//------------------------------// // First Round - Country Girl vs Sports Star // Story: Pokémon: Rainbow League // by Silver Screen //------------------------------// The fourth and final match of the first round started immediately after Rarity had calmed down. Both Rainbow Dash and the usually level-headed Applejack could not wait to begin. "I'm gonna show you that you just can't hold a candle to me", Rainbow Dash boasted arrogantly. "Typical Dash. Head high on the clouds, even when she's not flyin around. I'll bring ya back down to earth and grind you into the dirt." "I just love that pre-competition smack talk", Sunset said with a grin on her face. "I still don't quite get it. They're two of the closest friends I've ever met, so why do they insult each other like that?" Twilight had asked herself that question time and time againever since she first saw the two girls competing against each other. "A little insult before a competition is a good motivator. Besides, it's not supposed to be serious and they both know the other one can take it." "I just hope they won't go too far", Fluttershy said, knowing exactly where Rainbow Dash has her red button, while she helped an exhausted Rarity with her make-up. "Sorry I can't just snap my fingers and restore your beauty", Sunset said jokingly. "It's quite alright, darling", she said, while re-applying her mascara. "There is something relaxing about doing it myself." "Even like this, your beauty knows no bounds, my dear", Silver yelled from the sidelines of the battlefield. Rarity appreciated the compliment, though,... "Did he have to yell that from all the way over there?" "If you're finished, the show's about to start", Rainbow Dash yelled impatiently to the audience. "I shall name the rules then", Silver said, taking over the job as referee again. While he was going on about the regulations of the match once more, Sunset asked around in her group. "Who do you think will win, girls?" However, they couldn't give her an answer, except for Fluttershy, who was quite adamant about Rainbow's victory. "Even I can't tell", Pinkie pulled a note book out of her hair. "I've kept a record of every single one of their competitions and they're completely tied. There was a time when one of them won one contest and the other the next, but that gap has closed I tell you. Their last 18 bouts were absolute ties." "Are you ready?" "Hell yeah." Rainbow's grin grew ever so slightly wider. "Yer gosh-darn right I am." Applrjack announced while stroking the brim of her hat. "Then, BEGIN!" "Go, Zebstrika." Rainbow Dash summoned a black and white horse from her Pokéball, sparks flying in the process. "Get out there, Mudsdale." The ground shook as the massive beast landed. Right out of the bat, Rainbow Dash was at a clear disadvantage, as her farmer friend sent out her newly found favorite pocket monster against Rainbow's Electric-type. That, however, did not intimitate her in the slightest, as she was the first to issue an attack. "Build up speed with Flame Charge." The ionic zebra, engulfed in flames, stormed forward to then ram its opponent head on. Though, it didn't result in anything more than a small scorched patch if fur. Mudsdale didn't even move an inch. "Attack from the side." Zebstrika made a leap to the left and repeated the attack from there. Again, without any considerable results. "Again, and again", she commanded. "Now what do ya think you'll get outta that?", Applejack had to ask. She wasn't concerned about Rainbow's barrage of attacks in the slightest. "Yer barely doin' damage and only increasin' my defense." She was right about that as Stamina takes effect. "She's got ta know that I can Earth Quake her any time I want. I better wait and see what she has planned." After three more heavy hits to the side of her horse, Applejack began to understand what Rainbow was planning. She noticed her Pokémon sawying to the side with Zebstrika's attacks. Rainbow was trying to make Mudsdale fall over, to make it unable to attack. "I might not do that much damage, but once your mule is laying on the ground, I have enough time to finish it off", Rainbow Dash announced proudly. Zebstrika was pooring all its strength into its Flame Charges. Just one more hit and Mudsdale would have fallen. "Not so fast, missy. EARTH QUAKE." Mudsdale caught itself from falling over. And with a fierce war cry, it pounded its hooves into the ground, causing the earth to shake violently. "You actually think I would let an Electric-type stay in against a Ground-type if I wasn't prepared? Bounce, Zebstrika!" With a powerful thrust from its hind legs, the zebra pushed itself off from the ground beneath it. It had escaped the disastrous attack. The audience grasped in amazement at this evasive maneuver. As it came back down, the black and white equine delivered a savage kick to Mudsdale's face. The Ground-type tumbled and tumbled and was just barely able to catch itself. "Impressive, I didn't think Rainbow could've planned out such a maneuver", Twilight proclaimed. "I told you Dashie was more than just brawn", Fluttershy followed. Having been to every single one of Rainbow's games since their freshman year, and having been friends since as early as Elementary school, she knew better than anyone else that her blue-skinned friend is always able to break out of a tough spot. But it comes with a crippling flaw. "Bounce, again." Seeing the success of the first, Rainbow Dash ordered a second one immediately. "Good Grief." Applejack rubbed her jaw in pain. She felt that kick to the face. "Ya think the same trick's", she was completely calm. Her body didn't show any signs of tension and her poker face could've even fooled Flim and Flam, "gonna work on me twice? High Horsepower, a little to your left." Now that Applejack had seen Rainbow Dash's attack, she was prepared to counter it. Mudsdale delivered its strike right into Zebstrika's stomach. The Zebra Pokémon was sent flying back, any momentum it built up on its way down backfired, as it only amplified the force it was hit with. It tumbled across the entire field. Right in front of Rainbow's feet was where it finally halted. The audience was in shocked about the amount of mental strength Applejack just displayed with her Pokémon's attack. Rainbow Dash was more concerned about her own Pokémon. "Zebstrika! Are you alright?", she asked. After a few seconds of trying to stand up, it finally succeeded and stood on shaky legs, ready to fight back. "Get some rest." "To be honest, was there any other way this could end?", Twilight spoke. "Rainbow Dash certainly thought so", Fluttershy answered. The yellow human knew her friend better than even Applejack. "Having to switch out must really hurt her pride." And it did. "Fine! Blastoise, come out." Peeved about the situation, Rainbow Dash wasn't going to leave anything to chance. "Huh, out of all the Turtle-Pokémon, I thought she was gonna pick Torterra", Sunset said. "My money was on Shuckle", Pinkie gave back. "It makes sense when you think about it", Twilight stepped in. "Her tortoise is named Tank. Blastiose is a literal walking tank." During her conparison, she raised and lowered her palms accordingly. "Bringin' out the big guns, are we?", Applejack joked. "Oh haha. You won't be laughing around when you're laying in the mud later." "Speakin' of mud, Mud Slap." Mudsdale hurled several balls of mud and dirt at the bipedal tortoise. Though they didn't pack much power, they managed to decrease Blastoise's accuracy. "You think that's enough to stop us? Hydropump that overgrown mule!" Rainbow's frustration grew every time Applejack made a move. But Applejack was prepared even further. She stayed cool even as Blastoise readied its cannons. "Bulldoze!" Applejack commanded calmly, her pokerface still unbroken. Her hands pushed into the pockets of her denim jeans with only her thumbs sticking out. Mudsdale's hooves slammed into the ground once again. The fissure stretched itself across the entire feild, until it reached Blastoise's right foot. Losing its footing, the blue turtle fell over to the side just as it began firing the Hydropump. The stream of pressurised water traveled towards its target and Applejack, but missed both by a hair's breadth. Even when this ensanely powerful attack was just one inch away from tearing a part of her face off, Applejack didn't move a single muscle. Not even after the attack obliterated the stadium wall behind her. "Mud Slap!" Rainbow understood. Applejack was trying to use make Blastoise unable to attack by lowering its accuracy and throwing it off-balance. And she succeeded. "That won't work with me. Go back into your shell, Blastoise!", she told her Water-type. Confusion spread among the audience. "Is she using Withdraw?" Applejack however had a hunch about what might be coming next. "Brace yerself!", she told Mudsdale. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash gave Blastoise orders about how it should position itself. A little to the left, a bit to the right, until the tortoise's withdrawn head was directly pointing at the brown equine. "Skull Bash!" In an instand, Blastoise's limbs and head shot out of its shell, catapulting itself at the overly large horse on Applejack's side of the field. The impact created a shock wave that was even felt in the stands. Of course, Rainbow's onslaught of attacks before had raised Mudsdale's defense to the max, but Applejack knew this wasn't the problem. "Accuracy won't be a problem when we're firin' at point blank. Hydropump!", Rainbow ordered. Without a way of avoiding the attack, master and Pokémon could only watch in dread as their opponent cocked the cannons on its back. Once the mist disappeared, the victor was decided. "Mudsdale is unable to battle. Blastoise is the winner." Rainbow Dash and her Pokémon celebrated with a fist bump. "Good job, Mudsdale. Cacturne, you're next", Applejack called out. Out of her Pokéball materialized what seemed to be a mix between a scare crow and a cactus. Silver Screen opened the ring again. "A Grass-type, huh? I've got something for that. Ice Beam!" "Sucker Punch!" As if teleporting through shadows, Cacturne suddenly stood in front of Blastoise and delivered a savage blow to Blastoise's lower jaw, causing the turtle to flinch and stop the charging ice energy entirely. "What the hell?", Rainbow exclaimed out of confusion. "Ice Beam, again!" But Cacturne didn't even have to move to avoid the next attack. Blastoise's shot missed by a mile. The Mud Slaps did their part. The turtle's accuracy had already been thoroughly reduced. "Now, ya ain't talking big no more. Ya can't even hit me", Applejack said, her stoic expression interrupted by a cheeky grin. "I honestly didn't think you would resort to cheap tricks. That's just playing dirty." Rainbow Dash got more and more peeved the longer the fight went on. Or better, the longer Applejack's tactics kept working. "It's called strategy, missy. Ah figured you'd just try and use brute force, so Ah took some precautions." "Well, I'm gonna show you who's the better of us. Skull Bash, again!" As Rainbow instructed Blastoise on where to aim, Applejack already knew what to do to counter it. "FIRE!" "Spikey Shield!" Cacturne's cactus needles grew to an immense size and Blastoise, mid-attack, slammed direktly into them. Rainbow Dash felt the spikes penetrate her Pokémon's scalp and winced at the phantom pain. "At least I'm close now", she spat through her teeth. "Hydropump!" But that played right into Applejack's hands. Instead of being blown away by the concentrated water stream, Cacturne simply absorbedthe liquid. "Cacturne's got Water Absorb, y'know?", she said nonchalantly. "Then Ice Beam!" "Sucker Punch." And Rainbow's attack was again thwarted. Blastoise had taked much damage already. "Finish it with Needle Arm!" With a heavy swing from Cacturne's spiky arm, Blastoise fell over to the ground. "Blastoise is unable to battle! Cacturne is the winner." End of Part 1