//------------------------------// // The Hoofington Battle Tournament // Story: Pokémon: Equestrian Adventures // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// "There it is!" Rainbow cheered as the group reached the top of the hill, everyone getting their first looks of Hoofington City. After Flash's victory at the Cloudsdale Gym, they had been told of a special tournament taking placing there. With each planning to claim victory, they rushed over to Hoofington in order to enter. The city was situated next to a rather large lake and had multiple tall buildings along with a large stadium that appeared to be built atop the lake. "So that's where the tournament's taking place," Twilight stated as they began to make their way down the hill, marveling at the sights as they trekked through the metropolis. Banners and flags filled the city, all advertising the event along with a valley of stands and vendors. And as they made their way, they saw a certain pair of girls, Flash exclaiming, "Pinkie!" "Trixie!" Twilight called out, getting the two girls' attention. Pinkie and Trixie turned to the group, Trixie laughing, "Well look who it is! I should have known you guys would show up for this." "You know it!" Rainbow replied with a confident smirk, "Are you two competing too?" "You know it!" Pinkie cheered as she began bouncing up and down. "It's gonna be fun, fun, fun!" "That's right," Trixie responded, nodding, "And Trixie intends to claim victory in this battle." "You'll have to beat me if you wanna do that," Rainbow barked back, both about to start glaring at each other. But as they did this, the others were about to speak up, only for something to suddenly land on Twilight's head. "Beautifly..." the butterfly Pokémon said as it nested itself on Twilight's head. The girl froze at the feeling, glancing up at the insect. "Well...that's different." Flash added with a raised eyebrow. "What is that?" Spike asked, only for the bug to take flight and land on his head. "Hey!" "Its a Beautifly," Twilight commented while adjusting her glasses. "It's so pretty," Fluttershy whispered as it hopped off Spike and flew over to her head, making the girl giggle, "Aww..." "But what's it doing in the middle of a city?" Rainbow asked as it went over to her head. "Beautifly, stop that!" A familiar voice called out, making them turn to see two more people they recognized, Spike's eyes now turning into hearts. "Rarity!" He muttered, hearts now coming off his head. The purple haired girl ran up with Applejack beside her, Rarity showing a small smile, "Hello darlings, its so good to see you all again." Rarity then glared at the Beautifly, crossing her arms, "You know it's rude to do that without asking. I know you like greeting others, but you're being rude. Come back over here." "Beautifly..." the butterfly whispered as she flew over to Rarity's head. "Good," she turned back to the others. "I'm sorry. My Beautifly's still working on its manners." They all nodded as Twilight looked up at the bug, "It's fine. It's very beautiful. You must have raised it well." "Thank you," Rarity replied with a slight blush, "It was difficult to evolve her up from Wurmple, but the results were worth it." While she said this, Flash turned to Applejack, "So, how have things been since we last saw you. Did you manage to get Granny Smith's badge?" "Eventually," Applejack chuckled as she pulled out the Harvest Badge. "Ah've still got a long way to go, so that's why Rarity and I came ta complete in the battle tournament." "This is starting to look like the Hoof Cup all over again," Spike chimed in, the others agreeing before Flash turned to the stadium, knowing what that could mean. The group soon headed over to the stadium, laughing and talking about everything they had been through since their last meeting. And as they got there, they saw a Pokemon Center that had a quartet of people they had only been half expecting. "Professor Celestia!" Twilight cheered, getting her teacher's attention. She ran over to the tall woman, hugging her as the others saw that Professor Luna, Sunset Shimmer and to all their surprise, Grand Hoof. "Twilight!" Celestia and her student embraced before Twilight turned to Sunset. "It's good to see you," she told the glasses wearing girl as they hugged as well. "What are you doing here?" Twilight asked, "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but I just thought you'd be looking after the lab while Celestia's here." "I suggested she enter," Celestia responded, "I thought it would be a good opportunity for her." "You never had me do that." Twilight replied, making Sunset raise an eyebrow. "Really?" Sunset added as they both turned to the professor. Celestia looked away at this, "Well..." "My my, this is sure to be an exciting display," Luna interrupted as she stared at the group, "I look forward to seeing how much you've all grown in the time since I last saw you." As she said this, Flash walked up to Grand, "Are you here as a guest commentator?" "That's right. These your friends?" "Yup. Let me introduce them." The group soon greeted themselves to the former champion, all surprised at meeting them. "Its nice to meet you all." Grand replied before placing a hand of Flash's shoulder. "Do you remember what I asked of you the last time we met?" This question caused Flash to frown as he turned to the stadium, sighing at his next question, "He's in there, isn't he?" "Yes," Grand responded, nodding, "He's registering for the tournament right now." "Who's he talking about?" Rainbow asked Doc, who was frowning alongside Spike and Twilight. "Grand's grandson," the Gym Leader replied, "Lightning Blitz." Everyone froze at that name, Fluttershy quickly hiding herself in her hair. They all turned to the former champion, shock on every face as Rainbow blurted out, "What?! That jerk's your grandson?!" Grand let out a long sigh, grimacing at the fear and shock on every face, "Yes..." Flash turned to stare at the building, soon marching forward with Springer beside him. The others followed, all greeted by the sight of the trainer standing in front of the registration desk. Lightning had just handed a slip of paper to the woman sitting there before turning to the group, rolling his eyes at the sight, "I should have known you'd show up here." "I was in the neighborhood," Flash quipped. "Well, I hope you're not too down when your journey here was for nothing." His vision flicked to Grand for a moment before looking back at Flash. "I'm actually glad you're here. This event's gonna be broadcast all over Equestria. The perfect time to show everyone how weak you really are." He then glared at the group, only to stare right at Fluttershy. Grand glanced back at this, seeing the girl shiver in pure fear as Lightning turned back to Flash, "Then again, it would be nice to not see you at all." "Lightning..." Grand started, only for Flash to walk in front of him. "Don't worry, you'll be seeing plenty of us." Flash pointed at the teen, "And you'll be seeing me on the winner's podium after I beat you." Lightning glared at him for a second, only to spin around and walk out of the stadium. "Geez," Rainbow sighed, "That guy's as bad as ever." Grand sighed, "I apologize. He has...issues." "No kiddin'," Applejack added, "But let's focus on more important things, like gettin' registered for the tourney." Everyone nodded as they turned to the desk, all happy to find Lightning had been the first to enter, so there were still many spots left. Each took a sign-in sheet, finding it required their names, ages, hometowns and any Pokémon they wished to enter with. They could pick up to six Pokémon, but learned they didn't need that many to enter, even able to compete with just one Pokémon. Once they had handed in the sheets, Spike turned to the others. "So how's this tournament gonna work? Will there be a bunch of one on one matches like the Hoof Cup?" "Not exactly," Celestia replied, "The Battle Tournament's first round is always the same, and the following rounds depend on how many Pokémon each of the competitors has. For example," she pointed to Sunset. "If Sunset here gets through to the next round, that round will become a one on one tournament because she only has one Pokémon entered. But Twilight has three Pokémon. So if she gets through to the next round and Sunset doesn't, it'll be a three on three match." "My head hurts," Spike moaned in confusion, Twilight patting him on his head. "So what's the first round? You said it's always the same, so what'll it be?" "A Battle Royal," Luna responded, "It was first started in the Alola Region, but the originator of the Battle Tournament liked the concept and brought it into this competition. Four trainers will each use one Pokémon and fight against each other. Whoever's the last one standing will be the winner." "Battle Royal?" Flash whispered before shining a big grin, "I like the sound of that." "Yeah!" Rainbow added, "It sounds awesome!" The others nodded in agreement, each looking forward to seeing which three opponents they would be going up against. They remained in the stadium and watched the front desk, waiting to see who the other competitors would be. The first trainer to sign up after them was an old friend of theirs, Heath Burns. He noticed Flash and the gang and gave a wave before signing in. After him, two trainers they recognized from the Hoof Cup showed up, those being Micro Chips and Sandalwood, who arrived together as Pinkie went up to say hello to Sandal, considering him a friend due to battling him. After that, Trixie smiled when Cedar from the daycare arrived, the teen having started his own journey and wanting to enter the tournament to test his strength. The last slot was then filled by Spark Plug, the trainer Flash and his friends had helped capture his Abearab. He also greeted them, telling them he had caught many more Pokémon since their last meeting before coming to the tournament to test them out. During this time, more people began to file into the stadium, all ready to see who would claim victory. It was an hour before anything noteworthy happened, Lightning returning to the stadium as the speaker system suddenly started emitting noise, telling the competitors it was time to head to the field. Celestia, Luna and Grand said their goodbyes to the group before they split off, heading down one corridor while the trainers all went through another. They followed the signs until they arrived at the trainers box, all walking into a large glass room sticking out of the stadium. The room had multiple benches, the group now seeing the inside of the stadium. It was similar to the Hoof Cup's stadium, the only difference being larger and it had three other glass rooms. One was opposite theirs and the other two were between them. Twilight was able to spot Celestia, Luna and Grand in the other box, all sitting at a table that appeared to have one extra seat. The stadium also had two large megascreens on either side of the stadium, while each room had a TV. Flash stared at the field, seeing the floor was entirely metal with the middle section appearing to have a seem running through it that formed a cross shape in the field. There was also a similar grove in the middle of the cross, forming a small circle. The audience continued to file into the seats for a further ten minutes while everyone in the trainer box got comfortable. nd when the final seat was filled, the sound system switched on before a voice they all recognised sounded out. "WHAZZ UUUUUP!" The circle in the center of the field retracted into the ground, someone shooting out of it like they were blasted from a cannon. He flipped through the air as the hole was filled by a Pokeball colored plot of land while the man landed and yelled, "Present Mic here, and welcome...TO THE HOFFINGTON BATTLE TOURNAMENT!" The crowd cheered as the cross shape retracted into the ground, Mic now standing on the Pokeball area that remained. As this happened, the TVs and megascreens switched on to show Mic's face as he yelled, "Sixteen competitors have entered this tournament, wishing to claim victory and earn an amazing prize!" The screen changed to show a glass box with multiple strange items, including a pair of black glasses, a white scarf, a bent spoon, a purple string bag, what appeared to be some kind of beak, and many other items. "These eighteen items are incredibly rare and have the ability to boost the power of a certain type of Pokémon. Having them is sure to be useful, but only the one who proves themselves the strongest will get to have them. And to do that, they must first claim victory in the first round!" The screen changed to show Grand the professors, who all stood up. "Joining me as my guest commentators are the well renowned professors, Celestia and Luna!" The two waved. "Alongside them is the former Equestrian champion, Grand Hoof!" The crowd exploded with applause, Flash noticing Lighting glaring as the screen changed back to Mic. In that moment, the floor returned and was lifted into the hole. But instead of being metal, it was now dirt, the two battlefields being overlayed one another to form an X-shaped battlefield as Mic continued to talk, "In this round, four Pokémon will battle against one another with only one standing victorious. Once four trainers remain, they will be placed into a bracket and randomly selected to see who will battle who. But first, let's see who will be facing off in the battle royal!" With that, the screens changed to show the faces of every competitor before spinning around. The sixteen squares began shuffling around, only to separate into four groups of four. One by one, the cards flipped to show who was fighting who. Battle One Twilight Sparkle V Fluttershy V Applejack V Sunset Shimmer The girls picked smiled at one another, Sunset focusing on Twilight. "I've been wanting to see how well we stack up against each other." "I look forward to finding out," Twilight replied. "Don't forget about us," Applejack told them. "Focus too much on each other and ya'll find yerselves wiped out by me." "Or me," Fluttershy finished, trying to show a serious expression. Battle Two Rainbow Dash V Heath Burns V Trixie Lulamoon V Cedar "Oh yeah!" Rainbow laughed, "This is gonna be awesome!" "I'm getting all fired up," Heath added while Trixie and Cedar turned to one another. "This won't be like last time," Cedar told her. "Yeah," Trixie chuckled, "Mommy and daddy won't be here to back you up." Both smirked at each other, looking forward to their rematch. Battle Three Flash Sentry V Rarity V Time Turner V Pinkie Pie "Alright," Flash punched his fists together before turning to his opponents. "Time to win this thing." He pointed at Doc, "This won't be like in the Hoof Cup." "We'll see," Doc chuckled. Rarity just gave a pleasant smile, "Let's all have a good battle." Pinkie rapidly nodded, "Yeah! And have lots of fun!" Battle Four Lightning Blitz V Micro Chips V Sandalwood V Spark Plug Micro and Sandal turned to Lightning, only to see the teen was still glaring at the box with the professors and former champion. Both turned back to each other, nodding as they remembered what had happened in the Hoof Cup. This time, things would be different. At the same time, Spark Plug did a long gulp, his form shaking as he stared down at a Pokeball in his hands. "Our competitors have been selected!" Mic announced. "There's nothing more to do then jump right into the matches. Trainers, please my your way out to the field!" With that, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy and Sunset stood up as the glass door opened, Sunset turning to Flash, "Wish me luck." She gave him a wink, causing Flash's brain to glitch before he did so. Twilight rolled her eyes as Flash turned to her as well, also wishing her luck along with Doc and Spike. Rainbow and Rarity give good luck to their travel partners, Pinkie giving to them all and telling them to have fun. They stepped onto the field, Twilight and Sunset standing opposite one another with Fluttershy and Applejack between them. As they did, Mic moved the commentator's box. He stepped inside and sat down between Grand and Luna, then began to make the announcements. Mic: "We certainly have an interesting match here. Two of these competitors are actually students of our very own Professor Celestia. Any comments professor?" Celestia: "It's true they're both my students and assistants, but Twilight has been travelling in the time Sunset joined me. Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing how well these two do against one another." Luna: "And let's not forget about the other two competitors. I'm sure Miss Applejack is hoping to make up for what happened between her and Miss Sparkle in the Hoof Cup. And Miss Fluttershy, while new to battle, is sure to give us a show she can be proud of." Mic: "Too right! Your thoughts Grand?" Grand: "I'll keep them to myself for now, at least until I see what Pokémon they'll be using and what skills those Pokémon have." Mic: "Then let's not keep you waiting any longer! Trainers, bring out your Pokémon!" The four girls nodded before they took out their Pokeballs, all sharing a look before throwing them upward, "Shine/Ray/Bloomberg/Harry...LET'S GO!" The Pokeballs opened up and in a flash of red light, three small and one large Pokémon appeared on the field. "Nee!" Shine neighed, ready to help her trainer claim victory. "Geck," Ray hissed, his body glowing as he prepared to do battle. "Pip!" Bloomberg cheered, bouncing up and down without a care in the world. "Grizz!" Harry roared, making the younger viewers flinch and cover their ears, the bear towering over the smaller Pokémon. The sight made Lightning's eyes go off the announcer box, now glaring at the Grizzor on the field as the commentators began to speak up. Mic: "That's quite a collection of Pokémon." Grand: "Many unskilled trainers would say Grizzor is likely the strongest. But a true trainer would know that all of these Pokémon have been trained exceptionally. There's no telling which one will claim victory in this battle." Mic: "True. There's only one way to find out." Mic stood up and pointed at the field, "Are you all ready?!" Twilight, Applejack, Sunset and Fluttershy nodded. "Then let's count it down! In three!" "TWO!" Almost everyone in the stadium yelled, "ONE!" Mic: "BATTLE BEGIN!" "Fairy Wind!" Twilight yelled as Shine raised her tail and spun on her hoof, swinging it around to unleash a glittery pink wind across the field. "Flame Burst!" Sunset ordered, Ray shooting a fireball from his mouth. "Protect!" Applejack told Bloomberg, the Pokémon tensing up as a shield appeared around him. The Flame Burst struck the pink wave, disrupting it so Ray could dodge it while Bloomberg's Protect shielded him and Harry was struck head-on, but was unfazed. "Crush Claw!" The Grizzor began to charge at Shine with red glowing claws. "Grizz!" He slashed at the Ponyta, Shine side-stepping to evade the attack. "Another Flame Burst!" Shine turned to see Ray unleash another fireball, this one heading straight for her. "Nee!" Shine cried as the flames exploded, the burst now spreading fire now hitting Harry and Bloomberg. "Grizz/Pip!" They hissed as both were now singed. "That's the way!" Sunset cheered. "You're not done yet," Applejack barked, "Bloomberg, Magical Leaf!" Bloomberg's head leaf began to glow a rainbow of colors before it swung its head around, causing multiple leaves to shoot off like boomerangs. They shot at Ray with such speed that he didn't have time to dodge, knocking him back, "Geck!" He cried as he hit the ground rolling, only to hop back onto his feet and glare at Bloomberg, "Geckolar..." "Slash!" Fluttershy yelled as Harry ran at Shine. "Psybeam!" Twilight countered as her Ponyta unleashed a blast of psychic energy, hitting Harry right in the face. The blow slowed him down, but it wasn't enough as he swooped downward, striking Shine in the face. "Nee!" Shine staggered back, Harry jumping up onto his back legs as he prepared to attack Shine again. "Tackle!" Applejack called out before Bloomberg came flying at him. "PIP!" He roared, slamming into Harry and knocking him off his back legs. "Scratch!" He then heard Sunset order, Ray leaping and smacking the Pipple's face. Mic: "WOW! The battle's already getting crazy!" Celestia: "This kind of battle can really put a trainer and their Pokémon to the test. If they focus too much on one opponent, they might be blindsided by another." Luna: "And there could be the opportunity for an alliance. Two or more teaming up to take on a superior foe before facing off. In a battle like this, the strongest competitor may not necessarily be the one who wins the match." Mic: "And that's what makes the Hoofington Battle Tournament so EXCITING!" "Time for something big," Sunset told Ray. "Dragon Pulse!" The little lizard nodded before opening its mouth, a purplish blue energy filling it. "Geck," it hissed before screaming. "KOLAR!" A dragon shaped beam of light flew out of its mouth, shooting across the field as it hit Bloomberg, blasting him away before doing the same to Harry and about to hit Shine. "Fairy Wind!" Shine spun around and swung her tail, unleashing the glittery wind that struck the Dragon Pulse, causing it to explode before it could hit her. "Now use Mystical Fire on Bloomberg!" As the Pipple picked itself up, Shine's horn ignited, quickly drawing a circle of flames before firing through it. "Bloomberg!" Applejack yelped as the flames headed toward her. But before she could tell him to dodge, Ray leapt in front of the attack, taking the hit. "What?!" She turned to Sunset, "Why?!" "Strategy," Sunset chuckled as the flames vanished to reveal Ray, the Geckolar smirking as his body began to glow even brighter. Mic: "Why would Sunset take the hit?" Celestia: "Flash Fire. Its Geckolar's Ability." Luna: "When its hit by a Fire-type attack, it's Attack and Special Attack get boosted." Grand: "This way, Geckolar can do more damage in exchange for taking a hit. Smart move." "Thunder Fang!" Fluttershy yelled, Harry opening his mouth as it filled with electricity. He quickly leap at Shine, grabbing her and biting down. "NEE!" Shine cried as she was electrocuted, the little Ponyta flailing her legs around. "Now, Crush Claw!" Harry threw Shine up and jumped onto his back feet, his front claws glowing red as he prepared to attack Shine. But as he did this, Bloomberg charged at the bear. "We might not get another chance. Bloomberg, Leech Seed!" From out of its stem, a seed fired out like a cannon and struck Harry in the chest. "Grizz?" Harry was pulled from his focus to look down at his chest, only for the seed to break open and began wrapping him up in vines. "GRIZZOR!" He cried as the attack flared up, sapping away some of his power. "Tackle!" Twilight yelled as Shine came crashing down, slamming all four hooves into Harry's face before leaping safely away. "Flame Burst!" They then heard Sunset call out, turning to see Ray unleash a fireball that at Bloomberg. "PIP!" He cried in pain, getting blasted away while the flames flew over the field and struck both Shine and Harry. "Nee/Grizz!" They flinched, Bloomberg now swaying back and forth in pain. Mic: "Ouch! That had to hurt." Luna: "Its a super effective move that's been boosted thanks to Flash Fire. Now you see the type of damage it can do." "Psybeam!" Twilight called out, Shine firing her psychic blast at Ray, hitting him head-on and knocking him back. "Geck!" He cried, slamming into the ground. But as he tried to recover from the blow, everyone turned to a certain Pokémon as Fluttershy called out a command. "Slash!" They now saw Harry charge at Bloomberg, his claws glowing as he prepared to strike. "Protect!" The protective dome appeared around the Pipple, shielding him from the claws that came crashing down into the barrier. Both claws bounced off the shield, only for the Leech Seed to flare up on Harry, draining him as Applejack yelled, "Now we got 'em! Tackle!" "Pipple!" Bloomberg's shield vanished as he leapt into Harry's stomach, making him stagger back. As this was happening, Ray was starting to pick himself up. "You okay?" Sunset asked, kneeling down so she was eye level with him. But when he looked around, she saw his eyes were now glowing purple, his legs shaking as he began to stumble around, "Oh no..." she whispered, only to look up and see Shine galloped towards them. "Ray! You've gotta try and dodge it!" But instead of jumping to the side, Ray began slamming his head into the ground. "What's it doing?" Spike asked from the trainers box, Present Mic asking the same question. The others stayed silent, letting the commentators explain. Celestia: "Its confused. Its a side effect of getting hit by Psybeam." At that moment, Shine got close as Twilight ordered, "Tackle!" Shine slammed her head into Ray, knocking him back even more. "Ray!" Sunset yelled, "You've gotta snap out of it!" But Ray didn't, his eyes continuing to glow purple. "Hit it with Fairy Wind!" Shine raised her tail and swung it around, unleashing the pink wind right at Ray, about to hit him point blank. "We only got one shot at this!" Sunset replied, "Ray, Dragon Pulse!" To everyone's surprise, Ray opened his mouth and began to charge up the attack. Within seconds, the dragon shaped blast exploded out of his mouth, striking the Fairy Wind, the force of the two attacks knocking Shine back. Mic: "It used its attack?" Luna: "Just because you're confused, that doesn't mean you can't land an attack." Grand: "Now can Sunset use this chance she's been given." "Ray?" Sunset looked her Geckolar over as he blinked. When he opened his eyes, he blinked and began glancing around before turning to his trainer. Sunset saw his eyes were no longer glowing purple. "You're awake!" She clapped before nodding, "Let's try something big. Solarbeam!" Ray nodded back before glancing at the battle as the black spots along its body began to glow. At this moment, Shine was picking herself up, preparing to attack Ray again. But as she did, she suddenly felt an approaching presence, turning to see Harry about to fall onto her. "NEE!" She leapt to the side, saving herself from getting flattened. She stared at Harry before turning to where he had come from, now seeing a panting Bloomberg as the Leech Seed on the bear flare up again. "Magical Leaf!" Applejack ordered before Bloomberg shot the leaves at the two, Shine leaping away. "Fairy Wind!" Shine swung her tail around again, unleashing the wind at the leaves. Explosions followed this before the Ponyta glared at the Pipple. "Now use Mystical Fire!" Shine created the circle and fired a blast through it, sending a stream of fire rocketing toward Bloomberg. "Protect!" The Pipple created the barrier that blocked the flames, Shine growling at the sight before another presence came into her view as a shadow covered her. "Grizz..." Harry growled down at her. "Crush Claw!" Fluttershy yelled as Harry's claws glowed red. "Dodge it!" Shine tried to get away, only for Harry to hit her side. She cried out in pain, only getting scratched by part of the attack as Twilight commanded, "Psybeam!" "Magical Leaf!" Both Shine and Bloomberg unleashed their attacks, hitting Harry head-on. The attacks made him roar in pain, the Leech Seed then flaring up again as it sucked even more energy out of him. The three trainers were about to call out another attack, only for a light made them turn to see Ray glowing brightly as the black spots were now bright white. "Looks like we're ready to go," Sunset smirked. "Thanks for distracting one another. Now," she pointed forward, "Let it rip!" The three gasped, knowing what was coming next. However, before they could react, Fluttershy suddenly yelled, "Stop it with Hyper Beam! Now!" "Grizz!" Harry opened his mouth as it glowed, right as Ray did the same. The light from the spots vanished and transferred into his mouth, the two then roaring, "GRIZZOR/GECKOLAR!" Both unleashed their attacks, the beams rocketing towards one another, meeting at the center of the stadium. "Protect!" Applejack told Bloomberg, the Pokémon creating a shield right as the beams made contact. A bright light came next, sending a shockwave out that rocked the stadium, even making the water of the lake shake. Shine, Harry and Ray were pushed back by the force while Bloomberg stood firm, his shield vanishing as the last shockwave hit it. But as his shield began to vanish, another voice called out, "Flame Burst!" Bloomberg went wide-eyed, turning to see a fireball coming right at him, exploding on contact. "PIPPLE!" He cried as the flames hit him, his whole body lighting up in fire before falling over with spirals in his eyes. Mic: "Pipple's KO'd! That means the first trainer out of the Battle Tournament is Applejack. But she sure gave it an award winning try. Let's give it up for her." The crowd cheered, claps all around as Applejack let out a sigh. She quickly returned Bloomberg before he got hit by another attack before staring at the Pokeball. "Ya'll done good Bloomberg. Ah'm proud of yah." She turned back to the other three. "Don't worry about me. Just keep battlin'." They nodded and turned back to the fight, Twilight being the first to call her attack. "Alright then, Mystical Fire!" Shine turned to Harry and launched her attack, the flames hitting the bear head-on. "After a Hyper Beam, you shouldn't be able to attack for a while." Fluttershy gulped at this, knowing she was right since she had hoped to not use Hyper Beam so soon. "Dragon Pulse!" Ray unleashed the dragon shaped laser at the Grizzor, knocking him back. "Grizz!" He cried while sliding back, both Ray and Shine charging at the bear as he kept trying to recover. "Tackle/Scratch!" Both leapt at the bear, Ray prepping his claws. But before they could hit him, Harry's eyes went red as he leapt back onto his back legs, causing his opponents to miss their attacks. "Crush Claw!" Before either could escape, Harry's claws flew down, slamming them into the ground. "NEE/GECK!" Their trainers gasped before sharing a look and nodding, pointing at the bear as he pushed their Pokémon down. "Mystical Fire/Flame Burst!" Their Pokémon stared up at Harry before unleashing a burst of fire, striking him in the face. An explosion followed this, releasing his grip as he began to stagger back. "Grizz!" He growled as he tried to recover, Fluttershy about to say another order. But as she opened his mouth to do so, the Leech Seed flared up, making the bear freeze while Fluttershy let out a gasp. "PSYBEAM/DRAGON PULSE!" They yelled as they unleashed their attacks at the opening, both beams rocketed toward Harry. The Grizzor was unable to escape the blast, not enough time for a Hyper Beam to block the twin lasers. All he could do was let them hit him, roaring as they exploded against his sides. "GRIZZOR!" He screamed before falling over, laying on his back with spirals in his eyes. Mic: "Grizzor's KO'd! And with that, Fluttershy is out of the Battle Tournament! But let's give her a round of applause!" The crowd cheered while Fluttershy returned Harry, the girl whimpering as she held up the ball to her face, "Thank you Harry. I promise I'll do better next time." Mic: "Now it's down to only two more contenders! Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer, the assistants of Professor Celestia!" Celestia: "Both have proven themselves as skilled trainers. But with all the damage their Pokémon have taken, it shouldn't be too long until we have our winner." Luna: "The question though, who will it be?" Grand: "Both sides are pretty evenly matched. Ponyta's Mystical Fire won't do much, and might actually help her opponent, while Geckolar's two strongest moves have drawbacks that Ponyta can exploit. The winner may be the trainer with the best strategy." Twilight and Sunset glared at one another, both smiling in anticipation as their Pokémon did the same. "I'm not holding anything back," Twilight said first. "Wouldn't want you too," Sunset replied before pointing at Shine. "Flame Burst!" Ray hissed as he unleashed a blast of fire at the Ponyta. "Psybeam!" Twilight countered, Shine unleashing the laser of psychic energy that struck the Flame Burst, making both attacks explode before the flames began to rain across the battlefield. "Neetaa!" Shine cried, doing her best to avoid the sparks while Ray charged ahead. "Scratch!" Ray swung his claws at Shine's face, making her cry out as she took the blows. "Fairy Wind!" Shine quickly recovered and used the momentum from staggering back to spin around and unleash the pink glittery wind, hitting Ray before blowing him into the air. "Now use Psybeam before he can recover!" Shine unleashed the psychic blast from her horn, hitting Ray right in the head. "GECK!" He yelped before crashing down with a thud, only to quickly hop back onto his feet. "Dragon Pulse!" He unleashed the dragon-shaped energy blast, the attack rocketing across the field, hitting Shine before she had a chance to counter. "NEE!" "SHINE!" Twilight cried while seeing her Ponyta slide across the dirt. Mic: "Ouch! That had to hurt!" Celestia: "Both sides appear to be even, but they must be running on fumes at this point." Luna: "Now it's a matter of which one can hold out the longest." Grand: "Yes. It's a battle of stamina, though more than that...this is a battle of wills." Sunset watched as Shine tried to pick herself up, her legs shaking as the pony glared at her Pokémon. "Looks like I can't afford to bank on small attacks. I need to go all out. Ray, it's time to finish this battle! Use Solarbeam!" Ray's spots began to glow again as they took in sunlight. Mic: "Sunset's using Solarbeam. Is this a smart move considering the time it takes to charge this attack up?" Celestia: "Sunset's putting all her trust in Ray's will." Luna: "She believes he'll be able to handle any attack Twilight throws at them before he's finished charging." Grand: "But Twilight has the chance to do some serious damage while they wait." "Psybeam!" Twilight ordered, Shine unleashing the rainbow blast from her horn. "Dodge it!" Ray managed to jump to the side, evading the attack before being buffeted by the explosion the attack caused when it hit the ground. The sight made Sunset smirk as she responded, "You're not winning this Twilight! Ray might not be able to fire an attack, but he can still move as long as his spots keep taking in sunlight!" Twilight growled before a bulb went off in her head, a smile creeping onto her face. "Fairy Wind!" Shine spun around and unleashed the pink wind, Ray getting hit by the attack and pushing the Pokémon into the air again. "Now, use Psybeam!" Shine fired another psychic blast, striking Ray head-on. "GECKOLAR!" He cried in pain, the blast exploding in his face. He then fell into the dirt, crashing down just as his spots turned completely white. "Alright!" Sunset pointed ahead, "It's time to let it rip! Ray, use Solarbeam!" Ray began to pick himself up while the light from the spots flew into his mouth, Twilight and Shine both going wide-eyed. "What do I...wait," Twilight's face shined a huge smile, "That could work!" She pointed at Ray as he unleashed his attack, the giant beam of solar energy exploding out of his mouth. "Mystical Fire, and aim straight for the beam!" Shine gave her a look, only to see Twilight nod. Shine did the same before turning back as her horn ignited. "Nee!" She carved the circle before pointing her horn through it, "TAA!" A blast of fire exploded out of her horn, flying through the circle and hit the Solarbeam head-on. Then, to everyone's surprise, the fire rocket actually cut the beam in half, making it curve so that it didn't hit Shine. The flames flew through the beam until it reached the source, hitting Ray in the face and exploding. "GECK!" it cried as it was knocked back. Mic: "What just happened?!" Celestia: "Twilight used a move that's super effective against Grass-type attacks. It couldn't overpower the Solarbeam, but it was able to do what you just saw." The smoke of the attacks faded next, Ray now being showed glowing even brighter. His Flash Fire had absorbed the heat of the Mystical Fire, only to still be reeling from the explosion hitting his face. "GO!" He and Sunset then heard Twilight yell, Shine charging at him. "TACKLE!" "Dragon Pulse!" Sunset called out, hoping to hit Shine away. "GECK!" Ray unleashed the dragon-shaped blast at the Ponyta. But before it could hit her, Shine used all her psychic energy to help her as she jumped over the Dragon Pulse. The sight shocked both Ray and Sunset as she seemed to float through the air before she was right above the Geckolar. "DO IT!" Twilight yelled as Shine suddenly regained gravitation weight, her front hooves going straight down. "NEE!" She neighed as she slammed them into Ray's face, the force of the attack pushing his entire body into the dirt. "GECKOLAR!" He cried in pain, but didn't move at all. And slowly, Shine pulled her hooves out of his face to reveal spirals in his eyes. "Geck..." Mic: "Geckolar's KO'd! And with that, we have the first trainer to be heading into the next round. TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" The crowd exploded, clapping and cheering for the winner of the match. They also cheered for Sunset, telling her she had been great. A small smile was on Sunset's face as she walked over to Ray and picked him up. "You did great Ray." She patted his head before returning him, turning to Twilight and seeing her and Shine hugging one another. "You were amazing!" She told the Ponyta, who was rubbing her head into Twilight's face. "Nee!" Shine cheered as her mane glowed in joy. And after a few more seconds of hugging, Twilight let go to see Sunset, Applejack and Fluttershy walking up to her. "Congrats Twi," Applejack tipped her hat. "You deserve it," Fluttershy added. "And now, you better win this whole thing," Sunset finished. "I won't forgive you if you don't." Twilight giggled before holding out her hand, the girls doing the same and creating a four person handshake. Mic: "Let's give it up for the four girls that gave us an amazing battle!" Celestia: "Twilight may have won, but the others shouldn't feel ashamed." Luna: "This was an incredible battle, and it's only the first match. I can't wait to see how the other matches go." Grand: "I'm sure they'll be just as exciting. But in the end, only one will stand as the winner." Grand turned to the winners box, his vision shifting between Flash and Lightning. "Who that person is will be quite interesting to discover." The Hoofington Battle Tournament had begun with Twilight taking the first spot in the next round. And with three more Battle Royals to go, one can only wonder what excitement awaits. As the journey continues.