//------------------------------//
// Rarity vs Adagio 
// Story: My Little Pokémon 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

The third day of the Canterlot Tournament has finally arrived.

After a refreshing sleep last night, they were prepared for the third-day matchups. With fewer trainers, today will be shorter than the last. And the same can be said for tomorrow and onwards.

With everypony making their way towards the stadium, the waiting room was a bit smaller now due to the ponies who lost their matches on the second day.

Since this was the third day, by order of BIgTime Ben who was still here and unable to show up, Gothitelle had made it so that it would be a 3v3 this time.

So it was back to the rental teams for those who didn't have more than two Pokemon at their disposal.

The remaining trainers have proven to be formidable and truly skills so far. Even those who aren't participating in the Equestria League, such as Rarity and Applejack.

And speaking of Rarity, all eyes were on her today. No trainer was given more focus than her due to the upcoming match she has against Adagio. The one that many ponies were anticipating the most.

For the inevitable matchup between the two to happen, over 28 trainers would have to finish their matchups first. The unicorn was feeling confident about her upcoming battle with Adagio. But at the same time, a bit nervous.

"Alright. All I have to do is make sure that Pheromosa does not take out all three of my Pokemon." Rarity was planning ahead of her approaching battle.

All the while, matchups were happening outside on the battlefield. The sounds of moves shaking the entirety of Canterlot was impossible to ignore.

But Rarity had full focus and concentration that seemed impossible to break. She was truly thinking this through. Her training with Leavanny and Flaaffy ended up increasing their reaction time, specifically for Adagio.

However, with Rarity's newest partner being another Pheromosa, a Shiny one at that, her chances of defeating Adagio have risen, according to her.

"Using my Pheromosa against hers is a splendid idea but... My Pheromosa isn't much of a battler. She's akin to that of a jolly child. If it comes down to it, then I'll use Pheromosa as a final ace in the hole."

"Thinking hard, Rarity?" Applejack went up to her friend.

"The hardest I've ever thought. I'm going up against what can be considered a common enemy."

"Adagio's not common. She's pretty dodgy and rare." Rainbow Dash flew over.

"I just have to watch out for that speed. Twilight had a good strategy that helped her against Pheromosa's swiftness. She would've won if Eve didn't faint at the last moment."

"Not just that. What's the name of that dance Pheromosa does to make herself faster and tougher?" Applejack was trying to recall the Bug-Type move Pheromosa uses.

"Quiver Dance," Rainbow answered.

"That's it. You'd best watch out for that one. That vermin's already fast enough. She gets any faster, it could be trouble."

"Applejack's right. Besides, it helps Pheromosa against special attacks too. And your Flaaffy's all about special moves. Plus, Thunder's like the strongest move you've got." Rainbow Dash warned Rarity.

"I know. But I've also got something for that little nuisance. Flaaffy's Static." Rarity smirked.

"Oh yeah..." Rainbow Dash nodded. "If Static kicks in, Pheromosa's gonna have a hard time moving. Nice thinking."

"And Adagio's Pheromosa only attacks up close. So all she can do is get physical." Rarity stood up. "I just have to hope that Flaaffy can take enough hits for Static to appear."

"Wait, what about your Pheromosa? What can it do?" Applejack questioned.

"From what the dex says, this is what she can do so far." Rarity showed off her Pokedex. By selecting her Pheromosa's entry, the dex read out the moves Pheromosa can perform.

"Triple Kick. Substitute. Rapid Spin. Protect."

"That's it? Three Normal moves and one really good Fighting move?" Rainbow Dash wasn't sure about this movepool.

"I know it seems fairly weak. But believe me. I know what I'm doing."

"Well. If she says she knows...she knows." Applejack replied. "But...not sure how I know how I'm gonna win my upcoming match."

"Why not?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Don't you remember? I'm going up against Spitfire next." Applejack gulped.

"Oh, yeah! Oof. Tough luck, AJ." Rainbow placed her arm around Applejack. "But don't worry. If I get paired with them later on, I'll avenge you."

"I know!" Rarity suddenly exclaimed. "It's a perfect strategy! One that will surely guide me to victory!"

"Well, whatever it is, it'd better be enough to tank Adagio's Pheromosa and those super hard kicks." Rainbow Dash said.

With anticipation brewing, the matches raged on with ponies emerging victorious or in defeat. All the while, Sonata and Aria were now rooting for Adagio. Before they weren't due to her actions.

However, that one instance from yesterday where Adagio showed genuine love to her sisters, changed everything for them. Well, almost everything.

As for Adagio herself, she was no longer in her distraught mood. She was still heavily affected but after saying that she genuinely loves her sisters, the siren's drive to win had been sparked up once more. Whether that was a good or bad thing, is something that only Adagio express when her matchup comes along.

Celestia was in the same boat as Sonata and Aria. After seeing how Adagio confronted her sisters, she was curious as to how this matchup would go. Previously, Adagio battled out of revenge and detest for Twilight and her friends. And her battling style showed it due to how aggressive her Pheromosa was.

But now, it's a mystery. Celestia wasn't sure how Adagio would battle this time. Would she still keep her aggressive battling style since she's going up against one of Twilight's friends? Or will her short time with Sonata and Aria change that up completely?

All Celestia can do is wait and see.



With all 28 trainers finally done battling, the time had come. For Rarity and Adagio to face off. And both trainers were ready to head out there.

Adagio had already shown herself by entering the waiting room. Everypony could see that she had her usual smile on her face. But this time, in a different light. 

Rarity and Adagio eyed each other down, knowing that it was time.

"So. Are you ready to lose?" Adagio smirked. "I'm not going to be as predictable as I was in my previous matchup. So it won't be easy getting a 1-UP on me."

"We'll just see about that." Rarity replied with narrowed eyes. The two knew that there wasn't any time for idle chit chat. They can let out all their urges on the battlefield.

So with that in mind, both unicorns finally made their way outside with the crowd locking eyes on them. The biggest concern here was Pheromosa. But the thought of Rarity having a second Pheromosa wasn't something everypony minus her friends weren't expecting at all.

As both trainers went on their respective sides, Rarity on the right, Adagio on the left, the referee looked over at the two unicorns, getting a bit nervous due to how intense they were making the atmosphere right now. Just from looking at each other.

"Both trainers are allowed to substitute their Pokemon. The battle will be a 3v3." The referee gave a quick summary of the rules. "You may both send out your Pokemon now."

"Hope you're ready. Because I'm in it to win it this time." Adagio used her magic to hold the Ultra Ball. "Come out, Pheromosa!"

Out came the beautiful yet fearsome Pheromosa that still leaves a huge impact on everypony present here.

"Pheromosa!"

"Hmph. Not bad. But your Pheromosa's colours pale in comparison to mine." Rarity also used her magic to levitate her custom-made Rarity Ball.

"What do you mean mine?" Adagio raised an eyebrow.

"It's time for you to grab all the attention! Come out!" Rarity knew what the obvious reaction would be once her own Pheromosa came out.

With the ball sending the Ultra Beast out, the entire crowd was met with a shocking reveal. Rarity had her own Pheromosa. A Shiny one at that.

"Mosa!" Rarity's Pheromosa lifted her arms.

"She's got a Pheromosa too?! And it's got different colours!" The announcer jumped off his seat, hitting his head on the ceiling wall. "Ow..."

"I didn't expect Rarity to own one as well..." Luna's jaw dropped as her and the other participants were shocked that Rarity had that Pokemon at her disposal. Just casually one of her teammates.

A commotion erupted from the crowd due to Rarity's reveal. And that's exactly what Rarity wanted. As for her own Pheromosa, it felt like a star being out here in the crowd. She looked like she was about to explode from excitement.

"No time to be dazzled, Pheromosa. Focus on the opponent in front of you!" Rarity shouted.

"Phero?" Once Rarity's Pheromosa turned around, she immediately spotted another one of her own kind standing in front of her. "Mosa?!"

"Phe." Adagio's Pheromosa didn't really care for another one of its kind being here as well. After all, Pheromosa's do not care for each other in any way shape or form. Although, they do enjoy beating each other up for gemstones. 

While there aren't any gemstones here, Adagio's Pheromosa knows about Rarity's Pheromosa. She knows that it's basically a pacifist and a huge pushover. So Adagio's Pheromosa was going to enjoy this thoroughly.

"Where did you get one?" Adagio narrowed her eyes, confused on how Rarity owns a Pheromosa as well.

"Don't worry about the details. You should worry about your inevitable defeat." Rarity replied.

"Hmph." Adagio scoffed.

"Getting a bit nervous here..." Sweetie Belle bit her hooves, worried about the outcome. She was confident that Rarity would win but Adagio's battle style is not one she would want to see exhibited on her older sister.

"Battle Start!" And with the referee's call. The battle could officially begin.

"Pheromosa! Throat Chop!"

"Mosa!" Adagio's Pheromosa bolted forward with her legs being cloaked in a dark veil. However, thanks to all their training, Rarity's reaction time was quick enough to see Pheromosa coming.

"Use Triple Kick!"

"Phero!" Her own Pheromosa pulled her feet back, advancing to her fellow Lissome Pokemon at the same speed the other Pheromosa was moving at.

Both Ultra Beasts clashed legs, causing a shockwave just from them colliding. They seemed to be equal in strength. But that made sense since they were the same Pokemon after all.

With their striking strength being equal, both Pheromosa's backed away from each other, ending the clash.

"Use Poison Jab!" Adagio commanded. Her Pheromosa removed the dark aura and replaced it with a lethal poison that dripped on the ground, leaving tiny holes. The Ultra Beast took the skies, going straight for a dive kick.

"Protect!" Rarity decided to let her own Pheromosa defend herself instead of countering the Poison Jab. It was too risky and she wasn't hoping on getting her precious Pheromosa poisoned.

"Pheromosa!" The Lissome Pokemon's eyes glowed red as a blue forcefield surrounded her entire body. This allowed her to block the Poison Jab, eliminating the chance of being poisoned. For now.

"Kick her until her Protect goes down!"

"Mosa!" Adagio's Pheromosa repeatedly kicked Rarity's Pheromosa with Poison Jab, trying desperately to break through Protect. From the looks of it, her striking strength was almost enough to break through Protect if she kept on kicking.

"Alright. Pheromosa, return!" Rarity suddenly returned her Pheromosa to its Poke Ball. "Good job on defending yourself. Now, for my strategy to come into play. Come out, Flaaffy!" Rarity sent out Flaaffy as her next pick.

"Flaa!"

"Hmph. I'll make quick work of this sheep! High Jump Kick!"

"Phero!" The Lissome Pokemon jumped high into the air with her knees glowing purple. Yet again, Rarity's reaction time had increased to the point where she could see it coming and act quick enough to counter Pheromosa.

But this time, Rarity wasn't planning on attacking back. She was betting it all on Flaaffy's static. And there was one guaranteed way she could paralyze Pheromosa.

"Flaaffy! Use your wool to protect yourself!"

"Flaaffy..." The Wool Pokemon closed his eyes, using his wool as a defence tactic. Everypony thought that Rarity was doing this to cushion Pheromosa's hits since the wool is so fluffy and soft.

Sadly, Flaaffy's wool isn't enough to protect it from attacks, unlike Cinccino who can actually perform that. But Rarity already knew this. And there was one thing about Flaaffy's wool that could come in handy.

Once Pheromosa's knee struck Flaaffy's wool, a devastating impact pulsated through the Wool Pokemon's body. Flaaffy shuddered from the impact. It felt like his bones were about to break. However, his hard training with Rarity made sure that wouldn't happen.

Flaaffy was sent flying by High Jump Kick as he tumbled on the ground. But thankfully, he could go on. But that one attack really did a huge number on him.

"Ffy..."

"Phero." The Lissome Pokemon scoffed at Flaaffy, slightly impressed that he was able to take her attack. But then, she noticed that Flaaffy was smirking all of a sudden. And before she knew it, Pheromosa felt a powerful shock through her supple body. "MOSA!?"

"What?!" Adagio gasped.

"Just as planned. Hitting Flaaffy's wool wasn't exactly the wisest decision!" Rarity grinned.

"Of course" Twilight stood up, realizing something. "Just like Pikachu's red sacs, there's one area where the most amount of electricity is stored in. So if you hit Flaaffy's wool, there's a good chance it'll paralyze you. Smart thinking, Rarity!"

"Lucky paralyze!" Adagio scoffed.

"Oh, I wouldn't say it was lucky." Rarity flipped her mane. "You see. my darling Flaaffy's greatest weaknesses is also his greatest strength. Since he only knows Electric-Type moves, two of those moves have a chance of paralyzing his opponent. So even if Static didn't activate, I still would've had other options to paralyze."

"I see..." Adagio smirked. "Clever play, pony."

"Rarity's got this!" Sweetie Belle shot up, cheering for her older sister.

However, Sonata and Aria believed that it was best that they don't cheer for Adagio. They were afraid that everypony would give them judgemental looks due to Adagio's actions. 

But Ash knew that they wanted to cheer for their sister. And he also understood that it would be hard for them to do so due to the atmosphere and tension.

"I should be frustrated but...I don't feel that anymore." Adagio said to herself. "I don't know what it is, but I feel something."

"Hm? What exactly?" Rarity asked.

"How should I know? Whatever it is, it makes me want to win this even further! Let's return the favour by poisoning! Use Poison Jab!"

"Phero!" Pheromosa readied herself, making sure that this Poison Jab would poison Flaaffy for sure. However, thanks to the paralyzing effect, Pheromosa's usually spectacular speed had been cut, causing the Lissome Pokemon to stagger with her movements.

"Flaaffy! Thunder!"

"Flaa!" The Wool Pokemon summoned the power of a storm in his tail and ears, ready to blast away.

"Duck!" Adagio knew that if Pheromosa got hit by this one attack, the result would be devastating. So, the Lissome Pokemon changed her forward kick into a sliding kick whilst also ducking.

Flaaffy's blast of thunder grazed Pheromosa's antennae, leaving some chip damage behind. Pheromosa being paralyzed really messed up her natural dodging skills. But she was still much faster than Flaaffy, even if her speed was cut.

A sliding kick was delivered to Flaaffy's leg, knocking the Wool Pokemon forward off the ground.

"Fla?!"

"Mosa!" Pheromosa then smashed her foot on Flaaffy's stomach whilst getting up, sending the Electric-Type upwards.

Flaaffy fell on his back whilst crashing down. A bruise could be seen on his stomach but thankfully, the poison hadn't affected him, much to Pheromosa and Adagio's dismay.

"Flaaffy..." The Wool Pokemon got back up, holding his stomach while breathing in and out.

"Flaaffy! Are you okay?!"

"Fla!"

"That's strange..." Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Adagio's not battling the same way she normally does."

"Yeah. She's not being aggressive about it." Pinkie Pie nodded. "It's almost like she's...having fun?"

"In that case, we'll poison Flaaffy in another way. Spread the poison by swinging your legs!"

"Phero!" Pheromosa used Poison Jab once more. But this time, as a ranged attack. By swinging her legs in the air, she sent out multiple droplets of poison that zoomed towards Flaaffy's direction.

"Dodge and use Electro Ball!" Flaaffy zipped to the side, attempting to avoid the droplets of lethal poison that came his way. 

"Keep kicking! And swing the poison everywhere!" Pheromosa continued to send more and more poison by continuously swinging the air. With each kick, the droplets got faster and faster. 

Even when paralyzed, Pheromosa's speed is unnaturally good.

"Fla!" Flaaffy got on his back, ducking some poison that almost made contact with his face. He then spotted some more coming directly for his feet, so he jumped into the air as a means of avoiding it.

However, there was just too many droplets. And eventually, some of them made contact. Whilst Flaaffy was airborne, some of the droplets that were aimed upwards splashed onto the Wool Pokemon.

And it took that one strategy of Adagio to finally poison Flaaffy, forcing the Wool Pokemon to land down on the ground in a poisoned state.

"Flaa...ffy...

"Drat!" Rarity stomped her hoof.

"Now we're even. Let's see your Flaaffy try and keep its focus. Pheromosa. Regain your speed with Quiver Dance!"

"Phero..." The one move that Rarity actually feared would happen. With Quiver Dance, this battle might increase in difficulty. Fortunately, thanks to Flaaffy, when Pheromosa attempted to dance around, she was staggering each time with electric shocks sparking out of her. "Mosa...!"

"Hah! That's no way to dance beautifully! Flaaffy! Thunder! This time from above!"

"Ffy..." Flaaffy raised his arms, causing the entire sky to be full of grey clouds. Due to the poison, he couldn't focus as much as he closed his eyes with each movement he made.

"Hang in there, Flaaffy, darling! You can do this!" Rarity cheered him on.

"Too late!" Adagio exclaimed. Since Flaaffy was taking too long to activate Thunder, Pheromosa had managed to pull off Quiver Dance with the amount of free time she had. Now her Special Attack, Special Defence and Speed have all risen. But she was still a bit slower thanks to the paralyzing effect. "Now, use High Jump Kick!"

"Mosa!" By jumping in the air like a rocket, leaving a shockwave behind, Pheromosa outstretched her leg, going straight for another dive kick instead of the usual flying knee that comes with High Jump Kick.

"Flaaffy!" Flaaffy found enough focus to finally summon Thunder. From above a devastating blast of thunder roared down with lightning speed behind it, tearing through the skies.

Pheromosa smashed her foot on Flaaffy's head but the blast of thunder managed to smite her, causing both Pokemon to successfully land their attacks.

With the impact of both attacks, the two Pokemon were knocked back to their trainers, feeling some heavy damage after a collision such as that.

"Fla...!" Flaaffy got on his knees, trying to fight back against the poison.

"Phero!" Thanks to Quiver Dance, Pheromosa could take a Thunder. But it did leave a mark on her. "Mosa..."

"What an impact!" The announcer gasped.

"Bummer. If she didn't get Quiver Dance off, Pheromosa would've been toast already." Sweetie Belle pouted.

"Come on Adagio..." Sonata quietly mumbled, not wanting to give off the impression that she was rooting for the less popular side.

"We'll get back up to speed. Use Quiver Dance and move around whilst doing it!"

"Pheromo!" The Lissome Pokemon initiated the mystical dance once more. But this time, by moving all over the place.

"Flaaffy! Use Electro Ball repeatedly!" By using his tail, an orb of electricity emerged from Flaaffy. Even while poisoned, he could still carry on.

Electro Balls were continuously fired from Flaaffy's tail, zooming towards the Lissome Pokemon who was dancing about whilst feeling electric shocks course through her body.

Pheromosa's dancing allowed her to avoid the Electro Balls surprisingly. However, Adagio knew this would work since Pheromosa has a supple and thin body, allowing her to find perfect gaps wherever she can. 

"Mosa!" Pheromosa completed the dance, boosting herself once more. With a second Quiver Dance, she was almost back to her true speed. 

An incoming Electro Ball had managed to hit her once the Quiver Dance ended. However, due to it also raising her special defence, the Lissome Pokemon was still standing.

"This might be a problem..." Rarity bit her hoof. Now she had to deal with a much more durable Pheromosa unfortunately.

"Flaa..." Suddenly, Flaaffy got all wobbly, struggling to keep his balance. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time until the poison finished the job.

"Flaaffy?" Rarity leaned forward.

"Ffy...Flaaffy..." And with the last of his strength, Flaaffy had fainted, falling on the ground. "Flaa..."

"Flaaffy is unable to battle! Pheromosa wins!"

And with that, Adagio managed to get the first win over Rarity, leaving her down to only two Pokemon. Although, Flaaffy left a huge handicap on Pheromosa via paralyze, which was still active.

"What a shame! Flaaffy is out of here." The announcer shook his head.

"Just when it looked like Flaaffy would've done this all by himself." Sweetie Belle sighed.

"But on the bright side, he left a gift for Pheromosa," said Pinkie.

"Good work, Flaaffy. You've managed to help us by paralyzing her." Rarity thanked Flaaffy, returning him to his Poke Ball.

"That was a close one. I almost got a bit nervous there." Adagio smirked.

"It isn't over yet." Rarity got out another Poke Ball. "Come out, Leavanny!"

"Leavan!"

"And it's Bug vs Bug this time!" The announcer exclaimed.

"Alright, Leavanny. We worked hard for this. So let's show these two what we've managed to accomplish!"

"Vanny!

"Oh, but Poison Jab might be a big problem again!" Sweetie Belle gasped.

"Maybe...but let's wait and see," Ash replied.

"Pika..."

The battle between Rarity and Adagio is one that has many ponies on the edge of their seats. With Quiver Dance boosting Pheromosa up whilst a leftover gift from Flaaffy surrounds her body via paralyze, the heat between these two trainers is increasing as the Canterlot Tournament continues.


Chapter 254 End.