After finally arriving in Cloudsdale City, the group spent the night at the Pokémon Center to rest up and recuperate in preparations of Flash and Rainbow's upcoming Gym battle. And as the sun rose above the mountain housing the great city, Flash, Springer Twilight, Spike, Peewee, Doc and Cloud Clipper walked out of the Pokémon Center.
"Alright! Today's the day I finally get my sixth Equestria badge!"
Cloud chuckled at her grandson, "I hope you don't intend to take the Gym Leader I trained personally too lightly." She reached up and grabbed Flash's ear, making him cry out, "You might have beaten me before, but Spitfire won't go down so easily!"
"Ow, ow, ow, alright!" She let go, Flash cradling his ear while Springer chuckled, "I always take my opponents seriously Gran! I trust my Pokémon can take her!"
"If you're sure," Cloud sighed while shaking her head, "Now, we better get going."
Flash turned to Twilight, "So uh...where's the gym?"
Twilight took out her journal just as Spike spoke up, "Would your gran know?" They turned to him as he added, "She did build the gym, didn't she?"
"That's right," Cloud giggled, "The Cloudsdale Gym is located in what is now the airfield." She then frowned as her eyes darted around, "Though it doesn't look like there are any cabs around. Guess that means we'll have to walk."
"Cabs?" Twilight asked as Cloud led them through the city. Despite not having been there for several years, Cloud was able to navigate the city without issue, the group soon arriving at the edge of the city sector of Cloudsdale. It was here they found themselves at the X-shaped trench that split the mountain peak into four.
There was a large fence blocking anyone from falling into the trench, but it allowed them to look over to see a collection of houses. "That's the suburbs. We'll have to go through there to get to the airfield." Cloud commented as they walked along the fence before hitting a break in it, now seeing a well made stone bridge connecting their side of the trench to the other.
They walked over it, now finding themselves surrounded by houses that appeared to be based on clouds. "Is that grass?" Twilight asked as they made their way through the street, seeing the houses having gardens in front of them. "It can't be real. That's gotta be astroturf."
"Nope. Real grass and real plants." Cloud laughed as she pointed at the dirt, "This area and the place they grow the plants in is mostly soil. That's why they were picked to become the farm and suburbs."
"Fascinating," Doc whispered as they walked around a corner, only to find themselves seeing two very familiar people.
"Rainbow!" Flash called out.
"Fluttershy!" Twilight added, catching the duo's attention.
Rainbow and Fluttershy smiled before walking over, the group now noticing two other people with them. It was a middle-aged man and woman, the man had dark blue skin and the same hair as Rainbow, except cut short, while the women had the same skin as Rainbow but had orange hair with yellow streaks.
"Hey guys!" Rainbow cheered as she and Fluttershy reached them, the older two not far behind. "You ready for the toughest gym battle of your life Flash?"
"You know it!" Flash replied while pumping his fists, "I'm looking forward to it."
"Same." Rainbow responded before pointing backward, "Let me introduce you to my parents."
The middle-aged pair smiled as the man did a two fingered salute, "Name's Bow Hothoof."
"And I'm Windy Whistles," the women continued, "You must be the friends our little Dashie told us about."
"Mom!" Rainbow groaned while blushing.
Bow laughed as Bow turned to Flash. "So you're going out for the Equestria League?" Flash nodded as Bow put an arm around Rainbow's neck. "Well I hope you realize how impossible it is since my Rainbow's the one who's gonna win!"
"DAD!" Rainbow cried, pulling his arm off of her.
The others laughed as Twilight turned to Fluttershy. "They're very...enthusiastic."
Fluttershy nodded back, "They always cheer Rainbow on, no matter what the event." She let out a giggle next, "you should have seen what they planned on wearing to watch Rainbow's gym match. Hats and flags that have Rainbow's face on them, along with scarfs designed after her hair." The others pictured this and laughed, Rainbow growling at Fluttershy as she added, "It took her forever to convince them not to wear them."
"I'm kinda disappointed we don't get to see it," Cloud chuckled, only to look up and see a trio flying in the sky. "Ahh, perfect!" She put her fingers to her lips and let out a loud whistle, surprising everyone until they heard the beating of wings.
They soon found a trio of large metal birds flying down, taxi cabs in their talons that they carefully dropped. "Need a ride?" The riders inside the cabs all asked.
"Yes," Cloud replied while nodding, "Can you take us to the airfield?"
"No problem," another rider replied, "Hop in." The nine split off and got into the cabs, Flash, Twilight and Cloud in one, Rainbow and her parents in the other while Spike, Fluttershy and Doc were in the last. Once they were buckled up with their Pokémon on their laps, the Corvinknight took off and lifted them into the sky.
Almost everyone turned to look out the windows, gasping at the sight of the city from above. "So this is how they got that image," Twilight commented as she turned to the other cab and saw Spike and Peewee looking out. She then noticed Fluttershy sitting in the middle with her hands over her eyes. But before they could really enjoy the view, they felt themselves beginning to descend, soon landing. And as they got out, they noticed they were still on the suburb peak with the fence next to them showing the airfield on the other side.
"Sorry, not allowed to land on the airfield." the rider responded, "This is as far as I can take you."
"It's fine," Cloud replied before bowing. "Thank you for the ride." The others did the same as the cabs flew off, the group soon making their way across the bridge.
And as they arrived at the airfield, they saw several planes lining the edge of the runway with one of the large hangers having a giant Pokeball over to door. "There it is," Cloud announced as she pointed at the building, "The Cloudsdale Gym."
"Awesome!" Rainbow cheered as she and Flash were about to start sprinting, only for the group to see a nearby plane loading crates. The sight made Cloud sigh and shake her head, the others turning to her.
"Looks like they're loading a plane," she added as she pointed at the plane, "Sorry kids, but that might be a problem."
Flash and Rainbow shared a glance before running up to the hanger, Rainbow quickly knocking against the metal doors. "Hello?!" There was no answer, the others blinking at the non response before Flash and Rainbow grabbed the doors and slid them open.
"Hey, um..." Fluttershy muttered out, "What if uh...you're not allowed to do that? We could get in trouble."
"We'll be fine," Rainbow replied as she kept pushing the door open. "Come on, let's take a look."
They all soon walked into the hanger, now seeing a battlefield inside with balconies on either side of the field for audiences. There was just one thing missing from the place: The Gym Leader.
"Hello?" Rainbow yelled as they walked into the center of the room, "We're here to challenge you to a Gym Battle!"
"And I accept!" echoed a voice, making them turn to see Spitfire standing on a ledge above the door. Above her was a metal pole that stuck out in a downward diagonal before ending halfway across the field. She leapt off the ledge and grabbed a ring connected to the pole, sliding down before flying off the end, doing several flips through the air till she landed perfectly in her trainer section with her back to the group.
She grabbed the shoulder of her aviator jacket spun around, throwing the jacket off as a blue skinned girl with windswept white hair appeared in the middle of the battlefield and caught the jacket before retreating to the side. Shining the biggest grin, Spitfire spun around while adjusting her goggles.
"Wow..." Rainbow gasped, "Now that's style! Awesome!"
Flash looked back at the pole as it retracted back into the wall, only to turn to his grandmother. "Huh. Did you do that when you were the gym leader?"
"No," Cloud replied while rolling her eyes, also shaking her head, "That's all Spitfire. Always the showoff."
Spitfire chuckled as she started striding up to the group, "Where's the fun in being a gym leader if you can't add a little flare to your performance?!" She pointed at Flash and Rainbow, "So, you ready to take on the master of flying?"
"You know it!" Flash responded while pumping his fists.
"Let's do this!" Rainbow added, "Who do you wanna take on first?"
Spitfire suddenly blushed, her grin shrinking, "Well...there's a small problem." She began to scratch the back of her head as she continued, "I just got an order to fly out and make a delivery, so I've only got time for one battle."
Flash and Rainbow anime fell hearing this, the others sighing as Rainbow jumped back up and yelled, "Seriously?!"
"Sorry, but it's an important order. A lot of people need the ingredients."
Flash rubbed his face down, "Guess it can't be helped."
He and Rainbow turned to each other, both reading each others thoughts with just a glance. And as they stared at each other, the suddenly pulled their fists back, looking like they were about to throw a punch at one another. The others went wide-eyed as they threw their fists, gasps happening before they saw them come to a stop.
"HA!" Rainbow cheered while making a peace sign with her fingers, Flash holding his hand out flat. "Scissors beats paper!"
"AUGH!" Flash yelled before slumping over, "Fine...." He pointed to Spitfire, "Go."
Rainbow smirked walked up to Spitfire, her parents cheering, "Way to go slugger!"
"Nobody plays rock, paper, scissors like you do!" Windy added, making Rainbow blush before turning to Spitfire.
She pointed at the Gym Leader, "Let's do it! That Flight Badge is gonna be mine!"
"We'll see," Spitfire laughed as the others walked over to the stairs leading up to the balcony. Once they were up there, they heard a sound and saw the roof of the gym begin to open up. As that happened, Rainbow walked up to the trainer's podium.
Spitfire's assistant saw they were both prepared and spoke up, "The Gym battle between the challenger Rainbow, and Spitfire the Gym Leader, will now begin! Each side can use up to three Pokémon, and the battle will be over when all three of either sides' Pokémon are unable to fight. Also, only the challenger may be allowed to substitute Pokémon." She glanced at the two trainers, "Is that understood?" Both nodded. "Then trainers, reveal your first Pokémon."
Spitfire smirked as she took out a Pokeball. "Time for me to show you the true unrivalled might of the Flying-type, born of the air with possibilities as limitlessness as the sky itself!" She enlarged the ball. "Wondor, wings up!" She threw the ball up, unleashing a larger version of the blue and yellow Pokémon Rainbow had hatched at the summer camp.
"WONDOR!" It squawked loudly, spreading its blue and yellow wings, this one being big enough that Spitfire could ride on its back.
"Wow..." Spike whispered. "He's huge!"
Cloud did a slight gulp, "She's starting off with her best Pokémon. This could be trouble for Rainbow."
Fluttershy shook like a leaf, "Oh, I hope she'll be okay."
"She'll be fine," Flash assured her. "No one knows Flying-types like Rainbow."
"Fletchinder!" Rainbow enlarged her Pokeball, "let's go!" She threw the Pokeball, revealing the Flying Fire-type.
"Fletch!" It chirped before landing in front of Rainbow, now glaring at the large bird.
"That's a great looking Fletchinder champ!" Box yelled.
Windy nodded in agreement, "It'll easily beat all of Spitfire's Pokémon." Rainbow rolled her eyes as the judge raised her arms.
"Are both trainers ready?" They nodded. "Then battle...BEGIN!"
"Razor Wind!" Rainbow commanded as Fletchinder took to the air, its wings glowing before it beat them. Doing so unleashed a barrage of white, crescent-shaped energy waves at Wondor.
"Take off!" Spitfire ordered, Wondor beating its wings as it flew up, dodging the Razor Wind as it struck the ground.
"Flame Charge!" Rainbow yelled as Fletchinder flew up and with a beat of its wings, ignited into a blazing fireball.
"Fletch!" It charged, its speed increasing as it shot at Wondor.
"Feather Dance!" Spitfire yelled as Wondor began to flap is wings, causing a cloud of feathers to shoot off its body and take the form of a fake Wondor.
"Fletch?" Fletchinder yelped as he slammed into the clone, getting slowed down by the cloud as it went through the feathers.
"Above you!" It looked up and now saw Wondor flying straight down at the Pokémon.
"Aerial Ace!" Wondor let out a roar as it shot past Fletchinder before doing a V turn and shooting straight up, striking the firebird in the chest.
"FLETCH!" It cried as it was hit back before spreading its wings to keep itself from crashing.
"Fly straight up!" Rainbow ordered before Fletchinder shot up, flying out of the gym with Wondor hot on its tail. The larger bird caught up and the two started flying around one another, performing an aerial dogfight as the trainers waited for the right moment. "Steel Wing!" Rainbow then yelled as Fletchinder's wings glowed.
"Fletch!" It screeched as it tried to slash Wondor.
"Superpower!" Wondor dodged the attack as its talons glowed orange before spinning around and grabbing Fletchinder around the neck and waist.
"Fletch!" It cried as it was thrown downward, Rainbow gasping and about to call a Flame Charge...but it was too late. "FLETCH!" Was all it could scream before Wondor slammed it into the ground, kicking up a dust cloud that it vanished a few seconds later.
"Fletchinder!" Rainbow yelled as the dust settled, revealing her Pokémon laid out on the floor with spirals in its eyes.
"Fletchinder is unable to battle," the assistant named Fleetfoot announced. "Wondor is the winner."
Rainbow sighed while the others frowned. "That could have gone better," Spike commented.
Doc nodded in agreement, "That Wondor is powerful. Rainbow's gonna need something big to beat it."
"Don't worry," Bow added, "My daughter's just getting warmed up."
"That's right!" Windy chimed in, "Now that she's seen what Wondor can do, she'll wipe the floor with it."
"I hope you're right," Twilight said as Rainbow returned Fletchinder.
"Great work," she told it once it was back in the ball before pulling out another, "Time to show off my own Wonderbolt. Wondor," she threw the ball, "Let's go!" The ball opened, unleashing to reveal her own Wonder. And as it landed, everyone saw the difference between it and Spitfire's. Since hatching at the Summer Camp, Rainbow's Wondor had grown in size, and was now almost as big as her. But compared to Spitfire's, it was still smaller.
"Oh? I see you managed to get a Wondor of your own. Very impressive." Spitfire shined a huge smirk, "But don't think that'll let you win this match."
"We'll see," Rainbow told her as Fleetfoot raised her arms.
"Are both trainers ready?" They nodded, "Then battle...BEGIN!"
"Aerial Ace!" Both yelled as their Wondor shot into the sky, both circling around before charging at each other. The two found themselves surrounded by slipstreams as they got closer and closer, only for both to finally crash into one another.
"WONDOR!" The two screamed as they were blasted back by the impact, Spitfire's recovering first as it quickly corrected itself midair.
"Now, Superpower!" Spitfire's Wondor charged with orange glowing claws as Rainbow had just got itself back under control.
"Quick, Arcobatics!" Wondor's body glowed light blue before he flapped his wings, dodging the Superpower as it zipped upward and then slammed down onto Spitfire's Wondor. The larger bird cried out as Rainbow's flapped away, "Crush Claw!"
Spitfire watched as Rainbow's Wondor's claws glowed red. "Another Superpower!" Her Wondor spun around, thrusting its claws out as both Wondors' claws clashed, linking and gripping one another.
"WONDOR!" They both squawked as they flapped their wings, circling around while still being linked at the claws.
"This is kinda funny to watch," Spike chuckled.
"I suppose. It seems they're even," Doc added.
"No, they're not." Cloud sighed while shaking her head. As she said this, Rainbow's Wondor began to tire, its flapping slowing down as Spitfire's smirked.
And with a powerful beat of its wings, the bird roared, "Wondor!" Spitfire's swung Rainbow's around before letting go of its talons, sending the smaller bird crashing into the ground with a loud thud.
"Wondor!" Rainbow cried as she saw her newest Pokémon laid out on the dirt. After a few seconds, it pushed itself back up, turning to its opponent while panting. "Get up and use Acrobatics!" Her Wondor glowed as it leapt into the air, zipping from side the side as it got closer to Spitfire's.
"Aerial Ace!" The larger Wondor shot straight down toward Rainbow's as the slipstream appeared around it. But before it could hit the smaller bird, Rainbow's suddenly zipped around the giant, pulling off an impressive spin as it got behind Spitfire's.
"Dor?" Spitfire's yelped as Rainbow's disappeared, only to feel it tackle it in the back, "WONDOR!"
"YES! Way to go!" Rainbow cheered before pointing at her Wondor, "Now, use Crush Claw!" Her Wondor jumped up as its talons glowed red, letting gravity take command as it was pulled down to strike the opponent.
"It's not that easy!" Spitfire barked back, "Brave Bird!" Wondor's body suddenly erupted into flames, the heat flying off it burning the smaller one's feet, making it cry out before flying away. This gave Spitfire's Wondor the chance to push itself back into the air, right through the roof before circling around and shooting back down. Doing so caused the flames to turn blue as it charged at Rainbow's Wondor.
"Acrobatics!" Rainbow's Wondor charged back up as it glowed, zipping from side to side as the two got closer. "DO IT!" The two Wondor collided, an explosion forming upon impact, blocking them from sight while the shockwave caused everyone except Spitfire and Cloud to flinch.
After a few seconds, one of the Wondor flew out of the cloud, flinching as blue lightning sparked around its body. The others quickly realized this was Spitfire's Wondor before-
"DOOR!" Rainbow's fell out of the cloud, crashed into the dirt with spirals in its eyes.
"NO!" Rainbow cried as Fleetfoot stared the bird.
"Rainbow's Wondor is unable to battle. Spitfire's Wondor is the winner!"
Everyone up in the balcony sighed, Spike slumping down, "Aw man! That thing's unbeatable!"
"It's barely taken a hit," Doc added while shaking his head, Cloud turning to them with a flat stare.
"You're not looking at the battle correctly. It might not have taken many hits, but one hit might be all it needs to go down." The others blinked at her, causing the former gym leader to continue, "don't forget the move Spitfire's had it use several times."
Twilight went through the moves in her head, only to go wide-eyed. "Of course...she's been using Superpower!" The others turned to her. "It's a strong move, but using it causes the user's Attack and Defense to go down."
"Exactly," Cloud turned back to the battlefield. "Rainbow can pull this off yet."
"Thanks Wondor," Rainbow returned the bird to its ball. "Take a good rest." As she put the ball away, she glared up at Spitfire.
The Gym Leader shined a big grin, "I'll admit, your Wondor's got potential. With proper training, it could even one day beat my Wondor." Her smile turned to a smirk, "But that day isn't today. So what will you do now that you're down to only one Pokémon?"
Rainbow's face showed nothing but determination, "I'll win! Tank, let's go!" She threw the Pokeball, opening to reveal her Soartoise.
"Soar!" he roared as he landed.
Spitfire laughed at the sight, "So the Torpeller I let you catch that day has evolved. Well then, I'm looking forward to seeing how strong the two of you have gotten since then."
"You'll be in for a surprise when you see how strong we've gotten. Ready Tank?"
"SOAR!" Tank roared, swinging his giant fins around.
"Wondor, you ready?"
"WONDOR!" It squawked as it took flight, Fleetfoot raising her arms.
"Are both trainers ready?" They nodded. "Then battle...BEGIN!"
"Aerial Ace!" Spitfire yelled as Wondor flew straight up and circled around before dive-bombing at Tank.
"Iron Defense!" Rainbow called out, Tank quickly turning away from Wondor as his shell glowed. Wondor struck the shell, bouncing off as it did littler more than a nick of damage, "Now, blast it away with Hurricane!"
"Soar!" Tank spun around before jumping up and morphing into his fan-form, spinning to create a powerful tornado that struck Wondor right in the chest, knocking it flying away.
"That's the way!" Bow cheered, "You go Tank!"
"You're almost as awesome as Rainbow!" Windy added.
Wondor slowly managed to regain control of itself as it got further away from Tank, the Soartoise taking this moment to begin flying up so they would meet it in the air. "Get ready to use Superpower!" Wondor's claws glowed as Tank got closer, Rainbow smirking as she saw the bird charge.
"Stone Edge!" The rock shards appeared around Tank before being blasted in Wondor, hitting it head-on as the bird began to power through them. It soon go past the last rock, quickly grabbing Tank by the vents in his shell.
"DOOR!" It roared while pulling Tank to the ground before slamming him into the battlefield. But Tank barely flinched as Wondor let go of his shell, only for his flippers to thrust out and grab the bird's talons.
"Spin it!" Rainbow yelled before Tank started rotating his fins around, spinning Wondor along with it.
"WONDOR!" It cried as it was spun like a top, unable to escape as it kept getting dizzy.
"Wow..." Spitfire whistled. "Have to admit, never seen that before."
"Alright Rainbow!" Flash cheered.
"Keep it up," Fluttershy clapped.
"YOU GOT THIS!" Her parent screamed right as Tank let Wondor go, the bird now crashing in front of Spitfire.
"Nice one Tank," Rainbow cheered before pointed at Wondor. "Now, use Stone Edge!" Tank cried out as the rocks appeared around it before being blasted at Wondor, the bird still dizzy from the spinning.
"Feather Dance!" Wondor turned away from the voice and beat its wings, unleashing the storm of feathers that clumped together and formed a cushion to block the rocks. Several managed to rip through the cloud, hitting the Wondor, but their reduced speed made the blows lessen as Spitfire yell, "Now, Brave Bird!"
Wondor then leapt into the air as its body exploded into flames. "WONDOR!" It cried as it shot around and dive-bombed at Tank, the flames turning blue.
"Iron Defense!" Tank spun around as his shell turned blue, Wondor slamming into it and causing at explosion that knocked them both back. Tank hit the ground, quickly recovering as Wondor was thrown back, flinching as its body sparked. "Now's our chance!" Tank spun his fins and glided along the ground before taking off, getting right above Wondor. "HURRICANE!"
"SOARTOISE!" He roared before unleashing the powerful tornado, hitting the bird as it flattened the Flying-Type into the dirt.
"WONDOR!" It cried as it felt itself pinned by the wind, unable to get up by the constant buffeting gale.
And as Tank let his wind die before Rainbow called out, "BODY SLAM!" The turtle spun around so the back of his shell was pointed to the ground as Wondor was still trying to push itself up.
"Get out of there!" Spitfire yelled, but it was too late. Tank slammed into Wondor with enough force to kick up a dust cloud, everyone gasping as the fog covered the area. And when it faded, it revealed Tank standing beside Wondor, the bird's eyes now spirals as it made the result clear.
"Wondor is unable to battle. Soartoise wins!"
"ALRIGHT!" Rainbow cheered, "Way to go Tank!"
"Soar!" Tank cheered while their friends applauded.
"YOU DID IT SWEETHEART!" Windy clapped.
"That's the way you do it slugger," Bow added.
"Don't celebrate too soon," Cloud instantly cut in, "She may have beaten Wondor, but she's still got two more Pokémon to beat. And while Wondor is her strongest Pokémon, the other two won't be pushovers."
"So Rainbow's still at a disadvantage," Flash commented as Cloud nodded.
"She can do it," Fluttershy assured them. "Rainbow's good at getting out of situations when her back's against the wall."
"I hope you're right," Twilight finished as Spitfire returned Wondor.
"You did an excellent job," she told the bird once it was back inside before staring at Rainbow. "I'm impressed. You handle your Pokémon well. You really have become a great Flying-type trainer."
"Aw, thanks." Rainbow scratched the back of her head, "I just wanna live up to Cloudsdale's legacy."
"You do it well. You should be proud." She replaced her Pokeball. "But just because I'm impressed that doesn't mean I'll just hand over the badge. You've still gotta earn it, and to do that, you have to win. Tornavian," she threw the ball, "Wings up!"
The ball opened, unleashing her next Pokémon. This one was another large bird, which looked like a giant Wingust that stood at around seven foot in height. Its body was mainly black, with red and yellow patterns around it, its eyes having yellow markings that looked like an arrow but was also shaped so that it could be mistaken for a strange R or a number two. A strip of red feathers started at its forehead, running along the top of its head and ended at the base of its neck. On its chest it had an arrangement of red feathers that formed a V-shape starting at its chest and heading upward until the tips went off its shoulders. The insides of its wings were red, and its tails was spade-shaped, being yellow with a red outline. "TORNAVIAN!" It squawked while spreading its wings.
The group stared in amazement at the sight of the giant bird, Rainbow and Flash both taking out their Pokedex.
Name: Tornavian
Category: Tempest Pokémon
Type: Normal/Flying
Info: The evolved form of Wingust. Its powerful wings can fly through the strongest of hurricanes. A single flap of its wings is so strong, the gust it creates can flip a car.
"Wow..." Flash whispered, "So that's what Skyler's gonna evolve into on day?"
"Yup," Twilight nodded, "And this doesn't bode well for Rainbow. Its at full battle condition while Tank isn't."
"Don't worry, she's got this," Windy assured her. "Go get 'em honey!"
"Knock it out of the park!" Bow added.
"Are both trainers ready?" They nodded as Fleetfoot raised her arms, "Then battle...BEGIN!"
"Razor Wind!" Tornavian began to beat its wings, sending out a barrage of crescent wind blades at Tank. The Soartoise quickly spun around as Rainbow gave her command.
"Iron Defense!" The shell glowed as the blades struck it, causing little more than scratches as Tank prepared to unleash the next attack. "Hurricane!" Tank spun around and morphed into its fan form, creating a tornado right at Tornavian.
Spitfire just smirked at the sight and pointed at her Pokémon, "Get in there!" Tornavian flew right into the tornado, not bothered at all by the harsh winds now buffering into it.
"No way!" Rainbow yelped as Tornavian got close to Tank, only now remembering what the Pokedex had just said. "Oh no..."
"Aerial Ace!" Tornavian shot out of the Hurricane, flying straight down before performing a V-turn and striking Tank from below.
"SOAR!" He cried as he was knocked off his feet, quickly getting slammed into the dirt.
Spitfire shined a huge grin, "Now it's time to show off your best attack," Tornavian smiled back before flying straight up. "TORNADO BURST!"
"What?!" Flash yelled as he watched Tornavian wrapped its wings around before spinning, a tornado forming around it beak, "I've never heard of that move, and I've seen a tons of Flying moves thanks to gran!"
"It's the signature move of Tornavian," Cloud chimed in as the tornado curved around and pointed toward Tank.
"Iron Defense!" Rainbow called out as Tank began to pick himself up, the Soartoise looking up as the tornado got closer.
He quickly turned around to prepare to use his move, only to scream, "TORE!" The tornado exploded as Tornavian spread it wings, a burst of speed pushing it forward as it slammed into Tank's shell.
"SOARTOISE!" He cried out as he was thrown down, crashing into the ground before sliding along it.
"Whoa! That's fast!" Spike yelped.
"It looked like Tornavian sped up," Windy added as Cloud nodded.
"That's Tornado Burst. It's power is equal to the user's speed, but it also has the added effect of increasing the user's speed before the attack lands."
"Wow," Flash whistled, "Talk about a powerful move."
Fluttershy did a long gulp, "I hope Rainbow can handle it."
"You okay Tank?" Rainbow asked, Tank letting out a groan, "Alright..." she stared up at Tornavian as it flew around the gym, "Time to take this battle to the skies!"
"Soar!" Tank morphed into his flight form and took off, flying up as Tornavian circled around the roof-opening.
"Razor Wind!" Spitfire called out as Tornavian beat its wings, sending the air blades at the air tortoise. However, the turtle proved skillfully agile, flying side to side to evade the incoming attacks.
"Stone Edge!" The rocks appeared around Tank as he stopped spinning, gliding through the air and swinging his fins around to bat the rocks at Tornavian.
"Tore," Tornavian yelped as it tried to evade the rocks, "Tore, tore, navian!" It cried as one of the rocks smashed into its wings, followed by another and another.
"Revenge!" Spitfire yelled, Tornavian turning toward Tank before shooting at high speed as it glowed and slammed into Tank.
"Soar!" It cried, the force of the attack throwing him into the wall before falling to the ground.
"Tank!" Rainbow screamed as she saw Tank slump down. But before he could crash into the ground, he recovered and started spinning his fins. And seconds before he hit the ground, he stopped and began to hover as he started gliding across the battlefield. "Alright!" Rainbow stared up as Tornavian circled around, "Use Iron Defense!"
"Aerial Ace!" Spitfire yelled as Tornavian shot down, Tank's shell glowing as the bird got close to the ground before V-turning upward to slam into Tank's front.
"SOAR!" He cried as he was struck, causing him to roll along the ground until he stopped on his back.
"Tornado Burst!" Tornavian spun around, forming an air spiral around it as Tank managed to roll back to his feet, the tornado now about to close.
"Stone Edge!" Tank swung his flippers around as the rocks appeared, batting them at the tornado. But the wind around Tornavian deflected them away, all rubble exploding as the bird charged at Tank.
"TORE!" It squawked as it collided with Tank, pushing him down until he slammed into the dirt.
"SOAR!"
"TANK!" Rainbow cried, the others flinching. Rainbow glared at Tornavian as it flew back, clearly preparing to end this. "I'm not gonna let it end this way!" At these words, Tank pushed himself back up. "I've trained long and hard to get this badge and prove I'm one of Cloudsdale's best! So come on Tank, let's give it everything we've got!"
"SOAR!" Tank roared as he stood tall.
Spitfire smirked at the declaration, "That's the kinda attitude I like to see in a trainer." As she said this, a thought entered her head. 'Could she be the one?'
"HURRICANE!" Rainbow yelled as Tank began to spin his fins, creating the tornado as it fired it at Tornavian.
"Pointless! Go Tornavian!" The bird shot straight into the tornado, not bothered by the gale, "Now, Tornado Burst!" Tornavian spun around and formed a tornado inside the tornado, Rainbow just smirking.
"Wait for it..." Rainbow muttered as Tornavian's attack got closer and closer. "NOW!" Rainbow roared as the inner tornado exploded, shooting Tornavian forward, "To the ground!" Tank shifted his body so his chest was pointing to the floor, the force of his Hurricane pushing him up and out of Tornavian's direction.
"TORE!" The bird cried as it tried to pull up, only to crash into the dirt, "NAVIAN!"
"Now, Body Slam!" Tank stopped spinning and let gravity pull him down, the Soartoise spinning around so the back of his shell was pointed at Tornavian.
"REVENGE!" Spitfire ordered, Tornavian pushing itself straight up as it let the shell slam into it. But before it could be crushed between the ground and Tank, it grabbed the shell and managed to spin around and slammed Tank into the ground.
"SOAR!" He cried as Tornavian flew back up.
"Stone Edge!" Tank summoned the rocks and began batting them at Tornavian, but the Tornado Bursts had increased its speed that it easily evaded the flying rubble.
"Aerial Ace!" Tornavian shot straight down as Tank spun his fins and took off, the bird doing the V-turn and striking him from below.
Tank cried out as he was thrown upward, managing to correct himself and hover above Rainbow while Tornavian floated over Spitfire. Both trainers stared at one another for a second, their eyes lighting on fire as they both yelled in unison. "LET'S FINISH THIS!"
"Tornado Burst!" Tornavian flew up and circled around, forming the tornado around it.
"Stone Edge, then Hurricane!" Tank summoned the rocks before creating the tornado, the powerful wind blowing the stones at Tornavian at high speed. The rubble crashed into the tornado, the speed allowing them to cut through the wind and strike Tornavian, making it cry out as more of them struck it. An explosion happened next as a smoke cloud was formed.
Everyone watched and waited, hoping Tank had managed to land a critical hit. Rainbow stared at the cloud, then down at Spitfire. The gym leader stared at the cloud before suddenly calling out, "REVENGE!" Before anyone could say anything, something shot out of the cloud at high speed, instantly appearing in front of Tank.
"Soar?" He yelped as Tornavian appeared, using its talons to grab the vents on his chest before spinning him around.
"TORE!" It threw him down with all its strength, "NAVIAN!" Everyone watched as Tank fell like a rock at high speed, slamming face first, the force causing the building to rattle around them.
When the shaking ended, everyone focused on Tank, now seeing him laying out and not moving. "TANK!" Rainbow ran over to him, quickly kneeling down and grunting as she began to roll him over. And as she flipped him over, she saw that the turtle now had spirals in his eyes. "No!"
"Soartoise is unable to battle," Fleetfoot announced. "Tornavian is the winner. All three of Rainbow's Pokémon are unable to battle, so the winner of the battle is Spitfire!"
Everyone sighed as stared at Rainbow, the girl on her knees as the defeat washed over her. She reached out and patted Tank, "Great work big guy." She took out her Pokeball, "Take a good rest." Tank was returned as Spitfire walked over to Tornavian and patted it on the head.
"Excellent work," she held up her Pokeball. "You deserve a good rest." She returned it before turning to Rainbow, a giant frown on the teen's face, "You should be proud. You proved a true challenge."
"I still lost though," Rainbow sighed as her walked onto the field.
"You might have lost, but you shouldn't let that stop you." Rainbow looked up at her. "You understand why you lost, correct?" Rainbow nodded back. "Then take that defeat and use it to make you better."
Rainbow glanced back down, slowly picking herself up as she replied, "You're right." Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the gym leader, "I know you've already promised to let Flash battle you when you get back, but after that could we have a rematch?"
Rainbow was expecting her to say yes, but Spitfire shook her head. "No."
Everyone's eyes went wide at this, making the teen ask, "What?! Why?!"
"Simple," Spitfire replied while crossing her arms, "I don't want to be your sixth badge." Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this. "Come back when you have seven badges, then I'll accept your challenge. I want to be the last obstacle you have to overcome before you can enter the league." She pointed down at teen, "I wanna see how strong you've gotten after earning seven badges, understand?"
Rainbow smiled and nodded back. "You got it. I'll come back when I've got all seven badges. Don't expect to be waiting long though, cuz I'm gonna get them in no time at all!"
Spitfire let out a laugh, "That's what I like to hear!"
At this moment, Rainbow's parents gathered around her. "Don't worry slugger," Bow ruffled her hair. "You'll get her next time."
"And we'll be here to cheer you on the next time you face her!" Windy added while Rainbow hugged them back before the rest of her friends gathered around, all telling her how great that battle was.
As this happened, Cloud walked over to Spitfire as asked, "What are you planning?" Spitfire turned to her, "Wanting to see how strong she was before the league? That's not like you."
Spitfire shined a half-grin, "You saw how well she handled those Flying-types. She's just as good as you and I were back when we were her age."
Cloud raised an eyebrow before turning back to Rainbow. "Huh. I wondered if you were ever going to start looking for someone to take over the gym. It's one of the reasons I came."
"I am about the age you were when you took me on. And I've got a good feeling about this kid. She might actually become champion. If she does, I don't mind waiting until she comes to the end of her term to hand the place over to her." Cloud nodded back as they all stared at Rainbow, mentally agreeing that she had great promise as a possible Gym Leader. But only time would tell if she could live up to that promise.
Later that day...
The group was now outside the gym, all staring at the plane Spitfire would be flying. Workers at the airfield had just finished packing the last box into the plane, Spitfire smiling at them as she put on her aviator jacket. "Well, I gotta get going." She turned to Flash. "I'll be back in a few days, so get ready for the match of your life."
"No problem," Flash replied, "I'm gonna spend every second getting ready. You'll be handing that badge over in no time."
"I like that attitude," she replied before turning to climb into the plane. The others got a good distance away as she started up the engines, the propellers on the wings beginning to spin as Spitfire put her goggles over her eyes.
She gave them one last salute before the plane began to roll along the runway and takeoff, everyone watching as it climbed into the sky before shrinking into the distance. And as the plane turned into a dot, Flash took a deep breath with Springer jumping up onto his shoulder. "She's strong. Really strong. Maybe one of our strongest opponents yet." He turned to Springer, "We're gonna need to train hard if we wanna beat her."
"Ri!" Springer nodded in agreement as the plane finally disappeared into the sky.
Rainbow's battle against Spitfire might not have earned her a badge, but it has helped both her and Flash understand what kind of obstacle they now faced in order to get the badge. Now is the time to train in order to prepare themselves for their upcoming gym battle. As the journey continues.