The Hoof Cup's first round had come to an end. Flash, Twilight, Doc, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, Lightning and Thunderbass had made it through, earning the right to battle in the next round tomorrow. And now that the first round was over, the audience members began to head out of the stadium. Some would be returning home, while others had gotten rooms at hotels, while the competitors were all still in the stadium. They had attempted to leave, but had been blocked from the exit by every professional trainer's worst nightmare...the paparazzi.
"Excuse me?" As reporter asked as the hallway was filled with the flashing camera lights, "Can we get a quick word with one of you?"
"Uhh..." was all Flash could mutter out as the others closed their eyes.
"Ooh!" Rarity exclaimed as she and Trixie began posing for the cameras. "Make sure to get my...oh, who am I kidding?! Every side's my best side!"
"Can I ask what publications these will be going in?" Trixie asked next.
However, the photographer's began pointing their cameras around the two. "Sorry, but we're only interested in the trainers who made it to the next round."
"Yeah! Out of the way! Our readers don't want to see images of losers."
"LOSERS?!" Rarity and Trixie screamed, the fury on their faces making the group backpedal in fear. But before the two could do something that might get them arrested, a cough made everyone turn to see Celestia and Luna walking up to them.
The two growled at the paparazzi as Celestia stepped up to the crowd, "Please don't bother or insult our competitors. They're obviously all tired after their challenging battles, and you lot hounding them isn't gonna make recovery any easier."
Luna crossed her arms as a death glare appeared in her eyes, "Indeed. They'll be having a lot more tough battles tomorrow, so they need their rest." She then turned to the still fuming Trixie and Rarity before shooting another glare at the reporters, "And I'm sure you just misspoke when you called these two young ladies losers. Just because they were defeated doesn't give you all the right to call them that. I'd like to see you give such a spectacular show as they did in their battles."
The paparazzi did a long gulp, sweating pouring down their faces as they now saw everyone glaring at them, even the other trainers. Pulling their collars, one of them spoke up, "Of course it was a misspoke! We called them...err...bruisers! Yeah, that's right! Bruisers!"
"It's reporter slang," another squeaked out, "For super strong trainers. Our readers wouldn't want to read about them because...uh..."
"It's more fun to read about the underdogs!" a third one finished. "Reading about such obvious winners is so boring. They want to read about those whose victories would be unexpected." The others all nodded in agreement, obviously trying to save their skin.
Celestia and Luna both smirked at this as they turned around, "Very well, you're forgiven this time. Now get out of here before we decide to have security come and throw you out."
"THANK YOU!" The reporters all cried before running off, completely disappearing in a cloud of escaping smoke.
Twilight turned to her mentor and her sister. "Thank you. If you hadn't stepped in, that could have gotten messy."
"No problem," Celestia replied while Luna continued to glare down the hall.
"Parasites. The whole lot of them."
Flash leaned over to Celestia and whispered, "What's her problem?"
Celestia just giggled. "She's had a grudge against reporters ever since one of them took a picture of her at a fundraiser, showing her frowning."
"I wasn't frowning! I had simply been smiling all day and was resting my cheeks when that blasted parasite took the picture!" Everyone suddenly imagined Luna at a party with a big fake grin on her face, only to then stop as her picture was taken. This made them break out laughing, causing Luna to let out a low hiss. "I hate you all..."
"Oh stop it Luna, you know they mean no harm." Celestia said with a roll of her eyes, "Anyways, we came to congratulate you all on an amazing job well done. Even though some of you lost your battles, you should feel proud at how well you fought. It's clear that you've all trained your Pokémon with love, dedication and care." She then did a small sigh, "Well...most of you."
Everyone frowned, knowing who she was talking about. "Lightning..." Flash whispered at the memory of his rival's battle.
"To battle in such a way," Luna grumbled as they began heading down the corridor to leave the stadium. "It was obvious the two of them were not working as a team. There is no friendship there, only one person giving orders and the other taking them."
"Everyone has their own style of battle Luna. To some, friendship isn't something they feel is necessary for gaining strength. To them, Pokémon are nothing but tools to do battle with." Everyone frowned at that, some even hugging their Pokémon. They couldn't imagine not being friends with their Pokémon, especially after everything they'd been through together. "The same can be said for the Pokémon," everyone looked up at Celestia as they saw a long frown appear on her face. "To them, having a trainer is simply a shortcut to becoming stronger. Something that many of you probably know, the Pokémon trained by a trainer will always grow stronger then it would if it were wild."
"Why?" Rainbow asked immediately.
"No one really knows why," Luna replied while shaking her head. "It's one of the many mysteries that researchers like us are trying to solve. It's been proven through many experiments that the states of a Pokémon raised by a trainer will be higher than one that lives in the wild. One researcher even used a pair of twin Pokémon hatched on the very same day to test this. One was given to a trainer to raise, while the other was left in the wild. At the end of the experiment, the trainer and his Pokémon battled its sibling and despite being the same age and level, the trained sibling won."
Celestia nodded as they arrived outside of the stadium. "Over the generations since Pokémon trainers came into existence, wild Pokémon have come to realize this and many actually try to find themselves trainers so they can grow stronger. When they find trainers, they battle against them to decide if they're worthy of training them. But even if they are captured, that doesn't mean they accept the trainer as their friend. To them, the trainer's just a tool to get stronger. In fact, there have been many instances of certain Pokémon leaving their trainers to join one that they think will make them stronger."
"That's so sad..." Fluttershy whimpered.
"I wonder if that's how Lightning got any of his Pokémon?" Spike asked next.
"I suspect his Higear probably chose to go with him like that," Doc replied with a slight grumble. "It never was the friendly type."
Flash bit his lip at this. "His Geckoxic was probably caught against its will, but after seeing us, it probably decided to stick with Lightning so it could get strong enough to get its revenge on me and Viper."
"It's really hard to know for sure," Celestia added. "Being captured doesn't take away a Pokémon's free will, so if it wanted to leave, it would. The fact that all of Lightning's Pokémon haven't tried to escape show they actually want to have him train them."
"Or he just brow beat them into obeying," Spike growled below his breath as they arrived at the Pokémon Center. As they approached the door, it opened to reveal the very person they were talking about. Lightning just stopped as he found his path blocked, obviously not noticing or caring about the glares everyone was giving him.
"Hey...how's Sharazor?" Flash muttered out.
Lightning's facial features remained unchanged. "Not that it's any of your business, but it's fine. The damage took a little longer to heal than it should have though."
"That's because it received some seriously high damage dealing moves," Celestia told him in a commanding tone. "It was foolish to use a Pokémon that had such a big weakness against electric attacks."
Lightning just shrugged, "I still won."
Everyone's frowns darkened at this as Flash spoke up, "Well, not that you care, but most of us managed to get through to the next round."
"You're right, I don't care." Lightning then brushed past him, "Now get out of my way."
With that, he was off. The others all grumbled at this, Rainbow about to yell out before Flash raised his arm in front of her. "Stop. Just forget about him. Trust me."
After nodding at Flash, they walked inside and spotted all the trainers that had lost in the first round were scattered around the place. Cold Forecast and Sweet Dreams were about to leave due to no longer having any reason to remain in town. Heath and Inky Rose were sitting near the reception, probably still waiting for their Pokémon to be restored while Micro and Sandalwood could be seen sitting in the center's café feeding their healed Pokémon. Everyone except Doc, Spike, Fluttershy, and the professors headed over to the counter, where a Wigglytuff was waiting to accept the Pokémon they wanted healing. Soon, Springer, Owlicious, Gummy, Magitual, Brawloey, Movine and Opalescence were being carted away, while Doc let Tockwork out of his ball.
"Ain't ya'll gonna have Nurse Redheart look him over?" Applejack asked.
Doc shook his head as he took his tools out of his coat. "I don't think Nurse Redheart has the technical know how to repair this damage. Besides, she's pretty busy, so it's better that I fix this damage myself." With that, they moved over to an empty corner before Doc opened Tockwork's face.
"Interesting," Celestia commented as she and Luna looked over his shoulders to stare at the complex clockwork that made Tockwork run. "Highly advanced, especially considering when he must have been made."
Luna nodded in agreement. "I've heard stories that Tockwork may have first been built in the Galar Region. Do you happen to know if that's true?"
"No," Doc replied while getting to work. "I have no idea where Tockwork originally came from. He could come from the Orre region, but it wouldn't surprise me if he came from Galar considering its technological brilliance."
"Couldn't you just ask Tockwork?" Twilight asked, to which Doc just shook his head again.
"No, Tockwork doesn't remember anything before he originally broke down. I honestly think it was because he was broken for so long." Everyone nodded at that, "But its okay. Tockwork might not have any of its old memories, but it's made tons of great new ones, right buddy?"
"Tock!" Tockwork replied while trying to stay as still as possible.
This made everyone chuckle as Nurse Redheart entered the room before moving over to them. "Excuse me, are any of you Trixie, Applejack or Rarity?"
"I'm Trixie," the girl replied with raising her hand.
"And we're Applejack and Rarity," the farm girl added before pointing at Rarity.
Redheart nodded at this. "I just wanted to let you know that I got a message asking for the three of you to call these numbers." She hand out two slips of paper, which Trixie and Rarity took. Rarity and Applejack smiled when they saw the numbers, while Trixie just did a small gulp.
"Who's asking for you?" Flash asked.
"Home," the three replied in unison before moving over to the center's phones. The others decided to follow, the ones knowing Trixie's back story hoping to give her moral support. Once at the phones, they typed the numbers in. Trixie's continued to ring, but the others picked up almost immediately.
"Hey Applejack!" a redheaded girl that was Spike's age exclaimed as two more girls appeared onscreen beside her.
"Hey Rarity!" a white skinned girl with pink and purple hair waved.
"What's up?" An orange skinned girl with purple hair added.
Rarity and Applejack just smiled at them. "Hey sugarcube."
"Lovely to see you Sweetie," Rarity added.
"We saw you two in the Hoof Cup!" the redheaded girl exclaimed. "Ya'll were so cool out there Applejack!"
"Thanks Applebloom."
"Sorry you lost sis," the girl named Sweetie said.
"It's alright Sweetie. My opponent just wanted it more."
"Your opponent was really good! She had an awesome Pokémon!" the orange girl added with stars in her eyes.
"Hey, thanks!" Rainbow bragged from behind the two. "Always nice to meet a fan. What's yer name kid?"
"Scootaloo! Nice to meet you Rainbow Dash! Your Movine was so strong! Nothing beats an awesome looking Flying-Type!"
This made Rainbow hit her chest, "Now you're talking my language. Just you watch, me and my Flying-Type's'll be winning every other match in this tournament!"
"Oh yeah!" Scootaloo cheered.
Deciding to get back to the actual family conversation, Applejack pushed Rainbow's head away before turning to her sister. "So where's Mac and Granny?"
"Granny's having a nap. She had a pretty tough day today and decided to call it as soon as the first round was over. Mac's also catching up on the work he had to skip so he could watch your battle. Things have been pretty hectic since you left."
"Ah know sugarcube," Applejack replied with a small sigh. "But this is all so ah'm ready to take over the farm when ah get back."
Her sister nodded back. "Ah know. After watching today's battle, there's no doubt ya'll be ready to take over once ya get back."
"What about you Rarity?" Sweetie asked next, "You decided what you wanna do after your journey? It can't be battling, since...you know, you lost and all." This made Rarity pout while the others held back a laugh.
"I may have lost today, but that doesn't mean battling isn't what I'm meant to do Sweetie. And to answer your question, no, I haven't decided what I want to do...and there's no rush right now. There's still plenty of time for me to decide."
"I guess you're right," Sweetie shrugged before she seemed to notice the time. "I'd better be getting home. I'll tell mom and dad you said hi."
"Good luck in the next round sis," Applebloom told Applejack.
"You too Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo cheered, the three giving their thanks before the screen went blank.
"I'm guessing those were your sisters," Twilight chimed in.
"And their friend," Rarity added.
"The three of them's been joined at the hip since they could walk," Applejack replied with a small chuckle. "They've been going on and on about going on a journey together when they're old enough."
"That sounds fun! Travelling with friends is always great!" Pinkie cheered as everyone else nodded in agreement before turning to Trixie, who was still staring at the ringing phone.
"Anything?" Flash asked.
Trixie just sighed. "No. He's probably doing a show or something. Guess whatever he wanted to say to me wasn't important enough to stay by the-"
"Hello?" A man who looked to be an older male version of Trixie asked as he appeared onscreen.
"Father!" Trixie yelped as she turned back to the screen, "Um...hi."
"Hello Beatrice." he hissed out, her friends fighting back giggles and chuckles at the name.
"Beatrice?!" Flash asked through his laughter.
"Shut it," she growled without looking away from the screen.
"I watched your battle," her father continued. "The one you lost against was an opponent you should have had no trouble defeating."
"But...she was really good father. Sure she was able to see through my tricks-"
"She was able to see through them because they were predicable and lacked any imagination." Trixie's face fell as her friends all shot the man a glare. "I was actually starting to think I was wrong about you as a trainer, considering you managed to get three badges. But after watching your battle, I don't see anything of merit." He closed his eyes as he let out a snort, "I'm guessing those badges are fake. Perhaps they given as charity or-"
"Hey!" Flash interrupted as he jumped in front of the screen. "What gives you the right to say she's a bad trainer?! Her battle was awesome!"
"To the untrained eye," he immediately replied with a small 'tch'. "But to a master magician like me, it was a boring spectacle that only brings shame to those who practice the art of the trainer magician. She should be ashamed of what she did."
"That's only your opinion," Luna said as she walked up to the group. They moved aside to allow her to be seen by the man onscreen. "I admit that your daughter's skill require some fine tuning, but I see great promise in her." Trixie went wide eyed at this as Luna continued, "Her battle was my favorite of the entire first round, and I'm sure she'll be a great trainer, with a little help of course." She and Trixie smiled at one another before she turned back to the screen, "So be a true father and show your child some support."
The man simply stared at the woman, a look of irk and disdain on her face before suddenly cutting the call. Seeing this, Trixie let out a long sigh. "Oh no..." She looked back up at Luna, "Um...thank you. Sorry you had to see that."
Luna just shook her head. "Don't apologize. I meant what I said, your battle was the most fun to watch. And I do think you'll be a great trainer, all you need is a little guidance."
Trixie's eyes went wide again, "What are you-"
"I'll be happy to give you a few tips after the tournament is over."
Trixie let out a loud gasp, "I...oh my goodness! That....THAT SOUNDS GREAT!" Trixie screamed in joy as she did several rapid bows, "Thank you so much!"
"Oh, its no problem at all."
But before anything else could be said, a grumbling sound rang out, making them turn to the source. "Sorry..." Spike said as he held his stomach, "Watching all those battles really builds an appetite." Everyone laughed at this before Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack and Celestia headed to the center's kitchen to make everyone something to eat. By the time it was ready, everyone's Pokémon were finished being healed and quickly joined them for dinner. After everyone enjoyed a well cooked meal, Celestia providing the Pokémon's food, they all returned to the common area and found Doc still working on Tockwork while munching on a sandwich.
"Hey Doc, how's he doing?"
"Just about...done," they heard something click into place before he shut the clock face and backpedaled away. "How do you feel?" he asked as Tockwork stood up. The clockwork Pokémon began to move its arms and legs around, checking for any glitches, but found nothing.
"Tock!" he exclaimed while nodding.
"Good. We should probably go for a long walk to make extra sure nothing's wrong."
"You want us to come with?" Twilight asked him.
Doc shook his head, "No. You all stay here and rest up for tomorrow. I won't be long." The others nodded as he and Tockwork headed out into town.
And as they trodded through town, several townsfolk came up to them and praised the two on their hard fought victory. They thanked them before heading further through town, eventually reaching the edge and heading into the forest that surrounded it. Once there, they tested Tockwork's attacks on several trees. "Looks good," Doc praised his partner after seeing its Psywave.
"Tock."
Doc smiled before the sound of an explosion caught his attention. He turned and tiptoed to the source, only to see Lightning. He was standing in a clearing, a look of pure anger on his face. "Charge Beam!" He ordered, making Chimplug unleash a electrical blast at Sharazor. The shark blocked it with its finned arms, flinching at the pain.
A little ways away, Doc spotted Geckoxic and Scampie battling it out. Scampie was flying around the Poison Pokémon, who countered with a spat of poison. "Come on!" Lightning screamed as he watched Scampie barely dodge the attack, "Is that really the best you guys have?! Don't be such wimps! You're not trash like the rest of these tournament losers! Pick up the pace or we'll never win this! Now, start pulling your weight!"
His Pokémon all let out cries of agreement despite Doc being able to tell they were all exhausted. "There's a limit to how strong one can become physically," Doc whispered as he crossed his arms at the sight. "I wonder what you'll do after reaching that limit Lightning, especially without the love and friendship of a true team."
With that, Doc and Tockwork walked away, all while being completely unaware that they themselves were being watched. Standing in trees was a being that looked humanoid, but didn't look quite right. The darkness of the trees kept everything but its outline hidden, though the outline showed it obviously made of metal, with a pair of shining metallic eyes. The globes stared at the two with a look of recognition, and if you wanted to pass judgement, resentment.
Doc and Tockwork eventually got out of the forest and found themselves at the base of a hill that overlooked the town. They climbed halfway up as they noticed the sun was setting behind it, all while illuminating the town in a comforting orange glow. It was here that the two decided to sit down and stare out at the village, watching it's color change as the sun got lower.
And as they sat, Doc patted his Pokémon, "Pretty impressive, eh Tockwork?"
"Tock," Tockwork chimed while nodding.
It truly was a spectacular sight that neither of them would have ever seen if they had remained in Trottingham City. And as they watched this, they were suddenly drawn back to the day they had left their home. It had been the first time the two had ever stepped foot outside their hometown, Tockwork having no memory of the time before he broke down and Doc fixed him, all in a hope of learning more about the world around them.
"We sure have been through a lot, huh?"
"Tockwork..." the clockwork Pokémon nodded again.
"Saving a town from a rampaging Fossil Pokémon, stopping a bunch of thieves several times over, travelling through an underground maze and saving an entire island from sinking. Who would have thought we'd go through all that when we left home?"
"Tock."
"I'm just glad we decided to come on this journey. We've learnt so much since joining Flash and the others." Doc added as he remembered what Flash had said during their gym battle.
"I don't make plans because the world is too complicated to plan for everything."
"No matter what you do, something will always end up taking you by surprise. I'm not saying making a plan is a bad idea, but refusing to admit something might happen that you didn't expect means you'll never learn to adapt."
"He was right. I didn't know how to adapt. When Flash found a way to overcome my plan, I was completely outclassed because I couldn't think past what I had planned out for the battle. But now...now I think I've learned at least enough to keep up with everyone."
He thought back to his battle with Heath, how he had managed to turn things around when he saw his chance. If Heath had come to his Gym and they had that exact same battle, he never would have seen the opening he used to win. "I was just a machine back then, simply going through the motions and using only logic in everything I've done." He laid back while putting his arms behind his head, "And my inventions were just the same."
"Its just like your inventions! You say your inventions are to help Equestria, but you don't know the first thing about it! You probably spend all day locked away, coming up with inventions and battle strategies all on your own. You come up with ways to beat your opponent, but what do you learn from them?"
"He was right. I didn't know the first thing about Equestria. I'd read about the places I've been, but I didn't really know anything about them."
"Tock..." Tockwork nodded in agreement.
Doc chuckled as his memory flashed back to everything he had been through since leaving Trottingham, each adventure giving him inspiration for an invention he never would have thought up before leaving. The times he and his friends had travelled through the mountain they had met Peewee in, or the underground labyrinth in the Ghastly Gorge, had inspired an underground mapping device using the sonar abilities of Zubat and Noibat. The situation with Ankyload or the stampede they had met Applejack and Rarity in had inspired him to create a way of stopping a rampaging Pokémon without hurting them. Maybe using something similar to a String Shot or Sticky Web. And the forest fire incident with the Pyroom had inspired him to create an anti fire system based on Spranitor's Rain Dance.
So many inventions, none of which he would have come up with if he had remained in Trottingham City. His journey had already changed him so much, and it was far from over. He had also made many amazing friends, not just Flash, Twilight, Spike and Springer, but also Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity and even Trixie. And of course, there was his Steeledge.
"So many great memories," he whispered as he sat up and continued watching the town be bathed in the light of the setting sun.
But as he watched, he suddenly felt something. It was a presence, the feeling you get when you know you're being watched but don't know who. He started looking around, but saw nothing. But as he did this, he looked up to the very top of the hill...and a loud gasp escaped his breath.
Doc couldn't get a good look, as the light of the setting sun burnt his eyes and forced him to squint. Despite this, he and Tockwork still tried to get a look at what it was. It appeared to be some kind of Pokémon, but the sunlight clouded its form so all they could see was a silhouette. Whatever it was, it appeared to have an equine form that was taller than the teen and extremely bulky. It's entire physique was muscle bound, giving it the look that it had enough strength to pull a mountain by itself. The Pokémon turned to them, a pair of glowing eyes breaking through the light of the sun. It and Doc locked eyes, the two simply staring at one another as if having some kind of spiritual conversation, only to end as the Pokémon jumped on its back hooves. The following force from its leap tapped the dirt, the entire hill shaking as the hooves hit the earth.
"Whoa!" Doc cried as both he and Tockwork lost their balance, soon finding themselves rolling down the hill, "Aaahhh!" One quick halt later, they flopped over as they started to get up, turning back to the hilltop...only to find nothing. "Wait!" He yelled as he rushed back up the hill. But when he got to the very top, he saw no sign of the creature.
"What was that?" He asked as Tockwork made it to the top. "Tockwork...what did we just see?"
"Tock..."
Back at the Pokémon Center, the rest of our heroes were relaxing in the communal area.
Flash, Spike, Rainbow, Pinkie and Trixie were all playing one of the video games the center had while Fluttershy and Rarity were both grooming their Pokémon. Applejack watched the scene while eating an apple, chuckling as Trixie and Rainbow got angry at how good Spike and Pinkie. Off to the side, Twilight was talking to Celestia, Luna and Sunset via video call, explaining in more detail the many adventures she had been through during her journey and the things she had learned.
"So Flash told you about Springer's condition?" Celestia asked, Twilight nodding.
"Yes. How long have you known?"
"Since I did the scans on him. I detected the energy in his system and when I asked him, Springer didn't deny it."
"It's quite an unusual phenomenon," Luna added while rubbing her chin. "To think he would be prevented from evolving like that."
"Is it possible to neutralize the effects of the Everstone energy?" Sunset asked over the phone.
"I've actually been looking into it since learning about the problem," Celestia replied while biting her finger. "If Springer evolved with an item, then having him come in contact with a large amount of them might overpower the energy...but since he evolves naturally, I fear he may be stuck as he is."
The others all sighed at this, Twilight turning back to Springer and seeing him enjoying playing the game with the others. "Well, I don't think Springer will mind. As long as he's got Flash, I think he'll be fine." Twilight added as the others nodded at the sight.
That is, till Spike yelled out, "YES!" He jumped up and started doing a little dance, "I win! I win! I'm the winner, you're the losers!" The others all rolled their eyes at this, deciding to let the little kid have his moment. They then saw Spike end his dance as he let out a loud yawn, which caught the attention of his sister.
"Alright Spike," Twilight walked up to him with a deadpan stare, "Time for you to get to bed."
"Aw man!" Spike moaned as he rubbed his eyes. "But I'm not tired!" He yawned yet again, making everyone chuckle at his little lie.
"Come on," Twilight grabbed him by the hood and started pulling him away. But before they could get out of the common area, the doors to the Pokémon Center suddenly burst open as Doc and Tockwork ran in.
"Guys!" He yelled, catching everyone's attention before he bent over and started heavily panting.
Everyone stood up and rushed over to him, all looking at him in concern. "Doc, are you alright?! You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I didn't see a ghost," Doc replied as he got up. "But I saw something." They helped him over to one of the large tables and sat down, Doc soon explaining what had happened.
"I...don't understand. What did you see?" Twilight asked in confusion.
"I have no idea what it was, but when I looked at it, I...I felt this strange sensation in my heart. Like whatever it is, I was the first person to ever see it."
"Wow..." was the general word used by the group before Luna asked, "What did it look like?"
This made Doc frown, "I didn't really get a good look. It was standing in front of the sun, so I couldn't see it very well." He closed his eyes and tried to picture the image, "It looked like...a larger version of a Ponyta. It was twice as big and three times as bulky."
Before he could say anything else, Flash spoke up. "Did it have wings?"
Everyone turned to him with raised eyebrows as Doc replied, "No, I don't think so."
This made Flash hum, "So it wasn't the same one."
"What are you talking about?" Spike asked, Flash turning to him and Twilight.
"I've told you about this. On the day we met, I saw this Pokémon." He glanced at Springer, "You remember it, right bud?"
"Riolu!" Springer barked.
Flash turned back to Doc. "It looked like the one you saw, only mine had wings and wasn't as bulky as what you're describing. But before I could really tell what it looked like, it just disappeared."
"Same with me."
Celestia hummed as well while rubbing her chin. "A pair of equine Pokémon, each looking similar but with slight differences."
Twilight blinked at her. "What are you thinking professor?"
Everyone turned to Celestia as she replied, "Are any of you familiar with the legend of Equestria's legendaries?" Some of them nodded, while others shook their heads. "There is the beast of creation, Alicormony, and the beast of destruction, Dischaos. It is said that they battled every thousand years before going to sleep. In order to protect the world from Dischaos, Alicormony created a trio of Pokémon and divided its power between them." Flash, Twilight, Spike, Springer, and Doc all remembered when they met Alicormony with Sunset. It definitely looked like the Pokémon Flash and Doc said they had seen. "These three became its heralds, who would fight against Dischaos or any other threat the region would face until Alicormony could come and finally put a stop to it."
It was here that Twilight remembered the book she had read in the Bales Town Library. "So do you think Flash and Doc both saw one of the three heralds?"
"It's possible. But for them to reveal themselves to humans like that...well, its very unusual."
"What are you trying to say sister?" Luna asked next.
Celestia turned to Flash and Doc, "I'm saying that the two of you might have been chosen by the legendaries. For what, I can't be sure, but whatever it is, it has to be something big. Why else would they reveal themselves?" She pointed at the duo, "But if that's the case, the two of you may find yourselves going up against something dangerous that may effect the outcome of Equestria's future."
Both Flash and Doc did a slight gulp as they glanced at each other, unsure how to respond. And as silence fell upon the group, a certain figure had been listening in. It was Lightning, who was standing behind a pillar as he muttered out, "Why would legendaries pick those losers to help save the region?! If they wanted help, they should have come to me." He gripped his right hand into a fist. "Tch. They'll see the mistake they made when I'm standing victorious." With that, he walked away to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow.
The next morning...
The stadium was once again filled with the cheers and cries of many battle loving audience members. Spike, Trixie, Fluttershy and Rarity were up in the stands, not being allowed in the trainers box since they were no long competitors. At the same time in the trainers box, everyone sat on the benches, waiting to see who they would be facing off against.
Eventually, Celestia and Luna stepped up into the commentators box and sat down as Present Mic ran out to the center of the field. "WAZUP!?" The crowd cheered at Mic as he waved at them, "Welcome to day two of the Hoof Cup Tournament! Today, the eight remaining trainers will battle it out for the crown and the six AV candy jars!" The megascreen now showed the jars, making audience cheer. "Now, let me explain the schedule for today. First we'll be having round two, where our competitors will battle in four one on one battles. Then, after lunch, we will have round three! There, the winners of round two will face off in one more one on one battle with the two winners heading to the finals to compete in a three on three match of the ages!"
The crowd once again exploded with excitement of the information given.
"This is gonna be fun," Flash added as the others all nodded in agreement.
Rainbow cheered as she jogged on the spot in excitement. "Can't wait to see who's gonna be my opponent!"
Lightning let out a soft chuckle. "It doesn't matter which one of you face off against each other, you'll all fall to me. It's inevitable." This made everyone glare at him, all but Twilight and Pinkie hoping they have the chance to fight him first.
But before anyone could say anything to him, they heard Present Mic call out to the commentators box. "Now!" The images on screen changed to the show the eight remaining competitors, "Let's see who's facing who in the second round! Hit it professors!" The two nodded as the pressed a button on the box. The images onscreen then flipped around before spinning in a circle, and one by one, two of each image flew out before flipping back around.
Battle One
Lightning Blitz V Pinkie Pie
Pinkie pouted at this, shooting an unhappy glare at her opponent. "Phooey. He's no fun."
Lightning just rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Hope you enjoyed making it this far, cause you'll be heading home crying after I destroy you."
Battle Two
Rainbow Dash V Time Turner
"Oh yeah!" Rainbow cheered as she turned to Doc, "You better give it everything you've got! This ain't gonna be any fun unless you're going all out."
Doc nodded with a chuckle. "Don't worry, I won't hold back. I have my pride as a Gym leader to defend. You're not gonna be beating me unless you're actually stronger than me at my best."
Battle Three
Applejack V Twilight Sparkle
Applejack and Twilight turned to smile at one another, "Let's have a good match sugarcube."
Twilight nodded in agreement. "I'll try my best. I might not have as much battle experience as you, but I'll still give it everything I've got."
"That's the spirit," Applejack added as they all turned back to the megascreen before it shot out the last two images.
Battle Four
Flash Sentry V Thunderbass
Flash and Thunderbass turned to one another, Thunderbass just smirking while Flash nodded at him.
"And there you have it! The battle order of round two! Who will win, who will lose, and who will surprise us with some out of the box thinking and strategies....there's only one way to find out! Let's get ready to RUMBLE!"
"YEAH!!!" the audience cheered, the sound now making the arena rumble.
The second round of the Hoof Cup had begun, and all were wondering how it would eventually turn out. Would Lightning be able to live up to his boasts and win the entire thing, or would Flash finally manage to earn a victory from him. Maybe Twilight, Doc or Rainbow would find themselves standing on the winners podium, or perhaps Thunderbass would surprise everyone with a victory. And what about Doc and Flash's mysterious encounters with the two legendaries? Was a great threat truly on the horizon, and if it was, would the Equestria Region survive?
Only time would tell.