//------------------------------//
// Laughing Strikes and an Aerial Battle 
// Story: Pokémon: Harmony and Chaos 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

The Hoof Cup's second round had finally begun. With everyone now paired up, the battles were ready to begin, the first being the battle between Pinkie Pie and Lightning Blitz. The teens were now standing on their trainer stands, Lighting in red while Pinkie was in blue, ready to see who was gonna pick their Pokémon first.

"Go Pinkie!" Spike cheered from his seat with Peewee, Rarity, Trixie and Fluttershy.

"Terragon!"

"Wipe the smirk off that arrogant jerk's face!" Rainbow yelled from the trainers box.

Twilight just bit her lip at this. "I'm worried though. Does Pinkie really stand a chance against Lightning?"

"It all depends of what Pokémon they use," Doc replied.

"Maybe..." Flash added, "But remember, this is Pinkie we're dealing with. Her wild battle style might be too much for Lightning to handle."

"You've got a point. She's very unpredictable," Twilight then snapped her fingers, "And Lightning doesn't know that! He left before Pinkie's battle, so he hasn't seen how she or almost anyone here fights!"

"And that's gonna be his downfall," Applejack finished. "You got this Pinkie!"

In the commentators box, Present Mic, Celestia and Luna began their pre-battle banter. Mic started by pulling some papers out of his jacket, "So, I did a little research on our remaining eight competitors, and discovered a few very interesting facts about most of them. For example, Pinkie Pie is actually the younger sister of Baltimare city's Gym Leader, Maud Pie!"

Luna hummed as she heard this. "Interesting that the girl doesn't use Rock Pokémon, giving her family's significant history with that Type."

"There's nothing wrong with trying to be unique," Celestia reminded her sister. "We all saw how well Pinkie did with her Gumigator, so I don't think using non Rock-Types is a problem for her."

"As for Lightning, we've already heard about him being the grandson of Equestria's former champion, Grand Hoof!" This caught the attention of everyone in the stadium, who all started whispering about this fact.

"Is that so?" Luna asked, "Well, that explains his battling skills. Too bad he couldn't inherit Grand's polite attitude along with it." Lightning scowled at the professor, while the rest of the crowd all laughed.

"Now now Luna," Celestia said once the laughter died down. "You said it yourself, being related to a champion doesn't automatically make you a good battler. Though from what we've seen so far, he's obviously proven he is a highly skilled trainer. But will his pure power be enough to help him overcome Miss Pie's unpredictable way of battling."

Lightning let out a simple laugh, "Of course it will. Power is everything, and I'm the most powerful trainer in this whole tournament."

Pinkie frowned at hearing this. "You know, battling's supposed to be about having fun."

"Oh, I agree," Lightning darkly chuckled. "I just have fun when I completely demolish my opponent and claim total victory, just like I'm about to do to you! That's how I have fun."

This made Pinkie pout, "You don't know the first thing about having fun! It shouldn't come at the expense of someone else's happiness." She then smiled while pointing at the trainer, "I guess I'll just have to teach you what really fun is."

"Yeah, good luck with that. And while you're at it, I think I'll teach you what it means to be crushed."

"ALRIGHT! I think it's about time we see who's gonna be picking their Pokémon first!" Everyone looked up at the megascreen as the roulette wheel appeared between the two's pictures. The wheel began to spin around as Mic turned to the professors, both now pressing the button. The roulette then slowed down, soon landing on the red section.

Mic: "It's red, so Lightning's first up!"

"Fine," the trainer pulled out his Pokeball and enlarged it. "Chimplug, battle stance!" He tossed the ball into the air, red energy soon forming to reveal a familiar electric monkey.

"Chim!" It yelled as it hopped up and down, sparks surging around it as it. "Chimplug!"

"And Electric-Type, huh?" Pinkie was suddenly tempted with sending out Gummy, chuckling at the thought of beating Lightning the same way he'd beaten his last opponent, only for the idea to float away. Instead, she grabbed what she considered to be her best fighter. "Bloxx, let's party!" she threw the ball into the air, unleashing a swirl of red energy that formed to reveal the toy block gorilla.

"Bloxx!" It cried as it smashed its large fists into the ground, seeing it was facing a fellow primate Pokémon. It let out standard gorilla noises and then banged its fists into its chest. Lightning and Chimplug both raised an eyebrow at this, Lightning scanning it with his Pokedex as the rest of the commentators spoke.

Mic: "Kind of a funky looking Pokémon, not that I'm complaining."

Celestia: "Bloxx's shapeshifting abilities give it limitless ways of fighting. The only limit is it and it's trainer's imagination, which I don't think will be a problem in this regard."

Luna: "Meanwhile, Lightning's Chimplug only has one means of attack, brute force. He might have difficulty in this battle, especially if Bloxx's body gives it a certain advantage."

Mic: "What advantage?"

Luna: "I don't want to spoil the surprise. I'll tell you once I know for sure."

Lightning just huffed. "It doesn't matter what advantage my opponents have. None of them will be able to stop me." He glared at Pinkie, "Let's just get this over with."

"Eager to get your butt kicked?" Pinkie asked, trying to throw Lightning off his game.

"The only one getting its butt kicked is your toy Pokémon. When I'm done with it, you'll be spending the next month trying to figure out which bit goes where."

Mic: "Well, now that the trash talk is over with, let's get this first round battle started. In three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

"Spark!" Chimplug charged ahead, its arm sparking as it drew closer to the block gorilla.

"Shields up!" Pinkie countered, Bloxx raising its arms while they began to reshape.

"What?!" Lightning yelped as he saw Bloxx's arms become a pair of semicircle like disks, which it slammed together before Chimplug's attack made contact. The attack caused Bloxx the slide back a few centimeters, but the reinforced shield-like arms kept it safe from any damage, including the electricity.

"Amazing! Chimplug's attack seemed to have little too no effect on Bloxx." Mic then turned to Luna, "Is this the advantage you were talking about?"

Luna nodded at this, "Exactly. Bloxx's body is made of a special plastic like substance that doesn't conduct electricity well. As such, it's a perfect insulator against Chimplug's attacks. I'm guessing Lightning wasn't prepared for that."

Lightning growled as his fist clenched. "If the power's being cut down, I'll just have to boost that power! Charge Beam, NOW!" Chimplug raised its tail as the plug fired an electrical blast.

"Dodge it!" Bloxx thrusted its fists into the ground before extending its arms, sending it up into the air as the Charge Beam went under its feet. Pinkie leaned back to let the attack sail over her while calling out, "Block Buster!"

"Bloxx!" It's arms quickly retracted as it fell down, its hands reshaping into a pair of cannons that it pointed at Chimplug. "Bloxx!" A pair of large building blocks shot out of the cannon, all ready to hit Chimplug.

The electric monkey and its trainer were taken by surprise, Chimplug only being able to lift its arms over its head as the blocks struck it, all exploding into hundreds of little blocks. "Plug!" It cried as it staggered back, then yelled out as it accidently stepped on one of the tiny blocks and hopped up and down to pull it off its foot.

The crowd began to laugh at this, making veins appear on Lightning's forehead. "No one makes a fool out of my Pokémon! Get your head in the game right now Chimplug! Brick Break!"

Chimplug stopped as he charged Bloxx again, its fist glowing as it prepared to perform a karate chop motion. Seeing this, Pinkie pointed at the monkey, "Use Knock Off!" Bloxx reshaped its fist into a hammer like weapon, which it swung at Chimplug. The two attacks slammed into each other, but Chimplug seemed to have the advantage as Bloxx's hammer broke apart.

Mic: "Wrong choice of moves there."

Celestia: "Dark-Type moves will usually be outmatched by Fighting-Type moves."

Luna: "And the fact that Brick Break will likely cause a lot of damage puts Bloxx in trouble."

"Again!" Lightning yelled as he pointed at Bloxx. "Don't you dare let him recover!"

"Chimplug!" he screamed as he smashed his fist into the block gorilla's chest, making it stagger back.

"Now use Charge Beam!" Chimplug fired the blast of lightning at the still recovering Bloxx, who recovered just in time to raise its hands in defense.

"Bloxx!" It cried as the electricity stung its hand, but the rest of its body was uneffected.

"That was close," Flash commented while Twilight nodded.

"A shock to the arm won't do much, but getting hit anywhere else could cause issues. Even so, Pinkie should be careful on how many of those she let's land. Even if it isn't a lot, Bloxx is still taking damage."

"And Chimplug's Brick Break's gonna do a lot of damage," Doc added.

Flash just shrugged, "Relax. Pinkie's just getting started." The others nodded at this before turning back to the battle.

"Spark!" Chimplug once again tried to hit Bloxx with charged fists, but Bloxx just extended his arms on the ground, pushing him to the other side of the field.

"Now we got 'em! Let's get things rolling Bloxx!" Pinkie ordered, Bloxx nodding before curling itself while reshaping into a form of a red, blue and yellow ball that had Bloxx's round extensions covering it. It then started to spinning, soon charging at Chimplug.

Lightning just rolled his eyes at this. "This is ridiculous. Use Brick Break!"

"Chim!" Chimplug pulled its now glowing fist back, thrusting at the sphere. "Plug!" It flinched as the speed of the spinning ball knocked him back while Bloxx spun away, uncurling as he came to a stop.

"Stop messing around!" Lightning yelled, "This is a battle! Get serious!"

"I am serious, you grumpy grumper," Pinkie replied with a giant grin. "But who says you can't have fun while being serious? Block Buster!" Bloxx once again created its arm cannons, firing multiple bricks at Chimplug. Seeing this, Lightning's partner started to hop around as it dodged each shot.

"Seriously?!" Lightning grumbled, "This game is starting to get very annoying."

"Really? Cause I'm having a blast. Keep going Bloxxy!" Bloxx started running around the field, continuing to fire its Block Busters at Chimplug kept trying to evade them, only to get hit every now and again.

"Brick Break, back to back!" Chimplug began swinging its glowing arms at the bricks, smashing each to bits as it got closer to Bloxx. And despite constantly stepping on the broken blocks, Chimplug tried to hit the gorilla, only to miss again by inches.

It then did a third strike, this one hitting Bloxx's chest. The blow made him stagger, but managed to use his fists to steady himself. "Double Edge!" Bloxx's body started to glow as it extended its arms, sending him flying head first at Chimplug.

"Brick Break!" The monkey leapt at the gorilla and the two met head on, the force of their attacks pushing both back.

"I think now's a good time for a fun game of tag," Pinkie declared as she pointed at Lightning. "You're it!"

"Shut up! I'm not playing some stupid game!" Lightning barked back before pointing at Bloxx. "Beat him with Spark! Now!" Chimplug let out a roar as it charged Bloxx, leaping with an electrically charged fist. But seconds before it could hit, Bloxx's arms went flying past it and linked together before its body deconstructed. This made Chimplug miss again, this time tasting dirt as it landed while Bloxx reshaped into a small wall.

"Get back up and use Brick Break!" Chimplug pushed itself back up before it leapt at Bloxx again, only for the wall to extend around him into a ring shape before retracting behind the monkey.

"Plug!" It cried as it felt its form trip again, only to front flip to get back on its feet. Once it came to a stop, it spun back around at Bloxx's direction.

"Charge Beam!" It pointed its plugged tail in the gorilla's direction as it charged up power.

"Chimplug!" It unleashed a blast of lightning, but before it could make contact, a hole appeared in the wall Bloxx had turned itself into, making the beam miss. This made Chimplug's face turn red with rage before it started firing Charge Beam after Charge Beam. But each and every one of them went the same ways as their predecessor, flying through the holes that Bloxx made in its wall. "CHIMPLUG! CHIMPLUG CHIMPLUG!!!"

Mic: "Ouch. Looks like Chimplug's going bananas."

Luna: "Really?!"

Mic: "I thought it was funny."

Celestia: "Pinkie and Bloxx's little strategy is really getting on their opponent's last nerve."

"Chimplug! I'm only gonna tell you once, calm down and rip that thing apart!" Chimplug mirrored its trainers outcry as it charged at Bloxx, Pinkie smirking at the attack.

"Take him for a spin!" Bloxx returned to normal and leapt at Chimplug, managing to wrap its arms at it before curling its body into a ball form. The ball then started rolling around the battle field, picking up speed while zigzagging all over until Pinkie gave her next command. "Time to make him flip!" The sphere quickly morphed into a catapult like contraption, a very dizzy Chimplug in the basket as it was shot across the field.

"Chim...plug, plug, plug, chim!" Chimplug moaned as it hit the dirt, rolling like a ball before coming to a stop. "Chim...chim…"

"That's it! I'm gonna destroy you!" Lightning screamed, "Thunder Wave! Now!"

Chimplug let out a powerful cry as it slammed his tail plug into the ground. Doing so causing an electrical shockwave to shoot out of the ground, spreading across the field in every direction. Bloxx saw it and tried to escape, only for the electricity to hit his arms, making him freeze up. This caused it to lose balance and fall on its back, allowing the lightning to surge around its entire body. "Bloxx!" It cried as it felt itself tense up, unable to move.

"Now Brick Break!" Chimplug leapt into the air, its fist glowing while gravity brought it down at its target.

"Bloxx!" Pinkie cried, "You need to get out of there!" But Bloxx's body refused to reshape as Chimplug got closer. And as its chest blocks started to rattle, it was too late.

"Plug!" It roared as it smashed into Bloxx's chest, making it cry out in pain. "Chimplug!" It wasn't done though, as it was now throwing Brick Break after Brick Break into the gorilla's chest.

"This is bad," Flash commented.

"Bloxx is getting pummelled," Twilight added.

"Pinkie! You gotta get Bloxx out of there!"

"But he can't move..." Pinkie muttered out, only to notice Bloxx's fingers were starting to move. "Hold on..."

Bloxx continued to feel itself get smashed to bits, as more feeling returned to its body. It then looked up at Chimplug, who was now raising both fists as Lightning called out. "End this! BEAT THAT THING NOW!!!"

"Chimplug!" It roared as it swung both arms down at Bloxx's head...only to feel a sudden resistance. "Chimplug?"

Bloxx had blocked the blow with both arms, a shield now made with his hands. And as he did this, the hands enveloped Chimplug's fists. "Bloxx!" It yelled while extending its arms, lifting Chimplug a good twenty feet into the air.

"Block Buster!" Bloxx threw Chimplug up before retracting its arms and morphing them into its cannons, all while its opponent fell to earth at high speed.

"Bloxx!" It began to launch as many bricks as its could up at Chimplug.

"Plug!" It cried while it was hit, making Lightning growl, veins popping on his forehead.

"Brick Break!" Chimplug's arms started to glow as it swung them around, knocking the blocks away.

"You use Brick Break too!" Bloxx stopped firing as its fist glowed as well, swinging it up as Chimplug got into range.

"Bloxx/Chimplug!" The two Brick Break's smashed into each another, the force making a loud bang that made everyone cover their ears. However, Chimplug had the advantage, his Brick Break overpowering Bloxx as his fist shattered from the blow.

"Again! Hit him again!"

"Shield up!" Pinkie countered, Bloxx trying to defend itself with only one of its arms as its other was still shattered.

And as Chimplug leapt at him, Lightning yelled, "Charge Beam!" Chimplug quickly spun around as a burst of lightning shot at the Pokémon.

"BLOXX!" It cried while being electrocuted, staggering back as Chimplug landed.

"Brick Break!" It karate chopped Bloxx's shield arm, cutting it off, and then did the same with its near other completed arm. Completely disarmed, Bloxx was unable to stop Chimplug as he leapt again. "Brick Break again!" It struck Bloxx in the chest, causing it to crack, "Again!" Another strike to the chest, "AGAIN!" The third and final strike made the cracked bricks shatter, leaving a large hole in Bloxx's chest. "Now, CHARGE BEAM!"

Chimplug spun around and thrusted its tail into the hole before it could reseal as he built up as much energy as possible.

"Get out of there!" Pinkie cried.

"CHIMPLUG!" With that last outcry, Chimplug unleashed all its electrical energy into Bloxx. Despite its plastic skin protection, the powerful blast of lightning that came from within was too much.

"BLOXX!" It screamed at the top of its lungs, every inch of its body in pain until Chimplug pulled its tail free with a huge grin on its face.

And when the last jolt of power extinguished itself, everyone looked at Bloxx and saw it stand limply while smoke came off its body. Then, Bloxx gave one final weak cry before its body collapsed on the ground.

"BLOXX!" Pinkie screamed as she ran to her downed Pokémon.

Mic: "Bloxx KO'd, so the winners of the match are Lightning and his CHIMPLUG!"

Celestia: "Awww...things seemed to be going quite well for Miss Pie, but Lightning's power was just too much in the end. If only Bloxx had managed to endure, then Chimplug would not have had anything left to give."

Luna: "You try taking a bolt to the chest and see how well you endure. But despite losing, Miss Pie should be proud. She came very close to winning, and gave the crowd quite a show."

The prove the professor's point, the audience members were all clapping. Not for the victory, like usual, but for the one that had entertained them so well. "PINKIE! PINKIE! PINKIE!" they cheered along with saying her Pokémon's name, "BLOXX! BLOXX! BLOXX!"

And as Pinkie helped Bloxx sit up, the two heard their names being chanted and looked up. This made them both smile, "You hear that Bloxx? That's the sound of everyone having such a great time. We did that! We did that and...and I'm so proud of you." She threw her arms around the gorilla's neck and hugged his back, the gorilla grinning as her cheek rubbed against him.

At the same time, Lightning simply returned an exhausted Chimplug without a word of thanks or praise. He looked up at the crowd, growling at the sight of no cheers. "Why...why are they praising a loser?!" His hand clenched the Pokeball, a low hiss coming out of his mouth, "Just you wait, you'll be chanting my name by the end of this and not some airhead loser." With that, he turned to head back to the trainer box.

"Hey jerkface," Rainbow said to him as he passed by her, "Not so high and mighty now, huh?"

This made Lightning come to a stop. "Excuse me?"

"Admit it!" Applejack yelled as she pointed at the trainer, "Ya'll almost lost and yah know it. So stop thinking yer Arceus's gift to mankind, cause yer not."

Lightning slowly turned to glare at her over his shoulder. "What are you talking about?! I won, didn't I? Who cares how close that girl came to beating me, cause in the end, she didn't. She's a loser, and losers don't matter, just like the rest of you."

"They seem to care," Flash countered while pointing up at the crowd as they all kept cheering for Pinkie and Bloxx. Lightning's only response was an unintelligent noise before he walked off into the corridor.

"I think I'm starting to hate that guy every time I look at him," Rainbow huffed.

Applejack nodded in agreement. "One of us has gotta knock that varmint down a peg."

"Well, first we need to focus on getting to the next round," Doc added as Pinkie and Bloxx arrived in the trainer box.

"Hey Pinkie," Twilight patted her on the shoulder. "How you two feeling?"

"I'm okay," Pinkie whimpered. "Just a little sad that I don't get to battle anymore."

"Well, yah gave everyone one heck of a show," Applejack assured her.

Rainbow nodded in agreement, "Yeah! You were awesome! Bloxx too."

"Aw, thanks guys." Pinkie then patted a still aching Bloxx before pulling out his Pokeball, "Take a rest." He nodded before returning to the sphere, which Pinkie put away before moving over to the corridor leading into the stadium. "I'm gonna go sit with the others," they all nodded before watching her walk away.

Once she was gone, they turned back to the field as the screen changed to show the next to combatants. "OH YEAH! Time for the second match! Rainbow Dash, Time Turner, please make your way to the field!"

"Alright! Time for win number two!"

"Don't think I'll make it easy for you," Doc countered with a smirk. "I am a Gym Leader after all."

"I've beaten three before, and its time to make it an even four." The two shook hands before heading out to the field, soon arriving in their spots, Rainbow in red and Doc in blue.

"There's not much to say about Misss Rainbow Dash," Mic commented. "But though she has no relation to a well known figure, she has shown she can kick it with the best of them. Will she be able to keep up with the Trottingham City Gym Leader?"

Luna nodded in agreement, "His Steel-Types may make it difficult for her. But if this contest has shown us anything, it's that types don't mean everything."

"This is going to come down to skill, strategy and the strength of the Pokémon they pick."

Mic nodded at Celestia's words. "Speaking of Pokémon, it's time to see who's gonna be picking their's first!" Everyone looked up at the megascreen as the roulette wheel appear, the professors pressing the button. The roulette then slowed down, soon landing on the red section.

Mic: "And it's Rainbow who will be making the first selection!"

"Alright!" Rainbow took out a Pokeball and enlarged it, "Let's go Tank!" She tossed it into the air, releasing the red energy that revealed the copter bladed tortoise.

"Tor..." it slowly said.

"She's using something that's part Rock-Type?" Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That may have been a mistake," Twilight added.

"Maybe, maybe not." was all Flash could say as he blinked at Rainbow.

Doc just chuckled at the sight, "This is gonna be interesting," he took out his own Pokeball. "Steeledge, I choose you!" Like Rainbow, his ball flew through the air before opening and revealing the armored bird.

"Steeledge!" It squawked as it flew up to the same spot as Tank.

Mic: "Torpeller verses Steeledge. A battle in the skies!"

Celestia: "This is gonna be a fun one."

Luna: "Though I get the feeling my neck will be aching after looking up for so long."

Up in the stands, everyone was watching as the battle was about to start. "Come on Rainbow," Fluttershy whispered, "You can do this."

"I think you might need to cheer a little louder darling," Rarity told her.

Spike tapped his chest, "Come on! Top volume, belt it out!"

Peewee crawled onto his head a took a deep breath before letting out a loud cry, "TERRA!"

"Like that," Spike pointed to his partner.

Fluttershy nodded before trying to mirror Peewee with a deep breath, "Yay." This made everyone's face falter.

"Seriously?" Trixie asked.

"Maybe a little louder sweetheart."

"Yay."

"Louder!"

"Terra!"

"Yay."

"Take a really deep breath," Trixie instructed.

Fluttershy breathed in until her lungs were at their bursting point, then let it out in one loud outcry. "Yay." Spike, Trixie and Peewee both moaned while Rarity shook her head, "Too loud?"

"Nah," they turned to see Pinkie sit down beside them, "You got it just right." This made Fluttershy genuinely smile before it faltered.

"I'm sorry about you losing. Is Bloxx alright?"

"He'll be fine with some rest," Pinkie assured her. "Now quiet down. It looks like the next match is about to start."

Mic: "Let's get this battle started! In three!"

Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"

ALL: "ONE!"

Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"

He had barely finished before Rainbow spoke up, "Rock Tomb!" Tank let out a loud cry as he flew up while his shell began to glow, only for the shine to shoot off a barrage of rocks.

"Steel Wing!" Steeledge's wings started to glow as it started swinging them around, cutting the rocks the bits as it flew up to Tank.

"Iron Defense!" Tank's head and legs retracted into its shell, which all flashed a blue color before Steeledge struck it with his wing. Despite the increased defense power, the attack sent Tank flying back. Feeling this, it popped its head out of its shell, only to see Steeledge coming at full speed. "Drop!"

Tank's rotor stopped spinning, causing him to fall like a rock to evade the metal bird's attack. Once safely beneath it, it started spinning its rotors again and pulled itself back into a hover. "Now use Gust!" The propellers continued to spin, a spiral of air now striking Steeledge. But despite this, the bird just withstood the attack.

"Nice try, but I met Steeledge in a canyon where the wind was much strong then that. Show 'em Steeledge! Drill Peck!" Steeledge flew up before arching around and flying straight down at Tank, its body spinning into a tornado like drill.

Rainbow's eyes went wide at the sight. "Double the power! Now!"

"Tor!" Tank spun his rotors as fast as they could go, increasing the power of his Gust to the max. But as the tornado struck Steeledge, he just drilled right through it with ease.

"Iron Defense!" Tank stopped his attack before withdrawing into his shell, which flashed blue seconds before the Drill Peck hit.

"Tor!" Tank shot at the ground, managing to get its rotors spinning enough to stop it seconds before he crashed into the battlefield. Whit this happened, Steeledge stopped spinning, starting to put itself back into a hover as Tank flew back up.

"Tackle!" Tank remained within its shell as it drew closer, Steeledge crossing its wings to block the attack. Despite the guard, the force of the attack pushed the metal bird back while Tank's head and legs shot out of its shell. "Rock Tomb!"

"Steel Wing!" Doc ordered as Tank unleashed its rock attack. Unfortunately, Steeledge needed to flap its wings before doing his attack, giving an opening as the rocks smashed into him. And as a third struck him, his wing started to shine as he cut down the rest. "Now, use Air Cutter!"

"Ledge!" Steeledge beat its wings, firing several air blades at Tank.

"Iron Defense!" Tank withdrew again, his shell glowing right before the air blades struck.

Mic: "This battle's looking to be a long one. Both side's Pokémon are quite sturdy, so dealing damage is gonna be tricky."

Celestia: "I think Steeledge's Steel Wing might just give it the edge though."

Luna: "I'm not so sure. Torpeller's Rock Tomb seems able to do a lot of damage if Rainbow can find a way to stop Steeledge from defending itself."

Rainbow was thinking the same thing, as she stared at the fight. "Grrr...if only the rocks could fly...faster. That's it!" She pointed at Steeledge, "Rock Tomb!"

"TOR!" Tank unleashed another barrage of rocks, Steeledge quickly flapping backward at the sight.

"Steel Wing!" Doc ordered, Steeledge doing as told. It wings began to glow, ready to cut away the rocks, but then-

"Gust, max power!" Tank spun his rotors as fast as they could go, unleashing the tornado attack at the rocks. With mere seconds, the stones picked up a burst of speed.

"Ledge?" Steeledge saw it coming and was forced to cancel its Steel Wing, as it had to now focus on riding the winds, which was exactly what Rainbow wanted. The rocks that Tank had thrown at Steeledge were still coming, and the bird couldn't do a thing about it. With that in mind, the rocks smashed head first into Steeledge, making him cry out in pain as he tried to get out of the hurricane. "Steeledge!" He yelped as he flew out of the gust, soon landing with shaking legs.

"You okay?" Doc asked him, getting a nod in response.

"We're not done yet! Fire Rock Tomb again!" As the rocks shot out of Tank's shell and fell at Steeledge, he flapped his wings, taking off just in time before soaring over Tank. "Gust!" Tank launched the tornado at Steeledge and consumed him once again. "Rock Tomb."

Steeledge saw the rocks enter the tornado, flying at them while picking up speed. It growled as it readied a Steel Wing, but as soon as he swiped at the rock, the winds of the tornado caught him, hurtling him out of the eye. "Steeeeeel!" It cried as it spun like a top, soon reaching the edge as it was shot out. "STEELEDGE!" It yelped as it crashed into the ground, rolling like a ball before coming to a stop.

Mic: "Ouch! That had to hurt!"

Celestia: "It's a catch twenty two. If Steeledge focuses on riding the winds, it's unable to defend itself against the rocks."

Luna: "But if it tries to use Steel Wing to knock them away, it'll be caught by the wind and be sent on the ride of its life."

Mic: "The only smart thing to do is avoid the tornado, but I doubt Rainbow's gonna let that happen."

"You said it! One more time Tank! Rock Tomb!" Tank fired the boulders again, Steeledge staring the incoming projectiles.

"Back in the air!" Doc ordered Steeledge.

"Ledge!" Steeledge shot up to avoid the rocks, flying right above Tank. As it did this, Doc stared at his opponent. "There has to be a way....think Doc, think!" All his thinking did was conjure up memories of the last battle he saw this Torpeller fight. "Hmmm...ah! That's it!"

"Rock Tomb, followed by Gust!" Tank let out a cry as he created as many boulders as he could, soon spinning his rotors at their top speed. Once again, Steeledge and the rocks were engulfed by the wind.

"Steeledge, fly into the wind stream!" Steeledge looked back at him in confusion, but did as it was told. Once again, Steeledge was pulled into the wind and felt itself be battered. "Don't fight it! Let's it push you forward." Steeledge nodded and opened his wings, which were filled filled with air as it pushed Steeledge up the spiral. As this happened, the rocks began breaking apart, the smaller pieces started hitting him.

"What's he doing?" Twilight asked.

Flash tilted his head as he watched this. "I think...I think I know..." A memory then sparked in his brain, making him remember to when he and Rainbow battled. Back then, Skyler had ridden the winds of Tank's Gust like Steeledge was now. "That's it!"

He wasn't the only one remembering, Rainbow also recalled that battle as her eyes went wide. "Not again! Quick, gut the attack!"

But it was too late. Seconds before Tank stopped his attack, Steeledge shot out of the top of the tornado at blinding speeds. "Ledge!" It cried as it flew around the stadium, having never felt itself fly at these speeds before.

"Here we go! Use Steel Wing!" Steeledge began flying down in a spiral motion, not wanting to lose an ounce of speed as its wings started to glow.

"You gotta stop it! Rock Tomb!" The Torpeller fired of another barrage of rocks, but Steeledge sailed through them with ease, its high speed giving it an air cushion to protect it. Eventually, Steeledge got within striking distance and Rainbow had only one choice. "Iron Defense!" Tank again retracted into his now glowing shell as it was slashed with the metallic wing.

"TOR!" Tank cried from within his shell, his body sent flying into the dirt. It smashed propeller first into the battlefield, bouncing off before rolling across the field. Eventually, it came to a stop before a very dizzy Tank popped his head out.

"You alright?!" Rainbow asked as she watch him try to pick himself up. Tank tried to nod and started to spin his rotors...only for nothing. Tank couldn't get his feet off the ground. "What's the matter?" She yelled, only to see the problem when Tank's rotor stopped to reveal that one of the blades was bent. "Oh no..."

Mic: "Not good. Torpeller must have damaged its blade when it hit the ground. Rainbow's in trouble now."

"Fury Attack!" Everyone had been so focused on Tank that they didn't notice Steeledge had gotten close, his beak thrusting into the turtle.

"Tor!" Tank yelped as he managed to pull his head back just in time to dodge the peck, then backpedaled to avoid another peck. This went on and on, Steeledge quickly pecking at Tank as he barely managed to evade each blow.

"Air Cutter!" Doc then ordered, Steeledge jumping back before firing a blade of air. Unlike the Fury Attacks, Tank couldn't dodge this, and could only retract its head into its shell before it was hit.

"Tor!" It cried as it fell back, Steeledge quickly running up to the turtle.

"Finish this with Steel Wing!" He crossed his wings as they began to glow, ready to do the final blow.

"Not happening! Use Rock Tomb!"

"Tor!" Tank jumped to his feet while his shell started to glow, unleashing a flurry of large boulders.

"Steeledge!" Steeledge began to spin on its heel, performing a kind of spiralling dance as it slashed the boulders away. With each rotation, it drew closer to Tank until it deflected the last boulder. "STEELEDGE!" With one quick spin, it used the speed to perform a devastating slash at the flying tortoise.

"TOR!" He yelled as he retracted into his shell, right before it was struck and sent him flying. Everyone watched as the shell bounced off the ground several times, only to come to a stop in front of Rainbow.

"Tank!?" She screamed, only to see Tank's head pop out of the shell, spirals now in his goggled eyes. "TANK!"

Mic: "Torpeller KO'd, so the winners of the match are Time Turner and STEELEDGE!"

The crowd cheered as Doc moved over to his panting and dizzy partner. "Thanks Steeledge, you did great." he patted him on the shoulder before taking out his Pokeball, "Take a rest. I'll need you in top form for when we make it to the finals."

"Ledge!" Steeledge nodded before he was returned, Doc then turning to Rainbow as he saw her cradling Tank.

"Don't worry big guy, I still love ya." She pulled out his Pokeball, "Take a long rest." She returned Tank before glaring at Doc, "Listen up! I may have lost today, but the next time we battle, you're going down!"

Doc just chuckled and nodded, "I look forward to it."

Rainbow nodded as she turned to walk back to the trainer box, "You'd better win this thing! There's no point in losing if it isn't to the guy who took first place!"

"I make no promises," Doc replied as he followed her.

Up in the crowd, Fluttershy let out a long sigh. "Poor Rainbow."

"She put up a good fight," Rarity told her. "There's no shame in losing a battle."

"I guess..."

Trixie let out a low hum. "Hopefully losing in front of thousands of fans will curb her ego a little."

"That's rich coming from you, and I doubt Rainbow'll be too embarrassed, right Peewee?" Spike commented, only to blink as he noticed there was no answer. This made him look up at his partner. "Peewee?"

Peewee was staring down at the field, a look of debate on his face.