//------------------------------//
// And then there were three 
// Story: My Little Pokémon 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

Equestria. Canterlot. Canterlot Stadium. Late Afternoon.

The finals were here. And it would be a battle consisting of more than just two competitors, but three, making it a unique finals match. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara were the final trainers remaining and would have their final battles before reaching Ash, who was waiting for either one of them. A short break had been issued to give Sweetie Belle some time to rest.

And once she rested up after an extra heated battle with BigTime Ben, she was ready for the final battle against her friends who managed to make it here based on their skills alone, their spirits and some month-long planning to boot. The Canterlot Junior Cup was at its final stage at last and the Sun was still shining with ample time left.

"This final match of the Canterlot Junior Cup will be a three-way battle instead of the usual 1-on-1!" The announcer said as the three fillies took their spots. Scootaloo on the right, Sweetie Belle on the left and Diamond Tiara in the middle.

"A three-way battle? Really?" said Rainbow Dash as no one was expecting this. 

"I expected this." Except for Twilight. "There was a reason why that extra battle against BigTime Ben happened and why the Semifinals were taken away. Being that they were one pony short would've caused some chaos, but that seems to have been sorted out. Now, the finals are between three different trainers."

"Even if there's a third party in there, my sister will not lose." Rarity replied.

"Well, I'm shooting for Scootaloo to win this. Go!" Rainbow Dash thrust her hoof into the air, cheering for Scootaloo.

"Since this is a three-way battle, the rules of a regular Pokemon Battle are the same. You're only allowed one Pokemon for each side and the battle will be over when two Pokemon from either side have fallen and just one remains. You have 10 minutes as usual." The referee laid out some brief rules for this battle.

"We've made it this far. But I don't plan on losing." Scootaloo said to her friends.

"I didn't have a plan for you, Scootaloo. Or you too, Sweetie Belle." Diamond Tiara added. "Only for Gelidity. But, even so, I can win this without needing a month-long plan."

"Winging it? That's fine." Sweetie Belle laughed. "That's what we do as Pokemon Trainers most of the time. If we don't have a plan..."

"We just go with the flow. Right?" Scootaloo continued as the other two nodded in agreement.

"Trainers. Please send out your Pokemon."

"Rapidash, let's go!"

"Out you come, Meowstic!"

"Go, Liepard!"

The three of them chose their best and strongest Pokemon respectively. Scootaloo's Rapidash, Sweetie Belle's Female Meowstic and Diamond Tiara's newly evolved Liepard.

"Rapidash!" Once their aces arrived, the trio of aces started at each other and so did their trainers. There was a bit of silence as anticipation for the final match was heavy. The referee looked over at them before uttering those sacred and exciting words.

"Battle Start!"

"Me first! Rapidash, Flame Charge, go!"

"Rapidash!" Rapidash would make the first move out of his friends. Rapidash stomped his hooves before then covering himself in a burst of flames.

"You're not the fastest anymore..." But Diamond Tiara intervened, however. "Liepard! Night Slash!"

"Liepard!" Liepard was the one who ended up going first instead. With a flash in her eyes, Liepard moved at swift speeds, swifter than what she used to be when she was a Purrloin as she had approached Rapidash with her claws out, coated in darkness.

"Ah! To your left, Rapidash!"

"Rapidash!" Rapidash was still just as quick as he reacted to Liepard approaching him from the left. He galloped to the right as immediately, Rapidash and Liepar clashed with Liepard's darkness-coated claws meeting with Rapidash's head and his flame aura.

"Liepard got this fast?!" Scootaloo did.

"Of course. Leopards in our world are already pretty fast, so this was a given. But a Pokemon leopard is far faster obviously." Diamond Tiara smirked.

"Liepard!" Liepard roared, trying to overpower Rapidash. But, they seemed to be equal with neither of them being able to gain the strength advantage as it seemed to be an endless struggle.

"Now's my chance. Meowstic, use Thunderbolt!" And along came Sweetie Belle to also intervene.

"Meowstic!" Meowstic joined the battle, using Thunderbolt. She leapt into the air before putting her paws together, forming a spark of energy. Out of the spark emerged a bolt of 100,000 volts that went straight for their opposing two Pokemon.

"As if! Get back, Liepard!"

"You too, Rapidash!"

"Dash!" Both Rapidash and Liepard moved back, evading the blast of electricity just in time with their speed. However, Rapidash was now slightly faster thanks to Flame Charge, returning as the fastest out of the three as the bolt hit the ground instead. Diamond Tiara already knew of Rapidash's increased speed.

And she wanted it for herself.

"Copycat! Go after Meowstic next!"

"Lie!" Luckily for her, she'd just the attack for that. Copycat. Liepard immediately flashed her eyes at Rapidash before then copying his Flame Charge, reading his Infinity Energy. After copying it, Liepard's body was surrounded by those same scarlet flames as he went straight for Meowstic!"

"Quick, Meowstic! Dodge and use Energy Ball!"

"Meow!" Jumping back, Meowstic had unleashed another ranged attack. This time in the form of a green orb that was made out of the power of nature, throwing it at Liepard.

"That won't stop Liepard! Go!"

"Liepard!" Only for Liepard to charge right through the ball, burning it all up as she advanced at Meowstic. Right after she burnt through the ball, Liepard crashed into Meowstic with Flame Charge, not only blowing the Constraint Pokemon with a fiery explosion, but her speed had raised as well, putting her back on par with Rapidash.

"Meowstic!" Meowstic cried out as she flew through the air. The Psychic-Type managed to recover by herself, sliding to the ground.

"This is only the early parts of the match! Don't worry, Meowstic!" Sweetie Belle yelled. "Let's try and use Psyshock on Rapidash!"

"Meow!" The Constraint Pokemon hovered in the air as she closed her eyes. Upon opening them, they flashed three different colours. Three thick masses of light blue, blue, and purple energy formed in front of Meowstic's body as she burst the orbs at the Fire Horse Pokemon before they then turned into beams midway.

"Alright, Rapidash! High Horsepower!"

"Rapidash!" Rapidash neighed before standing on his hind legs as his body was lathered in an orange aura. With the full force of his body, then charged at the beams, crashing into them. He tried barging through the attacks to reach Meowstic, however this time, Meowstic wouldn't allow that to happen a second time as the two attacks cancelled each other out, resulting in an explosion and some smoke afterwards.

"Night Slash!"

"Lie!" Out of the smoke came Liepard, capitalizing on this area effect to strike Meowstic, going for a super-effective blow.

"Look out, Meowstic! Energy Ball!"

"Meow!" Meowstic gasped, just now reacting to Liepard's appearance as she was so fast it took just 2 seconds to spot her. But the moment Meowstic made the green sphere, Liepard had already reached the Psychic-Type, slashing her claws of darkness.

"Liepard!" A super-effective blow as Meowstic was blown back by this one, rolling on the ground.

"Ah! Meowstic!" Sweetie Belle cried out, seeing Meowstic roll after receiving a heavy and super-effective blow. Meowstic was still in this, but that Night Slash left a mark that whittled her down. The Constraint Pokemon stopped rolling afterwards before then groaning.

"High Horsepower!"

"Rapidash!" Along came Rapidash to attack Liepard while she was looking elsewhere. It would be an attack from the back this time.

"Copycat!"

"Liepard!" But Liepard would copy Rapidash's High Horsepower. And it would be far more effective for Rapidash. 

Both of them charged at each other with that same glowing orange aura before then butting heads. Since Rapidash was taller, Liepard had to lunge to make this work. They entered yet another struggle before going back and forth. They separated, charging in again as Liepard zoomed to the side, evading Rapidash's High Horsepower first.

When she evaded and rushed in for a chance to strike, Rapidash did the same, jumping over her. Rapidash tried stomping on Liepard with High Horsepower while he was in the air, but having an equally great reaction time, Liepard ran out of the way as the two of them turned around, butting heads once more. These two were equal so far as this battle was getting everyone excited. This back and forth and fast-paced action was already putting it on par with the battle between Sweetie Belle and BigTime Ben.

"No good. Meowstic's too slow to keep up with those two." Speaking of Sweetie Belle, she growled, showing a sweatdrop as Rapidash and Meowstic were taking control of this battle while Meowstic was falling behind so far. "Keeping my distance is the best she can do...unless. I got it! Meowstic! Trick Room!"

"Meowstic!" But there was an answer to this. Thanks to this overwhelming amount of speed that her opponents had, Meowstic figured that it would be best if she received it. Trick Room was the way to go. Once she put her arms up, Meowstic summoned a massive box made out of Psychic energy that surrounded the entire arena.

Meowstic manipulated the dimensions themselves to give herself an advantage, reshaping reality slightly. It would all be worth it as the moment she altered the dimensions, the speed of both Rapidash and Liepard had been reversed. No longer were they the fastest.

Now it was Meowstic.

"Rapidash?"

"Liepard?" Liepard and Rapidash stopped their head-on clashing to look over at Meowstic. So did their trainers. This speed change could mean trouble for them as they mainly relied on their speed for victory.

"Big deal. Copycat!"

"Lie!" But in the end, it was all for nothing as Liepard was the perfect counter to everything that these two could do so far. The moment Trick Room had been used, Liepard copied Meowstic's move, using it for herself. The dimensions were being altered once more.

"Wait! What happens when two Trick Rooms get used at the same time?!" This was new to Sweetie Belle along with Scootaloo too.

"That's easy. Having a Pokémon that can also use Trick Room in retaliation can reverse the effects of the move. If the move is used twice, the dimensions return to normal.

"No way!" Sweetie Belle pulled back as her plans had been foiled.

"I don't believe it. Liepard seems unstoppable."Twilight commented. "All three of its moves are so perfect for her opponents. Night Slash for Meowstic. Copycat exclusively for Rapidash's High Horsepower to use against him and the chance to increase her speed thanks to Flame Charge. Diamond Tiara's Liepard is..."

"Terrifying?" Pinkie Pie replied first.

"Invincible?" Then Rainbow Dash.

"Practically perfect?" And Starlight finished it off. Twilight nodded as those were all the things she thought about when trying to describe Liepard.

"Mm. And there's still that fourth move that she learned when she evolved from Purrloin earlier." Fluttershy added. "That hasn't been used either."

"No need to worry!" A nervous Rarity bit her hoof. "It doesn't matter if she has the world's most perfect and flawless Pokemon! My little sister won't lose so easily to such counters! Come on, Sweetie Belle, darling!" She then stood up, further trying to boost Sweetie Belle's confidence.

"Phew..." Scootaloo felt relieved. She was worried about the speed change as Diamond Tiara inadvertently saved her. She only intended for Liepard's speed to return but Trick Room affects everyone after all.

"Aw, come on!" Sweetie Belle groaned. "Copycat's so good but so annoying too. There goes my speed advantage."

"Tough. Let's use our newest move that we learned today! Goodbye Shadow Ball! Hello Secret Power!" After Liepard had evolved, she had already been revealed to have learned a new move. But now, everyone would see what that move was.

"Liepard!" Secret Power was the newest move. With her body becoming lathered in a pink glow, she interacted with the arena itself, drawing power from it. Since the arena was mainly ground, Liepard drew into the power of Ground Infinity Energy, unleashing an orange beam that had rocks from the ground around it.

"Yikes! Rapidash! Solar Beam!"

"Rapidash!" To counter this attack, Rapidash tried Inferno. His strongest move as it was perfect to use it now since it was summer. With the Sun being at its peak during the Summertime, Solar Beam wouldn't need a long charging time. Immediately, Rapidash already built some solar energy before then unleashing a giant green beam out of his mouth.

Solar Beam and Secret Power clashed, initiating a beam struggle. However, thanks to the boosted power of the Sun and Grass' advantage over Ground, Rapidash managed to beat out Secret Power, engulfing the orange beam, as at last, Liepard received some damage once her beam was beaten out.

"Lie!" Liepard cried out once the beam hit her, blowing the Cruel Pokemon back.

"Finally! Now, Flame Charge, let's go!"

"Rapidash!" After Solar Beam had landed, knocking Liepard back, Rapidash advanced with Flame Charge, moving so fast that he left a fire trail.

"Copycat!"

"Liepard!" Liepard would retaliate with that same attack. There was no way she was about to let Rapidash outspeed her as she also left behind a fiery trail. The two auras of fire clashed with each other once more.

"And here I was worried that your Rapidash's Flash Fire would come into play! What's wrong? Is Rapidash not feeling well?" Diamond Tiara taunted as the two speedy Pocket Monsters kept pushing each other.

"I swapped out Flash Fire for Flame Body! You're about to feel the burn pretty soon!" Scootaloo gave a snappy retort.

"Meow...!" Meanwhile, Meowstic was still falling behind, slower than them all. Being on the losing end was frustrating to her as SWeetie Belle started hatching a plan.

"Okay...Okay. Trick Room can be copied thanks to Liepard's Copycat." Sweetie Belle closed her eyes before thinking to herself. "I went to the Pokemon School for a reason...Trick Room gets beat out by another Trick Room, so Liepard can easily do that...But..." That's when it hit Sweetie Belle. "Copycat only works by mimicking the previously used move. It doesn't allow the Pokemon to choose whichever move they want! So the key to outspeeding them with Trick Room without having to worry about a reverse...is to use another attack right after Trick Room!"

Sweetie Belle found the main weakness with Copycat. It was a versatile and useful move, for sure. But in some cases, its greatest strength can also be its greatest weakness, if manipulated in a certain way by the opponent. And Sweetie Belle was the right opponent.

"Okay! Keep her busy for a bit Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle grinned as she looked at Meowstic. Meowstic looked back as she could already see that Sweetie Belle was planning something just by staring at her eyes.

"Liepard!" Liepard backed up as the Flame Charge clash had ended. Both Rapidash and Liepard increased their already grand speed.

"Night Slash!"

"Liepard!"

"High Horsepower!"

"Rapidash!" Another clash would seemingly ensue, but this time, Liepard tricked Rapidash by taking advantage of the height difference. Despite being equal in speed and seemingly strength, Rapidash was the bigger Pokemon here. Liepard was second and Meowstic was third.

And with this height difference, a blow to the lower section was incoming. The moment Rapidash raised his legs, Liepard struck, using the second variant of Night Slash which involved swinging her claws so fast she sent out dark blades. These dark blades struck Rapidash's 'legs the moment he started galloping.

"R-Rapidash!" Rapidash cried out as he was thrown off balance once the blades hit his hooves, knocking him over. The Fire Horse Pokemon was the third Pokemon in this three-way battle to receive a hard hit as things were slowly being evened out.

"That's the ticket! Secret Power! Go!"

"Liepard!" Once Rapidash was blown back, Secret Power had been used once more, harnessing the energy of the Ground and turning it into a beam.

"Not good! Smart Strike!"

"Rapidash!" Rapidash would use his horn for this one. His horn extended for this attack while also receiving some metal coating as he would meet the beam head-on. Rapidash smashed his horn onto the beam, stabbing into it. He was able to hold it back in this struggle, but the power behind Secret Power's Ground Infinity Energy was certainly giving him some trouble as he didn't use Solar Beam to combat it this time. He would have to rely on his horn for this as Secret Power was starting to push him back.

"Hang in there, Rapidash!"

"Here goes nothing! Trick Room!" And thus, with Rapidash and Liepard busy, Sweetie Belle could have Meowstic use Trick Room once more. The dimensions had been altered to Meowstic's liking, shifting the speed of every Pokemon around the arena.

"Again?!" Diamond Tiara turned her attention to Meowstic. "I shouldn't have taken my eyes off of you! Liepard!"

"Liepard!" Liepard cried out in response, turning her eyes to gaze at Diamond Tiara who was just in the corner of her vision.

"Use Co-"

"Don't ignore Rapidash! Go Rapidash!"

"Radpidash!" But, Rapidash was still in a struggle with Liepard. The moment Diamond Tiara called out her name, Liepard lost some focus. This allowed Rapidash to just barely edge out and beat Secret Power by galloping with all of his might.

"Now! Thunderbolt, go!"

"Meowstic!" But before Diamond Tiara could have Liepard use Copycat, Meowstic had already used her next move. Thunderbolt. She put her paws together, unleashing that bursting bolt of 100,000 volts as this would be the only attack that Liepard could copy now. Trick Room was out of the picture now that it had been used.

"L-Lie!" But, aside from that, Liepard had been sandwiched. Thunderbolt targeted her from behind, shocking the Cruel Pokemon whilst Rapidash took his opportunity to win the struggle with Secret Power, charging headfirst. He smashed his horn into Liepard while she was being shocked, delivering a double whammy.

"Not my Liepard!" Diamond Tiara gasped as Rapidash had then thrown Liepard into the air with his horn. Finally, Liepard's massive advantage had been reversed as now she was no longer the fastest. She and Rapidash were tied as the Cruel Pokemon fell from above.

"Lie!" But cats do land on their feet, including this one as Liepard made a safe recovery to the ground. "Lie-Liepard!"

"Well, well, well. Looks like Meowstic's now the fastest Pokemon here." Sweetie Belle proudly grinned, knowing that she had put a wrench in their strategies. "Hehehe! Score! Looks like Copycat's easy to expose with how easy it is to use too!"

"Hmph!" Diamond Tiara scoffed. "Big deal. I still have a way to get Liepard's speed back."

"Uh...You do?" Sweetie Belle's confidence was put on pause.

"I do. I just have to copy him." The earth pony smirked before then looking at Rapidash. She referred to Rapidash's Flame Charge.

"As if! I'm not gonna let Liepard have the chance to copy Flame Charge!" Scootaloo declared. "Besides. I'm gonna get Rapidash back up to speed with Flame Charge and I won't let you catch up to him anymore, Diamond Tiara."

"You have to outpace Meowstic first! Now! It's time for our beautiful comeback, Meowstic! Energy Ball! A double dose of it!"

"Meowstic!" Meowstic held Energy Bal in her paws. Two of them. Two spheres exclusively for her opponents as she immediately took off.

"If I beat Meowstic, Trick Room's effect goes away! Night Slash!"

"Flame Charge!"

"Liepard!" Liepard and Rapidash both knew that as long as Meowstic was around, their speed would be lacking. Liepard lunged at her while Rapidash built up some speed with Flame Charge but it was still a long way to go.

"Meow!" But the moment Meowstic was close to the two taller Pokemon, she immediately jumped over them, possessing the superior speed as Rapidash and Liepard looked up. "Meowstic!" Meowstic then threw the Energy Balls from above faster than her opponents could turn.

"Liepard!" Liepard slashed her claws at the Energy Ball as even though she was slower, that didn't mean she couldn't fight back against approaching attacks. At least, by the skin of her teeth as she just managed to slash the ball in time. As for Rapidash, he burnt away the Energy Ball.

"Get up and there and slash her!"

"Lie!" Liepard would approach Meowstic in the air by taking a mighty leap. Her physical capabilities didn't get altered either as she was ready for a fearsome slash.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Meow!" Meowstic simply gave a cocky smirk before then using her remaining airtime to unleash Thunderbolt, which was the perfect attack to use in this instance due to the speed of lightning. Liepard tried clawing at that, only for the lightning to hit her first, blasting her back to the ground.

"Solar Beam!"

"Look out! Get down!"

"Rapidash!" Rapidash meanwhile had built some Solar Energy instantly as Liepard flew past him. He still had the speed to unleash the energy beam at Meowstic.

"Meow?!" Meowstic grimaced as her ample airtime had ended finally. She performed a limbo pose while falling, barely avoiding the beam. It grazed her fur every so slightly before shooting to the sky. Everyone in the crowd cheered as Meowstic was certainly making her comeback with this alteration to speed.

"Go! Psyshock!"

"Meow!" Meowstic was also a cat, allowing her to stick a safe landing and a stylish one too. The moment she landed, she struck with great speed, unleashing Psyshock at Rapidash. Rapidash received the three masses of Psychic energy moments after Meowstic stuck her landing. The Fire-Type was pushed back as now Meowstic was taking control of this battle.

"Amazing! Meowstic's now gaining the lead! I didn't expect it to be a battle of speed, but it's s much fun!" Twilight giggled.

"Come on! Get that speed back up, Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Yes! That's it, Sweetie Belle!" Meanwhile, Rarity was revelling in this. Once her sister was seen making a comeback, she flailed her arms with great intensity.

"It isn't over yet! I'm going to win this!" Diamond Tiara protested. "Copycat! Use Rapidash's Solar Beam!"

"Liepard!" Liepard would copy Rapidash again. But this time, he would use his attack against Meowstic. After copying it, Lepard also wouldn't have to worry about charging it up, especially with a move such as Copycat, thanks to the Summer sun. A verdant beam was unleashed, tearing through the ground as Meowstic and Sweetie Bele were ready to face it immediately.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Meow!" Meowstic met Solar Beam with Thunderbolt, putting her all into this one as a streaking bolt of electricity came roaring out, clashing with Solar Beam as it formed a shockwave as well from the collision. Now, Meowstic was the one entering a beam struggle with Liepard.

"Go! Flame Charge!"

"Dash!" But along came Rapidash to intervene with this battle, going straight for Meowstic this time while also regaining some speed. But it wasn't enough. This time, it looked like Meowstic was the one who was about to be sandwiched.

"Oh! This could be bad for her!" Fluttershy gasped.

"I don't think so! Meowstic! Release your restraints!"

"Meow!" Now was a good time to release Meowstic's restraints in the eyes of Sweetie Belle. Much like how she had this overwhelming power as an Espurr, as a Meowstic, she was harbouring more of it within her ears. While Meowstic was holding back Solar Beam, she had then mentally raised her ears, unleashing her true power.

The eyeball patterns on the interior of its ears emitted psychic energy once they were shown as it helped stop Rapidash in his tracks. It did not affect Liepard as she was still a Dark-Type but it had blown Rapidash away. As for the struggle between Meowstic and Liepard, it ended up being a tie as the two attacks blew up in front of each other, resulting in combustion.

"Go! Night Slash!"

"Liepard!" Once again, Liepard took advantage of the smoke, running through it. But this time, MEowstic was quick to notice and retaliate.

"Energy Ball!"

"Meow!" Meowstic summoned two Energy Balls, holding them for a moment as Liepard went in for a swift slash. Meowstic used one of the spheres of nature to block Liepard's slash, using it as a temporary shield. It had fizzled out after being slashed into pieces. After blocking the slash with Energy Ball, Meowstic then unleashed the second, slamming it in Lieprd's face. "Meowstic!"

"Liepard!" Liepard received a heavy blow to the face with this one as it pushed her away. Liepard shook her head while sliding back, hissing at her fellow cat Pokemon. Meowstic hissed right back.

"Yikes. This is getting too close now." Scootaloo commented.

"Right. But it's way too fun to get mad at." Sweetie Belle laughed, thoroughly enjoying this battle as well as her opponents and everyone else who was watching this.

"I didn't plan for you two but...it could be worse." Diamond Tiara shrugged. "But it's getting late right now. And I'm getting hungry too."

"I hear ya. It's about time we finished this. Or at least..." Scootaloo dug her hoof into her mane, pulling out her secret weapon. Everyone knew she had it this entire time and would only be able to use it on two of her Pokemon. "I'll finish it."

The Firium Z.

"Gulp!" Collectively, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara gulped upon seeing the Firium Z being pulled out. She also revealed the Z-Ring in her mane before then putting them both on. 

"Yes! This is gonna be sweet!" Rainbow Dash stood up. "Do it!"

"A Z-Move...I don't think I have anything for this one." Sweetie Belle shuddered. "But...I have to try something."

"Liepard too." Diamond Tiara commented. "Unless..."

"Here we go, Rapidash!" Scootaloo placed the crystal into the ring, activating Z-Power as the Power of Alola had once again arrived at Equestria, lending its strength. Scootaloo stood up in a bipedal position, ready to pull off the right poses.

"Rapidash!" Rapidash could already feel the Power of Alola approaching.

"Get a load of this!" Scootaloo's mane flared up once she started feeling the Z-Power within. "My mind, body and spirit feel great! It all feels like a raging fire in me!" All of the energy within her then flowed towards Rapidash, engulfing his body in a blazing golden aura.

"Dash!"

"Here it comes! Get ready, Meowstic!"

"You too, Liepard!"

"RAPIDASH! INFERNO OVERDRIVE!"

"Ra...Pi...Dash!" Rapidash summoned a ball of fire that was large enough to take up a huge portion of the arena, even going out of bounds. The ball was unleashed, picking up some rubble and burning it away as thanks to the Summer Sun, its power was greatly heightened.

"It's risky! But try copying it! Copycat!"

"Lie!" Liepard would try and copy Inferno Overdrive. However, she would soon find out that this was not the case. She looked at the sphere, trying desperately to copy it, but it was not working.

"Sorry about this, Diamond Tiara! Kick her!"

"Meowstic!"

"Wait, what?!" Diamond Tiara gasped as Meowstic went up t Liepard, kicking her forward. Liepard gained a small boost forward as not only had she failed to copy the attack, but she would be the one to take the hit instead of both Pokemon. Meowstic stood far behind Liepard to avoid the massive radius of this attack. That was the only way she was going to properly avoid it as once it hit Liepard, the Cruel Pokemon received a blazing explosion afterwards.

The three trainers covered their eyes and ears as the explosion ended right afterwards. Diamond Tiara opened her eyes as her jaw dropped. Meowstic managed to survive the Z-Move by using Liepard as a sacrificial Mareep. Once the smoke cleared, Liepard was the first one to faint.

"Liepard..." 

"Liepard is unable to battle! Rapidash wins!"

"Grrr...! Sweetie Belle!" Naturally, Diamond Tiara was greatly upset at this as she glared at the unicorn. Her eyes were ablaze with anger and irritation.

"Sorry! I had to do what I had to do!" Sweetie Belle squeed, blushing a bit. "You understand, right?"

"Hmph. Whatever." The earth pony scoffed. "I would've done the same thing too. But I thought for sure that Copycat would work." Disappointed, Diamond Tiara returned Liepard to her Poke Ball. "But...You were still wonderful to the very end. Liepard."

"A worthy sacrifice." Rarity shrugged as Diamond Tiara walked away from the arena. "But oh well. It is what it is."

"It was a good try from Diamond Tiara. Still. That was pretty cold Sweetie Belle. Nice." Rainbow Dash commented.

"Copying a Z-Move. I wonder. Would that have worked?" Celestia giggled.

"Yeah. There's Z-Copycat. But it only works unless you have a Normalium Z." Ash had also laughed as Diamond Tiara did have the right idea of trying to copy Inferno Overdrive. The one big flaw with that was the fact that she did not have the right Z-Crystal for it. Or a Z-Crystal at all.

"Pika-Pika."

"Ahem! This isn't over yet! Smart Strike!"

"Rapidash!" But out of the remaining smoke, along came Rapidash as Scootaloo wasn't done yet. Rapidash came zooming in with an extended horn out.

"Uh oh! Meowstic! Thunderbolt!"

"Meow?! Meowstic!" Meowstic faced Rapidash once she saw him approaching. Rapidash's speed was slightly better now even in the twisted dimensions of Trick Room, allowing him to keep up a bit, but Meowstic was still faster as she unleashed 100,00 volts of electricity.

"Perfect! Conduct it!"

"Rapidash!" Since Smart Strike was a Steel-Type move, it was eligible for one thing. Metal conduction. Rapidash used this to his advantage, sticking his head out as he allowed the attack to reach him. Immediately, Thunderbolt reacted to Smart Strike and Rapidash's metal-enhanced horn. It allowed him to not only borrow this strength but also continue his path of attack. "Dash!" Rapidash powered through Thunderbolt after conducting it, tackling Meowstic!"

"M-Meowstic!" Meowstic went flying once more in the air thanks to Rapidash's Smart Strike.

"I'm gonna finish this, Scootaloo! Psyshock! Go!"

"Meow...Meowstic!" Meowstic put her all into this last attack. Raising her arms as she received some airtime. With this airtime, she summoned those orbs of Psychic energy once more.

"Same here! Rapidash! Solar Beam!"

"Rapi...Dash!" Rapidash would end it with his strongest attack as well. Solar Beam. At the same time, both of them unleashed their attacks. Three thick masses of energy and a giant verdant beam that was powered by the Sun. They clashed from different angles. From the earth and the sky.

This truly felt like the last clash as everyone leaned in to see this. Diamond Tiara stopped walking for a bit just to watch how this would all end. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle scrunched their faces as their hearts were beating fast.

Neither Rapidash nor Meowstic wanted to lose for the sake of their trainers. No matter what, a Pokemon always tries to do its best for its trainer to the very end. However, only one of them would emerge victorious.

"Rapidash!" And with the power of the Summer Sun, that was Rapidash as Solar Beam managed to charge through Thunderbolt, engulfing it before going straight for Meowstic. Meowstic's last sight was a green glow before then being blasted by the power of the Sun.

There was a final explosion in this fierce battle as Meowstic fell out of the cloud of smoke. Silence filled the air before it was then broken up by Meowstic hitting the ground. The verdict had been made.

Meowstic had fainted.

"Meowstic..."

"Meowstic is unable to battle! Rapidash Wins! Thus, the victor of the Canterlot Junior Cup is Scootaloo!"

"I won...I won!" Realizing she won her first-ever tournament, Scootaloo stood there stone-faced before then having the brightest smile she could muster up. The crowd roared as that battle was certainly one that would be engraved in their memories forever. "Oh yes! Yes!"

"She did it!" Rainbow Dash boomed with excitement along with her friends.

"Oh, what a shame...But such a great battle either way!" Rarity wanted her sister to win, but this battle was too enjoyable to be disappointed by as she cheered along with her friends. "Sweetie Belle! You did great!"

"Guess that's that" Sweetie Belle walked over before helping Meowstic up. "Meowstic. Thanks for doing so well."

"Meow..." Meowstic, being the cocky individual that she was, wasn't the biggest fan of losing. She turned her head before crossing her arms. Sweetie Belle laughed right afterwards.

"Rapidash! Oh, you're so awesome, Rapidash!" Scootaloo galloped towards Rapidash, jumping for joy. She almost even flew for a moment as Rapidash also ran her way. 

"Rapidash!" Rapidash then turned around, allowing Scootaloo to get on his back. The little pegasus then gave the Fire Horse Pokemon a hug, laughing with uncontrollable oy in her heart. Sweetie Belle was happy to see her friend get this far.

"You've earned it, Scootaloo," said Sweetie Belle. "Great stuff."

"Great stuff to you too, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo's face felt like falling off from how much she was smiling as she also looked over at Diamond Tiara who stuck around. "You too, Damond Tiara."

"Likewise." Diamond Tiara replied, acting high and mighty with every chance that she got. Some things never change.

"That brings an end to the Canterlot Junior Cup as Scootaloo is this competition's champion. But, there's obviously one final event. Before that, the award ceremony is up next. Let's give rounding applause to these great trainers." The announcer said as everyone did just that.

Scootaloo felt that this was her greatest accomplishment by a mile. And she wouldn't have it any other way as she desired to stay on Rapidash's back for a bit, taking in the moment. The little pegasus then looked up at the balcony, staring at Ash as she knew what was coming next.



Afterwards, the awards ceremony happened. There were three pedestals for the Top 3 Trainers in this competition. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara respectively.

Scootaloo received the golden cup as to be expected along with a few other prizes that came in boxes that she couldn't wait to take home and open. Sweetie Belle received a silver cup while Diamond Tiara earned a bronze cup. Their Pokemon also stood next to them, receiving medals for their respective sizes.

"Well done, you three," PrincessCelestia spoke to them. "It was certainly worth deciding to make this competition happen. Not just for a good show, but to also see how far you've come. And I can say that the future of Pokemon is in good hooves in this world."

"Thanks, Princess Celestia," said Scootaloo.

"Now. The main event is over, but there's just one final extra match that needs to happen. You know what's next, my little pony."

"I do." Scootaloo then looked over at Ash who was eagerly waiting for this incoming battle, raising his hat while Pikachu climbed up his shoulder. "Get ready, Ash. Because here I come!"

"I'm always ready, Scootaloo." A pumped Ash Ketchum replied with Pikachu's red sacs flaring. The extra match would truly close things off and everyone would head home, having some great to remember and talk about for the rest of the day. "Let's go!"

"Pikachu!"

As the journey continues.


Chapter 821 End.