Shrieking a Difficult Lesson
It had been several days since Team Shadow had invaded the Crystal Empire. In that time, there had been no other attempts to steal the relics or take control of the security system. Androrg and the Guardroid had all been completely restored to full factory settings and security system reinstalled, all ready to defend the empire.
Currently, Twilight and Doc were in the throne room with Cadance, helping the young professor design some new firewall systems. "The code looks good," Doc commented as his eyes skimmed over the screen, "Yup. I think this'll work perfectly."
"Then let's not wait to upload it," Cadance replied before he shut the laptop and handed it too her. "We'll have Androrg check it out, and if he thinks it's fine, he can upload it to the rest of the Guardroid."
Twilight and Doc nodded before they left the throne room, now searching for the machine in question. When they walked out of the castle, they saw the Guardroid helping fix up the last remaining damage their rampage had caused. The crystal structures were easily repairable, with simple glue being all they need since the city didn't have to worry about things like rain or snow affecting the building's design.
But before any of them could start searching for Androrg, they spotted Celestia and Luna down the street. The two professors were setting up some photography lamps with satellite dishes in place of the lights. And as the three drew closer, they saw the satellites were pointed at a warp tile. "Hey!" Twilight spoke up, "What are you all working on?"
Celestia turned to her, "Just a little something we thought might be interesting to look into."
"We think we've found a way to hack these warp tiles," Luna added, "We've done a few tests and everything seems to be working perfectly, so we're about to do a long distance test."
Celestia moved over to a laptop on a small table next to one of the satellites, "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be," a familiar female voice replied.
"Alright," Celestia pressed a few buttons, "Power on." The satellites began to glow before they shot lasers at the warp tile, the tile now shining. After a few seconds, it began to expel the same light it normally did. It formed a column that domed at the top, with something appearing within it.
A person appeared within the column, spinning around as they materialized. Twilight spotted a blur of red and yellow on their head, making her smile as she saw the light disappear. The person was now spinning, shaking her head as Sunset Shimmer now walked off the warp tile. "Ugh...that wasn't pleasant." she moaned as she almost fell over, Celestia catching her.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," the girl shook her head again, "But that was a serious rush. Almost too much."
"Sunset!" She turned to Twilight, the two hugging each other tightly. "I can't believe you're here!"
"Why wouldn't I be?" She chuckled as she pulled away, "With this warp tile, I can finally come and check out the Crystal Empire and be back at the lab in time to feed the Pokémon before they get too rowdy."
As this happened, Cadance turned to Celestia, "How'd you do this?"
"Well, the warp tile already had everything needed to create a link to another place," Celestia responded, "We just removed the stone that acted as its power source and location anchor, then we replaced it with these modulators." She patted the satellites, "These powered the tiles and connected them to the global transport system."
"Which means we can transport anyone here from any place with a transporter system," Luna continued, "It requires the transporter to be altered slightly, but anyone with a basic understanding of engineering can do it."
"Yup," Sunset nodded, "I was able to modify it easily." She then turned to look at the empire. "Amazing..." she whispered. "Celestia sent me pictures, but seeing it in person is even more amazing."
And as she said that, a Guardroid marched past her. Twilight, Doc and Cadance panicked at the sight, only for the machine to glance at her and walk away. Celestia chuckled at their expressions as she chimed in, "I made sure to upload Sunset's data into Androrg's system before we attempted to bring her over."
The others sighed in relief, only for Androrg to appear, walking up to them. It looked perfectly fine despite the amount of damage it had acquired the other day. "Androrg!" Cadance exclaimed, catching the Bio-Mech Pokémon's attention. "We have some new firewalls that we want you to test out. If it works, you can upload it to the rest of the Guardroid."
"Androrg," it nodded before kneeling down. Cadance moved behind it and pulled out one of the wires connecting its head to its body before plugging in a wire from her laptop.
"Uploading now," she whispered before pressing a button on the machine. The screen beeped several times before showing a progress bar, slowly moving as she stared at the system.
As they waited, Twilight turned to Sunset, "So what do you want to see first? We've got a lot to show you before tomorrow."
"What's happening tomorrow?" Sunset asked.
"We're heading out." Doc replied, "It's a long trek to Dragonia City, and the weather outside is supposed to be rather calm tomorrow."
"You're heading to Dragonia City?" Sunset asked with raised eyebrows, "That's pretty far, isn't it?"
"Flash wants to challenge the gym leader there," Twilight shrugged, "He's only one badge away from entering the league after all."
"Impressive," Sunset nodded, "Say, where is Flash anyways?" The others replied by pointing toward a building several streets away, the second largest in the city between the castle and temple.
The Crystal Empire's stadium was located behind the castle, being almost as big as the Hoofington City's stadium. Like all the other buildings in the city, it was made entirely out of crystal, its walls, seats and columns all made out of different colored gems, though the playing field was full of grass, and even had a dirt battlefield in the center.
It was believed by those who were studying the city that this stadium was likely where Equestria's first Pokémon battles took place, Flash and his Pokémon now there. "Steel Wing and Aqua Break!" Skyler flew down with glowing wings, charging at Riptide as the lizard formed a water sword, slashing at the wings in a single clash. "Bounce and Poison Fang!" In another section, Prongs began jumping around Viper as the snake tried to follow his movements.
"Stag!" Prongs tried to body-check Viper, but he moved his serpentine body out of the way before snapping at Prongs, the Grass-type hopping back just in time.
"Dragon Rage and Extreme Speed!" Astro unleashed a blast of blue fire at Springer, but the Riolu easily zipped around, about to kick Astro as the dragon, ducked under the blow.
"Ri!" Springer spun around, trying to hit him with his leg again. However, Astro pulled back, the Riolu's toes almost touching him.
"Double Team and Shadow Ball!" Springer leapt back, multiplying into an army of Riolu that encircled the Starvern.
"Star?" Astro replied, his eyes darting around at the army as the Springers crossed their arms. "Starvern!" Astro turned to fire a Shadow Ball at one of the Riolu, who went wide-eyed and leapt straight up as the orb flew under him. The other Riolu vanished, the real Springer then landing.
"Wow!" Flash laughed, "Nice work Astro." The Starvern smirked, pointing at his nose. "Heh. I didn't think your sense of smell was that strong. Impressive."
"They're all impressive." Flash and his Pokémon turned to the voice, now seeing Shining up in the front row of the lowest stands. "I can tell by just looking at them. Your Pokémon have all grown really strong since the last time we battled."
Flash blinked at this, the memories of his whole team getting decimated by Shining's Galladin alone. "Um...thanks," Flash barely responded, "But we've still got a long way to go." He turned to his Pokémon. "We might be only one badge away from entering the league, but there's still a lot we need to learn before then."
"That's a good attitude," Shining chuckled, "No matter how strong you are, you should always be striving to get stronger."
"True," Flash nodded, "But how much stronger could you get? You're the champion."
"Just because I'm champion doesn't mean there aren't ways I can get stronger. Even if I'm the strongest trainer in Equestria, there's bound to be someone out there that's stronger than me. There are other champions in other regions, and I might one day end up meeting and battling against them. If I don't train, I won't stand a chance."
"I...guess that's true."
"Besides," Shining pointed at Flash's Pokémon, "You can always learn new stuff just by training different Pokémon. I'm betting each of your Pokémon have helped you learn something new and important that helped you become the person you are today."
Flash turned back to his team, all six nodding back at him. "Yeah, they did. I wouldn't be anything without them."
"That's good." Shining nodded. "But one day, you might catch a new Pokémon and it'll help you learn something new about yourself. I know that's happened to me. Even after I became champion, I kept learning thanks to the Pokémon I met and what they taught me." Flash wanted to ask about what Pokémon Shining had caught after becoming champion, but then remembered he got Ankyload and taught it to control its power along with the Douburrow back from the Grand Desert.
"You might be right about that," Flash sighed, "But I think for now, I'd like to focus on training the Pokémon I already have and focus on learning whatever I can from them. I might meet a new Pokémon I wanna catch, but I'm happy with the ones I already have."
"That's fine," Shining replied, "And you were right that you and your Pokémon all have a lot to learn. There's one Pokémon in particular that still has a major weakness you'll need to find a way to overcome if you ever want to think about becoming champion."
Flash and his Pokémon all raised an eyebrow at this, the seven glancing at each other. Shining then leapt down, walking onto the field as the Pokémon all subconsciously got into a line as the champion approached. He stopped in front of Astro, the Starvern blinking up at him.
But before Flash could make the excuses that Astro was the youngest, Shining walked over to Viper. The Vipeacon glared back at him, but Shining then moved over to Prongs, Riptide, Skyler and finally stopping at the sixth Pokémon.
"Ri?" Springer tilted his head.
"Springer?" Flash asked, "Springer has the weakness? He's one of my strongest Pokémon."
"That doesn't mean he doesn't have weaknesses your opponent can exploit," Shining countered, "And it's a real big weakness. One you need to overcome before it's even a possibility that you could become champion."
"What is it?" Flash asked, his lip slightly trembling.
Shining chuckled back at this, seeing the fear now appear on Flash's face. He smirked and crossed his arms, "How about we have a battle?" Flash's eyes went wide at this. "One on one. You and Springer versus me and one of my Pokémon. I think it'll be easier to show you what you need to do instead of just telling you. What do you say?"
Flash and Springer shared a glance, both nodding as he replied, "Alright! You're on!"
Meanwhile...
Twilight had just finished telling Sunset everything that had happened since they last ran into each other. "Wow," Sunset whispered, "Things are never boring with you guys, are they?"
Twilight nodded, "What can I say? We know how to have a good time." They both laughed, only to see Spike and Peewee walking up. "Spike? I thought you were watching Flash train."
"I was," Spike replied, "But just watching got boring, so we snuck out when he wasn't looking and decided to explore the city by ourselves."
"I told you not to do that," Twilight crossed her arms, "What if you had gotten lost?!"
"How?" Spike asked before pointing at the castle, "I have a pretty easy place to head to if I get turned around." Twilight sighed, shaking her head and rubbing her eyes behind her glasses.
"Done!" They heard Cadance call out, turning to see her unplug the cable from Androrg's head and replacing the one she pulled out earlier. "The firewall's one hundred percent installed. How's it feel?" They all saw Androrg's face go blank, the cyborg testing out its new defenses by trying to break through them itself.
After a minute, the Bio-Mech Pokémon turned back to Cadance. "Androrg!" It exclaimed before uploading the system to all the other Guardroid. All over the city, the machines stopped for a moment as their systems integrated the new software, only to start back up and continue like nothing had happened.
"And with that, our security system is now ten times better."
"Meaning Team Shadow will have a harder time getting in to try and steal the relics," Doc added.
"And even if they did get in here, with out new transporter method, we could teleport the items someplace safe before they even got close to them."
Celestia nodded in agreement, "We should set one of these up in the temple to be extra safe." The others all nodded, only for another sound to ring out.
"TORE!" They all looked up, now hearing the squawk of Flash's Tornavian as he landed beside them.
"Hello Skyler, is something wrong?" Skyler started squawking, pointing his wing toward the stadium. "Did something happen to Flash?" Skyler didn't say anything, instead taking off as Twilight turned to the others, "Come on!"
The group followed Skyler, quickly getting to the stadium field. There they saw Flash, Springer and Shining at the battlefield while Flash's other Pokémon stood a ways off, Skyler landing next to them.
"Huh?" Spike asked as they moved over, "Are those two battling?"
"It looks like it," Cadance nodded. "But why?"
Flash turned to them. "Shining wants to help me and Springer find out a weakness we have."
This made them all raise eyebrows, only for Shining to speak up, "It's a big weakness," he took out a Pokeball. "One I noticed during the Team Shadow incident." Flash tilted his head at this as he continued, "Don't get me wrong, you did amazing during that situation. But there was still one small problem you had. I didn't see it, but I heard it and you need to find a way to overcome that failing before you're ready to take me on in the League."
"But what is it?" Flash asked.
"This! Banshriek!" He threw the ball, "Stand strong!" The ball unleashed a red light, soon fading to reveal Shining's Pokémon.
It looked like a larger Ghouwail, being roughly five and a half feet in height. Its body was grey in color, though they could only see its face, uppers arms and lower half. The lower half was a tail-like appendage that floated above the ground, and it was dressed in a black sleeveless dress that covered its entire chest and stomach, but opened up at the legs to show its tail. The dress had several tears in them and around its arms and between its hands and elbows were black wraps of cloth that hung down at the ends and had several tears as well. On its hands were a quartet of razor sharp claws and around its waist was a gray mental belt with small spikes while its eyes were pure white with no pupils. Its hair was black and long, flowing down its back with two locks framing its face. "Ban," it spoke as it floated up, "Banshriek!" It then let out a high pitched cry that forced everyone except Cadance and Shining to cover their ears.
"What is that thing?!" Flash yelped as he pulled out his Pokedex.
Name: Banshriek
Category: Scream Pokémon
Type: Ghost
Info: The evolved form of Ghouwail. This Pokémon hates loud noise, so it drowns them out with its own. It prefers living in abandoned buildings where noise is rare.
"A Ghost-type?!" Flash gasped, he and Springer glancing at one another. "But that means..."
"None of Springer's attacks are gonna work on it," Twilight finished, Celestia, Luna and Cadance blinking at this.
"That's not fair!" Spike called out, "You should let Flash pick a different Pokémon." Flash's other Pokémon all cried out in agreement, Astro and Skyler trying to catch Flash's attention so he would pick them.
"Why?" Shining asked, "If I did that, he wouldn't learn anything." Flash raised an eyebrow as Shining turned to him. "Flash, every time you find yourself up against a Ghost-type, what do you and Springer do?"
"We...Springer holds back and I let one of my other Pokémon battle it." The other Pokémon nodded.
"Exactly. That is a smart decision, just like when an Electric or Dragon-type that only knows moves of that type come up against a type that's immune to it, the smart thing to do is switch Pokémon. But you shouldn't let that be your only option."
"What other options do I have?" Flash asked, Shining just smirking.
"Let's see if you can figure it out yourself. The battle begins...NOW!" As soon as he said that, Banshriek charged at Springer as the champion commanded, "Shadow Claw!"
"Ban!" It roared as its hands were surrounded by a dark aura that took the shape of giant claws.
"Dodge it!" Flash countered, Springer leaping back as Banshriek slashed at him. But the Scream Pokémon was relentless, just slashing as Springer kept jumping back. "Double Team!" The Riolu slammed his paws together, a army of himself appearing as Banshriek came to a stop. "Ha! Can't hit me if you don't know which one's Springer."
"You sure about that?" Shining asked as Banshriek took a deep breath, "Ghostly Wail!"
"Ban...SHRIEK!" It screamed, unleashing another powerful soundwave that echoed throughout the battlefield, this one sounding like nails on a chalkboard.
"RIOLU!" The real Springer cried, covering his ears as his clones all vanished. The others listening did the same, only Skyler not being affected by the attack.
"Springer!" Flash yelled over the sound of the scream, "Aura Sphere!" Springer barely managed to hear him, but did as he was told and brought his hands together to form the sphere and fire it. The attack shot at Banshriek, who kept screaming as it reached. But instead of exploding, the orb simply phased through her.
"Flash!" Twilight yelped, "Fighting-type moves won't work against Ghost-types! You know this!"
"But what choice does he have?" Sunset asked, "It's not like Springer knows any moves that can actually hurt that thing."
It was here that Banshriek stopped screaming, only for Shining to order, "Shadow Claw!" Springer looked up to see the specter coming at him with glowing claws.
"Extreme Speed!" Springer's body sparked as he vanished, seconds before Banshriek could hit him. He then reappeared behind it and then zipped to a different area, soon zooming around in a flurry of blue lightning.
"Ri!" He yelled before charging straight through Banshriek, his entire body phasing right through. "Rio!" He ungracefully fell and rolled on the ground, Banshriek spinning around.
"Sucker Punch!" As Springer pushed himself back to his feet to attack again, Banshriek forming a fist.
"RI!" He yelped as he felt Banshriek throw a punch into his gut, knocking the wind out of him.
"Springer!" Flash yelped, seeing his partner fall over. The sight made him go wide-eyed before closing his eyes, "Come on...Shining thinks there's a way to fight back, but what is it?"
"Come on Flash," Shining told him, "Think about it. What could you do to help Springer overcome a Ghost-type?" But Flash didn't respond, making the champion shake his head, "Alright...what if Riptide found himself up against a Grass-type?" The Pokémon in question raised an eyebrow at this.
"That's different. Riptide's attacks actually hit Grass-types."
"But none of them are really strong against it."
"No," Flash shook his head, "He has Ice Punch." As he said this, something clicked in his brain. "Wait..."
"Now you get it," Shining nodded. "Springer only knows Fighting and Normal-type moves, but those aren't the only moves he can learn." Springer pricked up his ears at this, "Shadow Claw, Blaze Kick, even moves like Thunder Punch...did you never think to teach Springer a move like that?" Flash didn't answer, "Between the time I gave you Springer and the day you started your journey, did you ever wonder what you'd do if you ran into a Ghost-type?"
"Not...really. I have other Pokémon."
"I know. But this is something every trainer with Normal, Fighting, Electric, Ghost, Psychic, Ground, Poison and Dragon-types should consider. Because while you could usually swap your Pokémon out, what if that's not an option? Like this situation. This is a one on one battle, so you're not allowed to swap your Pokémon. And what if in the league, you find yourself with only Springer left to battle with and your opponent sends out a Ghost-type?"
"I'd have no way to beat them..." Flash barely replied.
"Exactly," Shining nodded, "And what if your opponent used Mean Look or something to lock Springer into the battle? You'd be done for. The rest of your Pokémon all have one move that they're weak too or that's completely immune to their base type. But you and Springer have been slacking in that department. Drain Punch, Aura Sphere, Extreme Speed and Double Team are all powerful moves, but they're completely worthless against Ghost-types."
"You're...you're right," Flash sighed, looking down at the floor. "We have been slacking."
"Ri..."
"So what do you wanna do?" Shining asked, "Forfeit, or keep trying to battle despite having no way of winning?"
Flash blinked at this, looking up at Springer as they both stared at each other. And as they did this, Springer nodded back at him. "Alright. I got it." Springer spun around at this, facing the Pokémon again. "We're gonna keep fighting. Even if none of our moves work, there has to be some way to beat Banshriek."
"We'll see," Shining replied as Banshriek flew down, "Shadow Claw!" Banshriek slashed at Springer, the Riolu hopping back while getting nicked in the shoulder.
"Aura Sphere toward the ground!" Springer thrust a ball down into the battlefield, causing the ground to explode and sending dirt and dust flying in all directions. "Now, Double Team!" As the dirt faded, it revealed an army of Springer that were circling around Banshriek. "Keep moving!" The Riolu all began to run around, making the Ghost-type dart his eyes around in confusion.
"Fly straight up, then use Ghostly Wail!" Banshriek shot up, taking a deep breath as everyone covered their ears.
"BANSHRIEK!" The Scream Pokémon wailed at the top of its lungs, the sound waves reverberating down and hitting all the Riolu. They all flinched and covered their ears, one by one vanishing until only Springer remained.
"Shadow Claw!" Banshriek shot down with glowing claws and as Springer's ears were still ringing, not noticing as the Pokémon slashed into him.
"RIO!" He cried, flying off his feet before hitting the ground with a thud.
"SPRINGER!" Flash yelled as the others flinched at the sight, Flash's other Pokémon grimacing at the sight of their team's leader.
"Ri..." Springer groaned as he pushed himself up, scraping his paws through the dirt as he clutched them into a fist. Everyone watched as he got up, slumping over in pain while wheezing in exhaustion.
"Springer.." Flash whispered, only for Shining to speak up.
"I'm afraid this is where it ends," He pointed at Springer. "Shadow Claw!" Banshriek summoned the energy claws and charged, ready to use the finishing blow on Springer.
"Aura Sphere!" Flash countered, Springer trying to summon the sphere in his paws. But the orb was unsteady, fading and glitching as Flash saw this and closed his eyes. "Springer..." He let out a long breath, reaching out to him as their auras connected. Flash could feel Springer's frustration at not being able to hurt Banshriek, but could also feel his drive to find a way to win. 'We can do it Springer.' The Aura Sphere solidified as he thought this, 'Because we're a team. And even if we've messed up before, we can use that mistake to get better. Even if things seem impossible...'
"We won't stop trying to push past that wall!" Flash exclaimed as he and Springer raised their arms, blocking the Shadow Claw at the very last second.
"Ban?" She watched as the orb then started pulsing and flexing around, changing form as it turned into a tube-like shape that grew longer as Springer gripped it in his paws. And at the end, two bumps appeared side by side to give it a specific shape.
"Ri!" Springer opened his eyes, gasping at the new sight, Flash doing the same. Springer appeared to be holding a giant bone made out of blue energy. Then, Banshriek tried to slash Springer with its other claw, but the Riolu shifted the bone, blocking the attack. "RIOLU!" He barked before swinging the bone, smashing it into Banshriek's face.
"Bansh!" The ghost cried as it was thrown back, sliding along the ground before using its arms to push itself back up.
The others were also wide-eyed. "Springer just...hit it," Spike gasped, "How?!"
"Springer just used a new move," Doc replied, "I don't know how, but he managed to use Bone Rush." Springer glanced down at his new weapon, Flash also staring at it.
"Bone...Rush?"
"It's a Ground-type move!" Twilight called out, "It can hit Ghost-types!"
"Bone Rush..." Flash repeated before a smirk appeared on his lips. "Alright Springer!"
"Talk about timing," Luna chimed in. "Learning a move that allows him to hit Ghost-types, just as Shining was trying to teach them about doing that exact thing."
Celestia chuckled at this, crossing her arms as she watched the Riolu spin the bone around. "I guess when Springer realized his major flaw, he managed to dig deep and find just the move needed to overcome it."
"What's more surprising is the fact he managed to learn Bone Rush at all," Cadance added, "That's a move Riolu can't normally learn."
"But Lucario can," Sunset pointed out, "And since he can already use Aura Sphere and Extreme Speed, I guess it's not insane to say Springer could learn any move his evolved form can use."
Flash's other Pokémon also cheered, only for Shining to call out another command. "Sucker Punch!" Banshriek charged at the Riolu, ready to sock Springer in the gut again.
"RIO!" He spun the Bone Rush around, blocking the punch before pushing Banshriek back. "RIOLU!" He spun the bone again, smacking Banshriek in the face.
"Alright!" Flash cheered, "But let's not let Bone Rush be the only move we use! Extreme Speed!" Springer's body sparked as he charged at the Ghost-Type, zigzagging around as Banshriek recovered.
"RI!" He suddenly appeared right above the Ghost-type, right leg raised ready to slam it down into its head.
Banshriek smirked and simply let the attack fly down, only for Flash to yell, "Bone Rush!" Springer pulled the leg back and pulled his paws apart, creating another energy bone that he thrust into Banshriek's chest.
"BAN!" It cried, falling back as the bone hit it with another thrust.
"Haha!" Flash cheered as Springer landed in front of him, spinning his Bone Rush around with almost near mastery despite only having learned it. "This is awesome! I wonder what combos I could make with this new move?" He imagined Springer combining Bone Rush and Aura Sphere like using a baseball bat, then imagined thirty Springers using Bone Rush and smirked, "Let's do that. Springer...Double Team!"
"RI!" Springer yelled, throwing his Bone Rush upward as he tried to summon his doppelgangers...only for nothing to happen. "Ri?"
"What's wrong?" Flash asked, "Use Double Team!" Springer tried again, but nothing happened. "Springer?"
"Sucker Punch!" They both turned to see Banshriek suddenly warp over and slam a fist into his stomach, Springer crying out as he was thrown back.
"Springer!" He gasped as his Riolu landed in front of him, "Why isn't...wait." His eyes went wide, "Don't tell me."
The others all sighed, Celestia being the one to state the obvious. "I guess Flash was so excited about Springer learning Bone Rush that he forgot that it meant he had to forget another move."
"So Springer can't use Double Team any more?" Spike asked, getting a nod from the others.
"Which means he also can't use Aura Sphere Barrage," Doc pointed out, "Or any other trick he came up with using Double Team."
"Aw man!" Flash moaned before taking a deep breath, "Eh, its fine. It's a small price to pay in exchange for being able to hit Ghost-types. We'll just need to learn to rethink our strategies."
"And while you do that, Banshriek and I will take you down." Shining pointed at Banshriek, "Ghastly Wail!" Banshriek took a deep breath before unleashing the sonic blast, the wave hitting Springer and the others.
"RIOLU!" Springer cried, closing his eyes. "RI!" Springer charged despite this as Flash called out to him.
"Bone Rush!" Springer formed a bone in hand and broke it in half, causing the pieces to morph into two bones. He threw one of the bones like a javelin, hitting Banshriek in the gut and making it stop screaming as Springer leapt straight up. "Do it!"
"RI!" Springer extended his other, swinging it around like a baseball bat and hitting Banshriek in the face.
"Bansh!" It cried as it hit the ground, Springer landing a few feet away. "Banshriek!"
It quickly pushed itself up, while Shining smirked. "You may be able to hit Ghosts now, but there's still a lot you need to think about overcoming before you can feel safe."
"Like what?" Flash asked, Shining just chuckling back.
"Like losing the one move that makes it possible to hurt them. Banshriek, Disable!" Banshriek spun around and shot a glare at Springer, its eyes turning from white to a glowing blue. That light then struck Springer, making him cry out as he suddenly found himself unable to move.
"Springer!" Flash cried, seeing his partner freeze up, "What is this?"
"Its Disable. Stops your Pokémon from moving for a few seconds." Banshriek's eyes stopped glowing as it charged. "It'll allow us to hit him you Shadow Claw!" Banshriek swung its claws into Springer, knocking him flying again.
"Lu!" His back slammed into the ground, the Disable light vanishing.
"You okay?" Flash asked, Springer quickly jumping back to his feet and nodding. "Alright. Then let's hit it back with Bone Rush!"
"RI!" Springer put his paws together and pulled them apart...only for nothing to happen. "Ri?" He tried again, but nothing happened. "Rio?"
"What's wrong?"
"Disable has another effect," he turned to Shining. "It blocks your Pokémon from using the last move it used. So your Bone Rush is gone and Springer can't hit Banshriek any more."
"You gotta be kidding me!" Flash yelped.
"Time to end this!" Shining snapped his fingers, "Banshriek...Ghastly Wail!" Banshriek flew up to Springer and took a deep breath.
"Aura Sphere at the ground!" Springer fired the orb at the floor, making it explode right in front of Banshriek. But the Ghost-type simply phased through the debris and got right up close to Springer, "SPRINGER!"
"BANSHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIK!" The Ghost-type unleashed the loudest scream yet, hitting Springer point blank. The Fighting-type felt the incredible G-Force pushing him back, knocking him flying off his feet.
"RIOLU!" He screamed, his body zooming over the field. The sight made Flash go wide-eyed as he saw his Pokémon coming straight for him.
"Springer!" Flash yelped as the Riolu slammed into his stomach. "Gyah!" The two went flying, hitting the nearby wall as a pair of screams rang out.
"FLASH!" Their friends yelled as they ran over to them, circling around him as Banshriek floated over to Shining. "You okay?" Twilight asked as Flash sat himself up.
"I'm okay," he groaned while rubbing his head, only to glance down at Springer, "You okay bud?"
"Ri," Springer opened his eyes and blinked for a second, only to slump over as his eyes were replaced with spirals.
"Looks like he's down for the count," Celestia grimaced, Flash letting out a sigh.
Shining thanked Banshriek for the hard work before returning it to its Pokeball, then moved over to the others. "You did well, but you've still got a ways to go."
Flash nodded as Shining helped him up, "But now we at least have a move that'll do some damage against Ghost-types." He looked down at Springer in his arms. "And once we learn to properly work Bone Rush into our battle stance, I'm sure we'll do better next time."
"I think so too," Shining replied, "And when you're ready, I'll be waiting to take you on."
"Thanks."
"No problem."
"Ri?" Springer moaned as he woke up, Flash looking down at him.
"Hey bud." Springer blinked his eyes at this, only to go wide-eyed. But before he could react, Flash patted his head, "Don't worry Springer. We might have lost, but we can take this loss and learn from it."
"Ri," Springer nodded before leaping out of Flash's arms. Despite being injured, he managed to stand and bring his paws together. Everyone watched as Springer pulled them apart, creating a Bone Rush that he began swinging around.
"That's the way, bud." But as Springer thrust the staff, they saw him flinch. "But uh...maybe wait until you're properly healed up before doing too much practicing."
And as Cadance began administering Hyper Potions to him, Flash and his other Pokémon began training once again. Viper and Skyler sparred against one another while Prongs and Astro did the same. Riptide began practicing some sword swipes and once Springer felt well enough to join in, the Reptidal began showing him moves he could use his Bone Rush with.
It wasn't long till the sun began to set, the two now sparring against one another. Springer was able to do quite well with his new move, using what Riptide had shown him coupled with a few natural moves he was able to figure out. And by the time Flash called a stop to the training, Springer along with the rest of his team were exhausted, but satisfied with the progress they had all made.
But as this happened, Flash thought back to what Shining said. Even if he did one day achieved the rank of champion, he wouldn't be satisfied with it. He would have to keep training, no matter how strong he got, to keep testing out new combos and strategies, pushing his Pokémon and himself to their absolute limit. And even then, he knew he might end up catching new Pokémon and using them to learn to be a better trainer. For as strong as he could make his Pokémon, it was his Pokémon that made him far stronger, smarter, wiser and an even better person.
The next day...
As soon as the sun rose the next day, Flash, Twilight, Doc and Spike all suited themselves up in their winter gear, packing everything they would need for their extra long voyage to Dragonia City. Once they were ready, Cadance lead everyone out of the city, toward the edge of the empire.
"Why are we going this way?" Spike asked, only to get a smirk from Cadance.
"The train isn't the only way in and out of the city. We discovered a tunnel that leads under the ice mountain and goes right under one of the surrounding mountains before popping you out on the other side, pointing directly at Mount Tartarus. As long as you guys go straight, you should reach the mountain in a couple of days."
They walked along the grassy area between the mountain, then coming to a cave that had several scientists and digging Pokémon there. There were Alolan Sandslash and Machoke, the Ice-types digging through the icy rocks while the Fighting-Types were carrying the destroyed rocks away.
"Is it open?" Cadance asked the scientist, who nodded and gestured to the tunnel. They turned and saw some lamps sticking out the walls, illuminating the passageway for as far as they could see down it until it curved back up.
Cadance then turned to Twilight and her friends, "Well, this is it."
"It was great having you travel with us," Twilight replied before the pair hugged one another. "I'm gonna miss having you there with us."
"Me too," Cadance chuckled before pulling away, "But I've got work that needs to be done here, and you've still got a lot of adventuring you need to do out there." Twilight nodded and Cadance moved over to Spike and pulled him into a hug, "Be good."
"I will," he hugged her back before she pulled away and turned to Flash and Doc.
"Look after them." They both nodded before turning to the rest of their friends, enjoying farewells with each of them. Shining hugged his siblings and gave the guys a handshake, while Sunset and the professors each gave them a hug. And when the final goodbyes were given, the four and their Pokémon headed down into the tunnel.
And once they were out of ear contact, Cadance placed her head on Shining's shoulder. "So, what do you think? Will Flash be the one to topple you from your mighty perch?"
Shining chuckled at this, "He still has a ways to go. He's strong and even managed to overcome the weakness I showed him, but there's one final piece of the puzzle he's missing before he's ready. Something that can't be taught, only learned." He then slung his arm around Cadance, "But he'll get there. And when he does, I can't wait to go all out against him."
"But does he stand a chance against you?" Cadance asked, "Not that I want you to lose. Though I will admit, there are a few things your title as champion gets in the way of." She placed a hand on her stomach, which Shining didn't notice.
"I can't just give my title away. It needs to be won by someone worthy. But who knows, that might just be Flash. After all," they turned to one another, "He's just as big a loser as I was at his age." Cadance laughed at this before they both took one final glance into the cave, and walked away.
Flash and others strutted through the passageway, which wasn't like the one the train used. Instead of being surrounded in bricks that assured them it wouldn't collapse, the walls were made of nothing but mud and the occasional root. The six travelling through it all silently agreed to not make a noise, fearing that any noise could make it collapse.
And after three minutes, they reached the bottom of the passage, heading along a straightway for an hour next. They found they were likely beneath the mountain surrounding the ice structure, the passage then curving upward before reaching an exit. It was here that they saw a twinkle of light in the distance, the group running up as they found the earth and dirt around them morph into rock. Now seeing they weren't in the lowest section of the mountain now, they got to the mouth of the cave...and get hit by a burst of freezing cold wind.
"Gyah!" Spike shivered as Peewee crawled into his chest, "So cold..." The others nodded, glad they were wearing warm clothing. They pushed through the chilly wind being funneled into the cave and reached the exit, stepping out and finding themselves in a forest, three Cubchoos walking past them as they got to the treeline.
The group began to trudge through the snow, going through the trees and snow. The ice mountain behind them soon disappeared, the forest they were in showing how thick it was. It didn't help that they saw several Snorunts running around, Twilight warning them that that meant a Glalie could come around and make trouble.
"Its fine Twilight." Flash told them. "This might be the toughest challenge we've faced yet, but we can do it. Once we get to Dragonia City, our journey will almost be over."
"What are you gonna do when you get your last badge?" Spike asked before almost tripping up in the snow.
"Hopefully, the place will have an airport or something, and we can just get a plane to wherever the Equestria League is taking place. If it doesn't..."
"Then we might have to trek back to the Empire and catch a train to that airport," Twilight guessed, Spike letting out a moan.
"Let's just focus on getting to Dragonia first," Doc added, "Like Flash said, this might be our toughest journey yet. The snow around here is one thing, but Mount Tartarus in another. That place is supposed to have the strongest wild Pokémon in all of Equestria. We're not likely to get over it without a fight."
"We can do it," Flash assured him. "After all, together there's nothing we can't do. We made it through the Ghastly Gorge, the Everfree Forest, the Grand Desert and Foal Mountain. We've faced one super strong opponent and insane situation after another and always came out on top because we worked together." He held out his hand and the others all smiled before placing their hands on top of his. "Together, we're unstoppable."
"YEAH!" The others cheered before throwing their hands up.
Their adventures in the Crystal Empire had certainly been exciting, and now with Mount Tartarus and Dragonia City as their next destination, the adventure was far from over. No matter what challenges they faced, they would overcome them together. As the journey continues.
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Well, the crystal empire arc was cool, sadly there was no brave and glorious moment, but i think that can work in Dragonia City
.
Nice lesson, cover his type weakness, to beat ghost types, that can be the strategy to beat Lightning.
Now we need someone to show Flash the limits of a team that is half composed of Starter pokemon that cannot be overcome no matter what the Trainer does. Yes, yes I know that Viper, Riptide and Prongs are powerful, but 1) they are still Starters, 2) They are clearly the exception not the rule and 3) there are reasons why most players don't use them in the Late and Post Game of every Pokemon game post Red and Blue or competatively until the Mega Evolution, Z-Moves and GigantaMax gimmicks and even the vast majority of other Pokemon are still leagues better.
That was awesome! Springer learns another great move that would normally be impossible for him. Too bad about Double Team though. I am sure it will ultimately be an acceptable loss, but Springer managed to use it in such a unique way, like using it for his Aura Sphere Barrage.
I was not expecting Flash to actually win the battle, but he certainly put up a great fight. Plus, Shining’s lesson is an important one, even for people who just play the Pokémon games since it is a common beginner mistake to only teach Pokémon moves that are the same type they are, which puts them at a massive disadvantage against anyone with the type advantage against them. Teaching them different moves at least gives them a fighting chance.
Also, looks like Cadance is pregnant and hasn’t told anyone yet. Wonder when she is going to drop that bombshell?
10857950 She's not pregnant.
10857954
Oh, she isn’t? Okay, I guess I was misled a bit by the line:
10857957 That's supposed to coincide with what she said beforehand. What she wants, but can't because of Shining's duties.
10857962
Ah, understood.
You made Springer forget Extreme Speed?! YOU EEEEEEDIOT!
Just kidding. It was a good tip Shining gave Flash. Now to the final badge.
I wonder if the ghost type part was a hint?
10858143
Springer forgot Double Team, not Extreme Speed.
10858150
My bad. Either way you get the reference
I know we all want Flash to become champion at the end of this, but unless you're going to put him through the wringer, I doubt he's going to be able to take on Shining Armor just yet. As it is, the only way I can see Flash becoming champion at the end of this is through a distant epilogue of sorts.
This was a great chapter, since it felt like Shining was acting as a mentor to Flash and Springer, and the lesson he taught them here is a great one for any trainer, both in the anime and games. The Crystal Empire arc might not have lasted as long as I originally thought it would but it was lots of fun, and the journey to Flash's final badge is another big moment in the series.
That actually makes me wonder, how would Flash and/or Shining do in the World Coronation Series and if they made it to the Masters 8?