The day of Flash's second Equestria Region Gym challenge has arrived. Today, Flash will be challenging Thorax for the chance to win the coveted Swarm Badge.
We find our main hero in the Pokémon Center's Battle Field, his Pokémon now all stretching in preparation. Flash at the same time was sitting down with his Pokedex in hand. He typed the name of the Pokémon he knew he would be battling and pressed search, the device buzzing for several seconds until it found and brought up the information he wanted.
Name: Kingsect
Category: Royal Swarm Pokémon
Type: Bug/Fairy
Info: Its destiny is always a great one. It traverses the land, allying itself with anyone worthy of its power. Its horns can give off many different spores, meaning people should be cautious when touching them.
"A difficult opponent to be sure," Flash looked up to see Doc and the others stepping up behind him.
Flash nodded at this. "Yeah...this battle's gonna be a tough one."
"I'll say," Spike agreed with a slight frown. "Thorax's Kingsect was able to take on a whole horde of Starider. Beating its not gonna be easy."
"Are you worried?" Twilight asked next, a huge frown on her face. "You know Flash, you don't have to do this yet. Maybe you should postpone and spend a little time training."
Flash rolled his eyes as he stood up and turned to her. "What is it with you, always wanting me to not take gym battles?! You said I wasn't ready to face Doc before and what happened?! Oh yeah, I beat him!"
"Barely," Twilight replied with crossed arms. "And this time, you won't have Springer to bail you out. I'm just trying to save you from getting humiliated and having your Pokémon hurt without reason."
"She's right Flash," Doc added as he pointed at the trainer. "Its a trainer's duty to know when the battle they're in is unwinnable. Going into a battle you know you can't win is arrogant and shows a lack of care for your team."
Flash looked insulted by this. "No one cares about their team like me, and we're not cowards! Besides, who says this battle is unwinnable? Sure Thorax is tough, but I beat you, didn't I?"
"As I said, barely!" Twilight repeated. "You still haven't come up with a plan, just like last time!"
Flash rolled his eyes again. "Again with the plan thing. I don't need one Twilight! I'm gonna go in there, beat Thorax, and get my badge. That's the plan!"
"That doesn't sound like a very good plan," Spike told him, only to get a glare in response.
"Well it's never failed me once, and it won't fail me now!"
"Oh really?" Twilight hissed as she pushed her glasses up to her nose. "So you've won every battle you've ever been in?"
Flash glanced back at her, knowing he couldn't lie here as he tried to say, "Well...no, not every battle."
"Oh, that's right," Twilight went on. "There was the battle against Score and his cronies."
"That was three on one."
"Then the battle against Rainbow."
"Errrr...type disadvantage."
"And then there was the battle you lost to Lightning." Flash didn't reply to that one, knowing she had him there, and instead look away. That was until Twilight stepped over to him and grabbed his cheeks, moving his head so the two were locking eyes. "Lightning beat you because he had a plan! He didn't just blindly fire off attacks, he knew what he was doing!" Her face leaned forward as she continued, "It was dumb luck that got you your first Gym Badge Flash, but that luck won't hold out forever." Her face started to show worry after this as she let go of him. "So I'm begging you, hold off on your battle. Train some more and come up with a strategy."
Flash continued to stare at Twilight for several moments before turning to the rest of his team. "What do you guys think?" None of them spoke up, but the looks in their eyes told him the answer. "I thought so," he turned back to Twilight. "We're not gonna waste our time here Twilight. We're already ready to win that badge."
Twilight let out a long sigh, knowing she couldn't change his mind. Doc did the same before shaking his head as he said, "Alright then. But I hope you're ready for the consequences if you lose."
"Don't need to be," Flash replied as he shined a giant smirk. "Because we're gonna win."
With nothing else to say, they headed off the Fillydelphia Garden. When they got there, they were once again assaulted by the high temperature of the building. "Geez," Spike said as he removed his hoodie, "would it kill them to turn it down at least ten degrees?"
"You don't have to live here," Twilight replied, getting a glare from her brother.
In that moment, Thorax, Pharynx and Ocellus stepped up to the reception desk. "Oh, you're here." Thorax commented as he looked the four over, "Good. We can get this battle as soon as you wish."
Flash smirked at this. "I hope you're ready to hand over that badge, because I'm gonna take you down."
Pharynx let out a guffaw. "You think you can beat my brother?! I hope you know what you're getting yourself in for."
Before Flash could get into another argument, Doc stepped in. "So how's the garden?"
"Back to normal. Thanks to all your help, we were able to clean up much faster then we could if it was just us three. Luckily, none of the Pokémon were hurt and they're not mad at the Starider for what they did."
"That's a relief," Twilight added.
"Now come on. Let's head down to the battlefield." Everyone nodded and followed the Gym Leader as he led them all down another corridor that led to a flight of steps. This section of the building was not as hot as the one upstairs, and everyone was especially happy about that as they reached the bottom of the stairs and found themselves in another corridor.
"Hey look," Spike said as he moved over to a window. Behind that window was another room with a strange hive like design. They also spotted several Pokémon they all recognized. "Its the Grubirth. So this is where they live."
"Yup," Ocellus replied, nodding. "We're still figuring out how the one from yesterday got out."
"We didn't find any holes or tunnels when we inspected it," Pharynx grumbled, tapping his foot at this. "I still don't like we didn't find anything."
"It's just one of those mysteries," Thorax commented as Pharynx gave him a glare at his casual dismissal. "Now come on, the battlefield is just down the hall." They followed him and they soon arrived at a spot with two doors. "This leads to the field," Thorax explained before pointing to the other. "And that one leads to the stands. Your friends can watch from there."
"Alright," Flash replied before turning to Springer. "You go with them bud and cheer for us as loud as you can."
"Ri!" Springer nodded before holding up a fist like paw, which Flash bumped before he, Thorax and Pharynx stepped through the door.
It was here that Flash saw that the Fillydelphia Gym was much different from the Trottingham field. The entire place looked more like a forest, complete with a large open grassland with trees lining either side. The only thing that set it apart from the wilderness were the three podiums, two on either side and one on the edge of the center and large metal walls behind the trees. Flash looked up at the top of the walls, where he saw a viewing platform that one could stand on and see the entire field.
Thorax moved over to the podium on the far side, while Pharynx stepped up onto the central podium. And as Flash stepped onto the last podium, he heard his friend's voices. "You got this Flash!" Spike cheered, making Flash look up and smile.
He then gave them a thumbs up, accompanied by his signature smirk. "You know it." He looked back to the field as Pharynx explained the rules.
"Alright! The battle between the challenger Flash, and Thorax, the Gym Leader, will now begin! Each side will be allowed three Pokémon, and the battle will end when all three of either sides' Pokémon are unable to battle. In addition, only the challenger may be allowed to substitute Pokémon." He glanced at the two, "you both got that?!"
Flash and Thorax both nodded.
"So its just like your gym," Twilight told Doc. "Except its three on three."
Doc nodded at this. "You'll find most gyms stick to a similar rule set, even if they're allowed to make up their own."
Pharynx snapped his fingers, getting everyone's attention, "Alright! Let's get this started, and as the gym leader, Thorax will reveal his first Pokémon."
Thorax nodded as he pulled out his Pokeball. "The power of the Bug-Type is one of speed and precision. A single quick and focused attack is all it needs, no matter what the opponent. Movine, I chose you!" He tossed the Pokeball in the air.
A red light followed as it took shape and faded to reveal the plant moth Pokémon. "Movine!" It cried out as it flew through the air.
"A Movine huh? Great..." Flash mumbled slightly as he took out his Pokeball. "I've got just the opponent. Skyler, I choose YOU!" It tossed the ball in the air and released his Chickling, who flew up until it was level with Movine.
"Chick!" he tweeted as he and Movine stared each other down.
"Good choice," Thorax told him. "This should be interesting."
Pharynx raised both arms. "Alright, Movine verses Chickling. Battle...BEGIN!"
"Quick Attack!" Flash ordered, Skyler flapping his wings and shooting towards Movine.
Thorax smiled at the sight. "Dodge it."
"Mow," Movine barely moved as it spread its wings. When Skyler got closer to it, Movine seemed to drift out of the way, causing Skyler to sail right past the bug.
"What the heck?!" Flash yelped.
"How'd he do that?" Spike asked as Peewee and Springer shared a confused look.
"Again!" Flash ordered, Skyler quickly turning in midair before shooting towards Movine once again. But like before, it simply floated just out of reach. "Again!" This went on and on, Skyler attempting again and again to hit Movine without luck. "What's going on?"
"Its not even moving. How can it dodge Skyler's attack so easily?" Spike asked, only to get a nudge from Doc.
"Its being pushed by the wind."
"What wind?"
Twilight shook her head at her brother. "The speed of Skyler's attack is creating a thin layer of wind that covers him, like a cone. Movine must be positioning its wings so they catch that wind, causing it to be pushed away from the source."
Ocellus nodded at this. "And the faster the Chickling goes, the more wind he creates for Movine to use."
"So Skyler can't hit Movine with Quick Attack?"
"I'm afraid so," Doc grimaced as he watched the bird continue to miss. "That's not good."
Flash groaned as Skyler came to a stop, panting from his attempts to strike Movine. "This isn't working. What am I supposed to-"
"My turn!" Thorax interrupted as he pointed at his Pokémon. "Movine, Silver Wind!"
"Mow..." Movine pulled its wings back before flapping them strongly, "VINE!" What resulted was a move similar to Gust, except this winds was laced with several crescent moon shaped blades that flew at Skyler.
"Chick!" Skyler cried as the wind struck the bird at full force.
"Skyler!" Flash yelled as he watched the Chickling fall to the ground, slamming into the dirt. "You okay?!"
"Chick," Skyler moaned out as he picked himself up and shook his head.
"We've got this," Flash told him before looking up at Movine, only to see nothing. "What the-"
"Where'd it go?" Twilight asked as she scanned the battlefield over.
"It disappeared when we were focused on Skyler," Doc added.
"Chick?" Skyler leapt into the air and started looking around, his eyes also finding no trace of the Movine.
"It can't have just disappeared," Flash said as he tried to think. His memory flashed back to when he had first seen a Movine and used his Pokedex on it, but he couldn't remember what it had said. "Think...think..."
But then, as Skyler passed by a nearby tree, Thorax smirked. "Now, Vine Whip!" From out of the foliage of another tree, a familiar looking tendril shot out and slashed at him.
"CHICK!" Skyler cried as he was thrown away, barely managing to keep control of his wings.
"What was that?!" Flash asked, only to then remember what the Pokedex has said. "Oh no...it can camouflage itself into the treeline!"
The spot on the tree where the tendril had originated from moved as Movine made itself known, soon flying from one tree to another. It disappeared and reappeared repeatedly, disorientating Skyler as it did.
"Enough of this." Flash said as he snapped his fingers. "Use Gust!"
"Chick!" Skyler flapped his wings, unleashing a powerful burst of wind that flew at the tree. Movine tried to close its wings, only for the gust to knock it out of the trees.
"Steel Wing!" Skyler shot towards Movine with his wings beginning to glow, striking before his opponent could react.
"Mow!" Movine cried as it fell back.
"Use Silver Wind towards the ground!" Thorax ordered, the Movine soon spinning and firing off the attack, which seemed to bounce off the grass and fly back up to stop his descent. Skyler was also hit back the wind, causing him to be blown back.
"Get it together Skyler!" Flash told him. "Use another Steel Wing!"
"Chick!" Skyler managed to steady himself before turning towards Movine, shooting itself with glowing wings once more.
"Not this time. Grab it with Vine Whip!"
"Mow!" Movine unleashed its tendrils at Skyler, the vine-like appendages quickly wrapping around the bird.
"Chick!" he moaned as he struggled against the grip, "ling. Chickling!"
"Skyler..." Flash whispered as his brain tried to come up with a solution.
As he did this, Thorax saw his expression and shook his head. "Stun Spore."
"Vine!" Movine spat a yellow mist out of its mouth, which enveloped Skyler's entire body.
"Chickling!" He cried as the mist was absorbed into his skin and lungs, quickly spreading throughout his entire body. The next thing he knew, Movine spun him around before tossing him towards the ground.
"Fly Skyler!" Flash ordered. Skyler tried to spread his wings, only for his body to freeze, soon making him nosedive into the ground. And as he landed with a thud, a dust cloud kicked up as he tasted to dirt. "SKYLER!"
"That had to hurt," Spike winced, Peewee grimacing at the sight.
"This is bad. Skyler's been paralysed." Twilight commented as she rubbed her chin in thought. "That kind of effect will be especially bad for a Chickling like him."
"I'm not sure Flash will be able to find a way out of this," Doc added.
"Ri!" Springer cried out to Skyler, "ri, ri, ri!"
"Skyler!" Flash yelled as the dust cleared, "you okay? Talk to me!"
He spotted Skyler picking himself up, looking very beaten up and flinching as yellow energy sparked around him. "Chick...."
"Flash!" He heard Twilight call down to him, "you've got to switch Skyler out. He doesn't stand a chance is his condition."
"What are you, nuts?!" Flash barked back. "I'm not giving up on Skyler! We've got this, right Sky?"
"Chick?" Skyler nodded before once again sparking.
Twilight let out a strangled cry. "Stop trying to be cool and think for a moment!"
"I'll leave that to you," Flash told her as he waved a hand at her dismissively. "Skyler, Steel Wing!"
"Chick!" Skyler shot into the sky and aimed right at Movine, but the plant moth didn't look scared.
"You really need to learn to pace yourself," Thorax told him while shaking his head. "If you don't know your limits, then you're only beating yourself."
"Try saying that again after I beat you!" Flash yelled back as he pointed at Movine, "Kick his butt Skyler!"
"CHICK!" Skyler cried, only to once again flinch as sparks shot out around his body.
Thorax saw this and knew it was his chance. "Silver Wind!"
"MOVINE!" It flapped its wings and unleashed the crescent bladed wind, which struck Skyler, sending him flying back and crashing into the ground.
"CHICKLING!"
"Skyler!"
"Again!" Movine unleashed the attack once more, the wind flying straight down and pinning Skyler to the ground.
"Ling..." Skyler moaned as her felt himself be pushed down by the force.
"Now Vine Whip!" Movine stopped his attack and shot down towards Skyler, appearing right besides him as he tried to pick himself up.
"Chick?" Skyler asked before suddenly getting backhanded by Movine's tendril. "CHICK!" The force sent him flying towards a nearby tree and slamming into the trunk with a loud thud.
"Skyler, NO!" Flash cried as he watched Skyler slide down the tree, swirls appearing in his eyes.
"Chickling is unable to battle," Pharynx proclaimed. "Movine is the winner."
Everyone in the stands sighed. "I told him to return Skyler, but that idiot wouldn't listen."
"I can't believe how one sided that battle was," Spike commented as he stared at Movine. "Skyler only manged to hit him once."
"Movine was just too much for him," Ocellus added with another sigh. "Thorax trained it for skilful aerial manouvring. A straight forward approach like Flash's didn't stand a chance."
"This is what we were afraid of," Doc moaned as he rubbed his head in frustration. "Thorax knows the weaknesses of Bug-Types and has trained his Pokémon to overcome them. He's found a way to turn his disadvantage into an advantage."
Spike gulped at this. "Let's hope Flash can find a way around that."
Flash frowned as he returned his Chickling. "Thanks Skyler," he said to the ball before putting it away. He looked up at Movine, going over his options. His brain was telling him to use Viper, but he also knew he was Flash's best chance against Kingsect. "I can't tire him out so soon," he commented as he pulled out a Pokeball. "Prongs, I choose...YOU!" He tossed the ball into the air before it released the Thawn.
Everyone was shocked at seeing this, Twilight yelling, "FLASH! Are you crazy?! Why'd you pick Prongs, a GRASS Type?! You're at a huge disadvantage!"
"Only if the moves hit," Flash replied with a smirk. "And with Prong's speed, that's not gonna happen."
Thorax and Pharynx stared at him with an 'are you serious' look. They then shared a glance at one another, Thorax just shrugging as if to say 'oh well'. "Alright then," Pharynx grumbled as he lifted his hand in the air. "Thawn vs Movine, battle begin!"
"Energy Ball!" Flash ordered, Prongs creating the green sphere of energy before firing it at Movine.
"Dodge it!" Thorax replied as Movine dodged the projectile, only for it to hit a tree.
"Now, tackle it!" Flash yelled as he pointed at Movine, "Use the tree!"
"Fay!" Prongs cried as he shot forwards and leapt at the tree, using it as a spring board to leap up and slam into Movine.
"Vine!" It yelped as it was knocked back, but managed to regain balance and turned to its falling opponent.
"While it can't dodge, use Silver Wind!"
"Movine!" It flapped its wings and unleashed the blast of wind, the blast knocking Prongs into the ground.
"Thawn!" Prongs flinched as he slammed into the floor, the grass doing little to cushion the blow.
"You okay Prongs?" Flash asked him, seeing the Thawn get up and nod. "Alright then, let's use Leech Seed!"
"Fay!" Prongs's horns glowed before shooting into the air, aimed right at Movine.
"Poison Sting!" Thorax countered, Movine opening its mouth and unleashing a barrage of purple needles that struck the Leech Seed and exploded on contact.
"Dang it!" Flash growled.
"Keep using Poison Sting!" Thorax yelled, Movine now firing a flurry of the toxic darts at Prongs.
"Dodge them!"
Prongs began jumping all over the place, doing everything he could to prevent itself from being hit. "Fey...on...fey...on...Thawn!"
"It's fast, but I've seen faster. Let's see how well you move when you're paralyzed. Movine, Stun Spore."
"Mow...VINE!" The plant moth once again spat out the yellow mist, which began to cover the battlefield.
"Fay," Prongs kept leaping back, but soon found himself being surrounded by the mist.
"Don't breath it in!" Flash called out to him, Prongs taking a deep breath of the last bit of clear air before holding it. The yellow mist completely surrounded him, but holding his breath was not enough as his started absorbing it into his skin. "This is bad."
Eventually, Prongs could not hold it any longer and was forced to breath and inhale the Stun Spore. "Fay...."
Thorax smirked. "That'll slow you down. Silver Wind!"
"Movine!" The plant moth unleashed the wind attack again, hitting the cloud and blowing it away. In doing so, it also began to bombard Prongs, who was trying his best to keep from being blown away.
"Leech Seed!" Flash cried out.
"Fay!" Prongs moaned as he tried to fire his attack once again, but the projectiles were simply blown away by the wind before they even got close to Movine.
"Poison Sting!" Movine stopped its attack, causing Prongs to lose his footing with the opposing force gone, only to feel the now unleashed poison dart attack.
"THAWN!" He screamed as he staggered backwards before falling to his knees, having the combination of poison and being paralyzed affecting him.
"No..." Flash whispered. "Prongs..."
"Flash!" Twilight called down to him, "You need to return Prongs right now!"
"But if I do that-"
"Vine Whip!" Thorax called out, Movine immediately shooting forwards to hit Prongs.
Flash reacted on instinct. "Double Kick!"
Prongs pulled himself back to his feet and charged at the advancing Movine, spinning around before thrusting both hooves into its chest. "Mow!" It cried as it was pushed back, only for Prongs to once again flinch from the paralysis. Seeing this chance, it swung its tendrils around and smashed Prongs in the face.
"Fay!"
"Silver Wind!" Movine got right up in Prongs's face before unleashing the air blast, the close proximity causing the attack to be at full strength.
"THAWN!" Prongs screamed as he was sent flying past Flash and slammed into the wall behind him.
"PRONGS!" Flash cried as he saw Thawn fall to the ground with swirls for eyes.
"Thawn is unable to battle," Pharynx proclaimed. "Movine is the winner."
Everyone in the stands were growing nervous. "This is going from bad to worse," Twilight grumbled as she rubbed her face. "Flash..."
Spike gulped. "Now Flash only has one Pokémon, while Thorax still has three."
"Come on Flash!" Doc called down. "Get the lead out!"
Flash sighed as her returned Prongs to his Pokeball, "nice try Prongs."
"Flash!" Thorax called out, "There's no shame in forfeiting. If you want to stop, I won't hold it against you."
Flash's frown turned into a scowl. "I'm not gonna give up. I might be down, but I'm not out."
"Don't be stupid Flash!" Twilight told him. "Listen to him!"
"I'm not quitting!" Flash yelled as he pulled out his last Pokeball. "Viper, I choose...YOU!" He tossed the ball into the air before it opened, unleashing the red energy that revealed the Hisscor.
"Scor," it hissed.
Thorax sighed at this. "Very well then. Don't say I didn't warn you." He nodded at Pharynx, who nodded back before turning to the field.
"Battle begin."
"Ember!" Flash ordered, Viper unleashing the flurry of fireballs right at Movine. The projectiles were so fast that it didn't have time to dodge.
"Mow!" It cried as it was blasted back.
"Ember again!"
"Silver Wind!"
The two Pokémon launched their attacks, which met in the middle of the field and collided. The result was a flaming tornado, which caused Movine to move back while Viper rushed towards it. "Scor!" He leapt through it, the wind picking him up and pushing him above Movine as he broke through the other side.
"Bite!" Viper opened its mouth and clamped down on Movine's wing, biting into it with all his might.
"Mow!" Movine cried as it tried to dislodge to Hisscor, only for both to fall to the floor. It was then that Viper let go as it heard another order from Flash.
"I doubt it'll be able to fly or use Silver Wind now. Use Fire Spin!"
"Hiss," Viper's tail end ignited as it leapt into the air before spinning forwards, "SCOR!" The fireball flew off his tail and went straight towards Movine.
"MOVINE!" The plant moth screamed as it was consumed by the flames. And as the flames extinguished themselves, everyone saw Movine on the floor with several burns. It swayed from side to side until finally, it fell back and hit the ground as swirls replaced its eyes.
"Movine is unable to battle," Pharynx proclaimed. "Hisscor is the winner."
"Yes!" Flash cheered, "Nice one Viper!"
"That was fast," Spike commented as he tilted his head at the scene.
"Movine took some damage against Prongs and Skyler," Twilight added as she crossed her arms. "Plus the double weakness it has to fire made this match an easy one."
"But that's probably the last easy battle Flash's is gonna get," Doc continued. "Thorax still has two Pokémon left, while Flash only has one. This isn't gonna be easy."
Ocellus nodded at this. "But if your friend is as good as he is confident, he might just be able to pull it off."
Twilight frowned as she looked down at Flash. "I'm not sure he is."
"Thank you for your excellent work Movine," Thorax told his Pokémon as he returned it. "This battle is close to being over, thanks to you."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Flash retorted as he shined a huge smirk. "Viper and I are just getting warmed up."
"Hisscor!" Viper yelled with a huge smile.
Thorax raised an eyebrow as he pulled out a Pokeball. "Then lets see if you're still saying that after you battle this Pokémon. Kingsect, lend my your strength!" He tossed the ball into the air and it unleashed a sphere of red energy that hit the ground and took shape to show Thorax's strongest Pokémon.
"Kingsect!" It roared as it stared its opponent down.
"Kingsect..." Flash whispered.
"This could be a problem," Doc added.
"Kingsect verses Viper," Pharynx proclaimed. "Battle...BEGIN!"
"Bug Buzz!" Thorax ordered, Kingsect's horns beginning to vibrate as the horrible buzzing sound caused everyone but Thorax to cover their ears.
"Not again!" Twilight cried.
"I can't even hear myself think!" Spike added.
"Ri!" Springer yelped.
"Think how bad it is for Viper!" Doc finished.
Down below, Viper was trying to wrap its tail around its head to block out the sound. Flash wanted to give him an order, but the buzzing making it hard to think. Meanwhile, Thorax simply smirked at the sight. "Now, use Slam!"
"King!" Kingsect stopped its attack before shooting forwards, getting close to Viper as it spun around and slammed its back hoof into the Hisscor, sending him flying back.
"Dang it!" Flash growled as he pointed at the Kingsect, "Use Fire Spin!"
Viper got control of its flailing and ignited its tail, flicking it towards the Royal Swarm Pokémon. The flame exploded and created a vortex of fire, which began to burn the bug and fairy type. "Sect!" it cried as the heat began to overwhelm it.
"Use Horn Charge!" He then heard Thorax order. It nodded as its horns began to glow before it charged at the tornado, bursting through it as it aimed its horns at Viper.
"Dodge it!" Flash ordered, but it was too late. Kingsect struck Viper with its horns, knocking him down the battlefield in an instant. "Viper!" Flash kneeled down to look at him, "You okay?!"
Viper picked himself up and looked over at Flash, only to suddenly flinch as yellow sparks covered his body. "Scor!"
"Paralysis?! Again?!" Flash yelped as he watched his Pokémon stagger.
"Horn Charge!" Doc yelled from above. "Its a move that has a side effect of causing either paralysis, sleep or confusion."
"Oh...great." Flash deadpanned, grumbling.
"Scor!" Viper was back on his...er, tail, ready to continue the fight.
"That's the way! We're not gonna let this slow us down Viper! Now, Poison Sting!" Viper began to unleash the flurry of toxic darts, all of them flying towards Kingsect.
"Evasive maneuvers!" Thorax ordered.
Kingsect spread its wings and leapt into the air, flying around to evade the Poison Sting. "King," it said as it flew all over the place.
"Come on...just one hit." He got his wish as a stray dart hit Kingsect's wing, causing him to fall with a thud.
"Sect!" It screeched upon impact, but managed to jump back to its feet. "Sect!" It cried as purple sparks covered its body.
"Yes!" Spike cheered, "It's poisoned!"
"But for how long?" Twilight asked as she bit her thumb at the sight. "Don't forget how it saved us yesterday."
Spike's eyes went wide as he remembered, "Aromatherapy."
"It'll heal the poison unless Flash can stop it from using the attack," Doc finshed.
"Ember!" Flash ordered.
"Scor!" Viper unleashed the barrage of fireballs, all of them flying at Kingsect.
The bug dodged the blasts, "King...sect...king...sect...KINGSECT!" It cried as the poison flared up, causing pain and allowing Viper's attack to hit its mark. "King!" It staggered backwards, its chest burnt from the attack.
"That's the way!" Flash cheered, "Now hit it again! Ember!"
"Hiss," Viper took a deep breath in preparation. But before he could fire, he flinched from the paralysis flaring up.
"Now!" Thorax cried, "Bug Buzz!"
"Kingsect!" The Royal Swarm Pokémon's horns began to vibrate, unleashing the horrible buzzing that caused everyone to once again flinch and prevent Viper from attacking.
"Slam! Give it everything you've got!" Kingsect galloped towards Viper and bucked him with its back feet, sending him flying backwards. Seconds later, Kingsect flinched from the poison. "Now's our chance! Use Aromatherapy!"
"Kingsect!" It yelled as its horns glowed a rainbow of colours, the light flowing over its body.
"Viper!" Flash ordered, "we've gotta stop it before it heals itself. Use Ember!"
Viper tried to pick himself up, but once again froze from the paralysis. "Scor..."
"Dang it!" Flash grimaced as he looked back at Kingsect, the light now fading to show it was completely cured. "Too late."
"Way too late. HORN CHARGE!" Kingsect charged towards Viper, ready to end the battle.
"Viper!" Flash called out, "EMBER!"
"HISSCOR!" Viper unleashed the flurry of fireballs at Kingsect, hitting it dead on. But Kingsect's power overwhelmed the force of the Ember, pushing right through the onslaught until it finally reached Viper.
"KINGSECT!" It yelled as it thrusted its horns into the Hisscor, then flicked it upwards. Everybody watched as Viper rose up, way above to stands, until it neared the ceiling.
"Slam," Thorax almost whispered. It was loud enough for Kingsect, who spread its wings and shot upwards until it went past Viper and was now above him.
"King..." it aimed its front hooves at Viper, "SECT!" Then slammed them down, rocketing both into the ground, kicking up a dust cloud as they made contact.
"VIPER!" Flash cried, but couldn't see through the cloud.
Then Kingsect leapt out of the cloud, flying over to land in front of Thorax as they waited to see the fate of Viper. Finally the dust cleared, allowing them to see the Hisscor. Viper was laid out on the floor, swirls replacing his eyes.
"Hisscor is unable to battle," Pharynx proclaimed. "Kingsect wins. All three of Flash's Pokémon are unable to battle, so the victor is Thorax."
Flash's whole body went ridged hearing those words, as he fell to his knees in shock. "No way...."
"Flash lost..." Spike whispered.
"Riolu..."
Twilight sighed. Even knowing it was gonna happen didn't make it any easier to see. "Thorax was just too good."
"Flash didn't stand a chance," Doc added.
Flash returned Viper to his Pokeball, unsure what to do now. "It seems you're not ready to earn your second badge quite yet," Thorax said as he, Kingsect and Pharynx stepped over him.
Flash looked up at them, the sting of defeat causing his chest to ache. "I know I lost," Flash said as he stood up. "But when my teams back to full health, will you battle me again?"
Thorax frowned. "No. I won't."
"Why?"
"Because the exact same thing will happen again," Pharynx told him with a cold glare. "You won't be able to beat Thorax, at least not as you are now. All that's gonna happen is your Pokémon will be injured again."
"Then I'll train," Flash replied with both palms turning into fists. "And keep training until we can beat you."
Thorax shook his head at this. "That's not enough. Having a strong Pokémon is not the same as being strong." He reached out and petted his Kingsect, who smiled at its trainer. "Go heal your Pokémon. While that's happening, ask yourself this: What is it that truly makes a trainer strong?"
With that, Thorax left with his partner and brother, leaving Flash standing there alone as he asked himself, "What truly makes a trainer strong?"
As soon as they got to the Pokémon Center, Flash's Pokémon were whisked away by Nurse Redheart. As they waited, Flash sat on a reception couch and thought about what Thorax said. "If it's not having strong Pokémon, then what makes a trainer strong?"
"Having a reason to be strong."
Flash looked up to see Doc, Twilight and Spike looking down at him, all with looks of concern on their faces. "Guys, I-OW!" Flash held his ear as it now throbbed, which Twilight had just flicked, "What was that for Twilight?!"
"For being an idiot and getting your Pokémon hurt for no reason!" Twilight growled as she glared at him.
"Alright, alright..." Flash whimpered as he kept rubbing it, "Geez...I'm sorry."
"We're not the ones you should be apologizing to," Twilight told him as she pointed to the medical doors of the Pokémon Center.
"I know that," Flash replied before turning to Doc. "What did you mean, having a reason to be strong?"
Doc sighed as he sat down next to him. "Why do you want to be strong Flash?"
"To win," Flash replied instantly.
"Just to win? Is there no other reason to win?"
"What other reason could there be?"
"You tell me. Even if from this point on you won every battle you ever fought, what would you gain from those victories? Simply winning for the sake of winning, is a hollow reason to be strong. So when you eventually come up against someone with a good reason to win, you won't stand a chance."
"So I need a reason to be strong?" Flash asked as he halfway looked away. "I don't get it..."
Doc nodded at this. "If that reason is good enough, then you'll never lose." Flash turned back to him as Doc continued. "So, what reason do you have to be strong?"
Flash thought for a moment, then another moment, followed by another moment until he finally answered. "I don't know."
Doc patted his back with a smile. "Then I suggest you look for one. You'll find it, eventually that is."
"And while you look for it, you can start training your Pokémon correctly." Twilight added as she pushed her glasses up her nose. "No more half-arsing it."
"What do you mean?" Flash asked as he looked up at her.
Twilight let out a long sigh. "Flash, I'm your friend, so I say this in the nicest possible way. You...haven't been giving it your all. The training you do is hardly what I'd call sustainable to make you strong enough to take down Thorax, Lightning or anyone who really knows what they're doing. The only times I've seen you really train was after Riptide lost to Viper, and when Skyler lost to Rainbow and Tank. The training you did then is something you need to do every single day."
"Its true Flash," Doc added with a nod. "When you became the trainer of your Pokémon, it means you took on a responsibility to make sure they can reach the highest possible limits of themselves. And that's not something you've been doing as of lately."
"Agreed," Twilight finished as she glared at the trainer, "Your 'take it as it comes' way of battling isn't gonna help you. You need to start making plans. You must see that now, right?"
Flash sighed as he looked back down into the floor. "Yeah...I do." He then saw Springer, who he patted on the head. "I get it. I can't keep doing this to my team, and I need to make a change. I'll...I'll train. Really train until Thorax doesn't have a chance against us." He then looked up at Twilight, "and I'll need a plan to use against him. Think you can help me make one?"
Twilight smiled and nodded, happy that he finally understood. "I'd love to."
Soon enough, Skyler, Prongs and Viper were brought out. Nurse Redheart explained that they were fine, but ordered no strenuous activities until tomorrow. "Thank you," he said to her as she nodded and returned to her post, allowing Flash to turn to them. "I'm sorry guys," he told them as kneeled down to their level. "I messed up. Its all my fault that you guys were hurt so bad. Can you forgive me?"
"Chick/Fay/Scor." The three nodded, making Flash weakly smile.
"Thank you. And I promise that from now on, things will be different." He let out Riptide as Springer stepped up besides them, allowing Flash to look at them all. "No more half-arsing it. I'm your trainer and I refuse to let you guys down. From now on, we'll train until we collapse, and then train some more. The next time we face Thorax, he won't know what hit him. You guys with me?"
"RIO/CHICKLING/AQUANA/FAY/SCOR!" The five all cheered, ready to really start their training.
Flash's gym challenge may have ended in his defeat, but that defeat has helped Flash see the errors of his way. Now its time for some special training. Will Flash be able to earn his second Equestria Region Badge? Stay tuned to find out.