Equestria. Winsome Falls. Afternoon.
"Brock!" Calling out the name of his old friend was Ash as the Final Gym Leader had been revealed to him and his many friends. Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna had shown up here to receive their Final Gym Badge and their final opponent just so happened to be another one of Ash's friends. And a fairly experienced trainer at that.
"Pika-Chu!"
"Hey. Been a while, hasn't it, you all?" Brock greeted them with his arms crossed. Of all the possible trainers that could emerge as Equestria's Final Gym Leader, most were stunned to find out who it was.
"You're the final Gym Leader?! Awesome!" Ash ran up to his old travelling companion. "So you've got like three jobs now, huh?"
"I've always had three jobs, Ash. It's been a while since I've been a Gym Leader too. After leaving the Gym with my brother Forrest, I thought my Gym Leader days were over. But it looks like I still have more to offer. At least, for now. And how lucky I am...to have you as a challenger!" Brock would suddenly speed by Ash and Pikachu, making them both spin. Within her sight was Princess Luna. "What a royal beauty! Princess Luna!" He would slide on the floor with his knees, holding his arms out with glee.
"Eugh!" Luna grimaced upon seeing Brock approaching her with hearts in his eyes. She was yet another lady that Brock managed to grow an attraction to. Instinctively, she would use her magic to grab him, flipping the Gym Leader over. Brock would end up on the other side of the Gym thanks to Luna's levitation, landing flat on his face while also sliding along the solid yet soft floor, going past Rarity and the others. "Apologies. You just startled me there."
"Hey uh...Could I have a crack at battling you first?" Rainbow Dash slid over to the downed Gym Leader, requesting the chance to battle him first before Luna.
"I would prefer if you battled me first," Luna interjected. "You seemed like you were going straight for me, after all. It would be a great honour to have the first challenger be me, wouldn't you agree?"
"I started this whole thing and I'm gonna finish it." Rainbow Dash replied as she and Luna eyed each other down once more. Sparks flew out of their eyes, clashing against each other.
"It's best that you pick one of them fast, Brock. They could be at this for a while." Ash said, kneeling to face his downed friend.
"They've already been at it when arriving here." Twilight added.
"So, you both want to challenge me as soon as possible." Brock sat up. "Well, that can be arranged. A battle with both of you at the same time can be done."
"Wait, what? Here at a Gym?" Twilight gasped. "I've heard of a Gym Battle that does Double Battles but it's usually with only one trainer. Are you saying both of them will challenge you? Is that possible, Ash?"
"Uh...First time I've heard of it." Ash scratched his hair. "That's a thing Brock? Just you and them at the same time?"
"Of course. With how new this league is, gyms get lots of challengers frequently. The organizers realized that it would be tough having the Gym Leaders take on trainer after trainer consecutively. Especially if it was a large line. So, a solution was made. To make things easier for everyone, a double battle for some gyms can be arranged."
"Double Battle? Wait. That means I have to..." Rainbow Dash and Luna would look at each other, realizing what this was leading to.
"Two trainers against the Gym Leader. Saves up time and satisfied everyone." Brock nodded as a Double Battle rule had been installed. "This Gym is originally a Single Battle Gym. Only the 5th has Double Battles as the norm. How about it? Princess Luna. Rainbow Dash. You can form a team and take me on. We always have duplicates of Gym Badges after all."
"That's a great idea!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, immediately encouraging it. "Do it! That'll be fun to see and easy for both of you! You've got great synergy though."
"Teaming up with you to earn a Gym Badge is rather unheard of." Luna pondered. "I suppose I could go through with it. Rainbow Dash, are you willing to swallow your pride for this?"
"Gaah...I came this far." Rainbow Dash groaned. "It's best if I get it over with. I can team up with you, I guess, Princess Luna. Besides, this'll make things quicker. There's no way you can stand a chance against two trainers at the same time, Brock."
"Hoh? Is that so?" Brock smirked as he certainly wasn't going to make it easy for them. Since he was the final Gym Leader, he would exhibit the most power, holding nothing back.
"A Team Gym Battle?! That's so cool!" Ash got giddy. "I wish I had this back in the day! That would've been so much fun to go through. I wonder who I would've partnered up with though."
"Just be careful though." Brock had something else to share, halting them before they could get started. "The rules of this battle are straightforward except for one. "Since you're both battling me for the Gym Badge, if one of you loses first and the other is still in it, only one Gym Badge will be earned. So neither one of you can afford to drop out."
"If either one of us loses?!" Luna pulled back. "So...We are still competing even if we're about to team up."
"Synergy is key here. But don't worry. You two have battled alongside each other for these past 4 years now. I'm sure you'll be fine." Brock walked off, ready to take his position. "But since I'm the Final Gym Leader and there's no Elite 4 in Equestria yet...It doesn't matter who you face in the Equestria League and who emerges as the champion. Because as of now, I'm the hardest opponent you'll ever have to face."
The truth behind this was hard to argue against. Luna was already warned about this by Celestia. Any of Ash's travelling companions from the past would be tough obstacles to go through. And Brock seemed to be a prime example of that. At least, from the aura he carried.
"My Gym is all about Absolute Defence and Durability. My Pokemon and I will take as many hits as you can. But can yours?" Brock revealed the theme of his Gym. In a way, it was somewhat similar to his original Gym back in Pewter City.
"Absolute Defence? That's not so bad." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "My Pokemon and I can hit through whatever defences you have." The pegasus was rather confident with this. After all, she had some hard-hitting Pokemon. Mainly Braviary, Mienshao and occasionally Whirlipede.
"The Battle will be a 2 on 2 Team Battle with the challengers being Princess Luna and Rainbow Dash against the Gym Leader Brock. If either Trainer from the Challenger Team have Pokemon that are unable to battle, then she will not receive the Gym Badge. If both Trainers manage to win at the same time, the two Gym Badges will be earned." The referee spoke. "Both trainers, please send out your Pokemon."
"Here I go! Let's do this Mienshao!" Rainbow Dash had her first pick. The Martial Arts Pokemon Mienshao.
"Appear, Aurorus!"
"Mienshao!"
"Then for me...I can count on Blissey and Forretress!" For Brock, Blissey and Forretress were summoned. Both were reasonably durable Pokemon in their own rights. Forretress had the benefit of being a Steel-Type while Blissey just had a colossal amount of endurance.
"Hm. Oh, yeah. We've got this." Rainbow Dash eyed down Blissey, feeling confident in her victory. Already, it was clear that she would have Mienshao go after Blissey first.
"Just so you know, these are the only Pokemon I'm going to be using for this battle." said Brock. "I'm only allowed to have two since I'm the Gym Leader while you two will have an advantage. Both your Pokemon combined makes four after all."
"So all we have to do is defeat Blissey and Forretress? Hah!" Luna cackled. "Excellent."
"I would've thought the last Gym would have six Pokemon only," Starlight commented. "Why only two?"
"It's all about pressure with these last two gyms. It also helps trainers cycle through their Pokemon more often without relying on the same one most of the time." Twilight explained. "At least, that's how I see it.
"Battle Start!" The referee gave the call for the battle to begin.
"I'm landing the first hit! Mienshao! Use Aura Sphere!"
"Shao! Mien...!" Mienshao would be the first Pokemon to attack, holding her arms out and generating a concentrated ball of Aura.
"Hmph. Blissey! Mega Punch! Forretress, use Spikes!"
"Bliss!" Blissey's fist would shake for a bit before being surrounded by a black orb of energy that would pulsate violently."Blissey!" The Happiness Pokemon would then swing her fist at the incoming Aura Sphere, using her brute force to strike it. And Brock's Blissey's physical power was nothing to ignore.
By hitting it, Blissey made a shockwave emerge just with her strength alone, making Rainbow Dash and Luna's manes flow from the pressure. Both of them had stunned looks on their faces once it came in their direction. Afterwards, Blissey would then knock the Aura Sphere away, sending it straight for Aurorus as she was able to redirect.
"What?! Aurorus, dodge! Quick!" Luna yelled as it looked like Aurorus would be the first to take damage via Friendly Fire.
"Auro!" Aurorus gasped, swaying her head to the side as she narrowly avoided a super-effective blow. The Aura Sphere would fly off, hitting the walls and coming to an end. With the challengers and their Pokemon being amazed by what they witnessed, this gave Forretress a ton of free time to use Spikes. From his body, he scattered sharp spikes that would descend into the floor. No one was able to stop him thanks to Blissey's Mega Punch.
"That strength is absurd..." Luna looked back at Blissey. She could sense a great ordeal of power from this usually friendly and cheery Pokemon. But in reality, Brock's Blissey was just as powerful as she was happy. Luna shuddered as even Lunar Ire plus Nightmare Moon, who were within her, were intimidated by what they could feel. In their eyes, an overwhelming black aura was flowing out of the Happiness Pokemon. It was as if they were being threatened by a force greater than them in every way. "Aurorus! Ancient Power, now!"
"Auro!" By stomping her feet, Aurorus managed to summon ancient rocks from the Earth below, harnessing their primal power with a purple aura surrounding each of them. With a majestic cry, she would launch these rocks, going for both Forretress and Blissey.
"Mienshao, use Acrobatics!"
"Shao!" Mienshao would attack once more, leaping off the ground with high agility. She would move past the rocks that Aurorus summoned, getting ahead to land the first blow. This time, successfully.
"Forretress! Rapid Spin! Blissey! Use Flamethrower!"
"For!" Forretress, who would constantly levitate there, fought back by spinning its body, using it to move since it wasn't that fast naturally. As for Blissey, she would hold her breath in, building up flames from within. Mienshao would focus on Blissey, only to be blocked by Forretress.
"Mien?!" Mienshao's knee met with Forretress, who prevented the Martial Arts Pokemon from reaching its teammate. Mienshao growled before jumping back, failing to get in close. But Forretress didn't stop there. By using its durable body along with Rapid Spin, the rocks from Ancient Power were broken.
Bits of the shattered rocks would fly everywhere, attacking Mienshao and Aurorus with how many came flying out at rapid speeds. Once again their own attacks were used against them.
"S-Shao!" Mienshao would be pelted by a few rocks, grimacing in the face of them. Aurorus would also grimace once her own attacks came back at her in smaller but larger numbers. No heavy hits were dealt but they still took damage with Mienshao even being pushed back.
"Blissey!" And there was still the issue of Blissey. She managed to finish building up her attack, unleashing a mighty blast of fire that came crashing out of her mouth. The fire blazed through the atmosphere and air, appearing wide enough to engulf both Pokemon.
"I think not! Aurorus! Aurora Beam!"
"Rorus!" Acting quickly, Aurorus managed to pull off Aurora Beam, releasing a rainbow-coloured beam that could intercept and clash with the scarlet flames. Aurorus barely managed to save herself and even Mienshao from the flames as an explosion would emerge from this clash.
"Gee. Thanks, Princess Luna." Rainbow Dash thanked the Moon Princess. "That was a close one."
"You are welcome. But we have yet to land a proper hit on just these two Pokemon." Luna narrowed her eyes. "Their defences are rather consistent and on spot."
"It's not just their natural durability and endurance you have to worry about. It's also their attacks that give them their defence!" Brock exclaimed. "The best offence is a good defence after all! Blissey! Mega Punch! Forretress, use Gyro Ball!"
"Blissey!" Blissey and Fortress would finally come on the offensive. Both were slow but they made up for it with their defences. And Blissey even had her titanic strength as another benefit.
"Here they come! Mienshao, use Force Palm!"
"Stop them both, Aurorus! Earthquake!"
"Mienshao!" Mienshao would become a blur when taking off, going for Blissey once more. She disappeared and reappeared in front of the Happiness Pokemon, finally having the chance to approach her. Forretress was no longer in the way. "Shao!"
Force Palm and Mega Punch would collide, generating an incandescent flash that also resulted in a shockwave. Upon colliding, Mienshao attempted pushing through as her fist was pressed against Blissey. However, it didn't take long for Mienshao to find out that even she would have trouble trying to overcome Blissey's overwhelming strength when being up close to her.
"Ssey!" Blissey's strength was so colossal that even a Fighting-Type's physical strength was something she could hold back. Not just hold back, but also start pushing back.
"No way!" Rainbow Dash gasped. "She's pushing her back?!"
"Auro!" Meanwhile, Aurorus had used Earthquake, raising her hind legs before slamming them. A powerful tremor would erupt from below, forming cracks that then led to golden shockwaves emerging from below. These shockwaves raced through the cracks, going for both Forretress and Happiniy.
"For!" At last, Forretress took some damage. The Bug-Steel-Type would be forced out of its Gyro Ball, flying back while still managing to spin along the way.
"Yes! They got a hit in!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "All that's left is to get one in against Blissey!"
"Bliss!" But it didn't look like that was happening anytime soon. Blissey noticed the shockwaves approaching her as she refused to let them hit her. Thus, she overpowered Mienshao, using nothing but her brute strength to win this clash of fists. By overpowering Mienshao, she would shatter the aura of Force Palm as if it was made out of glass, sending the Martial Arts Pokemon back.
"M-Mien!" A flabbergasted Mienshao, who couldn't understand how this Egg-Shaped Pokemon was managing to beat her out in terms of physical skill was pushed back. But this was part of Blissey's plan. To put an end to Earthquake, she sent Mienshao into the golden shockwaves. "Mien!"
"Oh no! Mienshao!" Rainbow Dash bellowed as Mienshao was the one who took the Earthquake, crying out.
"Mi...!" Mienshao growled, sliding and rolling on the floor. Being struck by Blissey's devastating Mega Punch while being consumed by the golden shockwaves of Earthquake would certainly leave her bewildered.
"Aurorus!?" Aurorus gasped, rushing over to the Martial Arts Pokemon to see how she was doing. Blissey would do the same, going for Forretress instead. "Ro? Rorus?!" Aurorus asked if she was alright.
"Mienshao...!" Mienshao could continue. But she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't feeling some major damage by now.
"The real problem is that Blissey. I can't believe she beat Mienshao in pure strength." Twilight's jaw dropped. "I thought Blissey was just a durable Pokemon and that's all. Why is this one so freakishly strong?"
"That's just how Brock's Blissey is," Ash answered. "Every other Blissey I know aren't that skilled in physical attacks. But Brock's Blissey, especially when she was a Happiny, was also awesomely strong. I've never seen her struggle to lift anything once when she was just a baby."
"Pikachu."
"When she was just a baby? She was always this strong?!" Rarity was in disbelief. So were the rest of her friends.
"Rainbow Dash. I believe we should switch things up a bit." Luna suggested. "Our performance is rather lacklustre and we are struggling to get past this. All we need to do is beat them both and the battle will be over but..."
"I know. That Blissey's throwing me off for sure." Rainbow Dash said as she and Luna had a bit of a team talk while they had the chance. And while they were ready to discuss a new approach, Blissey could be seen healing Forretress.
"Bliss. Blissey." The egg in Blissey's pouch exuded a vibrant and magnificent yellow as she raised her arms into the air. When she did, a yellow glow in the shape of Blissey's egg rises from her pouch into the air. It then gently hovered over to the Bug-Steel-Type and melted into its body. As it does, Fortress' body became outlined in yellow, healing it. That damage from before had been erased.
"...Blissey's going down first." Luna and Rainbow Dash reached an immediate agreement. Not only was Blissey absurdly powerful but she also had the power to heal her allies. And with this being an endurance gym, they couldn't allow that to happen.
"Hoh? Try it." Brock confidently said. "Let's see that teamwork at work, you two."
"Gladly! Ancient Power, Aurorus!"
"Mienshao! Acrobatics!"
Knowing how dangerous Blissey was, Luna and Rainbow Dash would only focus on her and no one else. Forretress wasn't important to them at the moment. When the primal power of these fossilized emerged, Mienshao would use them to her advantage. The Martial Arts Pokemon used Acrobatics to leap and dash, utilizing the rocks as platforms. This gave her an extra boost as she became a white and purple blur, constantly moving against the rocks.
"Gyro Ball!"
"Forre!" Once more, Forretress would not allow her to approach Blissey. The Bug-Steel-Type would use its minimal speed to its advantage with Gyro Ball. By using its slow speed, it managed to clash with Mienshao, having a ton of power behind it.
"M-Mien...!" Mienshao growled as Forretress could show a tremendous wealth of power too. Not just Blissey. But Blissey's was just more consistent.
"Jump off Forretress and kick the rocks!"
"Mien!" Mienshao would leap off Foretress' body, using it as a platform as well. After gaining some distance, the Martial Arts Pokemon would kick the rocks, boosting them ahead. The rocks would fly in, rapidly bombarding Forretress. Much like before, Forretress could break them with all of this spinning. And Gyro Ball was certainly stronger. However, thanks to Mienshao's assistance, the bombardment of rocks managed to overpower Forretress, knocking it away.
"F-For!"
"Aurora Beam!"
"Aura Sphere!"
"Aurorus!" After successfully pushing Forretress out of the way, Aurorus and Mienshao would both use their respective Auras. A rainbow-coloured beam and a concentrated ball of Aura.
"Flamethrower, Blissey!"
"Blissey!" Blissey would attempt to intercept these attacks with Flamethrower. From how this was building up, it would be another ranged clash with a potentially larger combustion than before.
"Not this time..." Luna grit her teeth, refusing to let Blissey overpower her Pokemon once more. "Rainbow Dash!"
"I know what to do! Leave it to me! Mienshao, throw it now!"
"Mienshao!" Mienshao would be the first to throw her attack, launching the Aura Sphere. This prompted Blissey to unleash her Flamethrower. Aura Sphere and Flamethrower met with the strength of two trainers crashing against each other. But in this case, Blissey was always the larger train.
The sphere would spin when fighting against the scarlet flames, trying its best to push through. But it was no use. The sphere could not break through. It could only hold the flames back. But that was enough for Aurorus to strike.
"Rus!" Aurorus finally unleashed her attack right after Mienshao used hers. She would attack while Blissey was wide open, sending the beam of the northern lights from the side.
"Bliss!" Blissey was thrown out of her Flamethrower clash as the Aurora Beam connected from the side. Finally, Blissey had been hit. The Happiness Pokemon was pushed back, closing her eyes for a moment. Blissey would recover by sliding on the floor.
"Alright! They found a way past Blissey!" Goh cheered. The terrifying Blissey was not invincible as they managed to damage her at last. But how long could they keep it up? Rainbow Dash and Luna weren't going to slow down for a moment now that they had this opportunity.
"Go! Force Palm!"
"Ice Beam, Aurorus! Now!"
"Shao!" Mienshao moved in, continuing her assault. She appeared in front of Blissey, delivering an energized swing from her paws. Another hit on Blissey had been made as Force Palm smashed against the Happiness Pokemon's egg-shaped body.
"Bliss?!" Blissey would be sent upwards by Mienshao's palm swing which then prompted Aurorus to go next. The chilling beam of ice would be unleashed, going upwards to try and freeze Blissey in midair.
"Not bad. How about this then?! Dazzling Gleam!"
"Bliss!" Blissey's final move had been revealed. Dazzling Gleam. Her eyes would flash while she was spinning in midair. The Happiness Pokemon cried out, unleashing a blinding light of Fairy Magic from her body which also allowed rainbow rays to come out.
The Ice Beam was stopped by only one of these rays, failing to reach the Normal-Type. This then prompted the other rainbows to fly down after stopping Ice Beam with just one rainbow ray.
"Auro...Aurorus!" Aurorus and Mienshao yelled as they were bombarded by the rainbow rays that came from above. If anything, being sent upwards was an advantage for Blissey as she was able to pull Dazzling Gleam off in this style. It was raining rainbows as they engulfed a majority of the area where Mienshao and Aurorus stood.
"Mien...Mienshao!"
"No! Mienshao! Aurorus!" Rainbow Dash and Luna collectively yelled as the dazzling explosions came to an end, spreading sparkles everywhere afterwards. The smoke would clear as Blissey even found the opportunity to stick a clean landing, still looking healthy.
Everyone gasped, leaning in to see what had become of Mienshao and Aurorus. After trying their best to overcome Blissey's raw strength, they did their best, but ultimately, failed to succeed in taking either of these Pokemon down.
Mienshao and Aurorus had fainted.
"Mienshao..."
"Aurorus..."
"Both Mienshao and Aurorus are unable to battle! Blissey and Forretress win!" The first double knockout of the battle. Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna were already down to two Pokemon.
"They both went down from that?" Fluttershy uttered. "I thought for sure they would've at least defeated one of them. Forretress isn't even down yet either."
"And not only that, Blissey can heal any damage, meaning this is really an endurance Gym," Ash added. "Brock's not even using his most durable Pokemon."
"Wait! Blissey's not the most durable?!" Applejack gasped as Ash's words only made this scenario more frightening. Since Brock was only stuck to using Forretress and Blissey, he couldn't use any more of his Pokemon for this battle. There was one other Pokemon who had stellar defence just like Blissey and that was frankly terrifying to think about.
"Impossible...Even after we both attacked it once." Luna's jaw dropped before glancing over at Blissey. "What an utterly terrifying Pokemon..."
A battle that was seemingly looking to be short, ended up becoming a rough one for both Rainbow Dash and Luna. In this Team Battle against the Final Gym Leader Brock, they were facing a foe that was the ultimate roadblock. With both their Pokemon down, they only had two more to go. And if either one loses a Pokemon, that Gym Badge would slip away from them. That is if they could defeat these two juggernauts as the journey continues.
Chapter 50 End.