball of white energy to appear in Champagoon's mouth.

"Watch out! Its about to use Hyper Beam!" Twilight cried as she grabbed Spike, putting the boy behind her with a quick tug.

One second later, the attack began, the beam of energy blasting out of its mouth. As it did, Flash and Springer both leapt to the side, dodging the beam of a hair. Champagoon then closed its mouth, already recharging from the Hyper Beam. Seeing this, Flash pointed at the device. "Springer, use Aura Sphere! Aim for that collar!"

"RI!" Springer created an Aura Sphere and launched it at Champagoon, only for the Dragon Pokémon to spin around and reflect the aura ball with a swipe of its tail.

As it did this, the Pokémon let out a cry, "CHAMP! CHAMPAGOON!!!" She cried before leaping into the air, spreading its wings as it started to fly away. It then fired another Hyper Beam, which hit a nearby building, creating a large hole at the others' horror.

"Champagoon!" Celestia yelled as she ran up to the trio. "Come back!"

"We'll get her. Come on Springer!" Flash said as his Riolu nodded in response.

However, a hand grabbed his shoulder, causing him to turn and see Twilight, "Stop Flash. Its too dangerous."

"But Champagoon's the one in danger," Flash replied, his face showing nothing but determination. "We have to do something to help her."

The four of them shared a look before nodding, all agreeing with Flash's sentiment. Then, they began to run after Champagoon. And as they did, around the side of the building was Aquana, who was leaning around the corner. When Champagoon had gone berserk, the water starter had rushed off to hide, but now it saw the ones from before trying to help her. The water Pokémon blinked at the sight, not sure on what to do next.

All over the city, a state of panic began as news of a raging Champagoon spread. People began taking shelter, as the dragon Pokémon began to fire Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam across the city. As it did, the city's police began to work on a plan to stop it before it injured someone. Then, Flash and the others arrived at the spot Champagoon had last been seen, only to spot a police barricade.

"Officer Hard Case!" Celestia called out, getting the attention of a yellow skinned police man with brown hair.

The police officer turned to them. "Professor Celestia."

"I'm sorry," Celestia told him as she came to a stop in front of the man. "Champagoon, she's being controlled by something."

Hard Case showed a slight frown before turning back to the barricade. "My apologies professor, but despite that, we can't allow it to run wild."

Everyone looked past him and saw that Champagoon had been surrounded by officers, the Dragon Pokémon currently standing in one spot. As it stood there, it flinched as sparks surged around its body.

"We can't just leave it like that!" Twilight yelled at the officer, pointing at the Pokémon. "We have to get that collar off!"

"It's too dangerous to get close to it," Hard Case explained as he raised his hand to stop her. "We've called for officers with ice and fairy types, but until they get here, we will remain at a safe distance."

"So you're just gonna attack it?!" Flash barked back, getting the officer's face. "You can't do that! This isn't Champagoon's fault!"

"Fault or not, I have to put the safety of the city and its people first."

Flash growled at this before turning back to Champagoon. He clenched his fists at the sight, narrowing his eyes as he gave Hard Case another glare. "Grrr...I can't let that happen!" Flash yelled, suddenly pushing Hard Case to the side and leaping over the barricade. Before anyone could say anything, Springer followed suit, hopping over as well.

"Flash!" Twilight called out, "What are you doing?!"

"I'm gonna help Champagoon!" Flash replied before nodding to his partner by his side. "Come on Springer!"

"Riolu!"

"Flash, stop! You can't-" Celestia tried to say, only to see a Pokémon rush past her and the others. Her eyes went wide as she gasped, "Aquana?! What are you-come back!"

The water lizard Pokémon rushed towards Champagoon, running side-by-side with Flash and Springer. Flash smirked at the sight, instantly understanding the situation. "I get it. You want to help Champagoon too, huh?"

"Aquana!" Aquana replied as they got closer to the Dragon Pokémon, soon coming to a stop a few feet away.

"Champagoon!" Flash called out, getting its attention. "I know you're scared, and in a lot of pain." He slowly stepped towards it, causing the Champagoon to turn towards them with pain in its eyes. In its pain induced mental state, survival instincts taking over as it raised its claws. Then, they began to glow light blue.

"Oh no! She's about to use Dragon Claw!" Twilight screamed as she almost backpedaled at the sight. "Watch out Flash!"

"I hope Flash knows what he's doing," Spike commented, gulping at the sight of the Pokémon's claw.

Seeing this, Hard Case ordered his officers to be ready, should Champagoon attack. Flash however, was not scared as he stepped closer to it. "Please, let us help you."

"Ri!"

"Aq!"

"PAGOON!" It swung its claws through the air, creating a powerful gust of wind. The wind almost blew the trio away, but they stood their ground. As they did, Springer readied itself into a battle stance.

"No Springer," Flash commanded, causing Springer to look at him in confusion. "No matter what happens, don't attack." Springer then saw Flash's face, determination shining on his features. Seeing this, he nodded and lowered his paws. Flash smirked at this and turned back to Champagoon, slowly raising his hands as he softly said, "Champagoon, its okay. You won't hurt me, I know that."

"CHAMP!" Champagoon raised its claws again.

"You're way stronger than that collar. Even if you're in pain, your kind heart won't let you cause harm."

Champagoon continued to stare at him, its eyes bloodshot as she glared at the human. Then, a flash of pain struck the Pokémon, making it flail around. Everyone took a step back at this, all but Flash. He stood still as the flailing continued. Flash took a small breath before continuing to walk forward, "You won't hurt me, I trust you."

But in that moment, Champagoon's collar once again sparked. A yell of pain followed as it flew forward, Dragon Claw ready to strike.

"FLASH!" Everyone cried out as they flinched away, not wanting to watch. Several seconds passed, but there was no sound of Flash crying in pain, causing them to slowly open their eyes and turn towards him. There, they saw Flash, looking completely calm with Champagoon's still glowing claws barely inches from his face. Champagoon had managed to pull itself back at the last moment.

"Thank you Champagoon." Flash remarked as he grabbed the Pokémon's claw. "Don't worry, I'll help you." He then pulled the arm to the side, exposing the collar. "Springer, Aquana, NOW!"

The two Pokémon leapt into the action, Springer preparing a Force Palm attack while Aquana spun around to pound it with his tail. They both struck the box of the collar, hitting it with such force that it blew up in a flurry of sparks. This caused Flash to let go and leap back, the sparks now shocking the Pokémon.

"Champagoon!" Flash cried as he, Springer and Aquana saw this.

At the same time, Celestia, Twilight, Spike and Hard Case rushed over to them. "Champagoon!" Celestia cried as she ran up and leaned over the Pokémon, "Are you alright? Please, speak to me."

The Dragon Pokémon's eyes slowly opened, but they were no longer bright red. Champagoon slowly released a purr. This caused Celestia and Twilight to smile, Celestia pulling Champagoon's head into a hug. "Oh, I'm so glad you're okay."

Spike moved over to Flash, amazement in his eyes. "That was awesome man."

Flash smirked and patted the kid on his head. "Thanks. It was nothing." He then felt someone step close to him, causing him to turn around.

Officer Hard Case was glaring at the teen, his arms folded. "That was a very foolish thing you did back there kid."

Flash just shrugged. "Maybe, but I couldn't let Champagoon get hurt."

"Even if it meant you would have been hurt?"

"I knew she wouldn't hurt me. She's too kind to do something like that." Flash said as he knelt down and scratched both Springer and Aquana on the head. "Also, thanks you two. You guys were awesome."

"Ri."

"Aq."

Hard Case let out a long groan at his response, soon seeing that Celestia and Twilight were happy at what Flash did. He then moved over to the remains of the collar lay, picking it up as he turned towards Celestia. "Professor, why do you think someone did this?"

Celestia turned back to him with a frown. "I don't know. Its possible that the one who did this tried to take control of Champagoon, but the collar failed."

Twilight thought about what Champagoon had done, going over every little detail in her head. "I don't think so. It looked more like the collar was working properly, which means they wanted Champagoon to go on rampage."

"Why would they do that?" Spike asked.

They all considered this for a moment, when suddenly a single thought entered their heads. "A distraction."

Celestia grit her teeth in frustration as she realized the true goal. "Whoever did this, did it to get us all out of the lab!"

A little later...

The group along with Hard Case soon returned to the lab, only to gasp at the sight. Celestia began to tear up, "My lab..." She cried as she looked around. The entire place was a disaster, with every piece of machinery looking like it had been melted.

"This wasn't done by Champagoon." Hard Case remarked as he looked the crime scene over. "This type of damage on these machines....its not from a dragon Pokémon, I can tell you that."

"Then what did this?" Twilight asked as she patted her mentor on the back.

"And why?" Flash finished.

In a dark corner of the city, the two figures stood shrouded in darkness. One of the figures pulled out the device it had used with the spy cubes. The screen showed a dark figure, whose identity was hidden in the shadows. "Sir," the male spoke, "we managed to recover the data."

"Good. And the original info?"

"Destroyed," the female replied as she showed the figure a pokeball. "We used my Geckoxic's Acid attack to melt every piece of machinery there. No way of recovering it."

"Excellent work. Return to base." With that, the screen went blank before the figures switched it off. The two then stepped into the light, revealing themselves as a pair of adults wearing matching black uniforms. On the left breast was a blood red S.

"Hail Team Shadow," they said in unison, their bodies disappearing back into the darkness.

The Next Morning...

Flash, Springer, Twilight, Spike and Celestia were now standing outside of the damaged lab. It was time for Flash and Springer to head out, off to start their journey.

"Well, I hope you got a good nights rest," Celestia told him with a small smile. "Especially after everything that happened."

Flash chuckled back. "Yeah, I was asleep the second my head hit the pillow." He turned to Springer, "right bud?"

The Riolu nodded. "Ri."

"Good to hear," Twilight said as she adjusted her glasses.

"Good luck on your adventure," Spike added.

"Thanks," Flash replied, nodding at this.

Before he could say anything else, Celestia stepped up to him. "I can't thank you enough for everything you did yesterday, Flash."

Flash smirked as he scratched the back of his head. "It was nothing really." His face then became one of concern, "Say, how's Champagoon?"

Celestia let out a long sigh. "Recovering...but she's okay. She went through quite an ordeal, but she should be back to her old self sooner or later."

Flash breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear."

Celestia giggled at this, winking at him. "It is, isn't it? After all, its obvious you love Pokémon with all your heart."

Flash shined a cheeky grin. "Of course! That's the only way to become a great trainer, by loving your Pokémon." He looked down at Springer and scratched his ear. "After all, they're our partners."

"Riolu!"

Celestia's smiled increased. "I couldn't agree more. That's why I've decided you're the one."

This caused Flash, Springer, Twilight and Spike to stare at her in confusion. "One for what?" Twilight asked her.

"The one to take on a very important task," Celestia replied, pointing to behind the four. They turned and saw Night Light and Velvet walking up to them.

"Mom, dad, what are you doing here?"

The two gave their daughter a confused look. They then held up a square purple backpack, along with a regular pokeball. Twilight recognised both, but before she could ask, Velvet spoke up, "We came to bring you your backpack and Owlicious. We've packed everything you'll need for a long journey."

"Journey?!" Twilight and Spike asked in unison.

Night nodded in response. "Professor Celestia called us last night and told us you were going to be going on a training journey."

Twilight turned to her mentor in surprise. "Professor? What are they talking about?!"

Celestia smiled back and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Twilight Sparkle, you are probably one of the brightest minds of your generation. But all the knowledge in the world is useless without real world experience. I've been thinking about this for a while, and came to the conclusion that you need to go on a journey to learn more about the Pokémon world. The only thing stopping me from sending you out is my own worry that your limited real world experience might not be enough to keep you safe."

"So...why now?"

Celestia then turned away from her, Twilight following her gaze. She soon found herself staring at Flash, a nervous look appearing on his face. He looked side to side, wandering if they were looking at somethin behind him, only to look back in confusion. "Huh?"

Celestia let out a laugh before patting Twilight's shoulder, getting her attention again. "You see Twilight, I decided that you should travel with someone else. Someone whose real world experience would complement your amazing technical knowledge." She then pushed Twilight over to Flash with a big grin on her face. "Flash, if it's not too much trouble, would you be willing to let Twilight travel with you? I'm sure she could help teach you just as much as you could teach her."

Twilight and Flash shared a glance before they both smiled at one another. The teenager shrugged as he said, "Sure, the more the merrier."

Celestia then turned around and went into the remains of her lab. A few moments later, she returned with what looked like a purple book in hand. It was made out of metal and had Twilight's insignia on it. Twilight took it and opened it up, soon seeing that it had a screen and stylus inside. "This is-"

"It's an electronic journal," Celestia explained as she tapped the device with a wink. "You can use it to communicate with me whenever you want. Whenever you learn something new, I want you to send me a report."

Twilight smiled as she closed the device, quickly nodding. "I promise you professor, I'll learn everything there is to know about the Pokémon world."

"I know you will," Celestia told her as she crossed her arms with a big grin. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

Spike, who had been strangely quiet this whole time, frowned. Flash noticed this, realizing he was upset about being left behind. In that moment, an idea popped into his head. "Hey Professor, don't you think that going on a journey before becoming a trainer would be a good experience too?"

Spike looked up at him in shock while Celestia raised an eyebrow, only to notice Spike's expression. She pointed to the young boy as she said, "I agree. Don't you Twilight?"

Twilight followed the pointing finger, only to see her brother. She soon saw two eyes filled with hope staring at her, the duo weapons quickly melting any reluctance she would have had. "Yeah...I do. Wanna come along Spike?"

"YES!" Spike yelled, only to turn to his parents, who also gave nods of agreement. "ALRIGHT!"

One journey back to Twilight's house for Spike's stuff later...

It wasn't long till the four were ready to head out. They now stood in front of the lab again, Celestia giving them a shining warm smile. "Alright you four. I wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks," the three replied in unison.

"Riolu."

Celestia did a slight cough before turning to Flash, "Now Flash, if you want to enter the Equestria League, you'll need to collect a total of eight Pokémon Gym Badges. The closest town with a gym is in Trottingham City."

Flash nodded at this. "Trottingham City. Got it."

"We'd better get going then." Twilight said before the four of them began walking away. Celestia, Velvet and Night all waved at the four, who waved back as they got further and further away.

What was not noticed by anybody, was that a particular Pokémon was watching them leave. The Pokémon stared at one of the teens, a look of determination showing on its face.

Reach for the Sky

View Online

"Whoa!" Spike exclaimed as he spun around, staring at the trees that surrounded the group.

Flash, Twilight and Springer all smiled at his enthusiasm. The three of them had left the city limits of Canterlot a little over an hour ago, finding the path that would lead them to Trottingham City. As soon as they started on the path, Spike's excitement continued to grow as he ran ahead...only for his happiness to fade as he slowed down. "Aw man. Where are they?"

"Where are what?" Flash asked as he, Twilight and Springer caught up to him.

"The Pokémon!" Spike yelled as he turned back to the group, pointing at the forest around him, "We're out in the wild, so where are all the wild Pokémon?"

Twilight laughed under her breath, shaking her head. "Spike, we're still pretty close to the city. You can't just look up at any old tree and see one right off the bat, especially near such a populated area. You need to look in specific locations, where the Pokémon you're trying to find would likely make its home."

"But, aren't we in the wild already?" Spike asked, only to see Twilight push her glasses up, a shine sparkling at the corner of the lens.

Flash and Springer gave each other a grimace-filled look, as they could tell a lecture was coming. With that, Twilight shined a confident smile as she replied, "Allow me to explain Spike. When hunting for Pokémon, the first thing you need to consider is its basic nutritional and habit needs. This will allow you to narrow down your search and waste less time looking. Additionally-" She did not get to finish, as Spike used this opportunity to throw his hands in front of her mouth.

"Okay, okay!" he yelled, a frustrated scowl on his face. "I get it. I can't just see Pokémon whenever I want. Geez, do you have to take the fun out of everything sis?!"

Flash and Springer both laughed at the soon pouting face Twilight gave her little brother. Seeing this, Flash patted Spike's head as he said, "I'm guessing this is your first time outside of the city, huh Spike?"

"Ri." Springer added.

"Yeah...it is." Spike sighed as he looked up at the sky. "I've always wanted to see the world, but never got the chance because I was too young. Since I can't have a Pokémon yet, I couldn't leave the city since it's dangerous."

"Well of course it is," Twilight told him, wiggling a finger in confidence. "There's wild Pokémon, not to mention those who would want to try and steal your belongings. That's why its not recommended to travel anywhere by foot, unless you have a Pokémon."

"I know, I know. You've told me that like, a thousand times before Twilight." Spike groaned as Twilight's pout returned to her face. Smirking at this, he continued, "That's why I'm so pumped to be travelling now! I wanna see a ton of different Pokémon so I know a whole bunch about them before my own journey!"

"Makes sense," Flash said as he patted his partner on the head. "Don't worry, we're bound to run into something sooner or later."

Springer nodded. "Ri."

In that moment, Spike's wish came true. From out of one of the trees, a black blur shot out and flew over their heads. The figure zipped through the air before flying back into the tree line. Blinking at the sight, Spike pointed at the valley of lumber, "Whoa! What was that?!"

"Not sure," Flash commented as he blinked at the sight as well. "I didn't get a good look at it."

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought, "Considering it stayed in the air like that, its probably a Flying type Pokemon."

Hearing this, Spike perked up and shot forward, quickly rushing into the woods. "Wait up!" he yelled as he ran through some bushes.

"Spike!" Twilight called out as she, Flash and Springer followed him. "Get back here! Its too dangerous!"

Unfortunately, this plea fell on deaf ears as Spike made his way through the woods, soon finding himself into a woodland clearing. There, he saw a new sight, one that was exactly as Twilight had said. In front of him was a Flying type bird Pokémon that was about a foot in height. It's main body was sphere like, with black feathers covering all but its chest and face. Its chest was bright red, while its face had a patch of yellow between it's large black eyes. It's beak was yellow, while the outside of its wings were black with red on the inside. It had a pair of black feet, while its tail was made up of two yellow tail-feathers on either side of a large red tail-feather.

"Whoa, cool!" He said before feeling something grab hold of his hood and yank him back into the treeline. Looking up, he saw that the culprit was Twilight, who had an annoyed look on her face. She, Flash and Springer were hiding behind the bushes, so as not to be spotted.

"Spike..." she growled, her face now right up in his. "You can't just run off like that!"

Spike just chuckled nervously before looking away, "I know...I just wanted to see what it was."

Flash looked up at the bird like Pokémon, "Whose that Pokémon?" He asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Chickling
Category: Hatchling Pokémon
Type: Normal/Flying
Info: It's wing muscles grow slower than most. Because of this fact, this Pokémon takes longer than any other Pokemon to learn how to successfully fly.

"Well, that one didn't seem to have any problems," Flash said as they watched the Chickling begin to preen itself. It was here that they heard a volley of rustling coming from the trees around them. They looked up, only to see a bunch of Chicklings fly out and land in the clearing.

"Wow..." Spike gasped as he tried to count how many Pokémon were in front of him. "It's a whole flock of Chickling."

"Guess this is their territory," Twilight added as she looked the scene. "Interesting. I never imagined there would be a flock this big, this close to the city."

They continued to watch as the Chicklings preened and fed themselves, all showing that they truly were a big family of wild Pokémon. But as they watched, Flash tapped his partner's shoulder and winked at him, "Come on bud, let's go catch one of them."

"Ri!" Springer replied before the two of them hopped out of the bushes.

Twilight went wide-eyed at this, losing her footing as she fell into the bushes behind her as she called out, "Flash, wait! That's a Flying type! Springer can't-ack!"

But this also fell on deaf ears as Flash and Springer stepped up to the flock, who all turned to look up at them. "Chickling, prepare yourself to be captured. Springer, I choose you!" The Riolu leapt in front of its trainer, ready for battle.

The closest Chickling got into a battle stance, spreading its wings and lifting itself into the air.

"Nice. I like your spirit Chickling!" Flash complimented as he pointed at the bird, "Alright Springer, let's use Quick Attack!" Springer obeyed and shot towards the Chickling at high speed. But as Springer leapt into the air to strike, Chickling flapped its wings, the feathery appendages suddenly glowing white. The wing then smacked Springer in the face, instantly knocking him into the dirt.

"Springer!" Flash yelped as he saw his partner slam into the ground, "You okay?!"

"It just used Wing Attack!" Twilight yelped as she finally got out of the bush.

"Ri..." Springer moaned as it started to pick itself up. He then looked up, only to see that the Chickling now had the rest of it's flock with it in the air. The group now bunched together, all of their wings began to glow.

"Uh-oh...that's not good." Flash gulped as he pointed at the flock. Before he could say anything else, the Chicklings all flapped their wings in sync, instantly creating a gust of wind. The blast of air hit Springer, knocking him into the air and into the stomach of one Flash Sentry, both flying over the bushes Spike and Twilight were hiding in.

"AUGH!" Flash yelled as they hit a tree, the duo slumping down the lumber with spirals in their eyes.

"Whoa...that looked like it hurt." Spike commented as he blinked at the sight.

"Flash!" Twilight cried as she got out of the bush, running over with panic all over her face. "Are you two okay?!"

Flash and Springer continued to have spirals for eyes, their bodies waving back and forth as Flash replied, "Ask me again when the world stops spinning...."

"Riiiioluuuu…"

Twilight sighed as she shook her head, leaning down to help Flash up. "If you hadn't rushed in and instead listened to me, I could have told you that a Fighting type like Springer is weak to a Flying type like Chickling. Not only that, you just went against a whole flock of them!" She and Spike turned back to the clearing, only to see that the Chicklings were flying away. "So much for catching one of them."

"Wait!" Spike said as he pointed to the ground, "Look! There's one left."

Twilight followed his finger and saw another Chickling, pecking at the ground. "There is. Why didn't it fly away with the others?"

"Who cares!" Flash yelled as him and Springer got up and ran over to the Pokémon, "Let's get it before it can act!"

"Ri!"

"Flash!" Twilight tried to yell, only to facepalm, "Not again! Didn't he just hear a word of what I just said?!"

Stepping out of the bushes, Flash and Springer caught the Chickling's attention. It stared at them with its wings spread, looking like it was about to take off. However, Flash pointed at the bird and commanded, "Quick Attack! Do it now!" Springer shot forwards, instantly dealing a powerful kick to the Pokémon's chest.

The Chickling rolled back at the blow, only to quickly get back to its feet. "Chick, chickling!" it growled at Springer before its body glowed. The light shot off it and took the form of several Chicklings, all staring at Springer.

"It used Double Team?" Twilight pondered as she blinked at the Pokémon's choice of move. "Why didn't it use a Flying type move?"

"Doesn't matter. We'll just use Double Team as well!" Flash commanded as he waved his hand. "Do it Springer!"

"Ri!" Springer cried as he performed the attack, multiplying himself to match the number of Chicklings.

The Chicklings all stared at the many Springers, trying to figure out which one was the real one. But as it did, Flash crossed his arms with a cheeky smirk. "We got him now partner. Lock onto his aura and use Force Palm!"

"Ri!" Springer yelled as he did just that, the copies all closing their eyes and focusing until they found the right one. Then, one of them ran straight at the Chickling in the center of the group. Once there, he thrust his paw into its chest, a burst of power following the blow as it was sent flying back. The Chickling let out a cry of pain as it slammed into the ground with a thud, only to pick itself back up again.

While this was happening, Twilight and Spike watched intensely. Spike's eyes shined like gold as he squealed, "This is awesome."

Twilight on the other hand, just stared at the Chickling as she rubbed her chin in thought. "Strange. Why isn't it taking to the sky? It'd have a great advantage if it did, so why isn't it? Unless..." As she pondered at the sight, the Chickling charged forward, moving at blinding speed as it slammed Springer with its beak. This caused the fake Springers to disappear, the real one staggering backwards from the blow. Chickling's wings then glowed as it swung on forward, hitting Springer with a Wing Attack that once again made him stagger back. Twilight's eyes went wide as she blinked at the sight, "It just used Peck and Wing Attack without flying!"

Flash frowned at this. "Springer, back off!" The Riolu leapt back, landing a safe distance away from the Chickling. "Now, use Aura Sphere!" The ball of blue energy appeared in his paw, which he then tossed at Chickling at a downward angle. The Flying type saw it coming and jumped back, allowing the attack to hit the ground and explode. The up-draft caught Chickling's wing, causing it to be lifted into the air.

"Hey! Its flying now!" Spike cried out as he pointed at the bird. Twilight wasn't so sure though. She looked closely at the Chickling's face, only to notice a look of uncertainty on it. It was as if it didn't know what to do.

"Springer! Quick Attack, now!" Flash yelled, knocking Twilight out of her observing trance. Springer nodded at the command and rushed forwards, getting beneath the Chickling as he built up speed. There, he launched himself into the air with that speed, spinning in the sky as he then smacked the Pokémon with his tail.

"LING!" Chickling cried as crashed into the ground.

See his chance, Flash pulled out an empty Pokeball and enlarged it. "Alright!" he said as he pulled his arm back, "Go Pokeball!" He tossed the ball at the Flying type, the aim perfect as it hit the Chickling dead-on. As soon as it did, the Pokeball opened up and unleashed a swirl of red energy that surrounded the Pokémon. Everyone watched as Chickling was converted into energy, soon being sucked into the Pokeball, only for the top to slam shut as it tapped the ground.

"He did it!" Spike cheered with his hands raised in the air, only to feel a hand grab his shoulder.

"Not yet," Twilight told him as she held Spike's shoulder.

They all stared at the Pokeball, watching it start to wobble back and forth. It wobbled again and again, until-

DING!

Flash's eyes went wide, a large smile appearing on his lips as picked the Pokeball up before raising it to the sky, "Alright! I just caught, A CHICKLING!"

Spike rushed out into the clearing, a huge grin on his face. "That was awesome!"

"It sure was," Flash replied as he knelt down to Springer and showed him the Pokeball. "Check it out bud, our new teammate."

Springer smiled as he placed his paw on the Pokeball. "Ri!"

Flash smiled as he stood back up, tossing the Pokeball into the air. "Chickling, come on out!" The Pokeball opened up and unleashed its energy, soon taking shape as it faded to reveal the Chickling. Flash expected it to spread its wings and fly, but instead, it looked down in panic before falling towards the ground. Seeing what was about to happen, Flash leapt into action and jumped under the Pokémon with his arms spread. Chickling landed in his arms, safe from getting injured, but its eyes were lodged shut.

"Chick?" It said confusion as it realized it landed on something that wasn't dirt. Slowly, it opened its eyes and looked up to see Flash smiling down at him.

"You okay little guy?" Chickling looked up at him in confusion, only for Flash to put him back on the ground. "Well Chickling, looks like you'll be coming with us from now on. That sound good to you?"

Chickling continued to stare up at him, blinking at the sight. It then felt a presence beside it and turned to see Springer. The Riolu leaned down and explained to the Pokémon what had just happened. Hearing this, Chickling's eyes went wide before turning back to Flash and chirping happily.

"Looks like that's a yes," Flash said as he crouched down at patted the bird's head. "So now we have a new teammate buddy, and a pretty powerful one to boot!"

"I wouldn't say that."

He turned to Twilight, who had a frown on her face. "What do you mean?"

Twilight looked down at the Chickling with a judgmental stare, "I think this Chickling can't fly."

Hearing that made Flash, Springer and Spike look at her dumbfounded, while the Chickling looked down in shame. Spike then spoke up, "What makes you say that?"

"The way it was battling," Twilight replied as she leaned down and scanned the Pokémon over. "It's obvious it was trying to win, but it didn't fly at any point. If it could fly, it would have instantly had the upper hand."

"But it did fly," Spike told her as he pointed at the Pokémon. "Right after Springer unleashed his Aura Sphere."

"I think that was it accidently gliding on the wind. Even then, it didn't look like it knew what it was doing. Also, when you released the attack, it should have instinctively taken to the sky to dodge the Aura Sphere, but instead..."

"He just fell," Flash finished for her as he looked down at the Flying Pokémon. "Is that true Chickling? Can you not fly?"

"Chick..." Chickling kept its head low as it responded.

"Remember what the Pokedex said Flash," Twilight told him as she pointed to his pocket. "Chickling take longer than any other Pokémon to learn how to fly. This one's either really young, or its a late bloomer."

Flash looked up at Twilight and back at the Chickling. "Huh. Guess I've got no choice then." Chickling was fighting back tears, expecting Flash to tell it to leave since no trainer would want a flightless Pokémon. "Looks like we need to teach you how to fly."

"Ling?" Chickling looked up at Flash in shock, only to see a smile on his face.

Flash chuckled at the bird's shocked expression. "What, you were expecting me to say something else?" He crouched down a bit further and held out his arm. "You're part of the team now, which means we help out each other no matter what."

Chickling's shocked expression morphed into a joyful one, its tiny feet quickly leaping onto Flash's arm. "CHICK!"

Twilight and Spike both smiled at the interaction between the two, only for Twilight to hear something that made her look around. She stared at some nearby bushes, thinking she might have heard them rustle. She stared at it for several seconds, but nothing happened and she chalked it up to her imagination and looked away.

Inside those bushes, a pair of bright red eyes stared at the group.

A few minutes later...

"Owlicious, come on out." Twilight tossed her Pokeball into the air, releasing the red energy to reveal her Psychick.

"Psy," the owl Pokémon cried as it spread its wings and took to the sky. "Psychick!"

"Huh? Why'd you bring out Owlicious?" Spike asked, only to feel Flash's hand tap his shoulder.

"Isn't it obvious Spike? Who better to teach a Flying Pokémon, then another Flying Pokémon?"

"Oh...yeah. That makes sense." Spike replied with a slight tilt of the head, "So...what are you gonna do first?"

Twilight glanced at the Chickling, then her Pokémon. "Hmmm....let's see. Well, for starters, we need to get Chickling used to being in the air." She turned back to her Psychick. "Owlicious, can you lift Chickling into the air?"

"Psychick!" Owlicious nodded, flapping its wings slowly as it descended over the Chickling. There, it delicately grabbed the bird with its talons, gently lifting the Pokémon into the sky. As they got higher, Chickling looked down and shined a huge smile, already loving the sight of the sky around it.

After another minute of ascension, Flash put his hands to the sides of his mouth and called out, "Alright Chickling, try spreading your wings, like if you were flying. Get used to the feel of the wind rushing through your feathers." Chickling did as it was told, spreading its wings and feeling the breeze of the wind. Seeing this, Flash looked back at Twilight, "Think its a good height to start?"

"I think so. We'll need to start by having Chickling practice some gliding." Twilight commented as she signaled her Pokémon. "Okay Owlicious, let go."

The owl Pokémon released its hold on Chickling and the young bird Pokémon took to the sky, its wings landing on a bed of air. Everyone watched Chickling as it glided above them, instantly noticing it was nervous as its wings already started to wobble. Seeing this, Flash called out again, "Alright, that's good little buddy. Now, you need to try to glide down to the earth. You'll-" He was about to say how to do this, only for his mouth to stop working. He then blinked at the sight before glancing at Twilight with a nervous chuckle, "Uhhh….how exactly would he do that?"

Twilight resisted the urge to facepalm as she let out a sigh. She then pushed her glasses back up her nose as she looked back up at Chickling. "You need to gently angle your wings down Chickling. That way, you'll have less wind under your wings so you can slowly drop."

Chickling did as it was told, re-positioning its wings. The actions quickly gave results, the Chickling soon returning to the earth in a soft glide.

"Good." Twilight commented as she continued to stare at the bird, "Just remember not to angle your wing too much, or you might-" She didn't finish, as in that moment, the Chickling did just that. Its wings suddenly gave out, the wind no longer powerful enough to support him.

"CHICKLING!" He cried as he fell to the earth.

"Hang on!" Flash yelled as he ran and leapt into the air, catching the Flying Pokémon in his hands. As soon as it was in his palm, the duo smacked the ground with a thud, pain surging through as the others rushed over to the two.

"Flash!" Twilight cried out as her, Spike and Springer surrounded the two. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah...I'm okay." Flash replied before looking down at Chickling. "What about you little guy?" Chickling looked up at him and gave a sorrowful tweet, making Flash sigh at the sound. The poor bird was sad about failing, only to receive a pat on the head from Flash. "It's okay, you did great for your first time." He picked himself up off the ground and turned to the others. "Why don't we have a bite to eat, then try again afterward?"

The others all nodded and got to work preparing lunch. Spike pulled a picnic blanket out of his bag while Twilight took out the food for them and the Pokémon. She also gave Flash a bottle of Potion, which he could use to treat Chickling since it was still hurt from its fight with Springer.

"Hold still," Flash told him before spraying him with the healing mist.

"CHICK!" Chickling cried as its entire body stung from it.

"Sorry. Forgot to mention that it stings."

"Ri..." Springer replied as he shook his head.

"Lunch is ready," Twilight said as she started taking out three small bowls.

"Alright!" Flash replied as they moved over to the blanket and sat down, the Pokémon walking up to the bowls Twilight had just laid out.

"Here we go," Twilight commented as took a can with a fist symbol on it out of one of the bags, soon pouring the food into one of the bowls. "This one is meant to be really good for Fighting types."

"Riolu!" Springer cheered as Twilight handed him the bowl.

Twilight then took out a can with a feather symbol on it, which she opened and poured into the other two bowls. She placed one bowl in front of Owlicious, and the other in front of Chickling. "Here, this is Owlicious's favorite food. Since you're both Flying Types, I'm sure you'll love it too."

"Chickling?" replied the Flying type as he looked at the contents of the bowl, not used to this type of meal.

Seeing the Pokémon's hesitation, Flash reached out and picked up a piece. "Don't worry, its good. Watch." He then took a bite out of it, fighting back a cringe at the taste as he forced a smile on his lips. "Delicious."

Both Twilight and Spike snickered behind their food, but Chickling seemed to fall for it and began eating. As soon as it took its first bite, its eyes glowed like diamonds, its beak soon drowning in the bowl to devour the rest. Flash on the other hand, was now downing the water from his canteen to get rid of the taste.

One meal later...

Chickling was now stuck in a rut. After eating their lunch, they all got back into flight training, only for no results. They did everything they could think of to get Chickling into the air. Running starts, throwing him into the air and even tried strengthening his wings by tying rocks around them and having him lift them like dumbbells.

But no matter what it tried, Chickling could not get off the ground.

And that's where everyone was, standing around Chickling while trying to think up a new way to get him to fly. There, Spike looked at others with a tilt of the head, "Any more ideas? I know I'm out of them."

Twilight sighed in defeat, shaking her head. "No. We've done everything I can think of. The technique is there, but I can't figure out why he's not flying."

"Chick..." Chickling moaned sadly as it looked down at the ground.

Springer moved over to him and patted his back, "Rio."

"Chick, chick."

As he watched the Pokémon stare at the ground, depression filling the bird's face, a lightbulb went off in Flash's head. He turned to Twilight with a tinge of both concern and fear in his eyes, "Hey Twilight...maybe its not a matter of technique. What if its because Chickling doesn't think it can do it?"

Spike leaned slightly back as he glanced at Flash, "What do you mean Flash?"

"Well...maybe Chickling keeps failing cuz in its mind, it already thinks it failed."

Twilight quickly caught onto what he saying, crossing her arms as she replied, "That would explain why its not working. The little guy keeps looking down in defeat after all."

Flash crouched down and patted Chickling on the head, causing it to look up, their eyes locking as Flash gave the bird a big smile, "Don't worry, you'll figure it out eventually. Its all about having a good enough reason to fly."

Chickling looked back down at this, staring at the ground with a heavy sigh. As it did this, a new voice rang out.

"CHICKLING! CHICKLING CHICKLING!!!"

Everyone's heads shot up at the sound of many Chicklings crying out in unison. They all turned towards the source, which was deeper in the woods. "What was that all about?" Spike asked as he blinked at the valley of trees.

"I don't know Spike," Twilight replied as she stood up. "But I would wager a guess that the Chickling's flock must be in trouble."

Hearing this, Chickling shot forward at its top speed. But before it could even get past the bushes, it suddenly felt a hand grab and pick it up.

"Whoa, whoa little guy!" Flash told him as he coddled him in his palms. "Relax...don't just try and leave us like that." Hearing this, Chickling expected him to say that they couldn't help his friends since he was no longer part of the flock. But instead, Flash placed the young bird on his shoulder. "Until you learn to fly, I'm faster than you. Come on Springer!" With that, he rushed into the bushes, his Riolu and their friends on his heel.

As they left the clearing, one of the bushes rustled. The red eyes once again appeared as it looked at the fleeing group, blinking at the sight.

When the group arrived at the spot where they had heard the cries from, what they found was horrible. It was the Chickling's flock, all of them trapped in a white string like substance that was strung up around the trees.

"What's going on?" Spike asked as he pointed at the string. "What is that stuff?"

Twilight took a closer look at the string, readjusting her glasses as she observed the substance. "This looks like String Shot, but where'd it come from?"

"We'll figure that out later," Flash replied as he took off his backpack. "For now, we need to get them all out of there." He then stepped forward, only for Springer to suddenly push him aside.

"RI!" Springer cried as Flash fell over from the push, only for a blast of string to fly over to where Flash had been standing.

"What the!?" Flash yelped as he picked himself up, only to see the string. He and the others looked at where the string had come from, but couldn't see anything.

Springer then opened up his aura and scanned the area, only for his ears to perk up as he pointed to a bush. "RI! Riolu!" He put his paws together, soon creating and firing an Aura Sphere at the bushes. There, it disappeared into the fiolage, only for an explosion to follow a few seconds later as a creature went flying from the blow.

"MOV!" it exclaimed as it landing into the clearing. The thing was a Pokémon, and it had a green body similiarly colored to the trees around them. It was insectoid in appearance, a pair of large red eyes on its face and had two pairs of leaf shaped wings. It also had four vine like tendrils, two flowing down from its shoulders and two flowing out of its waist. "Mov...movine…."

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Movine
Category: Plant Moth Pokémon
Type: Bug/Flying
Info: When hunting, it camouflages itself into the flora and uses its vine like tendrils to grab its prey.

"That explains what's going on," Twilight said as she pointed at the moth Pokémon. "What do we do now?"

"We beat it and free Chickling's friends," Flash replied as he pointed at the Movine. "Springer, use Aura Sphere again!" With those long tendrils, close quarters battling would be risky.

"Ri!" Springer threw another orb of blue energy, but the Movine easily dodged the blow this time. As it did, it's wings began to glow, and with one powerful flap, it send a wave of condensed air at Springer. The Riolu quickly sidestepped, barely dodging the attack.

"That was Air Slash!" Twilight called out to the duo. "This Movine must be really strong if it can use that. Don't let Springer get hit by it, its a flying-type move!"

Flash turned to her, a look of expectancy on his face. "Then I could use a little help."

Hearing this, Twilight blinked at the statement, only to then point to herself, "What, me?"

"Uh...yeah!" Flash replied in a deadpan tone, "You have a Pokémon, and you do know how to battle, don't you?"

Twilight leaned back for a second, only to narrow her eyes as she seemed to take offense at this statement. "Of course I do! I've read loads about battle techniques." She turned to her Pokémon. "Alright, Owlicious...um...use Peck!"

"What?!" Flash said as he looked up to see the Psychick fly at the Movine as it's beak glowed. But before it could get close, one of the Movine's tendrils shot out and wrapped around Owlicious.

"Owlicious!" Twilight and Spike cried in unison.

Flash rubbed his hand upside his own head in frustration as he pointed at the Psychick, "Springer, help him out." Springer nodded as he leapt at the Movine and Psychick, only for the Movine to suddenly toss Owlicious at him. Springer managed to catch the owl Pokémon, but as he did, Movine shot out another tendril, striking both in mid-air. The two went flying, their bodies smashing into a nearby tree. As they did, the Movine quickly unleashed a barrage of String Shot, covering the duo instantly.

"No!" Twilight cried as she watched her and Flash's Pokémon be tied with ease.

Flash frowned as he turned to the Chickling on his shoulder. "You're all we've got left bud. You ready?"

Chickling gave a small look of uncertainty, but then quickly nodded before jumping off Flash's shoulder. "Chickling!"

"Alright! Use Quick Attack!" Chickling shot forward, jumping at the Movine with great speed. But the plant moth was ready, the bug simply flapping its wings to make itself fly higher than Chickling's jump. Remembering its training, the bird Pokémon spread its wings and glided back to the ground. Seeing this, the Movine flapped its wings some more, only for several leaf shaped blades to appear as they went straight for Chickling.

"That's Razor Leaf! Watch out!" Twilight yelled.

"Double Team!" Chickling did as it was told, creating multiple versions of itself. But the Movine simply shot Razor Leaves at all of them, hitting every one of them until Chickling let out a cry from the attack. With it's opponent hit, the Movine fired another shot of string, wrapping Chickling to the ground in one go.

"No!" Flash cried.

"This is bad!" Spike panicked as he grabbed his sister in fear, trembling at the sight. "We're all out of Pokémon. What do we do?!"

"I don't know!" Twilight yelped as she hugged her brother, her own panic growing.

"Stay calm!" Flash told them both, his eyes bolting around as panic started to take him as well. "We just need to think...or something..." But thinking time was growing short, as the Movine flew down to where his Chickling was stuck. "We need....HELP!"

And in that moment, a blast of water flew out of the bushes. It struck the unprepared Movine, knocking it flying into the bushes. Everyone turned to the source of the water, only to see a blue lizard Pokémon with a large white fin on its head pop out of the grass behind them.

"Aquana?" Flash gasped as they watched it run into the fray.

The Aquana looked at Chickling before taking a deep breath. "Aq...UANA!" It fired another burst of water from its mouth, which struck the string around Chickling, dissolving the substance.

"Awesome!" Flash cheered at this. "Way to go Aquana!"

"But what's an Aquana doing here?" Twilight asked as she pointed at the blue lizard.

"Who cares?! The little guy just-"

"MOVINE!" The group turned back to the bushes that Movine had been knocked into, only to see it flying.

"Aquana, look out!" Spike cried, but it was too late. The anger filled Movine shot towards Aquana, its wings glowing as it unleashed an almost point break Air Slash. The attack instantly struck the water lizard, launching it into a the air.

"AQUANA!" Everyone yelled as it went flying off into the horizon.

"CHICK!" Chickling cried as it saw the one who just freed him. As it did, it looked up at the trees where it's flock-mates remained trapped and then over at Springer and Owlicious, the two that had tried helping it learn to fly. Finally, it looked over at its new trainer and his friends. He remembered all the encouragement they had given it, helping it learn to do the one thing it had wanted to do it's whole life. It then looked up at Movine, who had attacked them all for no reason. And as it stared at the attacker, anger began to rise as the bird yelled, "Chick....LLLIIIIINNNNGGGGG!"

The roar made everyone turn back to the Pokémon, only to see it spread its wings and shred the weakened string in one go. "CHICKLING!" it roared again, only to start flapping its wings, instantly taking flight and astounding everyone watching.

"Holy cow! Chickling's flying!" Spike cheered as he pointed at the airborne bird.

"You bet he is," Flash added with a grin before he pointed at the Movine. "Alright Chickling, use Quick Attack!"

Chickling nodded before flapping its wings, zipping through the air as it hit the Movine with a swift kick. As the Movine felt the blow, it flapped its wings as well, trying to keep balance in mid-air. But as did, the young bird's wings began to glow, and with one mighty flap, a strong wind blasted Movine into the nearest tree.

Twilight adjusted her glasses at the sight, amazed at the bird's instant growth. "Incredible! Chickling's using Gust! Did it just learn it?!"

Now seeing Movine try to recover from the blow, Chickling looked back at the other captured Pokémon. Its wings glowed again as it shot past all the Chicklings, shredding the string holding them. It then did the same to the string holding Springer and Owlicious, freeing them both.

"Ri!" Springer cried in a happy tone.

"Psy!" Owlicious did the same.

"Ling."

Flash pumped his fist in the air as he exclaimed, "Alright! Everyone is free and-"

"Movine!"

Everyone turned to the voice, only to see an even more angry Movine in the air, its tendrils ready to strike. That is, till all the captured Chickling descended beside Flash's, all wings glowing at the same time. Seeing this made a big smirk appear on Flash's face as he yelled, "Aw yeah! Everyone, use Gust now!"

"CHICKLING!" They all cried in unison, a hurricane of wind following as they all flapped their wings. The combined blast instantly hit the moth, knocking into the sky with one might attack.

"MOOOOOVVVVIIIINNNEEEEE!" It cried as it was sent rocketing into the horizon, soon disappearing like a shining star in the great blue sky.

"That...was...AWESOME!" Spike cheered.

"It sure was," Flash said as he watched his Chickling fly around with the others. It then turned and flew towards him, Flash holding out his arm for him to land on. "You did great. You can finally fly."

"CHICK!" Chickling cheered, hopping in place.

Flash laughed at this, only for his smirk to return. "You know, I think I've figured it out."

Chickling gave him a confused look, Twilight and Spike doing the same. "Figured what out Flash?"

"What I'm gonna call him. I decided long ago that I'd give each of my Pokémon a name, and I've finally decided on one for Chickling." He smiled at his newest partner, then looked up at the sky. "When we work together, nothing impossible. The sky's the limit, so I'm gonna call you, Skyler. You like that name?"

Chickling, now named Skyler, looked at him for a brief moment before giving him a happy chirp. "Ling!"

Flash nodded at this. "Great. From now on, you're Skyler."

The others all smiled at that, all of them liking his choice in name. They watched as Skyler jumped off Flash's arm and flew up to its flock. "Chick, chickling. Chick, chick, chickling!"

"What's going on?" Spike asked as he pointed at the flock.

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought before replying, "Looks to me like Skyler's saying goodbye to all of its friends."

The rest of the Chickling all let out joyful cries, happy that their flock-mate had found such a capable trainer. They then all began to fly away, off to find a new place to call home should that Movine come back.

"See you guys!" Flash yelled as he waved them off.

"Ri!" Springer added, doing the same.

Twilight and Spike also waved them all off, and soon the skies only held one particular Chickling in it. That Chickling flew back to its trainer and landed on his head, Flash laughing as it did so. "Man, this sure has been a productive day. I caught my first new Pokémon, taught it to fly and learned exactly why Professor Celestia wanted me to travel with Twilight."

"You did?" Twilight asked while looking at him in confusion.

Flash turned and gave her a knowing smirk. "Obviously, she wanted me to teach you how to battle."

Twilight's expression turned to one of irritation, "I know how to battle."

Flash shook his head in disagreement. "No, I don't think so. You've read about battling, but it was obvious from our fight with Movine that you've never actually battled before."

Twilight blushed, rubbing her two pointing fingers together. "Well...no, but-"

"He's right Twilight," Spike added in a deadpan tone. "You kinda...suck at battling."

Twilight gave her brother a frown, but before she could scold him, Flash spoke up, "So it's settled then. I'll help fine tune your battle skills while you help teach me everything I'd need to know to be the best trainer ever." With that, he picked up his backpack and slung it around his back before rushing off. "Now come on, let's get to the next town."

"Hey! I do not-" Twilight tried to yell, only for her brother to start running after Flash. "Spike!"

"Wait up Flash!" Spike said as he started to catch up with Flash, making Twilight grit her teeth in anger.

"Get back here you two!" Twilight yelled as she ran after them. And as Flash raced through the forest, Springer on his heel and Skyler flying overhead, he looked forward to the next great adventure that awaited him. He wondered what Pokémon he would find and catch next.

But as the day ended for the group, a little later, Twilight pulled out her electronic journal.

Dear Professor Celestia,
Today, Flash caught a Chickling that he's decided to name, Skyler. We soon found out when Flash caught it that the Chickling could not fly, and we could not figure out a way to help it fly. We found out that Chickling already thought it was going to fail when it tried to fly. But it was because of this that I learned something valuable from Skyler. I learned that knowing how to do something and being able to do something are two completely different things. It's easy to remember what needs to happen, but only when you really need to do it is when it will happen.
Because of this, I've come to realise why you wanted me to go on this journey, and hopefully I can learn the lesson you wanted me to learn. I'll learn how to battle Pokémon and learn how that can change Pokémon for the better. I still want to mainly do research though.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

Riptide

View Online

Continuing his Equestria Region journey, Flash Sentry has set his sights on the Trottingham City Gym. As such, Flash and Springer were now exiting the forest, only to come to a stop as they spotted a small town in the distance with a river running by it. This sight alone made them both leap for joy. "Alright! We finally made it to Trottingham City!" Flash exclaimed before turning to his Riolu partner. "You ready for a Gym Battle bud?"

"RIOLU!" Springer cheered, mimicking his trainer's motions.

Flash looked back at the town, only to notice something as he tilted his head at the sight. "Wow, Trottingham City sure doesn't look like a city."

"That's because this isn't Trottingham City." They turned around to see Twilight and Spike walking up to them, Twilight shining a smirk on her face. "This is Stratusburg Town."

Both Flash and Springer's faces fell, causing Spike to laugh before turning to his sister. "So, how much further is Trottingham City?"

Twilight thought for a moment, rubbing her chin as she did. "Well, the fastest way to get from Stratusburg to Trottingham, would be by going through the White Tail Woods. And that's about a two day walk."

"Two days?!" Flash yelped before slumping down in disappointment, Springer mimicking his pose. "That's like...two more days than I want it to be! I wanna challenge the gym now!"

"Ri!"

Twilight and Spike both laughed at this before walking ahead of the two. "Oh come on Flash. The sooner we get into town to restock supplies, the sooner we can get back on the road."

"Alright...." Flash moaned as he and Springer started walking. But as they started, the duo's ears picked up a sound. It was the sound of something rustling in a nearby bush.

"Ri," Springer growled as he got into a battle stance.

"Hold on Springer," Flash told him, his hand slowly reaching for Skyler's pokeball. "Whatever that is, being hostile might provoke it. Just keep your guard up."

"Ri..."

Twilight and Spike moved back over to Flash and looked over his shoulder, both worried after what had happened with the Movine. And as the rustling continued, the four of them became more and more concerned.

That is, till a certain figure walked out of the bush and said, "Aquana."

The four all breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the water lizard Pokémon as the Aquana smiled up at them.

"Is that the same Aquana from before?" Spike asked as he pointed to it.

"It has to be," Twilight replied, "Aquana are way too rare for us to run into two different ones in such a short time." As she said this, Flash pulled out his pokedex.

Name: Aquana
Category: Water Lizard Pokémon
Type: Water
Info: It's strength lays in its strong tail, which it uses when swimming. The fin on its head helps it detect water in even the driest location, while also helping it swim through strong currents.

"So it's a good swimmer, huh?" Flash said as he put it away.

Twilight stepped up to the Aquana, leaning down with a smile. "Thank you for helping us before." The Aquana smiled up at her, causing Twilight's eyes to suddenly go wide, as if some idea had struck her head. "Wait...are you? Oh no..." The Aquana nodded back, still smiling. This caused Twilight stand back up, only to put her hands on her head and start pacing on the spot as she chanted, "Oh no. No, no, no, no, no..."

Flash, Spike and Springer shared a confused look. "Uhh...Twilight? Wanna fill us in?"

Twilight turned to them, pure panic on her face as she pointed to the Pokémon, "Don't you see?! This is the Aquana from Professor Celestia's Lab. It must have followed us."

The three of them looked down at the Aquana, quickly realizing she was right. "Oh yeah. Can't believe we didn't notice before." Flash commented as he walked over and crouched down, soon patting Aquana on the head, "How you doing little guy? Why'd you follow us?"

"Aquana!" the water lizard Pokémon happily replied. Seeing this, Springer walked up next, the two soon talking. Then, the two grabbed hands, spinning on the spot and laughing as they did.

Flash chuckled at the sight, "They look like they're having fun."

"Flash!" Twilight yelled as she pointed at Aquana again, "Don't you see what a big problem this is?! Professor Celestia must be worried sick!" She once again began pacing on the spot. "Oh, what do we do? What do we do?"

Flash looked down, only to see the ground already wearing down from the girl's pacing. Seeing this, he leaned over to Spike and asked, "Uh...does she do this often?"

Spike nodded back, "All the time. She does it so much at the house that it literally makes grooves in the floor. Heck, mom and dad kept getting angry at her because of the new carpet they'd have to buy for her room every time she made a full marathon of grooves in the carpet."

"Wow..." Flash replied as he stood back up. He then went over and grabbed her by the shoulder, "Twilight, relax. Breath in," Twilight did as she was told. "Breath out," again, she did as she was told. "Now, here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna go to the local Pokémon Center, find a phone, use it to call Professor Celestia, and explain the situation so she can give us Aquana's Pokeball, and then we can send it back. Sound good?"

As he said this, Springer noticed Aquana look sad at that statement. At the same time, Twilight managed to get her breathing under control, then nodded in agreement. "Right, good idea."

"So where can we find a Pokémon Center?" Spike asked.

"Stratusburg town should have one," Twilight explained before turning back to town, only to point at a building with a red rooftop. "Right there."

"Good." Flash commented as he bent down and picked up Aquana. "Let's go."

One transition to Stratusburg Town later...

Soon enough, the group arrived at the center and stepped inside, only to be greeted by a woman with white skin, pink hair and wearing a nurse's uniform. "Welcome to the Pokémon Center." she said with a bow, "I'm Nurse Redheart. How may I help you?"

"Hello," Twilight replied while holding Aquana, "we were wondering if we could use your phone?"

Redheart nodded and directed them over to an area with a bunch of green computer like devices. Twilight soon went to one of the phones, typing away as she turned on the phone's main screen. A few moments later, the screen switched to show an image of Professor Celestia. The woman was sitting in her lab, holding a plate and fork while eating something.

"Professor, we have a-are you eating...cake...in the morning?"

Celestia realized who she was talking to, her eyes flicking from Twilight to the dessert on the plate. "Of course not," Celestia quickly replied as she moved the plate out of the camera's view. "So, what can I do for you Twilight?"

Twilight frowned before lifting Aquana into view of the camera. "We kinda...picked up a hitchhiker."

This caused Celestia's eyes to go wide before giggling at the sight. "So that's where Aquana went. I was looking all over for it."

"We're so sorry Professor," Twilight told her as she placed the Pokémon on the floor. "We didn't realize it was yours until a little while ago."

"It's okay Twilight. Aquana's young, so of course it'd be curious about the outside world."

Twilight nodded back. "Well, if you send us its Pokeball, we can transport it back."

"Of course," Celestia replied before walking off screen for a second, the sound of tapping keys following her departure. "Luckily, my new transporter system arrived yesterday. One moment..."

Twilight stepped up to a device next to the phone as it suddenly lit up and unleashed several bolts of energy into a bowl. The energy quickly took shape, and when the light faded, a Pokeball could now be seen in the bowl. Twilight picked it up and showed it to the camera, "Got it professor."

"Excellent," Celestia replied as she returned to the screen.

Twilight turned back towards Aquana. "Now, we'll just return you and-huh?" the professor assistant's began to blink at the sight as she then noticed that the aforementioned Pokémon was now gone. "Aquana?"

She, Flash and Spike all glanced around, but the water lizard was nowhere to be found. "It's gone!" Spike yelped as he kept shifting his head back and forth. "Where'd it go?!"

Celestia frowned at this. "This isn't like Aquana at all. Sure, it's been stubborn before, but never to this degree."

In that moment, Nurse Redheart stepped over to them. "Excuse me. Sorry for butting in, but I just saw an Aquana rush outside. Was it yours?"

Twilight didn't reply. Instead, she raced past the nurse, quickly exiting the building. Seeing this, Flash turned to the computer screen. "Sorry professor, we'll call you later when we find it."

"Okay." Celestia replied before cutting the call.

Flash, Springer and Spike quickly followed Twilight outside, the girl calling out. "Aquana! Aquana, come out!"

Flash was about to call out to it as well, but a bulb went off in his head as he then pulled out a Pokeball. "Skyler, come on out!" He tossed the ball in the air and it unleashed a red light, which took form and faded to reveal the Chickling.

Skyler took to the air and turned to its trainer. "Chick?"

"Skyler, we need you to look for the Aquana from that Movine encounter. Its somewhere around here."

"Chick!" Skyler replied before taking the to sky, quickly scanning the nearby area. As it did, the four began to run around the town, looking through everything including digging through bushes and searching behind buildings.

"Excuse me?" The group looked around, only to see a familiar face wearing a familiar uniform. "Can I ask what you three are doing?"

"Officer Hard Case!" Flash said with a smile as he walked over to him.

The police officer raised an eyebrow. "Do I know you?"

"We met in Canterlot City," Twilight told him.

"Remember? The Champagoon incident?"

The cop's eyes filled with realization. "Oh, you must be talking about my cousin."

"Cousin?" The three of them asked in unison.

"Ri?"

Hard Case reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo. "My cousins are all police officers, plus we're all identical, plus we're all named Hard Case." He showed them the photo, which had a dozen or so perfectly identical men wearing the same uniform.

The four looked at the photo in amazement as Flash commented, "Wow. I've heard of family resemblance, but that's pushing it."

"It's kinda weird if you ask me," Spike added.

"Riolu." Springer finished, nodding in agreement.

Hard Case put the photo away and glared at the group. "Now, can you three tell me why you're loitering around here?"

"Oh, we're not loitering. We're looking for an Aquana. It ran off and we've got to send it back to its owner."

Hard Case stroked his chin. "An Aquana huh? Hmmm...I think I remember seeing one earlier."

"YOU DO?!" The three cried in unsion.

"Ri!"

"Yes, I remembering seeing it running out of town. It seemed to be heading for the Stratusburg Dam."

"A dam?" Flash asked, blinking at the statement.

"Makes sense that a water Pokémon would head there," Twilight said as she readjusted her glasses, "Officer, could you tell us how to get to this dam?"

Hard Case nodded and pointed in one direction. "The river in that direction. Follow it upstream and you can't miss it."

"Great," Twilight said before running ahead of the boys. "Come on guys, let's get the professor's Pokémon!" Spike quickly followed and Flash turned to Hard Case before bowing.

"Thanks."

"Ri," Springer did the same before the two started following their friends.

The four eventually found the river and followed it upstream for about twenty minutes, eventually finding what they were looking for. It was a large canyon like area, where a large hydroelectric dam could be seen. From out of the center, a funnel of water shot out and flowed into the river that they were following.

"WHOA! That thing's huge!" The boys said as they got closer.

"It is impressive," Twilight commented as she scanned the dam over. "But we're not here for sightseeing."

"Right. We're here to find Aquana." Flash looked up into the sky, where Skyler was still flying. "See anything Skyler?"

"Ling." Skyler replied with a shake of its head.

"I'm sure Aquana's around here somewhere," Twilight told them. "Just start looking."

"On it," the boys replied as they stared back at the river. It was then that they heard the sound of a bush rustling, causing them all to look up, only to see that it was coming from the other side of the river. From out of the bush leapt a rodent like Pokémon that stood at around two feet. It's body was mostly light brown, with dark brown stripes on its stomach, back, forehead and tail. It had puffy cheeks, bucked teeth and seemed to stand on four feet. "Chop. Munk. Chopmunk." it said as it chewed on a piece of wood.

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Chopmunk
Category: Gnawing Pokémon
Type: Normal
Info: Using its sharp teeth, it can cut off tree branches, which it uses to decorate its burrow home.

"It must live around here," Twilight commented as she watched the Pokémon continue to eat its snack.

"It's kinda cute," Spike added.

Then, the bushes rustled again before something else stepped out. This Pokémon looked similar to Chopmunk, only it was twice as big, standing on two legs and had an introverted color scheme. It's cheeks were even puffier and had light brown stripes on them, along with stripes running down its arms. It had an even darker brown stripe running down its back to its tail, which was completely dark brown. It front teeth were large, almost half a foot in length. "Munk!" it said to the Chopmunk, "munk, munkarve."

Flash held up his Pokedex again.

Name: Munkarve
Category: Razor Tooth Pokémon
Type: Normal
Info: The Evolved form of Chopmunk. Its super sharp teeth can cut through some metals. Because of this, these Pokémon a renowned for being partnered with craftsmen of all types.

Flash smirked as he put the device away. "Chopmunk and its evolved form, Munkarve."

It was then that more Chopmunk and Munkarve came out of the bushes, all moving closer to the river and taking a drink. Spike then pointed at the whole group, "Look at them! Its a whole mess of these guys. Not only that, they're all so cool!"

"They are, aren't they?" The group spun around to see a man step out of the bushes. He had light blue skin and dark blue hair, and was wearing a gray jumpsuit. He shined a big smile as he said, "Hello there. My name is High Tide, head of dam security."

Twilight stepped up to him. "Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle." She pointed to Spike, "this is my brother."

"I'm Spike."

"And I'm Flash," the teenage boy told him before pointing at Springer. "And this is my partner, Springer."

"Ri!"

High Tide nodded back. "Nice to meet ya. Now, what can I do for you all? We don't get a lot of people around here."

"We're looking for a Pokémon. Have you seen an Aquana around here?"

High Tide thought for a moment. "I don't think so. Though if its a water type, I think I know where it might be. Follow me." He turned around and motioned them to follow. Soon, the group entered the dam and took an elevator, which dropped them off at the very top of the dam.

"Wow!" Spike said as he rushed over to the edge of the dam and looked down. "Talk about high."

"Just be careful Spike," Twilight told him.

High Tide laughed at this. "He's fine." He said as he moved over to the other side of the dam, the others following to see a giant reservoir of water.

"That's a lot of water," Flash said as he looked over it, Skyler landing on the railing nearby.

"It sure is," High Tide explained as he tapped the railing his fingers. "Before this dam was built, this entire area was covered in water. Now its been condensed to the river, allowing those Chopmunk and Munkarve to have a place to live and Stratusburg Town to be built."

"Cool..." Flash said as he looked out at the reservoir. Here, he noticed something slicing through the water's surface, which he pointed to. "Hey look!" The others looked over at the object and recognized it as the fin on top of Aquana's head.

"Thought so," High Tide added as he stared at the sight. "Many water Pokémon come here to swim in the reservoir."

"AQUANA!" Twilight called out, causing the water lizard's head to pop out of the water and look at them.

"Ak,"

Twilight pulled out its Pokeball and pointed it at Aquana. "Return!" The ball fired a red beam, but Aquana ducked back underwater to dodge it. Twilight growled at this as she shot the red beam again. "Get back up here!"

"Celestia wasn't kidding," Flash said as he scratched the side of his head. "That thing is stubborn."

Under the water, Aquana swam around as it approached the wall of the dam. But as it did, the Pokémon's eyes went wide as it saw a new sight.

Back on the dam, Twilight waited for Aquana to surface. She had just fired a few more beams from the pokeball, all while still growling at the water, "You can't stay under there forever. Come out this instant Aquana!"

Flash leaned over and whispered to Spike, "Man, your sister can be scary when she's mad."

"Tell me about it," Spike replied with a small nod.

In that moment, the water broke and Aquana's head appeared. "Aquana! Ak, ak wana!" he yelled, his fins flapping all around in a panic.

"What's wrong with it?" Spike asked as he pointed at the water lizard.

"Doesn't matter," Twilight said as she raised the Pokeball. "Back in the ball." But before she could fire another beam, Flash placed his hand on it, pushing it down.

"Hold on Twilight. I think he's trying to warn us of something."

Twilight glared at him. "Like what? Like he doesn't want to get back in his pokeball?!"

Flash ignored her glare as he looked back at Aquana and then down below the surface of the lake, "Only one way to be sure."

"Be sure of what?" Twilight asked him, only to see him take off his jacket and then pull off his shirt. The sight made her face heat up, "Ahh! What are you doing?!" She yelped as she looked away, her eyes closed.

"Oh relax. You can look."

Twilight slowly turned around and creaked her eyes open, only to see Flash was now wearing a pair of dark blue swim trunks. "Were you...wearing those under your normal clothes?"

"Never know when you need to go underwater," Flash told her before turning towards the lake. Before anyone could ask what was going on, he and Springer leapt into the water with a loud splash. Seconds later, they surfaced and swam over to Aquana, the two grabbing its head fin. "Show me."

Aquana nodded and pulled the two underwater. The two held their breath as they went deeper and deeper underwater, eventually arriving at the spot Aquana had been earlier. It was here that they saw what the water lizard was worried about. A large crack, almost as big as Flash was tall, could be seen in the dam's wall.

Seeing this made Flash's eyes go wide before Aquana pulled him and Springer back up to the surface. As soon as they broke the water, the two took and deep breath before swimming to the edge. "There's a large crack in the dam," he told them.

This caused High Tide to go wide-eyed. "How large?"

"Almost my size," Flash replied as he pulled himself up and began to get redressed. "And I'm betting its gonna get bigger."

"That's bad. If the dam bursts, Stratusburg Town will be wiped away." High Tide said before rushing towards the elevator. "I've got to warn Officer Hard Case."

It was then that Spike remembered something. "What about the Chopmunk and Munkarve?"

This question made the others go wide-eyed. "They'll be wiped away too." Flash grimly replied, "We've gotta warn them. Come on!" Flash commanded as he followed High Tide to the elevator, Springer, Skyler, Twilight, Spike and Aquana following after them.

Unbeknownst to them, the crack was slowly growing.

One elevator ride later...

When the group finally exited the dam, they found that the Chopmunk and Munkarve were still across the river. Seeing this, Flash got to the edge of the river and called out, "Hey! You've gotta get out of here!"

The Pokémon all looked up at him in confusion, only to for Springer to speak up next, "Ri! Riolu ri, ri Riolu!" He explained to them, pointing to the dam. The Chopmunk and Munkarve all had their eyes grow wide as they turned to the giant structure that protected them and their home.

"You all have to get to higher ground!" Twilight added. "If you stay here, none of you will survive!"

"You'll get swept up by a tidal wave!" Spike finished.

"Ri!"

"Chick!"

The Chopmunk and Munkarve all nodded to each other, signaling to leave their home. But as they did, their ears sprung up as they heard a new sound. There, they all looked up at the dam, only for horror to cover their face as they soon saw a tiny crack appear. That is, till-

SMASH!

A large section of the wall collapsed in an instant, water flooding out as the rock crumbled. The stream struck the ground behind them, creating a new river that now trapped the Chopmunk and Munkarve on a small island.

"Oh no!" Twilight screamed as she put her hands to her head. "They're trapped!"

Flash looked down at the pre-existing river, checking how strong its current was. But before Flash could get a proper look, another loud smashing sound caused them all to turn and look towards the dam. This time they saw that the actual water release tube had been damaged by the breakage, causing the area around it to crack until it gave out. With this, the flow of water tripled, causing the rivers intensity to increase and make it impossible to cross without drowning. The Chopmunk and Munkarve huddled together, a necessity since the piece of land they were currently on was beginning to get smaller and smaller.

"What do we do?" Spike asked. "They're gonna drown in that flood at this rate!"

Flash turned to Twilight, "bring out Owlicious! Now!"

Twilight nodded and pulled out her Pokeball, which she tossed into the air. It unleashed an opening red light, which took form and faded to reveal the Psychick. "Psy!"

Flash turned to his Chickling. "Skyler, you and Owlicious fly them over to this side of the river."

"Chick."

"Psy!"

The two flying types quickly flew over the river, both grabbing onto a Chopmunk. They began flapping their wings as hard as they could to slowly lift it into the air. They managed it, but the humans could tell it was putting a strain on the two.

"This isn't going to work," Twilight said as she watched the birds fly the Chopmunk across the river at a slow pace, the water now shrinking the island. "Those two aren't strong enough. They'll never get them all over in time."

"And they're struggling with Chopmunk," Spike added. "How are they gonna lift the Munkarve?"

Flash began looking around again, only to see a large thick tree by the riverside. A bulb went off in his head as he ran up to the column of wood, tapping it as he judged if it was long enough to be a bridge for the bank the Pokémon were stuck on. As he measured it, he motioned for Springer to follow him, "Hmmm....I think this will do." Flash looked down at his partner, "Alright bud, I'm gonna push this thing forward, I need you to use Force Palm on the bottom to break this tree."

"Ri!" Springer yelled before jumping between the tree and the river, only to notice someone next to him. He then saw that it was Aquana, obviously wanting to help. "Ri?"

Aquana nodded back, causing Springer to smile. The two then turned to the tree and got ready as Flash stood on the other side of the tree, placing his hands on it. "Alright guys. Let's do this!"

"RI!"

"AQ!"

The two Pokémon attacked the tree in unison, Springer using Force Palm while Aquana pounded it with his tail as Flash began to push the tree. But as he pushed, he felt no movement despite the damage the Pokémon had done. "Again!" Flash commanded as he continued to push forward, his palms feeling the Pokémon attacking the pillar of lumber. "Again!"

Twilight and Spike watched as they did this, trying to figure out how they could help. It was here that worry covered Twilight's face as she kept switching her focus between the tree and the trapped Pokémon. "Oh no....they're running out of time. They're not gonna-wait!" She looked down at the Chopmunks that Skyler and Owlicious had saved. She then pointed to the tree and yelled, "Chopmunks, please help us! Use your teeth to help break that tree!"

The Chopmunk shared a glance at each other before turning back to her, giving her a nod. "Thank you," Twilight said before they all rushed over to the tree. "Flash, let the Chopmunks help!"

Flash turned to her, only to see the Chopmunks jumping onto the tree, slowly biting away at the bark. Seeing this, he turned to the others. "Good thinking. Okay, once they've weakened the tree, we'll all push this thing down together."

They all nodded and turned back to the Chopmunks. There, the Gnawing Pokémon continued to eat away at the wood as Twilight, Spike and Flash grabbed the trunk of the tree. As they did, Springer and Aquana prepared for one last strike. "Okay, they just about got enough." Flash said as they all got into position, "on three. One...two...THREE!" The humans then started pushing while Springer and Aquana struck the bark with all their might. And as they did, the tree made a resounding-

CRACK!

"TIMBER!" Spike cried, as the tree's trunk finally gave out and began to fall forwards, Springer and Aquana leaping out of the way as it collapsed. As it hit the ground with a thud, they saw that it now formed a makeshift bridge that the Chopmunk and Munkarve could use to cross it.

Flash moved over to the bridge, where he saw the Pokémon staring at it. "Climb across! Come on!"

The Chopmunk and Munkarve stared at the bridge, then at the river as they continued to shake at the sight. Fear had taken them over, as the water around them had them horrified. "They're scared," Twilight commented as she turned to Flash, seeing a plain frown on his face. That is, till he suddenly jumped onto the bridge, Springer on his heel. "FLASH! What are you doing?!"

Flash ignored her yells as he and Springer quickly arrived on the other side, hopping off and crouching down in front of the Chopmunk and Munkarve. "It'll be okay," he told them with a reassuring smile. "We'll help you. You just need to slowly get across."

"Ri," Springer added before jumping onto the bridge, showing them how easy it was to cross.

A Chopmunk watched the Riolu, its legs no longer shaking. Then, it began to move forward, climbing onto the bridge as it followed Springer, "That's it," Flash reassured the Pokémon, "Just keep moving and you'll be safe."

Soon enough, they had a line of the critters crossing, some still looking a little afraid as they shook while trying to stop themselves from looking down. And as they did, Twilight began to grab them one by one at the end of the bridge, comforting them as well, "It's okay Chopmunk, you're all okay."

"But its still not safe here," Spike added as he pointed to the forest behind them, where there were hills beyond the woods. "Go through there and get to higher ground."

The Pokémon nodded and started to make their way through, the rest still crawling across the bridge. Flash smiled as the last few Pokémon climbed onto the bridge, but that smile faded as he felt his shoe beginning to grow wet. Looking down, he saw that the piece of land they were on was starting to really take on water. Flash then turned and saw that there was one last Chopmunk with him, refusing to even look at the bridge as fear had took the Pokémon over. He let out a small breath as he bent over and picked up the Chopmunk, holding him to his chest. "Don't worry little guy, I'll get you across." With that, he stepped onto the bridge and slowly made his way across, which was difficult since he could not use his arms to stabilize himself.

"You can do it Flash," Twilight told him. "Its just a little further."

Flash nodded as he continued to make his way over, his hand clenching down on the scared Pokémon, "I'm coming. Don't worry little guy, we're gonna-" Flash didn't finish his sentence, as his ears heard another resounding crack from the dam. As he did, a fresh wave of water slammed into him.

"WHOA!" Flash cried as he wobbled off the tree trunk, his footing now gone. As he fell, the water blasted Chopmunk flew out of his hands, only for his palms to grab the bridge. But it was too late-

"CHOP!" Chopmunk cried as it fell into the water and was swept away.

"NO!" Flash yelled as he tried to reach out to grab it, but it was too late.

"Chopmunk!" Twilight yelped as they watched it be swept away.

"What do we do?" Spike added, panic in his voice.

Before anyone could suggest anything, a certain Pokémon suddenly leaped into the water. It was Aquana, who shot like a jet into the stream. "Aquana?! What are you doing?!" Twilight screamed in horror, panic racing through her as she saw her mentor's Pokémon swim through the deadly water.

That is, till they all watched the Pokémon do what it did best. Without hesitation, Aquana swam through the current, shooting past the Chopmunk in an instant. It then spun around in the water, its head fin now sticking out of the water. Seeing this, the Chopmunk saw the fin and clutched onto it with everything it had.

"YES!" Twilight and Spike cheered as they watched Aquana swim towards Flash.

"Great work!" He added as he reached out to them and grabbed Chopmunk, the two slowly crawling to the end of the bridge while Aquana swam back to shore.

Once They were safely away from the river, Twilight looked over Chopmunk and Aquana. "They're both okay," Twilight assured them all. "They're all okay."

Everyone sighed in relief as Flash crouched down, patting Aquana on the head. "That was awesome little guy. The Pokedex wasn't kidding, you're a strong swimmer."

Aquana blushed as Flash scratched its head. "Aquana..."

"Everyone!" The group looked up to see High Tide rushing towards them. "I've done everything I can, but there's nothing I can do to stem the flow of the water."

They looked up at the dam, all of them seeing it crack up more and more. Soon enough, the whole structure would give, unleashing all the water and sweeping the town away.

"There as to be something we can do to stop it!" Spike yelled as he pointed at the dam. "Come on, you all have to have some kind of-"

But the boy didn't finish his statement, as in that moment, they heard the sound of an engine. They turned to see a police bike racing towards them, it driver being Officer Hard Case, who pulled the bike to a stop not too far from them.

"Hard Case," High Tide said as they moved over to the officer. "There's nothing we can do. We have to evacuate the town."

"It's already in progress," Hard Case replied as he got off his bike. "But I've come to try and stop this."

"How?"

Hard Case chuckled at this. "You don't think I didn't foresee this event possibly happening?" He pulled out a Pokeball. "I've got a Pokémon here that can help us. Vaporeon, to my side!" The Pokeball opened up and unleashed a stream red energy, forming and fading into a Pokémon.

Standing infront of them was a dog like Pokémon with a marine like design. It's body was light blue, with dark blue ridges running from its back to its dolphin like tail. It had a webbed collar around its neck, along with fish like fin shaped ears and a large dorsal fin like appendage on its head. "Vay."

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Vaporeon
Category: Bubble Jet Pokémon
Type: Water
Info: One of the evolved forms of Eevee. Vaporeon underwent a spontaneous mutation where it grew fins and gills that allow it to live underwater. As such, this Pokémon has the ability to freely control water.

Hard Case pointed at the giant target in front of them. "Alright partner, aim at the dam and use Ice Beam!"

Vaporeon leapt into the air as a sphere of light blue energy appeared in front of its mouth. "VAY!" It cried as what looked like light blue lightning flew out of the sphere and struck the river, causing the water to turn to solid ice. The ice grew bigger and bigger until it reached the dam, soon encasing it in ice as well.

"WOW!" The others exclaimed as they watched the ice stop everything in one go.

Hard Case chuckled again as he turned to them. "That'll stop the water, at least until we can repair the dam."

Everyone sighed in relief. The day had been saved.

Several hours later...

The sun began to set as the group returned to the Pokémon Center, all exhausted from a hard day's work. After the dam had been frozen, Hard Case had taken statements from all of them before they kept an eye on the dam. If it looked like a section of Vaporeon's ice was beginning to melt or crack, they were to report it to Hard Case, and he would have Vaporeon reinforce it.

It wasn't until an hour ago that a construction crew arrived, and began work on repairing the dam, allowing the teens to leave and head to the Center.

"Oh dear..." Redheart said as she saw them step into the building. "You all look like you've been through a lot."

"You have no idea," Flash moaned as he and the others headed over to the phones, Aquana following them this time.

As they did, Twilight redid her call to Professor Celestia. The professor soon reappeared on screen, once again holding a plate. "Professor, we...are you eating cake again?"

"Don't be silly," Celestia replied as she quickly moved the plate out of view. "So, I'm guessing you found Aquana?"

"We did. It was so much more trouble that you could possible imagine."

"I see. You all do look exhausted." Celestia commented as she looked them over, seeing little energy on even Spike's face. "Very well, go ahead and send me Aquana."

"Understood." Twilight then turned to the water lizard and pulled out its Pokeball. "Okay Aquana, time to go home. Return," Aquana's eyes went wide at this, the water type leaping out of range from the incoming beam. Seeing this, Twilight shot two more beams, "Return Aquana, return this-hold still!"

"Aquana!" the lizard cried as it dodged the Pokeball's energy beam for a fourth time.

"Stop that and-glug!" Twilight tried to say, only to get a Water Gun to the face. As the water drenched down her being, her eye twitched as she glared at the Pokémon. "I'm not in the mood for this Aquana! Return now or else!"

"AQUANA!" Aquana cried again, shooting another Water Gun at her face.

"BLAUGH!" Twilight yelped as she try to shield herself. But as the water now dripped down her shirt, a low growl could be heard from her mouth. "Aquana…." Flash, Springer and Spike all let out a gulp as they saw the next sight. It was pure rage, all of it overtaking Twilight as her hair suddenly turned into a fiery blaze, instantly drying her at the same time. She pointed the pokeball and screamed, "GET IN YOUR POKEBALL THIS INSTANT AQUANA! DO IT NOW OR-"

"Twilight!" yelled her mentor's voice through the monitor, causing Twilight to come to a halt. "Calm down!"

"Professor...." Twilight mumbled as she turned to the monitor, the fire in her hair now gone. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Twilight, take a deep breath and calm down." As Twilight nodded and did this, Celestia glanced at Flash, "Flash, could you show me Aquana?"

"Sure." Flash replied as he knelt down next to Pokémon, giving him a curious look. "Something tells me you don't want to go home, do you little guy?"

"AQUANA!" Aquana cried as it threw its stubby little arms around his leg, nodding as tears went out its pleading eyes.

Flash blinked at this, only to tilt his head, "Wait, do you want to come with me?"

Aquana's eyes were now a waterfall of tears as it nodded it's head rapidly.

Twilight and Spike both just stood there in shock while Celestia giggled at the sight, "It seems Aquana left the lab because it's chosen you as its partner. A good choice if you ask me."

Twilight turned to her mentor. "But professor, Flash already has a starter Pokémon."

"Maybe, but if Aquana wants to be Flash's Pokémon, then we have no right to refuse it." She turned and gave Flash a wink of the eye. "How about it Flash? Are you willing to take Aquana along with you?"

Flash turned from her to Aquana, seeing its pleading eyes still on him, its lip quivering as tears flowed down it. He just shook his head as he picked the water lizard up with a smile, "You really have to ask? Of course you can come with us."

Aquana's eyes grew wide, only to hop out of Flash's hands and hug his chest. "AQUANA!"

Everyone smiled at its happy cry, Celestia quickly typing away at the machine next to her, "Then its settled. If you could place his Pokeball and your Pokedex into the transporter, I'll register him as your Pokémon."

"Sounds good to me." Flash commented as him and Twilight did as they were told.

A few beeps and boops later...

"There you go, Aquana now belongs to you." Celestia commented as she transferred the pokeball back, "I'll be counting on you to take care of it."

Flash nodded at this. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't." With that, the screen went black and everyone turned to look at their newest teammate.

Flash crouched down so he was at eye level with it. "Now, there's just one thing left to do." Aquana gave him a confused look, tilting his head at his new trainer. Flash then shined a big cocky grin, "I gotta give you a cool nickname."

"Yeah! And its gotta be something awesome!" Spike added, "I mean, did you see how he swam through that riptide? It was epic!"

"Riptide?" Flash said out loud before smiling. "Yeah...Riptide." He turned to Aquana. "What do you think? Riptide sounds like a cool name to me."

Aquana continued to look up at his in confusion, until it smiled back and nodded. "AK!"

"Riptide sounds good to me," Twilight agreed.

"Me too," Spike added.

"Ri!"

Flash smiled as he picked the Aquana named Riptide up. "Then Riptide it is. And together, we'll take the Equestria Region by storm."

"Aquana!" Riptide cheered with a nod.

And so another adventure ends, with Flash gaining a new partner in Riptide as a result. What adventures will the two of them have now that they were together? The only way to answer, was to stay tuned.

Prince of the Forest

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Continuing on their journey to Trottingham City, our heroes find themselves in the White Tail Woods. Having left Stratusburg Town that morning, they had now been walking in that forest for about three hours, and were starting to get a little tired. Luckily, they soon found themselves in a clearing near a stream.

Flash spoke up first as surveyed the area, "Alright, this looks like a good spot to take a break."

Twilight scanned the place over as well, pushing her glasses up her nose as she added, "Agreed, but not for long. I'd prefer to get to town before it gets dark."

"Where's the fun in that?" Spike asked as he nudged his sister. "We haven't had a chance to camp out yet."

"I am not interested in camping out here Spike." Twilight replied, growling at her brother, "I don't want to know what Pokémon could try to sneak up on us at night!"

"But that's the fun in camping out!"

"No it is not! That is the opposite of the definition of fun and you know it!"

Flash laughed under his breath as they continued to bicker, his hand going into his belt before grabbing his Pokeballs. "Skyler, Riptide, come on out." He tossed them in the air and they opened, releasing the Pokémon within.

"Chick."

"Ak."

"Ri!" Springer cheered as the Pokémon appeared before him. He then began talking to them, all of them nodding at him before they started to play tag.

"You too Owlicious," Twilight said as she did the same with her Psychick.

"Psy," Owlicious hooted as it was let out and flew over to the others.

As they sat on some nearby rocks, Flash watched the Pokémon playing and stared at Owlicious, a question hopping into his mind, "Hey Twilight, what other moves does Owlicious know? I didn't get to see him really battle when we fought Movine."

Twilight, who had been drinking from her canteen, looked over at him. "Oh, he also knows Sky Drop and Calm Mind."

"Calm Mind?"

"Its a move that increases the power of Special Attacks that he uses," Twilight explained before sighing, "Though its not much use since he doesn't know any Special Attacks."

Flash just shrugged at this. "I'm sure he'll learn one soon enough. Especially when the two of you get a little more battle experience."

Spike nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's why Professor Celestia sent you out here. So you could learn from the real world."

"Maybe, but I haven't really had the chance to get that experience." Twilight replied as she shook her head before glancing at Flash, "Makes me wish I had your natural battle instincts."

Flash smirked, chuckling at her comment. "My battle instincts aren't natural Twilight. I gained them like you will, through practice. We just need to find you an opponent, as I don't think you're ready to train with mine just yet."

In that moment, the bushes near where their Pokémon rustled. The four of them turned to the bush and looked at it funny, slowly stepping away from it. Soon enough, the trainers heard it as well, all of them now staring at the bush. That is, till something stepped out.

It turned out to be a Pokémon that looked like an apple, complete with cone-like feet for movement and had a long green stem with a single leaf growing out of its head. The sight made the group blink as the Pokémon ignored them while making its way over to the stream, where it began to drink.

"It's a Pipple," Twilight commented as she pointed at it.

"Pipple?" Flash pulled out his Pokedex and scanned it.

Name: Pipple
Category: Apple Pokémon
Type: Grass
Info: It feeds itself by connecting its stem like appendage to trees, allowing it to absorb nutrients. The higher the tree, the more nutrients it gains.

"Perfect. Not only that, the thing looks weak too." Flash said before turning to Twilight, "go for it."

Twilight just blinked at the boy. "Come again?"

"I'm saying you should battle it," Flash explained as he looked back at it. "It doesn't look strong, so you should have an advantage."

Twilight saw his point. Better to battle something weak to get her footing. She let out a small sigh before snapping her fingers, "Alright. Come here Owlicious."

"Psy," the Psychick hooted before flying onto her shoulder as she stepped forwards.

The Pipple had just finished its drink, the Pokémon now sensing a close presence as it turned to see Twilight and Owlicious. "Alright Pipple, you're mine." Owlicious took to the sky and flew at it. "Use Peck Owlicious!" The Psychick's beak began to glow, only for the owl to fly down and strike the Apple Pokémon, causing it to fall back.

"PIP!" It cried as it hit the ground. As it felt the dirt, its eyes narrowed in anger, causing the leaf on its head to glow before hopping back onto its feet. "PIP! PIP PIPPLE!" it yelled as it used Razor Leaf, firing a barrage of leaves out of its single leaf.

"Um....uh...." Twilight stuttered, her mind stuck in debating over dodging or countering. However, this hesitation prevented Owlicious from acting, so he was struck by the attack and sent into the ground as well.

"PSY!" he cried as he hit the dirt.

"Owlicious!" Twilight screamed, only to feel a hand on her shoulder.

"Its okay. Calm down." Flash told her as he gripped her shoulder. "That shouldn't have done that much damage. Just focus on what to do next."

"You can do it Twilight," Spike added.

Twilight nodded and turned back to the battle, Owlicious picking itself back up. "Are you okay, Owlicious?"

"Psy!" the owl hooted back, nodding to its trainer.

"Okay. If that's the case....use Sky Drop!"

"Psy!" Owlicious flew at Pipple and grabbed it in its talons before flying it up into the air, where it spun like a top before tossing it into the ground.

"PIPPLE!" It cried as it fell, hitting the ground with a thud before kicking up a dust cloud. When it faded, Pipple could be seen trying to get up from the blow.

"Now Twilight," Flash told her as he pointed at the struggling Pokémon. "Catch it!"

"Right!" Twilight replied before pulling out her Pokeball. "Alright, go Pokeball!"

She tossed it at the Pipple, the aim looking like it would hit it. But in that moment, something shot out of a nearby bush and knocked the Pokeball away from Pipple.

"Hey!" Twilight yelled as she saw the ball land in front of her.

"What was that?" Spike asked as they all turned to look back at where the blur stood.

Said blur turned out to be a Pokémon they all remembered seeing at Professor Celestia's lab, a Thawn. The Pokémon now stood between the trainers and Pipple, growling as anger shined on it's face. "Fay."

Seeing this, Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Thawn
Category: Grass Fawn Pokémon
Type: Grass
Info: Usually found in forests, Thawn's strong legs allow it to reach 40 miles an hour. Because of their amazing speed and agility, it is almost impossible to catch this Pokémon in a forest.

"That thing looks pretty nasty," Spike gulped as he looked the Thawn over. "It's nothing like the ones I've seen at Professor Celestia's Lab."

"Those were trained from birth," Twilight told him as Owlicious landed onto her shoulder. "This one must be wild."

"Wild, huh?" Flash said before smiling, already liking the look of this newcomer. "That means I can catch it. Springer!"

"Ri!" Springer leapt in front of him.

"Quick Attack!" Flash ordered, Springer doing as told by launching itself forwards.

Thawn responded by opening its mouth, a ball of green energy appearing in it and growing in size. "Fay!"

"That's Energy Ball!" Twilight yelled at Flash as Thawn launched the attack.

"Dodge it, Springer!" The Riolu stopped its attack and leapt in the air, hopping straight over the attack as it then hit the ground. "Now, use Aura Sphere!"

Springer created the ball of energy and threw at the Thawn. But as the fawn saw the attack coming, it leapt out of the way as Springer landed on the ground. "Fay!" It cried as it charged towards the riolu.

"It's using Tackle," Twilight commented.

"Quick Attack! Now Springer!" Flash ordered.

"Rio...LU!" Springer shot towards Thawn, fists ready to punch it.

But as they drew closer, something shot out of the bushes, descending between the two Pokémon. Springer's fist and Thawn's head came in contact with what looked like a bunch of flowers, causing them both to look up and see a Pokémon between them.

Said Pokémon was bipedal with an appearance that incorporated roses and a masquerade attire. It had hair made of white rose petals, and a leafy, green cape with a yellow, collar-like bangle on its neck. The cape pattern reached toward the back of its head, with spiky, sepal-like extensions on the hair. The lower portion of its face were light green, and instead of hands, its arms sported a red or blue bouquet. "Rose..." it said calmly.

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex again.

Name: Roserade
Category: Bouquet Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Info: With the movements of a dancer, it strikes with whips that are densely lined with poisonous thorns.

"Roserade!" It pushed Springer and Thawn away from it, distancing the two of them from each other. It then turned to Thawn, glaring at it. "Rose, Roserade!"

"Fay!" Thawn replied angrily, "Thawn, Thawn!"

"That's enough Prongs!"

They all turned to see someone step out of the bushes and put its hand on top of Roserade. It was a woman with white skin, green hair, and was wearing a red jacket with black trim, along with black gloves and a red hat. The woman moved over to them and turned to Prongs, glaring at the Pokémon, "Prongs, you can't keep doing this."

The Thawn named Prongs glared at her for several seconds, only to let out a snort before grabbing the Pipple and walking back into the forest.

"Hey!" Flash yelled, "don't run away!"

Prongs turned to glare back at him, hissing, "Fay." With that, he disappeared into the bushes.

"Awwww man," Flash lamented before turning to the woman, "Hey! Why'd you and that Roserade interfere?! I was gonna catch that guy!"

The woman let out a small sigh, "I'm sorry I interfered...and about Prongs."

"Oh yeah? Then why did you-"

"Stop Flash." Twilight interrupted, flashing her head in front of Flash before turning to the woman, "Gauging by your outfit, you're a ranger, aren't you? That's why you stopped Flash."

"I am. My name is Jasmine," she said with a bow. "I'm in charge of the entire area of White Tail Woods and this Roserade is my partner."

"Roserade."

"It's nice to meet you," Twilight mirrored her action. "My name's Twilight." She pointed to the Psychick on her shoulder. "This is Owlicious."

"I'm Spike," The youngest told her.

"And I'm Flash," the last teen said before turning to his Pokémon. "And this is my team."

"Riolu."

"Chickling."

"Aquana!"

"It's nice to meet you all," Jasmine said, bowing again. "And once again, I'm sorry I interfered, but I had too with Prongs."

Twilight and Flash shared a glance, knowing there was something else going on here. Twilight then stepped up to her. "Jasmine, what did you mean when you said that Thawn had to stop doing something?"

Jasmine sighed again before motioning to them. "That's a long story. Follow me, my cabin's not far. I'll explain everything there."

They all nodded and followed her through the trees.

One trip to Jasmine's cabin later...

Soon enough, they arrived at Jasmine's log cabin, where they sat around a table while their Pokémon chowed down on bowls of Pokémon food.

"Roserade," the grass Pokémon said as she handed them all cups of coco.

"Thank you," Twilight replied as she took her cup before turning to Jasmine. "So, what's with that Thawn?"

"Yeah!" Flash added, "Why'd it stop Twilight from catching that Pipple? And why did you stop me and Springer from catching him?"

Jasmine took a sip of her coco as she slowly replied, "For starters, his name is Prongs, and he was born in this forest."

"Really? Are there many other Thawn here?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow, "Thawn are pretty rare to have them be all in this one forest."

"No," Jasmine shook her head. "That's the thing. When I found him, he was just a single lone egg in the forest." The teens all shared a confused glance, only to look back and see Jasmine lean back and close her eyes. "I remember it like it was yesterday. Roserade and I were doing the rounds when we suddenly noticed all the Pokémon acting funny. They were all heading to the same spot deep in the forest, and they looked like they were all in a rush. We followed them into the thicket, only to find them gathered around a single glowing egg."

"Glowing?" Spike asked with a tilt of the head.

"That means it was about to hatch," Twilight explained immediately, Spike giving an 'oh' face.

Jasmine nodded at this. "Soon enough, it did hatch, and I was amazed to see it was a baby Thawn. I went over and introduced myself, the young Thawn instantly beginning to trust me. As the weeks went by, Prongs grew more and more as he played with the forest's Pokémon, eventually gaining the title of Prince of the Forest."

"Prince of the Forest?" Flash asked, blinking at the nickname. "Why did you call him that?"

"And why do you call him Prongs?" Spike added.

Before Jasmine could answer, a bulb went off in Twilight's head as she asked, "Isn't there a book with a Sawsbuck named Prongs?"

"That's right. That's where I got the name for him." Jasmine replied, along with another nod. "Growing up, Prongs was an incredibly happy go lucky Pokémon. He constantly played with all the Pokémon here in the forest, keeping all of them happy and carefree."

"So what changed?"

Jasmine once again sighed. "One day, Prongs was playing with several Oakids."

"Oakids?" Spike asked.

Flash pulled out his Pokedex, typing the name into the search section. Soon enough, the image of a Pokémon that looked like a human toddler, but instead was made out of light brown wood. Coming out of its head were three large green leaves.

Name: Oakid
Category: Young Tree Pokémon
Type: Grass
Info: This playful Pokémon loves to have fun with anything or anyone willing to play with it. Because of this, they often find themselves in trouble.

"During that time, a trainer was making his way through the forest and came across them. He wanted a grass Pokémon, so he went after them. Prongs had been playing hide and seek in the bushes, so the trainer didn't see him. He watched as the trainer battle one of the Oakids and capture it, horrifying Prongs. He...he didn't like one of his friends leaving like that."

"I see." Twilight commented, adjusting her glasses as she then asked, "Is that why he stopped me from capturing Pipple?"

Jasmine nodded as she picked herself up and moved over to the window, staring out into the forest. "Prongs doesn't understand the problems that preventing trainers from catching Pokémon is causing. These woods are big, but not that big. New Pokémon are born and raised here, then a few of them leave on their own or with trainers. Prongs is trying to stop that, which I fear will result in the forest becoming overcrowded."

"That's bad...but what can you do?"

"I've tried explaining the situation to Prongs, but he won't listen. He sees trainers as thieves and kidnappers, but his view is so narrow. Pokémon with trainers grow stronger than those in the wild, so having a trainer can actually be beneficial. It's my hope that one day Prongs will learn that and maybe find his own trainer."

The three all looked down at the table, wondering if they might be able to help. But as they did this, a sudden loud beeping sound caught their attention. They all looked around and saw it was a walkie talkie, which was sitting on a nearby counter. Jasmine picked up the device and placed it to her ear. "I'm here," she listened for several moments until gasping. "Confirmed. Thank you." She switched it off and turned to them. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you all to stay here. I just got word that a powerful storm is heading this way."

The three teens all went wide eyed at this, but before they could respond, Jasmine and Roserade headed towards the door as she said, "Stay here. I have to make sure the Pokémon are all safe."

"Hang on," Flash said as he stood up. "Let us help. The more of us there are, the quicker you can get it done."

Twilight and Spike nodded as they got up. "We want to help the Pokémon as well."

"Please!" Spike added.

The other Pokémon all begged as well, all wanting to help. Jasmine thought for a moment, sharing a look with Roserade until they both nodded. "Okay, but you're gonna need proper weather gear."

Meanwhile...

In the thicket where it was born, Prongs sat with its eyes opened. It remembered it's fight with that trainer and his slaves. Jasmine and Roserade kept trying to tell him that trainers catching Pokémon was natural, but he refused to believe them. Trainers were nothing but thieves and kidnappers, and he would never let another one capture one of its friends. Of course, that meant he had to put his own wishes behind him. Before beginning his crusade, Prongs had wanted to go out and see the world beyond the forest.

And as he thought about this, a sudden rumble of thunder caught Prong's attention, causing him to get up and walk outside his burrow. He looked up and saw a bunch of dark clouds quickly heading his way. Seeing this, he knew what he would be doing today.

He had to get his friends to safety.

An hour later...

The storm was on them quicker than expected, even though they had all gotten water proof jackets from Jasmine to wear over their clothes. Now they were directing Pokémon towards safer locations so they could wait out the storm. "There's an underground cave about a mile away," Jasmine told them as she directed a group of Nidoran and Chopmunk. "It's big enough to hold all of them."

"Okay," Twilight replied as she found a bunch of Tangela. "Come on, you'll be safe if you follow me."

Spike saw a bunch of Mankey in a tree, soon shouting to them, "Come here Mankey! Its too dangerous to be up there!"

Flash and Springer were looking around for more Pokémon to help, spotting an Oakid hiding under a large leaf. "Hey little guy. We've gotta get out of here, follow me." He was about to reach out and grab it, only for a green blur to shoot past the Pokémon, the Oakid disappearing like smoke. "What the?!" Flash jerked back from the sudden sight, only to now see Prongs standing a ways away with the Oakid on his back.

"Fay," he growled before rushing off with the Oakid.

Flash blinked at this, only to sigh as he motioned to his partner. "Guess that one's okay. Come on Springer, lets go find some more."

"Ri!" the Riolu agreed as they got to work. Over the next hour, they tried to get all the forest Pokémon into the cave, which was on an opening in a hill, which worked as a tunnel that then sloped downwards. This kept it safe and dry, the perfect spot to wait out the storm.

"Alright," Jasmine said as she put the last Spewpa down, "I think that's all of them." She, Flash, Twilight, Spike and Springer were at the mouth of the cave, looking over all the Pokémon. "Now we just have to wait."

Prongs was wading through the group, making sure all his friends were safe. But as he did, a group of Pipple rushed up to him and started crying hysterically. "Fay?" He asked as one of the Pipple stepped up and explained that one of their number was not in the cave. This caused Prongs' eyes to go wide, instantly turning around and shooting out of the cave before anyone could say anything.

"Prongs!" Jasmine cried as the Thawn disappeared into the brush, "Where are you going?!"

But as the pokemon rushed off, the others watched it before Flash turned to his partner Springer, a look of determination shining on his face.

Prongs was at top speed as he rushed through the forest, his eyes darting everywhere in search of the missing Pokémon. As he continued to run, the rain and wind blasted his vision, making him rely on his other senses as he continued through the trees and bushes.

But as another spurt of water hit his face, the Thawn came to a stop, shaking his head of the rain. As he did this, a brilliant bolt of lightning illuminated the sky for a brief second, making him look up in awe. Then, another bolt appeared, closer than the first. He blinked at the sight, only for a third flash of light to appear, causing him to close his eyes. What he didn't see was that the bolt had struck a nearby tree, which instantly fell onto the Thawn's back, pinning him to the ground.

"THAWN! THAWN!" he cried out, fear overtaking him as he tried to move. "THAWN!"

"Aura Sphere!" From out of nowhere, a ball of blue energy shot struck the tree, blasting it into splinters. Instantly, he felt the weight off his back go away, letting him stand up.

"Fay?" Prongs asked as it looked over at where the Aura Sphere had come from, only to see the Riolu trainer it had previously battled.

The teen sighed in relief as he looked down at Prongs "That was close. You okay?"

"Fay?"

Flash smirked as he stepped over and crouched down. "Let me guess, there's a Pokémon out here and you've come to save it." Prongs nodded, wondering what this human's plan was. "Alright, then let's find it and get it back to the cave." Flash said as he stood back up and turned to his partner, "Springer, can you see if there's another Pokémon's aura nearby and track it?"

The Riolu nodded before closing it's eyes, pure concentration following the action. Prongs stared at the sight, stunned at what he was seeing. Eventually, Springer opened his eyes and turned to them. "Ri! Riolu!"

Flash shined a cheeky grin. "Great job partner. Lead the way!"

Springer nodded and ran towards the nearest bush, Flash on his tail. That is, till the teen came to a halt and turned to Prongs, "you coming?"

Prongs stared at the trainer for a moment, blinking at the suggestion. A nod soon followed as both he and the trainer rushed after the Riolu. Springer lead them about half a mile, only to stop and point at one of the tallest trees in the forest, "Ri!" He cried as he pointed upwards, Flash and Prongs looking up and spotting the Pipple on one of its larger branches.

"There it is!" Flash added.

Prongs moved over to the tree and called out to the Pokémon, "Fay Thawn fay."

"P-p-p-pipple," the grass Pokémon cried in fear. It's entire body was shaking, not from the cold, but from the terror of being alone in the storm. In that moment, a strong wind blew and caused the tree to sway wildly. "PIPPLE!" It cried as it tried to hold on.

"Fay!" Prongs yelled, quickly noticing he couldn't climb up there with his hooves.

But as his panic continued, Flash stepped up to the tree. "Don't worry," he called up to it, "I'm coming to get you." With that, he grabbed hold of a branch and started to climb.

"Fay?" Prongs gasped, backpedaling at the sight. His eyes shrunk at what he was seeing, not understanding why this human would risk himself to help Pipple. It turned to Springer, asking him this question. Springer responded with a laugh, explaining that Flash was no normal human. He then told him that even if its a Pokémon Flash had never met, he would do whatever it took to save it. Hearing this made Prongs look up at Flash in wonder. Was this human really that special?

"Almost there," Flash grunted as he reached the half way point of the tree. "I'll have you down soon."

"P-p-p-p-pipple," the apple Pokémon squeaked, its body shaking like a leaf. However, in that moment, another powerful gust of wind struck the tree, the lumber giant now swaying violently again. Flash managed to keep his grip, but-

"PIPPLE!"

Flash looked up to see Pipple fall towards the ground. "Oh no!" He yelled as he then leapt under the Pokémon, causing Pipple to land in his stomach. "Gotcha!" He cheered as he hugged the Pokémon in midair. Seeing the ground coming up quick, he knew he only had one chance. "Springer, Aura Clap!"

"Ri!" Springer replied. Aura Clap was not a move, but a technique they had come up with while training. Springer held his hands apart before creating a pair of Aura Spheres, which he then clapped together above his head. Doing so caused an explosion, which unleashed a powerful burst shockwave. The shockwave flew up and hit Flash, who curled up into a ball, pushing him upward as it slowed his fall. As it did, the teen soon hit the ground at slowed pace, making his landing a safe one.

"Oof!" he groaned as his back sunk into the now muddy ground. "Ooohhh...that still hurt, but we're safe. Good job bud."

"Riolu."

Flash chuckled at his partner's response looking down at the Pokémon in his grasp. He saw that it was now crying into his raincoat, causing Flash to pet the little critter, "Its okay. You're safe now."

"Pip..." Pipple squeaked as it looked up at him. Flash saw a look a recognition in its eyes and realized it was the one Twilight had battled earlier, which meant it must have climbed this tree to recover from the battle.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna try and catch you." Flash said as he put it on the ground and turned to Springer. "Nice work bud!" He held up a fist, which Springer copied and they fist bumped.

While this all happened, Prongs watched in amazement. The human had risked his own life to save this Pokémon, plus he and the Riolu had worked together like it was nothing. And now, seeing them like this, he realized something else. Their relationship was not one of master and slave, but a partnership.

"Alright, let's get back to the cave."

"Ri!" Springer agreed before leading the way.

Flash turned to Prongs and smiled. "Come on. Grab your friend there and lets get him back to the cave."

Prongs continued to stare at him for a moment until finally, he smiled and nodded, putting the Pipple on his back as they all rushed back to the cave.

Back at the cave, the group waited anxiously for Flash and the Pokémon to return. He had explained what he suspected to them before rushing off, leaving the rest of them to worry. Twilight and Spike watched as the rain and wind pelted down, making it hard to see anything while Jasmine tried to keep the Pokémon calm.

Then, they heard the sound of footsteps coming through the storm, a lone figure appearing in the distance. They all stared at the sight, only to see Flash with the Pokémon running by his side.

"Flash!" Twilight and Spike cried in unison.

"Hey guys!" Flash waved back at them as they ran into the cave, "You miss me?"

"You're okay," Twilight told him as she walked up and began to inspect him and Springer.

"Did you have any doubt?" Flash asked, causing Spike to laugh.

Jasmine saw Prongs return Pipple to its bushel, then saw it turn to stare at Flash. But the look it was giving him was not one of anger, but curiosity. She blinked at the sight, whispering to herself, "What happened out there?"

But as that question left her lips, the other Pokémon started to cry again, quickly diverting her attention. She would have to get her answers later. Right now, they had to focus on staying dry and warm to wait out the storm.

That storm blew throughout the entire day and night, not blowing over until early in the morning. And as the clouds began to break and allow the morning sunlight to peer through, the group left the cave, only to see a valley of trees blown down or blasted by lightning. No doubt it would take some time for the place to heal.

Several hours later, the group were outside Jasmine's cabin. They had spent their time returning the Pokémon to their homes and finding new ones for those who had had theirs' destroyed. Prongs had disappeared as soon as Jasmine gave the all clear, helping the group of Pipple get home.

Now, the teens were preparing to leave the forest. "Thank you for all the help," Jasmine told the teens.

"No problem," Flash said while giving her a thumbs up.

"We were happy to help," Twilight added.

"Will the forest be okay?" Spike asked her.

Jasmine smiled and nodded. "It'll be fine. Despite everything that just happened, the damage done wasn't as bad as it could have been. It'll recover." They all smiled at that, only for their attention to be caught by the sound of a rustling bush. They turned to see Prongs step out of the bush, looking up at them with determination in his eyes. "Prongs? What are you doing here?"

Prongs didn't reply. Instead, he turned to Springer and stomped his hoof. "Fay! Fay Thawn Fay!"

Springer's eyes went wide. "Rio?"

Prongs nodded, "Thawn."

The humans all shared a confused glance. "What's he saying Springer?"

Springer turned to his trainer and instead of responding, he reached up and pulled an empty Pokeball off Flash's belt. He enlarged it and rolled it towards Prongs, who placed his right hoof on it. Flash looked between the ball and the Thawn, quickly realizing what was going on. "Wait, are you saying you want to come with me?"

Prongs stared down at the ball, then looked up at him and nodded. "Fay."

They were all shocked at this, Twilight turning to Flash. "I can't believe it. He chose you? But what about his hatred of trainers?"

Jasmine smiled as she moved over to the Thawn. "Is it true? You finally understand?" Getting a nod in response, she knelt down and patted him on the head. "So you finally see it, don't you? Pokémon need trainers in order to grow stronger. It's a partnership."

Prongs looked up at her and nodded again.

Jasmine smile grew even brighter before turning to the teens. "Flash, will you please take Prongs with you? He needs to see the world and learn more than what he knows from living in this forest."

Flash stared at Prongs, seeing the serious determination in his eyes. This made him smirk, "Alright, I can get down with that. I did try to catch him before, so I'm totally up for him joining the team."

Everyone smiled at hearing this, only for Prongs to kick the Pokeball back to the trainer. He then got into a battle stance. "Fay..."

Flash instantly understood as he picked the ball up. "You wanna battle first, huh? Sounds good to me."

Soon enough, the group arrived back at the clearing where they all met. Prongs stood on one side while Flash and Springer stood opposite, Twilight and the others behind him. Springer stepped up, ready for battle. But as he did, Flash glanced back at Twilight, "Hey Twilight, what are Grass-Types weaknesses?"

"Their weaknesses?" Twilight replied, blinking at the sudden request, "Um...they're weak to Fire, Bug, Dragon, Flying and Ice attacks."

"Got it. Thanks." Flash commented as he looked down at Springer, "Sorry buddy, you're not in this fight."

"Ri?" Springer looked up at its trainer.

"Prongs is strong. If I wanna win, I gotta play smart." He pulled out another Pokeball. "Skyler, I choose you!" He threw the ball and it unleashed a red light, which took form and faded to reveal the Chickling.

"Chickling!" Skyler cried as he landed on the ground opposite Prongs. The two Pokémon stared at each other, waiting to see who would make the first move.

The staring contest lasted for about a minute, only for Prongs to suddenly rush towards Skyler. However, Flash was ready. "Alright Skyler, counter with Quick Attack!" The Chickling leapt into the air and flew at high speed towards the Thawn, who in turn leapt into the air and tackled Skyler. The two Pokémon collided, bouncing off one another and landing the same amount of distance away.

"They're even," Spike said as he blinked at the collision.

"In a way," Jasmine told him as she stared at the Thawn. "Prongs is stronger, but the force from the Chickling's speed allowed him to match Prongs."

"So Flash needs to be careful about frontal attacks," Twilight finished.

"Ri, ri rio!" Springer cheered, making Spike start cheering as well.

The two Pokémon recovered, Skyler getting back into the air, while Prongs stood tall. Prongs then opened his mouth and creating an Energy Ball Attack. "Fay!" It cried as it launched it.

"Look out Flash!" Twilight yelled.

"Skyler, use Gust to blow it away!" Flash ordered.

"Chick!" Skyler did as he was told and began flapping his wings at high speed, a powerful wind soon picking up and striking the Energy Ball. The two attacks collided and pushed against one another, only for the Energy Ball to explode from the impacting Gust, creating a large smoke cloud in its wake.

Seeing this, Flash pointed directly into the cloud, "Wing Attack!"

"Thawn?" Prongs looked up and saw Skyler, his wings now glowing. Before he could react, the Chickling flew through the smoke and struck his chest with it's right wing. "FAY!" The impact caused him to stagger back, only to quickly recover as he spun around and bucked the bird with his back legs.

"CHICK!"

"Skyler!" Flash yelled as he watched his Chickling be thrown back, landing on the ground before rolling towards it's trainer.

"Prongs just used Double Kick," Twilight commented as she watched the bird roll up to Flash.

"Come on Flash!" Spike cheered him on, "Get up Skyler, you got this!"

Flash looked down at Skyler, who was still picking itself up. "Can you still battle?"

"Chick..." Skyler moaned out before standing to its full height with his wings spread. "Chickling!"

Flash smirked and pointed at Prongs again. "Alright then, use Quick Attack again!"

"Ling!" Skyler leapt into the air and flew at Prongs, picking up as much speed as he can.

"Fay!" Prongs cried as he charged forwards.

"Prong's using Tackle again," Twilight commented as she pointed to the two. "They'll be even."

"Oh no they won't. Skyler, use Wing Attack!"

Skyler was confused at this command, but did as he was told. His wings glowed, and as he and Prongs clashed head to wing, Prongs was suddenly sent flying back from the blow, his tackle overpowered in that single strike.

"YES!" Spike cheered.

"RI!" Springer did the same.

Twilight went wide eyed at this, now seeing Flash's plan. "I see...he used Quick Attack to increase Skyler's speed, causing his Wing Attack to become twice as strong."

"You're friend is obviously a very skilled battler," Jasmine told them.

Seeing Prongs trying to pick itself up, Flash saw his chance and pulled out an empty Pokeball before enlarging it it. "Alright, go Pokeball!" He tossed the ball at the Thawn, and hit him dead on. As soon as it did, the Pokeball opened up and unleashed a swirl of red energy that surrounded the Pokémon. Everyone watched as Prongs was sucked into the Pokeball, the top slamming shut as it tapped the ground. They all stared at the Pokeball, watching it start to wobble back and forth. It wobbled again and again, then one more time, until-

SMASH!

The Pokeball broke open and unleashed a blast of red energy, which took shape and faded to reveal Prongs. The Thawn panted as it looked down at the empty ball, turning around to kick it back at Flash.

"Dang...." Flash muttered as he caught the ball.

"So close," Twilight added.

"Come on Flash!" Spike cheered again. "Don't give up!"

Prongs went right back on the offensive, creating an Energy Ball and firing it at Skyler. "That again," Flash grumbled as he had a feeling Prongs was expecting him to use Gust, only for a new idea to pop into his head. "Skyler, use Double Team!"

"Chick!" Skyler glowed before several more copies of him appeared, encircling Prongs.

"Fay?" Prongs looked around, surprised at the sudden increase in enemies. He then spun around and started using Double Kick on each of the clones, taking out one to two at a time.

"He's mowing them all down," Spike said.

"Hurry and call another attack Flash!" Twilight added.

Flash shook his head at this. "No, not yet."

Prongs continued to knock the clones away until there was only three left. "Fay!" He cried as he tried to use Double Kick on two of them.

"Now! Use Wing Attack!" One of the three flapped its wings and dodged the attack, throwing Prongs off balance. As it did, his wings glowed as he then struck Prongs.

"FAY!" The Thawn cried as he fell back. But as he did, he looked at the Chickling and smiled, his horns suddenly glowing green. Before anyone could notice, the green light shot off its horns and flew at Skyler. The green lights hit Skyler instantly, transforming into a vice of vines, which all wrapped around the Chickling. A moment later, the vines glowed red and Skyler looked like he was in pain.

"What the heck is that?!" Flash yelled as he pointed at the new attack.

"Flash, that's Leech Seed. If you don't hurry, Skyler's energy will be completely drained." Twilight explained to him, "You need to end this battle now!"

"Okay! Skyler, use Gust!"

"Chick," despite being drained, Skyler did as ordered and flapped its wings to create the wind attack.

The blast of wind struck Prongs, pushing him back. "Now, Quick Attack!" Flash ordered, Skyler shooting forwards and striking the off balance Thawn.

"FAY!"

Flash knew this might be his last chance and held up the Pokeball. "Prongs, let's grow stronger together." He pulled back before throwing the ball, "GO POKEBALL!" The ball flew through the air and hit Prongs on the head, opening up and unleashing the red energy. Prongs was engulfed by the light and pulled inside the ball, which quickly shut as it fell to the ground. Once again, they all stared at the Pokeball, watching it start to wobble back and forth. It wobbled again and again, until-

DING!

Flash's eyes went wide, a large smile appearing on his lips as picked the Pokeball up before raising it to the sky, "Alright! I just caught, A THAWN!"

"RIO!" Springer cheered as he leapt up next to him.

"CHICKLING!" Skyler did the same.

The others all clapped at this, Spike raising his hands in the air. "That was awesome Flash!"

"Thanks!".

"It was a great battle," Twilight added.

Jasmine nodded in agreement before bowing to Flash, "Please, take good care of Prongs."

"I will," Flash told him as he let the Pokémon out of the ball.

"Fay," the Thawn said once the light faded. It looked up to see Flash crouch down next to it.

"Well Prongs, you ready to go see the rest of the world?"

Prong's face turned to a smirk, giving him his answer. "Thawn!"

Flash chuckled back, "Alright."

Not too long later, Jasmine showed them the quickest way out of the forest. "This path will lead you straight to Trottingham City," she told them. "Keep on it and you'll be there in no time."

"Thank you Jasmine."

Jasmine smiled before crouching down to smile at Prongs. "Well Prongs, I guess this is it. The next time I see you, you'll probably by a hundred times stronger."

"Fay..." Prongs muttered in a low, sad tone.

Jasmine smiled as she patted him on the head. "Don't be sad. This is a happy moment, as you're about to go and see the world. And don't worry, we'll see each other again."

"Rose," Roserade agreed with a smile.

Prongs nodded, "Thawn."

"We'd better get going," Flash added as he motioned Prongs to follow him.

"Goodbye," Jasmine told them as she and Roserade waved, "Please take good care of him."

"We will," Spike replied as they waved back.

"Thanks for everything," Twilight added.

"I'll miss you Prongs," Jasmine told the leaving Thawn, who turned back and yelled at her.

"Fay! Fay Thawn!"

Flash patted his head as they continued down the road. "Don't worry Prongs, you'll be back someday."

Prongs looked at him and smiled, nodding in agreement. With Prongs now by his side, it looks like Flash in on his way to building his dream team. Now its on to Trottingham City, and Flash's first Equestria League Gym Battle.

Industrial Espionage

View Online

Continuing their journey through the Equestria Region, Flash, Springer and their friends finally arrived at Trottingham City. This city was a bustling metropolis, filled to the brim with skyscrapers trying to reach the sky. Seeing this sight, the gang agreed to head to the city Pokémon Center first, as Flash wanted to make sure his Pokémon were in tip-top shape.

"This is it," Twilight said as they found the red-roofed building.

As soon as the stepped through the door, they were greeted by a familiar voice. "Welcome to the Pokémon Center." The group looked towards the voice and noticed a familiar pink-haired woman.

"Nurse Redheart?" Flash asked.

"What are you doing here?" Spike added.

Redheart gave them all a questioning look. "Whatever are you all talking about?"

"We met in Stratusburg Town. Remember?"

Redheart's confusion turned to a smile, a slight giggle following. "Oh, you must have met my kid sister."

"Kid sister?"

She nodded before opening a drawer and pulling out a framed picture, which she placed on the counter for them to look at. "See?" The group looked at the picture and were amazed to see it had a dozen or so perfectly identical women, all wearing the same nurse's outfit.

"Again?" Twilight asked.

Flash scratched his head. "This is starting to feel like a running gag from a poorly made yet awesome kid's show."

"Makes me wonder about the fire department," Spike finished.

"So, what can I do for you kids?" Redheart asked.

Flash and Twilight held out their Pokeballs as Twilight said, "We were hoping you could check our Pokémon."

"We had a long trip here and I'm wanting to challenge the gym here later." Flash added.

"Of course," Redheart turned to the door behind her. "Chansey? I need your help."

Seconds later, the doors opened and a pink egg shaped Pokémon stepped out while pushing a trolley. The Pokémon had a small pouch on its stomach that had an egg in it while also wearing a nurse's hat. "Chansey."

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Chansey
Category: Egg Pokémon
Type: Normal
Info: It is said to deliver happiness. Being compassionate, it shares its eggs with injured people.

Redheart smiled at Flash's gesture. "Here in Equestria, Chansey is one of the Pokémon we use to help heal sick and injured Pokémon."

"Cool," Flash said as he put away his Pokedex.

"Ri," Springer agreed.

Redheart pointed at the trolley, which had a tray on it that had six spherical indents. "Please place your Pokémon on here."

Flash and Twilight nodded before placing their Pokeballs onto the tray while Springer leapt onto it. Chansey then retreated back into the door it had come from while Flash and Spike sat down on a nearby couch. Twilight on the another hand, returned to Redheart. "Excuse me, I was wondering if I could ask you something?" She pulled out her digital journal and opened it. "This device has a map setting, but its blank. I was wondering if you know where I can get one downloaded."

Redheart looked down at her journal before smiling. "Oh! You're in luck. That device was actually manufactured here."

"It was?" Twilight asked, her head leaning back slightly.

Redheart nodded. "It was made in the Trottingham Industrial Complex, Trottingham's pride and joy. They make devices and equipment that is used all over Equestria. If you head there, I'm sure they'll be able to install a map system for you."

Twilight smiled at this, only for Flash to appear right by her with a scowl, "Hey! What about my Gym Battle?"

"The Gym isn't going anywhere," Twilight told him as she put the journal. "Not only that, once I have the map, I'll be able to locate the Gym for you."

Flash wanted to retort, only for Redheart speak up first, "Actually, the Gym is very close to the complex."

Hearing this made Flash's scowl turn to a grin. "Alright! Then let's head out there now!"

Twilight and Spike nodded and Redheart gave Twilight the directions needed to get there. Once their Pokémon were returned to them, the group headed off to the Trottingham Industrial Complex.

What the group didn't know, was that they weren't the only ones in the center. In the corner of the room, three men were sitting with smirks on their faces. The first was a man with green skin along with a brown beard and hair, wearing a black suit like outfit with a moneybag symbol on the chest pocket. The second was the shortest of the group, who had silver skin and yellow hair along with wearing a black leather jacket with a wind like image on the back. He also had brown leather pants and an earring in his right ear. The last man was the biggest of the group, bulky and heavyweight with gray skin and black hair. He was wearing a white vest with a boulder logo on the back and black pants.

The suited man smirked. "You hear what the lady said, lads?"

"Sure did," the guy in the leather jacket replied. "I bet they've got a bunch of gear that's not even out yet."

The bulky man nodded in agreement.

"Exactly," the suited guy said. "If we get our hands on one, we'll be able to sell it to another company for a bundle."

"Awesome. What's the plan?" The leather jacket man asked.

"Let's scope this place out," suit guy explained while gesturing the other two to follow him. "If we see anything worth taking, we strike." The other two nodded at this, all three soon walking out of the center.

One hour later...

"We're lost, aren't we?" Flash asked Twilight, who was looking over the directions they had been given.

"No!" Twilight yelled back before immediately putting her nose back into the map, "we're just...not where we're supposed to be."

Spike let out a sigh as he facepalmed. "If we don't know where we are and we don't know where we're going, I'm pretty sure that means we're lost."

Twilight wanted to deny that, but after an hour of misreading the directions, and the fact that they were not at an industrial complex. Instead, they were wandering around a busy street surrounded by people. And as they walked down another street, Twilight looked back at the others, all seeing their dead stares at her before she let out a long sigh, "Alright, I admit it. We're lost."

"There," Flash replied while crossing his arms, "Was that so hard to admit?"

"Yes." Twilight hissed.

"So what do we do now?" Spike asked.

"I have no idea," Flash answered as he looked around. "I guess we could ask someone. If this complex is so well known, it would make sense that someone would know where it is."

"Okay....but who do we ask?"

His answer soon came from a voice, speaking up from behind him. "Excuse me."

The group spun around to see a man roughly a few years older than them, with light brown skin and dark brown hair. He was wearing a white shirt and light brown trousers, along with a blue tie that had an hour glass pattern on it and red converse trainers. On top of it all was a dark brown overcoat. The man smiled at them all as he put his hands into his trouser pockets. "Hello. Sorry to interrupt, and I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help noticing you all looking a little lost."

"That's because we are," Flash said as he held up his hand. "Flash Sentry."

"Time Turner," the man replied shaking his hand.

Flash smirked and pointed to his friends. "These are my travel mates, Twilight."

"Hello there," Twilight bowed.

"Spike."

"What's up?" Spike waved.

"And my partner Springer."

"Ri."

"Hello, I'm Time Turner. Now, where is it you need to go?"

"We're looking for the Trottingham industrial complex."

Hearing this made Time Turner smile. "Ah! If that's the case, you bumped into the right person because I happen to be heading there myself."

"Great! Think you can take us with you?"

"Oh course," Time Turner replied before turning around. "Come along. Alon-zi."

With that, Time Turner lead them through the city until they arrived at a river with a large metal bridge. Across that bridge was a row of factory buildings, all with loud machine-like sounds echoing out of them.

"What's that sound?" Spike asked.

Time Turner chuckled at the question. "That, is the sound of progress." He directed them down a path between the buildings until they arrived at one in the center of the complex. They stepped inside and found that it was a reception like area, where a lady was sitting behind a desk.

The women smiled when she saw Time Turner. "Hello Doctor."

"Hello there," he replied.

"Doctor?" The teens asked in confusion.

"You work here?" Twilight added.

The reception lady laughed at this. "No, he doesn't work here, he owns here. This is Time Turner, head of the Trottingham Industrial Complex."

"WHAT?!"

"RI?"

They all stared dead-eyed at Time Turner. "You're the boss?"

Time Turner chuckled at this, scratching the back of head while replying. "Looks that way."

"But...you're so young." Twilight commented.

Turner wagged his finger at the girl, "Age is no indicator of skill. You should never be judged by how old you are, but by what you can do."

The receptionist nodded. "Mr. Turner is actually the one responsible for making this Industrial Complex as successful as it is. He's able to instantly look at a device and realize why it isn't working. That's why everyone in town simply calls him the Doctor, or Doc."

"Awesome," Flash added as he glanced back at the doctor.

Time Turner, or Doc, smiled at the lot of them before the reception's phone began to ring. The receptionist answered, "Hello? Oh yes, he's here." She held the phone to Doc, "Building five sir."

Doc took the phone. "Hello? I see...then I'll be right over." He cut the call before turning to the teens. "You kids wanna see why they call my the Doctor?" All three of them, and Springer, nodded their heads in excitement. "Then follow me." He lead them out of the reception area and over towards another building, which had a large five printed on it. As soon as they stepped inside, their ears were assaulted by the sounds of multiple machines.

"Whoa...," Spike commented as he pointed at the machines, "Running all these things must cost a fortune."

Doc smirked at this. "Actually, running these things doesn't cost us a dime thanks to the Higear."

"Higear?" Flash asked.

In that moment, something floated into view from behind one of the machines. It was a Pokémon, which was floating in the air. It looked like a large gear, about three and a half feet in diameter. It's main body was a black circle that had a pair of red eyes and a zigzag smile on it. Around its body was a bronze ring that had square outdents that gave it it's gear like shape. Floating on either side of it were two silver gears that had five longer ridges that gave them the appearance of hands. "Higear," it said as it moved towards one of the machines.

"So that's a Higear," Twilight commented while Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Higear
Category: Mechanism Pokémon
Type: Steel
Info: There are countless gears built into its body, which are constantly rotating. For that reason, if even a single gear is missing, all of the gears in it's body will stop rotating and it will be unable to maintain its vital functions.

"That Pokedex forgot to mention that Higear love machinery," Doc explained as he pointed to the Higear floating above them. "They love just being around them, which gave me an idea. Why not design the complex's machines to run off them?"

"Off them? What do you-"

"Hey look!" Spike interrupted as he pointed at the Higear, which had moved over to a large device. That device had an indent in it that was the exact same shape and size as the Higear, which it slotted itself into before spinning around. As it did, the machine slowly repowered up.

"Over there too," Twilight added as she pointed at another machine, which also had a Higear powering it.

"And there," Flash finished as he pointed at another Higear powering a device. In fact, every piece of machinery had a Higear connected to it.

"So the Higear power all the machinery?" Twilight asked as she turned back to the doctor, "Does that mean you use those machines to build whatever you need with you by using them as a power source?"

"Exactly," Doc said with a nod. "They get to be around the machinery they love and we get to work without using as much electricity and we also make less pollution. Everyone's a winner in the situation."

"Awesome..." Spike added before a new thought went into his head. "So...do all these Higear belong to you?"

Doc replied with a shake of the head, "No, they're all wild. Before I came up with this idea, they used to swarm the complex, trying to get to the machinery. They were considered pests until I developed a way for them to work the machines, which they were all happy to do so. Now us and the Higear are considered partners."

"Neat." Spike replied before pointing to another machine, "But do they-"

"Doc!" interrupted a voice, making them all turn to see a factory worker rushing towards them. "Thank goodness you're here! We have a situation."

"Then lead the way," Doc replied as the worker nodded before leading them into another factory, totally unaware that they were being watched. The suited guy, leather jacket and bulk man had been sneaking around the complex, when they had spotted Doc and the teens. Deciding to follow them, they had overhead what Doc had said about the Higear and they all smirked.

"These Higear must be worth a fortune," guy in the suit commented as he rubbed his hands with a huge greedy grin. "If we get our hands on them, we'll be able to sell them to the highest bidder."

His partner in the leather jacket snickered. "And since they're wild, we can catch them all we want."

"Exactly. Get the nets, we don't have time to battle them all."

At the back of the factory, the workman had lead them to a large device connected to a conveyor belt. Another Higear was linked into it, but something was off about this one. The Higear had a pained looked on its face, the type one makes when they were forced to run while out of breath. "Higear..." it moaned as it wavered back and forth. "Hi....gear...."

"What's wrong with it?" Twilight asked as she pointed to the Pokémon. "It looks like its just been through a marathon."

The workman turned to her. "The Higear aren't meant to remain connected to the machine for more than three hours at a time because the overuse could cause them to undergo mechanical failure. The machines lock them in so they don't accidently fall out while spinning at high speed, along with a release mechanism that stops and allows them to be free if they feel tired."

"So what's the problem?"

Doc moved up to the machine and reached into his coat, pulling out a pair of black thick rim glasses that he placed over his eyes. "The release mechanisms aren't working. The Higear's trapped."

"Exactly," the workman said with a nod. "We've tried everything we could think of, but we can't get the Higear out."

"Alright. Then I'll just go up and ask the Pokémon what to do." Doc said in a calm, monotone voice. The others were surprised at the sudden declaration, but before they could say anything, Doc was already climbing the machine until he was face to face with the Higear. "Hello there, I'm the Doctor."

Higear opened its pained eyes and looked at him. "Hi...."

Doc let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry, I'm gonna get you out." He reached into his coat and pulled out a small cylindrical device that he held up, pressing a button and unleashing a blue light on the machine. "Let's see what's wrong here." He shined the light over the machinery, looking for anything that might catch his attention.

"You think he'll find something?" Spike asked.

"We'll have to wait and see," Twilight replied while rubbing her chin in thought. "Fascinating method though..."

Before Twilight could continue her comment, Doc let out a cry of joy, "HA! Here we go!" He then yanked out a piece of metal from the machine.

The Higear's face suddenly went from pained to surprised as it suddenly floated out of place. "HIGEAR!"

"He's free!" Spike cheered.

"RI!" Springer cried in joy.

Flash blinked as he watched Doc climb down, the Higear floating down with him. "How'd you do that?"

Doc smiled as he placed his glasses and flashlight back in his pocket. "Oh, just a bit of rusty metal was keeping the release from properly working. Forcing that part open allowed the rest to work perfectly."

"Wow," Twilight gasped, "and you figured it out just by looking at it?"

"That's why he's the doctor," the workman said matter-of-factly.

"Oh please, I'm just doing my job." He turned to the worker, "Is that everything?"

"Yes sir. I'll get the Higear back to work."

"Good."

As the worker and Pokémon left, the doctor turned back to the teens, "Now then....in all the excitement, I never asked why you all wanted to come here in the first place."

"Oh yeah..." Twilight replied as she reached into her backpack and pulled out her journal, which she held out to him. "We were told we could get a mapping system for this."

"Ah, one of my favorite inventions." Doc said as he took the journal, opening it up and to look through the device. "Hmm....I'm guessing you haven't had it long."

"Not really."

"Well I can definitely get you a mapping system for it. In fact, as a special treat, I'll download the latest version free of charge."

"Really?"

Doc nodded. "What's the point of knowledge if you just keep it to yourself?" He then pocketed the device, "I can have it ready for you tomorrow."

Twilight nodded as Flash stepped up. "Good. Now we can focus on my Gym Battle."

Upon hearing this, Doc raised an eyebrow at the teen. "So, you've come to face the Trottingham City Gym Leader?"

"Yeah," Flash replied before puffing his chest with a smirk. He then pointed at the doc, "Hey, you must know him. What's he like?"

They all leaned closer with an expectant look, causing Doc to chuckle. "I know he's an exceptionally strong trainer who constantly comes up with new ways to defeat his opponents. The only way you're gonna win is to have a strategy that covers every possible outcome."

Twilight turned to Flash. "That could be a problem for you. How are you supposed to strategize if you know nothing about this guy?"

Flash just shrugged. "Who needs a strategy? I'll just stick to what I'm best at, thinking on the fly."

Hearing this made Doc frown. "If you do that, you'll lose."

Flash just shrugged at this, "Maybe, but getting bogged down in trying to think up every little detail just isn't my speed. My grandmother once told me that there were four steps to winning a battle. Make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan. I just do the all that, except I skip the first three steps."

Doc's frown continued to grow. "Obviously any plan your grandmother ever made wasn't planned out well enough. If you planned enough, nothing will ever cause said plan to go as you said, 'off the rails'."

Flash was about to reply, only for the group's ears to hear a new sound.

"HIGEAR! HI HIGEAR!!!"

They all turned towards the entrance, where the sounds of many Higear cries were originating from. None of them said a word as their bodies acted without thought and rushed over to the entrance. There, they found the all the workers on the floor, all of them battered and bruised, "What happened?" Doc asked the closest one.

The man weakly pointed outside, "They're trying to take the Higear."

The five all rushed outside, where they found the three men. The first of the three was a bulky, heavyset man with a large sack over his shoulder. Beside him was a man in a black, slim suit along with another man who was wearing a thick black leather jacket.

"HEY! What do you think you're doing?!"

The three stopped and spun around, the black suited one smirking at them. "We're just doing a little shopping."

Twilight noticed the sack that bulky man was holding, which was actually a net full of the Higear they had seen earlier. "What are you doing with those Higear?! Let them go!"

The black suited guy just let out a laugh. "Why would I do that? These Higear are all wild, so why can't I catch them?"

"Because you're not catching them," Flash said as he pointed to the net. "You're kidnapping them from their home!"

"Yeah!" Spike yelled in agreement, "What you're doing is just wrong! Why'd you need so many Higear anyway?!"

At this point, Doc stepped forward. "My guess is that they intend to sell them. Isn't that right, Big Score?"

The suited man smirked at this, shaking his head as he pointed to himself. "So you've heard of me."

"You're on every wanted list out there," Doc replied as he let out a low growl. "Big Score, and his cronies Rickashay and Boulder. Wanted for theft and assault all over Equestria. You'll do anything for a quick buck."

"Which is exactly what these Higear will give me," Score admitted as he pointed to the net. "Once I sell them to the highest bidder, that is."

"That's just sick," Twilight hissed.

"We won't let you get away with this," Flash told them.

Score let out another laugh. "And how'd you intend to stop us?" He and his friends each pulled out a Pokeball before tossing them in the air. "Jesterror, out!"

"Stompice, chill out!"

"Spikorn!"

The three Pokeballs opened, unleashing the red energy that hit the ground and took form before fading. The first Pokémon to take shape looked humanoid and stood at about four feet. He had snow white skin and was wearing a red and blue clown outfit, complete with bells on its hat and shoes while its sleeves reached all the way to its feet. "Jest..."

The second was a white Pokémon that stood on two thick legs but had no arms. It stood at about four and a half feet, with a light blue cone shaped appendage on its head that was just above its face that appeared to be made out of ice. It also had light blue ice spikes on its knees. "Stomp."

The final Pokémon looked like a hercules beetle, but its entire body was made out of stone. It had a pair of longs sharp horns on its head. One long one on its forehead and another, shorter one coming out of its lower jaw. It had four insectoid like legs with spikes one the end of them and six spikes on its back. "Korn."

"Whoa..." Flash said as he pulled out his Pokedex. "Never seen those before."

Name: Jesterror
Category: Phantom Clown Pokémon
Type: Ghost/Dark
Info: This mischievous Pokémon enjoys terrifying people careless enough to wonder the streets after dark. It emerges from the shadows, strikes, then fades back into the nothingness.

Name: Stompice
Category: Ice Foot Pokémon
Type: Ice
Info: Because their feet are so large, they often find themselves tripping over them. Because of their shy nature, they are rarely seen by humans.

Name: Spikorn
Category: Rock Spike Pokémon
Type: Rock
Info: Its body is so large it can no longer climb walls. In protects itself using the spikes on its body to ward off attackers.

"Those things look strong," Twilight said with a gulp.

Flash smirked as he put away his Pokedex and stepped forwards with Springer. "I got this." He pulled out his Pokeballs. "Skyler, Riptide, Prongs, I choose you!" He three the balls in the air and they unleashed their red energy, which hit the ground and took form before fading.

"Chickling."

"Aquana."

"Thawn."

"Riolu!" Springer leapt in front of the three, ready to fight.

"Be careful Flash," Twilight told him.

"Don't worry. As I said, I got this," Flash assured her.

From the back of the group, Doc watched sternly. He remembered what Flash had said earlier about battling by thinking on the fly, wondering just how this style of battling would suit him.

"Riptide!" Flash ordered, "start with Echoed Voice!"

"Ak!" Riptide cried as he leapt into the air before taking a deep breath. "AQUANA!" He unleashed a sound-wave that struck the three Pokémon. Stompice and Spikorn flinched in pain, but Jesterror appeared to be unaffected by it.

"Pathetic!" Score yelled as he pointed at the water lizard, "Jesterror, use Night Shade!"

"Jest!" Jesterror leapt into the air at Riptide, a dark aura appearing around his body. That aura then enveloped the Aquana, sealing it in a black sphere that suddenly exploded.

"AQUANA!" Riptide yelped as he fell to the floor and a thud.

"Riptide!" Flash cried as he rush over to him, kneeling down to see if he was okay. "What happened?"

"Jesterror's a Ghost Type," Twilight told him. "Normal Type attacks won't work on him."

"Dang it!" Flash cried before turning to his opponents. "Springer, use Aura Sphere on Spikorn!"

"Did he just say Aura Sphere?" Doc asked as he watched Springer create the ball of aura and toss it at Spikorn. "Brilliant."

Score snapped his fingers, "Oh no you don't! Jesterror, block it!" The jester Pokémon leapt in front of Spikorn and held up its hand, the Aura Sphere striking it, only for it to disappear into nothing.

"Again?!" Flash gasped.

"Fighting type moves won't work on Ghost types as well Flash!" Twilight yelled as she pointed at the clown Pokémon.

At this point, Stompice and Spikorn had recovered from the Echoed Voice. "Our turn," Rickashay said. "Stompice, use Ice Shard!"

"Spikorn, use Rock Throw!" Boulder ordered.

The two Pokémon fired their attacks, Stompice opening its mouth and creating a large block of ice while Spikorn's did the same and created a large rock in between its horns. The two attacks flew at Flash's Pokémon.

"Prongs, Double Kick!"

"Fay!" Prongs leapt in front of his teammates before spinning around, bucking his two hooves at the attacks, shattering them.

"Now Skyler, Wing Attack on Jesterror!"

"Chick!" Skyler cried as he shot towards Jesterror, his wings glowing.

"Slash!" Score ordered, Jesterror now holding up its arms. The long sleeves rolled down, revealing a pair of sharp claws on its hands that glowed.

"Jest!" He yelled as it held out its claws, which it used to grab Skyler by the wings, and dug them into the bird.

"Chickling!" Skyler cried in pain.

Score smirked, but that smirk quickly faded when he heard Flash's next order. "Force Palm, Water Gun and Energy Ball!" He looked around to see Riptide and Prongs fire their attacks at Spikorn, while Springer rushed towards Stompice and thrust his paw into him. The attacks struck and sent them both back while Skyler flapped its wings and pushed Jesterror away.

"Yeah!" Spike cheered as he jumped for joy.

"Nice move Flash," Twilight clapped.

"He was distracting us with that Chickling." Score growled as he stared at the bird Pokémon. "Blast it all!"

"No worries," Rickashay said as his and Boulder's Pokémon recovered. "Use Stomp!"

"Tackle!" Boulder ordered.

The two Pokémon rushed forwards and attacked the ones that had hit them, Stompice kicking Springer in the stomach while Spikorn rushed into Riptide and Prongs, hitting both with his spikes.

"Guys!" Flash yelled as he watched his Pokémon all get knocked back with ease.

"Oh no!" Twilight cried, "Are they okay?!" They watched as the three of them picked themselves up, while Skyler flew over them defensively.

"Now!" Score yelled, "Jesterror...Confuse Ray!"

Twilight and Doc both went wide eyed hearing this as they watched Jesterror's eyes glow bright red. "Flash, watch out!" Twilight cried, but it was too late.

"Jesterror!" The phantom clown Pokémon cried as it shot a quartet of red beams from its eyes, each one hitting one of Flash's Pokémon in the forehead. The four of them all flinched and closed their eyes, only to start staggering around.

"What the heck?!" Flash yelped as he saw his team all waver back and forth, all of them completely unfocused.

"Flash, they're confused. You have to be careful." Twilight tried to say, only for it to fall on deaf ears.

"You gotta snap out of it guys!" Flash yelled as he pointed at Spikorn. "Springer, use Aura Sphere on Spikorn!"

Springer did create an Aura Sphere, but everything around him looked so blurry that he couldn't aim properly. He then threw the attack, only for his target to end up being Riptide!

Boom!

"AQUANA!" Riptide cried out as he was struck by the attack and sent flying back.

"Riptide!" Flash yelled as he rushed forwards and caught his Pokémon, the water lizard now unconscious.

"Now's our chance!" Score yelled as he clenched his fists.

"Right!" Rickashay replied. "Use Ice Beam on Thawn."

"Use Rock Blast on Chickling," Boulder ordered.

"And use Shadow Sneak on Riolu!" Score finished.

The three Pokémon unleashed their attacks. Spikorn's lower horn glowed before it fired three rock like missiles that flew at the still confused Skyler. The top of Stompice's head glowed before a light blue lightning like beam flew out, aimed directly at Prongs. Finally, Jesterror rushed towards Springer before disappearing into a shadow that stuck to the ground and raced towards the Riolu. All three attacks struck their intended targets, Skyler pelted with the rocks, Prongs hit by the below zero energy beam and the shadow flew through Springer's chest before taking the shape of Jesterror behind him. All three of them cried out in pain before collapsing to the ground, all left unable to battle by those super effective attacks.

"Flash lost!" Spike cried.

"It's not really his fault," Twilight told him. "Those Pokémon were at a higher level, plus the trainers only had to focus on one Pokémon while Flash had to focus on four. Even the most skilled trainer would have trouble with that."

Flash frowned as he pulled out his Pokeballs and returned everyone but Springer, which he picked the Riolu up and turned to Score. "I still won't let you take those Higear!"

Score guffawed at this. "And what are you gonna do about it kid? Your Pokémon lost!" He then crossed his arms with a smirk, "You've wasted enough of my time, but...you know what, I got an idea! To make it up to me, you can hand over all your Pokémon. I'm sure someone will be willing to buy them."

Flash growled as he hugged Springer tighter. "Not happening."

"And how are you gonna stop us?" Rickashay asked him. "You've got nothing to battle with." The three of them and their Pokémon stepped forwards, the Pokémon all looking ready to attack.

Spike turned to his sister. "Twilight, you gotta help him."

Twilight however, was shaking in fear. She wanted to help, but they had beaten all of Flash's Pokémon so easily. She looked at her one Pokémon, memories of the Pipple and Movine battle. "I...I can't."

Score and his minions got closer. "Hand them over. Now."

But in that moment, Doc stepped in front of the teens, an angry look on his face. "That's enough."

Score let out another dark chuckle. "Oh? You want to try and take us on single handedly? You won't last ten seconds."

"Oh, I think I'll last longer then that," Doc told him as he pulled out a pokeball. "Trust me on that."

Score frowned at this confidence. Had he not seen what they had just done to the teen? "Who are you?"

Doc's serious expression doubled. "I'm the Doctor, also known as Time Turner, Leader of the Trottingham City Gym!"

Everyone's eyes went wide hearing this. "YOU'RE THE GYM LEADER?!"

Doc then tossed the ball into the air. "Higear, I need your assistance!" The Pokeball opened up and let out an aura of red energy, soon taking form to reveal another Higear.

"Higear!" It cheered as it floated down to earth.

"He's got a Higear too?" Flash said, blinking at the sight.

Score smirked at this. "Who cares if he's a Gym Leader, it's still three on one." He pointed at the Higear. "Defeat and capture that little money maker!"

"Right!" His cronies replied in unison.

Doc frowned as he placed his hands in his pockets. "I won't let you have any of the Higear. This is their home, and I won't let you treat them like tools to be exploited. Higear, battle plan beta sigma!"

"Gear..." Higear growled. "HIGEAR HI!

"Use Slash!" Score ordered, his Jesterror rushing forwards as it showed its claws.

"Dodge and use Shift Gear!" Doc ordered.

"Hi!" Higear levitated into the air, the gear ring around its body beginning to spin.

"Shift Gear?" Spike asked as he blinked at the Pokémon.

"It's a move that increases a Pokémon's speed and power."

"Ice Shard!" Rickashay ordered his Stompice, who created and fired the ice block at Higear.

"Dodge and use Shift Gear again!" Doc yelled, the Higear obeying as he evaded the ice before spinning the gear even faster.

"Rock Blast!" Boulder ordered, his Spikorn firing five rock projectiles at the floating gear.

"One more time! Dodge and Shift Gear!" Higear managed to dodge every single Rock Blast, his gear ring spinning faster then ever.

"What's he doing?" Flash asked as he kept his grip firm on Springer. "He'll never win if he doesn't attack."

Doc chuckled at this comment, turning to Flash with a smirk. "Watch and learn Flash. This is what happens when you battle with a plan." He turned Higear, who's gear ring still spun at high speed. "It's time Higear. Use Gyro Ball!"

"HIGEAR!" He cried as he began to spin at high speed, transforming into a flying buzz-saw. He then shot towards Spikorn, striking him with a force that sent the rock beetle flying, instantly smashing the ground with a thud.

"Spikorn..." he moaned before it's eyes were replaced with spirals.

"Spikorn!" Boulder cried.

"Whoa! That was one hit!" Spike gasped.

"Gyro Ball does more damage depending on how much faster the user is compared to the target," Twilight told him. "It must be why he kept using Shift Gear."

Flash soon caught on, his eyes widening as he completed Twilight's though, "He was increasing Higear's speed so Gyro Ball could one hit KO them."

Doc glanced back to give them all a smirk before pointing at Stompice. "Gyro Ball, again!"

Before Score or Rickashay could react, the still spinning Higear shot towards Stompice, instantly knocking the ice Pokémon into the air. It soon hit the ground like a rock, moaning as his eyes turned to spirals. Jesterror saw the buzz-saw attack then turn towards it, causing him to panic before turning to run away. But Higear quickly caught up and struck him in the back, the Pokémon soon crying, "JESTERROR!"

"Dang it!" Score hissed, seeing his victory turn to defeat so quickly. He and his cronies returned their Pokémon before he turned to them, frowning. "We still have the other Higear. Let's get out of here, now!"

Rickashay and Boulder nodded before turning to run away, only to feel a rush of wind fly by them. Then, Doc's Higear appeared in front of them, a smirk on its face.

"What are you smiling at?" Rickashay growled.

Higear didn't respond. Instead, it simply pointed at the net Boulder was carrying. The bulky criminal moved the net in front of them, allowing them to see what Higear was smiling at. There was a massive tear in the net, which was now completely empty.

"He cut the others free?!" Score yelped.

"Got that right," they heard Doc say.

They slowly turned to see all the Higear they had caught frowning at them, Doc's moving over to float at the front. Doc crossed his arms before shining a smirk. "Everyone, Gyro Ball!"

"NO!" Score cried as he and his cronies began to run away. But as they did, the Higear all started spinning, building speed bit by bit. Then, before Score and the others could even get out of eyesight, the group of Higears hit them all at high speed.

BOOM!

The Higears all retreated from the cloud of smoke they created as three men shot out of it and into the sky.

"I can't believe we were beaten by a bunch of kids!" Score complained.

"That one kid was a Gym Leader," Rickashay told him, Boulder humming in agreement.

"I don't care!" Score barked back. "One day I'll get my vengeance on them!" With that, the three of them disappeared into the horizon.

Back on the ground, everyone was looking over the condition of the Higear. Luckily, none of them appeared to have been harmed by the criminals. Seeing this, Doc spoke up, "Good, everyone's okay. Seems there was nothing to worry about."

"Higear, Higear, Higear," the gear Pokémon replied before floating back into the factory.

"They're going back to work?" Twilight asked while blinking rapidly. "Already?!"

Doc let out a chuckle. "Like I said, they love being around machinery."

Spike turned to Doc, his eyes still wide from everything he had just seen. "I can't believe you're the Gym Leader."

Doc shrugged at this. "I was actually gonna surprise you. You'd show up at the Gym and I'd step out, amazing you all. So much for that plan."

"Well, I can definitely see why you're the Gym Leader," Twilight commented as she looked at Doc's Pokémon. "Your Higear was amazing."

Doc smirked at the complement before turning to Flash, who had been oddly quiet throughout this exchange. "So, still want to challenge me? Now that you've seen me in action, I'm sure you'll want some time to come up with a strategy."

Flash frowned hearing this, only to morph it into a smile. "Thanks, but I'm ready to battle you whenever you are."

Hearing this made Doc raise an eyebrow in surprise. "I suggest you don't underestimate me. I won't hold back, and I've already formulated a plan to overcome whatever you might throw at me."

Flash just waved his hand at this, a cocky smirk now on his face. "I won't underestimate you, but having a plan's just not my style. I'll stick with what I'm good at, adapting on the fly."

Doc sighed as he shook his head. "Very well. Maybe losing will help you see. Come to the Gym tomorrow, and bring your A game." With that, he turned and walked off, leaving the teens staring at him as he headed towards the factory.

"Don't worry," Flash chuckled as he pointed to himself. "I've only got an A game."

Flash and his friends have finally met the Trottingham City Gym Leader, but will Flash be able to overcome this obstacle and earn his first Gym Badge? There's only one way to find out, stay tuned.

Battling According to Plan

View Online

The day of Flash's Trottingham City Gym battle had finally arrived.

After having met the Trottingham City Gym Leader Time Turner, and seeing his overly planned out battle style, Flash was doing some last minute training. He, his Pokémon and their friends were now in the Pokémon Center's battle area, working on their moves. Flash and his Pokémon stood on one side of the field, while a bunch of targets had been set up on the other side.

"Alright guys," Flash said as he pointed at the targets, "Force Palm, Wing Attack, Water Gun and Energy Ball!"

"Ri!"

"Chick!"

"Ak!"

"Fay!"

The four Pokémon unleashed their attacks, Springer and Skyler rushing forwards while Riptide and Prongs fired a stream of water and sphere of energy. Springer's paw tore the target in half while Skyler sliced the target like was nothing. At the same time, the Water Gun and Energy Ball struck the two others, reducing them to nothing but splinters.

"Yes!" Flash cheered with an arm pump. "Great work guys! Doc's not gonna know what hit him."

Over at the side, Twilight and Spike were sitting around a table watching. Spike was drinking a soda, while Twilight continued to stare at Flash, her lip biting her thumb as worry started to build in her mind. She was thinking about how Flash didn't seem to understand how difficult beating Doc was gonna be. Having watched him take complete control of the battle when he fought three on one, she knew Flash was going to be in trouble about battling him one on one. She then watched as Flash returned all to their pokeballs except Springer before moving over to them.

"You're Pokémon are all looking great Flash," Spike told him as he finished his drink. "This battle's gonna be awesome."

"You know it," Flash said as he sat down, a huge grin on his face. "First badge, here I come."

"Riolu!" Springer added as he jumped up onto the table with a mimicking smile on his face.

Twilight however, was frowning as she began tapping her fingers on the table, "Hey Flash?"

"Yeah?"

"Um....I was thinking," Twilight replied as she looked slightly away before saying, "Maybe you should hold off on challenging Doc."

The boys all stared at her in shock, Flash completely wide-eyed. "What the-why would I do that?!"

"Yeah!" Spike added as he nudged his sister, "after coming all this way, you want him to forget about his battle?!"

Twilight shook her head at this, ignoring her brother as she looked back at Flash. "I just...I don't think you're ready Flash." Flash tilted his head at this as Twilight continued, "You heard what Doc said. He has a plan for everything, and he's seen what all of your Pokémon can do. You've only seen one of his, so how are you supposed to strategize for that?"

Flash just rolled his eyes, chuckling. "Like I told Doc, coming up with a plan isn't my style. I'll take on whatever comes my way, then I'll think up a way to stop it."

"That style of battling is dangerous," Twilight told him, leaning forward with a slight glare. "Your winging it fighting style didn't help you when you fought those thugs."

"That was different," Flash replied while putting his hands behind his head, "It was three on one that time. This time, I'll be facing one opponent and be using one Pokémon at a time. I've got this."

Twilight groaned at hearing his optimism, still unable to understand why he was so confident. She shook her head again as she asked, "Could you at least tell me you know which of your Pokémon you're using for this battle?"

Flash did a slight shrug. "Well, since he has a Higear, I'm guessing its a Steel-Type Gym Leader."

"So what's strong against Steel-Types?" Spike asked as he glanced back at Twilight.

Twilight pushed her glasses up to her nose as she replied, "Steel is one of the toughest types there are. They're completely immune to Poison-Types, and many other types do little damage to them. They're Pokémon that most see as tanks, Pokémon that can take a ton of damage. The only thing they're weak to are Fire, Ground and Fighting-Types."

Hearing this, Flash turned to Springer and smiled, soon patting his partner on the head. "Looks like you're up then bud."

"Ri!" Springer cheered, raising his paws to the sky.

"But Doc knows you have Springer," Twilight quickly countered. "And he's seen him use Aura Sphere, your secret weapon. I can easily tell you that he'll come up with a way to counter him, and since Springer is the only Pokémon you have with an advantage, if he's beaten, you'll be in serious trouble."

"Maybe...." Flash hummed as he just winked at her, "but I'm still gonna win."

Twilight let out a long sigh at this, quickly seeing that she wasn't going to be able to change his mind. It was here that the thought of Flash losing would help him understand what she was saying was also in her head. After a quick adjustment of her glasses, she got up and said, "Fine. Let's get going then."

"Sounds good to me," Flash replied.

The four of them all got up and left the Pokémon Center before making their way to the Industrial Complex, luckily not getting lost this time. When they arrived, they headed to the reception and asked for directions to the Gym, which they followed all the way to the back of the complex.

"Wow!" They all exclaimed as they looked up at the building. It looked like the other warehouses, but it was painted dark blue and was about the size of a modern day house. It had a large Pokeball symbol between the door and the roof.

"So this is the Trottingham City Gym?" Spike asked.

"It's got the symbol," Twilight said as she scanned the building over. "So, I guess it is."

"How are we supposed to battle in something so small?" Flash mumbled as he tilted his head at the sight.

"Ri..." Springer agreed as he crossed his paws and turned his head to the side as well.

"Maybe it's bigger on the inside?" Spike guessed.

In that moment, the doors opened and out of them stepped Doc. The Gym Leader smiled when he saw the group, "Hello again. Come for your battle?"

"You know it," Flash said as he pointed to himself, "And I'm gonna win."

"We'll see about that," Doc replied as he reached into his coat and pulled something out. "Since this is your first Gym Battle, it's customary for us to hand these out."

Flash soon took the object and saw that it was a rectangular black vinyl leather case with a Pokeball symbol on the front along with a zip lock. He unzipped and opened it up, seeing it was empty but had eight indents in it.

"It's a badge case," Twilight commented as she blinked at the case.

"Wow...." Flash said before looking back up at Doc. "Thanks."

Doc nodded at this, soon turning to Twilight before reaching back into his jacket, pulling out Twilight's digital journal. "And this is for you. I uploaded the most recent mapping software. It'll allow you to find the best route to anywhere you want to go in the Equestria Region."

"Wow..." Twilight gasped as she turned it on and opened the map function. "Thanks Doc."

"No problem," he replied before turning back towards the Gym. "Come on in."

The group walked inside and soon saw that the inside of the building was just a large flight of stairs. Seeing this, Spike spoke up, "Oh cool, It's underground!"

"So that's why it looked so small..."

Doc let out a hearty laugh, "I get that a lot. Come on down you four." Doc then lead them down before arriving at a long metal corridor. Lining the walls of the hall were large picture frames, each of them having blueprints in them.

"Are these your inventions?" Spike asked.

"They sure are. They represent everything I've worked to achieve here." Doc turned back to them with a huge smirk, "My dream is to make a better Equestria Region by creating devices that will allow people and Pokémon to live easier lives. For that, I worked hard to learn everything I could about machinery and devices. I learned how far I can go just by coming up with a plan and then taking it as far as it can go. These blueprints are a testament to that belief."

"Incredible..." Twilight gasped as she looked at all the frames, even spotting one for her journal. Flash also had to admit that these blueprints were impressive, but he couldn't help but feel like they were completely soulless.

The group soon arrived outside a pair of large metal doors, with had a hand scanner next to it. Doc placed his hand on that scanner and caused it to beep, the doors suddenly sliding open and allowing them all entrance. The room inside was a large battlefield, both sides showing large gear shaped podiums, where they guessed the trainers would be standing. Off to the side of the field were a load of metal seats, where about a hundred or so people could sit and watch the match.

Doc then spun around and gave a slight bow, "Welcome to the Trottingham City Gym. I, the Gym Leader, will accept any challengers."

Flash stepped forward, crossing both his arms as he replied, "I, Flash Sentry, hereby challenge you to a battle."

Doc nodded at this, only to snap his fingers as he said, "TARDIS?"

"Online," a robotic female voice replied, it's voice covering the whole arena.

"What was that?" Twilight asked, the group looking for the sudden voice.

"Our judge," Doc replied as he pointed to the battlefield behind him. "The Tactical Analysis Refereeing Diagnostic Interface System, or TARDIS for short. She has sensors and cameras all over the gym room, along with high-tech scanners that can determine a Pokémon's battle status. She can judge whether a Pokémon is able to continue battling or not."

"Incredible..." Twilight gasped, her eyes going wide.

"You've got your very own robot battlefield?" Spike asked as his eyes shined like stars. "That's awesome!"

Flash easily agreed with that, only to still feel that soulless and empty feeling again, "So then, let's get this battle started."

Doc nodded and walked over to the gear shaped platform on the other side of the room. There, he hopped on while Twilight and Spike rushed up to the hallway point of the stands and sat down. Flash and Springer stepped onto the other podium, the two giving each other a knowing nod.

"Here we go," Spike said as he leaned forward in excitement.

Unfortunately, only worry was on Twilight's face as she added, "I hope Flash knows what he's doing."

TARDIS's voice spoke up once more. "The battle between Flash, the challenger, and Time Turner, the Gym Leader, will now begin. Each side will be allowed the use of two Pokémon and the battle will be over when both of either sides' Pokémon are unable to continue. In addition, only the challenger may be allowed to substitute Pokémon. Is this understood?"

"Yes," the two replied un unison.

Doc reached into his coat and pulled out his Pokeball. "As the Gym Leader, allow me to present my first Pokémon. Higear, I need your assistance!" He tossed the ball in the air and it opened up, unleashing the red energy that took form before fading to reveal Higear.

"Higear!" It cried.

Flash smirked. "I knew he'd pick Higear."

"Riolu!" Springer said as he stepped up.

"Not yet bud," Flash told him before pulling out another Pokeball. "He's probably saving his best till last, so I need to do the same." He smiled down at his partner, "You'll get your shot later."

"Riolu!" Springer nodded, stepping back at this statement.

Flash turned back and threw the ball. "Riptide, I choose you!" The Pokeball opened, releasing the red energy that hit the ground and faded to reveal the Aquana.

"Aquana!" Riptide cried as he stared at Higear.

"Aquana, huh?" Doc replied as he looked up at Higear, "battle plan gamma zeta."

"Hi..." it replied.

"Are both trainers ready?" TARDIS asked, getting a nod from both of them in reply. "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Riptide," Flash called out first, "use Echoed Voice!"

"Ak!" Riptide cried as he leapt into the air before taking a deep breath. "AQUANA!" He unleashed a sound-wave, striking the Higear as discomfort quickly appeared on his face.

"That move could cause trouble," Doc said before pointing at his Pokémon. "But Higear can take it. Use Shift Gear!"

"Gear!" Higear levitated into the air, the gear ring around its body beginning to spin.

"He's using the same technique he used when he fought those thugs!" Spike commented as he pointed at the Pokémon.

"But this time, he can't dodge the attacks." Twilight added. "Echoed Voice is a surround sound attack, so there's no place to dodge."

"So he's forced to take it then?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes. And Echoed Voice also increases in power with each use, so it'll cause more damage the more its used."

"That's great!" Spike cheered only to see a frown appear on Twilight's face, "Hey...what's wrong?"

"Spike...even at full power, Echoed Voice won't do much damage against a Steel-Type."

Back at the battle, Flash yelled another order, "Echoed Voice again!"

Riptide took another large breath before unleashing another sound attack, which hit Higear again, pain starting to show on his face.

"Shift Gear!" Doc ordered again, his Pokémon spinning its gear once again.

"I'll beat him before he can pull of Gyro Ball," Flash told himself. "Riptide, Echoed Voice again."

Doc smiled as he watched Riptide take another deep breath. "Tackle!"

"Hi!" Higear stopped spinning his gear and rushed towards Riptide, slamming into him so fast that it knocked the wind out of Aquana.

"AQUA!" He cried as he flew backwards, his body slamming the ground.

"Riptide!" Flash cried.

"What happened?" Spike asked.

"I knew this was going to happen." Twilight let out a groan, shaking her head at the sight. "Doc played him."

Doc smirked at this. "All according to plan."

As Flash saw Riptide pick himself up, he looked back over at Doc. The Gym Leader simply stared at him with a smug grin on his face. "What gives?"

"You got careless, allowing me to get the drop on you." Doc said with a cocky shrug, "I knew if I used the same technique as the one you saw yesterday, you'd try and end the battle quickly before I had a chance to pull off Gyro Ball. That made you rush and not be ready for an unexpected attack."

"Grrr...Darn it." Flash grumbled, now staring daggers at the gym leader.

"I warned you," Doc replied as he pointed at Flash. "Fighting aimlessly with no plan or strategy will only lead to disaster. By planning each and every step ahead of time, you can control the tide of battle at your leisure."

"Where's the fun in that?" Flash asked as he placed his hand on his chest. "I told you, I battle with my heart. Just because I don't like to plan every last moment of my life doesn't mean you'll beat me!"

"Ri, ri, Riolu!" Springer cried as he hopped from one foot to the other.

Doc's smirk increased, "The simple fact is, I've already beaten you. Now it's just a matter of showing you all of my work."

"We'll see about that," Flash said before staring at Riptide. "Can you still go one more round?"

"AQUANA!" He cried as he hopped up with a nod.

"Then lets take this guy down! Water Gun!"

"Aquana!" Riptide fired a stream of water at Higear, which struck the gear Pokémon, pushing it backwards.

"Gyro Ball!" Doc ordered.

Higear began to spin around, going faster and faster and creating a wind force that began to block the water. "Hi!" He cried as he began to move towards Riptide, cutting the Water Gun in half as it got closer.

"Dodge it Riptide!"

The Aquana stopped his Water Gun and leapt out of the way, just in time as Higear barely missed him and spun through the air. "Gear Grind!" Doc then ordered his Pokémon. Higear stopped spinning and floated in midair, only for its gear like hands to suddenly shoot towards Riptide while spinning.

The Aquana saw the attack coming and tried to dodge it, the first gear missing, only for the second one hit him on the head "AK!" He cried as he fell to the ground, while Higear's hands returned to his side.

"Shift Gear!" Doc told him, Higear's gears once again beginning to spin.

"That's boosting its attack and speed even more," Twilight commented as she stared at the Pokémon. "Flash needs to end this before Higear grows to fast to touch."

"But how?" Spike asked as he pointed at the Pokémon. "With Higear in the air like that, Riptide won't be able to reach it to use Pound. And Water Gun and Echoed Voice barely do anything."

"I don't know. Flash will just have to come up with something Spike."

As for Flash, he closed his eyes, trying to think up some kind of strategy. "Come on....come on! There has to be..." A bulb suddenly lit in his head, "Got it!" He pointed at Riptide, "use Water Gun and aim for the ground you're standing on!"

Everyone gave Flash a confused look, but Riptide did as he was told. "AK....WANA!" He fired the water at his feet and the force shot him into the air.

"Whoa!" Spike exclaimed, "blasting off!"

"What's he doing?" Twilight asked as she readjusted her glasses at the sight.

"Interesting," Doc added as they watched Riptide shoot up towards Higear, only to find out that he couldn't aim where he was going since he had to stare at the ground for the move. As such, when he got close to the gear Pokémon, Riptide simply shot right past him.

"Hi?" Higear asked in confusion, scratching the side of it's face as it did.

"He missed," Spike complained as Twilight's head slumped.

Doc just sighed as he looked at the ground, shaking his head. "This is what happens when you don't have a plan. You start making un-thought out decisions." But when he looked back up at Flash, he saw that the teen had a bright smirk on his face.

"Don't count us out just yet," Flash told the Gym Leader. He then looked back up at the ceiling, as everyone else did the same. Riptide was falling back towards the ground, but between the two was a certain gear shaped Pokémon. "Now Riptide! Pound attack!"

"AQUANA!" Riptide began to spin head first towards Higear, acting just like a wheel as he picked up speed.

"What?!" Doc yelped before Higear was slammed by Riptide's tail.

"Hi!" Higear cried as it fell towards the ground, slamming into it with a loud thud.

"Bullseye," Flash cheered with a snap of his fingers. Springer was jumping up and down as they watched Riptide use Water Gun to slow its descent.

"That was awesome!" Spike added.

"And smart," Twilight finished with a nod. "He used Riptide's fall to increase the power of the Pound."

"Higear!" Doc called out. "Can you still battle?"

A second later, the Pokémon slowly rose up. "Higear. Higear hi!"

"Good..." Doc said before turning to Flash. "I'll admit, you surprised me. I didn't plan for you to actually have your Pokémon miss, lulling me into a false sense of security."

Flash smirked. "Now who's playing who?"

"But that won't work again. From now on, I'll keep myself completely in the game." He pointed at Higear. "Gear Grind!" Higear tossed its gear hands at Riptide, who managed to side step the first before dropping onto his stomach to dodge the second.

"Water Gun!" Flash yelled, Riptide firing his water steam at Higear while still on the ground.

Higear was struck by the water, only to be pushed back slightly. "Gyro Ball!" The gear Pokémon once again began to spin, splitting the stream as it drew closer to Riptide.

"Get out of there Riptide!" Flash told the Aquana.

Riptide stopped his attack and leapt into the air, causing Higear to go flying beneath him. "Gotcha!" Doc called out, "Gear Grind!"

"What?!" Flash yelped.

Higear stopped spinning before turning towards the still airborne Riptide. His gear hands once again began spinning before they fired at Riptide, who was unable to dodge in midair.

"AQUANA!" He cried as the two gears slammed into him from two sides, trapping him in place as he was attacked.

"RIPTIDE!" Flash cried, "Get out of there!"

"Oh no," Twilight and Spike said in unison.

"Finish this," Doc said with a wave of his hand. "Tackle!"

The gears stopped spinning and freed Riptide, who began to fall to earth. Higear shot towards him and tackled him at high speed, "AK!" He cried as he was sent flying towards his trainer before hitting the dirt, rolling until coming to halt right at Flash's feet.

"Riptide!" Flash said as he and Springer knelt down, soon seeing swirls in place of Riptide's eyes.

"Aquana is unable to battle," TARDIS announced. "Higear is the winner."

They all sighed at hearing this. "And Riptide was trying so hard." Spike mumbled.

"Now Flash only has one Pokémon left," Twilight sighed as she crossed her arms. "Doc still has something we haven't seen..."

"You did great Riptide. Now, take a good rest." Flash said as he pulled out its Pokeball and returned it before putting the ball away. He then turned to Springer. "It's up to you bud."

"Ri!" Springer said before leaping off the platform and onto the battlefield.

"As I suspected," Doc commented, his smirk still showing. "He's putting all his hopes on his special Riolu. Well, let's see what other surprises it has in store."

"Good luck Springer!" Spike called out.

"Do your best out there!" Twilight added.

"Are both trainers ready?" TARDIS asked, Doc, Flash and their Pokémon soon nodding. "Then battle, begin!"

"Shift Gear!" Doc commanded, Higear spinning his gear ring again to build up speed.

"Quick Attack!" Flash ordered, with Springer shooting forwards at top speed. Once close enough, Springer leapt to try and tackle Higear.

"Dodge it!" Doc called out. Time seemed to slow down as the command left the Doc's mouth, Higear being the only one moving at normal speed as the gear Pokémon moved to the side, dodging the Riolu with ease. As it did, time sped back up, Springer soon flying past the Higear and landing with confusion on his face.

"Aww man," Spike moaned. "Even Quick Attack isn't fast enough."

"Flash needs to think of something, and he needs to be fast about it." Twilight added.

"Keep using Quick Attack!" Flash told Springer, "one of them's gotta connect!"

"Ri!" Springer nodded before rushing forwards, building up speed once again. He continued to try and kick, punch or tackle Higear, but the gear Pokémon continued to dodge again and again. Eventually, Springer stopped his assault and leapt away from Higear. When he landed, he fell onto one knee, panting heavily.

"You okay?" Flash asked his partner. Though panting, Springer looked back at him and smiled while giving a thumbs up. "Alright. Use Aura Sphere!"

"Ri!" Springer yelled as he brought his paws together, creating and tossing the blue orb at Higear.

"Gear Grind!" Doc ordered, his Pokémon tossing the two gear hands at the Aura Sphere. The two attacks connected and grinded against each other, eventually cancelling each other out. "Now Higear, use Tackle!"

"Force Palm!" Flash called out.

As Higear drew closer, Springer pulled his right paw back and focused his energy into it. He soon thrusted it forward, the two colliding, "RIOLU!" The force of the impact caused Higear to go flying while Springer staggered back, smiling at the fact he'd got a hit off.

"Hi..." Higear panted as it wobble backwards. "Higear…"

"Gear Grind!" Doc ordered, Higear soon tossing its gear hands at Springer once again.

"Double Team!" Flash countered.

"Ri!" Springer cried as it glowed, multiple versions of him soon appearing. The gears hit two of them, causing them to vanish, but left the real one unharmed.

Higear looked around, trying to determine where the real one was. "Calm down Higear!" Doc told it. "Just float up and wait for the real one to act since it's the only one that can attack." Higear did as it was told, floating up to a safe distance. "That'll keep him safe."

"Oh yeah? You really think so?" Doc looked back down at Flash, who had a bright smirk on his face. "You say you've planned for everything, but you obviously don't know what makes Springer so special."

"What do you mean?"

"What's he talking about?" Spike asked Twilight, but his sister didn't reply. She wasn't sure what he meant either.

Flash then wagged his finger at Doc. "Double Teams are usually just projection, so they can't normally attack. But Springer learned how to channel his aura into his clones, meaning there's one more move they can use."

Doc's eyes went wide. "You don't mean!"

Flash's smirk doubled. "Aura Sphere...BARRAGE!"

The multiple Riolus all leapt into the air towards Higear, each creating an Aura Sphere. These Aura Spheres were not as big as the one Springer would create on his own, and instead of throwing it, the Springers all forced the attack towards Higear with their paws.

"So many..." Doc said as he stared at the sight. "It doesn't matter Higear, you're still faster! Dodge them all!"

"Not this time!" Flash countered. "Lock onto its aura and target that!"

The Springers all closed their eyes as the original opened its spiritual link, soon locating Higear's. Despite its speed, Springer could tell where it was gonna move, mentally telling his clones to follow. As such, no matter where Higear moved, the Springers still got closer.

"DO IT!" Flash yelled as the Springers all shoved their attacks into Higear, an explosion following. A dust cloud quickly kicked up as all the clones disappeared, leaving only Springer as he shot out of the cloud while curled up and spinning backwards. He landed on the ground, doing a perfect landing as he did.

Higear meanwhile, fell out of the smoke and crashed into the ground. Everyone looked it over and saw swirls in its eyes. TARDIS's systems scanned Higear before announcing. "Higear is unable to battle. Riolu is the winner."

"Yes!" Spike cheered.

"I can't believe he pulled it off," Twilight added.

"Nice work bud!" Flash told his partner, who smiled back at him and gave another thumbs up.

"Excellent work Higear," Doc told his Pokémon as he returned it to its ball. "Thanks to you, I now know what that Riolu is capable of."

Doc and Flash stared at each other, the two feeling like they did not need to talk or converse. But as they did, Flash spoke up anyways, "So, still think you can win any battle if you have a plan?"

Doc simply smirked. "My loss just now was simply a product of poor planning. I knew your unusual Riolu was a wild card, so I had to do more research before finalizing a proper plan to defeat it."

"Wait...are you saying that you planned on having Higear lose?!" Twilight gasped.

Doc nodded at this. "I did. And because of that, I've seen all your little tricks." He reached into his coat and pulled out another Pokeball, "which means victory is now mine. Tockwork, I need your assistance!" He threw the ball in the air, causing it to open and unleash the red energy.

That energy hit the ground and took form of a different creature. This new Pokémon was about five foot tall and looked like a giant alarm clock, its body made of a combination of bronze, silver and white metals. It's main body was that of a clock, with a white clock-face on the front of it that had a twelve, three, six and nine in the usual locations. Between the nine, twelve and three sections of the clock-face were missing, red eyes poking out of them instead. Two clock hands pointed between the three, six and nine, making it look like it had a moustache. From out of its main body, it had two robotic arms and legs, with two bell shaped shoulder pads and out of its arms, two bronze half gears could be seen. Its left hand had a two triple pronged claw, while its right appeared to be some kind of gun barrel. From out the top of its head was a bronze wind-up key.

The new Pokémon moved its arms around, its movements very robotic in nature. "Tock," it said very slowly, "work."

"It's a Tockwork," Twilight said in amazement.

"What's a Tockwork?" Spike asked, as Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Tockwork
Category: Clockwork Pokémon
Type: Steel/Psychic
Info: An artificial Pokémon made long ago, it has a perfect sense of time. It is often used in factories or other types of work buildings to help keep schedule.

"Weird Pokémon..." Flash said as he put it away.

"Careful Flash," Twilight told him. "Tockwork's a Psychic-Type, as well as a Steel-Type."

"So Springer's at a disadvantage?" Spike asked.

"I'm afraid so," Twilight said with a nod.

Flash frowned at this. "You up for this Springer?"

"Riolu!" Springer replied with a puff of his chest. "Ri Riolu!"

"Then so am I," Flash said as he pointed at the new Pokémon. "Bring it on!"

Doc just shook his head at this, soon looking up at Tockwork. "Let's begin Tockwork. Battle plan, alpha omega."

"Tockwork," the clock Pokémon said slowly with a nod.

"Are both trainers ready?" TARDIS asked, Doc, Flash and their Pokémon nodding. "Then battle, begin!"

"Quick Attack!" Springer shot forwards, aimed straight at Tockwork as he spun around and thrusted his foot into its face.

DONG!

The sound of flesh on metal rang, but Tockwork didn't look at all injured. Springer on the other hand-

"RIOLU!" He cried as he hopped on one foot, holding the one he had hit Tockwork with in his paws.

"Ouch," Spike grimaced. "That had to hurt."

"Tockwork's hard metal body is gonna be tough to get through," Twilight added as she bit her thumb. "That's not good."

Flash knew he had to agree with that, but confidence was still shining on his face. "Its strong, but its also slow. I just gotta hit it hard and fast before it has a chance to fight back." He saw Springer had finally stop hopping around and was ready for battle. "Aura Sphere!"

"Ri!" Springer replied as he started making the blue orb.

"Bullet Punch!" Doc ordered, with Tockwork raising its clawed arm and pulling it back.

"Our move will hit first. Do it now Spriniger" Flash commanded, only to see Tockwork's arm fire first.

"TOCK!" It cried as a silver fist shaped energy blast shot off its fist, instantly hitting Springer at high speed.

"RI!" Springer cried as he saw it coming and tried to dodge it, only to be sucker-punched in the gut. He cried out as he fell back, but managed to regain his footing before tossing the Aura Sphere at Tockwork.

"Defend!" Doc yelled, Tockwork crossing its arms as the Aura Sphere struck it, only to push it backwards a few inches. "Gear Grind!"

"Tock!" The gears coming out Tockwork's arms began to spin before it swung them, launching them at Springer.

"Dodge'em!" Flash countered, Springer ducking below the first one before leaping into the air to dodge the second.

"Perfect! He's in position now," Doc said as he pointed at Springer, "Psywave!"

Tockwork raised its gun barrel arm and aimed it at the still airborne Springer. The end of the barrel glowed, only for a multicolored orb to shoot out and fly towards Springer, hitting him in the chest before exploding with a wave of energy.

"RIOLU!" Springer cried as he was blown back, soon hitting the ground with a thud.

"Springer!" Flash cried.

"That looked like it hurt," Spike grimaced again.

"It could have been worse," Twilight told him. "Psywave's power is always different. It can sometimes be really strong, really weak, or somewhere in-between. Springer got off lucky."

Flash frowned as Springer picked himself up. "You okay bud?" Springer nodded as he got back on his feet, his legs slightly wobbly. Seeing this, Flash began to think aloud, "Okay, Springer can still go, but that thing's strong. Its also slow, but it has that Bullet Punch move...I need to stop...wait a minute-" Flash blinked as a new thought entered his head, "Springer, use Quick Attack!"

"Ri!" Springer nodded before shooting forwards.

"What's Flash thinking?" Spike asked. "Quick Attack won't hurt Tockwork."

"I'm not sure. Let's hope he's got a plan."

Springer got closer and closer to Tockwork, who of course, intended to simply take the attack. This made Flash smile, "Alright...now!" He pointed to Tockwork's head, "Leap over Tockwork, Springer!"

"Ri!" Springer bent his legs and pushed himself into the air, soon landing behind the giant Pokémon.

"Force Palm!" Flash ordered, Springer soon hitting its back.

"TOCK!" Tockwork cried as it was blasted with the fighting move, staggering forwards and falling onto its knees and hands.

"Dang it." Doc growled as he clenched his hands into fists. "I didn't think he'd figure out Tockwork's weak-spot so quickly. Time to pull off the end game."

"Alright Springer, use Force Palm again!"

Springer rushed towards Tockwork as it was picking itself up. But as it did, Doc pointed at his Pokémon, "Now Tockwork, use Flash!" he yelled.

As Springer got within a few feet of Tockwork, it spun around just in time and unleashed a powerful burst of light. That light shot straight into Springer's eyes, causing the Riol to yell out in pain. His felt like they were on fire causing him to stagger around. "Ri! RIOLU!"

"Springer! Are you okay?!" Flash cried out.

Springer lowered his paws and tried to open his eyes, but all he saw was a blur. "Ri?" He said as he tried to look around, "riolu?"

"Oh no...." Flash gasped, despair appearing on his face.

"It's over," Doc commented as everyone turned to him. "How do you expect to win when you can't even see?"

"That's a good point," Twilight admitted as Spike just sat there, shaking. "This is bad."

"Springer!" Flash called out, "you can still see! Just locate Tockwork's aura." Springer nodded and tried to do so, but to no avail. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find Tockwork.

"It's useless," Doc told him. "Tockwork, Gear Grind!" Tockwork's gear began to spin before launching, the two hitting Springer and knocking him down.

"RIOLU!"

"Springer!"

"Flash," Twilight called out, "Tockwork's an artificial Pokémon. It might be alive, but it doesn't have an aura."

Doc chuckled at this. "Exactly. And without being able to use it, Springer has no hope of winning. You came into this ill-prepared, and now you're going to lose."

Flash growled at this. He had had enough with everyone telling him he was battling wrong. "You don't know anything!" he yelled at Doc, everyone leaning back at his loud tone. He then pointed at the gym leader with anger in his eyes. "Stop saying I can't win because I don't have two hundred mindless strategies!" He pointed back at himself, "So what if I don't have a plan?! That doesn't mean my way of battling is wrong! At least the way I battle isn't some soulless machine's way of looking at the world!"

Doc raised an eyebrow at this, not understanding where he was going with this. And as he did this, Flash let out a long sigh before continuing, "Its just like your inventions! You say your inventions are to help Equestria, but you don't know the first thing about it! You probably spend all day locked away, coming up with inventions and battle strategies all on your own. You come up with ways to beat your opponent, but what do you learn from them?"

"What are you..." Doc tried to ask.

"I don't make plans because the world is too complicated to plan for everything," Flash interrupted. "No matter what you do, something will always end up taking you by surprise. I'm not saying making a plan is a bad idea, but refusing to admit something might happen that you didn't expect means you'll never learn to adapt." He then raised a fist at Doc, "Which is exactly what's gonna happen here. I'll find a way to overcome Springer's blindness, then you won't know what to do next."

"Don't be ridiculous," Doc scoffed, pointing at his Pokémon again. "This battle's gonna end now. Tockwork...Psywave!"

"Tock!" Tockwork raised its gun barrel arm, charging the psychic energy within it.

"This ones gonna be big," Spike said with a gulp. "I can feel it."

"Looks like it's the over," Twilight added, "I was afraid of that."

But as they lost hope, Flash wasn't about to give up. Instead, he closed his eyes for a second, trying to figure out his next move. He had to come up with a way to make Springer see, but how? He opened his eyes and saw Tockwork's power began to build, getting ready to fire any moment. But as he did, another bulb went off. "I got it!" He cried. "Springer, lock onto my aura!"

"Ri?" Springer was confused by this, but did as he was told, closing his eyes and focusing on his partner's aura. Once locked on, he suddenly realized what Flash was planning through his feelings.

Doc on the other hand, just pointed at Springer, "It's over. Fire!" Tockwork did so, firing the multicolored blast at Springer. The shot flew towards Springer, getting closer and closer. But seconds before it was about to hit him, Springer suddenly spun his left side back ninety degrees, causing the blast to completely miss before exploding behind him.

"WHAT?!" Doc cried out, "How did you-what just happened?!"

There was no answer though. Instead, they now looked at Flash, only to see him standing in the same position as Springer. Seeing this, Spike spoke up, "What the-what's going on?"

Twilight knew, but she couldn't believe it. "Incredible...he's directing Springer."

Flash just chuckled at this as they turned back to face them before yelling, "Forward!" Springer rushed towards Tockwork, his eyes still closed. As he drew closer, Flash pulled his arm back and Springer did the same. "Force Palm!" He thrusted it forward, with Springer coping his movements and slamming his paw into Tockwork, pain surging through the Pokémon.

"TOCK!" it cried, its body staggering from the blow.

Doc was completely lost, unable to think about what to do next. This would have been his win condition, but Flash was still fighting. "How? What did he...how did..."

Twilight just giggled at this. "Flash and Springer are connected through their aura, allowing Flash to act as Springer's eyes. So even though he can't see, he can still fight by mirroring Flash's movements."

"That's awesome!" Spike cheered.

"Back to back Force Palms!" Flash ordered, Springer rushing forwards before the two slammed their palms into the Pokémon. Tockwork was struck again and again by the barrage, taking more and more damage.

Doc's brain was frozen. "I...I don't know what to do." All the while, Tockwork was drawing closer and closer to being beaten.

"Let's end this!" Flash commanded as Springer leapt backwards. They then put their hands together, "Aura Sphere!" The blue energy ball beginning to form in Springer's paws.

Seeing this, Doc quickly snapped back into the battle, knowing he couldn't let that hit. "Bullet Punch! NOW!" The clock Pokémon raised up and fired its energy fist at Springer, but Flash motioned for him to leap away. The attack exploded, the force knocking Springer off balance and causing him to toss his Aura Sphere in the air by mistake.

"Oh no!" Twilight and Spike cried.

Flash wasn't worried though. "Jump!"

"RI!" Springer cried as he used all his strength to leap into the air, getting closer and closer to his Aura Sphere.

"Not yet...." Flash said as he watched the two get closer. "A little more...NOW!" He pulled his fist back. "FORCE PALM!"

Springer slammed his paw into his own attack, the two forces combining before the Aura Sphere and shot towards Tockwork. "No," Doc whispered, but no ideas appeared in his head on how to counter. "NO!"

The attack finally struck Tockwork and exploded, causing the clock Pokémon to cry out. "TOCKWORK!" It cried as it was consumed by an explosion, which filled the whole room.

Everyone began coughing at this, soon trying to fan away the smoke, only for TARDIS to activate the Gym's ventilation system. When the smoke was finally expelled, everyone soon saw Tockwork on its back, its eyes replaced with spirals. TARDIS's systems scanned Tockwork before announcing. "Tockwork is unable to battle. Riolu is the winner and victory goes to the challenger, Flash Sentry!"

"YES!" Flash cheered as he jumped for joy. He then leapt off the platform and rushed over to Springer, pulling him into a hug. "We did it Springer, we did it!"

Twilight and Spike rushed down from the stands, both with a massive smile on their faces. "That was awesome Flash!" Spike exclaimed.

"I'll admit," Twilight told him as she went up and patted his shoulder. "You surprised me. Well done!"

"Thanks," Flash said before turning to Doc, "but I think I surprised him even more."

Doc was now by Tockwork, looking him over while helping him sit up. "You don't appear to be badly damaged old friend. A little rest and you'll be fully functional again."

"Tock..." Tockwork moaned.

"Thanks for all your hard work," Doc pulled out his Pokeball. "Now take a rest." With that, he put the pokeball away before walking over to Flash while reaching into his coat. "It seems I've been beaten." He commented as he pulled something out and held it out to Flash, "meaning you've earned this." They all looked at his hand and saw a small metal badge in the shape of a gear. "Proof that you won here at the Trottingham City Gym. The Gear Badge."

"Wow..." Flash gasped as he took the badge and held it up. "Alright, I just won...THE GEAR BADGE!"

"RIOLU!" Springer cheered.

"Congratulations Flash," Twilight said while clapping her hands.

"That's one down!" Spike added.

"Yes," Doc agreed, "but you'll still need seven more if you wish to enter the Equestria League."

"Which means I need to get to the next Gym ASAP!" Flash replied as he put the badge into his new case.

"So, where is the next Gym?" Spike asked.

Twilight pulled out her journal and opened up the map. She typed the word Gym into the search section, causing it to come up with a bunch of dots. She then located Trottingham's and spotted the one closest to it before smiling. "Its in...Fillydelphia City! YES!"

The boys all recoiled from this. "What's so great about there?" Flash asked.

"Nothing," Twilight replied, but still had a massive smile on her face. "But to get there, we'll need to go through Bale Town. There's a massive library there that I've always wanted to go to."

They all laughed at this. "Then we'd better head there as soon as possible." Flash added.

"Yeah," Spike agreed.

"Then we'll leave first thing tomorrow," Twilight said as she put the map away.

Whilst they conversed, Doc was thinking about what had happened at the end of the battle. He had never frozen up like that, at least not to that degree. He then remembered what Flash had said, and a small part of him began to understand. He didn't know much about Equestria. Sure, he knew the basics, but not what he truly need to know. How could he hope to help guide it into the future with his inventions when he didn't know what inventions Equestria needed.

He needed to learn more about the region he called home. He needed...to adapt.

Early next morning...

After a hearty meal and a good nights rest, Flash and his Pokémon were back to full health. Now, the three teens and their Pokémon were ready to begin their journey to Bale Town before getting to Fillydelphia City. But when they all left the Pokémon Center that morning, they were greeted with an unexpected sight. Time Turner was standing in front of the center's doors, a large blue travel bag on his back. [AN]

"Doc?" Flash said as they walked up to him.

"What are you doing here?" Twilight asked.

"You come to see us off?" Spike added.

Doc shook his head. "No, I've come...to ask that you let me accompany you on your journey."

To say the group where shocked by this question was an understatement. Flash pointed to himself before pointing at Twilight, Spike and Springer, "You wanna come with us?"

"Yes," Doc replied, nodding.

"But why?" Twilight asked.

"What about your Gym?" Spike added, "and the complex?"

"I'm doing this for my Gym and the complex," Doc replied, slightly sighing at this. "Our battle yesterday made me realize that how I view the world might not be the only way there is. Flash was right, I haven't learned anything from those who came to challenge my Gym. That's why I need to go out there and see the world, so that I can see what's needed to help it grow." He gave them all a big smile, especially at Flash. "And I need to learn, to adapt like you did. So, will you let me join you so I can learn to keep battling, even if my plan goes wrong?" He bowed at this moment.

The four of them all shared a look before eventually smiling, turning back with a nod. "Doc, we'd be honored to have you join us."

"Yeah!" Spike agreed, "It'll be awesome!"

Twilight nodded in agreement. "And I'm sure there's just as much stuff that you can teach us, so travelling together would help everyone."

Doc smiled at this. "Thank you. I promise I'll help you anyway I can."

"Well then, let's get going." With that, Flash started running down the street in the direction of Bale Town, Springer, Twilight, Spike and their new travel companion hot on his trail. With Time Turner now part of the team, how will this effect our heroes journey? Stay tuned to find out.

Riptide vs Hisscor

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With his first Equestria Region Gym Challenge ending victoriously and the Gear Badge safely in his possession, Flash now had his sights set on Fillydelphia City. Not only that, he was now accompanied by Twilight, Spike, and the newest member Time Turner. As such, the group now found themselves in a rocky terrain.

As they made their way over the gravely ground, they soon found a new pressing matter to attend to. It was the sound of grumbling filling the air, causing them all to stop and look around. "What's that noise?" Twilight asked.

The grumbling repeated, making them all look at the smallest member of the group, Spike. The youngest member of the group placed his hand on his stomach and blushed, laughing as he did. "Sorry. Guess I'm getting a little hungry."

The others all laughed in unison at this. "Well, it is just about lunch time."

"Then let's eat," Flash agreed with a goofy smile.

"Alright," Doc placed his large travel pack on the ground and opened it up, only for a large folding table and cooking station to suddenly appear.

"What the heck?!" Spike asked as he backpedaled from the sight.

"How did he-?" Twilight added, only to feel a tap on her shoulder from Flash.

"Probably best not to ask."

"Ri," Springer agreed, nodding.

Doc turned back to them and gestured to a box he had also pulled out, "Alright, I'll get lunch ready while the lot of you set everything else up."

"Sounds fair," Twilight replied as she started to look inside her backpack. "I'll handle the Pokémon."

"Right," Flash added as he and Spike took the box, soon seeing it was filled with bowls, plates and cutlery. They soon set up the table, the two quickly getting everything in position. "We're done here Doc."

"The Pokémon food is ready too," Twilight added as she poured the last of the food in some bowls. Springer saw this while licking his lips, quickly rushing over and scoffing his face in. Twilight giggled at this, "Better let the others out or they'll be nothing left." Twilight pulled out her Pokeball and unleashed Owlicious.

"Psy."

"You guys too." Flash said as he tossed his pokeballs into the air.

"Chick."

"Ak."

"Fay."

"Go dig in guys," Flash told them before they all rushed over to the bowls.

"And finished," Doc finished before stepping over to them. In one hand, he was carrying a large cooking pan, which was filled with something that gave off a delicious scent, and in the other was a plate of warm bread buns. "Who wants stew?"

"I DO!" The three teens replied in unison as they held up their bowls.

Doc smiled before serving them, all the while placing half the bread rolls on a plate in the center. He returned the rest to the cooking station to keep it warm before sitting down, enjoying the delicious meal he had prepared.

"This is delicious Doc," Twilight said as she gulped down some potatoes.

"Yeah, no kidding. You're a great cook," Flash added as he chomped down a bit of carrot.

Doc gave them a slow nod, a calm smile on his face. "Thank you. Making a great meal is like making a great invention. Gather the parts needed, put them together in just the right way and test it regularly to make sure you didn't make a mistake."

"I'm really glad we decided to let you join us now," Spike commented as he took a drink of water. "If we get to eat like this everyday, its gonna be extra awesome."

"You're very welcome."

The Pokémon were also enjoying their food, this not going unnoticed by the trainers. Spike then nudged Doc, "Hey Doc, aren't you gonna let Higear and Tockwork eat?"

Doc chuckled at this. "I would if they could, but since neither of them are biological Pokémon, they don't require food or sleep. They regain their energy by recharging, which they do naturally."

"Cool." Spike said as he and Flash finished their meals. "Mmmm….that was great."

"Could not agree more." Flash added.

"There's seconds if you're still hungry," Doc replied before pointing to the cooking station.

Not being able to resist the thought of more of that food, the two grabbed their bowls and rushed over. But when they arrived at the cooking station, they found that the pot was completely empty and the plate of bread rolls was bare. Flash blinked at the sight as he said, "What the-hey Doc! I don't see any seconds here."

Doc and Twilight shared an confused look before moving over them, the Pokémon all following suite, only to see that they were right. Doc's eyes slightly widened as he looked over the station. "That's odd."

"Are you sure that you left some in there?"

"Definitely," Doc replied as he crossed his arms in thought.

Riptide decided he was no long interested in the mystery and turned back to his half eaten lunch, only to find his bowl completely empty when he got there. "AQUANA!"

Everyone turned towards him and when the rest of the Pokémon all saw their lunch missing, all of them crying out.

"Hey, calm down." Twilight said as she leaned down and patted two of them.

"We can get you more food," Spike added.

"More missing food?!" Doc gasped as he now walked up to the Pokémon.

"But where'd it go?" Flash ended as he walked up with Doc. His answer then came when he heard the sound of rustling and turned to a nearby patch of tall grass, where he saw something red disappear into it. "THERE!" He yelled as he rushed towards the grass, Springer and the rest of his Pokémon quickly following.

"Flash, wait!" Twilight exclaimed as they all rushed after him.

Unfortunately for the group, waiting was something Flash wasn't going to do as he quickly waded through the grass. Springer and Riptide had managed to jump onto his shoulders, while Prongs rushed through the bushes along with Skyler flying above them. "Skyler, do you see it?"

The Chickling used his aerial advantage and keen eyes to spot the rustling bushes a few feet ahead of them. "Chick! Chickling!"

Flash saw where it was staring and turned to Springer. "Alright bud, lock onto its aura and use Aura Sphere."

"Ri!" Springer cried as he concentrated on picking up the aura. When he finally got a lock, he leapt up off Flash's shoulders and threw the blue orb at the location. The orb exploded instantly, soon throwing out a figure which landed in a rocky area off to the side of the forest.

When Flash and the others arrived, they saw what has stolen their lunches and instantly recognized it. "It's a wild Hisscor," Twilight gasped. "No way. It looks just like Professor Celestia's."

"Hiss....scor." the snake Pokémon hissed as it picked itself up while Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Hisscor
Category: Hissing Pokémon
Type: Fire/Poison
Info: Hisscor's whole body radiates heat. Because of this, they hunt in particularly cold areas, where their prey is attracted to them, and once close enough, they strike.

"So what's it doing here?" Spike asked as he pointed at the snake. "I wouldn't call this place cold."

"That's a good question," Twilight began to say. "Most Hisscor are known for-"

"Whatever," Flash interrupted as he growled at the Pokémon, "That thing stole our lunch and I'm gonna make it pay!" In that moment, Riptide leapt off his shoulder. "Riptide?"

"Ak! AQUANA!" Riptide cried in anger as he angrily glared at Hisscor.

Flash smirked at this. "I get it. You want payback for your lunch, huh?" Riptide nodded in response.

"A Water-Type like Aquana will have an advantage on Hisscor," Doc told him as he looked the two Pokémon. "Hmm..."

Twilight then spoke up, "He's right Flash, but still-"

"Go for it Riptide!" Spike interrupted, "Avenge our lunch!"

The rest of Flash's Pokémon also cheered, giving their teammate their support. Riptide looked back at them and nodded as Flash smiled. "Alright Riptide, start with Water Gun!"

"Ak..." Riptide breathed in, "WANA!" He fired a stream of water, which flew at Hisscor.

The fire snake Pokémon saw it coming and began to sliver towards the attack. The sight made Twilight blink, "What's it doing?" She got her answer as just before the water hit, Hisscor leapt up and over the water like a pole vaulter.

"No way!" Spike cried as he pointed at the fire Pokémon.

Hisscor landed on the ground as the water stopped, taking a deep breath as it did. "Hiss...SCOR!" From its mouth shot a barrage of tiny fireballs, which instantly hit Riptide in the side.

"AK!" He cried in pain as he was hit.

"That's Ember," Twilight commented. "And a powerful one at that."

"It looks like it did a lot of damage as well," Doc added.

"But didn't you say that Riptide had an advantage?" Spike asked him.

Flash frowned as he saw the barrage end. "Use Echoed Voice!"

Riptide quickly recovered and unleashed its soundwave attack, which made Hisscor flinch in pain. But as soon as it was over, Hisscor raised its tail. The black smoke shaped appendage was suddenly covered in fire, which Hisscor then flicked at Riptide. The fireball landed at the Aquana's feet before exploding, the flames spiralling around Riptide and slowly beginning to burn him.

"That's Fire Spin," Doc added.

"This is bad," Twilight said.

Flash waved his palm, "Riptide! Use Water Gun to put the fire out!"

Riptide did as he was told, spinning around while unleashing a stream of water. This managed to extinguish the flames, freeing him from the fiery pain. But in the time it took Riptide to escape, the fire snake Pokémon leapt into the air before biting down on Riptide's head fin.

"AQUANA!" He cried out as he flailed around, trying to dislodge his opponent from his head.

"Riptide, calm down!" Flash commanded as he pointed at the Hisscor. "Focus your strength and slam it into the ground with Pound!"

Riptide stopped squirming and tried to nod, only to then swing his head into the ground. The impact knocked Hisscor off, making roll in the dirt. Hisscor looked more pained by this, but before it could recover, it heard Flash call out. "Water Gun!" Its eyes opened, only to see a stream of water strike him where it hurts.

"HISSCOR!" it cried, its body smashing into a tree from the impact.

"Yes!" Flash cheered, tightening his fists. "That was dead on! It had to have done tons of damage." However, when the steam of water finally faded, they all went wide-eyed as they saw Hisscor pick itself up. It looked injured, but not as badly as it should have been.

"No way!" Spike exclaimed.

"Why didn't that work?" Doc asked as he blinked at the Hisscor. "It was a pure water type move..."

Twilight didn't say anything, a theory swimming in her head as she stared at Riptide. At the same time, Flash decided to just keep attacking. "Use Pound!" Riptide rushed towards Hisscor, spinning around and slamming it with his tail.

"Hiss!" It screeched in pain before wrapping its tail around Riptide's. It's body then slivered up Riptide's until its head was pointed at his. "Hiss," it took a deep breath, "SCOR!" However, this time instead of fire, purple darts shot out of his mouth, striking Riptide right in the face.

"AQUANA!" Riptide yelped as he staggered back, Hisscor unwrapping itself and slivering to a safe distance.

"Riptide!" Flash cried, "are you okay?"

Riptide stopped staggering back and stood still, only for purple energy to spark around its body. "Ak....Aquana…." He cried in pain, his body now wobbly. "Ak...."

"Riptide?" Flash asked in confusion.

"Its poisoned Flash!" Doc told him.

"That attack was Poison Sting," Twilight added. "You can't drag this fight out much longer. Recall Riptide and use another Pokémon."

Flash was about to agree, but then he looked back at Riptide, only to be greeted with a look of pure determination in his eyes. Despite the poison, he still wanted to fight. "Alright, we can do this. Use Echoed Voice!"

"AQUANA!" Riptide unleashed the soundwave, which struck Hisscor and pushed it back. But in that moment, Riptide flinched in pain as the poison struck again, forcing him to stop his attack.

"Oh no..." Flash gasped.

Hisscor saw the opening and once again took a deep breath before crying out, "HISSCOR!" It fired another barrage of fireballs, instantly striking the poisoned water lizard.

"AQUANA!" He cried as he was consumed by the flames, smoke soon appearing around him.

"RIPTIDE!"

As the smoke cleared, it revealed Riptide laying on the ground with swirls in his eyes. This caused everyone to gasp before rushing towards him, Flash reaching him first and picking him up. "Riptide? Can you hear me? Say something!"

"Ak..." Riptide moaned out as a purple blush could be seen between its nose and eyes.

"It's still poisoned," Doc told him as they all focused on Riptide. At the same time, the Hisscor slivered back into the tall grass.

"We need to get him to a Pokémon Center," Spike said next.

"Except there isn't one," Twilight replied as she opened her journal, pulling up the map program. "The closest Pokémon Center is miles away."

"So what do we do?" Flashed asked as he looked down at Riptide in worry.

"We'll just have to treat him ourselves," Doc said as he stood up, "I have some medicine in my bag. Let's go."

When Riptide's eyes opened, the first thing he noticed was that the sun was beginning to set. "Ak?" He moaned as he sat himself up, his eyes soon looking down as he saw he was now laying on a small sleeping bag. "Aquana?"

"Riptide..." he looked up to see Flash and Springer looking at him, "you're awake." Twilight, Spike and Doc moved over to him as well, the lot of them gathering around him.

"How are you feeling?" Twilight asked.

"We were able to cure the poison and treat your injuries," Doc added as he looked the lizard over. "With a little rest, you'll be back to full health in no time."

"Aquana," Riptide nodded its thanks to him before a frown appeared on this face. It had lost again, this time to an opponent it should have had an advantage over.

Seeing this, Flash patted his head, "Hey, don't be upset. So what if you lost. That Hisscor just got lucky."

"I don't think so," Twilight commented as she stood up and thought back to the battle, remembering the way the Hisscor had moved. "The way that Hisscor fought, it was almost too well. It seemed to battle while using strategy, something you don't see in many wild Pokémon."

Doc nodded at this. "I see what you're saying. That Fire-type looked like it had seen a few fights."

"Well I don't see," Spike growled, crossing his arms at his sister. "What are you talking about?"

Twilight turned to him. "That Hisscor, well...it might have left its trainer."

Hearing this caused the others to all go wide eyed except Doc. "What are you talking about?" Flash asked, blinking at the girl.

"Yeah! Since when can a Pokémon leave its trainer?" Spike added.

Doc let out a small huff, "It's rare but not unheard of. If the Pokémon decides it doesn't like it's trainer, it will try to escape. If it can destroy its Pokeball, that would break the trainer's hold over it and allow it to escape."

Twilight nodded. "That would explain why the Hisscor fought so skilfully. It was probably experienced with battling thanks to its previous trainer." She then turned to Riptide. "And there's also the case of Riptide."

"What about Riptide?" Flash asked, his tone lowering.

Twilight didn't reply. Instead, she walked over to him and reached into Flash's pockets. Before he could say anything, she pulled out Flash's Pokedex and moved over to Riptide.

"What are you doing?"

Twilight scanned Riptide, but didn't use the Pokémon info sections. Instead, it showed a page with a whole bunch of numbers and words. "I thought so."

"What?" Flash asked, his head now slight tilting.

Twilight showed him the page, pointing to a part he didn't quite understand. There were two words side by side, nature and adamant. "This is why Riptide's Water Gun and Echoed Voice didn't hurt Hisscor as much."

Flash took the Pokedex and blinked at the two words. "I uh...I'm not following."

"It's been proven that a Pokémon's attitude, or more specifically its nature, can affect how it grows. Pokémon with Adamant Natures suffer a decrease in power to any Special Attack they have. Since Riptide has an Adamant Nature, its Special Attacks are weaker than they should be."

"So that's it..." Flash said before turning to look at Riptide, only to see a huge frown on the young Aquana's face. The Pokémon hadn't taken the information kindly, causing Flash to death glare back at Twilight, "Wait a minute! Are you trying to say that Riptide's weak just because of who he is?!"

Twilight shook her head. "No, I'm saying that his Special Attacks are weaker. The Adamant Nature isn't completely negative, because it can only increase the Pokémon's Physical Attack."

"Like Pound," Doc caught on, snapping his fingers.

"Exactly," Twilight nodded in agreement, "that's why that attack hurt Hisscor more than the other two. But even so, one move isn't enough to win a battle." She turned to Riptide. "Water Pokémon are usually special attackers, so to have a nature that weakens that is bad for battling." She turned back to Flash, readjusting her glasses as she pointed to Riptide. "Maybe it's best you catch a new Water Pokémon."

Hearing this made Flash's heart seem to stop. "WHAT?!"

"Hold on Flash. I'm not saying this to be mean." Twilight said as he flashed her hand at his outburst. "I care about Riptide, but if it keeps battling like it is right now, it'll just keep losing and getting hurt for no reason."

Irritation began to build as Flash's glare intensified at Twilight, "So I should just give up on Riptide? Is that what you're saying?!"

"Flash..." Twilight tried to say, only to let out a deep breath before continuing. "It just lost to a Fire Type. Water Type Pokémon like Riptide are the main enemies of Fire Pokémon, yet he lost." She then pointed to Riptide, "Don't forget, every battle we've seen with Riptide has ended with him losing. He lost to the Movine and to those criminals. In fact, based on those battles, Riptide did the least. That's why I'm suggesting you should catch another Water-Type."

Flash opened his mouth, ready to yell, only for Doc to speak up, "I agree with Twilight, Flash. It's not uncommon for trainers to catch multiple Pokémon of the same type so it use the ones best suited for battle."

"He's correct Flash." Twilight added. "Not only that, Water Pokémon are actually the most common type of Pokémon. Its been researched that over a hundred different Pokémon have that type. That makes it even easier for trainers to find a new Water-"

"STOP IT!" Flash interrupted, his voice's volume now on the level of yelling, "I'm not gonna give up Riptide!" He pointed to the aqua lizard, "If they were real trainers, they'd work to make all their Pokémon strong instead of 'experimenting' on which is the best for a type of Pokémon! I refuse to abandon any of my Pokémon just because someone thinks they're not good tools for battle! They're not tools, they're my friends! They're...they're supposed to be my family!"

Hearing this made Twilight and Doc blink, unable to respond to what Flash had just said. Seeing this, Flash moved over and patted Riptide on the head as he continued, "I don't know about all this nature stuff, but I refuse to let it change my opinion on Riptide." He looked down at the Pokémon, a big grin now on Flash's face, "What I do know is that if Special Attacks aren't your thing, then we'll just focus on your Physical Attacks."

"Ak?" Riptide asked, tilting his head.

Flash nodded at this, "That's right. Starting tomorrow, we'll work to train you until you're so strong, you'll wipe the floor with that Hisscor the next time we see it. What do you say?"

Riptide stared at Flash for several seconds, his frown quivering. Eventually, the frown turned into a smile as it picked itself up from its sleeping bag. "Aquana," he said with a nod.

Flash let out a chuckle, "That's the spirit." He held out his fist and Riptide instantly knew what to do, holding out his own fist the pumping it against Flash's.

The rest of the group were all smiling at the two's interactions, Doc commenting, "He's something else. I couldn't think up a thing to say for that."

"Yeah...he sure is something." Twilight agreed as she pushed her glasses up her nose. She then lowered her voice to a whisper that no one could hear, "Though I still think this is a bad idea."

At the same time, in a tree above the others, the Hisscor had watched the whole thing with pure, focused observation. The look on his face could only be described by one word: Intrigue.

The next morning...

As soon as the sun rose, Flash and his Pokémon were all up and ready for training.

"One, two, three four," Flash said as he, Springer, Riptide, Skyler and Prongs stretched themselves out. "One, two, three four. That's right guys, stretch those hamstrings...or whatever it is you've got. We've got a hard day of training ahead, so we can't have any of you pulling anything." He had chosen to leave his jacket off and was only wearing his white shirt and a pair of running shorts, which allowed him to move more freely.

"Ri."

"Chick."

"Ak."

"Fay."

Spike moaned at Flash's training commands as he pulled the cover of his purple sleeping bag over his head. "Too early....need more sleep."

Twilight let out a sigh before shaking her head. She was already dressed and brushing her head. "Come on Spike. You might as well get up."

Spike moaned again, trying to cover himself even more. "No...I get Flash is excited, but does he have to train so early?"

"You'll have to do the same thing one day," Doc told him as he pulled out some cooking equipment for breakfast. "Training your Pokémon comes before anything else....well, unless your stomach says otherwise."

"Can't disagree there." Twilight added as she finished her hair. She put her glasses on and looked over to Flash, only to see him running place.

At this moment, Flash gestured to all his team, "Alright, let's start with a quick run. Go!" With that, the five of them rushed off into the woods.

"Don't be too long!" Doc called out to him. "Breakfast will be ready soon!"

"Got it!" Flash's voice replied from the trees.

"Uggghhh...he just left but he's still loud." Spike moaned, only to feel Twilight's fingers pull his right ear. "Ow! Stop it Twilight!"

"Get up Spike. Now."

One round of dragging Spike out of sleeping bag later...

After a good run and a quick but enjoyed breakfast, Flash took Riptide to the side while his other Pokémon continued to eat her breakfast. "Alright Riptide, since your strength doesn't lie with your water moves, we need to build your physical strength." He pointed to the ground. "So drop and give me fifty."

"Aquana," Riptide saluted before falling to ground, his stubby arms starting the push-ups. But as he did this, Riptide went wide-eyed as he saw Flash also fall to the ground and started doing his own push-ups. Seeing this expression, Flash then said, "We're a team Riptide. If I'm not willing to do it, then why should I expect you too either?"

As he did this, the other members of the team heard this and finished their breakfasts, all of them soon doing push-ups. While this was happening, another Pokémon was watching the training. It was the Hisscor from earlier, who was now sitting up in a tree. He was watching with pure curiosity, surprised at what Flash was doing.

His previous trainer had never been willing to train like that. Whenever they trained, he had always just sat in a comfy chair and barked orders. He had only been captured by the trainer due to another stronger trainer that beat him, only to just give him to the lazy trainer. That had been why he had rebelled and melted his Pokeball, allowing him to escape its previous slave driver.

But this trainer seemed different in the Hisscor's mind, only to shake his head at the thought. No, this trainer was just trying to trick the poor foolish Aquana. When push comes to shove, he would abandon it, just like all the other trainers.

Back at the training, after the fifty push-ups, Flash and his Pokémon started carrying large rocks on their backs before doing another run. As they did this, Flash continued to instruct them. "We need to build up your leg muscles. Psychical attacks usually require getting up close, so we need to build up your speed. You rush in, hit the opponent and leap back to a safe distance."

Spike and Twilight had heard this while watching and were impressed, Spike asking, "Where'd he learn all this stuff?"

Twilight rubbed her chin at this. "I'm guessing he learned it while training Springer. Since Springer uses the same type of tactics he's trying to teach Riptide, it'd make sense that he'd know how to train a Physical Attacker."

"Oh..." Spike said with a tilt of the head. "Wonder how well he'll do if he catches a Pokémon who uses Special Attacks."

Twilight giggled at this. "Good point Spike. Guess, we'll have to wait and find out."

As Flash's team continued to run, Flash looked down at Riptide. He saw the sheer determination of the water lizard's face and frowned, knowing why he was so serious. He let out a small sigh before leaning down to his Pokémon, "I know you're still annoyed about losing to Hisscor, but don't be upset."

"Ak?" Riptide asked in confusion.

"My grandmother used to tell me that you only ever truly lose if you don't learn from your defeat. She taught me to look at your losses as not a failure, but as an opportunity to grow. And that's what we're doing here. We're helping you grow."

Riptide got what he was saying and nodded. "Aquana."

After a few more hours of running and strength building exercises, they took a break to grab lunch and recover their strength. Once that was done, it was time for dodging practice.

"Gear Grind!"

"Aura Sphere and Energy Ball!"

Springer, Prongs, Higear and Tockwork fired off their attacks, which Riptide dodged with everything he had. The water lizard kept running back and forth, making sure all the attacks missed until-

Boom!

"AQUANA!" Riptide yelled as he was sent flying as an Aura Sphere hit him, knocking him to the ground with a thud.

"You okay?" Flash asked as he started to walk up to his Pokémon.

Riptide managed to pick itself up and nodded, "Aquana."

Seeing this made Flash smirk, "Alright. Then let's keep going."

They did this for a few more hours, only for the sun to slowly set in the distance. Twilight and Spike were now preparing the table for dinner while Doc was once again cooking. As they did this, they then spotted Flash and almost all his Pokémon step into the camp. The lot of them looked exhausted, but content after a hard day's work.

"You guys look like you just ran a marathon," Spike commented.

"Considering what they've been through," Twilight added as she scanned them over with her eyes. "I'd say it's more like three marathons."

Flash shined a big grin, "Maybe, but it'll all be worth it to get Riptide stronger."

It was here that the rest noticed Riptide wasn't with Flash, causing Doc to ask, "Hey, where is Riptide?"

"He refused to stop training until the very last moment," Flash answered as he walked up to the table. "I just came to see how long he has left until dinner."

"Well, it's almost done," Doc replied as he pulled out a vial of spice. "I just need to do the final touches."

"Okay. If that's the case, I better go tell him." Flash turned back to the woods, but in that moment-

"AQUANA!"

The lot of them all shared a glance before quickly rushing off into the woods.

A few minutes earlier, Riptide had been standing in front of a large rock and was currently punching it again and again. He then lifted his right fist again, only for it start glowing. As the shining fist hit the rock again, a loud cracking sound could be heard.

"Ak?" Riptide pulled his fist away, surprise on his face as he saw that the rock now had a large crack. He then looked down at his fist before focusing, causing it to once again glow for only a second before fading. "Aquana?"

"Scor."

Riptide froze at the sound of the voice, only to then look up at a nearby tree, where it saw Hisscor staring down at it. The sight made Riptide narrow his eyes with a glare, "Ak..."

"Hiss," Hisscor replied as he slivered down the tree onto the ground, only to not attack. Instead, he decide to ask Riptide why he was working so hard?

Riptide was confused by this, telling it that he wanted to grow strong so it would not be a burden for his trainer. In reply, Hisscor asked why it cared so much for some human who only uses him as a tool for battle. In response, Riptide shook his head and told him that Flash did not see him as a tool. To Flash, his Pokémon were all partners who he trusted and respected. Hisscor frowned at this and told Riptide that humans were selfish, only caring about Pokémon as long as they won battles for them.

But as these words left Hisscor's mouth, anger covered Riptide's face as he yelled, "AQUANA!" It screamed again and again, constantly saying that Flash was not like that. He then told Hisscor that he would like him if he gave the trainer a chance.

"Hiss." Hisscor scoffed, turning to leave in disbelief. But as he turned, his ears picked up a new sound.

"Riptide!" The two Pokémon turned to see Flash and the others rushing towards them. They stopped when they saw Hisscor. "It's you," Flash pointed at him with a frown.

"Scor." Hisscor grumbled, soon turning around again, only for Flash to rush past him and block off his exit.

"Oh no you don't," Flash said as he stretched out his arms. "You're not going anywhere until Riptide gets his rematch."

Hisscor frowned at him, but then glanced back at Riptide before smiling. He would show how useless having a trainer was. The Hisscor cocked his head before walking over to the spot they had battled previously, ready to fight as the sun began to set.

"You can do it Riptide!" Spike cheered.

"This is what all that training was for," Doc added.

Twilight didn't say anything though. No matter what was going to happen, she kept thinking about if just one day of training would really be enough to beat that Hisscor.

As for the Pokémon, the two continued to stare each other down. Finally, as the bottom of the sun touched the horizon, Hisscor rushed forwards.

"Water Gun!" Flash called out, with Riptide firing the water bullet at the Hisscor. He sidestepped and began to bum-rush Riptide, only for Flash to say, "He's trying to get close! Use Pound!"

"AK!" Riptide spun around and struck Hisscor with his tail, slapping it on the head before jumping back to a safe distance.

"Good job. Now, brace for the next attack!" Flash commanded, Aquana stiffening up as Hisscor shook off the attack.

Hisscor then took a deep breath, "Hiss...SCOR!" It fired a flurry of fireballs, all making their way to Aquana.

"Echoed Voice!"

"AQUANA!" Riptide unleashed the soundwave, the attack striking the fireballs. The sound slowed their momentum, allowing Riptide to leap over the fiery attack. But as it did this, Hisscor sucked in another breath, only to look up and unleashed a flurry of Poison Stings. That instantly hit the mid-air Aquana, unable to dodge it due to being the air.

"AK!" He cried as he landed with a thud.

"Not good," Flash said.

"But it doesn't look like Riptide was poisoned," Twilight added before she looked away. "Wait a minute, where's the Hisscor?!"

Riptide picked itself up, its eyes darting around as he tried to find Hisscor. "Where'd it go?" Flash asked as well. He had been so focused on Riptide, he also didn't seen where Hisscor had gone.

"Up there!" Doc yelled as he pointed at a high up tree branch, only to see Hisscor now slivered up a tree. It stuck its tongue out at this, now confident since he was now out of Riptide's physical attacks reach.

"That wimp," Spike growled, clenching his fists.

Doc shook his head. "To a wild Pokémon, all that matters is winning. It doesn't matter to them on how cowardly they have to fight."

"That won't matter either way. Use Water Gun Riptide!" Flash commanded as he pointed at the Hisscor. Riptide did as ordered and shot the water bullet, but Hisscor countered with Ember, the two attacks meeting and creating a burst of steam. "Dang it! Try again, but this time try to shoot it was a one constant stream."

"AQUANA!" Riptide unleashed the stream of water at Hisscor, only for him to fire a Poison Sting. The Poison Darts cut through the water, but it was slowed down as the needles struck the water. Seeing this, Riptide dodged the spray of Poison Sting, sidestepping away from every blow.

"Hisscor!" It cried as it continued to fire a continuous stream of Poison Stings, Riptide continuing to dodge them all.

"This is bad. Riptide's gonna get exhausted." Twilight commented as she watched Riptide's movements. "He needs to get Hisscor out of that tree."

"But how?" Spike asked as he slapped his hands on the side of his head.

"We'll knock it out," Flash answered as he pointed at the tree. "Use Pound on the tree trunk!"

"AQUANA!" Riptide cried as he rushed towards the tree, spinning around and slamming it with his tail. The entire tree vibrated, but the Hisscor wasn't worried. Before the attack could make him fall, he managed to wrap it's tail around the branch, stabilising himself.

"It's not enough!" Spike cried.

"Gotta think of a way to knock it off," Flash told himself. "But how do we do that?"

As he tried to think of a solution, Riptide leapt back to recover from hitting the tree. While this happened, Hisscor shined a big grin as he suddenly hopped off the branch. "Hiss," its tail ignited in mid-air before it flicked it at Riptide, "SCOR!" The fireball shot at Riptide and the ground near its feet, causing everything to ignite, flames soon spiralling around him.

"AK!"

"Riptide!" Flash cried.

"Is it just me, or does that attack look stronger than last time." Spike asked as he saw the Fire Spin become a full-on tornado that encased Riptide completely.

"Hisscor must have put every ounce of energy into it," Twilight replied.

"Riptide can't take that for long," Doc added. "To think that Hisscor has that much power."

"Riptide!" Flash called out.

Riptide couldn't hear its trainer from within the flames. However, he did know what he would want him to do and fired a Water Gun like before. But unlike last time, the flames continued to reignite at the water flowing from the Pokémon's mouth tried to extinguish the fire. Riptide was trapped.

Up in the tree again, Hisscor watched as its opponent was slowly being roasted. It was over in his mind, now thinking that a trainer like that wouldn't make a weakling like that stronger.

Back inside the fire tornado, Riptide fell to its knees as the flames began to burn away the last of his air. Soon enough, it would suffocate and fall unconscious. So this was it, even after all that training, it would lose again.

"You only ever really lose if you don't learn from your defeat."

Flash's words echoed in Riptide's head as he remembered all the training they had done together. He remembered all his friends, who had helped him grow stronger and were currently cheering him on. Then, he remembered what had happened just before the battle. When he was hitting those rocks, the surge of energy he had felt in his arms. The crack that had formed when he had hit the rock. Maybe...just maybe that was his chance.

Closing his eyes and ignoring the flames, Riptide focused all his energy into his fist. As this happened, Riptide's fist slowly began to glow brighter and brighter by the second. "AK," he drew his fist back before launching it forwards, "WANA!" The force created by the punch blew a hole in the tornado, allowing Riptide to rush out of it.

"Hiss?" Hisscor cried in confusion as it watched Riptide race towards him.

"What the-what did he just do?!" Flash asked with wide eyes.

"I think Riptide just learned a new move," Twilight answered.

"Rock Smash!" Doc confirmed.

Riptide used its new move on the tree, the force sending a crack right through the trunk and causing the tree to fall. "HISS!" Hisscor cried as it leapt off the branch, only to fall a few feet from Riptide.

"That...was awesome." Spike said with his jaw on the ground.

"Such power," Twilight whispered.

Doc chuckled at this. "Makes sense. Rock Smash is a piercing move. Though weaker than pound, it strikes at a more concentrated point and can do a lot of damage."

Flash smirked at Riptide, pumping his fist into the air. "Rock Smash, huh? A new Physical Attack is just what we need. Way to go Riptide!"

"Aquana!" Riptide nodded.

"Alright, use Water Gun!" The Aquana turned and fired off a bullet of water, which Hisscor countered with its Ember. The two attacks met and created another cloud of steam, only for Flash to yell, "Rock Smash!" Hearing this, Riptide rushed in to the steam, his fist fully glowing.

"AK!" He cried as he sucker punched Hisscor in the stomach.

"Scor!" It yelped as the fire type flew out of the steam cloud, skidding on the ground in pain.

"Now use Pound!" Riptide nodded and rushed towards Hisscor, only to see a volley of Poison Stings heading his way. But as the needle flew through the air, Riptide turned and swatted them away with his tail, only to leap and smack Hisscor's head.

"Hiss!" It cried out, only to suddenly wrap its tail around Riptide like before. "Hiss...."

"Not again!" Spike yelped.

"Do something Flash!" Twilight yelled, "If you don't, Riptide will get poisoned again!"

Flash just smiled as he saw Hisscor's face get close to Riptide's before taking a deep breath. "Not this time. Rock Smash!" Riptide pulled its glowing fist back before quickly thrusting it forwards, smashing Hisscor right in the lower jaw.

"SCOR!" It cried as its body unravelled from Riptide's. This gave Riptide the chance to grab the end of Hisscor's tail and swing it around, slamming it into the ground several times before sending it flying. Hisscor soon hit the dirt, rolling as pain filled his body. It soon tried to pick itself up, but its injures were too great. "Hiss....cor."

"Flash! Its now or never!" Doc called out.

"Right!" Flash replied before pulling out an empty Pokeball. "Hisscor. I don't know why you chose to leave your last trainer, but I hope you don't choose to do the same with me. GO POKEBALL!" The ball flew and hit Hisscor on the head, Hisscor soon engulfed by the red light and pulled inside the ball, which quickly shut as it fell to the ground. They all stared at the Pokeball, watching it start to wobble back and forth. It wobbled again and again, until-

DING!

Flash's eyes went wide, a large smile plastering itself on his face as he picked the Pokeball up before raising it to the sky, "Alright! I just caught, A HISSCOR!"

"RIO!" Springer cheered as he leapt up next to him.

"AQUA!" Riptide cheered as he did the same.

"Congratulations Flash," Twilight said, clapping at the sight.

"That Hisscor's quite a catch," Doc added.

"I can't wait to see you battle with it," Spike finished.

"Thanks," Flash replied before kneeling down and smiling at Riptide. "But the one you should be congratulating is Riptide." He picked him up and held him up high. "You were great bud. I can't believe you learned a new move that was that strong."

"Ak...aquana.." Riptide blushed as he scratched the back of his head.

"That Rock Smash is gonna come in really handy," Doc told him.

Twilight nodded. "And since it's a Physical Move, it'll get a boost thanks to Riptide's nature."

"Exactly," Flash said before putting Riptide back on the ground and patting his head. "Riptide, you've got your very own style of battle and as your trainer, it's my job to find a way to help your perfect that style. Remember that, and I think we'll do just fine."

Riptide shined a big grin as he nodded. "Ak!"

As soon as this happened, Springer pulled Aquana to the side, him and the other Pokémon now dancing with Riptide. While this happened, Twilight stepped up to Flash. "Um...Flash?"

"Yeah?" Flash replied, turning to see a frown on Twilight's face.

Twilight let out a small sigh before glancing down. "I'm sorry about what I said before. You were right. Just because a Pokémon doesn't have a great battle skill or nature doesn't make it worthless."

Flash just chuckled at this, patting her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Remember, you were right too. Riptide, along with all my other Pokémon, all have different ways of battling that depends on their nature. I'm gonna need to learn that stuff so I can learn the best way to battle with each of them."

"True..." Twilight remarked as she looked back at Riptide. "But even so...if Riptide has that kind of nature, the road of battling will not be easy for him Flash. You need to remember that."

"I know." Flash replied as he took his hand off her shoulder, "But that doesn't mean Riptide can't do it."

"True..." Twilight admitted before whispering to herself, "But I know I'm not wrong in thinking that this choice isn't the best one...but its still a choice that can work." She looked back at Flash, quickly noticing the big, happy smile on his face, "Then again, I guess you can't just apply logic to Flash."

As she continued to mutter to herself, something caught everyone's ears. A familiar grumbling sound filled the air, and they soon turned to the source of the noise. It was Riptide, who was now blushing as his stomach roared. "Looks like someone's a little hungry," Twilight commented while everyone else laughed.

"Hard training and a tough battle will do that to you," Flash said as he placed his hands behind his head.

Doc nodded at this. "Alright. If that's the case, I'll make us all something great to eat.

"YEAH!"

They all returned to their campsite and enjoyed a delicious lunch. Afterwards, Twilight took out her electronic journal and wrote to Professor Celestia.

Dear Professor Celestia,
Today, we learned that Flash's Aquana Riptide has a nature that would cripple most Water Pokémon. Despite this, Flash refused to give up on him and worked to train him to be stronger. Because of this, I learned that who a Pokémon is doesn't decide how strong they are. Granted, I still believe that you can't escape the facts, such as Riptide being stuck with this nature, but I now realise that there's more to him than just that. Therefore, from now on I'll focus on what a Pokémon can do as opposed to what they can't do.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle

A Toxic Relationship

View Online

Continuing on their journey to Bales Town, we find our heroes traveling further into the rocky territory. As they walked through the area, Spike turned to his sister with a moan, "So...how much longer until we get to Bales Town?"

Twilight pulled out her journal and opened the map. "It'll be a little while before we get there. Right now, there's a mountain between us and it."

"Seriously?!" Spike groaned, waving his hands in the most exaggerated motion possible. "A whole mountain?!"

"It's the fastest route," Twilight told him as she put her journal away. "It'd take longer to go around it than over it."

Spike was about to reply, only for Flash to say, "Then over it is. But...how about we take a break before getting there?"

"Not a bad idea," Doc agreed with a nod. "You guys can use it for some training."

Twilight nodded as well, only to pull out Owlicious's Pokeball. "Great idea. In fact, I've been hoping to get some experience battling, if you don't mind that is."

Flash shined a big grin at this. "Sounds good to me." He looked down at his partner, the Riolu looking up at him with the same grin. "Ready for some fun bud?"

"Ri!" Springer cheered.

With that, Flash and Twilight placed their bags on the ground and moved over to an empty area. Twilight then threw her Pokeball in the air, "Owlicious, come on out!"

"Psy!" the Pokémon cheered as he came out of the Pokeball.

Flash smirked before pulling out his own Pokeball. "Alright, time to try out my newest teammate. Hisscor, I choose you!" He tossed the Pokeball into the air and it released the fire snake Pokémon, the creature landing with slight surprise on his face.

"Scor?"

"Alright Hisscor," Flash said as he pumped his fists. "This is the first time we're gonna battle together, so let's do our best."

Hisscor turned towards Flash with a violent glare before turning back to Owlicious, "hiss..."

Doc stepped up between them. "Alright, I'll be referee. Both sides ready?"

"Yes," Twilight replied, her fingers slightly adjusting her glasses. "I hope..."

"Ready and waiting," Flash said as he slammed his fist into his hand.

"Then battle...begin!"

Twilight pointed at Hisscor as she commanded, "Alright Owlicious, let's start with Peck!" The Psychick's beak glowed as it flew towards Hisscor.

"Dodge it Hisscor!" Flash yelled back, only to blink as he saw Hisscor just sit there. "Huh? Hisscor, you need to dodge!"

Hisscor took a long deep breath, a bored expression on his face as the Psychick charged him. And as the owl almost reached him, he opened his mouth, "Scor!" He unleashed a flurry of fireballs at Owlicious, the Pokémon instantly overwhelmed from the fiery barrage.

"PSY!" He cried as he was knocked backwards from the flames, his body hitting the ground like a rock. But as he landed, Hisscor leapt up to him, quickly wrapping his tail around the Pokémon.

"Hiss!" It opened its mouth and bit down on Owlicious's head.

"PSY!" It cried in pain. "Psychick, psy!

"Owlicious!" Twilight screamed, her hands onto the sides of her head as panic covered her face.

"Hisscor! Stop that!" Flash yelled, stomping his foot in anger. "Why'd you use Ember?!"

Hisscor didn't reply, his tail slowly letting Owlicious go. "Hiss...." he growled as the owl staggered back, his body reeling from the damage, only to see Hisscor take another deep breath. "SCOR!" He yelled again, his mouth now unleashing a flurry of Poison Stings.

"Hisscor! Don't-" Flash tried to yell, only to see the needles strike Owlicious like he was a training dummy.

"Hisscor's not listening to Flash," Spike commented as he tugged Doc's pant leg. "You gotta stop the match!"

"I know Spike," Doc replied as he glared at Flash, "Flash, you've got to get Hisscor under control! Now!"

"I'm trying!" Flash barked back before turning to the fire snake. "Hisscor, you've got to do what I say!"

Hearing this, Hisscor just turned and stuck his tongue out. Why should I? Was what Hisscor was asking itself. It was winning this battle and doing so without a stupid trainer telling it what to do.

As it did this, Twilight went over to her Pokémon, leaning down with a huge worried frown, "Owlicious, are you okay?"

"Psy..." Owlicious moaned, shaking its body before turning to its trainer and nodding.

"Alright," Twilight told him before glaring at Hisscor, "then let's use Sky Drop!"

"Psy!" Owlicious yelled as he flared his wings, soon flying towards Hisscor.

"This time you've gotta dodge it," Flash told Hisscor, only for him to turn around and stick his tongue out again. As it did this, Owlicious grabbed it in his talons before flying it up into the air, only for Hisscor to wrap its tail around the Psychick's body. Flash's eyes went wide at this, "Hisscor! What are you doing?!"

"RI!" Springer yelled.

Hisscor didn't reply and instead, just simply began spinning around in midair, pulling the Psychick along with it. As it did this, he released it's hold on him and sent Owlicious hurling towards the ground, where it landed with a mighty thud.

"Owlicious!" Twilight yelped.

At the same time, Flash saw what Hisscor was going to do next, seeing its tail had just ignited. "Wait! Don't do it Hisscor!" He yelled, but it was too late. Hisscor spun in the air while tossing the fireball at Owlicious, soon landing on the ground and exploding into a spiral of fire.

"Owlicious!" Twilight cried in horror, tears about to appear in her eyes.

"Stop it Hisscor! Stop it right now!" Flash screamed at the top of his lungs, only to fall on deaf ears.

Instead, Hisscor just glared at the tornado, only to leap into it. As he did this, he let sucked in one last breath, "Hiss...SCOR!" Once again it unleashed a flurry of fireballs, which struck Owlicious point blank in the face. As it did this, a explosion of flames appeared, causing the Fire Spin to be blown out while Hisscor leapt back to a safe distance.

Everyone watched as the smoke cleared, soon revealing Owlicious on the ground with spirals for eyes. "Psy..."

"OWLICIOUS!" Twilight cried as she rushed and picked her partner up, soon feeling the heat coming off him. "Oh no," she whispered. "Owlicious…"

Flash's face was red with anger, soon stomping over to Hisscor as he screamed, "That was going way too far Hisscor! This was supposed to be a spar, not a full-on battle!"

Hisscor glared back him, his mind thinking as he rolled his eyes, What are you upset about? We won, didn't we?

Doc stepped over to Flash with a glum frown. "Sorry Flash, but I'm afraid I'd have to hand that victory to Twilight. If this had been an official battle, you would have lost for not having control of your Pokémon."

Flash sighed. "Its fine. I wouldn't want that kind of win anyway." He turned to Twilight, "I'm really sorry."

Twilight shook her head at this. "It's alright. What matters right now is getting Owlicious bandaged up."

They all nodded and got to work, leaving and ignoring Hisscor. He just sat there, wondering why Flash wasn't celebrating their victory. As he stared at this, Springer walked over to him. "Ri," He said to Hisscor, explaining that he needed to learn to be a team player, which meant it had to listen to Flash's orders. Hisscor replied with a refusal, explaining that it would never listen to another selfish human who didn't know the first thing about battling. "Ri Riolu…" Springer replied, turning and leaving with a scowl on his face, forcing Hisscor to sit there with no real response.

As they tended to Owlicious's wounds, the rest of their Pokémon had been let out and were playing together by bouncing a large inflatable ball between each other. Well, all except for Hisscor. The fire snake Pokémon was currently curled up on a rock, relaxing and watching as the others all messed around. A low hiss came out of his mouth as he glared at the group, disgusted at their playing around like they were fresh out of the egg.

"There you go," Twilight cooed as she finished wrapping the last of the bandages around Owlicious. "Try it out."

"Psy..." Owlicious flexed its bandaged wing, only to see that the tape stayed on the wing. "Psy…."

"Good," Twilight picked him up off her lap and placed him on the ground. "Now, don't go doing anything strenuous, okay?"

"Psychick," Owlicious nodded before hopping away.

Flash let out a large gulp as he turned to Twilight as she put the bandages away, placing his hands together and bowing his head. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for things to get out of hand like that."

Twilight just shook her head at this. "It's alright Flash. Its not your fault."

"Yeah, it's his." Spike grumbled as he pointed over his shoulder at Hisscor, "I can't believe he wouldn't do a single thing you said."

"Obviously Hisscor does not see Flash as his partner yet," Doc added as he rummaged through his belongings, still checking how many medical supplies the group had. "He probably won't do anything you say until you manage to gain its trust Flash."

Flash let out a long sigh, slowly glancing at the snake. "How am I gonna do that? Hisscor won't even let me talk to it, so how do I show him he can trust me?"

A small bulb went off in Twilight's head. "Maybe start with giving him a name."

"Yeah!" Spike agreed, nodding. "You give all your other Pokémon names, so why not give him one?"

Flash scratched the side of his head at this, soon replying, "Because I haven't been able to think of one. The names I give are supposed to be special and describes my Pokémon...but I don't know what would be good for him. Plus, I don't wanna force a name on him. If I give him a name, I want him to want to have it."

"Then I guess we're back to square one," Doc admitted before the four of them all tried to think up a way to get Hisscor to open up to them, only for nothing to come to mind. After that moment, the four all sighed, dropping their heads in unison.

While this was going on, Hisscor laid his head down on the rock he was currently using as a bed, trying to take a small nap. As he did this, he grumbled in irritation as the nearby Pokémon were cheering and having fun.

"Aq!" Riptide yipped as he headbutted the ball, making it bounce towards Prongs.

"Fay!" He replied as he used his leaf-like tail to swat it back into the air, now flying towards Skyler.

"Chick!" He flapped his wings, making a gust of wind that blew the ball towards Owlicious.

"Psy," Owlicious simply bumped its head into the ball. It slowly flew into the air and began to float towards Springer.

"RI!" Springer punched the ball, making it fly over Riptide's head. "Ri?" He said with an 'oops' look as they watched as the ball fly towards Hisscor, who sensed it coming and looked up.

"Scor!" It barked as it opened its mouth, a barrage of Poison Stings soon hitting and instantly popping the ball.

"Ri!" Springer cried as the ball's remains landed in front of his out stretched paws. The rest of the Pokémon soon all cried in unison as well, the group now glaring at the fire snake. As they did, Hisscor just turned his head and coiled itself back up on its rock, reattempting his nap. Seeing this, Springer let out a low growl before hopping onto the rock, getting right up in Hisscor's face. "Ri, ri, ri Riolu!"

Hisscor simply frowned at this before spinning itself around, swatting its tail into Springer and knocking him off the rock. "Hiss," it growled as it took a deep breath, "SCOR!" It unleashed another Ember attack at them, which Springer sidestepped to dodge, causing the fireballs to shoot into a nearby bush.

"GECK!"

The Pokémon all looked around at that outcry, which the humans all heard too. "What was that?" Spike asked.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good." Flash replied as he walked over to the Pokémon, only to see them now watching the bushes the Ember had hit rustle.

From out of the bushes came a dark purple lizard Pokémon the size of Riptide, but was standing on all fours with anger plastered onto its face. Under its chin was a large light purple bubble-like appendage, which was shrinking and expanding as it breathed. At the same, the Pokémon's long tail waved back and forth, its color being black and letting out a mist of smoke.

"Geck..." it growled beneath its breath.

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Geckoxic
Category: Poison Spit Pokémon
Type: Poison
Info: It has an internal venom sack under its neck where it builds up the poison that it spits at its opponent.

"That thing doesn't look to happy," Spike gulped as he pointed at the Poison Type.

"That's because it's mad," Doc replied, crossing his arms.

"Why is it mad?"

"I think I know. Look at its tail Flash." Twilight added as she pointed at the smoking appendage, now seeing a small burn mark. "I think Hisscor might have burned it."

Flash resisted the urge to facepalm as he stepped up to the Pokémon, "Oh great...." He then leaned down with a apologetic smile, "Listen uh...mister Geckoxic, I'm sorry about that. I'm sure Hisscor didn't mean to burn your tail and he's very sorry," he turned to the Pokémon in question, "right Hisscor?" Hisscor just glared at him before curling up again. "Hey!"

Geckoxic let out a low hiss, obviously not taking this unapologetic attitude well. "GECK!" It took a deep breath, its venom sack stretching out as it did before spitting out a large purple ball.

"Look out!" Twilight cried, but it was too late. The ball struck the ground in front of them and exploded, causing a purple fog to fill the air and consume all the Pokémon.

"Guys!" Flash tried to run into the fog, only to feel an arm grab and pull him back.

"Stop Flash!" Doc told him as he yanked Flash further back. "That was Toxic. It'll poison you."

"But the others-"

"Hold on." Doc reached into his coat and pulled out a Pokeball. "Higear, use Gyro Ball!" The gear Pokémon appeared in the air and began spinning.

"HI!" It cried as it flew into the fog, the spinning blasting the purple smoke away. It was here that they saw the other Pokémon, all of them now with purple blushes on their faces, all showing pain from the Toxic attack.

"Oh no," Flash gasped as he rushed towards them. As he did this, the Geckoxic decided to hi-tail it when it saw Higear.

"Owlicious," Twilight cried as she held her partner in her arms. "Please say something."

"Psy….chi...ck..." he replied weakly.

"Guys...no. You all got poisoned." Flash whispered as he picked up Springer and Riptide, Spike now holding Chickling while Doc held Prongs. Flash turned to Hisscor and saw it looked completely fine. "Why wasn't he poisoned?"

"Immunity," Doc told him as he glared at the Hisscor. "Same reason Higear wasn't, Poison and Steel-Types can't get poisoned."

Flash let out a low growl, glaring at Hisscor. "So this is his fault and he doesn't even get punished for it. I hope you're happy Hisscor! Because of you, everyone else is in a lot of pain."

Hisscor just blinked at the situation, not sure what to do. Sure, it didn't like the Pokémon, but Hisscor knew he didn't feel anything good by seeing them all get sick. It watched as the humans placed the Pokémon on the ground before wrapping blankets on them, trying to keep them all warm.

"We need to get to a Pokémon Center," Flash said as he finished wrapping up Riptide. "Now."

Hearing this, Twilight opened her map, only to let out a long sigh. "There isn't one around here. Not for a long way at least."

"So we need to treat them ourselves?" Spike asked.

"Looks like it," Doc replied as he opened up his bag and looked through it, only for a frown to follow, "This is bad. We don't have anymore Antidote or Pecha Berries."

"Does that means we can't cure them?" Flash asked.

"I'm afraid so," Doc replied as he glanced back at the Pokémon, only to see their trainers' faces filled with worry.

"Wait!" Twilight called out before turning her journal towards them, "there's a pharmacy nearby."

"Really?" Flash asked as he looked at the map and saw the highlighted dots. "Great. I'll go get it."

"Are you sure?"

Flash nodded. "My Pokémon is the reason we're in this mess, so its my responsibility to fix it. Besides, I'm the faster one here."

"Alright," Doc replied as he took out a pen and paper, soon writing a note and placing it in a small purse, which he handed to Flash. "Here's what we'll need and the money to get it. Just give it to them and they'll do the rest."

"Got it," Flash replied as he took the purse and put it his pocket before turning to Hisscor. "You're coming with me."

Hisscor raised an eyebrow at this. "Scor?"

"Don't give me that look," Flash told him while placing his hands on his waist. "This is your fault, so you're gonna help me. Besides, with the others sick, I need someone to help me if I get attacked." He reached down and grabbed Hisscor, putting him on his shoulder. "Just stay there and sit still." He turned to the others, "I'll be back soon."

Twilight then handed him her journal, "Here, use this to guide you there and back."

Flash nodded and took it before rushing into the woods. "Be back in a flash!" With that, he disappeared from sight, leaving the others to focus on the ailing Pokémon.

"Good luck..." Twilight whispered, soon looking down at her hurt Psychick. "Please hurry Flash."

Flash and Hisscor rushed through the forest, Flash taking small glances at the map as they ran through some bushes. At the same time, Hisscor remained wrapped around Flash's shoulder, unsure what to do. On one point, it was keeping an eye out for attackers, ready to strike at a moment's notice. On the other, it was thinking why it should care. This did not go unnoticed by its trainer. "You know, you don't have to be so uptight."

Hisscor turned to look at him, blinking. "Scor?"

"It's obvious you're used to battling on your own, that's why you didn't listen to me. I'm guessing its why you also attacked the Geckoxic as well."

"Hiss..." Hisscor replied as he looked away.

"So what happened? Did the bush rustle and you acted out of habit?"

"Scor." Hisscor growled, not wanting to tell Flash he actually wanted to attack the other Pokémon.

Hearing this low growl, Flash spoke up, his tone slightly softened, "I only have one question. Why are you so determined to battle on your own?"

This question made Hisscor blink, turning back to Flash with a look of slight confusion. He wasn't sure if he was serious, as Hisscor only knew that being on its own had made it into the strong Pokémon it was. With its past trainer, any battle they had won was when he had been the one to decide the moves. Whenever it listened to its trainer, it always lost. Thinking this, Hisscor looked away again, "Scor."

But Flash didn't notice this. Instead, he said, "I don't know what happened in the past to make you hate humans, but I want us to be different." Flash turned to the Pokémon, a long cold stare glaring from his eyes, "Listen Hisscor, we're a team now. I want to help you become the best Hisscor you can possibly be and its not just me." This statement made Hisscor want to roll his eyes, but Flash continued anyways, "Springer, Skyler, Riptide and Prongs. Twilight, Spike and Doc. They all want you to become as strong as you want, that's why they were cheering for you before."

Hisscor remembered this, but at the time, it had just considered them all to be distractions from its fight.

Flash sighed and looked down, glancing at the map again. "Listen, I'm not asking you to completely change who you are. I'm just asking that you give us a chance, to show you how much stronger you can become with us. My grandmother used to tell me that alone we can only do so much, but together our possibilities are endless." He turned to Hisscor, not sure if his words were getting through. "Just help me get the medicine we need. If afterwards, you still don't want to be on our team, I'll release you."

This made Hisscor go wide-eyed, quickly turning to him in pure confusion. "Hiss?!"

Unfortunately, Flash didn't notice this as he finished his statement. "I want us to be a team, but I don't want to force you into doing something you don't want to do."

With that, the two of them ran out the forest, only to see the trail lead straight off the edge of a cliff. "YIKES!" Flash yelped as he tried to slow himself down, only for his momentum to stop just at the edge. "WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!!" He cried as teetered on the edge, soon managing to pull himself back and land on his rear. "Owwww…." he moaned as he looked down at Twilight's journal, zooming in to see this cliff was on it.

As he did, his ears picked up the sound of running water, making the duo look down and see a raging torrent below the cliff, another cliff on the other side that lead into another forest. "Strong flowing water and a long drop. Fall from here and its game over." He looked back down at the map, seeing the pharmacy was on the other side. "So...how do we cross this thing?"

Hisscor glanced around, only to bark out,"Scor!"

Flash turned to see what Hisscor was looking at. It was a rope bridge a little ways away. "Perfect," he picked himself up and walked over to it, soon checking its strength once he got there. "Hmmm...yeah, this looks good enough. Alright, here we go."

With that, he started his walk over the bridge. As he did this, the sound of the rushing river drew Hisscor's attention, making it look down and see the water's powerful current. The Fire Type did not like the sight, Flash soon noticing as they hit the halfway point of the bridge. "Don't worry. Neither of us are gonna go for a swim anytime soon."

However, in that moment, something new caught their ears. The sound of ropes snapping. The two of them looked back, only to see the ropes behind them begin to split apart. "That's not good," Flash gulped before breaking into a sprint. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough, and the final support rope severed. "AAAHHH!" Flash screamed as the bridge collapsed, causing him and Hisscor to fall forwards. As they did, Flash's hands clenched onto the bridge, the wooden fixture soon slamming into the cliff's side. The two of them felt the wind knocked out of their guts as they hit the wall, only for Flash's hold to remain on the bridge. Hisscor was still on his shoulder, though now shaking at the new development. "Well...that could have been worse."

"Hiss," Hisscor agreed in a whimpering tone.

"We'll just have to climb up." Flash admitted as he slowly pulled himself up, only to see the rope start shaking again. "Oh come on! Not again!" Flash yelled as another snap could be heard. He then glanced around, only to see a nearby ledge. "That'll do. Hang on Hisscor!" Flash yelled as he swung the last bit of the rope. It then let out a resounding 'snap', but Flash was one step ahead. The duo landed on the ledge, both falling onto the dirt as the rest of the bridge fell into the raging current below. "Yes!" Flash cheered as they landed.

"Scor," Hisscor let out in relief.

"See?" Flash chuckled as he put Hisscor back on his shoulder, "I told you we'd be fine."

Hisscor stared at Flash for a moment, a small spark of something coming to light in his heart. "Hiss...Hisscor."

"Now all we need to do it climb up," Flash looked up and saw that the cliff's edge was a few feet away. He then reached out, only to find himself just a few inches short. "Darn. Can't...quite...reach..."

CRACK!

The sound made Flash stop and look down, only to now see the ledge they were on start to break apart. "Oh give me a break!" Flash yelled, only for the ledge to crack more. "Not what I meant!" he tried again to reach out, only for the movement of his feet to cause the ledge to crack more. "This is bad."

"Scor," Hisscor added, causing Flash to look at him, then back up at the distance between his arm and the top of the cliff. Hisscor was just long enough.

"Alright...guess I got no choice." Flash reached into his pocket and pulled out the purse Doc had given him. He then took Hisscor off his shoulder and tied it around his neck. "Listen Hisscor, it's up to you." The fire snake raised an eyebrow at this. "Find the pharmacy and show them what's in here and they'll give you what you need. Find a way back to the others and give them the medicine."

"Hiss?"

Flash reached his arm out, lifting him towards the cliff. "Go on, it's the only way. No sense in both of us falling." Hisscor turned back to him in shock, unable to process what was happening. Flash was really willing to give up his life to save his. As this thought entered his brain, the sound of the ledge cracking took him back into reality. That and Flash saying, "Go on, hurry."

Hisscor looked up at the cliff and stretched itself out, his head slivering over the edge. Flash then gave him a small push, smiling as he let Hisscor go. "Good luck."

With that, the ledge finally gave out from beneath his feet. But as it did, Flash felt something wrap around his wrist, stopping his fatal fall. "Huh?!" Flash looked up and saw Hisscor had wrapped his tail around his arm. The fire snake had found a strong branch to grip with his teeth, allowing him to hold Flash up.

"Alright!" Flash cheered as he pulled himself up and grabbed onto the ledge. Soon enough, the two of them we both on the cliff, both breathing heavy sighs of relief. As they did this, Flash looked over at Hisscor. "We made it...we really made it. You saved me."

Hisscor looked up at him and the two locked eyes, staring at one another for several moments.

"Thank you." Flash then said, making Hisscor let out a low gasp. Hearing this, Hisscor shined a big smile, bigger than he had ever done before.

Flash then looked over at where the bridge had been, soon seeing a new disturbing sight. The rope that had connected the bridge to the cliff appeared to be smoking. "What the heck?!" He picked up the end of the rope and saw that instead of being snapped, it was melted. "This wasn't an accident."

In the bushes, the Geckoxic Hisscor had angered watched in annoyance. It had been the one to melt the bridge, but seeing what had just happened, it knew it needed to kick things up a notch. Luckily, he new someone who could help.

Back at the camp, the rest of the group were looking after the poisoned Pokémon. Doc had let out Higear and Tockwork, to stand guard in case the Geckoxic decided to show up again with friends.

"It's okay Springer," Twilight told the Riolu has she fed him some water. "Here, drink up."

"Ri," Springer replied weakly as he took a sip.

"Don't worry. Flash will be back soon with the medicine."

"Yeah," Spike was placing a wet cloth on Prongs's head, "Flash would never let any of you down."

"It's Hisscor we have to worry about," Doc grumbled as he started making some juice out of Oran Berries. It wouldn't cure the poison, but it would help them stay strong. "If they're attacked, he might not even stick around to help Flash."

Twilight shook her head at this. "No, I'm sure he wouldn't do that. Hisscor might have an attitude, but that doesn't mean he's a bad Pokémon. If Flash felt he couldn't trust him, he would have asked to borrow Higear or Tockwork. But he didn't, so we'll just have to trust his judgement."

Doc glanced at the girl, surprised at her judgement call there. He had pegged Twilight with one who would use logic for everything, but saw that she wasn't wrong. In fact, he could tell that Flash had already influenced her.

"Right..." Doc replied as he continued to make the juice. "I just hope he gets here soon."

As they got back to work, Twilight turned back to the forest Flash had rushed into. "Please hurry."

After their run in with death, Flash and Hisscor continued to rush towards the pharmacy. As Flash continued to follow the map, Hisscor remained on watch for anything that might attack. That is, till Flash yelled, "There!" Hisscor turned to look at what Flash was seeing, only to see a small building in the distance from the hill they were now standing on. "That's the pharmacy. Now we can-"

"HISS!" Hisscor suddenly cried as he leapt off Flash's shoulder. He then turned and sucked up a deep breath, "SCOR!" he yelled, unleashing an Ember attack, which blocked a purple poison ball headed straight for Flash.

"Whoa!" Flash yelped as he did a slight backpedal before looking over at the bushes, now seeing the Geckoxic step out. "You again?!"

"Scor!" Hisscor hopped back on Flash's shoulder and glared at it.

"We don't have time to play around right now!" The next thing Flash knew, his danger senses kicked in and he did another pace of backpedaling. As he did, a purple liquid flew at where they had been and hit the ground, melting it into a black paste. "That's Acid."

Flash then glared back at the Poison Pokémon, only to see a bigger companion standing by it. It looked like Geckoxic, but it was twice the size and was now standing on it hind legs. It's venom sack was gone, replaced by a pair of large frills around its neck, complete with a long spiked tail. "Frillace!" It cried.

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Frillace
Category: Poison Frill Pokémon
Type: Poison
Info: The evolved form of Geckoxic. Its razor sharp frills are laced with poison. One cut can inject over half a gallon of poison into the victim's body.

"Great...just great." Flash commented as he looked up from his Pokedex, "decided to ask your big brother Frillace for help, huh?!"

"FRILLACE!" it screamed, its face turning red with pure anger.

Hearing the sudden screech, Flash looked back at the Pokedex, soon seeing another bit of info before looking back at the Frillace with a gulp as he put the device away. "Oh...sorry. I didn't know-er, what I mean is....I meant big sister Frillace."

"Geck!"

"Lace!"

"Awww man. Now what do I-" Flash tried to say, only to feel Hisscor sliver down his back and leg, soon moving in front of him, "Wait, are you saying you'll battle with me?"

Hisscor turned to him and nodded.

Flash's face shined a big grin. "Alright! Let's do this!" He pointed at the Poison Types, "Let's start with Fire Spin!" Hisscor leapt into the air and fired the attack from his tail, the flames soon striking the ground around Frillace before exploding into a tornado of flames.

"Frill!" It cried in pain before spinning around, the swing of its tail blowing out the flames. It then let out a roar, soon charging while the spike on its tail started glowing purple.

"Dodge it and grab her tail with your tail!" Flash commanded as Hisscor quickly slivered away from the spiked tail, only to then coil himself around the tail. "Bite!" Hisscor chomped down on its tail, causing Frillace to scream.

"Frillace!" It cried as it began to thrash its around wildly, but Hisscor kept a tight grip, its fangs digging into the tail.

Flash watched as the tail flailed around, waiting for the right moment. "Alright...just a little-now! Let go!"

Hisscor didn't see why it should, but chose to trust Flash and released its bite and wrap on the tail. A second later, Frillace flipped its tail up, causing Hisscor to go flying up into the air without it noticing.

"Ember!"

"Hiss...SCOR!" He unleashed a flurry of fireballs down at Frillace, who had just now realized Hisscor was no longer on its tail. The toxic lizard looked up, only to feel the fiery bombardment a second later.

"Frill!" It screamed.

Hisscor smirked as it landed on the ground, impressed by Flash's ability to think ahead. At the same time, Frillace shook off the flames and glared at Hisscor, soon taking a deep breath as it opened its frills. "LACE!" It spat a burst of Acid at Hisscor.

However, Hisscor just stared at the move, unfazed. Flash wanted to tell him to dodge, but remembered the battle with Owlicious and saw how Hisscor was staring at it the same way. He knew what Hisscor wanted to do. "Charge!" Hisscor smirked and did as told, slivering towards the Acid attack, the attack soon consuming the snake.

"Now....Fire Spin!" Flash ordered, only to see Hisscor leap out of the Acid attack, its tail ignited.

It struck the ground at Frillace's feet and exploded, transforming into a fire spiral that engulfed it completely. "Frill!" It cried as it was burned.

"Ember!" Frillace then saw Hisscor leap into the tornado, flying right at its head.

"Hiss...SCOR!" Once again, it unleashed a flurry of fireballs which struck Frillace point blank in the face. An explosion followed, causing the Fire Spin to be blown out while Hisscor leapt back to a safe distance. They all watched as the smoke faded, revealing Frillace with an extremely burnt face. The toxic lizard swayed back and forth until it finally fell backwards, landing with a thud with spirals in its eyes.

"YES!" Flash cheered with a fist pump, "we did it Hisscor!"

"Scor!" Hisscor cried in agreement. It couldn't believe that the battle had been so easy, but Flash had known exactly what to do from the start.

Meanwhile, Geckoxic stared at its evolved form in horror. It couldn't believe it had been so easily beaten. "Geck?" It poked Frillace, but got no response.

"Hey!" He turned to Flash and Hisscor. "You guys better not be here when we come back, because next time we won't go so easy on you. Got it?!"

Geckoxic shivered at this before nodding and beginning to try and drag its evolved form away. As this happened, Flash and Hisscor turned to the pharmacy, Hisscor slivering up onto its trainers back, "See? I told you we could make a good team."

Hisscor just smirked at this, "Scor."

"And I think I'm getting how you like to battle. As your trainer, I want to help you grow stronger with that style...if you let me."

Hisscor thought for a moment, only to then nod. "Scor."

"Good." Flash replied as they stepped up to the shop. "Now, let's get that medicine...." He then looked back at where the battle had just taken place. "Though I gotta say, I really wish I didn't leave my spare Pokeballs back at the camp. I coulda caught that guy-er...girl."

"Hiss Hisscor."

"Yeah...maybe it is for the best. The two were jerks after all."

Some time later...

Back at the camp, the group were doing what they could to help the Pokémon. But as they did, Doc let out a long sigh as he looked over Prongs, "I'm not sure how much more of this they can take. I'm out of juice and potions just aren't cutting it."

"They just hold on a little longer," Twilight replied as she rubbed her Psychick's forehead with a wet towel. "Flash will be back soon, I'm sure of it."

"But what if something happened to slow him down?" Spike asked as he wet another cloth. "Like, what if that Geckoxic attacks him and Hisscor doesn't do anything. What'll we do then?"

"Then we'll just have to trust they can handle it," Twilight replied again, her tone low and dark. She looked back down at Owlicious, seeing how much pain he was in, making her realize the Doc was right. They needed that medicine now. "Flash....please hurry."

"Guys!"

Twilight looked up and turned towards the voice, soon seeing Flash with Hisscor on his shoulder and a paper bag in his hand. He shot into the camp like lightning, coming to a stop, "I...made it!" He moaned out while clutching his stomach. "Oh boy...that was really far away."

"FLASH!" They all cheered as the rushed over to him.

"Did you get it?" Doc asked, only Flash to hold up a bag.

"Right...here."

Doc quickly opened the bag, his eyes shining at the sight inside. "Perfect! Let's hurry up and administer it." They all nodded and took what they needed. While they did this, Flash explained what had happened. Hearing the story, the lot of them were all amazed.

"I can't believe Hisscor finally started listening to you," Spike said as he helped Flash with Springer.

Twilight giggled at this as she gave the antidote to Owlicious. "It's all about trust. Hisscor saw he trusted it, so it in turn trusted him. Isn't that right Flash?"

"Exactly," Flash replied, nodding, "and now Viper and I are the perfect team!"

"Viper?" Twilight asked with a tilt of the head.

Flash nodded his head at this, "Yeah! We finally decided on a name on the way back. I think It's pretty cool, don't you?"

"Heck yeah it is," Spike replied as he pointed at the Hisscor. "Viper's an awesome name."

Soon enough, every single poisoned Pokémon was given the antidote and was cured.

"Ri," Springer moaned out as his fever broke and he felt his strength return. He slowly picked himself up and looked around, seeing Flash smiling at him.

"Hey bud, you alright?" Springer nodded before asking what happened. Being able to understand his partner, Flash explained while pointing to his newest Pokémon. "You and the others were all poisoned but our newest teammate here helped us get the antidote needed to cure you all."

Springer turned his head the same direction as Flash, spotting a familiar rock with a familiar Pokémon curled up on it. Springer picked himself up and stepped over to him, staring at Viper as he did. The Hisscor then uncoiled itself before sliding down off the rock, where it soon stopped right in front of Springer. Viper then raised its tail, which Springer realised was his version of offering a handshake. Springer stared at the tail for a moment, only to smile and take the tail in his paw. They shook, sealing the fact that they were now teammates.

Everyone smiled at this, happy that Viper had finally opened up to them.

Geckoxic frowned as it stepped through the forest. It had left its sister at their den and was out looking for food.

Even so, it was still miffed at the lose it and its sister had been granted. It needed to find a way to get its own back, but how? If it had not been for that trainer, they would have been victorious.

Suddenly a rustling of some nearby bushes, caught its attention and made it go into a battle stance. Had the trainer and Hisscor come back for more?

The bushes opened up and out stepped a human, but not the one from before. A Pokémon was besides the human, but it too was not the one from before. Instead, it was yellow and black.

The human chuckled. "You might be useful."

Lightning Strikes Twice

View Online

Continuing their journey to Bales Town, our heroes have arrived at the base of the mountain they will need to cross. Now, they find themselves at a nearby Pokemon Center.

"Hello," Nurse Redheart told them as they walked in, "Welcome to the Pokemon Center."

"Audino." said a second voice. Its owner was beside the nurse and was a bipedal, pink-and-cream Pokémon with oval blue eyes. The top of its head, back, and arms were pink while the lower half of its face, body, ears were cream-colored, as well as its front and fingers. The patterning of pink and cream on its chest resembled a jacket while there were three digits on its hands and two on its feet along with a puffy white tuft for a tail. It also had floppy ears with thin, curled extensions on the underside and was wearing a nurse's uniform.

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Audino
Category: Hearing Pokémon
Type: Normal
Info: It touches others with the feelers on its ears, using the sound of their heartbeats to tell how they are feeling.

"Audino here is my nursing partner," Redheart explained as she gestured to the Pokémon.

"What about Chancy?" Spike asked while pointing at the Audino.

"Equestria's a region with many different Pokémon working in the same profession," Doc chimed in as he tapped Spike's shoulder. "Nurses have Chancy, Blissey, Audino, Comfey and even Wigglytuff."

"That's right," Redheart agreed with a nod. "And Audino is as good, if not better, than any of those other Pokémon. Now, what can I do for you today?"

Twilight stepped up to her. "Could you take a look at our Pokémon? We want to make sure they're all okay before we head up the mountain."

"Of course. Let them all out and I'll do a thorough examination." They all nodded and pulled out their Pokeballs, unleashing everyone soon after. "Alright everyone, this way please." She pointed to a door out the back, the Pokémon soon following as they left their trainers waiting in the lobby.

Flash sat next to Twilight and absently watched as she looked through her journal's map, which was showing the many different routes up the mountain. "So, any idea on which route is the best?"

Twilight hummed as she looked through the choices. "Well, some of them are known to have rock slides, so they're differently out. Others require climbing up completely vertical walls, which could be dangerous while others require traipsing through dark tunnels. It's a conundrum."

Doc tapped her shoulder, "I suggest the tunnels then. Tockwork has the move Flash, so we can use it to light our way."

"And we might see some cool cave dwelling Pokémon," Spike added. "That'd be awesome."

Twilight smiled, happy at her little brother's enthusiasm. "Well then, tunnels it is. Here's to finding a whole mess of Rock Pokémon."

They all nodded at this, glad they had a travel plan. A moment later, Flash's ears picked up on a ruckus coming from outside. Getting up, he walked over to the window, only to see a fairly large crowd all gathered around something. He had a pretty good idea what it was. "Someone's battling."

Spike perked up at this. "Great, let's go watch."

Soon enough, the whole group was outside, only to see that the crowd was gathered around the Pokémon Center's battlefield. However, they didn't see any Pokémon on the ground, as everyone was looking up at the sky. The four then looked up as well, only to see a pair of Pokémon in the sky.

The first was a two foot tall bird Pokémon with a black and white body. The front of its body, wings tips and head were white while the back of its body along with the rest of its wings and tail were black. It also had a black hood like construct around its head that gave it a more menacing look.

The second Pokémon was slightly larger than the first and had a color scheme similar to Chicklings. Its body was mainly black, while its chest was red. Yellow markings could be seen around its eyes, which was spread around its head and linked together above the beak. A quartet of red feathers ran down the back of its head, each one bigger than the one in front. The insides of its wings were red and it had five large tail feathers, three red with two yellow ones between it.

"Never seen those Pokémon before," Flash said as he pulled out his Pokedex and scanned them.

Name: Scampie
Category: Thief Pokémon
Type: Dark/Flying
Info: Usually found in cities, these Pokémon are attracted to anything that shines, which it will steal to decorate its nest in an attempt to attract a mate.

Name: Wingust
Category: Gust Pokémon
Type: Normal/Flying
Info: The evolved form of Chickling. When migrating, Wingust glides on the air currents to conserve its energy. When under attack, they flock together and flap their wings to create a tornado.

"So its a battle in the sky. Interesting..." Doc commented as they watched the two Pokémon fly around each other at high speed.

Instead of focusing on the battle, Twilight looked over at the trainers. One of them was a girl she didn't know, but as she looked over at the other one, her eyes went wide. "Flash, look!"

Flash looked down and followed her gaze, only to gasp, "Lightning?"

It was the trainer he met all those days ago, a look of pure focus on his face. "Now Scampie, Air Cutter!"

The black and white Pokémon pulled its wings back, "Scam...PIE!" It flapped them like a pair of swords, creating a blade of wind.

"Dodge it!" The other trainer yelled as Wingust managed to outmaneuver the attack before shooting towards Scampie. "Wing Attack!" Its wings began to glow, ready to strike the Scampie back.

"Knock Off!" Lightning ordered as Wingust tried to strike Scampie. But the black and white Pokémon managed to dodge the attack, only for its wings to start glowing as well.

"Scam...PIE!" It slammed its wing down on Wingust's head, causing it to let out a cry of pain as it fell to the ground like a rock. A large smile appeared on Scampie's beak as it watched, obviously enjoying its opponent's situation.

"Pursuit!" Lightning commanded next, Scampie soon zooming towards the ground after Wingust. But as it did this, it suddenly shot past its oppotent, only to fly back upward, its beak slamming into Wingust's back.

"WINGUST!" Chickling's evolved form cried out, pain surging through its body.

Not giving his opponent time to recover, Lightning gave the finishing order. "Air Cutter! Now!"

Scampie once again pulled its wings back, soon shooting a blade of wind into the Pokémon. The following attack caused an explosion in the bird, the winged Pokémon soon falling on the ground. And as the Pokémon hit the dirt, swirls appeared on his eyes.

"Wingust is unable to battle," a trainer acting as judge yelled. "Scampie wins! Victory goes to Lightning Blitz!"

"Wow..." Spike gasped, "that was intense."

Doc just shook his head at the sight. "Same as always with that boy. Quick and precise."

Twilight turned to him at this statement. "You know him?"

Doc nodded. "He challenged the Trottingham City Gym and earned the Gear Badge. His strategy was so complex that I wasn't able to keep up."

"So he beat you?" Spike asked in amazement. "Wow, he must be really strong."

"He is," Flash grumbled, already remembering his last encounter with the trainer. They watched as Lightning and his opponent returned their Pokémon before shaking hands, thanking each other for the good battle. The rest of the crowd began to disperse, but Flash and his group remained.

In that moment, Lightning turned towards them, only to realize who they were and frowning as he did. "So you're here."

Flash crossed his arms at this, "Yeah, I am."

Lightning then spotted Twilight and Doc, making his frown falter. "Time Turner?"

Doc nodded, "That's me. Good to see you again."

"What are you doing here?"

Doc chuckled at his question. "Well actually, I'm on a journey with Flash and his friends. After he won my badge, I realised there was more for me to learn, so I decided to tag along."

Lightning turned to Flash, his eyes wide. "You won the Gear Badge?! You?!"

"Yeah, I did." Flash hissed back, "what of it?!"

Lightning replied with a simple smirk. "I guess luck can play into battle as much as anything."

"LUCK?" Flash barked out in annoyance. "It wasn't luck that won me the badge. I earned it, with my team."

"Did that special Riolu have to win every battle for you?" Lightning asked, his smirk increasing. Flash was about to retort, only to remember that that's exactly what happened. "Thought so. One dues ex Pokémon will only take you so far. I bet without it, you wouldn't be able to do anything. What a worthless trainer."

"Oh yeah?" Flash growled, his temper raising at this claim. "How about-"

"Flash is a great trainer," Twilight interrupted as she walked in front of Flash. "He's caught lots of strong Pokémon and with them, he's gonna go really far."

"Yeah sure," Lightning said with a shrug. "I bet he just caught a bunch of worthless garbage, just like him."

In that moment, the trainers heard the sound of footsteps, making them all turn to see their Pokémon rushing towards them.

"Ri!" Springer cheered as he hopped onto Flash's shoulder.

"Hey guys," Flash said as they all gathered around them, "You all feeling good after your check up?"

They all nodded at this before turning and noticing Lightning a few feet away, both Springer and Riptide remembering him. Springer frowned while Riptide seemed to shrink away, remembering what the trainer had said to it the last time they met.

Lightning also recognised Riptide. "Is that the Aquana from professor Celestia's lab?"

"It is," Flash nodded. "He asked to come with me, so I let him."

Lightning laughed again. "HA! Of course you would! It makes sense that a weakling trainer would attract a weakling Pokémon."

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Flash yelled, a full-on glare on his face.

"That's just mean!" Spike added.

"Indeed," Doc agreed, "there's no need for that kind of behavior."

Lightning just shrugged his shoulders. "I tell them as I see them. I said before that that Aquana doesn't have what it takes to be a battler and I know I'm right. Its a piece of weak trash."

Riptide looked down at the ground, while Prongs, Skyler and Viper gathered around him and glared at Lightning. Flash was also on his last nerve as he pointed at Lightning in anger. "No one asked you about your opinion! I'll show you how wrong you are right here, right now! Let's battle! I'll even refrain from using Springer against you."

"Ri?" Springer asked as he looked up at his partner, wondering why he would do that.

"He'll explain later," Spike told the Riolu.

Lightning looked over Flash's Pokémon, obviously looking to see if any of them were worth battling. He then shined a smirk, "Alright, I accept. We'll have a three on three elimination battle, and the first to get two wins is the victor."

"That's fine with me," Flash replied as he and Lightning moved over to opposite sides of the battlefield, Twilight and the others on the sidelines. Since he was not going to be part of this battle, Springer was also there.

Doc stepped up to the halfway point. "Alright, I'll be referee." Flash and Lightning both nodded. "Alright, you already know the rules and as such, this battle will be over when the first of either trainer gets two wins. There will be no substitutions. Now, please pick your first Pokémon."

Flash looked over his four remaining Pokémon, who all seemed ready to battle. "Alright...who to pick?" Right now, he only knew of two of Lightning's Pokémon, Chimplug and Scampie. Scampie just battled, so Flash doubted he would use that. "Then I'll use something strong against electric types." Flash pointed at the battle field. "Prongs...I choose you!"

"Fay!" Prongs cried out as he leapt onto the field.

"Ak..." Riptide moaned, having wanted to battle and prove Lightning wrong.

Lightning saw Prongs step on the field and smirked. "Alright then...Geckoxic, battle ready!" He tossed a ball in the air, unleashing a flash of white light. The light hit the ground and took shape before fading, revealing a Pokémon they all knew.

Geckoxic opened its eyes and spotted its opponent, causing them to go wide before glaring at them. "Geck!"

Flash spotted this and his face drained, "No way...that can't be the same one."

Lightning just blinked at this, adjusting his gaze between his Pokémon and the trainer. "Huh? Do you know each other? I just caught this Geckoxic the other day."

"It's the same one..." Twilight added, her shoulders slumping at the sight.

"Oh great..." Spike facepalmed.

Flash just shrugged, "So what? I beat his older sister and I'll beat him too. Ready Prongs?"

"Fay!" Prongs replied determinedly.

Twilight let out a sigh as she pointed at the Poison Pokémon, "Flash, Geckoxic's a Poison-Type, which Prongs is weak too. One strong Poison-Type move and-"

Flash turned and flashed his palm at her. "I know, but I can't let that stop me. I can't substitute him in these rules, so we have to at least try, right Prongs?"

"Fay," the Thawn nodded in agreement.

"Alright, if both trainers are ready?" Doc announced as the two nodded, "then let the battle begin!"

"Geckoxic, use Fury Swipes!" Geckoxic shot forward as the tips of its fingers began to glow. When it got to Prongs, it started swiping at the Thawn.

"Dodge them Prongs!" Flash ordered as the grass deer Pokémon hopped backwards, dodging the attacks. "Energy Ball!"

"Fay," Prongs opened his mouth, a ball of energy appearing as he leapt into the air and tossed it, "Thawn!" The sphere shot at Geckoxic, who managed to leap out of the way. But as the attack hit the ground, a shockwave followed, knocking Geckoxic off balance.

"Alright!" Flash cheered as Prongs landed on the ground, "Now use Tackle!" Prongs charged into Geckoxic, who was still picking itself up. Everyone looked at Lightning, expecting him to order Geckoxic to dodge or attack, only for silence to follow.

"GECK!" Geckoxic cried as he was slammed by the Thawn, soon hitting the ground with a thud.

But instead of looking over the status of his Pokémon, Lightning appeared to be more focused on Prongs. He then pointed at the Grass Pokémon, "Use Toxic!"

Geckoxic picked itself up before tacking a deep breath, its poison sack expanding. It then spat a large purple ball up into the air. "Geck!" He cried as the ball fell to the earth, exploding into a cloud of purple gas.

"Not again," Flash moaned as he swiped his arm. "Prongs, keep away from it!"

Prongs nodded before leaping back, making sure not to touch the cloud. "Tackle!" They heard Lightning cry out, Geckoxic shooting out from the cloud and smashing into Prongs.

"Fey!" The Thawn cried as it staggered back, barely staying upright.

"Energy Ball!" Flash ordered, an orb of energy soon flying at Geckoxic.

"Dodge it!" Lightning yelled, Geckoxic side stepping the attack.

"Now Double Kick!" Prongs rushed at Geckoxic, with Lightning once again refraining from giving a command. Instead, he simply smiled.

"What's he doing?" Spike asked. "It's like he wants his Pokémon to get hit."

Twilight was thinking the same thing. But unlike her brother, her brain quickly saw why, "Oh no..." she gasped before turning to Flash. "Stop Prongs Flash! Its a trap!"

Flash heard this, but it was too late. Prongs had already spun around and with both hooves, bucked into Geckoxic. "GECK!" It cried out as he was sent flying back, crashing and rolling all the way to Lightning's feet before stopping. "Geck..." it moaned out as it picked itself up.

Prongs smirked at this as he turned back around, only to suddenly flinch in pain as purple lightning spread around his body. "FAY!"

"Prongs!" Flash cried out, the rest of his Pokémon all crying out as well. "What's wrong?!"

"Ri?" Springer added.

Twilight let out a low sigh, her fears confirmed, "Its Geckoxic's ability, Poison Point. When a move like Tackle or Double Kick connects, there's a chance that the user can be poisoned. That's what Lightning was going for."

Flash went wide-eyed, frowning. "He let his own Pokémon take damage just to hurt mine?!"

Lightning just shrugged at this with a smirk, "What's the point of having an ability if you don't use it? After all, thanks to this, your weak Thawn's poisoned. Now I just have to wait this battle out."

Flash's face changed to small smile. "You sure about that?" He turned to Prongs. "Use Leech Seed!"

"Fay!" He yelled as his horns started glowing green. Seconds later, the green light shot off its horns and flew at Geckoxic. When it landed, it transformed into a vice of vines, all of them wrapping around the poisonous lizard. A moment later, the vines glowed red and Geckoxic looked like he was in pain while Prongs glowed a refreshing colour.

Flash smiled as he pointed at the Poison Pokémon. "Now any damage Prongs takes, he'll just suck right out of you."

Lightning smirked. "Clever, but not clever enough. Fury Swipes!"

Geckoxic charged forwards, its fingertips once again glowing. It got close to Prongs and started swiping at him, but the Thawn continued to dodge. But after the third dodge, Prongs suddenly stopped as he flinched, the poison striking his system. This allowed Geckoxic to hit him, scratching him before doing so again. Eventually, he stopped and leapt back, as the Leech Seed flared up and drained a little of his power. Prongs received it, but the Fury Swipes had done a number on him.

"Energy Ball!" Prongs created another sphere of energy, firing it at Geckoxic.

Lightning didn't seem worried as he snapped his fingers, "Venoshock!"

"Not Venoshock!" Twilight gasped.

Geckoxic took another deep breath, as Energy Ball hit it dead on. The explosion sent it flying back, but it remained focused on its attack. "Geck...OXIC!" It unleashed a light green slime, soon striking Prongs, causing the purple lightning around Prong's body to suddenly multiply.

"FAY!" He cried at the pain.

"Prongs!" Flash yelled, his other Pokémon doing the same.

Twilight then yelled, "Flash, if a Pokémon that's been poisoned is hit with Venoshock, the damage is doubled."

"So that's why he wanted Prongs poisoned," Spike added.

"Exactly. Now to end this farce. Use Venoshock again!" Lightning ordered as Geckoxic took another deep breath, unleashing another blast of green slime.

"Not this time! Use Energy Ball!"

"Fay!" Prongs fired the green orb at the slime, the two attacks colliding and exploding.

"Double Kick!" Prongs used the explosion as cover and rushed forwards, appearing right infront of Geckoxic before spinning around and dealing a pair of powerful kicks to its chest.

"Geck!" The toxic lizard grunted, only to grab of Prong's legs.

Lightning smiled while Flash's eyes went wide, "oh no..."

"Venoshock!" Lightning yelled, Geckoxic spitting another load of the green slime right into Prong's face.

"THAWN!" Prongs cried as the energy of the attack and the poison sapped the last of his strength. The next thing he knew, Geckoxic threw him towards the ground, his body instantly giving out. Everyone watched as Prongs hit the ground, his eyes turning to spirals.

"Thawn is unable to battle," Doc announced. "Geckoxic is the winner."

"Prongs!" Flash yelped as he and the other Pokémon all rushed over to him, Prong's eyes returning to normal as he looked up at Flash apologetically. "It's alright bud, you did great against such a disadvantage."

"Aww man," Spike moaned as his shoulders slumped, "I know he was at a disadvantage, but I really thought Flash had this one."

"Ri..." Springer copied Spike.

"He let Venoshock rattle him," Twilight told her brother. "He was trying to end the match quickly before the poison and Venoshock got to Prongs."

"Now we have to see how Flash will react to this setback," Doc commented as he glanced at Lightning.

As for him, Lightning let out a series of laughs as he returned Geckoxic. "HA! You know, after all your big talk, I was expecting something...more. But now that I think about it, I can't believe I actually expected something! Looks like I had my hopes set to high."

Flash was literally growling at this comment, his Pokémon all copying him. He then looked down at Prongs, pulling out his Pokeball. "You did good, so take a nice re-"

"Fay!" Prongs interrupted, shaking his head.

Flash raised an eyebrow. "You wanna stay out?" Prongs nodded, Flash soon copying him. "I get it, you wanna cheer the others on. Alright..." Flash picked him up and carried him over to Twilight. "Look after him please?"

"Of course," Twilight replied as she took Prongs in her arms.

Lightning rolled his eyes at seeing this. "That's your problem. You're too soft, letting your Pokémon walk all over you. Keep that up and they'll get lazy, and a lazy Pokémon's no good."

Flash frowned as he and the others all returned to their spot on the other side. "Treating your teammates as mindless machines might be your style, but I happen to remember that they're not just tools for battle. We're partners, meaning we make decisions as partners."

"AQUANA!"

"CHICKLING!"

"HISSCOR!"

"RIO!" Springer agreed from the side.

Lightning smirked. "Not machines huh?" he pulled out his next Pokeball. "Tch, you'll change your mind when you see this machine. Higear, battle ready!" He tossed the ball in the air, soon revealing a Pokémon they all knew.

"Higear!" The gear Pokémon let out as it floated up into the air.

"He's got a Higear too?" Spike asked.

"He must have caught it at Trottingham Industrial Park," Twilight added.

Doc blinked at the sight, soon rubbing his chin with a small smile. "Well what do you know? So that's where it went." Everyone turned towards him, an explanation soon following as he saw their expectant faces, "There was one Higear that refused to work in the factories because it just wanted to battle...but it didn't exactly care for me. It disappeared a little while before you lot showed up. I wondered where it went."

Lightning smirked at this. "After seeing how well yours fought, I decided to get one of my own. I'm particularly pleased with how well its turned out, as steel types are always good defensive Pokémon to have." he turned back to Flash. "So which of your disappointments are you gonna try and use against me this time?" His grin increased as his eyes shrunk, cruelty shining in them, "I'll go ahead and warn you, your pieces of garbage don't stand a chance."

Flash's frown increased at hearing this, a low hiss coming out of his mouth. "I'll show you who's a disappointment." Riptide stepped forwards, expecting to be chosen as his chest puffed out. "Viper!" Riptide anime fell, "I choose you!"

"Scor," Viper slithered onto the field. It stared up at the Higear, ready to fight with everything it had. No one called him a disappointment.

"Alright!" Spike cheered, "A Fire-Type like Viper's gotta have an advantage against a Steel-Type."

"Ri, ri ri!" Springer added.

Twilight nodded at this, "Even though he can't use Poison Sting, this battle should be in Flash's favor."

Doc wasn't so sure, especially since it was that Higear. "Hisscor versus Higear, battle begin!"

Flash already had a plan. "If that Higear's anything like Doc's, then it'll be super fast. We need to slow it down, so use Fire Spin!"

"Hiss," Viper leapt into the air as its tail ignited, "SCOR!" Spinning forwards, it flicked the flame at Higear, which remained perfectly still as the fireball hit it and exploded.

Everyone watched as Higear was engulfed by the flames. "Direct hit!" Spike cheered.

"And its super effective!" Twilight clapped her hands in joy.

"Don't be so sure," Doc told them as Spike and Twilight turned to him in confusion, only to look over at Lightning and saw that he was smiling.

"What's up with him? Its like he doesn't care that his Pokémon being roasted."

"What's the deal Lightning?" Flash asked him.

"Scor?" Viper added.

Lightning just smiled, soon letting out a low laugh. "You really are pathetic. The deal is, you don't know the first thing about a Pokémon you've battled before."

"I knew it," Doc said as his eyes narrowed.

"What?" Twilight tried to ask.

"Rapid Spin!" Lightning ordered, causing everyone to look up at the flame tornado. It then exploded, a spinning projectile flying out as it charged at Viper at high speed.

"Hiss?" Viper cried as he tried to move out of the way, only to get grazed by the figure, "SCOR!"

"Viper!" Flash yelled as he watched his Pokémon stumble backwards as the spinning object flew away and eventually stopped to reveal Higear. The gear Pokémon looked completely fine, the flames looking like they had done little to no damage.

"What happened?" Spike asked.

"Rapid Spin can neutralize moves like Fire Spin," Twilight explained as she looked Higear over. "But the attack should have still done some damage...unless," she turned to Doc, "Don't tell me...was that?"

Doc nodded. "Heatproof, Higear's ability. It causes Fire-Type attacks to do less damage. It's what makes Higear such a strong Pokémon. With that ability and its strong defense, beating it can be difficult."

Flash knelt down as he looked the Hisscor over. "You okay?"

Viper picked itself up and nodded. "Hiss."

Flash nodded as he stood up and looked over at Higear. "This is gonna be harder than I thought."

Lightning looked completely bored, obviously expecting to win this battle effortlessly. "Gear Grind!" Higear's gear like hands began to spin before it tossed them towards Viper.

"Dodge it!" Flash ordered, Viper using his extremely flexible body to slither around the flying gears.

"Now Tackle!" Lightning ordered as Higear's bronze gear ring started spinning, though not as fast as with Rapid Spin before bum-rushing Viper.

Flash wanted to tell Viper to dodge, but knew he would prefer a more direct attack. "Alright, use Bite!" Viper leapt up at the spinning gear Pokémon, getting hit in the stomach at the tackle, but still managing to wrap himself around Higear. He then bit down on the metal machine, gnawing and locking the gear ring.

"Gear!" Higear cried as it tried to spin its gear ring, but Viper's firm grip made it impossible.

"That's not gonna do anything," Spike moaned. "It's made out of metal."

Twilight shook her head at this. "It's still doing damage though. I just hope it'll do enough."

Lightning growled at this, his bored expression now gone. "Get that thing off of you! Use Rapid Spin!"

"Hi..." The gear Pokémon cried before beginning to spin, picking up more and more speed. "Gear!"

"Hiss," Viper mumbled out, its mouth still gasping at the taste of metal while he felt his grip slowly begin to slip. Finally, Higear was moving so fast that Viper was forced to let go. "Scor!" He landed on the ground with a thud, managing to pick himself up, only to start dizzyingly stumble around. Higear stopped spinning after this, but by the looks of it, he was also suffering from the prolonged use of its own attack as dizziness settled over the machine as well.

"Neither of them can attack like that." Spike pointed out.

"Meaning whoever recovers quicker gets to attack first," Twilight added.

Flash wasn't going wait that long though, a plan already popping into his head. "Viper, close your eyes!" The snake didn't understand, but did as he was told, though he still felt dizzy when he did this. "Alright, lift your head until I tell you to stop." Again, he did as he was told, until he heard Flash call out. "Now, hold still and use Ember!"

"Scor!" He cried out as he shot the fireballs out of his mouth. Despite being so dizzy, the attack went straight at Higear, hitting him dead-on.

"HIGEAR!" It cried as it was sent flying back, Viper opening its eyes as it felt the last traces of its dizziness fade.

"Alright!" Spike cheered, "Nice one Flash!"

"He was able to get past his Pokémon's status," Twilight added with a big grin. "That's the mark of a great trainer."

Lightning let out a low growl at this, anger now apparent on his face. "You haven't won yet..." He turned to Higear, who had just recovered, "Double Edge! Do it now!" Higear shot towards Viper as it began to glow, ready to smash into the Fire Type.

"Dodge it!" Flash yelled, causing Viper to curl his body into a spring before bouncing over the charging Higear. "Now use Fire Spin!" Viper's tail ignited as he flicked it towards Higear, sending the flame into the Steel Pokémon before exploding into a fiery tornado.

"Haven't you been paying attention?!" Lightning barked at him. "Higear, Rapid Spin!" The tornado exploded and Higear shot towards Viper as the Hisscor landed on the ground. However, Viper wasn't gonna fall that the same trick twice, as he quickly flattened himself along the ground, Higear simply sailing right over him soon after.

"Haven't you been paying attention?" Flash mocked Lightning as he looked down at Viper. "Fire Spin, again!"

Viper spun around and flicked its blazing tail at Higear, tossing the fireball at it again. Once again, Higear was struck by the fireball, soon turning into a spiral of fire.

"Rapid Spin!" The tornado exploded again and Higear flew out, heading towards Viper.

"Keep using Fire Spin!"

"Keep using Rapid Spin!"

The two sides constantly used those two attack, Viper throwing the fireballs at Higear and Higear dispersing the flames as soon as they exploded. Eventually, Higear was almost on top of Viper, aiming so low that Viper could not dodge the same way as before. Seeing this, Flash knew he had to act quickly, hoping that his plan actually worked. "You can do this Viper," he whispered as they all watched Higear strike Viper, sending him flying before hitting the ground with a thud.

"Scor!" He grunted out while Higear stopped spinning.

Lightning smirked, "that had to hurt. Looks like your little snake is done."

"Not so fast," Flash barked back as he shined a hug smirk, soon looking down at his Pokémon as the smirk increased, "Sure, that hurt...but it was worth it, wasn't it Viper?"

They all looked at Viper, seeing he had a large grin on his face. "Hiss," he nodded.

Flash looked up at Higear, the others doing the same and seeing it was once again extremely dizzy. "I don't think he can perform another Rapid Spin, not for a while anyway. But let's see how he likes another type of spin...NOW VIPER!"

For the final time, Viper ignited his tail and flicked it at Higear. The fireball struck the gear Pokémon and exploded, once again trapping it in a flaming tornado. This time however, Higear's dizziness made it impossible to escape. It was forced to endure the attack until he recovered.

Everyone was amazed at this as Twilight blinked at the sight, soon speaking her thoughts, "Heatproof might be weakening the damage, but its still being damaged. Flash knew this, so he knew Higear could only take so much..."

As if to prove her point, the flames eventually dispersed to reveal an extremely charred Higear. "Gear..." it was covered in burn marks and singes, its entire body black with soot. Its eyes were replaced by swirls as it fell to the ground with a thud.

"Higear is unable to battle," Doc proclaimed. "The winner is Hisscor."

"Alright!" Flash cheered, as the rest of their team cried out happily. "Nice one Viper!"

The Hisscor turned back to its trainer and smirked before slithering over to the side. As he did this, Lightning returned his Pokémon to its ball, his face completely unreadable as he just glared at the Pokeball.

"Just one left..." Spike commented.

"The winner of this next battle takes the match," Twilight added.

Flash nodded at this, but before he could make a decision. "Aquana!" Riptide cried as he leapt onto the field, not giving his trainer a chance to disagree.

Flash tilted his head at this, "Riptide, you wanna take this last battle?"

Riptide turned back to him and nodded, "wana!"

Flash smirked, loving the enthusiasm. "Alright, then I chose you."

Lightning, who was about to show signs of anger, quickly switched to laugher as he saw Aquana enter the field. "There you go again, letting the Pokémon decide what to do. It'll cost you eventually," he pulled out his Pokeball. "Like right now. Chimplug, battle ready!" He tossed the ball into the air, soon fading to reveal a Pokémon almost all of them recognized.

"Chimplug!"

"Chimplug..." Flash sighed, knowing Riptide had huge disadvantage. There was also the face that he had already picked him, plus it wasn't like Skyler would do any better. "Riptide, you still wanna do this?"

Riptide and Chimplug stared at each other. Riptide remembered watching Springer, a far stronger Pokémon than himself struggle against it. But even so, it refused to give up. It would win, no matter what. "AQUANA!"

"Alright then," Flash told him with a nod. "I trust you."

Lightning just let out another series of low laughs. "HA! This is gonna be quick."

"Are both trainers ready?" Doc asked, getting two nods in response. "Then battle...begin!"

"Water Gun Riptide!" Flash ordered.

"AK..." Riptide took a deep breath, "WANA!"

He unleashed a stream of water, which flew at Chimplug. Neither Lightning nor Chimplug seemed worried about this though, as the electric monkey crossed its arms to block the attack. The water struck him and pushed him back a few inches, but barely any damage seem to be dealt. "Brick Break!" Lightning then ordered, causing Chimplug to rush forwards as its left hand glowed, the arm cutting the water into two streams as it got closer to Riptide.

"Dodge it!" Flash called out, Riptide stopping his attack before leaping to the side. "Rock Smash!" Riptide turned to Chimplug as his fist glowed.

"Spark!" Chimplug's right fist was now surrounded by electricity as it spun towards Riptide.

The two locked fists, each punching the other with everything they had. This lasted for several seconds, until Riptide flinched as he felt Chimplug's attack send the electricity into him. "Ak!"

"Brick Break again!" Chimplug's left hand once again glowed, quickly connecting to its still recovering target.

"Chim," it leapt at the Aquana and raised its glowing arm high, "PLUG!" With all its might, it slammed Riptide in the head.

"AQUANA!" He cried out in pain as he staggered back, clutching its head in pain.

"Riptide!" Flash cried, the others all yelling out their support at him. "Come on bud, you can do it. Use Pound!"

Despite the major headache, Riptide turned back to Chimplug and spun around, whipping its tail at the monkey. Chimplug quickly raised its arms to reduce the damage, only to stagger back from the following blow. "Plug!"

"Spark!" Lightning yelled.

"Echoed Voice!" Flash ordered.

As Chimplug charged towards Riptide, right fist sparking as he did, the water lizard took a deep breath. "AQUANA!" The soundwaves rocked the battlefield, forcing Chimplug to stop his attack and cover his ears.

"Now Rock Smash!" Riptide stopped his cry and rushed forwards, striking the monkey with his own glowing fist.

"PLUG!" It cried out, flying back from the blow.

"Yes!" Spike and the other Pokémon cheered.

"Great move!" Twilight added.

Lightning however, wasn't fazed. He just shook his head at the sight. "Don't think one good move will save you. I told you before, that Pokémon is just a weak piece of trash!" He pointed to Chimplug as it picked itself up. "Use Thunder Wave!"

"Chim, Chimplug!" The Pokémon yelled as it jumped into the air before trusting its tail plug into the ground. Doing so caused an electrical shockwave to shoot out of the ground, spreading out before striking Riptide.

"Aaaak!" He cried as the shock blasted his body.

"Oh no," Twilight gasped, her hands placing themselves over her mouth.

"He's been paralyzed," Flash groaned as he watched Riptide try to stand, his body sparking with lightning.

"Chimplug," the electric monkey chuckled, mimicking Lightning's laugh and smirk.

Lightning crossed his arms, a bored expression now on his face. "Let's end this farce already. Charge Beam!" Chimplug raised its tail as electrical energy surged up and out the end, headed straight towards Riptide.

"Riptide, you gotta dodge it!" The water lizard tried to move, but more sparks surged around his body, freezing him in place. As the electrical blast got closer, Riptide did the only thing he could do.

"Wana!" He fell onto his stomach, causing the attack to just skim across his back. "Ak!" He flinched as a slight burn appeared there, just taking a smidge of damage.

Lightning growled at this. "Alright, use Spark back to back!"

"Chim," both Chimplug's fists sparked before it charged forwards, "PLUG!"

Riptide saw Chimplug coming at him as he managed to pick himself up, the first Spark almost striking him as he tried to stagger back. This was followed by another Spark, which he again barely dodged, followed by another and another. Eventually, the paralysis surged and Riptide was frozen.

"CHIM!" Chimplug slugged Riptide in the stomach, zapping him once again.

"AK!" Riptide was staggered back, the damage done from all the electrical attack really starting to build up.

"Don't give up bud!" Flash yelled, "Use Rock Smash!"

Riptide steadied himself as he focused all his energy into his fist, which started glowing brighter than ever. "AK...WANA!" He shot towards Chimplug, wanting to make this attack a critical hit. However-

"Dodge it!" Lightning ordered, Chimplug smirking as he let Riptide get close only to spin backwards to the right as he let Aquana shoot straight past him. "Grab it!" Before Riptide could recover, Chimplug grabbed his arm and swung him around before grabbing his other arm.

"Oh no!" Flash gasped, remembering this from their last battle.

Riptide tried to escape, only for Lightning to yell, "Charge Beam!"

Chimplug's cord like tail weaved up and around the Pokémon's shoulder. Chimplug gave Riptide a very sinister smile as he thrust the plug-like appendage into his chest. Chimplug's body surged with electrical energy, the energy surging through his tail before shooting the out the plug into Riptide.

"AQUANA!" Riptide screamed as he was soon zapped, Chimplug holding onto his arms as electricity flowed like pair of power lines into the Aquana.

"RIPTIDE!" Everyone screamed as they watched in horror, Lightning laughing at the sight. For several excruciating seconds it went on, Riptide's cries filling the air. Eventually, Chimplug let go and the Aquana was sent flying backwards, slamming into the ground while kicking up a dust cloud. Everyone was silent as they waited with baited breath to see if Riptide was okay. But as the dust cleared, Riptide showed itself laying on the ground, burns covering his body and swirls instead of eyes.

Flash's eyes went wide at this. "RIPTIDE!" He screamed as he rushed towards his Pokémon.

"Aquana is unable to battle," Doc said with a sigh. "Chimplug is the winner, victory goes to Lightning Blitz."

Everyone except Lightning rushed towards Flash, who was staring down at the still smoking Riptide. He fell to his knees as he picked him up, whispering, "Riptide, are you okay?"

Riptide's eyes slowly opened as he looked up at his trainer. "Ak..." he moaned out.

Flash smiled down at him, nodding, "It's okay, you did great."

"Says who?!" Flash froze as he looked up to glare at Lightning, who returned Chimplug and had a sickening smirk on his face. "I warned you about that Pokémon. Its worthless, just like you! Take my advice and get rid of it. Then you might actually be worth something."

"That's enough!" Spike screamed as he stepped in front of Lightning, "what gives you the right to insult a Pokémon?!"

"I'm the winner brat." Lightning glared back at him, his cruel eyes making Spike backpedal, "That alone gives me the right."

"So what?! Who cares if he lost!" Twilight told him as she placed a hand on her brother's shoulder. "It doesn't mean he's worthless."

"Of course it does," Lightning replied to her, his tongue sticking out in disgust. "In this world, power is everything and a Pokémon that's too weak to get the job done is worthless. Just like I told Professor Celestia, that Pokémon is a piece of worthless trash."

"That's not true," Flash said as he stood up, glaring at the trainer. "The bonds between Pokémon and his trainer is what gives them strength. Any Pokémon can be strong if they're trained just right."

Lightning's smile did not falter as he turned away. "Guess we'll have to agree to disagree. But at the end of the day, I'm the one with the win under his belt and you're the loser." His smile increased as he said his next words, "And guess what? Losers don't get anything when it comes to Pokémon battling, and that's fact, you pathetic loser." With that he started to walk off, leaving everyone glaring at his back.

"What a creep," Spike grumbled, crossing his arms.

Twilight saw Flash shaking in anger. She let out a small sigh as she placed her hand on his shoulder, "don't let him get to you."

"Agreed. He's not worth it." Doc added, placing his hand on his other shoulder.

"Yeah," Flash said as his glare hardened, "well I'm never losing to him again! Next time, that guy's gonna be real sorry."

With battle styles and attitudes obviously worlds apart, will Flash's vow to one day beat Lightning ever be realised? Stay tuned to find out.

Peewee

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With Bales Town just a stone's throw away, our heroes are now making their way through the mountain before the town. Up above them, the giant mountain towered over them as they looked up, unable to see the top for the clouds. Climbing the whole thing would be a several day trip, so they had decided to use the shortcut in the mountain that they had found in Twilight's journal yesterday.

"Alright," Twilight said as she scanned over her journal. "The tunnel we're looking for should be around here somewhere..."

"I can't wait!" Spike cheered, his hands trying to reach the rocky ceiling. "Travelling through an uncharted cave, the possibility of getting lost ever present...This is gonna be awesome!"

The older teens and Pokémon all chuckled at their youngest travel companion's enthusiasm. "Love the attitude kid," Flash said as he rubbed Spike's head, messing his hair up.

"Riolu," Springer added.

"Have you always wanted to go spelunking Spike?" Doc asked him.

In response, Spike turned to him with confusion on his face, "Spel...spell-what?"

"Spelunking," Doc replied while wagging a finger, "it means cave exploring. It's a well known hobby for many."

"Oh...okay." Spike said with a smile before nodding. "Then yeah, I've always wanted to go...spell...lunching."

The four all laughed at this, Twilight shaking her head as she looked back at her journal. "Well, we won't have to worry about getting lost thanks to the map I have of the whole cave system. As long as we don't wander off, we'll be fine."

Spike's previous excitement turned to a pout. "Awwww man! Where's the fun in that?!"

"Safety before fun Spike," Twilight told him as she tapped a few times on the journal. "Mom and dad trusted me with your safety, and I'm not gonna let them down."

Spike rolled his eyes at this, grumbling as he turned his head from Twilight. "I'm not a kid anymore, you know."

Sensing an argument about to start, Flash stepped in and grabbed Twilight's shoulder, "Hey, why don't Spike and I go ahead and see if we can find the cave we're supposed to be looking for." With that, he started pushing Spike further down the road, Springer following them.

Twilight let out a long sigh as she saw Flash quickly drag Spike away. She then started after them, a low grumble following, "He's gonna get himself hurt if he's not careful."

Doc stepped up to her and grabbed her shoulder as well. "You really need to calm down Twilight. Let him have a little fun. What's the worse that could happen?"

Twilight gave him a slight glare before counting on her fingers. "A landslide, wild Pokémon attacks, a sudden bout of heavy rain that turns the mountainside into mud. There's also rock Pokémon that could be hiding in the cave walls and could cause cave-ins, there could be thieves in the caves, there's also-"

She continued to list things, causing Doc's eyes to go wide as she kept going. "Wow. You've...you've given this a lot of thought."

"I have to," Twilight replied, readjusting her glasses with a face of pure smugness. "I'm responsible for Spike's safety. If I want to keep him from harm, I have to make sure I'm ready for anything that might happen to him."

Doc shook his head at this, "Huh. That sounds familiar. Trying to plan for everything, even though the world's too unpredictable."

As soon as she heard this, Twilight's eyes went wide before giving Doc a glare, "I know what you're trying to do."

"All I'm saying is you need to lighten up a little," Doc told her with a slight shrug. "You can't wrap Spike up in cotton his whole life. He needs to learn to look after himself, which will never happen if you don't give him the freedom to do his own things."

"And if something bad happens to him?"

Doc shrugged again. "There's an old saying that I think works well here. Wisdom is just the name we give to our mistakes. Spike's gonna make these mistakes, if not today, then someday. He's obviously gonna go out on his own journey one day, and he'll need to learn those things now, otherwise something really bad will happen to him."

Twilight opened her mouth, trying to respond. But as she did, she saw his point, knowing Spike would need experience, something he couldn't obtain if she kept babying him. She let out a long sigh, "I guess you're right."

"Good." Doc gave her a small nod, a big grin on his face. "Now come along. Don't want those two to get too far ahead."

"Alright..." Twilight slightly moaned as the two made their way to the others. They soon saw them, Flash, Springer and Spike standing outside of a large dark cave opening. The rocky tunnel was so dark that they could barely see more than a few feet in front of them.

"Man that's dark," Flash said as he tried to see as far in as he could

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Twilight added.

"Oh, don't be such a worry wort," Spike hissed at his sister. Twilight was about to scold him, only to see Doc's glare in the corner of her eye.

"No worries," Doc pulled out his Pokeball. " Come out Tockwork, we need your help." the Pokeball released a batch of light, soon revealing the Clockwork Pokémon.

"Tock...work," he spoke slowly.

Doc pointed to his partner. "Tockwork, please use Flash to light the cave."

"Tock..." Tockwork moaned, turning to the cave as it prepared it's attack.

But as the clock raised itself, something caught all their ears. It was a high pitched whistle, barely hearable, but got louder each second. And as the whistle continued, a second sound appeared, this one they all recognized as flapping wings.

It was this sound that made Flash yell, "Move!" The group quickly rushed to the sides of the cave's opening. Flash, Springer and Twilight hopped to one side while Doc, Spike and Tockwork were on the other. And as him and the others clinged to the rock walls, they then saw the sounds' owners.

They were Pokémon, tons of them. They were bipedal dragon-like Pokémon, all that were about four feet long with two foot tails. Their bodies were snake-like, with four half a foot long legs that each ended in four long claws. They had frog-like eyes that were situated on the top of their heads, with a pair of horns behind them. Their skin wore multiple colors and curved spikes down their necks to the end of their tails. The Pokémon also had a pair of bat-like wings on their back, big enough for flight. And as they ran out, Flash was amazed at the different colors of the Pokémon, seeing the colors of red, blue, yellow, green, pink, purple, orange, black and white, just to name a few. There appeared to be hundreds of them, all of them crying out as they flew out the cave.

"What are these things?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Terragon
Category: Tiny Terror Pokémon
Type: Dragon/Flying
Info: Due to their small size, these Pokémon live in flocks. There are over fifty known colors of this Pokémon recorded.

Eventually, the last of the Terragons flew out the cave, the trainers watching as the dragons flew to the top of the mountain.

"Spike!" Twilight called to the other side of the cave opening, "are you alright?"

A sigh followed as Spike moaned, "I'm fine, geez."

With this, the six of them moved over to the center of the cave mouth, Flash scratching the side of his head, "What the heck was that all about?! That's was a full stinking stampede!"

Doc rubbed his chin in thought at this, "Not sure. Something must have spooked those Terragons pretty badly to make them fly away like that."

"Now I'm really starting to think this was a bad idea," Twilight added as she put her hand in her bag, digging for her journal. "Perhaps we should find a different way..."

Spike rolled his eyes at his sister, quickly hopping in front of the group. "This is the fastest way through the mountain. Whatever it was that scared those Terragons, I'm sure we can handle it." With that, he walked into the cave's darkness.

"Spike!" Twilight yelped as she looked back up, only to get no reply.

"Welp, looks like we're going in." Flash added as him and Springer walked in front of the others.

Twilight let out a long moan, giving Doc a nod as they all entered the cave and caught up to Spike as Tockwork used Flash. As soon as it did, the cave became much brighter, letting them soon navigate the tunnels using Twilight's journal as a guide. Along the way, they spotted multiple holes in the wall, all leading to many other tunnels. Sometimes Twilight would direct them into one, making them enter another tunnel system.

"Where did all these tunnels come from?" Spike asked.

"They were originally dug by wild Pokémon, specifically large ones." Doc explained as they stepped into another hole. "One group in particular called Burroworm, Douburrow and Hydraworm. They're natural burrowers and make their homes underground or in large mountains."

"Cool!" Spike cheered. "Maybe we'll see one of those!"

"Its likely that they abandoned these tunnels years ago," Twilight told him, quickly shutting her brother down. "If they still lived here, there would be new tunnels that we could get lost in. If that was the case, these ones would be restricted."

"Oh..." Spike said before turning to Doc, "Is there any other kind of digging Pokémon that we could run into?"

"Hmm...." Doc rubbed his chin again, "Maybe the Diglett and Dugtrio group? Though they're known to not always be in caves."

Spike didn't respond to that, and the group continued their way in the caves. And as they hit the halfway mark, Springer hopped in place, blinking as he whispered, "Ri?"

"What is it bud?" Flash asked the Riolu. Everyone looked down and watched as Springer closed his eyes and reached his paws out. "He must sense a new aura."

"You think it could be a Pokémon?" Spike asked.

"Maybe. We'd best be ready in case it is." Doc replied as he gestured to the others. They all nodded as he, Flash and Twilight readied their Pokeballs. But as they did this, Springer locked onto the aura and pointed to one of the smaller holes in the cave's walls nearby. Doc then snapped his fingers to Tockwork, who soon shot a Flash attack at the hole.

"Terr?" said a voice from the hole. The others all turned to each other at this, the group then walking up to the pit. Curled up in the hole, which was not so much a tunnel as it was a hidey hole, was a Terragon. This one was mostly orange with red horns, red spikes and orange wings with a red membrane. It was also about half the size of the ones they had seen before, being only two feet long with a one foot long tail.

"Wow..." Spike gasped as he knelt down and crawled towards the Terragon.

"Terr!" It hissed as Spike got closer.

"It's alright little guy," Spike told him. "I won't hurt you." It was then that he noticed the multiple little scratches and injuries covering the Pokémon's body, most likely why it was hiding in the hole. "But it looks like something already has."

"Careful Spike," Twilight added. "If its hurt, it'll be agitated and it might attack."

Spike didn't respond, instead getting up close to the hole as he reached his hand in. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Terr!" Terragon's growls grew louder as the hand got closer, baring its teeth ready to strike.

"Spike!" Twilight was about to walk over and pull her brother away, only for Flash and Doc's hands to grab her shoulders.

"Trust him," Doc told her.

"He's got this," Flash added.

They continued to watch as Spike's hand was inches away. Despite wanting to touch the Pokémon, Spike knew it would probably end in lost fingers. So instead, he simply held out his flat hand before looking away. Terragon saw this and knew what it meant. Spike was putting his trust in it, closing his eyes and waited on Terragon's answer. But as he did, he soon felt something. He looked back and saw Terragon had now placed its snout against his hand, making him smile.

"See?" he started scratching the Pokémon behind its ear, "You can trust us. Why don't you come out so we can help you."

Terragon nodded before slowly crawling out, the rest of the group soon crowding around him. Doc leaned down at this, "It's okay little one. Let me take a look at you." Doc began to study the dragon Pokémon, seeing that none of his injuries were too bad. "A quick potion and he'll be fine." He reached into his bag and pulled out the purple bottle, which he pointed at Terragon. "This may sting a little."

"Terr?" Terragon asked in confusion, only to find itself covered in the strange mist. That and a fury of crying following, "TERR! TERRAGON!"

"I warned you," Doc said as he placed the potion back in the bag.

Spike reached down and picked Terragon up, almost hugging him as he did. "Feel better?"

Now that the stinging was gone, Terragon could see it's injures were beginning to fade. It then look up and smiled at Spike, "Terragon."

Spike chuckled back before turning to Twilight. "We got any food he'd like?"

Twilight reached into her bag, soon pulling out a can with a feather symbol on it. "Flying-Type food. This should work."

She then emptied a few pellets into Spike's hand, who turned to Terragon as the dragon sniffed his palm. Spike tilted his head at this with a smile, "You like it?"

"Terr!" Terragon replied happily, "Terragon!"

As they watched him eat, Flash blinked at this sight as he spoke up. "Is it just me, or is this Terragon smaller than the ones from before?"

"It's not you," Twilight told him as she put the can of food away. "It's about half the size of the others, which is strange."

"Why?" Spike asked as he looked back at his sister.

"Terragon's are usually hatched full grown. If this one's like this, it's probably a runt of the litter."

"So he's a peewee Terragon," Spike replied as he looked back down at the still eating Pokémon.

Twilight nodded at this. "Probably. Its also probably why the other Terragons left it behind."

Hearing this, Spike frowned. "They abandoned one of their flock just because he's a little small? That's horrible!"

"That's the way of nature kiddo," Doc told him.

"Well the way of nature stinks!" Spike barked back before turning back to the Terragon, "Come on Peewee, follow me!" he and the newly named Terragon walked off into the cave. The rest of the team followed, watching as Spike and Peewee begin to bond.

Flash blinked at the sight, "Wow. Spike's really good with that Terragon."

"It probably helps that its a Dragon-Type," Twilight replied as she pulled out her journal again.

"What do you mean?"

"Spike's always had a fondness for Dragon Pokémon. When he was younger, his class went on a school trip to Professor Celestia's lab. When the kids all saw Champagoon, they all screamed and ran away. All except Spike. He walked right up to her and patted her on the head. Whenever I finished a book on Dragon Pokémon, he'd always take it to read it himself."

"So he wants to be a Dragon-Type Trainer?" Flash guessed.

"Makes sense," Doc replied, nodding at the guess. "They are one of the stronger types despite their weaknesses to Ice and Fairy-Types. And other Dragon-Types..."

Before Twilight could reply, they saw that they had arrived at a large round chamber with several holes surrounding the place. Flash glanced back at Twilight, "Where do we go now?"

Twilight looked back at her journal. "It says to take the ninth hole to the left."

They all turned to the left and began to count out the holes they passed, eventually arriving at the ninth one. "So this'll lead us outside?"

"They all lead outside eventually," Twilight told him as she tapped the journal's touch pad. "But this one is the most direct route to where we want to go."

"Then we'd better get moving then," Doc said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket watch, "I don't think we want to be in these caves when it's dark."

The others all nodded. But before they could start heading down the tunnel, Springer once again froze and turned around. Seeing this, Flash spoke up, "Springer?"

"Do you sense something else?" Twilight added.

"Ri..." Springer began to look, around, the group following his sight line. He was staring at the tunnel across from the one they were about to enter. As they focused on it, their ears caught the sound of footsteps.

"Something's coming," Doc said as he backpedalled to his Pokémon.

In that moment, Peewee began to hiss. The group glanced at him, wondering what had gotten him so agitated. "Peewee?" Spike asked in a hesitant tone.

"I think it knows what's coming," Twilight added.

"And he doesn't like it," Doc finished as they continued to watch the tunnel. Soon, a new Pokémon appeared from the tunnel. At first, they thought it was a Champagoon, but it was much smaller at only four and a half feet. It also was not as bulky and its fists weren't as big, but everything else about it looked exactly the same.

"It's a Rookaco," Twilight whispered as Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Rookaco
Category: Rookie Dragon Pokémon
Type: Dragon/Fighting
Info: The evolved form of Dranby. This tough Pokémon trains tirelessly to increase its strength. It can often be found in mountains, where it spends its time punching rocks until they shatter.

The Rookaco growled at the group, pure anger on its face. "Rook."

"That thing does not look happy," Flash gulped, slowly backpedaling.

"It must consider this cave its territory," Twilight stated in a near panic.

"I'm starting to see why the Terragon were so afraid," Doc added as he tapped Tockwork's back. "This isn't good..."

Spike heard this and looked down at the growling Terragon in his arms, soon realizing what must have happened. He looked up at Rookaco in anger, "You were the one that injured Peewee!"

Hearing this, Rookaco let out a yell, obviously showing it didn't like being yelled at. "ROOKACO!" It charged forwards, its fists glowing.

"LOOK OUT!" Twilight cried as she, Flash Springer and Doc leapt to the side while Spike and Peewee leapt the other way.

Rookaco slammed the wall between the tunnels, a crack appearing and making its way to the ceiling. "That's bad," Doc commented as Rookaco then turned to Spike. The teen quickly jumped to his feet, only to see Rookaco take a deep breath. At the same time, Peewee leapt out of his arms and took his own deep breath.

"TERRAGON!" Peewee cried, blasting out an Ember attack. But as he did this, Rockaco's breath shot out a cloud of dark blue energy. It was a part of a Dragon Rage attack, and it destroyed Peewee's Ember in an almost instant. As it did, Spike hopped back, barely managing to dodge the strike. Due to this, the attack then hit the far wall, causing another load of cracks to appear.

"Its causing a cave in!" Doc yelled as they watched the ceiling start to crumble.

Peewee flew into the tunnel Spike was in, seconds before it was blocked by a barrage of fallen rocks. "SPIKE!" Twilight screamed as she saw the rubble wall appear.

Flash then spotted more rocks above her head, making him quickly grab her waist and pull her back, "Look out!" The two of them leapt back, seconds before being almost crushed. Springer and Doc soon followed, the four jumping into the tunnel they had found earlier, which was quickly blocked up by more falling rocks.

The four all coughed as a dust cloud soon kicked up and entered their lungs, only for Twilight to cry out, "SPIKE!" She picked herself up and rushed over to the new rock wall, soon trying to move them with her bare hands. "We have to find them! He's in danger!"

Flash and Doc quickly moved over to her and pulled her away from the rocks. "Calm down Twilight," Doc told her.

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!" Twilight screamed. "Spike-"

"Will be fine," Flash assured her as he grabbed both her shoulders, turning her to look at him straight in the eyes. "He's in one of the other tunnels, which you said all lead outside. Our best bet to find him is to go outside and look for him there."

Twilight tried to reply, only for her brain to finally catch up to her emotions. As it did, she let out a series of deep breaths, "Okay....okay." she felt Flash release her, "You're right, that's our best bet. But we have to hurry."

The boys nodded and helped her up, the group soon rushing down the tunnel as Twilight whispered to herself, "Don't worry Spike, I'll save you. I won't break my promise."

The Past...

On a particularly rainy day in Canterlot City, a three year old Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Velvet were in their living room.

Velvet was reading her daughter a story, only for the sound of the doorbell to interrupt them. "Who could that be in this weather?" Velvet asked as the two of them walked towards the door. They then opened it and, "OH MY!" Velvet gasped as she saw that her and Twilight were now looking at a small baby basket at the doorstep. Velvet picked up the basket and took it into the living room, where she opened it up to reveal a small purple baby with green hair. Seeing a note attached, she read it aloud. "Hello, I'm Spike. Please look after me."

Over the next few days, an investigation was placed on the baby. The birth parents could not be found, meaning the child had to be given to someone else. Luckily, Velvet and Night Light had both grown fond of the child during the investigation and chose to take him in.

"Who'd want to abandon such a precious little baby?" Velvet asked as she put the baby into his crib.

Twilight had been watching and when Velvet left, she slowly walked over to Spike. The baby saw his sister staring at him, making him smile and giggle. Twilight did the same, her heart growing warm as she stared at her little brother. "I promise Spike, I won't ever abandon you like whoever did at our doorstep. I'll keep you safe, no matter what."

The Present...

"I promise..." Twilight told herself as they saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

Meanwhile...

In the other tunnel, Spike was sitting on the ground, coughing up a storm from the dust he had just inhaled. "Augh! *cough* *cough* stupid Rocka-something! Why'd he *cough* do that?!" A few coughs followed before Spike recovered, only for him to get up and try to figure out where he was, "Alright, I'm in...a tunnel. This is gonna be tricky."

"Terr," Peewee flew down and landed on the boy's shoulders.

"Glad to see you're alright," Spike told him before picking himself up. He took a glance around, soon see all the different new tunnels in front of him, only for the darkness to return as Tockwork's Flash was no longer with him. "Aw man. How the heck am I gonna get out of here?!"

"Terragon!" Peewee jumped off his shoulders and flew over to one of the openings before turning to him. "Terr!"

Spike blinked at the small dragon, "You know the way out?"

Peewee nodded, making Spike smile as he walked over to pick up the Terragon, soon plopping him on his head, "Alright then, lead the way." He soon started walking down the tunnel Peewee had pointed out, the tiny terror Pokémon directing the boy on where to go. Their route was very psychically challenging for the teen, as it included crawling down one tunnel, shimmying up another and even moving along a small ledge that was around a large, seemingly bottomless hole. "Well, I did want to do some cave exploring." It was at that moment that part of the ledge gave out, "WHOA!"

But as he started to fall, he felt a tug on the back of his neck. Feeling this, he looked up and saw Peewee had his hood in his mouth, the dragon now trying to pull him back up. A few seconds later, Spike and Terragon both regained their balance and shuffled to the other side, Spike letting out a sigh as he patted the Terragon's head, "Phew...thanks."

Peewee shined a big grin, "Terr."

As the two continued to walk through the caves, Spike looked up at the Pokémon now riding his head again. "You know, despite your size, you're a pretty cool Pokémon."

"Terr!" Peewee puffed his chest at the comment.

Spike then sighed. "If only I was a little older, then I could try and catch you." Peewee mimicked his frown as he continued, "Its not fair. Why can't the age to become a trainer be something like...ten?! Why does it have to be sixteen?!" He tapped his chin in thought for a moment. "Nah, that'd be silly. Who'd let a ten year old be a trainer? Except me of course..."

In that moment, Spike's dark adjusted eyes spotted something new just ahead of him. It was another hole, with no ledge around the side and too big to leap over. "Oh great...now what do we do?" Spike said as he crouched down to see if he could see the bottom.

Terragon then leapt off Spike's shoulders before flying behind him, shoving his head into the boy's back. "Whoa! Peewee, what are you-ah!" Spike yelped as he lost his balance, soon falling down the hole as Peewee flew behind him, "WHOOOAAA!!!" Spike yelled as he fell several feet, only for his back to hit the ground, soon making him realize that the tunnel was like a slide now. He slid down it for about a minute, only to then notice a light at the end of the tunnel. "Hey! Its the-wha!?!?!"

Spike let out another yelp as he hit the ground, his body soon rolling like a ball as the slide stopped. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he yelled before coming to a stop, his eyes now spirals as he flopped over. "Oww...please make the world stop spinning...I don't wanna ride it anymore..."

When the dizziness finally stopped, Spike sat himself up as Peewee flew onto his head. "Terr?"

Spike let out a low moan as he looked up at Peewee. "A little warning next time buddy. That hurt."

Peewee laughed as Spike picked himself up and looked around, seeing they were indeed outside. The two of them were now on a large rocky ledge, which he soon saw was about a hundred feet in the air. "Well, I'm outside...now I just need to find the others." He then saw that the ledge seemed to circle the whole mountain, even bending around the edge of it. "Hmm...should I go up or down?"

But as that question exited his mouth, he got a third answer as he then heard an all too familiar sound coming from one of the other cave openings. He and Peewee looked at each other as they stared at the other tunnels nearby, only to now see the owner of the footsteps step out of the cave. Rookaco then looked around, grumbling as he rubbed its head from the earlier falling rocks. But as it did this, it quickly caught sight of something it did not like.

"Err, hey there Rookaco." Spike said in a panicked voice, "How ya doing?"

Rookaco growled at the boy and Terragon, "Rook..."

Spike gulped as he stepped back. "Listen, I don't want any trouble. Let me just find my friends and we'll be on our way. That sound good?"

"Rookaco!" The large dragon rushed towards them, raising its now glowing fist.

"Aw c'mon!" Spike yelled as tried to backpedal more, only for Peewee to hop of his shoulder and charge at the other dragon, "What are you doing?!"

"Terr!" As the Terragon got close, he opened his mouth, making Rookaco raise his arm to defend itself. Peewee then bit down on the arm, making Rookaco flinch in pain.

"Rook!" He cried as the glowing around his fist disappeared.

Spike saw this and remembered what he had learned from Twilight, realizing the attack it had been using was Focus Punch. "Alright Peewee!"

Peewee let go of Rookaco and flew to a safe distance as the larger dragon growled at him. It then spread its wings and leapt off the ground, the two now deciding to finish this in the air. "Rookaco!" He fired anotehr Dragon Rage attack, which Peewee easily managed to dodge.

"Yes!" Spike cheered, "remember you're smaller, so your faster. Don't out muscle him, just out speed him!"

"Terr!" Peewee shot towards Rookaco as his wings glowed, slamming his opponent in the stomach with one of them. And as Rookaco cried out, Peewee flew up above him before taking a deep breath. "Terr...WAGON!" He unleashed a barrage of tiny fireballs, all striking Rookaco before making a small explosion.

Spike and Peewee both smiled at this, only for the smoke to clear around Rookaco. As it did, they went wide-eyed as ehty saw that the direct attack had barely down any damage to the Rookie Dragon. "Rook...kaco," it breathed.

"No way...it didn't hurt him?!"

In that moment, Rookaco's claws began to glow as it took a deep breath. "ROOKACO!" It unleashed another Dragon Rage attack, the blast of energy heading straight for Peewee. The Terragon quickly flapped his wings, barely hopping over the attack.

"Look out!" Spike told him, causing Peewee to look down and see Rookaco rushing towards him.

Before he could react, the larger dragon managed to catch him in his glowing claws. With his entire body gripped, Peewee could do nothing but struggle as Rookaco smirked before turning to the ground. "ROOKACO!" With that, Peewee suddenly found himself racing towards the ground, Rookaco thrusting him into the mountain side.

"PEEWEE!" Spike cried as he watched the Rookaco pin Peewee to the ground. He then saw Rookaco take a deep breath, ready to hit Peewee point blank with another Dragon Rage. Without even thinking, Spike picked up a rock and tossed it at Rookaco, hitting it in the head. This stopped the attack, the dragon now turning towards the young boy as he yelled, "Leave him alone!"

Rookaco growled as it turned towards Spike, reflexively tossing Peewee away like a ragdoll. The Terragon slammed into the ground and slumped over, but kept his eyes open as he turned his head to Spike. He saw Rookaco back the boy against a large rock, its fist glowing as he powered up a Focus Punch.

"Terr..." he moaned out as tried to pick himself up, only for his legs gave out.

Spike shook as Rookaco got closer, fearing this might be the end. Unable to do anything else, Spike called out for the one person he wanted more than anyone to be here. "TWILIGHT!"

"PECK!"

Like a bullet, something brown shot towards Rookaco, striking its head. "Rook!" It cried as it staggered away from Spike, his Focus Punch failing as it did. Spike looked up and saw Owlicious, making him smile as he knew what that meant. The sound of footsteps made him turn around to see Twilight rushing towards him, Flash, Doc and their Pokémon on her tail.

"GET AWAY FROM MY LITTLE BROTHER!" Twilight screamed as they got closer.

"Twilight!" Spike cried as he rushed over to her, throwing his arms around her. The two quickly started hugging as Flash and Doc jumped in front of them. But as the hug ended, Spike saw something in Twilight's eyes. "Are you...crying?"

Twilight sniffed as she rubbed her eyes. "Of course I am. I was so worried about you."

Spike's heart felt like it was about to explode as he hugged her once again. "Thank you."

"ROOKACO!" The Rookie Dragon Pokémon interrupted, angry that he was now being ignored. Seeing this, Twilight stepped up between Flash and Doc.

"You guys ready?" She asked as Owlicious hovered above her.

"Ready," the two nodded.

"Then let's do this," Twilight said as she pointed at the Rookie Dragon. "Owlicious, use Peck!"

"PSY!" The Psychick shot forwards.

"Springer, use Aura Sphere!"

"RIOLU!"

"Tockwork, Psywave now!"

"TOCK...WORK!"

The two Pokémon fired their long range attacks, only for the Dragon Pokémon to charge forwards as its claws once again glowed. "That's Crush Claw!" Twilight said as it used Crush Claw to cancel out Springer and Tockwork's attacks, only to feel Owilicous's physical attack.

"PSY! Psy, Psy Psy!" Owlicious started pecking Rookaco furiously like a woodpecker at a tree.

"Rook!" Rookaco yelled as he swiped at the air, Owlicious flapping back before his claws could catch the owl. It then took another deep breath, "Rook...KACO!" Another burst of Dragon Rage flew at the group, who all leapt out of the way.

"That was close," Flash said as they landed, "what do we do?"

Doc scanned the Pokémon over, soon glancing at his companions. "We need an attack that can do a lot of damage, but we don't really have one for that kind of type. If only we had a Fairy or Dragon-Type."

"Dragon-Type?" Spike asked before turning to Peewee, who was still on the ground. He then shined a grin, soon rushing towards the Terragon, "Cover me!"

"Spike!" Twilight cried as she saw the Rookaco turn to the running boy.

"Springer, use Force Palm!" Flash called out in response.

"RI!" Springer shot forward, slamming his paw into Rookaco, pushing him back. The Dragon then turned to the Aura Pokémon, his claws now glowing again.

"Now use Double Team!" Springer responded, soon creating multiple copies of himself. The clones then rand around Rookaco, causing his claws to stop as confusion covered his face.

"Rook?"

Meanwhile, Spike was now at the downed Terragon, kneeling down and picking him up, "Peewee, you okay? Please talk to me."

Terragon's eyes slowly opened as it moaned, "Terr..."

"Please, you have to do something. Our only hope is a Dragon-Type attack. You have to use a Dragon-Type move, please!"

"ROOK!" In that moment, Rookaco swung its tail around, taking out the fake Springers, along with the real one. As Springer was hit by the attack, he slammed into Tockwork, only for Rockaco to then hit Owlicious as well.

"Springer!" Flash cried as he ran over to the Riolu.

"Tockwork, are you okay?!"

"Owlicious!" Twilight added. "Say something!"

Rookaco turned back to Spike, not forgetting about earlier, "Rook," it took a deep breath, "KACO!" A Dragon Rage shot towards them, Spike then trying to curl himself around Peewee to protect him from the attack.

"SPIKE!" The others all cried.

Suddenly, Peewee shot out of Spike's arms and flew right at the Dragon Rage. "PEEWEE! What are you-"

Peewee, remembering everything Spike had done for him, knew he wanted to do one thing. He wanted to protect him. "Terr..." Peewee took a deep breath, ready to try the best Ember attack he could muster. But then-"WAGON!" Instead of fireballs, Peewee unleashed a stream of blue and white fire.

"Whoa! What's that?!" Flash asked as he pointed at the attack.

"It's Dragonbreath," Twilight replied in amazement.

The Dragon Rage and Dragonbreath collided, pushing at each other until the Breath to pierce through, pushing it all the way back to Rookaco. "ROOK!" It cried as it was struck by the super effective attack, staggering back in pain.

"ALRIGHT!" Spike cheered as Peewee landed on his head, "Aw yeah! Take that!"

Rookaco then let out another roar, soon picking itself back up as it looked towards its opponents and saw that they had all recovered. Springer, Owlicious, Tockwork and Peewee stood in front of their humans, all staring the Rookie Dragon down. "Rook?"

"Alright, what's say we end this?" Flash asked, the others nodding in response. "Okay, use Aura Sphere Springer!"

"Owlicious, Peck!"

"Tockwork, Psywave!"

"And Peewee, use Dragonbreath!"

"RIOLU!"

"TOCK...WORK!"

"PSY!"

"TERR...WAGON!"

The four fired their attacks, all striking the Rookaco into the mountain as a smoke cloud formed from the attacks. And as the fog cleared, Rookaco staggered out, showing he was now seriously injured.

Flash pulled out a Pokeball, "Alright, I think I'll catch you. Go...POKEBALL!" He tossed the ball at Rookaco, only to see the Dragon flare its wings.

"ROOK!" It quickly shot up into the sky, the ball soon missing as it hit the rocks behind the dragon. Rookaco then stared down at the humans and their Pokémon, soon realizing that it couldn't win now. "Rook!" it cried as he ran away, flying into the clouds above.

"Awww man," Flash moaned as he picked the Pokeball up. "So close."

"That's too bad," Twilight added. "That Rookaco would have been a useful Pokémon to have. He was definitely strong."

"Nothing much we can do now," Doc finished.

Meanwhile, Spike was smiling down at Peewee. "That was awesome Peewee. You learned Dragonbreath and was able to beat that bully Rookaco."

Peewee grinned back at him. "Terr, Terragon!"

Suddenly, an all too familiar sound caught everyone's attention. They all looked up at the sounds of screeching and flapping, soon seeing the Terragon flock flying away from the top of the mountain.

"That's Peewee's flock," Twilight said as she readjusted her glasses at the sight.

"They must be off to find a new place to live," Doc added.

Spike frowned at this, knowing that it meant he needed to say goodbye to his new friend. He looked down at the Terragon, "well...I guess you better get going." He stood up and walked over to the others, a sad frown on his face as he looked to the ground.

But as he continued to walk, fighting back tears as he did, he suddenly felt a weight on his head. "Terr," he looked up at the voice as saw an upside down Peewee smiling down at him.

"Peewee?"

"It looks to me that Peewee wants to stay with you, Spike." Doc commented as he pointed to the dragon.

Spike's eyes grew wide at this before looking up at the Terragon, "really?"

Peewee nodded his head. "Terr!"

Spike wanted to smile, but a frown stayed on his face, "But you can't. I'm not a trainer yet, so I can't catch you."

Flash smiled as he stepped up to him, only to turn to Twilight. "You can't," he placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder, "but your sister can."

Spike, Peewee and Twilight all looked at him funny before asking, "what?"

"Ah, good idea Flash." Doc commented as he pointed to Twilight, "Twilight can catch Peewee and hold onto him until Spike's old enough to become a trainer. Then she gives Peewee to him as his starter. That's what your thinking, isn't it Flash?"

Flash nodded at this as Spike asked, "Is that allowed?"

Flash shrugged next. "Is that any different from what Professor Celestia does?"

Twilight thought for a moment, watching Peewee climb down onto Spike's shoulders and started rubbing his head into the boys cheek. Seeing this, Twilight knew she couldn't refuse the idea. She stepped up to the Terragon and leaned down, "Peewee, would you like to become my Pokémon until Spike can have his own?"

Peewee looked at her for a moment, then turned to look at Spike. When he saw the boy nod, Peewee turned back to Twilight and nodded. "Terr!" He cried happily before flying into the air.

"Alright," she pulled out an empty Pokeball, "then lets go Pokeball!" She threw it into the air and it hit Peewee on the head, a swirl of red energy surrounding the Terragon. Everyone watched as Peewee was converted into energy and sucked into the Pokeball, soon falling to the ground.

Everyone watched as it wobbled once, twice, three times before finally going ping. Peewee, was caught. Twilight and Spike both smiled as they rushed over to the Pokeball before she picked it up. "Alright," she cheered and held the ball up, "I caught a Terragon and I'll be keeping it for SPIKE!"

"AWESOME!" Spike cheered in response.

"PSY!" Owlicious hooted happily.

Flash, Doc and their Pokémon all clapped. "That's great guys."

"Congratulations," Doc told them.

Twilight smiled before holding out the ball, causing it to open and unleashing the red energy. It then revealed Peewee, who happily cry before flying up and landing on Spike's shoulders. Seeing this, Twilight bent over so she and Peewee were at eye level. "Alright Peewee, I need you to stay close to Spike at all times."

"Terr?" Peewee asked, tilting its head.

"Today made me realize I might not always be there for Spike, so I need a strong Pokémon to keep him safe. I'm trusting you with that job."

Peewee realized what she was getting at and nodded. "Terragon!"

Spike smiled at this. "Thanks Twi."

Twilight nodded before taking out her journal. "Well, this little detour didn't take us too far off course. We should still be able to get to Bales Town before sun down."

"Great! Lead the way Twilight."

Twilight nodded as she looked back at her journal, only to notice something new, "Hmm? That's odd."

"What is it?" Doc asked in response.

"I've got a message from Professor Celestia." She opened it up and read it aloud. "Dear Twilight Sparkle. I assume by now that you have either reached or are close to reaching Bales Town."

"She's good," Flash added with a chuckle.

"If I am correct, then I suggest you head to the town's library tomorrow morning." Twilight laughed at this, "that was already the plan professor." She looked back down and continued reading. "Because of this, there is someone that will be there that I'd really like you to meet. She will be able to teach you a lot about the Pokémon world just like myself. Her name is Professor Luna, and she is my-" She stopped and went wide eyed.

"Her what?" Spike asked.

Twilight took a deep breath and read the last word, "sister."

Colossal Fossil

View Online

Our story begins with our hero Flash Sentry, standing in the Equestria League stadium. Springer was on the field, staring down a Pokémon concealed by shadows. While this was going on, the announcer spoke out. "The Equestria League competition has reached its final battle. Who will stand as its ultimate victor?"

"That would be me!" Flash yelled out as he pointed at the Riolu, "alright Springer, use Aura Sphere!"

"Ri!" Springer leapt into the air before creating the ball of energy. "Rio...LU!" The sphere of power struck the opponent, instantly devouring it into an explosion. When the smoke cleared, the Pokémon laid out with swirls in its eyes.

"And there you have it folks!" The announcer screamed, "Equestria's newest champion is Flash Sentry!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Flash cheered as heard the crowd call out his name.

"FLASH, FLASH, FLASH, FLASH!"

"Yes, thank you-"

"FLASH WAKE UP!"

"Augh!" Flash yelped as his head found itself kissing the floor beneath him. His eyes then blinked open, only to see that he was now in reality, which made him try to get off the floor while rubbing his head, "It was just a dream...a beautiful, truly beautiful dream."

"Well dream time's over Flash," hissed a voice, making Flash look up and see one Twilight Sparkle staring down at him.

"Twilight?" he rubbed his eyes of the sleep, "What time is it?"

"Seven o'clock," the girl replied as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

"In the AM!?" Flash asked in a horrified voice, "no human should be up at this hour....unless we're training Pokémon of course."

Twilight rolled her eyes at this, only to turn to the sound of "Ri?" from Springer, who was mimicking Flash's wake up motions.

The researcher let out a long groan, "Listen you two. You need to get up, washed and dressed. We're leaving in an hour, whether you've had breakfast or not." With that, she turned to walk out of the room.

"You know," Flash called out after her. "The library isn't going anywhere."

"Ri," Springer added as he jumped off the bed to get breakfast.

That is, till Twilight's head popped back into the room, complete with a death stare at the two. "Don't ever say that. Libraries are the greatest places in this world. Period."

And as her head disappeared, Flash let out a long groan before moving over to the Pokémon Center's wash room. He showered, brushed his teeth and styled his hair before getting dressed, soon heading down to the cafeteria with half an hour to spare. It was here that he found his friends and all their Pokémon, Doc taking the liberty of feeding his, all of them chowing down as he sat down next to Twilight.

"Took you long enough," she told him as she was both eating and tapping away at her journal.

Flash didn't reply, a low stomach grumble answering for him as he began to load his plate with scrambled eggs and toast, "You know Twilight, it takes time to look this cool. For a Pokémon Master, visual appeal is one of the most important things."

Twilight giggled at this before cocking an eyebrow at the trainer. "Yeah, and the others are hard work, decent knowledge of all Pokémon, and a well trained team. Maybe focus on one of those three before trying to look good."

Flash gave her a mock laugh before he began to eat his breakfast while Spike turned to Twilight. "So where are we meeting this Professor Luna?"

Professor Luna as it turned out, was Professor Celestia's little sister and a field researcher. It turned out Luna would gather data in the field, which she would then sent to Celestia for study and analysis. Despite this, Twilight had never actually heard about her.

"I wrote to Celestia last night, and she said we were to meet Professor Luna outside the Bales Town Library at ten o'clock."

"Ten?" Flash asked with wide eyes, "it's gonna take us two hours to get there?!"

Twilight shook her head at this. "No. It's only a twenty minute walk, but I'm sure Professor Luna's already there. She is a professional after all, so of course she'll want to get whatever it is she wants to show us ready before we arrive. But if we get there early, we'll get to see whatever it is while it's being made ready." Twilight shivered in anticipation, obviously excited about the days events. That and a bit of drool appearing in her lips.

The boys simply stared at her, all obviously a little disturbed by her excitement with the exception of Spike, as he ws used to this sort of thing from his sister. Doc then blinked at the sight before sighing, "Oookay. I guess it wouldn't hurt to arrive there a little early." The other two grumbled but didn't argue, mainly due to them wanting seconds for their breakfast right now. It wasn't long till the clock struck eight, the four trainers and their Pokémon were finally ready to head out. They returned all but Springer and their newest teammate Peewee, before heading out of the Pokémon Center.

Bales Town was a quaint little village, with many simple little houses and shops scattered about the place. The only large building there was both the oldest and what Twilight considered to be the most important one in town. It was the Bales Town Library, which was a square tower like building that was five stories high. Design wise, it appeared to be made out of green stone with oak wood doors and window shutters. The building was considered to be packed to the brim with one of the biggest amount of different books about the history of Equestria.

"Wow..." the four humans and their Pokémon gasped as they looked the building over.

"There it is...I've dreamed of this moment for so long." Twilight squealed as she raised her shaky hands towards the door, grasping it firmly before taking a deep breath. "This is it!" She cheered before pushing on the door, only for it to stay where it was. Twilight raised an eyebrow before trying to pull it again, only for the same result to follow. "Come on...open!"

"Errr Twilight?" Flash told her as he tapped her shoulder. "I think it might be locked."

"Hey look." They all turned to Spike, who was staring at a notice pinned to a bulletin board. They all moved over to it as Doc read it out.

"Bales Town Library, closed for the day."

"NO!" Twilight almost screamed as she once again began attacking the door, "This can't be happening! All that knowledge is only a door away and I can't get to it." She fell to her knees as tears filled her eyes.

Flash patted her on the head. "Hey, maybe its closed because of whatever Professor Luna's doing here. I'm sure she'll let us in."

Hearing this made Twilight instantly perk up. "You're right! She must already be inside!" She leapt back to her feet before calling out, "PROFESSOR!"

No response.

"Huh...guess she's not here yet."

"Maybe we should come back when we were supposed to arrive," Spike suggested.

Twilight glared back at her brother, making him backpedal. "Don't be silly Spike! She'll be here any second now. You'll see." She turned back to the door and stared at it expectedly while the boys all shared an unsure glance over this.

And so, they waited. The boys did anything they could to pass the time, ten to thirty to an hour soon passing. Boredom took them as Spike and Peewee starting playing fetch while Flash and Springer played rock paper scissors. Doc on the other hand, decided to go call his factory, mainly making sure everything was good while they waited, all the while Twilight continued to stare at the library.

Then, the time limit hit as Doc groaned, "Alright, it's ten. At least we're on time."

Twilight groaned as her eyes finally looked away from the building, her head dropping with her shoulders slumped over. "Where is she?!"

"Maybe she's late?" Spike added, only to get another glare from his sister.

"Don't say that Spike! A professor should never be late!"

Thirty more minutes later...

"How about now sis?" Spike grumbled as he was now glaring at his sister.

"Don't say another word Spike. Professor Luna will be here and-"

"Excuse me?" The group all hopped in place before seeing someone walking towards them. It was a woman who looked a little younger than Celestia. She had blue skin and long hair that was two shades of blue, one lighter and one darker than her skin. She wore a purple blouse with a white color and dark blue pants, along with a white lab coat covering it all. Her blouse had a moon emblem on it. That and she had a slightly half-lidded stare coming from her eyes, a yawn escaping her breath as she scratched her side. She then graced them with a half-smile, "Good morning everyone. You all must be the ones my sister told me about. Have you been waiting long?"

Spike was about to reply, only for Twilight to leap in front of him, rapidly waving her arms. "No, of course not."

The boys all grumbled at her, while the woman just smiled. "Excellent. I'm Professor Luna, and I've heard a great deal about you all."

"You have?" Flash asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course. You're Flash Sentry, the boy who was able to save Canterlot when Champagoon went on a rampage." She turned to the others, smiling as she looked them over. "And of course there's the Trottingham City Gym Leader, my sister's top student and her little brother."

Everyone smiled at this, only to see Luna turn and gesture them to follow. "Well then, shall we get going?"

Hearing this, Twilight's vision moved between her and library. "Wait a minute, aren't we going into the library?"

Luna shook her head as she started walking. "No, we were just going to meet here. The place I wanted to show you is a little further down the road."

Twilight's eyes twitched at this response, tears about to fall, "But...but..."

Seeing the reaction about to happen, Flash patted her shoulder before trying to push her ahead. "Come on Twilight. Whatever she has to show us, I bet it'll still be interesting."

"But Flash, the library and the books and-"

"Professor Celestia wants us to see this Twilight." Flash interrupted, only to see Twilight's eyes go wide at the statement. Knowing he was on to something, he smirked at her, "Come on, let's follow Professor Luna for now."

Twilight let out a sigh, nodding. "Okay...."

The group then followed after Luna, completely unaware that they were being watched. Around the corner of the library, three figures had been spying on the group. It was Big Score and his flunkies.

"Just our luck," Rickashay said first. "We come to nab ourselves some rare books to sell and instead, we get to run into those twerps."

"Yes, very lucky." Score replied while giving Rickashay and Boulder a big greasy grin, "I've been waiting for the chance to get my payback on those twerps. Plus, that woman with them is Professor Luna. If she's here, something big must be going down, and that means a chance for a major payday for us."

Rickashay and Boulder both mimicked his grin, "Oh, this is gonna be fun boss."

A Little Later...

Luna had now led the group to the only modern looking building in the village, which was made completely out of metal and glass. "Welcome to Bales Town Fossil Research Lab," Luna told them as they entered, only for the group to notice that the room they were in looked more like a museum than a lab. "Here, we study fossils and other ancient discoveries to learn more about the world of the past."

"Wow...." the group gasped as they stared at the sights around them. Lining the walls were glass cases, all with different fossils inside. Above them were drawings, all of them depicting what these fossils would look like if they were still alive.

Twilight put her hand over her mouth as she stared at the sights, "Incredible. Aerodactyl, Armaldo, Rampardos and Carracosta...these are all ancient extinct Pokémon."

"Now this was worth getting up for," Flash added.

"Ri," Springer agreed.

Doc then looked back at Luna, "So professor, what brings us to here today? I'm sure this isn't just a guided tour you agreed to give."

Luna laughed at this. "You're right about that. You see, today's a very special day." She lead them through another set of doors, finding themselves inside an actual lab now. "In my travels to unravel the secrets of the Pokémon world, I've come across many amazing things. But I have never found anything that's as amazing as this."

In that moment, the group noticed another person in the lab. The man had gray skin and white hair, wearing glasses and a lab coat while looking over something on a table in front of him. They watched as he looked up from his work and turning towards them. "Ah, Professor Luna. Are these the ones you were telling me about?"

Luna nodded and pointed to the group, "Yes. This is Twilight Sparkle, Flash Sentry, Spike, Time Turner and their Pokémon."

"Hello, I'm Professor Research. It's nice to meet you."

The rest of the group all shared hellos before Twilight asked, "so what are you researching right now?"

Luna and Research both smiled before moving to show them over to the table. There, a fossil that had a grid design on its shell sat there, making Doc instantly comment, "Its a Shell Fossil."

Luna nodded at this. "That's correct. This fossil was once a Pokémon known as Armadiload, which use to live in the Equestria Region in large numbers. And this fossil, is extra special. It actually has trace amounts of DNA."

Twilight and Doc's eyes went wide while Flash and Spike shared a confused look. "Ooookay, someone wanna clue us non-brainiacs in?"

"Yeah!" Spike added, "What's so special about DNA?"

Twilight rolled her eyes, shaking her head as well. "DNA is the building blocks that make up every living thing. It carries the genetic code needed for a life form to exist. DNA usually disappears after fossilisation, but if this one contains a trace of it-"

"Then we can use it to reanimate the fossil and bring it back to life," Luna finished.

This got Flash and Spike's eyes going wide. "You mean we're gonna get to see a real life extinct Pokémon?" Flash asked, only to get a smile and nod from Luna.

"AWESOME!" Spike cheered.

"Awesome indeed," Research replied as he picked up the fossil and placed it in a machine that had a large metal tube with glass door on the front. "Now, let's get this guy awake."

Twilight gasped at the metal marvel that the fossil was being placed in. "Don't tell me...is that?"

"A Fossil Reanimation Machine," Luna answered.

"Incredible..."

They watched as Research placed the fossil inside the machine before the door shut, the tube soon filling with white smoke. As this happened, Research moved over to a computer. "Extracting DNA sample...sample extracted. Analyzing DNA signature...signature analyzed. Beginning reanimation!" The machine lit up as the lights above them flicked on and off. "Body construction at eighty five percent. Ninety, ninety five, ninety six, ninety seven, ninety eight, ninety nine...body construction at one hundred percent!"

They all stared in amazement as they watched the doors open, releasing the a pillar smoke into the room. Coughs and fanning of arms soon followed, only for them to see a new sight. In place of the fossil was now a quadrupedal Pokémon, one that was about three and a half feet in height and four and a half feet in length from head to tail tip. Its body mostly consisted of a large brown shell with white around the edges and a black grid pattern covering it. The underside of its shell was purple, while its front legs were surrounded by a similar brown armoring. Its back legs only had knee pads, with a design similar to its shell. It's head was yellow, with a brown helmet covering its forehead and around the sides of its head. Sticking out of the holes on either side of its head were a pair of triple spiked ears. Its tail and feet were also yellow, each foot sporting a trio of long claws. Everyone stared in amazement at the newly revived Pokémon as Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Armadiload
Category: Shell Pokémon
Type: Rock
Info: In ancient times, this Pokémon's shell was as hard as a rock. To protect itself, it curled itself into a ball and rolled around, following its nose to search for food.

Armadiload opened its eyes, revealing a pair of emerald lights as it began to look around. "Arm?"

Luna stepped towards it with a big smile on her face. "Hello there, it's nice to meet you. I'm Professor Lu-"

"ARMADILOAD!" The ancient Pokémon screamed before leaping out of the machine, immediately curling itself up before spinning forwards. As it landed, the ball instantly shot at Luna, who barely managed to dodge along with the others.

"Look out!" Flash yelled as they all leapt out of the way, only to see Armadiload race around the room, knocking into anything as it hopped back and forth. "What is wrong with that thing?!"

"It's scared," Luna replied as she dodged again. "The poor thing is frightened after waking up."

"So what do we do?" Spike asked.

"We need to calm it down." Luna replied again, "We can't let it leave the lab either. Who know what would happen then."

"Got it. Leave it to me!" Flash said before he pulled out a Pokeball. "Prongs, I chose you!" He tossed the ball in the air, soon revealing the deer Pokémon.

"Fay!" Prongs cried out.

"Prongs!" Flash pointed at the spinning ball of destruction, "Leech Seed! Now!"

Prongs nodded as his horns began to glow, "Fay...THAWN!" The horns flew off and struck Armadiload before a series of vines shot out, instantly wrapping around the Pokémon.

"Arma!" Armadiload stopped its spinning as it found itself tangled up in the vines, only for its energy to be slowly drained. "Arma arma! Ar...ma...diload…"

The others moved over to Flash and Prongs as they watched Armadiload slowly calm down.

"Nice one Flash." Spike commented.

"Thanks," Flash replied as they watched Luna move over to the ancient Pokémon.

The professor kneeled down and locked eyes with it, soon reaching out and petting its the head. "I'm sorry we scared you. Please, we don't want to hurt you. We're your friends."

Armadiload stared at her for several seconds, only to smile. "Arma."

Luna nodded at this, Flash then signaling Prongs to stop as Luna took the Pokémon in her arms. "I know you're scared, but there's no reason for you to be. This world might be a little different from the one your used to, but you'll soon learn to love it."

The rest of the group all smiled at Luna's skill with a Pokémon she had never had any experience with. Twilight then shined a huge grin as she crossed her arms, "She's Celestia's sister alright. Truly incredible."

"They both are," Doc added. "Armadiload has so much power."

"Only one of the many mysteries it'll help us solve," Research finished. "Come, let us examine our new friend."

Outside the lab...

"A super rare ancient Pokémon," Score said with drool almost appearing in his mouth as him and his crew stared into one of the building's windows. "Private collectors will pay a small fortune for it."

"But how are we gonna get our hands on it?" Rickashay asked as he pointed to the group inside. "Don't forget what happened the last time we fought those guys."

Score smirked at his minion. "This time we won't take anything for granted. We'll hit them hard and fast before they can react, got it?"

"Got it!" The two replied.

"Good. Let's make our easy fortune boys!"

Back inside, the now fully calmed Armadiload was now standing on one of the tables while Luna did a thorough examination. "Say ah," Luna said as she held up a light up to the Pokémon's mouth.

"Arm," Armadiload replied as it opened its mouth, the light soon going in as Luna tilted her head at this sight.

She smiled as she soon switched it off. "Perfect. You're one hundred percent healthy. There doesn't appear to be any defects brought on by the restoration at all."

"That's great to hear," Twilight added, only to hear a sudden grumbling sound. "What was that?"

"Arrrma." The Shell Pokémon frowned as it looked down at its stomach, "Arma."

"Looks like somebody's hungry."

Flash chuckled, "well what do you expect. He hasn't eaten a thing in millions of years." This made everybody laugh as Research walked up to them, carrying a bowl filled with many different berries.

"Here we are," he said as he placed the bowl down in front of it. "I checked the fossil records and these are all the closest things we have to the vegetation that used to grow in the area Luna found Armadiload's fossil." Everyone then watched as Armadiload sniffed the bowl, as if judging whether it wanted to even try it. Eventually, it sat on its back legs before using the claws on its front ones to grab one of them, which it brought up to its mouth before taking a bite.

Everyone watched with baited breath as Armadiload tasted the fruit. Then, a joyful cry followed, "ARMADILOAD!" It finished off the rest in an instant, making them all giggle at the happy sight.

"He likes it!" Spike cheered.

"Terra!" Peewee cheered as well, mimicking Spike.

"Excellent," Luna said with a clap of her hands, "Now we know that we don't have to worry about it getting hungry."

Once Armadiload finished it's meal, they all brought it outside so it could get some exercise. "Armadiload!" It cheered as it, Springer, Prongs and Peewee began to run around.

"Looks like he's enjoying the outside world," Twilight commented as she watched them. "Even though this world is so different from the one its known for so long."

"I agree..." Luna told her before showing a slight frown. "My sister warned me that reviving it might not be such a good idea, but I couldn't allow this chance to pass me by. The chance to learn more about a Pokémon we could only ever make guesses about is a once in a life time opportunity."

"So Celestia was concerned about this?" Doc asked as he pointed at the happy Pokémon.

Luna sighed but nodded. "My sister's always been more of play it safe kind or researcher, always fearing the worst outcome that might occur. She's always trying to talk me out of my fields of research, thinking I might be in over my head."

The group all shared an unsure look, feeling there might be some tension between the professor siblings. Flash leaned over to Twilight and whispered into her ear, "you think that's why Celestia wanted us here? So we could help if things got out of control?"

"It's starting to look like it," Twilight replied, frowning at the idea.

Whilst the humans had been distracted, the Pokémon were still enjoying themselves. Armadiload was loving being out in this new world. Before, it had always been under constant threat of attack by the likes of Tyrantrum or Aerodactyl, so it never got a chance to enjoy life. Now however, it felt like it didn't have to be scared all the time. "Arma!" It cheered as it chased after Peewee, who was flying low so the ancient Pokémon had a chance of catching him. In that moment however, it noticed something laying on the ground near some bushes, something that looked like a berry. The delicious fruit looked like the one it had been given before, causing Armadiload to lick its lips before moving over to it. It grabbed the fruit and quickly ate it, only to see another piece of fruit just a little ways away. It then moved over to eat it, only to see another piece through the bushes. And as it hopped through the green, it saw a line of fruit, all ready for the taking.

"Arma! Armadiload!" It cheered as it began following the line of fruit, getting further and further away from the others.

Meanwhile...

Back with the humans, they were still taking about Luna's studies. But in that moment, Research exited the building with a confused look on his face that did not go unnoticed as Luna asked him, "Is everything okay?"

Research gave them a worried look. "Not really. The rest of the fruit I had left out to feed Armadiload later has mysteriously vanished. I can't find any of it, and I just asked around."

The group all shared confused glances before Flash spoke up, "You sure you didn't just move it?"

"I don't remember doing that," Research replied.

"Then what could have happened to it?" Twilight wondered. "I mean, why would-"

"ARMADILOAD!" Everyone hopped in place at the sudden cry, only for them to look back to their Pokémon and see Armadiload was nowhere in sight.

"Oh no," Luna said before rushing through the nearby bushed, the others and their Pokémon following suite.

They continued to run towards the Pokémon's cries, eventually leading them to three people dragging away a certain Pokémon. The is made Flash go wide-eyed as he yelped, "You guys again?!"

Hearing this, Score, Rickashay and Boulder looked up at them as Score let out a low grumble, "Damn it. I told you two we needed to be quicker."

"Sorry boss, but this thing's stronger than we thought."

A death glare quickly appeared on Luna's face as she yelled, "Who are you stupid idiots and what do you think you're doing with Armadiload?!"

"They're a bunch of no-good thieves!" Spike told her. "We met them back in Trottingham City where they tried to steal the Pokémon that work with Doc!"

"Yeah, and we would have gotten away with it if not for you meddling kids." Score barked before turning to Springer, "and your mangy mutt."

"RIOLU!" Springer yelled, taking offence at being called a mutt.

"But that doesn't matter now," Score patted Armadiload's shell. "Because now we have something that's bound to put us on easy street once we sell it to the highest bidder."

"You can't do that!" Flash yelled back. "Armadiload's not something you can sell to make a quick buck."

"Release him now!" Luna ordered them.

"Not happening," the three thugs pulled out their Pokeballs. "I won't be stopped again. Jesterror, go!"

"Stompice, go!"

"Spikorn!" The three of them tossed their Pokeballs, releasing the ones inside. Jesterror, Stompice and Spikorn all soon appeared, the Pokémon quickly recognizing the teens that had beaten them before, causing them to frown as they were ready for payback.

"We won't let you get away this! Springer, Prongs, get them!" Flash's Pokémon rushed forwards as Twilight and Doc pulled out their Pokeballs.

"Come on out Owlicious."

"You too Higear!" Their Pokémon appeared and stood besides Flash's.

"Jesterror, use Slash!" Score ordered, Jesterror soon rushing forwards while holding up its arms. The long sleeves rolled down to reveal a pair of sharp glowing claws.

"Jest!" It yelled as it swung them at Springer, who barely managed to dodge it.

"Damn it. None of Springer's attacks will work on Jesterror."

"Mine will," Doc added. "Higear, Gear Grind!"

"Hi!" Higear threw its gear hands at Jesterror, who was forced to leap away from Springer as it dodged.

"Now Gyro Ball!" Higear shot towards the clown as it started spinning, allowing Springer to rush towards the Pokémon it wanted to battled.

Stompice was fighting Owlicious, who could only peck at it. "Ice Shard!" Rickashay ordered, causing it to fire a block of ice at the owl.

"RI!" Springer tossed an Aura Sphere at the shard, shattering it as they made contact.

Twilight smiled at Springer, then at its trainer. "Thanks Flash!"

"No problem. Now, use Quick Attack Springer!"

Luna went wide-eyed at this sight. "My sister had told me about your special Riolu, but to actually see it use Aura Sphere is amazing."

Flash nodded at her before turning to his other Pokémon. Prongs was rushing around Spikorn, who was trying to get a lock on the Grass Fawn Pokémon, only for Flash to yell, "Double Kick!"

"Fay!" Prongs spun around, slamming its back hooves into Spikorn.

While the battle was going on, Luna saw that Armadiload was unoccupied now. It was also trying to get out of the net, but was stuck. But as she tried to see if she could make a move, her ears heard another voice. "Come on guys!" She turned and saw Spike yelling, Peewee also cheering from atop his head. It was then she had an idea and tapped the boy on the shoulder, making him look towards her. "What's up?" He asked before she whispered something into his ear, Peewee also hearing. The two listened and nodded, smiling as they looked back at her. "You got it."

"Terr," Peewee leapt off his head and took to the sky. With this, the dragon quickly made its way over the battle, making sure it wasn't seen as he landed atop Armadiload, the Pokémon soon nibbling at the net.

Unfortunately, Score was about to order another attack from Jesterror as he heard a new sound. He turned and saw Peewee, making his face red with anger as he yelled, "Hey! Get away from there!" He rushed over to Peewee before trying to kick him, only for the Terragon to leap back into the air.

"Ember!" Spike told Peewee.

"Terr!" He took a deep breath in before unleashing a flurry of fireballs, "WAGON!"

"AH!" Score cried as he leapt away from the attack, only for it to hit Armadiload. Luckily, his shell protected him from the attack and allowed the net to be burnt away.

"Arma!" Armadiload curled up and began spinning, shooting past Score and his cronies and towards its new friends.

"Hey!" Rickashay barked as the revived Pokémon rolled passed them, coming to a stop in front of Luna.

"Don't let that thing escape!" Score yelled as their Pokémon rushed to their side. "Jesterror, use Confuse Ray on all of them!"

"Jesterror!" It replied, soon shooting a volley of red beams from its eyes.

"DODGE!" Flash, Twilight and Doc ordered, their Pokémon doing as they were told and leaping out of the way just in time.

However, Armadiload did not do so and was struck by the attack. "Arma!" It flinched as the attack took effect, causing it to begin to stagger around.

"Oh no," Luna said before walking to it. "Armadiload, are you okay?"

The revived Pokémon turned to her and opened its eyes, but it didn't see Luna. In its confused state, it saw her and all the others as dark shadows with sharp teeth and fangs. "Arma!" It cried as it stepped backwards.

"Armadiload, its me. I'm your friend." She held out her hand, but Armadiload saw this as an attack.

"ARMADILOAD!" It cried, only for its entire body to suddenly explode with white and blue light, which consumed it completely. It's body then began to grow, reshaping itself into a larger spikier form.

"Great scott!" Doc said.

"What's happening?" Spike asked as they all shielded their eyes.

"Armadiload's evolving!" Doc yelped.

Finally, the light faded and standing in Armadiload's place was a new Pokémon. It was a giant Ankylosaurus, standing at seven foot tall and eight foot long. It's back was covered in a large shell with black and yellow spikes lining it. Under it's shell was the color purple while its legs were covered in an armor that was the same color as its shell. Its head had a helmet that covered everything but its face, and had a pair of sharp horns on both sides. Its tail was armored like the rest of its body, with a large spiky black wrecking ball on the very end. "ANKYLOAD!"

"Armadiload evolved into Ankyload," Luna gasped as Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Ankyload
Category: Iron Shell Pokémon
Type: Rock/Steel
Info: The evolved form of Armadiload. Its whole body is covered in hardened skin, but it also has hard protuberances coming out all over its body. Therefore, its charge attack has extraordinary destructive power.

"Incredible," Twilight added.

"Armadiload must have evolved to protect itself," Research explained as he backpedaled from the sight. "The confusion is making its battle instincts take over."

"This could be bad," Doc gulped, also backpedaling at the sight.

Big Score on the other hand, just smile at the sight, "Alright! That's even better! I bet we can make some serious dough from an evolved fossil Pokémon!" He turned to the others, "We're making money tonight boys! Catch that thing!"

However, as these words came out of Score's mouth, Ankyload turned towards them in its confusion. "ANKYLOAD!" It screamed as it raised its now glowing wrecking ball tail.

"That's Tail Hammer!" Research cried as they watched Ankyload swing it at the criminals. The three leapt back as the attack to hit the ground, only for the force of the impact to instantly create an explosion.

"AUGH!!!" The three and their Pokémon screamed as the explosion sent them flying into the air, breaking through the trees and sending them into the horizon.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Score roared. "We almost had our payday!"

"How does this keep happening?!" Rickashay asked, only to get a shrug in response from Boulder. With that, the six all disappeared into the horizon.

Back on the ground, the gang watched in terror as Ankyload thrashed around wildly. As it did, Luna tried to call out to the creature, "Ankyload, you need to calm down! Its okay, the danger is over now! Those thieves won't hurt you anymore!"

Ankyload replied with another roar, the spikes on its shell now glowing before flying into the air. The needles then switched direction, the attack now heading towards Luna.

"Look out!" Flash yelled as he rushed up and shoved Luna, both just missing the spikes as they hit the ground and exploded. The others also had to back off in fear of being struck by the attack. But as they did this, Ankyload took this moment to begin to turn around and walk away, its footsteps making the ground shake as the tore through a few trees.

"This is bad," Research said as he watched the sight. "Ankyload's heading straight into town. If we don't stop it, who knows how much damage it could do."

"Then we'll stop it before that happens," Flash explained as he picked himself up and rushed after Ankyload with his Pokémon.

The rest of them quickly followed suit, Luna sighing as they did so. "This is all my fault. Celestia was right, I didn't know what I was getting into when reviving Armadiload."

"This isn't your fault Luna," Twilight told her. "You didn't know this was going to happen, no one could. That doesn't mean reviving Armadiload was a mistake."

Spike nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I'm sure he's happy to be here, and once we calm him down, he'll still be happy to be here."

"What's happened has happened," Doc added. "We can't change that, but we can change what happens next. We need to find a way to calm Ankyload down, and to do that we need your help."

Luna nodded as they continued to run. "You're right. If that's the case, the best way to heal confusion would be to place Ankyload in a Pokeball. But to do that, we'll need to catch it."

"Then that's what we'll do," Flash said as they were about to catch up to Ankyload. "Alright, since this worked last time...Prongs, Leech Seed!"

Prongs nodded, his horns glowing as they shot off its head, "THAWN!" The horns struck Ankyload like before, morphing into a mess of vines as they wrapped up the beast like before. However, the Ankyload's strength was too much this time as its claws instantly ripped the vines off.

Flash's face fell at the sight. "Well that didn't work."

"It's too powerful," Doc added as he looked at Tockwork's Pokeball, a grimace appearing on his face. "I hate to say it, but I don't think any of our moves will be of any use against its strength and defensive power. Especially if Ankyload is in that kind of condition."

"So what do we do?" Spike asked as he pointed at the Pokémon. "How are we suppose to catch something if we can't even hurt it?"

"Terr!" Peewee added.

Research then snapped his fingers, "Wait...what if we gave it another status condition?"

Luna blinked at this, only to nod. "Ah! That could work! If we cancel out the confusion, it might allow us the chance to catch it!"

"But none of use have a Pokémon that can grant a status condition," Twilight told her as she stared back at the Pokémon still making its way towards the town. "At least not directly."

Luna just smiled at this before pulling out a Pokeball. "Leave it to me. Lallaby, wake up!"

She tossed the ball into the air, only for a red light to reveal a little bipedal sheep like creature with white wool. It was also wearing a pink vest and helmet, with a pair of spiral horns on its head. The Pokémon opened its eyes and looked around. "La?"

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Lallaby
Category: Dream Sheep Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Info: This Pokemon sleeps over twenty hours a day. It is said to be able to connect its dreams to those of the people around it, allowing them to speak in the dream realm.

"A cute Pokémon and all," Spike said as he pointed to the sheep in confusion. "But how's that little fuzzball supposed to stop a behemoth like Ankyload?"

Luna simply smiled as she turned to Twilight. "Have your Psychick fly Lallaby in front of Ankyload." Twilight blinked at the instructions, but did as she was told. Owlicious flew down and picked up Lallaby, lifting her into the air before flying past Ankyload. Once a good distance infront, Luna then ordered. "Lallaby, Yawn!"

Lallaby nodded before taking a deep breath. "Lala...bye!" As she breathed out, a large pink bubble grew from out of her mouth before floating out towards Ankyload.

In its confused state, Ankyload didn't even notice the bubble until it hit its face and popped. "Ank?" It said before it's eyelids suddenly got heavy, only for it to keel over, its eyes now closed. The ground shook as it fell asleep, snoring as a snot bubble inflated and deflated from its nose. "Ank...kilo."

Everyone sighed in relief as they walked over to the sleeping giant, Luna patting it on the head. "I'm sorry about all this Ankyload," she knelt down and pulled out a Pokeball. "But I promise, I won't do wrong by you." With that, she tabbed the ball against Ankyload's head before it opened up and released the red energy. It enveloped the Iron Shell Pokémon before sucking it into the ball, soon slamming shut. They watched it jiggle in her hand once, twice, three times before-

DING!

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, glad the ordeal was over.

Luna stood up and turned to the group with a big frown before bowing. "Thank you everyone. This situation could have been much worse without the lot of you here."

"No problem," Flash said as he relaxed his hands behind his head. "All in a day's work."

"Ri," Springer agreed, mimicking Flash's motions.

Twilight nodded at this. "They're right. We were happy to help Professor Luna. But...you do realize that in the end, it was you who saved the day."

"Maybe," Luna replied as she looked down at the Pokeball, "but I now realize that I need to find someone to train Ankyload to master its new power."

Spike turned to Flash, "maybe you should train it?"

In response, Flash shook his head. "No, I'm not ready for something that powerful yet."

"I'm not sure if anyone is," Doc added.

Luna however, smiled back at the group. "I think I know someone who can handle it."

That night...

After the events of the day, Flash and the others had all returned to the Pokémon Center to rest. Luna on the other hand, was back at the lab and was currently on the phone. "That's quite a story," a male voice coming out of the video phone told her.

"And that's why I'm sending Ankyload to you," Luna told them. "You're the only trainer I know who will be able to train it to master its brute strength."

"Leave it to me. I won't let you down."

Luna nodded before placing Ankyload's Pokeball on the transport, the device digitizing it as it sent it to the other line. "Transport complete," she said as she tapped a few keys on the machine.

"I've got it on my end. I'll start training tomorrow."

"Thank you," Luna replied as she finished typing.

"Any news about that other thing you came to Bales Town to search for?"

Luna shook her head. "It looks like the info was off. I've found no evidence that they've been anywhere near here."

"That's concerning. Alright, we'll just have to keep looking. Call me if you have any new information."

"Same with you," Luna replied before cutting the call, a long sigh soon leaving her. "You guys are out there somewhere, and we'll find you."

The next morning...

Luna and our heroes were now standing outside the Pokémon Center, all having had a good night's sleep. Now, it was time for Luna to head out.

"Well, I'm off. I'm guessing you all will be staying here for a while?" Luna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You know it," Twilight said with a huge grin. "I still haven't had a chance to check out the library after all."

"But don't we need to-ow!"

"Be quiet Spike." Twilight hissed, nudging her little brother before turning back to Luna, "We'll see some other time Professor Luna."

Luna laughed at this. "Well, I know you're gonna enjoy the library. Good luck on your journey everyone." With that, she turned and began to walk off, waving to them as she did. The rest of the gang all yelled their goodbyes as they waved.

A meeting with Celestia's little sister has lead to a once in a life time experience. How will Ankyload truly settle into this modern world, and what adventures await our heroes as they stay in Bales Town? You will just have to stay tuned to find out.

Twilight's New Rival

View Online

The people of Bales Town were used to seeing many strange people in their fair village. Being the perfect rest stop between one Gym hosting city and another, they often found many trainers arriving there to rest their tired bones. Each trainer was different from the last, all usually holding some unique quality to them. Fair to say, many of them believed they had seen it all.

However, despite all this, that illusion was shattered when they now saw the sight of a sixteen year old girl actually skipping towards Bales Town Library. It was Twilight Sparkle, who had a massive grin on her face and images of books literally in her eyes. "It's finally time!" she cheered as she hopped around like a cheerleader on her way to the library.

At the same time and just a few feet away from them, were the rest of her friends. The three males along with their Riolu and Terragon, were now trying to hide their faces from view. The youngest of them let out a whine, "This is so embarrassing."

"Is she usually like this when it comes to books?" Doc asked Spike, only to get a long sigh in response.

"Only the ones she's never read before...which at this point is probably only half the books ever written."

"Terra..." Peewee whined as he slumped over Spike's head. Though she was only holding onto him for Spike, Twilight was still his trainer and the little dragon was currently way too embarrassed to admit it.

"Well, you can't fault her enthusiasm," Flash added as he chuckled at the sight. "And I'll admit that watching her get all giddy is kinda cute. Its like watching a kid get a new toy."

"Ri," Springer nodded in agreement.

With that, they now the building's roof come into view. The sight alone made Twilight's skipping evolve into a full-on dash, forcing the rest to run after her. But as they ran up a hill leading to the library, they all came to a stop when they saw a large crowd gathered outside the library.

Twilight grabbed the sides of her head, moaning as she glared back at her friends, "Noooo! We're too late! I told you guys we should have left earlier! Now we'll have to wait in line to get in..."

Everyone else rolled their eyes at hearing this, except for Doc as he stared at the crowd. He blinked a few times before pointing at the audience, "I don't think so Twilight. It looks to me like those people aren't here to go in the library."

"Well, why else would they be here?!" Twilight yelled back as she glared back at the crowd.

"Let's go find out," Flash replied as he walked past her, the others soon following. As they got closer to the library, they realized Doc was right. The crowd was not gathered around the library, and were instead staring at some kind of travel cart just outside the building. Our heroes quickly made their way through the crowd, soon arriving at the front to watch the show unfold.

From out of the cart, a voice was projected over the people. "Come one, come all, and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful TRIXIE!" The cart then shot open and morphed into a full stage, a puff of smoke following as the voice's owner appeared within the fog. It was a girl Twilight's age with blue skin along with light blue and white hair. She wore a dark blue hoodie with light blue star patterns along with a purple skirt with blue sparkles at the bottom. Blue and purple knee high boots were the last piece of her ensemble as a purple cape and magician's hat, which was covered in stars of different colors and sizes adorned the rest of the self.

The girl then bowed as fireworks went off behind her. "Hello everyone. You all look like an amazing audience." She took off her cloak before holding it up to the side of her, quickly yanking it away to reveal a table. She then took off her hat and showed the empty insides to the audience before placing it on the table. With that, she then lifted it up, only to reveal a Pokeball. "I'd like you all to meet my lovely assistant, Wizentice!"

With that, the Pokeball opened and released a blast of red energy. That energy took shape before fading to reveal a Pokémon that was roughly the same size as Springer. It was humanoid and wore a coat that was the same color as Trixie's cape and hat, which kept the rest of its body hidden. It's skin appeared to be light blue, though it was hard to tell due to most of its head being hidden thanks to a mask that covered its mouth along with a wizard's hat that looked a little big for its head. These two pieces of clothing kept all but the area around it's eyes hidden and in its hands was a small wooden magician's wand. "Wizentice!" it cheered as it spun around while twirling its wand before bowing to the crowd.

"Wizentice, huh? Never seen that one before..." Flash commented as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Wizentice
Category: Magic Trick Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Info: An amateur magician who uses its psychic abilities to preform illusions. Many Wizentice like to work together to increase the power of their magic.

"Cool," Spike gasped as they watched Trixie and Wizentice begin their act.

"Yeah..." Twilight growled as she looked back at the building nearby, "but I'm sure she can't be allowed to preform so close to the library." She then looked around and spotted an Officer Hard Case, who was watching the show with a Pokémon she recognized as a Leafeon. She took in a breath before stepping over to the officer, "Excuse me sir. Surely this can't be allowed. Not so close to the library."

Hard Case turned towards her with a raised eyebrow before shaking his head. "Sorry kid, but I already checked. She has a permit to perform here. If you want her to move, you're gonna have to ask her yourself."

Twilight went wide-eyed before letting out a super long moan before turning to the performer with pure anger on her face. However, the magician didn't see her and instead put her cape on the stage's table. "Watch and be amazed everyone. Wizentice, will you do the honors?"

"Wiz!" The Pokémon tapped its wand on the cape before lifting it up, causing the cape to morph into a square shape.

"Behold!" Trixie yelled as she pulled off the cape, revealing a white box on the table. "Please, hold your applause." She and Wizentice both tabbed the box with their wands, "until you see...the Butterfree!" In that moment, the box's top flew open, immediately shooting out several Butterfree.

Everyone quickly started clapping at the sight, Flash, Spike, Doc, Springer and Peewee included. The only one not impressed was Twilight, who rolled her eyes before turning away from the stage. "Forget it. I'm gonna go do what we came here to do."

"Yeah sure. Have fun doing....whatever it is you're gonna do." Flash said as he kept staring at the stage, not even paying attention to what he was replying to.

Twilight let out a huff as she pushed through the crowd, soon entering the library's front doors. Here, she saw that the place was completely deserted. But where most would grimace at the sight of no one around, she just drooled at the sight. The place was jam packed with bookshelves, which were about ten feet tall and twenty feet long. "Wow...way better than a silly magic show." she gasped as she tip-toed inside, only to spot several other people in the library, all with scowls on their faces. Obviously, they didn't appreciate the performance going on outside either, but were forced to ignore it and keep reading.

She then spotted a reception desk, where a woman wearing the usual librarian and glasses could be seen reading. She had the biggest frown of them all, showing she likely had the least amount of patience for the loud sounds of gasps, applause and explosions happening outside. Seeing this, Twilight went up to desk, "Excuse me. I was wondering if there were any books you could recommend I try out?"

The woman looked up at her with a huge smile, "That depends. Any particular field of study you're interested in?"

"Too many to count," Twilight replied as drool tried to get out of her mouth. " I wanna know everything. That's why I'm asking what you'd suggest."

The woman began to think of an answer, only for another voice to speak up, "Might I suggest Equestrian Mythology?" Hearing this, Twilight spun around to see the owner of the voice. It was a man who was roughly Professor Celestia's age with red eyes, gray skin and black hair. He was wearing a white shirt with a red vest and tie under a black jacket with black pants. The man smiled at the girl, "that's always a subject many find fascinating, and this library has many books on the subject."

Twilight's eyes shined at the idea. "Oooohhh...that sounds like an awesome start." She then reached out her hand, which he shook with vigor, "Thank you. I'm Twilight Sparkle."

The man chuckled back. "You can call me Sombra."

Twilight nodded before turning to the librarian, who told her that the books would be on the third floor's mythology section. Hearing this, Twilight pulled out a Pokeball, "I'm sorry, but I just remembered something. Is it true that Pokémon are allowed to read in here as well?"

The librarian nodded at this. "As long as they behave themselves, all creatures are free to read whatever they like."

Twilight's smile somehow kept growing at this point. "Alright then, come on out Owlicious." The Pokeball opened and released the Owl Pokémon, who let out a happy hoot. "Come on Owlicious, let's go find the best book we can find on Equestrian Mythology."

"Psy!" Owlicious replied as he landed on his trainer's head.

"Let's go!" Twilight cheered as they went up the stairs.

Sombra blinked at the sight, only for his ears to hear the receptionist ask, "Did you find what you were looking for sir?"

Sombra smiled as he turned back to her, "Not yet, but I'm sure that'll change soon enough."

Twilight and Owlicious soon arrived on the third floor, the two panting heavily from rushing up the stairs. Twilight then looked up at her partner Pokémon and moaned, "What are you so exhausted for?! How could you be tired from just sitting on my head?!" The Psychick just shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. Let's just get searching for the best book we can find. You go high and I'll go low."

"Psy," Owlicious nodded before jumping off her head and flying towards the mythology section of the library. The two then began their search, looking for anything that might interest them. After several minutes, Owlicious found a particularly thick book situated on the very top shelf of the bookcase. Its title on the spine read, 'Legends and Myths of Equestria'. He had a feeling this was exactly what his trainer would be interested in and flew off to find her, spotting her reading the a book on Johto Pokémon mythology.

"Psy," he said to try and catch her attention.

Twilight look up at him. "What's up? Find something you think might be interesting?" When she saw him nod, she put the book back into the shelf before following him. When they arrived, Owlicious used his claws to carefully pull out the book. When it was far enough over the edge, gravity took over and he accidently lost his grip on it. A yelp followed as the book hit Twilight's head, a moan coming next as she rubbed her head in pain, "Ow..." She then glared up at Owlicious, who was now trying to hide his face behind his wing. "Thanks a lot."

"Psy..."

Twilight shook her head at the book, soon kneeling down to pick up the book. Turns out, it was a large tome, which made a huge thump when she put it on the nearby table. "Whatever's in here, it better be good after all that." Twilight growled as she sat down with Owlicious landing on her shoulder.

Despite the weight of the tome, Twilight's hand were instant as she opened the book. As she did this, a volley of dust appeared as Twilight stared at the words inside, soon noticing that they were in a dialect that had not been used in centuries. But this meant nothing to Twilight, as she even knew this dialect from her studies with Professor Celestia. She then began to read aloud:

In the beginning, there existed only energy, both positive and negative. These two energies were in a perfectly equal balance, one that was never meant to be broken. But as with all things, an imbalance occurred one day. This imbalance caused the positive and negative energies to merge, creating life.
From this fusion came a single egg, which hatched into the original one.

"Arceus," Twilight whispered as she put her hand over her mouth. She had read stories of the Alpha Pokémon, but none of them seemed to hold much information. In fact, the only reason she was not skipping to another section of the book was because it mentioned the Sinnoh legend despite this book being about Equestrian mythology.

This original one soon grew lonely, thus it used its omnipotent power to create three new beings. Two of these beings were endowed with the power of space and time, while the third grew violent and forced the original one to banish it to a world of contradictions.
But unbeknownst to the original one and its minions, energy from the fusion that gave the original one life still remained. A second reaction took place, causing the merged energies to split apart and take new forms. The positive energy created a being of harmony, who wished to only see the world at peace. However, the negative energy created a being of chaos, an individual that wished to see conflict and turmoil reign.
With their differing ideologies, the creatures of harmony and chaos could not allow the other to remain. They clashed, their battle raging across the land until finally, harmony stood victorious over chaos. But knowing the chaos would not stop, harmony sealed it within another realm, the act depleting the power of harmony.
Knowing the chaos would one day reawaken, harmony sealed itself away to rest and regain its power. But before it did, it created three heralds to watch over and protect the world that would grow in its absence. And when the chaos returned, they would call upon their master to stop it.
And so the cycle of chaos and harmony began.
Every thousand years, the chaos would awaken and rampage across the land, but then harmony would awaken and be shown to the chaos by its heralds. There, it would once again subdue and seal the chaos away before returning to its sleep.

"Wow..." Twilight gasped as her eyes scanned over those words again.

"Good book?" Twilight blinked before looking up to see Sombra smiling down at her.

She quickly nodded, "Yes, it is. It's about these two Pokémon, one good and one evil, who battled for the fate of our world." She quickly recounted the story, making Sombra's smile grow when she got to the part she had stopped at.

"Quite an interesting story," Sombra told her as he sat down. "But I think you're being a bit judgmental when you call the creature of chaos evil."

Twilight tilted her head at that. "But...what else would you call something that destroys everything it comes across?"

Sombra tapped his chin in thought for a moment, trying to come up with a good term for it. He then snapped his fingers as he looked back at her. "Progress," he then saw Twilight raise an eyebrow in confusion, making him smirk as he continued. "Sometimes, in order for something new to come about, something old must be removed to force it to change. Think of it like....building a house. Before you can build it, you have to prepare the ground by making it flat and removing anything that might get in the way of the build."

Twilight glanced at Owlicious, the two giving each other a questioning look before glancing back at Sombra, "Huh. I...I guess that makes sense."

Seeing her response, Sombra tapped the book before continuing, "It seems that book left out a lot of the details needed to really understand the story, like what happened in the thousand years between the battles. Maybe mankind would begin to build itself up before stopping once their comfortable, only for the chaos to come in and pull the rug under them. Perhaps it destroyed what they had, forcing mankind to rebuild, which allowed them to make it bigger and better than before."

Twilight blinked at the response, her eyes showing nothing but wonder. "Wow...I would have never guessed." She then turned back to the book before giving Sombra a smirk, "Say, why don't we keep reading and see what else happens?"

Sombra gave her a nod, the two soon looking over the tome.

For a millennium, the cycle of harmony and chaos continued. But then something new appeared.
A new being, one of catastrophe appeared. From where it came is still unknown, but this new being only wished for everything around it to end. It rampaged, causing mayhem and devastation in its wake. The heralds of harmony tried to stop it, but they could not. They needed its master, but had no way to summon it.
And so the being of catastrophe continued its reign of terror until three young humans stood against it. Standing in defiance of the catastrophe, their courage became a beacon that awakened the harmony and chaos. The harmony, who didn't wish to see the pain the catastrophe had caused and the chaos, who saw no point in causing chaos without others alive to experience it, worked together to subdue the beast. Uniting their powers, they sealed it away and restored order to the world.
But as they won, they feared that another danger to the world could appear. And so, the harmony and the chaos created an artefact that would allow those worthy to summon them should they be needed. This artefact, took the shape of a beautiful-

KABOOM!

"Eeep!" Twilight yelped as she, Owlicious and Sombra hopped in their seats from the noise. They then turned to a nearby window, only to see a spray of fireworks lighting the sky.

The sight made Twilight's left eye twitch in anger. Seeing this, Sombra opened his mouth, only to see Twilight slam her hands on the table in anger. "Oh, that is it! She has no right to make that much noise near a library!" She then stood up with both hands clenching into fists, her Pokémon almost falling off her shoulder as she stared at the stairs leading to the library's exit. "I'm gonna give that library disruptor a piece of my mind and make her leave, or I'm gonna shove that cape of hers down her gullet!"

"Psy, Psychick!" Owlicious hooted in agreement as he pointed ahead.

Sombra chuckled at her statement. "I'm glad to see someone cares about learning enough to defend it."

"Oh, I'll defend it alright," Twilight hissed before glaring back at Sombra. "Make sure to keep the spot we were up to bookmarked. I want to get back to it as soon as I deal with her."

"Will do," Sombra replied as he turned back to the book. He then looked over his shoulder, soon noticing Twilight disappear down the stairs. Seeing this, his smile turned to a dark grin as he looked down at the book again. "Now then, tell me more about the artefact that can summon two legendary Pokémon."

Back outside, Trixie and Wizentice were still amazing the crowd.

"Behold..." she said as she once again showed the audience her empty hat. She then held it above Wizentice, who was standing on the table, and quickly covered him with it. Seconds later, she lifted it to reveal the Pokémon was gone along with showing that the inside of the hat was empty. "Be amazed, as the great and powerful Trixie has sent her assistant to another world...never to be seen again."

The younger members of the audience gasped at this while the older ones smirked at the girl's showmanship.

Trixie chuckled to herself as she put her hat back on the table. "Do not worry everyone, for Trixie is a merciful magician. But as Trixie is that kind of magician, she will need a little help to bring back Wizentice." She waved her wand at the audience, "the lot of you must stare at the hat with all your might while picturing Wizentice in your minds. That will allow Trixie to return him to our world. Ready?"

"YEAH!" The younger children all cheered as they stared at the hat.

"Alright. On three everyone. One, two, three!" She tapped the hat with her wand before lifting it up, revealing nothing beneath. "Oh my...it seems the great and powerful Trixie's assistant likes where he is right now." Trixie then rubbed her chin. "Hmmm...maybe if Trixie does the spell again, Trixie's audience should also ask Wizentice to come back. How does that sound everyone?"

The audience all nodded as Trixie placed the hat back on the table. "Alright, Trixie will once again count. On three, the lot of you cry out as loud as you can and say, 'Wizentice, please come back.' Ready?" The audience all nodded again. "Then one, two...three."

"WIZENTICE! PLEASE COME BACK!" Trixie tapped the hat with her wand before lifting, revealing Wizentice as she did.

"WIZ!" Wizentice cheered happily as it made a dramatic pose.

The audience all clapped happily as Trixie and Wizentice bowed in response. "Thank you, thank you. You've been a wonderful audience. Trixie and Wizentice appreciate your applause." Fireworks went off once again, causing another round of noisy explosions.

And as that noise rang out, a new voice screamed above the sound. "HEY!" The audience all turned towards the voice, only to see Twilight marching over to the stairs leading onto the stage.

"Oh boy..." Flash gulped.

"This isn't gonna go well," Spike added.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Doc asked.

"You wanna get in the middle of that?" Flash replied as he pointed at Twilight, the look of anger on her face reminding him of when she got mad at Riptide for not going in his pokeball.

"Good point..." Doc grimaced. "Thought I have a feeling this won't end well."

Up on stage, Trixie scanned Twilight over, tilting her head at the girl, "Can Trixie help you?"

"Surprisingly, yes." Twilight hissed as she pointed at the performer. "You can move your noisy act away from the library! You're interrupting a lot of people who are trying to read."

"Psychick!" Owlicious roared in agreement.

Trixie just raised an eyebrow at this, only to then let out a giggle. "You can't be serious. Its not my fault they can't appreciate a grand performance. If they can't read, maybe they should just come out and enjoy themselves." Trixie then shined a big, cocky grin. "They can't actually believe that reading some dusty old scraps of paper is more entertaining then watching moi."

Spike's eyes shrunk at this, a gulp going down his throat. "Oh no. She definitely shouldn't have said that."

He was right, mainly due to the slight fire about to appear in Twilight's hair along with her eyes twitching. "Dusty old scraps of paper?" She said in a deep whisper, "you have no idea how important those so-called scraps of paper are."

"Important?" Trixie let out a loud laugh, "Oh please. What importance could they possibly hold? They're just words on paper, nothing more." Everyone watched as Twilight's anger began to rise more and more, only for Trixie to make her biggest mistake yet. "Honestly, I could burn that smelly old library to the ground and the world would probably be better off with it."

"THAT'S IT!"

"PSYCHICK!"

Everyone in the audience flinched away from the girl, scared of what might happen next. "I don't care if you don't like or appreciate books, but don't you ever threaten them!" Twilight roared, a series of pants following. "Books might seem pointless to you, but they represent mankind's greatest achievement, the written word. They represent the birth of reason and logic, which evolved into the world we have today. Pokeballs, health care, even those precious fireworks you love so much could have never been created if someone hadn't had an idea and wrote them down."

Everyone in the audience all blinked at her response, only to turn to Trixie, who just crossed her arms and rolled her eyes as Wizentice mimicked her. "Yeah, so what? It's not like they need that now. We've got computers for all that stuff."

Twilight's teeth were now gritting as she pointed at the magician. "If you won't understand, I'll make you! Battle me!" she yelled, making everyone, including Trixie, hop in place in surprise. "If I win, you have to move your performance away from the library."

Trixie raised an eyebrow at this before smiling. "You sure you wanna do that? The great and powerful Trixie is more than just a great magician." She reached into her hat and pulled out a case similar to the one Flash had, which she then opened. Inside the case were two metal objects Twilight instantly recognised.

"She's got two badges." Spike gasped as her pointed at Trixie now. "That's more than Flash!"

"That means she must be a skilled trainer," Doc added.

Flash's gaze shifted between the two girls. "Wonder what Twilight's gonna do now?"

Twilight was about to backpedal at this, unsure what to do now. But as she did this, her Pokémon nudged the side of her face, making her turn to him. "Psy." the owl responded, pure determination in his eyes.

"You sure?" Owlicious nodded, making her nod as well as she turned back to Trixie, "Alright....we're still in. Let's do this."

Trixie smirked as she shut her badge case and put it back in her hat. "You'll be sorry you did that."

The entire audience moved away from the library, all of them now in an open grassy area where the battle could take place without any problems. The people watching made a circle around the two trainers, both of them staring each other down as Doc stepped into the middle. "If you don't mind, I'll act as referee." Both girls nodded in agreement. "Alright, this will be a one on one battle between Twilight and her Psychick and Trixie and her Wizentice. Neither player may substitute Pokémon and the battle will be over when I declare one of either sides Pokémon are unable to battle. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Twilight replied.

"Absolutely," Trixie added.

From the sidelines, Flash, Springer, Spike and Peewee watched in worry. Flash blinked at the sight, a big frown on his face, "This is it, Twilight's first solo battle. I'm really not sure if she's ready."

"Ri," Springer nodded.

Spike looked up at him in confusion. "But she's battled before. Won't she be okay?"

Flash shook her head. "She's had some practice matches on her own, and had some battles alongside me and Doc...but she's never had a serious battle on her own. This is the first time she's gonna be battling to win without our help." He looked over at Trixie. "And if she's managed to win two badges, her battle experience will definitely be more then Twilights."

"So Twilight's at a disadvantage?"

"Terr..." Peewee hissed in concern.

"We'll just have to wait and find out buddy." Flash replied as he scratched the side of his head.

"Ri," Springer added.

Twilight turned to the Psychick on her shoulder. "You ready?"

"Psy," Owlicious nodded.

"Alright then Owlicious, I choose you!" Owlicious rushed up her arm before jumping off, flying onto the field and hovering in place.

"The great and powerful Trixie sends out Wizentice!" Trixie cheered as her Pokémon rushed out onto the field.

The two Pokémon stared each other down as Doc nodded at the sight before raising his arms, "Alright, battle begin!"

"Wizentice, use your Swift attack!"

"Wiz!" Wizentice took off its hat, revealing a tuft of blond hair that it pointed at Owlicious. Seconds later, a flurry of stars flew out of the hat the shot towards the Psychick.

"Psy?" Owlicious yelped before he was barraged by the stars, staggering back from the attack.

"Owlicious!" Twilight cried out, but before she could come up with a counter-

"Psybeam!" Trixie ordered as Wizentice pointed its staff at Owlicious, unleashing a burst of multicolored light at the owl.

As she saw her Pokémon get hit, Twilight could feel the panic take over. She knew it wouldn't help, but she couldn't help it. However, as she felt this, she remembered what she had learned from watching Flash and Doc battle along with her own training. She then slapped the sides of her face, putting her head back on track as she then yelled, "Owlicious! Jump back and open your wings!"

"Psychick!" Owlicious did as he was told, causing the Psybeam to hit the ground in front of him and explode. The up-draft caught his wings and lifted him into the air, safely out of harms way.

Twilight smiled at this, happy her plan had worked. "Alright! Now, use Peck!" She watched as Owlicious flew down and shot towards Wizentice, his beak glowing as he started striking the magic trick Pokémon with it.

"Wiz!" Wizentice flinched as it was assaulted by the sharp beak.

Trixie growled at this. "Use Teleport!" Everyone watched as Wizentice opened its eyes before suddenly disappearing from sight, forcing Owlicious to stop his attack and look around. "Psybeam!" Before he could react, the beam of multicolored light struck him in the back and sent him flying. As the owl skid across the ground, Wizentice shined a smile as he blew the smoke off the tip of its wand.

"That Wizentice can use Teleport?" Twilight asked in shock.

"Guess now we know how she pulled off that disappearing act," Flash added.

Twilight looked up at Owlicious and saw he had recovered, "Okay....use Sky Drop!"

"Psy!" Owlicious zoomed over to Wizentice, grabbing it with his talons before flying it up into the air, where it spun forwards and released him.

"Teleport!" Trixie ordered, causing the still falling Wizentice to look at the ground before disappearing once again. This time, it reappeared on the ground, not a scratch on its body from the attack.

"Awww man," Spike groaned. "How's Twilight supposed to beat that thing if it can just teleport away?!"

"Terr," Peewee agreed.

"Good question," Flash replied as he looked back at Twilight. "And one I hope Twilight can find the answer too."

Twilight blinked at the sight of Wizentice reappearing, only for a bulb to go off in her head, "Hmmm...maybe that could work. Okay Owlicious, use Peck again!"

"Psy!" Owlicious cried before flying down towards Wizentice, its beak once again glowing.

"Keep using Teleport!" Trixie told her Pokémon, who nodded before looking away and disappearing.

The Psychick stopped its attack, only to then hear its trainer call out, "Its behind you! Use Peck again!"

"Psy!" Owlicious spun around to see Wizentice, who it shot towards, only for it to disappear.

"To the right," Twilight ordered as Owlicious turned to the right, just in time as Wizentice to appear before getting pecked.

"Wiz!" The Pokémon cried in pain as the beak struck its chest.

"Whoa!" Spike gasped as he pointed at the owl Pokémon. "How'd Twilight figure that out?!"

Before Flash could respond, Twilight let out another order, "Now, flap your wings as hard as you can! Kick up some dust!"

"Psy!" Owlicious flapped them, creating a dust cloud that covered the whole area.

"Sky Drop!" Twilight watched as Owlicious shot towards Wizentice, grabbing it in his talons before once again lifting it into the air. There, he once again spun around before releasing Wizentice towards the dust cloud.

"Won't Wizentice just Teleport away?" One of the crowd asked, only to see the Pokémon continue to fall.

"WIZ!" Wizentice cried as it hit the ground like a rock, more dust piling up from the rough landing.

Everyone was amazed by this, a series of gasps following the move. "Why didn't it warp away?" Another person in the audience asked as the dust settled to show Wizentice trying to pick itself up.

Twilight turned to Trixie with a big smirk. "You wanna tell them, or should I?"

Trixie frowned before letting out a huge sigh. "Oh, go ahead. Trixie would hate to step on your big moment."

Twilight giggled at this before turning to the crowd. "Its simple really. Wizentice needs to visualize where its teleporting too, meaning it needs to see where its going to warp. In your magic act, it's probably warps someplace in its memories, so it doesn't need that. But in a place it doesn't know, it needs to see."

"So Twilight took away Wizentice's sight by making that dust cloud." Flash added as he kept glancing at the two girls.

Doc nodded in agreement. "And she knew where Wizentice was gonna warp to by watching where it looked before disappearing."

"Alright!" Spike cheered, Peewee mimicking him. "Twilight's got the upper hand now!"

"Maybe...but that girl wouldn't have two badges if she could be beaten so easily. This battle's just getting started, and Twilight needs to be careful if she doesn't want to end up losing."

Trixie watched as Wizentice picked itself up, then turned to Twilight with a smirk on her face. "I'll admit, you catch on quickly. Our teleport tactic isn't something that's usually beaten so quickly."

Twilight smiled as Owlicious flew down in front of her. "I'm a quick study."

"Well let's see if you figure out how to beat this next trick," Trixie replied as she pointed at Twilight's Pokémon. "Wizentice...Power Trap!"

Twilight, Doc and several members of the crowd's eyes went wide at hearing this. They then watched Wizentice fire a purple sphere of light from its wand. "Move Owlicious!" Twilight cried, but it was too late. The sphere then struck the Psychick, exploding and enveloping him in the light. Everyone watched as Owlicious started to glow purple.

"What's Power Trap?" Spike asked.

"No idea," Flash replied.

Doc shook his head at this before pointing at Wizentice, "Power Trap is a move that locks onto a single move in the target's move set and forces them to only use that attack."

"So Owlicious can only use one move?" Spike asked in concern.

Doc nodded. "Indeed. The question is, which move?"

Twilight looked at her Psychick with worry plastering itself all over her face. "Owlicious, try and use Peck."

"Psy," he tried to, but instead of his beak glowing, his whole body glowed bright pink for a moment.

Twilight's eyes went wide as she recognized that move. "Oh no. Power Trap's forcing him to use Calm Mind."

"That's not good," Flash added as he remembered what Twilight had told him about that move. She had told him that it was useless since Owlicious didn't know any special attacks.

Trixie just laughed at the sight. "Looks like the great and powerful Trixie just got a lucky break. Wizentice, use Swift." Her Pokémon took off its hat and unleashed the volley of stars at the owl again. The Psychick tried to fly away, but the stars simply followed him, striking him with full force.

"Owlicious!" Twilight cried as she watched her partner get hit, pain surging as the owl had no way of fighting back.

Trixie continued to laugh as she pointed at Owlicious. "Oh, this is too easy! Now, use Psybeam!"

As Wizentice charged up its attack, Twilight looked at Owlicious, her fist clenching with determination. "Keep trying to use Peck. Power Trap will fade eventually."

"Psy," Owlicious nodded as he tried again, only to glow bright pink once again. Seconds later, the Psybeam flew at him, but he managed to dodge it before trying to use Peck again. But Calm Mind happened once more, annoying Owlicious as he once again dodged another Psybeam.

"Swift!" He heard Trixie say as he tried to use Peck again, only to glow pink once more.

"This isn't working," Spike said as they watched the stars strike Owlicious. "Owlicious is stuck taking a beating."

"Well, Twilight doesn't have much more choice," Flash replied. "She needs to hold out until Power Trap wears off."

"Swift once more!" The stars shot at Owlicious once again, all of them striking like a fury of stinging needles.

"PSYCHICK!" Owlicious cried as he fell to the ground with a thud.

"NO!" Twilight screamed.

Everyone watched in horror as Owlicious tried to pick itself up, its body wavering back and forth in obvious pain. Doc was having a hard time watching this as well, a part of him wanting to call the battle over.

"Come on Owlicious," Spike whispered.

Flash then stood up and yelled, "Don't give up yet Twilight! You too Owlicious!"

Watching the Psychick try to get up, Trixie let out a long sigh. "Just give it up already. You know you've lost, so why put your Pokémon through anymore pain?"

It was that Twilight was starting to agree with her. She looked down at her loyal Pokémon, watching it stumble around in pain. But as it did, he looked back up at her and yelled, "Psy! Psychick!" She then saw him shake his head, telling her he was not ready to quit. She then turned to her friends, who all nodded at her, which she nodded back at.

She turned back to Trixie. "No way. I'm not gonna give up. Not now, not ever! Even if it looks like I have no chance, I'll battle until the very end. Because...that's what a real trainer does!"

"PSYCHICK!" Owlicious cried as the light surrounding him exploded, his body showing its original color now.

"Yes! Power Trap wore off!" Twilight cheered, "Let's do this Owlicious!"

"PSYCHICK!" Owlicious yelled, only for its eyes to suddenly glow light blue before a pair of light beams shoot out of them, combining into one before flying at Wizentice.

BOOM!

"WIZ!" The magician cried as it was struck by the sudden counterattack.

"What...what that?" Spike asked as he blinked at the sight.

"I think Owlicious just learned a new move," Flash guessed.

"Ri," Springer added in amazement.

Twilight was equally amazed. "That was...Confusion," her shock turned to joy. "YES! Owlicious, you learned Confusion!"

"Psy!" Owlicious cheered.

Doc's eyebrows raised at this. "Not only that, with all those Calm Minds he was forced to use, the power of Confusion is supercharged."

Trixie didn't like the sound of that. "Um...maybe we should call this a draw?"

Twilight just shined another smirk. "Not a chance. Owlicious, use Peck!" Her Psychick shot towards the still recovering Wizentise, his beak glowing.

"Teleport!" Trixie ordered, Wizentice just barely managing to warp itself away as Owlicious flew past where he had been.

"Behind you! Use Confusion!"

"Hoo!" Owlicious stopped in midair as its head spun and shot the beam, instantly striking the reappearing Wizentice.

"WIZ!" It cried as it fell back.

"Now...SKY DROP!" Twilight yelled as Owlicious grabbed Wizentice before it could recover, shooting into the air at high speed before spinning like a top. As it did this, dizziness began to settle in as Wizentice spun with the owl, only to be released mid-spin. As Owlicious did this, Trixie continued to yell out to Wizentice, trying to tell it teleport. But the dizziness was too much and it fell like a rock, soon striking the ground with a cloud of dust following the impact. And as the dust settled, everyone then saw Wizentice in a crater, swirls in its eyes.

"Wizentice is unable to battle," Doc declared as he lifted his arm, "The winner is Psychick. Victory goes to Twilight."

The crowd all cheered as Twilight blushed at the praise. Owlicious then landed on her head, which she gave him a huge smile, "Great work."

"Psy," he replied happily.

"That was awesome Twilight," Spike said as he and the others walked up to her.

"Thanks. It was touch and go for a while there."

"Owlicious learning Confusion really helped," Doc told her.

"Yeah it did," Twilight replied before turning to Trixie. The magician was returning Wizentice, a frown covering her face. She then looked up at Twilight, whose arms were crossed. "I won, so you have to move your show somewhere else."

Trixie let out a long sigh at this. "Ugh...very well, Trixie will relocate her extravaganza someplace else."

With the battle over and Trixie leaving, the crowd slowly began to disperse as the magician, Twilight and her friends returned to her stage. Trixie quickly packed everything up and then pulled out a pokeball, "Girafarig, come on out!" She opened the ball and unleashed a brown and yellow giraffe Pokémon, which had a tail that looked like it could bite you.

"Girafa," it said before Trixie hooked the cart up to it.

Trixie then turned to Twilight, "Trixie may have lost this time, but the next time will be different. Mark my words, the great and powerful Trixie will not be defeated a second time."

"Sure," Twilight said as she crossed her arms with a smirk, "I'll be happy to battle you the next time we meet."

"Oh, you will," Trixie then reached into her pocket and pulled out some pellets. "The next time we see each other!" She threw the pellets to the ground, causing a large smokescreen to appear and blind everyone. They coughed and fanned the smoke away, only for it to fade and show that Trixie was still trying to pull Girafarig and the cart away. This caused Trixie to turn to them and laugh nervously. "Okay, not the next time we see each other."

Girafarig then began to move, suddenly dragging Trixie with it. "Until we meet again!" She cried as she was pulled down the road.

The group all laughed at this as Twilight turned back to the library. The spectacled girl and her Psychick then sighed in relief as they returned to the third floor of the library, now ready to get back to their book while Flash and the others decided to explore the rest of the town. But as they got back to where they had been sitting, both Sombra and the book were gone. "What the...where's Sombra?" She asked as she looked around, only to find nothing.

On the road leading out of town, Sombra was staring down at Twilight's book, his mind completely focused. "Finally...I finally have the information I've been seeking."

"EXCUSE ME!" He spun around just in time to see a Girafarig pulling a cart racing towards him. He quickly jumped out of the way as the Pokémon rushed past him. There, he spotted a teen girl being dragged by the reigns. "Trixie apologies!" He heard her cry before she, the cart and Girafarig disappeared down the road.

Sombra raised an eyebrow at this, but simply shrugged as he reopened the book. He flipped to the page right after the one Twilight had been reading, where an image could be seen. It was a drawing of a heart, which looked to be made out of some kind of rock that was giving off the most unnatural light. The sight made Sombra's face shine the biggest grin possible. "All I need to do is find this artefact and the temple. Then, infinite power will be mine."

The Bolt and the Butterflies

View Online

With Bales Town behind them, our heroes are once again on their way to Fillydelphia City and Flash's second Equestria Region Gym challenge. They had left the town earlier that morning and had been walking for at least four hours before stopping in a small forest clearing, where they intended to have lunch. While Doc was busy making it, Flash and Twilight were building an appetite by battling against one another with their Flying-Types. On the sidelines, Spike, Doc and everyone's Pokémon were watching the spar.

Twilight was now more focused and confident than ever, her victory over Trixie making her pumped for battling. She then pointed at Flash's Chickling, "Use Peck!"

"Dodge and use Wing Attack!" Flash countered, Skyler flapping backwards before his wings started to glow, ready to swipe at Owlicious.

"Dodge it as well!" Twilight told the Psychick, the owl quickly manoeuvring away from the attack. "Now, use Confusion!"

"Psy!" Owlicious yelled as his eyes began to glow.

Skyler had been circling around for another attack, only for a light blue energy blast to hit him. "Chick!" He cried as he was knocked backwards, his wings flapping rapidly as he tried to keep himself airborne.

"Keep yourself together Skyler!" Flash ordered as he pointed at the Psychick, "Now, use Gust!"

The bird quickly flapped its wings, a whirlwind soon appearing as he slammed into Owlicious, a cry of pain following as his eyes stopped glowing.

"Nice move," Spike commented as his eyes went back and forth in the battle. At the same time, Doc was also watching while cooking some omelettes for the group.

"Ri," Springer nodded in agreement while Flash's other Pokémon cheered Skyler on.

"Terra!" Peewee cried as it cheered for its teammate.

Twilight then pushed her glasses up her nose, "Owlicious, get to a safe distance. Now!"

"Psychick!" Owlicious did as instructed, flying out of the Gust's range.

Twilight smiled at this before pointing at her Pokémon. "Okay, just like we practiced. Use Peck!"

Owlicious remained stationary in midair, only for his beak to glow. Then, the light around the beak suddenly extended, making Owlicious's beak appear five times longer than it had originally. Everyone was amazed by this, Spike speaking up first, "How'd he do that?"

Twilight smirked as she readjusted her glasses. "Pretty cool, huh? It's a trick I read up on in the library. Its a move that allows Owlicious to storing up power in the beak to improve the strength of pecking attacks like Peck, Fury Attack and more."

"Fantastic," Doc said before looking back at his pan, "Twilight's really starting to improve."

Flash just shook his head as a smirk appeared on his face, "Maybe...but it takes more than one stronger move to take me down." He pointed at Owlicious, "alright Skyler, Quick Attack!"

"Chickling!" Skyler yelled as he shot forward.

Twilight then pointed at the speeding Chickling. "Time to show off Peck's new power. Go Owlicious!"

"Psy!" Owlicious shot forwards as well.

The two bird Pokémon charged into each other, slamming at full speed. They two then bounced off, both taking damage as they flapped back, only to quickly recover and right themselves in midair. The two trainers then smirked as they were ready to give another order-

"Alright, that's enough everyone!" Doc interrupted, clapping his hands. "I think that's enough for now. Food's almost ready!"

Flash and Twilight both nodded at this, their Pokémon quickly flying down and landing on their head or shoulder. "You were looking great out their bud," Flash told Skyler.

"You too," Twilight told Owlicious.

"Chick/Psy," the two smiled with a blush on their faces.

"I agree," Doc added while not looking up from his cooking. "Both trainer and Pokémon are growing stronger with each battle. You should be proud."

Spike rapidly nodded, "Yeah! You guys were-"

"AWESOME!"

Everyone froze at Spike's interrupted statement, all of them spinning towards the direction the voice came from, soon seeing two figures standing by the treeline. They were both girls, one of which had blue skin and had hair that was literally a rainbow of colours. She was wearing a blue jacket over a white shirt that had the image of a cloud with a rainbow coloured thunderbolt on it. She also wore a purple and white skirt, along with blue knee high boots.

The second girl had buttercream skin and pink flowing hair. She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt and a green skirt with pink trim and three butterflies on it. She also wore green knee high boots and had a slightly frightened expression on her face.

The first girl quickly rushed up to them, though the group could easily tell her focus was on the Pokémon currently on Flash's shoulder and Twilight's head. "That battle was awesome! Nothing's better than watching two Flying-Types duke it out in the air, wouldn't you say?!"

"Err...I guess?" was all Flash could get out.

Twilight then stepped in front of the girl, "Um, I'm sorry but...who are you?"

The girl just now seemed to realize that there were others apart from Skyler and Owlicious around, making her back pedal before pointing at herself, put her focus on them. "Oh, sorry. Name's Rainbow Dash, I'm sure you've heard of me?"

Flash, Twilight, Spike and Doc all shared a look, obviously asking the other if they had heard of her. When the results came in, they all looked back before replying in unison. "Sorry, never heard of ya."

Rainbow's cocky attitude immediately disappeared, soon replaced with embarrassment before showing a forced look of anger. "What do you mean you haven't heard of me?! I'm Rainbow Dash, the world's best Flying-Type Pokémon trainer." She still only got odd looks, making her pout.

The other girl had finally reached them, hiding her face behind her hair. "I-I-I'm sorry about R-R-Rainbow Dash. She can be...um...a little over excitable."

"Oh really?" Flash replied sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed."

Before Rainbow could say anything, Twilight stepped up to the other girl. "So, what's your name?" The girl once again hid behind her hair before whispering something. Twilight leaned a little over to her, "Sorry, what was that?" The girl repeated herself a little louder, but still too quietly to be understood. "I still can't hear you."

Rainbow then stepped in between them. "She's Fluttershy. Sorry, she's a little shy around new people." Rainbow then pointed at Springer and the others. "Look Shy, Pokémon you're not friends with."

"Really?!" Fluttershy squeaked as she turned to the Pokémon, only to zoom past Flash and Twilight. She then grabbed Riolu, giving him a massive hug! "A Riolu! You're sooooo cute!"

Springer was surprised by this action at first, but quickly got over it and hugged back. "Ri...."

Fluttershy then looked at the others as she released the hug and leaned down to the Pokémon. "You're all so cute. I could just hug you all forever!" She began petting all of the Pokémon, even getting a happy hiss from Viper.

Flash's group just blinked at the sight as Flash commented, "Wow. She's good."

"She's Fluttershy," Rainbow groaned in a tone that made it sound like it explained everything.

Everyone then watched as Fluttershy take out a Pokeball. "Angel, come out and meet some new friends." The Pokeball opened and unleashed a white rabbit like creature that was about half a foot in height.

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Bunnop
Category: Rabbit Pokémon
Type: Normal
Info: This Pokemon is known for its temper, making befriending it difficult. Its powerful legs allow it to run at super high speeds for long periods of time.

Bunnop looked around at the others, a frown on its face before turning to its trainer and crossing his arms.

"What's up with him?" Spike asked as he pointed at the rabbit.

"He's spoiled," Rainbow hissed as she rolled her eyes. "He hates it when Fluttershy gives any other Pokémon any kind of attention."

"I see..." Twilight commented, blinking as she looked back at Fluttershy, who was still petting the Pokémon.

Before anyone could say anything else, Rainbow turned back to the two trainers. "So, one of you guys wanna battle?"

"Right now?" Flash asked in surprise.

"Yeah!" Rainbow replied, nodding. "I wanna battle either your Chickling or Psychick."

"Why those two specifically?" Doc asked.

Rainbow smirked as she rubbed her nose. "Because I wanna see how I compare to other Flying-Type trainers. So whenever I meet someone with a Flying-Type, I challenge them." She turned back to Flash and Twilight, "So, what do you say? Wanna battle?!"

Flash and Twilight shared a glance, before Flash nodded back at Rainbow, "Alright. You're on."

"Great!" Rainbow leapt back several feet before pulling out her own Pokeball, "Here's my partner. Let's go Tank!" She tossed the all in the air before it opened, releasing a red light as it faded to reveal a small green tortoise Pokémon. It stood at around a foot in height and wore a pair of aviator goggles. Its shell seemed to have some kind of propeller sticking out of it, which began to spin and lift the Pokémon into the air. "Tor...peller."

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he held up his Pokedex again.

Name: Torpeller
Category: Air Tortoise Pokémon
Type: Rock/Flying
Info: Due to an immense desire to fly, its shell adapted to gain a propeller like appendage that it uses to lift itself off the ground.

"Looks strong," Flash commented before turning to Skyler. "You wanna go bud?"

"Chickling!" Skyler nodded before jumping off his shoulder and flying up until he was at the same level as Tank.

Twilight stepped between the two. "Alright, I'll referee you two. Chickling verses Torpeller, battle begin!"

"Quick Attack!" Flash ordered, Skyler shooting forward at high speed.

"Withdraw," Rainbow replied as Tank's head and legs suddenly retracted into its shell, which flashed a white colour before Skyler struck it.

"Chick!" He yelped as he bounced off the shell, doing no damage whatsoever.

"Not good," Flash said as he watched Tank's head pop back out.

Rainbow smirked as she pointed at Skyler. "Now Tackle!" Tank zoomed forward, hitting Skyler with brute force. The bird immediately fell back, screaming in pain.

"Keep your balance Skyler!" Flash ordered, his Pokémon quickly flaring its wings to stop itself in midair. "Alright, use Gust!"

"Chick...ling!" Skyler yelled as it flapped his wings. "Chick, chick, chick, chick!" The wind attack struck Tank, only for it to just stay there in midair, unaffected by the breeze.

"What's happening?" Spike asked as he saw Tank just smile at Skyler.

"Tank must be too heavy," Doc commented as he tapped an egg with a spatula. "Gust isn't strong enough to blow him away."

As she saw Skyler stop his wings, tired from doing Gust, Rainbow pointed at Skyler and yelled, "Our turn. Use Gust Tank!" Tank re-positioned himself so his propeller was pointing at Skyler, the device spinning like crazy as a high powered current blasted Skyler.

"Chickling!" He cried as he rolled through the air.

"Skyler!" Flash yelled. "Pull yourself together!"

"Now Tackle!" Rainbow ordered, Tank now stopping his attack before flying towards Skyler.

Flash growled at this. "Skyler, use Double Team!"

"Chickling!" Skyler yelled as it balanced itself, soon creating a group of duplicates. Tank struck one of the Skylers, only to keep flying as it had hit a fake.

"Wing Attack!" Skyler's wings glowed as he aimed for Tank.

"Withdraw!" Rainbow replied, Tank once again retracting into his shell before it shined white again. A second later, Skyler struck it with his wing, only to not do a spit of damage.

"Damn it!" Flash hissed. "Why isn't' this working?!"

Twilight let out a low groan, shaking her head as she told Flash, "Torpeller's a Rock-Type Flash. Flying-Type attacks won't work well on it."

"You got that right," Rainbow added as she pointed at Tank. "But Rock-Type attacks will work on Flying-Types. Now, use Rock Tomb!"

"Tor!" Tank's shell once again glowed, only for the shine to shoot off it and turn into a barrage of rocks.

"Chickling!" Skyler cried as the stones struck him, pushing and pinning him into the ground before the rubble buried him.

"Skyler!" Flash yelled as he watched is partner be buried, causing him to run over to the pile while the rest of his team did the same. The five of them started pulling the rocks off, eventually freeing the Chickling, only to see spirals in its eyes.

"Chick," Skyler moaned out as Flash picked him up.

"Skyler's unable to battle," Twilight declared with a hand pointing at the victor. "Tank wins, and victory goes to Rainbow Dash."

"Alright!" Rainbow cheered as Tank flew down to her, which she grabbed and pulled him into a hug. "Nice going Tank!"

Flash just let out a sigh as he looked down at Skyler. "We...we didn't even do any damage."

He felt a hand on his shoulder, making him turn to see Fluttershy. "I'm sorry your Pokémon got hurt," she said before holding up a blue berry. "Here, this Oran Berry will help him."

Flash nodded and fed it to Skyler, "thank you."

With the battle over, Doc invited Rainbow and Fluttershy to have lunch with them. The two accepted and the group were now sitting around a table while Tank and Angel ate with the other Pokémon.

"So Rainbow, Fluttershy," Twilight spoke up as they ate. "Tell us about yourselves."

"Not much to tell," Rainbow replied before stuffing a bit of omelette in her mouth. "We're both from Cloudsdale City."

"Cloudsdale City?" Spike asked.

Doc leaned in to explain, "The highest city in Equestria, though its mainly that because it's built on top of a mountain."

Spike's eyes went wide at this. "Whoa...that's awesome!"

Rainbow took a gulp of her drink before continuing. "Since it's so high up, Flying-Types are super common there."

Fluttershy nodded at this. "There's even a Gym that specialises in the type there, founded by a woman named Cloud Clipper. She was supposed to have been the best Flying-Type trainer Equestria has ever seen, but it's uncertain if she still is."

"Why's that?" Spike asked.

"She left Cloudsdale about ten or twelve years ago, leaving the Gym to its current leader," Rainbow explained with a slight frown. "Then she seemed to just...disappear. No one really knows what happened to her. But...I wanna be just like her, so that's why I train Flying-Types and went on this journey."

"A mighty goal," Doc commented as he started on his second omelet. "Are you planning to enter the Equestria League?"

Rainbow leaned back with a huge grin, "You know it! Heck, I already got my first badge from Fillydelphia City!"

"Really?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow, "that's where we're heading now."

"Well then be prepared to battle some super tough Bug-Types. That's what the Gym Leader uses."

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "Rainbow was able to win because all of her team had an advantage. The Gym Leader's young, but very strong."

The three of them nodded before Twilight turned to Flash, "you'll need to be careful then." When she didn't get a reply, she raised an eyebrow before tapping Flash on the shoulder.

"What?" Flash said as he looked up from his barely touched plate.

"You okay? You haven't said anything since we sat down."

"Yeah," Flash replied as he looked back down, "I'm just...thinking."

"About the battle?" Doc asked, getting a nod in return. "It's true, you did seem outmatched."

"Skyler's moves barely scratched Tank," Flash replied as he crossed his arms. "I need to come up with a way to help him against Rock-Types and over highly defensive Pokémon."

"But how can you do that?" Spike asked as he finished his food.

Everybody thought for a moment as they continued eating, only for Doc to snap his fingers. "We teach him a move that's strong against the type."

Everyone looked up at him. "We can do that?"

Doc nodded, "Of course. And I know just the move we can teach him. It's a Steel-Type move, so it'll give Skyler the edge in battles against Rock-Types."

"That sounds perfect!" Flash cheered, his eagerness back. He then munched down his lunch, slightly horrifying the others as the food just disappeared almost instantly. After finishing, he turned back to Skyler, "Better carbo-load buddy, because we're gonna get training as soon as we're done."

Skyler turned back to him, his mouth and beak brimming with food. "Chickling!"

As soon as everyone's lunch was finished, Flash, Doc, Rainbow, Tank and Skyler moved over to another clearing. Flash had changed so he was wearing what he wore when he trained Riptide while Doc took off his coat and Rainbow had taken off her jacket. Skyler was also there, stretching in preparation for learning this new move.

"Rock Tomb!" Rainbow called out, Doc having asked her for her help, and Tank unleashed a flurry of rocks. They were much larger than the ones from the battle and scattered around the area. The perfect training ground.

Doc then cricked his neck, "Alright, let's get started. Now, the move I suggest we teach Skyler is one called Steel Wing."

Rainbow smirked. "Aw yeah! I know that move, its awesome."

"Is it really strong?" Flash asked with the tilt of the head.

Doc nodded. "Like I said, it's a Steel-Type move which will help Skyler against Rock and Ice-Types, which Flying-Type's have trouble with. It also has the effect of increasing the user's defences, meaning he'll take less damage from attacks."

"Nice. So...how do we get started?"

Rainbow smirked before pulling out a Pokeball. "Allow me. Gligar, let's go!" She tossed the ball in the air and unleashed the creature within, which appeared to be a purple scorpion like Pokémon with a large tongue. It had big pincers on its arms and a tail with a stinger on the end while a thin membrane could be seen between its arms and legs.

"Gligar," the Pokémon said as it glided through the air.

"Watch and learn," Rainbow said before pointing at a nearby rock. "Gligar, use Steel Wing!"

"Gligar!" The creature turned towards the rock and flew at it, the membrane beginning to glow. Everyone watched as he shot past the boulder, only for the top to slowly slide off, revealing a perfect slice between it.

"Whoa..." Flash gasped as he and Skyler were in awe at this.

"See?" Rainbow said as she returned Gligar, "cool move, am I right?"

"Yeah!" Flash replied like a kid who had just been told he would get to flying in a rocket.

Doc turned to Flash. "But if we're to teach Skyler how to use this move, we need to increase the strength of his wings. But since he already knows Wing Attack, it shouldn't be too hard to develop it into Steel Wing."

Flash nodded before kneeling down in front of Skyler. "You ready for this?"

Skyler nodded, "Chick."

"Then let's get started!"

Back at the camp, Fluttershy continued to be in awe over all the Pokémon. She was now scratching Prongs behind the ears. "Awww...you're so cute. I've heard of Thawn, but I've never got the chance to see one until now."

"Maybe you could get one from Professor Celestia," Spike commented as he played with Peewee. "She let Flash have Riptide even though he already had a Pokémon."

"That was a special circumstance Spike. Riptide literally ran away from Professor Celestia so he could be with Flash," Twilight explained as she then turned to Fluttershy, "sorry."

Fluttershy shook her head, "Its alright, I don't have to have one of them for myself." She continued to scratch Prongs's ear while Angel glared at her, not looking happy about it as he munched on a carrot. "As long as I get to call them my friends, then I don't need to catch a Pokémon."

Twilight surprised at her honesty over loving the Pokémon, "So....you really like Pokémon, huh?"

Fluttershy nodded at this. "Of course. And unlike Rainbow, I love all types. I want to meet as many of them as possible."

"That's great," Twilight said as she rubbed her chin in thought. "So...do you want to be a breeder or something?"

Fluttershy thought for a moment, only to frown. "To be honest, I don't know what I want to do with my life. I just want to meet and befriend new Pokémon, but I'm not sure what else I want to do."

"There has to be something." Spike chimed in, only for Fluttershy to simply shake her head.

"I don't know. That's why I'm out on this journey with Rainbow. We've been friends since we were children, so when she was finally allowed to leave home, my parents decided it would be good for me to go with her and see the world. They thought it might help me realize what I want to do."

"And you still haven't found it?" Twilight asked as she rubbed her owl Pokémon's head.

Fluttershy shook her head again. "We've only been travelling for a few weeks. We flew from Cloudsdale to an airport a little ways from Fillydelphia, then made our way there. Rainbow caught as many Flying-Types as she could, but I still only have Angel."

They all turned to the Bunnop, who was crossing his arms and tapping his foot.

"Man, he is spoiled," Spike said to Peewee, who nodded in response. A second later, a carrot suddenly bounced off their heads. "Ow!" He turned to glare at Angel, who blew a raspberry at him in response.

"Terr," Peewee hissed at him. He then got his own raspberry, increasing his annoyance and began preparing for a Dragon Breath attack.

"That's not nice Angel," Fluttershy told the Bunnop. "Apologize right now." Angel rolled his eyes before turning to Spike and Peewee, soon putting on its most 'sincere' apologetic face. "That's better."

"She's seriously buying that?" Spike grumbled as him and Peewee crossed their arms.

Twilight rolled her eyes before continuing the conversation. "So...how did you get Angel? I don't think Bunnop are usually found near Cloudsdale.

"They're not," Fluttershy commented as she rubbed Angel's head. "I got him while I was on a vacation to the town called Ponyville. I got lost in the forest by the town and got really scared, only to be found by Angel. He was all alone, but he came up to me and tried to cheer me up. Then a bunch of different wild Pokémon showed up and we started playing together until the sun went down. Angel showed me the way back to the town, but I returned the next day and played with them again. When the week was up and I had to go home, I went to say goodbye to all my friends..." They watched as she reached down and picked the Bunnop up, hugging him close to her chest. "But Angel didn't want to say goodbye, and he followed me back to the village. It wasn't until we were on the plane that I found him in my bag. We've been together ever since."

Angel's previous demeanor disappeared, replaced by a happy and loving one as he rubbed his face into Fluttershy's chin.

"Awwww," Twilight and the rest of the Pokémon all said while Spike and Peewee just glared at the bunny. Before anything else could be said however, a loud outcry could be heard through the trees. The three teens and Pokémon all turned towards it. "Looks like the training's begun."

"Awesome," Spike replied before standing up. "Let's go watch."

Fluttershy shook at this idea, "Oh....should we? We might get in the way."

Twilight shook her head as she stood up. "As long as we stay near the treeline, I don't see that happening."

"Oh...okay." With that, they all moved over to where they had heard the outcry. When they got there, they spotted Flash and Skyler training. "What's he doing?"

Flash and Skyler were running, or flying, around the area at high speed. Flash had a large rock tied to his back, while Skyler was carrying two in his feet. The two looked like they were having trouble with the added weight, but refused to let it slow them down. At the side, Rainbow, Doc and Tank were watching, only to see Twilight and Fluttershy walk up them.

Twilight then chuckled at the sight as she nudged Fluttershy, "You see that? That's just Flash's way of training. He doesn't have his Pokémon do anything he's not willing to do. It's kind of his way of building teamwork."

"Oh..." Fluttershy gasped as she blinked at the sight.

As Flash and Skyler passed a marker, Doc looked down at his pocket watch. "Three seconds faster," he told the trainer.

"Now we'll beat that time," Flash said before turning to Skyler. "Ready to go again?"

Skyler nodded, "chick!"

After several more laps, each done faster than the last, they moved on to another exercise. This time, they tied rocks around Skyler's wings and had him lift them like dumbbells, while Flash lifted rocks of equal weight to him.

"They're strengthening different muscles depending on the exercise they're doing," Twilight explained as she pushed her glasses up her nose. "That'll strengthen Skyler's wings for sure."

Next, Doc had Flash and Skyler try to stand up high powered winds, courtesy of Tank. "Gust!" Rainbow yelled as Tank spun his rotor and created a powerful current.

Flash and Skyler were bombarded by the winds, with Flash trying to walk and Skyler trying to fly through it. "Come on!" Flash yelled over the winds, "we can do it!"

"Chick!" Skyler cried, only for him and his trainer to suddenly be blasted backwards.

"Oooooh! That had to hurt" Spike commented as him and Twilight flinched at the sight of them hitting the ground.

Fluttershy on the other hand, looked horrified as she gulped and asked,"Are they okay?"

Twilight nodded back, "They'll be fine,. It'll take more than that to knock them down."

"Come on you wimps," Rainbow barked out as the two of them laid out on the floor. "You gonna give up already?"

"No way!" Flash replied as he picked himself up.

"Chickling!" Skyler agreed as he did the same. Once they were back on their feet, the two of them rushed towards Tank as he fired off another Gust attack.

A few Gusts later, Doc was happy with their progress and decided it was time to actually learn the attack. "Okay you two, now its time that we can try and get the technique down. Try using Steel Wing the same way you use Wing Attack Skyler."

"Alright!" Flash cheered as he turned to Skyler and pointed at a nearby rock. "Let's do this! Use Steel Wing!"

"Chickling!" Skyler rushed toward the rock as his wings glowed, only to bounce off it with a flinch. "Chick!"

"That was Wing Attack," Rainbow said as she tapped her foot. "You'll need to do better than that!"

"Come on Skyler!" Flash told the Chickling. "Focus your energy. You can do it!"

"Chick..." Skyler moaned as he spread his wings and focused. Seconds later, his wings glowed once more, only to show a bit brighter light as a metallic shine could be seen. "LING!" Skyler shot forwards and swiped the rock, actually cutting it in two this time.

"Yes!" Flash cheered.

"Now that was a Steel Wing!" Rainbow added with a fist pump.

"Now, do it again!" Doc told them, clapping his hands. And again they did, only for Skyler's Steel Wing to fail. This went on for a good while. Skyler would attempt to use Steel Wing, but fail every now and again.

Eventually, they ran out of rocks, but Skyler had yet to use Steel Wing twice in a row. Flash grumbled at this, "Man...what aren't we getting?"

"I'm not sure," Doc added as he glared at Skyler. "It's obvious he now knows the attack, but the use of it is really inconsistent."

They all thought for a moment, only for Rainbow to snap her fingers. "I know! Let's battle again!"

Flash and Doc turned to her, Flash asking, "How's that gonna help?"

"Maybe Skyler needs to be in a real battle to get Steel Wing down. Let the instincts take over, ya know."

"Actually, that might just work." Doc turned to Flash, "its worth a shot."

Flash nodded before turning back to Skyler, "you ready for a rematch?"

Skyler rapidly nodded. "Chickling!"

Everyone had now returned to the first battlefield, Flash and Rainbow staring each other down along with their Pokémon doing the same thing. Flash then turned to his shoulder, "You ready Skyler?"

"Chickling!" Skyler chirped as he took to the skies.

"Let's do this Tank!" Rainbow cheered, raising a fist into the air.

"Tor!" Tank began to rotate his propeller, soon taking flight.

Twilight stepped between them and adjusted her glasses. "Alright, I'll be the referee for this as well. Now...Skyler verses Tank, second match." She raised both arms high before throwing them down. "Battle begin!"

"We'll start this off with our new move Skyler. Steel Wing!"

"Chick!" Skyler shot forward like a bullet, his wings glowing.

"Withdraw!" Rainbow ordered, Tank withdrawing into his shell as it glowed. But as he did this, Skyler's wing struck the shell, only to be sent flying back, his body spinning like a top.

"Yes!" Flash cheered, Skyler imitating his happiness.

Rainbow watched as Tank finally stopped his spinning, his head popping out while looking dizzy. Despite this, she smirked. "Well what do you know? This might actually be a challenge this time. Now, use Tackle!"

"Tor!" Tank dashed towards Skyler, his head retracting into his shell as he got closer.

Flash smirked. "Counter with Steel Wing!"

"Chick!" Skyler flew right as him, his wings glowing again. But as he did this, the light suddenly faded seconds before he tried to strike Tank.

BAM!

"Ling!" He cried as he was knocked back.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy gasped.

"What happened?!" Spike asked next. "I thought Flash had Steel Wing down."

Doc nodded in agreement, "So did we. There's something we're not seeing here."

"Ri, ri, rio!" Springer yelled in a cheering motion, the rest of Flash's Pokémon mimicking him.

Flash growled as he watched Skyler regain aerial stability. "What happened? I thought-"

"Rock Tomb!" Rainbow interrupted, Tank soon firing off the rocks from last time.

"Quick! Evade them as best you can!" Flash yelled as Skyler flared his wings, his now increased speed allowing him to outmaneuver the flying rubble. And as he dodged the last stone, Flash pointed at Tank, "Let's try this again. Steel Wing!"

"Chick...ling!" Skyler's wings once again glowed as he swiped at Tank, knocking the turtle away with a spin.

Rainbow watched as Tank spun, trying to stabilize himself. He soon managed to reach stability just above the ground, only to cut his rotor so he could land gently on the ground. "You okay?" Tank looked back at her and nodded.

Spike tilted his head at the sight, "I don't get it. Why'd Skyler manage to use Steel Wing now, but not before?"

"It's almost like he can't use the move twice in a row," Fluttershy added.

Doc heard this, which made his mind race as he quickly snapped his fingers. "Of course!" Fluttershy and Spike turned to him in confusion. "In order to pull off Steel Wing, Skyler needs to build up the energy in his wings. Since he's only just learned the move, he hasn't mastered that part, so his wings need time between Steel Wings to build up power. That's why he can't use it twice in a row yet."

Twilight frowned at this. "So Flash needs to be careful until Skyler can build up the energy."

"Use Gust!" Rainbow ordered, Tank spinning his rotor again to create a powerful air current.

The Chickling was struck by the wind and was starting to be pushed back, his form barely stable now. "Use your Gust!" He heard Flash order before beginning to flap his wings, creating his own air blast that countered Tank's and created a stalemate.

The two Gusts pushed at one another until finally, they began to spiral around, morphing into one big tornado. This made everyone go wide-eyed as the vortex started to grow, soon sucking them all in. "Everyone get down now!" Doc screamed over the force of the wind as everyone fought the wind.

"Skyler!" Flash told the Chickling, "you can stop now!"

Skyler did so, weakening his flaps, only to feel himself being dragged in the super-powered gust. "CHICKLING!" he cried as he vanished into spinning vortex.

"SKYLER!" Flash screamed in horror.

"Tank, cut the wind!" Tank did as he was told, but even after his Gust stopped, the tornado kept going. Everyone watched in horror at this, but then the wind started to fade when they saw a new surprising sight. It was Skyler, who was now flying around the edge of the tornado, surfing the inner winds with skill and control.

"No way!" Spike gasped, his jaw dropping with Peewee mimicking his mouth drop.

"How is he doing that?" Fluttershy asked.

"It must be from all the training," Doc answered. "Our work to increase his wing strength has made them strong enough to handle a tornado's power."

"AWESOME!" Spike cheered.

Both Flash and Rainbow had to agree with that, with Flash just happy that Skyler was okay. He then fist-pumped the air as he ordered, "Alright! Let's use that new strength plus the speed and aim it straight at Tank! Steel Wing!"

"CHICK!" Skyler shot out of the tornado with blinding speed, his wings once again glowing.

"Withdraw!" Tank once again retracted into his now glowing shell as the Chickling slashed the shell with his metallic wing.

"TOR!" Tank cried from within his shell, his body sent flying into the air. His rotor quickly spun, stopping him from hitting anything.

Flash smirked, knowing that the move had done heaps of damage. But when he looked at Skyler, he saw the little bird Pokémon was breathing hard, showing that riding the tornado had sapped a lot of strength. Despite this, Chickling turned and nodded at his partner, making Flash's smirk increase, "Double Team!"

"Ling!" Skyler's numbers multiplied, soon covering the sky with Chicklings.

"Good thinking." Doc commented with a rub of his chin, "using Double Team to defend until Skyler can use Steel Wing again."

However, Fluttershy just shook her head at this. "That won't stop Rainbow."

"Rock Tomb....MAX POWER!" Tank's shell once again glowed before unleashing a multitude of lights, all of them transforming into enough rocks to block out the light of the sun. Soon enough, they all began to fall towards the multiple Skylers.

"Dodge it!" Flash cried out.

The Skyler all began flying through the air, trying to get past the fall rocks. One by one though, the clones were all struck until only the true Skyler remained. "CHICKLING!" He yelled as he got past the last falling rock.

"Tackle!" Before Skyler could react, the turtle smashed into the bird, knocking him into the air.

"Level out! Get your balance back and use Steel Wing!" Flash ordered.

Skyler put all of his strength into his wings, flaring them to level out. His wings then started glowing, only to notice that the sun was being blocked from his vision. He then looked up, only to see the air tortoise staring down at him.

"Gust!" He heard Rainbow cry, causing Tank to point his rotor at Skyler as another air burst blasted the bird. He felt the wind slowly push him down, but his wings glowed as he tried to fight it with Steel Wing.

"You can beat it bud!" Flash told him. "Keep using Steel Wing! Cut the wind with it!"

"Keep up the pressure!" Rainbow exclaimed.

Tank and Skyler continued to fight against the others moves, Skyler trying to stop himself from being blown away while Tank tried to keep the wind to a level Skyler could not fight against. Eventually, one side had to give.

"CHICKLING!" Skyler cried as his Steel Wing ran out of power and he was pushed towards the ground.

"Let's end this! ROCK TOMB!"

"TOR!" Tank yelled as he unleashed another wave of stony projectiles, all of the instantly striking Skyler.

Everyone watched a repeat of the last battle, Skyler being thrown to the ground before being buried. "Skyler!" Flash screamed as he and his Pokémon rushed over and started digging him out, freeing the last rock to find Skyler in the exact same state he was at the end of the last battle.

"Skyler is unable to battle," Twilight proclaimed. "The victor is Tank and Rainbow takes the match."

Flash sighed as he held Skyler in his arms. But before he could say anything, he found a hand in front of his face holding an Oran Berry. He smiled as he took the berry and turned to the hand's owner. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Fluttershy replied as she hid behind her hair again.

Flash fed the Oran Berry to Skyler, who seemed to perk right up afterwards. "Well bud, we lost again."

"Chick..." Skyler replied sadly as he looked down.

"But it was a much closer match," Doc added as he patted Flash's back. "And with a little more practice, you'll be able to use consecutive Steel Wings as much as you like."

Spike nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Don't feel down Skyler, you were awesome! Especially the way you rode that tornado, that was really cool!"

"Terra," Peewee agreed.

"Ri."

"Ak."

"Fay."

"Scor."

Skyler turned to the rest of his teammates and nodded, happy for the support. He then turned to Rainbow and Tank, who were walking over to them with smirks on their faces. "You've definitely gotten way cooler," the prism haired girl told the tiny bird. "I'd say your about twenty percent cooler."

"Tor," Tank agreed.

Rainbow then turned to Flash with a big grin on her face before holding up a fist. "I've decided. From now on, you're my rival. With how fast you managed to pump up your Pokémon, having you challenging me is sure to get me to the next level."

Flash smirked at the girl, loving her enthusiasm. He raised his own fist and bumped hers, signifying the birth of a new rivalry. "You got it. And don't think I'm gonna lose to you next time we battle. You're going down."

Rainbow's expression turned to one of both cockiness and seriousness. "Sure I am."

Skyler flew down to where Tank was standing. "Chick, chickling." He held out his own curled up wing, wanting to mimic their trainers.

"Tor," Tank replied before slowly raising one of his front feet. The two bumped fists-err...wing and weird scaly foot thing, signifying their own rivalry.

With training and the battle over, the two groups packed up their belongings and were now ready to head out. Twilight then stepped up to Rainbow and Fluttershy, "Well, we'd best get going. It was nice meeting you two."

"Us too," Fluttershy replied, nodding before Angel hopped onto her head. The rabbit was looking a little bored at the prospect of having to do a long goodbye.

"Hopefully we'll run into each other soon," Rainbow told them as Tank hovered by her head. "And when we do, we can battle again."

"You know it," Flash told her with a thumbs up.

"Ri!" Springer cheered.

"Chickling!" Skyler began to wave its wing to say goodbye.

"Good luck in your next Gym Battle," Doc added.

"Hope you win," Spike finished.

"Terra."

"I will," Rainbow replied before turning to Flash. "You'd better win against the Gym Leader too," she held up her fist. "Now that you're my rival, you're not allowed to lose to anyone."

Flash smirked as he once again fist bumped her. "Don't worry about that. With my team, that Gym Leader's going down."

Twilight smiled at Fluttershy. "And I hope you manage to find what you want to do with your life."

Fluttershy nodded at this. "Thank you. I hope I do soon, and I hope you learn as much about the Pokémon world as possible." She and Twilight pulled each other into a hug, only to release just as Flash and Rainbow's fists disconnected.

With nothing more to say, the two groups turned and began walking away from each other. Though they were heading in to different directions, their paths were sure to cross again. Flash and Rainbow's quest to enter the Equestria League had linked their destines together. Now the two will compete against one another, and one day, they will battle. It will be here that a battle to decide which one is the better.

If you want to see that day, you'll have to stay tuned.

For the Love of Apples

View Online

Continuing their journey to Fillydelphia City and Flash's second Equestria Region Gym battle, our heroes have now arrived at a small farming community.

"Looks...quaint," Flash commented as they looked down at the town from the top of a hill, only to see just a village with nothing bigger than two story houses. The most high tech place they could see was the Pokémon Center.

"This should be a good place to rest and re-stock," Twilight added as she readjusted her glasses at the sight.

Spike smirked as he started walking ahead of them. "I've always wanted to see a real life farm," he said before taking a large breath, only for his face to scrunch up as he covered his nose in disgust. "Aww man! What is that smell?!"

"Terr!" Peewee yelped while mimicking Spike.

Flash laughed as he walked past Spike. "That's the smell of farm life, city boy. Get used to it."

"Ri!" Springer agreed as he mimicked Flash's movements.

"I say!" Doc moaned as he and Twilight covered their noses. "That's a pungent odor."

Twilight turned to Flash and growled, "How can you handle this?"

Flash just chuckled at her, "I grew up in an area similar to this. Smells like this were common, so I guess I'm immune to the smell."

"And Springer?" Doc asked. "Isn't his nose like, forty times stronger?"

Twilight shook her head at this question, "Actually, I've read that since they can sense emotions and aura, their other senses are lessened compared to other Pokémon."

"Oh, is that so?!" Doc slightly gasped, "Guess that's the fact of the day."

"Can we maybe just skip this town?" Spike asked, his voice distorted due to him pinching his nose.

"Oh come on, its not that bad." Flash replied while waving his hand, "And it probably won't be the last time we find ourselves in a place like this, so you guys might as well just get used to it now."

"He's got a point," Twilight agreed with a nod, only for her face to contort a bit more due to the smell.

"Besides, there's so much for us to see." Flash added as he spotted several Pokémon grazing calmly in the distance.

There were two types. The first was the smaller of the two, which looked like a cow, though its spots on its body was colored green. It stood on four legs and was about three feet in length from head to tail, with a cowbell like construct coming out of its neck. "Car..." it said as it took a bite out of the grass, "phase..."

The second looked similar to the first, though it was bit bigger and it stood on two legs. It sported a pair of large horns coming out of its head, and they looked as if they were made out of wood. Its stomach was green with four large udders, while its tail also had a cowbell on the end of it. "Grattle," it commented as it also bit into the grass.

"Who are they?" Spike asked as he pointed at the cow looking Pokémon.

"Those are Calfaze and Grattle," Twilight explained as Flash pulled out his Pokedex and scanned them.

Name: Calfaze
Category: Grazing Pokémon
Type: Normal/Grass
Info: It spends eighty percent of its time grazing. It can produce seeds, which it scatters as it eats to replenish its food source. One Calfaze can spend its whole life in a single field.

Name: Grattle
Category: Cattle Pokémon
Type: Normal/Grass
Info: The evolved form of Calfaze. Its horns are made of a strong wood like material, and it can produce over ten gallons of milk in an hour.

"So, this must a milk farm," Doc guessed.

Spike shrugged. "Looks like it, though that's an awful lot of cattle to have on a farm that grows turnips," he and Peewee both laughed as they pointed to a turnip sign by the farmhouse. But their laughter was short lived as the group suddenly felt their feet shake, making Spike gulp, "Uh...what was that?!"

"Earthquake maybe?" Flash answered as he tried to keep his balance. "It could be someone's having a Pokémon Battle and they're using that move."

"I guess its a possibility," Twilight added.

Just then, Spike spotted something that made him gulp again. "Or maybe...its that!" He pointed to a field a ways off, which the others all followed, only to see a large dust cloud in the distance.

"Is that what I think it is?" Flash asked in a full body shaking in fear tone.

"Stampede!" Doc yelled in reply.

They then saw the dust cloud get closer, only to see it was Calfaze and Grattle, all of them running at high speed and trampling anything that was in front of them. The mob quickly arrived at the previous field, crashing through the wooden fence. The Calfaze and Grattle inside looked up from their grazing and saw their brethren rushing towards them, scaring them enough to start running, only to join the stampede.

"That's really bad," Spike said as they watched the stampede break through the other side of the pen.

"And it just got worse. They're heading straight for town." Doc exclaimed as he pointed at the town in the distance.

Twilight gulped in fear. "With that many of them moving that fast, the place will be flattened!"

"Then we gotta stop them," Flash yelled as he and Springer began rushing toward the stampede.

"Wait! It's too dangerous!" Twilight cried out.

"I can't just do nothing!" Flash called back as he and Springer slid down a hill, trying to cut off the stampede as Flash pulled out a Pokeball, "Alright! Prongs...Come on out!" He threw the Pokeball into the air, soon opening to show his trusty grass Pokémon.

"Fay!" Prongs yelled as it landed.

Flash pointed at the stampeding Pokémon. "Alright Prongs, aim for a spot ahead of the stampede and use Leech Seed!"

"Fay..." Prongs aimed for the area as the horns on his head glowed. "THAWN!" The light shot off, flying into the air before arching back down and hitting the ground right in front of the stampede. Seconds later, vines shot out of the earth and created a wall of vines.

"Yes!" Flash cheered.

"Ri!" Springer added as he hopped up and down. Prongs was ready to cheer as well, only for the stampede to reach the wall of vines. Before it energy absorbing properties could take effect, the Calfaze and Grattle simply slammed through the vines, blasting them to pieces. The ones at the front had pieces of vine stuck to them, hanging from their horns or bell, but their mad rush continued.

"Oh boy," Flash gulped as he grabbed Springer and Prongs. He then leapt to the side, barely dodging the farthest Grattle. "Ow!" He moaned as he landed on the ground, picking himself up and rubbing his head. "That hurt..."

"Flash!" He looked up to see the others rushing towards him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Flash replied before turning back to the stampede, "but we've still got a problem."

Doc looked between the village and the raging Pokémon, "I hate to say it, but I don't think anything's gonna be able to stop them."

"But we have to do-"

"YEE-HAW!" yelled a new voice, making the group turn and see the owner of the voice. It was a girl riding a Ponyta who was about Flash and Twilight's age, with dark orange skin and blonde hair. She wore a green and white button up blouse along with a blue skirt that had a brown apple buckle belt. Brown knee high boots with apple patterns were on her feet, while a brown stetson adorned her head.

"Who's that?" Spike asked as he pointed at the girl.

"Hopefully someone who can stop those things." Twilight added as she blinked at the sight.

The girl and her Ponyta had now managed to catch up with the stampede, where she then pulled out a Pokeball. "Other side Winona!" She threw the ball into the air before it opened, releasing the red energy that flew to the other side of the stampede before taking shape.

It faded to reveal a dog like Pokémon with red and white fur. "Red!" It barked as it started to run, the two now trying to herd the stampede away from the town. But as they did this, the Pokémon refused to cooperate. They seemed determined to stay on course.

"Come on little doggy, turn!" The girl yelled, only for nothing to happen. Seeing this, she whistled, "Winona, put'em up!" The Pokémon named Winona barked before rushing to the front of the herd, spotting the Grattle at the very front that was leading the way. "Ha ha, gotcha!" The girl cheered when she saw it, only to pull out a lasso and spin it around before releasing, managing to get the lead Grattle around the neck. "Atta girl!" She cheered before pulling with all her might, she and Winona managing to get the Grattle to turn away. With this, happening, the two turned the stampede away just in time.

"Alright!" Flash cheered, along with this Pokémon.

"That was awesome!" Spike added.

"Amazing..." Twilight commented as she blinked at the sight.

"Indeed," Doc finished.

They all rushed over to the girl, who had managed to get the herd to finally stop and had gotten off her Ponyta. There, they saw her soothing the Grattle she had lassoed. "There there, little one. See? It ain't all bad."

"Excuse me?" Twilight piped in first, which made the girl turn towards them. "Sorry to bother you, but we would all like to say what you just did was incredible."

The girl slightly blushed as she tipped her hat. "Ain't a bother at all missy, and thanks fer da compliment. Name's Applejack."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"Names Flash, and this is my partner Springer."

"Ri."

"I'm Spike and this is Peewee."

"Terra."

"And I'm Time Turner, but you can call me Doc."

"Please ta meet ya'll," Applejack replied as she continued to pat the Grattle, "Sorry about what ya'll just had to see, but Mooriella here spotted an Ekans and got spooked." The Grattle mooed at this as Winona stepped up to Applejack's side.

"Who's that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled his Pokedex out.

Name: Redog
Category: Wandering Pokémon
Type: Ground
Info: This Pokémon is known for travelling the land in search of a trainer to be its master, who it will obey with unquestioning loyalty.

"Awww..." Spike said as he kneeled down and started petting the Redog, who affectionally barked at the attention. "she's so fluffy!"

Twilight turned back to Applejack. "I still must say, what you just did was amazing. You must be really experienced if you're able to do that."

"Thanks. Ah've been living on a farm ma'h whole life, so handling stampedes ain't nothing much."

"Does that mean you live here?" Doc asked, only for Applejack to shake her head.

"Naw, ah'm just visiting cousins. Rarity and me are actually travelling around Equestria right now."

"Rarity?"

"APPLEJACK!" The group turned towards the voice, only to see a bunch of Ponyta racing towards them. The gallopers came to a stop not too far from them, as one Ponyta that was carrying two people came to a stop. The one sitting behind the rider jumped down, revealing herself as a girl Applejack's age. She had white skin and violet hair, and was wearing a blue top along with a purple skirt that had three diamond patterns on them. She also wore purple knee height boots and gold bracelets.

"WOW!" Spike gasped as hearts appeared in his eyes.

"Is that normal?" Applejack asked as she pointed to the boy.

"Um...no actually." Twilight replied, blinking at her brother. "That's...new."

The girl rushed up to Applejack, looking concerned. "Applejack darling, thank goodness you were able to get them to stop before it was too late."

"No sweat Rares," Applejack replied before turning to Flash and the others. "These are some new friends. They were watching me do ma'h thing."

Everyone once again introduced themselves, though Twilight had to do it for her brother since Spike's ability to speak seemed to have strangely vanished. "Charmed. My name is Rarity." She then turned to Spike, raising an eyebrow at his strange behaviour. "Is he alright?"

"That's a million Poke'Doller question," Twilight replied as she poked his brother, only to get no response. "Spike? You okay?"

Before anyone could say anything else, the ones still riding the Ponyta began herding the Calfaze and Grattle back towards the farm. "We'd better get back too," Applejack said before turning to everyone else. "Ya'll are welcome to come with."

"Sure," Flash replied with a nod.

One transition to a farm later...

Soon enough, the group arrived at an area filled with many barns around a large house. Spike was the first comment, this being the first time he had spoken in a while. "Wow."

"An impressive farm," Doc added.

"Why thank you," they all turned to see a man walking towards them with cream skin and blue hair, "we worked hard to make it like this."

Applejack pointed at the approaching individual, "Everyone, this is my uncle, Red Delicious. He runs this farm."

"Thank yah Applejack, and thanks e'gen for stopping that stampede."

Applejack just nodded, "No problem, happy to help."

Red smiled before saying, "your grandmother will be proud to hear about this."

"Grandmother?"

Rarity turned and nodded. "Applejack and I come from a place named Applewood City. Her family run an orchid there that's the most productive farm in all of Equestria. Her Grandmother runs the place."

Applejack chuckled at the facts. "And one day, ah'll be running it. That's why Rarity and ah are travelling together. Thanks to this, ah can get the experience needed to run it."

"Cool," Flash said as he tilted his head with a cheeky grin. "So, are you on a badge quest too?"

Applejack nodded again. "Yup, and a've already won ma'h self two badges."

Twilight smiled at this, "That's great. We're on our way to Fillydelphia City so Flash can challenge the Gym."

"Oh, we've already been there. The place is absolutely fabulous darling."

As everyone smiled at that, Red turned to them. "Say, you kids wanna see how we do things here?"

"Sure," Flash replied, nodding.

"That does sounds fun," Twilight said with a happy clap.

"It'd definitely be interesting to see," Doc added.

"We'll be happy to show you," Applejack explained as she tipped her hat.

Over the next few hours, Applejack, Red Delicious and their family showed the rest of the gang how life on the farm worked. Twilight enjoyed grooming and caring for the Calfaze and Grattle, while Flash learned how to ride Ponyta, along with Doc, who found the milking process to be very interesting.

That is where we find our heroes right now, which was one of the barns with Red Delicious and several Grattle. They were standing next to a large machine, which had several identical sections that each had four nozzle like pipes sticking out of them. "The process is simple," Red explained before pulling out one of the nozzles and moving it over to Grattle. "Take a hose and turn it on to level one suction before attaching it to the udder." He did just that, the pipe beginning to make a quiet sucking sound.

They watched as the pipe was brought close to the udder, which was then sucked into the hose. Seeing this, Doc asked, "Then you switch to level two?"

"Exactly," Red replied before turning to switch. The sound increased, the transparent tub now slowly being filled with a white liquid.

"Impressive," Twilight commented next.

"Is the milk any good?" Flash asked.

Red laughed at this. "Its the best. The only thing that can compare to it is Moo Moo Milk. You won't find a better tasting milk in all of Equestria."

"Cool. You mind if we have a taste?"

"Of course," Red replied before moving over to where the machine was storing the milk.

"Ya'll in for a treat," Applejack said as she followed Red. "Not many people get the chance to taste fresh Grattle milk."

"I can't wait," Twilight replied, only for a bulb to go off in her head. She then pulled out her Pokeball, "why don't we let all our Pokémon have a taste?"

"Alright," Flash said as he took out his pokeballs and tossed them into the air, "come on out guys."

Four Pokémon coming out of pokeballs later...

"Chickling!"

"Aquana!"

"Hisscor!"

"Psychick!"

"Red!" Winona rushed over to the new Pokémon, Springer and Prongs running over with her.

Seeing this, Twilight turned to Rarity. "Don't you have a Pokémon?"

However, the question didn't settle with the girl. In fact, she started to shake as she twiddled her fingers. "I do...but I'm not sure bringing her out would be such a good idea."

Flash and Twilight gave each other a confused glance before Flash said, "What's the worst that could happen? We won't judge your Pokémon or anything."

Rarity sighed, shaking her head as she presented a Pokeball. "Its not that. Its more...here, maybe it would be better to show you. Opalescence, come on out darling." The ball opened and released the red energy, which hit the ground and took shape.

It then faded to reveal a white cat like Pokémon, with different colored gemstones growing out of its fur. It also had what looked like a jewel encrusted collar around its neck, along with a jewel encrusted bow on its head. "Op," it whispered before looking down at the ground. As soon as it saw what it was on, it hissed before leaping into the air.

Rarity acted fast and caught her, holding the Pokémon close to her chest before petting it. "I know, I know. I just thought you'd like to meet some new friends." The Pokémon looked around and saw Springer and the others, only to hiss at them.

The Pokémon as stepped back in surprise, while the trainers all frowned. Applejack just shook her head, "Sorry bout her. Opal's got a bit of an attitude."

Flash pulled out his Pokedex and scanned her.

Name: Opaline
Category: Jewel Cat Pokémon
Type: Dark
Info: Usually found in cities, this Pokémon can make the jewels on its body glow to ward off predators at night. They love shiny things and will often steal anything that catches their attention.

Twilight crossed her arms. "What an...interesting Pokémon."

"I apologize," Rarity told them as she kept petting the cat. "Opal's a little spoiled and hates being around anything that might get her dirty."

"Kind of like her owner," Applejack added.

Rarity just glared at her with a pout, "What was that?!"

"Nothing," Applejack replied, her face hiding a tiny smirk.

In that moment, Red returned carrying a tray holding a jug of milk and several cups. Everyone and their Pokémon took a cup, which Red soon filled with milk. He then gave Rarity the tray, which she placed Opal on so she could drink hers. Everyone then took a sip, only for them to suddenly find themselves in heaven.

"Wow...talk about good." Flash said first.

"No contest," Twilight added as she blinked at the cup. "The best milk I've ever tasted."

Doc nodded. "Texture, flavor and smell...they're all perfectly balanced."

Applejack shined a big grin, "What did I tell you?"

"The truth. This is truly fabulous darling," Rarity replied.

The Pokémon all let out happy sighs as well, the only one apparently not enjoying it being Opal, though she quickly finished it off. At the same time, Spike, who had not said a word since meeting Rarity, squatted down to look at her, "hey there, kitty cat. Want some more?" He poured a little of his into her cup, which she gladly began to lick up. "There, isn't that nice?" He tried to pet the Opaline, only for a hiss to follow with a scratch of the claws, "OW!" He yelped as he leapt up, his hand now having scratch marks on it.

Rarity rushed over to him, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry. Opal doesn't like strangers in her personal space." She took his hand in hers and looked it over, causing the boy to blush.

"That's fine," he said in a dazed voice. "Barely felt a thing."

Flash saw this and smirked, only to lean over to Twilight before whispering into her ear. "Looks like someone's got a crush."

"I know," Twilight replied, giggling at the sight. "You think it'd be mean if I took a picture of those two and sent it to my parents?"

"Maybe a little," Doc added.

Flash then took one last big gulp of his milk, his Pokémon all doing the same as they finishing the drink before turning to Applejack. "Hey AJ, I was wondering..."

Applejack turned towards him. "What's up partner?"

"Since you've got two badges, you must be strong. So what do you say about battling with me?"

Applejack chuckled at his proposal. "Well, I'd say that sounds like a hoot and a half. Sure, why not?" She then turned to Red, "Know any place for a battle?"

Red just nodded, "Absolutely."

One transition to an empty field later...

Flash and Applejack were now standing in an open field just outside of the farm. Red, Twilight, Rarity and Spike were there, all of them standing by the fence while Doc stood between the two trainers. "Are you both ready?"

"I am," Applejack replied before looking down at Winona. "Let's do this partner."

"Red!" The Redog barked before pouncing in front of her trainer.

Flash on the other hand, was looking over his team. "Who should I use? Redog's a Ground-Type, so anyone except Viper will be a good match up."

"Scor," Viper frowned before slivering over to the others.

"Thanks Vip, sorry about this." Flash told him as he continued to glance at his team. "Now then, who should I pick?"

Before he could make a decision, Prongs rushed up to his leg and started butting it with his head. "Fay! Thawn!"

"Prongs? You wanna battle Winona?"

"Fay!" Prongs replied, quickly nodding his head.

"I see you're pumped," Flash said before smirking. "I like that enthusiasm! Alright then, I choose you!"

"Fay!" The Thawn leapt in front of him as Springer and the others moved to the side.

"Good luck Prongs!" Twilight cheered.

"Hit her once for me!" Spike added.

"Terr!"

Doc then clapped his hand, silencing everyone, "Alright, that's enough. Now, the battle of Flash and Prongs against Applejack and Winona will now begin. The battle will be over when I declare one of them unable to battle, is that understood?" Both trainers and Pokémon nodded, "then...battle, begin!"

"Quick Attack!" Applejack ordered, Winona shooting forwards at blinding speed. Before Flash or Prongs could react, the Redog struck the Thawn.

"Fay!" Prongs cried as he staggered back.

"Keep it together Prongs!" Flash told him. "Let's use Tackle!"

Prongs immediately halted as the command went through his ears. A second later, his deer body struck the dog, knocking her back. The dog quickly righted herself, only to begin rushing around the field. Prongs followed her and the two seemed to suddenly enter a test of speed, with one charging at the other, only to dodge each others' attack.

"Fay!" Prongs yelled as he tried to tackle Winona, who leapt to the side to evade.

"Red!" Winona spun around and attempted a Quick Attack, but Prongs used his strong legs to leap over her.

The two then came to stop, only for their trainers to say, "Double Kick/Dig!" Prongs rushed towards Winona, who leapt into the air before pointing down at the ground. Before Prongs could strike, she shot into the earth, leaving a large hole in the ground. The Thawn came to a stop due to this, now unable to see the dog.

"That could be a problem," Spike commented.

"Agreed. Flash has no clue where Winona will pop up," Twilight added.

"Ri," Springer gulped. "Ri riolu."

"Chick/Aq/Scor!" The rest of Flash's team cheered for their fellow Pokémon.

Prongs and Flash both looked around, but there was no sign of Winona. "Where is it?" Flash asked, only for his answer to arrive as the ground beneath Prongs suddenly exploded, Winona slammed into the unsuspecting deer. The grass fawn was sent flying as his ears heard his trainer order. "Energy Ball!" Still in the air, Prongs turned to Winona and opened his mouth, a ball of energy forming and firing at the dog.

"Redog!" Winona cried as the orb exploded, her body now being sent rolling along the ground, Prongs landing not too far off.

"Quick! Before it recovers, use Leech Seed!"

"Fay..." Prongs aimed his now glowing horns at the Redog, "THAWN!" The light shot off, flying into the air before arching back down and hitting Winona.

"Red!" Winona cried as the seeds exploded into a series of vines that quickly wrapped around her. She then felt the vines power as they started to drain the energy out of her.

"You okay Winona?" Applejack asked her, getting a weak nod in response. But as she did this, red energy surged around Winona as the vines continued to drain her. The trainer growled at the sight as she pointed at Prongs, "Don't stop partner! Its time to bring out the big guns, so use Quick Attack!"

"Red!" Winona barked as she hopped up and ran towards the fawn like a bullet.

Flash saw this and yelled, "dodge it!" Prongs leapt to the side, just in time to miss the speedy attack.

"Now, use Fire Fang!" Winona turned and opened her mouth, flames consuming the molars inside. Before anyone could say anything, she thrusted her head forwards and bit down on Prong's back.

"THAWN!" Prongs screamed as Winona lifted him into the air by her mouth, preventing him from getting away as the flames burnt him.

"Prongs!" Flash yelped.

"That looks like a really strong move," Spike commented.

Rarity nodded. "And with Grass being weak to Fire, the damage is even more so."

Red nodded. "Flash needs to get his Thawn out of there, and fast."

"Maybe not," Twilight added as she rubbed her chin at the sight. They all looked at her in confusion, just before a flash of red made them look back.

"Red!" Winona yelped as the Leech Seed flared, making her drop Prongs.

"Fey..." Prongs panted as he landed and leapt away. That Fire Fang had done a lot of damage, meaning another one might end the match.

"Alright. We can't get too close anymore Prongs," Flash told his Pokémon as he pointed at Winona. "Alright, use Energy Ball!"

"Fey....THAWN!" Prongs yelled as the green projectile flew out of his mouth.

"Use Dig!" Winona leapt into the air before burrowing once again, dodging the Energy Ball.

"Oh no you don't! We're not gonna fall for that trick twice," Flash said before pointing at his Pokémon. "Prongs, don't stay in the same spot! Rush around until it shows itself."

"Fey!" Prongs did just that, the fawn now jumping around in a random pattern. This lasted for about a full minute before Winona came up, smashing out of the ground in an area Prongs had occupied only seconds before.

"Too slow! Double Kick now!"

Prongs spun like a top, quickly putting its back legs toward the Redog, "Thawn!" He bucked his hind legs up, slamming into Winona.

"Winona!" Applejack cried as she watched her loyal partner hit the ground with a thud. Winona tried to pick herself up, only for the Leech Seed to once again flare, sucking more energy out of her. "Dag nab it, he's right. Those vines are slowin her down and sucking too much power! I gotta do some-that's it!" Applejack exclaimed as she pointed to her trusty Pokémon, "Time to even the playing field! Winona, Sandstorm!"

Winona picked herself up, only to let out a loud howl, which seemed to cause sand to appear out of nowhere and cover the field. Everyone cried out as they shielded their eyes, the windswept sand assaulting them as Spike yelped, "I can't see!"

"Applejack!" Rarity screeched as she put her hands over her hair, "you're ruining my hair!"

"What's happening in the battle?" Twilight asked as she started rubbing her glasses.

Flash tried to look at the battle, only for his eyes to just squint, "Augh! I can't see a thing! How are we supposed to battle, if we can't even see?!"

"Simple," Applejack replied as she snapped her fingers, "like this, Quick Attack!"

Prong's eyes were forced shut, the sand striking them if he didn't, making it impossible for him to see what happened next. From out of nowhere, something fast slammed into him. "Fay!" He staggered to the side, only to once again be struck by it again.

The fact was, Winona could not see through the sand either, but she could smell through it, allowing her to pick up Prong's scent. "That's it girl!" Applejack cheered as she pointed ahead. "Now use Fire Fang!"

Flash groaned, not sure how they were tracking Prongs but he knew he had to do something. "Move Prongs! Don't let that hit you!" Prongs tried to leap out of the way as he felt a presence appear next to him, only to then feel the flames once again grab hold. "Prongs!" He cried as he heard the Thawn yell out.

Applejack just shook her head. "Sorry Flash. At the start, they were even, then ya'll used Leech Seed to slow Winona down. But now she's even faster then she normally is."

"What?!" Flash yelped, "How?!"

"Sand Rush!" Twilight cried out over the sound of the wind. "Its Redog's ability! It increases speed in sandstorms!"

"So Winona's faster than Prongs now?" Spike asked.

"I'm afraid so," Rarity added. "Plus, the sandstorm will be doing damage to Prongs as well."

Flash frowned at hearing this, his hands now slapping the side of his head. "I've gotta stop that thing, but how? What can I use to....wait." A bulb went off in his head, though he wasn't fully sure of the idea. Despite this, he pointed forward and yelled, "Prongs! Charge up an Energy Ball and make it as strong as you can!"

"Fay?!" Prongs yelped, only for his mouth to open, "Faaaaaay!" The ball of energy appeared in his mouth and grew bigger and bigger by the second. Eventually, it was so big that the light allowed everyone to see it through the sand.

Applejack laughed at the sight. "All ya'll did was make it easier for us to hit yah. Winona, finish this with Fire Fang!"

"Red," Winona's mouth once again became flames as she ran at the deer.

But Flash was ready this time. "Prongs! Leap up and fire the Energy Ball at the ground!"

"Fay...." Prongs did as he was told, putting all his strength into his legs before jumping upwards. "THAWN!" He tossed the orb towards the ground, the impact sight being only inches from where Winona had run up to.

Kaboom!

The small explosion rocked the ground, knocking a certain Pokémon off its feet. "REDOG!" Winona cried as its body along with the sand flew through the field.

Everyone blinked at the sight, Rarity being especially amazed, "That was incredible."

"That's Flash," Twilight added as she adjusted her glasses.

"Ri/Chick/Aq/Scor!" Flash's Pokémon all cheered, happy their teammates were able to pull it off. They then stared at the field, seeing both Prongs and Winona standing there, heavy pants coming out of their mouths. The battle had seriously put them through the paces, meaning only one thing.

"The next Pokémon to land a hit will likely win," Doc said to himself.

Both Flash and Applejack also realized this, and both pointed at the opposing Pokémon. "Use Tackle/Quick Attack!"

"Fay/Red!" The two bum-rushed each another, both ready to end this. Without the sandstorm and the Leech Seed still zapping her, Winona's Quick Attack was reduced to Prong's top speed. So when the two finally clashed, they did so at equal force. "THAWN/REDOG!"

It was over in a flash, the two bashing their bodies into each other, only for both to stagger back. Then, before they could do another attack, both fell to the ground, landing in a huff as spirals filled their eyes. "Fay/Red..." they moaned out.

"Prongs/Winona!" The trainers cried out as Doc raised is arms.

"Both Pokémon are unable to continue. I declare this match a draw."

Flash and Applejack soon kneeled down at their partner's sides. "You okay there bud?" Flash asked Prongs.

"Fay..." the Thawn groaned, closing its eyes with a slight pant.

"You doin okay there Winona?" Applejack asked, getting a sloppy lick on the cheek in response. "Ah'll take that as a yes then."

As they both picked their partners up, the rest of the group moved over to them. "That was an amazing battle," Twilight told them.

"It was indeed an enjoyable spectacle to behold," Rarity agreed, nodding.

Doc nodded as well. "Both sides showed off their skills greatly, and it was enjoyable to watch."

"Yeah!" Spike and the other Pokémon cheered.

"Aw shucks, that's mighty kind of ya'll." Applejack replied with scratching the back of her head, a slight blush appearing on her face.

Flash turned to Applejack. "Looks like we'll have to settle this another time." He held out his hand, which Applejack gladly shook.

"Ya'll bet we will." The next thing they knew, a loud growling sound caught all of their attentions. Applejack laughed as she tipped her hat, "Sorry bout that. Farm work and battlin bound to make anyone hungry."

Red stepped up to them. "Why don't ya'll come in and have somethin to eat while ya'll Pokémon rest up. I've also got a spare room to if ya'll wanna stay the night."

Twilight quickly nodded at this. "We'd love to. Thank you sir."

"And I'm willing to help out with the cooking to," Doc told him. "It's the least I could do."

"Thank yah. That's mighty kind of yah," Red replied as he gestured to follow him to the house.

That night...

After a delicious dinner courtesy of Doc, Red and Applejack with Grattle Milk included, everyone headed to their rooms to get a good nights sleep. Flash, Doc, Spike and their Pokémon had a room for the boys, all of them instantly falling asleep. Twilight, Applejack and Rarity on the other hand, were still getting ready for bed in a guest room for the girls. Twilight was now wearing a light blue top and dark blue pants, Applejack had on a blue onesie with white apples on them and Rarity was wearing a purple nightdress with a white collar and blue bow.

"Thanks Rarity," Twilight said as the girl behind her brushed her hair.

"No problem darling," Rarity replied as she began smoothing out the hair, "I must say darling, you keep yourself well maintained. Its nice to see another girl doing that."

Applejack, who was laying on her bed with Winona curled up at her feet, shook her head at them. "Ah don't know why ya'll doing that. Ya'll know you'll be sleeping on your hair in a few minutes."

Rarity rolled her eyes at this. "It's about self respect darling. A girl needs to look good no matter what she's doing."

"Right..." Applejack grumbled as she closed her eyes.

Rarity let out a huff before finishing Twilight's hair, still slightly disgruntled from Applejack's comment. She then grabbed a nearby light blue bag, which she opened and pulled out a rectangular box. The girl was about to put her brush inside, only for Twilight to ask, "What's in there?"

Rarity turned to her, then looked back down at the box. "Oh, um...inside is some family heirlooms that my parents gave to me before we left home. Would you like to see them?"

"Sure," Twilight replied as she watched Rarity reach into her pajamas and pull out a key that was on a chain around her neck. She then unlocked the box, opening it to show three gems that all had the same size and shape. The only differences were their colours, one being red, blue and green. They were all around the size of a Pokeball, each sitting in the cushioned interior. Twilight's eyes went wide at seeing them as Rarity took the red one out and handed it to her. "Are these what I think they are?"

Rarity smiled and nodded. "If you think that they're a Power Ruby, Power Sapphire and Power Emerald, then you'd be right darling."

"Incredible..." Twilight gasped as she looked the jewel over. "One on it's own is incredibly rare, but having all three....that's amazing Rarity."

"Thank you," Rarity replied as she saw that Opaline was curled up next to her, her hand soon stroking the sleeping Pokémon, "My parents thought they might bring me good luck on my journey since I wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of leaving."

Twilight tilted her head at this, confusion in her eyes. "You didn't want to go on your Pokémon journey?"

Rarity let out a sigh as she shook her head, "Well...no, I did want to travel. But I was planning for a more direct route between locations, only for my parents to tell me that I need to experience the world in the 'right way'." She looked over at her travel companion, "that's why they made me travel with Applejack. They knew she would walk through the region and only use things like trains when absolutely necessary."

"Darn tootin," Applejack replied as she chuckled at Rarity's statement. "Where's the fun in a Pokémon journey if ya'll just road the rails all the time? Sides, how are yah suppose to catch Pokémon that way?"

Rarity looked away as a huff released itself from her mouth, "To be honest, I'm not even sure why I'm on this journey. Applejack is travelling so she can learn to run her families farm. You're trying to learn everything you can about Pokémon, while your friend Flash is training to become the best trainer he can be. But me...I don't know what I want in life. I don't even know if I want it to involve Pokémon."

Applejack sat up and patted her friend's shoulder. "There's nothin wrong with that Rares. That's the whole point of you going on this journey is so ya'll can figure out what yah wanna do."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "She's right. There's a lot of jobs in the world and many of them don't have to involve Pokémon. My mom's an editor while my dad's an accountant, and they don't have Pokémon partners. If what you want to do doesn't involve them, that's nothing to be ashamed of."

Rarity shined a small smile, "Thank you darling. And who knows, maybe my life will involve Pokémon. I just need to find the right thing for me."

Early next morning...

Flash let out a deep yawn as he and the others had been awoken at sunrise by the rest of the farm's members. Now, they were all washed, dressed and ready to head out. Flash, Springer, Twilight, Spike, Doc and Peewee stood in front of the house where Red Delicious, Applejack, Rarity and their Pokémon stood.

"Welp, we're heading out." Flash said as he gave the others a salute. "Thanks for the great hospitality."

"No problem." Applejack replied while tipping her hat, "We're gonna stick around here for a little while before moving on. As fer ya'll, good luck in your Gym battle."

"Thanks." Flash shined a big grin. "And next time we meet, our battle will have an outcome."

"Ri!" Springer cheered, pounding his fist into paw.

Rarity giggled at this. "Oh, I do so hope we get to meet each other again."

"Same here," Twilight replied, nodding.

Spike stepped up to Opal, "see you around." He tried once again to pet her, only for the jewel cat to swipe at him viciously. This time he was ready and quickly pulled his hand back with a terrified look on his face.

Rarity shook her head at this as she stepped up to him and bent down to his eyes level. "Don't take it personally Spikey Wikey. She does that with everybody."

Spike blushed once again as he put his hands behind his back. "I won't, I promise." Peewee laughed at this, making him glare at him while whispering. "Shut up!"

"Well, we'd better get going," Doc said as he turned around, gesturing for his friends to follow. The rest of our heroes followed suit, heading towards the exit of the farm while Red, Applejack and Rarity waved them off, all saying their goodbyes. A journey to a farm has sparked a new friendship and a new rivalry. What will happen the next time our heroes meet Applejack and Rarity? You'll have to keep reading to find out.

Pinkie-Licious

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Continuing on his quest to become a Pokémon master, Flash and his friends find themselves at yet another quiet little town. They were now currently all resting in the village's park, enjoying a picnic lunch prepared by Doc.

"This is great Doc," Flash commented as he took another bite of his sandwich.

"Yeah. Its absolutely delicious," Twilight added as she finished hers' off before sipping down the last of her juice. She then watched Spike stuff his mouth with the entire sandwich before gulping down his drink, then began mumbling something through the food. "Spike, don't talk with your mouth full." She tossed a napkin at him, telling him to wipe the crumbs off his face.

Spike did as he was told while he continued to eat, "Sorry, but this stuff's so good! I wanna eat all of it now!"

Doc laughed at this as he finished his own sandwich. "That's nice and all, but I think I'd prefer it if you slow down and savor the food Spike. Besides, I doubt you'd enjoy it if you accidently choked yourself."

At the same time, Springer, Owlicious, Skyler, Riptide, Prongs, Viper and Peewee were happily munching on the pellet-like food that had been laid out for them. Much like Spike, both Riptide and Peewee shoved as much of the food in their mouths as possible, which led them to finishing first.

"Ak/Terr..." the two moaned as they sat there staring at their now empty bowls, the others still eating at a regular pace. For a moment, the two thought about somehow swiping some of their teammate's food, but doubted their trainers would let that go unpunished. As they instead just sat there staring, their noses suddenly twitched. It was the smell of food, and it was behind them.

As the others continued to enjoy their meals, the two little Pokémon stood up and began to follow the smell. The duo soon found themselves going through a barrage of bushes, where they soon found the source of the smell. Sitting on a park bench was Pokémon they had never seen before. It looked like an alligator, with mainly dark green skin and a light green underbelly along with a light green lower jaw. It was about two foot in length with a half foot long tail, and it sported a pair of large bright purple eyes. It was currently staring at a plate that had some kind green muffin, though its body didn't move an inch.

Riptide and Peewee moved over to the bench and looked up at the Pokémon, Riptide asking what it was currently eating. However, the little Pokémon didn't reply. In fact, it didn't even seem to notice them as it just stood there. Peewee then asked it if it was okay, only to also not receive an answer. The two then blinked at the sight of the motionless Pokémon, their faces soon turning red in frustration at being ignored.

Then, the little Pokémon did something. It opened its mouth, revealing it to be completely toothless as a long tongue shot out and hit the muffin. It slowly licked the muffin, then retracted the tongue back into its mouth. Riptide and Peewee shared a confused look at the sight before climbing up onto the bench. They looked down at the muffin before pulling off a small chunk, which they both popped into their mouths. Seconds later, their bodies shivered at the bitter taste that moved through their bodies.

"AK/TERRA!" They both cried as they stuck out their tongues.

Before they could say anything else, the sound of giggling made the two look up. There, they spotted a girl with light pink skin and puffy dark pink hair, wearing a white shirt with a heart on the front along with a blue vest. She also wore a pink skirt that had three balloons on them, and blue knee high boots. The girl stood behind the bench and smiled down at duo. "Hi there, are you new friends of Gummy?!" Riptide and Peewee gave her a confused look, both tilting their heads at the question before she continued to speak, "I'm guessing that bitter Poke-Muff wasn't to your taste, was it?" She then shoved both hands into her hair before pulling out a red and a blue colored variant of the muffin. "Here, try these instead."

The two once again shared a look, only to shrug it off as they took the treat into their mouths.

Back with Flash and the others, they had finished their meals and were all beginning to pack up. As Twilight collected the empty Pokémon dishes, she spoke up, "Uh...guys. We have a problem."

Everyone turned to her as Flash asked, "What is it?"

"We're missing two. Riptide and Peewee aren't here."

"What?" Flash and Spike yelped before looking around, soon seeing she was right.

"This isn't good," Doc added.

"Peewee!" Spike called out. "You around here!?"

Flash and Twilight returned all the Pokémon except Springer, who Flash leaned down and asked, "Can you pick up on their auras?"

"Ri," Springer nodded before closing his eyes and focusing. After a few seconds, his ears flared up as he found what he was looking for. "Riolu!" He turned and rushed into the bushes, the others following after him. It wasn't long till they found the bench, complete with Riptide, Peewee and the pink teen with her alligator Pokémon.

"Riptide! What are you doing?!" Flash yelled to Riptide, who just ignored him as he munched down on a blue muffin.

"Peewee!" Spike saw his Terragon eating a red muffin. "Why'd you run off?"

Peewee, like Riptide, didn't look up at him as he was too focused on his meal. It was here that the girl by them suddenly disappeared, only to reappear right in front of the group.

"Hiya!" She cheerfully said as she presented her head, "I'm Pinkie Pie, nice to meet you! Are these your Pokémon, cuz they're really cute! Wanna be friends?"

The four humans and their Pokémon all stared at her without blinking, already overwhelmed by the girl's excitement before Flash spoke up, "Uhhh….hi. My name is Flash, and this is my partner Springer."

"Ri," Springer added in a confused tone.

"I'm Twilight," the bespectacled girl next to him continued. "And this is my brother..."

"Spike," the youngest added.

"And you can call me Doc," Doc finished.

Flash turned to Riptide, who had finished his Poke-Muff, and crouched down so he was eye level. "Hey! You gave us a scare Riptide. You should know better than to wonder off."

Riptide looked down at this, "Aquana…."

"You too Peewee," Twilight told the Terragon, whose mouth was still wide open.

Pinkie stepped between the trainers and Pokémon. "Sorry about that, but I think this is all my fault. I think my Poke-Muff's smell caught their attention." She pulled another Poke-Muff out of her hair, this time pink, and shoved it in her mouth before continuing, "You know how it is. A strong smell gets up your nose and you can't help but follow it."

Flash frowned at her before rubbing his chin, "Poke-Muffs? Where have I heard that name before?"

Twilight turned to him while confidently readjusting her glasses. "Poke-Muffs are a kind of treat for both humans and Pokémon. They're made with berries, which change their flavor."

Hearing this made Flash snap his fingers, "That's right! I remember now...my Grandmother always made them for her Pidgeot."

"Yup," Pinkie replied as she picked up Gummy and held him to her chest, "they're mine and Gummy's favorite treats!"

Flash glanced at Gummy before pulling out his Pokedex.

Name: Gumigator
Category: Toothless Pokémon
Type: Water/Normal
Info: Because it has no teeth, it uses its powerful long tongue to wrap up its food and crush it into paste. It's large eyes allow it to see far, even underwater.

Everyone stared at the Gumigator as it didn't move despite being held by Pinkie. They all blinked at the sight, slightly disturbed that the Pokémon wouldn't even move. Seeing this, Twilight asked, "Is he uh...is he okay?"

In reply, Pinkie just laughed. "He's fine. This is normal for him."

"If you say so," Spike replied despite not looking convinced.

Doc turned to him and patted his head. "Every Pokémon has its own unique personality Spike. Best not to judge, as that's what makes them so special."

"Yup yup yup!" Pinkie replied before hugging Gummy tightly. "And Gummy's extra special!" Her eyes then went wide as a bulb went off in her head. "Hey, that reminds me! There's a special Poke-Muff class going on today in town and they said they need a few more people! I bet it'd be super fun if we all took it together."

This suggestion surprised the group, only for Flash to hum in agreement, "Um...sure. I'm game." Flash then turned to his companions. "Its not like we can do anything right now since its a little late to leave town."

Twilight opened her journal, only to see a weather report, "Not only that, its suspected to rain tonight. Best not to hit the road." She closed the journal as she looked back at Pinkie, "At the same time, it sounds like it would be a great learning experience. I'm in, especially if its something I don't know."

"I'm always up for anything if food's involved," Spike added, Peewee nodding in agreement.

"Same here," Doc finished as he snapped his fingers. "It would allow me to expand my culinary skills ten fold."

"Then it's settled! Follow me!" Pinkie cheered as she marched through the village. They all soon left the park, only to arrive a small bakery in town that Pinkie gestured too with a huge smile, "Welcome, to Sugarcube Corner!"

The others stepped inside and saw the place was filled with sweet treats of many kinds, all for both humans or Pokémon. It was here that a plump woman stepped in from another room. She had blue skin and pink swirling hair while wearing a yellow dress along with a white apron. "Hello dearies. What can I get for you all?"

Pinkie's smile brightened. "We're here for your cooking class!"

"Oh? That's wonderful! I'm Mrs. Cake. Please, come on into the back." She stepped into the room she had just exited, with the others following afterwards. They soon found themselves in a large kitchen area with many different cooking machines filling it.

Working on one of those machines was a lanky man with yellow skin, orange hair and dressed in a blue shirt, brown pants and apron. The man looked up from his work and smiled at the group. "Ah, more new students? This'll be fun, I'm sure of it. I'm Mr Cake, nice to meet you."

Everyone smiled and introduced themselves. Soon, the they were all wearing aprons and learning the basics of Poke-Muff baking. It started with Mrs. Cake lecturing, "Okay everyone, making Poke-Muffs is like making normal muffins, but with special berries in the mix. You start by making the muffin dough, which requires the following ingredients." She placed a large bowl in front of her and began filling it. "One and a half cups of flour, three quarters of a cup of sugar, two tea spoons of baking powder and a half tea spoon of salt. Once they're all together, mix it until all the ingredients are combined into one."

Everyone started to follow these instructions. Flash and Spike seemed to just bung their ingredients in, while Twilight and Doc carefully measured theirs out. Pinkie seemed to be doing the same as Flash and Spike, but her portions looked more like Twilight and Doc's.

"Good," Mr. Cake said as he saw everyone had finished the first part. "Now, we need the berries." He motioned for them to follow as he stepped over to a walk-in fridge and opened it up. Everyone stepped inside and found themselves in berry-topia. The fridge's shelves were filled to the brim in berries, and all of them appeared to be divided into five sections: red, blue, yellow, green and a pink area.

Mr. Cake turned back to them. "Now you pick your berries. To help you, each section has a berry with a certain taste. Spicy, dry, sour, bitter and sweet."

"Awesome!" Spike cheered as he started grabbing berries from each section, "I'm gonna make the world's best Poke-Muffs, so I'll combine all the best looking berries into one!"

The rest of the group all started picking their own berries, Twilight being the slowest as she started with a Tanga Berry, "Let's see...this looks good. Though I will admit, this one has a little less luster than it could have. Hmm..."

Meanwhile, Flash was in the blue section. "Let's see. Maybe...this one," he grabbed a Wiki Berry followed by a Charti Berry. "This one too."

"You look good," Doc picked up a Jaboca Berry, his wrist twisting around as he examined every bit of the berry. "Yes, definitely a high-quality berry."

Pinkie also picked several berries, picking them without a second's hesitation. Once everyone had their pick, they headed back into the kitchen and got to work. They pealed the berries and chopped them up before placing them into pans of boiling water. Everyone watched as they all melted, mixing with the water to become a thick liquid that were many different colors.

Seeing them all ready, Mr. and Mrs. Cake continued. "Now, we need to mix the liquid in with the dough."

Mr. Cake then added, "Remember to make sure not to beat the batter. Doing so will make the batter tough and hard to eat, which will ruin the enjoyment of the treat."

Everyone nodded and got to work, mixing the stuff together. Once the two were combined, Pinkie dipped two fingers into it before licking on clean. "Ummm," she moaned before holding to other finger out to her Gumigator, "wanna try?" Gummy opened his mouth and shot out a tongue, which licked up the dough before sucking it into its mouth. Then...nothing. It just stood there without blinking. It was here that Pinkie cheered, "You like it? Great!"

"How can she tell?" Spike asked, blinking at the sight in pure confusion.

Flash took out a spoonful and tried it, liking the taste. "Not bad..." he offered some to Springer. "What do you think bud?"

The Riolu licked it up before smiling and giving a thumbs up, "Riolu!"

With the batter thoroughly mixed, the Cakes had them separate the treats into muffin dishes before placing them in the oven. As they waited, Twilight turned to Pinkie, "So Pinkie...what are you doing? You must be on a Pokémon journey, right?"

"Yup, yup, yup," Pinkie chimed as she bent down and scratched Peewee on the back of the head, a technique she used on Gummy many times and was certainly giving the Terragon a great deal of joy.

Flash slightly raised an eyebrow at this, "Let me guess, badge quest?"

Pinkie rapidly shook her head, "Nope! I'm not collecting badges. I'm just travelling because it's fun."

"Fun?" Doc asked next.

"Yuperooni! I wanna see the world and do as many fun things as possible! That and I wanna make as many friends as I can! I don't care who they are, I just wanna be their friends."

Spike nodded at this, "Cool."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Making friends is always a great goal."

Pinkie smiled at this. "Thanks, that means a lot." She leaned back against the counter and looked up at the ceiling. "Where I come from, there's not a lot of fun things to do. The place it total dullsville, so I wanna find a way to make it way more fun. But to do that, I need to learn as much as I can about the many wonders of the world. That's why I train and battle, because it helps me understand those I battle."

Everyone smiled as they heard this, but then a certain smell caught their noses. "Is something burning?" Flash asked before his eyes went wide as he turned to see smoke coming out of the oven, "Oh no!"

The rest of them took this as a sign to remove their creations from the ovens, allowing them to take a look. Twilight had made several red Poke-Muffs, while Doc's had come out green. Pinkie's Poke-Muffs were multiple different colors, while Spike's were a creamy white. Finally, Flash's were pitch black and crispy.

It was here that Mrs. Cake chimed in, "Alright everyone, shall we give them a taste test?"

"Don't forget to let your Pokémon out to try," Mr. Cake added.

"Right!" Everyone replied as Flash and Twilight let out their Pokémon.

"Psychick."

"Chickling."

"Aquana."

"Thawn."

"Hisscor."

Pinkie also pulled out a Pokeball. "Mellow, come out and party!" She tossed it in the air, causing it to unleash the usual red energy that hit the ground and took shape. It faded to reveal a Pokémon that looked like a large, pure white marshmallow, complete with a pair of large, simple black dot eyes and a basic mouth with shining teeth on the front.

"Mell...mellow." it said in a happy tone.

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex

Name: Mellow
Category: Sugar Candy Pokémon
Type: Fairy
Info: This Pokémon moves by bouncing its body around. Because they're so soft, people love to hug them despite usually ending up a sticky mess.

Each of the trainers placed their Poke-Muffs onto plates and put them on the floor, "Grubs up." Peewee began to eat Spike's, only to give Spike a frown.

"Hey!" Spike almost yelled as the Terragon walked off after a single bite. "Where you going?! I used so many berries that it's gotta be great." Deciding to test it himself, he took a bite, only to stick his tongue out, "What the heck? There's no taste!" He then heard the sound of Mrs. Cake laughing and looked up at her.

"My guess is that you used so many different berries that the flavors nullified each other and made it mild."

"Oh..." Spike frowned before turning to Peewee. The Terragon had moved over to Twilight's plate, where he and Owlicious were chowing down.

"There you go," Twilight told them with a big smile. "I knew spicy was the way to go. Dragonoid and bird like creatures are immune to the chemical that causes the spicy kick, so you two should like these just fine. You like?"

"PSYCHICK/TERRAGON!" The two cheered happily as they ate.

Meanwhile, Flash was staring down at his completely untouched Poke-Muffs. He then turned to look at his Pokémon, who had all chosen to try Doc and Pinkie's instead. "Traitors..." he said before grabbing one of them. "Fine then, I'll just have them all myself!" With that, he took a massive bite out of the black treats. Seconds later, the group spotted Flash sitting in the corner, looking at the wall. "Yuck..."

Everyone laughed at this as the Cakes moved over to him. "It's your first time," Mrs. Cake told him.

"You'll get the hang of it," Mr. Cake finished.

"Sure..." Flash replied drily.

Once everyone had finished their snack, Pinkie made a suggestion that made Doc ask, "A battle?"

"Sure!" Pinkie replied, nodding rapidly. "Now that we've had a sugary snack, the best way to burn off that energy is a battle."

The others all shared a look before nodding, all agreeing to this as Twilight spoke up, "Sure, but who's gonna battle?"

Flash was about to say something, only to stop as Pinkie started pointing at them one at a time. "Eenie meenie miney mo, catch a Luxray by its toe. If it zaps, let it go. Eneie meenie, miney...MO!" She finished her song as she pointed at Doc. "I'll battle you."

Doc pointed to himself in surprise. "Me?"

Pinkie quickly nodded at this while Flash let out a long moan. "Aww...I wanted to battle."

Twilight rolled her eyes as she patted Flash's back. "Its okay Flash. You don't have to battle everyone you meet."

This statement made Flash look at her in pure shock. "How dare you!"

Ignoring the two, Pinkie shined a huge grin at Doc. "So, what do you say?"

Doc blinked at this, only to smile and nod, "Sure. I haven't had a chance to really battle in a while."

"Great! Let's go!"

The Cakes soon lead the group outside to a grassy area nearby. They decided that this was the perfect battle ground for them to use and Pinkie skipped over to one side of the area, while Doc remained where he was. Flash, Spike, the Cakes and their Pokémon remained at the side, while Twilight stepped up to the center with a slight adjustment of her glasses. "Alright, this'll be a one on one battle with no substitutions. Is that understood?"

"Okie dokie loki!" Pinkie replied while Doc simply nodded.

"Alright, then please select your Pokémon."

Pinkie turned to her two, the look on her face making them all think she was thinking hard, only for her to start pointing at her Pokémon. "Eenie meenie miney mo, catch a Luxray by its toe. If it zaps, let it go. Eenie meenie, miney...MO!" Her finger landed on Mellow, making the living glop smile. "Alright Mellow, party time!"

"Mellow!" It cheered before bouncing along the ground until it was in front of Pinkie.

Seeing this, Doc weighed his options. "Okay, what do I know about Mellow? They are known to have incredibly defense, so causing damage to one will be difficult. It has the Sweet Vail ability, but that won't bother me since none of my Pokémon have a sleep inducing attack. But its also a Fairy-Type, meaning my Steel-Types have an advantage against her....but Tockwork would have problems due to his speed. In that case, my best move would probably be..."

From where she stood, Pinkie frowned as she started tapping her foot. "What's taking so long?! Let's battle!"

Doc frowned at her impatience. "Alright then. Since you don't like waiting, I'll pick speed and hit you as many times as possible." He pulled out his Pokeball and tossed it into the air. "Higear, I need your assistance!" The Pokeball opened up, soon revealing the gear Pokémon.

"Hi," it said as it started to float around.

Pinkie waved at the Pokémon, "Hi to you too!"

"Alright. Are both trainers ready?" Twilight asked as her gaze shifted between the two, the trainers soon nodding. "Then battle...begin!"

"Gear Grind!" Doc ordered as Higear's gear like hands began spinning before shooting towards Mellow.

Pinkie smiled at this before pointing at Mellow. "Dodge it!"

"Mell!" As the gears got close to it, Mellow's body suddenly stretched up until it was six foot tall and as thin as a stick. The gears flew past either side of the marshmallow Pokémon, completely missing it. As soon as the threat was gone, Mellow's body bounced back to how it was before.

"No way," Spike whispered in shock

"That thing's body must be made out of some super stretch material," Flash added. "I don't think hitting it's gonna be easy."

"Our turn! Tackle attack Mellow!" Mellow jumped up, soon bouncing on the ground like a spring. The bounce then suddenly increased in speed, causing Mellow to instantly crash into Higear.

"HIGEAR!" He yelped as he was thrown back while Mellow hopped off form the tackle, soon bouncing back to the ground without a care in the world. Meanwhile, Higear managed to steady itself in midair, his face now covered in the sticky residue. "Gear..." he moaned as he used his hands to try and wipe the gunk off.

"Stay focused Higear," Doc told him. "Let's try a more direct attack. Tackle!"

"Higear!" The floating gear began spinning around before shooting towards Mellow.

Everyone expected Pinkie to tell Mellow to dodge, only for Pinkie to point forward and say, "You got this Mellow! Take the hit!"

"Mell!" Mellow stood still as Higear slammed into it, only for the marshmallow Pokémon's body to ripple from the impact before going flying. Everyone watched as it landed back on the grass, only to bounce off it again and land right side up.

"You gotta be kidding me," Spike yelped as he pointed at the mushroom Pokémon. "That was a direct attack, so why didn't it do any damage?!"

"It probably did do some damage," Twilight explained as she adjusted her glasses at the sight. "But its squishy body is absorbing most of the impact and leaving it unharmed. Its like its wearing a suit of air bags, slowing down the attack until all that hits the body is a light tap."

"That can't be good," Flash added as looked back at Higear. "That means no physical attacks are gonna do much, if any damage."

"And Higear only knows physical attacks," Spike finished.

"Your friend probably would have had a better shot if he used another Pokémon," Mr. Cake said next, only for his wife to nudge him.

"But dear, he can't swap Pokémon in this match." Mrs. Cake continued, "He'll have to try something else if he wants to win."

Doc let out a low growl as he looked over the battle, "I have to think. Battles like this are exactly why I went on this journey, so its time to see if I learned anything."

"Let's use Play Rough!" Pinkie cheered before Mellow bounced towards Higear, its body stretching out as it rammed Higear, a series of blows following before leaping back to a safe distance. "Hooray! Go Mellow!"

Doc frowned at Pinkie's cheering, his eyes narrowing as he said to himself, "Think. You need to think. There's got to be some gaping weakness to that thing's defenses."

"Tackle it again!" Pinkie ordered as she pointed at Higear.

"Dodge it!" Doc countered, Higear quickly floating away from the bouncing mushroom. "Well, at least Higear's faster..." those words made a bulb appear over Doc's head. "Ah. That could work. Higear, use Shift Gear!"

"Higear!" He yelled as the gear ring around his body started spinning.

"That looks like fun! Now use Play Rough Mellow!" Mellow shot up at Higear again, stretching its body as it tried to attack.

"Dodge it and use Shift Gear again," Doc ordered. Higear did as told, managing to outmaneuver the attack as its gear spun around. Mellow landed on the ground again, its squishy body molding itself back into form.

"Hey! That's no fun!" Pinkie complained before putting her finger on her chin, only to snap her fingers a second later. "Hmmm...if he's gonna keep doing that, then I gotta liven things up a bit. Use Laughing Fit!"

"Mell," Mellow bounced back until it was in front of Pinkie, only to start laughing. "Mell, mell, mell, mell, mell," it's laughing echoed around the place, making the whole battlefield vibrate. But despite this, it didn't do anything to Higear.

The gear Pokémon looked at Mellow in confusion, its hands soon scratching the top of its head as Spike commented, "What's going on? That move's not doing anything."

"Weird..." Flash added as his Pokémon all gave confused looks as well.

In this moment, Mellow stopped laughing as the Pokémon and Pinkie shared a smile. "Now, Play Rough!" Mellow shot into the air and contorted its body before slamming into Higear, sending him crashing into the ground.

"Higear!" Doc cried.

"That had to hurt," Flash added, "But why did he take so much damage?"

Doc growled at this as he explained, "Laughing Fit, a signature move for both Mellow and its evolved form. It increases their defense and special defense stats while lulling its opponents into lowering theirs. It's a odd move, but its strong."

"So Mellow's gonna take even less damage now?" Spike asked with a slight gulp.

"Looks like it," Flash added.

"Unless whatever Doc has planned works," Twilight finished.

"Let's find out," Doc said as he watched Higear float back into the air, "You doing okay there?"

"Higear," he nodded before turning back to Mellow.

"Alright then. Use Gyro Ball!"

"Higear!" He started spinning around at high speed, the previous Shift Gears increasing the move's power.

Once again, Pinkie didn't tell Mellow to dodge. Instead, "Substitute!" As Higear struck Mellow, the marshmallow Pokémon suddenly exploded in a puff of smoke.

"Hi?" Higear yelped, only to look up and see Mellow in the air above him.

"Play Rough!" Mellow's body stretched out and slammed into the gear Pokémon, only to be grabbed by its steel hands.

"That's it!" Doc cheered as he pointed at Higear, "Now hold on tight and use Gyro Ball!"

"Higear!" He used all his strength to keep Mellow in his clutches before spinning, pulling Mellow in the same turning tornado.

"MELLOW!" It cried as it spun around and around, the speed proving to much for the gooey Pokémon. Then, Higear released it, only for Mellow to slam into the ground, its squishy body barely cushioning the blow.

"Mellow!" Pinkie yelled as she saw her Pokémon stagger up, its body waving back and forth.

"Quickly, before it recovers! Gear Grind!"

"Higear!" Higear tossed its gear hands at Mellow.

"Dodge it Mellow!" Pinkie told it, only for the gears to slam into the mushroom Pokémon, as it didn't have the energy to move from the previous blow.

"Mellow!" It cried as the two gears collided and sandwiched the mushroom, all while grinding the Pokémon from both sides.

"Now Gyro Ball!" Higear once again spun around before shooting forwards, heading straight at Mellow.

"Come on Mellow, use Substitute!" Pinkie told her Pokémon. Mellow tried to use the attack, but the confusion from the previous attacks made it still stagger, only for the gear Pokémon to slam into it again.

"Mell!" It screamed as it felt the dirt underneath hit its body.

"Alright, now spin back around for another one." Higear did as he was told, spinning around in the air to aim at Mellow again.

"Please Mellow, you can't let this one hit you!" Gummy, who was currently on Pinkie's head, blinked at the marshmallow Pokémon. "That's right! Like Gummy said, you can do it! Use Substitute!" Mellow picked itself up as these words went into his head. It looked up and saw Higear spinning towards it at high speed, and tried to focus enough to use the move. Then, as Higear struck it with Gyro Ball, Mellow exploded into a puff of smoke. "YES!"

Higear stopped spinning and looked up, only to once again see Mellow staring down at it. Seconds later, the two heard their trainers yell the same word. "Tackle!" Higear shot up at Mellow, who in turn allowed gravity to increase its attack power. The two slammed into one another, Mellow's squishy body absorbing the force of both attacks before they bounced off one another.

The two flew back until they were right in front of their trainers. But as they stared each other down, Pinkie looked over Mellow and stepped forward. "That's enough."

Everyone gave her an odd look, Doc especially as he replied, "What?"

"This was fun," Pinkie told him as she crouched down and patted Mellow on the head. "There's no point in going further now that we've had fun. I'd prefer not to have Mellow be injured anymore then it already is."

"But the battle..." Spike squeaked out as he pointed at the two trainers. "You need to decide who wins."

Pinkie tilted her head at the young teen, "Why? We had fun, so we're both winners."

Spike opened his mouth to reply, only to feel Flash's hand on his shoulder. "I don't think you're gonna win this argument buddy. Just let it go."

Spike looked up at Flash, a sigh soon following, "Fine. Sorry."

"Yay!" Pinkie cheered before picking Mellow up and hugging it to her face. "You're the best!"

"Mellow!" Her Pokémon replied happily.

Twilight, who was still surprised at the turn of events, just blinked as she readjusted her glasses, "Well...I guess we can count this as a draw?"

"Lets," Doc added while rubbing his chin. "Though I must say, I didn't see that coming."

"So what now?" Spike asked next.

"Well, I don't know about you, but all that battling made me hungry." Pinkie told them as she licked her lips, "I need sugar, stat!" Everyone laughed at this, only for Pinkie to frown, "I'm serious!"

Not too long afterwards, we find our heroes back in the kitchen.

Flash and his Pokémon were both crouched down and watching the oven intensely, not daring to even blink for fear of his Poke-Muffs burning. "Any minute now..." Flash whispered as his chin was in his hands.

"Ri..." Springer copied Flash. Every couple of seconds he would sniff, trying to pick up on any burning smell. Riptide and Skyler were both preparing themselves in case their tasty treats caught fire and the two were forced to fan and or water them down. Meanwhile, Prongs and Viper were at the back of the group, the two not wanting to be anywhere near the ovens for fear of either causing a fire or being set on fire.

Spike was also waiting for his Poke-Muffs, which this time was only made using one type of berry. "One Cheri, one Leppa, one Figy, one Pinap, one Tanga and an Enigma Berry." He turned to Peewee with a grin, "this'll be the spiciest Poke-Muff anyone has ever created."

"Terr!" Peewee cheeed before licking his lips.

Across the room, the others were watching Doc as he worked on Higear. He was using a blue torch to illuminate the insides on Higear's mouth, allowing him to see if any of the gear was damaged or disconnected with the rest of its system. "Hmm...everything looks to be in order."

"Yay!" Pinkie clapped as Gummy shook on her head with a blank stare, "it'd be no fun if our battle did any damage to our new friend."

"No problem Pinkie," Doc replied as he patted Higear on the head. "It takes more than a hard battle to do any serious damage to Higear. He's tougher than he looks," he then looked at her and smiled. "Just like you. Despite how you act, you've got some incredible battle instincts."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "He's right. Doc was barely able to do any real damage to Mellow. You've got a strong Pokémon there."

"Thanks," Pinkie said before picking up both Gummy and Mellow and hugging them to her chest. "I think weird looking and acting Pokémon are the best! That's why I train them. I'm sure they'll help me in my quest to brighten the world, even if its only by a little bit."

Twilight and Doc both smiled at that, only to hear the sound of a timer going off. They looked around and saw Flash move like lightning to get his creations out of the machine while Spike did his at a more relaxed pace. "There we go. Its done!" Flash cheered as he held up the non-burnt blue Poke-Muffs.

Mr and Mrs Cake moved over to take a look, nodding as they inspected the Poke-Muffs. "Excellent," Mrs. Cake said.

"Cooked to perfection," Mr. Cake added. "But looks are only a small part of the Poke-Muff experience. What matters is the taste."

Flash placed his Poke-Muffs on the ground as his team crowded around them. "Then lets taste test. Go ahead guys." The Pokémon all grabbed a Poke-Muff and took a bite, with Riptide and Viper looking happy at the taste, but Springer, Skyler and Prongs frowned. "What's up? You don't like them?"

"Ri/Chick/Fay," the three nodded their heads.

"Awww man," Flash grumbled as he slumped over. "I still got it wrong."

"Pokémon all have different tastes," Mrs. Cake told him. "So the same thing won't work for everyone."

"You'll just have to keep trying," Mr. Cake added.

"I guess..." Flash replied as he looked down at the treats he made. "Darn..."

At the same time, Spike was feeding his Poke-Muffs to Peewee. "What do you think?" He asked as the Terragon took a bite and his eyes watered. Now that was spicy, and he loved it. Peewee immediately started munching down as Skyler flew over. "Wanna try one?" Spike offered to the Chickling.

"Chick!" Skyler took a peck at the spicy muffin like treat before smiling. "Chickling!"

"Guess Twilight was right. Birds are immune to spice."

"I heard that," Twilight told him from across the room. "And of course I was right. When am I ever not right?"

Flash nudged the young teen, "It's a trap. Don't answer it!"

Twilight rolled her eyes as Pinkie laughed at his comment. The pink girl then as she stepped over to Springer and Prongs and reached into her hair to pull out a pair of pink Poke-Muffs. "Here you go, I'm sure you'll love these." The two licked their lips and took the treats, eating them up with smiles on their faces.

Once the Poke-Muffs were finished, everyone packed up and prepared to head out. And as Flash, Springer, Twilight, Spike and Doc was about to leave the building, Pinkie and the Cakes stood in front of their bakery. Flash then waved them goodbye, "Well, we'd better be going."

"I'm gonna head out soon enough too," Pinkie replied as she shined a huge smile. "Here's hoping we meet again on the road."

Spike snapped his fingers at this, "Hey! Maybe we could all travel together."

"That sounds like fun," Twilight added before turning to Pinkie.

Pinkie just waved her hand, "Thanks, but I think you've got a good thing going on here. Besides, the author would probably have no idea how to put me into your next few adventures without making me seem superfluous." Everyone shared a confused look at this as she continued, "I'm sure we'll meet again, and when we do, let's have another fun battle!"

"Sounds like a plan," Doc replied, nodding.

"See you around Pinkie," Flash and the others all began to walk off. As they did, they heard Pinkie cheering a goodbye as she bounced on her feet and rapidly waved goodbye.

Later on that day, Twilight pulled out her electronic journal.

Dear Professor Celestia,
Today, my friends and I met a trainer named Pinkie Pie. This meeting has helped me realize that there are as many different types of trainers out there as there are Pokémon. Her unique battle style is something special to her, just like Flash and Doc's styles are special to them. I now know that I'm gonna need to find my own unique battle style, one that when I master it, it will greatly help me learn to be a better trainer. I'll be sure to write to you more as I continue my search for this style.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle

The Evolution Solution

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Continuing their journey to Fillydelphia City and Flash's second Equestria Region Gym Challenge, our heroes find themselves in a Pokémon Center located in the middle of the woods. While waiting for their Pokémon to finish their check-up, the four teens were sitting on a couch while looking at Twilight's journal. "Okay..." she said as she pointed to several spots on the map, "we're here...while Fillydelphia City is here."

"So we're getting really close?" Flash asked as his eyes shined with anticipation. "Please tell me we are!"

Twilight nodded as she kept tapping the screen. "We are. Given our current walking speed, I'd estimate our arrival time to be around...two to three days."

"YES!" Flash cheered, Spike mimicking him while Doc chuckled and shook his head at the sight.

"I'm guessing that means we should head out as soon as our Pokémon are done with their check-up." Doc said as the sound of the center's operating room doors opening rang out. There, Nurse Redheart stepped outside along with her nursing assistant, this one being a Wigglytuff that was pushing a cart with Springer, Peewee and all their Pokeballs on it.

As soon as they saw their trainers, Springer and Peewee leapt off the cart, "Hey bud," Flash said as he knelt down and patted Springer's head. "How you feeling?"

"Ri!" Springer gave a thumbs up before hugging his leg.

"How about you?" Spike asked Peewee, who replied by licking the boy's cheek. "Okay, I get it. You're fine."

"Thank you for waiting," Redheart bowed before waving at their Pokeballs. "I'm happy to report that all of your Pokémon are completely fighting fit."

"Thank you Nurse Redheart," they all said with a bow back before collecting their Pokémon. Once that was done, the group headed out the door, only to see a large group of people gathering in the distance.

"Must be a battle," Twilight commented as she adjusted her glasses at the sight.

"Let's see whose competing," Flash added before he and Spike rushed up to the crowd. The group soon got up to the crowd and managed to get to the very front of the audience, letting them see who was battling.

The first battler was a girl with blue hair and peach skin. She was wearing a combination of pink and black with a white hat and red scarf. Meanwhile, her opponent was a boy that had brown skin and shaggy green hair while wearing a green top and brown pants. The girl then pulled out a Pokeball. "Togekiss, spotlight!" She tossed the ball in the air, which opened to reveal the final evolution of Togepi.

"Toge...kiss," it exclaimed as it took to the sky.

"Wow," the boy said as he watched it fly, only for his brain to remind him to pull out his own Pokeball. "Come on out Instick!" He tossed it into the air, the ball soon revealing a new Pokémon. This one looked like a small green wood stick with two thin arms and two twig-like legs. On either side of its head were two large beady eyes while the end of its tail was a large green leaf.

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked before pulling out his Pokedex.

Name: Instick
Category: Stick Insect Pokémon
Type: Bug/Grass
Info: To protect itself from predators, it hides in large bushes where it's stick like body can camouflage itself.

Everyone watched as the Instick looked up at the Togekiss, blinking as it saw the Pokémon gracefully dance in the sky. That is, till he hopped in place as he realized this was a battle. Seeing this, he began to shake rapidly in fear. "S-s-stick!"

The boy looked down at his Pokémon and smiled. "Don't worry Instick, we can do this. Remember, this is the only way we can get there, alright?" Despite the words of encouragement, Instick continued to shake like a leaf.

At the same time, the girl pointed at the bug, "Okay Togekiss, use Air Slash!"

"Toge..." Togekiss raised one of its wings and began spiralling it around. As it did this, blue energy formed into a ball above it. "KISS!" It tossed the ball at Instick, who saw it coming and curled up in fear. As it did this, a blue energy sphere appeared around the Pokémon.

"Instick!" The boy yelled, "Ohhh....not again! I told you to stop using that!"

"What's that?" Spike asked as he pointed at the Pokémon.

"It's the move Protect," Twilight replied as she adjusted her glasses. "It's a move that keeps any and all attacks from hitting the target." And as she said that, they watched as the Air Slash struck the force field and exploded, leaving the one within completely unharmed.

"Alright Instick, here's our chance! Use Razor Leaf!"

"Stick....stick..." Instick cried as it remained curled up with its eyes covered as the leaf on its tail glowed before being flicked. The light around the leaf flew off before transforming into a spinning leaf, which flew into the air at high speed.

Everyone saw the girl about to tell Togekiss to dodge, only for her to gasp at the next sight, "Huh?" She yelped as the leaf sailed right past the hovering Pokémon.

"Kiss?" Togekiss asked in confusion, blinking at the disappearing leaf.

"What the heck?! It totally missed!" Spike complained as he crossed his arms.

"No, it totally didn't aim!" Flash added as he mimicked Spike's motions.

The boy facepalmed before dragging it down his face, "Oh, come on! Instick! Open your eyes!" But the little Bug-Type ignored his trainer, his body still curled up with its eyes covered. "Instick! You have to be brave! You'll never win if you don't try!"

The girl just raised an eyebrow at this, soon pointing at the Pokémon, "If you won't attack, we'll just have to do it. Togekiss, Sky Attack!" Togekiss began dancing midair as light surrounded it's body.

"You need to dodge now Instick," the boy yelled again. They all watched as Instick opened its eyes and looked up at the advancing adversary, only to curl up again as the force field once again appeared around it. "No! Stop using Protect!"

The Togekiss slammed into the shield, causing it to disappear but leaving no damage to Instick. "It can't use Protect forever! Togekiss, fire a flurry of Aura Spheres!"

"Togekiss!" The Jubilee Pokémon shot back up, soon turning back down as it started to spin like a top. As it did this, a barrage on energy spheres flew out of the incoming Pokémon, all of them blasting into the bug-type. Everyone watched as Instick continued to cower away, the Aura Spheres colliding with the force field until-

SMASH!

The energy barrier shattered, leaving Instick vulnerable as the final Aura Sphere hit the ground in front of it and exploded. "INSTICK!" It cried as it was sent flying, soon hitting the ground with a thud.

"Instick!" The boy cried as he saw Togekiss prepare to end this.

"Air Slash!" The girl ordered as Togekiss began to twirl its wings in the air, creating the air ball that had Instick's name on it.

The boy looked down at the little stick Pokémon and yelled, "Please Instick, you gotta get up and dodge this!" Instick heard his trainer this time, but as it opened its eyes, it saw the incoming attack. As such, it curled up into Protect again, only for it suddenly vanish.

"What the heck?! His protect disappeared!" Spike commented as he pointed at the Pokémon.

Twilight nodded at this. "If you use Protect to much, it will eventually stop working. Unfortunately, Instick is wide-open for an attack now."

"Toge!" Togekiss launched the sphere at Instick, the Pokémon now defenceless as it was struck dead on.

"INSTICK!" It cried as the ball exploded in its face, the sphere unleashing a slashing wind into the Pokémon. A second later, the attack ended with Instick falling over, swirls in his eyes.

"Looks like that's it," Doc concluded as he rubbed his chin at the sight. "Not much of a battle though..."

The people around them agreed as they complained at the lame battle, the group soon dispersing. At the same time, the girl recalled her Togekiss and walked off. The boy then let out a sigh as he picked up his Pokémon. "Oh Instick, when are you gonna kick this fear?"

"Hey," he looked up and saw Flash and his friends stepping up to him, "you okay?"

"I'm fine," the boy replied as another sigh followed. "Its my Instick that needs treatment right now. I need to get him to Nurse Redheart...again." He then got up and walked towards the Pokémon Center, the rest of our heroes all choosing to follow him shortly.

"Don't worry," Nurse Redheart told the boy. "I'll have your Instick back to perfect health in no time.

"Wigglytuff!" her support Pokémon added.

They all watched as the nurses took Instick into the next room while the boy sighed again before sitting at a nearby table. Seeing this, Flash and the others sat down next to him as Flash asked, "You okay?"

"I guess..." the boy moaned before turning to them. "Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Shady Forest."

"Flash. This is my partner, Springer."

"Ri."

"I'm Twilight. Next to me is my little brother."

"Spike. This is Peewee."

"Terra!"

"And you can call me Doc."

"Nice to meet you all," Shady said to them before staring back at the operation room door. "As you can probably tell, I'm not a very good trainer."

The others all looked at each other, unsure about what to say as Twilight replied, "Um...I wouldn't exactly call you the best."

"Though I wouldn't put all the blame for your loss on you," Doc added.

Flash nodded at this. "Yeah! Your Instick wasn't helping at all. It's a little...um..."

"Wimpy," Spike finished for him, only for Twilight to smack the upside of his head, "Ow!"

"No...no, he's right," Shady sighed as he started to twiddle his fingers. "My Instick isn't very brave. Whenever it gets scared, it always curls itself up and uses Protect."

"That does sound like a problem," Doc added.

"Maybe it just doesn't like battling," Twilight suggested. "And if that's the case, you can't force it into battles."

"I wouldn't normally," the boy replied before resting his chin in his arms on the table. "But if we don't battle, then Instick will never evolve."

"Evolve?" Spike asked before turning to the others. "Like what Armadiload did?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes. Armadiload evolves into Ankyload, while Instick evolves into Movine." Upon saying that name, Spike instantly shivered, causing Doc to raise an eyebrow.

"What's up with him?"

"We had a bad experience with a Movine before," Flash replied quickly. "We'll tell you later."

"Sorry to hear that," Shady added before sighing again, "But my Instick really wants to evolve so it can achieve its dream."

"What dream?"

Shady started to smile, as if remembering a fond memory. "Well, like I said, Instick gets scared really easily. But there's one thing it's not scared of and actually really loves, and that's heights. He loves being really high up, usually climbing up to the top of large trees to look out as far as he can see." The group all smiled hearing this, glad that at least something did not terrify the Pokémon. "When I first met Instick, it was back when I was travelling though these very woods."

The past...

Shady was travelling through the woods, a long yawn escaping his breath as he walked through the forest. But as he did this, he suddenly heard a nearby bush rustle. Instinct kicking in, he saw the moving bush and quickly leapt behind a tree. But as he hid behind the pillar of lumber, his eyes saw something the surprised him.

"Stick..." Instick spoke as it crawled out of the bushes and onto the path. After this, it went to another nearby tree, Shady still watching him as he started to slowly make his way up the tree. The boy watched as it climbed higher and higher, until he saw it hop onto the very tallest branch. Instick smiled as it looked out at the high elevation, having picked this tree because it was the tallest one in the forest. "Instick! Instick!" it cried happily as it bounced up and down on the branch, not noticing the breaks it was making in the twig.

Crack!

Instick looked down at the sound, only to see the branch bend and-

SNAP!

"INSTICK!" It cried as it fell towards the ground, unfortunately missing every other branch along the way.

Shady saw this and ran under the tree, soon trying to position himself correctly as he tried to catch the falling bug. "I got you...I hope." Eventually, Shady and Instick collided, Shady's position being a little wrong as Instick landed on his head, "OW!" He yelped as he fell back.

Once the dust of their fall faded, Shady opened his eyes and found the Pokémon sticking to his face. The two locked eyes, blinking at one another until Shady broke the silence. "Do you mind...getting off me please?"

"INSTICK!" It cried before leaping off him, curling up before creating a barrier around itself.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Hey little guy, you don't have to be scared. I'm not gonna hurt ya." Instick slowly opened its eyes as it looked up at him through the force field. He watched as Shady raised his hands and kept them open, showing he had nothing on him that could hurt it. "See? I'm a friend."

Instick continued to stare at him, the barrier soon disappearing. "Stick..."

Shady smiled before slowly reached out and gently patting Instick on the head.

The present...

"Ever since then, Instick and I have been the best of friends. It didn't take long for me to figure out why it climbed that tree."

Twilight snapped her fingers at this, "So that's why you want him to evolve. Since Movine can fly, it can go as high as it wants."

Shady nodded in response. "Exactly. But...that's easier said than done."

"Because it freaks out whenever it battles, right?" Flash finished for him.

"Yeah....but I won't give up. I'll help Instick evolve, no matter what."

"Wow..." Spike replied as he tilted his head, "evolution sounds like it's pretty special."

"Of course it is Spike." Twilight told him as she pressed her glasses up her nose. "For most Pokémon, evolution is the reward for hours of hard work and determination."

"Cool," Spike said before picking up Peewee. "So what's Peewee gonna evolve into?" This got Twilight and Doc to laugh, "what?"

"Spike, Terragons don't evolve."

"WHAT?! Why not?" Spike asked.

"It's just the way things are," Twilight replied before standing up. "Allow me to explain. Please hold for one moment." In that moment, she suddenly rushed off to another room, only to return with her lab coat on and a large whiteboard.

"How did she-" Flash tried to ask, only for Twilight to pull out a long metal pointer and began tapping the board.

"Let's begin. For starters, what we call evolution is actually a process of metamorphosis that many Pokémon go through in their lives. This metamorphosis develops in the DNA after centuries true evolution. This mainly happens due to changes in a Pokémon's environment and food supply, which causes the Pokémon to adapt its biology to a state in which it can survive the easiest." She then pointed at Peewee. "However, not all Pokémon go through this process. Those who don't are usually able to do this due to their ability to survive right after hatching. If this is possible, there is no need for evolution."

Spike looked down at Peewee, only for the dragon to lick his cheek. He then glanced back up, "Okay...but how does evolution work?"

"Good question," she said before pulling down a chart that showed an image of Instick, Movine, Armadiload and Ankyload. "When Instick evolves into Movine, or Armadiload into Ankyload, it's all a matter of the level they have managed to reach. This level is increased over time, though this mainly due to experience in battle." She then pulled down another chart, showing four more Pokémon along with two strange looking rocks. "Likewise, Pokémon such as Pikachu or Clefairy will only evolve after coming in contact with special stones." She pulled down a chart showing a few more Pokémon and their evolved form. "At the same time, certain Pokémon like Gligar or Sneasel will only evolve when making contact with items, such as Razor Fang or Razor Claw.

"Then there's trade evolutions," Doc spoke up.

"I was just getting to that," Twilight replied before pulling down another chart. This one showed Machoke, Haunter and Kadabra, along with their evolved forms. "It's true that many Pokémon evolve only while being traded to another trainer, and this reason for which is still under study. However," she pulled down another chart, showing Magmar, Electabuzz, Scyther and their evolved forms. "Certain Pokémon will evolve when traded or transferred while holding certain items. This phenomenon is believed to be due to the process fusing them with the items, allowing them to evolve."

"Okay, that's cool," Spike added before tilting his head slightly. "Though it does sound kinda tedious."

"I will agree with you there." Doc continued as he snapped his fingers, "Certain items like that can be quite hard to find, wouldn't you agree Twilight?"

"Yes." Twilight nodded before pulling down a chart showing Springer and another Pokémon that looked like a bigger version of him. "Then there are Pokémon such as Riolu, who evolve once they forge a strong bond with those around it. For trained Riolu, this usually means its trainer and is refereed to as Friendship Evolution." She once again pulled down a chart, showing a whole bunch of similar looking Pokémon. "The Pokémon most interconnected with evolution is Eevee, who can evolve into eight known evolutionary variants depending on what manner of evolution is used. As you can probably guess, this is why Eevee is known as the evolution Pokémon."

With that, she rolled the charts back up before pushing the white board away. "So as you can see, what we call evolution can actually mean a lot of things." She then pulled out a stack of paper and pens, "Now, ready for the test? Describe Pokémon Evolution in an essay that is at least nine thousand words."

But as these words left her mouth, she turned to Flash, only to see him asleep. A melody of snores could be heard as he slumped over a table, Springer laid out over his belly as a series of small snores came out of the Riolu. Spike and the others also saw this, Spike gulping as he looked back at Twilight. His eyes shrunk as he saw her snap her pointer in two, smoke now rising from her hair.

"Uh-oh....Flash is in trouble now." Spike gulped, Doc and Shady nodding in agreement.

Then, Twilight let out a loud screech as she yelled, "FLASH!"

One super-violent scene too graphic to be described or be shown due to this story's rating later...

Flash and Springer now laid on the floor of the Pokémon Center, both in bandages and giant lumps on their heads. Springer was completely knocked out while Flash just continued to lay there despite having more injuries, his whole body covered in bandages.

"So...Springer can evolve too, right?" Spike asked as he looked down at the beaten Riolu and his even more beaten up partner.

Doc nodded at this. "No doubt it'll probably evolve very soon, especially considering how close he and Flash are. I'm amazed it hasn't already happened to be honest."

Flash raised his head up, a nervous look appearing on his face. "Yeah, well...let's just say that sometimes evolution isn't always the way to go." He patted Springer on the head as he looked away, a low nervous tone coming out of his voice. "I uh...I like Springer just the way he is, so I don't care if he doesn't evolve."

"Ri..." Springer purred as Flash scratched behind the ear.

"So...you wouldn't mind if Springer never evolved?" Spike asked with a frown.

Flash nodded back. "Yup. Whatever works for him, works for me."

"That might be okay for you," Shady told him as he sat up before looking at the ceiling. "But Instick really wants to evolve, so I need to find a way to help him overcome his fear of battle." He then stood up and began pacing, "I just don't know how."

The group all shared a look, the group now having a seemly psychic conversation before all nodding together. Flash then spoke up, "Hey Shady, why don't we lend you a hand with this?"

Twilight nodded in agreement. "I'm sure that together we'll be able to come up with a way to help Instick overcome its fear."

Shady smiled at hearing this, nodding in agreement. "Thanks, I'd love the help. Maybe we can find a way to trick him into keeping calm while he's battling." The others all nodded as the doors opened to reveal Nurse Redheart and Wigglytuff. They entered the room, rushing a cart with Instick laying on it. "Instick!" Shady cheered as he picked up his Pokémon. "I'm glad to see you're looking a lot better."

Nurse Redheart giggled at this. "Indeed. You'll be happy to know that all of his injures have been fully restored."

"Thank you," Shady told her before looking down at Instick. "Hey, guess what?" He turned to Flash and the others, "our new friends here are gonna try and help us get you to evolve." Instick's eyes went wide at hearing this before turning to them, only to start shaking and curl up into Shady's arms. "Instick, please don't do that. You don't have to be afraid. They're gonna help us."

Twilight walked up to him first, kneeling down and smiling at Instick. "Don't worry little guy, you don't have to be afraid of us. All we want to do is help you achieve your dream, so don't worry."

Instick opened its eyes before looking up at Twilight, then slowly began to uncurl itself. Seeing this, Shady placed him on the table, letting him look around at them as his shaking lessened. "S-s-stick."

"See buddy? We can trust them. Now lets get this training underway and get you up in the air, okay?"

"Stick!" Instick cheered, looking excited at the prospects of getting to evolve and flying through the air.

One transition to outside later...

"You ready Springer?" Flash asked his partner as they both stood across from Shady and Instick.

"Ri," Springer nodded.

"Good. Now remember, we don't want to really beat Instick, we just want to make it so he has to work to win, but not so much that he feels he can't."

"Ri," Springer once again nodded.

Shady looked down at Instick, giving him a big grin. "Alright, we can do this Instick. Just stay calm and do your best."

"Stick..." Instick replied before he and Springer stepped out onto the field.

Doc stood between them. "Alright, is both sides ready?" He saw the two nod, "then battle...begin!"

"Alright Shady," Flash called out. "You can have the first move."

"Right," Shady replied as he nodded at Instick. "Then we'll use uh....use Razor Leaf!"

"In...stick!" it tossed the razor sharp leaf at Springer, who quickly dodged without Flash even commanding.

He then positioned himself for a counterattack as Flash said, "Alright Springer, use Aura....er....Marble."

"Ri?" Springer asked as he looked back at his trainer, who shrugged in response. Springer let out a long sigh before doing as told, creating a tiny Aura Sphere that he then flicked at Instick.

Everyone watched as the ball floated at Instick, eventually landing on its head and popping like a soap bubble. "In!" Instick cried before rolling over, its eyes replaced with spirals.

"Really?!" Flash yelped.

"One hit was all it took to knock it out?" Spike added. "It wasn't even that strong of an attack!"

"I don't think the attack was what knocked it out," Twilight answered as she rubbed her chin at the sight. "I think the fear of the attack made him faint."

Doc had no choice but to declare Springer the winner, making Flash sigh. "This...may be harder than I first thought." Flash admitted as Shady started to try and wake Instick up. After doing this, Flash decided to pick another Pokémon. "Riptide, you're up!"

"Aquana!" Riptide cheered as it was released from its Pokeball.

Doc blinked at this. "Alright. Battle begin...again."

Shady scratched the side of his head, not sure what to do. A small bulb soon went off in his head as he pointed at Riptide, "Maybe if his opponents disabled, it'll calm him down. Alright Instick, use String Shot!"

"Instick!" he fired a white spray that flew at Riptide's feet, the spray soon solidifying into a sticky silk that stuck him to the ground.

"Ak..." Riptide moaned as he pulled at it, only to find himself unable to move.

Seeing this seemed to make Instick ease up, but Flash knew if he wanted to evolve, he couldn't make it too easy. "Okay, use uh....Water...Squirt."

Riptide nodded as it spat a small gentle shot of water at Instick. But as the water splashed Instick, the Pokémon once again stiffened before keeling over.

"Oh, come on!" Spike yelled, only to smacked upside the head by Twilight again. "Ow!"

Flash once again sighed. "This isn't working."

Shady moved over to Instick and picked him up, seeing that he had not take any damage despite fainting. "Oh Instick….what am I gonna do?"

Once Instick woke up once again, the group decided to have a snack. As Springer, Riptide, Peewee and Instick munched on Poke-Muffs, the humans all ate some candy bars they had gotten from the center's vending machines. While doing this, Flash turned to his friends with a glum frown, "So...anyone else have any ideas on how we can get Instick to evolve?"

Twilight hummed for a bit before a thought ringed in her head. "Well sometimes, Pokémon who haven't reached a high enough level can trigger their evolution. However, those evolutions only happen under intense stress."

"Intense stress?" Spike asked as he finished his candy bar.

Doc nodded as he patted Spike's shoulder. "She means that the Pokémon is in a situation where if it doesn't evolve, it just might be the end of that Pokémon."

Hearing this, a big smile popped onto Flash's face. "So...we need to scare Instick into thinking it needs to evolve, huh? I think we can work with that."

The others all turned to him and raised an eyebrow as Twilight asked, "Flash...what are you planning? And I'm asking mainly because you slept through my evolution lecture."

Flash smiled a sinister smile as he turned and winked at Twilight, "Oh you'll see...you'll all see soon enough." He then let out a quiet yet seemingly dark chuckle, slightly disturbing the others.

One hour later...

Twilight, Doc, Shady and Instick were walking through the forest, planning to head to the next town. While they were making their way, Shady turned to Twilight, "So...what was this really important thing Flash and your brother needed to do?"

Twilight let out a low huff, "They didn't say. But I wouldn't worry, cuz they do this all the time. They'll catch up eventually."

"Yes, I agree." Doc added as he checked his pocket watch. "They'll be here soon enough."

Flash and Spike were closer than they knew, the older teen hiding just up ahead with Peewee while Spike and Springer were up in two different trees. When he spotted them coming, Flash whispered to his friends. "Here they come. You all ready?"

"Ready," Spike replied.

"Ri," Springer added.

"Terr," Peewee finished.

"Then let's do this," Flash said as he made his way out of the bushes.

The four continued to travel down the road, only to come to a stop a large being ran out of the trees and bushes ahead of them. It was what appeared to be, a twelve foot creature with a giant round head that had seven eyes and a giant mouth. The very sight made them all stop despite the obvious patches and stitchings on the being. "Roar!" It cried out as a pair of ropes lifted up the creatures arms, which showed obviously fake claws.

"Oh no," Twilight said in a pretend scared voice. "It is a Pokémon that obviously exists and I've read about. It's very aggressive and will attack anything on sight. Oh no!"

"Yes..." Doc said in the same, albeit almost worse tone. "We must defend ourselves." He went to reach for his Pokeballs. "Oh no, I must have left my Pokeballs at the Pokémon Center."

"Me too," Twilight added.

"Then Instick is our only hope," Doc told her before turning to Shady. "You have to do something, or we'll be in serious trouble."

"Oh, uh...okay." He looked down at the shaking Pokémon. "Come on Instick, you're our only hope."

"Stick..." Instick cried as it stared at the creature, the bug already almost hyperventilating.

Twilight leaned over to Doc and whispered, "it isn't working."

"It'll work. We've just got to pile on the pressure." Doc then signaled Flash to move closer, increasing the 'danger'.

Flash nodded before stepping forwards. "Roar, roar, um....roar some more!" Flash yelled, only for the teen to start stumbling. Due to the costume's bulk, Flash couldn't see anything on the ground ahead of him. This in turn made him trip on a nearby tree root, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA!" He cried as he fell forwards, causing the costumes arms to be pulled further than the ropes could handle. The same with Peewee, who continued holding the head up despite the body falling to the ground.

And so, everyone watched as the arms and head of the 'Pokémon' ripped off and floated in midair. Almost everyone groaned, Twilight facepalming as Instick's eyes went wide before letting out one last moan. "Instick…" it said before fainting once again.

Flash groaned as he crawled his way through the body, his head popping out the neck of the costume. He sheepishly looked up at the group. "So...did it work?"

A little bit later...

Once they got Instick to wake up, they had to tell it that they had escaped from the creature while it was distracted and then they continued their journey. Convinced, the group were now still walking through the forest, the party having pretty much given up on finding a way to get Instick to evolve.

Flash let out a dejected sigh. "Sorry Shady. Guess my plan wasn't as great as I thought."

Shady shook his head. "It's okay. Maybe it'll happen someday, but I guess it isn't today." The others all looked at each other with frowns, but couldn't figure out what to say. As such, silence followed as they continued on their way.

Instick frowned at this, knowing it had let its trainer down. Even after these people had offered their help, his fear had made it where they had just wasted their time. "Stick..."

Springer saw this and patted the Pokémon on the head. "Ri, riolu." he said encouragingly, only for Instick to sigh again. "Ri..."

Eventually, the group arrived at the edge of the forest and found themselves at a large canyon with a raging river flowing beneath it. Between the two sides was a single rope bridge, one that looked like it had seen better days. Flash growled at the sight, "This is bringing back some very unhappy memories."

"Well, we don't have a choice," Twilight told him as she looked at her journal, "This canyon is several miles wide, so circumventing it would add at least a day's worth of travel." She then looked back up and frowned, "Though on the other hand, maybe that would be better considering how this thing looks."

Doc checked the condition of the rope that held the bridge up, trying to decide how much weight it could possibly handle. "I wouldn't be comfortable saying it could handle any more than one person at a time, but that's just my opinion."

"I trust it," Flash said before walking up to the bridge. He and Springer both placed their feet on it and slowly began to make their way across, only for a strong gust of wind to hit them, causing the bridge to sway. "Whoa!" Flash cried as Springer grabbed hold of his leg, his trainer now gripping both sides of the rope. After a few moments, the wind ceased as the bridge eventually came to a stop. "Phew..."

Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief as they watched Flash and Springer continue across. Eventually, they arrived at other side and stepped off before turning to their friends. "Okay! It'll be fine as long as you're careful. One at a time everyone!" The others nodded before Spike and Peewee started to cross, Peewee flying over as Spike tried to do what Flash had. He managed to get across without any issue, Peewee landing back on his shoulder as he did this.

"This is crazy," Twilight gulped as she began to cross. She prayed a strong wind wouldn't blow, thanking Arceus when she made it to the other side.

Doc then turned to Shady. "You wanna go next?"

Shady was about to say yes, only to look down and see Instick shaking in fear. "Actually, why don't you go first. I'll see if I can't persuade Instick some more that he'll be fine."

"If you say so," Doc replied before stepping over the bridge.

As Doc crossed, Shady kneeled down to look Instick in the eye. "It's okay Instick. They did it, and so can we." Instick looked up at its trainer, Shady obviously realizing that it wanted to be returned to its Pokeball. "No, I won't do that. I'm sorry, but you need to face your fear." Instick let out a long moan as Shady continued. "All you have to do is walk across, one step at a time. I'll be with you the whole way, and as long as I am, I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

It was here that they heard Doc call out that he was across, both Pokémon and trainer now glancing at the bridge. "You ready?" Shady asked as Instick took a gulp before nodding. And so, the two stepped onto the bridge and began to walk across, slowly and gently.

"That's it," Flash told them. "Now just keep that pace and don't look down."

"In...in, instick," the bug Pokémon repeated Flash's words. "In, instick." He continued to say as they passed the halfway point, causing Shady to smile.

"You're doing great. We're almost there buddy, we can do this." But no sooner had he said that, a mighty wind blew into the bridge, causing the bridge to rock. "Oh no."

"Instick!" Shady's partner cried, acting on instinct as he curled up in fear. What he didn't realize was that in doing so, he had nothing connecting him to the bridge. As such, another gust slammed the bridge, this one sending Instick flying.

"INSTICK!" Shady yelped as he tried to grab him, but the wind blew the very light Pokémon out of reach.

"Oh no!" Twilight screamed.

"Instick!" Spike yelled as well, Peewee mimicking his cry.

Without even thinking, Shady leapt of the bridge and threw himself at Instick. "Gotcha," he said as he grabbed hold of him before the two hit the water.

"Shady!" Flash yelled as Shady and Instick's heads broke the surface of the water before being dragged away.

"This is bad," Doc added as the group rushed down the side of the canyon, barely managing to keep up.

"More than you know," Twilight told him. "This river leads straight into a waterfall!"

"No!" Flash let out as he pulled out a Pokeball, "Riptide-"

Twilight quickly grabbed his shoulder, shaking her head, "No Flash! Even a strong swimmer like an Aquana wouldn't be able to handle that torrent. At least not enough to pull Shady and Instick to safety."

Flash growled as he put his Pokeball away.

As Shady tried to keep the two of them above the water, he slowly felt his strength begin to leave him. "Don't worry Instick, I promise I'll protect you."

"In..." Instick slightly uncurled itself and looked down at his trainer. Shady had him in both hands above his head despite how hard it was to do so. "Instick."

Shady looked up at the ridge, seeing the others rushing after them. "Save Instick!"

"Peewee!" Spike told his Terragon.

"Terra!" Peewee leapt into the air before flying down, plucking Instick out of Shady's hands.

"Instick!" Instick cried to its trainer, trying to reach out to him.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" he yelled back. But he couldn't be more wrong, as in that moment, the waterfall came into view. Shady was already trying to swim away though, but the current was too strong. And soon enough, he went over.

"SHADY!" Everyone screamed as they watched him fall.

"INSTICK!" Instick struggled, causing Peewee to lose his grip and drop him. Everyone watched as Instick shot down, right at Shady. Fear rushed through Instick's body, but it was blocked out as his trainer filled his mind. "In...STICK!" With that, his entire body was consumed by light, his form suddenly changing.

"No way!" Flash yelled.

"Could it be?" Doc asked.

"Instick's evolving!" Twilight cried.

Soon enough, the shapeshifting stopped and the light faded to reveal the plant moth hybrid known as Movine. "MOVINE!" Movine unfurled its new leaf shaped wings and flapped them, causing it to shoot down even faster towards Shady.

Said trainer, had been completely shocked when he saw his Pokémon. It wasn't until Movine reached and wrapped his tendrils around his trainer that he finally spoke. "You did it!"

"Movine!" Movine replied as it flapped its wings to slow their descent before flying them back up to the ridge.

Everyone watched in amazement as the two shot into the air, circling over their heads without a care in the world. "Holy cow! I can't believe Instick finally evolved!"

"Like I said Spike," Twilight told him as she patted her brother's head. "Sometimes a Pokémon needs a reason to evolve, and I'd say this was a pretty good reason for Movine."

Flash nodded in agreement. "I guess the fear of losing his friend allowed him to overcome his over fears."

Everyone nodded as they continued to watch.

Soon enough, Shady and Movine landed and the group gave their congratulations. But as soon as they were done, everyone knew it was time to say goodbye. It was here that Shade said, "Well, I guess its time to head out."

"We're happy for you," Doc told him as he patted his shoulder. "In the end, it was your selfless actions that helped Instick find its courage."

"Yeah! Nice going man!" Flash added with a big goofy grin.

"Thank you," Shady nodded. "Thank you all so much."

"So I'm guessing you're gonna be flying to the next town?" Spike asked with a cheeky grin.

"You bet! Now that we can fly, I doubt our feet will ever touch the ground again. Well...except when we need it to, of course."

"Well I'm glad you got to achieve your dream," Twilight said before looking at the Pokémon on his back. "And Movine, don't forget that feeling you had when you were able to face your fear. You'll need it for the future."

"Movine!" it replied before spreading its wings.

"Well, I'll see you guys around." With that, he turned before leaping into the air. Movine's wings picked the two off the ground and soon enough, they were flying off into the horizon. The group all waved at him and yelled their goodbyes until to two were finally out of sight. With them gone, the group continued to smile as they continued on their way. They had been through a lot today, but it was worth it to help a trainer and their Pokémon achieve their dreams.

Delivery

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With Fillydelphia City just a day or so's walk from them, our heroes continued their journey. Currently, the group found themselves travelling over a small rocky pass that they came across in the woods. Having finally reached the summit, the group looked down, only to see more woods ahead of them.

"Great...more trees." Spike moaned, Peewee imitating him.

"Oh hush up," Twilight told him as she sat down on a rock and took off her boots. She then started massaging her aching feet, checking to make sure she had gotten any blisters. "We'll be there soon enough."

Doc reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of binoculars, using them to check the surrounding area. "I'll say. I think I can see the city right now."

"Really?" Flash asked before being handed the binoculars, which he then saw on the very limit of the binoculars' sight a bunch of unnaturally square constructs. "Hey, you're right! I see it too!" he handed Springer the binoculars. "If we hurry, we might be able to get there before dark."

"Ri..." Springer replied as he looked through the binoculars. He then turned to the left, only to see Peewee's eyes staring right at him through the binoculars, "RI!" He leapt back in surprise and fell onto his butt, causing the Terragon to laugh.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Spike added, his feet tapping in frustration. "Come on!"

"Give me a minute," Twilight told him as she pulled her boots back up her legs, moaning as her feet were once again confined.

"You really need better travel clothes," Flash commented, only to get a glare from the only female of the group. Twilight opened her mouth, ready to yell before-

"RUN!"

The group looked around, trying to figure out where the sudden voice came from. They then spotted a girl rushing towards them just a bit higher up the pass. She had gray skin and blond hair, and was wearing a light blue shirt with a yellow tie underneath a dark blue jacket and black running shorts. On her head was a blue hat with a badge of it and also had a large bag slung around her shoulder.

Besides her was a purple lizard like Pokémon, one on all fours with a yellow underbelly and lower jaw. It was about the same length as Peewee, with large fluffy ears on the top of its head. It's tail looked about six feet long, but it was hard to tell since it was curled up into a spiral. It's eyes also appeared to be pointed in any direction except the one it was running in, making them amazed that it could actually see where it was going. "Swirl, swirl, swirl...lie!"

The girl and Pokémon rushed towards them, running down at such high speed that the two just zipped past them. As soon as she did, the group shared a confused look. "What's her problem?" Spike asked, only to get his answer when the ground beneath them started to shake. They then turned to where the girl came from, only to see a bunch of incoming rolling rocks.

While the others blinked at the sight, Doc instantly realized what they were and yelled, "Graveler!"

"RUN!" Flash screamed before turning with the others, all of them now running towards the same direction as the girl.

They soon spotted and caught up with the girl, who was repeatedly yelling, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!"

Twilight looked back over her shoulder, "they're catching up!"

"What do we do!?" Spike asked in as Peewee clutched to his back in pure panic.

In that moment, Flash and Springer both skidded to a halt and turned back to the Graveler. "We got this. Springer, Double Team!"

"Ri!" Springer quickly created a dozen copies of himself, all standing in a line to block the path. "RIOLU!"

"That won't stop them!" Twilight screamed over her shoulder, but Flash just smirked.

"No, but this might! Aura Sphere...BARRAGE!" The Springers all put their paws together, each creating a sphere of blue energy between them.

"Rio...LU!" The fakes all charged at the oncoming stampede, thrusting the smaller then usual orbs right into them. But as the Aura Spheres exploded, causing the fake Springers to disappear, the Graveler continued their run, showing no damage from the attack.

Both Flash and Springer both paled at the sight. "Okay, you were right! It didn't work!" Flash yelled as he and Springer ran up to the others.

"This isn't good...at this rate, we'll be crushed!" Twilight screamed as she looked back again. "Oh no....Someone, please help us!"

Seeing it was up to him, Doc looked up and saw a large rock up near the edge of a higher ledge, giving him an idea as he pulled out his Pokeball. "Tockwork!" He tossed the ball into the air before it opened, releasing the red energy that flew over to the ledge and took shape.

The light faded to reveal the mechanical Pokémon. "Tock?"

"Tockwork!" Doc cried, "push that rock over the edge!"

"Tockwork..." he nodded before turning to the rock, his robotic strength soon shoving it forwards. One push was all it needed, gravity soon working on the rock as everyone looked up and saw the rock rolling towards them. Seeing this, they all picked up their speed and rushed beyond its impact sight. The only ones still behind were Flash and Springer, with the Graveler right behind them. And as the boulder was inches away, Flash quickly grabbed the Riolu and leapt forwards. Seconds before the rock landed, Flash's feet cleared the distance.

BOOM!

Everyone came to a stop and looked back, seeing the rock blocking the path and separating them from the Graveler. They all looked down at Flash and Springer, the two heavily panting from the run and adrenaline of nearly being crushed. Flash looked down at his feet and wiggled his toes, making sure he still had them all. "Phew!" He sighed before laying back and catching his breath. "Cutting it a bit close there, weren't cha Doc?"

Doc shook his head as he watched Tockwork climb down from the cliff. "If I had waited any longer, I might have crushed those Graveler. They're strong, but I don't know how much weight they could handle. Better to play it safe and just block their path."

"Safe...yeah, that sounds nice." Flash moaned as he patted his Riolu's head, "Tell that to the guy who almost got crushed."

The blonde girl looked down at the ground, rubbing her hands together in front of her stomach. "I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry." She started bowing again and again while the Pokémon next to her did the same.

"Swirl, swirl, swirl, swirl, swirl, swirl Swirleye."

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Twilight told her as she waved her hands, obviously a little uncomfortable at the continuous bowing. "But uh...how did that um...happen? If you don't mind me asking."

The girl stood back up, her thumbs now twiddling as she replied, "Oh....well you see...Swirleye and I were crossing through when we came across a field where those Graveler were all sleeping. Going around them would have taken to long, so were tried sneaking through them."

"And you woke them up?" Spike guessed.

"Not when we were passing. It just um...it happened when we reached the other side. We were so happy for not waking them up that we uh...well, we kinda...celebrated."

"Celebrated?" Doc asked with a raised eyebrow.

The girl started to blush in embarrassment as she looked away from the group, "I jumped for joy and....it must have caused a rock or two to come loose."

The others quickly realized what she was getting at as Twilight asked, "You caused an avalanche, didn't you?"

"Yeah...I'm sorry. I didn't mean too, and..." her face was now completely red as she stared at the ground. "Anyways, the avalanche came down and buried the Graveler. They were okay, but they didn't seem too happy with the whole....avalanche waking them up. Then they decided to chase me....so uh...sorry. I'm really sorry."

"Well, you're okay now, and its obvious you meant no harm. We forgive you." Doc told her as he walked up and grabbed her shoulder. "Let's introduce ourselves. I'm Time Turner, but you can call me Doc."

"I'm Flash," the teen said as he picked himself up. "This is Springer."

"Ri."

"I'm Twilight, and this is my little brother."

"Spike! This is Peewee."

"Terra."

"Tock...work."

The girl once again bowed before looking back up and opening her eyes. It was then that they noticed her eyes were like the Pokémon besides her, completely out of focus. "I'm Derpy. Pleased to meet you all." She pointed to the Pokémon beside her, "and this is my partner, Swirleye."

"Swirl," it replied, its eyes moving in a way that the others couldn't tell if it was actually looking at them.

"Swirleye?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Swirleye
Category: Cross Eyed Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Info: Its odd eyes allow it to see in all directions. This is both a blessing and a curse, as Swirleye often end up becoming disoriented and fall over at times.

Doc squatted down and looked the little Pokémon over. "Quite an unusual Pokémon you have, but I have to admit that its very cute." He reached out and began scratching Swirleye under the chin, causing it to show a big grin.

"Swirl..." it said slowly.

Derpy smiled at this exchange. "Thank you. She's my best friend, so you have no idea how much that means."

Twilight took this moment to look over the girl's clothing, snapping her fingers as she asked, "Are you a mail courier?"

The girl smiled as she tipped her hat. "That's right. I just started, and this is mine and Swirleye's first assignment." Her crossed eyes suddenly went wide, "oh no!" She took her bag off her shoulder, opening it up to show a metal case inside of it. She pulled the case out by the black handle and looked it over, sighing in relief. "Oh thank goodness...it doesn't appear to be damaged."

"What is that thing?" Spike asked as he pointed at it.

"I have no idea. Its locked so I can't look inside, but I know its important. My job is to deliver it to a power relay station in these woods, which is responsible for transferring power between a far off power station and Fillydelphia City. Apparently, some really important parts have short circuited and this is the replacements."

"So the city's blacked out right now?" Flash yelped as he realised what she meant.

Doc shook his head at this. "It's likely they have emergency power Flash, though I suspect it won't last long."

Twilight frowned and nodded at this. "A big city like Fillydelphia is reliant of electricity. Pokemon Centers, the Gym and other places will all need the power to run."

"So its really important that the relay station get these parts?" Spike asked as he turned to his sister.

"Exactly," Doc said before looking back at Derpy. "I'm a little surprised such an important assignment was made your very first. They must really believe in you."

Hearing this, Derpy let out a low nervous laughing as she started scratching the back of her head. "Well actually...I uh...I was the only courier they had on call...when the order was delivered, that is."

"Swirl..." Swirleye added with a sigh.

"Oh..." Doc replied, slightly gulping before patting her shoulder, "Well, I'm sure you'll do fine."

Flash nodded at this. "Yeah! After all, you're in the home stretch if the place is just in these woods. And after the Graveler incident, what else could go wrong?" Twilight and Spike both nodded as well.

Derpy smiled at hearing this, "You're right. Thanks." She lifted the box up and held it on her palm, a look of confidence now appearing on her face. "Nothing will stop me from finishing this delivery. Absolutely nothing." In that moment, a black blur shot between them and the box suddenly disappeared. Derpy looked back down, blinking two to three times before her eyes went wide. "AAAHHH! ITS GONE!"

"What the heck?!" Spike yelped as he and the others started to glance around, trying to figure out where the blur came from. It was here that Springer felt the light of the sun suddenly hit his face for a moment, causing him to look up.

"RI!" He pointed up, making everyone else do the same and see the box. It was currently in the talons of a Pokémon that almost all of them knew. It was a two foot tall bird creature with a black and white body. The front of its body, wings tips and head were white while the back of its body along with the rest of its wings and tail were black. It also had a black hood like construct around its head that gave it a more menacing look.

"Its a Scampie!" Flash cried out as he pointed at the Pokémon, remembering the familiar looking creature from his last encounter with Lightning.

"Scampie..." the magpie Pokémon hissed as it flew off towards the forest with case in talon.

"Give that back!" Derpy cried before looking down at Swirleye. "Swirleye, use Confusion!"

"Swirl!" Swirleye's eyes focused on Scampie before they fired of a mental laser, which struck the Pokémon, only for no damage to happen.

"What the-what just happened?!" Derpy yelled as she put both hands on top of her head. "Swirleye hit it but it didn't do a thing!"

"Scampie's a Dark and Flying-Type," Doc commented as he bit his lip at the sight. "Psychic-Type attacks won't work on them."

"Oh no...Swirleye's all I got!" Derpy moaned, her eyes now getting watery.

"Don't worry, we got this!" Spike yelled as he pointed at the fleeing Pokémon, "Peewee, grab that box!"

"But be careful," Twilight added. "We don't want to damage the part inside."

"Terra!" Peewee flew towards Scampie, ready to strike the Pokémon.

"Scampie!" It cried out, the voice echoing through the trees. Seconds later, a barrage of Scampies suddenly shot out of the forest's canopy. They all flew in front of Peewee while the thief Scampie flew past them.

"SCAM...PIE!" They all screeched out as in unison, their wings now flapping as they unleashed a large burst of powerful wind.

"Terr!" Peewee cried as he was struck by the wind, sending him straight back to the ground.

"Peewee!" Spike yelped as he watched the Terragon begin to fall, only for Twilight to pull out her Pokeball, returning the Pokémon before he could crash. Everyone watched as the Scampie flew back down into the forest and disappeared, the one carrying the case long gone.

Seeing the object of her first job disappear, Derpy fell to her knees as tears filled her eyes. "No, I can't believe that just happened!" With that, the waterworks burst as the liquid flew out of her eyes and into the ground. "WHAT AM I GONNA DO?!"

Everyone frowned at the sight while Swirleye patted its trainer on the knee. It was here that Spike spoke up, "Hey uh...why'd that Scampie take the case anyways?"

"Scampie are known for stealing shiny items to decorate their nests," Doc explained as he tapped his chin in thought. "When it saw the case, the sun's light must have reflected off it and caught its eye."

Twilight nodded at this. "That's true, but Scampies usually live in cities. With Fillydelphia being so close, why are they out here?"

"Good question Twilight...and I'm not sure on the answer." Doc replied as he looked back at Derpy, "Granted, the better question now is what she do about that Scampie stealing the case."

Flash stepped up, getting everyone's attention as he pounded his fists together. "Here's what we do, we find those Scampie and get that case back. Fillydelphia City needs it, so we have to get it back." Everyone smiled at this, nodding in unison.

Then, Twilight spoke up, "Okay. For starters, those Scampie are somewhere in this forest, but it'll be somewhere where they can make a nest. There's a lot of places for that."

Derpy stopped crying at this, though her eyes remained wet as she looked up at them. "You'd really help me, even after all the trouble I caused you earlier?"

Everyone nodded at her as Doc crouched down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You didn't mean any harm and I know you're trying your best. This is your chance to prove yourself to everyone and we're gonna help you." He then pulled the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the last few tears out of her eyes, a small blush appearing on her face as he did this. "So come on, let's get your case back."

Derpy smiled and nodded, soon picking herself back up as Swirleye climbed up onto her shoulder. "You're right. I can't let this little set back stop me. I'll find those Scampie and get my parcel back, mark my words." With that, she turned and took a step forwards...only to immediately trip over a rock. "Augh!"

Everyone watched as the girl and her Pokémon fell forwards and rolled down the remainder of the mountain pass, then into the forest as they both cried out. Spike let out a long sigh as he said, "This is gonna be our whole day, isn't it?" Twilight replied by smacking him the back of his head, while the others began to make their way down the path and followed Derpy into the woods.

In the deepest part of the forest, the Scampie flock had reached their destination. There, a giant tree with a thick trunk and many branches could be seen. The trunk also had a large hole inside it, which was big enough for twenty Scampie to fit inside. In front of this tree was where the flock of Scampie landed to, all of them placing whatever shiny object they had managed to get their talons on. Then the case carrying Scampie landed, leaving the case before jumping back to a safe distance. "Scam."

A pair of bright yellow eyes illuminated inside the hollow tree, its owner soon walking out. This Pokémon looked like a giant version of Scampie, standing at roughly four and a half feet. The white on its body was almost completely gone, with all that remained being on its face and inner wings. The rest of its body was pitch black, its hood even darker. "Pitch," it squawked out as it spread its wings and flew down to towards the pile.

It began to rummage around, looking for anything that might take it's interest but nothing seemed to catch its eye. "PITCHAWK!" It cried as it knocked them away with a slap of its wing, only to then spot the case. "Pitch?" It looked it over before smiling, soon picking it up in its beak before flying back up into its nest.

The Scampie then grabbed the rest of the shiny stuff and flew up into the tree's higher branches, where their nests resided. The lot of them began placing the items in those nests, arranging them in a way that the little sunlight that broke through the canopy would shine off them. And as the sun reached the perfect angle for the light to shine, the entire tree was soon illuminated by the reflective glow radiating off the stolen objects. As for the large Scampie, it sat on its nest and looked over the best of the best shiny stuff, all of it stolen from the city and travelers by its flock. Life was good when you were at the top.

As the group traversed through the forest, they continued to search for any sign of the Scampie. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on their side as they reached the hour mark of searching. It was here that they looked up into the sky, soon seeing three flying Pokémon coming their way.

"Chick/Hoo/Terr," said Skyler, Owlicious and Peewee as the flew down to their owners.

"Any luck?" Twilight asked as the three of them all landed, then shook their heads to say no. Three sighs followed before Twilight continued, "Alright, that's enough flying around. Why don't you all take a break?" The Pokémon nodded before flying up onto their trainers' shoulders as they themselves sat on some nearby logs.

"Resting for a bit might not be such a bad idea," Flash added as began to pat Skyler's head.

"And I've got the perfect snack to re-energize us," Doc finished as he reached into his backpack. He then pulled out a lunchbox and opened it to reveal an array of multicolored muffin like snacks.

Derpy licked her lips at the sight as she asked, "Are those....what I think they are?!"

"Poke-Muffs," Doc replied before offering the box. "Want one? There's plenty to go around."

"YES!" Derpy yelled as her eyes watered at the sight. She quickly swiped one, her eyes glaring at the treat like it was the last piece of food on earth. She slowly took a little bite out of it, savoring it with tiny mouse like nibbles.

Everyone tried not to giggle at her enjoyment of the treat. "Someone's obviously a fan of Poke-Muffs," Flash commented as he and Springer bit into a pink one. "...and this is still better than anything I can cook. Darn."

Derpy did a low embarrassed giggle as a blush appeared on her face. "Is it that obvious?"

"Maybe a little," Twilight replied as she handed Skyler, Owlicious and Peewee a red Poke-Muff while she and Spike ate a pink one.

"I can't help it," Derpy told her as she kept tiny biting into the treat. "They're just sooooo good. Especially these ones."

"Glad to see my creation is appreciated," Doc chuckled as he gave Swirleye a green one before biting into a blue one.

"Oh...they are," Derpy sighed in delight. "I might as well enjoy this while I can, since it'll likely be the last bit of joy I experience for a while. If I don't get that case back, I'll be fired for sure."

Spike turned and glared at the girl, "Don't say that. Its not you're fault this happened."

Derpy almost sunk into the log as a long sigh followed, "Hate to say it...but maybe it is." this made everyone blink and glance at each other. But before they could say anything, Depry continued, "I always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wherever I go, bad things always seem to happen. That's why I was so happy to get such an important assignment for my first job. I thought if I managed to pull it off, maybe my curse can finally be lifted." Another sigh followed as her eyes started to water again, "But it seems my optimism was no match for the powers that be."

Doc shook his head at this, pulling his sleeve to rub her eyes again. "Don't talk like that. I don't believe in stuff like curses, as I believe there's no unseen force that decides what good or bad stuff that happens to us. The only ones who decide our fate is ourselves."

"He's right," Flash added as he finished his Poke-Muff. "Sure you can't control when bad stuff happens, but you can control what you do when that bad stuff happens."

Twilight nodded at this. "Well said Flash." She then turned to Derpy, "Derpy, my mentor Professor Celestia used to tell me that life is an endless series of obstacles, some coming at us all at once. It's not a matter of can we overcome them, but how."

Doc nodded, liking that saying as he patted Derpy's shoulder. "They're right. Besides, you're just starting out. Of course you're gonna mess up, sometimes very badly, but you'll only truly be at fault if you don't learn from those mistakes. When I first started inventing, I made a loads of mistakes, but I didn't let that stop me. Instead, I learned from my failures and worked to improve myself because of it."

Everyone smirked at this, Derpy especially as she looked down at Swirleye. Trainer and Pokémon smiled at one another, knowing the others were right as she replied. "Okay...I see your point. Thanks." She then let out a nervous chuckle, "I just hope you're right about me. After all, I make so many mistakes."

Flash just waved his head at this as he said, "Eh, experience is just the name we give our mistakes."

Twilight turned to him, blinking at his oddly profound statement. "Your grandmother tell you that one?"

Flash shook his head, patting Springer on the head as he did. "No, someone else. Its the person who made me want to be a trainer," He then saw several expectant looks, only for him to shake his head again, "But this is no time for story telling." He quickly picked himself up and pumped his fists again, "We need to find those Scampie and get that case back. And you know what? That little break helped me come up with a plan."

Everyone raised their eyebrows, memories of the last time he had a plan flashing into their minds that involved a horribly designed monster costume. "What kind of plan?" Twilight asked, only to be met with a smirk from Flash. Said plan ended up involving the group looking through all their stuff and finding the most reflective object they had. This turned out to be one of Doc's cooking pots, which they left it out in the open while they all hid in nearby bushes.

"Okay...so once a Scampie comes along, it'll see the pot and take it, then return to its nest."

"Then all we have to do is follow it," Spike finished, getting a nod of confirmation from Flash.

"I gotta say Flash," Twilight commented as she readjusted her glasses. "This is actually a good idea."

Flash turned to give her a questioning look. "What do you mean, actually a good idea?"

Before Twilight could start fumbling for an answer, Derpy spoke up. "How do you know the Scampie that takes it will even return to the same place as where my Scampie went?"

"Considering the way they all worked together to take Peewee down, I'd say it's a fair bet they're in the same flock." Doc replied as he reached into his coat and pulled out a blue flashlight. "Now to make it shine." He switched on the light and made it shine on the pot, the metal reflecting the light perfectly.

They waited for several minutes with nothing happening, only to then hear some movement off in the distance. A Scampie flew into sight, its eyes catching sight of the pot. It soon landed next to the pot and looked it over, tapping it with its beak a few times before deciding to take it. Everyone watched as it flew off with the pot in its talons, and started to follow it from a distance, just enough to not be noticed.

Eventually, the group found themselves watching as the Scampie arrived at a large hollow tree. Staying hidden, they watched as the pot was dropped in front of the tree before the Scampie flew up to its nest.

"So this is where they keep their loot," Spike commented as he blinked at the tree. "Dang, that thing's huge!"

"But where's the case?" Derpy asked as she looked at the pile the pot was now in. "I don't see it."

"It must be in one of the nests," Doc replied as he pulled out some binoculars. He began to scan the tree, only to be almost blinded by the lights coming off the metal objects. Despite this, he looked over every branch before saying, "Drat. I'm seeing it on any of these nests."

"So where is it?" Derpy added.

"Wait...look at that hole Doc." Flash pointed to the hole in the trunk, which Doc checked and nodded.

"Ah! There it is! The case is right at the back of that tree trunk!" As soon as he said that, Derpy rushed out of the bushes and ran towards the tree.

"Derpy wait!" Twilight cried, but it was too late.

"Scampie!" One of the magpie Pokémon spotted her and flew out of its nest, aimed straight at Derpy and Swirleye.

"Quick Attack!" Flash's voice yelled before Skyler shot out of the bushes and struck Scampie, sending it crashing into another tree. The rest of the group rushed out and stood besides Derpy, all of them now seeing the whole flock of Scampie staring down at them. Skyler circled the trainers while Springer, Owlicious and Peewee prepared for battle. Doc called out Tockwork, the mechanized Pokémon ready to battle along with the others.

"SCAMPIE!" They all cried as they leapt out of the nests and flew down towards them.

"Here they come!" Twilight yelled as she pointed at the incoming group.

"Springer, Aura Sphere Barrage!" Flash ordered, the Riolu quickly making as many copies of himself as possible, each clone creating a single Aura Sphere before leaping up at the opponent.

"RIOLU!" They roared as they fired the attacks at the Scampie, knocking several back as the clones disappeared. Due to their typing, the Aura Sphere only did basic damage, but managed to leave them all open.

"Steel Wing!"

"Sky Drop!"

"Gear Grind!"

"Dragon Breath!"

Skyler's wings glowed as he flew around the flock, taking as many down as possible. Owlicious grabbed one in its talons and spun it around before throwing it to the ground. Tockwork fired its gears at them, the two bouncing from one Scampie to the other. Finally, Peewee's attack filled the sky, his breath sending the remainder of them flying away. And as the smoke of the attack cleared, the Scampie could all be seen unconscious. Everyone smiled at their victory, only for-

"PITCHAWK!" From up above, a flurry of purple rings shot down and struck Skyler, Owlicious and Tockwork.

"CHICK/HOO/WORK!" The three cried as they were all knocked down immediately.

"What the heck?!" Spike yelped as he hopped back from the sight.

"Good heavens! That was Dark Pulse!" Twilight screamed as she looked up, Springer and Peewee doing the same. It was here that a bright light started to fill their vision. That light was coming from a glowing object that shot down from the canopy and struck the two Pokémon, the force sending them crashing into a nearby tree trunk.

"Springer!" Flash cried.

"You okay Peewee?" Spike asked his partner.

Doc looked back at the shining object, knowing said light was due to it using Sky Attack as the light faded to reveal a large black bird. "Pitchawk."

"Pitchawk?" Flash asked as he picked up Springer and then pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Pitchawk
Category: Pitch Black Pokémon
Type: Dark/Flying
Info: The evolved form of Scampie. Mostly active at night, Pitchhawk's black feathers help it blend into the darkness before striking with tremendous force. The hood over its head is used to conceal its face in the darkness.

Pitchawk flew down and landed in front of the tree's hole, its wings spreading as it screeched, "PITCHAWK!"

"Who wants to bet that the nest in the tree is his?" Flash commented as he closed his Pokedex.

"No doubt," Twilight added, growling at the sight.

Derpy, despite being incredibly intimidated by the Pokémon due to him knocking away the other Pokémon so easily, stepped forward. "Please Pitchawk, I need that case in your nest. Its really important."

"PITCHAWK!" The dark bird screeched back, making her step back as its roar shook the area.

"Looks like its not gonna give it up easily," Doc commented as he started to walk up to Derpy, only for Swirleye to flash his hand at him, making him come to a halt.

The Pokémon then tapped Derpy on the face, causing her to turn to the lizard. Swirleye stared at her directly in the eyes before nodding, "I understand. Thank you Swirleye." The Pokémon then leapt down from her shoulder as she glared back at the bird. "Alright, I'll battle you to get it back!"

Pitchawk raised an eyebrow at this, obviously not expecting a fight. It then chuckled at this, pointing at her as if to gesture 'bring it on'. "Pitchawk."

Derpy nodded, knowing this was her only chance. "Okay! If I beat you, I get that case back Pitchawk!" The Pokémon nodded back. "Let's go then! Bring it on!"

"Derpy, wait!" Twilight yelled as she pointed at the bird, "Pitchawk's a Dark-Type. Psychic-Type moves won't work on it."

"I know Twilight. Thankfully, me and Swirleye still have other attacks! Use Scratch!"

"Swirl!" Swirleye rushed forwards, it's claws glowing as it got close. Pitchawk smirked at the sight, quickly flaring its wings as it leapt into the air, dodging the swipe before firing off a Dark Pulse.

"Dodge it!" Derpy cried as Swirleye leapt out of the way. It then landed on the tree trunk before starting to climb the massive pillar of lumber. "That's the way Swirleye! Now use...um...Scratch again!" Swirleye leapt off the tree and flew at Pitchawk, managing to scratch it on its face.

"HAWK!" Pitchawk yelped as the attack got dangerously close to its eye. It spun in midair and tried to strike Swirleye with its wing, but the lizard unfurled its tail and wrapped it around its body.

Now anchored to its opponent, Swirleye began slashing at its back again and again. "Swirl, swirl, swirl, swirl!"

Pitchawk grunted in pain as the scratches continued, only to flare its wings as it shot into the air. Doing this, it started to spin like a top in midair, the force of the bird now pushing Swirleye's grip. Then, it's grip stopped and the lizard fell like a rock.

"Swirleye!" Derpy cried as she saw Swirleye fall, the lizard soon landing and letting out a cry of pain.

Doc placed his hand on her shoulder. "Stay calm. Just focus on your next attack."

Derpy took a deep breath and nodded, her head starting to think as she tried to remember what other moves Swirleye knew. Then her went wide as she looked and pointed at the Pitchawk, "Swirleye, use Miracle Eye!"

Swirleye picked itself up as its eyes shot open, a pink light shining from them as it flew through the sky and hit its opponent in the chest. Then, the light passed over Pitchawk, only to show no damage. "Pitch?"

"What happened?" Spike asked as he stared with the same confused look that the Pitchawk was showing.

Twilight smirked at the sight, "Miracle Eye. Its a move that causes any Dark-Type hit by it to be effected by Psychic-Type moves."

Derpy heard this and smiled, this happy accident giving her a chance. "Confusion!" Swirleye unleashed a blue beam from its eyes, striking the Pitchawk on the side of its wing.

"Pitch!" It cried as it was zapped, not used to this feeling due to its immunity. It wasn't very effective, but it was enough to make it slowly float towards the ground.

Seeing this, Derpy remembered Swirleye's last attack and called it out. "Thrash!" Swirleye hopped towards Pitchawk and unfurled its tail, which it started slashing and wildly whipping at it.

"Hawk, hawk, pitch, hawk!" It cried as the blows continued to strike the bird. It then flapped its wings again, soon getting back up into the air while Swirleye landed, only to start staggering around strangely.

"What's wrong with Swirleye?" Spike asked as he pointed at the Pokemon. "It looks really...dizzy."

"It's confused," Twilight explained with a grimace. "It can be a side effect of using Thrash."

"Oh no..." Derpy gulped before looking up, only to see Pitchawk charging up a Sky Attack. "Swirleye, you need to attack! Use Confusion!"

"Swirleye!" It cried as it unleashed a blue beam, only for the laser to fly a few inches away from Pitchawk.

"No! You missed!" Derpy screamed in fear, "you have to try again! Use Confusion!" Once again, Swirleye fired the mental blast, only to miss again.

"This is bad," Twilight commented as she looked up, "Pitchawk's almost ready to attack." As these words left her mouth, the black bird shot down, its target a sitting duck.

"It's coming!" Flash shouted as he pointed at the bird.

"Do something Derpy!" Doc added.

Derpy's mind was turning to mush at this, her brain telling her that her curse was the cause of this. But as she through this, she felt Doc's hold on her shoulder, making her turn and she a determined look on his face. Seeing this, confidence swam into her mind as she the took a deep breath and screamed, "SWIRLEYE!"

Her voice echoed through the trees, the sound slamming Swirleye's ears. Suddenly, the dizziness seemed to lessen and it opened its eyes to see Pitchawk flying at it. "Swirleye!" It cried as it fired off a Confusion, this one striking the Pitchawk with incredible force.

"PITCHAWK!" It cried as the overpowered blast sent it flying backwards, crashing into the tree.

Everyone was shocked as they watched Pitchawk fall to the ground from the blow. "No way," Spike gasped as he saw the bird slump down.

"How'd that attack get so strong?" Flash asked before turning to Twilight and Doc.

Twilight snapped her fingers at this. "Of course! Swilrleye must have the ability Dizzy Drive! When it's confused, the ability allows all of its stats to get boosted."

"That's just what Derpy needs," Doc said as he turned back to Derpy. "Finish it off!"

Derpy nodded before turning back to Swirleye. "Thrash!" The now recovered Swirleye charged towards the recovering opponent, then unfurled its tail and started swiping away. The attacks were relentless and strong, Dizzy Drive having made the attack much stronger until finally, Swirleye curled up its tail be fore leaping up and slamming the whole thing into Pitchawk's chin.

"PITCHAWK!" it screeched, its body slumping into a heap as Swirleye leapt away at the same time.

Derpy was in awe at what she and Swirleye had done. They had beaten their opponent. "I did it," she whispered before feeling something pat her on the shoulder.

"You sure did. You should be proud."

"But we need to hurry," Twilight told them as she pointed at the bird. "We need that case before these guys wake up. I doubt we'll get a second chance after this."

Derpy nodded, rushing over to the tree and reaching into the hole. She grabbed the case and pulled it out, but as she did. "PITCHAWK!" She spun around to see Pitchawk had picked itself up, panting heavily as it did.

Derpy frowned, not wanting to hurt it anymore. Instead, she placed the case on the floor and stepped away. "Please, let me have this case. It has very important and delicate parts inside it that need to be delivered. If they aren't, the whole city will be without power. That means hospitals, Pokémon Centers and other important places won't be able to do what they need to do." She saw Pitchawk raise an eyebrow at this, making her see her plea was working. "Please, just let me have the case for a little while. Once the parts are delivered, you can have it back." She fell to her knees and bowed, her head down with eyes closed. "Please...believe me!" She looked back up and made eye contact with Pitchawk, the two staring at one another for several moments.

Until finally, Pitchawk nodded.

Derpy let out a sigh of relief, smiling as she wiped her teary eyes. "Thank you."

As the sun began to set, the group found themselves arriving at the other side of the forest. There, they found a stone building situated atop a hill that overlooked the entire city and would normally allow them to see the whole thing. But the darkness of the night shrouded the city, which had none of its lights on. As they stepped up to the building, the doors opened and a man stepped out. "Oh thank Arceus," he gasped as he noticed Derpy's clothes. "Please tell me you're the courier sent to deliver the parts. The back up power went out an hour ago."

Derpy smiled before stepping up, offering up the case. "They're all in here. I'm sorry we're late, but we ran into some...issues."

The man noticed the Pitchawk next to them and nodded understandly, obviously recognizing the bird from an earlier experience. He then took the case before heading inside. Several minutes later, he stepped back out. "Thank you, we should have the power back up in no time." He then held out the case. "You wanted this right?"

"Yes," Derpy replied before taking it and turning to Pitchawk. "Here you go, just like I promised."

Pitchawk smiled before taking the case in its talons. "Hawk!" It cried before flapping its wings and taking to the sky, disappearing back into the darkness of the night.

Everyone smiled at seeing it go as Doc placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You did great Derpy. It wasn't the battle that won Pitchawk's cooperation, but your kind and honest heart."

Derpy smiled at this, nodding as a blush started to form on her face, only to feel Swirleye climb up onto her shoulder. "Thank you...all of you. I couldn't have done it without you." She then turned to her Pokémon, "Especially you. Thank you Swirleye."

"Swirleye!" it cheered, hugging her cheek soon after.

Everyone giggled at the sight as Spike then asked, "so what are you gonna do now?"

Derpy turned to him with a huge grin, "I'm going back to base. No doubt they'll want to know everything that happened on my first assignment."

"You might want to leave out the part about the package being stolen," Flash suggested with a smirk. Everyone laughed at this, all agreeing that the situation might be best left between them and their memories. But before anyone could say anything else, a bright light suddenly assaulted their vision. They all turned and watched in wonder as the night sky was now illuminated by the lights of the city.

"Beautiful," Twilight gasped as she readjusted her glasses at the sight.

"Yeah...it sure is," Flash added, nodding in agreement.

Doc patted Derpy on the shoulder one last time. "And it's thanks to you that we get to see it. Thank you Derpy."

Derpy's smile increased at this, happy she had managed to help the city of Fillydelphia in its time of need. Seeing this, Twilight would later write to Celestia that it just goes to show that no matter how many mistakes you make, if you try your best and don't give up, nothing is impossible.

Now, Flash's second Equestria League Gym Challenge was only a night's sleep away. Who will his opponent be? How will they battle? And can Flash find a way to defeat them and earn his badge?

Stay tuned to find out.

Tangled Web

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After a long journey filled with many adventures and meetings, our heroes have finally arrived in Fillydelphia City, the site of Flash's second Equestria Region Gym challenge. Getting into town the previous night, the group headed to the Pokémon Center to rest and mentally prepare for Flash's match. Now, it was morning and the group was up and ready for the day ahead.

"Eat up guys," Flash told his Pokémon as they started chowing down on their breakfast. "We're gonna need all the energy we can get for the gym battle."

"Ri/Chick/Ak/Fay/Scor," the Pokémon replied with their mouths full. Flash smirked before turning back to his friends and started enjoying his cereal.

"You ready for this match Flash?" Doc asked as he finished off his toast.

"Of course I am. I'm ready for whatever this Gym Leader throws at me."

"Any idea which Pokémon you're gonna use?" Spike asked before beginning to slurp the milk out of his bowl.

Twilight rolled her eyes at her brother's table manners before turning to Flash, a look of concern on her face. "Remember, this gym leader is supposed to specialize in Bug-Types. That puts Viper and Skyler at an advantage, but puts Springer and Prongs at a disadvantage."

"So he'll just use Viper and Skyler," Spike commented as he gulped the last bit of milk. "I mean, since it is two on two and-"

"We don't know that," Doc interrupted as he wiped his lips with a napkin. "Each Gym Leader is allowed to make their own rules, so who knows how many Pokémon this one will use."

"So this trainer could use six Pokémon?!" Spike asked in a worried tone. "But Flash only has five!"

"I doubt he would use that many," Twilight told him as she took off her glasses and started to clean them. "Most Gym Leaders only use around two to four Pokémon."

"So Flash might have to pick another one of his team to battle with Viper and Skyler?" Spike added as he turned Flash, "who are you gonna pick?"

Flash rubbed his chin in thought about this. If it was four on four, his best choice would be to exclude Prongs or Springer. Seeing him deep in thought, Doc then commented, "Well since Springer's his strongest Pokémon, he should probably keep him in and have Prongs stay on the bench."

Spike and Twilight nodded in agreement at this, but Flash didn't respond. Instead, a memory flashed in his head as he remembered back when he last faced Lightning Blitz.

"One dues ex Pokémon will only take you so far. I bet without it, you wouldn't be able to do anything. What a worthless trainer."

"I'll show him," Flash thought out loud, making his friends all share a confused glance.

"Come again?" Twilight asked, getting his attention.

Flash looked up at her, only to shake his head. "Sorry, its uh...its nothing. Just thinking out loud." He then glanced at his still eating Pokémon "But you know...I think I'll have Springer sit this match out."

Everyone gave surprised glances as Spike asked, "Why?"

Flash just shrugged at this. "I just...I don't know, I feel like I should. You know, I should give some of my other team the chance to shine in a Gym Battle." Before anyone could say anything else, Flash quickly finished off his breakfast and stood up. "Alright guys, let's go do our warm ups before we head over there." His Pokémon all ate their last few bites of breakfast and walked out of the center's dining hall.

Once he was gone, his friends all shared a concerned look as Spike spoke up, "You think he's okay?"

Doc shook his head. "I'm honestly not sure, but all we can do for now is watch and hope for the best."

"I just hope he has a plan in mind," Twilight commented as she pushed her glasses up her nose. "He's gonna need one if he wants to win."

"You said that when he faced Doc," Spike reminded her. "But he didn't and still managed to win."

"He lucked out that time," Twilight replied as she glared at her brother. "This Gym Leader won't be like Doc."

Doc nodded at this. "Indeed. Flash beat me because I was unable to adapt after my plan failed. If this trainer is like Flash but with a plan, then he's gonna be in for a hard time."

"But I doubt Flash is gonna see it like that," Twilight added as she pulled out her journal, "Flash lives on instinct and improvising in his battles."

Doc nodded again. "He's a 'take it as it comes' type of trainer, but that attitude will only get him so far."

"So you're saying he's gonna lose?" Spike asked as a big frown started to form on his face.

"That all depends on the trainer he's facing Spike. If its one that can think on his feet and be intelligent with their strategies, Flash will be in serious trouble." Twilight told him as they got up with their Pokémon and headed to the reception desk. There, they spotted their new friend Derpy and her Swirleye.

"Morning guys!" she said as she saw them.

"Good morning to you Derpy." Doc replied as he walked up to her, "Are you heading out as well?"

Derpy nodded. "Need to get back to base. They were happy with my report and now they want give me another delivery as soon as possible."

"Did you tell them about what actually happened?" Spike asked with a mischievous grin.

Derpy just blushed at this. "I may have...left out a few details. I told them some Scampie and a Pitchawk tried to get the case, but I was able to keep the case secure. They also asked me to thank you guys for helping me defend the package from harm."

"No problem," Twilight replied before noticing Flash and Springer stepping back inside.

"Alright! We're all warmed up and ready for action. Now we just need to find the Gym."

As he said this, Nurse Redheart and her Chancy had been walking by and overheard everything. She then turned towards him and frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry, but the Gym isn't open right now."

Flash's eyes went wide at this, "What?! Why?!"

"The Gym Leader is currently out of town right now. I'm not sure when he'll be back, but the center received a message to notify all trainers that the Gym won't be accepting challenges right now."

"That's total Bouffalant!" Flash cried, Twilight having covered Spike's ears and frowning at him. "What kind of Gym Leader leaves their Gym?!"

"Ahem!" Doc interrupted, doing a small fake cough. "I left my Gym Flash."

Flash saw this and did a slight gulp. "Oh...yeah. Besides the ones that have a very valid reason of course. Sorry."

Twilight rolled her eyes and turned to Redheart. "Do you know when the Gym Leader is supposed to return?"

Redheart shook her head. "No, but I'll be notified when he does."

"Well that stinks," Spike grumbled as he glanced at Twilight. "What do we do now?"

"You guys could always go sight seeing," Derpy told them. "Isn't that half the fun of travelling around? To see the many different places and learn about the world?"

"She's got a point," Doc added with a snap of his fingers.

"Agreed. I'd like to see how Fillydelphia is different from Canterlot and Trottingham," Twilight said as she turned to Flash, only to see a huge frown on his face. "Flash, I'm sure learning about this leader's home will help you understand the Gym Leader better. It might even help you come up with a strategy for the upcoming battle."

"I already have a strategy: Win." Everyone's face dropped at this, surprised at his arrogant confidence. That is, till he let out a sigh, "But I guess it wouldn't hurt to look around since there's nothing better to do."

Doc leaned over to Twilight and whispered, "I half expected him to say he was gonna train."

"That's what the most serious trainers would want to do," Twilight replied before shrugging, her voice's volume slowly increasing as she turned back to Flash. "Well...if that's the case, guess we'll go out and see what Fillydelphia has to offer."

"YEAH!" Everyone replied in unison.

And so the group all headed out to see the sights of Fillydelphia City. Derpy said her goodbyes, blushing slightly as she gave Doc one last hug before leaving to her home office. As for the group, they headed off in the opposite direction, ready to see the city.

Their first location in their city tour ended up being a place called the Reader Terminus Market, an underground marketplace that was the biggest in all of Equestria. There, they visited the many stores, including one where Flash and Twilight ended up burning their tongues when they tried a sample from a store run by a girl named Saffron Masala, who had a chili that was both delicious and incredibly spicy. Doc found an old antique shop and spent a good deal of time looking over the clocks and other old time devices, while Spike and Peewee found an arcade they got to play in.

Their next stop had been the museum district, which Twilight was super excited about. She went to the city's history museum, a place filled with books so old that simply touching them could cause them to disintegrate. Spike and Peewee found an interactive museum, where they could actually hold and play with the exhibits to learn about them. On the other hand, Flash and Doc went to a technology based museum, which was filled with vehicles and machines from different times and regions. This included a Sharpedo submarine that had been used by a group of criminals in the Hoenn Region, along with a miniaturized version of a pirate ship that was supposed to actually fly.

"So...where should we go next?" Twilight asked as they had lunch in a café outside one of the museums. She had her journal out, with Fillydelphia's page open.

"We could go see that city's special bell, that's supposed to really important for some reason," Spike suggested as he slurped a milkshake through a straw.

Before Twilight could go into a history lesson about said historical artifact, Doc spoke up. "Why don't we go the Fillydelphia Garden?"

"What's so special about it?" Flash asked as he finished his milkshake.

"It's supposed to be a nature preserve for rare Pokémon."

"Really?! Why wasn't this our first stop?!" Flash asked as he glared at Twilight, obviously wanting to see Pokémon over everything else.

Twilight just gave him a flat stare. "You know you can't catch them right? Its a preserve."

"Oh...that stinks." Flash muttered as he looked away, "Well, it still sounds like a cool place and we could get to see some rare Pokémon." He then looked down at Springer, who barked as his milkshake caused a brain freeze. "What do you say bud?"

"Ri..." Springer moaned out as he showed a thumbs up before beginning to rub his head in pain.

"Then Fillydelphia Gardens it is," Flash replied as the others all nodded in agreement. Soon enough, they found themselves outside a large glass dome like building in the center of the city. "Welp, here we are. That was easy to find."

Twilight then noticed a large sign in front of the building and stepped over to it, soon reading aloud.

Welcome to Fillydelphia Gardens, Equestria's first and best environment controlled ecosystem.

Built by Fillydelphia City's first Gym Leader, the domed structure allows endangered Pokémon a place to live in peace and without fear of being captured and contained. Some of the Pokémon you will see in here are all those who have had their natural habitats destroyed or stolen by the greed of mankind, while others are systematically hunted for one reason or another. It is our hope that these Pokémon can one day be released from our care and returned to the wild, free from the dangers that once required their living here.

Visitors are welcome, but we must demand that you refrain from petting, battling or attempting to capture these Pokémon. Any attempts will be met with a fine and immediate banning from the premise.

Thank you and please enjoy the many different species of Pokémon found within. Have a nice day.

Once Twilight finished reading, the group looked up at the dome before turning to one another, all sharing a confused glance before Doc spoke up, "The Pokémon in there must be very special if we get fined for even touching them."

"That's why we're gonna follow the rules," Twilight added as she glared at Flash and Spike. "We go in, look around, and don't touch anything. Understand?"

"Yes mom," Spike, Flash and their Pokémon replied, Twilight's glare intensifying at this. Flash then stepped up to the door, only to feel a blast of heat as he and the others walked inside, "Geez...its like a sauna in here."

"It's probably for the Pokémon," Twilight added as she took off her glasses and tried to wipe the steam off the glass, only for them to instantly fog over once again. Spike, Doc and Springer also seemed to find the humidity unpleasant, with only Peewee seeming to enjoy it. Flash quickly removed his jacket, while Doc took off his coat and Spike his hoodie.

"Hello," the group turned to see a girl aged between Twilight and Spike. She was sitting behind a reception desk and had light blue skin and pink hair with white streaks in it. "Welcome to Fillydelphia Garden. I'm Ocellus."

Everyone quickly said their introductions as Ocellus noted then pointed out a bunch of lockers off to the side. They placed their coats within the locker and soon locked it, taking a key that also functioned as a bracelet of sorts. Twilight placed it on her wrist as Ocellus motioned them to follow her to the main habitat.

"So...do you work here?" Spike asked as the went down the main hallway, "you seem a little young."

"I volunteer. The owner is a friend of my family, and he said it would be good for me to get some work experience."

"And you don't mind the heat?"

"No, not at all." she replied, shaking her head at the same time. "We enjoy the heat. In contrast, anything below thirty degrees is chilly to me and my family."

"Huh..."

After this question was finished, Flash turned to Twilight, "Didn't the sign outside say this place belong to the Gym Leader?"

Ocellus nodded at this, "It is. His mother opened it up and he took over when she...well, that's not important. Anyways..." they arrived at the end of the corridor, causing her to turn and stare at the group, "The habitats are just down here. Remember, no touching, battling or attempting to capture the Pokémon. We have CCTV, just to let you know."

"Don't worry, we'll behave ourselves."

"Good," Ocellus replied before turning back around, "Oh, and no flash photography as well. You can still take pictures, but not with that. It might spook the Pokémon."

"Got it," Flash told her with a nod.

"Thank you," Twilight bowed.

Ocellus did the same before showing them an airlock of some kind, which was a door that led to a small room. This contained a second door, one that would not open unless the first one was shut, obviously as a way to keep the Pokémon inside from escaping. "Now remember to stay on the path," Ocellus explained as she closed the first door. "The Pokémon will leave you alone unless you do that, alright?"

"Okay," everyone replied before she opened the door. If the temperature in the reception was bad, then being in the actual habitat was ten times worse. As soon as the door, a wave of blazing hot air flew into the room. Sweat immediately overcame them as they stepped inside, looking around to see that the whole place was a jungle. They all saw the path they would need to remain on, with a railing keeping them from straying off. The group then started down the path, keeping an eye out to see if they could spot any of the rare Pokémon they came to see.

"Look," Ocellus pointed up at a large tree where they then saw a group of Aipom swinging from it. "Those Aipom were rescued from a forest that was destroyed in a wildfire. It was caused when a trainer made the mistake of having his Charmeleon use Flamethrower in a forest."

"Well that was dumb," Flash commented, only to then avoid a head smack from Twilight.

Ocellus just sighed at the comment, "You'll find that a lot of people do dumb things in the heat of the moment. They're so focused on winning that they don't care about what they have to do for it." A rustling sound then caught their attention, only for them to see a group of Bounsweet step out of some nearby bushes. "For instance, these Bounsweet lost their homes when a group of Rhyhorn took it over. The Rhyhorn kicked them out of their home because a company that had bought the Rhyhorn's land had ran them out as well. Apparently, the company wanted to build a resort there."

"That's horrible," Twilight said as she put her hand over her mouth.

"Disgusting," Doc added, tapping his foot in frustration.

Ocellus nodded as she lead them further into the forest. "Mankind is so focused on making life better for themselves that they sometimes forget that this world doesn't just belong to them. Thinking like that is only gonna lead to problems after all. That's why the one who built this place did so, to show that there were still those who care about nature."

Everyone smiled at this, hoping that one day they might get to meet this person. Ocellus then continued to show them around the gardens, showing them all the Pokémon that lived there. This included some Vivillon, Ekans and even some regional variants like Alolan Diglett and others. And as they reached the center of the dome, they found a lot of the light being blocked by the trees. "This part of the habitat is where some of our rarer species live. Look, over there." She explained as she pointed towards one of the trees.

There, a spider like Pokémon with a black body and six bright blue eyes was climbing a tree. On its back was a large light blue star. It was roughly a foot long, as its spindly legs clung to the tree.

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled on his Pokedex.

Name: Starider
Category: Star Spider Pokémon
Type: Bug/Dark
Info: The star on this Pokémon's back in an indicator of its age. The larger the star, the older the Starider. It can create a silk so strong that a single strand could hold up a bus.

"It looks creepy," Spike said as he began hiding behind Twilight.

Ocellus turned and gave Spike a calm kind smile. "Don't worry, the Stariders won't hurt you. As long as nothing antagonises them, they'll keep to themselves."

"How many of them are there?" Doc asked as he studied the Starider, but when he didn't get a reply, he looked back at Ocellus, who was now pointing up. They all followed her finger and saw what she was pointing too. Above their heads in the trees were tons of Starider, each one on a web that was stuck between the trees and branches. They were all the same size, but the stars on their backs were all different.

Spike paled at the sight. "I'd like to leave this area please."

They all nodded and began to continue down the path, only for the sound of a rustling bush to catch their attention. They turned towards it, expecting to see either a Starider or another common Pokémon, but were shocked at what they saw. It was a little black and white grub like Pokémon. It's body had five ball like sections that were white with black spots covering them. It's face was black with bright blue eyes and a pair of black arm-like appendages.

"Grub..." it said as it pulled itself along.

"Oh no," Ocellus gulped as she almost took a step back.

"What's that?" Spike asked as Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Grubirth
Category: Royal Grub Pokémon
Type: Bug/Dark
Info: Though young, its future is already predetermined. To protect itself, it can release a colorless, odorless dust that can cause hallucinations.

"Nobody move," Ocellus said as she started to slowly step towards the little Pokémon.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Your Pokedex said what's wrong. Grubirth are easily frightened and will release the hallucinogenic at the slightest sign of danger. That's why we have a separate enclosure for them, but I guess this one must have got out." She ducked down under the railing and slowly crawled towards the Grubirth.

It raised an eyebrow at her. "Grub?"

"It's okay," she whispered. "You know me, Ocellus. I'm one of the people that give you and your friends food." She reached out to try and pet it, "Why don't you come with me? I'm sure your friends are all missing you, so let's get you back to them." Her hand was inches away from the Grubirth, who seemed completely calm, but then-

"Star!" A Starider suddenly popped down on a web string, appearing right between the two.

"Grub!" Grubirth cried in shock, making Ocellus's eye go wide.

"No, don't-"

"GRUB!" The Grubirth cried out as it spat out a strange clear mist that struck the Starider.

Ocellus leapt back and returned to the others as they all watched the mist fill the air. "Don't breath it in!" She yelped as she covered her mouth.

Flash pulled out a Pokeball, "Skyler, use Gust!" He threw the ball into the air, causing it to unleash a red light that soon faded to reveal the Chickling.

"No wait!" Twilight yelled, but it was too late.

"Chick...LING!" Skyler flapped his wings and unleashed the powerful gust, which blew the mist away, only for it to fly up into the trees where the other Starider were.

"Oops," Flash said as he saw this, "I'm guessing that's a bad thing." The Starider all shook their heads as they inhaled the mist, only to glare down at them. "Yup...that's definitely a bad thing."

"Ri," Springer moaned as he facepawed while Skyler landed on Flash's head.

"Chick..." the Chickling gulped, embarrassment now on its face.

"Who knows what they're all seeing right now," Doc commented as he started to backpedal.

What they were seeing was a bunch of shadowy monsters, all with jagged teeth and razor sharp claws. "STAR!" They all cried as they got into a defensive stance, the original Starider rising up to join them as they snapped their talons.

Ocellus rushed over and grabbed the Grubirth before getting back to the others. "We need to get out of here! Now!" In that second, the Starider all started firing their String Shot at them. The silky thread flew towards them like bullets, everyone quickly hopping away to dodge the webbing.

"Gross!" Spike yelped as he just barely dodged the webs.

Peewee then leapt off his shoulder and took a deep breath. Seeing this, Twilight quickly yelled, "Peewee, no! If you use your Ember, you'll set the whole place on fire!" the dragon shoved his mouth shut at this command, only to for a blast of String Shot to hit his legs.

"Terr!" He cried as his wings and tail were webbed up a second later. He then tried biting through the webs, only for his mouth to be webbed shut.

"Peewee!" Spike said as he tried to get to his friend, only for Twilight to grab him.

"No!" Twilight told him, "we'll be no help to him if we get caught too."

"So what do we do?" Spike asked, only for more string to almost hit his foot.

"RUN!" Ocellus screamed before they all rushed down the path, the Starider following after them as more and more webbing splattered everywhere. As they ran, they saw other Pokémon getting caught in the web. Several Aipom cried as their tails were webbed to the rest of its body, causing them to fall to the ground mid-swing. Before it could get back to its feet, another thread hit it and it was pulled into the trees.

"Keep running! Don't look back!" Doc yelled as he motioned the others to keep going. But as he said this, several strings shot out of the trees and hit him in the back and arms. "AAAHHH!" He yelped as he was dragged backwards a second later.

"Doc!" Flash yelled as he spun around. "Hang on!"

"Keep going!" Doc barked back, only to see Flash shake his head.

"I'm not leaving you! Skyler, Steel Wing!"

"Chickling!" Skyler flew at Doc, only for a Sticky Web attack to fly right into the bird, "CHICK!" Skyler cried as the web blasted him into a nearby tree.

"Skyler!" Flash yelled as he tried to run to his bird Pokémon, Springer right behind him. "Hang on, I'm-"

"RI!" Springer interrupted as he tried to push Flash away from another String Shot, only for two more attacks to fly out. Before they could react, the duo were webbed in place as well.

"No!" Flash roared as he tried to pull himself free, but the silk was to strong. The next thing he knew, he and Springer were being dragged away. "AAAHHH!"

"RIOLU!"

"Flash..." Spike cried tears in his eyes as he kept running.

"We can't stop," Twilight told him as they continued down the path.

"Bounsweet!"

"Ekans!"

"Dig!" They turned to see the many other Pokémon of the gardens getting caught in the Stariders webbing, the silk now covering every bush and tree.

"Let's just hope they haven't gotten the exit yet," Ocellus commented as she kept at Twilight and Spike's pace. "We need to-oh!" It was here that she noticed she had just stepped in a Sticky Web. She then tried to lift her foot, but the webbing refused to release her. "Oh no..."

"Ocellus!" Twilight cried as she and Spike stopped and turned back to her.

Ocellus kept trying to pull herself free, but saw it was futile as she saw several Starider getting closer. She turned to the last two remaining and held out the Grubirth, "Here. Get out of here."

Spike quickly took the little maggot, "but what do we do then?"

"You need to find help. Nurse Redheart, Officer Hard Case...anyone. We need to stop the Starider before it's too late. Now GO!"

Seeing the Starider getting closer, Twilight and Spike nodded and ran down the path. The two continued to try to get out of the building, only to the airlock door in the distance. They quickly made their way to it, Twilight soon grabbing the door and opening it up, "come on. We need to-" She turned towards Spike, only to see something coming up from behind him. "MOVE!" She pushed her brother out of the way as the thread that had been aimed at him hit her arm.

"TWILIGHT!"

"GRUB!"

Twilight acted quickly, grabbing him with her remaining arm before tossing him and Grubirth through the doorway. Before they or the Starider could do anything, she slammed the door shut.

"Twilight!" Spike cried as he picked himself up and rushed to the door, only to see more threads begin to hit his sister.

Twilight smiled back, glad that he was at least safe. "Spike, remember what Ocellus said. You need to find someone who can help. Hurry!" Before she could say anything else, she was pulled back and dragged up into a nearby tree.

"TWILIGHT!" Spike screamed as he watched her disappear. The tears he had been holding back finally broke free, his legs giving out as his slid down the glass door. "Twilight..."

The Grubirth looked up at him, crawling over to touch his leg. "Grub."

Spike turned to it, anger immediately appearing on his face. "You...this is all your FAULT!" He screamed, only to then see the Grubirth flinch back in fear. Tears began to go down its eyes, making Spike stop. He wanted to yell more, but the tears he saw made him just sigh and slump over again. "Sorry...I'm just...I don't know."

"Grub," Grubirth moved back over to him and crawled up until he was on Spike's shoulder.

"Right...thanks." Spike said as he picked himself up and looked through the window, watching as more and more of the trees were covered in webbing. "We're the only ones who can stop these things."

"STAR!" A Starider suddenly appeared on the other side of the door, terrifying the two.

"And by stop them, I mean finding someone else to stop them," Spike corrected himself.

"Grub," Grubirth replied with a nod before the two turned and rushed out the airlock. They then headed out the building, looking back to see the glass dome was completely covered in webbing.

The duo then ran down the street frantically as Spike started talking to himself, "Gotta think, gotta think....Think of someone who might be able to stop those things! But...but who?!" His first thought was what Ocellus had suggested, Officer Hard Case or Nurse Redheart. Except he had no idea where to find an Officer Hard Case, and as for Nurse Redheart, he had no idea how to get back to the Pokémon Center. "Augh! Why didn't Twilight give me her journal?" He moaned as he continued running, Grubirth holding onto his shoulder as tight as it could. "No choice, I've just gotta start asking anyone at random for help."

But just as he was about to do that, he turned a corner and suddenly felt himself slam into something hard. "Augh!" He yelped as he fell back and landed on his rear. He quickly recovered and soon saw that what he ran into was a young man that looked to be Flash's age. He had dark green, almost black skin and bright red hair. He was wearing a dark blue button up shirt with a purple branch and leaf patterns on it, along with black pants. The boy was wearing a necklace around his neck that had a large crystal with a smaller crystal on either side of it.

This guy had been knocked over like Spike had, and was now recovering as he stood up and rubbed his butt. He then turned to Spike, an angry look on his face. "Watch where you're going twerp."

"Sorry..." Spike gulped as he picked himself up, "but it's an emergency."

The guy was about to ask what was so important, only to notice the Grubirth on Spike's shoulder. "What the-you stinking thief!" Before Spike knew what was happening, the man grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him into a nearby wall.

"What?!" Spike yelped as he started to squirm from the sudden blow, only to squeak out, "What are you talking about?!"

"Don't play dumb with me!" The guy said as he pointed at the Pokémon on Spike's shoulder. "You stole that Grubirth from the Fillydelphia Gardens, didn't you?! If you think I'm gonna let you do that, you're wrong!" His grip tightened as he then hissed, "Now...tell me how many you stole, you poacher!"

"I didn't steal any of them!" Spike cried as he felt the boy's grip continued to get stronger. Grubirth wanted to help Spike, but it was so scared that it was having trouble simply keeping itself from expelling its hallucinogen.

At the same time, the man didn't look convinced. "Fine, you wanna do this the hard way?" He pulled a fist back, ready to knock Spike's lights out. "Fine by me!" But before he could actually punch him-

"Pharynx!" The man stopped his fist, inches from Spike's face. "Let him go." The two of them turned towards the source of the voice, seeing it be someone who looked very much like the one holding Spike. However, instead of dark green, his skin was light green and he had orange hair. He was wearing a dark orange and white version of Pharynx's shirt, with a dark green overcoat atop it along with light green pants and was waring the same necklace that Pharynx.

The two glared at one another for several moments, until Pharynx let out a long sigh as he loosened his grip on Spike, "You're too soft Thorax."

"Maybe, but it's better than acting like her." Thorax then stepped over to Spike and kneeled down, looking him in the eye. "Now, do you mind explaining why you have that Grubirth with you please?"

Spike nodded before explaining the situation, the two growing more and more concerned as he finished the story "So now I've gotta find someone who can stop those things and save my friends."

"I see," Thorax replied as he glanced at Pharynx. "That's not good."

"No kidding." Pharynx added, "This is bad bro. We need to do something."

"And we will," Thorax said as he helped Spike up, "Come on. We have work to do." With that he walked off, Pharynx close behind with Spike and Grubirth pulling up the rear as Spike wondered what these two could possibly do to stop the Starider.

Meanwhile...

"Twilight!' yelled a voice, causing the girl to stir.

"Wh...huh?"

"Twilight...Twilight wake up!" Twilight's eyes began to flicker open as she heard the voice again, causing her to wake up and see the voice's owner.

She also saw that she was on a web, everything but her head covered by the rope-like thread. Beside her was Flash, Doc, Ocellus, Springer, Peewee and Skyler, all of trapped inside the sticky cocoons. She then let out a moan, "what happened?"

"Those Starider got us," Flash replied as he kept trying to move, only for zero results.

"And they stuck us up here like trophies," Doc added. "I can't believe it got this bad this quickly!"

Twilight looked down and saw that the web was stuck between the two tallest trees in the garden, allowing them to see everything. She too tried to see if she could get loose, but the bindings were too strong. "Urgh...this isn't good. I can't move." She then looked back to her friends, "What do we do?"

"No idea," Ocellus replied as with a long sigh. "At this point, I would even suggest using a Fire-Type, but..." She looked over at Peewee, only to see that its mouth was still wired shut.

"And I can't reach my Pokeballs to get Viper," Flash added as his head wriggled back and forth. "Grrr...I'm getting really annoyed now."

Twilight just blinked in despair at this before turning to Doc, "Could Higear or Tockwork help us Doc?"

Doc shook his head at this. "If that webbing got into their gears, they could seize up and never move again."

"So we're trapped?"

"Until someone comes to save us. Luckily, Spike managed to get away." Ocellus turned to Twilight. "Right?"

Twilight nodded, happy that her brother was safe. "He did. Now we just have to hope he found someone who can help."

In that very moment, the sound of the airlock opening ran out, causing them to all look at it. There, they watched as a person all but one of them had never seen before step inside. "Thorax!" Ocellus cried in joy at the sight, getting a confused look from the rest of them.

"Who?" Flash asked, only to get a big grin from Ocellus.

"Just watch. He'll save us."

Down on the ground, Thorax looked at the now sticky mess that was the preservation. "I'm gone for a few days and this is what happens."

"Told you I should have handled it on my own," Pharynx replied as he and Spike stepped inside.

Spike on the other hand, started looking around for his friends. After viewing the jungle of webs, he saw the two large tree and pointed at them, "There!"

Thorax and Pharynx saw the now webbed up humans and nodded as Thorax stepped further into the room. As he did, he saw the Starider all looking at him defensively. "I know you're all scared, but please, you must stop this." In reply, a Starider fired a thread at him. Thorax quickly sidestepped it, sighing as he did. "Very well." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a Pokeball. "Kingsect, lend me your strength!" With that, he tossed the ball into the air.

The ball opened up and unleashed a red light that took form of a new Pokémon. This one looked like the cross between an insect and a stag. It was light green, with dark green and purple armor on its back. It had dark blue wings and a pair of orange antlers. It stood up on its front legs as it yelled, "Kingsect!"

The Starider all took a battle stance, the hallucination making them see this Kingsect as a dangerous monster as well. "Star!" the cried as they started shooting thread at it.

"Kingsect, dodge them all!" Thorax ordered, causing Kingsect to spread its wings began leaping into the air. It flew over the barrage as Thorax yelled, "Now use Slam!"

"King!" Kingsect flew towards the nearest Starider and used its hoof to buck it away, doing the same with several overs as well.

"Wow! That thing's strong!" Flash commented as the Pokémon knocked out another spider.

Several more Starider fired some webbing, which managed to hit all four of its legs, and started pulling Kingsect in several different directions. Seeing this, Thorax snapped his fingers, "Oh no you don't! Bug Buzz!"

Kingsect nodded as its horns started vibrating, unleashing a high pitched buzzing sound that made everyone who heard it flinch. "Ahhh!" Twilight screamed as her eyes shut at the sound. "Its horrible! Make it stop!"

"Endure it!" Doc yelled as he cringed at the sound.

The Starider also didn't like the attack, flinching in pain as their hold on Kingsect weakened. Kingsect saw this and knew it was its chance, soon using the thread to pull the Starider into the air before spinning them around and making them dizzy. The Starider were forced to let go, causing them all to fall into the ground. Thorax looked around, seeing that the Starider were all defeated as he smirked. "Alright, now's our chance! Aromatherapy!"

"Kingsect!" It cried as its horns glowed a rainbow of colors, the light flowing over the area and hitting the Starider. This lasted for almost a minute, the light soon fading after that.

"What just happened?" Flash asked.

"Aromatherapy. Its a move that cures status conditions." Doc explained as he watched the lights start to dim. "It should have also cured the Starider of the dust."

"Let's hope," Twilight added with a slight gulp.

As the light on the Starider faded, the spiders opened their eyes and began to pick themselves up. Everyone grew nervous as they waited to see what they would do, but breathed a sigh of relief as they just looked around in confusion. Thorax smiled at this as he spoke up, "Starider, you've all be suffering from a hallucination. The danger you feared doesn't exist, so I hope you can all see that now." The Starider all nodded. "Good. Now, could you please release your prisoners?" Again the Starider nodded before getting to work, climbing up to the ones they had caught. Using their talons, they cut through the cocoons like they were butter, Flash and the others soon gaining freedom as they were let down.

"Finally," Flash said as he picked himself up. "My whole body was starting to go numb."

Ocellus moved over to Thorax and Pharynx and bowed her head. "I'm so sorry this happened." She turned to Spike and took the Grubirth in her hands. "I have no idea how this little guy got out."

"We'll have to investigate their room," Pharynx said as he rubbed his head in frustration. "We'll need to make sure they haven't dug their way out...and that's gonna be a ton of work for me. Great. Just what I needed when we got back."

"But at least nobody was hurt. That's what's important Pharynx." Thorax added, only to get a glare from his brother.

Twilight stepped over to him. "Thank you so much for helping us."

Thorax shook his head at this. "No problem. Making sure this place is run smoothly is my job after all."

This caught everyone's attention as Flash asked, "Wait...are you?"

"The Fillydelphia City Gym leader? Yes." Thorax finished for him.

"No way!"

"No wonder your Kingsect is so strong," Doc said before turning to Flash, "you might have your work cut out for you."

"Oh? So you came to challenge me at my gym here?"

This statement made them all blink as Twilight asked, "This is the gym?"

"Were you not told this?" Thorax asked, getting a flurry of shaking heads in return. "Well yes. The Gym's downstairs."

"Ah." Flash added, nodding before asking, "Well then, I want to battle you for your badge. What do you say?"

Thorax smiled before nodding, "I accept of course....but not today." Thorax pointed to the area around them. "As you can see, I've got a lot of work cut out for me. You'll have to wait until tomorrow."

Flash sighed but nodded anyway. "Alright, tomorrow it is."

"Good," Thorax replied before looking over the webbed up garden. The Pokémon had all been freed, the Starider now apologizing. "Now then, let's get this place cleaned up."

"Please let us help you," Twilight told him as her friends nodded in agreement. "I mean, its only fair since we're partly to blame for all the Starider's antics."

Thorax smiled and allowed them to help remove the webbing from the garden. As they did this, the thought of facing Thorax lingered in Flash's head. His Kingsect was incredibly strong, so beating it would not be easy. Flash then smirked at his next thought, as he knew it might not be easy, but he was gonna do it anyway.

Battling the King of Insects

View Online

The day of Flash's second Equestria Region Gym challenge has arrived. Today, Flash will be challenging Thorax for the chance to win the coveted Swarm Badge.

We find our main hero in the Pokémon Center's Battle Field, his Pokémon now all stretching in preparation. Flash at the same time was sitting down with his Pokedex in hand. He typed the name of the Pokémon he knew he would be battling and pressed search, the device buzzing for several seconds until it found and brought up the information he wanted.

Name: Kingsect
Category: Royal Swarm Pokémon
Type: Bug/Fairy
Info: Its destiny is always a great one. It traverses the land, allying itself with anyone worthy of its power. Its horns can give off many different spores, meaning people should be cautious when touching them.

"A difficult opponent to be sure," Flash looked up to see Doc and the others stepping up behind him.

Flash nodded at this. "Yeah...this battle's gonna be a tough one."

"I'll say," Spike agreed with a slight frown. "Thorax's Kingsect was able to take on a whole horde of Starider. Beating its not gonna be easy."

"Are you worried?" Twilight asked next, a huge frown on her face. "You know Flash, you don't have to do this yet. Maybe you should postpone and spend a little time training."

Flash rolled his eyes as he stood up and turned to her. "What is it with you, always wanting me to not take gym battles?! You said I wasn't ready to face Doc before and what happened?! Oh yeah, I beat him!"

"Barely," Twilight replied with crossed arms. "And this time, you won't have Springer to bail you out. I'm just trying to save you from getting humiliated and having your Pokémon hurt without reason."

"She's right Flash," Doc added as he pointed at the trainer. "Its a trainer's duty to know when the battle they're in is unwinnable. Going into a battle you know you can't win is arrogant and shows a lack of care for your team."

Flash looked insulted by this. "No one cares about their team like me, and we're not cowards! Besides, who says this battle is unwinnable? Sure Thorax is tough, but I beat you, didn't I?"

"As I said, barely!" Twilight repeated. "You still haven't come up with a plan, just like last time!"

Flash rolled his eyes again. "Again with the plan thing. I don't need one Twilight! I'm gonna go in there, beat Thorax, and get my badge. That's the plan!"

"That doesn't sound like a very good plan," Spike told him, only to get a glare in response.

"Well it's never failed me once, and it won't fail me now!"

"Oh really?" Twilight hissed as she pushed her glasses up to her nose. "So you've won every battle you've ever been in?"

Flash glanced back at her, knowing he couldn't lie here as he tried to say, "Well...no, not every battle."

"Oh, that's right," Twilight went on. "There was the battle against Score and his cronies."

"That was three on one."

"Then the battle against Rainbow."

"Errrr...type disadvantage."

"And then there was the battle you lost to Lightning." Flash didn't reply to that one, knowing she had him there, and instead look away. That was until Twilight stepped over to him and grabbed his cheeks, moving his head so the two were locking eyes. "Lightning beat you because he had a plan! He didn't just blindly fire off attacks, he knew what he was doing!" Her face leaned forward as she continued, "It was dumb luck that got you your first Gym Badge Flash, but that luck won't hold out forever." Her face started to show worry after this as she let go of him. "So I'm begging you, hold off on your battle. Train some more and come up with a strategy."

Flash continued to stare at Twilight for several moments before turning to the rest of his team. "What do you guys think?" None of them spoke up, but the looks in their eyes told him the answer. "I thought so," he turned back to Twilight. "We're not gonna waste our time here Twilight. We're already ready to win that badge."

Twilight let out a long sigh, knowing she couldn't change his mind. Doc did the same before shaking his head as he said, "Alright then. But I hope you're ready for the consequences if you lose."

"Don't need to be," Flash replied as he shined a giant smirk. "Because we're gonna win."

With nothing else to say, they headed off the Fillydelphia Garden. When they got there, they were once again assaulted by the high temperature of the building. "Geez," Spike said as he removed his hoodie, "would it kill them to turn it down at least ten degrees?"

"You don't have to live here," Twilight replied, getting a glare from her brother.

In that moment, Thorax, Pharynx and Ocellus stepped up to the reception desk. "Oh, you're here." Thorax commented as he looked the four over, "Good. We can get this battle as soon as you wish."

Flash smirked at this. "I hope you're ready to hand over that badge, because I'm gonna take you down."

Pharynx let out a guffaw. "You think you can beat my brother?! I hope you know what you're getting yourself in for."

Before Flash could get into another argument, Doc stepped in. "So how's the garden?"

"Back to normal. Thanks to all your help, we were able to clean up much faster then we could if it was just us three. Luckily, none of the Pokémon were hurt and they're not mad at the Starider for what they did."

"That's a relief," Twilight added.

"Now come on. Let's head down to the battlefield." Everyone nodded and followed the Gym Leader as he led them all down another corridor that led to a flight of steps. This section of the building was not as hot as the one upstairs, and everyone was especially happy about that as they reached the bottom of the stairs and found themselves in another corridor.

"Hey look," Spike said as he moved over to a window. Behind that window was another room with a strange hive like design. They also spotted several Pokémon they all recognized. "Its the Grubirth. So this is where they live."

"Yup," Ocellus replied, nodding. "We're still figuring out how the one from yesterday got out."

"We didn't find any holes or tunnels when we inspected it," Pharynx grumbled, tapping his foot at this. "I still don't like we didn't find anything."

"It's just one of those mysteries," Thorax commented as Pharynx gave him a glare at his casual dismissal. "Now come on, the battlefield is just down the hall." They followed him and they soon arrived at a spot with two doors. "This leads to the field," Thorax explained before pointing to the other. "And that one leads to the stands. Your friends can watch from there."

"Alright," Flash replied before turning to Springer. "You go with them bud and cheer for us as loud as you can."

"Ri!" Springer nodded before holding up a fist like paw, which Flash bumped before he, Thorax and Pharynx stepped through the door.

It was here that Flash saw that the Fillydelphia Gym was much different from the Trottingham field. The entire place looked more like a forest, complete with a large open grassland with trees lining either side. The only thing that set it apart from the wilderness were the three podiums, two on either side and one on the edge of the center and large metal walls behind the trees. Flash looked up at the top of the walls, where he saw a viewing platform that one could stand on and see the entire field.

Thorax moved over to the podium on the far side, while Pharynx stepped up onto the central podium. And as Flash stepped onto the last podium, he heard his friend's voices. "You got this Flash!" Spike cheered, making Flash look up and smile.

He then gave them a thumbs up, accompanied by his signature smirk. "You know it." He looked back to the field as Pharynx explained the rules.

"Alright! The battle between the challenger Flash, and Thorax, the Gym Leader, will now begin! Each side will be allowed three Pokémon, and the battle will end when all three of either sides' Pokémon are unable to battle. In addition, only the challenger may be allowed to substitute Pokémon." He glanced at the two, "you both got that?!"

Flash and Thorax both nodded.

"So its just like your gym," Twilight told Doc. "Except its three on three."

Doc nodded at this. "You'll find most gyms stick to a similar rule set, even if they're allowed to make up their own."

Pharynx snapped his fingers, getting everyone's attention, "Alright! Let's get this started, and as the gym leader, Thorax will reveal his first Pokémon."

Thorax nodded as he pulled out his Pokeball. "The power of the Bug-Type is one of speed and precision. A single quick and focused attack is all it needs, no matter what the opponent. Movine, I chose you!" He tossed the Pokeball in the air.

A red light followed as it took shape and faded to reveal the plant moth Pokémon. "Movine!" It cried out as it flew through the air.

"A Movine huh? Great..." Flash mumbled slightly as he took out his Pokeball. "I've got just the opponent. Skyler, I choose YOU!" It tossed the ball in the air and released his Chickling, who flew up until it was level with Movine.

"Chick!" he tweeted as he and Movine stared each other down.

"Good choice," Thorax told him. "This should be interesting."

Pharynx raised both arms. "Alright, Movine verses Chickling. Battle...BEGIN!"

"Quick Attack!" Flash ordered, Skyler flapping his wings and shooting towards Movine.

Thorax smiled at the sight. "Dodge it."

"Mow," Movine barely moved as it spread its wings. When Skyler got closer to it, Movine seemed to drift out of the way, causing Skyler to sail right past the bug.

"What the heck?!" Flash yelped.

"How'd he do that?" Spike asked as Peewee and Springer shared a confused look.

"Again!" Flash ordered, Skyler quickly turning in midair before shooting towards Movine once again. But like before, it simply floated just out of reach. "Again!" This went on and on, Skyler attempting again and again to hit Movine without luck. "What's going on?"

"Its not even moving. How can it dodge Skyler's attack so easily?" Spike asked, only to get a nudge from Doc.

"Its being pushed by the wind."

"What wind?"

Twilight shook her head at her brother. "The speed of Skyler's attack is creating a thin layer of wind that covers him, like a cone. Movine must be positioning its wings so they catch that wind, causing it to be pushed away from the source."

Ocellus nodded at this. "And the faster the Chickling goes, the more wind he creates for Movine to use."

"So Skyler can't hit Movine with Quick Attack?"

"I'm afraid so," Doc grimaced as he watched the bird continue to miss. "That's not good."

Flash groaned as Skyler came to a stop, panting from his attempts to strike Movine. "This isn't working. What am I supposed to-"

"My turn!" Thorax interrupted as he pointed at his Pokémon. "Movine, Silver Wind!"

"Mow..." Movine pulled its wings back before flapping them strongly, "VINE!" What resulted was a move similar to Gust, except this winds was laced with several crescent moon shaped blades that flew at Skyler.

"Chick!" Skyler cried as the wind struck the bird at full force.

"Skyler!" Flash yelled as he watched the Chickling fall to the ground, slamming into the dirt. "You okay?!"

"Chick," Skyler moaned out as he picked himself up and shook his head.

"We've got this," Flash told him before looking up at Movine, only to see nothing. "What the-"

"Where'd it go?" Twilight asked as she scanned the battlefield over.

"It disappeared when we were focused on Skyler," Doc added.

"Chick?" Skyler leapt into the air and started looking around, his eyes also finding no trace of the Movine.

"It can't have just disappeared," Flash said as he tried to think. His memory flashed back to when he had first seen a Movine and used his Pokedex on it, but he couldn't remember what it had said. "Think...think..."

But then, as Skyler passed by a nearby tree, Thorax smirked. "Now, Vine Whip!" From out of the foliage of another tree, a familiar looking tendril shot out and slashed at him.

"CHICK!" Skyler cried as he was thrown away, barely managing to keep control of his wings.

"What was that?!" Flash asked, only to then remember what the Pokedex has said. "Oh no...it can camouflage itself into the treeline!"

The spot on the tree where the tendril had originated from moved as Movine made itself known, soon flying from one tree to another. It disappeared and reappeared repeatedly, disorientating Skyler as it did.

"Enough of this." Flash said as he snapped his fingers. "Use Gust!"

"Chick!" Skyler flapped his wings, unleashing a powerful burst of wind that flew at the tree. Movine tried to close its wings, only for the gust to knock it out of the trees.

"Steel Wing!" Skyler shot towards Movine with his wings beginning to glow, striking before his opponent could react.

"Mow!" Movine cried as it fell back.

"Use Silver Wind towards the ground!" Thorax ordered, the Movine soon spinning and firing off the attack, which seemed to bounce off the grass and fly back up to stop his descent. Skyler was also hit back the wind, causing him to be blown back.

"Get it together Skyler!" Flash told him. "Use another Steel Wing!"

"Chick!" Skyler managed to steady himself before turning towards Movine, shooting itself with glowing wings once more.

"Not this time. Grab it with Vine Whip!"

"Mow!" Movine unleashed its tendrils at Skyler, the vine-like appendages quickly wrapping around the bird.

"Chick!" he moaned as he struggled against the grip, "ling. Chickling!"

"Skyler..." Flash whispered as his brain tried to come up with a solution.

As he did this, Thorax saw his expression and shook his head. "Stun Spore."

"Vine!" Movine spat a yellow mist out of its mouth, which enveloped Skyler's entire body.

"Chickling!" He cried as the mist was absorbed into his skin and lungs, quickly spreading throughout his entire body. The next thing he knew, Movine spun him around before tossing him towards the ground.

"Fly Skyler!" Flash ordered. Skyler tried to spread his wings, only for his body to freeze, soon making him nosedive into the ground. And as he landed with a thud, a dust cloud kicked up as he tasted to dirt. "SKYLER!"

"That had to hurt," Spike winced, Peewee grimacing at the sight.

"This is bad. Skyler's been paralysed." Twilight commented as she rubbed her chin in thought. "That kind of effect will be especially bad for a Chickling like him."

"I'm not sure Flash will be able to find a way out of this," Doc added.

"Ri!" Springer cried out to Skyler, "ri, ri, ri!"

"Skyler!" Flash yelled as the dust cleared, "you okay? Talk to me!"

He spotted Skyler picking himself up, looking very beaten up and flinching as yellow energy sparked around him. "Chick...."

"Flash!" He heard Twilight call down to him, "you've got to switch Skyler out. He doesn't stand a chance is his condition."

"What are you, nuts?!" Flash barked back. "I'm not giving up on Skyler! We've got this, right Sky?"

"Chick?" Skyler nodded before once again sparking.

Twilight let out a strangled cry. "Stop trying to be cool and think for a moment!"

"I'll leave that to you," Flash told her as he waved a hand at her dismissively. "Skyler, Steel Wing!"

"Chick!" Skyler shot into the sky and aimed right at Movine, but the plant moth didn't look scared.

"You really need to learn to pace yourself," Thorax told him while shaking his head. "If you don't know your limits, then you're only beating yourself."

"Try saying that again after I beat you!" Flash yelled back as he pointed at Movine, "Kick his butt Skyler!"

"CHICK!" Skyler cried, only to once again flinch as sparks shot out around his body.

Thorax saw this and knew it was his chance. "Silver Wind!"

"MOVINE!" It flapped its wings and unleashed the crescent bladed wind, which struck Skyler, sending him flying back and crashing into the ground.

"CHICKLING!"

"Skyler!"

"Again!" Movine unleashed the attack once more, the wind flying straight down and pinning Skyler to the ground.

"Ling..." Skyler moaned as her felt himself be pushed down by the force.

"Now Vine Whip!" Movine stopped his attack and shot down towards Skyler, appearing right besides him as he tried to pick himself up.

"Chick?" Skyler asked before suddenly getting backhanded by Movine's tendril. "CHICK!" The force sent him flying towards a nearby tree and slamming into the trunk with a loud thud.

"Skyler, NO!" Flash cried as he watched Skyler slide down the tree, swirls appearing in his eyes.

"Chickling is unable to battle," Pharynx proclaimed. "Movine is the winner."

Everyone in the stands sighed. "I told him to return Skyler, but that idiot wouldn't listen."

"I can't believe how one sided that battle was," Spike commented as he stared at Movine. "Skyler only manged to hit him once."

"Movine was just too much for him," Ocellus added with another sigh. "Thorax trained it for skilful aerial manouvring. A straight forward approach like Flash's didn't stand a chance."

"This is what we were afraid of," Doc moaned as he rubbed his head in frustration. "Thorax knows the weaknesses of Bug-Types and has trained his Pokémon to overcome them. He's found a way to turn his disadvantage into an advantage."

Spike gulped at this. "Let's hope Flash can find a way around that."

Flash frowned as he returned his Chickling. "Thanks Skyler," he said to the ball before putting it away. He looked up at Movine, going over his options. His brain was telling him to use Viper, but he also knew he was Flash's best chance against Kingsect. "I can't tire him out so soon," he commented as he pulled out a Pokeball. "Prongs, I choose...YOU!" He tossed the ball into the air before it released the Thawn.

Everyone was shocked at seeing this, Twilight yelling, "FLASH! Are you crazy?! Why'd you pick Prongs, a GRASS Type?! You're at a huge disadvantage!"

"Only if the moves hit," Flash replied with a smirk. "And with Prong's speed, that's not gonna happen."

Thorax and Pharynx stared at him with an 'are you serious' look. They then shared a glance at one another, Thorax just shrugging as if to say 'oh well'. "Alright then," Pharynx grumbled as he lifted his hand in the air. "Thawn vs Movine, battle begin!"

"Energy Ball!" Flash ordered, Prongs creating the green sphere of energy before firing it at Movine.

"Dodge it!" Thorax replied as Movine dodged the projectile, only for it to hit a tree.

"Now, tackle it!" Flash yelled as he pointed at Movine, "Use the tree!"

"Fay!" Prongs cried as he shot forwards and leapt at the tree, using it as a spring board to leap up and slam into Movine.

"Vine!" It yelped as it was knocked back, but managed to regain balance and turned to its falling opponent.

"While it can't dodge, use Silver Wind!"

"Movine!" It flapped its wings and unleashed the blast of wind, the blast knocking Prongs into the ground.

"Thawn!" Prongs flinched as he slammed into the floor, the grass doing little to cushion the blow.

"You okay Prongs?" Flash asked him, seeing the Thawn get up and nod. "Alright then, let's use Leech Seed!"

"Fay!" Prongs's horns glowed before shooting into the air, aimed right at Movine.

"Poison Sting!" Thorax countered, Movine opening its mouth and unleashing a barrage of purple needles that struck the Leech Seed and exploded on contact.

"Dang it!" Flash growled.

"Keep using Poison Sting!" Thorax yelled, Movine now firing a flurry of the toxic darts at Prongs.

"Dodge them!"

Prongs began jumping all over the place, doing everything he could to prevent itself from being hit. "Fey...on...fey...on...Thawn!"

"It's fast, but I've seen faster. Let's see how well you move when you're paralyzed. Movine, Stun Spore."

"Mow...VINE!" The plant moth once again spat out the yellow mist, which began to cover the battlefield.

"Fay," Prongs kept leaping back, but soon found himself being surrounded by the mist.

"Don't breath it in!" Flash called out to him, Prongs taking a deep breath of the last bit of clear air before holding it. The yellow mist completely surrounded him, but holding his breath was not enough as his started absorbing it into his skin. "This is bad."

Eventually, Prongs could not hold it any longer and was forced to breath and inhale the Stun Spore. "Fay...."

Thorax smirked. "That'll slow you down. Silver Wind!"

"Movine!" The plant moth unleashed the wind attack again, hitting the cloud and blowing it away. In doing so, it also began to bombard Prongs, who was trying his best to keep from being blown away.

"Leech Seed!" Flash cried out.

"Fay!" Prongs moaned as he tried to fire his attack once again, but the projectiles were simply blown away by the wind before they even got close to Movine.

"Poison Sting!" Movine stopped its attack, causing Prongs to lose his footing with the opposing force gone, only to feel the now unleashed poison dart attack.

"THAWN!" He screamed as he staggered backwards before falling to his knees, having the combination of poison and being paralyzed affecting him.

"No..." Flash whispered. "Prongs..."

"Flash!" Twilight called down to him, "You need to return Prongs right now!"

"But if I do that-"

"Vine Whip!" Thorax called out, Movine immediately shooting forwards to hit Prongs.

Flash reacted on instinct. "Double Kick!"

Prongs pulled himself back to his feet and charged at the advancing Movine, spinning around before thrusting both hooves into its chest. "Mow!" It cried as it was pushed back, only for Prongs to once again flinch from the paralysis. Seeing this chance, it swung its tendrils around and smashed Prongs in the face.

"Fay!"

"Silver Wind!" Movine got right up in Prongs's face before unleashing the air blast, the close proximity causing the attack to be at full strength.

"THAWN!" Prongs screamed as he was sent flying past Flash and slammed into the wall behind him.

"PRONGS!" Flash cried as he saw Thawn fall to the ground with swirls for eyes.

"Thawn is unable to battle," Pharynx proclaimed. "Movine is the winner."

Everyone in the stands were growing nervous. "This is going from bad to worse," Twilight grumbled as she rubbed her face. "Flash..."

Spike gulped. "Now Flash only has one Pokémon, while Thorax still has three."

"Come on Flash!" Doc called down. "Get the lead out!"

Flash sighed as her returned Prongs to his Pokeball, "nice try Prongs."

"Flash!" Thorax called out, "There's no shame in forfeiting. If you want to stop, I won't hold it against you."

Flash's frown turned into a scowl. "I'm not gonna give up. I might be down, but I'm not out."

"Don't be stupid Flash!" Twilight told him. "Listen to him!"

"I'm not quitting!" Flash yelled as he pulled out his last Pokeball. "Viper, I choose...YOU!" He tossed the ball into the air before it opened, unleashing the red energy that revealed the Hisscor.

"Scor," it hissed.

Thorax sighed at this. "Very well then. Don't say I didn't warn you." He nodded at Pharynx, who nodded back before turning to the field.

"Battle begin."

"Ember!" Flash ordered, Viper unleashing the flurry of fireballs right at Movine. The projectiles were so fast that it didn't have time to dodge.

"Mow!" It cried as it was blasted back.

"Ember again!"

"Silver Wind!"

The two Pokémon launched their attacks, which met in the middle of the field and collided. The result was a flaming tornado, which caused Movine to move back while Viper rushed towards it. "Scor!" He leapt through it, the wind picking him up and pushing him above Movine as he broke through the other side.

"Bite!" Viper opened its mouth and clamped down on Movine's wing, biting into it with all his might.

"Mow!" Movine cried as it tried to dislodge to Hisscor, only for both to fall to the floor. It was then that Viper let go as it heard another order from Flash.

"I doubt it'll be able to fly or use Silver Wind now. Use Fire Spin!"

"Hiss," Viper's tail end ignited as it leapt into the air before spinning forwards, "SCOR!" The fireball flew off his tail and went straight towards Movine.

"MOVINE!" The plant moth screamed as it was consumed by the flames. And as the flames extinguished themselves, everyone saw Movine on the floor with several burns. It swayed from side to side until finally, it fell back and hit the ground as swirls replaced its eyes.

"Movine is unable to battle," Pharynx proclaimed. "Hisscor is the winner."

"Yes!" Flash cheered, "Nice one Viper!"

"That was fast," Spike commented as he tilted his head at the scene.

"Movine took some damage against Prongs and Skyler," Twilight added as she crossed her arms. "Plus the double weakness it has to fire made this match an easy one."

"But that's probably the last easy battle Flash's is gonna get," Doc continued. "Thorax still has two Pokémon left, while Flash only has one. This isn't gonna be easy."

Ocellus nodded at this. "But if your friend is as good as he is confident, he might just be able to pull it off."

Twilight frowned as she looked down at Flash. "I'm not sure he is."

"Thank you for your excellent work Movine," Thorax told his Pokémon as he returned it. "This battle is close to being over, thanks to you."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Flash retorted as he shined a huge smirk. "Viper and I are just getting warmed up."

"Hisscor!" Viper yelled with a huge smile.

Thorax raised an eyebrow as he pulled out a Pokeball. "Then lets see if you're still saying that after you battle this Pokémon. Kingsect, lend my your strength!" He tossed the ball into the air and it unleashed a sphere of red energy that hit the ground and took shape to show Thorax's strongest Pokémon.

"Kingsect!" It roared as it stared its opponent down.

"Kingsect..." Flash whispered.

"This could be a problem," Doc added.

"Kingsect verses Viper," Pharynx proclaimed. "Battle...BEGIN!"

"Bug Buzz!" Thorax ordered, Kingsect's horns beginning to vibrate as the horrible buzzing sound caused everyone but Thorax to cover their ears.

"Not again!" Twilight cried.

"I can't even hear myself think!" Spike added.

"Ri!" Springer yelped.

"Think how bad it is for Viper!" Doc finished.

Down below, Viper was trying to wrap its tail around its head to block out the sound. Flash wanted to give him an order, but the buzzing making it hard to think. Meanwhile, Thorax simply smirked at the sight. "Now, use Slam!"

"King!" Kingsect stopped its attack before shooting forwards, getting close to Viper as it spun around and slammed its back hoof into the Hisscor, sending him flying back.

"Dang it!" Flash growled as he pointed at the Kingsect, "Use Fire Spin!"

Viper got control of its flailing and ignited its tail, flicking it towards the Royal Swarm Pokémon. The flame exploded and created a vortex of fire, which began to burn the bug and fairy type. "Sect!" it cried as the heat began to overwhelm it.

"Use Horn Charge!" He then heard Thorax order. It nodded as its horns began to glow before it charged at the tornado, bursting through it as it aimed its horns at Viper.

"Dodge it!" Flash ordered, but it was too late. Kingsect struck Viper with its horns, knocking him down the battlefield in an instant. "Viper!" Flash kneeled down to look at him, "You okay?!"

Viper picked himself up and looked over at Flash, only to suddenly flinch as yellow sparks covered his body. "Scor!"

"Paralysis?! Again?!" Flash yelped as he watched his Pokémon stagger.

"Horn Charge!" Doc yelled from above. "Its a move that has a side effect of causing either paralysis, sleep or confusion."

"Oh...great." Flash deadpanned, grumbling.

"Scor!" Viper was back on his...er, tail, ready to continue the fight.

"That's the way! We're not gonna let this slow us down Viper! Now, Poison Sting!" Viper began to unleash the flurry of toxic darts, all of them flying towards Kingsect.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Thorax ordered.

Kingsect spread its wings and leapt into the air, flying around to evade the Poison Sting. "King," it said as it flew all over the place.

"Come on...just one hit." He got his wish as a stray dart hit Kingsect's wing, causing him to fall with a thud.

"Sect!" It screeched upon impact, but managed to jump back to its feet. "Sect!" It cried as purple sparks covered its body.

"Yes!" Spike cheered, "It's poisoned!"

"But for how long?" Twilight asked as she bit her thumb at the sight. "Don't forget how it saved us yesterday."

Spike's eyes went wide as he remembered, "Aromatherapy."

"It'll heal the poison unless Flash can stop it from using the attack," Doc finshed.

"Ember!" Flash ordered.

"Scor!" Viper unleashed the barrage of fireballs, all of them flying at Kingsect.

The bug dodged the blasts, "King...sect...king...sect...KINGSECT!" It cried as the poison flared up, causing pain and allowing Viper's attack to hit its mark. "King!" It staggered backwards, its chest burnt from the attack.

"That's the way!" Flash cheered, "Now hit it again! Ember!"

"Hiss," Viper took a deep breath in preparation. But before he could fire, he flinched from the paralysis flaring up.

"Now!" Thorax cried, "Bug Buzz!"

"Kingsect!" The Royal Swarm Pokémon's horns began to vibrate, unleashing the horrible buzzing that caused everyone to once again flinch and prevent Viper from attacking.

"Slam! Give it everything you've got!" Kingsect galloped towards Viper and bucked him with its back feet, sending him flying backwards. Seconds later, Kingsect flinched from the poison. "Now's our chance! Use Aromatherapy!"

"Kingsect!" It yelled as its horns glowed a rainbow of colours, the light flowing over its body.

"Viper!" Flash ordered, "we've gotta stop it before it heals itself. Use Ember!"

Viper tried to pick himself up, but once again froze from the paralysis. "Scor..."

"Dang it!" Flash grimaced as he looked back at Kingsect, the light now fading to show it was completely cured. "Too late."

"Way too late. HORN CHARGE!" Kingsect charged towards Viper, ready to end the battle.

"Viper!" Flash called out, "EMBER!"

"HISSCOR!" Viper unleashed the flurry of fireballs at Kingsect, hitting it dead on. But Kingsect's power overwhelmed the force of the Ember, pushing right through the onslaught until it finally reached Viper.

"KINGSECT!" It yelled as it thrusted its horns into the Hisscor, then flicked it upwards. Everybody watched as Viper rose up, way above to stands, until it neared the ceiling.

"Slam," Thorax almost whispered. It was loud enough for Kingsect, who spread its wings and shot upwards until it went past Viper and was now above him.

"King..." it aimed its front hooves at Viper, "SECT!" Then slammed them down, rocketing both into the ground, kicking up a dust cloud as they made contact.

"VIPER!" Flash cried, but couldn't see through the cloud.

Then Kingsect leapt out of the cloud, flying over to land in front of Thorax as they waited to see the fate of Viper. Finally the dust cleared, allowing them to see the Hisscor. Viper was laid out on the floor, swirls replacing his eyes.

"Hisscor is unable to battle," Pharynx proclaimed. "Kingsect wins. All three of Flash's Pokémon are unable to battle, so the victor is Thorax."

Flash's whole body went ridged hearing those words, as he fell to his knees in shock. "No way...."

"Flash lost..." Spike whispered.

"Riolu..."

Twilight sighed. Even knowing it was gonna happen didn't make it any easier to see. "Thorax was just too good."

"Flash didn't stand a chance," Doc added.

Flash returned Viper to his Pokeball, unsure what to do now. "It seems you're not ready to earn your second badge quite yet," Thorax said as he, Kingsect and Pharynx stepped over him.

Flash looked up at them, the sting of defeat causing his chest to ache. "I know I lost," Flash said as he stood up. "But when my teams back to full health, will you battle me again?"

Thorax frowned. "No. I won't."

"Why?"

"Because the exact same thing will happen again," Pharynx told him with a cold glare. "You won't be able to beat Thorax, at least not as you are now. All that's gonna happen is your Pokémon will be injured again."

"Then I'll train," Flash replied with both palms turning into fists. "And keep training until we can beat you."

Thorax shook his head at this. "That's not enough. Having a strong Pokémon is not the same as being strong." He reached out and petted his Kingsect, who smiled at its trainer. "Go heal your Pokémon. While that's happening, ask yourself this: What is it that truly makes a trainer strong?"

With that, Thorax left with his partner and brother, leaving Flash standing there alone as he asked himself, "What truly makes a trainer strong?"

As soon as they got to the Pokémon Center, Flash's Pokémon were whisked away by Nurse Redheart. As they waited, Flash sat on a reception couch and thought about what Thorax said. "If it's not having strong Pokémon, then what makes a trainer strong?"

"Having a reason to be strong."

Flash looked up to see Doc, Twilight and Spike looking down at him, all with looks of concern on their faces. "Guys, I-OW!" Flash held his ear as it now throbbed, which Twilight had just flicked, "What was that for Twilight?!"

"For being an idiot and getting your Pokémon hurt for no reason!" Twilight growled as she glared at him.

"Alright, alright..." Flash whimpered as he kept rubbing it, "Geez...I'm sorry."

"We're not the ones you should be apologizing to," Twilight told him as she pointed to the medical doors of the Pokémon Center.

"I know that," Flash replied before turning to Doc. "What did you mean, having a reason to be strong?"

Doc sighed as he sat down next to him. "Why do you want to be strong Flash?"

"To win," Flash replied instantly.

"Just to win? Is there no other reason to win?"

"What other reason could there be?"

"You tell me. Even if from this point on you won every battle you ever fought, what would you gain from those victories? Simply winning for the sake of winning, is a hollow reason to be strong. So when you eventually come up against someone with a good reason to win, you won't stand a chance."

"So I need a reason to be strong?" Flash asked as he halfway looked away. "I don't get it..."

Doc nodded at this. "If that reason is good enough, then you'll never lose." Flash turned back to him as Doc continued. "So, what reason do you have to be strong?"

Flash thought for a moment, then another moment, followed by another moment until he finally answered. "I don't know."

Doc patted his back with a smile. "Then I suggest you look for one. You'll find it, eventually that is."

"And while you look for it, you can start training your Pokémon correctly." Twilight added as she pushed her glasses up her nose. "No more half-arsing it."

"What do you mean?" Flash asked as he looked up at her.

Twilight let out a long sigh. "Flash, I'm your friend, so I say this in the nicest possible way. You...haven't been giving it your all. The training you do is hardly what I'd call sustainable to make you strong enough to take down Thorax, Lightning or anyone who really knows what they're doing. The only times I've seen you really train was after Riptide lost to Viper, and when Skyler lost to Rainbow and Tank. The training you did then is something you need to do every single day."

"Its true Flash," Doc added with a nod. "When you became the trainer of your Pokémon, it means you took on a responsibility to make sure they can reach the highest possible limits of themselves. And that's not something you've been doing as of lately."

"Agreed," Twilight finished as she glared at the trainer, "Your 'take it as it comes' way of battling isn't gonna help you. You need to start making plans. You must see that now, right?"

Flash sighed as he looked back down into the floor. "Yeah...I do." He then saw Springer, who he patted on the head. "I get it. I can't keep doing this to my team, and I need to make a change. I'll...I'll train. Really train until Thorax doesn't have a chance against us." He then looked up at Twilight, "and I'll need a plan to use against him. Think you can help me make one?"

Twilight smiled and nodded, happy that he finally understood. "I'd love to."

Soon enough, Skyler, Prongs and Viper were brought out. Nurse Redheart explained that they were fine, but ordered no strenuous activities until tomorrow. "Thank you," he said to her as she nodded and returned to her post, allowing Flash to turn to them. "I'm sorry guys," he told them as kneeled down to their level. "I messed up. Its all my fault that you guys were hurt so bad. Can you forgive me?"

"Chick/Fay/Scor." The three nodded, making Flash weakly smile.

"Thank you. And I promise that from now on, things will be different." He let out Riptide as Springer stepped up besides them, allowing Flash to look at them all. "No more half-arsing it. I'm your trainer and I refuse to let you guys down. From now on, we'll train until we collapse, and then train some more. The next time we face Thorax, he won't know what hit him. You guys with me?"

"RIO/CHICKLING/AQUANA/FAY/SCOR!" The five all cheered, ready to really start their training.

Flash's gym challenge may have ended in his defeat, but that defeat has helped Flash see the errors of his way. Now its time for some special training. Will Flash be able to earn his second Equestria Region Badge? Stay tuned to find out.

Working out the Bugs

View Online

In a lone unknown dark room, a single figure was standing in front of a large computer screen. She was a tall woman that was currently staring at the schematics for the layout of the Fillydelphia Garden building.

As a low sigh came out of her mouth, a door opened behind her, a shorter male figure stepping inside before kneeling, "Commander."

"Speak," the woman replied, not even turning to the other person.

"Our forces are ready. Operation Take Back can now begin."

"Good. And what of the false sighting we arranged?"

"Our reports say that both the Gym Leader and his second in command investigated them but found nothing."

"No doubt they expected it was a mistake" she commented as a lone hair fell between her eyes. "They'll likely think we won't dare do anything after such a claim, so they'll be lulled into a false sense of security. In other words, it will be the perfect time to strike." She then raised her hand, only to snap her fingers, "Its time. Head out immediately. I'll arrive shortly after phase one is complete."

"Understood," the man replied as he left the room, leaving her to continue to stare at the screens.

"I warned you that I wouldn't be taken down so easily," she mumbled to herself as the screen changed to show an image of Thorax and Pharynx. She growled at this as she stood, revealing herself to be a middle aged woman with flowing blue hair and dark skin. "You'll regret stealing what is rightfully mine."

The next day...

Several days had passed since our hero Flash Sentry, lost his gym battle challenge against the Fillydelphia Gym Leader Thorax. After the humiliating defeat he had suffered, Flash was now doing intensive training with his team. Currently, he and his friends were in the Fillydelphia Pokémon Center battlefield.

"Ri," Springer yelled as he created an Aura Sphere. Beside him was Tockwork and Higear, who were both preparing to unleash their Gear Grind attack. "Rio...LU!"

"Tock!"

"Gear!"

The three of them launched their attacks at their target, Prongs. The Thawn began jumping from side to side, evading each one of them. "Fay!" He called out as he landed, now dodging another incoming Aura Sphere. "Thawn! Fay!"

As for why he was doing this, it was to help Prongs build its speed. At the same time, Riptide, Peewee and Owlicious were helping Skyler with his evasive flying. Skyler was chasing Owlicious through the trees that surrounded the field, the two weaving their way through the branches. When they returned to the field, Riptide fired off a Water Gun while Peewee shot an Ember. "Chick!" Skyler did a midair roll to fly between the two attacks, dodging both.

Meanwhile, Viper was simply trying to work on increasing the power of his attack. "Hiss...SCOR!" He yelled as he fired a barrage of fireballs, all of destroying a bunch of nearby targets.

"Not bad Viper," he heard his trainer tell him from the side. "Remember, its all in your breathing. Don't rush your Ember attacks." Viper nodded before turning back to the targets.

Flash smirked at the sight before looking down at the table he was currently sitting at. There, six pieces of paper were sitting on the wood, five of them having Pokémon on them. They were Skyler, Prongs, Viper, Movine and Kingsect, while the last one had a large question mark on it. Under the pictures were words that showed the Pokémon's attacks and possible abilities.

The table also had one more thing on it, which was Flash's resting head as he let out a long moan. "Aw man...I'm drawing a blank here."

His friends all sighed at the sight. Twilight then sat down by him, a low grumble following as she said, "Come on Flash, stop sulking. I know making plans isn't your thing, but you gotta learn how to do this." She held up the Movine card, "Now, you need to think. For starters, who is the best match against Movine?"

"Viper," Flash replied, not looking up. "But I really think I should save him for Kingsect, since he's double strong against him."

"So you need to come up with a way to beat Movine with Skyler and Prongs," Doc told him as he held up the Skyler and Prongs cards."

"And whoever Thorax's third Pokémon's gonna be," Spike finished as he tapped the question mark card.

Flash let out another sigh before he started banging his head on the table. "This is hopeless. I'm never gonna come up with anything."

Twilight looked back at all the cards, specifically Flash's Pokémon. "Hmm...maybe it would be best if you switched one of your team out. I know you don't want to use Springer, and Riptide would still have problems due to Movine knowing Grass-Type moves...but maybe you could borrow one of mine. Owlicious and Peewee would be very helpful. Especially Peewee."

"No way," Flash told her as he glanced back at his training Pokémon. "I owe it to those three to win with them. I just need to find a way to beat those strategies Thorax used before."

Twilight let out a sigh, but nodded. "Alright, I understand Flash. If that's the case, let's go over the match once again and take it step by step."

"Sure..." Flash moaned as he looked back at Twilight, "But my head hurts already. This planning stuff is too much."

"Yeah yeah..." Twilight mumbled as she pulled out her journal. "I'm going to document several ideas we come up with. Let's begin."

But before she could start, Spike spoke up, "And while you're doing that, I think I'm gonna go see the gardens again."

"Why?" Doc asked.

"I heard someone say they're getting a new Pokémon and I wanna see what it is."

Getting a small nod from Twilight, Flash then asked, "If you're gonna do that, is it okay if Peewee stays here? He's really helping Skyler with his training."

"Sure," Spike replied as he hopped off the table. "See you later!"

Twilight gave a slightly uneasy expression on her face as she saw her brother leave. "Hmm...should I have let him do that? Is it really a good idea for him to be wandering around a big city on his own?"

Doc shrugged at this. "I'd hardly call it wandering Twilight. He knows his way around it well enough."

"I guess..." Twilight slowly replied.

Flash then gave Twilight a shrug. "I doubt anything's gonna happen Twilight. What are the chance of two dangerous situations taking place so close together?"

"I...I guess you got a point." With that, she looked back down at the cards. "Now, let's get back to finding a flaw in Thorax's battle plan."

"If there is one," Flash said as he picked up Kingsect's card. "He creamed me."

"No battle plan is perfect," Doc told him as he took the card out of Flash's hand. "You taught me that. Thorax has a weakness, and we'll find it."

A little while later, Spike found himself at the Fillydelphia Gardens. It didn't take him long to get inside, taking off his hoodie and placing it in a locker before heading towards the garden area. Once he was through the airlock, he spotted Ocellus, Thorax and Pharynx together. "Hey guys!" he said as he moved over to them.

Thorax nodded at the incoming youngster. "Hey! You're just in time. We're about to receive some new Pokémon."

"Yeah, I heard. So, do you know what you're getting?"

Ocellus nodded at this. "Apparently, some Heracross and Scyther had their homes destroyed by a storm."

"That's horrible."

Thorax nodded again. "Luckily, none of them were hurt. Now, they're being sent here until the damage to their habitat can be fixed."

In that moment, Pharynx's phone went off, which he answered, "This is Pharynx....yeah? Understood. You know the drill." With that, he hung up before turning to the others. "The transport's just arrived. They're loading the crates onto the lift as we speak."

"Lift?" Spike asked with a tilt of the head.

Thorax smiled before gesturing him to follow, soon leading him to another area of the garden. "The gym and Grubirth habitat aren't the only underground section of the facility. We also have a garage where the transports that deliver and ship out the Pokémon, which has an elevator that comes up here." He pointed to a circular section of the floor that had a line running through it.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just catch and transport the Pokémon?"

"Catching a Pokémon only to release it can be very stressful," Ocellus replied with big smile. "That's why most of the Pokémon we help are mostly captured by Rangers and sent here. Transporting can also be a little stressful on the Pokémon, so we need to be extra careful."

"It might be harder, but its in the Pokémon's best interest."

"Oh," Spike flatly replied, but before he could say anything else, the circle on the floor began to open. Once it was open, a round glass room folded out from the floor. Inside were two guys in uniforms, their faces shielded by sunglasses and a hat, standing next to a large crate.

The room finished being lifted up and then opened, allowing the men to gently drag the crate out. "Thorax?"

"That's me. Thank you for the work." Thorax then looked over the crate and raised an eyebrow. "Seems a little small for a Heracross or Scyther. How many more crates are we expecting?"

The two men shined a pair of devious smiles. "This is it." With that, they grabbed the top of the box and pulled it open.

"What are you-" Ocellus tried to ask, only for a yellow humanoid Pokémon to fly out of the box. It had white fur, and was holding a coin on piece of string.

"Hyp...no..." he slowly said as he swung the pendant back and forth.

Thorax's eyes went wide at this. "Don't look at it!" But it was too late. A layer of psychic waves shot out of the pendent, causing all of them feel a sense of tiredness begin to overtake them. Before they could react, the four collapsed to the floor.

And as the last of Thorax's consciousness faded, he heard one of the men say, "This is infiltration team one. Stage one is complete. Stage two has begun."

One hour later...

Back at the Pokémon Center, Flash and co were heading inside for a quick rest. "Great work team," Flash told them all. "We're really starting to make some headway. A little more of this and we'll have that gym badge in the bag."

"Though you still haven't come up with a full plan yet," Twilight added as she tapped her journal a few times. "Your biggest issue is that you don't know what that third Pokémon is gonna be. That means you'll have to improvise."

"Luckily, that's what I do best." Flash chuckled as he gestured to his team. "Now come on buddies, let's get some lunch in us and get back to work." The Pokémon all let out cries of agreement as they entered the center's reception, only to see a large group of people crowded around something. "Hmm? What's going on?"

"Let's find out," Doc said before they rushed over to the crowd and managed to push their way to the front. Once there, they spotted a large TV that everyone was paying attention to. But it was what was on the screen that had them all gasping. It was the Fillydelphia Gardens, but it appeared to have a large blue dome of light surrounding it.

"As you can see, the strange force field has completely engulfed the building." the newswoman said to the camera. "This strange construct, believed to have been the work of a Psychic-Type Pokémon, appeared around the building about fifty minutes ago. All attempts to pass through the field have been met with failure, as well as attempts to contact anyone inside. The owner, gym leader Thorax, has also been unable to be located. It is possible that he is inside, but incapable of leaving at this time. We will be sure to report any new findings as they are found."

Flash, Twilight and Doc all stared at each other in shock. A series of nods followed as they returned their Pokémon and headed to the door.

Meanwhile...

There was only one thing Spike could feel. It was cold hard metal floor.

"Uggghhh..." he moaned as he blinked his eyes open. He then picked himself up, and saw he was in a small room filled with cleaning equipment. "Where am I?" He asked, but got no reply. He then found he was not alone, as Ocellus was also asleep next to him. He then moved over to her and started to shake her. "Hey! Wake up!"

"Wha-" She asked as she began to stir, "Wha...what happened?"

"I don't know. The last thing I remember was those delivery guys opening that crate. Everything's fuzzy after that." He stood up and walked over to the door, only to find himself unable to open it. "That's not good."

"Oh dear..." Ocellus gulped as she stood as well, "Oh...I so hope Thorax and Pharynx are okay."

Speaking of those two...

It was at this time that the brothers were waking up themselves, soon finding themselves tied up and unable to move. "What the heck?! What's going on?!"

"I don't know," Thorax replied as he tried to pull himself free. "We're stuck Pharynx."

"Not stuck. Captured." The brothers turned to the owner of the voice, finding it was the delivery guy. However, he was now wearing a black hooded cloak over a gray shirt along with black pants and black boots. His face was concealed by the hood, only showing his mouth. "You are now our prisoners."

"Who are you?" Thorax asked as he got on his knees before picking himself up. "And why are you doing this?"

"They're doing it for me." Both Thorax and Pharynx froze at the sound of that voice. Before they could reply, they saw a blue haired woman walk up to them. She was wearing clothes similar to the man, only she had a black cap on instead of a cloak. "Hello boys!" She exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips before she shined a huge devilish grin. "Mommy's home."

Outside the garden, Flash and the others arrived and pushed their way through the crowd until they were at the very front. There, they found a barrier blocking the crowd, which Flash just jumped over, the other two following.

"HEY!" They turned to see an Officer Hard Case rushing over to them, an Espeon by his side. "Citizens need to stay behind the barrier!"

Twilight then ran up to him, staring him right in the eyes, "Please, let us help. My brother's in there. I can't just stand here." She and Hard Case then stared at one another for several seconds, until the officer sighed and nodded.

"Alright...but you have to do what I tell you."

"Thank you," Twilight replied, nodding.

"So, have you found a way inside?" Doc asked.

"None. We've tried everything, even digging under the barrier. But its not a dome, its a bubble and its completely encased the building."

"There has to be some way through."

"I wish there was kids. Our only hope is a Dark-Type, but no one on the force has one." The officer glared at them. "Do any of you have one?" His answer came in the form of three shaking heads. "Of course...we might just be out of options."

"Maybe not," Twilight instantly replied as she stared at the dome.

Flash smirked at this. "What brilliant idea you got cooking in that head of yours?"

"Its just a thought, but it might work. Though we're gonna need Springer to pull it off."

"Ri?!"

Thorax and Pharynx both glared at their mother, Pharynx letting out a low hiss. "What are you doing here, you old hag?! You know you're not welcome here!"

Chrysalis just shook her head at this. "My my, you never change, do you Pharynx. Of course I'm welcome here. I own this place and everything in it."

"Not anymore," Thorax instantly rebuked. "I beat you, so its mine now. You lost the right to call this place yours when you started humiliating your opponents. Then you had the gal to demand the ones you beat hand over their Pokémon!"

Chrysalis rolled her eyes at this. "Of course I did Thorax. If they won, they would have gotten a badge. Me winning and not getting anything in return makes no sense for a gym leader. Isn't that what the job is for?"

"A gym leader's job is to test trainers!" Thorax barked back, a dark expression slowly appearing in his eyes. "You used to be like...heck, I used to think you were the most caring person on earth. Its why I looked up to you." A low growl followed his next words. "But then you became this...monster. I had to stop you."

"But you couldn't, could you? That's why I'm here now after all." A giant grin appeared on her face as she continued, "After all, you're weak Thorax. Granted, you might have kicked me out of my home, but that only lead to me to finding my true destiny." She turned to the man next to her as two more stepped up next to him. "Ah, you're here. Bring these two traitors with us."

The men nodded and picked up the duo as Chrysalis walked down the path. Thorax and Pharynx tried to struggle from their now carrying captors, only to go wide-eyed as they now saw more grunts enter in and start tossing nets at the garden's Pokémon. They then stuffed them in cages, not even giving the most remote sense of delicacy or care while doing so. "It won't be long until someone gets through the barrier, so we have to act quickly. Once we're safely back at our hideout, we'll work to properly capture these Pokémon." Chrysalis ordered as she watched the capturing process. But as she did this, a sudden piece of thread shot out at her. She quickly saw it coming and dodged, looking up to see a Starider staring at her. "Pathetic." She pulled out a Pokeball, "Queensect, attack!" She tossed the ball into the air and it opened, releasing the red energy that took shape and faded.

The Pokémon revealed looked like a cross between a unicorn and an insect. It had flowing blue hair and a long horn with holes in it, along with a pair of hole-filled insectoid wings and bright green eyes. A crown shaped appendage was poking out of its head as it hissed, "Queensect..."

"I hoped I'd never have to see that thing again," Thorax growled as he watched the Pokémon stare up at the Starider.

The Starider let out a roar as it fired off a Sticky Web attack, only for its opponent to dodge it. "Copycat!" Chrysalis ordered, pointing directly at the opposing spider.

"Queen..." it said before copying the motion Starider just used, "SECT!" From out of its mouth, the exact same attack shot out. This time, it hit its intended target and captured the Starider, its body now stuck in a ball of webbing.

"Star! Star!" it cried as it struggled, only to hear Chrysalis laugh.

"So pathetic." she commented as she shook her head, "Now, let's finish this Queensect. Giga Drain!" Queensect's horn glowed before it fired out a green light, which struck the Starider instantly.

"STARIDER!!!" it screamed as the Pokémon continued to absorb it. "Star! Star!"

"Keep going Queensect. Don't let up!"

"STAR! Starider!" It tried to yell, its voice slowly getting weaker. The spider then escaped the webbing, only to fall to the ground with a thud. It was here that it's eyes were replaced with swirls as it moaned, "Star..."

"Tsk tsk tsk, to think that thing wanted to challenge me." Chrysalis remarked as she shook her head, "Queensect, continue with another Giga Drain. I want to make sure that piece of trash doesn't try to fight me ever again."

"Queen!"

Thorax and Pharynx both growled at this, Thorax then yelling, "STOP! You've already beaten it mother! You're going too far!"

Chrysalis let out a long sigh at this. "Oh dear. I thought I taught you boys better. Winning isn't what matters, its completely crushing your opponent so they never want to fight again that matters." With that, she walked over to the now defeated Starider and picked up with one hand, "Now, let's put you in a cage where you belong."

Back outside, our heroes and Hard Case were standing in front of the barrier, all of them with sceptical looks on their faces except Twilight. It was here that Hard Case turned to Twilight and asked, "You sure this is gonna work?"

"It's worth a shot," Twilight replied before turning to Flash and Springer. "You two ready?"

"As we'll ever be," Flash mumbled before sitting down crossed legged. "Alright Springer, let's do this."

"Ri," Springer nodded before stepping up to the barrier and placing his paws on it. Flash then put his hands on Springer's back and closed his eyes. He could feel himself trying to combine their auras as Springer put more pressure on the barrier with his paws.

"Alright buddy, let's try this..." Flash added as he took a slow deep breath, "Now...Double Team!"

"RI!" Springer pushed his aura into the barrier, his paws firing the aura through the psychic wall. Soon, he felt it flow through, the aura quickly taking shape past the forcefield and morphing into the mirror image of Springer.

"It worked," Twilight happily cheered, clapping her hands at the sight. "I knew that barrier wouldn't be able to resist that kind of energy!"

"Indeed." Doc added as he turned to Flash, "Can you see through it?"

Flash nodded at this. "Its a little hazy, but yeah. I think I can find it."Flash and the two Springers both glanced at each other before the copy began to run off, only to come to a stop as it saw a bipedal Pokémon with lanky arms, blue hair and several pink orbs on its body. Flash irked at the sight as he said, "Aw great...its a Mr. Mime."

A Mr. Mime was standing by the side of building, hiding behind some bushed as it used its psychic abilities to harden the air molecules and create the barrier. It was so focused on maintaining the force field that it didn't even notice the Riolu staring at it.

"You have to stop it," Hard Case said next.

"But Springer's at a disadvantage against a Mr. Mime," Twilight told him.

Doc shook his head at this. "He doesn't have to beat it Twilight. All he needs to do is break its concentration so the barrier disappears long enough for us to get in."

Flash took another deep breath, "You heard him Springer. Use Aura Sphere."

The Springer clone rushed towards the Mr. Mine, creating a small Aura Sphere in its paw. "Riolu!" it yelled as it thrusted the sphere forwards, instantly striking the unsuspecting Pokémon in the chest.

"MIME!" It cried as it staggered back, the Springer clone disappearing, as the barrier phased out of existence.

"Quickly! Get inside before it remakes the barrier!" Hard Case yelled before rushing towards the building, the others following after him.

Back inside...

Chrysalis had been watching the capture efforts for quite a while now, the grin on her face growing more and more. But as she did this, she looked up for a second, only to see the barrier go down. It came back up a minute later, but her grin was gone by then. "They moved faster than anticipated," she turned to several grunts. "Go deal with our guests. Now!"

"Yes commander!" They all said before rushing towards the airlock. As Thorax and Pharynx watched them leave, they shared a glance and nodded. Thorax then slung his head up, smacking the grunt's forehead while Pharynx spun around and kneed his captor in the stomach, causing the two to stagger back. And as the two saw the grunts falter, the started wriggling against the ropes, quickly freeing a single Pokeball from each, only for both to fall to the ground, releasing the Pokémon inside.

The first was Thorax's Kingsect, while the other was a slightly smaller version of Kingsect that was dark green with a red tail and horns along with purple wings. This one let out a sparkling glow as it was released. "KINGSECT!" The two cried together.

"WHAT?!" Chrysalis screeched as she turned and saw this. "Grrr...Queensect, to my side!" she ordered, Queensect quickly hopping in front of her.

"Horn Charge!" The brother yelled in unison as their Kingsect charged towards the Pokémon.

Meanwhile...

Flash, Springer, Twilight, Doc and Hard Case were now rushing down a hallway when they came across a group of grunts. Seeing their matching uniforms made Flash stifle a laugh as he commented, "Wow, did Halloween come early this year?"

"Who are you and why are you attacking this place?!" Hard Case demanded as he pointed at the group.

"We are no one of relevance," one of the grunts replied as they all pulled out Pokeballs and tossed them into the air, "Skullimor!" The balls opened and released a swarm of large silver colored skulls with snake like bodies that looked like human spinal cords, each with a pair of bat wings allowing them flight.

"Skull..." they all said together.

"What are those things?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Skullimor
Category: Winged Skull Pokémon
Type: Ghost/Flying
Info: This terrifying Pokémon uses its serpent like body to wrap itself around its enemies before it stares deep into their eyes. It is said that staring at this Pokémon for too long will allow it to steal your soul.

"That's creepy." Flash said as he pulled out a series of Pokeballs. "Well, they're not taking my soul. Come on out guys!" He tossed them into the air, the Pokémon soon appearing before the trainer.

"Chick/Ak/Fey/Scor!"

"You all come out as well!" Twilight yelled as she and Doc unleashed their Pokémon out as well.

"Psy/Terr/Higear!"

"Come out Espeon!" Hard Case called out as his psychic Pokémon appeared at his side.

"Attack!" The lead grunt yelled.

"Let's go guys! Charge!" Flash barked back before the two forces bum-rushed at one another.

Meanwhile...again.

In a hallway just a little ways away, a loud banging could be heard coming from one of the doors. It happened again and again, only for the door to fall as both Spike and Ocellus crashed to the floor, the wooden frame now broken from their attempts.

"Ow..." Ocellus moaned as they picked themselves up.

"Well, we're out. I just hope Thorax doesn't bill me for the door." Spike commented as he cricked his back. "Oh...that hurt."

"I think he's gotta bigger problems Spike," Ocellus told him as she dusted herself off. "Now come on, let's go see what the heck's going on and if we can help Thorax."

"Got it," Spike nodded in agreement before the two rushed off.

Meanwhile...one more time!

Back in the main habitat, Thorax and Pharynx had managed to get themselves untied as their Pokémon continued to battle. "Use Slam!" Thorax ordered as his Kingsect charged towards Queensect.

"You use Slam as well!" Chrysalis screamed as her Pokémon charged forwards. The two struck one another, locking horns as they tried to push the other away.

At the same time, Pharynx was battling the remaining grunts. Luckily, their Pokémon were Hypno and Alakazam, so his Kingsect had the advantage. "Bug Buzz!" The powerful buzzing sound echoed through the room, causing the trainers and Pokémon to flinch. "Now, Horn Charge!" Kingsect charged forwards, hitting each of the Psychic Pokémon with a violent smash.

Chrysalis saw this and let out a low growl, "Grrr….no! No, no, no! Pull back and then use Bug Buzz Queensect!" Queensect did as it was told, jumping away from its opponent as its horn began to vibrate and send out shockwaves.

"Counter with your Bug Buzz!"

"King!" Kingsect fired its soundwaves, two meeting and cancelling each other out.

Pure anger was now seething out of Chrysalis's face as she watched the even match. She then glanced over at Pharynx, who was easily pushing the grunts back, making her bite her lip. "No....I can't let this happen again, especially against these two...wait...that's it!" she muttered to herself, only for a nasty idea to pop into her head. She pointed to Pharynx's Kingsect and yelled, "Queensect, disengage your Bug Buzz and use Giga Drain on him!"

Queensect nodded and stopped its Bug Buzz, then turned to Pharynx's Kingsect and fired a green beam at it. "Look out!" Thorax called to his brother, but it was too late. The attack was ready to hit the Pokémon, only for Thorax's Kingsect to hop in front of the beam, instantly taking the brunt of the attack.

"KINGSECT!" It cried as its energy was ripped out of it, its form soon falling to the floor.

"NO!" Thorax screamed as Chrysalis smirked at the sight.

"You and your Grubirth were always too nice," she told her son while shaking her head. "Its what makes you weak."

Thorax growled back at this, "compassion isn't a weakness."

Chrysalis let out a loud guffaw. "Then why are you the one losing right now?!" She then pointed at Pharynx's Pokémon again, "Now, finish that one off with Slam!" Queensect charged at the shiny Kingsect, only for it to dodge the incoming beast. But as it did this, an Alakazam's Shadow Ball struck the Kingsect, causing it to let out a scream.

"NO!" Pharynx yelled as his partner was pushed back, only for him and Thorax to notice that Chrysalis's team's Pokémon were now fully surrounding them.

Chrysalis saw this and devilishly grinned, "Any last words for your Pokémon boys? You know, before I have ours crush the life out of them."

Thorax glared at the towering woman, only to smirk as he replied, "Yeah, I do."

"And what's that?"

"Nice timing guys."

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at this, only to realize that he was no longer looking at her. She then turned around, only to hear someone call out, "Use Aura Sphere and Ember!"

"QUEENSECT!" She heard her Pokémon scream as it was struck by several mini fireballs and a sphere of blue energy. As it faltered from the attacks, the woman saw Flash, Hard Case, Springer, Viper and Espeon rushing towards her.

"What the-how did you get past my men?!"

Flash just smiled as he and his Pokémon came to a stop. "Wasn't that hard. My friends and I managed to push them back just enough for us to get here. They're holding them off for now."

At the same time...

Back in the corridor, Twilight, Doc, Peewee, Higear, Riptide, Prongs and Skyler where standing against the grunts and their Skullimor. "SHADOW BALL!" The grunts all yelled as the skull head Pokémon fired a volley of black energy balls.

"Confusion, Dragon Breath and Water Gun!" Twilight ordered.

"Gear Grind, Energy Ball and Gust!" Doc added.

The six Pokémon simultaneously unleashed their attacks, meeting the Skullimor's attacks and causing an explosion. Once the smoke cleared, Twilight stared at the grunts as she screeched, "Where's my brother?! Where is he?!"

The grunts didn't answer, their expressions blank as they pointed at the trainers, "Shadow ball again!" another barrage of attacks appeared, causing the other trainers to yell out another set of commands. And as this continued, Twilight heard a series of footsteps behind her. She then turned, fearing another attack, only to see Spike and Ocellus turn the corner.

"Twilight!" Spike cried as he rushed up to his sister.

"Oh thank Arceus you're alright." Twilight said as she pulled him into a hug, Peewee also flying down to rub his head into Spike's.

"Hug later," Doc told them as ducked down, a shadow ball just barely flying over his head. "We're in the middle of a battle people!"

"Right," they said as they all stared back at the enemy. "Let's take them down!"

Meanwhile....insert pun here.

"You have got to be kidding me..." Chrysalis growled as she turned to see Pharynx's Kingsect help Thorax's up. "Augh! Who cares anymore?!" she screeched as she pointed at the newcomers, "I don't care if a few more come and help you pathetic weak-minded lot! Against my Queensect, you don't stand a chance! Do you hear me?!"

Flash looked over at Chrysalis's Pokémon and pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Queensect
Category: Royal Swarm Pokémon
Type: Bug/Dark
Info: An evolved form of Grubirth. Living in hives, it watches over the young. Unlike Grubirth, it can actually change its physical form, which it uses to hunt prey needed to feed the hive.

"Yuck. Looks like Kingsect won in the looks department," Flash commented as he put the device away.

Chrysalis hissed at this. "Impertinent whelp! Giga Drain!" She snapped her fingers as Queensect stood in front of her before firing a green beam at Flash. Flash reflexively backpedaled, only for Viper to hop in front of him and fire an Ember attack at the Giga Drain. The two attacks met and exploded, causing Flash to smirk while Chrysalis just growled at the sight.

"Copycat/Ember!" The flurry of mini fireballs slammed into each other, causing a series of explosions.

Despite this, the attacks continued as Flash cheered, "Come on Viper! There's no way that faker can beat the original!"

"More power Queensect! Beat him! Tear him apart!" The Queensect's Ember then began to push Viper's back, getting closer and closer to the Hisscor as the fireballs started to get in his area. "That's it...crush him!"

"Ri..." Springer gulped as he watched the exchange, a blue aura appearing in his paws. But as he did this, Flash blocked him with his head, shaking his head at the jakhowl.

"Viper's got this Springer. Don't interfere." Flash then glanced back at Viper, "Come on bud, you can do it! This is what we trained for!"

"Scor!" Viper roared as he tired to up the power of his Ember. He let out another mighty roar as he tried to remember back to all the training he had done that morning, all of it working on increasing his firepower. He then felt a fire burn within him as he yelled, "Hiss...SCOR!" Suddenly, the mini fireballs exploded into a full-on burst of fire.

Everyone's eyes went wide seeing this as Viper's new attack blasted through Queensect's Ember, instantly striking the bug. "QUEENSECT!" It cried as it was sent flying back, Chrysalis barely managing to dodge it as it flew past here and into a tree.

"What the...but how?!" Chrysalis whispered as she stared at her Pokémon.

Flash was equally amazed. "Wow...what was that?"

"Looks like your Hisscor learned Flamethrower," Thorax told him, chuckling at the sight.

"Awesome!" Flash cheered, "nice work Viper!"

"Scor!" Viper yipped, a big grin now on his face.

"Don't think you've won," Chrysalis told him as Queensect picked itself up. But as it did this, Thorax's Kingsect bum-rushed the Queensect, slamming into it with a Horn Charge.

"Queen!" It cried as it took to the sky, the two Kingsect following after.

"Aura Sphere!" Flash ordered Springer, who threw the attack at Queensect. It quickly struck the bug, staggering it in mid-air.

"HORN CHARGE!" The brothers yelled in unison as their Pokémon smashed the Pokémon with their horns.

"Sect!" Queensect cried as it fell to earth, hitting it with a loud thud.

Chrysalis screeched as she saw her Pokémon open its eyes, revealing a pair of swirls. "NO! NOT AGAIN!" She then turned around and saw Thorax, Pharynx, Flash, Hard Case and their Pokémon all staring at her. "You..."

"Give it up mother," Thorax told her with his arms crossed. "You can't win and you know it."

Chrysalis growled as she returned Queensect before glaring at her sons. "You haven't seen the last of me," she then pressed a button on a device that had been wrapped around her wrist. A second later, an Alakazam appeared right beside her, only for more Psychic Pokémon to suddenly appear, each one landing next to a grunt. She smiled as she placed her hand on its shoulder, only to disappear along with it.

"NO!" Thorax yelled at this sight.

Flash also saw this and quickly rushed towards the nearest grunt, attempt to grab him before he teleported away. He reached out and grabbed his shirt, only for the cloaked man to jerk away, causing his shirt to rip off before he grabbed the Hypno and disappeared.

At the same time, the battle in the hallway had the same results as a bunch of Psychic Pokémon appeared beside the grunts. "What the?" Twilight asked as she saw the grunts return their Pokémon, all of them then grabbing hold of the new Pokémon before disappearing.

"What just happened?" Spike asked as he pointed to where the grunts had been.

Doc scratched his head at the question. "I...don't know. They all just...ran away."

Several hours later...

Once the mysterious group had disappeared, the building was swarmed with reports and police officers. Thorax took it upon himself to explain what had happened, deciding to not leave out any details. At the same time, the others decided to help out by freeing the captured Pokémon from their cages. Luckily, Chrysalis hadn't managed to get away with any of them.

Now, our heroes were outside the building as the sun began to set.

"Man, talk about a crazy day." Flash commented as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Not what I was expecting from a day of training for my team."

"Tell me about it," Pharynx added as he tapped his foot in irritation. "But we won't let this happen again. I'm gonna go over the security protocols and make sure of it."

"That's good to hear," Twilight said before noticing something in Flash's hand. "What that?"

Flash showed them the shred of clothing he had managed to get off the guy he had tried to grab, "I got this when I tried to stop one of those guys. I just wish we knew who those guys were." Flash opened the cloth and saw something was printed on it. A big black S. "Wonder what that's for?"

"Can I take a look at that?" Thorax asked, Flash nodding and handing him the cloth.

Thorax raised an eyebrow at the sight, causing Spike to lean over and ask, "Do you know what that is?"

Thorax looked up back at them, then shook his head. "No, sorry. Never seen it before." He put the cloth into his pocket and turned back to Flash. "So tell me Flash, have you found an answer to my question yet?"

Flash nodded. "Yeah. What makes a trainer strong is having a reason to be strong."

Thorax smiled at this. "Good answer. So, do you have a reason to be strong?"

Flash sighed before shaking his head. "No, not yet. But I'm gonna keep looking for one. I'll figure it out, eventually. And until then, I'll keep training hard and get strong the old fashioned way." He then smiled and looked down at Viper, "and your new Flamethrower attack is gonna help with that."

"Scor," Viper nodded in agreement. He then took a deep breath before attempting to use his new attack, only to instead fire out an Ember.

"What the-what was that?" Flash asked.

"Looks like your Hisscor hasn't quite got the hang of the attack yet," Ocellus told him.

"Aww man..." Flash moaned.

Doc chuckled at this and patted his shoulder, "Don't worry Flash. I'm sure with a little practice, Viper will master it in no time."

Flash let out a long sigh. "Yeah...I guess you're right." He then turned to Thorax, "and when we do, we'll be back to challenge you again. I mean, if you'll let me. I know last time you said I couldn't."

Thorax gave him a large smile. "Considering what you did today and your answer you gave me, I'll gladly welcome another battle. Granted, I would like you to make sure you're truly ready before taking me on though."

Flash nodded at this. "I will. I'll make sure both myself and my team are ready."

"Very well. I look forward to our next battle then."

Spike took this moment to let out a yawn, the day's events having gotten to him. Twilight saw this and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Well, I guess we'd better get back to the Pokémon Center and rest up." Everyone nodded in agreement before going their separate ways.

That night...

Thorax was in his room, typing away at his computer. As he did this, a window popped up, causing him to lean back as a voice spoke out of the computer, "Hey, what's up? I heard about what happened. How is everything?"

"Not as bad as they could have been," Thorax replied as he scratched the side of his head. "We got lucky, that's for sure."

"Well, I expect a full report."

"And you'll get it," Thorax remarked before pulling out the cloth and showing it to the monitor. "But the short version is, those rumors we heard about that mysterious group of criminals? Well, they aren't rumors anymore. Team Shadow is on the rise."

A long sigh followed this. "I was afraid of that. We can't allow them to get away with whatever they want. It'll be up to us and the other Gym Leaders to find a way to stop them, so its probably best that we call an emergency league meeting."

Thorax nodded in agreement. "Also, one of the other gym leaders, Time Turner, is here in Fillydelphia City. Apparently, he's travelling with a group of young trainers, so I'll see to talking to him about that meeting."

"I'll contact the other leaders and get something lined up. We'll need to be extra careful about not letting this Team Shadow in on our movements."

"Agreed. Now, here's what I know about today's events."

A mysterious attack by Fillydelphia City's old Gym Leader has brought a mysterious group into the lime light. How will this effect our hero's journey? Stay tuned to find out.

Flames of Victory

View Online

"Flamethrower!" Flash ordered as Viper took a deep breath, only to shoot out a flurry of fireballs. "Aww," Flash groaned, tapping his foot at the sight at the same time. "Ember again! I don't get it..."

It had been two days since the Chrysalis incident. And as Thorax worked to get the gym back in order, Flash and his Pokémon had been busy training. All of them were now in tip top shape, all except Viper.

"Scor..." he moaned in disappointment.

Flash also sighed, still trying to figure out what happened. At the same time, Twilight and Spike were watching the training session as they ate breakfast, along with the rest of Flash's Pokémon. Only Viper and Flash had rushed their breakfast, all for more practice.

"Why isn't Viper getting it?" Spike asked as he took another bite.

Twilight looked the Hisscor over, humming in a glum tone. "Its most likely that his fire power isn't at the level needed for the move."

"But he was able to do it before. Why was he able to do it then?"

"That was under intense stress, which likely removed Viper's natural limiters and allowed him to tap into the strength for that move."

"So Viper's life needs to be in danger for him to use Flamethrower?"

Twilight sighed, but nodded. "For now, it seems so."

Flash heard this and frowned as he watched his Pokémon try again and again. He knew the move would help tremendously against Thorax as he called out to his Pokémon, "Come on Viper, one more try! Dig deep and gather as much fire as you can. Take it slow if you have to."

Viper nodded as he turned back to the target, taking the deepest breath possible. Air zoomed into his lungs before his mouth started to open, "Hiss...SCOR!" Suddenly, as if on instinct, a steady stream of fire blasted out of Viper, instantly incinerating the target. The flames turned the pole into a pile of ash, making a very happy Viper cheer. "Hisscor! Hisscor!"

"Alright! You did it Viper!"

Twilight, Spike and the Pokémon all cheered and clapped as Twilight walked up to Flash. "Great work Flash, but I don't think Thorax will give you that much time to use an attack."

"I'll just have to slow him down then," Flash replied as he stared down at Viper. "Hmmm....maybe if I use Fire Spin, then have Viper build up the charge? That could work."

Twilight giggled at this, soon patting his shoulder. "See? Now you're getting into the swing of planning ahead."

Flash blushed as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess I am. Still wish I could improvise a bit more though...thinking out this stuff is hard."

"I bet Doc could help you come up with a plan," Spike said as he glanced around. "Hey, where is Doc? I haven't seen him all morning."

Twilight just shrugged. "He said he had something to do today. He left a note saying he'd meet us at the gym."

"Then I guess that's where we're going," Flash commented before turning to his team. "We've held this off long enough guys. Time to see if all our hard work will finally pay off. You with me?"

"Ri/Chick/Ak/Fey/Scor!"

Flash shined a huge cheeky grin. "Then let's go win our second gym badge."

Meanwhile...

In a certain room in his Gym, Thorax was currently staring at a large computer screen. Doc sat beside him, also staring at the screen as it showed eight segments, each with a figure's face on them.

"So we're all in agreement?" Thorax asked.

"Yes," a voice that belonged to Professor Celestia replied. "Time Turner, you'll be responsible for gathering information. Its very fortunate that you chose to take this journey at this time."

Doc nodded at this. "Indeed it is, but I still think we should bring Flash and the others into the fold."

"This doesn't concern them," A gruff male voice replied. "Its the duty of Equestria's Gym Leaders to keep the peace."

"He's right," an elderly female added. "Those saplings aren't ready to take on this kind of danger."

A monotone voice spoke up next, "Even if they managed to help you before, they shouldn't get in over their heads."

"Fine...I understand." Doc finished, slumping slightly in his seat.

"Its for the best," Thorax told him with a quick glance before looking back at the screen. "I'm sure we all have important plans today, so let's bring this meeting to a close. We'll schedule another summit when more information is brought to light. Is this agreed?"

They all nodded their heads before the screen sections began to go black. When the last one did, the two turned to one another. "It seems we've got more work than ever to do."

Doc nodded with a slight shrug. "If we couldn't handle it, we wouldn't be Gym Leaders."

"Truer words were never spoken." In that moment, there was a knock at the door. "Come in."

The door opened and Ocellus stepped in. "Flash and the others are here. It seems he's ready to challenge you."

"Speaking of work," Thorax and Doc nodded to each other before getting up and going to the lobby. There, they found Flash, Twilight, Spike and their Pokémon were waiting. "Good morning. I see you've come to battle me once again."

"If that's alright. Its up to you." Flash replied, almost biting his lip in anticipation of the response.

Thorax did a slight chuckle as he nodded. "After what you did to help us, I'd be an idiot not to accept. I just hope you are truly ready this time."

"Oh, I am!" Flash remarked as he pumped his fists, "We're going to win!"

"Very well. Let's go to the battleground."

After this, the group made their way to the arena. As they did this, Spike turned to Doc. "So, what were you doing here?"

Doc smirked before patting the boy on the head. "Grown up stuff."

Soon enough, everyone was in the familiar battlefield room. There, Twilight, Doc, Spike, Ocellus, Springer, Peewee and Riptide were watching from above as Flash, Thorax and Pharynx took their positions. "Alright!" Pharynx announced as he pointed at the two trainers. "The rematch battle between the challenger Flash, and Thorax the Gym Leader, will now begin! Like before, both sides are allowed to use any three Pokémon. The battle will end when all three of either sides' Pokémon are no longer able to continue battling. In addition, only the challenger may be allowed to substitute Pokémon." He glanced at the duo, "you two got that?!"

Flash and Thorax both nodded.

Twilight gulped at the sight. "Here we go. Time to see if all of Flash's training has payed off."

"The Gym Leader will be the first to reveal his Pokémon," Pharynx pointed to his brother as he pulled out a Pokeball.

"Starider, come on out." he tossed it into the air, soon revealing the form of a star backed spider.

"Star..." it hissed.

"So that's his third Pokémon," Flash commented as he pulled out his own Pokeball. "Viper, I choose...YOU!" He tossed the ball into the air and released the Hisscor.

"Scor!"

"Why's Flash using Viper?" Spike asked. "I thought he was saving him for Kingsect."

Twilight and Doc both glanced at Spike with a smirk. "Wait and see. It's all part of his plan."

"Are both sides ready?" Pharynx asked, getting two nods in return. "Then battle...BEGIN!

"Poison Sting!" Flash ordered, Viper unleashing a barrage of purple darts out of his mouth.

"Dodge it!" Thorax ordered, his Pokémon leaping up into the air and landing onto a nearby tree branch. "Sticky Web!"

"Star!" Starider pointed its rear at Viper and unleashed a glob of silk that spread out to take a web-like design.

"Flamethrower!"

Viper took a deep breath, "Hiss...SCOR!" But instead of the fire stream, he once again unleashed a flurry of fireballs. They hit the Sticky Web and burned right through it, soon roasting the spider as well.

"Star!" It cried as it was blasted off the tree.

"That's wasn't a Flamethrower," Doc commented with a sigh, "Looks like they haven't quite got the hang of it yet."

"But it still did a bit of damage," Twilight added.

Thorax saw his Starider pick itself up and pointed ahead. "Alright, Faint Attack!" Starider nodded before disappearing, then reappearing in front of Viper, quickly slamming into him.

"Scor!" He yelped as he fell back from the sudden blow.

"Keep going! Do Faint Attack, back to back!" Thorax ordered as the Starider kept disappearing and reappearing, repeatedly hitting Viper.

Flash watched as the attacks continued, his mind trying to figure out some kind of countermeasure, only to comment, "Damn it. I can't tell where it's coming from."

"Bug Bite!" Thorax commanded as Starider appeared in front of Viper with shining teeth. It then bit down on Viper, causing him to cry out.

"Scor!" Viper cried as Starider bit his sides.

Flash growled at this, his brain telling him what he needed to do next. "Get him off you Viper! Hop back to me!" Viper did so, knocking Starider off as he leapt back. He then pulled out his Pokeball, "Viper, return!" The red energy shot out and hit the Hisscor, returning it to the safety of the ball. "Nice work bud."

Everyone sighed in relief, especially Doc and Twilight. "Finally! Flash played it smart there."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Hopefully, he'll have learned enough about Starider to come up with a counter measure."

Ocellus raised an eyebrow at this. "I'm not so sure about that. Especially after how their last match went."

"I know. I hope he's figured out something new." Twilight added as they all saw Flash switch Pokeballs.

"Prongs, I choose you!" He tossed the ball into the air, soon revealing the Thawn.

Pharynx checked to see that both Pokémon were ready and nodded. "Alright, battle begin."

"Faint Attack!" Thorax ordered, Starider once again disappearing before reappearing in front of its opponent.

Flash smirked at the sight, "Not this time! Dodge it Prongs!"

"THAWN!" And just like that, time seemed to slow down. Prongs saw the Starider coming at him in slow motion, only to step to the side at normal speed. The spider instantly missed, soon spinning around to rebalance it's missed bum-rush.

"What?! What just happened?!" Thorax yelped, his eyes now wide.

"What kind of move was that?" Ocellus added.

Twilight shook her head at this. "That was no move, just pure speed. Ever since Flash lost to Thorax, he and Prongs have been working hard to up his speed."

Ocellus gasped, "You're kidding! Its like he just vanished."

"Nope!" Spike replied with a huge grin. "Just watch."

Prongs turned to Starider, who was picking itself up after hitting the ground, and smiled. "Our turn! Prongs, Double Kick!" Before the Starider could do anything, he got a taste of his medicine as Prongs disappeared and reappeared in front of him. That is, except Prongs was back first as two hooves slammed into the spider.

"Star!" it cried as the first kick hit his side.

"Double Kick, back to back!"

"Fey!" Prongs yelled as appeared by its side and slammed Starider's head, "fey!" He disappeared and reappeared behind Starider before kicking it again, "fey!" Once again, he seemed to warp to another part of the gym to kick his opponent, "THAWN!"

"STAR!" Starider screamed as it was sent flying, crashing and rolling into the ground.

Everyone cheered at the sight. Even Thorax and Pharynx could not help but smile, amazed at Flash's improvement. That is, till Thorax pointed at his Pokémon. "Time to slow you down a bit. Starider, use Sticky Web all over the battlefield!"

Starider picked itself up and hissed, then raised its rear into the air before firing out several balls of goop. The spheres fell back to earth, splattering the ground like a minefield of webby traps.

"Oh boy," Flash gulped. "That's not good."

"Use Bug Bite!" Thorax ordered as Starider scuttled towards Prongs with its teeth glowing.

"Dodge it!"

Prongs nodded and tried to leap away from Starider, only to almost land near some webbing. "Fey!" he cried as he tried to keep his balance, only for Starider to bite his leg. "FEY!" He yelped as he pulled away from the spider and started to stagger backwards.

"Toxic!" Thorax commanded, Starider now spitting a large purple ball up into the air.

"Star!" It cried as the ball fell to the earth, exploding into a cloud of purple gas. The gas soon covered the area, causing Prongs to breath in the poisonous fumes.

"Prongs!" Flash yelled as he watched the gas fade, only to see a purple aura cover his body. "Not again!" Flash then stared at the opponent, his mind trying to stay calm as he pointed at the spider, "Fight through it Prongs, Energy Ball!"

Prongs powered through the pain and created a ball of green energy. The sphere then shot at the spider, who fired a web string and retracted itself in time. The spider was now sitting on a branch, with Prongs turned and rushed towards. "Tackle!" Flash ordered as Prongs hopped up and smashed the branch with his body. However, the Starider just hopped away, landing on another tree branch. Seeing this, Flash pointed at the branch, "Double Kick the tree Prongs!"

"Fey!" Prongs spun and bucked the tree, vibrations now covering the tree. The Starider soon found itself shaking, its legs no longer able to hold on due to the force.

"Star," it cried as it fell, only to fire another web to catch itself.

"Energy Ball!" Prongs fired off another sphere of energy, the orb hitting the retreating spider and exploded. The spider was then sent flying, landing into one of his own previous Sticky Webs. However, it had landed face down, where its legs could not touch the webs to pull itself free.

"I got you now! Double Kick Prongs!"

"FEY!" Prongs yelled as he leapt and slammed both front legs into the spider's stomach, causing a cloud of dust to be kicked up. The deer then hopped out of the smoke, only for it fade with a completely unconscious Starider now presenting itself.

Pharynx raised his hand towards Flash, "Starider is unable to continue. Thawn wins."

"Yes!" Flash cheered along with as all his friends. He then shined a huge grin at Prongs, "Nice one buddy!"

"Fey!" Prongs replied before flinching from its still prevalent poisoned status.

Thorax returned Starider, smiling as he did so. "Excellent work Starider," he said as the switched the ball with another. "Flash has certainly come a long way. Now, the real challenge begins. Movine, come on out!" He tossed the ball into the air, releasing the plant moth Pokémon.

"Mow...vine."

Flash let out a huff, "Movine….this isn't going to be easy."

"Fey..." Prongs growled, glaring at the airborne moth.

"You ready Prongs?"

"Fey!" Prongs yelled, nodding.

"Alright," Pharynx said as he raised both hands, "Movine verses Thawn, battle begin!"

"Tackle!" Flash ordered, Prongs immediately sprinting forward.

"Poison Sting!" Thorax countered as Movine began firing toxic darts out of its mouth. The attack tried to strike Prongs, only for the deer to dodge them and slam his head into Movine.

"Mow!" it cried as it staggered back.

"Don't let that get to you! Vine Whip!" Movine then shot a blast of tendrils, all of them wrapping around Prongs.

"Fay!" it yelled as the vines started to tighten.

"Don't panic Prongs! Use Leech Seed!" Prongs blinked at this, but nodded as the seeds starting shooting out of his horn. Before Movine could do anything, the seeds struck the moth, as it was still trying to constrict the deer. It then let out a roar, soon tossing Prongs away in pain.

"Fey!" He cried as he hit the ground, then flinched as the poison surged again.

"Why'd Flash use Leech Seed?" Spike asked as he pointed at Prongs.

"Remember what happened last time?" Twilight asked him, only to get a nod in response.

"I see. He must have realised this was his best chance to get that move pulled off," Ocellus added as she blinked at the sight. "Amazing...."

"He's thinking strategically," Doc finished for her.

"Took him long enough." Twilight grumbled as she let out a sigh, "He's still an idiot though."

"Flash really has come along way. He's no longer just taking the battle one move at a time, as he's now thinking two or three moves ahead. Amazing how fast he's learned to get into his new battle style. But even so..." Thorax chuckled as he pointed at his Pokémon. "I won't go down that easily. Silver Wind!"

"Mow!" Movine flapped its wings and fired the crescent moon shaped wind blasts at Prongs.

"Dodge it!" Flash called out, Prongs now jumping back while being wary of the many Sticky Webs that littered the floor. "Now, Energy Ball!"

"Fey!" Prongs cried as he fired the green orb at Movine, the back-draft from the explosion pushing it out of balance. Flash then ordered a Tackle attack and Prongs slammed its head into the moth again.

"Mow!" It cried as it was once again pushed back, both barely able to stabilize themselves as they flinched from their status conditions.

The two trainers saw this and yelled, "Double Kick/Vine Whip!" The Pokémon bum-rushed each other, Prongs spinning to buck the moth as the Movine's tendrils struck the hooves head-on. The two attacks collided, instantly knocking both away before Thorax yelled, "Silver Wind!"

"Energy Ball!" Prongs fired the sphere, which hit the Silver Wind and cut it in half. The divided attack flew past Prongs on either side as he began to charge forwards. "Tackle!"

"Poison Sting!" Movine fired another round of poison darts at Prongs, hitting him again and again as he powered on through.

"Fey..." Prongs grimaced as the Poison Sting struck him, only to hop up slam his head into the moth's chest.

"Vine!" It cried as it was pushed back, both soon flinching again from their status conditions.

Then, Thorax snapped his fingers. "I got you now! Stun Spore!" Movine immediately spat out a batch of yellow mist, all of it surrounding the Thawn.

"What's he doing?" Spike asked as he turned to his sister. "Isn't Prongs already poisoned?"

"He is, so...I'm not sure Spike." Twilight replied as she readjusted her glasses at the sight. "Prongs can't be paralyzed as well."

Flash was also confused as he saw Prongs get engulfed by the cloud. The only thing Thorax had done was make it hard for them...to see. "Oh no....Prongs, get out of there!"

"Too late. Vine Whip!" Movine shot the tendrils into the cloud, instantly blasting the cloud away as it violently wrapped up the deer.

"Get it off you!" Flash told him.

"Not happening. Movine, you know what to do." Movine flapped its wings and lifted them both into the air as Prongs continued to struggle. Once there, he released Prongs and the Thawn fell to the ground, right on top of a Sticky Web.

"Fay!" He cried as he tried to pull himself free, only to find that his hooves were completely glued to the ground.

"Oh no...Prongs, stop struggling!" Flash yelled as he pointed at Movine, "Look up and use Energy Ball!"

"Get out of its line of fire and use Silver Wind!" Thorax countered, Movine flapping back as it easily dodged an incoming Energy Ball.

"Mow...VINE!" It flapped its wings and unleashed the crescent moon blades, all of them flying towards Prongs at blinding speed.

Prongs screamed at the attack hit him, dislodging him from the webbing before knocking him into a nearby tree. He then slumped over, swirls now in his eyes. "Fay..."

"Thawn is unable to battle, Movine wins."

"Aww man," Spike groaned as him and Peewee both sighed, "And he was doing so well."

"We can't expect Flash to not lose any Pokémon," Doc told him with a pat on the shoulder.

Twilight nodded at this. "But the question now is how is Flash going to handle the rest of this battle with his last two Pokémon?"

"Come on back Prongs, you did great out there." Flash said as he returned the Thawn to his Pokeball before pulling out another, "Well, if it was this easy, then that badge wouldn't be worth winning. Skyler, I choose...YOU!" He tossed the ball, soon revealing the Chickling.

"Chickling!" Skyler flew up until it was level with Movine, glaring at the moth. "Chick..."

"Alright," Pharynx called out as he gestured both hands, "Movine verses Chickling, battle...BEGIN!"

"Gust!" Flash instantly yelled, Skyler flapping his wings with a mighty blast of wind.

"Mow!" the moth yelped as he felt himself falter back from the sudden Gust.

"Straighten out Movine!" it heard Thorax order, quickly flaring its wings.

"Steel Wing!" Flash ordered, Skyler shining his wings as he shot forward, slashing the moth's side.

"Mow!" It cried as it felt the slash, only to feel another slash. "Vine!"

"That's the way!" Flash told his Pokémon. "Don't give it time to recover!"

"Oh no you don't! Grab it with Vine Whip!"

"Vine!" Movine threw its tendrils at Skyler, only to find the Chickling spin around the vines, easily dodging the grass attack.

"Gust!"

"Chick!" Skyler flapped up to Movine's face, instantly flapping his wings, blasting the moth away.

"MOVINE!" The plant moth cried as it was pushed towards the ground, soon hitting the dirt with a loud thud.

"Alright!" Spike cheered from above.

"Ri, ri, ri!" Springer added as he and Riptide danced up and down.

"Chickling's so much more maneuverable now," Ocellus commented as she glanced at Twilight, "Was that what Flash was going for? You trained up his speed and reflexes?"

Twilight nodded at this. "Yup. When we first met Skyler, he couldn't even fly. It took a lot of hard work to get his reflexes up to what they are now."

"But it was well worth it," Doc finished with a big smirk. "Movine can't keep up now."

Thorax smirked as well before snapping his fingers, "Not bad Flash, but we're just getting started. Movine, use Silver Wind!"

"Mow!" Movine flapped its wings, firing the crescent moon like wind attack at Skyler.

"Dodge it!" Flash ordered, Skyler using its new reflexes to evade them. However, as it did this, Movine took to the sky again, soon trying to get close to Skyler.

"Stun Spore!"

"Mow!" it yelled as yellow mist blasted out of its mouth.

"Blow it away with Gust!"

"Chick!" Skyler flapped his wings, easily blowing the yellow cloud back towards its maker.

"Not gonna fall for that one twice," Flash smugly told Thorax.

However, the Gym Leader just smiled back. "You sure about that? How about this then?! Use Vine Whip!"

From out of the cloud, a pair of green tendrils shot out and instantly grabbed Skyler. "Chick!" Skyler yelped as it felt its body now constrict from the vines, only for Movine to thrust Skyler downward, slamming the bird into the dirt. "CHICKLING!"

"Skyler!" Flash cried out as he watched Skyler try to pick himself up.

"Poison Sting!"

Movine unleashed the poison darts, which the bird yelped as he quickly hopped away. "Chick! Chickling!" But as he dodged the attack, he felt a new sensation on his foot. Looking down, he found his leg now stuck in a Sticky Web. "Chick?"

"Silver Wind!"

"MOW!" Movine fired the wind attack at Skyler, instantly knocking him out of the web and into the air.

"Skyler!" Flash yelled as he watched his Chickling be sent flying, "Level out! Do it now!"

"Chick!" Skyler moaned as he spun in the air, quickly facing his opponent.

"Gust/Silver Wind!" The two flapped their wings and fired off the wind attacks, both attacks meeting and creating a mini tornado. The wind forced both to fly backward, both barely keeping balance as everyone starting shielding their eyes from the explosion of wind. However, as this happened, Flash smirked as he pointed at his Pokémon. "Now, Double Team!"

As the wind stopped, Movine steadied himself as he looked back at Skyler, only to go wide eyed as he saw a whole bunch of Chicklings in the air. "Mow?"

Thorax tried to see which one was the fake, but the copies were all staying perfectly still. "Hmm...if that's the case, use Silver Wind to take them all out Movine!" Movine did as it was told, firing the wind blasts that soon took all of the copies out. That is, till all of them disappeared, leaving zero Chicklings on the field. "What?! Where's the original?!"

Flash chuckled at his confusion. "Surprised? You shouldn't be since this next part is a little trick I picked up from you. Now...Skyler, use Steel Wing!" Flash pointed at the Movine as Thorax stared at the sight, his brain slowly picking up what Flash meant.

"What is...no!" Thorax quickly swiped his hand as he yelled, "Movine, get out of there!"

"Too late!" Flash countered as Skyler shot out of a nearby tree. The bird instantly sliced the moth with his glowing wing, smacking him into the ground. But as it landed, Thorax's eyes went wide as he saw his Movine land right on top of a Sticky Web.

"Mow!" It cried as it tried to move, its wings not responding due to the sticky muck.

"We got him now! Quick Attack Skyler!"

"CHICK!" Skyler screeched as flew up into the air, picking up speed as it readied to ram the moth.

"Darn it, I'm not losing just yet!" Thorax barked back. "Stun Spore!"

"Vine!" Movine spat out a cloud of yellow dust, trying to cover his whole body in the mist. However, the bird shot right through the smoke, smashing the moth out of the web and into another tree. And as it slumped over from the lightning fast blow, spirals appeared over its eyes.

"Movine is unable to battle," Pharynx announced. "Chickling wins."

"Yes," Flash said with a snap of his fingers. "Nice one Skyler!"

"Chickling!" Skyler cheered before flinching as electrical sparks surged around his body. "Chick..."

"Great move," Ocellus commented as she blinked at the sight. "I can't believe Flash has been able to do this much."

"Flash can always pull through!" Spike cheered, "Not only that, Thorax is down to only one Pokémon now!"

Twilight gulped at this statement, "That may be true Spike, but don't forget who's up next."

"Kingsect..." Doc muttered as he crossed his arms. "Plus, Skyler's been paralysed and Viper's already battled. Kingsect will be starting off fresh, meaning this is still anyone's battle."

"Movine return," Thorax commanded as he returned the plant moth to its ball before pulling out another. "It's all on you now partner. Come out, Kingsect!" He threw the ball and soon revealed the stag bug hybrid, who trotted onto the battlefield with a mighty roar.

"KING!"

Flash pumped his fists at the sight. "This is it! You ready Skyler?"

"Chick!" Skyler exclaimed, nodding at the sight.

Pharynx raised both hands, "Alright, Kingsect verses Chickling. Battle...BEGIN!"

"Quick Attack!" Flash ordered, the bird charging at high speed.

"Bug Buzz!"

"King!" Kingsect's horns began to vibrate, the buzzing instantly spreading across the battlefield. It immediately struck Skyler, causing him to flinch.

"Now, hit him with Slam!" Kingsect rushed up to the bird, quickly smashing his hoof into him.

"Chick!" Skyler cried as he hit back, his body quickly rolling on the dirt.

"Skyler! Get up quick!"

Skyler tried to do so, but as he was about to flap his wings, he suddenly flinched from his paralysis. "Chick!"

"Horn Charge!" Kingsect soon charged ahead, his horns glowing a radiant light.

Skyler recovered from the shock just in time to see Kingsect coming, only to see the horn right on top of him. "King!" Kingsect thrusted his horns into him, sending him flying.

"Chick!" He screamed as he was sent into the air, only to flare his wings to steady himself. But as he did this, the bird started panting, his wings now wobbly flapping. "Chick...chickling..."

"Gust!" Flash called out, Skyler quickly beating his wings to created a whirlwind that hit Kingsect.

"King..." it moaned as it tried to stop itself form being blown away.

"Bug Buzz!" Kingsect fired off a series soundwaves, all of them cutting through the gust and striking the bird. And as it hit, yellow lightning surged in his body, making him tighten up. "He's vulnerable now! Horn Charge!"

Skyler felt the buzzing stop and saw Kingsect coming at him, only to hear, "Steel Wing!" He ignored the headache as he bum-rushed the bug, his wings glowing like the opponent's horns. The two then clashed, the force of their attacks sending them both back.

Kingsect landed with ease while making sure to avoid the Sticky Webs while Skyler landed on a branch. Kingsect only looked a little winded, while Skyler was panting heavily.

"Skyler's tired." Twilight told the others. "He needs to end this or get Skyler out of there."

"Come on Flash!" Spike cheered. "You can do it!"

Flash nodded at this, "You got it! Use Gust Syler!"

"Chick!" Skyler leapt off the branch and took to the air.

"Horn Charge!" Thorax ordered, his Pokémon also leaping into the air.

Skyler beat his wings and unleashed a whirlwind while Kingsect's horns glowed. The two clashed, Kingsect becoming locked in midair as they tried to overpower the other. That is, till yellow lightning flared over Skyler's body, causing him to cramp. Seeing this, the horns immediately struck his body.

"CHICK!" Skyler cried as the horns slammed into the earth, smashing his body through a tree branch along the way before landing with a loud thud.

"Skyler!" Flash yelled as everyone looked the Chickling over and saw swirls had replaced his eyes.

"Chickling is unable to battle," Pharynx proclaimed. "Kingsect is the winner."

Everyone sighed at seeing this. "Too bad," Spike said as slumped in his seat. "He was doing so well."

"Terr," Peewee moaned in agreement.

"Skyler's battle with Movine just took to much out of him," Twilight grumbled as she adjusted her glasses. "This isn't good."

Doc's vision shifted between the two. "Now they're down to one Pokémon each."

"Hisscor and Kingsect," Ocellus finished. "Hisscor should have the advantage, but after what happened last time-"

"This isn't like last time," Twilight interrupted. "Flash has worked too hard for everything to end like it did back then." The others nodded in agreement.

"Great work out there Skyler. Take a nice long rest." Flash told the Chickling as he returned it to his Pokeball. He then switched the Pokeball with another, staring down at it. "Alright Viper, it's all on you." He tossed it into the air, releasing the Hisscor onto the field.

"Hisscor..." Viper growled as it saw saw its opponent.

Thorax saw the determination in Viper's eyes and smiled. "Let's see if you're able to use that Flamethrower of yours this time."

"We will use it this time," Flash assured him as he pumped his fists again. "Just watch."

"We'll see." Thorax replied before turning to his brother, "Pharynx?"

"Alright, this will be the final battle! Kingsect verses Hisscor, battle...BEGIN!"

"Fire Spin!" Flash called out. Viper then leapt into the air while igniting his tail, which he flicked to shoot a fire ball at Kingsect. The flames hit the ground around the bug, causing a flaming tornado to form and explode.

"King!" It moaned at the heat.

"Horn Charge!" Kingsect's horns began to glow as it charged at the tornado. It burst right through, and bum-rushed Viper, who was taking a deep breath.

"Flamethrower!" Flash yelled, hoping the Fire Spin had given them enough time.

"Hiss...SCOR!" Viper unleashed all the power he had stored, only to get same the multitude of Ember fireballs as usual.

"No!" Flash moaned as he watched the Ember fly towards Kingsect. The bug stag combo raced into the onslaught, once again powering through as it reached its target.

"KINGSECT!" It yelled as it thrusted its horns into the Hisscor before flicking it upwards. Everybody watched as history repeated itself and Viper flew up past the stands.

"Oh no you don't! Poison Sting!"

"Scor!" Viper pointed downwards and unleashed a flurry of poison darts, raining them down on the bug. He then used the attack again, this time slowing his descent.

"Slam! Do it now!"

"King!" Kingsect galloped towards Viper and raised his hooves, ready to smash the snake.

"Dodge!" As Kingsect thrusted its hoof down, Viper used his flexible body to evade, quickly wrapping his tail around the bug's leg. "Bite, now!"

"Scor!" With all his might, he bit into Kingsect's leg and gripped it tight.

"King!" Kingsect flinched in pain.

"Get that thing off of you! Use Slam!"

Kingsect nodded before it began to beat its hoof into the ground, "King...sect! King...sect! King...SECT!" Finally, one Slam caused Viper to be come loose and allowed Kingsect to kick him away.

Everyone flinched seeing this, watching as Viper was sent rolling along the ground until he came to a stop. "That had to hurt," Spike commented with a gulp.

"It looks like a pretty even match," Twilight grumbled as she kept switching her vision between the two. "This isn't good."

"Agreed," Ocellus said before turning to them. "Tell me, what did you train Hisscor in?"

"Power. He was already a very agile Pokémon, so we focused on upping the power of his attacks." Doc explained as he stared at Viper, "But it looks like it wasn't enough."

Springer watched as his trainer and teammates struggled, moaning at the sight, "Ri..."

As Thorax watched Viper recover, he looked up at Flash with a huge grin. "You've impressed me with how much you've grown. That alone makes me want to give you the badge, but that's not how these things work. You'll need to pull out all the stops if you want to win."

"I know that," Flash replied as Viper picked himself up. "Ever since you beat me, I've been thinking about what makes a trainer strong."

"And what is that?"

Flash shined a huge smile. "Having a reason to be strong."

This also got a smile out of Thorax. "Good answer. So...what's your reason?"

"I don't have one, at least not yet. But I'm gonna look for one, and when I find it, no one's gonna be able to beat me."

Thorax let out a guffaw. "HA! Well, since you haven't found it yet, I guess that means I can still beat you."

"Maybe, but I don't intend to give up. Until I find my reason for strength, I'll keep building it the old fashioned way. Grit and hard work." He pointed at Thorax, "and I'm gonna show you what that strength can do. Let's go Viper!"

"Hisscor!" Viper roared as he took a deep breath, his trainers words making him want to show his own strength. "Hiss...SCOR!" He opened his mouth, instantly unleashing a steady stream of fire at Kingsect.

The royal swarm Pokémon was hit with full force, unable to dodge the sudden flames. "KINGSECT!" It cried as it was pushed backwards. When the fire finally stopped, Kingsect's legs barely held it as a burn mark could now be seen on its chest.

"WOW!" Everyone said in unison.

"Viper used Flamethrower!" Twilight added.

"He did it!" Doc cheered.

"Go Viper!" Spike yelled as the rest of the Pokémon cheered.

"YES!" Flash finished as he pointed at Kingsect, "Keep going Viper! Flamethrower!"

"Hiss...SCOR!" Once again, Viper unleashed the fire stream.

The stag bug hybrid saw it coming and jumped to the side, barely dodging the attack but still getting its side and left wing singed. "King!"

Flash's grin increased. "Looks right we've got it permanently this time. Use Poison Sting!" Viper spat the toxic darts out at high speeds, all of them striking the still recovering bug.

"King..." it moaned as it staggered backwards, only for purple sparks to start surging around its body.

"Poison..." Thorax grumbled as he pointed at Viper, "Use Bug Buzz!" Kingsect began to vibrate its horns, soundwaves blasting the battlefield as Viper flinched in pain at the attack. "Now, Aromatherapy!" Kingsect stopped its attack before its horns glowed, unleashing a rainbow of light that began to cover its body.

Flash frowned as he kept his hands over his ears, "We can't let it finish that move! Flamethrower! Do it now Viper!"

Viper, despite the mild headache, opened its mouth and fired the stream of flames. The fire was just enough, as the bug quickly hopped away to dodge the attack, only to stagger as sparks of poison blasted out of its body. "King!" it cried as it stumbled, now realizing that the pain was too much for it to fly.

Flash saw this and pointed at the area where Kingsect was about to land. "Let's do this. Use Fire Spin right there!"

"Hiss...SCOR!" Viper flicked his tail and threw the fireball at the ground, causing the fire cyclone to explode around Kingsect before it even landed.

"King!" It flinched from the heat and flames that flicked its skin.

"Horn Charge!" Thorax ordered, Kingsect taking a deep breath as it sliced through the tornado with its horns.

But as it did this, he arrived in a battlefield with no opponent. "King?"

"Above you! Dodge now!" Thorax yelled, the bug looking up to see Hisscor about to fall on top of the Pokémon.

"FLAMETHROWER!"

"HISSCOR!" Viper unleashed the fire stream at point blank range, the attack hitting Kingsect with no chance of missing. The attack propelled Viper away, landing him right in front of Flash as a pile of smoke covered Kingsect.

Seconds later, the smoke cleared to reveal the bug stag combo Pokémon. It was covered in burns and barely standing, but had a big smile on its face as it stared at Viper. "King...sect." With that, it's legs gave out as its eyes were replaced with spirals.

"Kingsect is unable to battle, Hisscor wins! All of Thorax's Pokémon are unable to battle, so the winner is Flash Sentry!"

"YES!" Flash yelled as all his friends cheered.

"He did it!" Twilight almost screamed.

"Alright!" Spike added.

"Excellent work Flash!" Doc told the trainer.

"I can't believe he pulled it off," Ocellus finished with a gasp, "Amazing..."

Viper watched as Kingsect was returned, happy at his victory and finally mastering Flamethrower. "Viper!" He turned to his trainer, who then picked him up. "You were awesome!"

"Scor! Hisscor!"

"That Flamethrower was perfect! You got it down pat now, don't you?!" Flash told him as he started hugging the serpent. "You're too awesome!" Viper simply nodded, thinking the same thing.

Pharynx moved over to Thorax, who was smiling down at his Pokeball. "That kid's something else."

"You know it. He's finally battling to the best of his abilities and is connected with his Pokémon. I have no doubt in my mind that he's just gonna keep getting better and better." The brothers nodded as they watched Flash continue to congratulate Viper.

A little later...

Everyone was now outside the gym, Thorax and Flash standing opposite of one another as all the young trainer's Pokémon stood by his feet. "Well Flash, you've managed to defeat me and you've shown just how much you've grown," he reached into his coat and pulled something out. "It's my honor to present this to you, the proof of your victory here at the Fillydelphia City Gym." He held out a badge that looked like a cartoon bee hive. "The Swarm Badge."

Flash smiled as he took the badge, then held it up for all to see. "Alright, I just won...THE SWARM BADGE!"

"RIOLU/CHICKLING/AQUANA/THAWN/HISSCOR!"

Everyone clapped at this, "Congratulations Flash."

"You earned it," Doc told him.

"That's two down," Spike added. "This is just getting better and better!"

Flash smiled as he pulled out his badge case and placed the badge in alongside his Gear Badge. He couldn't express how good it felt seeing them together before turning to the others, "Alright guys, where to next?"

Thorax nodded at this, "If you've already got the Gear Badge, then I'd say the closet gym to us would be in Baltimare City."

"Then Baltimare City it is. Let's go get that third badge guys!"

His Pokémon all cheered at this while Twilight took out her journal and opened the mapping section. Typing in the names of the two cities, she adjusted her glasses as she said, "Alright, it seems the fastest route will have us crossing through the Ghastly Gorge."

"You'll wanna be careful there," Ocellus told them. "The Ghastly Gorge is not for the faint of heart."

"We'll be fine. With this team, nothing's gonna stop us." Flash then turned to the others, "Right gang?"

"RIGHT!" They and their Pokémon all exclaimed before high-fiving.

After two matches and a lot of training, Flash has finally earned his second Equestria Region Gym Badge. One can only wonder what adventures await them next. Until then, stay tuned to find out.

Goosebump in the Night

View Online

With his victory at the Fillydelphia City Gym and second Equestria League badge in hand, Flash Sentry and his friends once again find themselves on the road. This time, their destination was the Baltimare Gym. But to get there, they must first reach and cross the Equestria Region landmark known as the Ghastly Gorge.

Currently, Flash and his friends were on the open road, only to enter a thick forest whose canopy blocked almost all the sun. Twilight was currently leading the group, using her journal to navigate as both Spike and Doc were a few paces behind her while Flash and Springer brought up the rear. Unfortunately, said trainer wasn't paying too much attention as he was currently almost drooling at the sight up his badge case, it now showing the Gear and Swarm Badge side by side. "Man...they're so awesome! I can't look away from them!"

"Ri?" Springer raised an eyebrow at his partner's actions, slightly off out from Flash's creepy stare. The Riolu soon vowed that if his trainer called those trinkets his 'precious', he was gonna walk away.

At the same time, Twilight was busy double checking that they were on the right track. "Okay. This doesn't look like it'll be a hard trip to the gorge."

"How long's it gonna take us?" Spike asked.

"Well that depends," Twilight replied before stopping and turning towards them while showing the journal. "This forest is pretty thick, so we'll need to be careful not to stray from the path. Then once we're out of the forest, there'll be a large lake between us and the gorge."

"So we have to go around it?"

Twilight shook her head. "Nope. This lake is actually a famous fishing spot. It has boats that takes trainers out to fish and has four docks, one for four corners of the lake, which we can boat across."

"Fishing?" Flash piped in. "And we can catch the Pokémon we hook?"

Twilight nodded at this. "That's right."

Doc chose this moment to speak up. "If I remember correctly, the Baltimare City Gym Leader is an expert in Rock-Type Pokémon. You already have three Pokémon who are strong against that type, but catching a fourth might really help."

"Awesome! Let's get to that lake right now!" Flash cheered, "How long is it gonna take?"

"It'll take about two days to get out of this forest. Then another day's walk to the lake."

"Three days?!" Flash moaned as he stared at the map, only to point at it a second later. "Wait a minute, your route has us doing a giant U-turn. Why are we doing that?!" He looked back up at Twilight with a frown, "We'd probably save a day's walk if we cut through the forest."

Twilight shook her head again. "I don't think that's a good idea. This path was forged for a reason, and if we stray off it, who knows what could happen."

"Oh, come on!" Flash exclaimed as he pointed at the woods around them. "What's the worst that could happen?! We just walk in a straight line and eventually, we'll hit the other path. And who knows, wooded areas like this might be filled with some cool forest Pokémon to catch! Its a Win-win!"

Doc turned to Twilight. "He makes a good point you know."

Twilight let out a low hiss, only for her brother to nudge her, "Come on Twilight, where's your sense of adventure?"

"Terr!" Peewee added in agreement.

"It's getting its butt kicked by my sense of common." Twilight replied before sighing. "But, it looks like I'm outvoted. Alright, we'll go off the path." She then turned her glare towards Flash, "but you don't get to complain about the amount of times I get to say I told you so if we get lost."

Flash shined a huge smirk, "We won't because you're not gonna get to say it."

Several hours later...

"I told you so," Twilight said for the twelfth time.

"We heard you the first eleven times."

"I said you couldn't complain Flash," Twilight replied as they continued to trek through the thick, now sun-blocking forest. "You just had to take a shortcut, didn't you?"

"Hey! It isn't my fault we're lost!"

"YES IT IS!" His three companions and two Pokémon barked back.

Flash let out a low, long hiss, "Okay okay...so maybe some of the blame can be put on me."

"One hundred percent of the blame is on you," Doc told him.

Flash glared back at the group, "Can I remind you that you all agreed to take the shortcut with me! You could have said no, and I would've gone with it!"

"I did say no," Twilight growled as she got up into his face.

"Obviously not enough," Flash replied as he brought his face closer to hers.

Doc then stepped between them. "Now come on, let's not get into a fight. Let's be civilized and-"

"NO!" They both screamed, immediately pushing him away as they started to yell at each other. It was here that Spike, Doc and the others stared at the teenagers, surprised how quickly both of their faces turned red in pure anger.

"How long do you think this'll take Doc?"

"I don't know Spike."

Twenty minutes later...

"Yup...still going."

Thirty minutes later....

"Now this is embarrassing." Doc commented as he pulled out his pocket watch. "Hmm....and we're running out of day time."

"Here's hoping they stop soon."

Even more time later, so much so that it was determined that stating how much time has passed really didn't matter...

Spike's face was now red, pure anger gracing his face as well. As Doc and the Pokémon saw this, they covered their ears as Spike took a deep breath and-

"ENOUGH!" he screeched, making the teenagers hop in place before glancing at him. "STOP FIGHTING ALREADY! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS PLACE, SO STOP IT!!!"

Flash and Twilight gave each other a look, both blinking before letting out sighs, "I uh...I guess you're right."

"We need to find a way out of here," Twilight added as she pulled out her journal. "The sun's gonna be setting any minute, and I do not wanna be in here after dark."

"Yeah...." Flash muttered, only for a bulb to go off in his head. "Wait a minute...I know what to do!" He pulled out a Pokeball. "Skyler, come on out!" He tossed the ball into the air, causing to release the Chickling.

"Chick?" the bird chirped as it hopped onto his shoulder.

Flash turned and gave him a small smile "Skyler, fly up and see if you can see which way leads to the exit of the forest."

"Chickling!" Skyler nodded before taking to the sky, soon trying to go past the roof of trees. After a small struggle, he popped out of the forest, only to not see a way out. However, as he did this, he did notice a large circular treeless area in the distance. He then turned and saw a barrage on incoming dark clouds. "CHICK!"

The bird soon bolted down, quickly hovering in front of his trainer, "So what did ya see?" Flash asked, only to get a flurry of quick chirps in reply. "Whoa whoa whoa, slow down. I can't make out what you're saying." Chickling frowned at his trainer, but before he could try again, a loud rumble of thunder crashed overhead. "Oh...you were trying to tell us a storm is coming."

"Chick..." Skyler sighed before hearing another crash of thunder.

"We need to get the tents up before its starts raining," Doc commented, only to feel a few drops hit his noggin. "Uh-oh."

"Too late!" Twilight yelped as she quickly stuffed her journal in her backpack. "We'll be soaked before we get them up!"

"So what do we do?!" Spike asked as a downpour started to tap their heads.

"Run and find shelter! NOW!" Flash yelled, the group soon running through the forest as fast as their legs could carry them. And as they ran, they could feel the mud starting to form, causing them to grimace at the worse conditions soon embracing them.

But as they ran, Skyler remembered the clearing, causing him to flap his wings and fly in front of them. "Chick chick!"

"What's he doing?" Twilight asked as she hopped over another log.

"I think he wants us to follow him." Doc commented as they all watched the bird fly ahead, only to see a clearing just barely in the distance. "What is...is that what I think it is?"

"It is!" Flash replied as the ran through the clearing, only to come to a stop. Standing before them was a giant mansion, a quite old one, and by the looks of things, abandoned. It was about four stories tall and had several large towers coming out of the roof. The walls were painted dark blue, though time seemed to have caused it to fade. "Come on!" Flash rushed towards the front door, soon banging on the wooden frame. reaching it with the others and banging hard. "Hello?! Is anyone in there?! We need help! Can we please come inside?!"

"Now what?!" Spike asked.

Doc stepped in front of them. "Allow me." He pulled out his hand torch and pointed it at the lock, the blue light shining on it until he pulled out a metal pin and started picking the lock. One minute later, a click could be heard. "Eureka."

The door then let out a loud creak as it opened, allowing everyone to look inside. The place was pitch black, even when Doc pointed his flashlight into it. "That's kinda creepy," Spike said as he hid behind Twilight, Peewee doing the same as he tried to curl up and hide in the boy's hood.

Flash and his Pokémon were the first to step in, ready for anything that might jump out at them. "Springer, can you see if can pick up an aura other than ours?"

"Riolu!" Springer barked as he nodded and closed his eyes. He then flared his aura, sending a pulse into the house, soon scanning the whole house. A second or two later, Springer opened his eyes and looked up at Flash before shaking his head.

"Nothing here. Good, that means we can relax." Flash turned to the others. "All clear, you can come on in." The others did so and started looking around, only to still see the pitch black rooms.

"Can't see...." Twilight mumbled before nudging Doc, "Doc, bring out Tockwork."

"Good idea," Doc pulled out his Pokeball. "Tockwork, come out and use Flash." The ball opened and released the mechanized Pokémon.

"Tock," it called out before the clock face illuminated. Doing so caused the entire room to be bathed in light, allowing them to look around. The place was covered in dust and tarps covered all of the furniture. In the center of the room was a large stairway, complete with tarps all over it as well.

"Amazing," Doc said as they stepped into the main room. "It looks like no one's been here in years."

"To think this place as just been sitting here and people just walk passed it without even realizing it." Flash added as he glanced around, "Not too shabby though."

"Tch. They probably don't find it because they're not stupid enough to go off the main path," Twilight hissed.

Flash shot her a dirty glare. "Can we not do this please?!"

"So...are we gonna spend the night here?" Spike chimed in.

Flash turned towards him. "Unless you'd rather take your chances out in the rain."

Another thunder clap followed this question, causing Spike to shiver in response. "Yeah...I'll take the creepy manor."

Twilight then spotted a light switch on the nearby wall and flicked it. The lights flickered on and off for a few seconds, only to soon fill the entire mansion in light. "Well, that's the lights sorted out. Strange the lights are working in a remote place like this, but I'm not complaining." She turned to her companions, "Now what?"

Doc rubbed his chin in thought, "Well since we're alone here, let's see if we can find anything we can use to dry our clothes off and keep warm. Then I suggest we go to bed and wait until morning."

"Sounds good to me. Let's meet back up here in an hour." Flash added as they all nodded and headed off in different directions. Flash, Springer and Skyler headed up the stairs, while Doc and Tockwork with to the left and Twilight, Spike and Peewee entered a door on the right.

And as they did this, three pairs of eyes stared at them, which had been there since the start.

Flash, Springer and Skyler arrived on the second floor, only to step into a hallway filled with doors. "Of course, there's a ton of rooms. Let's check every single one of them guys."

His Pokémon nodded as they started opening doors. Springer opened his first, finding himself in a bathroom. The only problem was that said bathroom was upside down, with the toilet, sink and bath hanging from the ceiling. "Ri?"

Skyler was next, landing on a door handle and trying to twist the knob and push the frame open. But as he tried, he found it to be useless. After a full minute, he then switched directions, pulling the door, only to find that there was no room. Instead, the door revealed....a brick wall. "Chick?!" He asked before chirping at the wall in rage at his wasted efforts. "Chick chick chick, Chickling!"

Flash's doors all ended up leading to bedrooms, all of them nothing out of the ordinary. Bored at the repeating sights, he opened the final door of the corridor, only to find a nursery. "Huh. That's not creepy." he sarcastically commented to himself as he walked inside, his Pokémon soon following. Inside was a bunch of old toys, like a rocking Ponyta, a bunch of stuffed Pokémon dolls and several music boxes. Flash even saw an old moldy Teddiursa doll on a chair. "Dang. This place is old. How long has it been since someone's been here?"

"Chick?" Skyler landed on a nearby dresser and started tapping a music box with his beak.

"Wonder if that still works?" Flash asked as he moved over the lifted the lid. As soon as he did, the room was filled with the sound of a child's lullaby. The three smiled at the tune before Flash shut the box. "Not bad. Guess it still works."

He then closed the lid and glanced at his Pokémon. "Come on, let's go see if the others found anything." His Pokémon nodded in response. But as he turned to leave, the room was suddenly filled with music again. "What the-" he turned and saw that the music box was open again. He soon closed it again, "I could've swore I closed this."

He then turned again, only for the music to go off again. "What the heck?! What is-"

"Chick?/Ri?" Springer and Skyler asked themselves as they all turned to the box, Flash closing it again. They then all stared at the box, waiting to see if it opened again, but it remained perfectly still. Two or three minutes later, they all shrugged and turned away, only for music to start again.

"Oh, come on!" Flash yelled as he grabbed the box, flipped it over and pulled out the bottom. It was here he remembered his grandmother having a music box like this, remembering her fixing it one day by tweaking the gears on the bottom of the device. However, this time Flash decided to just remove the gears altogether, soon flipping it back and opening the lid, only to hear nothing. "HA! Try making music now!"

But as those words came out of this mouth, music blared through the room, causing the trio to hop in place. They then stared at the music box, only to see its lid was still closed. "Uhhh….what's going on."

CREAK!

That was the sound of the rocking Ponyta, which was now swaying back and forth, causing them all to turn and stare at it. "Please tell me one of you two knocked that over." Flash answer was a shake of two heads. "I'm not liking this."

At that moment, Springer saw the toy Teddiursa was on the floor, staring at them. Springer blinked at this, remembering it being on a chair before. "Ri?" He pulled on Flash's leg to get his attention, causing the trainer to look down.

"Its just a toy bud," Flash picked it up and looked it over. He then turned to look at the other stuffed toys in the room, all of which were actually staring at him. Blinking at the sight, Flash slowly put the Teddiursa on the floor before he and his Pokémon crept back towards the door. As they did this, they could swear they saw the toys turning their heads to follow them.

But as they stepped out of the room, the music blared again, causing Flash to yell, "AAAAHHHH!!!" as he and his Pokémon rushed down the hall in pure panic. And as they did this, a pair of eyes followed them from above.

A few minutes ago...

Twilight, Spike and Peewee had been looking through two to three rooms, all with nothing but tarps. Sighing at the boring sight, they opened another door, only for Twilight to gasp, "Oh...my....Arceus." It was library, which made Twilight squeal in delight as she rushed inside and spun around, pure joy on her face as he eyes started to count all the books, soon reaching a hundred in mere seconds.

"Oh great," Spike moaned as he and Peewee stepped inside. "Looks like we'll be spending the next few weeks here."

"That's a great-no....that's a brilliant idea!" Twilight exclaimed as started grabbing books, soon making a whole pile on just one arm. Before she knew it, she had placed a whole stack of books on a nearby table and began to get her second spree. But as she got that second stack, she turned and saw the previous pile on the table was now gone. "What the....SPIKE!"

"What?" Spike asked from across the room.

"That's not funny!" Twilight screeched as she slammed her fist on the table. "Where are my books I just selected?!"

"I didn't touch them," Spike told her as he placed his hand over his heart. "I swear."

"Terra!" Peewee mimicked the boy.

Twilight glared at them for a moment before putting her books on the table. She then bent down, now looking under the table for the books. But as she did this, Spike and Peewee went slack-jawed as they watched her second pile suddenly ascend from the table. They watched as the books went to the ceiling, causing them to see the first pile of books as well.

Twilight then stood back up and saw her second stack now missing, "What in the-SPIKE!" She turned to her brother, only to get no response. Seeing this, she ran up to her brother, her hair looking like it was about to catch on fire in anger, "Unless you two want to be grounded for a lifetime, tell me where my books are!"

Spike and Peewee still didn't respond. They hadn't even heard her as they just stared at the ceiling, only for Spike's finger to slowly point at the ceiling. "What are you two-"

"Books." Spike said in a low, monotone voice.

"Huh?" Twilight looked up, only to gasp, "What in the name of-AAAAHHHH!!" Before she could react, both piles fell on top of her, causing her curl up as she felt the dusty old novels knock her noggin. "Augh!"

"Twilight!" Spike cried out as he tried to help her, only to see something worse. Every book in the library was now flying, all of them floating above their heads. "Uh-oh..."

Twilight looked back up and saw them, knowing what was coming next. "RUN!!!" She rushed towards the door, Spike and Peewee on her heel as the books started charging at them. And as they did this, a pair of eyes just stared at them.

A few minutes ago again...

Doc and Tockwork opened another door, only to find a large dinning room. In the center of the room was a table that looked like it could seat a hundred, all the seating areas already prepared with plates and cutlery. Doc picked up one of the plates and cleaned the dust off it, seeing it was pure silver. "Well, at least we'll have someplace to eat."

"Tock," Doc turned to his partner and saw he had opened another door, this one leading to a kitchen.

"And a place to cook," Doc smirked as they stepped into it. The place was like the rest of the building, old and covered in dust. "Not exactly sanitary," he commented as he began searching the cupboards, eventually finding one filled with cans. Picking one up, he removed the dust and saw it was filled with beans. "Hmmm...the date's actually still good. Here's hoping this is still edible."

At the same time, Tockwork removed a nearby sheet, revealing an old metal stove. "Tock?"

Doc looked over and blinked at the sight. "Wow, haven't seen something like this in ages." He put on his glasses and pulled out his torch. "Wonder if it still works?"

No sooner had he said that, the stove somehow lit up. The two stepped back in surprise. "Did you touch anything?" He asked Tockwork, who shook its whole body in response. "Must be faulty." But as soon as he said that, the fire from the stove burst into a pillar of flames, causing the two to hop back. "Very faulty!" Then the sound of clattering could be heard, causing them to turn and see several cans rolling on the ground. "Now that's strange. I don't think I could have made them fall out."

But then, the cans began to roll along the ground in random directions, causing the doctor to grimace at the sight. "I think we should leave now Tockwork." he said as they left the kitchen and back into the dining room. But as they did, they saw that the table was now empty, the plates, cutlery and chairs all now vanished. "What the-"

"TOCK!" Tockwork pointed upwards, causing Doc to look up before his eyes went wide. The plates, cutlery and chairs were all floating in the air, only for them to start zipping around the room.

"Whoa!" Doc yelped as he ducked under a flying plate. He then saw a barrage of chairs, forks and knives now pointing at him, causing him to yell, "Let's get out of here!" He and Tockwork rushed towards the door, Doc batting away a few pieces of killer dinner wear as they did this.

And as they left, they also failed to notice the pair of eyes staring down at them.

The Present...

Back in the foyer, screams filled the room as Flash, Springer, Skyler, Twilight, Spike, Peewee, Doc and Tockwork rushed in at same time. The three groups met at the base of the stairs, all panting after running and screaming. And as they yelled, Twilight looked at the two other groups, "Wha...what did you all find?"

"Creepy music," Flash panted out.

"Killer books," Spike replied hysterically.

"Killer dinner wear," Doc finished.

"What's going on?!" Twilight asked before turning to Flash. "I thought Springer didn't detect anybody in here!"

"He didn't," Flash replied as he stopped panting. "Springer's never failed me when it comes to aura scans."

"But if he didn't detect any auras..." Spike spoke up before shaking. "What if there's something in here without an aura?! Like...g-g-ghosts!"

"Don't be silly," Twilight told him as she waved her hand.

"There's no such things as ghosts," Doc finished, only for the lights to suddenly go out.

"AAAHHH!" Spike cried as they were plunged into darkness.

"Calm down," Twilight replied as she pulled him into a hug. "Its okay, its okay. The power probably finally gave out."

"Or something cut it!" Spike whimpered as he tried to tighten the hug.

"Relax. We'll be fine as long as we don't panic." Flash said next, only for a clap of thunder to sound out. A scream followed as Spike kept hugging her sister. "Or not..."

"Tockwork, use Flash again." The clockwork Pokémon nodded before using Flash once again. And as the room was once again bathed in light, the humans and Pokémon all went wide-eyed.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" They all screamed as they saw the once empty foyer was now filled with books, dinner wear and stuffed toys.

"This isn't real...this can't be real!" Twilight shivered as she stared at the sight. That is, till an echoy wail blared out.

"That sounds pretty real," Spike added.

And as those words left his mouth, three figures flew into the room and levitated around the group. They looked like the traditional ghost costumes kids dressed up as, a trio of floating sheets with a pair of eye holes in them. The three looked down at them before unleashing that strange wailing sound, causing them all to shiver.

"What are those things?!" Spike screamed.

"I don't know!" Twilight replied.

"Maybe they're Pokémon?!" Flash guessed as he pulled out his Pokedex, only for the screen to show a large question mark. "Nothing."

"That proves it!" Spike screamed again, clutching his sister with a death-grip. "The Pokedex would know if they were Pokémon, if they're not...THEN THEY MUST BE REAL GHOSTS!"

"That...can't be true," Doc gulped.

One of the ghosts then flew down at them, barely missing them before it flew back up.

"Ahhh! Use Aura Sphere!" Flash yelled as he pointed at the ghost.

"RIOLU!" Springer leapt up and fired the sphere of energy, only for the specter to float around the attack. The blast missed and damaged the wall, making the entire mansion shake before eventually stabilizing.

The three ghosts turned towards the damaged wall, inspecting it for damage before turning back to the group and glaring at them. "I think you made them mad," Twilight told Flash.

"Yeah...I got that already Twilight."

The phantoms then flew close to each other, soon sucking in their 'mouths' before once again unleashing the powerful wailing noise, this one now blasting the full room. The trainers and Pokémon all fell to their knees, covering their ears in pain. All but Skyler, who just blinked at the sight.

"AHHHH!" Flash cried out.

"It's too loud!" Spike screamed.

"Please, make it stop!" Twilight moaned.

"They're not listening!" Doc yelled as he gripped his ears more and more.

"Ri/Terra/Work!" The three affected Pokémon cried, all in too much pain from the sound.

Skyler saw his friends all wallowing pain before turning to three apparitions, "CHICK!" Before the ghosts could react, Skyler leapt into the air and used Quick Attack, hitting the one in the center at full speed.

"WAIL!" It cried as slammed into the wall, causing the other two ghosts to stop their assault and move over to check on it.

With the wailing over, the others were able to quickly recover. "Is everyone okay?" Doc asked.

"I think so..."

"My ears are still ringing," Spike said as he rubbed them. "But other than that, I'm good."

"Thanks to Skyler," Flash said as the Chickling flew down and landed on his arm. "Way to go bud."

"Chick!"

"Guys...." Twilight pointed towards the ghosts. "I think they're about to wail again!"

Flash saw this and pointed at the trio, "Oh no you don't! Skyler, use Gust!"

"Chickling!" Skyler took to the air and beat his wings, blast all three with a barrage of wind. Before they knew it, the bed sheets flew off their body, revealing their forms. Under the sheets were a trio of identical Pokémon, whose bodies were a mixture of black and gray, along with its head, which had large completely white eyes and a small line for a mouth. It had black hair, which was styled so that it hid the right side of its face. Its body was a short gray tail with a pair of stubby arms that had a black cloak covering it.

The three Pokémon then saw that their disguises were gone, causing them yell, "Ghouwail!"

"What are those things?!" Spike yelped as hugged Twilight again. "More g-g-ghosts?!"

Twilight shook her head, "No. They're Ghouwail."

"Ghouwail?" Flash asked as he tried to scan them again with his Pokedex, only for it to let out a ding.

Name: Ghouwail
Category: Wailing Pokémon
Type: Ghost
Info: When threatened, this Pokémon can release a high power sonic wail. Long exposure to this sound can cause severe hearing damage to anyone within a hundred feet of the attack.

"Ghouwail..." the three glared down at them before taking a deep breath, "GHOUWAIL!" Sound waves shot of their mouths, echoing around the room to increase their power. Once again, everyone but Skyler cried out as they covered their ears.

"That's Ghostly Wail!" Doc screamed as he fell to his knees. "Good grief that thing's powerful!"

"Skyler!" Flash called out. "Steel Wing!"

"Chick!" Skyler shot at the Ghouwail with a shining wing. But as the bird made his way to the Wailing Pokémon, the ghost just phased through a nearby wall, evading the attack with ease.

"Dang it! They're fast..."

"If that's the case, I doubt they're that strong," Twilight added as she adjusted her glasses at the sight.

Spike turned to her in confusion. "Were we listening to two different sonic attacks?! They seemed pretty strong to me!"

Doc shook his head at this. "Maybe in mass, but alone they shouldn't be that powerful."

"So we just gotta knock'em out one at a time. Got it!" The humans stood back to back as Springer, Skyler, Peewee and Tockwork readied themselves to attack the Pokémon. But as they waited, nothing changed. It was as if the ghost Pokémon were no longer there. Flash blinked at this as he said, "Hmmm...did they leave?"

"Wail!" One of the Ghouwail screeched as it shot out of a wall in front of Twilight.

"Ember!" Twilight cried out, Peewee unleashing a burst of tiny fireballs on command. The Ghouwail easily saw this coming, quickly phasing into the floor before the flames reached him. "Ahh!!! It went through the floor!"

"Gear Grind!" Doc yelled as he pointed at another ghost, Tockwork throwing its gears at the Wailing Pokémon a second later. But before the gears could strike, it phased through another wall, dodging the soon wall-embedded gears.

"This is nuts," Flash commented as he glanced around. "They keep moving..."

"Riolu..." Springer growled as tried to lock an aura, only to find nothing on the Ghost-types. "Ri riolu!"

"Don't bother Springer." Twilight said as she glanced at the Aura Pokémon. "Fighting type moves don't work on Ghost-Types."

"Ri...." Springer moaned, slumping over in dejection.

Flash looked down at his partner and sighed. "Don't be sad bud. Just keep a lookout to help me, alright?"

Springer nodded at this. "Ri!"

Flash shined him a small grin before glancing up at Skyler, who had perched on his head. "Looks like its up to you."

"Chickling!" Skyler exclaimed, nodding as well. And as he cheered, another clap of thunder illuminated the room as the third and final Ghouwail shot out of the ceiling. "Chick!" Skyler cried as he shot straight up, increasing his speed with Quick Attack. "CHICKLING!"

BAM!

That was the sound of the bird striking the Ghouwail, slamming it into the wall.

"YES!" Flash cheered, pumping his fists into the air.

"He got it!" Spike added, him and Peewee cheering as well.

However, Twilight and Doc were just gaping at the sight as Twilight muttered, "How did he....how did he hit him with a Normal-Type move?!"

A click went off in Doc's brain. "Scrappy..." Doc whispered, Twilight hopping in place at his words.

"What?!" Flash asked as he turned to the two.

"Its an ability," Twilight replied as she stared at Skyler. "It allows the user to hit Ghost-Types with Normal and Fighting-Type attacks. Skyler must have it."

Flash's eyes went wide before looking back at his Chickling. "So Skyler's got a major advantage over Ghost-Types?"

"And because he's a Normal-Type, Ghost moves have zero effect on him," Doc added.

"Awesome!" Spike cheered. "Skyler's a literal ghost buster!"

Flash shined a huge smirk, "You hear that Skyler?! You're our best bet for beating Ghost-Types!"

"Chickling!" Skyler replied happily before turning back to the downed Ghouwail, its two friends now floating up from the floor.

"Wail?" One of them asked the downed one, soon helping it up.

"Ger..." it replied as it floated back into the air, followed by the others. The three Ghouwail then stared down Skyler, all three pointing at the bird, only for a sphere of black and purple energy to appear in front of them.

"That's Shadow Ball!" Twilight yelled as she pointed at them.

"GHOUWAIL!" They cried as they fired them at Skyler.

"Quick Attack!" Flash countered, Skyler shooting at the ghosts like a bullet. But as it raced towards the trio, the three Shadow Balls all flew towards the bird, only to phase right through him.

"Chickling!" Skyler roared as he struck all three, his attack smacking them into the air.

"Use Gust!" Skyler then beat his wings, summoning a whirlwind that quickly caught all three, blasting them all into the ceiling with a single strike of wind.

"Ghouwail…." they all moaned, slowly floating back down.

"Finish this now Skyler! Steel Wing!"

"CHICK!" Skyler shot at the trio, his wings glowing. Before they knew it, he shot past the trio in one fell slash.

"GHOUWAIL!" They all cried as they slumped over, all falling down with swirls in their eyes.

"Yes! Great work bud!"

"Chick!" He chirped happily.

With the battle over, the group gathered around the three. When they finally regained consciousness, they saw the group encircling them with frowns on their faces. "Ghouwail!" They all cried out as they clung to one another.

"Not so scary now, are we?" Spike darkly chuckled as he glared at him. "Don't try and play innocent with us. You tried to kill us!"

"Ghouwail! Ghou ghouwail!" They cried, shaking their heads in fear.

The sight alone made Twilight blink, a frown soon following. "Hang on guys. I don't think they were trying to really hurt us."

"Tell that to my eardrums," Flash growled.

"Or to the stab and burn wounds I almost got," Doc added.

Twilight just shook her head kneeling down with a kind looking frown, "Were you actually trying to hurt us?" The three Ghost Pokémon shook their heads in response. "Were you...were just trying to scare us off?" This time, she got a nod, "I see." She looked up at the others. "I think they just wanted us to leave."

"Why?" Flash asked.

"Ghost Pokémon usually have two personalities, aggressive or shy. Most shy Ghost Pokémon hide away in places like this to be alone. I think us being here upset them, so they tried to scare us off. That must have been why the door was locked and why they did all those scary things. They wanted us to leave them in peace."

The others looked at each other before Flash shrugged, "Alright, I guess you got a point." He then turned to the Ghouwail. "But you didn't have to try and scare us. We don't even really wanna be here. We only came because of the storm."

Twilight gave them a kind smile, "Listen you three. I promise that as soon as the storm passes, we'll leave you three in peace." The three Ghouwail blinked at them, the trio still shaking, "In fact, we won't even wander around the house. We'll just stay in the foyer and leave as soon as the rain stops. So please, just let us stay this one night."

"Please," Spike added.

"We promise we won't do anything to upset you," Doc finished.

The other Pokémon all promised as well. The Ghouwail trio all looked at one another, soon turning back to the others and nodding. Everyone sighed in relief as Twilight said, "Thank you! And to make it up for intruding, we'll treat you to a great Pokémon feast."

Flash nodded in agreement, "Yeah! No Pokémon, dead or alive, can say no to Doc's cooking."

The Ghouwail all liked the sound of this. "Ghouwail ghouwail!"

And so, the rest of the night remained spook free. Doc treated the Ghost-Types to Pokémon food designed especially for them before everyone went to bed, the Ghouwail actually offering them the chance to sleep in the many bedrooms of the mansion.

The next morning...

As the clouds finally broke from the storm, the sun began to raise, bathing the mansion in glorious sunlight. It was here that the doors of the mansion opened, soon showing Flash and his friends, "Looks like the storm's finally over."

"That's good." Twilight added with a long sigh. "I'd hate to have to walk through the forest while it was still raining."

"Well, we don't have to worry about that," Doc assured her with a pat on the shoulder.

Spike then turned to the three Ghouwail. "I guess this is it."

The three nodded in unison. "Wail!"

"Sorry again about everything that happened."

"We promise we won't tell anyone about this place," Twilight assured them. "I doubt anyone will find this place again for a while." She turned to throw a knowing smirk at Flash. "Most people have the sense to stay on the path."

Flash rolled his eyes. "In my defense, if I hadn't taken us off the path, we would have been stuck in tents during the rain. A little bit of frights is a small price to pay for not catching colds."

"Excuses excuses," Twilight muttered back before everyone started laughing. They then made their way back into the forest, soon turning back to wave at their new friends. The trio waved back before returning home, ready to stay in their run down piece of heaven.

An unexpected detour lead to our heroes spending the night in a literal haunted house. One can only wonder what other strange and wondrous things they will see as they journey around the Equestria Region. As for what else they'll encounter, you'll have to stay tuned to find out

Fishing Folly

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Continuing their journey to Baltimare City and Flash's third Equestria Region Gym challenge, our heroes were still making their way to Ghastly Gorge. Having finally made it out of the forest with it's super mansion of spooks, Twilight was now leading them towards a lake that they would need to boat across.

As they did this, Spike let out a yawn, "Hey Twilight, how long till we get to the lake?"

Twilight did a small hum as she checked the map before looking up and pointing, "See that hill? Once we're at the top, we'll be able to see the lake."

"Alright! What are we waiting for?! Let's go!" Flash exclaimed as he and Springer went into a sprint, laughing as he yelled back at his friends, "Last one there's a Slowpoke!"

Hearing this, Spike and Peewee quickly started running as he snickered, "Twilight's probably a Slowbro!"

"Oh, very funny," Twilight growled as she put her journal away before rushing off as well.

"Hey!" Doc added as he started trudging after them, "I don't wanna be the Slowpoke!"

Everyone continued to laugh as they raced towards the hill, "I can't wait to see what new Pokémon we find in the lake," Flash cheered as they ran.

"Riolu!" Springer exclaimed as he ran beside him.

Spike starting skipping in joy as he commented, "Oh, I hope we get to see something cool! Maybe a Sharpedo, or a Samurott!"

"Those...are ocean...Pokémon," Twilight panted out as she started falling behind. "They...won't be...in a lake. We'll...probably find...Politoad...or Quagsire."

"We might find a Gyrados!" Doc called out as he passed her. "They're known for being found in lakes."

"A Gyrados, huh?!" Flash's smile continued to grow, "YES! I can't wait!"

"Don't expect this to be easy," Doc continued as he got up to Spike. "Don't forget, this is a famous fishing spot. If there's a powerful Pokémon in it, then there's gonna be a lot of people trying to get it."

Flash's mind was suddenly full of images of the lake filled with boats, people everywhere as he started to try and get all the best Pokémon. "They're all gonna be pretty disappointed when they see me get the catch of the day!" It was in that moment that he saw the top of the hill coming up, making him smirk as he and Springer finally reached the top. "Winner get's the first...look?"

Everyone else soon reached the top as well, allowing them to see what had caused Flash to go quiet. The lake was as big as advertised, so much so that they couldn't even see the other side. Several small islands were also scattered around the lake, but that wasn't what was causing their silence. Instead, it was because it was bare, no boats and no people.

"What in the world?!" Twilight yelped as she readjusted her glasses at the sight.

"Where is everybody?!" Spike added.

"That's a good question," Doc finished as he rubbed his chin in thought, "Huh. How strange."

Flash crossed his arms as he glared at the lake. There was no signs of life, not a single Pokémon swimming on the surface. He then spotted a building by the lake, which made him sigh before motioning to his friends, "Come on," he said as he stepped down the hill, the others following. They soon arrived at the building, which had a large sign showing the words: 'Fishing Hut' over the door. Flash knocked on the door, only for it to swing open from the knock. "Hello?" He asked as they stepped inside, "anyone in here?"

"Looks deserted," Twilight commented as she blinked inside.

"Hey look," they turned to see Spike holding up a couple of fishing rods. "The sign said we can use 'em."

"Good," Twilight replied as she grabbed a purple-colored one, "maybe some fishing will help us find out what the heck's going on around here."

The boys all nodded as they took their own rods and headed outside. Since there were no boats, they made their way to the edge of the lake. Spike then asked as he looked the device over, "So uh...how do you fish? Do you just throw the lure into the water?"

Twilight shook her head at this before pushing her glasses up her nose. "It's not that easy Spike. Luckily, I've read many a book on fishing theory and techniques."

"And I've actually gone fishing before," Flash added as he swung his rod back before flicking it towards the lake, the lure landing several meters away.

"Awesome!" Spike cheered as he ran up to Flash's side, "Think you can teach me to do that?!"

"Sure."

"But...but...how did-but I..." Twilight stuttered before slumping over at the sight, "Is nobody interested in the hours of study I put in over the art of fishing?!"

Flash just shined her a cheeky grin before pointing at her hands, "If that's the case, why are ya using an Old Rod?"

"Huh?!" Twilight yelped as she looked down, only to go wide-eyed, "What in the-I thought this was a Super Rod!"

"Nope. Just a Magikarp catching stick." Flash chuckled as he turned back to the water, "Guess you need to try actual fishing first Twi. You know, like I did." Twilight's face with red with anger as she was about to retort, only for Flash to yell, "Whoa!" He then started pulling back on the pole, "I think I've got something!" But as he said this, he felt himself staggering towards the water, "WHOA!"

Flash's friends quickly acted and grabbed him, saving him from being pulled into the water. "This thing must be huge!" Spike cried as he gripped at Flash's waist.

"Or just really really strong!" Doc added.

"Don't let it get away!" Flash growled through gritted teeth. One by one, his friends all gripped Flash, helping him pull as he yelled, "Get...out...of...THERE!"

SPLASH!

"SHARAZOR!" It cried as it flew through the air, soon landing as the group all stared at the Pokémon. It was a humanoid shaped Pokémon that stood at about four feet in height and was mostly royal blue in color, with cream on its stomach and lower half of its head. The upper area looked like the head of a shark, with a long curved fin sticking out of the top. The rest of its body was similar to Riptide's, only much bigger with long arms that had fins just before the elbows. It also had a fin on its back and near the end of its tail, while also having long sharp claws on its hands. Also, there was a red V mark that looked like a scar on his forehead fin. Everyone quickly picked themselves up as continued to stare at the Pokémon as it grinned at them while showing off its jagged teeth. "Shar...Sharazor!"

"Who's that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Sharazor
Category: Sea Predator Pokémon
Type: Water
Info: One of the fastest Pokémon in the ocean, it can reach speeds of two hundred knots in only eight seconds. When hunting, its razor sharp teeth allow it to cut through even the hardest of its prey's shells.

"It looks strong," Spike gulped as they watched the Sharazor stare at them.

Flash just smiled at this, "Which is why I'm gonna catch it! Let's go Springer!"

"Riolu!" Springer leapt in front of him, taking an offensive stance.

"Razor," Sharazor smirked as it gave a taunting 'bring it' gesture.

"It's on! Springer, Quick Attack!"

"Ri!" Springer yelled as dashed at the Sharazor at blinding speeds, only for the Sea Predator Pokémon to become a blur, instantly disappearing. "Ri?" Springer came to a slight halt, only for his stomach to feel a sudden blow. "RIOLU!" he cried as he staggered back.

"Behind you!" Flash called out, causing Springer to spin around and see the Sharazor staring at him with a smile.

"Shar!" Sharazor brought its hands together, a sphere of water soon appearing between them.

"Jump out of the way!" Springer tried to leap back, only for the Sharazor to appear right in front of him.

"Razor!" It thrusted the water orb into Springer's chest, causing an explosion as it popped.

"RI!" Springer cried as he was thrown back, landing right by Flash.

"Springer!" Flash yelped as he knelt down and picked him up, "You okay bud?" Springer then opened his eyes, only to show an unfocused look. "Bud? Are you-whoa!" Flash said Springer started swinging his paws around. "Whoa, calm down bud! What's wrong?!"

"He must be confused," Twilight theorised.

"That can happen when you get hit by a Water Pulse," Doc added.

Sharazor smirked as he saw his opponent stagger around, causing him to turn and hop back into the lake with a large splash. "You're not getting away that easily!" Flash yelled as he pulled out a Pokeball. "Riptide, after it!" He tossed the ball into the air, soon releasing Riptide into the lake.

Riptide then went underwater, only to go wide-eyed in surprise. The lake had no Pokémon in it, just nothing but dirt and rocks. "Ak?" He tilted his head at the sight, not looking at a small cave below him. Said cave had blood red eyes, and was staring at the lizard.

"Shar..." it chuckled before blasting out of the cave as if it had been shot out of a cannon, "RAZOR!"

It bit down on the Aquana's tail, causing him to yell out. "AQUANA!" But as his cry came out, the Sharazor started to drag him down the lake, soon flicking his head as he released his tail, slamming Riptide into a rock. "AK!" The lizard soon tried to recover, only to then see the Sharazor forming another Water Pulse. "Aquana!" He quickly kicked off from the rock, barely dodging the attack as it sailed past him and shattered the rock. He then turned to his opponent and fired off a Water Gun, only for the Sharazor to raise its arms, blocking the attack with ease.

"Shar!" Sharazor laughing before opening its mouth, its teeth now glowing light blue. The next thing Riptide knew, a pair of ice blue lightning bolts shot through the water.

"WANA!" He cried as his body was struck by a surge of freezing cold energy. He was so consumed by the cold that he didn't notice the ice encompass his body until he was completely frozen solid.

"Razor!" Water began to spiral around Sharazor before he shot forward, striking the frozen Aquana and propelling the two to the surface of the lake.

Flash and his friends watched the water, blinking at the sight as the lake's thick water covered everything, even shadows of the Pokémon. Flash was especially nervous at the sight, worry all over his face. It was here that Twilight opened her mouth, ready to suggest recalling Riptide, only for the surface of the water to suddenly explode. "WHOA!" They all yelped as they fell back due to a block of ice to flying out of the water. There, they saw Riptide sealed inside the block of ice while Sharazor was inside a bullet shaped water attack.

"RIPTIDE!" Flash cried as they saw the frozen Aquana fall and shatter, Aquana flopping out of the ice with spirals in his eyes. Flash quickly picked him up, looking him over. "Oh no...you okay bud?"

"That Sharazor's brutal," Spike commented as they then saw the Sea Predator return to the water with a smirk.

"Shar," was all it said before diving back into the lake and disappearing.

"Dang it!" Flash growled as he glared at the lake, "It got away...."

"Talk about powerful," Doc added as he rubbed his chin at the sight. "But what's a Sharazor even doing here?"

"What do you mean?" Spike asked.

Twilight turned to her brother. "Remember? The Pokedex called it the Sea Predator, as in the Sharazor are supposed to live in the ocean, not in lakes like this."

"But then why is one here?"

"Because it wants to be!"

Everyone froze at hearing that voice, all of them slowly turning and seeing one Lightning Blitz with Chimplug by his side, glaring at them.

Flash let out a low growl, "Lightning...what are you doing here?!"

"Same thing as you I assume," Lightning replied as he and his Pokémon stepped up to them. "I came to catch a powerful Water Pokémon, and I just found the one I want."

Flash continued to glare at him. "No way! That Sharazor's mine!"

Lightning chuckled softly. "You honestly think a worthless loser like you can catch something as powerful as that?! Stick to what you're good at, catching and training weaklings."

"What'd you just say?!" Flash yelled out as he took a threatening step, only for Doc and Twilight to grab his shoulder.

"Calm down Flash," Twilight told him.

"Don't let him get under your skin," Doc pulled him back.

Lightning smirked, ready to say another insult, only for the sound of an engine to fill the air. Everyone turned to the source and saw a quad-bike racing towards them with two people on it. It soon came to a stop as the driver hopped off first and asked, "Hey! You guys weren't battling a Sharazor here, were you?"

Lightning let out a guffaw, "I wouldn't call what he was doing battling. More like an idiot biting off more then he can chew." This got a bunch of dirty looks from Flash and the others as the two newcomers walked up to them.

"No...." the second person moaned with a female voice. "It got away again." The two pulled then off their helmets, revealing them to be a boy and a girl. The boy had silver skin and dark blue hair while the girl had light blue skin and bright pink hair.

The boy stepped forwards before gesturing to the himself and the girl. "Hey, I'm Lock, and this is my girlfriend Salina Blue."

Flash nodded at this. "Flash Sentry. These are my partners, Springer and Riptide."

"Twilight."

"Spike, and this is Peewee."

"Terra."

"You can call me Doc."

Everyone turned to Lightning, expecting him to give his name, only for silence. Seeing this, Twilight turned back to the couple, "Oookay. Anyways, you were saying you knew that Sharazor?"

Lock sighed at this, nodding. "All to well. Its the reason this place is deserted right now."

Salina nodded as well she stepped up to the edge of the lake, "Lock's family has ran this lake for generations. People from all over would come to see and catch the many Pokémon that lived here. We'd even have a bunch of boats that would ferry people from one side to the other....but a couple of weeks ago, that all changed."

"The Sharazor?" Lightning guessed.

Lock nodded again. "It showed up out of the blue one day, and started attacking anything that crossed into what it considered its turf. Its destroyed almost all of our boats and scared away all the other Pokémon that lived here."

"And you just let it?" Flash asked them. "Why didn't you stop it?"

"We've tried, but nothing we do works."

"We've tried trapping it, luring it away and even hired Pokémon trainers to try and battle it. Even the trainers using Grass and Electric-Types found themselves getting beaten. They all left, saying that it was un-catchable."

Flash smiled at hearing this, seeing a challenge ahead of him. "Well don't you worry! I'll catch that thing and put an end to its reign of terror!" He turned to the others. "Right guys?"

Everyone smiled and nodded. "We can't let this bully keep doing what it's doing," Twilight added.

"I'm sure if we put our heads together, we'll come up with something."

"That thing might think its strong, but its never faced us before."

"Terra!"

Lightning just shook his head. "You're all deluding yourselves. You losers can't catch that thing, so leave it to a real trainer."

"Plug!"

Flash once again turned to him and glared. "Just because you beat me once doesn't mean you're a better trainer than me."

"I think it does." Lightning replied before turning to walk off. "You're in over your head, so just back off and let a winner like me handle this. You'll just end up getting hurt and humiliated."

"I do not like that guy," Flash growled, his eyes flaring with fire. "Grrr….I so wanna beat him right now."

"Join the club," Twilight told him as she patted his shoulder. "But right now, we've got bigger things to worry about." She turned to Lock and Salina. "You said Sharazor destroyed almost all your boats, right? That must mean you still have a few left?"

"Just one," Lock replied.

"Then that's what we'll use to go out there and catch it," Doc told them.

Salina gulped at this. "Are you sure about this? That thing is super dangerous."

Flash just shined a huge smirk as he pointed to himself, "We're Pokémon trainers. Danger's part of the job contract."

Lock and Salina glanced at each, only to give a nod a second later, "Alright then, we'll trust you to get it done."

The trainers all nodded before Lock and Salina directed them around the lake, eventually arriving at a large building that sat right on the water's edge. Lock opened up the locked shack, commenting as they walked in, "We've been saving this boat, as its pretty much useless unless Sharazor leaves." Everybody looked inside and saw a large fishing boat, one that looked state of the art.

"Perfect!" Flash exclaimed as he, Springer and Riptide jumped on board before rushing up to the front. "Alright, hoist the sail and raise the anchor!"

"This boat doesn't have any of those," Lock told him as the rest climbed on.

"Well, this voyage suddenly got a lot less cool," Flash grumbled as he and his Pokémon slumped over. "Alright, let's just get out there..."

Lock nodded as he took the wheel and started up the engine. Everyone else sat down and braced themselves as the boat shot out of the hanger and cut through the water at high speed. As they made their way, Doc spoke up, "Alright...our first step is to find out where Sharazor's gonna show up."

"I think I can help with that," Salina replied before pulling out a map, unfurling it to show a map of the lake. The parchment showed several Xs on it, each of them having a number next to it. "These show where Sharazor has been spotted and how many times he's been seen."

"Those are a lot of places," Spike gulped.

"Maybe, maybe not." Twilight replied before pulling out a pen, "but focusing on the higher numbers is the best thing to do first."

Flash looked over the Xs and spotted three with the highest numbers, which were actually quite close to each other. "Then we'll hit this area." Everyone nodded as Lock turned towards that location, soon making their way to the center of the lake near a large island. As they drew close, Lock cut the engine and drifted up to island. At the same time, Flash and Twilight were preparing to go searching for Sharazor. Flash was wearing the same trunks he had worn at the Stratusburg Dam while Twilight had changed into a purple and blue one piece with a star on the front.

Doc reached into his bag and pulled out a box, which opened to reveal a load of rebreathers, with an ear piece next to each one along with some goggles. "Here. These will allow you to see and breath underwater, and we'll have communicators."

"Sweet," Flash said as he took equipment. "These are slick."

"You really do think of everything," Twilight agreed as she took one pair. She, Flash and Springer put on the equipment while Riptide just put on an ear piece.

"Alright..." Flash stepped up to the edge of the boat. "Let's do this!" With that, he, Springer and Riptide dived in. Twilight quickly followed, and soon the four were swimming to the bottom of the lake. Despite being so deep, the googles allowed them to see everything perfectly. Doc had even made it where Twilight's so didn't need her glasses, "See anything?" Flash asked once they were halfway down.

"Not yet," Twilight replied as she turned to Flash's partner. "Maybe Springer can find him."

"Right, good idea. Do your thing bud."

"Riolu!" Springer nodded flaring his aura, soon scanning the whole area with a single pulse of aura. A second or two later, Springer opened his eyes and turned towards the others. "Ri, riolu." he motioned for them to follow before beginning to swim off. They followed Springer as he swam all the way to the bottom of the lake, only to go wide-eyed at the next sight.

Just below them was what one would call a ship graveyard. Boats of every size and designs littered the lake floor, all looking like they had been ripped in half or shredded to bits. "Wow..." Flash gasped as they passed the first sunken ship. "This is unreal."

"Are these all the boats that Sharazor's sunk?" Twilight asked, her body shivering at the sight. "Incredible..."

Flash pressed a button on his goggles, activating a camera that Doc had built into them. "You guys getting this?"

Back above the water...

"We are," Doc replied into the headset he was wearing. Him and the others were all now staring at a tablet that was connected to the goggles feed.

"Those are definitely our boats," Lock moaned, the frown on his face constantly growing.

"But what are they all doing there?" Salina asked as she pointed at the screen. "Those boats were struck down all over the lake."

Doc rubbed his chin at this, a click going off in his brain, "My guess is that Sharazor moved them there to act as trophies."

"Which means he might be living down there," Spike added, his teeth now chattering in fear.

"Agreed," Doc finished as he tapped his headset. "Flash, Twilight, be on alert. Sharazor could be anywhere in that pile of wreckage."

Back in the depths...

"Got it," the trainers replied as they continued to swim through the graveyard. Springer and Riptide were right beside them, both remembering their last fight with the Sharazor.

That is, till Springer's ears flared. "Ri?"

"Sense something bud?"

Springer nodded before gesturing to them, soon following his lead. He then lead them to the center of the graveyard, where they spotted their target. He was sitting in a circle of destroyed boats, snacking on a batch of green weed-like plants. "There you are," Flash commented as the four of them swam behind the hull of a sunken boat. "You're not getting away this time."

"Let's not be hasty," Twilight told him. "We have the element of surprise, so let's not blow that. If we can get close to it, we can fire off a surprise attack and get some major damage in before he has a chance to counter."

"She's right Flash," Doc said over the coms. "Don't forget, you're on its home turf."

"Sounds good to me. We'll do this your way." Twilight nodded before quietly swam ruined boat to destroyed boat, using all of them as cover until they were only a few hundred feet away.

But then-

"Ow!" Twilight cried as she accidently caught her arm on a piece of wood. The scratch was only small, but enough to draw a few drops of blood. As the red liquid entered the water, Sharazor suddenly went stiff before looking up from its meal, slowly sniffing the water. Its eyes then became laser focused as it slowly turned towards them with a glare in its eyes.

"So much for surprise," Flash muttered.

"RAZOR!" Sharazor screeched as he shot towards them, moving like lightning through the water.

"MOVE!" Twilight screamed, the four immediately trying to swim away.

As they ran, they swam through the ruined ships, only for Riptide to turn and see Sharazor blast through the boats. "Aquana..." he muttered before coming to a stop, gulping as he started to swim towards Sharazor.

"Riptide!" Flash yelled as he watched his Pokémon go.

"You can't fight that thing alone!" Twilight added.

Riptide just clenched his body, knowing he couldn't win in terms of power or speed. But as he swam, his brain started to zoom, quick thinking now taking over. And as the Sharazor got close, Aquana suddenly dove down, dodging the Sharazor's bum-rush. It then swam through the cracked hull of a ship, the Sharazor close behind. The Sharazor soon reached the crack, only to notice he couldn't fit. But it didn't matter for the predator, as he smashed the wood with his body, instantly going through the ship.

And as it was ripping the boat to pieces, Riptide swam out from another hole and smiled down at the Sharazor. In his hands was a piece of long rope he had found below deck, which was still tied to the boat. He swam down towards Sharazor, carefully enough to not attract its attention, and gently tied the end of the rope around its tail. It wasn't until the knot was tightened that Sharazor realised something was amiss and looked around, seeing Riptide at his tail. Riptide smiled and waved at the Sharazor before quickly swimming away. "SHARAZOR!" It screeched before chasing after him.

Riptide rushed into another nearby boat with Sharazor on his tail, but quickly swam inside and out another hole. They did this three more times, until Riptide eventually came to a stop inside another boat's hull. Sharazor saw this and smiled, thinking he had given up. "RAZOR!" It doubled its speed as it rushed through the hole, only to come to a stop halfway through. "Shar?"

Riptide started laughing as he pointed to behind Sharazor. He then turned around and saw the rope had now been caught in the other boats, preventing him from moving any further. "SHAR SHAR SHAR!" he growled as he moved backwards out of the hole to bite the rope off. "Shar...."

But as he did this, Riptide just smiled as he swam up to the top of the boat Sharazor was trying to leave, his fist glowing. "Aquana!" he exclaimed as he used Rock Smash, knocking down the whole boat on top of Sharazor.

"Sharazor!" It cried as it was buried.

"Wana," Riptide waved goodbye before swimming out of the hole he had just made.

Back on the surface, Flash, Springer and Twilight were now taking off their rebreathers and goggles as they swam towards an island near them. As they got to land, the people on the boat noticed them and started their way over. "Where's Riptide?" Spike asked over the coms, noticing the group was one member shorter than when it went down.

"He stayed back to buy us some time," Twilight replied.

"I hope he's okay," Doc added.

Flash frowned as he looked back at the water. A small sigh escaped his breath as he said, "Why did I do that? I...I gotta get back down there."

"Flash, don't-" Twilight tried to say until-

"Aquana!" piped out a voice, a small head soon breaking the water's surface. "Ak Aquana!"

"Riptide! You're okay buddy!" Flash cheered as he kneeled down, his Pokémon now swimming up the shore.

"Ak Aquana."

"What happened to Sharazor?" Twilight asked.

Riptide smirked at this, only for them to hear: "WHOA!" their friends cried out over their ear pieces. They then turned to where the boat was, only to see a familiar fin break the water's surface.

"Oh no...." Flash gulped as the fin came closer and closer. Once it was a few feet away from land, the water erupted as Sharazor leapt up out and flew over their heads.

It landed behind them before turning to group, panting heavily from its efforts to free itself. "Shar..."

"Looks like we're getting that rematch," Flash said as both Springer and Riptide rushed in front of him, Twilight now at his side.

"Razor!" It yelled, claws ready as he sprinting towards them.

"Water Gun and Aura Sphere!" Flash ordered, his Pokémon both firing off their long ranged attacks. But Sharazor swung its arms around and deflected them both, only to open his mouth to bite one of his opponents. Luckily, both dodged, rolling to the side as Flash yelled, "Force Palm!"

Springer thrust his paw into the Sharazor's side. "RIOLU!" He yelled as his aura hit the side, only for the Riolu to flinch and stagger back. He then clutched his hand, looking down at the scratches now covering his paw. "Ri..."

"What's wrong?" Flash asked.

"It's Sharazor's ability, Rough Skin." Twilight explained as she stared at Springer. "Moves that make contact with Sharazor will also hurt the user."

"Oh, now you tell me," Flash growled as he pointed at the recovering Sharazor. "Echoed Voice!" Riptide took a deep breath before unleashing a furry of soundwaves into Sharazor, causing him to flinch in pain.

"Razor!" It cried before glaring at Riptide, water soon spiralling around its body before bum-rushing Riptide.

"That's Aqua Jet!" Twilight screamed as they watched the attack soar towards Riptide, forcing him to end his attack and dodged. They watched as the Aqua Jet flew up into the air before dispelling, revealing Sharazor with a Water Pulse in hand.

"RAZOR!" It tossed the orb towards them, hitting the ground and causing a wave of water that knocked all four of them off their feet.

"Augh!" Flash groaned as he and Twilight hit the ground. The Sharazor then landed, panting once again. "It's weakening....good. Springer, Double Team!"

"Ri," Springer replied as he picked himself up before creating several duplicates. They all encircled the Sharazor, causing him to look around in confusion.

"Aura Sphere Barrage!"

The Springers all created a tiny Aura Sphere, all of them rushing towards Sharazor with before thrusting the Aura Spheres. "RAZOR!" It cried as all but one of the Springers disappeared, the real one quickly jumping away.

"FLASH!" Everyone turned to see the boat had finally reached the island, Spike soon tossing Flash's bag towards him.

"Thanks!" Flash caught the bag and pulled out an empty Pokeball, which he enlarged. "Pokeball...GO!" He tossed the ball at the Sharazor, hitting him dead on. The Pokeball opened up and unleashed a swirl of red energy, sucking the Sharazor up and soon dropping to the ground. They all stared at the Pokeball, watching it start to wobble back and forth. It wobbled again and again, one more time, then-

SMASH!

The Pokeball broke open, soon revealing a panting Sharazor.

"Dang it!" Flash groaned as everyone else jumped off the boat and stood beside him.

Sharazor glared at the group, then down at the empty Pokeball. "Shar...Sharazor." it muttered, only to turn and run. "SHARAZOR!" It screamed as he leapt back into the water, shooting off towards shore.

"Hey!" Flash yelled as they raced after it, "Get back here you coward!"

"Come on!" Lock gestured to follow him to the boat. "We can't let it get away." They all quickly climbed on as Lock kicked the engine into gear.

Meanwhile...

"Shar...shar..." Sharazor had reached the shore, panting heavily from the chase and battle.

"Charge Beam!" It turned towards the voice, only to see a bolt of lightning flying towards him. It quickly leapt away, barely managing to dodge as it landed and saw both Lightning and Chimplug staring at him. "You're coming with me. We can either do this the easy way," Chimplug took up a battle stance. "Or the hard way."

"Shar..." Sharazor growled at the two before getting into its own fighting stance.

Lightning shined a devilish smile. "Never giving up? I like that." He pointed at the Pokémon, "Go! Use Spark!"

"Chim…." Chimplug reared its fist back as sparks surged around it, "plug!" Thrusting forwards, it struck Sharazor and zapped him. Chimplug also flinched from the Rough Skin, but kept itself ready.

Back on the lake, Flash and the others made their way to the shore, only for Flash to yell, "Lightning! What are you-"

"Nothing we can do now," Doc interrupted as he grabbed Flash's shoulder. "We can't interfere. We had our chance, so now its his turn."

"Its not like he's gonna be able to catch it," Spike added. "We couldn't and it was nine on one."

Twilight shook her head, "I don't know. This is Lightning we're talking about. Who knows what he has up his sleeve."

"Razor!" Sharazor opened its mouth and unleashed its Ice Fang attack, the blue bolts flying towards Chimplug.

"Thunder Wave!" Chimplug raised its tail and shot out a burst of electrical energy, which struck and cancelled the Ice Fang with ease, the bolt now charging at Sharazor.

The shark Pokémon tried to dodge, but its fatigue made it too slow. "SHAR!" It cried as the electricity hit it, causing sparks to surge around its body. "Shar...razor."

Lightning smiled at the weakening Pokémon. "Use Spark, back to back!"

"Plug!" Chimplug once again pummelled the Sharazor with electrically charged fists. The shark tried to dodge each punch, only for the sparks to surge around his body, freezing him. This allowed Chimplug to finally hit it in the stomach three times.

"RAZOR!"

"It's almost down. Hit it with a Charge Beam, point blank!"

Chimplug acted quickly, coiling its tail around its body before thrusting the plug end into Sharazor's chest. Sharazor saw this and tried to move, only for the yellow sparks to appear again. "Shar!"

Chimplug smirked as it built up all the electrical power he could muster. "Chim...PLUG!" His body surged with electrical energy, all of it blasting Sharazor.

"RAZOR!" It screamed as it was zapped, the force propelling it into the air as the lightning fried it.

It was at this moment that the boat made land and Flash leapt off, racing towards the battleground just in time to see Sharazor hit the ground. "No way..." he commented as Lightning pulled something out of his bag. It looked like a Pokeball, but it was almost entirely blue and with a small section of white at the top. "What's that?!"

"A Dive-Ball," Twilight explained as she and the others reached him.

"It's a Pokeball that's extra effective when trying to catch a Water-Type Pokémon," Doc added.

"That's gotta be cheating," Spike continued.

Lightning smiled as he looked over at Lock. "Is there a rule saying I can't use Dive-Balls here?"

Lock shook his head. "There isn't."

"Exactly," Lightning turned towards the Sharazor as it tried to pick itself up. "You're mine. Dive-Ball, GO!" He threw the ball, hitting the Sharazor on the head, opening up before engulfing it in red light. It sucked up the Pokémon, soon falling and wobbling on the ground. It then wobbled again and again, until-

DING!

Lightning smirked as everyone else gasped, soon picking up the Dive-Ball. "As nature intended, its mine." With that, he put the ball away before turning to walk off with Chimplug. "I told you that wouldn't be able to catch this thing. Only a strong trainer deserves a strong Pokémon."

Flash let out a low growl. "You wouldn't have had such an easy time if we hadn't been there to wear it down."

"Yeah!" Spike added, "you owe part of that capture to us!"

Lightning simply shook his head. "You really are a bunch of losers. I bet you didn't make a scratch on this thing, unlike me, who beat it with ease. Heck, I almost didn't want it because it was so easy to beat." He then motioned the Dive-Ball towards the group, "Besides, all that matters is the end result. I caught it, so I'm the better trainer. That's the luxury of being a winner after all." With that, Lightning turned away before walking off into the trees.

Flash continued to growl. "I'll show him whose the better trainer."

Later that day...

With Sharazor now gone, Lock and Salina were able to ferry the group across the river without worry. "It sure is nice to be out on the lake without having to worry about being attacked."

"It sure is," Salina replied as she cuddled up with Lock.

Spike turned to them. "So how long's it gonna be until the lake's back to how it used to be?"

"I'm sure it won't be too long. With Sharazor gone, the Pokémon won't be scared and will return over time. Then the trainers will be back, and we can start rebuilding the boats until they come."

Twilight nodded at this. "It might not have been the result we wanted, but at least the lake is saved."

Doc nodded as well. "I guess we can't complain too much."

Meanwhile, Flash was staring out at the lake. "Why'd it have to be him?!" He felt his blood boiling as he clinched his fists, a low growl coming out of his mouth, "Next time....next time I'm gonna show him who the better trainer is!"

Though Flash's attempts to captured the rouge Sharazor ended in his rival Lightning getting the prize, the lake they had sworn to help had been saved. Now, the group can continue their journey to Baltimare City. But how will letting that Sharazor fall into Lighting's hands affect our heroes in the long run? You'll have to stay tuned to find out.

Evolutionary Block

View Online

Continuing their journey to the Ghastly Gorge that would lead them to Baltimare City and Flash's third Equestria Region gym challenge, our heroes find themselves on an open mountain road. After crossing the giant lake, the landscape had changed from forest to rock and dust. It is here that our heroes had came to a halt, having run into someone.

It was a male trainer a few years older then the group. He had cream skin and brown hair that looked like he had been electrocuted and was wearing thick glasses. The trainer was also wearing a lab coat, making them think he was a scientist of sorts as he spoke up. "When the eyes of two trainers meet, it means that a battle must be waged."

Flash smiled at this. "I like the sound of that. Let's go!"

The scientist smirked before pulling out a Pokeball. "Then let's see how well you do against my Beakula!"

He tossed the ball, soon revealing a creature that looked like a small black science beaker. It's main body was round with a funnel sticking out of its head. On its body were a pair of blank white eyes above a semi-circle like mouth. Sticking out of its sides and its back were three small spheres with a cone sticking out of the bottom, which it used to stay upright. Finally, a continuous wisp of purple smoke flowed out of the funnel on its head as it called out, "Beak..."

"Beakula, huh?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Beakula
Category: Chemical Pokémon
Type: Poison
Info: This Pokémon can produce and mix any chemical it desires, meaning it is often used by healers to create potions and antidotes.

"Alright," Flash commented as he closed the Pokedex, "Then I choose you Springer!"

"Riolu!" Springer hopped in front, a big smile on his face.

Twilight slightly adjusted her glasses at the sight. "This should be good, as that Beakula doesn't look very fast. Springer's speed and agility should give him a major advantage."

"Alright! This is gonna be awesome!" Spike cheered, Peewee mimicking his movements.

Doc stepped between the two. "I'll be referee. Are both trainers ready?" The two responded with a pair of nods, "then battle...begin!"

"Springer, use Quick Attack!"

"Ri!" Springer yelled as he quickly sprinted forward, slamming Beakula with a tackle.

"Counter with Acid!" Beakula staggered slightly back before firing a blast of purple gunk out of its funnel. Springer saw this and started back flipping away, avoiding the goo with ease. But as he did this, he saw the acid melt the ground in front of him, causing him to shiver.

"Better keep our distance. Use Aura Sphere!" Springer created the orb of power and thrusted it towards the Beakula.

"Beak!" It cried as the orb hit the ground, exploding and sending it flying. It soon rolled as it hit the ground, coming to halt to try and pick itself up.

"Force Palm!" Springer rushed towards the Beakula who was still working on getting back up.

"Go Flash!" Spike cheered.

The scientist blinked at the sight, only for a smirk to follow. As Springer was about to strike, he pointed forward and yelled, "Smog!"

"Beakula!" Beakula unleashed a cloud of toxic gas from its funnel, which surrounded its entire body. Springer tried to stop his attack as he saw this, only to rush right into the cloud.

"Ri!" He cried out as he tried to cover his mouth, soon coughing as he breathed in the fumes.

"Get out of there!" Springer tried to stagger out of the cloud from his trainer's owner, but found he couldn't even open his eyes. As such, he just wandered as Flash yelled, "Springer? You okay?" The cloud then cleared, showing the Beakula was back on its feet and Springer was swaying from side to side with a purple blush on his cheeks.

"Springer's been poisoned," Twilight gulped, "That's not good."

"Aww man...." Spike moaned.

"We're fine Springer. We'll finish this before the poison can sap your strength!"

"Riolu!" Springer replied before flinching, purple sparks now surging around his body.

"Power through buddy! Aura Sphere!"

Springer fired off his best attack, which flew right at Beakula as the scientist commanded, "Protect!" Beakula nodded before a blue shield appeared around its body. The Aura Sphere bounced off with ease, only for Springer to flinch from the poison again.

"Dang it! Quick Attack now!" Springer quickly rushed forward, slamming his tail into Beakula.

"Beak!" It cried, staggering back as Springer tried to hit it again. But as it did this, the purple sparks surged again, causing Springer to yelp.

"Acid!" the scientist yelled as Beakula pointed its funnel at Springer, firing the corrosive attack at point blank range.

"RIOLU!" Springer cried as he felt the goo plaster his body in burns.

"Hang in there Springer!"

"Don't let up! Venoshock!" Beakula pointed its funnel at Springer once more before firing a light green slime, this one striking the Aura Pokémon before purple lightning consumed the Riolu.

"RIOLUUUU!"

Flash's eyes went wide. "SPRINGER, NO!" The sparks then died down and Springer stood there, weakly swaying back and forth on the spot. "Springer?"

"Ri..." was all Springer said before collapsing to the ground, his eyes now replaced with swirls.

"Springer is unable to battle, Beakula wins."

"Springer!" Flash cried as he rushed over to his partner and picked him up. "You okay?"

"Ri...riolu..." Springer moaned, his face still wearing a purple blush.

"Don't worry buddy," Flash said as the rest of their friends moved over to them. "We'll get you to a Pokémon Center right away."

As Twilight started looking through her journal, the scientist returned his Beakula and moved over to them before reaching into his lab coat pocket. "Here. I'm out of Pecha Berries, but this should help." Flash looked down and saw it was a Oran Berry, which he grabbed before feeding it to Springer.

As soon as Springer swallowed, Flash saw the look of pain on his face weaken and sighed in relief, "Thanks."

"No problem. Your Riolu is strong. I'm just lucky it wasn't a Lucario, or I wouldn't have won." As soon as those words left the boy's mouth, Flash's entire body froze. "Well, I'll see you around. Let's battle the next time we meet." With that, he walked off.

"Found it," Twilight spoke up at that moment. "There's a Pokémon Center not far from here." As soon as she pointed at the direction it was in, Flash was gone. He sprinted off at lightning speed, continuing to cradle his best friend in his hands.

"Don't worry bud. You'll be right as rain in no time." But as he continued to run, he couldn't help but remember what his opponent said.

One transition to a Pokémon Center later...

It didn't take long for Nurse Redheart to help Flash. As soon as Flash entered the center, she called for her Audino partner and quickly took Springer into a room. It was here that the others arrived and waited to see if Springer would be okay. A few minutes later, Redheart stepped back into the reception area. "Your Riolu is going to be fine. We managed to neutralize the poison, so all it needs is a night's rest to get back to full health."

"Thank you Nurse Redheart," Twilight said with a bow.

"Can I see him?" Flash asked next.

The nurse shook her head. "He's sleeping right now, but his room has a window you can watch him through." Flash nodded and went up to the window, soon seeing the Riolu laying on an bed, bandages over his peaceful sleeping body.

Flash stared at his partner, a large frown on his face as he let out a long sigh. "Springer..."

Spike then spoke up. "Hey, there's something I don't get. That guy said that he would've lost if Springer had been a Lucario," hearing this made Flash once again freeze. "Why did he say that?"

"Lucario are part Steel-Types," Doc explained as he pointed at Springer. "Steel Pokémon are completely immune to any Poison-Type attacks."

A look of realisation dawned on Spike. "Oh, that would be great. You'd never have to worry about moves like Toxic again."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "And since Riolu evolves into Lucario through having a close relationship with it's trainer, I bet Springer will evolve really soon."

"I'm honestly surprised it hasn't happened already," Doc commented as he turned to Flash. "Especially considering the bond...you...share?" Twilight and Spike blinked at Doc, wondering why he stopped like that. They then followed his vision, turning to Flash as two gasped followed.

Flash...was crying, causing Twilight to ask, "Flash? Are you...alright?"

Flash sniffed before wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "No, I'm not."

"Why not?"

"Cuz Springer won't ever evolve into a Lucario."

Twilight let out a snort, "Don't say that Flash! The bond you have with Springer is so strong that-"

"That's not the problem," Flash interrupted her. "Springer can't evolve...period."

"What are you talking about?" Spike asked next. "Riolu evolve into Lucario, and that means Springer can evolve."

"AND I'M TELLING YOU HE CAN'T!" Flash screamed, causing the others to backpedal in fear. Flash saw their faces, his breath short from yelling before turning away. "I'm sorry. I just...I gotta go!" With that, he rushed down the hall and out of sight.

Twilight, Spike and Doc were all speechless as they stared at the spot Flash had disappeared. "What...just happened?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm gonna find out." Twilight admitted as she ran off towards Flash, the others soon following.

As soon as they were gone, Springer's eyes opened and looked towards the window. He then rolled onto his side, having been awakened by Flash's outcry. "Riolu…" he moaned as he closed his eyes tp try and go back to sleep. A dream-like memory awaited him, one that had both happiness and sadness.

The teens eventually found their travel companion in the Center's cafeteria. He was sitting in a booth, slurping down a monster milkshake before clutching his head at the brain freeze.

"You should really drink that slower," Doc told him.

"I'm fine," Flash grumbled through gritted teeth. "Leave me alone."

"Yeah....no. You're not fine, and we're not leaving you alone Flash." Twilight replied as she sat in the booth opposite of him. "Flash, what's going on? And don't say its nothing, because we're worried about you."

"And why can't Springer evolve?" Spike added as he and Doc sat down.

Flash gave them a glare as he finished off the milkshake. Pain was shining on his face as he stared at the looks of concern blinking at him. A long sigh followed as he said, "I guess its time you knew. As I said before, Springer can't evolve. As for why....well, this story goes back to when I first met Springer." A small tear went down his face, "Back...back when I was ten years old..."

Several years ago...

"I was born in a little village beside a large forest, several miles from Canterlot City. My parents died in an accident when I was younger, so I was raised by my dad's mom."

It began at a basic house, right beside the forest compared to the village's other houses. Inside, a ten year old Flash was running downstairs. He was wearing blue shorts and a white shirt under a black hoodie that had his crest on the back. The boy rushed into the kitchen, where is grandmother was making breakfast. She was quite young looking for her age, having cream coloured skin and flowing blonde hair with two pink streaks on the edges. She also wore a tracksuit, which was light blue with lightning bolt patterns on it.

"Morning gran," Flash said as he picked up the slice of toast that she had put on his plate on the table.

"Morning hon. What you doing today?"

"I'm gonna go out into the forest again!"

"Alright, but remember-"

"Don't get to close and let the Pokémon come to you," Flash grumbled as he chomped down on the toast.

"Good boy. But first, I need you to feed the others."

Flash nodded as he swallowed his breakfast before rushing outside. Soon running up to a shed in the backyard, he pulled out a bucket bird feed as he walked up to a series of bird house. "Alright guys, grubs up!" As soon as he said that, multiple Flying-Types flew out their homes and covered the area. It was every single flying type you could imagine, all of them in every size. They were all his gran's Pokémon, and they had known Flash for as long as he could remember. "Here you go guys."

As they started their feast, Flash walked up to the back fence. "Pidgeot!" Yelled a voice, causing him to look up and see his grandmother's most powerful Pokémon sitting on a nearby tree branch.

"Don't worry Pidgeot, I'll be fine. I'm not a baby anymore."

Pidgeot stared down at Flash, only to then smile before nodding. "Pidgeot."

Flash shined a cheeky grin before continuing his race to the forest, leaping over the fence and rushing into the trees in search of new Pokémon. Several hours passed as he ran through the rocks, tree and streams. And as he did this, he soon found a clearing, filled with multiple large boulders of differing shapes and sizes. It was here a loud gasp came out of his mouth as he saw the Pokémon using this area as a training ground.

"Riolu..." He had heard about Riolu, with their ability to sense the life force of living things. He stayed perched within the treeline and watched them train. Some were pounding the rocks with Force Palm, while others were racing one another with Quick Attack. They were also sparing against each other and some were sitting in a meditative pose.

But out of all of them, one stuck out the most. This Riolu was on its own, staring at the largest rock in the clearing. It then closed its eyes as a blue glow radiated off its body, soon bringing its paws together. And as it did this, the glow soon formed and spiralled between its paws. The other Riolu went wide eyed as they watched the sphere of blue energy form in the singular Riolu's grasp.

In that moment, the Riolu opened its eyes before rushing towards the rock. "RIO...LU!" It thrusted the attack, instantly shattering the rock a giant explosion.

"Wow!" Flash exclaimed, only to then start coughing as the explosion's dust reached him. The rest of the Riolu also coughed as they tried to fan the dust away. And as it cleared, it revealed the Riolu standing over the destroyed boulder, looking down at it's paws in amazement.

The Present...

"That was Springer, wasn't it?" Spike asked in excitement.

Flash nodded, a smile appearing on his face at the sight of the boy's excitement. "Yeah, it was."

"So...is this how you two met?" Twilight asked next, getting another nod in response.

Doc let out a small hum. "I must admit, I'm a little curious to hear how you two became friends. So what happened next?"

Flash took a deep breath, a small sigh soon following, "Well, after the Riolu had destroyed the rock, everyone's attention was on him. You would think the other Riolu would be happy, but...." His eyes then narrowed, a low deep growl releasing itself from his mouth, "That's when he showed up."

The Past...

"Lucario!" yelled a new voice. Everyone looked towards the source of the voice, spotting a taller looking version of the Riolu. Flash blinked at the sight, instantly realizing this Lucario must be the leader of the pack. He watched as the Lucario stepped towards the Riolu who had destroyed the rock, crouching down to examine the debris. He then looked up at the Riolu on the pile before standing up and pointing to another rock, "Cari."

The Riolu nodded before jumping down and moving over to the boulder. Once again, it brought its paws together and created the sphere of energy before thrusting it into the rock.

SMASH!

Once again the rock was destroyed, showing just how powerful this Riolu was. The Lucario crossed its arms before nodding, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Lu, Lucari...oh." He turned away and started to walk towards the trees, the special Riolu raising an eyebrow before following. The rest of the Riolu stayed where they were, knowing they shouldn't follow as the two disappeared into the treeline.

"Wonder where they're going?" Flash whispered as he hopped off the tree, soon following the two at a distance.

"Ri?" He heard the Riolu say in the distance, "Riolu?"

"Car..." Lucario replied without even looking back at its pre-evolved form. Riolu didn't say anything else after that as the two trodded through the woods for several minutes. It was here they got to their destination, which was a small open area with a large bluish gray rock. Flash was now hiding behind a thick tree, watching every movement of the Lucario as it pointed at the rock. "Lu, Lucario."

The Riolu raised an eyebrow as it walked over to the rock, placing his paw on it. The Riolu felt an odd sensation, as if the rock was filled with an unknown energy. While he did this, the Lucario stepped right behind him, a huge frown on his face. He then barred his teeth, raising its paw as aura consumed the paw.

Flash saw this and gasped, soon rushing out of the clearing without even thinking as he called out, "LOOK OUT!"

The Riolu heard this and spun around, just in time to see the Lucario use Force Palm right into his chest. "RIOLU!" He cried as he was thrown backwards, slamming into the rock. A large crack appeared as he slumped slightly over, pain surging through his body. But as it started to fall, the Lucario grabbed and pinned him to the rock.

"Car, car, car, car, car!" Lucario laughed as he raised his other paw. A familiar blue orb appeared in it before quickly growing in size.

The Riolu's eyes went wide as it tried to escape, but it couldn't break its evolved form's gasp. "Rio! Riolu!" he shook his head as he began to beg.

The Lucario laughed once again as the orb was finally big enough. Flash was still trying to run up to the duo, but it was too late. "Lu...CARIO!" The Lucario thrusted the sphere into the Riolu's chest, pushing him deeper into the rock.

"RIOLUUUUUUUU!" It cried as it was stuck between a rock and the spiraling ball of aura. Eventually, the cracks along the rock grew bigger and bigger, until finally-

SMASH!!!

The rock gave way, the Riolu now flying through it. Time seemed to slow down as the shattered rock fragments began to glow, the light soon absorbing itself in the small Aura Pokémon. Time sped up once again as the Riolu went rolling along the ground, going limp as it finally stopped. Flash then got to the Pokémon, sliding to his knees as he yelped, "Are you okay?!"

"Ri?" The Riolu moaned as it cracked its eyes open, looking up at Flash.

"Don't worry, I'll get you some help."

"Lucario!" Flash turned around, now seeing the Lucario from before with another sphere in its paws.

Flash let out a low growl as it stood up, stretching his arms in protection of the Riolu. "Back off! I'm not scared of you!"

The Lucario just laughed at this, the orb in its paw still growing as it walked up to Flash. "Lucario, lu." it mocked as it lowered its paw, now aiming dead center at Flash, "Lu..." it said as it readied to attack. "Car-oh!" it yelped as a sudden figure smacked its face, knocking its sphere away.

"Whoa!" Flash yelped as he saw a new Pokémon appear before him. At first, Flash thought it was a kid in armour, but upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a Pokémon. It reminded him of the Pokémon Pawniard, but it was taller as it was around the same height as the Riolu. It's armour was silver and resembled a knight's design. Attached to its left arm was a shield, while its right arm had a long blade sticking out of it. Its head had a knight-like helmet with a visor, which it then pushed up to reveal a pair of yellow eyes. "Squire...."

The Present...

"A Squiron..." Twilight spoke up.

"Squiron?" Spike asked back.

Flash pulled out his Pokedex, typing in the name of the Pokémon's name. Once he found it, he showed it to Spike.

Name: Squiron
Category: Squire Pokémon
Type: Steel/Fighting
Info: A young Pokémon who wishes to do good deeds, it trains endlessly to perfect its skills with the blade. The iron on its body is a material stronger and lighter than steel.

"Amazing. What are the odds of a wild Squiron showing up to save you?" Doc asked while rubbing his chin.

"I never said it was wild," Flash replied before continuing the story.

The past...

Flash stared at the Squiron in amazement. "No way."

The Squiron turned and scanned Flash over, soon nodding as it turned back to the Lucario. The Pokémon was now picking itself up while holding its paw over its left eye. "Car...Lucario..." it growled before removing its paw, now showing a closed eye with a large bleeding scar over it.

"I think you made it mad," Flash gulped, shivering at the sight.

"Relax kid." Flash turned to the owner of the voice, seeing a figure that looked a few years older than him. The figure then hopped between them and the Lucario, glaring at the Pokémon. "Leave now and you won't get hurt. We can still go our separate ways."

The Lucario glared at them for several moment, only to then turn and stagger away. "Lucario...Lu..."

"You're letting it go?"

The teen turned and pointed at the Riolu on the ground. "We've got bigger problems to deal with right now kid." He kneeled down and looked the Riolu over, "We need to get this little guy to a Pokémon Center."

"There's one in town. I can take you to it."

The teen nodded before pulling out an all white Pokeball. "It's best I catch this guy and take him that way. I wanted to save this Premier Ball for something special, but I guess a Riolu that knows Aura Sphere counts as special." He tapped the ball onto the Riolu's head before it opened, red energy consuming the Riolu. The ball wobbled in his hands for several seconds before going ding, "Alright. Now kid, which way's the center."

Flash quickly picked himself up and nodded, running as the teen and his Squiron followed him.

One transition to a Pokémon Center later...

The Riolu was now in a waiting room, his body covered in bandages as he laid under the bed covers. Slow tiny breaths were releasing themselves out of his mouth, his body barely shivering. Flash and the teen were also in the room, Flash sitting on a chair next to the bed while the teen leaned against the wall.

"Is...is he gonna be okay?" Flash asked as he stared at the Pokémon, an increasing frown on his face.

"He'll be fine. The nurse said he just needs some rest."

"Yeah....yeah, you're right." Flash slightly moaned as he rested a hand on the bed. As he did this, a small smile started to appear on his face as he saw the Riolu start to stir.

"Ri....Riolu?"

"Hey there. Glad to see you're awake." Flash said as he reached over and scratched it behind the ear, causing the Riolu to relax before it could react to the stranger touching it. "I'm really glad you're alright."

"Riiii…." he moaned back, a smile appearing on the Riolu's face.

"Yeah...you're awesome, you know that? That Aura Sphere move of yours was really cool."

"Especially since Riolu shouldn't be able to learn Aura Sphere until they evolve," the teen added as he walked up to the bed. "Good to see you're awake little guy."

"Riolu." Springer replied, nodding as he pushed the covers off himself. "Ri Riolu."

"Heh, you're already feeling better? Wow..." Flash chuckled as he stopped scratching his ear, "If you're that fast, I bet when you evolve you'll be even stronger then that jerk Lucario. Then you'll show him."

"RIOLU!" The Riolu yelled before flexing its muscles.

This caused both teens to laugh. "You're bouncing back faster than a spring," Flash commented, only for a bulb to go off in his head, "Say...Springer! That's a good name."

"Riolu?" the Riolu tilted his head for a few seconds, only to hop in place and nod.

"Oh? You like the name huh?" Flash then turned to the teen, "Say, would you mind if he's called Springer? I mean, you are gonna train him now that you caught him right? Especially if he can evolve and beat that jerk!"

The teen just nodded. "You bet. When I'm done, he'll be the strongest Lucario to have ever lived."

In that moment, the door opened and Flash's grandmother stepped inside. "Flash!" She rushed over and hugged him, soon scanning him over, "Are you alright?! I heard what happened!"

"I'm fine gran," Flash replied before pointing to the teen. "He saved me."

His grandmother sighed in relief as she turned to the teen, "Thank you. I'm Cloud Clipper." Flash began to tune them out before the teen could say his name, as he turned to Springer and started talking with him. He began to scratch his ears again as he asked the Riolu to show other moves it could do. And as the duo started to bond, they were so focused that they didn't notice Nurse Redheart step into the room. She then asked the teen to come outside so they could talk.

It was here that Flash and Springer finally started paying attention as Cloud followed them out and closed the door. The sight made them blink as Flash turned to Springer, "Stay here bud, I'll go see what's going on." He stood up and stepped outside, soon finding the three down a hallway corner, where he began to listen in.

"So what's up?" The teen asked. "Is something wrong with Riolu."

Nurse Redheart sighed, a slow nod following. "Yes. You see...well, when I was healing your Riolu, I detected a strange energy coming from it. I scanned it and got a sample. It...I honestly don't know how to explain it."

"What energy is it?" Cloud asked next.

"Its hard to explain, but from what you told me about what happened...well, I think I know what that rock was that Riolu was exposed too."

"What was it?"

Then Nurse Redheart said one word, one that would forever be ingrained into Flash's mind.

The Present...

"An Everstone."

As soon as Flash uttered those words, Twilight gasped as Doc's eyes went wide. Spike on the other hand, just raised his hand and asked, "Um...what's an Everstone?"

Doc grimaced as he started to explain, "Its...well, its a rare and special item Spike. It contains a special kind of energy that prevents a Pokémon from evolving for a while after coming in contact with it. Trainers use them if their Pokémon doesn't want to evolve, or if they're trying to teach them a move that they can only learn in their current stage."

Twilight then tapped the table, "Now hold on here! Everstones are usually the size of a Pokeball. Are you saying that rock...was one giant Everstone?!" Flash gave a weak nod, causing Twilight to go wide-eyed. "No way...that Everstone must have been the biggest one that's ever existed. Incredible...though if that's the case-"

"The energy in that stone would also be super strong," Flash interrupted as another sigh exited his mouth. "Coming in regular contact with it would have probably made Springer unable to evolve a for like...a year or so. But...but its more than that. When the Everstone was shattered, the energy escaped and...and it..." Flash's hand covered his face as more tears began to appear, "It went into the nearest thing around that could contain it."

"You mean....Springer?" Twilight guessed.

Flash nodded, more tears starting to fall. "That energy is a part of Springer now, preventing him from ever evolving." The rest of them then saw Flash's expression turn dark as he slammed his fist into the table. "And its all that blasted Lucario's fault! He knew Springer was special! He....he....he knew that if Springer evolved, he could easily take leadership from it." Another fist slammed into the table, "And I couldn't do a thing. That Lucario took Springer's future from him."

Tears began to fill everyone else's eyes, Twilight slowly removing her glasses to wipe her eyes while Spike rubbed his nose into his sleeve. "We're sorry Flash," Twilight said as she put them back on. "I...I had no idea."

"Agreed. I know talking about this was hard," Doc added.

"It's alright. It uh...kinda felt good to get it off my chest."

"So uh...not to be nosy, but what happened after you heard this?" Spike asked next.

"Well..."

The past...

Flash stood in shock after hearing Nurse Redheart explain Springer's condition. He slumped over, his legs falling to the floor as he continued to listen, his mind already melting as he realized what Springer would now have to go through.

"So...you mean to tell me that the Riolu won't ever evolve?" Flash heard the teen ask.

A long sigh followed from the nurse, "Its possible that the Everstone energy will one day dissipate, but that could take years, maybe decades."

"I see. Such a shame," Cloud Clipper replied while shaking her head. "When I heard that that little one had such potential, being able to use Aura Sphere like that, but now-"

"Now nothing. Just because it can't evolve, doesn't mean he isn't still strong." the teen interrupted, causing Flash's head to perk up, making him look around the corner.

"But if it can't evolve-"

"Who cares if he can't evolve. A Pokémon's true power isn't in its evolutionary form or the moves it knows. It isn't even just how psychically strong it is. It's true power is in the strength of its will to grow stronger." The teen then pointed towards the room Springer was in. "That Riolu's will is strong, I can tell just by looking at it. Even if it can't evolve, that doesn't make it worthless."

Cloud let out a small glum sigh, tapping her foot in thought. She then did a slight nod. "I guess you've got a point. In fact, now that I think about it, there are many trainers who have unevolved Pokémon and are still strong. I think there's a trainer who has a...was it a Pichu? Yeah, a Pichu that refuses to evolve and is just as powerful."

"Exactly!" the teen added, snapping his fingers as he continued, "Besides, since it already knows Aura Sphere, evolving wouldn't change it too much. I suspect it could learn new moves that Lucario can't usually learn."

Cloud nodded again. "You're right. A Pokémon's form doesn't decide its strength."

"Exactly. I'm not gonna give up on Springer just because he's got a handicap. A true trainer can make any Pokémon strong, even if there's something holding it back.

Flash smiled at hearing this, only to then ask himself, "But...how would he react to hearing he can't evolve?"

"Riolu?" Flash froze at that voice, soon turning around to see Springer standing right behind him.

Flash let out a long gulp, "You just heard me say that, didn't you?" His response was a nod, causing him to sigh. "Let's go back to the room and I'll tell you." They quickly returned and began talking, Flash explaining what he had just heard. "But that guy's right. Being unable to evolve doesn't mean you can't still become the most powerful Pokémon ever."

He then stared at the Riolu, waiting for a response. However, he just stared at his paws, a low somber moan following, "Ri..."

Flash frowned before shaking his head, grabbing both of the Riolu's shoulders, "HEY! Don't get depressed, alright little buddy?" He then tapped the Riolu's belly, "You...are not a weakling. So what if you can't evolve?! That'll just mean becoming the world's strongest Pokémon will mean even more. That Lucario saw how amazing you were and tried to stop you from reaching your full potential, but he didn't stop anything. You will be the strongest Pokémon, even if I have to train you myself. If that other trainer decides to give up on you, then come to me and we'll be partners."

Springer stared into Flash's eyes, seeing the look of pure determination in them. Something inside the Riolu seemed to click, as if a puzzle piece that Lucario had knocked loose had been put back into place. He smiled as he held out a fisted paw, Flash then bumping it with his own.

"See? With us together, the world won't know what hit it."

The present...

"And you weren't kidding," Doc commented as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Springer's probably the strongest Riolu alive."

"Yeah...but we're a long way from making him the strongest Pokémon alive."

Twilight smiled before reaching over and grasping the teen's hand. "You'll get there eventually. In fact, hearing this story, I know you will."

"Yeah! You and Springer are totally gonna be the strongest team one day," Spike added before patting Peewee on the head, "Well, you know, for about five minutes. Then me and Peewee will knock you off your perch."

"Terr!"

Flash laughed at this while wiping away the last of his tears, "Thanks guys. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

"It was your secret to tell," Doc told him. "We have no right to demand you tell us, but we're glad you did."

Twilight nodded at this. "Indeed. We're gonna help you and Springer achieve your dream. Even if we can't find a way to get Springer to evolve, we'll help you in other ways." Spike and Doc both nodded in agreement, showing their willingness to do anything they can to help. Flash's smile brightened at this, glad he had agreed to let Twilight and Spike join him, with Doc following after. He would probably be all depressed about Springer's loss if he had not told them about back then, which reminded him of the promise he and Springer made.

But there was someone else who needed that reminder as well.

Springer was still laying on his bed, trying to get back to sleep. But as the thoughts of the battle rattled around in his head, his ears heard the opening of the room's door. Looking up, he saw one Flash Sentry walk up and sit by him, "Hey bud, how you feeling?"

Springer shrugged at this, "Ri."

Flash sighed before sitting back and look up at the ceiling. "We've been through a lot since that day, haven't we?" He looked back at his partner, "Remember the promise we made? You know, back when he gave you to me?"

Springer nodded at this, his memories playing that day perfectly.

The past...

Both Flash and Springer slowly began to stir, having fallen asleep together in the Pokémon Center bed. Flash then rubbed his eyes, yawning, "Mmmm….morning."

"Ri..." Springer replied as he copied the boy's movement.

Flash laughed at this, only to feel his hand holding something. He glanced down at the palm, soon seeing a familiar Pokeball in its shrunken state laying in his palm. "What's this doing here?"

"A gift from your new friend." They both turned to see Cloud Clipper smiling at the two. "He asked me to tell you that he was sorry for not giving it to you while you were awake, but he had places to be."

"He's gone?" Flash asked, getting a nod from his grandmother, "So he just left Springer? I thought he said he wasn't gonna give up one Springer."

"Oh he did, but then he heard your little conversation yesterday." Both Flash and Springer paled at hearing this. "He was quite moved by your little speech, so he decided to give you a gift as a reward."

"He gave me Springer?" Flash asked in surprise, Cloud nodding in reply.

"You've been given a great responsibility Flash. Both you and Springer are partners now, so you'll need to work hard to live up to the expectations he has set for you."

Flash cheekily smiled and nodded. "I won't let him or you down gran."

Cloud giggled as she patted her grandson's head. "I know you won't sweetheart." She then turned to Springer, "As for you, welcome to the family little guy. I hope you'll make sure my mischief hunting grandson stays out of trouble."

Springer chuckled before nodding,"Riolu!"

Flash then held up his fist. "You hear that bud? From now on, every moment of every day, we'll train until we're the strongest trainers ever. Agreed?"

"RI!" Springer replied before bumping Flash's fist, mirroring the motion they made the previous day.

The present...

"We've spent the last six years training our butts off. But if today's any indicator, we're still a long way from being the strongest team ever."

"Ri..." Springer nodded.

Flash then smiled and held out his fist, "So let's keep training until we're the best. We owe it to the guy who brought us together. What do you say bud?"

Springer smiled at his partner, thankful to the one who had made him and Flash a team. "Riolu," he stood up and bumped Flash's fist.

The next day...

After a full nights rest, Springer was back to full health and our heroes were now leaving the Pokémon Center. "Alright, let's get going." Flash said as they stepped out of the building before turning to Twilight. "How far until we get to Ghastly Gorge?"

Twilight double checked her journal and smirked. "As long as we don't get side-tracked, especially to haunted mansions, we should be at there by this time next week."

"Then let's get going!" Spike cheered as they started walking.

"Time's a wasting," Doc added.

And so, they got back on the road, ready to take on whatever challenges awaited them. But as they were walking, Spike asked a question. "Hey Flash?"

"Yeah?"

"You never told us the name of the guy who caught and gave you Springer."

Flash's face scrunched up at this, a low sigh following, "That's because I don't know it. I don't think I ever caught his name. Heck, I can't even remember what he looked like."

"You can't remember the name or face of the guy who gave you your first Pokémon and best friend?!" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow. "Seriously?!"

Flash nervously chuckled. "I had a lot of things going on at the time. Plus, I was ten. How good was your memory and attention span back then?"

Before Twilight could answer, Doc chimed in, "Well, do you remember anything apart from him having an Squiron?"

Flash opened his mouth, trying to respond, "Ummm….I think..."

"Yes?" Everyone asked.

"He had...blue hair."

"That's not much to go on," Spike added.

Flash just shrugged. "Well, whoever he is, I hope I get to meet him someday. I really want to show him just how strong Springer and I are now."

"I'm sure you will," Twilight replied as they continued on the road to their next adventure.

Trailer

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Every thousand years, an egg appears in our world.

Deep in the night, a single figure ran through a forest. It was a girl with golden skin along red and yellow hair. She was wearing a light blue dress with dark blue pants and leather boots, a black leather jacket on top of her dress. Her hands were tightly clutching a bag, long weary pants escaping her breath as exhaustion started to consume her.

And from that egg, a Pokémon of immense power is born.

"What is that thing?" Flash asked as they stared at the object in the bag.

"Eclixie!" The little Pokémon cheered as it flew around the train car, causing everyone to laugh at its excitement.

But a darkness wants that power for it own.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll get me that Pokémon." the figure told the three on screen. With that, he switched off the computer and phased into the darkness.

To protect this power, heroes must come together.

Twilight placed a hand on the her shoulder. "You won't be alone. We'll help you." Flash, Spike, Doc and their Pokémon all nodded, causing a smile to appear on her face.

To fight against the evil that wants only destruction.

"Aaahhh!" Doc screamed as he and Tockwork were both sent flying.

"Look out!" Spike cried.

"Springer, GO!"

"Rio..." Springer leapt into the air, a large Aura Sphere in his paws, "LU!" He tossed the attack, an explosion following as it destroyed his opponents.

POKEMON, THE MOVIE!
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART!

Coming, 10/11/2018

Ghastly Gorge

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The day opened up with Flash and Springer racing up a rocky hill, Twilight, Spike, Doc and Peewee a bit behind them. All four were out of breath, their forms wobbling back and forth as they tried to keep up. And as they staggered behind, Flash and Springer reached the top, now staring at the horizon, "There it is! We finally made it!"

Twilight stumbled up to him, nodding, "Ghastly Gorge."

Continuing their journey to Baltimare City and Flash's third Equestria Region gym challenge, our heroes have finally arrived at the Equestria Region landmark known as Ghastly Gorge. The landmark was a great earth divide that would be difficult to venture, the gorge filled with steep cliffs know for landslides, and labyrinth-like tunnels filled with vicious Pokémon.

Doc wiped his brow as he commented, "It took longer then we'd hoped, but we're finally here."

Spike nodded in agreement, "Yeah…look at how big it is though. I mean, how long is it gonna take us to get through that thing?!"

"Good question," Twilight pulled out her journal and opened up the mapping section. "I've been trying to find the fastest route through the valley, but the shifting landmass makes finding a route almost impossible. We'll just have to keep going straight and deal with whatever obstacles we come across."

"Sounds like a plan," Flash remarked before seeing a shack in the distance, the words 'supply hut' written on a sign above the door. "Maybe someone in there will know how the best way to get through the gorge."

"That could work."

With that, the three made their way down the hill, soon knocking on the shack's door, "Hello? Anybody in here?" The was no reply, which made Flash push the door open. Inside, the shack was filled with shelves that held multiple different pieces of equipment. Hard hats, rope, torches, sleeping bags, tents and anything else was on these shelves, almost enough for a whole army of hikers.

"Whoa...." Spike added as he walked inside, "Where is everyone?"

"Not sure. Place is filled to the brim with stuff though."

"Agreed, but I hope they show up soon," Doc commented as he picked up a brown hard hat and placed it on his head. "The longer we're here, the less daylight we'll have in the gorge."

"Good point," Flash replied before noticing a counter, complete with a small bell. Moving over to ring it, Flash got half way there before blinking at the tabletop. He came to halt as he looked down, now seeing a red liquid pouring along the floor from behind the counter. "Err...guys?"

The others moved up to him, spotting the liquid and getting just as nervous. They all began to slowly step around the counter, only to freeze up as they saw where the liquid came from. On the floor was an old man, laying face down in a pool of the red liquid. Wide eyes followed as they saw no movement.

"HOLY ARCEUS, HE'S DEAD!" They all screamed in unison.

Twilight grabbed Spike and pulled him away from the crime scene, Flash and Doc glancing at each other in panic, "Holy crap! What do we do?!"

"I...I don't know. Do we call Officer Hard Case?" Doc asked back.

Flash looked back at the body again, sweating now pouring down his face. "I guess we have to...but what if he thinks we did this?!"

"I can't go to jail!" Twilight almost cried. "Professor Celestia might not want me as her student anymore!"

"So what do we do?!" Spike grabbed Peewee and hugged him tightly.

It was here that Springer walked up to the body, closing his eyes before opening them again. "Ri?" the Riolu then leaned down and poked the body. "Ri! Riolu!"

"Springer! Show some respect for the departed!"

The Riolu simply rolled his eyes as he continued poking the old man. And after that fifth poke, the dead body suddenly let out a moan. The four humans and one Terragon all went wide eyed at this, the old man now raising his head to show he had a white beard to go with his white hair. "Ohhh....morning."

"AAAAHHHHHHH!!!! HE'S ALIVE!"

The old man moaned again as he began to pick himself up, "What's all the racket about?"

"We're sorry," a still shivering Twilight replied. "You see, we thought...well, we thought...we...thought-"

"We thought you were dead," Spike interrupted.

The old man tilted his head at this, then glanced down before putting the pieces together. "Oh...right." he then burst out laughing, "Well, sorry to disappoint!"

"You didn't actually." Flash told him with crossed his arms, "So, what happened?"

The man started to wipe the red stuff off of his shirt. "Not sure. Last thing I remember, I was carrying a plate of sausages covered in ketchup out here for my lunch. Then the next thing I knew, I'm waking up after being poked."

"That's strange. You ever suddenly collapse like that before?"

The man shook his head. "No, never. But now that I think about it, I remember hearing something coming from outside before I conked out."

"A sound that knocked you out?" Twilight asked as she rubbed her chin in confusion.

"Eh, whatever." The old man held out his hand. "Name's Solid Stone."

The teen shook his hand, "Name's Flash, and this is my partner Springer."

"Ri."

"I'm Twilight, and this is my brother."

"Spike," the teen pointed at the Terragon on his head, "This is Peewee."

"Terra!"

"And I'm Doc."

"Nice to meet you all." Solid Stone remarked as he bent down to pick up a walking stick, the old timer now shakily walking around the counter. He showed himself as a short old man with long white hair and a beard. His skin was grey and he was wearing a brown vest over a white shirt and brown pants. "So...what can I do for you, young whippersnappers?"

Twilight adjusted her glasses at this question, "Oh, uh...we want to pass through the Ghastly Gorge." As soon as he heard this, Solid Stone hopped in place. "We were hoping to get directions that would help us get through it in the quickest possible way."

Doc nodded in agreement. "And hopefully get some supplies. You must know this area quite well, so we'd love to hear your opinions on what would be best to use."

Stone remained completely still, making the six all share a worried look. They then watched as he slowly scanned them over, mainly at Flash and Spike until his eyes shrunk into a glare. "No. You're not allowed to enter that gorge."

Hearing this made them all go wide eyed, but before they could say anything-

"WHEEEE!" yelled a voice from outside the shack. The group turned to the door, soon exiting as they looked around for the voice's owner.

"See anything?"

"Not yet," Flash replied as he rubbed his chin in thought. "What was that?"

Springer blinked at the sight, only to then close his eyes. His aura soon started to seep out, stirring a web into the sky as he scanned the nearby area. "Ri?" he whispered to himself before looking up, now staring at an empty tree. That is, till he saw that a large pink balloon like object stuck on its top. "Riolu!" He pointed up at it, making the others follow his paw.

"What's that?" Spike asked.

"A balloon?" Doc guessed.

"Yay!" They heard coming from the balloon, "That was fun!" They group all blinked at this, only to see a certain pink poofy haircut to appear beside the balloon.

"Pinkie?!" Everyone except Stone exclaimed.

Pinkie Pie shined a huge smile back, now waving as well, "Hey everyone! Its great to see you guys again!"

"How did you get up there?!" Twilight asked back, "Are you okay?!"

Pinkie blinked in confusion before pulling something out of her ears, "What?!"

"Let's get her down before she explains lass," Stone told them as he stepped up to the tree, "Young lady, do you need help?"

"No, I got it." Pinkie's head disappeared into the tree, only for her and the balloon to pop out of the leafy foliage. She then floated down with the balloon, the air-filled sphere now shrinking as she descended. As it did, its shape began to become a Pokémon they all recognised. It was a Jigglypuff.

Once they were close to the ground, Pinkie hopped off the Pokémon as Jigglypuff finally reached its natural size. "Hey guys, long time no see."

"Tell me about it. Its great to see you."

"Aww, thanks you guys."

"But...what are you even doing here Pinkie?" Twilight asked with a tilted head.

"I decided to go home for a visit," Pinkie replied as she patted the Jigglypuff on the head. "I haven't been back in a while, and I wanna see how everybody's doing."

"Where's your home?" Spike asked back.

Pinkie shined a big grin, "Baltimare City."

"Huh. That's where we're heading."

Pinkie stared at them for a second, then blinked once before letting out a loud gasping noise. "WE CAN GO TOGETHER!"

"That's a great idea. Having you along for the ride will be fun." Doc then looked down at the earplugs Pinkie had taken out of her ears. "What's with them?"

"Oh these?" Pinkie pointed at her Jigglypuff, "She likes to sing while we're flying. If I don't wear these, I fall asleep and well..."

"Yeah. I can see where that could go wrong."

Stone took this moment to speak up. "So kiddo, mind explaining how you ended up in that tree?"

"Oh that?" Pinkie picked up her Jigglypuff and hugged it to her chest before pointing at the gorge, "Jiggly and I were flying over that thing when this super fun wind picked up. It sent us flying all over the place until we eventually ended up here. You know the rest."

"Jiggly," Jigglypuff nodded.

Stone frowned at this, "You foolish girl!"

"Hey! No need to be mean!" Flash barked back at the old man.

Stone glared back at the boy. "Yes there is," he turned to start walking towards the gorge. "Thinking you can simply fly over Ghastly Gorge...don't be ridiculous! This gorge acts as a natural wind tunnel, and the holes on its ceiling makes flying over it damn near impossible." He reached the edge and turned back to Pinkie, "The fact you were simply blown back here is you being lucky."

Pinkie and Jigglypuff just frowned at this while the others took in what Stone was saying. Stone glared back to the gorge, staring out at its vastness. "You young people today think you're all invincible, deciding to do whatever saves a little time no matter how dangerous it is." He turned back to them, "That's why I refuse to allow you access into this gorge. You kids wouldn't last one day in it."

To say the five teens and their Pokémon were insulted was an understatement, with Flash barking, "Who are you to decide that?! We're strong! Heck, I've already got two badges."

Stone just spat at him. "You think just because you've got a few pieces of tin that you can face what's waiting for you in there?!" He pointed at the landmark with his cane, "I spent fifty years guiding people through this thing. I know what it takes to get through it, and you lot don't have it!" He then pointed at Spike, "And you want to take a child in there!"

Spike growled at this. "Hey! I'm not a baby, you know!"

"You might as well be," Stone replied.

Spike's face began to turn red with anger, but before he could do anything, Twilight placed a hand on his shoulder. She shook her head at him before turning to Stone. "Mr. Stone, you really shouldn't be making assumptions on just meeting us. We might not look it, but we're stronger than you think. For instance, Doc here is the Trottingham City Gym Leader."

Doc nodded with crossed arms. "We might all lack in certain areas, but together I'm sure we'll be more than a match for whatever we might find in there."

Stone simply shook his head before pointing back at the gorge. "Take a look down there." The group moved over to the edge and looked downwards, seeing what Stone was pointing at.

Along the walls of the canyon were multiple moving rocks, which they quickly realised were Pokémon. They appeared to be four legged beetles made entirely out of stone, the creatures wearing small horns on their heads and three smaller spikes on their back. Size wise, they looked like they could fit in the palm of your hand.

"What are those thing?" Spike asked.

Twilight smiled as Flash took out his Pokedex, "They're Crawlder."

Name: Crawlder
Category: Wall Crawling Pokémon
Type: Rock
Info: Usually found in rocky caves, it climbs walls while using its razor sharp feet to dig into the rock. The small horn on its head is used for defense, and to mark its territory.

"You'll find Crawlder like those all over the gorge," Stone explained as he tapped his cane. "Its said that their final evolution was what created the place, as a safe haven for them and many other Pokémon."

"So?" Flash asked back.

"So? So?!" Stone glared at him, "They're only one of the many dangers you'll face if you enter this canyon. Landslides, sink holes, underground labyrinths and wild Pokémon that will defend their home no matter what the cost. Dealing with even one of them could be too much for any one person, but facing them one after the other, or even simultaneously....you'll be finished before you know it. So tell me boy, do you honestly think you can handle it all?!" He saw the looks of uncertainty on their faces, showing that he was getting his point across. "There aren't any Pokémon Centers in the gorge either, so if your Pokémon gets injured, you won't be able to simply rest there. Think you can handle that?!"

The five teens remained where they were, only for Flash to step up, "Yes."

Stone's face became hard. "Then you obviously don't care about your friends lives."

Flash just let out a sigh, resisting the urge to facepalm. "Look...I know you think we're just a bunch of stupid kids who don't know how dangerous the world is, but you're wrong. We've been through a lot and have faced a ton of dangerous situations before. Even if this thing might be the toughest we've faced up until now," He pointed at the old man with a stone-cold glare, "As long as we stick together, we'll be fine."

"Oh? You really think so?"

"I know so. If you can tell us what to expect, I know we'll be able to stand off against whatever this canyon throws at us." He turned to the others, "Twilight and Doc are both super smart. They'll know exactly how to overcome any obstacle we come across. Pinkie and Spike might not look it, but they're super tough as well. I doubt this gorge has any Pokémon in it that can scare them." Both Spike and Pinkie started making body builder poses, laughing as they did so.

Flash glared back at the old fogey. "You see? We've got this."

Stone just spat at them. "Bah! So you think you're ready?! Then I'll just have to show you how wrong you are!" The old man tapped his cane at Flash's chest. "Listen here youngin, we're gonna have a battle. If you win, I'll let you into the gorge with all the equipment you need. Lose, and you must leave this place and never come back."

Flash seemed a little unsure about this idea, turning to the others for their thoughts. They too looked unsure, but eventually all nodded at Flash. He looked back at Stone, "Alright. You're on."

"HA! Then let's get started!" Stone gestured them to follow, the group moving to a rock flat piece of land behind the shack. Stone and Flash were soon a fair distance from each other as the others stood at the sidelines. "Alright, here are the rules. I'll use two Pokémon, while you're allowed to use all the ones in your possession. Agreed?"

Flash smirked, "if that's how you wanna play it, I'm game."

Doc stepped up between them. "I'll serve as referee, alright?"

The two nodded before pulling out their Pokeballs. "Excadrill, to my side!" The ball opened and unleashed what looked like the cross between a mole and a power drill.

The Pokémon swiped its metallic claws through the air, "EX...cadrill!"

"Skyler, I choose you!" The ball revealed the Chickling, who beat its wings as it floated above the battlefield.

"Chickling!"

"Are both sides ready?" The two nodded, "Then battle...begin!"

"Skyler, Gust!" The Chickling began to beat his wings, creating a powerful wind that struck Excadrill, slowly pushing it back.

"Is that all you're capable of? How disappointing." Stone then tapped his cane again, "Strength!"

"Ex!" Excadrill tensed his muscles before charging ahead, cutting through the wind with ease. "Cadrill!" It leapt upwards and swung at Skyler, the bird barely managing to dodge. But as it did this, the force of the swing caused a slash of wind to appear, hitting Skyler back.

"Ling!" Skyler cried before regaining control of its wings.

"Metal Claw!" Excadrill's claws glowed as it spun at the bird.

"Steel Wing!" Skyler's wings shined as it swung back at the mole, its claws clashing with the wings. The sound of metal on metal filled the air, the two pushing back while Skyler found himself being overpowered. The Chickling then pushed away before flying around, striking it in the back.

"Drill!" It staggered as Skyler flew up into the air, ready to get away from another attack.

"Come back!" Flash returned Skyler to his Pokeball before pulling out another. "Riptide, I choose you!" He tossed the ball into the air, summoning the Aquana, "Rock Smash now!"

"You use Rock Smash too!" Stone ordered.

The two charged at each other as their fists glowed. "Aq/Ex!" The two punched one another, Riptide also finding himself being overpowered. As he did this, he started to lose his footing as Excadrill pushed him backwards.

Stone shook his head. "Your Pokémon lack power. How will you protect those you care for if you can't even defeat an old man."

Flash growled back, "There's more to a battle than just pure power."

"Maybe...but being strong is what helped me keep the ones I guided safe. You lack the strength needed to survive this gorge. Give up now!"

Twilight and the others stared at one another, unsure whether he was right or wrong. But as they did this, Flash spoke up, "I might not have power, but that doesn't mean I'm weak. I've got speed and skill to compensate. Riptide," the Aquana picked himself up, "Water Gun!"

"Aq...WANA!" A stream of water flew out of Riptide's mouth, striking Excadrill as it crossed its claws to shield itself.

"Now, Echoed Voice!" Riptide stopped his Water Gun before unleashing a powerful sonic wave, Excadrill now forced to cover its ears. "Rock Smash!" Riptide then shot at the still dizzy Excadrill, his fist glowing as he sucker punched it in the stomach.

"Drill!" Excadrill fell over while Riptide leapt back to safety.

"Return!" Riptide was recalled back into his Pokeball as Flash pulled out another. "Prongs, I choose you!" he tossed the ball into the air, releasing the Thawn, "Energy Ball!"

"Fey!" Prongs fired the green sphere at Excadrill.

"Drill Run!" Excadrill folded up into his drill form, spinning like crazy as he carved through the sphere before flying after the deer.

"Dodge it!" Prongs leapt over the flying Excadrill, only to turn around mid-air, "Now, Double Kick!" As soon as he landed, Prongs galloped at the drill, spinning around again as he slammed both back hooves into the mole's back.

"Drill!" Excadrill staggered again, panting heavily from the damage it had taken.

"Metal Claw!" Excadrill charged at the Prongs, slashing its glowing claws.

"Fey...Thawn...fey...Thawn...fey...Thawn!" Prongs panted as it dodged each slash, only for Excadrill's claw to strike the cloud, kicking up a dust cloud into Prong's eyes. "Thawn!" The grass deer was forced to shut his eyes as he stood still, giving Excadrill the opening it needed.

"Strength!" The drill mole flexed its muscles before punching Prongs, knocking him back.

"Leech Seed!" Flash ordered, the still blinded Prongs obeying as it launched the two seed like projectiles out of its head.

"Dodge!" Excadrill tried to leap away, only for one of the seeds to strike his leg, vines now wrapping around his lower body.

"Ex?" Excadrill looked down at the vines, only to flinch when they began to drain its strength. "Drill!"

Flash pulled out his Pokeball, "Return Prongs!" The Thawn was recalled as Flash swapped out his Pokeball. "Viper, I choose you!" Tossing the orb into the air, the fire snake landed as Flash pointed ahead. "Flamethrower!"

"Hiss...SCOR!" Viper spat out a stream of fire, Excadrill now crossing its claws again as the flames struck.

"Drill!" It moaned, only for the Leech Seed to flare, making him lose focus and be pushed to its feet. Once the flames stopped, Excadrill picked itself up, only for Stone to order it to use Rock Smash. It charged at the snake, the attack missing before the snake expertly wrapped itself around Excadrill's arm.

"Bite!"

"Scor!" Viper stuck his fangs into his opponent, the mole crying out a gain as it flailed its arm around.

"Shake it off with Drill Run!" Excadrill curled up before spinning on the spot, picking up speed that knocked Viper right off.

"Drill!" Excadrill spun up into the air, only to point back down where Viper had landed.

"Strength!" Excadrill fell back to earth, readying a fist to punch Viper with.

"Use Flamethrower on the ground!"

"Hiss...SCOR!" Viper unleashed a torrent of fire downwards, propelling himself upwards. Seconds later, Excadrill hit the ground, missing Viper. But as he hit the dirt, the force of its attack had caused its claw to be stuck, trapping it.

"He's open! Fire Spin!"

"Scor!" Viper's tail ignited before it spun around, flicking the fireball at Excadrill. When it hit the ground, it exploded into a fiery tornado.

"Ex!" Excadrill managed to pull its claw free as the flames continued to burn it.

"Get out of there with Drill Run!" Excadrill nodded as it started to spin like a drill, breaking through the flames before landing in the center of the field. But as it did this, it looked around for Viper, only to find nothing.

"Rio..." Excadrill spun around to see Springer in front of him, Aura Sphere in paw as he thrusted it into the mole. "LU!" The orb struck Excadrill, sending it flying back.

"Nice one bud," Flash said as he put Viper's Pokeball away.

"Clever..." Stone commented as Excadrill picked itself up, "Swapping Pokémon while we were distracted."

"Told you there's more to battles than pure power." Flash barked back.

"Maybe, maybe not. Metal Claw!" Excadrill charged once again, glowing claws primed to strike Springer.

"Double Team!" Springer suddenly multiplied, the one Excadrill hit disappearing as it slashed it. "Now, Aura Sphere Barrage!" The Springer army all created a small Aura Spheres, all firing at the Excadrill. It slashed the balls away, only for the Leech Seed to flare again, making him freeze up.

"RI...O...LU!" They all cried as they thrusted another round of orbs at the Excadrill, an explosion following that caused the fakes to disappear.

Everyone waited for the smoke to clear, Springer rushing back to Flash in preparation. But it appeared unneeded, as when the dust settled, they saw the ground mole laying on the ground with swirls in its eyes. "Excadrill is unable to battle," Doc announced. "Springer wins."

"Nice one bud," Flash and Springer both shared a thumbs up as Stone returned Excadrill.

"That's one down," Spike commented.

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Constantly switching was the key to Flash winning there. Excadrill couldn't keep up with the changing opponents."

"Yay! Go Flash!" Pinkie cheered, hopping on the spot in joy.

Flash punched his fists together. "So, still think I'm not strong enough?"

Stone smirked as he put his Pokeball away. "You were strong enough to beat Excadrill, but he's hardly my strongest Pokémon." He took out another Pokeball, which he enlarged. "He's merely used to clear paths and destroy obstacles. My next Pokémon however, he is who I turn to in a fight. Machamp, come on out!" He tossed the ball into the air, revealing a four armed Pokémon whose muscles had muscles.

It tensed its muscles and struck a pose, "Ma....CHAMP!"

"Machamp...that's not good." Flash whispered to himself.

Spike gulped at the sight, "It looks strong."

"That's because it is," Twilight added as she bit her lip. "This is going to be difficult."

Flash looked down at the Riolu. "Springer, take a rest." Springer nodded and moved back as Flash pulled out a Pokeball. "Skyler, I choose you!" Once again, the Chickling appeared and stood opposite of the Machamp.

"Chickling!"

"Are both trainers ready?" The two nodded, "Then battle begin!"

"Steel Wing!" Flash ordered, Skyler dashing with glowing wings. Neither Stone nor Machamp even moved, allowing Skyler's attack to smack its chest. But Machamp didn't even flinch, surprising everyone. "No way. Alright, use Gust!"

"Chick!" Skyler whipped up a wind, the blades of wind cutting into the brute's skin. However, just like the wing attack, the creature didn't even flinch at the scratches.

"Quick Attack!" Skyler rocketed at Machamp like a bullet, picking up as much speed as it could. But as he drew near, Machamp finally acted. Quickly thrusting its top arms outwards, Machamp easily caught Skyler by the wings.

"No way," Flash whispered as he watched Skyler struggle to break free.

Stone merely chuckled. "Drain Punch!" Machamp's lower right fist clenched as a spiralling green energy surrounded it, only to thrust into Skyler's chest. The blow made the Chickling cry out, its body going sailing back as it flew out of Machamp's hands.

"Chick!" Skyler cried one last time as it landed in front of Flash, spirals in its eyes.

"Skyler is unable to battle," Doc announced. "Machamp is the winner."

"That was one hit," Spike grimaced.

"Flash is in trouble," Pinkie added.

Twilight looked over at Machamp, a long sigh following. "You're right...this isn't good. That was one blow..."

Flash held up his Pokeball. "Great work Skyler. Take a good rest." Once Skyler was returned, Flash pulled out another Pokeball. "Riptide, I choose you!" The Aquana reappeared, ready to fight with everything it had. "We'll start by keeping our distance. Water Gun!"

"Aq...WANA!" Riptide fired the jet of water right at Machamp's chest.

"Block it!" Stone ordered, Machamp using its lower arms to block the water as it began to walking up to the Aquana.

"Not good. Echoed Voice!" Riptide unleashed its powerful scream, but Machamp simply blocked its ears with its upper arms while keeping its lower arms ready.

"Thunder Punch!" Machamp once again clenched its lower right fist, this time now surrounded by electricity. With one powerful swing, it punched Riptide.

"WANA!" Riptide screamed as electricity filled its body, knocking him down with spirals in his eyes.

"Riptide is unable to battle," Doc announced. "Machamp is the winner."

No one said anything as Flash returned Riptide, then pulled out another Pokeball. "Prongs, I choose you!" The Thawn appeared on the field, his eyes still squinting due to the dust. "I know you can't see to well, but you're my best bet against Drain and Thunder Punch."

"Fey!"

Stone just shook his head, "Ice Punch!"

"Wait, what?!"

Machamp bum-rushed the deer, his fist now surrounded by a cold mist. It thrusted it into Prongs, freezing him solid as he was sent flying back. "Fey!" He cried as he hit the ground, the ice shattering while Prongs eyes turned into spirals.

"Prongs is unable to battle," Doc announced. "Machamp is the winner."

"This is getting ridiculous," Twilight commented as they watched Flash return Prongs. "That Machamp….at this rate, Flash will lose without doing anything to it."

"Viper, I choose you!" The Hisscor reappeared, glaring up at the Machamp as he blew smoke from his nostrils. "Now, use Flamethrower!"

"Scor!" The blast of fire hit the Machamp, only for it to simply raise its fist in response.

"Fire Punch!" The fist ignited as the flames struck, Machamp's fire protecting it from Viper's. "Now Drain Punch!"

"Champ!" Machamp dashed at the snake, cutting through the flames as its other fist was consumed by a spiralling green energy.

Viper saw the attack coming and leapt away, only for Machamp's arm to stretch out. Before anything could happen, the muscle-bound grip snagged his tail, making him yelp, "Scor?!"

Machamp chuckled as it slammed Viper into the ground, its other fist ready with Drain Punch. Viper once again unleashed a Flamethrower, fire now blasting Machamp's chest like a barrage of endless fireballs. But despite this, the other fist hit the snake, taking every ounce of energy out of the Pokémon.

"Scor!" He cried, the fires from his mouth slowly draining before stopping altogether. And as it did this, Machamp threw Viper to the ground, walking back as Viper's eyes turned to spirals.

"Viper is unable to battle," Doc announced. "Machamp is the winner."

As Flash returned Viper, he looked over Machamp and saw the burn still on his chest. "Viper did some damage, though not much." He then looked down at Springer, only to see nothing but determination on the Riolu's face. The sight alone made Flash semi-smile. "You're all I've got left bud. You with me?"

Springer looked up at him and nodded, "Ri!"

Flash smiled back before pointing at the battle field. "Alright then, Springer, I choose you!"

Springer ran up to the battlefield as both Stone and Machamp shook their heads. "Some children never learn. Machamp, let's end this already. Drain Punch!"

"Champ!" Machamp's fist started glowing green, a swing following.

"Dodge it!" Springer back-flipped, evading the attack with ease.

"Ice Punch!" Springer once again dodged the punch, making Machamp growl in annoyance.

"Time for our specialty. Quartet Punch Fury!"

"MACHAMP!" The four armed Pokémon's four fists were each engulfed in one of the four elements, now throwing punch after punch at Springer. Drain, fire, ice, and thunder was now covering the battlefield, the Riolu hopping back and forth as he dodged every punch.

And as the attack continued, a lucky Fire Punch managed to hit the Riolu. "RI!" Springer staggered back, falling onto his rear. As he recovered, he looked up to see Machamp staring down at him, his fist now preparing a Drain Punch.

"Double Team!" Springer started to multiply, the one Machamp punching disappearing as the others got up. While this happened, Flash stared hard at the Machamp. There was now a shortness of breath with the Pokémon, heavy pants now coming out of the fighting Pokémon's mouth. "Nice. I got it now." Flash pointed at the Machamp, "Springer, do evasive manoeuvres with Quick Attack!"

The Springers all nodded before all but one disappeared, that one rushing at the brute. And as he grew closer, another Drain Punch tried to strike him, only for the Riolu to hop back, his feet quickly allowing him to run around the cretin. Machamp then spun around, trying another swing, only for Springer to hop back again. Dodging another blow, Springer kept trying to get behind Machamp, making each of the towering Pokémon's swings miss.

"What's he doing?" Spike asked. "Why isn't Springer attacking?"

Twilight adjusted her glasses with a smirk, "Simple. He's wearing Machamp out." The others looked at her in confusion. "That Machamp might be strong, but its slower and using that barrage attack earlier used up a lot of its energy. That's why its trying to hit Springer with Drain Punch, as its trying to get back some of its energy. But as it stands, he can't touch Springer, not in that condition at least."

Flash smirked at Stone. "We lack power, but we can more than make up for it with speed."

"Speed isn't everything boy. You're not winning this!"

"We'll see about that. Springer! Show him what I mean!" The Riolu stopped its dodging and quickly spun around, hitting Machamp with a quick and decisive punch before leaping back to a safe distance. He then ran another circle around Machamp, only to repeat the attack again. "Our attacks might be ten times weaker than yours, but if we can hit you ten times before you hit us once, it'll even out. And if we hit you twenty, thirty or forty times, then we can defeat you!"

Stone went wide-eyed as he continued to watch the battle. He stared in awe as Springer hit Machamp over and over, only to dodge every strike afterward. Springer's speed had increased to such a level that it felt like Machamp was being struck a hundred times a second. And after a full minute of this assault, Springer came to a stop in front of the Fighting-Type as it stood swaying. "Incredible..." Stone gasped, his throat forgetting to say a command.

"End this!" Flash pointed at Machamp. "Force Palm!"

Springer thrusted his paw into Machamp's stomach, an explosion following before sending Machamp flying back. Everyone watched as Machamp then fell backwards, spirals replacing its eyes. "Machamp is unable to battle," Doc called out. "Springer is the winner, so the victor is Flash!"

"Yes!" Flash and Springer both leapt for joy, the others all clapping and cheering for them.

Stone returned Machamp, letting out a long sigh as he stared at Flash. "Well boy, you certainly surprised me. I didn't think you'd be able to pull it off. You actually managed to beat me."

"I told you I'd win." Flash crossed his arms with a smirk, Springer mirroring him. "Now, you'll let us into the gorge, right?"

Stone sighed but nodded. "Yes, though I still fear you may be getting in over your head. That being said, a promise is a promise. I'll allow you entry into the gorge and grant you all the equipment and info you'll need. Just do me a favor and call me once you're through so I can rest easily. That and...sorry for being rough."

"No problem," Flash gave him a thumbs up. The next thing he knew, someone suddenly leapt onto his back and curled their arms around his neck.

"FLASH!" Pinkie screamed as she rubbed her cheek into his, "You were amazing!"

"Thanks Pinkie." Flash laughed as Pinkie jumped off, the others now gathering around him.

"That was great Flash," Spike cheered.

Twilight nodded as she pushed her glasses up her nose, "That last move at the end was really something. Looks like you're finally planning in battle."

"Not only that, we can now go down into the gorge," Doc added.

Stone gestured to them. "Come along, let's get back to the shack. You can go down tomorrow after a good night's sleep, and I'll tell you everything you'll need to know." The others nodded and soon they returned to the shack. Once there, they enjoyed a supper of ketchup sausages as Stone showed them a map of the gorge while pointing out everything they'd need to be wary off.

The next morning, Flash and the others stood ready to start their journey. The lot of them were now wearing hard hats with torches on the top. Flash's was orange while Twilight's was purple, Spike's was green, Doc's was blue, Pinkie's was pink and Springer's was black.

Stone then tapped his cane as he said, "Well, this is it. Remember to stick together and never let your guard down."

"We will," Flash replied back as Springer nodded.

Twilight bowed next. "Thank you for everything."

"You can thank me by getting through this gorge unharmed," Stone barked back. "Like I told you, this isn't gonna be easy."

"Okie doki loki!" Pinkie piped back, making Stone roll his eyes.

Stone then held out a rolled up piece of paper. "Here, this will come in handy. It's a map of the canyon."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, but took it anyway. "Thanks, though I don't think we'll need it. My journal has the route we planned out."

Stone just chuckled at this. "Sure it does. Remember this lass, its always good to have a backup."

Once Twilight pocketed the map, they all turned to the path leading into the gorge. "Well, I guess this is it."

Flash nodded in agreement, "Then let's get going." With that, he and Springer led the team into the Ghastly Gorge. Even though they had been told what to expect, they were still a little nervous about what they would have to face. But as long as they stuck together, stayed alert and didn't do anything stupid, they would be okay.

The Underground Maze

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Continuing their Pokémon adventure, our heroes had finally entered the landmass known as Ghastly Gorge. Now accompanied by their friend Pinkie, the five teens and their Pokémon companions began their journey to the gorge's exit, which would result in Pinkie's hometown of Baltimare and Flash's third Equestria Region gym challenge.

Now our heroes find themselves officially off the beaten track, the path that led down into the gorge having ended and was replaced with holes and tripping rocks. They would need to watch their step, or risk breaking their necks. It was here that Twilight looked up from her journal to watch Flash stride over a hole, then repeated for the third time that day. "Be careful everyone."

"We heard you the first time Twilight," Spike grumbled as he climbed over a large rock. Peewee was clinging to his shoulder, not flying for fear of the powerful wind that had sent Pinkie careening off course earlier.

Pinkie, who was hopping from rock to rock, giggled. "Yeah, stop worrying Twily! This is fun!"

Twilight sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Have you forgotten what Solid Stone told us?! This place is dangerous, so we have to be careful!"

"I'm with Twilight," Doc added as he pushed a rock aside. "It took a lot of convincing to even get in here. Stone was adamant that whatever's in here that's not us will want to harm us, so we have to be careful."

Flash just sighed at this, turning back to Twilight with a frown, "Come on you two, we can still have fun and be careful. Just make sure to weigh the risks before deciding to do anything, okay?"

"Riolu," Springer nodded, the others slowly moving their heads as well.

Twilight continued to plot her route through the canyon, only for her journal to freeze up. "What the-" She tried refreshing the system, but the journal refused to cooperate. Instead, it just went white, now showing that accursed buffering symbol. "What's wrong with this thing?"

"Here, let me see it." Twilight handed it over to Doc, the gym leader inspecting the device before moving to a nearby wall. He tapped the rocky surface, humming to himself, "Hmmm...alright, I think I see the problem."

"Great! What's the problem?" Twilight asked as she took it back.

"The rocks in this place are laced with some kind of metal. I believe that is what is making it difficult to get a signal to your journal. As such, your journal can't function like its supposed too."

Twilight moaned as she put her journal away, Spike speaking up at the sight. "You think Stone knew about that?"

"I wouldn't put it past him," Flash replied before a click went off in his head. "Wait...didn't he give us a map?"

"Oh yeah," Twilight reached into her bag and pulled out the rolled up paper. The others soon crowded around her as she stared at the map, only for all of them to blink in confusion. This was because the thing looked like it had been drawn by a three year old, the paper being covered in doodles like the Onix that sat right in the middle of the page. "What the-how is this supposed to help us?!"

"I guess its not." Flash commented as he gestured them to follow him. "Come on guys, guess we'll have to make our own path."

And so, they ventured through the caverns, making sure to be careful but having fun whenever they found the opportunity. But it wasn't long until they came across one of the obstacles Stone had warned them about, this one being a large pile of rocks that had fallen between the two canyon walls. The group looked up at the pile, seeing that it filled half of the canyon. "Well, we knew we'd come across one of these eventually."

"So what do we do?" Spike asked next.

"You think we could climb it?" Twilight suggested, causing Pinkie to do exactly that.

"First one to the top's a rotten Pokémon egg!" she exclaimed as she started climbing. But as she was a third of the way, one of the rocks came loose. And as her hand grabbed it, the two under her feet had the same reaction, causing her to tumble back. "Whoa!"

"Pinkie!" Doc exclaimed as they caught her, only to pull her away as more loosened rocks tried to fall on top of her. A cloud of dust soon followed, causing to let out a coughing storm before the dust settled.

"Well, so much for that," Flash commented as he waved in front of his face.

Spike turned to his sister, "Now what do we do?"

Twilight rubbed her chin at this, biting her lip as she scanned what little of the gorge they could see. Seeing nothing worth looking at, she let out a sigh, "I...I'm not sure."

Pinkie decided to throw in her two cents. "We could always take that passage way over there." The others turned to where she was pointing, seeing a man sized hole in the canyon wall which they then saw a Crawlder step into and disappear.

"How'd we miss that?" Flash asked, scratching his head.

Twilight walked up to the hole and looked inside, "Hmm...looks like it goes straight down. You think it's a good idea to go down here? We have no idea where it might lead."

"Our only other option is to go back," Doc replied before taking off his bag. He then pulled out a long coil of rope, which he tied to a rock and began to unloop it. "Okay, we've got two miles of rope to use in case we need to find our way out. We'll head inside and if we run out of rope before we find a way out, we come back and discuss our options." The others all nodded at this and simultaneously turned the torches atop their helmets on.

With that, the seven of them hopped into the tunnel. They spent the next several minutes traversing the dark tunnel, relieved that the place was at least stable. That is, till they came across a junction with several new tunnels to pick from.

"Which way do you think we should go?"

"Good question Spike," Doc commented as he inspected each tunnel. "Three of them seem to be heading upwards, which could mean they lead to an exit."

Flash hummed. "Okay, that still leaves the picking part."

Pinkie chose this moment to start pointing at each of the three tunnels. "Eenie meenie miney mo, catch a Luxray by its toe. If it zaps, let it go. Eneie meenie, miney...MO!" She was pointing at the central hole with a huge smile, "Let's go!" She started skipping up the tunnel, the others not following as they shared unsure glances. Eventually, they saw she was getting out of view and rushed after her, catching up as the path leveled out. It was another ten minutes of wandering before Doc made them stop.

"What's up?" Spike asked as they turned back to him.

"What's up is that we're officially out of rope," Doc tugged on the end of the rope to show his point.

"Looks like we're heading back," Twilight told them.

The others all nodded, and were about to begin their long trek back. "Maybe one of those other two tunnels will lead us out," Spike suggested, only for Flash to come to sudden stop.

Twilight raised an eyebrow as she watched him stare back at the tunnel they had been going through. "What's up?"

"Do you guys not hear that?" Flash asked, making everyone stop and listen. It was then that they heard it, a quiet but noticeable whistling noise.

They all smiled as Pinkie added, "Wind."

"Sounds more like a draft," Doc commented next.

"In other words, a way out," Twilight finished.

"It must be close," Flash turned back, the others following as they followed the draft. It wasn't long till they reached an open stone chamber, causing them to come to a stop. "Where is that wind coming from? You guys see anything?"

They all shook their heads no, until Twilight spotted a speck of light and looked up. "There!" The others stared at it as well, Twilight then taking out a pair of night vision binoculars, a gift from Stone, and zoomed in, "Looks like we could use that as the way out. I think its big enough for us to get through."

"Sounds good to me." Flash commented before feeling an odd shiver. He then held up his hands, his eyes staring at the floor as he kept his hands out.

"What's the matter?"

Flash kept staring at the ground. "The floor, its...moving."

The others all went wide eyed and glared at the ground. They soon caught on and started focusing their torches on one spot. There, they saw a kind of long snake like Pokémon. It was roughly eight feet long and had a rounded tube like body, which was light brown with gray stone like spikes running along its back. Wrapped around its neck was a pair of gray collars, while a rounded stone sat on its forehead between its eyes and ears. The group watched these Pokémon, whose numbers they guessed were probably in double digits, and saw that they were all asleep.

"What are those things?" Pinkie whispered.

As Flash pulled out his Pokedex, Twilight replied. "They're...Burroworms."

Name: Burroworm
Category: Burrowing Pokémon
Type: Ground
Info: This Pokémon lives underground and senses the vibrations from above to know if something lays above it.

"What do we do?" Spike asked next.

"I'm not sure," Doc said with a slight gulp. "You think we should risk it?"

Flash, Twilight and Pinkie grimaced as they looked down at the Burroworms, several of which seemed to wiggle around in their sleep. Flash then turned to Twilight, "What do you think the chances are that we'll wake them up?"

Twilight gulped at the question. "Well...since we were talking at normal volume before we noticed them and they didn't wake up, I'd say if we keep our voices down...and be careful where we step, then we should be fine." The others all nodded and began to slowly step into the horde of sleeping worms.

"Careful..." Pinkie whispered as she slowly placed her tip toe on a clear piece of ground.

"Careful...careful..." Spike repeated as he did the same. But as soon as he did it, one of the Burroworms wiggled around, which caused its tail to wrap around his foot. Spike let out a strangled cry as he looked down at his trapped foot, Twilight seeing this and carefully moving over to him.

"Hold still," she told him as she reached down and slowly unwrapped the tail. Once Spike was loose enough, he stepped out before the tail curled up once again.

"Thanks." Twilight nodded and the group once again made their way through the crowd, eventually getting about halfway across.

It was at this moment though, that everything went wrong. A Burroworm near Pinkie had just swept its tail along the ground, kicked up a dust cloud that went right into the girl's face. Pinkie had also been breathing in at this moment, causing the dust to go right up her nose. Everyone turned to watch as Pinkie's nose twitched, causing her to speak up, "Ah...ah..."

Flash reacted and reflexively put his finger under her nose. Pinkie sniffed several times, feeling no irritation, causing her to smile and give a thumbs up to Flash. The other sighed in relief at this, Flash removing his finger before-

"ACHOO!" Pinkie's sneeze echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls before finally dying down. Everyone had flinched up at this, Pinkie now giving them an apologetic look. "Uh...oops."

They all looked down and saw that one by one, the eyes of the Burroworms opened up. "Oh Arceus," Twilight mumbled as the eyes stared at the group.

"BURROWORM!" They all screamed, the worms now slithering around the room in a panic-filled fury.

"Whoa!" Flash cried as one of their tails hit him in the back, making him kiss dirt.

"Ahhh!" Twilight and Spike felt their feet be swept out from under them, Doc and Pinkie also knocked down by a train of wiggling worms. It was here that the Burroworms started burrowing into the cave floor to escape, causing a series of cracks to appear under the teens. But before they could do anything, the whole floor crumbled.

"AAAHHH!" The teens and Pokémon screamed as they fell into the darkness.

To be Continued...

Right now.

Flash moaned as he felt himself regain consciousness. His eyes twitched as he shook his head. Giving his brain a few seconds to pick up on what had just happened, his eyes now telling him in was in another dark tunnel. "Great..." he groaned as he looked around, "Springer? Twilight? Spike? Doc? Peewee?"

No response.

"Oh no..." he moaned as he picked himself up. "Now what do I do?" Feeling a little uneasy being on his own, Flash reached back to pull out his other Pokémon...only to find that his Pokeballs were gone. "Oh no...where are the-no!"

Panic began to truly set in as he looked around, only for relief to fill his heart as he then saw three Pokeballs on the ground. "Thank goodness. Come on out guys, I need your help." He enlarged the balls and unleashed the three Pokémon, revealing-

"Hoo," Owlicious flapped its wings as floated in place.

"Tock?" Tockwork stared at Flash in confusion.

"Jiggly?" Jigglypuff asked as it looked around, tears coming to its eyes as it couldn't find its trainer.

Flash facepalmed at the sight, "Oh geez. I hope the others are alright."

Meanwhile...

"This could be a problem," Doc commented as he picked himself up. He had just woken up, only to feel one of his legs kick something. Looking down, he saw it was one of two Pokeballs. "Good thing I didn't lose these," he picked them up, only for his ears to hear a new sound. Turning around, he gasped as he saw a familiar Terragon pull its head out a rock pile.

"Terra...."

"Peewee! You're okay!" he ran up to it and picked it up. "Thank goodness."

"Terragon!" Peewee nodded.

"You must have gotten separated from Spike," a sinking feeling filled him as he looked down at the Pokeballs in his grasp. "And I get the feeling you're not the only one." Opening them up, they released the twin energies that took the shape of Skyler and Gummy. "Not good...not good at all." he added as he watched them look around in confusion.

"Twilight!" Spike's voice echoed through one of the tunnels, "Peewee! Flash! Doc! Are you out there?!"

"Aquana/Fay/Scor!" The three starters called out as they walked behind him. Like Flash and Doc, Spike had woken up in a blocked off tunnel and found three Pokeballs, which were all Flash's Pokémon.

"Awww man, what am I gonna do?!" He looked back at the Pokémon, all of them shrugging in response. It was here that his stomach started grumbling, making him moan. "Twilight, Peewee, Flash, anyone...Please find us soon. You have all the food."

The first thing Twilight felt when she was waking up was the feel of someone poking her cheek. Her eyes drifted open, causing her to see Pinkie, Springer and Higear smiling down at her.

Pinkie's smile brightened, "Wakey wakey! Rise and shine Twily!"

Twilight groaned as she sat up and looked around, discovering she was in a tunnel like the others. "What happened?"

"We fell into a tunnel and the way we came has been filled up with rocks. Its no biggy….Oh! I also have no idea where the others are."

"WHAT?!" Twilight screeched as she tried to pick herself up, "This is bad! We have to find-augh!" She felt a pain shoot up her leg, making her stop and clutch her ankle.

Pinkie kneeled down with a glum frown, "Are you okay?"

"I think I might have twisted my ankle," Twilight grimaced as she gripped her foot. "But I can't let that stop me. I have to find-"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Pinkie flash her palm in front of Twilight's face. "Take a chill pill Twi. We'll find them, but you can't walk with an injury like that. Besides, getting all freaky-deaky ain't gonna do ya any good." She reached into her hair and pulled out a familiar red muffin. "Poke-Muff?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow at this but took the tasty treat anyways. A few bites later, she felt herself slightly calm down before turning to Springer, "Can you find their auras?"

Springer closed his eyes and began to reach out through the cave system, only to open his eyes and shake his head. "Ri..."

Twilight sighed at this. "Walls are probably too thick for you. We need to move somewhere else to scan for them."

"Alrighty then!" Pinkie squatted down and gestured to her back, "Hop on."

"Huh?!"

"Well, you can't walk with that ankle, so I'll carry you."

"Pinkie...I don't know about-"

"Oh come on, it'll be fun. Don't worry, I'm as strong as a horse. You wanna find your brother and Pokémon, don't you?"

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, only to sigh and slowly climb aboard the pink haired girl. Once Pinkie had a lock on her legs, she shined a huge grin. "And now...onwards!" With that, they began to trek through the underground labyrinth.

Back to Flash...

Flash, Tockwork, Owlicious and Jigglypuff were still making their way through the cave system. Tockwork was using Flash to light the way, allowing them to see as they came across a junction with three more tunnels, "Great...now where to we go?!"

The three Pokémon all shared a concerned look as they saw Flash moan. They might like this trainer, but they weren't sure if they wanted to put their escape in his hands. Tockwork moved over to the first tunnel and shot its light into it, only to see nothing. It did this for all three tunnels, only to find nothing in all three. "Nothing huh? Hmm..." Flash mumbled to himself as he saw this. "What would Twilight or Doc do?"

Owlicious tilted his head slightly before turning to Jigglypuff. "Psy, psy."

"Jiggly!" The round Pokémon nodded before inflating itself. Owlicious then moved it over to the tunnel and waited before moving her to another one.

Flash scratched his head at this, "What are you doing?" He continued to watch as they moved to the third tunnel, the two frowning as Jigglypuff deflated. "Oh...I get it! You were seeing if you could find a breeze, weren't you?" The two nodded while still looking downtrodden, causing Flash to pat them on the head. "Still a good idea. Let's just pick a random one and see which way it takes us."

The three nodded and took the first route. Jigglypuff walked ahead, boredom already setting in for the Pokémon. As such, she decided to do the one thing she always did when it came to boredom. She started singing. "Jiggaly...puff...jiggaly...puff! Jiggaly...puff...jiggaly." A new sound appeared besides her song, making Jigglypuff stop and turn around. There, it saw its three companions laying on the floor sleeping, their snores filling the cave. The little puffball inflated in anger at the sight, soon floating down to Flash's bag before pulling out a pen, an evil glint appearing in her eye.

Meanwhile...again.

Doc was walking down his own tunnel, Peewee now flying while carrying Gummy as Skyler rested atop Doc's helmet. But as they made their way, the group stopped as they entered a chamber that had no exit. "This could cause a bit of trouble." Doc mumbled while rubbing his chin. It was here that Skyler let out a tweet, pointing up with his wing. Doc followed the bird Pokémon's wing, soon seeing a ledge high above them that had another tunnel.

"So there's this tunnel's exit." Doc commented as he looked inside his bag, only to grimace as he remembered he had lost all his rope when the cave had collapsed. "Shoot...that's not the solution. Come on...think." He glanced at the Pokémon, a half frown on his face. "Any ideas?"

Peewee flew up to the ledge and dropped Gummy there before he and Skyler grabbed Doc by the shoulders. The two beat their wings as hard as they could, but it was no use. Doc laughed at this, the two collapsing on his shoulders while heavily panting. "Nice try guys, but I'm too big for you." He looked back up at the ledge and saw Gummy had made his way right up to the edge, his lifeless wide eyes staring down at them. "I don't suppose you have any idea to help me get up there?"

Gummy just blinked at this question, only to open his mouth as a blue ball of energy appeared before blue lightning shot out. The blue electricity struck the ledge, causing it to freeze as the lightning moved downwards. Doc, Peewee and Skyler's jaws all dropped as they watched Gummy make an ice ramp, which reached right down to the tips of Doc's toes.

"Well I'll be," Doc chuckled as he smiled at Gummy. "Guess you're as full of surprises as your trainer." With that, he began to walk up the ramp, only for the icy surface to make him almost slip. Luckily, Peewee and Skyler grabbed his jacket sleeves before pulling him up the slope and onto the ledge. Once there, Doc crouched down and patted all the little Pokémon on the head. "Nice work everyone."

"Terr!" Peewee agreed as he once again picked Gummy up before the three began to head down the new tunnel.

"Oh come on," Spike moaned as he and the three starters stared at what was keeping them from advancing. It was a massive chamber with no floor, which of course led to a drop so deep that Spike didn't want to see the bottom. Filling this hole were a bunch of flat stalagmites, which formed platforms that Spike could jump across. He spotted another tunnel entrance that was opposite him, meaning it was either cross the hole, or be trapped.

Spike looked down at the starters and saw them staring down into the pit, a look of nervousness on each of their faces. "Prongs," the Thawn looked up at him, "you take Viper across." Both Pokémon gulped but did as they were told, Viper wrapping his body around Prongs body.

Spike picked up Riptide and told him to hold on tight, Riptide nodding as they moved besides Prongs. "Here goes nothing. Go!" he and Prongs charged ahead, both leaping to one of the platforms. But as they landed, they felt the platform already start to crumble, causing the to leap again.

"Keep going!" Spike declared as they leapt to another, both stumbling on the rock. "Careful...gotta be careful."

"Fey...fey...fey," Prongs said to itself as it hopped onto another platform. But as it was about to get to the other side, the ledge Prongs landed on broke. "Fey/Scor!" The two cried as they began to fall.

"No/Ak!" Spike and Riptide yelped as they saw the two begin to fall into the darkness. But as they did this, Viper stretched out his body, biting down on one of the ledges as he kept himself wrapped around Prong's stomach.

Spike breathed a sigh of relief at this sight. "I'm only twelve, but I swear I almost had a heart attack." After rubbing his chest to calm himself, he then said, "Don't worry you two, I'll get you back up."

Pinkie was still carrying Twilight as they, Springer and Higear made their way through another tunnel. Twilight looked down at Springer, "Anything?" Springer shook his head again, making Twilight sigh. "Great...still nothing."

"Buck up," Pinkie hopped into the air and jiggled Twilight around. "We'll find them."

Twilight sighed yet again. "You don't know that. What if they were crushed by the rocks, or ran into other wild Pokémon that saw them as a threat?! These caves are dangerous!"

Pinkie shook her head at this, "I know that. But there's also a chance that they weren't crushed by the rocks or found a way to get out of the caves. Just because something bad could have happened, that doesn't make it any less likely that something good could have also happened. If you keep looking at everything in a negative light, than sooner or later you'll find you won't be able to find a positive to a situation. Unless you absolutely know something bad is gonna happen, then don't worry about it."

Twilight blinked at this, a small smile trying to form. "How'd you learn to be so positive all the time?"

Pinkie giggled at this. "You know how I once told you that my home is super boring?" Twilight nodded, "Well, because of that, I learned to see the bright side of everything. If I hadn't, then I would have never lasted there." It was in this moment that they reached a fork in the tunnel, leaving them with a choice. "Any ideas?"

Twilight's eyes blinked at the tunnels, "Hmmm...you have any chalk?" Pinkie nodded before pulling out a piece of chalk out of her hair. "How did you-neveremind. Pick a path to take and mark it. That way, if we end up back here, we'll know and won't end up constantly going in circles."

Pinkie nodded and picked the left path, drawing an X on the floor as they headed down into the tunnel.

Meanwhile...one more time!

Flash and the Pokémon with him were now all awake, Flash, Tockwork and Owlicious now all sporting frowns along with many doodles that littered their faces. The target of their glares was Jigglypuff, who was marching ahead while holding the pen that it now refused to give up. The three then started to wipe the doodles, only for them to hear a rumbling sound. "What was that?" Flash asked, only to get an answer when they turned the corner.

It was Geodude, tons of them rolling down the tunnel at high speed. "Holy Miltank!" Flash exclaimed as he saw the horde, his eyes looking to the Pokémon with him. His battle mind took over, causing him to think about all the typing Twilight had taught him. Owlicious was at a disadvantage, being weak to rock. Tockwork was too slow to stop them all, so that left...Jigglypuff. "Oh no...I'm gonna have to do that again, aren't I?" A long gulp followed. "Jigglypuff..." he stuck his fingers in his ears as the Pokémon turned to him, "Use Sing."

Jigglypuff smiled at that command, turning to the Geodude before taking a deep breath while Owlicious and Tockwork covered their ears. "Jiggaly...puff...jiggaly...puff! Jiggaly...puff...jiggaly." The song echoed through the cave, striking all of the Geodude. They immediately started slowing down, all soon coming to a complete stop a few inches away from Jigglypuff. The balloon Pokémon breathed a sigh of relief, that is until the sound of snoring from behind her made her turn to see her friends were also asleep.

"Jiggly!" she yelled as she inflated before popping the cap of her pen.

Spike, Riptide, Prongs and Viper were heavily panting as they sat on the ledge next to the hole. They had managed to get Viper and Prongs back up before leaping over to the other side, now resting as they got past the pit. "Oh man...if we don't get out of here soon, I don't know what I'm gonna do. I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Ak/Fey/Scor," the three nodded in agreement.

It was then that a sound caught the fours' ears, a high pitched whistling noise that echoed off the walls. Spike looked up and stared down the tunnel, "Is that-"

"What I think it is?" Doc finished as he and his group heard the whistling as well.

"Terra/Chick," Peewee and Skyler both nodded while Gummy simply stuck out its tongue and wiped his eyes once again.

"That whistle..." Twilight spoke up. "It has to be the wind! And that means-"

"A WAY OUT!" Pinkie exclaimed before running after the noise, Twilight having a hard time holding onto the pink haired girl while Springer and Higear followed.

"Jiggly! Jiggly jigglypuff!" the balloon Pokémon exclaimed as she shook the sleeping boy.

Flash let out a yawn as he sat back up, blinking as he saw Jigglypuff staring right at him. His lips smacked themselves as he yawned again, glancing over at Tockwork and Owlicious and saw they'd been drawn on again. "Not again.." he mumbled as he saw his reflection in Tockwork, sighing at the sight of pen glasses and moustache.

It was then that he also heard it, the whistling that flew through the cave like a haunting ghost. "That's..." he whispered as he looked down, seeing the still sleeping Geodude horde. Gulping at the sight, he slowly woke the other two, both not happy at being drawn on, before they all started tiptoeing around the rock Pokémon. Once free of that landmine field, the four picked up speed and ran after the source of the whistle. As he did, the other three teams made their way as well.

And as the whistling sound continued to echo through the cave, the four groups suddenly came to stop as they all ran into the same chamber. There, a ray of light illuminated the area, causing them to all smile at the sight of their friends.

"Guys!" Flash joyfully cheered.

"RI/CHICK/AQ/FEY/SCOR!" His five Pokémon all body checked him into the ground, the teen throwing his arms around them.

Flash laughed as he felt them rub their faces into his. "I'm so glad to see you're all alright."

"Owlicious!" Twilight hugged her partner.

"Psy!"

"Peewee!" Spike did the same with his, "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Terra!"

"Are you two alright?" Doc asked as he inspected his Pokémon, the two nodding while Doc noticed the squiggles covering Tockwork. "What the-what's this?!"

Twilight and Flash's Pokémon also noticed the pen marks, making them raise an eyebrow. Pinkie, who had been busy hugging the air out of her Pokémon, also noticed the shapes and laughed. "You fell asleep while Jigglypuff was singing, didn't you?"

Flash laughed nervously, "Yeah...twice actually."

After washing off the ink and seeing to Twilight's ankle, they all turned to the ray of light. There, they saw it was originating from a small hole coming from the wall. Doc moved up to the wall as Tockwork gave him a leg up, allowing him to look through it. "No doubt, this'll lead us outside."

"But that hole is way too small for any of us," Spike told him. "How are we supposed to escape?"

"Maybe we can break through the wall," Twilight suggested. "How thick is it Doc?"

"Not very," Doc jumped back down. "I'd say we could break through it if we all focused on the exact same spot."

"Alrighty then," Pinkie skipped over to the wall and used her chalk to draw an X on it. "Then this is where we'll strike." The others all nodded as they began to line up in preparation.

"Okay guys, the only way we're gonna break through this thing is if we work together. Remember not to do anything that might weaken the effects of someone else's attack, alright?" Flash commanded as his Pokémon all gave their respective cries to agree.

Doc turned to Flash. "Let's start by weakening the wall Flash. Use your Pokémon to rapidly heat and cool it."

Flash nodded before focusing on Viper. "Okay, use Flamethrower!"

"Hiss...SCOR!" Viper unleashed a torrent of fire, which struck the wall for about a minute. Then, both Riptide and Gummy stepped up.

"Alright, now Riptide-"

"You too Gummy," Pinkie added as they pointed at the spot Viper had struck.

"Water Gun!" The two reptile Pokémon both spat out a thin cold stream of water, causing the hard rock to steam up while cracking. Another minute later, Springer, Peewee, Skyler, Prongs, Owlicious, Higear, Tockwork and Jigglypuff went next.

Flash nodded at them all. "Now, Aura Sphere, Steel Wing and Energy Ball!"

"Peck," Twilight added.

"Dragon Breath!"

"Gear Grind and Bullet Punch!"

"And you use Pound!"

The eight Pokémon all launched their attacks, the long range ones hitting the cracked wall first before the close range added the pressure. It was here that a huge crack showed itself on the wall. Flash then called out, "Again!" And so, the process was repeated, Viper, Riptide and Gummy hitting the wall with fire and water before the others struck it with their attacks. "Again!" Over and over they did this, more cracks appearing before covering the entire wall.

"That should do it," Doc commented as he gestured the Pokémon to step back. "One good attack on every point of the wall is sure to break it."

Flash nodded as he turned to Springer. "Alright bud, let's use Aura Sphere Barrage."

"Ri!" Springer nodded as it started using Double Team to copy and paste himself several times. Once that happened, they charged with a smaller Aura Sphere before leaping up at the wall. "RIO...LU!" The army of Springer yelled as their attacks struck the damaged wall, and-

SMASH!

Everyone's eyes went wide in joy as they watched the wall finally crumble, light from the other side bursting into the chamber. "We're free!" Flash spread his arms wide in joy, Springer doing the exact same thing as they ran out.

Twilight sighed joyfully. "It's so good to be out of there."

"I'll say," Doc agreed before looking around. "Except now we have no idea what part of the gorge we're in."

The others realized he was right and wondered how far that little detour had gotten them, that is until Spike spotted something on the canyon wall. "Hey, look!" He pointed and everyone followed his finger, spotting a group of round rocks that stuck out of the wall that appeared to be stacked on top of each other. Above the very top rock was some kind of carving, representing a drawing of a familiar Pokémon head.

"It's an Onix," Flash spoke up.

"Onix?" Twilight whispered to herself, only for her eyes to go wide before reaching into her bag. She then unfolded Stone's map and pointed at the drawing of an Onix on it. "Ugh...I'm such an idiot. The doodles are supposed to represent landmarks in the canyon!"

"So...we're already halfway through?" Pinkie asked.

"Looks that way," Twilight replied as she put the map away. "Come on, let's keep going." She started to walk only for her ankle's pain to flare again, making her stop and hold it. "Ow!"

The others then helped her over to a large rock. "I think we should wait until your ankle is feeling better," Doc commented as she sat down. "We've already made some nice headway, so let's rest up for today and continue on tomorrow."

The others all nodded in agreement. Twilight wanted to argue back, but sighed as she felt her ankle strain again. With that, they started to make camp, Twilight asking as they got done, "So, what do you guys wanna do until it gets dark?"

The others all started to think, unable to get an answer. That is, till Spike spoke up, "Hey, I know! Let's sing a song!"

Flash, Pinkie, Owlicious and Tockwork's eyes went wide, but before they could say anything, Jigglypuff leapt up onto a rock with a smile on its face. "Wait!" Pinkie reached into her pockets to grab her ear plugs, but it was too late.

"Jiggaly...puff...jiggaly...puff! Jiggaly...puff...jiggaly." The Balloon Pokémon stopped singing when it heard the sound of snoring, making it look down to see everyone and their Pokémon was asleep. "Jiggly!" she inflated in anger again before popping the cap off her pen. When the team awoke later, they would all be in for a good laugh when they saw the images drawn onto their faces.

Their first day in the Ghastly Gorge had been a hectic one, filled with many obstacles and pitfalls. But in the end, they had managed to keep themselves alive by working together and keeping calm. Now they could rest up, for tomorrow would be yet another busy day through this great landmass. What adventures await our heroes next? You'll have to stay tuned to find out

Fighting Spirit

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Today's adventure begins where our last one left off, near the Ghastly Gorge's Onix landmark. Beside it stood three tents, one being a brown dome with gears on the side, the second was a purple normal shaped tent, and the last was a pink cake shaped tent with several balloons attached to it. The dome tent was the first to open, the gears spinning as it folded backwards to reveal both Flash, Doc and Springer.

Flash yawned with a stretch before moving over to the purple tent. "Morning everyone. You guys up?" He asked as he jiggled the construct. It soon opened up to reveal a severely bed-headed Twilight as she put her glasses on.

"We're up..." she growled while a moan followed her, Spike and Peewee soon sticking their heads out.

"But why are we up? He looked towards the sky and frowned, "the sun's not even up."

"It's up kiddo," Doc said as he moved over to the last tent. "Its just not reached above the canyon wall yet. And it won't until ten o'clock at the earliest." He tapped on the tent, "Pinkie?"

No response.

"Hmm..." Doc mumbled as he started to unzip the tent. But as the zipper hit the bottom, a burst of confetti shot out of the door. "Blaugh!" he yelped, only to blink as he realized what had happened. He then started to dust off the party favors, which let him now notice inside the tent was one Pinkie sleeping with a nose bubble and using her hair like a pillow. Gummy and Jigglypuff were next to her, Jigglypuff inflating and deflating as it slept while Gummy...was just standing there, staring at Pinkie. "Gummy, do you mind waking your trainer up...Gummy?" The alligator Pokémon didn't respond, simply staring at Pinkie as if...it was sleeping with both its eyes open and while standing. "Weird."

A popping sound Pinkie made him look up and see girl was now up and yawning as she rubbed her eyes, "Morning."

"Morning," Doc then pointed at Gummy, "is that..."

"Normal? Yeah, that's just how Gummy sleeps." In that moment, Gummy performed a slow blink. "Morning Gummy," the Gumigator blinked again in response.

"Huh...definitely strange."

A few minutes later...

Once everybody was up and dressed, they were now sitting around their campfire, enjoying their breakfast. Doc then turned to Twilight, "So, how's the ankle?"

Twilight looked down at her bandaged foot and nodded, "Its okay. Still a little bit of pain, but nothing I can't handle."

Flash showed a glum frown, "Maybe we should give it another day then. Make sure you're one hundred precent before starting."

Twilight smiled at Flash's care, only to frown when she spotted her canteen. Picking it up, she shook it and noted the loud splashing, indicating how little water was within. "As much as I'd love to, we need to find a place to refill these before we can think about relaxing."

The others all looked down at their water bottles, all nodding in agreement. That is, except Flash as he pulled out a Pokeball, "No problem. Riptide, come on out!" He tossed the ball into the air, soon showing the Aquana. Flash then showed it his canteen, "Mind filling her up?"

"Ak," Riptide nodded before using a low powered water gun into the bottle, filling it to the top.

"Thanks," Flash smirked before taking a drink...only to stop at a half gulp as his eyes bulged. The others watched as he spat the water out, moaning while scratching at his tongue. "Augh! That was awful! Why was that awful?!"

Springer, Pinkie and Spike all laughed while Twilight and Doc rolled their eyes. "Flash, Water-Type attacks can't be drunk."

Doc nodded in agreement. "Riptide's Water Gun is comprised of the same compounds you get in saliva. Even if you could drink it, you'd probably end up thirstier than before you drank it."

"Now you tell me..." Flash groaned as he poured the water out of his canteen. Riptide looked down in shame, only for Flash to pat him on the head. "Don't worry bud. It's not your fault," he returned Riptide to his Pokeball and turned back to the others. "Now what?"

Twilight reached into her bag and unfurled their map, "Since there are Pokémon who live here, the canyon must have a sustainable water supply. We just need to find it and we'll be set." She scanned the map before smiling, pointing at a picture not to far from the Onix doodle. "There," the image showed a water bottle with a drop of water next to it. "Stone must have put that there to show us where we can refill our canteens."

"And it looks like it's only an hour's walk away," Doc added.

"Sweet! Then let's get going."

The others nodded until Twilight noticed a second image beside the first. "What's that?" The group stared at it, all seeing a doodle that appeared to be someone in a hooded jacket.

Doc hummed at the sight, "I'm not sure. Whatever it is, let's just hope we don't run into it."

"Agreed," they all replied before beginning to pack up their camp. And after the tents were put down, the campfire safely disposed of and their gear stowed away inside their bags, they continued their journey. Granted, with Twilight's ankle the way it was, that hour long journey was doubled. With this and the little water they had, by the time they got close, all of them thirsty beyond belief.

Twilight checked the map and nodded, "We're close." She nodded at the turn in the gorge, "Probably just around that corner."

"YES!" Spike and Peewee ran ahead, looking around the corner before suddenly stopping. "Whoa!"

The others raised an eyebrow at this as they caught up, turning the corner to see a new area of the canyon. It was a place filled with rock towers, all of differing sizes. The rocks they were made out of were no bigger then a Geodude, but the sheer number of them made the tower stacks even taller than Doc. They marveled at the towers as Flash asked, "You think these things are natural?"

"I'm not sure," Twilight replied as she stared at a tower that had about twenty or so rocks. "The only thing I can think that could stack them like this is a Flying-Type, but...Flying-Types can't travel through the gorge."

"That means something else must have done it," Doc finished.

"Maybe something lifted them?" Pinkie guessed, soon getting looks of confusion, causing her to explain further, "You know, maybe something lifted up the tower before someone puts another rock underneath it."

"Hmmm...that does sound like a logical theory," Twilight commented as she rubbed her chin in thought. "But to have both the strength and balance to lift these up without knocking them over...that would be incredible."

Before anyone could say anything else, a new sound caught their attention. It sounded like loud grunts of effort or pain, filling the air along with clouds of dust that they now saw in the distance.

"What's that?" Pinkie asked next.

Flash walked in front of the group along with Springer, "I'm not sure, but I'm gonna find out." The others followed him as they went after the source of the sound and dust, hiding in the shadow of the canyon wall as they got close enough to see.

What they saw was an army of the same Pokémon, two of which appeared to be battling against one another. The Pokémon were all humanoid and had orange skin. They had bold round heads that also had a bunch of black curved spikes running from their foreheads backwards, resembling mohawks. The skin around their eyes were also black, while their wrists and hands appeared to be wrapped in white bandages. The final distinguishing part of them were the black sleeveless hooded jacket they all wore, which had an orange trim around the hood, shoulders and zipper.

The gang all hid behind a large rock that they peered over to watch, Spike then asking, "What are those things?"

"Those are Scrapow," Doc replied with a grimace. "But what are they doing here?"

"What do you mean?" Flash replied as he was about to pull out his Pokedex, only to spot Pinkie pull a pink one out of her hair.

Name: Scrapow
Category: Street Fighter Pokémon
Type: Fighting/Dark
Info: This Pokémon is well known for its bad temper. It lives in cities and forms gangs with other Scrapows, where they bully the citizens for food.

"This isn't a city," Spike pointed out.

"That's what I meant before," Doc added.

Twilight then spoke up, "Its not unheard of for Pokémon to live in unusual locations. There must be a reason they're here." It was here that she noticed something behind the Scrapow. It was a waterfall, one formed from a crack in the canyon above. It poured out of the rocks and fell into a small pond, which Twilight assumed drained back into the water source it had originally come from. "Wait a minute..." Twilight pulled the map out and stared at the image she'd seen earlier. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a crudely drawn Scrapow. "So that's what this meant. Stone must have known about these guys and was warning us."

Flash moaned at this. "Couldn't he have just written 'beware the Scrapow that live here'?!"

"Guess it didn't want to make it to easy for us," Doc laughed as they turned back to the battle.

Two of the Scrapow, one with its hood up and another with its down, were fighting hand to hand. The two threw punches and kicks at one another, some that landed while others either missed, dodged or were blocked. "Scrap!" The one without its hood yelled as it threw a sucker punch at the hooded one, only for the other to sidestep and grab the outstretched arm. With a quick spin, the hooded Scrapow threw the other one to the floor.

"Pow!" It flinched as it hit the ground, the hooded one leaping back after dealing the blow.

"That looked like it hurt," Spike gulped.

"That was the move Foul Play," Twilight added.

"SCRAPOW!" The watched as the Scrapow around the two stamped their feet on the ground, obviously their way of cheering.

As the un-hooded Scrapow got up, the hooded one charged before spin-kicking its opponent. "Scrap!" It cried as its foot connected with the other's stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"Pow!" The Scrapow staggered back, unable to block the blow.

"Scrap..." in a fraction of a second, the hooded Scrapow closed the distance between them before unleashing a barrage of quick and deadly attacks. "Pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow!" The onslaught slammed into the opposing Scrapow, who didn't even have time to cry out between hits.

"Whoa...talk about brutal," Flash said in awe.

Doc grimaced at the sight. "That's Close Combat. One of the strongest Fighting-Type moves there is. Getting hit with that move on its own can do intensive damage."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "But it's even worst here since Scrapow is part Dark-Type."

Eventually, the Close Combat came to an end and the hooded Scrapow leapt away from its opponent. Said opponent swayed where it stood, eventually falling backwards with swirls in its eyes. The hooded Scrapow reached up and pulled its hood down, revealing that it had a scar running down its left eye. "Scrap," it stepped over to its fallen foe and crouched down before gently smacking it on the cheek.

The un-scarred one woke up and turned the one with the scar, looking at him in shame. The Scrapow, the group giving him the unconscious name of Scar, simply smiled at his beaten opponent before offering a hand. Once they were both standing, Scar directed them towards the spring. They then picked up a pair of rocks that appeared to be shaped like bowls and filled them with water, soon tapping them together before drinking.

"What's going on?" Spike asked next. "They were fighting just a minute ago, but now they're acting like best buds."

"Obviously that fight was just a spar," Twilight told him as they watched Scar talk to his opponent while also demonstrating the sucker punch he had used. "That one must be the leader."

"Which means he's the one we need to talk to about refilling our canteens," Flash commented as he nodded at Springer. Before anyone could say anything, the duo walked out from behind the boulder.

"Flash!" Twilight screeched in a whisper. "What are you doing?!"

The Scrapow all heard his footsteps and turned to glare at him as he waved, "Hey there." The Scrapow got into a battle stance, making him hold up his hands defensively. "Hold on! We're not here to fight." He pointed to the rock the others were behind, "my friends and I are just passing through."

They all groaned before revealing themselves and moving up next to Flash. "Why'd you point us out?!"

"They're never gonna trust us if we hide things from them."

Twilight let out a long moan before walking in front of Flash, "I'll take it from here. So here's the thing Scrapow, my friends and I are all a little thirsty and we're running low on water. Would it be okay if we filled our canteens up at your spring?" The mention of their spring made the Scrapow tense up. "No wait, we're not trying to take your spring! We just want-need! Need the water!"

"Scrapow!" One of the Scrapow launched itself at Twilight, it's fist pulled back to use Sucker Punch on her.

Twilight's eyes went wide as she screamed, throwing up her arms to shield what little she could, only for Springer to leap in front of her with an Aura Sphere in paw. "RIOLU!" He tossed it at the Scrapow, the Pokémon punching the orb as an explosion followed, sending him flying back into the crowd.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, "thanks Springer."

"Ri..." Springer held a thumbs up while not taking his eyes off of the Scrapow, all of them starting to slowly walking towards them.

"Scrapow," they suddenly stopped at the sound of a certain Scrapow's voice. They moved aside, allowing scar to walk out in front of the group, staring at Springer while the Riolu stared back. Being the same height meant that neither of them could really intimidate the other, only for the Scrapow's frown to change into a smile as he crossed his arms. He then started talking to Springer, causing the others to tilt their heads in confusion.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Spike asked.

Pinkie giggled at the question, "Isn't it obvious? That Scrapow is challenging Springer to a best of three contest, and if Springer wins, then we get to take a drink." The others all stared at Pinkie for a moment, then back at Springer.

"That true bud?" Springer glanced back at them and nodded.

The group all glanced at each other, Twilight speaking up, "Um...do you think Springer has a chance?"

Doc hummed in response, "It depends on what these challenges are."

Flash looked back at his partner, now seeing the fiery determination in his eyes. "You wanna accept, don't ya bud?"

"Ri," Springer nodded while not taking his eyes off of Scar.

"Then we trust you," the others nodded in agreement. "We know you can do this Springer."

"Riolu!"

For the first challenge, Scar and his followers lead them back to the spot where rock towers stood. They had a feeling they were about to discover how they were created. The group then saw the Scrapow began gathering rocks, creating two piles in front of Springer and Scar.

"So...what's the first challenge?"

Scar pulled his hood up as another Scrapow put a rock in front of him, another doing the same for Springer. Scar then crouched down before lifting the rock, the other Scrapow placing another rock below it. Scar dropped the rock onto the second to create a two rock tower, only to crouch down and lift both of them off the ground.

Pinkie snapped her fingers, "Oh, I get it! It's a contest to see who can lift the most rocks."

Doc nodded. "Then if Springer can make a tower higher than his opponent, he wins."

"And I'm guessing that knocking your tower over means you lose," Twilight guessed next.

"This is gonna be awesome," Spike shook in excitement.

"And FUN!" Pinkie screamed. "I bet Springer can lift a thirty rock stack."

This caused the Scrapow to all laughed before pointing towards the wall. There they could see a stack hidden by the shadow, which they counted to show twenty-five stacks.

"That the tallest tower," Twilight guessed as they looked back at the Scrapow. It was there they saw to of the begin to act something out, one standing behind the other as holding out his arms to make it look like the front one had four.

"A Machamp," Doc realised what they were miming. "That tower was built by a Machamp."

"Stone," Flash caught on.

"Looks like we know where he got his water from," Twilight said. "He must have won this contest." They turned to Scar and saw him nod. They all got the feeling that was the only time he'd ever lost this contest.

Flash knelt down behind Springer. "You up for this?"

Springer looked down at his rock, then up at the towers surrounding them. He could feel a bit of sweat go down his face at the sight, but nodded all the same. "Ri!" Springer crouched down before picking up his rock.

"Alright buddy!" Flash grabbed another rock and placed it under Springer's. "We've got this!"

And so, the game was on. Springer and Scar started off even, both beginning by picking up the two rock pile while a third rock was placed under it. They both dropped their rock pile before picking up the stack of three, the added weight not fazing them.

"Doing good Springer," Spike clapped as he cheered the Riolu on.

Twilight clapped as well, "Remember, lift with your knees."

Doc nodded in agreement. "And don't rush it. This isn't a race, so don't try and keep up with him."

Springer heard what Doc said and looked over at Scar, the Scrapow already at a five stack. But as Doc's words repeated in his head, he cricked his neck with new determination. Flexing his paws, he lifted the four stack slowly, soon letting Flash slide another rock in.

Springer then took a big gulp of air before crouching down again, Scar now dropping his five rock stack. This went on for several minutes, both Springer and Scar working to lift the rocks. But as the stack hit ten rocks, Springer started to feel himself wobble. Everyone gasped at seeing this, looking up as the top rocks began to rock back and forth.

Springer then slightly shook, trying to get the balance back while Scar added two new rocks to his stack. And as his stack straightened, Flash added another rock, "Careful bud. Take it easy."

Springer nodded and continued to lift the rocks once more, but the corner of his eyes now showed him he was far behind Scar. The two continued to work, having more and more issues the higher the stacks became. The two were now both on nineteen rocks, Springer managing to catch up to Scar when his stack started to wobble at sixteen rocks.

Now, the two were working to place their twentieth rock. The two crouched down and gripped the rubble, strain showing on their faces. But as Springer tried to move it an inch higher, his fingers slipped, the rocks now falling back to the ground. Everyone gasped at this, then looked over to see Scar drop his stack atop the twentieth rock.The Scrapow turned to Springer as he pulled his hood down, obviously waiting to see if Springer could do it.

The Riolu huffed before gripping the rock stack and trying to lift it again, but this time, the tower wouldn't budge. The Scrapow all laughed at Springer's struggle, while the others all frowned, sighing at the sight.

Flash placed a hand on Springer's head, "Give it up bud. We've lost this round."

"Ri..." Springer slumped over while hearing Scar chuckle. The Riolu then turned to him, clenching his fist at his opponent, "Ri! Rio ri ri riolu!"

"Yeah, you tell him Springer! You'll get him in the next challenge!" Pinkie cheered while shaking her own fists.

Spike nodded at this. "This contest ain't over yet! So what's the next game?!"

Scar grinned before motioning them to follow, soon returning to the spring. There, they kept going until they reached a section of the canyon wall with multiple holes in the rock face.

"What's this?" Twilight asked as she readjusted her glasses at the sight.

"Looks kinda like a climbing wall," Flash mentioned as their vision went upwards. It was there they noticed a bunch of trees growing out of the rock, one that had some kind of fruit growing out.

"Who wants to bet that's what the Scrapow eat?" Doc suggested.

The other connected the dots, Flash asking, "So...Springer has to climb this thing?" The Scrapow nodded and pointed at the tree, indicating that the first one up to it would win. He looked over and saw Scar walk over to the wall, gesturing to start the competition. Flash then helped Springer with his helmet, making sure it was good and Springer stepped up to the wall as well.

And as they stood at the wall, the Scrapow held up three fingers before beginning to countdown. "Pow...pow...pow...SCRAP!" The two started to climb, Scar doing so with such practiced precision that he barely had to look where he was placing his hands and feet.

"That Scrapow climbs like a Mankey," Pinkie commented with a glum frown.

"But what about Springer?" Spike asked next.

Springer was just barely keeping up, his eyes having to scan the wall to find the hand and footholds. Because of this, Springer began to fall behind.

"Springer!" he stopped to look down at Twilight, "Don't just focus on the next level. Look two or three levels ahead, that's make it easier." Springer nodded and glanced back up, his eyes soon seeing the route to the top.

"Riolu!" he cheered as he started climb again. His greater agility allowed him to move much quicker than Scar, his form speeding past Scar within the next few seconds.

"Pow!" Scrapow growled as the Riolu went past him, the Scrapow now redoubling his efforts. And as he did this, his followers cheered him on, making Spike, Pinkie and Peewee cheer even louder.

Doc gulped at the sight. "That's not good. I think he's starting to evolve into a Primeape."

They continued watching as the two drew ever closer to the tree, both neck and neck. It wasn't until they were a few feet away, that Scar placed his foot in a hole, only to suddenly slip. "Scrap!" It cried as it staggered backwards, making his followers all gasp as Scar started to flail his arms around. But as he did this, he stretched both forward, soon grabbing another hole to break his fall. Scar breathed a sigh of relief, only to look up and grimace at a new sight.

It was Springer, who was now sitting on one of the branches. "Riolu," Springer chuckled before pulling one of the fruits free and taking a bite out of it...only to spit it. "Ri! Riolu!" he moaned as he scratched his tongue, now seeing why the Scrapow were so grouchy. It was purely sour fruit, one that Springer already wanted to forget.

With the score now tied, everything rode on the third and final challenge...whatever that was. They soon returned to the spring, the Scrapow continuing to guard it protectively.

"So how do we decide the winner?" Flash asked Scar. "What's the final challenge?"

Scar smirked before pulling his hood up and taking a battle stance, now giving Springer a 'bring it' gesture. "Scrap."

"A battle, huh?" Flash punched his fists together, "Oh, we so got this!"

"Ri!" Springer nodded before getting into his own battle stance.

"Alright..." Doc stepped between the two, "I'll act as ref. You both ready?" Springer and Scar nodded, "then battle...begin!"

"Springer, Quick Attack!" The Riolu dashed ahead, fist ready to strike Scar's face. But as he got closer, Scar just smirked.

"Pow!" Before anyone could blink, Scar closed the distance and delivered a Sucker Punch to Springer's gut.

"Ri!" Springer staggered back, Scar hopping around as he chuckled at the blow.

"Cheap shot," Spike growled.

"He is a Dark-Type," Twilight told him with a huff. "And Dark-Type usually use underhanded tactics."

Pinkie jumped from one foot to the other, pom-poms in hand. "Come on Springer, win this!"

"Aura Sphere!" Springer tossed the ball of energy, Scar then crossing his arms to block the attack.

"Pow!" The Aura Sphere exploded as it struck, making Scar slide back a few inches. It then put its arms down before running and spinning, soon delivering a Rolling Kick to Springer's face.

"Rio..." took the hit before grabbing Scar's leg. "LU!" He spun Scar around and slammed him into the ground, making him cry out. He then used his other foot to kick Springer in the face, making the Riolu lose his grip as he staggered back.

"You okay bud?" Springer nodded as he wiped his mouth while Scar picked himself up. The two Fighting-Type Pokémon stared each other down, the respect they had gained from one another now obvious.

"Scrap," Scar told Springer, "Scrapow pow."

"Ri," Springer gestured to him before nodding, "Riolu."

Spike turned to the others. "What do you think they just agreed to?"

Pinkie shined a big grin. "Scrapow asked if Springer wanted to go a few rounds without using attacks, just fighting mono a mono with their bare fists and feet!"

The group blinked at this, but before anyone could say anything else, Springer and Scar started their fight. They both clashed with a single rush, both throwing punches and kicks at one another in relentless succession. All the two seemed to care about was hitting the other, not caring about the damage. This went on for almost a full minute, neither seeming to be willing to give up.

"This is nuts!" Spike yelled.

Pinkie tried to hide herself behind her hair. "Its scary."

Twilight gulped at this, "They could end up killing each other at this rate."

"Flash!" Doc turned to him, "You've got to call Springer back before things get to out of hand."

Flash shook his head, "I doubt Springer would stop if I told him to. He doesn't wanna give up, not after everything he did to get this far. I get the feeling he's not gonna stop until his body completely gives out, same for his opponent."

They watched as both Springer and Scar continued battering each other, both now dealing a punch right into each others faces. "Ri/Pow!" Both were thrown back and hit the ground, only to roll onto their knees as they panted.

"Springer!" Flash caught his attention, "I think the mono a mono stuff proved you're both equal in strength and skill. Let's get back to what we're best at, use Force Palm!"

"Riolu!" Springer roared as he then slammed his paw into Scar's chest, the energy surging before causing an explosion that blew Scar back.

"Scrap!" Scar hit the ground but cartwheeled back onto its feet. "Scrapow!"

"Force Palm, once more!" Springer repeated what he did, only for Scar to sidestep the attack. What they saw was a repeat of what happened with the other Scrapow, Scar grabbing Springer's arm before using Foul Play and slamming him into the ground. "Springer!"

Springer moaned as he picked himself up, only to see Scar tense up the same way he did at the end of his last battle. "Scrap..." in a fraction of a second, Scar unleashed a barrage of quick and deadly attacks. "Pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow!"

"RIO!" Springer cried as the onslaught overwhelmed him.

"Springer!" Flash yelled in horror while the others stared in shock.

And as the Close Combat ended and Scar leapt away, Springer swayed from side to side until he fell onto one knee, panting from the pain and exhaustion. "Ri...ri...riolu..."

"Springer? Are you...are you okay?" Springer looked back at Flash and nodded, though flinched as he did so. He tried to push himself back onto his feet, but his legs locked under his weight.

"This is bad. Springer's gotta be at his limit." Twilight commented with a grimace.

Doc nodded in agreement, "One more hit could end it."

Scar also realized this and prepared to end the battle with a Rolling Kick, rearing back in preparation. The Scrapow all started cheering and stomping their feet, "SCRAP-POW! SCRAP-POW! SCRAP-POW! SCRAPOW, SCRAPOW!"

Springer gulped at the sight, his body feeling so heavy that it refused to move. His only hope would be a counter. "Springer!" he heard Flash call, "Use Force Palm." Springer nodded and tried to make the proper paw shape, but a burst of pain made him clutch it into a fist.

He then looked up and saw Scar running towards him, the Scrapow now yelling, "Scrap!" Scar spun to deliver a kick, the Riolu now seeing this, and thrusted his fist forward.

"Ri!" He roared as green energy suddenly surrounded his fist. It spiraled around Springer's fist as it made contact with Scar's stomach, the force of the attack sending the Scrapow back. The blow made him lose his balance, the Pokémon now skidding across the ground.

"Ri?" Springer yelped as he looked down at his fist, only to feel a new wave of energy in him. With it, he stood up with ease, as if some of his pain as now gone. "Riolu?"

The others were just as shocked as Pinkie gasped, "What the heck just happened?"

"I think Springer just learned a new move," Twilight told her.

"Wait...haven't we seen that move?" Spike asked next.

Doc nodded. "Yes. Stone's Machamp used it."

"Drain Punch..." Flash whispered before a smile broke out on his face. "Awesome Springer! You learned how to use Drain Punch!"

"Ri!" Springer cheered as he continued to stare at his fist in amazement as Scar picked himself up.

"Pow," he leapt at Springer in preparation of using Foul Play.

"Drain Punch!" Springer sidestepped, quickly spinning and swinging his glowing fist into Scar's shoulder.

"Scrap!" Scar flinched and clutched his shoulder as he leapt back, only to see Springer take up a boxer stance and hop from side to side.

"Springer's looking way better then he did before."

Twilight nodded with a smile. "That's right Spike. Don't forget, Drain Punch saps away some of the opponents energy when it hits."

"And the stronger the hit, the more energy gets drained." Doc turned to Flash. "Since he's just learned it, Springer's only regaining a small amount of energy."

Flash smirked at this. "But it's still enough to turn the tide." He pointed at Scar, "Double Team!"

"Ri!" Springer created multiple copies of himself, all surrounding the now staggering Scar.

"Now, Aura Sphere...BARRAGE!" The Springers created a small Aura Sphere before charging at Scar, the Scrapow now unsure which was the real Springer.

"Scrap," as the army drew closer Scar tensed up, "Pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow!" He used Close Combat in an attempt to take out all the fakes, but only managed to hit about half of them. But as he did this, the barrage struck him at half force, causing him to cry out in pain.

It was here that Scar saw only one Springer remaining, the Scrapow now throwing all of his energy into one last kick and struck the Riolu in the chest. Scar smirked at Springer's pained look, only for that smirk to vanish the same way Springer did as he exploded into smoke. "Pow?"

"Ri!" Scar turned and see Springer running with a Drain Punch ready. Seeing this, Scar sweeped his leg, tripped Springer, "Lu!" Springer stumbled over, allowing the exhausted Scar the ability to leap away.

"Get back up Springer!" Flash yelled as the Scrapow cheered, "Let's end this! Drain Punch!"

"Ri!" Springer got back up, now charging at Scar. Scar did the same, both with fists ready. Time seemed to slow down as their fists made contact with their opponent's face, hitting them dead center of the cheek. The force had made Scar's hood fall back, revealing his face.

Everyone stared with baited breath for the outcome.

Both Springer and Scar flinched at the pain before opening their eyes and staring at each other. "Pow, Scrapow."

"Ri, Riolu." With that, the two pulled their fists away, staggering back before collapsing with swirls on their eyes.

"Springer!" Flash cried as he ran over to his partner, the Scrapow also now gathering around their leader.

"Looks like a tie," Doc commented as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Not the outcome I expected."

Spike turned to them, "I wonder what they said before they collapsed..."

Pinkie giggled before mimicking the position Scar had been in, "Not a bad punch." She then mimicked Springer's pose, "yours too." She then copied both by falling over as well.

Twilight giggled at this. "So you're saying they managed to win each other respect and admiration? That's great...for a bunch of muscleheads."

"Sure is," Doc chucked in agreement.

Flash picked Springer up with a smile as he came around, "You were awesome bud. Just wait, with a little more practice, your Drain Punch is gonna be awesome."

"Ri..." Springer whispered before glancing at his opponent.

Scar, who had his arms around two of his follower's necks for support, looked at him and smiled. Scar gave him a nod before removing his arms from his followers. There, he managed to hobble over to Springer, who had also gotten out of his friend's grasp. The two met in the middle before raising their fists. Everyone was scared they were gonna throw another punch, only to sigh in relief as they fist bumped.

"So...does this mean we can have some water?"

The others all laughed at Spike's question as Scar turned to the other Scrapow and gave a few orders. Several Scrapow moved over to the spring and picked up some rock bowls, quickly filling them with water before walking over to the humans. They all offered the water to them, the humans grinning as they accepted and drank the refreshments.

Flash breathed a sigh of relief, "Water never tasted so sweet." The others all hummed in agreement as they finished theirs. They weren't sure whether it was the water itself or that they had just been really thirsty, but they could agree that this water was the best they'd ever tasted.

Soon enough, all their canteens were filled to the brim and our heroes were ready to continue their trek towards the gorge's exit. The Scrapow all stood together as they prepared to send their new friends off, Springer and Scar now standing in front of the group.

"Well, its time for us to get going."

Twilight looked over their map. "There doesn't appear to be another water source in the gorge, so we really need to get out of here before we run out again."

Doc looked over her shoulder and began to calculate the amount of time needed. "With our current speed, we should reach the end by early day after tomorrow, as long as we don't get sidetracked."

Spike laughed as he put his hands behind his head. "Yeah, but what are the chances of that happening?" The others all laughed as Springer and Scar shook each other hands.

"Ri. Riolu ri."

"Scrap. Scrapow Scrap."

They pulled away as Springer rejoined his friends. There, they started to walk off as the Scrapow all beginning their cheers as our heroes waved back at them. It had certainly been a long day, but one none of them would ever forget it. A simple trip for water had ended in Springer learning Drain Punch and gaining the respect of a new friend. One can only wonder what adventures await our heroes in the final leg of their journey through the Ghastly Gorge. You'll just have to stay tuned to find out.

Battling Like Clockwork

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Continuing their journey to Baltimare City and Flash's third Equestria Region Gym challenge, our heroes now find themselves on the last leg of their trek through the Ghastly Gorge. Twilight's ankle had fully healed and progress was good, meaning they'd be out of the canyon by early next morning. This gave certain individuals something to rejoice about, specifically Twilight as she moaned, "Oh...I can't wait to get out of here and find a Pokémon Center. I seriously need a bath."

"We all could use a bit of cleaning up," Doc motioned to their dusty clothes and dirtied skin.

"We could always use Riptide," Flash suggested. "We might not be able to drink the water, but we could use it to wash up."

"Didn't Twilight say Riptide's Water Gun is made up of it's spit?" Spike asked with a shiver. "I'm not bathing with that." The others all nodded in agreement, making Flash pout.

"Fair enough. Let's just get going then."

The others continued marching through the rocky terrain, making sure not to step/trip over any loose rocks. After about an hour, they stopped when they heard a strange rumbling sound. "What's that?" Pinkie threw her head in several different directions, worried the canyon wall might be able to collapse on them. The rest kept a cool head and followed the sound to its source...which was Spike's stomach.

The young teen clutched his belly and laughed in embarrassment. "Sorry. Guess I'm a little hungry."

The others all sighed and laughed while Twilight looked at the supplies. It was still about an hour before the approximate time for dinner, and there wasn't any snacks. That is, till Springer let out a, "Ri!" his paw pointing at the canyon tops. Everyone looked up, now seeing a bunch of small tress growing out of them, all bearing fruit.

"Perfect!" Twilight pulled out her Pokeball and tossed it into the air, releasing her Psychick. "Okay Owlicious, go get us some of that fruit."

"Psy!" Owlicious flapped its wings, beginning its climb.

Doc blinked at this, his eyes now seeing that the canyon walls were covered in large holes, "Hmm...strange. These don't appear to be natural. But if that's the case, what could possibly-"

"PSY!" screeched Owlicious as a powerful gust blasted out of the holes, pushing him out of the gorge.

Seeing this, Twilight pointed her Pokeball at the owl, "Return!" The red beam shot through the air, hitting the Pokémon before sucking him back into the protective confines of the sphere.

The rest of them then felt the wind push them all back. If they didn't doing something, they were gonna get swept away. "Tockwork!" Doc pulled out his Pokeball and opened it, "Help us out!"

The mechanized Pokémon appeared before them, spreading its arms wide. "Tock!" They each fell into his grasp, Tockwork proving to heavy for the wind to blow away.

"Over there!" Doc pointed to a large rock that they could all hide behind, Tockwork helping them over to it.

"That was intense," Flash commented as he slumped his back on the boulder.

"Thanks Tockwork," Doc patted his partner on the shoulder.

"I can't believe I forgot about the winds," Twilight smacked the side of her head. "Stupid!"

"Chill Twi-twi," Pinkie assured her with a pat on her shoulder, "You can't be expected to remember everything."

"Yes I can!" Twilight barked back before looking down at her Pokeball, "And now Owlicious is hurt..."

The others all sighed at this, only to start shivering as a freezing wind started to blast the boulder. Spike turned to the others with a whimper, "How long do you think this'll last?"

Doc bit his lip, "Hard to say. This section of the gorge is likely acting as a wind tunnel, increasing the speed and duration of any breeze that enters it. It could be a while before this burst ends."

It was here that the group heard a bunch of loud clinking noises, which appeared to be coming from the walls above them. Looking up, they watched as the holes Doc had been focused on suddenly become occupied by multiples of the same Pokémon.

These Pokémon were all bird-like in design. Their bodies were round, with a black face on the front and a pair of large blue eyes. Behind its eyes were long triple bladed ears, each being made from a form of silver metal. Wrapped around its body was what appeared to be a cloak made of the same metal, which seemed to be connected to its arms. As it spread these, it looked like a glider suit.

"What are those things?" Spike asked as Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Carbeak
Category: Metallic Wing Pokémon
Type: Steel/Flying
Info: Its small wings and heavy body prevent it from flying, meaning its only method of flight is to glide on powerful wind currents.

"What are Flying-Types doing here?!" Spike yelped. "I thought they couldn't live here because of the strong winds!"

Doc smirked as he pointed to one of the Carbeak, "just watch." The Carbeak opened its wings and strode off the edge of its hole-like nest, only to glide on the air current. More and more of the Carbeak did this, flying around the canyon with some being lifted up to the fruit trees. There, they landed before beginning to snack on the fruit. "Remember what the Pokedex said about how they 'fly'? This place is the perfect spot for them."

Twilight nodded at this. "Yeah...the winds here are strong enough to lift them, but their weight makes it so they don't get blown away."

"Exactly," Doc replied as they continued to watch the Carbeak all enjoy themselves, some flying around to stretch their wings while others seemed to be racing one another. Eventually though, the wind began to die down and the Carbeak all returned to their nests. All except one that is, which its weight started to embrace gravity.

"Car!" The metal bird cried as it fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ouch!" The group whispered as they flinched at the sight.

Seeing this, Doc hopped out from behind the rock with Tockwork following. He then crouched down to the grounded Flying-Type, who saw him coming and looked like it was beginning to panic. "It's okay little guy, I'm here to help." But as he was about to reach out and touch the bird, a new sound caught his ear. It was a swooshing sound that was growing louder and louder by the second, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to raise on end. It was here that Doc's survival instinct kicked in, causing him to leap back and trip onto his back. At that exact same time, the source of the swoosh shot above him, missing him by millimeters, though the end of his tie did get considerably shorter.

"DOC!" The others leapt out from behind the rock, all of them quickly helping Doc pick himself up before turning to his attacker.

Hovering above their heads was a new Pokémon. It had a head shaped like the Carbeak, minus the metal cloak, which was now connected to a humanoid body made of silver and gray armor. It's arm like wings gave the creature a harpy-like appearance while its tail feathers wrapped around its hips to look like an open skirt. Its black legs ended in a trio of metallic talons, all that looked like they could cut through rock. It stood at around five feet in height.

The metal bird glared down at them, "Ledge..."

"A Steeledge," Doc whispered as Flash held up his Pokedex.

Name: Steeledge
Category: Metallic Wing Pokémon
Type: Steel/Flying
Info: The evolved form of Carbeak. The metal on its body is a carbon fiber like composite, which is lighter and stronger than any other known metal. It can slice through trees ten feet thick with a single swipe of its wings.

The Steeledge landed next to the Carbeak and picked it up, slinging it into the air before flapping its wings, creating a burst of wind strong enough to carry it back to its nest. Once its prevolution was out of the cross hairs, it turned back and brandished its razor sharp wings.

"It doesn't look happy," Spike quivered in fright while Springer, Tockwork and Peewee got into a battle stance.

"It probably thinks we were gonna hurt that Carbeak," Twilight guessed.

Doc walked in front of them, trying to look as non-aggressive as possible. "Listen Steeledge, we weren't trying to hurt your friend. We're just passing through."

"Steel..." Steeledge growled before suddenly charging, trying to slash Doc with its wing. At that moment, Tockwork shifted in front of its trainer, block the wing with its arm. The two Steel-Types then pushed at one another, both staring at each other with laser like focus.

"Doc!" Flash yelled as he got up, only for Doc to flash his palm at the teen.

"Don't. We got this." Flash saw the determination on the Steel-Type expert's face, causing him to backpedal and nod.

"Good luck," Twilight told him. "We're counting on you two!"

Doc turned back to the battle, now seeing Tockwork and Steeledge end their deadlock and both jump back into offensive stances. Doc then pointed at the bird, "Let's do this Tockwork! Gear Grind!" Tockwork fired a pair of gears out of its arms, only for the armored bird to raise its winged arms up in defense.

"Steel!" Its wings glowed as the gears made contact, grinding off them before Steeledge charged at the machine. "Ledge!" Steeledge went up to Tockwork and began spin on its heel, performing a kind of spiraling dance as it slashed its opponent with its bladed wings.

"Whoa!" The others gasped in amazement, "What a Steel Wing!"

"Come on Tockwork!" Doc called out just as Steeledge finished its attack and leapt back. "Psywave!"

"Tock!" Tockwork raised its cannon arm at Steeledge, only for his opponent to spread its wings and take to the sky. "Tockwork," Tockwork moaned as it started firing several beams, now unable to lock-on to the Pokémon.

"Ledge!" Steeledge screeched as it dodged the beams, its wings flaring as it kept spinning in the air. But as it did this, a beam clipped his wing, making him slightly stumble.

"Yes! Keep going Tockwork!"

"Tock!" the Pokémon yelled as it fired another beam, this one missing the bird as it regained its control of its wings. Seeing this, it began to beat its wings, creating several blades of wind that struck Tockwork. "Tock!" Tockwork cried as it was battered by the Air Cutter.

Doc grimaced at the sight, commenting to himself, "Oh no. I have to think of something...that bird is way too fast for Tockwork!" His brain started to go over the entire environment, his focus on his opponent now racing through his brain. "Usually, a fast Pokémon like Steeledge has little in the way of endurance, but the metal covering its body kept the full brunt of their attacks from causing any damage. If that's the case..."

"Steeledge!" The armored bird stopped its attack and charged at Tockwork, its beak glowing at the same time.

"Bullet Punch!" The clockwork Pokémon slammed its fist forwards, hitting Steeledge in the stomach. But as it hit the bird, it slapped Tockwork's arm away with ease. There, it thrusted its glowing beak forward, pecking at it again and again. Steeledge eventually ended the Fury Attack and slapped Tockwork again, Doc getting behind the staggering Pokémon and grabbing him before he could trip over. "Tockwork! You okay?"

"Tock!" Tockwork nodded as he walked back up, the Steeledge now flying again.

"Psywave!" Tockwork unleashed a wave of psychic blasts, only for Steeledge to once again evade them as it geared up for its next attack.

"It's too fast!" Spike commented.

"What's Doc gonna do?" Pinkie asked next.

"I'm not sure," Twilight replied with a frown. "If Tockwork knew a Fire or Electric-Type move, he could cause some damage. But without them, plus Tockwork's lower speed and Steeledge's armor like body, I'm not sure how they're gonna pull it off."

"Come on Doc," Flash punched his fists together. "You got this! No Pokémon's invincible!"

Doc gritted his teeth at this. "Even so, if it has a weakness, we might not be able to exploit it." He glanced up and saw Steeledge dip close to the ground as its wings began to glow, the blades on one of them slicing into the ground as it turned sideways.

"Gear Grind!" Tockwork launched the gears, all striking Steeledge. But despite this, it didn't stop completely, flying into Tockwork as it sliced him in the shoulder.

"Tock!" He cried out as he clutched the damaged piece, looking to see a large scratch where the wing had struck.

"Tockwork!" Doc screamed as he placed his hands on the sides of his head. "Stay strong friend. Just give me a chance to think. Until then, use Psywave!" Tockwork raised its damaged arm and fired off a psychic blast.

Steeledge smirked and flapped its wings to evade, only for a sudden gust of wind to flow through the canyon, hitting the bird. "Steel!" Steeledge cried, only for a Psywave to hit him. "Ledge!" The combined forces then knocked the bird off balance, causing it to fall with a thud. "Steeledge!"

"Yes!" Flash and Spike cheered as they watched Steeledge fall.

"Talk about luck," Pinkie giggled while Twilight nodded.

"Agreed. That wind came at just the right moment."

As Steeledge hit the ground, Doc pointed at the bird. "Now's our chance! Gear Grind!"

Tockwork fired the gears at Steeledge, but the armored bird just picked itself up with ease. Though it had been distracted by the battle to notice before, it knew exactly when the next wind gust was coming. "Steel...ledge!" it roared as it beat its wings, firing an Air Cutter at the gears, causing them to explode.

The others watched tensely for the smoke to clear, but Steeledge wasn't going to wait. It flew into the fog, its beak glowing as it went through the smoke while spinning its body. "That's Drill Peck!" Twilight called out as the bird hopped out of the dust cloud, only for a new gust of wind to blow through the canyon. The wind then wrapped around the bird, creating an additional air drill.

"Get out of there Tockwork!"

But it was too late. Tockwork wasn't fast enough to dodge, so all he could do was raise his arms in a token effort to block the attack. It struck him dead center, a cry following as it screamed, "TOCKWORK!" The sounds of the drilling wind pierced the air, scratching him all over. And when Steeledge ended its attack, it flapped away from its opponent with a large smirk on its face.

Everyone stared at Tockwork as he now stood completely still, Doc trembling as he ran over to his partner, "Tockwork?"

Tockwork arms lowered, causing them to fall limply to his side and swing like a weak pendulum. "Tock...work," was all he said before falling back, crashing into the ground.

"Tockwork!" Doc yelled as he looked him over. "No..." Tockwork's entire body was covered in scratches and dents, the worst off they had ever seen it for the Pokémon.

"This is bad," Twilight commented as she scanned the Pokémon over, "This kind of damage..."

A sudden squawk graced the walls, making them look up to see Steeledge sitting on one of the fruit trees, laughing at the damage done to its opponent. Flash and Springer both growled as they prepared to avenge their friend's loss, but Doc held up his hand. "No Flash, we've got more important things to worry about." Doc grabbed Tockwork by the shoulders and tried to hoist him up, the others soon helping as they lifted Tockwork off the ground, carrying it away from the Steeledge and Carbeak home.

Once they had gotten a safe distance, they laid Tockwork against the canyon wall to allow Doc to take a closer look. Putting on his glasses and pulling out his torch, he opened the face of the clockwork Pokémon and checked inside. A low sigh followed as he saw all the damage that would need to be fixed, Spike then asking, "Is Tockwork gonna be okay?"

Doc didn't reply for a moment, only to sigh as he removed his glasses. "He'll be fine. The damage isn't as severe as it looks, so I should be able to fix it by tomorrow morning." He reached into his bag and pulled out his tools before beginning to work on the damaged Pokémon.

Pinkie smiled as she watched him work, the others now beginning preparations to stay the night. "He must really know what he's doing."

"That's why he's the Doc," Flash said as he and Spike starting putting up the tent.

Twilight nodded in agreement, "The man that can make any machine feel better."

Pinkie giggled at this, "Wow. Tockwork's lucky to have you as his trainer Doc."

Doc smirked as he continued his work. "I'm the one who's lucky. Meeting Tockwork is what changed my whole life, even back before I was known as Doc."

Years ago...

"Before Trottingham was the revolutionary city it is today, it was just a simple town that made basic everyday objects. But even then, I was bewitched by the beauty of technology. I wanted to learn everything about machines, and one of the best men to learn from was the man who once held the name Doc.

As such, everyday after school, I went to Trottingham City's junkyard. I wanted to find anything I could use to learn about machines."

Ten year old Time Turner ran into the junk yard, soon making his way over to a large stone building. He pushed the doors open to show the man within, who was a short haired middle aged man wearing a black leather jacket over a purple shirt with black pants and boots. He was holding a blue torch as he inspected the old TV.

The man who was known as Doc looked up and smiled. "Hey Time Turner, back again?"

"You bet," Time Turner moved over to him and hopped onto a stool. "So what's wrong with this?"

"The owner said the picture keeps going blurry. Probably just needs a new conductor." He held up a faulty part, "Think you can find another one of these?" He saw Turner nod excitedly, "Fantastic."

With that, Time Turner took the part and ran outside with a huge smile on his face, all ready to search for old TVs in the junkyard for the part. After about half an hour, he spotted one at the bottom of a scrap pile. And in his eagerness to find the part, he pulled it free without looking at what was above the object, causing the pile to fall.

"Whoa!" Turner yelped as he leapt out of the way, just in time to not be crushed. Once the dust cleared, the pre-teen picked himself while coughing. "Whoops. That was-huh?"

He blinked at a new sight, something that was now showing itself inside the pile of junk. It was the Pokémon he would come to call partner, Tockwork, laying lifeless amongst the rubble.

"He was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. Even though he was old and rusted, I knew he was probably the most advanced piece of technology in the whole city."

As Turner stepped up to Tockwork to take a closer look, Doc arrived and saw the overturned pile. "Turner, you alright?"

"I'm fine," Turner pointed to Tockwork. "What's that?"

Doc looked at the broken down Pokémon, sighing at the sight, "Oh that? That's Tockwork. Its a mechanical Pokémon that broke down decades ago. I spent years trying to fix him, but nothing I did worked. Eventually, I just stopped trying."

"Wow..." Turner placed his hands on the machine, "I bet he was amazing."

"Oh he was, but not anymore. Now he's just a pile of rust waiting to happen. The best I can do is keep him in a comfortable place to live."

Turner continued to stare at Tockwork, his eyes shining as a decision came into his mind. Turning to Doc, he declared, "I'm gonna fix him!"

Doc raised an eyebrow at this, but the look of determination in the child's eyes told him he was serious. "Alright. Go for it," he held out his torch. "but I think you'll need this."

Turner smiled as he took the gadget before turning back to Tockwork. "Don't worry, you'll be back on your feet in no time."

"And so, I spent every spare moment of my time working on Tockwork. After school, weekends, even on holidays, I tinkered away. As I worked, I would always talk to him about anything I could think of. I didn't know if he could hear me, but doing so just felt right. And as I talked, I started coming up with ideas on inventions I would later use to bring Trottingham into the future. But before I could start work on any of them, I had to fix Tockwork. Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months, and Months turned to years. But despite all this, Tockwork remained unresponsive. Eventually, I was forced to accept the inevitable."

A thirteen year old Turner and Doc gently placed Tockwork against a pile of junk, Turner sighing. Doc placed his hand on his shoulder, "You shouldn't be ashamed. You did an amazing job, but sometimes...well, there are things that just can't be fixed."

Turner nodded as Doc walked off, leaving him to stare at his failed project. Turner patted Tockwork on the side, "I'm sorry. I couldn't keep my promise." He stood up with teary eyes, "Maybe one day someone will come along and be able to give you life. Until that day, rest in peace...my friend."

"I felt horrible. I had let myself down, and what's worse, I let down Tockwork. But then it happened."

As Turner walked past a pile of junk, a load-bearing piece finally gave into the rust, collapsing a second later. This caused the whole pile to fall, all ready to fall on Turner. The teen turned and tripped, falling back as he watched the mountain of metal approach, flinching as he waited to be crushed to death.

But it never came.

Cracking his eyes open, Turner saw the unthinkable above him. It was Tockwork, and it was online and holding back the junk that had been threatening Turner. With one great heave, the clock Pokémon pushed the junk away before turning to Turner. And though it didn't have a mouth, Turner could tell it was smiling, just like the teen.

"That was the day my teacher passed on the name Doc, for I had achieved something even he couldn't pull off. Once word spread, I was given the chance to begin work on my many inventions. There were problems, but with Tockwork there to remind me of what I could do, I would eventually find a way to perfect it. Tockwork had showed me what I needed to go beyond what I was, to be able to accept the inevitable and still prevail.

Tockwork wasn't just my friend, partner or Pokémon. He was what made me into the man I am today."

Night soon fell as Doc continued work on Tockwork. The rest of his friends had all gone to bed, though it had taken some convincing from him to make them do so, leaving him to work alone. With one final reset of parts, Doc sighed in relief before closing Tockwork's face. Seconds later, the Pokémon's eyes opened and it began to move.

"Tock?"

"Hey," Doc patted him on the shoulder, "Glad to see you're alright." He studied the scratches covering him and frowned before reaching into his bag, pulling out a small tub. Inside was a green jelly that he dipped a cloth into before wiping Tockwork with it. "Seems we got our butts handed to us pretty hard, huh?"

"Tock..." Tockwork looked down in shame.

"But you know, it's nothing to be ashamed of." Tockwork stared up at him in confusion. "A loss is only really a loss when you don't learn something. We've seen what our weaknesses are today, so we need to work to improve them. You with me?"

"Tock," Tockwork nodded.

Doc smiled as he pulled the cloth away, seeing the scratches now gone. "And we'll get to working on them as soon as we can, but we've got more pressing matters to worry about. That Steeledge probably won't let us pass its territory until we beat it."

Tockwork frowned before picking itself up, surprising Doc. "Tock. Tock...work...tock."

"What are you saying old friend?"

"I think Tockwork saying he wants another chance at beating that Steeledge," Doc turned to see Flash and the others a few feet away.

Doc looked back at Tockwork. "You sure?" Tockwork nodded, showing its determination despite how impossible it seemed. It was here that Doc got the feeling this was what his mentor saw all those years ago. "Alright. If that's the case, tomorrow we'll show that Steeledge what happens when you pick a fight with us." The others all nodded as Doc started wiping the jelly into another scratched area. "We've been through a lot since coming together. We've pushed the limits of our minds and it's taken us far." It was here that a click went off in Doc's head. "But we've never pushed our other limits."

"Wotcha mean?" Spike asked next.

"We've always kept ourselves at a distance from our opponent, using Psybeam and Gear Grind. We also kept them from getting close with Flash and Bullet Punch. But against a fast and defensive Pokémon like that Steeledge, that strategy doesn't work." He looked back up at Tockwork, "That's been our one short-sight. If we want to beat that Steeledge, we need to come up with a way to fight it on even footing."

"But how?" Pinkie asked.

"That's the question of the hour," Twilight added as she walked up to Doc, ready to talk strategy. And as they conversed, Flash and the others also helping, they knew tomorrow was gonna be one that would decide if they would be able to get out of the gorge before their food ran out.

The next morning...

As soon as the sun had raised above the canyon wall, the group and the fully restored Tockwork headed back to Steeledge's territory. And as it came into sight, their opponent hopped out its nest hole.

"Steeledge!" It roared as it landed, brandishing its bladed wings.

Doc and Tockwork got in front of the group. "Steeledge, we don't have to do this. Let us pass and you'll never see us again."

"Steel!" Steeledge barked back, taking a threatening stomp closer to try and move them away from the rest of its flock.

"Fine. Then we'll just have to force our way through. Are you ready Tockwork?" The mechanical Pokémon nodded, taking a battle stance. The two glared at one another, ready for a rematch as a gentle wind blew.

"You think they can win this?" Spike asked.

"I'm not sure," Twilight replied.

Flash smirked and nodded, "I am."

"Me too!" Pinkie, who was now dressed like a cheerleader, hopped up and down as she began to chant. "Go Doc! Go Tockwork! You got this! You know it!"

Doc smiled as he stared daggers at Steeledge. And as the wind finally faded, Steeledge made the first move and bum-rushed Tockwork with its wings, glowing as it readied to slice and dice. "Psywave!" Tockwork pointed his gun arm at Steeledge and fired, his opponent leaping into the air to dodge.

"Steel!" Steeledge flew up and skimmed the wall, the Psywave attacks hitting spots right behind it. Once Tockwork finished firing, Steeledge pulled itself to a stop before gripping onto the rock. "Ledge!" Pushing off the wall, Steeledge catapulted itself at Tockwork before spinning into a Drill Peck.

"Not this time!" Doc pointed at the spiraling projectile. "Flash!" Tockwork's face illuminated, firing a beam of light right into Steeledge.

"LEDGE!" It cried out as it closed its eyes, causing it to spin out of control and miss Tockwork.

"Yes!" Spike cheered as they watched Steeledge drill into the ground.

"That's using your brain," Twilight said with a clap.

Pinkie continued to cheer. "Doc and Tockwork, fight, fight, fight! Beat the Steeledge and do it right!"

As the still blurry eyed Steeledge picked itself up, Tockwork readied its next attack. "Gear Grind!" The gears launched out of his arms, slamming into the birds before grinding on his body.

"Steel!" It flinched until it managed to raise its wings, blocking the gears as it pushed them away. Once that was done, his wings began to glow before closing the distance between him and Tockwork. There, the armored bird began spinning on its heel, performing the slashing dance he had used on Tockwork last time.

"Flash, again!" Tockwork's face lit up once more, only this time Steeledge shut its eyes. This still lead to the same outcome, Tockwork side-stepping the dance and causing his opponent to slash at the air. "Bullet Punch!" Cutting the lights, Tockwork reared its clawed arm back before thrusting it, slamming into Steeledge's stomach the moment it opened its eyes.

"Ledge!" Steeledge staggered back, just barely managing to keep its footing before beating his wings to launch an Air Cutter.

Tockwork raised its arms in defense, the wind blades bouncing off the metal despite the new scratches. As soon as the Air Cutter ended, Tockwork lowered its arms just in time to see Steeledge run up to it with a glowing beak. "Psybeam!" Tockwork fired three shots, only for the Steeledge to evade them all, soon pecking at him.

"Tock! Tock! Tock!" it cried, slowly staggering back.

"This is bad," Spike commented.

Twilight gulped at the sight. "Tockwork had the advantage for a moment, but Steeledge's speed is putting it back into its favor."

Flash sighed at this. "Tockwork's just too low. Even with using Flash, Steeledge is fast enough to get a lot of hits in before using it."

Doc growled, knowing Flash was right. "Come on Tockwork, I know you can do it."

As Steeledge stopped his attack and leapt away, Tockwork struggling to keep his balance as he looked over all the damage done by the Fury Attack. "Tock!" He turned back to his opponent and saw its wings glowing again.

"Flash!" The clock face illuminated, but Steeledge was ready. It held up its wings, blocking the light while looking down at Tockwork's feet.

"Steel!" it yelled as he ran ahead, slashing as it kept its eyes to the ground.

"Tock, tock, tock, tock!" The Clockwork Pokémon cried as it felt itself being slashed over and over again, unable to move. The light then died down, allowing Steeledge to look up and deliver more concentrated attacks.

"Tockwork!"

"Oh no!" Twilight covered her mouth while the others watched in agony.

Doc saw a repeat of yesterday, Tockwork being overwhelmed. "What do I do?"

Tockwork was also thinking that, trying to find a way to escape this onslaught before it was too late. If only he was faster, even just a little. Unaware of it happening, the gears on its arms began slowly rotating. As this happened, Tockwork noticed Steeledge's movements getting slightly slower. It was barely a fraction of a second, but it was enough to see where the next slash was coming and how to block it.

"Tock!" Tockwork reached out with its clawed hand, actually managing to grab the slashing wing, surprising both Steeledge and its friends.

"Steel?" Steeledge's eyes went wide in shock before it stared up at Tockwork, only to see the fiery determination he had had at the start of the battle. Then next thing Steeledge knew, it was being thrown to the ground. "Steel!"

Everyone stood in surprise, Spike yelping, "What just happened?!"

"I'm not sure," Twilight replied.

Steeledge flexed its wings and leapt into the sky. "Psywave!" Steeledge smirked and prepared to dodge like before, only for Tockwork's preparation to be a fraction of a second quicker and fired the blast.

"Ledge?" Steeledge saw it coming and cried out in surprise as the blast hit its chest. "Steeledge!" It fell from the blow, barely managing to open his wings to stop himself from crashing.

"Okay...I'm lost. What the heck is going on?" Pinkie asked next.

Flash rubbed his chin at the sight, "Not sure. Somehow, Tockwork's gotten faster."

Doc was also staring at this, only to then look at his Pokémon with intrigue. It was here that he noticed the gears on Tockwork's arms slowly spinning, the sight helping him put the pieces together. "It can't be...." A squawk from Steeledge made him look up to see it using Drill Peck, aimed square at Tockwork. "Use Overclock!"

This statement confused everyone who heard it, including Tockwork. But strangely, just hearing that word made something within Tockwork click as the gears picked up speed. As Steeledge got closer, Tockwork saw it become slower again, slow enough for him to dodge the attack. Steeledge then stopped its spinning inches away from Tockwork, only for the mechanical Pokémon to thrust its fist into its chest, knocking the armored bird flying back.

"Wow!" Spike cheered, "That was awesome!"

Flash nodded in agreement, "Tockwork's not just faster, but he's stronger too. How?"

Twilight snapped her fingers at this. "Its Overclock."

"What's Overclock?" Pinkie asked.

"A damage dealing Steel-Type move that increases the attack and speed of the user, allowing them to push its limits." Twilight then frowned, "But its not without its risks."

Steeledge picked itself up, panting heavily after that last hit, then charged at Tockwork while preparing a Fury Attack. Doc saw this and called out, "Overclock!" The gears spun even faster, speeding Tockwork up enough to evade the attack before slamming its knee into Steeledge's stomach. The armored bird cried out as it staggered back, "Bullet Punch!" Tockwork punched it in the chest, flinging it back again.

Spike turned to Twilight, "So what are the risks of Overclock?"

"The same risks you take with any machine you do it too. Overheating. If Tockwork uses Overclock while its speed and attack limits, it'll overheat and get burnt."

Doc knew Twilight was right. Even with the damage Steeledge had taken, Doc knew he needed to win now. But as he stared at the bird, a new idea popped into his head. "That's it!" Doc pulled out an empty Pokeball. "Tockwork, Flash!"

"Tockwork!" The clock face illuminated, shooting the bright light right into Steeledge's face.

"STEELEDGE!" The armored bird screamed as it's eyes burnt, forcing it to raise its wings to shield him.

"Steeledge, you're mine!" he expanded the Pokeball, "Pokeball...GO!" He tossed the ball at Steeledge, who was too dazed to notice until the last moment. The sphere bounced off its head before opening, releasing a red light that consumed the bird. The ball then fell to the ground, soon wobbling once, twice, three times. And then-

DING!

Doc breathed a sigh of relief as the others all smiled, Spike cheering, "Alright!"

Flash showed a thumb's up. "Nice one man."

"That battle was amazing," Twilight added.

Pinkie nodded in agreement. "Super cool!"

"Thank you," Doc walked over to the Pokeball and picked it up before holding it out. "Steeledge, come on out." The ball unleashed a pile of red energy, which took form to reveal Doc's newest Pokémon.

"Ledge?" Steeledge glanced around as Doc knelt down beside him and held out a tub of cream.

"Here, this'll help get the scratches off your wings." Steeledge stared at him questionably as Doc dipped his finger into it before beginning to rub it into its wing.

"Steel..." The armored bird saw the scratch disappear before looking up at Doc. "Steeledge?"

He smiled before standing up. "I hope you'll enjoy travelling with us from now on."

Steeledge looked at him quizzically for a moment, only to smile and nod. "Ledge." Everyone smiled, happy that they had a new friend and teammate along with Tockwork learning Overclock.

Once Steeledge said goodbye to his friends, he began to direct the group towards the exit of the gorge. And as the sun began to set, Flash and the rest of our heroes found themselves stepping out from the cave wall. They sighed as they now saw a new sight of a forest in front of them.

"I can't believe we made it," Twilight sighed in relief.

Flash and Springer took off their helmets. "It was a long road, that's for sure."

"Ri!"

Doc nodded in agreement, "But our journey's not over yet. We're still running low on supplies."

Pinkie held an arm up, "Oh! I know, I know! There's a town not too far from here. It's real close to Baltimare."

Everyone smiled at this, "Then that's where we'll head." Flash said as he turned to Twilight, who nodded and pulled out her journal.

With it's signal back, she pointed to the direction of the village. "We could be there by sundown."

"Nice!" Flash began to run into the forest, "Last one there's a slowpoke!"

As they all ran after him, the group took one final look back at the Ghastly Gorge. Stone had been right, it had been a challenge. But together, they had managed to overcome all the obstacles and were now only a stone's throw away from Baltimare City. What adventures will our heroes face now that they were out? You'll have to stay tuned to find out.

Party Trainers

View Online

Having finally escaped the mighty landmark known as the Ghastly Gorge, our heroes are now only a stones throw away from Baltimare and Flash's third Equestria City Gym challenge. But before they could get there, they had now made their way to a small town to clean up, rest and restock supplies. Having gotten into town several hours after sundown, they went to the Pokémon Center and all fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

Now, morning had broken and all were fully awake and refreshed.

"Hey Stone!" Twilight said to a phone screen, which showed the old man's face. Pinkie then pushed her face next to Twilight so they could both be onscreen.

"HIYA STONE!"

"We're still alive!" Flash gloated as he and Springer did the same thing, followed by Spike and Peewee.

"What's up?"

Doc then squeezed his head into the tiny space remaining in the camera's visual prowess. "It's good to see you Stone."

Twilight, who was currently being squished to the desk by everyone except Doc, had finally had enough and pushed them back, all falling onto their rears. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she glanced back at the screen. "So anyways...."

Stone laughed at the youngster's antics, "I'm glad to see you're all safe. I was starting to get worried when I didn't hear from ya'll."

"Yeah," Doc spoke up as they stood back up, "Sorry about that. You weren't kidding when you said the gorge was going to be difficult."

Flash once again pushed in front of Twilight. "But we got through it, together." A vein on Twilight forehead bulged before she reached up and gripped the pressure points on Flash's neck, making him spasm before falling over. Stone laughed again as he then asked about what happened in the gorge. As such, they explained everything that happened, including getting lost in an underground tunnel, having to win the right to refill their water from the Scrapow, and Springer along with Tockwork learning new moves while Doc caught a Steeledge. "And now we're in a little village close to the gorge," Twilight finished.

"I thought you might. I used to stay there after trips through the gorge. There's a supply hut there you can hand off any of the equipment you don't want anymore, but I'd suggest you keep them with you. You never know when you'll need a torch helmet."

"Thanks, we will." It was then that a dinging sound went off behind Stone, making him lick his lips.

"Well, my sausages are ready. Wish you lot the best of luck in all your endeavors. Now that you've conquered the Ghastly Gorge, I'm sure you'll have what it takes to overcome any obstacle. Just remember to stick together no matter what, and you'll be unstoppable." The others all nodded at this, "Goodbye."

With that, the screen went blank. It was here that the others headed out into the main foyer of the Pokémon Center. There, they saw Nurse Redheart putting up a banner while her Audino was arranging flower vases all over the room.

"Hey Nurse Redheart," she turned to Spike. "Is something happening today?"

The nurse looked at them in surprise, only to shake her head. "Oh...that's right! You got here after dark. You probably didn't see the posters and decorations."

Pinkie's nose twitched. "Poster...decorations...." her face turned into one of prayer and hope. "Are you having...a party?!"

Redheart laughed at this. "Kinda. We're having our annual town wide fair today. You arrived just in time for it. There's games, rides, tasty food, and Pokémon are even allowed in it. There's even a small battle tournament later today."

Pinkie was literally vibrating on the spot. "We...have...to...go...NOW!"

Everyone laughed at Pinkie's excitement, turning to each other and nodding while Flash shrugged, "Eh, why not? After what we went through, we could use a break to unwind."

"Yeah!" Spike agreed with a nod, "And we didn't get to enjoy the last festival we were at."

"What festival?" Pinkie asked.

Doc chuckled at this. "Its a long story involving mad scientists and giant robots." Pinkie tilted her head in confusion at this.

"Anyways!" Twilight interrupted as she walked in front of everyone, "I'm up for a bit of fun. One day of enjoyment for us an our Pokémon will be good in the long run, especially Flash's." She saw he was confused at this statement, making her smile. "We're only a day's walk from Baltimare, meaning we're probably about two days from your Gym Battle. You'll be training like mad between then and now, so I say let your Pokémon enjoy themselves."

Flash started grinning like an idiot before pulling out his four Pokeballs, tossing them up into the air. Soon enough, the four beams of red light to reveal his Pokémon. Springer jumped into the middle of the group as they all looked up at their trainer. "Alright gang, time for some fun."

"FUN!" Pinkie exclaimed tossing three Pokeballs into the air, all unleashing Gummy, Mellow and Jigglypuff. Twilight and Doc both laughed as they too released Owlicious, Tockwork, Higear and Steeledge. Peewee then hopped onto Tockwork's head as the crew ran out the door to look around. There, they saw a bunch of decorations and stands littering the streets. Many booths were already up and running, with people playing and eating from them.

They soon found out that the fair worked through tickets that you buy from booths all over town. Once the group got theirs, they started walking around for their first activity. Twilight was the first to spot one she was interested in.

"Step right up, step right up. Don't be shy!" She turned to the voice's source and saw a stand ran by a pair of twin men, both having red and white hair wearing blue and white striped shirts and white pants with bowties. The only difference between the two was that one had a moustache.

"You like prizes, we got prizes!" Moustache twin declared as he pointed up at all the Pokémon plushies.

Twilight stepped over to the booth and looked it over, seeing a bunch of bottles on a table. She turned to the twins as the one without a moustache held up a ring. "Toss this ring onto any one of these bottles, easiest game in the park." He lazily flipped the ring in the air, the ring landing on the bottle without issue.

"Wow...it does look easy."

The twins smiled. "Would you lookie here. Somebody who knows a thing or two about a thing or two." Twilight shined a grin and was about to hand over her tickets, only for Flash to grab her shoulders and pulled her away.

"Twilight, they're just sweet talking you so you'll play. These games are rigged."

"Slanderous!" Moustacheless replied.

"Libellous!" Moustache went on.

Twilight smirked at Flash. "You know what's not rigged? The laws of physics." And thus, she went into full on lecture mode. "Assuming no air resistance and a vertical displacement of zero, the ring thrown will..." but these words drained out of Flash's ears. Despite the next minute of talking, nothing went into his brain. And when she finally stopped, she turned to the booth and put down two tickets before picking up a ring, holding it up and doing the calculations in her head.

She finally let the ring fly free and saw it fly to the bottle, landing around the neck and spinning.

"Oh the suspense!" Moustacheless cried.

"The drama!" Moustache continued.

"I can't watch!"

"Hold me." They hugged as they watched. That is, till the ring flew off the bottle.

Twilight groaned at her failure, Flash now patting her on the shoulder. "That was pretty good," he held up some more tickets. "And you know what they say, practice makes perfect."

Twilight smiled back before turning to the others. "You guys go ahead. We'll catch up once we win." They nodded and headed off, Springer and Owlicious being the only ones deciding to stick around.

As the rest looked around the fair, each of them came across something they liked the look of. Spike came across a plastic fun house that had slides, net ladders and ball pits. He was just below the height limit, the one time he was happy to be the shortest of the group while Peewee and Riptide went with him.

Doc and his Pokémon found an area celebrating vintage automobiles, getting into a long and boring conversation with an owner about the different kinds of engine, which made Higear, Steeledge and even Tockwork fall asleep.

As for Pinkie, her Pokémon, Prongs and Viper were all on their own. They were currently enjoying some cotton candy as they walked into the town's park. There, they saw a bunch of kids and small Pokémon playing on a bunch of play equipment that looked like they were made out of red, blue and yellow building blocks.

There were slides, seesaws, roundabouts and many others. "Wow..." she said as she looked around, "I've never seen playgrounds like this before."

"Yeah, I know," a kid standing next to her added. "It's weird. These things just showed up overnight. But hey, we're not complaining."

Pinkie smiled and plopped Gummy on a bench, "And neither am I!" With that, she climbed on one of the slides, Prongs and Jigglypuff following after her. She reached the top and sat down while the Pokémon did the same. "Ready?" They nodded, "then let's go!" They then pushed themselves off, sliding down the plastic ramp. Once at the bottom though, they found the slide curved upward, shooting all three for a short distance.

"Whee!" Pinkie cheered as she and Prongs landed on the soft grass, Jigglypuff gently floating into Pinkie's lap. The girl giggled at this, "That was fun!"

Viper has slithered onto the bench beside Gummy and curled up while watching them play, spotting Mellow as it bounce its way up the stairs. Not having any legs, it wasn't able to do this quickly. But then it landed on the fourth step, only for the slide's staircase suddenly changed into an escalator, Mellow now finding itself being carried to the top.

"Mellow?" It asked before shrugging, now looking down the slide. There, another trainer's Wooper finished climbing to the top.

"Wooper!" It cheered happily before jumping up onto the side rail and looking down at its trainer.

"Wooper!" Said trainer called out, "What are you doing?! You're gonna fall!"

Wooper rolled its eyes as it turned back to jump down, only for a strong gust of wind to blow. "Woop!" Wooper cried as it began to lose its balance, rocking back and forth before falling off.

"Wooper!" The trainer yelled as everyone watched it fall.

"Oh no!" Pinkie grabbed Jigglypuff and ran to the slide, hoping to catch the Wooper.

But as she did this, she came to sudden stop in surprise. Out of the side of the slide, several red building blocks shot out and formed together to make a hand shape. That hand caught the Wooper, then extended and dropped Wooper into his trainer's arms.

"You okay?" The trainer asked, getting a nod from his Pokémon before everyone looked up at the slide. They then looked around at the other four pieces of play area, starting to think that they were more then just slides and roundabouts. "What are these things?"

"They're called Bloxx." They turned towards the voice, which was coming from the shadow of a tree. Seconds later, the owner stepped out to show a tall teen with fizzy brown hair and a toothpick in his mouth. He had light brown skin and was wearing blue pants and a brown poncho with a cowboy hat.

The teen removed his hat and moved closer to the group. "Alright guys, fun's over."

The group turned back to the play equipment, only for it start shifting and reshaping themselves into the exact same shape. That shape was of a gorilla-like Pokémon, with large red fists and thinning arms that were blue and yellow. The rest of its body was a mismatch of these different blocks, with black lines separating the colors. The five all began to beat their large fists into their chests like King Kong. "BLOXX!"

The others were all slack-jawed as Pinkie pulled her Pokedex out of her hair.

Name: Bloxx
Category: Building Blocks Pokémon
Type: Normal
Info: One of the weirdest Pokémon known to man, its block like body can reform into any shape for differing periods of time. Despite its bulky appearance, it is a gentle Pokémon who loves to play with children.

Pinkie put her Pokedex away and stared at the Bloxx in wonder. "What a fun Pokémon."

"Thanks," the teen replied, flipping his poncho over to reveal a yellow shirt with an image on the breast. "I'm Cheese by the way, Cheese Sandwich."

Pinkie smiled back, raising her hand to shake his.

"COME ON!" Flash yelled after watching what felt like the hundredth ring bounce off the bottle. At the same time, Twilight was letting out a groan as she opened her notebook and was looking over her calculations. The twins, the mustached one named Flam while the other one was named Flim, were busy sorting through the tickets the two teens has spent. Meanwhile, Springer and Owlicious watched their trainer's struggles to defeat this simple game, all showing frowns.

"Alright, what's next?!" Flash looked up with fire in his eyes, "How are we going to win this?!"

Twilight replied by looking up from her book with a victorious grin on her lips. "Guess who just mapped out perfect projectile trajectory, taking into account propulsion, gravity and aerodynamic drag." She pointed the pen at her face, "this gal." She gave the booth owners a knowing look. "Bet you thought I forgot about friction, air drag and varying initial velocities. Well guess what, I didn't."

"What she said!" Flash agreed as he slammed more tickets onto the table.

The Flim Flam Brothers smiled at one another as Flim handed over the ring. "You know what they say."

"Hundredth times the charm."

Flash took the ring and allowed Twilight to position him, then watched as she placed Owlicious on the table with a wing up before moving Springer into a Egyptian pose. Finally, she pushed Flash back ten paces before returning to the booth and nodding, Flash now tossing the ring.

The circular piece of plastic shot through the air, only to curve to the left and bounce off Owlicious's wing. They watched as it flew at a booth selling drums, which it bounced off before flying into a booth with a roulette wheel. It rode the wheel as it spun around, soon shooting back into the air, flying up onto the gutter of a house and rolling to the drain. The others turned to Twilight, but she just smiled while making sure Springer stayed exactly where he was. Finally, the ring went down the drainpipe and shot out the end, only to hook onto Springer's claw and spun around before flicking off and up into the air.

Everyone watched as it seemed to hover for a moment, then descend onto the bottle. The landed on the neck and spun around, only to once again bounce off.

And as the duo tallied the tickets, both Flash and Twilight groaned as they banged their heads on the table.

Back with Pinkie, she and Cheese were still in the park. They were sitting on a bench, watching the Pokémon play with the Bloxx. It was here that one shifted his entire body into a climbing frame, while another morphed into a swing set with others sitting on its hands as they moved them.

"They really are amazing," Pinkie said.

Cheese shined a big smile. "Thanks. They're my pride and joy. I remember when I first met them." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of pictures. Pinkie looked them over, giggling at the sight. It showed a younger version of Cheese, one that had glasses and his hair seemed a little bit under control. He also had the Bloxx around them, along with a mild smile on his face. "I had just left home on my Pokémon journey, but didn't have a clue what I was going to do with my life. Then I got lost in a forest, where I came across the Bloxx. They use their shape shifting abilities to build treehouses and other treetop structures. I was amazed by them all."

"So what happened next?" Pinkie asked as she flipped through the other photos, seeing that each one kept showing the smile on his face grow bigger and his hair fizzier. Not only that, between two photos, his glasses disappeared.

"I spent almost a month in their home, showing them how to reform their bodies to make things like that slide and swing. Many of the wild forest Pokémon would play on them, laughing in joy." A look of fond nostalgia washed over him, "that was when I realized what I wanted to do. I wanted to spread that joy all across Equestria, to every man, woman and child. When I told them my idea, they were all for it." He turned to give her a huge grin, "and that's how I caught my six Bloxx."

Pinkie smiled back, only to then frown in confusion. She turned to the Bloxx and counted each of them, "Wait...I only count five Bloxx."

Hearing this made Cheese now frown as he pulled out a Pokeball. "Yeah, about that..." He opened the ball and released the red light energy, which reshaped to reveal a sixth Bloxx. This one wasn't smiling like the others, instead frowning as it glared at Cheese. "Hey bud, wanna go play with the others?"

The Bloxx only glared at Cheese before moving over to a nearby tree. "See? He has no desire to have fun with others, and when someone tries to get him to-oh no." Pinkie looked at where Cheese was staring and saw the Wooper from before have gone over to the Bloxx, obviously asking to play.

The Bloxx smiled before picking the Wooper up and morphing into...a catapult.

"Bloxx, no!" Cheese exclaimed as he tried to run over to it, but it was too late. The building blocks gorilla slingshot Wooper through the air. And as the Wooper screamed, another of the Bloxx saw this and extended its waist to catch the Wooper, soon bringing the shaken up Water-Type down. Cheese breathed a sigh or relief before glaring at Bloxx, "Hey! Not cool!"

Bloxx just rolled its eyes, leaning back onto the tree with a 'hmph!'.

"Wow....what a grump."

Cheese sighed, folding his arms next. "I don't even know why he agreed to come with me. He was eager to learn how to change shape, but he never turns into anything fun."

Pinkie showed a big frown at this, hating to see a trainer and their Pokémon not get along. "I'm sure if you did something together you can bond like you did with the others." She tapped her chin in thought, only for a light-bulb to pop out of her hair and light up, "I know! How about a battle?"

Cheese and Bloxx both raised an eyebrow at this. "What?"

"Battling with a Pokémon is one of the best ways to make friends with them. And since Bloxx doesn't like to play, this is the best way for you to get closer."

Cheese scratched the back of his head, slightly looking away. "I uh...I don't know. I'm not really good at battling. Besides, I doubt Bloxx would want to-" He stopped when he felt Bloxx tug on his poncho. "Huh?"

"Bloxx!" The gorilla Pokémon beat its chest, "Bloxx, bloxx!"

"Really?" Cheese asked back, only to see Bloxx hop up and down. He had never seen him this excited before turning back to Pinkie, "I guess we're in."

"Yay!" Pinkie cheered.

The sound of clattering filled the air as several rings bounced off the bottles before falling to the ground.

"Wow..." Flam said in an almost bored tone.

"So...close," Flim agreed.

Flash and Twilight, both looking frazzled and their hair a mess, groaned as they turned away from the booth and slid down to the ground. Flash looked down at his hand, each finger bandaged up before croaking out, "I can't feel my fingers anymore."

Twilight stared at her notebook, her brain too fried to make sense of the math. "It all looks the same." She turned to him, "Is this real life? How long have we been here?"

Springer and Owlicious comforted their trainers, patting their sides as the Flim Flam Brother looked down at them before taking a Chatot plushie off the rack. "Um hey....listen kids."

"How about you just...take a Chatot and...go home."

Flash's eye twitched before jumping up to get into the twin's faces. "It's not about the Chatot!" He backhanded the toy away, right into the arms of a very grateful boy.

As Flash picked up another ring, Twilight grabbed his arm. "You said it yourself. It's rigged." She then showed a tiny smile. "How about we get some ice cream?"

Flash let out a long sigh. "Yeah...you're right. Why didn't I listen to myself?" He tossed the ring over his shoulder, "We never had a chance."

Springer and Owlicious sighed in relief before a sound made them turn around, seeing the ring Flash tossed land on one of the bottles. The Riolu and Psychick gave each other a look that said 'seriously' before following their partners. When they went to their ice cream, they found the place was having an ice cream eating contest.

"Spike!" Twilight yelled as she saw her brother be one of the contestants, the teen now stuffing another spoonful into his mouth.

"What?! I'm competing!" Spike asked with a muffled voice, making Twilight roll her eyes as Flash and the others laughed.

After pulling Spike away from his victory bowl, the teens found Doc working on an old fashioned engine. "Someone's obviously having fun," Flash said as he watched Steeledge lower the contraption back onto the vehicle.

"You have no idea," Doc replied as he took off his glasses. He then turned to the car's owner, "So what do you want to work on now?"

The owner, still wide-eyed at Doc's endless mechanical enthusiasm, did a slow reply while scratching the back of his head, "Actually...I was gonna go watch the timer battle tournament."

"Timer battle?"

"It's a battle with a time limit. Unless you win within the given span of time, the match is classified as a tie. It always happens in the festival."

"Cool!" Flash exclaimed as he turned to his friends, "Sounds like fun! Wanna try it?"

Doc smirked at this. "Sure, I'm game."

"Then let's go!" And so, they headed off to the battleground, only to frown as they reached the sign-up table. "What, there aren't any more places?"

"I'm sorry," the lady running the table replied. "The last two spots were taken just a few minutes ago."

Flash slumped. "Rats."

"Hey now," Twilight patted his shoulder, "We can still watch the matches. That'll be fun, and you could learn some battle tactics."

"I guess..." Flash moaned as they headed to the stands. As they did this, they noticed a certain someone sitting on the competitors bench.

"Pinkie?" Spike yelped as Prongs and Viper raced up to them. "Hey guys, what's the deal?"

But before the two could do anything, a man with a microphone stepped up to the center of the field. "Hello ladies and gentlemen, welcome to today's timer battle tournament. For those not in the know, this tournament consists of five ten minute matches. If you manage to beat your opponent in that time, you win a special prize. Let's welcome our first two competitors."

And so, the tournament started. The first four matches came and went with two of the competitors winning before the timer ringed, one with only second to spare and the others in literally the first minute. Despite this, none of the matches even remotely interested the group, all being boring.

That is, till it became Pinkie and Cheese's turn.

As the two stepped up to their sides of the field, the crowd was cheering, Flash and the others yelling at her to do her best. Pinkie smiled at how much fun everyone was having, while Cheese just shook like a leaf.

"Ready Cheesy?" Pinkie asked as she pulled out her Pokeball.

Cheese gulped as he did the same, "I guess."

"Alright! Then go...Jigglypuff!" The ball flew through the air before releasing the balloon Pokémon.

"Jiggly!" she cheered as she floated to the ground.

"Err...go...Bloxx." He released his Pokémon, who grunted before beating its chest.

"Cool Pokémon," Flash said as he checked his Pokedex.

"Are both sides ready?" The ref asked, getting nods from both sides. "Then battle...begin!"

10:00

9:59

Pinkie gestured to Cheese. "Alright Cheesy, you can have the first move."

Cheese continued to shake, but nodded as he pointed at Bloxx. "Err...Brick Break!" The gorilla Pokémon ran ahead, one of his large hands ready to chop at Jigglypuff.

"Inflate Jigglypuff!"

"Jiggly!" The balloon Pokémon took a deep breath, its body expanded and float up a few inches. Seconds later, Bloxx chopped her, only for to float away from the attack.

"Huh?" Cheese asked as he watched the force of his attack simply push Jigglypuff away before it could make contact. He watched as Jigglypuff flew into the air, out of range of their Brick Break. "Alright then, Block Buster!" This statement got many people's attention, all watching Bloxx aim its fist at Jigglypuff before it morphed into a square cannon like weapon. Seconds later, a large building block shot out of the cannon at Jigglypuff.

This time, it made contact, striking the round Pokémon and exploding into a hundred of tiny blocks. The impact caused Jigglypuff to accidently release its built up air, making her float back down.

"Weird move," Spike commented.

Twilight nodded. "It's one specific to Bloxx. I've always wanted to see it in person."

"Pound!" Pinkie ordered, Jigglypuff bouncing ahead while its little fist glowed.

"Um...use..." Cheese's hesitance gave Jigglypuff the time to close the gap, allowing her to hit Bloxx in the chest.

"Bloxx!" It cried as it staggered back, surprised that the little windbag had that much power behind it.

"Um...recover and use Knock Off!" Bloxx's fist morphed into a hammer, which it slammed into Jigglypuff.

"Jiggly!" She flinched as the attack launched her into the air, only to inflate herself again for a safe fall.

"Block Buster!" A large brick was now flying at her, only for the wind to pick up and push her out of its direction. She released the air and slowly returned to earth, Pinkie giving her instructions before she landed.

"Bounce!" The second Jigglypuff's feet touched the ground, she kicked off and slammed into Bloxx's stomach. Despite flinching, the gorilla smirked as he grabbed Jigglypuff before shapeshifting into a dome. "What the?"

"Cool!" Flash and Spike exclaimed while Twilight and Doc smirked at the move.

"Smart. Restricting Jigglypuff's movements like that."

Doc nodded in agreement, "Let's see how Pinkie gets herself out of this one."

Inside the dome, Jigglypuff looked around for an exit, but found nothing. She was trapped and in that moment, Bloxx's face appeared on the ceiling. "Jiggly!" The balloon Pokémon inflated with a frown.

She then heard Pinkie's voice, "Jigglypuff, use Hyper Voice!"

Jigglypuff smiled at this, her eyes glowing blue as she breathed in. "Jiggly...PUFF!" From out of her mouth shot several transparent rings with blue outlines, all striking the wall with enough force that it created a hole in the blocks. Jigglypuff cheered at the sight, only to growl as the hole suddenly filled itself in. "Jiggly!" she angrily inflated again, "Jiggly...PUFF!" The soundwaves shot at the wall again, only for no effect. "Puff?"

Her trainer was just as confused, until Doc got out of his seat and called out to her. "Reconstruction," she turned to him quizzically, "it's Bloxx's ability. Sound and Powder like moves won't work on it."

"Oh, now you tell me." Pinkie turned back to the dome, the sound of banging pelting off of it. Inside the dome, Jigglypuff was tackling the walls, trying to break out, but unable to smash through.

"Bloxx, ox, ox, ox, ox!" The sound of her opponent laughing made her inflate before redoubling her efforts to break through the wall. At the same time, Pinkie looked over at the timer.

5:16

She looked back at Cheese, and saw nothing but a frown. Cheese hadn't suggested the dome, which mean they still weren't getting along. Pinkie then showed a look of pure determination, now knowing she needed to free her Pokémon. It was then that Pinkie looked at the bottom of the dome and snapped her fingers. "That's it! Jigglypuff, Hyper Voice!" This statement confused the crowd, as well as the Pokémon. That is, till she added, "Aim it at the ground!"

Everyone then caught on as Jigglypuff breathed in. Bloxx also saw this, realizing its error and began forming a floor on the dome. But it was to late- "PUFF!" The soundwaves struck the ground, rebounding off before going up to propel both Pokémon into the air.

Seeing this, Jigglypuff took the opportunity and kicked off the ceiling, which still happened to be Bloxx's face, and flew through the new opening seconds before it completely shut down. She then inflated herself as gravity kicked in, causing the dome to crash down to earth. "Bloxx!" he yelled as he landed with a thud. A second later, he glared at his opponent and returned to his default form.

And as Jigglypuff landed back on the ground, the two Pokémon stared at one another. Cheese then chose this moment to give his command. "Double Edge!" Bloxx launched ahead as his body started glowing yellow.

"Hyper Voice!" Jigglypuff breathed in before unleashing the a barrage of sonic waves, all flying at the charging gorilla while carving a ditch in the ground below. Bloxx raised his arms as it reshaped into a triangular shield, which the Hyper Voice struck, but was cut in two. Seconds later, the shield retracted before Bloxx slammed his shoulder into Jigglypuff like a footballer.

"Jiggly!" Jigglypuff spun backwards as she fell through the air, just barely managing to land back on her feet.

4:33

"Bounce!" Jigglypuff kicked off the ground and flew at Bloxx.

"Err...Knock Off!" Bloxx morphed his fist into a hammer and swung it, making contact with Jigglypuff's attack. But as this happened, Bloxx changed his hands into hooks and used them to dig into the ground and stop itself as Jigglypuff still floated through the air. "Now try...Block Buster." The building blocks gorilla reshaped not one, but both hands into the cannons, firing a double dose of block attacks.

"Not this time!" Pinkie spun on the spot and pointed up at Jigglypuff. "Hyper Voice!"

"Jiggly...PUFF!" The soundwaves struck the blocks, breaking them up before making them rain down upon Bloxx like hail. Luckily, Bloxx used both hands to make a shield and held it over his head like an umbrella.

"Pound!" Bloxx created a small opening in its shield and peered out, only to see Jigglypuff come crashing down as its fist glowed.

"Puff!" She smashed into the shield, breaking it apart and knocking the now armless gorilla off balance.

"Bounce!" Jigglypuff kicked back off the ground before thrusting her foot into Bloxx's chest.

"Bloxx!" He staggered back, now completely losing his balance as tripped and landed on his back.

"Bloxx!" Cheese cried as he watched his Pokémon now be covered in bruises. This was why he didn't like battling. Where was the fun in getting beaten up or hurting others? He glanced at the clock and saw it had just passed the three minute mark. He then looked down at the ground, whispering, "I should just forfeit before Bloxx hates me even more..."

He was about to raise his arm to tell the ref this, but in that moment: "Come on Bloxx!" Cheese turned to the stands and saw Flash had stood up, hands around his mouth to increase the volume of his voice. "Get up! You're not gonna let it end there, are you?"

Cheese raised an eyebrow at this, only to look back at Bloxx and see him pick himself up.

"That's the way!" Spike added.

"You got this!" Twilight cheered.

"Don't give up now!" Doc called out. The rest of the crowd cheered and clapped, that sound seeming to pump Bloxx up until he was back on his feet and rebuilding his hands. Cheese then watched as Bloxx panted, not in anger, but in the same excitement he would see the other Bloxx have when they're about to start playing.

"Could it be?"

"Bloxx!" The gorilla beat its chest with its fists.

"This...this is what Bloxx finds fun, isn't it. Its battling."

"Yo Cheesy!" He glanced over at Pinkie, "You in there? Come on, were still got two and a half minutes left! Let's keep the fun going!"

Cheese nodded without thinking. "Alright, Brick Break!" Bloxx stomped ahead, throwing chop after chop at Jigglypuff, the balloon Pokemon managing to dodge each one again and again.

"Pound!" As Jigglypuff dodged another chop, she threw a fist into Bloxx's arm, shattering it before bouncing up and dealing another to its chest.

"Shield yourself!" Cheese ordered as Bloxx regained balance before making a shield. "Now, Knock Off!" Bloxx regrew his damaged hand and morphed it into a hammer, which it started swinging at Jigglypuff.

"Bounce!" As the hammer came down, Jigglypuff jumped up to dodge, only to land on the attack before bouncing off. But before she could deal a kick, it raised its shield to block, making the attack only knock off a few bricks.

2:25

"Double Edge!" Bloxx glowed as he shoved Jigglypuff off its shield before body checking it, Jigglypuff hitting the dirt with a thud. She then tilted up and dug her feet into the ground. "Block Buster!" The twin cannons appeared on its arms again before firing the blocks.

"Hyper Voice!" With a blast of sonic waves, the blocks now shattering and scattering pieces all over. "Once again, into the ground!" Jigglypuff screamed downwards, the force lifting her up into the air.

Cheese blinked at this, only to notice the Block Buster pieces littering the ground, making it difficult for Bloxx to walk without stepping on one. "You're not safe yet, Bloxx," the gorilla looked back at him, "extend yourself!" Bloxx smiled before doing so, increasing the length of its waist until its torso was as high as Jigglypuff. "Brick Break!" Jigglypuff went wide-eyed at this, only to be chopped straight on the head.

"Jiggly!" she cried as she crashed into the dirt from the blow.

The timer then reached its final minute, the two Pokémon now picking themselves up for the finish.

"Pound/Brick Break!" The two ran at each other, both throwing punches and karate chops at one another. And as each dodged and blocked their opponents attacks, the last ten seconds ticked away as they hopped back for one last attack. "Hyper Voice/Block Buster!"

Jigglypuff unleashed the loudest scream it could while Bloxx fired multiple shots from both cannons. The two attacks met in the center of the field, the Hyper Voice breaking up the first few layers of bricks and sending them back while the very last brick made it through. The remains of the others bricks flew back and struck Bloxx, the final brick also striking Jigglypuff in the face. The two both fell backwards from this, and as the timer hit zero, they collapsed with spirals in their eyes.

The ref looked them over. "Both sides are unable to battle! This battle is a tie!"

Cheese and Pinkie both ran to their Pokemon and picked them up, the crowd all cheering in thunderous applause.

"Bloxx, you okay?" Cheese looked over his partner as he sat him up, a smile soon appearing on the Pokémon's face.

"Bloxx..." it said happily.

"You're alright," Cheese breathed a sigh of relief before noting the smile.

"That was fun!" He looked up at Pinkie, who had walked over to them with Jigglypuff in her hands. She then turned to the crowd, "and they had fun watching."

Cheese looked at the people and Pokémon in the stands, all clapping and smiling. "I...I never knew battles could do this."

"Of course! If there's one thing people love, it's seeing anyone put a hundred and ten percent into what they're doing! Pokemon battles aren't just fun, they're a way to help others understand each other."

Cheese had to admit, he did feel like he understood Bloxx a little better. He never would have learned how much he loved battling if he hadn't done this. But as he thought about this, he watched as Pinkie crouch down and pat Bloxx on the head, telling him how awesome and strong he was. Cheese saw this and how happy Bloxx looked, an idea soon popping into his head.

After the tournament prizes were handed out, everyone enjoyed the rest of the fair until the sun began to set. It was here that we find our heroes saying goodbye to Cheese as he and his Bloxx all prepared to head to the next town.

"Well, this is it." Cheese said as he shook Pinkie's hand.

"It was nice meeting you," Twilight told him next.

Flash gave him a thumbs up. "Hope we get to see you at another festival."

"I'm sure you will." Cheese then turned back to Pinkie, only to place something in her hand. "Here."

Pinkie looked down and saw she was now holding a Pokeball, "What's this?"

"I want you to look after Bloxx," Cheese told her. This request was met with shock from everyone, even the battle loving Bloxx as he looked at Cheese questionably. The teen placed his hand on the gorilla's shoulder. "Buddy, it's clear you love to battle. I'll admit now that it can bring smiles to peoples faces, but I don't think I'm meant to be someone who does it that way. Battling...just ain't my style." He turned to smile at Pinkie, "But it is your style."

Pinkie looked down at the Pokeball, then at Bloxx, then at Cheese. "Are...are you sure?"

Cheese nodded, "I am. Take good care of Bloxx."

Pinkie's eyes teared up before she threw her arms around Cheese, the two hugging for several seconds. When he pulled away, Cheese turned to Bloxx and held out a hand to shake. "Goodbye friend." Bloxx took the hand before pulling Cheese into a hug, surprising his former trainer, but he quickly got over it and hugged back.

Once it was over, Pinkie's new Bloxx said goodbye to its friends before Cheese returned them all. "Well," he put his hat back on and started chewing on a toothpick, "I best be moussing on." With that, he turned to walk into the sunset.

As the others waved him off, Pinkie looked at Bloxx and saw a big frown on his face. "Don't be sad," she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Smile Bloxx, that's what he'd want. That, and...I'm sure we'll see him again."

This actually did make Bloxx smile as Cheese disappeared into the horizon. Cheese and Bloxx's paths may have been dividing, but it was for the greater good of the two. Now they could forge their own paths that they believed was best for them. Now, our heroes must prepare for Baltimare City, as their destination was getting close and Flash's Gym Battle would soon arrive.

Rock Solid Family

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Continuing their journey through the Equestria Region, Flash and his friends are now on a road leading to the City of Baltimare. Here, our heroes are currently climbing to the top of a rocky hill, soon seeing they had arrived at their destination.

"There it is!" Pinkie cried in joy at the sight of her hometown. The others all went wide-eyed at the sight, amazed at how colorful it was as each building was a different bright color. Red, yellow, blue, orange, green, indigo and so on.

Flash started blinking, "Wow...looking at it kinda hurts my eyes."

"Yeah!" Pinkie nodded with a huge grin, "That doesn't go away..."

Twilight turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you said your hometown was 'total dullsville'?"

"Oh, it is. You have no idea how hard it was to get them to agree to painting the place."

"You did that?!" Doc gasped, Pinkie nodding back.

"Cool..." Spike added.

"Terra," Peewee nodded in agreement.

Pinkie giggled at the praise. "Thanks. So, ready to see my hometown? What do you wanna see first?"

Flash pointed to himself, "That's easy. Let's get to the Gym and get me my Gym Badge." He and Springer then raised their legs to start moving, only for someone to grab the back of his jacket.

"Hold it!" Twilight yelled as she pulled him back, Flash barely able to stop from falling on his rear.

Flash frowned back at the girl, "What?!"

Twilight pointed a single finger to his face. "One, you need to go to the Pokémon Center and make sure your team is psychically ready for a tough battle." She raised a second finger. "Two, the Gym Leader might not be able to battle you right away." She finally showed a third finger. "And three...this is Pinkie's home, so don't you think she'll want to go see her family?!"

Flash just growled at her, huffing, "Damn your logic. Fine, we'll go to Pinkie's house first."

"YAY!" Pinkie cheered with a jump, "Thanks Flash! And don't worry, the Gym's right next door to my place."

This caused all of them to raise an eyebrow. "It is?"

"Of course, silly. Don't all Gym Leaders live in or near their Gym?"

The confusion began to fade, only to be replaced with shock as Doc asked, "Pinkie, are you...related to the Gym Leader?"

Pinkie tilted her head with a small frown. "Well of course I am! We're sisters after all." The blank looks that appeared on everyone's face told the girl what the problem was. "Wait, did I forget to tell you that?" The six all nodded, making her giggle. "Silly me." This caused her friends to all anime fall, "sorry about that."

Flash was the first to recover before grabbing Pinkie's arms. "Pinkie, what's your sister like?! Is she strong?!"

Pinkie shined a giant grin, nodding, "Sure is. The strongest trainer I know." She booped him on the nose, "You ain't gonna get her Quartz Badge easily."

"We'll see about that," Flash told her as the other picked themselves up. "Come on, let's get to Pinkie's house."

"Right!"

And so, Pinkie led them into the town. It was here that they realized what Pinkie meant, as there was just basic buildings despite the different colors. No festivals, marketplaces or anything. It wasn't until they were halfway through the town that Twilight asked Pinkie where her home was, causing her to giggle once again. "It's on the other side of town, right on the edge. If it was any further away, it'd be outside the town."

"Why?" Spike asked, causing Pinkie's hair slightly deflate.

"Well, my family isn't what you'd call...social."

"Really?" Everyone asked in surprise, their faces now starting to get tired of being surprised.

"Yeah," Pinkie nodded, "But that's okay. They're usually pretty busy, so they don't have a lot of free time to hang around and make friends."

"What is it that your family does?" Twilight asked next.

"They run a special preserve for Rock-Type Pokémon. They're all experts with that Type, my sister Maud even having a rocktorate."

"A what?!" Flash yelped, making Twilight giggled.

"It's a special doctorate that means you're qualified to treat Rock-Type Pokémon. Kinda like Nurse Redheart, only you aren't allowed to treat any non Rock-Types."

It was here that the group arrived on the side of the town, soon reaching what looked liked the pure opposite of Baltimare City's colorful paint job. Where the city was colorful, this place was, to use Pinkie's phrase, dullsville. It was a large wooden house with a basic fence around the edge, along with a silo and windmill near it. The only unusual thing about the place was the giant rock beside the house, but aside from that, it was just an ordinary farm like area.

"Well, there it is." She smiled before running on the spot, "it's so good to be home!" With that, she hopped around, yelling, "HEY! ANYONE THERE?! IT'S ME, PINKIE!"

The group then hopped in place as the house's main door opened, revealing a quartet of individuals. The first was a middle aged man wearing a white shirt under a black vest and tie, a black hat atop his head. The second was a middle aged woman wearing a black checkered suit, her hair up in a bun and half-moon glasses on her nose. Then there was a pair of teen girls, the first wearing a gruff expression with grayish blue skin and short light gray hair, wearing a dark gray shirt and black pants. The other girl had light gray skin and long dark gray hair that covered half of her face, and was wearing a gray dress over a black shirt.

"Pinkamena," the man spoke in a simple tone, "You have returned."

Pinkie squeed as she threw her arms around his neck and squished her cheek into his, "Hiya! Love you dad!" She did the same with the middle aged woman, who also seemed slightly indifferent about her being there, before moving onto the teens. "Hey sis!"

The gruff looking one folded her arms. "You could have called before showing up."

"Silly Limestone. Then it wouldn't be a surprise, duh!" Pinkie turned to the last one, patting her on her head. "You doing okay Marble?"

The girl tried to hide behind her hair and nodded, "Mm-hmm." She then looked at the newcomers, only to try to hide even harder behind her hair.

Pinkie looked back at her friends. "Everyone, meet four-sixths of the Pie family. My mom and Dad, Cloudy Quartz and Igneous Rock Pie."

"Hello," Twilight said as the other waved.

Pinkie pointed at her sisters. "And this is Limestone and Marble, my older and twin sister." She turned back to the others, "These are my friends who I met. Flash is here to earn his third Gym Badge."

Hearing this made Limestone scoff, quickly walking up to get right in Flash's face, making the boy almost backpedal. "So, you think you can beat Maud, huh?"

"Err..." Flash mumbled out, "I guess so?"

"Ha!" Limestone pulled away with a huge smirk on her face, "Not very confident, are you? She'll eat you up with ease!"

"I am confident," Flash barked back. "I was just a little uncomfortable with you right in my face!"

Limestone laughed again. "If you can't handle little old me, how you gonna stand up to Maud?"

Flash started to growl, now leaning up to stare at her in the face, "I'll show you how I can stand up to her. Take me to her!"

"Yeah...where is Maud anyway?" Pinkie asked her parents.

Quartz spoke up next, "She is currently tending to a sick Sudowoodo."

"Hello everyone, who are these new people?" They all turned to the new voice, now seeing a girl around Doc's age walk out of some trees. She had gray skin and purple hair, and was wearing a long dark blue dress. She blinked at the new arrivals, and the moment she saw her sister, her lips curved up ever so slightly. "Pinkie, it's good to see you."

"MAUD!" Pinkie seemed to warp from her original spot to right next to Maud, throwing her arms around the girl. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"And I'm happy to see you," Maud said in an almost bored tone.

The whole family dynamic made the teens just look at them in pure confusion. And as their brains tried to comprehend how different they were from Pinkie, Flash shook his head before going over to Maud. "Hey there, I'm Flash Sentry." Springer took this moment to call out, which made Flash point to his partner. "And this is Springer." He bowed next, "I'd like to challenge you to a Gym Battle."

If Maud was surprised by this, she didn't show it. "Very well, but it'll have to be tomorrow." She and Pinkie moved over to the rest of their family. "My Pokémon are still recuperating from a particularly hard battle we had several days ago."

"Really?!" Pinkie gasped, "Was the challenger that strong?!"

"Indeed."

"He and his Sharazor were vicious," Limestone commented next. "They totally swept Maud's entire team like they were nothing."

"Mm-hmm," Marble added, nodding.

"Sharazor?" Flash yelped, making him show a grim frown, "This trainer wasn't named Lightning, was he?!"

This made Maud actually barely raise an eyebrow, "You know him?"

"Yeah...I do." Flash growled, a dark expression gracing his face.

This made the others all sigh, Spike speaking up. "So he used the Sharazor we weakened for him to get a badge? That's low."

Doc shook his head. "Even so, he didn't do anything wrong."

Twilight tapped her feet in irritation, "Even so, it worries me that that kind of trainer is growing more and more powerful." This got the others to nod as Flash turned back to Maud.

"So, when are you gonna be ready to battle?"

Maud slowly blinked. "Tomorrow should be good. They've been properly healed up for a while, so giving them a day to prepare should be enough."

Flash nodded back, "Sounds good to me."

It was here that Spike turned and saw a giant rock near the house, making him start to go up to it. That is, till Limestone yelled, "Hey! Keep away from Holder's Boulder!"

"Huh? Holder's Boulder?"

Pinkie giggled as she skipped over to the rock and leaned against it. "This is Holder's Boulder, our family's relic."

"Relic? It's a...rock."

"This is no ordinary rock," Igneous explained next as he went up and patted the giant boulder. "Generations ago, it was forged in a confrontation between Regirock, Terrakion and Diancie."

"Those are...Legendary Rock-Type Pokémon," Twilight gasped, putting her hands over her mouth.

Pinkie motioned them to come closer, which they did. "Here, touch it."

"Pinkie!"

"Oh, lighten up sis. They won't break it." She turned back to them. "Go on, put your hand on it." The group look confused by this, but did as they were told. As soon as their skin touched the rock, a strange tingling flew into them.

"How odd..." Twilight commented as she pulled her hand back.

"Its giving me goosebumps," Spike added.

"Some kind of energy is sealed within this rock," Doc theorised before turning to the Pies. "You said it was forged in a battle between the three legendaries?"

The Pies all nodded as Maud started talking. "We don't know all the details, but its said that the final attack was a three-way collision of their most powerful Rock-Type attacks. They collided and created this boulder, which contained part of the three's power. That power seems to act as a magnet to Rock-Types, making them come to it and be highly relaxed. That's why we created this sanctuary, so the Rock Pokémon can have a place to live in peace."

"Incredible...." Twilight gasped again. "You must have a lot of Rock-Types here."

"Mm-hmm," Marble nodded.

"You wanna see?" Pinkie asked, the others all nodding in reply. "Then come on," she started skipping into the woods with the others following after. And as they left, three beings were watching them.

"Well, well, well," a voice said from behind a cluster of rocks. The owner was Big Score, who was smiling at the giant rock as his lackeys stepped out beside them. "Ain't it our lucky day. We come to steal a bunch of Pokémon. and instead we learn we can actually make them come to us."

"We can?" Rickashay asked next.

"Weren't you listening?! That giant rock over there is our ticket to easy street! If we take it, the Rock Pokémon will come to us. And if they're telling the truth about it making them docile, then capturing them will be a cake walk."

Rickashay smiled as he caught on. "Awesome! Why try and steal something that can fight back when you can take just a rock."

"Exactly! Though....our only problem will be those kids. I tell you, it's like some higher power is drawing us all together." Score rubbed his chin. "Hmmm...eh, it doesn't matter. My plan for our escape is foolproof. Boulder," he turned to the silent criminal, "Get the Big Score One ready for take off." Boulder only nodded in agreement.

Pinkie had now led the group through the trees to an area filled with many rocks, and even more Pokémon. There were Geodude, Bonsly, Roggenrola, Rhyhorn, Shuckle, Dwebble, Rockruff, Crawlder, Torpeller and some of their evolved forms. Some of the bigger ones were relaxing while the smaller ones played. Others were slamming themselves into rocks, either to train or as some form of chipping off damaged pieces of their bodies. Everyone gasped at the sight, all amazed at the amount of Rock-Types.

"Look at them all," Spike gasped, Peewee nodding in agreement.

Twilight nodded, "I agree. I've never seen this many different Rock-Types in one place."

"That's because a lot of wild Rock-Type Pokémon tend to be very territorial." Doc kneeled down and patted a Roggenrola as it passed, the little Rock Pokémon seeming to have no issue with it. "Having them all in the same spot like this without issue is a rarity indeed. That Holder's Boulder energy must be something else."

"You are right when you said that most Rock-Types are territorial," Maud told them. "Due to many of them needing to consume large deposits of clay or mineral ore, they usually defend what little they can find."

"That isn't a problem here?" Flash asked, to which Maud shook her head.

"For whatever reason, this whole area constantly develops and quickly replenishes whatever is consumed. An Onix could eat the area clean and twelve hours later, it would be restocked with everything these Pokémon need to survive."

Both Doc and Twilight went wide-eyed, Twilight gasping, "Incredible. Regularly, that would take forever to come back."

Doc blinked at the Gym Leader. "You think it has something to do with Holder's Boulder?"

Maud slowly turned her head to him, the look on her face completely unchanged. "I don't know. It may be that, or it may be that the ground in this area is special. It's just one of the great mysteries that may never be revealed, but that's alright."

"It is?" Twilight yelped, almost insulted at those words. "But...but..."

"As long as the ground continues to replenish the food for the Pokémon, finding out how it works isn't important." The stoic young woman interrupted as she walked over to a nearby Rhyhorn while Pinkie threw her arms around Flash and Twilight's necks.

"Ooh, she really likes you guys."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this. "How can you tell?"

Pinkie mirrored his expression, "What do you mean?"

Twilight sighed and shook her head. "He means that your sister is very...well, unreadable. She only seems to have that one expression."

"She does?" They turned to Pinkie's sister and watched as she began brushing the Rhyhorn, her expression completely unchanged. "Well obviously you'd think that. After all, she's been happy from the moment you met."

Flash rolled his eyes, "Again, how can you tell? She hasn't smiled once."

"Silly Flashie. Just because someone's not smiling, doesn't meant they aren't happy. Everyone has they own way of showing joy."

"If you say so," Flash grumbled as he crossed his arms. "But if she's like this when we battle, it's not gonna be a lot of fun."

Pinkie just giggled at this. "Just wait until you see her in battle. She'll knock your socks off." She got behind Flash and started pushing him. "Come on Flashie, just try getting to know her, then you'll see how amazing she is."

"Alright, alright. Just quit...shoving." He jumped away from the cotton candy girl and walked up to Maud, right as she continued whatever she was doing with the Rhyhorn. "So...what's up?"

"The sky," Maud replied without looking up from her work.

Flash opened his mouth, only for no sound to come out, "I uh...I mean, what's going on? Is this Rhyhorn alright?" Maud stopped her brushing and pointed to the spot she had been working on, Flash looking down to see something outlined against it's rock-like skin. "A tiny scratch?"

"It's only tiny now. But without proper treatment, it can lead too many problems. If dirt, sand and any other kind of debris gets inside, then every time it moves, it will move and scratch the inside."

"Huh..." Flash replied, his mind now getting a mental image of the tiny scratch getting bigger on the inside while the outside looked the same, followed by an image of Springer hitting it in a battle, causing the hollowed out spot to break into a large hole. "I guess I never thought about it like that."

"Don't feel bad. Hardly anyone ever does." She put the brush into her pocket before pulling out a band-aid, which she placed on the Rhyhorn's scratch. "There, that should do it." She patted the Rhyhorn, "Try not to scrape that spot too much." The Rhyhorn nodded with a gentle roar before walking off.

Flash blinked at the sight, surprised at the gentle sounds, "You're really good with Rock-Types."

"I didn't get a rocktorate because I can shred on guitar like no one else," Maud replied as she got up, only for Flash's brain to click at her words, causing his sides to split in laughter.

And as his laughter stopped, he then asked, "So, why did you decide to get this...rocktorate? I mean, why do you find Rock-Type's so much more interesting than any other type? Was it just because your family runs this sanctuary?"

"Probably, though Pinkie and I share parents and she doesn't have as much of an interest."

"Good point."

"I've just always had this keen connection with Rock-Types. For as long as I could remember, they've always fascinated me. It also helps that we have a lot in common, mostly with how others see us."

"Come again?"

"A lot of people see Rock-Types as the weakest of the eighteen Pokémon types simply because it's weak to so many other types. Many trainers seek out Rock-Type Gyms as their first or second challenge because they think it'll be an easy challenge." Flash thought about that, remembering them to be weak to many types, those being Water, Grass, Fighting, and Steel. "Then there's the fact a lot of Rock-Types tend to be combined with Ground-Type, which it shares a lot of weakness with and gains even more from it." Despite her unchanging face, Flash could tell she was annoyed by this.

"So, you think they're wrong?"

"They are wrong. Rock Pokémon aren't just strong, they are one of the strongest types around." She turned to him, her expression still the same, "Let me ask you. In this world, what do you think was the first type to appear?"

"Err...well, since Arceus created the world...whatever type that one is."

"Arceus didn't appear in this world, so it doesn't count. But to go with where you were going, think back to when Arceus first created this world. In its earliest days, the world was made up of solid rock. Over time, water began to appear and that lead to the creation of other types. But before that, their existed only pure rock, meaning the Pokémon that evolved to adapt to that environment incorporated that into their bodies and created the first type. The Rock-Type. It predates any other type in this world. And while other types have come and likely gone, it has remained to this day. That is why the Rock-Type is the strongest, because though it might lose in battle to many other types, it will win in the ultimate contest. The contest of survival."

As the information Maud told him settled into his brain, Flash remembered something Twilight once said: all Pokémon revived from fossils were Rock-Types. That meant that the type must have been the dominant one millions of years ago. He then remembered what else Maud has said about the Rock-Type, making him hazard a guess that she was talking about how people viewed her due to her attitude. Considering he had done the exact same thing, he frowned as he rubbed the back of his neck. "That's why you opened your Gym, isn't it?"

Maud nodded. "I wanted to prove that the Rock-Type was one to respect. And I think I've been able to accomplish that task, as many trainers who come here looking for a quick victory end up running to the Pokémon Center crying."

The two then came across a Rockruff as it battered a round rock with its paw, looking annoyed as if it wasn't doing what it wanted it to. Maud crouched down before pulling out a small pick, which she used the smash the rock in half. Flash went wide-eyed as he saw that the inside of the rock was a beautiful array of shimmering crystals, which the Rockruff smiled at before beginning the gnaw at them. Maud looked back, noticing his amazed look. "Sometimes you need to look underneath something's surface, to see it's true beauty."

"Yeah...I guess you do."

Meanwhile...

Pinkie had now taken Twilight and the others to a spot at the very back of her family's estate. She explained that she was taking them to her favorite spot of the sanctuary, only to confuse them when they arrived. "We're here!" She cheered while the others just blinked at the sight, not seeing anything different from the other parts of the sanctuary. Actually, there was one thing that looked different was just a small pond, being a six foot circle with a bit of grass around the edges.

"Uhhh, Pinkie? What about this place makes it so special?"

"That's easy Twily," Pinkie replied before taking out a Pokeball, opened to unleash a red light into the pond. Seconds later, the water broke as Gummy floated up to the surface. Pinkie giggled as she knelt down next. "This is where me and Gummy first met."

"It is?"

Pinkie nodded as she reached out and patted the Gumigator on the head. "I remember it like it was yesterday. I had just finished all my chores and had wandered over here to relax." She then looked around before whispering, "Don't tell the rest of my family, but I used to think Pokémon were boring."

"Really?!" Doc gasped, "Why?!"

"Well, it was before Maud opened her gym, so I only ever got to see Rock-Type Pokémon. And while they're alright, having only them around got super boring over time. But then, on that day, I passed by this pond and it happened."

Years ago...

A younger, flat-haired Pinkie was kicking a rock around the edge of the pond, only to accidently kick it into the water. After watching it sink, she sighed before sitting on her knees. "Aww..."

But as the sigh finished, the sound of the water breaking made her look up. There, she saw a Gumigator's head poke out of the pond. She stared at the little guy for a while, having never seen anything like it before. She then watched as the Gumigator swim to the edge before opening its mouth, its tongue extending. She looked at the tip of its tongue and saw that the tongue had the rock she had kicked. Tilting her head at this, she took it back, the tongue snapping back instantly. Pinkie giggled at the sight, deciding she liked this Pokémon. Then the next thing she knew, it shot out a stream of water that struck her in the face.

She cried out and jumped up as the Gumigator stopped, allowing her to shake the water off her head. Doing so caused it to go poofy, making her look and see her reflection in the water, which caused her to giggle even more before breaking out into full-on laughter.

The Present...

"Ever since then, I've loved Pokémon that have a funny quirk to them. They just make me feel...happy." The others al smiled at this, now seeing what had caused Pinkie to go out on her journey. But as they started enjoying the area, the sound of a howl made them turn to see a group of Lycanroc looking in the same direction in concern. "Huh?!"

"What's going on?" Flash asked as he and Maud watched the other Rock-Types all shivered, all looking around in panic. Flash turned to Maud and hopped in place, now seeing for the first time, pure concern on her face.

"I...don't know." She then sprinted off, Flash in hot pursuit. They were soon joined by the rest of their friends and the Pie Family, all heading in the direction that the Lycanroc had been staring at. The Pie Family home.

When the group arrived back at the house, what they saw made them raise an eyebrow. Holder's Boulder was inside a net fifteen feet in the air, being lifted by a...hot air balloon. "What the heck?!" Flash yelped as they looked up at the basket, the heads of three figures leaning over the basket's edge.

"Long time, no see," Big Score called down.

"You three?!" Spike yelled out.

The Pies turned to them as Igneous asked, "You know these three miscreants?"

Twilight growled back. "Sadly, yes."

Doc nodded in agreement, "We've had the unfortunate pleasure of running into them several times."

"That's right," Score barked back. "And this time, you won't be stopping up."

Limestone, extremely ticked, screamed at the trio, "What do you think you're doing with Holder's Bolder?! Put it down before you break it!"

"Oh, I don't think so," Score spat back. "This bad boy is our ticket to catching every Rock-Type under the sun!"

"Put it down!" Limestone repeated, "Put it down now!"

"We're warning you!"

Score, Rickashay and Boulder all laughed as the balloon floated higher. "What can you do? We're up here and you're down there."

Flash growled as he pulled out his Pokeball, "Don't say we didn't warn you. Skyler, come out and use Quick Attack!" He tossed the ball into the air to release the Chickling, who took flight like a bullet.

The criminals' eyes went wide as Skyler raced into the sky, making them look up as he struck the balloon and tore right through the fabric. "Oh no!" The basket and rock began to fall, Pinkie and Doc pulling out their Pokeballs at the same time.

"Steeledge/Bloxx, GO!" They released their Pokémon and the two soon acted, Steeledge flying up to Holder's Boulder to cut the rope. He then grabbed the rope still tied around the rock and started flapping, slowing it down just enough so Bloxx could extend his waist and grab it. They all sighed in relief as they watched Bloxx morph into a slide and allowed the rock to roll down to safety.

Meanwhile, the basket slammed into the earth and broke apart as its occupants flopped into the ground. "How?!" Score yelled, "How could my genius escape plan fail?!"

The others all glared at him, as if asking 'are you serious?' as Twilight deadpanned, "How?! Seriously?! You tried to escape...in a hot air balloon."

Spike nodded in agreement, "Seriously, what kind of criminal thinks a hot air balloon is a good escape plan?"

Score growled as he picked himself up. "Fine!" he pulled out his Pokeball, "I'll just take you all down and take the damn rock. Jesterror!" The young clown Pokémon appeared, a sinister smile on its face.

"Stompice/Spikorn, let's go!" The two lackeys unleashed their Pokémon as they appeared besides Jesterror, Springer now jumping up to the front as Skyler, Steeledge and Bloxx stood beside him.

"Let's do this! Springer and Skyler use Quick Attack!" His Pokémon ran at mach speed and struck Stompice and Spikorn, pushing them away from Jesterror as Steeledge and Bloxx charged ahead.

"Slash!" Score ordered, Jesterror's glowing claws reached out of its sleeves to try slashing the two.

Pinkie pointed at Bloxx, "Block it!" The building block gorilla's arm morphed into a shield, which Jesterror's claws bounced off. "Now, Knock off!" With its other arm, he threw a strong punch into Jesterror's stomach.

"Drill Peck!" Steeledge took this moment to spin, trying to burrow into Jesterror.

At the same time, Springer and Skyler charged at their opponents, "Drain Punch and Steel Wing!" Springer thrusted his glowing fist into Spikorn, sucking its energy as Skyler slashed at Stompice with his metallic wing. The two slid back in pain, the trainers frowning.

"Stompice, Ice Beam!" The icy Pokémon opened its mouth as a burst of ice cold lightning shot out, striking Skyler as he cried out, making him feel freezer-burn overtake him.

"Rock Blast!" Spikorn's top horn glowed before launching a volley of projectiles at Springer, who jumped from spot to spot to avoid them.

"Double Team!" Flash ordered, the two nodding before they both multiplied themselves. "Quick Attack!" The Skylers began fly at high speed, all swarming them like insects. The two growled as they tried to knock them away, only for them to all disappear to reveal a Springer army rushing with Aura Spheres in their paws. "Now, Aura Sphere Barrage!" With a single thrust, an explosion followed, sending both back easily.

"No!" Rickashay screamed, Boulder growling at the same time.

"Dark Pulse!" Jesterror brought his hands together before thrusting them into a kamehameha pose, unleashing a flurry of dark energy rings that flew at Bloxx and Steeledge.

"Block Buster!" Bloxx's arms morphed into the cannons and fired a barrage of building blocks, all colliding with the Dark Pulse before exploding. And before either Pokémon could react, Steeledge soared out of the smoke, inches away from Jesterror.

"Steel Wing!" Flying past Jesterror and at high speed, Steeledge caught the clown on its wing and smacked it away with ease.

"That's the way!" Spike cheered.

Limestone smirked at the sight, "I gotta say, that Flash guy's not half bad. But Pinkie's really gotten better since leaving..." She turned to Maud, "Wouldn't you say sis?"

Maud slowly nodded, "Yes, her skills have grown. But she hasn't won this battle yet..."

Score growled at the sight, "Oh no you don't, not this time." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a remote, which he pressed as the remains of the balloon's underside opened up. The others caught sight of this, but before they could even ask what it was, several nets flew out of the basket.

"Look out!" Twilight cried, but it was too late.

The nets hit each of the battling Pokémon and wrapped them up, only to then unleash a powerful jolt of electricity, zapping all of them. "Springer, Skyler!" Flash yelled as he tried to run to his Pokémon, only for a Dark Pulse, Ice Beam and Rock Blast to fly past him, forcing him to leap back.

"I don't think so," Score joked as he and his minions walked up to their Pokémon. "Now give it up before I decide to up the volts."

"You cowards!" Limestone yelled as Marble hid behind her.

"Who cares. Winning's all that counts. What's it matter on how you do it?"

Flash growled, only to notice someone walk past him. It was Maud, her stoic expression still lingering on her face. "The fact you decided to prepare a contingency like this shows what little respect you have in yourself and your Pokémon. You're truly pathetic."

Score frowned at the girl's nonchalant attitude. "Who are you to judge me?"

"I am Maud Pie," she closed her eyes as she pulled a Pokeball out. "Leader of the Baltimare City Gym." Her eyes reopened, only to now show a look of determination and seriousness. "And I will not allow you to do this!" This sudden change of attitude startled everyone except Maud's own family. "Spikorn, let's rock!" She tossed the ball before unleashing its red energy, which reshaped to reveal her Pokémon.

"Spikorn!" It cried as it readied itself for battle.

"She's got a Spikorn too!" Spike said in awe.

Twilight nodded. "Let's hope this one's stronger than theirs."

Score turned to Boulder, "There's no way yours is weaker! Take her down!"

Boulder nodded as he pointed at his Spikorn, "Slam!" His Spikorn scuttled ahead, ready to slash Maud's with its horn.

"Look out!" Flash told the Gym Leader, but she ignored him.

"Rock Polish," she said calmly. Her Spikorn remained in place as thin blue lightning began to spark around it as Boulder's Spikorn reached her. Maud's then raised its head and blocked Boulder's horn, the two pushing at each other until Boulder's Spikorn leapt back.

Boulder growled at this, "Rock Throw!" Several stones appeared around it, all soon flying at Maud's.

"Rock Polish," Maud repeated before her Spikorn was surrounded by lightning again. Seconds later, it started swinging its horn through the air, knocking the stones away. "Now, Rock Rush!" The lightning continued to spark as her Spikorn's body glowed, only to vanish in the blink of an eye, appearing in front of Boulder's Spikorn, striking it with ease.

"Wow!" Spike yelled in amazement, "Check out the speed!"

Doc nodded in agreement. "Rock Rush is a move that gets stronger if the user's speed increases."

"That's why she used Rock Polish to boost its speed," Twilight added.

Flash watched in amazement. "She really is amazing."

"Told cha," Pinkie said with a giant smile.

Score just growled at the sight, now seeing Boulder's Spikorn land at their feet with swirls in its eyes. "Jesterror, Shadow Sneak!" The clown ran at the Spikorn before morphing into a shadow, morphing into the ground. But as he did this, the rock beetle hopped back, barely dodging the Pokémon's leaping out of the darkness.

"Stomp!" Stompice leapt into the air above it, gravity forcing one of his feet into the Spikorn.

"Rock Polish!" More lightning appeared around her Spikorn as it leapt out of the way, dodging the now crater appearing Stompice. "Rock Rush, again!" The stone beetle's body once again glowed, only to seemingly warp right next to Stompice, body checking it.

"Pice!" It cried as it staggered back, soon tripping.

Score let out a roar, steam blasting out of his nostrils. "Blast it! Use Slash Jesterror!"

"Jest!" Jesterror ran up to Spikorn and started slashing, only to hit the air as Spikorn's increased speed allowed him to dodge every blow with ease. "Terror!" It unleashed on final swipe, but Spikorn simply leapt back.

"Let's finish this," Maud told her Pokémon. "Shockwave!"

"Spike!" It replied as electricity surged around its body before travelling to the ends of its horns. Then between the top and lower horn, a ball of lightning appeared before shooting out a thunderbolt. The thunderbolt flew through the air, zapping the clown Pokémon as it was thrown back.

Stompice had just picked itself up when it saw Jesterror flying to it, but it was too late. The clown hit him, spreading the remaining electricity through him as well. The two then landed beside Boulder's Spikorn, spirals now in their eyes. The three criminals looked down at their defeated Pokémon before turning to their opponents, all gulping as they saw the next sight. As they had been focusing on Maud, they hadn't noticed the others had gotten to their Pokémon freed from the nets. Now Springer, Skyler, Steeledge and Bloxx stood beside Spikorn, ready to make them pay.

"Well...uh...." Score returned Jesterror, "we'll just be...going." The other two nodded before returning their Pokémon, then slowly spinning around.

"Oh, I don't think so! Aura Sphere and Gust!"

"Air Slash!"

"Block Buster!"

The four unleashed their attacks, all soaring at twice the speed the three were going. It then collided into the trio, an explosion soon rocking the Pie family home as they were sent hurtling into the air.

"Anyone else thing we should just avoid those kids at all cost?" Rickashay asked, making Boulder nod.

"No way!" Score screamed, "The next time I see those brat's I'll make them pay. You hear me you twerps? Nothing will stop me from getting my revenge! Not one blasted thing!" With that, the three disappeared into the horizon.

Back on the ground, the Pies were looking over Holder Boulder, soon glad to see it was intact without a scratch. "That's one tough rock," Flash commented as he rubbed his chin at the sight.

"All rocks are tough in their own unique way," Maud told him as she changed back to her inexpressive persona. "It's one of the reasons I love them so much."

"Got that right," Flash added, only to then feel Pinkie lean up against his shoulder.

"So Flashy, now that you've seen how strong my sister is, you scared?"

Flash just chuckled at this, "I'm not scared. I'm psyched!"

His friends all smirked, as if expecting this, while the Pies looked surprised as Limestone asked, "You are?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want that badge if the battle to get it was easy. This is gonna be a challenge, meaning the badge is worth getting." He shined a giant grin, "I'm so excited."

"I too am excited," Maud said as she held out her hand. "To a commendable battle." Flash nodded as he took the hand, shaking it.

No doubt their battle tomorrow would be an epic one. But can Flash come out on top and earn the Quartz Badge? You'll have to stay tuned to find out.

A Rocky Gym Battle

View Online

The day of Flash's third Equestria Region Gym challenge had arrived. Today, Flash will be challenging Maud for the chance to win the coveted Geode Badge.

"Aura Sphere, Water Gun and Energy Ball!" Flash ordered as Springer, Riptide and Prongs fired their attacks at several large rocks, shattering them to pieces.

Off to the side, Flash's friends watched while Twilight threw him a towel, "Looking good Flash."

Flash caught the towel and used it to clean his brow, "Thanks Twi." He held the towel down to his Pokémon, the three using it to wash off their sweat.

Spike looked over the three. "So...are they the Pokémon you're gonna use?"

"Yup. Pinkie told me last night that Maud uses three Pokémon, so these are my picks."

Doc nodded at this. "They should give you a fair advantage."

Hearing this made Flash frown. "Yeah....but I don't know if that's enough."

Twilight blinked at this, tilting her head, "What do you mean?"

"Maud said she opened this Gym squarely so she could show off how strong Rock-Types were, especially against types they're meant to be weak against. It just feels like using them is playing into her hands."

"Maybe..." Twilight placed a hand on his shoulder, "But its still a better option then using Viper and Skyler. Especially Skyler, as Flying-Types are super weak to Rock-Types."

"Yeah...you're right." He looked up at the Pie family estate. "Although...I wonder where my opponent is?"

"Or Pinkie?" Spike added.

Pinkie was skipping through the Rock-Type habitat, knowing exactly where her sister was. Maud had a pre-battle ritual, where she would climb to the top of the highest boulder there and look out at the sanctuary. There, she would remember all the beauty of Rock-Types and what she fought to prove.

"There you are," she said as she looked up at Maud. Her sister was sitting with crossed legs, staring out at the many Rock-Types her family protected. "Hey Maud, are you excited? Because I'm excited! I'M SO EXCITED!" Despite her sister's stoic gaze, Pinkie could tell she was looking forward to the battle. "Come on sis, Flash is gonna get bored waiting for you."

"You make a good point." Maud stood up and stepped off the rock, her face unchanged as she fell about fifteen feet, landing without issue. "We should hurry."

"Yay!" Pinkie cheered as she began skipping back to the house, Maud slowly walking behind her.

It wasn't long until they got back to the house, now seeing both friends and family waiting. Flash had returned Riptide and Prongs, and was now standing firmly. "Good morning," she told her challenger.

"Hey there. You ready for this?"

"I am. Shall we begin?"

Spike looked around. "What, here?"

"No, you idiot," Limestone barked from the side. "We have a field close by. That's where they'll battle."

The others nodded and Twilight said, "then lead the way."

The Pies all nodded and began walking through their land on autopilot, the rest following as they soon arrived outside a large hanger like building. There, Maud unlocked it and gestured them to follow, "Here we are. Come inside please."

"Huh." Spike glanced up at it, "Not a lot to look at...."

Flash shook his head, remembering what Maud had said the previous day. "Sometimes you need to look underneath something's surface to see it's true beauty." The others gave Flash a startled look while the Pies all nodded, Maud even showing a tiny smile as she saw her words from yesterday already sinking in.

"Besides, I like to think of the whole reserve as my Gym. This is just the battlefield, along with a shelter the Pokémon can use when it's raining."

The others nodded as they stepped into the hanger, the lights switching on to illuminate the battlefield. This field was similar to Doc's Gym field, being a dirt field with podiums on either side. The only difference was that it had large rocks scattered around the place, making it the perfect field for Rock-Types. Off to the side was an elevated platform, where the spectators could sit and watch without worry of being hit by stray attacks of debris. As the others looked around, Maud walked out to the center of the field before spinning around. Her eyes were now burning with the same fiery determination from yesterday. "Welcome, to the Baltimare City Gym. I, the Gym Leader, will accept any challengers."

Flash stepped up to her, crossing both his arms as he replied, "I, Flash Sentry, hereby challenge you to a battle."

Maud nodded before moving over to her podium, Flash and Springer jumping up onto his while the others walked up to the viewing platform. The only one who didn't was Limestone, who moved over to the opposite side of the field, where she got onto a smaller platform.

Once on it, she slammed her fists and yelled, "Alright! Listen up, because I'm not in the mood to repeat myself! The battle between the challenger Flash Sentry, and Maud, the Gym Leader, will now begin! Both sides are allowed three Pokémon, and the battle will end when all three of either sides' Pokémon are unable to battle. By the way, only the challenger may be allowed to substitute Pokémon." She glanced at the two, "You two got that?!"

They both nodded as Maud pulled out a Pokeball. "Rock Pokémon have been on this earth for millions of years. In that time, they have taken many different forms. And one of those forms, is a way to counter even the Pokémon it is weak against. Allow me to show you...Torpeller, let's rock!" She tossed the Pokeball into the air, soon revealing a tortoise Pokémon with a shell.

"Tor," it spoke as its propeller spun and lifted it into the air.

"A Torpeller..." Flash thought back to when he'd met Rainbow Dash, remembering the loss he had against her's.

"This is bad," Twilight commented.

Spike looked up at her in confusion. "Why?"

Doc turned to him. "Torpeller is part Flying-Type, which has an advantage against Fighting, Grass and Bug-Types."

Spike's eyes went wide. "But that means Springer and Prongs are at a disadvantage."

"Indeed," Igneous added. "Maud knew many trainers would bring those types, so she acquired a Pokémon she could use against them."

Cloudy Quartz nodded at this. "Your friend won't find this battle as easy as he'd hoped."

"Mm-hmm," Marble finished.

Back on the ground, Flash stared up at the Torpeller. "Who cares about type match ups. It's still a Rock-Type, even if it's not as weak as others." He pulled out his Pokeball. "Riptide, I choose you!" He tossed the sphere, releasing the red light that took shape of a certain water lizard.

"Ak!" Riptide roared as it looked up at its opponent, the two soon glaring at each other.

Limestone glanced at the two teams. "Are both sides ready?" The two nodded, "Then battle...BEGIN!"

No sooner had she said that, Flash yelled, "Water Gun!"

"Ak...wana!" The water lizard shot out a burst of water. But before the blast could hit the tortoise, it spun its propellers even faster and flew out of the water jet's projection, with Riptide spinning around to follow it. The Water Gun then blasted the wall, forcing the audience to all duck as the water shot over their heads.

"Hey!" Twilight cried.

"Watch it!" Spike yelled down at Flash.

"Terra!"

"Oops," Flash tugged at his collar before telling Riptide to cut the water. "It's too fast to hit with a focused attack. We'll just have to use a move it can't dodge. Echoed Voice!"

"Ak," Riptide breathed in, "WANA!" The soundwaves filled the gym, making everyone cover their ears. The only one who couldn't was, fortunately for Riptide, its opponent.

"Tor!" it flinched, its propellers slowing down while losing altitude.

"Gotcha. Rock Smash!" Riptide stopped screaming and leapt up, his fist glowing.

"Withdraw!" Torpeller curled into its shell, which glowed white a second before Riptide smashed his fist into it. The blow knocked it back, only for the propellers to start spinning to stop the flying Pokémon. There, it popped its head back out, completely unharmed from the blow.

"What the...what gives?!"

"She's trying to boost her defences," Doc yelled out. "If she keeps that up, none of your psychical attacks will be of any use!"

Flash growled at this, pointing at the tortoise. "Then we'll knock it out before its defenses get too high. Water Gun!" Riptide once again unleashed a high pressured stream of water.

"Gust!" Torpeller pointed its propeller towards the water and increased its speed, creating a powerful burst of wind which repelled the Water Gun. Everyone watched as the water rained down, wetting everything except its intended target. "Now, Rock Tomb!" Torpeller's shell glowed before shooting out a bunch of rocks, all falling to earth like a barrage of meteors.

"Rock Smash!" Both Riptide's fists glowed before he started thrusting them upward, shattering any rock that came for him. But the amount was far greater than he could keep up with, only to him for them to suddenly overwhelm and bury the lizard.

"Aquana!" He cried as more rocks collided with him, trapping him below.

"Riptide!" Flash yelled as the others watched in horror.

Maud looked up at Torpeller. "Excellent work Torpeller." She looked down at the Rock Tomb, "Will your Aquana be able to escape?"

Flash glared at her. "Of course he will. Riptide, Water Gun!" Maud raised an eyebrow at this, only to see the rocks start to shake. Water soon whizzed out of the tiny holes it made, until the whole thing suddenly broke apart, the rocks flying everywhere from the blast.

Torpeller's eyes went wide as it saw several coming its way, but was able to outmaneuver them. The others remained focused on the remains of the Rock Tomb, where Riptide stood panting. "Nice work bud," Flash praised while getting a thumbs up from the Aquana.

"Don't pat yourself on the back just yet. Use Slam!"

Riptide turned to where Torpeller had last been, only to see he wasn't there. The sounds of spinning propellers clued him, making him spin around, "Ak? Wana!" He yelped as the tortoise shell smashed into him, Aquana falling back with a thud.

"This is bad," Flash pulled out his Pokeball. "Riptide, take a rest." He returned Riptide before smiling at the Pokeball. "You did great. Don't worry, you'll get another shot later." He put the ball away as he looked down at Springer, "Ready bud?"

"Ri!" Springer nodded.

Flash nodded back. "We need speed more than power right now, which is what you've got in spades. Springer, I choose you!" The Riolu leapt off the podium and onto the battlefield, taking a battle stance as the Torpeller landed in front of him.

Limestone nodded. "Torpeller verses Riolu. Battle...begin!"

"Springer, use Quick Attack!"

"Riolu!" Springer zoomed ahead at blinding speed, his target being Torpeller's front.

"Withdraw!" Torpeller curled into its shell, which glowed white a second before Springer reached it.

"Ri!" He spun around, using all his gathered speed to slam his tail into Torpeller. The attack made the shell slide back several feet, but Torpeller popped his head out again, still showing to be unharmed.

"It's raising its defences again," Twilight mumbled in worry. "I hope Flash can keep up."

"That shell's pretty tough," Spike looked up at Doc. "How's he gonna get through it?"

Doc smiled back. "Luckily, he has a move that can hurt Torpeller even with its shell."

"Drain Punch!" Springer's fist glowed green as he attacked again, Torpeller not having enough time to do more then curl back into its shell. The blow struck, sucking energy out of Torpeller's body.

"Sweet!" Spike cheered.

"Terra!"

"Go Flash!" Pinkie cried.

Twilight smiled, happy Flash was thinking ahead when he switched out Riptide. "Flash might not be able to hurt Torpeller, but he can wear it out."

"Drain Punch, again!" Springer's glowing fist came back, ready to strike.

"We don't fall for the same trick twice. Use Gust!" Torpeller pointed its propeller at Springer before spinning it, creating a tunnel of wind, stopping the Riolu in his tracks.

"Ri!" Springer moaned as he was pushed back.

"Now Slam!" Torpeller stopped spinning his blade, making Springer wobble as he lost his balance. He then pointed it up and spun it to take off. When Springer finally regained his balance, he found a tortoise shell flying straight at him, bum-rushing him at full speed.

"Ri..." Springer staggered back as Torpeller flew back into the air.

"Aura Sphere!" Everyone watched as Springer created his signature blue energy ball before tossing it into the air, Torpeller not fast enough to react as it struck, exploding on contact.

"Tor!" It cried as it flew out of control, falling to the ground before regaining composure.

"Drain Punch!" Springer leapt at the now lowered opponent as his fist glowed, punching the tortoise with an uppercut.

"Rock Tomb!" As Torpeller was sent back into the air, his shell started to glow before shooting out a bunch of rocks. Once again, they fell to earth like a barrage of meteors in hope of burying Springer.

"Dodge using Quick Attack!" Springer ran across the battlefield, dodging every piece of rubble with ease. Torpeller's eyes went wide as he saw the Riolu easily evade his attacks, only to hop on one rock and ran up it like a ramp. There, he leapt up at the tortoise, his fist pulled back.

"Drain Punch/Withdraw!" The two Pokémon did as ordered, Torpeller curling into its shell seconds before Springer punched it. Though the attack made contact, Torpeller didn't move thanks to his hardened shell. However, he could feel the Drain Punch suck his energy away like a vampire.

And as Springer fell back to earth, Maud pointed at the Riolu, "Slam!" The shell began to fly at Springer, who saw it coming but had no way of dodging midair. Instead, he crossed his arms and braced himself for impact.

"Riolu!" The shell drove Springer into the ground, Torpeller flying back up to safety as the Riolu hit the dirt.

"Now, Rock Tomb!" Torpeller's shell once again glowed.

Springer looked up, only to feel he was in the shade. There, he saw a hail of rocks flying at him. "Double Team!" He heard Flash cry out.

Maud then saw the rocks crash into the ground, kicking up a ton of dust that blinded everyone. "Torpeller, blow it away." Torpeller flew down, his down draft clearing the dust away. In doing so, he saw what had happened to his opponent. Springer, all one hundred of him, was standing, sitting and leaning against the rocks that had been thrown at him.

"Tor?!" he yelped at the sight, Maud also showing slight confusion in her eyes.

"Aura Sphere, Barrage!" The Springer army each created a tiny Aura Sphere before charging, rushing into the center where Torpeller was standing. Some even leapt into the air, cutting off his escape.

"Gust!" Torpeller spun its rotor and unleashed another stream of high powered winds, which spread up and outwards. As the wind made contact with the Springers, they were all swept out of existence. The ones in the air had nowhere to hide, but the ones on the ground had all lined up to act as shields.

And as each wave of Springers was destroyed, the next wave got a little closer to Torpeller. Then, when the final wave got close enough to strike, Torpeller put everything it had into blowing them away, increasing the force of its Gust. "Tor!" With one final push, the last of the Springers were blasted back. He then started to pant, now seeing that only one Springer remained. That is, till it disappeared as well. "Tor?"

"What?"

"Where's Springer?" Pinkie asked, the rest of her family all blinked at the sight of no Riolu. Twilight and the others all smiled at this, having come to expect this kind of thing from Flash and Springer.

Flash smirked at Maud and Torpeller's confusion. "Alright bud, rest's over. Quick Attack!" From out of nowhere shot Springer, the Riolu had been hiding in a small gap between a few of the rocks.

"Ri!" Springer reached the Torpeller and smashed his tail into his head, making it slide back.

"Tor!" Torpeller flinched as he started spinning his propeller, barely lifting himself into the air.

"Aura Clap!" Flash ordered, confusing everyone until they saw Springer create a pair of Aura Spheres that he then smashed together. Doing so caused an explosion, which unleashed a powerful shockwave. The shockwave flew up and hit Torpeller, making him and his propellers wobble.

"Withdraw!" Torpeller curled back into its shell, trying to regain control.

Flash saw Torpeller was low enough for Springer to reach, making him nod. "Let's finish this with Drain Punch!" Springer ran up to a nearby rock, using it as a springboard that launched him as his fist glowed green.

"Rio-" Springer came to a stop just above Torpeller, "LU!" He thrusted the fist downward, smashing into the top of Torpeller's shell and sending it rocketing back to earth. With a mighty crash, it smashed into the ground, creating a crater as it did.

And as the dust settled and Springer landed in front of Flash, everyone looked down to see Torpeller laying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Torpeller is unable to battle," Limestone announced. "Riolu is the winner."

"Yes!" Flash exclaimed as he and Springer high fived.

"One down!" Spike cheered.

Twilight nodded at this. "Let's hope he can keep us his momentum."

"That all depends on Maud's next Pokémon," Doc added.

The Pies turned to them. "Do not count my daughter out of his battle yet," Cloudy Quartz replied.

Igneous nodded, "The true challenge begins now."

Maud held out her Pokeball and returned Torpeller, smiling at the ball, "You did excellent my friend." She looked up at Flash, "You truly are a strong trainer."

Flash shined a huge cheeky smile, "Thanks!"

Maud swapped her Pokeballs out. "Now let us see how you fair against the oldest Rock-Type that lives at this sanctuary. Stegolate, let's rock!"

She tossed the ball into the air, releasing a blast of red energy that soon hit the ground. The Pokémon revealed was an orange stegosaurus like creature that stood on two legs. It's lower mouth and stomach were light orange while the rest of its body was a dark orange. It had three sets of stone plate like spikes coming out of its back, starting at its shoulder blades before working their way down. It had a similar plate like spike on its forehead, with the end of its tail having a pair of cone-like stone spikes. "Steg!" It cried.

Flash pulled out his Pokedex, "Stegolate?"

Name: Stegolate
Category: Spine Pokémon
Type: Rock
Info: Dying out over 155 million years ago, Stegolates use the spines on their backs to radiate their temperature.

"So it was revived from a fossil?" Twilight guessed.

"Incredible...." Doc added.

"Talk about a blast from the past," Spike finished. "Hope Flash is up for it."

Flash looked down at Springer, seeing him slightly pant. "Hey bud, come take a break." Springer nodded and returned to the podium, Flash now pulling out his last Pokeball. "Prongs, I choose you!" He tossed the ball into the air, releasing the Thawn.

"Fay!" Prongs cried as he readied himself for battle.

"Are both trainers ready?" They nodded. "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Tackle!" Prongs ran at the Pokémon at full speed.

"Slam!" Stegolate did likewise, charging at Prongs. And when the two crashed, the revived Pokémon proved stronger, his body slam pushing Prongs back. "Now use Spikes!" The spines on Stegolate's back glowed before a barrage of lights shot into the sky, only to arch down before striking the ground. But as this happened, Prongs, who was picking himself up, was completely fine.

"There's a move with my name?" Spike asked while blinking.

"Yes," Twilight nodded with a gulp, "and it'll be trouble."

Igneous turned to him. "While Spikes may not hurt your friend's Thawn, if he switches out, that Pokémon will be injured."

"So Flash needs to be careful when rotating his team," Doc finished.

"Energy Ball!" Prongs opened his mouth while the green energy swirled into a sphere, the ball now launching at Stegolate.

"Ancient Power," Maud ordered.

"Steg," Stegolate's whole body glowed, that light soon flying off before spiraling into a sphere in front of it. Said sphere then slammed into the Energy Ball, exploding soon after.

"Slam!" Stegolate charged through the smoke, flying out the other side and ramming into Prongs.

"Fey!" He flinched as he staggered back.

"Leech Seed!" Prong's horns glowed before firing a pair of green beams shot out, striking Stegolate and wrapping him up in the energy draining vines.

"Late!" It cried as its power was then drained.

"Now, Double Kick!" Prongs spun around next, thrusting his hooves into Stegolate's gut. The blow made it slide back as the Leech Seed once again drained his energy.

Maud then pointed at the Thawn, "Flame Burst!" Stegolate launched a fireball out of its mouth, which rocketed across the field and struck Prongs in the chest.

"Fey!" He cried as the flames burned him.

"Not good," Flash murmured.

Spike moaned at the sight, "That thing knows a Fire-Type move?!"

Twilight nodded. "She must have taught it that to deal with Grass and Steel-Types. Flash needs to switch out."

Doc shook his head. "If he does that, he'll be at the mercy of the Spikes."

"Energy Ball!" Flash ordered, Prongs launching the sphere at Stegolate.

"Ancient Power!" Stegolate created his own sphere attack, firing it at the sphere again. And as an explosion of dust followed, Maud yelled another order, "Slam!" The prehistoric Pokémon charged through the smoke, but when it came out, it found no target.

"Fey!" Stegolate looked up and saw Prongs had jumped up in the air, completely out of Stegolate's reach.

"Energy Ball!" The sphere of green energy shot down at Stegolate, who already knew what it was gonna be told next.

"Flame Burst!" The fireball shot out of its mouth, striking the Energy Ball before exploding. The smoke consumed Prongs, the heat burning him.

"Double Kick!" As Prongs came out of the heat, he spun around to smash his back hooves into Stegolate, the added force from the fall increasing its power.

Stegolate staggered back as it clutched its head, only for the Leech Seed to flare up again, draining more energy. "Ancient Power!"

And as Prongs landed, he suddenly found a transparent rock flying at him. "Dodge it!" Prongs leapt to the side, hopping onto one of the rocks as the Ancient Power exploded, the shockwaves knocking it off balance. There, the deer fell as Stegolate rushed up to it.

"Flame Burst!" Prongs suddenly found a fireball coming close, exploding as it sent the Pokémon flying.

"Steg," Stegolate smiled, only to then flinch from the Leech Seed, "LATE!" It started panting, feeling itself drawing to its limit.

"This battle's getting intense," Spike commented.

"But I doubt it'll last much longer," Doc added.

Twilight shook her head, "Come on Flash....you need to find a way to pull ahead."

Flash crouched down to look at Prongs, "You okay." Prongs panted as he picked himself up, slowly nodding. "Alright. Then we'd better keep at a distance and let that Leech Seed do the rest. Dash!"

Prongs ran at the Stegolate, its hooves blazing the ground. "Slam!" The revived Pokémon ran as well, the two getting closer and closer. Then when they were inches away from each other, Prongs sidestepped Stegolate, jumping to a safe distance. "Flame Burst!" Stegolate spun and fired a barrage of fireballs, which Prongs jumped from side to side to avoid.

But as this happened, those fireballs instead struck the rocks around them, exploding and super-heating the rubble. Waves of heat began to fill the gym, causing everyone to now feel the heat. The one most affected by this was Prongs, the hot air making him slower while Stegolate was hardly flinching. Then it happened, as another Flame Burst struck Prongs dead center.

"Fay!" He cried as he was knocked into one of the melted rocks, the heat from both overwhelming him.

"Prongs!" Flash yelled as he watched his Thawn jump away, staggering to a stop as Stegolate watched.

"Fay...on," Prongs entire body flinched before collapsing, his eyes becoming swirls.

Stegolate smiled at this, only for another burst of pain to fill him while the last of his energy was drained. The others watched as Stegolate fell forward, swirls replacing his eyes as well. Limestone looked them over and nodded, "both Stegolate and Thawn are unable to battle. This match is a draw!"

Everyone released a breath they hadn't realized they had been holding. "Talk about a tough battle," Pinkie commented.

Twilight nodded at this. "Flash was lucky to pull off a tie."

"So what now?" Spike asked next.

Doc stared down at the field. "Now its down to Maud having only one Pokémon, while Flash has two."

Igneous was also staring at the field. "Your friend does not have as much of an advantage as you think. Both his remaining Pokémon have battled and are exhausted, while my daughter's last and most powerful Pokémon has yet to do battle."

"He's right," Twilight replied in agreement. "Flash still needs to be careful."

Both Flash and Maud returned their Pokémon, thanking them before switching their Pokeballs. Maud then glared at Flash, "Flash, you have proven yourself to be a worthy challenger."

"Thanks," Flash replied.

"However," she enlarged the Pokeball, "that does not mean I am willing to give you the badge yet. You must first overcome my best Pokémon. Spikorn, lets rock!" Flash watched as the ball flew into the air before unleashing the rock beetle.

"Spike...corn!" It swiped its large horn through the air, ready for battle.

Flash looked around the field and spotted all the melted rocks, the sight making his decision. "Alright Riptide, I choose you!" He tossed the ball, once again unleashing the Aquana.

"Ak!" Riptide cheered as he landed on the ground, only to suddenly find it exploding beneath him. "AQUANA!" He cried through the pain.

"What just happened?!" Spike yelped.

"The Spikes," Twilight explained with crossed arms. "Remember, they damage any new Pokémon that enters the battle."

"Flash can't swap out willy nilly," Doc finished.

"Are both trainers ready?" Limestone asked, getting a nod from the two. "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Use Water Gun on the rocks!" Riptide began firing the water jets at the rocks, cooling them down while creating a flurry of steam.

"Rock Polish!" The blue lightning surrounded Spikorn, which made Flash frown.

"Raising her speed already, huh? Not good...." He pointed at Riptide, "Use Water Gun again!"

"Ak...wana!" Riptide launched the stream of water at Spikorn, the rock beetle just barely managing to dodge the attack. That is, till it sniped his shoulder.

"Corn!" It hissed, as it came to a stop from his dodge.

"Rock Polish again." The blue lightning reappeared, Spikorn growing faster and faster with each use.

"Another Water Gun!" Another burst of water flew towards Spikorn, but this time it jumped over it without issue. "Not good, it's getting too fast!"

"Rock Rush!" The second Spikorn landed, it became a blur that phased in and out of sight all around the battle field. Riptide's eyes tried to keep up with it, only to be suddenly body checked by Spikorn.

"Ak!" He cried as he fell back, the Spikorn retreating back to a safe distance.

"Echoed Voice!" Flash ordered as Riptide jumped back to his feet, unleashing his high powered screech. With no way to protect its ears, Spikorn was unable to block it out, suffering from the vocal attack. "Now, Rock Smash!"

"Wana!" Riptide ran at Spikorn as his fist started to glow.

"Dodge it!" Maud ordered, but Spikorn didn't hear her due to the ringing in its ears. As such, it opened its eyes to a glowing fist smashing its side.

"Corn!"

"Now Water Gun!" Spikorn looked up at Riptide and saw it jump up before unleashing the water. Only this time, it was a single burst of water that rocketed at Spikorn like a bullet.

"Spike!" It leapt back just in time to avoid the water, only for Riptide to shoot several more bullets, forcing it to continue dodging. And as Riptide landed on one of the elevated rocks, he fired a long stream of water that followed after Spikorn.

"Rock Rush!" Spikorn disappeared in a blur, Riptide unable to see the vanishing beetle.

"Corn!" Spikorn appeared at the base of the rock before slamming its horn into Riptide, sending him flying off the rock.

"Wana!" He cried as he flew through the air.

"Now Double-Edge!" Before Riptide could react, Spikorn suddenly rammed itself into the lizard again, the blow knocking both with damage, though double for Riptide.

"Riptide!" Flash cried out as his Aquana landed with a thud. "You okay?"

"Ri, ri?" Springer asked as well.

"That Double-Edge must have hurt," Spike guessed.

Twilight nodded in agreement, "It's a very strong move, though it isn't without its recoil to Spikorn. Flash, you have to recall Riptide!"

"But the Spikes," her brother reminded her.

"He'll have to risk it," Doc replied.

"Rock Polish!" They then heard Maud announce, making them look to see Spikorn surround itself with blue lightning.

"She's increasing her speed again. I think she's hoping to end this one a super charged Rock Rush." Doc turned to Flash, "Switch out before it gets too fast!"

Flash frowned at the sight. "It's true Springer is faster than Riptide, but he's been able to keep up..." he said to himself as he took out the Pokeball. But as he did this, he saw something. The spots where Riptide's Water Gun had struck on the battlefield, the water was gone, but the ground was still wet. "Wait...that's it!" Flash yelled as he put his Pokeball away, "Use Water Gun Riptide!"

"What's he doing?" Spike asked, "Spikorn's too fast."

Twilight gulped at this. "He has to have a plan."

"Let's hope," Doc agreed while the others just watched.

Riptide did as instructed and began firing his Water Gun. "Dodge it!" Spikorn's increased speed allowed him to dodge the water jets with no issue, but Riptide continued to fire the stream of water after it. Soon enough the entire field had been soaked, making Flash smirk.

"That's it! Keep it up!"

Maud blinked at this. "What's he up too?"

But her answer came when Spikorn landed on a previously doused part of the field...and slipped. "Spike!" It yelped as it lost its footing, falling over with its quick speed. The very motion allowed Riptide's Water Gun to catch up and strike. "CORN!"

Spike's face lit up. "He did it!"

"How?" Pinkie asked as Twilight stared at the battlefield, directly glaring at Spikorn. There, she smirked as she saw what Flash's plan was.

"Mud....that was his plan! He made the field into a mud marsh!" Twilight exclaimed as they all stared at her. She then pointed at the battlefield, "He wasn't trying to hit Spikorn with that Water Gun, he was trying to soak up the ground!" Doc and the rest of the Pies then caught on as Twilight concluded, "It doesn't matter how fast Spikorn is if it can't get a stable footing."

Maud blinked again, unable to believe she hadn't caught on. "Clever. Very clever."

"Thanks," Flash smiled as Riptide leapt up onto one of the rocks. "Water Gun again!"

"AQUANA!" The water shot at Spikorn again, the rock beetle trying to pick itself up. But it was useless, its legs slipping on all of the mud.

"Up onto the rocks!" Maud ordered, Spikorn then gripping one of the boulders it passed. It tried to climb up the rock, but no sooner was it halfway up, the mud on its body made it slide back to the ground. "Oh no."

Riptide leapt up onto the rock that Spikorn had tried to climb, smiling down at the Rock-Type. "Water Gun!" The Aquana took a massive breath before shooting the Water Gun, striking Spikorn and sending it sliding backwards into another rock, which made it actually slide up it into the air. "Let's finish this. Rock Smash!"

"Ak!" Riptide crouched down as his fist glowed, "WANA!" He leapt into the air, smashing into Spikorn as gravity regained a grasp on the rock beetle.

"SPIKORN!" Maud's ace cried out as it flew through the air, smashing into the muddied ground while Riptide landed on a rock in front of Flash.

Everyone turned to Spikorn and watched as it rolled over to reveal spirals in its eyes. "Spikorn is unable to battle, Riptide wins. All of Maud's Pokémon are unable to battle, so the winner is Flash!"

"YES!" Flash exclaimed as both Springer and Riptide cheered.

"He did it!" Spike and Pinkie added while Peewee flew around cheering.

"That was brilliant," Twilight clapped.

"He used Maud's own strategy against her," Doc agreed while clapping as well.

The rest of the Pie family had to agree, all clapping while Pinkie shot out confetti from her hair. As for Maud, she returned her Pokémon, smiling at the ball. "You did very well. Thank you."

At the same time, Flash was now hugging both Riptide and Springer. "We did it guys! We actually did it!"

"Ri/Ak!" the two nodded in agreement.

"You two were amazing," he pulled out his Pokeball. "And so was Prongs."

The others came down onto the field, Twilight patting him on the shoulder. "Great work Flash. That last technique was genius."

"Indeed. It's nice to see you haven't lost that dramatic flare." Doc added as Flash smiled at the praise, happy he was able to pull this off.

A little later...

Everyone was now outside the gym, Maud and Flash standing opposite of one another as Springer, Riptide and Prongs stood beside their trainer. "Well Flash, you have proven you have the strength to overcome any wall you come across." Maud reached into her pocket and pulled a round badge that had a gray outline with a sparkly crystal design on the inside. "And so I'm happy to award you with this: proof that you won here at the Baltimare City Gym. The Geode Badge."

Flash smiled as he took the badge, then held it up for all to see. "Alright, I just won...THE GEODE BADGE!"

"RIOLU/AQUANA/THAWN!"

Everyone clapped at this, "Congratulations Flash."

"Three down and five to go!" Spike added.

Flash smiled as he pulled out his badge case and placed the badge in alongside his Gear and Swarm Badge. He couldn't express how good it felt seeing them together before turning to the others, "Alright guys, where to next?"

Twilight pulled out her journal and looked through the mapping section, frowning at what she found. "We might have a problem. There aren't any gyms around here. The closest one we haven't been to is miles away."

"That could be a problem," Doc added.

"If I might make a suggestion," Igneous spoke up. "There is a town not far from here that is having its year's Flying-Type battle tournament next week. If you are looking for something to do while you're deciding what to do, I would recommend going there. You have three Flying-Types, maybe more, that could compete."

Flash turned to the others, "What do you think?"

Spike shrugged. "Beats wandering around aimlessly."

"I'm game," Doc agreed. "It'd be good for me and Steeledge."

"And it sounds like fun," Twilight replied before looking at Pinkie.

Pinkie then shined a sorrowful smile. "Sorry guys, but I'm gonna be sticking around here."

"You are?" Spike asked next.

Pinkie nodded at this. "Sure...at least for a little while. I haven't been home in a long time, so only staying two days feels unfair. I'll stay a few more days, then head back out onto the road."

"Well, if you're sure."

"I am," Pinkie's smile brightened. "But I know you guys will do great in that tournament!"

And so, Flash's Baltimare City Gym challenge ends in a victory. Now having obtained the coveted Geode Badge, he and his friends set their sights on their next big challenge.

Birds of a Feather

View Online

With his victory at the Baltimare City Gym and third Equestria League badge in hand, Flash Sentry and his friends now found themselves on the road. This time, their destination was a small town where a Flying Pokemon tournament was taking place. As such, a week of travelling had now passed as the four teens arrived at their destination. "There it is," Flash announced as they saw a flat topped mountain with a small town at the base, where the competition was taking place.

Twilight then pointed to the top of the mountain, "And there's the battleground."

"The top of the mountain?" Spike asked in a worried tone.

Doc nodded. "Of course. Its high up, which is the best place for Flying-Types to battle."

Spike let out a long sigh, "So...we have to climb that?!"

Twilight giggled at her brother's moaning. "Don't worry. It says there's a cable car that can take us there."

"Sweet!" Spike cheered while Peewee flapped his wings excitedly.

Flash smiled as he stared at the mountain, his eyes spotting several moving shadows flying in the distance. He guessed they were other trainers Flying-Types preparing for battle, making him pull out a Pokeball, "This is gonna be fun." The ball opened up and released the red energy to reveal his Chickling. "Ready to rock Skyler?"

"CHICKLING!" Skyler cheered, Flash high fiving his wing.

The others all chuckled at the sight, Twilight then asking, "You think you and Skyler might have any trouble?"

"That all depends on the opponent," Doc added as he pulled out his own Pokeball. "But he'll have serious trouble if he ends up going up against me and Steeledge."

Flash smirked as he turned to Doc, Skyler landing on his shoulder. "We'll see about that."

Doc leaned closer to Flash, "Oh, we will."

Lightning surged between their eyes, making Twilight roll her eyes. "Good grief..."

Spike then nudged her side, "Hey, are you and Owlicious gonna compete?" He frowned when she shook her head, "why not?"

"I doubt Owlicious and I would get very far. It's better to let someone else have the chance to win, so I'll sit this one out."

"If you're sure..." Flash told her as they then saw they were about to get to the town, "So, do you guys wanna head to the Pokémon Center, or go straight to the arena?"

Twilight looked down at her journal and smiled. "Well luckily for us, this town has two Centers. One in town and one in the arena, for when big tournaments like this take place."

"That'll save time. Straight to the arena then."

The others nodded as they were only steps away from the town's entrance, only for Springer to come to a stop. His ears perked up as he felt something draw closer, making him look up, "Ri?"

Flash turned to the Riolu, "What is it bud?" The others looked down at him and watched as he stared at the sky. They followed his eyes, only to see a giant shadow flying down at them. "Look out!" Flash yelled as they tried to react, but they were too late. The figure swooped down, grabbing Flash's waist before hoisting him into the air. "WHOA!"

"FLASH!" Twilight screamed as they picked themselves up, Springer forming an Aura Sphere. He aimed at the opponent, only to stop seconds before firing. "Springer?! What are you waiting for?!"

Springer didn't reply, instead just blinking at the what had taken Flash. It was a Pokémon they all recognized, a Pidgeot, but it was almost twice the size of a normal one. It was currently clutching Flash in its talons as it flew up to the mountain. "Riolu!" Springer cheered with a big grin, soon running after the bird.

"Springer?!" Doc yelled as they followed after him.

"Where's he going?" Spike asked next.

Up in the skies, Flash was struggling to free himself from the Pidgeot.

"Let...me...go!"

"Geo!" The giant bird cried as it continued to fly higher.

"I said-" Flash's outcry came to a halt when he actually looked up at the Pidgeot, their eyes meeting. "I said...oh no. No way...."

"Chickling!" Flash looked down and saw Skyler flying up to them, trying everything he could to keep up.

"Skyler," he held out his arm and the Chickling landed on it. Skyler glared up at the Pidgeot, ready to do battle. "Don't Skyler, it's okay. I think I know this guy." Skyler raised an eyebrow at this, only to be sidelined as the trio flew close enough to the mountain's top for them to get a good look at it.

The very top was entirely rounded and flat, with a railing around the edge that started and ended at a large building that had the cable cars coming in and out of it. In the center of the summit was a large baseball stadium like building, which was styled around a roman coliseum. As Pidgeot began to descend to the mountain top, Flash and Skyler noticed a bunch of Pokémon flying around them. Scyther, Crobat, Ninjask, Drifloon, Sigilyph, Fletchinder and even more flew through the sky, only for Flash to see Skyler look at them with worry on his face.

Before Flash could ask if he was okay, Pidgeot released its grip on him. The teen cried out as he fell about ten feet, then hit the ground and rolled to an eventual stop. "Oww..." he moaned as he sat up while Skyler landed on his head. He turned back to the Pidgeot, "Would it have killed you to be a little more gentle?!"

"Maybe he thought you deserved it." Flash's eyes went wide, his head slowly turning to the source of the voice. A long gulp followed this as he stared at the figure approaching him. It was a late aged woman with cream colored skin, and flowing blonde hair that had two pink streaks on the edges. She also wore a tracksuit, which was light blue with lightning bolt patterns on it. The woman came to a stop and stared down at Flash, raising an eyebrow. "Well, aren't you gonna say anything?"

Flash did a low, cold laugh, "Heh....hey gran."

A half hour later...

As soon as the cable car reached the very top, the doors opened with a certain Riolu hopping out with flared ears. The group behind him tried everyway to follow him, watching Springer as he ran through a crowd of competitors and spectators.

"Where is he?" Twilight asked as they pushed through the people.

Spike looked down at Springer, "Are we close?"

"Ri," Springer nodded as they got through the crowd, only to then spot a group of picnic tables with one of them showing their missing friend. Flash was sitting with his head down, while a late aged woman continued berating him. The Pidgeot was standing behind the woman, preening itself while Skyler watched it. Springer cheered at the sight, running up to the older woman, "RIOLU!"

The two looked up, both smiling at the sight of the Riolu. The woman crouched down with her arms out, Springer jumping into them as she pulled him into a hug before spinning around. "Springer! It's so good to see you!"

The others all stared at the woman as she stopped and put Springer down, chuckling at their expressions, "Hello there, I'm guessing you're friends with Flash."

Twilight was the first to respond. "Yes. I'm Twilight, and this is my brother."

"Spike," the teen pointed to the Terragon on his shoulder, "and this is Peewee."

"Terra."

"And you can call me Doc."

"Charmed. The name's Cloud Clipper." Something about that name struck a cord with them, but they couldn't remember what. That is, till she turned to Flash and hissed, "So, my grandson decided to start travelling with others. So much for not needing anyone to look after him." Those words made them gasp as they looked between the two.

"She's your grandma?" Spike asked.

Flash nodded, "Yeah. She is."

Doc chuckled at the sight. "So, this is the famous grandmother you keep quoting."

"Oh? Is that so?" She shook her head at this, "Nice to see I wasn't completely forgotten." Flash's face went red as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Excuse me?" Twilight stepped between them, "But uh...is Flash in trouble?"

"A little," Cloud replied as she crossed her arms. "You see, when I agreed he could start his Pokémon journey, it was with the agreement that he call every now and again. But not once since he left have I gotten a single call."

Flash suddenly felt very small as everyone slowly turned to stare at him, "What?! Alright, I goofed. I'm sorry."

"Seriously Flash?!" Twilight shook her head and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

Flash hissed back at her. "Oh, like you and Spike have called your parents once since we started travelling."

"No....but we email." Twilight held up her journal, making Flash sigh.

Cloud laughed at Flash's plight, then pointed at Pidgeot. "When my partner's eagle eyes spotted my wayward grandson, he knew I'd want to talk to him, so he scooped him up to bring him here. Sorry if he surprised you."

"Don't worry about it," Twilight assured her. "And I promise, we'll make sure he calls you from now on."

"Thank you dear. It's nice to see my grandson's made such good friends." She sat down next to Flash, "Now, why don't you lot tell me about your adventures with him. And I want every embarrassing detail." Flash moaned as he banged his head on the table.

And so, they told Flash's grandmother about the adventures they had had since meeting Flash. Over the course of the story, Cloud's face went through a plethora of expressions. From joy to horror to amazement to pride to annoyance and so on. When the story eventually ended, she turned to him. "It seems you've had quite the experience. I hope you're thankful for your friends helping you through them."

"I am," Flash replied with a low moan.

Cloud looked to the others. "He never could learn a lesson the easy way. It always had to be hammered into him." Everyone laughed at this.

"Oh, we know." Twilight added, "Trust me."

"But he can be pretty impressive in his own ways," Doc finished. "He's managed to get his hands on three badges."

"I guess," Cloud muttered as she leaned back on the table.

"So, what are you doing here?" Spike asked next. "Get bored of waiting for Flash to call?"

"Oh, I come to this tournament every year. I'm the reigning champion." This caught everyone's attention, Twilight glaring at Flash.

"You never told us that."

"I never knew," Flash replied before turning to his grandmother. "Is that why you'd stick me with old man Winkle every year?"

"That's right. I had to hold onto my title. I am the greatest Flying-Type trainer in Equestria after all." Something about that statement strung a cord in Twilight's brain, making her think back to when they had first met Rainbow and Fluttershy.

"Oh my Arceus!" Twilight exclaimed as she stared at Cloud, "You're Cloudsdale's original Gym Leader!"

The others all went wide eyed while Cloud giggled. "So you've heard of me, huh? Yes, I was Cloudsdale's first Gym Leader." She pointed at her Pidgeot, "and this guy was my ace partner."

"GEOT!" The giant bird cried with its wings spread.

Flash just stared at him grandmother. "You're an Ex-Gym Leader?"

"You didn't know?" Spike asked.

"She never told me!"

Cloud gave him a stern look. "And what would have happened if I had. You probably would have developed an ego the size of a Wailord. Tell me I'm wrong."

Flash frowned before turning to his friends for support, only for them to all nod, Twilight adding, "She's got a point."

"You probably would," Spike agreed.

"No probably about it," Doc finished.

"Rio," Springer nodded before Flash anime fell over.

Cloud laughed at the sight before continuing, "It was better for you to think you come from a common background and decide what you wanted to do for yourself instead of feeling obligated to follow in my footsteps."

Twilight blinked at these words, tilting her head at the woman, "Wait...you used to by a Gym Leader, but we were told you gave it up and disappeared about twelve years ago."

This caused Cloud to sigh before nodding. "It's true. I handed my Gym over to my apprentice."

"Why?"

"Because of an incident that occurred shortly before." Everyone blinked at this, everyone except Flash as he sighed.

"My parents died." The others turned to him in shock while Cloud nodded.

"Yes. An accident took the life of my son and his wife, but their four year child was spared. As Flash's only living relative, I was made his guardian."

"But what did that have to do with leaving the Gym? You could have stayed on and still looked after Flash."

Cloud shook her head. "I couldn't. Flash had lost too much already. I couldn't just move him away from the only home he'd ever known. So instead, I handed my Gym over and moved into my son's home to raise Flash." She turned to him, patting him on the head. "And I don't regret it."

Flash smiled at his grandmother. "Sorry I forgot to call you gran."

Cloud smiled. "You can make it up to me by meeting me in the finals."

"You got it!" Flash stood up while Skyler landed on his shoulder, only to look over at Pidgeot. The sight of the bigger bird made him gulp, shivering at the thought of fighting it.

The group headed inside the coliseum, where Flash, Doc and Cloud all signed up. As for Twilight, Spike, Springer and Peewee, they went to the seating area while Flash, Doc and Cloud arrived in the competitors waiting room. There was a big screen TV, which then switched on and showed the field. It was your standard battlefield, with two trainer podiums that were elevated about fifteen meters up with the stands five meters higher.

Moments later, the screen was filled with the image of 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. "What's up my peeps! Present Mic here to give you the full Sky Battle rundown! For those of you new to this little shindig, let me explain the rules! This here's a five round tournament open to any Pokémon who's kicking it airborne style, meaning any Pokémon that can fly or float is welcome! The battle rules are basically the same as your standard throwdown, with one added detail! Any competitor who finds themselves eating dirt will be declared a loser!"

"I see," Doc commented. "So as soon as our Pokémon touch the ground, we're out."

Cloud nodded at this. "It adds a little spice to the contest. Even if your opponent's stronger, if you're able to get them onto the ground, you can still win."

"Cool," Flash added as they watched the screen change to show the thirty-six competitors.

"Let's see who's taking to the dance floor first!" Mic yelled before pictures flipped around and started spinning in a circle, then two pictures shot out to reveal the first two trainers. "Flash Sentry and High Note!"

"Looks like we're up," Flash turned to Skyler. "You ready?" Skyler didn't appear so sure, but nodded anyways. "Nice. Let's do this buddy!" Flash returned Skyler and ran off, following the directions to the stage. He found it was actually an elevator, which lifted up to the podium.

As he got up there, he saw his opponent, High Note, who was a man with light blue skin and white hair.

Present Mic then held up his microphone and began speaking into it. "Alright ladies and gents! Let's get the first round started! Trainers, show us the high flyers you're gonna be battling with today!"

"With pleasure," High Note said as he pulled out a Pokeball. "Scyther, ride the winds!" From out of the ball came the green mantis Pokémon with bladed arms.

"Scyther!" It cried as it slashed its blades through the air.

In their audience seats, Twilight, Spike, Springer and Peewee gasped at the sight, Twilight commenting, "That Scyther looks strong."

Spike turned to her. "But Skyler's gonna have the advantage, right?"

"Maybe. It all depends on how its been trained."

"Ri," Springer nodded as Mic turned to Flash.

"And your opponent?"

"Skyler, I choose you!" Flash threw his Pokeball, Skyler appearing opposite of Scyther.

Mic: "Righteous! Let's get this battle underway. In three!"

Crowd: "Two!"

Mic and Crowd: "ONE!"

Mic: "BATTLE BEGIN!"

High Note was the first to call out an attack, "Slash!"

"Scyther!" The Bug-Type shot ahead with swiping glowing blades at Skyler.

"Dodge it!" Flash ordered, Skyler flapping back to dodged both swings. "Now Gust!"

"Chickling!" Skyler beat his wings, unleashing a powerful air blast that struck Scyther and sent it flying back.

"X-Scissor!" Scyther planted its feet on the stadium wall before kicking off it, crossing its blade as it got closer to Skyler.

"Double Team!" In a flash, Skyler multiplied as Scyther's cross slash struck one and made it disappear.

"Scyther?" It looked around, question marks appearing over its head. "Scy, Scyther?!"

"Where is it?" High Note yelled.

"Quick Attack!" All but one of the Skylers disappeared, that one slamming its body into Scyther.

"Scy!" It flinched as it fell down, Skyler flying back up to safety.

"Gust!" Flash ordered, Skyler beating its wings again to fire another air blast. That wind struck the falling mantis Pokémon, doubling its speed. Before it knew it, its back crashed into the dirt, a buzzer noise blasting over the arena.

Mic: "That's it! Battle over! Flash and his Chickling will be moving on to the next round!"

"Yes!" Flash cheered as Skyler flew up to him, the two high-fiving.

And so, the rest of the day consisted of one battle after another. Doc and Cloud managed to get through the first round as well, Doc and Steeledge winning against a Togetic, knocking it into the ground like Flash. Meanwhile, Cloud and Pidgeot fully beat their Drifloon opponent into unconsciousness.

Several battles took place after this, the three managing to win again and again. Flash even managed to get to the finals after defeating a Gliscor, leaving Doc and Cloud facing off.

"Air Cutter!" Doc ordered as Steeledge beat its wings, unleashing a volley of wind blades.

"Dodge them!" Pidgeot did so, showing incredible speed and agility as it flew around the attack. "Now, Hurricane!"

"Geot!" Pidgeot's wings glowed as it beat them, creating a powerful gust of wind that spiraled around Steeledge like a cyclone. Luckily, Steeledge's metal body easily defended itself from the full force of the slashing wind.

"Steel Wing!" Steeledge's own wings glowed as it cut through the Hurricane, the bird then flying at Pidgeot.

"Ledge!" It cried as it slashed at Pidgeot.

"Substitute!" As soon as Steeledge's wing made contact, Pidgeot disappeared in a puff of smoke. This made Steeledge come to a stop, only to turn to see Pidgeot flying at it with blinding speed. "Aerial Ace!" Streaks of wind coned around the dive-bombing bird, whose gaze was fixed on Steeledge.

"Drill Peck!"

"Steeledge!" The armored bird flew up before beginning to spin, transforming into a drill like creation that drew closer to Pidgeot.

"Geot/Ledge!" The cried as they made contact, causing a shockwave which sent both flying off in different directions. They then landed on the walls of the stadium, managing to plant their feet before they could fall. "Pidge/Steel!"

"Fury Attack!" Steeledge's beak glowed as it charged and pecked at Pidgeot, who managed to evade about half of the attacks.

"Hurricane!" Pidgeot spread its glowing wings before unleashing one powerful flap, creating a burst of wind that knocked Steeledge back. "End this now! Giga Impact!"

This statement caused almost everyone in the stadium to go wide eyed. "Did she say Giga Impact?!" Doc asked in horror, watching as Pidgeot flew up before arching and dive-bombing. "Steeledge, get out of there!"

Steeledge tried to fly away, but Pidgeot kept shifting its trajectory as a purple aura with yellow stripes spiraled around its body. "Pidgeot!" It screeched as it was entirely surrounded by the light, seconds before slamming into Steeledge.

"Ledge!" The armored bird cried as it was pushed down, slamming into the dirt as a dust cloud exploded around them. Everyone watched as Pidgeot out of the cloud, panting after using its strongest attack while looking down to the floor. The cloud then cleared to reveal Steeledge lying on the ground, swirls in its eyes. "Steeledge..."

The buzzer sounded.

Mic: "That's it! Battle over! The winner, moving onto the final round, is Cloud Clipper!"

The crowd cheered for their defending champion. "Awww man..." Spike groaned. "That Pidgeot's stronger than we thought."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Knowing Giga Impact was a surprise. It hadn't used it in the previous battles, but that was likely so Cloud could save it for the late stages of the match. If that's the case....Flash and Skyler are in trouble."

Doc then returned Steeledge to his Pokeball. "You did well Steeledge. I'm proud of you." He looked over at Cloud, who was scratching Pidgeot below the beak. "She's really something. No wonder she was a Gym Leader. Flash is gonna have his work cut out for him."

Flash and Skyler had been watching the battle alone in the trainer room, the two frowning. "I can't believe Doc lost. I never knew how strong Gran and her Pidgeot were."

Skyler, who was resting on Flash's shoulder, looked down in concern. "Chick...."

"Hey, don't give me that buddy." Skyler turned to him with a huge frown, only to see a huge smile on Flash's face, "We've come a long way since first meeting Skyler. Back then, you couldn't even fly, but now look at you! You're in the finals of a tournament designed for Flying-Types. If that doesn't show how much stronger we are together, then nothing will!"

"Chick..." Skyler looked up at the screen. It saw Pidgeot be returned before Cloud's platform retracted, remembering how menacing it had seemed in real life. But even so, Flash turned to Flash and flaring his wings, "Chickling!"

"That's the spirit!"

The door behind him opened, revealing one of the tournament staff. "Flash Sentry, it's time for the final match." Flash nodded before returning Skyler, the trainer then getting on the lift.

Back in the stadium, everyone was waiting with baited breath for the final match to begin.

"Oh, this is gonna be so awesome!" Spike exclaimed, "Flash is gonna win, I just know it!"

"Riolu!" Springer cheered.

"I don't know," Twilight replied with a shake of the head. "But Flash is going up against the reigning champion. This isn't gonna be an easy battle."

"Maybe...." they turned to see Doc walking up to their seats, "but that'll just pump Flash up more."

"Hey Doc, sorry you lost."

"That's alright Spike. This battle showed me just what I need to work on with Steeledge." he looked down at the stadium, "Anyways, as I was saying, the battle being difficult will actually work out in Flash's favor. The stronger his opponent, the deeper Flash and his Pokémon will dig for the power to overcome them. Even if he doesn't win, this next battle will make him and Skyler a lot stronger."

It was here that Mic started to speak up again, "And so, we've reached the final round! In one corner we have our reigning champion, Cloud Clipper!"

The crowd roared as Cloud was lifted onto her podium.

"And her challenger, if my sources tell me right, this young lad is actually Cloud's grandson! Can he give his granny a run for her money? Give it up for Flash Sentry!"

The crowd once again cheered as Flash appeared.

"Go for it Flash!" Spike screamed.

"We have faith in you!" Twilight called out.

"Just be careful!" Doc warned. "Her Pidgeot's no slouch!"

"I already know that!" Flash said as he glared at his grandmother. "And I'm still gonna win."

Cloud just chuckled at him, "Well Flash, it seems you managed to keep your promise. Now, let's see if you can go beyond it. Pidgeot, I choose you!" She tossed the ball into the air, releasing her ace who with a single flap of its wings created a gust of wind that pushed everyone it touched back into their seats.

Flash held onto the railing to keep his balance, waiting for the wind to die before pulling out his Pokeball. "You asked for it! You're going down! Skyler, I choose you!" He tossed the ball into the air, releasing the Chickling that stared at it's opponent in worry. "You can do this Skyler, I believe in you!"

"Chick..." Skyler looked back at Flash, seeing the confidence in his eyes. The sight made bravery fill his soul, nodding as he turned back to Pidgeot. "Chickling!"

Mic: "It looks like both teams are ready to go! So I declare the final match of the Sky Battle Tournament...BEGUN!"

"Quick Attack!" Flash ordered as Skyler charged ahead, reaching blinding speeds like they were nothing.

"Substitute!" When Skyler's attack struck, Pidgeot disappeared in a puff of smoke, the real one appearing behind him. "Hurricane!"

"Geot!" Pidgeot's glowing wings created a tornado, which spiralled around Skyler.

"Ling!" Skyler flinched as the wind battered him around, only for the bird to focus, curling up in his wings. Here, the stream of the wind, lifted him up from his defensive position, shooting him out of the tornado's top.

"Yes!" Flash cheered while Cloud smiled. "Way to go Skyler!"

"Impressive. Pidgeot, use Aerial Ace!" Pidgeot shot up into the air, his speed easily overtaking Skyler. It then flew above him and flipped around, divebombing while its body became surrounded by white streaks. Before Skyler could even attempt to dodge, it was body-checked, the bird now hurtling to the ground.

"Chick!" Skyler looked down and saw the ground coming up fast."Chickling!" He spread his wings, letting the wind fill them to slow his descent.

"That's the way!" Flash yelled with a pumped fist. "Go back up while using Steel Wing!"

"Chick!" Skyler zoomed up with glowing wings, picking up speed as he got closer to Pidgeot.

"Hurricane!" Pidgeot beat its wings and unleashed the power gust, but it was too late. Skyler just spun around the wind, flying over the burst of air before slashing it in the stomach.

"Pidge!" It flinched.

"Aerial Ace!" Cloud ordered as Pidgeot once again flew up before dive-bombing Skyler.

"Double Team!" In a flash, multiple Skylers filled the stadium. And when Pidgeot struck the one it had been aiming at, it just disappeared while the others flew up. "Now Gust!" The real Skyler beat his wings, creating a barrage of wind, which struck Pidgeot down.

Pidgeot then flared its wings, barely dodging the dirt before flying back up. "Blow them all away! Hurricane!" Pidgeot unleashed a cyclone that engulfed all the Chicklings, all of them disappearing until one was left.

"Chick!"

"Skyler! Use the strength of the wind to increase your speed and use Steel Wing!" Skyler did as he was told, curling himself up in the Hurricane. The force quickly propelled him, shooting out of the tornado's top.

"CHICKLING!" He cried as he spread his glowing wings, the speed of the Hurricane transforming him into a rocket.

"Substitute!" As Skyler struck, Pidgeot once again puffed out of existence.

The audience gasped at the sight, now seeing no sign of the Pidgeot.

"Where'd it go?" Spike asked next.

"I'm not sure," Twilight replied.

Flash was also looking around, but Cloud simply stood with a smile on her face before glancing up, "Giga Impact!"

Flash followed Cloud's line of sight, only to flinch when the sun got into his eyes. That's when he realized it, "Skyler, the sun!"

Skyler looked up just in time to see a shadow blot out the middle of the sun, the shadow growing bigger as what caused it got closer. Pidgeot was flying straight down, a purple and yellow aura spiralling around its body. "Pidgeot!"

"Chickling!" Skyler cried as fear shook its body.

"Double Team!" Flash yelled out before Skyler multiplied himself, but it wasn't enough. The force of the Giga Impact struck one of the copies, only to create a shockwave that spread across the battlefield.

"CHICKLING!" Skyler was pushed into the wall of the stadium with so much force that he felt he was being crushed by a truck, his duplicates all disappearing instantly. And as the force faded, Skyler remained pinned to the pillar as Pidgeot hovered above him.

"Skyler!" Flash stared down at his Pokémon, looking for any sign that he was alright.

"This might be it," Twilight whispered as the others all gasped.

Cloud waited to see if Skyler could continue. She had to admit, he was trained well, but not well enough as she looked away, "It's over."

"Chick!" She hopped in place at the sudden yell, making her glance back and see Skyler pull himself free, before flying back up to Pidgeot's level.

Flash smirked at the sight. "Skyler and I won't go down that easily! We're taking you down, right Skyler?!"

Skyler spread his wings as wide as he could before calling out, "CHICKLING!" With that last outcry, his entire body suddenly exploded with white and blue light, which consumed him completely. His body then began to grow, reshaping itself as Flash stared at him in amazement.

"Skyler..."

The others all gasped. "It's evolving," Twilight joyfully cried.

"Alright/Rio/Terra!" Spike, Springer and Peewee yelled while Doc just nodded in agreement.

And as the light faded, a new Pokémon hovered in Skyler's place. Its body was mainly black, with a red chest. Yellow markings could be seen circling its eyes, which was spread around its head and linked together above the beak. A quartet of red feathers ran down the back of its head, each one bigger than the one in front. The insides of its wings were red, and it had five large tail feathers, three red with two yellow ones between it. The new Pokémon opened its eyes, a new fire burning in them as it spread its wings and cried out, "WINGUST!"

Flash let out a roar, the biggest smile ever now on his face. "HAHA! Wingust!" He exclaimed as he pulled out his Pokedex.

The Pokedex then listed the moves Skyler had, making Flash chuckle. "Looks like you also learned a new move. Nice."

Mic: "AWESOME! Flash's Chickling has evolved into Wingust! How will this effect the course of the battle?!"

"Let's find out," Cloud said as she pointed at her new opponent. "Hurricane!" Pidgeot beat its wings, unleashed yet another powerful cyclone that spiraled around Skyler. But the newly evolved Pokémon just stared at the wind, unintimated by the sight.

"Wingust!" Skyler flapped his wings and effortlessly shot out of the tornado's top with ease.

"After it!" Pidgeot did so, picking up speed to catch up to Skyler. "Now, Aerial Ace!" The streaks of winds coned around Pidgeot as it grew closer to Skyler, managing to strike him in the back, "Again!" Pidgeot arched around before dive-bombing, the streaks returning as Skyler flared his wings.

"Quick Attack with evasive maneuvers!" Flash ordered as Skyler flapped away, his flying now just barely able to keep pace with the Pidgeot. And as this happened, the two zipped around the arena, trying to outdo the other before Skyler flew towards the ground.

"It's no use!" Cloud told her grandson. "You can't escape! Aerial Ace!"

Flash smiled as they picked up even more speed, "You sure? Double Team Skyler!"

"Wing!" Skyler suddenly disappeared as multiples of him appeared in his place, all stopping in midair.

The Pidgeot then blasted through one of the fakes, only to see the ground coming up fast. "Pidge!" Pidgeot spread its wings to slow down, barely managing to stop itself inches from the dirt.

"Time to try out that new move!" Flash said to the army of Skylers. "Air Cutter!"

All but one of the Wingust disappeared, that one's wings glowing before it beat them so fast that it send air blades at its opponent. "Wing...gust gust gust gust!"

Pidgeot looked up and saw the barrage, making it go wide eyed as it started evading the attacks. But as it did this, a lucky shot managed to strike its wing. "Pidge!" It cried as it tried to keep itself airborne.

"Steel Wing!" Skyler shot down with glowing wings, slashing Pidgeot's other wing. "Now you use Air Cutter!"

"WINGUST!" Skyler yelled as he used all his strength to beat his wings once, unleashing a single powerful air blade that struck the defenseless Pidgeot in the chest.

"Pidgeot!" It fell to earth, trying to spread its wings to come to a stop. But it was too late, its injuries were too much as both wings gave out. With nothing stopping it, Pidgeot crashed into the dirt, soon rolling to a stop.

The audience gasped as a loud buzzing noise filled the stadium.

Mic: "IT'S OVER! WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION!"

The crowd all started cheering as they clapped for the winner.

"He did it!" Spike exclaimed.

"Ri/Terra!"

"Talk about a turn around," Twilight commented while still clapping.

Doc nodded at this. "Skyler evolving must have given them the momentum to pull off a win."

Flash grinned as he looked up at Skyler, "You did it bud!"

"Wingust!" Skyler cheered as he flew down and landed on Flash's outstretched arm, a smile on his beak as he started rubbing his face into Flash's.

Flash laughed at this, reaching up to scratch his chin. "Great work bud! You evolved and learned Air Cutter! You're awesome!"

"Wingust!" The two then turned to Cloud, who had returned Pidgeot and before smiling at her grandson.

After the award ceremony, which was Flash and Skyler being granted a trophy and having their picture taken and placed in the town hall, the people started flooding out of the cable car to head back to town. Cloud and our heroes weren't on one of them, as they were instead standing by the picnic table they had sat at earlier. Flash, holding a trophy with a large feather shaped top, stepped up to his grandmother and her Pidgeot. "I guess you're heading home."

"No reason to stick around here anymore." Cloud took Flash's trophy, laughing at the award, "I'll be sure to find a great place on the mantel for this. Just remember to defend the title for me."

"Thanks gran." He pulled her into a hug, the others smiling at this interaction.

And as they pulled away, Cloud kissed Flash on the forehead. "I'm proud of you sweetheart. I can see just how much you've grown. I love you."

Flash grinned back, fighting hard to not start crying. "Love you to gran."

Cloud turned to his friends, "Look out for him for me, will ya?" They all nodded, not needing to say anything else.

"Pidgeot!" The giant bird yelled to the Pokémon, who cried back in agreement to whatever it had said. After that, Cloud placed the trophy in her bag before climbing onto Pidgeot's back.

"Good luck in everything you try," she said before turning to Flash. "And call me sometime!" With that, Pidgeot flew into sky, the others all waving their goodbyes. When the two eventually disappeared into the horizon, Spike turned to Flash.

"Your grandma's pretty awesome."

Flash smirked and folding his arms behind his head, "Of course. Where do you think I get it from?" This made the others all laugh.

Their adventure in the Sky Battle Tournament had been one of many surprises. Meeting Flash's grandmother, discovering her past as a Gym Leader, Skyler's evolution and their victory in the tournament. One can only wondering what surprises out heroes will come across-

A beeping sound from Twilight's pocket causing her to hop in place. She then pulled out her journal, opening it to see an email. "Huh," she raised an eyebrow as she read the mail.

"What is it?" Doc asked.

"My parents sent me a phone number. They want me to call it and give my name."

"Why?"

Twilight shrugged, "Only one way to find out." She turned back to the stadium and headed inside the Pokémon Center.

In a Pokémon Center several miles away, a Nurse Redheart walked into the cafeteria. There, she spotted the person she was looking for, walking up to the booth.

"Excuse me, but we just got a phone call from a Twilight Sparkle. She's the one you asked to be notified if she called, right?"

The person chuckled before standing up. The figure was revealed to be a man of about twenty years old, with white skin and blue hair. He wore long white overcoat over a black shirt and blue pants. "Thanks. I'll go take it right now."

The Equestrian Champion

View Online

Today's story begins in a crowded arena, the fans screaming their cheers as they watched the Pokémon battle unfold. All eyes were on the competitors, the first being a purple skinned man with black clothing, the Pokémon in front of him being a Gengar.

But it was the other trainer that had everyone's attention. He was a man of about twenty years old with white skin and blue hair. He wore a long white overcoat over a black shirt and blue pants. This man was Shining Armor, Champion of the Equestria Region, and right now he was battling to prove that title.

Off to the side, the announcer, Mic, was calling out: "This sure has been one funky battle! But with both trainers down to their last Pokémon, it seems it could go either way! Now, which slamming Pokémon is our champion going to use to try and bring the victory home?!"

Shining laughed as he pulled out a Pokeball, "Who else? Galladin, stand strong!" He tossed the ball into the air, unleashing in a burst of red energy to reveal Shining's ace. This Pokémon was knight-like in design, standing at around five and a half feet. On its arms were gauntlets that had egg shaped shields atop them and its head had a knight-like helmet with a visor, which was currently up to show a pair of yellow eyes.

The knight slowly raised its arms, swinging them around. "Gall...adin!"

Mic: "It's Galladin! We sure are in for a treat today!"

Shining's opponent smiled at the sight. "I thought you'd use that," he reached down his shirt before pulling out an odd looking pendant. "Which is why I have this." He grasped the pedant as it began to shine, while a similar light shot out of Gengar. "MEGA EVOLVE!" The light enveloped Gengar before it burst out, now looking entirely different.

Mic: "WOW!!! Gengar Mega Evolved! Shining's gonna have his work cut out for him now!!!"

Shining just chuckled at this. "It'll take more than Mega Evolving to beat me." He pointed at his opponents, "Let's do this Galladin!"

"Galladin!" The knight yelled as it reached up and pushed the visor down over its eyes.

At the same time inside a Pokémon Center, a whole group of people were staring up at big screen TV as it showed the battle.

"Galladin is so awesome!" A kid screamed.

"Shining's so handsome!" A girl added with hearts in her eyes.

"That other guy doesn't stand a chance!"

And while they cheered the doors of the center opened as Flash, Springer and the rest of their friends stepped inside. Flash and Doc took one look at the screen and smiled before rushing over to the crowd. "Alright! It's Shining Armor! He's like...one of the best trainers in all of Equestria!"

Doc nodded at this. "He's not one of the best Flash, he's the best. Of all trainers in Equestria, he's ranked number one. And from the looks of things, he's gonna have to show why he has that rank."

Twilight and Spike both smiled from behind them as they sat down, looking up at the screen while hardly star struck.

"Shadow Ball!" Gengar shot a sphere of dark energy at Galladin.

"Iron Defense!" Galladin raised its shielded arms as they glowed, seconds before the Shadow Ball struck and exploded. And as the smoke cleared, it didn't have a scratch. "Now, Night Slash!" From out between the shield and Galladin's wrist, a long glowing purple blade shot out and slashed the Ghost-Type.

"Gen!" Gengar cried as it skidded back.

"Dark Pulse!" Its trainer ordered, the Mega Ghost-Type's third eye glowing before firing a spiral of black energy.

"Sacred Sword!" Galladin unsheathed another blade from its other gauntlet, this time glowing light blue. Galladin then used it to cut through the Dark Pulse, leaving it completely unharmed. The knight then charged, continuing to slice through Mega Gengar's attacks as Shining called out. "Night Slash!" The other blade glowed purple as Galladin rushed past the Mega Ghost-Type.

"GEN!" It cried, only to fall to its side. And as it hit the ground, it was consumed by a light that quickly faded to reveal it had reverted back to normal.

"Gengar is unable to battle," the ref announced as he raised his flag. "Galladin is the winner, so the victory goes to Shining Armor!"

Mic: "It's over!!! Shining Armor remains undefeated. Who will be able to topple this goliath!?"

"Me!" a kid watching yelled.

"No way," another yelled. "It's gonna be me!"

"Who cares about beating him?!" the girl from before asked, "I'm gonna marry him!"

"Isn't he already married?"

"He wouldn't do that to me."

"Man..." Flash said as he, Springer and Doc sat beside Twilight and Spike, "Everyone's gunning to take Shining Armor down."

"Well of course. After all, defeating him is indisputable proof you're a strong trainer. The previous champion held the title of ten years until Shining defeated him. It could take that long for another trainer to come along and do the same."

Flash smiled as he looked up at the screen, images of Shining Armor and Galladin now being shown. He then reached into his bag and pulled out his badge case, unzipping it to see the three badges he had earned. "No, it won't take that long. Because I'll be the one that beats him."

This made Spike almost burst out laughing. "Please Flash, you wouldn't last one minute against Shining!"

"Maybe not right now," Flash closed his case and returned it to his bag. "But I'm not battling him right now. When I eventually go up against him, I'll be a hundred times stronger than I am right now." He looked up, "I can just imagine it...me and Shining on the big stage, the crowd cheering as the two of us battle. It comes down to just his Galladin against Springer," the Riolu stared at his trainer. "After a heated match, Springer finishes him off with an Aura Sphere and the crowd goes WILD!" He jumped up at that last statement, making everyone in the center turn to him as if he was insane.

He laughed embarrassed as he sat down. "Sorry about that."

Twilight shook her head. "Flash, before you try and dethrone the champion, maybe you should focus on earning enough badges to get the chance."

Flash sighed, "You're right." He then turned to her. "So when's your brother supposed to show up?"

Twilight looked at her watch. "He'll be here soon. I can't wait to see him."

"Me too," Spike added. "He's always so busy. Heck, he's never home nowadays."

"I still can't believe you have an older brother," Doc replied with crossed arms.

Flash nodded at this, "Same. How come you've never told us about him?"

"It never came up," Twilight nervously laughed. "Anyways, since he was so close, he figured now would be a good a time as any to meet up."

"I just wish he'd show up already," Spike grumbled.

Flash nodded again. "Same here. Though for me, it's just because I wanna finally learn his actual name, since you won't tell us." He crossed his arms and glared at the two. "Seriously, what's the big secret?"

Twilight and Spike both rolled their eyes, only to smile, "Why don't you turn around and find out for yourself." Flash and Doc both raised an eyebrow before doing as she suggested, looking around just in time to see...Shining Armor!

"No...way," Flash slowly whispered as the rest of the Center went into an unruly silence, all the trainers staring at the man they had just seen on TV.

"I don't believe it."

"He's really here."

"Of all the times to not be wearing makeup."

"How'd he get here so fast? Didn't we just see him on TV?"

"That was just a rerun, stupid."

Shining chuckled as he walked into the middle of the center, looking around until he spotted the person he was looking for. It was Twilight and Spike, who smiled as he went up to them while Flash and Doc both began to forget how to breath as he drew near. Then, he waved to the two, "Hey, Twily, Spike. It's great to see you."

"Its great to see you too BBBFF." Before anyone could say anything else, she threw her arms around Shining's neck as they hugged, the two laughing at this.

"She's hugging the champion," Flash gasped in an unbelievable tone.

"Can someone please fill us in here?" Doc asked in the same tone.

Twilight laughed again as she pulled away, turning to them with a huge smile, "Flash, Springer, Doc...this is our big brother, Shining Armor." This statement caused all three to drop their jaws, causing the others to laugh again as the siblings sat back down. "So...I'm guessing you want an explanation."

"It would be nice," Doc growled with gritted teeth.

"Yeah!" Flash yelled, "How come you never told us your brother was the champion?!"

Spike laughed at their expressions. "It...never came up?" That answer didn't seem to sit well with Flash, Doc and Springer, the three crossing their arms.

Twilight shook her head, "Alright, I'll explain. Here's the thing...when we first met you Flash, we were worried that finding out who we're related to might change how you saw us. We feared you'd only want to be friends with us because you think we could help you get to know Shining."

Flash let out a low hiss. "That's stupid. I'd never treat you differently."

"We know that now," Spike replied. "But back when we first met, we weren't so sure. Then Celestia asked you to take us with you and we met Doc."

"Who we couldn't tell without you finding out," Twilight finished. "And by the time we knew you wouldn't treat us differently, so much time had already passed."

Flash sighed at their logic. "Yeah, I get that...."

"We're sorry."

"Hope you're not mad," Twilight nodded as the two looked down in shame.

The three just looked at them for a moment, then sighed again as Doc said, "Hey, it's alright. If you didn't want us to know who your brother was, that was your right."

"Yeah....its not like you lied to us or something."

"Riolu," Springer nodded.

The siblings chuckled at this. "So, we're cool?"

"We're cool," Flash and Doc both said while Springer nodded again.

Shining just laughed at the group. When he had heard his siblings had gone on an adventure with some boy they'd just met, he had been a little worried. But this moment right here confirmed that they were a good for his family. "I'm happy to see my little siblings have made such good friends. That's stark contrast to how anti-social Twily used to be," this statement made his sister blush. "So...you two don't mind telling me about all those adventures you've been on with these two, do you? Don't leave out any details."

Flash smiled as he rubbed his hands together. "Payback time." Spike and Twilight both moaned at this, remembering how much they had revealed at Flash's own discomfort when his grandmother had wanted to hear stories.

And so, they told the champion all about the adventures they had had since their first meeting. Over the course of the story, Shining's face went through a plethora of expressions. From joy to horror to amazement to pride to annoyance and so on. When the story eventually ended, he turned to his siblings. "You two really have been through a lot." He reached up and scratched Peewee under the chin, the Terragon purring at the attention. "All of which I'm sure will help you grow as both trainers and people."

"Thanks Shiny," Twilight replied.

Shining then turned to Flash. "So, you're looking to compete in the Pokémon League?"

Flash looked a little bashful at this. "Yeah, I am. I've already got three badges."

"Impressive. Just five more to go before you can enter the tournament. But getting those five will be no small feat. And then actually competing in the Pokémon League is even harder."

"How hard is it?" Spike asked, knowing he didn't really remember Shining's time as he was too young when it happened.

"Oh, it's hard. The Equestria League only accepts the sixteen best trainers of the year. If more then that manage to collect the needed badges, there'll be qualifying round designed to widdle down the competitors until only the sixteen best remain. Once there, they'll battle it out in four rounds until only one is left standing. And even if you come out victorious in all four matches, you'll still have to face the greatest test the league has to offer. Me."

"You?"

Shining nodded. "In other regions, they have what's known as the Elite Four. They're four powerful trainers who you first have to defeat before being given the chance to face off against the champion, but we don't have that here. Instead, the winner of the Pokémon League is awarded the chance to face the current champion. If you can defeat the champion in that battle, you'll be entered into the Hall of Fame and titled Equestria's newest Champion."

Flash smiled at hearing that. "And that means you're officially the strongest trainer in the region!" This statement caused Shining to frown, making Flash worry that he had said something to offend him.

"Young man, what do you think the term champion means?"

Flash stared at him in confusion, "Didn't I just say what it means?"

"No, you didn't. Being a region's champion, while it does mean you're its best trainer, doesn't primary mean that. Being a region's champion means you are it's protector and guardian. Your main focus in life will be to fight against any threat that might come up against Equestria. Everything else comes second, no matter how much you want it." He stared at Flash with a cold glare, "Do you honestly think you can do that?"

Flash looked down at his hands, "I'm...not sure." He then remembered something he had been thinking about on and off since Trottingham City, his reason for being strong. That was something he still wasn't sure about.

"You're still starting out," Shining assured him. "It's alright to not be sure yet. But by the time you make it to the Equestria League, you'll need to know it, or you won't stand a chance."

"I guess..."

Shining continued to stare at him, humming for a moment. "Tell you what...why don't we battle?" This suggestion made not only Flash, but everyone in the Pokémon Center gasp.

"Are you sure about that Shining?" Twilight asked next.

Shining shrugged. "Why not? It'd be fun, showing your friend what it means to be a champion. And I can also see if he's strong enough for me to trust your safety with."

This statement made Twilight frown, her mouth opening to complain before- "I'll do it." They all turned to Flash, giving him a shocked expression. "I'll battle you. I might not be able to win, but I'll show you just how strong I am."

Shining smiled back. "You're on."

And so, Shining lead them out to the center's battlefield. Once there, the champion stepped up to one end while Flash and Springer stood on the other. The two stared at each other, one interested to see what the other had to offer while the Flash just shook like a leaf.

"You ready for this Flash?"

The trainer sighed, but nodded anyway. "As I'll ever be."

"Good," Shining pulled out a Pokeball, "So, how many Pokémon do you have currently?"

"I've got five."

"Then this'll be a five on five match. Once all five of our Pokémon are unable to continue, the battle will be over."

"Five on five?" Flash wasn't sure any of his Pokémon could stand up to Shining, but a fire lit in his eyes anyways, "Well, I've always wanted to see how I stack up against the best! Now's my chance! Bring it on!" This last statement caused the crowd to all begin to cheer, Flash frowning as most of it was for the champion, most stating how much they were gonna enjoy watching Shining decimate his opponent.

"Alright," Shining pulled his Pokeball back, "then I'll show you my first Pokémon. Galladin, stand strong!" He tossed the ball into the air, red energy unleashing before showing the Pokémon they had all seen earlier that day.

"Gall...adin!" It unshaved its blades and swung them through the air, loud swishing noises sounding through the field.

The crowd's roar increased at the sight of Shining's ace, Twilight gulping, "Shiny's not holding back."

Spike nodded. "First battle and he's bringing out the big guns."

"He's trying to make Flash sweat," Doc added. "To see how he does under the pressure."

Flash was certainly sweating alright as he pulled out his Pokedex and scanned his opponent.

Name: Galladin
Category: Gallant Knight Pokémon
Type: Steel/Fighting
Info: The evolved form of Squiron. A master of the blade, this Pokémon's gallant heart means it cannot walk away from anyone who needs its help. Even its worst enemy can count on it coming to their rescue.

"No doubt its strong," Flash pulled out his own Pokeball. "But every Pokémon has a weakness! Viper, I choose you!" He tossed the ball into the air and out came Viper, the Hisscor unleashing a flurry of fire as he prepared for battle.

"Playing it safe with a type advantage, huh? Don't think that'll guarantee you the win." Galladin nodded and it lowered its visor.

"Maybe...but it can't hurt either."

Doc stepped up between them, "I'll act as referee. Are both sides ready?" The trainers and Pokémon nodded. "Then battle...begin!"

"Viper, Fire Spin!"

"Scor!" Viper leapt into the air as it tail ignited, spinning as it did this. "Hisscor!" With a flick, the fireball struck the ground beneath Galladin's feet before exploding. The fire shot up and spiraled into a tornado around the Pokémon.

"Oh yeah!" Flash cheered, "That's sure to do some damage."

Shining smirked as he crossed his arms. "You sure about that?"

Flash raised an eyebrow, only to see the tornado explode to reveal Galladin sweeping its arm around. Both Flash and Viper's eyes went wide as they saw no damage on their opponent. "No way." Flash then glared, "Then let's see how well you do against Flamethrower!"

Viper nodded before taking a massive breath in, "Hiss...SCOR!" The stream of fire shot out of his mouth, rocketing straight at Galladin.

"Iron Defense," Shining ordered calmly.

"Gall," Galladin raised both arms as they shined. The flames struck and bounced off the shields, not even managing to push Galladin back an inch. And when the attack ended, the knight Pokémon appeared to not even be scratched.

Flash's eyes grew even wider as Shining stared at his shocked face, "Slash!" Galladin's right blade unsheathed itself and before their opponents could react, he seemed to warp right past Viper as its blade pointed upwards. Everyone gasped at the speed before slowly turning to Viper, the Hisscor simply staying still. Then, he fell sideways, spirals replacing his eyes as he hit the dirt.

"Hisscor is unable to battle," Doc announced. "The winner is Galladin."

"Viper!" Flash cried as he rushed over to his Pokémon, picking him up to look him over.

The rest of the crowd were speechless. "That was one hit," Spike said in amazement.

Twilight was just as shocked. She knew Flash would likely lose, but to be this overwhelmed. Only now did everyone realize how in over his head Flash was.

"Nice try Viper," Flash told the Hisscor as he returned it. "Take a nice rest." With that done, Flash turned to Shining and watched as Galladin stood beside its trainer. "We're not out of this yet," he pulled out another Pokeball. "Skyler, I choose you!"

And like before, he threw the ball and unleashed his next Pokémon, the newly evolved Wingust taking to the sky, ready to battle the Champion.

"Still going for a type match up? Maybe this one will end better than the last one." This statement made Flash frown as Doc spoke up.

"Are both sides ready?" They nodded, "Then battle begin!"

"Air Cutter!" Flash ordered before Skyler's wings shined.

"Wing, gust, gust, gust, gust!" With each beat, the Wingust unleashed a blade of condensed wind that flew towards Galladin.

"Iron Defense!" The knight again raised its shield as the blades bounced off, still completely unphased. "Now use Sacred Sword!" He unsheathed his blade before it glowed, Flash smiling as he looked up at Skyler.

"Fly high Skyler!" The Wingust did so, flying high and out of Galladin's reach.

"Alright!" Spike cheered, "That's the way!"

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Galladin's moves all require being close. As long as Skyler that high up, he's safe."

"Don't be so sure little sister," Shining replied. "I didn't become champion through luck. I earned that title by working to overcome all my weaknesses, and so did Galladin." He pointed up, "Show'em!"

"Gall!" Galladin yelled as he pointed the blade in the air, only for said blade to suddenly extend. Everyone gasped as Galladin projected energy out of the tip of its sword, becoming an even larger blade.

"No way!" Flash yelped as he watched Galladin swing the behemoth through the air. "Skyler, get out of there!"

But it was too late, the blade swinging at Skyler before he could even attempt to dodge. "Wingust!" The energy blade sliced right through him, causing his wings to give out. Flash gasped before running out under Skyler, managing to catch him and see spirals now in his eyes.

"Wingust is unable to battle," Doc announced. "The winner is Galladin."

"Awww man," Spike moaned. "Even being in the air isn't safe."

Twilight sighed as she crossed her arms, "You're surprised? He's right, he didn't become champion through luck. This can't be the first time he's gone up against Flying-Types. Flash is gonna need to think more outside the box to try and get a leg up on Shining."

"Return Skyler," once the Wingust was back in his ball, Flash pulled out another. "Prongs, I choose you!" Once again, the ball flew through the air, opening to release the Thawn.

"Fay!" Prongs yelled as he hopped from side to side.

This made Shining raise an eyebrow. "Now you're using a type we resist? Well, can't call you consistent. Alright, let's see what you got planed."

"Are both trainers ready?" Doc asked, getting two nods. "Then battle begin!"

"Dash Prongs! As fast as you can!"

"Fay!" Prongs began to pick up speed, dashing at the Galladin while the knight raised its shield in defense. Then right as it was about to reach it, Prongs disappeared.

"Gall?" Galladin asked in confusion.

"Behind you!" Galladin spun around to see Prongs standing behind it, only to disappear again. The knight kept spinning, just in time to get a glimpse of Prongs before he vanished again and again.

"Now, Double Kick!"

"Fay!" Prong appeared in front of Galladin and thrused its back hooves into it. Seconds later it disappeared as Flash yelled 'again', the deer bucking the knight over and over.

"Alright! Galladin can't keep up!" Spike cheered.

Twilight nodded with a smile. "That armor's super strong, but that also makes it super heavy. And even it has to give at some point."

Shining didn't look worried as he watched his partner be barraged. "Galladin, don't focus on where Prongs was. Focus on where it's gonna be."

Galladin nodded before crossing its arms and closing its eyes, blocking out the pain of constantly being struck as it searched for a pattern. And as it was struck again, it suddenly spun around and blocked Prong's kick with its shield, surprising the Thawn as he suddenly found himself being thrown back.

"Night Slash!" Galladin charged at the recovering Prongs, swinging the blade with a quick swipe. And as it hit, Thawn blacked out as he went flying back.

"Prongs!" Flash cried as he watched his Grass-Type hit the dirt, swirls filling his eyes.

"Thawn is unable to battle," Doc announced. "The winner is Galladin."

The others sighed, "Another one hit KO."

"At least Flash was able to do some damage this time," Twilight commented as she stared at Galladin. But despite the barrage he had just taken, the knight Pokémon appeared unharmed. "Or not."

After Flash returned Prongs, he let out a long sigh. "Here goes nothing. Riptide, I choose you!" He tossed the next ball into the air, unleashing the Aquana. He then took one look a Galladin before starting to shake. That is, till Flash said, "Riptide, I believe in you."

He looked back at Flash, seeing a fierce glare on his face. Seeing his partner's confidence, Riptide's nerves became steady as he spun around to Galladin. "Ak!"

"Battle begin!" Doc announced.

Five seconds later.

"AQUANA!" Everyone flinched as Riptide was struck by a Slash, unable to even get one attack off. They watched as the water lizard fell back, swirls appearing in his eyes.

"Aquana is unable to battle," Doc announced. "The winner is Galladin."

Twilight and Spike both groaned at this, while Flash slumped down. "So much for that. Riptide, return." Once Riptide was back in the ball, Flash looked down at Springer. "Well bud, just you and me now. You up for this?"

Springer simply stared at the Galladin, a small gulp going down his throat. His mind was now remembering all of his friends instantly lose to the Pokémon, knowing the terror before him. Despite this though, he turned to Flash with a smile and a thumbs up, "Riolu!"

Flash showed his own thumbs up, then turned back to his opponent. "Alright Springer, I choose you!" The Riolu leapt onto the battlefield, aura pulsing through his paws.

Shining just smirked at the sight, "So...Riolu's finally up. Let's see just how far you've come."

"Battle begin!"

"Quick Attack!" Flash ordered as Springer dashed at blinding speeds, beginning to warp around Galladin the same way Prongs had until he appeared above the knight, swinging his tail.

"RI!" The tail came crashing down, only for Galladin to raise its shield in defense before pushing him back. Springer then landed, sliding back as Shining gave an order.

"Slash!" Galladin sprinted to Springer, ready to finish this battle in one-shot like before.

"Not this time!" Flash called out. "Double Team!" Seconds before Galladin struck, Springer multiplied, the one the knight struck disappearing in the mayhem. "Now, use Drain Punch!" All but one of the Springers disappeared, that one launching itself at Galladin with a glowing fist.

"Riolu!" His attack was once again blocked by the shield, only for the Galladin to feel some of his energy to start being sapped away.

"Night Slash!" Springer leapt into a back-flip, seconds before the glowing purple blade sailed inches above his face.

"Aura Sphere!" This outcry made all but Flash's friends gasp as they watched Springer created the blue energy orb and launch it at Galladin. They then turned to Shining, expecting him to be as surprised, only to see him looking calm.

"Iron Defense!" Galladin raised both shields between its face and the attack, the shield glowing seconds before the Aura Sphere struck, an explosion following.

"Gall!" it cried as it felt the force, pushing it slightly back.

"Enough of this! Sacred Sword!" Galladin charged yet again, both its blades extending and glowing blue.

"Double Team!" Springer once again multiplied before Galladin ran passed a bunch, taking them out a few. "Now, Aura Clap!" One of them then created a pair of Aura Spheres in both paws before leaping at Galladin.

As the knight spun around to face it, Springer clapped the duel orbs into one another. "RIOLU!" This created a shockwave that Galladin was barely able to raise its shields against, knocking it off balance just a little.

"Now, Aura Sphere...BARRAGE!" The remaining Springers all created smaller Aura Spheres and leapt at Galladin, ready to thrust them into the Steel/Fighting-Type.

"Iron Defence!" Galladin shielded itself again, the onslaught now blasting his shields with full power.

"Gall!" The flurry of attacks connecting with his shields, coupled with still being off balance from before, became too much for the champion's ace. Soon, everyone gasped as they saw it be blasted back with its feet digging into the ground. "Galladin!" It then suddenly found itself being stopped, making it turn to see Shining standing behind it.

"You alright Galladin?" The knight Pokémon nodded, "Good." Shining smiled as he looked back at Springer, the rest of the clones disappearing at the same time.

Everyone else stared in amazement. "He did it."

"He actually got him."

"Galladin couldn't keep his ground."

"That guy is awesome."

"He might actually win."

Flash and Springer both panted at the effort, glancing at one another and sharing at smile. They then turned back to Shining and Galladin, the two stepping away from each other as Shining stared Flash down. "You really have gotten stronger. I knew leaving that Riolu with you was a good idea."

This statement caused everyone else to raise an eyebrow, Flash yelping, "What?!"

Shining just laughed at his confusion. "You really don't recognise me? I'm hurt. I knew who you were the second I laid eyes on you."

"Hold up!" Spike spoke up. "Are you saying you guys have met before?!"

Shining nodded at the question. "Yup, and I'm sure Flash'll remember in about thirty seconds." He shined a huge grin as he started to speak up, "A Pokémon's true power isn't in its evolutionary form, or the moves it knows. It isn't even just how psychically strong it is. It's true power-"

"is in the strength of its will to grow stronger," Flash finished as his brain began to fry. "You..."

"Me."

Flash's legs turned to jelly as the memory of a face he'd long since forgotten returned, matching up perfectly with the face of the man in front of him. All this time, he'd known the name of the one who gave him the best gift he'd ever gotten. "I can't believe it."

Shining smiled before looking at Springer. "You've grown much stronger since we last met. I see leaving you with Flash wasn't a mistake."

"Ri!" Springer nodded, knowing that being left with Flash had been the best thing to have ever happened to him.

"You two have a lot of potential," Shining continued as he snapped his fingers. "But you're still a long way away from being able to beat Galladin."

Flash growled at this. "Hey! We just knocked you guys back!"

"But that isn't the same as beating us," Shining turned to Galladin. "Let's give them a taste of our true power." Galladin nodded before walking to the middle of the battleground, its armor starting to slide off.

"What?!" Flash yelped as he watched the shields and heavier sections of the suit detached and dropped to the ground with heavy clangs. Now, Galladin had its more thinner armor on, nothing to protect itself.

"What just happened?" Spike asked.

"Armor Drop," Twilight replied with a slight frown. "Galladin's ability. It can remove its heavy armor to increase its speed and attack power, while losing all its defense power."

"It usually does this when it's low on health," Doc continued. "I wasn't even sure they could use it at will until now."

Shining looked at Flash. "Still think you can take us?"

Flash just smirked. "Without all that armor, one hit'll probably knock it out. So I'm gonna say...yeah, I can! Springer, Aura Sphere!"

"Ri!" Springer created the orb and fired it at Galladin.

The now armor-less knight remained entirely stationary as the attack came closer and closer. Then at the last minute, the Aura Sphere suddenly did a ninety degree turn and flew diagonally right. This caused both Flash and Springer to go wide-eyed. "Again!" Springer did so, firing another Aura Sphere, but it changed direction at the last second again, exploding far away from Galladin. "What's going on?"

"Galladin's deflecting the attack," Twilight whispered.

"How?" Spike asked, "He's just standing there."

"That's just what we're seeing," Doc added. "Galladin's moving so fast that we can't see it do so."

"Get him," Shining ordered.

Seconds later, Galladin disappeared in flash, Springer yelping at the sight. "Ri?" Springer asked before sensing the knight's aura behind him, spinning around in time to see Galladin's foot into his face. "Ri!" He flew back, only to be caught by Galladin before thrusting the Riolu into the ground. "RI!"

"Springer!" Flash cried as he saw this, Galladin leaping back as Springer picked himself up.

"Sacred Sword!" The blades unsheathed themselves before glowing blue.

"Double Team!" Springer multiplied himself seconds before Galladin struck, only the knight to start slashing wildly at his clones. In seconds, all but the original were cut down, the original jumping away just in time. "Aura Sphere!"

Galladin watched as the blue orb came flying, smiling before spinning on his heel and using his Sacred Sword to slice the attack in half. Everyone gasped at seeing the two halves go flying behind Galladin before exploding, the knight then leaping at Springer with both blades crossed. The Riolu went wide-eyed as the blades made contact with him. "RIOLU!" He cried as he was blasted into the air, quickly landing with a thud.

"Springer!" Flash screamed in horror while everyone else waited to see what would happen. They were expecting Springer to be out, only to gasp as they saw the little guy actually began to pick himself up.

"Ri...riolu…." Springer wobbled as he stood on both legs. He swayed slightly while glaring at Galladin…only to fall to his knees, his body giving out.

"Springer!" Flash stared at his partner, seeing swirls appear in his eyes.

"Riolu is unable to battle," Doc announced. "The winner is Galladin. All five of Flash's Pokémon are unable to continue, so the victory goes to Shining Armor."

Flash sighed as the rest of the crowd cheered, walking over to pick up his beaten partner. As he did this, Twilight, Spike and Doc walked over to him. "Hey, don't feel down. It was close." Flash turned to give Twilight a glare. "Alright, maybe not that close."

"My entire team was wiped out by one guy. It wasn't even close to being...close."

"You're right," they turned to see Shining walk up to them as Galladin began reattaching its fallen armor. "You may have won three badges, but you're far from being the best like no one ever was." Flash let out a long sigh in shame. "But you're on the right track," Flash looked up at him in surprise. "What you need right now is a chance to properly test yourself, against many different opponents."

"Like the Pokémon League?" Spike asked.

Shining shook his head, "No. You need something a little more...recent." He rubbed his chin in thought for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "You know, Hoof Town is having a big battle tournament soon. It's called the Hoof Cup, and the town's within walking distance of here. I'm sure you could make it there in time to compete. What do you think? I can guarantee they'll be many strong trainers there for you to hone your skills against."

Flash let out a sigh as his mind went over it. They didn't have any other plans right now, and this tournament would be a great way to improve himself. "Alright...I'm in."

"That's the spirit." Shining then turned to Twilight and Doc, "You two should enter as well." Doc looked intrigued by this idea, but Twilight just slightly backpedaled.

"I don't know Shiny," she replied as she twiddled her fingers. "I probably wouldn't get too far."

"Don't be silly Twily, I'm sure you'll do great. Besides, even if you don't win, it'll be a good learning experience for you."

Twilight rubbed her arm, still unsure. But then she looked up at Shining, seeing the knowing look he was giving her before turning to see the nods her friends were giving. Finally, she sighed. "Alright, I'll give it a try."

"That's my girl," Shining replied as he pulled her into a hug. That is, till his stomach started to growl, making him laugh. "Oh yeah...what's say we get something to eat?" The others all nodded, feeling just as hungry themselves.

Several hours later...

After a hefty meal, lots of rest for Flash's Pokémon, and many stories about their travels, it was finally time for Shining and our heroes to head their separate ways.

"Well, I'd better get going."

"Can't you stick around a little longer?" Spike asked, only to get a pat on the head.

"Sorry little guy, but duty calls. We'll see each other again soon." Spike nodded as Shining moved over to Twilight, "You be careful Twily. That big brain of yours won't save you every time you find yourself in trouble."

Twilight laughed and shook her head. "I'll be fine. I've got three pretty strong boys with me," said boys all smiled at this. "They'll act as pretty good meat-shields for me to use until I can think of a way to save myself." This made the three all anime fall while Shining and Twilight hugged.

"Love you sis."

"Love you too, BBBFF."

They pulled away as Shining walked up to Doc, who was just picking himself up. "See you around," The champion held up a hand, which Doc shook.

"See you."

And finally, Shining turned to Flash. "Look after them. They might not admit it, but they all seem to look up to you."

Flash smiled and nodded. "I will. Don't worry about."

"Alright then. I expect to see you standing against me in the Pokémon League finals." With that, he turned and began to walk into the horizon. The others all waved him off, with the promise to see him again.

Flash smiled as Springer leapt up onto his shoulder. "We'll be there, you can count on it." He turned to the others, "Should we head out too?"

"In a moment," Doc turned back to the center. "I just...need to go to bathroom. I'll be just a moment." With that, he ran inside, ducking out of sight. It was here that he looked down at his hand, seeing a now folded piece of paper Shining had snuck him. He unfolded it and saw two words written, "Team Shadow?"

How to Catch a Pokémon 101

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With their meeting with Twilight and Spike's brother behind them, our heroes have set their sights on Hoof Town and competing in the Hoof Cup. There was only one small problem.

"This is the furthest thing from a small problem!" Flash yelled as they stood at the edge of a large cliff. The structure was between them and the town, it was a seven miles long and three miles wide. Thanks to this size, it was so big that they could barely see the other side. Spike had attempted to see, only to result with him almost falling off the side to the fast running water below. That is, till Flash and the others grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

"Augh!" Spike yelped as he fell on his rear, panting in fear. "Thanks guys."

"Be more careful next time," Doc told him as he looked back at the estuary.

"So..." Flash gazed down at the ten meter drop, "What do we do now?"

"Yeah..." Spike added as he got up, "Shining said we'd be able to make it in time. If we go around this thing, we'll arrive when the contest's half over."

"Relax," Twilight replied as she stared at her journal, "I'm sure he wasn't wrong. We just need to keep-ah! Here we go!" They all looked over her shoulder as they saw her journal drew a red line along the edge of the cliff until it reached the coast. Then, the image of a cruise boat popped up on screen. "Horseshoe Bay. There's a cruise ship which goes out to sea, then turns around and heads back. It then docks at a port on the opposite side before heading back the way it came."

Doc smiled at this. "If we catch it, we can get off at that port and reach Hoof Town just in time."

"Exactly," Twilight added as she shut the journal. "And until we get there, we can enjoy a fun cruise. It'll be a great way to relax before the tournament."

"Sweet!" Flash and Spike both cheered. "Let's get going then! To Horseshoe Bay!"

"YEAH!" The others all exclaimed as they began to march to their destination. A good portion of the journey was spent simply talking about which Pokémon they'd use in the tournament, which Twilight had looked up. The tournament was a group of single matches, with the finals being three on three.

This alone made Twilight reconsider entering. "What am I gonna do? Even if I use Peewee, I'll only have two Pokémon. If I do manage to get to the finals, what am I gonna use?"

Flash chuckled at this. "Maybe this was your brother's subtle hint for you to try and catch more Pokémon."

Twilight growled back, only to sigh, "Even if that's true, I don't wanna catch something just so I can battle with it. If I get another Pokémon, I want it to be because I want to forge a connection with it."

"There's nothing wrong with catching a Pokémon for a battle and still forming a bond with it. In fact, battling with it is one of the best ways to bond."

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought, only to sigh again, "I guess you're right, but I'm not gonna try and nab the first Pokémon we come across."

"That's fair," Flash told her as he put his hands behind his head. "Tell you what, between now and the Hoof Cup, we'll keep our eyes open for anything you might consider catching. Then, if you get to the finals and don't have a third, you can borrow one of mine."

Twilight turned to him with a wide eyes, "Really?"

Flash smirked and leaned over, "As long as I'm not your opponent."

Doc rolled his eyes at this. "And if that happens, you can borrow one of mine."

Twilight turned to Doc, nodding with a smile. "Thanks guys, you're the best. I'll still keep an eye out for something, but it's reassuring to know I don't have to catch something."

"But you never know," Spike spoke up. "You might actually find something you like and want. Who knows, your dream Pokémon could show up...right now!" The group came to stop at Spike's exclamation, only for nothing to happen. The forest didn't make a sound as Spike slumped over, "Huh...kinda expected something to pop out of nowhere."

Flash chuckled at this, "Yeah, especially given our track record."

Doc just shrugged, "Well, life isn't always as predictable as it-" He was cut off by a rustling noise, making them turn to a nearby bush. "Or...perhaps not."

And with this statement, from out of the bushes stepped a bipedal black bear cub looking Pokémon. It stood at about three and a half feet with a white stomach and snout. On its head was a blue backwards baseball cap along with blue leather straps wrapped around its paws, a long blue strap wrapped around its body. "Rab, bear."

The Pokémon walked out, only to then notice it wasn't alone, turning to stare at them with a tilted head. Its eyes then turned to puppy dog eyes, making Twilight squeal, "Oh my goodness! What a cute Abearab!"

"Abearab?" Flash pulled his Pokedex out and scanned it.

Name: Abearab
Category: Cute Bear Pokémon
Type: Normal
Info: Its adorable appearance is its greatest weapon. It seeks out campers and uses its cute charm to make them give it food.

Flash stared at the image and saw that Abearab wasn't wearing clothing like this one. "Did this thing steal someone's hat?"

Doc shrugged at his question. "It's not actually unheard of for Abearab to try and dress themselves up. Though just like the Pokedex says, its uses that as a way to appear more cute and attract more attention and food."

"Well, it's working," Twilight squeaked out as her eyes started showing stars. "Just look at it! Its sooo cute!"

Spike raised an eyebrow at her expression, "Then why don't you catch it?"

The other two hopped at the suggestion, only for Doc to nod in agreement, "Not a bad idea Spike. It would make a strong addition to your team Twilight. Though they may rely on being cute to survive, if trained properly they can be a major force in battle."

Twilight nodded at this, pulling out a Pokeball and pointing at the Abearab, "Alright, I will." She pulled back, "Owlicious-"

"Thundershock!" A thin stream of blue lightning shot out of the trees, aimed right at Abearab. The little Pokémon just glared at the attack, leaping back as it easily dodged the electricity.

"What the?!" Twilight yelped as she just stood there with her Pokeball still in her hand, seconds before something leapt out of the bushes between them and Abearab.

It was a yellow and blue rodent like Pokémon that stood on all fours and was about a foot long from head to tail, the tail barely visible. The creature was mainly yellow, with a pair of dark blue lightning bolt patterns starting from its eyes that ran backwards and met at it's tail. It also had a pair of light blue circles on it's cheeks, which sparked with blue electricity as it growled, "Vol..."

"Where'd that thing come from?" Spike asked as Flash held up his Pokedex.

Name: Volemming
Category: Snow Volt Pokémon
Type: Electric/Ice
Info: It lives in areas where snowfall is common. In the wild, it lives in snowbanks, which it hollows out using its electrical abilities.

"Abearab!" They turned to the bushes and now saw a teenage boy with light blue skin and yellow hair while wearing a dark blue hoodie and brown pants. The teen panted as he placed his hands on his knees. "You're...finally...mine."

The others all just blinked at the sight, Spike asking, "What's going on?"

Doc was the first to catch on. "Looks like someone was already trying to catch the Abearab when we found it."

"Oh..." Twilight slumped over, "That's not fair."

Flash placed his hand on her shoulder, "Don't sweat it. If this guy fails, we can still catch it ourselves."

Doc nodded in agreement. "Plus, you'll get to see how Abearab fights."

Twilight turned back to the starting battle, "I guess you're right."

And so, they watched as the boy stepped behind his Volemming after catching his breath, staring at the Abearab. "This time...this time I'll catch you! Alright Volemming, use...er...Ice Shard."

"Vol!" Volemming opened its mouth as specks of ice were drawn together until they formed a spike-ball of ice, which was then shot at Abearab.

"Rab!" Abearab jumped to the side, dodging it before running at the Volemming with a glowing fist.

"That's Dynamic Punch!" Doc announced as Abearab slammed its paw into Volemming, the Pokémon falling back with a yelp.

"Volemming!" The teen cried as he saw his partner in pain.

"You gotta dodge quicker!" Flash told him.

"Right...dodge quicker..." he looked back at Volemming, "You okay?!"

"Vol!" Volemming replied as it picked itself up.

"Alright...then use Dig!" The electric rodent dug into the ground, Abearab staring at the spot where it started digging. Seconds later, the ground beneath it broke apart as Volemming shot out and tackled its opponent.

"Bear!" Abearab staggered back, only to get its balance back as it glared at Volemming.

The boy smiled and pointed at the bear, "Now...use miss charge!" This command made Volemming come to a stop before turning to its trainer, blinking at him.

"Vol?"

"What?" He asked back, only to realize his blunder. "Wait, that's not right. What was that move called again?"

"Rab!" Abearab took this opening and charged with glowing claws, then unleashing a barrage of slashes at Volemming.

"Ming!" Volemming cried as its entire body was scratched up. The boy stared with wide eyes, only for his brain to finally click.

"Use Discharge!" Volemming tensed up as a flurry of blue lightning shot out of its eyes, all directed at Abearab. The little bear tried to defend itself, but it was too late. The bear was too close to the rodent, causing it to be zapped. Once the attack ended, the bear shakily stood. "Now's my chance!" The teen pulled out a Pokeball, "Go!" The ball started spinning towards Abearab, who looked up at the incoming sphere.

"Rab!" It cried as it crossed its arms, seconds before a blue sphere of energy appeared around the bear. The Pokeball then hit the sphere, bouncing off a second later.

"What?!" The teen yelped.

"What just happened?" Spike asked in shock.

Twilight was just as surprised. "It used Protect to...well, protect itself from the Pokeball."

"That's unheard of," Doc added. "Impressive..."

Flash looked at the teen, who seemed to be frozen in surprise. "Don't just stand there! Get it before it can recover!"

"Err...right. Thundershock!" Volemming tensed up and shot out a single stream of lightning.

"Bear!" Abearab side-stepped the lightning bolt as its claws glowed red, "RAB!" It thrusted its claws into Volemming, sending it flying back. Then before the electric rodent could react, its glowing fist slammed Volemming in the head.

"Lemming!" It cried as it was forced into the ground, Abearab leaping back as the others saw Volemming was knocked out. It looked down at its claw and saw it was now covered in ice, which it quickly broke with its other paw.

"No!" The teen yelled as he ran up to Volemming, picking it up and looking it over. He then stared at Abearab, who was smirking as it flicked the dust off its hat. "This isn't over."

Abearab just giggled as it put its hat back on, only to slash its claws into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The sight blinded everyone, and as it cleared, Abearab had vanished.

"No!" The teen screamed as he slid to his knees, "Another failure..."

The others glumly frowned at the sight, Twilight walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder. "You alright?"

The teen sighed, "I guess. It's just...I've been trying to catch that Abearab for a week now."

"A week?!"

"It must be really strong if it's evaded capture for a whole week," Doc added.

Spike then whispered under his breath, "Or this guy is really weak."

"Spike!" Twilight scolded him.

"It's alright," the teen said as he stood up. "He's not too far off. The fact is, I've only been training for about ten days."

"So you're a new trainer." Doc added as the teen nodded. It was here that Volemming let out a moan, bringing their attention back to it. "Come on, let's get that little guy fixed up."

The teen, who was revealed to be named Spark Plug, took them to a clearing he had been camping at. There, he explained what was happening as they treated Volemming. "So, my parents wanted me to go out and see the world, hoping it would help me decide what I wanted to do with my life. So Volemming and I headed out, and about three days in, I ran into the Abearab."

One week ago...

The sun began to set as Spark and Volemming set up their tent in the clearing, Spark was dressed in a dark blue hat nad pulled out a sandwich and a box of Pokémon food to feed Volemming. And as they enjoyed themselves, they suddenly heard the sound of the bushes rustling. The two froze before Volemming got into a battle stance, his cheeks sparking in preparation.

But then, the bushes opened to reveal the Abearab, lacking its hat, who stepped out and stared at them with puppy dog eyes. "Awww..." Spark said as he sat back down, "Aren't you cute. You hungry?"

"Bear," it nodded as it watched Spark reach into his bag and pull out some more food. And as the teen held out his open hand, Abearab slowly tiptoed over to take the food in its paws. Spark smiled at as he watched it eat, chuckling at the adorable sight.

"Alright!" he pulled out a Pokeball, "I think I'm gonna catch you." He pulled the ball back. "Pokeball, GO!" The ball went into the air, only for the Abearab to suddenly drop its cute expression as it crossed its arms and created a shield. The Pokeball struck the Protect and bounced off, the shield disappearing before the Abearab kicked the ball back into the trainer. "Ow!" Spark yelped as the ball struck his face, knocking his hat off.

The Bear Pokémon giggled as it picked up Spark's hat and put it on its head. "Abear!"

"Hey!" Spark yelled as Volemming got into a battle stance, only for the bear to turn and sprint away. "Get back here!"

The present...

"And thus began a week of hunting after that thing with no luck whatsoever. Every time I find and battle it, it uses Protect to stop the Pokeball, and gets away again and again."

"Sounds like its quite the crafty Pokémon," Doc commented.

Twilight nodded in agreement. "You wouldn't be able to tell from how cute it acts."

"But that's all it is! Its just an act to make you lower your guard, and then bam! You're hit before you even know what happened."

"Brutal..." Spike almost whispered.

Flash blinked at this, "Wait...if it keeps running away, why is it still here?" He turned to the others. "If it keeps trying to make sure it doesn't get caught, wouldn't it have left this area?"

"Hmmm...you are right." Twilight added, "That is strange."

Spark grumbled as he crossed his arms. "Ain't it obvious?! This is all a game to it. It loves tormenting me with disappointment. Everyday it shows itself and we go after it, we battle it and makes me think I'm about to catch it before it turns the tables and escapes. It's psychological torture!"

The others all leaned back in surprise, all wearing glum frowns. Obviously, going after this Abearab and failing to catch it was taking its toll on the boy, a nervous breakdown just waiting to happen. That is, till a moan came out of his Volemming, the Electric Ice-Type finally coming around. "Hey bud," Spark picked it up and nestled it in his arms. "Looks like we goofed again."

"Vol..." Volemming sighed as Spark rocked him.

Spark then slumped against a tree. "Maybe I should just give up. It's obvious I'm never gonna catch that Abearab, so why waste even more of my time?"

This statement made Flash go wide-eyed. "Are you nuts?!" Flash yelled as he stood up, "You can't just give up!"

Both Spark and Volemming blinked at him in confusion, "Why not?"

"Because if you do, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You said it yourself, you've spent a whole week chasing after this thing. If you just give up now, that's a whole week of your life wasted."

"But how do you expect to me to catch it? It beats me every time."

Twilight giggled at this, "Simple. You do what all trainers do. You exploit Abearab's biggest weakness."

Spark scratched his head. "Fighting-Types?" The others all anime fell.

"No!" Twilight barked back, "It's overconfidence! It keeps coming back here because it thinks there's no way it'll lose to you! That makes it overconfident, which makes it sloppy. All you have to do is properly prepare yourself, and you'll have that Abearab captured in no time!"

Spark blinked at this, only to slowly nod. "Alright...I guess I see where you're coming from. But I'm not that good at battling."

"That's fine. We can help you train."

The next day...

Abearab smiled as it walked back to the clearing that silly human was staying at. It giggled to its self as it thought about its Protect move, knowing it would help beat that Pokeball everytime. But when Abearab stepped into the clearing, it hopped in place as the sight of the human and his Volemming already waiting for it in a battle stance. "Alright Abearab, you're mine!"

Abearab almost started to backpedal, surprised at the new confidence, "Ab...abear," its expression turned into a smirk as it lifted a claw and gave them a 'bring it' gesture.

"You've got this Spark!" Flash cheered.

"Just remember everything we showed you," Twilight reminded him.

"Right!" Spark replied as Abearab started throwing sand into the air with its claws.

"Be careful of that Sand Attack!"

"I got this! Volemming, use Dig!"

When the sand cloud passed, Abearab found Volemming was gone. "Rab?" It looked around, only for the ground to break, Volemming shooting out to body slam it. "Bear!" It staggered back as Volemming landed in front of Spark.

"Now, use Ice Shard!"

"Vol!" Volemming created the clump of ice, firing at Abearab.

The little bear then recovered, his fist now glowing as it slammed a Dynamic Punch into the shard, shattering it. And as this happened, the bear charged at the Volemming with glowing white claws, unleashing Fury Swipes once its was close enough.

"Lem!" Volemming flinched at the barrage.

"Discharge!" Volemming's eyes shot open as it unleashed a jolt of electricity, Abearab stopping its attack as it started crying out from the shock.

"Bear!" Once again Abearab staggered back, only to see the others behind Spark, seeing all their smiling faces. Spark was also grinning, happy the plan was working.

Yesterday...

"Alright," Twilight said as she handed Flash back his Pokedex before beginning her lecture. "When trying to capture a Pokémon, the best method is too weaken it in battle."

"Obviously," Spark deadpanned.

"But there are other ways, such as status ailments. Paralysis, confusion, poison, burn or being frozen makes it difficult for a Pokémon to fight against the Pokeball, which works in your advantage."

"It does?" He asked in surprise, only for Twilight to nod.

"First, Volemming's electrical moves all have the chance to paralyse the opponent. Granted, the chance is small, but the chances are better when they're used multiple times. Not only that, there's also Volemming's ability."

"Ability?"

"According to the Pokedex, he has Frostbite. It is an ability that causes a Pokémon that makes contact with Volemming to possibly become frozen. Since all of Abearab's moves require physical contact, there's a good chance that could occur."

"Sweet," Spark commented as he patted Volemming on the head.

The Present...

"Thundershock!" Volemming tensed up before unleashing the lightning, Abearab barely dodging as its claws started to glow red.

"Rab!" It ran at Volemming and thrusted its claws, making the Pokemon flinch back as the blow shook the rodent.

"Volemming!" Spark cried, only to shake his head. "No, don't panic. Remember what Flash told you..."

Yesterday...

"Volemming!" Spark cried as he watched Springer slam Volemming with Drain Punch.

"Don't panic!" Flash yelled at him. "It's after your opponent attacks when they're at their most vulnerable! That's when you need to act, so stay calm and focus on what you're gonna do next!"

"But-"

"Stop! Don't think and just do! If you don't, this happens!" Flash pointed at Volemming, "Quick Attack!"

"Ri!" Springer charged, smacking his tail into the rodent.

"Vol!" the Pokémon yelped as it flinched back, Spark about to yell his name.

"Vol-er….Thundershock now!" Spark screamed, the rodent then surrounding itself in electricity. A bolt followed this, Springer hopping back just in time.

"That's better." Flash barked back as he crossed his arms, "Now, stay calm and react even faster next time!"

Spark took a deep breath, and nodded, "Alright. Let's do it!"

The Present...

"Stay calm," he told himself before pointing at Abearab. "Ice Shard!" Volemming shot another shard of ice at the bear, who responded with a Dynamic Punch that shattered it. "Discharge!" As Abearab finished its attack, it looked up to see Volemming unleash a huge burst of lightning. The blast then covered the field and zapped Abearab, making it cry out and stagger back. "Bear!"

"Dig!" Volemming disappeared into the ground, Abearab just barely getting its balance back. But as it did this, the ground beneath Abearab's feet broke apart. And as this happened, Abearab leapt back just in time for the attack to miss, its claws glowing red as it slammed them into Volemming and thrusted the ground. Both Pokémon flinched, Volemming from the attack and Abearab from the effects of Frostbite as ice gathered around its claws.

It jumped away again as Volemming picked itself up, "Ice Shard!"

"Vol..." Volemming put all of its power and created the biggest block of ice it could make. "LEMMING!" The ice was fired at Abearab, who was unable to use Dynamic Punch due to its frozen claws. This left it with only one option, crossing its arms as a sphere of blue energy appeared. The Ice Shard slammed and shattered, making Abearab shiver as it felt the attack hit its shield.

"Now's your chance!" Flash called out to Spark, the teen nodding before pulling out an empty Pokeball.

He waited as Abearab began to struggle keep its Protect active. Then, as the shield began to flicker in and out of existence, "Now! Go Pokeball!" He tossed the ball, the sphere getting through the Protect just in time to hit the bear's head. As soon as it did, the Pokeball opened and unleashed a swirl of red energy, consuming the Pokémon. Everyone watched as Abearab was sucked into the Pokeball, the top slamming shut as it tapped the ground. It then started to wobble back and forth, again and again until-

SMASH!

The Pokeball broke open, unleashing a blast of red energy that took shape and faded to reveal a panting and slightly shocked Abearab. But despite the failure to catch it, Spark smirked at the sight, "Not so fun when you're not sure you'll win, is it?"

Abearab growled at the trainer before beginning to slam his claws into the dirt, kicking up a large cloud of sand that filled the entire are. Everyone covered their mouths and shielded their eyes, Spike yelling out, "It's getting away!"

"Not for long!" Flash threw a Pokeball into the air, unleashing a certain Wingust who flew above the cloud. "Skyler, blow the sand away!"

"Wing!" Skyler screeched before beating his wings, "Gust, gust, gust, gust!" The gust blasted the sand away, only to reveal that the Abearab was gone.

"Where'd it go?" Spike asked next.

"It can't of gone far," Doc assured them as he pulled out his own Pokeball. "Steeledge-"

"Owlicious-" Twilight pulled out hers.

"Come out!" The two unleashed their Flying-Types, both flying up beside Skyler. Peewee also flew up, the four turning to the group awaiting orders.

"Wing/Hoo/Ledge/Terr?"

"Go search for Abearab!" The four nodded and flew off in three different directions, the teens now waiting for them to spot their target.

Abearab now believed it had reached a safe spot, the bear panting as it still tried to free its claws from the ice. It couldn't believe it was almost caught like that. "Abear…"

It then smashed its paws into a tree, destroying the ice. But as it did this, its ears picked up a sound. "Wingust!" It looked up and saw Skyler flying above his head, the bird flying in a circle. This caused Abearab to growl before sprinting away, Skyler just smirking as it followed.

"Skyler is circling in that direction!" Flash announced as they ran up a slope.

"This time Abearab's not getting away!" Spark yelled as they managed to catch up with Skyler, only for Spark to point at a tree, "THERE!" He was pointing at Abearab, who was leaning against a tree heavily panting. "You're mine!" The Abearab went wide eyed before turning, sprinting away again. "Hey! Get back here!"

And as they started to chase it again, Twilight went wide-eyed, "Oh no...we have to stop it from getting any further!"

Spike turned to her, "Why?"

Before Twilight could reply, Abearab broke through the treeline, its speed still picking up. But as it did this, it suddenly hit the edge of the estuary, which Abearab didn't notice as he saw himself going over the side, "BEAR!"

"OH NO!" Everyone screamed as they managed to stop themselves, seconds before hitting the edge of the cliff. The all then stared over the rocky ridge, all breathing a sigh of relief.

"ABEARAB!" The little bear cried out as it hung off the side of the cliff-face. It had managed to dig its claws into the rock and stopped itself about seven meters down from the edge. Despite this quick thinking, it was now stuck with no way to climb back up.

"This is bad," Doc told them.

"Why?" Spike replied, "Just have Skyler or Steeledge grab it."

"Good idea," Flash added before looking up at Skyler. "Go get him bud."

Skyler nodded before flying down to Abearab, trying to grab it with his talons. However, as he hovered in place, the wind he was generating struck the cliff, causing the unstable rock face to begin crumbling. "Bear!" Abearab cried as he felt his claws slipping, making the others all gasp.

"Skyler, get away from there!" Skyler did so, allowing the rock to slowly regain stability.

The others all sighed before Doc turned to them. "That rock face is to weak." He looked down at the raging river, which Abearab would soon be swimming in if they weren't careful. "That fast moving water has probably eroded the rock into nothing but dust now. Good news, it allowed Abearab to dig his claws into it. Bad news, the rock could give at any moment."

Twilight did a low hum, "Maybe Owlicious and Peewee could do it. Their wings are smaller, so it'll make less wind."

"Maybe...but are they strong enough to lift him?"

"Only one way to find out," Flash added as he gave Twilight a nod.

Twilight nodded back before ordering the two to fly down. They did so, gripping the shaking Abearab's arms and trying to lift with everything they had. But as they did this, they soon found they weren't strong enough to lift the Bear Pokémon. Eventually, they were forced to give up and fly back up. "That's not good. We need a new plan." Twilight continued as she tapped her foot. "Hmmm...what do we do? Wait! I got it!"

"What's the plan Twilight?"

"Flash, Doc, here's the idea."

And as they tried to start the new idea, Spark and Volemming continued to watch as the rock around Abearab continued to crumble away. "This is all my fault," he moaned as he looked down in shame. "I was right. I should've just given up."

"Don't go getting all hopelessly emo on us," Flash told him as he and Doc returned from the forest. In their arms were a bunch of green rope like plants.

"Are those vines?" Spark asked.

"Seven meters of vine," Doc replied as he started tying them together.

"We'll tie them to a tree and I'll climb down to grab Abearab."

Spark frowned at this, grabbing the end that Flash was about to tie around his waist. "No, I'll go down. It's my fault Abearab's in trouble, so I need to be the one to fix it." Flash looked at him in surprise, but then smiled with a nod before letting go of the rope.

"Go for it."

Once the vines were tied together and wrapped around a sturdy tree, Spark stepped over to the edge of the cliff and looked down. His heart raced as he saw the raging water, his body backpedaling on instinct. But then he saw Abearab's scared face, making him stop.

"You've got this!" Flash assured him as he and the others held onto the vines.

Spark turned and nodded before stepping backwards over the edge, beginning to abseil down the cliff. It was a slow and steady process, Spark's feet tiptoeing on the crumbling ground. He could feel his feet slip, his grip sliding as he went down. At one point, his foot landed on a stuck out piece of rock that broke off, causing Spark to slip. "Whoa!" He yelped as he felt himself slam into the cliff, sliding down until the others managed to regain their grip on the vines, stopping him, "Owww…"

"You alright!?" Flash called down, looking over the edge. Spark didn't reply, instead holding a thumbs up. "Alright, you're almost there."

It was here that Abearab looked up and opened its eyes to see Spark. It couldn't believe the sight, only for him to hear Spark's voice, "Hold on Abearab, I'll get you out of this, don't worry." Strangely enough, it wasn't worried anymore. Instead, it was just confused, only for worry to come back as Spark found himself stopping a good few feet from Abearab. "More vines!"

"There aren't anymore!" Flash barked back.

Up on the cliff, Doc was going back over the calculations in his head, only to gulp, "Oh no! We got seven meters of vine, but I forgot to take into account the area between the tree and the edge of the cliff!"

"So what do we do?!" Spike yelled next.

Twilight stared at the edge. "We'll have to pull him back up and add some more vines!"

Spark heard this and called out, "There's no time!" He leaned backwards until he was upside down, then reaching out his arms as far as they would go. Even so, he was still about five feet short of the Pokémon. "Abearab, you need to try and climb up to me!"

"Bear?" Abearab yelped in shock.

"Please! It's the only way! Its just a few feet, you can do it!" Abearab and Spark locked eyes, the little bear seeing the determination it the trainer's eyes. If he could do that, then the bear could do it. And so, it carefully pulled one of its claws free from the rock before thrusting them back in a little higher, the rock holding as it did the same with its other claw. It did this several times, slowly getting higher and higher. "That it....almost there..."

Soon, Abearab was only a few inches from Spark and reached out its claw for him to grab. They stretched as far as they could, closing the gap. But as Spark's fingers touched the tips of Abearab's claws, the rock it was holding onto broke.

"ABEARAB!" It screamed as it began to fall to the water.

"NO!" Everyone screamed at the sight, only for a bulb to go off in Spark's head. Acting as fast as he could, he pulled out an empty Pokeball and tossed it at Abearab. The ball struck the bear, opening and sucking it within the safety of its confines before it hit the water. Luckily, the impact with the water made it bounce up for a second, and that was all Skyler needed to fly by and grab it as the others began to lift Spark. And as it flew up, the Pokeball dinged to indicate a successful capture.

Once he was safely on terrafirma, he fell to the ground panting. "That...was too...close."

The others were all breathing heavily as well, most almost having a heart attack. "Tell me about it," Flash said as Skyler landed and gave him the Pokeball. "But look on the bright side," he held it out to Spark. "You managed to finally capture Abearab."

Spark looked at the Pokeball questionably, taking it into his hands. Finally, after a week of tireless attempts, he'd finally caught his first Pokémon. So why did it feel so...hollow? Spark sighed before holding the ball out and opening it up. But what came out wasn't the usual red energy, instead the energy was blue and took shape before fading to reveal a very confused Abearab.

"Err..." Spike let out, "What just happened?"

Twilight blinked in shock. "Spark...just released Abearab."

"WHAT?! Why?!"

"Because it wasn't right," Spark told them. "I didn't earn this capture. Abearab didn't have any choice." He gave Abearab a small yet slightly glum smile. "I still want to catch you, but if I'm gonna do it, I want to do it the right way."

The others stared in shock at the sight, only to soon understand what he meant. Spark then stood up, Volemming climbing onto his shoulder as they stared at Abearab. "Get ready for tomorrow, because I'm going to catch you for sure then!" He held out a hand to shake Abearab's paw, but the little bear just stared back. That is, till it suddenly used Sand Attack, slamming sand into Spark's face, "Augh!" He yelped as he and Volemming fell back, his Pokeball accidently being tossed into the air.

"BEAR!" Abearab leapt up and tapped its paw into the button. Everyone watched in amazement as Abearab was sucked into the Pokeball, which slammed shut and fell into Spark's lap.

And as the teen cleared his eyes, he saw the Pokeball wobble several times before dinging again. "What...just happened?"

The others blankly stared at the sight, only for Twilight to lean down and pat his shoulder, "Looks to me like Abearab didn't want to wait until tomorrow to be captured."

"Really?" Spark yelped as he stared at the Pokeball, "But...I didn't capture it like I was supposed to!"

The others all laughed as Flash patted his other shoulder, "You kidding? This is even better than catching it the other way. Catching it in battle is how you usually earn a Pokémon's respect, but it choosing to come with you before being captured shows you've already earned its respect."

Spark's eyes went wide. "Really?" The others all nodded, making him smile. "So I did it? I caught my first Pokémon?"

"And it's a catch to be proud of," Doc assured him.

Spark's grin increased as he opened the Pokeball, letting Abearab out. The little bear stared up at its new trainer, the two locking eyes and smiling. "Well Abearab, you ready to come with me?"

"Bear!" Abearab nodded before taking off the hat and returning it to its owner.

Spark chuckled as he took the hat, only to place it back on Abearab's head. "Welcome to the team."

"Lem!" Volemming cheered, hugging the bear next as the others chuckled at the sight.

Later that day...

Once Abearab was captured, they had returned to the clearing. It wasn't long till they packed up their things and Spark said his farewells, "Well, this is it."

"Yeah. Though uh...you sure you don't want to come with us to Horseshoe Bay?"

Spark shrugged back, "No thanks. I think I'll head to Baltimare City and maybe try and capture some more Pokémon on the way. After that...who knows. But I do know I'm not gonna doubt myself anymore," he looked down at his team. "Together, we can do anything."

"Vol/Bear!" The two cheered.

Twilight giggled at the sight. "That's great. By the way, while you're in Baltimare City, if you meet a girl with poofy pink hair, tell her Twilight and the others are heading to Hoof Town for the Hoof Cup. She probably won't be able to make it in time to compete, but I'm sure she'd love a big sporting event like that."

"Sure, no problem." With that, he and his team turned before beginning to walk off. "Bye! See ya later!" The others waved them off as the three of them disappeared into the treeline. And as they vanished, the group exited the other side of the forest, only to find themselves on the top of a hill, looking out at the crystal blue ocean.

Yes, the last two days had been an interesting experience. Helping a new trainer catch his first Pokémon, and now they were ready to go to Hoof Town and the Hoof Cup.

Release the Sparaken

View Online

Continuing their journey to Hoof Town and the Hoof Cup, our heroes have arrived at Horseshoe Bay. There, they would catch a ferry and enjoy a luxury cruise before getting off at the halfway port and walking the rest of the way. But since their ship was set to leave for another two hours, our heroes were simply looking around the port town.

"Beautiful..." Twilight whispered as she looked through a store window. Inside were a bunch of different types of jewelry, bracelets, necklaces and tiaras, all made of coral. She then sighed as she saw the price, "Buying even one of these would put me in debt for the next fifty years."

Flash, who had been looking in the window of the next store, glanced at the prices before raising an eyebrow. "How does this store stay open with those prices? You'd need to be a millionaire to buy anything."

Springer nodded in agreement, only for the doors to open. From out of store stepped a finely dressed couple with the woman wearing a pair of coral earrings, the store's owner following them. "Thank you for your continued service," he told the couple as they left. "We hope to see you again."

"You will," the woman replied.

"Your store is half the reason for our year's cruise tour," the man told him. "All our friends love your work."

With that, the two walked off as Twilight turned to Flash, "That answer your question?"

"A little..." Flash grumbled with a sour look on his face.

Further down the street, Spike and Peewee were also looking around. "Hey...boy, you there." Spike turned to the source of the voice and saw a man dressed in a white shirt, black pants and a white headband. He was standing in an alleyway, behind a crudely built stall.

"You talking to me?"

"Terr?"

"I am. I want you to take a look at this Pokémon." He pointed down at the table he stood behind, which Spike now realized was actually a water tank. Inside was a red fish like Pokémon Spike had never seen before.

"What is it?"

"The king of all carp. A Magikarp."

"And?" The man laughed as he pulled the Magikarp out of the tank before holding it out to Spike, the teen taking it, only for it start wriggling around. "Hey! Calm down!"

The man laughed again, "See how healthy it is?" He leaned over with a greasy smile, "Just between you and me, this Magikarp is like a Pokémon goldmine."

"Goldmine?"

"Right. You see, it lays one thousand eggs at a time. You sell each of those eggs for say...a dollar, and you'll have one thousand dollars easy. And if you keep breeding and selling 'em-"

"I'll be rich!" Spike yelped with dollar signs appearing in his eyes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, removing a dollar. "I'll take it."

"Hold on," the salesmen told him with a raised palm. "The dollar thing was just an example. I sell for a much higher price."

"How much?"

"How much you got?" Spike frowned but held out his wallet, which the man reached out to take. But before he could, someone swooped the wallet out of Spike's hand.

"Hey!" Spike turned to see Doc holding his wallet, the older teen glaring at the man.

"Nice try you grifter, but we're not falling for your scam." He took the Magikarp from Spike and dropped it back into the tank, soaking the man as he began to push Spike away.

"You'll regret not buying into this business!" The man cried.

"No we won't!" Doc called back. "Now get out of here before I call officer Hard Case!" That seemed to put fear into the man, who quickly began to pack up while Doc explained to Spike what he had just saved him from.

With that out of the way, the four of them began to make their way over to the port where their ship was docked. They soon spotted it, a large white cruise ship with a yellow stripe running along the edge and a red and black chimney near the back. The lot marvelled at the ship as they stepped onto the dock, looking forward to the trip they were about to undertake.

"This is gonna be awesome!"

"Don't you know it Spike," Twilight assured him before pointing over at the gangplank. "And there's where we get on." They ran over to it and met a sailor suited man standing besides it, a look of worry on his face. "Excuse me," Twilight held up their tickets. "We're here for the cruise."

"Oh...I see. Well...er...I guess you can board."

Doc walked in front of her. "Excuse me, but is something wrong?"

The sailor did a long gulp, "I guess. You see...this cruise may have to be cancelled."

"WHAT?!" The teens and their Pokémon all cried out. "Why?!"

The sailor pointed to the end of the port, the others following his finger and seeing the problem. Horseshoe Bay was actually crescent moon shaped, with a sixty meter gap between the two cliff edges that were connected by a suspension bridge. "The bridge is broken. We just got word from the operator that it won't go up."

"Which means the ships are trapped here," Twilight added. "That's not good."

Spike looked up at her sister, "Isn't there something we can do?"

Flash turned to Doc, "Think you might be able to work your magic?"

Doc stared out at the bridge, a little intimidated since he had never worked on something that big. "Hmm...I can give it a look over." The others all nodded with smiles, the group soon heading to the control station.

It took quite a while before they could get there, needing to go all the way around the C shaped harbor until they located the building next to the bridge. And as they arrived there, they spotted an Officer Hard Case talking to a man in a hardhat. "What's the hold up?!" Hard Case asked in frustration. "We've got a lot of ships that need to get in and out of this port, so we need this bridge up and running!"

"I'm sorry!" the man replied while twiddling his thumbs. "I've done everything I can think of to get it to lift, but nothing seems to be working."

"Excuse me..." Doc walked between the two, "Sorry to interrupt, but maybe I can take a look at the controls."

Hard Case raised an eyebrow at him. "Who are you, and what makes you think you can fix it?"

Flash took this moment to step up beside him, "This is Time Turner from Trottingham City. He's the genius behind the city's tech. If he can't get this bridge running, then no one can."

Hard Case hummed for a moment, then turned to the worker to ask his opinion. "Right now, I'd accept any help."

Hard Case nodded before turning back to the group. "Alright kids, go give it a shot." They all smiled as the worker lead them into the control room.

Doc removed his coat and put on his specs, "Okay, so what exactly is the damage?"

"Well, that's the problem," the work crouched down and opened one of the panels. "There doesn't appear to be any damage. I've double, triple and quadruple checked everything, but...its in all working order."

Doc hummed as he lit it up with his torch. "Hmm....yup. He's right. Everything's fine in here." He stood up and looked over the controls, attempting to switch the machine on. The device powered up and everyone watched as the bridge outside began to shake, only for it to go dead. "Huh. I see...its a lack of power."

"Power?" Hard Case asked.

"Something's preventing the electrical power to flow into the bridge and its controls. Even if a machine's working perfectly, without power, its nothing but a giant paper weight."

The worker smacked himself on the head. "Idiot! Why didn't I think of that?!"

"But there hasn't been any other reports of the town losing power," Hard Case reminded them.

Doc nodded, "which means whatever's causing the power outage is at a source that only the bridge is drawing power from. Do you have any electrical plans?" The worker quickly ran out of the room, returning a few minutes later carrying a large pile of rolled up papers.

They each took one and unrolled them, revealing a series of differently colored lines on each one. The maps came together like a jigsaw, creating a outline of the port's electrical system. Flash, Spike and Hard Case had no idea what they were seeing, but luckily Twilight, Doc and the worker did. "Here," Twilight pointed at a yellow line, "this line is what powers the drawbridge."

"Which means our gremlin is in there," Doc added as he took the map and rolled it up. "Let's head down and see if we can fix it." They all nodded and prepared to head out, the worker the only one not going as he needed to open the bridge as soon as it was back on line. Doc handed him a ear piece so they could talk before they headed out. They soon found a manhole cover and opened it up, revealing their entryway into the underground. But as they got there, they found a new problem. The tunnel was pitch black, completely devoid of light.

Hard Case took out a Pokeball and pointed it into the tunnel, "Jolteon, come!" The ball unleashed a blast of red energy, which took form to reveal the yellow and white Eeveelution. "Use Flash."

"Jolt!" Jolteon's entire body lit up, illuminating the tunnel in an instant.

"Alright..." Hard Case looked at a bunch of different colored pipes around the tunnel. "Now, which was do we go?"

Doc pulled out the map and scanned it, "Hmmm...this way." he began to lead them through the underground passageways, the twists and turns easily confusing Flash, Spike and Hard Case, but Doc was easily able to direct them. And as they travelled, Doc and Twilight kept an eye out for damage to any of the pipes. But no matter how far they went, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. "We're coming up to the generator."

"Generator?" Flash asked Doc.

Twilight raised a finger. "The town is powered by several hydroelectric generators, which draw in water from the ocean and use it to produce electricity."

Doc nodded in agreement. "Since nothing seems out of the ordinary here, that likely means the fault is close to the generator itself."

They continued their trek until they suddenly found themselves bathed in light, making them up the tunnel to see the source. They soon found themselves inside a giant rounded chamber with a large pool of water at the bottom. In front of them was an X shaped bridge that was connected to the tunnel they had just come out of, along with three others around the edges of the chamber. Coming out from the center of the pool was a giant metal rod that went through the center of the bridge and up to the ceiling. "Well...end of the line."

"So where's the generator?" Spike asked.

"This is the generator. We're inside it's water intake." Doc pointed at the water, "See? The water is being jetted into a bunch of turbines," he then pointed at the pole in the middle of the room. "Those turbines spin that pole, which in turn spin the dynamos that create electricity."

"Cool."

"But the generator looks completely fine," Hard Case added with an irritated tapping foot. "So what's causing the power outage?"

"Good point..." Doc looked up at the pipe that was coming out of the tunnel they'd just exited and saw nothing. That is, till- "There!" He pointed at a part of the pipe, the others now seeing a large hole that exposed the wiring. "That looks bad, but I don't see any reason why that would cause a power outage."

The others thought for a moment, only for a bulb to click in Flash's head. He then took the walkie-talkie out of Doc's pocket. "Hello, you there?"

There was no reply for several seconds, only for a few crackles to sound out, "I'm here. Did you fix the problem?"

"No, but could you try to open the bridge?"

"Right away." The worker's voice cut out, seconds before the generator started to make noise.

"What's happening?" Spike asked.

"The electricity being stored in the generator is being summoned to the bridge," Doc replied as he kept an eye on the broken piece of the pipe, but saw no issue. However, something else suddenly caught their attention.

CLANG!

They all spun around to the source of the clang, following it down to a hole that was in the wall a few feet below the tunnel they had came from.

"What's that?" Spike asked next.

"That's an overflow relief drain. Its for when the turbines are broken or under maintenance, and prevents the water from flooding."

Flash turned to Doc, "But why would it make that-"

"LOOK!" Twilight screamed as she pointed at the hole, the others looking back in time to see something come out of it. What it was, was a giant plug-like construct. It was about the same size as Spike and was white with two yellow prongs coming out the end. And as the giant plug fully emerged, they saw it was attached to a long white cord that was as thick as they were from shoulder to shoulder.

They watched as the plug and cord slithered up the wall until it reached the hole in the pipe, no one daring to make a sound as the prongs got closer to the wires. And when they finally made contact, the prongs began to spark. Seconds began to pass as the sparking continued, soon ending as the plug detached itself from the wires and retracted back into the drain it had come from.

Everyone just stood there, blinking at the sight. Unable to respond, the silence was broken by the walkie-talkie crackling. "Hello, you there? The bridge is still down. Did you find out what the problem was?"

Flash raised the device to his mouth, "Standby." He cut the call and turned to the others, "What the heck was that?!"

Twilight did a long, loud gulp, "That...was a powerful sea dwelling Pokémon. The Sparaken. I've only ever read about them in books, but I'm sure that was it."

Flash pulled out his Pokedex and typed the name into it, an image popping up on screen a few seconds later. The Pokémon was a squid like creature with five of the long tentacles they had seen. It's main body was yellow with a pair of round black eyes below what appeared to be a giant light bulb on the top of its head, which appeared to be shining brightly.

Name: Sparaken
Category: Plug Tentacle Pokémon
Type: Electric
Info: Despite living in water, its not a water type. It's five powerful tentacles can drain power from other machines before unleashing a powerful electrical surge, giving it the ability to both constrict and electrocute its opponents. If it were to run low on power, it's physical strength would deplete.

"How big is this thing?" Spike asked as he looked at the picture, remembering how big the tentacles were.

"About eleven meters from top to the end of its tentacle," Twilight replied with shiver down her spine. "It's body is about five meters, and the tentacles are another six."

"But what's a Sparaken doing here?" Hard Case asked.

"Not sure. They're suppose to be...well, deep sea Pokémon. They usually hunt Gyrados and other Pokémon of that size."

Doc, who had been staring at the hole the tentacle had appeared from, finally spoke up. "Whatever the reason, its the cause of the power shortage. Its stealing the power from the drawbridge for itself."

"Then we need to find it and get it out of here," Flash added. "Anyone have a clue on how we get down there?"

"No," Doc held the map up, "but I might be able to find another route leading to the same place." He muttered under his breath for several seconds, "Hmm...alright. Follow me." He then took off, the others following.

"Jolteon!" Hard Case ordered, his partner unleashing a bright light that filled the next tunnel they went down. They soon found themselves running down some stairs, only to stop when they found themselves ankle deep in water.

"What the?!" Spike yelped as he felt the water sink into his shoes.

"This can't be good," Hard Case added.

Doc continued to lead them through the flooded tunnel, which happily didn't get any deeper, and eventually stepped out into an area and pointed to the right. "Okay, that should be it."

"Spar...rack!"

They all froze at that sound, Spike whispering, "Is that?"

Twilight nodded at this, "That's likely the Sparaken. Be careful everyone. Sparaken are highly territorial. It won't like us being here."

"Sounds like the Sharazor all over again." Spike moaned as Peewee mimicked his expression, "Are all deep sea Pokémon like this?"

"It depends. Though Sharazor is more violent and loves picking fights compared to a Sparaken. Either way, its dangerous for a whole group to go into its territory."

"Then we should go in one at a time," Flash suggested before stepping up to the rounded exit, slowly staring into the chamber. The chamber was about twenty meter in height, though most of it was currently underwater, and was lit by the large opening that the sun was streaming through. The sound of crashing waves filtered in from this opening, along with the occasional bit of seawater.

But what caught Flash's attention was the chamber's occupant, the eleven meter squid Pokémon he'd seen in his Pokedex. But this one had a few differences, with only four tentacles out of the water while the light-bulb like head adornment was barely making a spark. "Spar..."

"There it is," Flash moved back while the others glanced to see it one at a time. "So what now?"

"It has to have a reason for being here," Doc said as he pointed at the exit. "That opening's large enough for it to squeeze through."

"Maybe it can't leave," Twilight suggested as she stared at it's bulb. "Look! That's where it stores it's electricity, but its barely showing a spark."

Spike turned to Flash. "Didn't the Pokedex say that when it's low on juice, it gets physically weak?"

"It did," Flash looked back out into the chamber. He stared at the Sparaken for several seconds, only to turn to Doc, "You still got those goggles and rebreathers?"

Doc nodded and reached into his bag, pulling out the box containing the equipment.

"Flash..." Twilight slowly asked as she watched him put them on, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to go take a look underwater," Flash replied while taking off his jacket and shirt.

"That's not a good idea," Hard Case told him. "If that thing sees you, it could fry you with one bolt."

"I doubt it has the power to do so," Flash countered before quickly diving into the water, all making sure that the Sparaken couldn't see him. He swam as fast as he could to the bottom of the pool, glad that the goggles helped him see in dark water. Once he had reached the bottom, he turned and swam up to the Sparaken. He had to be weary of the tentacles, which were splashing in and out of the water. It was here that he found himself beneath the Pokémon's body and saw its yellow beak.

But then something else caught his attention. The Sparaken's fifth tentacle, or at least what he could see of it, was pinned beneath an assortment of large rocks that prevented it from moving.

"That's it." Flash whispered into the rebreather.

But it was this moment that Flash's presence had been detected, which resulted in the Sparaken's tentacles slithering up behind him before releasing a quick spark between the prongs. The spark was all Flash needed to notice of the incoming attack. It was here that the teen spun around, his eyes going wide as the plug charged at him. He then barely managed to duck under it, his legs kicking furiously as he tried to get away. But as he did this, a flurry of tentacles covered the area, all trying to find him. Then, when one of them shot past him, he used it as a spring board to repel away, the Sparaken feeling the push before looking down in that direction as it submerged itself underwater.

Now seeing its target, it shot all its prongs that it could, Flash barely able to stay out of his reach. But as he tried to get away, a bolt flew through the water, knocking Flash in the back. He cried out in pain, accidently let his rebreather escape his mouth as he came to stop. It was here that Sparaken wrapped its tentacle around him and began to drag him under. With his rebreather gone, Flash's lungs began to burn as they emptied themselves to the water.

But just as his brain started playing the terrifying drowning music from his favorite childhood game, an Aura Sphere shot through the water and hit the Sparaken's tentacle. Flash pushed himself free of the death grip the second the tentacle loosened, but that didn't change the fact he was about to take an involuntary breath of water. Luckily, Springer swam down holding the rebreather he had lost and shoved it into his mouth. Flash took a massive breath while Springer turned to Sparaken, soon creating a pair of Aura Sphere's that he slammed together.

The following shockwave knocked the incoming tentacles back and propelled the Pokémon and its trainer through the water, the duo hitting the back wall as Sparaken started to recover. When it did, it shot its tentacles again, only to reach their limit a meter or so away, allowing the two to swim back to the surface.

They soon broke through the water as their friends grabbed hold and dragged them out of the pool, Flash removing his goggles and rebreather before erupting in a fit of coughing. "You idiot!" Twilight yelled at him, "You could have been killed!"

"Maybe...but at least I found out why the Sparaken is here. It's trapped." This statement made them all blink in confusion, Flash seeing this and started his explanation.

"It's tentacle is trapped under some rocks?" Doc asked, Flash nodding.

"That explains it," Hard Case replied as he rubbed his chin in thought. "There was a storm that hit the town a few days ago. It could have washed the Sparaken and the rocks in here, probably knocking it out."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "And while it was unconscious, it leaked all its electrical power."

"So when it came too, it didn't have enough juice to free itself from the rocks and escape." Everyone nodded at Spike's final assumption. "So...what do we do?"

"We have to free it, but doing so is gonna be tricky. I doubt it'd simply sit back and let us swim under it, or listen to us if we try to say we want to help." Hard Case added as they all began to think about what they could do. That is, till Springer snapped his paws as an idea popped into his head.

"Ri! Riolu!" he reached up and un-clipped an empty Pokeball from Flash's belt.

"Huh?" Flash asked as he took the Pokeball, "What are you trying to tell me?" Springer rolled his eyes before pointing at the Pokeball, then at the Sparaken before performing a throwing motion. "Wait...you want me to try and catch the Sparaken?"

Springer nodded. "Riolu!"

"That's brilliant Springer!" Twilight said while clapping her hands. "Even if Flash doesn't mange to catch it, being sucked into the Pokeball will easily free the Sparaken."

Flash smiled as he enlarged the Pokeball and jumped out into the chamber where the Sparaken was watching. "Alright, here goes." He pulled the ball back, "GO POKEBALL!" The ball went flying at the plug tentacle Pokémon, getting closer by the second. But before it could get close to Sparaken, two of its tentacles shot out of the water and grabbed it between the prongs. "WHAT?!"

They others were just as shocked, only to then watch as the Pokeball sparked for several seconds until Sparaken released the ball, the sphere falling into the water before sinking.

"What...just happened?" Spike slowly asked.

"I think the Sparaken drained the Pokeball's energy," Twilight replied with a huge frown.

Hard Case sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "This just got a lot harder." The Sparaken turned its attention back to the group before raising one of its tentacles, which it slammed into the water to cause a wave of to fly at them. "Look out!" They rushed back into the tunnel, all just missing the wave. "Now what?!"

Doc shook his head and pointed at Hard Case's Jolteon. "Time for a new approach. We give it what it needs."

"Come again?"

"Sparaken needs electricity to increase its strength and free itself. So lets give it some."

"Brilliant!" Hard Case stepped back on into the chamber with his partner. "Jolteon, use Thunder!"

"Jolt..." Jolteon leapt into the air as it tensed up, "EON!" With that outcry, the Lightning Pokémon unleashed a massive burst of electrical energy. The lightning bolt flew at the Sparaken, who raised its plugged tentacle to intercept the attack.

Everyone watched as their plan seemed to work, Sparaken's light-bulb head slowly filling with light. Then when Jolteon's attack ended and it landed beside Hard Case, they waited to see if they had given it enough juice to escape. The Sparaken began to pull at its trapped tentacle, only to suddenly cry out in pain. "SPARAK!" That pain caused it to accidently release some of its electricity, which flew into the water.

Everyone gasped as they saw it coming their way, preparing to electrify the water they were standing on. That is, till Jolteon leapt in front of the lightning. "Jolt!" he yelped as the electricity struck its body, only to show no damage on its body.

"That was close," Flash added.

Twilight nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Thank Arceus for Jolteon's Volt Absorb ability." She then turned to Sparaken, "looks like it's tentacle's still injured. Trying to pull it free is just too painful for it."

"So what do we do now?" Spike asked next.

Hard Case let out a long sigh. "No choice. We need to remove the rocks ourselves."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Flash yelped as he pointed at the Pokémon. "The second that thing sees us, it'll either zap us or try to squeeze us into jelly."

"We have to find a way to draw its attention," Doc replied as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Some of us will need to distract it while the others go under and remove the rocks."

"Okay...I sure hope there's a plan with that Doc."

Doc just shined a huge grin, snapping his fingers as he remarked, "Don't worry. I've got it." He motioned for them to move in closer, allowing him to whisper his plan into their ears.

Thirty minutes later...

The Sparaken continued staring at the tunnel entrance, waiting to see if those intruders would come back. But as another minute passed, the Pokémon let out a long sigh, assuming that it was finally alone.

"Steeledge!" It looked up at the large opening it had originally fallen through, right as four Pokémon flew into it. Leading the air assault was Steeledge, followed by Skyler, Owlicious, Peewee, and in Steeledge's talons was Jolteon. The four Flying-Types dive-bombed the electric cephalopod, who began to throw its tentacles at them.

And as they began dodging its attacks, Flash, Twilight, Springer and Riptide leaned around the corner. Flash and Twilight were in their swim wear, Twilight talking into a walkie talkie. "Okay, phase one has begun."

"Good. Begin phase two."

They nodded before putting the walkie talkie away and all but Riptide equipped goggled and rebreathers. Once done, the four carefully dived in the water, trying to make as little noise as possible. As such, the Sparaken was completely oblivious to its new pool mates as it fired a stream of lightning at the Flying-Types. Steeledge then held up Jolteon, the electricity harmlessly surging into it to keep the Flying-Types safe. Both Steeledge and Skyler's wings then glowed before unleashing their Air Cutter attacks, Sparaken raising its tentacles in defense as the air blades bounced off them. Owlicious fired its Confusion attack next while Peewee shot a Dragon Breath, the two attacks also bouncing off as the squid continued to defend itself.

Down below, Flash, Twilight, Springer and Riptide reached the bottom of the pool. Looking over at Sparaken, they saw it still hadn't noticed them, allowing Twilight to go over to the rocks and check the damage to the tentacle. It seemed nothing was broken or infected, which meant if they got the rocks off, it wouldn't need any further treatment.

She gave Flash a thumbs up and he nodded before turning to his Pokémon, the three nodding before turning their attention to the rocks. Springer formed an Aura Sphere while Riptide's fist glowed in preparation of using Rock Smash. They launched their attacks, smashing into the rocks while Flash and Twilight worked to remove the smaller boulders. The Pokémon repeated their attacks again and again, shattering the rocks or splitting them into smaller ones that the trainers could move.

Back above the water, Spike, Doc and Hard Case had climbed down to the outside entrance of the chamber and looked inside. There, they saw Jolteon and the Flying-Types still soaring around, the four tentacles dangling in the air as the Sparaken kept yelling at the Pokémon.

"Spar!" Sparaken yelled as it got a lucky shot on Peewee, slamming its tentacle into the Terragon and pinning it to a wall.

"Terr!"

"Peewee!" Spike yelped in fear, "Get out of there! Use Bite!" Peewee heard its trainer's command and quickly sunk its fangs into the tentacle.

"SPARAK!" It cried, loosening its grip on Peewee. As it did this, Steeledge threw Jolteon up before drilling into the Pokémon's other tentacle. Once as it hit, it flew back up and caught Jolteon before it hit the water, Owlicious following up as it pecked at another tentacle.

"Things seem to be going well," Doc commented. "Let's just hope Flash and the others are able to free that tentacle before they're found."

"Agreed. But I hate sitting here and not helping."

"More people means more chance of being found officer," Doc told him. "This is our best bet, as long as the Pokémon can keep it distracted."

"Wing!" Skyler unleashed another Air Cutter, Sparaken using Thunder Wave to defend against it. Skyler growled at seeing its attack being deflected, only for Sparaken to unleash another Thunder Wave. Seeing this, the Wingust flared a Double Team, dodging it just in time.

The Sparaken glared up at the multiplying enemies, beginning to fire lightning bolts as it wiped them out one at a time. But as it was focused on the Double Team, Steeledge, Owlicious and Peewee flew behind it, all firing a Steel Wing, Confusion and Ember.

"Spar!" it cringed in pain before firing another bolt of electricity. Unfortunately for it, Jolteon hopped between it and the Flying-Types, absorbing the attack.

Back below the water, Flash and Twilight were close to getting the tentacle free. Riptide had smashed another rock in half, the teens grabbing the pieces and throwing them to the side. They were very thankful for the rock's buoyancy, or they wouldn't have been light enough to move.

Things seemed to be going well, until Twilight moved a rock without realizing it was holding several more up. And as she removed it, they all fell onto the Sparaken's trapped tentacle.

"SPARAKEN!" it roared as it felt the new pain, Doc going pale as he saw the Pokémon dip its other tentacles into the water.

"Guys!" Doc yelled into the walkie talkie, "Get out of there! It's found you!"

The two heard the warning, the duo quickly picking up the pace as they tossed more rocks aside. Subtlety no longer mattering, their Pokémon started hitting every piece of rubble possible. But as they did this, Flash saw one of the plugs coming for Twilight. Reacting quickly, he kicked off the ground and pushed Twilight away as the tentacle wrapped around him.

The others gasped at the sight, giving the other tentacles the opening to wrap around them as well, dragging them away. And as they struggled to get free, they looked down at the trapped tentacle and saw there only one large rock left that needed to be removed. Seeing this, Springer got his paws free and formed the biggest Aura Sphere he could make, tossing at the rock. But due to the water, the Aura Sphere moved much slower and began to shrink. They all feared it might fade before reaching the rock, only for it suddenly strike, exploding and turning the rubble to dust.

"Spar?" Sparaken yelped as he froze in place, making the others fearful that something was going on.

Then it began to move, pulling away from the spot it had been stuck in for so long. It gently lifted the once trapped tentacle, now no longer feeling any pain. And as it breached the water, it stared at the tentacle, its reflexes instinctively lifting the other tentacles, soon revealing the still trapped Flash and friends.

Flash saw the surprise on Sparaken's face, causing him to take out his rebreather and say, "See? We were just trying to help you. So how about you let us go, and then you can head home?"

It turned its stare at them, blinking until its grip suddenly stopped. The four then slid down, plopping into the water before turning to the exit as it began to pull itself out of the chamber. Spike, Doc and Hard Case moved out of Sparaken's way as it came, so getting outside. There, it began to bathe in the sunlight that it had lost for so long, Flash and the others managing to climb out after Sparaken as it began to wade into the ocean.

And as it disappeared into the distance, it was consumed by the water, not looking back even once. Seeing this, the five humans and their Pokémon breathed a sigh of relief while some fell back onto their rears. "That...was too close," Flash panted.

"Indeed," Hard Case added before turning to them, "But you've all done this town a great service. Thanks to you, Horseshoe Bay can resume having visitors. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Twilight gave him a small nod, "Well, there is one thing."

"Yes?"

"Don't tell the drawbridge worker its fixed until we get back to port. We really need to catch our ferry."

Hard Case chuckled with a nod, "Sure. But please hurry, we don't want the ships to be too delayed." They all nodded before beginning their trek back to the port.

Later...

As the ship finally pulled away from port, Flash and his friends all stood at the front deck. They watched as the boat sailed through the now open drawbridge, preparing to set sail out to sea.

Doc then tapped his pocketwatch, "You know, despite all the trouble it caused, Sparaken actually turned out to be okay."

Flash shrugged at this, "Yeah, and you couldn't really blame it.

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Well, Hard Case is going to talk to the ones in charge of that chamber and see if they can install a grate."

"That should stop any more Pokémon from getting trapped down there," Spike added. "Unless they're tiny. There's not super angry tiny fish Pokémon that exist, right?"

Twilight giggled at his question, winking at her brother, "Eh, I wouldn't worry about it."

It was here that the ship went through the drawbridge, the vessel now sailing out into open water. It had been an action packed day, but the heroes were now seaward bound. Who knows how many great adventure awaited them as they sailed through the vast sea. You'll have to stayed tuned to find out

Battle at the Island-Coral

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"BANZAI!" Flash cheered as he and Springer cannon balled off a diving board into a pool. They both hit the water with a tremendous splash, the wave soaking everything poolside.

This almost included a now every annoyed Viper, who had been curled up next to the pool and had just managed to avoid being covered in water. "Scor!" He hissed at his trainer and teammate, the two laughing after their heads broke through the surface of the water.

"Sorry Vip, but you really shouldn't be by the pool if you don't wanna get splashed." Viper just hissed again before slithering over to where Twilight, Doc and his Pokémon were sitting. They were all in their swimwear, Doc's being a pair of brown swim shorts with gray gears on them.

Twilight was currently reading a book on a pool lounge chair while Doc was doing some maintenance on Tockwork and Higear. Spike was at the other end of the swimming pool, splashing around with Peewee, Riptide and Prongs. Flying above them were Skyler, Steeledge and Owlicious, who were enjoying the slipstream being produced by the ship's chimney.

Yes, the heroes were still on the ship out at sea. This was the second day aboard, the first having been spent looking around the ship. Despite a good portion of the events being age restricted, them all still being under-aged, there were still enjoyable activities like a game room, laser tag arena, movie theater, library and the pool they were all currently enjoying....though this was after they dragged Twilight out of the library. There was even a battle arena, which Flash had already used to defeat six different opponents.

Now they were enjoying the pool, though mainly Flash, "Come on guys," Flash swam over to the side Twilight and the others were sitting on. "You're not gonna spend all day just outside of the pool, are you?"

Twilight looked up from her book. "Pretty much. You like to spend your time at the pool your way, and I like to spend it my way."

"Same here," Doc added. "Besides, chlorine does a number on Tockwork and Higear's systems."

"You're no fun," Flash told them before leaning back and floating face-up. He did this for several minutes before deciding to do some water retrieval with a rubber ring he'd gotten from the pool's toy-box. A little while later, he came up for breath right when the captain's voice was broadcast throughout the ship.

"Greetings passengers. I hope you're all enjoying yourselves. Here are the day's announcements. The trainer of the lost jewel encrusted Slowking, please come to the main dinning room to collect it. The kid's ice cream parlour is currently closed due to a spillage, and finally, we will soon be reaching Coral Island. Anyone who wishes to travel ashore, please head to B deck. I warn you, it has limited spaces, so its first come, first serve. Thank you and enjoy the rest of your cruise."

"Coral Island?" Spike asked as they climbed out of the pool.

Twilight pulled out her journal, opening the map section and typing the name into the search bar. "Hmm...here we are. Coral Island is an island made out of coral."

"Thank you captain obvious," Flash blatantly said.

Twilight shot him a glare before continuing. "It's not entirely coral. The island above the water it your basic landmass, but it has coral beneath it that acts like a skeleton. It's home to many different Water Pokémon and is a tourist attraction."

"Awesome! Why don't we go?" Spike exclaimed as Peewee hopped onto his head.

The others all nodded in agreement. "Sure. It could be fun."

"Then let's get going," Flash said before they returned their Pokémon, soon going back to their cabin and changed out of their swimwear. It was here that they headed down to B deck and found the sailor they had met the previous day, along with the rich pair they'd seen coming out the jewelery store.

The sailor waved at them, "Hello. You four wanting to come to Coral Island as well?"

"You know it," Flash replied. "You're not full already, are you?"

"Nope, you're in luck. Not a lot of people want to leave the comfort of the ship's luxury."

"Which is their loss really," the fancily dressed man said before holding out a hand. "Splendid to meet you all. I'm Fancy Pants, and this is my wife."

"Fleur de Lis," the lady continued. "Is this your first time going to Coral Island?"

"It is," Doc shook his hand. "I'm Time Turner by the way."

The teen beside him did a salute, "Name's Flash, and this is my partner, Springer."

"Ri!" Springer copied his partner's salute.

"I'm Twilight and this is my brother."

"Spike. And this is Peewee."

"Terra."

"Charmed," Fancy replied as he twirled his stache. "And I'm sure you'll enjoy Coral Island. In my humble opinion, it's the most beautiful place in all of Equestria."

Fleur nodded in agreement, "Fancy and I enjoy going every time we cruise." She then pointed out at the water. "It's coming into view now."

The other looked over the edge of the boat, now seeing she was right. Off in the distance was a landmass with a small forest in it. They each grabbed a pair of binoculars that the sailor had handy and took a closer look, able to spot several sandy beaches, along with a bunch of large pink spikes sticking out of several sectors of the island.

Twilight gasped, "Is that-"

"Coral," Fancy finished for her. "Many believe that the island formed around a coral reef, which was then pushed to the surface to create this paradise."

"But I read that coral couldn't survive outside of water. How is it surviving like that?"

The three veterans all smiled before telling her she'd understand when they got there. "Well then," the sailor spoke up. "Shall we be off?" The others nodded and climbed into a motorboat that was hanging off the side of the deck. Once aboard, Doc helped the sailor lower the boat into the ocean before they began to power through the water.

As they sailed around, they spotted a bunch of Seaking, Luvdisc and other water dwellers swim alongside the boat. A Mantyke ever got close enough for Spike to pet it. Then, after ten minutes of sailing, they finally arrived at the island's beach. After Flash and Doc helped the sailor pulled the boat onto land, the others jumped off and looked around, spotting Pokémon like Slowpoke, Octillery, Corsala and Shellos. Even a Palossand could be seen further up the beach.

"Alright," the sailor told them, "You're free to look around the island, but be warned. We're only visitors here, so don't try and change anything about the place. Anything you brought here, you take back to the ship. Understood?" They all nodded, "Then go have fun."

"Nice! Let's go guys!" Flash exclaimed as he ran up to the beach, the others quickly following him with Fancy and Fleur laughing at the sight.

But as they ran across the island, they didn't know they weren't the only ones on the island. Up above it was a balloon, three occupants in the basket. It was Big Score and his gang, the boss now shining a smug grin, "There it is boys. Our motherload."

"Coral?" Rickashay asked in confusion.

"You have any idea what this stuff is worth? With all those environmental protection acts, the stuff is rarer to get than gold. Just a ton of the stuff is enough to set us on easy street for the next ten years. So the more we have, the easier it is for us."

"And how do we get the stuff?" Rickashay asked. "It's not like we can just pick it all up and walk away with it."

This question caused Score to begin laughing calmly, only to get more and more insane as he replied, "Oh, that's exactly what we're gonna do! Boulder?" the bulky man turned to his boss, "Remote." Boulder reached into a bag and pulled out what looked like a toy car remote. Score took it with another chuckle, "Prepare to meet the Big Score Two." He stared down at the ocean, the other two following his gaze. A moment later, a shadow appeared below the surface of the water and with a few more toggles, the shadow moved until it was right beneath the balloon. Once Score was happy with its location, he let the air out of the balloon, making it lower.

"Err...boss?"

"Relax Rickashay," Score assured him as the basket hit the water. The balloon then folded into the frame as the entire basket sank below the waves, becoming one with the shadow. "Now...let's get rich."

Back on the island, our heroes were gasping at the sights around them. The whole place seemed like a tiny piece of paradise, beautiful flowers, trees filled with delicious fruit and giant majestic coral spikes that they could see over the treetops. It was these spikes that Twilight was leading them to, wanting to examine it while she could. And as they headed there, they also saw multiple Pokémon like Sunflora, Blossom, Bounsweet, and even a few Nuzleaf.

"This place is awesome," Spike commented as he turned to see a Nuzleaf playing a leaf whistle atop a palm tree.

Doc nodded in agreement, "To think such a little island could host so much life."

"And it's all thanks to the coral that keeps this island afloat," Fancy added.

"And that's not all it does," Fleur continued. "It's thanks to the coral that these Pokémon have fresh water."

Twilight rubbed her chin at this, "I was gonna ask about that. All these plants and the Grass-Types....how can this island sustain them if there's no underground spring to provide fresh water?"

The couple smiled at one another as they arrived at the coral spike was poking out of the ground. Around that spike was a pool of water, roughly twenty feet from the edge of the sea plant. What was even more amazing was that the source of the water was the coral spike itself.

They looked up and saw that about ten feet up was a hole in the coral that was sprouting out water that flowed into the lake. Fleur stepped over to the pool and cupped her hands, soon carrying the water over to them. The group was uneasy about drinking seawater, but Fleur's calm smile made Flash decide to take a sip.

And when he did, his eyes went wide. "Holy cow! Just like you'd get out of a bottle!"

The others all hopped in surprise before rushing over to the pool, taking their own drink before Twilight gasped, "Incredible...how is this possible?!"

"No one really knows," Fancy replied with a shrug. "Some scientists believe that the coral is connected to an underground spring, while others have theorized that the coral is actually absorbing the salt out of the water."

"Why hasn't there been any further study?"

Flash looked up and saw all the Pokémon enjoying their lives on the island. "Because it'd disrupt the harmony of the island."

Fancy and Fleur both nodded with a smile. "Your friend is right. Sometimes the risk of losing something outweighs the need to satisfy one's own curiosity."

Twilight wasn't convinced, which Fancy saw and asked, "Let me ask you this: What would you do if you learned that discovering the cause would require removing this entire section of the coral spike? It'd take years for it to grow back, and in that time, the island would be without one of its fresh water sources."

"But there are others," Twilight remarked.

"But there might not be enough. And the Pokémon living here would need to trek all the way over to it every single day. Eventually, those Pokémon may decide to simply start living there and that might cause them to start fighting over territory."

Twilight opened her mouth to argue, only to sigh, "I guess you're right. Its probably not worth the risk."

Fancy nodded, "Everything on this island exists in a delicate balance. One little upset and everything could be thrown out of whack."

Fluer stepped up to her husband with a big smile, "And besides, I doubt the Reefincer would let anyone near these things if they learned what they wanted to do with them."

"Reefincer?" Spike asked, only to hear a splashing sound.

They all turned to see something climbing up out of the pool. It was a crab like Pokémon standing at about four feet. It's skin was light blue, though they were only able to see its head, along with its six legs and arms. The rest of its body was covered in a hard shell, which was completely covered in broken pieces of coral. Its pincers appeared to be made out of the same substance, all of them primed with corals.

Fancy nodded at the creature. "Reefincer, the guardians of Coral Island." Flash pulled out his Pokedex and scanned it.

Name: Reefincer
Category: Coral Claw Pokémon
Type: Water/Rock
Info: Its shell is incredibly soft, so to protect itself, it attaches coral to its body to use as armoring against predators. The only things in Equestria capable of breaking through it are Sharazor and Thrashark.

"How is that thing the guardian of Coral island?" Spike asked as they watched the Reefincer scuttle sideways.

"They keep the Island from crumbling. The coral beneath our feet is constantly growing. If that was left unchecked, the island would be torn apart. The Reefincer make their homes in the coral, keeping it under control by pruning it for their armor."

"Like I said, balance." Fancy pointed at the pool, the others seeing more Reefincer scuttle out. "Watch." They soon saw nine Reefincer emerge from the water and stepped up beside the original one and encircled the pool. Then before anyone could ask what they were doing, they all began to spray water out of their mouths. The ten Water Guns all hit the coral spike's top and start to drip downwards, the whole thing soon soaked. Fancy turned to Twilight, "You asked how the coral survived out of water? Aside from having the water running through them, the Reefincer also spray the coral daily."

Twilight gasped, "Amazing...its a symbiotic relationship."

"Fascinating..." Doc added as they watched the Reefincer grant the coral the sustenance it needed. After a full minute of this, the Reefincer stopped and then turned so that five pairs were now staring at one another before firing a weaker Water Gun. This caused a sprinkle of water to cascade over them and form five rainbows.

Everyone marvelled at this little ritual, only for the Reefincer to turn to them with a look of curiosity in their eyes. This made three trainers grow nervous, Spike turning to Fancy. "These things aren't gonna attack us, are they?"

Fancy blinked at him, "Of course not. Why would you think that?"

Flash piped in at this, "Because so far, everytime we've come across a water dweller, we end up getting attacked because they think we're trying to steal their turf." This made Fancy and Fleur both blink at him.

Twilight let out a sigh, "I'm afraid it's true. We've ended up getting attacked by both a Sharazor and Sparaken in situations similar to this."

Fleur giggled back, "Well, you don't have to worry. As long as you show you have no intention to harm them or the island, you'll be absolutely fine."

"That's a relief," Doc replied as he looked at his hands, "I need my fingers to do a lot of my favorite things."

Fancy and Fleur both laughed before turning back to the Reefincer, "Oh, you're in luck. We're about to see how the Reefincer create their coral armor." Fancy pointed at two, one standing behind a pile of coral they hadn't noticed before.

They all watched as the Reefincer picked up a piece of the pink sea rock and spat a thin line of purple liquid onto it. "That's Acid," Twilight commented as the coral's side began to melt. The Reefincer then placed it onto its friend's shell, which also melted due to the Acid, before firing a Water Gun at it. Doing so washed away the Acid before it could fully melt through the shell, causing them to solidify together.

"Wow! That's so cool!"

Doc nodded. "I agree Spike. That kind of armoring could last forever."

"Unfortunately not," Fancy added.

"Moulting?" Twilight guessed, Fancy nodding in return.

"What's moulting?" Spike asked next.

"It's when a creature grows. When it grows, it causes the shell to fall off."

"Reefincers moult about once a year," Fancy explained as he pointed at the crabs. "Their shells grow back almost overnight, but that's because they're so weak. That's why they use the coral as armor."

"Cool," Flash said as he walked over to the two. It seemed that they had hit a snag in the armoring, Flash spotting a large V shaped opening that would no doubt be a major weakness in battle. He watched as the Reefincer picked up a piece of coral and held it up to the opening, only to see it wouldn't fit. Thinking for a moment, Flash picked up a piece of coral. The Reefincer turned to him curiously, as he handed it to the one doing the fitting. "Could you melt this one in half?" The Reefincer raised an eyebrow, but did as he asked, using Acid to melt the coral into two pieces. Flash took them and placed the pieces in the opening, filling it perfectly. "There we go," he said as the Reefincer melted them into place.

The newly armored Reefincer cheered as it turned to its friend and held up a claw, the other one doing the same as they seemed to emulate a fist bump. It then glanced at Flash and did the same, the teen smiling as he fist pumped the little crab. "No problem."

Everyone smiled at this, but their joy was short lived as the ground beneath them suddenly began to shake.

"What in the world?" Fancy asked.

"What's going on?" Spike yelped as he grabbed Twilight for support.

The Reefincer then turned their heads, all suddenly scuttling off in one direction.

"Where are they going?"

"Likely going to investigate the cause," Doc assumed. "If they're the guardians of this island, they'll try to defend it at any cost."

"Then we should go too," Twilight suggested as the others nodded in agreement, all running after the Reefincer. As they chased them, they also found a bunch more Reefincer heading in the same direction. Flash had lost count at around fifty, but came to a stop as they arrived at a cliff overlooking the ocean, where the Reefincer also stopped. They moved up to the edge and saw a bunch of broken coral floating on the surface. "That can't be good."

Fancy nodded. "Agreed. If that coral is from the supports under the island, then the whole structure could collapse and the entire island would sink!"

Spike turned to him in shock. "But...if that happens, what'll happen to the Pokémon living here?!"

Fancy just gulped. "I...I don't want to think about it."

"So what's causing this?" Doc asked next. "This can't be a natural phenomenon."

It appeared the Reefincer were just as curious, as they began to dive into the ocean. Flash pulled out a Pokeball at this, "Riptide, help us out!" The Pokeball opened and released a red energy that faded to reveal the Aquana. "Go find out what's happening down there!"

"Ak!" Riptide dived into the water with the Reefincer, swimming as fast as he could to the bottom. Once there, he followed the Reefincer along the bottom of the base of the island where the coral was situated. It was here his eyes went wide, along with the Reefincer.

It was a giant Kingler, roughly ten meters in height, that was using its claws to smash the coral and break it off the main body. Already, a massive chunk of it appeared to have been broken off, which when broken was scooped up into it's claws.

"REEF!" The Reefincer all yelled in anger at seeing their home being destroyed. But despite this scream, the Kingler didn't seem to notice, continuing to do its work. This got the Reefincer angry. "FINCER!" They all leapt at the Kingler as their claws started glowing, Riptide deciding to do the same and swam at it while using Rock Smash.

The army of water Pokémon struck the Kingler, knocking it off balance and slamming it into the damaged coral. They then swam back a safe distance away as they saw the Kingler just lay there completely still. That is, till it just hopped back on its feet instantly. Riptide and Reefincer all shivered in terror as the Kingler stared at them with red glowing eyes. It then began to swing its claws through the water, striking several of the Reefincer away while Riptide dodged the attack before swimming up to the Kingler's face.

"AK!" He spun around and slammed his tail into it, but the attack had no effect. Seeing this, Riptide floated backwards as Kingler opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful jet of water, blasting Riptide upward. "AQUANA!" He broke through the surface of the water, the others gasping at the sight.

"Riptide!" Flash yelled in horror while the Aquana began to fall back to earth.

"Steeledge, catch it!" The ball opened to reveal the metal Flying-Type.

"Steel!" it squawked as it spread its wings and flew under Riptide. The water lizard landed on its back, managing to grab hold as Steeledge curved back and landed on the cliff.

"Good work Steeledge," Doc told him as Flash took Riptide off its back.

"Ledge," it chirped happily.

Flash looked Riptide over, seeing no serious injury. "You okay bud?"

"Ak..." Riptide nodded.

"What the heck happened under there?" Spike asked, only for the water to burst as more and more Reefincer were shot into the air. "What the heck?!" They watched as the coral claw Pokémon fell back down, some smashing into the island while others fell back into the water.

"What's happening?!" Twilight screamed, only for the water to explode again. This time, it was the Kingler that came out of it and stared down at them.

"A giant Kingler?!" Fleur yelped.

"That's not a real Kingler!" Flash yelled as he pointed at the giant, all soon seeing what he meant. The giant Kingler, was a robot, a massive metal monster that was now somehow standing on the water, snapping its metal claws together. Its glowing red eyes dimmed before turning to white lights. A section of its chest appeared to be a slightly different color, as if someone had painted it to conceal something.

"Where'd that thing come from?" Spike asked next, only for the sound of laughter to fill the air. It was here that the Kingler's mouth opened before splitting apart to see three familiar criminals sitting within the robot.

"Hello again," Score said with a smirk.

The others just slumped, Twilight moaning, "Not you three again!"

Spike growled at the sight. "Can't you morons take a hint?!"

Score laughed again. "The only hints I take are hints on how to get filthy stinking rich. And once we sell all this coral, that's exactly what we'll be thanks to the Big Score Two Mecha Kingler."

"Where the heck did you even get that thing?!" Doc asked. "I doubt you three idiots could build it yourself!"

Score almost flinched at the insult, "If you must know, I found it online. Some guy In the Hoenn Region found this wreck and fixed it up before selling it to me for a steal." He laughed again. "And I mean a literal steal, I threatened the guy and took it from him. Pretty cool, huh?"

Our heroes just gave him deadpan stares.

Score pouted at the sight. "Well, who cares what you losers think! I think it's perfect, and I'm taking this coral with it!"

"Not happening!" Flash yelled out.

"That coral is essential to the balance of this island," Fancy added.

"It's also essential to the balance of my checkbook," Score quipped as the robot started scooping the loose bits of coral into its claws. "And I think my wallet wants to be balanced too!"

"We won't let you do this! Steeledge, stop them!"

"Ledge!" The metal bird zipped through the air, aimed right at the robot.

"Nice try!" The Kingler swung its massive claw at Steeledge, knocking it back with one swift blow, "Nothing can stand against this mighty machine!"

"REEF!" The Reefincer leapt at the robot, slamming it with Crabhammer. The attacks started to push the machine back, the robot starting to fall back into the water.

In the cockpit, the three all grunted as they tried to get the robot to steady. "Those little pests...get rid of them!"

"Gladly," Rickashay slammed his fist down on a button. "Fire rocket claw!" The robot pointed its claw at the Reefincer in the water before it flew off, smashing the water and causing a large wave that pushed the Pokémon back.

"Oh no!"

"I won't allow this," Fancy pulled out an Luxury Ball. "Persian, come out!" His ball opened and an Alolan Persian appeared in front of Fancy.

"Per..." it...purred.

"Shadow Ball!" The regional variant opened its mouth as a sphere of ghostly energy appeared, the cat soon firing the ball. The Shadow Ball exploded on impact, causing the machine to be pushed back again.

Score growled before pulling out a Pokeball. "Let's take care of those losers." The other two nodded before pulling out their own Pokeballs, which they each placed into an opening. The robot then opened its claw and pointed it before three bolts of red energy shot out. The bolts hit the cliff in front of our heroes before fading to reveal Jesterror, Stompice and Spikorn. The three criminal's Pokémon got into a battle stance while Persian, Springer and Riptide did the same.

"I won't sit back and let you destroy this paradise!" Fleur exclaimed as she pulled out her own Luxury Ball. "Furfrou, to my side!" The ball opened as a Heart Trim Furfrou appeared. "Use Dark Pulse!" The Furfrou opened its mouth and unleashed a barrage of black rings.

In return, Stompice leapt in front of its teammates and fired its own Dark Pulse. The two made contact and cancelled each other out in an explosion, dust picking up as it happened.

Seeing this, Springer closed the distance between them. "Drain Punch!" Springer pulled his now green glowing fist, then sucker punching the Ice-Type. The blow knocked it back, Spikorn jumping in next and firing a Rock Blast.

"Water Gun!" Riptide fired a jet of water, which struck the Rock Blast and pushed it away from Springer.

"Steel Wing!" Steeledge dashed with glowing wings, slicing Spikorn with a quick slash. The Rock-Type cried out in pain as Jesterror rushed at the bird with its own glowing claws.

"Night Slash!" Fancy ordered as the Persian leapt at the ghost clown with now purple shining claws. The two slashed at one another, appearing to be even as they pushed each other back.

It was here that Stompice recovered and fired off an Ice Beam, but Furfrou leapt to the front of the group. "Protect!" The poodle Pokémon let out a howl as a blue sphere of protective energy surrounded it and blocked the ice attack.

Back in the ocean, the Reefincer continued to attack the robot. But no matter how many times they struck it with their Crabhammer, the metal monster would not yield to the onslaught. Score laughed at their attempts, "You know, trying the same thing over and over and hoping for a different result is the textbook definition of insanity."

"Or stupidity," Rickashay added as it commanded the robot to smash several more with its claw. They laughed again as they watched all the Reefincer fly back into the water.

"AHAHAHA!!! Admit it you weaklings! We're taking your coral and there's nothing you can do about it!" The Reefincer all turned to the robot, glaring at it with pure hatred in their eyes. "Ohh, wotcha' gonna do about it?!"

"REEF!" they all roared as a barrage of Acid came out of their mouths, striking the robot dead-on. As soon as the corrosive liquid touched the metal, it began to eat the armor with ease.

"What the heck?!" Score yelped as he smelt the smell of the melting metal, "GET THIS STUFF OFF OF US!" The robot dipped itself into the water, trying to get the Acid off. This action alone gave the Reefincer the chance to strike it with their Crabhammer attacks, focusing on the spot they guessed their coral was being stored. And as they did this, the armoring soon buckled and the coral was freed.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Score screamed as the robot swung its claws through the water, knocking the Reefincer away.

"Aura Sphere/Steel Wing/Sucker Punch!" Springer, Steeledge and Furfrou all ran at their opponents, attacks all glowing on their person. Springer struck Stompice with the sphere as Steeledge sliced Spikorn and Furfrou socked Jesterror.

The three staggered back in pain as Fancy and Persian stepped up. "This ends now," he pulled back his sleeve to reveal a white bracelet that had a black gemstone on it.

Twilight gasped at the sight, "A Z-Ring!"

"A what?" Flash asked, only to see Fancy begin to swing his arms around while the gem unleashed a purple light.

"Now, let the darkness consume you and be swallowed by the void!" The light shot out and struck Persian, "BLACK HOLE ECLIPSE!" A crimson red and black sphere appeared in front of Persian's mouth, which it fired that the three. The trio dodged the sphere, smirking as it shot past them, only for it to explode and create a large red and black vortex of energy. That vortex unleashed a powerful suction, which the three found themselves unable to escape.

"JEST/STOMP/CORN!" They cried as they were all sucked into the hole, which then reverted back into its sphere shape before exploding into a burst of dark energy. The three Pokémon where sent flying out of the explosion and smashed right into the robot, knocking it off balance.

"What the heck?!" Score yelped as they saw their Pokémon all have swirls in their eyes.

"Now we got 'em! Aura Sphere!"

"Air Cutter!"

"Shadow Ball!"

"Dark Pulse!"

The four Pokémon unleashed their attacks as the Reefincer launched a combined Acid attack. The corrosive liquid struck the machine, melting the first section of the hull before the four attacks struck, causing the whole thing to explode. The coral the robot had stolen began to rain down while the criminals and their Pokémon were sent flying.

"Oh come on!" Score screamed. "What even was that attack?!"

"I think it's called a Z-Move," Rickashay added. "Very powerful, and not something just any trainer can do." Boulder nodded with a grumble while Score turned red with rage.

"CHEATERS!" Was the last thing he cried before they disappeared into the horizon.

Back on the island, everyone was still marveling at Fancy's Z-Move. But their amazement and joy were short lived, as the ground below them began to shake again. "What's happening?" Spike asked.

"The damage they did to the coral must have been too much," Doc theorized. "The whole structure's breaking apart."

"So the island's going to sink?" Flash asked, Doc nodding with a frown. "But what about the Pokémon living here?!"

"Could we take them back to the cruise ship?" Fleur asked next.

"I don't think there's enough time," Fancy replied. "We can't fit all of them into the motorboat, and I doubt we'd even have time to make two trips."

Twilight looked around and saw the Pokémon who lived on the island running, but had nowhere safe to go. She looked back to the others, "There has to be something we can do!"

It was in this moment that the Reefincer suddenly grouped together, all having been gathering the coral fragments Score had tried to steal. Pincers full, they all began to dive under the water. "What are they doing?" Spike asked.

"I think...I think they're gonna try and repair the damage done to the structure."

"But it's already collapsing," Doc told them. "What happens if they can't do it?"

"I'm not sure, but I know one thing. If they enter the structure and are unable to repair it, there's no way they'll be able to escape before it collapses on top of them." This made the others gasp before looking back at the water, fear embracing them as they waited to see what would happen next.

Down at the bottom of ocean, the Reefincer landed on the seabed before several of them began to scuttle towards their collapsing home. Heading inside one of the remaining tunnels, they began to reinforce them with the pieces of coral. This caused the shaking to slow, but not entirely stop. They then headed up to the more damaged areas, all becoming nervous as they watched the ceilings begin to crack. But despite this, they got to work reinforcing and repairing the damage done.

Outside the nest, the other Reefincer started welding the larger pieces of broken coral back into place. They had to act fast since the seawater they were in would quickly dissolve their Acid attack. There, they carefully fired at certain spots to add the coral pieces, all in only a second before the acid was washed away.

Back inside, the Reefincer were now in the last remaining tunnel, right next to the most damaged area. The problem was, they had hit a snag in the reinforcement. A Z shaped patch of damaged coral needed to be reinforced, but the Reefincer couldn't figure out how to fit the coral into place.

It was then that one of the Reefincer remembered something before pushing its way over to the spot, grabbing a long piece of coral and using its Acid attack to cut it into three pieces. It then stuck those pieces into the hole before welding it into place.

Back on the cliff, everyone grew more and more worried...only for the shaking to suddenly stop. The sensation made all of them look at each other, only for Fancy to sigh in relief, "They...they managed to stabilize the island."

"Phew," Spike moaned as he fell back onto his butt.

"That was too close," Flash added as he sat on edge of the cliff and swung his legs over it. He then looked down, now seeing the Reefincer begin to surface. He began to clap, "Nice work! You saved a whole lot of lives today!" The others followed suit, giving the Reefincer a round of applause.

The Reefincer looked up at the ones given them praise before turning to one another in pairs. They then unleashed a Water Gun, which connected and created a series of rainbows like no other.

Later...

After checking over the island and making sure everything was okay, our heroes and their friends returned to the boat. Along the way, they had ran into the sailor, who had been worried sick due to the shaking, but a quick explanation had calmed his nerves. Now they were all standing on the beach, the Reefincer there to see them off.

Fleur then turned to her husband. "I'm still a little worried. What if the repairs they did break under the strain?"

Fancy gave her a reassuring smile. "No need to worry. Don't forget, the coral is constantly growing. In time, it'll restrengthen to the way it was before. Until then, I'm sure the Reefincer will be able to keep the coral strong." The Reefincer all nodded at this.

Fleur sighed, "Alright...I'm still a little worried though."

Flash chuckled at this before crouching down to the Reefincer's level, "Guess we'll see you around." In reply, the Reefincer he had helped held out a claw. Flash smiled and bumped it with his fist. After this, they all climbed into the boat before the Reefincer pushed it back into the water. Once it was kicked into gear, the boat began to sail away from the island, the Reefincer waving them off from the beach while the heroes waved back and yelled their goodbyes.

And as the beach went out of view, they all slumped over to bathe in the glow of the sunset. Fancy let out a small chuckle, "So, happy you came?"

They all nodded as Flash replied, "Definitely."

"You were right," Twilight added. "Its the most beautiful place in Equestria."

Fleur and Fancy both smiled at this. "We're glad you think so." Fleur continued, only to snap her fingers, "By the way, how about when we get back to the ship, we have a battle? You said you were taking part in a tournament, so I'm sure it would be great training."

This made Flash shin a huge grin as he remembered Fancy's Z Move. "I'm game for that."

Twilight nodded. "Same here."

"I wouldn't mind going up against you," Doc agreed.

"Excellent. And who knows," Fancy pulled back his sleeve to reveal his Z ring. "You might push me into going all out." They laughed at this as the cruise ship came into view. Their day at Coral Island had been an eventful one, that was to be sure. Who knows what exciting situations our heroes will find themselves in, out at the high seas. You'll have to stay tuned to find out.

Shipwrecked

View Online

Several days have passed since our heroes trip to Coral Island. Tomorrow, they would be arriving at the port town where they would disembark before heading to Hoof Town. But now, our heroes were currently enjoying use of the ship's battlefield. Currently, Flash and Twilight stood side by side as Fancy and Fleur stood on the other. Flash had Prongs out, while Fancy and Fleur had Persian and Furfrou. Twilight was battling with Peewee, having never battled with him before, which she believed to need to learn before the tournament.

Spike and Doc were off to the side, "Come on Peewee!" Spike cheered for his partner, "You got this!"

"I'd actually be willing to say you might be right," Doc added. "Flash and Twilight's Pokémon have moves that give them an advantage over Persian and Furfrou. But if Fancy uses his Z-Move, things might turn around quite quickly. Those two are going to need to be extra careful."

"Don't worry, they know what they're doing. Go guys!"

"Ri, ri, riolu!" Springer cheered happily.

"Energy Ball!" Flash ordered, Prongs now firing the green sphere at Furfrou.

"Protect!" Fleur countered as Furfrou created an energy shield around it and Persian. The Energy Ball exploded off it, leaving them unscathed.

Once the shield came down, Fancy pointed at Peewee. "Dark Pulse!" Persian blasted out a stream of dark energy.

"Dragonbreath!" Peewee did as ordered, a blue and white fire attack now colliding with each other, causing a small explosion, filling the room with smoke. Most of the trainers and Pokémon shielded their eyes, but as the dust cleared, they then saw Prongs charging at Furfrou.

"Tackle!" Prongs headbutted the stylized poodle Pokémon, making it stagger back as Persian ran at the grass fawn.

"Night Slash!" The regional variant's claw was now encased in purple energy, which it used to slash at Prongs.

"Wing Attack!" Peewee flew in front of Prongs as his wings glowed, both striking Persian's claw. The two pushed at one another for a moment, but Persian's attack soon knocked them back. Prongs saw the little dragon coming his way and leapt over him, only to spin around at the sight of the Persian.

"Double Kick!" Prongs thrusted his front hooves into Persian's head, making it stagger back.

"Sucker Punch!" Furfrou suddenly appeared beside Prongs and thrusted its paw into his side, making him cry out as he was sent flying to the side of the ring.

"Bite!" Peewee flew at Furfrou and bit down its its paw, making it bark in pain as it tried to swing off the Terragon. "Don't let go!"

"Terr!" Peewee doubled his grip on Furfrou, who started glaring at it.

"Blast it off with Dark Pulse!"

"Fur..." Furfrou opened its mouth, "FURFROU!" It started firing the dark rings out at Peewee, hitting him point blank in the face, forcing him to let go.

Flash yelled at Prongs as the Thawn began to pick itself up. "You okay bud?"

"Fay!" Prongs nodded.

"Alright! Use Tackle on Persian!"

"Fey!" Prongs galloped at the Dark-Type as fast as he could, then thrusted himself at the cat.

Persian saw this coming and smiled as Fancy ordered, "Night Slash!" Persian's claw was encased by dark energy before it swiped at Prongs, the two attacks clashing before Prongs was sent flying back, rolling on the floor before jumping back to his hooves and sliding to a stop.

Flash growled at the sight, "Not good."

"Dragonbreath!" Twilight ordered, Peewee now firing off a blue and white fire. The attack flew towards Persian, only for Furfrou to jump in front of it.

"Protect!" the blue energy shield covered the two, blocking them from the Dragonbreath. But as the attack ended and the shield faded, the two suddenly found Prongs and Peewee charging at them.

"Ember/Energy Ball!" The two shot their attacks, striking both.

"Per/Fur!" They yelped as they both fell back, Prongs and Peewee continuing their onslaught.

"Wing Attack!"

"And you use Tackle Prongs!" Peewee and Prongs flew at their recovering opponents, Peewee reaching Furfrou first and slashing it with his wings.

"Fur!" The poodle Pokémon cried as it was struck while Persian recovered enough to see Prongs coming.

"Night Slash!" Persian's paw was again enveloped by the dark energy, but the grass fawn wasn't falling for that one.

Instead, he leapt above him, making Persian swipe at the dead air. Thanks to that, Prongs brought all four of his hooves together, thrusting them down with all of his body weight. "FEY!" He yelling as the attack landed, flattening Persian into the floor.

"Wow!" Flash gasped in amazement as he watched Prongs jump off Persian's back. "Is it just me, or did that Tackle seem way stronger than usual?"

Twilight stared at the Persian, only to see yellow sparks coming off its body. "Paralysis? If that's case...Prongs didn't use Tackle."

Flash turned to her, "Huh?"

"Prong's Tackle has evolved into Body Slam. It's a stronger version of Tackle, which can leave the opponent Paralysed."

Flash let this information settle, only to shine a giant grin. "That's awesome Prongs! You learned Body Slam!"

"Fey!" Prongs cheered.

Spike, Doc and Springer all clapped as well. "Great work Prongs!"

"That'll be an excellent move to use in the Hoof Cup," Doc added.

Springer nodded, "Ri."

"Truly excellent," Fancy told him. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." Flash then smirked, "Now let's see just how much damage this new move can do. Prongs, Body Sl-"

"Hold it," Fancy held up a hand, making Flash almost lose his balance in surprise. "As much as we'd love to continue, I'm afraid our time here is just about up." He pointed at the clock up on the wall, the others following his finger.

"Aw man..." Flash groaned.

"Others have a right to use this arena as well," Doc told him.

"Yeah...I know." He held up Prong's Pokeball, "Return." He called back the grass fawn, Fancy and Fleur doing the same with their Pokémon while Peewee flew over to Spike's shoulder. "I just wish I could have gotten Fancy to use his Z-Move."

"Don't be silly boy. I wouldn't have used my Z-Move, even if I looked like we were about to lose."

"What?! Why not?!" Flash barked back.

"Can you image if I used my Black Hole Eclipse here? I'd probably rip a hole in the ship."

Flash's eyes went wide at the question, the scenario now playing in his head. "Oh...yeah, that makes sense."

"Come on," Twilight headed for the door. "Let's get our Pokémon checked out at the ship's Pokémon Center." The other nodded and followed her out into the hallway as another group of trainers headed into the field for their battle.

One trip to the Pokémon Center later...

"Hello there," the Nurse Redheart spoke up from behind to the counter. "Welcome to the best medical facility on the high seas." Everyone said their hellos and gave the nurse their Pokémon, Redheart calling her Comfey assistant to come help. And as they waited, the teens, Fancy and Fleur all sat down and talked about what to do for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, on the ship's bridge, the sailors were beginning to plot their course towards the port.

"All systems working captain," a sailor told the man in the central chair. The captain was a man in a black coat with a white navy hat and white beard. "Preparing to make final course alterations."

"Very good. Despite the delays at the start of the voyage, we've managed to make up time. But knowing the sea, we should be prepared for any unexpected problems."

"Sir," another sailor said, "Newest weather report. A storm is beginning to form between us and the port. Category one, closing in on two."

The captain let out a long sigh. "As I said, the sea is an unpredictable mistress. Is there any way to avoid it?"

"No captain. It's spreading out too fast. Estimated time of impact...one hour, thirty five minutes."

The captain nodded before turning on the ship's speaker system. "Attention please, this is your captain speaking."

One hour, thirty five minutes later...

After the captain announced the storm's approach, the ship transformed into a completely different environment. Gone was the carefree fun loving atmosphere, it now being replaced by a militaristic sense as the sailors ordered everyone off deck and into their cabins. Flash and his friends had been ordered to remain in the Pokémon Center, while also being issued life jackets.

It was here that the storm struck the ship, causing the boat to rock, each wave now becoming more powerful than the last. "Whoa!" Spike yelped as another strong wave made the ship rock, knocking him off balance, Twilight just managing to catch him before he fell over.

"Everyone please remain calm," Nurse Redheart told them.

Flash then spoke up, "Twilight, you must have read a book about storm boat safety. What do we do?" As soon as he asked that, another powerful wave knocked him off his feet, making him slam into a wall. "Augh!"

"Flash!" Twilight and Springer cried as they ran up to him, helping him up. Here, Twilight looked back at the others, "Okay, everyone needs to tie themselves to something that's attached to the floor! Now!" All nodding back, they soon tied themselves to the benches, all of them being bolted down and they were all secure thanks to the rope Nurse Redheart had on hand.

Back on deck, the captain and his crew were busy trying to keep the ship from being tipped over.

"The storm has just reached class three," a crewman informed him.

"We're also detecting lightning beginning to form in the eye," another continued.

The captain groaned at the sound of that. He had been hoping they could reach the eye and safely ride out the rest of the storm there. "Keep us on the smoothest course we can find. Remember, we have a duty to protect our passengers!"

"Aye captain!" The crewmen saluted before continuing their work, doing everything they could to keep the ship from taking too much damage. This went on for a good half hour, only for the winds to come to a sudden stop.

"What's happening?" The captain asked, fearing he may already know.

"Captain, it appears we've reached the eye of the storm."

"Oh no..." the captain whispered. No sooner had he said that, the sound of rumbling filled the air. "Get us out of here, fast!"

The crewmen nodded and kicked the ship into its highest speed, but it was too late. A massive surge of electrical energy shot out from out of the storm clouds, flying down as it was drawn to the biggest conductive object it could find. That object was the ship, which was struck by enough electrical energy to power a small city for a week. That electricity began to run through every electrical system on board, overloading it with ease.

"What's happening?!" Spike yelped as the light-bulbs suddenly exploded above them, Twilight and Flash covering him and Springer for protection.

"I don't know!" Twilight screamed, "But I know it isn't good!"

Back on the bridge, the crew all jumped away from their consoles as the computers began to explode.

"Damage report!" The captain ordered.

"That's not possible captain," the crewman pointed at the busted damage computer.

"Well tell me something!"

"The ship's electrical system's being overloaded! Everything's either blowing up due to being overpowered and being shut down for safety reasons!"

"What of the propulsion system?"

"Also offline, but we still appear to be in motion." The captain moved over to the window and saw that they were in fact still moving. Their momentum was keeping the ship floating forwards, back into the hurricane.

"Oh no...EVERYBODY BRACE YOURSELVES!" Barely five seconds later, the ship reentered the storm, the waves now knocking it like a ragdoll. With propulsion and steering down, the ship was smacked sideways, all crew members screaming at the blow.

Then the captain saw it, a wave almost as big as the ship, heading straight for them.

"Arceus help us," was all he could say before the ship was struck.

"Flash...Flash...come on, wake up Flash."

Flash let out a moan as his eyes began to open, letting him see a pair of blurry images right above him. Slowly, they came into focus and saw they were Twilight and Springer, the pair staring down at him, smiles starting to form on their faces.

"You're awake. Thanks Arceus."

"Ri..." Springer nodded as they watched Flash sit himself up.

"Twilight..." Flash rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, "What happened?"

"We're not sure," Twilight replied as Flash saw that they were still in the Pokémon Center. Looking over at the doors, he spotted Doc trying to reactivate the doors.

"Nothing's working," Doc commented. "The system's completely fried."

Fancy, who had been watching, nodded before sighing. "No choice." He turned to the others trainers in the room, "Does anyone have a strong Fighting-Type that can pry the doors open?" Everyone shook their heads, "Then what about a Pokémon with a Fire-Type move strong enough to melt the doors?"

"I have one," Flash stood up and pulled out his Pokeball. "Viper, come on out." The Hisscor appeared before them, "Flamethrower."

"Scor," Viper turned to the door and breathed in, "HISSCOR!" The jet of fire shot out and struck the metal doors, slowly melting them away. Once the path was clear, Flash returned Viper before they headed out to the upper decks. And as they arrived outside, they found they were no longer out at sea.

"An island?" Spike asked as he looked over the railing to see that the ship was banked on a beach. But as they blinked at the environment, they couldn't tell whether it was part of the Equestrian mainland or a deserted island.

"Please let this be a beach on the mainland..." Twilight prayed.

"One way to find out," Doc pulled out a Pokeball. "Steeledge, come on out!" He tossed a ball into the air, unleashing the metal bird.

"Steeledge!" It chirped as it took flight.

"Go scout out this place. Tell us what you can find." Steeledge nodded and flew upwards, soon high enough to tell. It had a feeling its trainer wasn't gonna like what he found, now seeing it was a deserted island. The whole thing was a collection of lagoons with rocky areas surrounding it. "Well?" Doc asked as Steeledge landed, "What is it?"

Steeledge used his steel beak to peck an outline of the island into the deck. Drawing the lagoons using wavy lines, he allowed them to see what they were dealing with.

"So it is an island," Fleur commented.

Fancy nodded. "And by the looks of things, not one that's good at sustaining life."

"Great..." Flash moaned before hearing footsteps on the deck. He turned to see the captain and several crew members running down the deck.

"Good," the captain said, "I feared we may have lost some passengers."

Fancy turned to the captain, "Captain, has an SOS already been sent out?"

The captain sighed ad shook his head, "I'm afraid not. The lightning from the storm completely fried every single electrical system on board. Radio, sonar, even GPS is offline. And even if the radios were working, we have no idea where we are." He turned to stare at the island. "I'm unfamiliar with this island, so we must have been pushed way off course."

"So what's the plan?" Twilight asked. "If the electrics are fried, doesn't that mean the ship's engines are dead too?"

"It does, but let's be thankful we were blown to a landmass and not trapped out at sea or tipped upside down. Our first priority is to check the hull for any damage. It's no use getting the ship working again if sailings just gonna lead to us sinking." Everyone nodded and agreed to help check the ship's condition with the crew.

Using long ropes, they abseiled down onto the beach. Flash and several crewmen unleashed their Water-Types before sending them underwater while the humans checked everything above. The only one not helping was Spike, who Twilight told to sit on the rocks up the beach. He frowned, totally bored as he watched the others work. "This is so lame," he told Peewee. "Wish there was something to do."

It was here that he spotted a hole in a cliff's wall a bit down the beach. With one quick look to make sure no one was watching him, he sprinted over to the cave. But upon getting to it, he saw that it wasn't a cave but a tunnel due to the light coming from the other side. Heading through, noting several shallow pools of water, he came out the other side and found himself in one of the lagoons. "Awesome..." he and Peewee then went to the water, placing his hand in before pulling it back up to take a sniff. "Hmm...salt water. Still fun to swim in though." He took off everything but his swim trunks, having taken to wearing them under his pants like Flash, before heading over to a high ledge that was overlooking the pool.

Once on the edge, he looked over to make sure he wasn't jumping on top of a bunch of rocks. Now sure, he smiled before taking several steps back, soon running of the edge while Peewee shot down. "Cannonball!" He hit the water with a tremendous splash, Peewee alongside him. Several seconds later, they emerged before bursting out in laughter. "Awesome!"

And as the two were splashing about, they didn't notice a bunch of eyes looking up at them from the depths. That is, till the owners' of the eyes began to head to the surface. Spike was about to swim back to shore for another dive, only to feel something brush against his leg. He spun around, only to see nothing there, but he felt another brush of his foot. "Uh..."

A large gulp went down his throat as he started to hastily swim back to shore. That is, till an explosion of water to blast in front of him. "Blaugh!" he yelped as new figure surfaced, soon staring down at him.

Back at the boat, the others had just competed their inspection. "I'm not ship expert," Flash said as he jumped off the life boat they had used. "But I'd say this thing's ship shape."

"I agree," the captain replied before the Water Pokémon surfaced. "See any damage?" He asked his Buizel partner.

"Boy!" it shook its head.

"Then we can set sail as soon as we've fixed the ship's power core." He turned to Flash and Twilight, "if your friend is able to fix it."

"Don't worry, Doc can fix anything." The sound of metal banging made them turn to see Doc coming down the rope ladders that had replaced the ropes. "See? I bet he's about to say he'll have the ship fixed in no time."

"Bad news," Doc said as he hit the beach. "We can't fix the ship," Flash's face fell. "Well, I could fix it, but I don't have the materials to do so."

"Do you at least think you can repair the radio and GPS?" The captain asked.

Doc's frown remained. "Again, I don't have the parts. The electrical surge destroyed everything inside the machines to a crisp. Trying to repair it would basically be building a new one from scratch." Everyone sighed, getting the dreadful feeling they were gonna be on this island for a while.

The captain let out another sigh. "Looks like there's no choice. We'll need to begin rationing supplies and execute any other emergency procedures."

The others nodded and began to make their way back over to the ladders. But when Twilight turned to tell Spike return to the ship, she saw he was gone. "Spike?" She glanced around while the others turned to her, "Has anyone seen Spike?"

"Wasn't over by those rocks?" Doc asked.

"Come to think of it," Flash added. "I haven't seen him in a while. Would have thought he'd be bugging us for something he could do to help."

Twilight went wide-eyed at this, "Oh no..." She ran around the beach, the others following her as she yelled, "SPIKE, GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!"

"Twilight," she turned to Flash and saw him standing in front of the tunnel entrance. "You think Spike could have gone through here?"

"He was likely bored and this is too interesting for him to resist in that state...so yeah, probably." Twilight began to walk through the tunnel, the group soon spotting a pool. It was here that a gasp left Twilight as she saw Spike's clothes on the ground. "Oh no!"

Flash turned to his partner, "Springer, can you see if you can sense Spike?"

Springer nodded and was about to scan the area, only for the water to literally explode as something shot out. Everyone gasped at the sight until they heard a familiar voice cry out. "YAHOO!" Spike cheered from atop the Pokémon he and Peewee were riding.

Time seemed to slow down at this, allowing the others to see the Pokémon. It was a nine and a half foot long light blue snake like creature, whose head top was inside a yellow mask like structure while its lower jaw and body was white. The end of its tail also had a leaf shaped structure on it.

Time sped back up as Spike, Peewee and the Pokémon dived back into the water. "Spike!?" Twilight cried as she ran to the edge of the pool, only for the three to properly surface along with four more of the Pokémon.

Spike smiled at his sister. "Hey guys. Wanna meet my new friends?"

Flash pulled out his Pokedex and scanned the Pokémon.

Name: Seapent
Category: Sea Snake Pokémon
Type: Water
Info: Seapents that live in ponds hunt by keeping incredibly still and pretending to be sticks. Pokémon who see them and try to use them as nest pieces, end up getting struck by their powerful fangs. In the ocean, they live in shipwrecks and live off smaller Pokémon.

"Pretty cool right?" Spike asked, only to see Twilight's now giant glare. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Twilight just nodded in response, "Eh, it was worth it."

After Twilight gave Spike a major lecture about wandering off into unknown territory, they turned their attention back onto the Seapent. The five snake like Pokémon all swam around the lagoon with Springer, Riptide and Buizel, Flash chuckling at the sight, "These guys look pretty cool. From how the Pokedex described them, you'd think they'd be a little more aggressive."

The captain nodded. "My guess is that they're still young, so they haven't had the outside experience needed to develop that temperament."

Doc then leaned over the edge of the pool. "Hmm...I wonder if these lagoons are all connected to the ocean?"

Twilight also nodded, "Probably. Otherwise, how'd these guys get here? Their species aren't well known for crossing land."

"One way to find out. Riptide," Flash's Aquana turned to his trainer, "Can you take a look underneath?"

"Ak!" Riptide dove in, soon spotting several large holes in the lagoon walls, One was pointing to the open sea while others likely connected to the other pools. Deciding to take a look at what was on the other side, he swam through one, soon reaching another lagoon. This one was filled with tons of different underwater plants, which swayed in the shifting water that Riptide was displacing. He looked around, almost entranced by all the sea flora, only to swim into something hard. "Ak?" He said in confusion as he floated back, moving the plants as he looked at the hard thing he had touched.

Whatever it was, Riptide saw that it was both long and thick. It appeared to be tube like in shape, though he couldn't tell much more due to how dark it was in the lagoon. Then, it started poking it, only to for it suddenly shift. Whatever it was moved across the bottom of the lake like an underwater train, Springer now seeing what looked like...a flipper.

"Ak?" Riptide tilted his head in confusion, his brain clicking as the light above him suddenly being blocked out. There, he saw a pair of angry looking eyes staring down at him. "AQUANA!"

Back with the others, Flash was beginning to worry. "Why isn't he back yet?" Flash asked as he paced on the edge of the lagoon.

"I'm sure he's fine," Twilight assured him. "He's probably just enjoying exploring the other lakes."

"But...." Flash tried to reply, only for a loud splash to ring out from the lagoon.

It was here that they saw Riptide leap out of the water, "AQUANA!" He screamed in terror as he seemed to run across the water before jumping at Flash and clutching his leg, his whole body shaking like a leaf.

"Whoa Riptide, what's the matter?" His question didn't need an answer, as the water exploded again as a new figure shot out of the lagoon.

"VIAPENT!" it roared as it appeared, everyone leaping back from the pool. They each took a quick but good look at the creature, seeing what looked to be the evolved form of Seapent. It was a large snake like creature with blue and white on its body and a yellow mask on its head. The differences, aside from its size, were that on either side of its mask were a trio of yellow spikes with a yellow membrane between them. Several red stripes were now running down its back and the tail leaf was also red. Down its body, just above the water, it had a pair of flippers like a Lapras.

Flash pulled out his Pokedex and scanned the Pokémon, the image on screen showing it had two more sets of flippers running down its body that were half the size of the ones before.

Name: Leviapent
Category: Sea-Serpent Pokémon
Type: Water/Dark
Info: The evolved form of Seapent. In ancient times, this Pokemon was known to attack ships who got too close to its young, wrapping itself around them and dragging them down to the murky depths. It uses those ships to create homes for its young.

Taking a closer look at the creature and comparing it to the Pokedex, they all guessed it was around twelve to eleven meters long. That and it did not look happy. "Lev..." it hissed as it wrapped its tail around its young before tossing them into the tunnel it had come from.

"This could be bad," Flash commented, only for the Leviapent to open its mouth to breath in.

"Look out!" The captain cried as they all leapt back.

"LEVIII!" the giant sea-serpent then unleashed a torrent of high pressured water. The attack struck the spot they had been standing, obliterating the rock and leaving a large crater.

"That was Hydro Pump!" Twilight screamed once they had recovered, only to see Leviapent gearing up to unleash another attack.

"Run!" The captain ordered as they rushed back through the tunnel just as Leviapent's Hydro Pump hit the ceiling, causing several rocks to fall. Once they were back on the beach, the captain continued to yell, "Everybody get on board, NOW!"

Despite not knowing why, the passengers and crewmen did as ordered and began to climb up the rope ladders. Soon, the only ones still on the beach were Flash, Springer, Riptide, the captain and his Buizel, as Twilight, Doc and Spike climbed.

"Hurry! Who knows how long-" Flash didn't get to finish his sentence as the surface of ocean burst, the Leviathan slithering out and staring at the boat.

"Vi!" It roared, "Viapent!" It took another breath in, ready to shoot its Hydro Pump at them yet again.

"Aura Sphere!" Flash yelled, Springer firing his energy ball at the sea monster. The Aura Sphere struck the Leviapent and exploded off its head, making it cry out in pain before turning to glare at the one responsible for it.

"Vi!" It shot a Hydro Pump at them, only for Buizel to jump in front of Springer.

"Ice Beam!"

"Boy boy!" Buizel opened its mouth as blue lightning shot out, striking the water stream and freezing it. Leviapent was forced to stop its attack before it was frozen, only to then raise its tail out of the water as a tornado of water surrounded the tip.

"That's Aqua Tail!" Twilight screamed as the trio reached the ship deck, Leviapent smashing its tail into the ground while its targets leapt out of the way.

"What's happening?" Fleur asked.

"Why is this thing attacking us?" Fancy added.

"I don't know..." Twilight thought for a moment. "This must be Leviapent's nesting sight. When it saw us with its young, it must have thought we were trying to hurt them."

"So what do we do?!" Another passenger asked.

Spike, who now saw this was all his fault, suddenly had a click go off in his brain. "That's it!" He ran back to the edge of the boat and jumped off the side, climbing down the ladder.

"Spike!" Twilight cried as she ran to the edge, "What are you doing?"

"I've got a plan!" He yelled as hit the beach. "Try and keep that thing busy!" With that, he ran back towards the cave.

"Not gonna be a problem," Flash said as Springer dodged another Aqua Tail. "Water Gun!" Riptide launched a stream of water at the giant Water-Type, but Leviapent just raised its tail to block the attack without issue.

"Aqua Jet!" Buizel was suddenly surrounded by water and shot off the ground like a rocket, hitting Leviapent in the face.

"Quick Attack!" Springer leapt at blinding speed, jumping onto one of Leviapent's flippers before racing up its neck and spinning around to slap it in the face with his tail.

"Vi!"

Fancy turned to his wife. "Let's lend them a hand," Fleur nodded before they both pulled out their Pokeballs. "Persian-"

"Furfrou-"

"To our side!" They both tossed the balls to the beach, now unleashing their Pokémon. "Dark Pulse/Shadow Ball!" Both opened their mouths and fired their long range attacks, the duo striking the Leviapent back.

"Double Team!" Flash ordered as Springer multiplied himself. "Now, Aura Sphere Barrage!" The Springer army leapt into the air as they formed the small blue orbs, all thrusting in the direction of Leviapent. The sea-serpent fired a Hydro Pump, knocking out most of them, only for a few to strike the Leviapent, explosions following.

"LEVIAPENT!"

Meanwhile...

Spike was now back at the lagoon.

"Come on, come on...please be here!" he jumped into the water and splashed about. "Seapent, please, you have to stop your mom." Nothing happened, "Please! If you don't, she or my friends might get hurt!" Again, nothing. "Come on! You know we weren't trying to hurt you, so please try and tell your mom that before this goes too far!"

He suddenly heard an explosion coming from the beach, along with another of Leviapent's cries.

"I know disobeying your guardian isn't usually the right thing to do, but sometimes we have to do it. If we don't, then they'll never learn when they're being overprotective. Please, you know that's what's happening right now. Show her you don't need to be protected anymore!"

He waited several long moments, but nothing seemed to be happening. Seeing this, he let out another sigh as he began to swim back to the edge. But as he did this, a splash struck his head, making him turn to see five smiles staring at him.

"Guys...thank you."

"Ice Beam!"

"BOY!" Buizel unleashed the blue lightning, striking Leviapent's flipper, causing both it and part of its body to freeze.

"Lev!" It cried as it tried to free itself from the ice.

"Aura Sphere!"

"Dark Pulse!"

"Shadow Ball!"

The three attacks struck the Leviapent, making it cry out as Fancy rolled up his suit sleeve. "Time to end this." With that, he started doing his special dance as the Z-Crystal glowed.

"Now, let the darkness consume you and be swallowed by the void!" The light shot out and struck Persian, "BLACK HOLE ECLIPSE!" A crimson red and black sphere appeared in front of Persian's mouth, which it fired that Leviapent. The sphere flew past the sea monster, but before it could react, it exploded to create a large red and black vortex of energy. That vortex unleashed a powerful suction, which Leviapent found itself unable to escape.

"LEVIAPENT!" It cried as it was sucked into the black hole, which then reverted back into its sphere shape before exploding into a burst of dark energy. Leviapent shot out of it and fell into the sea with a tremendous splash.

"Please let that knock it out. Please..." Flash mumbled as everyone watched to see if the opponent was indeed unconscious, only for the water to explode again as Leviapent's head shot back out.

"LEVIAPENT!" It screamed, panting in pain. "Levi...levi…"

"This thing just won't give up," Flash said as Leviapent prepared to unleash another Hydro Pump.

"Braise yourselves!" The captain called out.

But before the beast could fire, four water rockets shot out of the ocean and struck it. "Vi!" It cried in pain and surprise. As it did, the rockets returned to the water as it burst to reveal four of the five Seapent. The fifth Seapent then shot out of the water, Spike riding on its back.

"SPIKE?!" Twilight screamed, "What are you doing?!"

"Hopefully, saving the day." He jumped off the Seapent and treaded water while looking up at Leviapent, its children swimming in a circle around him. Leviapent looked down at its children curiously, as if judging them while they swam around Spike. It frowned as Spike raised his hand to pat one, as if preparing to strike should he do anything bad, but didn't seem to need to as the Seapent seemed to enjoy the attention. Spike looked up at Leviapent, "See? We're not here to hurt your babies." He pointed at the boat, "Our ship was pushed here by a storm. We'd leave if we could."

"He's right," it turned to Flash. "We have no intention of hurting your kids."

Doc nodded at this, "If you help us get the ship out to the water, we'd happily leave."

"Please Leviapent," Twilight pleaded. "We don't have to fight."

Leviapent stared at the group, then looked down at it's kids. The Seapent all nodded back, all trying to express their trust in the humans. Eventually, Leviapent lowered its head down right in front of Flash and the captain. Flash stepped up to it and raised a hand, slowly placing it on Leviapent's snout. As soon as they made contact, the two tensed up before slowly relaxing as their feelings got through to the other. "See? We're friends." He continued to pat the beast on the snout until it finally pulled back, Spike now walking out of the water. "Nice work kid."

"Thanks," Spike said before looking up at the ship, "Don't think that's gonna get me any leniency." They all laughed as they began to head over to the ship, climbing up onto the deck.

"So..." the captain spoke up, "We still haven't got a clue about how we're gonna get off this island."

"Oh, I think I have an idea." Flash turned to their new friend, the others unsure whether they were gonna like this new idea.

As the sun began to set, the people of the port town were beginning to worry as the cruise ship that was supposed to be there now was nowhere to be found. Many began to fear that the storm the previous day had sunk the mighty ship, while others began to fear that a sea Pokémon had attacked and destroyed it.

But as the sun finally touched the horizon, the people of the port spotted a dark spot in the center of the sun that was growing bigger by the second. "What is that?" A woman asked her husband, who had a pair of binoculars.

He looked through them, squinting due to the sunlight, only for his eyes to go wide at the sight. "No way..."

"Yeah!" Flash cheered from atop the Leviapent's head, the beast now tugging the massive ship towards land. As the port drew closer, Flash patted it on the head. "Thanks, this means a lot."

"Riolu!" Springer agreed.

"Vi!" it hissed as the coastline patrol boats began to head towards them. It's young all swam closer to the ship, wondering what they would do.

"Don't worry," Flash assured him. "Just don't do anything threatening, and they'll have no reason to attack you." Leviapent nodded as the boats started to reach them.

"Halt!" One of the ships announced. "Please state you name and intentions for this Pokémon being here."

Back on the ship, the captain grabbed a megaphone and spoke out to the ships. "I am the captain of this vessel, please do not bring any harm to this creature or its young." He went on to explain what had happened, while Leviapent dropped Flash and Springer back on deck while unfurling its tail from the ship.

"Understood," the patrol boat announced. "We can tug you back to shore from here."

They all nodded before turning back to the sea-serpent Pokémon. "Well, thank you."

"We might have never gotten here without your help," Fancy added.

"Have a safe trip home," Doc continued. "And don't worry, we won't tell anyone about where you live."

"Bye guys! Thanks for being so cool!" Spike yelled down to the Seapent, all of them waving back. Once that was done, the Seapent and Leviapent turned back to the open ocean before swimming out to the horizon. Everyone on board waved goodbye as they watched the family sink below the waves, disappearing back into the depths that they had once originated from. Once they were completely gone, the passengers and sailors turned back to watch the patrol boats toss them some tow ropes before the cruise ship was pulled into port.

Our hero's adventures out at sea had been memorable ones. Now they were back on dry land, ready for a good night's sleep before heading off to Hoof Town, and the Hoof Cup.

A Thief in the Night

View Online

Night had fallen in the port town of Horseshoe Bay.

With the storm that had rocked the place the previous day, the city was still cleaning up some of the mess. But even with the slight disaster, many people were out enjoying the nighttime ocean side atmosphere. A wealthy couple was currently walking the streets, having come to the port in order to board the cruise ship that had just arrived hours ago. They had just enjoyed watching a beautiful sunset, complete seeing a Leviapent tug a ship into port, and were now heading to their hotel to get a good night's sleep before their holiday.

But then, as they turned a corner, a sudden gust of wind shot past them. "What in the world?" The man yelped, only to feel his wrist was lighter than usual. He pulled up his sleeve, only to go wide-eyed, "My watch! Its gone!"

The woman next to him screamed as she placed her hand on her neck, "My necklace!" They then both saw a glimmer of light reflecting off something a few feet away. There, they then saw both watch and necklace in the possession of a pair of shadows. "Thieves!"

The shadows, which were small and four legged, turned and gave off a hiss before running into the darkness, disappearing into the night.

The next morning...

In the cafeteria of the city's Pokémon Center, we find Flash, Spike and Flash's Pokémon scarfing down a plate of food. Twilight, Doc and their Pokémon were also eating, but at a much more dignified pace. After what had happened yesterday, and giving a report to the town authority, they had all opted to head to Center and rest up before heading out to Hoof Town. Even with the delays that had hit them, they still had several days before the Hoof Cup.

It was here that a loud burping noise filled the cafeteria as Flash and Spike finished eating, their stomachs noticeably larger. Twilight and Doc both rolled their eyes before finishing their breakfast off as well, their figures still in tip-top shape. Once finished, Twilight pulled out her journal. "So I've been going over our journey to Hoof Town, and I think I've mapped out the best possible route." She opened the device up to the map section, "Okay...if we cut through this forest, we'll arrive at a small village that's just a stone's throw away from Hoof Town."

"Sweet..." Flash said before pointing at a dot on the map right next to the village. "Hey, what's that?"

Twilight tapped the dot, a new display soon appearing, "Its a Pokémon daycare, which is a place where trainers can leave Pokémon for additional training, or simply to enjoy themselves while the trainers is busy. It also says it specializes in evolution training."

Spike frowned at this. "Why would you want to have someone else evolve your Pokémon?"

"Its true that that is something that a trainer usually does on their own, but if you're having trouble, you could ask them for advice." Doc replied as he motioned for his friends to start packing their belongings. Once that was done, they said their thanks to the Nurse Redheart and heading out of the Center into the port town. As they did, they saw their cruise ship was still in port.

"Why hello there," they turned and smiled when they saw Fancy and Fleur walking up to them.

"Hey you two. You guys heading home?"

Fleur nodded. "Yes, our ride should be here in an hour or so. A shame the rest of the cruise had to be cancelled."

Doc shrugged. "Well considering the whole ship and all its equipment needs to be either completely rewired or replaced, the time for the cruise would be over before it was finished."

"Well, we just wanted to say our goodbyes before you three head off," Fancy replied as he held out his hand. Flash shook it while Fleur and Twilight hugged for a moment. "We want you to know we'll be watching and rooting for you lot during the Hoof Cup."

"I'm sure you'll do great," Fleur added with a giggle. "After seeing how you all do in a battle, I expect to be seeing one of you standing on the winner's podium."

Twilight did a small bow, "Thank you Fancy and Fleur. And thank you for all the training you gave us onboard. I'm sure it'll help us greatly."

Both Fancy and Fleur nodded before turning away, Flash and the others now ready to go to Hoof Town. But as they made their way through the town, they couldn't help but notice something. As soon they entered the shopping district, the atmosphere around them completely changed. Anyone they walked closely past suddenly jerked away while shielding their necks, arms and bags. Not only that, several stores were closed despite the streets being nicely filled, and anyone they looked at would shoot them a cautious glare.

"You guys get the feeling like we're not wanted here?" Flash whispered, the others all nodding in agreement.

Twilight then stepped over to a store and knocked on the front door, the frame cracking open, only to stay ajar thanks to a chain. An eye then appeared, poking out and glaring at them, "Go away!" With that, they slammed the door shut in Twilight's face.

"Alright..." she turned around, blinking with a semi-frown, "We're definitely not wanted here. Any of you ever been here before?"

Everyone shook their heads as Doc added, "Hmm...wonder what's causing everyone to be so suspicious?"

Springer then scanned the area's auras, only to get goosebumps at the result. There was lots of anger, sadness and embarrassment, coupled with just a little bit of fear. "Riolu..." he shivered as they kept walking.

It was here that they passed an alleyway, only for Spike to suddenly squint as something was reflected into his face. "Ack!" he yelped as he shielded his eyes.

The others turned to him. "You okay?"

"Yeah...just something hit my eyes." He turned to the alleyway, only to bend down, "Hey, a penny! Must be my lucky day." But as soon as his fingers touched it, they all found themselves within a large cloud of smoke. "WHOA!"

"What the heck?!" Flash yelled, only to suddenly hear something loud hit the ground around them.

Doc reached out and felt a cool metal pole, then felt another one on either side of it. "Is this...a cage?"

"HA!" A familiar female voice called out, "Finally got you!" Then the smoke began to clear, the group now seeing a figure appear in the dust cloud. Their eyes went wide as they saw a familiar purple star covered hat and signature smirk, "You thought you could steal from the great and powerful Trix-" Trixie stopped as she saw who she had caught, blinking as she stared dumbfoundedly at them. "What are you guys doing in there?!"

"Taking a skiing vacation. What do you think!?" Flash deadpanned as he rattled the cage.

"Oh...whoops!" Trixie replied before snapping her fingers, "Wizentice!" her magician Pokémon teleported next to her before tapping the cage.

"Wiz," it said as the cage disappeared, freeing the trio as they gave Trixie dirty looks.

Trixie simply placed her hands behind her head and looked away. "Sorry about that, I guess."

"You guess?!" Twilight hissed as she remembered the last time they met. "What do you mean, you guess?! You just tried to imprison us!"

"Eh, you don't have to be so testy," Trixie barked back. "It's not like I was trying to catch you!"

Doc raised an eyebrow at this, "What were you trying to catch?"

"A thief!" Trixie almost yelled, "One...or should I say more than one, that's been stealing from the people of this town for weeks! They're fast, sneaky and they'll steal anything that so much as glimmers."

Twilight blinked at the explanation, "Thieves? Hmm...that would explain why everyone is so suspicious around here. They're worried of losing more of their merchandise. Though that leaves just one more question..." she slowly pointed her finger at Trixie, "You're trying to stop them...why?!"

Trixie looked almost offended, "Wh-why wouldn't I? The people of this town are in need, and who better to save them then the great and powerful TRIX-"

"You had something stolen, didn't you?" Flash interrupted.

"EEEEEeeeee..." Trixie slowly let some noises leave her mouth before dissolving into a slur. She then looked away, only to see everyone in the corner of her eye, all of them crossing their arms. It was here that she saw her Wizentice, who just shrugged, making her slump over. "Fine, you got me. They stole from me and I'm trying to get my stuff back."

"What'd they steal from you?" Doc asked next, making Trixie stare down at her shoes. "Look, if you don't tell us what you lost then we can't help you."

"Help me/her?" Both Trixie and Twilight yelped.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't we?" Spike replied while tilting his head.

"Spike's right. These people need our help," Flash added. "Isn't this the kind of thing we usually do?"

"Yeah, but..." Twilight glared back at Trixie, seeing a slight glare from Trixie being given back, "We're gonna help her?!"

"Not just her," Flash patted the girl on the shoulder. "But also all the people in town. If this suspicious behavior keeps up, they may never sell anything ever again."

Twilight let out a long sigh, now seeing expectant looks from all three boys. She now knew she wasn't gonna get out of this one. "Fine. Blast your out of character logic..." She glanced back at Trixie, "Fine. What'd they take from you?"

Trixie looked away again, letting out a tiny moan, "They stole my...my..." she whispered below her breath.

"What was that?" Doc asked as he leaned over to her. Trixie repeated what she had said, only to get the same response. "My apologies, but we still can't hear-"

"MY BADGES!" Trixie screamed, making the others hop in response. The girl then let out a series of heavy pants, her teeth grinding, "You got it? They...they took my badges."

"Your badges?!" Flash asked in shock, "You let them steal your badges?!"

Trixie sighed, "Yes....it happened three nights ago."

Three nights ago...

Trixie and Wizentice were currently sitting on a bench at the port, enjoying an ice cream as they watched the sunset. It was here that Trixie reached into her bag and pulled out her badge case. Opening it up, she smiled at the sight of her three badges sparkling up at her. It had been tough and a lot of hard work, but she had finally managed to win her third badge.

"Oh...we're getting closer Wizentice." she commented as her Pokémon finished the last of its ice cream. And as she started to finish her own thing of ice cream, a sudden gust of wind shot past the two. Trixie was forced to shut her eyes at the sudden gust, but when she opened them back up, a loud gasp followed this. Her badge case was now completely empty.

"What the-where'd they go?!" She shrieked as she stood up, her and Wizentice looked around before a glimmer suddenly caught their eyes. They turned to it and saw her badges in the mouths of three beings currently being shrouded by the darkness. "HEY! GIVE THOSE BACK!"

The duo then raced after them as the shadows ran into town. But as the chase started, Trixie quickly lost them as the figures jumped into an alleyway, only to vanish like magic. "No!"

The Present...

"And ever since then, I've been trying to find them again so I could get my badges back."

"That's too bad," Flash commented.

"I don't get it," Twilight added as she crossed her arms. "Why don't you just contact the Gyms you got your badges from and explain what happened. I'm sure they'd send you a replacement." Spike nodded in agreement at this, but Trixie, Flash and Doc looked horrified.

"I can't do that!" Trixie shrieked. "Those badges are more than just a little trinket to me!"

"She's right," Doc continued. "She earned those Gym Badges. Simply replacing them would mean nothing!"

Twilight and Spike shared a glance, obviously not understanding. It was here that Flash decided to chime in, "Alright, you must have something special from your childhood, a toy...or in Twilight's case, a book?" The two did a slow nod, "So what if that thing got stolen? You wouldn't just replace it, right?"

Twilight and Spike both frowned at the idea, Twilight muttering, "I...guess I wouldn't want to replace it."

"Even if it looked exactly the same?" Doc asked, the two shaking their heads. "Why not?"

"Because it wouldn't be the same," Twilight replied.

"To many memories," Spike finished.

"Exactly. Its the same with the badges." Flash added as he remembered the battles he had gone through with his Pokémon, every obstacle of the gym battles. "And I bet its the same with Trixie," he then turned to her for confirmation, quickly getting a nod.

"I see. I get it now." Twilight commented as she turned and gave a small bow to Trixie. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Trixie grumbled as she looked away. "Though Trixie doesn't believe she needs your help, she will...accept it to make you all feel good."

"Gee, how kind of you." Twilight growled while crossing her arms, "Alright Trixie, when do these thieves appear so we know when to act? And where did you get your badges stolen?"

"Follow Trixie." Trixie before motioning her hands, the group now following her.

That night...

Once Trixie had shown them where her badges were stolen, they'd spent the next few hours of daylight working on a plan. Using one of Doc's cooking pots as bait, they set it out on a bench and hid behind some bushes. The pan was set to a piece of string, which was connected a paint bomb they had made. After all, whoever this thief was, they wouldn't be escaping in the night while covered in glow in the dark paint.

"Now we wait," Flash commented as they watched the pot. Five minutes later, nothing...ten minutes...twenty...all was peaceful.

"Oh, come on!"

"How long is this gonna take?" Spike asked next.

"We have to be patient," Twilight told him.

"Trixie has been patient for three days, and I'm done waiting. Trixie has to get those badges back before he finds-" She stopped and threw her hands over her mouth, making the others stare at her.

"Before who finds out?"

"Nothing," Trixie squeaked, "Forget Trixie said anything."

Twilight crossed her arms, now glaring at the magician. "No dice. Tell us the truth, or we walk."

Trixie moaned into her hands, then turned to Wizentice. Her partner shrugged at her, making her sigh as she slightly hugged herself, "Fine. Honestly, not replacing the badges isn't just about what your friend said. If I replace them, then my dad would know I lost mine." This made the others blink in confusion. "He's...he's always checking my trainer profile. If I replace my badges, the serial number would be changed and he'll see it."

"So. What's the big deal?" Spike asked.

Trixie looked away from them. "My dad's a skilled Psychic-Type Pokémon trainer and magician. He came fourth in the Equestria League, and has had multiple sell-out shows throughout the region."

"That explains your skill set," Doc added.

"So...you became a trainer and magician to be like your dad?" Flash inquired next, Trixie nodding back.

"But according to him, I could never match up to his expectations. He always said my magic was predictable and my battling lacked flare."

Spike flinched at this, "Ouch."

"Kind of a mean thing to say to your child," Doc finished with a glum frown.

"That's why I left on this journey, despite my dad saying I couldn't cut it. He said...well, I shouldn't bother. At all."

"But you went anyway," Twilight commented with a raised eyebrow.

Trixie nodded again, "Trixie wanted to show him she wasn't weak. She told him to keep checking her profile." She then smiled, "When I got my third badge, he called me and said he was actually proud of me..." her face slowly morphed into a frown, "But if he learned I lost my badges..."

"You're scared he might not be proud of you anymore," Doc finished, Trixie nodding again.

Everyone frowned at this, Twilight in particular as she started seeing Trixie in a new light. But as they shared glances, Flash snapped his fingers, "You know what Trixie? Who cares what he thinks!" Trixie hopped in place at his declaration, "Do you think you're a good trainer?"

"I...guess?"

"And do you think you're great magician?"

"I think so."

Flash shook his head. "No! That's not an answer!" He pointed his finger directly at her face, "Do you...think you're a great magician?!"

Trixie opened her mouth, only to close it. Her face slowly changed from uncertainty to determination, soon nodding, "Yeah! I'm a great magician!"

"There you go," Flash almost cheered. "Stop caring about what your dad thinks of you and focus on what you think of you. Because-"

His mouth stopped moving as his ears started to hear rustling coming from near the bench. Turning back to it, they saw a shadow hop out of the foliage, all gasping at the sight. It was a Opaline, the gem cat Pokémon. The cat then walked up to the bench and stared at the pot, as if it was judging it.

"So that's it," Doc whispered, "It was an Opaline that's been stealing the stuff."

"Makes sense," Twilight added. "They love shiny things."

"Just like Rarity's..." Spike continued, only to point at the bush, "Look! There's some more!"

Two more then hopped out the pile of the leaves. They too stared at the pot for a moment, only for the original to jump up onto the bench and grabbed it in its teeth. As soon as it was picked up, the balloons above them fell down, exploding in a paint-filled grace. The Pokémon all hissed as the luminous paint covered them, Trixie and the others jumping out of hiding, "Stop!" The magician trainer yelled, "Give me back my badges!"

The Opaline all turned and hissed at her before running off, only for the paint to start making a trail right behind them. "Come back here!" Trixie raced after them, the others following suit. They ran through the streets, able to keep sight of the Opaline despite their superior speed.

"Springer!" Flash yelled, "Memorize their aura. If we do lose them, you can keep track."

"Riolu!" Springer barked back as he focused onto the three, locking onto their auras. It was here that the Opaline ran into an alleyway, which when the trainers turned into it, only to see the Pokémon jumping over a fence.

"Oh no, you don't!" Trixie shrieked as Wizentice jumped into her arms before the two teleported past the fence and in front of the Opaline. "Swift!" Wizentice jumped out of her hands while taking its hat off its head, a flurry of stars firing out of it. The stars flew at the Opaline, but the three of them huddled together before a blue protective sphere formed around them. The Swift struck the bubble, exploding on contact, but they were unharmed as the shield disappeared.

And as soon as it did, the two that weren't holding the pan raced ahead with glowing claws, "Op!" They rorared as they slashed Wizentice in the face.

"WIZ!" The little magician cried as it fell back, Trixie managing to catch it while the Opaline ran past her. Moments later, the others finished climbing over the fence.

"You okay?" Flash asked as they knelt down beside her.

"We're fine...but we lost the Opaline."

"Maybe we can still find them," Spike ran past them into the street, only to see that the paint was gone. The night had cloaked them away, "Dang it!"

"Don't worry," Doc told him before reaching into his pocket. "I figured this might happen, so I attached a transmitter to the pan." He pulled out a device, soon getting a lock on the tracker. "Gotcha. Come on!" He soon went into a sprint, the others following. It was here they found themselves leaving the port town and into the nearby forest.

"So this is where they've been hiding," Trixie growled in the dark of the night. It was here that they continued into the pillars of wood...only to end up at a trash dump.

"What the?" Spike yelped as he side-stepped to avoid a puddle of green liquid.

"I guess the port must make a lot of trash," Twilight added before walking over a pile of broken bottles. "They must leave it here to keep the town looking nice.

Doc looked down at the scanner and pointed it at the largest trash pile in the yard. "Over there," they ran around it until they came face to face with a collection of sparkly metal pots and buckets. Inside them was a collection of jewelry, gems and any other reflective sparkly items.

"That's a lot of expensive stuff," Doc commented

"Those three stole themselves a small fortune," Spike added as he reached down to grab a watch out of one of the buckets. But just as his fingers were about to make contact, he suddenly felt someone grab him by his hood, pulling him back. Barely a second later, a white blur shot past where his hand had been. "Whoa!" He yelped as he pulled his hands close to him, now realizing he had just been saved from a severe mauling.

"You okay?" Flash asked as he let go of Spike's hood.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm good."

They then turned to where the blur had gone and saw an Opaline hissing at them. "Managed to get the paint off, huh?" Trixie commented, only for another load of hissing to happen. This made them turn to see three more glowing in the dark Opaline standing atop a pile of rubbish. "Had a forth member, huh?"

"I don't thinks so," Twilight added as she looked around, all of them soon seeing more and more of the jewel cats coming out of hiding, making them lose count after twenty five.

"That's...a lot of Opaline."

"OPALINE!" They then looked up at the top of a super large pile, now seeing the darkened outline of another Opaline. This one jumped down from the top of the tower, landing in front of their stolen stuff while allowing them to get a better lock at it. There, they saw it was gold in place of white.

"A shiny Opaline," Twilight gasped in amazement.

"And who wants to bet that one's the leader," Flash guessed.

Trixie let out a long growl. "Alright Opaline, you give me and everyone else back our stuff or there's gonna be trouble!" Wizentice hopped in front of her while getting into a battle stance. The shiny Opaline got into a battle stance of its own, the others doing the same. "Fine, but you asked for it. Wizentice!"

"WIZ!" Wizentice charged ahead, the shiny Opaline leaping forward with glowing claws.

"Teleport!" Trixie ordered, Wizentice disappearing seconds before Opaline could hit it. But when he reappeared, he was suddenly slashed by another Opaline. "Hey! No fair!"

"I don't think being fair is something they care about."

"Fine," she pointed at her partner, "Smokescreen!" Wizentice jumped back up before lifting up his cloak, unleashing a black cloud that covered the area.

"I can't see," Twilight moaned.

"Which means neither can the Opaline," Doc reminded her.

"But Springer can," Flash added, "Lock onto their auras and use Drain Punch!"

"Riolu!" Springer rushed into the fog, tracking each Opaline down with green glowing fists. Seconds later, a series of cries filled the junkyard before the smoke cleared, letting them see all but the shiny Opaline were knocked out.

"Line?" The shiny Pokémon cried in horror at the sight.

"Now for you!" Trixie told it, making the creature hiss. "Swift!" her Pokémon took off its hat as multiple stars shot out of it, striking the Opaline and sending it flying back.

"Line!" It hissed as it corrected itself midair, then opened its mouth as a black back of electricity appeared in its mouth. It shot it at Wizentice, a loud hissing noise following as it struck it.

"Wiz!" It cried as the ball exploded, electrocuting it.

"That was Snarl!" Twilight told Trixie, "You have to be careful with that attack."

"Right. Use Swift again!" Wizentice fired another volley of stars, but Opaline counted with Snarl. The two attacks struck one another and exploded, only for Opaline to run into the new dust cloud. "Look out!"

Wizentice held its wand like a sword as it looked at the cloud, right as Opaline shot out from the right side with its claws drawn. "WIZ!" He tried to swing his wand, only for Opaline to suddenly disappear and reappear on Wizentice's right side.

"OP!" It roared as it slashed Wizentice, making him cry as he fell back.

"What the-what just happened?!" Trixie yelped.

"Faint Attack," Twilight commented. "That attack means you can't trust where it's going to attack from." As soon as she said that, Opaline leapt at Wizentice as its claws were engulfed in now purple energy. "That's Shadow Claw!"

"Not this time! Teleport!" Wizentice shifted its gaze to right behind Opaline before disappearing, the Dark-Type's attack striking the ground. "Now, use Psybeam!"

"NO!" The others all yelled, but it was too late. Wizentice pointed its wand at Opaline and unleashed a beam of multicolored light, only for the attack to do nothing. "Trixie!" Flash cried out, "Psychic attacks don't work on Dark-Types!"

Trixie and Wizentice both gasped. "On no, I forgot!"

Opaline smiled at the opening, using it to leap into the air before unleashing a Snarl attack. The ball of hissing black energy flew at Wizentice, striking it with an explosion. "WIZ!" The little magician went flying back, rolling on the ground.

"Wizentice!" Trixie cried.

"Not good," Flash commented while Opaline landed in front of its junk pile. It had a mocking smile as it watched Wizentice try to pick itself up, only for it fall down, the injuries appearing to be too much for it.

Trixie fell to her knees, "My dad was right. I'm...I'm no good as a trainer." Tears began to fill her eyes as Wizentice continued to try and pick itself up. "Just give up Wizentice, we can't win."

"Wiz..." Wizentice turned to his partner before shaking its head.

"Please...stop before you get too badly hurt."

"Wiz!" Wizentice continued to shake its head as he tried to pick himself up again, actually managing to get to his feet this time.

"Wizentice-"

"Don't you see?!" Trixie turned to Twilight. "Wizentice still has faith in you! It doesn't care that you made a mistake, it still believes in you! Are you going to let that belief go to waste?!"

Trixie continued to stare at Twilight before turning back to Wizentice, who had picked up its wand and was pointing it at the Opaline. "Wiz...wizentice? You..."

"Remember what I told you," Flash added. "What matters is how you see yourself! Your dad was wrong, you're a great trainer and a great wizard. But you'll only be able to be that great if you believe you are! So get up and show your dad how wrong he is!"

The others all let out cheers at this while Trixie continued to stare at Wizentice. "I...I..." her unsure expression started to crumble as Wizentice turned to her, nodding. "I...I believe! I, no..." She smiled down at Wizentice, "We are strong and we will defeat this thief and take our badges back! You with me Wizentice?!"

"WIZ!" Wizentice yelled before his entire body was engulfed by light, making everyone gasp. They watched as Wizentice doubled in height, the light fading to reveal its new form. It now stood at around four and a half feet, while his cloak was now open to reveal his clothing. The clothes were a yellow wanzi with zips covering it, brown boots and gloves as well. Its cloak was now more like a cape, with strange patterns on the inside, and was held together with a star shaped buckle. His hat was pretty much unchanged, though it was larger than before, while his wand had been replaced with a wooden staff that had a star shape on it.

The new Pokémon flourished its cape as it twirled its staff, "Mag!"

Trixie was awestruck at her new Pokémon while Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Magitual
Category: Ritual Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Info: The evolved form of Wizentice. This Pokémon can manipulate energy to simulate magic. It has a duel personality that switches between shy and mischievous, but no matter what, it never reveals it's true face.

"I can't...believe it," Trixie whispered.

"Believe it!" Twilight told her.

"Wizentice evolved to show you just how strong you two really are!" Flash added. "Now show Opaline why it shouldn't mess with you!"

"Right..." Trixie turned back to the battle, "Let's do this Magitual!"

"Magi!" Magitual waved its wand and in a flash, he multiplied into five versions of itself.

"That's Double Team!" Trixie gasped. "This just keeps getting better and better. Now, use Swift!" All but one of the Magitual disappeared before pointing its staff at the Opaline, the star shaped head glowing before it unleashed a barrage of stars. The Opaline was so surprised by the sudden multiplication of its opponent that it didn't have time to react when the stars hit the cat, making it roll back until it clawed itself to a stop.

"Line!" It yelped as it charged at Magitual, appearing to warp from left to right as it used Faint Attack.

"Not this time! Double Team!"

"Mag!" Once again, Magitual multiplied into five. Opaline struck one of them, but it disappeared while the others jumped around it.

"Smokescreen!" The three remaining fakes disappeared while the real Magitual opened up its cloak and shot out a cloud of smoke. The pile of dust blinded the Opaline, making it hiss as it tried to escape the cloud. "Swift!" As soon as it heard that, Opaline spun to where Magitual had been standing and unleashed its Snarl attack. But the sound of the attack hitting stars didn't fill the air. Instead, Opaline suddenly felt itself be struck by several objects, knocking it out of the cloud. It was here that the smoke cleared to show Magitual had run around to the other side of smokescreen.

"Use Smokescreen again!" Magitual unleashed the cloud of smoke again, consuming the Opaline. But the cat wasn't falling for that again, and leapt right up into the air and out of the cloud, only to come face to race with an army of Magitual. "Swift!"

"OPALINE!" The gem cat hissed loudly before it started spiting Snarl attacks at each and every Magitual it could see, blasting them all out of existence. But as it did this and they disappeared, it still didn't hit the real one. "Op?"

"MAGITUAL!" Opaline looked down at the smoke cloud, which faded to reveal the real Magitual. The Pokémon was holding its staff above its head as the star shape released a light that was forming into a single giant star.

"FIRE!" Trixie screamed as Magitual struck the star like it was playing baseball. The giant star spun at the Opaline like a shuriken, the Pokémon unable to dodge in midair. All it could do was watch as the giant star got closer until-

KABOOM!

The sky was filled with star shaped fireworks, the other Opaline waking up just in time to see their extremely burnt leader falling to the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"YES!" Trixie cheered before rushing over to Magitual, the newly evolved Pokémon jumping into her arms as she spun around. "You did it Magitual!"

"Mag!" It cried back, hugging its trainer.

"You did great!" Twilight added as the group walked up to them.

Doc nodded in agreement. "You and Magitual were in perfect sync, even though it had just evolved and learned a new move."

"Thanks..." Trixie replied before hugging Magitual again.

The Opaline moved over to their leader and picked it up before turning to the trainers and their Pokémon, the pack still looking ready to battle despite being barely conscious. "If you know what's good for you," Flash told them. "You'll scram and never come back." Springer punched his fist into his paw while creaking his neck for emphasis.

The Opaline glared at them for several seconds, as if weighing their options, only for Magitual to launch a swift attack at the ground in front of them. This made them all hiss in fear before turning tail, all running into the darkness of the night. Once they were gone, they rushed over to the pile of stolen objects. After wading through buckets of stolen watches and jewelry, Trixie gasped as she found them. "My badges..." she picked them up and held them close to her heart. She then turned to the others and gave them the most genuine smile she had ever given anyone, "Thank you."

Everyone smiled back at her, a little disturbed that she was acting so genuine. "No problem," Flash said as he placed his hands behind his head before turning to the pile of buckets. "We should probably get this stuff back to town and explain what happened."

The others nodded and started grabbing the buckets. As they did this, Twilight added, "I just hope they don't think we stole them. If the police hold us back for questioning, we might end up missing the Hoof Cup."

"Hoof Cup?" Trixie asked while tilting her head. The other then explained about their plans to compete in the tournament, Trixie and Magitual both hopping in place at the idea. "Oh my. Trixie is intrigued." The rest of the journey back to town was in silence, as Trixie thought about what they said.

The next morning...

Once again, our heroes found themselves walking out of the Pokémon Center, ready to head out to Hoof Town. After returning the stolen possessions, thankfully no one accusing them of theft and explaining about the Opaline, our heroes returned to the Center for a good night's sleep. Trixie had declined joining, explaining that her cart was parked not too far away and would be sleeping in that.

Aside from the talk with Fancy and Fleur, this morning's walk out of town was total déjà vu of the previous day's walk. The only difference was that many of the shops were now opened, the people now seemingly unworried of being robbed. Soon enough, they were out of the town and heading back into the woods they had chased the Opaline through the previous night.

"I wonder what happened to Trixie?" Spike asked.

"Who knows," Twilight replied as she tapped her journal. "Now that she has her badges back, she probably decided to head out to the next Gym."

"Even so, I would have thought she'd say goodbye before leaving."

"I'm sure we'll see her again," Doc added. "Now, we should get going, especially if we want to get to Hoof Town in time to enter the tournament."

The others nodded and continued to walk down the path, until-

"WAIT!" They all spun around to see Trixie speeding at them, she and Magitual riding on her cart as Girafarig pulled it along. Trixie then pulled on the reins, stopping Girafarig right next to them. "I can't believe you tried to leave without me!"

The others all looked at each other, Twilight tilting her head, "What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?! The great and powerful Trixie has decided to enter the Hoof Cup!"

"You have?" Flash asked while hopping in place, only to smirk at her, "Awesome...but you sure you can handle it?"

Trixie gave him a flat stare. "I have three badges, the same as you. That means anything you can handle, so can I."

Flash did a small shrug, "Eh, I guess that makes sense."

"So you're gonna come with us to Hoof Town?" Spike asked, Trixie nodding. "So does that mean you're gonna give us a ride on cart?"

"Spike!" Twilight scolded him, "You can't just ask that."

"Sorry..."

"It's alright. And sure, you can have a ride. If there's one thing Trixie is, she's grateful to those who help her." She and Magitual scrunched over, making room on the cart bench for one person. "One of you can sit here while the others sit in the cart."

"Sweet!" Spike ran up first, only to feel someone grab the hood of his hoodie. "Hey!" He yelped as Twilight pulled him back, "What gives?!"

"Do you know how to get to Hoof Town?" Twilight asked him.

"Well...no."

"And do you have a journal with a map showing the best way?"

"No."

"Then I'm up front." With that, Twilight jumped up onto the front besides Magitual. The others moved over to the back and climbed inside the cart, closing the doors seconds before Trixie whipped the reins, the Girafarig now pulling them into the forest. Our heroes return to dry land had been met with mystery and intrigue. Now that they've helped Trixie get back her badges and her self confidence, their journey to Hoof Town and the Hoof Cup continues.

We Didn't Start the Fire

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Continuing their journey to Hoof Town so they can compete in the Hoof Cup, our heroes found themselves travelling through yet another forest. Joined by their friend and rival Trixie, they were currently enjoying the ride in her wagon, which was being pulled by her Girafarig.

Well...enjoying wasn't exactly the word they'd use.

"How you guys doing back there?" Trixie asked as she opened a slot to look into the wagon, only for her and Twilight to see the three boys sitting or standing in very awkward positions.

"We're...okay," Flash replied while sitting on a box of rubber Farfetch'd with one of his legs resting on a higher box and Springer sitting on his shoulders. "Not much space though."

"Ri..." Springer moaned as he was squashed between two box towers.

"Sorry. When Trixie got her wagon, she wasn't thinking she'd be giving rides."

"That's alright," Spike groaned as the wagon then went over a rock on the road, which made one of the hanging frying pans fall off its hook and bonk his head. "Ow!" Peewee crawled down and grabbed the cooking tool, which Spike hung back up. But once he was sat back down, the handle came off the pan, bonking him again. "OW!" He glared up at the pan, only to notice it was still connected to the handle by a string of handkerchiefs. "Seriously?!"

Twilight turned to Trixie, "I'm surprised you can sleep with all that stuff in there."

"There's just enough room to hang a hammock," Trixie replied as she twisted her hands on her reins. "I just learned to not move so much in my sleep."

"I'm just surprised your Girafarig can pull this much," Doc said as he stood in an Egyptian pose. "The wagon on its own must weigh a good bit with all of this stuff."

"That's a good point," Twilight blinked at the Girafarig, but saw it didn't seem to be struggling at all.

"My Girafarig's super tough. And if he ever gets tired, he can use his psychic abilities to lighten its load." She gave the giraffe Pokémon a big smile, "Ain't that right?"

"Gira!" Girafarig neighed back.

"See?"

Twilight nodded before looking up to see that the sun was getting pretty low. "Even so, I'm sure your Girafarig would appreciate a break. So why don't we stop for the night?"

"I'M DOWN WITH THAT!" The three in the wagon cried out in unison, making the girls giggle.

"Alright, let's go." Trixie finished as she pulled the reins. "Get ready Girafarig."

Twilight looked at her map and found a small clearing just big enough to camp at. She directed Trixie and as they came to a stop, Flash, Spike, Doc and the Pokémon leapt out before trying to pull their limbs back the way they were supposed to be.

After this, Flash and Spike began to set up their tents, Doc and Twilight started working on dinner while Trixie started rearranging the objects in her wagon before putting up her hammock. "All done!" she proclaimed before walking out of her wagon and went over to where Doc was fixing dinner. She sniffed the air and released a low moan, "Is that curry? It smells delicious."

"Thanks," Doc told her with a nod before pointing at the two pans of food. "Now, do you want the mild coconut or spicy vindaloo?"

Trixie raised an eyebrow, "Vindaloo obviously. What's the point of making curry if it isn't spicy?"

Doc smirked before pointing over at a particular blue hair teen as he finished putting up their tents. "Some of us can't handle spicy food."

Flash looked back at him, seeing their stares, "What?!"

"Nothing," they all replied.

Flash just shrugged before pulling out his Pokeballs, "Grubs up guys!" He then let out the other four members of his team.

"Wingust/Aquana/Thawn/Hisscor!"

Twilight let out Owlicious while Doc let out Steeledge before he turned back to Trixie. "Want to let the rest of your Pokémon out?"

Trixie nodded and pulled out two more Pokeballs, "Magitual and Slowpoke, come on out!" She tossed them into the air, both releasing the Pokémon. Of course there was Magitual, but there was also a very dopey looking otter/salamander Pokémon.

"Awesome!" Spike cheered they went over to say hi to Slowpoke. But as they crowded around the odd looking creature, Slowpoke didn't seem to even notice it was being looked at. "Uh...is it okay?"

"It's fine," Trixie told him. "That's just how Slowpoke are. They're very...laid back Pokémon."

"Can it even battle?" Flash asked, wondering if Trixie's three badges were only won at Gyms that used two or less Pokémon.

"It can," Trixie replied while looking a little irritated at the question.

As they were busy trying to get a reaction out of Slowpoke, Springer suddenly felt the twinge of an unfamiliar aura. "Rio?" he whispered as he looked around, but saw nothing but the cooking stove. "Riolu?" He scratched his head in confusion.

Once everyone was bored of trying to get Slowpoke to notice them, they all got ready for dinner. Of course the Pokémon were the first to be fed, while Doc began dishing out the curry. Magitual was leaning against a tree, its staff laying next to it as he picked up its bowl of food. But as it gripped its first handful, it got a feeling that is was being watched. It looked up and saw almost all the Pokémon were staring at it. Slowpoke and Girafarig were the only ones not staring, while the others were waiting for Magitual to pull down the front of his cape and reveal what it was hiding.

Magitual raised its eyebrow at this, but seemed to comply and raised its hand up to lower its mask. Thoughts of what could be under there embraced the Pokémon. They thought about super big blimp like lips, or bucked teeth, or a teeny tiny mouth. Time seemed to slow down as Magitual's fingers grabbed the top.

But right when Magitual began to pull it down-

"AAAAHHHH!" They all turned to Flash, who was now seeing what looked like fire coming out of his mouth, was now screaming, "Hot, hot, hot, HOT!"

"Here," Twilight gave him a water bottle, the trainer instantly gulping the whole thing down.

The Pokémon all rolled their eyes at the boy's weakness before turning back to Magitual, only to go wide eyed when they saw him lift the front of his cape back into position before putting his now empty bowl back down. "SO FAST!" They all exclaimed in their own languages, only to turn and give Flash a death glare. The teen was unaware that he was being shot the stink eye, and lowered his dinner to glare at Doc.

"What's the big idea?! You know I can't stand spicy food!"

Doc raised an eyebrow at this, "But yours wasn't supposed to be spicy."

Spike looked down at Flash's food before dipping his own spoon in and taking a bite, only for his face to go fiery red. One drink water of later, he stuck his tongue and moaned, "Man, that stuff's got a kick."

The other three took a bite and found Spike was right, needing to take a drink afterword. "I don't get it. I made double sure that the coconut had no spice in it. Someone must have added some when I wasn't looking."

"But who?" Flash shot everyone a suspicious look, but nobody owned up. Doc then said no one was around the curry while he was cooking it, which made Flash sigh before pushing the meal away. "Great...now what am I gonna eat?" As soon as he asked that, his curry seemed to float up into the air before moving over to Slowpoke. Slowpoke's before untouched bowl of Pokémon food was then floated over to Flash and dropped in front of him. Everyone gave the dopey Pokémon an odd look as they watched it slowly float the contents of the curry into it's mouth, either not noticing or caring about the super spicy taste it had. "Err...thanks?"

"I wouldn't eat that Flash," Twilight told him as she pointed at the bowl. "Pokémon food isn't meant for people. Remember when you first caught Skyler?" Flash nodded and pushed the food away, Doc then pulling out some jam and bread for him to make a sandwich out of.

Once everyone was full, they spent the last hour of daylight cleaning up before they all recalled their Pokémon, all ready to go to bed. Sleep came particularly easy for them, and for several hours, they all rested peacefully. That is, until all the water Flash had had at dinner finally reached the exit of his body, waking and making him moan before carefully getting out of the tent so he wouldn't wake Doc or Springer. Once out of the tent, he rushed into the trees and bushes, all far away enough before doing his...business.

"Ahhh," he sighed in relief as he finished, "Much better." He zipped himself up before heading back to camp, but as he entered the clearing, he blinked as he looked up at a new sight. It was a particularly clear night, no clouds in the sky as the stars covered the sky. But as he looked in one direction, he noticed that a section of the sky appeared starless....only for it turn into a odd color of black. His eyes squinted as he stared at the sight, only to notice it was moving. The sky-bound thing was thick and wavy, but as he glared at it, Flash's nose also picked up what it was.

"Oh no..." Flash gasped before running back to the tents. "EVERYBODY UP! NOW, NOW, NOW!"

The tents and wagon all opened up to show a bunch of very tired and annoyed glares. "What's going on?!" Trixie asked as she pulled off her sleeping cap, which had the same design as her wizard's hat. "There better be a good reason why-"

"Smoke! There's a forest fire!" Flash interrupted as he pointed behind them. The group turned to the sight, only to all gasp as the barely visible dark cloud started to get closer.

Trixie let out a screech before jumping out of her wagon and running behind it. Once there, she started trying to push it, her form quickly glaring at the others, "Hurry, you gotta help me! My wagon is filled with fireworks! If it goes up, I don't want to imagine the kind of explosion it'll create!"

The others gasped before running over, all helping push the wagon to a safe distance. Once it was in the center of the clearing, they turned back to the smoke. Staring through the trees, they could now see the flames that were making it. "Now what?" Spike asked as he hid behind Twilight, "Where'd this fire even come from?!"

"No time for theories," Doc replied before crossing his arms. "We need to do something about it before the flames surround us."

They nodded as Twilight turned to Flash. "Flash, bring out Riptide and tell him to use Water Gun on the trees around the clearing. We might not be able to stop this, but we can keep ourselves safe."

"Got it." Flash pulled out his Pokeball, enlarging it. "Riptide, come out and use Water Gun!" He tossed it and unleashed the Aquana, who landed before taking a deep breath.

"Aquana!" He began unleashing torrents of high powered water, all of it soaking the trees.

"Nice!" Spike cheered while Doc turned to Trixie.

"Can your Slowpoke use any Water-Type moves?"

"Just one," Trixie rushed back into her wagon and quickly returned with her Pokeball. "Slowpoke!" The ball opened as Slowpoke appeared at her feet. "Go use Water Pulse."

Slowpoke didn't say anything, instead opening its mouth as a blue sphere of water appeared. It fired the orb at the wood, exploding with a wave a water that covered the bottom of all the trees around them. "Good work," Trixie commented before picking Slowpoke up. "But maybe get a little closer," she carried it over as it launched another Water Pulse, soaking more and more forest. But as the two worked to cover all the trees, they were only half way around the clearing before they could see the flames start to reach them.

"Oh no," Twilight said as she gripped Spike's side.

"There's gotta be something we can do." Flash added as he backpedaled. "Something..."

But as he said that, something shot out of the trees and landed in the center of the clearing. They all glanced at it, only to almost mistake it for Riptide. It was a humanoid lizard like Pokémon, whose head to toe height was about four and a half feet. It had light blue skin with a dark blue belly with light blue long arms, but his hands and three fingers were dark blue. Its tail was long, light blue with a dark blue streak underneath it that ran from its belly, and had a pair of strong light blue legs with dark blue feet. The creature also had three white fin like appendages on its head, two coming from either side of its mouth while the third was a foot and a half long dorsal fin that ran from the tip of its nose to the back of its head that increased its height to about and a five and a half feet.

"Spran..." the new Pokémon slowly said as it looked up at the blazing trees. "Nee...nitor."

"Whose that Pokémon?" Spike asked.

"It's a Spranitor," Twilight answered as Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Spranitor
Category: Water Lizard Pokémon
Type: Water
Info: The evolved form of Aquana. Its body has grown more adept to moving on land, while its swimming ability has grown as well. Wild Spranitors have been known to help people in distress out at sea.

"So that's what Riptide's gonna evolve into?" Flash asked as his Aquana stared at its future form with awe.

A large crackling sound then brought their attention back to the forest fire, reminding them that they were still in trouble. "Spranitor!" They looked up to the source of that voice, only to see someone around Doc's age run out of the trees. The teen had pale skin and was dressed in a black shirt and pants with an orange vest, boots and hat. A looped up lasso was also tied to the left side of his belt.

The teen glared at the fire and sighed, "Not again. Spranitor, you know what to do!"

Spranitor nodded before it started moving its body back and forth, as if it was trying to dance. Spike then pointed at the Pokémon, "Is now really the best time to bust a move?! We've kinda got a situation here!"

The teen just smirked and crossed his arms, "just watch."

They turned back to the Spranitor as it continue to dance, only for Twilight to notice a rumbling sound, making her look up. Dark clouds were beginning to swirl into existence above the forest, making her gasp. "Wait, is that-"

"Rain?" Trixie continued as a drip of water hit her nose.

"Its Rain Dance!" Twilight exclaimed, only for the rain to start pouring in droves. Everyone watched as the rain began to put out the fire, completely extinguishing it before the clouds began to fade away.

Once gone, the teen leaned down and fist bumped the Spranitor. "Nice work partner."

"That was awesome!" Spike cheered as they ran over to him.

Twilight bowed next, "Thank you so much for helping us. If you didn't come along, we might have been in serious trouble."

"She's right," Trixie slid over to his side and started tracing a finger over his vest. "If there's...anything Trixie can do to thank you-"

The teen chuckled as he de-clung Trixie from his side, "That's very kind of you, but you don't need to thank me. I'm just doing my job," he pointed to himself. "I'm Drizzle, and this is Spranitor."

Spranitor smirked before crossing his arms, "Spran!"

Riptide ran over to him, stars in his eyes. "Aquana! Ak, aquana!" Spranitor just raised an eyebrow at this, Springer then walking over and pulling Aquana away from the evolved form.

"We're from the ranger union," Drizzle continued as he patted Spranitor's head. "We were sent to investigate these forest fires."

"Forest fires?" Twilight asked as she hopped in place, "So...this is something that keeps happening?"

Drizzle nodded in response. "This is the fourth fire in two weeks. We were sent to find the cause, but so far, we've been unable to find anything in terms of what is making the fires. I apologize in asking this, but you five haven't come across anything that might tell us what made this fire, do you?"

Everyone shook their heads as Flash replied, "Sorry, but we just woke up to this forest fire suddenly happening. Unless unusually spicy curry is a clue, we don't know anything."

Drizzle was about to sigh, only to blink as he got an unusual look on his face. He then reached into his vest, "Actually...that might be a clue." He pulled out a flask and uncorked it before reaching his finger in, then showing it to the group. They all stared at the finger, now seeing a bit of red dust. "I found this stuff at the scene of all three fires. Look familiar?"

Twilight reached up and sniffed the dust, shooting back at the irritation that now flared up her nose. "Ugh. It's some kind of spice."

Doc took some of it on his finger and tasted it, his eyes going wide, "Yow! That's spicy! Its like nothing I've ever had."

Trixie turned back to Drizzle. "And you found it where you think the fires started?"

Drizzle nodded again. "Yes. I sent some to the ranger base for testing, but it could be a while before we hear back from them."

Twilight hummed for a moment, her brain going over all the Pokémon she knew about. "Fire, a spice and something that must be small enough to get close enough to Doc's curry without us knowing....hmmm...I wonder..."

Flash turned to her, "I know that look. You got an idea what the culprit is?"

Twilight nodded before pointing at his belt. "I think I do. Flash, type the name Pyroom into your Pokedex."

Flash nodded and did as he was told, the device quickly beeping as it brought up the data. Everyone crowded around Flash as they watched the image of a Pokémon appear onscreen. It looked like a mushroom, with a round yellow colored stem that had a pair of large black eyes. The head of the mushroom had red with spots all over it, and at the bottom of the stem were a pair large oval-like soles that were the same color as the stem, showing it was the Pokémon's feet.

Name: Pyroom
Category: Spicy Pokémon
Type: Fire/Grass
Info: As a defense mechanism, the Pokémon can release an unusual powder that causes the skin to burn. When properly prepared, the powder can be used as an ingredient for spicy food.

Doc rubbed his chin at this. "So that's it. A Pyroom must have walked into the clearing when we weren't looking. They're easily started Pokémon, so if it got near the curry and was spooked, it must have released the powder before running off."

"And it got into my curry." Flash moaned, "Blasted thing almost burnt my tongue to a crisp."

Twilight crossed her arms at this. "And if it is a culprit, since it's a Fire-Type, it's likely used a Fire-Type attack to start the forest fire."

"But why would it do that?" Spike asked next.

"It probably didn't mean too," Drizzle replied. "Pyrooms usually live in forests, so they don't regularly create forest fires. If you're saying they're doing this, something must be startling it enough that it doesn't think its powder is enough. Perhaps its having to attack something?"

"That's logical." Twilight added as she asked for Flash's Pokedex. "If I remember correctly, Pyroom like to be in groups, which means forest fires could be really easy for them to get out of control. More Fire-type moves mean faster fires after all."

"So what do we do about it?" Trixie asked.

"We find and remove either the Pyroom or whatever's causing it to use its flames," Drizzle replied as he lifted up Spranitor into his arms. "I'll start searching in the morning."

"And we'll help," Flash added, "The search'll go a lot faster if we all look...and we don't wanna sleep into a fire."

Drizzle nodded yet again. "Thank you."

"No problem," Doc told him before Spike let out a yawn. "We should probably try and get some sleep. We'll need to be rested and ready." Everyone nodded before heading back to their tents and or wagon, Drizzle and Spranitor deciding to stay in the branches of a tree in case another fire broke out.

The next morning...

Despite the late night, everyone was up bright and early the next morning. Doc made a quick and easy breakfast, which everyone guzzled down with great haste. "This is good," Drizzle told him as he took a bite of his scrambled egg.

"Thanks. I used a touch of the Pyroom powder to add a small kick. Well, I added it to almost everyone's," he turned to Flash, slightly raising an eyebrow.

Flash looked up from his breakfast and glared at Doc, "What?! I don't like spicy food. Sue me!" Everyone laughed at this before continuing to eat, Spranitor seeming to enjoy the Pokémon food Doc made for him.

Once completed, everyone prepared to head out, Spike then asking, "So where do you think we'll find the Pyroom?"

"Hard to say," Drizzle commented as Spranitor stood beside him. "Since they're mushroom Pokémon, it's likely they'll be attracted to places mushrooms would grow."

"Then we need to find a humid area of the forest," Twilight replied as she pushed her glasses up her nose. "Somewhere where the wind wouldn't blow, and where the soil would have lots of nutrients. It'll also probably be somewhere dark." She turned to Flash, "Bring out Skyler. Let him fly over the forest."

"You got it." Flash pulled out his Pokeball. "Skyler, I choose you!" He threw the ball into the air, soon revealing the Wingust as it soared above the clearing. "Skyler, I want you to find the thickest part of the woods. Somewhere so dense that the sun wouldn't be able to get through the trees."

"Wingust!" Skyler squawked taking to the air, soon flying over the woods. And as he flew, he stared down at the forest, only to then find a place with nothing but leaves. Smirking at the sight, he flew back to his owner.

"WINGUST!"

As everyone trekked through the woods, they looked up and saw the Flying-Type circling an area of the forest. "Skyler's found it! That's where we need to go." Flash commented as Drizzle took the lead, guiding them to that location.

Marching through the forest, they soon reached the area. And just like they had been hoping for, this section was incredibly dense. The trees were all close together and extremely thick, so thick that when they passed the first line, they felt a sudden increase in the temperature. The thickness of the trees were blocking out any wind, making the heat haze around as no coolness level could be reached.

The canopy was just as thick, so thick that it was completely blocking out the sun. Flash then returned Skyler when he started having trouble flying between the trees, Spike then walking in front of him and pointing at a spot. "Look at that." he commented as they all now saw a pile of red powder. Spike was then about to touch the pile, only for Drizzle to suddenly grab his wrist.

"Don't! If that powder's fresh, it'll cause your skin to burn like crazy. We're getting close though."

"How close?"

KABOOM!

The group all jumped at the sound of the explosion, spinning around to its origin, only to see nothing but deep dark woods. "Come on!" Drizzle and Spranitor rushed off, the others soon following. More explosions then filled the air, each one louder than the last as they moved closer to the source. But they came to a stop when they found themselves standing in front of a group of burning trees, the flames quickly spreading thanks to their close proximity.

Twilight then gripped Drizzle's shoulder, "You need to use Rain Dance!"

But as Drizzle looked up, he frowned, "Canopy's too thick, the water won't get through. The leaves will be safe, but the trunks-"

"We'll deal with the tree trunks," Flash said as he and Trixie pulled out their Pokeballs. "You deal with the rest. Riptide-"

"Slowpoke-"

"COME ON OUT!" They tossed their Pokeballs and released the Pokémon, who saw the flames and fired the water attacks instantly.

"Alright, that definitely works." Drizzle turned to his partner, "Rain Dance!"

"Spran!" Spranitor began to perform his ritualistic dance. Seconds later, they began to hear a rumbling from above the trees before the sound of patting water fill the forest. Up above them, the summoned rain splashed down on the trees, all soon rolling through the thick canopy. As Drizzle said, the foliage was so massive that the water was absorbed before it could reach the last line of leaves, but made the leaves wet enough that the climbing flames couldn't burn them.

It was here that Riptide put out the last fire, only for another explosion the fill the air. The group glanced at the noise, all following it until they reached an area of the forest filled with burnt and broken tree trunks. And as they walked up to the disaster area-

"PYROOM!" They turned just in time to see a large group of Pyroom. They were just like the image they had seen in Flash's Pokedex, though they all about a foot and half in height. The sight wasn't enough to guess the number of the shrooms, but it had to be between fifteen and twenty of the Pokémon.

But the strangest thing was, they weren't the only Pokémon in the area. On the other side of the clearing was a group of large ant like Pokémon. Their bodies appeared to be completely made out of gray metal, with six black metallic legs and a pair of razor sharp scissor like jaws. Also, on their heads were a pair of antenna. Trixie reached into her pocket and pulled out her own light blue version of the Pokedex, which she used to scan the Pokémon.

Name: Durant
Category: Iron Ant Pokémon
Type: Bug/Steel
Info: They evolved an iron shell for protection against Heatmor, their natural predator, and dig maze like nests underground. They hunt in groups, surrounding their pray before attacking.

"That explains it," Drizzle said with clenched teeth.

"What do you mean?" Spike asked.

"Durant are known for...not liking any Pokémon but themselves. Watch and see!" Twilight explained as she pointed at one of the Durant as it scuttled towards one of the Pyroom. In response, the Pyroom shook its head before releasing a load of its powder. However, Durant simply walked through the powder, having no issue with the spice.

Durant then tried to bite the Pyroom with its steel jaws, only for it to jump back at the last second. "PYROOM!" From out of one its white spots flew a barrage of fireballs, which the Durant easily dodged, allowing the flames to hit a nearby tree.

"Not good!" Drizzle said as they watched the fire begin to engulf the tree.

"Riptide, Water Gun!"

"AQUANA!" Riptide fired its water burst at the tree, putting out the flames.

This action alone made the Durant and Pyroom notice them, making Drizzle walk in front of the groups, "All of you, stop this! Don't you see what you're doing?! You're putting the forest and all who live here in great danger!" The Pyroom all exchanged glances at the statement, but the Durant didn't even react. Instead, one of them just turned back and tried to take another bite out of the Pyroom.

Everyone watched as the Pyroom repeated what had happened before, releasing its powder yet again. But as the armored ant walked through the spice, the Fire/Grass-Type then unleashed an Ember attack, forcing the ant to dodge.

"Water Gun!" Flash yelled again as Riptide spat out another stream of blue spit at the flames.

"This isn't working," Trixie commented. "Trixie is guessing these two have been having problems for a while."

Doc nodded in agreement. "It looks like the Pyroom don't mean to set fire to the forest, but the Durant are completely immune to their other form of defense."

"Their skin is protected by their armor," Twilight added as she bit her lip. "And since they're Bug and Steel-Types, Pyroom's grass attacks will barely be able to be effective against them."

"Then we've got no other choice," Flash continued as he pointed at the ants. "We've got to get those Durant to leave!"

"Ri/Ak!" Springer and Riptide added in agreement before the three ran in front of the Pyroom.

"Don't worry," Flash said back to them. "You'll be safe with us."

Drizzle turned to Spranitor as the water lizard nodded, the two soon standing next to Flash and his team. "As a ranger, its my duty to protect the forest from anything that might threaten it." He pointed at the Durant, "And that's means you."

The rest of the group ran up to be beside them, Spike pumping his fist together, "Let's do this!"

The Durant all glared at the group before charging, their pincers glowing a reflective light as they prepared to use Metal Claw, "I don't think so!" Flash told them before he covered his ears. "Echoed Voice!"

"Ak..." Riptide took a deep breath in while the others covered their ears, "WANAAAAAA!" The soundwaves echoed through the forest, making the Durant all stop in their place and flinch at the horrible high pitched noise. Several began to dig at the ground, seeming to sink into it to escape the scream.

When Riptide finished yelling, Springer lowered his paws before running at the still recovering Durant that remained aboveground. "Drain Punch!" His fist glowed green as he thrusted it into one of the closest Durant, sending it flying back in pain.

"Ri!" Springer cheered, only for his celebration to be cut short when the ground beneath him exploded, knocking him back as a Durant hopped out of the hole.

"Aqua Tail!" The Durant looked up just in time to see Spranitor leaping at it, water now spiraling around its tail.

"Nee...TOR!" Spranitor spun around and slammed its tail into Durant, smacking it into a nearby tree.

Springer then hopped back into the battle as Flash turned to Drizzle, "Thanks man."

"No problem." However, the ground around them exploded as several more Durant jumped out to surround them. "Okay, problem." They watched as the Durant began marching, their pincers glowing white.

"That's Bug Bite!" Doc announced as Peewee took to the sky.

"TERRA!" He cried as he unleashed a flurry of Ember attacks in a circle. The Durant all cowered away, only for a ring of flames to surround the humans.

"Peewee! We're trying to stop the fires, not make new ones!" Spike yelled, the Terragon blushing at its mistake.

"Water Gun!" Flash and Drizzle yelled as Riptide and Spranitor put the fire out, only to see the Durant use this opening to scuttle towards the group.

"Use Confusion!" Trixie ordered her Slowpoke, whose eyes glowed before unleashing a blue beam of light. This attack struck one of the Durant, pushing it back. But when it was over, it didn't appear to have taken much damage. It was then that Trixie remembered they were Steel-Types, which had an advantage against Psychic-Type attacks. "Not good."

"Aura Sphere!" Flash ordered as Springer created his blue ball attack before shooting it at another Durant. And as it struck, it created a small explosion, knocking several Durant back. "Nice! Now, Double Team!"

"Riolu!" In a flash, Springer multiplied, his copies forming a circle around the group. The Durant all glanced at the sudden increased number of opponents, only to start scuttling at the Riolus with glowing pincers.

"Aura Sphere...BARRAGE!" The Springer all created multiple tiny Aura Sphere, which hit ever that Durant got close. One by one the Durant were blasted back, all being slammed into multiple trees or hitting the ground rolling.

The Durant who hadn't attacked glared at the Riolu as they disappeared. But as they did this, Drizzle pointed at the ants, "Acrobatics!" Spranitor heard this and raced at such a high speed that it appeared to be leaving after-images. Once it reached one of the Durant, Spranitor kneed it in the head before racing to another Durant and doing the same thing as before. It did this several times, knocking the glaring armored ants back with ease.

While this happened, the Durant that Springer had hit started to get up, most going into the holes from the previous Dig attacks. "Not this time!" Flash yelled before turning to Riptide, "Use Echoed Voice into the holes!"

Riptide nodded before jumping over to one of them and taking another deep breath, "AQUANA!" The sonic attack shot into the tunnel, bouncing off the walls as its speed and power remained the same. Everyone watched as the ground below them shook, seconds before exploding as the Durant began to climb out in a daze while huddled together.

"Now Peewee!" Spike roared as he pointed at the group, "Dragon Breath!"

"Terr..." Peewee landed in front of him before taking a deep breath, "WAGON!" It launched its blue and white fire at the Durant, an explosion following this as it burnt the whole group. And as the attack ended, the severely injured and burnt Durant turned to them with a whimper, now finally acknowledging they were outmatched. With no other choice, the group turned to scuttle away into the woods and lick their wounds.

"And stay out!" Spike added.

"I don't think they're gonna take the message," Drizzle commented as they watched them disappear into the forest. Once they were completely out of sight, everyone sighed in relief before turning back to the Pyroom. Drizzle then crouched down to the mushrooms, "Relax. You're safe now." The Pyroom gave him a happy nod, at least he figured they were happy considering they didn't have any mouths. That being said, he let out a small sigh, "But even so, this forest isn't safe for you anymore."

The Pyroom all tilted their heads at this, which the others were also doing as Flash asked, "What do you mean?"

Drizzle stood back up to them. "Those Durant have made their nest in this forest, so they'll likely be back. If the Pyroom stay here, this whole mess will eventually start again, and you know what that means."

"You mean this whole place will eventually get burnt to a crisp." Spike replied with crossed arms, "But why should Pyroom have to leave?"

"He's right. They were here first," Trixie added. "That's not fair to them."

"Sometimes, life isn't fair, but that's the way things are. After all, unlike the Durant, these Pyroom will be much more cooperative." Drizzle turned back to the Pyroom and smiled, "I can find you all a nice new home, somewhere where the Durant or any other Pokémon predator will ever find you. You'll be safe, I can assure you of that." He held out his hand, "What do you say?"

The Pyroom all stared at him, only to turn and huddle up. They did this for about a minute, everyone unable to hear what they were saying. After this, they turned back to Drizzle, only for one of them to jump into Drizzle's hand. "Pyroom!"

"PYROOM!" The others all cheered in unison.

Drizzle sighed in relief as he stood back up, the Pyroom remaining on the palm of his hand. "So does this mean you're gonna let me take you somewhere safe?" The Pyroom nodded, "Thank you." He then turned to the others, "And thank all of you as well. I would have never found and saved them without you."

Flash laughed as he placed his hands behind his head, "Don't mention it." The others all nodded in agreement as Flash added, "Sides, we're used to fixing problems like this. We do it all the time."

"He's kidding, right?" Trixie whispered to Twilight, only to get a deadpan stare and shake of the head in response.

"Nope. This is the usual for all of us. We literally solve every problem in every town ever." Trixie raised an eyebrow at this, only for Twilight to add, "Seriously. No joke."

"Huh...here's hoping Trixie's trip with you all doesn't have many more problems."

Not long after that, our heroes returned to their camp and started packing up their stuff. Once ready, they prepared to say their farewells to Drizzle, Spranitor and the Pyroom.

"Well, guess this is it."

"Guess so," Twilight replied. "We wish you rangers luck in relocating the Pyroom."

"Thanks," Drizzle said with a nod. "I contacted HQ and gave my report. They've already located another forest that the Pyroom will like. There's no known predators there, so there shouldn't be any problems. That and there's a ranger base that'll be able to deal with any forest fires that occur."

"That's good."

Drizzle reached into his pocket and pulled out a large jar of familiar looking powder, which he held out to Doc. "Here, a little thank you from me and the Pyroom. I'm sure you'll be able to put this to good use."

Doc smiled with a nod as he took the jar, "Thanks. Can't wait to see what I can make with this."

"Just make sure to keep it away from my food," Flash commented with crossed arms. Everyone else laughed before Drizzle and the Pokémon began to walk off. They all waved their goodbyes until they were finally out of sight, Trixie turning to the others as she pointed to her wagon.

"So, shall we get back on the road?" The boys all moaned in response while the girls just laughed.

Our heroes stop in the forest had been an eventful one to say the least. Having helped a group of Pyroom and saved the woods from being burnt to ash, they can now continue their journey to Hoof Town and the Hoof Cup

Who Cares, Wins

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With their journey to Hoof Town and the Hoof Cup almost at an end, our heroes find themselves approaching a small village most famous for its Pokémon daycare.

"There it is," Twilight announced as Trixie pulled the wagon to a stop at the top of a hill. The loud clattering of the wagon's back opening filled the air, followed by a barrage of moans as Flash, Spike, Doc and their Pokémon all walked over to the front while stretching. Once there, they looked down the hill to see the small village before looking beyond it. There, they saw an array of different environments right next to one another. Meadows, lakes, rocky areas and many more, all of them being every habitat needed to raise every kind of Pokémon under the sun. Each were separated by wooden fences, with one large fence encasing the whole thing.

"So that's the daycare," Doc said once his aching joints dulled.

Twilight nodded. "It's supposed to be famous as the place where you go to help your Pokémon train."

"Awesome!" Spike cheered, "You think they'd know how to evolve our Pokémon?"

"Probably, but I'm happy letting my Pokémon evolve when they're ready." Doc replied as he stretched his arms, "Besides, evolution isn't everything for Pokémon."

"I agree...but just imagine all the Pokémon they have down there." Flash added as he pointed at the structure, "Maybe we could get the chance to see one of them evolve."

"So let's go take a look," Trixie said before snapping the reins and having her Girafarig begin to pull the wagon down the hill. The boys followed beside it, the group soon making their way through the village.

As they made their way, Twilight looked at her notebook and viewed the town's shops. "Hang on. There's a pharmacy around that corner where we can buy some medicine at. We're running low on stock."

"Should we go now or wait until after we've seen the daycare?" Doc asked back. But the second he finished talking, the sound of an explosion filled the air. Everyone hopped in place at the sound, soon looking up to see a cloud of smoke floating up above the roofs.

"I'd say we come back later," Trixie said as she tried to pull her Girafarig away from this. Everyone else rolled their eyes, only for Flash and Springer to run in the direction of the noise. When the two arrived around the corner, they found the whole place was looked like a tornado had struck it. Glass, bricks and metal shrapnel were all over the area, people looking terrified and crouched on the ground in terror. Before he could ask what had caused this, one of the few remaining store fronts exploded open as something jumped out of it.

That something was a dinosaur like Pokémon who was gray and blue, with a head that looked like it was made out of a blue crystal. The Pokémon scrapped its foot along the ground, looking around for something. "Cray...Cranidos!"

"A Cranidos!" Twilight yelped as she and the others arrived on the scene, Trixie pulling out her Pokedex and scanning it.

Name: Cranidos
Category: Headbutt Pokémon
Type: Rock
Info: Living in jungles one hundred million years ago, it would crash through any obstruction using its incredibly hard head. In mass, Cranidos keep their heads strong by headbutting one another and strengthening their skulls.

"What's that thing doing here?!" Spike asked next.

"CRANIDOS!" The prehistoric Pokémon began charging at them before anyone could answer, Springer acting fast and rushing forwards as he created an Aura Sphere in his paw.

"RIOLU!" Springer thrusted it into Cranidos's head, the blow instantly knocking the Pokémon flying back.

"Nice one bud," Flash complimented as Cranidos picked itself up. Seeing this, Springer ran at the Pokémon, but as the Headbutt Pokémon saw him coming, his whole body began to glow. There, the light flew off his body and spiraled into a sphere.

"That's Ancient Power!" Twilight screamed at Flash. "Don't let that hit Springer!"

"I won't! Use Double Team!" As Cranidos fired its attack, Springer multiplied into six. The attack struck one of the Springers, making it disappear, but left the other five safe to surround it. "Aura Sphere Barrage!"

"RIOLU!" The Springer army yelled as they thrusted a volley of Aura Spheres at the Pokémon.

"CRAY!" It screamed as the five tiny, yet powerful, sphere exploded off of it. And as all but one of the Springers disappeared, the pachycephalosaur wobbled on its feet before falling sideways.

"Alright," Flash pulled out a Pokeball, "GO POKEBALL!" He tossed the ball at the Cranidos, everyone watching as it struck the downed Fossil Pokémon. But as it tapped its head...the Pokeball didn't open. Instead, it just bounced off, the ball tapping the ground like nothing had happened.

"What's going on?" Spike asked, "Is that Pokeball broken?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, if it was broken, the ball would have cracks in it or wouldn't expand in Flash's hand when he pulled it out. Though if that's the case...the only reason it wouldn't work is because this thing's not wild."

"Cranidos!" They turned to see a middle aged couple running down the street, coming to a stop next to the Pokemon. The woman, who had yellow skin and white hair, kneeled down next to Cranidos and began looking over it while the man, who had green skin and purple hair, looked around at the street.

"You think they're its trainers?" Trixie asked next.

"Possibly," Doc added.

"Only one way to find out. Excuse me," they turned to look at Flash. "Sorry to interrupt, but are you this Cranidos's trainers?"

"In a way," the man replied. "We are the ones responsible for it. Who are you?"

"They're the ones who stopped that thing!" one of the store owners yelled out.

"I see..." the woman said as she stood up, only to do a small bow. "Thank you for stopping Cranidos."

"Eh, its no problem. I just hope I didn't hurt it too much."

"Nothing a little rest and relaxation can't fix," the man pulled out a Pokeball and returned the Cranidos before looking back at the street. "All this on the other hand..."

"You'd better pay for the repairs Basil," another store owner almost yelled.

"We will," the woman bowed again. "I promise." The store owners simply gave them all a glare before walking into what remained of their stores, the couple sighing at the sight.

Flash and the others all gave each other a glance, most shrugging as Doc walked over to the couple. "Excuse me, but you said earlier that you weren't the Cranidos's trainer, but you are responsible for it. I'm just wondering what you meant."

"I see. Well first off, I'm Basil." He then pointed to the woman, "and this is my wife."

"Daisy."

"We're the owners of the Pokémon Daycare."

"Ooooh," Everyone replied in unison. "That explains it."

"So what happened?" Spike asked next, "How did Cranidos get out?"

"Well, it was just left at our daycare, so it was a little anxious. That happens a lot with first time drop offs."

Daisy nodded in agreement, "Cranidos was probably looking for its trainer. That's why it ran amok."

"I see," Twilight added as she adjusted her glasses. "Makes sense."

Daisy then spoke up. "Since you're here, how would you like a tour of our ranch?"

"Seriously?"

"Of course," Basil replied, nodding. "It's the least we could do to thank you for your help." The others all nodded before the couple began to lead them towards their daycare, soon arriving at the edge of the village where a large building stood, fences on its sides. "This is our main drop off area."

They all gasped as Basil and Daisy showed them inside, Trixie tying her wagon to the fence and returning Girafarig. Once inside the building, they found it was a reception-like place. Sitting behind the counter was a teen Flash's age, with green skin and yellow hair. He wore a white shirt and baggy brown pants. He didn't seem to notice them, to consumed with the video game he was playing.

Basil and Daisy both rolled their eyes before walking over to him. "Cedar!" The teen suddenly jolted up from his game and looked up at the two.

"Oh..." the teen looked back down at his game, "Did you get it?"

"Yes...after Cranidos destroyed half the town! This never would have happened if you had been paying attention to it like we asked!"

"Whatever," Cedar hopped off his seat and began walking towards the door behind the counter. "Anyways, I'm heading to my room."

"Oh, no you don't!" Basil told him. "This little incident means we had to ignore the chores, so you're gonna be doing them instead."

"WHAT?!" Cedar gasped, turning to them in shock, "That's not fair!"

"It's very fair," Daisy held out her hand. "Game! Now!" Cedar sighed before giving her the game console, the teen turning and marching out of the room with his hands in his pockets.

Once he was gone, the two turned back to the others, sighing. "We're sorry you had to see that."

"Your son?" Twilight guessed, Daisy nodding.

"Yes. We put him in charge of Cranidos, but it seems he's to concerned with playing video games than his family's legacy."

"Legacy?" Spike asked, only for Basil to motion them to step into a corridor.

"Our family's been running this daycare for six generations. In that time, we've accumulated all forms of Pokémon knowledge. Including what our business is best known for, evolution." They arrived at the end of the corridor, where Basil pushed open a pair of doors to a new room. Everyone was wide-eyed at what they saw there, as it was a room filled multiple shelves, each holding many different items that some of them recognized.

"Amazing," Twilight commented as she passed a shelf. "Water Stones, Fire Stones, Thunder Stones, Leaf Stones..."

"Protectors, Electrizers, Reaper Cloths," Doc continued, "All items needed to evolve Pokémon."

Daisy giggled at this, "Indeed. Show us a Pokémon and we'll tell you exactly how to evolve it."

"Really?" Spike asked.

"Really." Basil replied, nodding.

"Alright...." Trixie walked between them with a cocky smirk on her face. "I have a Magitual, Girafarig and a Slowpoke. How do I evolve them?"

Basil smirked back. "Magitual simply needs to reach a high enough level. Girafarig can't evolve, and Slowpoke can evolve into either a Slowbro or a Slowking depending on what you do."

"What about my Higear?" Doc asked even though he already knew.

"Higear evolves?" Flash asked first.

"It does," Daisy added. "In fact, we had a trainer here a few days ago that was looking to evolve his Higear. Unfortunately, he used our last Upgrade to do so."

"I see..." Doc said while rubbing his chin. "That's too bad."

"Upgrade? What's that?" Spike asked next.

"It's a device that can evolve a Polygon or a Higear," Twilight explained as she tapped Spike's shoulder. "They need to be holding it while either being traded or transferred."

Basil nodded at this. "The digitization causes the item to be fused into the Pokémon, allowing them everything they need to evolve."

It was in that moment they heard a beating sound surround the room. They then turned to see a large green dragonfly Pokémon appear, landing on top of a shelf.

"Wow...what's that?" Spike asked.

Daisy let out a small sigh. "That's Cedar's Yanmega."

"Yanmega?" Flash pulled out his Pokedex and scanned it.

Name: Yanmega
Category: Ogre Darner Pokémon
Type: Bug/Flying
Info: By beating its wings, it can create shockwaves that can cause internal damage. It is adept at flying at super high speeds, using its powerful jaws to bite the heads of its prey.

"Yanmega was hatched here in the daycare as a Yanma," Basil explained as she raised her hand for the bug to land on it. "Cedar raised it, played with it, and later evolved it."

"Impressive," Twilight added, the others also surprised compared to what they had seen earlier with Basil.

But before anyone could say anything else, there was a knock at the door. They turned to see a teen boy walk into the room, a Scyther standing beside him. "Hey...sorry to barge in. I've been waiting about thirty minutes."

"You have?!" Daisy yelped, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," the boy replied with a nod, "I paid the guy at your reception desk, and he told me to wait out back and said someone would come get me."

Basil, Daisy and even Yanmega sighed, realizing Cedar had obviously forgotten about him. "We're sorry for the delay. Can we help you with something?"

The boy nodded again. "I wanted to evolve my Scyther. I was told this is the place to do so."

The daycare people smiled as Daisy and Yanmega walked off, Basil walking up to him. "You've come to the right place. This'll be easy." Daisy and Yanmega returned, the dragonfly now carrying a cloth and a jar filled with some weird silver paste.

"Here," she took them from Yanmega and handed it to the boy, "Cover your Scyther in this Metal Coat." The boy nodded and undid the jar, using the cloth to apply the paste to the mantis. Once it was covered, Basil told him to return the Scyther before showing them to a pair of machines in the back of the room.

"These are our transporters," Basil pointed to one of them. "Place your Scyther's Pokeball in the bowl." The boy did so, Basil and Daisy switching the two machines on. "And...transport." Both pressed the same button as the machines lit up before the one with Scyther's Pokeball unleashed a beam of energy. Everyone watched as the Pokeball completely disappeared while the energy was sucked into the machine, the other transporter beginning to unleash the same energy that flew into its bowl. They moved over to it as the Pokeball began to appear, fully materializing as the machines switched off.

The boy stepped over to the Pokeball and picked it up, opening it up as a barrage of red energy flew out. It then took form, fading to reveal the Scyther, who let out a cry before its whole body was engulfed by a new light.

"Wow..." everyone gasped as the Pokémon began to shift and change. And when the metamorphosis ended, the light faded to reveal the newly evolved Scizor.

"Scizor!" the red mantis snapped its new pincers. The boy smiled before running over to Scizor, throwing his arms around it's neck as he hugged it.

"You look awesome Scizor!"

"Sciz!"

The boy pulled away before turning back to Basil and Daisy. "Thank you," he bowed.

"Our pleasure," Daisy replied with a giant smile. With that, the boy and his Scizor ran out the room, cheering all the way.

Once they were gone, Twilight turned to Daisy and Basil. "It's nice you're willing to help others achieve their goals. That boy's Scyther may have never evolved without you."

"It's what we do," Basil said as he walked over to another door and opened it up to reveal it was to their garden. There, they saw many different Pokémon running around playing or relaxing, Yanmega flying off while the others began their tour. They soon found the meadow was filled with Sandshrew, Aipom, Electrike, Stunky and all their evolved forms. The rocky areas were filled with many Rock-Types like Geodude, Larvitar, Aron, Roggenrola and their evolved forms, and the lakes were filled with Water-Types like Poliwag, Marill, Lotad, Shellos along with their evolved forms.

Eventually, Daisy and Basil led them over to a building in the center of the ranch. "And this is our nursery, where we keep the youngest Pokémon." They walked inside and found a small room with a glass window on the far side. It was here that they saw what looked like a kindergarten classroom, the place filled with many toys and games. There, they spotted Pichu, Igglybuff, Smoochum, Budew, Bonsly, Munchlax and Happiny inside. Some where riding down slides while others bounced balls at one another.

"Awww...they're so cute!" Twilight cooed.

The others nodded as they walked fully inside, the Pokémon seeing them and rushing over for attention. "Alright, alright, calm down. Now who wants to play outside?" Daisy asked as the Pokémon all started to cheer before running over to the backdoor, which Basil opened to allow them to go into a small padded pen.

As they were about to follow, Trixie noticed a Pokémon in the corner of the room. It was blue with a black tail that had eyes. It's actual eyes appeared to be a pair of upwards pointing arrows, while its mouth appeared to be a zigzagged smile.

"Huh...what's that Pokémon?" Trixie pulled out her Pokedex and scanned it.

Name: Wynaut
Category: Bright Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Info: Usually seen with a massive grin on its face, it loves to pick food with its ear like arms. When angry, it slams its tail into the ground. On moonlit nights, they gather to play by squeezing up against each other.

"Wonder what's up with it?"

"Oh," Daisy replied as she stepped back into the room, "He's a new addition to the nursery. The thing's very shy, so it prefers to keep to itself. We've been trying to get it to open up, but nothing seems to work."

"Ah. If that's the case, I bet I can help." Trixie bragged as she crouched down, "Hello, I'm the great and powerful Trixie." She continued to stare at it, seeing if it would do any kind of reaction. But despite the smile on its face, it seemed to shy away and stared into the corner.

"Sorry to say, but he's too shy."

"Bah...I'm not giving up that easily." Trixie huffed, only for a lightbulb to shine in her head. Getting back up, she turned around with a hidden smirk, "Fine. I guess you don't want to see the magic show I was going to put on for you all."

Wynaut hopped in place at hearing this, turning to her while tilting its head. Trixie saw this and continued to smirk as she walked over to the door. "Feel free to come out and watch, if you want to have fun." With that, she walked outside, Daisy following. Wynaut just stared at the door, an internal battle raging between its nerves and its curiosity.

But as it did this, at the nursery's entrance, Cedar was leaning against the wall after hearing about Trixie's magic show. "So lame," he commented as he walked away.

A little while later, our heroes, the day-carers and the baby Pokémon were all sitting in front of Trixie's wagon.

"Ladies," Trixie's voice called out from nowhere, "gentlemen and Pokémon alike. Welcome, to Trixie's mesmeric magic show!" With that, the cart folded out into a stage form before a puff of smoke signalled the now dressed up Trixie's arrival. Everyone clapped at this, Bonsly and Budew jumping up and down due to lack of hands, as Trixie began performing some simple yet entertaining magic tricks.

And as the show went on, Wynaut slowly leaned around the edge of the doorway to try and watch. But the distance made it difficult to see the tricks in all their glory, so it slowly tip-toed out until it was at the very back of the group. The only one who saw this was Trixie, who smirked at the sight, "Now, for this next trick, I'm going to need some poké-assistance. Who wants to help out?" The baby Pokémon all jumped up and down, wanting to be picked. But instead, Trixie pointed to Wynaut. "You there! You look like you have the magical flair!"

"Why!" Wynaut yelped at this and tried to run back to the building, but Trixie had already jumped off stage.

Grabbing him, she hopped back onto the stage. "Don't be afraid. You'll be great." She then plopped him down on a table, handing him a magic wand. "Here, you'll need this." She took off her hat and reached inside, pulling out a deck of playing cards. Trixie then knelt down and held out the cards. "Pichu, pick a card and don't show it to me." Pichu did so, "Now, memorize it and place it back in the deck." Again, Pichu did so before Trixie moved over to Munchlax. She asked it to do the same, then moved over to Smoochum and repeated.

Once that happened, Trixie placed the deck next to Wynaut before placing her hat on it. "Now, Wynaut and I will use our magic powers to set all but the three chosen cards on fire." She turned to Wynaut, "You ready?" The Psychic-Type looked worried, but did a quick nod. "Then let's do it." She pulled out another wand and placed the end on the hat, "We must tap it three times. One," they tapped the hat. "Two," they did it again. "THREE!" They tapped the hat one last time before Trixie pulled the hat away, a small fireball suddenly engulfing the cards.

Everyone gasped at this as Trixie placed her hat back over the fire. "Now, we must tap the hat three more times to put out the fire. Ready?" Wynaut nodded before they tapped the hat with their wands. After the third tap, Trixie pulled the hat away to reveal a trio of cards. The three were balanced on their edges, one on the table with the other to balanced atop the other to form a tower of three cards.

Trixie took the cards and held them up to the Pokémon. "Are these your cards?" The three went wide-eyed, nodding rapidly after that. The baby Pokémon all clapped next, with Trixie holding up Wynaut. "Let's give my special assistant a big round of applause." The clapping increased, making Wynaut smile as Trixie put it down and the other Pokémon all gathered around to ask how it did that.

As this happened, Trixie jumped down from the stage as the others moved over to her. "Great show Tricks," Flash told her. "That last trick was awesome."

"How'd you do that?" Spike asked, only for Trixie to tap his nose.

"Sorry, but a magician never reveals her secrets."

"Well, however you did it, thank you." Basil turned to the baby Pokémon with a smile on his face. "I never thought Wynaut would open up like this, at least not so soon."

"Yes," Daisy nodded, "it's nice to see it beginning to bond with the others. When it first got here, it was very scared."

"Maybe that's because it knew it was trapped here." Everyone turned to the owner of the voice, seeing Cedar now leaning against the back of the nursery building, "It was upset because it's trainer abandoned it here."

Everyone gasped at this, Wynaut's eyes going wide at that thought as Basil and Daisy stood between them, "Cedar, you know that's not true."

"Wynaut's trainer left it here because he was going on a very dangerous trek that he didn't want to risk taking Wynaut into. Once he's reached a safer area, he'll contact us to send him his Pokémon."

Cedar just rolled his eyes. "Yeah right, that's what he said. But how can you trust him? How'd you know the trainer just didn't want it, so he left it here to be someone else's problem. Probably got sick of the crybaby, that's why he left it here."

"Hey! That's not very nice!" Trixie barked back, "Wynaut here is-"

"Cram it!" Cedar interrupted. "Your silly little magic show doesn't change the fact that these wimps are trapped here and might never leave. Well, don't think I'm gonna pick up after it! I've got better things to do than looking after other people's Pokémon."

"Oh really?!" Daisy growled. "Like what? Getting the high score on your video game?!"

"Well, what would be the point in getting interested in anything else? It's not like it matter what I care about."

"What are you talking about?!" Trixie asked.

Cedar turned to her. "I'm sure they've already told you about our family's 'great' history running this dump."

"Yes," Doc nodded, "For six generations in fact."

"Well, ever since I could walk, all these two talk about is me growing up to run this place. They never once asked me if there was anything else I wanted to do with my life."

Flash just raised an eyebrow at this, "Is there?"

Cedar placed his hands in his pockets, "No. What's the point in finding something I care about? Those two won't let me follow it." He glared at them, "Face it, this place isn't a daycare, it's a prison. And I'm just another prisoner, forced to spend the rest of my life stuck here."

Cedar's parents just sighed at this, Basil then asking, "But son, if you didn't want to take over the ranch, why didn't you ever tell us?"

"Because I shouldn't have had to tell you!" Cedar almost yelled, making some of the babies begin to cry. "Ever since Yanmega evolved, you've been convinced running this place was my destiny. But did you ever stop and wonder that maybe I'd like to do something else?! No, you just figured I'd accept being stuck here the rest of my life. Well, forget it!"

With that, he turned and jumped over the nursery fence, leaving everyone slightly perplexed by the sight. It was here that Spike spoke up, "Well, someone has a few issues."

Basil and Daisy both sighed again as they walked over to where their son had jumped the fence and leaned against it. "I always felt there was something up with Cedar...but to actually hear him say he didn't want to run the place."

"I guess it was selfish of us to assume he'd want to run this place," Daisy added as she saw all the baby Pokémon crowding around her feet. She then crouched down and started petting them.

"So what'll happen if Cedar doesn't take over the place?" Twilight asked.

"We'll have to keep running it until we no longer can. Once that happens, we'll either have to shut the daycare down, or hand it off to someone else."

"But learning everything needed to take over this place takes years," Daisy continued. "Even if there's someone caring and determined enough to take the job, they'd need to show up tomorrow if we wanted to teach them everything they needed to know."

Spike crossed his arms at this. "Man, talk about being selfish. Doesn't Cedar see how awesome this place is?"

"Maybe to someone looking at it from the outside," Doc added with a raised finger, "But think about how Cedar feels."

"What do you mean?" Trixie asked next.

"He doesn't really hate this place. He just hates that he feels he has to take it over. He hates that he doesn't have a choice."

"Choice?"

Doc thought for a moment, "Hmmm...how to explain this? Okay, image you were standing at a table with every kind of ice cream imaginable. Which flavor would you pick?"

Spike raised an eyebrow at this. "My favourite, obviously."

"Alright. Well what if you were are a table that only had your favourite flavor, and you had to eat it every day."

Spike frowned, imagining that situation. As he did, the idea of having the same thing again and again without variety made is stomach turn. "I guess I'd get sick of it."

"Exactly. It's the lack of choice that can turn something you love into something you hate. Cedar probably loved the idea of running this place when he was young and training Yanmega, but then he probably started wondering what else there was in this world. As he wondered, the realization that he'd never get to try I probably made him slowly turn against the place."

The others all understood what Doc was getting at while Trixie turned to where Cedar had run off, frowning at the sight. That is, till a bulb shined above her head.

A little later...

Trixie walked into the center of daycare and saw Cedar sitting against one of the wall playing a game. Yanmega was also there, sitting on its trainer's while head watching him play. She walked over to him, her footsteps catching his attention and making him look up. "What do you want?"

Trixie didn't reply, instead pointing at his Yanmega. "He looks strong. You must have trained him well."

Cedar's glare intensified before looking back down at his game. "Not that it matters. Not like we're ever gonna battle."

"Do you want to battle?"

"Doesn't matter what I think. Even if I wanted to be the Pokémon league champion, I couldn't do it. Instead, I'll be stuck here my whole life."

"There's nothing stopping you from going on a journey now. You could go out, have your fun, then come back and start running the place."

"Well, what if I don't what to come back?"

Trixie smirked as she crossed her arms. "I don't think you really want that. I bet you secretly love this place. Probably know how to evolve every Pokémon ever."

"Tch...yeah sure."

"How do you evolve a Sneasel?"

"Razor Claw."

"Aipom?"

"Teach Double Hit."

"Megneton."

"Train someplace with a strong magnetic pole."

Trixie's smirk increased. "See? You know this stuff like the back of your hand."

"Only because my parents drilled it into my head every chance they got. You'd know this stuff too if they did that, and that knowledge would be just as useful if I wanted to be a trainer."

Trixie sighed as the others arrived near them, which made her point at the guy, "Alright, if your really want to be a trainer, then prove it to me."

Cedar raised an eyebrow at this. "What?" His question was met with a finger directly in his face.

"I challenge you to a battle. You lose, you stay here and stop complaining about having to run this place."

"And if I win?"

Trixie pointed back at herself, "Then the great and powerful Trixie will take your place, and learn to run how to this daycare. You can go off and do whatever the heck you want."

Everyone gasped at this bet, but Cedar just smiled as he put his game down, "Oh, you are on! But don't come crying to me when you lose and have to spend the rest of your miserable life in this prison."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Everyone moved over to an empty field, one that the daycare rarely used. And as Cedar and Yanmega went over their strategy, everyone else walked over to Trixie.

"Hey uh...Trixie? Are you sure about this?" Flash asked first.

"Sure I am," she replied. "I beat this guy and he has to stay here without complaint. I'm just doing what you guys usually do, solve problems wherever you go."

"Yeah, but we usually solve the problems in a way that's more...beneficial to all parties." Doc added, "We don't bet livelihoods."

"Doc's right! What if you lose?" Spike continued. "You'll have to stay here, forever!"

Trixie just waved him off, "Not gonna happen. This guy's never battled once, so he has zero clue what he's in for."

"Well, I hope you know what you're in for," Twilight piped in. "Don't forget, his Yanmega has a type advantage over all of your Pokémon."

"There's more to a battle than just types Twilight," Flash reminded her. "If Trixie thinks she can do this, I say we trust her."

"Thanks Flash." With that, Trixie walked over to Cedar and pulled out a Pokeball. "Girafarig, it's showtime!" She threw the ball into the air, releasing the red energy that transformed into Girafarig.

"Gira!" It cried, ready for battle.

Cedar saw this and smirked, "This'll be a cake walk. Ready Yanmega?"

"Yan-yah!" It roared before flying onto the battlefield.

As the others stepped off to the side, Doc stood between the two opponents. "Alright, I'll be referee. This battle will consist of a single match. The battle will be over when I declare one of the battling Pokémon unable to continue. Is that understood?" They both nodded. "Then battle...begin!"

"Psybeam!" Trixie ordered, Girafarig unleashing a multicolored beams of light out of its antenna.

"Dodge it!" Cedar ordered, Yanmega quickly outmaneuvering the Psychic-Type attack. "Now use Bug Buzz!"

"YAN!" Yanmega's wings glowed red before it shot out a blast of red soundwaves, all striking the Girafarig.

"Rig!" The giraffe flinched, its body covering with goosebumps.

Trixie and the others had to cover their ears from the sonic attack as the magician trainer glared at her Pokémon. "Jump over Yanmega!" Girafarig barely managed to hear this before nodding, jumping over the bug with a single leap. "Now use Stomp!"

"GIRA!" As Girafarig began to fall back to earth, it thrusting its hooves into Yanmega's head.

"YANMA!" It screamed as it fell into the dirt, crashing with a thud as Girafarig landed in front of Trixie.

Cedar grimaced at the sight of Yanmega, who looked like if didn't take that hit well as it started beating its wings, picking itself back up. "Is that all you've got?" Trixie asked him with a giant smirk, "I thought you were actually taking this battle seriously."

"I am! Use SonicBoom!" Yanmega started beating its wings, the vibrations getting so fast that they looked like they were glowing.

"YANMA!" It then performed one giant wing beat, unleashing an air blade at Girafarig.

"Psybeam!" Girafarig once again unleashed its psychic blast, which struck the air blade and caused an explosion.

"Aerial Ace!" Yanmega flew up high before circling back, dive-bombing into the smoke cloud. It broke through the other side, flying straight at Girafarig as it began to pick up speed.

"Signal Beam!" Trixie ordered, Girafarig pointing its antenna at the dragonfly before a rainbow colored sphere appeared, only for it to hit the charging bug.

An explosion struck the diving Bug-Type, damaging it as it powered through before striking Girafarig head on. The blow knocked both back, the two barely halting in front of their respective trainers.

"Ancient Power!" Yanmega's body glowed as a light flew off before spiraling into an orb in front of it.

"Zen Headbutt!" Girafarig galloped ahead as the top of it's antenna glowed blue, that light slip-streaming around as it drew closer.

"Fire!" Yanmega launched the energy ball, which shot at Girafarig as it continued galloping. It struck the giraffe Pokémon, but Girafarig powered through the explosion, allowing to headbutt Yanmega with ease.

"Yan!" It cried as it fell over, sliding along the dirt from the blow.

"Yanmega!" Cedar screamed, "Are you alright?!"

"He won't be after this! Use Stomp!" Girafarig galloped up to Yanmega again, pulling it's hooves up.

"NO! Dodge it!" But even through Yanmega heard this, it looked up at Girafarig as it felt an overwhelming sense of dread fill its body. This made it lock up, unable to protect itself as Girafarig readied its attack.

"Gira!" It slammed the hooves down, striking with full force as Yanmega let out of cry of pain.

"What are you doing?" Cedar yelped.

"Why didn't Yanmega dodge?" Spike asked next.

Twilight crossed her arms at this, "One of the effects of Zen Headbutt is to cause its opponent to flinch in fear. Even if it heard Cedar's order, it was too scared to move."

"And I don't think Trixie's gonna let up," Flash added.

"Keep using Stomp!" Girafarig once again thrusted its front hooves down into Yanmega, repeating the process again and again.

"Stop it!" Cedar cried out. "Stop it right now!"

"What's the matter?" Trixie asked with a smirk, "I'm just showing you what a real battle looks like. If you can't cut it here, you won't last ten seconds out on a journey."

"Shut up!" Cedar yelled, "Yanmega, get out of there now!" But Yanmega, despite having overcomed the effects of Zen Headbutt, couldn't escape from under Girafarig's assault.

"Alright, that's enough." Girafarig stopped its barrage before jumping off of Yanmega, who tried to pick itself up but neither its wings nor its legs could support itself.

"This isn't over! Yanmega, use Sonicboom!" Yanmega tried to do so, but couldn't get its wing to beat fast enough to fire the attack. "NO! Come on buddy! This is our chance to leave this place! Don't you quit!" Yanmega tried to pick itself up, only to fall under its own weight again. "GET UP!"

It was in this moment that Cedar felt a weight on his shoulders, making him turn to see his parents standing on either side of him. "That's enough son," Basil said.

"The battle's over," Daisy added.

"No!" Cedar jerked away, "This isn't fair! This was my chance to get out of this place!"

"But look at Yanmega," Daisy walked over to the downed bug and picked it up. "Trying to still battle with it in this condition will only lead to more pain for Yanmega." Cedar just panted heavily at the sight, making him turn to Trixie, who was now petting Girafarig with a smile on her face.

Basil placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "You shouldn't feel bad. She's just had much more experience than you. I'm sure-" He didn't get to finish, as Cedar pushed his hand away before running off. "CEDAR!"

"Come back!"

"Yan-yah!"

As Cedar continued running, Trixie and the others watched with a frown. "I can't believe that guy."

"This didn't go the way you planned it, did it?" Twilight asked her.

"No, it did not," Trixie replied with a long sigh. "Now what do we do?"

Basil and Daisy both stared at each other, knowing exactly what to do.

Not too much later...

Cedar was now in the nursery, cleaning up after the baby Pokémon. It was here that his parents walked inside, looking to see how clean the place was. "Nice work son."

Cedar let out a long sigh. "Figured I might as well get used to it. I'm gonna be stuck here after all."

The two shared a mournful glance before walking over to him. "Listen son, we're sorry for making you feel trapped. It was wrong of us to assume you didn't have any other dreams."

Daisy nodded at this. "If you really want to go out on a journey and find your true calling, we won't stop you."

Cedar's eyes went wide at hearing this. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. You have a right to walk your own path, even if it means never coming back here. But always remember, no matter what happens, you'll be welcome here."

Cedar smiled at his parents before pulling them both into a hug. "Thank you." He then pulled away, "And you never know. I might actually decide to come back and run his place. I just want to see what else is out there."

"We understand sweetheart," Daisy assured. "Take all the time you need."

Cedar nodded before turning to the doorway, Trixie and the others now standing there. "Oh...sorry for being such an idiot earlier."

"It's alright," Trixie replied. "You were just under a lot of stress. But I think there's someone else you need to say sorry to as well." She pointed outside, Cedar spotting Yanmega sitting on the fence.

Cedar nodded before walking out, frowning as he looked his Pokémon over. "Hey bud...sorry about before. I was just so worried about my needs that I didn't think about yours."

"Yan..."

Cedar rubbed the back of his head. "If you want to, would you please come with me on my journey? I want to see everything that's out there with you. What do you say?" He watched as Yanmega immediately flew up and landed on his head. "Does this mean you'll come?"

"Yan-yah!"

"Awesome!" He cheered as everyone else chuckled at the sight.

"All's well that ends well," Doc added.

Trixie smirked as she crossed her arms. "I guess I'm pretty good at this problem solving stuff...though I have a feeling it'll only happen when I'm around you guys."

"Eh, I could see it. That's our luck after all." Twilight commented as the others all laughed, Basil and Daisy then inviting them to stay the night and relax. They all nodded, taking them up on their offer.

The next morning...

After a good nights sleep, our heroes were ready to set out again. Now standing outside the daycare, the owners all stood there to wave them goodbye. "Well, guess we should be going."

"Hoof Town's just over those hills," Basil pointed off in one direction. The others all nodded, glad they would soon be there.

"Thank you," Daisy told Trixie. "For everything."

"It was our pleasure," Trixie replied as Cedar walked up to her.

"Here," he held out a box, "This if for you."

Trixie raised an eyebrow before taking the box, opening it up to reveal a rock shaped like a crown. "What's this?"

"A King's Rock. It'll come in handy in the future."

"Huh. How do I use it?"

"That's for you to figure out."

Trixie rolled her eyes as she put the box away before the group climbed into her wagon. Once ready, she snapped the reins, and Girafarig began to pull it away from the daycare, Basil, Daisy and Cedar all waved as they vanished into the horizon. Our heroes adventures at the daycare had helped a family come together. Now, with Hoof Town so close, our heroes must prepared for the Hoof Cup. How will the tournament end? You'll just have to stay tuned in to find out.

The Hoof Cup Begins

View Online

"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.

An All Out Brawl

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The Hoof Cup was firmly underway. With Flash and Springer having taken the first match, our heroes were now watching as the second match drew to a close. The competitors were Thunderbass and his Elekid against Sweet Dreams and her Musharna, both in the midst of a raging battle.

"Elekid, Discharge!"

"ELE!" Elekid spun its arms as electricity sparked between its plug like antenna.

"Use Shadow Ball!" Dreams ordered as her Musharna opened its mouth, firing the ghostly orb at the little Electric-Type. And as it flew, Elekid finished charging and unleashed a wave of electricity, hitting the Shadow Ball, creating an explosion.

Both Elekid and Musharna were surrounded by smoke as Thunderbass called out. "Thunder Punch!" Musharna tried to look around, but the floating tapir could see nothing past a few inches away from its face.

"ELE!" It suddenly spun around and saw a shining fist his its face.

"SHARNA!" It screamed in pain, only for its entire body to shake with sparks flying everywhere.

Everyone stared at the field while the smoke finally faded, revealing Elekid standing over an unconscious Musharna. "Musharna!" Dreams cried in horror, while Thunderbass and Elekid both arm pumped in celebration.

Mic: "Musharna KO'd, so the winners of the match are Thunderbass and his ELEKID!"

Celestia: "The two of them make quite a strong team. I look forward to seeing how far they can get in the tournament."

Luna: "I love a battle where the winner can't be easily seen. It makes it much more exciting. Hopefully the next round will be the same as the last two."

Over in the competitors box, our heroes and their friends were also going over the last battle. "That Thunderbass guy was tough," Flash commented as they watched the winner high five his Pokémon.

"And his Elekid was well trained," Twilight added. "Going up against them in the next round could be tricky."

"We still need to focus on getting to the next round," Doc countered. "Then we can worry about that team."

"I don't have to worry about that," Rainbow said with a giant grin. "The next battle's as good as mine."

This statement made Rarity let out a huff, placing her hands on her hips, "Excuse me, but are you trying to say I won't be any challenge?!"

Rainbow raised her hands up in defense. "Relax, I wasn't trying to say anything bad about you." She then smirked as she punched her fist into her palm. "It's just that nothing's gonna stop me from winning this battle, even a strong trainer like you."

In reply, Rarity crossed her arms. "We'll see darling. We'll see."

"Hey now," Applejack stepped between them. "Before either ya'll can throw down, mah battle's comin up first. So ya'll have to wait until ah'm done taking Trixie to the cleaners." The two sighed, knowing she was right.

Spike blinked at the statement, "Hey, where is Trixie anyway?" The others looked around and saw she was nowhere in sight.

Applejack huffed. "Don't tell me she's bolted."

Flash shook his head, "No way. Trixie wouldn't turn her back on a crowd like this."

"So where is she then?" Rarity asked, only for the group to suddenly find themselves covered in smoke.

"What the heck?!" Rainbow yelped while everyone else started coughing. "Are we under attack?!"

"No. Trixie's just trying to show off." Twilight grumbled as the smoke started to clear, soon showing a certain magician trainer standing on the wall.

"Behold!" Trixie declared, now dressed in the magic outfit. "The great and powerful Trixie, is ready to go on stage!"

The ones who really knew Trixie grinned at her enthusiasm, while the others just stared at her with a look that scream 'is something wrong with you', Applejack then commenting, "Trixie, we're gonna be battling, not performing in Las Pegasus. Ya'll maybe wanna take that silly getup off."

Trixie just huffed, "You battle your way, and Trixie will battle her way. As long as the crowd gets a good show, who cares how we dress? Come now, it's...SHOWTIME!" She jumped up and posed, only to quickly lose her balance and cry out as she fell off the wall.

Everyone rushed over to look over the wall, only for Trixie to stand up and dust herself off while blushing. "I'm fine." She reached into her cape and threw something at the ground. "SHOWTIME!" A blast of smoke followed, quickly fading to show she had disappeared.

Pinkie gasped, "SHE'S GONE!" But then she pointed at the field. "Oh wait, there she is." The others followed her finger and saw Trixie running over to the blue side of the battlefield. Everyone else just laughed as Applejack stepped out onto the field.

She tipped her hat, "Welp, wish me luck." With that, she started making her way over to the red section of the field.

"ALRIGHT!" Present Mic yelled into his microphone, "Both trainers are on the field and ready to rock! Time to see who's gonna be picking their Pokémon first!" Everyone looked up at the megascreen as Trixie and Applejack's faces appeared onscreen along with the roulette wheel between them. The roulette began to spin around, as Mic turned to the professors and nodded, pressing the button. The roulette then slowed down, soon landing on the red section.

"Looks like Applejack's picking first, YEAH!"

"Fine by me," Applejack pulled out her Pokeball and enlarged it. "Giddy up Brawloey!" She tossed the ball into the air before it opened up, unleashing to reveal Applejack's Pokémon. It looked like a kangaroo, which stood at around four and a half feet. It's fur was dusty red, but it had cream coloured fur under its nose and around its mouth. It also had cream colored fur going down the front of its neck, chest, stomach and the bottom half of its long tail. Both its feet, forearms and hands were wrapped up in bandages. "Low..." the Pokémon got into the standard kickboxing stance. "Brawl!" It then launched a few high powered jabs as it hopped from side to side.

"Brawloey?" Flash asked as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Brawloey
Category: Kickboxing Pokémon
Type: Fighting
Info: Though young, this Pokémon's powerful muscles can allow it to strike with over ten thousand PSI. This Pokémon is often targeted as opponents, which are usually wild Bunounce.

Twilight did a small frown, "That might've been a mistake."

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, only for Twilight to point at Trixie.

The magician smirked as she pulled out her Pokeball. "A Fighting-Type, huh? No problem." She enlarged her Pokeball and tossed it into the air, causing it to open up and reveal Trixie's Magitual, the wizard spinning its staff like a baton.

Celestia: "Brawloey verses Magitual. Fighting against Psychic."

Luna: "This battle might end up being a little one sided."

"Don't underestimate me or Brawloey," Applejack told the two. "It'll take more than a type advantage to knock me out of this tournament."

"Brawl!" Brawloey cried in agreement.

Mic: "Well, it seems Applejack is prepared to go up against the odds. Talk about brave."

"More like foolish," Trixie said with a snap of her fingers. "This battle's as good as mine!"

"We'll see about that," Applejack barked back. "Let's go Brawloey!"

Mic: "It seems our competitors are ready for battle! In three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

"Bounce!" Applejack ordered, Brawloey jumping up and landing on it tail. The tail seemed to act as a spring board as it was suddenly shot into the air, high above the crowd.

"Wow!" Spike and Pinkie both went while everyone else stared in amazement.

"Talk about high," Flash added.

Twilight nodded. "Brawloey and their evolved form are well known for their high jumping ability." As soon as she said this, Brawloey curled itself up and began to spin as it fell back to earth.

"Swift!" Trixie ordered, Magitual raising its staff. The star on the top began to glow before it unleashed a barrage of stars, which flew right at the spinning Brawloey.

"Knock them away!" Applejack ordered, Brawloey uncurling as it started thrusting its feet back and forth. Each strike sent one of the stars flying back the way they came. Magitual saw this and was forced to stop his attack, all while jumping out of the way its own stars.

"Low!" Brawloey landed on the ground before rushing ahead, its large feet allowing it to cover a bigger distance and get closer to Magitual.

"Mega Punch!" Brawloey's fists began glowing white as it got with striking distance of Magitual.

"Psybeam!" Trixie ordered.

"Mag!" Magitual pointed its staff at Brawloey and unleashed a beam of multicolored light. Brawloey saw it coming and knew it didn't have time to dodge, instead thrusting one of its glowing fists at the blast, striking it dead on.

"Brawl!" It flinched, tears appearing in its eyes as it pushed through the attack, "Brawloey!" It thrusted its other fist into Magitual, hitting it in the gut, knocking it back.

"Mag!" The wizard Pokémon cried as it fell onto its back, only to roll backwards onto its feet.

Everyone watched as Magitual clutched its stomach while Brawloey gripped its smoking hand. Trixie then broke the silence as she called out, "Psybeam!"

"Mag!"

"Dodge it!" Applejack yelled as Brawloey jumped to the side, the Psybeam now striking where it had been standing. "Now, get close!"

"Low!" Brawloey began hopping towards Magitual, who pointed its staff at the Fighting-Type and fired another Psybeam. But before it could connect, Brawloey jumped over the beam, only to jump sideways as it dodged another Psybeam.

And as a third beam missed, Brawloey got within striking distance as Applejack gave the order. "Stomp!"

"Brawl!" Brawloey landed on its tail as it raised its feet, now thrusting both into Magitual's gut.

"Mag!" Magitual gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, causing him to stagger back.

Celestia: "Despite the type advantage, Brawloey seems to be winning this match."

Luna: "It's high speed and quick reflexes are keeping it safe from being hit. As long as it can keep that up, he might just pull off a win."

"Come on Trixie!" Flash called out to the magician, "Get the lead out! Where's that showmanship you love to flaunt?!"

Trixie just huffed as she kept her eye on the battle. "All the best performances require patience. But that being said, it's rude to keep the crowd waiting for the good stuff...so let's get the real battle started!"

Applejack smirked. "Don't know about ya, but ah've been battling for real this whole time and ah'm winning because of it."

Trixie smirked back, "Then its time you saw the great and powerful Trixie's true power!"

Applejack groaned, rubbing her face in frustration, "Stop playing around. This ain't a game!"

"Isn't it?" Trixie asked with a raised eyebrow. "Anything can be a game if you play it right, like...hide and seek?" Applejack raised an eyebrow at this, only for Trixie to call out. "Smokescreen!" Magitual opened up its cloak and shot out a cloud of black smoke that covered the battlefield. Applejack looked across it at Trixie, who gave her a goodbye wave. "Ta ta!" she said before both she and Magitual disappeared behind the smoke.

Brawloey looked around, but couldn't see anything that wasn't two inches in front of it. Paranoia began to set in as it started throwing random punches and kicks, only to hit dead air. "Psybeam!" A flash of light appeared behind it and made Brawloey spin around, just in time to see the multicolored lightning shoot out of the smoke and strike it in the chest.

"Brawl!" It cried as it was zapped by the psychic energy.

"Brawloey!" Applejack yelled, unable to tell what was going on in the smoke.

"What's happening in there?" Rainbow asked, squinting to try and look inside.

"No clue. How can Magitual even see in there?"

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought at Flash's question, "Well...they're probably used to seeing through smoke thanks to all their magic tricks. Applejack'll need to find a way to locate them if they want to stand a chance."

Mic: "Trixie's disappearing act sure has got her opponent on the run."

Luna: "Quite an excellent tactic. Without its sight, Brawloey's high speed is useless."

"There's more than one way to see," Applejack yelled out, "Brawloey, if yah can't use yer eyes, than use yer ears."

"Brawl..." Brawloey heard this and nodded before closing its eyes. As the darkness overtook his vision, his ears began to focus and pick up new sounds. Suddenly, it started picking up on the sound of footsteps all around him. One moment they were coming from the left, then the right, then behind.

"Swift!" It heard Trixie yell as a new sound caught its attention and made it spin around in time to see a bunch of incoming stars.

"Mega Punch, multi shot!" Brawloey's firsts glowed before it began thrusting them at high speed, knocking the stars away.

The audience awed as they watched the stars fly out of the smoke, exploding into fireworks as they did. "Pretty..." Pinkie added.

"But deflecting those is still hurting Brawloey," Fluttershy commented with a gulp. "If this keeps up, they'll lose."

"Then Applejack needs to find a way to get out of that smokescreen," Rarity agreed.

Once the star attack came to an end, Brawloey closed its eyes and began listening again. Once again the sound of footsteps hit his eardrums, allowing him to locate his opponent. "Brawl!" Brawloey said once he locked onto the footsteps direction.

"Bounce!" Brawloey spun around and leapt through the smoke before thrusting one of its feet.

"Brawl/Magi!" Two voices cried at the exact same time, Brawloey feeling his foot slam into something and sending it flying. Outside the cloud, everyone watched as Magitual flew out of the smoke and hit the dirt. The collision made the smoke clear to reveal Applejack's Pokémon running towards it.

Mic: "Nice! Brawloey couldn't see, but it could still hear. I doubt that little smokescreen is gonna work again."

Trixie let out a low growl, "Maybe, but that's not the only illusion in our arsenal!"

"Enough tricks!" Applejack barked back, "Start battling for real! Use Stomp!" The Brawloey charged ahead, ready to slam into it's opponent.

"Mag!" Magitual leapt back, causing Brawloey's attack to miss while Trixie smirked at the sight.

"Not bad at all," she told her opponent. "But we've still got plenty of tricks up our sleeve. Double Team!" Magitual waved its staff before suddenly multiplying into an army, which encircled Brawloey.

"What in tarnation?" Applejack asked as Brawloey tried to find the real one. It then used Mega Punch on one, only for it to completely disappear and reappear when Brawloey jumped back into the center of the circle.

Trixie just laughed. "Too bad, you're going to lose, no matter which Magitual you choose!"

"Which is the real Magitual?" Spike asked.

"They all look the same to me," Rainbow added.

Brawloey kept spinning on the spot, not daring to stand still for fear of having its back facing the opponent. In that moment, the Magitual turned right before beginning to run in a circle. "Brawl?"

"Psybeam!" The Magitual army all pointed their staffs at Brawloey before one of them launched a bolt of psychic energy, which struck Brawloey in the side, making it stagger. Applejack tried to keep an eye on the one that had fired, but they were moving so fast that it was impossible to keep track.

The Magitual finally came to a stop and stared at Brawloey with their staffs ready, Trixie just laughing at the sight, "Applejack, don't you see? All these Magitual are he. They all look real, because they are. Just try to run, you won't get far."

Applejack only growled at the trick. "This is just a game! Only one of those varmints are real and ah'm gonna find it!"

Trixie just smiled at the girl's frustration. "Time to test out a new move Magitual and I have been working on. You can thank Flash and Springer for the idea. Magitual, Psybeam Assault!"

"MAGITUAL!" The wizard army pointed their staffs at Brawloey and all launched a Psybeam into the center of the circle.

"What?" Applejack cried as Brawloey leapt up into the air to dodge, the Psybeams all connecting beneath him and creating a powerful burst of light that forced everyone in the stadium to shield their eyes.

"I'M BLIND!" Pinkie screamed.

"Can't see!" Flash winced out, "What's happening?"

Applejack was also trying to see through the light, only to notice something about the Magitual. "That's it!" She cried before looking up at her Pokémon, "Brawloey!" The kangaroo Pokémon looked down and saw its trainer pointing towards one of the Magitual, "Only one of them is castin' a shadow! Take that one down!"

Brawloey nodded as it began to fall back to earth while the Magituals' attacks came to an end. As soon as it landed, Brawloey jumped at what it hoped was the real Magitual, hitting it with both feet.

"Mag!" It cried as the wizard went flying up from the blow, the others all suddenly vanishing as it did.

"Magitual!" Trixie cried out.

"Show's over Trixie!" Applejack yelled as she pointed at Magitual, "HIGH JUMP KICK!"

"BRAWLOEY!" Brawloey jumped into the air as its knee began to glow, only to thrust the knee into Magitual's gut.

"MAGI!" Magitual screamed as the wind was knocked out of it once again, the force of the attack launching it away from Brawloey and sent it spinning to the ground. With a mighty crash, Magitual landed face first into the battlefield. Everyone watched as Brawloey landed beside Magitual, then hopped over before nudging it with its foot. Finally, it rolled Magitual over and revealed swirls in its eyes.

Mic: "Magitual KO'd, so the winners of the match are Applejack and her BRAWLOEY!"

Celestia: "An impressive and entertaining battle to be sure."

Luna: "I'm just a little said we won't be able to see any more of Ms. Lulamoon's tricks. Oh well."

As Trixie and Applejack returned their Pokémon and returned to the competitor's area, their friends were all clapping. "Way to go girls!" Flash told them. "You were both great."

Rainbow nodded in agreement, "Yeah! That battle was awesome!"

"Thank's ya'll," Applejack said with a tip of the hat. "Ah gotta say, that was one tough throw down." She turned to Trixie, "ya'll sure know how to battle."

Trixie smiled, though her friends could tell she was upset. "Thanks...but I still lost. Looks like my special move shot me in the foot."

"How'd you do that anyways?" Twilight asked. "Double Team copies shouldn't be able to use attacks. The fact that Springer can is an abnormality, but he's an enigma all his own."

"Ri?" Springer tilted his head in confusion, obviously having no idea what an enigma was.

Doc rubbed his chin in thought, "I'm guessing only one of those Psybeams were real. The others were probably just an extension of the Double Teams mimicking effects, right?"

Trixie mirrored Springer's head tilt, obviously have no clue what he was talking about. "Sure, let's go with that. I just tried getting Magitual's Double Team to unleash the attacks, but all I got were the illusions of the attacks. Getting hit by one wouldn't hurt."

"Then I guess I was right," Doc replied back.

Then, before anyone could say anything, the megascreen came to life and showed the images of the next two battlers, Mic letting out a roar, "ALRIGHT! Time for battle number four. Will Lightning Blitz and Micro Chips please come to the battle field?!"

Everyone turned to the trainers in question, watching as Micro Chips walked up while Sandalwood gave him a thumbs up. Lightning on the other hand, didn't have anyone to wish him luck as he stepped out of the box and moved over to the red half of the field.

"Lightning..." Flash growled.

"You know this guy," Rainbow spoke up. "He any good?"

"Yeah...he's really good. But he treats Pokémon like weapons. If it can't battle, he thinks it's useless."

"How horrible," Fluttershy whimpered out as Seabreeze patted her on the head.

"That guy needs to learn how to smile once in a while," Pinkie said before giggling. "Though his face would probably crack if he did."

"Maybe that Micro Chips guy'll be able to take him down," Applejack added.

"Maybe..." Twilight replied before sighing, "But it all depends on the Pokémon they use."

Once Micro and Lightning arrived in the trainer boxes, they stared each other down.

"Lightning Blitz..." Micro reached into his pocket and pulled out a small computer. Typing, he turned it around to show an image of Lightning alongside a bunch of numbers. "I did a little research on you and found your stats to be...impressive. You have four badges and haven't lost once against any of the Gym Leaders. It also says you're the grandson of a former champion." He shut the laptop and stared up at his opponent, "You probably think your some sort of big shot."

Lightning only glared at the glasses wearing teen. "I don't think. You should just give up now. Save yourself a trip to the Pokémon Center."

Micro frowned as he put his computer away. "That ego will be the doom of you. Any trainer worth their salt should analyze their opponents and find their weakness. For you see, everything in this world boils down to scientific facts. And since I know all the facts, I know how to beat any opponent."

Over at the trainer's box, everyone but Twilight and Doc stared at him in confusion. "Please tell me I'm not the only one who didn't understand that?" Rainbow asked, several people raising their hands. "Thank you."

"This guy's like Doc, only he kicks the techno babble to eleven."

Doc shot Flash a sideways glare, while Twilight spoke up. "But that knowledge might be just what he needs to overcome Lightning."

"We'll see..." Doc grumbled out with crossed arms.

Everyone then looked up at the megascreen as the roulette wheel appeared between their images. "SO!" Present Mic screamed, "Who'll be bringing out their Pokémon first?! Let's...FIND OUT!" The roulette began to spin around as Mic turned to the professors and nodded. They pressed down on the button, causing the roulette to slow down until it landed on the blue section.

"BLUE! That means Micro Chips will pick first."

"Very well," Micro pushed his glasses up his nose before pulling out a Pokeball. "Electhor," he enlarged the ball before tossing it into the air, "come on out!" The ball opened up and unleashed a swirl of red energy that faded to reveal Micro's Pokémon.

It was a humanoid that stood at around one and a half feet. It's skin was yellow and black with its head, neck, stomach and hands being yellow while its chest, arms, waist and legs were black. On its head was a small viking helmet and it was carrying a black metal mallet with a yellow wooden handle. The Pokémon lifted its hammer and swung it around, "Thor!"

"Electhor?" Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Electhor
Category: Zap Pokémon
Type: Electric
Info: Though young, it can unleash a powerful electrical surge that can shatter even the hardest of rocks.

"Cool!" Spike gasped before turning to Micro's opponent, "But what's Lightning gonna pick?"

Lightning reached into his belt and pulled out a Pokeball, but it wasn't the same type most over trainers used. "A Dive-Ball?" Twilight chimed in.

A memory flashed in front of the minds of the four who had seen that before, all coming to the same realization. "But that means-"

"Sharazor!" Lightning tossed the Dive-Ball into the air, "battle ready!" The Dive-Ball opened up before unleashing to reveal a familiar shark-man Pokémon.

The creature stared at Electhor, showing its blood lust eyes. "SHAR!" It roared as it started thrashing around. "Shar, Sharazor!"

"Sharazor..." Flash whispered as the memory of the day Lighting caught it whizzed through his brain. However, this thought was broken when he heard Rainbow laugh.

"Dumb move. Doesn't he know that Electric-Types are weak against Water-Types?"

Twilight turned to her with a deadpan glare. "Oh, he knows alright. He just doesn't care."

"But why put himself at such a disadvantage?" Rarity asked.

"To prove himself...and to show off." Flash said before anyone else could reply. "He probably thinks that beating an Electric-Type with a Water-Type will show everyone how good a trainer he is."

Rarity huffed at this. "So he's just being arrogant."

"Maybe, but let's see if he can back it up." Doc finished.

Mic: "An interesting strategy. But hey, if our last battle was anything to go by, a type advantage doesn't guarantee a win."

Celestia: "Lighting's going to need to be smart with his moves if he wishes to come out on top."

Luna: "Indeed. And maybe that Sharazor will have a secret it's hiding right now."

Mic: "Only one way to find out! In three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

"Aqua Jet!" Lightning called out, Sharazor suddenly surrounded by water as it shot into the air like a rocket. It flew up high before arching down, aimed straight at Electhor.

"Thundershock!" Micro ordered.

"Elec!" It cried as electrical energy surged between the tips of its viking horns before a bolt of lightning shot out, heading straight at Sharazor. Everyone turned to Lightning, expecting him to call Sharazor off...but he didn't. They looked back up at Sharazor, only to see it staring down the electric attack without a flinch of fear.

"What's he doing?" Rainbow asked as the Thundershock struck Sharazor and electrocuted the water it was within. But even with that, Sharazor continued, and slammed into Electhor.

"Thor!" It cried as it was knocked back, Sharazor bursting out of the water before skidding backwards. As it did, sparks surged around its body, making it twitch.

Almost everyone in the stadium stared at this. "I can't believe that guy," Rainbow added.

Fluttershy frowned, not liking seeing a Pokémon be injured like that. "He let a super effective move hit just to land a single move."

"That's Lightning's style," Doc replied.

"Letting his Pokémon be hurt?" Rarity asked.

"He knew Sharazor could take the attack," Twilight added while adjusting her glasses. "Unless it's a move that can actually beat him, Lightning doesn't care how much damage his Pokémon takes as long as the opponent receives damage as well."

Fluttershy let out a gasp, "That's horrible!"

"That's Lightning," Flash growled while not take his eyes off the battle.

Before Electhor could properly pick itself up, Lightning gave his next order. "Water Pulse!" Sharazor brought its claws together before a sphere of water appeared between them, which it tossed at Electhor.

"Slam!" Micro yelled as Electhor watched the incoming attack. Here, he raised his hammer like a baseball bat before smashing the head into the Water Pulse, sending it flying into the air as it exploded into a downpour. But as the water rained down, Sharazor smirked before suddenly disappearing and reappearing in front of Electhor. "So fast!"

"Bite!" Sharazor opened its fanged mouth before thrusting its head forwards, trying to chomp down on Electhor. But the little Electric-Type managed to jump away just in time.

"Spark!" Electhor's hammer became electrified before it swung it in Sharazor's direction. But just like how Electhor dodged its attack, Sharazor pulled its head back, dodging it with ease. But to everyone's surprise, as soon as the weapon came within a few inches of its mouth, Sharazor thrusted its head forward and bit down on the head of the electrified mallet.

"Shar!" It flinched as the lightning surged into its mouth and through its body, but that didn't stop it as it lifted its head off the ground while keeping its jaws locked on the hammer.

Electhor tried to pull its hammer away, but Sharazor wasn't letting go. Soon enough, it found itself being lifted off the ground. "What it the world?" Micro asked in shock.

Mic: "What's it doing?"

Celestia: "I have an idea of Lightning's plan, but it's quite a risky one."

Luna: "Oh really? Will it pay off then?"

Sharazor smirked down at its hanging opponent, then started thrashing its head around while swinging Electhor around. "Thorrrrrrr!" It cried as it tried to hold on, only to lose its grip and go flying into the air.

"Aqua Jet!" Sharazor was once again surrounded by water before it shot up at Electhor, striking him with ease. The Sharazor then hopped off him, the two Pokémon landing next as Electhor tasted dirt while Sharazor stood tall.

"Elec..." it moaned as it picked itself up, straightening its helmet as it glared at Sharazor.

The shark-man Pokémon grinned at its opponent before spitting Electhor's hammer right in front of the Zap Pokémon. Seeing this, Electhor rushed to its hammer, only for Sharazor to appear in front of him with a giant grin. "SHAR!" Sharazor yelled as it spun around and slammed Electhor with its tail.

"Thor!" Electhor wheezed as the wind was knocked out of it, Sharazor then hitting him again with his tail. "El...lec...thor!" It moaned as it bounced off the ground before coming to a stop, everyone having covered their eyes while seeing the brutal beating.

"Ouch. Poor guy. It really wants its hammer back and Sharazor just keeps beating on it."

"Of course Rainbow," Twilight told her. "Without it, it can't use its Spark and Slam attacks."

"Which is why Lightning had Sharazor take it," Doc added.

"Come on bro!" They heard Sandalwood call out, "You got this!"

Micro nodded as he started trying to come up with a plan, but Lightning just glared at his Pokémon. "Get ready and get close to Electhor!"

"Oh no you don't! Thundershock!" Electhor sparked its electricity between its horns before unleashing a bolt of lightning, Sharazor quickly dodging by jumping to the side, only to continue its charge at the Pokémon.

"Ice Fang!" Sharazor then opened its mouth as its teeth started to glow light blue.

"Razor!" A pair of light blue lightning bolts flew out of it's mouth and headed straight for Electhor, who didn't have time to dodge and found itself being zapped by the freezing cold air.

"Elect!" It cried as it fell back, Sharazor laughing as it kept rushing its opponent.

"Bite!" Sharazor once again opened its mouth, thrusting its head as it bit down on Electhor's body.

"Thor!" It cried as Sharazor lifted it off the ground while adding pressure to its jaws. The piecing feeling of its fangs coupled with having the wind pushed out of it was putting Electhor in severe pain.

"Now wotcha gonna do?" Lightning asked Micro, who seemed to be remaining calm. "Do you see now? You're just another loser-"

"You think you got me beat?! You don't realize your one mistake!" Micro suddenlyl interrupted, "Electhor might be trapped, but he's also in the perfect spot to attack. Thundershock now!"

Lightning's eyes went wide as he saw the electricity spark between Electhor's horns, "DROP IT!"

But it was too late.

"ELECTHOR!" The lightning surged around Electhor's body, right into Sharazor's and electrocuting the Water-Type at point blank range.

"SHARAZOR!" It screamed.

Mic: "OUCH! That has gotta hurt."

Celestia: "Lightning got careless. He should know that you should never let your guard down against an Electric-Type."

Luna: "That one oversight may have cost him the match."

Lightning growled at hearing that while staring at Sharazor. The shark-man continued to be electrocuted until it wasn't able to keep its mouth shut, its jaws loosening enough for Electhor to slide out. The little viking landed and quickly rolled onto its feet before trying to rush past the still sparking Sharazor. But the shark-man wasn't gonna let that happened. "Shar!" Despite still feeling the electrical sting, Lighting's Pokémon spun around the slammed Electhor with its tail.

Once again, Electhor went rolling back while Sharazor managed to shake off the remaining static. "Water Pulse!" Lightning ordered, Sharazor creating another sphere of H2O.

"Shar!" It thrusted the attack with a roar.

Micro growled at the sight, "Oh no you don't! Counter with Aurora Beam!"

"Thor!" Electhor brought its hands together as a rainbow of energy built between them. "Electhor!" It then thrusted its hands out kamehameha style, unleashing a straight beam that struck the Water Pulse, cutting right through it.

"Shar?" Sharazor yelped as it saw its attack be split in half, "Razor!" Sharazor lifted its arms up defensively as the attack struck them, exploding as it made him skid back a few feet.

Electhor used this opening to rush past Sharazor, aiming right for its hammer. But by the time it was half way between it and Sharazor, its opponent glared at the Zap Pokémon. "Shar!" Sharazor yelled as it seemed to disappear before reappearing just a few feet in front of the hammer. And as Electhor got closer, it spun around with intent to once again knock it away. But before the tail could make contact, Electhor leaned back while letting its momentum remain. Everyone watched as the little viking ducked under Sharazor's tail, skidding along the ground as it completely evaded the attack until it was right next to its hammer.

"Stop it!" Lighting ordered Sharazor, who turned to Electhor and leapt at it.

"Spark!" Micro ordered as Electhor gripped his weapon, channeling its electrical power before swinging it around, slamming the electrified hammer right into Sharazor's face.

"SHAR!" It cried as it was both knocked away and electrocuted.

"YES!" Everyone in the trainer box cheered.

"Get him bro!" Sandalwood added.

As Sharazor recovered from the attack, Electhor charged at the shark. "Spark!" Electhor swung its electrified hammer into the Sharazor's stomach, then did it again before striking its leg and then its side.

"Shar!" Was all Sharazor could cry as it kept getting hit, Lightning now gritting his teeth at the sight.

"Enough of this! Aqua Jet!" Sharazor shot into the air as the water surrounded him. It flew around all over the place, not trying to get anywhere near Electhor.

"Thundershock!" Micro yelled, Electhor unleashing the bolt of lightning. But just as it was about to hit the water rocket, Sharazor shot off in a different direction, completely evading the attack. "Again!"

"Thor!" Electhor fired another Thundershock, but Sharazor once again dodged it. "Thor, thor, thor, thor!" Again and again it fired a blast of lightning, but Sharazor evaded everything. Thundershocks covered the arena as Electhor gathered all the electrical energy it could. "ELECTHOR!" It screamed as it fired the larges bolt of lightning yet.

Sharazor saw it coming began to spin in his Aqua Jet as Lightning gave his next command. "Ice Fang!" From within the Aqua Jet, Sharazor unleashed its Ice-Type attack while spinning. Doing so caused his Aqua Jet to completely freeze, seconds before the super charged Thundershock struck it.

"What's he doing?" Spike asked.

"No idea," Twilight commented. "But I doubt it's gonna be good." They all watched as the ice Aqua Jet fell towards the ground, shattering as it made contact and released Sharazor.

As it landed, sparks of electricity surged around it, but it seemed fine. "Ray...zor..." it panted.

"How?!" Micro yelled in disbelief, "That Thundershock should have completely fried you...unless-"

"Unless the ice blocked most of the electricity," Lightning finish for him. "That's right. I'd say that attack was just a little stronger than a regular Thundershock, but weak enough for Sharazor to survive."

Micro frowned at this. "Alright, but there's no way you can survive another hit. Thundershock!"

"Thor!" Electhor roared, only for a single spark to appear between its horns before dying down. "Elec?"

"What?!" Micro yelped as his face became one of horror. "Don't tell me..."

"That last attack used all of Electhor's electricity," Doc said while everyone else gasped.

Lightning smirked. "Which means I'm free to attack without fear. Water Pulse!" Sharazor nodded before launching the attack at Electhor.

"Aurora Beam!" Electhor dropped its hammer and unleashed the rainbow blast, which once again cut the Water Pulse in half. However, Sharazor had used this as a distraction, jumping to the side away from the beam.

"Aqua Jet!"

"SHAR!" Sharazor was once again surrounded by water and shot at Electhor like a bullet, the little viking still reeling from its last attack.

"ELECTHOR!" It cried as the water encased shark struck it, pushing it high into the air.

As the Sharazor burst out of the water, it heard Lightning cry out. "Ice Fang!"

"SHAR!" Sharazor opened its mouth and fired twin bolts of blue energy, which struck the still dazed Electhor and froze it solid. The two then fell to earth, Sharazor landing on its feet while the block of ice shattered upon impact.

Electhor fell out of the ice, falling to the ground as spirals filled its eyes.

Mic: "Electhor KO'd, so the winners of the match are Lightning and his SHARAZOR!"

Micro went wide eyed at this, falling to his knees, "Inconceivable. I should have had this battle won easily. It was the logical outcome."

Lightning said nothing as he returned Sharazor to its ball and turned away from his defeated opponent, not even giving him a second look as he began to walk away.

Celestia: "Lightning is certainly an interesting trainer."

Luna: "A little harsh if you want my opinion. I just hope he decides to lose the attitude during the next round."

Mic: "We'll just have to wait and see."

Lightning then returned to the competitors' box and simply walked by the others, all who didn't say anything to him. That is, expect Rainbow as she noticed him heading for the exit. "Hey! Aren't you gonna stay and watch the other battles?"

Lightning didn't turn around as he spat out, "Why? It doesn't matter what I do or don't see. You losers will all lose to me anyway."

This made everyone turn to glare at him. "What was that?!" Applejack yelled, but Lightning didn't say anything. Instead, he continued to walk into the stadium and disappear into the darkness.

"That jerk!" Rainbow yelled. "Why, when I battle him, I'll-"

"Just ignore him," Twilight interrupted. "He's not worth worrying about."

"Yeah, guess you're right...." she punched her fist into her palm. "But when I go up against him, he'll be sorry." The others all nodded, thinking the exact same thing.

It was clear that winning this tournament wasn't going to be an easy victory. Already, the battle lines were being drawn and the trainers were going all out to eventually get to the top. But when all was said and done, who would be the eventual tournament winner? You'll have to stay tuned to find out.

Third Match Mayhem, Fourth Match Meltdown

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Four battles had been fought so far. Flash and Springer had overcome Cold Forecast and her Snocicle, followed by Thunderbass and Elekid defeating Sweet Dreams and her Musharna. Then, a pair of victories that showed that the type of one's Pokémon doesn't guarantee victory as Applejack and Brawloey defeated Trixie and Magitual while Lightning and Sharazor defeated Micro Chips and his Electhor.

Now, our heroes were enjoying a short break between the battles to grab a bite to eat.

"ITADAKIMASU!" Flash, Springer, Spike, Rainbow, Pinkie and Trixie all cheered before chowing down on the burgers they had gotten from a vender. As soon as they finished that first bite, the whole group went teary-eyed.

"Wow...its so good!" Pinkie cried.

"Stadium food's always awesome!" Rainbow added.

"Oh yeah!" Spike finished.

Flash said nothing, simply enjoying his burger as he glanced down at Springer who was doing the same, and smiled. After the tough battle he'd been through, it was only right that he'd get to chow down and enjoy something like this. On another bench of the trainer's box, Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy were enjoying a less unhealthy meal.

"This salad is delicious," Rarity commented as she took a bite into some lettuce.

"I guess..." Twilight stared at her own salad, sighing. She and Fluttershy had been in line after Rarity, who had decided to be generous and get them their lunch as well. She had been hoping to get a burger or something like the others, but since Rarity took things into her own hands. "Though I wouldn't mind something a little more...filling."

"A girl needs to watch her waist darling," Rarity immediately replied. "The last thing you want is to battle while feeling all bloated."

"She has a point," Fluttershy added as she took a carrot out of her box and nibbled on it.

"Ya'll should have still asked Twilight what she wanted before getting it," Applejack said as she returned to the trainer box with her own lunch. She was sporting a burger wrapper as well, though her battle against Trixie had probably made her hungry. She then reached into her bag and pulled out a bunch of apples, tossing two to Twilight and Fluttershy. "Here, that should fill ya'll up a little more."

The two smiled before taking a bite, a bit drool now appearing under their lips, "Thanks," Twilight said after swallowing.

"No problem," Applejack tipped her hat. "And sorry about Rarity. She doesn't get that a battle tends to make yah burn more calories than apple bucking on a hot summer day."

The others all nodded as they continued to eat, while Rarity rolled her eyes. "I plan to level up my Pokémon, not my swim suit size, thank you very much."

In that moment, Doc returned from the concession stand with a hotdog in hand. He looked up at the megascreen, which was replaying images from the last battles. It was showed Flash's double Aura Sphere, Trixie's Psybeam Assault and Lightning's defeat of Micro. Soon his battle would be coming up, so he needed to be ready and well fuelled.

And as everyone finished, Present Mic and the professors returned to the commentators box. "YEAH BATTLE FANS! Welcome back! Hope you had a slamming good lunch break! Time to start off our second set of matches with battle five!" The megascreen switched from the replays to show images of Rarity and Rainbow. "Will these two lovely ladies please come out to the battlefield and show us what you're made of?!"

"Well!" Rainbow scrunched up her burger wrapper and tossed it behind her as she stood up, the wad of paper landing in a bin she hadn't even been looking at. "Time to show these guys why I'll be winning this whole thing!"

"I warned you before to not be so cocky," Rarity told her as she placed her salad box into a bin.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Rainbow waved away before holding out a hand to Rarity. "Let's both have a battle we can be proud of."

Rarity looked down at her hand and saw it was covered in burger grease, making her frown before holding out her hand and taking her opponent's finger. "Let's..." she quickly shook it before reaching into her pocket and pulling out some hand sanitizer and a cloth. She then walked off, leaving an extremely confused blinking Rainbow.

"What's up with her?" She asked, as Applejack started laughing.

"That's just the way she is. Don't mind her."

"If you say so," Rainbow yawned before heading out after Rarity. They both moved to oposite sides of the field, Rarity on the blue section and Rainbow on the red section.

Once there, Present Mic called out, "ALRIGHT! Now that both trainers are on the field, it's time to see who's gonna be picking their Pokémon first!" Everyone looked up at the megascreen as the roulette wheel appeared. The wheel began to spin as Mic turned to the professors, both nodding before pressing the button. The roulette then slowed down, soon landing on the blue section.

"Looks like Rarity's picking first, YEAH!"

"Very well," Rarity pulled a Pokeball out. "Opalescence," she spun on the spot, "it's battle time darling!" She tossed the ball into the air, opening up and releasing the red energy that faded to reveal the demon cat many of them feared.

"Line?" Opalescence moaned before sitting down and started licking its paw.

"Ha!" Rainbow guffawed as she pulled out her own Pokeball, "That lazy house Pokémon won't stand a chance against my Movine!" She tossed the ball into the air, soon revealing a familiar plant bug Pokémon.

"Mow!" it yelled as it flapped its leaf-like wings.

Mic: "Rarity's going with her Opeline, while Rainbow's picked Movine."

Celestia: "Type wise, neither of them will have the advantage in this battle."

Luna: "Maybe, but considering Movine can fly, I'd say it has a higher chance of success."

Mic: "Only one way to find out. In three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

Rainbow pointed at the cat with a smirk, "We'll start the ball rolling and take that prissy little thing down in one shot! Silver Wind!"

"Mow..." Movine pulled its wings back before flapping them, "VINE!" What resulted was a move similar to Gust, except this winds was laced with several crescent moon shaped blades.

The gem cat Pokémon looked up from its grooming and saw the attack coming at full force. "Line!" It hissed as it suddenly jumped over the attack, every blade missing the kitten. It then glared at the Movine, hissing even louder than before while Rarity now smirked.

"Now she's done it," Applejack grumbled with crossed arms. "Opal might not like to battle, but if you cross her, you'll be in for a serious scratching." She then shuddered as memories of such events flowed through her brain.

"Alright dearie," Rarity told her Pokémon. "Let's make that mean Movine pay for what it tried to do to you!"

"Opeline!" It hissed in agreement, unsheathing it's super sharp claws.

"Use Snarl!" Opalescence opened her mouth as a black sphere of electricity appeared, which it shot at Movine with deadly accuracy.

"Dodge it!" Rainbow ordered, Movine flapping its wings to float over the energy ball. The Snarl exploded with a loud hiss as the Movine repositioned itself. "Now use Vine Whip!" It extended a pair of its vine like tendrils before cracking them like whips, all charging at Opal.

"Use Bite!" Rarity countered, Opal evading a vine before biting down on the tendril.

"MOW!" Movine cried as the sharp teeth began to grip the vine.

"Get it off you!" Rainbow yelled, Movine pulling its vine up...only for Opal to pull back, sticking the two into a tug of war.

Mic: "Neither side is giving an inch."

Luna: "Wonder which one will cave first."

"I don't cave! Movine, pull harder!" Movine started doubling his efforts into its wings, flapping them with twice as much effort. This caused Opal to lose her footing, soon being pulling into the air. "Wing Attack!" Movine's leaf like wings started to glow as it flapped them at Opal, slapping her in the face. The force knocked her right off the vine, the cat slamming the ground with a thud.

"Op!" It cried as it hit the dirt, only to jump back up onto its feet. Opal then looked down and saw that the crash had caused her to get dusty, making her even more angry.

"You'll regret that," Rarity told Rainbow. "Opal, Power Gem!"

"Line!" The gem on its collar started to glow before firing off a red beam, instantly hitting Movine.

"Vine!" It cried as the laser struck it in the chest, making it fall like a rock. And as it fell, Opeline scurried over to it.

"Now use Scratch!" Opal's claws start to glow as it saw Movine spread its wings to slow its descent, only for the gem cat to pounce and slash its face.

"Mow!" It yelped as it flew back into the air, using its vines to grip its face and wipe away the pain of the scratch.

"Pull it together! Use Silver Wind!" Movine lowered its vines before beating its wings, shooting the crescent moon shaped wind in Opal's direction.

"Snarl!" Rarity ordered, Opal spitting the black energy ball at the Silver Wind. The two attacks collided and exploded, Movine using the opening to charge at the cat.

"Vine Whip!" From out of the smoke cloud, its tendrils shot out and wrapped around Opal.

"LINE!" She screamed as the vines constricted the gem cat, then lifted her off the ground.

"Slam it!" Rainbow yelled, Movine whipping Opalescence back into the ground. She cried out as the force vibrated through her body, only to feel herself be lifted up and slammed again. The audience watched as this happened again and again, each hit looking more painful than the last.

Mic: "Talk about painful! Opeline better do something, or Rainbow will be heading to the next round without much of a challenge."

This statement made Rarity huff. "Not much of a challenge, are we?! I'll show you how much of a challenge I am! Opal, open your eyes and lock onto Movine's tendrils!" Opeline did so, cracking its eyes open despite the pain. Unfortunately, it couldn't get its teeth or claws close enough to use Bite or Scratch.

"Let's end this," Rainbow told Movine. "Lift it up as high as you can and slam it with everything you've got!" Movine nodded before flying up, pulling Opal with it.

However, this only made Rarity smirk, "Alright darling, here we go! Use Power Gem!"

"OPELINE!" Opalescence screeched as she fired the red laser from the gem around her neck, aiming right where her trainer had told her to focus. The beam struck the first vine before she swung it over to hit the other, burning through both with ease. The blast made Movine scream as it released its hold on Opal.

"What?!" Rainbow yelped as she watched Opal land on top of Movine's head.

"Now, use Bite!"

"Opeline!" Opal bit down on Movine's head, latching on tightly while the bug cried out in pain. Everyone in the stadium flinched, knowing that the attack had to hurt.

Mic: "Yikes! Talk about a headache!"

Celestia: "Rarity sure knows how to turn a sticky situation into an advantage."

Luna: "Only the best trainers can keep their cool when backed into a corner. Now the question is, can Rainbow be called one of the best trainers?"

"Of course I can!" Rainbow barked at the commentary box, "Just watch me!" She turned back to her Pokémon. "Movine, use Vine Whip!" Movine extended its tendrils again and started whipping them up at the Opeline still biting down on its head, hitting both the cat and itself.

"Wonder whose gonna call it quits first?" Spike asked next.

Twilight hummed at the sight. "Movine's taking damage from both the Bite and Vine Whip, while Opal's taking just the Vine Whip, but its receiving more damage from it than Movine."

"This might come down to a battle of wills," Flash added.

"Ri," Springer finished.

"Op!" Opal cried every time the tendrils struck her body, but did everything she could to continue biting Movine's head. Movine then started spinning while continuing to whip her, picking up speed to get Opal to let it go. "Line," she whimpered, now even digging her claws into Movine, but eventually the speed and a hit from Vine Whip made her lose her grip, knocking her right off.

"Yes!" Rainbow cheered while Rarity growled as Opal landed in front of her. The gem cat then picked itself up, glaring at the plant moth as it stopped spinning and flew back up.

"Can you still battle?" Rarity asked her, getting a nod back. "Then use Snarl!"

"Op!" She yelled while unleashing the black electro sphere.

"Silver Wind!" Movine launched the crescent moon shaped air blast, which struck the energy ball and caused it to explode. "Now use Wing Attack!" Movine shot through the smoke cloud as its wings started to glow, using them to smash into Opal.

"Line!" She cried, only for its claws to grab Movine again.

"Bite!" Rarity ordered, Opal biting down on the bug's wing, making Movine flinch.

"Spin around and get it off you!" Movine did as ordered, spinning like a top. The motion easily knocked Opal off, the cat crying as it started to fall. "Now use Silver Wind!" And as the cat fell, a crescent wind blast struck the feline, smacking it into the dirt.

Mic: "Ouch! This is starting to look a touch one sided."

Luna: "It's as I said. It's flight ability is giving it the advantage."

Celestia: "But that doesn't mean it's victory is guaranteed."

"That's right! Use Power Gem!"

"OPELINE!" Opal built as much energy in its gem as possible before unleashing the strongest laser it could make, which hit Movine at breakneck speed.

"MOW!" It cried as it was knocked back, only to quickly recover.

"Vine Whip!" It spun around while extending its tendrils, striking Opal in the head.

"Opeline!"

"This isn't going well for Rarity," Flash commented.

"Doesn't mean she's going to lose," Spike growled as it watched Opal pick herself up. "Come on, rip that thing to shreds Opal!"

"Use Scratch!" Opal ran at the moth with glowing claws, leaping and slashing the bug's chest. Movine cried at the pain, only to see Opal spin around and leap back at Movine, slashing it again.

"Vine Whip!" Movine spun around and whipped its tendrils out, striking Opal in the head and knocking it back. "Fly higher! We're ending this now!" Rainbow yelled before pointing at Movine, "USE SOLARBEAM!"

"MOVINE!" The plant moth yelled as it flew into the sky before spreading its wings, which began taking in the bright light of the sun. Slowly, parts of the wings began to glow.

Mic: "Looks like Rainbow's putting everything on this last attack."

Celestia: "Solarbeam is the most powerful Grass-Type attack, but it also takes quite a while to charge before firing."

Luna: "But if it lands, I doubt Opeline could withstand it."

"This is bad," Rarity grumbled as she started biting her nails, "I have to end this before its done charging. Opal, use Power Gem with everything you have!"

"LINE!" Opalescence's collar gem began to shine as it stored up power, only to unleash one large blast. The laser shot straight up at Movine, striking it dead center. The blow made it scream in pain, making its wings flinch as it started to fall.

"Mow!" Movine then spread its wings to stop its decent, its wings still building more and more power.

"Again!" Rarity ordered as Opal fired another Power Gem, hitting Movine again while also making it fall closer to the ground.

Mic: "Seems we have a battle of wills. Can Movine withstand the onslaught of the Power Gems, or will Opeline manage to take it out before it manages to unleash its Solarbeam?"

"Come on..." Rainbow prayed under her breath. "Come on!"

"Again!" Rarity screamed, Opalescence unleashing another Power Gem.

"Why isn't it dodging?" Spike asked.

Twilight shook her head. "It can't. If it moves too much, it'll lose the energy its building for Solarbeam. I'm actually surprised its able to keep itself from falling after being hit this much."

"Movine needs to withstand it," Flash added. "But I don't think it'll be able to take much more."

As Movine fell to only a few feet off the ground, Rarity smiled before giving her next order. "Snarl!"

"Op!" Opal opened her mouth and fired the black ball of energy, "LINE!" And as the attack got closer to Movine, Rainbow saw it's wings were now completely glowing.

"Do it now! FIRE!"

"MOVINE!" The plant moth screamed, the light flying off its wings and spiralled into an orb before exploding into a massive beam of light. The beam instantly struck Opal's Snarl attack, cutting it in half while making its way to the gem cat.

"Op!" Opal cried in fear, only for the beam to strike her, an explosion following.

"OPAL!" Rarity screamed as she and the rest of the crowd were blinded by the light explosion. And as the seconds passed, they saw the light slowly fade to reveal Opal's condition. "Darling no!" Rarity cried as she now saw Opal laying on the ground, a pair of spirals replacing her eyes.

Mic: "Opeline KO'd, so the winners of the match are Rainbow and MOVINE!"

"YES!" Rainbow cheered with a jump in the air, Rarity running over and picking Opal up.

"It's alright darling," she hugged the gem cat close to her. "You did your best. Mommy still loves you."

"Line..." Opal weakly meowed from her arms.

A small tear went down Rarity's face. "Don't you worry, Nurse Redheart will fix you up no problem. Then I'll have you back to your glamorous self in no time at all."

"Opeline...Opel..."

"Hey Rarity," she then looked up to see Rainbow walking over with Movine floating beside her. Once the two were close, she held out a hand. "Good battle. You sure didn't make it easy."

Rarity let out a long sigh before taking her hand, not caring about the grease still on it, and the two shook before returning their Pokémon and heading back to the trainers box.

Mic: "Now that's sportsmanship."

Celestia: "The true meaning of any battle isn't proving who's better, but giving it everything you've got and earning one another's respect."

Luna: "Well I'm sure these two have forged a strong respect for one another after this battle."

"Tough luck sugarcube," Applejack told Rarity as the two arrived back in the trainer's box.

"It's alright, Applejack. I knew the other trainers competing in the tournament would be strong. This has helped me see just how much I need to train, even though battling's never really been my thing." She then let out a long sigh. "The big issue right now is that Opal is probably going to be giving me the cold shoulder for the next few days."

"And that's different from how she usually treats you...how?" Flash asked next, the others chuckling as they couldn't help but agree with him.

Fluttershy then patted her travel companion's shoulder. "Nice work Rainbow Dash."

"Thanks," Rainbow smirked with crossed arms, "I was pretty awesome, wasn't I?! One round down, three more to go." The others all laughed at her confidence as the megascreen came back on to show Doc and his opponent's images.

Mic: "Alright battle fans, its time for battle number six! Will Time Turner and Heath Burns please make their way over to the battle field?!"

"Alright. Its my turn now."

"Good luck," Twilight added, Doc nodding at her.

"I get the feeling you'll need it," Trixie finished as they stared at his opponent.

Heath stepped out onto the battlefield and moved over to the red section, having already pulled out a Pokeball. "Looks like he's already picked his Pokémon," Flash commented.

"Shouldn't he try to see see what Doc's Pokémon is?" Spike asked.

"Maybe...unless he already knows what Doc's going to use."

"How could he know that?" Pinkie asked, as Doc stepped out onto the field.

"Doc has one slight disadvantage that none of us have," Twilight replied with a glum frown. "He's a Gym Leader."

"How's that a disadvantage?"

"Because Gym Leader's are known as experts of a single type. Heath can't guarantee that Doc won't have a Pokémon that isn't Steel-Type, but the chances are still in his favor."

"And Doc doesn't have a non Steel-Type," Flash added. "Even if Heath sends his out first, if it's a Fire or Fighting-Type, he'll still have problems."

"We'll just have to hope Doc has a plan," Twilight said as they turned back to the field.

Doc finally arrived at the blue section, staring Heath down as Present Mic spoke up. "ALRIGHT! If both trainers are ready, let's take a gander up at the megascreen and see who's gonna be picking their Pokémon first!" Everyone looked up at the megascreen as the roulette wheel appeared between the two's pictures. The wheel began to spin, the professors then pressing the button. It was here that the roulette slowed down, soon landing on the red section.

"SWEET! So it's Heath Burns who'll be picking first."

Heath just smiled as he showed off his Pokeball. "That's fine, it doesn't matter who picked first. I was gonna chose the same Pokémon either way."

Doc raised an eyebrow at this, "Oh? And why's that?"

"Because you're a Gym leader, meaning you only have one Type of Pokémon. And luckily for me, it's a Type my Pokémon can easily beat. Lizash, let's heat things up!" He tossed the ball into the air before it opened, red energy soon forming to reveal a quadrupedal lizard like Pokémon. It was a combo of orange and yellow, its top half of its head and nose being orange, along with its body, legs and outer ears. The bottom half of its nose and mouth were yellow, along with the front of its neck, chest, stomach and inner ears. On the sides of its cheeks were a pair of yellow flaps, similar to a Mudkip. It's flurry tail was a combo of red and yellow, giving it the appearance of fire.

"Liz!" it cried before sneezing out a burst of flames.

"That thing looks cool!" Spike exclaimed, "It's gotta be a Dragon-Type!"

"Let's see..." Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Lizash
Category: Flame Lizard Pokémon
Type: Fire
Info: While still in its egg, Lizash's parents incubate them by burying the egg in hot ash. When it hatches, Lizash then eat the ashes to help ignite their inner fire.

"Nope," Flash added as he shut the Pokedex, "Just a basic Fire-Type."

"Which is bad news for Doc," Twilight finished, "I hope he'll be okay."

As she stared at the Doc, he showed a cocky smirk as he announced, "Don't think you've already won because your Type can easily hurt mine." He pulled out his Pokeball. "A battle can go any way you want it to as long as you have a plan and believe in your Pokémon. Tockwork, I choose you!"

He tossed the ball into the air, the red energy taking shape to reveal the walking clock, who began to move slightly slowly. "Tock..."

Mic: "It's fire verses steel in this battle."

Celestia: "While it's true that Heath's Pokémon has the Type advantage, the previous few matches have shown that isn't a guarantee of victory."

Luna: "Agreed. And let us not forget that Time Turner is a Gym Leader, who's used to dealing with Pokémon that have an advantage against Steel-Types."

Mic: "Excellent points. But every theory needs to be tested, so let's get testing! In three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

"Lizash," Heath called out, "Flame Burst!"

"Liz," Lizash opened its mouth as an orange fireball appeared inside, "ASH!" The fireball flew out like a rocket, all ready to strike Tockwork.

"Dodge it!" Doc ordered, the clock barely sidestepping the fireball. But as it did this, the fireball exploded behind it, launching a barrage of tiny embers in every direction. Tockwork saw this and raised its arms protectively, but flinched as the tiny flames seared them. "Not good."

"Now use Flame Charge!"

"Lizash!" The fire lizard tensed up as its entire body ignited before it charged, turning into what looked like a living fireball.

"He's raising his speed," Doc added as he pointed at the lizard, "Looks like we have to do the same! Overclock!" Tockwork's gears began spinning as it ran at the bum-rushing lizard, moving slightly faster than before as it threw a punch. Its clawed fist struck the flaming Lizash head on, the contact causing an explosion that sent the two backwards.

"Tock/Ash!" The two flinched as they slid along the ground, both quickly recovering as their trainers gave the next order.

"Bullet Punch/Bite!" Lizash bum-rushed again as Tockwork pulled its fist back, the clock then firing a fist shaped blast of energy that struck the Lizash head on.

"Liz!" it cried, but managed to keep moving forward despite the pain. Here, he leapt onto Tockwork, letting out a screech, "Ash!" It yelled as it bit down on Tockwork's arm.

"Seriously?!" Spike asked, "Tockwork's made out of metal. That's not gonna do anything."

Twilight shook her head. "It might not be much damage Spike, but it still adds up."

"Especially if Lizash does that," Flash said as he pointed at the Pokémon. Everyone turned back to the battlefield and saw smoke coming out of the gaps between Lizash's mouth and Tockwork's armor.

"Flame Burst!" Heath called out.

"Get it off you!" Doc ordered, Tockwork now swinging its arm around to try and dislodge it.

"Liz..." Lizash began building the flames into its mouth. "ASH!" It released its hold on Tockwork, seconds before the fireball flew out of its mouth and exploded onto Tockwork.

"TOCK!" Tockwork cried as the flames singed its metal arm while Lizash was blown to a safe distance away.

"Tockwork!" Doc yelled. "Are you okay?!"

Mic: "YOW! Talk about painful. That blast was point blank, so it had to hurt!"

Celestia: "Maybe, but Tockwork's ability should have given it some protection."

Mic: "Ability?"

Luna: "Heatproof, which gives the user a slight resistance against Fire-Type attacks. No doubt Time Turner chose Tockwork because of that ability. Heath will find this battle won't be as one sided as he thought."

"Tock..." Tockwork moaned as it clutched its arm, only to turn to Doc and nod.

"Alright then my friend, use Psywave!" Tockwork pointed its gun arm at Lizash and began firing blasts of psychic energy.

"Dodge it!" Heath ordered as Lizash began leaping from side to side, the Psywaves hitting just behind its tail as it got closer to Tockwork. "Iron Tail!" Lizash's tail started to glow as it ran, eventually getting with striking distance of the clockwork Pokémon.

"Liz..." it jumped up before spinning its glowing tail at Tockwork, "ASH!" The clang of metal on metal echoed through the stadium as Lizash struck Tockwork on the top of its clock-face, the force knocking it off its feet while Lizash bounced off.

"Bullet Punch!" Doc ordered as Tockwork continued to fall back.

"Tock!" It pulled its fist back before shooting it, sending the fist shaped energy flying at the still airborne Lizash.

"Lizash!" It cried as it was struck in the stomach, sending it crashing into the dirt while Tockwork fell on its back.

Mic: "Nice! Firing off an attack like that while falling back and reeling from a dead on hit can't be easy."

Luna: "That's why he's a Gym Leader."

Celestia: "What a fun match this is turning out to be. Let's see what else they can pull off."

"Get up Lizash!" Heath ordered the fire lizard. The little Pokémon started to pick itself up, panting after having the wind knocked out of it. "Now, use Flame Charge!"

"LIZ!" Lizash cried as it exploded into a fireball before charging at the still recovering Tockwork.

Doc saw Lizash coming and knew he had no choice. "Dodge with Overclock!" The gears on Tockwork's arms began spinning again as it pushed itself up onto one knee while Lizash got closer. Seconds before it could tackle Tockwork, it pushed itself up onto its feet while jumping away from the attack.

"Keep using Flame Charge!" Lizash turned around and rushed at Tockwork again, the clock barely ready to defend itself.

"Overclock again!" Doc ordered, grimacing at the fact of overusing the attack. Lizash and Tockwork then began jumping around the field, getting faster and faster by the second. Whenever Lizash tried to hit Tockwork, the robotic Pokémon would always leap away, stunning the whole audience as it continued.

Mic: "Man! These two are both becoming full-on blurs!"

Celestia: "Both of them are using moves that increase their speed. Soon they'll both reach their max."

Luna: "And that would be bad news for Tockwork."

"What's she talking about?" Rainbow asked next, "Why would having so much speed be a bad thing?"

Before anyone could explain, Tockwork landed in front of Doc...only for his entire body to be engulfed by flames. "TOCKWORK!" It cried as the flames singed its form.

Doc bit his lip at this, "Not good!"

"What happened?" Pinkie asked.

"It looks like Tockwork has been burned," Rarity pointed out. "But how? Why? Lizash didn't hit him."

"It's Overclock's risk," Twilight commented with a glum frown. "Using it too much will cause the user to overheat and be burnt."

"Which means Doc needs to end this quickly," Flash finished.

"Come on Doc!" Spike cheered. "You can beat him."

"Terr/Ri!" Peewee and Springer added.

Heath shined a huge grin at the sight. "This match is mine! Flame Burst!" Lizash fired the orange fireball, the attach rocketing right at Tockwork.

"Not happening!" Doc barked back. "Use Psywave!"

"Tock!" Tockwork quickly aimed its gun arm at the fireball, firing a beam of psychic energy. The laser struck the Flame Burst, making it explode far enough away from Tockwork to not hurt him.

"Now Bullet Punch!" Heath stared at the smoke cloud that the attacks had created, which was blown away as a fist shaped energy ball flew through and struck his Lizash.

"ASH!" It cried, an explosion happening next as it knocked it back with tremendous force. "Lizash!" the lizard screamed as it started rolling along the ground, "Liz...liz..."

Heath went wide-eyed, "Wha...that attack was so much stronger than before! How?!"

Doc smirked back while crossing his arms, "Overclock increases both Tockwork's speed and attack strength, which means it and Bullet Punch are both ten times stronger than they were when this battle began!"

"Tock!" Tockwork roared with a nod, onlyl to cry out as the burn flared over his body.

Heath just growled, "That high attack won't matter if you can't hit me! All I've gotta do is keep my distance. Lizash, Flame Charge!" Lizash's body exploded again before it bum-rushing the clock.

"Psywave!" Tockwork fired several blasts of psychic energy, which Lizard dodged before pouncing and body checking the clockwork Pokémon.

"Tock!" Tockwork flinched as it was pushed back, its Heatproof ability giving it some protection but not by much. It didn't help that after Lizash leapt away, the burn flared up again.

"Flame Burst/Psywave!" The two trainers yelled, their Pokémon launching their attacks as they collided in the center of the field, exploding to make another smoke cloud.

"Iron Tail/Overclock!" The two rushed into the smoke cloud as it faded, Lizash's tail glowing as they met.

"Tock!" Tockwork thrusted its fist at Lizash, who managed to sidestep before spinning and striking its arm with its tail.

"Liz!" It then leapt up and slammed its tail into Tockwork's clock-face, making it stagger back while the burn flared up again.

"Flame Burst!" Lizash opened its mouth before charging up another orange fireball.

And as it fired the attack, the clockwork Pokémon regained its footing as Doc gave his order. "Bullet Punch!" Tockwork pulled back and thrusted its fist to launch the energy blast, the glowing fist striking the Flame Burst, causing an explosion.

"Bite!" Doc then heard Heath order out, seconds before Lizash leapt out of the smoke with its fangs at the ready.

"Liz," it latched onto Tockwork's gun arm like before and bit down on the metal, "ASH!"

"Oh no!" Spike added.

"They're gonna use Flame Burst at close range again," Rarity commented with a gulp.

"Tockwork might not be able to stand that," Fluttershy whimpered.

Flash grimaced at the sight as well, only to spot a smile on Doc's face. "What the-what's he up to?"

Mic: "This could be it for Doc."

Celestia: "If another Flame Burst hits like it did before, it might be."

Luna: "And if it doesn't, the burn should be enough to finish it off."

"Flame Burst Lizash!" Heath yelled as Lizash began building the flames in its mouth. "It's over!"

"Not yet it isn't," Doc barked back as he snapped his fingers. "Flash!" Everyone's eyes went wide as they watched Tockwork lift Lizash so it was facing his clock-face, which then exploded with light.

"LIZASH!" The little fire lizard screamed as the light burnt its eyes, forcing them to close as its grip on Tockwork's arm loosened.

"Bullet Punch!" Tockwork raised its arms before pulling it back, soon launching the Lizash away with ease.

"Lizash!" it cried as it flew across the battlefield, soon tasting dirt. And as it tried to pick itself up and open it eyes, it now saw everything was now...fuzzy.

"Lizash," Heath called out, "Use Flame Burst!" Lizash began building the fire while looking around, eventually spotting what it assumed was Tockwork and launching the fireball. Tockwork remained perfectly still at the attack, the fireball missing him by a good five feet before safely exploding far enough that it couldn't damage Tockwork. This made Heath gulp as Doc chuckled back.

Mic: "Looks like that Flash attack has completely blinded Lizash."

Celestia: "Which gives Doc the opening he needs to end this."

"Too right," Doc finished as he pointed at Lizash. "Overclock!" Tockwork's gears began spinning faster than ever. Then, in a blur, Tockwork appeared beside it and began punching and kicking Lizash at high speed. Everyone watched as the robotic Pokémon battered the fire lizard, the Lizash trying to dodge, but its vision betrayed it at every passing blow.

Eventually, Tockwork threw an uppercut as Lizash jumped back, only to end up getting hit in the stomach. "LIZASH!" It cried as it went flying, soon landing with a thud as spirals appeared in its eyes.

Mic: "Lizash KO'd, so the winners of the match are Time Turner and his TOCKWORK!"

The crowd exploded with applause, amazed at the end of such a great battle.

Celestia: "You can see why Time Turner managed to earn the title of Gym Leader. Even against a Pokémon he's weak to, he's able to pull out a win."

Luna: "It was looking a little bad for him in one spot, especially when Tockwork became burnt. But that Flash attack certainly helped him turn the tide."

"Return Lizash!" Heath ordered as he held out his Pokeball and recalled his Pokémon, sighing as he put it away while Doc went up and patted Tockwork. "Well, guess my Type advantage wasn't enough to beat you."

Doc just shook his head with a big smile. "Don't worry about it, you should be proud. You trained you Lizash well."

"Thanks..." Heath replied, then scratching the back of his head, "But I guess my plan to end the match kinda backfired."

"Indeed. But it was only because I saw you use the trick earlier. Bit of advice: don't expect the same technique to work on the same opponent twice in a row."

"Yeah, I get that." Heath held out a hand, "Good luck in the rest of the tournament. Now you've beaten me, you better not lose to anyone else." Doc smiled before taking the hand and shaking it.

"I don't plan too."

And once that was done, the two headed back to the trainer's box. The Hoof Cup's first round was drawing to a close. Now, only two matches remained. Will Twilight and Pinkie be victorious and join the rest of their friends in the second round, or will they be forced to sit and watch? You'll have to stay tuned to find out.

Round One Ends

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So far, six competitors had earned entry into the next round, those being Flash, Thunderbass, Applejack, Lightning, Rainbow and now Doc. And as the next match was about to start, Doc made his way to the trainers' box as Mic yelled into his microphone, "That last match sure was a heated one! Hopefully, the next two will be the same!"

"Nice one Doc!" Flash told the Gym Leader as he arrived back in the box. "That battle was awesome!"

Twilight nodded in agreement. "I have to admit, I was a little worried you weren't going to win. Especially when Tockwork was burned."

Spike shined a huge grin. "But you pulled it off in the end!"

"Thanks, but honestly, that victory was pure luck."

"I wouldn't say that," Twilight replied back.

"No, it's true. If he hadn't chosen to use Bite, my Flash attack wouldn't have been as effective and I wouldn't have been able to finish it the way I did. I got lucky."

Rarity just shrugged at this. "Maybe, but it takes skill to use luck. When luck gave you that opportunity, you could have chosen to use another of your moves."

"Eeyup," Applejack added, "but yah didn't. Ya'll saw the opening and took it, earning yah the win."

"So enjoy your victory already," Rainbow finished. "You've earned it."

Doc did a small chuckle, "Alright, I will. Yay." he gave an sarcastic arm pump while the others all laughed. And as soon as that was done, the megascreen came on to show the images of the next two trainers.

Mic: "ALRIGHT! Will Pinkie Pie and Sandalwood please come and take the stage? It's your turn to party!"

"Did someone say PARTY?!" Pinkie exclaimed as she skipped to the end of the trainers' box, a goofy yet joy filling smile on her face. "That's one of my top ten favorite words! The others being balloons, laughing, Poke-Muffs, playing, friends, fun, fun, and FUN! I put fun three times because it's such an awesome word!" Everyone laughed at this, Pinkie's optimism feeling contagious.

In that moment, Pinkie suddenly found herself inside a large shadow. Spinning around, she saw her opponent staring down at her...but despite his size, he didn't give off a threatening aura. He then held out a fist, "Let's have a great battle."

Pinkie smiled back and bumped the fist, the two doing the explosion thing before stepping out onto the field. Everyone smiled at the two's actions, Flash commenting, "What a nice guy."

Rarity nodded, "Yes. Despite his size, he's not threatening at all. Every bit the gentle giant."

"That my be," the group turned to see Micro enter the trainers' box and walk up to the wall. "But if your friend wants to win, she'll need to take him seriously."

"How's your Thoray?" Flash asked as he had saw Micro rush out the stadium to get his Pokémon to the Center.

"It'll be okay," Micro muttered out. "He's still being looked after, but I needed to be here and cheer my friend on." The others nodded as they looked back at the field.

"So, Sandal's strong?" Twilight asked.

"Yes," Micro pushed his glasses back up his face. "Despite his apparent lax nature, in battle he's always striving for victory."

"Well Pinkie's no slouch," Flash assured him.

"Her wild and unpredictable battle style makes her a tough opponent to deal with," Doc added while remembering their battle together.

"Well then," Micro said as the two arrived at their podiums. "Let's see if it'll be enough."

"ALRIGHT! Both trainers are on the field, so it's time to see who's gonna be picking their Pokémon first!" Everyone looked up at the megascreen as the roulette wheel appeared between the two's pictures. The wheel began to spin around as Mic turned to the professors and nodded, pressing the button. The roulette then slowed down, soon landing on the blue section.

Mic: "Looks like Pinkie's the one starting things off!"

"That's ME!" Pinkie twirled around while pulling a Pokeball out of her hair. "Alright Gummy, let's go!" She tossed the ball into the air, opening to reveal a flurry of red energy before fading to reveal Pinkie's Gumigator, who stood completely while it licked its eye with its tongue.

This made several trainers blink at the sight, Twilight yelping out, "She's using Gummy?"

"Can he even fight?" Spike added.

"Looks like we're about to find out," Doc finished with a slight grimace.

"Your friend may regret this choice later," Micro commented with crossed arms.

"Why?" Flash asked.

"Because of who Sandel's best Pokémon is." The others raised an eyebrow at this, but just waited to see which Pokémon Sandel was gonna choose.

Their questions were soon answered when Sandalwood pulled out a Pokeball and enlarged it. "Grotle, it's fighting time!" He tossed the ball into the air before unleashing a blast of red energy to reveal his Pokémon.

"Grot..." said a large tortoise the size of a lion. It's body was green, but its entire top half was covered in a yellow shell and has a lower jaw that was yellow along with the bottom of its feet, which each had three white claws coming out the ends. The Pokémon stomped its feet next, causing a small earthquake as it did. "Grotle!"

"Huh? What's that goofy looking thing?" Pinkie asked before reaching into her puffy hair and pulling out her Pokedex.

Name: Grotle
Category: Grove Pokémon
Type: Grass
Info: Usually found living in forests near water, it spends its days sunbathing its tree shell. Small Pokémon often ride on its back, feeding on the nuts that grow off it.

Mic: "A Grass-Type, huh?"

Celestia: "Usually, I'd say it would have the advantage against a Water-Type like Gumigator, but after some of the battles we've seen today, I'd probably be setting myself up to fail."

Luna: "Even so, we have to acknowledge this Type match-up does put Pinkie at a disadvantage."

"Maybe," Pinkie replied back as she pointed at the box, "But where's the fun in battling against an opponent I can just easily beat? This is gonna make the match way more entertaining for everyone watching." She began jumping from one angle to the next, waving her arms furiously to say hi to the ones watching the match. Many of the younger members of the audience waved back, some even giggling or laughing as they did.

Mic: "Well, that settles that. Here's hoping for another fun battle, which is starting right now! In three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

Pinkie shined a huge grin as she stared at her opponent, wondering what he was gonna do first, only to gasp as she saw him raise his hand and give her a 'come at me bro' gesture. She started giggling at the gesture, only to point at Gummy and yell, "Ice Beam!"

Gummy opened its mouth as a blue sphere appeared within, the sphere then exploding into a burst of blue lightning that headed straight for Grotle.

"Yes! Its an Ice-Type Attack!" Flash cheered, "That'll do tons of damage against Grotle."

Twilight nodded. "And at that size, Grotle won't be dodging anything easily."

However, Micro just shook his head at this. "Oh, Sandal knows. He and Grotle have been through a lot together, and what Grotle lacks in speed, it makes up for in pure power."

"Use Razor Leaf," Sandal ordered as Grotle jumped up onto its back feet before slamming the front hooves down, thrusting its shell in the Ice Beam's direction. Doing so unleash a flurry of spinning leaves, which flew right at the Ice Beam.

Mic: "Wow! Grotle's using its Razor Leaf to shield itself from the Ice Beam."

Everyone watched as the leaves were frozen midair and fell to the ground, but Grotle was completely unharmed. "Grotle."

"Wow's right. That was awesome!" Spike added.

Micro smiled with a nod. "Grotle might not be the fastest Pokémon in the world, but with its high defense and the right move-set, it can win any battle."

"Water Gun!" Pinkie ordered, Gummy once again opening its mouth. This time, it unleash a high powered burst of water that headed straight for Grotle, only for Sandal to not call out a counter, allowing the water to strike his Pokémon head on.

Even so, Grotle didn't move an inch as the water bounced off it. And when it began to lose pressure, it's trainer gave his next command. "Seed Bomb!"

"Grotle!" As soon as the water stopped, Grotle opened its mouth as a white orb appeared within. The orb then unleashed a barrage of glowing white seeds, all flying across the field at Gummy.

"Dodge it Gummy!" Pinkie yelled as the seeds drew closer to her Pokémon, but he either didn't notice or didn't want to listen.

"Is it disobeying her?" Rarity asked.

"That's strange," Twilight added, "Gummy usually seems like its obedient to Pinkie. Why isn't it listening?"

The answer came when the seeds appeared to make contact with Gummy and exploded, creating a smoke cloud that completely enveloped him. Everyone in the stadium frowned, several thinking they might have just seen a one hit KO. But then, to everyone's shock and surprise, Pinkie called out. "Ice Beam!"

From out of the smoke came a familiar burst of blue lightning, the blast striking the unprepared grass turtle. "Grotle!" It yelled as it felt the freezing cold energy surrounded it.

Everyone gasped at this as they turned back to the smoke cloud, which cleared to reveal Gummy didn't even have a scratch on it. Not only that, but somehow Gummy had moved roughly five feet from its original spot, which was currently smoking with several scorch marks on it.

Mic: "Incredible! It appears Pinkie's Gumigator managed to dodge at the last moment."

Celestia: "The speed it must have used to do that without us seeing is incredible."

Luna: "I'm wondering if Pinkie actually knew it had done that, or did she just give the command in a blind hope that it had survived?"

Sandalwood looked his partner over. "You okay Grotle?" In reply, Grotle shock its body to get rid of the goosebumps the Ice Beam had left behind before letting out a cry of determination. "Righteous. Then let's use Razor Leaf!"

"Grotle!" It jumped up onto its back feet again before slamming back the ground, thrusting its shell as a barrage of spinning leaves shot at Gummy.

"Dodge it again Gummy!" Pinkie yelled while jumping from one foot to the other. Once again, Gummy seemed not to have heard as the leaves got closer. But just as they were about to make contact, Gummy suddenly vanished into thin air.

Mic: "It disappeared!"

Celestia: "Teleport? No, that's impossible."

Luna: "Gumigator can't learn Teleport Celestia. But, where did it go?"

"There!" Rainbow pointed to a part of the field, which Gummy had somehow gotten to without anyone noticing.

"How'd he get there?" Spike asked.

"It's fast," Rainbow replied with crossed arms. Unbeknownst to them, Rainbow hadn't seen Gummy vanish. To her, Gummy suddenly became a blur. "It's really fast. So fast that it only looks like it's teleporting."

"And you can see it move Rainbow?" Rarity gasped.

Fluttershy spoke up at this. "Most of Rainbow's strategies involve her Pokémon moving at high speed. Whenever she battles, she has to keep an eye on her team when they move so she knows when they're ready to strike."

"I see," Doc replied while rubbing his chin. "So she's subconsciously trained herself to be able to follow fast movements. Quite impressive."

"But even I'm having a hard time following," Rainbow grumbled as she now saw Sandalwood order Grotle to fire another Seed Bomb, which went flying at Gummy, only for it to vanish again. "I can see it move, but it's a total blur." She followed Gummy's direction and everyone else did the same, turning to where she was staring and all gasping in amazement as Gummy actually appeared there.

"So Gummy's just really fast," Spike caught on.

Twilight crossed her arms at this. "But...its strange. Gumigator aren't known for having high levels of speed."

Flash let out a small chuckle. "This is a Pokémon owned by Pinkie, Twilight. Since when do the usual rules effect her?"

This made the others giggle as Doc did a small shrug, "Very true Flash. Very true."

"Aqua Tail!" They then heard Pinkie order, making them turn back to see Gummy disappear before reappearing just a few feet away from Grotle. Once there, he leapt into the air as water appeared to spiral around its tail and making it look three times longer. Flipping forward, Gummy brought its extended tail crashing down onto Grotle's head.

"Grotle!" It flinched as its cranium was bashed, but quickly recovered as Gummy began to fall back to earth.

"Grab it before it lands! Use Bite!"

"Grotle!" The giant tortoise stumbled forward and managed to reach Gummy before he could land, opening its mouth and using it to grab the toothless alligator's stomach. Grotle then began to squeeze Gummy tightly, the Gumigator strangely making a sound you'd hear when squeezing a squeaky toy.

"Gummy!" Pinkie cried.

Mic: "That's gotta hurt."

Luna: "Really? Gumigator doesn't look like its in pain."

Despite the wind being squeezed out of it, Gummy's facial expression remained it's uninterested form. "Oh Gummy," Pinkie muttered out as she 'saw' Gummy in so much pain. "I know it hurts, but just bare with it." Pinkie then scanned Grotle over, gasping as she pointed at the turtle, "That's it! Gummy, use Ice Beam and fire at Grotle's feet!"

Gummy did as instructed, opening its mouth and firing the blue lightning. The beam struck Grotle's right foot and began freezing it to the ground. "Grot!" Grotle flinched as what felt like the pain of a thousand tiny needles stabbing into it, all shooting into its foot and up its leg. "Tell!" It loosened its grip on Gummy, allowing him fall over while making the squeaky sound as it bounced off. Grotle stared down at its foot and began pulling at it, soon breaking it free of the ice before turning back to Gummy. Strangely enough, the little alligator hadn't moved from the spot it had landed on.

"Alright Gummy!" Pinkie cheered, "Now let's show them our Bite attack!" This made everyone raise an eyebrow as they all watched Gummy jump at Grotle while opening its mouth.

"Gummy...can use Bite?" Flash yelped out as Gummy suddenly snapped its toothless jaws onto Grotle's head.

"Looks like it," Twilight added while blinking in confusion. "But it doesn't look like the attack did anything." Gummy then released Grotle's head and some threw the turtle into the air, the Pokémon falling on its back next as Gummy bit down on him again.

"Yeah! Show that guy what a real Bite attack looks like!" Everyone just sweat-dropped watching this, even Sandal seeming a little unsure what to do next.

The answer to that quickly came when he noticed something, making him smirk. "Alright Grotle, use Razor Leaf!"

"Grotle," the Grove Pokémon growled as its bushes began rustling.

Gummy's eyes turned to the sound, just in time to see the barrage of spinning leaves come flying out of the bushes and hit him dead on. The Gumigator was forced to release Grotle as it was sent flying, Sandal seeing his next chance. "Alright! Now, use Synthesis!"

"Grotle!" The bushes on Grotle's back began to glow as it looked up at the shining sun, the rest of its body started to glow as well.

"What's Synthesis?" Spike asked.

"It's a move that let's Grotle use sunlight to heal itself," Doc replied.

Twilight bit her lip at this. "If Pinkie doesn't hurry, Grotle will end up completely healed and she'll be back to square one!"

Pinkie glumly frowned at this as Gummy got back on his feet, "Get him with Ice Beam!" Gummy opened its mouth and unleashed the blue lightning again, all ready to hit the healing Grotle.

Sandal saw this and told Grotle to protect itself with Razor Leaf, making the grass tortoise stop it's Synthesis attack before firing the leaf shurikens. Once again, they struck the Ice Beam and were frozen solid. "Seed Bomb!" Grotle opened its mouth and started firing the glowing projectiles at Gummy.

"Dodge it Gummy!" Pinkie ordered as Gummy warped from one spot to the next, dodging the speeding pellets while drawing closer to Grotle. "Now Aqua Tail!" Gummy leapt into the air as his tail was surrounded by water, then started spinning to transform into a water wheel that spun at Grotle at high speed.

"Razor Leaf!" Grotle launched the spinning leaves at the wheel, but only managed to slow it down as it got closer.

Eventually, the attack reached Grotle and struck it in the head again. "Grotle!"

As this happened, Gummy broke out of the water and dropped in front of the Grotle. Seeing this, Sandal yelled, "Use Bite and grab it again!" Grotle staggered to Gummy with its mouth open, ready to bite down like before.

"Water Gun!" Pinkie ordered, Gummy opening its mouth to unleash a high pressure burst of water. It wasn't aimed at Grotle though, but at the ground right in front of it. The water hit the dirt, causing Gummy to be propelled up over Grotle's head.

"What!?" Sandalwood yelped while Pinkie just giggled, Gummy spinning back down to the ground and landing on its feet right behind Grotle. "Spin around!"

But with Grotle's bulk, he couldn't do it quickly, giving Pinkie and Gummy the opening they needed. "Use Bite on its tail!" Gummy did so, grabbing the very tip of Grotle's tail...but causing no damage whatsoever.

Mic: "Hey-oh! Did Pinkie just blow it and call the wrong move?"

Celestia: "I agree. I was expecting her to use Ice Beam at that moment."

Luna: "Same. I wonder what Pinkie was thinking?"

"Obviously she wasn't," Micro added while adjusting his glasses. "All she's done is give Sandal an opening to finish this match for good." The others just stared at Pinkie, most unsure what was going to happen. They had a feeling that Pinkie had a plan....but what was it?

"Bad move Pink!" Sandal told his opponent. "Grotle, toss Gumigator into the air!"

"Grotle!" It replied as it tried to lift it's tail, only to find it to be stuck. "Tell?" It looked back and saw Gummy was continuing to hold its tail it his mouth, Grotle again tugging, but it was like Gummy was glued to the ground.

Everyone else raised an eyebrow at this, while Pinkie just giggled. "Alright Gum-Gum, THROW IT!" And just like that, Gummy pulled on Grotle's tail, and to everyone's surprise, the grass tortoise was actually pulled off its feet.

"Grotle!" It cried as it fell onto its stomach, then felt itself before dragged around the floor in a circular motion.

"What the heck?!" Both Micro and Sandal exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Is Gummy actually strong enough to lift that thing?" Flash asked, his answer soon given when Grotle was lifted off the floor by the spinning motion. Then, Gummy released its hold on the tail, sending Grotle off like a rocket.

"GROTLE!" It screamed as it sailed a few feet before hitting the ground, landing not on its stomach...but on its shell. "Grotle?" Grotle tried to right itself, but was unable too.

Mic: "Oh boy. Grotle's fallen and can't get up."

Celestia: "The curse of all born with a shell like that."

"Perfect! Now Grotle can't protect itself from our next attack. FULL POWER ICE BEAM GO!" Gummy opened its mouth and unleashed not one, not three, but several blue lightning bolts. They all flew at the still disabled Grotle and struck it before it could react, making it cry out in pain.

"GROTLE!!!!" It screamed while still trying to spin itself around, eventually managing to do so after a full minute of the Ice Beam. And as Gummy's attack ended, the grass tortoise pushed itself back onto its feet. "Grotle...grotle…."

"Awesome Grotle!" Sandal cheered. "No one can match your unbreakable will. Now, use Seed Bomb!"

"Grot-" Grotle opened its mouth to fire the attack, only for its feet to give out and it hit the ground stomach first. "Grotle."

"GROTLE!" Sandal cried as everyone stared at the downed Pokémon and saw spirals in its eyes.

Mic: "Grotle KO'd, so the winners of the match are Pinkie and GUMIGATOR!"

"YAY!" Pinkie cheered as she jumped up and down before running over to Gummy and pulling him into a tight hug. "Oh Gummy, you were amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Gummy didn't say anything, just accepting the hug.

Back over to Sandalwood, he walked over to the still dazed Grotle and crouched down beside it. He patted its shell, "You did awesome Grotle. Thanks for working so hard." He pulled out his Pokeball and returned the Grove Pokémon, then sighed before noticing something appear next to his face.

He looked up and saw it was a green Poke-Muff, which Pinkie had in her hand, "Here, thanks for being such a fun opponent to battle against."

Sandal smiled before taking the treat and biting into it. "Thanks. You were great too. Never thought I'd face on opponent like you before."

"Aww, thanks." She then held up her Gumigator, "But it's Gummy you should be congratulating. He did all the work." Sandal nodded and gave Gummy a pat on the head before the two headed off to the trainers' box.

Mic: "What an exciting battle!"

Luna: "Speed against power, with speed coming out on top."

Celestia: "Maybe, but it wasn't just Gumigator's speed that won this match. Who would have expected that move with Grotle's tail? No doubt Pinkie's out of the box thinking played a part in this victory."

Flash nodded at this while Pinkie walked up to them, "Pinkie, that battle was amazing! Who knew Gummy was such a power house?!"

"Me!" Pinkie replied while hugging Gummy again. "How do you think I caught Mallow and Jigglypuff?"

The others all chuckled as Twilight spoke up next, "Word of advice though, you might wanna teach Gummy a new move to replace Bite. Sure, it came in handy today, but I doubt you'll get that lucky the next time you try it."

Pinkie hummed for a moment, "Guess you're right. It's funny to watch everyone's confused looks though." She placed Gummy on the wall before pulling another Poke-Muff out of her hair, placing it down for him to enjoy.

Sandalwood sat down next to Micro, who patted him on the shoulder. "Sorry Sandal. Who would have thought something like that would have happened?"

"Not me," Sandal replied while finishing off his Poke-Muff. "But it was fun to watch, that's for sure."

Before anyone else could say anything, the megascreen changed to show the images of Twilight and Inky Rose.

Mic: "ALRIGHT! It's time for the last battle of round one! Twilight Sparkle, Inky Rose, please step up to the field."

Twilight let out a long sigh, "Alright....wish me luck."

"You got this sis," Spike assured her.

"Terra," Peewee added.

"Thanks," Twilight replied as her opponent stepped out from the shadows of the corner. She said nothing as she stepped out onto the field and moved to the red section. Twilight did the same, walking over to the blue section.

"Good luck darling," Rarity called out.

"Go get 'em!" Flash cheered.

Mic: "According to Twilight's trainer info, she's actually the younger sister of Equestria's current Champion. It also says she's spent several years as Professor Celestia's assistant. Any comments professor?"

Celestia: "Twilight is an extremely bright young girl. I look forward to seeing how well her journey has molded her into a proper trainer."

Luna: "As someone who's seen her in a battle scenario, I can tell you her opponent won't find it easy to beat her without a plan."

Mic: "Looks like we're about to find out if you're right. Both trainers have arrived at their spots."

Rainbow turned to Twilight's travel companions, "Is she really Shining Armor's sister?"

"Yup," Spike said while leaning on the wall to try and look cool, "Which also makes him my brother." He shot Rarity a smile, the girl raising an eyebrow at this while Applejack shook her head.

"Just cause her brother's a great trainer doesn't make her one. She'll still need to be careful against her opponent."

Flash crossed his arm at this. "Don't worry. She's a good trainer, regardless of who her brother is. She won't be going down easily."

Twilight looked her opponent up and down from across the field, seeing her twirling her finger through her hair while looking bored. "She doesn't look like the kind of person who will take this battle seriously," she told herself. "But I can't risk underestimating her." She then spoke loud enough for Rose to hear her, "let's have a good battle."

"Whatever," Rose replied.

"ALRIGHT!" Present Mic announced. "If both trainers are ready, let's see who's gonna be the first to bring out their Pokémon!" Everyone looked up at the megascreen as the roulette wheel appeared between the two's pictures. The wheel began to spin around as Mic turned to the professors and nodded, pressing the button. The roulette then slowed down, soon landing on the blue section.

"Look's like Twilight's picking first. YEAH!"

"Alright," Twilight pulled out her Pokeball, "then let's go Owlicious!" She tossed the ball into the air before it opened to release the Psychick.

"Psy!" he went as he flew through the air.

"Whatever..." Inky Rose pulled her own Pokeball. This one's top was half blue and half black, with a yellow crescent moon on the top. "Gothorita." She tossed the ball into the air before it opened, unleashing the red energy that took form to reveal a humanoid Pokémon wearing a black dress with white bows. It also had white bows in its black hair, making a pair of pigtails.

"Rita..." it said as it spun like a ballerina.

"Gothorita?" Trixie asked as she pulled out her Pokedex.

Name: Gothorita
Category: Manipulate Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Info: The source of their power is starlight. Using psychic power to float stones, they mark star positions at night. According to many folk tales, they create friends for themselves by controlling children while they sleep on starry nights.

Mic: "It's Psychick verses Gothorita! We're looking at a double Psychic Battle!"

Celestia: "This is shaping up to be an interesting final battle."

Luna: "But who will be its victor?"

Mic: Only one way to find out. In three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

"Use Peck!" Twilight ordered, Owlicious charging while taking to the sky. His beak glowed and extended in size as he drew closer to Gothorita.

"Double Slap," Rose countered.

"Goth!" Gothorita spun on its heal, holding out its hands as they began to glow. When Owlicious reached it, his beak struck one of the hands and was knocked away before the second came around and hit him in the face.

"Psy!" He cried as he fell to the floor, only to pull up and skim a few feet above the ground.

"Confusion!" Twilight then ordered, Owlicious spinning around and locked his eyes onto Gothorita, both glowing blue before each firing a light beam. The beams quickly fused together as they flew at Gothorita, Inky Rose unable to call a counter fast enough.

"Rita!" The gloomy looking Pokémon cried as it was struck, knocked off balance at the same time.

"Now use Calm Mind!" Owlicious's entire body started to glow while Gothorita worked to regain its footing.

Mic: "Nice! While their opponent's distracted, it's the perfect moment to increase their power."

Celestia: "I told you Twilight is smart. Most trainers would use an opening like this to use a big attack."

Luna: "But your student's thinking ahead. Very impressive."

Rose growled at this, finally showing a little emotion, "I'll show you impressive! Psyshock!"

"Goth!" Gothorita's eyes started to glow as it began to float into the air.

"It can fly?" Spike yelped.

"Well, it is a Psychic-Type," Doc reminded him.

They watched as Gothorita closed its eyes and held out its hands. Seconds later, three orbs of blue and purple energy appeared between them. "Gotho...RITA!" It thrusted its hands, causing the orbs to be sent flying at Owlicious's direction.

"Hoo!" Owlicious began trying to evade the spheres, managing to dodge the first to one, only for the third to clip his wing. "Hoo!" He cried while starting to fall, managing to open his wings just in time to stop himself from crashing.

"You okay?" Twilight asked, seeing Owlicious's smoking wing. Once Owlicious landed, he looked back at his trainer and nodded. "Alright, then use Peck again!" Owlicious flapped back into the air before shooting up at still hovering Gothorita, his beak glowing as it grew longer.

"Faint Attack," Rose ordered, Gothorita pulling one of its legs back.

"Goth," as they both got within striking range, Gothorita swinging its leg forward. Owlicious saw this and aimed his beak so it would stab into the foot. But much to his surprise, when they were inches apart, Gothorita disappeared.

"Psy?" He questioned, only to suddenly feel something smash into the top of his head.

"RITA!" Gothorita had reappeared just above Owlicious and performed a drop kick on his head, sending him spinning down into the dirt.

"Owlicious!" Twilight cried as everyone else in the audience flinched.

Mic: "That had to hurt."

"Come on Twilight!" Flash told her. "You got this!"

Twilight nodded back, "I know. Now..." she saw Owlicious had pick itself up while Gothorita floated down to the ground, "Use Calm Mind!"

"Psychick!" Owlicious's body glowed once again, pumping up the power of its Special Attack.

Rose growled back, knowing that its Confusion attacks were gonna be more powerful now. "Time to set up our finisher." She pointed at Gothorita, "Use Future Sight!"

"Goth!" Gothorita raised its hands into the air as a ball of blue sparking light appeared between them. "Gothorita!" It thrusted its hands up, sending the ball flying before it seemed to phase out of sight.

Many of the spectators raised an eyebrow at this, Pinkie tilting her head as she asked, "Is something supposed to happen?"

Doc shook his head. "Yes, but not for a while."

Twilight did a small gulp. "I have to end this before that attack hits. Use Confusion!" Owlicious fired off the twin lasers, which were three times as powerful as before, that combined and struck Gothorita before it could react.

"Goth!" It flinched as it staggered back, while Owlicious charged at the Manipulate Pokémon.

"Sky Drop!" The Psychick managed to get behind Gothorita and grabbed its shoulders with his talons before beating his wings, flying up high. Once there, Owlicious spun and threw Gothorita at the ground.

"Goth!!!" It cried as it fell.

"Catch yourself!" Rose ordered, actually showing some emotion in her voice. Gothorita closed its eyes and used its psychic powers to grab a hold of itself, managing to slow itself down and stop just before hitting the dirt. This made Rose sigh in relief while Twilight growled, knowing she was running out of time.

"Calm Mind!" Owlicious's body once again glowed, while several others gulped.

"Using that move right now might not have been such a good idea," Doc added.

"Why?" Spike asked, "Owlicious's Confusion's gonna be way stronger."

"Except right now, every second counts. If Twilight wants to win this before the Future Sight hits, she needs to start attacking with force."

"What's so bad about this Future Sight?" Rainbow asked, only for Doc to look up and go wide eyed.

"You're about to see!" The others looked up and saw the space in the sky was beginning to warp, as some kind of wormhole opened up above the stadium. And from out of that wormhole, came a huge burst of psychic energy.

The energy flew down and struck Owlicious, zapping him and causing the little owl to cry out in pain. "OWLICIOUS!" Twilight screamed as she watched her partner crash, smoke coming off his body. "No..."

Mic: "Is this it? Has Psychick bitten the dust?"

"What happened?" Spike yelped.

"Future Sight is a move that sends a high powered psychic attack into the future," Doc explained. "It's a powerful move, though it's never clear how long it'll take to fire."

"You're not kidding about it being powerful," Flash added. "I'm not sure if Owlicious was able to survive that."

Everyone stared at where Owlicious had landed, watching as he slowly picked himself up and staggered before managing to get his balance. Twilight looked him over, "You okay?"

"Psy!" Owlicious nodded.

"Alright, use Peck!" Owlicious flew at the Pokémon again, its beak extending.

"Future Sight!" Rose ordered, Gothorita creating the sparking energy ball that it then threw into the air. As it phased into nothingness, Owlicious almost impaled Gothorita in the chest, making it cry out while falling back.

"Psyshock!" Gothorita recovered as it started to float up to create a trio of orbs, which it thrusted in Owlicious's direction.

"Dodge it!" Twilight countered as the Psychick did so, managing to evade all three blasts...only to find Gothorita had gotten right in its face.

"Double Slap!" Gothorita swung its now glowing hands in Owlicious's direction, managing to hit him once, but unable to do the next hit as the owl flew back. "Psyshock again!" Three more orbs appeared in its hands as this order reached its ears.

"Confusion!" Owlicious fired the twin beams as Gothorita threw the spheres. The two attacks met dead center and exploded, sending the two flying back before managing to both pull themselves to a stop.

"Peck/Faint Attack!" They charged again, Owlicious's beak glowing while Gothorita pulled its leg back. They drew closer, the Psychick's beak extending while Gothorita prepared to fire and upwards kick. But once they got into striking range, Owlicious stopped itself while Gothorita disappeared.

The owl had obviously seen this coming and with one strong wing beat, pushed itself back as Gothorita reappeared and performed a roundhouse kick...only to hit nothing but air. "Goth?"

"Confusion!" Owlicious unleashed a pair of psychic blasts, combining to strike the still off balance Gothorita.

"Rita!" It cried as it was sent flying back, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop.

"Gothorita?" Rose asked, wondering if her partner had been knocked out. But then, much to her relief, she saw it pick itself up and stand on its wobbly feet. "Alright!" She looked up at the sky and saw the Future Sight wasn't ready to fire, "Just need to buy time. Use Psyshock!" Gothorita created the orbs and launched them in three different directions nowhere near Owlicious. "Gothorita? What are you doing?"

Everyone stared at Gothorita and saw it was still standing, but with swirls in its eyes. "Looks like its confused," Twilight commented with a smirk, "Perfect! Use Peck!" Owlicious then charged again with its now glowing beak.

"Dodge it!" Rose ordered, but Gothorita was unable to respond. Instead, Owlicious slammed into its chest, making it cry out as it fell back.

Twilight shined a big grin, but then looked up and saw the space above them begin to warp. "Future Sight...Owlicious can't take that again, unless..." She did a quick glance at the trainer's box, now seeing Flash glaring at her with a look of pure confidence. "What would you do Flash?" As soon as she said that, an idea popped into her head. "Of course! Use the attack against them! Owlicious, Sky Drop!"

"Psy!" Owlicious quickly zipped behind Gothorita like before, grabbing the still confused Psychic-Type around the shoulders. He then lifted it up into the sky, flying right at the forming wormhole.

"What's Twilight doing?" Rainbow asked.

"Owlicious is flying right at the Future Sight," Rarity gasped.

"Eh, stop worrying. She's obviously got a plan." Flash commented with a big smirk.

And as Owlicious got closer to the portal as it finished forming, Twilight pointed at it and yelled, "Toss Gothorita at the Future Sight!"

"PSYCHICK!" Owlicious spun forwards and released Gothorita in time for it to fly straight at the wormhole unleashing the energy blast.

And as the Pokémon fly into the portal, the blast struck its caster and exploded. "GOTHORITA!"

Everyone watched as the blast propelled Gothorita to the ground, fading just a few moments before it crashed into the battlefield and kicked up a cloud of dust. They all waited for the dust to settle, seeing it to reveal Gothorita laying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

Mic: "Gothorita KO'd, so the winners of the match are Twilight and PSYCHICK!"

The audience all cheered at Twilight's victory, all amazed at how she had turned everything around.

Celestia: "What an incredible turn around! The Twilight I send out on her journey wouldn't have come up with that."

Luna: "Looks like she's learned a lot while travelling around."

"Owlicious!" Twilight cheered as her Psychick flew into her, the girl now hugging him tightly. "You were amazing!"

"Psy!" Owlicious exclaimed back.

"Whatever..." Inky Rose said as she returned Gothorita and walked away. Twilight tried to follow her to thank her for the match, but she was gone before she could say anything. Because of this, she went back to the trainer box.

"That was awesome Twilight!" Spike told her sister as she arrived, everyone else giving her similar praise.

"Thanks guys," replied as she hugged Owlicious again. "But it wasn't just me who made this match possible. Owlicious pulled it off, and Flash helped a lot too."

"Me?" Flash asked as he pointed at himself. "What did I do?"

Twilight nodded at this. "Yeah. When the Future Sight showed up, I wondered 'what would Flash do' and that crazy idea popped into my head. So thanks." This made Flash blush while the others all smirked as the megascreen changed to show the picture of every trainer who had made it through to round two.

"ALRIGHT!" Present Mic yelled, "Here are the lucky trainers who'll be competing in tomorrow's event." The seven trainers, as one had left thinking he didn't need to be there, stared up at the screen while wondering who their next opponent would be. The same questions was also flowing through the minds of everyone else in the stadium, along with wondering who the lucky winner of the whole thing would be.

Only time would tell.

A Legendary Encounter

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The Hoof Cup's first round had come to an end. Flash, Twilight, Doc, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, Lightning and Thunderbass had made it through, earning the right to battle in the next round tomorrow. And now that the first round was over, the audience members began to head out of the stadium. Some would be returning home, while others had gotten rooms at hotels, while the competitors were all still in the stadium. They had attempted to leave, but had been blocked from the exit by every professional trainer's worst nightmare...the paparazzi.

"Excuse me?" As reporter asked as the hallway was filled with the flashing camera lights, "Can we get a quick word with one of you?"

"Uhh..." was all Flash could mutter out as the others closed their eyes.

"Ooh!" Rarity exclaimed as she and Trixie began posing for the cameras. "Make sure to get my...oh, who am I kidding?! Every side's my best side!"

"Can I ask what publications these will be going in?" Trixie asked next.

However, the photographer's began pointing their cameras around the two. "Sorry, but we're only interested in the trainers who made it to the next round."

"Yeah! Out of the way! Our readers don't want to see images of losers."

"LOSERS?!" Rarity and Trixie screamed, the fury on their faces making the group backpedal in fear. But before the two could do something that might get them arrested, a cough made everyone turn to see Celestia and Luna walking up to them.

The two growled at the paparazzi as Celestia stepped up to the crowd, "Please don't bother or insult our competitors. They're obviously all tired after their challenging battles, and you lot hounding them isn't gonna make recovery any easier."

Luna crossed her arms as a death glare appeared in her eyes, "Indeed. They'll be having a lot more tough battles tomorrow, so they need their rest." She then turned to the still fuming Trixie and Rarity before shooting another glare at the reporters, "And I'm sure you just misspoke when you called these two young ladies losers. Just because they were defeated doesn't give you all the right to call them that. I'd like to see you give such a spectacular show as they did in their battles."

The paparazzi did a long gulp, sweating pouring down their faces as they now saw everyone glaring at them, even the other trainers. Pulling their collars, one of them spoke up, "Of course it was a misspoke! We called them...err...bruisers! Yeah, that's right! Bruisers!"

"It's reporter slang," another squeaked out, "For super strong trainers. Our readers wouldn't want to read about them because...uh..."

"It's more fun to read about the underdogs!" a third one finished. "Reading about such obvious winners is so boring. They want to read about those whose victories would be unexpected." The others all nodded in agreement, obviously trying to save their skin.

Celestia and Luna both smirked at this as they turned around, "Very well, you're forgiven this time. Now get out of here before we decide to have security come and throw you out."

"THANK YOU!" The reporters all cried before running off, completely disappearing in a cloud of escaping smoke.

Twilight turned to her mentor and her sister. "Thank you. If you hadn't stepped in, that could have gotten messy."

"No problem," Celestia replied while Luna continued to glare down the hall.

"Parasites. The whole lot of them."

Flash leaned over to Celestia and whispered, "What's her problem?"

Celestia just giggled. "She's had a grudge against reporters ever since one of them took a picture of her at a fundraiser, showing her frowning."

"I wasn't frowning! I had simply been smiling all day and was resting my cheeks when that blasted parasite took the picture!" Everyone suddenly imagined Luna at a party with a big fake grin on her face, only to then stop as her picture was taken. This made them break out laughing, causing Luna to let out a low hiss. "I hate you all..."

"Oh stop it Luna, you know they mean no harm." Celestia said with a roll of her eyes, "Anyways, we came to congratulate you all on an amazing job well done. Even though some of you lost your battles, you should feel proud at how well you fought. It's clear that you've all trained your Pokémon with love, dedication and care." She then did a small sigh, "Well...most of you."

Everyone frowned, knowing who she was talking about. "Lightning..." Flash whispered at the memory of his rival's battle.

"To battle in such a way," Luna grumbled as they began heading down the corridor to leave the stadium. "It was obvious the two of them were not working as a team. There is no friendship there, only one person giving orders and the other taking them."

"Everyone has their own style of battle Luna. To some, friendship isn't something they feel is necessary for gaining strength. To them, Pokémon are nothing but tools to do battle with." Everyone frowned at that, some even hugging their Pokémon. They couldn't imagine not being friends with their Pokémon, especially after everything they'd been through together. "The same can be said for the Pokémon," everyone looked up at Celestia as they saw a long frown appear on her face. "To them, having a trainer is simply a shortcut to becoming stronger. Something that many of you probably know, the Pokémon trained by a trainer will always grow stronger then it would if it were wild."

"Why?" Rainbow asked immediately.

"No one really knows why," Luna replied while shaking her head. "It's one of the many mysteries that researchers like us are trying to solve. It's been proven through many experiments that the states of a Pokémon raised by a trainer will be higher than one that lives in the wild. One researcher even used a pair of twin Pokémon hatched on the very same day to test this. One was given to a trainer to raise, while the other was left in the wild. At the end of the experiment, the trainer and his Pokémon battled its sibling and despite being the same age and level, the trained sibling won."

Celestia nodded as they arrived outside of the stadium. "Over the generations since Pokémon trainers came into existence, wild Pokémon have come to realize this and many actually try to find themselves trainers so they can grow stronger. When they find trainers, they battle against them to decide if they're worthy of training them. But even if they are captured, that doesn't mean they accept the trainer as their friend. To them, the trainer's just a tool to get stronger. In fact, there have been many instances of certain Pokémon leaving their trainers to join one that they think will make them stronger."

"That's so sad..." Fluttershy whimpered.

"I wonder if that's how Lightning got any of his Pokémon?" Spike asked next.

"I suspect his Higear probably chose to go with him like that," Doc replied with a slight grumble. "It never was the friendly type."

Flash bit his lip at this. "His Geckoxic was probably caught against its will, but after seeing us, it probably decided to stick with Lightning so it could get strong enough to get its revenge on me and Viper."

"It's really hard to know for sure," Celestia added. "Being captured doesn't take away a Pokémon's free will, so if it wanted to leave, it would. The fact that all of Lightning's Pokémon haven't tried to escape show they actually want to have him train them."

"Or he just brow beat them into obeying," Spike growled below his breath as they arrived at the Pokémon Center. As they approached the door, it opened to reveal the very person they were talking about. Lightning just stopped as he found his path blocked, obviously not noticing or caring about the glares everyone was giving him.

"Hey...how's Sharazor?" Flash muttered out.

Lightning's facial features remained unchanged. "Not that it's any of your business, but it's fine. The damage took a little longer to heal than it should have though."

"That's because it received some seriously high damage dealing moves," Celestia told him in a commanding tone. "It was foolish to use a Pokémon that had such a big weakness against electric attacks."

Lightning just shrugged, "I still won."

Everyone's frowns darkened at this as Flash spoke up, "Well, not that you care, but most of us managed to get through to the next round."

"You're right, I don't care." Lightning then brushed past him, "Now get out of my way."

With that, he was off. The others all grumbled at this, Rainbow about to yell out before Flash raised his arm in front of her. "Stop. Just forget about him. Trust me."

After nodding at Flash, they walked inside and spotted all the trainers that had lost in the first round were scattered around the place. Cold Forecast and Sweet Dreams were about to leave due to no longer having any reason to remain in town. Heath and Inky Rose were sitting near the reception, probably still waiting for their Pokémon to be restored while Micro and Sandalwood could be seen sitting in the center's café feeding their healed Pokémon. Everyone except Doc, Spike, Fluttershy, and the professors headed over to the counter, where a Wigglytuff was waiting to accept the Pokémon they wanted healing. Soon, Springer, Owlicious, Gummy, Magitual, Brawloey, Movine and Opalescence were being carted away, while Doc let Tockwork out of his ball.

"Ain't ya'll gonna have Nurse Redheart look him over?" Applejack asked.

Doc shook his head as he took his tools out of his coat. "I don't think Nurse Redheart has the technical know how to repair this damage. Besides, she's pretty busy, so it's better that I fix this damage myself." With that, they moved over to an empty corner before Doc opened Tockwork's face.

"Interesting," Celestia commented as she and Luna looked over his shoulders to stare at the complex clockwork that made Tockwork run. "Highly advanced, especially considering when he must have been made."

Luna nodded in agreement. "I've heard stories that Tockwork may have first been built in the Galar Region. Do you happen to know if that's true?"

"No," Doc replied while getting to work. "I have no idea where Tockwork originally came from. He could come from the Orre region, but it wouldn't surprise me if he came from Galar considering its technological brilliance."

"Couldn't you just ask Tockwork?" Twilight asked, to which Doc just shook his head again.

"No, Tockwork doesn't remember anything before he originally broke down. I honestly think it was because he was broken for so long." Everyone nodded at that, "But its okay. Tockwork might not have any of its old memories, but it's made tons of great new ones, right buddy?"

"Tock!" Tockwork replied while trying to stay as still as possible.

This made everyone chuckle as Nurse Redheart entered the room before moving over to them. "Excuse me, are any of you Trixie, Applejack or Rarity?"

"I'm Trixie," the girl replied with raising her hand.

"And we're Applejack and Rarity," the farm girl added before pointing at Rarity.

Redheart nodded at this. "I just wanted to let you know that I got a message asking for the three of you to call these numbers." She hand out two slips of paper, which Trixie and Rarity took. Rarity and Applejack smiled when they saw the numbers, while Trixie just did a small gulp.

"Who's asking for you?" Flash asked.

"Home," the three replied in unison before moving over to the center's phones. The others decided to follow, the ones knowing Trixie's back story hoping to give her moral support. Once at the phones, they typed the numbers in. Trixie's continued to ring, but the others picked up almost immediately.

"Hey Applejack!" a redheaded girl that was Spike's age exclaimed as two more girls appeared onscreen beside her.

"Hey Rarity!" a white skinned girl with pink and purple hair waved.

"What's up?" An orange skinned girl with purple hair added.

Rarity and Applejack just smiled at them. "Hey sugarcube."

"Lovely to see you Sweetie," Rarity added.

"We saw you two in the Hoof Cup!" the redheaded girl exclaimed. "Ya'll were so cool out there Applejack!"

"Thanks Applebloom."

"Sorry you lost sis," the girl named Sweetie said.

"It's alright Sweetie. My opponent just wanted it more."

"Your opponent was really good! She had an awesome Pokémon!" the orange girl added with stars in her eyes.

"Hey, thanks!" Rainbow bragged from behind the two. "Always nice to meet a fan. What's yer name kid?"

"Scootaloo! Nice to meet you Rainbow Dash! Your Movine was so strong! Nothing beats an awesome looking Flying-Type!"

This made Rainbow hit her chest, "Now you're talking my language. Just you watch, me and my Flying-Type's'll be winning every other match in this tournament!"

"Oh yeah!" Scootaloo cheered.

Deciding to get back to the actual family conversation, Applejack pushed Rainbow's head away before turning to her sister. "So where's Mac and Granny?"

"Granny's having a nap. She had a pretty tough day today and decided to call it as soon as the first round was over. Mac's also catching up on the work he had to skip so he could watch your battle. Things have been pretty hectic since you left."

"Ah know sugarcube," Applejack replied with a small sigh. "But this is all so ah'm ready to take over the farm when ah get back."

Her sister nodded back. "Ah know. After watching today's battle, there's no doubt ya'll be ready to take over once ya get back."

"What about you Rarity?" Sweetie asked next, "You decided what you wanna do after your journey? It can't be battling, since...you know, you lost and all." This made Rarity pout while the others held back a laugh.

"I may have lost today, but that doesn't mean battling isn't what I'm meant to do Sweetie. And to answer your question, no, I haven't decided what I want to do...and there's no rush right now. There's still plenty of time for me to decide."

"I guess you're right," Sweetie shrugged before she seemed to notice the time. "I'd better be getting home. I'll tell mom and dad you said hi."

"Good luck in the next round sis," Applebloom told Applejack.

"You too Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo cheered, the three giving their thanks before the screen went blank.

"I'm guessing those were your sisters," Twilight chimed in.

"And their friend," Rarity added.

"The three of them's been joined at the hip since they could walk," Applejack replied with a small chuckle. "They've been going on and on about going on a journey together when they're old enough."

"That sounds fun! Travelling with friends is always great!" Pinkie cheered as everyone else nodded in agreement before turning to Trixie, who was still staring at the ringing phone.

"Anything?" Flash asked.

Trixie just sighed. "No. He's probably doing a show or something. Guess whatever he wanted to say to me wasn't important enough to stay by the-"

"Hello?" A man who looked to be an older male version of Trixie asked as he appeared onscreen.

"Father!" Trixie yelped as she turned back to the screen, "Um...hi."

"Hello Beatrice." he hissed out, her friends fighting back giggles and chuckles at the name.

"Beatrice?!" Flash asked through his laughter.

"Shut it," she growled without looking away from the screen.

"I watched your battle," her father continued. "The one you lost against was an opponent you should have had no trouble defeating."

"But...she was really good father. Sure she was able to see through my tricks-"

"She was able to see through them because they were predicable and lacked any imagination." Trixie's face fell as her friends all shot the man a glare. "I was actually starting to think I was wrong about you as a trainer, considering you managed to get three badges. But after watching your battle, I don't see anything of merit." He closed his eyes as he let out a snort, "I'm guessing those badges are fake. Perhaps they given as charity or-"

"Hey!" Flash interrupted as he jumped in front of the screen. "What gives you the right to say she's a bad trainer?! Her battle was awesome!"

"To the untrained eye," he immediately replied with a small 'tch'. "But to a master magician like me, it was a boring spectacle that only brings shame to those who practice the art of the trainer magician. She should be ashamed of what she did."

"That's only your opinion," Luna said as she walked up to the group. They moved aside to allow her to be seen by the man onscreen. "I admit that your daughter's skill require some fine tuning, but I see great promise in her." Trixie went wide eyed at this as Luna continued, "Her battle was my favorite of the entire first round, and I'm sure she'll be a great trainer, with a little help of course." She and Trixie smiled at one another before she turned back to the screen, "So be a true father and show your child some support."

The man simply stared at the woman, a look of irk and disdain on her face before suddenly cutting the call. Seeing this, Trixie let out a long sigh. "Oh no..." She looked back up at Luna, "Um...thank you. Sorry you had to see that."

Luna just shook her head. "Don't apologize. I meant what I said, your battle was the most fun to watch. And I do think you'll be a great trainer, all you need is a little guidance."

Trixie's eyes went wide again, "What are you-"

"I'll be happy to give you a few tips after the tournament is over."

Trixie let out a loud gasp, "I...oh my goodness! That....THAT SOUNDS GREAT!" Trixie screamed in joy as she did several rapid bows, "Thank you so much!"

"Oh, its no problem at all."

But before anything else could be said, a grumbling sound rang out, making them turn to the source. "Sorry..." Spike said as he held his stomach, "Watching all those battles really builds an appetite." Everyone laughed at this before Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack and Celestia headed to the center's kitchen to make everyone something to eat. By the time it was ready, everyone's Pokémon were finished being healed and quickly joined them for dinner. After everyone enjoyed a well cooked meal, Celestia providing the Pokémon's food, they all returned to the common area and found Doc still working on Tockwork while munching on a sandwich.

"Hey Doc, how's he doing?"

"Just about...done," they heard something click into place before he shut the clock face and backpedaled away. "How do you feel?" he asked as Tockwork stood up. The clockwork Pokémon began to move its arms and legs around, checking for any glitches, but found nothing.

"Tock!" he exclaimed while nodding.

"Good. We should probably go for a long walk to make extra sure nothing's wrong."

"You want us to come with?" Twilight asked him.

Doc shook his head, "No. You all stay here and rest up for tomorrow. I won't be long." The others nodded as he and Tockwork headed out into town.

And as they trodded through town, several townsfolk came up to them and praised the two on their hard fought victory. They thanked them before heading further through town, eventually reaching the edge and heading into the forest that surrounded it. Once there, they tested Tockwork's attacks on several trees. "Looks good," Doc praised his partner after seeing its Psywave.

"Tock."

Doc smiled before the sound of an explosion caught his attention. He turned and tiptoed to the source, only to see Lightning. He was standing in a clearing, a look of pure anger on his face. "Charge Beam!" He ordered, making Chimplug unleash a electrical blast at Sharazor. The shark blocked it with its finned arms, flinching at the pain.

A little ways away, Doc spotted Geckoxic and Scampie battling it out. Scampie was flying around the Poison Pokémon, who countered with a spat of poison. "Come on!" Lightning screamed as he watched Scampie barely dodge the attack, "Is that really the best you guys have?! Don't be such wimps! You're not trash like the rest of these tournament losers! Pick up the pace or we'll never win this! Now, start pulling your weight!"

His Pokémon all let out cries of agreement despite Doc being able to tell they were all exhausted. "There's a limit to how strong one can become physically," Doc whispered as he crossed his arms at the sight. "I wonder what you'll do after reaching that limit Lightning, especially without the love and friendship of a true team."

With that, Doc and Tockwork walked away, all while being completely unaware that they themselves were being watched. Standing in trees was a being that looked humanoid, but didn't look quite right. The darkness of the trees kept everything but its outline hidden, though the outline showed it obviously made of metal, with a pair of shining metallic eyes. The globes stared at the two with a look of recognition, and if you wanted to pass judgement, resentment.

Doc and Tockwork eventually got out of the forest and found themselves at the base of a hill that overlooked the town. They climbed halfway up as they noticed the sun was setting behind it, all while illuminating the town in a comforting orange glow. It was here that the two decided to sit down and stare out at the village, watching it's color change as the sun got lower.

And as they sat, Doc patted his Pokémon, "Pretty impressive, eh Tockwork?"

"Tock," Tockwork chimed while nodding.

It truly was a spectacular sight that neither of them would have ever seen if they had remained in Trottingham City. And as they watched this, they were suddenly drawn back to the day they had left their home. It had been the first time the two had ever stepped foot outside their hometown, Tockwork having no memory of the time before he broke down and Doc fixed him, all in a hope of learning more about the world around them.

"We sure have been through a lot, huh?"

"Tockwork..." the clockwork Pokémon nodded again.

"Saving a town from a rampaging Fossil Pokémon, stopping a bunch of thieves several times over, travelling through an underground maze and saving an entire island from sinking. Who would have thought we'd go through all that when we left home?"

"Tock."

"I'm just glad we decided to come on this journey. We've learnt so much since joining Flash and the others." Doc added as he remembered what Flash had said during their gym battle.

"I don't make plans because the world is too complicated to plan for everything."

"No matter what you do, something will always end up taking you by surprise. I'm not saying making a plan is a bad idea, but refusing to admit something might happen that you didn't expect means you'll never learn to adapt."

"He was right. I didn't know how to adapt. When Flash found a way to overcome my plan, I was completely outclassed because I couldn't think past what I had planned out for the battle. But now...now I think I've learned at least enough to keep up with everyone."

He thought back to his battle with Heath, how he had managed to turn things around when he saw his chance. If Heath had come to his Gym and they had that exact same battle, he never would have seen the opening he used to win. "I was just a machine back then, simply going through the motions and using only logic in everything I've done." He laid back while putting his arms behind his head, "And my inventions were just the same."

"Its just like your inventions! You say your inventions are to help Equestria, but you don't know the first thing about it! You probably spend all day locked away, coming up with inventions and battle strategies all on your own. You come up with ways to beat your opponent, but what do you learn from them?"

"He was right. I didn't know the first thing about Equestria. I'd read about the places I've been, but I didn't really know anything about them."

"Tock..." Tockwork nodded in agreement.

Doc chuckled as his memory flashed back to everything he had been through since leaving Trottingham, each adventure giving him inspiration for an invention he never would have thought up before leaving. The times he and his friends had travelled through the mountain they had met Peewee in, or the underground labyrinth in the Ghastly Gorge, had inspired an underground mapping device using the sonar abilities of Zubat and Noibat. The situation with Ankyload or the stampede they had met Applejack and Rarity in had inspired him to create a way of stopping a rampaging Pokémon without hurting them. Maybe using something similar to a String Shot or Sticky Web. And the forest fire incident with the Pyroom had inspired him to create an anti fire system based on Spranitor's Rain Dance.

So many inventions, none of which he would have come up with if he had remained in Trottingham City. His journey had already changed him so much, and it was far from over. He had also made many amazing friends, not just Flash, Twilight, Spike and Springer, but also Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity and even Trixie. And of course, there was his Steeledge.

"So many great memories," he whispered as he sat up and continued watching the town be bathed in the light of the setting sun.

But as he watched, he suddenly felt something. It was a presence, the feeling you get when you know you're being watched but don't know who. He started looking around, but saw nothing. But as he did this, he looked up to the very top of the hill...and a loud gasp escaped his breath.

Doc couldn't get a good look, as the light of the setting sun burnt his eyes and forced him to squint. Despite this, he and Tockwork still tried to get a look at what it was. It appeared to be some kind of Pokémon, but the sunlight clouded its form so all they could see was a silhouette. Whatever it was, it appeared to have an equine form that was taller than the teen and extremely bulky. It's entire physique was muscle bound, giving it the look that it had enough strength to pull a mountain by itself. The Pokémon turned to them, a pair of glowing eyes breaking through the light of the sun. It and Doc locked eyes, the two simply staring at one another as if having some kind of spiritual conversation, only to end as the Pokémon jumped on its back hooves. The following force from its leap tapped the dirt, the entire hill shaking as the hooves hit the earth.

"Whoa!" Doc cried as both he and Tockwork lost their balance, soon finding themselves rolling down the hill, "Aaahhh!" One quick halt later, they flopped over as they started to get up, turning back to the hilltop...only to find nothing. "Wait!" He yelled as he rushed back up the hill. But when he got to the very top, he saw no sign of the creature.

"What was that?" He asked as Tockwork made it to the top. "Tockwork...what did we just see?"

"Tock..."

Back at the Pokémon Center, the rest of our heroes were relaxing in the communal area.

Flash, Spike, Rainbow, Pinkie and Trixie were all playing one of the video games the center had while Fluttershy and Rarity were both grooming their Pokémon. Applejack watched the scene while eating an apple, chuckling as Trixie and Rainbow got angry at how good Spike and Pinkie. Off to the side, Twilight was talking to Celestia, Luna and Sunset via video call, explaining in more detail the many adventures she had been through during her journey and the things she had learned.

"So Flash told you about Springer's condition?" Celestia asked, Twilight nodding.

"Yes. How long have you known?"

"Since I did the scans on him. I detected the energy in his system and when I asked him, Springer didn't deny it."

"It's quite an unusual phenomenon," Luna added while rubbing her chin. "To think he would be prevented from evolving like that."

"Is it possible to neutralize the effects of the Everstone energy?" Sunset asked over the phone.

"I've actually been looking into it since learning about the problem," Celestia replied while biting her finger. "If Springer evolved with an item, then having him come in contact with a large amount of them might overpower the energy...but since he evolves naturally, I fear he may be stuck as he is."

The others all sighed at this, Twilight turning back to Springer and seeing him enjoying playing the game with the others. "Well, I don't think Springer will mind. As long as he's got Flash, I think he'll be fine." Twilight added as the others nodded at the sight.

That is, till Spike yelled out, "YES!" He jumped up and started doing a little dance, "I win! I win! I'm the winner, you're the losers!" The others all rolled their eyes at this, deciding to let the little kid have his moment. They then saw Spike end his dance as he let out a loud yawn, which caught the attention of his sister.

"Alright Spike," Twilight walked up to him with a deadpan stare, "Time for you to get to bed."

"Aw man!" Spike moaned as he rubbed his eyes. "But I'm not tired!" He yawned yet again, making everyone chuckle at his little lie.

"Come on," Twilight grabbed him by the hood and started pulling him away. But before they could get out of the common area, the doors to the Pokémon Center suddenly burst open as Doc and Tockwork ran in.

"Guys!" He yelled, catching everyone's attention before he bent over and started heavily panting.

Everyone stood up and rushed over to him, all looking at him in concern. "Doc, are you alright?! You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I didn't see a ghost," Doc replied as he got up. "But I saw something." They helped him over to one of the large tables and sat down, Doc soon explaining what had happened.

"I...don't understand. What did you see?" Twilight asked in confusion.

"I have no idea what it was, but when I looked at it, I...I felt this strange sensation in my heart. Like whatever it is, I was the first person to ever see it."

"Wow..." was the general word used by the group before Luna asked, "What did it look like?"

This made Doc frown, "I didn't really get a good look. It was standing in front of the sun, so I couldn't see it very well." He closed his eyes and tried to picture the image, "It looked like...a larger version of a Ponyta. It was twice as big and three times as bulky."

Before he could say anything else, Flash spoke up. "Did it have wings?"

Everyone turned to him with raised eyebrows as Doc replied, "No, I don't think so."

This made Flash hum, "So it wasn't the same one."

"What are you talking about?" Spike asked, Flash turning to him and Twilight.

"I've told you about this. On the day we met, I saw this Pokémon." He glanced at Springer, "You remember it, right bud?"

"Riolu!" Springer barked.

Flash turned back to Doc. "It looked like the one you saw, only mine had wings and wasn't as bulky as what you're describing. But before I could really tell what it looked like, it just disappeared."

"Same with me."

Celestia hummed as well while rubbing her chin. "A pair of equine Pokémon, each looking similar but with slight differences."

Twilight blinked at her. "What are you thinking professor?"

Everyone turned to Celestia as she replied, "Are any of you familiar with the legend of Equestria's legendaries?" Some of them nodded, while others shook their heads. "There is the beast of creation, Alicormony, and the beast of destruction, Dischaos. It is said that they battled every thousand years before going to sleep. In order to protect the world from Dischaos, Alicormony created a trio of Pokémon and divided its power between them." Flash, Twilight, Spike, Springer, and Doc all remembered when they met Alicormony with Sunset. It definitely looked like the Pokémon Flash and Doc said they had seen. "These three became its heralds, who would fight against Dischaos or any other threat the region would face until Alicormony could come and finally put a stop to it."

It was here that Twilight remembered the book she had read in the Bales Town Library. "So do you think Flash and Doc both saw one of the three heralds?"

"It's possible. But for them to reveal themselves to humans like that...well, its very unusual."

"What are you trying to say sister?" Luna asked next.

Celestia turned to Flash and Doc, "I'm saying that the two of you might have been chosen by the legendaries. For what, I can't be sure, but whatever it is, it has to be something big. Why else would they reveal themselves?" She pointed at the duo, "But if that's the case, the two of you may find yourselves going up against something dangerous that may effect the outcome of Equestria's future."

Both Flash and Doc did a slight gulp as they glanced at each other, unsure how to respond. And as silence fell upon the group, a certain figure had been listening in. It was Lightning, who was standing behind a pillar as he muttered out, "Why would legendaries pick those losers to help save the region?! If they wanted help, they should have come to me." He gripped his right hand into a fist. "Tch. They'll see the mistake they made when I'm standing victorious." With that, he walked away to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow.

The next morning...

The stadium was once again filled with the cheers and cries of many battle loving audience members. Spike, Trixie, Fluttershy and Rarity were up in the stands, not being allowed in the trainers box since they were no long competitors. At the same time in the trainers box, everyone sat on the benches, waiting to see who they would be facing off against.

Eventually, Celestia and Luna stepped up into the commentators box and sat down as Present Mic ran out to the center of the field. "WAZUP!?" The crowd cheered at Mic as he waved at them, "Welcome to day two of the Hoof Cup Tournament! Today, the eight remaining trainers will battle it out for the crown and the six AV candy jars!" The megascreen now showed the jars, making audience cheer. "Now, let me explain the schedule for today. First we'll be having round two, where our competitors will battle in four one on one battles. Then, after lunch, we will have round three! There, the winners of round two will face off in one more one on one battle with the two winners heading to the finals to compete in a three on three match of the ages!"

The crowd once again exploded with excitement of the information given.

"This is gonna be fun," Flash added as the others all nodded in agreement.

Rainbow cheered as she jogged on the spot in excitement. "Can't wait to see who's gonna be my opponent!"

Lightning let out a soft chuckle. "It doesn't matter which one of you face off against each other, you'll all fall to me. It's inevitable." This made everyone glare at him, all but Twilight and Pinkie hoping they have the chance to fight him first.

But before anyone could say anything to him, they heard Present Mic call out to the commentators box. "Now!" The images on screen changed to the show the eight remaining competitors, "Let's see who's facing who in the second round! Hit it professors!" The two nodded as the pressed a button on the box. The images onscreen then flipped around before spinning in a circle, and one by one, two of each image flew out before flipping back around.

Battle One
Lightning Blitz V Pinkie Pie

Pinkie pouted at this, shooting an unhappy glare at her opponent. "Phooey. He's no fun."

Lightning just rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Hope you enjoyed making it this far, cause you'll be heading home crying after I destroy you."

Battle Two
Rainbow Dash V Time Turner

"Oh yeah!" Rainbow cheered as she turned to Doc, "You better give it everything you've got! This ain't gonna be any fun unless you're going all out."

Doc nodded with a chuckle. "Don't worry, I won't hold back. I have my pride as a Gym leader to defend. You're not gonna be beating me unless you're actually stronger than me at my best."

Battle Three
Applejack V Twilight Sparkle

Applejack and Twilight turned to smile at one another, "Let's have a good match sugarcube."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "I'll try my best. I might not have as much battle experience as you, but I'll still give it everything I've got."

"That's the spirit," Applejack added as they all turned back to the megascreen before it shot out the last two images.

Battle Four
Flash Sentry V Thunderbass

Flash and Thunderbass turned to one another, Thunderbass just smirking while Flash nodded at him.

"And there you have it! The battle order of round two! Who will win, who will lose, and who will surprise us with some out of the box thinking and strategies....there's only one way to find out! Let's get ready to RUMBLE!"

"YEAH!!!" the audience cheered, the sound now making the arena rumble.

The second round of the Hoof Cup had begun, and all were wondering how it would eventually turn out. Would Lightning be able to live up to his boasts and win the entire thing, or would Flash finally manage to earn a victory from him. Maybe Twilight, Doc or Rainbow would find themselves standing on the winners podium, or perhaps Thunderbass would surprise everyone with a victory. And what about Doc and Flash's mysterious encounters with the two legendaries? Was a great threat truly on the horizon, and if it was, would the Equestria Region survive?

Only time would tell.

Laughing Strikes and an Aerial Battle

View Online

The Hoof Cup's second round had finally begun. With everyone now paired up, the battles were ready to begin, the first being the battle between Pinkie Pie and Lightning Blitz. The teens were now standing on their trainer stands, Lighting in red while Pinkie was in blue, ready to see who was gonna pick their Pokémon first.

"Go Pinkie!" Spike cheered from his seat with Peewee, Rarity, Trixie and Fluttershy.

"Terragon!"

"Wipe the smirk off that arrogant jerk's face!" Rainbow yelled from the trainers box.

Twilight just bit her lip at this. "I'm worried though. Does Pinkie really stand a chance against Lightning?"

"It all depends of what Pokémon they use," Doc replied.

"Maybe..." Flash added, "But remember, this is Pinkie we're dealing with. Her wild battle style might be too much for Lightning to handle."

"You've got a point. She's very unpredictable," Twilight then snapped her fingers, "And Lightning doesn't know that! He left before Pinkie's battle, so he hasn't seen how she or almost anyone here fights!"

"And that's gonna be his downfall," Applejack finished. "You got this Pinkie!"

In the commentators box, Present Mic, Celestia and Luna began their pre-battle banter. Mic started by pulling some papers out of his jacket, "So, I did a little research on our remaining eight competitors, and discovered a few very interesting facts about most of them. For example, Pinkie Pie is actually the younger sister of Baltimare city's Gym Leader, Maud Pie!"

Luna hummed as she heard this. "Interesting that the girl doesn't use Rock Pokémon, giving her family's significant history with that Type."

"There's nothing wrong with trying to be unique," Celestia reminded her sister. "We all saw how well Pinkie did with her Gumigator, so I don't think using non Rock-Types is a problem for her."

"As for Lightning, we've already heard about him being the grandson of Equestria's former champion, Grand Hoof!" This caught the attention of everyone in the stadium, who all started whispering about this fact.

"Is that so?" Luna asked, "Well, that explains his battling skills. Too bad he couldn't inherit Grand's polite attitude along with it." Lightning scowled at the professor, while the rest of the crowd all laughed.

"Now now Luna," Celestia said once the laughter died down. "You said it yourself, being related to a champion doesn't automatically make you a good battler. Though from what we've seen so far, he's obviously proven he is a highly skilled trainer. But will his pure power be enough to help him overcome Miss Pie's unpredictable way of battling."

Lightning let out a simple laugh, "Of course it will. Power is everything, and I'm the most powerful trainer in this whole tournament."

Pinkie frowned at hearing this. "You know, battling's supposed to be about having fun."

"Oh, I agree," Lightning darkly chuckled. "I just have fun when I completely demolish my opponent and claim total victory, just like I'm about to do to you! That's how I have fun."

This made Pinkie pout, "You don't know the first thing about having fun! It shouldn't come at the expense of someone else's happiness." She then smiled while pointing at the trainer, "I guess I'll just have to teach you what really fun is."

"Yeah, good luck with that. And while you're at it, I think I'll teach you what it means to be crushed."

"ALRIGHT! I think it's about time we see who's gonna be picking their Pokémon first!" Everyone looked up at the megascreen as the roulette wheel appeared between the two's pictures. The wheel began to spin around as Mic turned to the professors, both now pressing the button. The roulette then slowed down, soon landing on the red section.

Mic: "It's red, so Lightning's first up!"

"Fine," the trainer pulled out his Pokeball and enlarged it. "Chimplug, battle stance!" He tossed the ball into the air, red energy soon forming to reveal a familiar electric monkey.

"Chim!" It yelled as it hopped up and down, sparks surging around it as it. "Chimplug!"

"And Electric-Type, huh?" Pinkie was suddenly tempted with sending out Gummy, chuckling at the thought of beating Lightning the same way he'd beaten his last opponent, only for the idea to float away. Instead, she grabbed what she considered to be her best fighter. "Bloxx, let's party!" she threw the ball into the air, unleashing a swirl of red energy that formed to reveal the toy block gorilla.

"Bloxx!" It cried as it smashed its large fists into the ground, seeing it was facing a fellow primate Pokémon. It let out standard gorilla noises and then banged its fists into its chest. Lightning and Chimplug both raised an eyebrow at this, Lightning scanning it with his Pokedex as the rest of the commentators spoke.

Mic: "Kind of a funky looking Pokémon, not that I'm complaining."

Celestia: "Bloxx's shapeshifting abilities give it limitless ways of fighting. The only limit is it and it's trainer's imagination, which I don't think will be a problem in this regard."

Luna: "Meanwhile, Lightning's Chimplug only has one means of attack, brute force. He might have difficulty in this battle, especially if Bloxx's body gives it a certain advantage."

Mic: "What advantage?"

Luna: "I don't want to spoil the surprise. I'll tell you once I know for sure."

Lightning just huffed. "It doesn't matter what advantage my opponents have. None of them will be able to stop me." He glared at Pinkie, "Let's just get this over with."

"Eager to get your butt kicked?" Pinkie asked, trying to throw Lightning off his game.

"The only one getting its butt kicked is your toy Pokémon. When I'm done with it, you'll be spending the next month trying to figure out which bit goes where."

Mic: "Well, now that the trash talk is over with, let's get this first round battle started. In three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

"Spark!" Chimplug charged ahead, its arm sparking as it drew closer to the block gorilla.

"Shields up!" Pinkie countered, Bloxx raising its arms while they began to reshape.

"What?!" Lightning yelped as he saw Bloxx's arms become a pair of semicircle like disks, which it slammed together before Chimplug's attack made contact. The attack caused Bloxx the slide back a few centimeters, but the reinforced shield-like arms kept it safe from any damage, including the electricity.

"Amazing! Chimplug's attack seemed to have little too no effect on Bloxx." Mic then turned to Luna, "Is this the advantage you were talking about?"

Luna nodded at this, "Exactly. Bloxx's body is made of a special plastic like substance that doesn't conduct electricity well. As such, it's a perfect insulator against Chimplug's attacks. I'm guessing Lightning wasn't prepared for that."

Lightning growled as his fist clenched. "If the power's being cut down, I'll just have to boost that power! Charge Beam, NOW!" Chimplug raised its tail as the plug fired an electrical blast.

"Dodge it!" Bloxx thrusted its fists into the ground before extending its arms, sending it up into the air as the Charge Beam went under its feet. Pinkie leaned back to let the attack sail over her while calling out, "Block Buster!"

"Bloxx!" It's arms quickly retracted as it fell down, its hands reshaping into a pair of cannons that it pointed at Chimplug. "Bloxx!" A pair of large building blocks shot out of the cannon, all ready to hit Chimplug.

The electric monkey and its trainer were taken by surprise, Chimplug only being able to lift its arms over its head as the blocks struck it, all exploding into hundreds of little blocks. "Plug!" It cried as it staggered back, then yelled out as it accidently stepped on one of the tiny blocks and hopped up and down to pull it off its foot.

The crowd began to laugh at this, making veins appear on Lightning's forehead. "No one makes a fool out of my Pokémon! Get your head in the game right now Chimplug! Brick Break!"

Chimplug stopped as he charged Bloxx again, its fist glowing as it prepared to perform a karate chop motion. Seeing this, Pinkie pointed at the monkey, "Use Knock Off!" Bloxx reshaped its fist into a hammer like weapon, which it swung at Chimplug. The two attacks slammed into each other, but Chimplug seemed to have the advantage as Bloxx's hammer broke apart.

Mic: "Wrong choice of moves there."

Celestia: "Dark-Type moves will usually be outmatched by Fighting-Type moves."

Luna: "And the fact that Brick Break will likely cause a lot of damage puts Bloxx in trouble."

"Again!" Lightning yelled as he pointed at Bloxx. "Don't you dare let him recover!"

"Chimplug!" he screamed as he smashed his fist into the block gorilla's chest, making it stagger back.

"Now use Charge Beam!" Chimplug fired the blast of lightning at the still recovering Bloxx, who recovered just in time to raise its hands in defense.

"Bloxx!" It cried as the electricity stung its hand, but the rest of its body was uneffected.

"That was close," Flash commented while Twilight nodded.

"A shock to the arm won't do much, but getting hit anywhere else could cause issues. Even so, Pinkie should be careful on how many of those she let's land. Even if it isn't a lot, Bloxx is still taking damage."

"And Chimplug's Brick Break's gonna do a lot of damage," Doc added.

Flash just shrugged, "Relax. Pinkie's just getting started." The others nodded at this before turning back to the battle.

"Spark!" Chimplug once again tried to hit Bloxx with charged fists, but Bloxx just extended his arms on the ground, pushing him to the other side of the field.

"Now we got 'em! Let's get things rolling Bloxx!" Pinkie ordered, Bloxx nodding before curling itself while reshaping into a form of a red, blue and yellow ball that had Bloxx's round extensions covering it. It then started to spinning, soon charging at Chimplug.

Lightning just rolled his eyes at this. "This is ridiculous. Use Brick Break!"

"Chim!" Chimplug pulled its now glowing fist back, thrusting at the sphere. "Plug!" It flinched as the speed of the spinning ball knocked him back while Bloxx spun away, uncurling as he came to a stop.

"Stop messing around!" Lightning yelled, "This is a battle! Get serious!"

"I am serious, you grumpy grumper," Pinkie replied with a giant grin. "But who says you can't have fun while being serious? Block Buster!" Bloxx once again created its arm cannons, firing multiple bricks at Chimplug. Seeing this, Lightning's partner started to hop around as it dodged each shot.

"Seriously?!" Lightning grumbled, "This game is starting to get very annoying."

"Really? Cause I'm having a blast. Keep going Bloxxy!" Bloxx started running around the field, continuing to fire its Block Busters at Chimplug kept trying to evade them, only to get hit every now and again.

"Brick Break, back to back!" Chimplug began swinging its glowing arms at the bricks, smashing each to bits as it got closer to Bloxx. And despite constantly stepping on the broken blocks, Chimplug tried to hit the gorilla, only to miss again by inches.

It then did a third strike, this one hitting Bloxx's chest. The blow made him stagger, but managed to use his fists to steady himself. "Double Edge!" Bloxx's body started to glow as it extended its arms, sending him flying head first at Chimplug.

"Brick Break!" The monkey leapt at the gorilla and the two met head on, the force of their attacks pushing both back.

"I think now's a good time for a fun game of tag," Pinkie declared as she pointed at Lightning. "You're it!"

"Shut up! I'm not playing some stupid game!" Lightning barked back before pointing at Bloxx. "Beat him with Spark! Now!" Chimplug let out a roar as it charged Bloxx, leaping with an electrically charged fist. But seconds before it could hit, Bloxx's arms went flying past it and linked together before its body deconstructed. This made Chimplug miss again, this time tasting dirt as it landed while Bloxx reshaped into a small wall.

"Get back up and use Brick Break!" Chimplug pushed itself back up before it leapt at Bloxx again, only for the wall to extend around him into a ring shape before retracting behind the monkey.

"Plug!" It cried as it felt its form trip again, only to front flip to get back on its feet. Once it came to a stop, it spun back around at Bloxx's direction.

"Charge Beam!" It pointed its plugged tail in the gorilla's direction as it charged up power.

"Chimplug!" It unleashed a blast of lightning, but before it could make contact, a hole appeared in the wall Bloxx had turned itself into, making the beam miss. This made Chimplug's face turn red with rage before it started firing Charge Beam after Charge Beam. But each and every one of them went the same ways as their predecessor, flying through the holes that Bloxx made in its wall. "CHIMPLUG! CHIMPLUG CHIMPLUG!!!"

Mic: "Ouch. Looks like Chimplug's going bananas."

Luna: "Really?!"

Mic: "I thought it was funny."

Celestia: "Pinkie and Bloxx's little strategy is really getting on their opponent's last nerve."

"Chimplug! I'm only gonna tell you once, calm down and rip that thing apart!" Chimplug mirrored its trainers outcry as it charged at Bloxx, Pinkie smirking at the attack.

"Take him for a spin!" Bloxx returned to normal and leapt at Chimplug, managing to wrap its arms at it before curling its body into a ball form. The ball then started rolling around the battle field, picking up speed while zigzagging all over until Pinkie gave her next command. "Time to make him flip!" The sphere quickly morphed into a catapult like contraption, a very dizzy Chimplug in the basket as it was shot across the field.

"Chim...plug, plug, plug, chim!" Chimplug moaned as it hit the dirt, rolling like a ball before coming to a stop. "Chim...chim…"

"That's it! I'm gonna destroy you!" Lightning screamed, "Thunder Wave! Now!"

Chimplug let out a powerful cry as it slammed his tail plug into the ground. Doing so causing an electrical shockwave to shoot out of the ground, spreading across the field in every direction. Bloxx saw it and tried to escape, only for the electricity to hit his arms, making him freeze up. This caused it to lose balance and fall on its back, allowing the lightning to surge around its entire body. "Bloxx!" It cried as it felt itself tense up, unable to move.

"Now Brick Break!" Chimplug leapt into the air, its fist glowing while gravity brought it down at its target.

"Bloxx!" Pinkie cried, "You need to get out of there!" But Bloxx's body refused to reshape as Chimplug got closer. And as its chest blocks started to rattle, it was too late.

"Plug!" It roared as it smashed into Bloxx's chest, making it cry out in pain. "Chimplug!" It wasn't done though, as it was now throwing Brick Break after Brick Break into the gorilla's chest.

"This is bad," Flash commented.

"Bloxx is getting pummelled," Twilight added.

"Pinkie! You gotta get Bloxx out of there!"

"But he can't move..." Pinkie muttered out, only to notice Bloxx's fingers were starting to move. "Hold on..."

Bloxx continued to feel itself get smashed to bits, as more feeling returned to its body. It then looked up at Chimplug, who was now raising both fists as Lightning called out. "End this! BEAT THAT THING NOW!!!"

"Chimplug!" It roared as it swung both arms down at Bloxx's head...only to feel a sudden resistance. "Chimplug?"

Bloxx had blocked the blow with both arms, a shield now made with his hands. And as he did this, the hands enveloped Chimplug's fists. "Bloxx!" It yelled while extending its arms, lifting Chimplug a good twenty feet into the air.

"Block Buster!" Bloxx threw Chimplug up before retracting its arms and morphing them into its cannons, all while its opponent fell to earth at high speed.

"Bloxx!" It began to launch as many bricks as its could up at Chimplug.

"Plug!" It cried while it was hit, making Lightning growl, veins popping on his forehead.

"Brick Break!" Chimplug's arms started to glow as it swung them around, knocking the blocks away.

"You use Brick Break too!" Bloxx stopped firing as its fist glowed as well, swinging it up as Chimplug got into range.

"Bloxx/Chimplug!" The two Brick Break's smashed into each another, the force making a loud bang that made everyone cover their ears. However, Chimplug had the advantage, his Brick Break overpowering Bloxx as his fist shattered from the blow.

"Again! Hit him again!"

"Shield up!" Pinkie countered, Bloxx trying to defend itself with only one of its arms as its other was still shattered.

And as Chimplug leapt at him, Lightning yelled, "Charge Beam!" Chimplug quickly spun around as a burst of lightning shot at the Pokémon.

"BLOXX!" It cried while being electrocuted, staggering back as Chimplug landed.

"Brick Break!" It karate chopped Bloxx's shield arm, cutting it off, and then did the same with its near other completed arm. Completely disarmed, Bloxx was unable to stop Chimplug as he leapt again. "Brick Break again!" It struck Bloxx in the chest, causing it to crack, "Again!" Another strike to the chest, "AGAIN!" The third and final strike made the cracked bricks shatter, leaving a large hole in Bloxx's chest. "Now, CHARGE BEAM!"

Chimplug spun around and thrusted its tail into the hole before it could reseal as he built up as much energy as possible.

"Get out of there!" Pinkie cried.

"CHIMPLUG!" With that last outcry, Chimplug unleashed all its electrical energy into Bloxx. Despite its plastic skin protection, the powerful blast of lightning that came from within was too much.

"BLOXX!" It screamed at the top of its lungs, every inch of its body in pain until Chimplug pulled its tail free with a huge grin on its face.

And when the last jolt of power extinguished itself, everyone looked at Bloxx and saw it stand limply while smoke came off its body. Then, Bloxx gave one final weak cry before its body collapsed on the ground.

"BLOXX!" Pinkie screamed as she ran to her downed Pokémon.

Mic: "Bloxx KO'd, so the winners of the match are Lightning and his CHIMPLUG!"

Celestia: "Awww...things seemed to be going quite well for Miss Pie, but Lightning's power was just too much in the end. If only Bloxx had managed to endure, then Chimplug would not have had anything left to give."

Luna: "You try taking a bolt to the chest and see how well you endure. But despite losing, Miss Pie should be proud. She came very close to winning, and gave the crowd quite a show."

The prove the professor's point, the audience members were all clapping. Not for the victory, like usual, but for the one that had entertained them so well. "PINKIE! PINKIE! PINKIE!" they cheered along with saying her Pokémon's name, "BLOXX! BLOXX! BLOXX!"

And as Pinkie helped Bloxx sit up, the two heard their names being chanted and looked up. This made them both smile, "You hear that Bloxx? That's the sound of everyone having such a great time. We did that! We did that and...and I'm so proud of you." She threw her arms around the gorilla's neck and hugged his back, the gorilla grinning as her cheek rubbed against him.

At the same time, Lightning simply returned an exhausted Chimplug without a word of thanks or praise. He looked up at the crowd, growling at the sight of no cheers. "Why...why are they praising a loser?!" His hand clenched the Pokeball, a low hiss coming out of his mouth, "Just you wait, you'll be chanting my name by the end of this and not some airhead loser." With that, he turned to head back to the trainer box.

"Hey jerkface," Rainbow said to him as he passed by her, "Not so high and mighty now, huh?"

This made Lightning come to a stop. "Excuse me?"

"Admit it!" Applejack yelled as she pointed at the trainer, "Ya'll almost lost and yah know it. So stop thinking yer Arceus's gift to mankind, cause yer not."

Lightning slowly turned to glare at her over his shoulder. "What are you talking about?! I won, didn't I? Who cares how close that girl came to beating me, cause in the end, she didn't. She's a loser, and losers don't matter, just like the rest of you."

"They seem to care," Flash countered while pointing up at the crowd as they all kept cheering for Pinkie and Bloxx. Lightning's only response was an unintelligent noise before he walked off into the corridor.

"I think I'm starting to hate that guy every time I look at him," Rainbow huffed.

Applejack nodded in agreement. "One of us has gotta knock that varmint down a peg."

"Well, first we need to focus on getting to the next round," Doc added as Pinkie and Bloxx arrived in the trainer box.

"Hey Pinkie," Twilight patted her on the shoulder. "How you two feeling?"

"I'm okay," Pinkie whimpered. "Just a little sad that I don't get to battle anymore."

"Well, yah gave everyone one heck of a show," Applejack assured her.

Rainbow nodded in agreement, "Yeah! You were awesome! Bloxx too."

"Aw, thanks guys." Pinkie then patted a still aching Bloxx before pulling out his Pokeball, "Take a rest." He nodded before returning to the sphere, which Pinkie put away before moving over to the corridor leading into the stadium. "I'm gonna go sit with the others," they all nodded before watching her walk away.

Once she was gone, they turned back to the field as the screen changed to show the next to combatants. "OH YEAH! Time for the second match! Rainbow Dash, Time Turner, please make your way to the field!"

"Alright! Time for win number two!"

"Don't think I'll make it easy for you," Doc countered with a smirk. "I am a Gym Leader after all."

"I've beaten three before, and its time to make it an even four." The two shook hands before heading out to the field, soon arriving in their spots, Rainbow in red and Doc in blue.

"There's not much to say about Misss Rainbow Dash," Mic commented. "But though she has no relation to a well known figure, she has shown she can kick it with the best of them. Will she be able to keep up with the Trottingham City Gym Leader?"

Luna nodded in agreement, "His Steel-Types may make it difficult for her. But if this contest has shown us anything, it's that types don't mean everything."

"This is going to come down to skill, strategy and the strength of the Pokémon they pick."

Mic nodded at Celestia's words. "Speaking of Pokémon, it's time to see who's gonna be picking their's first!" Everyone looked up at the megascreen as the roulette wheel appear, the professors pressing the button. The roulette then slowed down, soon landing on the red section.

Mic: "And it's Rainbow who will be making the first selection!"

"Alright!" Rainbow took out a Pokeball and enlarged it, "Let's go Tank!" She tossed it into the air, releasing the red energy that revealed the copter bladed tortoise.

"Tor..." it slowly said.

"She's using something that's part Rock-Type?" Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That may have been a mistake," Twilight added.

"Maybe, maybe not." was all Flash could say as he blinked at Rainbow.

Doc just chuckled at the sight, "This is gonna be interesting," he took out his own Pokeball. "Steeledge, I choose you!" Like Rainbow, his ball flew through the air before opening and revealing the armored bird.

"Steeledge!" It squawked as it flew up to the same spot as Tank.

Mic: "Torpeller verses Steeledge. A battle in the skies!"

Celestia: "This is gonna be a fun one."

Luna: "Though I get the feeling my neck will be aching after looking up for so long."

Up in the stands, everyone was watching as the battle was about to start. "Come on Rainbow," Fluttershy whispered, "You can do this."

"I think you might need to cheer a little louder darling," Rarity told her.

Spike tapped his chest, "Come on! Top volume, belt it out!"

Peewee crawled onto his head a took a deep breath before letting out a loud cry, "TERRA!"

"Like that," Spike pointed to his partner.

Fluttershy nodded before trying to mirror Peewee with a deep breath, "_Yay." This made everyone's face falter.

"Seriously?" Trixie asked.

"Maybe a little louder sweetheart."

"_Yay."

"Louder!"

"Terra!"

"_Yay."

"Take a really deep breath," Trixie instructed.

Fluttershy breathed in until her lungs were at their bursting point, then let it out in one loud outcry. "_Yay." Spike, Trixie and Peewee both moaned while Rarity shook her head, "Too loud?"

"Nah," they turned to see Pinkie sit down beside them, "You got it just right." This made Fluttershy genuinely smile before it faltered.

"I'm sorry about you losing. Is Bloxx alright?"

"He'll be fine with some rest," Pinkie assured her. "Now quiet down. It looks like the next match is about to start."

Mic: "Let's get this battle started! In three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

He had barely finished before Rainbow spoke up, "Rock Tomb!" Tank let out a loud cry as he flew up while his shell began to glow, only for the shine to shoot off a barrage of rocks.

"Steel Wing!" Steeledge's wings started to glow as it started swinging them around, cutting the rocks the bits as it flew up to Tank.

"Iron Defense!" Tank's head and legs retracted into its shell, which all flashed a blue color before Steeledge struck it with his wing. Despite the increased defense power, the attack sent Tank flying back. Feeling this, it popped its head out of its shell, only to see Steeledge coming at full speed. "Drop!"

Tank's rotor stopped spinning, causing him to fall like a rock to evade the metal bird's attack. Once safely beneath it, it started spinning its rotors again and pulled itself back into a hover. "Now use Gust!" The propellers continued to spin, a spiral of air now striking Steeledge. But despite this, the bird just withstood the attack.

"Nice try, but I met Steeledge in a canyon where the wind was much strong then that. Show 'em Steeledge! Drill Peck!" Steeledge flew up before arching around and flying straight down at Tank, its body spinning into a tornado like drill.

Rainbow's eyes went wide at the sight. "Double the power! Now!"

"Tor!" Tank spun his rotors as fast as they could go, increasing the power of his Gust to the max. But as the tornado struck Steeledge, he just drilled right through it with ease.

"Iron Defense!" Tank stopped his attack before withdrawing into his shell, which flashed blue seconds before the Drill Peck hit.

"Tor!" Tank shot at the ground, managing to get its rotors spinning enough to stop it seconds before he crashed into the battlefield. Whit this happened, Steeledge stopped spinning, starting to put itself back into a hover as Tank flew back up.

"Tackle!" Tank remained within its shell as it drew closer, Steeledge crossing its wings to block the attack. Despite the guard, the force of the attack pushed the metal bird back while Tank's head and legs shot out of its shell. "Rock Tomb!"

"Steel Wing!" Doc ordered as Tank unleashed its rock attack. Unfortunately, Steeledge needed to flap its wings before doing his attack, giving an opening as the rocks smashed into him. And as a third struck him, his wing started to shine as he cut down the rest. "Now, use Air Cutter!"

"Ledge!" Steeledge beat its wings, firing several air blades at Tank.

"Iron Defense!" Tank withdrew again, his shell glowing right before the air blades struck.

Mic: "This battle's looking to be a long one. Both side's Pokémon are quite sturdy, so dealing damage is gonna be tricky."

Celestia: "I think Steeledge's Steel Wing might just give it the edge though."

Luna: "I'm not so sure. Torpeller's Rock Tomb seems able to do a lot of damage if Rainbow can find a way to stop Steeledge from defending itself."

Rainbow was thinking the same thing, as she stared at the fight. "Grrr...if only the rocks could fly...faster. That's it!" She pointed at Steeledge, "Rock Tomb!"

"TOR!" Tank unleashed another barrage of rocks, Steeledge quickly flapping backward at the sight.

"Steel Wing!" Doc ordered, Steeledge doing as told. It wings began to glow, ready to cut away the rocks, but then-

"Gust, max power!" Tank spun his rotors as fast as they could go, unleashing the tornado attack at the rocks. With mere seconds, the stones picked up a burst of speed.

"Ledge?" Steeledge saw it coming and was forced to cancel its Steel Wing, as it had to now focus on riding the winds, which was exactly what Rainbow wanted. The rocks that Tank had thrown at Steeledge were still coming, and the bird couldn't do a thing about it. With that in mind, the rocks smashed head first into Steeledge, making him cry out in pain as he tried to get out of the hurricane. "Steeledge!" He yelped as he flew out of the gust, soon landing with shaking legs.

"You okay?" Doc asked him, getting a nod in response.

"We're not done yet! Fire Rock Tomb again!" As the rocks shot out of Tank's shell and fell at Steeledge, he flapped his wings, taking off just in time before soaring over Tank. "Gust!" Tank launched the tornado at Steeledge and consumed him once again. "Rock Tomb."

Steeledge saw the rocks enter the tornado, flying at them while picking up speed. It growled as it readied a Steel Wing, but as soon as he swiped at the rock, the winds of the tornado caught him, hurtling him out of the eye. "Steeeeeel!" It cried as it spun like a top, soon reaching the edge as it was shot out. "STEELEDGE!" It yelped as it crashed into the ground, rolling like a ball before coming to a stop.

Mic: "Ouch! That had to hurt!"

Celestia: "It's a catch twenty two. If Steeledge focuses on riding the winds, it's unable to defend itself against the rocks."

Luna: "But if it tries to use Steel Wing to knock them away, it'll be caught by the wind and be sent on the ride of its life."

Mic: "The only smart thing to do is avoid the tornado, but I doubt Rainbow's gonna let that happen."

"You said it! One more time Tank! Rock Tomb!" Tank fired the boulders again, Steeledge staring the incoming projectiles.

"Back in the air!" Doc ordered Steeledge.

"Ledge!" Steeledge shot up to avoid the rocks, flying right above Tank. As it did this, Doc stared at his opponent. "There has to be a way....think Doc, think!" All his thinking did was conjure up memories of the last battle he saw this Torpeller fight. "Hmmm...ah! That's it!"

"Rock Tomb, followed by Gust!" Tank let out a cry as he created as many boulders as he could, soon spinning his rotors at their top speed. Once again, Steeledge and the rocks were engulfed by the wind.

"Steeledge, fly into the wind stream!" Steeledge looked back at him in confusion, but did as it was told. Once again, Steeledge was pulled into the wind and felt itself be battered. "Don't fight it! Let's it push you forward." Steeledge nodded and opened his wings, which were filled filled with air as it pushed Steeledge up the spiral. As this happened, the rocks began breaking apart, the smaller pieces started hitting him.

"What's he doing?" Twilight asked.

Flash tilted his head as he watched this. "I think...I think I know..." A memory then sparked in his brain, making him remember to when he and Rainbow battled. Back then, Skyler had ridden the winds of Tank's Gust like Steeledge was now. "That's it!"

He wasn't the only one remembering, Rainbow also recalled that battle as her eyes went wide. "Not again! Quick, gut the attack!"

But it was too late. Seconds before Tank stopped his attack, Steeledge shot out of the top of the tornado at blinding speeds. "Ledge!" It cried as it flew around the stadium, having never felt itself fly at these speeds before.

"Here we go! Use Steel Wing!" Steeledge began flying down in a spiral motion, not wanting to lose an ounce of speed as its wings started to glow.

"You gotta stop it! Rock Tomb!" The Torpeller fired of another barrage of rocks, but Steeledge sailed through them with ease, its high speed giving it an air cushion to protect it. Eventually, Steeledge got within striking distance and Rainbow had only one choice. "Iron Defense!" Tank again retracted into his now glowing shell as it was slashed with the metallic wing.

"TOR!" Tank cried from within his shell, his body sent flying into the dirt. It smashed propeller first into the battlefield, bouncing off before rolling across the field. Eventually, it came to a stop before a very dizzy Tank popped his head out.

"You alright?!" Rainbow asked as she watch him try to pick himself up. Tank tried to nod and started to spin his rotors...only for nothing. Tank couldn't get his feet off the ground. "What's the matter?" She yelled, only to see the problem when Tank's rotor stopped to reveal that one of the blades was bent. "Oh no..."

Mic: "Not good. Torpeller must have damaged its blade when it hit the ground. Rainbow's in trouble now."

"Fury Attack!" Everyone had been so focused on Tank that they didn't notice Steeledge had gotten close, his beak thrusting into the turtle.

"Tor!" Tank yelped as he managed to pull his head back just in time to dodge the peck, then backpedaled to avoid another peck. This went on and on, Steeledge quickly pecking at Tank as he barely managed to evade each blow.

"Air Cutter!" Doc then ordered, Steeledge jumping back before firing a blade of air. Unlike the Fury Attacks, Tank couldn't dodge this, and could only retract its head into its shell before it was hit.

"Tor!" It cried as it fell back, Steeledge quickly running up to the turtle.

"Finish this with Steel Wing!" He crossed his wings as they began to glow, ready to do the final blow.

"Not happening! Use Rock Tomb!"

"Tor!" Tank jumped to his feet while his shell started to glow, unleashing a flurry of large boulders.

"Steeledge!" Steeledge began to spin on its heel, performing a kind of spiralling dance as it slashed the boulders away. With each rotation, it drew closer to Tank until it deflected the last boulder. "STEELEDGE!" With one quick spin, it used the speed to perform a devastating slash at the flying tortoise.

"TOR!" He yelled as he retracted into his shell, right before it was struck and sent him flying. Everyone watched as the shell bounced off the ground several times, only to come to a stop in front of Rainbow.

"Tank!?" She screamed, only to see Tank's head pop out of the shell, spirals now in his goggled eyes. "TANK!"

Mic: "Torpeller KO'd, so the winners of the match are Time Turner and STEELEDGE!"

The crowd cheered as Doc moved over to his panting and dizzy partner. "Thanks Steeledge, you did great." he patted him on the shoulder before taking out his Pokeball, "Take a rest. I'll need you in top form for when we make it to the finals."

"Ledge!" Steeledge nodded before he was returned, Doc then turning to Rainbow as he saw her cradling Tank.

"Don't worry big guy, I still love ya." She pulled out his Pokeball, "Take a long rest." She returned Tank before glaring at Doc, "Listen up! I may have lost today, but the next time we battle, you're going down!"

Doc just chuckled and nodded, "I look forward to it."

Rainbow nodded as she turned to walk back to the trainer box, "You'd better win this thing! There's no point in losing if it isn't to the guy who took first place!"

"I make no promises," Doc replied as he followed her.

Up in the crowd, Fluttershy let out a long sigh. "Poor Rainbow."

"She put up a good fight," Rarity told her. "There's no shame in losing a battle."

"I guess..."

Trixie let out a low hum. "Hopefully losing in front of thousands of fans will curb her ego a little."

"That's rich coming from you, and I doubt Rainbow'll be too embarrassed, right Peewee?" Spike commented, only to blink as he noticed there was no answer. This made him look up at his partner. "Peewee?"

Peewee was staring down at the field, a look of debate on his face.

Round Two Round Up

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Round two of the Hoof Cup was now halfway over, Lightning and Doc having earned a place in the next round. Now, Flash, Twilight, Applejack and Thunderbass would compete for the last two spots. Up in the stands, Rainbow was sitting besides the rest of her friends, a low growl coming out of her mouth.

"Seriously Rainbow, will you please stop moping?!" Rarity told her.

"I am not moping," Rainbow replied before a beeping sound made her turn to see Pinkie in a lab coat with what looked like a airport security scanner in her hands.

"That's not what the mop-o-meter's telling me! You're giving off level three moping energy, which means you need fifty CCs of something sweet, stat!" She reached into her hair and pulled out a red Poke-Muff, pushing it into Rainbow's face, "Come on, eat up!"

The prism haired girl stared at the sugary snack before sighing, taking the Poke-Muff with a low grown as she started chowing down. "I'm not moping. I'm just a little annoyed I couldn't stay in the tournament."

"Well it's your own fault," Trixie remarked. "You purposely picked a Pokémon that had a Type disadvantage against your opponent. What made you think you could win using a Rock-Type?"

"Well, since most of the other matches where they had a Type disadvantage ended with the weaker on winning, I thought it could work for me."

The others all shook their heads, Fluttershy speaking up next, "Rainbow, they won because they had a strategy to overcome that weakness. It's true you managed to come up with a plan to beat Steeledge, but you didn't think of what to do if Doc found a counter to it. Which he did."

Rarity nodded in agreement, "She's right. You overused that technique, and it let him find a way to beat you. You only have yourself to blame for that." Rainbow grumbled at this, but couldn't say anything as Mic spoke up.

Mic: "Alright battle fans, it's time for the third match of the round! Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, please head out to the field!"

In the trainer box, the two girls turned and shook hands. "Good luck sugarcube. Let's have a good match."

"Yeah," Twilight added as they made their way to the field, Applejack in red and Twilight in blue.

As this happened, Doc turned to Flash with a glum sigh, "I'm worried. Twilight's facing a trainer much stronger than the ones she's faced before. She might not be able to pull this off."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Flash replied while putting his hands behind his head. "She might not have as much experience as Applejack, but she's smart. She'll figure out what to do."

"If you say so..."

As the girls arrived at their trainer podium, Mic pulled out his research papers. "Now, we all know about Twilight's relation to the current Equestrian Champion....but I'm sure you'll be surprised to learn about Applejack's relations! Turns out, she's the granddaughter of the Applewood Gym Leader!"

"Interesting. No doubt she's been trained by her as well, if her last battle was anything to go by."

"But Twilight won't go down easy," Celestia added.

"ALRIGHT! It's time to see who'll be selecting their Pokémon first!" Everyone looked up at the megascreen as the roulette wheel appeared, the professors soon turning it on. The roulette then slowed down, landing on the red section.

Mic: "It's red, so Applejack's gonna pick first!"

"Righty-o!" Applejack tipped her hat before pulling out a Pokeball and enlarged it. "Giddy up DaisyJo!" She tossed the ball into the air, revealing Applejack's Pokémon. It was a Calfaze, one that mooed while grinding its hoof along the ground.

"A Calfaze..." Twilight remembered the ones they had seen at the farm when they first met Applejack and Rarity. "Is that...where you got it?"

"Yah know it," Applejack replied with a cheeky grin. "This here's the young of the Grattle whose milk ya'll tried there. My uncle Red Delicious gave her ta me as a good luck present when we left. Now we'r'e gonna knock ya'll out of this contest. Sorry sugarcube."

Twilight did a small gulp, her mind thinking about Calfaze. She knew it was too large for Owlicious to use Sky Drop on, so that just left Peck and Confusion. However, before she could pull her Pokeball out, something landed on her head. "What the-" She looked up, only to hop in place as she saw a familiar face stare down at her.

"Terra!" Peewee chirped with a huge smile on his face.

"Peewee?" Twilight raised an eyebrow at this, while the rest of the crowd murmured.

"What's he doing?" Rarity asked.

"I don't know," Spike replied as he wondered what was up with his future starter. First he was all daydreamy, now he jumped off Spike's shoulder and flew down to the field before he could stop him. "Peewee?"

Off to the side, Flash, Doc and Thunderbass were standing in the trainer box, all looking just as confused. "This is strange. It's not like Peewee to misbehave and do something like this. I wonder what's up?"

A bulb then went off in Flash's head. "Wait a minute!" He walked over to the edge of the box, "Twilight!" She turned to him, still trying to get Peewee off her head. "I think he wants to battle!"

When Twilight heard this, a million jigsaw pieces fell perfectly into place as she blinked at the dragon. "Is that it? You want to battle?"

"Wagon!" Peewee cheered.

Twilight giggled at his expression, nodding next. "Alright, you got it. Peewee, I choose you!"

"Terragon!" Peewee jumped off her head and landed on the battlefield. "Terra terr!"

"Alright!" Spike cheered, "Go Peewee!"

"Is that allowed?" Trixie asked with a raised eyebrow, the rest of the crowd wondering the same thing.

Mic turned to the professors, "Should I grab a rulebook and check to see if this is alright?"

Celestia shook her head, "No need. That Terragon is her Pokémon. She caught it for her brother for when he becomes a trainer, but until then, he's technically her Pokémon, and she can use him if she wants."

"I'm looking forward to seeing how well it battles," Luna added with a knowing smirk. "It's surprisingly small for a Terragon, but that just means it's more manoeuvrable. I can't wait to see how that fact plays into its combat abilities."

"Same here," Applejack admitted as she tipped her hat, "Just don't be too upset if ah end up crushing the little tike."

Twilight just crossed her arms with a smirk, "That's not gonna happen." She then stared down at the dragon, remembering the few practice battles with Peewee. "I hope..."

Mic: "Let's get the third battle underway. In three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

"Alright Peewee, use Wing Attack!" Twilight exclaimed as the tiny Terragon jumped into the air, its wings glowing as it charged at the Calfaze.

"Defense Curl!" Applejack ordered, DaisyJo now curling itself into a ball. Peewee's attack struck the sphere, bouncing off while hardly leaving a scratch on the opponent. "Now go in ta Rollout!" The curled up cow Pokémon started rolling in Peewee's direction, picking up speed surprising quickly.

Twilight's eyes went wide before looking up at Peewee, "Get out of there!" Peewee nodded and began to fly high up, only for the spinning ball to bounce up and strike him.

"Terra!" Peewee cried as he fell back, barely managing to spread his wings in time to save itself from a hard impact.

At the same time, the spinning Calfaze fell back to earth and uncurled with a slide on the ground. "Faze..."

"Ember!" Twilight ordered as Peewee breathed in.

"Terr...WAGON!" It began spitting a barrage of tiny fireballs, all ready to hit DaisyJo.

"Use Defense Curl again!" DaisyJo curled back up as the flames hit it, causing it to become singed. "Rollout!" Once again, the ball started spinning at high speed at Peewee.

"Fly up as fast as you can!" Peewee did as he was told, flying up to the highest height it could. And as DaisyJo tried to bounce up after Peewee, gravity dictated that it just barely missed the dragon.

"Calf!" It grunted as it landed, glaring up at its opponent.

Doc crossed his arms at this. "That's good, he'll be safe up there. But if Applejack keeps using that combo, it'll be an issue."

"Why?" Flash asked as he glanced at the gym leader.

Up in the stands, Rarity was also explaining the problem. "If you use Rollout right after using Defense Curl, Rollout's power will be doubled."

"That's bad," Trixie added. "Rollout on its own can be dangerous, but to power it up..."

"Why's it dangerous?" Spike asked.

Rarity turned to him with a small sigh, "Because Rollout gets more powerful if it's used repeatedly. So to already have it powered up beforehand, it'll get to its maximum power much quicker."

Rainbow quickly caught on. "And since he's part Flying-Type, Peewee's super weak to a Rock-Type attack like Rollout."

"Exactly."

"We can't let to many of those Rollout attacks land," Twilight said while looking up at Peewee. "But...how do I counter?"

"Ya'll can't stay up there forever!" Applejack yelled while pointing at Peewee. "Use Bullet Seed!" DaisyJo breathed in before unleashing a flurry of glowing yellow and green projectiles into the air. The moved at tremendous speed, all ready to strike Peewee.

"Ember!" Peewee spat out his own projectiles, the fire only incerating half of DaisyJo's Bullet Seed before the seeds struck the tiny Terragon.

"Terra!" He cried as they hit him in the head and wing, making him flinch while he started to fall.

"Rollout!" The Calfaze curled into a ball again, spinning as it started to bounce up.

"Pull up!" Twilight told Peewee, the dragon unfurling his wings to try and glide to safety. But no sooner had he managed to stabilize himself, DaisyJo bounced up and struck him.

"Wagon!" Peewee yelped as DaisyJo landed on top him while still spinning, only to start grinding him. "Terra!" DaisyJo bounced off before spinning around the field, regaining the speed it had lost during its jump attack.

Peewee rolled off its back and tried to pick himself up, only to now see the ball of grassy mass heading towards him. "Dragonbreath!"

Peewee took in a massive breath, "TERRAGON!" He unleashed a stream of blue and white fire, all striking the rolling Calfaze before it could react. But even with that power, DaisyJo simply powered right through before tackling Peewee, knocking him back. "Terra! Terra...wagon!"

"Peewee!" Twilight screamed as she saw Peewee come to a stop, only for his legs to give out.

Up in the stands, Spike's face showed nothing but fear and worry, "No..." he whispered before taking in a deep breath, "Come on! Get up Peewee!" Peewee heard this and instantly pushed himself back onto his feet, his legs wobbling under his weight. "That's the way! You got this buddy!"

Applejack smirked at the sight, "Gotta love that will power. But let's see how it stands up against this next attack. Mega Drain!"

"Car!" DaisyJo shook its head, causing the bell around its neck to ring as it started glowing. "Phase!" A green light then shot out of the bell, all ready to strike Peewee.

Peewee saw it coming and tried to open his wings to fly, but it was too late. The attack struck him like a truck, knocking him back as he cried out, "Terra!" He then felt himself start to get tired, energy now draining out of his body as it was channelled into DaisyJo. The cow Pokémon glowed the same green as its attack, the burns and scratches covering it now vanishing.

"Get out of there!" Twilight ordered, Peewee starting to beat wings as it flew out of the Mega Drain's range. "Good, now use Ember!"

"TERRAGON!" Peewee spat another barrage of fireballs at DaisyJo, who had just stopped glowing.

"Bullet Seed!" The Calfaze fired its own projectiles, which caused the same effect as the seeds got through the flames with ease.

Seeing this, Twilight grit her teeth as she pointed at the clash. "Block it with Dragonbreath!" she ordered, hoping the attack would stop the seeds. But as Peewee launched the attack, the Dragonbreath did nothing to stop the Bullet Seeds, just slowing them down before striking Peewee's wing.

"Terra!" Peewee yelled as he began to fall.

"Rollout!" DaisyJo curled into the ball again, spinning at the falling Peewee before bouncing into the air.

"Ember! Do it now!"

Peewee breathed in mid-fall before launching the fireballs, all striking the spinning Calfaze. This caused some burns, but not enough to stop it from hitting Peewee. "WAGON!" Peewee yelped as it hit the ground rolling, the audience flinching at this.

Mic: "That had to hurt. I'm afraid to say this folks, but Terragon might be down for the count. Professor Celestia?"

Celestia and Luna both said nothing. They didn't want to say it, but they were thinking the same thing, along with the rest of the audience. Spike just growled at the sight, Rainbow commenting before he could say anything. "Looks like Twilight's out."

"The little dear did his best," Rarity added. "But he's just out of his league."

"What are you talking about?!" They all turned to Spike, "Peewee isn't losing this easily! He might be down, but he's not out! And just because he's small, it doesn't mean he's weak!" He took in a deep breath before screaming, "PEEWEE!" The little Dragon-Type looked up at his future trainer, "YOU GOT THIS! DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP!"

The rest of the crowd heard this, all now feeling a tug at their heartstrings.

"Yeah Peewee!" Flash yelled from the trainer box, "Show everyone what you're made of!"

"Let your really power shine!" Doc added. And as these words vibrated across the arena, more of the crowd began to chant their own cheers. It seemed they all really wanted Peewee to pull off a win now.

Mic: "Just hear the crowd roar!"

Luna: "Everyone loves an underdog."

Celestia: "But will these cheers be enough?"

Twilight looked down at the Terragon, "Peewee, can you still battle?"

"Terr...terr...." he picked himself up and let out a roar, "Terragon!"

Across the field, Applejack chuckled at the sight. "Ah like his spirit, but that doesn't mean ah'm gonna let you win. DaisyJo, Rollout with everything yah got!" The Calfaze rolled up again and began spinning, building as much speed before firing out like a rocket.

"Peewee!" Twilight yelled as she pointed at DaisyJo, "Give it everything you've got! EMBER, FULL POWER!" Peewee took as big a breath as he could make, as the sounds of the crowd filling his ears.

"Peewee!" Flash and Doc screamed. "You can do it!

"RIO!"

"PEEWEE!" Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow and Trixie all yelled.

Then he heard Spike call out, "PEEWEEEEEEEEEE!"

"TERRAGON!" Peewee unleashed his attack, a single long fire rocket flying out and hitting the rolling Calfaze, the attack exploding on contact.

"CALFAZE!" It screamed as it was sent flying back, its entire body igniting as it hit the ground and rolled to a stop. Only then did the flame extinguish, leaving a severally burnt Calfaze laying in the dirt.

Everyone in the crowd gasped at this, Twilight whispering to the highly amazed Terragon, "Peewee, did you just..."

Mic: "What just happened?"

Celestia: "It seems the cheering allowed the little guy to dig deep and tap into an inner power, allowing his Ember attack to evolve."

Luna: "Yes, that attack was actually Incinerate, a much stronger attack then Ember. The tide of the battle might have just shifted."

"Alright Peewee!" Spike yelled, "you the man...er...mon!" The rest of the crowd cheered him in unison, all while DaisyJo stood back up.

"Ya'll okay?" Applejack asked her, the Calfaze nodding. "Alright, use Bullet Seed." DaisyJo unleashed another barrage of seed like projectiles, all heading Peewee's way.

"Incinerate!" Twilight ordered while Peewee jumped into the air while breathing in, soon firing the blazing missile at it opponent. It made contact with the Bullet Seeds and flew right through them, burning them all to ash as it made its way to the Calfaze.

"Defense Curl!" DaisyJo curled itself up as the attack struck, the explosion now hitting the heavy cow Pokémon flying as it uncurled itself.

"Wing Attack!" Peewee flew at the cow with glowing wings while DaisyJo tried to pick itself up. And once it was back on its hooves, it saw Peewee was heading its way.

"Bullet Seed!" The Calfaze unleashed the seed projectiles, hitting Peewee back. "Now Mega Drain!" The cowbell rang again before firing a blast of green energy.

"Dragonbreath!" Peewee spat out a blaze of blue and white fire, which struck the energy attack, causing an explosion. But before the explosion's cloud could fade, Peewee flew into the dusty fog as Twilight yelled, "Wing Attack!" His wings shined as he got into striking distance of the Calfaze.

"Phase!" It screamed as the blade like wings cut into its flesh, Peewee flying past it before landing right at DaisyJo's tail.

"Bite!" The Terragon bit down on the Calfaze's tail, making it cry out again before wildly shaking it around. The flailing made Peewee let go as he flew itself up into the sky.

"Bullet Seed!" DaisyJo fired the seed attacks again as Peewee managed to stabilize himself midair.

"Incinerate!" Peewee spat his flaming projectile at the Bullet Seed, the rocket burning them into nothing before hitting Daisyjo straight in the face. "Now, use Dragonbreath!" As the flames extinguished, DaisyJo looked up and saw that Peewee had disappeared.

"Wagon!" Before it could react, Peewee appeared in front of its face while smoke came out of its mouth. "TERRAGON!" He unleashed the blue and white flames right into DaisyJo's face, making it cry out as it fell back. Everyone stared at the Calfaze, watching it stumble back up...only to fall over, swirls now appearing in its eyes.

Mic: "Calfaze KO'd, so the winners of the match are Twilight and TERRAGON!"

"ALRIGHT!" Spike screamed from the stands, the rest of the crowd all cheering.

Mic: "Well, no one seems unhappy about this outcome."

Luna: "Like I said, everyone loves an underdog."

Celestia: "Peewee's determination was a very inspiring thing to see. Just shows that no matter how much of a disadvantage you're at, staying strong and never giving up can help you break your limits."

Mic: "That and it was a blazing, fire-filled battle! Rock on!"

Twilight walked up to the now panting Peewee and crouched down, scratching him behind the ear. "Thank you. You were amazing."

"Terra..." he mumbled before crawling up her arm and resting on her shoulder.

"Wanna ride back to Spike?"

"Terra..."

Twilight giggled back before glancing at Applejack, who was now patting DaisyJo on the head. "Good girl," she told the Calfaze. "Yah did well, even with the type disadvantage." She held up her Pokeball and turned to Twilight, tipping her hat as she nodded. "Good battle sugarcube. Ah'm not even sad ah lost."

"Thanks AJ," Twilight replied with a bow. "You were a great opponent." The two shook hands before walking over to the trainers box.

"Great work Twilight," Flash added once they were there. "You too Peewee. Awesome new move."

"Terra..." Peewee said with a long tired sigh.

"First Dragonbreath and now Incinerate," Doc listed off before chuckling, "If you're not careful Twilight, Spike's gonna end up with the world's strongest starter Pokémon."

They all laughed at that as Twilight started scratching Peewee under the chin. "That's alright. That just means I won't have to worry about Spike running into something he can't handle. Though I might have to give him a talk about not being too overconfident. Don't wanna turn him into Flash."

"Hey!" Flash barked as everyone laughed again.

It was here that Applejack spoke up, "Well, ah'm gonna go sit up in the stands with the others."

"Alright. Oh, and one sec Applejack." Twilight then took Peewee off her shoulders and handed him to her, "Here. Mind giving him back to Spike? I get the feeling they'll start missing each other."

"Sure thing," Applejack took Peewee into her arms before walking into the stadium.

As soon as she was gone, everyone turned to the field as Present Mic spoke up. "Alright battle fans, it's time for the final match of round two! Flash Sentry, Thunderbass, make your way over to the battlefield!"

"Alright!" Flash punched his fist into hand, "Let's do this!"

"Riolu!" Springer replied as he did the same, only for Flash to look down at him.

"Sorry bud, but I think I'm gonna keep you back for the finals. Can't have you getting too tired." Springer pouted at this, but nodded in agreement as Flash and Thunderbass moved over to their fields.

"Okay then..." Mic commented as he looked through his papers. "I wasn't able to find anything interesting about these two's backgrounds, but if their last battles are anything to go by, we're in for a treat!"

Celestia nodded. "Flash is quite an interesting character. It's thanks to him that my Champagoon was saved when it went on a rampage throughout Canterlot."

"And he also helped me with a situation in Bales Town. I'm looking forward to seeing how much he's grown since then. His Riolu is already an interesting specimen, but it doesn't look like he'll be using him this time."

Mic nodded as the trainers arrived in their trainer stands, Flash in red while Thunderbass was in blue. "Time to see who's gonna be picking their Pokémon first!" Everyone looked up at the megascreen as the roulette wheel appeared again, spinning as the professors pressed the button. The roulette then slowed down, soon landing on the blue section.

Mic: "It's blue, so Thunderbass is up first!"

"Alright!" Thunderbass pulled out his Pokeball. "Electabuzz, come on out!" He tossed the ball into the air, unleashing a three foot yellow humanoid tiger with black lightning bolts covering its body.

"Electabuzz!" It yelled while lightning surged around its body.

"Electabuzz?" Flash asked.

Mic: "Seems his Elekid managed to evolve since yesterday."

Celestia: "I'm not surprised, giving how strong it was."

Luna: "Flash is gonna have his work cut out for him."

"Maybe," Flash pulled out his Pokeball, "But that just makes it more fun. Prongs, I choose you!" He tossed the ball into the air, Prongs now appearing within a swirl of red energy.

"Fey!" He yelled while jumping from side to side, pumped to battle.

Mic: "It's a Thawn. Looks like its an Electric-Type against a Grass-Type."

Celestia: "At first glance, I'd say Flash has the advantage. But while Grass-Types are able to resist Electric attacks, Electric-Types aren't very weak to Grass-Types."

Luna: "This battle might take a while then. Not that I'm complaining."

Mic: "Me either. Let's get this battle underway, in three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

"Energy Ball!" Prongs opened his mouth as a green sphere of natural energy formed, soon flying at Electabuzz.

"Discharge!" Thunderbass ordered, lightning now surging around Electabuzz.

"ELECTABUZZ!" it roared as lightning shot off in several directions, hitting the Energy Ball and making it explode.

"Talk about an electrifying defence," Trixie commented with crossed arms.

Rainbow nodded in agreement. "Flash is gonna have trouble hitting that thing. Being able to shoot out lightning from every direction is a pretty good way to protect yourself."

"Flash'll find a way," they all turned to see Applejack step up beside them with Peewee on her shoulder.

"Peewee!" Spike cheered as the Terragon flew off Applejack and landed in his arms, "You did awesome!"

"Terra!" he replied as he hugged Spike back.

And as this happened, up on the highest levels of the stands was Lightning, who was now staring at Flash with a long, low growl as Flash let out a command.

"Double Kick!" Prongs went into a full sprint at the lightning cat, quickly reaching him and spinning like a top. There, both hooves slammed into its stomach.

"Buzz!" It flinched while stepping back.

"Thunder Punch!" Sparks surged around its fist as it hit Prongs back, knocking him off balance.

"Fey!" Prongs yelped as the Electabuzz started to charge another fist.

"Dodge it!" Prongs bent its knees, springing itself about the Electabuzz as he made a whiff of a punch. Seeing this, Flash pointed at the tiger and yelled, "Now, Body Slam!"

"Fey..." Prongs fell back to earth as it brought its hooves together, thrusting them into the Electabuzz's head. "ON!" All four hooves smashed into his face, making it stagger back while holding its face.

"Swift!" Electabuzz uncovered its face and roared, yellow stars now firing out of it's mouth. Prongs saw them coming and started prancing back, but it was too late. Seconds later, an explosion from the stars hitting his side.

"Fey!" He cried as he stumbled back.

"Now use Focus Blast!" Electabuzz roared as it brought its hands together, a yellow orb of energy forming in between them. It then hopped into the air and raised its hands above its head, the orb growing larger as it did.

"Move Prongs!" Flash told his Thawn, who had gotten back to his hooves as Electabuzz tossed the orb.

"Fey!" Prongs leapt back, the orb hitting the ground, exploding with a shockwave. The blast washed over the field, zapping Prongs as he landed.

"Leech Seed!" Flash ordered as he saw Electabuzz falling back to the ground. Prong's horn nubs started to glow before firing them off his head.

Thunderbass saw this and knew Electabuzz couldn't dodge, only to point at the deer, "Swift!"

"Energy Ball!" As Electabuzz fired the stars at the Leech Seeds, Prongs fired a green orb. The stars struck Prong's first attack, but faded before it could reach his second one. As such, Electabuzz was struck it in the chest, knocking it back as Flash yelled, "Leech Seed again!"

"Fey!" Prongs shot the glowing seeds at Electabuzz again, this time hitting his arm. The seeds then broke apart and started growing around his arm, which it started to shake.

"Buzz?" It yelped as it tried to the green off him, only to fill his energy suddenly be sucked out of him. "ELECTABUZZ!"

Mic: "Impressive strategy. Using a decoy Leech Seed to distract them, then use an Energy Ball, which knocked Electabuzz off balance and allowed the real Leech Seed to hit it."

Celestia: "Very impressive. Hard to believe Flash actually managed to come up with that kind of strategy on the fly."

Luna: "Yes. He sure didn't show that kind of long term thinking the first time I met him. Travelling with your apprentice and a Gym Leader seems to have helped him learn how to plan out how the battle will play out."

"They make it sound like Flash used to be some kind of idiot," Spike grumbled while Peewee nodded in agreement.

Rarity just shook her head. "Now, now. He's just very simple minded in battle. But they're right that he has grown a lot since we last saw him. Seems his last battle wasn't just a fluke."

Rainbow chuckled at this. "Now this battle's in Flash's favor. All he needs to do is wait the battle out, and Electabuzz'll be sucked dry."

Thunderbass just growled at this, pointing at Prongs as he ordered, "We need to end this now! Get those vines off you with Discharge!"

"ELECTABUZZ!" The lightning cat charged up its electrical energy before exploding...only for the Discharge to come out like a sputter. There was a few bolts, but Prongs easily dodged them by zigzagging around the place.

"What the-what's going on?!" Thunderbass yelped. "Electabuzz! Your Discharge's way stronger than that!"

"It must be the Leech Seed vines," Doc commented from the trainer box. "They're absorbing some of the energy and weakening the attack."

"So Electabuzz's electrical attacks will all be weaker than usual," Twilight finished before humming. "Did he use Leech Seed knowing that? Clever."

"Huh..." Flash said without anyone hearing, "Who knew that would happen. Talk about lucky." He then pointed at Electabuzz, "Let's get him buddy! Double Kick!" With the last of the lightning discharged, Prongs spun around and slammed his back hooves into Electabuzz again.

Electabuzz flinched at the pain in its stomach again, only for the Leech Seed to flare up again. "Buzz!" he screamed as Prongs hopped to a safe distance from Electabuzz.

"Use Swift!" Thunderbass ordered next, Electabuzz roaring as the glowing shuriken like stars shot out of its mouth.

"Fey!" Prongs yelled as he started trying to evade the attack. But as the stars started to follow him, he was forced to slow down as the stars struck him. "Thawn!" He cried as he was blown back, losing balance with a thud.

"Thunder Punch!" Electabuzz rushed at the downed Thawn as lightning surged around both fists.

As Prongs tried to recover from the swift, he looked up to see the charging Electabuzz. Seeing this, he jumped up, dodging the first swing, but this was what Thunderbass and Electabuzz had been hoping for. The tiger then spun around, thrusting a second punch up at the midair Prongs, "Buzz!" he yelled as he socked him in the stomach, electricity blazing through the deer.

"Fey!" Prongs yelped as it was struck, the wind being forced out of his lungs and be replaced by electricity. Electabuzz laughed at the sight, only for the Leech Seed to flare up again. As he let out a scream of pain, Prongs landed and recovered his balance, the deer now panting heavily....only for yellow sparks to start surging around his body. "Fey!"

Mic: "Yikes! Looks like that Thunder Punch paralysed Thawn."

Celestia: "A stroke of luck for Thunderbass, given that Prongs' speed was its biggest advantage over his Electabuzz."

Luna: "But with the Leech Seed still draining it, they'll want to finish this battle as quickly as possible."

"She's right! Let's do this Electabuzz! Use Focus Blast!" The lightning tiger created a ball of energy in its hand, which tripled in size as it lifted it over its head.

"Electabuzz!" he yelled as he threw the sphere, Prongs still reeling from the shock of the paralysis.

"Energy Ball!" He heard Flash command, slowly nodding before opening his mouth and forming the green orb.

"Fey!" He fired it at the Focus Blast, the deer's arrack nowhere the size of the Electabuzz's ball. But as this happened, Prong's attack started to slow down the Focus Blast, letting Prongs hop away to fully evade the attack. With this, the sphere now hit the ground behind the deer, an explosion following as Electabuzz let out a long growl.

"We're not done yet! Discharge!" Electabuzz quickly built up the energy and shot it out of every part of its body, the lightning bolts flying across the battlefield. This one was like the one from the start of the match, Prongs now trying to the bolts with even greater difficulty. But as he managed to dodge two bolts, but the paralysis flared up and made him freeze in place long enough to be struck by the third bolt.

"Fey!" He yelped as he was knocked back, Electabuzz laughing again before the Leech Seed started to zap out more of its energy. And as both felt the status impairments slow down, the two kept panting as they both shakily stood. Seeing this, they knew neither would be able to handle more than one or two attacks.

The trainers glared at this, both pointing at the opposing Pokémon as they let out orders. "Thunder Punch!" was commanded first, Electabuzz rushing at the deer while building up as much energy into his fist as it could. At the same time, Prongs was forced to watch as his opponent drew closer while his body remained frozen in place.

"Prongs! Don't give up!" Flash yelled while his friends all looked away, not wanting to watch Prongs be slugged again while he was defenseless. "Energy Ball!"

Prongs heard this and did as it was told, gathering as much natural energy as it could into its still frozen body. "Fey..."

"Elect!" Electabuzz yelled as it got closer, sparks now flying everywhere as he let out a roar.

"Fey!" Prongs grunted, having drawn in the maximum amount of energy...but was still unable to move.

"Come on...come on..." Flash whispered as he waited for the moment, now seeing Electabuzz being only seconds away from launching its attack, "Please...you got to move." And as Electabuzz got within striking distance, he thrusted its fist with another roar. But as it did, the sparks covering Prongs vanished. "Now! ENERGY BALL!"

"FEY!" Prongs sent all the energy it had gathered into one spot, an extra large Energy Ball forming between it and Electabuzz. But before it could fire, the lightning cat's Thunder Punch struck the orb. The electrical energy flew into the sphere, overloading it with ease as an explosion followed, pushing both back.

"Fey/Buzz!" They cried as the bounced along the ground, both rolling like balls until hopping back onto their feet. And as they did this, they continued to slide as they both glared at each other. The trainers doing the same thing, only to see a burst of green energy flare around Electabuzz. "Electabuzz!" It screamed as energy sucked right out of his body, Prongs taking a deep breath as the energy flowed through him.

"Body Slam!" Prongs began running at his top speed, managing to reach Electabuzz the very second the Leech Seed died down.

"Thawn!" He roared as he tackled Electabuzz with all his strength, knocking the lightning cat onto its back.

"Buzz!" it yelped as it hit the dirt, his eyes clenching shut. And as he tried to reopen them, his eyes were now replaced with swirls, revealing Electabuzz's defeat.

Mic: "Electabuzz KO'd, so the winners are Flash and his THAWN!"

The crowd exploded into applause, all having been on the edge of their seats during that entire battle. "Great work Flash!" Spike added. "You rock!"

"Marvellous!" Rarity cheered.

"Way to go!" Rainbow and Trixie yelled.

"Yay." Fluttershy said softly.

"Great work partner!"

Flash walked over to Prongs and patted him on the head, only to pull back after getting a static shock. "Yow!" he shook his hand while giving Prongs a thumbs up with the other hand, "Great work bud."

"Fey..." Prongs moaned, only to flinch again.

Flash pulled out his Pokeball, "Take a rest bud. You earned it." Prongs returned to the ball as Flash turned to Thunderbass, who had just returned his Electabuzz and was staring at him.

"Great battle," he held out his hand.

Flash shook it back with a big grin, "Thanks, you too. Wasn't sure how it was gonna go there for a few moments, but I don't go down easily."

"I can tell. You'd better win this whole thing. I don't wanna lose to anyone except the big winner."

"Don't worry, I plan on it." With that, they returned to the trainer box. Once there, Springer held out his paw for a high five, which he gave. "Thanks bud."

"Great work out there Flash," Doc told him.

"Now there's only four of us left," Twilight added.

Flash nodded in agreement. "All that's left to do is see who's facing who." It seemed the rest of the crowd were thinking the same thing as the megascreen changed to show Flash, Twilight, Doc and Lightning.

Mic: "Alright battle fans! Time to see who's facing who in the next round! Light it up baby!"

The images flipped around before spinning around randomly. Everyone watched with baited breath, as Lightning returned to the trainer box and stood off to the side. Then, the images stopped and flipped to reveal the battle opponents.

Mic: "Here we go! Battle one will be between...Time Turner and Lightning Blitz!"

The two turned to one another, both silently vowing to take the other one down.

Mic: "Which means battle two will be between Flash Sentry and Twilight Sparkle!"

Flash and Twilight turned to one another, Flash giving her an excited smile while she just gave him a nervous nod. The second round had ended and the third round was coming up fast. Who would be victorious and win a spot in the grand finals? Only time would tell.

Semifinal Smack Down

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Mic: "Well battle fans, after those last few tremendous battles, I'm sure you're all hungry for more! But for now, let's settle another hunger while our competitors prepare for the next round. What do you say professors?"

Celestia and Luna: ...

Mic: "Professors? Where'd you go? Awww...I thought we were gonna have lunch together."

Meanwhile...

Celestia and Luna were in the stadium lobby with Flash and his friends, enjoying a similar lunch to the one they had yesterday.

"ITADAKIMASU!" Flash, Springer, Spike, Rainbow, Pinkie and Trixie all cheered before chowing down on some hotdogs, their eyes filling with tears of joy, "Delicious," Flash exclaimed with the others nodding.

Twilight giggled while enjoying a slice of pizza, having been able to get ahead of Rarity in line. Celestia and Luna were eating some pizza while sitting besides her, looking to be enjoying it as well. At the same time, Doc was enjoying a burger while Rarity and Fluttershy were eating another salad. (Rarity wanted to complain to Twilight about what she was eating, but Celestia convinced her otherwise) As for Applejack, she had just finished her hotdog and was having another apple for dessert.

Once Celestia finished her slice, she turned to the semifinalists. "Well you three, I hope you're ready for the next round."

"I am," Flash commented before finishing off his hotdog. "Its gonna be fun!"

Unlike Flash, Twilight didn't respond. She just slightly shrunk in her seat, glancing at the person who first taught her battle. Seeing this, Celestia patted her back, making her turn to see a confident smile on the professor's face. Seeing this, Twilight gave a tiny grin back, feeling slightly better.

At the same time, Doc was looking at where Lightning was sitting. Unlike them, he wasn't eating food from the vendors. His lunch appeared to be homemade, one or two sandwiches with a chocolate bar and a sports drink. Doc couldn't help but stare at the trainer, remembering their match back at his gym.

"Doc?" He turned to see Spike giving him a glum frown, "You okay?"

"Yeah....I'm okay."

"You're worried about your battle against Lightning, aren't you?" Twilight asked, Doc sighing but nodding all the same.

Flash just rolled his eyes at this. "Don't worry Doc, you can beat him. You're not the same trainer that he beat at your gym."

"He's right," Twilight added. "You've become much more spontaneous. You'll be fine."

Doc chuckled at his friends' encouragement, feeling a little relieved at it as he ate the last of his burger. The rest quickly finished their lunch and headed back to their spots, while the rest of the stadium did the same.

Mic: "Alright, ladies and gentlemen! It's time to see whose gonna be heading to the finals! Lightning Blitz and Time Turner, please step out onto the field!"

"Alright. Here goes." But before he could step out of the trainer box, Lightning pushed past him.

He then came to a stop and turned to him and Flash, a death glare in his eyes. "I heard about your little encounters last night." This put everyone on edge, not liking where this was going. "I don't know why the legendaries would show themselves to you losers, but it's obvious they made a mistake." He pointed at Flash, "You'd better make it to the finals, because after I'm done taking this loser down again, I wanna show the legendary you saw who it should be showing itself too."

"What, a self-centered jerk like you?!" Flash replied with crossed arms.

"No. Something you'll never be. A winner."

He turned away and walked out onto the battlefield, leaving the trio with scowls on their faces. "Doc." Flash growled as he turned to glare at the gym leader. "Take...him...down."

"With pleasure," Doc responded as he made his way to his podium, Doc on blue and Lightning on red as Present Mic spoke up.

"Alright," Doc pulled out his Pokeball, "then let's go Higear!" He tossed the ball into the air, which released a spiral of red energy that revealed a floating mass of gears.

"Higear!" It cried while floating up and spinning its moving parts.

Lightning smirked at this. "Higear, huh? Ha!" He pulled out his own Pokeball, "I beat you once, and now I'll beat you again. And this time, it'll be much easier."

"Why's that?" Doc asked.

Lightning's smirked increased as he enlarged the ball. "Because I now have a Pokémon that is definitely stronger than it. Guardroid, battle ready!"

He tossed the ball into the air, soon releasing to show a new Pokémon. The monster was a large hunk of brown metal that stood at around five to six feet. It had a roundish body with a submarine like hatch on its chest while wearing a pair of round shoulders with a silver metal pipe connected to a large brown metal arm that each had a three fingers fist. Two more metal pipes were connected to the bottom of its body, each connected to a brown metal leg and foot. On top of the body was a rounded dome attachment, with a rectangular section cut out of it. Behind that dome was a metal backpack device with bronze pipes sticking out that led down to different sections of its body. The metal construct stood still before moving clunkily and in a manner similar to Tockwork as a pair of green eyes appeared inside the dome. "Guardroid!" It bellowed while swinging its arms up and down.

Doc let out a low grumble. "That's not good."

"He's right. This is bad," Twilight added while Flash pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Guardroid
Category: Robotic Pokémon
Type: Steel
Info: The evolved form of Higear. A protector by nature, it can operate for up to twenty hours on a single charge. Because of this, they are often used for guard duty, as they have no need for food or sleep.

"Lightning picked Higear's evolved form on purpose. He probably thinks it'll give him the advantage."

"Typical Lightning," Flash grumbled.

Up in the stands, Trixie had just scanned it with her Pokedex and the others were all growling, all except Fluttershy as Rarity spoke up, "That brute. He thinks power is all that matters in a battle."

"It's true that Guardroid is stronger than Higear," Applejack added. "But there's more to winning a Pokémon battle than just having the evolved Pokémon."

"SHOW THAT CHUMP WHO'S BOSS DOC!" Rainbow screamed as she bounced up and down in her seat while punching the air with her fists.

"You got this!" Spike mimicked her.

"Terra!"

Mic: "By the looks of things, Lightning seems to have the better chance of victory."

Celestia: "Maybe. Just because it's evolved doesn't mean it's actually strong."

Mic: "Is that so?"

Luna: "Higear evolves into Guardroid by being transported or traded while having an Upgrade item installed. That means it could evolve the day its born, but that doesn't mean it'll be stronger than a Higear that's spent years training."

Mic: "Interesting. Only one way to find out for sure. Let's get this battle started! In three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

"Mega Punch!" Lightning ordered barely a second later, Guardroid charging ahead. But due to its large clunky body, it moved quite slowly while pulling a glowing fist back.

"Shift Gear, then dodge it!" Doc announced, Higear's gear ring beginning to spin.

"Guard!" Guardroid reached Higear and threw the punch, only for Higear to dodge it while back. "Droid?"

"Hi!" It smirked at its evolved form, enjoying seeing the confused look on its face.

Doc also smiled as he gave his next order. "Keep your distance while still using Shift Gear!" Higear did so, floating as far away from Guardroid as possible while its ring spun faster.

"Guard!" Guardroid growled as it kept swinging its glowing fist, each missing with ease. "Guardroid!" The robot yelled in frustration.

Mic: "Looks like Guardroid is just too slow. Has Time Turner already figured out its weakness?"

Celestia: "That's right. Guardroid's evolution is all about increasing it power, so of course it would end up losing its speed because of this."

Luna: "And if Doc keeps using Shift Gear like that, Higear's speed will soon be a hundred times that of its evolved form. It doesn't mater how strong you are if your attacks don't land."

Lightning growled at hearing this, glaring up at Higear. "Don't mock me. I've got more than just Mega Punch." He turned to Guardroid, "Gear Grind!" The robot pointed its arms at Higear before slots in them opened up, only for it to fire a pair of gears into the air.

"Hi?" Higear could only raise its hands in an attempt to grab the gears, which grinded against its hands as they made it accidently descend to the ground.

"Now use Lock-On!" Guardroid's eyes went red as it brought its hands together, a red ring appearing between them. It thrusted its arms and sent the red ring flying at Higear, who had just recovered from the Gear Grind, and hit it square in the face. But instead of causing damage, all the ring did was turn into a red target in the center of its face.

"Gear?" Higear asked in confusion, while Doc frowned.

"Use Mega Punch!" Guardroid pulled its glowing fist back while Higear flew up out of reach, only for the robot to punch the air and send a fist shaped burst of light into the air.

"Hi!" Higear went wide eyed and tried to move, only for the attack to change direction and hit it right on the target. "HIGEAR!" It grunted while falling back as the target symbol faded.

"Higear! You okay?!"

Mic: "That had to hurt."

Celestia: "Well, after being hit by a Lock-On, the next attack will always land.

Luna: "Doc will need to be careful. Even with that increased speed, Lock-On will make dodging tricky."

"Can you go on?" Doc asked Higear once it was close to the ground.

Higear shook its entire body before turning to glare at Guardroid, "Hi!"

Doc nodded, "Use Gyro Ball!" Higear let out a mighty yell as it began to spin, becoming a flying buzz-saw that shot ahead.

"Gear Grind!" Lightning ordered, Guardroid launching the spinning gears again. The projectiles hit Higear, but it was spinning so fast that it created an air cushion, which blocked most of their force before it pushed past them.

"Gear!" Higear yelled as it struck Guardroid, grinding against it for several seconds before the robot managed to push it away.

"Guard..." it panted as it staggered back, but managed to stay upright.

Doc smirked as Higear spun back to their side of the field, "Now you use Gear Grind!"

"Gear!" Higear stopped spinning before shooting its spinning gear like hands at Guardroid.

"Mega Punch!" Guardroid pulled its glowing fist back before punching one of the spinning gears while holding its other arm up to guard against the second. The gears grinded against its fist and arm, only to push the first one away, allowing him to jump away from the second one. "Lock-On!"

"Guard!" Guardroid fired the red ring at Higear, hitting one of the retracting gears and printing a target on it.

"Heavy Slam!" Guardroid started to run while Higear tried to float up to a safe distance. "That won't save you! Do it now! CRUSH HIM!"

"GUARDROID!" It's metal backpack opened up to reveal a pair of rocket engines, which ignited and pushed the robot into the air.

Everyone in the stands gasped at this sight, "IT CAN FLY?!" Several people, including Flash, Spike, Rainbow and Trixie, yelled in shock.

As Guardroid rocketed at it, Higear tried to outmaneuver it, but found itself being tracked again. "Gyro Ball!" It heard Doc order, quickly spinning as fast as it could. But before it could build itself up to full speed, Guardroid grabbed the spinning gear into a hug as its rockets cut out.

Everyone watched as gravity tightened its grip on the two Steel-Types, making them fall as Guardroid positioned the still spinning Higear under it. The grinding of the Gyro Ball made holding it difficult, but the robot managed to keep its grasp long enough for them to crash into the ground. The entire stadium shook, several people being rattled out of their seats as Guardroid picked itself up. Beneath it, Higear was laying on the ground, looking battered and beaten before starting to float back up again.

Mic: "That had too hurt."

Celestia: "Heavy Slam is a move that deals more damage the heavier the user is than the target. Guardroid weighs a good one and a half tons while Higear is just over a hundred pounds."

Luna: "It'd be like one of us being crushed beneath a car."

Mic: "Ouch! And Higear's still standing...er...floating. That takes guts."

"I can't believing something that heavy can fly," Flash commented while watching Guardroid's rockets retract.

"I wouldn't call what just happened flying," Twilight added. "All it did was catapult itself into the air with no real control over where it was going. I doubt it can do it constantly, as something that heavy probably takes time to build up the energy to lift off the ground. It'll probably be a while before it can use those rockets again."

"So Doc's still got the speed advantage and higher ground?"

"Maybe. But that Heavy Slam will have done a lot of damage."

Doc looked Higear over. "Can you go on?"

"HIGEAR!" It replied while spinning its gear. Doc chuckled at this and ordered Higear to use Tackle, causing it to strike Guardroid in the hatch at high speed.

"Guard!" Guardroid yelped as it was suddenly knocked back enough to lose its balance, falling onto its back while Higear flew to a safe distance.

"Now, use Gear Grind!" Higear threw its gear like hands at the still down Guardroid.

"Gear Grind as well!" Lightning ordered, Guardroid pointing its arms at the gears before they opened up to fire its own spinning projectiles. The gears struck each other, creating a powerful clanging noise as they deflected each other. But as Higear's returned to it, the gear Pokémon flew down at it.

"Gyro Ball!" Higear spun around at high speed while Guardroid tried to pick itself up.

"Get up! Use your jets!" Lightning yelled, Guardroid now unloading its rockets so it could push itself up enough to get on its feet, then crossing its arms.

"Guard!" It grunted while Higear's Gyro Ball slammed into its arms. Guardroid managed to swing its arms next, sending Higear back. Once it reached its side of the field, it stopped spinning and stared down at Guardroid. The two glared each other down, showing that if they weren't machines, they'd be panting to show how tired they were. All that spinning was draining Higear, while the rockets were doing the same for Guardroid.

Lightning just growled at this sight, "Don't just stand there! Mega Punch, full power!"

"Droid!" Guardroid's rockets ignited again as it propelled across the field, pulling back its now glowing fist.

"Gear Grind!" Doc ordered, Higear tossing its hands at its evolved form.

Guardroid thrust its fist and punched the gears, knocking them away as it kept going and smashed Higear in the face. "Gear!" Higear yelped as it was pushed up into the air.

"Lock-On!" Guardroid fired the ring at Higear, but the gear Pokémon saw it coming and used the force of the Mega Punch to flip back, letting the attack go flying over it. Lightning growled again, "USE HEAVY SLAM!" Guardroid's jets exploded and propelled it up into the air.

Doc groaned at the sight, "No choice. Gyro Ball!" Higear began spinning as fast as it could while Guardroid grabbed it in its arms and pulled it into a tight hold. "No!" Doc yelped as he saw Guardroid's hold completely immobilize Higear.

"END THIS! CRUSH HIM NOW!" Lightning yelled as Guardroid's engines died, making them fall back to earth.

And as they picked up speed, Higear continued to struggle in an attempt to escape. Doc saw them descend, only to notice Higear's hands were free. "That's it! Gear Grind!"

"Hi!" Higear began to spin its hands into Guardroid while now grinding away at it's shoulders, making it flinch and slowly lose its grip. And as they were only a few feet from the ground, Guardroid lost its hold on Higear. "HIGEAR!" Higear thrust its hands up and pushed Guardroid away, spinning its gears to continue floating while Guardroid fell to earth on its own.

"Fire your jets!" Lightning ordered, Guardroid trying to...but the rockets only gave one good burst before completely conking out, firing nothing but smoke as it tasted dirt.

"GUARDROID!" It yelled while the ground shook again.

Despite the shaking, Doc smiled while looking up at Higear. "Gear Grind!" Higear threw the shuriken like gears at its evolved form, who had rolled onto its side to try and get up. Guardroid saw the gears coming, its trainer ordering it to use the same attack. But it only had time to fire a gear from one of its arms, knocking one gear back but was completely defenseless against the second one.

"Guard!" The gear hit it just below the arm, knocking it back until it was on all fours, which actually allowed it to push itself back onto its feet. It and Higear glared at one another, both knowing they only had enough energy for one or two more attacks.

"Tackle!" Doc ordered, Higear charging again at high speed.

"Lock-On!" Lightning yelled, Guardroid creating a ring between its hands. And as Higear got closer, it fired the ring, quickly making contact as Higear smashed into Guardroid. The force made Guardriod stagger back, almost falling completely until it managed to fire its rocket long enough to push it up on its feet.

"Mega Punch!" Guardroid pulled its glowing first back.

"We have to meet it head-on! Gyro Ball!" Higear began spinning at the advancing Guardroid, ready to clash with the evolved form.

Time seemed to slow down as the two machines got closer, preparing what would likely be their last attack. Then, when they were only a few feet away from one another, Guardroid fired its rockets to double its speed and close the distance. Time around them returned to normal, as they both let out one last cry. "GUARDROID/HIGEAR!"

The clanking sound of steel on steel filled the arena, everyone now shielding their ears as the noise blasted the stadium. The impact also caused a gust of wind to fill the stadium, pushing everyone back while Higear and Guardroid were sent flying.

The gear Pokémon managed to pull itself to a midair stop while the robot dug its feet into the ground to do the same. The two glared at each other for several seconds, their energy both down to fumes...until they both collapsed. Higear crashed into the dirt while Guardroid fell onto its knees. The two struggled to stay upright, only for the sound of creaking metal to fill the air as one fell face first into the dirt.

Everyone gasped at the sight, wide eyes at the victor as it tried to pick itself up. Present Mic stood up and looked over the fallen Pokémon and made sure it was down before making the announcement.

Mic: "Guardroid KO'd, so the winners are Time Tuner and his Higear!"

The crowd cheered at Doc's victory, while his defeated opponent just stared out at the field in shock. "Impossible...I lost...to that weakling?!" He then flinched at hearing Celestia's chuckle over her microphone.

Celestia: "Like I said, being evolved doesn't make one stronger. Guardroid burned through too much power to quickly, not holding anything back that way."

Luna: "Using that rocket so much probably didn't help either. It probably ran out of power right before the Mega Punch landed, so didn't have enough to keep going after that. I suspect Higear probably held a little back so it wouldn't be running dry after its attack."

Lightning growled at this criticism, quickly returning Guardroid before walking off the battlefield. Doc said nothing as he watched Lightning's face morph into one of pure anger, hatred obvious in his eyes. And before Flash could even comment to him, the teen pushed Flash away before disappearing down a corridor of the stadium. Sighing and shaking his head at the sight, Doc walked out onto the battlefield, "Someone's a sore loser." he commented as he saw Higear finally give out and fall. Luckily, he managed to catch his partner with a giant grin on his face, "Great work out there partner. You were fantastic."

"Higear..." it replied while they headed for the trainer box.

"That was great Doc!" Flash added as the two of them high-fived, "Nice work knocking that jerk of his high Ponyta!"

"Don't thank me," Doc replied while holding up his Pokémon. "It's Higear you should be giving praise to."

"You're right," Twilight commented while giving Higear a gentle rub. "Great work Higear. You should be proud."

"Hi..." Higear moaned while Twilight looked back at Doc.

"You should probably get him treated. You'll need him at full strength when you battle in the finals."

"You're right. I'd like to stay and watch your battle, but making sure he's okay comes first. Sorry."

"It's cool," Flash gave him a thumbs up. "We'd do the same thing." Doc nodded and headed into the stadium's Pokémon Center while Flash and Twilight turned to one another. "This is it."

"Yeah...let's give it our best." Flash nodded back before the two stepped out onto the field.

Mic: "It's time for the semifinal's second match between Flash Sentry and Twilight Sparkle. Professor Celestia, if I'm correct, you were the one who suggested they travel together."

Celestia: "That's right. When I first met Flash, he was abrasive, rash, and tended to act before thinking."

Luna: "Not exactly attractive qualities in a travel companion."

Celestia: "Maybe, but he had many other traits. He was quick thinking, caring towards his Pokémon and the most impressive, he learned about the world through his actions instead of simply learning about them from second hand sources. This is why I wanted him to travel with Twilight, because she was the exact opposite. All her knowledge came from what she had read, believing it without flaw instead of simply using it as a reference to draw her own conclusions."

Mic: "And that's why you wanted them to travel together?"

Celestia: "Exactly. I hoped they would learn from one another, and considering the way this competition has gone, they have."

As the two arrived at their podiums, Flash in red and Twilight in blue, they heard what Celestia had said and hummed in agreement. Flash, though it took a while to get through his head, learned not to take things has they came and actually planned things out. Twilight on the other hand, aside from battling, learned there was more to the world than facts in book and computers.

Mic: "It's red, so Flash is gonna pick first!"

"Alright!" Flash pulled out a Pokeball and enlarged it. "Skyler, I choose you!" He tossed the ball into the air, releasing a red light that took shape to reveal Flash's Wingust.

"Wingust!" He cried as he flapped his wings and took to the skies, flying in a circle around the arena before turning back and hovering in front of Flash.

"He's using Skyler, huh? Alright then." She pulled out her own Pokeball and enlarged it, "Let's go Owlicious!" Like Flash, her Pokeball opened and released the red energy to form into the Flying-Type.

"Psy!" Owlicious cheered as he flapped his wings and flew up to Skyler's level.

Mic: "Looks like we're getting another aerial battle. SWEET!"

Celestia: "Wingust is supposedly the stronger flyer, but Psychick's Psychic attacks may level the playing field."

Luna: "But speed can also play a factor here. We'll just have to wait and see what the trainers have planned."

Mic: "I hear ya. Time to see who'll be joining Time Turner in the finals. In three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

"Let's start this off with Quick Attack!" Flash ordered, Skyler shooting ahead at blinding speed.

Twilight glared at the sight, knowing Owlicious wouldn't be able to dodge the attack, "Counter with Confusion!"

"Psy!" Owlicious's eyes started to glow before shooting out a pair of blue lights, which came together as they flew at Skyler. The Wingust saw it coming and managed to shift his midair position, causing the attack to fly over his wing.

"Gust!" He slashed the Psychick with his wing, making it cry out as it fell back. Luckily, Owlicious managed to open his wings, straightening them out before he hit the ground.

"Now use Peck!" Owlicious's beak started to glow before transforming into a long cone like shape, the bird striking Skyler in the chest.

"Wing!" He grunted before beating his wings, flying back while pushing Owlicious away.

"Air Cutter!" Skyler's now glowing wings started to beat repetitively, launching curved wind blades that struck Owlicious head on.

"Psy!" He fell again, his wings barely open to slow his descent.

Twilight adjusted her glasses at the sight. "Hmm...this isn't good. Skyler is faster and stronger...but that's not everything." she glared at Flash, her mind started to burn with ideas. "That could work. Owlicious, Calm Mind!" Owlicious stopped his descent, his entire body now glowing as his Special Attack was increased. "Now, use Confusion!" The Psychick fired another psychic beam, this one hitting Skyler in the head.

"Wingust!" He yelped as the light blinded him, his brain becoming fuzzy as he started having trouble flying.

"Skyler! You okay?" Skyler didn't replay, instead flapping his wings erratically. This didn't help him stay airborne, and soon crashed into the ground with a thud. "Skyler! What's wrong with you?" His answer came when Skyler picked himself up, but swayed from side to side. "Oh no...you're confused."

Mic: "Looks like that Confusion attack's got Wingust all turned around."

Celestia: "Usually a trainer would return their Pokémon to their Pokeball and switch them out with another one. But since this is a one on one tournament, returning Wingust would mean Flash forfeits."

Luna: "So what will he do? Keep going and hope the confusion wears off, or give up."

Twilight shook her head, "Don't be ridiculous. Flash never gives up."

Flash smirked back, "You got that right." Skyler again tried to take off, but his flapping was still out of sync. "Though this might make things tricky."

Meanwhile...

Back in the stadium's lobby, Doc was sitting on a couch, fixing Higear while he recharged. "And that...should do it," he replaced Higear's back plate before taking off his glasses and putting his torch away. "How are you feeling?"

"Hi," Higear nodded as it turned back to him, his gears spinning with ease.

"Good. I'm gonna need you at your best if we want to battle with everything we've got." He then turned to a nearby screen, which was showing the battle taking place. "Now the next question is, who will we be battling against?"

"Peck!" Twilight ordered as Owlicious flew down at the still confused Skyler, stabbing him with extended beak several times.

"Wing!" Skyler squawked, feeling the strikes. But as these blows hit him, he could only see a barrage of Psychicks, all confusing the bird even more.

Flash growled at the sight, only for a bulb to go off in his head. "That's it! Use Steel Wing!" Skyler's wings started to glow before it started to frantically wave them around, accidentally slamming into Owlicious's head.

"Psy!" He cried as he was knocked back, spreading his wings and flying away to a safe distance.

Twilight pouted at this. "Grrr...if that's the case, we'll play defense! Calm Mind, repeatedly!" Everyone watched as Owlicious pulled up before his body started to glow blue, the light quickly dying down before it unleashed another pulse of light. On and off the light flickered, Owlicious's Special Attack getting strong with each flash.

Mic: "At this rate, Psychick's confusion will be strong enough to one hit KO Wingust!"

"Confusion!" Twilight ordered after the seven Calm Minds. Owlicious fired its psychic blast again, which was now a thick beam like laser that struck the ground with enough force to send Skyler flying into the air.

"Gust!" Skyler rolled through the air, the confusion stopping it from correcting itself.

"Sky Drop!" Owlicious flew up to Skyler as he reached his height and grabbed his wing in his talons, gripping them tightly before beginning to spin in midair.

"PSY!" The Psychick hooted before swinging Skyler down, releasing its grip. This caused Skyler to crash into the dirt with a loud thud, all while kicking up a dust cloud.

Mic: "Ouch! That had to hurt!"

"Skyler!" Flash yelled into the dust cloud, "You okay?" There was no answer, many people believing that Skyler had already been knocked out, only for a mighty gust of wind to shoot out of the cloud and dispel it.

"Wingust!" Skyler proclaimed as he flew up to Owlicious's level, flying perfectly.

"Alright!" Flash cheered while the crowd clapped.

Mic: "Incredible! It appears that Sky Drop has completely wiped out the confusion!"

Celestia: "Large amounts of pain have a tendency to help focus one's mind."

Luna: "But Wingust has taken a lot of damage. Flash needs to be careful."

"Steel Wing!" Skyler's wings glowed as she shot ahead, picking up speed while Owlicious also charged.

"Peck!" Once again, the Psychick's beak started to glow before extending in size. The two clashed, wing against beak, and pushed before Skyler's attack overcame Owlicious and pushed him back.

"Psy!" Owlicious rolled back through the air, but managed to steady himself out while Twilight ordered him to use Confusion. "Psy!"

"Double Team!" In a flash of light, Skyler's body multiplied into a large flock of Wingust. The Confusion attack struck one, making it disappear while the others all flew around Owlicious.

Twilight watched as her Psychick was now surrounded, trying to find the real one. "We can't experiment here! Destroy them all with Confusion!" Owlicious fired multiple psychic blasts, each hitting a Skyler clone. But despite this approach, more and more clones continued to appear.

"Air Cutter!" The Skylers all beat their winds, Owlicious spinning its head around to see where the attack was coming from.

"Behind you!" Owlicious spun his whole body around to see several wind blades coming at him, "Confusion!" He fired his psychic lasers, blocking several Air Cutters, but not enough as he now felt the stinging sensation of the razor sharp air blades hit his chest.

"Psy!" The Psychick fell back at the blow, Skyler's army now reducing its numbers as the real one flew after it.

"Quick Attack!" Skyler picked up speed while Owlicious spread his wings to slow himself down, headbutting the Owl towards the dirt. He crashed with a thud, rolling on the ground while Skyler flew back up. "Steel Wing!" Skyler arched around and flew back down with glowing wings, reaching the ground and tilting to the side so his wing dug through the dirt.

Owlicious picked himself up as he heard a noise, turning to see the sound of Skyler's wing ripping through the gravel. "Dodge it!" Twilight screamed.

"PSYCHICK!" Owlicious jumped up while Skyler reached him, opening his wings and letting Skyler's air current fill them to lift him up. Seeing this opportunity, Owlicious grabbed onto Skyler's sky pointing wing and gripped it with his talons.

"Good idea Owlicious! Use Sky Drop!" Owlicious beat its wings and managed to drag the off balance Skyler up, then spun around to tossed the Wingust back down.

Since it was only a few feet, Skyler didn't have time to spread his wings and stop his fall. "WING!" He yelped as he hit the ground, the impact on his back sending shakes all throughout his body.

"Confusion!" Owlicious appeared right above Skyler before firing his attack, which headed straight for the larger bird. Skyler opened his eyes and saw the attack coming, no chance of moving out of the way in time. Everyone watched as the Confusion attack landed, creating yet another dust cloud. They all gasped, thinking the battle was over as the cloud slowly faded to reveal Skyler still laying on the ground.

The Wingust's wings were folded around the bird, shielding its head and blocking the audience from seeing if he was knocked out. "Is that it? Did I win?" Twilight asked as she looked up from Skyler to Flash, only to raise an eyebrow when she saw him smirk.

"Not yet," he quipped as Skyler started moving his wings. They unfurled enough for the light of his eyes to shine through before the Wingust disappeared.

"Psy?" Owlicious chirped in surprise, only to find the sun to be blocked out behind him. He spun his head a full one eighty, just in time to lock eyes with a grinning Skyler before Flash gave his next command.

"Steel Wing!" Skyler spun around and slapped Owlicious with a hard iron wing, sending the Psychick rolling back until he managed to spread his wings and level out.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Twilight cried, Owlicious trying to get as much distance from Skyler as possible.

"After it!" Skyler shot ahead, quickly closing the gap. Owlicious tried to catch him off guard by changing direction, but Skyler managed to stay on his tail.

"Woowee!" Applejack exclaimed, "Skyler's on him like a fly on a Miltank-pat."

Rarity rolled her eyes at this. "Not the analogy I would have used, but I will admit Skyler seems to be the more agile of the two."

Rainbow nodded. "That little guy sure has come a long way since I battled him."

"Confusion!" Twilight ordered, Owlicious spinning his head around while he continued to fly. Seconds later, he started shooting quick psychic bullets behind him, forcing Skyler to evade them.

"Air Cutter!" Flash yelled before Skyler stopped his pursuit, now launching the air blades at Owlicious. The blades struck the Confusion attack, causing an explosion. The wind from it pushed the two back, making them rebalance themselves.

"Steel Wing/Peck!" The two charged at each other, both throwing attack after attack at one another as both dodged or blocked each other. To everyone watching, it was a mesmerizing sight, seeing both graced through the air like a violent shining dance.

Eventually, Skyler flapped his wings and pushed away from Owlicious to avoid another Peck. Twilight took this chance to give her next order, "Confusion!"

The Psychick fired another psychic beam, which Flash quickly countered, "Double Team!" Once again, Skyler transformed into his very own army with the Confusion destroying only one of them.

"Take them all down like you did before!" Owlicious started spinning on the spot in midair, firing multiple Confusion attacks to wipe the whole flock out. And as he took every single one of them down, Owlicious fired a beam of psychic energy at last Skyler....and it disappeared too.

Mic: "Huh? Where's it go?"

Celestia: "I don't know."

Luna: "It can't have just vanished."

Twilight was also looking around for Skyler, but couldn't spot him anywhere. She then turned to Flash and saw he was smiling, and she soon learned why when he looked up. "Quick Attack!" She looked up as well, only to look away as her vision was blinded by the sun.

"No! The sun!" She yelled at Owlicious. The Psychick looked up, now spotting an increasing in size black dot on the celestial body. That blot was Skyler, who was rocketing down at Owlicious and getting faster with every second. "Use Confusion!"

"PSY!" Owlicious channeled as much mental energy as he could before unleashing it in a single blast, which headed straight for Skyler.

But the Wingust didn't try to dodge, instead picking up greater speed. Soon enough, he collided with the beam and actually began to cut through it. Though the psychic energy was giving it a headache, he powered through and reached Owlicious. "PSY/WING!" The two roared as they collided.

"SKYLER/OWLICIOUS!" The trainers yelled as they watched their Pokémon fall to the ground from the clash, crashing face down into the field a few feet from one another. Everyone watched as they laid in the dirt, wondering if they had just witnessed a double knock out.

The answer came when one of the birds began to move, slowly picking itself up and spreading its wings. "Wingust!" It cried while looking down at Owlicious. The Psychick then moved itself, rolling onto its back to show it's eyes were replaced by swirls.

Mic: "Psychick KO'd, so the winners are Flash and his WINGUST!"

The crowd began to cheer as Flash and Twilight walked onto the field. Flash patted Skyler on the head while Twilight picked Owlicious up. "Great work bud," he commented while scratching his chin.

"Gust..." a panting Skyler replied with a smile.

"Take a break," Flash returned him to his Pokeball before turning to Twilight. She was cradling Owlicious like a baby, a few tears going down her face.

"You were great. I'm so proud of you." She looked up at Flash with a weak smile, "I guess we've still got a lot to learn."

"Psy..." Owlicious hooted before Twilight returned him to his Pokeball.

"Congrats. You deserve to be in the finals."

"Thanks. And thanks for the great battle. You sure didn't make it easy getting here." Twilight giggled back before heading over to the trainer box, which Doc had just stepped into.

Mic: "ALRIGHT BATTLE FANS! Our finalists have been decided! Who will end up being the big winner?! I can't wait to find out!"

Flash and Doc both stared at one another, the two knowing they would need to give this battle everything they had in order to win. The Hoof Cup's final battle was next, but who would be crowned the winner? Stay tuned to find out.

Winner! The Hoof Cup Conclusion

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The time had finally come. Despite it only being two days, it felt like getting to this moment had taken weeks. The Hoof Cup's final battle between Flash and Doc was about to happen.

Up in the stands, Twilight had joined the others to watch and see who was gonna take home the title of champion and the six IV raising candy jars.

"Sure has been a wild ride, hasn't it?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes indeed," Rarity replied.

"Ah'm sure glad ah entered," Applejack added.

"Me too, me too!" Pinkie exclaimed. "It's been so much fun!"

Fluttershy did a small nod, "Yes, and we got to meet a lot of new friends."

Trixie chuckled at this, "I can't wait to see who's gonna win."

"Well, Flash beat Doc the last time they had a serious battle," Spike pointed out.

"But that doesn't mean he'll win this time," Twilight told him. "They've both grown a lot, so this could really go either way." She turned to look down at the field, "Only one way to find out though."

Down in the commentators box, Present Mic stood up. "ALRIGHT BATTLE FANS! It's time for the long awaited final match of this year's Hoof Cup!" He pointed at the red side of the field. "In this corner, we have the number one unpredictable knuckle head trainer, Flash...SENTRY!" The crowd cheered as Flash and Springer waved at them while Mic turned to the blue side. "And in the other corner, we have the pride of Trottingham City! The Gym Leader, Time...TURNER!" Doc also waved at the crowd.

"Giving their thoughts on the battle will be the Professors, Celestia and Luna! Tell me ladies, what are your thoughts on the upcoming match?"

"All I can say is that this will definitely be a match to remember," Celestia replied.

Luna nodded in agreement. "I look forward to seeing which Pokémon and what strategies they'll use to try and claim victory."

On the podium, Flash turned to Doc. "Alright, this is it! Don't you go giving me any less than your all, as I know I am! I'm gonna come at you hard and fast, right from the start!"

Doc chuckled back, "Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Very well," Doc pulled out his Pokeball. "Higear, come on out!" He tossed the ball into the air, a spiral of red energy taking form to reveal the floating gear Pokémon.

"Higear!"

"Higear, huh?! Alright..." He pulled out his Pokeball, "Its revenge time! Riptide, I choose you!" He tossed the ball into the air, the sphere soon opening to show Flash's Aquana.

"Aquana!" He exclaimed before seeing Higear, glaring at it.

"What did he mean by revenge time Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"In their first battle, Flash used Riptide against Higear and they lost. Looks like Flash wants to give Riptide the chance to show how much he's grown."

"But has he grown strong enough to beat Higear?"

"Only one way to find out."

"Are both trainer's ready?" Mic asked, the two nodding. "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Riptide, use Echoed Voice!"

"Ak!" Riptide roared as he leapt into the air before taking a deep breath. "AQUANA!" He unleashed the soundwave, striking Higear as discomfort quickly appeared on his face.

Doc smirked, knowing Higear could take it. "Use Shift Gear!"

"Gear!" Higear levitated into the air, the gear ring around its body beginning to spin. Despite the pain it was feeling, it's speed and attack began to increase.

"Echoed Voice again!" Riptide took another large breath before unleashing another sound attack, hitting Higear again as pain started to show on his face.

"Shift Gear!" Doc ordered again, his Pokémon spinning its gears more and more.

"Can't let him use Gyro Ball," Flash growled, "Riptide, Echoed Voice again."

Doc smiled as he watched Riptide take another deep breath. "Tackle!"

"Hi!" Higear stopped spinning his gear and rushed at Riptide, moving at high speeds as it drew close.

"Gotcha! Use Water Gun!" Riptide breathed out, spitting out a blast of water aimed at the ground. This made Riptide fly safely above the attack.

"What?!" Doc yelped as Higear flew under Riptide, who was now beginning to fall back to earth.

"Rock Smash!" Flash ordered as Riptide's fist started to glow.

"Ak-" Riptide threw a punch, which struck Higear in the face. "WANA!"

"Higear!" The metallic Pokémon cried as the punch made impact, sending it flying back.

"Wow!" Pinkie exclaimed. "You girls see that?!"

Everyone nodded as Rainbow commented, "It's almost like Flash knew Doc was gonna use that move."

"He did." They all turned back to Twilight, who was smiling as she turned to Spike. "Didn't you notice? The moves they were using before were the same ones they used at the beginning of their first battle."

"They were?" Spike asked before thinking back, "Oh yeah...."

"Flash must have known that repeating what happened before would make Doc do the same thing, so he laid a trap."

"He played me," Doc whispered as Flash smirked.

"Just repaying the favor from a long time ago," Flash replied before pointing at Riptide. "Water Gun!" Riptide fired the blast of water, which headed straight for Higear.

"Gear Grind!" Higear tossed its gear hands at the water stream, blocking it with ease.

"Rock Smash!" Riptide rushed past the gears and leapt at Higear, smashing it in the face. This made Higear yell in pain before hearing Doc tell him to use Gyro Ball.

"Hi!" Once its's gear returned, Higear started spinning at high speed and shot the sphere.

"Pound!" Flash ordered, Riptide spinning to slam its tail into Higear, but the speed of Higear's Gyro Ball was too much.

"AK!" Riptide flinched as the attack knocked him away, "Ak...wan...ah!" He moaned while bouncing along the ground, soon landing on his hands and knees.

"Shift Gear!" The mechanism Pokémon spun its gears to increase its speed and power while Riptide started to regain his balance.

"Water Gun!" The water blasted out of his mouth, but Higear easily evaded it. Riptide then fired several more bullets, but the floating gear dodged each one. "Echoed Voice!"

Riptide leapt into the air and inhaled. "AQUANA!" The soundwaves filled the stadium, forcing everyone to shield their ears. Higear tried to do the same, but it still wasn't enough to block out the scream. In fact, the attack was so loud that it couldn't hear Doc as he tried to give his next command.

"Rock Smash!" Flash yelled as Riptide landed, rushing ahead to sock Higear in the face. "Again, back to back!"

Both Riptide's fists started to glow before throwing punch after punch at Higear. "Ak, ak, ak, ak, ak, ak!" The last punch pushed Higear into the air, only for Riptide to jump onto his tail to use it as a springboard, launching him. "AQUANA!" With all his strength, Riptide punched Higear down, rocketing him back to earth.

"HIGEAR!" The clanging of metal on dirt rang through the stadium, Riptide using his Water Gun to land safely at the same time.

Mic: "Seems Higear's having trouble keeping up, even with that increased speed."

Celestia: "Flash's earlier trick must have thrown the two off."

"Don't count us out just yet! Higear, Gyro Ball!" Higear began spinning on the ground, floating back up before shooting it at Riptide like a discus.

"Water Gun!" Riptide fired the water at Higear, but the spinning gear created an air cushion that knocked the water away. Seconds later, the spinning projectile smashed into Riptide and knocking him back into the air. "Not good," Flash commented as he watched Higear spin back around, heading straight towards Riptide.

The little Aquana had just picked itself up, only to see the incoming buzz-saw. "Rock Smash!"

"Ak!" Riptide pulled his fist back and called upon as much energy as he could, thrusting at the Higear. The two collided and pushed for several seconds, but Higear's attack overpowered Riptide's, knocking him back again. "Aqua!"

Flash groaned, about to order Riptide to use Echoed Voice, but got the feeling even that wouldn't work. "How? How do I beat something like..." he looked up and saw the now flying around Higear, spinning in a diagonal trajectory, which caused a light-bulb to go off. "That's it!"

"Aquana," Riptide heard this and prepared to act.

"No Riptide, not yet." Riptide blinked at this, but did a small nod as he stood still while keeping an eye on his oncoming opponent.

Mic: "What's he planning?"

Luna: "I'm...not sure."

Celestia: "Probably something unexpected."

"Hold it...hold it..." Flash said as Higear got closer, the Pokémon only seconds away. "Almost...." They were now only inches away from one another, "Now! DOWNWARDS WATER GUN!"

"AQUANA!" Riptide launched the water stream straight into the dirt, blasting it up while Higear barely missed the lizard and started to hit the ground.

"Yes!" Flash cheered before looking down at Higear, seeing what he had hoped would happen happen. Higear, who was still spinning, was grinding at the dirt and actually digging into it. By the time it stopped spinning, half its body was submerged.

"Hi?" Higear yelped as it tried to move, only for no results. "Higear!"

"No way..." Doc gasped.

"So way," Flash replied before looking up at Riptide. The Aquana was now falling, picking up some major speed. "Rock Smash!" Riptide pulled back a glowing fist, aiming right at Higear.

"Oh no! Get out of there!" Doc yelled, but it was too late.

"DO IT!"

"AQUANA!" Riptide thrust his fist, the force of the attack creating a burst of wind that knocked him away and pushed everyone back into their seats.

Once the wind died down, everyone turned to see Riptide pick himself up and look over at Higear. "Higear..." the now fainted Pokémon let out.

Mic: "Higear KO'd. The winner, AQUANA!"

The crowd went wild as the little Aquana let out a cry of happiness. "Way to go bud!"

"Ri!" Springer added in agreement while giving him a thumbs up.

"Alright!" Spike cheered.

Twilight giggled at the results. "Considering how little Riptide was able to do against Higear last time, this is a big win for him."

"That's one down Flash!" Trixie added.

"But he shouldn't git cocky," Applejack finished. "Doc's just getting warmed up."

Doc sighed as he pulled out his Pokeball and pointed it at Higear, "Thanks for the hard work Higear." The red beam recalled the Pokémon back into the ball, "Take a long rest." He then swapped out his Pokeballs and held it up, "Not bad Flash. It's clear how much stronger Riptide's gotten since our Gym battle. But this fight isn't over yet. Tockwork, come on out!" He tossed the ball into the air, unleashing the red energy that revealed the mechanized Pokémon.

"Tock..." it said slowly.

"Tockwork, huh?" Flash asked before looking down at Riptide, "Can you keep going?"

"Aquana!" Riptide nodded.

"Alright, let's do it!" Flash replied while Mic stood up.

"Alright battle fans, let's get this next battle underway. Are both trainers ready?" The two nodded. "Then battle...begin!"

"Overclock!" Doc ordered, the gears on Tockwork's body beginning to spin as it charged at Riptide.

"Use Water Gun!" Riptide fired the water jet at Tockwork, who raised his gun arm to block it as he got closer. Once within striking range, Tockwork swung around and kicked Riptide in the stomach.

"Ak!" He yelped as he was thrown into the air.

"Echoed Voice!" Everyone in the stadium covered their ears as Riptide unleashed his sonic attack, hitting Tockwork but barely did any damage.

"The same move won't work every time. Tockwork, Bullet Punch!" Tockwork pulled its fist back before thrusting, sending a fist shaped burst of energy up at Riptide.

"Rock Smash!" Riptide did the same and punched the Bullet Punch, only for it to explode, sending him crashing head first into the ground.

"Psywave!" Tockwork pointed its gun at Riptide and fired a single blast at the Aquana, who was still recovering from its headbutting of the ground.

"Ak?" Once Riptide's vision stopped being double, he went wide eyed as he saw the blast coming at him. "Wana!" The blast hit his stomach before exploding, sending the little guy flying.

"Damn it!" Flash growled.

"Overclock!" Doc yelled without giving Flash a moment to think. Tockwork's gears span faster as it rushed ahead, reaching Riptide and punching him in a split second. "Sorry Flash, but whenever you're in trouble, you have a nasty habit of finding a way out. As such, I'm not gonna let that happen."

Tockwork continued to slam into Riptide, moving faster with each hit. The audience flinched at every blow, knowing they had to hurt. "Aqua!" Riptide yelled as he was uppercutted into the air.

"Psywave!" Tockwork aimed its gun at the airborne Aquana and quickly fired.

"Water Gun!" Riptide unleashed the water stream, connecting with the Psywave...only for it to be cut down the middle before the bullet exploded in Riptide's face.

"AQUANA!" He screamed while falling once again.

"Bullet Punch!" Tockwork raced to the spot Riptide was gonna land, rearing back his fist to launch a punch right into his stomach.

"TOCK/AK!" Riptide was send flying across the field, hitting the ground rolling before coming to a stop, face up to show swirls in his eyes.

Mic: "Aquana KO'd, so the winner is Tockwork!"

The crowd began to go wild again.

Celestia: "An excellent comeback. Doc knew to keep the pressure up once he had Flash in a corner."

Luna: "But can Flash make the same comeback?"

"Great work out there Riptide," Flash said as he held out his Pokeball and returned Riptide. "Come back and take a break." Once Riptide was returned, Flash swapped the Pokeball out for another one. "Viper, I chose you!" He tossed the ball into the air, soon revealing the fire snake.

"Scor," the Hisscor let out a puff of smoke as it stared its opponent down.

Mic: "Its a Hisscor! Looks like Flash is going for the Type Advantage."

Celestia: "Though Tockwork's Heatproof ability won't make it easy."

Luna: "Let's not forget how many times Doc used Overclock in that last battle. One of two more times might end up burning it."

"She's right," Doc commented as he rubbed his chin. "We may need to hold back on that attack. But even so, Viper isn't at a one hundred percent advantage. None of his Poison attacks will effect Tockwork."

Mic: "Alright! Are both trainers ready?" They nodded, "then battle...BEGIN!"

"Use Flamethrower!" Flash ordered as Viper quickly unleashed a stream of fire, which shot across the field and struck Tockwork before it could react.

"Tock!" It cried as the flames heated its metal body, its form slowly jumping out of the stream.

"Use Psywave!" Tockwork pointed its gun at Viper and shot a psychic bullet, only for the Hisscor to flail its ribbon like body around to dodge the attack. Tockwork started firing several more shots, Viper managing to wiggle each one. But as it dodged a fourth one, a fifth finally struck him, making it cry out as it was flung across the field.

"Scor!" It hit the ground, only to bounce back up instantly.

"Fire Spin!" Viper jumped onto his tail and springboarded into the air, its tail tip igniting before it flipped and flicked the fireball at Tockwork. Once it hit the ground in front of Tockwork, the fireball exploded into a spiraling column of flames.

Tockwork could feel the heat doing damage, which got worse every time it got to close to the flames. "Bullet Punch!" it heard Doc order. "On the ground!" Tockwork nodded before lifting up its fist and pointing it down.

"Tock...WORK!" It thrusted the fist into the ground, unleashing a powerful wave of air in all directions, pushing away the flames to dispel the Fire Spin. "Now Overclock!" Tockwork sped up once again and rushed ahead, punching Viper before Flash had a chance to order a dodge.

"Scor!" Viper yelped as it hit the ground while Tockwork leapt back, only to suddenly burst into flames.

"TOCKWORK!" It yelled in both pain and surprise.

Mic: "Ouch! Looks like they overdid the Overclock, and now Tockwork's been burned!"

Celestia: "With all the Fire-Type attacks they were facing, that probably would have happened eventually."

Luna: "But how will Time Turner deal with this situation?"

"Bullet Punch!" Tockwork charged again and slammed its fist into Viper before he could react, the Hisscor flinching in pain....only to then wrap his tail around Tockwork's arm.

"Nice Viper! Now use Bite!"

"Scor!" Viper bit down on Tockwork's arm, the sound of metal crunching in its jaws filling the air. The Steel Type began to yell out in pain, swinging its arm around to try to dislodge Viper. As it was doing this, the Burn Status flared up again, making it scream out in pain while Viper remained curled up around its arm.

"Get it off you!" Doc told Tockwork, only for a bulb to go off in his head. "Wait...that's it! Tockwork, remember our battle against Lizash!"

Everyone raised an eyebrow at this. "What's he talking about?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight gasped as her memories struck her brain, "He's gonna blind Viper!"

"Tock..." Tockwork raised its arm in front of its clock-face. This made Flash remember Doc's battle again Heath and quickly caught on.

"Not good! Viper, close your eyes!" Viper wasn't sure why Flash wanted him to do that, but did so anyway. Seconds later, Tockwork's clock-face unleashed a blinding light, one so bright that even with his eyes closed, Viper had to stop biting on its arm and move behind Tockwork's head.

"Dang it! I was hoping you wouldn't remember it in time."

Flash just smirked, "Hard to forget a battle like that. Use Flash all you want, but as long as Viper's eyes are closed, he'll be fine." He pointed at Tockwork, " And at that range, he'll be double good to roast your Tockwork! Flamethrower!" Viper, eyes still closed tightly, pulled its head back and pointed it at Tockwork's clock-face.

"Hiss..." it breathed in before unleashing a stream of fire, "SCOR!" The flames hit the clockwork Pokémon point blank, making it cry out as it swung its arm around to try and get the fire off. But Viper held firm, flame continually striking the clock-face. Eventually, Tockwork slammed its arm into the ground, causing Viper to lose his grip before it swung the arm up, knocking Viper upward. "Scor!"

"Fire Spin!" Viper's tail ignited before he flicked the fireball at Tockwork, recreating the fire tornado.

"Tock!" It cried as the flames scorched it, along with the Burn flaring up again. Doc then ordered another Bullet Punch, "Tock!" It slammed its fist into the ground, dispelling the fire tornado as it saw Viper land.

"Flamethrower/Psywave!" Viper unleashed the stream of fire while Tockwork fired its psychic bullet. The two attacks met with the Psywave flying through the flames as they headed for Tockwork. The Psywave flew out the end of the Flamethrower, hitting Viper while the flames struck Tockwork.

"Scor/Tock!" They both yelled as they were sent back, both rolling on the ground and skidding to a stop before turning to the other. The two glared at each other, until Tockwork's Burn kicked in again, dealing another burst of damage. "Tockwork!" It screamed until the flames vanished, its form falling to its knees before collapsing face down.

Mic: "Tockwork KO'd, so the winner is Hisscor!"

"Yes!" Flash cheered while Viper looked at Tockwork smugly.

Celestia: "An impressive display. I think Viper's fire attacks being stronger was what allowed it to take down Tockwork."

Luna: "And the fact that Tockwork had taken some damage from its battle against Aquana."

Mic: "And now Time Turner is down to only one Pokémon."

"Return Tockwork," Doc recalled Tockwork and smiled at the Pokeball. "Great work. You did well against an opponent who was a tough match-up," he swapped Pokeballs and enlarged it. "It's up to you now. Steeledge, come on out!" The ball opened up and unleashed the red energy, which took form midair before fading to reveal the metal bird.

"Steeledge!" It squawked while flapping its wings.

Mic: "So Time Turner's last Pokémon is Steeledge! Looks like Flash still has the advantage."

Celestia: "We'll see. If this tournament as proved anything, it's that Type Advantage isn't always the deciding factor."

Mic: "No kidding. Are both trainers ready?" They nodded, "Then battle...begin!"

"Flamethrower!" Flash ordered, Viper unleashing another stream of fire at Steeledge.

"Air Cutter!" Steeledge beat his wings, launching several air blades at the Flamethrower, dispelling in on contact as Steeledge got closer to Viper. "Fury Attack!" Steeledge's beak started to glow before he thrusted it back and forth, quickly striking Viper in quick succession.

"Scor!" Viper flinched with each stab, eventually managing to jump onto the tip of his tail before bouncing into the air.

"Fire Spin!" Viper flipped as his tail ignited, flicking the fireball at the ground.

Steeledge saw this and quickly flew up as the fireball hit the dirt, exploding. The spiraling flames flew upward and surrounded Steeledge, who flinched at the intense heat until he managed to fly out of the top. "Ledge!" he squawked while trying to flap the sweat off of him.

He looked down and saw Viper land as Doc gave his next command. "Drill Peck!" Steeledge spun in air before dive-bombing towards Viper, spinning into a drill like projectile.

"Flamethrower!" Viper spat the fire stream at Steeledge, hitting him and covering the spinning bird in fire. Steeledge flinched at the heat, though the air wrapping around him managed to shield him from most of the flames. As such, he kept going until he reached Viper, striking him with full power.

"Scor!" Viper went flying while Steeledge flew back into the air, soon stopping as the pain from the Flamethrower finally kicked in and made him twitch.

Celestia: "Amazing resilience. Being able to fly right through a Flamethrower attack isn't something a Pokémon at a type disadvantage can easily do."

Luna: "The Steel-Type is known for their incredible defensive power."

Mic: "And Steeledge is gonna need those defenses if it wants to defeat both Hisscor and Flash's third Pokémon."

"Steel Wing!" Doc ordered before Steeledge flew down, his wings now glowing.

Viper picked himself up and saw Steeledge coming as Flash gave his next command. "Dodge it, then Bite!" Steeledge reached the Hisscor and tried to slash, but Viper managed to bend his flexible body back to make the wing fly overhead, barely missing the tip of his nose.

"Hiss!" As soon as the wing shot over him, he jumped up and wrapped around Steeledge's neck. Once there, he bit down on the bird's shoulder and locked his jaw.

"Ledge!" Steeledge squawked before shaking its body around, trying to dislodge the fire snake.

"Get back in the air! Then use some erratic flying!" Steeledge nodded and beat his wings, flying up before moving at high speed. At random points, he quickly changed direction, making Viper shift around in surprise.

The Hisscor tried his best, keeping his fangs tightly pressed into Steeledge. But as this happened, the high speed shifts started to force his fang's grip. Eventually, Steeledge flipped himself in midair, making enough force to knock Viper right off. "Scor!"

"Steel Wing!" Steeledge quickly flew after the falling Hisscor with glowing wings, spinning around and slapping Viper with it.

"Scor!" Viper cried as he fell to the ground, Steeledge flying back up before arcing around.

"Flamethrower!" Flash ordered, Viper picking himself up before firing a fire burst at Steeledge. The armored bird saw the attack coming and managed to dodge it, Viper frowning before firing several move flame blasts. One by one, Steeledge managed to outmaneuver the streams as he got closer to Viper.

"Drill Peck!" Doc yelled when Steeledge was close enough, the bird beginning to spin as fast as he could.

"HISSCOR!" Viper unleashed the biggest stream of fire he could make, which hit the spinning Steeledge dead on. But Steeledge managed to drill right through the fire, the air cushion around him keep most flames back and reducing the damage until he struck the fire snake. "SCOR!"

Everyone watched as the Hisscor fell back form the blow, curling into a heap that remained still as swirls replaced his eyes. "Hiss..."

Mic: "Hisscor KO'd, so the winner is Steeledge!"

Celestia: "Being able to push through that Flamethrower twice...that's truly incredible willpower."

Luna: "But it must have caused a lot of damage. Steeledge might have won this battle, but the match may have just been decided."

Doc looked up at Steeledge and saw he was reeling from the Flamethrower, making him grimace as he stared back at Flash. "That's not good..."

"Return Viper," Flash said as held out the Hisscor's Pokeball before it sucked Viper back inside. Once that happened, Flash put the ball away but didn't pull out another one. Instead, he looked down at his number one partner. "It's all up to you now Springer. You up for this?"

"Riolu!" Springer nodded while already stretching out his body.

"Alright!" He pointed out to the battlefield, "Then Springer...I CHOOSE YOU!"

"RIOLU!" Springer ran out onto the battlefield, Steeledge landing on the ground. The two stared each other down, knowing their trainer's victory was now in their hands...paws...wings...you get the point.

Mic: "A Fighting-Type, huh?"

Celestia: "An interesting choice. Springer's Fighting-Type won't be as effective as they are on other Steel-Types, but then again, this Riolu is known for breaking the mold."

Luna: "He'll need to watch out for Steeledge's Drill Peck and Air Cutter attacks, while Steeledge will need to keep an eye out for his Aura Sphere and Drain Punch. Plus the fact that Steeledge has already taken a bit of damage, I'd say puts this match on an even level."

Up in the stands, everyone watched carefully as Rarity commented, "This is it."

"The final battle," Trixie added.

Pinkie started to shake up and down, "Oh goody! This is gonna be so good!"

"A battle between their strongest Pokémon," Twilight continued. "There's no doubt this'll be the most intense match. But even so, I'm not sure who's gonna win it."

"It's whoever wants it more," Rainbow said before standing up. "Go guys! I don't wanna see any wimpy attacks! Give it everything you've got!"

"GO GUYS!" Spike yelled.

"TERRA!" Peewee roared.

"Shows us why ya'll are in the finals!" Applejack cheered.

"And don't forget to make it fun!" Pinkie nearly screamed.

"We believe it you," Fluttershy said in a more quieter tone.

"Go guys!" Trixie followed.

Twilight watched as the two trainers she had travelled with and learned so much from, prepar for their final battle. "Flash...Doc..." She stood up, "DO YOUR BEST!"

The rest of the crowd let out their own cheers, making the trainers and their Pokémon smirk as Mic spoke up. "Are both trainers ready?" The two nodded, "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Quick Attack!" Springer charged, zigzagging around the field as he got closer to Steeledge. Once he got within a few feet of the metal bird, who raised his wing defensively, he suddenly disappeared.

"Steel?" He yelped, only to feel something strike the other side of where he was focusing. "Ledge!" He cried as he fell back, looking around to see Springer with his foot jammed into his side, only to spread its wings and fly up into the air.

"Drill Peck!" Steeledge arced around before flying at Springer, spinning back into his drill form.

"Double Team!" Flash ordered before Springer multiplied into several copies of himself, Steeledge shooting through one to make it disappear. It stopped spinning next as it stared down at the army of Riolus, all who were now running at the bird. "Aura Sphere Barrage!" Each Riolu created a small energy orb, all leaping in the hope of hitting Steeledge with them.

"Air Cutter!" Steeledge beat his wings and unleashed several air blades, dispelling the Riolu army while knocking the real Springer back.

"Ri!" He yelped as he hit the battlefield, Steeledge now flying down at him.

"Steel Wing!" Steeledge's wings started glowing as he reached Springer and slashed at him, Springer barely raising his arms in defense.

"RIi!" He roared as he was pushed back, Doc now ordering Steeledge to use Fury Attack. Steeledge's beak started to glow as it readied to peck the small fighter.

"Drain Punch!" Springer threw his now glowing green fist at the Steeledge's beak, pushing it back. The two began to throw punches and pecks at one another, each one hitting the opponent in a flurry of blows. "Double Team!" Springer stopped his attacks and multiplied again, the one in front of Steeledge disappearing when he impaled it. "Now Aura Sphere!"

"RIOLU!" All but one of the Riolu disappeared, that one quickly creating his best attack before launching it at the armored bird. The bird was still reeling from the surprise of the Double Team, only to turn and see the Aura Sphere coming right at him.

"Ledge!" It cried while the orb exploded into its chest, sending it flying back. And as it reached the edge of trainer field, it managed to spread its wings and retook to the sky.

"Air Cutter!" Steeledge beat its wings and unleashed the air blades again, the attack heading straight for Springer.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer created his signature attack and held it up, the Air Cutters slamming against it and fading away before pushing Springer back several inches with each hit.

"Lu..." he growled under his breath while trying to keep his attack going. But eventually, the Aura Sphere broke apart, allowing the next Air Cutter to pass through and hit him. "RIO!"

"Springer!" Flash watched as his partner fell back, Steeledge now flying at him.

"Drill Peck!" Steeledge spun into the tornado like drill, which flew at Springer while the Riolu was still regaining his balance.

"Aura Sphere again!" Springer saw Steeledge coming and created his orb, holding it up like a shield as the armored bird's spinning beak made contact.

"Ri/Ledge!" The two let out as the spiraling attacks met head-on, pushing for several seconds before the Drill Peck pierced the Aura Sphere, causing it to explode. This sent the two flying back, both rolling in the dirt before jumping back onto their feet.

Once steady, the two charged. Steeledge took to the air and flew low, while Springer ran ninja style. "Steel Wing!" Doc ordered, Steeledge's wings glowing while Springer expected Flash to give an order...only for nothing. Thinking Flash had a plan, Springer connected their auras and suddenly felt what Flash wanted him to do.

"Ri..." he smiled as the two got closer.

Mic: "Flash hasn't given an order. What's he planning?"

Celestia: "Knowing Flash, something you wouldn't guess in a million years."

Luna: "Let's see."

The two Pokémon got within striking distance as Steeledge tried to slash at Springer, but he and Flash were ready. "NOW!" Flash yelled before Springer leapt up. Everyone watched as the Riolu flew over the Steeledge's wing and actually landed on his back. "Drain Punch!"

"Ri!" Springer slammed his fist into Steeledge's, causing damage and draining away his energy. He repeated the attack again and again as Steeledge tried to shake him off his back.

"You gotta get him off of you!" Doc yelled, only for an idea to appear in his head, "Fly up as high as you can!" Steeledge shot straight up, Springer now needing to hold on tight, making him unable to use Drain Punch. "Now, Drill Peck!"

"Ledge!" Steeledge began to spin around as fast as he could, Springer barely managing to hold on. But eventually, the centrifugal force was to much for the Riolu, making him lose his grip.

"Riolu!" He howled while falling, the Steeledge now stopping his spin and looked back at his falling opponent.

Flash growled at the sight, only for a bulb to go in her head, "Aura Clap!" The audience all looked confused at this, but watched all the same. Their confusion doubled when they saw Springer create a pair of Aura Sphere, then smashed them together once he was a few feet from the ground. This created a force that pushed Springer back into the air, slowing his descent enough to let him land without issue.

"Ri!" Springer cheered.

"Air Cutter!" The Riolu's joy quickly vanished when he heard that, spinning around just in time to see the wind blades flying at him.

"RIOLU!" Springer yelped as he was sent flying from the attacks, hitting the dirt as Steeledge flew lower.

"Spinning Steel Wing!" Doc announced, not wanting Springer to jump onto Steeledge's back. Steeledge began spinning as his wings glowed, aiming straight at Springer.

"Double Team!" Flash ordered, Springer multiplying into another small army. Steeledge shot through one and made it disappear, but Flash wasn't gonna let it use Air Cutter again. "Quick Attack!" The Riolu all started running in different directions, picking up speed as they zigzagged around the battlefield.

Mic: "Looks like Flash is trying to keep Steeledge confused. Are we gonna see a surprise attack?"

"Aura Sphere!" Three of the Springers leapt at Steeledge while creating their attack, the armored bird turning to them as they got close.

"Air Cutter!" Steeledge beat his wings and fired the air blades, hitting them all before they faded from view. "They were all fake..." Doc noted before the sound of Steeledge's pained cry filled the air. He looked up and saw his Pokémon fall into to dirt, as the real Springer had slammed his foot into its stomach.

"Ledge!" Steeledge cried while Springer landed and again ran around to blend in with the rest of the Riolu. As Steeledge picked himself up, he was suddenly bashed by a fast moving object. He was then hit again, unable to defend himself as he was unsure which of the Riolu coming at him was real.

"Spin, and then use Air Cutter." Steeledge jumped on one foot and span around, quickly picking up speed before slashing the air with his wings, sending wind blades in all directions. The blades shot across the field, cutting through the many Riolu, leaving only one as he jumped into the air to avoid them.

"There you are! Drill Peck!" Steeledge shot off the ground, flying at Springer with such speed that he didn't have time to react. As such, the Riolu was struck in the chest, slamming into the ground while Steeledge stopped spinning. Springer quickly jumped back onto his feet and looked up at Steeledge, the two panting as they drew close to being out of energy.

"Aura Sphere/Drill Peak!" The two trainers ordered before their Pokémon charged, Springer creating the orb in his hand while Steeledge began to spin into a drill.

Time seemed to slow down as the two drew closer, each second feeling like it lasted hours until they were within a few feet of each other. "RIOLU/STEELEDGE!" Springer thrusted his attack into Steeledge's, the two pushing at one another with everything they had. And as they pushed, one of the attacks overpowered the other. But as this happened, an explosion covered the battlefield, dust consuming the arena and blocking everything from sight.

"Springer/Steeledge?" Flash and Doc both yelled as they tried to look through the smoke, but could see nothing. There, the dust began to fade, the cloud now vanishing to show one Pokémon laying on the ground while its opponent stood over it, but barely managed to stay upright.

Mic checked the downed Pokémon and confirmed they had fainted before announcing it to the crowd.

Mic: "Riolu is KO'd! So the winner of the match, and tournament victors, are Time Turner and his STEELEDGE!"

The crowd all cheered as the two trainers rushed over to their Pokémon, Flash picking up Springer while Doc helped keep Steeledge up. "Springer! You okay?!"

Springer opened his eyes and smiled up at his trainer. "Ri..."

Flash smiled back at him. "Your battling was amazing. Thanks for all your hard work," They shared a quick hug before looking over at Doc.

The gym leader was checking his Pokémon for any serious injuries, smiling when he saw nothing a long rest wouldn't cure. "Thank you Steeledge," he patted the armored bird on the head. "You did incredible."

"Ledge," Steeledge nodded, Doc nodding back before turning to see Flash walking up to him, Springer in his arms.

"Congratulations Doc. You really deserve it," he held out a hand. Doc smiled and took the hand, shaking it.

"Thanks. You sure didn't make it easy for me. I'm sure that battle ended up making us both stronger." They nodded at one another before feeling something grip their wrists. They turned to see Present Mic had grab them before raising both arms into the air.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Let's give one more massive round of applause to our two finalists, who gave this battle everything they had!" The crowd did so while Flash and Doc both waved at them. They spotted their friends cheering just as much. It was clear to everyone in the stadium that these two both deserved to be where they were.

Outside the stadium, there was a certain someone who was not so happy about the outcome.

After getting his Pokémon healed up, Lightning had headed to the edge of town towards his next Gym Battle. Once he reached the edge, he heard the announcement that Doc had won. Most people would be glad that the one who had knocked them out of the contest was the overall winner, but Lightning wasn't like most people.

"Next time..." he said in almost a growl. "Next time it'll be me on that podium. And when I am, I'll make sure they know what a true winner is, and not some pathetic losers like them." With that, we walked off into the horizon.

Back in the stadium, Doc and his Pokémon were now standing on a podium. Celestia and Luna were both holding a tray, which had six jars that were each filled with a different colored triangular candy. "Congratulations Doc," Celestia told him as the two held the tray out. "You've earned these. A full set of AV raising candy jars, including Courage, Health, Mighty, Quick, Smart and Tough candies."

"Take them with pride," Luna added as Doc took the tray.

He smiled at the jars before looking down at his Pokémon. "This isn't just my prize," he told them before kneeling down to their eye level. "I never would have got this far without them, so these also belong to you three." The Pokémon all cheered in joy before they grouped up, a photographer taking their picture to hang up in the stadium's hall of fame.

With that, the crowd gave one last cheer for the winners of the Hoof Cup.

That evening...

As the excitement of the Hoof Cup came to an end, the stadium filled out with both Flash and Doc needing to keep a low profile to avoid the press. Once out of the stadium, everyone met up and headed to the Pokémon Center to get their Pokémon healed up.

Now the sun was beginning to set as everyone stood outside the center, their bags packed in preparation of their journey. "Well, this certainly has been an experience. And I can safely say I'm proud of each and every one of you for how far you've come." Celestia added as she patted Twilight's shoulder, "Especially you Twilight."

"Thank you professor." she responded before turning to the others, "So what's everyone's plan now?"

Luna was the first to speak up as she moved over to Trixie. "Well, Miss Lulamoon and I have a lot of training to do. If you're still interested, that is."

Trixie nodded rapidly, "Of course Trixie is interested! And don't go easy on me. I'll learn everything you have to teach me, even if it kills Trixie!"

Luna chuckled at this, "I like that attitude." She turned to the others, "What about the rest of you?"

Rainbow smirked as she punched her fist into her hand, "Back to training for me. This tournament's shown me just how much stronger I gotta get. Next time, it'll be me on that winner's podium." She turned to Fluttershy, "You still with me?" Fluttershy just smiled and nodded in response. "Sweet!"

"Mind if I come with?" Pinkie asked while skipping over to them. "I think it'll be fun to travel with you guys for a little while."

Rainbow shined a big cocky grin, "Sure. I'd love to face off against that awesome battle style of yours."

"YAY! This'll be fun!"

"I should get back to lab," Celestia added next. "Sunset might be a good assistant, but its probably not a good idea to leave her there on her own for too long."

"It's back home for us," Applejack said while pointing at her and Rarity. "Applewood City's not to far from here, so ah'm sure our families would want to see us."

"Indeed," Rarity replied before turning to Flash and his friends. "What about you darlings?" The six all shared an unsure look, knowing that was a good question.

Flash rubbed the back of his head as he responded, "Not sure. Wherever we're heading, it should be some place where I can get my next Gym Badge."

This made Applejack and Rarity smile as Applejack spoke up. "Well then, why don't you come to Applewood City with us?" This made them all hop in place, only to remember that Applejack's grandmother was a Gym Leader, so it would make sense that their hometown would have a Gym.

"That's a great idea," Twilight added.

"It would be the most ideal course of action," Doc agreed.

"Yeah!" Spike cheered before smiling over at Rarity, "And that means we get to travel together for a while..."

Rarity smiled back while nodding, "It sure does." That seemed to settle it for Spike and the others as they all turned to Flash.

He smirked at the thought of his next Gym Battle and pumped his fists. "Alright! Next stop, it's Applewood City! And then, I'll get my fourth Equestria Gym Badge for sure!"

"YEAH!" Twilight, Doc, Spike, Applejack, Rarity and their Pokémon all cheered in agreement. After that, the groups all said their final goodbyes before splitting up, all ready to head to their various destinations.

The Hoof Cup Tournament, with all our heroes as skilled participants, ends with Doc claiming victory while the rest of them have all shown to have grown in many ways. But the Equestria excitement is just starting, so you've got to stay tuned. As for this journey, it will continue.