Mic: "Well battle fans, after those last few tremendous battles, I'm sure you're all hungry for more! But for now, let's settle another hunger while our competitors prepare for the next round. What do you say professors?"
Celestia and Luna: ...
Mic: "Professors? Where'd you go? Awww...I thought we were gonna have lunch together."
Meanwhile...
Celestia and Luna were in the stadium lobby with Flash and his friends, enjoying a similar lunch to the one they had yesterday.
"ITADAKIMASU!" Flash, Springer, Spike, Rainbow, Pinkie and Trixie all cheered before chowing down on some hotdogs, their eyes filling with tears of joy, "Delicious," Flash exclaimed with the others nodding.
Twilight giggled while enjoying a slice of pizza, having been able to get ahead of Rarity in line. Celestia and Luna were eating some pizza while sitting besides her, looking to be enjoying it as well. At the same time, Doc was enjoying a burger while Rarity and Fluttershy were eating another salad. (Rarity wanted to complain to Twilight about what she was eating, but Celestia convinced her otherwise) As for Applejack, she had just finished her hotdog and was having another apple for dessert.
Once Celestia finished her slice, she turned to the semifinalists. "Well you three, I hope you're ready for the next round."
"I am," Flash commented before finishing off his hotdog. "Its gonna be fun!"
Unlike Flash, Twilight didn't respond. She just slightly shrunk in her seat, glancing at the person who first taught her battle. Seeing this, Celestia patted her back, making her turn to see a confident smile on the professor's face. Seeing this, Twilight gave a tiny grin back, feeling slightly better.
At the same time, Doc was looking at where Lightning was sitting. Unlike them, he wasn't eating food from the vendors. His lunch appeared to be homemade, one or two sandwiches with a chocolate bar and a sports drink. Doc couldn't help but stare at the trainer, remembering their match back at his gym.
"Doc?" He turned to see Spike giving him a glum frown, "You okay?"
"Yeah....I'm okay."
"You're worried about your battle against Lightning, aren't you?" Twilight asked, Doc sighing but nodding all the same.
Flash just rolled his eyes at this. "Don't worry Doc, you can beat him. You're not the same trainer that he beat at your gym."
"He's right," Twilight added. "You've become much more spontaneous. You'll be fine."
Doc chuckled at his friends' encouragement, feeling a little relieved at it as he ate the last of his burger. The rest quickly finished their lunch and headed back to their spots, while the rest of the stadium did the same.
Mic: "Alright, ladies and gentlemen! It's time to see whose gonna be heading to the finals! Lightning Blitz and Time Turner, please step out onto the field!"
"Alright. Here goes." But before he could step out of the trainer box, Lightning pushed past him.
He then came to a stop and turned to him and Flash, a death glare in his eyes. "I heard about your little encounters last night." This put everyone on edge, not liking where this was going. "I don't know why the legendaries would show themselves to you losers, but it's obvious they made a mistake." He pointed at Flash, "You'd better make it to the finals, because after I'm done taking this loser down again, I wanna show the legendary you saw who it should be showing itself too."
"What, a self-centered jerk like you?!" Flash replied with crossed arms.
"No. Something you'll never be. A winner."
He turned away and walked out onto the battlefield, leaving the trio with scowls on their faces. "Doc." Flash growled as he turned to glare at the gym leader. "Take...him...down."
"With pleasure," Doc responded as he made his way to his podium, Doc on blue and Lightning on red as Present Mic spoke up.
"ALRIGHT! It's time to see who'll be selecting their Pokémon first!" Everyone looked up at the megascreen as the roulette wheel appeared, the professors soon turning it on. The roulette then slowed down, landing on the blue section. "It's blue, so Time Turner will be up first!"
"Alright," Doc pulled out his Pokeball, "then let's go Higear!" He tossed the ball into the air, which released a spiral of red energy that revealed a floating mass of gears.
"Higear!" It cried while floating up and spinning its moving parts.
Lightning smirked at this. "Higear, huh? Ha!" He pulled out his own Pokeball, "I beat you once, and now I'll beat you again. And this time, it'll be much easier."
"Why's that?" Doc asked.
Lightning's smirked increased as he enlarged the ball. "Because I now have a Pokémon that is definitely stronger than it. Guardroid, battle ready!"
He tossed the ball into the air, soon releasing to show a new Pokémon. The monster was a large hunk of brown metal that stood at around five to six feet. It had a roundish body with a submarine like hatch on its chest while wearing a pair of round shoulders with a silver metal pipe connected to a large brown metal arm that each had a three fingers fist. Two more metal pipes were connected to the bottom of its body, each connected to a brown metal leg and foot. On top of the body was a rounded dome attachment, with a rectangular section cut out of it. Behind that dome was a metal backpack device with bronze pipes sticking out that led down to different sections of its body. The metal construct stood still before moving clunkily and in a manner similar to Tockwork as a pair of green eyes appeared inside the dome. "Guardroid!" It bellowed while swinging its arms up and down.
Doc let out a low grumble. "That's not good."
"He's right. This is bad," Twilight added while Flash pulled out his Pokedex.
Name: Guardroid
Category: Robotic Pokémon
Type: Steel
Info: The evolved form of Higear. A protector by nature, it can operate for up to twenty hours on a single charge. Because of this, they are often used for guard duty, as they have no need for food or sleep.
"Lightning picked Higear's evolved form on purpose. He probably thinks it'll give him the advantage."
"Typical Lightning," Flash grumbled.
Up in the stands, Trixie had just scanned it with her Pokedex and the others were all growling, all except Fluttershy as Rarity spoke up, "That brute. He thinks power is all that matters in a battle."
"It's true that Guardroid is stronger than Higear," Applejack added. "But there's more to winning a Pokémon battle than just having the evolved Pokémon."
"SHOW THAT CHUMP WHO'S BOSS DOC!" Rainbow screamed as she bounced up and down in her seat while punching the air with her fists.
"You got this!" Spike mimicked her.
"Terra!"
Mic: "By the looks of things, Lightning seems to have the better chance of victory."
Celestia: "Maybe. Just because it's evolved doesn't mean it's actually strong."
Mic: "Is that so?"
Luna: "Higear evolves into Guardroid by being transported or traded while having an Upgrade item installed. That means it could evolve the day its born, but that doesn't mean it'll be stronger than a Higear that's spent years training."
Mic: "Interesting. Only one way to find out for sure. Let's get this battle started! In three!"
Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"
ALL: "ONE!"
Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"
"Mega Punch!" Lightning ordered barely a second later, Guardroid charging ahead. But due to its large clunky body, it moved quite slowly while pulling a glowing fist back.
"Shift Gear, then dodge it!" Doc announced, Higear's gear ring beginning to spin.
"Guard!" Guardroid reached Higear and threw the punch, only for Higear to dodge it while back. "Droid?"
"Hi!" It smirked at its evolved form, enjoying seeing the confused look on its face.
Doc also smiled as he gave his next order. "Keep your distance while still using Shift Gear!" Higear did so, floating as far away from Guardroid as possible while its ring spun faster.
"Guard!" Guardroid growled as it kept swinging its glowing fist, each missing with ease. "Guardroid!" The robot yelled in frustration.
Mic: "Looks like Guardroid is just too slow. Has Time Turner already figured out its weakness?"
Celestia: "That's right. Guardroid's evolution is all about increasing it power, so of course it would end up losing its speed because of this."
Luna: "And if Doc keeps using Shift Gear like that, Higear's speed will soon be a hundred times that of its evolved form. It doesn't mater how strong you are if your attacks don't land."
Lightning growled at hearing this, glaring up at Higear. "Don't mock me. I've got more than just Mega Punch." He turned to Guardroid, "Gear Grind!" The robot pointed its arms at Higear before slots in them opened up, only for it to fire a pair of gears into the air.
"Hi?" Higear could only raise its hands in an attempt to grab the gears, which grinded against its hands as they made it accidently descend to the ground.
"Now use Lock-On!" Guardroid's eyes went red as it brought its hands together, a red ring appearing between them. It thrusted its arms and sent the red ring flying at Higear, who had just recovered from the Gear Grind, and hit it square in the face. But instead of causing damage, all the ring did was turn into a red target in the center of its face.
"Gear?" Higear asked in confusion, while Doc frowned.
"Use Mega Punch!" Guardroid pulled its glowing fist back while Higear flew up out of reach, only for the robot to punch the air and send a fist shaped burst of light into the air.
"Hi!" Higear went wide eyed and tried to move, only for the attack to change direction and hit it right on the target. "HIGEAR!" It grunted while falling back as the target symbol faded.
"Higear! You okay?!"
Mic: "That had to hurt."
Celestia: "Well, after being hit by a Lock-On, the next attack will always land.
Luna: "Doc will need to be careful. Even with that increased speed, Lock-On will make dodging tricky."
"Can you go on?" Doc asked Higear once it was close to the ground.
Higear shook its entire body before turning to glare at Guardroid, "Hi!"
Doc nodded, "Use Gyro Ball!" Higear let out a mighty yell as it began to spin, becoming a flying buzz-saw that shot ahead.
"Gear Grind!" Lightning ordered, Guardroid launching the spinning gears again. The projectiles hit Higear, but it was spinning so fast that it created an air cushion, which blocked most of their force before it pushed past them.
"Gear!" Higear yelled as it struck Guardroid, grinding against it for several seconds before the robot managed to push it away.
"Guard..." it panted as it staggered back, but managed to stay upright.
Doc smirked as Higear spun back to their side of the field, "Now you use Gear Grind!"
"Gear!" Higear stopped spinning before shooting its spinning gear like hands at Guardroid.
"Mega Punch!" Guardroid pulled its glowing fist back before punching one of the spinning gears while holding its other arm up to guard against the second. The gears grinded against its fist and arm, only to push the first one away, allowing him to jump away from the second one. "Lock-On!"
"Guard!" Guardroid fired the red ring at Higear, hitting one of the retracting gears and printing a target on it.
"Heavy Slam!" Guardroid started to run while Higear tried to float up to a safe distance. "That won't save you! Do it now! CRUSH HIM!"
"GUARDROID!" It's metal backpack opened up to reveal a pair of rocket engines, which ignited and pushed the robot into the air.
Everyone in the stands gasped at this sight, "IT CAN FLY?!" Several people, including Flash, Spike, Rainbow and Trixie, yelled in shock.
As Guardroid rocketed at it, Higear tried to outmaneuver it, but found itself being tracked again. "Gyro Ball!" It heard Doc order, quickly spinning as fast as it could. But before it could build itself up to full speed, Guardroid grabbed the spinning gear into a hug as its rockets cut out.
Everyone watched as gravity tightened its grip on the two Steel-Types, making them fall as Guardroid positioned the still spinning Higear under it. The grinding of the Gyro Ball made holding it difficult, but the robot managed to keep its grasp long enough for them to crash into the ground. The entire stadium shook, several people being rattled out of their seats as Guardroid picked itself up. Beneath it, Higear was laying on the ground, looking battered and beaten before starting to float back up again.
Mic: "That had too hurt."
Celestia: "Heavy Slam is a move that deals more damage the heavier the user is than the target. Guardroid weighs a good one and a half tons while Higear is just over a hundred pounds."
Luna: "It'd be like one of us being crushed beneath a car."
Mic: "Ouch! And Higear's still standing...er...floating. That takes guts."
"I can't believing something that heavy can fly," Flash commented while watching Guardroid's rockets retract.
"I wouldn't call what just happened flying," Twilight added. "All it did was catapult itself into the air with no real control over where it was going. I doubt it can do it constantly, as something that heavy probably takes time to build up the energy to lift off the ground. It'll probably be a while before it can use those rockets again."
"So Doc's still got the speed advantage and higher ground?"
"Maybe. But that Heavy Slam will have done a lot of damage."
Doc looked Higear over. "Can you go on?"
"HIGEAR!" It replied while spinning its gear. Doc chuckled at this and ordered Higear to use Tackle, causing it to strike Guardroid in the hatch at high speed.
"Guard!" Guardroid yelped as it was suddenly knocked back enough to lose its balance, falling onto its back while Higear flew to a safe distance.
"Now, use Gear Grind!" Higear threw its gear like hands at the still down Guardroid.
"Gear Grind as well!" Lightning ordered, Guardroid pointing its arms at the gears before they opened up to fire its own spinning projectiles. The gears struck each other, creating a powerful clanging noise as they deflected each other. But as Higear's returned to it, the gear Pokémon flew down at it.
"Gyro Ball!" Higear spun around at high speed while Guardroid tried to pick itself up.
"Get up! Use your jets!" Lightning yelled, Guardroid now unloading its rockets so it could push itself up enough to get on its feet, then crossing its arms.
"Guard!" It grunted while Higear's Gyro Ball slammed into its arms. Guardroid managed to swing its arms next, sending Higear back. Once it reached its side of the field, it stopped spinning and stared down at Guardroid. The two glared each other down, showing that if they weren't machines, they'd be panting to show how tired they were. All that spinning was draining Higear, while the rockets were doing the same for Guardroid.
Lightning just growled at this sight, "Don't just stand there! Mega Punch, full power!"
"Droid!" Guardroid's rockets ignited again as it propelled across the field, pulling back its now glowing fist.
"Gear Grind!" Doc ordered, Higear tossing its hands at its evolved form.
Guardroid thrust its fist and punched the gears, knocking them away as it kept going and smashed Higear in the face. "Gear!" Higear yelped as it was pushed up into the air.
"Lock-On!" Guardroid fired the ring at Higear, but the gear Pokémon saw it coming and used the force of the Mega Punch to flip back, letting the attack go flying over it. Lightning growled again, "USE HEAVY SLAM!" Guardroid's jets exploded and propelled it up into the air.
Doc groaned at the sight, "No choice. Gyro Ball!" Higear began spinning as fast as it could while Guardroid grabbed it in its arms and pulled it into a tight hold. "No!" Doc yelped as he saw Guardroid's hold completely immobilize Higear.
"END THIS! CRUSH HIM NOW!" Lightning yelled as Guardroid's engines died, making them fall back to earth.
And as they picked up speed, Higear continued to struggle in an attempt to escape. Doc saw them descend, only to notice Higear's hands were free. "That's it! Gear Grind!"
"Hi!" Higear began to spin its hands into Guardroid while now grinding away at it's shoulders, making it flinch and slowly lose its grip. And as they were only a few feet from the ground, Guardroid lost its hold on Higear. "HIGEAR!" Higear thrust its hands up and pushed Guardroid away, spinning its gears to continue floating while Guardroid fell to earth on its own.
"Fire your jets!" Lightning ordered, Guardroid trying to...but the rockets only gave one good burst before completely conking out, firing nothing but smoke as it tasted dirt.
"GUARDROID!" It yelled while the ground shook again.
Despite the shaking, Doc smiled while looking up at Higear. "Gear Grind!" Higear threw the shuriken like gears at its evolved form, who had rolled onto its side to try and get up. Guardroid saw the gears coming, its trainer ordering it to use the same attack. But it only had time to fire a gear from one of its arms, knocking one gear back but was completely defenseless against the second one.
"Guard!" The gear hit it just below the arm, knocking it back until it was on all fours, which actually allowed it to push itself back onto its feet. It and Higear glared at one another, both knowing they only had enough energy for one or two more attacks.
"Tackle!" Doc ordered, Higear charging again at high speed.
"Lock-On!" Lightning yelled, Guardroid creating a ring between its hands. And as Higear got closer, it fired the ring, quickly making contact as Higear smashed into Guardroid. The force made Guardriod stagger back, almost falling completely until it managed to fire its rocket long enough to push it up on its feet.
"Mega Punch!" Guardroid pulled its glowing first back.
"We have to meet it head-on! Gyro Ball!" Higear began spinning at the advancing Guardroid, ready to clash with the evolved form.
Time seemed to slow down as the two machines got closer, preparing what would likely be their last attack. Then, when they were only a few feet away from one another, Guardroid fired its rockets to double its speed and close the distance. Time around them returned to normal, as they both let out one last cry. "GUARDROID/HIGEAR!"
The clanking sound of steel on steel filled the arena, everyone now shielding their ears as the noise blasted the stadium. The impact also caused a gust of wind to fill the stadium, pushing everyone back while Higear and Guardroid were sent flying.
The gear Pokémon managed to pull itself to a midair stop while the robot dug its feet into the ground to do the same. The two glared at each other for several seconds, their energy both down to fumes...until they both collapsed. Higear crashed into the dirt while Guardroid fell onto its knees. The two struggled to stay upright, only for the sound of creaking metal to fill the air as one fell face first into the dirt.
Everyone gasped at the sight, wide eyes at the victor as it tried to pick itself up. Present Mic stood up and looked over the fallen Pokémon and made sure it was down before making the announcement.
Mic: "Guardroid KO'd, so the winners are Time Tuner and his Higear!"
The crowd cheered at Doc's victory, while his defeated opponent just stared out at the field in shock. "Impossible...I lost...to that weakling?!" He then flinched at hearing Celestia's chuckle over her microphone.
Celestia: "Like I said, being evolved doesn't make one stronger. Guardroid burned through too much power to quickly, not holding anything back that way."
Luna: "Using that rocket so much probably didn't help either. It probably ran out of power right before the Mega Punch landed, so didn't have enough to keep going after that. I suspect Higear probably held a little back so it wouldn't be running dry after its attack."
Lightning growled at this criticism, quickly returning Guardroid before walking off the battlefield. Doc said nothing as he watched Lightning's face morph into one of pure anger, hatred obvious in his eyes. And before Flash could even comment to him, the teen pushed Flash away before disappearing down a corridor of the stadium. Sighing and shaking his head at the sight, Doc walked out onto the battlefield, "Someone's a sore loser." he commented as he saw Higear finally give out and fall. Luckily, he managed to catch his partner with a giant grin on his face, "Great work out there partner. You were fantastic."
"Higear..." it replied while they headed for the trainer box.
"That was great Doc!" Flash added as the two of them high-fived, "Nice work knocking that jerk of his high Ponyta!"
"Don't thank me," Doc replied while holding up his Pokémon. "It's Higear you should be giving praise to."
"You're right," Twilight commented while giving Higear a gentle rub. "Great work Higear. You should be proud."
"Hi..." Higear moaned while Twilight looked back at Doc.
"You should probably get him treated. You'll need him at full strength when you battle in the finals."
"You're right. I'd like to stay and watch your battle, but making sure he's okay comes first. Sorry."
"It's cool," Flash gave him a thumbs up. "We'd do the same thing." Doc nodded and headed into the stadium's Pokémon Center while Flash and Twilight turned to one another. "This is it."
"Yeah...let's give it our best." Flash nodded back before the two stepped out onto the field.
Mic: "It's time for the semifinal's second match between Flash Sentry and Twilight Sparkle. Professor Celestia, if I'm correct, you were the one who suggested they travel together."
Celestia: "That's right. When I first met Flash, he was abrasive, rash, and tended to act before thinking."
Luna: "Not exactly attractive qualities in a travel companion."
Celestia: "Maybe, but he had many other traits. He was quick thinking, caring towards his Pokémon and the most impressive, he learned about the world through his actions instead of simply learning about them from second hand sources. This is why I wanted him to travel with Twilight, because she was the exact opposite. All her knowledge came from what she had read, believing it without flaw instead of simply using it as a reference to draw her own conclusions."
Mic: "And that's why you wanted them to travel together?"
Celestia: "Exactly. I hoped they would learn from one another, and considering the way this competition has gone, they have."
As the two arrived at their podiums, Flash in red and Twilight in blue, they heard what Celestia had said and hummed in agreement. Flash, though it took a while to get through his head, learned not to take things has they came and actually planned things out. Twilight on the other hand, aside from battling, learned there was more to the world than facts in book and computers.
"ALRIGHT! It's time to see who'll be selecting their Pokémon first!" Everyone looked up at the megascreen as the roulette wheel appeared, the professors soon turning it on. The roulette then slowed down, landing on the red section.
Mic: "It's red, so Flash is gonna pick first!"
"Alright!" Flash pulled out a Pokeball and enlarged it. "Skyler, I choose you!" He tossed the ball into the air, releasing a red light that took shape to reveal Flash's Wingust.
"Wingust!" He cried as he flapped his wings and took to the skies, flying in a circle around the arena before turning back and hovering in front of Flash.
"He's using Skyler, huh? Alright then." She pulled out her own Pokeball and enlarged it, "Let's go Owlicious!" Like Flash, her Pokeball opened and released the red energy to form into the Flying-Type.
"Psy!" Owlicious cheered as he flapped his wings and flew up to Skyler's level.
Mic: "Looks like we're getting another aerial battle. SWEET!"
Celestia: "Wingust is supposedly the stronger flyer, but Psychick's Psychic attacks may level the playing field."
Luna: "But speed can also play a factor here. We'll just have to wait and see what the trainers have planned."
Mic: "I hear ya. Time to see who'll be joining Time Turner in the finals. In three!"
Professors and Crowd: "TWO!"
ALL: "ONE!"
Mic: "Battle...BEGIN!"
"Let's start this off with Quick Attack!" Flash ordered, Skyler shooting ahead at blinding speed.
Twilight glared at the sight, knowing Owlicious wouldn't be able to dodge the attack, "Counter with Confusion!"
"Psy!" Owlicious's eyes started to glow before shooting out a pair of blue lights, which came together as they flew at Skyler. The Wingust saw it coming and managed to shift his midair position, causing the attack to fly over his wing.
"Gust!" He slashed the Psychick with his wing, making it cry out as it fell back. Luckily, Owlicious managed to open his wings, straightening them out before he hit the ground.
"Now use Peck!" Owlicious's beak started to glow before transforming into a long cone like shape, the bird striking Skyler in the chest.
"Wing!" He grunted before beating his wings, flying back while pushing Owlicious away.
"Air Cutter!" Skyler's now glowing wings started to beat repetitively, launching curved wind blades that struck Owlicious head on.
"Psy!" He fell again, his wings barely open to slow his descent.
Twilight adjusted her glasses at the sight. "Hmm...this isn't good. Skyler is faster and stronger...but that's not everything." she glared at Flash, her mind started to burn with ideas. "That could work. Owlicious, Calm Mind!" Owlicious stopped his descent, his entire body now glowing as his Special Attack was increased. "Now, use Confusion!" The Psychick fired another psychic beam, this one hitting Skyler in the head.
"Wingust!" He yelped as the light blinded him, his brain becoming fuzzy as he started having trouble flying.
"Skyler! You okay?" Skyler didn't replay, instead flapping his wings erratically. This didn't help him stay airborne, and soon crashed into the ground with a thud. "Skyler! What's wrong with you?" His answer came when Skyler picked himself up, but swayed from side to side. "Oh no...you're confused."
Mic: "Looks like that Confusion attack's got Wingust all turned around."
Celestia: "Usually a trainer would return their Pokémon to their Pokeball and switch them out with another one. But since this is a one on one tournament, returning Wingust would mean Flash forfeits."
Luna: "So what will he do? Keep going and hope the confusion wears off, or give up."
Twilight shook her head, "Don't be ridiculous. Flash never gives up."
Flash smirked back, "You got that right." Skyler again tried to take off, but his flapping was still out of sync. "Though this might make things tricky."
Meanwhile...
Back in the stadium's lobby, Doc was sitting on a couch, fixing Higear while he recharged. "And that...should do it," he replaced Higear's back plate before taking off his glasses and putting his torch away. "How are you feeling?"
"Hi," Higear nodded as it turned back to him, his gears spinning with ease.
"Good. I'm gonna need you at your best if we want to battle with everything we've got." He then turned to a nearby screen, which was showing the battle taking place. "Now the next question is, who will we be battling against?"
"Peck!" Twilight ordered as Owlicious flew down at the still confused Skyler, stabbing him with extended beak several times.
"Wing!" Skyler squawked, feeling the strikes. But as these blows hit him, he could only see a barrage of Psychicks, all confusing the bird even more.
Flash growled at the sight, only for a bulb to go off in his head. "That's it! Use Steel Wing!" Skyler's wings started to glow before it started to frantically wave them around, accidentally slamming into Owlicious's head.
"Psy!" He cried as he was knocked back, spreading his wings and flying away to a safe distance.
Twilight pouted at this. "Grrr...if that's the case, we'll play defense! Calm Mind, repeatedly!" Everyone watched as Owlicious pulled up before his body started to glow blue, the light quickly dying down before it unleashed another pulse of light. On and off the light flickered, Owlicious's Special Attack getting strong with each flash.
Mic: "At this rate, Psychick's confusion will be strong enough to one hit KO Wingust!"
"Confusion!" Twilight ordered after the seven Calm Minds. Owlicious fired its psychic blast again, which was now a thick beam like laser that struck the ground with enough force to send Skyler flying into the air.
"Gust!" Skyler rolled through the air, the confusion stopping it from correcting itself.
"Sky Drop!" Owlicious flew up to Skyler as he reached his height and grabbed his wing in his talons, gripping them tightly before beginning to spin in midair.
"PSY!" The Psychick hooted before swinging Skyler down, releasing its grip. This caused Skyler to crash into the dirt with a loud thud, all while kicking up a dust cloud.
Mic: "Ouch! That had to hurt!"
"Skyler!" Flash yelled into the dust cloud, "You okay?" There was no answer, many people believing that Skyler had already been knocked out, only for a mighty gust of wind to shoot out of the cloud and dispel it.
"Wingust!" Skyler proclaimed as he flew up to Owlicious's level, flying perfectly.
"Alright!" Flash cheered while the crowd clapped.
Mic: "Incredible! It appears that Sky Drop has completely wiped out the confusion!"
Celestia: "Large amounts of pain have a tendency to help focus one's mind."
Luna: "But Wingust has taken a lot of damage. Flash needs to be careful."
"Steel Wing!" Skyler's wings glowed as she shot ahead, picking up speed while Owlicious also charged.
"Peck!" Once again, the Psychick's beak started to glow before extending in size. The two clashed, wing against beak, and pushed before Skyler's attack overcame Owlicious and pushed him back.
"Psy!" Owlicious rolled back through the air, but managed to steady himself out while Twilight ordered him to use Confusion. "Psy!"
"Double Team!" In a flash of light, Skyler's body multiplied into a large flock of Wingust. The Confusion attack struck one, making it disappear while the others all flew around Owlicious.
Twilight watched as her Psychick was now surrounded, trying to find the real one. "We can't experiment here! Destroy them all with Confusion!" Owlicious fired multiple psychic blasts, each hitting a Skyler clone. But despite this approach, more and more clones continued to appear.
"Air Cutter!" The Skylers all beat their winds, Owlicious spinning its head around to see where the attack was coming from.
"Behind you!" Owlicious spun his whole body around to see several wind blades coming at him, "Confusion!" He fired his psychic lasers, blocking several Air Cutters, but not enough as he now felt the stinging sensation of the razor sharp air blades hit his chest.
"Psy!" The Psychick fell back at the blow, Skyler's army now reducing its numbers as the real one flew after it.
"Quick Attack!" Skyler picked up speed while Owlicious spread his wings to slow himself down, headbutting the Owl towards the dirt. He crashed with a thud, rolling on the ground while Skyler flew back up. "Steel Wing!" Skyler arched around and flew back down with glowing wings, reaching the ground and tilting to the side so his wing dug through the dirt.
Owlicious picked himself up as he heard a noise, turning to see the sound of Skyler's wing ripping through the gravel. "Dodge it!" Twilight screamed.
"PSYCHICK!" Owlicious jumped up while Skyler reached him, opening his wings and letting Skyler's air current fill them to lift him up. Seeing this opportunity, Owlicious grabbed onto Skyler's sky pointing wing and gripped it with his talons.
"Good idea Owlicious! Use Sky Drop!" Owlicious beat its wings and managed to drag the off balance Skyler up, then spun around to tossed the Wingust back down.
Since it was only a few feet, Skyler didn't have time to spread his wings and stop his fall. "WING!" He yelped as he hit the ground, the impact on his back sending shakes all throughout his body.
"Confusion!" Owlicious appeared right above Skyler before firing his attack, which headed straight for the larger bird. Skyler opened his eyes and saw the attack coming, no chance of moving out of the way in time. Everyone watched as the Confusion attack landed, creating yet another dust cloud. They all gasped, thinking the battle was over as the cloud slowly faded to reveal Skyler still laying on the ground.
The Wingust's wings were folded around the bird, shielding its head and blocking the audience from seeing if he was knocked out. "Is that it? Did I win?" Twilight asked as she looked up from Skyler to Flash, only to raise an eyebrow when she saw him smirk.
"Not yet," he quipped as Skyler started moving his wings. They unfurled enough for the light of his eyes to shine through before the Wingust disappeared.
"Psy?" Owlicious chirped in surprise, only to find the sun to be blocked out behind him. He spun his head a full one eighty, just in time to lock eyes with a grinning Skyler before Flash gave his next command.
"Steel Wing!" Skyler spun around and slapped Owlicious with a hard iron wing, sending the Psychick rolling back until he managed to spread his wings and level out.
"Evasive maneuvers!" Twilight cried, Owlicious trying to get as much distance from Skyler as possible.
"After it!" Skyler shot ahead, quickly closing the gap. Owlicious tried to catch him off guard by changing direction, but Skyler managed to stay on his tail.
"Woowee!" Applejack exclaimed, "Skyler's on him like a fly on a Miltank-pat."
Rarity rolled her eyes at this. "Not the analogy I would have used, but I will admit Skyler seems to be the more agile of the two."
Rainbow nodded. "That little guy sure has come a long way since I battled him."
"Confusion!" Twilight ordered, Owlicious spinning his head around while he continued to fly. Seconds later, he started shooting quick psychic bullets behind him, forcing Skyler to evade them.
"Air Cutter!" Flash yelled before Skyler stopped his pursuit, now launching the air blades at Owlicious. The blades struck the Confusion attack, causing an explosion. The wind from it pushed the two back, making them rebalance themselves.
"Steel Wing/Peck!" The two charged at each other, both throwing attack after attack at one another as both dodged or blocked each other. To everyone watching, it was a mesmerizing sight, seeing both graced through the air like a violent shining dance.
Eventually, Skyler flapped his wings and pushed away from Owlicious to avoid another Peck. Twilight took this chance to give her next order, "Confusion!"
The Psychick fired another psychic beam, which Flash quickly countered, "Double Team!" Once again, Skyler transformed into his very own army with the Confusion destroying only one of them.
"Take them all down like you did before!" Owlicious started spinning on the spot in midair, firing multiple Confusion attacks to wipe the whole flock out. And as he took every single one of them down, Owlicious fired a beam of psychic energy at last Skyler....and it disappeared too.
Mic: "Huh? Where's it go?"
Celestia: "I don't know."
Luna: "It can't have just vanished."
Twilight was also looking around for Skyler, but couldn't spot him anywhere. She then turned to Flash and saw he was smiling, and she soon learned why when he looked up. "Quick Attack!" She looked up as well, only to look away as her vision was blinded by the sun.
"No! The sun!" She yelled at Owlicious. The Psychick looked up, now spotting an increasing in size black dot on the celestial body. That blot was Skyler, who was rocketing down at Owlicious and getting faster with every second. "Use Confusion!"
"PSY!" Owlicious channeled as much mental energy as he could before unleashing it in a single blast, which headed straight for Skyler.
But the Wingust didn't try to dodge, instead picking up greater speed. Soon enough, he collided with the beam and actually began to cut through it. Though the psychic energy was giving it a headache, he powered through and reached Owlicious. "PSY/WING!" The two roared as they collided.
"SKYLER/OWLICIOUS!" The trainers yelled as they watched their Pokémon fall to the ground from the clash, crashing face down into the field a few feet from one another. Everyone watched as they laid in the dirt, wondering if they had just witnessed a double knock out.
The answer came when one of the birds began to move, slowly picking itself up and spreading its wings. "Wingust!" It cried while looking down at Owlicious. The Psychick then moved itself, rolling onto its back to show it's eyes were replaced by swirls.
Mic: "Psychick KO'd, so the winners are Flash and his WINGUST!"
The crowd began to cheer as Flash and Twilight walked onto the field. Flash patted Skyler on the head while Twilight picked Owlicious up. "Great work bud," he commented while scratching his chin.
"Gust..." a panting Skyler replied with a smile.
"Take a break," Flash returned him to his Pokeball before turning to Twilight. She was cradling Owlicious like a baby, a few tears going down her face.
"You were great. I'm so proud of you." She looked up at Flash with a weak smile, "I guess we've still got a lot to learn."
"Psy..." Owlicious hooted before Twilight returned him to his Pokeball.
"Congrats. You deserve to be in the finals."
"Thanks. And thanks for the great battle. You sure didn't make it easy getting here." Twilight giggled back before heading over to the trainer box, which Doc had just stepped into.
Mic: "ALRIGHT BATTLE FANS! Our finalists have been decided! Who will end up being the big winner?! I can't wait to find out!"
Flash and Doc both stared at one another, the two knowing they would need to give this battle everything they had in order to win. The Hoof Cup's final battle was next, but who would be crowned the winner? Stay tuned to find out.