Equestria. Canterlot. Pokemon School. Afternoon.
At the moment, Summer School was in progress for the Pokemon School. Even during summer, it was still active. There were few teachers in this school at the moment. Most were over at their own regions, enjoying their vacation.
One of them was Olympia, who had a lot of free time on her hands along with Roxanne. Speaking of which, showing up to the Pokemon School was Rainbow Dash.
After her loss to Ms Harshwinny in the sixth gym, she wished to improve and get past Harshwinny's unpredictable tactics. To do that, she's obviously been training with Ash for improvements. But more importantly, to head to the one trainer that taught Harshwinny some tricks.
Olympia.
"Can I help you?" Olympia opened her classroom door, spotting Ash and Rainbow Dash.
"Ms Olympia!" Rainbow Dash roared, startling the Kalos Gym Leader and making her heart race. "You gotta teach me some tricks to beat Ms Harshwinny!"
"Oh my goodness..." Olympia sighed, taking a deep breath as her heart was racing. She held her chest before calming down at last. "Rainbow Dash. Don't scare me like that. Are you and Ash here for summer school?"
"Kinda. You see..." Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head. "I had my sixth Gym Battle with Ms Harshwinny three days ago. And boy it didn't go so well. She had me beat in everything. I lost cause I didn't know what she could do. They weren't kidding when they said unpredictable and-"
"Stop right there." Olympia swiftly halted Rainbow Dash's speech. "I can see why you're here. Yes, I've been hearing of Ms Harshwinny and her Gym. Apparently, the hardest Gym Leader in Equestria to get past. There are even rumours of her becoming the 8th and final Gym Leader."
"Yeah. I can see that." Rainbow Dash lowered her eyes as she had a first-hoof experience on how powerful Ms Harshwinny was. "And apparently, you taught her some tricks and so did Norman. I want to beat her when I Have a rematch. So I know what to expect."
"And you came to me." Olympia nodded. "Well, Norman isn't here but I certainly am. Are you sure your chances of defeating Harshwinny will increase if you were to learn from me?"
"Well..." Rainbow Dash was about to shot out before taking in Olympia's question. There was a lot more thought to it after all. "Yeah. I guess?"
"Hm. I see your approach." Olympia smiled, holding her chin while thinking for a moment. "And I assume Ash has been training you, like always?"
"Sure have," Ash confirmed with a thumbs up.
"Pikachu."
"So can you teach me something? I mean, you probably know all of her tricks right?" Rainbow Dash flew up to Olympia's face, pleading.
"I taught her some moves along with Norman, yes. But Harshwinny perfected them. She found a way to use each move correctly at the right time against the right opponents, even if she was facing them for the first time. A truly professional Pokemon Trainer if I do say so myself. That doesn't mean I can't help you."
"Yes!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "So what can you teach me? Anything great."
"I won't teach you what I taught Harshwinny. Instead, I'll have a different kind of experience for you. And it involves the assistance of a Pokemon Trainer over at Kalos."
"Sure! But...who?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed before wondering which trainer Olympia was talking about. That trainer has yet to be seen.
Kalos Region. Anistar City. Afternoon.
At Anistar City, near the Pokemon Showcase Theater, there existed a small building that had the words 'Ace Trainer Works' on it. This was where Olympia led them and where this mystery trainer can be found. And when entering the door, they came across the first person in here.
"There you are, Kardia," said Olympia to the Pokemon Trainer.
"Ms Olympia," Kardia responded before walking up to the Anistar City Gym Leader, shaking her hand.
"Ash. Rainbow Dash. This is Kardia. An Ace Trainer from the Holon Region and the one who will give you the advice you need." Olympia introduced.
"Hold on...Holon?!" Ash and Pikachu shot up after hearing that. The same region Twilight mentioned about. "The Holon Region?!"
"Pika?!"
"Sure am." Kardia greeted with a wave. "Straight from the centre of Mirage Forest. Great to meet you all. Do you need something from me today?"
"Yeah. Olympia told us you would be the one to teach me some training tips for dealing with unpredictable trainers." Rainbow Dash explained. "Can you do it?"
"Oh, is that why? I rarely get some of that around here." Kardia chuckled after hearing that.
"Kardia is an Ace Trainer that is well known for inventing various provisional and unforeseeable skills when in a Pokemon Battle. From where she comes from, she's known as the Wild Card Trainer back home. Similar to Ash as well."
"Are you a wild card too, Ash?" Kardia asked.
"Ash is the biggest wild card you'll ever meet." Rainbow Dash patted Ash on the back. "Guy comes up with some of the weirdest tricks out there."
"Thanks, Dash."
"Learning from two wild cards can better your skills, Rainbow Dash," said Olympia. "And as a bonus, Kardia here has access to many moves that Ms Harshwinny may have. After all, you have seen her Poke Balls and how abundant they are."
"Yeah. Boy did she have a lot..." Rainbow's eyes shot up to the ceiling, recalling the amount of Poke Balls she saw back at Harshwinny's Gym. There were a lot for sure. And there is a good chance that whatever Pokemon was within them were made for every situation.
"Then you can count on her." Olympia chattered as Kardia stepped forward, getting closer to Ash and Rainbow Dash. "She taught her Pokemon many moves that no one expects. From what you're saying Rainbow Dash, it's more along the lines of what kind of moves you are going up against."
"What kind of moves...?" Rainbow Dash scratched her mane, wondering what Olympia meant by that.
"What Ms Olympia means is that there are certain Pokemon moves you'll rarely see be used." Kardia explained.
"Really?"
"Really. Nowadays, most Pokemon Trainers go for moves that directly deal damage and nothing more. Perhaps a status effect in the process, recoil or anything involving weakening your opponent. There's a pretty good chance that you won't meet a trainer that uses moves that are more...technical than anything. Was that Ms Harshwinny being technical?"
"Yeah. I mean, she had some move called Disable which just got rid of one of my moves!" Rainbow raised her hooves with enthusiasm. "Then there was Mimic, Destiny Bond which I couldn't do anything about something like Block which just totally ruined a lot of stuff for me!"
"That sounds about right." Kardia nodded before sitting at a table. "Those moves are good, but you'll rarely see anyone use them. I mean, when are you gonna see someone use Block?"
"That was my first time seeing it." Rainbow Dash grumbled while pouting her lips. "So what do I do against that? How am I supposed to know what moves are coming, I mean isn't every Pokemon Trainer different?"
"Yes. Every trainer is different from how they battle. But moves such as those require preparation. One mistake and underestimation of them can result in absolute loss. That is why Kardia will have you go against moves such as that."
"That's right. With all the Pokemon I've caught and trained, I'll let you go through another unpredictable battle. A Double Battle. How does that sound?" Kardia hopped off the table.
"Works for me! Let's get this started already!"
"Okay." Kardia then held out her first two Poke Balls, sending out two Pokemon. An Oranguru and a Golduck.
"Oranguru."
"Golduck!"
"Send out your first two Pokemon now," Kardia asked. Rainbow Dash already knew who she had in mind. After their loss earlier, she wanted to make it up to them. Whirlipede and Altaria. Whirlipede for being unable to take down Wobbuffet and Altaria for struggling against Alakazam.
"Whirlipede!"
"Altaria!"
"Just watch you two. When we head back there, we'll be more than ready." Rainbow Dash spoke to her partners, reassuring and promising their inevitable victory and 6th Gym Badge.
"Are you two ready?" Olympia asked as they both nodded in response. "Remember. This is only training. Nothing too serious or overboard. Now then. Let us begin this training session now."
"Okay...Altaria! Dragon Pulse! Whirlipede! Rollout!"
"Me first! Protect!" Kardia commanded her Pokemon, spelling out one familiar move and an unfamiliar one.
"Gol...duck!" Just then, unexpectedly, Golduck had unleashed Dragon Pulse. Altaria's own Dragon Pulse It even fired the attack before she could. Out of Golduck's mouth came a hyper-fast Dragon Pulse, striking the Humming Pokemon with super-effective damage.
"Alta!"
"What the?!" Rainbow Dash gasped as Whirilipede's rolling movements had been stopped once Oranguru placed a protective barrier around itself, forcing the Curlipede Pokemon back. Whirlipede's speed was increased thanks to Speed Boost. "What was that?!"
"That was Me First." Kardia raised her finger. It's a move that allows user cuts ahead of the target to steal and use the target’s intended move with greater power. Right now, your Altaria received an even stronger Dragon Pulse than its own."
"You can just do that?" Rainbow Dash's eye twitched. "Seriously?"
"Mhm. But of course, that doesn't mean your Pokemon can't pull off the move you told it to use."
"Really? Well then in that case...let's try something else instead! Ice Beam, Altaria! And use Steamroller, Whirlipede!"
"Taria...!" Altaria opened her mouth, summoning a beam of ice while Whirlipede zoomed forward with the force of a steamroller within him.
"Oranguru, Instruct!" Kardia suddenly only commanded her Oranguru but for a good reason, one that Rainbow Dash was about to discover.
"Oran." The leaves on Oranguru's fan glowed multi-coloured as it thrust it forward. This caused Golduck to become outlined in a white glow.
"Gol...Duck!" Just then, Golduck had suddenly used Dragon Pulse once more, clashing it with Altaria's Ice Beam. And the risk was that Oranguru had taken a hit with Whirlipede crashing into him for super-effective damage. As for Dragon Pulse and Ice Beam, they cancelled each other out.
"Okay, now what was that?" More questions were asked by Rainbow Dash.
"Oranguru's signature move Instruct. Whatever Oranguru tells its teammate, they'll use the most recent move. In this case Dragon Pulse. Even though it only belongs to one Pokemon, it's still super useful and is like having another Pokemon Trainer on your team. Neat, right?"
"I guess." Rainbow Dash pouted her lips. "All of this is a lot to take in. I mean, moves like that exist?"
"Try to relax Rainbow Dash." Olympia intervened for some advice. "Going against Pokemon that break away from the norm can be different and difficult to adjust to. But I assure you, they are not unstoppable. You can work your way around them in the end."
"But how...I mean, all I can do is just read a bunch of books with moves, can I?"
"Not quite. You have to be unpredictable yourself, Rainbow Dash." Kardia wagged her finger. "That's one way to beat an opponent that you can barely predict at all."
"Unpredictable myself?"
"Ash is already unpredictable with what he can do after all." Olympia gave the best example in the form of Ash, someone who is the master of being unpredictable. "He has his own way. So does Kardia. And while I'm not an unpredictable trainer, I do tend to come up with my own unique way of befuddling opponents. You need to find your own way, Rainbow Dash. Something that you can use to your advantage."
"Okay...I got it. But what can I do?" Rainbow Dash scrunched her face, closing her eyes as she was digging deep for an answer. Rainbow Dash did have a few tricks, like Braviary's Superpower Thunder Clap and how her Castform has a unique ability to exude Infinity Energy whenever he copies a type. But other than that, there wasn't much on her plate.
Rainbow Dash's options were limited, unfortunately. But that is why she can make new options with the Pokemon she has. She had picked up Ash's Countershield, but even that won't suffice forever as she hasn't even mastered it like Ash. The pegasus quickly realized this with opened eyes. She then looked at Altaria and Whirlipede, seeing what they had to offer.
Whirlipede had a circular body that allowed for high mobility and tricks that very few Pokemon can perform, aside from Electrode and Voltorb. Whirlipede also had Speed Boost but that was to be expected. However, Altaria had a bit more to offer.
Her wings resembled clouds for a reason. They were soft after all, still having the qualities of a Swablu even with the fully-evolved state. Altaria also had the talent to sing in a gorgeous soprano without needing a move. No Hyper Voice, Sing, Disarming Voice or any sound-related moves.
Then, Rainbow Dash hatched an idea.
"Alright! Let's try this out! Altaria, grab Whirlipede and use Moonblast! Whirlipede use Venoshock from above!"
"Tari!" Altaria spread her cotton wings out before zooming over to her partner. The Humming Pokemon grabbed the Curlipede Pokemon, ascending with him.
"Oh?" Kardia was actually curious about Rainbow Dash's new approach. Had she found a new trick to throw her opponents off guard.
"I know Ms Harshwinny's gym is a single battle...but can't hurt to try new stuff! Fire!"
"Alta...!"
"Whirlipede!" Both Whirlipede and Altaria unleashed attacks while moving through the air, acting as aerial attackers. Although, Altaria already was one. Whirlipede coated his feelers in poison, ready to fire a stream of poison while Altaria gathered the power of the moon.
Unfortunately, the feelers had struck Altaria, causing her to take damage and feel a poisonous sting in the process. With that sting, Altaria's focus had been broken, causing her to drop Whirlipede.
"Aria!" An injured Humming Pokemon cried out as Whirlipede hit the floor hard. Altaria's flying was also thrown off as she had descended. Thankfully, her cotton wings acted as protection.
"W-Whirl!"
"Oh! Are you two okay?!" Rainbow Dash flew over to her partners to see their conditions. Thankfully, it wasn't anything too serious, although, a poisonous sting was now on Altaria's neck as seen by Rainbow Dash. She dug into her saddlebag to quickly resolve this, pulling out an Antidote. "Here. Use this."
With one spray, the poison had been taken away along with the injury. The beauty of Pokemon Medicine. Afterwards, Rainbow Dash sighed with Kardia and Olympia walked up to her.
"A daring attempt. But not quite there yet," said Olympia.
"Yeah. Sorry, you two." Rainbow Dash apologized to them both while petting Altaria. "Guess I was getting a bit ahead of myself, huh? If you get seriously hurt, then it's all my fault."
"No shame in trying. After all, there's always another attempt." Kardia tapped her head. "Don't worry. We can also try with the rest of our Pokemon too."
"Thanks. But, I'll hold off on it for now. I wanna find something I can work with. And uh, in a single battle style too for Ms Harshwinny. I also wanna try some stuff on my own if that's okay."
"Any way you believe you can improve yourself is up to you, Rainbow Dash. But right now, I think I could go for something to eat." Olympia gave some advice to Rainbow Dash before feeling peckish herself.
"Same here. Kardia patted her belly before walking off. "If you need something to know, check out one of our books hee. You might find something."
And of course, if someone nearby is hungry, that also meant that Ash and Pikachu were hungry too. Just this morning, they had some training with Rainbow Dash. And they could go for a bite themselves. The two of them giggled as Rainbow Dash knew what was coming next.
10 minutes later.
Outside the building, Ash and Rainbow Dash were having a delicious lunch. Sometimes, taking things slow and relaxing was just as good-feeling as battling or training.
"Mmm. This is more like it." Ash said while devouring the food in front of him. Pikachu did the same, stuffing his cheeks with food while Rainbow Dash drank a carton of apple cider.
"You know, Ash." Rainbow Dash spoke after biting on an apple. "With all of these Pokemon Battles for the Equestria League, I'm kinda feeling nervous of when I get to that league, ya know."
"You are?"
"Yeah. Last year, I was the first pony to really do a gym battle and everypony went crazy, remember? Since then, everypony joined the league and started rising up like crazy. Spitfire, Princess Luna, Daylight and now even Spike's getting into the mix. Kinda feeling a bit small here. So many strong trainers keep showing up every day, right?"
"I get how you feel." Ash nodded as he and Rainbow Dash looked in the distance with the orange glow of the sun slowly setting. Nightfall was approaching in a few hours. "I remember when I was younger back then. I wasn't really the top trainer out there. In each region I went to, I always met someone really pretty good. Great even."
Ash then started remembering about his past. Indeed, he has gone through some tough battles in the past like Rainbow Dash but with more to count. Even in the present timeline.
"Gary, Paul, Lenora, Ritchie, Wulfric, Brandon, Tyson, Alain and way more out there. Boy, did they give me some trouble? The world's pretty massive, Rainbow Dash. You'll never know what's out there and what's waiting. Bigger and better things are what's out there." He then spread his arms out. "But, that's why you gotta find those and overcome them, right?"
"Yeah. Right." Rainbow Dash agreed with that. "I'll overcome them, no problem."
"With all your full power might, right? You're gonna be the champion!" Ash then thrust his fist into the air to show enthusiasm and encourage Rainbow Dash. "You'll never give up!"
"I'm gonna be the champion! I'll never give up!" Rainbow Dash had thrust her hoof in the air as well after receiving Ash's encouragement. Then, after doing so, the two of them looked at each other before laughing. Rainbow Dash patted Ash in the back, thinking what they had just done was a bit silly.
Ash then gave Rainbow Dash a noogie playfully with Rainbow Dash chuckling afterwards, doing the same to Ash by flying over him. Pikachu playfully jumped onto Rainbow Dash's head to do the same, but he didn't have the same physical strength as he laughed in the process.
The three of them continued to have fun with Castform joining the mix. Now it was four. The four of them ate while messing around with each other. And after that, they looked to the distance of the sunset, seeing how beautiful it was.
"Hey. How about we do some quick practice to get into the mood of things?" Ash recommended Rainbow Dash.
"Now you're speaking my language!" She agreed without hesitation. They would do a quick practice battle to rile themselves up. They always do this, it isn't something new.
They ran off towards the nearest route to have their quick battle as the sun was about to leave the view of the earth and soon the moon will rise for the night.
Route 18. Late Afternoon.
"Okay! Let's try something neat." Ash raised a finger. "Celestia already did this with Passion. Pikachu and a few of my Pokemon did it way back then. Sometimes, finding your own style is by getting inspiration from others. No shame in that!"
"Okay! I hear ya!" She nodded in response to Ash.
"Let's see...what moves would work pretty well?" Ash then began thinking along with Rainbow Dash. Move combinations are always a fun idea because of the possibilities they hold. With so many Pokemon moves out there, it's hard to put every single one of them as combinations. But, an idea sparked in Ash's head. "Oh, I got something!"
"Yeah?"
"Well, it's for Pikachu. You see, Pikachu used to know a move called Volt Tackle back then. Boy, it was a tough move. If we wanted to get in there and charge with full force Volt Tackle was the move to go, right buddy?"
"Pika-Pikachu." Pikachu crossed his arms with a proud smirk. Indeed, he found Volt Tackle to be a great move. Despite it causing recoil damage. Now he no longer knows it.
"That's why...we'll make a Makeshift Volt Tackle!" Ash declared.
"A Makeshift Volt Tackle?!"
"Pika?!" Even Pikachu was taken back by that.
"Right. If we can't use the move anymore, we're gonna have to cheat the universe and find a new way to use it. And I know just how. Quick Attack and Thunderbolt."
"Okay..." Rainbow Dash nodded with Castform, slowly understanding Ash's approach. Ash then looked at Pikachu with the Mouse Pokemon already agreeing to this. He had large faith and hope in his partner.
"Okay, Pikachu. Shoot Thunderbolt into the air!" Ash began the practice for the Makeshift Volt Tackle.
"Pika...Chuuu!" Covering himself in an aura of electricity, Pikachu then shot out 100,000 volts from his body, straight to the sky. Pikachu manipulated his electricity so that it would come crashing down afterwards as if someone was trying to smite him.
"Now, Quick Attack upwards then charge!"
"Pika-Pika!" Pikachu built up some energy before shooting into the air like a rocket. He made sure the bolt of Thunderbolt would only hit him. By flying into the air, heading straight for the bolt, Pikachu crashed into Thunderbolt afterwards. He had used his natural electrical biology to contain the electricity so that it doesn't badly hurt.
And by doing so, Pikachu then covered himself in an even bigger electric aura. And after that, the Mouse Pokemon continued to use Quick Attack, shooting to the ground at lightning speeds. Once he hit the ground, he caused a crater to form from the sheer impact and speed. And boosting out of the smoke was a hyper-fast Pikachu, laminated in so much electricity that his body looked black and white as he left a trail of lightning.
Just like Volt Tackle.
"Pika-Pika-Pika-Pika-Pika!" Pikachu then crashed into a nearby boulder, shattering it to bits with full force. "Pika!"
"Awesome job, buddy!" Ash cheered.
"Awesome is right!" Rainbow Dash then gawked.
"We're gonna name it uh..." Ash was thinking of a new name for this spare Volt Tackle. "Volt Tackle 2.0 or...ah, Just Makeshift Volt Tackle works."
"Pikachu."
"So, Dash. Got any move combination ideas for your Pokemon?"
"Hmmm..." The pegasus dug deep in her mind, trying to think of something new and interesting. She thought about her Castform, coming up with something. "I got it! Castform's got special cells, right? He reacts more to things than an average Castform. Plus, when he used Reflect Type, he copies a type."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I was thinking we could do something with that. But what...?"
"I got something." Ash walked over with an idea. "You see, back when my Torterra was a Grotle, he kinda accidentally ate his own Energy Ball when he was using it."
"Say what now?" Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow after hearing that.
"Yeah. But when he did, his Grass-Type moves powered up afterwards. It's pretty nifty. So maybe, Castform can eat his own Weather Ball, use Reflect Type to mimic a type and then, before they know it, he eats the ball again to change types by random."
"Oh, I get what you mean! So that Castform can gain resist other types randomly! Nice thinking, Ketchum!" Rainbow Dash nudged Ash's chest. "Yeah, let's try that! You game, Cast-"
"Castform..." But Castform was fast asleep inside of Rainbow Dash's saddlebag. It was late after all.
"Uh...maybe tomorrow." Rainbow Dash chuckled with Ash. Tomorrow sounded good for them. They could still practice with some of their other Pokemon during the night. And that's what they did.
30 minutes later.
Olympia and Kardia came out to the Route to see Ash and Rainbow Dash. But when they arrived there, they saw that they had fallen asleep, most likely from an intense training session.
Ash was laying on a tree with Rainbow Dash sleeping next to him. Pikachu slept on Rainbow Dash's head too. They were perfectly relaxed.
"Hard-working trainers, are they not?" Olympia said.
"They sure are. Can't wait to meet more of them during the World Championships. You're joining too, right Ms Olympia?" Kardia asked.
"Indeed. You may not see me as active in the Championships, however. But, I can definitely see Ash being active in it. He might become the eye of the storm that shakes up the Championships. As for Rainbow Dash, well, the Equestria League is still in its infancy, but I sense great things from her."
"I get what you mean. Everyone in Holon is gonna be watching my performance. I can't slack off. Some training tomorrow again?"
"Yes. We'll train tomorrow. As much as Rainbow Dash chooses." Olympia nodded before walking off, leaving Ash, Pikachu, Rainbow Dash and Castform to sleep.
The moon shined on them afterwards with the night sky glistening. Indeed, these two battle-hungry trainers have a decorative future ahead of them. One that they have to make a reality. And with their high octane determination, they'll make sure it will be a reality as the journey continues.
Chapter 518 End.