//------------------------------// // The Harshest Gym Battle // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Ponyville. Day. "So the next Gym changed?" Rainbow Dash said as Twilight showed her an official Equestria League guidebook. It was just made 2 weeks ago. How swift. "A decision from the official Equestria League." Twilight explained. "Now you'll have to deal with this Gym. An Unpredictable-Themed one. It's exactly what it says it is. This Gym isn't very consistent at all, so it throws a lot of Trainers off balance. Even ruins strategies in the long run." "Unpredictable, huh? So who's the Gym Leader there?" Rainbow wondered. "It says here that the Gym Leader is..." Twilight flipped the next page to see the Gym Leader. Seeing it stunned and also sent a sense of fear in her heart. "Ms Harshwinny?!" "Seriously?! Why do I have a bad feeling about this..." Rainbow Dash groaned while slumping on her seat. "What kind of Pokemon does she use?" "It looks like it's just Normal-Type Pokemon. But there could be more. You never know with different Pokemon Trainers." Twilight shook her head. "You'll have to be careful. Apparently, she's the biggest roadblock for the Equestria League. Not many Trainers have gotten past her." "I thought Zecora was the biggest roadblock? Or even Sunset?" said Pinkie Pie. "Is Ms Harshwinny that strong?" "Probably. I'm getting chills thinking about what she could do, ya know." Rainbow Dash shuddered as Castform shook with her. "But you're psyched to head there, aren't ya?" Ash looked at Rainbow Dash as they both gave each other a grin. "Ms Harshwinny sounds tough." "Oh yeah, I'm psyched! My sixth Gym Badge is staring me in the eyes at this moment!" Rainbow Dash stood up with excitement. "Roadblock or not, we're getting past that Gym. We didn't train and have major battles for nothing." "That's more like it!" Rarity clapped her hooves along with the CMC. "Where is this Gym exactly?" "The Crystal Empire. Ms Harshwinny's probably expecting a new challenger to show up if she's so difficult to beat." Twilight showed the destination of the sixth gym. "Wish Spike could make it." "Now that ya mention him, where is Spike?" Applejack navigated her head around. "He's taking part in the Equestria League so he's off for his own Gym Battle. The first one with Roseluck too. He might be a bit occupied for a bit." Twilight explained before closing the book. "Right. Let's head to the Crystal Empire before somepony else challenges Harshwinny." "Right. Just wait for me Sixth Gym Badge!" "Castform!" The Crystal Empire. Afternoon. Right there. Just behind the Crystal Empire Contest Hall, the sixth Gym could be found. And already, there was a line of Pokemon Trainers. An incredibly long line, much to the chagrin of Rainbow Dash, who was hoping to get here before it was flooded. But it was too late. "Oh come on! This many?!" Rainbow Dash pulled her mane in annoyance. She then let out a sigh of defeat. "Guess we can wait until nightfall or something." "I don't think so. Look." Fluttershy and everyone else noticed something off with the Pokemon Trainers. They weren't just lined up. They were slumped, exhausted and face down. If anything, they were more sparse instead of forming a straight line. "They don't look alright." "You don't have to worry about anything, Rainbow Dash..." An exhausted mare sighed. "You can go in after the next trainer. We lost." "Lost? Wait. All of you lost?" Rainbow moved her hoof around at the hundreds of defeated Pokemon Trainers. They weren't here because they were taking turns to battle Ms Harshwinny. They were here because they had all lost which would explain their current state and positions. "No way..." "Is it too late to leave now?" Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie gulped, terrified of Ms Harshiwinny's capabilities. "They do say she's the biggest roadblock for the Equestria League. At this rate, the league is going to have fewer trainers participating in it than expected," said Twilight. "If they can beat her." "That's some power, huh?" Ash gawked. "Pika..." At that moment, another Pokemon Trainer came out of the gym with his head hung low. That was a good indication that he lost. Yet another defeated trainer to add to the pile. "Role Play...What kind of move is that?" He said whilst laying flat on his face. "Looks like that's your cue, Rainbow Dash." Starlight nudged Rainbow Dash who was now intimidated. Before, she wasn't too nervous after hearing that Ms Harshwinny would be the sixth Gym Leader. Now, she's shaking in her hooves and her nervous meter was rising. "Good luck." "O-Okay." But she was going to try and win anyway. She had the trust of her Pokemon by her side. Rainbow Dash and her friends had entered the sixth Gym for the first time. And upon entering it, it was by far the blandest one yet. In fact, it looked like an office room. Shot for shot. Not just any office room. Ms Harshwinny's office room. It was as if she brought her own room to this gym. The only difference was that the traditional arena was present here. "Already?" Ms Harshwinny said as she had just returned her current Pokemon. "I'm used to one at a time for 2 minutes or so at this point. Welcome to the Sixth Gym. Rainbow Dash. And friends." "Uh, hi." Rainbow Dash and everyone waved to her as the earth pony walked up to the group. This would be Ash, Pikachu Starlight and Goh's first time meeting her as well. Ash has only heard about Ms Harshwinny during the Equestria Games. "Ash Ketchum, correct?" Harshwinny went up to him. "Yeah, that's me. Heya." "Pika-Pika. "A pleasure to meet you at last. I've heard of what you've done." She said in a lighter tone, holding her hoof out for a hoof/handshake. Twilight felt relieved as she thought Harshwinny would be harsh on Ash. But there was no reason for that. "The work you do as a Pokemon Trainer for both our world and your own is truly efficient, professional and ace. The same goes for you Pikachu." "Thanks." Ash gave a grin in response, shaking her hoof. Pikachu did the same by getting his own hand into the mix, making a triple shake. "Pikachu!" "So can we get it started already?" Rainbow Dash intervened, itching for a Poke Ball. But a deeper part of her was a bit nervous and hoping that time could be delayed. "Not yet. Patience. I've just finished my current one. Have a seat before we can start." Harshwinny then placed her Poke Balls to the side. She had an abundance of Poke Balls at her disposal, showing that she had definitely been busy. Whether during the earlier days of the worlds crossing over or months ago. "Oh, right." Rainbow Dash understood as she took a seat at the nearest chair. Again. It was basically her office. Just bigger and with an arena. "If she defeated so many trainers, how long do you think she's been battling for. We're just 2 hours away from the afternoon by now." Goh wondered. "Might've been early in the morning. Like 6:00. She's probably defeated them so quickly between the span of..." Twilight began thinking about how many seconds or minutes it would've taken for Ms Harshwinny to win most of her battles and create a pile of defeated trainers. "I don't know. Maybe a minute or less." "And depending on how many Pokemon they had, she'd use the same amount, right?" Starlight repeated as Harshwinny could be seen rearranging her desk and getting things ready. "Man, just thinking about how strong she could be is getting me pumped!" Ash was containing his excitement. At this rate, he would want to battle Ms Harshwinny himself to see how strong she was. "Right Pikachu?" "Pika-Pika!" "Now then," Harshwinny spoke, clearing her throat. "Before we begin. How many Pokemon do you have at your disposal, Rainbow Dash?" "Oh. I've got six!" Rainbow Dash got off the seat. "Hm. Then. You shall use three Pokemon and so shall I." "Only three?!" Rainbow Dash was shot in the heart by that. She was expecting this to be a 6v6 considering she had six Pokemon and Harshwinny was definitely above six. "W-Why?!" "Oh, you shouldn't worry about this one, Rainbow Dash." Harshwinny suddenly smirked. "For you see, the remaining two gyms will have one less number than this one. Just two. I will give you that warning. The battles will become harder as you go, so prepare yourself for what's to come." "I-I got it, Ms Harshwinny." Rainbow Dash said with defeat. She had a plan brewing in her head. Now it had been knocked out of existence after hearing the 3 Pokemon only rule. "Then we can officially start." Indeed they could. They stood on their opposing sides. Rainbow Dash on the right and Harshwinny on the left of the battlefield. Standing in between them was a unicorn referee. "The Crystal Empire Gym Battle is about to commence! The battle will be a 3-on-3 battle! The battle will be over when all 3 of one trainer's Pokemon are unable to continue. Ony the challenger will be allowed to make substitutions during the battle!" The referee laid out the rules quickly. "I hope you've read or had prior knowledge about my gym, Rainbow Dash. Sometimes, that helps. Just ask the pile of trainers outside and how their knowledge was lacking." "Not much. But I ain't gonna let some knowledge get in my way. Hasn't stopped me before and it won't stop me now, Ms Harshwinny." Rainbow Dash responded with high determination. "Hoh? Are you sure?" Harshwinny smirked while lowering her eyes. "There is a reason why this Gym is an unpredictable theme. For all you know, I could be your most challenging opponent yet. Or perhaps a pushover, depending on the moves you make. Which is as it should be. But enough with all this rabbling. Let us begin." "Right! I'll go first!" Rainbow Dash held out her Poke Ball as she threw it. "Let's go, Luxray!" First up was Luxray on her side. "Lux...Ray!" The Gleam Eyes Pokemon let out a mighty roar while exuding electricity from his body. Ms Harshwinny wasn't impressed or phased by this roar as she held out her first Poke Ball. "Come to my aid. Sudowoodo." Her first Pokemon turned out to be the Imitation Pokemon, Sudowoodo. "Sudowoodo!" "I don't know what Sudowodo is capable of but...We'll have to wait and see." Rainbow Dash had a sense of dread. As if something was wrong. By this point, she's learned not to underestimate the less fearsome and funny-looking Pokemon. They pack as much power as the bigger and fiercer Pokemon at times. "Allow me to go first. Block." Harshwinny gave the first command. "Sudo...Woodo!" The Imitation Pokemon went first, causing its body to glow a vibrant green. Bonsly then summoned a beam of energy that instantly appeared around Luxray before he could even move or react. "Ray? Luxray?" Luxray looked at himself, wondering what was wrong. He didn't feel off. He felt fine actually. "Luxray! Are you okay?!" Rainbow Dash asked as Luxray nodded in confirmation. Rainbow Dash was still cautious. "What was that?" "Block. For a simple explanation, Bonsly has made it so that your Luxray cannot escape," said Ms Harshwinny. "So now, you and I are on a similar playing field." "Say what now?!" That blew Rainbow Dash back. "Geez, that messes things up for me...But it's okay! Luxray's still pumped! Use Wild Charge!" "Ray!"Even if he couldn't be recalled, Luxray was still going to give it his all. He bolted off the ground, covering his body with an aura of electricity. "Take it." "Sudo...!" Sudowoodo braced itself for this damage. It was going to take it head-on, surprising Rainbow Dash and the others. That just made them more intimidated by Harshwinny. And the Imitation Pokemon took it. The full force of the attack as Sudowoodo closed its eyes. Luxray took some recoil damage as he and Sudowoodo were both pushed back. Luxray shook his head from the recoil as well as Sudowoodo. It kept a strong face and was proud of its high defence. "Sudowoodoo" "Now. Mimic." "Woodo!" Just then, Sudowoodo cried out as it had glared directly at Luxray. WIth that glare, the Imitation Pokemon suddenly coated itself in electricity. "Mimic? Is it like Copycat?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Mimic is more like Smeargle's Sketch," Ash answered. "Copycat copies a move for one moment. Mimic allows the opponent to keep the move as long as they want. So now Wild Charge belongs to Sudowoodo." "That's not a good sign...Braviary and Castform might suffer from that." Twilight gasped as Rainbow Dash had heard it from behind. "Luxray's own move for the entire battle?" Rainbow Dash repeated, gritting her teeth. "Precisely. Return the favour with your own Wild Charge!" "Sudo!" Now it was Sudowoodo's turn to strike. The Imitation Pokemon mimicked what Luxray had done. Also rocketing off the ground and charging at great speeds. "Yeah right! Iron Tail, go!" "Lux...!" Luxray jumped into the air, hardening his tail to match iron. He then lunged himself at Sudowoodo, performing an overhead swing with his tail. "Ray!" Sudowoodo's aura of electricity plus head had clashed with Luxray's tail. The two moves cancelled each other out from collision with both Pokemon moving back from it. Sudowoodo did not suffer from any recoil damage by using Wild Charge. And Rainbow Dash could guess why. "Rock Head." She figured the ability out immediately. "Iron Tail again!" "Luxray!" "Let's be a bit more forward with this one." Harshwinny was changing her approach. "Earth Power!" "Woodo!"Sudowoodo did have some attacking moves with it. A move perfect for an Electric-Type like Luxray. The Imitation Pokemon stomped on the floor, causing golden shockwaves to sprout up and move across the field. "Jump!" "Lux!" Luxray found a simple way through this. All he had to do was jump over the attack. And that's what he did. With one swift jump, he evaded the shockwaves of Earthpower. "Again!" "Sudo!" However, Sudowoodo just used Earth Power again. It stomped on the floor once more, causing the shockwaves to increase in height and size. "Ray?!" Luxray grimaced, unsure of how to avoid this one. Unfortunately, he couldn't fly or double jump. And Rainbow Dash knew this. So there was only one thing to do. "Power through it and strike!" "Luxray!" A risky choice. But one Luxray was willing to tackle. He allowed the shockwaves of Earth Power to connect with him. "L-Lux!" Luxray cried out, taking super-effective damage from the attack. But, with a high risk came a high reward. Luxray closed his eyes before opening them. The Gleam Eyes Pokemon then recovered as soon as he could, swinging his tail either way. This time from the side. He barely powered through the Earth Power. One swing and Sudowoodo was struck by Iron Tail. "W-Woodo!" And it certainly felt that, being knocked off its feet and everyone. Everyone cheered after Luxray got a great hit in. Sudowoodo rolled on the floor before jumping up. Its defence was spectacular. "Sudo!" "Lux...Lux...!" Luxray breathed in and out before regaining some energy, getting in the heat of things. "I wish I could switch Luxray out right now. The only way that's gonna happen is if I can win this whole battle with Luxray. Or if he and Sudowoodo take each other out." Rainbow Dash said to herself. "This was only the first Pokemon and it was already this troublesome." "Block and Mimic together's pretty scary, isn't it?" Scootaloo gulped. "I have to battle that someday..." "Yeah. I've heard about Ms Harshwinny taking advantage of Electric-Type Pokemon the most," said Twilight. "And for a good reason. Electric-Type Pokemon have only one weakness. So Sudowoodo is her go-to Pokemon to start with. Or another most likely. Either way, I feel bad for anyone that has an Electric-Type and shows up here." "Oh." Scootaloo realized she had a Pachirisu with her Essentially, that means when she eventually reaches the sixth Gym, she'll have to experience this." "Okay...Sudowoodo's defence is stupid powerful. All I gotta do is knock it out and that'll get rid of Block overall." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath before making her final decision. "Okay! Let's finish this! You're strong up close but what about from afar?! Discharge, go!" "Lux...Ray!" Luxray roared, letting loose a flare of electricity. And indeed, Sudowoodo's special defence was lacking as compared to his physical defence. "Smart move, Rainbow Dash. Sudowoodo! Wild Charge!" "Woodo!" Sudowoodo was going for it anyway. The Imitation used Wild Charge once more, rushing forward as a violent flare of electricity was moving all over the place. Sudowoodo used the aura of Wild Charge to defend itself from Discharge. A perfect defence, coupled with its ability Rock Head, making this Imitation Pokemon a force of nature. Rainbow Dash realized that Sudowoodo was using Wild Charge's aura as a shield and soon did everyone else. "Grr! Iron Tail!" "Lux!" Luxray quickly let down his flare of electricity before switching moves rapidly. Now it was time for Iron Tai. "Luxray!" The Gleam Eyes Pokemon swapped at the right time. He then swung his tail the moment Sudowoodo came close to him. "Sudo!" "Lux!" They had collided once more. But this time, the impact was even greater. An explosion of electricity had formed from Sudowoodo's Wild Charge. One great enough to eclipse most of the field. Rainbow Dash and Harshwinny had one eye closed after that. The explosion was starting to settle, along with the smoke that it had made. Everyone gasped, wondering who came out on top after that collision. And the answer was simple. Once the smoke cleared, it was soon revealed. Luxray and Sudowoodo had both fainted from that. Sudowoodo's great defence couldn't fully protect it from a full power Iron Tail. Luxray already took some heavy Earth Powers, especially when he couldn't be swapped out. All those Wild Charges had also done him in. "Luxray...." "Sudowoodo..." "Both Luxray and Sudowoodo are unable to battle!" The referee announced. "Hah..." Rainbow Dash sighed, lowering her head as she felt as if a huge load had been taken off her back. She then returned the Gleam Eyes Pokemon. "Better than putting Luxray in danger, that's for sure. Thanks, Luxray. You did your best and took out one. Now rest." "You've played your part, Sudowoodo. And you played it wonderfully." Harshwinny looked at Sudowoodo's Poke Ball. "Leave it up to your teammates to handle everything else." "That was just the first one. I'm actually happy that it is only a 3 on 3." Rarity could feel her heart racing after that first battle. The same went for Fluttershy, Starlight and the little ones. "I can see why they say her gym is unpredictable. She might have preparations and contingencies for every possible scenario." Twilight said as a sweatdrop met her face. "I've got a bad feeling about this." Pinkie Pie shuddered along with Mew and Spinda inside of her playful mane. Everyone was now waiting for the next battle. "Well done, Rainbow Dash. Getting past my Sudowoodo like that. I suppose brute force is sometimes the way to go." Harshwinny held out her next Poke Ball, as did Rainbow Dash. "Yeah. No one's better at brute force than Luxray. That's for sure." "Then show me what the rest of your Pokemon can do," Harshwinny replied before bringing out her second Pokemon. "Assist me, Wobbuffet!" "Wobbuffet!" "Wobbuffet, huh? Barely get a chance to battle against that. But Wobbuffet has a small movepool so I can work with this. Okay, then! Go, Whirlipede!" Out came her second Pokemon, Whirlipede. "Whirlipede!" "Smart thinking, Dashie!" Pinkie clapped her hooves. "Wobbuffet doesn't have any attacking Psychic-Type moves at all for Whirlipede! This is great!" "Wobbufett's only pure defence," said Fluttershy. "It's surprising how little moves the species has at its disposal. The only threat to worry about is Mirror Coat if this Wobbuffet has it." "But if the species is all defence, that means it can attack using its own defence." Starlight replied before looking up. "What do they say? The best offence is a good defence?" "Yeah." Ash nodded in confirmation as he and the others were eager to see how this would play out. Wobbuffet is not to be underestimated at any cost. "We'll go first this time! Steamroller, go!" "Whirli!" Whirlipede made the first move, rolling on the spot before charging forward. Wobbufett stood there with his traditional poker face. Ms Harshwinny was anticipating the right moment to make her command. And with how fast Whirlipede was moving, she found her chance. "Destiny Bond." "Wait what?!" Rainbow Dash heard that loud and clear. "Wobbu!" Wobbuffet braced itself for impact. But while bracing himself, The Patient Pokemon's eyes flashed purple in that instance for a split-second. Whirlipede smashed into Wobbuffet at full force, dealing super-effective damage while also causing the Patient Pokemon to move up and down like a punching bag. After all, Wobbuffet is based on a punching bag. But after doing so, Whirlipede had two swirling purple lights come out of his body. Most definitely from Wobbuffet's eyes glowing as he and Rainbow Dash noticed this. "Seriously?! Destiny Bond?!" Rainbow Dash bellowed before grumbling. "Guess Fantina warned us about this." "What's Destiny Bond?" Starlight asked. "It's a move that essentially makes the opposing Pokemon faint if the user faints." Twilight explained. "Just as the word implies. Destiny Bond. But there's a way around it and Fantina taught us." "Yeah, there is." Rainbow Dash grinned, holding out Whirlipede's Poke Ball. "Sorry, but we're not letting Destiny Bond stop us. Return for now Whirlipede." But strangely enough, Whirlipede didn't return. At all. Not that he didn't want to. He couldn't as the Curlipede Pokemon looked behind in confusion. And so did Rainbow Dash, trying again to return him. But to no avail. "W-What the?!" Rainbow Dash looked at her Poke Ball. "But we beat Sudowoodo! Is Block still active?!" "That isn't Block, Ms Dash." Harswhinny chuckled, shaking her head before looking at the pegasus. "That would be Wobbuffet's Shadow Tag. Similar to Block. Except it's an entire ability. Now your Whirlipede has the same effect as your Luxray before." "Say what now?!" "Oh yes! There's no stopping the Destiny Bond that is coming your way. Unfortunately for your Whirlipede, Wobbuffet and I will force-feed all of that damage to him." "W-Whirli...!" "She even has a backup for trapping Pokemon from leaving..." Applejack gawked, taking her hat off. "Woah nelly, she's good." "Too good. S-She didn't go to the Pokemon School, d-did she?!" Twilight stuttered. "You could say that." Harshwinny nodded in response. "I offered to take special classes at the school. The Gym Leader Norman was my teacher. Along with Princess Luna as my classmate. I have to say, it was a bit embarrassing being in school again. But feeling like a filly again was oddly enthralling." "Norman taught her? Yeah, that explains a lot." Ash nodded. "Pikachu..." "Now, what will you do, Rainbow Dash?" Harshwinny asked, knowing that she had Rainbow Dash in a complicated spot right now. The pegasus then started thinking to herself. "What do I do? No matter what I do, Whirlipede's gonna faint thanks to Destiny Bond...And if Wobbuffet takes Whirlipede out and prevents Destiny Bond, and I don't know what else is gonna come next. Destiny Bond might mess up my next Pokemon too...Boy, this blows..." "No? Then allow me to do this. Wobbuffet, Amnesia." "Fett..." The Patient Pokemon stood there, dumbfounded. Wobbuffet then temporarily emptied his mind to forget his concerns. And with that, his special defence had been raised. "Wobbu!" "Grr...Fine! We're gonna have to risk it!" Rainbow Dash made up her mind as Whirliede was waiting for it. "I've got one last Pokemon to count on. Whirlipede, Steamroller, go!" "Whirlipede!" Whirlipede used Steamroller yet again. And this time, his speed had risen thanks to Speed Boost. He knew that if he defeated Wobbuffet, he would fall. But he was willing to take it. "Counter." "F-Fett...!" Wobbuffet took super-effective damage once more with Whirlipede smashing onto him. However, the Patient Pokemon returned the favour by acting like a punching bag. His head moved back once Whirlipede crashed in him, resulting in the Psychic-Type launching his head forward and smashing it. "W-Whirlipede!" Thankfully, the attack was not very effective, but considering how much damage Whirlipede gave to Wobbuffet, the receiving damage was great enough to almost bypass Whirlipede's resistance to fighting. The Curlipede Pokemon's speed increased as he rolled on the ground. It felt like there was a countdown to Whirlipede's end thanks to Destiny Bond. "Now, Wobbuffet. Charm." "Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet surrounded himself with pink hearts as he spread his arms out, making a cute face to try and catch Whirlipede. "Don't look at him, Whirlipede!" "Pede!" Whirliede closed his eyes, trying to resist Charm. "It's no use. Vision matters not with Charm. Go, Wobbuffet!" Harshwinny raised her hoof with a bellow. "Buffet!" Wobbuffet bellowed as the pink hearts immediately surrounded the Curlipede Pokemon. There was no escaping from Charm. Eyes closed or not. After the hearts zoned in, they entered Whirlipede. Once they entered, Whiripede's strength had been lowered, much to his dismay. "W-Whirli..." "There. Now your Whirlipede's strength has been lowered. I'm afraid that Destiny Bond will keep buying its time, Rainbow Dash. Now then...what is your next move?" Harshwinny asked, smirking. "We're just getting started! We can raise something else! Whirlipede, Iron Defense!" "Pede! Whirlipede!" Whirlipede coated his body in a silver aura, raising his defence with it. Harshwinny saw what Rainbow Dash's new approach was. "Then in that case...Charm, once more!" "Wobbu!" And as retaliation, Wobbuffet used Charm again, affecting the Curlipede Pokemon with those pink hearts. Whirlipede's strength was taken away once more. "Iron Defense again!" But Rainbow Dash persisted, allowing Whirliede to keep raising his defence. "Charm!" And so did Ms Harshwinny, allowing Wobbuffet to decrease the power of Whirlipede until he had the strength of a feather. The two of them repeated this constantly, each having their own ideas. "What are they doing?" Goh wondered as everyone watched this back and forth of different moves. They wouldn't stop until one of them lets up. "Rainbow Dash wants to take Wobbuffet out as soon as she can." said Twilight as she explained." If Wobbuffet manages to defeat Whirlipede, the Destiny Bond won't activate, allowing Wobbuffet to use it again on the next Pokemon. And if that doesn't work, there's a chance the third one might be as unpredictable or even more than its teammates." "Geez, this is harsh." Pinkie Pie frowned with her ears drooping. "Okay! We should be good now! Let's get our strength back! Rollout, go!" "Whirlipede!" Rainbow Dash chose to use Rollout. A wise choice. Rollout can actually increase in strength the more times it is used. Whirlipede then started rolling forward at high speeds. "Rollout. A clever choice. Counter!" "Strike and find a way to avoid counter.!" "Whirl!" Thanks to Speed Boost, Whirlipede was insanely fast now with great swiftness. So swift that he appeared beside Wobbuffet instantly, faster than Wobbuffet could react. "Wobbu?!" Wobbuffet soon realized this dramatic speed increase as he turned around. Once he did, Whirlipede smashed into the Patient Pokemon. And to avoid Counter, he simply rolled back before Wobbuffet could wobble forward, evading Counter. "Again!" "Whirlipede!" Whirlipede went with it again, moving at high speeds as he crashed into Wobbufet once again. However, Ms Harshwinny didn't say anything. She wasn't allowing Wobbuffet to attack. "Again!" "Pede!" Yet again, Whirlipede went for the attack, hitting Wobbuffet constantly. Ms Harshwinny didn't say a thing Rollout was gaining strength every passing second. And Ms Harshwinny still stayed silent, allowing Wobbuffet to take all of this damage. "I know what you're up to..." Rainbow Dash growled. "Whirlipede. You know what we have to do, right?" "Whiripede!" Whirlipede understood what needed to be done. It was unavoidable, but what else could they do in this instance. Wobbuffet and Harshwinny had them backed into a corner. It was best to go out in a bang. "Let's go! Full power, Steamroller!" "Whirli...!" Whirlipede was going to give it one final strike. A full-power spin was coming from his part. He started rolling on the spot as hard as he could, building up smoke from it and even leaving marks on the floor. And with one mighty burst of speed, he took off like a rocket. "Pede!" The Bug-Poison-Type made his way towards Wobbuffet at dramatic speeds, ready to end it. "Counter." Ms Harshwinny finally gave a command. "Wobbu....!" Wobbuffet took the full force of Steamroller. The absolute strongest it could get. It was so strong that it almost sent Wobbuffet flying from the amount of force it exhibited. But not force that Wobbuffet wasn't familiar with. "Fett!" By wobbling and acting as a punching bag, Wobbuffet delivered the strongest Counter yet. In truth, Ms Harshwinny was saving up all of that damage so that Wobbuffet could give a startling attack. And her certainly did. By striking Whirlipede, he sent the Curlipede Pokemon flying back at the same speeds that he would have with Speed Boost. "W-Whirl!" Whirlipede cried out as he crashed into a wall from the speed he was thrown at. Rainbow Dash turned around to see her partner crash. The Curlipede Pokemon then dropped to the floor. He had, unfortunately, fainted. "Whirlipede! No!" "Whirlipede...." "Whirlipede is unable to battle! Wobbuffet wins!" Taken out before Destiny Bond could do it. Scootloo and the others felt their hearts sink a bit as now Rainbow Dash had a slight disadvantage with only one Pokemon left and the final Pokemon of Ms Harshwinny has yet to be revealed. Rainbow Dash recalled her partner. "Thanks, Whirlipede. You were great." "W-Wobbu..." But then, to everyone's attention, Wobbufeft starting groaning, almost losing balance off the floor. All of that punishment it took and that mighty Steamroller actually left a mark. "Wobbuffet's looking weak!" Apple Bloom pointed out. "She can take it out instantly that way then!" Starlight squeed. "Alright. Whirlipede wore you down." Rainbow Dash held out her last Poke Ball. "Now it's time to make sure his loss wasn't in vain! Let's go! Altaria!" Out came the Humming Pokemon, Altaria. "Altaria!" "Ah, Mega Evolution. I was actually expecting this from you, Rainbow Dash. At least Rainbow-Braviary if that was the alternative." "Check this out! We're not gonna hold anything back!" Rainbow Dash suddenly put on her goggles that had the Mega Stone in them. It was very clear what was about to happen. "Alta!" "We'll finish this one hit! And the next Pokemon that comes out is gonna be blown sky high with the power of Mega Evolution!" Rainbow Dash activated the stone as a golden light shot out of it. Altaria's keystone started reacting to the Mega Stone as blue lights came out of her. "Altaria! Mega Evolve!" "Altaria!" The gold and blue lights clashed together, forming a DNA symbol. Afterwards, the lights entered Altaria, forming red lights next. Those red lights coated her as her body started morphing, growing and altering. Afterwards, the lights burst out with the Mega Evolution symbol appearing. Mega Altaria was here. "Altaria!" "Let's finish this! Dragon Pulse, go!" "Alta...!" Altaria opened her mouth, summoning a blue draconic beam as she was ready to fire. "Destiny Bond!" "W-Wobbu..." Wobbuffet was ready to use Destiny Bond. However, he was so damaged and worn out from Whirlipede's attack that he couldn't move fast enough to pull it off. "Go!" "Taria!" The Humming Pokemon unleashed Dragon Pulse, summoning a gigantic dragon-shaped shockwave that had opened its mouth towards Wobbuffet. "W-Wo?" Wobbuffet looked up, seeing the dragon coming towards him. It had struck him head-on, resulting in a draconic blue explosion afterwards. And just like with what Rainbow Dash said. All she needed was one hit. And one hit was needed. Flying out of the smoke was Wobbuffet. He didn't wobble, he just flew. And that was a good indicator that the Patient Pokemon's great endurance had timed out. He had fainted. "Wobbuffet..." "Wobbuffet is unable to battle! Altaria wins!" "Yes! She's still got a chance!" Pinkie Pie blew a party blower while the others had their hopes skyrocket. Rainbow Dash could pull this off after all, despite how arduous this all was. Harshwinny smiled before retrieving Wobbuffet to his Poke Ball. "You were marvellous, my little Wobbuffet. Allow your final teammate to finish things here." She then took out her third and final Poke Ball. The Pokemon that will decide this. "Go. Alakazam!" And it would be Alakazam for the final pick. "Alakazam!" "Alakazam, huh?" Rainbow Dash scrunched her face, knowing that Alakazam can be a threat. "Okay. We got this, Altaria." "Tari." "Role Play." "Role Play?" Rainbow Dash repeated as she remembered the previous trainer mentioning something about a Role Play. This was the move the trainer was groaning about. "Kazam!" Alakazam's face started to glow brightly and the top half of his face morphed to look like the opponent. That freaked Rainbow Dash, Altaria and everyone out until Alakazam's face returned to normal. Alakazam suddenly gained a burst of blue and pink energy around him. "What was that?! What's Role Play?!" Rainbow Dash leaned forward. "Ah. You have yet to be taught by Olympia in the Pokemon School. A quick lesson. Role Play is a move that allows a Pokemon to copy the target's ability. As you can see, my Alakazam is now a Dragon-Fairy-Type. "Alakazam." "Seriously?!" Rainbow Dash was losing it at this point. "Whatever! Altaria! Moonblast!" "Taria!" Altaria set another attack from her mouth. This time by gathering the power of the moon itself. After doing so, she summoned an orb of pink energy, shooting it forward. "Disable." "Alakazam!" Alakazam stood there, allowing the attack to come to him instead of countering it. The orb struck him, creating a beautiful pink explosion. But within the pink smoke, Alakazam's eyes started glowing. Alakazam then threw his spoons in the air, crossing them. Rainbow Dash and the others looked up, wondering what was up now. The spoons illuminated a red colour as they released a red shock to the Humming Pokemon in a flash. "Tari? Taria?!" "Now what?!" "Disable. A move that prevents the foe from using the move it last used. Your Moonblast to be exact." Harshwinny answered, giving Rainbow Dash a shock. So now, not only was Alakazam now a Dragon-Fairy-Type, making him immune to Dragon Pulse, Moonblast was out of the picture for this one. The only moves Rainbow Dash could rely on were Ice Beam and Pluck. Ice Beam was here ace in the hole. "Yeah...I can see why a bunch of trainers lost in this gym." Rainbow Dash nodded as she maintained her cool. "But we're not going to let it get to us. Altaria! Ice Beam!" "Alta...Ria!" Out of her mouth came a large chilling light blue beam of ice. "Alakazam, Psycho Cut!" "Ala...Kazam!" Alakazam held his spoons as he covered them in Psychic energy. He would use them as makeshift blades in a sense. He then swung his spoons at the same time, slashing the beam. Both attacks cancelled each other out with a cold explosion occurring. "Pluck!" "Tari!" Altaria moved forward, causing her beak to glow. If there's one true thing, Alakazam's physical defence was lacking as compared to his special defence. But Ms Harshwinny had a contingency for that. "Wonder Room." "Kazam!" Alakazam brought his spoons together, tapping them a few times. Once he did, a giant purple room had formed around the opposing Pokemon. Right when Altaria struck Alakazam as well. However, Alakazam took it like a champ. All thanks to Wonder Room. Their defences had been swapped. Now Alakazam was the more bulky Pokemon and Altaria the fragile one. "Wonder Room, are you kidding me?!" Rainbow Dash groaned. "Ice Beam, go!" "Tari!" Altaria released a short burst of ice from her mouth. Her attacks wouldn't be that strong any more thanks to the Wonder Room's effect. But they would still be super-effective. "Dodge and use Psycho Cut!" "Kazam!" Alakazam simply teleported away from the incoming beam of ice. Ice Beam hit the floor, freezing it all. He appeared above the Humming Pokemon with all of his spoons spinning. "Alakazam!" The Psi Pokemon then ordered the spoons to attack Altaria. It was a shame that Altaria was now as fragile as Alakazam in the physical department. Psycho Cut being a physical move made it all the more difficult. "Alta!" The first spoon had struck the Humming Pokemon, knocking her back as the second spoon approached. "Dodge and use Ice Beam!" "Altaria!" Altaria zoomed out of the way, avoiding the second spoon. However, this is what Ms Harshwhinny and Alakazam wanted. And it had to do with the frozen floor from the previous Ice Beam. The second spoon had hit the floor with incredible force, causing large chunks of ice and smaller shards to fly up from the floor. Alakazam's spoon came back to him as he used it as a shield against the incoming Ice Beam. As for the ice, the smaller shards had pelted Altaria for super-effective damage. Right below as well. "A-Altaria?!" She was getting pelted by them as the large chunks were approaching. "No way!" "Just as planned," Harshwinny spoke. "Alakazam's quick thinking helps with this as well. Now. It's about time we ended our battle. Psycho Cut." "Alakazam!" Alakazam moved in while the barrage of ice continued hitting Altaria. His spoons were ready for the smackdown as Altaria kept receiving raining ice. "Grr! Altaria! Ice Beam, go!" "Alta....!" Altaria let out a mighty roar that blew away the shards. She then opened her mouth, ready to unleash the mother of all Ice Beams for this one. Alakazam looked back at Harshwinny as they both nodded at the same time. "Aria!" Altaria then shot out the largest Ice Beam she could make. And in that instance, Alakazam threw one of his spoons while keeping the other. The spoon went flying as the Psi Pokemon was hit by Ice Beam. But that was all according to plan. "A-Ala!" With the other spoon free, it had zoomed Altaria before charging in from behind. With a single Psycho Cut, the spoon had slashed the Humming Pokemon's back. "A-Al?!" Altaria's eyes widened after the cut. It was a shock in a million. Way beyond what she was expecting as everyone gasped. Right after that slash, Altaria closed her eyes as she started falling. Alakazam slid on the floor as his spoon returned to him. "No! Altaria!" Rainbow Dash's voice echoed throughout the room as the Humming Pokemon dropped to the floor with closed eyes. Not only that, but her body started glowing, reverting her to her base form. Altaria had fainted. "Altaria is unable to battle! Alakazam means! Thus the victor is Ms Harshwinny!" "It was decided. Ms Harshwinny had won, much to the chagrin of Rainbow Dash. The CMC, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy sighed after that loss. They were hoping that Rainbow Dash could've pulled it off. "Bummer..." Pinkie Pie whimpered. "She had a plan for almost every scenario possible," said Twilight. "And those were just a few of her Pokemon. It's no wonder why she's the biggest roadblock to the Equestria League." "Espeon." "Thank you, Altaria. You did your best." Rainbow Dash went up to her partner, helping her up while also feeling her soft wings. Altaria groaned before biting Rainbow Dash's ears. "Ow-ow! Haha! Okay, cut it out!" "A job well done, Rainbow Dash." Harshwinny and Alakazam walked up. "I must say, even when the situation looked dire for you, you kept your chin and attempted to find a way. It takes a very professional and composed Trainer to do so." She then held her hoof out. "Yeah. Thanks, Ms Harshwinny." Rainbow Dash shook her hoof back. "But next time, I'll be ready. Your team may be unpredictable, but we'll break past that." "Hm. We shall see. I'll await your return. And do try and gain knowledge of me next time, please?" "Sure thing!" After that, they had left the gym. Rainbow Dash felt the loss, but she wasn't going to let it get to her. This isn't the first time she's lost a Gym Battle. And she won't make it the last. Rainbow will aim to bounce back from this. "Okay, so!" Rainbow bellowed. "She's unpredictable for a reason. So we gotta figure out how to outsmart her. Yeah, yeah. Outsmart." "How are you gonna do that? Alakazam's super smart and so is Ms Harshwinny." Pinkie Pie asked. "Meh. I'll think of something. And I know Ash is gonna help me with that, right?" "You bet. Let's work hard so you can get past that gym, okay?" Ash gave a thumbs up while putting her fist out. "Pika-Pika!" "You know it, pal!" Rainbow Dash returned the favour by smashing her hoof onto his fist, creating a fist/hoofbump as they both laughed. After all, friends help each other improve. And that's exactly what's going to happen between these two. Ms Harshwinny is certainly a force of nature. A real strategist to the core. Which is exactly why Rainbow Dash aims to surpass her and prove that she is capable of reaching the Equestria League as the journey continues. Chapter 515 End.