//------------------------------//
// Rock Solid Family 
// Story: Pokémon: Harmony and Chaos 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

Continuing their journey through the Equestria Region, Flash and his friends are now on a road leading to the City of Baltimare. Here, our heroes are currently climbing to the top of a rocky hill, soon seeing they had arrived at their destination.

"There it is!" Pinkie cried in joy at the sight of her hometown. The others all went wide-eyed at the sight, amazed at how colorful it was as each building was a different bright color. Red, yellow, blue, orange, green, indigo and so on.

Flash started blinking, "Wow...looking at it kinda hurts my eyes."

"Yeah!" Pinkie nodded with a huge grin, "That doesn't go away..."

Twilight turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you said your hometown was 'total dullsville'?"

"Oh, it is. You have no idea how hard it was to get them to agree to painting the place."

"You did that?!" Doc gasped, Pinkie nodding back.

"Cool..." Spike added.

"Terra," Peewee nodded in agreement.

Pinkie giggled at the praise. "Thanks. So, ready to see my hometown? What do you wanna see first?"

Flash pointed to himself, "That's easy. Let's get to the Gym and get me my Gym Badge." He and Springer then raised their legs to start moving, only for someone to grab the back of his jacket.

"Hold it!" Twilight yelled as she pulled him back, Flash barely able to stop from falling on his rear.

Flash frowned back at the girl, "What?!"

Twilight pointed a single finger to his face. "One, you need to go to the Pokémon Center and make sure your team is psychically ready for a tough battle." She raised a second finger. "Two, the Gym Leader might not be able to battle you right away." She finally showed a third finger. "And three...this is Pinkie's home, so don't you think she'll want to go see her family?!"

Flash just growled at her, huffing, "Damn your logic. Fine, we'll go to Pinkie's house first."

"YAY!" Pinkie cheered with a jump, "Thanks Flash! And don't worry, the Gym's right next door to my place."

This caused all of them to raise an eyebrow. "It is?"

"Of course, silly. Don't all Gym Leaders live in or near their Gym?"

The confusion began to fade, only to be replaced with shock as Doc asked, "Pinkie, are you...related to the Gym Leader?"

Pinkie tilted her head with a small frown. "Well of course I am! We're sisters after all." The blank looks that appeared on everyone's face told the girl what the problem was. "Wait, did I forget to tell you that?" The six all nodded, making her giggle. "Silly me." This caused her friends to all anime fall, "sorry about that."

Flash was the first to recover before grabbing Pinkie's arms. "Pinkie, what's your sister like?! Is she strong?!"

Pinkie shined a giant grin, nodding, "Sure is. The strongest trainer I know." She booped him on the nose, "You ain't gonna get her Quartz Badge easily."

"We'll see about that," Flash told her as the other picked themselves up. "Come on, let's get to Pinkie's house."

"Right!"

And so, Pinkie led them into the town. It was here that they realized what Pinkie meant, as there was just basic buildings despite the different colors. No festivals, marketplaces or anything. It wasn't until they were halfway through the town that Twilight asked Pinkie where her home was, causing her to giggle once again. "It's on the other side of town, right on the edge. If it was any further away, it'd be outside the town."

"Why?" Spike asked, causing Pinkie's hair slightly deflate.

"Well, my family isn't what you'd call...social."

"Really?" Everyone asked in surprise, their faces now starting to get tired of being surprised.

"Yeah," Pinkie nodded, "But that's okay. They're usually pretty busy, so they don't have a lot of free time to hang around and make friends."

"What is it that your family does?" Twilight asked next.

"They run a special preserve for Rock-Type Pokémon. They're all experts with that Type, my sister Maud even having a rocktorate."

"A what?!" Flash yelped, making Twilight giggled.

"It's a special doctorate that means you're qualified to treat Rock-Type Pokémon. Kinda like Nurse Redheart, only you aren't allowed to treat any non Rock-Types."

It was here that the group arrived on the side of the town, soon reaching what looked liked the pure opposite of Baltimare City's colorful paint job. Where the city was colorful, this place was, to use Pinkie's phrase, dullsville. It was a large wooden house with a basic fence around the edge, along with a silo and windmill near it. The only unusual thing about the place was the giant rock beside the house, but aside from that, it was just an ordinary farm like area.

"Well, there it is." She smiled before running on the spot, "it's so good to be home!" With that, she hopped around, yelling, "HEY! ANYONE THERE?! IT'S ME, PINKIE!"

The group then hopped in place as the house's main door opened, revealing a quartet of individuals. The first was a middle aged man wearing a white shirt under a black vest and tie, a black hat atop his head. The second was a middle aged woman wearing a black checkered suit, her hair up in a bun and half-moon glasses on her nose. Then there was a pair of teen girls, the first wearing a gruff expression with grayish blue skin and short light gray hair, wearing a dark gray shirt and black pants. The other girl had light gray skin and long dark gray hair that covered half of her face, and was wearing a gray dress over a black shirt.

"Pinkamena," the man spoke in a simple tone, "You have returned."

Pinkie squeed as she threw her arms around his neck and squished her cheek into his, "Hiya! Love you dad!" She did the same with the middle aged woman, who also seemed slightly indifferent about her being there, before moving onto the teens. "Hey sis!"

The gruff looking one folded her arms. "You could have called before showing up."

"Silly Limestone. Then it wouldn't be a surprise, duh!" Pinkie turned to the last one, patting her on her head. "You doing okay Marble?"

The girl tried to hide behind her hair and nodded, "Mm-hmm." She then looked at the newcomers, only to try to hide even harder behind her hair.

Pinkie looked back at her friends. "Everyone, meet four-sixths of the Pie family. My mom and Dad, Cloudy Quartz and Igneous Rock Pie."

"Hello," Twilight said as the other waved.

Pinkie pointed at her sisters. "And this is Limestone and Marble, my older and twin sister." She turned back to the others, "These are my friends who I met. Flash is here to earn his third Gym Badge."

Hearing this made Limestone scoff, quickly walking up to get right in Flash's face, making the boy almost backpedal. "So, you think you can beat Maud, huh?"

"Err..." Flash mumbled out, "I guess so?"

"Ha!" Limestone pulled away with a huge smirk on her face, "Not very confident, are you? She'll eat you up with ease!"

"I am confident," Flash barked back. "I was just a little uncomfortable with you right in my face!"

Limestone laughed again. "If you can't handle little old me, how you gonna stand up to Maud?"

Flash started to growl, now leaning up to stare at her in the face, "I'll show you how I can stand up to her. Take me to her!"

"Yeah...where is Maud anyway?" Pinkie asked her parents.

Quartz spoke up next, "She is currently tending to a sick Sudowoodo."

"Hello everyone, who are these new people?" They all turned to the new voice, now seeing a girl around Doc's age walk out of some trees. She had gray skin and purple hair, and was wearing a long dark blue dress. She blinked at the new arrivals, and the moment she saw her sister, her lips curved up ever so slightly. "Pinkie, it's good to see you."

"MAUD!" Pinkie seemed to warp from her original spot to right next to Maud, throwing her arms around the girl. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"And I'm happy to see you," Maud said in an almost bored tone.

The whole family dynamic made the teens just look at them in pure confusion. And as their brains tried to comprehend how different they were from Pinkie, Flash shook his head before going over to Maud. "Hey there, I'm Flash Sentry." Springer took this moment to call out, which made Flash point to his partner. "And this is Springer." He bowed next, "I'd like to challenge you to a Gym Battle."

If Maud was surprised by this, she didn't show it. "Very well, but it'll have to be tomorrow." She and Pinkie moved over to the rest of their family. "My Pokémon are still recuperating from a particularly hard battle we had several days ago."

"Really?!" Pinkie gasped, "Was the challenger that strong?!"

"Indeed."

"He and his Sharazor were vicious," Limestone commented next. "They totally swept Maud's entire team like they were nothing."

"Mm-hmm," Marble added, nodding.

"Sharazor?" Flash yelped, making him show a grim frown, "This trainer wasn't named Lightning, was he?!"

This made Maud actually barely raise an eyebrow, "You know him?"

"Yeah...I do." Flash growled, a dark expression gracing his face.

This made the others all sigh, Spike speaking up. "So he used the Sharazor we weakened for him to get a badge? That's low."

Doc shook his head. "Even so, he didn't do anything wrong."

Twilight tapped her feet in irritation, "Even so, it worries me that that kind of trainer is growing more and more powerful." This got the others to nod as Flash turned back to Maud.

"So, when are you gonna be ready to battle?"

Maud slowly blinked. "Tomorrow should be good. They've been properly healed up for a while, so giving them a day to prepare should be enough."

Flash nodded back, "Sounds good to me."

It was here that Spike turned and saw a giant rock near the house, making him start to go up to it. That is, till Limestone yelled, "Hey! Keep away from Holder's Boulder!"

"Huh? Holder's Boulder?"

Pinkie giggled as she skipped over to the rock and leaned against it. "This is Holder's Boulder, our family's relic."

"Relic? It's a...rock."

"This is no ordinary rock," Igneous explained next as he went up and patted the giant boulder. "Generations ago, it was forged in a confrontation between Regirock, Terrakion and Diancie."

"Those are...Legendary Rock-Type Pokémon," Twilight gasped, putting her hands over her mouth.

Pinkie motioned them to come closer, which they did. "Here, touch it."

"Pinkie!"

"Oh, lighten up sis. They won't break it." She turned back to them. "Go on, put your hand on it." The group look confused by this, but did as they were told. As soon as their skin touched the rock, a strange tingling flew into them.

"How odd..." Twilight commented as she pulled her hand back.

"Its giving me goosebumps," Spike added.

"Some kind of energy is sealed within this rock," Doc theorised before turning to the Pies. "You said it was forged in a battle between the three legendaries?"

The Pies all nodded as Maud started talking. "We don't know all the details, but its said that the final attack was a three-way collision of their most powerful Rock-Type attacks. They collided and created this boulder, which contained part of the three's power. That power seems to act as a magnet to Rock-Types, making them come to it and be highly relaxed. That's why we created this sanctuary, so the Rock Pokémon can have a place to live in peace."

"Incredible...." Twilight gasped again. "You must have a lot of Rock-Types here."

"Mm-hmm," Marble nodded.

"You wanna see?" Pinkie asked, the others all nodding in reply. "Then come on," she started skipping into the woods with the others following after. And as they left, three beings were watching them.

"Well, well, well," a voice said from behind a cluster of rocks. The owner was Big Score, who was smiling at the giant rock as his lackeys stepped out beside them. "Ain't it our lucky day. We come to steal a bunch of Pokémon. and instead we learn we can actually make them come to us."

"We can?" Rickashay asked next.

"Weren't you listening?! That giant rock over there is our ticket to easy street! If we take it, the Rock Pokémon will come to us. And if they're telling the truth about it making them docile, then capturing them will be a cake walk."

Rickashay smiled as he caught on. "Awesome! Why try and steal something that can fight back when you can take just a rock."

"Exactly! Though....our only problem will be those kids. I tell you, it's like some higher power is drawing us all together." Score rubbed his chin. "Hmmm...eh, it doesn't matter. My plan for our escape is foolproof. Boulder," he turned to the silent criminal, "Get the Big Score One ready for take off." Boulder only nodded in agreement.





Pinkie had now led the group through the trees to an area filled with many rocks, and even more Pokémon. There were Geodude, Bonsly, Roggenrola, Rhyhorn, Shuckle, Dwebble, Rockruff, Crawlder, Torpeller and some of their evolved forms. Some of the bigger ones were relaxing while the smaller ones played. Others were slamming themselves into rocks, either to train or as some form of chipping off damaged pieces of their bodies. Everyone gasped at the sight, all amazed at the amount of Rock-Types.

"Look at them all," Spike gasped, Peewee nodding in agreement.

Twilight nodded, "I agree. I've never seen this many different Rock-Types in one place."

"That's because a lot of wild Rock-Type Pokémon tend to be very territorial." Doc kneeled down and patted a Roggenrola as it passed, the little Rock Pokémon seeming to have no issue with it. "Having them all in the same spot like this without issue is a rarity indeed. That Holder's Boulder energy must be something else."

"You are right when you said that most Rock-Types are territorial," Maud told them. "Due to many of them needing to consume large deposits of clay or mineral ore, they usually defend what little they can find."

"That isn't a problem here?" Flash asked, to which Maud shook her head.

"For whatever reason, this whole area constantly develops and quickly replenishes whatever is consumed. An Onix could eat the area clean and twelve hours later, it would be restocked with everything these Pokémon need to survive."

Both Doc and Twilight went wide-eyed, Twilight gasping, "Incredible. Regularly, that would take forever to come back."

Doc blinked at the Gym Leader. "You think it has something to do with Holder's Boulder?"

Maud slowly turned her head to him, the look on her face completely unchanged. "I don't know. It may be that, or it may be that the ground in this area is special. It's just one of the great mysteries that may never be revealed, but that's alright."

"It is?" Twilight yelped, almost insulted at those words. "But...but..."

"As long as the ground continues to replenish the food for the Pokémon, finding out how it works isn't important." The stoic young woman interrupted as she walked over to a nearby Rhyhorn while Pinkie threw her arms around Flash and Twilight's necks.

"Ooh, she really likes you guys."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this. "How can you tell?"

Pinkie mirrored his expression, "What do you mean?"

Twilight sighed and shook her head. "He means that your sister is very...well, unreadable. She only seems to have that one expression."

"She does?" They turned to Pinkie's sister and watched as she began brushing the Rhyhorn, her expression completely unchanged. "Well obviously you'd think that. After all, she's been happy from the moment you met."

Flash rolled his eyes, "Again, how can you tell? She hasn't smiled once."

"Silly Flashie. Just because someone's not smiling, doesn't meant they aren't happy. Everyone has they own way of showing joy."

"If you say so," Flash grumbled as he crossed his arms. "But if she's like this when we battle, it's not gonna be a lot of fun."

Pinkie just giggled at this. "Just wait until you see her in battle. She'll knock your socks off." She got behind Flash and started pushing him. "Come on Flashie, just try getting to know her, then you'll see how amazing she is."

"Alright, alright. Just quit...shoving." He jumped away from the cotton candy girl and walked up to Maud, right as she continued whatever she was doing with the Rhyhorn. "So...what's up?"

"The sky," Maud replied without looking up from her work.

Flash opened his mouth, only for no sound to come out, "I uh...I mean, what's going on? Is this Rhyhorn alright?" Maud stopped her brushing and pointed to the spot she had been working on, Flash looking down to see something outlined against it's rock-like skin. "A tiny scratch?"

"It's only tiny now. But without proper treatment, it can lead too many problems. If dirt, sand and any other kind of debris gets inside, then every time it moves, it will move and scratch the inside."

"Huh..." Flash replied, his mind now getting a mental image of the tiny scratch getting bigger on the inside while the outside looked the same, followed by an image of Springer hitting it in a battle, causing the hollowed out spot to break into a large hole. "I guess I never thought about it like that."

"Don't feel bad. Hardly anyone ever does." She put the brush into her pocket before pulling out a band-aid, which she placed on the Rhyhorn's scratch. "There, that should do it." She patted the Rhyhorn, "Try not to scrape that spot too much." The Rhyhorn nodded with a gentle roar before walking off.

Flash blinked at the sight, surprised at the gentle sounds, "You're really good with Rock-Types."

"I didn't get a rocktorate because I can shred on guitar like no one else," Maud replied as she got up, only for Flash's brain to click at her words, causing his sides to split in laughter.

And as his laughter stopped, he then asked, "So, why did you decide to get this...rocktorate? I mean, why do you find Rock-Type's so much more interesting than any other type? Was it just because your family runs this sanctuary?"

"Probably, though Pinkie and I share parents and she doesn't have as much of an interest."

"Good point."

"I've just always had this keen connection with Rock-Types. For as long as I could remember, they've always fascinated me. It also helps that we have a lot in common, mostly with how others see us."

"Come again?"

"A lot of people see Rock-Types as the weakest of the eighteen Pokémon types simply because it's weak to so many other types. Many trainers seek out Rock-Type Gyms as their first or second challenge because they think it'll be an easy challenge." Flash thought about that, remembering them to be weak to many types, those being Water, Grass, Fighting, and Steel. "Then there's the fact a lot of Rock-Types tend to be combined with Ground-Type, which it shares a lot of weakness with and gains even more from it." Despite her unchanging face, Flash could tell she was annoyed by this.

"So, you think they're wrong?"

"They are wrong. Rock Pokémon aren't just strong, they are one of the strongest types around." She turned to him, her expression still the same, "Let me ask you. In this world, what do you think was the first type to appear?"

"Err...well, since Arceus created the world...whatever type that one is."

"Arceus didn't appear in this world, so it doesn't count. But to go with where you were going, think back to when Arceus first created this world. In its earliest days, the world was made up of solid rock. Over time, water began to appear and that lead to the creation of other types. But before that, their existed only pure rock, meaning the Pokémon that evolved to adapt to that environment incorporated that into their bodies and created the first type. The Rock-Type. It predates any other type in this world. And while other types have come and likely gone, it has remained to this day. That is why the Rock-Type is the strongest, because though it might lose in battle to many other types, it will win in the ultimate contest. The contest of survival."

As the information Maud told him settled into his brain, Flash remembered something Twilight once said: all Pokémon revived from fossils were Rock-Types. That meant that the type must have been the dominant one millions of years ago. He then remembered what else Maud has said about the Rock-Type, making him hazard a guess that she was talking about how people viewed her due to her attitude. Considering he had done the exact same thing, he frowned as he rubbed the back of his neck. "That's why you opened your Gym, isn't it?"

Maud nodded. "I wanted to prove that the Rock-Type was one to respect. And I think I've been able to accomplish that task, as many trainers who come here looking for a quick victory end up running to the Pokémon Center crying."

The two then came across a Rockruff as it battered a round rock with its paw, looking annoyed as if it wasn't doing what it wanted it to. Maud crouched down before pulling out a small pick, which she used the smash the rock in half. Flash went wide-eyed as he saw that the inside of the rock was a beautiful array of shimmering crystals, which the Rockruff smiled at before beginning the gnaw at them. Maud looked back, noticing his amazed look. "Sometimes you need to look underneath something's surface, to see it's true beauty."

"Yeah...I guess you do."





Meanwhile...

Pinkie had now taken Twilight and the others to a spot at the very back of her family's estate. She explained that she was taking them to her favorite spot of the sanctuary, only to confuse them when they arrived. "We're here!" She cheered while the others just blinked at the sight, not seeing anything different from the other parts of the sanctuary. Actually, there was one thing that looked different was just a small pond, being a six foot circle with a bit of grass around the edges.

"Uhhh, Pinkie? What about this place makes it so special?"

"That's easy Twily," Pinkie replied before taking out a Pokeball, opened to unleash a red light into the pond. Seconds later, the water broke as Gummy floated up to the surface. Pinkie giggled as she knelt down next. "This is where me and Gummy first met."

"It is?"

Pinkie nodded as she reached out and patted the Gumigator on the head. "I remember it like it was yesterday. I had just finished all my chores and had wandered over here to relax." She then looked around before whispering, "Don't tell the rest of my family, but I used to think Pokémon were boring."

"Really?!" Doc gasped, "Why?!"

"Well, it was before Maud opened her gym, so I only ever got to see Rock-Type Pokémon. And while they're alright, having only them around got super boring over time. But then, on that day, I passed by this pond and it happened."

Years ago...

A younger, flat-haired Pinkie was kicking a rock around the edge of the pond, only to accidently kick it into the water. After watching it sink, she sighed before sitting on her knees. "Aww..."

But as the sigh finished, the sound of the water breaking made her look up. There, she saw a Gumigator's head poke out of the pond. She stared at the little guy for a while, having never seen anything like it before. She then watched as the Gumigator swim to the edge before opening its mouth, its tongue extending. She looked at the tip of its tongue and saw that the tongue had the rock she had kicked. Tilting her head at this, she took it back, the tongue snapping back instantly. Pinkie giggled at the sight, deciding she liked this Pokémon. Then the next thing she knew, it shot out a stream of water that struck her in the face.

She cried out and jumped up as the Gumigator stopped, allowing her to shake the water off her head. Doing so caused it to go poofy, making her look and see her reflection in the water, which caused her to giggle even more before breaking out into full-on laughter.

The Present...

"Ever since then, I've loved Pokémon that have a funny quirk to them. They just make me feel...happy." The others al smiled at this, now seeing what had caused Pinkie to go out on her journey. But as they started enjoying the area, the sound of a howl made them turn to see a group of Lycanroc looking in the same direction in concern. "Huh?!"





"What's going on?" Flash asked as he and Maud watched the other Rock-Types all shivered, all looking around in panic. Flash turned to Maud and hopped in place, now seeing for the first time, pure concern on her face.

"I...don't know." She then sprinted off, Flash in hot pursuit. They were soon joined by the rest of their friends and the Pie Family, all heading in the direction that the Lycanroc had been staring at. The Pie Family home.





When the group arrived back at the house, what they saw made them raise an eyebrow. Holder's Boulder was inside a net fifteen feet in the air, being lifted by a...hot air balloon. "What the heck?!" Flash yelped as they looked up at the basket, the heads of three figures leaning over the basket's edge.

"Long time, no see," Big Score called down.

"You three?!" Spike yelled out.

The Pies turned to them as Igneous asked, "You know these three miscreants?"

Twilight growled back. "Sadly, yes."

Doc nodded in agreement, "We've had the unfortunate pleasure of running into them several times."

"That's right," Score barked back. "And this time, you won't be stopping up."

Limestone, extremely ticked, screamed at the trio, "What do you think you're doing with Holder's Bolder?! Put it down before you break it!"

"Oh, I don't think so," Score spat back. "This bad boy is our ticket to catching every Rock-Type under the sun!"

"Put it down!" Limestone repeated, "Put it down now!"

"We're warning you!"

Score, Rickashay and Boulder all laughed as the balloon floated higher. "What can you do? We're up here and you're down there."

Flash growled as he pulled out his Pokeball, "Don't say we didn't warn you. Skyler, come out and use Quick Attack!" He tossed the ball into the air to release the Chickling, who took flight like a bullet.

The criminals' eyes went wide as Skyler raced into the sky, making them look up as he struck the balloon and tore right through the fabric. "Oh no!" The basket and rock began to fall, Pinkie and Doc pulling out their Pokeballs at the same time.

"Steeledge/Bloxx, GO!" They released their Pokémon and the two soon acted, Steeledge flying up to Holder's Boulder to cut the rope. He then grabbed the rope still tied around the rock and started flapping, slowing it down just enough so Bloxx could extend his waist and grab it. They all sighed in relief as they watched Bloxx morph into a slide and allowed the rock to roll down to safety.

Meanwhile, the basket slammed into the earth and broke apart as its occupants flopped into the ground. "How?!" Score yelled, "How could my genius escape plan fail?!"

The others all glared at him, as if asking 'are you serious?' as Twilight deadpanned, "How?! Seriously?! You tried to escape...in a hot air balloon."

Spike nodded in agreement, "Seriously, what kind of criminal thinks a hot air balloon is a good escape plan?"

Score growled as he picked himself up. "Fine!" he pulled out his Pokeball, "I'll just take you all down and take the damn rock. Jesterror!" The young clown Pokémon appeared, a sinister smile on its face.

"Stompice/Spikorn, let's go!" The two lackeys unleashed their Pokémon as they appeared besides Jesterror, Springer now jumping up to the front as Skyler, Steeledge and Bloxx stood beside him.

"Let's do this! Springer and Skyler use Quick Attack!" His Pokémon ran at mach speed and struck Stompice and Spikorn, pushing them away from Jesterror as Steeledge and Bloxx charged ahead.

"Slash!" Score ordered, Jesterror's glowing claws reached out of its sleeves to try slashing the two.

Pinkie pointed at Bloxx, "Block it!" The building block gorilla's arm morphed into a shield, which Jesterror's claws bounced off. "Now, Knock off!" With its other arm, he threw a strong punch into Jesterror's stomach.

"Drill Peck!" Steeledge took this moment to spin, trying to burrow into Jesterror.

At the same time, Springer and Skyler charged at their opponents, "Drain Punch and Steel Wing!" Springer thrusted his glowing fist into Spikorn, sucking its energy as Skyler slashed at Stompice with his metallic wing. The two slid back in pain, the trainers frowning.

"Stompice, Ice Beam!" The icy Pokémon opened its mouth as a burst of ice cold lightning shot out, striking Skyler as he cried out, making him feel freezer-burn overtake him.

"Rock Blast!" Spikorn's top horn glowed before launching a volley of projectiles at Springer, who jumped from spot to spot to avoid them.

"Double Team!" Flash ordered, the two nodding before they both multiplied themselves. "Quick Attack!" The Skylers began fly at high speed, all swarming them like insects. The two growled as they tried to knock them away, only for them to all disappear to reveal a Springer army rushing with Aura Spheres in their paws. "Now, Aura Sphere Barrage!" With a single thrust, an explosion followed, sending both back easily.

"No!" Rickashay screamed, Boulder growling at the same time.

"Dark Pulse!" Jesterror brought his hands together before thrusting them into a kamehameha pose, unleashing a flurry of dark energy rings that flew at Bloxx and Steeledge.

"Block Buster!" Bloxx's arms morphed into the cannons and fired a barrage of building blocks, all colliding with the Dark Pulse before exploding. And before either Pokémon could react, Steeledge soared out of the smoke, inches away from Jesterror.

"Steel Wing!" Flying past Jesterror and at high speed, Steeledge caught the clown on its wing and smacked it away with ease.

"That's the way!" Spike cheered.

Limestone smirked at the sight, "I gotta say, that Flash guy's not half bad. But Pinkie's really gotten better since leaving..." She turned to Maud, "Wouldn't you say sis?"

Maud slowly nodded, "Yes, her skills have grown. But she hasn't won this battle yet..."

Score growled at the sight, "Oh no you don't, not this time." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a remote, which he pressed as the remains of the balloon's underside opened up. The others caught sight of this, but before they could even ask what it was, several nets flew out of the basket.

"Look out!" Twilight cried, but it was too late.

The nets hit each of the battling Pokémon and wrapped them up, only to then unleash a powerful jolt of electricity, zapping all of them. "Springer, Skyler!" Flash yelled as he tried to run to his Pokémon, only for a Dark Pulse, Ice Beam and Rock Blast to fly past him, forcing him to leap back.

"I don't think so," Score joked as he and his minions walked up to their Pokémon. "Now give it up before I decide to up the volts."

"You cowards!" Limestone yelled as Marble hid behind her.

"Who cares. Winning's all that counts. What's it matter on how you do it?"

Flash growled, only to notice someone walk past him. It was Maud, her stoic expression still lingering on her face. "The fact you decided to prepare a contingency like this shows what little respect you have in yourself and your Pokémon. You're truly pathetic."

Score frowned at the girl's nonchalant attitude. "Who are you to judge me?"

"I am Maud Pie," she closed her eyes as she pulled a Pokeball out. "Leader of the Baltimare City Gym." Her eyes reopened, only to now show a look of determination and seriousness. "And I will not allow you to do this!" This sudden change of attitude startled everyone except Maud's own family. "Spikorn, let's rock!" She tossed the ball before unleashing its red energy, which reshaped to reveal her Pokémon.

"Spikorn!" It cried as it readied itself for battle.

"She's got a Spikorn too!" Spike said in awe.

Twilight nodded. "Let's hope this one's stronger than theirs."

Score turned to Boulder, "There's no way yours is weaker! Take her down!"

Boulder nodded as he pointed at his Spikorn, "Slam!" His Spikorn scuttled ahead, ready to slash Maud's with its horn.

"Look out!" Flash told the Gym Leader, but she ignored him.

"Rock Polish," she said calmly. Her Spikorn remained in place as thin blue lightning began to spark around it as Boulder's Spikorn reached her. Maud's then raised its head and blocked Boulder's horn, the two pushing at each other until Boulder's Spikorn leapt back.

Boulder growled at this, "Rock Throw!" Several stones appeared around it, all soon flying at Maud's.

"Rock Polish," Maud repeated before her Spikorn was surrounded by lightning again. Seconds later, it started swinging its horn through the air, knocking the stones away. "Now, Rock Rush!" The lightning continued to spark as her Spikorn's body glowed, only to vanish in the blink of an eye, appearing in front of Boulder's Spikorn, striking it with ease.

"Wow!" Spike yelled in amazement, "Check out the speed!"

Doc nodded in agreement. "Rock Rush is a move that gets stronger if the user's speed increases."

"That's why she used Rock Polish to boost its speed," Twilight added.

Flash watched in amazement. "She really is amazing."

"Told cha," Pinkie said with a giant smile.

Score just growled at the sight, now seeing Boulder's Spikorn land at their feet with swirls in its eyes. "Jesterror, Shadow Sneak!" The clown ran at the Spikorn before morphing into a shadow, morphing into the ground. But as he did this, the rock beetle hopped back, barely dodging the Pokémon's leaping out of the darkness.

"Stomp!" Stompice leapt into the air above it, gravity forcing one of his feet into the Spikorn.

"Rock Polish!" More lightning appeared around her Spikorn as it leapt out of the way, dodging the now crater appearing Stompice. "Rock Rush, again!" The stone beetle's body once again glowed, only to seemingly warp right next to Stompice, body checking it.

"Pice!" It cried as it staggered back, soon tripping.

Score let out a roar, steam blasting out of his nostrils. "Blast it! Use Slash Jesterror!"

"Jest!" Jesterror ran up to Spikorn and started slashing, only to hit the air as Spikorn's increased speed allowed him to dodge every blow with ease. "Terror!" It unleashed on final swipe, but Spikorn simply leapt back.

"Let's finish this," Maud told her Pokémon. "Shockwave!"

"Spike!" It replied as electricity surged around its body before travelling to the ends of its horns. Then between the top and lower horn, a ball of lightning appeared before shooting out a thunderbolt. The thunderbolt flew through the air, zapping the clown Pokémon as it was thrown back.

Stompice had just picked itself up when it saw Jesterror flying to it, but it was too late. The clown hit him, spreading the remaining electricity through him as well. The two then landed beside Boulder's Spikorn, spirals now in their eyes. The three criminals looked down at their defeated Pokémon before turning to their opponents, all gulping as they saw the next sight. As they had been focusing on Maud, they hadn't noticed the others had gotten to their Pokémon freed from the nets. Now Springer, Skyler, Steeledge and Bloxx stood beside Spikorn, ready to make them pay.

"Well...uh...." Score returned Jesterror, "we'll just be...going." The other two nodded before returning their Pokémon, then slowly spinning around.

"Oh, I don't think so! Aura Sphere and Gust!"

"Air Slash!"

"Block Buster!"

The four unleashed their attacks, all soaring at twice the speed the three were going. It then collided into the trio, an explosion soon rocking the Pie family home as they were sent hurtling into the air.

"Anyone else thing we should just avoid those kids at all cost?" Rickashay asked, making Boulder nod.

"No way!" Score screamed, "The next time I see those brat's I'll make them pay. You hear me you twerps? Nothing will stop me from getting my revenge! Not one blasted thing!" With that, the three disappeared into the horizon.





Back on the ground, the Pies were looking over Holder Boulder, soon glad to see it was intact without a scratch. "That's one tough rock," Flash commented as he rubbed his chin at the sight.

"All rocks are tough in their own unique way," Maud told him as she changed back to her inexpressive persona. "It's one of the reasons I love them so much."

"Got that right," Flash added, only to then feel Pinkie lean up against his shoulder.

"So Flashy, now that you've seen how strong my sister is, you scared?"

Flash just chuckled at this, "I'm not scared. I'm psyched!"

His friends all smirked, as if expecting this, while the Pies looked surprised as Limestone asked, "You are?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want that badge if the battle to get it was easy. This is gonna be a challenge, meaning the badge is worth getting." He shined a giant grin, "I'm so excited."

"I too am excited," Maud said as she held out her hand. "To a commendable battle." Flash nodded as he took the hand, shaking it.

No doubt their battle tomorrow would be an epic one. But can Flash come out on top and earn the Quartz Badge? You'll have to stay tuned to find out.