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.