Everybody could not believe what they had seen. Rainbow Dash actually did it. She actually managed to get an A in Chemistry. 100% in Chemistry. And everybody knew what tha meant. Rainbow was gonna have her Pokémon tournament. To talk it over, all of them met at Sugarcube Corner.
"So, all of you have one week to prepare your teams. Of course I already have everything planned." Rainbow said in a boasting manner. "Do all of you have Pinkie's PokéDex app to select your teams?" They did.
"Are we all positive that Rainbow actually got those 100% on her own?", Rarity pointed out.
"Well, we can't actually know, but after all that waiting, I kinda wanna have that tournament for real now", Twilight declared.
"And besides, that wasn't part of our deal. I just said "Get an A!" That's it", Sunset threw in there.
"Are we jus' gonna borrow your consoles, Rainbow Dash?", Applejack asked. "I mean, Apple Bloom probably won't let me borrow me hers."
"Actually, I came up with something", Sunset said, while fiddling with her amulet. "Hold hands, everyone." As they were finished, Sunset grabbed on to Twilight's arm. Her eyes began to glow and the others soon followed suit. From one second to the other, the sugary décor of the pastry shop vansihed and all of them found themselves to be in some sort of colusseum.
"What is this place?" Fluttershy asked kinda scared.
"I have mind powers, sweetie. I made this arena in my head yesterday. We've dealt with actual demons. I think just sitting down in a room with our gaming consoles would be kinda boring." Now it was Sunset's time to (unintentionally) boast. Both her eyes sparkled and went wide as she was fascinated over what she had accomplished. Her mouth was had a slight grin on it that said "Yeah, I did this." When she snapped out of it again, she turned to her friends, a bright light appearing behind her. As the light subsided, they could make out the outlines of a towering, chicken-like creature. Her friends were awed to say the least.
"No. Fucking. WAY!" Rainbow Dash finally blurted out. Before her stood a full sized Blaziken, fire coming out of its arms and everything.
"Come on, try it. See if you can do that too." They could in fact. Rainbow quickly got to work arm-wrestling a Lucario, Fluttershy cuddled a Wigglytuff as if it were a stuffed animal, Applejack mounted a Rapidash and rode a couple of rounds around the arena, Rarity gaze was fixated on the beautiful white gown of a Gardevoir, Twilight let an Alakazam psychic her through the air and Pinkie Pie slurped at the hair of a Slurpuff, a favor which it kindly returned. It all felt so absurdly real.
"Now, we have place and the means to have a proper battle. But know this, in here, game statistics are worth less than your own passion and creativity. Basically, this place runs on Anime logic", Sunset explained.
"Then we gotta come up with new rules.
One Mega-Pokémon per team is allowed.
First round battles with three, Second round fights with 4 (Double Battle) and the Finale fights with 6 Pokémon
The rule about banned Pokémon gets axed. Still no legendaries though.
And we also need an 8th contestant."
"I know a guy from our school who would do it. He could help Rarity select a team, too." Pinkie announced.
"Perfect. You go talk to him, Pinkie. Anything else?", Rainbow asked.
"I think that's it. Now, When will we do this?", came from Fluttershy
"Two weeks from now. Everybody okay with that?" Rainbow screamed, wanting to get the others hyped up, arm with a cleched fist punching the sky.
"YEAH!"
The next day, during luch break, Pinkie Pie and Rarity made their way through the cafeteria.
"Are you sure he's even here?", Rarity asked. Both of them were looking for Pinkie Pie's mysterious friend.
"He has to be here. It's all you can eat day and Burgers are on the menue today. He's not gonna miss an all you can eat burger day.
After looking arround for a while longer, so long that they both feared they would not be able to eat themselves, they found Pinkie's friend. Rarity was quite surprised at his appearance. He was rather skinny and even a bit athletic looking, which was quite a contrast to his plate, 3 burgers resting on which, with french fries on the side. His silver skin was covered by a purple shirt with 8 eople and the word "JOJO" written on it and in his harlequin green hair rested a pair of tinted goggles.
"Hey, Silver", was how Pinkie introduced herself before sitting down next to him.
"Wassup? (chomp) Did you bring me a potential girl friend?" Rarity was taken aback by his assumption, but also a bit flattered. The way he talked has a cynical vibe to it.
"No, unfortunately not. I mean, it might, but that's not what I'm here for." She got his attention. "Me and my friends wanna have a Pokémon tournament, but Rarity here has never played the games or watched the Anime", she explained.
"And what am I supposed to do?"
"I wanted to ask you if you could help Rarity with her team."
"And what do I get in turn?" Silver Screen asked, though he couldn't hide his interest.
"You'll get to be our 8th member. Does that sound good to you?"
"Deal." He didn't even hesitate to shake Pinkie's hand. "So, Rarity. What are your hobbies? What are you interested in?"
"Well, I like to design and make clothes. Dresses and evening gowns in particular."
"Uh-huh. An eye for detail and precision. I take you for someone who would rather attack from afar. Anything else you can tell me?" Rarity was stunned at how quickly he analysed her.
"Well, I can make crystal shields with my pendant."
"Fascinating. Any pets?"
"A cat."
"Thanks. I'll think of something and apporach you. Here's my number." After he handed her the 7-digit code he went back to his meal. Rarity was still dumbfounded and glanced blankly at Pinkie Pie, who just shrugged with her shoulders.
"Tell you what, mister. If I can make it past the first round, with the team you have suggested, then I'll make you a tailor-made suit."
"Now that's some motivation. Can't wait 'til you touch me all over my body." And with that, the two friends left. Rarity completely confused as to what had just happened.
Finally, the day had come. After waiting and scheming for what had felt like an eternity, it was time that everyone came together. Each of them played every possible scenario in their heads and some even picked up meditation. It wasn't just mental preparation however. Some of our friends decided to train their bodies as well to get them pumped up for this day.
Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were the first to arrive at Sunset's house, followed by Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy and finally Rarity and Silver.
"This is gonna be the most epic thing we've ever done. Screw those demons and sirens", Rainbow Dash proclaimed.
"I'm just a bit uneasy, because we don't know if there could be any drawbacks. I basically thought of the arena to test the limits of my powers. Not to mention that I'm gonna let a complete stranger into my brain", Sunset answered.
"I'm telling you, Silver's a nice guy. Maybe a bit awkward and anti-social, but fun once he's comfortable around you", Pinkie assured her, yet it didn't make Sunset feel all that better. At least he was kind enough to give them a hint at his Team with his T-Shirt, which had three gecko-like creatures on it.
"Anyway, I tested the whole summoning-thing and it seems that the Pokémon you create are not just your imagination. You don't actually control them, but they see you as their trainer. They'll basically behave how we would imagine them to behave if they were actually real", Sunset explained before Twilight spoke up.
"Alright you guys. Each of you, please draw a number. 1 and 2, 3 and 4 and so on will fight against each other." Twilight handed them a hat with snippets inside of them. This was the end result:
Sunset
Pinkie Pie
Silver Screen
Twilight
Applejack
Rainbow Dash
Fluttershy
Rarity
"So, shall we begin?"
They all found themselves inside Sunset's Colusseum. They still couldn't believe what she was capable of, yet Silver was the least impressed out of all of them. They took their seats in the front row and gazed upon the two contestants staring each other down. When they realized there was no referee, Silver jumped down and took the job, seeing as he was the least likely to take sides.
"This will be a 3-on-3 match. Both contestants are allowed to switch their Pokémon out at any given moment. The battle is over, when all 3 Pokémon of one side are incapable of fighting or one of the contestants throws in the towel. Each team is allowed to have one mega-evolved Pokémon during this match. The Pokémon are confined to whichever move they can learn naturally or via TM/HM. The level on which the move is learned is irrelevant. Sunset Shimmer, do you understand the rules?" She answered with a sharp "Yes". "Pinkie Pie, do you understand the rules?" She just nodded. "Then ... BEGIN!"
Both of them were quick to throw their first Pokéballs.
"Lycanroc, come on out!"
"Slurpuff, I chose you."
Out of Sunsets Pokéball materialized a sand-brown wolf-like quadruped. Lycanroc's Dusk-Form.
"That's quite unexpected", Fluttershy commented.
"Why? Lycanroc is fast and has a tricky moveset", Rainbow answered her. "Sunset is smart enough to draw out its potential."
"Y'all better not forget Pinkie's imagination and creativity. If Sunset oversees one thing it could mean goodnight Sally."
Sunset was the first to make a move.
"Lycanroc, Stealth Rocks!" Her first point of action was to set up. After her command, several rocks appeared and floated around her Pokémon and scattered across the field. Pinkie took a moment to observe where they landed, all the while sporting a cocky grin on he face.
"Nice move. Now, my turn. Slurpuff, Energy Ball." Pinkie's Slurpuff conjured a ball of green energy from its mouth and shot it straight at Lycanroc, which it dodged on Sunset's command, before sprinting at its opponent.
"Use Accelerock!" With that, Lycanroc sprinted forward even faster ready to hit its opponent with the jagged rocks on its neck. But Pinkie had something else in store.
"Slurpuff, quick, use Cotton Guard." Threads and clumps of cotton formed around Lycanroc's target, partly shieldig it from the impact. "Use another Energy Ball!" This time, Lycanroc was left defenseless against the attack, as it tumbled across the dirt of the arena, before swifly getting up again.
"Wow, Pinkie is doing better than I thought", Rarity commented. "Considering her opponent, of course."
"Yeah. She's usually more the casual player. I never took her for much of a battler", Twilight answered. "Could it be that we've been underestemating her?"
"Ah just hope that Sunset takes her seriously."
"She is", Rainbow said. "She started by setting up traps for Pinkie and then continued with an attack to see how Pinkie would react. This is just a test phase. Besides, she must've noticed Pinkie's expression by now. That's the face of someone who's gonna put up a fight."
"Slurpuff, be on your guard and use Fairy Wind on my command", Pinkie instructed her Pokémon.
"What is she planning?", Sunset thought. "I need to keep my distance." "Lycanroc, Stone Edge!", she then commanded. Her Pokémon let out a howl and multiple stone pillars rose from the ground. One after another until it reached Slurpuff.
"Now. Aim it on the ground."
Just as the last pillar was colliding with the pink blob, it let out a strong gust of sparkly mist derectly on its top. Before the pillar could explode, Slurpuff used both the force of its opponents, as well as its own attack to launch itself into the air.
"Wait. WHAT?", Sunset screamed. "How could she have known about my attack? Did she see the-" The realization hit Sunset like a flaming semi-truck.
"Next, you're gonna say: 'You're using your Pinkie sense, aren't you?'"
"You're using your Pinkie sense, aren't you?" Sunset's breath got caught in her throat. How was she gonna win if her opponent could predict her moves before she even thought of them?
"Now, Slurpuff, Energy Ball Barrage." Her Pokémon, still falling from the skys, unleashed countless balls of energy, which rained down onto the arena. Lycanroc tried its best to dodge them, but to no prevail, as it got hit several times. A huge cloud of dust covered the field as Slurpuff finally came close to the ground. "Now use Cotton Guard to soften your landing." It worked. Kinda. It still took some damage, but not nearly enough to make it faint. It was still standing. Same thing could not be said for Lycanroc as the dust finally dispersed.
"Lycanroc is unable to battle. Slurpuff is the winner", Silver declaired, before Sunset called it back into its ball.
"This is bad. I need to crush her predictions. And I need something to push straight through her defense too. I got it." "Drapion, I chose you." Out of the ball came a giant purple scorpion. "First, use Toxic Spikes." Hundreds of venomous crowsfeet scattered across the arena. Another set-up move. "Now, run that cupcake into the ground." With that, her Drapion hauled straight for the pink puffball.
"This is bad. Slurpuff, try throwing it off balance with Energy Ball." It aimed at Drapion's feet, but it did absolutely nothing, except whirl up some dust, through which Drapion came dashing through. And with the Toxic Spikes on the ground, it had nowhere to run.
"Now, Drapion, Cross Poison." Sunset's Pokémon raised both its arms, which came crashing down on Slurpuff in the shape of an X. Though, due to its increased defenses, it wasn't quite finished yet. "Finish it with Fell Stinger." Drapion shot a thin needle from the back of its tail and landed a direct hit on Slurpuff. A few seconds of silence filled the arena.
"Slurpuff is unable to battle. Drapion is the winner."
Sunset's idea worked. Whether Pinkie could read her next move or not didn't matter when she could not prevent it. Type advantage against Fairy and Grass, combined with the fact that Slurpuff couldn't move around because of the Toxic Spikes left Pinkie no choice but to take the attack. But even then, her cocky grin didn't waver.
"Nice job, but let's see how you handle this. Steelix, get out here." Sunset had to admit that the sight of a gigantic snake made of Steel did frighten her quite a bit. Its typing also rendered the Toxic Spikes useless and Stealth Rocks only did a tiny bit damage.
"Now, Steelix, let's start with a Sand Storm." The spines on Steelix's body started to rotate, releasing a seemingly endless amout of sand into the arena, while also whirling it up. This truely was a Sand Storm worthy of a desert.
Sunset tried her damnest to keep the sand from getting into her eyes, while her Pokémon took damage from those tiny sandkorns. It wasn't much, but soon it would make quite the difference. But they weren't the only ones struggling with the wind. Even the spectators had to cover their eyes.
A few moments later, a huge rumble could be felt in the arena, as if an earthquake suddenly erupted. Sunset, who had gotten used to the wind by then, decided to take a peek onto the battlefield. Her opponent was gone.
"Oh no, Drapion, it used Dig. Don't stay in one spot. You've got to keep moving." What she demanded from her purple arachnoid was definitely more challenging than it sounded like. The sand didn't obscure its vision too much, but the force of the wind did make moving more difficult than it should've been.
Not that it really made a difference, because right then, Pinkie's Steelix erupted from the ground again, trapping Drapion inside its mouth. Sunset had to think of something. Fast. Then, an idea hit her like an electric surge.
"Next, you'll try to get your Pokémon free by using Fire Fang", Pinkie predicted.
"Yeah, so what if I will? Drapion, Fire Fang", Pinkie's words of mockery agitated Sunset.
"I'll do this. Steelix, release it." On her command, Steelix let go of the purple arachnid, but, surprising even to Pinkie Pie, it still managed to bite the metallic snake's lower jaw with its blazing teeth.
"Yeah, that's it. Don't let go." Her Pokémons jaws clenched even tighter around the steel serpent, which desperately tried to shake it off.
"Use Dig again", Pinkie instructed and her Pokémon followed the order. Drapion failed to move out of the way in time and was struck with the full force of Steelix once more going underground. An experience that it could not handle.
"Drapion is unable to battle. Steelix is the winner."
This was Sunset's last chance. Pinkie has had the upper hand this entire fight. Her last Pokémon had to defeat two of Pinkie's, her incredibly defensive Steelix and another, which she had no idea of what it could be. She had to throw her ace into the ring.
"It's all or nothing. Blaziken, flame on." From her last Pokéball came the most fierce example of flaming poultry any of the girls had ever seen. Not that it was a surprise.
"If I'm lucky, Blaziken should move fast enough so that even her Pinkie sense won't keep up. But even so, I hope it can maneuver around those 4 giant holes in the field." Sunset took a moment to study the layout of the field. Her Toxic Spikes were blown away by Pinkie's first Sand Storm, but she still had her Stealth Rocks. Then, she began to look at the holes Pinkie made. Two of them coincidentally on her side. One close and on her left, the other further away on her right."I got it."
"Okay, Steelix, show her your Divine Sand Storm", Pinkie commanded, once more releasing copious amounts of sand onto the field, much more than before. So much than nobody present had a clear view of the field. "If she does what I think she's gonna do, this'll be over quick. Now sweep it away with Iron Tail."
Steelix's tail began to glow in a metallic shimmer. Due to its size, it was able to sweep almost all the way across Sunset's half of the field. After the attack was over, the Sand Storm faded and the only Pokémon you could see on the field was Steelix. Everyone waited a couple of seconds, before Pinkie spoke again.
"You really thought jumping in the hole was gonna help you. You fell right into my trap." Sunset was a bit irritated by how into it Pinkie had gotten. She was not messing around. "Steelix use Dragon Breath on the hole that connects to that one over there." Pinkie was convinced she knew which hole to pick. There was only one that Blaziken could've made it to in time.
Steelix did as ordered and fired a blast of red energy into the hole. A blast which came out as a gigantic, firry pillar on the other side. Everyone waited. The intensity was overwhelming. So much so that a pink-haired animal lover started to scream from the stands.
"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE. SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING." It took the combind efforts of Applejack and Rainbow Dash to subdue their friend, but it did get both opponents into a talking mood, both of them smirking to the other.
"What's the matter? Did my last attack paralyze your Blaziken? Is that why it hasn't come out yet?"
"You're gettin' really cocky there, missy. Don't you think a blast that big should have blown it out?". That actually got Pinkie thinking. And the more she thought about it, the more nervous she got. "I think it's time, Blaziken. Use Flame Charge again." Suddenly, Blaziken rushed out of the tunnel. The other tunnel that Pinkie dismissed before. Sunset had Blaziken use Flame Charge before to get to the other hole.
Blaziken jumped out of the hole with such force that it easily reached the height of Steelix's head, to which it rushed with an alarming speed. Still shocked, Steelix had no way of dodging Sunset's next attack.
"Blaziken, Blaze Kick on its lower jaw." Steelix received a full on hit with Blaziken's firry foot. It almost fell to the ground, but could catch itself before falling for real.
"Steelix, are you alright?", Pinkie asked her Pokémon, which only shook its head to shake off that blow.
"Time to finish this. Blaziken, Sky Uppercut." Its strong legs allowed it to jump and run on Steelix's body, striking the same spot one last time. The metallic serpent fell for good and the arena was filled with the war cry of the victor.
"Steelix is unable to battle. Blaziken is the winner."
"Do you have any idea who's gonna win this?" Fluttershy threw the question into the room.
"Well, there's one thing Ah know sure as sugar. That bein' that I have no clue whatsoever. What about you, Rainbow?" The athlete pretty much exuded a confident aura and even let out a little huff as she was asked.
"You mean, 'Who I think is gonna face me in the finale?', right?"
"Don't you forget about me", Twilight stepped in with a pouty face, a little offended that Rainbow Dash made it sound like she wasn't part of the equasion. Her gaze then slipped to her soon-to-be opponent on the edge of the arena below. She originally planned on getting a read on him during this match. Talk to him, maybe find out what his preferences are, do some psychological warfare. But not only did he have to volunteer as referee, so she couldn't talk to him, but his expression hasn't changed from blank during the entire battle. It made her feel more that a bit uneasy.
Pinkie called Steelix back into its ball. It seemed like that last series of attacks downed her. She took a few seconds to look at the ball in her hands, before calling out to Sunset.
"Thank you, Sunset." The human in question was a bit taken aback by her words. "I'm usually so good at the games that I must've gotten overconfident. Sheesh, I must've sounded as like a total jerk."
"It's okay, Pinkie. I know how your emotions can get the best of you. No big deal."
"However," she clenched her fingers even tighter around her next Pokéball. "This time, I'm gonna be more careful. Absol, show them the true power of the sixth sense." Pinkies last Pokémon was Absol then. The Disaster-Pokémon let out a loud roar as it materialized in the arena. After taking damage from Lycanroc's Stealth Rocks, Pinkie was quick to begin.
"I don't wanna wait any longer. Absol, use Future Sight." On Pinkie's command, Absol summoned various balls of pink energy, which then disappeared into various portals.
"Then I just gotta beat you before it comes back. Blaziken, Blaze Kick, as hard as you can", Sunset ordered. Her Pokémon rushed at its opponent at full speed, but Pinkie made Absol use Detect. Blaziken tried and tried its hardest to get a hit in, but Absol could dodge every single one of its kicks. They waited. Waited until Blaziken tripped and gave the opening for the next attack.
"Psycho Cut!"
Blaziken was struck by the full force of Absol's blade made of psychic energy. It was super effective. But not enough to keep Blaziken down for long. This was the first bit of damage it had received after all.
Sunset needed to think. Detect was sure to fail eventually, but with Future Sight still being a threat, she couldn't risk dragging the battle out. If only she knew when the attack would hit. And then Sunset got her third surge of brilliance that day.
"Blaziken, use Flame Charge", she ordered.
"You keep using Detect. We're gonna drag this out until Future Sight hits." Absol did as she said and Sunset kept on attacking.
"Flame Charge! Flame Charge! Again! And Again!"
Absol dodged every single one of their attacks. The thought that Sunset might be getting desperate crossed her mind, but that idea was quickly dismissed when she heard how much confidence Sunset put into yelling "Flame Charge" once again. Then it happened.
Absol was prepared for a head on collision from Blaziken and moved its head away to dodge once again. Shocked Absol and its master had to realize that Blaziken managed to graze its face with the last attack. Shaken, it dropped the Detect, but the Pinkie sense was still active.
"It's gonna come from behind", she screamed, although too late. Absol could not react fast enough. It received the full force of a firy punch to the back of its head. It recovered from it shortly though.
"Seems my plan worked out. Even if you know what's coming, that information is useless when we're too fast for you to dodge", Sunset exclaimed confidently, arms crossed and head held high.
"Don't you get too full of yourself now." Pinkie suggenly grabbed the bow she wears on the side of her dress (apparently, it's detachable) and stuck it in her hair as a pin. Sunset noticed something different about that bow. Sewn into the middle of it, there as a small, sparkling gem. A Key Stone. "WE HAVEN'T SHOWN YOU EVERYTHING YET!"
The stone began shining as bright as a spotlight and emitting powerful waves of energy. This energy resonated with Absol's Mega-Stone on its foreleg. As they finally synched up, Absol's body transformed. The fluff on its back grew into a glorious wing-like formation. The hair in its head grew and gave it an emo hairstyle. Its horn changed form, but it wasn't the only one who changed.
Pinkie, too, was engulfed in a mysterious light, as it faded, her friends could see how her clothes morphed into a white and blue striped top with a bow on her chest, a miniskirt plastered with candy pieces (that nearly made Rarity faint with how short it was) and the bow on her head transformed into a little hat. Pinkie Pie was transforming into a Magical Girl.
As both their transformations concluded, her friends in the audience were wondering why this happened. Rarity noticed how it was similar to the dress she designed for prom night. Sunset on the other hand either didn't notice or care.
"Amazing. I can only imagine that she got so into it that she transformed along with her Pokémon. Such a thing would only be able here, in the Mind Scape", Twilight theorized.
Pinkie Pie was going on the offensive now. She started with another Psycho Cut, which Blaziken was able to dodge just in time. With her enemy flustered, Absol moved in and attacked rigorously with Night Slash. Again and again. Despite its increased Speed, Blaziken was exhausted from attacking relentlessly before. If it could just catch its breath.
Then, it got hit. A Night Slash right into its abdomen.
Blaziken tumbled across the arena. It layed on the ground. Silver almost announced Sunset's Pokémon to have been defeated, but then it moved again.
"Come on, come on. I know you can do this." After Sunset's words of encouragement, her Pokémon stood again.
"Thank you for the fight, Sunset. Battling someone as smart as you was a real challenge. But I sense that your time is up. Or should I say 'I see it in your futute." As if on cue, Absol's Future Sight appeared again. The pink energy balls flew straight towards Blaziken.
"Next you're gonna say 'I'll get you for this, Pinkie.'"
"I'll get you for this, Pinkie. Groan, god dammit." The Future Sight hit. A massive cloud of dust erupted from the impact. It was over. Pinkie won. Or so she thought.
"chuckle" Across the battle field, Sunset still stood high and mighty, arms crossed. Her opponent's giggling startled Pinkie.
"What's so funny?" The dust cloud flew apart. There was nothing hidden inside. No Blaziken to be seen. "What? There's no way Blaziken doged that one. It could barely move before." The sight, or lack there of, of her opponent frightened her.
"Well, Pinkie, or should I call you Moon Pie with those clothes on?" Only now, did Pinkie notice her change in attire. "You see, Blaziken wasn't nearly as beaten up as you thought it was. It was all a sharade. It simply needed to catch its breath and this little play gave it just enough time to recover", Sunset explained. There was still a bit of her old self inside her. The trickster. The manipulator.
"But I guess you're wondering where my trusted Blaziken is, am I right?" Pinkie was too shocked to answer. The sight of its master's unease even made her Absol jittery. "Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie. You haven't learned from your mistakes before. So close to victory that it is pretty much in your grasp. And then you just get sloppy. You don't listen to your Pinkie sense anymore and blindly trust your eyes and ears, it's a shame. Even now, you're letting me distract you with a monologue." Now it was Pinkie's breath that was caught in her throat.
"You'll lose today, Pinkie Pie. All because you didn't keep your eye on the birdie", Sunset raised her finger to the sky, right at her Blaziken diving down from the heavens. The sight was too much for Pinkie and Absol. Both of them stood there paralyzed. "Now Blaziken, let's finish this. BRAVE BIRD ATTACK."
Blaziken picked up even more speed, so much that it created a flaming aura around itself. Faster, faster, until ...
CRASH
The others didn't even have to wait for the dust to settle. The victor was clear.
"Absol is unable to battle. Blaziken is the winner. Therefore Sunset Shimmer wins the first match."
Sunset walked across the field towards Pinkie Pie. The blast from Blaziken's Brave Bird knocked her off her feet. As she reached out to help her friend back up again, she noticed that Pinkie was back to her original attire.
"I might've overdid it a bit, Pinks. Are you alright?", Sunset asked concerned.
"That. Was. Amazing." Apparently she was doing fine. "Holy Moly, i can't remember the last time my heart was beating so hard." Her excitement was apparent. Eyes wide open, breathing heavily. It truely was a rare sight to see Pinkie just lying on the ground, completely spent.
"Come on. We'll take 5 before the next match", she told her before leading her to the stands.
The people waiting there didn't feel much different. They were amazed at how much impact their imagination could have in Sunset's world. Twilight, especially, wanted to study it, but she had to focus on her match.
"Rarity, you've spent the week with Silver, right? What's he like?", she asked her fashionable friend. It was true. In order to prepare properly, Rarity had spent quite some time with her quiet opponent. Though her reaction was surprisingly rather unpleasant.
"Please don't remind me", she said while scrunching her face up.
"Please, Rarity. I need somehing to work with", Twilight pleaded.
"Very well. I guess he wasn't exactly unfriendly, but rather ... oblivious to my slight discomfort sometimes. He clearly doesn't interact with many people. Though, he did make an effort to at least be friendly and teach me all I had to know. From what I got he's very passionate about Pokémon, almost as much as Pinkie Pie. I also noticed an entire bookshelf worth of movies, mostly action and comedies. And that's it. If I had to discribe him in two words though, it would be, 'overly dramatic'."
"I see." Twilight was a bit let down by the lack of intel she actually got out of Rarity, though, it was better than nothing. "I can probably assume that he will have at least a Sceptile, judging by his t-shirt, but other than that... 'Overly dramatic'? And that coming from Rarity herself? That goes completely against everything I've seen from him all day. This doesn't add up. His dead-fish eyes don't tell me anything either. URGH." She ruffled her hair as she tried desperately to devise a plan. She had one prepared for each of the others, so why did she have to be so misfortunate.
She continued to stress over her battle until she noticed that Silver had approached Sunset and was talking to her quite a distance away. As soon as the two of them finished, Twilight rushed over to her friend and grabbed her by her leather jacket, her voice filled with utter desperation.
"Sunset, please tell me he asked you about the mechanics of your mind, about a rule, about anything that can help me put a plan together." Before she answered, Sunset made a point to calm Twilight down. After a short breathing session, Twilight was addressable again.
"He was ... asking me out on a date."
Minutes passed and eventually, it was time to start the second match. Both contestants had already taken their spots on the field. Meanwhile, Twilight has come to terms with her lack of intel. She would just have to come up with a plan during their battle. What frustrated her more was Silver's apparent lack of any emotion whatsoever. That was, up until then.
"Before we begin, I just want to say that I'm honored that you invited me today", he said, before bowing to Twilight. She had to admit that it felt a bit weird. "How about we make this here a bit more interesting?" The tone in which he said that kinda creeped her out. Something about it made her instincively cover herself up, even though she was already fully dressed.
"What do you mean?"
"A little bet, Hero Girl. Should I win, I get something from you, but if you win, you have to do something for me." Now that takes the straw.
"I'M NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL, YOU CREEP!", she shouted furiously. He was shocked at her response.
"WHAT? NO! If I wanted to see your boobs, I'd just say it out loud." Rarity unfortunately knew that that was likely very true. Over the course of the last week, she had to constantly endure his loose tongue. He might be a pervert, but at least he's honest about it.
"What I meant was like mowing the lawn, or doing the other's homework for a day. Nothing perverted. Just a friendly turn." Twilight felt kinda stupid after that.
"Oh, well, yeah whatever, fine. Let's just get this over with."
"So're both a y'all done talkin'?" Applejack stepped in as referee. She repeated the rules Silver Screen had set before and both opponents agreed to them.
"Then, BEGIN!"
"Chandelure, show yourself."
"Golisopod, show them who's boss."
"So that's his first. Dangit." Twilight had hoped that he would start with his Sceptile. "Now I have to face Water with Fire."
"Chandelure, use Shadow Ball", the purple girl said, arm stretched out towards her opponent.
"Come on, Hero Girl. Let's give our audience a show", he said right before snapping his fingers. "Golisopod, First Impression."
Before the Shadow Ball was even fully charged, Golisopod darted towards Chandelure and rammed its claws into its face, making the ball of ghost energy go up in a puff of smoke. It wasn't for nothing, though, as Chandelure used the smoke as cover to gain more distance and float higher.
"Let's try this again. Chandelure, Shadow Ball." This time, the attack hit its mark, but Golisopod was able to block it.
"You think you can just float away from us? Well, I've got a word for you. Liquidation." With its master's command, water started to emanate from Golisopod, which it then used to propell itself towards its decorative opponent. The unexpected maneuver didn't quite have the intended effect as Chandelure was just barely able to dodge its water-coated claw. Almost. Golisopod grazed it a little.
However, one thing was interesting to Twilight. Silver's expression has finally changed. He seemed genuinely euphoric. Not only that, but he actually mimicked the move his Pokémon made. He jumped up, raised his fist to punch the air and made a full 360° turn.
"Interesting. I may be able to work something out yet. He seems like a totally different person. Was he trying to fool me? Anyways, if he really gets into the battle this much, I can probably assume that the rest of his team will be anthropomorphic physical attackers, as well. That's at least a start."
But things started to get worse for the boy as Golisopod landed on the ground again. Shortly after it stuck the landing, flames errupted from its exoskeleton, Chandelure's Flame Body ability, making it sink to its knees. "Oh no, are you okay, buddy?" Golisopod responded with a quick nod.
Finally, the opening Twilight was looking for. She confidently ordered her Pokémon to use Hex, now that the attack would have double the strength.
"We're not done yet", he retorted while his partner stood up again. "You've got to power through it, Champ. Plow through it with Razor Shell." Golisopod stormed right away at the ball of purple ghost mist, its target directly behind. Twilight only stared in utter disbelief.
"Is this guy serious? With Golisopod's special defense and Hex's increased power, there's no way-" Golisopod did as its trainer said and broke through Chandelure's attack, running straight at its source. "WHAT?" Stunned by the feat of their opponent, Twilight and her Pokémon could only stare as Golisopod used Razor Shell against Chandelure.
The damage from Hex still remained, though, as Golisopod changed back into red light and headed back into its Pokéball. Emergency Exit had taken effect. Chandelure, however, was still good to go and not quite down yet.
"You're doin' well, Hero Girl. I'm startin' to have fun."
"Why does he keep calling me that?"
"But I'm here for a challenge. You've got quite the reputation, so my hopes are way up. This is a dream come true for me, so I want you to make me give 100%. Got it?"
Twilight didn't know what to say. "I guess he really did consciously try not to give anything about himself away. 100%? Is he implying that he went easy on me?" "Yeah, I'm gonna do my best." She finally said, smiling confidently (but not cockily) at her opponent.
"Just try to be a little less predictable", he added, making her smile go away instantly. "A little bit of advice. You need to start thinking a bit more unconventionally. Now then, Gallade, let's have some fun." Out of the ball came a humanoid creature in white and green, which resembles some sort of Gladiator. Their faces, chins raised high, beared one sided smirks, gave both of them an aura of arrogant confidence. Once again, Silver Screen and his Pokémon acted in complete unison.
"But why? A Psychic/Fighting type is at a complete disadvantage against Chandelure. I need to keep him aw-" And before she could even finish her train of thought, Silver gave his next command.
"CHARGE!!" And his Pokémon stormed Naruto-style at Chandelure, once again opting for a head-on collision.
"We need to keep him at a distance, Chandelure. Bombard him with Shadow Balls."
But none of them affected her opponent in the slightest. His Gallade, never once missing a beat, effortlessly dodged every single one of them. He simply had to, Twilight thought, even if she could've sworn that some of them hit their mark.
"Then how abow this? Chandelure, Over Heat." Out of its five "candles" shot blazing hot flames and Chandelure made those streams of fire head towards Gallade from 5 different directions. As they all met, a giant ball of flames ignited, followed by a thick smoke screen. Noone would be able to dodge that.
"Yes. Finally", Twilight cheered, but as the smoke blew away, her opponent stood there glaring at her, completely unsinged. "Wha-? How-? Did you-? UUUUUUURRRGGH." Twilight stuttered, lost for words, her brain unable to process the current events. Silver on the other hand just laughed at her distress for a while.
"Kishishishishishi. What's wrong, Hero Girl? Need some advice? How 'bout a riddle?
You seem distressed, a clue from me. Cards and faces, Desert, sea. You see me there, but touch you can't. If you fell, you might just rant. As time moves on, I become clearer. Brought often forth by smoke and mirrors."
"You cheeky little bas-", she stopped herself before saying something she might regret.
"He's kidding, right?", Twilight thought to herself. "What do deserts and seas have in common? They're practically opposites. And where would you even fall from in a desert or an ocean? And what do cards and faces have to do with them anyways? She was in the same over-thinking, jittery state as before, literally pulling out some of her hair out of frustration.
"Keep your eyes on the battlefield", she heard from her opponent. And she immediately understood what he meant. While she was busy thinking about what he said earlier, Gallade made its way across the rest of the field, quite literally standing in front of a terrified Chandelure.
"I need time to think." Everything was going way too fast for Twilight. Too much happening all at once. "CONFUSE RAY!"
But just as Chandelure was about to fire, Gallade deliverred a punch with full force and now, for the second time of the day, another attack blew up in Chandelure's face. This time, it didn't recover so easily. It was Chandelure that got confused.
"How 'bout we get some training done, buddy? Let's have some fun", Silver asked and his partner, who in turn nodded and picked Chandelure up. It then proceeded to balance it on its knee, before kicking it repeatedly into the air. None of the HuMane 7 could believe their eyes. Gallade was playing hacky-sack with Twilight's Pokémon.
"Oh Yeah. Hold that beat. Hold that beat. Hold. That. Beat."
"I can't stop this feelin' / Deep inside of me. "Galla Galla Galla Gallade Girl, you just don't realise / What you do to me. Galla Galla Galla Gallade Bitter-sweet as candy / its taste is on my mind. Galla Galla Galla Gallade Girl, you got me thirsty / for another cup of wine." Galla Galla Galla Gallade"
The audience was stunned by Silver's ... karaoke party, their eyes figuratively glued to the performing duo. If the two of them were to stop at that moment, they could've heard the drop of a pin at the other side of the stadium. (Why did Sunset make this place so huge ?) It was only when Fluttershy spoke up that they could take a break from the freaky show down there.
"So, uhm, Pinkie? I know that it might be rude to ask, but ... where do you know this ... boy from?"
"Oh well, you know how I sometimes help out at the Cafeteria?" Pinkie said, surprisingly dead-pan for her. The others nodded. "And you know how we suspected that someone was stealing food?" Again, the others nodded, an uncomfortable suspicion creeping into their minds. "I caught him trying to make his way out with six slices of pizza."
"WHAT?", Rarity and Fluttershy ... well Fluttershy didn't exactly scream. It was more like she slightly raised her voice.
"Relax. I said if he didn't do it again, I wouldn't snitch on him. It's not like he didn't have a reason. He told me that his sister's lunch and money were taken by some bullies and, as long as the school would ignore it, he'd make them pay in food."
The others couldn't really say anything against the part with his sister, even though there were better ways he could've dealt with the situation, but some of them (Rainbow and Sunset) even admired his resolve.
"We kinda started talking and realised that the two of us had a lot in common, so we started hanging out at his place."
"That all good and nice, but why doesn't he call Twilight by her name?", Rainbow asked.
"He's terrible with names. It took him two years to remember the names of everyone in the drama club. You gotta make an impression if you want him to remember. During our first weeks he- Nevermind."
"Ohoho, now I want to hear what he called you."
"I don't wanna tell you", Pinkie said, putting on a pouty face. Everyone else just had one exact thought in their heads. "Who is this dude that he puts Pinkie Pie in a bad mood?" Meanwhile, Rainbow kept bugging Pinkie about her nickname.
"Urgh, fine. He called me ... Princess Bubblebutt." It took a few seconds to really settle in Rainbow's brain, but when it finally hit her, she was rolling on the floor with laughter. Pinkie on the other hand only sighed. "I just hope he behaves himself." Rarity and Fluttershy were shocked to see Pinkie Pie actually worry about somebody elses behavior.
"I don't", Sunset interjected and smiled in anticipation. "This guy's got quite the show in store for us."
Back at the fight, Twilight was still having trouble. Now she knew why Sunset needed a break before. Each and every one of Gallades kicks echoed inside her head and she had felt drowzy ever since Chandelure got confused. On top of that, she felt a light jolt of energy surging through her correspondant body part, every time Chandelure got hit. Twilight finally had enough.
"COULD YOU NOT, DAM- dang it?", She yelled across the field.
"Not your type of music? How 'bout a nice little Shanty?
Sail away where no ball and chain Can keep us from the roarin' waves, Together undivided but forever we'll be-"
"SHUT UP. Could you at least try to take this seriously?"
"Okay. Night Slash", he, out of nowhere, commanded his partner, completely non-chalantely. Gallade immediately got to attacking its, still confused, opponent. Chandelure was smashed into the wall behind its dumb-founded Trainer.
"Chandelure is unable to battle. Gallade wins."
At least now, Twilight had some time to think. "I understand now. He's playing with my mind. He's trying to distract and confuse me. I still haven't seen through his tricks though, so I need something that can take hits, while I'm figuring out a way to beat him.
"Metagross, I choose you", she proclaimed. Upon release her Pokémon let out an ear-drum shattering growl.
"Oh, bringin' out the tanks. Planning on taking hits while you try and figure me out, are we? Have you solved my riddle, yet by the way?"
"What? But how-?"
"Plans are so boring. You try to get the better of me with your big brain, but how has that worked out so far? We may be in the mind scape, but your mind only controls your actions. It's your emotions that decide how strong you are in here. Your passion, your fighting spirit, your drive to win. You try to beat me with your planning and logic and normally I'd be all for that, but your head is in your way. You have to find a way to trust your instincts and use your intellect to make decisions in the blink of an eye." Twilight was listening intently. It almost sounded like he was trying to help her.
"You saved someone dear to me in Camp Everfree, your drive to gain knowledge was great enough to turn you into a demon, you're the interdimensional equivilent of the being that introduced our world to a plain of existance we didn't even dare to imagine, because a dimension populated by magical horse people sounds so fucking dumb." Sunset Shimmer was kinda bummed out by what he said. Basically all those discriptors applied to her as well, just replace knowledge with power and she actually is from that dumb place.
"So come in now. Show me what you've got. If you want me to get serious, give me something to be serious about", he finally said, even sounding a little bit angry.
"Alright. Metagross, use Agility to get in close and then strike wih Zen-Headbutt." As commanded, Metagross started to move at blinding speed while its cross began to glow. Silver's Gallade made no effort in trying to dodge, but rather took a defensive stance. When Metagross' Zen-Headbutt connected, Gallade didn't seem to be fazed at all. It used the force of the attack for a backflip and leaped over Metagross' head.
"Don't think about it. Just attack. Bullet Punch." Still being in the air, Gallade had no chance of dodging this time. It took a direct savage hit from the metal beast's monsterous claw, sending it flying several feet back and tumbling on the floor.
Then something happened, none of them saw coming. Gallade literally glitched out. As if its limbs had a lag, Gallade got back up on its feet. An arm, then a leg stopped existing just to pop up one second later. Twilight's mind compaired it to a corrupted video file.
"Now then, HAVE you solved my riddle? Go on, I'll wait."
"What does he mean? What do deserts and the ocean have in common? Well both of them are vast landscapes with barely anything in them. Was he referencing the light conditions there? Maybe Fata Morganas? Wait a second, not 'fall from', 'fall FOR'. He was referring to a trick. A card trick, a trick brought forth by smoke and mirrors. The answer's an-"
"ILLUSION!", Silver yelled as he pointed towards the sky, shortly before Gallade's physique completely broke apart. In its stead, a black, fox-like creature appeared, howling at the sky. Its crimson claws and scarlett hair gave off an air of bloodshed.
"So, it's been a Zoroark all along. And you made it take the form of Gallade so that my next Pokémon, a Psychic-type presumably, would be at a disadvantage. Am I right?", Twilight yelled. The boy named Silver Screen started to seriously piss her off.
"Finally seeing some gears turning. Good to know that you can use that brain of yours", he said in a condescending way. "My apologies, that was mean. You can't blame me, though." He was, however, right about that. Twilight mentally slapped herself for not figuring it out sooner.
"Fine, I'll just do this. Metagross, another Bullet Punch." Metagross' claw was surrounded by a grey shimmer as it lunged forward again, but Zoroark is simply faster. Just before Metagross actually threw the punch, it slid on its knees underneath Metagross, finding itself facing the sentient tank's underside.
"Metagross has so much strength. Mind if we borrow some? Foul Play, now." Zoroark rushed behind its opponent, grabbing its leg. With one swift motion, the grey fox used the borrowed strength to spin Metagross around and slam it into the ground. It then used the rest of its strength to throw Metagross back on Twilight's side of the arena.
"This is worse than bad. No matter what I do, he's always two steps ahead of me. But one thing is clear. His glass cannon fighting style is his weakness. I just need to land one good hit. I must catch him off guard. Somehow."
CRASH
When Metagross finally landed on his back, the audience was shocked to see another one of Silver's traps. The arena collapsed from the impact, leaving the Steel/Psychic-type in a giant crater spanning the entirety of Twilight's half of the field. The floor of the arena was cracked, large rocks protruded everywhere, making it difficult for Metagross to move. The ground could give way at any moment, further putting Twilight at a disadvantage.
"Magnet Rise", she quickly thought and despite Metagross only being able to float inches above the surface, it was at least able to move freely.
"Oh, quick thinking. I love it."
"What did you do?", Twilight asked, even angrier than before.
"When you used Heat Blast, I used the smoke and had Zoroark hide underground with Dig. The Gallade you saw was created with Double Team. Then I bought myself a bit of time with my riddle so that Zoroark could destabilize the field, but I did NOT think it would work this well. Your little freak-out gave me even more time."
At that moment, Twilight Sparkle would've liked to do nothing more than to slap that smug grin off of his face.
"Now then, I've got a game for you. Double Team."
Dozens of Zoroark copies appeared on the field. They made their way towards the crater. But they didn't attack. Quite the opposite. They used the rocks sticking out of the ground to hide, before jumping from rock to rock, staying in groups of two or three. Most of them moved clock-wise, but some chose to go counter-clock-wise. It didn't take long for Twilight to lose sight of the real one.
"Find the real one. And just to make it extra interesting, Night Daze." Every Zoroark fired off a shockwave of dark energy at Metagross, not missing one beat of their Old Army Game. Of course, only one of them was actually doing damage, but with all this commotion going on, it was impossible to single out the real one. "I love it when a plan comes together", he added.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS BASTARD ON ABOUT? No, I can't dwell on that now. How am I supposed to find the real Zoroark? I'm sure if I concentrate, I could sense which direction its attack is coming from, but that would take too long. And I can't rule out single ones I see passing through the rocks, because I'll just lose them in the next second."
She looked over to Metagross, which was already getting dizzy and had trouble staying afloat.
"Stop it, Sparkle! You're thinking too conventional for this guy. Think backwards. Where is it NOT?" Twilight let her eyes wander around the field, analyzing the doublegangers' pattern. "I'm sure they have passed behind every rock by now. Every rock except..." Twilight's eyes fell on a monolith further in the crater's center. For some reason, the Zoroarks avoided it.
"Metagross, it's behind the most central rock. Rush over there." The fact that it got more and more difficult for Metagross to move forward was the only proof Twilight needed. "HAMMER ARM." Metagross slammed its claw down on the huge monolith, shattering it without even looking if its opponent was even really there. The disappearing clones confirmed that however.
"Zoroark is unable to battle. Metagross wins." Twilight couldn't withhold a cheerful jump in the air at that announcement.
"It seems that I won your game. Happy?", she asked. Now she understood how Rainbow Dash must feel, when she beats someone in sprinting. She knew Schadenfreude was a bad thing, but dammit if it didn't feel great to beat him.
"I am pleasantly surprised. Thank you for asking. Sceptile, spotlight."
The first thing Twilight noticed about his Pokémon was the bandana it wore around its neck, attached to it was a Mega-Stone.
"So I was right after all. But that also means this might be the most challenging part yet. Please, I'll leave the first attack to you", she offered, a drop of sweat running down her temple.
"No no, a gentleman always lets the lady go first", he retorted with another bow.
"Fine, Bullet Punch."
"Dodge it with Dig", he commanded, after which Sceptile quickly hid underground, just barely missing Metagross' punch. The audience got the impression that he must really like that move.
Metagross, whose Magnet Rise was still active, hovered back a few feet. It was paying attention to the ground, preparing for the moment Sceptile would appear again. It didn't have to wait long though, as Septile soon jumped out of the ground.
"Jump onto its back", Silver commanded. "Dragon Pulse, now." As it fired from Metagross' blind spot, the Steel-type had no chance of avoiding the wave of draconic energy. Yet it tried anyways, dashing back and fourth on the battle field with Sceptile on its back.
"Now who's predictable? Front flip." Twilight used the moment Magnet Rise stopped to squash Sceptile under the tank, before the inertia carried Metagross further ahead. While Sceptile struggled a tiny bit to stand up, Metagross was busy with getting on its feet again, but eventually, both were able to recover and face each other again.
"I absolutely hate to admit it, but you're really good." Twilight was a bit out of breath, but still complimented her opponent.
"Being complimented by such a lovely face is always a pleasure."
"Just out of curiosity, what would you have me do if you win? Just so I can judge the stakes."
"Before I answer, you might want to look where our Pokémon are positioned on the field", he said, calm like the eye of a storm. Twilight looked down at their feet and realized that Metagross was directly above the hole he had made with Dig earlier. And Sceptile was positioned at the other end of the tunnel.
"Dragon Pulse! " Sceptile shot the draconic energy from its mouth directly into the hole, from which it travelled underground to hit Metagross in its underside with a massive, concentrated blast. Unfortunately, Metagross had taken too much damage from Zoroark earlier and slumped to the ground.
"Metagross is unable to battle. Sceptile wins", Applejack announced.
Twilight called Metagross back into its ball and took a deep breath, before analyzing the field.
"Okay, I think I have a plan on how to win. But to do it, I need him distracted. He also has to get close, for which I best use HAXORUS, I choose you." Out of the ball came a yellow and grey dragon with axe blades sticking out of its face.
"Start with Dragon Dance", she commanded after which Haxorus let out a loud cry. Red energy erupted from its body. "Now, Dragon Claw." Haxorus rushed at its target.
"Oooooh, a head-on fist fight?" He took a second to look into the audience. "Hit me up, Pinkie." Pinkie Pie understood immediately. She pulled a boom box out of nowhere and started blasting music. "Oh YEAH!"
Sceptile blocked the incoming attack with Leaf Blade and immediately counter attacked, but Haxorus grabbed its arm and re-directed it. After that, Haxorus kept attacking with Dragon Claw, two of them Sceptile dodged, but the third one hit in the gut. Sceptile then grabbed Haxorus and wrestled it to the ground, but Haxorus was able to throw it off with its legs.
The green lizard did a couple of backflips and rushed to attack Haxorus as soon as it got back on its feet. It used Leaf Blade as it rushed past the Yellow dragon, only to turn on its heel and Leaf Blade it again, which it repeated a couple of times.
"Trip it with your tail", Twilight shouted. Haxorus complied and Sceptile was about to face plant on the ground. "Poison Jab." Before it could though, Haxorus helped with the process by jamming a toxic fist into Sceptile's spine, cracking the ground underneath it.
"Dragon Pulse", Silver screamed. He didn't use the move to attack but to propell his Pokémon backwards, gaining some distance. Unlike Twilight, Silver Screen felt the full force of every blow Sceptile recieved. That didn't stop them though.
"Yes, that's it. That's what I wanted. Give me everything, you've got, TWILIGHT", he announced, out of breath. "Let's show them our combined force." He pulled his goggles over his eyes and took his Mega-Ring out of his pocket, which then resonated with Sceptile's Mega-Stone.
"All of what I was. All of what I am. All of what I might become. My full potential. It will be revealed through you", he shouted while Sceptile mega-evolved.
Twilight thought to herself "This could be good or bad for me. On the one hand, he's getting a boost in its attack stats and speed AND a STAB boost for Dragon Pulse, but that also means my Dragon attacks will have more effect on him. But I can't take any unneccessary risks. I'm sticking to the plan."
"Leaf Storm", was the first move he chose once the transformation was complete. Sceptile shot its tail like a harpoon surrounded by leafs at Haxorus, which sent it flying into the crater behind it.
Sceptile followed it. As the yellow drake was just in the middle of the crater, Septile caught up and used Leaf Blade. The force of the blow was so intense that it sent Haxorus flying against one of the stone pillars located at the edge of the crater.
Even though Twilight didn't feel the full force like Silver Screen, she still had a massive headache, her muscles ached and she was almost out of breath. She theorized that the deeper the connection to your Pokémon, the more you'll share its pain. For some reason, Axew reminded her of Spike. That's why she chose Haxorus to be on her team. That must be why she felt so beaten.
For a while, Haxorus didn't attack. All it did was fall into the crater again, where Mega-Sceptile waited for it. Another Leaf Blade. And another. And another. Each time blowing Haxorus against the monoliths, until it seemed that Haxorus got stuck. It could still move though.
"One more Leaf Blade and it's done, Buddy." Sceptile rushed over to the half-beaten dragon. The blade almost connected, but then...
"Now, Haxorus." The dragon opened its eyes and moved its head out of the way, causing Sceptile's blade to be stuck inside the rock behind it. Haxorus didn't waste a single second, as it picked up the giant boulder and threw it down into the crater's center.
"What?" Silver asked in confusion.
"Surprised? Allow me to elaborate", Twilight answered. "I fucking deserve this", she thought to herself.
"You see, with the exception of the first one, Mega-Sceptile's Leaf Blades didn't do half the damage you thought they did. Just as they grazed my dragon, he jumped back into the rocks, creating the illusion of a massive blow, while also loosening them. I only waited for the right moment so I could immobilize you or else we couldn't do this."
With Sceptile still laying in the center of the crater, trying to free its arm, Haxorus picked up the rocks it slammed into before and piled them up on top of the Grass-type until only its head was still in the open, destroying any chance of it to escape.
"What did you say before? You love it when a plan comes together? You've been so sneaky that I had to make sure you didn't have any more tricks up your sleeves before dealing the finishing blow. Which is now. Haxorus, Guillotine."
Silver Screen and his Pokémon could only watch in terror as Twilight passed judgement on Sceptile.
"Sceptile is unable to battle. Haxorus wins."
Despite feeling like she should jump up and cheer, Twilight only had the energy for a weak smile left, before her head fell forward out of exhaustion.
"It's over", she thought. "I wo-"
"Golisopod, only a little more", Silver announced. He was in a similar state as his opponent, as he had barely enough strength to throw his Pokéball.
"What?" That's right, Twilight didn't defeat his Golisopod. There was still more left to do. Realizing this, Twilight felt like crying, until...
"You know what?" Silver said. "Fuck it. I give up." Those were his last words before falling over on his face. The match was over.
Since the two contestants were so exhausted from their duel, their friends decided to carry them to the sidelines. Sunset and Rarity shouldered Twilight while Rainbow Dash took Silver on a piggy back ride, Pinkie staying at their side.
"That was seriously awesome dude", Rainbow complemented him. "I have never seen anyone grind old egg head's gears like that. Keke."
"You Pinkie-promised to behave yourself", Pinkie bellitled him.
"Sorry, Pinks. She still has her money so cut me some slack. HihihiHahahahihi." Then it dawned on Pinkie.
"You only got 4 hours of sleep last night, didn't you?"
"Mohohore ohor less. Hihihihihi. Snore
"Congrats on your victory, Twilight."
"It was simply splendid how you handled his tricks."
"Thank you for trying to cheer me up, but I don't know what I would've done if he hadn't surrendered." That very fact left a bad taste in her mouth. She went into this contest thinking that her carefully calculated plans and strategies could get her out of anything. But now, she was reconsidering her options.
Back at their seats, everyone applauded Twilight. Pinkie Pie, back to her original cheery self, even hug-tackled her on sight.
"Ow".
"Looks like some of us will be out of it for a while", Sunset noted. "Let's wait for them to recover." Her friends agreed.
However, when she turned around, she noticed Rarity bawling her eyes out, Fluttershy holding and comforting her. Rainbow, ran over several rows of seats and even almost tripped. Concerned, she knelt down beside her.
"What's wrong. Did you get hurt or something?" It truely was a confusing sight.
"That's not it. I just realized that our match can't possibly compare to those two. WE'LL BE UNENTERTAINING."
A couple of, what felt like, minutes passed and Rarity and Fluttershy got over their issues.
"Well, that was weird." Rainbow said to Applejack, who had been oddly distant that day.
"They ain't the ones ya should worry about t'day", Applejack answered. She turned towards Rainbow Dash and glared at her. "This is it. The day that'll finally settle our lil rivalry."
Upon hearing this declaration of war, Rainbow felt like she was on flames. Both their auras spiked up and they seamed to give of a shimmer of red and blue respectively.
"You know", Rainbow began, grinning the widest she had in a long time. "The reason I'm here is to win this whole thing."
"Funny you'd say that." Applejack retorted. "Ahm here ta beat you."
Meanwhile, Twilight had recovered so much that she could move by herself again. Silver woke up again and decided to talk to her.
"Hey, uhm, you're not actually hurt, are you?", he asked genuinely concerned.
"Don't worry. It just feels like my muscles are sore. I wonder what it's gonna feel like when we get out of Sunset's head again. I'm gonna have such a headache."
Upon hearing this, Silver hastily bowed his head. Not like before when he was acting like a gentleman. That was the kind of bow you'd see in Animes when one character is asking for forgiveness.
"I'm sorry. I know you have no reason to, but trust me when I say the last thing I want to do is hurt anybody. I just can't control my excitement sometimes. Please forgive me. That headache will be my fault."
Twilight was stunned once more. This guy kept on surprising her. She started to get interested in him. Not in a romantic way, more like an object to study. The left-over aggressions she had for him made her feel kinda bad.
"It's alright. I'll just have you mow my backyard next weekend and we're even. I won our bet."
"Actually, you didn't listen well enough. You had to do me a favor either way."
"What do you mean?" Confusion was practically written on her forehead.
"My exact words were: Should I win, I get something from you, but if you win, you have to do something for me."
"He's right you know", said Pinkie, who popped out behind the seats, just to disappear just as quickly.
"There's no way I wouldn't have noticed that", Twilight defended herself.
"Oh, people tend to not notice a couple of tiny details when they're startled. When someone is talking to them in a creepy voice, for example."
There it was again. That blasted, cocky smile of his that made the nerdy girl's blood boil. It took all of her willpower to push them down against the thought of being made a fool before they even really started.
"I really don't like him.", she thought to herself.
"Finally awake again, huh?" Sunset chimed in. She had made herself an imaginary can of grape soda. "Great show you put on down there, but I'm disappointed that you didn't pull out the big guns."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh yeah. You don't know. Before the fight, Silver asked me if I could deflect a blast if he shot it as us."
"He did WHAT?"
"Yeah. He told me he wanted to go full villain if you couldn't give him a challenge. You know, threaten us, power of friendship will make you stronger, yadda yadda." She explained before taking another sip of her soda. Twilight was at a loss for words.
"Of course, when she said she didn't know if she actually could, I dismissed the idea entirely", Silver finished the story.
"You said he asked you out on a date."
"I had to tell you something. Besides, he is kinda cute." Both of them turned to see the boy standing there petrified. Eyes open wide, breath caught in his throat and a face as red as a freshly cooked lobster. Sunset had to spit out her soda at the sight.
"HAAAAAHAHAHA. You should see your face right now. You could work as the upper third of a traffic light. Hahahahahaha. Relax, I'm just messing with you", she said with a light punch against his shoulder.
"By the way, Condiment Queen", he took the word again. "Did you experience any sort of pain when you fought Princess Bubblebutt over there?"
"You promised you wouldn't call me that anymore! " Was heard in the distance, followed by raspy laughter.
"I guess it did sting a couple of times. Why?"
"Uhm, uhn... Twilight here's got to tell you something."
Sunset called the others over. Twilight told them what she felt during her match and the theories she came up with. How the sensations became more and more intense the more she got into the fight. How the mental connection one has to the Pokémon seems to be a factor as well and everything else.
"Well, that's new."
"If you guys wanna stop, then I can get us out of here right now." Sunset offered, but everybody agreed to stay and compete.
"Well, it's your choice. I'm pretty sure you can't actually die in here. The pain is probably just the brain's reflexive response since this is all so life-like in here. Once you realize this, the pain should go away", Sunset explained.
"Okay, I get it. Well, I guess it's time for you to release me", Silver continued.
"What in do you mean?"
"I've done my part. You don't need me anymore. I'll be off then. This is your thing, not mine and I don't wanna intrude any further." He explained, but Rainbow had something else in mind.
"Quit talking that nonsense and sit down. You don't wanna miss your "student" in action, do ya?"
That's right. Rarity was fighting Fluttershy next. Being reminded of that, Rarity took Fluttershy by the arm and both rushed down to the arena. Applejack made her way to the referee's position and the rest urged the boy to take a seat next to them. It was Silver's turn to look confused.
"Why are you nice to me?", was all he could ask before Sunset pulled him into the seat next to her.
Meanwhile, in the real world:
"It is now 15h38. It has been half an hour since they began what I can only describe as a midday slumberparty. I am 100% certain that there has to be a deeper meaning behind their gathering.
The fact that they're still wearing their clothes and holding hands leads me to believe that one of them has acquired telepathic abilities and they are sharing one experience in the mind scape.
I don't know who the boy is. I shall research him once I'm done investigating this gathering.
I am getting kinda hungry. It's not likely that they'll awaken any time soon, so I will head out and acquire nourishment.
End of Report #13."
A hooded figure spoke into a recorder outside of Sunset's window. She grabbed her backpack and archery equipment and headed out to restock her backpack.
"Who do you think'll win?", Rainbow asked the crew, her legs propped up on the seat in front of her.
"I think Rarity has this", Sunset answered. "I'm not saying Fluttershy is weak, it's just that Rarity is more of a fighter."
"Are you kidding me? Fluttershy's got this in the bag", Pinkie protested. "There's no way Rarity could have learned everything she needed to know in just a week. No offense, buddy."
"I'm with you Pinkie. Fluttershy may seem a bit helpless, but she can stand her own when she needs to. What about you, Twilight?"
"I'm of the same opinion as Sunset. But I guess this all depends on how much Rarity has learned and understood about these battles." They were looking at Silver now, who was noticably uncomfortable being sandwiched between two girls. (Sunset and Twilight)
"Don't look at me", he said sheepishly. "I tried to teach her everything from typings to Z-Moves. I was helping her select her team. She understood the basics and now it's up to her imagination." It is true that Rarity is the most creative of the crew. That might be a deciding factor later.
"Of course, there's one thing... Nah. I'll leave it as a surprise.
"Before we start, Rarity, I just want to say that this might not be as spectacular, but let's just do our best."
"Oh, I agree darling. And don't worry about me. I know how to shine."
"Ah shall name the rules, then.
This will be a Three-on-Three match. Each trainer is allowed to switch out their Pokémon at any given moment. Upon request, any moves a Pokémon can learn, be it naturally learned, TM, tutor, bred or otherwise, are allowed. The battle is over once all three members of one's team are unable to battle. Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Absolutely."
"Then, BEGIN!"
"Come on out, Mimikyu."
"Spotlight, Opal my dear." Out of Rarity's ball jumped an Alolan Persian.
"She named it after her cat?", Sunset asked.
"She probably couldn't remember its name", Pinkie retorted.
"Are you kidding me?", Rainbow jumped in. "Persian has to be one of the easiest names to remember."
"You seriously don't see the resemblance to her cat?", Twilight then asked. After everyone tilting their heads to the side for a few seconds they could all agree that they do look similar.
"Now, Opal, open the show with Power Gem."
A number of gem stones shot out of Persian's forehead, spreading around the field. Once they were in position, they fired of sparkling enery beams.
"Dodge them, Mimikyu!", Fluttershy's tone of voice was like you'd expect. Concerned. Concerned that she would lose in a matter of minutes if she couldn't find a way out. Even concerned for her Pokémon even if it was just a figment of her own imagination. Her partner complied as best as it could.
"And now, Dark Pulse." Was Rarity's second command, which she emphasized by reaching out with a open palm.
Instead of firing at its opponent, Persian fired the energy wave at the gems. They melded with the pulse, their own bright beams encased in purple spirals, creating a shimmery purple aura. It was a truly magical sight to behold.
"She wasn't kidding when she said this would be a spectacle", Twilight commented.
"Get out of there with Shadow Sneak", Fluttershy thought quickly. In a matter of seconds, Mimikyu descended into its own shadow, which made its way out of the gleaming whirlpool. The sneaky shadow extended further and further, until it reached behind the grey cat. However, Persian was barely fazed.
"Counter with Night Slash." Raritys attack hit its mark. With a triumphant gleam in her eyes she celebrated her first attack that connected. But Mimikyu was unharmed.
"What? I know I hit it", she exclaimed surprised.
"That's Mimikyu's ability, Disguise", Pinkie yelled from the stands. "It can take one hit without damage when it enters the battle."
"I told you that", Silver screamed after her.
"And I told you guys", Pinkie followed up. "Fluttershy's got this."
"Don't be too full of yourself", Twilight scolded her. "Rarity may be still unfamiliar with the details, but her light show before shows that she has a good grasp on how to utilize her given abilities. And don't forget that Fur Coat halfs the damage of anything Mimikyu could threaten her with."
"Twilight's right, but a thought crossed my mind", Sunset commented. "I'm sure Rarity and Silver tried to keep her movepool simple so it wouldn't get overly complicated." The boy gave an affirmative nod.
"So the real question is," Rainbow concluded, "how well can she utilize her limited options?"
"Well, they couldn't expect me to memorize every single thing", Rarity meanwhile thought to herself.
When she turned back to the field, Mimikyu had made its way back to its master, who was crouching down to pet it through the cloth of the costume.
"There, there. Don't worry, you can still do this, you little Mimi-cutie", she was comforting it. Now facing its opponent again, Mimikyu dashed zig zag at the grey feline.
"Play Rough." Mimikyu clung to its back and used its wooden tail to pound Persian mercilessly. On Rarity's command, it tried to shake the offender off, but it took quite a while before it had any success.
"Now Persian, Assurance." Mimikyu was again flung back by one of Persian's moves. But it also stood up and dashed at it again just as quickly.
"Well, that's unexpected", Twilight commented, taking a second to fix her glasses.
"What?"
"I was sure Fluttershy would try a more defensive approach, but she's just bombarding Persian with attacks." The others thought about that. "Even taking effectiveness into account, that Assurance attack should have done quite some damage."
"Yeah, you're right." Rainbow realized, concern creeping into her mind. "What is she doing?" On the battlefield, Persian delivered another blow to Mimikyu.
"Well, either way", Pinkie interjected, "GO RARITY! GO FLUTTERSHY. WOOHOO!"
"Shadow Ball, Mimikyu."
"Block it with Night Slash." Persian did just that, creating a cloud of smoke. But a surprise followed. Mimikyu jumped through the smoke screen and practically clawed itself onto Persian's face. Persian mewled and tried to shake it off, to no avail this time.
"Alright then, Power Gem", Rarity commanded confidently yet slightly annoyed. But it didn't go as she expected. With Mimikyu covering its face, the Power Gems had no way to spread. The pressure kept rising until, BAAM, they exploded, incapacitating both the defender as well as the attacker.
"Both Persian and Mimikyu are unable to battle. Double Knock-out!", Applejack declared.
Certainly an unexpected outcome. Also, unexpected was Silver's reaction. He basically panicked at the thought of his student losing.
"What's gotten you so worked up? You didn't even bat an eye when Twilight kicked your butt."
"Sorry, but you don't understand. Rarity has to advance into the next round. She promised to make me a suit, when I succeeded in helping her. For free."
"That's it?", Sunset asked confused. Looking over his choice of attire, a baggy shirt and vintage-style jeans, along with those weird goggles, she couldn't imagine him actually being stoked about something like that. She was even sure he wore two different socks.
"Do you have any idea how much a tailor-made suit costs. I'll need one eventually so I can't pass up this chance."
Feeling no need to question his line of reasoning, they accepted his answer.
Meanwhile, the combatants decided on their next Pokémon.
"Do your best, Goodra."
"Show them your elegance, Leavanny."
"Fluttershy's got quite the advantage there", Sunset remarked. "Let's see if Rarity can do anything about it."
"Dragon Pulse, Goodra."
"Dodge it." Leavanny made several twirling steps to her right side. Her movements made it seem like she was dancing. "Razor Leaf."
Leavanny started spinning on the spot and threw her leaves as if they were knives. Fitting, as they would have the very same effect on Goodra. Fluttershy knew her companion wasn't fast enough to actually dodge them.
"Use Bide", she pleaded and Goodra was surrounded by red aura. After the already thrown leaves hit the Dragon-type, Rarity stoped her attack immediately.
"Wait, I remember this attack." She thought back to her, quote on quote, 'training'. "Silver said it gathers energy from the opponent's attacks and gives them back twice as hard. If I remember correctly, Leavanny doesn't have anything to put that thing down quickly. Why is a creature that is based on a slug even classified as a Dragon anyway? That doesn't matter right now. What matters is that my best move right now is to wait untill she is finished collecting energy."
They stood there for several seconds. You could've cut the tension in the air with a butter knife, until Rainbow Dash yelled annoyed down into the arena.
"Oh come on. Somebody do something."
"Patience is a virtue, darling. I will continue as soon as Fluttershy releases her attack." Her friend in turn let out a disappointed sigh.
"I hoped you wouldn't know how it works. I guess I have no other choice. Release." What Goodra released was a small, white beam, which Leavanny was able to dodge without problem.
Rarity was truly thankful for her lessons.
Time for a flash back. Rarity thought back to her second day of training. It was the day after the two of them selected her team.
The two of them met in the mall after Rarity's shift at the boutique. They took a table at Rarity's favorite ice cream parlor. Rarity enjoyed some iced coffe, while Silver ordered a peppermint-chocolate chip sundae.
"Yesterday we decided on my team." She pulled a card from her purse. "Gardevoir, Alolan Persian, Leavanny, Altaria, Alolan Ninetails, and Milotic.
"Good. Now, today's lesson will be about stats and typings." He went into great detail about the correlations between the different types and what the stats meant and Rarity was taking notes throughout.
"As for Speed, there are not many speedy Pokémon that benefit from good physical and special defense. Usually one of the two or neither. They're typically used to deal as much damage as fast as possible. Or, in this particular type of tournament, most could use their agility to avoid attacks. Now, your team has quite good speed. Your best option would be to dodge, counter and hope they won't outspeed you. I think giving some of them Protect is also a good choice."
He was surprised by her attentiveness, which he figured was out of solidarity to her friends. Though Rarity appreciated his thoroughness.
He had prepared videos, statistics and even info and work sheets for her. Rarity figured that he must've spent every free second of his day to help her as best as he could.
When they finished for the day, Rarity agreed to drive him home. The car ride was silent except for the quiet funk rock Rarity was slightly dancing and humming to. As he was living on the outskirts of town, it took quite a while for them to arrive.
When they arrived, he tried to give her 5 dollars and leave. She refused the gas money though.
"You didn't have to drive me home just to thank me for helping. You already promised me the suit for not screwing up your training", he told her in a cynical tone.
"Nonsense. I simply love helping out my friends and friends of Pinkie Pie are friends of mine." Her gaze passed over the time on her radio display. "Oh no, the video store will be closed by the time I get back." That gave him an idea.
"Let me guess, a romantic movie that you can cry and eat ice-cream to?" It almost scared her how accurate his assumption was.
"Wait a sec." And he disappeared in his house. Two minutes later, he returned with a DVD in his hands.
"One scratch and you're done for."
"I don't want his efforts to go to waste, that's why I have to win" , she thought to herself. Even though she had mixed feelings about the boy and his cynical nature, she recognized the good in him and didn't want to disappoint one who put so much effort into helping her.
"Power Whip, Goodra", Fluttershy commanded. The dragon's feelers extended and split into vine-like whips, ready to thrash into the bug.
But Rarity wasn't having it. "Swords Dance!" Despite the outrageous number of whips trying to hit Leavanny, the bug merely danced around all of them. When they stopped their onslaught, Leavanny finished with a pose, kneeling down with its arms crossed, before the vines fell apart, chopped apart by Leavanny's blade arms.
"I never even thought of using Swords Dance like that", Twilight commented.
"Leave it to Rarity to dance her way to victory", Sunset answered, which got a snicker out of her purple friend.
"Hey, Fluttershy hasn't lost yet."
"Now get in close and use Leaf Blade." Leavanny's movements again looked more like ballet as it danced its way around Goodra. Every attempt at blocking was expertly dodged.
"This is not good. I hope Goodra's ability can help. But I need a way to stop it from moving for good. I have an idea."
"Now X-Scissor." Leavanny got behind Goodra, but as it turned around to face its attacker, it was gone. They noticed too late that the bug jumped and was now over the dragon, delivering the attack to its neck as it dropped down.
Having finished its combo, Leavanny retreated, but something was wrong. It slipped and slid over the field and could barely stand on its legs.
"What happened? What did you do?", Rarity shouted across the field.
"That's Goodra's ability, Gooey. When it gets hit by a physical move, the attacker loses speed. But, I think its effect is a bit more literal in here.
Fluttershy was right. Leavanny was covered in slimy goo from top to bottom. "Get it off, Leavanny." Rarity commanded desperately.
"This should give me enough time to stop it from moving for good. Ice Beam."
Instead of targeting its opponent, Goodra shot the icy beam at the ground, covering it in a cold, slippery layer. Only around itself did it leave a small circle un-iced.
Just as Leavanny finished cleaning herself, the ice reached it. The Grass-type managed to jump and avoid being frozen in place, but that didn't help the fact that it lost all grip under its feet. Slipping one way and the other, it was at the complete mercy of Goodra's next attack.
"Now, finish it with Ice Beam." Unable to dance away, the freezing-cold energy hit her head-on.
"Leavanny is unable to battle. Goodra wins this match."
"See? I told you that Fluttershy can stand up for herself", Rainbow exclamed, the grin on her face rivaled Pinkies.
"THAT WAS AMAZING!"
"And pretty smart too. A Pokémon that doesn't have to move much like Goodra is at a great advantage on an icy terrain."
"You're not gonna start panicking?", Twilight asked half-jokingly, half-mockingly. "Given up on your free suit already?"
"Not really. I'll admit that it was a clever idea, but she has no idea that she just cornered herself."
"What's that supposed to mean?" The posh way he talked ticked Twilight off quite a bit. Unlike the way Rarity talked, it just sounded so condescending to her.
"She probably expected her last Pokémon to definitely be Gardevoir, but she doesn't know that she has a new favourite. One that couldn't be more perfectly suited for this situation."
"Ninetales, Spotlight!"
Rarity threw the balls high into the air and as it opened, an enormous cloud of powder snow descended onto the battlefield and from it emerged a fox, as white as snow freshly fallen from the heavens. It's nine tails shimmered in the light.
Upon entering, clouds began to form and from them fell frozen drops of water. It hailed.
"Okay, that's actually a problem."
"I'm so excited to see how Fluttershy will respond", Twilight exclaimed while taking notes on an imaginary note pad. Whether or not she realized this remains unanswered. "Watching two amateurs adapt is more interesting than I thought."
"Fluttershy is NOT an amateur", Rainbow corrected her, to which Twilight quickly apologized. "Come on, Fluttershy. Kick her prissy butt!", she shouted into the arena.
"Come back, Goodra." Fluttershy decided to switch her Pokémon out. "I'm counting on you, Snorlax."
"Interesting choice", Twilight said.
"Why?", Rainbow asked. Silver took the liberty of explaining.
"While it's Dragon type would give it the complete disadvantage, Goodra is still able to stay at a distance, whereas I assume Snorlax would have to get close or wait for its opponent to come close to really attack. The interesting part is that Ninetales will also stay at a distance, but Snorlax won't be able to get close due to the ice."
"He hit the nail on the head", Twilight admitted reluctantly. "Fluttershy must have some sort of plan."
"Let's see what I can do." Rarity pulled a small card out of her pocket and looked over Ninetale's attacks. "Dazzling Gleam."
Ninetales emitted a brilliant light and shimmering spears of rainbow-colored light dropped down from the heavens.
Snorlax took them like a champ, just like Fluttershy expected.
"How about you Rest up a bit, sweetie?" Upon hearing this, Snorlax belly flopped onto the fighting stage.
The audience had one collective thought in their minds. "Why is Fluttershy using Rest already?" Until their eardrums were practically shattered by the sound that came from the fat fighter.
"SNORLAX IS USING SNORE."
"I THINK MY EARS ARE BLEEDING."
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SAYING THIS, BUT I REALLY HOPE RARITY WILL SHUT IT DOWN."
But they weren't the only one that were getting affected. Ninetales was cowering on the ground and covering its ears. Rarity wasn't fairing much better. The soundwaves were messing up her hair.
"This is horrible", she lamented as she tried to contain the damage.
"SERIOUSLY, SHE'S WORRIED ABOUT HER STUPID HAIR?", Silver screamed over the noise.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY HAIR?" The thought of her hearing his insult over the snoring was absolutely ridiculous, though it gave the boy an idea. The others would have tried to stop him if they weren't rolling on the ground in agony.
"I'M SORRY", he yelled through the pain in his ears. "I SAID IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE GAVE YOU A SWIRLY IN MULBERRY JUICE!" His verbal attack made Rarity furious.
"Just wait until I'm done with you. Aurora Veil, Ninetales. And then Dazzling Gleam."
Ninetales created a bubble of light around itself, partially shielding itself from attacks as long as it continued to hail and performed the attack from before.
"Not quite enough, huh? Ice Beam."
Rarity was more determined than ever to win. Fluttershy was in trouble.
"I don't know if Snorlax can hold out until it wakes up and can Rest again. And Rarity will soon think of something. I need a new strategy. First, I have to get rid of the ice. Once Snorlax wakes up, I'm going on the offensive. I'm not going to lose.
Despite her pain-contorted face, Rainbow was able to see Fluttershy's face. The sight was something that surprised her more than Twilight's saying she was a pony princess.
The expression on Fluttershy's face was one of pure determination. The usual soft smile and eyes glistening with compassion were replaced by a scowl. And, eventually, a smile.
"I think it's time, Snorlax." She said as she put a bracelet on her arm. Attached to it was a white, diamond-shaped crystal. As she began to strike her pose, strands of energy connected her and her Pokémon. This energy filled Snorlax enough for it to wake up and do a front flip.
"PULVERIZING PANCAKE!"
The frozen ground didn't even faze to the gargantuan gobbler. The weight behind its steps caused the ground to crack as it hauled its ass over to Ninetales. With its final step, it jumped about 15 feet in the air, only to come down with literally ground-shaking force.
"Dodge it, Ninetales." The fox tried its best to get out of the impact radius, but was inevitably blown away.
The impact whirled up dust and fog from the shattered ice, so it was difficult to see.
As Ninetales got onto its paws again, it didn't know where to look. It didn't know from where it was sent flying or where its opponent could come from. This reflected Rarity's own state of mind.
Until the sound of fast approaching, heavy footsteps returned. Ninetales was just able to turn around and see the bear-like creature, but couldn't do anything to stop it from ramming it.
"Heavy Slam!" The Steel-type move hit Ninetales head on and had it not activated its Aurora Veil, this would surely have been the end.
Snorlax's Z-Move caused the ice to break. Even if the attack didn't directly hit its opponent, Snorlax was at least able to move freely now.
The hail still falling from the sky told the contestants that the fight had not been decided.
"Well, that was quite unexpected", Rarity said out of breath. The mental strain started to take its toll on her. "But if you're using your secret weapon, so will I." Rarity put on the same bracelet Fluttershy was wearing before, but the crystal was an icy blue.
She performed the dance to charge up her Ninetales. When she was finished, a huge pillar of ice shot up from the ground and Ninetales fired a super-powered ice beam at Snorlax, encasing it in a huge block of ice only to shatter right afterward.
The shockwave of the attack almost blew Fluttershy off her feet. She started to feel tired too.
"Rest, Snorlax!", she commanded weakly. Like before, Snorlax slumped to the ground. But something was different. It wasn't sleeping. It was unconscious.
"Snorlax is unable to battle. Ninetales wins."
It all rested on the backs of two worn out Pokémon now.
"Goodra, hold on just a little longer."
Goodra was still exhausted from Leavanny's onslaught before. With its typing, the hail, and Aurora Veil, it was more than clear who held the advantage.
"Okay, let's finish this quickly. Ninetales, Dazzling Gleam."
The frozen particles in the air reflected and broke the light even more.
"Bide!" Fluttershy decided to place it all on one card. She was to wait until the right moment.
"That won't help you. I'll defeat your slug before it can do anything." Rarity was confident that Ninetales could bring Goodradown before it gathered enough energy to be a threat. "Ice Beam!"
Goodra took the beam with all its remaining strength, but the attack's extra effect froze Goodra in place, starting with its feet and slowly making its way up its slimey body. Fluttershy felt an icy chill crawl up her body.
Fluttershy thought to herself "I know what they're thinking. I know what my friends are thinking up there. They're thinking 'That's it for Fluttershy. She never stood a chance anyways. She could never hold her own.' And they're not wrong to believe that. I'm weak. I have always been. But those times are over. The times of weak and timid Fluttershy are over."
"Come on, Goodra. I know you can do it. I know you can win", she almost yelled to cheer her Pokémon on. The ice has already reached its long neck. But was it really her Dragon she wanted to endure?
"Come on, Ninetales. We're almost done."
"Just a little longer!", both of them screamed simultaneously.
Just as they finished the sentence, the sky started to clear. The hail had stopped and with it the Aurora Veil.
"Now's our chance, Goodra. Release."
Even though the ice had almost completely frozen the Dragon, it could still respond to its masters command. The beam before was nothing compared to this one. The concentrated white flash was as big as half of the arena and had more than enough force to knock Ninetales out.
"Oh that's just great!", Rarity exclaimed as she was engulfed by the flash.
"Ninetales is unable to battle. Goodra is the winner and that means Flutterhy is the winner of this here match."
"That was AWESOME Flutters." Rainbow Dash, who could not contain her excitement, jumped down into the arena and gave Fluttershy the tightest hug she had ever given anyone. Pinkie, just as excited, hug-tackled both of them, knocking them off their feet.
Fluttershy herself would have rather checked to see if Rarity was okay, but her friend had already set her sights on a different target.
"It seems we underestimated Fluttershy quite a bit, huh Twilight?", Sunset commented.
"It seems so. You did a good job of instructing her, Silver", Twilight begrudgingly admitted. But he was too nervous to actually pay attention.
His gaze laid on Rarity who was slowly approaching the stands. Her steps were long and heavy, an aura of dread surrounded her.
"What", she started, almost whispering, "did you say ABOUT MY HAIR?"
She started running and actually climbed up the wall. Finally breaking out of his fear-induced paralysis, he turned on his heels and started running like all hell broke loose, Rarity following close behind.
"Does personal fitness translate into the mind scape, Sunset?" The question popped into Twilight's mind.
"Yeah, why?" Sunset got herself an imaginary bag of chips as they calmly observed the chase.
"He might be even faster than Rainbow Dash."
"I'm not surprised." Sunset offered Twilight some of her snacks. "Never underestimate the power of fear steroids."
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY STARS HAVE MIMICKED MY HAIRSTYLE?"
The fourth and final match of the first round started immediately after Rarity had calmed down. Both Rainbow Dash and the usually level-headed Applejack could not wait to begin.
"I'm gonna show you that you just can't hold a candle to me", Rainbow Dash boasted arrogantly.
"Typical Dash. Head high on the clouds, even when she's not flyin around. I'll bring ya back down to earth and grind you into the dirt."
"I just love that pre-competition smack talk", Sunset said with a grin on her face.
"I still don't quite get it. They're two of the closest friends I've ever met, so why do they insult each other like that?" Twilight had asked herself that question time and time againever since she first saw the two girls competing against each other.
"A little insult before a competition is a good motivator. Besides, it's not supposed to be serious and they both know the other one can take it."
"I just hope they won't go too far", Fluttershy said, knowing exactly where Rainbow Dash has her red button, while she helped an exhausted Rarity with her make-up.
"Sorry I can't just snap my fingers and restore your beauty", Sunset said jokingly.
"It's quite alright, darling", she said, while re-applying her mascara. "There is something relaxing about doing it myself."
"Even like this, your beauty knows no bounds, my dear", Silver yelled from the sidelines of the battlefield. Rarity appreciated the compliment, though,... "Did he have to yell that from all the way over there?"
"If you're finished, the show's about to start", Rainbow Dash yelled impatiently to the audience.
"I shall name the rules then", Silver said, taking over the job as referee again. While he was going on about the regulations of the match once more, Sunset asked around in her group.
"Who do you think will win, girls?" However, they couldn't give her an answer, except for Fluttershy, who was quite adamant about Rainbow's victory.
"Even I can't tell", Pinkie pulled a note book out of her hair. "I've kept a record of every single one of their competitions and they're completely tied. There was a time when one of them won one contest and the other the next, but that gap has closed I tell you. Their last 18 bouts were absolute ties."
"Are you ready?"
"Hell yeah." Rainbow's grin grew ever so slightly wider.
"Yer gosh-darn right I am." Applrjack announced while stroking the brim of her hat.
"Then, BEGIN!"
"Go, Zebstrika." Rainbow Dash summoned a black and white horse from her Pokéball, sparks flying in the process.
"Get out there, Mudsdale." The ground shook as the massive beast landed.
Right out of the bat, Rainbow Dash was at a clear disadvantage, as her farmer friend sent out her newly found favorite pocket monster against Rainbow's Electric-type. That, however, did not intimitate her in the slightest, as she was the first to issue an attack.
"Build up speed with Flame Charge." The ionic zebra, engulfed in flames, stormed forward to then ram its opponent head on. Though, it didn't result in anything more than a small scorched patch if fur. Mudsdale didn't even move an inch. "Attack from the side." Zebstrika made a leap to the left and repeated the attack from there. Again, without any considerable results. "Again, and again", she commanded.
"Now what do ya think you'll get outta that?", Applejack had to ask. She wasn't concerned about Rainbow's barrage of attacks in the slightest. "Yer barely doin' damage and only increasin' my defense." She was right about that as Stamina takes effect. "She's got ta know that I can Earth Quake her any time I want. I better wait and see what she has planned."
After three more heavy hits to the side of her horse, Applejack began to understand what Rainbow was planning. She noticed her Pokémon sawying to the side with Zebstrika's attacks. Rainbow was trying to make Mudsdale fall over, to make it unable to attack.
"I might not do that much damage, but once your mule is laying on the ground, I have enough time to finish it off", Rainbow Dash announced proudly. Zebstrika was pooring all its strength into its Flame Charges. Just one more hit and Mudsdale would have fallen.
"Not so fast, missy. EARTH QUAKE." Mudsdale caught itself from falling over. And with a fierce war cry, it pounded its hooves into the ground, causing the earth to shake violently.
"You actually think I would let an Electric-type stay in against a Ground-type if I wasn't prepared? Bounce, Zebstrika!" With a powerful thrust from its hind legs, the zebra pushed itself off from the ground beneath it. It had escaped the disastrous attack. The audience grasped in amazement at this evasive maneuver. As it came back down, the black and white equine delivered a savage kick to Mudsdale's face. The Ground-type tumbled and tumbled and was just barely able to catch itself.
"Impressive, I didn't think Rainbow could've planned out such a maneuver", Twilight proclaimed.
"I told you Dashie was more than just brawn", Fluttershy followed. Having been to every single one of Rainbow's games since their freshman year, and having been friends since as early as Elementary school, she knew better than anyone else that her blue-skinned friend is always able to break out of a tough spot. But it comes with a crippling flaw.
"Bounce, again." Seeing the success of the first, Rainbow Dash ordered a second one immediately.
"Good Grief." Applejack rubbed her jaw in pain. She felt that kick to the face. "Ya think the same trick's", she was completely calm. Her body didn't show any signs of tension and her poker face could've even fooled Flim and Flam, "gonna work on me twice? High Horsepower, a little to your left."
Now that Applejack had seen Rainbow Dash's attack, she was prepared to counter it. Mudsdale delivered its strike right into Zebstrika's stomach. The Zebra Pokémon was sent flying back, any momentum it built up on its way down backfired, as it only amplified the force it was hit with. It tumbled across the entire field. Right in front of Rainbow's feet was where it finally halted.
The audience was in shocked about the amount of mental strength Applejack just displayed with her Pokémon's attack. Rainbow Dash was more concerned about her own Pokémon.
"Zebstrika! Are you alright?", she asked. After a few seconds of trying to stand up, it finally succeeded and stood on shaky legs, ready to fight back. "Get some rest."
"To be honest, was there any other way this could end?", Twilight spoke.
"Rainbow Dash certainly thought so", Fluttershy answered. The yellow human knew her friend better than even Applejack. "Having to switch out must really hurt her pride." And it did.
"Fine! Blastoise, come out." Peeved about the situation, Rainbow Dash wasn't going to leave anything to chance.
"Huh, out of all the Turtle-Pokémon, I thought she was gonna pick Torterra", Sunset said.
"My money was on Shuckle", Pinkie gave back.
"It makes sense when you think about it", Twilight stepped in. "Her tortoise is named Tank. Blastiose is a literal walking tank." During her conparison, she raised and lowered her palms accordingly.
"Bringin' out the big guns, are we?", Applejack joked.
"Oh haha. You won't be laughing around when you're laying in the mud later."
"Speakin' of mud, Mud Slap." Mudsdale hurled several balls of mud and dirt at the bipedal tortoise. Though they didn't pack much power, they managed to decrease Blastoise's accuracy.
"You think that's enough to stop us? Hydropump that overgrown mule!" Rainbow's frustration grew every time Applejack made a move. But Applejack was prepared even further. She stayed cool even as Blastoise readied its cannons.
"Bulldoze!" Applejack commanded calmly, her pokerface still unbroken. Her hands pushed into the pockets of her denim jeans with only her thumbs sticking out.
Mudsdale's hooves slammed into the ground once again. The fissure stretched itself across the entire feild, until it reached Blastoise's right foot. Losing its footing, the blue turtle fell over to the side just as it began firing the Hydropump.
The stream of pressurised water traveled towards its target and Applejack, but missed both by a hair's breadth. Even when this ensanely powerful attack was just one inch away from tearing a part of her face off, Applejack didn't move a single muscle. Not even after the attack obliterated the stadium wall behind her.
"Mud Slap!"
Rainbow understood. Applejack was trying to use make Blastoise unable to attack by lowering its accuracy and throwing it off-balance. And she succeeded.
"That won't work with me. Go back into your shell, Blastoise!", she told her Water-type. Confusion spread among the audience.
"Is she using Withdraw?"
Applejack however had a hunch about what might be coming next. "Brace yerself!", she told Mudsdale. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash gave Blastoise orders about how it should position itself. A little to the left, a bit to the right, until the tortoise's withdrawn head was directly pointing at the brown equine.
"Skull Bash!" In an instand, Blastoise's limbs and head shot out of its shell, catapulting itself at the overly large horse on Applejack's side of the field. The impact created a shock wave that was even felt in the stands.
Of course, Rainbow's onslaught of attacks before had raised Mudsdale's defense to the max, but Applejack knew this wasn't the problem.
"Accuracy won't be a problem when we're firin' at point blank. Hydropump!", Rainbow ordered. Without a way of avoiding the attack, master and Pokémon could only watch in dread as their opponent cocked the cannons on its back. Once the mist disappeared, the victor was decided.
"Mudsdale is unable to battle. Blastoise is the winner." Rainbow Dash and her Pokémon celebrated with a fist bump.
"Good job, Mudsdale. Cacturne, you're next", Applejack called out. Out of her Pokéball materialized what seemed to be a mix between a scare crow and a cactus. Silver Screen opened the ring again.
"A Grass-type, huh? I've got something for that. Ice Beam!"
"Sucker Punch!" As if teleporting through shadows, Cacturne suddenly stood in front of Blastoise and delivered a savage blow to Blastoise's lower jaw, causing the turtle to flinch and stop the charging ice energy entirely.
"What the hell?", Rainbow exclaimed out of confusion. "Ice Beam, again!" But Cacturne didn't even have to move to avoid the next attack. Blastoise's shot missed by a mile. The Mud Slaps did their part. The turtle's accuracy had already been thoroughly reduced.
"Now, ya ain't talking big no more. Ya can't even hit me", Applejack said, her stoic expression interrupted by a cheeky grin.
"I honestly didn't think you would resort to cheap tricks. That's just playing dirty." Rainbow Dash got more and more peeved the longer the fight went on. Or better, the longer Applejack's tactics kept working.
"It's called strategy, missy. Ah figured you'd just try and use brute force, so Ah took some precautions."
"Well, I'm gonna show you who's the better of us. Skull Bash, again!" As Rainbow instructed Blastoise on where to aim, Applejack already knew what to do to counter it. "FIRE!"
"Spikey Shield!" Cacturne's cactus needles grew to an immense size and Blastoise, mid-attack, slammed direktly into them. Rainbow Dash felt the spikes penetrate her Pokémon's scalp and winced at the phantom pain.
"At least I'm close now", she spat through her teeth. "Hydropump!"
But that played right into Applejack's hands. Instead of being blown away by the concentrated water stream, Cacturne simply absorbedthe liquid.
"Cacturne's got Water Absorb, y'know?", she said nonchalantly.
"Then Ice Beam!"
"Sucker Punch." And Rainbow's attack was again thwarted. Blastoise had taked much damage already. "Finish it with Needle Arm!" With a heavy swing from Cacturne's spiky arm, Blastoise fell over to the ground.
"Blastoise is unable to battle! Cacturne is the winner."
Both contestants were down to two Pokémon. Applejack had lost her Mudsdale, while Rainbow Dash lost Blastoise to Cacturne.
Rainbow Dash was at a point where the mind scape created a faint heat shimmer over her head. She had been at Applejack's mercy ever since the fight began. The cowgirl had an ace up her flannel sleeves for just about everything Rainbow threw at her.
"Zebstrika, hold on, just a bit longer!" Zebstrika, still beaten up from its battle against Mudsdale, came out of its ball hunched over and panting. "Alright, I think I got a plan", she thought to herself.
"Discharge!"
"Sucker Punch!", Applejack ordered Cacturne, a strategy that had proven effective so far. With incredible speed, the spiky scarecrow lunged forward, trying to flinch its opponent.
"Dodge it! Quick!" And just barely did it react fast enough to avoid the hit. And it released the surge of electricity right after, which blew Cacturne away. Applejack felt her body convulse from the electricity going through Cacturne's body.
"Come on, come on", her cyan friend muttered through her teeth.
As the Grass-type tried to stand up, it found that it could barely move, sparks flying out of its body.
"YES!" Cacturne was paralyzed. That was exactly what Rainbow Dash was hoping for. Luck was finally on her side.
Applejack on the other hand grew nervous. "Crapbaskets. Should Ah go fer Plan B? No, she might switch out again if Ah do it now. Ah gotta keep tryin' ta flinch 'er."
"Wild Charge." Zebstrika covered itself in electricity and stormed forward at Cacturne. The air in the arena was sizzling. The audience had trouble controlling their hair through the static.
"Sucker Punch!" But it was for naught. The paralysis proved to much and Cacturne was unable to move. Seconds later, Rainbow Dash felt the attack's recoil tickle throughout her body, as if she was pranked with a hand buzzer. But her adversary wasn't quite down yet.
"Finish it with Flame Charge!" Applejack was at her wit's end. There was little she could've done to prevent her opponent from attacking her. The risk of paralysis was too high. "If Ah go down, Ah'm gonna take 'er electric pony with me."
Applejack gave Cacturne a command inaudible to Rainbow's ears. Cacturne' s eyes lit up in a purple light, but Rainbow didn't pay enough attention to notice.
"Eat this!" Flame Charge hit the cactus-like creature head-on. It flew several meters backwards and right in front of Applejack's feet, unable to move.
"Cacturne is unable to battle. Zebstrika is the winner."
"Woohoo, Go Rainbow, go!", Fluttershy 'shouted' from the stands. She knew her friend would pull through in the end. Pinkie assiszed her in her cheers. There was, however, something that bothered two others, Sunset and Twilight. Both of them observed the field with crossed arms. And without even looking at each other...
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"That was too easy at the end. Even with paralysis, Applejack could have at least tried to counter attack or maybe use Spiky Shield again."
"Exactly. Something's wrong."
While Rainbow Dash celebrated her victory with a hearty laugh, Applejack returned to her calm and stoic state.
"What's, wrong, Jackie? Too hot for you? Did someone Charge you too much? Kekekekekeke."
"Yeag, yeah. Ya turned ma Cacturne into a plate o' grilled Nopales."
Grilled Nopales is a dish made of grilled cactus leaves. It is said to be quite delicious.
"But be careful, missy. Are ya sure ya got rid o' th' needles?"
After saying that, a purple aura enveloped Zebstrika. But it left just as quickly as it had appeared, taking every last bit of Zebstrika's strength with it. As such, Zebstrika fell unconsciously to the ground, much to our blue friend's confusion.
"What? What just happened?", Rainbow shouted baffled. She knew it was Applejack's doing, but the thought of her being tricked again made her blood boil. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" Rainbow Dash was almost ready to storm the field to give her rival a piece of her mind face to face, but she knew she could be disqualified for that.
"Have ya ever heard o' Destiny Bond? When a Pokémon uses this move, then the one defeatin' it also goes down."
"What she did was not against the rules", Silver re-affirmed. "Please call out your last Pokémon. Both of you."
"Shoot, I made a mistake", Applejack thought to herself. "I should have switched out and used Destiny Bond on her last 'mon. Guess I can't hold back either." A smile kreeped on her face.
"That's it. I'm gonna win this. I'll show her that I can beat her even without my best Pokémon", Rainbow thought to herself. The heat shimmer over her head intensified.
"Tyranitar, we're gonna win this", Rainbow shouted furiously and a sandstorm raged in the arena. The audience was cut off from the fight, as they couldn't see through the curtain of whirling sand. It was only Applejack and Rainbow Dash. And their referee, who put his goggles to good use.
"Aggron, you got this."
Through the sand storm, the two rivals stared each other down.
Immediately, Rainbow Dash took the offense. Her Tyranitar charged at its opponent with a bloody rage in its eyes, while Applejack ordered Aggron to use Iron Defense.
"Crunch!" Tyranitar bit down hard against Aggron's shoulder. Applejack tried to get rid of it with Iron Head, but the rock monster chomped down too hard. A second one did the trick and sent Tyranitar tumbling backwards.
"Iron Defense, again!", Applejack ordered.
"Dammit, this is getting me nowhere. If I wanna beat her, I'll need a plan. What's its weakness again?" "Earthquake, now!" Upon Rainbow's order, Tyranitar commanded the ground beneath them to shake violently.
Aggron, however, had already increased its defense so much, the attack didn't do nearly the amount of damage it should have.
Meanwhile, Sunset had just finished creating a protective bubble for her friends, shielding them from the sand particles.
"What is going on down there?"
"I think Rainbow Dash has a plan."
Across the field, Applejack saw Rainbow prepare her next move.
"Hyper Beam!" Tyranitar needed a moment to charge the massive blast and Applejack did not let that moment go to waste.
"Oh no, you don't. Aggron, Automatize and Iron Head!" Faster than before, Aggron stormed at Tyranitar, its head shining, and easily dodged the incoming blast. Godzilla's stone-cold lookalike had to take another hit.
"Looks like Rainbow Dash in a pretty tough spot", Twilight commented.
"I hate to say it, but I think the winner is clear", Rarity added.
"The match is not over yet", Fluttershy protested, however. "Come on Rainbow Dash, YOU CAN DO IT!", she cried out in desperation.
"It's not just that Applejack has a better strategy", Sunset added, much to the confusion of the others. "Even if Applejack's Aggron hadn't tried to dodge that Hyper Beam, it probably still wouldn't have hit. I noticed it before with Blastoise, but chalked it up as the result of lowered accuracy. But my suspicions have been confirmed. Rainbow Dash is getting sloppy."
"DAAAAMMMIIIIIIT!!!", the blue athlete screamed at the top of her lungs. She was at a point where she couldn't see straight anymore. Her breathing was ragged and she had a pain in her side.
Applejack was faring a bit better, but keeping the pressure on Rainbow was almost as taxing for her as it was for her opponent. And yet, she kept her cool, the only indicator for her fatigue being a bit of sweat on her forehead.
"Ah gotta finish this fast! Aggron, Stone Edge!" With a punch on the ground with a glowing fist, rocks shot out of the earth around the still recharging Tyranitar. Not doing much damage, but trapping each of Tyranitar's body parts in its current position.
"You did well, Dash, but you were just too shortsighted fer this."
Rainbow Dash shot her rival a piercing glare.
"Oh no." Fluttershy knew exactly what Applejack had invoked just then.
"Aggron, finish this with Iron Head." And Tyranitar took it. The spikes of stone holding it in place crumbled from the force.
However, this instant offered an opportunity. And Rainbow Dash wasn't going to waste it. With a thundering roar, Tyranitar grabbed Aggron by the wrist and threw it over its shoulder, slamming it into the ground. But it wasn't done yet. It continued to do so over and over and over again, in what can only be described as a savage tantrum. All the while Rainbow Dash roared along with her Pokémon.
One of Aggron's horns broke away from its head and its body became so dented Applejack felt like she was gonna be crushed.
With one final throw, Tyranitar smashed its opponent into the ground, creating a huge crater. And Rainbow still hadn't had enough. In its mouth, Tyranitar gatgered the energy for another Hyper Beam.
"It's over, Applejack. I WIN!" And with that, Tyranitar fired the beam, hitting Aggron point-blank and sending it flying across the field, right in front of Applejack's feet.
"Aggron is unable to battle. Tyranitar wins. Which means, Rainbow Dash advances into the Double Matches. The audience, especially Fluttershy, cheered for her.
Rainbow Dash was tired though. After Silver Screen announced her victory, her legs gave way and she fell on her butt, desperately gasping for air.
An orange hand came into her field of vision, which she happily accepted. Applejack had walked over to her. The two of them gave each over a confident smile, acknowledging the other's efforts and without any hard feelings.
FIRST ROUND - 4RTH MATCH WINNER: RAINBOW DASH
After everyone congratulated Rainbow Dash, Silver felt like he had to speak up.
"Great, now Applejack can be your referee. Can you please let me go now?"
"Oh come on now", Sunset told him. "We're having fun, here. Why don't you stay a-"
"Why do you pretend to want me here?", he interrupted her, much to the shock of everyone. This caught Sci-Twi's ear especially.
"People don't like me. I'm a socially awkward jerk, who almost gave your friend a mental breakdown. Why in the name of everything Equestrians deem holy, would you like me being here? Do I look like I want to be happy like that?" In his voice was... nothing. No rage, no sorrow, no joking attitude. Just nothing.
Sunset got out of her seat and got closer to him." I think you would like to, but you've never been given the chance."
There was a pause between them. After a few seconds, he walked a couple of meters away and sat down away from the others, his foot proped up on the seat in front of him.
"I'm gonna talk to him", Pinkie Pie said.
"Wait!" But Twilight had other plans. "Let me do it." With that, she walked over to him.
"Oh great." Pinkie said sarcastically. It was one of the few times they saw Pinkie Pie actually bummed out. "And here I thought an afternoon with you guys and one of his favorite things would cheer him up a bit."
"Hey", Twilight said as she approached her former opponent. "Is everything alright with you?"
"Yeah. I just don't get why you're so nice to me. I have done nothing to give you any reason to. Did you forget what a jerk I was when you battled me? "
"Well, bygones, y'know?" She said that, yes, but deep down, she was still a bit upset at some of the things he said. "You did apologize, after all."
There was a pause between them, before he stopped slouching down in the seat and rested his elbows on his knees. Twilight noticed how he tried to look at her, but could only do so halfway.
"After the incident with Rarity before,... something came to my mind. Did... did I say something that..." His sentence ended there, but Twilight knew what he wanted to ask.
"... Yes. Some of it did sting a bit."
After hearing these words come out of her mouth, he burried his face in his hands and let out a frustrated grunt.
" Look, I know you meant no harm. All is forgiven. Despite your... direct approach to things, we don't think you're that bad of a guy." She placed her hand on his shoulder, after which he could finally look at her face. She gave him a comforting smile.
"You just need to learn when to tone it down a bit."
"Can you teach me?" Twilight was taken back quite a bit from his question. "I graduated this year. When summer's over, I'll be in the next state. No family, no friends there. I need help."
Twilight had to take a couple of seconds to think about her response.
"Well, you did win a favor from me." She watched his face light up with joy. "I think we can help you. But only if you stay."
"I really am sorry to bother you with this."
"It's alright. Just one more thing." His ears perked up. "Don't call me Hero Girl anymore."
"Well, it's not my fault. That's what you are. It's not up to you to decide that." Twilight became visibly confused by that response.
"Please explain."
"Some people think being a hero means having super powers or constantly saving people, which you guys already do." Twilight noticed that his gaze wandered into the distance and his tone got something longing about it.
"Being a hero means inspiring others. It means having someone who trusts you to help them whenever they need it. And giving them the confidence to move on through every obstacle." He noticed Twilight staring and the words he spoke next were quite harsh.
"Not everyone can do the things you can do. You better make it count."
Silence fell between the two, before Sunset popped up with an empty can of grape soda in her hand.
"Hey guys. So, what's happening?"
"I'll stay."
"Great", Sunset proclaimed before bending over in front of him and lowering her eyelids. "Keeping all of this up is making me really thirsty." She put extra emphasis on that last word. "Could you get me another soda, sweetie?"
The boy's eyes literally changed into purple hearts before Twilight's eyes.
"Anything for you, my dear."
Twilight watched in utter confusion as he ran off to somewhere. Sunset on the other hand just giggled into her hand.
"I forgot how much fun it is to tease guys like that. Don't worry, I got a peek inside his head, he likes it." She then jumped over the seat and sat down next to Twi. "You looked kinds stressed. Everything alright?"
"Yes. He just gave me a bunch of stuff to think about." She thought about his definition of 'hero'. Are really so many people looking up to her?
"Well, better save that for after our match. I'm gonna wait and see how long it takes for Silver to figure out that there's no shop."
"Update: I knew something would happen while I'm gone." The mysterious figure outside of Sunset's house had just returned from her short shopping trip.
"The subjects are still present, but now pink sparks are flying around their bodies. They seem to be generating some form of energy. Whether or not this was the intended effect of this gathering is still unknown. The sparks seem to die down now. No more breaks."
Far away, in Fillidelphia, the CEO of a large foundation had just finished touring several of his institutions. He returned to his bureau and hung his coat next to the door.
He sat down on his Mahagoni desk and took down his checkered zylinder. He hadn't been sitting for a minute when his secretary announced a call for him.
"It's the Doctor."
"Patch him through, please." The man spoke with a heavy accent. Cockney to be precise.
"Good afternoon, Mr Steamwagon. How was the tour?"
"Marvelous, our medical facilities think they're just short of a breakthrough. Any news about your investigation?"
"That's why I'm calling. We were finally able to track down the location of those girls. They live in Canterlot City."
"Fantastic. When can you be there?" The man was ecstatic to hear these news.
"I'm already on the train, sir." The train whistle went off right after his announcement.
"Today's just full of good news. Call me when you get there. I'll make a reservation at the Canterlot Grand Hotel."
"All expenses paid?", the man they called Doctor joked, but only received a beep, beep as response.
