//------------------------------// // Rainbow Dash vs Lightning Dust // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Ponyville. The Pokemon House. Afternoon. Due to meeting up at the new and improved Pokemon House, Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust were about to have their Pokemon Battle here. Before they could do so, the two of them were getting ready, speaking to their team beforehand. "Alright, alright! I've been waiting for this moment!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed to her Pokemon. "I was saving this for when we'd be in the Equestria League but this works for me too. We're taking on Lightning Dust for real this time. Who's ready?" "Whirlipede!" Whirlipede and all of Rainbow Dash's Pokemon cried out, more than psyched. "You know, you're gonna have to choose only 6 of them." Walking over was Ash, reminding her that she only needed 6 Pokemon for this battle and she was currently present with eight in total. "Right, right." The pegasus crossed her hooves before observing her team. "I've always had an easy time choosing who I want to battle. But now with Whimsicott and Zeraora here, choosing six is gonna be tough." For Rainbow Dash, whenever it came to 6 v 6 Battles, the answer was always clear. Whirlipede, Braviary, Luxray, Altaria, Castform and Mienshao were always there, ready to battle alongside their beloved trainer. Whimsicott was the 7th Member added a few months back and even more recent was Zeraora, making it eight. Rainbow Dash was now going through the one thing a Pokemon Trainer struggles with when they have more than 6 Pokemon. She bit her hoof, thinking hard about this. "Urgh...This is way harder than it looks. Who do I choose?" "Ze! Zeraora!" Zeraora was itching to battle. She wished to properly battle alongside Rainbow Dash for the first time, showing just what she was capable of. "Mienshao! Mien!" So did Mienshao, as she started crying out. All of her Pokemon cried out, not wanting to be left out in this battle at all. "Uh...Geez!" Rainbow Dash grimaced, struggling to pick. "This is way harder than I thought it would be! Help me out here, Ash!" "Just go with your gut." Ash replied. "If you've got a good hunch on who to send out there, you'll be feeling good right afterwards. Win or lose." "Are you sure? I mean, I bet I'm still gonna feel pretty sour if I lose. But I'm not gonna lose!" Rainbow Dash yelled, boosting her own confidence. "We're gonna win this one for sure! We've been taking on a whole bunch tough faces here and there, so I've gotta get over this one!" "That's the spirit. But I bet Lightning Dust feels the same." "Aw, what? You're gonna talk good about her too?" The pegasus pouted, not exactly one to hear positive things about Lightning Dust, especially right now. "Well, yeah. She totally wants to win too, ya know. Plus, I bet she's got another reason for that." "Yeah? Like what?" "I bet she wants to impress her team." Ash smiled while looking up. "She's got her own rookie Trainers with her it looks like, so she's gotta make a good impression. So the two of you are gonna show everyone an awesome battle, no doubt." said Ash, putting on a beaming grin. "I guess..." Rainbow Dash couldn't argue with that. "Look at you being all wise, Ash." Zoey nudged Ash from behind. "Since when did you get like this?" "Yeah, like you were any wiser, Zoey." Dawn chuckled, nudging Zoey as well as she started a chain. "Well, I've been at this longer so I've definitely got that wiseness with me." Ending the chain nudge was May who would nudge Zoey's back. "In any case, I know who I wanna choose now." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, making up her mind immediately. While she wasn't one for leaving her friends out of something, only six Pokemon could be in this battle, meaning two of them would have to sit this one out. Meanwhile, with Lightning Dust, she was also speaking to her Pokemon, consisting of Incineroar, Toxtricity, Banette, Cryogonal, Claydol, Tyrantrum, and Crobat. "Hm, hm. This'll do." Lightning Dust stroked her chin, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses between her eight Pokemon. With those thoughts going across her mind, an image popped into her head. The perfect match up. She was gonna have a blast. "Yeah...I know who I wanna go with. Rainbow Dash is gonna be in for her toughest battle yet. I'll make all of her past battles look like a joke." "Roar!" Incinerroar felt the same way, agreeing with the girl in the process. She would smile and point at the Fire-Dark-type, proud of her selections. "Incineroar will help give us the toughest run," Lightning Dust stated. "You see that, Dash? I'm gonna prove my own strength, especially to your worthless group. How's that sound?" Her other Pokemon bellowed. As for Incineroar, the big cat said nothing, acknowledging her with a single flex of the forearm. "Plus, I've got my ace in the hole..." In her bag, Lightning Dust had something. She opened it up, revealing a familiar light from within. She was in possession of something rather powerful. Something she fully intends to use during her battle with Rainbow Dash, but only at the right time. "Now let's get over there." Lightning Dust swiftly flew to the end of the Pokemon House as if she was always living in Equestria. She was already familiar with using her wings, but still had to train herself. Getting used to it was the hardest part. With every Trainer having picked their 6 Pokemon, they stood in two corners. A big, large field that opened up stretched in the distance. All of them were getting themselves prepared as they already awaited the start. Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash's pupils both watched from the sidelines, intrigued and even more curious about the battlers in front of them. "Is it cool if we film this?" May questioned while using her Rotomphone "All of my friends would wanna see this. I can just hear the smack-talking coming up already." "Smack-talking is usual. I could already tell those two would do just that from a glance." Zoey mentioned, watching as May and Dawn both tried recording the upcoming bout. As they had enough room to work with, there wasn't much else needed. Everyone was ready for the battle. "Girl, are you ready for this? I've been waiting a long time for this." Lightning Dust smugly said. "Don't disappoint. You've been showing off for awhile, but this is where your story ends!" "Tell you one thing." Rainbow Dash stared the person down, already eager to take her down and show just why she was the best. "I haven't even begun to impress you yet, so give me a challenge, and I'll really get your attention. Just watch. You're in for a real awakening of your own skills, especially if you're gonna be holding yourself in such high regards. But don't worry. I'm gonna hold you all the same." "T-Too bad for you that I'm not gonna back down anytime soon. And I'll show you that I'm a bigger threat to your life than anyone or anything you've taken on!" Lightning Dust gritted her teeth, unable to comprehend her disdain. "You best focus on me, Dash." "Eeeh..." Fluttershy held the countdown to ten while shaking her body. Trying to calm herself down and think, this may as well be a high-stakes competition with the two of them fighting for dominance. Already she sensed the growing tension between the two of them, seeing their Pokemon have what appeared to be a heated stare-off. Whoever won would've been a huge advantage for her group, and the other would be the biggest disadvantage. Rainbow Dash's belief in her skills could make or break things for Lightning Dust. Then again, a lost fight from Lightning Dust could also affect the group's ability to function. And maybe convince some of the Pokemon staying here to go with her, to which Fluttershy was relying on that. One way or another, the two had some tough battles ahead and Fluttershy already wished the best for either side. Having reached her limit, she let her hoof drop, letting the horn blow. And with that, it began. "Alright. Both of you send out your first Pokemon." "That's my cue." Lightning Dust pulled the first ball and threw it out. As it went up, a big burst of light escaped and there, a large dark beast roared into the stadium. This was her Incineroar. Already he had come into the battle, his fists ignited. "Go get'em, boy." "Incineroar!" Incinerroar acknowledged as he came up first and ready for action. "Incineroar?! Alright, Braviary! You're first!" Rainbow Dash threw her next Poke Ball and out came her powerful ace, Braviary. "Bravi!" Braviary let loose a mighty screech, and like his opponent, readied his talons for the battle. His feathers were glowing and sharp as steel, just primed for battle. The Pokemon was in a better place to evolve, but for the time being, he was more than strong as he is. "Their best Pokemon already?!" Fluttershy gasped, knowing immediately how strong this would turn out for each one. "I'm kind of concerned. Alright..." She didn't seem sure, already predicting a loss on Rainbow's end and knew that if it ended in a defeat, then Lightning Dust's trainers would lose the slightest respect for her, seeing them have trust in their idol leader. Rainbow Dash knew what she was up against. "I'll go first. Braviary! Use Aerial Ace!" Rainbow Dash instantly made the first move, attacking hard. Braviary performed a quick aerial flip and accelerated as he approached the Fire-Dark-Type. "Bravi!" "Incineroar! Catch him! Now!" Lightning Dust knew exactly how to combat that attack. She called out and Incineroar rolled out of the way before Braviary's white trajectory tore through the surrounding rocks. "Now Cross Chop!" The battle prowess of Incineroar unleashed and it turned his whole body red, before coming at Braviary with full power. Braviary attempted to kick him off but in the effort to dodge, his talons were caught and a crushing grip came out of the attack "Uh oh!" Rainbow Dash uttered in panic as the fierce force smashed him deep into the rock. It shook the arena, resulting in a cloud of smoke. Braviary went tumbling across the ground before managing to recover by taking flight once more. "Now, use Darkest Lariat, Incineroar!" "Incin!" Continuing the momentum, Incineroar started spinning around on the spot, picking up so much force and speed so quickly that a black vortex surrounded his entire body. The intensity was fierce as his paws could no longer be seen and would make it very difficult to know when it would swing. As such, everyone there stayed back for their own safety. "Braviary! Use Superpower!" Rainbow Dash knew it was crucial to get up close and do her own super-effective moves to ensure victory. Her loyal Pokemon let loose a war-like yell as it flew in fast, its aura changing to deep purple and began gathering more and more energy for the attack. "Braviary!" His talons lit up, burning brightly as its outline changed to a far shinier, beautiful color. It swooped down fast with incredible speed and took on Incineroar. On impact, a flash of darkness briefly halted the battle. They traded blow for blow, struggling to get the better of one another. Neither let the other fight back, not even letting one attack catch the other off guard. "Here goes! Clap your wings, Braviary!" "Vi!" While still using Superpower, Braviary transferred all of the energy from his talons into his wings. The Valiant Pokemon would then clap them once, sending a powerful shockwave tearing through the air at Incineroar. The sheer force of the shockwave was felt by many as it made the grass and flowers sway in opposite directions, blowing their hair like crazy, it was so forceful. Incineroar was knocked back by the fierce shockwave, sent flying back. However, the Heel Pokemon managed to recover, sliding on the ground as the burning rings still raged bright over its flame pads. "Tch. Return for now, Incineroar." Lightning Dust brought Incineroar back to his Poke Ball, opting to switch him out for someone else. "You're up, Tyrantrum! Go!" "Tyrantrum!" Tyrantrum roared as he was sent out. "So it's Tyrantrum this time." Rainbow Dash observed, deciding to keep Braviary in. "We'll stay in for this one. Let's keep it up, Braviary! Use Brave Bird!" "Braviary!" Braviary's body was engulfed in a blue aura, his wings burning with the same colour. He then flew in fast, ready to strike Tyrantrum. "Tyrantrum, use Outrage! Go!" Lightning Dust called out. Tyrantrum's eyes glowed red as he began to charge at Braviary. "Tyrantrum!" Tyrantrum roared as he charged at Braviary, the two of them colliding with one another. The two of them were pushing against each other, trying to overpower the other. "Keep it up, Braviary! Don't let up!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Tyrantrum, don't let him get the better of you!" Lightning Dust called out. The two of them were pushing against each other, trying to overpower the other. The clash of great powers sent out a flare of Infinity Energy and some sparks as they were building up their own wind pressure because of this. Eventually, they broke up their struggle, pushing each other away. However, thanks to Outrage, Tyrantrum would use the same attack again, rushing in at Braviary. "Tyrantrum!" Tyrantrum roared as he rushed in at Braviary, only for the Valiant Pokemon to ascend and fly upwards. Tyrantrum roared at Braviary who had the clear height advantage and thanks to Outrage, he was unable to use any other move to try and reach him at the moment. "You're not safe up there! Smash your head on the ground Tyrantrum! Then lift it!" Lightning Dust called out. "Tyrantrum!" Tyrantrum roared as he smashed his head on the ground, creating a small crater. He then lifted his head, creating a large rock. "Now, throw it!" Lightning Dust called out. "Tyrantrum!" Tyrantrum roared as he threw the large rock at Braviary. However, the intense force of him raising the rock from the ground caused it to split into multiple pieces, rushing towards Braviary. The Valiant Pokemon gasped as he attempted to dodge all of these pieces, but one of them hit him, staggering the Normal/Flying-Type. "V-Vi!" After being staggered, as the remaining pieces battered him, knocking him out of the sky. "Ah! Braviaray!" Rainbow Dash gasped as Braviary hit the ground hard. Thankfully, he was still able to battle, grunting as he got up once the dust cleared. Afterwards, the energy of Outrage faded away as Tyrantrum was now confused due to a side-effect of the move. "Tyran...!" Tyrantrum growled once he felt confused. "Now's our chance! Superpower! Right away!" Rainbow Dash wasn't about to waste this moment while Tyrantrum was this vulnerable. "Brav!" Braviary's eyes narrowed as his talons lit up immediately. He rushed in right away with all of his might. Tyrantrum's eyes widened as Braviary smashed his foot right into his chest, dealing a super-effective blow. The Despot Pokemon found himself being launched back, sliding across the ground as the nearby flowers would rise from the pressure. Lightning Dust growled as Tyrantrum almost fell over, the attack nearly knocking all the wind out of him. On the bright side, that attacked snapped him out of his confusion with how powerful it was. "Tyran...!" Tyrantrum snarled once he regained his senses. "Return, Braviary!" Afterwards, Rainbow Dash decided to switch him out, a red light pulling Braviary back in. "You did a good job, Braviary. Now, it's your turn, Whimsicott!" "Cott!" Whimsicott was sent out, excitedly twirling the air upon emerging. "We're doing great here. If this keeps up, we'll bring Tyrantrum down right away and deal with the rest of her Pokemon." Rainbow Dash grinned, feeling great about this. "Yeah! You're definitely doing great there, Rainbow Dash!" Dawn bellowed. "Way to go!" Not only did she have Dawn cheering for her, but all the Pokemon in the Pokemon House that have been here for these past 4 years were rooting for her. Rainbow Dash grinned, raising her head up high while looking at Lightning Dust. "Heh. I'm the fan favourite here, Lightning Dust. I'm the one everyone's rooting for. You're gonna have to try harder than that to beat me." "Oh, I'll beat you alright." Lightning Dust scowled while narrowing her eyes. "I'll knock you off your high horse in no time! Tyrantrum! Use Iron Tail! Now!" "Tyrantrum!" Tyrantrum roared as his tail glowed white, the Despot Pokemon swinging it as it extended in length. "Whimsicott! Use Cotton Guard!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Cott!" Whimsicott's body was surrounded by a white glow, and the cotton on her body grew in size. The Cotton Guard attack would protect Whimsicott from Tyrantrum's attack, but it wouldn't be enough to completely protect her. "Tyrantrum!" Tyrantrum roared as he swung his tail, smashing it right into Whimsicott. The Cotton Ball Pokemon was sent flying back, but she managed to recover in the air. "Now, use Hurricane!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Cott!" Whimsicott's eyes glowed blue as she created a large, powerful tornado. The tornado was so strong that it was pulling in the surrounding rocks and flowers. "Tyrantrum! Use Earthquake!" Lightning Dust called out. "Tyran!" Tyrantrum roared as he slammed his foot on the ground, creating a powerful earthquake. The earthquake was strong enough to shake the entire area, but Whimsicott's Hurricane was strong enough to keep it at bay. "What?!" Lighting Dust gasped, seeing the hurricane was keeping the earthquake at bay. "Now, use Moonblast!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Cott!" Whimsicott's eyes glowed pink as a giant, pink ball of energy appeared in front of her. The pink ball of energy then fired at Tyrantrum, hitting the Despot Pokemon. "Tyrantrum!" Tyrantrum cried out as he was hit by the powerful blast. "And follow it up with Grass Knot! Go!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Cott!" Whimsicott's eyes glowed green as vines shot out of the ground, wrapping around Tyrantrum's legs. "Tyrantrum!" Tyrantrum cried out as the grassy vines wrapped around his legs, preventing him from moving. "Hurricane! One more time!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Cott!" Whimsicott's eyes glowed blue as the tornado picked up in strength, the winds becoming stronger. "Tyrantrum! Try to break free!" Lightning Dust called out. "Tyrantrum! Try to break free!" Lightning Dust called out. "Tyran!" However, since Tyrantrum was so heavy, the strength of Grass Knot was even greater, making sure he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. The only thing capable of ripping him out was the Hurricane as it immediately lifted him through the air once it landed. Tyrantrum roared as he was being pulled in by the powerful tornado. The Hurricane would disperse as Tyrantrum was spiralling through the air. Afterwards, he came crashing down to the ground, landing flat on his face. "Tyrantrum..." As the dust cleared, it was revealed that Tyrantrum had fainted. "Tyrantrum is unable to battle! Whimsicott wins!" Fluttershy announced as the first knockout went to Rainbow Dash. "Alright! Way to go, Whimsicott!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "Cott!" Whimsicott happily chirped. "Tch. Return, Tyrantrum." Lightning Dust brought Tyrantrum back to his Poke Ball. "Ah..Being the first to lose a Pokemon sucks." "If you want, you can back out now and it'll be understandable." Rainbow Dash put on a cocky grin that only irked Lightning Dust. "Mmrgh...!" Lighting Dust grumbled while taking out her next Poke Ball. "You wish I backed out. Don't get so cocky just because you beat one of my Pokemon first." "You said you were gonna make this my hardest battle yet. And so far, it's no different from a battle with a Gym Leader. Then again, I've had harder battles with Gym Leaders, especially during the start." "Boy, she's really boasting a lot right now, isn't she?" May said. "Rainbow Dash can be cocky but not this cocky during battle. I guess it's because it's against Lightning Dust she's acting this way." Ash observed. "Well, I'm not backing out. Not when I've got a whole bunch of Pokemon to show you. Toxtricity! You're up!" Lightning Dust threw her next Poke Ball, sending out her Toxtricity. "Toxtricity!" However, instead of immediately going for the attack, Lighting Dust would dig into her mane all of a sudden. Rainbow Dash noticed this as Lightning Dust had slipped something onto her hooves. Something surprising. A Dynamax Band. "A Dynamax Band?! Where did you get that?!" Rainbow Dash questioned. "Oh, this? I've had it for awhile. I've been saving it for a special occasion." Lightning Dust smirked as she would return Toxtricity to his Poke Ball. "And what better time to use it than now?" "Toxtricity, Gigantamax!" Lightning Dust's Dynamax Band would glow, building up all the Dynamax Energy resting in Equestria as the Poke Ball was launched into the air, the ball rapidly growing in size each time along with the Pokemon that was unleashed from it. "Gigantamax?!" Rainbow Dash gasped, seeing the large, purple beast emerge from the Poke Ball. "TOXTRICITY!" The large, purple beast roared as he was sent out, his unique Gigantamax Form showing. "What the...?!" Rainbow Dash was actually witnessing this form for the first time as she was astounded. Ash, Dawn, May, Zoey and a few others took out their Pokedexes to read up on this form. "Toxtricity. The Punk Pokemon. Gigantamax Form. Its excessive electric energy is its weapon. This Pokémon can build up more electricity than any thundercloud. Out of control after its own poison penetrated its brain, it tears across the land in a rampage, contaminating the earth with toxic sweat." "Hehe! Where's that smile you had?!" Lightning Dust grinned once she saw how quickly Rainbow Dash's smile faded. Rainbow Dash growled a bit, knowing that Lightning Dust had this ace in the hole. A bit too early for it to be used though. "This'll be over right away. Toxtricity! Max Strike!" "TOX!" Toxtricity roared as he raised up his guitar, swinging it downwards. "Cott!" Whimsicott gasped as a large, yellow beam of energy was heading her way. "Whimsicott! Dodge it!" Rainbow Dash called out. "Cott!" Whimsicott was able to dodge the attack, but the sheer force of the attack was enough to send her flying back. "Now, use Max Ooze! Go!" Toxtricity stood up tall as a large, purple ooze was released from his body. The ooze was so big that it covered the entire battlefield. "Whimsicott, no!" Rainbow Dash gasped, seeing that Whimsicott was caught in the attack. "Cott!" Whimsicott cried out as the attack hit her. "Whimsicott!" Rainbow Dash cried out, seeing that Whimsicott was struggling to stay afloat. "Cott!" Whimsicott grunted, trying her best to stay afloat. She was taking an intense amount of super-effective damage. An overwhelming amount of poison dealt damage to her continuously while moving her across this toxic sea. The Windveiled Pokemon screamed, unable to break free and unable to counterattack. Soon, her entire body was covered in the purple ooze, masked by it completely. The ooze would finally disperse, fading away as Whimsicott's body was shown. She was unable to take all of that poison, fainting. "Whimsicott..." "Whimsicott is unable to battle! Toxtricity wins!" Fluttershy announced. "Urgh... Whimiscott!" Rainbow Dash cried out, bringing her back to her Poke Ball. "You did a good job, Whimsicott. Get some rest." "Baha! Where's all that bravado?!" Lightning Dust laughed. "I'm not even done yet. This isn't even my ace in the hole, Rainbow Dash. I've got something special waiting for you, but you're gonna have to try and get past Toxtricity for that to happen. But I'll make sure you never see that ace in the hole." "Yeah, way to go, Captain!" The rookie Trainers started cheering for Lightning Dust, making her feel even more confident. She may have less supporters but that didn't matter. As long as they were cheering her on, she was happy. "As you can see, I've got others backing me up. Sure, they're way less than what you have, but you have no idea how much that matters right now." Lightning Dust continued. "Ever since I got kicked out of the Wonderbolts, I've been trying to find my place. Aiming to become the first ever Pokemon Champion in Equestria is just one of those ways, but I wanted more." "So you decided to start your own team?" Rainbow Dash questioned. "That's right. Not just any team, but one meant to be way better than the Wonderbolts. Who needs it anymore? I've got my own team and we're gonna be the best. We're gonna be the ones who take down the Equestria League and become the greatest Pokemon Trainers in all of Equestria. And I'll be the one to lead them there. I'll be the one to show them the way. I'll be the first Champion and they'll follow my lead." "You're not the only one who's gonna be a Pokemon Champion." Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. "I'm gonna be the first Pokemon Champion in Equestria. And I'm not gonna let you or anyone else get in my way. I'm gonna be the best there ever was here." "Prove it." "Oh, I will! Go!" Rainbow Dash threw one Poke Ball high into the air, summoning quite the powerhouse of a Pokemon. "Zeraora." "Zeraora?!" Lightning Dust gasped, seeing the Mythical Pokemon. "You've got a Zeraora?!" "Hehe!" Rainbow Dash had quite the wicked smile on her face as Dawn, May and Zoey were shocked by what they were witnessing. Seeing Rainbow Dash have such a rare Pokemon was staggering. Even more staggering to them since they've never seen a Zeraora before. The battle between the two rivals was just now starting with both down to 5 Pokemon each. With the presence of a Gigantamax Pokemon and a Mythical Pokemon, the level of strength had suddenly increased dramatically as the journey continues. Chapter 504 End.