//------------------------------// // Improvements with training // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Ponyville, day. A really hot day. Today is the day that the ponies of Equestria started to get accustomed to battling. Not just the pegasi but the unicorns and earth ponies as well. Ash promised to help them all out. Not just limited to Ponyville either. Other trainers from the Pokemon World have even been asked to come and help due to Celestia's summons. At the moment, BigTime Ben had hooked Ponyville and Canterlot up with a ranking board of some sorts. His Machamp ended up placing the board right near the Town Hall. This ranking board was actually for the ponies participating in the Equestria League. Everypony gathered around to see who's ranked where. "Let me see!" Rainbow Dash flew towards the board as it showed the digital rankings of ponies whilst scrolling from time to time. Everypony was chattering at the rankings. Some even noticed their friends from different parts of Equestria on the boards. So far, the number of ponies who have taken part in the league is about 1075. A pretty big number for those starting out their first Pokemon League. Meaning that the ranking goes from #1075 all the way to number #1. "Do you see where you're ranked, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked. "Hmmrgh...wait." Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes on the board. It was scrolling up and up and up until it finally reached the very top. There, Rainbow could see her ranking. And the result. "Oh!" She was ranked #4. "Number 4, huh? Not bad." Ash nodded. "Pikachu." "Then who are the three above me?!" She looked at the top 3 trainers in Equestria. And the three choices surprised her. #3 was Princess Luna who was also taking part in the league after all. She managed to blaze through the early gyms due to her wide arsenal of Pokemon at her disposal. And because she had Darkrai. Mostly Darkrai. #2 was Daylight Blazer. Her rival. He was obviously 2nd ranked due to how he managed to finish the gyms by tackling them weekly instead of waiting a few months. Although, he has slowed down on the 6th gym. He has yet to reach it after all. "Daylight, huh? Yeah, that makes sense." Rainbow Dash nodded. "I'm not surprised that Princess Luna has managed to cement herself so high up." Rarity spoke. "Then who's ranked number one?" Pinkie wondered. Who was number one actually? Rainbow Dash shifted her eyes to the number one stop and wouldn't you believe it. #1 was Spitfire. Right at the top. She was deemed the best trainer in Equestria at the moment due to her ranking. Rainbow Dash hadn't heard of this at all. She never got the news that Spitfire managed to blaze through the gyms. Speaking of gyms, the board also showed just how many gyms each trainer has managed to win. Spitfire has won all 8 of them. Which is why she's so high up. But another reason for her being ranked number one is because the board doesn't just record the gym wins. It also records the trainer wins and losses. Basically, how many ponies have battled against each other and come out on top, similar to the World Championship in the Pokemon World. Spitfire has battled over 8120 ponies and won. How she managed to beat that many in the span of a few months whilst having to be the chief of the Wonderbolts? It's a sure-fire mystery. Compared to everypony else, her battle count blew them all out of the water. Everypony else has at least battled say...one two...or maybe even seven other ponies or more. Rainbow Dash has battled more than everypony else, but 8120? Not even close. Spitfire is at the top due to how many wins she has compared to losses. Which are 8119 wins and 1 loss. "Sweet Celestia! How many wins is that?!" Rainbow Dash slammed her face on the board. "How did she managed to battle that many trainers? It hasn't even been a full year yet." Twilight wondered. "However she did it. She's beating us all to the punch! I gotta step my game up! But how am I gonna beat thousands compared to the amount of time she's been battling?" "Oh! Look at that!" Pinkie Pie noticed a familiar face on the ranking boards. #12 was Sunset Shimmer. She's been battling here in Equestria, but in secrecy since she and Celestia aren't exactly on good terms yet. At least, Sunset believes so. "Sunset! Good for her!" Twilight smiled. "Wait. She's participating in the league too? I didn't take her for that type actually." "...How in Equestria did you manage to rank up so high?" Octavia spoke to Vinyl. Vinyl was actually ranked #15 surprisingly. She was also joining the Equestria League. Vinyl shrugged, but she knew why and how she was placed so high up. As the board scrolled down to the bottom, Scootaloo noticed she was ranked at the very bottom. She was tied with Sunrise Sprint as #1075 with no wins or losses. "What?! How am I ranked at the very end?!" Scootaloo's jaw dropped. "Well. You haven't really been in any official trainer battles yet. Or even started any of the gyms." Sweetie Belle answered. "Oh, yeah. That makes sense. I'd better get to work then! Ash! You're gonna train us all today, right?" Scootaloo turned to him. "Of course! That's why I'm here." Ash nodded. "I'll make sure you're all ready to take on any threat that comes your way." "Pika-Pikachu!" "So, who's ready to get started?" Ash asked. Over at Canterlot, fewer ponies were watching the rankings on the board. Luna saw herself ranked very high as #3, feeling proud of herself. "Look at this, sister! I am number 3! Number 3!" Luna was getting giddy, prancing on the spot. "I see it, Luna. Not too surprising that you managed to complete the first 5 gym battles that quickly." Celestia commented. "Nice. Number 2." Daylight checked his rank. "Only lagging behind Spitfire though." "I'm at the very bottom...I need to get to a gym pronto." Sunrise said to himself. "And I'll be able to climb up the ranks like crazy with this thing with me." He was referring to the machine he stole from BIG.Co's storage room. It was placed inside his saddle-bag for secrecy. "What was that, Sunrise?" Daylight spoke. "Nothing!" Sunrise stood up. "Hm. Sister. Isn't that Sunset Shimmer on the ranking board?" Luna noticed Sunset right over there. "Indeed it is." "Perhaps we should inform BIgTime Ben of Sunset Shimmer's actions and what she's done. I believe you wouldn't find it acceptable to have her be on the boards due to what occurred between you and her and how she stole the crown once." "...No. Leave it." Celestia shook her head. "What?!" Luna pulled back. "But she-" "It's fine Luna. It's best that we let her participate in the league. I forgave her months ago after Twilight informed me of what happened in the parallel world. I just hope that one day I can have the chance to see her again." Celestia paused for a moment thinking about Sunset Shimmer. "Oh, I might end up breaking into tears if I can continue at this rate." Celestia giggled. "Now. Let's head out to the gardens. Hollow should be arriving soon to train everypony else." Speaking of Hollow, there he was. He didn't come alone as he brought some of his friends who specialized in different Pokemon-Types as well. He brought the Fighting-Type, Fairy-Type and Normal-Type specialists with him. "Alright, you three. Remember. This is just a training session. I understand you love your types, but please don't go overboard. Okay?" "Don't worry Hollow. We promise." The Fairy specialist replied. "It'll be all in the sake of improvements." The Normal specialist nodded his head. "Indeed. Sometimes training needs to be dialled back." The Fighting specialist crossed his arms. "Good. Let's do our best to prepare them in case Canterlot gets attacked again. And we really need to do our best. Because a large majority of ponies aren't really top battlers or into battling. Meaning that almost any other trainer at a lowe level can defeat them in a Pokemon Battle. Even youngsters can defeat them." "Mr Hollow!" Sapphire Flash called out his name. "Hm? Oh, morning, Sapphire. I assume everyone's ready?" "Mhm! Every last one of us! Well, except Dew Drops. She's staying out of this one." "Understandable. Alright, let's get this started. We can train and make some great progress before it even hits high noon." Everypony who wanted to improve as trainers were getting ready. Not just Ponyville and Canterlot. But every pony populated place in Equestria. After Ghetsis, the Shadow Triad and to an extent, the Storm Behemoth, the focus of becoming better trainers was all everypony was focusing on. And to be better trainers, they'll have to go through a series of certain stages if they want to really improve. Lesson 1. Types. Everypony already knew their Pokemon Types. But what most of them don't know is what works against what. They don't even know that dual-type Pokemon tend to be much more complicated since they have two typings. Ash was about to teach a small group of ponies who didn't really know that much about their type matchups. Twilight was on her own, figuring out how certain types can be used against each other. "Alright! You guys are already pretty good with your Pokemon Types and what'ts what right?" Ash asked. "Pikachu?" "Sure are!" Silver Spoon commended from the crowd of ponies who were learning. "Nice. Then you should also know which types are good against each other or bad against each other. Cause there's a lot to remember, ya know." "Like what?" Lyra asked. "I got a great example. Goh!" Ash turned to Goh who was also here. "Hm? Oh, right!" Goh got out a list that Delia helped make for the ponies. She wanted them to improve as well. Besides, Delia would lose it if she saw all these adorable ponies threatened without any form of defence to protect them against huge threats such as Team Plasma and Ghetsis. "Check it out. Electric-Types are great against Flying-Types. Pretty common and you all know that. But there's a reason why they're great against them. That's because they've got the range to catch them even if they fly super high up in the air. And to show you a great example. I've brought along some of my Pokemon with me. Out you come!" Ash tossed a Pokeball forward, sending out his Staraptor. "Staraptor!" "Alright, Staraptor. Fly high up in the air and dodge. High as you can!" "Star!" The Predator Pokemon zoomed up into the skies, soaring high above the clouds. "Now, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" "Pika..chu!" Pikachu sent a bolt of lightning that chased after Staraptor. Staraptor had moved to the side, avoiding Thunderbolt but it kept on going forward up into the skies until Pikachu ceased the attack. "See? Didn't matter how high Staraptor went. Thunderbolt still caught up to it. Unlike most other type moves, attacks like Thunderbolt don't stop until they hit their mark. So even if your opponent avoids Thunderbolt, it's still going to keep on going until it makes contact." "Oooh. That would explain a few things actually." Cloudchaser said as she remembered getting shocked in the air one day all of a sudden. She wondered why and how and now she found her answer. "I mean that makes sense obviously. Anything with great range can knock something out of the sky." Twilight spoke. "Mhm! But here's where things get difficult. Out you come, Gliscor." Ash sent his Gliscor out. "Gliscor!" "You see, Gliscor here's a Ground-Flying-Type. And Electric-Type moves are kind of in-between here. They're great on Flying-Types but have no effect on Ground-Types. So there's a bit of a tough obstacle to overcome." "Wouldn't that just mean that Pikachu can slightly hurt Gliscor?" "Not actually. Pikachu. Use Thunderbolt." "Pika." Pikachu a Thunderbolt towards Gliscor. It made contact and the result was Gliscor feeling absolutely nothing. "See? Because Gliscor has the Ground-Type apart of him, Thunderbolt did nothing. Even if he's part Flying." "Oh...So it all depends on what the Pokemon's first typing is?" said Apple Bloom. "Not just the first typing. Sometimes its the second typing that makes or break battle! Example!" Ash took out a drawing he made yesterday. This drawing was based on the battle against Obsidian when the Mane 6 faced him for the final time. "Right here is a Metagross. A Steel-Psychic-Type. And over here is Rainbow Dash's Braviary. Braviary knows the move Superpower which is really good against Steel-Types cause Fighting beats Steel. But...because Metagross's second typing is part Psychic, Superpower won't be as effective as it's supposed to be thanks to Metagross being part Psychic." "No wonder Superpower didn't take it out in one hit." Rainbow Dash realized. "That's right. So if even you've got the type advantage, just remember. It's either the first type or the second type that can change everything." "Pikachu!" "Wait, so...If a Pokemon is a Dragon-Steel...how does that work against Fairy-Type?" Diamond Tiara wondered. "Still tough to grasp, huh? Don't worry about it. It'll make much more sense the more you learn about it. But now. Let's have a battle. I'll go easy on you guys so don't worry." "I'll go!" Applejack went up suddenly. "I wanna protect my family, so I have to get stronger. Treecko here knows that as well, right?" "Treecko." Treecko nodded his head at Applejack. "Alright. Then I'll get you go up against a tough Pokemon like this." Ash sent out his Sceptile to help better Applejack's Treecko. "Sceptile!" "Certain Pokemon learn better and get stronger when they go up against their own evolution line. Have Treecko go up against Sceptile and see how far he can go." "What do you say, Tree?" Applejack turned to him. "Treecko." The Wood Gecko Pokemon hopped off Applejack's back, looking up at its final evolution. "Scep." Sceptile nodded at its first stage evolution. "This is just for training, Sceptile. So don't attack like crazy, okay?" "Sceptile." Lesson 2. Battling. "Ready when you are, AJ!" "I hear ya. Treecko! Bullet Seed!" Applejack made the command for Treecko to attack. The Wood Gecko Pokemon shot out seeds from its mouth as they were moving at speeds equal to that of a bullet. Sceptile stood there, taking the Bullet Seeds as they didn't even do a single thing to him. Sceptile shrugged it off like it was nothing. "Head in and smash em with Pound!" "Tree!" Treecko ran forward, jumping up as Sceptile looked up at him. Treecko hit its superior evolution in the face with its hands, but once again, barely did anything. Sceptile at the moment was just on standby. But this was good for Treecko, because it was giving it the opportunity to improve its skills. "Nice. Try and switch things up Applejack. Have Treecko use a move it might've learned. It does have new moves, right?" "New moves? Well...there's this one freaky move where he breathes out some blue and purple breath. Pretty destructive looking actually. Tree here did it by accident though." "That's Dragon Breath! Treecko knows that because of two possibilities. The obvious one is because deep within the Treecko evolution line there's dragon blood. That's why Mega Sceptile is part Dragon. Or it could've been that Treecko's egg might've come from a Pokemon that knew Dragon Breath. It's one of the two." "Dragon Breath, huh? Alright, Treecko. Dragon Breath!" "Tree..." The Grass-Type was breathing in all the air around the area. Inside of him a ton of draconic energy was building up from within. "Cko!" All of a sudden, the moment Treecko exhaled it breath a destructive mighty gust raced towards Sceptile, tearing the ground apart even. "Scep?!" "Yikes! Leaf Blade!" Ash realized the move was actually much more powerful than he anticipated. Especially from a young Treecko. Sceptile split the attack in two with its blades, saving itself. Both Ash and Treecko let out a huge sigh of relief. "Holy moly." "Sceptile..." Sceptile held his chest. He thought he was a goner at that momen. That Dragon Breath had no reason being that powerful. Not on a Pokemon that wasn't relatively super powerful in its first stage evolution. But it was. "I didn't see that one coming. Awesome job, Treecko! AJ!" Ash congratulated them both. "Man...that was close." "Ya hear that Treecko? You're a real potential powerhouse." Applejack said to her partner. "Treecko!" "Let's keep this up. This time, try avoiding an attack. In a battle, you've always gotta be careful on which attack is headed your way. It also helps to make your Pokemon react faster and builds up their speed." "Dodging right? I got it." "Okay. Sceptile! Leaf Storm!" "Sceptile!" The Forest Pokemon moved his tail forward as it begun to spin around rapidly with leaves surrounding it. He whipped up a storm of sharp leaves, sending it towards Treecko. "Dodge it!" "Tree!" Treecko attempted to dodge the Leaf Storm, but it ended up hitting him. Thankfully, Sceptile was holding back so it did minor damage. But Treecko wasn't fast enough to dodge a restrained Leaf Storm. "Don't worry about it! You'll get around it! Leaf Storm again!" "Try dodging again!" The same scenario played out. This time, Treecko almost avoided Leaf Storm. The attack ended up hitting his arm instead of his whole body. "Keep it up, Tree!" Applejack encouraged. Constant Leaf Storms were being thrown towards Treecko left and right. And with each Leaf Storm heading his way, Treecko was slowly starting to improve. This time instead of simply moving to the side, he tried using one of the storms as a means of dodging. And by that, he essentially jumped on one and jumped on the other. Treecko was hopping from Leaf Storm to Leaf storm. "Woah! Not bad! That's one way to avoid getting hit." Ash was impressed. So was Sceptile. "Let's try this then. Solar Beam!" "Scep..." Sceptile had gathered up some light within it. Thanks to it being a sunny day today, courtesy of Princess Celestia, Solar Beam was already prepared. "That doesn't look good! Dodge it, Tree!" Treecko gasped as he saw a beam of light shoot out of Sceptile's mouth. Treecko jumped over the Solar Beam, avoiding it by the skin of his non-existent teeth. It was actually impressive that Treecko managed to avoid a beam that was naturally fast even if you held back. "That Treecko's one of a kind..." Ash gawked. "Pika..." "Good job! You've got dodging down to a T." Ash gave them a thumbs up. "Now that you've basically gotten the basics down. Let's amp it up a bit with the next step. Adaptability! If you can adapt to your opponent by either their moves or the area, you can get creative!" "Alright...What do yu mean by that?" "Oh. Well uh...hm. Aha! Sceptile, jump on that tree over there." "Sceptile." Sceptile jumped over to a tree, standing on it. "See, over here, Sceptile can do a ton of neat stuff on a simple tree. Sceptile are known for being experts when it comes to areas full of trees like forests. In a jungle, it's without an equal. Plus its really good at jumping from tree to tree with very few Pokemon being able to keep up with it. In short. You gotta use a Pokemon's traits in battle as well." "Oh...I think I get what you mean. So if it was raining...Pikachu's Electric-Type moves might hit harder." "Something like that yeah! If Pikachu had the move Thunder and it was raining, it'd be much more powerful!" "Pika-Pika!" "I get it now. I think I really get it, ya'll!" Applejack turned around to her friends. "That's great! Because I was struggling to keep up." Pinkie Pie replied. "Now that you've got a good grip on a few stuff, what's say we have a full-on battle." "Right. But, mind if I battle against one of my friends? I don't really stand a chance against you, Ash." "Sure thing Applejack. Go ahead." "Pika." Over at Canterlot, lessons there were already ongoing. Lesson 3. Being sneaky. "Alright. Here's where things get a bit creative and fun. You already know about your type matchups, your moves all that stuff from the lessons I've taught you." Hollow said to his students. "What's that Mr Hollow?" A Colt asked. "Let's just say that there are some Pokemon and some moves that allow you to mess with your opponents head. I think these two are the best example." Hollow sent out two Pokemon. The first was a Shedinja and the second was a Weezing. "What is that thing?" Sunrise pulled out his dex to see Shedinja. "Shedinja. The Shed Pokemon. Shedinja’s hard body doesn’t move—not even a twitch. In fact, its body appears to be merely a hollow shell. A discarded bug shell that came to life. It is believed that this Pokémon will steal the spirit of anyone peering into its hollow body from its back. It does not breathe and doesn't need its wings to fly." "Yeesh...this thing's creepy." "Alright. What is one of the many weaknesses of the Poison-Type again?" Hollow asked. "Psychic!" They all said. "Nice. Now. Whoever has a Psychic-Type, try using a Psychic move on Weezing here. "Oh! I do! I have a Psychic move!" A young filly raised her hoof up, coming forth. Out of her Pokeball, she sent out a Noctowl. "Alright then. Go ahead. Attack Weezing." "You sure?" "Mhm." Hollow nodded, insisting that she did. "...Alright. Noctowl! Confusion!" "Noc!" A simple Psychic attack went towards the apparent Weezing. Normally, this would absolutely overwhelm a pure Poison-Type like Weezing, and everypony knew that. But, the moment it made contact with Weezing...nothing happened. At all. "...Eh?" Instead, it was the students who were confused. Not the 'Weezing'. "Am I seeing things? That should've dealt super damage to it! But it had no effect?" "Yeah. It should've. If it was a Poison-Type in the first place." "Huh?" The students were all confused. They were sure that Weezing was a Poison-Type Pokemon without a doubt. "You can show yourself now." Hollow laughed. The Weezing was suddenly starting to morph, its body was changing into something else. Everypony leaned in to see what was going on. It turns out that Weezing was actually a Dark-Type Pokemon. Zoroark. The Illusion Fox Pokemon. "Zoroak!" "WOAH!" All the students were starstruck by what they witnessed and what they're seeing right now. They all took their dexes out of this one. "Zoroark. The Illusion Fox Pokemon. Bonds between these Pokémon are very strong. It is known as the 'Master of Illusions'. tricking its opponents. Each has the ability to fool a large group of people simultaneously. This Pokémon cares deeply about others of its kind, and it will conjure terrifying illusions to keep its den and pack safe. Seeking to ease the burden of their solitude, lonely Trainers tell Zoroark to show illusions to them. If it thinks humans are going to discover its den, Zoroark shows them visions that make them wander around in the woods." "You see. The move didn't work because Zoroark here is a Dark-Type. And Psychic-Type moves have no effect on Dark-Types. And as a bonus, Zoroark can shapeshift into any Pokemon it wants and fool them instantly, making them think that they're landing a Super-effective move on the right Pokemon. That's just one great example of being crafty, sneaky and creative." "No kidding. That was sneaky!" Sapphire exclaimed. "Then...what's that thing's deal?" Sunrise pointed his hoof at Shedinja. "Oh. Shedinja here has a pretty nifty ability that's unique to it only. That ability is Wonder Guard." "Wonder Guard? They all said. "Oh yeah. It's an ability that prevents damage from direct attacks unless they're super-effective. So only Fire, Flying, Rock, Ghost and Dark Moves are gonna work against it." "Wait so...nothing else other than those will work?" Sapphire asked. "That's right. For example, if I tried to attack Shedinja with the move Energy Ball, it's gonna phase right through it as if it was never even there. Wonder Guard forces the opposing Pokemon and trainer to try a different attack. And if they don't have a single attack that deals super-effective damage, they're basically going to be hitting the air over and over again. And the best part, Shedinja can still attack while the opponent keeps on trying. "Ooooh..." The students were all impressed. "Mhm. That's just one of the many ways you can get creative and mess with your opponents head. I've got a lot more where that came from." Back at Ponyville, Applejack was about to face off against Rainbow Dash. It was Treecko against Braviary. "You sure you wanna do this, AJ? Braviary's a bit too much for a first stage starter like Treecko." "Sure of it. After the Shadow Triad and Team Plasma, I realized that I need to protect my entire family to the fullest with Pokemon involved. So that means I gotta prepare for the absolute worst and tackle it head-on." "Yikes. I've never heard you sound so confident before. Alright then. I'll give my all too if that's okay! Braviary! Brave Bird!" Rainbow went first. Braviary's body was engulfed in brave energy, heading towards Treecko. "Treecko! Head in and use Pound!" Treecko ran forward, jumping towards Braviary. "Is she seriously planning on getting close to Brave Bird?" Rainbow Dash confused. But Applejack knew what she was doing. Treecko flipped over Braviary, avoiding Brave Bird. This gave the Wood Gecko Pokemon the opportunity to strike Braviary's back the moment the brave energy vanished. Treecko managed to hit Braviary's back with Pound, actually making Braviary nudge a bit. "Use Superpower!" "Dragon Breath!" Braviary turned around, soaring towards Treecko with Superpower ready to be swung. Treecko however, blasted Braviary to the ground by unleashing that same powerful breath from before. It actually managed to deal huge amounts of damage to Braviary, sending it crashing to the ground. "No way!" Rainbow Dash's jaw opened. "Braviary! You okay?" "Brav...Braviary!" Braviary stood back as he had tatters over him. "Bullet Seed!" Treecko continued the attack by pelting seeds at Braviary while he was still airborne. "Shake them off and use Aerial Ace!" Braviary blew the seeds away, flying towards Treecko. This time, Braviary returned the favour by striking Treecko whilst flying past him. "Use Aerial Ace one more time!" "Gotcha! Grab him!" All of a sudden, Applejack and Treecko took the adaptability lesson Ash taught her. Treecko grabbed onto Braviary's wings the moment he came close. The Wood Gecko Pokemon then got on Braviary's back, flying with him. "Braviary?!" The Valiant Pokemon turned its head around. "Shake him off, Braviary!" Braviary tried to shake Treecko on as the Grass-Type was struggling to stay on Braviary's back. Applejack knew that she had one opportunity to end this quick against a Pokemon as powerful as Braviary. Dragon Breath!" Treecko inhaled and exhaled, unleashing Dragon Breath on Braviary's back. Treecko then jumped off Braviary while the Valiant Pokemon was falling down. This powerful attack was actually enough to knock Braviary out, making him faint. "Brav..." "No way! Treecko won?!" Scootaloo was dumbfounded along with a few ponies. "Treecko." Treecko landed on the ground, crossing his arms as a show of victory. Smoke was actually coming out of its mouth to show the aftermath of Dragon Breath. Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped as she had no idea what just happened. "Man...that Treecko is one of a kind..." Ash commented. "And Applejack's a fast learner too." "Pika..." "...You know...I'm not even mad at that." Rainbow Dash nodded, flying over to Braviary to help him up. "You did good Braviary." "Brav." "But, AJ. I didn't expect your Treecko to be so powerful. It took my Braviary out like it was nothing." "Yeah! How come Treecko's so strong for being just a first stage?" Twilight went up to her. "I got that answer. Treecko obviously senses Applejack's drive to protect those that she loves. So it shares that drive with her and because of that, they both can create a super awesome synergy that allows them to do the impossible." Ash answered. He knew this because of him and his Greninja. They both share a determination to win, thus creating the Ash-Greninja form. "It definitely shows." Rarity nodded. "You two make a fierce duo, actually." "Aw, shucks." Applejack felt a bit embarrassed as Treecko hopped on her back. "By the way, Twilight. What did you learn about battling?" Ash asked. "I learned some pretty useful tricks. The use of rooms!" "Rooms?" Both Pinkie and Rainbow Dash said. "That's right. I've been focusing on Field moves. Trick Room, Magic Room, Wonder Room. The three rooms that my Espeon can learn." "Oh. You gave Eve all of them?" Fluttershy questioned. "Well. no, not really. I still need an offensive move. So the only one I have on her is Magic Room. But I've also ended up teaching Eve another new move along with Minccy. Dazzling Gleam for Eve and Dig for Minccy. But I need to test them out to see if my strategies can work." "Ah, I get ya. You wanna use the rooms to your advantage." Ash just realized. "Not a bad choice." "Pikachu." "Thanks, Ash. So, who's gonna help me?" "I'd love to. But I kinda need to check back on the farm. Taking a small break with training." Applejack said. "And I need to make some deliveries! But I'll be back in a few hours!" Pinkie bounced away. "Hm. Guess we do still have our normal jobs. Alright. I think this is a good time to grab a bite to eat. Hayburger here I come." Twilight walked off as everypony took a break from practising. "Same here! Come on, Goh!" Ash ran off towards Pallet Town. "Pikachu!" "Wait for me, Ash!" Goh ran after him. "And I'm gonna prepare for my eventual rank climb. I'll find a way to surpass Spitfire...if I can win that many times." said Rainbow Dash who was preparing to head to her next gym battle soon. This was the start of Equestria learning to improve as trainers. In order to combat any potential future threats, they'll need to be at a perfect synergy with their Pokemon. As the days go by, they'll learn new tricks along the way. And eventually, they'll truly become great and powerful Pokemon trainers, as the journey continues. Chapter 156 End!