Equestria. Manehattan. The Battle Carnival. The Battle Frontier. Afternoon.
For the first ever Battle Frontier Battle here at Equestria, Rainbow Dash found herself taking on the Frontier Brain Nadya and her Delphox. This battle was mainly centered around slot machines and Nadya has been using the biggest one here to her advantage. Rainbow Dash's Mienshao had previously lost her Aura Sphere thanks to a mysterious effect that was originally made by Potion Nova's potions and now, a third effect of the slot machine was about to occur.
"Time to see what we get!" Nadya grinned while those slots moved. Finally, they would come to a halt, showing the new results. The symbols ended up being three Electrodes which was the first consistent line of symbols. "Three Electrodes. Well, that means the battlefield is about to get explosive."
"Explosive?! Where?!"
"Anywhere! The energy's concealed from our eyes. Take the wrong step and boom!" Nadya shouted, startling Rainbow Dash. According to her, the explosions will only show up if the wrong step is made. "But for Delphox, that's not an issue with Psychic."
"Delphox." Delphox could easily avoid this by levitating himself with Psychic, using his mental energy to do so. Delphox avoided touching any of these secret explosives. Meanwhile, Mienshao was left on the land where she excels the most at.
"So far, this is just making it hard for Mienshao. How come she's getting stuff that doesn't mess her up that much?!" Pinkie Pie bellowed, shaking her hoof at Nadya.
"Hmph! It's not unfair. I just know how to take advantage of something and work around it." Nadya stuck her tongue out. "That's what I do. Always ready when the time calls for it. But what about Rainbow Dash? Can she catch up?"
"Be careful, Mienshao! Let's not trigger anything!"
"Mien?" Mienshao's head navigated the field, wondering where these explosive energies could be found. Since they were invisible, it was hard to see or even sense them.
"Don't worry. I'll help you find some of them. Delphox, Fire Blast!"
"Phox!" Delphox would unleash a quick Fire Blast that was weaker than the previous one but had one purpose. To set off one of the explosions. Mienshao gasped as the FIre Blast struck the ground near her. And just like that, because of the fierce nature of Fire, one of the explosions went off.
A powerful outburst of energy that a Pokemon such as Electrode was capable off had been unleashed near the Martial Pokemon. The shockwaves were fierce and the sound was ear-piercing. Mienshao put up her arms to block before jumping back, avoiding the paroxysm of Infinity Energy.
"Mienshao!" Mienshao growled before landing perfectly. However, she knew that her perfect landings might cost her as the explosive energy could be below her. The Fighting-Type gasped, hoping she hasn't set one of them off. Lucky for her, she didn't. Not yet at least.
"I can reach you. Just gotta be careful and I know how I'm gonna be careful! Use Acrobatics!" Rainbow Dash went for a move that requires precision and agility to function.
"Shao!" Mienshao would use Acrobatics, preparing to leap off the floor just so she can reach Delphox. But as soon as she attempted to move, her senses kicked off. She felt something threatening. Mienshao sensed that if she were to take this leap, one of the explosives could set off. A part of her sensed that there was an explosion waiting for her.
"What's wrong, Mienshao?!"
"Mienshao looks shaken up. Do you think she knows where they are?" Fluttershy and most of the crowd wondered, seeing Mienshao's hesitation.
"I think she senses them or at least gets a bad feeling. Mienshao's looking hesitant to make any sharp moves." Twilight observed.
"If I could just reach Delphox. But Mienshao doesn't have Aura Sphere anymore..." Rainbow Dash growled before shifting her eyes at the magical energy that took Mienshao's Aura Sphere. It was still present, holding it there, but there was a way to retrieve it. All Mienshao would have to do was snag it from the energy's clutches.
"You wanna get Aura Sphere?" Nadya giggled as Delphox suddenly flew over to the energy, guarding it just so Mienshao couldn't reach it. "You're gonna have to earn it~"
"Geez..." The pegasus growled as this just became a lot harder for her. Mienshao would then take light steps, carefully treading the area. Her eyes shifted as sweat could be seen appearing on her head. She was nervous, wishing not to slip up even once. The atmosphere changed because of this intensity.
"Don't wanna use the slot machines to your advantage?" Nadya questioned. "It would save you a lot of trouble, ya know."
"We don't need random effects to win. We can do this with our own skills."
"Luck's a part of skill, ya know. And I'm feeling lucky right now. But I won't pull on the slot machine yet. Not until you can show me and Delphox what you can do in this situation." Nadya would lazily sit on the slot machine. "Unless you're too stumped to do it."
"Watch us." Rainbow Dash wasn't about to let someone younger than her say that and feel invicible. She would never allow it. Especially in a Pokemon Battle. "Ready, Mienshao?"
"Shao." Mienshao's eyes flashed for a moment. She was prepared. Explosions or not, the Martial Arts Pokemon refused to let anything hold her back.
"Once more! Acrobatics!"
"Mienshao!" Acrobatics would be used even with the explosives. Rainbow Dash and Mienshao were very confident in themselves. Mienshao leapt, landing on the nearest thing she could find. That would be one of the chairs here as the nearest explosive went off. A powerful explosion emerged, blowing away the other chairs. However, the second the force of it emerged, Mienshao had already leapt once more.
She landed on the floor, setting off another explosive but that would not stop her from advancing. Mienshao would be swift with her movements, lunging forward as the explosion behind her was too late. Mienshao knew she had to move faster than the explosions could reach and that would mean triggering as many explosions as she possibly could.
By becoming a white afterimage, Mienshao was setting off plenty of explosions but she didn't do it without slip-ups. Mienshao growled as the force of the explosions affected her body since they were nearby. She would be launched forward by the combustions but refused to lose her balance. The Martial Arts Pokemon would continue to move rapidly with Acrobatics, avoiding more of the explosions she was setting off.
"Look at her go!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "Go Mienshao!"
"Is she fine like that?! The shockwaves are hitting her and slowing her down!" Starlight questioned.
"Hopefully! It looks like she's trying to get rid of every explosion there is so that there's nothing there!" Twilight shouted, believing that Mienshao was ridding the field of the explosive energy with Acrobatics. And so far, that looked to be the case, until she made her next move.
She would then land on one of the walls, running across them as usual. Nadya's eyes widened as Mienshao was starting to get closer, avoiding as many explosions as she could. Behind her, a blaze of outburst could be seen. And with a determined look on her face, Mienshao was actually more intimidating than the explosions. But at that moment, Nadya suddenly smirked, knowing more than what Rainbow Dash was aware of. And very soon, Rainbow Dash and Mienshao would learn that the hard way.
In the midst of running off the walls, Mienshao suddenly set off another explosion. Her pupils shrunk as the area around her was heating up all of a sudden. In a split second, an explosion from the walls themselves went off, engulfing the Martial Arts Pokemon.
"M-Mienshao!"
"They're on the walls too?!" Rainbow Dash said, flabbergasted.
"Mieeeeen!" Mienshao cried out while falling as she hit the ground hard. But not as hard as this next explosive would be. She set another one off as it was right below her. Before she could even react, the explosion struck the Martial Arts Pokemon, launching her into the air once more.
The Fighting-Type spun around as the other nearby explosions would go off thanks to the previous ones. The force of the explosions would keep Mienshao in the air, juggling and bouncing her repeatedly. The shockwaves of these explosions would hit her as some even enveloped her body.
"Not good! If this keeps up, Mienshao will faint for sure!" Fluttershy gasped as things were getting rough for Mienshao now.
"Mienshao?! Are you alright?!"
"Hmm...Not looking too hot, are you? Let me warm you up then! Fire Blast!"
"Delphox!" Another Fire Blast was incoming. But this one would be fully charged instead of a short burst. Delphox was looking to deal maximum damage. And with Mienshao on the floor, it looked like he would get a free hit.
"Not like this! Mienshao, use Reversal!"
"Mien...!" Refusing to let this be her end, Mienshao would gather up her energy, concentrating it into her paws. And with all of her might, she aimed it upwards the second the Fire Blast was unleashed. A great blast came crashing down from above, lighting up the area and Mienshao's entire body with its intense colours. And retaliating against this blaze was a powerful orange beam from Mienshao. This attack was powered up by all the damage Mienshao had taken so far in battle, making it incredibly strong.
Strong enough to clash with one of the most powerful Fire-Type moves out there. The two attacks crashed into each other at full force, creating a violent spark in the air. Mienshao growled before unleashing a powerful yell, causing her Reversal to gain a little boost of energy. At that moment, the stream of energy from Reversal would break through the Fire Blast, causing it to explode. Surprised that Mienshao managed to push through, Delphox was hit in the chest by this attack, taking all of the damage Mienshao had received during this battle but with a not-very-effective addition.
"D-Del?!" Even if it wasn't very effective, it had plenty of power behind it as Delphox would be knocked out of the air, making Nadya gasp. This made Delphox vulnerable to the explosions that were littered across the floor. However, much to Nadya's benefit, Delphox managed to recover by grabbing onto the walls that Mienshao once ran on. "Delphox!"
"M-Mien...!" Mienshao growled before getting on one knee. She pulled off that powerful blow. She breathed in and out, bewildered by the struggling she was going through. With one move stolen, a super-effective opponent and random effects that caught her off guard, the Martial Arts Pokemon was having a rough time and this was just the first Frontier Battle here at Equestria. There was more to come.
If she could win this one for Rainbow Dash.
"Jeez. That Mienshao sure can hit hard." Nadya whistled, impressed with Mienshao's strength. "Alright. I think I've gauged you enough. I know how strong you two are so there's no reason for me to continue this."
"Is she going to finish this battle now? Delphox looks in much better condition than Mienshao right now." Rarity shuddered, fearful that this would spell Rainbow Dash's defeat.
"It's not over yet. I've still got more to offer. Especially one ace-in-the-hole." Rainbow Dash denied Nadya her possible victory, claiming that she could keep this going.
"It'd better be a good one. You haven't used the Slot Machines once to help you out. You really wanna prove that you can win this without any luck. I can respect that." Nadya crossed her arms, approving of Rainbow Dash's decision. "But! That just means I can take full advantage of what I've got here! Because here comes the next and final effect! This one's going to mess you up for sure!" Once more, Nadya would jump off the slot machine, going for the massive lever. And judging by her words, this was potentially going to be the last time it would be used.
Rainbow Dash and Mienshao braced themselves. The slots spun rapidly, preparing for another random effect that was sure to spice up the battle. But so far, it has been against Rainbow Dash and Miensao. And from it, the faces of two Chansey's and a Poke Ball were shown. "Two Chansey's and a Poke Ball. That means...there's a chance to heal!"
"Heal?" Rainbow Dash repeated as above everyone, a beautiful flash of energy would appear. Their eyes all widened as a verdant and comforting light was in the air, surrounded by glistening sparkles. Up there was Healing Energy.
"That right there can heal any of our Pokemon. Of course, it depends on who gets it." Nadya explained.
"If Mienshao gets it then she'll be at full strength again!" Pinkie PIe made a prolonged gasp. "Grab it, Rainbow Dash! Quick!"
"Can Mienshao even get there in time?" Rainbow Dash thought to herself before looking at Nadya. Both of them eyed each other down and so did their Pokemon.
They knew that only one of them could take that healing energy and whoever receives it will have a colossal advantage. If Delphox grabs it then Mienshao's chances of winning will drop. But if Mienshao retrieves it, then she will have a chance to claim victory, having her strength revitalized.
The Pokemon from Unova and the Pokemon from Kalos would also stare at each other intensively. They were making the atmosphere tighter with their staredown. The second one of them moves, the other will follow suit but it was all dependent on what the Trainer says.
Before anything could be done, Mienshao looked over at Rainbow Dash at the two locked eyes for a moment. In that instance, Rainbow Dash and Mienshao spoke to each other without saying a word. THeir eye contact spoke volumes as Mienshao nodded in understanding when seeing Rainbow Dash put on a smile.
"Seeing as Delphox is on the wall...I've got this in the bag! Go for it, Delphox! Psychic"
"Del!" Delphox would once again use Psychic to fly as he left the walls, heading straight for the Healing Energy.
"Here goes nothing! Mienshao! Acrobatics! Take it!" Rainbow Dash shouted as both Pokemon would move in an instant. Everyone leaned in, eager to see who would retrieve it. Would be Delphox with her Psychic movement or Mienshao with her Agile movements?
However, there was a turning point. It was a literal turning point as Mienshao would instead go in a completely different direction, not following Delphox at all. Mienshao had something else within her sights.
"Why's she going the other way?!" Twilight stood up, confused as to why Mienshao was going directly up. With Acrobatics, she could surely ascend. But instead, she was turning. "Unless...!"
"She's taking back Aura Sphere!" Ash finished Twilight's sentence after seeing what Mienshao was doing. The reason she was turning was for the sake of getting her Aura Sphere back from the magical energy that was lounging around. And at the speed she was moving at, she wanted to retrieve it and stop Delphox at the same time.
"Mienshao!" With all of her might and a full lunge from Acrobatics, Mienshao would swipe the Move out of the Energy's ethereal clutches. Just like that, the move that was taken from her was now retrieved, re-entering her body in an orange flash. All the while, Delphox was close to the Healing Energy.
"Throw it!"
Refusing to let him heal, Mienshao would then launch Aura Sphere at full force. The Aura SPhere left her body with intense power, creating a shockwave that even pushed Mienshao back. The Martial Arts Pokemon dropped to the floor but not without sending something Delphox's way.
Just as Delphox was about to touch the healing energy, the Aura Sphere would get there first. Delphox gasped as the Aura Sphere pierced the healing energy with its power, instantly destroying it. A bright explosion went off in the air, stunning everyone. "Deeeeel!" Delphox screamed as he went flying back from the explosion, failing to heal. Mienshao and Rainbow Dash planned this after their eye contact.
The plan was to not only retrieve Aura Sphere but use it to destroy the Healing Energy. In the end, no one got the chance to heal. But Delphox would end up taking damage, crashing into the walls and falling off them right afterwards.
"Great plan, you two!" Fluttershy frantically applauded, clapping her hooves together. That was something that deserved an applause from the crowd as it was a great play from the challengers.
"No way that just happened!" Nadya gasped, holding onto her hat as she was absolutely flabbergasted by what just happened. Mienshao delivered a crucial double whammy that showed Nadya and Delphox that this battle was not over yet. But judging by the glare from Rainbow Dash and Mienshao, they were about to bring it to a close.
"Now it's time to lay the smackdown on you with no chance of healing up! Close Combat, Mienshao!"
"Mieeeen! Mienshao!" Mienshao punched the ground when getting back up, gathering all the strength she could to continue.
"I don't think so! Let's finish this, Delphox! Psychic!" Nadya's voice intensified as she saw that things were starting to get a bit dire for her.
"D-Del...!" Delphox's back was aching after the crash as he was getting back at the same pace as Mienshao. Both Pokemon stood back up but only one of them could pull off their attacks. And that would be Delphox. He had his wand at the ready, aiming it at Mienshao.
"Mien-" Before Mienshao could take off, she felt her body freeze for a moment. The Martial Arts Pokemon gasped as the mental energy of Psychic surrounded her body. It was too late for her to advance. Instead, she was pushed back. An invisible blast of energy struck Mienshao's body, sending her flying.
She would go a long distance before crashing down seconds later And it was right near Rainbow Dash. The pegasus gasped, stepping back after seeing her partner hit the carpet which was still in pristine condition after the fierce battle that occurred. And with that Psychic attack from Delphox, it was all said and done.
"Mienshao..." Mienshao had fainted.
"Mienshao is unable to battle! Delphox wins! Thus, the winner of this battle is the Frontier Brain, Nadya!" The employee called out, determining the winner.
"Phew! That actually got too close for comfort!" A relieved Nadya said as she would finally leave the Slot Machine, rushing to Delphox's side. "Delphox! We did it! We won our first match as Frontier Brains! We won!"
"Del?" Delphox smiled at Nadya who ran his way. He was rather dazed after the retaliation that Mienshao did. Any more and it could've spelt total defeat for him. Nadya would hug her partner, relieved that they both won. In the end, this was not just Rainbow Dash's first Frontier Battle but it was also Nadya as she proved to everyone here that she was not a pushover and the Battle Frontier wouldn't be a cakewalk or something on the side for Trainers to breeze by.
"Aw." Rainbow Dash pouted, kissing her teeth. "We lost. Oh well...You did well, Mienshao."
"Shao..." Mienshao sighed, sitting up after her defeat. But compared to how she was as a Mienfoo, Mienshao was calm and collected. The loss did sting but she could take it.
"Aaah! If Close Combat landed then Rainbow Dash could've won!" Pinkie Pie puffed her cheeks, rather upset that Rainbow Dash did not grasp victory for her first Frontier Battle. "But that was still a great battle! Way to go!"
The crowd applauded as the Battle Frontier showed a great first example. A fun yet fierce battle. Rainbow Dash may have lost but she showed that she had the chance to win, delivering strong retaliations when the time called for it. For someone all about speed, she certainly had plenty of patience.
"Rainbow Dash. Mienshao. Thanks for the battle." Nadya would approach the duo with her Delphox, thanking them for such an entertaining battle. "I did what I set out to do and make a great first impression! Now everyone knows to take me seriously!"
"Yeah. Looks like it. You beat me. I would say fair and square but..." Rainbow Dash shifted her eyes to the side. "That slot machine really messed us up. But for the second and third effects, I had the chance to use those to my advantage. I just didn't have the right Pokemon for the second one and the third one was tough."
"Yeah. But Luck's a part of Skill. That's what I've been told. Not sure if it means a lot to you or anyone else." Nadya giggled. "I know I'm gonna see you again since you're not gonna let this go.
"Are you going to use the slot machines next time?!" A pony in the crowd shouted, curious if Rainbow Dash would use the slot machines a second time.
"All you gotta know is that next time, Mienshao and I will win. And our rematch is gonna be very soon."
"Wait. You won't switch your Pokemon?" Nadya gasped. "I thought you would. You know I'm just gonna use Delphox again, right?"
"That's not gonna stop us. Right, Mienshao?"
"Shao." Mienshao smiled as she was itching for that rematch. She may not be hot-headed like before she would never let a loss go by without some form of revenge.
"You'll be seeing us tomorrow!" Rainbow Dash shouted for everyone to hear. "And I'll come prepared. And win. I know some of the effects from that machine so I'll be ready."
"Hmm...I don't know." Nadya and Delphox collectively put on devious smirks. "I did say a lot of options could come from it. We've barely scratched the surface. But we'll see what happens tomorrow."
And the crowd will be here to watch it again after how entertaining it was the first time. Rainbow Dash wasn't going to waste any time. She didn't feel the need to grow stronger. She just felt the need to battle differently the next time. Working smarter, not harder.
"Oh, look at you. Your battle's already done?" Entering the facility after the battle was done was one of the Frontier Brains that everyone knew about already. That would be Luca.
"Luca!" Nadya said with excitement, running over to her fellow Frontier Brain who she seemed to know. Not just because they were working at the same facilitiy. "You just missed it! I won! I really won! Not gonna lie, I was pretty nervous at the last moments. That Rainbow Dash can be scary."
"Great work. You made us Frontier Brains look powerful." Luca said, giving a thumbs-up.
"You know each other? Just like Sharon?" said Rainbow Dash.
"Oh, we do! I earned a lot from studying the battle records of Luca's father." Nadya said proudly. "I took inspiration from him. He's the one who taught me how to make Delphox move around with Psychic. And a few other stuff too that I didn't get to show you."
"I managed to convince her parents to join. She wanted to enter badly so I had to get involved and here she is as a Frontier Brain. This will do wonders for her, Rainbow Dash. Because of her victory, her parents are going to be incredibly proud. And my father will see that I was right to go for it."
"Uh...It was nothing." Rainbow Dash grinned.
"I hear you're taking her on tomorrow. So soon? In that case, if you do manage to win, the other Frontier Brains and I will be waiting for you." Luca would then turn around as there was nothing to do here now that the battle was over. "Don't lose a second time."
"I won't!" Rainbow Dash said with high energy. "And after I win, I'll come after you and Sharon. Just you wait."
An exciting battle here at the Battle Carnival's Battle Frontier was over. The first of many to come here at Equestria. But it felt like it was just beginning since Rainbow Dash would be back tomorrow. As the journey continues.
Chapter 233 End.