//------------------------------// // Cloudsdale Sky-Racers // Story: Pokémon: Equestrian Adventures // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// "Aura Sphere!" Springer leapt up and threw the orb at Flitanium, hitting the bird right in the head. "Fly!" It cried as the bird crashed, Springer landing next to Viper and Riptide as Tank and Fletchinder charged. But the three then leapt away as the two tried to swat at them, missing both attacks. "Nice work guys!" Flash called out before turning to Prongs battling against Gliscor. "Bounce, then Energy Ball!" The Chitaleaf leapt above the gliding scorpion and fired the orb, hitting it in the back. Flash then spun around to see Skyler and Wondor flying around one another, both firing attacks at the same time. It had been three days since Rainbow and Spitfire's battle, Flash having used that time for endless training for her return. "That's it everyone! Keep it up!" His Pokémon nodded as they continued to do battle, Springer running at Flitanium while Riptide and Viper squared off with Tank and Fletchinder. Prongs was now dodging X-Scissor attacks while Skyler and Wondor continued to circle around. Flash then saw Hopper high above them, getting flying lessons from Cloud Clipper and Pidgeot. Despite showing great promise when he battled Champagoon, Cloud saw that Hopper still lacked a lot of techniques. "Alright Hopper," Cloud said as she pointed at the Skeidran. "Let's try a flip. Remember, two flaps, then straight up." Hopper nodded before the two Flying-types did a big loop. His trainer smiled at the sight, happy to see Hopper getting lessons from an expert. "Hey, FLASH!" He turned back to Rainbow and Doc, "Quit daydreaming! You'll never beat Spitfire if you don't focus!" "I know," Flash replied as he now saw Springer dodging Flitanium's Steel Wing. "Extreme Speed!" Springer suddenly vanished in a flash of blue lightning, the Riolu teleporting around the metal bird. "Now, Drain Punch!" He appeared in front of Flitanium, throwing a glowing fist into its chest, the bird crying out as it fell back and had spirals in its eyes. "Looks like we're out," Doc sighed as he returned Flitanium. Off to the side, Spike and Fluttershy were watching as Fluttershy brushed Angel. "Flash has really been training hard," Spike commented, "I can't wait to see how he does against Spitfire." He then turned to Twilight, who was sitting a ways off. "Alright Owlicious, let's try this again." She looked down at Flash's TM and nodded before pointing at a potted plant. "Use Psychic!" "OWL!" He spread his wings as his eyes started glowing blue, the giant owl focusing on the plant. It then slowly began to glow blue, the object soon hovering. "That's it, there you go!" Twilight cheered, "You can lift it, now it's just a matter of keeping it up for as long as possible." Owlicious nodded as he stared at the pot, managing to keep it up for about a minute before he lost focus, the potno longer shining as it fell down. "That was pretty good," Twilight told him while giving the Owlolar a scratch behind the ear. "You'll have this move down in no time." Owlolar hooted as he rubbed his head against Twilight. As this was happening, a teen was walking down the Pokémon Center's street. He was a light blue skinned teen with dark blue, almost black, hair. The teen wore a white shirt under a blue jacket that had yellow lightning bolt rings around the arms and black pants. He was humming as he came into view of the center, only to hear a roar as he looked up to see Skyler and Wondor flying around each other. "Whoa..." he whispered as he then walked into the center's garden. As he did this, he saw Owlicious using Psychic on the plant again before turning to the two airborne Pokémon as they continued to duke it out before seeing two other Flying-Types flying to the side. And as Pidgeot and Hopper stopped and flew down, Flash walked up to his grandma, "So? How'd Hopper do?" "He's a remarkably quick study," Cloud replied as she got off Pidgeot and moved over to the Skeidran. "You've trained him well. I only had to explain something once and he understood it." She gave Hopper a scratch under the chin, the Pokémon purring at the attention. "He still has a long way to go before he's a perfect flyer, but he should be able to hold his own in an aerial battle." "That's great!" Flash cheered before turning to Hopper, "Way to go bud!" "Dran!" Hopper happily roared as Skyler and Wondor landed. "I also caught sight of Skyler's battle," Cloud went on. "He's certainly grown stronger since I last saw him." "I couldn't agree more." Everyone spun around to a sudden voice, now seeing the blue teen walking up to them. "Both your Wingust and Wondor were looking really good." "Thanks...I guess?" Rainbow replied with a raised eyebrow, "Who are you?" The teen chuckled, "Sorry for the interruption. I was just walking by and saw the battle, so I came to get a better look. Name's Soarin, Soarin Skies." "Well, I'm Rainbow Dash." "Name's Flash." "Twilight." "You can call me Doc." "Spike's the name. And this is Peewee." "Terra!" "And I'm...Fluttershy." Soarin smiled as he took in the names before turning back to the Flying-types. "These guys look amazing. You can tell just from watching them fly that they've been trained really well." He then turned to Owlicious, "And this Owlolar's Psychic attack was looking good." "Thanks," Twilight nodded. "We've still got a long way from mastering it though." Cloud then chose this moment to speak up. "You must really like Flying-types if you can tell how well these ones have been trained." "Yeah," Soarin nodded before taking out his Pokeball. "This is my partner." The ball opened up, a familiar Pokémon soon appearing. "STARAPTOR!" The Predator Pokémon squawked as it spread its wings, its wings more wide-spread then an usual one. "WOW!" Rainbow gasped with stars in her eyes, "Now that is one awesome Staraptor!" "Thanks," Soarin chuckled, "We've trained really hard." "I can see that," Cloud nodded before taking a closer look. "However, this is clearly not a battling Staraptor." The others tilted their heads at this as Soarin just smirked. "It's wing muscles are clearly defined for long bouts of high speed, not dealing serious damage to another. That means...it's a racing Staraptor." "You got it," Soarin rubbed the underside of his nose. "Staraptor and I have been travelling all over, entering races and winning a bunch of 'em." "Races?" Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow, only to go wide-eyed, "Wait, if you're here for a race, then that must mean-" "I'm originally from Cloudsdale and came back for a visit," Soarin interrupted, Rainbow slumping over the boring information, only for Soarin to continue, "But luckily there happens to be a race taking place tomorrow and I'm gonna enter it." Rainbow looked back up, stars back in her eyes as she exclaimed, "No way! There's only one race you gotta be talking about!" She turned to Fluttershy, the girl also nodding before they both spoke in unison. "The Great Cloudsdale Race!" "The great what?" Flash asked as Cloud chuckled. "It's one of Cloudsdale's biggest annual events. Flying Pokémon and their trainers compete in a race and the winners gets placed in the Cloudsdale Hall of Fame." She sighed, "I remember the year I won." "You competed?" "Of course," Cloud replied while nodding, "I was actually the winner of the very first race. Though back then, it wasn't as difficult as it is today. Say, why don't we take a break from training and go check out the stadium, and then the Hall of Fame." The others all nodded back, soon preparing to leave. And where they were ready, they spotted a Corviknight taxi overhead. "Taxi!" Cloud yelled before the metal bird flew down, only to see there was only one while there were eight of them. "This could be a problem," Twilight commented. "No problem," Soarin added before turning to his Staraptor. "You mind?" Staraptor squawked happily, letting Soarin climb onto its back, the others getting the idea. Cloud got onto her Pidgeot and Flash got on Hopper. Twilight wondered if Owlicious could support her weight, and the owl was happy to give it a try, same with Wondor and Rainbow. "You gonna use Flitanium?" Spike asked as he and Fluttershy got into the cab, Doc shaking his head. "Nah, I'll let him rest after his battle with Springer." As such, he climbed into the taxi before the six Flying-types took off. As soon as took off, everyone smiled at the new view, Owlicious and Wondor especially happy that they were able to carry their trainers. "Are we there yet?" Fluttershy asked while keeping her eyes covered, the others laughing as they soon got to their location. "Almost," Soarin replied as he pointed at the largest building in the city, "There it is. The Cloudsdale Colosseum, better known as the Cloudosseum." Everyone was in awe of the building as they began to fly down, landing and thanking the Corviknight rider and returning their Pokémon. They then headed inside next, finding that the Cloudosseum was pretty much your average sports arena while also functioning as a museum of sorts. "Hey look!" Twilight yelled as she ran over to a doorway with a sign over it. Cloudsdale Founding She quickly went inside, now seeing a room filled with old timey photos. "Wow..." she whispered as she saw a photo showing a man and woman planting a flag on the top of a mountain, soon reading the writing under it. "This photo commemorates the first two trainers to reach Foal Mountain's peak, Hurricane and Pansy." "Yup," Rainbow added as she walked up to the teen, "They were like...the first thing we learned in school." "Kinda wish they gave better details about their trek up the mountain," Soarin sighed. "All they ever told us was their preparations for climbing the mountain, and then they jumped to them being at the top. I always wanted to know what the two did during the journey." They continued to look around the exhibit for a few more minutes before leaving, Rainbow directing them toward another area of the building that had a sign saying: Hall of Fame "Here it is," Rainbow smirked as the entered a room filled to the brim with pictures. Flash quickly spotted one of them that showed a girl his age with a Pidgeotto. The girl was a younger version of his grandmother, Cloud laughing as she walked up to him and commented how on the old memories. "Cool..." Spike whispered, "All these trainers and their Pokémon." Doc then turned to Soarin and Rainbow. "So how does this race work? Is it a rally race around the colosseum?" The two shook their heads as Rainbow replied, "Nope. It's way cooler than that." She pointed a certain picture, "See that?" Doc took a closer look, now seeing it was a racer and his Pitchawk, though this Pokémon had a metal collar around his neck that was covered in lights. "That collar's part of the race. They're given to the trainers along with a headset so they can talk to one another." Soarin nodded in agreement as he continued, "The race starts here, but the course is the surrounding area. Before the race begins, a bunch of metal rings are hidden all around the mountain. The racers then have to fly through those rings while the trainers have a screen that shows where the next ring is and when their Pokémon flies through it, the collars register the ring and sends a signal to show where the next one is. The last ring is always in the stadium, so the first Pokémon to fly through all the rings and get back to the stadium wins." The others nodded back, understanding the explanation before looking back at the pictures. They then went into the stadium's seating area, soon looking down at the field and seeing a regular sports field with a relay track wrapped around a grass field. And as they looked around, they saw multiple black boxes were being set up. "What are those?" Flash asked. "They're the trainers boxes," Soarin replied. "That's where the trainers will watch the race and talk to their Pokémon in. They're sound proof, so the trainers can't cheat and hear where the next ring is if they're behind." Rainbow smirked as she walked up to the railing and stared down at the field. "Wow. All my life I've wanted to take part in the Great Cloudsdale Race, and now I finally have my chance!" "You're gonna enter?" Fluttershy asked, Rainbow turning to nod at her. "Of course! Why wouldn't I?" "Well, well, well..." Rainbow and Fluttershy's eyes went wide before they slowly turned toward a sudden voice. "If it isn't our old buddy, Rainbow Crash." The ones responsible for saying that were a trio of teens a little older than Rainbow, all having bulky physics with two of them having their eyes covered by their hair. "Oh..." Rainbow groaned while rolling her eyes, "It's you guys." "Do you know these boys?" Cloud asked Fluttershy, who nodded back. "They used to bully us. They stopped when Rainbow caught Tank, but I guess it wasn't meant to last." "What'cha doin' back here Crash?" The tallest of the group asked, this one having light brown skin and dark brown hair that covered his eyes. "Yeah!" a dark brown skinned teen added, "What happened to your big adventure that'll only end with you becoming the greatest trainer in Cloudsdale history?" "I'm still on it," Rainbow replied, "We happen to have gym here, you know." "Yeah right," the last guy finished. He had bluish-grey skin and black hair covering his eyes, "I bet she came crying home because she couldn't get a single badge." "Shows what you know!" Rainbow almost yelled, "I've already won five badges!" "Ha! Only five!" the first guy laughed, "Look guys, she's still a lame loser!" The boys all started cackling, Flash growling as he walked up and said, "Hey!" They turned to him, "It's five more then you guys have. So why don't you get lost?!" The others nodded in agreement, only for the trio to roll their eyes, "Whatever. Come on guys, we've got work to do anyways." They raised an eyebrow at this. "After all, we're working on helping set up for the big race tomorrow." The dark brown one turned to Rainbow. "I didn't miss-hear, did I? You're entering the race?" Rainbow growled at him, "So what if I am?!" The tall one laughed again. "You actually think you have a shot at winning?!" He flicked her hair, "You won't even make it to the first checkpoint." This statement seemed to push Rainbow over the edge, the girl lunging at the teens, only for Soarin to grab her and pull her back. "Whoa girl!" He told her, "Save it for the contest." The three all laughed before walking off, leaving the group with a seething Rainbow as Spike commented, "What jerks." "I can't believe they got jobs helping with such an important event," Cloud sighed. "The race community must be seriously understaffed." "I'll show them," Rainbow hissed as Soarin let her go. "I'm not just gonna run the race, I'm gonna win it and rub it in their faces!" "That's the spirit," Soarin chuckled, "Though you do realize you'll be facing off against me?" "And me," they turned to Flash. "Skyler and I have just as much intention of winning this thing as you guys." "I wouldn't mind having a go," Twilight added. "It'd be good training for Owlicious." Doc nodded in agreement, "I think I'll have Flitanium enter too." And as they began to talk about the race, the three bullies turned around and glared at Rainbow, "That annoying pipsqueak," The grey one growled. "Thinking she's always better than everyone else." "Relax guys," the tall one responded, "She may be racing, but there's no way she's winning this thing." He then shined a huge grin, "We'll make sure of that." The other two raised an eyebrow before smiling, all cackling before turning back to the group. They now saw everyone laughing at something Rainbow had said, only for the final one of the three said, "This is gonna be fun." The next day... The sky above the Cloudosseum was filled with fireworks and puffs of smoke as the people ran into the building, everyone rushing to find good seats while getting stadium food and drink. They all wanted to see watch the Cloudosseum mega screens, which was connected to camera showing different parts of the mountain. Everyone soon took their seats, staring the field down as the competitors prepared themselves for the upcoming race. Rainbow and her Wondor stood in front of their trainer box as she placed the collar around his neck. "That okay?" She asked, Wondor squawking with a nod before Rainbow placed an earpiece into his ear. With that done, Rainbow turned to watch the many Pokémon they were competing against. Aside from Skyler, Flitanium, Owlicious and Staraptor, she also spotted a Fearow, Corvisquire, Tranquil, and even a Ninjask. They were all wearing collars with their trainers placing an earpiece onto them. Rainbow could tell this was gonna be a tough match, a confident smirk on her face. She then turned to the stands, now seeing Springer, Fluttershy, Spike, Peewee and Cloud sitting halfway up the stands, a few feet from where the bullies were. The teen let out a sigh as she saw her parents right by them, both wearing their horrible Rainbow themed cheering equipment. "WOOOOO!" Windy cheered, "Rainbow's number one!" "Show them who the best young flyer is!" Bow added as Rainbow face-palmed. Up in the stands, the three bullies laughed as they watched Rainbow's embarrassment, the gray skinned teen turned to his friends, "You ever hear of schadenfreude?" The brown one laughed, "You mean pleasure derived from the misfortune of others?" The taller one was currently throwing a cylindrical tube, with a button on the end of it up and down in the air. "Sure have! I can't wait!" In that moment, a blue skinned man with gray and white hair stepped out onto the field. He was wearing a black jacket over a white shirt, black shades over his eyes with a black headset. "Welcome!" His voice was sent out through a PA system, "To the Cloudosseum! Today, we have a big event, the Great Cloudsdale Race!" The crowd cheered as he moved over to the side of the field where a table and chair were waiting for him. "The goal of this race is simple." The screen changed to show Foal Mountain. "Scattered around the mountain are five rings, with a sixth waiting back here." A part of the field opened before a long pole and ring extended out of it. "Once the racers have made their way through the other five rings, they must make their way back here. The first racer to get through the all six rings is the winner." The crowd cheered at this while Spike turned to the megascreen, "How are we suppose to see whose winning?" He asked, Cloud chuckling at his question. "I think they're about to explain." Spike looked back at the stadium, now seeing something hover above the announcer. They were a trio of drones, all sharing the same design. Their centers were designed like a Pokeball and had two rotors on either side with what appeared to be a camera where the button usually was. They also had four tube-like constructs sticking out, two from the top and two from the bottom. "As always, the action will be brought to you by our state of the art Poke-drones. Meet Jamero-Two, Jamero-Three and Jamero-four." The newest members of the crowd stared in amazement while the rest cheered. "Alright trainers, time to take your places!" The trainers stepped into their boxes, finding a TV on the wall inside. Another device was below it, this one appearing similar to a radar screen. In the middle of the screen was a white triangle they realized was their Pokémon, also finding a headset to the side like the announcer. They put them on and heard a noise, showing they were being recorded by their collars around their Pokémon's necks. The Pokémon were directed to a line, all of them stepping up and spreading their wings to get into a pre-take off pose. The announcer stood up, everyone watching in anticipation. "It's time for the Great Cloudsdale Race to begin." The megascreen began to show numbers and counted down. "In three...two...ONE!" "GO!" The crowd screamed as the Flying-types shot into the air above the Cloudosseum, the trainers in their boxes flinching when the screens came to life, all showing the same images as the megascreen. It showed the Pokémon circling above the stadium, waiting to be told where to actually go. A beeping noise then made them look down at the screen, now seeing a dot appear on the screen. Soarin was the first one to give an order. "Staraptor, it's at two o'clock." Back outside, Staraptor spun around, the screen showing the dot move at the same time. "That's it! There you go!" "Star!" Staraptor cheered as it began to fly ahead. "Owl!" Owlicious yelled as it and Flitanium were now right behind him. Skyler and Wondor were next, followed by the rest of the Flying-types. They flew away from the stadium, the Jamero drones following from above as the images appeared on the screens. Jamero-Two was focused on the leading flyers, Jamero-Three on the center and Jamero-Four on the ones bringing up the rear. "Way to go Owlicious!" Twilight commented as she watched her Pokémon on the TV before staring down at the radar, now seeing the dot move closer to the center. It was at this point the Flying-types left the confines of the city, now flying straight down for the first ring. Staraptor continued to hold the lead, his eyes shifting side to side as he tried to locate the ring. "Star?" He then spotted the ring floating near the side of the mountain, held up by a balloon and kept from floating away by a strong cable pushed into the rock. "GO!" Soarin yelled as Staraptor shot forward, flying straight through the ring, causing its collar to beep. Seconds after Staraptor, Owlicious flew through the ring followed by Flitanium, Wondor and Skyler. The rest of the Flying-types aimed for the ring, only for issues to start springing up. Ninjask flew through the ring with Corvisquire behind it, but when Fearow and Tranquil tried to fly through, both reached the ring at the same time, colliding with a loud thunk. "FEAR/TRAN!" They cried as they fell through the ring, unable to regain control as they crashed into a ledge below them next. "OUCH!" The announcer yelped as a drone focused on the birds, seeing both were out cold. "Looks like these two are out of the race." Back at the front, Staraptor was circling around the mountain to locate the second ring. He was still in the lead, but the competition behind him was beginning to change up as Soarin heard the announcer speak up. "And Wondor has overtaken Flitanium and is now closing the gap between it and Owlolar." Soarin looked up at the TV, now seeing Wondor getting in front of Flitanium, now closer to both Owlicious and Staraptor. "Star?" Staraptor glanced behind him and saw Wondor. "Don't worry about Wondor. Just focus on the ring." Soarin looked down at the screen. "You're almost on top of it...or below it." "Star," Staraptor nodded before seeing the ring above him. Like the last one, it was held up by a balloon and cable. "STARAPTOR!" He shot straight up with the others not far behind. This was where Wondor got to overtake Owlicious, the more agile bird able to shift its position and shoot straight up before the Owlolar. "And Wondor is now in second place as they approach the second ring." Staraptor shot through the ring with Wondor right behind it, Owlicious, Skyler and Flitanium managing to get through in that order. "That's two rings down! We're nearing the halfway point of the race!" "Alright Staraptor," Soarin told his partner. "The next ring's a ways off. The other side of the mountain." "Star!" It chirped while shooting off, Wondor and the others following it. "Alright Wondor, this is your chance!" Rainbow chimed in, "While we're getting to next ring, get ahead of Staraptor!" "Dor!" Wondor roared as he pumped his wings, picking up speed and slowly narrowing the gap as they flew around the side of the mountain. "Great work Skyler!" Flash told his Wingust. "Just stay calm and focus on finding the next ring. It doesn't matter who's in first right now." "Gust!" "Let the ones ahead of you tire themselves out trying to stay ahead," Twilight added, "Just pace yourself and save up as much energy as you can." "Owl!" "Be prepared for anything," Doc finished, "I doubt all the rings will be located in such open areas." "Fly!" Doc was right as they got in range of the dot, the Flying-types now finding themselves staring at one of the rock trees that covered the mountain. This one had multiple branches, the ring hidden inside them. "Oh, here we go!" the announcer commented as the megascreen switched from the Jamero drone's vision to images inside the tree. Now seeing through a camera hidden in the branches, the announcer continued, "Our competitors are about to find out just how hard this race can be. One false move and they could end up clipping their wings." It was at this moment that Staraptor entered the rocks with Wondor hot on his tail, both showing incredible skill as they flew around, under, over and between the obstacles with no loss of speed. Skyler was the next one in, doing just as well though he did have to slow down. Owlicious and Flitanium found themselves having issues, the two's large forms making it difficult to fly through the rocks. Flitanium had to retract his wings, now jumping from one rock to another. "Fly, tay, nee, um," he chirped while hopping around. It was at this moment that Ninjask and Corvisquire arrived at the trees, Ninjask's smaller form and incredible reflexes allowing it to sail through the rocks without issue, passing both Flitanium and Owlicious. Corvisquire didn't have such luck as it cried, "SQUIRE!" before clipping its wings, spiraling out of control and crashing into several more rocks. The crowd gasped at the sight, Jamero-Four now firing grappling hooks shoot out of its tubes, catching the bird. At the same time, Staraptor reached the ring, flying straight through seconds before Wondor did. "That's it!" Soarin cheered as the dot was replaced with another one, which wasn't too far away. "It's at ten o'clock!" Staraptor chirped back and began to fly out of rock field with Wondor, Skyler and Ninjask not too far behind. They quickly found themselves flapping out of the rocks, now going back up the mountain, both birds pretty close to one another. Soarin and Rainbow watched as the triangles onscreen got close to the dot, only to see that they were only getting closer in the Y axis, but not in the X axis. And by the time the triangle and dot were in line with one another, they were a good thumb's width away from each other. "Wait!" Soarin told Staraptor as the dot suddenly moved behind it, "You missed it!" "It's on your left," Rainbow told Wondor. In the field, Staraptor and Wondor turned to their left, only to see nothing but the mountain. Both blinked at the sight, stopping in place as Skyler and Ninjask caught up and did the same. The trainers looked up at the TV and saw what Jamero-Two saw, each confused since the ring was right in front of them despite there being a mountain in the way. It was here Flash whispered into his mic, "Skyler, look for an opening." the Wingust's ears prickled, "The ring must be inside a cave." Skyler let out a squawk as he flew back, his eyes scanning the cliff-face as Owlicious and Flitanium finally caught up with them. "What he doing?" Twilight asked when she saw Skyler, then looked down at the radar. "Of course," Doc muttered before he and Twilight gave their Pokémon the same instructions as Flash. Eventually, the rest of the racers caught on, every Flying-type now on the lookout for an opening. "THERE!" Twilight told Owlicious, who also spotted it and shot down several meters before flying into the opening. Flitanium was next in, with Skyler, Wondor, Ninjask and Staraptor following behind. "INCREDIBLE!" The announcer yelled, "The race has been completely turned on his head. Now Owlolar leads with Flitanium behind it while the former leaders are bringing up the rear!" The cameras changed to show images from inside the tunnel, all of them filled with lights to allow the audience and racers to see. The tunnels within the mountain were very narrow, though wide enough to fly at full wingspan. This made it almost impossible to overtake the Pokémon in front, allowing Owlicious and Flitanium to maintain their lead. But that would soon change when the tunnel began to split into several different tunnels. According to the radar, the ring was right ahead, but none of the tunnels lead in that direction, instead going either left or right. Each trainer gave their guess to their Pokémon, soon splitting apart as each went down a different tunnel. Skyler and Owlicious found themselves flying upward while Staraptor and Flitanium headed through downward tunnels. Ninjask and Wondor now feeling like they were going in circles, constantly finding themselves flying through the same tunnel again and again. The audience watched in exuberance as they waited to see who got to the ring first. They then raised an eyebrow when they saw the megascreen change to only show one tunnel with six holes in the wall, three on the left and three on the right. But their confusion vanished when they saw Skyler fly out of the far left hole and into the closest right hole. Seconds later, Wondor flew out of the middle left hole and into the middle right before Ninjask flew out of the far right hole and into the middle left. Skyler and Flitanium flew out of the closest left hole and split up with Skyler going into the middle right hole and Flitanium into the far right hole. Staraptor and Owlicious flew out of the middle right hole next before splitting up, Staraptor going into the closet left hole and Owlicious going into the far left hole. Wondor flew out of the closest left hole while Ninjask flew out the middle right hole, Wondor flying into the far left hole while Ninjask hovered in the center of the corridor and spun around. As it did this, Skyler flew out of the far right hole and Staraptor flew out of the middle left hole. Both flew around Ninjask before heading into the hole the other flew out of, Ninjask shrugging its shoulders and flying into the closest left hole. Eventually, the group found their way out of the unending loop of tunnels with Staraptor flying straight through a tunnel. "Alright!" He heard Soarin cheer, "The ring's straight ahead! You should see it within seconds!" Staraptor smiled at this, only to suddenly find Wondor flying out of a hole to his left. "DOR!" He roared as he shot ahead of Staraptor, both now flying up the tunnel. And when it leveled out, they saw the ring dead ahead of them, Wondor the first to fly through it as the final dot appeared on the screen. "That's the way Wondor!" Rainbow exclaimed as Staraptor flew through the ring. "One more ring and then it's straight for the finish line!" The two birds once again began flying through the tunnels, having lost where the exit was in their mad dash to find the ring. This allowed the others to find the ring, Flitanium being the first followed by Skyler and Owlicious. They too began searching for the exit while Ninjask was still trapped in the loop of tunnels, still nowhere near the ring as it stayed lost. Back at the stadium... Everyone watched and waited as the megascreen changed back to show the drone's vision. The three were outside the tunnel, waiting to see which would be the first out. The announcer then got a beep from the drone, indicating it sensed something was coming. "As we begin to reach the climax of this amazing race, one can only wonder who is currently in the lead." The drone moved above the exit, now seeing something being a mix of blue and yellow. "It's Wondor!" The crowd cheered, no one louder than Rainbow's parents while now seeing Staraptor flap out with Jamero-Two flying after it. Up in the stands, the bullies were wide-eyed, "Hey man," the gray one turned to the taller one. "I don't know how, but that loser might actually win this!" "No way," the taller one held up the tube. "It's time for the demolition derby." As Wondor approached the second to last ring, he found it was located in another set of rock trees. This one was much bigger, with many more branches surrounding the ring. It didn't have a lot of time to let this info sink is as Staraptor came up from behind, about to fly past him. However, Wondor wouldn't let this happen as it began pumped up some more speed. "Wondor!" It roared as the two entered the rock field, the cameras once again shifting from Jamero-Two to the ones located inside the field. Everyone watched as the two birds began flying around the branches, shifting their bodies to go over, under and between the obstacles as they got closer to the ring. It was at that moment the tall bully laughed before pressing down the switch. KABOOM! Wondor and Staraptor gasped before looking up, now seeing several explosions above their heads, causing cracks to appear around the rocks. They the began to break apart, a rain of rubble coming down next as they cried out, "DOR/STAR!" "STARAPTOR/WONDOR!" Soarin and Rainbow screamed, both horrified at the sight of their Pokémon in danger. The crowd gasped at the sight, the announcer standing up. "What's happening up there?! Are there Pineco or something up there that exploded?!" "Oh no," Fluttershy gulped while covering her mouth. "What the heck?!" Spike yelped after hearing the announcer's theory, "How'd a Pineco get up there?" "They couldn't," Cloud hissed, "That's not natural." "Ha!" She and Springer turned toward the three boys from yesterday, "Take that loser! You deserve it!" This made the two scrunch their hands into fists as they glared daggers at the three, then stared back at the screen. "One...dor, One...dor, one...dor!" Wondor squawked as he tried to avoid the rocks, only to be hit in the its wing. "WONDOR!" He felt himself fall, crashing into a rock branch with a larger rock about to fall on top of it. "NOOOOOOOOO!" Rainbow screamed. "Close Combat!" She and Wondor then heard, seconds before the rock was shattered a powerful barrage of strikes. The dust from the crumbling boulder quickly faded, revealing Wondor's savoir to be Staraptor. Rainbow sighed in relief before she and Wondor saw a rock falling toward Staraptor from behind. "Crush Claw!" Wondor quickly leapt off the branch and slammed his talons into the rock, crushing it in a single blow. It then turned back to Staraptor, the two smiling in shared respect. Back at the stadium, Rainbow and Soarin turned to the wall, knowing the other was on the other side. And despite not being able to see one another, they nodded, thanking the other as they looked back at their Pokémon and the ring. The ring had survived the explosion, but now a rain of rocks stood between them and it. They had two options: Wait for the rocks to finish falling and allow their opponents to catch up, or shoot through the rubble. Despite these choices though, both teams had already decided without thinking. "GO!" The trainers commanded as the birds flew into the hail of rocks. The crowd gasped at the sight, only to cheer as they saw the two fly through the rocks without issue. And whenever one was about to be hit by a rock they didn't notice, the other protected them. "Wow!" The announcer yelled, "Now that's teamwork!" "No way!" The tall bully cried, "How are those losers getting through that?! It's impossible!" It was then they noticed someone suddenly standing beside them, the trio looking up and gulping as they saw Cloud with Springer on her shoulder, both glaring down while cracking their knuckles. Back at the race... The Flying-types kept getting closer to the ring, getting within inches of it as Skyler, Owlicious and Flitanium arrived at the rock tree. But before they could reach it, a large boulder fell between them and the ring, the two not able to slow down in time to stop it. Instead, they smirked at one another before charging head-on, hearing their trainers through the earpieces. "CLOSE COMBAT/CRUSH CLAW!" Both birds spun around and smashed their talons into the rock, crushing it within seconds and clearing the route to fly through the ring at the same time. "THEY'RE THROUGH!" The announcer cheered as the two flew out the ring, both heading toward the exit of the field, "Now, let's see which of them can get through the final ring to be the winner!" Both Wondor and Staraptor flew straight up, both trying to get back to the city before the other did. They may have helped each other before, but now they knew only one thing. They wanted to win, and the mountain peak was now comig into view. Rainbow and Soarin ran out of their boxes, looking up to see their Pokémon suddenly appear above the stadium. "COME ON WONDOR/STARAPTOR!" They screamed as the birds circled around and dived down, their focus laser pointed on the final ring. At first, Wondor pulled ahead. But then, Staraptor overtook it. Wondor was then ahead again, only for Staraptor to pull just an inch ahead, the two repeatedly getting closer and closer as they entered the stadium. The audience could barely keep up as they watched them move at lightning speed, both bringing their wings in to keep from crashing into one another. And in the blink of an eye, the two went from shooting toward the ring before zipping through the ring and spreading their wings to break their fall. "IT'S OVER!" The announcer screamed as Wondor and Staraptor landed next to their trainers, the rest of the trainers jumping out of the boxes as Skyler, Owlicious and Flitanium arrived at the stadium and landed next to them. "So who won?" Flash turned to Rainbow and Soarin, both just shrugging while turning to the megascreen. The screen showed the still image of Wondor and Staraptor flying at the ring, the next image zooming in. Each picture after this kept zooming in, only to zoom into their beaks...and show them both entering the ring at the exact same time. "IT'S A DRAW!" The announcer yelled, Rainbow's and Soarin's jaws dropping along with their Pokémon before they turned and smiled at each other in respect. "This is a surprise! For the first time in the history of this race, we have a draw." The crowd cheered next, Spike, Fluttershy and Rainbow's parents clapping the loudest. Cloud smiled down at the two before turning to her side, seeing the now beaten and bruised forms of the bullies laid out and groaning as she held their device in her hand. "Next time, leave my friends alone." She turned to Springer, "Keep watch over them until I can get the authorities." "Ri!" Back on the field, Rainbow, Soarin and their Pokémon stepped onto a podium and were handed a trophy. "Congratulations," the announcer exclaimed, "The pair of you will now be placed in the hall of fame!" A photographer walked up and snapped a picture of the two, both them and their Pokémon smiling as it was taken. After the celebration came to an end, the people filed out of the Cloudosseum. Rainbow and her friends soon returned to the Pokémon Center, Soarin waiting there to say his goodbyes. "You're leaving?" Rainbow asked. "Yup," Soarin nodded. "There's still a bunch of races I have to compete in." "Aw...that's too bad," Rainbow replied, her face now slightly red. "We were just getting to know one another." "Yeah..." Soarin scratched the back of his head before reaching into his pocket and pulled out a photo. "But at least we have something to remember each other by." The photo showed the image that was also hanging in the Hall of Fame, showing Rainbow, Soarin, Wondor and Staraptor smiling at the camera while holding a trophy. Rainbow nodded back before reaching into her pocket and taking out her own picture. The others smirked a knowing smile as they continued to stare at one another, Soarin eventually putting his picture away. "Well, I gotta get going." "Right," Rainbow nodded before Soarin began to walk off. "Hey," he turned back to her. "Next time we see each other, you better be ready for a rematch. We won't end up tying like today." Soarin nodded back before giving a wave as he headed off, Rainbow sighing as she turned back to the others and seeing each giving a knowing smirk. "What?" "Nothing," Flash laughed before heading into the center. And as he did, Nurse Redheart gestured to him. "Flash Sentry?" the teen turned to her, "I just got a message from the Cloudsdale Gym. Gym Leader Spitfire has just got back and will be ready to accept your challenge tomorrow." "Alright!" Flash cheered before turning to Springer, "This is it bud! Gym battle number six!" "RIOLU!" Springer cheered back, the others smiling in excitement. They were sure that tomorrow's battle would be one to remember, and they couldn't wait to see who would win. As the journey continues.