Equestria. The Dragon Lands. The Pokemon Festival. Afternoon.
At last, Twilight, Spike and Lucas showed up at the Dragon Lands, searching for Nate. They stood right at the entrance of the area and already, they were met with a captivating sight. The craters that possessed the rare element of plasma were still around, scorching the earth. It did add some more flair to the Dragon Lands, giving it that extra intimidation factor.
"This is plasma. What happened here?" Twilight observed, keeping her distance from the fierce element. "Did Zeraora reach here earlier? No...Princess Celestia and the others wouldn't let her out of their sight." To discover why there was Plasma of all things present here, they ventured further through the Dragon Lands.
Noticeably, there was a strong lack of Dragons. Whether it was Equestrian Dragons or Pokemon Dragons. None of them were around the many spots of the Dragon Lands, doing their usual thing. That was due to one major reason. They were all in one spot, focused on one person and that would soon be revealed to Twilight's group.
The Dragons were spotted at one spot where the craters were at their most present and the plasma was at its most powerful. There, the Dragons were all either on the ground or completely bewildered and stunned by what they had encountered.
"Ember!" Spike gasped, seeing Ember in the middle of a Pokemon Battle. Or rather, at the end of it.
"G-Gabite..." Falling on its back was Gabite, who was defeated by the Pokemon standing before Ember. A Shiny Haxorus was seen, standing victorious over its fellow defeated Dragon-Type.
"Haxorus!" Haxorus roared, celebrating his victory.
"I tried..." Ember sighed, lowering her head and putting on a smile afterwards. "Too much for me. But I have no regrets."
"Sorry about that." The silhouette of nate stood behind the smoke which would soon be revealed to the eyes of Twilight and Spike. However, instead of seeing Nate for who he truly was, something else happened. Something that Lucas didn't see at all.
"No way...Dad?!" Twilight gasped, suddenly calling out her father. In her own eyes, at this very moment, she was looking at her father, Night Light, standing there with a Haxorus behind him.
"Your dad? Uh, I'm seeing Uh, but I'm seeing Haxorus right now. Two of them." But in the eyes of Spike, he saw someone completely different. His own Haxorus which started out as an Axew and could transform into its final evolution at will. Equestrian Haxorus to be exact. In his eyes, he saw Equestrian Haxorus standing behind Haxorus.
"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure that's my dad." Twilight knew who she was looking at and that definitely looked like her father But Spike knew he was looking at Equestrian Haxorus, even though he was right next to him.
"Espeon?" In Espeon's eyes, she ended up seeing Absol of all Pokemon. And as for Equestrian Axew, he ended up seeing Spike. Specifically, an older version of Spike, who was taller and appeared as a teenager.
"What are you two talking about?" But Lucas was rather confused since he was seeing someone else entirely. In Lucas's eyes, he saw Nate's true appearance and not something else. "That's Nate, right there."
"I don't know who you're seeing, but that's obviously an ancient Dragon." In the eyes of Ember and everyone else, they saw someone completely different. In their eyes, Nate appeared as this old Dragon that looked ancient and wise. Everyone here saw someone differently but it was only Lucas who truly saw Nate for who he was.
"At least you still recognize me, Lucas." Nate sighed. "This is exctly what I've had to deal with."
"So, we're all seeing someone completely different." Twilight pondered. "Someone we either love or admire. But Lucas. You said that it's Nate, so can you see his real form."
"Yep. Hat and everything." Lucas nodded.
"Well, that explains it. I think there's something up with Nate for this to happen." Twilight tried figuring out what could've caused this confusion. Why is Nate being perceived in different appearances?
"Yeah! Obviously!" Nate bellowed. "This is so weird! I don't know what happened but for some reason, everyone sees me differently! They don't know who I really am! I showed up to this world and everyone just started approaching me all of a sudden. As if they knew me."
"Heh. I guess you're going through what Arceus goes through." Lucas chuckled. "We all see Arceus is one form. His real form is something else. I saw it for a split-second, but believe me, it's something already."
"It must be the same reason you showed up to this world. You said you didn't use a gateway to show up here, right? What did you use to enter our universe, Nate?"
"Well...It was all so sudden and I had no time to react. I was just minding my business, planning to meet up with my friend Hugh. When all of a sudden, I felt something weird open up within me." Nate recalled that very moment to the best of his memory since it was so swift. "I wasn't sure why it was there, but I knew what it was. It was Plasma. I even heard the cries of Reshiram and Zekrom in the distance, even though I couldn't see them anywhere. Next thing I know, I'm here."
"Are you saying you have Plasma on you?" Twilight leaned her head forward. "Like...Pure Plasma?"
"Well, yeah...I can feel it. And it doesn't even burn or anything which is so weird."
"Ah. You're in the soame boat as me then!" Lucas chuckled, approaching Nate and patting him on the back. "I had a pretty wild run-in with Palkia, remember? You got lucky. You didn't have to battle Palkia to get something special."
"I guess it's kinda cool. My entire body's plasma right now so..."
"Your body's plasma?! Is that why everyone's looking at you differently?"
"I-I think so. I don't get it though. It's not like Plasma's that hard to look at or anything. It looks a lot like lightning after all." This confused Nate just as much as it confused Spike.
"Or maybe...It's not natural plasma." But Twilight, with a smile on her face, was already onto something. "Why would we be looking at someone else if your body was currently surrounded by plasma? Obviously, it's special and I think Reshiram and Zekrom are the cause of it."
"Boy, she's smart." Impressed by Twilight's intellect, Nate looked at Lucas.
"Right?"
"I'm guessing it's archaic. And it's definitely related to Prisma. Ash had Dialga within him. Lucas has Palkia and you might have Reshiram and Zekrom in you. Either one of the two or maybe both. We're not dealing with ordinary plasma here. Not that it was every ordinary to begin with."
"Cool, but can you help me? I don't wanna go my life looking totally different. I mean...a bunch of fangirls came rushing to me, thinking I was a celebrity or something." Nate sighed as his experience in this form has been a rather unpleasant one.
"Hmm...Let me try something." First, Twilight would surround her eyes in Rift Magic, deciding to look past her own father. The cosmic power would alter her vision, mainly when looking at Nate. And with the versatility of this magic, Twilight saw Nate's true form.
Much like his counterparts, he shared the same face as them, being another piece of Prisma. But Twilight didn't just see Nate's true form. She also saw the plasma and how different it looked. It wasn't the usual plasma or even the special plasma that Reshiram, Zekrom, Zeraora or even Celestia's Gardevoir was capable of. There was an ethereal and galactic appearance behind it.
"Ah, so that's what it is. We're dealing with a type of Cosmic Plasma. Never thought I'd say those words before. That's why you look so different to everyone else."
"I'm surprised you're not dangerous to touch or stand next to. This stuff doesn't hurt at all." Lucas could also see the plasma just fine without needing Rift Magic. He was also touching it, completely fine and feeling no pain whatsoever.
"That's the other problem. I can't get too close to others or I'll just hurt them. I can hold my items pretty well though. The Poke Balls are doing just fine. Totally immune, just like you."
"I don't see the problem. We had a great time." Ember smiled.
"You kept me here for days!" Nate bellowed. "You thought I was some ancient dragon!"
"You're not?" A dragon said.
"Right. Sorry for keeping you here. We got a bit carried away." Ember apologized as she and the Dragons managed to keep Nate around for a few days. "You have to admit. Even though you were stronger, we did a great job keeping you from going anywhere."
"As for how we're going to fix that problem of yours..." Twilight had to think about a solution to Nate's current problem. He was yet another victim of the Prisma situation and had no control over what he was doing.
Manehattan. Battle Carnival. Battle Frontier.
Meanwhile, at the Battle Frontier, after breaking out of a cube-like state thanks to Mega Evolution, Altaria found herself tapping into a newfound power. Dragon Matter and Fairy Matter. Her body still had a semblance of the cubes yet, making her seem blockier than usual.
This was all caused by Cozy Glow, who intended Rainbow Dash to eat the dish she prepared, becoming a cube so that she could be easily taken away and captured. But alas, Altaria consumed it instead and by using Mega Evolution, unlocked Dragon Matter and Fairy Matter, bringing a new power into the universe.
"Hmm..." Ash would squint his eyes, observing the Dragon Mattere and Fairy Matter a bit closer. There was some familiarity when looking right at it. "Feels like I've seen this before. But where?"
"I wanna see what this can do. Use Dragon Pulse, Altaria!"
"Alta...!" Testing out the Dragon Matter, Altaria took a deep breath, building up the draconic energy from before. At that moment, the Dragon Matter would react to this attack. The energy would pulsate as if it had a heartbeat, building up the arcane power even more.
"Here it comes, Throh! Prepare to launch it with Vital Throw!"
"Throh!"
"Taria!" From her mouth, the Dragon Pulse was unleashed, but something was different. Not only was Altaria pushed back by the force of her own blast, but the appearance of the dragon-shaped blast would start manipulating the surrounding area itself. Right below Throh, the floor which had been affected by the cubes, would soon summon the faces of other dragons. The Judo Pokemon gasped as these dragons rose up, baring their fangs. Quickly, Throh would grab onto them with Vital Throh, holding the draconic faces.
But he also had to look out for the incoming Dragon Pulse. And the closer it got, the more Dragons rose up from the ground. The air itself was summoning dragons, replacing the particles.
"Tari!" But Altaria, who was unable to properly control this new kind of power, crashed into the walls after being launched back by her own attack.
"Throh!" Throh managed to throw the faces of the Dragons away, but he was unable to stop the main Dragon Pulse as it would connect. It was a direct hit and a fairly mighty one too. This entire time, Throh has shown incredible defences, barely budging from any attack. But thanks to the power of Mega Evolution, he was actually pushed back this time.
"Altaria! Are you alright?!" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Alta...!" Altaria groaned, shaking her head. Crashing into the walls of the stage also brought its own effect. The Dragon and Fairy Matter would latch themselves onto the walls.
Ash and the others watched the walls transform as the foundations were being broken down in exchange for something else. A portion of the walls were transformed into Fairy Dust, scattering themselves into the wind while letting out sparkles. Some of them even looked like they had wings. Another portion summoned more dragon faces which would join the Fairy Dust, flying elsewhere by leaving the Battle Frontier, phasing through the facility.
"Wow! That was amazing!" Smolder cheered and so did the other students.
"And beautiful! Do it again!" Silverstream pleaded.
"I don't think she can control it." Potion Nova observed, seeing the downsides to this newly obtained power. "That was certainly accidental. Altaria doesn't know what she's dealing with."
"Well, how does she control it?" asked Fluttershy.
"This isn't just a newfound power in the world. Since it's Matter, it's new to the universe and I don't think Altaria can get adjusted to that so easily."
"Oh, yeah? Watch us! Moonblast!"
"Altaria!" Altaria flew forward, leaving the walls and gathering the power of the Moon. However, even this had its differences. When calling on the power of the Moon, the Fairy Matter would shoot into the sky, phasing through the Frontier Facility. In a few seconds, it ascended and reached the skies, piercing the clouds themselves.
It truly was gathering power from the Moon. Not only that, the pink light would linger in the sky before manipulating the very clouds it pierced. The clouds would start dropping sparkles and Fairy Magic, bringing about a beautiful sight for everyone else to see. Surely, this would look better during the night but it was still a wonderful sight.
The sparkles fell back down to the Battle Frontier before converging into one spot. Before everyone's eyes, the pink-shaped sphere was summoned. However, Altaria was struggling to hold it. "A-Alta!"
"What's wrong, Altaria?!" Rainbow Dash shouted upon seeing Altaria struggling to shoot out the sphere of Fairy Magic. This was unusual for her since she had no problem using it every single time. She couldn't even shoot it at all. Moonblast was just hovering there awkwardly.
"Can she not control even her Moonblast?!" Rarity gasped.
"Is that so?" Hector smirked. "In that case...Seismic Toss, Throh!"
"Throh!" Throh would take advantage of this scenario, choosing to attack Altaria at a rather still state. Unable to shoot Moonblast even though the sphere was right there, she was vulnerable.
However, getting too close to her had its own setbacks. The Dragon Matter from before that invaded the air particles were still around. They were invisible at first but once Throh reached a certain distance, they became visible once more. Throh's body found itself being caught by the Dragon Matter as the roar of a Dragon could be heard.
"T-Throh!" Surprised, Throh was then launched back by the roar, unable to get close to Altaria. The Judo Pokemon would tumble and roll on the floor before getting right back up.
"Where'd that come from? I'm so confused right now."
"It could be the Two Matters are trying to adjust themselves to our world." Potion Nova theorized. "To be honest, I don't think this battle is going to be the same as always."
"T-Tari! Alta!" Unable to properly hold the Moonblast, the attack would combust right in front of Altaria's face. She ended up taking her own attack, sending the Humming Pokemon back.
"Al...Taria...!" Altaria groaned as this was not going according to plan. The energy was just far too uncontrollable for her since it was so brand new. Even in her Mega Evolved state, she couldn't understand it. Rainbow Dash gasped as the Dragon and Fairy Matter would aggressively shake, weighing Altaria down. Right as Altaria tried getting back up, she suddenly de-transformed. Back to her original form, Altaria was unable to continue, taking a super-effective hit from her own attack due to how uncontrollable it was. "Altaria..."
"Altaria is unable to battle! Throh wins!" A roundabout way of winning, but it has happened.
"Sorry about what happened, Altaria." Rainbow Das recalled the Humming Pokemon. "I'll make it up to you, I swear."
"Well, I'm not proud of this victory, but it is what it is, Rainbow Dash." Hector expressed, not wanting to win in such a way. But what could have been done?
"It's fine." Rainbow Dash sighed, placing the Poke Ball away. Now, she was down to just 4 Pokemon for this Battle Restaurant. Meanwhile, Hector was still standing strong with his Sawk and Throh currently active. "It's not over yet though. I can still win this. I don't know what this Dragon and Fairy Matter is all about, but after this, I'm gonna find out."
"Well, it might be sooner than you think," Hector smirked, obviously referring to the possibility of him defeating Rainbow Dash.
"Pssh. You wish, old timer. I'm gutted but I'm not weak." She then whipped out her next Poke Ball. This was Mienshao's Poke Ball as she had unfinished business with Sawk and Throh. "Let's go! Mienshao!"
"Mienshao!"
"Let's avenge Altaria, Mienshao. Doesn't matter how tough Throh and Sawk are. We'll beat them both and reach Sharon by the end of this!"
"Mien!"
"And as for me, I know what I'm looking into after this." Potion Nova smiled, finding something brand new to put her research into.
"Channel your Aura, Mienshao!"
"Mien!" Tapping into the Aura that lay within thanks to Aura Sphere, Mienshao had an azure flare emerge from her body.
"Now! Use Close Combat!"
"Shao! Mienshao!" Mienshao took off, leaving behind a blue trail as her Aura would fade away once it was all channelled.
"Here she comes! Seismic Toss!"
"Throh!" Throh was already prepared to launch Mienshao away. All he had to do was grab onto the Martial Arts Pokemon at the right moment.
"You're tough! But not faster! Go, Mienshao!"
"Shao!" Mienshao would slide to the side, kicking the air so hard she created an air pressure sending it straight towards Throh. The Judo Pokemon was struck by this Air Pressure which didn't even move his body. But it did deal some damage, causing him to flinch since it targeted his face. After causing that flinch, Mienshao would zip behind the Judo Pokemon, making sure she avoided his throws at all costs. "Mien!"
"T-Thro!" Throh received a hit to the back of his neck from Mienshao's sharp strike, causing him to stagger. His defences weren't looking as sharp as they previously were. And this was all thanks to Altaria's newfound power. The damage it dealt to Throh made a difference.
"What the?!" Hector soon noticed this break in Throh's defences.
"Throh!" But even after this, Throh still managed to grab Mienshao. He wasn't faster than her, but he could still catch her attacks. Once the Martial Arts Pokemon went for a leg sweep, not only did not not lift Throh's feet off the ground, the Judo Pokemon would move one of his arms back, grabbing onto Mienshao's arm.
"Mien!"
"Gotcha! Now, do it, Throh!"
"Throh!" With Throh grabbing onto Mienshao's arms while facing away from her, with all of his might, he leapt off the ground. And by doing so, he dragged the Martial Arts Pokemon with him. Both were airborne as yet another Seismic Toss was inbound for Mienshao. But this time, Rainbow Dash wouldn't it to be pulled off with perfect execution.
"Here goes nothing! Acrobatics!"
"Shao!" There was one flaw in this. Only one of Mienshao's arms were restrained. The other one was completely free since that was all Throh could do in this position. This allowed Mienshao to make a reversal and it was a truly impressive one. She flipped over Throh's arms, using her legs to grab his arm.
"Throh!" Throh gasped after seeing Mienshao's legs clamping onto his arm which created a larger compromising position. Now, Seismic Toss wasn't as perfect as it could be. Thus, the two of them were about to drop.
"Shao! Shao!" With Mienshao holding Throh's arm, she would flip the direction, making Thorh at the bottom and her at the top. This allowed Mienshao to be safe once they both fall. Throh couldn't afford to let this happen and neither could Hector.
"You have to let go, Throh!"
"Throh!" Listening to Hector, Throh would release his grip on Mienshao's arm. And this prompted Rainbow Dash to strike at the right moment. This is what she was waiting for.
"Let go, Mienshao!"
"Shao!" But Mienshao wasn't going to drop with Throh. Instead, she removed her legs from her arm, soon, kicking his back to send him down at a faster rate.
"T-Throh!" Tking a super-effective blow to the back, Throh was about to hit the ground. But against all odds, he managed to maintain some balance, plastering his hand and feet on the ground, getting on all fours and cushioning the worst of the blow. It still hurt as seen by how his body was shaking. "Throh...!"
"Now dive with Acrobatics!"
"Shao!" Along came Mienshao, attacking with a Dive Kick. And unfortunately for Throh, he didn't have enough time to perform a counterattack since his body was staggered after that uncomfortable landing.
Right as he turned around, Mienshao slammed her foot onto his back, dealing another super-effective attack which resulted in a hard crash, creating a tall dust cloud. Mienshao hopped out of the cloud, sliding and taking a deep breath after that adrenaline rush of an attack.
"Throh..." Just like that, Throh had fainted. His defences had been broken and conquered.
"Throh is unable to battle! Mienshao wins!"
"Hah! Got past one!" Rainbow Dash raised her head, feeling relieved. Her friends and the students cheered for her hard efforts while Mienshao wiped some sweat from her forehead. "Great going, Mienshao."
"Mien."
"Well, I take back what I said." Hector uttered while bringing back Throh. "You're something else, aren't you? Perhaps I don't need to humble you."
"Hehe." The pegasus grinned. "You said you made sure to protect Sharon from everything, right? Well, I don't mean to brag, but I guess I've taken on every kind of opponent there is. There's nothing out there my Pokemon and I aren't afraid to challenge."
"I can believe that." Hector chuckled. "Perhaps after this, you can apply to become a bodyguard for Lady Sharon! You have the makings of one."
"N-No thanks. I'm fine with being the Champion down the road. Couldn't be a bodyguard."
"So be it. But perhaps you'll change your mind once victory is mine. Appear! Sawk!"
"Sawk!" Returning to the scene was Sawk. Sawk was swift enough to match Mienshao and he was even an expert at deflection compared to Throh, who was the best at counters and durability. Mienshao would certainly have a hard time dealing with the Karate Pokemon.
"Sawk's a pro at deflection. Mienshao can't just hit him fast enough cause he'll keep up." Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, assessing what she had to deal with. She found her approach when it came to dealing with Throh. Now, she had to do the same for Sawk. "So that means, the heaviest hits are what I need. I shouldn't focus on moving fast since that'll leave Mienshao wide open."
"Do ya think she knows what to do now?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Oh, for sure." Ash and Scootaloo said in unison. "We can see it in her eyes."
"But...I also gotta be fast enough to land them. Close Combat, Mienshao! Hit him hard!"
"Mienshao!" Once again, Mienshao moved in with Close Combat. Hard hits were the main focus. Not swift ones. But that didn't mean Sawk couldn't deflect those ones either.
"Answer with your own Close Combat, Sawk!"
"Sawk!" Ready for the exchange, Sawk would stand there, waiting for Mienshao to approach. At that moment, Mienshao cocked her arm back, delivering a mighty forward swing. However, that swing was soon deflected by Sawk as to be expected. Rainbow Dash wasn't surprised there, but she wouldn't cease her approach. She was going to keep on working on it until she hit a sweet spot and so would Mienshao.
After blocking the impact with one arm, Sawk used the other arm to strike at Mienshao, only for the Martial Arts Pokemon to lean back, narrowly avoiding the attack. Mienshao did some deflection of her own, performing an upward kick to knock Sawk's arm upwards. Sawk grunted before swinging his other arm, going in for a karate chop. Once again, Mienshao avoided the attack by the skin of her teeth, performing a backflip to do so as the chop would strike the ground with the weight of a hammer.
Mienshao moved back in, going for a hammer fist from above, focusing on those heavy hit instead of anything fast. But some speed was still put into them. Sawk saw the incoming hammer fists, blocking the first one with his arms by putting them over his head. As for the second one, he deflected it, leaving Mienshao wide open. The Martial Arts Pokemon gasped, receiving a sideways chop to the chest.
"M-Mien!" Mienshao groaned when receiving a chop to the chest, but she kept her balance and strength. The Martial Arts Pokemon slid on the floor, not having that much time to breathe since Sawk was finally deciding to move. The Karate Pokemon ran at Mienshao with another chop incoming.
"Sawk!" Sawk came in for another sideways chop, prompting Mienshao to duck it. Her ears were almost hit by the attack as the other arm of Sawk came crashing down just to try and blindside her. But Mienshao saw that coming too, using her own arms to block it.
"Shao...!" Mienshao growled upon blocking it. That attack had some weight to it. She also needed to unleash some weight if she wished to win this. Right as Sawk removed his arms, he saw a punch coming from Mienshao, prompting him to deflect it. But this wasn't a straightforward strike. Mienshao made sure to make this singular punch as fast as possible, bringing afterimages around them.
"There it is!" Rainbow Dash saw an opening. "Go, Mienshao!"
"Shao!" Mienshao found her opening which saw her delivering a swift knee to the stomach.
"S-Sawk! Sawk actually took a hit. Focused on deflecting the swift punches with both of his arms, this left him wide open for a heavy blow to the chest. And it was certainly heavy, making the Karate Pokemon stagger and launching him back.
"Oh, yeah. We've got you all figured out!" Rainbow Dash and Mienshao collectively grinned at Hector and Sawk.
"Acrobatics!"
"Shao-Shao!" Mienshao continued her attack, not letting up since she had to put Sawk on the backfoot now. Mienshao was moving fast once more, flipping everywhere to try and befuddle Sawk. But the Karate Pokemon saw these movements and was ready to deflect the incoming hits.
"Sawk!" Seeing a side-kick coming, Sawk managed to deflect it, only for Mienshao to perform a backflip, gaining her distance. Once she moved away, she zoomed back in with a strong leap. Instead of delivering a punch or a kick, she threw her body at Sawk. "Sawk?!"
"Mien!" There was no way for Sawk to deflect an attack that involved the entire body as seen by how he was tackled by the Martial Arts Pokemon. This still counted at Acrobactics, bringing a super-effective blow to her fellow Fighting-Type.
Sawk stumbled back which prompted Mienshao to immediately bring the pressure. His defences were wide open at this moment, meaning swift strikes would certainly be effective.
"Close Combat!"
"Mienshao!" Taking advantage of this stagger, Mienshao would deliver a barrage of swift strikes. The first few landed, hitting Sawk's face, arms and chest. The Karate Pokemon received an onslaught of swift blows before finally regaining his composure. He barely managed to get back into a defensive stance, deflecting the next hits. But they weren't as precise as before.
Since Mienshao got an early start, delivering those blows to him, his deflections were behind. He did manage to deflect some of the incoming blows but some of Mienshao's strikes managed to land. Now, she could truly put the pressure.
"S-Sawk! Sawk...!" Sawk growled as now he was the one struggling. Mienshao smirked, knowing she finally had Sawk right where she wanted him. She wasn't going to let up as her strikes were starting to push Sawk back. His feet were being dragged across the ground thanks to Mienshao's onslaught. The students cheered louder and louder, obviously on Rainbow Dash's side,
"Now is our chance, Sawk! Counter!"
"Sawk!" But Sawk had an answer for this. This entire time, he was saving this one attack for the right moment and it would show itself. The next hit he received prompted him to deliver a devastating counter. He swung a fierce chop at the Martial Arts Pokemon, hitting her face. Mienshao gasped when receiving this blow to the face, causing her to fly back. This was the hardest hit Mienshao has received thus far in this whole battle.
"Now! Reversal!" But of course, Sawk wasn't the only one with a strong retaliation.
"Mienshao!" All the damage Mienshao took in this battle would be channelled into one powerful attack. When flying back, her whole body was glowing, releasing a powerful orange wave that could be seen tearing through the floor.
"Sawk?!" Sawk gasped upon seeing this wave which packed plenty of power.
"Chop it, Sawk!"
"Sawk!" Sawk raised his arm, attempting to slice this attack in half. But it was no use. Once he swung it down, the Reversal immediately overpowered him. Mienshao definitely had a rougher time in this battle compared to Sawk and Throh, allowing her Reversal to be extra powerful. It consumed Sawk, resulting in a brilliant orange outburst for everyone to see.
"Mien...Mien..." Mienshao breathed in and out, attempting to catch her breath as she hit the ground hard thanks to Sawk's counter. She sat there, looking at the smoke cloud that emerged thanks to her mighty Reversal. Was that enough to get her through this?
"Sawk..." Indeed, it was. Sawk had fainted.
"Sawk is unable to battle! Mienshao wins! Thus, the winner of the second stage is Rainbow Dash!"
"Yes! We did it! Second Stage clear!" An elated Rainbow Dash quickly flew over to Mienshao. The Martial Arts Pokemon groaned, glad that it was over with. At least, for now. This was only the second stage after all. "You're awesome, Mienshao! Truly awesome!"
"Mien."
"That Reversal always comes in handy doesn't it?" Pinkie Pie wiped a tear from her eye in the midst of all this cheering. "It's so beautiful to see every time."
"Zera! Zeraora!" Zeraora yelled with happiness.
"Now she just needs to get past the third stage and then all that's left is Sharon," said Ash. "You've got this, Rainbow Dash. I know it."
"Well done, Sawk." Hector smiled when returning Sawk to his Poke Ball. "And the same goes for you two. An amazing display of strength there. If only you were Lady Sharon's bodyguards. I'm confident no threat would be able to touch her at all."
"Thanks, Hector. And hey. When I become the champion, everyone's gonna be totally safe. No one's gonna wanna cause any trouble when I'm around." Rainbow Dash boasted, seeing a champion as the equivalent of a hero. And she technically wasn't wrong considering she was friends with quite a few champions. To be one herself would be glorious in her eyes.
"I see. Well, there is just one more stage left for you to take on before you can reach Lady Sharon. The opponent before you is an odd one. Don't let him confuse you."
"Uh...Okay?" Rainbow Dash was giving a bit of a warning of who her next opponent was. She expected some trickery based on what Hector said but after everything that's happened here, trickery wasn't something she was too worried about. Before she could head to the next stage, the walls opened up, revealing the food options. New dishes were served up and they all involved healing. Mienshao certainly needed it.
Down to just four Pokemon now, the final stage was up next before Sharon could be tackled. At the same time, this very battle had sparked something new. Dragon Matter and Fairy Matter, which were adjusting themselves to this universe. Never before have these two forms of energy ever existed until now.
And in the eyes of Ash, he felt as if he had seen it before somewhere. It felt and sounded familiar to him even though it was his first time witnessing its creation. Unbeknownst to many, his Grander World was about to see yet another development.
Chapter 355 End.