//------------------------------//
// Riptide vs Hisscor 
// Story: Pokémon: Harmony and Chaos 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

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