//------------------------------//
// Chapter 36 – Color and Clarity 
// Story: Pokémon Eclipse 
// by moviemaster8510 
//------------------------------//

Olivia stood on the eastern side of a large stone court with traditional paintwork drawn over its surface, the surface battered and cracked with the battles held on it. To her right was a pristine, towering lighthouse perched at the edge of a cliff facing the north. Keeping her eyes to the stairway and the small abundance of trees separating the city from her battleground across from her, she finally relaxed the uptight crossing of her arms as she noticed Alice, Sam, and Gladion come up the steps with the ponies and Lady and Comfey following close behind them, Rarity’s mane and tail neatly groomed and Applejack sporting her Stetson.

“You finally arrived,” Olivia greeted.

“Well,” Sam responded, “Rarity and Applejack wanted to bathe, and you left your groceries in a pile outside your door, so we needed a little time.”

Olivia looked genuinely impressed at Sam and Alice. “I was almost certain that you ran off with them.”

“It wasn’t as if we didn’t think of doing that,” Rainbow Dash responded.

“I’m certain you did, but you understand why I asked this of you, do you not?”

“Yeah,” Alice countered. “And right now, all we care about is getting our friends back home. Facing you for the Grand Trial is just a bonus.”

Olivia hummed with contentment. “Well spoken, Alice. So, you want to do this right away, then? Which of you wants to go first?”

“I will.” Alice already made her way to the edge of the court opposite Olivia. “You guys may want to go to another side so you don’t get in the way.”

On her suggestion, Sam, Gladion, the ponies, Lady, and Comfey moved to the north side of the platform. However, upon getting there, Gladion gasped as she noticed Pinkie Pie hopping excitedly beside Olivia.

Olivia jolted aside, stunned by her uncannily quick appearance. “Pinkie Pie! Aha… why don’t you go and join your friends over there?”

Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing and walked across the court to join the rest of the group. “Alrighty then! I mean, she did say pick a side, and that is a side, so…”

With the field clear and not a soul behind either trainer, Olivia and Alice felt more comfortable with beginning the battle, standing respectfully and resolutely before the other.

“You may not see this as your Grand Trial,” Olivia began, “but nevertheless, I must ask you formally: are you ready to begin the trial?”

Alice smiled back at her. “Yes. Let’s do this.”

“Then let us begin!” Olivia detached an Ultra Ball from her belt and tossed it out. “Let’s get things rolling, Golem!”

Olivia’s boulder Pokémon emerged from the ball and roared out to Alice in anticipation.

Pinkie Pie was suddenly holding a small seismograph-device on her hoof that printed out a roll of paper with large zig-zagged lines over it. “Wowzers! They haven’t even started and her pun levels are already off the charts!”

Alice smiled for what was in store as she removed her first Poké Ball and threw it out. “Let’s lay out the groundwork for this battle, Mudbray!”

With Alice’s brown donkey popping out from its ball in a blob of white light, Pinkie Pie’s machine began to whine and shake in her hoof before a small burst and plume of smoke destroyed it.

“Aww, you broke my punometer.” Pinkie Pie solemnly slid her now-useless device to the ground.

“Why would she even have such a thing?” Sam questioned.

“Don’t question it,” Applejack whispered from the corner of her mouth.

“Okay…” He then turned back to the battle. “You got this Alice!”

“Thanks bro,” Alice quietly said. “Mudbray, hit Golem with High Horsepower!”

“High Horsepower?!” Sam shouted.

Mudbray broke into a charge, shaking the very ground its hooves ran on. Golem looked ready to catch it as it approached.

“Not that easy,” Olivia said to herself. “Golem, use Heavy Slam!”

Golem crouched and then leapt up, prepared to land right when Mudbray was directly beneath it.

“You got this, keep going!” Even with Alice’s words of encouragement, Mudbray continued forward right as Golem began coming down.

Leaping up, Mudbray’s outstretched forelegs and head went directly at Golem’s head. With another push, Mudbray’s forehead smashed into Golem’s as it also pushed against its body with its two front hooves, throwing it back to Olivia. Golem’s slam also sent Mudbray back to Alice, where it tumbled painfully to the ground.

A loud chorus of groans and “oohs” sounded from the ponies as Mudbray came to a stop. Golem, on the other hand, tucked its head and limbs in and rolled gracefully back upright before bringing them back in and standing at the ready.

“Mudbray, you alright, girl?” Mudbray picked itself up, only to let out a loud screech when it tried standing on its front left hoof, making it buckle back down to its stomach.

Sam and the ponies all gasped in horror. “Oh no, Mudbray!” Fluttershy whimpered.

Alice began to take out Mudbray’s Poké Ball, making Olivia frown. “Mudbray, hold on, I’ll call you back–” Mudbray slid itself back up as it cried out in disapproval, careful to keep its left hoof elevated as it kept a brave, but faulty three-legged stance.

The breaths of Sam and the ponies were all caught in their throats while Gladion crossed his arms nervously.

Olivia’s steadfast grimace refused to leave her face. “It’s a shame too. Your Mudbray was perfect for this match, and it seems as though it can’t handle so much as a single Heavy Slam.” Alice bared her teeth, both angered at her and at her dire situation. “Do know that facing Dexio as you are now would result in certain defeat for you. Maybe you’re not ready yet. Golem, finish Mudbray with Heavy Slam!”

Golem charged forwards as Mudbray dug its three usable hooves into the floor, forcing itself to not yield any ground.

Alice then watched as Golem leapt up at them. “Mudbray, use Double Kick, now!”

Mudbray spun itself around, and unable to keep its balance as it applied all of its weight to the right hoof, brought its left down. Mudbray whined as it reeled its legs back in, but held strong as it bucked them into the Golem’s face. With the added weight of Golem pushing into its legs and its forelegs, Mudbray cried out loudly again as its front left hoof seared all the way up its arm. Mudbray slid its legs away as Golem fell to its side before the donkey.

As Golem rolled itself back to its trainer, Mudbray tried getting up again, ensuring that no part of its left foreleg touched the floor. As it stood, Alice couldn’t help but notice the wobbling in its legs as it tried holding still with its good front right hoof.

Olivia frowned harder at the moans that Mudbray made with each panting breath. “Perhaps you should call it back now. I appreciate that it still wants to fight, but I won’t accept you abusing that poor thing just so you can win.”

Alice looked at her Mudbray, who, sensing her stare, looked back to her, the squint in its eyes giving her a dire warning to not dare send it back. Sam, Gladion, and the ponies leaned in, wanting to see.

Alice winced as she grabbed hold of her Poké Ball and held it up to aim. “I’m sorry, Mudbray, but ret–”.

Mudbray was right in front of her and knocked the ball from her hand with its front left hoof, hissing as it did so, leaving Sam and the ponies stunned.

“Mudbray…” Alice whined. “Look at you, you can’t–” A loud huff from Mudbray silenced her. “No, you don’t–” Another huff. “Please–” Huff.

There was now an uncomfortable silence as Olivia and her Golem waited impatiently for Alice and Mudbray to settle their squabble.

Finally, Alice looked calmly into her Pokémon’s eyes. “You want to keep going, girl?”

Mudbray hopped up on its good hoof and let out a short whinny, a clear and nonnegotiable answer.

Alice mustered a grin. “Well, then alright. Go get ‘em.”

As Mudbray turned back to face Olivia and Golem, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie began to cheer its fighting spirit. Fluttershy, enraptured by both Mudbray’s fierce stance and her friends’ support, couldn’t withhold it. “You can do it, Mudbray!”

“Just a little more!” Starlight cried out.

Lady and Comfey also stamped, clapped, and yowled their encouragement.

Sam was also shaken from the shock he felt, compelled by the supportive air around him. “You got this!”

Olivia, despite her opponent’s dire situation, smirked with the spirit she sensed in Alice and her Mudbray. “There's only a little more left. Golem, use Earthquake!”

The cheers of Alice’s friends and brother suddenly stopped as the forked protrusion on Golem’s back began to sparkle with plasma. It then raised its arms up and brought them down onto the stone, creating a pulse that threw large slabs of broken stone out from the court, the wave of them threatening to crash into Mudbray and Alice.

“Watch out!” Applejack shouted fearfully.

“Don’t worry about us!” Alice threw her arm forward. “Mudbray, use Bulldoze!”

With a loud shout, Mudbray galloped out towards the wave of rocks and dirt, creating a mud wave of its own as it charged. Plowing through the first crest, ignoring the violent rumbling beneath its feet, Mudbray picked up debris from Golem’s earthquake and carried it over with its attack, making both Olivia and Golem freeze up in fear. With Golem standing before her, Mudbray’s attack crashed into Golem and traveled safely past Olivia as Golem tried to hold its ground to avoid being pushed into her.

Once Mudbray stopped in front of it, Golem tipped backwards and rested on its upper back, its arms and legs splayed over its rotund body.

Olivia, realizing her Pokémon would no longer battle, breathed out as she pulled Golem’s ball from her belt and aimed it at it. “Good effort, Golem.”

Sam and the ponies saw as Golem was brought back into the ball, cheering and whooping excitedly.

“She won!” Pinkie Pie hopped high over her friends’ heads. “We can go see Twilight now!”

Olivia couldn’t resist the urge to chuckle. “Hold your horses, Pinkie.” Pinkie Pie floated down slowly and hugged Rainbow Dash and Applejack close to her. “She may have beaten one of my pals, but I still have two more at the ready. Here comes part two.” She put Golem’s Ultra Ball back onto her belt and threw out another. “Your turn, Probopass!”

Appearing from the energy inside the ball, Olivia’s stone head Pokémon landed onto the ground just a few inches from Mudbray, producing a loud and rumbly thud that forced Alice’s donkey to bound back.

“It’s okay,” Alice shouted out. “You’re already close up! Use Double Kick!”

Mudbray took a quick leap up and spun around, pulling its legs in, but Olivia was prepared. “Probopass, dodge it!”

Rising up slightly above the ground, Probopass juked and turned to the right, watching as Mudbray’s back hooves grazed beneath its large nose.

Olivia hummed with relief. “Now, finish it with Dazzling Gleam!”

All three of Probopass’s smaller mini-heads converged before it so their tops were aimed at Mudbray, coming together in a triangular formation. Glowing brightly, the entire field was suddenly awash with bright whiteness with equally bright colorful beams blasting into Mudbray. With a pain riddled cry, Mudbray was hurled back at Alice, coming to a stop about a foot from her.

Sam, Lady, Comfey, and the ponies all gasped in horror. “Mudbray!” Starlight and Fluttershy both screamed.

Alice knelt down and pulled her Pokémon’s head up to look into its face. “Mudbray! Are you alright?”

Mudbray’s mouth hung open with its tongue slung over the corner, its eyes facing in different directions. Alice hissed as she pulled out its ball from her belt and held it over her fainted Pokémon.

“You’re such a brave, strong girl.” The red beam from the Poké Ball brought Mudbray inside of it. “Thank you.” She then stood on her feet and faced Olivia’s new Pokémon as it rested itself back onto the stone floor of the court. Alice grabbed a ball and threw it out without enough time to doubt her decision. “Let’s go, Rockruff!”

Alice’s brown puppy leapt out of the energy that shot out of the open ball. Even with Probopass’s massive size, it didn’t seem to matter for Rockruff as it let out a few intimidating barks at it.

“A Rock-type against a Steel-type,” Olivia muttered. “Poor thing. The rest of her Pokémon must all be weaker against mine.”

Alice ignored Olivia, pointing out at her Pokemon. “Rockruff, use Rock Throw!”

With a whip of its head, a shard of stone was slung out of Rockruff’s collar, striking the bridge of Probopass’s nose, making it wince and rub the spot with two of its mini-heads.

“But her Pokémon are still very strong,” Olivia said to herself. “Even its Rock Throw…” Probopass floated back up as it finished massaging its nose, awaiting instruction. “Probopass, hit him with Earth Power!”

Probopass settled back onto the ground and laid its mini-heads around it in a circle with equal distance between the three. The ground beneath Probopass began to glow hot red, and soon it also lit up under Rockruff, growing brighter and hotter.

“Rockruff,” Alice shouted with a wild outward swing of her arm, “hurry and use Sand Attack!”

Rockruff sprinted forwards away from the sweltering circle beneath it, avoiding a blast of lava that shot up out of the ground. The humans and ponies yelped and shielded their faces from the heat, Starlight instinctively putting up a magical barrier to deflect the stray pieces of the court that flew harmlessly over them.

Rockruff spotted a patch of dirt leftover from the combined Earthquake and Bulldoze attack, diving forwards and pushing the mound up to whip up a cloud into Probopass’s face. The Pokémon shut its eyes and groaned loudly, trying to wipe them with its mini-heads to no avail.

“Alright, that’s it, Alice!” Sam barked out with several loud claps.

Gladion nodded. “Probopass is a difficult Pokémon to take down. Blinding it will certainly make Alice’s job easier.”

Olivia grunted as she noticed her Pokémon’s failure to wipe its eyes clean. “Don’t worry about it, baby! Just use Sandstorm!”

Probopass’s mini-heads began to orbit around itself, spinning faster and faster and picking up the dirt and sand from the ground to create a moderate twister that engulfed the court.

“Wow…” Starlight was amazed, just barely able to make out the shapes of the trainers and their Pokémon inside the wall of sand.

Alice squinted as she tried to spot Olivia and Probopass, suddenly noticing a large shape that could not be mistaken for anything else. “There! Use Bite on it!”

Rockruff charged forward, also seeing the shape there. Leaping up at it, it was shocked to have found itself diving through a shadow cast on the sand, leaving it to frantically try and find what it failed to hit.

“Earth Power!” Rockruff had no time to register Olivia’s voice as the ground beneath it lit up and grew unbearably warm

Hearing the rumbling beneath it, Rockruff looked down, only to suddenly be blasted off its paws by the erupting rock and fire.

The ponies yelled loudly upon hearing Rockruff’s yowl inside accompanied with the faint explosion of Probopass’s attack. “Oh, come on, how’s that fair?” Rainbow Dash spat.

Gladion crossed his arms tighter. “Considering Rockruff’s Sand Attack partially blinded Probopass back then, I’d say this is Olivia’s way of evening the playing field.”

Rockruff quickly rolled back to its paw and locked its eyes on the unmistakable form of Probopass slipping back into its sand curtain. Rockruff kept its eyes focused, sensing where it was hiding.

“You found him?” Alice’s voice called out to be replied with Rockruff’s bark. “Okay, then. Let’s try Bite again!”

Rockruff ran out, juking its body so as not to be seen as easily by its foe. Running through the storm, it suddenly spotted Probopass with its back turned to it. Barking twice at it, Probopass turned to face it, giving Rockruff a clear target.

“Quick!” Olivia shouted. “Hit it with another Earth Power.”

Setting itself and its mini-heads back down, Probopass charged another hot patch in the ground that blasted Rockruff’s shadow behind the winds as it came, producing another fiery explosion. Though the attack was fearsome to look at, even from outside the sandstorm, the humans and ponies were a bit perplexed by the absence of any sounds of pain or any indicator Rockruff was hit.

“So…” Rainbow Dash peered her face closer to the edge of the sandstorm. “Did she get him?”

Inside the storm, Olivia couldn’t tell if she could see Rockruff lying still before Probopass, but it wasn’t until she saw another shape slip past the top of her vision that she understood that Probopass’s attack missed. Rockruff ran around Probopass and led it to spin around and spot it. As soon as their eyes made contact, Rockruff leapt into Probopass and bit it on the bridge of its nose where it had hit it earlier.

From Probopass’s booming yell from inside, Sam let out a shuddering laugh, amazed and pleased by her sister’s Pokémon’s skill.

Alice continued to block the sand from her face with her arm and squinted eyes, but she pulled a slight smile that unveiled her teeth. “Good boy.”

Olivia could just make out Probopass trying to spin Rockruff off of its nose, only serving to make the puppy bite in harder. Olivia knew something needed to be done fast. “Probopass, use Dazzling Gleam!”

Rockruff continued holding on as it suddenly noticed the mini-heads forming at the top of its nose and at both corners, all of their tops aimed at it. Rockruff unclamped its mouth from Probopass’s nose and fled from the oncoming danger. The mini-heads then reformed with each other, glowing brightly and casting their already blinding surroundings with light and beams, all of which collided into Rockruff and tripped it back on its way to Alice. Rockruff came to a stop just a yard from her. She could tell that Rockruff could not and would not continue fighting.

Alice quickly pulled Rockruff’s ball off her belt and returned it back. “Nice job, boy.” She then put the ball back and took out her third, taking a quick, introspective look at it before tossing it out. “You got this, Noibat!”

Noibat popped out of its ball, screeching as it instantly felt the sand blow and pelt into it.

“What?” Fluttershy exclaimed. “What’s wrong with Noibat? Why is it already in pain?”

“Sandstorm doesn’t affect Rock, Ground, or Steel-types,” Sam explained, “but being that Noibat is Dragon and Flying-type, it’s not immune.”

Fluttershy looked back out into the storm. “Be careful, you two…”

“Don’t worry!” Alice shouted to her Noibat. “With your hearing abilities, there’s nowhere for Probopass to hide. Now, hit ‘em with a quick Bite!”

Noibat squawked eagerly and rode the winds, confidently flying at Probopass’s face without any problem.

“Quick!” Olivia shouted. “Use Dazzling Gleam!”

As Probopass’s headpieces moved to intercept Noibat’s approach, Alice’s Pokémon deftly slipped through the gap before it closed, leaving Probopass’s face wide open. Noibat chomped down on its nose just below where Rockruff had gotten it. Noibat then flew high up away from Probopass as it brought its mini-heads to its face, loudly moaning as it massaged the new sore spot.

“Yes!” Alice screamed. “It flinched! Okay, Noibat, get ready for this!” Noibat flew up and outside the sandstorm behind its trainer, looking in where Probopass would surely be. “Now, charge up for Razor Wind!”

“Razor Wind?” Applejack and Rarity both sputtered out.

“Don’t know what that does,” Rainbow Dash commented, “but I hope it’s as awesome as it sounds!”

Noibat began to flap its wings hard, pulling the air into the space before it and forming a swirling, windy ball.

“Okay, Probopass,” Olivia ordered, “hit her with Power Gem!”

Noibat could see a small glimmer through the sand, which was quickly followed by a comet-like shard of rock to zip out from inside the storm and whiz past its right ear. More soon followed, each one emerging out faster and faster as Noibat shifted itself around to avoid them while also maintaining its next attack. Sam, the ponies, and even Gladion were engrossed in Noibat’s nimbleness, and were suddenly jolted with fear to see the first of the bright rocks collide with the bar of Noibat’s left wing.

More soon followed, as it was hit in the webbing of its right wing, and soon its face, ears, and gut were all assaulted in rapid succession. Noibat cried out through the pain, struggling to continue flapping its wings as its wind ball began to peter. Finally, the rocks stopped coming, giving Noibat the confidence to expand its ball with even harder wingbeats.

“I think you got it!” Alice shouted. “Now, attack!”

With a final, tremendous fan of its wings, the ball burst, letting out a torrent of high-speed winds and spinning blades of air that struck the sandstorm, blowing it away and revealing Alice, Probopass, and Olivia inside, all of whom struggled to hold their ground to keep from being bowled over.

The blades of air slammed into Probopass, slowly tipping it before it went over, the still strong winds slamming the back of its head to the floor before being slid over to Olivia, who was forced to kneel behind her Pokémon for safety with the winds refusing to die down.

“Yes!” Rainbow Dash shrieked. “Yes! That was awesome!”

Once Noibat’s air blades had run out, the winds calmed down, allowing Olivia to stand up and observe her fallen Probopass. “You alright, baby?”

Probopass’s head-pieces floated around its body and wedged themselves inside the gap between Probopass’s head and its large red top propping it up. Lifting itself up, Olivia stood back proudly as the mini-heads got Probopass upright, who looked very pleased with having survived the attack.

“Ah, crap!” Alice hissed. “Hurry, Noibat, finish Probopass out with Aerial Ace!”

Olivia couldn’t help but smile in reverence at the tiny bat nosediving at her Pokémon. Surely, it put up a respectable fight that she would now have to end there. “Probopass, Dazzling Gleam!”

With Noibat approaching fast and at close range, Probopass’s mini-heads converged before it and blasted Noibat with light, forcing Alice, Sam, Gladion, Lady, Comfey, and the ponies, who had grown used to their sandy visor, to shield their eyes.

Once the light died down, Alice looked back out to see Probopass’s three mini-heads slowly floating at her, her Noibat balanced comfily on top of them. When they appeared before her, she held her arms out, allowing them to drop her limp, fainted Noibat into them. Alice didn’t have to look at her Pokémon’s disoriented face long to know it was finished, quickly taking its Poké Ball out and holding it up over it.

“Very nice work, girl. Get some rest now.” The red beam sucked the Pokémon back inside the ball before she placed it back in the empty slot where it had been.

Alice took out her last Poké Ball as she stared at Probopass, nervously anticipating what else would be coming after it. There was no time to dwell, and she tossed the ball out with heightened purpose. “Let’s finish this, Pikachu!”

With a joyous cry, Pikachu leapt out of the ball, standing before Olivia and her Probopass while staring at the latter in stunned amazement.

“Ohh!” Rarity squealed. “That thing is simply adorable!”

“Just looks like a big, yellow rat to me,” Applejack deadpanned.

“Hmph.” Olivia flipped her hair, ignoring Rarity and Applejack’s comments as she looked to Alice. “So, that’s your last Pokémon? I can see why you saved it until the end. Either way, it doesn’t have a chance here. Probopass, take it down with Earth Power.”

“You’ll have to catch him first!” Alice thrust a pointed finger forward. “Pikachu, use Brick Break!”

Olivia and Probopass suddenly tensed up as Pikachu broke into a mad sprint, hoping its agility would avoid itself a painful end. Probopass refocused and heated up the ground just in front of it. Pikachu leapt high up and twisted its body about, its tail spinning and swinging its way toward Probopass’s face.

The plume of lava that shot up could not reach Pikachu fast enough as it sped on past it and slammed its tail down at the brim of Probopass’s red top, slamming the back of its head hard enough to the ground to produce a loud clang like a church bell.

Olivia quickly ran over to her Pokémon and saw the lopsided directions of its eyes as it let out a final tired grunt before fainting. She then looked back as Pikachu ran back to join Alice and wait for the next opponent.

Olivia simply smiled as she pulled Probopass’s Ultra Ball from her belt and aimed at its hat. “Taking out half her Pokémon like that…” Probopass was brought back inside the ball. “…not too shabby.” Olivia replaced Probopass’s ball with her last, looking out at Alice and her Pikachu. “I got one left too. This is all going to come down to this then.”

“Then hurry up with it!” Alice shouted back. “We haven’t got all morning!”

“You have a date or something?”

“Only with a purple alicorn and her baby dragon!”

Olivia hummed. “That’s the spirit. Time to end this, Lycanroc!”

Throwing her last ball out, her bipedal red wolf fell down from the energy that poured out of the ball and landed on its feet, its menacing slouch and sway making Pikachu wary.

“Saving a Lycanroc for last,” Alice commented. “This must be your ace Pokémon then.”

“Enough chatter!” Olivia pointed her arm out. “Lycanroc, use Stone Edge!”

“Thing’s probably super fast like Gladion's too. Pikachu, hit it with Quick Attack!”

Pikachu reeled its body back before it disappeared in a blur, appearing midair before Lycanroc and tackling it in the stomach, sliding Olivia’s Pokémon back near her.

“Wow!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “That thing is almost as fast as you, Rainbow Dash!”

“Pfft.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, playing it cool. “I’ll race it after this battle,” she said under her breath.

Lycanroc, angered over losing the first hit, ran at Pikachu and threw an uppercut over it. Though not hitting Pikachu with its swing, a large, pointed tower of rock jutted out from the ground and threw Pikachu up high into the air. Gladion hissed anxiously as Sam and the ponies gasped while they looked straight up.

“That’s it!” Olivia exclaimed. “Now, hit it with Rock Climb!”

Lycanroc leapt onto the tower that it had made, flinging itself up it with each nook it could grip onto with its claws. Pikachu had just reached the apex of its launch, beginning to come down as Lycanroc leapt off the top and reeled its arm back to swing at it.

“Pikachu, dodge it and use Thunder Shock!”

With a long swipe out, Lycanroc’s claws were about to strike Pikachu on the back, only for Pikachu to spin and arch its back in, the swing missing it entirely. Turning to face its foe, Pikachu launched a beam of electricity at Lycanroc that left it howling and growling in pain. Pikachu landed on the top of the Stone Edge tower and quickly descended down it, Fluttershy and Starlight sighing wondrously at Pikachu’s abilities.

Lycanroc, recovered from Pikachu’s attack, slid down its tower with its feet and right paw riding down and giving it balance. It landed back down and faced Pikachu as it returned to Alice.

“Your Pikachu is doing quite well to be able to outmaneuver my Lycanroc like it is,” Olivia complimented. “However, I can’t let it be that easy. Dexio sure didn’t.”

Crossing her wrists before her face, her Z-Ring went alight, Lycanroc suddenly compelled to do the same as it followed its trainer’s movements.

“Oh no!” Applejack shuddered as Olivia and Lycanroc both put their arms down and crossed them out before them. “She’s using her Z-Move! It’s over!”

Olivia and Lycanroc hopped into a crouch before standing back up while flexing their arms, hopping back down into a sideways lunge, pumping another flex with both of their backs to them. Z-Power exploded out of Olivia and was transferred into Lycanroc’s body, leaving it flowing with a golden aura.

“I’m actually quite surprised your Pikachu survived my Lycanroc’s Stone Edge,” said Olivia, “but I refuse to take any chances on this one. Lycanroc, finish Pikachu off with Continental Crush!”

With a howl, Lycanroc threw its arms up, the tower of its Stone Edge bursting out from the ground and floating high in the air above the top of the lighthouse. As stones from virtually every direction, including from the sea behind them clumped into a single mass, Sam and the ponies, save for Applejack and Rarity, looked up in amazement as the rocks clumped together to form a titanic boulder.

A shadow from the ever enlarging stone grew to engulf the court in shade, leaving Pinkie Pie with trembling legs. “Say, I think it would be real swell if we all went on a jog right now! …Preferably somewhere out of town!”

“Sorry, sugar,” Olivia ruefully spoke to Alice. “You came close, but perhaps another time you’ll be worthy of these ponies’ guardianship.”

Lycanroc threw its arms down, leaving the rock to begin its descent down onto Pikachu.

Applejack was suddenly shocked to see Alice smirking as she brandished her own Z-Ring with Fightinium Z inside of it. “Holy Toledo! Alice’s got one too!”

“Yeah.” Sam reached out with his left arm, showing his. “We both do.”

“We’ll see if Pikachu can even survive this!” Olivia bellowed.

“We won’t have to wait that long!” Alice crossed her arms as she and Pikachu began the choreography to activate the Z-Crystal’s power. “What I’ve got planned is just so crazy it might actually work!”

After crossing their arms out, Alice and Pikachu began to deliver a series of controlled punches that ended with one last bigger one, allowing Z-Power to flow from trainer to Pokémon, filling Pikachu with it.

Lycanroc’s boulder was falling ever quicker, filling Sam, Gladion, and the ponies with dread. “Do something already!” Fluttershy screamed out.

“Alright, Pikachu!” Alice pointed at Lycanroc, serving only to make it grin wider. Alice then pointed up at the boulder. “Use All-Out Pummeling!”

Olivia and Lycanroc both jolted with shock as they looked up at the boulder. Pikachu began to throw its arms up at it, hurling fist and palm-shaped auras that struck the bottom of the boulder and kept it suspended above the court and producing cracks and ruptures all over. Lady and Comfey sighed in sheer astonishment and not a single human’s or pony’s mouth was closed as they stood witness to the awesome sight.

Pikachu then leapt up with a tail trailing behind it, reeling its arm back and punching the boulder, breaking it apart into hundreds of smaller boulders that exploded high into the air, many of them close to the clouds above.

“Unbelievable!” Olivia’s voice was hushed, unable to contain her excitement as she watched the last bits of rock get smaller as they continued their way up. “Using a Z-Move to counter a Z-Move?” She then let out a hearty laugh, her Lycanroc also finding humor in the situation and joining her in a chuckle. “Amazing, Alice! You truly have the heart and soul of a master Pokémon trainer! But both our Pokémon still stand, and one has to go. Lycanroc! Take Pikachu out with Crunch!”

Lycanroc charged forward on all fours, an exhausted Pikachu unable to avoid it as it was scooped up in the wolf’s fangs, its top row on Pikachu’s stomach. With a hard chomp, Pikachu screeched out in pain, grunting to hold on and stay strong.

Alice’s fists shook as she prayed for Pikachu’s survival. It was then that she noticed a small spark come off Pikachu, which traveled around Lycanroc’s body. With a confused whine, Lycanroc felt that Pikachu’s struggling looked to be working, finding itself unable to keep Pikachu in its grip as its mouth was slowly pulled open.

“Oh, shit, he’s paralyzed!” Alice leapt up with glee, the tide having turned. “Pikachu, get out of there and hit her with Brick Break!”

With a final push up, Pikachu rolled off of Lycanroc’s bottom set of jaws, which it couldn’t close much to its despair. Pikachu then leapt up into a backflip, whipping its tail underneath Lycanroc’s chin, slamming its jaw back to the upper half of its mouth and flinging it up to land flat on its back. Sam and the ponies all gasped as Lycanroc appeared to stay still, but as Olivia looked down and over to see her Pokémon’s face, the fire was still alight in its eyes.

“You’re not down yet,” she encouraged. “Let’s get up and strike it with–”

Lycanroc let out another whine, making Olivia look up and see several pieces of rock from the broken Continental Crush fall back down toward the center of the court where Lycanroc and Pikachu both stood. Pikachu quickly fled and stayed by Alice’s side while Lycanroc, unable to move with its paralyzed limbs, closed its eyes as the pieces fell one by one around it, blasting it from several angles.

A gust of dirt and dust pulsed out and struck both trainers and the spectators beside them, leaving another sizable cloud where Lycanroc still laid. Olivia, with a whimper, rushed out and began fanning the dust away to see her Pokémon and it’s eyes, which were facing off in other directions as it lay completely still.

“Whew…” Olivia wiped her brow and knelt down to her fallen wolf, stroking it lovingly on the face. “Didn’t expect that one, did you girl?”

“Wait…” Alice wasn’t sure herself. “Did that mean…”

It wasn’t until Olivia took out her Ultra Ball and returned Lycanroc inside of it that she realized that she indeed won. Pikachu cried out loudly as it hopped onto Alice’s shoulder and slid into her embrace, allowing its trainer to twirl it around and hug it tight and laugh. The six ponies all stormed the court and clopped their hooves about in congratulations.

Fluttershy leapt up and hugged Alice from behind with her head rested on her shoulder. "I knew you could do it!" Alice leaned her head into Fluttershy’s and scratched the side of her neck, happy to have her support.

“That was very impressive, Alice.” The ponies stepped aside as Gladion, Sam, Lady, and Comfey approached them. “Congratulations on completing your Akala Trials.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Sam had to say. “Already halfway through the Island Challenge. Isn’t that something?”

Alice smiled, finding comforting truth in her brother’s words. “Well, when you put it like that…”

“Yes, it really is something.” Olivia came up to Alice, Fluttershy sliding off and giving her friend some space. “I realize this battle meant something far greater for you than to advance in your trials, but still, this was about as real of an Akalan Grand Trial as you can get, so it only feels right that I give you this.”

Olivia reached into her pocket and held out a Rockium Z to Alice, which she was more than gracious to take. “Thank you so very much, Olivia.”

“Sweetie, you only have you and your Pokémon to thank. Now, you don’t need me to teach you how to use it, do you?”

“Uh, no! I think I got it when you did it.”

“Very well.” She then turned to face Sam, her warm stare still managing to freeze Sam stiff. “Looks like you’re next, child, but first, my Pokémon need to get their strength back up before I can give you the same battle experience. Gladion, you’ll promise that you and your friends won’t leave here when I return?”

“I’ll Pinkie Promise on behalf of all of us!” Pinkie Pie then clarified herself by marking an “X” on her heart with her hoof, reaching her arm out, and then placing her hoof over her closed eye.

“I suppose that’s a very firm promise?” Olivia questioned.

“Quite firm,” Rarity responded. “Those that break a Pinkie Promise usually face dire consequences.”

“She ain’t kidding neither.” Applejack’s voice seemed annoyed.

Olivia smiled and nodded. “I only hope to be an hour or so. Oh! One more thing.”

She tossed another ball out, her Carbink appearing from it at the center of the court, the sight of it making Sam gasp as he crouched down to its level. “Aww, I loved these little guys back in Kalos!”

Olivia ignored his remark. “Carbink, you think you can mend the court before I return?”

Carbink saluted Olivia with its ear, allowing her to go off into town for the nearest Pokémon Center. With only minutes left until his final test on Akala Island, Sam unclipped all three of his Poké Balls from his belt and looked at all of them, unsure what mode of attack to make with any of them. Even his sister needed four to beat her. This would certainly be his hardest battle since he and Alice arrived.