Equestria. White Tail Wood. Day.
Accepting a challenge from Applejack, within the White Tail Wood Gym, a Pokemon Battle between Applejack and Roseluck would take place. To further boost their happiness, the two of them agreed to a battle and this certainly isn't their first time going at it. It would be their third time.
Being that she was the first Gym Leader of Equestria, Roseluck would have to face this battle as if it was another Gym Battle. The only difference was that Applejack was far past a rookie trainer and already has experience battling Roseluck's Pokemon. Mainly her Roserade and no one else, so Roseluck already knew what to expect.
Watching this battle would be many of their friends from Ponyville and even those who don't come from Ponyville such as Ash and Goh. Roseluck would prefer a crowd of her friends despite keeping such a crucial secret from them. Apart from the fact that Applejack knew about this secret and was also keeping hush about it until the time is right.
"Alright. Let's make it just like a Gym Battle. Two of my Pokemon against yours." Roseluck suggested. "How does that sound, Applejack?"
"Sounds fine to me. Short but sweet." Applejack agreed to it. "I'll be choosing Sceptile and Riolu for this."
"Then for me..." Roseluck held out a Poke Ball before then looking at her ace Pokemon, Roserade. She could never go wrong with the Pokemon that's been by her side since day one. "I know who I'm choosing."
"Is Twilight not gonna show up for this?" Rainbow Dash noticed the absence of Twilight Sparkle.
"She's busy working with Zecora on that elixir," Spike answered. "She's gonna miss out on it but we can always just record this battle anyway."
"Already on it." Goh had his Rotomphone out, ready to record every bit of this battle.
"You know, we've been watching all these Pokemon Battles and we haven't even viewed the Equestria League yet." Amethyst Star pointed out. "When is that going to happen? It's been a long time now..."
"Only when everyone gets past that Eight Gym," said Starlight Glimmer. "But I hear it's extremely difficult because that final Gym Leader's just too strong. It'll be a while before we can see the Equestria League start."
"After this, it's off to PokeStar Studios." Rarity uttered. "Valerie is still coming, isn't she Fluttershy?"
"Mhm." The pegasus nodded. "She's free. And there's nothing to worry about when it comes to those plants. I think Princess Celestia scared them off. At least, those ones. I'm not sure about the rest."
"Okay. Just two Pokemon." Acting as the ref would be Pinkie Pie. "And remember, in a Pokemon Battle, there's always an opportunity for blows below the belt. So hurry and send out your first Pokemon!"
"Go for it, Riolu!" For Applejack, she sent out her Delta Riolu first. Out of the Poke Ball emerged the Embalming Pokemon as he stuck a stylish landing after showing up.
"Riolu!"
"Go! Roselia!" And as for Roseluck, Roselia was her first choice, elegantly twirling onto the scene. With spring flowers flying out of her.
"Roselia!" The aroma from Roselia's body already affected the Gym due to how powerful it was. The plants here along with other Grass-Types that were alongside their respective trainers would find themselves smiling at this aroma.
Both Pokemon eyed each other down even though Roselia rarely, if ever, opens her eyes. But they both stayed silent, waiting for the first batch of commands to come flying in. At the moment, the same thoughts were going off in Applejack and Roseluck's head. Battling each other, even if it hadn't started yet, brought some sense of satisfaction. Mainly because of how it would help ease Roseluck's worries. It's why this battle was even arranged in the first place.
A battle between friends compared to rivals or anyone else carried that strong aura. And speaking of Aura, it resonated with Delta Riolu as he could immediately feel a change in Applejack's Aura. This would encourage the Dark-Type because of what Applejack was currently feeling.
"Alright..." Pinkie suddenly appeared with a small gong to hit that would initiate the battle soon. But the moment she went to strike it, Mew flew out of her mane, hitting it himself. "Start!"
"Okay, Riolu! Get in there and use Power-up Punch!"
"Riolu!" Riolu would make the first move, surrounding his paws in a vibrant orange aura. The Embalming Pokemon then approached Roselia before lunging through the air.
"Roselia, use Magical Leaf!"
"Rose...!" Roselia would cross her arms, immediately countering Riolu's attack with an emergence of glowing leaves. These leaves would be thrown, forming a spiral that would force the Dark-Type to clash with them.
"Rio!" Riolu's paw met with the rapid-fire leaves as he was prevented from reaching Roselia. The leaves even managed to batter him the more they were unleashed, knocking the Delta Variant out of the air. "Lu!" After being knocked out of the air and prevented from using Power-up Punch, the Embalming Pokemon would tumble before recovering by jumping back up.
"Use Toxic Spikes, Roselia!"
"Selia!" Following up her attack, Roselia would twirl on the spot before shooting out poisonous spikes from her bouquet hands. Riolu and Applejack would look up as these spikes flew across the battlefield, sinking into it. Now, the field had been altered to benefit Roseluck's Pokemon and bog down Applejack's. Treading carefully was the correct approach as Riolu and Sceptile could be poisoned. And since both of Roseluck's Pokemon were Poison-Types, they were immune.
"I'd watch your step. Once they sink in, it's impossible to know how fast they've spread." Roseluck smirked as she planned to keep Applejack and Riolu highly cautious and nervous.
"That ain't gonna be a problem. Now, use Dark Pulse!"
"Rio...!" Riolu would then hold both his arms out, unleashing a pulse of darkness that was embedded with dark thoughts.
"Magical Leaf!"
"Roselia!" Magical Leaf was used once again. This time, against Dark Pulse. A clash of darkness and nature ensued with the leaves rapidly beating against the dark beam, trying to overcome it. The result was a tie. Both attacks cancelled each other out, filling the middle of the arena with a dust cloud.
"So far so good! Keep it up, sis!" Apple Bloom cheered on her little sister.
"Now's our chance. Grab him, Roselia!"
"Roselia!" Much like her evolved form Roserade, Roselia also had thorns hidden within her bouquet hands. Though they were smaller, they were still vicious as they moved through the large dust cloud, attempting to snatch Delta Riolu. Once the thorns were spotted by Applejack she would think fast.
"Dodge to the side! Quick!"
"Ri!" Delta Riolu gasped as he just managed to evade the thorns by rolling to the side. Another pair of thorns came flying in right as Riolu dodged the first one. Unfortunately, he couldn't evade the second one in time. It managed to wrap around his tail, making the Embalming Pokemon squeal. "Rio!"
"I heard that! It means I got you!" Roseluck exclaimed as the dust was finally settling. The previous thorn would return, holding Riolu's arm to further restrain him. The only good side to this was that Roselia's thorns were not poisonous, unlike Roserade's thorns.
"Break free, Riolu! Quick! Power-up Punch!"
"Ri...! Rio!" But that was easier said than done. Roselia had an impressive grip with her thorns. He only had one free arm as he would continuously beat down on the thorns with Power-up Punch. The thorns would wobble as the impact of each blow would make Roselia tremble.
"I don't think so! Now, Roselia! Swing him around!"
"Roselia!" While she had the opportunity, Roselia would use pure strength to raise Riolu off the floor, breaking his focus. Riolu gasped before then receiving an instantaneous swing from the Grass-Poison-Type.
"Rio...Riolu!" Riolu yelled before being swung across the battlefield by these thorns as he felt the wind batter his face. And of course, Roselia focused on the ground, aiming to poison Delta Riolu. And with how fast the Toxic Spikes had spread out, she managed to accomplish that.
Riolu's legs came in contact with the poison from Toxic Spikes, immediately afflicting the Embalming Pokemon.
"Oh, no! Riolu!" Applejack cried out once she saw the toxic effect enter Riolu. This was shown by the purple spot on top of his muzzle along with a trace of sweat.
"This should do the trick! Slam him down, Roselia!"
"Rose...!" Roselia would then raise her arms to deliver a critical hit, lifting the Delta Variant through the air, reaching such a length that she almost touched the ceiling of this Gym. She would make sure this would be the decisive blow.
"From that high up?! I didn't even know Roselia's thorns could go that far!" Rarity's jaw dropped.
"That might do him in!" Goh said, believing this to be the end of Riolu. Such a fragile and small Pokemon being slammed from that high up while also being poisoned only spelt defeat in his eyes.
"Not gonna happen! Riolu! Hidden Power!"
"R...Riolu!" But Riolu had another way to break free. So as long as he had an arsenal of moves, he could find a way. And that way was by using Hidden Power. Correlated with his Aura, Delta Riolu would unleash a flare of energy from his body. The expulsion of Aura blew away Roselia's thorns, freeing the Embalming Pokemon.
"Yes! He broke free!" Apple Bloom cheered as that instance nearly had her going for a while.
"Now, Riolu! Aerial Ace!"
After breaking free, Riolu would then zoom through the air, approaching the Thorn Pokemon while leaving a white trail behind him.
"Uh oh! Roselia! Cotton Spore! Quick!"
"Rose-" But it was too late. Riolu moved at confounding speeds before striking Roselia with his foot. "Selia!" The Grass-Poison-Type gasped after receiving that super-effective hit. She was pushed back to the point where she rolled on the floor.
"Dark Pulse! Don't stop, partner!"
"Lu!" Riolu would follow up. After sticking a superhero landing, he would generate a sphere of darkness in one paw before unleashing it as a sphere.
"Seeee!" Roselia would be engulfed by the spiralling black wave of dark thoughts, dealing some more damage to her. Now it was Riolu's time to make a reversal.
"I won't let you get ahead of me..." Roseluck said to herself before roaring out her next command. "Magical Leaf!"
"Rose...Lia!" Within the black wave, Roselia would generate magical leaves that would blow it all away. The leaves spiralled around her, acting as a shield before being thrown at the Embalming Pokemon.
"Aerial Ace!"
"Riolu!" Riolu zoomed in, approaching the leaves. With great speeds, he would strike at the leaves while also evading them. However, the poison was also holding him back from going all the way as a sharp sting from it made him stutter for a bit, allowing some of the leaves to strike him. "Lu...! Rio!" But Riolu persisted, closing in on Roselia. Afterwards, he would strike his paw at the Thorn Pokemon, moving past her in the end.
"R-Ro...!" Roselia gasped as there was a mild shockwave appeared around her body. Afterwards, the leaves would dissolve. The Thorn Pokemon fell on her back, groaning as she did not have the strength to continue. Roselia had fainted. "Roselia..."
"Ouch..." Pinkie Pie went up to Roselia, checking her status. "That's it for Roselia. She's done for. So Riolu wins this one!" Pinkie declared this victory goes to Delta Riolu as everyone cheered.
"Ri...Rio..." But right as Rioly had been declared victorious, he succumbed to the poison. Moments later, she would also drop to the floor, face first. "Riolu..." Riolu had fainted.
"And I guess...Riolu's also down! But she did fall first so that's his victory."
"Thanks. Return." Both Applejack and Roseluck would return their pre-evolved partners. Both fought hard. Roselia dealt continuous damage while keeping Riolu at a distance while Riolu dealt heavy blows to achieve victory.
"Well...It's just down to one." Applejack said. "Even though this is gonna be short, it's been great as always. Next time, let's battle with more to offer."
"I know what you mean. I don't have much to offer myself, do I?" Roseluck chuckled. "But Roselia, Bounsweet and Sunkern are still growing. No pun intended. If I'm being honest, you're still way ahead of me, Applejack."
"I am?"
"Mhm. I mean, you're the one getting out there and facing all kinds of foes. Everyone else here sometimes gets involved with whatever's going on. I'd rather keep things how they are, personally. Getting out there and encountering an otherworldly foe isn't my thing." Roseluck explained. "So that's why I'll say you'll always be ahead of me even if we battle tomorrow or months from now."
"That so?" Applejack smiled with her eyes closed. "I should feel honoured, Roseluck. But...You're not so bad yourself. You could beat me even if I'm ahead, ya know."
"I can?"
"She can?" Carrot Top and the others said in unison as Roseluck had a point in the beginning only for Applejack to say otherwise.
"She can." Ash said but with full confidence and agreement with Applejack's words.
"Uh, how do I say it?" Applejack scratched her mane. "You're a Gym Leader so that speaks for itself, right? You've backed into a corner before so don't downplay yourself, Roseluck."
"I guess you're right. If by chance I do improve, I can't wait to beat you. Or maybe...today is that day. Go for it, Roserade!" Roseluck bellowed, aiming her hoof forward.
"Roserade!" Jumping forward and entering the battle was Roserade.
"Swing into action, Sceptile!" Meanwhile, Applejack went for her tried and true partner, Sceptile.
"Sceptile!" Swinging into action from the ceiling was none other than the Forest Pokemon. Sceptile was resting above everyone else until it was his turn to battle. "Tile!"
"Rose..." Roserade eyed down Sceptile. These two certainly have had their fair share of back and forth. Their bond was as close as Applejack and Roseluck's just for that sole reason. For that reason, this battle would certainly explode. It already did when they both went at each other the first two times.
"Roseluck seems different lately, don't you think? From then to now?" Lyra spoke. "She was all down before and now..."
"I see what you mean," Fluttershy replied. "I know Pokemon Battles usually cheer you up but this feels different from the rest, doesn't it? What do you think, Ash?"
"There's always something going on. And it looks like only Applejack understands it. That's why she's the best one to battle with Roseluck. Battling can even be seen as helping." Ash explained. "And sometimes, it's the fastest way to help."
"Let's go, Sceptile! Leaf Blade!"
"Scep...Tile!" The four leaves on Sceptile's wrists glow light green and form into two, extending to match that of a sword as he would use his swiftness to rush in.
"Poison Jab!"
"Rose...Rade!" Roserade would meet Sceptile's Leaf Blade with Poison Jab, covering her bouquets with a virulent aura. Roserade allowed Sceptile to approach her instead of rushing in as well. Once Sceptile got close, it was a direct collision between Leaf Blade and Poison Jab.
The impact made the leaves within the Gym would rustle thanks to the shockwave that came from it. After a physical struggle with both Grass-Types trying to push each other back, they would jump back. But it wouldn't be the end of their clash. A back-and-forth Leaf Blade and Poison Jab scuffle ensued.
Sceptile moved in once more, going for a slash, only for Roserade's graceful moves to kick in, allowing her to flip over the blade. Sceptile gasped looking up to see Roserade going for an overhead attack. With the speed advantage, Sceptile managed to raise his other arm, blocking the incoming Poison Jab with his second blade. "S-Sceptile...!"
"Roserade...!" Roserade growled as she was unable to land the Poison Jab. But she wouldn't let up. With a devious grin on her face along with Roseluck, they both had the same idea.
"Unleash your thorns!"
"Rade!" Roserade could unleash her thorns no matter what position she was in. The thorns flew out, attempting to grab Sceptile, in the same way, Roselia grabbed Delta Riolu earlier.
"Not again! Push her away!"
"Sceptile!" Right as the thorns would wrap around his legs and arms, with brute force Sceptile forced Roserade off his arm, fending off the thorns as well. Roserade would gain some air time, retracting her thorns while flipping in the air for style points. Today, the Pokemon were certainly feeling stylish.
"Now! Dragon Pulse!"
"Scep...!" Sceptile would then hold his breath in, tapping into his latent draconic potential as his chest would puff up.
"Extrasensory!"
"Rose!" While still in the air, Roserade's eyes flashed, releasing a multicoloured circular beam of energy with white rings of energy around it at the Forest Pokemon. At the same time, Sceptile's Dragon Pulse was released as a dragon-shaped blast came raging out.
Dragon Pulse and Extrasensory would meet, initiating yet another clash. The rings of Extrasensory wrapped around the dragon, attempting to push it back at Sceptile. However, the dragon would resist, refusing to let the Psychic powers overcome it.
In the end, both of them ended up hitting each other. A piece of Dragon Pulse would split off while the rest ended up being reflected. Sceptile and Roserade both received a draconic blow, causing them to fly back. Roserade was already high in the air as she would soon drop back to the floor, only to smoothly recover. "Rade!"
"Sceptile!" Sceptile had his own way of recovering. He used his vines on a nearby branch, managing to maintain his balance.
"It ain't over yet! Smack her with Frenzy Plant!"
"Tile! Scep...!" Sceptile hopped off the branch, slamming his hands onto the floor. Instantly, his impact would summon gigantic roots which would rapidly grow out of the ground, towering over everyone here.
"I don't think so! Roserade! Rush in and use Poison Jab!"
"Roserade!" Surprisingly, Roserade would approach these giant roots. She started zooming, jumping over the first massive root that came crashing down. The Bouquet Pokemon would then use these roots as platforms, running across the first one before jumping onto the next one which she managed to dodge. Roserade would even use the roots against each other each time she swapped places.
After moving on and evading the roots, she got closer and closer to Sceptile, seemingly managing to close the gap between the two of them. But that wasn't the case. There was one more root that waited to show itself, eventually erupting from the ground.
This root would fly up the moment Roserade got closer to Sceptile. The Grass-Poison-Type gasped before quickly slamming her poisonous bouquet onto the massive fauna. She managed to destroy the root with Poison Jab, dissolving it within seconds.
"Ain't no way!" Applejack gasped, stunned by Roserade's performance. This was all due to what Roserade had seen when being around Roseluck. Her love for her trainer correlated very well with her strength and it was showing as even Sceptile was amazed. "Fine then! Use Thunder Punch! Paralyze her!"
"Tile!" Sceptile's hand would then spark as he was ready to slug his fellow Grass-Type with Thunder Punch now that she finally got in close. Both would swing at each other with Roserade coming from above.
It was an exchange. Sceptile did manage to hit Roserade in the air with Thunder Punch, socking her chest. But Roserade also landed a hit in, smashing her bouquet onto Sceptile's jaw. Both had their eyes open as these hits were incredibly heavy. Sceptile wasn't even expecting such a meaty blow from Roserade who was usually so delicate and precise. This felt brutish instead as the two of them would stagger back after initiating that exchange. And at the same time, they both unleashed status conditions on each other.
Sceptile was now poisoned while Roserade suffered instant paralysis. Both would have performance drops because of this but it wasn't enough to keep them down.
"I'm going to win this!" Roserade declared. "I'll stop those plants myself and keep my promise! Roserade! Dazzling Gleam!"
"Rose...Rade!" From her body, an incandescent light would emerge, forming into a sphere as it looked like Roserade was charging up. Out of that sphere, a barrage of rainbow rays would come flying out.
"Frenzy Plant!"
"Tile!" Once more, Sceptile summoned those gigantic roots by simply stepping on the floor to make it possible. Once the rainbow rays came in, the roots would intercept them. This time, it was a short struggle as Frenzy Plant managed it win it out. The rays did manage to beat on the roots for a bit, only to them fade away as they would slap Roserade.
"R-Rose...!" Roserade gasped after being slapped by these heavy plants. The impact of this slap was crushing as well, knocking the Bouquet Pokemon off her feet.
"No! Roserade!" Roseluck cried out after witnessing Roserade take a heavy slap.
"Rose...Rade!" But after hearing Roseluck's cry, Roserade found the strength to recover as fast as she could. By gritting her teeth, Roserade managed to grab the roots before they could hit her again. With her arms and bouquet, she grabbed all of the roots, focusing on raw strength once more.
"Would ya look at that..." Applejack whistled, amazed by what she was seeing. Roserade's new style made her greater than ever and more resilient without a doubt.
"Let's finish this! Petal Dance!"
"Roserade!" Roserade would then throw the roots away after using her raw strength to stop them. She would finally unleash her strongest attack. Petal Dance. Roserade spun around quickly and released pink petals from all around her body, becoming a floral tornado. She would force herself into Sceptile instead of allowing the petals to go on their own.
"But this is where it ends." Applejack adjusted her hat. "Sceptile! Leaf Blade!"
"Scep!" Once more, Sceptile would show his blades, extending them as he stood still when the whirlwind of petals came his way. With a precise swing, he slashed through the petals so hard that not only did he go past Roserade in the blink of an eye, appearing on the other side, but all the petals would be cut in half. The mere speed and force of it were enough to do so.
Petal Dance came to an end because of this. Roserade's elegant moves had also ended too. Her eyes whited out before closing as she tried to maintain her ballerina-like stance, only to fail in doing so. Roserade was bound to fall over. But Sceptile did not let her fall. Instead, he caught her, using one extra root from Frenzy Plant to do so, saving Roserade from falling.
"Roserade..." Roserade had fainted as Sceptile brought the Bouquet Pokemon over, holding her.
"That's it!" Pinkie Pie yelled. "Battle over! Sceptile won it! Which means Applejack won it all!"
"Thank you...Thank you so much, Roserade." Roseluck smiled, approaching the Bouquet Pokemon. Sceptile would place her down gently, allowing her to see Roseluck from a different angle. Cheers and applause would fly in after witnessing this short and sweet battle. Never let it be said that a Pokemon Battle couldn't be extremely entertaining even with minimal time and Pokemon.
"Roserade..."
"This battle spoke to us." Roseluck helped her up. "I suppose that's what Pokemon Battles are for, aren't they? They're just another way to talk things out. A whole other language everyone can understand."
"Got that right." Applejack walked over. "And I'm glad we had it. It gets better every time, Roseluck. And...do ya think ya can outdo this one the next time we battle?"
"Of course, I can. Applejack. Please wait for me when I'm better. Roserade's my best but I want the others to grow. I might have a second Roserade come to think about it." Roseluck squeed.
"I'll be waiting." Applejack held her hoof out. "But we can go at it any time you want. Just say the word and I'll be there. Ain't that right, Sceptile?"
"Sceptile!"
"Mmm." Roseluck shook Applejack's hoof with her own. "And I guess...I feel even more confident than before. I think it's time I told them."
"Eh? Eh?!" Applejack's eyes opened up as her hat flew off her head. Sceptile was also shocked as he knew what was coming. "Y-You're gonna say it now?! I thought you were gonna wait a few more days or weeks or something!"
"I should get it off my chest while I have the chance." Roseluck turned to face all of her friends who kept clapping their hooves, hands and whatever limbs they had. The moment of truth had come. Instead of Applejack, it would be Roseluck who would share it all with them.
"What are you going to share with us?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Go ahead. Don't be shy." Fluttershy encouraged as no one had any idea what was coming their way.
"Right. You should all hear this. I can be put at ease when I say this..." The earth pony held her breath in as her heart was racing. But there was some joy in her heart too as she uttered those words. "My sister is the Lich Queen, Rosa Maledicta."
As the journey continues.
Chapter 25 End.