//------------------------------//
// Eternal Rival 
// Story: My Little Pokémon 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

Canterlot. Equestria League Stadium. Afternoon.

After the battle between Barry and Applejack against Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust with Applejack's team being victorious, the remaining battles could continue. Up next was Ash and Fluttershy against Spike and Scootaloo.

But before that, a slight break was in session. And during that break, Lightning Dust was leaving after her loss. She was not advancing to the next round, much to her dismay. And following her was Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash had seen that Lightning Dust hadn't left Canterlot yet. Instead, she sat on one of the benches just near the Canterlot Gardens. Lightning Dust was visibly dismayed by all that had happened. Not having her chance to battle Spitfire since she lost and losing her current round as well.

She looked at her four Poke Balls. Four Pokemon that she never got to use and show off with. A shame. Rainbow Dash was interested in what other Pokemon she could have potentially. Wouldn't be the first that she's lost something, especially her position.

But as she sat there, she had only one pony to blame. Rainbow Dash. "It's all her fault. First, her stupid friends messed everything up for me by getting me kicked out of the Wonderbolts and now this?" Lightning said. But in that instance, she also knew that for this scenario, she was at fault too in a sense.

Rainbow Dash did try and encourage her to use teamwork. After all, Aria Blaze, a trainer who is less experienced than both Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust managed to defeat Spitfire and Daylight Blazer via great teamwork with Twilight. And Lightning didn't want to admit it, but it was certainly true.

She then thought of her team. Not just her Pokemon, but the ones she had back at the Wonderbolts and the new ones the Washouts. In reality, it was Lightning Dust who had no cooperation throughout this competition. And she knew it.

"Great. I blew it." Lightning Dust sighed before admitting to her failures. However, much like Rainbow Dash, despite her failure, she refused to let up. "But it's not over yet. Even I lost this, I can still win the next big thing. The Equestria League. And then I'll become Equestria's Champion. Hah!"

"Talk about rebound..." Rainbow Dash whispered as she and Castform watched Lightning Dust.

"Castform."

"I know you're there!" Lightning Dust exclaimed before noticing Rainbow Dash's shadow. Her fellow pegasus jumped after being noticed.

"Oh!" Rainbow Dash appeared in view. "I didn't hear much!"

"Forget it. Don't even know why I'm still here anyway." Lightning Dust hopped off the bench. "Well, I guess you were right about one thing. We needed to work as a team."

"Bit too late for that, don't you think?" Rainbow Dash shrugged. "We could've totally made it far if you didn't get all surly back there. But uh...Not sure about the Spitfire part."

"Doesn't matter. Because that's the last time I ever team up with you. I'll have something way better to look forward to. The Equestria League. And I'll beat everypony there. Plus, I mean, it's pretty obvious that Spitfire's gonna be there."

"What about me?" Rainbow Dash aimed her hoof at herself. "You know, I could reach the league soon and become champion before anypony else."

"No way." Lightning Dust scoffed. "It's gonna be me. My team was made to destroy Spitfire's."

"Yeah well my team's got counters too, ya know. Plus, I've got Pokemon that can beat yours." Rainbow Dash smirked, knowing that was true.

"Yeah, just your Mienfoo to my Toxtricity, duh." Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash went close to each other, butting heads as always. Physically and figuratively. "You don't have anything for the rest of my Pokemon!"

"How do you know?!" Rainbow Dash growled, pushing Lightning's head back with her own.

"You hang around with Ash whose super popular, how can I not know?! Besides, I'm not the one stuck with 6 Pokemon for months."

"I can beat you with just 6 Pokemon!"

"That means you're on par with me, duh!"

Their arguing went back and forth as Castform hid inside Rainbow Dash's saddlebag to avoid the crossfire and hostility of pegasi. After a few seconds of growling and giving each other stink-eyes, they separated at last.

"Fine! I've been itching for some rivals in this league! Just you wait and see." Lightning officially made a declaration of Rainbow Dash being her rival and a worthy one too. "I'll get there. Way before you and Spitfire do. And I'll be ranked number 1 on those leaderboards. Just you wait and see.

"We'll see about that!" And Rainbow Dash accepted that declaration. Whether it was her competitive nature or Lightning Dust rubbing off on her. But as they both declared, their stomachs were both growling in unison.

And also in unison, they said the same thing. "Oh, I'm hungry." Both needed something to eat. And all the good food was back inside as they rushed over to snack away.



Celestia's throne room.

After learning about spotting what seemed to be the Empress' forces in the Pokemon World, when in reality, it was Daybreaker's, Celestia took notice, wondering what they were up to. To find discoveries, she had some of her forces set off and spy on them. 

Not only that, but with the assistance of the Universal Alliance, she gathered some more information on ponies who could potentially be in on it. And with troops returning plus some word from the alliance, this is what she found out.

"From what we heard, they're looking for a Sea Temple." The guard said.

"Sea Temple?" Celestia repeated. "Where would that be?"

"Nopony knows." The guard shook his head. "Apparently, it moves with the sea currents, so it's never in one place at all times. Even they seem to be struggling to find it."

"That makes sense. The sea is vast." Celestia replied. "This also means those rumours I heard from other universes were correct. That sea temple must have something so great that Empress Twilight would go after it.

"Well, it's not just her." The guard had one other revelation to give out. "Apparently, Daybreaker is searching for the temple. And that explains why those armours were different from what we saw originally."

"Daybreaker?" Celestia thought for a moment. "Oh, right. That other variant of myself. Still have yet to do anything about her. Or the others really. Really, we haven't seen much action from them at all."

"Action or not, they're too big of a threat." Luna walked up to Celestia. "You remember what Flurry Heart said. That Daybreaker was far more terrifying than the Empress. "Whatever's at that Sea Temple cannot be found."

"I know. I say we search for it as well. Since it's so difficult to keep track of, it's unclear who can find it first." Celestia suggested. A small team would be set out to try and find Samiya.

But it was unclear who would be first to do so. Celestia. Daybreaker or Empress Twilight. Samiya is almost equivalent to a once in a lifetime experience. Finding it feels like one as well.



Equestria League Stadium.

Before the next matches could start and for this day to soon close off once late afternoon arrives, the break was nearing its end. But Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust weren't too late to eat. They sat at separate tables, eating the same way. They were identical in many ways after all.

"So did you and Lightning make up?" Twilight asked Rainbow Dash. "I'm surprised she didn't leave."

"No way." Rainbow Dash pouted while eating. "Never in a million years. We're rivals now. Gonna be racing to the top. 'Course, I'm gonna get there first."

"So much for you two being friends..." Twilight chuckled nervously. "Sorry, you lost the second round by the way."

"Ah don't sweat. Gave me a better reason to get stronger, didn't it? Kinda bummed I didn't get to battle Spitfire though. Or you and everypony else." A disappointed Rainbow Dash put her hoof on her cheek, sighing. Truly a massive missed opportunity on her part.

Aria came over to talk strategy with Twilight. But as soon as she showed up, she and Lightning Dust had made eye contact. Apart from Rainbow and Lightning's rivalry, there was not anything friendly about this atmosphere and relationship.

Rainbow Dash swallowed her food before gulping. So did Rainbow Dash and others who were aware of these two and how they reacted to each other.

"Aria." Lightning narrowed her eyes with pure and utter disdain.

"Well, looks like you didn't leave Canterlot after all," Aria smirked with the opposite. Confidence and a smug look. Aria knew how to be petty at the right moment. And she could back up that pettiness. Definitely a trait she shares with Adagio as Lightning slowly swallowed her food.

"Aria. Whatever you're gonna do, please don't do it." Twilight whispered, pleading at the siren.

"I won't." She chuckled, closing her eyes before turning around. "But it's petty fun. Kinda reminds me of the old days. Before we ended up in the human world."

"Right, right. So what did you want to talk to me about?" Twilight asked as the alert went off. It was time for the next match to begin. Ash, Fluttershy, Spike and Scootaloo got off their seats to prepare themselves. Once their battle ends, that would leave the remaining matches and thus the top 4 teams for the quarterfinals and then soon the final match tomorrow.

So far, out of these 44 competitors, few remain. Certainly a tad bit longer than the Hearthome City Tag Battle years ago. The remaining matchups would be Rarity and Ember vs two other trainers and then Twilight and Aria against some random trainers as well.

"Please send out your Pokemon."

"Dragonite, I choose you!" Ash sent out Dragonite for this.

"Dragonite!"

"It's your turn." Fluttershy picked up Scorbunny, placing him on the field. But Scorbunny hopped out of her hooves to land on the field instead. Just to show off.

"Scorbunny!"

"Ash does know that Spike kid has Dragon-Type Pokemon too? Why go for another?" Aria asked.

"Ash loves to challenge himself." Twilight explained. "That's how he sees himself becoming a better Pokemon Trainer. And he's goo at it without a doubt."

"If it's Ash, then I'll use my strongest Pokemon. And that would be..." Spike alternated between Salamence, Goodra and Axew. Salamence did have Mega Evolution and Goodra has not disappointed ever since he came back from Avaun's training. Axew's ability to transform into Equestrian Haxorus was impressive as well along with his amazing strength."

"Xew. Axew!" Axew tried convincing Spike to choose him. But Spike had reached a conclusion.

"Sorry, Axew. I think I'm going with Salamence," said Spike. "Maybe later. If we uh...make it through this battle."

"Axew." Axew lowered his head in disappointment. But he would cheer Spike on anyway.

"Go, Salamence!" Out came Salamence into the fray.

"Salamence!"

"I can't believe I get to battle Ash!" Scootaloo pranced on the spot with excitement. She was clearly fangirling. "I'm so psyched! And pretty scared too! But I know who I'm sticking with! Ponyta, come out!" And for Scootaloo, she chose her strongest Pokemon by far. Her trusty Ponyta that she received from BigTime Ben.

"Ponyta!"

"Battle Start!"

"Me first! Ponyta, use Flame Charge!" Scootaloo started off, but not before Fluttershy acted quickly on her hooves too.

"You use Flame Charge also Scorbunny!"

In perfect sync after having commands given to them, Ponyta and Scorbunny used Flame Charge. They both repeatedly stomped on the ground until a cloud of dust covers their bodies. Both Fire-Types then emerged from the cloud while surrounded by an orb of red-yellow flames as they ran at each other.

"Dragonite, Dragon Claw, go!"

"Dra!" Dragonite put her arms out, covering them in Draconic energy. All focus was on Salamence for equal super-effective damage. But of course, Salamence also had some super-effective moves. Especially a move that he had traded out for Dragon Tail.

"Dragon Pulse, go!"

"Mence!" Out of Salamence's mouth, Dragon Pulse had been used in the form of a blue dragon-shaped shockwave. Dragonite came in contact with it, using her claws to hit the blast, resulting in an equalization. That wasn't the only contact made.

Ponyta and Scorbunny had butted heads with Flame Charge. Or rather auras to be exact. After coming in contact, they entered a rush where both Pokemon tried pushing each other back. But it reached a stalemate as they slid back. Both their speeds had been increased afterwards.

"Dragonite, use Dragon Dance!"

"Dragon!" Dragonite, instead of attacking, would increase her attack and speed respectively. And she did this by using her usual spinning technique.

"Now's our chance! Dragon Pulse again, Salamence!"

"Sala...!" Salamence opened his mouth for another Dragon Pulse to hit Dragonite while she's not attacking. But, this was all part of Ash's strategy. Dragonite spinning with Dragon Dance isn't anything new. She spun around so much that she made a self-whirlwind around herself that had knocked away Dragon Pulse.

Just like against Korrina's Lucario.

"Should've seen that coming! Zen Headbutt!"

"Sala!" Salamence then rushed in with his willpower being focused on his head. He rushed in, smashing his head onto Dragonite's body after she finished using Dragon Dance.

"Gonite!"

"Now it's our turn! Dragon Claw!"

"Dragonite!" Dragonite then flew in after being knocked back, faster than ever. She then gave Salamence a swift slap to the face with Dragon Claw, dealing greater damage thanks to Dragon Dance.

"Sal!" Salamance's eyes widened after being slapped away. Wouldn't be the first time he's been slapped in the face by Dragonite.

"So far so good, right?" Fluttershy looked at Ash.

"Right. But I know things are about to get even more fun." Ash excitement for an entertaining battle was rising.

"Okay, Ponyta! Double Kick!"

"Salamence, use Flamethrower! Let's try and burn Dragonite!"

"Ponyta!" Ponyta rushed over with his back legs being used. Salamence flew over the Fire Horse Pokemon, looking for a burn. Dealing damage over time to Dragonite was a good option.

"Scorbunny, High Jump Kick!"

"Dragonite, Hurricane!"

"Scorbun!" Scorbunny's leg lit up as he also had a Fighting-Type move of his own, heading straight for Ponyta. Dragonite started flapping her wings to form a hurricane.

But that's when Salamence switched things up. Instead of just attacking Dragonite, he had also attacked Scorbunny. And he did so by using Flamethrower as a widespread move via spraying. "Salamence!" Salamence breathed out fire while moving his head, making sure it would hit both targets.

While Hurricane managed to fend off the flames, some of them reached Scorbunny while he was making his way towards Ponyta. "Sco?!" The Rabbit Pokemon noticed the incoming flames as they had immediately struck him. He resisted it, but Salamence's power was strong enough to put pressure on him.

"Oh! Scorbunny!" Fluttershy gasped as Scorbunny's High Jump Kick had been halted. Afterwards, Ponyta moved in with his back legs, kicking Scorbunny away.

"Now follow up with Swift!"

"Ponyta!" Ponyta followed up his attack by swinging his tail, sending multiple star-shaped rays at Scorbunny who was still flying through the air after that incredibly surprising team-up attempt.

"Dragonite, protect Scorbunny!"

"Dra!" But acting as a shield, Dragonite stood in the way of Swift, taking the star-shaped rays head-on. She brushed them off like they were nothing. Scorbunny had been saved, sliding on the ground.

"That was close..." Fluttershy sighed along with Scorbunny. "I think Scorbunny's safer if he's closer to Dragonite, Ash."

"I hear ya. Just have Scorbunny get on Dragonite and we'll be good."

"Okay. Scorbunny, get on Dragonite for safety."

"Scorbunny!" He did just that. By leaping through the air, the Rabbit Pokemon took a temporary ride on Dragonite's head. That way, he can be protected by Dragonite and attack at the same time. 

"How am I gonna reach him now?" Scootaloo pouted. "Oh, wait! I know how! Bounce!"

"Ponyta...!" Ponyta used one of his latest moves. Bounce. By using the strength of his hooves, he leapt into the air to chase after Scorbunny.

"Salamence, Pulse!"

"Dodge and use Hyper Beam!"

"Ember!"

"Scorbun!" As Dragonite swayed to the side, avoiding the incoming Dragon Pulse by her scales, Scorbunny spat out constant sparks of ember from his mouth. Dragonite unleashed something far greater from her mouth. A Hyper Beam.

"You use Hyper Beam too!"

"Sala!" Salamence countered Hyper Beam with his Hyper Beam as there was now a beam struggle between both of them in the meanwhile. 

Ponyta managed to leap over the sparks before diving straight towards his fellow Fire-Type. Everyone marvelled at that impressive height gain from Ponyta.

"Pony...!"

"Flame Charge!"

"Scorbunny!" Scorbunny ignited his body while on Dragonite's head. He used the aura of Flame Charge as a shield. And a very good one too. Once Ponyta dived in with his hooves first. They ended up meeting with Ponyta's flame aura. But this time, Ponyta managed to breakthrough.

His hooves smashed through the flame aura and smacked Scorbunny in the face. "Ponyta!"

"Scor!" Scorbunny cried out as he fell off Dragonite's head. Dragonite looked back as she was still in the middle of a struggle with Salamence. She saw that Ponyta was about to land on her back due to this positioning. 

The Dragon Pokemon chose to end this struggle of Hyper Beam as no one was winning this. Both beams cancelled each other out, but as consequence, both Dragonite and Salamence were forced to recharge. Thus, Dragonite could do nothing about Ponyta on her back for a while.

"S-Scor!" But, Scorbunny ended up gabbing Dragonite's tail to save himself. 

"Double Kick!"

"Pony...!" Ponya was ready to strike Dragonite's back. Even though it wouldn't do much, it was still something other than just standing around and doing nothing.

"Quick Attack!"

"S-Scorbunny!" Acting swiftly and with lightning-fast reflexes that were natural for rabbits in general, Scorbunny leapt off of Dragonite's tail, tackling Ponyta before he could do anything.

"Pony!" Ponyta cried out after being tackled. The Fire Horse Pokemon was knocked off Dragonite's head because of this. Now he was the one falling.

"Salamence!" But along came Salamence. He and Dragonite had just finished recharging as the Dragon Pokemon caught Ponyta on his back for safety.

"Nice save, Salamence! Now let's get back into some action! Zen Headbutt!"

"Use Dragon Claw, back to back!" In that instance, a constant back and forth with Dragon Claw and Zen Headbutt occurred. Dragonite and Salamence approached each other with their physical attacks. By using his willpower, Salamence made Zen Headbutt a shield from super-effective Dragon-Type attacks.

"Swift!"

"Ember!"

And Ponyta and Scorbunny played their part. As Ponyta sent out star-shaped rays only for them to be stopped by Ember's sparks. So far, it was even. Two powerful Dragon-Types and two speedy Fire-Types going at it with no sign of each side slowing down.

"This is pretty good stuff right here," Spitfire said as she was still here with Daylight. No shame in watching the competition even if she lost. "Ash taught them well."

"He sure did. But we're pretty sure he also did it so that one day, he could face all of us." Twilight replied. "And I don't blame him. Pokemon Battles can get exciting, can't they?"

"Dragonite!"

"Salamence!"

The struggle ended. Neither side gave an inch as Ponyta hopped off Salamence's back. Salamence shook his head after using all of those Zen Headbutts.

"Well, we're not down yet." Scootaloo laughed nervously. "I think I know what I gotta do next. Do you, Spike?"

"Don't I?" Spike raised his arm to show his Mega Bracelet. That meant only one thing. Fluttershy and Scootaloo had the same idea as they both held out Z-Crystals.

More specifically, the Firium Z. They both obtained it after completing a dual trial in Alola and have been holding onto it ever since. Now was a good time to use it.

"Z Crystals and Mega Evolution in the same place?!" Rainbow Dash gasped. "So awesome!"

"Here we go, Salamence!" Spike tapped on the keystone as the Mega Evolution process began.

"Bring it." Ash encouraged them to use everything they had. And he was looking forward to it, unaffected by fear whatsoever.

"Mega Evolve!" With Spike order, Salamence began Mega Evolving right before everyone's eyes. With a flash of red, gold and blue, out came Mega Salamence, in all of his glory.

"Salamence!"

"Go, Salamence! Dragon Pulse!"

"Mence!" Faster than ever and packing quite a punch, Salamence had sent out a larger Dragon Pulse that tore through the atmosphere.

"Dodge and use Dragon Dance!"

"Dra!" But Dragonite's speed was nothing to scoff at. Especially Ash's. By zooming into the air, she managed to evade Dragon Pulse. Afterwards, she spun around once more, increasing her attack and speed to gradually match Mega Salamence's. However, Salamence continued Dragon Pulse by unleashing another one!"

"Dragon Claw!"

"Quick Attack, Scorbunny!"

"Dragonite!" Dragonite and Scorbunny moved in with Scorbunny going ahead thanks to Quick Attack's speed. Dragonite had obliterated the Dragon Pulse with her claws.

"Ponyta, use Double Kick!"

"Ponyta!" Ponyta neighed before raising his hooves. He waited for Scorbunny to appear at the right moment. Once Scorbunny was close, he jumped over the Rabbit Pokemon, evading the speedy Quick Attack.

"Scor?"

"Nyta!" After jumping over him, Ponyta landed behind his fellow Fire-Type, kicking him in the back with two consecutive hoof kicks. Scorbunny gained average knockback from that.

"Retaliate with Ember!"

"Scor!" Scorbunny recovered by hopping into the air. He then spat out sparks of ember from his mouth in a raining motion. After using Double Kick, Ponyta was bombarded by raining Embers.

"Hurricane!" Ash roared as Dragonite flapped her wings, sending a giant spiral of wind towards Salamence.

"Break it with Hyper Beam!"

"Sala!" Salamance unleashed a greater Hyper Beam. The beam instantly tore through Hurricane. Not only did it break the attack, but it also hit Dragonite square in her stomach.

"D-Dra!" Dragonite winced as she was blasted through the air by that Hyper Beam. But considering how resilient and tough Dragonite was, specifically this one, she didn't go down so easily. And after using Hyper Beam, Salamence needed time to recharge.

"Now's our chance! Dragon Dance!"

"Use High Jump Kick on Salamence!"

"Dragonite!" Dragonite took the time to boost herself. With one final Dragon Dance, she was certainly on Salamence's level now as Scorbunny jumped into the air, approaching the recharging Dragon Pokemon.

"Stop him with Bounce!"

"Ponyta!" Ponyta wouldn't allow Salamence to be hurt while recharging. In the nick of time, the Fire Pokemon got in Scorbunny's way.

"Aha!" But Fluttershy found an opportunity. "Swap Scorbunny!"

"Scorbunny...!" Scorbunny's eye flashed as he switched the direction of his attack. Instead of attacking Salamence, he smashed his foot onto Ponyta's head, sending the Fire Horse Pokemon down.

"Ah! Ponyta!" Scootaloo gasped as Ponyta rolled on the ground like a ragdoll. The Fire Horse Pokemon grimaced before barely recovering himself. One more good and powerful hit and that could be the end of Ponyta. But the same could be said for Scorbunny as they were both fragile First Stage Pokemon after all.

"This is getting bad. I think now's a good time to use it." Scootaloo was now heading for her Z-Crystal. She immediately placed the Z-Ring on for it to be used.

"I should wrap this up as well." And so did Fluttershy, having the same idea. She also took out her Z-Ring placing it on. This would be one of those rare moments where two Z-Moves collide.

After placing the crystals in, the power of Alola had been brought to Equestria once more, flowing through the bodies of Ponyta and Scorbunny. Ash and Spike prepare themselves for this as they weren't sure which Pokemon would be getting each Inferno Overdrive.

"50 bits say my Z Move hits first!" Scootaloo exclaimed after performing a series of poses. Ponyta's body became enveloped in an aura of fire.

"I don't have 50 bits," Fluttershy said before also performing those same poses. "But I won't lose! Um...if that's okay with you."

"Gotta wait for it..." Ash stayed steady, having something in mind.

"Okay! Ponyta!"

"Now Scorbunny!"

"INFERNO OVERDRIVE!"

Finally, the Z-Move had been activated. Both Pokemon summoned a gigantic ball of fire out of thin air with Scorbunny holding his while Ponyta used his mouth. With the energy they had left, they both hurled their attacks at full force. And instead of going for each other, they chose to attack the Dragon-Types, hoping for massive damage.

"So they were coming for us?!" Spike gasped. "Salamence, use your wings to cut it in half!"

"Here goes nothing! Dragonite! Dragon Dance into the flames! And combine it with Hurricane!"

"What did he say?!" Pinkie Pie stood up.

"What hair-brained scheme has he come up with this time?!" Twilight wondered. Ash always knew how to make the strangest plans. This was another one of them.

Salamence was understandable. As a Mega Pokemon, his wings could cut through almost anything. But Dragonite not so much. Salamence dashed forward at great speeds, smashing his wings onto the fireball from the side. They started burning as he tried pushing through the attack.

"Dragonite...!" Dragonite started spinning as the fireball was heading her way. And while boosting her attack and speed, she covered herself in a whirlwind due to Hurricane. The fireball connected with Dragonite as the other one had just been barely cut in half by Salamence's wings.

"Sala!" Salamence's wings took damage however but ended up slicing the gigantic fireball in half. After being cut in half, the fireballs two sides landed on the ground, causing a massive flaming explosion that coloured the atmosphere and background with a darker ambience. Salamence managed to overcome the Z Move.

And as for Dragonite, once more, she proved to be one of Ash's strongest Pokemon to date. Everyone watched as the fireball started spinning as if caught in a hurricane. And it was. By combining Dragon Dance and Hurricane, not only did Dragonite have an aura of wind, but the speed of Dragon Dance allowed her to move faster, creating a spare whirlwind. And after doing so, she combined the flames of Inferno Overdrive into her wind.

Dragonite was now spinning with a gigantic flame tornado. Everyone gawked as Sweetie Belle and other coordinators noted this down for future Pokemon Contests.

"What the...?!" Spike and Scootaloo moved back.

"Check it out! I call it the Inferno Hurricane!" Ash snapped his finger, naming yet another ludicrous strategy. "Okay, Dragonite! Send it back!"

"Drago...!" Dragonite then flapped her wings, causing the mixture of Inferno Overdrive and Hurricane. It tore through the ground and went for both opposing Pokemon.

"Salamence, Hyper Beam!"

"Uh-uh! P-Ponyta, Swift!" Scootaloo panicked. Salamence unleashed a major Hyper Beam while Ponyta did what he could with Swift.

The attack overpowered them with ease, consuming both Pokemon in the process. The wind had been blown along with hairs, furs and tails within the crowd and battlefield. The referee even had to duck for cover from this potent outburst. Afterwards, everything settled.

And it was clear that Ponyta could not withstand that as he had fainted. As for Salamence, barely. He barely hung on. The combination of two moves in one was powerful but a Mega Evolved Pokemon was nothing to scoff at.

"Ponyta is unable to battle! Dragonite and Scorbunny win!"

"Look at that! Salamence is hanging on!" The announcer gasped. "What a trooper!"

"S-Salamence...!"

"That's Spike's Salamence for you. It sure is tough." Ash said as Pikachu nodded in agreement.

"Pika-Pika."

"Can you keep going, Salamence?" Spike asked his partner.

"Sal." Salamence looked back at Spike, giving him a smile even though it's hard to tell when Salamence is smiling or not. However, his body gave out at the last second. With his eyes whiting out, the Dragon Pokemon fell to the ground, de-evolving to his normal form.

He was a resilient one. But he had his limits as Salamence had fainted. "Salamence..."

"Salamence is unable to battle! Thus, the winners are Ash and Fluttershy!"

After an explosive end, the crowd cheered with excitement. Scootaloo pouted before smiling. That was fun without a doubt as she and Spike went up to their partners.

"Good job, Ponyta." Scootaloo helped him up. "We lasted pretty long, didn't we?"

"Ponyta."

"Up you get, buddy." Spike went up to Salamence. "Guess we're not quite there yet to keep up with Ash."

"Sala."

"You're close," Ash said as Dragonite descended. "Just gotta keep getting better, don't you?"

"You all did really well." Fluttershy held Scorbunny. And Scobunny got stronger after that, didn't you, Scorbunny?"

"Scor." Scorbunny nodded. But he was hoping to evolve after that amazing battle. "Bunny?"

"Looks like your evolution will have to wait." Fluttershy giggled.

"Let's have another battle again someday Ash. When I've gotten way better. It'll be a full 6-on-6 battle." Spike suggested.

"Yeah, me too! When I get a full team and get stronger as well!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"I'll be waiting for that." Ash accepted. Why wouldn't he? Being the battle-hungry trainer that he was, this was an easy decision. And with that, the remaining battles could continue.



Twilight and Aria ended up winning their battles with the assistance of Cinccino and Croagunk. They would be advancing. Rarity and Ember also succeeded due to Rarity just having an impossibly powerful Ampharos. But Ember did well too thanks to her Gible.

"We now have our four tag teams!" The announcer said. "We'll be back tomorrow for our quarterfinals and then it's our final match! I need another break from all this speaking." He sighed, before drinking some water.

This fun competition was reaching its final hours at last. But no one is going to forget this at all and they'll certainly grow from it as the journey continues.


Chapter 574 End.