Climbing the Mountain
"There it is!" Twilight cheered as she and her friends now saw the base of a mountain in the distance. The giant rock mound was massive, its peak hidden by clouds. It was the largest mountain any of them had ever seen, both in height and width.
"So this is Foal Mountain?" Flash asked.
"Yup," Twilight replied with a nod, "And at the top of it is Cloudsdale City." She showed them an image on her journal that showed the mountain's peak from a bird's eye view. The peak was flat and appeared to be split into four sections by an X-shaped trench running through the top. One section appeared to be filled with houses while another section looked more like a city, even having a large colosseum near the edge. As for the third section, it was a kind of farm while the fourth looked like a giant airport.
"That's Cloudsdale?"
"That's right." Doc responded, "Cloudsdale is famous because they grow a rare plant there that's used in different medicines. Mountaineers discovered this plant and trekked up multiple times to get and sell it, eventually deciding to just live on the mountain. And so, Cloudsdale was born."
Twilight nodded again, "Originally, they used Flying-types to send the plant down the mountain, but now they have their own transport planes."
"Awesome!" Flash added before looking up at the mountain. "So all we have to do is climb all the way up there?"
Spike sighed and hung his head, "So more intrepid adventuring through an obviously dangerous location. Yay."
Twilight laughed and patted her brother's head, "Well luckily for you Spike, there's a plane service that'll take passengers up to the city."
This made Spike smile as they reached the edge of the woods, about to get to the base. As they continued to walk, the saw a Pokémon Center next to a long runway, with several planes located on it. But before they could head over, Flash could feel his battle senses tingle, making him to turn to sound of cheers.
"What's going on?" He followed the sound with the others behind him, the four and their Pokémon turning the corner to find a loud crowd gathered around a battlefield. They quickly snuck through the people, only to see a teen battling with a Lickitung while the other trainer was-
"Fluttershy?!" Twilight yelped as she now saw their friend showing a look on her face they had only seen once: when she was chewing out Lightning Blitz. "But who's she battling with?" Twilight asked next before turned to the Pokémon in front of her.
It was a rabbit-like creature standing at about two and a half feet tall, looking almost humanoid in appearance and stance. Its body was a combo of white and brown, most of its body mainly white, but it legs were brown from the knee down along with its upper arms. Its hands were covered in thick white fur that almost resembled gloves that ran up its arm to its elbow. Its had a line of brown fur leading from between its legs, up its body and spreading out around its neck like a collar. White tape was wrapped around its feet and lower legs while its ears pointed backwards and had brown tips.
Flash took out his Pokedex and scanned the creature.
Name: Bunounce
Category: High Jumper Pokémon
Type: Fighting
Info: The evolved form of Bunnop. This Pokémon's powerful legs allow it to leap great distances and attack with powerful kicks. It loves to pick a fight with anything bigger than itself, though it also hates losing.
"So...Angel evolved?" Spike muttered out.
"Heck yeah, he did." The group turned to see a grinning Rainbow Dash, "Hey guys, long time no see."
"Same," Twilight responded before turning back to Fluttershy as Lickitung's owner gave an order.
"Slam!" Lickitung let out its tongue, trying to slap Angel.
"Dodge it using Bounce!" Angel leap over the tongue, quickly falling and slamming its feet into Lickitung's face. The pink Pokémon cried out as Angel landed. "Now, Mach Punch!" Angel's fist start to glow before it charged at super speed, smashing its fist into Lickitung's stomach, knocking the wind out of it.
"Rollout!" He ordered before Lickitung spun into a ball.
"High-Jump Kick!" Fluttershy ordered, Angel smirking and he charged at the now rolling Lickitung, thrusting his knee into the ball.
"TONGUE!" It cried at the impact, getting knocked back before falling over with spirals in its eyes.
"Lickitung is unable to battle!" the teen refereeing the match announced. "The winner is Fluttershy and Bunounce!"
"Bun!" Angel cheered as he jumped up and down, Fluttershy blushing at the applause. Angel then ran up into her arms, Fluttershy quickly hugging him.
"You were amazing Angel! Thank you!" Angel cheered back as the two turned to Rainbow, only to gasp, "Oh my! Hello everyone."
"Hey Fluttershy," Flash chuckled, "That was some battle."
"Yeah!" Spike added, "It almost made me think it wasn't you for a second. You always said you weren't much of a battler."
"Well...that's still true." Fluttershy responded as she looked away for a second, "But after summer camp, I realised I needed to get stronger if I'm to reach my goal of creating a sanctuary. No doubt there'll be those wanting to catch Pokémon that are resting there, so I'll need to be strong enough to protect it."
Doc nodded at her words, "Well from what I just saw, you're well on your way to being that strong."
Fluttershy shined a small smile, "Thank you."
"So...are you guys heading up to Cloudsdale?" Rainbow asked.
"Yup," Flash pointed to himself, "I'm planning on getting my sixth badge there. Are you guys heading there too?"
"You know it," Rainbow chuckled, "I'm planning on getting my sixth badge too. Plus, it'll be great to head home and see our families."
"I'm sure you're looking forward to that," Twilight added, "So, do you two already have your tickets?"
This question got a confused glance from the two, Rainbow slowly asking back, "You mean...you don't know?"
"Know what?"
"The rule," Fluttershy answered. "If Flash wants to challenge the Cloudsdale City Gym, he has to first scale the mountain."
"What?!" Flash yelped before pointing at the behemoth structure, "I've gotta climb that?"
"Yup. I gotta do it too." Rainbow chimed in, "It's Spitfire's way of helping the trainer learn to understand Cloudsdale's culture."
Fluttershy nodded in agreement, "Cloudsdale's first occupants were mountaineers named Hurricane and Pansy. They were the first to reach the top and claimed the land for themselves, and soon other mountaineers followed them and created the city we call home. Almost everyone born there now is descended from those mountaineers, so anyone who wants to challenge the gym has to first endure the same hardship the original mountaineers endured by climbing the mountain."
"Huh....okay." Flash responded as he stared at the mountain. He took a deep breath before nodding. "If that's what I gotta do in order to get my gym badge, so be it." He turned to his friends, "You guys don't have to come with me. If you wanna take a plane and wait for me at the top-"
"Are you kidding me?!" Twilight interrupted, "You'll never make it up that mountain without me there."
"Wherever you go, we go." Doc added.
"That's right," Spike finished.
"Thanks guys," Flash replied before turning to the others, "Wanna go together?"
"You know it!" Rainbow cheered with a thumbs up.
"Oh, we would love to join you." Fluttershy said with a nod.
The group then headed into the Pokémon Center and gathered whatever equipment they thought they would need, also having their Pokémon thoroughly examined and got as much food as they could carry. Once their Pokémon were given a clean bill of health, they began their trek toward the foot of the mountain.
"Alright, I downloaded a map of different routes up to the city." Twilight explained as she tapped her notebook, "I think our best bet is travelling to the eastern side of the mountain. There's a entrance to a cave system that leads through the mountain, bypassing some of the more rocky terrain above it. It'll also put us near a rest spot that we can use to recover before heading up the remainder of the mountain."
"Sounds good to me," Flash told her while the others nodded. "Lead the way."
It was here that they began their journey, circling around the base of the mountain to get to the cave they were looking for. The trek didn't have a good start. It began with several paths dotted for them to climb, only for the paths to vanish after the few small walls, making them go the roads less travelled. This was followed by an area known for rock slides. Luckily, they managed to keep themselves quiet enough to not cause one, only to find a large cliff-face that was roughly twenty-foot high. Flitanium, Owlicious and Rainbow's Movine took turns carrying the group up it, allowing them to continue onwards.
After this was a section of the mountain covered in poison oak, Rainbow using her Gliscor to use Slash to cut a path through the plants. Its hard shell meant the poison oak had no effect, quickly making a road for the teens. After this was a large fissure, a crack in the mountain that was roughly twenty foot wide. The only thing connecting their side was a rock bridge that looked pretty stable, but the bottom of the bridge was the fissure...filled with jagged, pointy rocks.
Looking to the other side of the crack, they saw a bunch of large rocks scattered around a giant cave opening, the sight making Doc say, "There it is."
"Yup," Twilight nodded while double-checking her journal. "That's the entrance to the cave that'll take us through the mountain. As long as we follow these directions, it'll get us to the rest spot in no time."
Fluttershy did a long gulp as she looked down, "But we have to cross this bridge to get to it..." Her body shivered like a leaf, "W-w-what if we f-f-fall?"
"Oh relax," Rainbow responded as she took the first step forward, "We'll be fine." But as soon she stepped onto the bridge, something shot past her, causing a gust of wind that knocked her back, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA!" The others quickly grabbed her before she fell, the girl sighing in relief. "Thanks guys."
"What was that?" Flash asked, only for another blur to fly by, making a another gust. The blur then came to a stop, making them now see a Flying-type Pokémon.
"A Mandibuzz?" Twilight chimed in.
"Buzz!" The Bone Vulture Pokémon roared as it flew to the other side of the fissure and landed on a large rock, menacingly spreading its wings.
"What's it doing?" Spike asked next.
"It's challenging you!" The other turned to a voice, now seeing a girl step out from behind a rock. She was maybe a year of so older then Flash and Rainbow, with light brown skin and white hair that was dyed purple at the tips. The girl was wearing a brown leather pilot's jacket over a white T-shirt and ripped jeans with black combat boots.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Rainbow added.
"Gilda," she instantly replied, "The best trainer on this whole mountain. And if you wanna pass this bridge, you have to first beat me."
"What?! That's ridiculous." Twilight yelled, "This is a public route! You can't just block it off."
"That's what I keep telling her," a voice said from behind another rock. They turned to see a boy a few years younger than Gilda step out. He also had brown skin, but his hair was blue with yellow tips and he was wearing a cream colored shirt under a jacket that had the same color as his hair with yellow gloves along with blue pants and boots. On his shoulder was a Pokémon they recognised as a Rufflet.
"Can it Gallus," Gilda growled, "I can do whatever I want, and right now, I wanna battle these guys!"
"Why are you so focused on battling us?" Fluttershy asked from behind Rainbow.
"None of your business," Gilda spat. "Just battle me already!"
"She's training for a gym rematch," Gallus chimed in, Gilda glaring back at him, "She got creamed by the gym leader, so she came down here to train."
"What did I say about canning it?!" Gilda yelled before turning back and pointing at them. "If you must know, I plan on going back to that gym and beating the pants off the leader, but only after I beat a hundred trainers in a row! That's why I'm here!"
"One hundred trainers?!" Doc yelped, Flash letting out a sigh.
"Let me guess. You've already beaten ninety-nine trainers, and we'll be the hundredth."
Gallus did a small shrug, "Um...she's only beaten thirty-four trainers."
"Oh," Flash replied before rapidly blinking, "Huh. Guess we can't be part of every cliché."
"So come on!" Gilda barked, "Which of you am I gonna wipe out first?!"
The others shared a glance before Rainbow shined a smirk and walked onto her bridge. "I'll take you!"
"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked.
"Heck yeah!" Rainbow responded while pumping her fists, "If I can't even beat someone Spitfire beat, I'll never stand a chance against her."
"Nice," Flash added, "We'll leave it to you."
"Okay!" Rainbow took out a Pokeball, "Let's go Tank!" She tossed the ball into the air, unleashing her Torpeller.
"Tore," it cheered as he activated his propeller and began to hover.
"Ha!" Gilda laughed, "That's what you're gonna battle me with?! This won't be much of a challenge."
"Don't underestimate us," Rainbow replied, "Tank and I are an awesome team!"
"Peller!"
"We'll see," Gilda responded as Mandibuzz flew in front of her, "Let's get this over with." And before anyone could say anything else, "Dark Pulse!" Mandibuzz flew up opened its beak, unleashing a burst of dark rings from its mouth.
"Iron Defense!" Rainbow yelled as Tank's head and legs retracted into its shell, its body flashing blue before the Dark Pulse made contact. "Now, use Stone Edge!" Blue lights appeared in an X-shaped circle around Tank as he pulled his head out, the lights vanishing to reveal a bunch of jagged rocks.
"TORE!" He roared as the rocks went flying upward, hitting Mandibuzz before it could react.
"Man!" It cried as the rocks buffeted it, making it start to fall, only to spread its wings before falling below the bridge. "Buzz!"
"Gust!" Rainbow told Tank, the tortoise pointing his propeller down at Mandibuzz before spinning it. The powerful blast of wind hit the Bone Vulture Pokémon, knocking it slightly down before it forced its way through the wind.
"Fury Attack!" Mandibuzz zipped up to Tank, staring at the bottom of its shell as its beak began to glow.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz!" It yelled with each thrust on Tank's under-shell, causing the Torpeller to cry out in pain until he thrust his foot, trying to hit Mandibuzz in the face. However, the vulture pulled his head back, allowing Tank to fly away as Rainbow gave her next command.
"Stone Edge!" Tank summoned the jagged rocks again, firing them at Mandibuzz.
"Dark Pulse!" Gilda yelled as Mandibuzz unleashed the wave of black rings, destroying the stones before they reach their target.
"Body Slam!" Rainbow ordered as Tank charged at the vulture, retracting himself into his shell as he used his propeller to push him forward. He moved at such speed that Mandibuzz couldn't react, slamming into the vulture before both crashed into one of the rocks in the side of the crack, causing an explosion.
"Yes!" Flash cheered as the others clapped, Doc the only one not cheering.
"It's not over yet," he said as they saw Tank pull himself out of the smoke.
They stared into the smoke, only to see a blur zip through the fog, instantly getting behind Tank. "Dual Wingbeat!" Tank turned around to see Mandibuzz with glowing wings, slapping both into the tortoise.
"TORE!" He cried as he smacked downward, Mandibuzz then flying down after him, quickly getting past him before hitting him with the wing again. "PELLER!" He yelped as he thrown upward, slamming him into the bottom of the bridge, Rainbow gasping as she kneeled down to check on him.
"You alright?" She asked while Tank pulled himself out of the bridge.
"Tore..." he moaned as he unsteadily flew away from the bridge.
"Now they get it," Gallus sighed as Rufflet turned to him. "When Gilda and Mandibuzz fight, they show no mercy."
"Dark Pulse!" Gilda roared as Mandibuzz unleashed its attack.
"Iron Defense!" Rainbow ordered as Tank pulled himself into his shell, which began to glow as the Dark Pulse struck it.
"Even when it's clear they're gonna win, they'll keep attacking until there's nothing left of their opponent."
"Fury Attack!" Mandibuzz started striking the Torpeller's shell with its glowing beak, not letting up for a second.
"Because all that matters to them, is victory."
"Finish this! Brave Bird!" With that, Mandibuzz show straight up as its body exploded into flames.
The others gasped with Doc turning to Rainbow. "You can't let that attack hit!" Rainbow nodded as Mandibuzz circled around and began to dive-bomb.
"Stone Edge!" Tank fired the jagged rocks at Mandibuzz, the projectiles slamming into the blazing bird, only to not slow it down as the flames morphed from red to blue.
"MANDIBUZZ!" It screeched as its slammed into Tank, causing an explosion that engulfed them both.
"TANK!" Rainbow screamed as Mandibuzz instantly flew out of the cloud, its body flinching as blue lightning sparked around it. Something then fell out the cloud, dropping like a stone that made Rainbow gasp as she saw Tank with spirals in his eyes. "NO!" She reached out to try and grab him, just barely managing to catch him. But as she did this, she began to fall over the bridge, "Whoa!"
She then felt something grab her, the teen looking back to see Flash gripping with the others holding him and grunting as they managed to pull them back onto the bridge. They all sighed in relief as Rainbow fell onto her butt, Tank clutched in her arms.
"Thanks guys." Rainbow said before hearing the sound of laughter. She turned to the source, now seeing Gilda on the other side of the bridge with Mandibuzz.
"That makes thirty-five!" She cackled, "Alright, who's next in your little group?! Remember, you're not getting past here unless one of you beats me!"
Rainbow growled as she stood up, "I'll battle you again. Don't think you're gonna get away with this!"
"Like you could beat me with that pathetic Pokémon!" Gilda barked back, "Go home loser, you're out of your league."
The teen hissed as she started to run across the bridge, only for Fluttershy to grab her arm. "Rainbow, we need to get Tank to the Pokémon Center."
Rainbow looked back at her, seeing the frown on her face before sighing, "Alright." She turned back to Gilda. "We'll be back to settle the score!"
With that, the group walked away as Gallus spoke up, "You realize they'll be back, right?"
Gilda just shrugged, "Eh, let them come. I'll crush anyone who shows up here. Just sixty five more opponents and I'll be ready to take down Spitfire."
"Whatever," Gallus replied as he rolled his eyes before feeding some Pokémon food to Rufflet.
When the group got back to the Pokémon Center, Nurse Redheart took one look at Tank and sighed, "Gilda?" They nodded back, the nurse shaking her head as she took the Torpeller. "I'll see what I can do."
And as she left the room, Spike yelled, "I can't believe that big bully! Beating Tank is one thing, but being that mean...she's like a girl Lightning!"
"Especially when Tank's so strong," Flash grumbled as he remembered the battle he had with Rainbow the first time they met. "He might not have won, but that doesn't make him weak."
"Gilda just wants to make Tank feel bad," Twilight responded, "She's trying to break his spirit so he won't try again."
"Well it's not gonna work," Rainbow declared, "Tank's the toughest Pokémon in Equestria. Nothing's gonna break his spirit. It's indestructible."
The others smiled at her spirit, Flash speaking up next, "You really trust Tank, huh?"
"Heck yeah I do! After all, Tank saved my life once." This made everyone raise an eyebrow, the girl now knowing she had to tell the story, "You see, I used to get picked on a lot when I was a kid. There were these three boys that always used to make fun of me and Fluttershy. Then one day, they told me they'd stop if I proved myself."
"How?"
"They said I had to go down the mountain and bring back a super strong Pokémon. And that's how it happened."
The Past...
A nine year old Rainbow Dash was currently walking around a cliff-side path. She had managed to sneak past the guards that usually kept any small kids from going down the mountain and had ran down the closest path before she was seen, unaware of where the path lead.
"Whoa!" she yelped as she clutched the side of the wall, a breeze hitting her body. The ledge she was on was only a few inches longer than her feet, making her try to grip into the wall even harder, as the side of the cliff was slanted and went down for about fifty feet until it reached another ledge.
But as she took another step, a piece of the ledge began to break, "WHOA!" She cried as the rock broke under her, causing her to fall. "NOOO!" She screamed as she started sliding down the cliff-face, knocking several rocks loose as she did. "Oof!" She yelped as she then hit a lower ledge, only for some rocks to fall down and hit her foot. "AUGH!" She screamed as she felt her foot start to be buried, a stabbing pain running up her leg.
And after a few minutes of pain, her head started to focus as she saw that her leg had been up to just below her knee. "Oh no..." she whispered as she tried to push the rocks off, her thin arms unable to lift even one of the rocks, "No, no, no, no, no!" She cried as she kept trying to push, unable to make even one big rock budge.
Minute after minute passed before she slumped over with tears in her eyes, "No...please, someone help me." She could feel her tears drip down her face, only for her ears to suddenly hear a strange whirling noise. "Huh?" She raised her head, now hearing the sound get louder as the thought of her accidentally falling into some powerful Pokémon territory entered her mind.
"Oh no...I hope whatever that is doesn't eat me." She whimpered out, "I don't wanna die as some thing's dinner! Someone, please help-"
"Tore?" said a sudden voice, cutting her dialogue as she turned to see a Torpeller hovering in front of her.
She raised an eyebrow as it landed, making her groan, "Great," she laid back as Torpeller moved over to the rocks. "Now not only am I trapped, but I'm trapped here with a totally lame Pokémon for company." She then heard a rumbling, making her look back up, only to see Torpeller stick its head into a small gap in the rocks. "Hey...what are you doing?" She got her answer when Torpeller started lifting the rock up using its head, Rainbow's eyes going wide seeing this.
Slowly, the Torpeller hoisted the rock up enough to take the weight off Rainbow's leg and allow her to pull her foot out. She winced in pain, gripping her leg before seeing Torpeller pulled itself into its shell as the rocks fell over on it. The sight made her gasp, only to sigh in relief as Torpeller just shrugged the rock off.
"You...you saved me?" She asked as she reached out to the Torpeller, the Pokémon nodding back. "Um...thanks." He then put his head under Rainbow's hand, the girl patting him back. A smile appeared on the girl's face as she mumbled, "Huh. Guess I was wrong."
And after this exchange was done, she looked back up at the ledge, "How the heck am I gonna get back up there?" She then picked herself up, only to flinch in pain. "Ow!" She clutched her injured foot, "Shoot...that's not gonna work."
"Tore," she turned to Torpeller as it spun its propeller and lifted itself up, Rainbow blinking at the sight as she figured out what it wanted to do.
"Really?" The tortoise nodded back at her, "Wow! Alright, let's do it!"
Meanwhile...
Higher up the mountain, a large Wondor was flying around with a woman on its back. She was in her mid to late thirties with yellow skin and orange hair. The woman wore a light blue tracksuit with yellow going down the middle along with a pair of goggles over her eyes. Her eyes were scanning the mountain over, only for her ears to pick up something, "Hmm? What's that?"
She followed the sound, only to come to a halt as she saw something that made her heart stop. It was Rainbow, who was clutching the shell of a Torpeller as it flew around the mountain.
"Hey! What are two you doing?!" She yelled as she had Wondor fly over to them, Rainbow glancing over and gasping at the sight of the woman.
"You...you're Spitfire!"
"Heck yeah I am! Now what are you doing flying around the mountain like that?!" Spitfire barked before getting closer, now seeing Rainbow's blood covered foot, worry now appearing on the woman's face. The four quickly landed, Spitfire soon working to clean Rainbow's wound as the girl explained what had happened.
"I see." Spitfire grumbled as she began to wrap up Rainbow's foot, "Coming down here was foolish."
"I know..." Rainbow sighed. "But I just wanted those jerks to stop picking on me and my friend."
"Rising to a bully only gives them more power," Spitfire replied while shaking her head, "It's only when you ignore them and show they can't bother you that you take away any power they have over you." Once she was happy with the bandages, she turned to Torpeller. "You got lucky today." She patted Torpeller's head, "If this little guy hadn't come along, you might have never been found."
"I know," Rainbow nodded before taking the tortoise and hugging him close. "You're the best."
Spitfire chuckled at the scene before reaching for her belt. "Here," she threw something at Rainbow, the girl quickly catching it.
"A Pokeball?"
"Go ahead and catch him." Spitfire responded as she pointed to the tortoise, "I get the feeling that little guy wants to stick with you." Rainbow gasped before turning to Torpeller, seeing it smiling up at her with hopeful eyes.
The Present...
"Ever since that day, Tank and I have stuck together. He always helps me remember what Spitfire told me and I never let those bullies ever get to me again. Heck, after ignoring them for so long, they eventually lost interest."
"That meant they also stopped bullying me," Fluttershy added. "So I have Tank to thank for that too." The others nodded as the door opened, making them turn to see Redheart pushing Tank out on a trolley.
"Tank!" Rainbow yelped as ran up to him, "You okay buddy?"
Tank nodded back as Redheart spoke up, "He'll be fine. His injuries weren't that bad." Rainbow nodded and thanked Redheart as she went back to the desk, only to hear Tank's rotors spinning.
The whole group turned to see him trying to fly for the exit. "Whoa!" She grabbed his shell and pulled him back, "Where're you off too?" The tortoise turned back to his trainer, a determined stare in his eyes as he moved his legs, trying to walk on air. "Oh...okay, I get it," she chuckled, "You wanna go settle the score with Gilda and Mandibuzz, huh?" Tank slowly nodded.
"Admirable, but ultimately pointless." Doc chimed in as the rest walked up to Tank, "You need to rest and prepare if you wanna beat her."
"Hate to say it, but he's right. We're not ready for them just yet. Besides, the sun's starting to set and we're not challenging them in the dark." Rainbow admitted as Tank's propeller started to slow down, a frown appearing on his face, "Don't be sad buddy." The teen shined a huge smirk, "We can still get some training in for tomorrow. What'cha say?" Tank nodded back as Rainbow turned to Flash, "Can you help me out?"
"Heck yeah I can!" Flash replied as he pumped his fists, Springer mirroring him. With that, the four ran out to the center's battlefield with the others following, knowing they needed to come up with something new for the fight ahead.
The next day...
Back on the mountain, Gilda was laying against a large rock as Gallus prepared their breakfast and fed the Pokémon. "You almost done yet?" She asked as Gallus glared at her before putting the Pokémon food down and moving over to a pot over a fire.
"Almost done," he grumbled, "The least you could do is get the bowls and stuff out."
Gilda sighed and shook her head, "Ugh...fine." She picked herself up, starting to move over before the sound of footsteps made her come to a stop, "Sweet!" She spin around, "My next victim. This'll be a great way to build up an appetite." But as she walked over to the bridge, she let out a long sigh, "Oh, it's you losers again."
Rainbow growled as she and Tank walked up to the bridge. "Gilda, we wanna rematch."
Gallus chuckled, "Told you they'd be back."
Gilda rolled her eyes, "I already beat you. Beating you again won't make my record better. Just move aside and let someone else battle, loser."
Rainbow glared at her, only to remember the words from Spitfire from long ago. A smirk appeared on her face as she turned to the others, "Fine. Come on guys, we'll take a leaf out of her book." The others raised an eyebrow at this, "We'll just set ourselves up further down the path. If anyone wants to get to this bridge, they'll have to beat us."
The others shined smiles at this, Gilda going wide-eyed as she yelled, "Hey! You can't do that! That's hording in on my prey!"
"Too bad," Rainbow giggled, "If you won't battle me, I won't let anyone else battle you either."
Gilda's face turned red, steam coming out of her nostrils as Gallus began laughing, "Shut up!" She yelled at her companion before turning back to the group, "Now hang on one stinking minute! If you think I'm gonna let you take my prey, I'm gonna-"
Flash then walked in front of Rainbow, a long stare coming out of his eyes as Gilda came to a stop. He crossed his arms as he said, "You know, you could just make it easy for all of us and just battle her again. And if you beat her, I'll take you on."
Gilda continued to growl, only to let out a huff, "Fine..." She turned to Mandibuzz, "Let's get this over with so we can have a real match."
Mandibuzz nodded as it leapt off a rock and glided over to the bridge. "I knew you'd see it my way," Rainbow replied as she put Tank down and patted his shell. "You can do this." Tank nodded back as he started to take flight, Mandibuzz doing the same.
"Alright Mandibuzz, let's just beat this loser already. Dual Wingbeat!" Mandibuzz's wings began to glow on command, the Bone Vulture swooping down on the tortoise.
"Iron Defense!" Rainbow yelled as Tank retracted into his shell, now glowing blue as Mandibuzz slammed its wing into the shell. The blow knocked Tank flying as Mandibuzz flew after him, ready to hit him with its other wing. "Keep using Iron Defense!" Again the shell glowed blue as Mandibuzz hit him with its other wing. This time Tank was slammed into a rock on Gilda's side of the crack.
"Tore!" he cried in pain as he slid down the rock and landed on his feet, pushing himself back up as Mandibuzz flew down to the tortoise.
"Now, use Gust!" Tank spun his propeller, unleashing a powerful wind that struck Mandibuzz back, allowing Tank to reverse the spin to push himself into the air. "Stone Edge!" Lights appeared around Tank before fading to show some jagged rocks, the tortoise now firing the projectiles at the vulture.
"BUZZ!" It cried as the rubble exploded, the sight making Tank fly above the bird.
"Now use Body Slam!" Tank flew up before cutting his propeller, letting gravity pull him down at Mandibuzz while retracting into his shell for protection. Mandibuzz looked up and saw the shell incoming, Tank slamming into the bird's body, pushing it down into the crack.
"Mand!" It yelped before spinning, pulling itself out from under Tank before both could hit the bottom. The two then recovered from he descent, Tank quickly spinning his propeller as Mandibuzz shot up.
"Dark Pulse!" Mandibuzz unleashed the black rings out of its mouth, heading straight for Tank as the Torpeller stayed in his shell.
"Iron Defence!" The shell glowed blue as the attack struck him, pushing him back until he crashed into one of the wall spikes.
"Tore!" He cried as he scrapped against it.
"Tank!" Rainbow yelled as Mandibuzz circled around, Gilda smirking as she gave her next order.
"Brave Bird!" Mandibuzz exploded into flames as it shot downward. The flames then turned blue as it got in close, Tank looking up at the attack, crouching down low next. And as Mandibuzz was seconds away from colliding, Tank pushed off the rocks and leapt into the air.
"MANDIBUZZ!" It screamed as it hit the wall, causing an explosion while making the wall shake.
"ALRIGHT!" Rainbow cheered as Tank flew up past her, "Way to go Tan!" Tank smiled back, only for a blur to shoot out of the cloud and fly up to him. He then saw Mandibuzz hovering beside him, staring daggers despite the bruises on its body.
"We're ending this now!" She pointed at Mandibuzz, "Back to back Dual Wingbeats!"
"MANDIBUZZ!" It squawked as both wings glowed, Tank quickly trying to fly back, only for Mandibuzz to slap him with its wing.
"TORE!" He cried as he was knocked back, Mandibuzz zipping up to him and hitting him with its other wing. "PELLER!" He was thrown in another direction, Mandibuzz quickly getting up to him and repeating the process.
"TANK!" Rainbow yelled as she watched her best friend get battered around like a ping-pong ball, the others frowning while Fluttershy looked away.
"Oh, I can't watch." she whimpered out, "This is just awful."
"Come on Tank," Flash added.
"Iron Defense!" Rainbow screamed, Tank withdrawing into his shell. But before he could power up his defenses, Mandibuzz slapped him away, making him lose focus.
"Now, BRAVE BIRD!" Mandibuzz flew straight up as its body ignited, quickly descending into blue fiery blaze.
"TANK!" Rainbow cried as the attack landed, causing an explosion. And from out of the smoke, Tank fell straight down, crashing into the bridge. "NO!" She yelled as she ran over to him, kneeling down to see he was still conscious. "Tank..."
Gilda laughed as Mandibuzz flew out of the smoke, reeling from the recoil. "I told you you wouldn't be able to beat me!" She watched as Tank tried to slowly pick himself up, "Don't bother getting up. With a slow weakling like that, it's a miracle you've ever been able to win any battles before."
The others all growled at her, only for Rainbow glare at the girl as she slowly said, "You don't get it. Tank might not be the fastest Pokémon in the world, but he's got something no other Flying-type has." She smiled down at him while rubbing his shell. "A certain kind of spirit. A stick-to-it-ive-ness. A never give up, can-do attitude that's the mark of a real winner. And this Torpeller has it!"
"Tenacity!" Twilight stated.
"Gesundheit," Rainbow replied, making Twilight roll her eyes while the girl glared back at Gilda. "You just can't stop this little guy. There's a reason I called him Tank." She stood up, "That's why he's my number one." Tank slowly smiled at Rainbow before pushing himself up onto his feet. Slowly, but assuredly he pushed passed the pain. Showing the tenacity Rainbow admired, he stood tall and let out a mighty cry.
"TOREPELLER!"
With that, his body exploded with light. Everyone's eyes went wide as they saw the light begin to grow, Rainbow gasping as the figure shifted until it was standing on two feet.
"No way..." she whispered as the light faded. The new Pokémon that appeared was mostly shell, but it had a somewhat humanoid form, standing at roughly eight foot in height. Its shell's top and bottom appeared to be disconnected, creating a gap between the two that its arms and legs came out of. The arms were giant flipper-like appendages while its legs were stumpy and tube-like with no feet. Its bottom half of its shell had nine holes in it, looking completely black within. Eight of the holes paralleled each other in position while the ninth was at the very top of the shell. And it was from this hole that Tank's face could be seen poking out. "SOAR!" It roared while swinging its arms around, creating a powerful gust of wind.
"Awesome," Spike whispered.
"Tank evolved," Fluttershy commented as stars appeared in her eyes while Flash pulled out his Pokedex.
Twilight nodded in agreement, "Yes. Now he's a Soartoise."
Name: Soartoise
Category: Air Tortoise Pokémon
Type: Rock/Flying
Info: The evolved form of Torpeller. It's entire body is a powerful wind generator that can create currents of over a 100 miles an hour.
Rainbow had the same starry-eyed expression as she looked her new Pokémon over. "Tank...You look awesome!"
"Soar!" Tank cheered before turning back to Mandibuzz, "Soartoise! Soartoise, soar!"
"Mand…" the bird growled back.
"Don't let it get to you Mandibuzz." Gilda chimed in as she pointed at the new Pokémon, "I'll admit that this might not be a complete waste of time now, but even if you're evolved, you still can't beat us. Mandibuzz, Brave Bird!" Once again, Mandibuzz exploded into flames as it shot up into the air.
"Alright Tank, time to show off your new power! Gust!" Tank's head retracted into his shell before leaping up and bringing its legs together, the action morphing them into a fin-like arm. All three fins then started spinning around the shell, forming a green buzzsaw-like image. They span so fast that a tornado bigger than any Tank had every used fired out of the holes in his chest.
It shot up and struck Mandibuzz, pushing it back as the flames around it went out. "BUZZ!"
"Wow!" Spike cheered, "That Gust got a serious power boost."
"That's because that wasn't Gust," the others turned to Twilight as she said this, "That was Hurricane!"
"Awesome! Way to go Tank!" Rainbow yelled as Tank stopped spinning and went back to normal. She then pointed at Mandibuzz, "Now, go get 'em!" Tank nodded and leapt off the bridge, once again morphing into the fan form as it used it to fly upward.
Mandibuzz shook its head from the Hurricane before charging at Tank, only for the Soartoise to tilt so his buzzsaw parts would hit Mandibuzz. This prevented Mandibuzz from hitting him with its wings, leaving it only one option. "Dark Pulse!"
"BUZZ!" Mandibuzz fired the dark rings, Tank spinning around so the back of its shell was hit.
"Iron Defense!" The shell glowed blue for a second as the attack struck, leaving not even a scratch. "Now, Stone Edge!" Tank stopped spinning, his arms and legs appearing to glide on the wind as the jagged rocks appeared around him.
"Soar!" With a flap of his fins, they were sent flying at Mandibuzz, striking the bird.
"Mand!" It cried in pain as the rocks hit the vulture's chest.
"Deflect them with Dual Wingbeat!" Mandibuzz growled and began to swing its wings around, slapping the rocks away as Tank flew above the bird.
"Body Slam!" Rainbow commanded as Tank stopped spinning and turned around so the back of his shell was pointing down. The tortoise allowed gravity to take hold, slamming into Mandibuzz, who squawked in pain as it was pushed down toward the spikes at the bottom of the crack.
"Get out of there!" Gilda ordered before Mandibuzz managed to push Tank away, both taking flight. "End this! Brave Bird!" Mandibuzz dive-bombed as its body ignited, Rainbow shining a huge grin in response.
"Time for us to end this! Hurricane!" Tank pointed his chest at Mandibuzz and spun his fins as fast as he could, unleashing the super-powered tornado from his chest. Mandibuzz flew into the Hurricane, trying to break through...only to be stopped dead in its tracks. They stayed like this for several long seconds, everyone watching as both pushed against each other. That is, till one cried out in pain.
"BUZZ!" Mandibuzz's flames went out as it was send flying into the spiky walls of the fissure, an explosion following this. The area shook as everyone waited to see the result, staring at the spot as the dust began to fade to reveal Mandibuzz. "Buzz..." it moaned with spirals in its eyes.
"YES!" Rainbow cheered as Gilda' jaw hit the dirt. She stared at Mandibuzz as it began to slip out of the wall, only to land on the back of Tank's shell as the Soartoise flew the two back up to the bridge.
"Thanks," she said once Tank lowered her Pokémon onto the ground, falling to her knees before holding up her Pokeball, "Return." Once Mandibuzz was sucked back into its ball, Gilda sighed as Gallus moved over and patted her shoulder.
"Guess the count's back to zero." Gilda growled as she swatted away his hand before glaring at Rainbow, now seeing the girl hugging her Pokémon.
"You were awesome Tank!" She cheered, "Too awesome!"
"Soar!" Tank slowly said back as it hugged her back.
The others ran over next, each giving their own congratulations on evolving and beating their opponents. "You really outdid yourselves," Doc told them. "It's not easy to get Torpeller to the level needed to evolve. You should be proud."
"I am," Rainbow replied before turning to Gilda. "We won. So now you have to let us pass."
Gilda continued to growl, "I don't have to let you do anything."
"Come on Gilda," Gallus spoke up. "Don't be a sore loser. Just let them pass. It's not like you can stop them anyway," he pointed to her Mandibuzz's Pokeball. "Don't risk anything else."
"Grrr...fine," she growled before pointing to the cave entrance, "Just go before I change my mind." The others smiled before Rainbow returned Tank and the group went over the bridge.
Stared up at the cave next as they slowly headed inside, Rainbow made sure to be the last one in. And before she went inside, she turned back to Gilda. "Hey!" Gilda turned to her, "Don't give up. You'll beat a hundred trainers in no time. And when you do, I'll be waiting to settle the score. It's one all now."
Gilda blinked at her, only to smirk and nod as Rainbow vanished inside the cave. The group had overcome the first obstacle of Foal Mountain, but many more still stood between them and Cloudsdale City. Only time would tell how well they would handle themselves on their trek. As the journey continues.
Stats
Page generated in 0.022 seconds
Total duration
789 users online
1,260,483 hits today, 2,814,898 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I can understand Twilight, ( she's kind of a pecking hen caretaker of Flash) but Doc and Spike? Why them, Spike's six years out from being able to be a training in the Equestria region and Doc is already a gym leader? I can get Spike being loyal, but a ten year old kid is not gonna climb up a mountain if they don't have to and niether should a gym leader who doesn't need the badge. Those two, I have hard time buying that premise.
Why, I can see Rainbow, but why Fluttershy, heck it would make more sense for it being just a Flash and Rainbow trek.
TORTISE!!!
10420478 Dang it. Don't know how I missed those.
Actually this chapter felt rather.... tiny... like it was a short detour...
It's not unenjoyible, but what would have been more interesting if this was a two parter, the first part being Flash and Rainbow and only them climb the mountain and bonded with them going back after Tank lost, and Rainbow having to think of a way to help Tank tap into his 'tenacity', but part one ends with Rainbow broken and Tank barely hanging on. Then in part two Rainbow would win. Off course no Gallus, not at this point.
If the rest of Flash's crew and Fluttershy have to be there, then I'd would have used Gabby as well.
Another thing that would have made this more interesting if Gilda and Rainbow knew each other, and great each other friendly, al la 'Griffon the gruff-off', or maybe they were close but have soured a while back the meeting is tense al la 'The Lost Treasure of Gryphonstone'
Oh the whole backstory of Tank saving a younger Rainbow was great, and Tank evolving was the natural next step the story, (as for Angel, I am indifferent to that lagomorph so whatever floats your boat) but to quote Stannis Baratheon 'the good act does not wash out the bad, nor a bad to good'
Yeah you have a okay story but removing characters from the main part, ie, putting some characters on the bus to meet up in the next chapter, well on the other side, and making this particular story longer would have made it much more interesting and at least 20% cooler... you're slipping, Banshee
10420485
It happens to RD... too many times, maybe because she got hit in the head, while not wearing a helmet, by a flying tortoise at least twice
That was awesome! It was cool enough seeing Angel evolved and Fluttershy win a battle with him, but Tank evolving too was the best part. I actually had a feeling he was going to evolve when we saw the flashback of him meeting Rainbow, and I was right. I like the way they met here, and how Spitfire was involved.
It was cool seeing Gilda and Gallus here too. So the trek up the mountain has begun. Wonder how long it will take them to reach Cloudsdale?
What a way to return to this story after the movie fic! I love that we got this story's version of Tank meeting Rainbow Dash. And Soartoise is awesome! I'm sure that he'll be important for Rainbow to win against the Gym when she challenges it.
Are we going to get another tunnel adventure chapter? I mean, they're not bad, but there seem to be a lot of them in this series.
I really like how you had Gallus be Gilda's snarky voice of reason and how you opened with Fluttershy showing off her newly developed battle skill. Overall, this was a fun side character chapter.
10420949
Really, I felt as though pretty much the only characters not wasted for the most part were Flash, Rainbow, Tank and Gilda, it's not Flash and Rainbow couldn't make the trek themselves, call the others at the Pokemon Center at the top and meet them after they take the next flight, or they could have gone ahead and have 'You Made It' and 'Good Luck' signs ready to greet the two...
You can make argument for why Twilight that I'd concede to, but Spike, Doc and Fluttershy?
And if we're gonna the external conscious route, al la Jimmaney Cricket, Gabby would have been a much better choice and contrast to Gilda, heck they actually live in the same house in the show!
This is the start of my favorite arc of the story, the Cloudsdale arc.
This was a great start to it, with Rainbow and Fluttershy joining the group, the reveal Angel evolved and us getting to see Tank evolve. I like the flashback we saw of them meeting, since even though it is based on how Tank became Rainbow's pet in the show I think it is even more heartwarming here with him saving her when there was no pet contest going on.
Gallus was also fun being Gilda's straight-man.