Galar. The Isle of Armor. The Pokemon Festival. Afternoon.
To obtain the power of Gigantamax, the Max Soup had to be drunk by the Pokemon capable of tapping into that power beyond Dynamax. But to see if two of them were worthy to have the Max Soup were Sci-Twi and Fluttershy, who both had Pokemon capable of Gigantamaxing.
The Max Mushrooms have already been obtained, making them eligible for a Max Soup. But while Ash was in the clear to have his Gengar try it, Fluttershy and Sci-Twi had to try and defeat Bea to get theirs. It would be a double battle against Bea which made it less intimidating but still fairly intimidating.
"Prepare yourselves. Both of you." Bea held out her Poke Ball. "To see if you're worthy, try your best to make me take you seriously. You don't have to win."
"Oh really? Well, that's a relief." Sci-Twi nervously laughed. She didn't have to beat Bea. She just had to prove to her that she was good enough for the Max Soup.
"Don't mistake the conditions for a lenient time," Bea uttered, startling Sci-Twi. "If you do take it easy on me, I promise you, you won't get a taste of that soup. Not that you'll be the ones drinking it."
"R-Right. Sorry." Sci-Twi lowered her head. She wasn't going to take the easy way out of this, much to her dismay. Sci-Twi would have to throw everything at Bea.
"It's alright. I'll back you up. I'm used to Double Battles and Raboot is pretty strong~"
"Raboot!" Raboot stood proud. Usually, Fluttershy battles alongside Audino but since this involved Raboot, he was taking the helm today. Naturally, since Fluttersy was more of a support trainer, the difficulty was raised.
"Appear! Falinks!"
"Falinks!" Choosing her Falinks instead of her Machamp or even Grapploct, this would be Bea's sign of holding back on them a bit. She was obviously far stronger than them so she had to restrain herself.
"We just met but, I have a good feeling about you." Holding her Poke Ball out, Sci-Twi summoned Bulbasaur.
"Bulbasaur!"
"Is Bulbasaur even strong enough for this? He might go down in a few minutes." Seeing this matchup, Rainbow Dash saw how outclassed they appeared to be. Even if Falinks was also small, Bea's skill was always in sync with the Pokemon and considering that she gave Ash a fierce battle, the odds were not pretty. It didn't help that Falinks was a Pokemon that appeared in groups.
"It's fine.." Allister muttered. "Master Mustard and Mrs Honey trained him well so he'll be fine..."
"Raboot. Support Bulbasaur, please." Fluttershy reuested. "You'll be doing all the physical action. Bulbasaur's much better from afar."
"Boot! Raboot!" The Raboot Pokemon saluted. He wouldn't let her down and would make sure Bulbasaur gets some hits in. This won't be easy, especially with the numbers Falinks possesses.
"Master Mustard speaks about how trainers and Pokemon grow stronger in unison because of their bonds. So, by that logic, your time with Ash should make you worthwhile. Allow me to begin! No Retreat!"
"Fa...Links!" Starting off strong, the Falinks would erupt their bodies in a blazing fighting energy. With each of them crying out, their strength, speed and defence were boosted but at the cost of them being unable to switch out. However, that didn't matter, since it would be a test battle instead of a full one.
Sci-Twi gulped after witnessing this blazing energy. But this wasn't the time to be intimidated. She had just gone through a consistent streak of battles recently so this shouldn't be too much. "Okay, Bulbasaur! Use Razor Leaf!"
"Raboot! Flame Charge!"
"Ra!" Moving ahead was Raboot who would handle everything up close, moving at high speeds. He enveloped his body in his own blazing energy while Bulbsaur stood back, generating razor-sharp leaves. Approaching the Formation Pokemon, Raboot was ready to tackle into the leader so that each of them get sent flying.
"Iron Defense!" Bea crossed her arms to symbolize absolute defence.
"Fal! Fal! Falinks!" Instead of going on the offensive, Falinks started off by being defensive. After using No Retreat, each of the mini-soldiers would harden their bodies. And as soon as Raboot came crashing in with Flame Charge, successfully landing a hit in, he didn't even budge them all. He smashed his head against the Falinks, but to his shock, they did not move Instead, the one moving back was Raboot as he felt himself crash into metal.
"R-Ra?!" Raboot's head was ringing a bit, prompting him to stumble back. On the bright side, he got faster thanks to the Flame Charge's special ability.
As the sharp leaves came flying in, the Falinks stood there, taking the hits. They did not move at all and neither did they appear phased by the sharp leaves. They raised their defences twice. Not only that, but they separated themselves instead of staying in one line. Already, Falinks was throwing something new at these two.
"They split up? I thought they worked better when in line?" Fluttershy questioned as this already looked off to her.
"Each of my Falinks are clad in iron and are fully fortified to take any hit you dish at them. I don't want this battle to be over so soon. Not when I'm testing you. But don't think I won't throw in any attacks." Bea said. "And you will have to look out for each of their attacks."
"Wait! Each of them?!" Sci-Twi gasped. This meant that every single one of the Falinks would throw attacks at them in their own pattern.
"Oh. I didn't think about that." Fluttershy paused as even she wasn't ready for this. All of the Falinks surrounded them from all sides, glistening with iron around them. Raboot and Bulbasaur had to constantly move their heads, looking for which Falinks would attack first.
"Attack! Close Combat!"
"Falinks!" The answer was all of them. When one Falinks lunged in, another would do the same.
"B-Bulba!" Bulbasaur immediately ducked, using his vines to cover his head even though that wouldn't do much.
"Quick, Raboot! Dodge!"
"Ra!" By the skin of his teeth, Raboot managed to dodge the first Falinks by leaning back. He watched for a moment as one of these mini-soldiers went flying. Two more of them were flying in for another attack, prompting Raboot to be quick on his feet. Luckily for him, he was always quick on his feet. Swiftly, the Fire-Type jumped to the side to avoid a second Close Combat before then performing a backflip in the air to evade the third attack. The same couldn't be said for Bulbasaur, who was on the floor being pelted by the Falinks.
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur cried out as his body was being bounced off by the Falinks each time they crashed into him. Specifically, they hit his bulbous speed which also made them bounce off his body.
"Bulbasaur! Get out of there, quick!"
"Bulbaaaa...!" But it was rather difficult for Bulbasaur to avoid this. Thus, he was becoming a mere punching bag for the Falinks while Raboot kept doging them. However, even Raboot couldn't dodge forever and i was only a matter of time until one of the six Falinks got him
"Boot!" Raboot received a hit to his back by the leader of te Falinks, falling over. That set the other two Falinks up to strike Raboot from the front before he could even touch the floor. "Ra!"
"This is ugly!" Pinkie covered her eyes as this was already a rough battle.
"It isn't over yet...Grab one of them, Bulbasaur! Use your vines!"
"Saur!" If Bulbasaur couldn't dodge the attacks, he could at least intercept them. By summoning one of his vines, he quickly used it to grab a Falinks that came his way.
"Fal!?" Shocked that it was caught, this one Falinks was being held up, perfectly cradled in Bulbasaur's vines.
"Yes, we got one!"
"Not for long! Iron Head!"
"Links!" Supporting their ally, one of the Falinks came crashing in with Iron Head. Before Bulbasaur could do anything else, he was struck by a charging Falinks.
"B-Bulbasaur!" Taking the hit, Bulbasaur was knocked back while the other Falkins was dropped. Soon, all the other Falinks surrounded Raboot and Bayleef yet again.
"Raboot...!" Raboot growled when facing the Falinks. While he was fast, he did have to keep an eye on six different Pokemon that counted as one. If anything, Bea was technically using six Pokemon while Fluttershy and Sci-Twi were stuck with one.
"Are you alright, Bulbasaur?!" Sci-Twi gasped.
"Bulbasaur." Getting back, Bulbasaur still had some strength left in him, showing that Mustard trained him well. But what good was that strength if it wasn't being utilized to its fullest at the moment?
"You got this you two! Show Bea what you can do!" Ash cheered.
"Gen! Gengar!" Gengar frantically threw his arms in the air, cheering for them both. Both Pikachus would jump up when cheering for their friends.
"Pika-Pika!"
"Is that it?" Bea questioned. "This is my first time seeing you two battle and it's rather dissappointing. I know you can do better than this."
"You're the one using six Pokemon..." Sci-Twi puffed her cheeks as her face was turning red for a moment.
"It's alright. We can do this." But Fluttershy remained calm. This wasn't overwhelming to her at all. And neither was it to Raboot. He's taken on larger opponents and most of them were deadly. But even so, the Falinks had a good chance of defeating him. "Raboot! Run around in circles using Flame Charge, please!"
"Ra!" Raboot would build up speed. And the best way to do that was to consistently use Flame Charge. His swift running would immediately summon a whirlwind of fire around his body.
"Hoh?" Bea slightly widened her eyes. This was already showing promise since it was reminding her of Ash already. "Interesting..."
"W-What is that? Is that the Countershield?" To Sci-Twi, this looked a lot like Ash's Countershield but instead of getting on his back, Raboot was running on the spot, using his best qualities.
"Not at all. But it helps a lot," said Fluttershy. It wasn't the Countershield, but it was a way to help boost Raboot's speed. By continuously running in one spot and whipping up a gale of fire, he was getting faster.
"I'll respond with this! Close Combat!"
"Falinks!" All of the Falinks came flying in, targeting Raboot and Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur was still vulnerable as a single Falinks was coming his way. But at that moment, Raboot responded the second Fluttershy gave out the next command.
"Use High Jump Kick!"
"Ra!" In a flash, Raboot burst out of the Flaming Whirlwind, using High Jump Kick. And thanks to the speed increase, Raboot managed to dissappear and reappear in an instant, striking the Falinks that went for Bulbasaur. "Boot!"
"F-Falinks!" A direct hit which resulted in a fierce shockwave. As for the other Falinks, they were pushed back by a stream of fire which trailed out of Raboot's body. By gathering up a flame whirlwind, he temporarily used it as an aura to knock the other five Falinks away.
Each of the Falinks bounced on the floor, rolling around thanks to their circular shapes. As for the Falinks who took the hit directly, it was absolutely bewildering to the point where it would take longer to recover compared to the others.
"Bulba?"
"Raboot?" Raboot smirked, looking back at his fellow Starter Pokemon to see if he was alright.
"Wow...!" Sci-Twi's jaw dropped after witnessing that. A truly clever play from Fluttershy.
"Ash taught me that as well. He taught all of us a lot about Pokemon Battling." Fluttershy giggled. It only made sense that this looked like an Ash-like tactic because Ash himself taught it.
"As to be expected." Bea smiled as that is what she loved to hear. "You, Fluttershy, do not disappoint. I should've been more patient when wanting to see your skills put to the test. You're rather calm."
"Aw, thank you." Fluttershy gushed after receiving such a compliment.
"You, on the other hand. You can show great promise." Bea focused on Sci-Twi. "But I'm not seeing much of it."
"I can show it you, I swear!" She adjusted her glasses.
"Don't worry too much about it, me!" Giving her advice was her Equestrian Counterpart who caught her attention. "I did the same thing as you. And since we're the same, you have to let go of those worries."
"Espeon!"
"Your Pony-self is right. Right now, you're battling for the chance to give your Bulbasaur the Max Soup, are you not? I said that you don't have to beat me. Just show me what you're capable of."
"It's not just to give Bulbasaur Max Soup. Well, I want to grow stronger to stop Hunter J and catch all the Alpha Pokemon. Or, as many as I can." Sci-Twi expressed her main goals. It hasn't changed a bit.
"So you have something else in mind? In that case, you have a greater reason to try and defeat me, Twilight. What you want to do sounds very kind and large as well. You wouldn't want to be set back just because of me, would you?"
"Bea's really weird at coaching, isn't she?" Pinkie Pie whistled. "Harsh, but I get what she means."
"Harsh is right." Lucas shuddered. "At least give her a break or something. Did Mustard really pick her for this?"
"I can do this. We can do this!" Sci-Twi slapped her face. "Ready, Bulbasaur? I know this is our first battle together, but I'm really counting on you to get us through this."
"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur nodded in response. He was already fond of Sci-Twi and it would be such a shame and embarrassment if he instantly lost here without doing much. Bea narrowed her eyes, hoping she could see something great from Sci-Twi as soon as possible.
While this battle was about to continue, someone else managed to find this hidden area. Moving the vines and slowly opening the door was none other than Klara. She was searching for some Max Mushrooms until she found herself spotting this area. Entering this hidden arena for Allister, she laid eyes on the scenario here.
"Her again? Why am I not surprised she found an area like this?" Klara groaned in her mind, tired of seeing Sci-Twi already. She stayed hidden from everyone else, quietly watching things play out. "She probably found a quick way to get those mushrooms. Ooh, I can't stand here!"
Master's Dojo.
Meanwhile, over at the Master's Dojo, Rarity's group had just finished catching up with everything that has happened. They learned everything from Mustard and Honey, who was still waiting for everyone else to show up.
"That's the gist of it. By the end of this all, one of them will receive the Secret Armor. You all are a bit too late to join though. Sorry." Mustard said.
"Awww..." The CMC were gutted when hearing that. They would've absolutely loved to take part in the Three Trials but it was too late for that. On the bright side, at least they were given the uniforms, seeing what they would look like in these outfits.
"But you came here with Princess Celestia and Luna? Ooh, I'd love to have them in my trial!" Mustard giggled. "What a shame! It is what it is, though."
"Lucky you, owning a private island of your own." Rarity uttered. "I should really do that as well. I think I can muster up enough money to buy one. I've gathered a lot thanks to how easy it is to earn PokeDollars."
"I haven't told them everything yet. I still want to keep the Secret Armor as the biggest surprise but I think some of them have already come across it." Mustard grinned. "The Isle of Armor is home to some rather powerful Pokemon if you must know. One of them recently left here."
"Who?" asked Apple Bloom.
"Well, seeing as you came here for Cobalion, the Swords of Justice already ran through here. But it wasn't just them. Another rare Pokemon showed up and left. It also left behind a ton of electricity that you can still feel even." The Dojo Master continued as he was greatly intriguing Applejack's group.
"Cobalion won't be the only Pokemon you might end up finding if you choose to go to the Crown Tundra sooner or later," Honey added to the conversation. "Passing by here was a Pokemon of great speed and lightning that could match that of Princess Luna's Zekrom."
"...Ash's Pikachu?" Sweetie Belle mainly thought about Ash's Pikachu. He was fast and summoned a grand amount of lightning that can truly leave an impact. Who else could it be? It wasn't Zekrom at all since Honey ruled him out.
"No silly." Honey giggled, but she knew what Sweetie Belle meant by that. "It's a Pokemon of Myth. One that many rarely see. But it's not a stranger to the Isle of Armor, I can tell you that. It's name is Zeraora."
"Zeraora?" Rarity, Applejack, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo collectively said. The name of this Pokemon had hit their ears and it was a brand new name too. One they have never heard of before.
"Aahh...I wanted to make that one a surprise too, Honey. I would've made it a bonus trial. Even if Zeraroa is long gone from here by now." Mustard was well aware of Zeraora's presence. But no one else aside from his wife was aware, until now.
"What's a Zeraora?"
"A Pokemon that possesses pure plasma. The same thing Reshiram and Zekrom are able to generate or even Princess Celestia's Gardevoir." Honey explained. "It hits fast and runs fast. No matter what, the electricity will always hit you in the end. Zeraora has been at the Isle of Armor before, but we've never interacted with it all."
"Not until recently, it showed up here again, but not in the best condition." Following up was Mustard. "Zeraora looked in a dire state. Almost as if it had been put through the wringer."
"Is it okay now?!" Scootaloo asked.
"Perfectly fine. It takes a lot to stop a Mythical Pokemon. But Zeraora was clearly furious. So furious that it almost started a rampage here at the Isle of Armor. Luckily, the Swords of Justice showed up and stopped its rampage from getting out of hand, but it only followed up into a pursuit." Mustard grumbled, remembering it all visibly. The day Zeraora showed up as well as the Swords of Justice. "But looking at Zeraora was enough to tell me that it was upset about something that hasn't left it for a while. Right now, it's moving to survive."
"It's been going from place to place trying to ease itself. Before the Isle of Armor, it was actually reported to be the far east of Galar and eventually ended up here. I wish we could've done something about it." Honey sighed as that was a wasted opportunity to help that Zeraora.
"But...I also know one thing. We'll be seeing that Zeraora again. Sooner than you think. The Isle of Armor is special to it after all." With those words being spouted out of Mustard's mouth, Rarity's group was now invested. While Ash and the others handle the three trials, here at the Master's Dojo, they were shared info on something that concerned Cobalion but also a rampaging Pokemon who was struggling to be at ease. The existence of Zeraora was now known to them. And for the time being, only them.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 303 End.