//------------------------------// // Straight-laced Mienfoo // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Pokemon School, Canterlot, Wednesday. It was currently a Wednesday today. And for the Pokemon School, a select group of students had their lessons on a Wednesday instead of the standard Monday to Friday most schools have. Twilight and her friends were apart of this schedule. They would attend the Pokemon from Wednesday to Friday. Quite generous actually. Today, their teacher was the Fighting-Type expert, Brawly as they were in his dojo class. Him being a deep-thinker and comparing the scene of battle to everyday life and everything else made him a very interesting teacher that won't give the students a dull moment for even a second. "Okay!" Brawly spoke up. "Listen up, 'cause this is gonna be the lesson that hardens your spirits as trainers!" "It does?" Starlight said. "Oh yeah. I'll say this once. When it comes to the thrill of the Pokemon battle, the Fighting-Type Pokemon are burning with infinite spirits!" "I can believe that... " Twilight nodded, thinking about all the Fighting-Type's she's encountered so far. "But there's one thing you gotta keep in mind. Fighting-Type can be very stubborn. Since they love to battle more than any Pokemon and will take on anyone on sight, they're kind hard to manage. Like Dragon-Type Pokemon. You guys have experienced something similar right?" "Not really." They all shook their heads. All of the students in this class, apart from Rarity, don't own any Fighting-Type Pokemon. Even Twilight, who owns the PokePark, has never used any of the Fighting Pokemon that live there. "My Pheromosa is not hard to manage at all. She's an absolute sweetheart," said Rarity. "Hm. I see. Alright! Let me give you guys an example of a Fighting-Type's willful spirit." Brawly went over to the box of Poke Balls, sending out a Sawk. "Sawk!" "Most Fighting-Type trainers bond with their Fighting Pokemon in one way. By sparring with the Pokemon themself!" Brawly raised his fist in the air. "Wait...when you mean themself...that includes a Pokemon, obviously. Right?" Twilight asked. "Nope. I mean human vs Pokemon! Or in your case, pony vs Pokemon. "You mean you fight the Pokemon physically without any Pokemon?!" Rainbow Dash gasped. "That's right. That's how Fighting Pokemon improve most of the time. Since they're so stubborn, they need a trainer who's capable of having a spirit just as strong as theirs. I'll give you an example by sparring with Sawk. You ready?" "Sawk!" The Karate Pokemon nodded as he got into a stance. Brawly did the same as everypony's curiosity had spiked up. They never thought they would get the opportunity to see a Pokemon and a human fight. "Come on!" Brawly shouted. "Sawk!" Sawk thrust his fist forward at the Gym Leader whilst Brawly put his arms up to block the Karate Pokemon's robust punches. The moment Sawk hit Brawly's arms, a tiny shock wave came out as Brawly was knocked back a bit. "He ate that!" Rainbow Dash flew up. "Sawk! Sawk! Sawk! Sawk! Sawk!" Sawk then threw a flurry of punches at Brawly's direction, affecting the wind himself from how fast he was moving. All the while, Brawly managed to avoid some of them whilst also catching Sawk's fists. "Good, Sawk! Those are some defined punches!" "I don't believe it...I thought he would've been crushed already by Sawk's destructive punches..." Fluttershy was flabbergasted. Everypony was honestly. They all expected Brawly to fall immediately. "Wait a sec, how strong is a Sawk, anyway?" Rainbow Dash scrolled through her Pokedex, searching for Sawk's dex entry that she gathered months ago. "Sawk. The Karate Pokemon. The sound of Sawk punching boulders and trees can be heard all the way from the mountains where they train. Tying their belts gets them pumped and makes their punches more destructive. Disturbing their training angers them. Desiring the strongest karate chop, they seclude themselves in mountains and train without sleeping. The karate chops of a Sawk that’s trained itself to the limit can cleave the ocean itself." "So Brawly's taking punches that can slice an entire ocean in half?" Starlight's eye twitched. "But he's just a human!" "That's the thing about training with a Fighting-Type Pokemon!" Brawly held both of Sawk's fists as they both entered a struggle. "The trainer themselves improve their body as well. The Fighting-Type is all about surpassing your limits. Do that, and you and your Pokemon will be in perfect sync. Alright, Sawk, that's enough. Great work." "Sawk." Sawk moved his hands away as he bowed down. "Now. We're gonna do something similar to that. Grab yourselves some Pokemon from this box and we'll do a few body training activities! To really get you all ready for tougher battles in the future! Rarity. You've already got a Fighting-Type so you can just use your Pheromosa." The ponies were at first a bit hesitant since they might end up getting hit by a Fighting-Type Pokemon which does not sound fun at all considering how powerful they are in general. And they weren't built like Brawly who has spent years training with Fighting-Types. But they were willing to give it a shot. The number of students in this class was relatively small so once they took the Poke Balls, many more were still left inside. "Alright. Let's see what I get!" Rainbow Dash squeed as she was the first to send out a Fighting-Type Pokemon. Her selection was the Martial Arts Pokemon, Mienfoo. "Mien!" "Oh, sweet a Mienfoo! Hey, there little guy! We're partners right now." "Foo?" Mienfoo glanced over at Rainbow Dash with a fairly crucial and sharp look. "Mienfoo!" The Martial Arts Pokemon did a backflip as it was about to kick Rainbow Dash in the face out of nowhere. "W-What the-?!" Rainbow Dash backed up as Brawly caught Mienfoo's kick, protecting Rainbow Dash. "Foo?" "Woah, there, Mienfoo!" Brawly said as he lowered Mienfoo down to the ground. "You're not gonna attack my students out of nowhere." "Mienfoo." Mienfoo scoffed, turning around as it walked away from Brawly. "Oh...Thanks, Brawly." Rainbow Dash let out a sigh of relief. She just saw her life flash before her eyes. "No problem. Probably shouldn't have brought that Mienfoo along." Brawly held his head. "Why? What's wrong with that Mienfoo?" Fluttershy asked. "Ah, well...It's a bit of a rough story. Mienfoo over there is kind of a picky Pokemon. But that's kind of an understatement." "How picky are we talking?" Applejack went up to him. "Picky as in she's looking for the perfect trainer. And boy, has she had some disappointments." Brawly chuckled. "You mean she's had other trainers before?" said Pinkie Pie. "Right. Mienfoo over there's gone through several trainers in her life, and each of them failed to live up to her expectations. It'll only choose a strong trainer that it trusts. It's pretty prideful. Much more than a normal Mienfoo, that's for sure." "Well, then you must be that perfect trainer if it chose you." Starlight replied. "Oh, no." Brawly shook his head. "Mienfoo was given to me instead of me being chosen. Her previous trainer traded with me since Mienfoo wasn't satisfied and barely obeyed commands at all. And uh...I'm definitely not having as much luck as the last trainer's." "You weren't kidding when you said Fighting-Type Pokemon were stubborn." Twilight's eyes widened. "Ah, it's no big deal." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I can get that Mienfoo to listen to me no problem." "You sure? She's pretty hard-headed and prideful. You're gonna need to really impress her, Rainbow." Brawly crossed his arms. "Don't worry. I know a thing or two about that kind of stuff." Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof at herself, having a wide grin on her face. Her friends nodded in agreement. Rainbow Dash and Mienfoo were both hard-headed and prideful. Although, Mienfoo seems to take it a step further. "Out ya come." Applejack sent out her Fighting-Type Pokemon which ended up being a Riolu. "Rio!" "Riolu, huh? Lucky me." Applejack was satisfied with her choice. "Let's see who we have here." Twilight ended up getting the Scaly Pokemon, Hakamo-o. "Haka!" "A Fighting and Dragon-Type? I'll take it!" "Hm." Starlight looked over at Twilight's Hakamo-o, hoping that she had a powerful Pokemon like her. She sent the Pokemon out and it ended up being the Tantrum Pokemon Clobbopus. "Clobbo!" "...Oh." Starlight lowered her head. "Well...maybe your strength makes up for your small appearance?" She held out the Pokedex, seeing what Clobbopus had to offer. Clobbopus. The Tantrum Pokemon. It’s very curious, but its means of investigating things is to try to punch them with its tentacles. The search for food is what brings it onto land. Its tentacles tear off easily, but it isn’t alarmed when that happens—it knows they’ll grow back. It’s about as smart as a three-year-old." "Smart as a three-year-old, huh? Great..." Fluttershy ended up getting a Croagunk whilst Rarity sent out her Pheromosa. "Mosa!" "Croa..." Croagunk was moving its body around as if it was fuddled. But that was just Croagunk's stance, even if it was very active instead of still like most other stances. Pinkie had gotten herself the Flailing Pokemon, Stufful, who had already stolen Pinkie Pie's heart. "Stuff!" "Oh my...A stuffed toy Pokemon?!" Pinkie's smile was increasing in size as her hooves were shaking uncontrollably. She took out her Pokedex to see what this Pokemon had to offer. "Stufful. The Flailing Pokemon. Stufful's cute appearance and movements - plus the fluffy feel of its fur - all combine to make it super popular. Stufful may have a small body, but its strength is extraordinary. Receiving one of its powerful hits without being prepared for it can bring down even well-trained Pokémon. Its arms and legs could knock a pro wrestler sprawling. Stufful hates to be hugged or touched in any way. It will squirm, thrash, and resist with amazing power. A touch from anyone except a known friend sends it into a surging frenzy." "No hugging or touching..." Pinkie Pie paused for a moment until she concluded. "Ah, who cares! Come here you little stuffed bear!" She squeed, picking up the Flailing Pokemon as she couldn't resist its cuteness. "Stu..." The dex warned her about Stufful's hatred for hugs and she took the risk anyway. That risk resulted in Stufful raised its paws as it struck Pinkie Pie in the snout. Pinkie Pie could feel all of her teeth breaking at once as she was launched through the ceiling and out of the school in one hit from this tiny little Fighting-Type. They all looked outside to see the pink pony spinning around in the air as she had blasted off. "Wooooorth it! The activities the trainers would do with their Fighting-Type Pokemon included a warm-up session. The first session was a Focus Punch activity. The ponies held up Focus mitts that they placed on their hooves. These mitts were to help the Fighting-Types improve their striking power, whether it's a kick, punch or palm strike. Plus they were super soft. "Here's how this is gonna work." Brawly held his own mitts as he and Sawk were about to give a demonstration. "The trainer holding the focus mitts will typically call out combinations and "feed" the Pokemon good counter-force while manoeuvring and working specific skills. Sawk. Use Focus Punch." "Sawk!" Sawk gathered energy in his fist as he pivoted his foot back, setting his eyes on the mitt only and nothing else. His fist glowed light blue as he struck it forward, striking the mitt. The moment the punch hit the mitt, Brawly could barely feel a thing. There was a slight push-back from the impact though, but that was only natural considering Sawk's amazing striking strength. "When wearing focus mitts it is important not merely to hold them but to actively feed them into the punches, to balance their force and prevent injury to both trainer and Pokemon. And you gotta make sure you yell commands like one, two three, okay?" "I think I got it." Applejack nodded, understanding the explanation thoroughly. The others did as well. "That sounds simple. Just have the Pokemon hit the pad several times. No biggie." Rainbow Dash grinned. "Wanna have a go, Mienfoo?" "Foo." Mienfoo crossed her arms, turning her head away from Rainbow Dash. After having so many disappointing trainers who couldn't satisfy the Martial Arts Pokemon, Mienfoo's fighting spirit was a bit lacking and light. "Alright! You may begin!" Brawly made the call to start. "Alright, Riolu. Let's get those punches down." Applejack held the mitt forward. She wasn't too nervous since her hooves could be considered super-strong as well thanks to how much she works on the farm. "Use Force Palm." "Rio..." Riolu held its breath in as it focused all of its Aura into its strength. The Emanation Pokemon jumped up, smashing its palm onto the mitt as a pulse of Aura travelled through Applejack's body, giving her a slight fright. "Woo!" Applejack's mane shot up as her hat flew off. "I forgot how strong Aura can really be. Keep on using Force Palm." "Riolu!" "Croagunk. Use Poison Jab. But um...don't melt the mitt." Fluttershy asked. "Croa..." Croagunk's fingertips on one of its hands illuminated purple as it jumped up, jabbing the mitt with poison. Fluttershy closed her eyes as she whimpered, hoping that the poison wouldn't spread and melt her hooves off. Thankfully, When the poison hit the mitt, it was still in one piece. Although there was a poison sting in the middle now. "Oh. Thank goodness." Fluttershy breathed out. "Alright. Have another go." For Pinkie Pie, she had returned to the classroom with a broken face, but nothing she couldn't handle. She knew that Stufful wouldn't listen to her after that hug. Unless she bribed the flailing Pokemon. "If you hit the mitts over and over again, I'll give you a cupcake for each hit." Pinkie bribed Stufful by holding a cupcake out. Stufful was sold. It was that easy to convince the fussy Pokemon as it got to swinging. Pinkie made sure to hold the mitt steady and firm since Stufful has the power to send a fully grown adult flying. As for Rarity, her Pheromosa was giving off light kicks instead of heavy ones like every other Pokemon here. That was mostly due to her cheery and gentle nature that she was able to strike with little force. Which was a huge relief for Rarity. If Pheromosa decided to kick at her usual striking strength, then there is a very high possibility that Rarity's hoof would fly off. Clobbopus greatly surprised Starlight. She assumed that since it had the mind of a three-year-old, there wasn't much to expect from this little Pokemon. But, like every Pokemon out there, Clobbopus wields abnormal strength as it used Rock Smash on the mitt, causing Starlight to jump up a bit as she almost lost her balance. "Eeek!" Starlight squealed. "T-T-T-That's some good strength, Clobbopus." She said with a nervous grin. "Clobb!" "Hakamo-o, punch these as hard as you can," Twilight commanded. "Haka..." Hakamo-o looked at its claws, noticing that something was wrong here. "Ah, sorry, Twilight. But Hakamo-o is a claw-based Fighting-Type instead of the traditional punching style." Brawly went up to her. "Try using Dragon Claw." "Alright. Dragon Claw!" "Kamo-o!" The Scaly Pokemon summoned draconic energy on its claws as it swung them towards the mitts, hitting them repeatedly whilst Twilight kept them in place. Everypony managed to work well with their Fighting-Type Pokemon as they were thankful that their hooves and bones hadn't been shattered into millions of pieces yet. Almost everypony that is. Rainbow Dash watched as they all got on with the activity but her. Mienfoo was standing in the corner, not paying any mind to the entire class or Rainbow Dash. She was only thinking about herself, which only exhibited more of her pride. "Hmm..." Rainbow Dash got to thinking. How was she going to cooperate with Mienfoo if she is this stubborn? That's when the idea hit her. If Mienfoo shares similar traits to the pegasus, that meant there was only one way to grab her attention. The only logical way. "Mien...Foo." Mienfoo was currently counting how many poses it was capable of performing since it prides itself with poses to improve itself. "You know, Mienfoo...If you think you're so tough, then why don't you prove it?" Rainbow Dash held the mitts out towards Mienfoo. "Foo?" "You act tough but can you back it up? 'Cause so, every other Pokemon here are strong in their own way. While you're just standing there in the corner acting all cool." "Mien..." Mienfoo narrowed her eyes as she turned around. "But I guess if you're not that strong, you gotta make yourself look high-and-mighty so that nopony finds out that you're actually a weakling." She shrugged as she essentially labelled Mienfoo as weak. Rainbow Dash knew the right amount of words to get Mienfoo riled up. Mienfoo is a Pokemon that is known for having a small temperament. The right amount of words will get them going and grab their attention. Although, many trainers rarely ever try this since Mienfoo's swift movements, while weak, can really leave a number on them over time. So everyone just simply says nothing to criticize them. Everyone except for Rainbow Dash. "Mienfoo!" Mienfoo wanted to show Rainbow Dash that she wasn't weak in the slightest. The Martial Arts Pokemon truly did see itself as the better Pokemon in this entire room due to how many trainers she's had in the past. Although in truth, a Mienfoo's natural striking power is average at best. But, what it loses in power, it makes up for in quantity and speed. The same can be said for this Mienfoo. Rainbow Dash had Mienfoo right where she wanted her. "Mien!" Mienfoo faced the mitts as she was prepared to prove Rainbow Dash wrong. "That's the spirit. Now attack these mitts as hard or I guess fast as you can." "Foo!" Mienfoo got to work. She used her hidden claws to swipe at the mitts, already moving at a swift pace. Rainbow Dash could barely feel the impact of Mienfoo's hits as she let out a fake yawn, unimpressed. "Mien!" Agitated by Rainbow Dash's yawning, Mienfoo sped up her movements, switching from swipes to punches and kicks next. The faster Mienfoo hit the mitts, the more precise her hits became. Her strikes eventually reached a point where she could throw punches and kicks more than 100 times. Rainbow Dash was finally feeling something from Mienfoo's increasing strikes and speed. "Now that's more like it! But it's still not enough though! Is that all you can do?" "Mienfoo!" Mienfoo pulled her arms back as she dug deep. Her body became surrounded in a white aura as she had just learned the Normal-Type move Mega Punch. "FOO!" The Martial Arts Pokemon thrust her fist forward as even Rainbow Dash got a bit cautious of this one. Mega Punch connected with the mitt, resulting in a seismic wave that sent multiple shocks through Rainbow Dash's body as she shuddered. "Geeguh!" Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth. "G-Good...T-That's pretty good." She used her wings to give a thumbs up. "Let's try some harder hits." "Foo!" Now that Mienfoo was taking part in something, every Pokemon in this class continued to strike the mitts with focused and precise strikes to help develop their senses. Not only that, but even the ponies had improved too. Their hooves were a bit stronger now thanks to all those strikes. The class had ended up finishing the Focus mitt activity. It was short and simple and didn't result in anypony getting hurt thankfully. The next activity was a focus on counters. "Fighting Pokemon are great at dealing out damage whether they're swift or hard-hitting. You can never go wrong with their attacks. But the important thing to know is that they have to defend themselves as well. Besides, blocking, one of the many ways Fighting-Types defend themselves is by countering." Brawly explained. "It's time for some Counter Sparring!" "You know a thing or two about counters, don't you Pheromosa?" Rarity said to her partner. "Phero." She nodded in response. "Out you come, my partner." Brawly sent out his ace Hariyama to give an example. "Hari!" "Counter sparring is a bit more complex than it sounds. So for simplicity, I'll just give you the basic ones." Brawly moved back as he varied the distance between him and Hariyama. "Alright, Hariyama. Half speed!" Brawly threw a punch towards his partner's face all of a sudden. "Yama!" Hariyama anticipated his partner's attacks as he raised his left huge arm to block the punch whilst also using his right to hit Brawly's chest. "Hari!" "Doh!" Brawly winced as he moved back, holding his chest. "Good job, pal." Brawly gave a thumbs up. "Now counter this!" Brawly did a back kick towards Hariyama's very wide and robust belly. "Hariyama!" Hariyama lowered both of his arms as he caught Brawly's kick. Hariyama then used the force his hands to push Brawly to the ground. "See that? Countering is a great soft technique since it involves blocking and finding an opening to your opponent. If you can block or dodge the incoming attack in time, you can capitalize and get a free hit in. Now, we're gonna have all of you put your Fighting Type Pokemon against each other. They're each going to trade counters, alright?" "Oh, thank goodness. I thought it would be us who'd end up doing it." Twilight was relieved about that. She wasn't prepared to have a Hakamo-o's fist smash her in the face. "Now uh, go easy on the counters, okay? Some Pokemon have more advanced reaction times like Meditite. And also, don't go too overboard. Alright, now pick a Pokemon to go up against." The class scattered to choose the perfect counter sparring partner. Rainbow Dash put her Mienfoo up against Twilight's Hakamo-o. Actually, Mienfoo decided to choose her counter sparring partner herself since she knows a powerful Pokemon when she sees one. So Rainbow Dash was powerless to stop her decision. "Foo!" "Haka?" Hakamo-o looked down at his fellow Fighting-Type, seeing how gutsy she was just casually approaching him with such pride. "I guess we're training with your Hakamo-o then." Rainbow Dash sighed. "You don't mind, do you Twilight?" "Not at all." Twilight shook her head. "It's kind of adorable how gutsy Mienfoo is. She's just like Dewott." "Mien?!" Mienfoo wasn't fond of being called adorable. At all. She was feeling the urge to sock Twilight right about now, but she could take our her frustration and anger on her Hakamo-o. The counter lessons had begun as all the Fighting-Type Pokemon faced each other whilst being in their own unique stances since they all have unique ways of countering their opponents. One poor pony had the unfortunate fate of going up against Rarity's Pheromosa with a Meditite. "Mienfoo! Use Mega Punch!" "Hakamo-o. Counter it with Dragon Claw!" "Mien...Foo!" Mienfoo rushed in with a white aura surrounding her right paw. As she got up close to the Scaly Pokemon, Hakamo-o used its hard scales to block Mienfoo's Mega Punch. "Haka!" The Dragon-Fighting-Type then found an opening as he swung Dragon Claw right at Mienfoo's face, knocking the Martial Arts Pokemon back. "Foo!" Mienfoo veered on the ground, holding her face as she looked up with narrowed eyes. "I didn't even think about the scales being used as a blocking technique. Nice thinking, Hakamo-o." "Mo-o." "Yeah well, we've just started. Right, Mienfoo." "Mienfoo!" Mienfoo stood up straight. "Now it's our turn. Hakamo-o! Use your tail to attack!" "Haka!" The Scaly Pokemon initiated the next attack by running up to the smaller Fighting-Type. "Counter it with Mega Punch!" "Foo..." Mienfoo made sure not to attack back just yet as she anticipated Hakamo-o's tail attack. Once he swung his tail towards her, Mienfoo used her feet to step on Hakamo-o's hard scaly tail. "Hakamo?!" "Mienfoo!" Mienfoo found an opening as she smashed her paw on Hakamo-o's face, causing him to pull back a bit. Mienfoo got a bit greedy as she delivered a second Mega Punch to Hakamo-'s chest whilst still having her hoof on his tail. "Okay, Mienfoo! You've already gotten a hit in." Rainbow Dash grabbed Mienfoo, holding her back from going on an assault. "Foo!" Mienfoo looked like a child being carried by Rainbow Dash as she was punching the air, wanting to get more hits in on the Scaly Pokemon. "That's some ferocity..." Twilight's eyes widened as Hakamo-o held his face. Fluttershy and her Croagunk were doing fairly well since Croagunk's movements were unpredictable. The way it moved its body around like a leaf being blown in the wind. Croagunk's opponent Pancham couldn't seem to land a hit in no matter how hard it tried. "Pan! Cham!" Pancham did its best and what it was capable of, but Croagunk continuously eluded its hit. Although, the Toxic Mouth Pokemon hadn't actually hit back yet. In fact, Croagunk was waiting for Pancham to tire itself out and then it will strike. "Croa..." "Pan...Pancham." The Playful Pokemon ran out of steam from all those unsuccessful hits as it sat down, catching its breath. "Alright, Croagunk. Now you can attack. But um... go a bit easy on the poor little guy." "Gunk!" Croagunk pulled its punches a bit, making sure to not hurt Pancham as it jabbed the Playful Pokemon in the face with Poison Jab, only making Pancham wince a bit. "Pan!" For Pinkie Pie, her Stufful wasn't exactly great at countering at all. Stufful was going up against a Mankey, who was continuously hitting the Flailing Pokemon without Stufful being able to block. Due to the way Stufful was built and the fact that it was at the end of the day a stuffed bear, blocking hits was difficult, let alone countering them. However, Stufful's ability was Fluffy. Meaning that any moves that make direct contact are halved apart from Fire moves. "Mankey!" Mankey used Karate Chop on Stufful's head, causing the Playful Pokemon to quake a small bit. That's when Stufful could actually hit back now. By raising its arms, Stufful, sent Mankey flying into the pony they were both going up against in this session. "Stuff!" "Mank!" Mankey and the pony were almost knocked out from that one single flail from Stufful, showing how abnormally strong it was. "Nice job, Stufful! Here you go." Pinkie gave the Flailing Pokemon a cupcake for its hard work. Although, that wouldn't be considered hard due to how much power Stufful naturally has. As for Applejack, she and Riolu were arguably performing the best. Thanks to Riolu having Aura, it was able to avoid any incoming hit from the opposing Tyrouge it was facing. Tyrouge had finally managed to find an opening after so many attempts by using Mega Kick to get at least one hit in. "Rio!" Even though Riolu's ability to sense auras was limited, it still had other ways to counter. Riolu had used the small rounded bumps on its arms to block Tyrouge's Mega Kick, surprising the Scuffle Pokemon. "Rouge?!" "Riolu!" Riolu delivered a counter by using Metal Claw. The Emanation Pokemon's paws lit up with a silver aura as it slashed Tyrouge's body, forcing its fellow Fighting-Type back. Applejack was proud of Riolu for doing such a good job. And Riolu felt proud of itself as well. Brawly watched as everypony got the hang of counter lessons fairly well. Rarity and her Pheromosa was a bit of an unfair advantage though. For starters, it was an Ultra Beast. Secondly, out of all the Pokemon in this class, it has the hardest striking power with Sawk and Hariyama coming in second and third and thirdly, Rarity actually owns this Pokemon so she has some experience. The poor unfortunate pony and their Meditite had been defeated by Pheromosa since her movements were too fast. Even when Rarity told her to hold back, it wasn't enough. "Phero...!" Pheromosa kneeled, apologizing to Meditite who had fainted. "Sometimes your strength is frightening, Pheromosa." Rarity sighed. "You call that frightening? You haven't seen Clobbopus yet." Starlight's Clobbopus had managed to leave a hole in the floor even though it hit the air instead. How that was possible was something Starlight herself couldn't figure out. "Alright!" Brawly spoke up, grabbing everypony's attention. That's good. We'll continue countering lessons next time. But for now, there's one final lesson. Concentration. And what better Pokemon to help us than this." Brawly went over to the box, holding another Poke Ball. This time he had sent out the Aura Pokemon Lucario to help with the Concentration lesson. "Cario!" "A Fighting Pokemon needs to cool off once in a while. When they get a bit frustrated in battle, sometimes their movements start to betray them and their usual style of battling starts to weaken. That's why whether it's out of battle or during a battle, you need to have a clear and calm mind. So, Lucario here's gonna show you guys how it's done. Follow what he does." "Lucario." The Aura Pokemon nodded as he sat down on the floor, closing his eyes. Apart from Medicham, Lucario was a Pokemon that was well-versed in concentration and focus thanks to it having a full grasp on Aura. Everypony mimicked Lucario as they all sat down along with their Pokemon. They watched the Aura Pokemon used the move Calm Mind, which only further heightened its focus. Lucario was emanating small aura waves from his body as they travelled through everypony's body. When a Lucario meditates whilst using Aura, the pulses it gives off are soothing to the body and mind. Much like how Sylveon uses its feelers to soothe its opponents. "Ah...this feels kinda nice." Pinkie Pie was enjoying the feeling of Lucario's Aura. "I can't wait for Ash's Riolu to evolve so we get to feel this every day." "Luca." Lucario suddenly sent a stronger aura wave that Applejack could actually understand. The earth pony opened her eyes as she thought she heard Lucario talking to her with Aura. "...Did you say something?" "Lucario." "Ah, you must've felt Lucario's telepathic aura waves." Brawly went up to Applejack. "You know what that means?" "Not really." Applejack shook her head. "It means that you've potentially got some pretty strong Aura inside of you." "I do?" Applejack paused for a moment. "I do?!" She then shot up. "Applejack has Aura? I didn't know that," said Twilight. "We all have Aura Twilight. Every living being on both worlds is filled with it. It's just that some have a bit more inside of them that can really be felt. Like Ash." Brawly explained. "Bummer. Wish I had a visible aura." Pinkie Pie pouted. "Mienfoo...!" Mienfoo suddenly shouted as she wanted everyone to keep it down. The Martial Arts Pokemon was actually getting into this Concentration session. It fit her style perfectly. "Stufful..." Stufful yawned as it was getting kind of hungry. The Flailing Pokemon climbed up Pinkie Pie, sticking its head inside of her mane. There, Stufful had met Spinda who was currently eating the last cupcake inside of Pinkie's mane. "Spin?" "Stuff." Stufful was craving a cupcake as it put its arms out, attempting to grab Spinda's. "Spinda!" Spinda wasn't too fond of that, so she pushed Stufful's arm away as she continued to consume the homemade Pinkie Pie delicacy. "Stufful..." Stufful crossed its eyes as it was a fairly impulsive Pokemon. It wanted that cupcake more than anything right now. And it wasn't afraid to take it by force. The Flailing Pokemon used its absurd strength to knock the cupcake out of Spinda's hands as it flew out of Pinkie's playful mane. "Spin?!" The cupcake flew across the room as it ended up landing on Mienfoo's head, causing the Martial Arts Pokemon to open her eyes. "Foo?!" Mienfoo looked up to see the frosting of the cupcake drip down her face. This rightfully annoyed her as her concentration was being ruined. But it only got worse. Spinda and Stufful were now at odds with each other. The Spot Panda Pokemon, rightfully furious at Stufful had used Secret Power to express her anger towards the Flailing Pokemon. A white aura surrounded Spinda's body as she smashed her head onto Stufful's, causing the FIghting-Type to fly out of Pinkie Pie's mane. And of course, by unfortunate luck, Stufful crashed into Mienfoo who was already irritated enough. When Stufful landed on Mienfoo, the Martial Arts Pokemon fell on her back, losing her concentration completely. And to make matters worse, this started a feud between Stufful and Spinda. "Stuff!" Stufful had returned the favour by jumping on Mienfoo's head, using her as a boost to head back into Pinkie Pie's mane as the two Pokemon began fighting inside of Pinkie Pie's mane. "Hehehe! That tickles" Pinkie giggled. But one Pokemon who wasn't giggling was Mienfoo. She had enough of this as she jolted her head towards Pinkie Pie's mane, where Stufful and Spinda were currently going at it. "Foo!" Mienfoo forgot about the concentration as she forcefully went after the two of them. Mainly Stufful. "Hm? Mienfoo, wait!" Rainbow Dash gasped as she knew that Mienfoo was about to take all her anger out on those two Pokemon. But she also knew that Mienfoo couldn't fit in Pinkie Pie's mane so the result could injure Pinkie Pie. Everypony turned around to see Mienfoo going in for a Mega Punch, right towards Pinkie Pie's head as the pink pony was completely oblivious to this. Luckily, Rainbow Dash flew in front of Pinkie Pie, putting her hooves out as she managed to block Mienfoo's Mega Punch. The impact sent a shock through Rainbow's hooves as her bones felt like they could crack at any moment. But she endured it. "Mien?!" "Mienfoo, don't. It's not worth it, okay?" Rainbow Dash tried to calm her down. "Mien...!" Mienfoo wasn't having any of that. She wanted to take her anger out somehow. "I said don't!" Rainbow Dash raised her voice at the Martial Arts Pokemon, causing her to pause for a bit. She looked into Rainbow Dash's eyes as she saw something that she had been waiting for so long. Mienfoo's previous trainers were all meek and deferential. Her stubborn and prideful nature didn't clash well with them at all. That is why she neglected to listen to a trainer she deemed as weak-willed. But after seeing the look in Rainbow Dash's eyes and how edged they were, she had finally found a trainer who was essentially just like her with similar traits. As such, the Martial Arts Pokemon listened to Rainbow Dash's orders as she calmed down, restraining her Mega Punch and ceasing her attack. "Mien." "Good. Phew. You okay, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asked her. "All good. Don't worry. Stufful and Spinda are just having fun." "Not bad." Brawly went up to Rainbow Dash. "You actually managed to calm Mienfoo down. That's a first for sure!" "Cario." Lucario nodded. He was originally planning on jumping in and stopping Mienfoo himself, but Rainbow Dash had already solved it. "Thanks. Mienfoo's impulsive but nothing I haven't experienced before." "Well. I think that wraps up your Fighting-Type lesson for the day. Good job, class. We made some great progress. Next time, we'll pick up from where we left off, alright?" "Alright!" Each of the students said in unison. They were ordered to return the Pokemon to their Poke Balls since they were most likely going to use them again next time. "Thanks for the help today, Hakamo-o." Twilight thanked Hakamo-o as she returned him. "See you another time, Croagunk." "Nice getting to know ya, RIolu. Also nice being able to hear Aura." "Rio!" "Alright, Stufful. In you go." Pinkie held out Stufful's Poke Ball. But before Stufful returns, it desired a cupcake first before returning. And with how it looked at Pinkie Pie, she couldn't resist. "Oh, alright. Here's one more." Pinkie had a spare hidden in her saddlebag. "Stuff!" Stufful was now satisfied and at peace. The Flailing Pokemon stuck its tongue out at Spinda before returning into the Poke Ball, eating the cupcake in one go. "Spinda...!" "See ya, Clobbopus. You were an interesting one. Even if you have the mind of a three-year-old." Starlight returned Clobbopus. Everypony had returned the Pokemon to their Poke Balls and placed them inside of the box. Apart from Rarity who officially owns Pheromosa. However, Mienfoo was the only one who hadn't returned yet. In fact, she didn't want to return at all. "Mien..." "Hey, uh, Mienfoo. It's time to head back." Rainbow Dash went up to the Martial Arts Pokemon. "You doing okay? You look a bit out of it." "Mienfoo..." Mienfoo wasn't exactly great at being honest. Since she had found the perfect trainer for her, she wanted to show how she wanted to be with Rainbow Dash. But her prideful and stubborn nature made it a bit difficult. "Mien." "It could be that Mienfoo doesn't want to return," Brawly said. "Why's that?" Rainbow asked him. "I've seen this look before. Rainbow Dash. I think Mienfoo wants to come along with you." "Huh?" Rainbow froze for a moment. "Huh?! Really?!" "Mhm. You're the first trainer to really get her attention and motivate her. It only makes sense that she'd choose you." Brawly nodded. "Mien." Mienfoo crossed her arms as she was trying to hide her softer side. Rainbow Dash saw right through her, nodding in understanding. "Alright. Mienfoo." Rainbow Dash held out the Poke Ball. "Do you...wanna come with me?" "Foo?" Music to her ears. She didn't think Rainbow Dash would choose her at all due to how she acted in this class. But to her surprise, Rainbow was willing to make her apart of the team. "Mienfoo!" The Martial Arts Pokemon was in. She smashed her palm on the Poke Ball, sending herself inside of it. The ball didn't need to shake since Mienfoo had already been caught in it long ago. Rainbow Dash now had Mienfoo. "Yes! That makes 6 members!" She raised the Poke Ball. After so long, she had 6 Pokemon at her disposal. The recommended and accurate number for the Equestria League. "Out you come, Mienfoo." "Mien!" Mienfoo felt rejuvenated after becoming Rainbow Dash's Pokemon. Now she felt like her journey was finally beginning. And she made sure she wouldn't disappoint at all. With the first day and the first class of the Pokemon School over and Rainbow Dash obtaining her 6th Pokemon in the form of the prideful and stubborn Mienfoo, the ponies all look forward to tomorrow and what the school has to offer with other teachers as the journey continues. Chapter 266 End.