My Little Pokémon

by Amarvax


Prelude to the Penultimate Gym Battle

Equestria. Frenzy Forest. Afternoon.

In the quest of finding four recommended Pokemon with facial hair to fill in for the 7th Gym which was fittingly, Facial Hair themed, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Mayor Mare found themselves surrounded by various Whiscash while underwater.

Mayor Mare successfully caught herself an Alakazam and Whiscash. However, that Whiscash capture is what led to this. Currently using the underwater breathing spell, they were face to face with the many Whiscash that called this part of the lake their territory.

"Whiscash."

"It's never easy, is it? There always has to be something that stands in our way," said Mayor Mare as she, Twilight and Rainbow Dash stood back to back. Or rather, floated back to back due to them being underwater.

"The Whiscash aren't going to let us go at this rate," Twilight replied. "They've already seen us as enemy number one at this point."

"Well, if they wanna go, we're game." Rainbow Dash was more than ready to battle the Whiscash if it came down to it.

"Whiscash. Whiscash. Whiscash." But then, instead of attacking, the Whiscash suddenly started slapping their tail fins onto the sea walls unexpectedly. But they were doing it in unison. The sounds of their tail fins hitting the walls formed something akin to a chant as rocks were being knocked off. This greatly confused the ponies and their partners. If anything, this put them on a higher guard than they already were.

"W-What are they doing...?" Rainbow Dash asked. Even she couldn't help but feel the intensity of it.

"Is it some kind of intimidation dance?" Twilight theorized. "Because if it is, it's pretty effective." The slapping continued with more rocks coming off. The Whiscash kept chanting as soon the lake was starting to rumble.

A strange disturbance was felt through the lake. A seaquake was being formed just by the Whicash slapping their tailfins along. Nearby Water-Types made sure to stay away from this tremor. However, the three ponies and their partners were getting caught up in this.

"Oh!" Twilight son realized what they were doing. "They're making earthquakes underwater that easily?!" She quickly put a shield around her friends, protecting them from whatever might come their way. However, this went beyond just shaking the sea.

They were changing the flow of the sea. A powerful reverse flow had been made with their slapping, causing all of the water to move elsewhere, forming a reverse current. That involved Twilight and her friends as the shield was being carried by these artificial currents.

"Woah!" They cried out, moving with the currents. It seemed that the Whiscash could manipulate the properties of the sea in unison. And this was further shown as the shield was brought towards one of the Whiscash with their mouths open.

"Whiscash...!" With a wide-open mouth, the Whiscash, as said by the Pokedex, was ready to eat them. It would eat anything without hesitation.

"That's one way to serve food!" Twilight yelped before using her magic to propel the shield elsewhere. With her mighty alicorn magic, she was able to fight back against the currents even when multiple of the same Pokemon were making it possible.

Right on time as the shield had passed the Whiscash. It had missed its food, biting nothing but the water. However, it didn't end there. Soon, the rest of the Whiscash had pursued Twilight and her friends while the shield was still up. They all swam towards them, immediately attacking the magic shield to try and break it.

The shield bounced from the attacks that were thrown at it. But it did not break. However, it did cause the ponies and Pokemon inside to feel some major turbulence and blowback from all of this.

"Get us out of here, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as the shield had hit a nearby large sea rock before being attacked by Water-Type and Ground-Type attacks. Mostly Water Pulse, Water Gun and Mud Bomb. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"T-Trying!" Twilight yelped as the shield was going all over the place with the Whiscash playing around with it by whacking it with their tails. This could be considered playing with their food.

"Esp! Espeon!" Espeon decided to chime in. She had used Dazzling Gleam, causing a sphere of rainbows to exude from her body But instead of releasing it in the form of rainbow rays, Espeon had utilized the brightness of Dazzling Gleam. By forming the sphere, the brightness that it made was showing itself.

Twilight knew about this as she quickly covered the eyes of her friends via her wings and hooves. The brightness reached the Whiscash as they were all immediately met with it. Just like that, all of them had been blinded by Espeon's light, throwing them off course and off-balance.

"Good job, Eve! Now's our chance!" Twilight could now direct the sphere properly without any interruptions. She made it zoom across the sea, moving away from the Whiscash and also their territory. And the best way to go was up. She immediately made the magic sphere ascend. They already caught one Whiscash successfully. Dealing with the rest was not necessary.

The sphere leapt out of the lake, reaching the surface. Once out, Twilight released the magic sphere. She, Rainbow Dash and Castform could fly free once more. And with Twilight's magic, she held Mayor Mare, Stoutland and Espeon, keeping them afloat via telekinesis.

Afterwards, they had descended without a scratch on them. And they made sure to land away from the lake to avoid any nearby Whiscash that could pop up. Water-Types do have the innate ability to sometimes float on land after all.

"Phew..." Twilight sighed, lying on her back. "Glad that was short-lived..."

"Apologies..." Mayor Mare sat up, adjusting her glasses. "If I had only caught these Pokemon before, we wouldn't be going through this trouble. Then again...I only received this information as of recently."

"It's okay, mayor. You didn't see it coming. Let's just hurry and get one more Pokemon and call it a day." Twilight reassured that none of this was Mayor Mare's fault. After all, they made it this far. No point in stopping now as there was just one Pokemon left.

But as they were about to leave, the Whiscash could be seen popping their heads out of the water. By the looks on their faces, they held a massive grudge as Twilight and the others spotted the emergence of the various Whiskers Pokemon.

"Cash."

"Tch! Now that we're on land, we're gonna have an easier time! "Rainbow Dash growled at the Whiscash along with Castform. Rainbow Dash had a Poke Ball out, ready to engage with the Castform.

"Is something the matter?" But this was quickly broken up once someone had spoken upon witnessing this scene. It was a Pokemon of great importance in a way. To many Pokemon at least.

That Pokemon was Virizion. One of the Swords of Justice. Upon seeing her, the Whiscash had ceased any attack they were about to pull off. Rainbow Dash also put her Poke Ball away. "O-Oh. Virizion," said Rainbow Dash with a slight stutter.

"Sorry. Did I interrupt your Pokemon Battle?"

"Well...We're glad you showed up." Twilight chuckled as she saw how static the Whiscash were since Virizion showed up. They know an important Pokemon when they see one. "Things could've gotten out of hoof."

"W-Whiscash."

"Now you wanna stop?" Rainbow Dash grumbled as Virizion could easily see what was about to occur if she never showed up.

"You wouldn't want to battle here, would you all?" Virizion asked. "Frenzy Forest is a peaceful place. Having conflict come to it doesn't seem right."

"Cash.."

"They started it though..." Rainbow Dash grumbled, crossing her hooves.

"So. Do you need something?" Virizion asked. "You must have come to the forest for a reason?"

"We already have what we need. Well, a few." Mayor Mare shrugged. "All I'm aiming for is one more facial hair Pokemon. A Probopass. It's for a Gym Leader theme with facial Hairinvolved."

"Pffft...!" Even Virizion couldn't help but chuckle at that. At the end of the day, it was the most comical Gym without a doubt considering its theming. "Well...if you're searching for Probopass, you won't find one here."

"Seriously? T-Then, where can we find one?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"They sometimes wander around the Crystal Empire near the frozen north. You will have the best of luck there. In the meantime, upon your next visit, I don't want to see any conflict between you two." Virizion then looked at Twilight's group and the Whiscash. "But you know, there are other Pokemon here with facial hair that you can choose. Such as Swalot or Jellicent."

"Just the recommended Pokemon are fine with us. It's my duty as a Gym Leader to uphold that. Plus, there has to be a reason why it would be these Pokemon. BigTime Ben suggested them after all."

"Very well. Good luck in your venture either way."

"Say...Where do you even go, Virizion?" Rainbow Dash was curious about Virizion's activities. They seem to be rarely known aside from wandering the land.

"I just go wherever. Helping those in need. Similarly to my fellow Swords of Justice. There is nothing more to it than that." That was the best answer she could give. Mainly because it was 100% true without anything else being added.

Rainbow Dash could live with that explanation. If anything, Ash and Pikachu had a similar thing to Virizion. Going wherever they can and helping whoever is in need. Afterwards, the group had left for the Crystal Empire, but the Whiscash had their eyes on them. Even if Virizion ordered any potential future conflict between them to end. Now, there was just one Pokemon left.

Probopass.

While heading for the Crystal Empire, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but wonder how her battle with Mayor Mare will go. She is the 7th Gym Leader meaning that not only is she extra strong, but she is the final obstacle before the 8th and final Gym Leader. Whoever it may be.

Mayor Mare was a great Pokemon Trainer despite using only one Pokemon ever. Stoutland. But that one Stoutland has proven to be a force to be reckoned with. Constantly taking on Honchkrow and his many Murkrow by himself a majority of the time. It was hard to imagine how much stronger she would be with more Pokemon. But these ones could definitely take some time to properly bond with more than anything. Either way, Rainbow Dash was both nervous and excited for what was to come.


The Crystal Empire. Afternoon.

They had arrived at the Crystal Empire. But they also stopped for a quick break before they can head out there and find Probopass. Something to eat and something to buy to keep them warm from the frozen north. They had bought some scarves before stopping by at a restaurant to eat.

"Mmm.." Rainbow Dash nodded in approval at the food she was eating. "That's the stuff. Say...when we get that final Pokemon, are we gonna have our Gym Battle right away, mayor?"

"Eager to have things go underway, eh? Sure." Mayor Mare agreed. "You and Twilight helped me plus you did show up there before anypony else. So...sure. Even if I have little time with the Pokemon I've caught. Not sure that Whiscash is too fond of me at the moment."

"Are you sure you want to do it right away?" An unsure Twilight asked. "Maybe giving it some time will do. You'd have a better performance that way. "I think it's best that you go at your own pace, mayor."

"Hmm...It wouldn't be any fun if one of them wasn't listening to her." The pegasus thought about it for a moment. "Ah, sure. I can wait a bit."

"Well, well, well." Just then, appearing near their table was a familiar voice once again. It wasn't Virizion this time. She didn't just decide to follow them. Instead, it was a voice that was mainly prominent in just the Crystal Empire. Ms Harshwinny. "I thought I would never see you again, Mayor Mare. Or should I call you Uppity?"

"Harshwinny." Mayor Mare replied, facing Harshwhinny with a serious tone. Twilight and Rainbow Dash could already feel the atmosphere tighten from this sudden interaction. "I'm not surprised you'd be the one pony to remember that name."

"Uppity? Your name is...Uppity?" Twilight turned to Mayor Mare. "Your real name?! Is it your real name?!"

"If it is, you don't look or act uppity to me." But Rainbow Dash couldn't see or sense the uppity nature coming from Mayor Mare.

"She certainly was back then. When we went to the same school as each other." Harswhinny began reminiscing about her younger years. Back then, Mayor Mare was in the same school as her. "You were always so pretentious and overbearing in all of our classes. Acting all high-and-mighty around everypony with what you do."

"And the best part is..." Mayor Mare leaned in with a smug look on her face. "You knew that I was that good to be so presumptuous, hm?"

"Sadly yes...You were too good at what you did, so nopony would try and knock you down or even could. That is until you met me." But Harshwhinny gave a cocky smirk as well. "I was your equal, wasn't I?"

"Yes. Yes, you were." Mayor Mare's smirk formed into a frown. "I thought I was living in another world when you came along. But you were just that good. Matching everything I did."

"Yes. Yes, I was." And Mayor Mare knew it. There were tensions rising between them both. Tensions that were giving Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Espeon, Castform and even Stoutland nerves.

"Bahahaha!" But they soon started breaking out into laughter. In unison, as they laughed, put their hooves around each other's necks, hugging afterwards. "Ah, it's good to see you again after all these years, Harshwhinny."

"The same to you, Uppity. You somehow look slightly younger than me. I'm jealous for once."

"I suppose that's the one thing you could never match me in." She chuckled at Harshwinny's comments. They were indeed good friends, and seemingly rivals in the past. "Well, I'm here to find myself a Probopass. To complete my list of Pokemon for the Gym. I have many trainers waiting for me."

"Hm-hm. Probopass, you say? I can guide you in the right direction for that."

"Oh, really?!" Twilight leaned in. "Because Virizion already mentioned how there would be one near here and the Frozen North. Is it the same area?"

"There is one here, but you're wasting your time going to the Frozen North. The only thing that you will catch is a horrible cold more than anything." Harswhinny replied. "Right where the Sableye lurk, you can find one. Or would you rather I lend you one of mine?"

"Pass. Taking one of yours would create an od synergy, wouldn't it?" Despite being friends, they still showed some playful teasing with each other. True friendship right there. "The nearest one with the Sableye will do. But...before that, while we're here...there's a favour I could ask of you." Mayor Mare got off the seat.

"You? Asking me for favours? I thought you were too skilled to need help?"

"And here I thought you'd never get used to helping others." But Mayor Mare replied with an equal sentence, showing their rivalry some more. "How about this? It's been years since our rivalry somewhat ended. What say we settle things here? With a Pokemon Battle. Not only that, but you would be helping me bond with the newest Pokemon that I've caught."

"A Pokemon Battle to settle our rivalry, you say? Hm..." Harshwinny thought about it before smiling. "Sounds like a fair decision. Steeling things with you might bring some peace to the mind, honestly."

"Excellent. Your Gym. You and me. There is only one Pokemon I could struggle with. So we'll make it a one-on-one." Mayor Mare mentioned Whiscash as she and Harshwinny shook hooves. Their rivalry would continue and seemingly end here with a Pokemon Battle.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash would have the pleasure of witnessing this battle take place. Against two Gym Leaders and old friends. However, this would be a test for Mayor Mare and her newly caught Whiscash. She would need this test to better bond with the Whiskers Pokemon and its rough disposition.


Harshwinny's Gym.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash and their Pokemon sat on the seats of the Gym while Mayor Mare and Mrs Harshwinny stood afar from each other on this field. There was no referee for this battle, neither did Twilight act as one.

"From how you put it, this may not be where our rivalry ends, Uppity," said Harshwinny. "If you are only asking this battle to happen to train one Pokemon, then you won't be giving it your all, would you?"

"You know I was far too cocky back then to give it my all." Mayor Mare held out the Dive Ball before throwing it. "Go! Whiscash!"

"Whiscash!"

"Whiscash, eh? Then in that case...Sudowoodo!" Harshwinny chose an odd choice. Sudowoodo was her pick.

"Sudowoodo!"

"Sudowoodo? Are you trying to lose? You know that I'm the type you should never hold back on." Mayor Mare shook her head, not understanding this Pokemon Choice.

"With all that time in Ponyville and Ash mentoring many of your citizens, I would've thought by now you would've known that Typings aren't everything."

"Fair enough. Now, Whiscash...are you going to make things simple for us?" The mayor asked the Whiskers Pokemon.

"Whiscash..." Whiscash swivelled to face Mayor Mare, giving a blank stare. Stoutland was ready to act in case Whiscash would attack his trainer. There was a moment of silence between them.

"If you do, I can treat you to all the food in the world. Mainly my town. I am the mayor, after all..." She winked at the Water-Ground-Type.

"Whiscash?!" Whiscash liked the sound of that. It was a fairly gluttonous Pokemon. And having free food at all times sounded like a safe bet. The Whiskers Pokemon turned to face Sudowoodo, ready for a battle. "Cash!"

"That easily?!" Rainbow Dash gasped.

"We're ready! Whiscash, Water Pulse!" Mayor Mare shouted, pointing her hoof.

"Whis...Cash!" Whiscash went first, unleashing a pulsing blast of water without wasting any time. Sudowoodo stood there, ready for the impact and whatever could come next.

"Allow us to borrow it for a moment! Mimic!"

"Sudo...!" Sudowoodo braced himself. His eyes flared as he immediately copied Water Pulse just by staring at it. His body flared with a golden light as the attack had struck him, dealing super-effective damage. But, now he had a new move to use against Whiscash.

"Return to sender! Water Pulse!"

"Sudo!" Sudowoodo easily recovered from the Water Pulse, leaping through the blue smoke before appearing in front of Whiscash.

"Cash?!"

"Sudo...!" Sudowoodo had summoned Water Pulse not his arms, promptly throwing it at the Water-Ground-Type from above. Whiscash was now the one who took the hit, moving back a bit.

"That still isn't enough for this Pokemon! Whiscash, use Earth Power!"

"Cash! Whiscash!" Whiscash used its natural strength to attack this time. Via slamming its tail onto the floor, causing golden shockwaves to zigzag in Sudowoodo's direction.

"Give it your own Earth Power!"

"Woodo!" But Sudowoodo had Earth Power as well. He slammed his arms onto the floor, also causing golden shockwaves t to emerge. Both these attacks shook the Gym, almost making everyone lose their balance. The windows vibrated, almost shattering as the two attacks had clashed. All that was left was a crack in the floor and an outburst of energy afterwards.

"If you think I have SUdowoodo out without anything to fight back against his weaknesses...think again! Wood Hammer, immediately!"

"Sudo!" Sudowoodo then advanced after the Earth Power clash had ended, having his arms glow. Wood Hammer was something that would severely harm Whiscash, no doubt.

"Meet it with Aqua Tail!"

"Cash!" Immediately, Whiscash had countered Sudowood's Woodhammer via Aqua Tail. A veil of water surrounded its tail as it had met with the Imitation Pokemon's arms. They started going back and forth with it being tail vs arms. It looked like two swords clashing as Sudowoodo managed to avoid one of the Aqua Tails by jumping over it. "Whiscash?!"

"Sudowoodo!" Sudowoodo then delivered a heavy floor-shattering overhead Wood Hammer to Whiscash. The blow was so heavy that not only did Whiscash stagger, ending Aqua Tail, but the floor gained a crater after Whiscash had been forced down. A colossal smoke cloud came from this with Mayor Mare having to step back. Harshwinny stood there unphased, knowing what would come next.

It wouldn't be another move from Whiscash. Mainly because Whiscash was down and out after that devastating Wood Hammer. It had fainted as Sudowoodo jumped back, taking a bow. "Sudo."

"W-Whiscash..."

"Ouch..." Rainbow Dash cringed, feeling Whiscash's pain. "Then again, should've seen that coming with Wood Hammer available."

"Castform."

"Whiscash." Mayor Mare went up to the Whiskers Pokemon. "I apologize for the short-lived battle but...you did try your best." She then held Whiscash up, congratulating it in its endeavour. Albeit brief. "You have some potential. I just wasn't able to bring it out since we just met."

"Cash...Whiscash..." Whiscash then gave a smile to Mayor Mare suddenly, showing that there was something sparking between them. It was this one loss against Harshwinny's Sudowoodo that a new bond had been sprouted.

"I can't accept that." Harshwinny sighed. "Uppity. Next time, would you give me that true Pokemon Battle I so desire? Then we can truly end our rivalry, wouldn't you agree?"

"You don't have to tell me twice, Harshwinny. I promise you that once I've sorted everything out with my new Pokemon, we will be unstoppable. Mainly to you." She smirked. "But thank you for this battle, anyway. It was fun catching up with you again. And I can see you still have the 'Ms' in your name. Haven't found anypony yet?"

"Hoh? If I recall, you're still lonely, aren't you?" Harshwinny replied as their bickering returned in a heartbeat. But it was all in good fun. They laughed at each other afterwards.

"I'll find somepony. I hope the same goes for you. In the meanwhile..." The mayor stood up, adjusting her glasses before facing Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash. We have a Gym Battle to attend to soon. How does 2 days sound?"

"2 days? Hah! I'm up for it!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, fapping her wings with excitement. "But are you sure you're ready for me and my team in just 2 days, mayor?"

"You'd be surprised what I can pull off in a short amount of time. It's why I'm the mayor, after all."

"And it's why she was so good in class," Harshwinny added to Mayor Mare's compliments. The mayor appreciated it from her friend plus rival at the same time. "Now then, let's get you that Probopass before you head off, why don't we?"

A date for their battle was set. Rainbow Dash would soon have the chance to go up against Mayor Mare and potentially achieve the 7th Gym Badge. And with new Pokemon, one that was already kind enough to work with Harshwinny, another that was soon to come via Harshwinny's help and a stubborn but slightly understanding Whiscash, Mayor Mare's new had been born.

As the journey continues.


Chapter 675 End.