11 - Nothing Says "Luxury Cruise" Like A Double Battle
{Rarity certainly thinks this is the life}
Rarity sprawled in the poolside chaise with her belly up and a contented sigh. Midday had come and gone, and Snowpoint City was far behind them. Aengus had been absolutely right; the air was much, much warmer two hours out from port; several hours more had passed since then. Nary a cloud blocked the warm sunbeams from her. With only a small table between them, Aengus sat to her right, under a dark blue patio umbrella, completely in the shade. He was reading something on a handheld electronic device. After the weather turned pleasant, he had changed into a dark green polo shirt, khaki shorts, and leather sandals. They were by the peanut-shaped lower-level pool, almost in the starboard-side nook of the peanut. Some parents yelled at their kids for running beside the pool, or swimming in the deep end, but just the same, all was well. Aengus chuckled as she lightly pulled her mane’s front most curl out of her face. A pale green drink in a Collins glass sat on her side of the table; an azure cocktail umbrella rested beside her beverage. A passing stewardess placed next to him something nearly black in a pint glass that sported an embossed harp, a drink that had a centimetre and a half head atop it. He smiled appreciatively and gave her a generous tip. Rarity looked over as Aengus had already tipped the glass back, and drained it in one slow, steady go. He set the pint down with a soft but sated sigh, the glass empty but for some foam. She said, “I thought you said you were going to enjoy that, not bolt it down.”
“Aye, I did enjoy it quite thoroughly,” Aengus answered with a contented smile. “Exactly how dad taught me to drink a stout.”
Rarity took a dainty sip of her drink, then asked, “A stout? I thought you said it was a Guin—”
“Shh!” Aengus interrupted. “Don’t say that in front of the readers; that brand’s not supposed to exist in this world!”
“Sorry, I forgot,” Rarity said sheepishly, looking downward.
“Anyways,” Aengus said, “I thought you wanted to see what the peoples of my world wore? I’ve seen people aboard wearing what looks to me like a traditional outfit from a different culture.”
Rarity shrugged. “They’re not going anywhere just yet; after all that snow from yesterday and this morning, the sun feels niiiice.” Aengus snorted and shook his head. Rarity continued, “Besides, out here all I’ve seen are swimsuits, some more tasteless than others.”
“There certainly have been some spectacular views, and a few terrible ones,” Aengus snickered.
“I see some things remain constant across worlds,” Rarity said with a huff. She closed her eyes and let the sun continue to warm her. A few quiet moments passed with only the sound of children playing somewhere near and the occasional Wingull or some non-Pokémon gull flying overhead or begging food off of somebody with a snack. As she lay there happily soaking up the sun, a shadow came over her face. She opened her eyes to see a young human woman, somewhere around legal adulthood, standing over her.
Unlike Aengus, her skin was a rich brown colour. Her eyes were a slightly darker brown, and her long black hair lay straight, dancing in the breeze. The eyeliner was masterfully executed, thick enough to be seen but no more than that, accenting the edges of her eyes. Dangling from her hair was a charm which lay on her forehead. This jewel was a gold anthropomorphic elephant with micro-ruby eyes, situated as if it were sitting cross-legged on the floor, in a biconvex frame of miniature pearls. Her face was lovely, and bore a friendly smile, one that did nothing to hide a sense of wonder. Rarity sat up, and with dilating eyes murmured, “Ooh...!”
Rarity looked this person up and down. She was a slender woman, wearing a tight dress of sorts. This vibrant orange dress appeared to wrap around her as one long cloth, like someone had simply taken fabric from a bolt and wore it as such, yet its elegance betrayed any notion of it being an unsewn garment. The bright orange brocade bore a subtle elephantine pattern, and its edges were a thick indigo stripe with a green and gold paisley pattern. The woman had four gold bangles on each arm, and large hoop earrings. Rarity broke into a wide grin as she cooed, “My word, your ensemble is gorgeous! I’ve never seen anything of the like! What kind of jewelry is that in your hair?”
The woman’s accent was a bouncy, musical sort with a mostly-even meter. “It is called a ‘tikka.’ You are most-kind, but I’m surprised you can talk. Never before have I met a Pokémon who can.”
Aengus sighed as he put down the device and looked over at them, while Rarity grumbled, “Forgive me, ma’am, but I am no Pokémon. I am just a pony, far from my homeland, fulfilling my end of a business arrangement with this gentleman here.”
“The rumours are true: a Pokémon that is convinced it isn’t a Pokémon,” she said to herself.
Aengus sighed again, and hung his head. With forced civility, Rarity answered, “Please try to understand, not everything that isn’t human is a Pokémon. I assure you my homeland is filled with ponies like me, each intelligent and capable of speech, thought, ambition, and holding an occupation. We form friendships, rivalries, fall in love, marry, and hold funerals for our departed friends and family. We have our own culture, our own dress, architecture, art, music, history, currency, trade guilds, and folklore. We built our own cities, towns, farms, roads, bridges, and railways. Surely you do not see any Starlies, or Kadabras, or Machokes, or any Pokémon performing these tasks of their own accord or for their own purposes, do you?”
“Well, no...,” she trailed off.
“And we have our own names,” Rarity continued. “And these are not nicknames given to us by a trainer, but legitimate, legal names our parents give us that are registered in our census. My father’s name is Magnum, my mother Cookie Crumbles, my little sister is Sweetie Belle, and my five closest friends are Fluttershy, Pinkamena Diane Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle. As for myself, my given name is Rarity. What is yours?”
The woman blinked in confusion a few times, then said, “Rajni.”
Rarity nodded cordially. “Good to meet you, Rajni. I presume you have an occupation, yes? Me, I design fashion, creating spectacular garments that are chic, unique, and magnifique. I am the owner and proprietor of three shops in three different cities, serving as many ponies there as myself and those in my employ possibly, making Equestria all the more glamourous! I even was chosen to design and make the wedding dress of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”
Aengus said, “Wow. You never brought up that much before.”
“You had not asked, darling, and it would have been most unladylike to broach the subject,” Rarity answered.
“But you just did so now,” pointed out Rajni.
“Ms. Rajni, I would not have, if it were not for being mistaken for a Pokémon yet again. I do not understand why I must constantly defend my autonomy to everyone and everything, apart from Aengus here,” Rarity said indignantly.
Rajni said, “If I may, Miss Rarity, you are not human, but show intellect markedly above that of a common animal. You also clearly possess powers no human has or could hope to touch, yet you have a kindness to you above the mere affection from a pet. To us, that looks like a Pokémon.”
Rarity frowned. “Is there no room for distinction between other intelligent species, such as mine, and Pokémon? Must one be human to be an individual?”
“Let me ask you this then. How much did you pay for your ticket?” Rajni asked. Aengus winced. When Rarity hesitated, Rajni continued, “Ah, so if you are not a Pokémon, then you are a stowaway. Shall I fetch the ensign?”
Aengus sighed, “This is the unfortunate truth of the matter, Rarity. For all intents and purposes, while you’re here, you’ll be considered a Pokémon.”
“My identity is illegal? Tell me, in this world, am I even allowed to possess money, let alone use it?” Rarity growled through gritted teeth. “What other rights are afforded to humans, but nothing else?”
“Pretty much all of them,” Aengus answered.
“So glad to know I came to where prejudice rules.”
Rajni said, “You said you two had a business arrangement. If you don’t mind my asking, what is it?”
“She can research our peoples’ fashion and clothing designs in exchange for her assisting me with becoming the Indigo League Champion,” Aengus said.
“Pokémon battles, then? More and more it sounds like you are a Pokémon after all,” Rajni said.
Rarity growled irritably. She began to try to get inside this woman’s head, and understand what made her tick. She couldn’t think of anything at first, then it began to click, almost like she had an Extrasensory way of telling that this woman wanted a go with her.
Aengus grumbled, “Ma’am, you’re upsetting her intentionally. Knock it off and please leave.”
“I came by because I heard there were two unusual pony Pokémon aboard, and wondered how strong they are. I am also a traveling trainer, to answer your earlier question about my occupation,” Rajni said with a confident smile. “My younger sister is with me on this trip; she, too, is skilled at Pokémon battling. What say you to a double battle?”
“A chance to kick her flank and make her shut up? I’m in!” Rarity exclaimed, standing up.
“All right then,” said Aengus.
Aengus, Rarity, Rajni, and a mid-teens girl in a similar dress to Rajni entered the battle hall. Rajni’s sister was in an olive green sari with a dark red outer stripe. Both double courts were open, but all six single courts were occupied. Aengus spotted Paddy in the middle row, with the bipedal frog in play. Today Paddy had on a red shirt with his university’s logo in the middle, black cargo shorts, black athletic shoes and socks, but no hat. As they approached, Paddy’s frog opened its mouth and sprayed a thick, high-pressure stream of water into his opponent’s sand-covered hippopotamus, which fainted. A green light surrounded Paddy as he clenched a triumphant fist over his head.
Aengus said, “Just going to do this all day?”
“Yeah! It’s been going great! Maybe you should...,” Paddy trailed off as he saw Rajni. The two stared at each other for a moment. Paddy smiled first. Rajni returned it, with a bite to her lower lip. Rajni’s little sister looked between them for a moment, then tittered with a hand over her mouth.
Rajni raspily whispered, “Doyel, control yourself.”
Doyel answered with the same accent as her sister, “You should take your own advice! I know that look!”
“Shut it, you!”
Aengus interjected, “Let’s go take a double battle court; it doesn’t look like there’s any queue.”
As they started that way, Rajni walked beside Paddy. She said, “Your brother didn’t mention you’re a university man.”
Aengus rubbed at something on his forehead as he shut his eyes. Paddy smiled broadly, “Yes, I’ll be studying under Professor Elm once we reach Johto. New Bark Town may be a tiny hamlet, but it’ll have to be home for awhile.”
“Sounds lonely,” Rajni said. Rarity shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“Terribly,” Paddy answered. Aengus and Doyel exchanged pained looks.
“Maybe somebody could help keep you company?” Rajni asked with a coy smile.
Aengus interrupted, “We’ll hold the court, Paddy; go heal your Pokémon.”
Paddy gave Rajni a grin as he started for the station. Doyel stood beside Aengus and muttered, “Those two don’t know how to flirt. That was tacky.”
“Aye. Just painful,” Aengus responded.
Rarity whispered, “I think I’ve read less cheesy lines in a cheap romance novel.”
The three of them quietly chuckled to themselves as they staked out corners. Aengus stood across from Rajni, and Paddy took his spot across from Doyel. A light flashed at the edges of the court. Paddy said, “Sure is nice, being out here and getting away from League rules every once in awhile. They’d never let this fly; they’d demand we all pick three instead of letting it be a ten-on-ten.”
The others nodded with “Mmhmm.”
Aengus tossed up a Pokéball, shouting, “Go, Excadrill!”
Paddy hollered, “Greninja, you’re up!”
Excadrill and the blue frog appeared. On the other side, Rajni yelled, “Oranguru, I choose you!”
Doyel shouted, “Passimian, let’s do this!”
A white orangutan and a large black and white lemur appeared. Aengus and Paddy looked at each other nervously. Aengus asked, “What are those?”
“Never seen them before,” Paddy answered.
Doyel called out, “What’s wrong, boys? Haven’t been to Akala Island?”
“Where’s that?” Paddy asked.
“Alola!” Doyel answered with a smile. She had braces.
“This just got complicated,” Aengus muttered. “Have you an inkling of their types?”
“Not yet. May as well hit ‘em both and test them,” Paddy answered. He then yelled, “Greninja, use Blizzard!”
“Excadrill, use Drill Run!”
“Oranguru, Instruct!”
“Bulk Up, Passimian!”
The frog moved first. Rarity marveled at how the court contained the freezing winds and snow from affecting anything outside of it. The two opponent Pokémon reeled slightly, but nothing too bad. Excadrill moved next, slamming into the ape holding a purple fan. It winced, but not badly. The lemur flexed its muscles in a primal display. As the orangutan waved its fan at the lemur, the lemur did it again.
“That eliminates a few things,” Aengus said. “Excadrill, Metal Claw!”
“Aye. I have an idea,” said Paddy. “Dark Pulse!”
“Again, Instruct!”
“Use Close Combat, Passimian!”
Greninja struck first again, firing a black wave across the field. Rarity ducked at first, before realising it did not affect her. The lemur just brushed it off, as did Excadrill. The orangutan, however, looked badly hurt, but still up. Excadrill slashed at the orangutan, but it slipped to the left and dodged the attack. Then the lemur bum rushed Greninja with a flurry of punches. The frog toppled over, and disappeared in a shower of pink sparks. As Oranguru waved its fan again, Passimian charged Excadrill in an identical fashion, and she fell over out cold too. As Excadrill fainted form disappeared in an array of pale blue points of light, Aengus snapped, “Fighting and Psychic.”
“I noticed,” growled Paddy. “Espeon!”
“Go, Rapidash!”
The lavender cat and Rapidash appeared from their red Pokéballs. Doyel and Rajni exchanged excited smiles. Rajni said, “Use Quash, Oranguru!”
“Passimian, use Brutal Swing!”
“Megahorn, Rapidash!”
“Espeon...Psychic.”
Espeon’s terrifying speed and power played out again as reality bent around her forehead’s red jewel. The distortion in light manifested around Passimian, then burst. Passimian sailed through the air swiftly, flying over all three pairs of single match courts and slamming into the far wall in a little under a second. It disappeared as Doyel stood frozen in place, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Every other trainer and Pokémon, even those in battle on the single courts, stopped what they were doing and stood stunned, all eyes upon the double battle in progress. Rarity blurted, “Goodness gracious!”
Espeon turned toward her. Rarity found herself mystified, unable to turn away from that soul-piercing stare...those violet eyes with white pupils beckoned her inward. She could not move, could not blink, and could not speak. The world had faded away. Only those eyes, those violet eyes, existed, pulling at her very spirit. Rarity shook herself back to reality when she realized Espeon was actually purring about her work. Espeon seemed to smile at Rarity for a moment, then looked back toward the battle, at which point the world suddenly resumed.
Rapidash galloped at Oranguru, lowering its horn. Oranguru tried to dodge to the right, but Rapidash was ready, and turned his head accordingly. The orangutan collapsed and disappeared.
Aengus’s dark smile returned. Paddy looked at Rajni, who simply reached for another Pokéball. She shouted, “Muk, you’re up!”
Doyel yelled, “Mightyena, go!”
Aengus and Paddy looked confused again as the next two Pokémon came. This Muk wasn’t purple. This Muk was multicoloured, and it also lacked the distinctive terrible smell.
“Why is it tutti-fruity?” Paddy asked.
“Maybe we should go to Alola, you and I, have a nice stay at a resort, and you can see all the regional variants!” Rajni called in kittenish tones, with matching smile.
Doyel grumbled, “You sure are laying it on thick.”
“It’d be the perfect vacation for him!”
“Espeon, again!”
“Rapidash, again!”
“Muk, use Minimize!”
“Mightyena! Sucker Punch the cat!”
As Espeon locked eyes on the Muk, Mightyena suddenly appeared in front of her, decking her in the chest. Espeon staggered backwards with the wind knocked out of her, and she toppled. Paddy growled as she returned to her ball. Before Mightyena could return to its side of the field, Rapidash lowered his horn into it, making it keel over. The many-coloured pile of goo, though, appeared to shrink.
Paddy shouted, “Pinsir! Your turn!”
“Banette! Let’s party!” yelled Doyel.
A zipper-mouthed super-creepy puppet, as far as Rarity was concerned, appeared in front of the teenager while Paddy’s huge stag beetle came out. A crowd had started to gather as Aengus shook his head disconnectedly. “Mightyena we remembered from Kalos, but what’s this thing? More Alolan nonsense?”
Doyel shook her head. “Nope! Haven’t you been to Hoenn, if you’ve been to both Sinnoh and Kalos?”
“Ran out of time, unfortunately,” Aengus said. He picked up his volume as he ordered, “Rapidash, use Flare Blitz!”
“Pinsir, Stone Edge!”
“Confuse Ray, Banette!”
“Muk, one more time!”
Rapidash coated himself in fire as he rushed at the sticky, gooey mess, but could not connect. The stag beetle dramatically threw its arms forward, to which a gigantic stone spike erupted out of the bamboo floor...that was over a steel hull...on the sea...with thousands of metres of water between it and the benthic zone seafloor. Rarity cocked her head to one side as the observation came to her. But the creepy puppet had taken a single step forward, evading the spike completely. Banette unzipped its mouth and released a strange ray of light onto Rapidash, who seemed to toddle some and stare vacantly at nothing in particular. And the pile of ooze shrank some more.
“Get it together, Rapidash! Try it again!”
“Come on, Pinsir! You can hit him with that!”
“Use Phantom Force, Banette!”
“Muk, use Poison Fang!”
Rapidash reeled. As the flames surrounding him, he tripped and fell flat on his face. Aengus facepalmed. Rarity called out, “Rapidash, darling, what happened?”
Rapidash’s voice was all over the place, in terms of both pitch and syllable length, as it stumbled back to Aengus. “Oh Rarity, if only you were a little bigger, then we could have such tenderness. If only.”
The other three Pokémon looked at them in surprise for a brief moment as Rarity was stuck between fighting tears and fighting the urge to slap him. Then Pinsir tried the spike again, but to the same effect. Banette chuckled, then faded completely out of sight while standing in place. Muk moved in at Pinsir. A dance of footwork vs. sloshing ensued as Pinsir attempted to dodge against Muk feinting its attack, before latching onto Pinsir’s left side with a chomp. Pinsir breathed heavily, and looked a little purple.
“This isn’t good,” Aengus muttered.
Paddy frowned. “I know that. These two are used to fighting in double battles together, and their parties reflect it.”
“Come on, old buddy, you can do it! Try again!” Aengus yelled.
“Pinsir, use X-Scissor!”
Doyel said nothing.
“Again, Muk! Again!”
Rapidash coated himself in fire and ran at the pile of goo. An impact sounded. Aengus let out a small whoop as Rapidash came back to him. Pinsir’s huge mandibles slashed at the pile as well, but nothing sounded. Banette reappeared, all over Rapidash. As the thuds ended, Rapidash shook his head, but did not look well. Muk ran up on him and bit as he did before. For a moment the steed had the same violet glow as Pinsir, before that glow disappeared as Rapidash fainted. Rarity choked up for a moment, but held it together.
“Spiritomb, you’re next!”
The purple pinwheel on a cracked rock showed up in front of Aengus. There was little other sound from the room. Rarity looked around and saw the crowd had thickened. She could hear another battle on the other side of the masses, but only one other.
“Taunt him, Spiritomb!”
“Pinsir, one more time!”
“Use Dazzling Gleam, Banette!”
“Muk, use Acid Armour!”
Pinsir slashed again, and again, to no avail. Rarity looked at Spiritomb, but was surprised when Banette moved next instead, creating a blindingly bright flash that hammered into Spiritomb. The face on the pinwheel twitched, then disappeared. Spiritomb returned to its ball in a series of yellow sparks. Aengus’s face glared, and was about the colour of soured milk. A purple rectangle flashed over Muk once and was gone. Pinsir’s glow faded as he also toppled over.
Paddy grouched, “Not liking these new faces, brother.”
“Makes two of us,” Aengus answered. “Feraligatr! Let’s do this!”
“Typhlosion, we’re on!”
Feraligatr and the huge badger appeared. Doyel looked at Paddy’s Typhlosion and said, “It’s got an Assault Vest!”
“I see it,” answered Rajni.
Rarity muttered to herself, “Come on, boys, you can do it.”
“Typholsion, use Bulldoze!”
“Feraligatr, Superpower!”
“Banette, let’s use Z-Curse!”
“Muk, Poison Fang!”
Typholsion reared up, and ran forward, stomping all over the Muk. The tutti-frutti Pokémon splattered around from Typhlosion’s attack, and each of its droplets, blobs, splash patterns, and the main pile were all still. Muk disappeared back into its Pokéball as Paddy cheered and the crowd went, “Ooh!”
“Yes!” Rarity cried out.
Feraligatr swung like mad at the Banette, but all its attacks seemed to pass right through it. Aengus yelled, “Ghost-type!”
“I think you have him next round!” Paddy answer. Banette smirked. The Pokémon and Doyel began to do a little dance in unison. Paddy looked to his brother for a moment, then asked, “What are we looking at?”
Rajni said with a flirty grin, “This is something else we’ll have to do together in Alola! This is a Z-move!”
What looked like a giant nail appeared over Typhlosion, and appeared to press into him, but no blood came. It seems like it was hurting for a moment.
Rajni shouted, “Okay, Pyukumuku! You’re up!”
Rarity could not figure out what came from the Pokéball. The thing was a black ellipsoid with magenta fins sticking out. Aengus and Paddy looked just as confused.
“Typhlosion, Bulldoze!”
“Crunch, Feraligatr!”
“Use Confuse Ray, Banette!”
“Pyukumuku, use Counter!”
Typholsion ran right over the black critter, stomping on it a few times, but it didn’t look all that injured...not from what Rarity could tell, anyway. Feraligatr ran in and snapped his huge jaws onto Banette, which dropped immediately. The crowd sounded torn as to whom they wanted to win. Pyukumuku swung back at Typhlosion, which connected, but it was difficult to tell if had any strength behind its attack. The illusion of the giant nail returned, and Typhlosion looked worse than before.
Doyel grimaced, and yelled, “Shiinotic, your turn!”
A purple mushroom appeared, with what looked like a simple face drawn on its stem, with wispy arms and fingers. It ambled forward as Aengus muttered, “They certainly seem bent on keeping us in the dark.”
Paddy said, “Looks like it’s a Grass-type. I got this. Typhlosion, Blast Burn!”
“Feraligatr, use Iron Tail!”
“Pyukumuku, Pain Split!”
“Use Spotlight, Shiinotic!”
A spotlight appeared on Pyukumuku. Typhlosion emitted a huge amount of fire all around, right into Pyukumuku. Paddy said, “I told you to...oh. A redirecting move. Charming.”
Pyukumuku didn’t look fazed at all. Feraligatr slammed its tail down on it hard as his tail turned to a cast-iron black colour, but again, Pyukumuku shrugged it off. Paddy said, “Water.”
Aengus nodded as Pyukumuku glowed grey for a moment, an aura that also surrounded Feraligatr during the same few seconds. Typhlosion’s nail returned, and he collapsed.
Paddy snarled, “Trixie! Show them what you’ve got!”
A particular showmare appears out of a bunch of rosy pink sparks. She tossed her cape and hat aside as she cackled. Rarity rolled her eyes, but the crowd cheered, to which Trixie graciously bowed.
“Feraligatr, use Superpower!”
“Trixie, Psychic!”
“Pyukumuku, Counter!”
“Use Toxic, Shiinotic!”
A harsh wave distorted light around Trixie and then Pyukumuku. It was knocked into the air for a moment, but fell right back down. Feraligatr pounded away at it for a moment, but seemed to wind himself in the process. The black splat still sat there, but seemed to have been splatted a little more. Pyukumuku leapt up and whacked Feraligatr in the face, enough that he tottered for a moment before righting himself. A purple glow left Shiinotic, and surrounded Feraligatr. He glowed once, then fell down. The crowd gasped, “Oh!”
Aengus wiped away a tear as he bared his teeth. He pulled his face together, turned to Rarity, and nodded. The crowd went nuts again. Paddy muttered, “I can’t believe we’re both on our last one.”
“These two are in for an unpleasant surprise,” Aengus growled. “Rarity, use Wild Charge!”
“Oh! I get it,” said Paddy. “Trixie, Aerial Ace!”
“Light Screen, Shiinotic!”
“Pyukumuku, use Recover!”
Rarity gritted her teeth, and ran at the black ellipsoid. She felt the lightning charge around her as she reached a canter and trampled Pyukumuku. She winced at the impact, but saw Pyukumuku return to its ball. She smiled to herself as the crowd cheered.
Trixie zipped in, slashing with her horn in a swallow-tail pattern. Shiinotic spun in the air as it disappeared into sparks, to the roar of the crowd. Trixie trotted back over, eyes closed and smirking. Rarity said, “We got this.”
Trixie sneered, and said, “Trixie agrees.”
Doyel stood agape for a moment, as did Rajni. The little sister said, “That wasn’t how that was supposed to go at all. I’m on my last one!”
“Yeah. Gotta watch out for these ponies,” Rajni said. “Go, Breloom!”
Doyel hollered, “Come on, Graveler! Don’t let me down!”
The Pokémon which Rajni sent out looked like a mushroom had mated with a kangaroo. This creature was green and tan, with rosy short arms and long toenails. Graveler also looked weird. It wasn’t a solid mass of taupe. This Graveler had thick black eyebrows, black spikes on its forearms, and large nodules of pyrite all-throughout...though taupe was the rest of its body. Paddy asked, “Is this another weird variant from Alola?”
“It sure is!” Doyel answered. “It’s not even fully the same type!”
Aengus raised his eyebrows. “So noted. Thank you.”
Rajni scoffed, “Why would you tell them that!?”
“Don’t you want to make him happy?” she teased back.
Rajni looked over and met Paddy’s gaze. He smiled at her confidently, to which she chuckled to herself and shook her head.
“Energy Ball, Rarity!”
“Trixie, use Air Cutter!”
“Spore, Breloom! Use Spore!”
“Graveler, Thunder Punch!”
Rarity pointed her horn at Graveler and charged it up. While the aura on her horn remained the same blue it always was, a whirling green sphere coalesced at the point. It shot into Graveler, which forced it back a step. Trixie whipped her charged horn toward the Breloom. A wave of energy whipped outward, but the kangashroom leapt aside. It then shook its head, and a cloud of spores flew at Trixie. She started to doze off, still standing. Graveler then marched up to it, wrapped its fist in lightning, and punched Trixie. She rolled over, but somehow ended up back on her feet...still sleeping. Rarity muttered, “How did that happen?”
“Trixie, snap out of it and use Moonblast!”
“Flame Charge the shroom, Rarity!”
“Again, Breloom! Get the other one!”
“You too, Graveler! Get her with Stone Edge!”
Rarity concentrated as she began to run at the Breloom. The flames appeared around her, and at a canter, Breloom could not evade in time. It brushed itself off and stepped back to the line. Breloom shook its head again, and the spore cloud rushed at Rarity, enveloping her. Paddy sadly said, “I think they got us, Aengus.”
Aengus shook his head in frustration. But Rarity’s eyes remained open...then she sneezed. And again. And a third time. Amid the fourth sneeze, the spore cloud faded. One more sneeze, and she shook her head. She looked around, blushed a little, and said, “My Celestia! Pardon me.”
The entire crowd murmured in surprise. The four trainers in the court stared at Rarity wide-eyed, as did Breloom and Graveler. Rajni barked in shock, “It hit her, and she’s not asleep!?”
Aengus just blinked. Paddy muttered, “And that’s not her Ability either...huh.”
Doyel said, “What is she??”
Rarity smiled, curtsied, and said, “I am an Equestrian pony, and my name is Rarity.”
Graveler frowned, and gestured imperiously. Rarity looked downward, and jumped to her left, just in time to avoid the spike. The crowd roared to life in an exuberant cheer.
Aengus yelled, “Excellent work! Do it again!”
“Come on, Trixie! Look alive and give me a Moonblast!”
“Drain Punch, Breloom! Don’t let her get you!”
“Graveler, use Gyro Ball!”
Looking at the kangashroom, Rarity started to run at him. She could see in his eyes the fear and anger that his Spore did not conk her out, and his determination to let her have it. She closed ground, and saw him leading with his left foot. Rarity smiled to herself as the flames surrounded her once more, veering to the left, squarely into his attempt to dodge. As she returned to Aengus’s side, Breloom staggered one way, then the other, and back, before he toppled and fainted. The crowd cheered again, much louder, but Trixie did not stir. Graveler started spinning around and around, then lurched at Rarity. She crouched, and correctly timed her evading jump again. With some cheers, the crowd began chanting, “Rarity! Rarity! Rarity!”
Aengus laughed out loud. Paddy was also grinning from ear to ear, but the sisters looked like they were in complete denial. They gave each other a long, hard look, then turned back to the battlefield. Rajni shouted, “I’ve still got one more! Flygon!”
As the oversized bug-like dragon appeared, Aengus whooped, “Yes!! I know this one! Rarity, Ice Beam!”
“Alright, Trixie! Up and at ‘em! Moonblast!”
“Flygon, use Dragon Claw!”
“You can do it, Graveler! Thunder Punch!”
Flygon zoomed at Rarity, but she just stood there. As it slashed with his claws, she still stood there. And she looked unaffected. Aengus and Rarity shared a smile as Flygon cocked its head to one side, its arm still at the end of its slash. Rajni shrieked, “She’s a Fairy!!?”
Rarity looked Flygon in the eye. “Hi.”
Shards of ice and snow in a thin, solid ray erupted out of her horn at point-blank range. Flygon staggered back, looking like it was barely standing. Trixie laughed, “Ha ha! Nothing like a good nap!”
Another cheer from the crowd, and Trixie’s horn glowed. It appeared Luna’s moon appeared over the court, and shone its beams upon Trixie. A small white ball ambled out of her horn, squarely hitting Flygon in the chest. It toppled and fell over. Rajni slowly dropped to her knees as the crowd screamed and hollered its joy. Graveler rushed, but Rarity mistimed the dodge this time. The punch sent her tumbling a few times. She took a moment to get her wind back, and stood up again. Doyel stared wide-eyed at the two ponies advancing on her Graveler.
Aengus teasingly said, “And I have one more bombshell left for you!”
Paddy chuckled, “Oh?”
“Go on, call your moves,” Aengus said with a triumphant smile.
Doyel screamed, “Graveler, use Gyro Ball!”
Paddy said, “Well, Trixie, how about Psychic?”
“Rarity...,” Aengus began. He stopped, chuckled, and then finished, “...Play Rough.”
“WHAT!!?!” Rajni and Doyel squawked in unison.
Rarity popped her neck, and charged Graveler, kicking up a dust cloud that sounded of numerous punches and kicks within. All around the gathered people were exclamations of surprise, much of it delighted. As the dust settled, there stood Rarity, and Graveler fell down. He disappeared in rosy sparks back into his Pokéball. Rarity dramatically pushed a curl out of her face, and looked across the crowd.
Cheers boomed the room, making the walls shake. The brothers emphatically embraced, laughing together. Trixie tapped Rarity on the shoulder. Rarity pulled her into a tight hug with her eyes closed, laughing. Trixie snickered some, and patted her on the shoulders with a small hug in return. They let go, and Rarity looked Trixie in the eye. She raised an eyebrow, and said, “Huh. It looks great on you! I didn’t know you wanted to accessorize! Let me know if you want a hoof with it!”
Trixie laughed mockingly. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has no need for accessories! She looks stupendous just as she is!”
The crowd had started to disperse. Rarity gave Trixie a quizzical look. “What are you talking about? Clearly you’ve...,” she trailed off, motioning around her face.
“What is Trixie talking about? More like, what are you talking about?” Trixie countered.
Rarity frowned. As Aengus, Paddy, Rajni, and Doyel walked up to them, Rarity’s horn glowed again, with a spell ray sweeping over Trixie. Rajni squawked again. “And she can use Extrasensory outside of battle!?”
Paddy shook his head incredulously. “That’s six...brother, how many moves does she know...??”
Aengus chuckled. “Almost three dozen.”
The other three trainers stood agape for a moment. Rajni shook her head, but smiled at Paddy. “We should do this again sometime.”
“Of course! But when, and would you want to mix the teams up, or just have singles?” Paddy asked with a cheeky grin. Aengus and Doyel both rolled their eyes at their siblings.
Rajni pondered for a moment, then said, “Saturday evening work for you?”
“Looks like Saturday night’s all right for fighting. Let’s do it!” Paddy grinned.
“Awesome!”
{Something is very wrong here....}
Rarity, still frowning at Trixie, irritably said, “Wait just a darn minute....”
Trixie disappeared, called back to her ball in a shower of pink specks of light. Paddy began, “Before you two get into another argument—”
“Where is she!?” Rarity snapped, advancing on Paddy. “Where’s Trixie?!”
Paddy gave her a funny look as he backed up. He pointed at the ball and said, “Um, right here?”
“Not that imposter! Where’s the real Trixie!?! Tell me!!” she shouted. Her eyes had narrowed, and every hint of joy from her posture and voice were gone, overwritten by seething rage.
“What’s gotten into you?” Paddy asked.
“Tell me!”
“Busted...,” Aengus said matter-of-factly, giving his brother the I-told-you-so look.
Paddy stopped. Rarity stood in front of him with the same, bared-teeth glare. He snorted, “And just what has you so convinced this is a so-called impostor?”
“Because,” Rarity spat, “the real Trixie doesn’t have green eyes.”
Special thanks to a good friend on the site for advice about the Alolan Pokémon, 'cuz IRL I still can't go get it yet. Being a reaponsible grown-up isn't fun at times. 
Fun times. I bet they would've done better against the sisters if they knew what types their opponents were. Oh well.
So. Rarity uncovers a terrible truth: via Extrasensory, she found out that this "Trixie" has had green eyes all of her life, but the Trixie she knew had purple. Then...what's become of the real Trixie?
Intentionally writing poor dialogue for Paddy and Rajni hurt my brain some. 
Added a second reference again, this time a bit more obvious. Speaking of classic rock, how does this suit you in regards to "Trixie's" presence? (shut it Seth; she's not that nice)
Twilight and company next time...she's had time to rest up and recharge. What is her next move? What will everypony else say and do? Be here next week to find out.
Thanks for reading. 
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so, possibly a changeling? or is there something else going on. now I'm very curious. GASP! Could it be a pony pokemon hybrid of some kind? and th real trixie is still at the daycare. Ugh, my brain is going to be coming up with all kinds of theories untill the next chapter comes out
I don't remember if you ever said what type Trixie is, if it differs from Rarity.
Edit: Also, I don't know if it was intended that way, but Rarity shaking off Spore and dodging the other moves came off as Gen VII's "affection" mechanic, as being able to occasionally dodge any moves except "always hit" (like Swift) is part of it.
7778693
I think it's the result of Trixie going to the breeding center/daycare.
Don't tell me that twat Paddy traded her away...
Or... no, wait. Is that Trixie and that Pokemon's KID?
So possibly Changeling disguised as Trixie or Pokemon transformed into Trixie (a Ditto or maybe Zorua)?
Also, still no sign of Keldeo. *Sigh....
My first though was that Trixie was slowly turning native, as in becoming a pokemon, in comparison to Rarity's rejection of the idea, but that ending...
reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/picard_clapping.gif
Uh, actually...
Um... Isn't Extrasensory a Psychic move? And isn't Alolan Muk half Dark type? Shouldn't there have been no effect, or are you simply going more with anime logic than game logic?
7778834
Complete derp on my part. It's what I get for not having the game and not plugged these things into m' head via repetition. Fortunately, it's easily fixed. I'll have to take care of it when I get home; break time at work never feels long enough for...well, anything.
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The truth will be coming soon. Rarity's onto him and isn't gonna let him get away this time.
7779373
To be fair, I wouldn't really blame you for these little mistakes even after you get the game. I still keep forgetting every so often that Alolan Golem isn't a Ground type at all, and it's one of my main 'mons right now.
Nice battle scene but I think there is a mistake in your story. If the Pokemon in your story only suppose to know four moves and when Rarity use Play Rough as the surprisingly fifth move to the trainers they were battling, that got them surprise. But when looking back I count six moves
1 attack
2 attack
3 attack
4 attack
5 attack
6 attack
I'm just pointing that out and you don't really need to change your story, I could be wrong and the opponents were just surprise Rarity could use Play Rough. Just a little confuse here about your stander moves limit if there is one.
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I forgot to respond to this during m' lunch, about it being the "affection mechanic." Ultimately...no. That much I can assuredly say without spoiling anything that folks don't already know (that Rarity isn't actually a Pokémon).
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Nice catch; I'll have to sort it out.
Yeah, that was a mistake.
Honestly, the problem I have with it being Trixie's offspring is that baby evos/forms are a thing even in-game universe and ruins my suspension of disbelief. If it was her child and hatched from an egg even after a few days, I doubt it'll be full grown adult mare, logically sound that it look more like a foal or the very least a filly around the CMC's ages. Again, even by going by game universe, it still doesn't add up.
7779606 Well some could argue that the fact that Rarity use more than 4 moves was lost in the middle of the chaos that is the battlefield until they saw her use Play Rought
.
7779373 I already know that trixe is actually a zorark.I can tell because of the snickers, the way she keeps calling herself trixe every time instead of most of the time, and the move set is constant with a zorark the green eyes also help narrow it down
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Both mistakes are patched.
7781621
Hey, good thinking. Those are some valid points. But there are two things you overlooked with that: with "Trixie" as the only Pokémon left, there would be nothing for it to become via the Illusion ability had it been a Zoroark...even if there was, "Trixie" took direct damage via Thunder Punch, which would have broken the Illusion.
7782398 oh
missed that thunder punch 
Also wasn't a ten on ten double battle so they each used 5? I lost track after the muk
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Silly Starlight , don't you realize that your idea of revenge could backfire you on the long run (as before), after all the human race is not one to easily give up the control it has over the world, as it is one that human kind has wrestled and fought for since the beginning of the human race's lineage, this situation could lead to create the bases of the most dangerous Ball than have existed even before the concept of pokemon was created.
The elements are there inside of the pokemon world....just waiting to be assemble.
7782398 also I don't see the problem with a poke knowing six moves since in the anime ash's snorlax knew six in the battle frontier
Either "Trixie" is a Zoroark in dusguise or the possible love child between the real Trixie and that Zebstrika.
IIRC, Ditto has that many attacks. Pony with green eyes? Sounds like a Changeling to me.
This story is awesome and funny! I can't wait to read more!