//------------------------------// // Balancing the Score // Story: Pokémon: Equestrian Champions // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// Continuing their journey to the Crystal Empire, the group had arrived in a large bustling city. They saw it was packed, now having trouble walking down the street without getting separated. "Man..." Spike grumbled, "This place is lively." "Certainly is," Doc added before turning to Twilight. "What's this city called again?" "Err..." Twilight looked down at her journal, "Splash-Splash-Splash Town." "That's...kind of a weird name," Flash chimed in, "And I wouldn't really call this a town." As he said that, they heard a whistle, all turning to see an Officer Hard Case running down the street with an Umbreon beside him, blowing his whistle as he ran up to a bunch of lampposts. "Get down from there!" He yelled, making everyone look up to see a guy and a Passimian balancing on two of the lampposts. "Come on man!" The guy barked back, "We gotta train for the tournament." "I don't care!" Hard roared, "Get down from there or you'll be spending the tournament in jail!" The man sighed before he and his Pokémon leapt off the lamppost, landing and walking away, making Hard moan, "Geez...every year." "Excuse me?" Hard Case turned to see Flash and his friends, "Did I hear something about a tournament?" "Yup," the officer sighed, "The Balance Battle Tournament. It's been a tradition here in Splash-Splash-Splash Town for years." "Balance Battle?" Spike replied, "Never heard of it." "Basically, the Pokémon battle atop tall poles and any Pokémon that falls off is out of the match." He pointed down the street. "If you're interested, the stadium where it takes place is in that direction. You should get a better idea of it if you see it yourself." With that, the policeman walked off while Flash turned to the stadium. "You wanna go enter, don't you?" Twilight responded at the eager expression on Flash's face. "Heck yeah I do!" Flash cheered before turning to Springer. "What do you say bud?" "RIOLU!" Springer added as they both then ran off, the others barely managing to keep up. They soon found the stadium in the center of town, heading in as they saw it wasn't as full. The place was no different from Hoof Town or Hoofington city, the only difference being the size. They saw that the battlefield was huge, sporting a large glass box. It was four times the size of a regular battlefield and about fifteen meters in height, with a trainer's podium five meters up on either side that was right outside the glass box. The remaining ten meters was open air, allowing any flying Pokémon room to maneuver. Everything below the trainer podium was filled with long round poles, and while the box was only fifteen meters tall, the actual battle field was twenty meters tall, the remaining five meters went underground. A red line was painted around the point where the battlefield dropped under the ground, and at the very bottom of the pit was a cushioned floor. They tried to look inside the box, but then spotted a screen showing footage of the inside. Within it, an Accelgor and Monferno were battling by jumping from pole to pole. "Mach Punch!" Monferno ran up and jabbed Accelgor, knocking it off the poles. The others watched as Accelgor stopped itself just before falling under the red line, then shooting back up. "Focus Blast!" Its trainer yelled as Accelgor created a sphere of energy, throwing it back at the monkey. However, as Monferno leapt back to dodge, the shockwave of the blast made the poles wobble, making it lose balance and fall off. It cried out as it tried to grab another pole, but couldn't before falling under the red line. "YES!" Accelgor's trainer cheered. "I see," Cadance commented, "So if you fall under the red line, you lose." Flash shined a huge grin at the sight, "Oh yeah! I gotta compete!" He turned to run back inside, the others following him. But as he ran to the reception desk, he came to a sudden stop. The others quickly catching up saw him stop, going to his side as Twilight saw what had stopped him. "Lightning?" The teen known as Lightning Blitz spun around at the voice, only to growl, "Oh...its you." "You're competing in this too?" Spike asked, with Lightning not replying as he glared at Flash. "Hey Lightning," Flash whispered, his voice stumbling as Twilight saw a shiver go down Flash's spine, "So...how have you been?" "Perfect." Lightning chuckled, "But I'm surprised to see you here. I thought for sure after I beat you in the tournament, you finally realized what a worthless trainer you are. After all, we all know proper battles aren't your thing. All of Equestria knows that...and you even failed at the Manehatten City Contest." Flash flinched at that. "You saw?" "Everyone saw, loser. You got butt handed to you, as usual. So what, planning to become a Balance Battle Trainer now that your hopes of entering the Equestria League and contests are up in smoke?" Flash's eyes narrowed at this, "Hey! I'm still planning to enter the Equestria League. I'm only one badge away from getting in." "Ha!" Lightning laughed, "You must be joking! There's no way someone as weak as you has seven badges." In response, Flash quickly took his badge case out, making Lightning laugh again, "Oh please, those have to be fake." "They're not!" Flash yelled, "I won them fair and square!" "You mean you got on your knees and begged the gym leaders to give them to you." Lightning replied, "Talk about of waste of time. We all know you'll never beat me, so why bother?" He then signed his name before walking away, Flash just staring at his back. "So that was Lightning?" Cadance asked, getting a nod from the others. "Strange. He's nothing like his grandfather...he never had an ego that big." "Its the size of a Wailord," Spike grumbled, "And he's the worst." It was here Twilight saw the face Flash was wearing. It was a mix of anger and hesitation, only for her to see his hand was shaking. "Hey," she put her hand on his shoulder, "You okay?" "I'm fine," he barely responded, "Just...trying to figure out who I should use in the match." He moved over to the desk and received an entry form, seeing he needed to enter three Pokémon. Taking a closer look at the rules, he learned it was actually a triple battle, meaning he had to use all three Pokémon at once. "Alright, Springer's pretty agile, so he shouldn't have much trouble. Skyler can just fly above the poles and the last one...Viper." "Viper?" Doc asked. "Prongs and Astro properly wouldn't do to well, and between Riptide and Viper, Viper's the better choice for this kind of thing." They all nodded as Flash wrote the three down before handing it in. At the same time, Twilight still noticed how shaky his hands were. "Flash..." she whispered as her friend took another Pokeball and held it out to her. "You mind letting Astro sit with you during the battle? I'm betting he'll wanna watch." "Sure," Twilight took the Pokeball, but continued to stare at him. "Flash, if you're worried about Lightning-" "I'm fine," he interrupted, his voice shaking, "He might have beaten me before, but this time it'll be different." He then gave her a small smile, only to walk away as she let out a sigh. "You're obviously not fine." She whispered, "Oh Flash..." A little later... The crowd cheered as the first round of the Balance Battle Tournament began. Twilight and the others were watching from the crowd, Astro in Twilight's lap. They turned to the commentator's box as the man known as Present Mic appeared, "WAZZ-UP!" He yelled into the mic, "It's great to be here today! Splash-Splash-Splash Town's annual Balance Battle Tournament is about to begin! Sixteen competitors will compete for the title of champion." He pointed at the battle box. "And to earn that title, they must defeat their opponents by knocking them off the poles and into the defeat zone under the red line. In couldn't be simpler!" The crowd cheered as Twilight glanced at the others. "It might seem simple, but it'll probably be a lot harder than we think." They all nodded in agreement before looking up at the screen, now seeing the sixteen faces and who they were paired up against for the first round. They saw Flash was in the first pair and then saw Lightning was the very last pair. "Looks like Flash won't face off against him unless they both make it to the finals," Cadance commented. "Again?" Spike asked, "That's what happened in the Battle Tournament." "Hopefully this time it won't end the same way," Twilight added, "I don't think Flash can take another loss from him." "Is it that bad?" Cadance replied, only to see a huge frown on Twilight's face while the boys just nodded. "Oh wow. What did he do?" "The loss was so bad that...he pushed us all away, including his Pokémon." Twilight barely replied, Cadance now going wide-eyed at this. Her memories of the last few days with the boy came to mind, seeing how much he loved his Pokémon and thinking how he could push them away seemed unthinkable. "Lightning's the worst." Spike grumbled as crossed his arms. And as Cadance stared at Twilight, seeing her stare at Flash with an increasing worried frown, Present Mic spoke up, "Let's meet our first contestants! In the red corner, Marigold!" From out of the hallway, a green skinned girl with orange hair walked out while waving to the crowd. "And in the blue corner, Flash Sentry!" Inside the hallway, Flash began to make his way with Springer beside him. But as he did, he felt his arm still shake. 'Stop!' He grabbed his arm, wincing as he did this, 'Stop shaking! You're not fighting Lightning yet.' But as he told his mind that, the memories of his Pokémon, all beaten from their last battle with Lightning, flowed through his head as the trainer just laughed at him. But as his mind did this, Springer turned to him, "Ri!" Flash barely reacted to the Riolu, Springer then grabbing his leg to get his attention. And as Flash turned to him, even though he couldn't speak Riolu, he understood what Springer said next. "Snap out of it! We've got a battle to win." Flash didn't reply, just staring at him with a weak frown, making Springer growl, "Flash...if you don't think we can win, what do you think Skyler and Viper are gonna think?! Don't you trust them?!" Flash sighed and looked away, "I do trust them. It's just-" "Just nothing! We're winning, or we're gonna die trying!" Springer ran ahead him before yelling, "Come on! Don't be a wimp and get going!" Flash watched as his Pokémon went ahead, only to smack the sides of his head, "He's right. I can do this. Even if I can't beat Lightning, I'm still gonna try my best against everyone else I'm up against." He then ran up to the podium, the stand lifting up before stopping at the start of the glass. He then saw a drawer with three Pokeball holes in it. "Trainers!" Mic announced, "Place your Pokémon into the dispenser tray." The two put their Pokeballs down onto it, Flash only placing two on before turning to Springer. "Ready?" He held up his Premier-Ball and Springer nodded, Flash firing the red energy that sucked him inside before placing it down on the tray and shutting it as quickly as possible. A slot opened up and from it revealed three holes, a red burst of energy shooting out of each. They hit poles and took shape, Springer reappearing along with Viper and Skyler. Meanwhile, Marigold did the same, her Pokémon revealing to be Carnivine, Whimsicott, and Jumpluff. The three Grass-types took to the air as Present Mic spoke up. "Are both trainers ready?" They nodded, "Then battle...BEGIN!" "Bullet Seed!" Marigold ordered as Carnivine and Jumpluff started shooting a barrage of seeds. "Flamethrower!" Flash yelled, Viper unleashing a stream of fire that incinerated the Bullet Seeds. "Now, Extreme Speed and Aerial Ace!" Springer and Skyler shot ahead, Springer leaping at Jumpluff while Skyler V-dived at Carnivine. The two attacks struck, knocking both back while Whimsicott flew up high. "Solarbeam!" The horns on its head began to glow as it heard this command. "Another Flamethrower!" The Vipeacon shot the fire and hit Whimsicott before it could finish charging, burning it badly. "Aura Sphere!" Springer leapt up above Whimsicott, throwing the orb at the Grass Fairy-type. The sphere slammed into it and exploded, the force of the explosion pushing it straight down. The other two tried to save it, but Skyler shot past them both and beat his wings. "Tore!" He roared as a gust of wind blew them back, allowing Whimsicott to fall below the red line. Mic: "Whimsicott is out! That's one point to Flash!" "Now for the other two points!" Flash added as the Grass-types attacked. "Vine Whip!" Carnivine tried to slam Skyler with a pair of vines, but Springer appeared and grabbed one of the vines before it could reach them. Viper then appeared, having slithered between the poles, and grabbed another in his teeth. "Tornado Burst!" Skyler flew up and started spinning, forming the tornado that shot at Carnivine. It tried to pull itself free, but Springer and Viper held it tight. Skyler then flew out of the tornado, slamming into Carnivine as the others let it go. This sent it flying until it slammed into Jumpluff, both smashing into the glass before sliding down the wall, quickly falling past the red line. Mic: "It's over! Flash Sentry will advance to the second round!" The crowd cheered as Marigold sighed, an opening now appearing in either side of the box that lead to a tunnel the Pokémon could head up to get out. Flash's friends cheered louder than anyone, "Way to go!" Spike screamed while Cadance turned to them. "He shouldn't get cocky yet. There's still three more rounds to go." They nodded in agreement as Flash's elevator retracted, his Pokémon leaving the box. Meanwhile, up on one of the highest podiums, Lightning was watching the battle with the most bored expression on his face. The competition continued throughout the day, with one match occurring right after the other. The first round ended within the hour, the second round beginning almost immediately afterward. Flash managed to win that round as well, without losing a single Pokémon, then followed it up be winning the third round and getting to the finals without losing a team member either. He had them work together constantly, one match having Springer ride Skyler so he could reach a full flying team of Corviknight, Pidgeot, and Noctowl while Viper stayed below, using Flamethrower to push down the birds once they were knocked out of the air. But at the other end of the board, Lightning was dominating his opponents as well. The Pokémon he used were Gorillamp, Pitchawk and Frostoak, with Gorillamp standing on either two or four poles at a time with its feet and hands while Pitchawk flew above and Frostoak used its high agility to leap from pole to pole. However, he was shown to use a different method, his Pokémon not even bothering with teaming up. Instead, all his Pokémon picked one opponent and beat them to an inch of being knocked out before they fell off the poles. Currently, Lightning was in the third round against a trainer with a Simisage, Simisear and Simipour. "Use Thunder, Blizzard and Shadow Ball!" Gorillamp unleashed a bolt of lightning while Frostoak pulled down its mask and breathed a burst of cold air. This was followed by Pitchawk firing a sphere of dark energy, the three attacks hitting the monkeys dead-on. Swirls appeared in their eyes as they were slammed into the glass in front of their trainer, then falling like rocks into the defeat zone. "It's OVER!" Mic yelled as the crowd clapped, "With that, Lightning Blitz will be moving onto the final round. He'll face off against Flash Sentry for the title of champion!" Everyone looked up at the screen and saw the two's faces appear on it, Lightning rolling his eyes as Flash stared at the image, now feeling a shiver run down his spine. Memories of the last time he fought Lightning continued to rage through his mind. The images of each of his Pokémon on the ground unconscious flashing in front of his eyes, with the memory of Riptide's defeat making his heart clench. "Hey." He was pulled from his thoughts as Twilight grabbed his shoulder, making him turn to her and see a huge frown on his face, "You okay?" "I'm...fine," he muttered out, only to feel Twilight squeeze his shoulder, making him flinch. He then saw her glare at him, making him sigh, "Alright...I'm not fine." "We know." Twilight replied. "You're worried about facing him, aren't you?" Doc added. "It's just...I can't help it. I wanted more than anything to battle him again. But now that it's actually happening..." He looked away, "I...I don't think I can take losing to him again. You saw what happened to me after losing to him and then losing Hopper." The others exchanged glances, Twilight then gripping him again, making him turn to her, "Flash...you are not gonna let that jerk get under your skin." "She's right," Spike nodded, "You're not gonna lose to him." "You've trained hard," Doc continued, "And you believe in your Pokémon. Not only that, you guys have one advantage over him that he can't overcome in this kind of battle compared to regular ones." Flash turned to him, Doc showing a smirk, "His Pokémon might be strong, but they're not a team. Think back to the last three matches he's done." Flash glanced back at the field, watching Lightning walk away as he got his Pokeballs from the stand. Memories of the battles went through his head, making him remember that Lightning did no teamwork. They just fought on their own, the best their teamwork got being staying out of each other's way. Flash looked down at Springer, who smiled and gave a thumbs up. "Huh. I guess you're right." Flash barely replied, only to feel Twilight pat his shoulder. "Just remember Flash, if at any point you feel overwhelmed, just remember what I told you at the Pokerus Trainer Ground." Flash nodded back, only to then notice someone was missing, "Hey, where's Cadance?" "Bathroom," Twilight responded. Meanwhile... Lightning was walking down the hallway leading to the medic area. As he did this, he saw the door of a bathroom open in front of him, revealing Cadance as she turned to him. "Oh," she slowly said, "Hello." "Hello," he hissed, giving her a long stare. Cadance raised an eyebrow at this, only to put her hands on her hips, "What? Like what you see?" Lightning just glared back, ignoring her question as he asked, "You're Shining Armor's wife, right?" Cadance leaned slightly back at this, "So what if I am? I don't see why that's any of your business." "I want you to give him a message." "Oh?" Cadance raised an eyebrow again, "And what would this message be?" "Tell him the one that will dethrone him is drawing near. I will make him pay for disgracing my family." "What do you mean by that?" Cadance asked while crossing her arms. Lightning's glare started to become a scowl as he replied, "He has no right to be champion." Lightning pointed at himself, "I'm just one badge away from entering the Equestria League. And when that happens, I'll crush everyone in my way and face off against him in the finals. And then, I'll defeat him. I'll beat his Pokémon into the dirt, making them pay for ever fighting my gramps' Pokémon." Cadance let out a giggle at this, "Hey! What's so funny?!" "You really think you can defeat Shining Armor?" "I know I can," Lightning hissed, "I won the Battle Tournament. The number of times I've lost a battle I can count on one hand. My Pokémon are all the best of their species, and trained to perfection. Who else could possibly defeat him? Only someone who is just like him, but better." Cadance shook her head at this, "You really think you and Shining are the same?" "I'm better," Lightning repeated. "I've mimicked all the strengths he has, and avoided all of his mistakes." Cadance raised an eyebrow at this, "Mistakes?" "Treating Pokémon like friends. Its pathetic. That kind of thinking will only make them soft and weak. Shining Armor has some of the most powerful Pokémon in Equestria, but he treats them like pets." "He treats them with respect," Cadance corrected. "You should try it some times." "Why? So I can lose just like my gramps? No thanks." Lightning pointed at himself again, "I'm the best there is, meaning I know my method works." Cadance let out a sigh at this, shaking her head again, "Do what you want. But be warned. As you are now, you could defeat a thousand trainers, but still not beat a single one of Shining's Pokémon." She then did a slight shrug, "I've seen a lot of trainers who want to take Shining's title from him, but none of them have what it takes to surpass him." She let out a chuckle at this, "At least...that's what I thought." Lightning raised an eyebrow at this, "Oh? What do you mean by that?" "Let's just say...I think I found someone who could take him on." "If its not me, then you're just delusional." Lightning replied while crossing his arms. "I wouldn't say that. After all, you're about to face off against him in a few minutes." Lightning's eyes went wide at this, only to for his face to light up in pure red anger, "Him?! Seriously?!" "Absolutely. Why, are you scared of him?" "Scared?! HA! You must be joking!" Lightning laughed, "He's a loser, a worthless nobody that I've beat time and time again! I keep showing everyone he's nothing but a joke, and he has no right to be a trainer!" "Flash has every right to be a trainer." Cadance replied, crossing her arms as Lightning's outburst. "And you won't beat him here. This is a very different battle than a normal trainer battle." "I'll beat him, just like I beat him at everything else! I'll prove yet again that he's nothing but a worthless loser!" He then shined the biggest grin at the woman, "Just like I'll do to Shining Armor!" Cadance shook her head one last time before walking past him, "Good luck with that." The crowd cheered as the two trainers walking onto the field, Present Mic speaking up, "It's time for the final match of the Balance Battle tournament!" The crowd continued to scream as the elevators carried the finalists onto the battlefield, Flash and Lightning staring one another down as they got into position. "Our finalists, Flash Sentry and Lightning Blitz! Both trainers faced difficult opposition to get to this point, but only one can earn victory here today. Which one shall it be?" "I don't see why he's asking this. Its obvious who's going to win." Lightning groaned as he placed his Pokeballs into the dispenser. "Shame really. I was hoping for more of a challenge in this final match." Flash said nothing as he put his Pokeballs in. "But instead, I have a nobody as my final opponent. Someone everyone seems to think will be the next champion, but I know the truth." He pushed the drawer, the Pokeballs now opening to let out his three Pokémon. "Gore!" Gorillamp beat its chest. "Hawk!" Pitchawk flew up high. "Frost!" Frostoak balanced on one of the poles and crossed its arms. Flash felt a sudden chill, his whole body shaking. But as this happened, he shook his head, "No...stop. I...I can do this." he turned to Springer. "Ready bud?" "Ri!" Springer nodded before Flash returned him to his Pokeball, putting it into the dispenser and closing it as fast as he could. In a flash of light, Springer, Skyler and Viper appeared within the box. "Lightning!" Flash yelled, "You've beaten me before. I admit you were stronger than me in the Battle Tournament, and you might still be stronger then me now." Lightning smirked at this, "But that won't stop me from challenging you. Because the only way I'll ever truly lose to you is if I accept it and give up. And I won't do that." He pointed at Lightning. "Even if I lose today, I'll keep trying until I finally beat you. And I know I will one day beat you!" Lightning laughed, "Keep telling yourself that!" He then waved his hand at this, "After I beat you today, I'm done with you. This will be our final battle, and after you lose, I'll never accept another battle with you again." Flash growled at this, only for Lightning to laugh at him again, "Why would I?! The only way I'll ever get stronger is by battling strong trainers, and you're the weakest trainer I've ever faced! I have nothing to gain beating a loser like you." Flash felt his teeth grinding in his mouth, not replying as his Pokémon all glared at the trainer. Lightning just kept laughing, Flash growling as he stared at Lightning. 'I have to win. Even if this isn't a real battle...I gotta win.' Present Mic stood up, "Are both trainers ready?" They nodded, the Pokémon getting into a battle stance. "Then let the battle...BEGIN!" "THUNDER!" Lightning screamed before Flash could give a command. Gorillamp roared as it stood on two of the poles and slammed its fists together, causing them to spark. It then thrust both fists forward, unleashing a powerful thunderbolt that shot across the box. "Dodge it!" Flash yelled, his three Pokémon leaping away. Viper slithered between the poles while Springer landed on Skyler, the Tornavian flying straight up. But as they did this, Pitchawk appeared in front of it. "Shadow Ball!" The hooded bird squawked as it opened its mouth, creating a ball of dark energy. "Aura Sphere!" Flash countered, Springer firing his own orb attack. The two collided, an explosion of dust coming next as the smoke filled the box, which Skyler and Springer flew into. Pitchawk waited for them to fly out the other side, only to see the bird charge right at him. "Pitch!" Pitchawk avoided his attack, Skyler flying past him before spinning around. But as he did this, Pitchawk now saw Skyler's back was missing its rider. "Hawk!" "RI!" Pitchawk spun around and saw Springer falling right on top of him. "Drain Punch!" Springer slammed his fist into Pitchawk, making it cry out as it sent flying down. And as it fell toward the defeat zone, it spread its wings to stop itself. Mic: "And Flash draws first blood! But was that his only lucky shot, or is it just the first of many hits?" As this happened, Viper finally reached Frostoak from below. The Ice-type had been watching the air battle, not noticing Viper until it got within striking range. "Flamethrower!" Viper unleashed the burst of fire, Frostoak barely managing to leap away. "Ice Shard!" Lightning ordered as Frostoak landed, creating and throwing a kunai of ice back. The snake wrapped the top half of its body around a post, allowing it to flick its tail around and deflect the ice, only for Gorillamp to appear above him. "Now, Thunder Punch!" Gorillamp reached out and grabbed the tail, pulling it away from the pole. It then swung him up and released his tail before punching him. "VI!" He cried as he was thrown through the air, the lightning surging around him. He was unable to grab a pole, only for Skyler to swoop in and grab the snake. "Tore!" He yelled as he pulled Viper back up, the Vipeacon hissing his thanks as Springer hopped over the poles, charging at Frostoak. "Double Team!" Flash called out, Frostoak growling as Springer suddenly multiplied. The army of Riolu jumped all around the place, distracting Lightning's Pokémon while Skyler flew Viper down and let him coil around a pole. "Enough of this!" Lightning screeched, "Blizzard!" Frostoak grabbed its mouth cover as it breathed in, then pulled it down as he fired a blast of freezing wind across the field, hitting the Springer army. One by one, the Riolu vanished until the real one was hit. "Ri!" He cried as he was knocked back, attempting to land on one of the posts, only to lose his balance. "RIO!" He fell, his friends gasping, only to reach out and grab the pole and dig his claws into them. "Ha!" Lightning cheered, "One down." He pointed at Springer. "Shadow Ball and Thunder!" A dark energy sphere along with a blast of lightning came next, both heading for Springer as he tried to pull himself up. "Ri!" Springer flinched at the sight. "Flamethrower!" Viper breathed a stream of fire, blocking the Thunder attack while Skyler got between Springer and the Shadow Ball. The Ghost-type attack struck, but did nothing due to it hitting the Normal-type. "Steel Wing!" Skyler shot up and slashed at Pitchawk, making it scream in pain as Springer pulled himself up onto the pole. Lightning let out a bored sigh, "Typical. Your Pokémon are so weak that they need to rely on others to save them. Why do you even bother?" "It's called teamwork." Flash barked back, "It's kinda the whole point of this tournament. Trusting in one another to save you when things get bad. And that's why I'm gonna beat you. Because unlike your Pokémon, mine are more than just strangers that happen to have the same trainer." Springer turned to give Viper and Skyler a thumbs up as the two smiled back. "They're teammates...partners...friends!" He pointed at Lightning, "This is why you're gonna lose this. Because it's not three on three, its three against one. Because even if your Pokémon have two others on the field, they can't trust them to help in a pinch. Something my Pokémon can do without a doubt." The three nodded while Lightning just rolled his eyes. "And that's why you're weak. My Pokémon don't need to trust in anyone. They're strong enough on their own. And with me giving them commands, nothing will stop them!" The three let out their own cries of agreement and charged, Pitchawk and Skyler taking to the air as Springer and Gorillamp ran up to one another while Frostoak ran circles around Viper. "Thunder Punch, Brick Break and Night Slash!" Gorillamp clenched its fists and started swinging them at Springer while Frostoak tired to hit Viper with a karate chop as Pitchawk's wings began to glow purple. "Aura Sphere, Crunch and Steel Wing!" Springer avoided the fists as he formed the orb in his paws, firing it right at Gorillamp's face. While this happened, Viper allowed Frostoak to land the Brick Break on his head, flinching at the pain before reaching out and biting its leg hard. And as Frostoak cried out in pain, Skyler's wings shined as he began dueling Pitchawk in midair. Viper then threw Frostoak, who managed to right himself in mid air, barely landing on a pole. "Ice Shard!" Frostoak threw another frozen kunai, only for Flash to yell out another command. "Flamethrower!" Viper unleashed the fire stream, melting the kunai as the flames reached Frostoak, forcing it to leap back so the fire hit the pole instead. Flash growled at this, only to see the post the Flamethrower hit now glowing with smoke coming off it. "Wait..." He slowly felt a plan forming in his head. "I got it! Time to thin the herd! Springer, Skyler, get ready!" The two nodded and disengaged as Viper waited for his order. "Flamethrower, and aim for the poles!" "Vipe..." Viper took a deep breath, "CON!" The fire shot out of his mouth and swept across the field, Springer leaping up and landing on Skyler's back to avoid the flames. As they did this, Lightning's Pokémon blinked at the sight, only for Frostoak to realize what was happening. It landed on one of the poles the Flamethrower had just hit, only to suddenly cry out as its foot was burned. "Frost!" He screamed, leaping to another pole while trying to cool down his foot. "FROST!" He yelped as he landed on another burning pole. "Incredible! He's heating up the poles so Lightning's Pokémon can't get their footing!" Twilight gasped, Astro cheering with joy in her arms. Cadance then looked up at Springer, who was safe from the heat thanks to Skyler. "Smart." Lightning growled as he watched both Frostoak and Gorillamp leap around trying to find a good pole. "STOP PANICKING AND STOP THAT THING!" He roared before looking up at Pitchawk, "Shadow Ball now!" The hooded bird fired the orb at Viper, only for Skyler to fly into the ball. "Tore!" He yelled as the Ghost-type attack puffed into nothingness while Springer leapt off his back. "Aura Sphere!" Springer fired his own orb attack at Pitchawk, blasting it back and making it slam into the glass of the box before the Riolu landed on Skyler again. It was at this point Viper had to stop using Flamethrower to catch his breath, though the poles were still too hot to touch. Frostoak now unable to take any more heat, it saw Pitchawk flying above it, the Snow Cloak Pokémon leaping up and landing on its back. "Pitch!" it cried at the new weight, causing it to stagger around in midair. The bird began to yell at Frostoak to get off, but Frostoak told it to carry it until the poles cooled down. "Gorillamp!" the Current Pokémon yelled at them to stop arguing, only to turn to see Springer and Skyler charging at him, "Gore!" "Thunder!" Springer heard this and saw Gorillamp charging its attack, the Riolu telling Skyler to take down the others while he dealt with it. "Ri!" He leapt off his back as Flash gave a command. "Aura Sphere and Tornado Burst!" Springer formed the orb and fired at the same time as Gorillamp, the two attacks colliding and cancelling one another out. This allowed Skyler to start spinning and form the wind drill, flying straight for Pitchawk and Frostoak. The two saw the attack, both about to attempt to deal with it. But when Pitchawk moved, Frostoak lost its balance and accidently grabbed its wings. "HAWK!" It cried, then twitched in a way that knocked Frostoak off its back. And at this moment, Skyler exploded out of the tornado. "TORE!" He roared as he slammed into Frostoak, smacking him straight into the glass. "Frost!" He cried before gravity pulled him down, dropping into the defeat zone. Mic: "Frostoak is out!" The crowd cheered while Lightning and his remaining Pokémon growled, Flash and his team all smiling. "I did it," Flash whispered. "And I can do it again!" Lightning's eyes went red at this, "Enough of this!" He yelled as Gorillamp stood tall. "Use Thunder, MAXIMUM BLAST!" "GORE!" It slammed its fist together as Pitchawk flew down and got behind it, "RILL!" The lightning surged around it until it swung its arms around. "AAAAAAMP!" The electricity exploded out of it, now flying out in all directions. "GUYS!" Flash yelled as he watched them trying to get away. Springer and Viper took Pitchawk's idea and ducked below the poles, but Skyler couldn't do that with his larger size, the lightning striking him down. "TORE!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as he was blasted with a million volts of electricity, his friends gasping at the sight. And when the lightning dissolved, Skyler fell like a rock. "Skyler!" Flash cried, Viper and Springer rushing to save him. "Shadow Ball!" Pitchawk flew up from under the poles and fired a pair of Shadow Balls, forcing Springer and Viper to leap back, Skyler now falling below the red line and hitting the cushioned floor. Mic: "Tornavian is out!" The crowd cheered while Flash's friends frowned, Lightning giving Flash a huge grin. "See? That's the problem with teamwork. A single loss can ruin everything. Like a house of cards, the whole thing will eventually collapse in on itself." Lightning then let out a small chuckle as he pointed at Springer. "That's why only the weak use it! The strong don't need anything like that! Pitchawk, use Sky Attack and end this!" "HAWK!" Pitchawk flew straight up as its body began to glowed, Springer hopping back at this. "Flamethrower!" Viper took a deep breath, only for the poles to suddenly shake. He turned to the cause, which was Gorillamp as it charged while jumping from one pole to another. "Heavy Slam!" Gorillamp's body glowed as it threw itself at Viper, tackling him instantly. "Vi!" He cried as he was knocked back, falling toward the defeat zone. But he managed to wrap the end of his tail around the pole and use it to swing himself up just as Pitchawk charged at Springer. "Double Team!" Springer barely managed to duplicate himself before Pitchawk could hit him, the Dark Flying-type flying through three of the Springers, making them all vanish. "Aura Sphere and Poison Fang!" The real Springer turned to Gorillamp and launched his orb attack while Viper swung around again and let go to send himself flying. "VI!" He cried as he tackled Pitchawk in midair before wrapping his body around it. "PEE-CON!" He thrust his fangs into the bird and injected the venom, making Pitchawk cry out. "You got this buddy! Pyro Coil!" Viper let its fangs go of the bird before pulling the end of his tail around and biting onto it, then breathed fire down the tube. The flames of his body ignited at full blaze before the pair were consumed by an explosion. "PITCH!" It screamed as it was burned alive, the bird trying to flap its wings while also staying conscious. Seeing this, Viper smiled at the sight before uncoiling to hop off the bird. But as he did this- "THUNDER!" Everyone turned to Gorillamp as it slammed its fists together, pointing at Springer...only to suddenly switch and fire the thunderbolt right at Viper and Pitchawk. The two couldn't escape as the lightning struck them both, electrifying them. "PITCHAWK/VIPEACON!" They both cried as Pitchawk's wings completely failed, causing them both to fall. They shot past the top of the poles and Springer gasped at Viper's lack of movement, the Vipeacon not attempting to let go of Pitchawk as they fell past the red line. Mic: "WOW! Lightning eliminated Vipeacon, but took his own Pokémon out in the process. Talk about harsh." Flash turned to glare at Lightning, "You attacked your Pokémon?!" Lightning just smiled back. "Why?!" "He was gonna get knocked out anyway. There was no point to keeping him in the battle." Lightning shrugged, not even looking down at his unconscious Pitchawk that Viper was pulling himself free of. "Why are you so surprised? Didn't you say this whole thing was about teamwork? After all, isn't teamwork all about taking one of the team?" "Not like that!" Flash barked back. "Whatever. Pitchawk served his purpose." Lightning chuckled, "All that matters is that the battle's now one on one. You can't beat me now." And as he said those words, Flash saw the grin on Lightning's face grow. It was the same one at the battle tournament, the grin when he had Gorillamp beat Riptide senseless, laughing at every moment. Flash could feel a shiver go down his spine, realizing what this meant with Springer going against the ape. "Brick Break!" Gorillamp charged at Springer instantly getting close as it started wildly swinging its arms around. "Dodge it!" Flash yelled as Springer leapt up, avoiding Gorillamp's attack before hopping to another pole. "That won't save you!" Lightning countered, "Use Heavy Slam on the wall!" Gorillamp leapt over to the side of the battlefield as its body glowed, then swung its arms into the glass. The entire place, including the poles began to shake, making Springer trip. "Ri!" He cried as he fell off one of the poles, barely managing to grab another one before swinging up. "Aura Sphere!" Springer fired the attack at Gorillamp, but it spun around and punched the attack. And as it imploded on its fist, the gorilla just stood there with a grin. Despite this, Flash then yelled, "Now use Drain Punch!" "RIO!" Springer ran from one pole to another, about to get close to Gorillamp. "THUNDER!" Gorillamp unleashed the thunderbolts, the lightning shooting out wildly. Springer was forced to leap back, dodging the bolts, only to go right above the gorilla. The two glared at one another as they both readied their next attacks, their trainers screaming out at the same time. "AURA SPHERE/THUNDER PUNCH!" Springer formed the orb as he fell toward Gorillamp, who clutched his fist as it sparked. The two threw their fists forward, Springer thrusting the orb into Gorillamp's fist. The two attacks pushed against one another for several seconds, only for Springer's attack to give out, exploding in his face. "RI!" He cried as the shockwave sent him flying into the window right in front of Flash. The force of the impact shook Flash's podium, knocking him back. "WHOA!" He yelped as he fell onto his back while Springer fell between the poles. Everyone gasped as they watched him fall, many closing their eyes. But after a few seconds, they opened them again when they didn't hear Present Mic announce Lightning was the winner. Looking up at the screen, they saw Springer had thrown his arms and leg out in all directions and grabbed a different pole to keep himself up. His tail was millimeters from hitting the red line. And as he struggled to slowly pull himself up, Lightning stared over at Flash's podium but the teen remained on the ground. He chuckled to himself, "To think, she said you might be the one to surpass the champion." Flash wondered who he was talking about while listening to him. "But that's impossible. You're nothing. Even if you somehow could defeat me, which isn't possible, you're a million light-years from even being close to beating him. Shining Armor's power is like nothing you could comprehend." He remembered back to the battle where Shining defeated Grand, remembered how powerful his Pokémon. Their strength had been something he both hated seeing and wanted for himself, something that beat Grand. A power he trained mercilessly to attain for himself. "That kind of power is far beyond a weakling like you." As Flash tried to sit himself up, his mouth began to say he was right. But as he got up, his eyes glanced over at the stands. There, sitting with his newest Pokémon, was Twilight Sparkle. A look of pure worry was on her face, but it morphed into something else as he stared at her. It was the kind face she gave him on that day as a certain memory flew into his head. "Because your Pokémon have another kind of strength. One which doesn't have any limits." She placed her hand on his chest, "Their hearts. The body might have limits, but the heart and soul of a Pokémon can grow to an infinite amount." Flash slowly pushed himself back to his feet. "You're right, I'm not as strong as you or Shining. I don't have the same kind of power you have." Lightning shined a huge grin at this, about to reply until Flash said, "But that's fine." "What?" "I don't want to have the same kind of power as you two," Flash was now on his knees. "Because I wanna grow stronger as myself. I respect Shining Armor, but I don't want to be a carbon copy of him. I've learned on my travels that there are many different ways to be strong. Twilight...Spike and Doc...they all helped me grow into who I am today. And it's not just them." Memories of all his friends, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Trixie, Sunset and so many more. "It's thanks to them that I know I can grow stronger without having to follow the same path as Shining or any other champion." He then pushed himself back to full height, "Me and my Pokémon can grow stronger by being the best us we can be!" As he said that, Springer pulled himself up and stood tall as Flash spoke up. "I will surpass Shining Armor in my own way!" "RIOLU!" Springer added as Lightning let out a long sigh. "What nonsense. You really don't get it, do you?!" He pointed at Springer, "I'm telling you its pointless!" Gorillamp roared as it beat its chest, "Heavy Slam!" Springer clinched up as Gorillamp charged, now hearing Flash give his order. "Double Team!" Before Gorillamp could reach him, Springer multiplied and evaded the attack, their opponents now seeing a group of Springers running around. "Thunder!" Lightning yelled, "Wipe them out now!" Gorillamp unleashed the electrical surge that shot out in all directions, causing the Riolu to vanish until only one remained right behind him. "Extreme Speed!" Blue lightning sparked around Springer as slammed his foot into Gorillamp's head, then leapt back before it could counter. He then flew up to the top of the box and kicked off it, shooting back and hitting Gorillamp again before leaping over to a wall and repeating the process. Everyone watched as Springer morphed into a blur, bouncing all around the place while hitting Gorillamp from all directions. Gorillamp tried to counter, but wasn't fast enough as Springer kept hitting him. "So fast," Spike gasped. "That's the way!" Twilight cheered as Springer gave one final punch to Gorillamp's chest before leaping back and landing in front of Flash. Gorillamp groaned in pain as it staggered back, barely able to stay balanced on the poles while Lightning's smile finally vanished, only to be replaced by a glare, "This doesn't make any sense...there's no way that little weakling could do that!" His glare went over to Flash, "You're not this strong!" Flash just shined a big grin, "This is our power. One we draw from our hearts. The power of Flash Sentry!" Springer nodded as he was given his next command. "Aura Sphere!" "Ri!" Springer created the orb and fired it, Gorillamp throwing a punch to block it. The attack connected and exploded, Gorillamp's fist getting blown back slightly as smoke came off it. "Double Aura Sphere!" Springer created to orbs and fired, shooting one right after the other. Gorillamp could only cross its arms as they both collided, exploding and making it cry out. "Super Aura Sphere!" Springer created a single orb and put as much power as he could into it, making it grow until it was almost as big as him. "RIOLU!" He roared as he threw the Super Aura Sphere at Gorillamp, the attack colliding and now pushing him back. "GORE!" It yelped as it almost fell back, only to grip a pole and swing itself upward. "Double Team, then Aura Sphere and finally Drain Punch!" Springer knew what he wanted and created four copies, the five leaping straight up. The clones created two Aura Spheres and thrust them toward Springer, hitting the bottom of his feet and propelling him forward. "RIO!" He pulled his fist back as he shot toward Gorillamp, then threw it forward. "LUUUUUU!" The fist connected with his face, and with a mighty explosion of force, the two were blown in different directions. The entire box shook, both Flash and Lightning struggling to stay up. Then, as the smoke from the explosion began to clear, everyone saw Gorillamp had fallen into the defeat zone. "Ri..." Springer moaned as he barely held onto the tip of a pole. Mic: "IT'S OVER! Flash Sentry is the winner and champion of the Balance Battle Tournament!" The crowd cheered, with nobody cheering louder than Flash's friends. "HE DID IT!" Spike and Doc screamed as they hugged one another, jumping up and down. Twilight smiled the biggest smile she could while Cadance had a look of pride on her face. Down on the battlefield, Flash just stared at the box before glancing at Lightning. The teen was shaking, a red fire in his eyes. But that didn't enter Flash's mind as his mouth moved and said, "I won..." Lightning took a deep breath at this before his elevator descended, Flash's face showing nothing but shock before exclaiming, "I WON!" He then heard a cry of cheers, turning to Springer now on top of the pole and down at Skyler and Viper in the defeat zone. "No...we won! You guys were awesome!" "Rio/Tore/Vi!" They cheered before Springer jumped down. Flash opened the hatch at this, the three getting back to his trainer before he hugged them all. "Thank you so much!" he cried as he felt tears go down his face. But as he said this, he heard movement at the other end of the box. He turned to see Lightning returning his Pokémon. Flash wanted to say something, but before he could, a large crowd appeared around him. Present Mic was amongst them, wanting to interview Flash, allowing Lightning to leave. And after this, Flash found himself standing atop a large podium, being handed a special medal as he and his Pokémon's pictures were taken. Once the celebrations were over, Flash and the gang headed to the city's Pokémon Center. As they made their way there, Flash continued to stare at the medal around his neck. The biggest grin was on his face, staring at the proof he could beat Lightning, even if it was in an unofficial battle. "That thing looks great," Spike commented, "So cool." "And you earned it," Doc added, "That was some battle you had." "Thanks guys," Flash replied as they reached the center. But before they could head inside, the doors opened to show a certain teen, "Lightning?" The pair stared at each other for several seconds, everyone glancing between the two. That is, till Lightning spoke up, "You beat me," he slowly said, Flash going wide-eyed at the words, "So what?" "Huh?" Flash asked. "Fine, I'll admit you were able to beat me in a silly game. Doesn't change anything." "Sure it does!" Twilight chimed in, "Flash won!" "Because he knocked my Pokémon off a pole," Lightning barked back, "He didn't knock any of my Pokémon out. If it had been a real battle, we all know mine would have come out ahead." He just gave a small shrug, "I guess you do have some talent for Balance Battles. Maybe one day this'll become a real sport. But we both know the truth. You're still a worthless loser who trains weaklings." "I'm not a loser!" Flash yelled, "I'm gonna become the Champion of the Equestria League!" "Sure you will," Lightning laughed before shaking his head, "Don't you get it already?! You'll never beat me, no matter how hard you try." He then walked past him, "Next time we battle, your Pokémon won't have one another to back each other up. You can't use some weakling tactic like teamwork to win." He pointed to himself, "It'll be one on one, and when that happens, I'll win without even trying, just like when I beat Shining Armor." With that, he laughed as he marched away, the others just staring at him as he left. "Geez," Spike sighed, "Still a jerk." "I guess we shouldn't have expected him to change after just one loss," Doc added, "He's not gonna be convinced until he finally loses in an all out battle." "I'll do it." Flash replied as he clutched his medal. "He's right that this win wasn't a big victory. But it's still a win. One small step on my way to finally beating him once and for all." He turned to Springer. "The next time we face off against him, we'll fight him head-on. No holding back or fear. Right bud?" "Ri!" Springer nodded before hopping onto his shoulder, both hugging. They may have beaten Lightning, but they were still a long way off from proving themselves the better trainers. They still had much to learn and a lot of training to do. But one day, they would face off against Lightning again and finally overcome him. As the journey continues.