Equestria. Canterlot. Equestria League Stadium. Day.
After a rigorous battle between Pinkie Pie, Sunrise, Rarity and Ember and so far the longest one, the competition continued. The current battle between trainers was about to end as Twilight and Aria would be up next. But their opponents would be highly dangerous to go up against. Daylight Blazer and Spitfire.
"Okay, Aria. Let's go over this." Twilight spoke to Aria at the lounge while the current battle gets ready to close off soon. "So, Spitfire and Daylight won't be easy. They're some of the strongest trainers in the Equestria League. But, with a little planning, we can overcome them."
"And how are we gonna do that?" Aria asked. "Didn't think I'd go up against those two so soon."
"Eh. What can you do?" Twilight shrugged. "But don't worry. I've come up with a plan. And it even goes as far as defeating their Mega Evolution."
"Your Absol, right?" Aria leaned in.
"Well, that's one answer. But in truth, Ninetales is the answer. If anything, Ninetales is the perfect counter against both of their Pokemon." Twilight sat up straight as her transforming smile indicated that her plan would be something cheeky and stellar.
"And how so?"
"You see, Ninetales will already be amazing against Spitfire's Scizor since he's both Bug and Steel. A heavy Fire-Type attack will be able to push Scizor on edge and possibly make it faint. Even in Mega Evolution. Ninetales' Flare Blitz is among one of the strongest Fire-Type moves out there. Plus, against Blaziken, it's even better. With Ninetales' Extrasensory, Blaziken's Fighting-Type will be his greatest weakness and Ninetales' ability, Flash Fire not only makes him indestructible against Fire-Type attacks but also powers him up. If anything, Ninetales was built for this battle."
"Wow...That's uh..." Aria looked around, impressed. "That's actually really cool. You thought about this, didn't you princess?"
"I did. I can't slack off against anyone. Especially those two and their Pokemon. I mean, I could've had something for their previous match if we ended up going against each other. They used Flygon and Medi-" Just then, Twilight froze for a moment, realizing one fatal flaw.
"What? What is it?" Aria asked, noticing Twilight's face of despair.
"Oh no..." Twilight uttered with genuine fear in her heart. "What if they don't use Scizor and Blaziken?!"
"Huh?"
"I didn't think this through!" Twilight cried out, pulling her mane with magical aura hands. Her natural panic attack and freakout had begun. "Wait! It's totally fine!"
"Uh, Twilight." Aria went up to Twilight from behind.
"There's a chance they could use them...But what if they don't!" She went back to having a panic attack. "What if they use Flygon and Sawsbuck?! No, wait! Togekiss is good against those two. Hahaha. I was totally worried over nothing." She then chuckled before freaking out again. "No, wait! There's Daylight's Salazzle! And Scizor knows Bullet Punch!"
"Twilight," Aria repeated, trying to get her attention.
"It's fine." She took a deep breath, becoming calm once more as she was alternating between emotions. "Salazzle against Ninetales means nothing against his Flash Fire. And Ninetales can handle Sawsbuck." But then, the fear returned "No wait! Electivire! Gah! It has only one weakness! And I don't have any Ground-Type moves at all! We're totally doomed! Ah! And Ninetales is bad against Flygon! No, wait...Ninetales has Hidden Power Dragon. "
"Twilight!" Aria exclaimed, unable to reach her currently.
"Gah! but if they use Sharpedo or Araquanid, Ninetales is done for! And there's no way he can outspeed Sharpedo!" She roared as her pupils were shrinking. "But what if he can outspeed and-"
"Sparkle!" Aria raised her voice, finally getting Twilight's attention.
"Huh?" Twilight looked behind her with tears in her eyes.
"Look. It doesn't matter what they have. We're going to get in there and smash their Pokemon flat, okay?" Aria held Twilight, trying to break away her panic and worry.
"S-Smash their Pokemon flat...That's not physically possible but okay." Twilight's tears faded away after Espeon used Psychic to wipe her tears. The young alicorn then smiled afterwards. "We're going to win. Hopefully."
"You'd better not." Just then, Lightning Dust spoke to Twilight, appearing before her. "I can't have you win against Spitfire."
"Lightning Dust? Why?" Twilight asked.
"Because I wanna win against her, duh! It's why I came here. And to boost my popularity plus the Washouts but mainly Spitfire! If anyone's going to beat her, it's gonna be me."
"Pssh. As if." Aria sat up. "You think we're gonna lose just because you wanna win against someone else?"
"It'd be nice if you did." LIghtning Dust smirked as Twilight and other contestants within this room were starting to feel the tension. Even Nurse Joy and Nurse Redheart. "But, let's face it. You're a bit of a rookie, aren't you? No way you'd even come close to giving Spitfire a good challenge."
"Tch." Aria kissed her teeth. "Well, I guess to prove you wrong, we'll win this battle."
"As if you can win. I've got a better chance at doing it if Rainbow Dash isn't holding me back."
"Hoh? Maybe it's the other way around." And just like that, with Aria's response, she had also gotten to Lightning Dust. Both had levels of irritation that could be reached. Aria's was arguably higher than Lightning Dust's but she knew how to reply and put anyone on her level.
"What?" Lightning's tone changed as she pulled back.
"From what I've seen so far, it's Rainbow Dash who's being held back because of you. I may not know a lot about her and practically almost everyone in Ponyville, but she's not a weak trainer at all. Because she's here for a better reason than you." Aria praised Rainbow Dash as all she said was true. She should know. She had experienced the human world's Rainbow Dash and now this world's to know how they share one thing in common.
"Uh, Aria...Now's not the best time for-" Twilight tried simmering the situation before it could get out of hand. But Aria put her hoof out, not finished with her speech.
"Hah!" Lightning scoffed. "So you don't know how she really is and everypony else. Why even be here, hm?"
"I didn't want to be in this competition at first but Sonata ended up convincing me. But it's good she did. Cause now I'm having fun. And I could say the same about everyone else here. I don't know any of them that well. Or even at all. But I know that they're all here to have fun instead of settling some petty grudge. Even those who've lost looked like they had fun all the way through. Unlike you."
"Why you...!" Lightning growled back at Aria.
"Just watch us win this next match. And if we do go up against you, I'll be looking forward to that the most." And to end things off, Aria gave a confident smirk. A smirk that only she knows how to do.
"W-Whatever!" Lightning replied, unable to find a perfect counter. "I'm gonna go get some popcorn to watch you get smashed by Spitfire." After that, she left the scene to buy some popcorn. She did mean it.
"Whew..." Twilight sighed, glad that the situation had ended before it could escalate into something more physical and highly verbal. "Yikes, you sirens can be scary when you're upset."
"I get it from my mom." Aria shrugged. "Us sirens get heated when we feel attacked. Hm. Heated. Ironic." Aria chuckled, realizing she had made a subtle pun about heat and sirens. "Okay, Sparkle. Let's get out there and show Lightning wrong."
"But what if we can't win? Do you have the Pokemon capable of something like this?" Twilight asked.
"To tell you the truth, I don't care if I win or lose. But I'd rather be back to making others upset with my singing than have her get away with that. And even if we do lose, I'm counting on someone else to beat Spitfire before she can. Know what I mean?"
"I know what you mean." Twilight nodded. "So, is it Popplio this time? Or are you going to try using...Mmm." Twilight gulped for a split second. "Ledian?"
"Nah. I'm counting on Popplio for this. She never lets me down after all. I'm also counting you since you're experienced. And I'm feeling pretty psyched about this one. Great...I'm starting to sound like Ash." Aria scratched her mane as Twilight giggled.
"Popplio!"
"Let's see what Popplio has that can help." Twilight quickly took out her Pokedex to scan the Sea Lion Pokemon.
"Popplio. The Sea Lion Pokemon. Aqua Jet. Hydro Pump. Hyper Voice. Encore."
"Wow. Not bad. I've got a good feeling about this. But is Encore meant for just singing only?"
"Meh. Popplio liked the way it sounded so I let her keep it. Plus, it can help out one day." Aria patted Popplio on the head. "Also, I'm planning on using it for Nightmare Night. Just something I wanna scare Sonata with soon."
Just as she patted her partner, it was their turn. The next match between their opponents would begin at last. The alert went on, calling for the four competitors.
They had arrived on the field. Twilight Sparkle and Aria Blaze vs Spitfire and Daylight Blazer's battle was about to begin. Keeping a good eye on this were Sonata and Adagio. The trainers that their sister was going up against were formidable. But Twilight was just as formidable without a doubt.
"Whatever Pokemon they send out, we'll have to do our best," Twilight said to Aria.
"Yeah, I know. Besides, Popplio's small body will make her extra fast. I'll be hiding behind your Pokemon a lot if you don't mind, Sparkle." Aria replied.
"Come on, Aria!" Sonata cheered from the crowd, waving a flag. "I wanna see an awesome upset!"
"Pssh. There's no way she's going to beat my big brother." Sunrise replied, having a cocky smirk on his face. "He's too good. And uh, Spitfire too."
"No way!" Sonata denied that. "They'll win for sure!"
"You may both send out your Pokemon now." The referee said.
"Sticking to the plan! Go, Ninetales!" Twilight sent out Ninetales, staying firm with her plan despite her many worries.
"Ninetales!"
"Out you come, Popplio!" And Aria went for Popplio.
"Popplio!"
"Come out, Gallade!" Spitfire went for Gallade. A Pokemon she still counted on as the Blade Pokemon had emerged.
"Gallade!"
"Go, Araquanid!" And as for Daylight, his choice was Araquanid.
"Araquanid!"
"Just stay close to Ninetales, Popplio," said Aria. "You're too fragile for this, but you hit hard. A glass cannon like Pikachu. Okay?"
"Pop-Popp!"
"Battle Start!"
"Gallade! Go ahead and use Slash!"
"Araquanid, use Scald!"
"Lade...! Gallade!" Gallade lunged forward, going straight for Popplio who was the frailest out of everyone here. As for Araquanid, it stayed back, unleashing scalding hot water from its mouth.
"Ninetales, use Hidden Power Dragon!"
"Popplio, intercept with Aqua Jet!"
"Ninetales!" Ninetales stomped on the ground before summoning a beautiful white aura around his body. That white aura then formed into a ray that had the face of a dragon in the front. Popplio on the other hand, took off from the ground like a rocket, moving at rapid speeds as she clashed with Gallade's blades head-on. The Hidden Power ended up meeting with Scald, cancelling each other out.
"Gallade!" Gallade moved back after he and Popplio had their little clash. But Gallade went in for another Slash, swinging it at Popplio.
"Dodge with Aqua Jet!"
"Lio!" Acting quick, Popplio zoomed to the side, avoiding Gallade's second Slash in the nick of time.
"Now, retaliate with some Hyper Voice!"
"Popp...LIO!" Popplio then slid on the ground, opening her mouth before unleashing a giant soundwave. And thanks to her ability Liquid Voice, it was considered a Water-Type move, boosting the attack even further.
"Block it, Gallade!"
"Lade!" Gallade put his hands up, using the strength of his blades to block the soundwaves. They were powerful enough to make his legs move a bit. But Gallade stayed firm on the ground.
"Well, Popplio hasn't fainted yet. So that's good." Aria said. "How's our next approach."
"They haven't done anything wild and unpredictable yet. But I don't want to play it safe throughout this." Twilight replied.
"I give it 5 minutes before that Popplio of hers drops down." Lightning Dust smirked, eating a bucket of popcorn. "No one can beat Spitfire's Gallade in physical strength. But my Pokemon can. And they'll beat Spitfire, not her."
"Psycho Cut, Gallade!"
"Gal...Lade!" Gallade then spread his arms out, covering his blades with pink energy. He then went straight for Ninetales while lunging from the ground.
"Ninetales, Extrasensory!"
"Popplio, Hydro Pump!"
"Oh, no you don't! Araquanid, intercept with Scald!"
"Quanid!" Araquanid quickly intercepted Popplio's Hydro Pump with Scald. Both Water-Type moves cancelled each other out as Hydro Pump did not strike Gallade.
"Lade!" Gallade ended up slicing Ninetales' Extrasensory with his blades. Even more than that, Gallade landed in front of the Fox Pokemon, striking him with Psycho Cut and knocking the Fire-Type back. "Gallade!"
"N-Nine!"
"Now, Araquanid! Go after Popplio and use Leech Life!"
"Araquanid!" Araquanid, using those long legs of it, rushed towards Popplio with energy fangs in front of its head, ready to sap the life out of the Sea Lion Pokemon. Araquanid was the slowest Pokemon here, only slightly behind Popplio. Popplio was the second slowest unless Aqua Jet was utilized.
"Don't let it! Use Hydro Pump!"
"Lio!"
Popplio unleashed Hydro Pump, sending a high volume blast of water Araquanid's way. But the moment the blast of water approach the Water Bubble Pokemon, it had suddenly been absorbed, doing nothing. This was an immunity effect.
"Popp?!"
"What?!" Aria pulled back as Popplio had been bitten by Leech Life. Not only was her energy sapped away, but she was also knocked back.
"It must be Water Absorb!" Twilight observed. "It's just like my Ninetales' Flash Fire. Any Water-Type attacks will be absorbed by Araquanid."
"Because of course..." Aria sighed, putting her hoof on her face. "That means Hyper Voice is out of the question. But it's fine! I'll just have to deal with it!"
"I like this one." Spitfire nudged her head over at Aria. "Reminds me of...Me. Just a bit."
"Reminds me of my brother." Daylight chimed in. "Must be natural for siblings to have those traits."
"Any ideas now, Sparkle?" Aria asked.
"Well, there's no chance of us beating Gallade in an up-close battle. That's ruled out. And Dewpider has an amazing special defence, plus immunity to Popplio's attacks. This might put us on edge."
"Wish I brought Ledian for this," Aria growled with a crooked grin.
"It's slow but I've got a bad feeling about this battle. Don't you guys?" Pinkie shuddered.
"I hear ya. I mean, Popplio's kinda in trouble a bit, ain't she?" said Rainbow Dash. "Not many options but Encore. Ninetales is all she can rely on."
"But Ninetales is really good at protecting others." Fluttershy stayed optimistic. "Popplio's safe around him."
"As if." Lightning Dust debated that. "Not only is Gallade strong, but he's also incredibly fast and durable too. You'd need a miracle to try and stop Gallade. That Popplio just needs one good hit from either of them and it's game over."
"Oh yeah?!" Sonata exclaimed as she heard Lightning Dust from the other side of the seats. "My sis doesn't go down so easily! Just you watch!"
"Sparkle. Cover Popplio for me. I want to see the rest of their moves." Aria pleaded.
"The rest of their moves? Why?"
"Just wait and see. Popplio, get under Ninetales' tails!"
"Popp!" Popplio hopped over as NInetales used his tails to cover her. But he did more than that. Ninetales had wrapped two of his tails around the Sea Lion Pokemon, holding her. "Lio?"
"T-That works too." Aria stuttered.
"Okay, Ninetales! Flare Blitz on Gallade!"
"Nine...!" Ninetales' eyes flashed as he charged at the Bade Pokemon. He left behind a trail of orange fire as it circles around his body until completely covering Ninetales' body like a fiery aura.
"Gallade, Close Combat!"
"Gallade!" Gallade then unleashed a flurry of slashes with his bladed arms, swinging them towards Ninetales' fiery aura. Ninetales' Flare Blitz tried breaking through as Gallade managed to hold him back via his swings.
"Tales!" Ninetales slid back, revealing slight recoil damage. Gallade also slid back after the clash.
"Daylight! Let's try that idea now!" Spitfire said.
"Gotcha! Bite!"
"Araqua...!" Araquanid utilized Bite, making dark energy fangs. But instead of going after either Ninetales or Popplio, Araquanid used it on Gallade, biting his arm.
"G-Gal!"
"Huh?!" Twilight, Aria and most of the crowd gasped after witnessing this sudden friendly fire. No one excepted this to happen. Araquanid attacking its partner forcefully instead of against its will.
But it was for a reason as Gallade's body started glowing orange. Ash quickly realized what ability this was and why Araquanid did this. "It's Justified!"
"What's Justified?!" Rainbow Dash asked.
"If a Dark-Type attack hits the opponent, their attack is raised. And it's all for justice." Ash explained as everyone realized how bad that was. Gallade was already a heavy hitter.
But now he was an even heavier hitter than before.
"Gallade!"
And Twilight knew about this ability too. "Justified. Great. Just great. They're not making things easier for us at all."
"I ain't scared." Aria pouted. "Do your worst."
"Gallade! Close Combat!"
"Gallade!" Gallade came rushing in with a greater attack than before. He strafed across the ground, aiming to hit both Ninetales and Popplio at the same time.
"Extrasensory!"
"Nine!" Ninetales then leapt into the air, avoiding the first swing of Close Combat. Afterwards, Gallade turned around, lunging after Ninetales. But before he could use the next move, Ninetales had held him in place with Extrasensory, knocking the Blade Pokemon away with an odd unseeable power.
"Gallade!" Gallade slid on the ground as he went after Ninetales once more, jumping back into the air for another Close Combat. He would not stop until it lands.
"Scald!"
"Araqua!" And Araquanid assisted. It had unleashed scalding hot water while Gallade was approaching Ninetales.
"Nine?!" Ninetales couldn't keep track of two attacks at once, that much was true. But with assistance, he could.
"Hyper Voice!"
"Popp...!" Ninetales moved two of his tails, allowing Popplio to be put to the side. "LIO!" After being held out by the tails, the Sea Lion Pokemon blocked Scald with Hyper Voice, saving Ninetales.
But Ninetales wasn't so safe from Gallade. The Blade Pokemon managed to land a hit on Ninetales, sashing his face. "Nine!" Ninteales cried out before falling. But, Ninetales was still in this as he recovered on the ground.
"Popplio, Hyper Voice on Gallade!"
"Popplio!" Popplio was then held out by Ninetales' tails, screeching out a horribly echoing shout with Water imbued within it. Gallade slashed the attack in half with his blades.
"Gallade!"
"We need to get rid of that Popplio quick, Daylight. Ninetales can't protect her forever,"
"Ninetales is pretty slippery to catch too. That speed is no joke." Daylight replied to her. "All we have to do is draw Ninetales out and break his tail hold. A few good hits will knock him out.
"Hm. Bite!"
"Araqua!" Araquanid went to bite Gallade again, just to boost his attack. However, Gallade would still take damage from it either way. Just minuscule at best.
"Gallade!" Gallade had been powered up.
"Ninetales, Hidden Power Dragon on Araquanid!"
"Popplio, back him up with Hydro Pump!"
"Nine!" Ninetales, still holding Popplio, unleashed Hidden Power again with a dragon face coming out. It zoomed past Gallade and made its way towards Araquanid.
"I think not! Mirror Coat!"
"Araqua...!" Araquanid stood there, deciding to take the attack. Hidden Power struck the Water Bubble Pokemon with some impressive force behind it. However, after the hit, Araquanid's body emanated a golden colour as he had retaliated by bouncing a giant beam over at Ninetales.
"Nine?!"
"Lio!" But Popplio stopped it with Hydro Pump, having enough power to stop the golden beam.
"That's it!" Aria gasped before having a revelation.
"Gallade, Psycho Cut!"
"Gallade!" In came Gallade with Psycho Cut up and ready. This time, he would attempt to separate Popplio and Ninetales from each other.
"Energy Ball!"
"Ninetales!" Ninetales opened his mouth, using the size of Energy Ball as a shied and attack against Gallade. But, instead of going in front, Gallade slid to the side, evading the firing of the Energy Ball.
"Lade!" After evading it, Gallade slashed Ninetales' two tails, harming him and breaking his focus.
"Nine!" Ninetales had then dropped Popplio as his focus was broken. The Sea Lion Pokemon then landed on the ground, right on her back.
"P-Popp!"
"Gall!" Gallade then went for another Psycho Cut, only for Ninetales to use his tails to block it. The blade slashed onto Ninetales' tails as Popplio had been protected once more.
"Gallade?"
"T-Tales!" Ninetales winced before using his tails to push Gallade back. Gallade slid on the ground afterwards, appearing beside Araquanid.
"Lade."
"Ninetales! Are you okay?!" Twilight gasped after seeing that Ninetales' tales had bruises on them. Getting slashed by a Gallade with that much power certainly stung.
"N-Nine...!"
"Looks who's dragging who down." Lightning said from the crowd, taunting Aria from afar.
"Aria. I don't think Ninetales can protect Popplio forever. Not with his injuries." said Twilight.
"I know. But I've got a plan. Come here, Sparkle." Aria then dragged Twilight over, giving her an idea to work upon. Daylight and Sunrise took a moment to breathe and plan themselves.
"How many hits do you think Ninetales can take? He can't defend her all the way through." Rainbow Dash bit her hoof. "Plus, Gallade could end it with one Close Combat!"
"It's terrifying to think about." Rarity's heart was beating from this battle. "But there is no chance that Twilight would give up so easily. She has to find a way somehow."
But it was Aria who found a way.
"Okay. Let's do it." Aria and Twilight stood forward as they finished planning. So did Spitfire and Daylight as the battle could resume.
"Let's not hide anymore, Popplio!" Aria pumped her partner up.
"Lio!"
"Gallade! Close Combat!"
"Gallade!" Gallade was aiming to end this with one good Close Combat. And it would be on Popplio mainly as he ran forward. Ninetales didn't stand in front of Gallade to defend her.
"Ninetales, Extrasensory!"
"No, you don't! Araqua-"
"Encore!" That's when Aria interrupted Daylight. In that instance, she had utilized Encore for this moment. Popplio raised her flippers as a white orb of energy appears between them. The Sea Lion Pokemon then fires the orb at the opponent in an instant.
The orb instantly covered Araquanid and as soon as Daylight finished his sentence, Encore took effect. Instead of using the move Daylight wanted, Araquanid had used Mirror Coat.
But unfortunately for Araquanid, no one had attacked it yet, making Mirror Coat useless. "Quanid?!"
"What?!" Daylight pulled back. "Gah, not Encore!" He then cried out, pulling his mane.
"Encore's the move to keep you occupied! Let's tag team him! Aqua Jet!"
"Lio!" Popplio then switched targets, going for Gallade. Gallade had both Extrasensory and Aqua Jet coming his way. He swung towards Popplio, only for the Sea Lion Pokemon to dodge by zooming to the side.
"Lade!" Gallade missed, only to be hit by Extrasensory after not focusing on it for one second. "G-Gallade!" Gallade staggered as Popplio came back around for a hit to the back via Aqua Jet.
"Popplio!"
"Gallade!" After that hit to the back, Gallade lost balance, almost falling over.
"Second time, Araquanid! Leech Life!" Encore does last three times and no more. Daylight studied every Pokemon move so he knows about that. It had now been washed a second time due to Daylight's next command. But thanks to this delay with a failed Mirror Coat, Araquanid wasn't fast enough to help.
"Flare Blitz, go!"
"Nine!" Ninetales then rushed in for Flare Blitz, moving at breakneck speeds with a flaming aura. Popplio did the same thing as she would do it with water. And poor Araquanid had to wait for Encore to be over. It already happened the first time, now to two more times for the effects to run out.
And as it waited, it was powerless to help Gallade. The Blade Pokemon had been sandwiched between Aqua Jet and Flare Bitz. What Gallade excels in strength and fairly good special defence, he lacks in physical defence due. And with two physical moves hitting him with one having amazing power, it was a hard one.
Coupled with Araquanid's Bite which had damaged him just to boost his power, Gallade could only take so much punishment. Thus, after Poppio and Ninetales separated with Ninetales receiving recoil damage, an upset had occurred.
"G-Gallade..." To the surprise of everyone, Gallade got on his knees, fainting.
"Gallade is unable to battle! Ninetales and Popplio win!"
"No way!" Lightning Dust stood up as the crowd went wild. No one expected that to happen. They all thought that Popplio would be the first to fall. But in reality, it was the mighty Gallade.
Every Pokemon move has its use.
"Oh yeah!" Sonata stood up with joy. "That's my big sis! She can take out those super-smart and strong Pokemon no problem! Woohoo!"
"Oh snap..." Daylight scrunched his face as Encore had ended with Araquanid using his third Mirror Coat which failed. Spitfire's jaw dropped before she blinked a few times.
"Well, I'll be..." She was taken aback before returning Gallade. "Not bad, Aria Blaze. Thanks, Gallade. You were great."
"Phew." Aria sighed. "That just leaves Araquanid."
"Daylight's still formidable so be careful," Twilight warned. "None of Popplio's-"
"Moves will have any effect. I know." Aria interrupted. "I told that Lightning Dust I would be able to win. Now's our time to prove it. Popplio will provide backup from afar."
"Popplio."
"Wish I had Mega Evolution with me right now. Oh well. Can't have 'em all. At least now in this scenario." Daylight smirked before transforming his smile into a frown. "Araquanid, use Scald!"
"Quanid!" Araquanid could finally attack properly. Out of his mouth came a stream of hot water, right for Ninetales.
"Dodge and use Energy Ball!"
"Nine!" Ninetales zoomed to the side, evading Scald before summoning Energy Ball in his mouth.
"Mirror Coat!"
"Intercept with Aqua Jet!"
"Wait what?! Aria, it won't have any effect!" Twilight gasped.
"Doesn't matter! Can't let Ninetales fall anyway! Go, Popplio!"
"Lio!" Popplio lunged off the ground as Araquanid's body started glowing gold, ready to bounce Energy Ball back. But before it could do so, Popplio had crashed into the Water Bubble Pokemon, doing no damage.
"Araqua!" Araquanid scoffed as Ninetales unleashed Energy Ball. It then knocked Popplio away with its leg, making the Sea Lion Pokemon roll on the ground.
"How about we give you our own Bite! Snack on it, Popplio!"
"Popp!" And just then, Popplio had bitten on Araquanid's leg to throw it off focus. And by doing so, while Mirror Coat did end up being activated, it couldn't be unleashed properly as Araqunid took damage either way.
"A-Araqua!"
"Lio!" And Popplio stayed there as Daylight gasped.
"What is up with that Popplio?!"
"Popplio and I are kinda the same. She may look all kind and timid but she knows how to get aggressive when it counts. Just like yours truly." Aria grinned as her maniacal siren face showed, startling Daylight.
"Yeesh, you're creepy! Leech Life!"
"Araquanid!" But, Araquanid could still attack her. It formed the energy fangs from Leech Life, biting on Popplio's head and draining her energy for its own.
"P-Popp!" Popplio gasped before losing her grip on Araquanid. That one attack did her in as she fell to the ground. In that instance, she had fainted. But not before Twilight acted swiftly.
"Go, Ninetales! Hidden Power Dragon!"
"Ninetales!" After Popplio fell to the ground, Ninetales ran in, summoning the aura of Hidden Power around his body.
"Uh-oh! Mirror Coat, quick!"
"Quanid!" Araquanid quickly turned away from Popplio to see Ninetales incoming. The Fox Pokemon came to a screeching halt, unleashing Hidden Power Dragon.
Just as the gold light of Mirror Coat had emerged, Hidden Power hit its mark. Ninetales jumped back afterwards. However, that final Hidden Power sealed the deal.
Araquanid fell to the ground, fainting.
"Araquanid..."
"Araquanid is unable to battle! Thus, the victors are Ninetales and Popplio!"
In the biggest upset of this competition, Twilight and the not-so-rookie trainer Aria had won. She was never a rookie, to begin with. Just an average level trainer as Lightning Dust soon figured that out. Roars of applause filled the area along with gasps of shock as Lightning Dust dropped her bowl of popcorn, stunned.
"They did! They won!" Pinkie Pie and Sonata held each other, jumping for joy. Pinkie had miraculously reached Sonata's spot in an instant. Rainbow Dash was equally shocked as Lightning Dust. But on a good note.
No one excepted them to win against the Top 3 ranked trainers in the Equestria League. If this was a full 6-on-6 battle then the outcome would be vastly different predictable. But not in this competition. And as it all came to a close, something started happening to Popplio.
Her body started glowing as all attention was on her. An eruption of water emerged from her body, piercing the clouds with music notes spiralling around. This was evolution. At last, Popplio was evolving past her first stage the water then dispersed, making beautiful rain and a rainbow.
And emerging out of the water was the Pop Star Pokemon Brionne.
"Brionne!"
"Oh! You evolved?!" Aria was agape with wonder as she quickly took out her Pokedex along with some others.
"Brionne. The Pop Star Pokemon. A skillful dancer, it creates a sequence of water balloons as it dances, and briskly bombards its enemies. It cares deeply for its companions. When its Trainer is feeling down, it performs a cheery dance to try and help. It gets excited when it sees a dance it doesn’t know. This hard worker practices diligently until it can learn that dance. As if dancing, it artfully dodges the attacks of its enemies. All the while, it’s busy forming a bunch of balloons to overwhelm its foes. On nights when the sea is calm, Brionne dance with one another to the singing of the Primarina that’s leading them."
"Looks like your Brionne earned that evolution," Spitfire said as she and Daylight went up to Twilight and Aria. "And so do you two with this win. You outsmarted us with those crafty movements of yours."
"Thanks, Spitfire," Twilight replied. "That Bite on Gallade was genius. Having him increase his attack like that was pretty risky but amazing too."
"We both have ways to go. We may be Equestria's Top 3, but that doesn't mean we're unbeatable. Now we've seen there are other trainers that we need to outpace." Daylight spoke as Spitfire nodded in agreement. "Good luck through the rest of the competition."
"And Aria. Have you considered joining the Wonderbolts?" Spitfire asked.
"Pass. Besides, I ain't a pegasus," She shrugged while holding Brionne.
"Right on that. See ya later. We'll be watching." And just like that, they both left to heal their Pokemon and watch as spectators as the next trainers would go against each other soon.
"She lost..." And yet, Lightning Dust was still shocked as she got off her seat, walking away while leaving the bucket of popcorn. A nearby Munchlax came over to eat all of it off the floor.
"Munch-Munch."
Outside.
After healing their Pokemon, Spitfire and Daylight went outside to take a small break. But as they walked off, Lightning Dust was approaching.
"You know. I'm kinda thinking of having one pre-evolved Pokemon on my team after that. Wouldn't hurt to have glass cannons, would it?" Spitfire said. "I mean, there's Ash's Pikachu and-"
"Spitfire!" Lightning Dust roared, grabbing Spitfire's attention. "You...You weren't supposed to lose! Especially not to some above-average Pokemon Trainer!"
"Lightning." Spitfire sighed.
"I was supposed to beat you after you won. And you go ahead and lose like that?!"
"What can you do"? Spitfire shrugged. "Looks like you won't be beating me at all."
"Lightning!" And chasing after Lightning Dust after knowing what her reaction was to Spitfire losing was Rainbow Dash. She arrived at the scene to see Lightning distraught.
"I can't believe this...!" LIghtning groaned, closing her eyes in irritation and frustration. "What was the point of coming here in the first place?"
"If you came here to just beat me, then sorry." Spitfire turned around. "Wish I could scold you for that, but you're not a part of the Wonderbolts anymore."
"This wasn't supposed to happen." Lightning lowered her head as Spitfire walked off. Daylight followed with an awkward scrunched face. He could already feel the tension.
But Lightning Dust also started walking away. However, not in the direction of Equestria League Stadium. In fact, instead of walking, she chose to fly as she spread her wings, flying off.
"Huh? Lightning!" Rainbow Dash gasped as she also spread her wings to follow after her. From where Lightning was headed and how she was feeling, Rainbow Dash knew this meant only one thing.
"Don't follow me!" Lightning roared at Rainbow Dash forcing her to stop. "I quit!"
"You what?!"
As the journey continues.
Chapter 572 End.