Today's adventure begins where our last one left off, near the Ghastly Gorge's Onix landmark. Beside it stood three tents, one being a brown dome with gears on the side, the second was a purple normal shaped tent, and the last was a pink cake shaped tent with several balloons attached to it. The dome tent was the first to open, the gears spinning as it folded backwards to reveal both Flash, Doc and Springer.
Flash yawned with a stretch before moving over to the purple tent. "Morning everyone. You guys up?" He asked as he jiggled the construct. It soon opened up to reveal a severely bed-headed Twilight as she put her glasses on.
"We're up..." she growled while a moan followed her, Spike and Peewee soon sticking their heads out.
"But why are we up? He looked towards the sky and frowned, "the sun's not even up."
"It's up kiddo," Doc said as he moved over to the last tent. "Its just not reached above the canyon wall yet. And it won't until ten o'clock at the earliest." He tapped on the tent, "Pinkie?"
No response.
"Hmm..." Doc mumbled as he started to unzip the tent. But as the zipper hit the bottom, a burst of confetti shot out of the door. "Blaugh!" he yelped, only to blink as he realized what had happened. He then started to dust off the party favors, which let him now notice inside the tent was one Pinkie sleeping with a nose bubble and using her hair like a pillow. Gummy and Jigglypuff were next to her, Jigglypuff inflating and deflating as it slept while Gummy...was just standing there, staring at Pinkie. "Gummy, do you mind waking your trainer up...Gummy?" The alligator Pokémon didn't respond, simply staring at Pinkie as if...it was sleeping with both its eyes open and while standing. "Weird."
A popping sound Pinkie made him look up and see girl was now up and yawning as she rubbed her eyes, "Morning."
"Morning," Doc then pointed at Gummy, "is that..."
"Normal? Yeah, that's just how Gummy sleeps." In that moment, Gummy performed a slow blink. "Morning Gummy," the Gumigator blinked again in response.
"Huh...definitely strange."
A few minutes later...
Once everybody was up and dressed, they were now sitting around their campfire, enjoying their breakfast. Doc then turned to Twilight, "So, how's the ankle?"
Twilight looked down at her bandaged foot and nodded, "Its okay. Still a little bit of pain, but nothing I can't handle."
Flash showed a glum frown, "Maybe we should give it another day then. Make sure you're one hundred precent before starting."
Twilight smiled at Flash's care, only to frown when she spotted her canteen. Picking it up, she shook it and noted the loud splashing, indicating how little water was within. "As much as I'd love to, we need to find a place to refill these before we can think about relaxing."
The others all looked down at their water bottles, all nodding in agreement. That is, except Flash as he pulled out a Pokeball, "No problem. Riptide, come on out!" He tossed the ball into the air, soon showing the Aquana. Flash then showed it his canteen, "Mind filling her up?"
"Ak," Riptide nodded before using a low powered water gun into the bottle, filling it to the top.
"Thanks," Flash smirked before taking a drink...only to stop at a half gulp as his eyes bulged. The others watched as he spat the water out, moaning while scratching at his tongue. "Augh! That was awful! Why was that awful?!"
Springer, Pinkie and Spike all laughed while Twilight and Doc rolled their eyes. "Flash, Water-Type attacks can't be drunk."
Doc nodded in agreement. "Riptide's Water Gun is comprised of the same compounds you get in saliva. Even if you could drink it, you'd probably end up thirstier than before you drank it."
"Now you tell me..." Flash groaned as he poured the water out of his canteen. Riptide looked down in shame, only for Flash to pat him on the head. "Don't worry bud. It's not your fault," he returned Riptide to his Pokeball and turned back to the others. "Now what?"
Twilight reached into her bag and unfurled their map, "Since there are Pokémon who live here, the canyon must have a sustainable water supply. We just need to find it and we'll be set." She scanned the map before smiling, pointing at a picture not to far from the Onix doodle. "There," the image showed a water bottle with a drop of water next to it. "Stone must have put that there to show us where we can refill our canteens."
"And it looks like it's only an hour's walk away," Doc added.
"Sweet! Then let's get going."
The others nodded until Twilight noticed a second image beside the first. "What's that?" The group stared at it, all seeing a doodle that appeared to be someone in a hooded jacket.
Doc hummed at the sight, "I'm not sure. Whatever it is, let's just hope we don't run into it."
"Agreed," they all replied before beginning to pack up their camp. And after the tents were put down, the campfire safely disposed of and their gear stowed away inside their bags, they continued their journey. Granted, with Twilight's ankle the way it was, that hour long journey was doubled. With this and the little water they had, by the time they got close, all of them thirsty beyond belief.
Twilight checked the map and nodded, "We're close." She nodded at the turn in the gorge, "Probably just around that corner."
"YES!" Spike and Peewee ran ahead, looking around the corner before suddenly stopping. "Whoa!"
The others raised an eyebrow at this as they caught up, turning the corner to see a new area of the canyon. It was a place filled with rock towers, all of differing sizes. The rocks they were made out of were no bigger then a Geodude, but the sheer number of them made the tower stacks even taller than Doc. They marveled at the towers as Flash asked, "You think these things are natural?"
"I'm not sure," Twilight replied as she stared at a tower that had about twenty or so rocks. "The only thing I can think that could stack them like this is a Flying-Type, but...Flying-Types can't travel through the gorge."
"That means something else must have done it," Doc finished.
"Maybe something lifted them?" Pinkie guessed, soon getting looks of confusion, causing her to explain further, "You know, maybe something lifted up the tower before someone puts another rock underneath it."
"Hmmm...that does sound like a logical theory," Twilight commented as she rubbed her chin in thought. "But to have both the strength and balance to lift these up without knocking them over...that would be incredible."
Before anyone could say anything else, a new sound caught their attention. It sounded like loud grunts of effort or pain, filling the air along with clouds of dust that they now saw in the distance.
"What's that?" Pinkie asked next.
Flash walked in front of the group along with Springer, "I'm not sure, but I'm gonna find out." The others followed him as they went after the source of the sound and dust, hiding in the shadow of the canyon wall as they got close enough to see.
What they saw was an army of the same Pokémon, two of which appeared to be battling against one another. The Pokémon were all humanoid and had orange skin. They had bold round heads that also had a bunch of black curved spikes running from their foreheads backwards, resembling mohawks. The skin around their eyes were also black, while their wrists and hands appeared to be wrapped in white bandages. The final distinguishing part of them were the black sleeveless hooded jacket they all wore, which had an orange trim around the hood, shoulders and zipper.
The gang all hid behind a large rock that they peered over to watch, Spike then asking, "What are those things?"
"Those are Scrapow," Doc replied with a grimace. "But what are they doing here?"
"What do you mean?" Flash replied as he was about to pull out his Pokedex, only to spot Pinkie pull a pink one out of her hair.
Name: Scrapow
Category: Street Fighter Pokémon
Type: Fighting/Dark
Info: This Pokémon is well known for its bad temper. It lives in cities and forms gangs with other Scrapows, where they bully the citizens for food.
"This isn't a city," Spike pointed out.
"That's what I meant before," Doc added.
Twilight then spoke up, "Its not unheard of for Pokémon to live in unusual locations. There must be a reason they're here." It was here that she noticed something behind the Scrapow. It was a waterfall, one formed from a crack in the canyon above. It poured out of the rocks and fell into a small pond, which Twilight assumed drained back into the water source it had originally come from. "Wait a minute..." Twilight pulled the map out and stared at the image she'd seen earlier. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a crudely drawn Scrapow. "So that's what this meant. Stone must have known about these guys and was warning us."
Flash moaned at this. "Couldn't he have just written 'beware the Scrapow that live here'?!"
"Guess it didn't want to make it to easy for us," Doc laughed as they turned back to the battle.
Two of the Scrapow, one with its hood up and another with its down, were fighting hand to hand. The two threw punches and kicks at one another, some that landed while others either missed, dodged or were blocked. "Scrap!" The one without its hood yelled as it threw a sucker punch at the hooded one, only for the other to sidestep and grab the outstretched arm. With a quick spin, the hooded Scrapow threw the other one to the floor.
"Pow!" It flinched as it hit the ground, the hooded one leaping back after dealing the blow.
"That looked like it hurt," Spike gulped.
"That was the move Foul Play," Twilight added.
"SCRAPOW!" The watched as the Scrapow around the two stamped their feet on the ground, obviously their way of cheering.
As the un-hooded Scrapow got up, the hooded one charged before spin-kicking its opponent. "Scrap!" It cried as its foot connected with the other's stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
"Pow!" The Scrapow staggered back, unable to block the blow.
"Scrap..." in a fraction of a second, the hooded Scrapow closed the distance between them before unleashing a barrage of quick and deadly attacks. "Pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow!" The onslaught slammed into the opposing Scrapow, who didn't even have time to cry out between hits.
"Whoa...talk about brutal," Flash said in awe.
Doc grimaced at the sight. "That's Close Combat. One of the strongest Fighting-Type moves there is. Getting hit with that move on its own can do intensive damage."
Twilight nodded in agreement. "But it's even worst here since Scrapow is part Dark-Type."
Eventually, the Close Combat came to an end and the hooded Scrapow leapt away from its opponent. Said opponent swayed where it stood, eventually falling backwards with swirls in its eyes. The hooded Scrapow reached up and pulled its hood down, revealing that it had a scar running down its left eye. "Scrap," it stepped over to its fallen foe and crouched down before gently smacking it on the cheek.
The un-scarred one woke up and turned the one with the scar, looking at him in shame. The Scrapow, the group giving him the unconscious name of Scar, simply smiled at his beaten opponent before offering a hand. Once they were both standing, Scar directed them towards the spring. They then picked up a pair of rocks that appeared to be shaped like bowls and filled them with water, soon tapping them together before drinking.
"What's going on?" Spike asked next. "They were fighting just a minute ago, but now they're acting like best buds."
"Obviously that fight was just a spar," Twilight told him as they watched Scar talk to his opponent while also demonstrating the sucker punch he had used. "That one must be the leader."
"Which means he's the one we need to talk to about refilling our canteens," Flash commented as he nodded at Springer. Before anyone could say anything, the duo walked out from behind the boulder.
"Flash!" Twilight screeched in a whisper. "What are you doing?!"
The Scrapow all heard his footsteps and turned to glare at him as he waved, "Hey there." The Scrapow got into a battle stance, making him hold up his hands defensively. "Hold on! We're not here to fight." He pointed to the rock the others were behind, "my friends and I are just passing through."
They all groaned before revealing themselves and moving up next to Flash. "Why'd you point us out?!"
"They're never gonna trust us if we hide things from them."
Twilight let out a long moan before walking in front of Flash, "I'll take it from here. So here's the thing Scrapow, my friends and I are all a little thirsty and we're running low on water. Would it be okay if we filled our canteens up at your spring?" The mention of their spring made the Scrapow tense up. "No wait, we're not trying to take your spring! We just want-need! Need the water!"
"Scrapow!" One of the Scrapow launched itself at Twilight, it's fist pulled back to use Sucker Punch on her.
Twilight's eyes went wide as she screamed, throwing up her arms to shield what little she could, only for Springer to leap in front of her with an Aura Sphere in paw. "RIOLU!" He tossed it at the Scrapow, the Pokémon punching the orb as an explosion followed, sending him flying back into the crowd.
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, "thanks Springer."
"Ri..." Springer held a thumbs up while not taking his eyes off of the Scrapow, all of them starting to slowly walking towards them.
"Scrapow," they suddenly stopped at the sound of a certain Scrapow's voice. They moved aside, allowing scar to walk out in front of the group, staring at Springer while the Riolu stared back. Being the same height meant that neither of them could really intimidate the other, only for the Scrapow's frown to change into a smile as he crossed his arms. He then started talking to Springer, causing the others to tilt their heads in confusion.
"I wonder what they're talking about," Spike asked.
Pinkie giggled at the question, "Isn't it obvious? That Scrapow is challenging Springer to a best of three contest, and if Springer wins, then we get to take a drink." The others all stared at Pinkie for a moment, then back at Springer.
"That true bud?" Springer glanced back at them and nodded.
The group all glanced at each other, Twilight speaking up, "Um...do you think Springer has a chance?"
Doc hummed in response, "It depends on what these challenges are."
Flash looked back at his partner, now seeing the fiery determination in his eyes. "You wanna accept, don't ya bud?"
"Ri," Springer nodded while not taking his eyes off of Scar.
"Then we trust you," the others nodded in agreement. "We know you can do this Springer."
"Riolu!"
For the first challenge, Scar and his followers lead them back to the spot where rock towers stood. They had a feeling they were about to discover how they were created. The group then saw the Scrapow began gathering rocks, creating two piles in front of Springer and Scar.
"So...what's the first challenge?"
Scar pulled his hood up as another Scrapow put a rock in front of him, another doing the same for Springer. Scar then crouched down before lifting the rock, the other Scrapow placing another rock below it. Scar dropped the rock onto the second to create a two rock tower, only to crouch down and lift both of them off the ground.
Pinkie snapped her fingers, "Oh, I get it! It's a contest to see who can lift the most rocks."
Doc nodded. "Then if Springer can make a tower higher than his opponent, he wins."
"And I'm guessing that knocking your tower over means you lose," Twilight guessed next.
"This is gonna be awesome," Spike shook in excitement.
"And FUN!" Pinkie screamed. "I bet Springer can lift a thirty rock stack."
This caused the Scrapow to all laughed before pointing towards the wall. There they could see a stack hidden by the shadow, which they counted to show twenty-five stacks.
"That the tallest tower," Twilight guessed as they looked back at the Scrapow. It was there they saw to of the begin to act something out, one standing behind the other as holding out his arms to make it look like the front one had four.
"A Machamp," Doc realised what they were miming. "That tower was built by a Machamp."
"Stone," Flash caught on.
"Looks like we know where he got his water from," Twilight said. "He must have won this contest." They turned to Scar and saw him nod. They all got the feeling that was the only time he'd ever lost this contest.
Flash knelt down behind Springer. "You up for this?"
Springer looked down at his rock, then up at the towers surrounding them. He could feel a bit of sweat go down his face at the sight, but nodded all the same. "Ri!" Springer crouched down before picking up his rock.
"Alright buddy!" Flash grabbed another rock and placed it under Springer's. "We've got this!"
And so, the game was on. Springer and Scar started off even, both beginning by picking up the two rock pile while a third rock was placed under it. They both dropped their rock pile before picking up the stack of three, the added weight not fazing them.
"Doing good Springer," Spike clapped as he cheered the Riolu on.
Twilight clapped as well, "Remember, lift with your knees."
Doc nodded in agreement. "And don't rush it. This isn't a race, so don't try and keep up with him."
Springer heard what Doc said and looked over at Scar, the Scrapow already at a five stack. But as Doc's words repeated in his head, he cricked his neck with new determination. Flexing his paws, he lifted the four stack slowly, soon letting Flash slide another rock in.
Springer then took a big gulp of air before crouching down again, Scar now dropping his five rock stack. This went on for several minutes, both Springer and Scar working to lift the rocks. But as the stack hit ten rocks, Springer started to feel himself wobble. Everyone gasped at seeing this, looking up as the top rocks began to rock back and forth.
Springer then slightly shook, trying to get the balance back while Scar added two new rocks to his stack. And as his stack straightened, Flash added another rock, "Careful bud. Take it easy."
Springer nodded and continued to lift the rocks once more, but the corner of his eyes now showed him he was far behind Scar. The two continued to work, having more and more issues the higher the stacks became. The two were now both on nineteen rocks, Springer managing to catch up to Scar when his stack started to wobble at sixteen rocks.
Now, the two were working to place their twentieth rock. The two crouched down and gripped the rubble, strain showing on their faces. But as Springer tried to move it an inch higher, his fingers slipped, the rocks now falling back to the ground. Everyone gasped at this, then looked over to see Scar drop his stack atop the twentieth rock.The Scrapow turned to Springer as he pulled his hood down, obviously waiting to see if Springer could do it.
The Riolu huffed before gripping the rock stack and trying to lift it again, but this time, the tower wouldn't budge. The Scrapow all laughed at Springer's struggle, while the others all frowned, sighing at the sight.
Flash placed a hand on Springer's head, "Give it up bud. We've lost this round."
"Ri..." Springer slumped over while hearing Scar chuckle. The Riolu then turned to him, clenching his fist at his opponent, "Ri! Rio ri ri riolu!"
"Yeah, you tell him Springer! You'll get him in the next challenge!" Pinkie cheered while shaking her own fists.
Spike nodded at this. "This contest ain't over yet! So what's the next game?!"
Scar grinned before motioning them to follow, soon returning to the spring. There, they kept going until they reached a section of the canyon wall with multiple holes in the rock face.
"What's this?" Twilight asked as she readjusted her glasses at the sight.
"Looks kinda like a climbing wall," Flash mentioned as their vision went upwards. It was there they noticed a bunch of trees growing out of the rock, one that had some kind of fruit growing out.
"Who wants to bet that's what the Scrapow eat?" Doc suggested.
The other connected the dots, Flash asking, "So...Springer has to climb this thing?" The Scrapow nodded and pointed at the tree, indicating that the first one up to it would win. He looked over and saw Scar walk over to the wall, gesturing to start the competition. Flash then helped Springer with his helmet, making sure it was good and Springer stepped up to the wall as well.
And as they stood at the wall, the Scrapow held up three fingers before beginning to countdown. "Pow...pow...pow...SCRAP!" The two started to climb, Scar doing so with such practiced precision that he barely had to look where he was placing his hands and feet.
"That Scrapow climbs like a Mankey," Pinkie commented with a glum frown.
"But what about Springer?" Spike asked next.
Springer was just barely keeping up, his eyes having to scan the wall to find the hand and footholds. Because of this, Springer began to fall behind.
"Springer!" he stopped to look down at Twilight, "Don't just focus on the next level. Look two or three levels ahead, that's make it easier." Springer nodded and glanced back up, his eyes soon seeing the route to the top.
"Riolu!" he cheered as he started climb again. His greater agility allowed him to move much quicker than Scar, his form speeding past Scar within the next few seconds.
"Pow!" Scrapow growled as the Riolu went past him, the Scrapow now redoubling his efforts. And as he did this, his followers cheered him on, making Spike, Pinkie and Peewee cheer even louder.
Doc gulped at the sight. "That's not good. I think he's starting to evolve into a Primeape."
They continued watching as the two drew ever closer to the tree, both neck and neck. It wasn't until they were a few feet away, that Scar placed his foot in a hole, only to suddenly slip. "Scrap!" It cried as it staggered backwards, making his followers all gasp as Scar started to flail his arms around. But as he did this, he stretched both forward, soon grabbing another hole to break his fall. Scar breathed a sigh of relief, only to look up and grimace at a new sight.
It was Springer, who was now sitting on one of the branches. "Riolu," Springer chuckled before pulling one of the fruits free and taking a bite out of it...only to spit it. "Ri! Riolu!" he moaned as he scratched his tongue, now seeing why the Scrapow were so grouchy. It was purely sour fruit, one that Springer already wanted to forget.
With the score now tied, everything rode on the third and final challenge...whatever that was. They soon returned to the spring, the Scrapow continuing to guard it protectively.
"So how do we decide the winner?" Flash asked Scar. "What's the final challenge?"
Scar smirked before pulling his hood up and taking a battle stance, now giving Springer a 'bring it' gesture. "Scrap."
"A battle, huh?" Flash punched his fists together, "Oh, we so got this!"
"Ri!" Springer nodded before getting into his own battle stance.
"Alright..." Doc stepped between the two, "I'll act as ref. You both ready?" Springer and Scar nodded, "then battle...begin!"
"Springer, Quick Attack!" The Riolu dashed ahead, fist ready to strike Scar's face. But as he got closer, Scar just smirked.
"Pow!" Before anyone could blink, Scar closed the distance and delivered a Sucker Punch to Springer's gut.
"Ri!" Springer staggered back, Scar hopping around as he chuckled at the blow.
"Cheap shot," Spike growled.
"He is a Dark-Type," Twilight told him with a huff. "And Dark-Type usually use underhanded tactics."
Pinkie jumped from one foot to the other, pom-poms in hand. "Come on Springer, win this!"
"Aura Sphere!" Springer tossed the ball of energy, Scar then crossing his arms to block the attack.
"Pow!" The Aura Sphere exploded as it struck, making Scar slide back a few inches. It then put its arms down before running and spinning, soon delivering a Rolling Kick to Springer's face.
"Rio..." took the hit before grabbing Scar's leg. "LU!" He spun Scar around and slammed him into the ground, making him cry out. He then used his other foot to kick Springer in the face, making the Riolu lose his grip as he staggered back.
"You okay bud?" Springer nodded as he wiped his mouth while Scar picked himself up. The two Fighting-Type Pokémon stared each other down, the respect they had gained from one another now obvious.
"Scrap," Scar told Springer, "Scrapow pow."
"Ri," Springer gestured to him before nodding, "Riolu."
Spike turned to the others. "What do you think they just agreed to?"
Pinkie shined a big grin. "Scrapow asked if Springer wanted to go a few rounds without using attacks, just fighting mono a mono with their bare fists and feet!"
The group blinked at this, but before anyone could say anything else, Springer and Scar started their fight. They both clashed with a single rush, both throwing punches and kicks at one another in relentless succession. All the two seemed to care about was hitting the other, not caring about the damage. This went on for almost a full minute, neither seeming to be willing to give up.
"This is nuts!" Spike yelled.
Pinkie tried to hide herself behind her hair. "Its scary."
Twilight gulped at this, "They could end up killing each other at this rate."
"Flash!" Doc turned to him, "You've got to call Springer back before things get to out of hand."
Flash shook his head, "I doubt Springer would stop if I told him to. He doesn't wanna give up, not after everything he did to get this far. I get the feeling he's not gonna stop until his body completely gives out, same for his opponent."
They watched as both Springer and Scar continued battering each other, both now dealing a punch right into each others faces. "Ri/Pow!" Both were thrown back and hit the ground, only to roll onto their knees as they panted.
"Springer!" Flash caught his attention, "I think the mono a mono stuff proved you're both equal in strength and skill. Let's get back to what we're best at, use Force Palm!"
"Riolu!" Springer roared as he then slammed his paw into Scar's chest, the energy surging before causing an explosion that blew Scar back.
"Scrap!" Scar hit the ground but cartwheeled back onto its feet. "Scrapow!"
"Force Palm, once more!" Springer repeated what he did, only for Scar to sidestep the attack. What they saw was a repeat of what happened with the other Scrapow, Scar grabbing Springer's arm before using Foul Play and slamming him into the ground. "Springer!"
Springer moaned as he picked himself up, only to see Scar tense up the same way he did at the end of his last battle. "Scrap..." in a fraction of a second, Scar unleashed a barrage of quick and deadly attacks. "Pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow!"
"RIO!" Springer cried as the onslaught overwhelmed him.
"Springer!" Flash yelled in horror while the others stared in shock.
And as the Close Combat ended and Scar leapt away, Springer swayed from side to side until he fell onto one knee, panting from the pain and exhaustion. "Ri...ri...riolu..."
"Springer? Are you...are you okay?" Springer looked back at Flash and nodded, though flinched as he did so. He tried to push himself back onto his feet, but his legs locked under his weight.
"This is bad. Springer's gotta be at his limit." Twilight commented with a grimace.
Doc nodded in agreement, "One more hit could end it."
Scar also realized this and prepared to end the battle with a Rolling Kick, rearing back in preparation. The Scrapow all started cheering and stomping their feet, "SCRAP-POW! SCRAP-POW! SCRAP-POW! SCRAPOW, SCRAPOW!"
Springer gulped at the sight, his body feeling so heavy that it refused to move. His only hope would be a counter. "Springer!" he heard Flash call, "Use Force Palm." Springer nodded and tried to make the proper paw shape, but a burst of pain made him clutch it into a fist.
He then looked up and saw Scar running towards him, the Scrapow now yelling, "Scrap!" Scar spun to deliver a kick, the Riolu now seeing this, and thrusted his fist forward.
"Ri!" He roared as green energy suddenly surrounded his fist. It spiraled around Springer's fist as it made contact with Scar's stomach, the force of the attack sending the Scrapow back. The blow made him lose his balance, the Pokémon now skidding across the ground.
"Ri?" Springer yelped as he looked down at his fist, only to feel a new wave of energy in him. With it, he stood up with ease, as if some of his pain as now gone. "Riolu?"
The others were just as shocked as Pinkie gasped, "What the heck just happened?"
"I think Springer just learned a new move," Twilight told her.
"Wait...haven't we seen that move?" Spike asked next.
Doc nodded. "Yes. Stone's Machamp used it."
"Drain Punch..." Flash whispered before a smile broke out on his face. "Awesome Springer! You learned how to use Drain Punch!"
"Ri!" Springer cheered as he continued to stare at his fist in amazement as Scar picked himself up.
"Pow," he leapt at Springer in preparation of using Foul Play.
"Drain Punch!" Springer sidestepped, quickly spinning and swinging his glowing fist into Scar's shoulder.
"Scrap!" Scar flinched and clutched his shoulder as he leapt back, only to see Springer take up a boxer stance and hop from side to side.
"Springer's looking way better then he did before."
Twilight nodded with a smile. "That's right Spike. Don't forget, Drain Punch saps away some of the opponents energy when it hits."
"And the stronger the hit, the more energy gets drained." Doc turned to Flash. "Since he's just learned it, Springer's only regaining a small amount of energy."
Flash smirked at this. "But it's still enough to turn the tide." He pointed at Scar, "Double Team!"
"Ri!" Springer created multiple copies of himself, all surrounding the now staggering Scar.
"Now, Aura Sphere...BARRAGE!" The Springers created a small Aura Sphere before charging at Scar, the Scrapow now unsure which was the real Springer.
"Scrap," as the army drew closer Scar tensed up, "Pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow!" He used Close Combat in an attempt to take out all the fakes, but only managed to hit about half of them. But as he did this, the barrage struck him at half force, causing him to cry out in pain.
It was here that Scar saw only one Springer remaining, the Scrapow now throwing all of his energy into one last kick and struck the Riolu in the chest. Scar smirked at Springer's pained look, only for that smirk to vanish the same way Springer did as he exploded into smoke. "Pow?"
"Ri!" Scar turned and see Springer running with a Drain Punch ready. Seeing this, Scar sweeped his leg, tripped Springer, "Lu!" Springer stumbled over, allowing the exhausted Scar the ability to leap away.
"Get back up Springer!" Flash yelled as the Scrapow cheered, "Let's end this! Drain Punch!"
"Ri!" Springer got back up, now charging at Scar. Scar did the same, both with fists ready. Time seemed to slow down as their fists made contact with their opponent's face, hitting them dead center of the cheek. The force had made Scar's hood fall back, revealing his face.
Everyone stared with baited breath for the outcome.
Both Springer and Scar flinched at the pain before opening their eyes and staring at each other. "Pow, Scrapow."
"Ri, Riolu." With that, the two pulled their fists away, staggering back before collapsing with swirls on their eyes.
"Springer!" Flash cried as he ran over to his partner, the Scrapow also now gathering around their leader.
"Looks like a tie," Doc commented as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Not the outcome I expected."
Spike turned to them, "I wonder what they said before they collapsed..."
Pinkie giggled before mimicking the position Scar had been in, "Not a bad punch." She then mimicked Springer's pose, "yours too." She then copied both by falling over as well.
Twilight giggled at this. "So you're saying they managed to win each other respect and admiration? That's great...for a bunch of muscleheads."
"Sure is," Doc chucked in agreement.
Flash picked Springer up with a smile as he came around, "You were awesome bud. Just wait, with a little more practice, your Drain Punch is gonna be awesome."
"Ri..." Springer whispered before glancing at his opponent.
Scar, who had his arms around two of his follower's necks for support, looked at him and smiled. Scar gave him a nod before removing his arms from his followers. There, he managed to hobble over to Springer, who had also gotten out of his friend's grasp. The two met in the middle before raising their fists. Everyone was scared they were gonna throw another punch, only to sigh in relief as they fist bumped.
"So...does this mean we can have some water?"
The others all laughed at Spike's question as Scar turned to the other Scrapow and gave a few orders. Several Scrapow moved over to the spring and picked up some rock bowls, quickly filling them with water before walking over to the humans. They all offered the water to them, the humans grinning as they accepted and drank the refreshments.
Flash breathed a sigh of relief, "Water never tasted so sweet." The others all hummed in agreement as they finished theirs. They weren't sure whether it was the water itself or that they had just been really thirsty, but they could agree that this water was the best they'd ever tasted.
Soon enough, all their canteens were filled to the brim and our heroes were ready to continue their trek towards the gorge's exit. The Scrapow all stood together as they prepared to send their new friends off, Springer and Scar now standing in front of the group.
"Well, its time for us to get going."
Twilight looked over their map. "There doesn't appear to be another water source in the gorge, so we really need to get out of here before we run out again."
Doc looked over her shoulder and began to calculate the amount of time needed. "With our current speed, we should reach the end by early day after tomorrow, as long as we don't get sidetracked."
Spike laughed as he put his hands behind his head. "Yeah, but what are the chances of that happening?" The others all laughed as Springer and Scar shook each other hands.
"Ri. Riolu ri."
"Scrap. Scrapow Scrap."
They pulled away as Springer rejoined his friends. There, they started to walk off as the Scrapow all beginning their cheers as our heroes waved back at them. It had certainly been a long day, but one none of them would ever forget it. A simple trip for water had ended in Springer learning Drain Punch and gaining the respect of a new friend. One can only wonder what adventures await our heroes in the final leg of their journey through the Ghastly Gorge. You'll just have to stay tuned to find out.