//------------------------------// // Planning for this very moment // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Canterlot. Canterlot Stadium. The third rounds of the Canterlot Junior Cup were next. Only six trainers remained in it, making this the Quarterfinals. Managing to pull through with their skills alone were the Cutie Mark Crusaders as the three of them managed to make it in. The remaining six were in the waiting room, taking a small break before the next match between Gelidity and Diamond Tiara would happen. "It's just us now," Scootaloo said to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. "Pretty soon, I'll be battling you, Apple Bloom." "Can't wait." Apple Bloom grinned with a beaming smile. "I knew we'd all face each other someday. Now's a good time for that." "Let's make it so that it's all three of us left in the game, okay." Sweetie Belle suggested as they all put their hooves together, promising to try and reach the semi-finals together. "And after that, one of us is battling Ash." "I've wanted to battle Ash more than anypony. So, I'm going all-in for this. Hope you don't mind." "It's fine. I'm a coordinator more than a battler after all. Ash is all yours. If you can get past me that is." Sweetie Belle laughed while also taunting her friend. "But...Gelidity might be the perfect mix of both. She's so strong." "And if she makes it to the next round, I'll have to face her. So uh...no pressure, right?" Scootaloo responded with a nervous laugh. "That won't happen." But Diamond Tiara intervened, thinking otherwise. "Because I'm beating here. That's just what's going to happen and nothing else." "Okay," Gelidity replied. "We'll see. Let's just have fun. The day's somehow still young too so we're all lively. Especially in summer. But from where I'm from, the heat is getting a bit too much." "It's time for you two to start." Nurse Joy walked over while tending to the remaining Pokemon that had battled earlier. "Good luck." While Diamond Tiara and Gelidity were about to have their battle, up at the castle, Night Sprout, who was still kept within Celestia's magical bubble, was watching from a high point in the castle while also having Premium Polish beside her. The two fillies who were not normal ponies had met for the first time. "Ooh. So you're a vampire?" Premium Polish learned of Night Sprout's true identity. "Not as scary as I thought you'd be." "Not yet. I'm still young." Night Sprout proudly replied. "One day I'll grow big and fierce and these fangs are gonna have some extra bite to them." "Neat. Since you're a unique pony, the same goes for me. I'm an android pony." After Night Sprout revealed what kind of pony she was, Premium Polish felt that it was fitting for her to do the same. "Android? What's that?" "It's like a robot pony. But I look just like a regular one, don't I? I freaked out when I found that out." Premium explained. "Everything you see here is all steel and flesh put together." "Weird...I like it!" Being that she's from the Dread League, this type of thing was fascinating to Night Sprout. Anything uncomfortable was a plus in her book. "Uh...that's a weird thing to like." Premium laughed nervously as the guards entered the room with a plethora of food. Celestia ordered for Night Sprout to have the best and indeed, the best had been delivered as they were all placed on a moving table. Premium Polish and Night Sprout gawked at the food as all of it was insanely appealing to the eyes, even for a vampire who comes from a dark place. This was definitely above a guest meal. It looked like a meal for a royal family. "Oooh...this all looks so good. I get to have it?" "Mm." The guard nodded. "Just so you know, this won't change my mind but..." Night Sprout stuck her tongue out. "It looks so good though...but how am I ging to eat this since I'm stuck in here? I guess you're gonna have to free me. Right?" She then let out a cheeky grin, believing that she would be freed from the bubble. "Not at all. The bubble works so that only those outside can interact with it." The guard explained, shutting Night Sprout down as she put on a disappointed face. "Bummer...Oh well." Night Sprout would still get to eat exquisite food so it wouldn't be a total loss. The guards moved the table and food through the bubble, giving Night Sprout access to all of these goodies. It was all free for her to eat. She was bot a guest and a prisoner essentially. And with all of this food, she could eat while watching the battles of the Canterlot Junior Cup. It would help boost the enjoyment of the battle when eating something good. Speaking of the tournament, Gelidity and Diamond Tiara had already arrived at the arena, ready to begin. "Both trainers, please send out your Pokemon." The referee ordered. "This time, I choose, Purrloin!" Diamond Tiara threw her Poke Ball into the air as Purrloin had emerged. "Purrloin!" "Oooh, Purrloin. Then...Ninetales! Please, come out!" Gelidity immediately picked an excellent counter to Purrloin. Her Alolan Ninetales. "Ninetales!" "Her Alolan Ninetales is what spooks me...but I've got this." She thought to herself. Ninetales was essentially her ace, which would make this a harder battle. But Diamond Tiara also had her ace Purrloin out, giving her some confidence. "It's a 1 on 1...which means, if this were a full battle with more Pokemon, I'd have a chance to beat one of them. I just have to make it feel like I'm battling against another Pokemon in her team that I've already faced. That doesn't sound any better in my head..." "Battle start!" "Ninetales! Ice Beam!" "Tales! Nine...!" Ninetales pulled her head back before gathering a mist of ice around her mouth. Seconds later, it had been unleashed in the form of a chilling beam of ice. "Purrloin! Shadow Ball, now!" "Purr!" Retaliating against Ice Beam, Purrloin stood up in a bipedal position before then generating a blob of shadows. The Devious Pokemon then chucked it as if it were a toy, crashing the blob against Ninetales' Ice Beam. Both attacks matched each other in power, blowing up in unison right afterwards. "We're off to a good start. Now get in there and start scratching with Night Slash!" "Purr!" Purrloin hissed and let out a fierce meow before then covering her claws in darkness. The Devious Pokemon ran through the smoke as Gelidity acted immediately. "I can't use Extrasensory on it...So then, Aurora Veil!" "Nine!" Alolan Ninetales cried out as her body became surrounded in a veil of rainbow-colored aura. This would greatly help her resist attacks as Purrloin lunged at Ninetales landing on her face. "Nine?!" "Purr...Loin!" Once on her face, Purrloin started scratching, seeing Ninetales as a couch or curtain. Something that cats love to ruin as her claw movements were speedy, resulting in various scratches. "Oh!" Gelidity gasped. "Blow her away with Ice Beam! Ninetales!" "Nine...!" "That'll do for now, Purrloin!" "Purr!" After getting a ton of licks in with all of that scratching, Purrlin hopped off of the Fox's Pokemon's face, right as she was going for Ice Beam. The beam of ice came flying out, going over Purrloin's head and into the sky. A successful dodge on Purrloin's part as there were scratch marks on Alolan Ninetales' face. "Purrloin." "She's doing good so far." Sweetie Belle commented while watching. "Do you maybe think she can pull it off?" "Why are you asking me? I have no idea." Scootaloo shrugged. "But I'm excited to see how this turns out!" "Ninetales! Imagine that this is a contest! Ice Beam and Aurora Veil!" "Nine!" Once again, Gelidity and her Pokemon would battle as if they were in a Pokemon Contest, making them a bigger threat than usual. It started with Alolan Ninetales letting out a beautiful howl before summoning that rainbow-coloured veil once more. "That's it..." Diamond Tiara stood there, waiting it out. She didn't captiilize on this moment. Instead, she was taking her time along with Purrloin, waiting for the next command. "Why isn't she doing anything?" Rainbow Dash wondered. "Ninetales is taking a while to make this contest move happen." "She has something planned. You can see it in her eyes." Twilight pointed out. "Whatever it is, Diamond Tiara knows what she wants to do next." "Tales!" Ninetales then merged two of her attacks together. By continuing to use Aurora Veil, she started expanding its size before then adding Ice Beam into it, summoning a light blue chilling beam as it had then mixed with the veil of rainbows. Ninetales managed to manipulate the veil, turning it into an attack via this combination of moves before then unleashing it as a light blue rainbow beam. "Now! Copycat!" "Purr!" Diamond Tiara's plan had been unveiled. She waited for the right moment and showed just what she had planned. Copycat. And just like the name suggests, it copied exactly what Ninetales did. Not the move that she used, but her means of attacking. She managed to replicate both Ice Beam and Aurora Veil combined, summoning that same chilling rainbow veil around her. It happened the moment Ninetales' attack had struck Purrloin. It was a direct hit, dealing damage to Purrloin, but it was not a definite victory for Gelidity as the moment the attack had hit Purrloin, not only did she withstand it, but she also jumped through the smoke, while also using the aura of Ice Beam and Aurora Veila round her. "What the?!" Sweetie Belle and her friends gasped upon seeing this combo. Purrloin copied Ninetales' attack and changed it up, approaching the Fox Pokemon. She had a light blue and rainbow aura, similar to what Ninetales made except now she made it her own. "Oh!" Gelitidy's eyes flared open as this wasn't the response she was expecting from Purrloin. Before she and Ninetales knew it, Purrloin had crashed into the Ice-Fairy-Type with this dazzling combo, resulting in a rainbow explosion. "N-Nine!" Alolan Ninetales cried out before then being blown back by her own combination, tumbling on the ground. "How's that?!" Diamond Tiara smirked. "Copycat usually copies the attack of the opponent. But in this case, it managed to get two in a row since Alolan Ninetales ended up using both Aurora Veil and Ice Beam at the same time, making it one move. I was saving this for my contest but now was a good time to use it." "You planned that...?" Gelidity gawked. "It wasn't easy. I spent days, weeks and a few months just for this." She then chuckled. "I figured that since contest attacks usually use combination, wy not use Copycat to capitalize on that. But I couldn't have done it without Ash recommending it to me." She then revealed that Ash was the one who taught her to try it out. "That's a one-time use and thankfully, Aurora Veil boosted Purrloin's defence! You used it twice so you Ninetales is definitely tougher. But I've got the answer for that. Iron Tail!" "Purr!" Purrloin had a super-effective attack at her disposal in the form of Iron Tail. "You're impressive, Diamond Tiara. But I won't lose. Go, Ninetales! Moonblast and Ice Beam!" "Tales...! Ninetales!" Ninetales combined two other attacks yet again. It started with Ninetales with her gathering the power of the moon itself. An image of the moon appears behind her as it then formed an orb of pink energy in front of her mouth afterwards. "Faster!" "Purr!" Just then, Purrloin accelerated, approaching Ninetales at a quicker made as it made Gelidity jump. "Oh! Quick, Ninetales!" "Nine!" Ninetales could feel the urgency in Gelidity's voice as she then shot Ice Beam into the sphere, but since it was sped up, Ninetales didn't have time to make it as beautiful as it needed to be. Either way, once the sphere was hit by Ice Beam, only a bit of it managed to freeze over, making it look hal frozen as Ninetales unleashed it. "Smash through it!" "Purr...Loin!" Purrloin had used the power of Iron Tail to capatilzie against the dual weakness of Ice and Fairy. She swung her tail, smashing the ice and the sphere. After doing so, the attack had been discombobulated as the shards of ice went flying in Ninetales' direction, bombarding her as the Fairy Magic shattered. "Diamond Tiara's winning?!" Apple Bloom and the others couldn't believe her eyes. So far, it was Diamond Tiara and her Purrloin that were gaining the advantage in this battle. "Aw. That didn't look as pretty as you hoped, huh?" Diamond Tiara taunted. "That's another thing. Since you wanna use your contest moves in this battle, I figured that I'd just stop you before that combination can fix itself. And I picked the right moves and the right Pokemon ust for your Ninetales." "Just for Ninetales...?" Gelidity stepped back. "That's right. I taught Copycat and Iron Tail to Purrloin all because of you." Diamond Tiara aimed her hoof at her fellow earth pony, revealing that she was waiting for this moment from the beginning. "My Purrloin and I were fixated on beating you since you made yourself such a big deal. We aren't in a Pokemon Contest, so using Contest moves in something that's way fiecer than a contest where everything's just constant movement is a big mistake. Just saying." "Uh...!" Gelidity was dumbfounded. Diamond Tiara planned this out far better than expected. Gelidity knew that she was a prime target within Pokemon Contests. "Oh my." Fluttershy and many other's eyes widened after Diamond Tiara revealed her plan. "That's dedication." "I'll say." Rarity nodded in approval. "It's almost spiteful how she did it all for just one Pokemon seemingly. But still genius either way." "Gelidity looks a bit out of it. See?" Pinkie Pie pointed out how Gelidity's expression changed from calm and composed to downright blown back. This was something new, even for the eyes of Sweetie Belle and her friends. Gelidity was always composed during her contest and een during her first two battles in this competition. But now, they were seeing just how shocked she was. And Diamond Tiara loved it. Her smile said it all as seeing a befuddled Gelidity brought some peace to her as she started thinking to herself. "You were always the talk of Pokemon Contests here in Equestria. I decided that if I'm going to be the best coordinator, I need to 1UP you. Even more than that. I needed to show everyone just how much I can overwhelm you. The best of the best so far. So that way, I'd show you aren't invincible and throw you off your game. That's how I like to play my battles. If anypony's going to be the most known and greatest coordinator, it's me." "W-Well..." Gelidity shook her head. "Then...I won't battle like I'm in a contest. I will battle the normal way if that works." Now that Diamond TIara stunned her, Gelidity figured that playing it the usual way was the best option. "Go ahead if you think that'll be a better option. Purrloin and I are ready for you! Night Slash!" "Ninetales! Moonblast!" Gelidity grit her teeth, finally showing a serious face and a sense of pressure being put on her by Diamond Tiara and Purrloin. "Ninetales!" Alolan Ninetales would now amp the intensity along with Gelidity. They now saw that Diamond Tiara was a force that should not be underestimated. In fact, Diamond Tiara was seemingly appearing as the superior force here. Meanwhile, Purrloin was already approaching with her claws being coated in darkness. Ninetales gathered the moon's power before then harnessing it into a sphere. "That's it..." Diamond Tiara thought to herself once more. "I've already stunned you to make you battle differently than what you're used too.. Now it's time to strike while you're still feeling that pressure before you get your cool back." "Purr!" Purrloin then scratched her claws onto the orb of Fairy Maic, trying to break through it. The sphere managed to win the clash, blowing up and pushing Purrloin back. But thanks to Aurora Veil, Purrloin slightly withstood it. However, despite changing the way Gelidity acted, Ninetales still had two Aurora Veils that had been used previously. Purrloin slid on the ground before bearing her fangs. "Shadow Ball! Roll it!" "Purrloin!" Purrloin then held one paw out, summoning a sphere made out of shadows before then rolling it on the ground. "Blow it away with Extrasensory!" "Ninetales!" Ninetales would destroy Shadow Ball via Extrasensory as she released a rainbow-colored beam, focusing it on the ground. Extrasensory and Shadow Ball met with each other before combusting with Infinity Energy going everywhere. "Return the favour with Copycat!" "Pur!" Purrloin then used Copycat once more. Straight through the smoke, that same rainbow-colored beam from before had shown up, this time, from Purrloin's eyes as they struck Ninetales square in the face. "Nine!" "Go! Iron Tail!" "Purr!" Once Ninetales had been staggered by her own attack, Purrloin advanced with a hardened tail. "Ice Beam on the ground!" "Nine!" Acting quickly, Ninetales had unleashed Ice Beam on the ground, causing an immediate flash-freeze. "You think I didn't plan for that too?! How's this for a Contest move?! Smash the ground!" "Purrloin!" Adapting in a heartbeat, Purrloin had used the strength of Iron Tail to smash the ground. The ice had been destroyed immediately as shards of ice rose up. "Hit them back!" "Purr!" Afterwards, Purrloin swung her tail repeatedly, hitting the shards back at Ninetales in droves. "Dodge them, please!" "Ninetales!" Ninetales quickly zoomed the side, evading the approaching shards of ice as the Fox Pokemon was on the backfot. "Hw abut we freeze that ground ourselves? Copycat!" "Purr...Loin!" Mimicking Ninetals, Purrloin had also frozen the ground by breathing an icy beam of ice once she copied Ice Beam. The ice had been frozen yet again as Ninetales slid from all the dodging that she did from the shards. She almost fell over from it before maintaining her balance. "And you don't have an attack strong enough to shatter this. Go, Purrloin! Iron Tail one more time!" "Purr!" Purrloin continued to advance on Ninetales with Iron Tail, coming at full force while also sliding on the icy ground, using it to boost her speed. "I can! Moonblast!" "Ninetales aimed her mouth at the ground before then unleashing Moonblast with all of her strength. She would prove to Diamond Tiara that she did have an attack that could destroy the ice, even if it was not steel or anything hard. Moonblast had been shot at the ground, striking the ice as a pink explosion emerged. It did damage the ice, but unfortunately, one Moonblast was not enough to break it all, much to the shock of Gelidity as Purrloin skated past the explosion. Gelidity was hoping to break the ice and ruin Purrloin's smooth movements, but that did not come as easy. "Oh, no!" "Patience pays off! All my months of waiting are gonna shine here! Go, Purrloin! "Purr...!" Purrloin then lunged into the air, getting extra close to Ninetales as she was going for an overhead attack. "Ninetales! Moonblast again!" "Ninetales!" Ninetales unleashed Moonblast a second time. Purrloin swung her tail downwards as it struck the orb of Fairy Magic, resulting in a heavy clash. Purrloin hissed as she drove her tail straight through the orb. Not only did she overpower it thanks to the raw power of Iron Tail against a pressured Ninetales, she also cut it in half. "You're done for!" "Loin!" Once she cut the orb in half, Purrloin smashed the tail onto Ninetales' head, delivering a super-effective blow. The hit was so hard that not only was Ninetales forced into the ground, but the ice ground had shattered as well. Blue smoke had emerged, filling the arena as Purrloin jumped out of it. The Devious Pokemon then cleaned herself from all of the dust as everyone looked into the scene of destruction. "That's that." said Diamond Tiara. "Victory is...mine?!" She gasped along with many others as once the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Alolan Ninetales was still standing. "N-Ninetales...!" Ninetales breathed in and out as she was completely damaged from this pressurizing battle. "Amazing! She handled all of that?!" Twilight exclaimed with amazement in her eyes. "Ninetales! You're okay!" Gelidity was thrilled to see this. "You would never go down so easily! I knew it! Thank you!" She now believed she still had a chance after seeing her partner still stand. Diamond Tiara narrowed her eyes, also believing that she may have to do some extra work before claiming victory. However, none of that would happen. "N-Ninetales..." Ninetales then dropped, losing the strength to stand up. That was all she could muster as this battle was over. Ninetales had fainted. "Ninetales..." "Ninetales is unable to battle! Purrloin wins! Thus, the victor is Diamond Tiara!" She did her best. But ultimately, due to Diamond Tiara preparing for this one moment and capitilizing on a few weaknesses, Gelidity, who seemed invincible, had lost the battle, much to the shock of Sweetie Belle. "Oh." Gelidity said with a slightly slumped heart, closing her eyes. "I lost. It seems. Oh well...We tried our best, Ninetales. You did everything you could." She then walked over to the Ice-Fairy-Type, hugging her downed body. "Nine..." Ninetales sat up, nudging Gelidity's face and nuzzling it afterwards, making her laugh. "Ah. It's my victory. Splendid work, Purrloin." Diamond Tiara praised her partner. Purrloin then looked back at Diamond Tiara before putting on an adorable smile. Right after she smiled, her body started glowing. "Purr. Purrloin?" "Oh!" The earth pony's jaw dropped as everyone leaned in to see this sudden flare of white energy. It came out of nowhere, but it meant only one thing. Darkness swirled around Purrloin's body, closing in on her as her body shape started changing. She got back on all fours, growing in size. Her body length becme sleeker as her eyes flared within the energy. Yellow sparkles radiated out as Purrloin was evolving. Once the energy burst out, leaving behind purple and yellow stardust with dark particles inside of them, out came Purrloin's final evolution. After that battle, she ended up evolving into the Cruel Pokemon. Liepard. "Liepard!" "Oh! You evolved! Amazing!" Naturally, this was an extra bonus in Diamond Tiara's eyes. Not only did she win, but her Pokemon had also evolved, prompting her to take out the Pokedex. "Liepard. The Cruel Pokemon. These Pokémon vanish and appear unexpectedly. Many Trainers are drawn to their beautiful form and fur. Stealthily, it sneaks up on its target, striking from behind before its victim has a chance to react." "Lucky me! And I got a new move to boot! Liepard, this is great!" Diamond Tiara ran over, pouncing and hugging the Cruel Pokemon after her evolution. "Good for you, Diamond Tiara." Gelidity smiled. "You battled well...and bested me." "I did. Uh...Sorry if I went a bit overboard there. I got a bit too into it, honestly." She squeed. "I did kinda throw you a bit too off balance there." "It's fine. You planned it all very well. I can't be mad at something to genius." Gelidity laughed. "It also helped me and Ninetales see that we have ways to go. I guess I'm more of a coordinator than a battler." "Mm. Root for me, okay? Because very soon, I'll be facing him." Diamond Tiara then faced Ash, who was cheering due to this heated battle of wits and strategy. Sweetie Belle rubbed her eyes before then applauding the efforts of Diamond Tiara. No choice but to celebrate it. "Now I'm a bit worried about Diamond Tiara." Scootaloo said. "But right now, it's you and me next, Apple Bloom." "Eeyup. Let's make it a good one." Apple Bloom held her hoof out as Scootaloo shook it. As good friends, they would battle hard against each other. This Canterlot Junior Cup was starting to reach its final soon with few trainers left. Afterwards, Sweetie Belle would have to face Lucky and thus, the semi finals could begin as the journey continues. Chapter 817 End.