> Pokémon: Equestrian Champions
>  by Banshee531
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Opening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The music starts as it shows a dark void, slowly lighting up to reveal all but Flash's face. His clothes flicker in the wind, only to change along with his hair. Flash then steps out of the void, staring at the ground as it reveals him walking out a stadium field exit as the lyrics begin to play.


I know what I have to do now


As Flash walks out, he's suddenly hit by a wind, looking up to see a bunch of dark shadows filling the stadium.


It's my life
My one and only







Pokémon
Equestrian Champions







Wipe the sweat off of my brow, I see my challenge straight ahead


Flash almost starts to backpedal from the many opponents he must face, Applejack and Rainbow running past him along with the rest of his rivals.


I know this isn't easy, but backing down would by my regret


As Flash takes a step back, he then feels a trio of hands push him forward, causing him to start running after the others.


Follow my way


Twilight, Doc and Spike are revealed behind him, the group smiling as he begins his charge.


We'll run through this debris and wreckage


Flash runs into the now debris covered battlefield, his Pokémon appearing around him.


Follow my way


They run ahead, all showing off different attacks as they charged.


We'll aim for what's beyond the finish


Each of his Pokémon unleashes one of its moves, causing the screen the go white from the light.


(Yeah) Now I'm chasing down my dreams, they excite me (My glory is near)


Flash appears in the light next, standing still as his badges fly passed him.


I know what I have to do now


He looks ahead to see Shining with his back to him, Flash reaching out to grab him.


All eyes are on me, now I've seen what they see in me.


Shining glances back, smiling and nodding back.


I know what to dooooo, this time


Flash shines the same grin before jumping forward, shattering through the white void before appearing back on the battlefield as his Pokémon continue battling.


MAKE MY STORY







So lay this all on me (I've got this and want this and more)


Sombra, Chrysalis and Doom Raizer are shown in a dark room, smirks on their faces as they stare at the Heart Fragment.






I'm making my decision, I feel within it


Grand Hoof's face appears on screen, looking to the right before transforming to a scowling Lightning.


I'm breaking through, the wreckage and the flames (Make my story)


Flash and his Pokémon push through the last of the opponents, only to come to a stop as Lightning and Gorillamp appear.


I have to believe it, through all of the tears that we've shed


Flash and Lightning stare one another down as the image of Riptide falling to Gorillamp flashes in the background.


All the pain and hurtin, will all be worth it


Flash grips his hands, turning to fists before charging with his Pokémon, Lightning and Gorillamp doing the same.


I know I'll see, you on the other side


The two meet and throw a punch, their colliding fists as it unleashes a light that causes the screen to go white.


My one and only


The light then fades to reveal Flash, his Pokémon and all his friends standing together with Flash taking out a Pokeball, throwing it at the screen. The ball opens and engulfs the camera, making everything go black.
> The Pokérus Training Ground
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome back to the world of Pokémon.

A land brimming with untold adventures, where humans and Pokémon work together to train, battle, compete or just live their everyday lives. And now, the adventures of Flash Sentry continue as he works to one day compete in the Equestria League. He has already faced many hardships, but his greatest challenges are about to unfold.





A week had passed since the adventure in the Dragon Kingdom. The group still felt the stinging loss of their friend, even with the egg they had received meaning there was joy of a new approaching friendship.

"Augh!" Spike yelled as they made their way through some rocky terrain, "How much longer is it gonna be before it hatches?!"

"Be patient Spike," Twilight responded, pushing her glasses up her next, "That egg could have just been lain for all we know. It could be weeks before it hatches."

"If not longer," Doc added.

"But its from the Dragon Kingdom! That means its gotta be something awesome!" Spike whined while pointing at the egg, "Why won't you hatch?!"

Doc chuckled at his reaction, "You just have to wait. Besides, whatever's in there, I'm sure it'll be something amazing." He turned to Flash, "After all, Drayce had that look in his eye when he gave it to you." But as he said that, he saw Flash was looking away with a long frown on his face, "Flash? You okay?"

He then put a hand of his shoulder, making Flash jump and glance back at them, "What?!"

"I asked if you're okay," Doc replied, "You looked...out of sorts."

"I'm fine," Flash muttered before cutting into a sprint, Springer following beside him before the teen looked back at them, "Come on! We should try getting out of this area before it gets dark!" He began to power-walk ahead as he spun around, the others sharing a glance.

"Is he still missing Hopper?" Spike asked with a glum frown.

"Not sure," Twilight sighed, shaking her head, "But I think it's more than that."

And as Flash walked ahead, a singular thought was swimming through his head. One he knew he couldn't talk about. It was a certain voice ringing through his mind. A trainer that had beat him.

"If it's not right, then answer me this. Why did I win?"

"Why...why did he win?!" Flash whispered to himself.

"I knew gramps was going senile when he thinks someone like you is actually worth something."

"Maybe...he's right." Flash muttered, his ears now hearing his friends trying to catch up to him. He put his hand up to his face, closing his eyes as one last thing rang through his head.

"That's your problem. You keep picking up trash on the road, thinking you can make them into great Pokémon...but you won't. Real Pokémon are strong from the start."

"Why?! Why are mine so...weak?!" He silently said, his sprint slowing down before feeling something tug his leg.

"Ri..." Springer called out, making Flash look down and see his Riolu pulling his jeans. But as he stared at him, the Riolu slowly morphing into a certain Skeidran in his distracted eyes, making Flash want to tear up. He knew his mind was playing tricks on him, but he couldn't help it.

"Hopper..."

"Flash!" He spun around at the voice, now seeing his friends catching up. The frowns on their faces made him want to backpedal, not wanting to even talk to them as he knew they were worried.

But as they reached him, his mind told him to talk. He cleared his throat as he said, "Guys-"

KABOOM!

Suddenly the entire area shook, the group letting out a yelp, only for the shaking to quickly stop. "What the heck was that?" Spike screamed, "An earthquake?!"

"I don't think so," Twilight shook her head. "That was way too quick."

But as she said this, a series of crashing sounds along with a small explosion rang out. They quickly turned to the noise, now seeing it was coming from an area right over the rocky hills. "Come on!" Flash cut into another sprint, the others soon on his tail. They all ran to the top of the hill, soon finding themselves looking out over a vast stone box canyon filled with cracks in the ground that were either a few inches, or several feet deep.

A large mansion could be seen on the far side of the canyon, towering over the place like a watchtower. And inside the canyon itself were multiple trainers, either battling against one another or training their Pokémon using the rocks of the canyon wall.

"Wow..." Spike whispered, "What is this place?"

"Must be some kind of training area," Doc replied.

"But what's it doing here?" Twilight asked, "There doesn't seem to be any other form of civilisation."

"Simple. They're here for the Pokérus." The four and their Pokémon turned to the voice, now seeing a brown skinned man with light brown hair standing atop a large boulder. He wore a white training gi with a black-belt around his waist, white headband and red armbands. He was completely barefoot as well. "Welcome. My name's Swift Knuckles." He leapt off the rock, ding several flips before landing. "Owner of this land, and guardian of the Pokérus."

Twilight and Doc gasped at this, Spike and Flash raising an eyebrow at this. "Pokérus?" Flash asked as Twilight moved in front of him.

"You mean it actually exists?!" She exclaimed, Knuckles nodding before gesturing them to follow. The group made their way over to a natural ramp that ran down the wall of the canyon, all of them soon moving around the edge of the canyon.

"Here in my training field, trainers and their Pokémon work hard to power up." They turned to see two trainers battling with their Grapploct and Marowak. "And thanks to the Pokérus, that training is well rewarded."

"Does someone wanna tell me what the heck Pokérus is?" Flash asked as they arrived at the mansion.

"Pokérus is a disease that Pokémon can get," Doc replied, "But instead of being harmful, it actually has a positive effect on them."

"And it's not even really a disease," Twilight added, "It's a form of microscopic life that attaches itself to Pokémon."

"And it lives right here," Knuckles finished, "In the cracks of the canyon, a certain moss grows that Pokérus loves, allowing it multiply."

"But how does it benefit Pokémon?" Spike asked next, Twilight letting out a hum in thinking how to explain.

"Spike, you know how in a video game when you level up, your stats increase?" Spike nodded. "Well, think of it like that. Whenever a Pokémon trains, its own version of stats increase. Usually it just goes up by a little bit at a time, but with Pokérus, the growth is doubled and maybe even tripled." This made Spike and Flash go wide-eyed as she continued, "However, Pokérus is incredibly rare and it's not permanent."

"She's right," Knuckles added, "Usually a Pokémon infected with Pokérus will become immune within a few days. That's why the trainers here are training so hard. To get as strong as they can before their Pokémon lose the Pokérus." As he said that, a large group of trainers made their way over to them. "For example..."

He walked over to the group, all moving to flat area beside the mansion. They then noticed Knuckles reach into his gi, taking out some kind of device while the Pokémon all lined up. He waved the device over them, hearing a beeping noise. Any Pokémon that didn't make the device beep were returned while those that did make it beep returned to the training ground with their trainer.

Once the last Pokémon was gone, Knuckles showed the device to the group. They saw it was a small scanner similar to a geiger counter. "This device is specifically designed to scan for Pokérus, beeping whenever it detects the organism." He waved it over Springer and Peewee, the device remaining silent to show they were Pokérus free.

At this point, Flash's brain was working overtime as he turned to the training field. "So if me and my Pokémon train here, we'll get twice or three times the results?!"

"Yes indeed," Knuckles replied.

A smile appeared on Flash's lips before he turned to Twilight and held out his Pokémon egg. "Hold onto this for me." Twilight took the egg Flash then took out his other four Pokeballs and threw them into the air. In a flash of red light, all of his Pokémon appeared.

"Tore/Spran/Leaf/Carrr!" They cheered as Flash turned to Knuckles.

"So how do I get them infected?"

"Just being around other infected Pokémon should do it," Knuckles responded, "That or coming in contact with the moss."

"Alright! Come on guys. It's training time!" The others cheered before they ran off, quickly going back to the canyon walls. They leapt into the first crack, finding a large amount of moss lining the walls. "Brush up against it guys! Let's get infected!" His Pokémon did so, Springer and Riptide running their hands through it while Skyler used his wings and both Viper and Prongs brushed against the walls. They also got as close as possible to any Pokémon they came across, Springer even leaping onto the shoulder of a Rhyperior.

Knuckles and the others watched this, the gi wearer turning to the others. "He's quite a determined lad, isn't he?" They nodded before he pointed at the egg. "Come with me. I have somewhere you can keep that while you train." He led them into the mansion, now finding it was like a hotel for trainers to rest and recuperate. It even had its own Pokémon Center, staffed with its own Nurse Redheart. It was here that they placed Flash's egg, the nurse promising to tell them if anything happened with it.

Once they returned outside, they found Flash and his Pokémon already back. "That was a pretty good warm-up," Flash replied before turning to Knuckles. "So, do they have it?"

Knuckles took out his scanner and waved it over the five, getting beeps from each of them. "Yup. Confirmed Pokérus infection for all of them." Flash nodded before turning to the others. "Okay guys, from this point we'll be training non-stop. Lets put this Pokérus to good use!"

They then ran back into the canyon, Twilight and the others also joining them as Knuckles watched with a smile on his face.

But as they did this, on the roof of the mansion was a trio of men, all watching the trainers and their Pokémon with greed in their eyes. "Just look at them boys," Big Score chuckled, "A literal gold mine just waiting to be plundered."

"Maybe..." Rickashay replied as they stared through the binoculars. "But it's those kids again. What if they mess up our plans like before?"

"Oh, don't worry," Score responded, "I have a plan. We'll wait until they've completely exhausted themselves training, then go in for the steal. And I know just what we need to do to get those little money makers. All we have to do is wait for nightfall."





Hours later...

"Drain Punch!" Flash yelled as Springer threw a punch at the opposing Armaldo, knocking the Bug Rock-type back.

"Metal Claw!" The Armaldo's trainer ordered, the Pokémon swinging its glowing claws around. As Springer began to evade the attack, the rest of his team were doing their own training. Riptide was practising his Rock Smash on a stone wall while Viper and Skyler were sparing against each other. Prongs was busy running, trying to build his speed and stamina.

In another area, Doc was training with Flitanium and Lairon while Twilight and Spike were practise battling with Shine and Peewee. "Air Slash!" Doc yelled as Flitanium swiped its wings, firing a blast of razor sharp air that Lairon endured with every hit. "Now, Flash Cannon!"

"Dragonbreath!" Spike commanded as Peewee unleashed a burst of blue fire.

"Fairy Wind!" Shine swung her tail, a glittery wind coming out to stop the flames.

"Aura Sphere!" Flash yelled as Springer threw an orb of energy at Armaldo, the sphere exploding while knocking it off it's feet. "Yes!" He cheered as the trainer ran over to Armaldo.

"You okay?" Armaldo picked itself up and nodded, "I think that's enough."

"What?!" Flash yelped, "But your Armaldo can still fight!"

"Yeah, but if we keep it up, one of our Pokémon will get knocked out. Then we won't be able to train at all." He patted Armaldo's shell, "I think they could both use a rest."

"You might want to rest, but we've still got a lot more training to do." He turned to Springer, "Ready to go find another trainer?" Springer was panting, but nodded as the two ran off.

As this happened, Twilight blinked at the exchange, "That's strange. Flash wouldn't usually say no to letting his Pokémon rest after a tough match." She watched as he and Springer began another battle against someone's Donphan.

"Well, we are on a time limit," Doc reminded her. "He's just trying to get as much out of his training as possible. He and the others will probably get some rest when the sun goes down."

"I guess..."





But as the hours began to pass, Twilight saw something new. Flash wasn't stopping. As the sun hit the horizon, the many trainers returned their Pokémon and headed to the mansion...but Flash didn't.

"Come on guys!" Flash yelled as his Pokémon kept using their attacks on one of the fissure walls. "Don't just attack wildly. Pick a spot and keep trying to hit it." The Pokémon each let out a cry as they continued, Flash now doing a series of push-ups.

"Flash." The teen stopped and looked up to see Twilight, Doc and Spike standing on the edge of the fissure's opening. "Aren't you gonna come in? You've been training all day."

"You guys go on," Flash replied as he continued to do push-ups, "We're gonna keep going a little longer."

"But you've been going all day long." Twilight countered, only for Flash to try to shake his head at her.

"No, we need to keep going. We'll be fine."

The group turned to the Pokémon, seeing them all panting as they continued to fire off attacks. They shared a glance before Doc said, "Well...don't push yourselves. If you train too much, you could do more harm than good."

"I'll be careful," Flash replied, "We're just gonna do a little bit more. We can handle this, right guys?" The five let out cheers, the others frowned.

Twilight bit her lip at this, "Alright...if you're sure."

The trio spun around, walking back to the mansion. Twilight first went to check Flash's egg before they all sat down for something to eat. They all hoped that Flash would return, but he remained outside training. And as they ate and did their nightly activities, they found themselves going to bed.

But Flash never returned, all three off in dreamland without seeing the teen.

And as this happened, Score was watching Flash and his team work. "Come on....go to bed already!" He lowered his binoculars, "We can't get to work until we're sure nobody will interrupt us."

"Why don't we just take his Pokémon now?" Rickashay asked, "They must be pretty tired."

"And give away our plan?! Five Pokémon aren't gonna fill our pockets!" He hissed while looked back through his binoculars. "No, we'll wait until we can get loads of them and really hit pay dirt."





The next morning...

As the sun rose back into the sky, the trainers walked out of the mansion. Knuckles was the first, followed by Twilight and the others. "Anything?" She asked Doc, only to get a shake of the head from the teen.

"Nothing. His bed doesn't look like it's even been touched."

"Then where is he?" Spike asked, only to get an answer as an explosion rang out from the canyon. The three and their Pokémon shared a glance, quickly running after the sound. They soon found the teen standing between Springer and Prongs as they fought, Riptide and Viper sparring a ways off while Skyler was busy practicing his Aerial Ace on some rocks. They were all filthy and covered in bruises, bags under their eyes.

"Flash!" He turned to them, his eyes slightly out of focus. "What are you doing?!"

"Training," he replied, "What else would I be doing?"

Twilight's eyes went wide-eyed at this, "Flash...don't tell me you've been out here all night." Flash and his team looked away, making her glare at him, "Well?!"

"You told me not to say anything," Flash responded before turning to Doc. "Wanna battle? Me and the others are raring to go."

Doc gave him a deadpan stare, "Flash, you need to rest."

"We have been resting. Short ones every now and then."

"That's not enough," Twilight almost yelled, "If you don't take a rest, you might end up killing yourself."

"We're fine," Flash replied, waving his hand. But as he did this, he saw nothing but glares from them, making him sigh, "Okay...if you're not gonna help with our training, we'll just find someone who will."

With that, he walked off, the group frowning at the action before glancing over at Viper and Riptide. "Carrr!" Viper roared as he unleashed a Flamethrower at Riptide.

The Spranitor quickly jumped back, the fire shooting over him without even a singe. But as this happened, Riptide turned to see where the flames were going and yelped, "TORE!"

Flash turned to see the fire now about to hit him, "WHOA!" He cried, barely managing to bring his arms up to defend himself as the flame struck him. "Augh!"

"Ri/Nay/Tore/Leaf/Carrr!" His Pokémon screamed while his friends gasped.

"Flash!" Twilight yelled as they ran up to him, seeing Flash fall over. Everyone gathered around him next as she asked, "Are you okay?!"

"I...think so?" He barely replied, only to see everyone looking at him with wide eyes. "What?"

Nobody said anything while Twilight took off her glasses and held them up to his face. The reflection in the glass made him now see that his hair had been slightly burnt with black bits covering the tips along with parts of his jacket. Everyone flinched, ready to see him react as they knew how much he liked the way his hair was styled.

"Tore/Car," Riptide and Viper tried to apologize as Flash stood up.

"It doesn't matter," he responded before getting up. "Come on, we're wasting time."

His Pokémon shared a glance before seeing their trainer walk away, following him as his friends stared at the sight. "This is going too far," Twilight sighed.

"But what can we do?" Spike asked, "He's not gonna stop."

And as he said that, Flash continued to train his Pokémon throughout the day, only taking short breaks and rapidly eating any food. The others watched him from a distance, unable to find a way to stop him. They knew simply telling him wouldn't work, and begging him felt a little pathetic. Once again the day passed and Flash stayed outside to train into the night. But his Pokémon weren't looking so good.

"Come on guys!" He yelled as the five came to a stop. "Don't quit on me now!" The Pokémon all groaned but did as they were told, the group continuing to train while Flash started running laps around the canyon.

From their room in the mansion, Flash's friends watched as Doc commented, "He's gonna kill them."

"We have to do something," Twilight added, "If we don't, his Pokémon are either gonna drop down dead or mutiny against him."

As this happened, Knuckles stood atop the mansion roof, watching as Flash continued to run through the canyon. "Flash Sentry...you came second in the Hoof Cup and Hoofington Battle Tournament. Your Pokémon are strong, but I could see that it was you that led them to that strength." He let out a long sigh, "But the boy I see before me is not the same one I watched with admiration. Has your loss to that one opponent really pushed you this far? Why? Was there another motive to that battle?"

At the same time, Score and his goons were hiding on the other side of the roof, Score growling, "This is getting ridiculous."





It was day three of training, everyone in the canyon now amazed to see Flash was still training despite not having any proper sleep in the last seventy or so hours.

"Energy Ball!" Flash yelled as Prongs fired the sphere at Riptide, "Water Gun!" Riptide unleashed a blast of water that cut the sphere in half, causing the attacks to explode. "Good." he turned to the others as they were doing push-up, wing-ups or dragging large rocks by their tail, "Keep it up."

"FLASH!" They turned to the voice, seeing Twilight leading the others. "We need to talk."

Flash let out a sigh, "What now?! I've only got a day or so before the Pokérus wears off."

"No, you need to stop," Doc growled while pointing to his Pokémon. "Look at them. They can barely stand." To show his point, Springer appeared to be asleep on his feet while Riptide spat water straight up so it would fall back on his face to wake him up.

"They're fine," Flash replied while waving his hand, "We'll rest once we're done training. Until then, we don't have a second to waste."

"Flash! What's the matter with you?!" Twilight barked back, "You've never been this serious about training, and you've never pushed your Pokémon like this before."

"Well, maybe it's time I started," Flash hissed, "If I want to win the Equestria League, I need to break my limits."

"The only thing you're gonna break is your Pokémon," Twilight yelled, "They're not mindless machines that do you bidding, you know. If you keep this up, it's only going to end badly for you."

"I know what I'm doing," Flash replied before turning away, "If I'm not gonna try my absolute best, then what's the point of even being on this journey? I'm in this to win it. Nothing else matters."

Twilight's eyes narrowed at this, "Flash...just because you lost to Lightning doesn't mean you have to start acting like him!" This caused Flash to spin around, glaring at her. But despite this, she crossed her arms with a long frown, "You heard me. Don't deny it, because you're acting just like him." Flash's entire body began to shake, "If something's bothering you-"

"You know what's bothering me?!" he suddenly yelled, "A bunch of know-it-alls that think they can just boss me around and stop me from doing what needs to be done!" The others backpedaled at this, seeing Flash's face glow red as he pointed at them, "You know, maybe the reason I keep losing to Lightning is because I've had you guys dragging me down and holding me back! Maybe I'd be better off on my own! Did you ever think of that?!"

They all stood there slack-jawed, now seeing Flash pant as they could see his face was showing multiple emotions. Rage, despair, confusion and sadness in there, only for it all to harden as he turned back to his Pokémon. "Come on guys." He growled as he began to walk away, Springer and the others glancing between him and their friends. They gave them a wave before following their trainer, Twilight and the others just staring at the retreating trainer.

The day continued on like this, Flash and his team training and battling as much as they could. Despite how exhausted they all were, they still managed to be a challenge for anyone they faced. And as this happened, Twilight and the others kept their distance due to Flash's earlier threat. And as the day turned to night, almost everyone was at the mansion, resting up after a hard day's work. Everyone except Flash and his Pokémon.

"Is he still out there?" Knuckles asked the three watching Flash from the window.

"Yup," Twilight replied.

"I have to admit, I didn't think he could keep going this long." Doc added, "I figured he'd finally break today. That guy's too stubborn for his own good."

Spike moved over to Twilight, his sister looking down to pull him in a hug as he said, "Is Flash really gonna leave us?"

"Of course not," she responded, trying to show a smile. But as she glanced back at the window, the night covered where Flash would have been. "Flash..."





Back at the canyon, Flash continued to run. The teen was panting, his body waving back and forth, "No..." he moaned, "Must...keep...going." He felt himself getting slower, just about to reach the area his Pokémon were training in. But when he got there, he found them all laid out on the ground, "Come on guys!" He barely yelled, "Get up! We can't...we can't stop training."

The five all let out groans, the Pokémon just twitching in their sleep at the command. Flash opened his mouth to try to yell again, only to suddenly feel his face hitting the ground. His legs had gone out, his eyes shutting close as everything went black.

And as Flash tried to open his eyes, he went wide-eyed at the next sight. He was standing in a large stadium, gasping as his eyes darted around. His eyes grew even more as he then saw a new sight, all his Pokémon laid out on the field. But before he could even say anything, he saw another Pokémon standing above them, laughing.

It was Gorillamp, a giant grin on its face as it raised its fists. Flash looked down at what it was about to hit, now seeing an already knocked out Springer and Riptide under him.

"NO!" Flash screamed, only to find himself unable to move as both fists slammed into his Pokémon. Roars of laughter followed this as another voice called out.

"That's it!" He looked up to see Present Mic yelling into a microphone, "The winner, and new Equestria League champion is...LIGHTNING BLITZ!"

The podium Lightning was on appeared next, the biggest grin on his face as he laughed at Flash, "I told you, you worthless loser! I told you that you were nothing, and now...everybody knows it! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

And as he laughed, the podium continued to grow as Flash began to hear people in the stands call out.

"Well, that was disappointing."

"Why did that trainer even try?"

"I guess Lightning was right all along. Only special Pokémon have what it takes to be great."

"I'm gonna get rid of all of mine and get newer, better ones."

"No...that's not what I-" Flash tried to say, only to see his Pokémon suddenly get up. "Guys?"

They all turned away but Springer, the Riolu staring at him as he spoke up, "We're leaving."

"Leaving?! But-"

"Why would we want to be trained by such a weak trainer?" Springer interrupted, "After all, isn't that why Hopper left you?"

"That's not...no..." Flash muttered out, only to see Springer look away before they all disappeared. "NO! COME BACK!"

But before he could do anything, another voice called out, "Flash...Flash..."

"No...don't-"

"FLASH!"





The teen's eyes shot open, "GAH!" he screamed as his head shot up, gasping and panting until he saw Twilight kneeling besides him. "Twilight?" He rubbed his eyes, "What are you doing here?"

"I woke up and found you still hadn't come back," she replied, "I came to see how you were doing, but then I found you all passed out."

Flash let out a long groan, "Oh...how long have I been out?"

Twilight shrugged at this. "I don't know, but it's almost sunrise." She turned to his Pokémon, "And before you try anything, I suggest letting them rest a little longer. You too. You've all been pushing yourselves way too hard."

"We can't rest," Flash pushed himself back to his feet. "We're wasting time. It won't be long until the Pokérus wears off. We can't afford to let any of this time pass without training."

"And all this training will be pointless if you kill yourselves training," Twilight instantly chimed in as she stood up. "You're pushing them too hard."

"I know what I'm doing," Flash grumbled without looking at her. "It's for their own good."

"Is it? Is it really?! Or are you just letting what happened get to you?" Flash turned to her at this, now seeing her arms crossed with a dark glare on her face, "You know Flash, I'll admit that none of us have said anything, but we know you're taking your loss against Lightning hard."

Flash immediately looked away, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do!" Twilight yelled, grabbing his shoulder, only for Flash to shrug it off. As he did this, she grabbed it again and yelled, "Don't do that! Don't pretend you're not upset Flash! Don't you remember what we told you?!" She let out a long sigh, "Its...its okay to be down about losing." Her grip intensified as she said these next words, "But it's not okay to push your Pokémon past the breaking point."

"Maybe they need to be broken," Flash replied as he turned back to her with a glare. "Maybe the only way for them to break through their limits is to break themselves first, then rebuild themselves as the strongest Pokémon in all of Equestria. Maybe then we can finally beat him!" But as he said this, a disgusted look appeared on her face. "What?!"

"So that's it?! You're willing to cause your Pokémon serious, fatal or even permanent harm, just so you can beat Lightning in a battle?!"

Flash spun around again, "You don't understand."

"Then tell me," she said as she walked around him, making him look at her, "Help me understand."

"I lost to him!" Flash screamed in her face, his eyes twitching as his face turned red. "Again and again I keep telling him he's wrong, and again and again he keeps beating me! I promised Grand Hoof I would beat him and show him his way is wrong, but I couldn't!"

"That's not your fault."

"Yes it is! Grand counted on me!" Flash screeched, pointing at himself, "I'm the trainer! ME! I'm the one that gives out the commands! I'm the one that switches them out! I'm the one that...that keeps training them. And because of that..." His hands clenched into fists, his eyes closing as he grit his teeth, "Lightning beat me."

"But that doesn't justify all of this!" Twilight yelled while pointing at his Pokémon, "Lightning may be a strong trainer, but that doesn't make what he does right."

"Then why did he win?!" Flash screamed again, his voice echoing throughout the canyon. "If it isn't right, then why was he on the winner's podium?! Why did I fail Grand?! Why did Lightning get to lord his victory over me and laugh in my face and call my Pokémon garbage and prove it to all of Equestria?! Tell me why Twilight!"

And as he screamed that, he began to pant, gasping for air as Twilight didn't respond. Seeing this, Flash walked past the girl, "That's what I thought." He went over to the edge of the canyon, sitting down before staring into the darkness of the night.

A minute or so later, Twilight walked over and sat down beside him. "Flash...I might not be the most knowledgeable when it comes to battling-"

"Don't sell yourself too short," Flash grumbled, "You did better than me against him in the tournament."

"That's not..." Twilight tried to reply, only for her brain to go over how both matches went, remembering Flash only won half the match while Twilight won two-thirds. "Oh...right."

"Yeah. You're better than me already." He looked away from her, "Makes you wonder why you're not the trainer going for the league."

"Flash..." Twilight let out a sigh, shaking her head before patting his shoulder, "Look at me." His head slowly shifted over, soon staring at her as she showed a small smile, "Flash, if there's one thing I've learned since the day we've met, its that the way you train Pokémon is definitely the best."

"Then why did I lose?"

Twilight closed her eyes at this, taking a deep breath before opening her eyes and replying, "Listen...Lightning's methods may have made his Pokémon stronger than yours right now, but that won't last forever." Flash raised an eyebrow at this, about to respond before Twilight continued, "Lightning's Pokémon are stronger right now, but that's only physical strength. And physical strength has its limits. Eventually, Lightning's Pokémon are gonna reach a point where they can't get any stronger just by training alone."

"But that's...that's not..."

Twilight shook her head again, putting both hands on his shoulders, "Flash, your Pokémon can surpass his." She felt him trying to backpedal at this, only for her to increase her grip. "Don't. Listen Flash...they can surpass him. Do you know why?" He shook his head, "Because your Pokémon have another kind of strength. One which doesn't have any limits." She placed her hand on his chest, "Their hearts. The body might have limits, but the heart and soul of a Pokémon can grow to an infinite amount. That's something you've helped me learn."

Flash's eyes went wide at this, barely able to respond, "Twilight..."

Her smile grew as she continued, "Flash, there'll come a point when both you and Lightning get your Pokémon to their physical limit. But while Lightning's will be stuck, your Pokémon will continue to grow and reach their true potential. And eventually, they'll not only catch up to Lightning's Pokémon, they'll surpass them. I know they will." But as she said this, she saw the frown on Flash's face grow. "Flash?"

"That won't work." Flash replied, looking away again, "Lightning's right...I'm worthless. And I'm even weaker now than I was in our last battle. I don't have Hopper with me anymore! I...I don't know what to do!"

"Flash...stop saying that." He opened his mouth to respond, but she shoved her hand over it. She began to glare at him, despite still showing him her calm smile, "Listen to me Flash. You're not weak, and you're not worthless! You're a great trainer."

Flash just stared at her, tears appearing in his eyes. He couldn't respond, his mind swirling as memories of Hopper and Lightning both shined in his head. And as this happened, his brain went back to reality, seeing Twilight staring right in his eyes as she spoke up, "Flash...you're a wonderful trainer." She removed her hand as her smile grew, "And I know you're sad about Hopper, and you have every right to be. But you have a Pokémon egg that'll hatch soon. And when it does, I'm sure it'll be much happier getting trained by the real you then it would the you who's trying to be like Lightning!"

"But...but what if the real me isn't strong enough?"

Twilight shook her head, "Flash...who was it that trained Hopper and helped him beat Cadmus before becoming the King of Dragons?"

Flash looked away at this, "Me."

"And who was it that saved Sonata from Guile Hideout and helped her free Sirenity and save their city?"

"Me."

"Who was it that helped Champagoon when it went on a rampage in Canterlot?"

"Me."

"And who was it that earned Celestia's respect enough for him to be entrusted with being the person I travel with? Who was it that showed Doc there's more to life than facts and statistics, so much so that he asked to come with him? Who was it that saved me and Shine from Piedoom, despite the danger to himself?"

Flash slowly glanced back at her, "Me."

Twilight nodded at this, "And who was it...that Pegasoar revealed himself to?"

"Me." He replied again, feeling a tug in his heart at this, a certain seed of doubt now vanishing.

"Exactly. You, not Lightning. Because you're not just strong, but you're also brave, caring and loyal. Even if Lightning beats you a hundred times, me, Springer, the rest of your team and every other friend you've made know that you are the one worthy of being the next Equestrian champion. The only one who doesn't know that...is you."

Flash remained silent at this, Twilight seeing the frown still on his face. Despair was shaking in his eyes, showing his heart was trying to get rid of the doubt. But as she watched this, a certain memory shined in her head, making her reach into her bag. The next thing Flash knew, Twilight placed something on the ground beside him, seeing it was a package, "What's this?"

"Rarity gave it to me. She said to give it to you when you were feeling better. Hopefully, that's now." She picked herself up, "Please don't change who you are Flash." She then looked away, "We care about you, but its this version of you we really care about. If you let yourself become like Lightning just to beat him, then he'll have truly won."

With that, she began to walk away as Flash stared at the ground. He remained like that for an unknown amount of time, unable to look away. His eyes only began to look away when he heard a noise. Turning to it, he saw his Pokémon were gone.

"Ri," Flash then saw his Pokémon standing a ways off, each showing large frowns.

"Guys..." he muttered out, Twilight's words echoing through his head. Before he could say anything else, he kneeled down and put his head to the ground, "I'm so sorry." The five went wide-eyed at this, "I let Lightning get in my head, and because of that, you all suffered." He looked up at them, tears in his eyes. "Can you ever forgive me?"

The five just stared at him, only for smiles to slowly appear on their faces. And with a united joyful cry, they ran over and tackled him. "Whoa!" he yelped as he was pinned, the five all rubbing up against him. "I'll take that as a yes." They replied with their own cries before getting off, Flash picking himself up, only to see the many scratches and scrapes all over their bodies. "Twilight's right. We can't keep training like this. It's not right for me to push you like this."

"RIO/TORE/SPRAN/CHIT/CARRR!" They roared, shaking their heads before getting back into a battle stance.

Flash raised an eyebrow. "What?! You wanna keep training?" They nodded, "But-"

"Riolu!" Springer yelled, walking up to him. He began to speak, and though not exactly knowing what he was saying, Flash understood what he was trying to convey. "We wanna get strong enough to beat Lightning too. To prove him wrong. We'll get stronger...the right way." He then held out a paw, "But we need your help."

Flash stared at the paw for several seconds, then glancing at the others. "Are you sure?" They all nodded, Flash slowly smiling and taking the paw. "Alright." He stood up at this, "But this time we do it the right way. We train until we can't go on, then we stop and rest. The training will be pointless if we overexert ourselves to the point of self-destruction."

The others nodded, Flash then looking down at himself. He saw how badly his clothes had been damaged in the training along with his hair, seeing some it about to fall apart any minute. As he did this, he remembered the parcel and crouched down to open it, going wide-eyed at his contents.

And as he reached inside, something new caught the corner of his eye. A light off in the distance made him look up to see the sun was beginning to rise. Flash moved over to the edge of the canyon, the light of the new day washing over him as his Pokémon walked up beside him. Flash then felt something radiate inside his heart, new confidence filling him up.

He took off his jacket and held it in his hands, closing his eyes as he remembered everything he had been through up to this point. Every adventure, every victory and every failure. Everything he had learned. "A new beginning...and it starts right now." With that, he let go of his jacket, the wind picking it up from his grasp.

And as the jacket was blown away, it took with it everything holding Flash back.





Later...

The day was half over now, many of the trainers spending that time to work their butts off. But as they did this, Flash was strangely absent along with his Pokémon. Back at the mansion, Twilight, Doc and Spike watched as the trainers returned to see if their Pokémon still had the Pokérus.

"Anything?" Knuckles asked as he walked up to them.

Twilight shook her head while holding Shine in her arms, "No. I don't see him anywhere."

"You don't think he left, do you?" Spike asked with a gulp, remembering Flash's earlier threat despite Twilight telling them what he had told her.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon," Knuckles responded, "After all, he needs to come back and see if his Pokémon still have Pokérus. Plus, you have his bag and the egg is still at the center."

As he said that, the last of the trainers arrived, moving their Pokémon to Knuckles. But as they did this, the sounds of multiple Pokémon suddenly cried out, everyone turning to see the trainers' Pokémon had all vanished. "What?!" Knuckles yelped as the group soon ran over to the area, only to find a large hole in the ground with the Pokémon inside. "What's the meaning of this?"

His answer came from a loud holler of laughter, making them look up to see a balloon appear from behind the mansion, everyone seeing a certain trio inside. "You guys?!" Twilight growled, "What are you doing here?!"

"What do you think?!" Score barked back as he pressed a button. "Selling these super strong Pokémon will seriously put us in the green!" As he said that, a metal cord came out of the bottom of the basket that had a metal box on the end of it. "And we'll barely have anything cutting into a profits because we got all our merchandise at a real steal." Four lines shot out of the metal box, striking four corners of the pit.

Everyone gasped as the lines pulled back, pulling a net out of the pit. The Pokémon inside cried out, trying to pull themselves free until Score pressed another button, this one electrifying the net. They screamed out as they were zapped, the trainers gasping again.

"That's it!" Doc took out a Pokeball, "Flitanium!"

"Fly!" The bird squawked as it appeared, Shine and Peewee jumping out to help him.

"How cute," Score chuckled as Flitanium flew upward. "Boys?" Boulder and Rickashay took out a Pokeball, throwing them as light began to take shape to reveal two Pokémon, one falling right on Flitanium.

"FLY!" It cried as the shape tried to slam it into the ground, the armored bird barely able to slip away before the Pokémon hit the dirt. A large dust cloud appeared at this, slowly fading to reveal two new Pokémon. The first was one Twilight and her friends recognized, that being the Tusk Pokémon: Stalorn.

The other Pokémon was a large bulky humanoid creature the size of an Abomasnow. It's entire head was covered in the light blue cone seen on a Stompice's head, a pair of ice near the bottom of it and a mouth underneath that made the bottom of the cone look like a moustache. The rest of its body was covered in white, with large arms and legs that were covered in light blue ice. "FROSTORGE!" It roared.

"What's that?" Spike asked as Twilight reached into Flash's bag and grabbed his Pokedex.

Name: Frostorge
Category: Bigfoot Pokémon
Type: Ice/Dark
Info: The evolved form of Stompice. This Pokémon's hostile nature make them difficult to train if caught in the wild. Their most common expression of strength is seeing how much stuff they can break in an allotted time.

"Seems their Stompice evolved." Doc replied, "We'll still take them out. I'll deal with Stalorn while you guys take Frostorge."

"Right," they nodded as Flitanium charged.

"Iron Head!" Flitanium slammed his head into Stalorn, causing it to stagger back.

"Mystical Fire/Incinerate!" The two unleashed their fire moves at the ice ogre, the giant crossing its large arms for the attack.

"Alright Spike," Twilight turned to her brother, "The bigger they are..."

"The harder they fall!" Spike finished.

"Steel Wing!" Flitanium unfurled its wings, now slashing at the Stalorn with rapid speed.

"That's the way," Knuckles commented as the other trainers cheered.

But as this happened, Score chuckled, "Don't count your Torchics till they hatch," he took out a Pokeball, throwing it as it revealed a third Pokémon. The energy shot down between Shine and Frostorge, the Galarian Ponyta jumping back...only to gasp as it saw the new creature appear. Score's Jesterror had evolved into a Pokémon Shine knew more than any other.

"Piedoom…" it hissed.

"Nee..." Shine's entire body shook as the Phantom Clown looked down at her.

"Shine, get away from that thing!"

"Oh? Scared, are we? Perfect! Slash!" Piedoom drew two of its swords, Twilight gasping as she saw the blades about to slice the pony.

"SHINE!"

"Flitanium!" Doc yelled, the armored bird turning to the sight.

Piedoom swung its sword down, only for a clang to go out as Flitanium's wing blocked it. "Fly!" He squawked, growling as he began to push the blade back.

Piedoom and its trainer smirked as Stalorn turned to them. "Rock Blast!" Its horn glowed, firing a light that morphed into rocks as they flew toward Piedoom and Flitanium.

"Shadow Sneak!" Piedoom shifted into a shadow that the rocks flew through, causing Flitanium to get knocked back by the rubble.

"Tay!" It cried as he was thrown back.

At the same time, Peewee continued to battle Frostorge alone. "Steel Wing!" Peewee flew up with glowing wings, slamming into Frostorge, who used its bulky arms to defend.

"Ice Shard!" In its other hand, a large ice ball appeared, throwing right into Peewee's face.

"PEEWEE!" Spike screamed as he saw the dragon fall back, hitting the ground with a rolling thud.

As this happened, Shine was still frozen at the sight of Piedoom. The sight made Doc and Twilight glance at each other, "They need help."

They reached for their Pokeballs, only for Score to yell, "Dark Pulse!" Piedoom turned to them and fired the burst of dark energy, hitting the ground in front of them, an explosion coming next that knocked them off their feet.

"Fly!" Flitanium cried as Peewee and Shine spun around to their trainers. Shine forgot her fear at this, about to charge for her trainer, only for Piedoom to suddenly appear in front of her.

"Pied!" It roared before slamming its foot into Shine, knocking her back. At the same time, Frostorge ran up and used Ice Punch on Peewee before he could get up.

"NEE/TERRA!" They cried as they were thrown back.

"Excellent!" Score cheered before seeing Flitanium charging at Piedoom. "Now, Trump Sword!" Piedoom reached back and grabbed its other swords before throwing them, only for portals to open up in front of them. They shot through the portals and vanished, confusing the bird, only for four portals to appear around it.

"Look out!" Doc yelled as he tried to get up, but it was too late.

The blades struck, making the bird scream before Boulder spoke up, "Stone Edge!" His Stalorn slammed its feet into the ground, unleashing a line of rock spikes that struck Flitanium with ease.

"FLY!" the bird cried before flopping over, spirals in his eyes.

"Good." Score pressed another button and three more nets shot out of the box, the nets grabbing all three Pokémon.

"SHINE/PEEWEE/NO!" Their trainers yelled as their Pokémon were pulled up, the nets electrifying to prevent their escape.

"Well, this has been fun," Score chuckled as the three returned their Pokémon. "But we really must be off." He began to laugh as the trainers picked themselves up, all groaning from their injuries. "But don't worry. I'll be sure to find some lovely trainers for these Pokémon....ones with big, money-filled pockets. HA!"

But as he began to laugh, an orb of blue energy suddenly stuck the balloon. "Huh?!" he yelped as a loud popping sound signalled their sudden descent, the Pokemon inside the net screaming in fear. But before they could hit the ground, a burst of fire suddenly struck the top of the net, burning it before a black blur flew in and grabbed the net.

In a burst of speed so great that nobody could follow it, the net was flown down and was gently placed in front of the trainers. The criminals did not get such a gentle landing, the balloon hitting the ground, making them roll out of the basket.

"Shine!" Twilight cried as the Pokemon pulled themselves free of the net, her Ponyta running up and leaping into her arms, "Oh thank goodness..."

"Nee..."

"It's okay....its okay." She whispered as everyone else checked their Pokémon, finding them to be okay while the criminals started to get up.

"Okay, who's the wise guy that just ruined my big score?!" Score barked as he turned to where the attack had come from.

And as the rest did the same, they all saw five figures walking up to them, a sixth flying back to join the group. Their features were blocked by the light of the sun behind them, only Twilight, Doc and Spike all recognised five of the outlines, Twilight speaking up as they watched the sixth one walk up. "Flash?"

Flash and his Pokemon smiled back, Flash's friends seeing he was sporting an entirely new look. He had cut off the burnt parts of his hair, which was now much shorter and had a sleek mature vibe to it. His clothes were the biggest difference, now wearing a black zipped up jacket with the lightning shield emblem on the shoulders. The teen's pants were now more tight fitting and ended at his shoes, which were now a mixture of black and white with yellow lightning bolts on the sides.

But the biggest difference was the look on his face. It wasn't his normal goofy smile, but instead the anger and determined glare one that he wore in problematic situations. It was his confident yet serious smirk he would always wear. Twilight couldn't help but be reminded of her brother when she saw that look, remembering all the times seeing him wear it.

"Not this kid again!" Score screamed.

"Big Score...glad you're here. We needed someone to test our training on." Flash chuckled as he turned to the others, seeing they were trying to get into a battle stance. "Hold back guys. I've got this." The others blinked at him, only to then see his Pokemon tense up.

"You've got nothing!" Score yelled as they took out their Pokeballs, unleashing their three Pokemon.

"Huh...so they evolved. Even better for a test run." He turned to his team, "You guys ready?" They all nodded as Flash pointed at the enemy, "Alright then, Springer and Viper, take out the Ice-type. Prongs and Riptide, Stalorn's all yours. Skyler, think you can handle Piedoom on your own?"

"TORE!" Skyler squawked back while the others cheered.

"Then let's go!" With that, Flash and his team charged. Skyler being the fastest, reached the phantom clown and grabbed it before anyone could say anything, lifting it into the air.

"Pied!" It cried as it tried to struggle, but Skyler dropped it before it could do anything, making it land a good distance away.

"Dark Pulse!"

"Stone Edge!" The two fired their attacks, everyone watching in horror at the speed the attacks were going at Springer and Riptide. But as they were about to hit, the two disappeared.

"Where'd they go?!" Spike asked as Springer and Riptide suddenly reappeared right in front of their opponents, leaping at them as Flash called out an attack.

"Drain Punch and Rock Smash!" The two roared as they swung their punch and kick, striking the two back.

"Amazing," Twilight whispered, "Springer didn't even use Extreme Speed."

Knuckles was fully wide-eyed at this, "Incredible. I've seen some impressive results from Pokérus training before, but never to this degree."

"Slash!" Score yelled as Piedoom pulled its swords out, trying to slash at Skyler. But as it did this, the bird zipped around every swipe.

"Steel Wing!" Skyler's wings glowed before slashing at the opponent, the wings clanging against the swords. The attacks easily pushed the clown back, making Flash smirk before seeing Viper and Prongs charge their opponents. "Flamethrower and Leech Seed!"

"Hack...CARRR!" Viper unleashed a stream of fire while Prongs shot the seeds from his horns, the flames hitting Frostorge before the vines appeared and strung up the Pokémon instantly.

"Little twerps," Rickashay growled as Frostorge fell to its knees. "Use Ice Shard!"

"Rock Blast!" Their Pokemon fired a large chunk of rock and ice at Prongs and Viper, only for Springer and Riptide to leap in front of them.

"Aura Sphere and Water Gun!" The two countered the chunks with their attacks, both shattering the ice and rock before striking their opponents. At the same time, Skyler managed to get past Piedoom's blades, slashing it down the chest.

"DOOM/LORN/FROST!" They cried while staggering back, the crowd's jaws dropping at the sight.

"He's wiping the floor with them!" Spike cheered as Knuckles gasped.

"This is more than just the Pokerus," he told the trio, "I've never seen improvement of this magnitude."

Twilight was thinking the same thing, her gaze completely on Flash and seeing the smile on his face. The changes he had undergone weren't just psychical, but mental. "Flash..."

"Flame Wheel, Energy Ball and Tornado Burst!" Prongs fired the orb of green energy while Viper and Skyler charged, spinning their bodies in different ways as they were surrounded by their elements. The Energy Ball struck Stalorn, knocking it back as Viper slammed into Frostorge, Skyler then exploding out of the tornado and striking Piedoom with a single speedy blow.

Stalorn and Frostorge were knocked onto their backs, looking close to defeat while Piedoom managed to land on its feet before disappearing into a shadow. It slithered over to its teammates as the trainers ran over to them. "Get up!" Score yelled as Piedoom materialized, Skyler moving over to the rest of his team. "Piedoom, get them!" The ghost clown charged while pulling out its blades again.

"Time for something new." Flash looked up at Skyler, "Get ready." Skyler nodded and flew up as Flash turned to Viper, "Use Crunch!"

"Carrr!" Viper hissed before slithering forward.

"Trump Sword!" Piedoom threw its swords as portals began to appear.

"Flash, LOOK OUT!" Doc yelled as Flash saw the portals appear around Viper.

"Springer, Double Team!" Springer charged as four copies of him appeared, the copies leaping up as the swords shot out of the portal. Each sword was blocked by the Springer clones, which were all dispelled at the same time.

Viper then took this moment to leap at the Dark Ghost-type, wrapping his tail around its waist! "CAR!" Viper bit into Piedoom's shoulder, making the Phantom Ghost cry out.

"Let's finish this Skyler!" Flash exclaimed as his Tornavian squawked back, Viper taking this moment to let Piedoom go before leaping back. "Giga...IMPACT!" Everyone gasped at those words, seeing Skyler began to dive down as a purple aura with yellow stripes spiralled around his body.

"Ha! Idiot." Score laughed, "Take that attack head on Piedoom. It won't hurt you." He turned to the others, "Get ready boys." They all nodded as Piedoom leapt in front of them and crossed its swords, Skyler now completely encased in energy.

Everyone else watched as Skyler reached Piedoom, expecting the attack to do nothing, only for Piedoom to cry out. "DOOM!" It roared as the attack pushed it back, shocking everyone as Skyler smashed through his blades before hitting the ghost's chest before-

KABOOM!

Everyone flinched at the explosion that occurred, Skyler being gently pushed back as the criminals and their Pokémon were sent rocketing into the sky.

"WHAT?! That's impossible!" Score screamed, "Ghost-types aren't affected by Normal-type moves! That the rule!"

"Maybe somebody changed the rule?" Rickashay chimed in, "People used to think a bunch of Fairy-types were actually Normal-types, so maybe this is one of those things."

"Oh, shut up!" Were Score's last words before the six disappeared into the distance.

With them gone, everyone turned their focus back on Flash as Skyler glided down, the teen chuckled as he patted Skyler's head. "Gotta love that Scrappy ability."

"FLASH!" He glanced over to his friends as they ran up to him, "You're still here!" Spike cried, tears of joy flowing out of his eyes.

"And you look...different," Doc added.

"Yeah..." Flash replied while rubbing the back of his head, "My old clothes were pretty beat up. Rarity sure knows how to make something cool." He turned to Twilight with a slight blush on his face, "What do you think?"

Twilight looked him over before a smile appeared on her face. "I like it. Makes you look a little more...mature."

Flash chuckled back, "Well, I think it's time I started acting more mature." He then let out a low sigh, a frown appearing on his face, "And starts with me saying...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let Lightning get in my head and make me act like that. I'm sorry for what I said to you guys yesterday and...I understand if you don't want to travel with me anymore."

This statement made the trio go wide-eyed, Doc exclaiming, "What are you, nuts?! Of course we want to still travel with you!"

"Yeah!" Spike added.

"That is, if you're okay with us dragging you down and holding you back," Twilight finished as Flash turned to her, a blush on his face as he looked away.

"Yeah...sorry. If anything, it's only thanks to you guys I've made it this far."

"And don't you forget it," Twilight giggled before putting a hand on his chest. "Because we're more then just travel partners and friends. We're family." She and Flash shared a smile before she turned to the rest of the Pokémon, "All of us." They all cheered before running over, everyone soon sharing a big hug as they felt their bonds reaffirm themselves, now growing stronger than ever.

And as they did this, Knuckles moved over to them. "Thank you Flash. Thank you for stopping those criminals. It looks like the Pokérus really did help them all grow stronger." He then took out the scanner and waved it over, not hearing a single beep. "But it looks like that's the end of the help it'll give you."

"That's fine," Flash replied, "We'll keep training, the right way." He turned to his team, "Because we won't let anything or anyone tell us we're weak. We have our own strengths, even if it's not easy to see them. And one day, all of Equestria will see them. Right guys?"

"RIO/TORE/SPRAN/LEAF/CARRR!" They all cheered.

Throughout their adventures, Flash and his team had faced many challenges and had not always been victorious. But no matter how many times they fall, they would continue to rise once again. Their strength, both mentally, psychically and emotionally, would continue to grow. And no matter what anyone else said, they would never let the belief they had in themselves and each other waver ever again. As the journey continues.
> Truth Like the Sun Stone
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continuing their journey to Manehatten City and Flash's seventh Equestria Gym Challenge, the group were now making their way through a wooded mountain area. Currently, they had stopped for a bit of lunch, the trainers sitting on some rocks while eating Doc's delicious sandwiches and their Pokémon were eating their food as well. And as Flash finished off his meal, he wiped his mouth before looking down at the egg sitting between his feet.

He took out a cloth and removed the egg from its case, the teen lifting it onto his lap as he started cleaning it. The others smiled at this while Spike turned to Twilight, "So how much longer will it be until we reach Manehatten?"

Twilight took out her journal, showing Spike a map screen, "We're here," she pointed to an area before zooming out, showing they were a couple of days away from the coast. She then pointed to a dot on a different coast, "And this is Manehatten. To get there, we'll need to head to a place called Seaward Shoals. There, we can get a boat that'll take us to an outer port town a day or so away from Manehatten."

"Sweet! Another boat trip!" Spike cheered, "So much better than a bunch of caves..."

Doc chuckled at this. "Agreed, though hopefully this one won't end the same way our last one did." Everyone laughed at that as they finished their lunch, soon packing up while Flash put his egg back in its case.

"Okay, everyone ready?" They all nodded, only for Springer to let out a quick yelp, making them all turn to him and see the Riolu standing still.

"What's up bud?" Flash asked before Springer pointed at one of the nearby bushes, everyone realizing he must be sensing something. That theory was confirmed when the bush started rustling, Springer and Peewee getting into a battle stance while Doc and Twilight reached for a Pokeball.

That is, till they saw what was in the bush. "A Geckolar?" Twilight commented as the fire lizard calmly walked out, glancing up at them. It stared at the group for a few seconds, blinking before casually walking past them and into some more bushes.

"That was...weird," Spike added as they saw Geckolar disappear into the bushes.

"Really weird," Twilight continued while rubbing her chin in thought, "Geckolar aren't known for living in these areas. A wooded area like this would be terrible for them. One errant blast of fire and the whole place would go up in flames."

"But there are more mountainous spots in that location," Doc pointed out. "Maybe it's looking for a new home." He then turned to Flash, now seeing a long frown on his face, "What's wrong Flash?"

The others glanced at him as he replied, "Well...I was just wondering if I should try and catch that thing." Everyone raised an eyebrow at this, "I mean, I've already got a Fire-type. Would it be smart to fill my team up with another one?" He held his egg up, "Especially with this little guy on the way."

"I don't think it's such a bad idea," Twilight responded, "Even if Viper's a Fire-type, he and Geckolar have very different methods of fighting. Remember how Ray fought in the Battle Tournament? You'd never see Viper with those kinds of moves. Catching a Pokémon that fights differently could be useful."

"That's good enough for me," Flash smirked before turning to Springer. "Let's go catch that thing!"

"RI!" Springer cheered.

"Small problem though," Doc added while pointing at the direction Geckolar had gone. "It's getting away."

"Right." Flash said as he began to sprint after the fire lizard, the others following him. They pushed their way through the bushes, only to find nothing. "Great...where'd it go?!"

"Guess its a fast little thing," Twilight commented, "But it looked like it was going straight ahead, so we should catch up if we do the same."

Flash then turned to Springer, "Sense anything?" Springer closed his eyes, only to shake his head. But as he did this, his ears suddenly flared up, spinning around to a bush to their side.

"Ri?" He went up to the other bush, the others following him as they soon saw the fire lizard running away.

"How'd it get there?" Spike asked as they began to chase it.

"Not sure. But I don't think it's the same one," Twilight added as they followed the lizard...only to see another Geckolar to walk out of another bush. The group came to a stop at this, soon seeing within a few seconds several more Geckolar coming out of the woodwork. It became literal after this, the lizards now being seen using the trees to move around.

"What the heck is going on?" Flash added.

Doc hummed while tilting his head, "Some kind of...mass migration?"

"I've never read anything about Geckolar migrating...at least, in terms of anything that's been researched about them." Twilight commented before turning to Flash, "Maybe you should hold off on catching one until we know where they're going. A battle could scare them away."

Flash nodded back before they began to follow the Geckolar through the wooded mountain, soon reaching an area with less trees. The ground in this area was still covered in grass, though the trees were slowly being replaced by large boulders that were covered in moss. Some were as large as twenty feet, and it was through these rocks that the Geckolar were making there way through, some crawling up and over while others went around.

"They're all heading in the same direction," Spike stated as they kept following the lizards.

"Its definitely migration behavior..." Twilight commented, "But what are they migrating too?"

And as this question came out of her mouth, the group came to the V-shaped entrance of a stone canyon. They glanced inside, now seeing the walls were a series of steps, with the next step being about five foot higher than the previous. The Geckolar all headed inside the canyon, Flash and his friends sharing a glance. "What do you think? Think its a good idea to go in?"

"We could be wandering into some kind of nesting ground," Doc replied, "If that's true, the Geckolar might not be happy if we intrude."

"They might attack," Twilight added as Flash and Spike hummed at this.

Flash started scratching the side of his head, staring up at the canyon. "So it's either stay here and wonder what's happening in there, or go in and risk getting attacked." He glanced down at his egg, a frown on his face. And as he opened his mouth to say his decision-

"There is another option." The four hopped in place at this, now hearing a deep masculine voice.

"Did you guys hear that?" Spike asked.

"Please tell me that was one of you guys," Twilight added before they all shook their heads.

"It wasn't them."

"Where are you?" Twilight asked next, the group reaching for their Pokeballs.

"Twilight Sparkle," the group froze at hearing that name, "Turn ninety degrees to your right." Twilight did this, only to go wide-eyed as she saw a Geckolar on top of a large rock. The lizard smiled at her as the voice spoke up, "Hello there."

"Please tell me you all heard that," Flash said with a slight gulp.

"It...spoke," Spike stuttered out.

"Don't be ridiculous," Twilight hissed as she walked up to the lizard, "There's no such thing as a talking Pokémon." She squinted her eyes, readjusting her glasses before pointing at the Pokémon's neck, "See? It's that collar."

"Impressive," the voice replied before Geckolar turned away. "If you wish to know what's happening in the canyon, then follow."

With that, Geckolar leapt off the rock, quickly scurrying along the ground. The others shared a glance, Flash asking, "So uh...what do you think?"

"Well...why not?" Twilight responded while shrugging, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." The boys nodded and began to follow the Geckolar back through the rocks and soon the trees. It wasn't long till they found themselves at a small clearing, along with a tent.

They watched as the Geckolar scurried inside, the four and their Pokémon staring at it. "Still think this was a good idea?"

"Only one way to find out," Flash replied as he walked up and grabbed the opening of the tent. He poked his head inside, soon going wide-eyed, "Sunset?"

The red and yellowed haired girl spun around, giggling as they all entered the tent while the Geckolar, which they realized was Ray, crawled up onto her shoulder. "Hey guys. Didn't expect to see you around here."

Twilight ran up and gave her hug before pulling away, "What are you doing here?" She gasped, "Is Celestia-"

"She's not here right now," Sunset replied before turning to Flash, "Well well well..." She walked up and began to circle around him, "Someone's looking different."

"Yeah..." Flash responded, "I decided I needed a change. What do you think?"

"I like it," Sunset nodded. "The hair's a definite improvement." Flash glared back at her, pouting at the dis on his destroyed hairstyle. "But what are you guys doing here? This place is a pretty big detour from Hoofington to Manehatten."

"It's...a long story. What are you doing here?"

"Come to watch the Geckolar migration?" Twilight asked, getting a nod from Sunset as Ray jumped onto a table.

"That's right. This is a very special area. It's where Geckolar come to evolve."

"Evolve?" Twilight's eyes went wide, "You mean that canyon has Sun Stones in it?!"

"That's what I'm here to find out," Sunset replied as she patted Ray's head. "I've equipped Ray with a camera so we can see and hear everything he does. It even has a voice box so I can talk to Ray if needs be."

"Why'd you make it sound like a man?" Spike asked, getting a raised eyebrow from Sunset.

She grabbed a microphone and spoke into it, hearing the muffled version of her voice come out before sighing and removing the collar, "Stupid thing."

She grabbed a screwdriver and started fiddling with it, only for Doc to lean down and say, "Here, let me." He took the device as the Sunset turned to the others.

"So Geckolar can evolve?" Flash asked.

"Yeah. It's called Solamander," Sunset replied. "They evolve into them with Sun Stones."

Flash took out his Pokedex and typed the name in, getting an image of the Pokémon. It looked like Ray, only it was standing on two legs with long arms. Twilight was reminded of the Pokémon Salazzle, the way it was standing looking exactly how she had seen them in pictures. Its body was mainly yellow with large black spots on it, just like Geckolar, but it also had a short red horn atop its head that curved up. Behind that horn starting at the back of its head, were medium sized spikes that were black and curled while running down the back of its neck, spine and tail. A short red spike also stuck out the back of the Pokémon's arms and knees, the ones on its arm pointing toward it hands.

Name: Solamander
Category: Sun Lizard Pokémon
Type: Fire
Info: The evolved form of Geckolar. Legends say that an Geckolar that spends 24 hours in constant sunlight will evolve into this powerful creature. It is said that the higher the sun in the sky, the more powerful its flames become.

"Wow...that thing looks cool." Flash commented before looking up at Sunset, "Are you gonna try and evolve Ray?"

"You know it," Sunset nodded. "But it's how that's baffling."

"Why?" Spike asked as Sunset pointed at a laptop on a table that showed a map of the area.

"This area doesn't have the right conditions for Sun Stones to form. There shouldn't be any way for Geckolar to evolve. That's the mystery I've come to solve."

"So that's why you want Ray to go in," Doc added as he handed Sunset the repaired collar.

"Exactly, but there's something else I'm looking into. Despite all the Geckolar that come here to evolve, there's usually only one Solamander amongst them when they leave." This made everyone raise eyebrows, "And it's not just any Solamander. It's an alpha."

"An Alpha?" Flash asked as Sunset pointed to his Pokedex. Handing it over, she tapped a few buttons before showing another image on its screen. Everyone stared at the device, now seeing another Solamander. This one at first glance there didn't appear to be anything different, but they soon saw that the red spikes on this Solamander were larger. The ones on the arms and knees were twice as large and the one on its head was the same size, but there were actually two on its head that formed a V-shape. Not only that, a pair of red spikes were also sticking out of its shoulders.

"So that's an alpha?" Doc asked.

Twilight nodded at this. "Yup. Alpha Solamander are bigger and stronger than beta ones, but nobody knows how they evolve."

Sunset sighed at this, "No matter what happens, whenever someone evolves a Geckolar with a Sun Stone, it's always the beta type. No Geckolar has ever been seen evolving into the alpha, until now." She put the collar around Ray, "I've tracked this migration, and now I've located the area the Geckolar go to evolve." With that, Ray scuttled out of the tent. "And I'm going to film them evolving."

"That's great," Twilight clapped, "This could make you famous."

Sunset shined a big grin, "I know. And once I've discovered how a Geckolar becomes an alpha, I'm going to follow them as they finish their migration."

"Finish?" Spike asked. "They're not done?"

"Not even close," Sunset replied, "According to eye witness accounts, the alpha have been seen leading the Geckolar toward areas where Sun Stones can be found. And every year it's a different spot. It's almost like the alpha can sense their location."

"Cool," Spike whispered.

"It certainly is," Sunset responded, "I just hope Ray doesn't miss it." She pressed a button on her laptop, the image changing to show what was being captured by Ray's collar as he scurried along the ground.





Ray arrived at the canyon, looking up at the V-shape before heading inside. As he did this, he and those watching heard loud crashing sounds.

The group exchanged glances at that, nobody speaking as Ray continued through the canyon until it suddenly curved. And when he walked around the corner, he found himself looking at all the Geckolar that Flash and the others had followed.

They were scattered all over the place, all on the rock steps, and they were busy digging into the rock using their claws or hitting them with Iron Tail. Ray made sure to look around, keeping the camera pointing at the Pokémon as Sunset and the others kept watching.

"What are they doing?" Spike asked.

"They look like they're digging for something."

"Maybe they're looking for Sun Stones?" Flash added as he turned to Sunset and Twilight.

Sunset shook her head. "Not possible. I told you, this isn't the right environment for Sun Stones to form in. Even if the minerals were right, the sun's rays won't be strong enough. You need areas that are constantly sunny for that."

"Then what are they looking for?" Twilight chimed in.

"GECKOLAR!" They heard through the laptop, the image turning to the cause of the outcry.





Ray stared at the Geckolar that had yelled, the sun lizard having broken through some rocks. A faint soft glow could be seen from the crack in the rock, the Geckolar reaching inside it and pulling out something.

It was some kind of clear white crystal, which was C-shaped and had an shining glow to it. The Geckolar placed the crystal around its neck, giving it the distinct appearance of a neck-pillow. Once it was safely secured, the Geckolar began to make its way down the rock and when at the bottom, it marched toward the very end of the canyon.

Ray then went to the opening of the rock, seeing it now lead into a dark cave. Through that opening was where the Geckolar disappeared into, only for another yell to ring out, "Geckolar!" He turned to see another lizard holding up the same crystal neck-pillow, which it placed around its neck before heading toward the cave. This continued on and on, with multiple Geckolar finding their own crystal.

"What are those things?" Flash asked.

"I've never seen anything like them," Twilight replied, "But that glow isn't just refraction."

"There's some kind of energy inside of them," Sunset continued, "Hold on." She pressed a button and the picture changed to appear more infer-red. "Energy filter. This'll give us a better understanding of it." Ray looked at one of the crystals and they saw it was glowing bright with energy. "Wow. The scanner doesn't even recognize it."

"An unknown energy," Twilight whispered. "Located in the one place Geckolar are known to evolve into alphas." She and Sunset glanced at each other for a second, "You don't think."

"It's the only explanation," Sunset responded, "Those crystals are what allow them to evolve."

"But they're not evolving," Spike pointed out as another Geckolar found a crystal and put it around their neck. Once again, it stayed as it was and began to make its way toward the cave.

Sunset hummed at this, only to snap her fingers, "Maybe the crystal can supercharge the energy of the Sun Stone, allowing Geckolar to evolve into a more powerful state then they normally would?"

"Its not a bad theory." Twilight replied, "Though it is strange."

"Agreed. I've never heard of a Pokémon requiring two items to evolve. This is unprecedented." Doc commented before turning to Sunset, "I guess it's only fair that you name this item, since it's your Geckolar that found it."

"Okay..." Sunset responded, humming until showing a small smile, "How about...Hyper Band?" The others raised eyebrows at this, "What? It sounds cool."

"Can't argue with that," Flash finished as Ray made is way further through the canyon.





He began to walk inside, staring as he saw more Geckolar walk through. But as he did this, he heard a new sound that made him look up to see another Geckolar scurrying up the wall. The lizard was tapping spots on the wall, crawling around before showing a small smile. It then spun around and started using Iron Tail, whacking away some rocks off the cavern wall.

After several hits, the wall cracked, showing a light coming out of the crack. The Geckolar then started digging, making the hole bigger before reaching inside and pulling out a Hyper Band. "Geck!"

"Wow," Twilight commented, "It was able to determine where the Hyper Band was without even needing to dig." But the Geckolar's celebration was short lived, as a fireball suddenly hit the wall.

Boom!

The wall exploded, the Geckolar crying out as it was knocked off, dropping the Hyper Band as it landed. Ray watched in horror as it began to run over to see if the Geckolar was okay, the sun lizard picking itself up. It let out a moan before looking up and seeing a trio of Geckolar standing over the Hyper Band with big grins on their faces. Two of them were normal ones, and the third had a large black streak running from its head to its tail.

The streaked one's mouth was smoking from the Flame Burst it had just shot, its friends laughing at it as it picked up the Hyper Band and put it around its neck. "Geck-geck-geck-geck," it laughed before appearing to ask what the other one was gonna do about it.

The other Geckolar did nothing but cower away, causing the three to laugh again before walking away.

"Those thieves!" Twilight yelled.

"How could they do that?!" Spike asked in disgust.

"Taking another Geckolar's Hyper Band's a lot easier that finding their own," Doc added, "And they must have known that Geckolar wouldn't fight back."

"That's lame," Spike grumbled.

Sunset nodded in agreement and saw Ray watching Streak and the others, "Follow them Ray."





Ray left the scared Geckolar, quickly zipping through the cave. And when he arrived at the mouth, he looked inside, seeing a low darkness before noticing a bunch of Hyper Band wearing Geckolar inside. He also saw a light, looking up to see a beam of light coming down from a hole in the cave's roof. The light was shining down on a large rock that was in the center of the cave, the Geckolar surrounding it, illuminating a small spot.

And on that place, a Geckolar stood being bathed in the light. "Geck?" Ray commented, the trainers all watching before seeing Streak and his friends climbing up the rock. They all looked unhappy, Streak giving them commands.

The other two quickly fired a Flame Burst, which struck the Geckolar, but didn't seem to hurt. However, the attack distracted it long enough for Streak to run up as its tail began to glow. It swung around and struck the Geckolar on the rock, knocking it off balance and allowing the other two to fire a Dragonbreath. They struck the Geckolar and sent it flying off the rock, making it fall and land on its Hyper Band. The impact made the crystal shatter, Streak laughing at this before walking into the sunlight.





"I don't get it," Spike said, "What are they doing?"

The footage showed more Geckolar trying to climb up the rock, but Streak and the other two kept knocking them back. "It looks like they're fighting for that spot on the rock," Doc responded, "But why?"

"Maybe it has something to do with their evolution?" Flash asked.

"Maybe..." Sunset replied before pressing a few buttons. After a few seconds, the image changed to show an X-ray like appearance. "Scanning the rock's mineral makeup..."

"How many things can that collar do?" Spike asked as the scan was completed.

"No way..." Sunset whispered. "Twilight, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Twilight blinked at the results and gasped, "It's a Sun Stone."

"Seriously?" Flash added, "That big?"

"It's not a real Sun Stone," Twilight responded, "But it's made up of the same minerals. All it's missing is the concentrated solar energy."

"Which it might just get," Sunset pressed a few buttons, the screen changing to show an animated 3D model of the area with the sun over it. The image started moving the sun, a red line then moving down and hitting the area above the cave. "In one hour, the sun will be positioned perfectly to send its rays directly into the hole and onto the rock."

"Then that rock will have everything it needs to evolve the Geckolar standing there," Twilight continued, "And with the Hyper Band, the one standing there will become an alpha."

"But it'll only last a few seconds," Doc pointed at the screen. "After that, the sun will move out of place."

Sunset stood up. "Now it all makes sense. The Geckolar come here because it's the only place to find a Hyper Band, which loses energy too quickly for them to find a Sun Stone. But that giant boulder will allow them to evolve as long as they stand on the right spot. Then, once they're an alpha, they'll be able to help the others find Sun Stone and evolve into betas."

"Couldn't they all just wait?" Spike asked, "Maybe just stay here until the next time the sunlight hits that rock."

Twilight shook her head, "No. According to these specs, the sun won't be in the right position again for another year. That's why the alpha type is so rare."

Sunset sat down and hit another button, showing the camera's captured image and showing Streak was still on top. However, he wasn't even doing anything. All he did was sit in the spot while his flunkies fought off anything that got close.

"What a cheater," Spike growled, "First he steals his Hyper Band, then he has his friends do all the work. He doesn't deserve to be the alpha."

"But it doesn't look like any of the other Geckolar are gonna be able to dethrone him," Twilight sighed.

"It takes more then strength to be a leader," Doc added, "It also takes brains and drive."

These words hit Ray's ears, soon turning to scurry out of the cave. As he did this, he saw that almost every Geckolar was now in the cave. Only one wasn't there, the one Streak had stolen from. Ray moved up to him, the Geckolar starting to speak something the humans couldn't understand. Both began a full conversation, Spike turning to Sunset at this, "What are they talking about?"

Sunset did a small shrug, "Don't ask me. I don't speak Geckolar."

"I think Ray's trying to convince it to try and beat the other one," Flash replied, "But I'm not sure if it's got the tail for it."

Doc nodded in agreement, "Yeah, but it didn't exactly try to put up a fight when its band was stolen."

"Cut him some slack," Twilight told them. "It was three against one."

As she said that, Ray and the Geckolar continued to talk. Ray put a hand on its shoulder and said something that made the Geckolar think, then finally nod.

"I think Ray just convinced it," Sunset commented before the Geckolar started scurrying around.

"Now what's it doing?" Flash asked, only to see the Geckolar begin to knock on the rocks again. They saw that it was searching for another Hyper Band, Ray just watching the sight. After a minute or so, the Geckolar hit a certain spot. "Geck?" He continued knocking at a section of the wall before spinning around and hitting it with its Iron Tail.

After a few strikes, the rock broke apart, the Geckolar reaching inside and pulling out what looked like a yellow orb.

"What's that?" Spike asked.

"A Light Orb," Twilight replied. "That's not gonna be any help to them."

Geckolar had the same thought before throwing the orb away, the two starting to look around again. A few minutes later, the Geckolar stopped again and both it and Ray began digging. The item unearthed this time was something called an Eviolite. Several more minutes later, they found something else...which was a Ground Gem. Again and again, Ray and Geckolar continued searching for a Hyper Band, but still there was nothing. All the Hyper Bands were gone due to all the other Geckolars digging through the canyon.

And after Forty-five minutes after beginning their search, Ray and Geckolar cracked open the canyon wall, beams of light flooding out of it. Geckolar gasped before reaching inside and pulling out a Hyper Band. "GECKOLAR!" It cheered before putting it around its neck.

"Way to go Ray," Sunset smiled as Geckolar put it on. "Now, go de-throne that bully." The Geckolar both roared in agreement and headed back to the cave, Sunset changing the screen to see where the sun was. "Only a few minutes before the sun's in the right position."

"But how is Ray and that wimp supposed to beat those three?" Spike asked as the screen changed back to show the two entering the cave. When they did, they found the many Geckolar standing near the wall of the caves while Streak and his flunkies continued to sit on the boulder.

Steak sensed their approach and turned to them, frowning when he saw the Geckolar had a Hyper Band. Upon closer inspection, Ray noticed the others didn't, crystal shards now scattered all over the place.

"He broke them all," Twilight gasped, "He and Geckolar must have the only two bands left."

"Which is why it's even more important form Ray to help his friend become the alpha." She pressed a button, "Do it Ray!"

"Geck!" Ray yelled as Steak's goons jumped down, causing the other alpha candidate to quiver. But Ray leapt in front of him as the two fired out Dragonbreaths.

"Dragon Pulse!" Sunset ordered, Ray unleashing the dragon shaped beam of energy. It struck the combined Dragonbreath, pushing through both. Both goons were sent flying back, hitting the rock with a thud.

"Geck!" He yelled back to the other one, who nodded and ran up. And as the others began to recover, the Hyper Band wearer leapt over them and landed on the rock. This got Streak to growl, picking himself up as he watched Geckolar charge up the boulder.

The goons picked themselves up and tried to follow Geckolar, only to suddenly find something grabbing their tails. They looked back to see Ray, the Geckolar using all of its strength to pull them off the rock and throw them to the exit. Both hit the dirt, rolling like bowling balls before coming to a stop. And as they began to pick themselves up, Ray to a deep breath, "GECK!" He roared before unleashing another Dragon Pulse, hitting both as an explosion came next, knocking the two flying out of the cave.

Ray smirked at this before turning back to the others, Streak and Geckolar unleashing their Dragonbreath attacks at each other. Another explosion came from this, covering the rock with smoke. And as it faded, it revealed the two lizards circling around one another, Geckolar looking much more confident.

"Alright," Flash chuckled, "Not so tough when it's one on one."

"Keep it up!" Twilight cheered as they watched the two charge at each other with glowing tails.

They spun around and slammed their tails into one another, clashing like a pair of fencers. After about a minute, the two stopped using Iron Tail and jumped back before the black spots along their bodies began to glow. "Now they're using Solarbeam," Doc commented. "That's going to cause some major damage."

The two fired the lasers at each other, another explosion coming out as it rocked the cave, blinding everyone watching. Smoke from the attack also blinded Geckolar, allowing Streak to scuttle in and slash at him with his claws. Geckolar cried out and staggered back, but then wildly slashed back, hitting Streak in the face.

And as the smoke cleared, Streak unleashed a Flame Burst attack that exploded right in front of Geckolar. Staggering back from the blow, Streak leapt up and hit Geckolar with Iron Tail. "GECK!" It cried, getting knocked flying off the rock. It hit the ground with a thud, the Hyper Band shattering upon impact.

"NO!" Everyone watching cried while Ray's eyes went wide.

Geckolar rolled over and saw its broken band, tears beginning to form in its eyes. Laughter then made it look up to see Streak was still on the rock, standing in the sunlight.

Streak smirked down at him, then looked up at the hole as it saw that the sun was seconds away from getting into position. "I win."

"Not yet!" He heard before turning around to see Ray leap at him, the Geckolar tackling him off the rock. Streak groaned as he hit the ground, Ray landing on top of him and using all his strength to keep him down.

And once he had him pinned, Ray reached down and grabbed the Hyper Band before pulling it off of Streak. "What are you doing?!" The Geckolar asked.

"Returning this to its rightful owner." He threw the item into the air, "CATCH!"

Geckolar saw the Hyper Band, gasping at the sight...but he wasn't the only one who saw it. All the Geckolar raced up the rock to try and grab it, while he stayed where he was. But his brain told him to do this.

As the Geckolar reached the top to grab the band, each one collided with each other, all crying out as they fell back to the ground. At the same time, the Hyper Band began to fall, the Geckolar scurrying back up the rock that was now free of competition. And just before the item was about to smash into the rock, Geckolar caught it and unknowingly slid into the sunlit spot.

The sun finally moved into position, beaming its mighty rays down through the hole. The boulder began to glow, Geckolar looking down at it as it felt the energy as the Hyper Band began to glow in its claws. After that, his body exploded with light before he started changing. The Geckolar and those watching through Ray's camera marveled at the sight of the evolution, seeing the spikes appear around its body. This included on its shoulders and head, the head having two spikes that could only mean one thing.

And as the light faded, it revealed the Pokémon they had all seen on the Pokedex. It stood at around six feet and was covered in red spikes, along with two red horns signifying its status as an alpha.

Ray and the Geckolar stared at their new leader as it looked over its body in amazement, Solamander turning to Ray and smiling. Ray nodded back, only to then remember that he was pinning Steak as the Geckolar suddenly knocked him off it. "Geck!" It roared before running up the rock and leaping at the Solamander. Trying to use Iron Tail, Solamander raised its arm and easily blocked the attack, making Streak yelp, "Geck?"

"Sol," Solamander pushed its attack back, only for its now long arm to grab the lizard. Solamander pulled Streak up to his face, glaring at him right in the eyes as Streak's eyes went wide.

At this moment, Streak's goons returned to the cave. But when they reached the entrance, they suddenly found their leader being thrown right into them, all three now being sent flying out of the cave. Solamander then jumped down off the rock and followed them outside, Streak glaring at his goons as he recovered.

"Geck!" he ordered his flunkies, "Geckolar!"

"GECK!" They both roared before beginning to all charge up a Solarbeam.

Solamander smirked as the spikes on its body began to glow, those watching wondering if it was also gonna use Solarbeam. But then it brought its hands together and pointed them upward as the spikes on its arms unleashed the light into a large ball around its hands. That ball shot a beam up, forming into the shape of a blade made entirely out of sunlight.

"Wow!" Spike whispered, "What's that?!"

"Its Solar Blade!" Sunset gasped just as Streak and his goons fired their attacks. At the same time, Solamander swung the blade down, the sword cutting through the beams and striking the three, causing a large explosion so powerful that they were sent hurtling into the air.

"GECKOLAR!" They all yelled as they went flying into the sky, all disappearing with a familiar ding.

And once the smoke of the attack cleared, the Geckolar that had come outside were all amazed at seeing their alpha's incredible power. It was both smart and strong, as well as brave: The perfect leader. "Geckolar," they began to chant, "Geckolar. Geckolar. Geckolar."

Solamander smiled at this, his tail wagging. It then turned to the sky, as if sensing something before gesturing to the Geckolar to follow. And as they all began to follow their new leader, they exited the canyon while the humans ran out of the tent and headed for that location.

Once the Pokémon reached the exit, Solamander pointed them in a direction and told them to head off. They did so, Solamander watching them all go. It would need to travel at the back of the pack, to make sure none of them fell behind. The last Geckolar to leave the canyon was Ray, but he didn't follow the others.

Instead, he moved over to a rock and climbed on top of it, Solamander turning to him in confusion, asking if he was coming.

"Geck," Ray replied while shaking his head. As he did this, Sunset and the others arrived, Solamander seeing them before nodding. It then held out a clawed hand and Ray grabbed its finger, the two shaking before Solamander turned to follow its herd.

Once they were gone, Sunset and the others began to explore the place, Springer and Peewee running into the canyon while Sunset moved over to her Pokémon, "You did great Ray," the red/yellow haired girl told him while scratching him under the chin.

"So what are you gonna do now that you solved the Solamander mystery?" Twilight asked.

"Well first, I need to send my findings to professor Celestia," Sunset replied. "Then I think Ray and I will go follow the others and document the rest of the migration."

"Hoping to find a Sun Stone for Ray?" Flash asked, Sunset smiling as she opened her mouth to speak before another voice rang out.

"Rio!" The group turned to the voice, now seeing Springer and Peewee standing atop a wall. "Ri, ri riolu!"

"What's up?" Flash asked, only for Peewee to pull on some rocks on the wall. Doing so broke away a part of it, revealing a hole that a familiar light was shining out of.

"Is that what I think it is?" Twilight asked as Ray scurried up the wall and started digging at the whole, making it bigger until he reached in and pulled out the source of the glow.

"Another Hyper Band!" Spike cheered as the Pokémon climbed down the wall. "I can't believe there was one left."

"Not that it'll do much good," Doc sighed with a frown, "Without a Sun Stone, Ray can't evolve. And by the time you manage to find one, the Hyper Band's energy will be depleted."

Sunset giggled at this before taking off her bag and reaching inside. Everyone went wide-eyed at this as she took out a particular rock, a round red one with several triangular points. "You have a Sun Stone?" Twilight asked with raised eyebrows.

"Of course," Sunset replied with a nod, "I always intended to evolve Ray. I just needed him to stay a Geckolar long enough to find out the truth of the migration. But now, Ray can evolve if he wants to." She put the stone down next to the Hyper Band. "So what do you say, Ray? How do you wanna evolve? Wanna be a big strong alpha, or just a humble beta?"

They watched as Ray's eyes shifted from the Sun Stone to the Hyper Band and back again, the Geckolar looking at the two for several seconds before reaching for the Sun Stone. They figured he had decided to become a beta...only to come to a stop and grab the Hyper Band.

"Geck," he responded as he put the crystal around his neck.

"Are you sure?" Sunset asked while kneeling down, Ray nodding as she picked up the stone. "Okay then." She then pressed the stone to Ray's head, only for both the Pokémon and the items to start glowing. Sunset stood up and backpedaled as Ray began to shift and change like the other Geckolar had, growing as tall as Sunset before the light faded to reveal Ray's new form.

"Solar!" He cheered, Sunset shining a huge smile at her new Pokémon.

"Congratulations Ray." They hugged one another as the others gave their congrats, happy they managed to discover the truth behind the Geckolar and help the true alpha take its place as leader.

And as this moment faded, Sunset and Ray said goodbye to her friends, telling them she had to keep following the Geckolar. They had a small dinner before going their separate ways, now knowing Manehattan was on the horizon as many new exciting adventures awaited them all. As the journey continues.
> Bitten Down the Hatching
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Growing closer to Manehatten City with Flash's seven Equestria Gym battle on the horizon, the group were now setting up camp for the night in a large meadow. With dinner over and the chores completed, Flash and his friends would usually be doing some training or going to sleep. But with it being such a clear night, they had decided to do a little stargazing. All their Pokémon were out of their balls as well, Flash's egg sitting beside him.

"Look over there," Twilight pointed to a section of stars. "There's the Teddiursa constellation." She then pointed slightly to the left, "And there's the Ursaring constellation."

"That's the Gligar constellation," Doc added as he gestured to another set of stars. "And over there's the constellation of Gardevoir and the Seviper bearer."

"Cool..." Spike whispered.

"Say...where did these constellations get their names?" Flash asked, Springer nodding at the question.

Twilight giggled at this. "They were named that by sailors who were lost at sea and used the stars to make images of things that reminded them of home."

"Awesome..." Flash replied before noticing something flying across the sky. "A shooting star."

Spike sat up, "Quick, make a wish!" Flash nodded, his eyes falling on the egg sitting beside him as a smile crept onto his lips.

"I wish my egg would hatch soon, and the Pokémon inside will be healthy and strong." The others smiled at this...only to go wide-eyed as they all stared down. Flash followed their eyes, now seeing the egg case suddenly start to glow. "What the-" he put the case on his lap as the glowing died down before starting again. "Wait..."

"It's about to hatch!" Twilight gasped as the egg began to pulse light again.

"Alright!" Spike cheered, his whole body now vibrating, "We finally get to see what it is! It better be awesome!" The group chuckled at his reaction as the Pokémon all began to gather around Flash as he removed the lid from the container. He picked up the egg, feeling the warmth from it as Twilight took the pillow out and put it on the ground, Flash now gently placing the egg on top of it.

"Come on out little guy," he quietly said, "There's a big world just waiting out here for you to see."

"And lots of friends for you to make," Twilight added as the glowing grew stronger. And as it did this, the light suddenly stopped pulsing before coming constant while turning from orange to blue. "Here it comes..."

Flash covered his eyes as the light suddenly exploded off the egg, revealing the creature beneath it. The Pokémon fell onto the pillow, everyone blinking as they saw what it was. "Wait...isn't that-" Flash said as they all noticed it was a Pokémon they had seen before, but it was also...different.

The Pokémon was small and had four legs, along with a large star-shaped head. But instead of being black like the last time they had seen it, its skin was light blue. "It's a Starvern," Twilight whispered. "But its the wrong colors."

Flash took out his Pokedex and scanned it, getting the black and yellow version he had seen in the dragon kingdom, but this one was blue and yellow. "Is it sick?"

"I don't think so," Doc replied before smirking, "I think it might be a shiny."

"Really?" Twilight asked while Flash and Spike stared at it. As they did this, the Starvern began to move, though its eyes were still closed. After a few seconds of shifting, the Star Pokémon pushed itself to its feet on the pillow before moving its head upward, opening its eyes to reveal a pair of orange lights that gazed up at the starry night sky.

"Star..." it muttered in wonder at the dazzling sight above it.

"Hey there," Flash said with a big grin, Starvern turning to him before seeing the others, "Nice to meet you. I'm Flash Sentry, your trainer."

"Starvern?" It tilted its head at this, now seeing Springer, Riptide, Skyler, Prongs and Viper beginning to try and get its attention, only for Starvern to just keep tilting its head.

"Guess it doesn't understand yet," Doc commented as they noticed Starvern's face scrunch up, glancing around at the number of stares it was getting. "Maybe we should give it a little space so it doesn't feel overwhelmed." The others nodded and moved back, Flash and his Pokémon staying still.

"You don't have to be afraid of us," Flash assured, "We're friends." He then spoke up without looking away. "Twilight, get me some Pokémon food." Twilight nodded and went to their food, pulling out the Dark and Dragon containers they had. She carefully moved over to hand the canister to Flash as the teen took a few pellets out. "Go on," he told Starvern. "Take whichever one you want."

Starvern slowly leaned over and sniffed the pellets in each hand, its eyes going wide as it smiled. "STAR!" It cheered before biting down...on Flash's hand.

"Hmm!" Flash bit his lip, his eyes wide as tears tried to escape as the others grimaced at his expression.

"Flash! Are you...okay?" Twilight gulped.

"Uh-huh," Flash nodded despite a tear of pain going down his face. Starvern then let go of his hand, which was now empty of pellets. Its bite hadn't broke the skin, but a big red mark was now on the back of his hand. Seeing this, Doc pulled out his backpack and began taking out some bandages to wrap around Flash's palm.

Springer and the others also saw this and turned to frown at Starvern, only to see nothing but obliviousness on his face. Angry glares followed this, only for the dragon to laugh, "Star!"

"Hey, lay off him." Flash told the others, "He doesn't know any better." He used his other hand and began to pat Starvern's head. "No more biting unless I tell you to, okay?"

"Star?" Starvern replied, blinking at him before smiling as Flash scratched him behind the ear.

Springer then stepped up and held out a paw. "Ri." he said as he expected Starvern to shake with it's...foot. But Starvern just stared at the paw for a few seconds...and bit it. "RIOLU!" He began swinging his arm around, trying to dislodge the Dragon-type, but Starvern just giggling as he kept his grip.

"No!" Flash grabbed Starvern around the waist before pulling on it, "I said no biting!" He and Springer pulled, but it refused to release. "Let...GO!" Starvern then opened its mouth to laugh even more, causing Flash and Springer to be thrown back into the dirt. "Ow."

"Ri..." Springer moaned as his paw was now red and began pulsing big and small in a cartoon fashion, Doc sighing as he applied a bandage and Super Potion.

"This is gonna be a whole thing, isn't it?" Spike asked the others as Flash sat back up and turned Starvern around.

"Starvern!" He said with the most serious stare he could muster, "I said no biting, and I mean it." Starvern just blinked at him before laughing. "Starvern…" he growled, only for the dragon to lean up and lick his face, "Hey! Heh...stop it!"

"It is kinda cute," Twilight giggled as some of the other Pokémon moved over to them.

Starvern then turned around, quickly running around as the other Pokémon tried to greet him. It was here that Shine walked up to the dragon, "Nee," she neighed happily while Starvern let out a happy growl, the pony spinning around and started waving her tail in his face, everyone going wide-eyed as they saw Starvern quickly bite it.

"Star!" It chomped on the tail, but there was no pained scream.

"Nee," Shine laughed as she started lifting Starvern upward, the dragon flopping in the air.

And as she did, Twilight couldn't help but laugh at the interaction, "Guess Shine's not the baby of the group anymore."

"Good thing she doesn't feel any pain from her tail," Doc added while Flash scratched the back of his head.

"Maybe, but Starvern could be a problem if it doesn't start listening to me."

"You said it yourself," Twilight responded, "It's just hatched, so it's gonna take a while before it starts listening to you the way the others would. Hopper was just as wild when you first caught him." They turned back to Starvern as it let go of Shine, now running around the place, clearly brimming with energy.

For the next hour, everyone started playing with Starvern. They had to be careful, trying to make sure it didn't bite them, though Shine and Doc's Pokémon didn't have that problem. But eventually, the gang found themselves getting tired. "Come on," Flash began to yawn as Starvern kept running around, "Aren't you even a little tired?"

"It's spent a lot of time in that egg," Doc commented, "It'll have a lot of energy it needs to run off."

"Maybe..." Twilight yawned as well, "But we're running on empty. We'll need to get to bed soon." The others nodded and called their Pokémon over, telling them it was time to go to sleep. They all returned them to their Pokeballs, Starvern looking both confused and upset by his friends disappearing.

"Starvern," Flash took out a Pokeball, "It's time to go to sleep." He threw the ball at the Dragon-type, but Starvern leapt to the side, dodging the orb, "Starvern?"

"Star!" It roared.

"Maybe it wants to experience more of the outside world," Doc added, "It did just hatch."

Flash was about to reply, only to see Starvern turn to the forest around them, about to head into it, "Hey, you can't go out there!"

Springer then ran up to the dragon, using Extreme Speed to get between Starvern and the trees. "Ri!" He spread his arms, making Starvern stop and frown. "Rio ri!"

"Starvern!" It yelled before taking a deep breath. Springer saw this and quickly leapt to the right, seconds before Starvern unleashed a cloud of blue and black energy.

"Whoa! That was Dragon Rage!" Spike gasped as the blast struck the ground, an explosion coming next as Starvern headed into the smoke.

"Starvern! Come back here!" Flash yelled as Springer created an Aura Sphere. He fired the orb past Starvern, hitting the trees in front of it. Another explosion happened, this one knocking Starvern back.

"Star!" It cried while falling back, Flash running up at this moment to grab the Star Pokémon.

"That's enough," Flash told it. "I know you want to explore more, but it's dark and there's a lot of dangerous things outside." He spun around to go to the tent, "You can look around more tomorrow."

"Starvern!" It screamed, thrashing around as Flash kept his grip on the dragon. It was soon inside the tent with Flash, Springer and Doc, Doc being sure to zip the tent up and keep the zipper up out of Starvern's reach.

"Go to sleep," Flash told it as he and Doc got into their sleeping bags, Springer sitting down against Flash while Starvern tried to find a way to escape. But there was no way out without destroying the whole tent, which it assumed would get it into even more trouble. Instead, it sat down, growling as it began to go nuts with boredom. The others were already asleep, making the dragon shift around as it tried to get comfortable. But it was too antsy, unable to stop itself from fidgeting.

Starvern wasn't sure when it managed to fall asleep, but the next thing it knew, it was waking up as light shone in through the tent, hitting its face. "Star?" It jumped up and opened its eyes, only to see it was alone, "Starvern?"

It poked its head out of the tent, now seeing Flash and the others enjoying their breakfast, the Pokémon eating out of bowls. Flash turned to the tent, shining a big smile, "Morning Starvern. Sorry we didn't wake you up, but we thought you should get as much rest as you can."

"Starvern?" It replied as it walked out of the tent, now feeling a grumbling from its stomach.

"Here," Twilight took a bowl of food off the table and placed it down, "This is all for you."

Starvern stared at it for a few seconds, sniffing it before taking a bite of the food. He chewed and swallowed the first mouthful, a giant grin appearing on his face. "STARVERN!" He cheered before continuing to eat.

Everyone smiled at this as Flash finished off his breakfast. "Alright, how about a little battle practice?"

"Spran," Riptide exclaimed as he jumped to his feet.

"You wanna battle?" Riptide nodded back.

"Alright then," Doc responded as he stood up. "How about you battle me and Higear?"

"Sounds like a plan," Flash replied as everyone watched Flash, Riptide and Doc walk out into an open section of the meadow, Doc now bringing out his Higear. Starvern looked up from his food at this, now hearing grunts and clanging sounds, making it now see Riptide and Higear jumping around one another.

Riptide shot bursts of water out of its mouth, Higear dodging the liquid before the lizard leapt and hit the machine with its tail. In response, Higear threw its gear shaped hands, Riptide dodging the attack before charging at the lizard. The Spranitor did the same, using Rock Smash as it was about to Higear in face, only for it side-step and grab Riptide's tail.

"Slam!" Doc yelled as Higear spun Riptide around before thrusting him into the ground, making the lizard cry out.

"Star?!" Food falling out of his mouth, Starvern moved up to the battle, Twilight noticing the little dragon walking up to them.

"You curious? They're having a battle," she commented as Starvern turned to her. "It's something trainers and their Pokémon do together. Battle others to test their skills and abilities."

"And Flash is one of the best at it," Spike finished as Riptide used Aqua Tail on Higear.

Starvern glanced back at the fight, its body shaking with excitement as it watched the adrenaline-fueled battle continued. And as it saw Riptide and Higear charge at one another, Starvern suddenly ran into the fight, "Wait!" Twilight cried, reaching out her hand to stop him.

"STAR!" It roared while using Dragon Rage, the black and blue fire shooting between the two battling Pokémon, making both come to a stop.

"Starvern! What are you doing?!" Flash yelped, only to see Starvern scrapping his foot along the ground, wagging his tail, "Wait...do you wanna battle?"

"Star!" Starvern cheered, hopping up and down. "Starvern!"

Twilight giggle at this, "Starvern seemed to get really pumped watching you battle." She gave Flash a small smile, "Why not give it a go?"

"It would be a good way to understand his battle abilities," Doc added, Flash biting his lip at this.

He then walked up to the dragon, kneeling down in front of him. "Alright Starvern, we can battle." Starvern shined a big grin at this, "But you've gotta listen to me, and do everything I say. Understand?" Starvern nodded back, Flash doing a small nod before turning to the others, "Now...who to battle?"

"How about Peewee?" Spike suggested as he pointed to his Terragon.

"Terra!" Peewee cheered, hopping off Spike's shoulder.

"Well, they are both Dragon-types," Twilight commented, "It might work." Flash nodded back and grabbed Starvern before he and Spike walked over to the battlefield.

He put the dragon down while Peewee jumped off Spike's shoulder. "Now," Flash took out his Pokedex, scanning the Pokémon, "Starvern knows Bite...obviously. Also knows Leer and Dragon Rage."

"Not many options," Twilight hummed.

"Starvern just hatched," Doc added he stepped up to be between them as referee. "Alright, this'll be a one on one battle. I'll decide when the battle is over and who's won. Understand?" They nodded, "Then battle...begin!"

"Alright," Flash yelled, only for Starvern to start building up a Dragon Rage. "Wait!"

"Star!"

"Dodge it!" Spike ordered as Starvern fired the blast at Peewee, the dragon taking flight as it quickly dodged the attack, "Now, Incinerate!"

"Terra!" Peewee launched a blaze of flame right at Starvern, hitting it straight in the face.

"Vern!" It cried it pain, the dragon flying back until Flash caught it in his arms.

"You okay?" He asked as Starvern shook its head, soot flying off, "Good."

He put him down as Doc spoke up, "Flash, that's your one warning. If Starvern does something without your command again, I'll be forced to stop the battle."

"You hear that?" Flash told Starvern, "If you don't start listening we'll lose." Starvern frowned at this, only to nod. "Good. Now let's do this right."

"Wing Attack!" Spike yelled, Peewee shooting down with glowing wings.

"Dodge it, then use Leer." Starvern did as it was told, jumping to the side as Peewee shot past him. And when Peewee came to a stop to land, Starvern ran up and showed an intimidating glare. "Now, use Bite!" Starvern opened his mouth to chomp down on the dragon, only for Peewee to jump back before taking to the air.

"Dragonbreath!" Peewee unleashed a stream of blue fire, hitting the dragon.

"Star!" Starvern yelped as it was knocked back. It let out a groan as it pushed itself back onto its feet, its legs shaking as it growled, "Vern..."

"Calm down," Flash responded, "Try and get close to use Dragon Rage."

"Stay in the air!" Spike called out, "Another Dragonbreath!" Peewee let out a roar as he flew around, dodging a blaze of Dragon Rage attacks that Starvern kept firing. He then shot straight down between breaths, unleashing his own that hit the Star Pokémon in the face.

"STAR!" He cried as he was knocked back, rolling down the field just as Peewee flew back up.

"Starvern..." Flash grimaced as he saw his new Pokémon push itself back up. It growled at Peewee as it flew over him, only to look back at its own wings...and started flapping them intensely.

"What's it doing?" Twilight asked.

"I think it's trying to fly," Doc commented, "But it's not going to with those small wings."

"Starvern!" Flash called out, "Watch out!" But as his trainer said this, Starvern was too focused on his wings as Peewee shot down at him.

"Wing Attack!" Starvern heard this and turned around, now seeing Peewee fly down just as he hit him in the face with a glowing wing.

"STAR!" It roared in pain, knocking it back again before its eyes turned to spirals. The others gasped at this, Flash running up to him.

"Starvern!" Flash picked him up, the group now gathering around them. "Are you okay?"

"Star..." it blinked, its eyes returning to normal.

Doc sighed at this, "I'm gonna have to call this a win for Spike and Peewee. Sorry Flash."

"That's fine," Flash replied as he saw a big frown appear on Starvern's face, "Hey, it's okay. You're new at this, so of course you wouldn't be able to battle well yet. Don't worry, we'll keep training and help you grow stronger." Starvern didn't reply, just staring at Flash in silence.

It wasn't long till Flash saw that Starvern had yet to finish his breakfast, Flash putting him down as he instantly started eating as they all began to talk, "So, what do you think? How good was he?"

"I can see some potential," Doc replied, "But I wouldn't put him in any proper battles until you can be sure he'll listen to you."

"Good point," Flash responded. "I'm just wondering where I start with him."

"You should probably start by giving him a name." Twilight chimed in, "He'll figure out eventually that the others have nicknames and he'll feel upset if you don't give him one."

Flash nodded at this, only for Spike to speak up, "Why don't you name him Chomp?" Spike then pointed to Starvern as he nibbled at his bowl, "You know, since he likes to chomp down on anything he can get his teeth around."

Flash shook his head. "Nah, that would be weird if he grew out of that...though I have been thinking about a possible name last night." He pulled out his Pokedex, "And I think I have an idea. The Pokedex says it comes from space, right?" They all nodded back, "So how about a space name? Doesn't Astro mean space?"

"It means star," Twilight corrected. "But it makes even more sense. Astro the Starvern. I like it."

"Yeah, me too!" Spike added.

Doc nodded at this, "The question is, will he?"

Flash turned to Starvern and crouched down, "Astro." Starvern didn't respond, still nibbling on the bowl. "Astro." This time the Dragon-type turned to him. "Come here Astro." Starvern raised an eyebrow, but knew Flash was talking to him. He walked up to the teen, the trainer smiling and scratching him behind the ear. "That's a good boy. So, what do you think? Astro. Pretty cool name, huh?"

Starvern just blinked at him, tilting his head. Twilight leaned down next, "A name. It's what we call you. We can't just call you Starvern. That's what you are, but not who you are."

"That's right," Flash added as his other Pokémon walked up to him. "It's like everyone else. We've got Springer the Riolu, Skyler the Tornavian, Riptide the Spranitor, Prongs the Chitaleaf, and Viper the Anahakka." He held out a hand, "So what do you say? Wanna be Astro the Starvern?"

Starvern stared at Flash's hand for several moments before letting out a smile. "Star!" He cheered as he opened his mouth, the others smiling back. Though the smiles quickly vanished when he bit down of Flash's hand, causing the teen to cry out in pain.

After Flash pulled his hand free, the group spent the rest of Astro's first day on earth showing him everything they could. They showed him a bunch of toys he could play with, Astro then getting chewed out when he tried to bite down on a ball. The group also took him into a small area of the forest, Astro marvelling at the sight around him.

"See?" Flash commented while Astro was in his arms. "This is what's called a forest. It's filled with trees and has many different Pokémon in it." He pointed up at one tree, Astro looking up and seeing a Caterpie. "Some of them are peaceful and won't cause you any issues as long as you don't cause them any issues."

"Star..." Astro nodded.

"But other Pokémon don't like strangers in their territory, so you need to be careful, or they might attack you." Astro gave a deadpan stare at this.

"And look," Astro turned to see Twilight and Shine next to a bush covered in pink berries. "See here? This is a Pecha Berry Bush." Flash let Astro down as Shine used her telepathy to pick one off and hand it to Astro, who quickly took a bite before revelling in the sweet taste. "You like that?" Astro nodded before seeing another bush with a yellow berry. "But you should always be careful with berries you don't know," Twilight tried to say before Astro ran over to the bush and bit the fruit.

"STAR!" He cried out, making him tear up.

"You might end up with a flavor you didn't like," Twilight sighed before picking up the remains of the Sitrus Berry he had chomped down on.

They spent a little more time that day showing Astro around the forest, but eventually returned to the camp much to Astro annoyance. "It's dangerous out here," Flash explained as they reached the edge of the meadow. "We'll show you the rest, but only when I'm sure I can trust you not to run off on your own."

"Star!" Astro barked back, leaping out of his arms. "Star starvern!"

Flash shook his head at this, "I'm sorry, but you're just too curious right now. I'm responsible for you, so I can't have you wandering off every time something catches your eye."

"Star!" Astro yelled, trying to say he wouldn't...only for a Mothim to fly by. "Star?" Astro stared at it, his feet reflexively moving to go after the bug, only to suddenly feel a pressure on his tail. "Vern?" He turned to see that Prongs had stepped on his tail, he, Riptide and Viper shaking their heads as he growled at them.

"You see?" Flash said as he walked over to the dragon, "Just be patient."

"Star!" Astro whined, trying to move his tail in response.

"No." Flash responded, grabbing him and taking him back to the camp. The rest of the day was spent not exploring, but instead being told all about the group's amazing adventures together before Astro was hatched. They showed him several images of places he would like to see, but was beginning to doubt he would ever get to see beyond this meadow.

Eventually, the sun began to go down, everyone getting ready to go to bed. "Alright Astro," Flash knelt down in front of him. "It's time." He took out a Pokeball, "This'll be where you'll be sleeping from now on. Trust me, you'll be comfortable in here."

"Star?" Astro raised an eyebrow at the orb Flash was holding, then jumped to the side when Flash threw it at him.

"Astro." Flash sighed as he threw the ball again, only for Astro to dodge it. "Come on. Get in the ball." He pitched the ball at the dragon once more, but Astro used Dragon Rage the send it flying back. Flash caught it, only to cry out at how hot it was. "Astro!" He yelled while dropping the ball.

"Star star star!" Astro laughed as Springer shook his head.

"Maybe you should leave him out," Twilight said as she, Spike, Peewee and Shine got into their tents. "He is still new to the world, so being in a Pokeball might be a bit strange to him."

"He's gotta go into a Pokeball sometime."

"But he doesn't have to right now," Doc responded, "Maybe give him one more night sleeping in the tent? Then try again tomorrow."

Flash stared at the dragon, letting out a long sigh, "Alright." He returned everyone else before grabbing Astro and bringing him into the tent, the Starvern squirming in his arms. "One more night," Flash told him as Doc zipped the tent up and left the zipper out of Astro's reach before he and Flash got into their sleeping bags and Springer laid down beside him.

It wasn't long till Astro found himself curling up in the tent's corner, trying to get to sleep. There was a set of three snores that soon rang out in the tent, making the dragon glare at them. He closed his eyes, trying to relax...only for nothing. An hour or so passed, and sleep evaded him. He then looked up at Flash and the others, all fast asleep as he whispered, "Star..."

He picked himself up, staring up at the tent's opening and its zipper. He gave one final look at the three, then turning back to the zipper before crouching down and leaping up at the fastener. The dragon got within a few inches of the zipper, but was unable to grab it in his mouth before falling down, "Star!" He grunted, flinching when he heard Flash let out a noise.

The youngling waited a second at this, making sure Flash wasn't responding. He then jumped again, two more times before his third attempt. And on the third time, he flapped his little wings as hard as he could, this time actually seemingly hovering for a few seconds before grabbing the zipper in his mouth. His weight pulled the zipper down instantly, opening the tent. "Star!" He cheered, only to clamp his mouth shut.

After checking that the others didn't wake up, Astro slowly walked out of the tent, a giant grin on his face. He turned to the forest, his eyes shining at the sight as he began to wander inside. He ran as fast as he could, not a care in the world while also not remembering his path back to the meadow. A world of wonder awaited him, his ears soon catching a sound above him. "Star?" He replied to the noise, the dragon soon following the sound.





Meanwhile...

A cold wind blew through the meadow, hitting the now open tent. The draft hit Springer, making the Riolu shiver, "Ri..." he moaned, his eyes slowly opening as his body kept shaking. He squinted as he saw the tent flap open, only for his eyes to close again...and open back up as he realized what that meant. The Riolu hopped onto his feet, now noticing a certain absence, making him yell, "RIOLU!"

"What!?" Flash yelped as he and Doc shot up, the trainer's eyes half open as he responded, "What's happening?" He turned to Springer, about to ask what was wrong, only to notice a certain missing Pokémon. "Astro?" He and Doc spun around, now noticing the open tent, "Oh no."

The three climbed out of their tent, the noise they made making Twilight, Spike, Shine and Peewee poke their heads out of their tent, "What's going on?" Spike rubbed his eyes, "it's still night."

"Astro's gone!"

"What?" Twilight exclaimed, her eyes fully opening, "What do you mean he's gone?"

"We woke up and he was gone," Doc replied, "He must have opened the tent and got out."

"That means there's only one place he could have gone," Flash turned to the forest, soon taking out his Pokeballs and throwing them upward, "Come on out!" In a flash of light, the rest of his Pokémon appeared, "Astro's missing and we need to find him. Follow me!" They all nodded, following their trainer as he and the others rushed into the forest.

Peewee and Skyler took to the air, searching from above while the others fanned out. "Anything?" Twilight asked after looking inside a bush.

"Nothing," Spike yelled from atop a tree branch.

"He can't have gotten far," Doc responded, "He's small, so he can't move that fast."

"But who knows how long he's been gone," Twilight added, "He could be on the other side of the forest if he left early enough."

"Can you sense him bud?" Flash asked Springer, the Riolu already scanning before sighing and shaking his head, "Augh! Where could he be?!" It was then that Riptide picked up on a sound he knew all too well, causing him to look up from his search and turned to Flash, "Find something Riptide?"

"Tore," he pointed in a direction before spitting out a burst of water.

"You hear water?" Twilight asked as Spike climbed down from a tree.

"There must be a river nearby," Doc replied, a horrifying idea now appearing in all their heads. The sound of running water was something Astro had never heard, meaning he would be curious about it.

"Oh no!" Flash ran in the direction Riptide had pointed, the others following with great haste. The sound of the river got louder quickly, soon finding they were at the edge of the forest and now saw the aforementioned river rolling through the gap in the ground.

"Here's the river, but where's Astro?"

"You don't think he fell in, do you?" Spike asked, only for Springer's ears to perk up as his eyes went wide.

"RIOLU!" He yelped as he ran up the river, the others turning to him.

"Springer?" Flash followed after him as the group made their way upstream, only to gasp as they saw what Springer was running towards.

It was a large tree rooted in the side of the bank, growing at an angle over the river that would allow someone to walk up it and over the water. And someone was doing just that, a certain little dragon. Astro was walking up the tree trunk, now at the very end that hung over the center of the flowing river. The branch he was on was already weakening, beginning to bend and buckle under his weight. However, Astro didn't notice as he instead stared at the glistening moonlight that was reflected in the water.

"Star..."

"Astro!" He looked up to see Flash and his Pokémon running up to him, "Get down from there!"

"Star!" He shook his head and jumped in place, causing the branch to wobble. The hatchling saw this and giggled, then started jumping up and down, making the branch shake as he laughed.

"Astro! Stop!" But as he said this, the branch snapped, causing a wide-eyed Astro to suddenly start falling toward the water. "NO!" The others gasped, Skyler zipping right up to the dragon. He quickly got underneath Astro before he hit the water, the Starvern landing on the Tornavian's back as everyone sighed in relief as Skyler began to circle around.

Astro growled at the end of his fun, only to notice a branch on the other side of the river. And when Skyler got close to it, he leapt off his back. Everyone gasped at this as Astro landed on the tree branch, which bended under his weight until his feet hit the ground.

He then bit down on the wood as Flash yelled, "ASTRO! Get back here!" Astro shook his head the best he could with the branch in his mouth. "I'm warning you..." As he said this, Skyler flew down and primed his talons to grab him, only for Astro to let go of the branch.

"Tore?" Was all Skyler could say before the branch sprang back, striking him in the face. "TORNAVIAN!" Everyone flinched as they watched Skyler get thrown back, hitting the dirt with spirals appearing in his eyes.

"Staaaar," Astro laughed before turning to run deeper into the forest.

"When I get my hands on him," Flash hissed as he resisted making a choking motion with his hands. Skyler moaned as he picked himself up, then heard a whistling noise as he saw Flash return all but he and Springer before holding up his arms. Skyler nodded at this before flying over the river, picking the two up.

"See if you can find another way across. If you can't, I'll meet you back at the camp." Flash called out as Skyler flew him and Springer to the other side of the river. The group nodded back as Flash landed and let out Riptide, Prongs and Viper. "Let's go!" They nodded to the trainer, the group then running into the darker section of the forest while Twilight and the others began to search for another way across.





Having lost its pursuers, Astro shined a big grin as it continued to walk through the forest. But as he did this, he saw his vision slowly darken, finding that he was now going into a darker part of the place. And as he did this, he felt a shiver go down his spine.

"Star?" He whispered, only to jump in place as a noise rang out in a nearby bush, "Starvern?"

He stared at the bush for a second, then continuing to walk as he slowly entered a place completely covered by a canopy of the trees. Now unable to see anything, Astro could feel his grin shrinking, the bravery on his face disappearing as he kept walking...and suddenly feeling himself stepping into something wet and sticky.

"Star?" he asked, trying to pull his foot off out of sticky substance. And with a strong yank, he pulled his foot off the stuff, stumbling back as he did this. He then walked over to a tree, sitting down and staring at his foot. He saw the substance was a kind of white silk. "Vern?" Astro added before looking up, now seeing more silk, all of covering the trees and making large webs and zip-lines connecting them.

The webs were all connected to one large tree in the center of the area, large roots coming out of the ground with it while they looped around to make wooden caves. There were also holes in the trunk, tons of them, all the perfect home for something that enjoyed living in deep dark areas.

Astro blinked at this, getting up and walking over to the lumber pillar. But as he did this, twin purple lights suddenly appeared in the tree's holes, root caves, and in the branches of the tree. They stared at the Starvern as he got closer, now deciding he was too close for comfort.

And as Astro took another step, he stared up just in time to see a thin stream of silk shoot out from a hole. "Star!" He yelped before hopping back, the silk hitting the ground. He then looked up at the hole, now seeing the culprit: An Ariados.

It wasn't alone as well. Several more Ariados scuttled out of their dens, all glaring at the Starvern as it let out gulp. The dragon began to shake at the sight of the spiders, some snapping their pincers together while others were making hissing noises. "Star..." he whispered while trying to slowly move backward. But as he did this, one of the Ariados suddenly leapt down. "STARVERN!" He spun around, cutting into a sprint as he tried to get to the exit of the grove, but the Ariados was quicker.

The ones in the branches shot several webs that hit the trees that Astro was running toward, quickly forming a web to block his escape. The one on the ground then shot a line that struck Astro's tail, giving him a good yank that pulled the dragon off his feet.

"Star!" He cried as he hit the dirt, then rolling around to try and use Dragon Rage. But before he could, Ariados fired another shot and hit him in the mouth. "VRRRRM!" He tried to scream, then trying to use his claws to get the webs...but his little hands couldn't reach. Instead, all he could do was struggle as Ariados pulled him closer, ready to strike before-

"AURA SPHERE!" A blue orb shot through the web, tearing through the wall and hitting Ariados. It struck the spider head on, knocking it back while dropping the thread holding Astro. The Starvern turned to the attacker, now seeing six shadows leap into the grove, flying over him before landing between him and the Ariados. The Bug-types growled at the shadows, Astro seeing them as Flash with Springer and Prongs to his left and Riptide and Viper to his right while Skyler flew above his head.

"You're not touching him," Flash told the Ariados while his Pokémon all nodded. The Ariados let out a hiss before unleashing a barrage of Pin Missiles. "Water Gun, Energy Ball and Flamethrower!" Riptide, Prongs and Viper fired their long range attacks, striking the glowing projectiles midair and stopping them in their tracks as Springer and Skyler charged, "Extreme Speed and Steel Wing!"

"RIOLU!" Springer roared as he accelerated, zigzagging between several of the Ariados, slamming a foot into each of them, knocking them all back while Skyler did the same, hitting them with his wings.

At the same time, Flash turned to Astro, pulling the webbing of him. "You okay?" The Starvern nodded back, a look of confusion on his face. He knew he had just caused Flash trouble, but the human had a look of pure concern on his face as Flash replied, "Good." Flash turned back to the battle, "Just stay there behind me. We'll protect you, right guys?!"

"RI/TORE/SPRAN/LEAF/CARRR!" They all roared as the Ariados used String Shot.

"Flamethrower!" Viper unleashed a stream of fire, igniting all the threads. The webs were set ablaze, the fire now hitting the spiders, combusting them as well. The Bug-types cried out as they burned, the flames beginning to catch onto the trees.

"Water Gun!" Flash yelled, Riptide firing a volley of water to put out the flames while also hitting the Ariados. Once they were put out, several of the Ariados leapt at Flash and Astro, but Prongs jumped in front of them, "Bounce!" The Chitaleaf leapt up, slamming into the first Ariados, knocking it back into the others.

"Great work guys! Now, let's get out of here before they try a round two!" They all nodded back, but before they could escape, the Ariados Springer had originally struck with his Aura Sphere picked itself up, glaring at the trainer before firing a Poison Sting.

The teen saw the attack, unable to react as the needle came for him. But as it got closer, he suddenly felt himself getting pushed out of the way. "STAR!" He heard Astro cry as he fell to the ground, turning to see the Starvern in midair getting struck by the Poison Sting.

"ASTRO!" He cried, the Starvern falling over. He got up and grabbed the newborn, seeing a purple blush on his face. Anger consumed the teen's face, making him glare back at the Ariados. "Drain Punch, Tornado Burst, Rock Smash, Body Slam and Flame Wheel!"

"RI/TORE/SPRAN/LEAF/CARRR!" The five leapt at the Ariados, hitting it with a flurry of moves. An explosion consumed the spider, knocking it flying across the forest. And as the Ariados disappeared into the darkness, the group began to hightail out of there.





Back at the campsite, the others had returned their after their searches had come up fruitless. "Anything?" Twilight asked, getting a shake of the head from the others.

"Maybe Flash found him," Doc added, only for the group to hear a bunch of rustling. They turned to the sound, now seeing Flash and his Pokémon running up to them.

"Guys!" He yelled, everyone seeing him holding Astro in his arms. "We've got a problem."

Everyone gathered around him, seeing the purple blush on his face, "What happened?" Twilight asked.

"He ran into some very angry Ariados," Flash replied as Doc laid out of blanket for him. "And he got hit with Poison Sting." He was about to ask for a Antidote or Pecha Berry, but Shine walked up to the dragon. Her horn began to glow, soon unleashing a wave of different colored lights, all of them spreading around Astro. Everyone watched as the light was absorbed into the Starvern, his breathing soon getting easier as the purple blush disappeared.

Flash let out a sigh of relief before scratching Shine behind the ear, "Thanks girl." Shine giggled as Astro began to move, Flash then pushing him back down, "Stay down. You need to rest." And as he did this, Astro did as he was told, layinig back while frowning at Flash. He now saw the upset look on his face, Flash then adding, "You've caused us a lot of trouble. You know that?"

"Star..." he nodded his head.

"Not only did you disobey me, but you then put us all in danger."

"Star..."

Flash let out a sigh, shaking his head, "Astro...I know you want to see the world, but the world can be a dangerous place. If you don't know about something, you could put yourself and those around you in serious danger. Do you understand?"

"Star," Astro nodded.

Flash smiled and scratched him behind the ear. "I promise, I'll show you as much of the world as possible. But you have to listen to me when I tell you to do something. Because I know more about this world than you do, and I just want to keep you safe." He gestured to everyone else, "We all do."

Astro's eyes drifted over the group, seeing everyone smiling at him, none of them showing any sign of annoyance whatsoever. The sight made Astro realize Flash was right, now knowing that he didn't know anything about the world.

"Star," he replied before turning to Flash. "Starvern!" The teen chuckled before standing up, taking out a Pokeball next.

"It's time Astro. You ready?" Astro responded by picking himself up and nodding. "Alright then," he threw the Pokeball upward. "Go Pokeball!"

"Star!" Astro leapt up and headbutted the ball, the sphere opening to unleash a light that sucked the Starvern inside before slamming shut. It fell onto the grass, wiggling several times before locking with a familiar ding.

Flash smiled as he picked up the ball, then holding it up. "Alright. I just caught...A STARVERN!"

"RIO/AVIAN/NITOR/CHITA/HACKER!" His Pokémon all cheered while Twilight and the others clapped their hands.

"Congratulations Flash," Twilight added.

"Thanks," Flash then looked down at the Pokeball. "Alright Astro, come on out!" He threw the ball up, unleashing a swirl of red energy before a series of shiny sparkles appeared around the appearing Pokémon.

"Star!" Astro cheered as he fell into Flash's arms, Flash spinning him around with a smile on his face before putting him down beside the rest of his team.

"Astro."

"Starvern."

Flash then turned to his Anahakka, "Viper."

"Carrr."

Then to his Chitaleaf, "Prongs."

"Leaf."

To his Spranitor, "Riptide."

"Spran."

And his Tornavian, "Skyler."

"Tore!"

Then finally his Riolu. "And Springer."

"Rio!"

"Together, let's aim for the top and win the Equestria League!" He threw his fist up as his team mimicked him, letting out cries of agreement while their friends chuckled. His team once again whole, now with an excitable Starvern among his ranks, Flash is well on way to attain his dream of becoming the Equestrian Champion. One can only wonder what new adventures await our heroes. As the journey continues
> Flash in the Forest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continuing their journey to Manehatten City and Flash's seventh Equestria Gym Challenge, our group were still making their way to Seaward Shoals. Currently, they were running through a forest, now reaching the edge of the trees. Flash, Springer and Astro were the first ones out, the trio finding themselves on a cliff that overlooked another forest. But on the other side of that forest, the open ocean could be seen.

"Wow...we're almost there." Flash whispered before seeing Astro now staring at the big blue sea, "Pretty cool, huh Astro?" He reached down and patted the Starvern's head, Astro's eyes sparkling in wonder. Flash had agreed to allow Astro to stay out of his Pokeball and experience the wonders of the world, though as long as he behaved...and stopped trying to chomp Flash's hand. "That's the ocean Astro. It covered most of the planet, and it's awesome to swim in. Just don't drink any of it."

"Vern?"

"Just trust me on that."

Twilight and the others then walked up, the girl speaking up, "Seaward Shoals should be on the other side of the forest. Then we can grab the boat heading to Manehatten." She looked down at her journal, but the screen was showing a buffering symbol, "That's odd...I can't get a signal."

"Well, its not like its far," Spike pointed out. "As long as we keep going straight, we'll get there in no time."

"Maybe..." Twilight sighed, "But we don't know what's in that forest."

"I think we'll be fine. There's no sign for danger or anything." Flash commented, "I think we should go for it."

"I guess you've got a point," Twilight replied as they began to walk down a route off the cliff, "Alright, let's get going." The others nodded, all scaling the path before reaching the other forest. The place was quite dark, the canopy being so thick that they couldn't see any of the sky or sunlight. Its floor was covered in thick roots, Astro soon having trouble with his little legs. Flash quickly picked him up, Astro roaring a thank you as he did so.

"Anyone else getting a creeped out vibe?" Spike asked as they continued through the place.

"Yeah..." Doc responded, "It kinda feels like...someone's watching us." He glanced around, soon noticing something. "Wait...this forest is empty."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, why would a forest like this be so empty? Surely there would be some Bug Pokémon or Grass Pokémon. Even Dark or Poison-Types would be at home here."

"That's a good point." Twilight nodded, "Being this close to the ocean, you'd think there would be a few Wingull or something."

"What does that mean?" Spike asked.

"That there's something here keeping those Pokémon away," Flash answered for him. This made Spike grimace, Astro and Springer doing the same. Their pace slowed down, the groups' eyes glancing around. They kept trying to look everywhere, glancing at the bushes and branches, staring beyond the trees.

But none of them payed any attention to the trees themselves. For as they walked past one of them, a single red light appeared on the bark of the tree before turning to the retreating humans and their Pokémon. The gentle rustling of leaves followed this, the light now following them.

"Let's just get out of these woods before whatever is in this place decides to come out and say hello," Twilight told the others, all of them nodding in agreement. But as they did this, Springer suddenly heard something.

"Ri?" He looked behind them, but saw nothing.

"You okay bud?" Flash asked, Springer closing his eyes as he tried to sense some aura.

"Ri?" Springer replied as he opened his eyes, shaking his head. They began to start walking again, only for another sound to ring out, "Ri!" Springer spun around, now seeing some slight movement near the tree, the Riolu forming an Aura Sphere in his paw. "RIOLU!" He fired the orb at that tree, expecting to hit it...only to phase right through it.

"What the heck?!" Flash yelped, only for a red round light to appear on the tree. Seconds later, the tree's branches began to move as they suddenly pulled themselves free.

The tree began to move, Twilight now going wide-eyed, "Trevenant!" She cried as the Elder Tree Pokémon glared at them.

"That explains why there aren't any Pokémon in the forest," Doc gasped as Trevenant raised its arms up, the foliage around them beginning to glow. "Everyone move!"

The Trevenant then unleashed a Magical Leaf attack, almost hitting the group. "Trev!" It roared as its branch like fingers began to glow purple, the Ghost Grass-type charging while swiping at them wildly.

"RIOLU!" Springer roared as he tried to use Extreme Speed to kick Trevenant, only to go right through it.

"Trevenant's a Ghost-type Springer!" Twilight yelled, "Your attacks won't work on it."

"Why does this keep happening?" Flash groaned as Trevenant turned to Springer, ready to use Shadow Claw.

"Star!" Astro leapt out of Flash's arms , the Trevenant turning at the sound of his voice. "VERN!" He leapt up and bit its arm, making Trevenant flinch.

"Alright Astro!" Flash cheered, only to see Trevenant swing its arm, forcing Astro to let go. "Uh oh!"

"Trev!" It roared as it unleashed a Magical Leaf, hitting Astro head on.

"STAR!" He cried, knocking him flying back, landing right into Twilight's hands.

"Gotcha!" She yelped while catching him, "You okay?"

"Star..." Astro moaned in pain.

"Love the energy bud, but you're still a bit off from fighting against something this strong." Flash said as he took out a Pokeball as Trevenant glared at them. "If we wanna beat this thing, I'm gonna need my ghost-buster. Skyler, let's go!" He threw the Pokeball, unleashed his Tornavian as it squawked while taking flight. "Go get it bud!"

"Tore!" Skyler roared as he charged at Trevenant.

"Tornado Burst!" Skyler began to spin, forming a tornado around his body, but Trevenant was ready.

"Trev!" It slammed its root like feet into the ground, seconds before a bunch of roots suddenly shot out of the forest floor.

"That's Terror Root!" Doc gasped as the roots formed a wall, Skyler now exploding out of the tornado with a burst of speed. Alas, the wall was too strong, making him bounce off with a cry of pain.

"Skyler!" Flash yelled as the root wall split apart, the roots them charging at them. Before they could do anything, the roots began to wrap around the group and lift them upward, "AAAH!" They all screamed as they felt the roots tightening around them.

"Can't...breath..." Spike moaned as he and the others squirmed in pain.

"Terra!" Peewee cried as the roots increased their grip just as the Terragon tried to use Incinerate, only to whine in pain.

"Riolu!" Springer yelled, unable to even summon some aura in the pain.

"I can't...reach...my Pokeballs," Twilight stuttered out.

"Me neither!" Doc yelped.

As this happened, Astro turned to see Flash, Springer and Skyler all being squeezed before looking at Trevenant, seeing it wasn't paying any attention to him. "Star..." he hissed as he quickly built up the power in his mouth, the Trevenant turning to him as he yelled, "VERN!" A Dragon Rage shot out, striking the Elder Tree Pokémon.

"TREVENANT!" It cried, staggering back as the roots all flinched from the blow. Screams came next as the roots loosened, everyone now feeling the roots swing them around wildly. And as the roots threw the group around, Flash was thrown away from the others.

"FLASH!" Twilight screamed as she saw Flash get thrown up into the forest's canopy, disappearing in the forest's darkness. The rest of the group feeling themselves falling towards the ground and spinning so much, they lost track of which way they had come from.

While this happened, the Elder Tree Pokémon recovered from the surprise attack as it hissed, "Trev..." It scuttled over to a nearby tree, placing its hand on it, both it and the tree beginning to glow. Through the ghostly energy that made up its very being, the Ghost Grass-type sent a message into the tree, a message now going through the timber before zipping through the forest's long intertwining roots. Moments later, the many other trees in the forest suddenly gained an eye, all beginning to move as anger appeared on every face.





Twilight let out a moan as she sat herself up, turning to see almost all her friends trying to recover as well, "Everyone okay?"

"I've been better," Spike moaned.

"Nothing I can't walk off," Doc added as he stood up. As he did this, he noticed Astro running around, letting out a series of cries.

"Star?! STARVERN!" He yelled, about to tear up before Springer went over and patted his head.

"Ri," he said while Skyler nodded. "Rio ri."

"Springer's right," Twilight responded as she leaned down to Astro's level, "Don't worry about Flash. This isn't the first time he's been separated from us. He'll be fine."

Doc nodded in agreement before turning to Skyler, "Can you try and look for him from the sky? And could you tell us where the ocean is from here?" Skyler replied by taking off, only to return and point to a certain direction.

"Tore."

"So the ocean's that way?" Twilight pointed in said direction, the bird nodding, "Then that's the way we should go. Go find Flash Skyler."

"Tore!" he replied while flying off again.

"But what about Flash?" Spike asked.

"Flash will be heading to the ocean as well," she responded, "If we want to meet up, that's the way we should be going. This forest is way too big to start searching aimlessly."

"She's right," Doc added, "And Flash has Riptide, who can detect water. He'll head to the ocean."

"But what about the Trevenant?

"He's got Viper," Twilight reminded him. "And both Riptide and Prongs have moves that work well against Grass-types." She reached down and picked Astro up, "He'll be fine."

Astro gave her a frown in response, only to feel Twilight pat her head. He saw a kind smile on her face, but it didn't relieve the big frown on his face.





Having been slammed through the trees and foliage, Flash had landed face up on the ground. He was currently unconscious from the impact, though the heavy foliage of the trees had slowed him down enough for it not to be fatal. "Ow..." he groaned before sitting up, "Just once, I'd like to enter some unknown territory without getting attacked by something." He let out a long moan, now standing up to see no sign of anyone or anything.

"Okay...need to find the others. And I hurt all over." He commented before crossing his arms, "Gotta think...what would Twilight do?" He reached down for his remaining Pokeballs. "She'd probably head for the port and get help. That's where I need to go."

He threw the balls up, unleashing his Spranitor, Chitaleaf and Anahakka. "Tore/Leaf/Car?" They asked before turning to Flash.

"Alright guys, we're in trouble. We've been separated from Springer and the others, and there's a Trevenant out there that's in a real bad mood. We've gotta get out of here before it's too late." The three nodded as Flash turned to Riptide, "Can you sense where the ocean is?"

"Tore..." Riptide fell onto all fours, circling around the group.

Flash looked back at Prongs and Viper. "Okay guys, if that Trevenant shows up again, be ready. Viper, you're best suited for taking it down." Viper nodded as Riptide suddenly picked something up, letting out a cry before pointing in one direction, "That way?" Riptide nodded. "Sweet. Let's get out of here before something else shows up to attack." He began to walk forward, but after a few feet, he suddenly found the ground beneath him disappear. "WHOA!"

The others saw their trainer disappear, now hearing several cries of pain. They ran over, now seeing Flash had fallen down a hill he hadn't noticed, now laying at the bottom while clutching his foot.

"Ahhh!" He groaned as the others carefully stepped down the hill, "My ankle..." He pulled his hands away, now seeing it was already turning red and swelling. "Well...this complicates things."





Twilight and the others had now arrived at the edge of the forest, having been lucky enough to not run into any more angry Pokémon. When they got there, they found themselves on the edge of another cliff with a nearby ramp leading down to the sea-level. And on the very edge of the land was a small town with several ports, boats and a large amount of mist. "Seaward Shoals..." Twilight commented as they made their way down the ramps. "Let's see if we can't find someone who can help us."

They quickly ran into the town, all beginning to ask around for anyone that would know how to help them find Flash. But in every building they went to, the people said that they didn't go that deep into the woods. "Please," Twilight asked a woman working at a bakery, "Isn't there anyone in town who knows how to find him?"

"I'm sorry, but you knew the risks when you went into that forest." the woman replied, "Didn't you see the signs?"

"What signs?!" Twilight yelped while Astro raised an eyebrow, "We didn't see any signs!"

The woman hummed at this, "Must have fallen over. Or one of the Trevenant destroyed it."

"One of them?!" Twilight gasped, "How many Trevenant are there in that forest?!"

"Oh, many. It's why nobody goes in there. Those Trevenant are very territorial."

"We noticed," Twilight sighed while Astro growled. "Isn't there anything you can do?! Maybe there's an Officer Hard Case we can talk too."

"I'm afraid not," she replied. "This town is so quiet that there usually isn't any need for one to be here. I'm sorry, but your friend will have to get out of there on his own." Twilight sighed again as she walked out of the bakery, only to see Doc and Spike running up to her, "Anything?"

"Nothing," Spike responded, "The people in this town are complete cowards."

Doc nodded in agreement. "I'd say we should just go back into the woods and find him ourselves, but with its size, it would be impossible to find him unless we split up. And if we do that, then we would be even more separated with no way of contacting one another if we found Flash. It'd be a continuous cycle of trying to find one another."

"Tore!" They looked up and see Skyler flying down, landing with a frown on his beak.

"Did you find anything?" Twilight asked, the Tornavian shaking his head. "Well, we can't give up." She took out a Pokeball, "Owlicious." In a flash of red, the Owlolar appeared and took to the air. "Go help Skyler search. The two of you should be able to cover a wider area together."

"Make that three." Doc said as he unleashed his Flitanium. "You've got to find Flash. And be careful to not fly too low. You don't want to attract the Trevenant's attention."

"Fly," he nodded before taking to the air.

Skyler was about to do the same, but then Springer leapt onto his back. "Riolu!" he exclaimed while the others turned to him.

"You want to help look too?" Twilight asked, getting a nod from Springer. "Okay. Good luck you guys." With that, the four Pokémon took to the air. "If they can't find him, we should go in there and look for ourselves."

"There might still be someone willing to help us. We should keep looking." Doc added, both nodding back before running through the town again.





"Ow..." Flash moaned as he tried to put pressure on his foot. "I'm no expert, but I think it might be sprained."

"Chit..." Prongs sighed as he turned to where Riptide and Viper were. The two had been gathering leaves off the ground, bringing them over as he asked in his tongue, "What are those for?"

"Watch," Riptide replied before clutching his now glowing fist before slamming it into a leaf. Doing so caused the leaf to grow cold, freezing over before putting it over Flash's hurt foot. The chill went through the leaf, beginning to cool Flash's foot, flinching at the action. But once his foot got used to the cold, he sighed as he felt the pain go away.

"Thanks guys," their trainer sad as the three added more leaf bandages to him. "But we still have to get out of here...and I don't think I can walk."

That statement made them grimace, only for Prong to let out a neigh, "Leaf!" He leaned down beside Flash.

"Thanks Prongs, but I don't think you can carry me." He then saw a look of determination of Prong's face, making him sigh, "Alright." Riptide helped Flash up to his feet...and the trainer threw his leg around Prongs. The Chitaleaf stood tall, bracing himself to take Flash's weight, only to feel himself immediately having trouble.

"Chit..." he groaned as he tried to move, his legs shaking, "Leaf!" He cried out as he and Flash fell to the ground, Flash almost crushing his stomach under his weight.

"Told you," Flash replied as he got off him. "Now what?" The Pokémon turned to him, soon getting up as they looked around for something else. But as they did this, Riptide spun around and began to whisper to the other two Pokémon. "What are you scheming?

They didn't reply, instead running off. Flash called out to them, but they remained silent as they began to look around. It was here that Viper slithered up a tree to collect some vines while Prongs used Energy Ball to break several strong branches off the tree. Riptide caught them, returning to Flash while Viper dropped the vines. Being the only one with hands, Riptide used the vines to tie the branches together in order to make a pair of wooden As.

Flash raised an eyebrow at this, now seeing Riptide use Ice Punch to freeze the ropes in place. But then he turned them around, placing the points on the ground. "Wait...did you guys just make a pair of crutches out of wood and vines?" They nodded before Riptide held them out.

Their trainer took the crutches, carefully put his weight on them. And to his surprise, they didn't break. "Awesome!" He replied, starting to limp forward, but not too quickly. "Beartic Grills, eat your heart out." He turned to the others, "Let's go!" They nodded back as the four quickly made their way further through the woods.





Back at Seaward Shoal, Twilight and the others were still searching for anyone willing to help them. Alas, they continued to get the same response from everyone else. Nobody wanted to risk going into that forest, meaning the three were on their own. The only place they hadn't asked was near the docks, but they found only one boat there.

"Hello?" Twilight called out as they walked up to the admittedly large sail boat, "Anybody up there?"

They waited for a second, no reply until someone leaned over the side of the ship, "Ahoy hoy." It was a middle-aged bald man with a white beard, "What can I do for you landlubbers? Wanting to ride my boat to Manehatten Town?"

"You're the boat that goes to Manehatten?" Twilight asked.

"Town." He replied. "It's a small village close to the city, but yes. I'm Captain Algae. You want on the next voyage?"

"Well...yes," Doc responded, "But we have bigger concerns right now. We got separated from our friend in the forest."

"The Trevenant Forest?" He asked, getting a nod from the others. "I'm sorry to hear that. If your friend is lost in those woods, he's in serious trouble."

"We know," Twilight sighed, "Which is why we need help to find him."

"Nobody else is willing to help," Spike added, only for the three to turn and see a large group of people arrive on the docks, all heading for the ship.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Algae replied, "And I'd love to help, but I've got a job to do." He moved over and dropped a gangplank, allowing the other people passage, "I already promised these people I'd leave for Manehatten Town today."

Doc frowned at this, now asking, "When are you gonna be back?"

Algae hummed at this, "You've actually caught me at a bad time. After I arrive at Manehatten Town, I'm going to have my boat's yearly inspection to make sure it's up to code. So about two weeks if there's nothing wrong with it, but possibly a month if there is."

"A month?!" Twilight yelped, "When are you leaving then?!"

"My ship off time is in an hour, but if you want to wait to see if your friend shows up, I'll be willing to make it two hours. But no later than that I'm afraid."

Doc turned to them, "What do we do?"

Twilight frowned, holding Astro tighter in her arms. "If we leave, he might ship off before we get back. So even if we find Flash, he'll spend the next month moaning that he has to wait for his Gym Battle."

"So we wait here?" Spike asked.

"I don't see any other choice for us," Doc replied while Astro let out a moan. "We'll just have to hope Springer and the others locate Flash."





Meanwhile...

Springer and the Flying-types weren't having much luck. They were making another pass over the forest, but not seeing a thing. It didn't help that the canopy was so thick, impossible to see through, no sound coming out of either.

"Ri..." Springer closed his eyes, holding his paws out. But as he tried to sense Flash's aura, he found nothing. It was like a blanket of dark energy was covering the forest, the canopy making it impossible for him to break through it. "Dang it!" He cried in his own language.

"Don't worry," Skyler responded, "Flash will be alright. Riptide and the others are with him."

"Maybe..." Springer sighed, "But that doesn't make me feel any better not knowing what's happening." He stared back down at the forest, "Flash...guys...please be alright."





Flash and his Pokémon were still moving through the woods, slow going due to Flash's foot. The crutches were helping, but the forest's uneven terrain was still making it difficult. It was here that they found a five foot ledge that seemed to go on forever in both directions. "Leaf!" Prongs used Bouncer to jump onto it before turning back, Viper wrapping the end of his tail around Flash's wrist. He then slithered up the ledge before zipping around Prongs.

"Thanks guys," Flash said as Prongs backpedaled, pulling Flash up while using Viper like a rope. Riptide was behind him, pushing him up from behind.

"Tore," Riptide groaned, saying it was nothing. Flash soon got up the ledge, Riptide passing him the crutches before they continued on.

"How much further until we're at the ocean?" Flash asked Riptide as he hobbled along, Riptide bringing his hands a good distance apart, then shorted the distance by half. "So we're halfway there?" Riptide nodded back, "Alright, then we shouldn't waste any more time."

They all nodded, though the Pokémon's eyes were all darting around. "Carrr?" Viper asked if the others two tried to sense anything, only to reply with a shake of their heads.

"We need to keep a watchful eye out," Flash assured them. "That Trevenant could show up at any moment. Or another Pokémon looking to pick a fight." They then shined them a big grin, "But I'm not worried. If anything shows up, I know we'll be fine. After all, I've got you guys."

"Tore!" Riptide happily replied.

"It's true. You've all grown so much stronger since the day we all met." He responded, chuckling as a few memories went through his head, "We may have lost our fair share of battles, but we've grown a lot since then. And now, I'm confident there isn't a challenge on this whole planet that we can't overcome together. Right?"

"Tore/Leaf/Carrr!" They cheered, thinking the same as Flash as they knew that they never would have gotten as strong as they were without him.

But as they said this, Prongs suddenly yelped, "LEAF!" He quickly leapt at Flash, tackling him to the ground and breaking his crutches. Flash was about to yell at him, only to see a bunch of Magical Leaf attacks to fly over the two, making the teen grimace.

"Oh no." He whispered before they all turned to see a certain Trevenant scuttle out of the darkness, "Great. I had really hoped we'd seen the last of you."

"Trev..." it growled as Flash's Pokémon got into a battle stance.

"We can take it. It's three against one." Flash replied, only to hear the Trevenant begin to laugh. "It is three against one...right?" He got his answer when the dark woods around him were suddenly illuminated by a bunch of single red eyes, their owners scuttling out to reveal themselves. Soon enough, Flash and his Pokémon were surrounded by a horde of Trevenant.

"Oookay, this could be a problem." As he said that, the Trevenant swung their arms around, unleashing another wave of Magical Leaf. "Flamethrower and Water Gun!" Riptide and Viper leapt up and spun around, a stream of fire and water now striking the leaves as they incinerated or pushed back that attacks to their sources.

"Trev!" Several of the Trevenant charged, their branch-like fingers glowing blackish purple.

"Energy Ball!" Flash yelled, Prongs spinning around while firing several spheres of nature energy. The Energy Balls struck the Trevenant, causing them to stagger back. But as this happened, more trees now charging and thrusting their hands forward. Doing so caused their fingers to suddenly grow, slamming into Prongs and Riptide, making them cry out while Viper used his serpentine body to evade the attacks.

"Crunch!" Flash ordered, Viper turning to one of the extended branches and biting down.

"Trev!" The owner of that root cried, quickly swatting his branch as it flung Viper off.

"Flame Wheel!" Viper curled up and bit his tail, spinning as his body igniting before falling onto a Trevenant. At the same time, Riptide and Prongs picked themselves up, using the distraction to charge at the other trees.

"Tore!" Riptide roared as he used Ice Punch, striking a Trevenant in the chest while Prongs used Bounce to slam into another one. At the same time, Viper struck another Trevenant with his flaming body.

The three cried out as one felt itself being frozen solid, another being sent flying back while the third tree was seemingly being burnt alive. But as this happened, the lead Trevenant gave a cry of command and the other's bodies glowed. "TREV!" They screeched as large roots shot out of the ground.

"Leech Seed!" Flash yelled as Prongs fired several seeds from his antlers, the seeds hitting the roots and breaking open to unleash strong vines that wrapped around the roots, stopping their movement. "Now, Aqua Tail and Flamethrower!" Riptide and Viper struck the roots, cutting them down. But as they did this, the Trevenant fired a barrage of Magical Leaf that struck the three.

"Tore/Leaf/Carrr!" They cried as they were knocked flying back, rolling on the ground. The trio quickly tried to jump back up, trying to recover as several more Trevenant charged forward. They were all trying to use Shadow Claw or Branch Poke, but Riptide and Prongs were quick to intercept them, firing Water Guns and Energy Balls before using Aqua Tail or Bounce to knock back the closer ones. They had to remember to not use Rock Smash and Body Slam, the attacks unable to do anything. Meanwhile, Viper stayed back, unleashing Flamethrower after Flamethrower, deflecting the Magical Leaf attacks while also cutting through any of the Terror Root attacks.

Flash watched the clash, frowning as he saw his Pokémon being forced on the defensive. If he could run, they could just create an opening and escape. But since that wasn't an option, the three could only fight and protect him until the Trevenant hopefully gave up.

It was then that he noticed the lead Trevenant suddenly melting into the ground, the teen looking down and noticing a purple portal under him. "Where's it going?" He asked as his Pokémon continued to do battle, trying to protect Flash while several Trevenant grouped up and fired another Magical Leaf barrage.

"Tore/Leaf/Carrr!" The three leapt side by side, using Water Gun, Energy Ball and Flamethrower to stop the attack. But as they did this, a purple portal appeared behind them.

"Oh no...GUYS!" Flash yelled as the Pokémon turned to him, but it was too late. The Trevenant shot out of the portal and swung its arms around.

"TREV!" It screeched as its arms bashed against the three.

"TORE/LEAF/CARRR!" They screamed as they were thrown back, their bodies smacking the dirt as the Trevenant laughed while walking back to its horde.

"GUYS! You've gotta get up!" The three tried to scramble up, but that last attack had done some critical damage. They tried again, only for all three to slump over. "No..." he whispered before hearing the Trevenant scream out as their bodies glowed.

"TREVENANT!" The ground began to shake before more giant roots broke out of the ground.

"NO!" Flash yelled as the roots surrounded them, Riptide, Prongs and Viper groaning as they picked their heads up. The roots then slammed down, all intending to crush them. "Augh!" Flash screamed as he flinched, closing his eyes. But as he did this...he felt nothing. "Huh?" He slowly opened his eyes, only to let out a gasp.

His Pokémon had all picked themselves up, all now standing over him as the roots slammed down into their backs, heads and crossed arms in Riptide's case. The three were straining to keep the roots back, pain surging as the roots kept lashing down on them.

"Guys..." Flash whimpered, the sight of his Pokémon in pain making him freeze in place. His mind shrunk, memories of the three now racing through his head. Catching them, the challenges they had gone through, the trials and adventures...his whole life with them flashed before his eyes. He could feel his brain telling him it was over. He had failed yet again.

But this thought came to his mind, he clenched his teeth, growling at the negativity in his mind. And with a mighty roar, he yelled, "You can do it!" The three opened their eyes, seeing tears now going down Flash's face as he showed an expression of pure determination. "I believe it you! There's no way these overgrown weeds can beat you! Show them why you're the best of the best!"

The trio's eyes went wide at this, the group's eyes narrowing as they all roared, "Tore/Leaf/Carrr!"

And as they let out this unison cry, the three began to glow, Flash's eyes going wide as Riptide, Prongs, and Viper's bodies started growing and changing. "No way."

Outside the root cocoon, the Trevenant saw the light, only to notice more pressure pushing on the roots. But before they could fight back, the light suddenly exploded with a surge of force, knocking the roots away. And as the trees backpedaled from the sudden change, they now saw three new Pokémon standing before them. Flash could only stare in wonder at the sight before him, the teen now seeing his Pokémon had all evolved at the same time.

Prongs now stood at about six and a half feet. His body was mostly dark green, with brown running from the end of his nose to his lower mouth and to the front of his neck and underbelly. It was also at the end at his flank, and had a pair of brown spots on his back, one on either side, along with a large brown spot on his rear. A large patch of grass could be seen sprouting out of his chest, growing up and around his neck and around the shoulders while also down his front legs. From his rear was a whole bushel of leaves, and a pair of brown antlers growing out of his head, complete with leaves as well.

Viper was now more cobra-like, the total length of his body being about ten feet from head to tail. The top half of his body was crimson red, with his lower jaw being dark yellow. There was also a dark yellow line running down the front of his body, and had several black circles running in a line from the back of his head to the end of his tail. Finally, he had a large yellow tube shaped appendage on the very end of his tail.

Riptide was now a taller humanoid-lizard whose head to toe height was about six feet. He had light blue skin with a dark blue belly and light blue long arms, but his hands and three fingers were dark blue. His tail was as long as his was tall, being entirely dark blue and connected to the dark blue patch on his stomach. He had a pair of strong light blue legs with dark blue feet, and also had three white fin like appendages on his head, two coming from either side of his mouth while the third was a foot and a half long dorsal fin that ran from the tip of his nose to the back of his head. The lizard also wore a blue eye visor that went from one eye, over his head to just above his nose, then to the other eye. It looked like it was made of water, giving it a bubbly-like appearance. Each of the fins had a bright red tip, and with the fin on his head, his height was increased to about seven and a half feet.

"Guys?" Flash asked, the three turning to him with giant smiles.

"Rep," Riptide gave him a thumbs up.

"Stag," Prongs held his head up in pride.

"Vi," Viper smirked, his smile turning to a sly grin.

Flash smiled back as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Stagrowth
Category: Forest Antler Pokémon
Type: Grass
Info: The evolved form of Chitaleaf. Stagrowth's horns are constantly growing. To prevent them from growing too heavy, this Pokémon carves them on trees. It's said that the horn debris takes root and becomes new trees.

Name: Vipeacon
Category: Viper Pokémon
Type: Fire/Poison
Info: The evolved form of Anahakka. When hunting, this Pokémon wraps itself around its enemies and then lights its entire body on fire. Its sharp fangs can either inject poison or fire depending on its battle needs.

Name: Reptidal
Category: Tidal Wave Pokémon
Type: Water
Info: The evolved form of Spranitor. When storms appear, this Pokémon tests its strength by swimming straight through it. Legends speak of how many Reptidal gather to test their strength, the winner gaining the title Ocean Champion.

"Awesome," Flash whispered. "Too awesome."

But as he said this, roars from the Trevenant echoed around them. Several pointed their arms at the group before unleashing a barrage of Magical Leaf attacks. And as they tried to hit the team, Viper fired a Flamethrower while twisting his body around, creating a flaming circle that burned the Magical Leaf to a crisp.

As this happened, one of the trees hadn't used Magical Leaf, instead charging while using Shadow Claw, but Prongs charged up to meet the attacker. "Stag!" His horns started to glow light green, growing taller and larger, surprising Trevenant and Flash. Before either of them knew it, Prongs thrust the horns into the tree. "GROWTH!" He roared as Trevenant was sent flying back as sparkling green orbs of energy flew out its body and into Prongs.

"Wow," Flash gasped, "Was that...Horn Leech?"

"Trev!" Another yelled as it charged, only for Viper to slither up to him. It tried to use Branch Poke, but Viper easily side-stepped before leaping at the tree. Trevenant then found the Vipeacon wrapping his body around it, Viper biting onto the end of his tail before breathing down it. Doing so caused his entire body to explode, wrapping the two in flames. "TREVENANT!" It screamed as Viper leapt off the burning elder tree.

"Pyro Coil?" Flash asked before hearing the other Trevenant cry out.

They weren't happy about this, the group now encircling the four before using Terror Root again. Flash gasped at this, but suddenly Riptide leapt in front of him and brought his closed fists together. "Rep..." he began to pull them apart, "Tidal!" As he did this, a long blade of water formed between the fists, soon allowing the lizard to hold a long sharp katana of water.

"Aqua Break?" Flash whispered as Riptide began to swing the blade around, slicing the approaching roots to ribbons. "Wow..."

The Trevenant stared at the three starters, the trio now standing around their trainer in a triangular back to back position. "TREVENANT!" They all screamed, now unleashing rapid Magical Leaf, Shadow Claw and Terror Root attacks. But these attacks were quickly deflected with bouts of Flamethrower and Aqua Break, Prongs then firing several Energy Balls to knock the Trevenant down.

"Alright!" Flash cheered as he pushed himself back to his feet, "You guys are doing awesome!" It was then that a Trevenant phased out of the ground behind him, having used Phantom Force before grabbing him and lifting him up. "Hey!" The starters turned to their trainer, all gasping as they saw the tree grab him.

"Rep!" Riptide pulled his fist back, charging an Ice Punch, only for Trevenant to hold out Flash right in front of the lizard. He then threw the punch, Flash flinching at the incoming blow...but felt nothing but a cold breeze. He opened his eyes to see Riptide had stopped inches away from his face. "Tidal," Riptide smiled, only to reach out and grab the Trevenant's arms, "Reptidal!" He called out to Viper, who slithered around to the elder tree's back.

"Vipe..." Viper took a deep breath, "CON!" He unleashed a Flamethrower right into Trevenant's back, making it cry out and release Flash. Riptide let go of the tree's arms, quickly grabbing his trainer before throwing him straight up.

"Stag!" Prongs fired another Energy Ball, knocking down a Trevenant before looking up and seeing the falling Flash, "Stagrowth!" He quickly used Bounce, flying up and catching Flash with his back before landing onto a Trevenant, smacking it back before getting back to the ground.

"Trev!" The tree screamed as it was knocked back, Prongs now feeling Flash hold onto his antlers.

"Guys!" Flash yelled, "Let's just get out of here!" Riptide and Viper nodded before jumping away, dodging another Trevenant attack. Riptide then used Aqua Break to slash down a few more trees, smacking a barrage of roots before Viper unleashed a volley of flames around them.

"Vipeacon!" He roared, cutting a trench in the ground in front of them, causing it to explode. The Trevenant quickly found themselves trapped in a wall of flames, the trees roaring as they fired roots and leaves at the fire, but they had no effect. And as this happened, the four disappeared into the forest.





Back at the docks, Twilight and the others were still waiting. At the same time, the captain of the boat walked up to them, "Alright kids, I'm running behind now. I have to leave, so are you getting on or not?"

"Just a few more minutes..." Spike pleaded, "Please..." Twilight and Doc also wanted to do the same, but they knew it wasn't fair on the captain.

"Tore/Owl/Fly!" They turned to see the Flying-types flying down, all landing on the dock. Springer leapt off Skyler's back and ran up to them, a frown on his lips telling them the outcome of their search.

"Did you find anything?" Doc asked, clinging to one last shot of hope, only to get a shake of the head. He let out a sigh before turning around, telling the captain to go ahead. At the same time, both Springer and Astro looked down at the ground, only for Springer to suddenly gasp.

"Ri! Riolu!" He turned around, catching the others' attention as they followed him with their eyes. They now saw mist surround the dock, three figures making their way through the fog. The sight felt imposing, Twilight, Doc, Spike and their Pokémon all getting into a battle ready pose while the captain and those on board stared over the edge.

But then, the figures got closer, soon revealing the final evolved forms of the Equestrian Starters. And sitting on the back of one was their friends, "FLASH!" They exclaimed as Flash climbed off the Stagrowth, making sure not to put any weight on his ankle.

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked, looking him over.

"I've been better," Flash moaned out, "But I'll be alright."

As he said that, the others turned to the Pokémon, Doc whispering, "Flash, are these-"

"Yup," Flash nodded. "Riptide, Prongs and Viper all fully evolved."

"No way! I can't believe they've all evolved!" Spike yelled before looking away, "And I missed it..."

"Sorry bud," Flash laughed before suddenly getting tackled by his two smallest Pokémon. "Hey guys!" He laughed while Astro and Springer hugged him, the teen patting their heads, "Sorry if I worried you guys. But I'm okay...more or less."

"What happened?" Twilight asked while examining his three evolved Pokémon, Doc helping Flash up and letting him lean against him to take the weight off his foot.

But before Flash could say anything, the captain called out, "Hey, you getting on or not!?" They all gasped and helped load Flash onto the boat, the boat then pulling out of the harbor while they sat Flash down at the front. Doc began to examine his foot, applying some bandages as Flash explained everything that happened.

"And now we're back here," Flash finished as his Pokémon nodded.

"Amazing..." Twilight gasped, "I can't believe all three of them evolved at the same time. Though I guess it's not surprising. With how much you've been training them lately, I'd be more surprised if they hadn't evolved at this point."

Doc nodded at this, "And now that they're evolved, they'll be stronger, faster and be able to stand up to more punishment."

"Yeah..." Flash turned back to the three starters as they smiled back at him. "Thanks guys. I really owe you one." They nodded back, Riptide even giving him a thumbs up. Flash then stood up, being sure to keep his weight off his foot. "Now that you're evolved, nothing's gonna stop us from beating the last two gyms and winning the Equestria League!" He turned to the front of the boat, the open ocean that the sun was beginning to grow closer too. "You guys ready to go all out?" He asked while throwing his fist into the air.

"RI/TORE/TIDAL/STAG/VI/STAR!" They yelled out, Springer, Skyler and Riptide doing the same as Flash while Prongs, Viper and Astro opened their mouths as wide as possible.

A seriously dangerous run in with a horde of angry Trevenant has allowed Flash's Pokémon to evolve and grow stronger. Now, one can only wonder how this will affect the rest of his adventure as he aims for the top. As the journey continues.
> The Ocean Champion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continuing their journey to Manehatten City and Flash's seventh Equestria Gym Challenge, the group was now riding the open ocean on a large sailing ship. They had shipped off from Seaward Shoals two days ago, Flash and his friends having enjoyed their time aboard. They fished, played games, read books and so much more. Currently, Flash was having his bandages taken off his foot to see how well his ankle had healed.

"How's that feel?" Doc asked while putting the bandages in a bin bag.

Flash stood up, smiling before jumping up and down. "Feels great. Better than ever."

"Good. Just be careful from now on." Flash nodded before a splashing sound made him turn to the edge of the boat, now seeing a certain sight that made him chuckle. It was Riptide swimming beside the boat, his head-fin above the water as he swam at great speed. Holding onto his head fin was Springer and Astro, the two letting out cries of excitement as they felt the wind in their faces.

Flash couldn't help but smile, this open ocean being the perfect place for Riptide to grow into his new body. "Guys!" He yelled, "Everything okay down there?" In response, Riptide shot straight up. He did several flips, throwing his passengers off his head before landing on the deck and holding his arms out so Springer and Astro landed in his hands.

"Rep!" Riptide cheered while putting the two down.

Flash laughed at this, kneeling down to scratch them behind the ears. "Riptide's really taken to being a Reptidal," Doc commented as he walked up to them. As he did this, he looked out at the sea...and noticed they weren't anywhere near land. "That's strange. We should be seeing some signs of land."

He quickly walked up to the area where Captain Algae was steering. Up there, Twilight and several other people were sitting on benches, enjoying the sun or reading from books. "Excuse me, captain?" Twilight and the captain turned to Doc, "I'm just wondering what route you're taking us on because it feels like we're a bit too far from the mainland."

Captain Algae chuckled at this, "So you didn't realize this was a special voyage."

"Special?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow, putting her book away, "How special?"

"So special that I only make it once every five years." In this moment, Flash, Spike and their Pokémon walked up to the elevated deck. "I figured you already knew, given what Pokémon you're here with." He pointed at Riptide, who raised an eyebrow at this.

"What are you talking about?" Flash asked, only for the captain to point toward the horizon.

"See for yourself. We're almost there." The others turned to where he was gesturing, seeing a small land mass in the distance.

"You're taking us to an island?" Spike asked.

"Not just any island," Algae laughed. "That there is Reptidal Island, the location of the Ocean Champion Tournament."

"Ocean Champion?" Flash asked, having heard that name before. "Wait..." he pulled out his Pokedex and scanned Riptide, seeing his page.

"So that legend is true?" Twilight chimed in, getting a nod from Algae.

"Yup. Happens every five years. I've been taking trainers there for decades. Surprised you didn't know about it." Flash glanced around at this, seeing several trainers polishing their Pokeballs.

"So all these people are looking to compete?"

"Most of 'em, yes. But it's not just trained Reptidal that compete. Look over the edge and you might see a few wild ones." They walked up to the edge, only to see no sign of Reptidal in the water. Instead, they saw a ton of boats, soon losing count of how many there were.

"So many people, all coming to compete...."

"Or to just watch," Twilight corrected Flash. "So what are you gonna do Flash? Are you and Riptide going to compete?" Flash and his Reptidal turned to one another, both smirking and nodding.

"You bet we are! And we're gonna win!"

"TIDAL!" He roared in agreement.

The rest chuckled at this as the boat sailed closer to the island, Spike then pointing at something in the water. Everyone saw it was a Reptidal with an Aquana and Spranitor swimming beside it. Another Reptidal then appeared, followed by more and more, multiple members of the Aquana line all swimming up to them.

"Wow...so many." Flash whispered before turning to Riptide, "We're gonna have our work cut out for us. But we got this, right bud?"

"Tide," Riptide nodded as the boat got to the island's harbor. The land was a like a large ring, the ship pulling up to one of the empty peers and coming to a stop, Captain Algae dropping the plank for them to disembark. As they did this, they saw the other people getting off their own boats, which went from speed boats to yachts, while the wild Reptidal climbed onto the peer and helped their prevolves up onto the land.

"Aw..." Twilight giggled at all the Aquana waddling along the ground. "How cute."

"So where will they be battling?" Spike asked, getting a shrug from the others. Flash turned to the wild Reptidal, seeing them heading up the rocky mountains that made up the island.

"I guess up there," he commented before he, Springer, Astro and Riptide started walking toward them. But as they did this, loud footsteps suddenly rang out as a familiar voice called out to him.

"FLASH!" He turned to the voice, only to get tackled. He cried out as he hit the ground, opening his eyes to see nothing but blue hair and blue skin. That is, till the person hugging pulled away to showed her face.

"Sonata?!" He yelped, the priestess of Vocanctus giggling.

"What are you doing here?" Twilight asked as the girl picked herself up.

"We came to watch the tournament," Sonata replied.

"We?" Doc added before they heard a coughing sound, making them turn to see the other two members of Sonata's family standing with arms crossed. "Aria and Adagio?"

Twilight smiled at this, "It's good to see you all."

"You too," Adagio responded, the group then noticing a trio of identical Pokémon at the girl's feet. It was a trio of Popplio, each with a different colored ribbon around their left ear.

"Are those yours?" Twilight asked, moving over to pet them.

"Sure are," Adagio reached down and picked up one with a yellow ribbon. "They were a gift from the people of Vocanctus."

"We're gonna evolve them into a trio of Primarina," Aria added as the one with a purple ribbon moved up to her. "Then they can sing with us on stage."

"That's awesome," Flash chuckled as the last Popplio with a blue ribbon was picked up by Sonata, "I was kinda expecting you to have Sirenity with you."

Sonata giggled at this, "She has to stay in Vocanctus. But I'll see her again, when we return for the Voice of the Ocean festival."

Adagio turned to Twilight, "We weren't expecting to see you here. Thought you'd be heading to the next gym or something."

"It wasn't really in the plan," Twilight replied, "We just found out about this little event, so we decided to come."

Sonata gasped and turned back to Flash, "Does that mean you'll be competing?" Flash nodded, the girl jumping up and down at this, "That's amazing! Don't worry, you'll have me cheering you on!"

"Thanks," Flash chuckled, "So did you guys just come to watch out of curiosity, or was there someone you were actually planning to come root for?"

"The second option," Aria responded, "We came because another guy from our city's competing. We decided to tag along because he said he'd drop us off somewhere else on the way back. That way, we can start our journey off somewhere exciting."

"So who's competing?" Spike asked.

"That'd be me," another voice said, the group turning to see a pair of teens walking up to them. The first was a boy about their age, with white skin and hair that was two different shades of green. He was wearing a cream shirt with gray swirl patterns designed to mimic waves and brown pants. He also wore a necklace around his neck. The other was a girl slightly younger than him, with pink skin and hair that was two different shades of blue. She was a dark pink shirt and a purple skirt. The boy had his own Reptidal walking with him, "Hey there, nice to meet you. Name's Terramar."

Before anyone else could say anything, the girl ran up to Flash with an excited look on her face, "Oh my Arceus! You're Flash Sentry! The guy who helped Sonata save our city!"

"Err...yeah," Flash replied, almost backpedaling, "That's me."

"Hi there! Its so nice to meet you! I'm Silverstream!" She exclaimed while grabbing his hand and shaking it, "Are you gonna compete too?! OH! Maybe you and my brother will compete in the finals together! Wouldn't that be awesome?!"

"Uh...sure would," Flash barely replied as the handshake stopped, Flash now feeling the same pain he had gotten from Astro biting his hand.

"Sorry about my sister," Terramar chimed in, "She get's a little...overenthusiastic about some things."

"No kidding," Spike chuckled, "So do you know where this tournament is taking place?"

"Of course," Terramar pointed up at the mountain, everyone seeing several trainers and Reptidal beginning to climb it. "Come on, I wanna get there before the stadium appears."

This made them raise an eyebrow at this, but they soon just followed him. It took a few minutes, but they quickly got up to the top of the ringed mountain. They looked down next, now seeing the wild Reptidal standing further down the mountain, the very center of the island being filled with water.

"What are they staring at?" Flash asked.

"It's just a pool of water," Sonata added.

"Wait for it..." Terramar responded.

The others just blinked at the sight, only to go wide-eyed as they saw the water in the cove begin to get lower, as if someone had pulled the plug out of the drain. The water was being sucked into holes on the seafloor and then began to reveal a stadium. This one was not made of bricks and metal, but instead made out of coral. It was a large bowl made entirely of coral with a single opening to allow people entrance. A circle of stair-like constructs created a seating area and in the middle was a pool of water with three elevated sections of land in the middle of the water. One was a large round platform while the other two were much smaller. A coral bridge also connected the entrance to the shore, allowing people to cross.

"Say hello to the Coral Stadium," Terramar announced, "For three days every five years, the currents shift and reveal this natural creation. And it's here that the Ocean Champion will be decided." The others stared in amazement as they headed down the path leading to the stadium, Riptide unable to keep his eyes on the place as he then accidently stepped on a tail.

"Rep!" He heard, turning to the owner of the tail as they glared to him.

It looked like a Reptidal, but this one was a different color. In place of light blue skin, it was dark blue. And in place of being dark blue, its tail, feet and hands were black while the fins on its mouth and head were light blue. Its eyes also were a bright green and filled with annoyance.

"Rep," Riptide apologized, but the shiny Reptidal simply growled back at him.

"Riptide, what's wrong?" Flash asked as he turned to his Pokémon, now seeing the shiny Reptidal before hearing a new voice.

"What are you doing to my Reptidal?!" yelled the voice, all looking up to see a teen around the same age as Doc. He had dark blue skin with a light blue lower jaw along with the front of his neck. His hair was light blue with dark blue tips and was wearing a dark blue leather jacket with black pants.

"Sorry," Flash replied, "I think my Reptidal accidently stepped on your's tail or something."

The teen hissed at him, only to raise an eyebrow at this, "Wait...I know you! You're the guy that lost in the finals of the Hoofington Battle Tournament!"

Flash frowned back at him, "Yeah, that's me."

"I thought so," he laughed before staring at Riptide, "So this is the Spranitor that lost you the whole match."

"Hey! It wasn't Riptide's fault Flash lost," Twilight chimed in.

Flash nodded at this, "That's right. We were all at fault for that."

"Maybe, but he's the one that struck the final nail in the coffin. If he'd been able to beat that Chimplug before it evolved, the whole match could have gone differently." He then chuckled as he pointed at Riptide, "Then again, I gotta admit, Lightning Blitz is right. He looks like a total weakling, even when evolved! HA!" He looked away at this, "If you're in this match, it'll be a cinch for Fin to win the title of Ocean Champion."

"Hey! Don't you dare insult my Pokémon like that!" Flash yelled as the teen began to walk away, "Don't ignore me!"

"I can ignore a loser. After all, all of Equestria knows you're a loser."

"You little...what's your name?!"

The teen stopped and glanced back, "Wingill. Remember it, as my Reptidal will become Ocean Champion." With that, he continued to laugh as he walked into the stadium.

And as the two disappeared, Riptide let out a low whimper, staring down at the ground. That is, until he felt a hand on his shoulder, making him look up at Flash, "Don't believe a word he said. You're not to blame for what happened back then, and you're not a weakling. We'll make those two find out how big of a mistake it is to underestimate us."

"Rep..." Riptide whispered, feeling Flash pat his head.

"Wow..." Sonata gasped before glancing at the others, "Flash is really good at pep-talks. I thought he was gonna be upset after what happened in the Battle Tournament."

"Oh, he was. You have no idea." Twilight sighed, making the trio of girls grimace at Twilight's expression, only to see Twilight shine a small grin, "But he got over it. Now he's just focusing on the next time he faces off against Lightning Blitz."

"And he'll win," Sonata added while hugging her Popplio tightly. Twilight saw the look in Sonata's eyes, remembering what she had told Flash the last time they had met. Though Flash hadn't heard it, the memory went through Twilight's head, making her feel a sense of dread.

At the same time, Riptide sighed as he continued to walk beside Flash. Memories of the match against Lightning went through his head, remembering how that battle went still going through his brain. And as this happened, they entered the stadium, all now seeing two Reptidal on the battlefield, one appearing to have a trainer who stood on one of the smaller platforms while the other was wild.

"So what's the rules of this tournament?" Twilight asked Terramar, the teen pointing toward the side of the battlefield in response. There, they spotted an elderly looking Reptidal with many wrinkles.

The Reptidal was sitting on the wall beside some kind of wheel device made of stone. On that wheel was a hourglass-like object with water on the lower section. "Rep..." it called out before spinning the wheel so the water-filled section was on top. "Reptidal!" It yelled as the two Reptidal charged at one another. At the same time, the water flowed down and began to dribble through the very small gap into the lower section.

"The Reptidal battle until the time is up. And whichever Reptidal is still on the platform at that moment will be the winner."

"What if they're both on the platform when time runs out?" Spike asked as the wild Reptidal was thrown off the battlefield and splashed into the water.

"Then it's overtime, and whoever gets knocked into the water next loses."

"Makes sense," Twilight replied before turning to the water clock, seeing half the time was already gone. "How long does it take for the time to run out?"

"Not sure," Terramar responded, "I don't think anyone ever really counts. Nobody even knows how that clock was made. Some think it's natural, and others think it was made by someone." As he said that, the wild Reptidal shot out of the water and had a water katana in its hand.

"Aqua Break!" The trainer yelled, his Reptidal creating his own sword to block the wild Reptidal's attack. "Now, use Frost Breath!" It opened its mouth, letting out a roar as a sparkling blue wind shot out and struck the opponent in the face, causing the goggles around its eyes to frost up.

"Rep!" It cried while staggering back, trying to wipe the frost from its goggles. But as it did this, the trainer Reptidal spun around and slammed its tail into it. "TIDAL!" It screamed while getting knocked back into the water.

As it did this, the last of the water trickled into the lower section and the elder Reptidal raised an arm. "TIDAL!" It roared, pointing to the trainer Reptidal as the crowd cheered.

"Wow..." Spike gasped, "That was awesome!"

"So anyone can just step up and compete?" Flash asked.

"Pretty much," Terramar replied, "Today is the first day, when everyone can enter. They only have to fight once and if they win, they can enter to tournament properly tomorrow. But you only get one try, and if you lose, you can't enter again until the next tournament in five years." As he said that, Fin jumped onto the battlefield as Wingill hopped onto the trainer's podium.

Another Reptidal leapt onto the podium and the elder spun the wheel, starting the battle. Everyone watched as Fin charged while summoning a water sword, reaching the other and striking instantly. The wild Reptidal staggered back at this, Wingill then yelling, "Water Gun!" Fin took a deep breath before unleashing a blast of water, knocking the Reptidal right into the water. "Now, Ice Beam." Fin opened his mouth, firing a burst of blue lightning that struck the water and began to freeze the surface. Eventually, the entire stadium's lake-top was frozen, the wild Reptidal unable to break through.

"Hey!" Spike called out, "That's cheating!"

"I don't think the judge agrees," Adagio pointed to the elder as it did nothing. All it did was focus on the clock as the water flowed into the lower section while the wild Reptidal tried to break through the ice...only for the water to run out.

"Rep!" It exclaimed, pointing to the shiny Reptidal.

"Ha!" Wingill guffawed as several Reptidal jumped onto the ice, starting to work together to break it while Fin leapt over to him and they high-fived. "Wasn't even close. This is gonna be easier than I thought." He and Fin left the battlefield, Fin turning to Riptide before giving him a giant smirk, laughing at him as he walked away.

Riptide frowned at this, only to rapidly shake his head and look up at this trainer, "Rep!"

Flash chuckled at him, "I like the enthusiasm bud. Let's do this thing!" Flash leapt onto the trainer podium while Riptide landed onto the battlefield, letting out a roar that challenged any Reptidal who wanted to compete.

And ten seconds later, his opponent leapt onto the battlefield. It was a bulky Reptidal covered in several battle-scars. "This could be tricky..." Flash mumbled as the elder turned the wheel.

"Begin," it said in its language. When it did this, the scarred Reptidal ran up and summoned a water sword. Riptide was instantly hit, unable to react to the Pokémon's speed.

"Get up and use Rock Smash!" Riptide leapt back up as his legs began to glow, quickly swinging a jab at his opponent. But the Reptidal raised his sword, blocking the kick before pushing Riptide back, making him almost fall back into the water.

"Tidal!" He skidded along the ground, pulling himself to a stop as his opponent charged at him again.

"Get out of there!" Riptide rolled to the side to avoid the Reptidal's second sword attack, leaping to the side to dodge the blow. "Aqua Break!" Riptide created his own sword and charged at the Reptidal, but the scarred lizard easily blocked his swipes.

And as he tried to slash him again, the Reptidal suddenly threw a punch into Riptide's stomach. "Riptide!" Flash cried as his Reptidal was thrown back by the Sucker Punch, hitting the floor before sliding off into the water.

"Not good." Twilight gulped, looking over at the clock and seeing their time was already half up.

"Come on Flash!" Sonata yelled, "You gotta win, win, win!"

"Riptide, get out of there!" Flash ordered, not sure what command to give, but Riptide did as instructed and swam straight down to the bottom. He then kicked off and swam straight up, flying out of the water a second later. And as he did this, the wild Reptidal watched and took a deep breath.

"TIDAL!" It roared while unleashing a burst of water that shot straight at Riptide.

"Aqua Break!" Riptide created the sword, cutting the Water Gun attack in half. He then fell down at the wild Pokémon as it also summoned a water blade. The two clashed again, the scarred Reptidal easily knocking Riptide's blade back. And as their blades struck, Flash yelled, "Ice Punch!"

The wild Reptidal charged to impale Riptide, Flash's Pokemon then dodging the sword while clutching his fist. He spun around at this, doing a full three-sixty before slamming his punch into the Reptidal.

"Rep!" The scarred lizard cried as it staggered back, its stomach and upper parts of its legs and tail now being encased in ice. "Tidal?!"

"Aqua Tail!" Riptide leapt up as water spiralled around his tail, then spinning around before smacking the Reptidal. The blow knocked it flying out of the arena, falling into the water. And as it tried to recover and get out of the water, its frozen legs and tail making it struggle...only for the clock to run out.

"Rep!" The elder announced, pointing to Riptide.

The newly evolved Reptidal sighed in relief while the crowd cheered, "Way to go Riptide!"

And as cheers continued, Wingill and Fin smiled down at the battle, "I was right, they'll be no problem for us. It'll be a miracle if they even manage to get past the first round tomorrow." With that, he spun around, "Come on Fin, there's no point in watching losers like them."

Once Flash and Riptide left the battlefield, many more Reptidal fought for the chance at the title. Terramar and his Reptidal managed to win their match, going into overtime before knocking their opponent into the water. All the while, Flash and Riptide watched the other Reptidal battle, seeing them be much stronger than they were. They all seemed to be more accustomed to fighting, all almost always wielding their water blades like they were poetry in motion. And in the end, sixty-four Reptidal made it through to the next round.

It was here that the sun began set, a party now breaking out at the harbour. Many of the boats had been packed with beverages, which were soon passed around while campfires were started to light up the night sky. Trainers and Reptidal, wild and trained, were partying together on the port of the island.

"Woo-hoo! Let's party!" Sonata cheered, Aria and Adagio rolling their eyes at her antics, but were happy to celebrate alongside her with any other trainer that wanted to.

Twilight, Spike and Doc were sitting on the port having their own drinks, Twilight mumbling, "This competition isn't going to be easy. Flash and Riptide will need to win six times tomorrow if they want to be the Ocean Champions."

"They can do it," Spike chimed in, "Just watch. Flash and Riptide will clean up tomorrow."

"I wish I could agree with you," Twilight sighed, shaking her head, "But from watching the matches today, it's clear Riptide is the least experienced Reptidal here."

"Maybe, but Riptide isn't a battle novice." Doc added, "He's been up against opponents some of these Reptidal wouldn't even dream of. He just needs a little time to get comfortable with his new body."

"But does he have the time?" Twilight asked before looking up at the colosseum.





Meanwhile...

Flash and Riptide were staring down at the battlefield. "I'm gonna be honest...we're seriously out of our league here bud."

"Rep," Riptide nodded in agreement.

"We need to figure something out..."

In that moment, the two heard the sound of footsteps, turning to see Terramar and his Reptidal. "Your Reptidal just recently evolved, didn't it?"

Flash sighed at this, "Yeah, it was two days ago."

"And I'm guessing he learned Aqua Break at the same time." Flash nodded. "I see. Just knowing the move isn't enough. You also need to know how to use it. You can't just wildly swing the blade around and expect to win, especially against those with a lot more experience than you."

"So what do we do?" Flash asked, Terramar giving him a smirk before turning to his Reptidal and nodding. The water lizard nodded back before hopping onto the battlefield, motioning Riptide to join him. Riptide turned to Flash, his trainer nodding back as Riptide went over and drew his sword.

"Have your Reptidal copy mine's movements exactly." Flash and Riptide nodded, the Reptidal staring at each other before Terramar's began to move. Riptide followed him, both dancing around as hours began to pass. They started slow, Riptide getting more and more accustomed to moving in such a manner, also practicing kicks, flips and a few other tricks.

"Not bad," Terramar commented as Riptide began to move in perfect sync with Reptidal. "He's a fast learner."

"Thanks..." Flash replied before turning to him. "But...why are you helping us? Wouldn't it be easier for you to win if we weren't any good?"

"Maybe, but that's not really my style. Your Reptidal needs help, and it's the responsibility of more experienced ones to give it to them. Besides, I really don't want that Wingill guy's Reptidal to win. I can tell he's trouble, and no one like that should be Ocean Champion. That and the better you are, the less likely he'll be able to beat you."

Flash laughed at this, "Got it. Then let's make a deal. We'll meet each other in the finals."

"Deal," Terramar responded, shaking Flash's hand while the Reptidal continued to train.





The next day...

As soon as the sun was up, everyone was heading for the colosseum. Once there, those competing stood on the lowest section of the seating area as the elder decided who battled who. Meanwhile, Flash and Riptide let out a yawn after having practicing late into the night.

The elder then leapt out of the water, landing on the battlefield before pointing to two of the Reptidal. Both hopped onto the arena, the elder moving over to the clock and starting the timer. The battle started, ending with a wild Reptidal defeating the trained one, the elder then selecting two more Reptidal to face off. It was on the fourth battle that Riptide was selected to compete.

He and Flash leapt onto the battlefield while a trainer and his Reptidal did the same. "Let's go!" The trainer yelled.

"We can do this Riptide!" Flash told his Reptidal, who nodded back as the elder started the time. "Aqua Break!" Both trainers yelled as their Reptidal charged, both forming a sword as they clashed against one another. But unlike yesterday, Riptide wasn't wildly swinging his around.

"Whoa!" Spike gasped as they watched the two go at it. "Check it out!"

"Since when was Riptide that good?!" Twilight asked, Sonata and her Popplio cheering along with Silverstream. Terramar simply smiled at the sight, already seeing the training had helped.

The two Reptidal clashed swords, zipping around while also shooting Water Guns, Rock Smashes and other attack. But as the time began to run out, Riptide's opponent charged with another slashing attack. But Riptide, instead of blocking, jumped straight up and flew over the Reptidal.

"Rep!" Riptide spun around and slammed his tail into Reptidal's back, knocking it toward the edge. Riptide then slashed the Reptidal down the middle, making it cry out before falling into the water. And in that moment, time ran out.

"Rep!" The elder raised an arm before pointing to Riptide, declaring him the winner as the crowd cheered.

After that, more and more Reptidal competed against one another. This included Wingill and Terramar's, both managing to claim victory. And between the rounds, Flash and Riptide continued to practice sword techniques, the practice paying off in every match.

They managed to win the second and third round easily, Terramar and Wingill doing the same. The fourth round was particularly hard for Riptide, having been knocked into the water twice. But luckily, he managed to get back onto the battlefield seconds before time ran out, knocking his opponent out in overtime. After that, the semi-final round had Riptide making it to the finals of the competition, now about to see who would be his opponent.

"Water Gun!" Wingill yelled as Fin unleashed a burst of water at Terramar's Reptidal.

"Aqua Break!" Reptidal used his sword to slash at the water, Terramar's friends cheering him on. Reptidal then got close to the shiny, slashing away at it. But Fin easily evaded this attack, drawing his own sword as Wingill glanced over to see they only had a quarter of the time left.

"Rep!" Fin slashed at Reptidal, the two swords clashing before Fin pushed him back toward the edge.

"Ice Beam!" Fin unleashed the blue lightning, creating a crescent wall of ice that trapped Reptidal, Terramar calling out to use his sword. Reptidal slashed through the ice, needing several swings before breaking it. But as he did this, "Sucker Punch!" Fin suddenly closed the gap, throwing a punch into Reptidal's stomach, making him cry out as he was thrown into the water just as time ran out.

"Rep!" The elder announced, pointing to Fin and declaring him the winner.

"NO!" Silverstream cried, looking close to tears as Terramar helped his Reptidal out of the water. "This isn't right! My brother was supposed to win!" She looked close to tears until Adagio patted her on the shoulder.

"That's just the way things are kid. That Wingill guy just wanted it more." Silverstream let out a whimper, Flash and Riptide sighing at this before turning to see Wingill and Fin laughing. The two teams then locked eyes, Wingill and Fin smirking before they walked away.





That evening, the harbor was much more quiet. Many of the defeated Reptidal had left, both wild and trained, but others had stayed to see who would stand as the new Ocean Champion. Meanwhile, Flash and Riptide were continuing to practice his sword style with Terramar's Reptidal. "That's it," Terramar told Riptide as they clashed swords. "Remember to watch your footing. Accidentally stepping on a rock could cause some major issues."

"Way to go Riptide," Flash clapped after Riptide side-stepped a swipe.

Up on the boat, Twilight was staring down, watching the four with a smile on her face. "Isn't he amazing?" She turned to see Sonata walking up with a plate of what Twilight assumed was tacos. "I made these so he and Riptide can keep their strength up and keep training."

"Great idea," Twilight replied before frowning, "Wait...what did you put in them?"

"The usual. Onions, peppers, cheese and beans. Oh, and some spice for an extra kick."

"Uh oh." She grabbed one of the tacos, taking a bite before flinching. "Thought so. This is gonna be way too spicy for Flash."

"Really?" Twilight nodded, "Oh. I guess I don't know what kind of foods Flash likes."

"Well, you're not around him like we are." Twilight responded, "We had to find that one out the hard way when we started traveling with him." Sonata then showed a big frown at this, Twilight turning and gesturing for her to follow, "Come on, I know exactly the kind of tacos he'd love to have." Sonata's face morphed to a grin as she followed her, both heading to the ship's kitchen.

As this happened, the Reptidals continued to spar, "That's it, that's it!" Terramar told Riptide as he spiraled the sword around him, "Faster! Even the dullest blade can cut through anything if it's moving fast enough!"

"Come on Riptide!" Flash cheered as Riptide swung the blade into Reptidal's, causing the sword to shatter, allowing him to slash Reptidal down the chest.

"Rep!" It cried while sliding back, clutching the area struck. He then smirked at Riptide and gave him a thumbs up.

"Nice." Flash commented, only to see Riptide panting while also gesturing to Reptidal to 'bring it'. "Maybe we should give you guys a break. Don't wanna exhaust ourselves too much." Riptide frowned at this but nodded before walking away.

"Is he okay?" Terramar asked, "He seems...upset."

"I think Wingill's words from yesterday are still rattling around in his head," Flash sighed, "He still feels guilty for losing against Gorillamp."

"Well, he'll need to get over it if he wants to win tomorrow," Terramar responded, "Wingill's Reptidal is no joke."

Flash nodded back and moved over to sit next to Riptide, the two staring out at the horizon. "It isn't your fault, you know?" Riptide turned to him, "Losing to Gorillamp. It wasn't your fault. Lightning trained his Chimplug so intensely, it's no surprise it evolved." Riptide let out a whimper at this, only to feel Flash pat his shoulder, "But just because it's strong, that doesn't mean you're not strong too. Sure, Gorillamp beat you. But that was the last time it ever will, because Twilight was right."

"Rep?"

"Even though Lightning's Pokémon are physically strong, they're weak in every other sense of the word. And that'll be their undoing. Because unlike them, you're strong both in mind, body and soul. And one day, Lightning's Pokémon will reach their limits. And when that happens, you'll catch up because you can break your limits." He stood up, "But that won't happen if you don't believe you can do it. So what do you say?" He held out his hand, "Let's both put our pasts behind us and focus on the future."

Riptide stared at his hand for a moment, nodding before taking Flash's hand and letting his trainer pull him back up. "Rep."

"Guys!" They turned around to see Twilight and Sonata moving up with a plate of tacos. "Grubs up. You're gonna need all your strength if you wanna beat that jerk."

The two smiled back before nodding, consuming the tacos before sparing against Terramar's Reptidal again. And as this happened, Wingill and Fin were relaxing on their boat. Both were laying back in some lounge chairs, "This is it, Fin. Tomorrow, you'll be crowned the Ocean Champion."

"Tidal..." Fin replied, shining a big grin.

"And I'll be the one who trained that champion." Wingill chuckled, only for both to hear loud grunts and the sound of splashing. They looked up to see Riptide practicing, making him laugh, "Oh please. They could train for a million years and they still won't be a threat." With that, they laid back and stared up at the night sky. "This tournament is ours."





As soon as the sun was up the next day, everyone remaining on the island headed up to the colosseum. There the elder sat, waiting for Flash, Wingill and their Reptidal. At the same time, everyone took their seats. "Ha!" they heard Wingill chuckle as he walked onto his podium, "This is gonna be so easy. They might as well declare us the winners now."

"Don't underestimate us," Flash replied, "Riptide and I have been working hard. He might not have as much experience as a Reptidal then you, but he's got three times the heart, and a hundred times the will."

"Don't make me laugh!" Wingill guffawed, "You'll lose, just like how you lost in the Battle Tournament."

He shined the biggest grin at this, ready to see Flash and Riptide flinch, only for Flash to point at him, "You sure talk a lot, don't you?!" Flash then pointed down at the arena, "Why don't you let your Reptidal do the talking?!"

Wingill's face immediately turned red at this, scowling as he growled back. "You little..." His Reptidal let out a roar before hopping down on the battlefield, Riptide doing the same. It was here that the two Tidal Wave Pokémon glared one another down as they got into a battle stance.

"This is it..." Doc commented.

"You can do it!" Sonata cheered.

"Beat that jerk!" Aria yelled.

"Tidal..." the elder looked between the two, asking if they were ready. Riptide and Fin nodded and the elder spun the wheel, "TIDAL!"

"Aqua Break!" Flash and Wingill yelled as their Pokémon drew their swords, both charging and clashing in the center of the battlefield. Water splashed everywhere as they pushed at one another, only for both to knock each other back, staggering to the edge of the platform.

"Hang on!" Flash told Riptide, the lizard slamming his feet down to keep his balance.

"Take him down now!" Wingill yelled, Fin charging at Riptide as he tried to slash at him. However, Riptide dodged with a side-step, raising his own sword as Fin spin around. The two were suddenly dancing at this, locking swords as both swung their blades around. Liquid splashed everywhere, Fin swiping his sword right at Riptide's head, only for the Reptidal to duck under the sword. He then thrust his blade at Fin, only for the Reptidal to leap back. They charged at this next part, both blades clashing again.

And as they locked blades, both tried to push each other again, only for their legs to slip around. The did a complete one eighty as they moved around the arena, only for Fin to try and swipe at Riptide with his tail. "Rep!" Riptide leapt up to dodged the blow, only to see Fin smirk at him.

"Ice Beam!" Before Riptide could land, Fin unleashed a burst of blue lightning that struck the ground. Riptide landed on the ice, instantly slipping back before falling off the battlefield.

"Tide!" he yelped as he crashed, everyone gasping at the sight.

"Ice Beam, again!" Fin quickly fired another beam of blue lightning, freezing the water. Fin then spun around, freezing the top of the entire battlefield instantly.

"Not again!" Flash yelled.

"Oh, come on!" Spike added, "What kind of Ocean Champion would do that?!" The elder didn't respond, only focusing on the clock as the time washed away.

"Flash! You've gotta get Riptide out of there." Twilight screamed, Flash nodding as he stared down at Riptide.

The Reptidal was swimming around the frozen surface, but couldn't find an opening. He then saw Flash was saying something, but couldn't hear it through the ice. "Rock Smash!" Flash yelled, but Riptide didn't use it. "Dang it!"

"HA! This is too easy!" Wingill cackled, "Just stay down there until time runs out!" He turned to the clock, now seeing half the time had already expired.

Flash bit his lip at this, his eyes darting between his Pokémon and his friends. His mind was going blank, rubbing the sides of his head as he tried to think.

"This isn't fair..." Sonata whimpered, "But what can Flash do?"

And as those words hit Twilight's ears, she stood up, "Flash! He can't hear you, but he can see you!" Everyone turned to her, her eyes glancing over to the elder to make sure that didn't disqualify Flash and Riptide, but he ignored her. But those words were enough.

"That's it!" Flash stared down at Riptide, then raising his leg and started kicking. "Rock Smash!"

Riptide saw this, nodding to the kicking motion. "Rep!" He yelled before swimming down to the bottom of the pool, then kicking off it as he shot straight up, his legs beginning to glow, "Rep..." he spun around and thrust a foot upward, "TIDAL!"

Everyone gasped as Riptide exploded out of the ice, shards flying everywhere. Riptide landed on the arena next, Wingill growling, "You cheaters!"

"We're cheaters?! You're the one that doesn't want to do an actual battle in this!" Flash barked back, "You think you can just win by trapping others in ice instead of fighting like a true Ocean Champion!"

"Don't you mock me!" Wingill screeched, "Water Gun!"

The Reptidal unleashed a powerful burst of water, only for Flash to point at the attack, "Ice Punch!" Riptide punched the stream, freezing it solid. And the ice began to go for Fin, he gasped and stopped the attack, the frozen water now falling to the ground in a shattered mess. "Aqua Break!"

Before Fin could react, Riptide slashed at him with his sword, knocking him back. "Don't let him beat you!" Wingill yelled, "Breaking Swipe!" Fin's tail glowed purple as he charged, spinning around to strike Riptide.

"Dodge it!" Riptide leaned down, letting the tail fly over his head, then backflipped away, "Aqua Tail!" Riptide spun around at this, his tail wrapping in water.

"Another Breaking Swipe!" Fin spun around again, trying to strike him with his tail, the two attacks clashing and knocking them back. Both were sent flying off the platform, Riptide landing on a floating piece of ice while Fin landed in the water. He quickly put himself in a diving pose, recovering and swimming back to the surface.

The two leapt up at this, just as their trainers gave the same command. "Aqua Break!" They both drew their swords and clashed midair, locking blades and falling back to the ground. And as they landed, the elder saw the last of the water drip down on the timer.

"Rep!" He roared, telling them it was now overtime. Whoever could knock the other off the battlefield would be the winner.

"You can do it Flash!" Twilight yelled as Riptide and Fin broke apart.

"Show that guy whose boss!" Spike added.

"GO FLASH!" Silverstream screamed, "GO RIPTIDE!"

"Don't let all our hard work go to waste!" Terramar continued.

"We believe in you!" Sonata cried out as he sisters gave their own yells of support.

"Give it up!" Wingill told Flash. "You can't win! We're the Ocean Champions!"

"Don't go calling yourselves the Ocean Champions yet!" Flash barked back, "Because Riptide and I have come a long way since we first met." As he said this, memories of his first time meeting Riptide went through his head, getting upset when Lightning called him weak. But he knew he had a lot of heart, willing to help Champagoon despite the danger. Saving the Chopmunk, helping Kelpool get its home back, evolving into Spranitor and maturing a great deal. And even though he lost to Lightning, he refused to give up. And now, he was ready to become something more. "Riptide, take this guy down!"

"TIDAL!" Riptide roared as he pushed Fin back, then doing a quick swipe, only for Fin to side-step to evade it.

"Ice Beam!" Fin unleashed a blast of blue lightning, striking Riptide's shoulder, making him flinch as ice formed around it.

"Rock Smash!" Riptide's legs glowed as he began to swing kicks at Fin, hitting the Reptidal in the stomach.

"Rep!" Fin cried, feeling a second kick to the gut before grabbing Riptide's leg, "Tidal!" Fin spun Riptide around before slamming him into the ground, making Riptide cry out.

"Breaking Swipe!" Fin then spun around and slammed his glowing tail into Riptide.

"REP!" He screamed as he was knocked back, sliding to the edge of the battlefield. Everyone gasped as they saw him come just inches from going over. "Rep..." he moaned, flipping over before trying to push himself up, "Tidal."

"It's over," Wingill chuckled, "Let's get the title we deserve! End this with Aqua Break!" Fin drew another sword and pulled it back, Riptide looking up to see Fin about to swing the blade down, only to hear his trainer's voice.

"Ice Punch!" Riptide clenched his fist and threw it upward, connecting it with the water sword. The attacks clashed, the water instantly freezing solid.

"Tide?" Fin yelped, only for Riptide to push his fist more, smacking Fin back. The Reptidal staggered at this, the lizard trying to lift his sword up...only to feel a tremendous weight. He began to stumble, now looking down to see he couldn't lift his now frozen water sword. "Rep!"

"Now's our chance!" Flash yelled as he pointed at Riptide, "Aqua Break!"

Riptide brought his hands together, a sword of water appearing out of one of them. "Rep!" Riptide charged as Fin dropped his sword. Wingill let out a yell, telling him to make another sword, the Shiny trying to take a stance. But before it could form the sword, Riptide reached it and began to spin while un-sheathing his blade. "TIDAL!" In the blink of an eye and with a tremendous swooshing sound, Riptide was standing with his back to Fin while holding his sword out in a traditional vertical katana draw strike pose.

Everyone remained silent as they saw this, Riptide's sword losing its form and splashing down. The sound of the falling water came to a stop next, Fin slumping back at this moment, hitting the pool with a loud splash. And when he surfaced, they saw he had spirals in his eyes.

"REPTIDAL!" The elder yelled, raising an arm before pointing at Riptide, declaring him the winner.

With that, the crowd exploded with applause. "He did it!" Sonata cheered, tears in her eyes as the others applauded. At the same time, Wingill looked absolutely gobsmacked.

"We lost...to them?!" His gaze turned to his unconscious Reptidal, quickly returning him before slinking off without a word while Flash and Riptide let the unbelievable information sink in.

"We did it..." Flash whispered. "We won." His shocked expression quickly turned to a smile as he leaped for joy, "WE DID IT!" He jumped onto the battlefield, throwing his arms around his Pokémon, "You won Riptide!"

"Tidal!" Riptide was just as shocked before hugging Flash back. The two did this for several seconds before sensing another presence, turning to see the elder was now on the battlefield. It slowly moved up to them with its arms behind its back, Riptide letting Flash go.

"Kneel," it spoke in its own language. Riptide did so, the Reptidal created a water sword that it held up, then slowly bringing down to tap Riptide's shoulders. "By the power of the sea and its unyielding might, I now declare you Ocean Champion."

"Thank you," Riptide replied as he picked himself up while the crowd cheered again.

"Go now," the elder responded, "Go and show the world why you have earned this title." With that, the elder leapt off the battlefield and disappeared into the water. Flash and Riptide stared down into the pool, seeing no sign of him...only to notice something else. The water level was beginning to rise.

Riptide grabbed Flash and jumped over to the stands, the water covering the battlefield now continuing to rise. "We need to get out of here!" Terramar told everyone else, the group rushing to the exit. And by the time the last one crossed back onto the island, the bridge was swallowed by the ocean and the rest of the stadium followed suit. It would not be seen again for another five years.





Everything after that was a blur for Flash and the others. Once the stadium vanished, everyone returned to the port. The wild Reptidal went back into the ocean after giving their new champion a handshake, while the trainers began to board the boats.

"Well, this is it." Adagio told them.

"You could still come with us you know," Twilight replied.

"Nah..." Aria shook her head as she scratched her Popplio's chin, "I like you guys, but I don't want to risk learning there's a limit to how much I can stand being around you. It's more fun this way."

"Well, if you're sure," Doc responded while Sonata hugged Flash.

"Good luck in your next battle," she told him.

"Thanks. And good luck with whatever you find yourself doing." Sonata nodded before moving over to Twilight and hugging her as well.

"See you," she said before whispering into Twilight's ear. "And you don't have to worry, I get it." She pulled away from the girl, "He's all yours." she added with a wink.

Twilight just raised an eyebrow at this, blinking as Sonata slowly walked away. "All mine?"

"Thanks for everything," Flash told Terramar.

"No problem," Terramar replied while he and Flash did a manly hand clasp. Riptide and Reptidal did the same before they split, heading for their separate ships. Once on board, the boats pulled away from the island at the same time, allowing them to wave each other off, Sonata and Silverstream waving the hardest until they disappeared into the horizon.

Once they were gone, Flash turned to his Pokémon, "Well guys, now we can focus on the Manehatten Gym. You all ready?" Springer, Astro and Riptide cried out in agreement, Riptide turning to stare off into the horizon. This victory had been hard fought, but he had prevailed, proving himself to be strong. With all his former doubts gone, he could now look forward to the next battle with Lightning. As the journey continues
> Astro's Eggs-pedition
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With their oceanic adventure finally coming to an end, the group had arrived at the small port town of Manehatten. Not to be confused with the city of Manehatten, which was still a small ways off. The boat had just docked, the four and their Pokémon giving their thanks and goodbyes to Captain Algae before heading through the town.

"Not too far now..." Twilight commented as she stared at her journal. "There's just a single forest between us and Manehatten."

"Another forest?!" Spike yelped, "Why does Equestria have so many forests and caves?!"

"Don't worry, this forest won't have any Travenant in it." Twilight giggled, "In fact, it can't. The trees in this forest are known to grow slowly close together, anything bigger than...Springer wouldn't fit between them."

This made everyone raise eyebrows, Flash looking down at Springer before noticing Astro beside him. The dragon was staring at the town, eyes filled with wonder as he watched a Taurus pull a cart filled with items off the boat. He began to follow it, only for Flash to speak up, "Astro," the Starvern turned to him, "Wanna do a little more practice before we enter the forest? We couldn't actually use it on the boat, but there shouldn't be any issue once we leave town."

Astro blinked at him, only to see Flash pull out the Technical Manual. The dragon nodded at this, Flash gesturing him to leave the town, going to a small open field filled with some large rocks. "Alright..." Flash said as the others stood behind him. "You ready bud?" Astro nodded and focused on one of the rocks. "Let's do this thing. Use Shadow Ball!"

"Star!" He roared as he opened his mouth, which began to fill with blue lightning before a small orb of purple energy formed between its jaws.

"That's it, just like that. Now let the energy build until the ball's big enough to stay together when you launch it."

"Vern..." Astro tried to make his jaw open even more, the orb growing larger.

"Almost there!" Flash added the others stared at the sight, "Just a little-"

KABOOM!

"STAR!" Astro screamed as the Shadow Ball exploded in his face, knocking him back as everyone let out a gasp.

"Astro!" Flash kneeled down and picked up the Starvern, "You okay?"

"Star..." Astro moaned.

"That looked like hurt," Spike grimaced.

"Looks like the energy from the attack wasn't properly balanced, so it caused a reaction that made it explode." Twilight added.

"Well it was Astro's first try," Doc continued.

"You're right." Flash replied before helping Astro up, "Ready to try again?" Astro nodded back before turning to the rock again. "Now, Shadow Ball." Astro created the orb, his jaw opening as he began to build in power until-

KABOOM!

The orb exploded again, sending Astro flying back. But before the group could react, Astro pushed himself back up and tried again.

KABOOM!

The exact same thing happened again, then again and again. By the tenth explosion, Astro's jaw was smoking, his back scratched up. "He'll be fine." Doc said as he sprayed the dragon with a super potion. "But I'd suggest holding off on the Shadow Ball training until he can recover."

"Got it," Flash responded as he patted Astro on the head. "Don't worry, we'll keep working on it later. For now, just try and think about what went wrong here."

"Star..." Astro muttered in defeat.

However, the shame didn't last long, as soon as he was on the road, the Starvern was happily running around with Springer and Peewee. "I think the problem is Astro's focus," Twilight commented as she watched the dragon skip ahead of them, "He just doesn't have the attention span to control the energy in his attack. This isn't like Dragon Rage, which is just a wild attack that he doesn't need to focus in order to use. Like Aura Sphere, Energy Ball, or any other attack like that, he'll need to focus in order to properly form the orb."

"I guess..." Flash mumbled as he looked down at the manual, "Maybe it is a little to soon to try and teach him such a hard move to learn."

"Its not exactly hard, its just something Astro will have trouble with." Doc added, "Though learning it is a good idea. Any Pokémon that can get a precise ranged attack should do them good."

"It's just too bad he can't learn any Steel or Poison-type attacks in the TM," Twilight continued, "His biggest threat are Fairy-types, but he doesn't have any moves that can combat them right now."

"I'll just have to be careful around them. That or have Viper handle that." Flash replied as the group reached their destination. It was the large forest that Twilight had mentioned, and the sight made them see it was nothing like a normal forest. The treeline was more like a fence, with large thick trunked trees growing within inches of each other. The only thing Flash could get past was his arm and nothing more. Luckily, there was a path waiting for them, one that had originally been created by a swarm of Scyther according to Twilight's journal, who had cut the trees down and made a tunnel like path through the forest. Over the years, it had been used time and again, and was pretty much a natural part of the forest now.

"Wow..." Spike whispered.

"It almost looks man-made," Doc added as they began to walk through the trees.

"Well, it kinda is," Twilight chimed in, "According the my journal, the people of Manehatten Town gathered the trees that the Scyther cut and used them to build the first houses. Many of those people also moved away and began a new settlement that would quickly grow into the city of Manehatten."

"Cool," Flash commented while Astro and Springer ran ahead. But as they did this, Astro noticed something flickering behind the trees.

"Star..." Astro ran up to the thing, walking up to the trees. "Starvern!" This caught Flash's attention, making him turn to see the dragon walk into the trees, easily fitting. And as his trainer got up to him, Astro was out of arm's reach.

"Astro! Get back here!" But Astro didn't listen, walking away as he quickly disappeared behind a tree. "ASTRO!" He yelled, only to let out a sigh, "Not again..." The others frowned at the sight as Springer leapt up onto his Flash's shoulder, then leapt through the trees and landed on the other side. "Springer, can you go get Astro and bring him back?"

"Ri," Springer nodded back before running into the darkness for the forest. The others just watched him disappear, Flash grimacing at the sight.

"I hope Springer finds Astro before he gets too far," Twilight added, "The trees may be tightly packed, but I'm betting something lives in there."

"Oh no..." Flash muttered.





Astro ran as fast as he could through the trees, completely oblivious at everything around him. He had spotted a tree that had grown at a weird angle, forming a ramp he was able to run up, the dragon now running along the large thick branches.

"Wow..." he gasped, "Oooh…" He then looked up and saw a series of yellow orbs on a branch, each stacked one on top of the other, getting smaller with each one.

He moved up to the object, swatting it with his tail. A rattling sound came out of it, making him laugh. "Heh heh...I could do this forever!" He laughed as he smacked it again, only for it to suddenly retract into the foliage. "Huh?" Before he could react, a head suddenly shot out of the leaves. A purple head with bright yellow eyes.

It glared at him while letting out a hissing sound, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Uh..." Astro slowly said as he began to backpedal. The head up at this, the rest of the snake's body coiling out of the leaves, including its tail that was connected to those five yellow orbs.

The snake letting out a hissing chuckle as he smiled at Astro. "Maybe you're here for lunch."

"Err...sure," Astro nodded. "I'm here to have lunch with you. So...what's on the menu?"

The snake's grin grew at this, "That's simple...YOU!" With that, it leapt with its mouth wide. Astro was frozen in place as it charged, the snake ready to swallow him whole. But before it could reach him, something suddenly tackled the Starvern.

"Gotcha!" Springer yelled as he knocked Astro off the branch, both crashing into the ground. But as they hit the dirt, the ground suddenly gave away, "Whoa!"

"Aaaah!" Astro cried as they kept falling, their backs hitting some kind of underground tunnel. Their bodies began to roll, now finding they were in a underground slide, both sliding for a good thirty seconds before the ground levelled out, making them skid to a stop.

"Ow..." Springer groaned as he pushed Astro off of him, "That wasn't fun."

"Sorry," Astro moaned, "I guess I went a little too far."

"Ya think?!" Springer grumbled as he stood up and dusted himself off, only to spin around and gasp. Astro watched him before getting up, now seeing what Springer was staring at.

What was in front of them was a cavern filled with glowing moss, the walls shining with the grass. As they stared at it, they saw it was big enough for a pair of Hippowdon inside, but no more. There was also a tree within the chamber, one no taller than a human that stuck out of the ground but had zero leaves despite its many branches. And hanging from them were a series of silk orbs with holes inside of them.

"Wow," Astro gasped, "What are they?"

"I'm...not sure," Springer replied before spotting movement from one of the cocoons. "Over there!" He pointed to it, a certain head of a Pokémon poking out, making the Riolu comment, "A Breezie?"

The breeze rider Pokémon stared at the two, only to fly out and scream, "Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" It buzzed all over, crying that same warning, only for more and more Breezies to come out of the cocoons.

They all began to fly toward the base of the tree where a hole could be found in the trunk. "Protect the eggs!" One of them yelled.

"Hey!" Springer responded, "Relax! We're not here to cause trouble."

"Yeah!" Astro nodded, "We don't even know what here is." He stared at the hole the Breezie were trying to protect, "What's in there that's so important?"

"Back!" The first Breezie yelled as it flew up to him, "I'ya said'ah back'ah!" Astro tilted his head at this, "I'ya won't allow yah ta harm'ah eggs."

"Eggs?" Astro leaned down, squinting his eyes till he saw a large collection of glowing orbs, radiating every color of the rainbow. "Oooh," he whispered.

"So this is your nesting ground?" Springer asked, getting a nod from the Breezie.

"Aye. And I'ya Beaufort, will protect these precious things with my'ah life'ah."

"Well that's great," Springer replied, "And you don't have to worry. Astro and I will leave and you'll never see us again. We just need you to point to a tunnel that'll lead back to the surface."

Beaufort glared at him, "If you'ah not'ah here to attack'ah, then why'ah did you come'ah?"

"Oh, that was me." Astor chimed in, "Complete accident. I was getting attacked by this snake thing and Springer saved me, but we both fell into a hole that lead to a tunnel that went here."

As he said that, a look of horror appeared on the Breezies' faces, "You were attacked by Ekans?!" Beaufort yelped, "Did he see'ya fall into the hole'ah?"

"Yesssss," they heard a hissing voice say, "He did." Everyone spun around to see Ekans slither out of the tunnel, licking his lips at the sight around him. "Breezie eggsssss. My favorite." The Breezie quivered at the sight of the Poison-type, one of their worst match-ups, while Springer and Astro leapt in front of them.

"You're not getting anywhere near these eggs!" The Riolu yelled, the Ekans hissing back.

"Like you can ssssstop me," it replied before charging, Springer doing the same as they colliding. Ekans opened its mouth to bite the Riolu, only for Springer to catch it with his paws.

"Geez," Springer winced, "Can you say halitosis?!" He then pushed Ekans back before throwing a jab, "Drain Punch!"

"Gyah!" It cried as it was knocked back, its energy getting drained by Springer. But it quickly rolled its body around, picking itself up as it glared at the two. "You'll pay for that," it flicked its tongue around. "I think I'll have my appetizer by taking a bite out of you firssssst."

"How?! You don't have any teeth! What are ya gonna do, gum me to death?!" The Ekans hissed again, charging at the Riolu as Springer used Extreme Speed, dodging the charge before axe kicking it in the head, smacking it into the ground.

"Springer!" Astro barked, "Let me help you!" But as he tried to charge at the snake, Ekans' tail swung around, smacking him back. "Augh!" He was sent flying back, Springer looking back just as Ekans charged at him with his fangless mouth.

"Protect the Breezies!" Springer yelled as he punched the snake back, Astro pushing himself back up and moving over to the tree.

"I'll show that thing," Astro opened his mouth as fire filled it, "Dragon-"

"No!" Springer screamed, "Don't use that! One miss and you'll bring this whole place down!" Astro stopped, swallowing his fire, causing smoke to come out of his ears. At the same time, Springer used Extreme Speed again, bouncing around as he slammed into Ekans from several different directions, making it cry out in pain.

And after the twelve strike, Springer appeared in front of it, spinning several times in midair before kicking it in the face with everything he had. Ekans screamed as it was thrown back, crashing into the spot above the entrance.

Springer did several back-flips as he landed in front of the Breezie tree. He was still in a fighting stance as he waited for Ekans' response, "If you know what's good for you, leave."

The snake growled as slowly got up, "Thissss, isn't over." With that, he turned back to the hole, slithering up it with a long hiss.

Once the snake was gone, Springer and Astro sighed in relief. "That was close," Astro said before Springer turned to the Breezie.

"But he's right. He'll be back, and we can't stay here forever to protect you."

The Breezie all shook in fear while Beaufort turned to stare at them, "We must protect the eggs'ah. No matter what happens'ah, we will fight and defend them with every breath we have'ah."

"But he's gonna eventually get to them," Astro responded, "Isn't there something we can do? Maybe take the eggs somewhere else?"

Beaufort hummed at this, "Well...there'ah was a scout'ah squad that mentioned finding an area recently that could'ah work. It's filled with'ah special flowers that'ah Poison-types hate'ah."

Springer and Astro shined big grins at this, "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's take the eggs there! How far is it?"

"On the other side of dah forest," Beaufort replied, "Through'ah several tunnels and passages. But there is no'ah way to safely transport all the eggs there before Ekans comes'ah back."

Springer groaned while face-palming, "So we've gotta find a way to move them all at the same time." He looked down at the tree trunk, seeing how many eggs there were along with all the Breezies around them. Even with Springer there, they knew they couldn't carry them all at the same time, and Astro couldn't carry any of them. "It's times like this I wish I carried a backpack."

Astro blinked at this, only for a memory to go through his head, "Hey...what if we build a cart, and I can pull the eggs through the passages while you defend us."

The Riolu scratched his chin at this, "I guess that could work. But how are we supposed to build a cart down here? "

"What'ah is this'ah cart?" Beaufort asked them, Springer quickly using his claws to draw the image of one in the dirt. "Oh," he said once it was finished, "We can build this."

"Really?" Springer asked, the Breezie all nodding.

"All we need'ah is the materials."

"Alright. Then let's get building." They began to run up the tunnel to the surface, hoping to grab everything they would need. "You'll have to wait Flash. Astro and I have something to do first."





Back where Springer and Astro had run off from, Flash continued to pace back and forth.

"Flash, will you calm down?!" Twilight said with crossed arms, "Getting yourself worked up isn't going to do anyone any good." Flash stopped pacing, staring back into the trees...only to see nothing. And as he saw this, he began to start pacing again, making Twilight groan, "Flash!"

"I can't help it!" Flash yelled, "They should have been back by now!"

"I'm sure Springer's just giving Astro a proper chewing out," Doc added.

"But maybe they don't know which way they need to go to find us," Spike continued, "I had a video game once where I left to gather some wood, but I had to go into a forest far from my base to do it. By the time I'd gotten enough, I couldn't remember which way I'd entered the forest from so I couldn't find my house again. I was out there for ages until a skeleton got me. Maybe its like that-OW!"

"You're not helping," Twilight told him as she bonked him on the head.

"Skyler!" Flash called out as he threw a ball, unleashing his Tornavian. "Go see if you can find Springer or Astro." Skyler let out a cry of agreement, soaring upward while Flash began his pacing again.





Meanwhile...

Astro and Springer watched in amazement as they began work on the egg transporter. Springer had brought back a load of wood, leaves and even some round rocks, and the Breezie easily got to work. They used their String Shot attack to stick the pieces of wood together into the same shape Springer had drawn, also managing to find a way to cut holes in the rocks so they became wheels. It wasn't long till they had managed to construct a fully working cart with two stick sticking out the front.

"It's is done'ah," Beaufort announced.

"Wow," Astro whispered, "That was fast."

"And it looks really tough," Springer added as he watched the Breezie fill the bed with leaves and silk. "Now let's get filling this thing before Ekans shows up for round two." They all nodded back and quickly, but carefully, moving the eggs through the hole in the tree to the cart. And once the final egg was placed on the pile, the Breezie covered the top with leaves that they String Shot together into a blanket covering.

"Okay Astro," Springer told the Starvern as he backed up between the sticks. "Now it's all on you." The Breezie used String Shot to try the sticks to Astro's sides, the dragon taking a few steps as the cart moved with him while Beaufort landed on his head. "From this point on, you're gonna need to walk slowly. I'm talking super slow, so none of the eggs break."

"Got it," Astro replied.

"You must be extremely careful," Beaufort added, "These'ah eggs can break with even the tiniest of impacts. We'ah made the cart as soft as possible, but you must still take'ah great'ah care'ah."

"Understood. Let's do this!" Astro cheered before he began to run, the cart already shaking.

"STOP!" Astro skidded to a stop while Springer ran in front of him, the Starvern looking up at Beaufort as he leapt onto the cart, "Yah gotta go slower."

"Slower...got it." Astro responded, pulling the cart with a small yank.

"Slower!" Beaufort ordered, Astro coming to a stop again.

"Like this?" Astro asked, his feet now shuffling.

"Slower," Beaufort firmly said.

"Seriously?" Astro moaned before slowing down again. "Come on! If I go any slower, I'll be going backwards!" Beaufort lifted a leaf, seeing the eggs were barely shaking.

"Okay'ah. This is fine, but no faster."

This statement meant Astro gulp, turning to Springer, "I don't think I can do this. I'm not built to be careful."

"Don't sell yourself short," Springer assured him. "You got this."

"He's right'ah. Yah just'ah need ta focus. And ah'll be right'ah here with you." Beaufort added, Astro slowly moving up to the first tunnel.

"Okay..." Astro muttered until he saw the other Breezies fly up and using Flash with their antennas, "Wow. Thanks guys."





Meanwhile again...

In another part of the underground tunnels, Ekans was slithering around until he came to another chamber. This one was much bigger, darker than the Breezie chamber.

Ekans hissed as he looked up at the ceiling. "I know you're up there. I require some assistance in dealing with a seriousssss annoyance that keeps getting in my way. Help me and you'll be highly rewarded." He waited for the answer and in return, only to hear a series of flaps coming from the ceiling. "Ex-ssss-cellent."





Back with the others...

The group had made good progress, trudging through the first tunnel. But as they did this, Astro was beginning to go stir crazy.

"Augh! This is so boring" Astro groaned, his body twitching as he wanted to sprint. He then snapped his teeth together, the sound they made inside his head making him smirk as he started tapping them together, trying to make a fun beat that he started bobbing his head too.

And as he began to do this, he didn't notice he was starting to shake the eggs.

"Ass-ter-row!" Beaufort cried as he leapt down onto the Dragon-type's head, "What are you doing?!"

"Uh..." Astro replied, coming to a stop while blushing, "Rocking out to a cool beat."

"Well stop it!" Beaufort yelled, "Yah shaking dah eggs'ah."

"Sorry," Astro responded, "But what if I keep tapping my teeth together without moving?"

"No! Yah have'ta focus on what's in front of you'ah. And keep yah bed'ah steady as possible'ah."

Astro let out a long groan at this, "Sorry. It's just...I'm not good at focusing. There's just so many cool stuff around me to pay attention to."

"I'ya understand'ah. But let me tell you. There's nothing more spectacular that seeing the hatching of a Breezie egg. It's so amazing, nothing else will ever come'ah close'ah."

"Really?" Astro asked, getting a nod from Beaufort.

"But that'll never happen if we don't get these eggs to safety."

"Okay..." Astro nodded before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath before reopening, "I gotta focus." He started again, the Breezie still lighting the way for him and Springer. But as he did this, a new sound caught his attention. "What's that noise?"

"Focus," Beaufort hissed. "Yah need to-"

"No, wait!" Springer interrupted, his ears spiking up, "I hear it too." The Breezie all stopped at this, their ears starting to listen...and heard the sound of flapping fill the air.

"Oh no," Beaufort gasped as they pointed their antenna up at the ceiling. Doing so revealed a bunch of blue and purple eyeless Pokémon, "ZUBAT!"

An entire horde of Zubat flew down, letting out loud screeches as they prepared to attack. "Astro, get back!" Astro carefully backpedaled as Springer got into a battle-stance, forming Aura Spheres in both paws. "Take this!" He threw the attacks, knocking the first few Zubat back as the rest of the bats swooped down. He then used Double Team, evening the odds while using an Aura Sphere Barrage to bash them back.

But as he did this, the Zubat from the start were trying to pick themselves up. "Use String Shot to keep those ones down!" The Breezie did as instructed, firing the silk as they began to tie them up. However, as they did this, a few managed to past Springer and headed for Astro and the cart.

"Get back!" Astro took a deep breath, unleashing a blast of Dragon Rage, the attack quickly filled the whole tunnel. "Oh no!" He yelped as the fire consumed the Breezie and the Zubat, the attack also rocking the tunnel around them. However, when the flames died down, Breezie appeared unharmed. "Huh?!"

"We are Fairy-type," Beaufort responded, "Dragon attacks do not hurt us'ah." He then felt a piece of dirt fall down and hit him on the head, making him look up, seeing a crack in the ceiling. "But do not'ah use that move again, or ya'll bring the whole tunnel down on us'ah."

"Right..." Astro gulped as Springer continued to take down the Zubat, the Breezie sticking them to the wall and ground.

"Come on!" Springer yelled as he took down the last bat before it was strung up, "That won't hold them forever." With that, Springer ran ahead as Astro tried to move the cart. And as they disappeared down the tunnel, the Zubat began to bite down on the thread, strands falling down to the ground.





Back with their trainer...

"AUGH!" Flash yelled, likely scaring any Flying-types out of the trees. "Where are they?! It's been forever!"

The others turned to him, frowns on their faces as they saw him pace around. And as he did this, Peewee flew over to Twilight, "Terra!"

Twilight shook her head, "No way. You're not going in there. We'd end up with three missing Pokémon instead of just two."

Peewee let out a snort at this, only to hear a squawk from above. "Tore!" They looked up to see Skyler, the bird landing in front of Flash...with no Springer or Astro on his back.

"No luck?" Skyler shook his head, making Flash sigh. The issue was that Skyler could only stare down at the forest from above, the trees to narrow for the fully-evolved, now large bird to fly through due to the thick canopy. "Alright." Flash leaned down and patted his head, "Please try again. And if you can't see anything, try listening. They might start calling out to us."

"Tore," Skyler replied before taking to the sky again.

As he disappeared, Twilight walked up to Flash, "You know...maybe it's best if we carry on down the path." Flash turned to with wide eyes, making her shake her head, "Flash...there's no way those two are gonna return back to this exact spot, so we might run into them along the way."

"But...we can't just-"

"Think of it like this Flash," Doc interrupted, "If you got separated from us in this forest, where would you head too?"

Flash blinked at this, his brain grinding gears as he responded, "Well...of I couldn't find this spot, I'd head for the entrances."

Twilight nodded, "Exactly. So let's go there and wait and see what happens next." Flash let out a sigh, but nodded in agreement before the four put their bags back on and began to head down the path.

"Springer, I hope you're looking after Astro."





Springer and the others were still walking down the tunnels, all slow going as they continued to look out for the Zubat and Ekans.

"Why do you think the Zubat attacked us?" Astro asked as they turned a corner, "You think they want the eggs as well?"

"We have never had'ah trouble with them before," Beaufort replied, "The Zubat had never tried to take our eggs'ah, preferring to stay in their part of the tunnels. As long as we didn't bother then, they never bothered us'ah."

Springer hummed at this, "I bet that Ekans had something to do with it. He probably used them to wear us down, leaving him to slither in and pick us off."

"That sneak," Astro growled. "When I get my claws on him-"

"All the more reason to get the eggs to their new nesting grounds," Springer interrupted, the group then taking another corner...only to find that the tunnel had collapsed, completely blocked off. "Well, that complicates things."

"You think Ekans did this too?" Astro asked, Springer not responded before turning to Beaufort.

"Is there another tunnel?"

Beaufort shook his head, "Not one'ah that is close to here. It would take hours going the other way."

"So what do we do?" Astro asked as Springer looked up at the ceiling.

"No other choice. We go up." This made the rest go wide-eyed, Springer seeing this, "There's no other way. We go up, find another entrance into the tunnels, then head back down. No muss, no fuss." They exchanged glances, nodding with heavy gulps.

The group turned around, going back to a hole in the tunnel, Springer taking the lead till the rest got above ground. The area was covered with roots that popped out of the ground, forming loops, bumps and other obstacles. "Okay," he turned to Astro, "Be careful."

Astro nodded, the Breezie helping him slowly go up. But as they did this, Ekans smiled around a nearby tall tree, a smirk on his face. "Soon those eggsssss, will be mine."

He then slithered away as the rest continued upward, Beaufort saying, "Careful, careful..." he told Astro as he slowly moved over a large root, "Watch'ah footing."

"Got it," Astro responded while him and the cart got to the bottom of the root, only for Springer to turn to the dragon.

"Stop!" Astro froze in place, only for a ball of purple slime to splat down onto the ground in front of him. "What is that?" They looked up to see the source, Ekans. "Of course."

"it is Toxic'ah," Beaufort gulped as Astro began to backpedal, "One'ah hit at ya'll be poisoned."

Springer launched an Aura Sphere at Ekans, the snake slithering around the tree to dodge it as the Riolu yelled, "Just give up! You'll never get these eggs!"

"Oh yesssss, I will." He fired another Toxic ball that Astro ran forward to evade, rattling the eggs.

"Be careful!" Beaufort screamed, making Astro come to a stop as an orb hit the dirt right beside him.

"We gotta find cover!" Springer added as he threw another Aura Sphere, Ekans dodging it again.

"Through'ah there!" Beaufort cried, pointing at some bushes. "The entrance to the tunnels isn't too far." They all nodded and began to move, Springer and Ekans firing one final sphere that collided before Springer raced after the others.

Once they were gone, Ekans hissed an angry hiss. "You won't get farrrrr." At that moment, the Zubat flew into view and began to circle around him. "Get them!"





It wasn't long till the group found the entrance to the tunnel, soon back on course to the nesting grounds. But the area they were in wasn't the one best travelled. The ground had several large and small rocks sticking out of the walls and floor, making the cart bump and jostle. But as they began to go through them, they arrived at a large chamber similar to the first one. It wasn't the nesting grounds, but it was close.

"Careful," Beaufort told Astro as he pulled the cart over the last rock before entering the chamber. "Just'ah little more," Astro gave the cart one last tug, pulling it over the rock. But as he did this, something happen.

A loud snapping sound echoed through the chamber, the cart suddenly dropping, harshly shaking the eggs as everyone gasped. Astro stopped when he felt the bottom of the cart dragging along the ground, Beaufort flying underneath.

"What is it?" Springer asked before the Breezie flew out.

"It is as ah feared. The axle has broken." As he said that, a loud flapping sound came from one of the tunnel.

"Because this wasn't hard enough," Springer sighed before turning back to the Breezie, "Can you fix it?" Beaufort nodded back, "Then get to it." Beaufort headed back under the cart while Springer turned to the others, "We need to buy him time. Cover every hole the Zubat are coming through."

They all nodded and did as told, beginning to use String Shot to cover the holes. But before they could finish, several Zubat flew into the chamber, Springer going into Extreme Speed while using a combo of Drain Punch and Aura Sphere, knocking them back.

And as this happened, Beaufort managed to push the axle back up, using his String Shot to stick it back together. And all Astro could do was watch him work, as he was still stuck to the cart. But then, a Zubat got past Springer and tried to get under the cart. "Watch out!"

But despite the sharp teeth about to bite him, Beaufort didn't look away from his work. Instead, Springer reached the Zubat, grabbing it by the legs and pulling it away before hitting it with Drain Punch just as the other Breezie finished filling all but two holes.

"Wow. Now that is focused." Astro commented as he saw Beaufort still repair the cart.

And as this happened, Springer used Extreme Speed to gather the downed Zubat and threw them through one of the two last holes, which was promptly sealed up as Beaufort called out, "It is done."

"Great," Springer pointed to the only open hole, "Then let's get out of here before they break through the barriers." They ran inside, the Breezie covering them up while continuing to move forward.

But as they did this, Astro looked up at Beaufort. "Dude, that was awesome." Beaufort glanced down with a raised eyebrow, "How were you able to tune everything around you out and just focus on the work? I mean, you did like laser focus." He looked down at this, "I wish I could focus like that. Then maybe I could use that Shadow Ball move."

"Anybody can focus like'ah that," Beaufort replied, "It's all a matter of keeping calm and channeling everything else'ah out'ah. Whenever you feel like yah losing focus, just take'ah break and clear yah head. And if yah need'ah somethin ta focus on, picture dah eggs. Take a breath, clear yah head and save dah eggs."

Astro took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he told himself to focus, but-

"Look!" Springer yelled, making Astro open his eyes to see a light at the end of the tunnel. "Is that it?!"

"Yah," Beaufort nodded, "The new hatching grounds." They ran up, Astro still being careful as they reached the exit, now finding themselves back above ground. "Over there!" Beaufort pointed to a large rock sticking out of the ground, which they moved up to and saw several pink flowers scattered around.

Springer took a whiff, inhaling the scented air. "Wow...that smells great."

"To us...yah. But to Poison-types, it'll be unbearable."

"So where are you gonna put the eggs?" Astro asked before Beaufort pointed to a hole in the rock. Springer moved up to it and stared inside, seeing a large space inside the hollow rock. It was large enough for him to fit inside, but the hole was not. Only a Breezie could fit through it.

"They'll definitely be safe in there," Springer commented while Beaufort told the other Breezie to quickly but carefully place the eggs in their new home. The Breezie all grabbed an egg, forming a line. Once that was done, they started passing the eggs down the line, slowly picking up and putting down their precious cargo.

As they did this, Springer used his claws to cut Astro free of the cart. "You did well kid. Real well. Flash would be proud of you." He patted Astro on the head, making the Starvern smile back in pride. But then, Springer's face went from pride to shock. "Look out!" He grabbed Astro by the horns and threw him to the side, seconds before a ball of venom hit him in the chest. "AUGH!"

"Springer!" Astro cried as he saw Springer fall over, a purple blush appearing on his face.

"He's been poisoned," Beaufort yelled as Astro turned to where the orb had come from, now seeing a certain Ekans slithering down a tree branch.

"Don't you ever quit?!" He growled, getting a sneering hiss from the snake.

"Never. I will have those eggsssss." As he said that, the Zubat from before flew out of darkness of the trees. "Get them." The Zubat charged...only to come to a stop, all letting out cries of disgust before flying back to the trees. "Hey! Where are you going?!" Ekans yelped, "Get back hereeeee." He then slithered down, only to hiss, "Augh! That horrible smell..."

"That's right," Astro laughed, "And you'll keep smelling it unless you get lost."

The snake just hissed at him, "Grrr...fine! I'll just grab some of those eggs and get out of here!" With that, he powered through the smell, heading straight for the cart. But Astro leapt in front of it, glancing over at Springer, the Riolu slumped over.

"Gotta protect the eggs." He growled before charging at the Ekans, meeting him halfway. "Bite!" He leapt up and bit into Ekans' neck, making it cry out.

"Get off me you little twerp!" the snake cried before his tail coiled around Astro's stomach, pulling on it. The strain knocked the wind out of the dragon, making him let go of Ekans' neck.

"Rah!" Astro yelped as he stumbled back, the Ekans falling away from the cart. But as they both fell back, the Breezie froze at the sight while Springer tried to get up.

However, the poison caused his entire body to be numb, making him croak out, "No..."

He slumped back at this, Ekans recovering first as he quickly slithered up to the cart, only to see it be half emptied. Beaufort took a deep breath, about to hopeless fly up and defend it...only for Ekans to be grabbed by the end of his tail. "Gotcha!" He heard a muffled voice say, making him turn to see Astro, the dragon yanking him back before sending him flying.

"Augh!" the snake screamed, hitting a tree.

As the snake hit the dirt, Astro turned to the Breezie, "Hurry up!"

"We still'ah need more time."

"Okay..." Astro turned back to the Ekans, the snake picking itself up, "I can do this..." He took a deep breath, "Dragon-" But as he opened his mouth, his gaze fell onto the flowers. If he used Dragon Rage, he might destroy the flowers and ruin the only thing keeping the eggs safe. There was only one option now.

"I can do this." He opened his mouth again, beginning to build the energy the way Flash told him, causing blue sparks to form inside. The Shadow Ball formed and grew larger as Ekans grew closer. And as it began to grow, Astro called out. "Shadow-"

BOOM!

"Augh!" Astro cried as his attack exploded in his face, knocking him back into the cart, "Ow!"

The others gasped while Ekans laughed, slithering up to the cart, only for a blast of sticky silk to strike his face and eyes. "HEY!" He hissed, swinging his head around while wiggling his tail up to this face.

Beaufort smirked at this before flying over to Astro, the dragon now picking himself up. "You have ta try again'ah."

"It didn't work," Astro moaned as Ekans now began to scrape his head along the ground.

"You can do it. You just need ta focus." He patted Astro's head, "Ah believe in you." The two shared a glance as Ekans got the silk off his eyes, hissing as Astro gave his Breezie friend a nod. Beaufort got behind his head as Astro opened his mouth, the lightning forming again.

"I can do this," he told himself as the ball formed in his mouth. "Take a breath. Clear my head."

And as Ekans got within striking distance, the snake suddenly leapt back to avoid an Aura Sphere. Springer had pushed himself up to his knees, firing the attack, though his aim was terrible due to the poison. "You can do it Astro," he whispered as he slumped back down.

"Take a breath. Clear my head...and save the eggs." The purple orb had finally reached the proper size, ready to be fire. "SHADOW BALL!" With a mighty cry, the orb shot at Ekans, slamming into him before exploding. The snake hissed in pain as he was thrown back, crashing through several branches of a tree.

"You did it!" Beaufort cheered, Astro's jaw dropping in shock. At the same time, more cheers came from the others as they announced the last egg had been safely placed in the rock.

And as Ekans picked itself up, he saw the sight and yelped, "NO!"

Astro then walked up to the snake, "It's over. You'll never have those eggs." Ekans hissed one final time, but the smell of the flowers made him flinch. Growling, he slithered away, causing another round of cheers from the Breezies as they all thanked Astro. As this happened, the Breezie knew of a Pecha Berry bush a short distance away, soon giving it Springer to cure him of the poison.

"We thank'ah you!" Beaufort told them. "Thanks to you, our eggs are safe and Ekans will never cause us harm again."

"We were happy to help," Springer replied, nodding, "After all, we are partly responsible for putting your eggs in danger."

"Either way, yah both have our thanks, and will always be welcome here'ah." As he said that, the other Breezie called out, the three running over to see a bright light coming from the rock. The light was due to the eggs, which were beginning to hatch.

One by one, the tiny spheres exploded with light before morphing into a familiar shape. The light then vanished to reveal the smaller then normal Breezie, which quickly spread their wings and took flight out of the rock. Springer and Astro could only watch, gasping at the enchanting sight as the Breezie flew around them. This detour might have started out annoying and dangerous, but this sight made it more than worth it.





A little later...

The group had now reached the end of the forest path, coming to an open meadow. Beyond it, roughly ten miles or so, was a large city sitting upon the edge of the coast with the ocean to its right. The place was filled with skyscrapers, some touching the clouds along with a few other landmarks. But the group wasn't amazed by the sight due to one simple reason.

"Tore!" Flash looked up to see his Tornavian flying down.

"Skyler!" he yelled before the bird got down to his trainer, "Still no luck?" Skyler shook his head, frowning as Flash added, "Okay. Thank you for trying." He then returned him before sighing, "Where are they?!"

"They'll be here," Twilight responded.

"We can camp here until they show up," Doc added, "And if they still don't show up, we'll think of something."

Flash bit his lip at this, looking back at the forest, now fighting the urge to have Viper burn the trees down so he could go in and search for them himself. But as he glanced away, his ears caught something.

"Riolu!" His head shot up before the five turned back to the pathway, now seeing Springer and Astro climbing out of the trees with smiles on their faces.

"Star!" Astro cheered as Flash ran up and kneeled down.

"You're okay!" He yelled as they both leapt into his arms, hugging him. Flash held them tight for several seconds before letting them go, his smile vanishing to a glare. "Where were you two?!" The two exchanged a glance, trying to figure out a way to explain...only for Springer to let out a bark that said, "It's a long story."

"Star!" Astro added before running around Flash, making him stand up as the dragon pointed at a rock. "Starvern," he said before opening his mouth and forming a familiar purple ball.

"Astro, what are you-"

"STAR!" Astro fired the orb, which didn't explode once it got bigger, and it shot toward the rock.

"Whoa...alright!" Flash cheered, only for that joy to disappear when the attack went off course and exploded in midair. "Huh?" Both Flash, Springer and Astro said together, all staring at the missing attack.

Doc chuckled at this. "Looks like Astro learned Shadow Ball, but it looks like his aim still needs work."

"Star!" Astro cried, now thinking his one against Ekans had been a lucky shot. But then, he felt someone pick him up.

"It's okay Astro," Flash patted him on the head. "You managed to learn the attack, and that's what matters. You just need a little more practice and a little more focus."

"Star," Astro nodded back. The dragon now liked the idea of focus, and with Flash's upcoming gym battle, Astro knew he would need to improve it even more. But for now, he was proud with the progress he had made, and how he had managed to help save the eggs from that wicked Ekans. As the journey continues.
> A Pirates Strife For Me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continuing their Equestria Region Journey, the group had finally arrived at Manehatten City. The true scale of the city hadn't been realised until they were all standing amongst the skyscrapers. Noise filled their ears, a combination of people shouting, cars and trucks flying by, the many city dwelling Pokémon and so much more.

"Wow..." Spike gasped, "It's huge."

"And it's bustling with history," Twilight added as she looked through all the landmarks on the journal. There was a building with a Rapidash's head on the top, an island just off the coast with a giant statue of a Gardevoir holding a torch. The town's enormous park, where people and Pokémon enjoyed themselves, and plenty of other sights. "So...what to see first?"

"That's easy," Flash laughed, "Our first stop has to be the Manehatten City Gym." Springer and Astro let out growls of approval, both jumping up and down.

"Seriously?!" Twilight barked back, "Can't you think of anything except the badge?"

Flash turned to her with a raised eyebrow, "Twilight, the whole reason we came here was for the badge."

Twilight put her hands on her hips. "And the second you get it, you'll wanna head off to the next town. Would it kill you to stop and sniff the flowers once in a while?!"

"I have to beat the gym to get into the league! We need to-"

"Okay!" Doc leapt between them, "Why don't we put it to a vote? Hands up on who wants to head to the gym?" Flash, Springer and Astro raised a hand. "And who wants to explore the city?" He, Twilight, Spike and Peewee all raised a hand, making Flash snarl, "Sorry Flash. Looks like we're exploring."

"Fine..." Flash sighed, "Where do we go first?"

"Good question," Twilight replied, pulling up a list on her journal. But before she could say anything, the sound of Spike's grumbling belly rang out. "Hmm....how about we start with lunch?" The others nodded, Twilight then typing food into her journal and getting a list of fifteen highly acclaimed establishments within the next five blocks. "This looks promising," she pointed a place, the guys agreeing to it a second later.

But as they began to search for the place-

KABOOM!

The ground shook at the sound, everyone gasping before seeing a column of smoke suddenly rise up behind some buildings. "What's that?" Flash asked.

"Looks like some kind of disturbance," Doc added.

That was all Flash needed to hear before he, Springer and Astro ran toward the smoke, Twilight followed suit with Doc on her heels while Spike and Peewee brought up the rear. "Just once, couldn't we run away from where we know the danger is?!" Spike yelled, only to get no response in return.

When they arrived, they found a Barbaracle running rampant, slashing away at anything in front of it. It also fired rocks from its body, the rubble crashing into local building windows.

"It's going nuts!" Doc gasped.

"But what's it doing here?" Twilight added, "We're pretty far from the harbor, so why is it attacking?"

She didn't get an answer as Barbaracle used Rock Blast at them, forcing Flash to push her out of the way. "Look out!" He yelled as they hit the floor, the rocks zooming overhead and smashing into a window behind them. "This is getting dangerous," he stood up and pulled out a Pokeball. "I'll-"

"Seed Bomb!" Before he could send out his Pokémon, a barrage of seeds slammed into the Barbaracle. The creature cried out as they exploded, everyone else turning to where the attack had come from. "Ya'll need to calm down, yah varmint!"

Before they even saw her, they knew who it was. When she stepped into view, their suspicions were confirmed as Applejack with her Lombre by her side walked up to the Barbaracle. The Collective Pokémon roared as it charged, only for another voice to call out. "Grass Knot!" A pair of vines shot out of the cracks made in the ground before tying together into a loop that Barbaracle tripped over.

Rarity stepped up beside Applejack as Herbarald ran to stand beside Lombre. "I can't believe they're here!" Twilight gasped until Barbaracle picked itself back up. "We need to help them." They nodded and reached for their pokeballs, only for another voice to call out.

"Water Pulse!" A blast of water shot past them, striking Barbaracle in the face. An explosion came next, making it stagger back. The others now saw two new figures walk up, the sun shining down and covering them as they spoke up, "Hola. Now, what seems to be the problem?"

The figure stepped into the light, revealing a young man in his mid twenties, with light brown skin and light blue hair. He wore a white shirt, denim jeans and had a dark blue scarf around his neck. Besides him was a Pokémon they recognized as a Reefincer, the two walked past them staring Barbaracle down.

"Such rage. We must help it." Reefincer nodded and scuttled forward, the others watching as Barbaracle charged with glowing fingers, preparing to use Razor Shell. "Crabhammer!" Reefincer's claws glowed blue, blocking Barbaracle's attack. "Now, use Rock Blast!"

"Reef!" Reefincer leapt back as a circle of lights appeared around it, the lights quickly firing off other lights that faded to reveal large rocks. Barbaracle used Razor Shell to deflect the first ones, only to be struck by the next wave.

"Guillotine!" Reefincer charged again, his claws glowing white this time. And as Barbaracle recovered from the last attack, Reefincer leapt up and clamped its claw around the Collective Pokémon's midsection. And before Barbaracle could respond, Reefincer lifted it into the air before swinging it down, smashing it into the ground. Barbaracle cried out as it hit the earth, its eyes suddenly changing to swirls.

"Wow..." Flash whispered, "He beat it so easily."

"That's Guillotine," Twilight added, "A move that instantly beats an opponent if it hits."

"Awesome..." Spike finished as the figure now walked up to the once rampaging Pokémon. As he did this, Applejack and Rarity walked up to the group.

"Flash!" Applejack yelled, "Twilight!"

"I can't believe you're here," Rarity chimed in before noticing Flash's appearance. "Oh? I guess you like the clothes I made you?"

Flash nodded back, "Yeah. They're awesome. Thanks." He then turned to the figure, "But who's that guy?" They all watched him spray Barbaracle with a Super Potion. "He's so strong."

Applejack chuckled at this, "Believe it or not, that's the guy yah gotta beat if yah want to earn this city's Gym Badge." This caused everyone to go wide-eyed, "That's Tidal Wave."

Tidal placed a hand on Barbaracle's chest as it sat up, closing his eyes and appearing to listen for something. Then, he spoke. "They took your friends. So that's why you're upset." Barbaracle let out a growl, nodding its top head to respond. "Don't worry. I'll get them back for you. Promesa." Barbaracle remained stoic, then nodded again before Tidal let it stand up. As it did this, several men ran over to them, "Take him back to the Gym for treatment. I've got work to do." They nodded began to lead the Barbaracle away, Tidal watching it go before turning to Applejack and Rarity. "Thank you for trying to stop it until I got here."

"No thanks needed," Rarity replied, "We're just glad everything's fine now."

"I'm afraid this was just the symptom of a worse problem." Tidal sighed before turning to Flash, "Are these your amigos?"

"Eeyup," Applejack nodded. "This here's Flash Sentry."

"Ah, I remember you from the Battle Tournament. Isn't he the one you asked me about before?" Applejack nodded while the others raised an eyebrow.

"You asked about me?"

"Yeah. Ah remembered Celestia telling you about this place."

"We decided to come a week or so after the Battle Tournament," Rarity added, "Applejack needed her seventh badge, and this seemed like the best place to get it."

"We figured you'd have been and maybe gone by the time we arrived," Applejack responded, "But then Tidal told us he hadn't been challenged by anyone like ya'll."

"Yeah..." Flash scratched the back of his head, "We got a little side-tracked. A lot." He then went wide-eyed, "Wait...does that mean you've won the badge?" Applejack's reply was to take out an item he was aiming for. It was a blue badge with a silver outline in the shape of a wave, with two small silver lines in the arch of the wave.

"Say hello ta dah Tsunami Badge."

"Awesome," Flash replied before turning to Tidal. "I wanna earn one. Will you accept my challenge?"

Tidal smiled at him, only to shake his head, "Mis disculpas, but I'm afraid I cannot right now. I must keep my promise to Barbaracle."

"Barbaracle?" Twilight asked.

"There's a reason it was rampaging. Its friends were taken away." This made everyone go wide-eyed, only to see Tidal sigh, "No doubt, it was the trafficking organization."

"Trafficking organization?" Doc asked, getting a nod from Tidal.

"They're trainers that capture Pokémon just so they can sell them. And they don't always do so in battles, preferring to trap or ambush the Pokémon in order to capture them before selling them off to the highest bidder. It's been going on for months."

"That's disgusting!" Flash yelped, only to remember how many times he stopped Big Score from dong the same thing.

"My words exactly," Tidal responded, "And these criminals captured Barbaracle's friends, a group of Binacle that lived on a rocky area near the port. Now they're who knows where." He crossed his arms at this, grumbling, "But I have to find them. Barbaracle's attack is proof this has gone too far. So please understand that I have to make this my number one priority."

"I understand." Flash replied, "But if I can't have a battle, at least let me help you. I can't just stand ideally by while Pokémon are made to suffer."

Tidal shook his head, "I'm afraid I can't allow that. This is my duty and mine alone. However," he took out a paper and scribbled something down, then handed it to Flash. "This is my Xtransceiver number. If you happen to hear anything, let me know." Flash took the number and nodded, Tidal and Reefincer turning to walk away, giving them a wave and a cry of goodbye in his foreign tongue.

As he disappeared, Flash let out a sigh, his friends telling him to go eat. But as they did this, one of the very people Tidal was looking for had been in the crowd, watching the battle. And as the Barbaracle was taken down, he ran away, making sure no one saw him. He was a moldy fellow, a green skinned shorty with brown hair, wearing a light blue cloak and a bag over his shoulder.

He ran through the back allies of the city, soon getting to a door and knocking it in a special way. Seconds later, the door opened and he walked inside, going through a hallway before getting to another door, knocking. "Boss?"

"What?" He stepped inside and saw a man with black skin and gray hair, wearing a purple open vest over a gray sleeveless shirt and brown pants with black boots. He also had a gray beard that went to his stomach. The man was sitting at a desk with a computer and a suitcase full of shrunken Pokeballs sat beside him. "This better be important."

"It is," he placed the sack down on the table, opening it up to show it was full of Pokeballs.

"What did you bring me this time?" He took one and placed it next to the computer, a magnifying glass-like device folding out. It scanned the Pokeball, the screen soon showing an image, "Binacle?" He turned to the sack, "Don't tell me they're all-"

"Yup," he nodded, "Super easy to catch. Fired a bomb full of Sleep Powder at them and caught 'em all."

"You idiot!" The man yelled as he stood up, "Binacle are so common that nobody's gonna want to buy them. You've wasted both my time and Pokeballs."

The smaller guy shrunk back at this, gulping, "Sorry boss. I uh...I just thought they'd come in handy."

"Oh please..." he grumbled while sitting back down, "The best I can hope for is offering them as throw-ins to sweeten a deal." He let out a growl but grabbed the balls in the sack and placed them in another suitcase. "Whatever. I'll deal with you later." He stood up and headed for the door, "I've got a buyer to meet up with. Until I get back, try and make yourself useful. At the very least, find me something halfway decent to sell."

"You got it Dreadbeard," he nodded as the man disappeared. Once he was gone, the man sighed. "Halfway decent. What's he expect, a Rayquaza to suddenly show up in the middle of town?!" He let out a moan and headed for the door.





An hour or so later...

Flash and the others were now having lunch at a café. The place had a large grassy area beside it, so they let their Pokémon out to eat or play as the humans had their own meal. Springer and Astro were both sitting on the floor, eating their food while Rarity marveled over Astro. "Oh, he's just precious. And that blue skin he has is simply breathtaking."

"Thanks," Flash replied while Astro looked up from his meal and barked his own thank you.

But as this happened, Flash let out a sigh, making Twilight turning to him, "Still wishing you could help?" Flash nodded. "You'll just have to let this one go. Tidal's on the case, and as much as I'd like to bring those traffickers to justice, we'd probably just get in the way."

"Maybe...but does Tidal even have a lead? Who knows how long it'll take him to find out where these guys are. I'd be happy just finding a clue for him to follow."

And as he said this, a moldy skinned guy walked past the café, only to spin around as he saw Astro. A greasy grin appeared on his face, soon morphing to a smaller smile as he walked up to Flash. "Hiya brother," he said, making the group turn to him as he pointed at Astro. "That's a top ranked Pokémon you got there," he reached down and picked the dragon up. "Have you considered selling him?" This made everyone go wide-eyed as he continued, "I'll pay yah three thousand for him right now."

Astro began to shake in his hands as the groups stared at the guy, pieces instantly being put together for all of them. 'It's him,' they all said together, Flash then getting up and grabbing Astro out of his hands, "I can't sell Astro."

The man flinched at this, only to point at the teen, "Now hang on there. That's a good Pokémon...I'll pay you five thousand. Nah, no. I can make it ten grand."

"I don't need the money," Flash growled back, the groups nodding back as Moldy sighed.

"Fine. Then how about we do a trade? Is there maybe a Pokémon you want more than him?" Moldy's smile slowly twisted as he continued, "Cause the ones I got are rarer than rare."

And as he said this, a bulb went off in Flash's head, a smile now appearing on his face. "You wouldn't happen to have any Binacle, would you?"

The man went wide-eyed, Astro suddenly looking terrified, but then the man gave an expression like Christmas had come early. "Binacle. You're in luck. I just managed to get my hands on one a little while ago." He reached into his jacket and took out a piece of paper, "Meet me here later." Once Flash took the paper, Moldy quickly walked away, Flash sighing in relief as he vanished out of sight.

"Jackpot." But as he said this, Astro bit him on the hand, making him cry out and drop him. The Starvern fell to the floor and stared up at Flash, showing tears in his eyes. "Astro..." Flash leaned down and grabbed him again, "Relax buddy, I'm not gonna trade you."

"Star?"

"I'm not." Flash hugged him at this, only to pat his head, "But I'm gonna make him think I am, then he'll take me to find those Binacle."

"Flash...are you sure this is a good idea?" Twilight added.

"Yeah," Doc nodded in agreement, "Maybe you should talk to Tidal about this." Flash let out a sigh, but nodded back as the group headed for a phone.





Meanwhile...

Tidal was in his gym, walking the hallways to check on Barbaracle. He arrived at the door to the infirmary and spotted his first mate, who had a Ditto hanging on his shoulder, walking out of the room. "How is it?"

"Fine," he replied, "Still a little tired and a lot upset, but it'll calm down and heal up."

"Good. But it may go on another rampage if we can't find its friends." Tidal commented before hearing a beeping sound. He looked down at his wrist, seeing a watch-like device making noise. Pressing a button on the side, the image of the teen he had met earlier appeared. "Flash?"

"Hey Tidal," the others appeared onscreen. "I've got something you need to hear."

One explanation later...

"I told you I was the one who needed to find them!" Tidal barked, "Even after I told you that, you went and got involved with them!"

"Sorry..." Flash replied, scratching the back of his head, "But I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by."

Twilight moved in front of the screen, "We thought maybe you could arrest the guy Flash is going to meet, and then he could lead you to the rest of the criminals."

"An interesting idea senorita, but he's very likely a low level flunky. If we do capture him, his boss would likely cut all ties to him while moving to a place he doesn't know and lay low." Tidal let out a sigh before focusing back on Flash. "Even so, it's worth a shot. Muy bien. You wanted to help, so you're going to meet this fellow and see what you can learn from him."

Flash nodded, only to grimace, "I am a bit nervous though. If something goes wrong, they might take Astro and my other Pokémon." He looked down at the two out of their Pokeballs, both frowning back. "This isn't a good idea, is it?"

"Don't worry," Tidal responded, "I have a plan. As long as you follow it, nothing bad will happen."





Some time later...

Moldy was now standing at one of the empty docks. He had his arms crossed, impatiently tapping his foot. That is, till he heard footsteps, turning to see Flash with Springer and Astro beside him. "About time," he growled before trying to summon a smile, "Glad you made the right choice brother. This'll be a good trade, just wait and see."

"Yeah yeah," Flash replied, "So where's the Binacle?" Moldy pointed behind him with his thumb, Flash now seeing a boat in the distance. "A ship?"

"Binacle are Water-types. Ain't no better place to keep them when they're not with me." He then pointed to the side of the peer, gesturing to a speedboat floating in the water. "Get on."

Flash grimaced at this, the trio climbing into the boat as Moldy got on and started up the engine. The motorized dingy came to life, soon moving toward the water. And as they left, Flash sat down, feeling a slight shiver of danger.





At the same time...

Tidal and the others were in a dark room. They were all staring at a large computer screen with a map of the city, a red dot moving away from the place.

"Wait..." Twilight commented as the dot left the land, "They're going out to sea?"

"How the hay are we supposed to catch 'em now?" Applejack asked, turning to Tidal. "We have ta do somethin'."

"We will," Tidal replied before turning to his first mate. "Prepare the Might Leviapent." The man nodded, walking off as he Tidal continued, "They thought they were safe off of land, but that was their error." He hopped off his seat before walking to the door, "I was born on the ocean. My father was a marine biologist, so I spent my entire life exploring the seas. Even after I came to Manehatten and chose to make it my casa, the sea never left my soul. I will not allow those pirates to sully such a wondrous place with their crime."

The others nodded at this, now seeing him take out a Pokeball. "Time for you to bring justice to the seas, mi amigo." With that, they walked out of the room, now seeing something that took their breath away.





Flash was still riding on the speedboat, now getting closer to their destination. It was a large black tanker boat, the deck covered in metal crates while a series of metal steps were connected to the side of the ship that they could use to climb up onto the deck. 'So that's where they're doing business,' he mentally told himself.

The speedboat's engine died, the dingy floating up to the stairs. Moldy then grabbed the railing, pulling the boat to a stop. Flash and his Pokémon climbed onto the stairway next, heading up to the deck as he saw multiple men lounging around the place. They were all asleep in some way or another, lounging around and leaning against the crates.

Moldy walked up beside him. "Now, you'll just need to give me a minute to get the Binacle. Then we can trade."

"Of course," he replied, "But I'm just wondering...how many more Binacle do you have? I might be willing to trade my other Pokémon for them if they're any good."

"What, are you kidding? My Binacle are the best. And I got loads of them. Just give me a minute to go get 'em all." He began to walk away, but then stopped to point at Flash. "Don't move from that spot. A scary man'll give you a whooping if you do." With that, he walked away, leaving the three alone on the deck.

Seeing the other pirates were still fast asleep, Flash smirked before turning to Springer and Astro. "Let's go guys. This is our chance to search the ship."

As this happened, Moldy strut through the hallways of the ship, soon opening a certain door. When he walked inside, he found Dreadbeard and another man looking over an Ultraball. The man used a computer to scan the ball, humming as he did so. "So this is a Dratini that knows Draco Meteor. Quite impressive."

Dreadbeard chucked at this, "I can tell you, it wasn't easy catching it. Took forever to lure the mother away before I could nab it." The man nodded before noticing Moldy, Dreadbeard seeing his confusion and turning to goon. "What do you want?!"

Moldy smirked. "I need one of the Binacle. I got a sucker up on deck willing to trade me a shiny Starvern for one."

"A shiny Starvern?!" The client gasped, "Maybe I should be talking to this guy myself."

Dreadbeard and Moldy both frowned at this, knowing they might lose their deal. "Forget about that," Dreadbeard chimed in, "My associate isn't very smart. Probably saw something like a Ratatta and thought it was a shiny Starvern."

The man hummed at this, "I'd still like to see this for myself."

"Tell you what," Dreadbeard took another Pokeball from the briefcase. "Buy the Dratini and I'll throw in a Binacle, then we can see which of them the kid wants his Starvern for."

The man raised an eyebrow at this, "You'd give me a Binacle?"

Dreadbeard closed his eyes and gave a cocky smile. "Not like they're worth much already. Might as well give them to whoever's willing to take the worthless things."

"What'd you say!?" The three turned to the door, now seeing a glaring Flash with his Pokémon, all of them shaking with rage. "You take these Pokémon away from their homes, separate them from their friends and threaten to sell them to who knows who, then you have the gall to call them worthless?!"

Dreadbeard snorted at this, only to squint his eyes, "What's it to you?! They're...wait a minute. I know you. You're Flash Sentry, from the Battle Tournament."

"That's right," Flash replied, "And I've come to free the Pokémon you captured just to sell off."

"Is that so?" Dreadbeard guffawed before closing the briefcase. "I don't see how this is any of your business. After all, I caught them, so they're mine to do with as I like." Springer and Astro growled at him. "Honestly, how is this any worse then what you do with them? At least I don't force these little guys into fights just for my own amusement."

"I don't force anyone to do anything," Flash almost yelled, "If my Pokémon didn't want to fight, I wouldn't force them too. I care and trust my Pokémon, because that's what a trainer does. Pokémon aren't tools to use for our own selfish gain. They're our partners, friends...FAMILY!"

"Whatever," Dreadbeard responded in an almost yawn, "Honestly, I still don't see what the big deal is."

"I'll make you see what the big deal is. And when Tidal gets here, he'll make you pay."

"Tidal?" Dreadbeard almost went wide-eyed, "So...you're working with the Manehatten Gym leader that's been sniffing around." Flash nodded as the man turned to Moldy. "You idiot!" He grabbed him by the hood and threw him toward a window, the guy screaming as he smashed through the glass before a loud splash occurred. "You just brought a whole lot of trouble to me."

"Then let's make this easy," Flash held out his hand. "Give me the Pokémon and I'm sure you can cut a deal."

This got Dreadbeard to smile. "You must really care about Pokémon, especially with that speech you gave." He picked up the other briefcase and moved over to the window. "It'd be a real shame if something were to happen." He laughed while turning back to Flash, "If you attack us, then I'll throw these Pokémon into the sea." Flash gasped as Dreadbeard locked the case. "A fate worse than death, stuck at the bottom of the ocean until the end of time."

"You're a monster," Flash growled.

"Call me what you want. But if I was a Pokémon, I'd chose getting sold off to someone who really wanted me over spending eternity at the bottom of the ocean." Flash gripped his knuckles, growling as he said nothing. "Unless you want these guys on your conscious, drop all you Pokeballs onto the floor."

Flash still remained quiet, only to let out a sigh and took out his Pokeballs, dropping them to the floor. Dreadbeard laughed as he watched them roll around, Moldy now climbing back through the window. "Take our guest to the brig. I'll deal with them later."

"Got it," Moldy growled before walking up to Flash, "You're gonna regret messing with me."

Dreadbeard turned to his client. "Now, shall we continue with our transaction? You said you wanted a Shiny Starvern, and I just got one in stock. Along with some rather well trained Pokémon." But as he said this, the ship suddenly rocked violently. "What the heck?!" The ship then rocked in the other direction, knocking them all off balance. "What's going on now?! Is no eyes Pete steering again?" He then ran up to the window, just in time to see a burst of water shoot out of the sea, hitting the tanker's side. "We're under attack!"

As he said that, the ship rocked violently again. This time, the blow made Dreadbeard lose his grip, the suitcases flying upward. Seeing this, Flash pushed passed Moldy and caught them both. "Got 'em!" He yelled before he and his Pokémon headed for the door.

"No!" Dreadbeard yelled as he pushed himself back up, "Get back here!"

Moldy was about to follow, only to spot Flash's Pokeballs on the ground. "I can't believe he left them. And after all that..." He then picked them up, "Huh?!" He opened one up, finding it empty. He began opening the others, only to find they were all empty. "He tricked us!"





Flash and Springer had now reached the top deck, managing to stay upright as the boat continued to rock. "Now to get out of here," he commented before hearing Dreadbeard's voice.

"You're not going anywhere!" They turned to see Dreadbeard at the doorway, holding a squirming Astro by the scruff of the neck. "Hand over the cases if you know what's good for you. Or what's good for this little guy." He shined a big grin at this, only to see Flash smirk. "What's so funny?!"

"Take a look for yourself." Dreadbeard raised an eyebrow, then turned to Astro. When he did, he saw that Astro's face had been replaced by two dots and a line.

"What the?" Astro's body that began to change, morphing with a flash of light until it took the form of a pink blob.

"Ditto!" he cried before slipping out of Dreadbeard's hands, slithering over to Flash.

"Sorry, but Astro and the rest of my Pokémon are safe with my friends. You think I'd risk them coming here?! The only one that refused to be left behind was this stubborn idiot," he pointed to Springer as the Riolu nodded.

Dreadbeard growled at this, only to smile, "In that case, I've still got the advantage." As he said that, several more pirates walked out from behind the shipping containers along with the client and Moldy, "Hand the case over, or else."

But as he said that, the ship rocked again, the cause now exploding out of the water. They all turned to this, now seeing a giant serpentine Pokémon ascend from the ocean and stare down at them, a growl escaping its lips. "A Leviapent?!" Moldy gasped before seeing something on its head. "It's him!"

Tidal Wave stood atop the sea-serpent, a water rebreather in his mouth and his clothes appeared bone dry. He stared at them before jumping off the Leviapent and landing on the deck, taking the rebreather from his mouth as he stood tall. "Hola, you're under arrest."

"How did he find us?" The client asked, Dreadbeard now realizing Flash must have had a tracking device. As for the teen, he had used the distraction to run over to Tidal and showed him the briefcases.

"The Binacle and all the other captured Pokémon are right here."

"Good," Tidal replied as Dreadbeard pointed at the duo.

"Get them!" The pirates charged at this command, only to suddenly get blasted by Leviapent when it unleashed a Hydro Pump that rocked the deck.

The three growled at this, only for Moldy to spot something off the port bow. "Look!" He pointed out to the sea, the group now seeing a large wooden sailing ship. It had the Tsunami Badge on its sails and the front of the ship had what looked like a Leviapent head. In its mouth was a metal tube with chains coming out the ends that connect to the ship.

"The Mighty Leviapent," Dreadbeard gulped.

He then turned to growl as Tidal as his men picked themselves up. "Don't just stand there, do something!" The men flinched at this, only to see Leviapent dive back under the water while Tidal ran up to them. This made them smile as they charged as well, ready to beat him down before focusing on Flash.

However, when the first guy reached Tidal, he threw a punch, only for the Gym Leader to sidestep without a second glance. He then thrust an elbow into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him before grabbing his shirt and throwing him overboard. He then did the same to the next guy, only to repeat it over and over. Using impressive martial arts skills, he was able to throw almost every pirate off the ship without getting hit.

"Wow..." Flash whispered as all that was left was Dreadbeard, Moldy and the client. It was here he saw something that made him smile as he turned to his opponent. "Hey, Dreadbeard." The trafficker turned to him. "You want these," he held up the briefcases. "Then catch!" He threw them straight up, right over Tidal's head.

Dreadbeard gasped and ran for the briefcase. But before they got within reach, the cases suddenly stopped midair. "What dah?" He asked, jumping to grab both cases...only for both to fly further up. It was then that he noticed they were glowing.

They flew further up, and as Dreadbeard followed them, he saw Flash's plan. "Thank you," Twilight said as Owlicious brought the cases into range with Psychic. Spike was sitting beside her, and flying next to them was Flitanium and Skyler, who were carrying Doc, Rarity and Applejack. She grabbed the cases, opening them up to see everything there. "We've got what we came for."

Dreadbeard growled at this, only to realize he had been distracted from Tidal. He turned to the Gym Leader, just barely managing to avoid a punch to the face while Moldy and the client charged. And with a single roundhouse kick, the two were knocked staggering back. The client soon fell over the edge, Tidal then sending Moldy to join him.

At the same time, Ditto had taken Skyler's form and flew up to take the cases from Twilight. It flew off toward the Mighty Leviapent as the others flew down and landed beside Flash. "Boy am I glad to see you guys."

"What would you do without us?" Twilight asked before holding out five Pokeballs and a Premier Ball, Flash taking them as Dreadbeard stood tall.

"You punks think you're tough, huh?" He took out a Pokeball, "Well I'll show you brats!" He threw the ball, "GO!" The Pokeball opened and unleashed the creature within.

The beast looked like a larger, bulkier Sharazor. It was about seven foot tall, and stood in a manner similar to a Kangaskhan or Nidoking. It was dark blue and had the same red V-shape on its head-fin, but now it was also covered in black stripes. Its head was almost entirely black, with only its forehead having a blue stripe that got larger as it went further back. The fins on its back, arms, legs and hips were blue, but had a black outline on the edge and its arms ended in razor sharp claws.

"THRASHARK!" It roared while swinging its arms around, slicing the air as Flash took out his Pokedex.

Name: Thrashark
Category: Sea Predator Pokémon
Type: Water
Info: The evolved form of Sharazor. Even the most docile of this Pokémon will go into a dangerous frenzy at the sniff of a single drop of blood. Even its own trainer must take great care around it.

The Thrashark growled before charging, Dreadbeard smirking as it prepared to slash at his enemies. But before it could get close, the water beside the boat exploded as Leviapent appeared, "Hydro Pump!" Tidal yelled, Leviapent unleashingn a blast of high-pressure water that struck the deck between the two groups, making the entire ship rock.

"Whoa!" Dreadbeard yelped, "Are you mad?! You'll capsize us all!"

"Maybe," Tidal replied, "But we can easily escape on Leviapent."

Flash then took out his own Pokeball, "But you won't be getting away so easily." The ball enlarged, "It's time someone made you pay for the way you treat Pokémon! Prongs, I choose you!" A flash of red light came next, Prongs appearing on the deck. "Use Energy Ball!"

"Stag!" The Stagrowth roared as the sphere of nature energy appeared at his mouth before firing, hitting Thrashark.

Dreadbeard growled as he saw his Pokémon stagger back, "Shake it off! Don't let that weakling beat you!" Thrashark pushed itself back to its feet before charging, Prongs galloping forward to meet it. "Ice Fang!"

"Dodge it!" Prongs leapt to the side, dodging the Thrashark's freezing cold fangs. "Now Bounce!" Prongs shot straight up, hitting the now off balance Thrashark after it had missed its attack, allowing him to smash all four hooves into its back.

"THRASH!" It roared before getting slammed into the ground, Prongs leaping off him.

"No," Dreadbeard hissed, "I refuse to let my entire operation be destroyed by a couple of kids!" Thrashark picked itself up again at this, "Aqua Jet!"

Thrashark was consumed by water and shot through the air like a torpedo, Flash just glaring at the pirate, "And I refuse to lose to someone who only sees Pokémon as tools, or something you can just sell to make a quick buck." Prongs charged as well, heading straight for the water covered Sea Predator Pokémon. "Horn Leech!"

"Stag!" Prongs' horns glowed green while growing, meeting Thrashark as he thrust his antlers forward. The two attacks collided, the higher force of Thrashark's Aqua Jet pushing Prongs back. However, it was only a few steps, and he soon got a strong footing before stopping the attack cold. "Stag...GROWTH!" With a mighty swing, Prongs sent Thrashark hurtling into the air.

The Sea Predator screamed as the water around its body exploded off it, Dreadbeard gasping while Leviapent chose this moment to attack. "Aqua Tail!" Tidal yelled as Leviapent raised its tail out of the water, water soon spiraling around the tip. And with one mighty swing, the leaf-shaped tail end slammed into Thrashark, sending it flying.

"THRASH!" It yelled as it flew through the air, eventually disappearing into the horizon with a familiar ding and flash of light.

Dreadbeard was completely speechless, unable to respond. That is, till he heard a growl, turning to see Tidal walking up to him with the others behind him and Leviapent glaring at him from above. "Ahora, you have two choices. Surrender, or be sunk." He looked over to the land in the distance, "I'd say we're a good ten hours from land by swimming. We have Leviapent, and we'd be happy to give you a ride, as long as you surrender."

Dreadbeard glared at Tidal, only to sigh and raise his arms. "Fine. You got me." Everyone smiled at this, Tidal pressing a button on his Xtransceiver to call his ship.





By the time they all returned to land, the sun was beginning to set.

Tidal, Flash, Twilight, Spike, Doc, Applejack and Rarity watched as Officer Hard Case took Dreadbeard and several more pirates into custody. And as they disappeared, Tidal turned to Flash. "Thank you for helping me amigo. I know this was both difficult and dangerous."

"It was, but I don't regret it. I was able to help save Barbaracle's friends." As he said this, the group turned to see one of Tidal's crew handing the Binacle over to the Collective Pokémon. There were many other Pokémon that would soon be released once they had been properly examined and treated, but for now, Barbaracle gave its thanks before turning back to leap into the water with its friends.

Once they were gone, Tidal glanced back at Flash, "You have a good heart, and by the way you battled, it's clear you love and care for Pokémon." Flash nodded back, "You remind me of myself in a way. And while you might be reckless, I know a certain someone who would likely have done the same thing. You're a lot like him." The others raised an eyebrow at this, not knowing Tidal had been talking about Equestria's current champion. "You said you wanted to challenge me to a battle, is that right?"

Flash nodded again, "Does that mean you're gonna accept my challenge?"

"Si, but it'll have to wait." Flash frowned at this. "There's something I have to take care of right now. On our way back, Dreadbeard's crew decided to cut a deal, and gave us some information about where the Pokémon trafficking ring is based."

"But Dreadbeard's been captured." Applejack pointed out, "Doesn't that mean the whole thing should collapse?"

"Maybe. But it's also possible someone else will take over for Dreadbeard. And even if they don't, there may be other captured Pokémon at this base. I need to check it out."

"Then we'll go with you," Flash responded, only for Tidal to shake his head.

"As much as I'd like to have you help, this is something I must do. Besides, I can't leave Manehatten unprotected. So wait here and prepare for our battle. And if anything happens before I get back, I entrust you with dealing with it."

Flash gasped at this, only to nod once more. And with that, Tidal and his crew climbed back on board his ship before it began to pull away from the port. Once it was a good distance away, the figure-head opened its mouth and the metal tube fell out and splashed into the ocean as the chains extended. Seconds later, Leviapent appeared from below the ocean with the tube in its mouth. It began to swim forward, tugging the ship along by the chain, making it easily vanish into the sunset.

As Flash watched the ship disappear, his mind thought back to Dreadbeard and his men. How they could be so cruel to such gentle creatures? He then remembered Team Shadow, Big Score, Cadmus and all the other rotten people he had met since the start of his journey. He knew he couldn't allow people like them to get away with mistreating anyone, be it people or Pokémon. With their arrival in Manehatten filled with craziness, our heroes now prepare to stay until Tidal's return. What other adventures await within the big city? Only time would tell. As the journey continues.
> Coordinating a Grand Display
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Shadow Ball!" Flash yelled as Astro created the purple energy sphere. 

A week had passed since Tidal's departure, leaving Flash and the rest of his Pokémon nothing to do but train in preparation for his return. At the same time, the others had spent the time sightseeing, seeing the city's amazing landmarks. They had managed to drag Flash with them to see the most famous ones, but also gave him the free time to train. Currently, all of his Pokémon were out practising for the coming battle.

"Star!" Astro roared as he fired his Shadow Ball at the target, only for it to go off course and explode behind it.

Flash let out a sigh, "Still needs a little more work." Astro let out a moan, only to feel Flash pat him on the head, "Don't worry. You're getting better with ever try. A little more practice and you'll have this attack nailed."

Astro let out a yip next, Flash telling him to do it again. Off to the side, Twilight, Doc and Spike were sitting at a table, enjoying their lunch while watching them train. Twilight showed a big smile as she saw Flash keep helping Astro before commenting, "Everyone looks like they're in top form."

"They'll need ta be if they wanna beat Tidal." They turned to see Applejack walking up, only to see something balancing itself on her hat. At first, they thought it was an apple, only to see its leaves on the top had two black dots while some kind of tail came out the back.

"Is that an Applin?" Twilight asked, getting a nod from Applejack.

"Pretty cool, right? Found him not long after the Battle Tournament. He's mah kinda Pokémon."

Flash turned his attention away from his training, now seeing the Pokémon jump down onto the table. "Cool. Got any other new Pokémon?"

"Well ah got one yah might not have seen before." Applejack took out a Pokeball and opened it up, unleashing a red light that revealed a six foot kangaroo Pokémon. It looked like a larger version of Brawloey, with a lot more bandages around its body. Aside from its arms, hands and feet, it also had them around its thighs, and an X-shape around its chest and around its head was a light headband.

"Clobber!" It cried out while jumping onto its tail before hopping forward while throwing some fast kicks and punches.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Applejack chuckled.

"Wow...that's awesome!" Spike exclaimed as Flash took out his Pokedex.

Name: Clobberoo
Category: Mega Kick Pokémon
Type: Fighting
Info: The evolved form of Brawloey. In battle, Clobberoo randomly thrashes its arms, feet and even tail to strike the opponent down. Trainers beware, this Pokémon is highly dangerous when angry.

"So your Brawloey evolved?" Flash asked, getting a nod from Applejack. "Awesome. Hey, why don't we have a battle to see how strong it is?"

"Yer on!" Applejack laughed as they ran up to the battlefield.

But before they could fight, Spike called out, "Hey, where's Rarity?"

Applejack rolled her eyes at this, "Oh, her? She went shopping. A big city like this, she couldn't resist."





Meanwhile...

Rarity was now sauntering down one of Manehatten's best shopping streets. Herbarald, Aquapphire and Pyruby were with her, the four carrying shopping bags.

"Ooh, this is fantastic! I'm in heaven...." They passed another clothes store, Rarity coming to a stop as she stared at the window display. "Magnificent! Just...magnificent!" She then spun around, staring at another store, "Oh, I could live here!"

But then, a nearby megascreen began to show a commercial. "It's almost time for the Manehatten Pokémon Contest!"

This made the girl spin around again, looking up at the screen. "Contest?" The screen began to show images of different Pokémon on stage, performing a series of amazing tricks and dances while showing off their elegant majesty.

"Contests. A Pokémon event mostly known for taking place in the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh Regions. But now, Equestria will be joining the ranks and attempting to start it's own Contest series...starting right here in Manehatten City!" The screen changed to show a woman wearing pink and yellow with brownish-orange hair, "Greetings. I'm Marian, your lovable contest announcer. Do you think you have what it takes to be a Coordinator? If normal battles aren't your thing, why not try Contest Battles? If you're up for it, then enter the Manehatten Pokémon Contest." She then held up a yellow metal pick with white and purple ribbon running through it. "And if you win, you'll earn the prestigious Manehatten Ribbon."

"Gorgeous..." Rarity whispered as her Pokémon watched with wide eyes. The screen began showing off more images of Pokémon doing a performance, Rarity feeling something inside spark, "I...I have to enter!"





Back at the Pokémon Center...

Flash and Viper were now battling Applejack and Clobberoo. "Blaze Kick!" Applejack yelled as her Pokémon leapt, his foot igniting as he swung it around to hit Viper.

"Dodge it, then use Flamethrower!" Viper hissed as he swung his chord like body out of the way, the flaming foot flying over his head, only to swing back and unleash a burst of fire.

"Clobber!" Clobberoo cried as the flames hit him before hearing Applejack call out a Rolling Kick. "Clobberoo!" It leapt up and began to spin, turning into a mini whirlwind that charged at the snake, hitting him several times in the head.

"Vi!" He yelped as he was knocked back, Clobberoo coming to a stop as he hopped away.

Viper quickly got back up, hissing as Flash asked, "You okay?" Viper nodded back, "Okay, let's use-"

"EVERYONE!" They all jumped at the sudden voice, soon turning to see Rarity running into the Pokémon Center's gardens. She then saw them, coming to a stop, "Oh, my apologizes. I didn't realize you were battling."

"It's fine," Flash assured her. "But what's got you so hyped up?"

Ribbons began to appear in the girl's eyes, "Manehatten is going to have a Pokémon Contest, and its tomorrow!" Doc and Twilight went wide-eyed at this while the others raised an eyebrow.

"A what?" Spike asked.

"A contest," Twilight replied. "It's a type of tournament that requires the trainer and their Pokémon to put on a show."

Doc nodded at this, "In a contest, it doesn't matter how strong a Pokémon. What matters is the skill. In a Pokémon Contest, a Weedle could go up against Arceus itself and still win if its moves are shown off more effectively."

"Think of it like a talent show," Twilight continued, "Even if two Pokémon know the same attacks, one could be better at making it look more spectacular. It's a whole different style of battling."

"Cool." Flash added, "Sounds like fun."

"Though...Equestria doesn't regularly do any." Twilight countered before tilting her head, "Did something change?"

"Oh yes. They want to make a series here in Equestria." Rarity responded before pointing at everyone, "We should all try and enter it!"

The group blinked, Twilight humming, "Well, it could be an interesting experience." She turned to Flash, "What do you say?" Flash nodded back, telling them he was in. This was followed by Doc and Applejack saying no, both thinking it wasn't really for them. With that decided, the group headed off to where the contest would be taking place.

But when they arrived at the contest hall, they found a long line of people who were also looking to enter. They feared they were too late to get the spots available, but as they waited, their rewards was some of the last few spots. "With that, your entry is confirmed." The receptionist replied to Flash as she picked up a box they had seen her give to everyone else that entered. "Here's everything you need for the contest."

Flash took the box and moved over to the others, Twilight and Rarity already opening theirs. Inside were four items, two being a round glass orb that appeared to resemble a Pokeball. The other was an envelope, and the fourth was a metal case.

"What are these things?" Spike asked as he picked up one of the orbs.

"They're ball capsules," Twilight replied, "They were first made in the Sinnoh Region." She opened the envelope and took out a bunch of stickers. "And these are seals." She grabbed one that was shaped like a heart, sticking it to the capsule before taking out Peewee's Pokeball and returning him. "Watch." She placed the ball inside the capsule before she threw it up.

The ball popped open, unleashing a burst of light with a bunch of hearts also appearing next. The hearts swirled around the light as it took form and exploded off the Terragon, the hearts flying around like fireworks. Everyone marveled at the sight, Flash and Rarity now staring down at their seals.

"So which Pokémon are you guys using?" Doc asked.

"I'm just gonna use Shine," Twilight responded, "I think she's my only Pokémon with any real grace."

"I'll be using Beautifly in the appeals round," Rarity announced, "And then I'm using Aquapphire in the battle round."

They then turned to Flash as he spoke up, "Astro, then Springer. None of my Pokémon are really graceful, so I'm gonna need to use natural cuteness."

They nodded before Rarity stood up. "Now all we need is something to wear." Flash and Twilight raised an eyebrow, "Don't tell me you didn't notice." She pointed to the screens, the two looking up to see more contest footage. They focused on the trainers, now seeing they were all wearing fancy clothing. "We need to look our best if we'll be appearing on television."

Flash and Twilight's eyes shrunk at this, now feeling very self conscious...only for Rarity to grab both and drag them away. And as Applejack, Doc and Spike watched her pull them away, the three wondered what kind of insanity Rarity would put the two through.





As it turned out, Rarity chose to make their fancy clothes herself. When they returned to the Pokémon Center, she took the two's measurements, quickly getting to work. Flash and Twilight then headed outside to come up with a routine, hours soon passing as Rarity kept at it.

"Geez," Applejack sighed. "With how gung ho she was about entering, ya'd think she'd being doin' the most training. Guess she only wanted ta enter so she could wear somethin' fancy."

"Maybe," Doc replied, "But if this is how she wants to prepare for the contest, that's her right." The others nodded back, the group soon turning in for the day.

While they did this, Rarity kept working into the night. And as she did this, her mind was running a million miles a minute. She was trying to come up with the best performance she could think of, using the moves her Pokémon had at their disposal. It wasn't until ten o'clock that she finally finished the clothes, soon pulling out her Pokeballs and opening them up. Beautifly and Aquapphire appeared, Beautifly flying onto her head while Aquapphire yawned. "I know it's late, but I had some ideas for tomorrow that I want to try out. Ready to give it a go?"

The two nodded, but before they headed outside, Rarity moved over to a computer in the lobby and switched it on. "First, lets see if there's anything online we can use as reference." She started typing away and the computer began showing multiple images and videos of different contest appeal and battle rounds, the three of them watching in amazement. "So beautiful. So elegant. I wish Equestria had started this sooner. I could have entered so many more contests." 

Deciding not to could-as and would-as ruin this, she focused back on the screen. As she did, ideas formed in her head about what she needed to do tomorrow. "I can win this. I know I can."



The next day...

Fireworks filled the skyline as people funneled into the performance hall, the place was abuzz with anticipation. The people of Manehatten were all ready to see the many performances about to happen, noise blasting out of the stadium due to the amount of people. Inside the hall within a large dressing room, the competitors were waiting for the contest to start, everyone competing now wearing some form of fancy clothing, including Flash, Twilight and Rarity.

Flash was wearing a black blazer over a white shirt and blue vest with black pants with a rose in his lapel. Twilight was wearing a dress that was purple around her chest and waist but turned green around her legs while also wearing purple high-heeled sandals. And Rarity was dressed in a green top and pink skirt, the skirt having a long purple see through material around it that allowed people to see legs. Her legs had pink ribbons tied around them with green flower buds attached, the ribbons starting above her knees and spiraling down until they connected to the back of her pink shoes.

"Wow," Twilight gasped as she twirled around in her dress, "This feels amazing Rarity."

"Thank you darling. It's not to restrictive, is it? I tried to make them all look fabulous and functional."

"You kidding?" Flash did a few stretches in his suit. "I feel great. Like I could be the one doing the performance in it." As he said that, he saw Rarity let out a yawn, "Tired?"

"I was up late last night," Rarity replied, the two grimacing at her response.

But before they could say anything, the TV came on to show Marian on stage. "Greetings, and a warm welcome to coordinators and contest fans of all ages. We've all come together for one very special reason. And that's to find out who will take home the coveted and fabulous Manehatten Contest Ribbon."

She then held up the ribbon, making all the contestants smile. The same was for the audience, Doc, Spike and Applejack now watching from their seats as Marian began to explain the rules.

And as she finished, she gestured to the stage, "I know you've all be waiting patiently, and now it's time for you to be rewarded!" As she said that, fireworks went off on either side of the stage. "It's time for me to introduce our judges!" She walked to the side as the curtain behind her split, revealing a trio of people. "And here they are!"

The first judge was a man in a red jacket with a black bowtie. "Head of the judging comity and Pokémon Contest Director, Mr. Contesta!"

"Thank you," he replied, "I look forward to seeing the teamwork between Pokémon and their trainers.

A short man in a blue suit and red tie walked up after this, "Next up, the head of the Pokémon fan club: Mr. Sukizo!"

The man did a small bow, "Manehatten city. If I was to describe it in one word, that word would be remarkable."

The final judge strided in next, this one everyone recognized, "And finally, Manehatten City's own nurse Redheart."

"Hello everyone. When it comes to seeing all the splendid Pokémon, I can't wait."

The crowd cheered as Marian continued her introduction, "I think we can all relate to that." The judges headed over to the table, Marian now bowing, "And of course, there's me. I'm Marian and I'm thrilled to be your master of ceremonies. So now, why don't we get this Contest underway." The crowd cheered again as she continued, "In this first round, Pokémon and their Coordinators take to the stage to show off their appeal. The purpose of this round is to see how our Coordinators make their Pokémon shine." She side-stepped as the curtain opened up again. "Now, let's welcome our first contestant onto the stage!"





Backstage, everyone watched as the first contestant leapt on stage and used a Vulpix. They appeared to be doing well until the Coordinator attempted to dance inside her Pokémon's Fire Spin, causing her dress to catch on fire. After that, a Coordinator with a Teddiursa came on stage, using its cuteness for a much better performance. Several more Coordinators and their Pokémon followed this, each showing a different level of skill, all going between good, great and just plain terrible.

"Twilight Sparkle," a stagehand called out, "You're up next."

"Alright," Twilight took a deep breath before turning to her friends. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck darling."

"Knock 'em dead," Flash added as she left. They turned to the TV and watched as the current contestant and their Tangela tried doing some awesome jump-rope tricks using Vine Whip, but the Tangela tripped and fell face first into the stage.

"Yikes!" Marian grimaced as the contestant and his Tangela began to walk off stage a minute later, "Well, I'm sure they'll get it right next time. Now, let's welcome our next Coordinator to the stage. From Canterlot City, it's Twilight Sparkle!"

The curtain opened to reveal the girl, waving to everyone as she walked up, "Alright Twilight!" Spike cheered, "Go get 'em sis!"

"We believe in you!" Doc added.

"Go for it!" Applejack hollered.

"Shine," Twilight threw the ball, "Let's go!" The Pokeball flew through the air, opening to unleash a dazzling ray of stars along with the light. The stars and light hit the ground, the stars spiralling around and taking shape to reveal her Pokémon.

"Nee!" Shine neighed before doing a galloping dance and leaping onto the closest star. She then bounced off it and onto another, then another and another.

"Gorgeous," Marian exclaimed, "Such refined poise and grace. This kind of spectacle is something you wouldn't usually see outside of a dream."

As she said that, Shine leapt off a star and landed on the ground with all the stars directly above her. "Psybeam!" Shine's horn unleashed a burst of light, striking the stars, making them explode like fireworks. The audience began to gasp, now cheering as Shine continued to dance around the stage.

"Mystical Fire!" Shine's horn ignited as she drew a circle of fire, only to leap through it like a circus Pokémon before turning back to unleash a burst of fire through it. "Again!" Shine created two rings of fire and leapt through them before launching the flame attack again, "One more time!" Three rings were formed, the pony leaping through before firing the flames once more.

The trio of fireballs all flew through the air and were about to fade, only for Twilight to yell, "Fairy Wind!"

"NEE!" Shine swung around, firing a burst of glittery wind from her tail that hit the fire. The two attacks merged into a wave of glittery fire that flew over the audience's heads before fading away, the fans now seeing Shine balance on her back legs while Twilight posed behind her.

"Outstanding!" Marian called out as the crowd cheered, the judges then speaking up.

"The elegance and grace shown off by Twilight and her Ponyta were truly something to see," Mr. Contesta added.

"Indeed," Mr. Sukizo nodded, "Remarkable as well."

Redheart giggled at this, "It's clear how much love and care Twilight put into rising her Ponyta. I can't wait to see what else she has to show us."

Twilight and Shine then waved to the crowd as they headed backstage, the next contestant walking past her.

"Darling!" She heard Rarity exclaim, "That was truly magnificent!"

"Thanks," Twilight replied, "Where's Flash?"

"He's up next. Honestly, I don't see him getting through to the next round. Nothing against him, but a contest like this isn't really for a battler like him."

Twilight chuckled at this, "I don't know about that. Flash can be full of surprises."

"Now onto our next contestant." They turned to see Marian step aside as the curtain opened.



Flash walked up with a smirk, the crowd cheering for him while Spike and the others yelled out wishes of good luck for him. "Alright," he held up his Pokeball. "Astro, I choose you!" The ball flew through the air, soon opening up to unleash a burst of blue fire that struck the ground and spiralled into a tornado. Flames then exploded out to reveal Astro, a series of sparkles also appearing beside him.

"Amazing!" Marian exclaimed, "Such an interesting entrance from an interesting Pokémon. What will the two try next?"

"Shadow Ball, multiple blasts!" Astro created a purple sphere before firing it into the air, soon making more as they flew upward. And as the balls flew up, gravity began to pull them back down as Flash yelled, "Now Bite!"

"Star!" Astro leapt straight up and starting biting into the spheres, surprisingly not causing them to explode into smoke. Instead, each one popped like a balloon, unleashing several sparks of blue energy that flew around Astro's body.

"Wondrous!" Marian gasped, "The energy from the attacks is sparkling around Starvern! It truly looks really good with his blue skin."

"Shadow Ball, once more!" As soon as the last Shadow Ball was destroyed, Astro created another and threw it as high as it could go. "Now, Dragon Rage!"

"Star...VERN!" Astro unleashed the blue fire at the Shadow Ball, causing it to explode. Blue sparks and blue embers began to rain down on the stage, Flash and Astro taking a power pose with Flash's arm thrust into the air. "YEAH!"





Meanwhile, in another city...

As this happened, a certain trainer named Lightning Blitz walked into a Pokémon Center.

As he did this, he heard a voice he hated, making him turn to see Flash on screen with a Pokémon he didn't recognize. "What the-what is that loser doing now?!"





With the performance over, the crowd cheered as the judges spoke up.

"A brilliant display of power and showmanship," Mr. Contesta announced.

"A remarkable display indeed," Mr. Sukizo added.

"The trust and care between those two is truly a sight to behind," Redheart continued, "How wonderful."

Flash and Starvern waved to the audience as they ran off stage, rushing back to the waiting room so they didn't miss Rarity's performance. And as he walked in, he saw Twilight, but no Rarity. "Did I miss her?"

Twilight shook her head, "No. She's up after that guy." She pointed to the TV as it showed someone and their Sensu-Style Oricorio doing a dance together. "That was quite a display."

"Same with you," Flash replied, "We're gonna get through to the next round for sure."

Twilight nodded as the contestant and their Oricorio stopped dancing. "I just hope Rarity's performance goes as well as ours."





Rarity stood in the hallway behind the curtain, waiting as the judges told the Coordinator what they thought. She was a shivering pile of nerves at the moment, her Pokeball shaking in her hands. "You can do this...you can do this." She took a deep breath, "No. Don't be scared." The shaking stopped as she held up her Pokeball, "I can do this."

"It's time for the final contestant of the appeals round," she heard Marian call out, "Everyone please give a warm round of applause for this lovely young lady. From Applewood City, it's Rarity!" The curtains opened up, Rarity slowly walking up as she blinded momentarily by the lights and almost deafened by the cheers.

"YEAH!" She heard Spike scream, "RARITY! YOU'RE NUMBER ONE!" Doc and Applejack then grabbed and pulled him back down to his seat.

"Come on Rarity!" Applejack called out.

"You can do this," Doc added.

Rarity took one last deep breath before holding up her Pokeball. "Beautifly," she threw it, "Come on out my darling!" The capsule covered ball flew through the air, then opening to unleash a burst of white light. Pink hearts appeared out of the light, hovering around as the light took shape to reveal Rarity's Pokémon.

"Beautifly," it called out while dancing around the hearts.

"Marvellous!" Marian called out, "Beautifly is dancing amongst the hearts! Truly a sight to behold!"

"Now," Rarity called out with a twirl, "Use Silver Wind!" Beautifly let out a cry as it flew under the hearts before flapping its wings, unleashing the pollen filled wind that struck the hearts and pushed them straight up. They flew upward until suddenly exploding, causing sparkles to rain down upon the stage as Beautifly continued to dance around by twirling and doing loop the loops.

"Breath taking!" Marian cried out, the crowd just as awestruck. "The light from the exploding hearts mixed with Beautifly elegant moves looks like something out of a fairy tale."

"Continue dancing while using String Shot!" Rarity added, Beautifly unleashing strings from its mouth that it twirled around like a rhythmic gymnast. Everyone watched as the string began sticking to areas of the stage, creating a web-like construct that blocked the audience from seeing most of the stage. "Now, finish it with Morning Sun!"

"BEAUTIFLY!" It exclaimed before flying straight up until the sun was right behind it, the insect's wings exploding with light. That light shined down upon the stage, striking the String Shot before refracting to show a rainbow of different colors that radiated across the audience.

Marian tried to speak, but was completely gobsmacked by its beauty while the audience kept gasping. The light then caused the String Shot to vanish, clearing the stage as Beautifly flew down and landed on Rarity's head while she struck a pose.

And as soon as she was done, the audience exploded with applause.

"What a spectacular performance!" Marian cried before turning to the judges, all looking awestruck.

Mr. Contesta was the first to recover. "A dazzling display like that isn't something you see every day. Miss Rarity truly knew how to show off the beauty of her Beautifly."

"Remarkable," Mr. Sukizo added, "Nothing more to say. Remarkable."

Redheart nodded a this, "It's clear just how hard Rarity worked to come up with this performance and both her grace and timing were spot on." Rarity gave the crowd a few kisses before she returned to the waiting area, Marian now telling the audience that the judges would now pick eight Coordinators to move onto the battle round.

And as Rarity arrived in the waiting area, Flash and Twilight walked up to her, "Rarity, that was amazing."

"No kidding." Flash chimed in, "You did great. I'd even say, remarkable."

They all laughed at this while Rarity let out a sigh and fell to her knees. "My heart was beating like a Rillaboom's drum." Flash and Twilight helped her back up as she continued, "But I gave it my best, and I have nothing to be ashamed of."

The two smiled at her before hearing Marian speak up again, "And now it's time for the judges results." They looked up at the screen as Marian said, "In no particular order, these are the eight lucky contestants that'll be moving onto the second round." With that, the screen changed to a blank image before pictures of the coordinators appeared on it. The first two were trainers the three didn't know, but the third face to appear was Twilight's.

"Alright!" She cheered as the next picture appeared, then the fifth one.

"Yes!" Flash yelled, seeing it was him. Rarity grimaced as she saw the sixth image show a girl that wasn't her, while the seventh was the boy with the Teddiursa. Only one spot remained as she felt her heart beat, the next second trying to stretch out for an eternity. But then, the image appeared.

"Ah!" Rarity gasped when she saw it was her, "I did it!" She felt herself tearing up, then started waving her hands to keep from running her makeup. "I can't believe I made it through..."

"We can," Flash responded, "You deserve it."

Twilight nodded in agreement, "And now we're all going through to the second round."

As she said this, Marian spoke up again, "It's time to decide which of these competitors will face off." With that, the images flipped around before shuffling and rearranging themselves into four sets of turn. They flipped around again, now showing the pairings, "Here it is. The match ups for the second round."

The audience stared up at the screen, now seeing who was facing who. Spike let out a sigh of relief as he saw Flash, Rarity and Twilight were all facing someone else. "That's good. They don't have to face one another."

"Maybe, but look closer." Doc pointed at the screen, gesturing to Rarity as she was on the same side as Flash. "If those two win the first battle, they'll have to face off against one another in the second one."

Applejack grimaced at this, "And if that happens, they might end up facing Twilight in the finals." This made Spike frown, knowing he wouldn't know who to cheer for.

"This is it!" Marian yelled, "The moment you've all been waiting for...get ready for the second round battles!" The crowd cheered as she continued, "In this round, the contestants have five minutes to show off their contest battle skills and strip away their opponent's points. If a competitor's Pokémon is knocked out, loses all their points or has less points at the end of the timer, they're out! Now, let's welcome our first group of competitors!"

The first battle was between two trainers Doc and the others didn't know, who were using a Rhyhorn and a Butterfree. In the end, the Butterfree trainer proves stronger. After that, Twilight and Shine battled a boy and his Wooloo. The following battle was surprising tense, the Wooloo evolving during the battle. Despite this, Twilight got ahead with just a slither more points.

Flash and Springer were next, their opponent being a girl and her Liepard. At first, it looked like Flash was going to lose. When the timer hit thirty seconds, Flash only had a quarter of his points while his opponent had almost all of theirs. But then, Springer managed to land an Aura Sphere that knocked Liepard out, winning him the match.

"Use Power Gem!" Rarity yelled as Aquapphire unleashed a red beam of light from her forehead, hitting the opponent's Oricorio head on. The dancing Pokémon was thrown back, hitting the battlefield wall while losing more points.

"Yeah!" Applejack cheered, "Go Rarity!"

"That Aquapphire's certainly grown a lot since we last saw it," Doc added, remembering how shy and meek the Pokémon was when they had first met it.

"Just goes to show how awesome Rarity is," Spike chuckled.

"Scald!" Rarity ordered as Aquapphire dodged Oricorio's Revelation Dance. She then took a deep breath and unleashed a stream of boiling water, striking Oricorio and pushing her back. The opponent's points dropped as a beeper sounded out.

"That's it!" Marian exclaimed, "Time's up! And the one moving onto the second round is..." they all looked up and saw the points. "Rarity!"

The crowd cheered as Rarity waved at them, then listened as the judges spoke up.

"Rarity's combinations were both inspired and exhilarating to watch. Truly a feast for the eyes."

"Not to mention, remarkable as well."

Redheart nodded again, "A perfect combination of grace and power. That Aquapphire's very well trained."

Rarity smiled before returning Aquapphire and heading backstage. And as she returned to the waiting room, Marian began announcing the second round just as she saw Flash and Springer walk up, "Hey there. Great work out there, but it looks like we're facing off next round."

"Seems so," Rarity hummed before turning to the screen, now seeing Twilight and Shine battle against the Butterfree user. They watched as Twilight struggle against the opponent, who had far more skill then she did when it came to contest. Coupled with the type disadvantage, it seemed Twilight would lose. However, a well aimed Mystical Fire knocked the Butterfree out and with a minute on the clock, Twilight earned a place in the finals.

Mr. Contesta shined a big grin at the result, "Though this contest is normally about skill and grace, a bit of power every once in a while is something fun to see."

"A remarkable show of force."

"I'm sure Twilight will take what she learned in this battle and put it to good use in the finals," Redheart finished.

"Awesome!" Spike cheered, "Way to go Twi!"

"Now it's Flash and Rarity's turn," Doc added, "Normally, I'd put my money on Flash to win. But in a contest like this..."

"It's anyone's guess," Applejack continued as Marian spoke up.

"And now it's time for the second semi-final battle! In one corner, we have Flash! And in the other, the lovely Miss Rarity!"

The two trainers walked out from behind the curtains, moving to the field before giving the other a handshake. "Good luck Rarity."

"You too darling. Let's give everyone an fabulous show." Flash nodded before the two parted and moved over to their podiums.

Their faces then appeared on the megascreen, a circle of points appearing below them and a timer of five minute between them. Both contestants smirked as they placed their balls inside the capsules and applied the seal.

Marian: "We have five minutes on the clock. Battle...BEGIN!"

"Springer," Flash threw his Pokeball, "I choose you!" The ball flew through the air before opening up, unleashing bolts of lightning that Springer appeared within while spinning.

"RIOLU!" He roared as he landed.

"Aquapphire," Rarity threw her Pokeball, "Come on out, my darling!" The ball opened up, unleashing a stream of bubbles that spiralled around a light that took shape to reveal the Aqua Sapphire Pokémon.

"Phire!" she called out as she spun like a ballerina, making the bubbles pop and surround her with sparkles. She then landed and stared Springer down, the audience splitting their attention between them and the timer.


4:50


"Aura Sphere!" Flash yelled as Springer formed the sphere, spinning around before firing it at the opponent.

"Dodge it!" Aquapphire remained still as the orb drew closer, only to twirl on her tip toes, dodging the Aura Sphere like a ballerina.

Marian: "What an amazing dodge! That's got to cost Flash some points."

Flash gasped at this, now seeing his a fifth of his counter suddenly vanish. Rarity shined a big grin at this, "Aqua Ring!" Aquapphire let out a melodious cry as water droplets surrounded her, slowly forming a trio of rings that wrapped around her.

Once again, Flash's point score went down. "Oh, no you don't!" Flash yelled, "Springer, use Extreme Speed!" His Riolu charged as blue lightning sparked around him, zipping around the arena as Rarity's points began to go down.

"Alright darling, let's use Water Gun!" Aquapphire created a gun shape with her fingers and pointed it at Springer before shooting off blasts of water. But as she did this, Springer began to do slow-mo matrix like dodges, making the crowd applaud.

"Drain Punch!" Springer then reached Aquapphire and threw a punch that was accelerated by his Extreme Speed. The blow struck the Aquapphire, sending her flying as both Springer's acrobatics and strike made Rarity's points plummet.


3:58


Marian: "Both sides are giving it their all. With Rarity focusing on making her moves look as amazing as they can be, while Flash seems more focused on just winning the battle."

"That's just how I roll," Flash chuckled, "Springer, Double Team!" Springer leapt back, all the while Aquapphire's Aqua Ring restored her health and removed Flash's points, then multiplied into several Riolu. "Let's show 'em something over the top! Aura Sphere...BARRAGE!"

"RIOLU!" They all roared, forming a small orb in their paws.

"That's the way!" Spike cheered.

"This should create quite a spectacle if it hits," Doc added.

"Don't count Rarity out yet," Applejack finished.

"Power Gem!" Rarity called out, Aquapphire unleashing a red beam from its head gem that cut across the field, wiping out the Springers while also creating a smoke screen that blocked him from view. A large chunk of Flash's points went down the drain at this, knowing his Pokémon now not being seen would be a problem for showing off.

"Come on, Springer!" Flash yelled, a blur then flying out of the smoke.

"Ri!" Springer added as he held a normal sized Aura Sphere, about to hit Aquapphire.

The crowd gasped at the sight, Rarity going wide-eyed, only for her brain to go in overdrive, "Scald!"

"Aqua!" Aquapphire took a deep breath before firing a blast of boiling hot water, hitting Springer right as he was about to strike her.

"RIOLU!" He cried as he felt his fur burn, his Aura Sphere vanishing as Flash lost even more points.

Marian: "Incredible! Rarity first took out the Double Team and then countered Flash's counter. Talk about quick thinking."


3:10


Flash grimaced as Springer hit the ground, Aquapphire being healed again due to the Aqua Ring. He growled at this before turning to see his score was now half of what Rarity had.

"Use Water Gun!" He heard Rarity order, now seeing Aquapphire point her finger at Springer, firing the jet of water.

"Dodge it!" Flash yelled, Springer hearing this, but not moving. Flash feared he was out cold, only to see Springer dodge it at the last second. Two more Water Guns came next, Springer breakdancing to evade both. Rarity's points went down at this, the girl growling as Flash saw Springer was still spinning. "Aura Sphere, multiple blasts!"

"Riolu!" Springer cheered as he fired a volley of Aura Spheres while spinning, the orbs flying around Aquapphire.

Marian: "Amazing! Even as he continues to spiral around, Riolu unleashes his attacks with incredible precision."

"Dodge it and use Aqua Ring!" Aquapphire began twirling around again, avoiding some of the Aura Spheres while using the water rings surrounding it to deflect the others. This did major damage to Flash's points, which was growing dangerously close to almost being depleted.


2:45


Marian: "We're growing closer to the halfway mark, and it looks like we won't be hitting zero before one of these trainers becomes pointless."

"Power Gem!" Rarity ordered, Aquapphire unleashing a laser blast from her forehead.

"Double Team!" Flash yelled, Springer quickly creating a circle of copies that surrounded Aquapphire. The Power Gem attack struck the one in front of it, making it vanish. "Extreme Speed!" All but one of the Riolu suddenly disappeared, that one being right behind Aquapphire as lightning sparked around him.

"Ri!" He slammed Aquapphire in the back, making her scream as she was flung across the arena.

"Now, Aura Sphere!" Springer created the orb and kicked it just as Aquapphire rolled onto her back.

"Water Gun!" She fired a blast of water from her fingers, the two attacks colliding. An explosion came next, Springer falling as Rarity added, "Use Power Gem!"

"Aq!" Aquapphire leapt to her feet and before Flash and Springer could stop her, firing a blast of red energy that hit the landing Springer.

"RIO!" Springer cried as he was thrown back, causing Flash's points to drop. And then they dropped to zero, the timer also stopping at two minutes.

Marian: "That's it! Flash is out of points and thereby, eliminated."

The crowd cheered as Flash let out a sigh. "Ri..." He looked down at Springer, seeing the Riolu walk over. A big frown was on his face, Flash kneeling down and patting his head.

"Thanks bud. You did great." Springer nodded back as Rarity walked over, Flash looking up at her, "Great work out there. You should be proud."

"Thank you darling. You did great as well."

Marian: "Let's hear it for Flash, who gave us a spectacular display here today!"

The crowd cheered as the judges gave their thoughts. "Flash is clearly a highly skilled battler and I'm sure will go far. Hopefully the tricks he's learned here today will help him in all his future endeavors."

"A remarkable battle to be sure."

Redheart nodded. "Despite losing, Flash has shown remarkable skill and ability."

Flash moved off stage as Rarity checked on Aquapphire, giving her a Super Potion for the next match. Once that was done, she returned her as Twilight walked onto the field.

"Alright!" Spike cheered, "Go for it!"

Applejack chuckled at this, "Can't wait to see how this goes."

Doc nodded in agreement, "I'm sure it'll be an interesting battle."

"You know it will," they turned to see Flash and Springer walking up to them, the teen still in his suit.

"Hey Flash," Spike responded, "Sorry you lost."

"Eh, its no big deal. Its my fault really," Flash sat down and leaned back in his seat, "I was so focused on the battle, I forgot I needed my moves to look good." As he said that, Marian spoke up.

Marian: "It's time for the final match of the Manehatten City Pokémon Contest. In one corner, we have Twilight. And in the other corner, is Rarity!"

Twilight and Rarity nodded at one another as they placed their Pokeballs in the ball capsule. "Good luck darling," Rarity told her.

"You too," Twilight replied.

Marian: "The winner of this battle will be crowned champion and earn the prestigious Manehatten Ribbon! Are both trainers ready?"

The two girls nodded.

Marian: "Then let's put five minutes on the clock and get this final contest underway. Battle...BEGIN!"

The timer started as Rarity held her Pokeball up. "Aquapphire!" She threw the ball, "Come on out, my darling!" The ball flew up and opened to reveal the light and bubbles again, Aquapphire flying through with an elegant twirl.

"Phire!"

"Shine!" Twilight threw the Pokeball, "Come on out!" The ball opened up, unleashing a barrage of lights and stars, all flying down to reveal a certain Ponyta.

"Nee!" Everyone glanced between the two before looking up at the timer.


4:54


"Aqua Ring!" Like before, Rarity started with her healing move, Aquapphire summoning water droplets that began to form rings around her.

"Psybeam!" Twilight called out as Shine unleashed a steam of psychic energy from her horn. The Water Rock-type then shifted her position, causing attack to hit the Aqua Ring. She was pushed back, but the impact of psychic energy on water caused a sparkling effect that caused her to glow once the attack ended.

Both Twilight and Rarity's points dropped by the same amount, Rarity calling out her next attack, "Power Gem!" Aquapphire unleashed the red beam from her head, hitting Shine in the chest as Twilight's points went down.

Marian: "Both trainers starting off strong, but Rarity seems to pulling ahead."


4:25


Shine stumbled back before stomping her hooves, glaring at her opponent to see another Aqua Ring activate, making Aquapphire glow as Twilight's points dropped again. "Don't let her get ahead! Fairy Wind!"

"Nee," Shine spun around and waved her tail, "TAA!" The glitter filled wind shot at Aquapphire and hit her, the Rock-type too heavy to be thrown back, but it did make her loose balance and stagger back.

"Now, Tackle!" Shine galloped ahead, slamming into Aquapphire, throwing the off balance gem girl off her feet, Rarity losing enough points that it became even with Twilight's. "Great work Shine!" Twilight cheered, only to see Aqua Ring restore more of Aquapphire's health. "We can't give her time to recuperate! Mystical Fire!"

"Why's Twilight going for that move?" Spike asked as Shine launched the fireball at Rarity's Pokémon, "Aquapphire's a Rock and Water-type."

"She's not trying to hurt Aquapphire," Doc replied as the attack struck the Aqua Sapphire Pokémon. It also struck the Aqua Rings, creating steam that filled the air around her, causing Rarity to lose points. "In this match, it's all about making the opponent look less appealing."

"And Twilight's doing a good job," Flash added before looking up at the timer.


3:51


"Mystical Fire again!" Twilight ordered as Aquapphire went to her knees, Shine firing the fire rocket again.

"Water Gun!" Rarity called out, Aquapphire bringing her hands together before firing a burst of water out. The two attacks collided, creating a cloud of steam. The sight made Rarity smirk, Aquapphire leaping and dancing into the steam as Rarity yelled, "Use Power Gem!"

"Aqua!" They heard Aquapphire roar as a beam of light shot out of the mist and began moving in a circle, causing the mist to fade while creating a sparkling effect that rained down on Aquapphire as she spun on her heel. A large chunk of Twilight's points vanished as the attack came to a stop.

Marian: "Incredible! Rarity used what should have been a bad event into something true beauty! This has given her an impressive lead!"


3:22


"Psybeam!" Twilight ordered as Shine unleashed a psychic blast. It struck the Aqua Ring first, but Shine quickly shifted around, managing to get between them and hitting Aquapphire instead. "That's the way! Keep firing and stay on the move!" Shine began to gallop around Aquapphire, circling her while continuing to fire Psybeam.

Aquapphire flinched as she was struck from several angles, making her stagger as Rarity began to lose points. Her trainer grimaced at the sight, only to yell, "Jump straight up!" Aquapphire did so, causing the Psybeam to miss. Twilight's points began to drop as Shine tried to aim upward, only for Rarity to say, "Scald, straight down!"

"Aqua...FIRE!" She unleashed a burst of steaming water straight down, hitting the ground and flowing out in all directions, covering the battlefield.

Shine hissed as some of the water got onto her hooves, soaking the fur around them as she cried out, feeling her hair burn. "Nee!" She began jumping about ungracefully, trying to cool off as Twilight kept losing points.

Marian: "Impressive! Rarity has taken control of the battlefield and caused her opponent to lose their composure!"


2:48


Aquapphire landed, the hot water on the ground not affecting her. "Power Gem!" Aquapphire unleashed the red beam, ready to hit the pony. But despite the pain she felt from her soaked leg hair, the Galarian Ponyta jumped out of the way of the blast, stealing away some of Rarity's points.

"Mystical Fire at the ground!" Twilight cried out, Shine launching the fireball at the wet ground. This created a burst of heat that caused the already hot water to grow beyond boiling point, causing it to steam up and vanish. "Again!" Shine continued firing, getting rid of the water while causing the air to fill with steam.

"Water Gun!" Aquapphire launched a burst of water through the steam.

"Spiraling Fairy Wind!" Shine spun around and swung her tail in all directions, unleashing a burst of pink wind all over. It defected the water, pushing the steam away while also clearing the air and creating a pretty tornado that quickly faded while raining sparkles down on Shine.

Marian: "Beautiful! Such a dazzling display! That's sure to put the audience and the judges in Twilight's favor."

Just as she said this, Twilight's last attack had taken some points from Rarity, causing everyone watching to stare in amazement as Rarity and Twilight tried to come up with their next move.


2:03


"Water Gun!" Rarity yelled as Aquapphire shot a burst of water, Shine dodging it with ease. "Don't let up! Use Power Gem!" Aquapphire fired a beam of red energy, this one about to hit Shine head-on.

"Psybeam!" The Ponyta pointed her horn at the beam, firing the psychic attack as they struck. The two attacks locked, both beginning to push at each other as hard as they could.

Marian: "Looks like we've got a stand off on our hands. Who will prove the stronger Pokémon?"

"This isn't about whose the stronger Pokémon," Doc responded, "The two are both even in strength, but Power Gem is the stronger move." To prove his point, Aquapphire's attack began to overpower Shine's, pushing her back. However, the points remained, the judges waiting to see how this turned out. And to everyone's surprise, Shine suddenly cut the attack and leapt straight up into the air.

"NEE!" She roared while curling up, spinning like a wheel as the Power Gem hit the ground and exploded, the force pushing her straight up.


1:36


"Scald!" Rarity cried out, Aquapphire unleashing the strongest burst of water she could in Shine's direction.

"Fairy Wind!" Shine unfurled and swung around, unleashing the wind that hit the water. This caused the stream to break, pushing the water back down. Aquapphire then found herself getting hit by her own attack as well as Shine's.

"Aqua!" She screamed, flinching and covering herself. This cost Rarity a huge amount of points, causing Twilight to pull ahead as Shine landed in front of her.


1:11


"Mystical Fire!" Shine fired the blast at Aquapphire, but Rarity ordered the Aqua Sapphire to dodge it, the Pokémon spinning ballerina style. The flames flew past her, only for her Aqua Ring to appear and restore some of her health, making Twilight's score to go down as the time ticked away.


0:59


Marian: "Only one minute remains. How will our contestants use the remaining time?"

"Fairy Wind!" Shine swung around, firing the pink glittery breeze.

"Power Gem!" Aquapphire unleashed the red beam, this one splitting the wind down the middle, causing Twilight's points to drop so they were even with Rarity's. "Water Gun!" She fired the water shot from her hand, but Shine did a quickly spin, twirling around the attack, taking away more of Rarity's points.

"Psybeam!" Shine shot a blast of psychic energy in Aquapphire's direction.

"Scald!" Rarity ordered as Aquapphire fired out the hot water, hitting the Psybeam. Both collided, creating a dazzling burst of rainbow light filled water droplets that Aquapphire leapt into, taking away a lot of Twilight's remaining points.


0:30


"Fairy Wind!" Twilight yelled, Shine firing the wind at Aquapphire. It struck the Water Rock-type, making her stagger back, taking away Rarity's points.

"Spin!" Aquapphire did as she was told and started spinning on the spot, causing the wind that was buffeting her to spiral around, making her glitter alongside her Aqua Ring, making Twilight's points shrink.


0:10


Marian: "Only ten seconds left!"

"Psybeam/Power Gem!" The girls exclaimed as their Pokémon unleashed their beam attacks, both colliding again. The attacks began to push against each other, the time ticking away. Each second, one beam seemed to overpower the other, making points go down more and more. And as this happened, the points shrunk down to almost nothing as the clock rang out.


0:00


The buzzer rang out, Marian yelling as the Pokémon cancelled their attacks, both falling to their knees or flank. "That's it! Time's up! And the winner of the Manehatten Pokémon Contest is..." Everyone looked up at the board and saw the point totals of the two girls, with one section of the circle being the tiniest bit bigger than the other. "WOW! It's Rarity!"

The crowd exploded with applause, Rarity's jaw dropping at the sight. "I...I did it." She turned over to Twilight, seeing her pick up Shine while smiling at her. Another smile appeared on Rarity's lips, "I DID IT!" She screamed before running over to Aquapphire, the two hugging one another.

"Aqua!" her Pokémon cried, tears of joy coming out both of their eyes as they kept embracing each other.

Everything was a blur after that. Rarity soon found herself on a podium, being presented the Manehatten Ribbon as Mr. Contesta congratulated her. The crowd cheered and she held up the ribbon, proud that she managed to win something like this.





"What a day," Flash sighed as the six trainers and their Pokémon returned to the Center.

Rarity couldn't stop staring at her ribbon, still unable to believe she had won. "Yah deserve it, Rare," Applejack told her, patting her shoulder while the others nodded in agreement.

"Thank you darling," Rarity replied, "I just...I'm still having trouble believing it really happened."

"Well, it did," Twilight responded, "And you should be proud." The others nodded again, Rarity holding the ribbon to her heart. And as she did this, Nurse Redheart walked up to them.

"Flash Sentry," he turned to her. "I just got a message from the Gym. It appears the leader has finally returned."

"Really?" Flash asked, getting a nod from the nurse. "Alright!" He turned to Springer, "Then it's time we got our seventh Gym Badge!" Springer let out a howl of agreement, the two cheering as they knew their battle with Tidal for the badge was about to happen. But what kind of challenge awaited them? You'll have to wait and find out, as the journey continues.
> Battling at High Tidal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day had finally arrived for Flash's Manehatten City Gym Battle. The teen and his friends had just arrived at the city's harbour, now staring at the gym. "There it is," Applejack commented as she pointed at the large building with the familiar ship parked behind it.

"So that's the Manehatten City Gym," Flash replied, "This is gonna be fun."

"Ri!" Springer cheered while Astro jumped up and down in excitement.

"Oh," Flash reached down and picked Astro up, "That reminds me." He turned to Twilight, "Can you-"

"Hold onto Astro while you battle?" she finished before taking the Starvern in her arms. "No problem."

Flash nodded back before patting Astro on the head. "Be sure to watch closely so you can learn how a Gym battle is supposed to be." Astro roared back, squirming a little in her arms. The group then walked up to the gym, seeing Tidal and his first-mare standing in front of it. "Hey Tidal!"

"Amigos!" Tidal waved back, "It is good to see you all."

"Were you able to find the base you were looking for?" Twilight added.

"Si," Tidal nodded. "We arrested several criminals, and managed to rescue many Pokémon. Many are still being treated and others have already been released." He then turned to Flash, "Now. Are you ready for the battle of your vida?"

"You bet," Flash replied despite having no idea what that meant. "Let's do this!" Tidal chuckled before ushering them all inside, the group soon seeing they were in an aquarium of some sorts. They made their way through a hall with glass walls, staring into the large tanks as they filled with multiple kinds of Water-types. Bladin, Kelpool, Luvdisc, Horsea and so many more.

They then arrived at an area that split into two hallways. "The battlefield is this way," Tidal pointed down one before gesturing to the others. "And that way leads to the observation room. You'll be able to watch the battle easier in there." The others nodded and walked away while Flash, Springer, Tidal, his first-mate and the first-mate's Ditto went down the other.

Tidal guided Flash to a pair of doors, swinging them open to reveal a giant room the size of an aircraft hanger. "Welcome, amigo, to the Manehatten City Gym." Flash and Springer stared at the place, seeing it was painted almost entirely blue with a few green spots to give it the appearance of being underwater. The gym's battlefield was the biggest Flash had ever seen, large enough to fit four normal sized battlefields within it, and it was almost entirely water, being a giant swimming pool with several floating platforms scattered about.

The size and design didn't surprise Flash though, knowing the size of Tidal's strongest Pokémon, his battlefield would need to be large to contain it. Flash turned to see where Tidal was standing, the leader now climbing up what looked like a large diving board tower. The teen went up to his, climbing up it before reaching the top and seeing that a glass wall was to the side, all his friends sitting behind it.

While they all waved at each other, Tidal's first mate and his Ditto stepped up to a smaller tower halfway along the edge of the pool as he spoke up, "The Gym battle between the challenger Flash, and Tidal the Gym Leader, will now begin! Each side may use up to four Pokémon, and the battle will be over when all of either sides' Pokémon are unable to fight. in addition, only the challenger may be allowed to substitute Pokémon." He glanced at the two trainers, "Is that understood?" Both nodded. "Then trainers, reveal your first Pokémon."

Tidal smiled as he took out his Pokeball. "The ocean is brimming with life, so much so that we humans have only discovered a small amount of it. And that life takes many increíble forms." He pointed the Pokeball at Flash, "Do you have what it takes to overcome the unstoppable force of the sea? Let's find out. Piercish, come on out my amigo!" He threw the ball, unleashing a burst of red energy that flew into the water. Once below, it took shape to reveal the Piercing Pokémon.

"A Piercish," Twilight sighed as they stared at a TV above them, the screen showing different video feeds from under the water. "That's gonna be tough. It's both fast and strong."

Applejack nodded, "That Steel-typin' sure made it hard for ma'h Grass-types ta hurt it."

"I'm sure Flash has a plan," Rarity added.

"Alright," Flash took out his Pokeball. "This ain't the first time I've fought a Piercish. And the Pokémon that beat it is even stronger now. Riptide, I choose you!" The Pokeball flew through the air before opening up, unleashing a red energy that hit a floating platform that revealed Flash's Reptidal.

"Rep," he stared down into the water, "Tidal."

"You ready Riptide?" Riptide glanced back and nodded before jumping into the pool. As he did, Tidal turned to his first-mate and nodded.

"Reptidal versus Piercish. Are both trainers ready to begin?" They nodded and he and his Ditto raised their arms, "Then let the battle...BEGIN!"

"Aqua Ring!" Tidal called out, Piercish's eyes glowing before a ring of water began to appear around it.

"Looks like he's making sure Piercish can recover if it gets hit by something big," Twilight commented.

"Rock Smash!" Riptide's legs began to glow as he charged at the fist, but Tidal just smirked at the sight.

"Iron Defense!" Piercish's metal body glowed as Riptide reached it, spinning around and slamming his foot into the Piercing Pokémon. Riptide flinched at how hard Piercish felt, the others frowning.

"Smart," Twilight mumbled as Astro raised an eyebrow. "Use Iron Defense to increase his defences and Aqua Ring to heal the damage done to it while that's happening."

"Aqua Break!" Flash yelled, Riptide creating a sword as he tried to slash at Piercish.

"Slash!" Tidal countered, Piercish's sword nose glowing before it started swiping through the water. Both weapons clashed, knocking both back. "Now, Aqua Jet!" Piercish then swam back, dodging a swipe from Riptide before charging as water swirled around it, striking the lizard.

"Tide!" Riptide cried as he was knocked back, the two now exploding out of the water. Riptide hit the platform with a thud as Piercish flew through the air from within the water.

"Riptide! You okay?!" Riptide pushed himself back up and nodded, "That's the spirit." He turned to see the Piercish circling around again, "Use Ice Punch!" Riptide crouched down and clenched his fist as Piercish charged at him, leaping into the air as he threw a punch that struck the watery projectile.

"Pierce!" Piercish yelped at the attack, now feeling suddenly cold. Riptide's Ice Punch had begun to freeze the water around it, turning its Aqua Jet into an ice prison.

"Oh?" Tidal asked as Piercish fell onto a platform, "Very smart."

"Rock Smash!" Riptide leapt at the Piercish with glowing legs, spinning around and kicking the frozen swordfish. This caused the ice to shatter, sending the Piercish flying, the Piercing Pokémon crying out as it crashed into the water.

"Yeah!" Spike cheered while the others watched Piercish sink, then spotted the Aqua Ring appear around it, healing the fish.

"Iron Defense!" Tidal added, Piercish glowing again while its defences grew.

"This isn't over yet," Twilight sighed as Piercish began to swim around.

"Aqua Jet!" Piercish shot out of the pool, covered in water as it headed for Riptide.

"Ice Punch again!" Riptide leapt at the fish, ready to freeze him again, only for Piercish to suddenly change direction, flying out of Riptide's range. "What?!"

"Come now," Tidal laughed. "You don't really think we'd make the same error twice, do you?" Piercish then circled around, hitting Riptide in the back.

"REP!" Riptide cried as he was knocked into the water, Piercish following him.

"Slash!" Before Riptide could react, Piercish swiped its nose into Riptide, making him flinch. Piercish then hit him again, the Aqua Ring glowing as he kept hitting him. "Now, Aqua Jet!" Piercish slammed Riptide in the chest, the two shooting out of the pool.

"REP!" Riptide screamed as he fell onto a platform, landing with a thud as Piercish returned to the water.

"Riptide!" Flash yelled, only to hold up his Pokeball, "Return!" Riptide was hit with the red beam, sucked back inside.

"Aw man," Spike sighed while Astro cried out. "That bites."

"Flash made the right choice," Doc added, "That Piercish is just too fast. Underwater, it's almost unbeatable."

"Which means Flash needs to take advantage of the rest of the battlefield," Twilight commented, "Everything above the water, including the podiums and the air above it."

Flash rubbed his chin in thought at this before taking out another Pokeball, "I need someone fast and agile, and I know just the Pokémon. Skyler," he threw his Pokeball, "I choose you!" The ball flew through the air, soon revealing his Tornavian.

"TORE!" Skyler squawked while Piercish poked its head above the water.

"A Flying-type?" Tidal asked, "An interesante choice. Let's see what you have planned." He turned to nod at his first-mate.

"Tornavian verses Piercish. Battle...BEGIN!"

"Aqua Jet!" Tidal yelled out as Piercish shot out of the water, surrounded by water as it headed straight for Skyler.

"Counter with Steel Wing!" Skyler's wings glowed as he crossed them seconds before Piercish slammed into him. When that happened, he spread them, knocking the fish before slashing him.

"PIERCE!" It cried as it fell back, hitting a platform with a loud clang.

"Alright! Now, use Aerial Ace!" Skyler flew up and circled around before dive-bombing at the swordfish, the slipstream appearing around him.

"Tore!" He roared as he shot toward Piercish, who was trying to flop off the platform.

"Iron Defence!" Tidal countered, Piercish using that move seconds before Skyler struck it, the Piercing Pokémon now being thrown into the air.

"Pierce!" It flinched before slamming back into the water, Skyler then flying back up.

"Not bad," Tidal chuckled as those watching the TV saw Piercish's Aqua Ring heal it. "But we're not done yet. Aqua Jet!" Piercish shot back into the air, heading straight for Skyler. "Remember, we don't make the same error twice."

"Well neither do we," Flash called back as Skyler charged at him, "Tornado Burst!" Skyler pulled his wings in began to turn, morphing into a drill of wind that headed straight for Piercish. And as they collided, the water and wind fought against one, only for Skyler to explode out of the tornado at incredible speed as he slammed into Piercish.

"Slash!" Tidal yelled, Piercish fighting from the pain as he managed to swing its sword nose around, slicing Skyler down the middle.

"Tore!" He cried as he pushed himself back, flying to safety as Piercish dove back underwater without problem. As it did this, the Aqua Ring glowed, healing it more. Piercish then swam low, the others watching with raised eyebrows.

Flash just blinked at the sight, Skyler also staring down, "Where'd it go?" He asked as Piercish seemed to vanish from view, the water too deep for him to see it.

"Let's see how you deal with this challenge. Amigo, Aqua Jet!" Skyler and Flash prepared to defend against anything. But before they could, Piercish shot out of the water, slamming into Skyler before he could react.

"Pierce!" It roared before diving back under the water, Skyler staring back at the water, only for Piercish to shoot out from behind him, hitting the Tornavian before diving back again. This happened again and again, Flash and his Pokémon unable to follow the high speed fish.

'This is bad.' Flash thought, 'That thing can pop up from anywhere, and its too fast to counter. Not only that, he keeps disappearing in the water. There's gotta be something I can do...' He then tried to watch Piercish's next attack, only to gasp, "That's it!" Flash pointed at Skyler, "Dive while using Tornado Burst!"

Skyler did as his trainer commanded, spinning into a drill before diving down under the water, shocking everyone.

"What's he doing?" Spike asked as they looked up at the TV, seeing the drill spinning through the water, the spinning motion causing the water around it to ripple while the wind merged with the water to form a hurricane. The super strong current soon began to pull Piercish toward it, the Piercing Pokémon now unable to escape.

And then, the tornado exploded. Like an underwater bomb, the shockwave unleashed from the wind sent the water flying out. The entire pool suddenly shoot into the air, surprising them all and drenching the five around it.

"Asombroso," Tidal whispered before realizing what had happened, looking up and see Piercish now flying through the air while also spinning out of control. "Not good."

"Now!" Flash yelled, "Let's end this with Giga Impact!" Still sped up from the Tornado Burst, Skyler shoot up as the purple and yellow energy appeared around him to form a meteor.

Tidal let out a gasp and screamed, "Iron Defense!" But as Piercish began to glow, Skyler reached him before the move could be completed.

"TORNAVIAN!" He squawked as the meteor struck, causing an explosion while the water that had been thrown into the air began to rain down and refill the pool.

And as the last of the water fell down, the pool being a few inches shallower, something fell out of the smoke cloud and hit one of the floating platforms. "Pierce..." Piercish moaned as its eyes were replaced by swirls. At the same time, Skyler glided out of the smoke, barely managing to land on another platform due to Giga Impact's downside.

"Piercish is unable to battle," Tidal's first-mate replied. "The winner of the match is Tornavian."

"Yes!" Flash cheered, only to suddenly get hit with water as Springer shook it from his fur. "Hey!"

They both laughed as Tidal returned Piercish to its Pokeball. "You did well my friend. Take a long rest to recuperate." He then turned to Flash as he took out another Pokeball. "Interesting strategy. I'm quite impressed." Flash nodded back while giving his thanks, "But you're still a long ways to go before you can earn my badge, and my next amigo won't make it easy. Reefincer," Tidal threw the Pokeball, "Come on out, my amigo!" The ball flew through the air, opening to reveal the crab Pokémon as it landed on the platform.

"Reefincer..." Flash gulped as he remembered its battle against Barbaracle. "Be careful of its Guillotine attack Skyler." Skyler squawked back in agreement as the ref spoke up.

"Tornavian verses Reefincer. Are both Trainers ready?" They nodded. "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Rock Blast!" Tidal yelled, with Reefincer becoming surrounded by a circle of light that started firing rocks. Skyler took to the air at this, evading the rocks as best he could, though he appeared slower than before.

"What's wrong with him?" Spike asked the others.

"It's a down side of using Giga Impact," Doc replied, "After use, the Pokémon's unable to move for a while. Skyler was able to recharge during the time Tidal was switching Pokémon, but he must not be back to full speed."

"Oh dear," Rarity added as one of the rocks hit Skyler on the wing. He cried out as he fell onto a platform, which Reefincer began to leap toward as Tidal gave his next command.

"Crabhammer!" As soon as Reefincer was close enough, it swung its glowing claw onto Skyler's head.

"Tore!" He cried as he stagger back, Reefincer charging again to repeat the process. But as this happened, Flash ordered him to use Steel Wing, "Tore," he swung his glowing wing around, "Navian!" The two's glowing appendages clashed, only for Skyler to spin and smack Reefincer in the head.

"Fincer!" It cried before staggering back, dropping into the pool while Skyler took to the air.

Everyone watched as Reefincer sunk, only to recover as Tidal gave his next command. "Water Pulse!" Reefincer opened its claws and thrust them, unleashing a force that flew through the water until it exploded out of the surface, sending a column of liquid into the air.

"Tore!" Skyler yelped as it barely avoided this attack, only for a second Water Pulse to shoot out and hit him. "Tore!" It screamed before falling down, only to flare his wings, cutting his fall.

"Alright, now-" He stopped when he noticed Skyler began to flap randomly, "Skyler?" The Tornavian turned to him, revealing a pair of spaced out eyes. "Oh no."

"He's confused," Twilight gasped.

Tidal laughed at this, "That's the way! Now, Guillotine!" Flash's eyes went wide as Reefincer shot out of the water, its claw glowing.

"Get out of there!" But Skyler didn't hear him, unable to respond to the approaching danger. And so, Reefincer slammed its claw around Skyler's neck and squeezed it tightly. And before Skyler could try and escape, Reefincer leapt into the air before letting gravity do its thing and pushed them both down. "Skyler!"

They collided into the platform, Reefincer landing on top of Skyler, the impact making the water displace and shoot into the air. And when the water dispersed, Reefincer could be seen holding a now unconscious Skyler.

"Tornavian is unable to battle," the ref announced. "The winner is Reefincer."

"No way," Spike groaned as Astro let out a growl. "That Guillotine attack is way too strong. It's gotta have a weakness."

"It does," Doc added as Flash returned Skyler. "It's a very hard move to pull off. If Skyler hadn't been confused, Tidal likely wouldn't have tried it."

"So this win was partially about luck," Applejack commented.

"Maybe," Twilight responded, "But many good trainers know how to use luck."

"Thanks Skyler," Flash told his Pokeball. "You did great." He put the ball away before turning to Reefincer, "That thing's strong. I need something that can hit it hard and fast." He took out a Pokeball, "That's where you come in. Prongs," he threw the ball, "I choose you!" The ball flew through the air, revealing the Stagrowth as it landed on the platform.

"Stag!" He roared as Tidal bit his lip.

"Be careful," he told Reefincer. "I've seen this one in action. It's fuerte."

"Stagrowth verses Reefincer. Are both trainers ready?" They nodded. "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Rock Blast!" Tidal yelled, Reefincer summoning the rocks before firing them.

"Energy Ball!" Prongs formed the sphere in front of his mouth, shooting right at the rocks, destroying the ones right in front of him while the rest missed and splashed into the water, "Now Bounce!" With one great stride, Prongs shot off the platform and flew through the air.

Reefincer tried to dodge the attack, but Prongs instantly slammed his hooves down into it. "Fin!"

"Crabhammer!" Reefincer swung its claw around to strike, but Prongs quickly Bounced back.

"Energy Ball!" Prongs formed the orb and fired, hitting Reefincer in the face, knocking it back into the water. Prongs landed on another platform and began jumping around, making sure Reefincer couldn't find him.

"You think moving around a lot will help keep you safe?" Tidal commented, "Unfortunately, that's doing the exact opposite! Water Pulse!"

Under the water, Reefincer stared at the platforms from below and saw some dipping for a second. This was Prongs, distorting the buoyancy, allowing it to know exactly where to fire. "Fin!" It roared as it unleashed the force of water, causing it hit the water right in front of Prongs.

"Growth!" He cried as he was knocked back.

"Crabhammer!" The water exploded as the Coral Claw Pokémon shot out before swinging its claw at the deer.

"Stag!" He flinched, only for Flash to yell an order.

"Horn Leech!" Prongs swung his head around as his antlers glowed, slamming them into Reefincer. The strike made it cry out in pain before flying away, "Now, Energy Ball!" Once again, Prongs fired the orb, striking the midair Reefincer.

"Fin!" It cried before falling into the water, causing a loud splash.

"Yes!" Flash cheered.

"Don't get cocky," Tidal added before turning to the pool. "Water Pulse!" Everyone watching the TV saw Reefincer sinking, only to open its eyes and unleashed the blast of water. The attack shot through the pool, exploding right in front of Prongs, surprising him before he was struck.

"STAG!" He yelped, being knocked back. He landed on the edge of the platform before picking himself up, but he was wobbly, his eyes unfocused like Skyler's had been.

"Oh no," Flash gasped as he saw Prongs now confused.

"Guillotine!" Reefincer shot out of the water with a splash, ready to grab Prongs around the neck.

"Prongs," he held up his Pokeball, "Return!" Before Guillotine could land, Prongs was struck by the beam, pulling him back into the safety of his Pokeball. "Great work. You rest up for later." He turned to Springer, "You're up!"

"Riolu!" Springer nodded before leaping off the dive-board, splashing into the water and swimming toward the closest platform.

"Riolu verses Reefincer. Are both trainers ready?" They nodded. "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Double Team!" Flash yelled before Tidal could give the command, Springer quickly forming copies of himself that appeared on all the platforms around him. The Riolu army roared as they ran up to Reefincer.

"Rock Blast!" Reefincer unleashed the boulders in all directions, hitting multiple clones, only for the real Springer to leap above the attack.

"Aura Sphere!" Flash yelled, Springer firing the orb right at Reefincer's face.

"Reef!" It cried as it was struck, only to fall over with spirals replacing its eyes. "Fincer..."

"Reefincer is unable to battle!" the ref announced. "The winner is Riolu!"

Flash smirked while his friends cheered, "Awesome! And with one hit!" Spike yelled.

"Reefincer took a lot of damage from Skyler and Prongs," Twilight commented, "It didn't take much to finish the job."

"Now Flash is one Pokémon ahead," Applejack added as Tidal returned Reefincer.

"Mucho thanks Reefincer," Tidal told it. "You did great work." He then swapped his Pokeballs, "Now I know what Flash will be using, and I already know the best way to beat them. Lokelpie," Tidal threw his Pokeball, "Come on out, my amigo!" The ball opened up, a flash of red light revealing the hippocampus Pokémon.

"Kelpie!" It neighed before diving into the water, its head them popping out and staring up at Springer.

"Lokelpie," Twilight gulped, "That'll make this hard for Springer."

"Harder than you think," Applejack added with crossed arms.

"Riolu verses Lokelpie. Are both trainers ready?" They nodded. "Then let the battle...BEGIN!"

"Use Bubblebeam!" Tidal ordered, Lokelpie unleashing a stream of bubbles that hit Springer, the bubbles exploding against his skin.

"Extreme Speed!" Flash yelled, Springer jumping to the side as lightning sparked around him.

"Ri!" Springer began to jump from one platform to the next, Lokelpie watching before diving under water. Flash then ordered an Aura Sphere, Springer leaping upward, "RIOLU!" He fired the sphere, striking the water where he spotted movement, causing the pool to explode...but Lokelpie was able to avoid the attack.

"Brine!" Lokelpie leapt out of the water, right as Springer landed on a platform.

"LOCK!" It roared before unleashing a powerful stream of water that struck Springer, the Riolu crying out in pain as he was knocked back. But despite the pain, he got back onto his feet as Lokelpie fell towards the water.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer quickly fired the orb, hitting the midair Lokelpie. An explosion followed as it send it flying back into a platform. "Yes!" Flash cheered as Springer landed, "Before it can recover, use Extreme Speed!" Springer shot ahead with incredible velocity, practically teleporting from one platform to the other as he reached Lokelpie.

"RIO!" He screamed before swinging his foot right into Lokelpie's head.

"Kelp!" It cried as it sent flying back, Springer charging at it and body checking the Lokelpie. The two crashed into the water, Springer then using his increased speed to swim away.

"Bubblebeam!" Lokelpie quickly swam at Springer before unleashing the barrage of bubbles, the attack hitting Springer's back, the explosion of bubbles knocking him upward. "Now Brine!" Lokelpie unleashed the stream of water, hitting Springer in the back.

"RI!" He yelped as he was blasted into a platform, almost knocking the wind out of him.

"Again!" Tidal ordered, but Flash was ready.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer fired his attack before Lokelpie could fire its, blasting the River Dwelling Pokémon in the face, allowing Springer the chance to swim up and surface.

"RI!" He gasped, catching his breath before climbing onto the platform.

"Good job Springer," Flash told him. "Now when Lokelpie surfaces, use Drain Punch!"

Springer nodded and prepared the punch, only for Tidal to chuckle, "Drain Punch, huh?" He looked down and saw Lokelpie had swam to the other side of the pool. "That could be trouble, so I think it's time your Riolu took a little siesta." Flash raised an eyebrow until Tidal spoke again. "Sing!"

"Sing?" Flash gasped as Lokelpie leapt out of the water, now unleashing a musical sonata that echoed throughout the gym. Flash, Tidal and the ref covered their ears, but the music struck Springer before he could do the same. And as this happened, the music made the Riolu start to sway on the spot.

"Ri," he whispered as he eyelids grew heavy. And before he could do anything, he fell back, letting out a long snore.

"Springer!" Flash yelled as Lokelpie landed two platforms away.

"Bubblebeam!" Tidal ordered, Lokelpie unleashing the bubble stream at the Springer, the Riolu unable to do anything but take it.

"Hey!" Spike growled, "That's not fair! Springer can't defend himself."

"Sleep doesn't count as being unable to battle," Doc replied, "Flash has to either wait for Springer to wake up, or return him."

"Brine!" They heard Tidal yell as Lokelpie leapt up, unleashing a powerful blast of water that exploded down on the platform, sending Springer flying.

"Springer," Flash held out his Premier-Ball, "Return!" It was a very rare sight, seeing Springer being recalled into his Pokeball. Flash frowned as he opened it up, letting the sleeping Riolu appear on the dive-board in front of him. "Don't worry bud. Your hard work's not gonna be in vain." Flash moved him to the side of the podium before taking out another Pokeball, "Prongs, I choose you!"

Prongs reappeared back on the battlefield, his confusion now gone as the ref began the battle. "Use Energy Ball!"

"Stag!" The Stagrowth fired the orb of nature energy, which flew over the pool and hit the Lokelpie dead-on. The River Dweller cried as it fell back, only to dive into the water as Prongs began to jump from platform to platform.

"Brine!" Tidal yelled, Lokelpie unleashing a burst of water that Prongs easily hopped away from. "Alright...then use Sing to slow it down!" Lokelpie swam straight up, poking its head up and ready to unleash its lullaby.

"Stop him with Body Slam!" Prongs ran up to the Lokelpie, slamming into him and knocking the wind out of it. The two crashed down onto the same platform, Lokelpie getting up to Sing. "Horn Leech! Aim for the throat!" Prongs swung his glowing antlers into Lokelpie's neck, making it cry out as it was knocked back into the air.

"Lokelpie!" Tidal yelped as his Pokémon fell into the water, "You okay?" Lokelpie surfaced and tried to reply, only to clutch its neck in pain.

"Yes!" Twilight cheered, "Lokelpie can't sing if its throat is hurt!"

"That's the way Flash!" Spike added.

"Don't git too excited," Applejack continued, "Sing was only one of the problems that thing gave me in our battle."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked as Flash gave his next command.

"Another Horn Leech!" Prongs galloped toward Lokelpie as his horns glowed again, but Tidal was ready.

"Ice Beam!" Flash and the others gasped as Lokelpie leapt out of the water, a blue ball of energy forming in front of its mouth.

"Lock!" It croaked out as the ball exploded into blue lightning, striking Prongs before he could stop himself. The Stagrowth screamed as he felt an icy cold burst run through his body.

"Prongs!" Flash gasped.

"So that's what you meant," Twilight gulped, "Against that move, even a Grass-type would have trouble beating Lokelpie."

Applejack nodded, "That and Sing really made it hard ta beat him. Ah barely managed to take Lokelpie down, although DaisyJo went down in one move against Tidal's next Pokémon."

"You okay?" Flash asked as Prongs staggered back, then got in a battle stance and let out a growl as he said he was fine. "Alright, but we've gotta be careful."

"Another Ice Beam!" Lokelpie landed on a platform before unleashing a burst of blue lightning.

"Bounce!" Prongs was barely able to jump away from the platform before the lightning hit it, freezing it over. Prongs then landed on another platform before bouncing off, tackling Lokelpie.

"Lock!" It fell through the air while its Ice Beam was still happening, causing it to freeze the water on Tidal's side of the pool, Lokelpie hitting the pool while Prongs landed on a frozen in place platform.

"Brine!" Lokelpie picked itself up and unleashed a burst of water, which struck Prongs and pushed him back until he began skating on the ice.

"Stag," he groaned as he found his hooves beginning to slip.

"Stay calm Prongs," Flash told him.

"Ice Beam!" Tidal yelled, Lokelpie sliding along the ice until it was close to Prongs, the blue energy ball appearing.

"Dodge it!" Prongs tried to run away, but his hooves kept slipping, keeping him place.

This allowed Lokelpie to get up close, unleashing the Ice Beam, "STAG!" He yelled as he was hit by the ice attack, but refused to let it stop him.

"Horn Leech!" Prongs swung his horns into Lokelpie, draining away just enough energy to keep him from succumbing to the Ice Beam before thrusting Lokelpie away.

"Ice Beam again!" Tidal yelled, Lokelpie picking itself up as Prongs managed to pull himself back onto a platform.

"Energy Ball!" Now on more stable footing, Prongs formed the orb and fired just as Lokelpie began charging the Ice Beam, the Energy Ball smacking its face.

"LOCK!" It cried through the explosion, only for the Pokémon to fall over, spirals in his eyes.

"Lokelpie is unable to battle," the ref announced. "The winner is Stagrowth."

Flash's friends cheered, Spike adding, "Just one more to go! Flash has got this in the bag!"

"Don't be so sure," Doc added, "Don't forget who's coming next."

Everyone then remembered Tidal's ace, Twilight gulping, "And it'll be starting fresh while Flash's Pokémon will all be at a disadvantage. I'm afraid this match is far from being in Flash's favour."

"Gracias," Tidal told Lokelpie as he returned it. "You did great work." He turned back to Flash, "And now it all comes down to this." He took out his Pokeball. "My closest friend and most trusted partner, who's helped protect the seas with me since I was a boy." He held the ball up. "Come on out, my amigo!" He threw the ball into the air, "Leviapent!"

Flash watched as the ball flew through the air, Prongs jumping over to the unfrozen area of the pool. The ball opened to unleash a blaze of red energy...only for no Pokémon to appear.

"Huh?" Flash said with a raised eyebrow, only for the building to start shaking, "What the-"

And before anything could be asked, the ice on the pool shattered as something broke through it. "LEVIAPENT!" The Water Dark-type roared as it surfaced, the ice breaking apart, its roar so loud that it woke up Springer.

"Ri?" He asked before looking around, only to go wide-eyed as the ref began the battle.

"Energy Ball!" Flash yelled, Prongs firing the orb at Leviapent. The Sea-Serpent Pokémon simply floated there, the attack hitting him in the face. But as a small explosion appeared and the smoke faded, the Leviapent didn't even seem scratched. "Seriously?"

"Our turn. Dark Pulse." Leviapent opened its mouth, letting out a roar as dark energy rings shot out and headed for Prongs.

"Dodge it!" Prongs leapt away from the platform before the attack struck, though the force caused the water to grow choppy, making Prongs unstable when he landed on anther platform.

"Aqua Tail!" Before Prongs could get his balance, Leviapent's tail exploded out of the water, hitting the platform and knocking the Stagrowth into the air.

"Prongs!" Flash yelled, knowing none of Prongs moves could help him right now.

"Dark Pulse!" Once again, Leviapent unleashed the energy rings at the midair Prongs. The Stagrowth cried out as he was blasted before getting knocked back into the water with a loud splash, everyone watching in horror until he surfaced with swirls in his eyes.

"Stagrowth is unable to battle," the ref announced. "Leviapent is the winner."

Everyone sighed, Spike mumbling, "That was fast."

"Those Ice Beams must have done a lot of damage," Twilight added as Flash returned Prongs.

"Thanks bud. Your hard work won't be in vain." Flash then felt a tug on his pants, looking down at Springer. "You sure bud?" Springer nodded. "Alright. Then Springer, I choose you!"

"Riolu!" Springer leapt off the dive-board again, hitting the water before hopping onto a platform.

The ref then announced the battle, and Tidal was the first to speak. "Hydro Pump!" Leviapent unleashed a blast of high-pressure water at Springer, the Riolu barely able to leap off before the platform was hit. But a bit of splash flew back up and hit him, making him flinch as he landed in the water.

Leviapent dived down under the water as the two locked eyes, their trainers giving their commands. "Aura Sphere/Dark Pulse!" They launched their attacks at the same time, the Aura Sphere hitting the energy rings and cutting through them. "Extreme Speed!" Springer swam forward as his body sparked with lightning, allowing him to instantly hit the Leviapent. The Sea-Serpent roared as it was knocked back, Springer then swimming straight up and surfacing.

"Aqua Tail!" Before Springer could catch his breath, Leviapent swung its tail around and struck him from below.

"RIOLU!" He cried as he was knocked flying up, Flash and his friends gasping. Leviapent then shot out of the water, ready to hit him again.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer fired the attack while still in midair, hitting Leviapent head-on, forcing him back as the Riolu landed on a platform. "Double Team!" Before Leviapent could recover, Springer multiplied and the army covered almost their entire side of the battlefield.

"Not bad," Tidal chuckled, "But it'll take more than that to throw us off our juego." He watched as the Springer army began to charge, "Aqua Tail!" Leviapent raised its tail as water swirled around it, then swiping it through the water. This caused a large wave that washed over the army, only one Riolu pushing through the water while the others vanished.

"Drain Punch!" Flash yelled as Springer prepared to attack, but Tidal was ready.

"Hydro Pump!" Before Springer could get close, Leviapent unleashed the super water blast, hitting Springer dead-on. The strike knocked him flying back, Leviapent then diving down before leaping into the air. "CRUNCH!"

"Aura Sphere!" Springer fired his orb attack, hitting Leviapent in the face. But the Sea-Serpent refused to give up, fighting through the explosion until it reach Springer, grabbing him between its teeth and biting down hard.

"RIOLU!" He screamed in pain before Leviapent dived back down, Flash and the others gasping.

"SPRINGER!" They all yelled, waiting to see what would happen next. And after a moment, Leviapent surfaced with an empty mouth. Seconds later, Springer's head popped out of the water, gasping for air before swimming toward a platform. "You okay?" He heard Flash ask as he pulled himself up onto the platform, shakily standing.

"Ri..." he mumbled to his trainer before he tried to walk over the platform. But as he did this, he lost his footing, falling over as his eyes were replaced with swirls.

"Riolu is unable to battle," the ref announced. "The winner is Leviapent!"

"No!" Spike cried, "Even Springer couldn't beat that thing!" Astro whimpered at the sight, seeing his friend knocked out.

"This isn't over," Twilight added as Flash used his Premier-Ball to return Springer. "Flash still has one Pokémon left."

"Let's just hope it's enough," Doc continued.

"Thanks bud," Flash told Springer once he had let him back out. "You did great. Now just stand back and cheer us on to victory." Springer nodded and gave a thumbs up while Flash stood up and took out his last Pokeball. "You're all I've got left," Flash told the one inside. "I know you can do this." He pointed the Pokeball forward, "I believe in you. Riptide," he pulled back before throwing the ball, "I choose you!" The ball opened up, Riptide returning and landing on a platform.

"Rep," the Ocean's Champion looked up at the Leviapent staring down at him. "Tidal..." he growled, taking a fighting stance.

"This is it," Twilight gulped, "The last battle."

"Come on Flash," Spike whispered while Astro watched his trainer with shaky eyes.

"Reptidal verses Leviapent," the ref raised his arms. "Let the battle...BEGIN!" As soon as he said that, both Riptide and Leviapent dived underwater, everyone now watching with baited breath.

"Rock Smash!" Flash yelled, Riptide spinning around and thrusting a foot into Leviapent. Its long body shook at the blow, only for its tail to whip through the water, smacking Riptide away.

"Tide!" He cried as he was knocked through the water, only to push himself to a stop.

"Hydro Pump!" Tidal commanded, causing Leviapent to open its mouth and unleash a stream of water. Since they were already underwater, the power of the attack was reduced, but it would still pack a wallop as Riptide swam to the side, dodging the blast.

"Aqua Tail!" Riptide swam up to Leviapent's head as it ended its Hydro Pump attack, spinning and slapping it in the face with his tail. Leviapent roared at this, hissing as Tidal gave his next command.

"Crunch!" Before Riptide could escape, Leviapent surged forward and caught the Reptidal in its mouth. He let out a cry as his midsection got caught within the mouth while his chest and legs were free. But that didn't help, as Leviapent then tightened its jaw.

"Riptide!" Flash screamed, "Get out of there! Ice Punch!" Riptide tried to attack, but Leviapent tightened the hold, making him cry out and lose his focus. "Riptide!"

"That's enough," Tidal told it, Leviapent swimming above the surface before spitting Riptide, the lizard now flying through the air. "Dark Pulse!"

"Pent!" It roared before taking a deep breath, "LEVIAPENT!" It unleashed the stream of dark energy rings, striking Riptide as an explosion came next, knocking him down onto one of the platforms.

"REP!" He cried as he landed, the force of the blow enough to make the pool shake, the water now going unsteady. And as he landed, Riptide started to get up, panting as he moaned out, "Tidal."

"Still standing?" Tidal raised an eyebrow, "You've got guts mi amigo." He pointed at the Reptidal, "Hydro Pump!" Leviapent took another deep breath before unleashing a blast of water, the water heading straight for Riptide.

"Aqua Break!" Flash yelled, Riptide now creating not one, but two water swords. Holding them in a reverse grip, he swung at the water, slashing them in half. And as he did this, the force of the attack pushed him back to the edge of the platform, but it didn't damage him.

"Aqua Tail!" Tidal ordered as Leviapent stopped its Hydro Pump before raising its tail, the tail now becoming wrapped in water, and swung it down.

"Dodge it!" Riptide leapt up, barely avoiding the tail as it struck the platform, sinking it. But as the platform was destroyed, Riptide landed on Leviapent's tail and began to run up it. Before Leviapent could react, Riptide leapt off it and flew towards its face. "Rock Smash!" Riptide spun around several times before slamming his glowing foot into Leviapent's face.

"LEV!" It screamed as it was knocked back, Riptide falling back into the water. He quickly raced up to the parts of Leviapent's submerged body, now unleashing a barrage of Rock Smash attacks.

Leviapent flinched at the blows, quickly diving under as Tidal gave a command. "Hydro Pump, and make it thrash!" Flash blinked at the order, Riptide doing the same as Leviapent swam below him before turning to look back up.

"LEVIAPENT!" It screamed before unleashing its Hydro Pump, Riptide dodging the blast easily. But what he couldn't avoid was what came next, Leviapent now thrashing its head around, causing the Hydro Pump to act like an out of control fire hose. The force from the attack sent shockwaves all throughout the pool, causing the water to ripple and prevented Riptide from escaping.

"Rep!" The Ocean's Champion cried out as he felt himself getting bashed by the current, causing him to grow dizzy and disorientated.

"Ahora," Tidal yelled, "Pulso Oscuro!" Leviapent stopped using Hydro Pump and switched to its other long range attack, letting out another roar while unleashing the energy ring stream. It flew toward Riptide, striking him while he was still disoriented.

"REP!" He cried, getting blasted straight up before shooting out of the pool while Leviapent chased after him.

"Riptide!" Flash yelled.

"AQUA TAIL!" Before Flash could order a counter, Leviapent swung around and smashed its water covered tail into Riptide.

"REP!"

"NO!" Flash screamed as he watched Riptide get smashed into the pool, pushing him down in the water. And as this happened, Leviapent retracted its tail and swam back over to Tidal's side. "Riptide..." he whispered while staring at the water, afraid of seeing his Pokémon float up with swirls in his eyes. "Come on..."

The others watched with giant frowns, Astro letting out a moan. Then, a splash caught their attention, making them now see Riptide's head pop out of the water.

"Rep," he groaned while swimming to the nearest platform, pulling himself up. "Tidal..." he panted while standing on one knee. He then looked up at Leviapent, the serpent glaring down at him.

"Come on Riptide! I know you can do it. You're the Ocean Champion!" As he heard these words, he then heard cheers from behind the window, turning around to see all his friends.

"Rep!" He roared before pushing himself up, a light blue aura appearing around him. "Reptidal!"

"What's that?" Spike asked, Doc and Twilight smiling.

"Torrent," Twilight replied, "Riptide's ability."

Doc nodded at this, "Whenever Riptide is close to defeat, his ability kicks in and powers up his Water-type attacks."

"So Riptide's stronger?" Rarity asked, getting a nod from Twilight.

"But it also means that if Riptide gets hit even one more time, it's all over."

Applejack chuckled at this, "Then Flash won't let him get hit."

Flash was thinking the same thing, knowing this was Torrent and knew it meant one thing. He had only one chance. "Let's do this, Riptide!"

"REPTIDAL!" Riptide roared as the glow vanished, his ability still in effect.

"That's it. Don't hold back. And neither will we." Tidal laughed as Leviapent growled, the leader pointing at his opponent, "Hydro Pump!" Leviapent roared while unleashing the stream of water.

"Aqua Tail!" Riptide's tail became coated in water, the speed spiralling around the appendage now seeming to be twice as fast, Riptide letting out his own roar as he spun around and smashed the tail into the Hydro Pump.

"TIDAL!" He screamed, his Aqua Tail destroying the stream of water, causing it to harmlessly rain down upon him.

"That's the way! Rock Smash!" Riptide exploded off the platform and shot up to Leviapent, the serpent still dazed after its attack exploded in its face. And before it could recover, Riptide slammed his foot into its face, knocking it back into the water, Riptide then diving down along with it.

"Hydro Pump and thrash with it!" As Leviapent opened its eyes, Riptide drew closer. But before he could get close, it began to unleash the fire-hose attack.

"Not this time! Ice Punch!" Riptide clenched his fist and punched the water in front of him, causing it to freeze and create a shield that blocked the water. He then began to push it, drawing closer to Leviapent before discarding it when the Hydro Pump came to a stop. "Aqua Break!"

"Rep!" Riptide created an extra large sword and held it backhanded, spinning around and slashing it across the neck.

"LEV!" It roared in pain before growling at Riptide.

"Dark Pulse!" Tidal yelled, Leviapent unleashing the dark energy rings, now heading for Riptide as he had nowhere to go.

"Ice Punch!" Riptide heard Flash yell, causing him to punch the water and freeze it again. Another shield formed, seconds before the Dark Pulse struck. It blocked the attack, but slammed into Riptide, pushing him back toward the surface.

"Rep!" He cried as he shot out the water, then twirled around and managed to land on a platform while the ice hit the water. He stared down into the water next, only needing to wait a few seconds before Leviapent returned.

"Lev!" It screamed while staring down at Riptide, both Flash and Tidal knowing their next attack might be their last.

"Hydro Pump/Aqua Break!" Riptide charged at Leviapent while the snake unleashed another blast, the Reptidal creating a pair of water blades, but only used one to slash into the Hydro Pump. This caused some of the water to be deflected but some of it hit him. But despite this, he preserved and managed to push through and reach Leviapent.

"REPTIDAL!" He screamed before swinging his other blade around. And in the blink of an eye, Riptide was suddenly on the other side of Leviapent, landing on a platform with his sword pointed forward.

He panted for several seconds before his sword vanished and he fell to his knees, making his friends go wide-eyed as he struggled to stay up. But then, new movement happened.

"Lev..." Leviapent fell like a lumber-jacked tree and splashed into the water. It sunk for a moment, but then surfaced to reveal a pair of spiralled eyes.

"Leviapent is unable to battle," the ref announced. "Reptidal is the winner. All of Tidal's Pokémon are unable to continue, so the winner of the match is Flash Sentry!"

"YES!" Flash screamed while his friends cried out in joy, the trainer cheering, "You did it Riptide! You did it!"

"Rep!" he gave Flash a thumbs up as Tidal returned Leviapent.

"Excelente mi amigo. You truly gave Flash a run for his money." He then stared at Flash as he and Springer climbed down as Riptide moved to the edge of the pool, the three hugging one another.

It wasn't long till everyone met up outside the gym, Flash letting out the Pokémon he had used in the battle. "Flash," Tidal told him, "You certainly gave me a battle I'll never forget."

"Thanks Tidal," Flash replied while nodding, "I'll never forget this battle either." Tidal nodded back as the ref stepped up holding a tray, Tidal taking something off it.

"Please, accept this with my respect. Proof that you won here at the Manehatten City Gym." He held up the metal pin, "The Tsunami Badge."

Flash shined a huge grin as he took the badge, now holding it up for all to see. "Alright! I just won...THE TSUNAMI BADGE!"

"RIOLU/TORNAVIAN/REPTIDAL/STAGROWTH!" His Pokémon cheered as everyone else began clapping, Flash now putting it in his badge case.

"Just one more," he told himself. "One more and I'm in the Equestria League." The others smiled at this with a nod, everyone wondering where that final badge would be earned. But that would have to be decided later, as Flash and his Pokémon were in desperate need of rest. As the journey continues.
> Pokémon Fashion Fad
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fresh off his victory at the Manehatten City Gym, Flash and friends were still in the city, preparing to head out to his final Gym. There was just one small problem.

"Augh!" Flash almost screamed, ruffling his head. "I can't decide!" The five trainers and their Pokémon were walking down the street, Flash looking down at Twilight's journal as it showed a map of Equestria. "Why do all of the nearest gyms have to be the exact same distance away?"

"Can't you just randomly pick one?" Spike asked.

Applejack nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Just close yer eyes and point at one."

"I don't think it's that easy," Twilight added, "This isn't just another Gym Battle we're talking about. It's Flash's last Gym Battle. it's not something you can just randomly pick."

"Exactly!" Flash exclaimed, "It's gotta be somewhere special!" He then turned to Doc, "You must know which of these Gym Leaders is the strongest! Which one is it?!"

"What?" Doc asked while raising an eyebrow, "You think because I'm a Gym leader, we all know each other?" Flash shrugged back, "Sorry to say, but I don't know any of these Gym Leaders, so I'm not much use here." Flash groaned and continued looking down at the journal, focusing on it as the group turned the corner. But as he did this, he felt someone grab him by the back of his jacket, pulling him back.

"Whoa!" He yelped, causing his head to shoot up. Doing so allowed him to see that he had almost run into someone, Applejack being the one pulled him back, "Thanks." The group stared at the man Flash had almost run into, now seeing he was standing at the back of a very long line. They tried to see the front of the line, but found it was so long that they couldn't tell what the front was.

"What are they lining up for?" Twilight asked before the man turned to show he was holding a male Nidoran.

"Are you here to have your Pokémon fabulated?" He asked.

"Fabulated?" Rarity asked, "What on earth are you talking about." He answered by pointing toward a pair of people who were walking past them. One was carrying an Emolga and the others was carrying a Minccino. Both Pokémon were dressed in weird looking clothing, Emolga wearing a tiara that was taped to its head while Minccino was wearing a dress that looked like it would be difficult to move in. Their fur had also been dyed different colors, Emolga's black being dyed light brown and Minccino's grey fur dyed pink.

"What the heck?" Flash asked as the line began to move, "I'm still confused."

The Nidoran trainer chuckled at this, "This street is famous for housing Pokémon fashion and beauty stores. The store at the end of this line is also famous for being the most trendy place imaginable. Anyone who's anyone come here to get their Pokémon fabulated."

"Pokémon...fashion?" Flash, Spike, Applejack and even Doc were looking a little uncomfortable by this. However, Rarity and Twilight were smiling at the idea.

"That sounds amazing," Rarity replied, "I've always thought Pokémon can look amazing with some accessories here and there."

"Seriously?" Applejack asked.

"I agree," Twilight nodded. "Fashion doesn't just have to be about looking nice. It can be how one expresses oneself." She turned to Applejack, "You wear that hat because you like it, and it helps portray who you are. Why should it be any different for Pokémon?"

"Huh," Applejack looked up at her hat, "Maybe yer right."

"Let's take a look inside," Rarity added as the line moved again. "I'd love to see what they could come up with for my Pokémon."

Everyone let out a sigh, knowing they weren't going to get out of this. So they got in line and waited, the line moving along at a surprisingly brisk pace. Within an hour, they finally got to look at the store they were heading into. It was a large flashy building with a giant sign that had words made up of lights that flashed different colors.


Fabulous Boutique


"Wow," Spike moaned, "Overkill much?!"

"It's kinda hurting my eyes," Flash replied, rubbing his eyes. They made sure to not look at the sign for the remaining minutes they had to wait. And as they finally got in, they soon found they were wishing they had stayed in line. The place was filled with Pokémon undergoing different kinds of clothing and beautifying regiments.

"Almost done," one of the stylists exclaimed as she finished dying a Dodrio green. As she did, a woman came over carrying a series of dog collars that were covered in gemstones. She started strapping five collars onto each of its necks while the stylist began placing different colored wigs on each of its head.

And Dodrio wasn't the only one getting this weird treatment. Loads of different Pokémon were dressed up in strange looking styles and clothing. Some looked okay, but most looked absolutely horrible. What's more, each Pokémon was being dyed a different color.

"Wow..." Flash whispered, "I know less about fashion than I thought."

"I think they're the ones who know little about fashion," Applejack chuckled, turning to Rarity as she expected to see stars in her eyes...only to see a giant frown on Rarity's face. She was staring at the fashion, but also the Pokémon as she let out a glum sigh.

Rarity stared at Dodrio as it looked itself over in the mirror, a look of horror covering its face as it stared at itself. Most of the other Pokémon looked unhappy about their appearance as well, only a select few appearing to enjoy it.

"Hello there!" One of the stylists walked up to them. "Welcome to the Fabulous Boutique. Now, what Pokémon are you here to fabulate?"

"Oh uh..." Flash chimed in, "We're just looking." He then glanced away, "It's a very...interesting look you're going for."

"Isn't it?!" the stylist replied, "Here at the Fabulous Boutique, we're always on the cutting edge of Pokémon fashion."

Rarity replied to this statement. "And can I ask, who is it that comes up with these fashion ideas?"

The stylist smiled at this, "Why, our store's manager and head fashion expert. Miss Suri Polomare."

"Did somebody call my name?" Everyone turned to the voice and saw a pink skinned girl around their age. She had purple hair that was tied up in a bun, a yellow headband keeping it in place. She was wearing a maroon jacket and purple skirt with a blue ascot around her neck.

The stylist gestured to them, "these people were interested in your fashion brilliance." The girl looked them over, not appearing impressed with most of their clothing looks.  

But then she spotted Rarity and gasped, "You're Rarity! You won the Manehatten Contest!" Rarity nodded with a nervous smile. "I was hoping to compete in that, but my store has just gotten so busy lately. As you can see, free time isn't exactly a luxury I can afford. Can't let my customers down."

"Yes," Rarity looked around, "you certainly seem to have a...wide clientele. 

"What can i say, I know what people love and people love what I know." The girl glanced around and nodded, "Yes. Yes. These all look fabulous. Truly on the cusp of fashion brilliance." But then her gaze fell upon one of the Pokémon, a Paras, whose pincer and mushrooms were covered in gemstones. "What is this?" She moved closer to it. "Why hasn't this Paras been colored in?"

She turned to the stylist responsible, the girl responding, "Well...you said it needed to be orange, and...it already is orange."

"Not that shade of orange," she hissed, "Paras needs to be a darker orange."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this, "What's the difference?"

Suri heard this and spun around, "Everyone knows that Shiny Pokémon are the biggest thing right now. A Pokémon that looks completely different from what it should look like is what everyone wants." She looked down at Springer, "I can see it now. A bit of gold dye and your Riolu will look fabulous. And those things on the side of its head will be perfect for some earrings, and a pretty blue dress to top it all off.

"Ri!" Springer yelped as he quickly jumped to hide behind Flash's leg.

"So," Suri clapped her hands, "Shall we get started with your Riolu's transformation?"

"No way," Flash barked back, "Springer doesn't need any of that stuff. He's fine just the way he is." Springer rapidly nodded at this. "Besides, earrings and a dress sound like they'd get in the way the next time we battle."

"Besides," Rarity chimed in, "You clearly don't know the most important thing to remember when designing Pokémon fashion!"

"Oh really?" Suri put a hand on her hip, "And what would that be?"

"The Pokémon's feelings." She pointed to Dodrio. "Look at the poor dear. It hates what you've done to it." Dodrio nodded its head, the trainer seeing this and going wide-eyed, "And it's not the only one. It's obvious that most of these Pokémon all hate what they look like."

Several Pokémon nodded at this, Suri just letting out a 'hmph' as she responded, "Who cares what they think? I'm the master stylist."

"More like disaster stylist," Spike added, only to get a glare from Suri.

"Rarity's gotta point," Twilight spoke up, "How would you like it if someone made you bald and told you to wear a potato sack just because everyone thought they were the best stylist in the world."

"I'd happily hand them the razor and start peeling the potatoes myself," Suri replied, "Because one should always look towards the most talented and brilliant for guidance."

"Not if that person wants to make you look in a way you absolutely hate," Doc responded, making Suri growling back before grabbing the Paras and holding it up.

"Look at this thing. See how ugly it is?" Everyone frowned at that comment. "Would you really condemn the poor thing to remaining so terrible looking? Doesn't it deserve to be made beautiful?" Paras began to squirm at these comments, its trainer also looking upset.

"Paras isn't ugly," Rarity replied, Paras now staring at her, "There's no such thing as an ugly Pokémon."

"She's right," Twilight added, "Just ignorant people who only care about what's on the outside and completely forget about the inside."

Suri's face turned red at this, hissing as she dropped the Paras and pointed to the door. "Out! OUT!" The group were ran out of the boutique, Suri following behind them. "And don't come back until you realize the brilliance of my genius!" With that, she slammed the door shut. Seconds later, the Dodrio and Paras trainers left while pulling the accessories off their Pokémon.

"I can't believe that girl," Rarity growled as she stomped down the street. "I love fashion as much as the next person, more so even, but fashion should only be used to highlight one's natural beauty. Not completely cover it up. I can't believe other people are falling for all this and making their Pokémon suffer like this!"

"Well, what can you do?" Twilight asked. "It's a fad, and people are suckers for the latest fad."

"Well, they'll regret following it soon," Rarity grumbled, "After all, fad is just one letter away from fade. And that's what they do, fade away. Give it a couple of weeks and something else will come along and be the next big thing, making people wish they hadn't wasted their money on this."

The others were all raising eyebrows at this, surprised at the anger on her face, Spike then asking, "So you're saying you shouldn't ever try and go with the latest trends?"

"No. But you shouldn't prioritize being popular over being good. If you can be both, that's great. But if you chose, you should always pick what's good. Because if you only pick what's popular, that thing will be forgotten the moment the popularity fades. Even if something isn't popular when it's first introduced, if it has something memorable, then people are always going to come back to it."

She then noticed a woman and her Buneary walking down the street, the Buneary having a ribbon tied around her extended ear and a bowtie like ribbon on its furry stomach. "Bun," the Rabbit Pokémon cheered as it bounced along.

"Like this," Rarity commented as she pointed at the Buneary. "See? These ribbons help make Buneary stand out, but doesn't cover up its natural cuteness. And best of all, it doesn't hate what it's wearing."

Buneary smiled at the compliment while its trainer picked it up. "Thank you," she told Rarity. "That's such a nice thing to say. If you're interested, the store I got it from isn't too far." She pointed down the street, "Just follow this road until you come across lamppost with a sign. There's an alleyway next to the store."

"Thank you," Rarity replied before following her directions, the others following. After a minute or so, they found the lamppost she had been talking about, now seeing an arrow shaped sigh that had the words 'Little Feebas Boutique' written on it. They looked down the alleyway, frowning how dark it was, showing how little attention this place would get due to location. The group headed down the alleyway for a minute, now finding a quaint little store that didn't look nowhere near as boisterous as Suri's store. The sign was a simple, yet elegantly painted, showing an old-fashioned look.

"Now this is a store ah can get behind," Applejack chuckled, "Looks homely, not to flashy and best of all, no lines."

"No lines means no other customers," Twilight pointed out. "And usually, that's not a good thing for a store."

Rarity was the first to step inside, opening the door and causing a bell to ring. "Oh!" they heard from the back room, "I'll be out in a second." And as they waited for the voice to walk in, they looked around the store and saw it was just as homely on the inside as it was on the outside, racks of clothes along the wall, and a round measuring stool in front of a trio of mirrors. There were comfy chairs in the corner, and on the far wall was a large fish tank.

It was here that Rarity went up to the clothes rack while Twilight and Applejack sat down. Doc leaned against the wall while Flash and Spike went up to the fish tank. "I wonder what's in here?" He got his answer when a brown fish Pokémon suddenly appeared in front of his face. "GYAH!" He screamed as he fell back, startling the others until they saw the Feebas in the tank. "I'm okay," Spike assured them before standing up.

Rarity stared at the Feebas, now seeing it had a pink ribbon tied around its dorsal fin. Her focus was then pulled away as the curtain leading to the back door swiped open. A cream skinned girl with blue hair walked out, wearing a purple shirt with white trim and a red skirt. She also had a red ascot tie and her hair had a red and purple flower pinon the back of it. "Hello there," she said before noticing the Feebas. "Did Fee-Fee jump out at you?" Spike nodded. "My apologizes. She loves doing that."

"It's fine," Twilight assured her. "This is a lovely store you have here."

"Thank you," she did a small bow, "I'm Coco. Coco Pommel." It was then that she recognized three of them and gasped, "You're the trainers that were in the top four at the Manehatten Contest!" They all smiled back and nodded, Coco then turning to Rarity. "And you were the winner...." She held out her hand, "It's an honor to have you all here."

"The honor's all ours," Rarity replied, Coco blushing at this while Rarity continued to speak. "We came because we saw a Buneary who apparently got her style from here. We just wanted to see what else this store had to offer."

Coco shined a big grin, "Of course! Who would like to go first?" She then spotted Springer, the Riolu now getting a very uncomfortable feeling. "Aw..." she kneeled down so they were eye-level. "What a cute little Riolu. You must have raised it well. There's no other way its coat could be so shiny and pristine."

"Ri..." Springer replied, smiling at the praise as the others watched Coco get up and move over to a table.

"It wouldn't take much to show off his best qualities. Something small and simple, which wouldn't get in the way when he's battling." Springer and Flash smirked at this, already liking the way this girl thought. "Ah!" she turned to them and held up a bunch of bandannas, "These should be perfect for you." She gestured over to the mirrors, Springer walking up to the stool, looking himself over as Coco held up the bandanna before wrapping one around his neck. It was stripped with two different shades of green. "How's that look?"

Springer looked it over but then frowned and shook his head.

"That's fine." She removed the cloth and grabbed a red one. "How about this?" She wrapped it around him he smiled, nodding back.

"That looks great on you bud," Flash added, Springer letting out a happy bark.

But as they did this, Coco stared at Springer, rubbing her chin in thought, "Hmm....its still missing something though."

Hearing this, Rarity's eyes shined before walking up and whispering into Coco's ear, the girl's eyes going wide. "Ooh, that would look interesting. I think I have some in the back." She walked out of the room, everyone turning to Rarity, the girl just smiling back and tapping her nose until Coco returned holding a roll of sport bandages.

"Tell us what you think of this," she told Springer as she started wrapping them around his upper arms.

Once she was done, Springer looked himself over, "Ri," he started posing as he smiled at himself. "Riolu!"

"I'm guessing you like it," Coco giggled, Springer nodding back before she turned to Rarity, "That was a great idea."

"Thank you," Rarity replied, "Springer and Flash are so similar that it's easy to get them to agree on something." She pointed to the duo, Flash chuckling as Springer kept doing poses. "It perfectly highlights the inner warrior Springer is while not diminishing his overall cuteness."

"Tell me about it," Spike added, "You made him look awesome and you barely did anything."

Coco nodded at this, "That's the duty of a Poké-Stylist. Not to cover up a Pokémon's inner beauty, but to help express it while not completely changing what a Pokémon normally looks like." She then sighed, shaking her head, "If only everyone else in the city could understand that."

The others frowned at this, Doc speaking up, "I'm guessing you're talking about Miss Polomare's store?"

Coco went wide-eyed at this, Twilight then saying, "We had a look around that place before coming here. That girl has some...very shallow opinions on beauty."

Coco looked away at this, "She's always been that way." She moved over to one of the walls, everyone noticing a small picture frame hanging from it. Everyone moved over and was surprised to see a much younger Coco beside an also younger Suri. Standing behind them was an older woman with yellow skin and blue hair, wearing a pair of round red classes and dressed in a purple coat with white hair. Coco was also holding up her Feebas while Suri did not look happy to have it so close to her.

"Who's that?" Spike asked, pointing to the older women.

"That's Charity Kindheart. She taught Suri and me everything we know about Pokémon fashion." She reached out to touch the picture with her finger. "When we were younger, Suri and I would always head to her store whenever we had free time. We loved watching her work her magic and make Pokémon look amazing. She had this natural ability to come up with a look that the Pokémon loved and showed off their natural beauty. And she believed that any Pokémon, no matter what it looked like, was beautiful."





The Past...

Suri watched as Charity placed a silver cloak around a Gardevoir, the Embrace Pokémon looking at itself in the mirror and loving how it appeared. "How's that look?" Gardevoir turned to Charity and nodded, the Pokémon and her trainer soon leaving the store.

Seconds after they were gone, the door opened up as Coco ran in, "Charity!" She and Suri turned to see the girl holding a Feebas in her arms, Suri grimacing.

"Yuck! Why'd you bring that thing here?"

"I found it by the harbor," Coco moved over to Charity. "I think it got beat up. I didn't know who else to take it too."

Charity looked the Feebas over, noticing a purple blush. "Looks like it's been poisoned. Most likely a Tentacool or something." She placed Feebas on a table, "You need to keep it wet." Coco gasped and ran off, returning from the kitchen while holding a bucket full of water. She then used a sponge to keep Feebas wet, Charity then leaving before coming back with something in her hand, "Here," she fed it to Feebas, "This Pecha Berry should help."

The Feebas began to eat the berry, soon smiling as the blush went away. Within a minute, Feebas was happily flopping around. "You did it!" Coco cheered.

"Great," Suri rolled her eyes. "It's cured, so can you get rid of it. It's starting to gross me out."

"Suri!" Charity reprimanded her, "Don't be rude! This Feebas is just as beautiful as any other Pokémon. After all, it's not what's on the outside that matters. It's what's inside the Pokémon that counts." Suri just looked away, rolling her eyes as Charity pulled a pink ribbon out of her pocket and tied it around Feebas's fin. "There. Don't you look pretty?" Feebas let out a cry of happiness while Coco smiled and hugged the fish.





The Present...

"Aw...that's such a cute story." Twilight replied before asking, "So...what happened? When did you and Suri drift apart?"

Coco let out a sigh at this, "It was about a year and a half ago. Charity was starting to get sick because of how much stress the business put her under, and she wanted to move closer to her grandchildren. So she signed the business over to me and Suri. We were both equal owners of the store. I thought we would be equal partners, working to carry on Charity's dream. But over time, Suri began to stray from that path. She got it into her head that her opinion on fashion was all that mattered, and she shouldn't be questioned. She completely forgot the most important part of being a designer. Making the Pokémon see themselves as beautiful."

"I'm guessing she wasn't open to discuss that opinion," Doc added.

Coco slowly nodded. "She made us split the shop in two, and we started only taking payment from the customers we served ourselves instead of spliting the profits halfway. And over time, Suri was able to attract more and more customers and earn way more money. Eventually, she was able to buy me out of my half of the store."

"That's horrible," Rarity gasped.

"Why would she do something so mean?" Spike asked next.

"Its how Suri is..." Coco sighed as she moved over to the tank, placing her hand on the glass, Fee-Fee swimming over to put her head on the same spot. "I used the money she payed me to buy this place, but I'm barely able to keep it running. If I don't do something, I'll have to close, and Charity's dream will die."

"Not going to happen!" Everyone turned to Rarity. "You and Charity have a wonderful dream, and I'll let Giratina rise before I allow it to be lost." She turned to the others, "We just need to find a way to show the people what they're being blinded too."

"But how?"

"Well...we need to find a way to show off Coco's designs," Twilight replied, "Once people see how much better her style is, they'll start flocking to this place." She crossed her arms at this, "Just...how do we do that?"

It was here that Applejack spoke up, "What about a fashion show?" They turned to her, "Ain't that how most designers show off their creations?"

"Applejack..." Rarity whispered, "That's brilliant!" She turned to Coco, "A fashion show to show off what true Pokémon Fashion looks like! That'll definitely work!"

Coco blinked at her suggestion, only for Twilight to speak up, "We can use our Pokémon as models. We'll need plenty of Pokémon to show off for it."

"I could put up some lights," Doc added.

"And we could start advertising it," Flash finished, Spike nodding in agreement. They all turned to Coco, the girl shrinking back at the sudden suggestions before taking a quick glance at Fee-Fee, who nodded back.

"Okay." She replied, "Let's do this."





The next day...

As soon as the sun was up, the group began to get to work. Coco and Rarity had spent the previous night coming up with designs for all their Pokémon, while Applejack and Doc had gone out to get the supplies they needed to fulfil their jobs. Meanwhile, Twilight, Flash and Spike had begun working on posters and signs they could use to advertise the show.

And so, the group were all prepared to show the world why the Little Feebas Boutique was the place to go for great fashion. With their designs finished and approved by the Pokémon that would be wearing them, Rarity and Coco began to put the designs together. As this happened, Applejack began to build the stage they would use as a catwalk. The plan was to have it come out of the alleyway, which they would use as a backstage by putting up a large curtain. Applejack proved herself to be quiet the carpenter, while also being helped by Riptide, Tockwork, Flitanium, Clobberoo Lombre and Shine. With their help, the stage came together without issue.

Meanwhile, Twilight helped Doc as he got to work preparing a series of spotlights that would shine down on the stage from a rooftop across the street. "Screwdriver," he held out a hand as Twilight passed him the tool. He started twiddling with something inside the spotlight before holding out his other hand, "Pliers." Twilight gave them, the gym leader using them to lift some wires up so he could poke something with the screwdriver. "This is looking good."

"How long until it's done?" Twilight asked, Doc smiling as he twisted the screwdriver one last time. Doing so caused the light to switch on, almost blinding them. "Nevermind."

Doc laughed as he removed his tools and held up the back panel, which he gave to Twilight. She placed it on the back of the light and held it in place while Doc screwed it on. "Alright. One down and two to go." Twilight nodded back before they got to work on another.

While this happened, Flash, Spike and several other Pokémon were handing out the flyers and putting up posters. The flyers were gliding overhead, dropping more flyers while the two spoke out, "Come see the Little Feebas Boutique fashion show!"

"Want to see fashion that truly makes Pokémon look amazing, than come to our fashion show. With designs from the legendary student of Charity Kindheart!" This name caught many people's attention, most instantly thinking of Suri.

"Riolu!" Springer jumped onto a nearby wall and began to show off his bandanna and bandages. The people turned to see this as Springer began to throw out more and more flyers.

"Check it out!" A man said before picking up a flyer. "So this Riolu was given that stuff by the one running this fashion show?"

"He looks so cool," a little kid added before turning to his mother. "Can we go mom? Please?"

"This is new," a regular at the Fabulous Boutique commented when he was given a flyer. "Suri doesn't normally do these kinds of shows. And in such an out of the way location." He then smiled, "She must be really excited about this new craze she's come up with." Flash and Spike smirked, knowing they were going to have a large crowd for this event.

"But won't they just leave when Coco shows up?" Spike asked as they stuck some more posters up.

"Maybe," Flash chuckled, "But not if we don't tell them this is Suri's show." Spike raised an eyebrow. "We'll just tell the others about this and have Coco stay backstage until some of their costumes have been shown. Then, when everyone sees how awesome they are, we'll have Coco come out and tell them they were her designs."

"Great idea," Spike replied, "We should probably get back to the store and tell them." Flash nodded and called the Pokémon to come back.





Meanwhile...

Inside the store, Rarity and Coco were working on a hooded dress for Herbarald.

"How's this look?" Rarity asked Coco, who turned to see how Rarity had stitched the dress. She smiled at the dress, which looked like a series of leaves sown together. The hood had flowers around the trim, giving it the perfect design for someone who wanted to look good, but still be properly dressed for when they were tending to a garden in any and all weathers.

"It's beautiful. I hope Herbarald likes it."

"I'm sure she will."

"You're really good at this," Coco told her as she worked on Shine's outfit. It was several bows with sequins along with a purple choker necklace and some leggings that were designed like Shine's leg hair. "Have you ever thought of working as a Poke-Stylist?"

"Me?" Rarity asked, "I...I never thought of it."

"I think you'd be great. Didn't Flash say you made what he's wearing right now?" That had come up the previous day when Rarity offered to help her. "And it's clear you understand the most import aspects of Pokémon fashion. You'd become world famous in no time. Or...are you more focused on Pokémon Contests?"

"I...I don't know." Rarity moved over to her bag, pulling her ribbon out. The memories of how much fun she had competing in the contest now flowed through her head, "I don't even know if Equestria will be having any more contests."

"Well, the Manehatten one was a big success," Coco replied, "I don't see why there wouldn't be anymore."

"Even so, I don't know if that's what I want to do with my life." Rarity sighed as she turned around and stared at the room, now looking at the many costumes they had designed. "Becoming a professional coordinator would be fun, but I can also see myself enjoying this line of work. And there are so many other things that I might want to do. That's why I went on this journey with Applejack."

"That's okay," Coco responded, "A lot of people have a hard time deciding what they want to do with their lives. And some discover its something they never even knew existed until they experience it." She chuckled at this, "I just got lucky and had Charity so close to my home. If it wasn't for her, I'd probably be just as aimless."

Rarity nodded back, "Right now, I just want to experience as much as I can before I decide what I want to do with my life."

"I understand." Coco hummed before turning to Rarity, "And you know, nobody ever said you have to pick just one path. You could still become a Poke-Stylist, but also compete in contests or whatever else you're interested in being."

"That does sound nice." Rarity replied, "Though right now, I just want to be the person that helps you show the world what true Pokémon Fashion looks like." Coco nodded back before the pair got back to work on the costumes, Applejack, Twilight and Doc eventually arriving to announce the stage and lights were ready.

Flash and Spike soon returned and informed everyone of their idea, Coco frowning at the thought of letting people think Suri came up with her designs at first, but agreed it was for the best. And as the day drew further, everyone got ready for the show of a lifetime.

"You ready Fee-Fee?" She asked her Feebas once they were alone, Fee-Fee nodding and floating up to the top of the tank so Coco could straighten up her ribbon. Once she did, Coco turned to the picture on the wall, "Don't worry. I won't give up."





As the day's sun began to set, the many people of Manehatten began to head toward the store. At the same time, Suri was counting her takings, chuckling at how much she had made. "Ah, there's nothing like a good day's pay." She then looked around at her store, smiling at how glamorous it was before the horrible memory of what it used to look like made her shudder. So plain, so horrendous. Suri couldn't change it fast enough.

Once she was done counting her earnings, she began to lock the place up. But as she did this, she noticed a large number of people moving past her front window. "What's going on?" She walked outside and saw people heading down the street, "What's the rush?" She asked someone walking by.

"We're all heading to the fashion show!"

"What fashion show?" She asked, causing the woman to raise an eyebrow.

"Your fashion show." She took out a flyer and handed it to Suri, the girl quickly reading it over. As she did this, her entire body started shaking, soon ripping it and half as she stared where the people were heading.

"Coco."





People from all over Manehatten had gathered around the makeshift stage, waiting for the show to begin. Up on the opposite roof, Doc, Tockwork and Spike were standing there with the spotlights ready to illuminate the stage. Meanwhile, everyone backstage were doing last minute preparations, Coco and Rarity now in fancy clothing while going over the other Pokémon.

"How's that?" Coco asked Herbarald as she adjusted the dress, the emerald Pokémon moving around before nodding. Not only was Herbarald in her hooded dress, but she was with Aquapphire and Pyruby. The two were also dressed up, Aquapphire being in her own blue dress that had transparent blue ribbons that made her look like a flowing river whenever she moved. Pyruby was dressed in a very different way, wearing a fire-themed gi with a yellow headband.

"Is everybody ready?" Rarity asked them, the Pokémon all nodding, though others were shaking on the spot.

"Don't be afraid," Coco added, "Just go out there and have fun. It doesn't matter what those people out there think of you. If you like how you look, that's all that matters." They all nodded as Rarity told everyone through some walkie talkies they were starting.

And so, Twilight activated the music they had gotten their hands on, and Doc shone a light on the curtain before Rarity walked out with a microphone. "Greetings darling," she announced. "Welcome to our little show. I know it was a little short notice, but we appreciate your attendance. And you won't be disappointed, for we have some amazing Pokémon wearing equally amazing clothing. So without further ado..."

She walked to the side as Twilight changed the music. The spotlights all focused on the curtain as the first Pokémon came out, revealing Viper as he slithered along the stage with the lights following him. He had what looked like a headband around his neck, which was covered in transparent red streamers that were actually like tubes, with the ends having snake-like heads.

The people were amazed at the sight as Viper slid along the stage before reaching the end, moving in a circle to show off his accessory. "Vip!" He yelled as his back exploded with fire, Applejack having been sure to cover the stage with flame retardant, causing the collar's true beauty to appear. The tubes were made of a fireproof material, so they were undamaged by the flames. But the heat from the flames entered and caused them to lifted into the air, with the head on the end staring down at the audience.

To those watching, it was like Viper had multiple heads. He and the fakes all swayed from left to right, giving them a hypnotic motion. The crowd was mesmerized, Viper moving perfectly to the music before turning to slither back into the curtain. And as he reached the end, he killed the flames, causing his accessories to float down as he disappeared behind the stage. Once he was gone, the crowd began to cheer.

The second and third Pokémon came out next, that being Astro and Shine. Shine was wearing the choker, leggings and her mane and tail were filled with the bows. Astro was dressed in a black mask and cape that had a yellow star on it, looking like the superheroes that he had seen on TV.

Both danced along the stage until they reached the end, the two posing back to back as the audience awed at how cute they were. They then danced back to the curtain, giving them all one final cute face before they disappeared behind the sheets.

After that, the gem sisters each took a turn on the stage, and the crowd loved their clothes. And as Pyruby stepped back behind stage, Rarity walked up, "Weren't those some absolutely fabulous costumes, each perfectly encapsulating their individual personalities?" The crowd cheered in agreement, "Well don't worry, we still have many more to show off. But first, I'd like to welcome the creator of these designs onto the stage." The crowd cheered, all yelling Suri's name. "But before she appears, a little confession is required. You all thought the designer was Fabulous Boutique's owner, Suri. But the truth is, she could never make anything this amazing." The audience went silent at this, most wide-eyed. "No, the true creator of these amazing outfits is Charity Kindheart's true student. One who was overlooked because she wasn't flashy, but instead understands the woman's vision beautifully." She stepped to the side as the lights shifted to the curtain. "Coco Pommel!"

The curtains parted and Coco walked out onto the stage, Flash with her while pushing Fee-Fee from within a portable tank on a trolley. The audience began to murmur in shocked whispers as the three reached the middle of the stage, Flash jumping down as Coco looked out at the people. "Hello everyone." The audience stared up at them. "I know you're all shocked to see me here, but I hope this show has helped you realize you don't always need flashy outfits and expensive jewelry to look good. You just need something that expresses who you are. And while that may include the flashy outfits and expensive jewelry, it doesn't always." The audience began to let out murmurs of agreement, only for a lone figure to run up through them.

"Oh please," everyone turned to see Suri climb up onto stage. Coco began to backpedal at the sight, her friends glaring at the sight, "All this has done is show how desperate you are. You knew your designs were awful, and the only hope you had of getting people to think they were good was to pass them off as my works."

"That's not true!" Coco countered, "We never said this show was being put on by you. All we said was that it was Charity's student."

"Like you were ever her student. You learned nothing about fashion from her!"

Coco frowned and looked away, only to see Rarity smile and nod at her. Coco then turned back to Suri, "I learned the true meaning of beauty." Suri raised an eyebrow at this. "Unlike you, I don't need to hide a Pokémon's flaws. I know how to highlight their true beauty so much that those flaws don't matter anymore. I help Pokémon see their true beauty, with clothes they like to wear. You just force your views onto them and then change that view five minutes later so they have to come back and pay you more. You're nothing but a sellout!"

This caused Suri's face to turn red, "Why you...you'll pay for that. You'll pay for all of this!" She took out a Pokeball, "I'll make you regret not leaving town when I bought you out. This travesty of a show ends now! Glameow!" She threw the Pokeball, "End this farce!" The Pokeball flew through the air before opening up, soon revealing the Catty Pokémon. Only this Glameow's fur had a pinkish tint to it, while its spring-like tail had multiple ribbons tied around it.

Glameow let out a hiss as it landed on the stage before pouncing at Coco, its claws primed to do some serious damage. Time seemed to slow down as everyone watched in horror, several of the Pokémon preparing to run up and save her. But one certain Pokémon reacted faster, a loud splashing sound filling the air as a Fee-Fee leapt out of her tank and slammed into Glameow before it could get close to Coco. The Feebas pushed the cat away, its wet body causing some of the dye to come off and stain the side of the cat's face. But as Glameow was thrown back, its eyes shot open and let out another loud scream before swinging its claws, slashing Fee-Fee's head.

Coco gasped as her Feebas was thrown back, the slash tearing the ribbon Charity had given her. "FEE-FEE!" She screamed as the Feebas fell to the ground, Glameow now spinning around and landing gracefully on the stage. "Fee-Fee!" Coco kneeled down and held the fish up, "Are you okay? Say something!" Fee-Fee let out something similar to a moan, as Suri began to let out a cackling laugh.

"That's what it gets for trying to be a hero! Honestly, can't that thing realize it has nothing of value in this world." She gave them a sickening smirk. "It's not strong, fast, can barely swim, and worst of all, it's absolutely horrid to look at."

She began laughing again, Coco now tightly holding Fee-Fee. "You're wrong." Suri stopped cackling and looked back at her, seeing Coco stand up with the Feebas in her arms. "Fee-Fee isn't horrid to look at. She's beautiful in her own way. If only you weren't so blind to see that."

"Oh please," Suri growled. "Name one thing about that monstrosity that could be classified as beautiful."

"I could ask the same thing about you," Coco barked back, "Put simply, Fee-Fee's beauty exists far below her skin. She has inner beauty, something you and all your creations lack." Fee-Fee opened its eyes at hearing this. "She cares about others, even at her own expense. She knew she'd get hurt defending me, but she did it anyway, because she's a selfless Pokémon."

"Who cares about what's on the inside," Suri spat, "All that matters is what's on the outside, like Charity taught us."

"No!" Coco shook her head, "That's the one thing you never could understand about Charity's work. She didn't dress up Pokémon to make them beautiful because she knew that any Pokémon was beautiful in their own way. She only helped highlight that beauty, the outer appearance simply being modelled to help showcase their inner appearance. But even then, she knew that it's not the outward appearance that makes one beautiful, it's about the inner self. A quality that Fee-Fee has more than anything!"

"What nonsense," Suri hissed, only for her eyes to drift to the audience, seeing some starting to buy what was being said.

But before she could say anything, Coco hugged Fee-Fee tighter as she continued, "The most important thing when deciding if something is beautiful is the soul of the one being judged. And if we're going by the soul, then you're the ugliest thing on this street, and Fee-Fee...Fee-Fee is the most beautiful thing!" This got the crowd going, everyone and their Pokémon calling out to Fee-Fee, telling her she was beautiful. The Feebas heard this, unable to stop herself from smiling. For the first time in the fish's life, she felt truly beautiful.

Then it happened.

Fee-Fee's entire body exploded with rainbow colored light, causing everyone to gasp in amazement. And none were more amazed than Coco as Fee-Fee's body began to grow and change. It extended and began to wrap around her, until the light finally exploded off to reveal her new form, a form of unthinkable beauty. The new Pokémon let out one of the most graceful sounds anyone had ever heard, the crowd still amazed at the sight.

"It evolved," Applejack whispered.

"Yeah...Feebas evolved into Milotic." Twilight added as Rarity's eyes were now filled with hearts at the sight of the creature.

"Gorgeous," she muttered, "Fee-Fee's outer appearance now matches her inner one. Now she truly is the most beautiful thing in the world."

Coco just stood there, her arms in the same position despite Fee-Fee no longer being in them. She then looked up at the Milotic as it turned to her, "Fee-Fee?" The Milotic nodded, Coco feeling herself begin to tear up, the two hugging one another. "Amazing. Just look at you. If only Charity could see you now."

But as they did this, Suri looked absolutely horrified, her face turning more red before shaking her head, letting out a scream next, "RAAAAHHH! Who cares if that thing evolved?! It still won't save you! Glameow!" The cat Pokémon began to charge, its claws now glowing.

"Fee-Fee!" Coco pointed at Glameow, "Water Pulse!" The Milotic swung her serpentine body around before unleashing a large blue sphere, hitting and exploding on impact. Glameow was sent flying, slamming into Suri.

"Gyah!" She cried as she and Glameow were thrown off the stage, the two landing on the ground as Glameow's dye began to run, staining Suri's skin and clothes. And as Suri began to recover and pick herself up, she glared at Coco, growling, "You'll pay for this."

"No," Rarity told her as she stepped up onto the stage, "You'll pay. Because a lot of your customers just saw you try to attack someone else." Suri's eyes went wide as she saw the crowd now all staring at her, some even recording it with cameras.

"Hey! Put those away!" She cried, but it was too late.

"I suggest you get out of here." Rarity added as Suri saw more and more people glaring at her.

Seeing no other alternative, the girl clutched her soaked Glameow and ran away, soon vanishing off the street. And once she was gone, the crowd turned back to the stage and cheered for Coco and Fee-Fee. They both smiled as Rarity held up her microphone. "Sorry for that very rude interruption ladies and gentlemen, but I think it helped Coco get the point across what she was going for."

The people all nodded back, the audience now bringing out their Pokémon and asking what they thought of their current looks. Many showed looked of distaste, though a few actually liked their looks. And so, the trainers began to remove the fashion accessories that their Pokémon hated, promising to find a way to remove the dye as soon as possible.

"Well then," Rarity spoke up. "I don't know about you, but I'd still like to see a few more of Coco's wonderful designs. Who's with me?" The crowd cheered in response, the fashion show starting up again as the remaining Pokémon showed off their brilliant outfits.





The next day...

The little Feebas Boutique was packed, with a line half a mile long running from the alleyway. Inside, Coco was helping a customer and her Mawile accessorize. Fee-Fee was there besides them, using her fan-like tail to hold up a box of ribbons. Doing so showed off the new pink ribbon tied around the tip of her tail while Coco took several ribbons of different colors and offered them to the Mawile. "Which do you like? I think the green one really goes well with your color."

Mawile stared at the ribbons before shaking her head, then pointed to the gray one. "Maw."

"Gray? Interesting choice, but if that's what you want." She tied the ribbon around the stem coming out of her head, creating a bow. "Beautiful." Mawile turned to itself in the mirror and smiled back.

Over by the side, Flash, Twilight, Spike, Doc and Applejack watched as Coco helped another customer. Rarity was also helping, mainly due to Coco being a bit short staffed. "Wow," Twilight looked out the window, "This place has way more customers than it can handle."

Doc chuckled at this, "Looks like she'll need to relocate to a bigger space. Maybe Suri will be up for selling her shop." Everyone laughed as they remembered walking past the Fabulous Boutique and seeing not a single customer within it.

"I hope so," Flash added, "Charity's beliefs belong in her store, and nobody deserves it more than Coco."

The others nodded as Rarity walked over, "Applejack darling, I was wondering-"

"Yah wanna stay here a few more days to help Coco out?" Applejack guessed, getting a nod from Rarity.

"Just until Coco can find some new assistants to help her out." Rarity replied, "Maybe some of those stylists we met the other day will see the light and agree to ditch Suri."

"It'd certainly be a job step up," Spike laughed, the others nodding.

And in that moment, Twilight's bag began to beep. She reached inside and took out her journal, which was beeping to announce a new message. She opened it up, reading something as her began to grow wide. The others noticed this, Spike asking, "Twilight? Who's messaging you?"

Twilight didn't respond for a moment, then closed the journal as she turned to Spike. "Cadance."
> Shine Bright Like A Crystal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Flash's seventh Equestria League Badge in hand, the group was now back on the road due to a message Twilight had received from her sister-in-law, Cadance. Now two days after leaving Manehatten, the four and their Pokémon found themselves staring down at a small town.

"There it is!" Twilight cheered with the biggest smile any of them had ever seen her wear. "Cadance said she'd meet us at the Pokémon Center!"

Spike chuckled at this, "You're clearly excited to see her again."

"Of course!" Twilight replied. "I haven't gotten to see her in over a year. I can't wait to tell her about everything we've been doing since we last saw her."

With that, she began to run down the hill, the boys following as Flash commented, "I've never seen her this giddy before. I'm guessing the two are close?"

Spike nodded back. "Before she and Shining started dating, Cadance used to babysit Twilight whenever she had time off from working as Celestia's assistant. They practically became sisters before becoming legal sisters."

"Heh. Sounds like Twilight."

And as they continued to head toward the town, a black pickup rolled along the trail before coming to a stop. A man in a black shirt under a black combat vest and grey pants jumped out and stared at the town. "There it is," he whispered before taking out a device and hitting a button. Doing so caused a hologram of a pink women with pink, yellow and purple hair to appear. "Once I find you, I'll be in for the payday of a life time."





Twilight and the others had now arrived at the Pokémon Center, Twilight rushing inside while looking like a kid at Christmas. Her eyes darted around, only to find no sign of her sister-in-law. "Cadance?" She asked, but nobody replied. The others walked in after this, seeing a frown on Twilight's face. "Where is she?! She's not here!"

"Maybe she's running late," Flash replied as Twilight let out a sigh, walking over to a nearby bench to sit down. She put her chin into her hands and pouted, the others grimacing at the face was giving. That is, till her eyes were suddenly covered, somebody now speaking up.

"Guess who?" Twilight gasped and pulled the hands that were covering her eyes, getting up before staring at the person she had been looking for.

The pink skinned woman smiled at her, Twilight now seeing she was dressed in a dark blue jacket that was open to reveal a light blue shirt. She was also wearing a light blue skirt and boots that went halfway up to her knees with long white socks going all the way to her knees.

"Cadance!" She immediately hugged her, "Its so good to see you!"

"I'm happy to see you too," Cadance giggled as she embraced her back before pulling away, "Look at you. You look almost exactly the same, but you feel...different from the last time I saw you. More mature." Twilight shined a big grin at this as Spike walked over to them, "Spike!" The two hugged as well, "How you been? Have you grown?"

"Maybe a little," Spike replied as Cadance pulled away, now noticing the Terragon on his shoulder, giving him a scratch under the chin. "This is Peewee."

"Awww...he's adorable," she said as Peewee let out a hum from the scratching as Cadance turned to Flash and Doc, "And these must be the travelling companions Shining told me about."

"Name's Flash," the teen replied as Springer waved at her.

"Riolu!"

"You can call me Doc. It's nice to meet you."

"You as well," Cadance responded before turning to Twilight. "It's so good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," Twilight nodded before tilting her head, "But...what are you doing here? Does this have something to do with that project you were telling me about the last time I saw you?"

Cadance shined a big grin at this, "Oh, it just might. Follow me." She began to walk out of the center, the five going into the garden and taking seats around a table next to the battlefield. Once they sat down, Cadance reached into her bag and took out an old looking book. "A colleague of mine managed to locate this book on ancient Equestrian languages. I came here hoping it would help me in deciphering some text I found during my latest discovery, which is why I contacted you Twilight." She turned to the teen, "You remember those stories I told you of the Crystal Empire?"

Twilight gasped while Doc and even Spike's eyes went wide. "You found it?" She asked, getting a nod from Cadance. This made her squeal before she hugged Cadance again. "I can't believe it!"

"Uh...does somebody wanna fill me in here?" They turned to Flash, "What's the Crystal Empire?"

"You've never heard of it?" Spike asked. "It's famous in the Equestria Region!"

Cadance nodded as she began to explain, "It was a great kingdom located in the most northern part of Equestria at the time. Centuries before, a meteor almost crashed into the region. If it had landed, it would have destroyed the entire region. But a lone hero, chosen by three of Equestria's legendary Pokémon, stood against it and was able to summon their master."

"You're talking about Horsearth and the other two," Doc chimed in, "And their master was Alicormony?"

"Exactly," Cadance replied with a firm nod, "The hero gave their life in order to awaken Alicormony, giving it the power needed to once again enter our world. Once here, Alicormony destroyed the meteor almost entirely. Only a small chunk survived and crashed into earth, doing very little damage thanks to Alicormony managing to slow it down. You see, the meteor was made out of a special crystal." She pulled out a piece of paper and began to draw, "And its shape was quite unusual." She drew an upside-down semicircle and then drew a triangle on top of the flat part. The base became embedded in the ground while the spike remained pointed to the sky.

"What does this have to do with the empire?" Flash asked, Cadance laughing before she took out another book and showed him a page. This page showed what looked like a castle made out of some kind of rock.

"The son of the hero chose to honor his father's brave sacrifice by building a city in his honor. He carved the crystal spire and created a castle, then he and those that followed him began to build houses on the flat crystal base. But this couldn't have been accomplished if not for a gift from Alicormony." The others raised an eyebrow at this, "The area the city was built upon is constantly snowing. Had they attempted to build the city without Alicormony's help, many of them would have froze to death."

"So what did Alicormony do?" Twilight asked next, "You've never said anything about that in any of your stories."

"That's because I didn't know about it until now," Cadance replied, "For you see, the Crystal Empire is actually located inside a mountain. A mountain made entirely of ice." The others gasped at this. "The mountain protected the city from the blizzards and allowed them to build their paradise, with the hero's son being crowned as its king."

"Wow..." Flash whispered, "That does sound cool. How have I not heard of this place before?"

"Because a thousand years ago, the empire was lost." This made Flash go wide-eyed, Cadance nodding back, "It's unsure what caused it, but something made the king of the time evacuate the city. And when they tried to return, they seemed unable to find the entrance into the ice mountain."

"So they just forgot where they put a city made entirely of crystal?" Flash asked, "That's...hard to believe."

Cadance shrugged at this, "There aren't many records of the time. Maybe there's other factors we don't know about, but we won't know until we explore the city. And that's exactly what I've been doing."

"So you were able to find it?" Spike gasped, getting another nod from Cadance.

"I found it a couple of months ago. And it's all true. A city made entirely of crystal, shielded from the elements by a mountain of ice."

"Amazing..." Twilight whispered, "That's incredible. All your hard work's finally payed off!" She turned to Flash, "Cadance has been interested in the Crystal Empire since she was very young. She's been searching for it for almost as long."

"Well of course! It is my home after all." Flash, Doc and Spike all tilted their heads at this, making her giggle. "My ancestor was the crystal king himself. It's been a well known fact about my family for a long time. When I was told that, I made it my mission to find out as much as I can about the place."

"And now you've actually found it," Doc finished.

"So what else can you tell us?" Twilight asked. "Come on! I wanna know everything you've learned!" Cadence giggled before tapping Twilight's head.

"There'll be plenty of time for that later. Right now, I wanna hear what you've been up to. Shining's told me a bit, but I rather hear it from the Horsea's mouth. Caught any new Pokémon?"

"Sure have," she took out her Pokeballs. "Peewee's one of mine until Spike's older, and I also have these two." She threw the balls into the air and in a flash, her Ponyta and Owlolar appeared.

Owlicious flew over to Cadance first, "Owlicious!" She ruffled his feathers, "I was told you had evolved, but seeing you like this in person...you look good!"

"Owl!" he happily hooted.

"Yup. And this is Shine."

Cadance turned to Shine, who just stared at her, "Hello little one. Aren't you cute?"

"Nee," Shine replied as Cadance began to pet her.

"I never thought I'd see a Galarian Ponyta in Equestria." She turned to Twilight, "What do you say to a battle?" Twilight's eyes went wide. "I've never seen you battle before, and I heard you've done well in the Hoof Cup and Battle Tournament. So how about it?"

Twilight instantly smiled, "I'd love too." She turned to Shine, "You ready?" Shine neighed in agreement before galloping over to the battlefield, Cadance moving over to the area as well, "So what are you going to use?"

Cadance walked onto her battle square, smirking as she took out a strange looking Pokeball. It had pink in place of red and had a heart shape above the button. "Something very special. You see, the Crystal Empire isn't the only discovery I've made. There was a special Pokémon that could only be found in the Empire. When it was lost, these Pokémon vanished as well. But now, I've managed to catch what might be the very last member of its species." The whole group went wide-eyed at this, stars in their eyes as she giggled at their expressions. "Crystardian!" She threw the ball, "Come on out!"

The ball flew through the air, opening to reveal a new Pokémon. The creature was a strange assortment of crystals and rocks that was floating through the air. The main body was a large round boulder that was as large as Cadance was tall. The top and bottom of this boulder had large pink crystal spikes sticking out, the one on top twice as big as the one of the bottom. Its sides and back also had smaller crystals coming out, but these ones were each connected to a smaller round rock that had a single crystal spike sticking out of it. The front of the main body was a hole in it that was filled with a pink crystal bowl. Inside the bowl was a red dot that was moving all over the bowl, everyone seeing it thinking that was its eye.

The Pokémon made a strangely robotic sound, the crystal spikes on its smaller boulders now glowing. They then extracted themselves from the rocks and began to float around the Pokémon, giving it the appearance of an atom.

"Whoa..." Spike whispered, "That thing looks so cool!"

Flash, Twilight and Doc had to agree, but drawing a blank at the Pokémon. Cadance chuckled at this before turning to Flash, "Get your Pokedex. There was an update to the database a little while ago, so the info will be in there." Flash pulled out the device in response, scanning the creature.

Name: Crystardian
Category: Protector Pokémon
Type: Rock/Psychic
Info: An ancient Pokémon, it lives to protect the royal family that lived in a lost city long ago. It wields three crystal-like constructs that it battles with using its psychic powers.

Cadance smiled. "When we first found the Crystal Empire, this thing came out of nowhere and started attacking my team. But when it saw me, it suddenly stopped and knelt down before me. At least...it think it was kneeling. Hard to tell." She then turned to her sister-in-law. "Get ready Twilight. You're about to be the first person in a thousand years to battle against one of these."

Twilight could feel her eyes shrink at this, gulping before her eyes narrowed, "And I'll be the first to beat it in a thousand years."

"We'll see," Cadance giggled before turning to Doc. "If you would do the honors."

Doc nodded and walked up between them. "Are both trainers ready?" They nodded, "Then battle...BEGIN!"

As soon as he said that, Twilight gave Shine a command. "Psybeam!" Shine's horn quickly glowed before firing a burst of rainbow light at Crystardian, the creature not moving.

"Protect." The crystals floating around it came together to form a triangular shield, the gems glowing white before a force-field appeared around Crystardian, blocking the attack. Twilight gasped at the sight, Shine's attack bouncing off the shield with ease. "Now, Power Gem!" The force field disappeared as the gems split apart.

Crystardian let out another robotic cry as the crystals began to glow their normal color, soon flying toward Shine, "Dodge it!" Twilight yelled as Shine tried to jump away, evading the first gem, only for another to slam into her.

"Nee!" She yelped as she was hit, the crystals then flying back over to their controller.

"You okay?" Twilight asked, Shine letting out a grunt as she picked herself back up and nodded. "Alright, then let's try Fairy Wind!" Shine raised her tail before it spinning around, firing out a glitter-filled wind.

"Protect!" Once again, the gems came together and created another force-field around Crystardian. The wind struck the field, leaving the Protector Pokémon completely unharmed as it flew past it.

"We gotta get past that shield! Mystical Fire!" Shine drew the fire ring before shooting a fireball through, Cadance telling her Pokémon to use Protect again. The flames hit the shield, only for Twilight to yell, "Again!" Shine fired again, Crystardian still shielding herself. "Multiple Mystical Fires, keep firing!"

The others watched as Shine shot fireball after fireball at Crystardian, all of them bouncing off the shield. "What's she doing?" Spike asked, "There's no way she's gonna get through that Protect."

"Don't be so sure," Flash added.

And after the tenth Mystical Fire, the force-field began to flicker. "Clever. Quite clever." Finally, the Mystical Fire shattered the forcefield, the flames now striking Crystardian. It let out another weird sound as it was knocked back, but was able to remain floating.

"Quickly! Before it has time to recover, use Psybeam!" Shine let out a neigh before launching another psychic beam, this one heading straight for Crystardian.

"Flame Burst!" This order made everyone go wide-eyed, Crystardian's eye now glowing before a fireball shot out of it. It struck the Psybeam, an explosion happening next as embers from the Flame Burst now rained down on the battlefield, hitting Shine.

"Nee!" She flinched at this, staggering back from the flames.

"Power Gem!" Crystardian's gems glowed before shooting toward Shine, ready to bash her again.

"Fairy Wind!" Twilight yelled, Shine spinning around to unleash the gust of wind. It struck the three gems, slowing them down just enough for Shine to dodge two, only for the third to hit her.

"Nee-taa!" She cried as she was knocked back, stumbling on her hooves.

"Mystical Fire!" Twilight ordered, expecting her to counter with protect.

But when Shine unleashed the fire rocket, Cadance called out a different command, "Psychic!" The gem on Crystardian's head glowed pink and the fireball glowed the same color, Twilight and Shine gasping when it suddenly curved upward and did a complete U-turn.

"Get out of there!" Twilight told Shine as she leapt to the side in order to avoid the fireball.

"Again." Cadance countered as the fireball hit the ground, Crystardian turning its attention to Shine as its crystal horn glowed once more. This time, Shine's body glowed along with it, now finding itself being lifted up.

"Nee?" She asked as she tried to move, only to find she couldn't. All she could do was struggle, only to be shifted around so her horn wasn't pointing at Crystardian. She tried to move her tail, but it was stiff as a board.

"Shine!" Twilight cried as her Ponyta was lifted a good twenty feet into the air, then turned to Cadance while Crystardian glanced back to wait for its next order.

"Do it!" The professor told Crystardian, who turned back to Shine before pulling her back toward the ground at high speed.

Twilight gasped and flinched away, closing her eyes. But as she did this...nothing happened. No sound of impact or Shine's cry of pain. She then looked back at Shine, now seeing she was hovering inches from the ground, Crystardian now dropping her. The teen turned back to Cadance as the woman smiled, "Why did-"

"There was no point in causing her more pain than needed. It was clear you two weren't going to win." Twilight opened her mouth at this, only to look down as Shine slumped over.

"I...I see." She muttered out, only for Cadance to walk over and pat Twilight on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. You've become a strong trainer Twilight, much more compared to back then." She then turned to Shine, "But...well, something is holding this little one back."

"Nee?"

"Holding her back?" Twilight added, "What do you mean?"

Cadance leaned down to pat Shine on the head, "I could tell when she fought that there's something keeping her from reaching her full potential. I don't know what exactly it is, but she'll need to get past it if she wants to become stronger." Twilight frowned at this before picking Shine up as Cadance asked, "Has Shine ever sustained any kind of trauma or suffered a particularly scarring injury that might have had an effect on her?"

The group all exchanged glances at this, unable to think of any incident it could be. There were too many, Cadance then saying, "Well, whatever it is, I'm sure she'll be able to overcome it eventually. As long as you're there for her." Twilight nodded before Cadance shined a big grin, "Say, I was thinking..." they all turned to her. "If you're all really interested in the Crystal Empire, why not come back with me to it? I can give you all a behind-the-scenes tour of the place. You could be the first person in a thousand years to step on a particular part of the city."

The four all gasped at the thought of seeing a long lost city. But before any of them could agree, Twilight turned to Flash and shined a big frown. Cadance saw this, raising an eyebrow as Twilight replied, "Sorry Cadance, but I don't think we can go with you."

"What?! Why not?! I would have thought you'd jump at the chance to see such an interesting place."

"I would, but it sounds like the Crystal Empire is a long ways off. And we can't take such a long detour, especially since Flash is only one badge away from entering the Equestria League."

The boys all frowned at this, knowing she was right. Cadance also looked disappointed, only to turn to Flash, "Wait...you're going for your eighth badge?"

Flash nodded back, "Once I decide which gym to take on, yeah."

"Well, then this is perfect." Everyone raised an eyebrow at this, "You can come to the Crystal Empire because it's right on the way to the toughest gym in all of Equestria."

This made Flash go wide-eyed, "The toughest gym?!"

"Oh yeah. Just north of the Crystal Empire is a snowy mountain range. And passed that mountain range is a place called Mount Tartarus, a massive mountain range. And on the other side of that mountain is Dragonia City." This caught everyone's attention, their minds flashing back to when they met Kaida. She had told them about that city, which had been first founded by a splinter group of draconids. "That city has a gym leader so strong, he's only ever been beaten by trainers who have already defeated seven other gym leaders." This made Flash shine a huge grin, "In fact, Shining battled against him to get his final badge, and it actually took him three attempts before he managed to finally beat the guy."

"Even Shining lost to this guy?!" Flash whispered, then turning to Springer. The two nodded to each other before glancing back at Cadance, "Alright! We're going to the Crystal Empire, then we're heading to Dragonia City to in order to take on Equestria's most powerful Gym Leader!" He turned to the others, "You guys with me?"

"YEAH!" The three cheered as Cadance giggled at their happiness.

And as the group began to talk about their upcoming journey, they didn't notice a man watching the garden from behind a nearby tree. A small smile was on his face, "Crystal Empire, huh? I can work with that."





That night...

In one of the center's rooms, Cadance and Twilight were sharing it with Shine as she stayed out of her Pokeball. The two girls talked for hours until they grew tired, both falling asleep as Shine remained awake. She couldn't stop thinking about what Cadance had said.

The statement followed her into the realm of sleep, drifting off with the words still on her mind. And when she opened her eyes, she suddenly found herself in a forest in the dead of night. Walking through the trees there, she found herself at a clearing with a flight of stairs in front of her. She walked up them, soon reaching the top as she found it to be someplace she remembered all too well.

It was the shrine near Camp Everfree. The place that brought the most terror into her heart.

And before she could run away, a roar of laughter filled the air, making her go wide-eyed. She looked back at the shrine, now seeing a portal of darkness open before the subject of her greatest fear walked out of it. Piedoom.

The Phantom Clown Pokémon chuckled before floating down, Shine now trying to backpedal. But as she did this, she bumped into something, making her spin around and see another Piedoom staring down at her. She let out a whimper as she tried to run away, only for another to appear in front of her. Then another formed beside her, making her gasp.

Eventually, she was surrounded by Piedoom as they all began to get closer. And as they got within inches of her, Shine let out a loud scream.





"NEETAA!" She cried before flinching up, her eyes shooting open, breath now heavy as she stood up from the bed. Gasping for air, she now saw she back in the room.

Tears began to form in her eyes at this, turning to her sleeping trainer. The girl was the closest thing she had to a mother, making Shine shuffle up to her. She snuggled against the teen, the sleeping girl unconsciously putting an arm around her.

"Nee..." she whispered as she tried to hug Twilight back, closing her eyes as she drifted off to sleep. But as she did this, another nightmare began to appear in her dreams, haunting her yet again.





The next day...

As soon as the sun was up the next morning, the group were up and ready to set out on their biggest adventure yet, Cadance now with them. The five headed out of the Pokémon Center, Springer, Peewee and Shine moving alongside them. They were soon on the road as Flash and Doc started to get to know Cadance better.

"So you're the boy Shining gave that Riolu too?" She asked Flash while the teen nodded back.

"That's right. I didn't even recognize him when we met again, but I soon realized it was him when we battled."

Cadance then looked down at Springer, "So you absorbed the energy of a giant Everstone and can't evolve?" Springer nodded back with a big frown on his face. "I'm sorry. That must have been hard for you."

"It was," Flash replied before patting the Riolu, "But we've proven we're just as strong without Springer evolving."

"Ri!" Springer added as they walked down a dirt road with a grassy meadow on either side of them that had large rocks and clusters of trees. They continued to talk about their adventures so far, only to suddenly hear a voice.

"Help!" It called out, "Is somebody up there?!" They glanced around, the voice now saying, "I'm over here!" It was here that Flash spotted something a ways off. A hole.

"Over there!" He ran over to the hole, the group soon looking down it. They saw it was a good twenty feet deep and very narrow. And at the bottom of it was a man sat limply as he looked up.

"Oh thank Arceus. You have to help me!"

"How did you get down there?" Cadance asked.

"I don't know," he replied, "I was just walking when suddenly, the ground fell out below me." He flinched in pain as he tried to move, the group now seeing his arms were still. "I think I broke both my arms. I can't climb up."

"Just hold on," Doc responded, "We'll get you up."

"How?" Spike asked, "This hole's way to small for any Flying-type strong enough to lift him. And I doubt you've got enough rope."

The others exchanged glances at this, only for the man to call out, "Do any of you have a Psychic-type? Or something that can use that move? Then you can just lift me up."

"Not a bad idea," Twilight took out her Pokeball, but Cadance stopped her from bringing out Owlicious.

"Hold it Twilight. Probably better to have another Pokémon do it. Let him save his energy for transporting him back to town." Twilight nodded and Cadance took out the pink Pokeball. "Crystardian," the ball opened, revealing the Pokémon. "Use Psychic and lift him out of the hole."

Crystardian let out its unusual noise as the top crystal began to glow, the man now glowing before he was slowly lifted into the air. "That's it," he said while flinching as his arms moved. "Thank you."

The others smiled as he reached the top of the hole. But as soon as he got out, Flash noticed he had two somethings in his hands. And as a smile appeared on his lips, he pressed down on one of them. "Suckers!" He laughed as the ground around the hole suddenly disappeared.

Flash quickly shoved Twilight to the side, pushing her away as Shine, Springer and Peewee reacted and hopped back. But the others cried out as they fell into the hole, which was a good ten feet deep, and merged with the first hole. They all screamed before hitting the ground, Spike almost landing in the second hole until Doc grabbed him.

The man just kept laughing at this, ticking off against Crystardian. Doing so allowed him to be released from the Psychic and propel him to the side of the hole. "You're mine!" He yelled as he pressed the button in his other hand.

Before Twilight could stop him, two things exploded out of the ground on either side of Crystardian. Two halves of a round metal cage appeared, slamming together around the Protector Pokémon before it could do anything.

"What?!" Twilight yelped as Crystardian and its cage fell to the ground, Crystardian looking like it was in pain. "What did you do?!"

The man chuckled back, "That cage is made of a special material that blocks the psychic abilities of whatever's in it. As long as that thing's inside there, it's powerless."

"What?!" Twilight yelped as the Pokémon got into a fighting stance. "Why are you doing this?!"

"Because people will pay big bucks for a possibly one of a kind Pokémon like that thing. Selling it off is gonna get me a big bonus."

Twilight growled at this, "So you're just a thief."

"I prefer devilishly rogue obtainer of rare items. And nothing screams rarer that that thing."

"Well you're not gonna get away with it," Twilight pointed at him. "Go!" The three charged as the man pulled out a Pokeball.

"Go!" He threw the ball and the red energy flew out, hitting the ground with a force that caused a cloud of dust. The three stopped in front of this fog, only for the man to yell, "Night Shade!" From out of the cloud, two bolts of black and red lightning exploded out, striking Springer and Peewee before either could react.

"RI/TERRA!" They cried as they were thrown back, Peewee slamming into the ground while Springer slammed into a rock that had been behind him. Springer cried out again as his head hit it before falling over, the impact doing serious damage.

"Springer!" Twilight screamed, Shine turning to glare at the Pokémon in the cloud. But as the dust began to fade, the sight within made her heart stop.

"Pied..." the Pokémon was a Piedoom, and it was smiling a vicious grin. Shine's eyes went wide and her ears fell, her entire body going ridged at the sight.

"Shine?" Twilight asked, only to stare up at the Pokémon. "Of course." She thought back to their last confrontation with Score and his men, then back to the first time they saw a Piedoom. Cadance's words from yesterday now rang in her head, remembering Shine had only been a few days old before that first experience. "Shine, get away!"

Shine vaguely heard this, but Piedoom was faster. "Night Slash!" Before Shine could move, Piedoom swung its sword.

"Pied!" It roared as it glowing black blade struck the Galarian Ponyta.

"NEE!" She screamed as she was thrown back, Twilight running over to her.

"Shine! Are you okay?!" She asked before the poacher called out another attack.

"Night Shade!" She looked up as Piedoom unleashed a bolt of dark lightning from each of its eyes, both heading straight for them. Twilight barely managed to pick Shine up and leap to the side before the bolts hit the ground, causing it explode. The force sent both flying, knocking Twilight's Pokeballs to fall out of her side, the girl hitting the ground with a thud. "Ha!" The poacher laughed before holding up another remote, "With that taken care of." He hit the button and the sound of an engine filled the air.

Seconds later, his pickup flew out of the trees and swerved around so the back was pointed at Crystardian's cage. He pressed another button and a cable flew out of the truck and wrapped around the cage's bars. It then retracted, pulling the cage in as he turned to Twilight, "Hand the Ponyta over." Twilight's eyes went wide, "I'm sure that thing will fetch a hefty price."

Twilight glared at him and held Shine tightly, making the poacher sigh, "Alright," he pressed a button, "We'll do this the hard way." The pickup shot out another rope that wrapped around Twilight and Shine, tying them both up before the two could react. He then grabbed her by the rope and pulled her toward the truck, throwing her into the back.

"You'll regret this!" She screamed.

"I doubt it," the poacher replied before turning to the unconscious Riolu and Terragon. "Might as well take these too. More money for me! HA!"

But as he was about to grab them, a voice yelled out, "Doc, give me a boost!" The poacher turned to the hole, now seeing Flash getting thrown out. He growled at the sight, quickly returning Piedoom before running up to the driver seat. And as Flash turned to the vehicle, he saw Twilight and Shine held captive on the back. "TWILIGHT!" He screamed, only for the truck to drive off, running right into some trees before vanishing in sight.

"NO!" He yelled before spinning around and helping his friends out of the hole while telling them what happened, "Come on! We gotta help Twilight!"

And as they got out, Spike held up Peewee before exclaiming, "We have to find them!"

"We will," Cadance replied, "We just have to be smart about this. That guy's clearly well armed, so we can't just attack him without a plan."

Spike nodded as Flash moved over to pick up Springer. "Come on bud," he held him tightly. "Please be okay."

"Ri," he heard him moan, "Rio..." he then flinched and held his head.

"I think he's got a concussion," Cadance commented as she looked him over, "You should return him to his Pokeball." Springer let out a moan at this, shaking his head before flinching. "What's wrong?"

"Springer hates being in his Pokeball."

"Oh. Well, stressing him out isn't gonna do him any good. Just keep holding him and make sure he doesn't move his head and neck too much." She then reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, "Light stimulates the brain and isn't good for a concussion." She placed them on the Riolu, "That should work. Feeling better?" Springer barely nodded. "Good. Now let's go find Twilight."

"They can't have gotten too far," Doc added before taking out a Pokeball and calling out Flitanium. Flash carefully brought out Skyler and Spike, after finding Owlicious' Pokeball, brought him out too.

"Go find Twilight!" Flash ordered before the three nodded and flew off, the humans running in the direction the truck had gone.





Twilight let out a long groan as she felt herself coming around, only to feel something tight wrapped around her with her back against something hard. Her eyes slowly opened, looking down to see she had been tied to a tree. Gasping at the sight, she began to squirm, trying to get free but to no avail. But as she did this, she then saw Shine and Crystardian a few feet away. Shine had been thrown in her own cage, the Ponyta also unconscious while Crystardian could only lay with its face on the ground due to not having its psychic abilities.

"Shine!" she called out, trying to get her Ponyta to wake up.

"Oh?" The poacher and Piedoom turned to her, the man now eating out of a can of beans, "Awake, are we? That's too bad. I was hoping you'd stay asleep until we left."

"Left?!" Twilight asked, "Wait...what are you going to do with them?"

The man laughed as he threw the can to the ground. "I already put the two's information online and started an auction. When the timers hit zero, I'll be sending those two to the highest bidder. And with how rare Crystardian is, selling them will put me on easy street."

Twilight grit her teeth at this, "You're despicable! Treating Pokémon like trading cards that can just be sold off. Don't you have any shame?!"

"Surprisingly...no," he guffawed before turning to Piedoom, "Keep an eye on things. If you see anyone coming, warn me. And If any of them do anything that looks like trouble, do whatever you want to keep them in line." Piedoom nodded and almost looked giddy at that prospect, the man walking off while Piedoom began to float around.

Twilight glared at the phantom clown, now squirming against the bonds again. And as she did this, she stared at Shine and Crystardian, "Don't worry," she told them. "I'll find a way out of here....I hope."





Back with the others...

The group were now running through a large clusters of trees the pickup could have driven into, only to find nothing. "Anything?" Flash asked Doc as he checked the ground, the gym leader shaking his head.

"Nothing. No tracks. You'd think a truck that heavy would dig into the ground and leave some kind of trail."

"Well we've gotta do something," Spike yelled before they heard a cry and looked up. The Flying-types all flew down, landing as the others gathered around.

"See anything?" Flash asked, getting a shake of the head from each of them.

"Then please expand your search perimeter," Cadance asked, all nodding and taking to the air again. Peewee joined them as well, Cadance then hearing Flash let out a sigh as she saw him hold his Riolu close.

"If only Springer wasn't hurt. He could probably track Twilight down in ten seconds." He heard Springer let out a long moan, "Don't worry bud. It's not your fault. We'll find them, promise."

Cadance smiled at this, "You care a great deal about Twilight, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Flash replied as he turned to her, "She's my friend, and she's helped me a lot since we've met. I wouldn't be half the trainer I am if it wasn't for her." He then looked away, "That's why I'm gonna find her no matter what."

He got up next up, walking away while Cadance to raise an eyebrow. A smirk appeared on her lips, only to be replaced with a frown. "Don't lose focus Cadance." She told herself before walking around, trying to find any evidence of the truck, "Hold on Twilight."





Meanwhile...

Twilight was still struggling against her bonds as Piedoom floated around, only for the teen to hear a quiet moan. Looking up, she saw her Ponyta waking up. "Shine..." she whispered, "You're awake." Shine neighed as she pushed her head up, seeing the predicament they were in. And before she could ask what was happening, her eyes caught sight of the Piedoom.

"Nee!" she cried as she tried to shuffle away, only to hit the back of the cage.

"Shine," she turned to Twilight, "Ignore it. We've got to get out of here." Shine tilted her head at this, only for Twilight to stare at Crystardian. Shine turned to the Protector Pokémon, remembering how strong it was. "But first, we have to get out of here."

Shine nodded and tried to use her Psychic powers to undo the lock, but found she couldn't access them, the cage the same as Crystardian's. "Nee..." she moaned and slumped over.

Twilight grimaced at this, only to ask, "Do you think you can use your other attacks?" Shine looked up at her, "If you use Mystical Fire, you can burn through my ropes and I can get you out of there." Shine nodded and moved up to the edge of the cage, igniting her horn.

She was about to fire, only to cut the flames before laying down, pretending she was knocked out. Seconds later, Piedoom flew passed by and smiled at them. Shine's heart raced as the phantom clown drew closer, staring into her cage. She wanted to cry out and scream, but kept silent. Piedoom continued to stare at her, Shine doing everything to not shake in pure terror, only for it float away. Once he was back out of sight, Shine sighed in relief and turned back to Twilight with tears in her eyes.

"It's alright," Twilight whispered, "I know you're scared, but I'm here. And no matter what, I will never let them or anyone hurt you." Shine let out a whimper before lighting her horn, firing a fireball that hit Twilight's ropes.

She shined a big grin as the ropes began to weaken, soon getting free before stomping on the flames to put it out. Twilight ran up to the cage next, pulling out a hairpin from her pocket and after a minute, Shine's cage was open and she leapt into Twilight's arms. "It's okay," she whispered while hugging her, "It's okay." She then turned to Crystardian's cage. "Don't worry," she put Shine down, "I'll get you out of there." She started picking the lock, but found this one wasn't as agreeable as Shine's cage. "Come on..."

"Nee," Shine looked around, trying to make sure nothing was around, only to backpedal into the bean can. A clang rang out as it clattered along the ground and hit her cage, causing the noise to fill the air.

"What was that?" They heard the man say, causing the girls to gasp. Twilight began to fiddle with the cage's lock even more, only for the thief and Piedoom walk into view. "HEY!" He yelled as she saw Twilight, "How did you escape?!"

Twilight gasped, only to turn to her Pokémon, "Shine! Use Mystical Fire and burn the lock!" But Shine did nothing, making her look down and see Shine was completely petrified. "Shine!" However, Ponyta's entire body stayed still, frozen in terror as Piedoom got closer.

The thief laughed as he watched Twilight try and pick the lock again. "Aw, too bad. Your little escape attempt failed." He turned to the Phantom Clown, "Get them." Piedoom nodded as it shined a big grin, ready to play with its food.

"Come on!" Twilight cried as she jiggled at the lock, but it refused to give. She looked back in time to see Piedoom now getting closer, stalking toward them like a cat playing with its food. It knew Shine wouldn't fight back, so it wasn't trying to be quick. It was enjoying the terror she was feeling.

"Stay back!" Twilight screamed as she jumped between her and Piedoom, holding out her arms. "I won't let you hurt Shine!"

"Pied?" It asked before laughing, the poacher doing the same.

"What can you do? If your Ponyta won't fight, so how can you possibly stop us?" He pointed at the girl, "Night Shade!" Piedoom's eyes shot out the dark bolts, flying straight at Twilight. The two expected her to jump away, but Twilight remained where she was and braced herself.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" She screeched as she was struck by both bolts, the sound of her cries shocking Shine out of her petrification. She looked up to see Twilight's body going slightly limp as the Night Shade vanished. But she remained standing, protective of Shine. "I...won't-augh...let you near Shine."

The poacher growled, "What are you, stupid?! Its just a Pokémon. Give up and let me have my payday."

"No!" Twilight barked back, "I'm Shine's trainer. And as long as I breathe, I won't let you hurt her."

"Well that's an easy fix," the thief replied before Piedoom took out one of its swords and held it up. "Get rid of her."

The Ponyta saw the blade, feeling her shrinking back as she then saw Twilight wasn't moving. Seeing what this meant, something happened. A new fear appeared in her heart, one she feared far more than Piedoom. She feared living the rest of her life without Twilight in it. Whether it was by being taken away and sold to someone else, or having her taken away by something she couldn't do anything to stop. This fear consumed her, the pony watching the sword now swing down.

"NEE!" She screamed before suddenly charge, using her psychic abilities to help her jump straight up so that she could fly over Twilight's shoulder and get between her and Piedoom. Both Twilight and Piedoom gasped at the sight, only for Shine to swing around and fired a Fairy Wind attack. It struck Piedoom, knocking it back while making it drop its sword.

"What?" The poacher yelped as he saw his Pokémon fall back.

Twilight just stared at her Ponyta. "Shine?" She watched as Shine glare at Piedoom, all her fear appearing to be completely gone.

"Nee," she stomped on the ground, "Nee taa!" No matter what, she wouldn't let anything take Twilight out of her life. No matter how terrifying the situation, Shine feared losing her more. And she wouldn't allow that fear to become a reality. "NEETAA!" She screamed before he entire body suddenly exploded with light.

Twilight and the thief gasped as they saw Shine's body begin to grow, soon becoming bigger then her trainer. And as the light faded, it revealed her new form. "RAAAAP!" The newly evolved Galarian Rapidash neighed as she jumped onto her back legs and kicked her front ones forward.

"Shine," Twilight whispered, "You...evolved." Shine looked back at her and smiled, the poacher growling at this.

"It'll take more than evolving to save you!" he yelled as Piedoom picked itself up. "Show these two why they shouldn't mess with us!" Piedoom pulled out its other two swords as Shine turned to it, feeling a little intimidated, but refusing to let herself be paralyzed.

It was then that a rainbow colored sphere of light appeared at the tip of Shine's horn, which exploded into a beam of light that shot for Piedoom, slamming into the Phantom Clown. "Pied!" It cried as it was knocked back.





A ways off...

Twilight's friends were still doing their search when they suddenly noticed a bright light coming from a cluster of trees.

"What's that?" Spike asked, Cadance knowing the answer.

"It's Dazzling Gleam. A powerful Fairy-type attack...and there's only one Pokémon around that could learn that." With that, she started running toward it, the boys following behind her.

"We're coming Twilight!"





When the light faded, Twilight and the thief saw that Piedoom had been blasted off its feet, its body crashing through a tree. Twilight smirked before moving over to pat Shine on the side of the head. "Fairy-type, the one type that can do super effective damage against a Ghost Dark-type."

Shine let out a happy neigh before turning to the cage holding Crystardian, her horn igniting as she fired a Mystical Fire attack, destroying the lock in one blow. The cage fell apart, allowing Crystardian to use its ability and float back into the air. It moved over to the two and gave what they thought was a happy and thankful sound, only to hear a roar from Piedoom as it started to pick itself up. "You'll pay for this," the poacher yelled. "Night Shade!" Piedoom unleashed more dark bolts, but Crystardian was ready. It flew in front of the two, bringing its crystals up as it used Protect, blocking the dark bolts.

"You won't beat us!" Twilight yelled as she pointed at Piedoom, "Mystical Fire!" Shine unleashed the powerful fire blast at the Phantom Clown, which tried to shield itself with its swords. "Crystardian, use Power Gem!" The crystals glowed before firing at Piedoom, all three flying behind the clown and slamming into its back.

"Pied!" It cried as it was thrown forward, the poacher growling as he began to put his hand in his pocket.

"Oh no you-" Twilight tried to say before a voice called out.

"Twilight!" They turned to the voice, smiling as she saw her friends, smiles on their faces as well until they saw the Rapidash. "Wait, is that..."

"Yup," Twilight nodded, "Shine evolved." She patted her Rapidash, who neighed happily before they all turned back to the thief and his Piedoom. Skyler, Peewee, Owlicious and Flitanium all landed beside her, all glaring at the two, "This is your one warning. Give up, or else."

"Never! I won't be beaten by a bunch of kids!" The man yelled and he pulled Piedoom to its feet. "Night Slash!"

They all sighed as Piedoom charged, "You had your chance," Twilight turned to her Pokémon. "Sky Attack and Dazzling Gleam!"

"Iron Head!" Doc yelled as Flitanium flew up to meet Owlicious.

"Dragon Rage!" Spike ordered.

"Flame Burst!" Cadance told Crystardian.

"And Giga Impact!" Flash finished, Skyler flying right up. Shine, Peewee and Crystardian unleashed their ranged attacks, Piedoom now trying to block all three of them. And while it did this, the Flying-types all shot down. And as Piedoom destroyed the ranged attacks, the three birds slammed into him

"PIED!" It screamed as it was struck by the Flying, Steel and Scrappy powered Normal-type attacks, getting knocked back and slamming into the poacher.

"RAAAH!" He cried as the two was thrown back, both slamming into a tree. They slumped out, Piedoom now showing swirls in his eyes, the trainer doing the same. The group all smiled at the sight before turning back to Twilight, Cadance moving over to hug her.

"Thank Arceus you're alright!"

"I wouldn't have been if not for Shine," Twilight pulled away and moved over to her Rapidash. The Unique Horn Pokémon then leaned down as Twilight petted her on the face.

Cadance giggled at this, "Looks to me like she managed to push through what was holding her back."

Twilight nodded at this, "When she was newly hatched, we were attacked by another Piedoom. That experience made her terrified of Piedoom, so she kept freezing up." She hugged Shine, "But now she's managed to push past that fear."

"It's more than that," Cadance added, "Shine clearly wanted to protect you and that desire allowed her to not only push past her fear, but evolving in order to have the power needed to keep you safe." She moved over and patted Shine on the head. "You've done well." Shine let out a neigh at this while the others cheered for Shine, happy she had gotten over her fear and new gained strength.





Very soon, officer Hard Case and his Umbreon arrived after Cadance contacted them. He quickly had the criminal and his Piedoom carted off, the two having multiple warrants out on them. Twilight also showed him the auction site he was using, and Hard Case promised to find everyone who bid for their stolen Pokémon.

"You've done Equestria a great service," he told them outside the tree cluster. "I and the entire police force thank you all."

"It was our pleasure sir," Cadance replied before he tipped his hat and headed off on his bike. Once he was gone, Cadance turned to the others, "Is this what travelling with the four of you is normally like?"

They all nodded back in unison, "Pretty much."

Cadance let out a laugh, "Sounds like fun. Well then," she began to walk off. "Shall we get going? The Crystal Empire awaits."

They all began to follow her, but Twilight was stopped when Shine nudged her. "What is it?" She asked when she turned to the Rapidash, only to be picked up in her psychic abilities. "Shine!" She yelped before getting dropped onto the Rapidash's back, the horse neighing for her to hold on. Twilight was able to grab her mane before Shine kicked up onto her back hooves, neighing loudly before charging.

The others turned back to them, just in time to see her gallop past with Twilight on her back. They saw her laughing and laughed themselves before running after them. Their meeting with Cadance had certainly been an interesting one, and now that Shine had evolved, they were sure to be in for many great adventures during their travels to the Crystal Empire and Dragonia City. As the journey continues.
> Trapeze Trouble
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Professor Cadance now joining them in their adventure, the group continued their journey to the Crystal Empire before heading to Dragonia City. Currently, they were making their way down a road with a large open field on either side of them. All the while, they continued to talk, Flash now asking, "So you travelled with Shining during his adventure?"

Cadance nodded back, "Celestia wanted me to go and explore the world, to learn from my experiences instead of just from books and off the internet."

"Like with me," Twilight added.

Cadance nodded again. "Shining and I travelled for a bit, then went our separate ways for a little while. He went to get his fifth badge and I had learned about some ancient ruins, so we had to split. But after he got his badge and I finished investigating the ruins, we joined up again." She turned to Flash, "That's probably when he met you and Springer."

"Huh." Flash replied, now remembering that old memory. But as he did this, he noticed a bulletin board on the side of the road a few feet away. And though a rare sight, all trainers naturally fell into the routine of looking it over. Most of the time, they were used to warn of criminals in the area or certain species of dangerous Pokémon.

However, this time it showed a poster for what appeared to be a circus. "Circular-Poké?" Twilight asked after reading the title, "Weird name."

"Who cares what it's called," Spike added, "I wanna go see it. I've never gotten to see a circus before."

"Me neither," Doc chimed in, "Never had one come to or near Trottingham, so I never had the chance."

Twilight took out her journal and typed in the coordinates on the poster, "Hmmm...it's not to far from here. If we hurry, we might be able to get there before the show starts." The others nodded before running down the trail. Twenty minutes later, they spotted a structure off in the distance, now realizing it was a large tent that had been set up on the field. Behind the tent were a large assortment of trailers and caravans, a bunch of cars now parked on the field opposite the tent. And as they got closer, the normal circus music filled the air. They also started hearing the sounds of the vendors yelling out their products, Twilight needing to pull Spike away from the candyfloss vendor.

When they walked into the tent, they were met with a loud cheer, now seeing many people sitting all around the edge of the tent. They then turned their attention to the center, now seeing a woman riding on a pair of Mudsdale. And by riding, she was more standing between them with a foot on each of their backs as they trotted around the ring.

"Wow," Spike whispered as they moved over to some empty seats. They watched as the woman did several stunts on the Mudsdale, jumping from one to the other while pulling different poses. The crowd cheered at this until she returned backstage, the ring master now coming out and introducing the next act.

They continued to watch as people and Pokémon performed incredible tricks, including Conkeldurr and a strongman, a trainer with multiple water Pokémon who used their Starmie's psychic abilities to create floating bubbles for those Pokémon to perform in, and a woman with a Liepard who leapt through smaller and smaller hoops.

"Hasn't this been a great show?!" The ringmaster asked, the crowd all cheering in agreement. "Well before you go, we have one final act. Our circus's newest member, the girl with cotton candy hair that'll make you laugh out loud, Miss Pink-A-Pie-Ya!" With that, music began to play as the ringmaster stepped to the side.

"Pink-A-Pie-Ya?" Twilight asked as a spotlight appeared on the curtain, highlighting a figure that appeared to be standing on a large circle.

"HI-YA!" A familiar voice screamed as the figure shot through the curtain, the person standing on a large ball that they moved by walking on it. It was a girl in a clown outfit, their face covered in white paint with a blue star pattern over her left eye. Her hair was super fuzzy and pink, filled with bows and what looked like lollipops.

Flash, Spike, Twilight and Doc all went wide-eyed at the sight, able to recognize her despite the clothes and makeup. "PINKIE!" They all exclaimed, only to now see a couple of Pokémon appear from behind the curtain: A Wigglytuff, Mallowmarsh and Alcreamie.

The trio began to dance around the place, circling around the ball as Pinkie stood in place on it. "Alright, let's show everyone here a great time! Alcreamie, Decorate!"

"Creamy," Alcreamie cheered as she spun around and unleashed streaks of energy from her body that flew through the tent. When it hit something, like a pole, the tent's material or an audience member, it transformed into a bow or other decoration. The younger children all cheered at this, amazed by the sight.

Pinkie laughed at this and then turned to Wigglytuff, "Bounce." Wigglytuff nodded before happily jumping up, then landing on the ground after inflating its body. This caused it to bounce right back up as a stagehand activated a fan that unleashed a gentle breeze that kept it up in the air. "Mallowmarsh!"

"Mallow!" The living marshmallow grabbed Pinkie's hand before swinging her around. And once they did a full circle, Mallowmarsh swung its arm up, letting Pinkie go.

"Weeee!" She cheered as she flew up higher and higher, even flying above Wigglytuff. The audience gasped at this, nown seeing gravity take over. But before she could hit the ground, Wigglytuff flew under her and Pinkie landed on the balloon Pokémon. As if she was on a trampoline, Pinkie bounced back up as Wigglytuff remained where she was thanks to the fans.

The crowd clapped as they watched Pinkie do several tricks between bounces, pulling different poses every time she reached the top of her bounce. And after a minute, the fan began to point lower so Wigglytuff descended to the ground. At the same time, Mallowmarsh and Alcreamie continued to dance. And then, Mallowmarsh grabbed Alcreamie by the hips and threw it into the air. The fans died down as Wigglytuff fell to the ground after Pinkie bounced off it. Mallowmarsh got under it and caught its feet, Pinkie falling next and landing on its head. She finally caught Alcreamie, the four making a totem ball and posing as the music stopped.

Seconds later, the crowd exploded into cheers while Pinkie and her Pokémon jumped down. Her friends were cheering more then anyone, though still confused by why she was working at a circus.





Later, after the audience had vacated the tent, Pinkie was now sitting at a table in front of one of the trailer with her Pokémon. She was washing the makeup off her face, Gummy standing on the table while holding a cloth in his mouth. She held out a hand once the last of the makeup was off, and Gummy opened his mouth. "Thanks," she took the cloth, drying her face as she turned to her other Pokémon, "Great work today guys!" The three all cheered as Pinkie put the cloth down.

"Pinkie!" She looked up and gasped when she saw Flash and the others.

"GUYS!" She leapt and ran over, somehow managing to wrap her arms around the four, Springer and Peewee before pulling them into a hug. "I can't believe you're here!"

"And we can't believe you're working at a circus," Twilight replied before they all pulled away. "When did his happen?"

"Two weeks ago," she responded, "And I'm not really working here. Just helping out." She then spotted Cadance, "Oh!" She bounced over to her, "Are you friends with Flash and the others?!"

Cadance nodded back, "Yes. I'm Twilight's sister-in-law, Cadance." Pinkie smiled before hugging her back, Cadance slightly flinching at this before quickly patting her on the head with a smile.

"So, what did you mean by helping out?" Twilight asked when Pinkie and Cadance pulled apart, "The circus seems to be doing really well, so why would they need your help?"

"Well, they needed a new act to fill out the time."

"Pinkie!" They all turned to the ringmaster, "Great work today! The offer's still open if you want to stay on with us."

Pinkie shook her head, "No thanks. This is fun, but I wouldn't feel right about taking Acrobat's spot."

The ringmaster sighed and shook his head at this, "Well, if he doesn't get his act together soon, I might not have any other choice than to find someone to permanently replace him."

Pinkie frowned at this as the ringmaster walked off, the others turning to her, "Pinkie," She turned to them, "What's going on?"

The pink girl let out a sigh, "Come with me." She lead them to a trailer that was the furthest away from the tent, which had been parked close to a tree. When they got there, Pinkie knocked on the door. "Acrobat? You in there?" She waited a few moments, only for the door to slowly open.

Behind the door was a cream-skinned boy with purple hair. He was wearing a purple leotard with a white sash. "Oh, hey Pinkie." He then noticed the people behind her, "Who are they?"

"Friends of mine. They wanna know why I'm filling in for you at the circus." She leaned up and whispered, "They have this habit of helping people they meet with problems. They might be able to help you."

"I doubt it." He muttered before turning to them, "Hello there, I'm Acrobat Bliss. I'm a trapeze artist...or at least I used to be."

"Used to be?" Flash asked, only for something to fly out of the trailer, leaping onto Flash's head. Four more then leapt out, all jumping around the place as everyone saw they were a bunch of purple monkey Pokémon with long tails that had yellow hands on them.

"Aipom!" Acrobat cried at the Long Tail Pokémon as leapt off Flash before jumping onto Twilight and Spike, "Hey! Cut that out!" He yelled as he grabbed one, only for another to hop onto Doc, "Stop that!" And as he pulled another Aipom off, he turned to the group, "Sorry about this. These Aipom are my trapeze team."

"I can see why you'd work with them," Cadance giggled as they hopped onto the trailer, now doing several spins in the air before reaching out to grab the tail hand of another Aipom. "They're very athletic."

Acrobat nodded. "We were considered the best act in the circus, always closing the show and giving the audience something amazing to watch before going home. But recently, we haven't been able to do our act."

"Why not?" Twilight asked, "Are the Aipom not listening to you? They are infamous for being so mischievous that they're hard to control."

"Not exactly," he gestured for them to follow, the group walking up to a tree behind the trailer. It was here that they saw another Aipom sitting on a branch. This one had a frown on its face, its arms and tail wrapped around it. "Meet my star team member. That Aipom's always been the best at the trapeze and was well respected by the rest of the group. But now he's lost all motivation to do the act. And without him, the other Aipom refuse to go onstage."

"So what happened to make it lose interest?" Twilight asked, "Did it get bored of the routine?"

"Were you training it to harshly?" Flash added.

"Or spoiling it because of its talent that it became lazy," Doc continued.

"Maybe we should just let him explain," Cadance told them before Acrobat sighed.

"It started about two weeks ago, a few days before Pinkie showed up." Acrobat closed his eyes, now remembering the day that was crystal clear in his mind.





Two weeks ago...

The circus show was about to come to an end, with only one act still to go. It was Acrobat's, he and his Aipom in the midst of their routine with multiple people watching. Acrobat was on top of one of the poles with a swing in hand, four Aipom now swinging back and forth, each swing had two Aipom on it, while his lead Aipom was on the pole opposite of him.

Acrobat took a deep breath and leapt off the pole, using the trapeze to swing forward and swing back to build momentum. He then let go of the swing, the first two Aipom swinging up and grabbing the swing in their tail hands. They then jumped backwards and used their tails like a bungee to keep them connected to the swing, the pair swinging under the trapeze as it reached it full arc. It was here that Acrobat got into aerial place and held his hands out, the Aipom grabbing the hands in theirs and holding on tight.

The three swung back, the other Aipoms swinging toward them. Acrobat let go of the first two as the second copied the others, the three catching and repeating the process. At this moment, the lead Aipom leapt off the pole and grabbed the trapeze in his tail. He looked forward and saw one final trapeze swing between him and Acrobat. And as they completed their arc, Acrobat let go and flew towards that trapeze.

But that's when it happened.

Acrobat gripped the trapeze and swung toward his lead Aipom. But before he could get there, the rope on the trapeze snapped. Acrobat gasped as he felt himself begin to fall, Aipom seeing this and gasping. It tried to grab hold of him, but Acrobat hadn't swung close enough to be in reach. "AIPOM!" It screamed as he fell.





The Present...

"The trapeze was faulty," Acrobat sighed, "They think some embers from a previous fire act hit the ropes and weakened it, so it couldn't take my weight. Luckily, Starmie had been watching and was able to catch me in its Psychic before I hit the ground. But..."

"Seeing someone you care about falling like that must be hard," Doc added.

Acrobat nodded at this. "And ever since, every time Aipom's up on the trapeze, it suddenly freezes. And without it, the other Aipom won't preform."

Twilight pointed at the tree. "So unless you can get this Aipom to snap out of it, your trapeze career is over." Acrobat nodded again before turning to the Aipom in the tree.

"Come on Aipom!" He called out, "I know it was scary, but I'm alright. And that's not gonna happen again. The ringmaster's already replaced all the rope with fireproof cords!" Aipom didn't replied, "Aipom..."

Flash kneeled down and patted Springer on the head, "You mind going up and talking to it?" Springer nodded and walked over to the tree, soon climbing up to the same branch as Aipom.

"Ri," he spoke up, "Rio ri. Ri ri."

"Ay," Aipom replied, sighing, "Ay pa ma."

"What are they saying?" Spike asked.

"Impossible to say," Cadance responded before seeing Twilight smile.

"Give it a minute," she told her sister-in-law. After a minute, Springer leapt down and went over to Flash.

"So what's the problem?" Springer began to speak and mime, Flash nodding. "Huh huh...alright....I see...yikes."

"Wait..." Cadance turned to the others, "Can he really understand what Springer's saying?" The others nodded with a smile, "How?!"

They all shrugged in response, Doc responding, "Those two just get one another."

"Alright," Flash stood up and turned to them. "If I was reading Springer right, then Aipom isn't scared so much as angry."

The others raised an eyebrow as Acrobat looked up at his Pokémon, "He's angry at me?"

Flash shook his head, "No, not at you. He's angry at himself."

"What? Why?"

"He thinks that it's his fault you fell. That he should have been able to catch you before you got out of reach." He turned to Springer, "Right?"

Springer nodded back, Acrobat going wide-eyed at this.

"I get it," Twilight added, "He's worried that if he goes on the trapeze again, he won't be able to catch Acrobat like before."

"How are we supposed to help with that?" Spike asked next.

"I don't think we can," Doc replied, "No matter what you do, the world is unpredictable. Even if what happened never occurs again, something else might happen."

Acrobat frowned as Aipom held itself tighter, Flash letting out a sigh as he put his hands behind his head. "Talk about a bummer. Either Aipom's just gonna have to get over it, or Acrobat needs to find a way to do his routine without it."

"But I can't!" Acrobat exclaimed, "Without that Aipom, I can't use the others." He let out another sigh, "My only option would be to find some new Pokémon to use. But I can't think of any that are as athletic as Aipom."

Pinkie's hair went flat at this. "It's too bad Aipom doesn't have a longer tail. Or if it's tail could stretch of something. Then it would never have to worry about that kind of thing again!"

Saying this caused both Twilight and Cadance to gasp, "Ambipom!" They cried in unison.

"Ambipom?" Acrobat asked, only for Cadance to turn to the tree.

"Aipom," the monkey glanced at her, "You can evolve into Ambipom!" The Long Tail Pokémon tilted his head at this, "Ambipom is almost as big as a human, and it has two tails that are twice as long as the one you have now. If you evolve into Ambipom, you'd be able to save Acrobat from falling no problem."

Aipom went wide-eyed at this, "Ay-pa!" He yelled as he leapt off the branch, landing on Acrobat's head.

"Wait...you wanna evolve?" Aipom nodded, Acrobat turning to the others. "And you really think it'll help it get over this problem?" The others nodded back as Flash took out his Pokedex and brought up Ambipom's Pokedex entry. The two saw the image on screen, now seeing what his new form would be. "Its perfect! So what do we do? How do we make Aipom evolve?"

"That depends." Cadance replied, "What moves does this Aipom know?"

"Err...Swift, Protect and...Mega Punch."

"Perfect!" Cadance clapped, "Since it knows Mega Punch, it shouldn't be too hard to teach it Double Hit."

"Double Hit?" Pinkie asked.

"The move Aipom needs to know in order to evolve," Twilight responded.

Cadance nodded. "We teach it to Aipom, and it'll evolved. Simple." She turned back to the two, "Willing to give it a try?" Acrobat and Aipom both nodded back. "Then let's get training."





The next day...

As soon as the sun was up, Acrobat and Aipom began their training to teach it Double Hit. At the same time, Flash, Spike, Pinkie and Doc were helping around the circus as thanks for letting them stay the night.

"Alright," Cadance told them, "Now Double Hit is a move that deals multiple bouts of damage. Most of the time, it's using two body parts to hit different areas at the same time. This is why Ambipom is so well known for having it, because of its two tails. But to learn it, you have to do the same with only one tail."

"So how do we do that?" Acrobat asked as Twilight held up a pair of soccer balls.

"You already know Mega Punch, so that's a start. If you can hit both these balls with it fast enough so it looks like you hit them both at the same, you'll be on your way to learning Double Hit. Ready?" Acrobat and Aipom glanced at eacch other, both nodding as Aipom climbed onto his arm as it outstretched. "Then let's do it!"

Cadance took a ball before she and Twilight threw them both in the air. "Alright," Acrobat threw Aipom up, "Double Hit!"

"Ay..." Aipom clenched its fist and swung its tail around as it glowed white, "PA!" It slammed one of the balls and knocked it flying to the floor, but then missed the second one.

"Not fast enough," Cadance told it as Aipom fell back into Acrobat's arms. "And your aim is off. You need to split your focus on two points." She and Twilight picked up the balls, "Ready to go again?" The two nodded as they both threw the balls into the air again.

Meanwhile, Flash and Doc were helping brush the Mudsdale. Since they were Ground-types, they couldn't use water to clean them, meaning they could give their fur a good brushing. As for Spike, he was grumbling as he was dressed in overalls and boots, standing in a pit of mud as Peewee hovered above him. He was using a shovel to pick up large quantities of slop out of the mud, this being where the Mudsdale had been spending their time while not doing a show.

"Ugh..." he moaned as he picked up another pill and dispersed it into a wheelbarrow that was at the side of the puddle. "This stinks. Literally."

"Oh, come on Spike." Pinkie said as she walked by carrying food for the other Pokémon, "It's not that bad."

"Then you give it a go," he quipped back as he shovelled up some more. "What even is this manure stuff anyway?" Pinkie leaned over and whispered something into his ear, Spike's eyes suddenly growing as his face became one of horror. Seconds later, the camp was filled with sounds of disgust.

Over the next few hours, they continued to help with the circus chores. Some were fun, others not so great and a couple they were gonna need therapy to get over. All the while, Acrobat, Aipom, Cadance and Twilight continued to work on teaching it Double Hit.

"Again!" Cadance and Twilight threw the balls into the air, Aipom leaping up after them.

"Mega Punch!" Aipom swung around and managed to hit the first ball with its fist, then turned and actually hit the second. "YES!" Acrobat yelled as Aipom landed on his arm. "That was great bud!"

Cadance nodded, the professor having her Crystardian out so it could use Psychic to retrieve the balls. "You're certainly getting better at your aim, but you still need to increase the speed of your hits. Your tails need to be moving so fast that it looks like you already have more than one."

"It's just a matter of practice," Twilight added.

"Hey!" they heard Flash say, "How's it going?"

"Pretty good," Twilight turned to him, "It's not instant improvement, but-" She stopped when she actually saw Flash, her eyes going wide before starting to laugh.

He was dressed in a red and blue stripped clown suit with a yellow star around his neck that had green balls on the ends and a red and blue hat. His face was painted white with a blue lightning bolt running down the middle of his face. "What are you wearing?" Cadance asked between her laughter, only to see Springer, Doc and Spike walk, all wearing similar clothing with Doc having a big green bow on his chest while Spike had a big orange ball on his nose.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Flash asked as the four of them posed, "The ringmaster asked if we wanted to help out in the show." Twilight kept laughing as Doc took out some rubber balls and started juggling.

"All we'll be doing is helping move things on and off the stage," Spike then pulled out another ball and threw it at him. "But we might be able to get a few chuckles out of the audience," he was able to grab the ball and add it to the others he was juggling.

Twilight continued to laugh, especially when Springer tripped over his very long sleeves and fell into Flash, knocking him over, "Laugh it up," Flash grumbled, "But don't be surprised when the ringmaster asks us to join his circus permanently."

As he said that, the ringmaster appeared with Pinkie by his side in the same clothes she wore yesterday. "Ah! There you are!" The boys got up and stood at attention. "You all look great. Now, before the show starts, I need you all to hand out these programs." It was only then that they noticed Pinkie was holding a large stack of paper. Each of them took an equal amount as the ringmaster turned to Acrobat, "I don't suppose you'll be joining us today?"

"I'm sorry, but no. We're close though." He pointed to Aipom, "Once he's evolved into Ambipom, we'll be back on the trapeze and better than ever."

"I hope you're right," he replied, "A circus without a trapeze show is no circus at all."

He turned to the clowns and told them to follow, the six heading for the tent. As they did this, cars and those who had arrived on foot were beginning to approach. The clowns began to call out to people, asking if any of them wanted a program. Two thirds of the crowd accepted, the outside vendors now opening their stalls. There was candyfloss, hot dogs, popcorn and more along with novelty masks showing clowns and some of the goofier Pokémon species were also being sold.

And once the last of the audience entered the tent, the clowns took the excess programs to where they had been told to store them as they heard the music beginning to play. They and Pinkie's Pokémon then rushed backstage, arriving just in time to help the water act move several tubs of water out from behind the curtain.

They got a laugh from the audience when Spike tripped and accidently sploshed some of the water onto Flash, who didn't look happily and retaliated by using a spray bottle Pinkie had stored in her hair. He chased Spike all around the ring with it, getting much laughter from those watching until Doc and Pinkie gestured for them to get off stage. After this, the water act began, Flash and Spike drying off during the performance. And after a few more acts, Pinkie closed the show with a similar performance to the previous day's, the crowd cheering constantly.

"Spectacular," the ringmaster told his helpers as they walked out of the tent. "You lot should really consider a permanent career in the circus."

"Thanks," Flash replied, "But I don't think I'm cut out for this line of work. One or two shows I could probably do, but I'd probably run out of funny ideas after a week." The others nodded in agreement.

"Ah, yes. Artist's block. Always a performer's worst enemy."

It was here they noticed Twilight, Acrobat, Cadance and Aipom. "Alright," Cadance commented, "One more time."

They threw the balls into the air as Acrobat yelled, "Double Hit!" Aipom was then thrown into the air, everyone watching as Aipom clutched his now glowing hand, but this time it was glowing purple instead of white.

"Ay-pa," he swung around, "MA!" He threw the first forward and to everyone's surprise, the tail seemed to split apart and strike both balls at once. Everyone gasped as the balls flew through the air, Crystardian catching them in its Psychic while Aipom fell back to the floor.

Acrobat cheered while catching Aipom, "You did it!"

"No doubt, that was a perfect Double Hit!" Cadance added.

"AY-PA!" The Long Tail Pokémon cheered as the others moved to gather around them.

"So what now?" Pinkie asked, "Shouldn't Aipom evolve?"

"That's...a good question." Cadance hummed, "Aipom should be evolving right this second." They stared at Aipom, who just stared back, but nothing was happening. "Strange."

"Maybe Aipom needs to use it a few more time," Doc chimed in, "So that the move's properly planted into its head."

The others hummed at his suggestion, only for Flash to speak up, "Or maybe it needs something to kick its evolution into action." They turned to him, "Double Hit's an attack. So maybe it needs to use it in an actual battle or something."

"You know...that might not be such a bad idea." Twilight turned to Acrobat, "Maybe Aipom will evolve if you use the move in battle."

"Huh," Acrobat looked down at Aipom, "We've never really battled before."

"Well, what are we waiting for!" Pinkie exclaimed before taking out a Pokeball. "Let's b-b-b-battle!" Acrobat went wide-eyed as she suddenly threw the ball into the air. "Bloxx, it's battle time!" The ball opened up and the red energy flew out, which took the shape of the lego gorilla.

"BLOXX!" It roared as it beat its chest, everyone but Doc backpedaling.

"You ready?" Pinkie asked, Acrobat frowning at this.

"I guess..." he looked down at Aipom. "You ready?" Aipom looked over at Bloxx for a moment, then back at him and nodded.

"Ay-pa!" He leapt out of his arms and began to jump on the spot, getting into a boxer stance. At the same time, the other Aipom were watching from a distance.

"Alright," Doc glanced between them. "This will be a one on one battle between Bloxx and Aipom. It'll continue until I decide the battle is over. Are both trainer's ready?" They nodded as the two primates prepared to throw down. "Then Battle...BEGIN!"

"Block Buster!" Pinkie cheered as Bloxx's arms reformed to become cannons, pointing at Aipom before firing the brick shaped projectiles.

"Dodge it!" Aipom leapt to the side, evading the bricks before landing on its tail. "Now, use Swift!" Aipom spun around and swung its tail, unleashing a bunch of energy stars.

"Block it!" Bloxx held up its arms, forming a shield that the stars slammed into. "Now, use Knock Off!" As soon as the stars stopped, Bloxx lowered the shield and leapt, his right arm reshaping into a hammer that it swung into Aipom's chest.

"AY!" It cried as it was knocked back.

"Aipom!" Acrobat yelped, but his Aipom quickly pushed itself back up. "You okay?" It nodded. "That's good." He then saw Bloxx prepare to charge again as Pinkie ordered a Brick Break. "No time like the present," he stated before pointing forward. "Let's hope this works! Double Hit!"

Everyone watched as Aipom leapt, its tail glowing purple. "That's it!" Flash cheered as it got closer. And when it reached Bloxx, the Long Tail Pokémon spun around and started thrusting its tail, hitting Bloxx several times.

"AIPOM!" It roared as its attack struck, knocking Bloxx back. Everyone smiled at this, each expecting Aipom to evolve after using the move perfectly...only for nothing to happen.

"What's going on?" Spike asked, "Why didn't it evolve?"

"Who knows," Cadance replied, "It's possible it didn't do Double Hit correctly, though that certainly looked perfect."

"Maybe it needs to use it more than once," Doc added, "Really get it ingrained into its reflexes."

"Brick Break!" Pinkie yelled as Bloxx charged again, his fist glowing as he leapt at the monkey.

"Bloxx!" He exclaimed as he fell down, thrusting his arm.

"Protect!" Aipom crossed his arms and created a shield, Bloxx's fist slamming into it before bouncing off. "Now, Mega Punch!" Aipom clutched his glowing tail fist and swung it around, the fist hitting Bloxx's stomach.

"Bloxx!" It cried, staggering back.

"Block Buster!" Pinkie called out, Bloxx's arms reforming into cannons that began firing the blocks at Aipom.

"Protect!" Aipom formed the force field around itself once again. The other Aipom cheered as they watched the blocks hit the shield, bouncing right off as Bloxx killed the attack.

"Knock Off!" Bloxx charged again with the hammer arm, Acrobat glaring at the incoming attack.

"Block it with Double Hit!" Aipom's tail fist glowed again as he spun around while Bloxx swung his hammer. The two attacks slammed into one another, but Aipom countered the move with its first strike before thrusting it again, hitting Bloxx in the head.

"Bloxx!" He cried as he staggered back, everyone focusing on Aipom. But once again, the monkey didn't evolve.

"What is going on?" Twilight asked, "That Double Hit attack was perfect."

"Maybe Aipom needs to win the battle," Flash suggested, "Or maybe it just needs some more pressure." He then called out, "Pinkie, no holding back! Give it everything you've got!"

"Got it!" Pinkie yelled before pointing at Bloxx, "Use Brick Break back to back!"

"BLOXX!" The lego gorilla roared before charging, both its arms glowing as it got closer.

"Protect!" Acrobat ordered as Aipom crossed its arms again, forcing the shield. Bloxx slammed it with its glowing fist, making it shake. But no sooner had Bloxx hit the shield, it pulled its fist back before slamming into it again. The group watched as Bloxx unleashed a barrage of punches, Aipom trying to defend as the shield begins to crack. "Aipom!"

"Ay!" The Long Tail Pokémon cried before Bloxx struck the shield again, causing it shatter. It then thrust another Brick Break, knocking Aipom flying back, "AY-PA!" It screamed, Acrobat gasping as it hit the ground.

"You okay?" Aipom didn't reply this time, the monkey just laying there.

Pinkie frowned at this, but knew she couldn't hold back. "If this doesn't push Aipom to dig deep and evolve, nothing will! Bloxx," she pointed at Aipom, "Giga Impact!" The others gasped at this, knowing Pinkie doesn't usually do something like this.

"BLOXX!" The gorilla roared as it beat its chest, its body beginning to glow. He then charged, picking up speed as the energy around him turned into a slipstream.

"Aipom!" Acrobat cried, his Pokémon picking itself up as the Giga Impact drew closer. He knew Protect wouldn't work, so they only had once choice. "Double Hit!" Aipom pushed himself back to his feet and charged, his fist clenched and glowing purple.

"Ay..." Aipom leapt and swung its fist forward, "POM!" The fist struck the Giga Impact, about to push it back...only for Bloxx's attack to rush right through him, knocking the monkey back. "AY-PA!" He screamed as he was sent flying back.

Acrobat gasped at the sight and leapt to where Aipom was flying, only to grunt as he was knocked back by Aipom slamming into him, knocking the wind out of him. Both slid along the ground for several seconds until they both came to a stop, everyone gasping as they ran up to him.

"Acrobat?" Flash asked as they gathered around him, all now seeing swirls in Aipom's eyes.

They let out a bunch of sighs. "Well...looks like this battle's over."

"What happened?" Acrobat asked as he stood up, "Why didn't Aipom evolve?"

Everyone scratched their heads, Cadance being the one to reply, "I'm honestly...not sure. Aipom was able to use Double Hit, and that battle was pretty intense. There's no reason it shouldn't have evolved."

"Not unless Acrobat was pressing B," Pinkie chimed in.

The others turned to Pinkie, Twilight raising an eyebrow, "What?"

Pinkie looked away, twiddling her thumbs, "But uh...you wouldn't do that."

Raising an eyebrow at this, they turned back to Acrobat as Aipom seemed to be coming around, its eyes slowly opening, "Ay-pa?"

"Hey bud," Acrobat whispered as he put him down on the ground. "Don't worry," he said after patting him on the head. "We'll keep working on it, and I'm sure you'll evolve eventually." He turned away as a frown appeared on his face, Aipom not seeing it as he began to walk off.

"Where are you going?" Spike asked as he headed for the tent.

"I can't keep letting the ringmaster down with our problems," he replied, "I'm going to have to come up with a routine I can do all on my own." With that, he marched for the tent while Aipom and the other Long Tail Pokémon stared at him.





The next day was a lot like the last, though this time Twilight and Cadance helped out with the chores. Something that wasn't different was Aipom attempting to evolve, the purple monkey Pokémon spending the entire day practicing its Double Hit attack on a tree and even the rest of its crew. But no matter how many times it did it, or how perfect the move was, Aipom couldn't evolve.

Meanwhile, Acrobat was still in the tent. He had asked to not be disturbed as he worked on a new routine that he could do all on his own. And as the show began, cars and travelers started to arrive, much like the previous day with Flash and the others handing out programs. They weren't dressed up this time, but were still willing to help out if the need arose. And as the last member of the audience entered the tent, Flash, Pinkie, Twilight, Cadance, Doc and Spike walked inside and searched for some seats.

"I hope Acrobat was able to come up with a routine he can do," Twilight commented.

"Maybe," Flash added, "But even he did, it probably won't be as impressive as anything he and the Aipom could do. Seeing humans and Pokémon work together to do something is always better than seeing just humans or just Pokémon doing something on their own."

The others nodded as they took their seats, seconds before the lights went down and the music began to play. Seconds later, the ringmaster ran out from behind the curtain. "Ladies, gentlemen, and Pokémon of all species, welcome to our brilliant show! For those of you in the audience that are new, you won't regret coming. And for those who have come and seen us before, don't worry. We here at Circular-Poké are always coming up with new and exciting things to dazzle our audience! Now, let's get this show on the road!"

He went on to announce the first act, the audience watching in anticipation. As this happened, up in the rafters of the tent, Aipom sat watching the show. He wanted to see what Acrobat came up with to do on his own. If it was something good, which he hoped it was, then maybe Aipom wouldn't need to find a way to evolve. "Ay-pa," he prayed that this would be good.

The circus performances went well, though the acts were different from the ones they had seen previously. The water Pokémon did different tricks, and the strongman and Pokémon lifted different heavy objects. The Mudsdale rider even did several flips between his jumps from one horse to the next. All the while, back stage Acrobat waited and continued to go through the routine in his head. He felt a thick stream of nerves shiver down his spine, know he had to do this on his own, but knew he didn't have a choice.

Eventually, the Mudsdale rider came to the end of his routine, returning backstage as the ringmaster stepped out into the center of the circus. "Wasn't that a spectacular show?!" He asked as the audience cheered in agreement, "I'm glad you enjoyed it. And now, to finish our show, please welcome Equestria's greatest trapeze artist, Acrobat Bliss!" He pointed upward, everyone looking up to see a spotlight illuminate one of the poles to reveal Acrobat.

The teen waved at the crowd, and as he did, he leaned over the edge and seemed to lose his balance before falling. The crowd gasped, but before they could try and do something, they noticed a long piece of blue fabric around his ankle that yanked him back up right before he hit the ground. Acrobat bounced straight up and grabbed a swing that was hanging in the middle of air, soon reaching the top of his arc, he reached down and undid the bungee. The chord gasped again as Acrobat began to fall again, only for the swing to tort and use the momentum of his fall to swing forward. He then swung back, pulling himself back up before wrapping his legs around the swing and then pulling the rest of his body up.

Like a kid on a playground, he sat on the trapeze as it swung back and forth. And after the fourth swing, he let go and his body fell back. He was only saved from falling by this legs, which held the bar of the trapeze in the hinge of his knees. Everyone watched with wide eyes as he continued to do a series of tricks on the trapeze, Aipom all the while shaking at the sight. It looked around, but couldn't see Starmie anywhere. If something went wrong, there was no way to save him. "Ay-pa..."

After several more tricks, Acrobat was standing on the swing as it flew back and forth. Then, when it was on the full arc of a backwards stroke, Acrobat leapt off the trapeze. Everyone gasped as they watched him fly, doing several forward rolls as he did this. They were so focused on him that they didn't notice the swing moving around and reaching the top of its arc as he flew by. Acrobat caught the swing and was pulled back along with it, the crowd cheering at the sight of the trick.

"That had me worried," Twilight gasped.

"Don't worry about it," Pinkie added, "Acrobat knows what he's doing."

And as she said this, Acrobat swung on the trapeze a few more times before leaping off it, his target being the fabric he had used earlier. But when he caught it, the added weight stretching the fabric more than it could handle. The sickening sound of tearing fabric filled the tent as the ribbon ripped and broke off the main stream, causing Acrobat to gasp as he felt himself begin to fall.

The crowd gasped at the sight, Aipom's eyes going wide, but Acrobat managed to reach out with his other hand and grab the fabric that didn't rip. "Augh!" He cried as he felt his hands weakly grab it, dropping the other piece as it fell to the ground, using his free hand to get a better grip. But as he did this, more tearing filled the air. He looked up and saw the piece of fabric further up was now beginning to tear. If it broke, there was no way of him saving himself. "HELP!" He screamed, the crowd now knowing for sure this wasn't part of the act.

"Where's Starmie!" The ringmaster yelled, but the Starmie and their owner was nowhere in sight.

Aipom watched in horror as his best friend wiggled in a desperate attempt to pull himself up...but the fabric ripped, splitting straight down. "We've gotta do something!" He then heard Flash yell as he picked himself up and took out a Pokeball, "Skyler!" He threw the ball, releasing the Tornavian, "Grab Acrobat!"

"Tore!" Skyler exclaimed as he flew up, but as he got close, the beats of his wings caused a wind that made the fabric move, making it rip even more.

Twilight gasped, "Flash! Return Skyler, hurry!" Flash growled as he returned the Tornavian before it could do any damage, but Acrobat was still in trouble. "We need a plan Twilight! Now!"

"Um..."

"I got this!" Pinkie yelled as she reached for her Pokeball. "I'll use Wigglytuff as a crash mat." But just as she was about to throw the ball, something caught her eye.

"Pinkie!?" Twilight yelped, "What are you-"

"Look!" Pinkie pointed up at the pole of the trapeze, everyone following her finger and gasping at what they saw.

Aipom had ran down from where it was sitting and was now on the pole, the Long Tail Pokémon looking scared as it inched closer to the edge, Acrobat seeing this and gasping, "Aipom!"

"Ay," Aipom replied before looking at how far the two of them were from the ground. If either fell, they would be in for some serious trouble. "Ay-pa," a look of terror filled his face as he looked back at Acrobat.

"Aipom!" Acrobat yelled back, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the Pokémon. "I trust you!" As he said that, the ribbon ripped some more.

"Ay!" Aipom cried as he moved back, but Acrobat's words filled his heart. The fear on his face quickly vanished, replaced by a determined glare. "AY-PA..." He ran up and leapt off the post, "MAAA!" Everyone watching gasped as Aipom flew through the air, using his tail hand to grab the trapeze swing and held on tight.

He then swung back and forth, trying to reach Acrobat. But alas, Aipom's arms just weren't long enough to reach him. "That's it!" Acrobat yelled as he let go and held out his hand, "Just a little more!" But no matter how hard he swung, the Aipom's little arms just couldn't reach him.

"Ay..." Aipom whimpered as he tried, wishing his tail was a little bigger. But as Aipom tried one final time to swing over, the fabric finally snapped and Acrobat began to fall. Everyone gasped and Aipom's eyes grew wide in horror as something within him snapped.

"AY-PA!" He screamed before letting go of the swing, the Long Tail Pokémon falling toward his trainer as he tried to grab hold of him. But as he did this, something happened. Aipom's body exploded with light, shocking everyone as his form grew larger. His tail extended and then split in two, the hair on his head growing and split into a pair. Before the light even faded, one of the tails shot out and grabbed Acrobat's arm while the other swung back and grabbed onto the trapeze before it swung out of reach.

The jerking of their stopped fall seemed to cause the light to explode off of him, revealing Aipom's new form. "Am...BEE!" The Long Tail Pokémon exclaimed before swinging the two, throwing them into the air. "Ambipom!" It let go of the trapeze and flew through the air before it landing on the pole, using its two larger tail hands to grab its trainer.

The audience gasped at this, Ambipom now putting Acrobat down. They then turned to the crowed and gave a bow, causing them all to cheer.





As soon as the show was over, Acrobat and Ambipom was met by the ringmaster and his new friends outside the tent. The Aipom had also appeared and were amazed by their leader's new appearance. Ambipom was showing off its new jumping skills to them while Acrobat and the others talked, "I'm glad to see you're alright," the ringmaster told him. "But its clear that we need to do some serious safety checks from now on. And no more using weak fabric like that. From now on, super strong bungees."

"You'll get no arguments from me," Acrobat chuckled, "But I guess this whole situation wasn't all bad," he glanced over at Ambipom as it leapt over and landed next to him. "It got Aipom to face its fears, and allowed it to evolve."

"Ambipom!" The Long Tail Pokémon cheered as it linked its twin tails and did several back-flips, making the others laugh at its enthusiasm.

"My guess is its fear is what kept it from evolving," Cadance added, "Aipom might have been worried that it couldn't save you, even if it was an Ambipom. But it wasn't until the situation actually came about that it was able to push past its uncertainties and evolve into the Pokémon that could save it."

Acrobat nodded and patted him on the head. "Well whatever the reason, I know I'll always be safe now that I have Ambipom looking out for me." Ambipom smiled back, "Now our acrobat team is back and better than ever. Nothing's gonna stop us," he turned to the rest of his crew. "Right gang?"

"AY-PA!" They all exclaimed back in agreement, the others now happy things were back to normal.

Acrobat then turned back to them. "Come on, I wanna give you all a treat for helping us. It's about time you guys got to see what made me and my crew so beloved." Everyone nodded back at this, excitement on every face. Minutes later, they were all sitting back in the tent looking up at the trapeze.

Up on the post, Acrobat was ready to perform. His Aipom were higher up, ready to jump down when it was their time to swing. Meanwhile, on the opposite pole, Ambipom as there with a serious look on its face. "Ready?" He asked as he got into a pre-running pose.

"Am-Bee!" It cried back before getting in the same pose. Acrobat smiled back before the two ran up and leapt into the air, both doing an aerial back-flip before diving bombing toward the ground. But before they began to plummet, the two grabbed a swing and swung back up.

Those watching were amazed, now knowing they would enjoy the rest of this show. Their trip to the circus hadn't been what they expected, but they certainly enjoyed it and were happy they could help someone overcome their issues. Now, with the Crystal Empire still on the horizon, one can only wonder what adventures our heroes will get up to next. As the journey continues.
> Reaching for the Stars
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continuing their journey to the Crystal Empire, the group was making their way through some woods. It had been a long day's journey, but as the sun began to grow closer to the horizon, they found what they were looking for: A Pokémon Center in the middle of the woods.

"There it is!" Twilight exclaimed as she put her journal away.

"Finally," Spike sighed, "My feet are killing me."

"It has been a bit of a long day," Doc added, the group remembering they hadn't found much rest in the forest due to tons of wild Pokémon. After a quick running lunch, they ran through the forest and were now at the Pokémon Center.

"Welcome," Nurse Redheart responded as they walked in, "How can I help you today?"

"Can we have two rooms please?" Cadance asked, Nurse Redheart nodding as the others all sat down.

"Thank Arceus," Spike sighed as he took off his shoes and started rubbing his feet. "Any longer and my feet were gonna drop off."

"Come on Spike," Twilight replied while rolling her eyes, "You've been over tougher terrain before."

"Yeah, but I was able to take breaks during that time." He then looked up at his sister, "How much longer until we reach the Crystal Empire?"

Twilight quickly took out her journal and showed it to him. "Look," she pointed to a spot. "We're here. Now, between us and the Crystal Empire, there's one small town, then a large city. After that, it's a few days trip to the mountain range."

"Mountain range?!" Spike yelped, "Again?!"

Cadance laughed at this, "The Crystal Empire is located in a snowy mountain range. What, did you think it was gonna be easy getting there?! There's a reason it's been lost for a thousand years." Spike groaned at this. "However, it won't be as difficult as you think." She pointed to a spot on the map at the base of one of the mountains. "There's a train station right here. And ever since the Crystal Empire was discovered, the government's been working on adding a train-line that goes straight to the city."

"Really?" Doc asked, "We can catch a train to the empire?"

"Hopefully," Cadance replied, "The work was going pretty quickly when I left. I can only assume it's been completed. And even if it hasn't, we should be able to get a ride with the work crews."

"Sweet," Flash cheered, only for a burst of red light to explode off his belt. It took shape to reveal his Starvern, a bunch of sparkles appearing around him as it did. "Astro?"

"Star!" Astro barked at Flash, "Starvern!"

Flash chuckled at this, "I get it. You wanna train." Astro nodded, "Alright. Maybe today we can get your Shadow Ball perfected."

"Star!" The two and Springer ran outside, happy to see the battlefield wasn't currently being used. The others chose to watch, all taking seats nearby.

"Alright," Flash turned to Springer, "You mind being our opponent?"

"Ri!" Springer nodded and ran over to the other side while Astro got into a battle stance.

"Time to see what we can do," Flash commented before pointing at Springer. "Shadow Ball!" Astro let out a growl before opening his mouth, creating an sphere of dark energy within seconds. He then shot it, the Shadow Ball flying for Springer...only to go off course.

"Huh," Cadance hummed, "I'm guessing that's what he means by trying to master the move."

Twilight nodded at this, "They've gotten the quick ball forming down no problem, but the aim still needs work."

"Again!" Flash yelled as Astro formed another sphere, "Now focus. The attack should follow your line of sight."

"STAR!" Astro fired it, the ball going for Springer, only for it veer away at the last second. They all frowned as the Shadow Ball flew past Springer again, hitting the trees. But as it did this, a loud crashing sound followed this along with a scream.

This made them all gasp, Flash and his Pokémon running toward the scream. The others followed, soon finding the cause of the scream a few seconds later. It was a girl on the ground, wearing a pink top and purple dress under a black sleeveless leather jacket with green trim. Her skin was bluish gray and her hair was a mix of white and blue, and was also wearing a pair of orange glasses.

But what really caught their attention was the Pokémon standing in front of her. It was a pink and green goblin Pokémon with long hair that was shaped like the head of a pike. Beside it was a fallen tree, which looked like it had been blasted over and then sliced in half. The girl looked terrified and the Pokémon was growling before turning to the group as she pointed at the tree, "Did you do that?!"

"Err..." Flash muttered out.

"Did you fire that Shadow Ball, hit that tree, and make it topple on us?!"

"Oh...yeah," Flash scratched the back of his head, "Sorry about that. Astro and I were practicing our Shadow Ball and...his aim still needs a bit of work."

"More than a bit," she hissed, "If Morgrem hadn't slashed the tree in half, you'd be responsible for every broken bone I'd have received. Clearly, you guys have no idea of what safety measures are required when using untested attacks."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Look, it was an accident. Nobody got hurt and I'm sure Flash will be more careful, so why don't we drop this miss..."

"My name is Sugarcoat," she snapped back, "And if this guy needs you to stand up for him, it's no wonder he can't get his Starvern to do such a simple thing like firing in a straight line." She then glared down at Astro, "Or maybe it's more the Starvern's fault than his?"

"Hey!" Flash almost yelled, "Astro's trying his best, so there's no need to badmouth him."

"I'm not badmouthing," Sugarcoat took out her Pokedex and scanned Astro. "I'm just saying that maybe his lack of aim is because of-oh, never mind. Infiltrator."

Flash raised his eyebrow at this. "What?"

"Your Starvern has Infiltrator. I thought maybe it had the Hustle ability, which is one Starvern can have, but yours has the almost useless ability Infiltrator. I guess its poor accuracy is from lack of proper training or zero skill." Morgrem chuckled at this while Flash growled at this, "Too bad. A shiny Starvern like that, wasted with an otherwise useless ability. You'd think something like that would have it's hidden Dragon's Maw ability. But it shouldn't be to much of an issue if you can get it to evolve, then it'll get Huge Power. Until then, worthless."

"THAT'S IT!" Flash roared before pointing at her, "I've had it with you insulting Astro."

"I'm not insulting it," she put her Pokedex away. "I'm simply stating a fact."

"Well your fact is wrong. Astro isn't worthless, and I'll battle you to prove it."

Sugarcoat smirked at this, pointing at her Pokémon, "You're going to battle me with your Starvern, even though you know I have Morgrem." The Devious Pokémon smirked at Astro, who glared back. "We're completely immune to any Dragon-type attacks you'd throw at us, and Dark-type attacks won't do much damage either. And we know you have Shadow Ball, another Type that'll do next to nothing. And your Starvern is clearly very low level. You wouldn't stand a chance again us."

"There's always a chance," Twilight chimed in, Cadance turning to her with wide eyes, "A Pokémon isn't just about stats and type match-ups. The Pokémon themselves are the biggest factor." The boys all nodded in agreement, Cadance just staring at her while Sugarcoat sighed and pushed her glasses up.

"Fine. If you really want to hurt your Starvern that much, I'll battle you." Flash smiled at this while Astro blew smoke out his nostrils.

The group returned to the Pokémon Center, Flash and Sugarcoat walking onto the battlefield as Doc acted as referee. Astro and Morgrem stood in front of their trainers, ready to throw down. "Alright, this battle will be a one on one, and will be over once I declare it over. Understood?"

Sugarcoat smirked, "There's still time to back out. There's no real shame in admitting you can't win."

Flash glared at her, "I'm gonna make you eat those worlds."

"Are both trainers ready?" Doc asked, getting a nod from the two. "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Bite!" Flash yelled, Astro charging to bite Morgrem.

"Sucker Punch." Before Astro could reach Morgrem, the imp shot up and slammed a fist into Astro's face. The Starvern cried out as he was knocked back, sliding on the ground before hopping back to his feet.

"Star!" He growled as he charged again while Morgrem just laughed.

"It's not over yet. Shadow Ball!" Astro opened his mouth and created the orb, firing it right straight...and hitting Morgrem, knocking it back.

"It hit!" Spike gasped.

"I think that was more luck than anything else," Cadance added, "If Morgrem wasn't so close, it might have swerved off course."

Twilight nodded before staring at Morgrem, "And I don't think it did much damage." To prove her point, Morgrem regained its footing with ease.

"Bite!" Astro leapt at Morgem, fangs ready.

"False Surrender!" The move made Flash, Springer, Spike and Astro all go wide-eyed, Astro coming to a sudden stop. Morgem was now bowing down in a groveling manner.

"Astro," Twilight screamed, "Get away!" Astro turned to her, but then noticed movement as he looked back to see Morgrem's hair swing around, smacking Astro.

"STAR!" He yelped as he was knocked back.

"Hey! That's a dirty trick!" Spike yelled.

"It is a Dark-type," Twilight sighed, "Fighting dirty is their thing."

"You okay?" Flash asked as Astro picked himself up, nodding back, "Alright," he looked up at Sugarcoat, "We're not falling for that again. Use Shadow Ball!" Astro formed another dark orb and fired, the ball going straight for Morgrem.

"Block it!" Sugarcoat yelled as Morgrem swung its hair, slashing the Shadow Ball away. "Now, use False Surrender again!"

Morgrem and swung its pike blade hair, "Morg!" Astro prepared to dodge it, but before it could make contact, Morgrem pulled it back and swung it in the opposite direction.

"STAR!" Astro was struck in the other side of his head, throwing him to the side.

"Astro!" Flash yelled before growling. 'This is bad. I can't use Dragon Rage since it's Fairy-type. Bite and Shadow Ball aren't strong enough....what do I do?' Astro picked himself up, "Come on Astro. I know you can do it." He looked up at Morgrem, who was waiting for the next attack. "Wait...that could work. Dragon Rage and aim for the ground!"

"Star?" Astro yelped before taking a deep breath, "Star...VERN!" He unleashed the blue fire, the flames about to hit Morgrem, who just stood there. But when the fire struck the ground, it made a giant cloud of smoke, blinding the imp.

"Morg?" It asked while swiping at the smoke.

"You blinded us?!" Sugarcoat asked as Astro ran into the fog, "But you can't navigate either!"

"Astro can't see Morgrem...but he can smell him." As he said that, Astro found Morgrem in the smoke. "Bite!"

"STAR!" Astro leapt up and bit down, the smoke then fading to reveal he had Morgrem's hair in his mouth. "Star?" Morgrem smirked back at him.

"To bad," Sugarcoat replied, "Slam it into the ground!" Morgrem began to swing its head around, pulling Astro around with it. Astro cried out as he was swung in a circle several times before slamming him into the battlefield.

"STAR!" He yelped, letting go of the hair.

"False Surrender!" Before Astro could recover, Morgrem swung its blade hair end into the Starvern. He cried out in pain as he was sent flying again, falling over in front of Flash.

"Astro!" He cried, kneeling down, "You okay?"

"Star," Astro moaned out, trying to pick himself up.

"Sure you don't want to concede to me?" Sugarcoat asked with a grin, "I'm sure your Starvern would appreciate it."

"Star!" Astro roared as he stood tall.

"That's right," Flash added, "I'm not gonna just stop because things look bad. I get it's probably impossible for Astro to beat Morgrem, but that doesn't mean we can't still try. After all, it might have some glaring weakness we won't know about unless we keep fighting."

Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow at this, "So you'll keep fighting despite knowing you'll lose...just because you're hoping to find a weakness? That's stupid."

"That's Flash," Twilight chimed in, "Nine times out of ten, a stunt like this usually works out in his favor."

"Well not this time," Sugarcoat huffed as Morgrem prepared its next attack.

"Yes, this time." He pointed at the Devious Pokémon. "Use Dragon Rage on the ground again!" Astro took a deep breath, ready to fire the attack.

"Fake Out!" Sugarcoat yelled, Morgrem suddenly in front of Astro's face.

"More," he pulled his hands back before swinging them together, "GREM!" They slapped together, making a shockwave to explode out and hit Astro in the face.

"Star!" He cried as he was knocked back, his Dragon Rage extinguishing in his mouth.

He managed to get his footing, only for Sugarcoat to call out, "Swagger!" Morgrem crossed its arms as a red aura appeared around it, now showing an intimidating glare at Astro. The Starvern wasn't sure why, but he felt really mad, his eyes beginning to glow red.

"What's Swagger?" Spike asked.

"A move that sharply raises the opponent's Attack power," Twilight replied, Spike tilting his head at this till Cadance continued.

"That's not all it does," he turned to her. "It also confuses the opponent."

"What?!" Spike yelped before looking back at Astro, seeing the Starvern now wobbling around.

"Astro?! Can you hear me?!" Astro could, but barely. The voice was muffled, and his vision was blurry. "If you can hear me, use Shadow Ball!" Astro formed the orb, but the ball looked very unstable...and exploded in his face.

"Star!" He cried, stumbling back, "Starvern!"

"That had to hurt," Cadance winced as Spike, Springer and Peewee called out to him.

"Come on Astro! Snap out of it!"

"Terra!"

"Riolu ri!"

But no matter how loud they yelled, they couldn't get through to the still dazed Starvern. "Dragon Rage!" Flash yelled, hoping to create another smokescreen to shield Astro while he snapped out of the confusion. And though Astro did hear the order, Morgrem ran through the flames with ease.

"Useless," Sugarcoat deadpanned, "Use Sucker Punch!" Morgrem charged and slammed its fist into Astro's face, making him flinch. "Now, use False Surrender!" Morgrem swung its hair around, ready to slash at Astro.

"Bite!" Flash cried, hoping Astro could stop the attack. But Astro didn't seem to hear him, staying in place as the attack smacked him.

"Vern!" He fell back again, Morgrem now laughing.

"I gave you the chance to surrender," Sugarcoat added, "You should have taken it." She pointed as Astro, "Let's end this. False Surrender!"

Morgrem charged again as Astro picked himself up. "Come on Astro, I know you can do it. Shadow Ball!" Astro opened his mouth and formed the orb as Morgrem got closer. But once again due to his confusion, the sphere wasn't properly forming. And as Morgrem got close, the orb exploded and the blast hit both Pokémon.

"More/Star!" They cried as they were knocked back, both coming to a stop at the same time.

Morgrem quickly brushed off the pain while Astro shook his head. And when he opened his eyes, they were back to normal. "Star?" He looked around, Flash seeing the confusion was gone.

"Astro! Great, now we can-" He stopped when Astro's eyes turned to swirls, "Astro?!" He gasped as his Starvern fell to the floor, "NO!"

"Astro is unable to battle," Doc announced with a frown before pointing to Sugarcoat. "Morgrem is the winner." Sugarcoat smirked as Flash ran over to Astro, picking him up.

"Astro..." Flash whispered as the others moved over, "Are you okay?" Astro let out a moan as he blinked, his eyes returning to normal. But as he tried to move, he flinched in pain before frowning, "Hey, it's okay. You did great."

"Not true." Flash turned to glare at Sugarcoat as she and Morgrem walked over, "Morgrem didn't even break a sweat taking down your Starvern. Though I guess that's to be expected. Even if it was a better version of itself, it still wouldn't have won. Yours is clearly too low levelled to be a match for Morgrem."

"Maybe," Flash replied, "But just wait. Once Astro's back to full health, we'll train and the next time we meet, you're going down."

"I doubt it," she instantly responded, "Impidimp evolve at a really high level, so my Morgrem is likely three times stronger than your Starvern. And even if you manage to train it up, I'll have trained Morgrem the same amount so they'll still be a large difference." She and Morgrem turned to walk away. "If you wanna challenge me again, go ahead. But if you wanna win, maybe use a different Pokémon."

With that, the two of them walked off while the others just stared. "She's mean," Spike added.

"I wouldn't call it mean," Cadance sighed, "She's just...blunt. Stating the facts no matter how harsh the facts are."

"Still mean," Spike replied as Twilight turned to Flash.

"We should get him to Nurse Redheart." Flash nodded as they walked inside. When they showed Astro to her, the medical professional took him to the back room.

And once she was gone, Flash sighed as sat down on a couch. "You okay?" Twilight asked.

"I'm fine," Flash sighed, "It's Astro I'm worried about. He was completely outmatched. This is gonna seriously shatter his confidence."

"Sugarcoat was right though," they turned to Cadance as she sat down on the couch opposite him. "Astro didn't stand a chance against Morgrem. The typing coupled with Morgrem's higher level made it way too strong for Astro to beat."

"There has to be some way Astro can beat it." Spike added.

Cadance shook her head, "Not unless Astro learns a move that's super effective against Morgrem. It would have to be either a Poison, Steel or Fairy-type attack. And unfortunately, Starvern can't learn any moves of those types. Well...except for Toxic. But I don't know how to teach that move." She turned to the others, getting shrugs in response, "Then I'm afraid Astro will never beat Morgrem, at least not until it evolves."

"No way!" Flash stood up, "I refuse to believe that. Astro might have lost this time, but that doesn't mean he's destined to lose every time. The next time we battle that Morgrem, we're gonna win."

"Don't be so stubborn," Cadance snapped back, "If you battle Sugarcoat again after Astro is healed, all that's going to happen is Astro's going to get hurt."

"I don't intend to challenge her the second Astro's healed," Flash replied, "We're going to train even harder than before." He looked back at the doors leading to the recovery ward. "I've been going easy on Astro to help him get into the swing of training. But after losing like that, I know he's gonna wanna step his training up to the max. And I'm not going to stop him."

"Flash...that won't work. He will lose." Cadance sighed before turning to the others. "Well?! Aren't you gonna try and talk some sense into him?! You all know that Astro's at a major disadvantage. Against a Fairy-type, Astro can't hope to compete."

"Maybe," Twilight whispered as she crossed her arms, "But I wanna believe that he can beat Morgrem." Cadance went wide-eyed again, knowing the Twilight she knew would always go for logic first. "Astro might be weak against Fairy-type attacks, but there's one factor in his favor. Morgrem didn't use any Fairy-type moves."

"She's right," Doc added, "No doubt Sugarcoat would have used one if she had it, especially since Astro is four times weak to it. The moves she can use are Sucker Punch, Fake Out, False Surrender and Swagger. Sucker Punch and Fake Out are useless unless the opponent attacks first, so they're not the best moves to use in battle. Swagger might confuse Astro, but it also powers him up. So it's not completely negative. The only major problem is False Surrender."

"Exactly," Flash nodded. "So there's still a chance Astro can beat that thing."

Cadance sighed and shook her head, "You're not going to see reason, are you?" Flash turned back to her. "Flash, listen...sometimes a Pokémon just can't compete with one of a certain type. There's no shame in that, it's just nature. And until Astro evolves and learns moves that can do serious damage to Morgrem, that's a fact he'll have to live with and no amount of training will change that."

Flash glared back at her, right as the doors opened and Nurse Redheart walked out. "Flash," he turned to her, "Your Starvern will be fine. A good night's rest and he'll be as good as knew." Flash nodded and gave his thanks as she walked off, leaving Flash to stare at the door leading to Astro's room.

But before he went in, he said something to Cadance without looking at her. "When I first met Shining, he said something that's stuck with me." Cadance raised an eyebrow at this, "He said a Pokémon's true power isn't in its evolutionary form, or the moves it knows. It isn't even just how psychically strong it is. It's true power is in the strength of its will to grow stronger." He turned back to her, "And I know Astro wants to grow stronger. Even if I think it's impossible for him to beat Morgrem, I have no right to stop him from challenging it again. All I can do is help him grow strong enough to stand a chance." With that, he walked away as Cadance stared at him.

And as she did this, she couldn't help but be reminded of someone. Her husband.

Or at least, a younger version of him. One that lacked the experience and maturity he had, but had the drive and belief in any Pokémon. An air of intrigue filled her heart, making her wonder if maybe this teen could help his Starvern defeat the Morgrem.





Flash and Springer arrived at Astro's room, finding him sleeping on a bed. He had a plaster on his head and bandages around the barrel of his body. When he closed the door, Astro's eyes opened, "Star?" He saw his trainer, only to look away.

"Astro," Flash sat down, "It's okay. That was a hard battle. Even Springer probably would have struggled." Springer nodded despite not thinking that. "I know losing is hard, but it's not the end of the world." As he said this, Astro turned back to him, only to see he wasn't upset. "And if it's really bothering you, we'll train extra hard so the next time you battle you'll win for sure."

"Star!" Astro nodded before pushing himself up to his feet, only to flinch in pain.

"Once you're feeling better," he finished. "Training while you're hurt won't give you any results." He pushed Astro back down, "Rest and we'll start training tomorrow. Understand?" Astro squirmed at this, only to see Flash just giving him a calm smile. He laid back at this, now resting as Flash leaned back, 'There has to be some way to beat that thing. But how?'

The rest of the day was spent with Flash and Springer keeping Astro company, the others soon bringing them food for dinner. It wasn't long before the sun set, the group going to sleep. But as they slept, both Astro and Flash couldn't get their minds off the day's events. It was an uneasy sleep, but they managed to drift off as their bodies readied themselves for the morrow's events.

At the same time, Sugarcoat and Morgrem were both camping in a small clearing a bit away from the Center. They didn't want to have to deal with those people again, but Sugarcoat couldn't help but wonder what Flash would do in response to his loss. Would he realize the truth and move on, or would he go on some fool's errand to try and make his Starvern strong enough to beat her. "I guess there's only one way to find out," she told herself before falling asleep.





The next day...

As soon as the sun was up, Flash, Astro and Springer were outside the center. Astro was back to perfect health, the three doing a warm-up run through the woods while the others watched from the center.

"He really thinks a simple run is gonna help Astro power up?" Cadance asked as she saw Flash do a lap.

"That's just the warm up," Twilight replied, "Just wait until they get really going." Cadance raised an eyebrow as she kept watching, now noticing Astro was pretty fast despite having such short legs. And when he made another lap, she saw that despite running fast and being non-stop over a large distance, the three weren't tired. Not only that, Astro began to show he was incredibly agile, able to jump to the side to avoid a tree stump without slowing down.

As this was going on, Flash was still thinking about their previous battle. His mind went over what worked against Morgrem, only to see Astro's attacks barely did anything. 'There has to be some way to beat it...gotta be something I can do.'

Once their warm up was done, they focused on working on Astro's Shadow Ball. For this, Flash had Springer and Prongs take the lead. "Stag," the Stagrowth explained the best way to move his body when firing. Since Shadow Ball and Energy Ball were pretty much the same move, he was the best one to teach him. "Stag," he created an Energy Ball, Astro watching how he moved his body, "GROWTH!" The ball flew through the air, striking a target.

"Star," Astro nodded before turning to the target. "Star..." the ball formed as he moved his body in the same way.

"Stagrowth," Prongs reminded him to keep his focus on the target.

"Vern!" The ball fired, going for the target...only to veer off and hit a tree behind it. "Star," he moaned until Springer told him that he just need to keep practicing. Astro nodded and the three kept training like this for another hour until breakfast was ready.

The group chowed down, enjoying their meal before getting back to work. This time, Flash focused on increasing Astro's strength. With a little help from Doc and Lairon's Rock Slide, Flash and Astro had a bunch of large rocks they tied around themselves. "Let's go!" Flash yelled as he began to run across the battlefield, pulling the rock behind him. Astro did the same, and while the rock seemed a little heavy at first, he quickly managed to get up to speed and pulled the rock along. The two ran laps back and forth along the field, panting but not exhausted enough to stop.

Cadance and the others continued to watch, Cadance asking, "I get Astro doing this, but why is Flash doing it? All he's doing is tiring himself out for no reason."

Twilight laughed as she looked up from her book. "He believes that doing physical training with his Pokémon will help inspire them to push themselves."

"Huh." Cadance replied, continuing to watch him as they kept going for an hour. They would spend ten minutes at a time doing laps before catching their breath for five minutes, then doing another ten minutes of laps. All the while, Cadance continued to watch as her eyes shifted between them and her sister. Doing so, she saw Twilight wasn't really paying attention to her book, instead focusing on the boy training. A smile crept onto her lips, now understanding why she was so happy to put her normally logical beliefs to the side.

"How cute," she whispered. "I definitely wouldn't have guessed that happening to Twilight..."

Once that hour was up, they started working on the strength of Astro's Bite attack. Using the same training he used to help Hopper learn Crunch, he gave Astro a bucket of water to carry in his mouth. It was tricky at first, since they couldn't find a bucket that was smaller than him, but quickly fixed that by having Astro stand on a table with the bucket over the edge.

He kept it there for an hour, Flash adding more and more water every now and again to push his jaw's power to the limit. Astro struggled under the weight, but refused to let anyone take the bucket whenever they offered. By the end of that hour, Astro's usually super strong jaw was aching like crazy. But he still refused to stop. and asked what was next.

"Um..." Flash grimaced, now not knowing what to do next. He thought of doing more Shadow Ball practice, but figured the aching jaw would make things tricky.

"Maybe practicing dodging," they all turned to Cadance as she took a sip of tea. "Morgrem's attacks are pretty strong. Even one of them can do a lot of damage, but they'll be completely useless if they can't connect." She glanced at Starvern, "Astro is extremely fast and agile. If he can't out muscle his opponent, maybe he can out-speed them."

"I get it," Doc added, "If Astro keeps moving, Morgrem can't land a hit, and by the time it managed to land a single super effective move, Astro will have hit it with a bunch of smaller moves."

"Exactly," Cadance finished.

"Sounds good to me." Flash cheered as he turned to his Pokémon, "Let's do it. Springer, do you mind helping out?"

"Ri," Springer nodded before turning to Astro. He then ran up and attempted to use Drain Punch on him.

"Dodge it!" Astro leapt back as the fist missed him, but Springer quickly threw another punch, only for Astro to roll to the side. The two kept doing this for a few minutes while Flash watched, seeing Astro wasn't having any issue. "This isn't gonna work." The others turned to him with raised eyebrows as he took out his other Pokeballs and threw them, "Come on out!"

In a flash of light, his other four Pokémon appeared. "Tore/Rep/Stag/Vi?" They all turned to him, waiting for orders.

"Alright guys. I want you to help with Astro's dodge training. Skyler, you first.." Skyler nodded and took to the air, flying up before dive-bombing at Astro. The Starvern had just avoided Springer's attack when he glanced to the side and saw a large wing coming at him.

"Star!" He cried as he barely managed to avoid the wing, Skyler shooting past him while Springer ran up to try and roundhouse him. Astro dodged this again, dodging both attackers as he hopped around. But just when he seemed to be getting the hang of it, Riptide ran up and smacked him with his tail. "STAR!" He was thrown back, landing on his feet as he turned to his now three opponents.

"Sorry Astro," Flash added, "But remember, you've gotta keep your guard up. Never let yourself focus on just what's in front of you. Always be on the alert in a battle. Springer knows Double Team, and if he or any other opponent used it, you'd be facing an entire horde of opponents."

Astro nodded back, the three now beginning to try and hit him again. Now Astro was pushed to the brink, but the little star dragon did his best. Hopping around, he ducked and weaved around most attacks, and after a while, Prongs and Viper joined in as well. Now attacked on all sides, Astro kept his ground, dodging and bracing against the intense attacks.

What none of them realized was that not only was the training helping his dodging skills, it was also helping his hand-eye coordination. And as lunch rolled around, Astro was mentally and physically exhausted. "Star, star, star," he panted as he moved over to where Flash put his bowl of food. He then fell onto his stomach, his legs spread out in an X shape with his chin on the ground.

"You did great," Flash chuckled, "I'm proud of you buddy."

"Star..." Astro moaned back before using his tongue to knock the food out of the bowl so it landed on the ground for him to eat off of.

"I'm surprised with how much he's improved with only a day," Cadance commented as she and Doc put some plates of sandwiches down. "But even so, he's still a long way off from beating Morgrem." Astro frowned at hearing this. "Not to be mean, but he still doesn't have any way to seriously hurt it."

"I know," Flash nodded. "But we're still not done. While Astro keeps training, I'm gonna try and come up with a strategy."

"Simply having a strategy isn't going to be enough," Cadance replied, "Especially if something happens to knock it off the rails."

"Maybe..." Flash hummed, "But I learned a while back that having a plan that goes off the rails is always better than not having one at all."

As he said this, Cadance wanted to respond, only to see Twilight smiling at this, making her stop. The rest of the day was spent training with Astro's Shadow Ball, every one better than the last. By the time dinner was ready, Flash called an end to the day's training after Astro managed to get five attacks to hit the target perfectly.

But what none of them realized was that from up in the tree, Sugarcoat and Morgrem were watching. "I have to admit, his training style is quite unique. But no matter of training will allow them to beat us." She turned to Morgrem, "we'll show them that tomorrow." Morgrem nodded back.





That night...

As the moon hovered high in the sky, Flash was laying in his bed with Doc, Spike, Springer, Astro and Peewee sleeping around him. He was wide awake, his brain still replaying the events of the previous day.

'Cadance is right about not being able to give Morgrem any big hits. And I don't have any way to make Astro's attacks stronger.' He turned to Astro, 'There has to be some way we can beat it. But how?'

He closed his eyes, reliving the entire battle...only to remember something Doc had said: "Sucker Punch and Fake Out are useless unless the opponent attacks first, so they're not the best moves to use in battle."

'But they can still work if I order an attack,' he mentally told himself. 'It's not like I have a move I can use that isn't an...attack.' Flash's eyes shot open, turning back to Astro. 'Of course! I'm such an idiot! There is a way to make Astro's attacks stronger! And if I'm right, it'll protect Astro from Sucker Punch and Fake Out.' He carefully reached over to his bag and took out his Pokedex, searching something in the database before smiling. It was a list of moves Sucker Punch didn't work against, and one of those moves made Flash's grin grow wide. "If this works, we'll have a chance."

He reached out and gently shook Astro awake, the Starvern's eyes slowly opening. "Star?"

"Sorry to wake you bud," he told him. "But I think I've come up with a plan to beat Morgrem." Astro's tiredness vanished, now fully awake and asking how they would beat it. "It's simple. You're going to glare at it." Astro tilted his head in confusion, Flash shining a big grin, "Just listen. First, we're gonna do this..."





The next day...

As soon as the sun was up, Flash and his Pokémon were back at their training. They did their warm up run again, and after that they were back to Shadow Ball training.

"Fire!" Flash yelled as Astro created the orb and fired it, hitting a target dead-on. "YES!" Flash cheered, "Ten targets in a row." He looked down at Astro, "Nice work bud."

"Star!" Astro replied.

"I think Astro's finally gotten the attack down," Twilight added.

"About time," Spike quipped as Flash scratched Astro behind the ear.

He was about to go for another round of Shadow Balls, but before he could, a voice call out, "Well, well, well..." They all turned to the voice, now seeing Sugarcoat and Morgrem. "So it seems you've finally managed to teach that thing how to shoot straight."

"Guess you'll need to find something else to mock us with," Flash instantly responded.

"I'm not here to mock," Sugarcoat replied. "I'm here to settle the score." Flash raised an eyebrow. "I'm heading off and since I don't want you chasing after me, I figured I'd let you battle me one last time. But if you lose, you can't chase after me to have another match. I win and it stays that way."

The others exchanged glances as Cadance turned to Flash, "Don't do it. You might have helped Astro get stronger, but you can't expect a completely different outcome after only a day."

"But this might be our last chance," Flash countered. 'Besides, no better time then now to test out my strategy.' He turned to Astro and he nodded back, Flash now focusing on Sugarcoat. "Alright, let's do this." Sugarcoat smiled before all four walked onto the battlefield, Doc once again acting as ref.

"Are both trainers ready?" They nodded, "then battle...BEGIN!"

"Go Astro!" Flash yelled as his Starvern charged, moving as fast as his little legs could carry him. He almost got to Morgrem instantly, Sugarcoat preparing to give her own order, only for Flash to yell, "NOW!"

"Star!" Astro shot to the side, running past Morgrem, surprising the Devious Pokémon. Morgrem spun around, but Astro zipped by it again. This happened over and over, the imp now feeling dizzy.

"Now, use Leer!"

"Fake Out!" Morgrem turned to where it sensed Astro, but it was so dizzy, Astro was able to pull his attack off first.

"Star!" He roared as he glared right in Morgrem's face, making the Devious Pokémon stagger back, "Starvern!" He then hopped back, dodging the imp as it tried to retaliate before running around again.

"What are you doing?" Sugarcoat asked, "You can't hurt us with that move!"

"We'll see," Flash replied, "Use Leer again!" This time, Astro ran at it from behind and jumped on Morgrem's back. He then hopped onto its head and swung his face down to glare at Morgrem, the stare causing Morgrem to jump back while Astro hopped off him, "Shadow Ball!"

"Star!" Astro fired the orb, hitting Morgrem straight on across the battlefield.

"More!" It cried as it staggered back, the others now cheering.

"He did it!" Spike yelled.

"Perfect Shadow Ball aim," Twilight added as Cadance just stared at Astro with wide eyes.

Sugarcoat just shook her head, "Hmph. It doesn't matter how much stronger you've gotten, you still can't do any super effective damage on me." To prove her point, Morgrem quickly brushed off the damage done as she pointed at Astro. "False Surrender!"

Morgrem charged and swung its hair at Astro. Both he and Flash knew this couldn't be stopped, instead giving another order, "Leer!" Astro gave Morgrem another glare, intimidating it, but not stopping the imp from swinging its hair into Astro's face.

"Star!" He yelped as he was knocked back, but quickly hopped back to his feet as Flash ordered him to start running again.

Morgrem tried to counter by trying to hit him with his hair, but Astro easily dodged before Flash yelled, "Now, use Bite!" Astro then appeared in his peripheral vision and charged, teeth ready to strike.

"Sucker Punch!" With incredible speed, Morgrem spun around and threw a punch as Astro leapt for it. The blow struck Astro in the stomach, but the dragon continued, quickly extending his head as far as it would go and biting down on Morgrem's arm.

"Morg!" It cried, feeling Astro chomp down hard. It was here that Sugarcoat went wide-eyed, now whispering out a single word.

"Leer..."

"What?" Spike asked, Twilight giggling at this.

"Leer has the power to lower a Pokémon's physical defense, meaning moves like Bite will do more damage to it." Twilight's eyes turned back to Flash, "He knew they didn't have any moves that did big damage, so he powered up the moves they had as best as he could."

"Clever," Cadance added as Morgrem managed to throw Astro off his arm.

"Star!" Astro landed on his feet, Morgrem now snarling at him while holding his arm.

"That's the way bud!" Flash cheered, "Let's show them why they shouldn't underestimate us." He pointed at Morgrem, "Dragon Rage!"

"Fake Out!" Morgrem charged and clapped its hands together, but Astro wasn't letting that hit again.

"Star!" He roared as he leapt up right as Morgrem clapped. As such, the shockwave missed him, letting him continue his attack. "STARVERN!" The blue fire shot out of his mouth, hitting Morgrem, who wasn't hurt but couldn't see.

"Shadow Ball!" Astro formed the ball and made it as strong as he could as Morgrem was stuck in the cloud.

"False Surrender!" Morgrem spun around, swinging its hair to blow away the smoke. Once that was done, it turned to Astro and swung its hair around again. It struck Astro head on, knocking him back, but the dragon then fired the Shadow Ball.

"Morg!" Morgrem screamed as the Shadow Ball hit him, exploding in its face. "Morgrem!" It cried as it fell onto its back while Astro hit the ground rolling.

"Is it just me, or did that Shadow ball do a lot more damage than the last one?" Spike asked, the others nodding back.

"Shadow Ball can lower a Pokémon's Special Defense if it lands," Cadance explained, "That must have happened last time and possibly this time as well."

Twilight nodded at this, "If Flash can keep lowering its defenses, Astro has a chance."

"But can Astro stay in this long enough for that to happen?" Cadance added as both Astro and Morgrem picked themselves up.

"Not having such an easy time now, huh?" Flash asked, Sugarcoat now glaring at him.

"Don't think you've got this in the bag," she snapped back, "You might have gotten stronger, but I can still make your Starvern completely useless with one move." She pointed at Astro, "Swagger!" Morgrem smirked and crossed its arms again, the red outline appearing around it as it glared at Astro.

Astro looked up at Morgrem and as their eyes met, his turned bright red as anger filled his very being once again. And as this happened, Astro's mind began to turn blurry as the confusion set in. "Astro!" Flash yelled as he watched Astro's body begin to wobble, "Not again."

"Ha!" Sugarcoat smirked, "Now your Starvern is helpless." She pointed at Astro, "False Surrender!" Morgrem ran up and began to swing his hair again.

"Come on Astro!" Flash called out, "I know you can do it! Use Shadow Ball!" Astro barley heard him but did as instructed, forming a ball and managing to fire it seconds before Morgrem reach him. The orb struck Morgrem, but the Devious Pokémon was able to push through and swing its hair into Astro's face.

"Star!" He cried as he was thrown back, hitting the ground in pain. Flash growled at this while the others grimaced at this, only to see Morgrem now covered in bruises.

"If Astro can just push through that confusion..." Cadance whispered.

"Astro!" Flash yelled as his Starvern pushed itself up, its feet staggering back and forth. "What do I do?" He asked as Morgrem charged again. "I can't risk damage dealing moves in case they fail. Alright, use Leer!" Astro didn't seem to hear this, instead the Starvern running off to the left of the battlefield until he slammed into a tree.

"Star!" He staggered back, but then ran into the tree again, repetitively hitting it.

"Astro!" Flash repeated as Sugarcoat called out an order.

"False Surrender!" He watched as the Devious Pokémon charged to hit the Starvern again.

"Come on..." he turned back to Astro as he stopped hitting the tree. "Astro...use Bite!" By some miracle, Astro seemed to hear this and turned to Morgrem as it got in close.

"Star!" He thrust his head forward, looking like he was aiming for Morgrem's arm. But the imp leapt back, making Astro miss...only for Astro to keep going and grab Morgrem's leg.

"MORGREM!" It cried as Astro bit down hard, combined stats changes of Leer and Swagger making this attack extremely powerful. But despite the pain it was in, Morgrem still swung his hair around, smacking Astro.

"Star!" He cried as he was knocked away, sliding across the ground while Morgrem flinched as it clutched its leg, realizing the damage done had been severe.

"Alright!" Spike cheered, "That must have done a lot."

"I think it was a critical hit," Cadance added, only to see Astro pick himself up, blinking as his eyes went back to normal. "Wait...did the confusion wear off?"

The others turned to him, seeing he was back to normal. "Astro?" Flash asked, "You okay?" Astro turned back to smile and nod, then glared at Morgrem. "Alright! Let's end this! Use Dragon Rage!"

"Star!" Astro unleashed the blue fire at Morgrem, completely consuming the Devious Pokémon. Morgrem grunted at the flames around it, blocking it from seeing the charging Astro.

"Now Bite!"

"Sucker Punch!" Morgrem tried to run out of the flames, but flinched when it put pressure on its bitten leg. This made it stagger, letting Astro to leap into the flames and tackle Morgrem, knocking it back as be bit into its shoulder.

"Morg!" It cried as the flames died down. It then reached up and pulled Astro's tail, prying him off and throwing him away.

"That did a lot of damage," Twilight commented, "All those Leers and Swagger really have given Astro's attack some bite."

She laughed at her own joke, while Spike grimaced at this, "But what if she uses Swagger again?"

Cadance shook her head, "She'd be foolish to use it twice. Even if it would confuse him, Astro's attack power would sky-rocket. One attack could be all it'd take to beat Morgrem."

"Shadow Ball!" Flash yelled as Astro fired another orb of dark energy.

"Block it with False Surrender and then attack with it!" Sugarcoat ordered, Morgrem swinging its hair around. It slashed through the Shadow Ball, making it explode before it could get close. Morgrem then swung its head around again as its hair extended, causing it to reach Astro and slash him before he could react.

"STAR!" Astro cried as he was thrown back. The dragon stumbled as he almost lost his footing, his breath now panting as his feet wobbled around.

"Come on Astro!" He heard Flash yell, "I know you can do it!" He also heard Springer and the rest of his friends cheering, all telling him to win.

"Star!" He roared as he stomped his feet before charging with all his might. "STARVERN!" He took one mighty leap, now seemingly flying over to Morgrem.

"Dodge it!" Sugarcoat ordered as Morgrem ducked down, causing Astro to sail over its head. As he did this, Astro just smiled.

"Morg," Morgrem whispered once Astro flew over his head, only to then feel something tugging at his hair. "Morgrem?" He glanced back and gasped when he saw Astro standing behind him with the tip of his ponytail in his mouth.

"Star!" Astro yanked at the hair, forcing Morgrem to stagger back and put weight on its hurt leg.

"That's the way!" Flash cheered as Sugarcoat went wide-eyed, "Now...SWING IT!" Astro yanked the hair again, pulling it around as hard as he could. Doing so caused Morgrem to trip as Astro spun around, the Devious Pokémon now being pulled into the air.

"MOOOORG!" Morgrem yelled as it swung around, only for Astro to let go, throwing the Pokémon through the sky, "MORGREM!"

"No!" Sugarcoat screamed, "This is impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible," Flash replied, "Astro...SHADOW BALL!" Astro formed the orb, charging it as much as he could as Morgrem continued to fall.

"No!" Sugarcoat screeched, "Its impossible that that Starvern can beat Morgrem, and I'll prove it!" She pointed at Astro, "False Surrender!" Morgrem swung its ponytail, extending it at Astro as he fired the Shadow Ball. The two attacks flew at their target at high speed, passing one another, but one made contract before the other.

Boom!

Morgrem was struck, the Shadow Ball exploding as it sent it flying back, causing its attack to miss Astro. Sugarcoat gasped as she watched it hit the ground, bouncing several times until it came to a stop, laying on its back with swirls in its eyes. "Morgrem..." it whispered.

"Morgrem is unable to battle," Doc announced. "The winner is Astro!"

"YES!" Flash cheered as Astro began to dance, Flash running up and leaning down to scratch him behind the horn. "You did great!" Astro barked back before turning to Sugarcoat, who moved over to Morgrem and helped it sit up.

"How is this possible?" She whispered, "One day shouldn't have been enough to make it strong enough to beat us. Its typing should have made it impossible."

"It wasn't just Astro's training that helped," she looked up as Cadance walked up to her. "They were able to win because Flash was able to come up with a strategy you couldn't counter. Using Astro's speed and agility to avoid your attacks while using Leer to weaken your Pokémon's defenses. Once that happened, you four were on equal footing. After that, it was just a matter of which Pokémon wanted the win more."

Sugarcoat slightly growled as she returned Morgrem and stood up, turning to Flash. "You might have beaten me, but I've also beaten you. That means we're all tied up."

Flash smirked, "Wanna go again?"

"Not right now." Sugarcoat turned away, "I have places to be." She then glared back at him, "But the next time we run into one another, I'll be sure to put it in my favor. Now that I know my weakness, I'll work to get rid of it. A strong Fairy move is all I'll need. Until then, goodbye."

She walked off after this, disappearing into the forest, leaving Flash and Astro with big grins on their faces. "It'll take more then a Fairy-type attack to take us down," Flash turned to Astro. "We'll keep training until nobody can beat us. Right?" Astro nodded back.

"Flash Sentry..." Cadance commented in a quiet enough voice so the teen didn't hear her. "That boy's certainly one of a kind."

"He sure is," Twilight added, "That's why he's gonna be the future Champion of Equestria." Cadance turned to her with raised eyebrows.

"Oh?"

"Shining can't stay champion forever. And if anyone deserves to be one after him, it's Flash." This made Cadance smile and nod before looking back at Flash. No doubt, that boy was something special indeed. And as long as he kept on his path with his Pokémon, believing in them no matter what, then they would be able to reach for the stars and make the impossible happen. She was curious to see what else the young man was capable of as they continued their trek to the Crystal Empire. No doubt, it would be an interesting experience. As the journey continues.
> Tricks of the Trade
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Still on their journey to the Crystal Empire, the group had arrived at the edge of the forest with a small town a mile or so away. They were currently resting outside a store they found on the side of a road, Spike, Cadance and Doc each having a drink as they waited for their travel companions. Springer and Astro were also there, Flash telling them to stay there since the store didn't allow Pokémon inside.

"What's taking so long?" Spike asked as he finished his soda.

"Twilight wanted to look for something," Cadance replied, "I'm sure she won't be that much longer." As she said that, the doors opened to reveal Twilight, "See?" She turned to her, "Find what you're looking for?"

"Yup," Twilight nodded before taking out a bone made entirely of rubber.

"That's what you spent all that time in there for?!" Spike asked, "A chew toy?!"

Twilight rolled his eyes as Flash took the bone, "It's for Astro." He held it out to his Starvern, who took the toy. "It's so you can practice your Bite attack." Astro cheered at this as he started biting into the toy, finding it to be rather strong and resilient to his jaws.

"That was the strongest one they had," Twilight added, "No way he'll be able to bite through it, so it'll help strengthen his jaw muscles."

"Meaning his Bite will be even more powerful," Doc chimed in, "It almost sounds like you're trying to teach him Crunch."

Flash shrugged at this, "He already knows Bite and can learn it, so why not?" He turned to Twilight, "Thanks."

"No problem." Twilight giggled back.

"Well, I guess you did just get him to master Shadow Ball," Spike continued as Astro kept chewing into the bone. But before any of them could say anything else, Springer suddenly hopped off the bench.

"Ri?" He turned to a nearby bush, everyone seeing him walk over to it.

"Springer?" Flash asked, "What's up?" Springer didn't reply as he stared at the bush, only for it to start rustling. And before he could do anything, something shot out of it.

"Bun!" The creature yelled as it charged, now coming face to face with Springer. "Bunounce!" The two slammed into one another, both falling over.

"Springer!" Flash called out, "You okay?" Springer groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head and barking back that he was fine.

They then turned to the Pokémon, Cadance commenting, "It's a Bunounce." The High-Jumper Pokémon picked itself up and rubbed its head, only to go wide-eyed at the sight of Springer, the Riolu now gasping before the two began to talk to each other. "Huh. It...seems like they know each other."

This made everyone exchange glances before Twilight leaned down, "Angel? Is that you?" The Bunounce turned to her and nodded, "But if you're here-"

"Angel?" They heard a soft voice call out from behind the bushes.

"Hey fuzzball!" a boisterous now yelled, "Where'd you go?!"

They all looked up to see Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash walking behind some bushes, both turning to see the group. "Guys!" Rainbow exclaimed as she ran up to them, "Hey! What are the chances we'd run into you guys here?"

"Yeah," Flash replied, "Sure took us by surprise." He then looked down at Angel, "Your Bunounce crashed into Springer."

Fluttershy gasped as this before turning to Springer, "I'm so sorry," she bowed her head as Springer just told her not to worry about it. As he did this, Fluttershy spotted Astro beside him, "Oh my!" She reached down and picked him up, "Who's this little one?!"

"That's Astro, my new team member."

"Oooh!" Fluttershy hugged him tight, "He's so cute!" Astro let out a cheer, happily rubbing his face into her chin.

"It's great to see you guys again," Rainbow added before noticing Flash's clothes. "Loving the new look."

"Thanks," Flash responded, "So why was Angel running out here?"

Rainbow and Fluttershy grimaced at the question, only for a new voice to call out, "I think they went this way!" They turned to the sound, now seeing fear appear on Fluttershy's face.

"Hide!" Rainbow whisper screamed before the group ran over to the store and hid behind it. As they did this, several trainers walked out from the bushes.

"Where'd they go?" A girl asked.

"No idea," a guy replied. "But they couldn't have gotten far. Hey!" He yelled out, "Would you prefer a Nidoqueen? It knows Ice Punch!" The others were yelling out different Pokémon names and what they can do, but the group stayed quiet as they voices began to quieter.

And once they were gone, Rainbow and Fluttershy sighed as they walked out from behind the building. "What was that about?" Flash asked.

"It sounded like they were offering a trade," Cadance added.

"More like demanding a trade!" Rainbow almost yelled, only to ask, "Wait...who are you?"

Twilight laughed at this, "She's my sister Cadance. We're travelling together right now." She then crossed her arms, "Now, what did you mean demanding a trade?"

Fluttershy let out a whimper, "They saw Angel and started harassing me to trade him for something else." Angel let out a huff as he crossed his arms, "They wouldn't take no for an answer, so we had to run."

"Damn trading meet," Rainbow growled.

"Trade meet?" Spike asked next.

"It's a fair where trainers show off their Pokémon and try to get another trainer to trade for it." Doc replied, "They're quite a common occurrence in certain parts of the world."

"And there's one going on in that town," Rainbow grumbled as she pointed away, "And the minute we stepped into it, everyone kept hounding us to trade our Pokémon away."

"What?!" Spike yelped, "That's horrible!" He turned to Peewee and scratched him under the chin, "Why would anyone wanna trade their Pokémon?! They're supposed to be our friends, not livestock!"

Cadance nodded at this, "True, but sometimes trading can be very beneficial." The others turned to her with raised eyebrows, "Like how not all humans get along, not all trainers and Pokémon are destined to become friends. It's clear you all managed to catch Pokémon you care about and that care about you in turn, but sometimes a trainer will catch a Pokémon that's not a good fit for them."

"So you just trade them away for something better?" Flash replied, "That's still awful!"

"Well, you don't just pawn it off on anyone," Cadance countered, "It should be someone you know will get along with the Pokémon you're giving them. And they, in turn, could trade a Pokémon they can't bond with that you're able to befriend. Most of the time, that's how trading is used. Shining Armor traded once." This made everyone go wide-eyed, making Cadance giggle, "You see, he caught a Crawlder that he didn't get along with no matter how hard he tried. We then met a trainer who was having trouble with his Ghouwail, and that trainer actually got along quite well with Crawlder. Shining also became friends with Ghouwail, so they agreed to a trade. We met that trainer again about two years ago and they managed to evolve his Crawlder all the way into a Stalorn. Something Shining probably wouldn't have been able to do."

The others slowly caught up to what she was saying, only for Flash to mumble out, "Maybe...but those guys better not try and get me to trade."

"Then maybe you should return Astro," Twilight pointed at the Starvern. "A shiny rare Pokémon like him's gonna catch a lot of attention." Starvern tilted his head at this, now seeing Flash sigh as he pointed his pokeball at the dragon in Fluttershy's arms.

"Sorry bud, but she's right." A beam of red light went took the dragon, Flash turning to Springer, "Want yours?" Springer shook his head, "Okay...just be careful."

"Ri."

The group soon made their way to the town, soon finding out the trade meet was only for a day. And as they walked toward the place, they started to talk about recent events.

"So you managed to win your seventh badge?" Rainbow asked as Flash showed her his badge case, "That's awesome. Now you're only one badge away from the Equestria League."

"You know it," Flash put his case away. "What about you?"

"I managed to get my sixth badge a few days ago," Rainbow replied, "Now I'm only one badge away from facing off against Spitfire again."

"I'm sure you'll get it in time," Twilight added as they entered the town's limits. "What about you Fluttershy? Training hard?"

Fluttershy nodded before Rainbow laughed and put an arm around her neck. "She's got her own little win record. Ten straight victories." This made everyone raise eyebrows as they entered the town's park, only to be distracted when they heard a strange scratching sound. "What's that?"

"Not sure." Twilight replied before they turned to see a teenage boy a few trees away. He had light green skin and hair that was two different shades of blue, wearing a white shirt with turtles on the front under a dark green open shirt and blue hawaiian shorts. In front of him was a Sandshrew, which was slashing at a tree with its tiny claws. The attack made the sound that had caught their attention while also leaving tiny marks in the side of the tree.

"Nice!" he called to it, "Let's do it again! Use scratch!"

"Sand!" Sandshrew leapt and struck the tree again, leaving more marks.

"That's the way," he added before walking up to the tree, seeing how deep the scratches were. "Hmm...this isn't gonna do much damage in a battle." As he said this, he turned to see Flash and the others. "Err...hi?"

"Hey," Flash waved, "sorry for staring."

"We heard a noise and came to see what it was," Cadance continued, "I hope we're not disturbing your training." The teen shook his head as he moved over to them with his Sandshrew.

"Not really. We were just about finished anyway." He pointed a thumb at himself, "I'm Sandbar."

"Flash. And this is my partner, Springer."

"Rio."

"I'm Twilight and this is my little brother-"

"Spike. And this is Peewee."

"Terra."

"Call me Doc."

"I'm Cadance."

"Fluttershy."

"And I'm the one and only Rainbow Dash."

"Nice to meet you," Sandbar replied, "Are you all here for the trading meet?"

"Nope, just passing through. What about you? Are you here to trade your Sandshrew?"

"No way," Sandshrew leapt into his arms. "I'd never trade Sandshrew. We've been friends for years. I'm just training so we can win our first Pokémon battle. But by the looks of things..." he turned to the tree and sighed at the small damage, "We're a long way off from winning any battles."

"I'm sure Sandshrew's a lot stronger than you think," Rainbow chimed in, "I mean, trees are pretty tough. I'm sure you'd do really well in a battle by the looks of things."

"Maybe..." Sandbar responded, only for a grumbling sound to ring out of his stomach. He looked down at this before chuckling, "Sorry. Been here a while. Haven't had the chance to eat anything since this morning."

"That's alright," Fluttershy replied, "I'm actually a little hungry too."

"Same," Flash added. "I know we're trying to avoid the trading meet, but you think this place has a few booths that sell food?"

The others exchanged glances, Sandbar then speaking up, "They should. I think I remember seeing a hot-dog booth on my way over here." That got everyone to lick their lips, the group all agreeing to head for the trading meet to get some food. And as they left the park, they began to talk some more.

"So..." Cadance turned to Sandbar, "How long have you had Sandshrew?"

"I've only been his trainer for a few weeks," Sandbar replied, "But we've been friends for years. I met him in the woods outside of town, and we became friends after he helped me out. My dad caught him and held onto him until I was ready to be his trainer."

"That's nice."

"So what moves does Sandshrew know?" Spike asked, "You were wondering how effective it would be in a battle."

"Just Scratch, Defense Curl, Poison Sting and Sand Attack." Nobody said anything, but they all knew those weren't exactly super moves. "I'm trying to get Sandshrew to power up its Scratch into a Slash attack, but so far we haven't had much luck."

"Well it's all a matter of perseverance," Twilight chimed in, "Keep trying and you'll get it eventually." As she said that, the group arrived at the area of the trade meet. Everywhere they looked, people had their Pokémon out and were showing them off.

"I guarantee you'll never find a Furfrou with a coat as shiny as this one!"

"This Bronzong has been polished to perfection!"

"My Munkarve is like none you've seen before! It can chop through twenty-five boards of five inch wood in only ten seconds!"

"This Beakula's a potion mixing genius. It knows what to make to cure anything that ills yah!"

"Geez," Flash grumbled, "The way they're talking, you'd think they're trying to sell you a used car." As he said that, someone near them was trying to convince someone to trade a Stantler for a Wobbuffet.

"As you can see, it's in mint condition." The Wobbuffet owner announced as his friend nodded.

"It's got very responsive handling."

"Wob," the Patient Pokémon replied as the Stantler trainer thought about it.

"Just imagine the looks on the other trainer's faces when they see you with this little baby."

"We'll even throw in a free ninety day warranty of parts and labor." The group felt a serious amount of cringe at this, all of them turning away, only to see multiple trade machines a few feet away, the group spotting to people using one. They placed their Pokeballs into one of two bowls and activated the machine, the Pokeballs getting hit with lightning that transformed them into energy, sucking up into a tube that connected to a large screen in the middle. They stared at the screen, now seeing a Machoke and Haunter appear on either side of the screen before swapping places. The tubes then spat out more energy into the bowls, both taking shape before revealing the Pokeballs. The trainers took them, revealing their now evolving Pokémon from the trade before walking off.

After this, they found the snack area and treated themselves to some hot-dogs, burgers or a salad in Cadance's case. They began to chow down while telling Sandbar about some of the adventures they had. "Wow!" he went wide-eyed when Flash showed him his badges. "Those are so awesome!" He looked up at Flash, "You must be a really great trainer."

Flash chuckled as he put his badges away. "I'm okay I guess." he blushed while scratching the back of his head. "But the only reason I'm so good is because I kept training and believing in myself."

"I get it," Sandbar nodded before turning to Sandshrew. "That's what we've gotta do. Keep training."

"Sand!" Sandshrew replied before it smelled something. It sniffed the air several times before starting at something like it had just seen heaven. The others raised an eyebrow at this, but Sandbar knew that face.

"Cupcakes?" Sandshrew nodded before the two ran off, returning a minute later holding a cupcake each. "Yum!" he licked his lips, "My favorite."

They both began to snack down while the others chuckled, only for Rainbow to speak up, "Hey Sandbar." He turned to her, "Why don't we have a battle? That way we can see what your style is, and maybe we can give you a few pointers on how to get better." Sandbar went starry eyed at this, instantly nodding back.

They soon found a battlefield next to where the trading meet was taking place. Rainbow and Sandbar walked onto either side as Sandshrew jumped onto the field. "Alright kid," Rainbow took out her Pokeball. "Let's do this thing. Gliscor," she threw the ball up, "Wings up!" The ball flew through the air before opening up, revealing the Fang Scorpion Pokémon.

"Gly!" It roared as it balanced on its tail and snapped its pincers. "Gly Gliscor!"

"Wow..." Sandbar's eyes went wide, "So cool!"

But before either of them could say anything, someone from the trade meet turned to the battlefield. "Hey, look!" He yelled, multiple other people turning to the sight and becoming as starry-eyed as Sandbar. Before anyone knew what was happening, a large group of people ran over and began to surround Gliscor.

"So strong!"

"I bet its a really good flyer..."

"You think it actually knows any Flying or Ground-type moves?! Every time I see one of these in battle, they only ever use Dark, Poison and Bug-type attacks."

They then turned to Rainbow, the girl trying to backpedal away. In the blink of an eye, she was also surrounded, now being given constant offers for Pokémon to trade Gliscor for. "No way," she cried after someone offered a Hippopotas. "I only train Flying-types!" Saying this got a new series of offers for stuff like Skarmory, Emolga, Wingust and other Flying-types. "I SAID NO!" But as she screamed this, they refused to listen. "That's it!" Rainbow screeched, "Gliscor, use Earthquake!"

"Gly!" The Fang Scorpion leapt into the air before spinning and slamming its tail into the ground, causing it to shake and knock almost everyone off their feet, Rainbow managing to stay upright and turning to Gliscor.

"Let's get out of here!" Gliscor nodded and jumped back into the air, Rainbow grabbing it by the legs. They were pulled upward, soon gliding away as the crowd recovered.

"Come back!"

"Trade with me!" They ran after them, only for Flash to point at the crowd.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer created the orb and fired, hitting the ground in front of the crowd. They all came to a stop as a cloud appeared from the attack. But as it faded and a few traders followed, the others turned to Flash and Springer.

"Did that Riolu just use Aura Sphere?"

"Uh-oh," Flash whispered before he and his friends turned to run. They only got a few feet away from the battlefield when they ran into another familiar group.

"There she is!" One pointed at Fluttershy, who recognised them as the trainers wanting her to trade Angel.

"LEG IT!" Spike screamed before the group ran off, their stalkers running after them, leaving Sandbar and Sandshrew all alone.

The teen sighed as Sandshrew returned to him. "I guess it would make sense so many people would want to trade for their Pokémon." The two left the battlefield and walked through the busy street, "They've all be trained by really good trainers. Any Pokémon they train are probably A tier." Sandshrew nodded in agreement, "I wonder if I'll ever be that skilled a trainer?"

Sandshrew looked up at him with a frown, only for another voice to call out to him. "Hey! Hey kid!" Sandbar glanced around, unable to see the voice's owner in the crowd. "Over here!" Sandbar turned around and saw the person, a bulky man with purple skin and black hair while wearing black leather clothing. He was sitting on a bench, and on either side of him were a pair of humanoid Pokémon.

The first was a figure that was sitting cross legged and actually hovering a few feet off the ground. Their skin appeared light blue, though it was hard to tell since only the area around its eyes was visible. They were wearing a light blue robe that covered their entire body, which had dark blue armor around the chest and shoulders. Both the robe and armor were covered in stars, while a black cape flowed from its shoulder-armor down its back. A light blue mask was covering its mouth and nose while its head was covered in a large dark blue wizard's hat. Laying on its lap was a long wooden staff with a star-shape on the very end.

The second Pokémon was much taller, being around nine foot tall, and was incredibly bulky. Its skin was yellow and black with its head, neck and hands being yellow while its chest, stomach, arms, waist and legs were black. It was wearing a large silver viking helmet with giant wings on the side and with metal running down the side of its chin while long golden hair flowed from under it. On its chest were four metal disks in a square pattern with two other disks on the fronts of it shoulders that held the ends of a long red cape that flowed over its shoulders and down its back. Finally, being held in both hands, was a large war hammer that had a black staff as long as it was tall.

Sandbar and Sandshrew moved over to the three as the man smiled at the Mouse Pokémon. "That's a pretty good looking Sandshrew yah got there kid. I can see a lot of potential from it."

"Err...thanks," Sandbar replied, "We're training really hard so we can do well in battle."

"I'm sure you are," the man chuckled, "But let me ask, have you thought of trading your Sandshrew?" Sandbar's eyes went wide at this, "I'm sure if you traded it for something stronger, you could win any battle super easily."

"But...but we're trying to train ourselves."

"Yeah, but until you've got Sandshrew trained up, you're gonna have a hard time winning any battle."

"I...guess?"

"Now think of this. If you battled today, which Pokémon would you think would have a better chance of winning?" He pointed at the Ground-type, "Your Sandshrew?" He then pointed to the two Pokémon beside him, "Or my Sagic and Volthor?"

"Well..." Sandbar stared at the two, then looked down at Sandshrew. "I guess...your Pokémon would have a better chance at winning."

"Exactly," the man nodded before staring at Sandbar in the eyes. "I've got a sixth sense about these things kid. I can tell what a person accels at just by looking at 'em."

"Really?" Sandbar asked, the man nodding again.

"Yup. And I can see you're a skilled battler. With a strong Pokémon, you could defeat any opponent you faced." Sandbar's face lit up, but that smile vanished with what the man said next. "But I can also see what a person's worst skill is, and your training skills are sub-par."

"What?!" Sandbar gasped, "But that means-"

"Any Pokémon you train will take a long time to reach their true potential and be ready to battle." Sandbar grimaced at this, only for the man to chuckle again, "That's why you should think about trading. It'll be good for both you and your Sandshrew. You'll get to win lots of battles, and your Sandshrew will have a trainer who can help them unleash its true potential."

Sandbar's head was spinning, unable to comprehend trading away his Sandshrew for their own good. "E-e-even if that's true, who do I trade with?"

"I'd be happy to take your Sandshrew on," the man replied as he sat back. "I'm not much for battling, but I'm one heck of a trainer." He gestured to the two Pokémon beside him. "I caught these two a month ago as a Wizentice and Electhor."

Sandbar's eyes went wide at this, "Wow..."

"Yeah, but like I said, I'm not much of a battler. Now that they're trained up, it would be a waste to keep them with me. What do you say kid? Wanna trade your Sandshrew for one of them?"

Sandbar looked down at Sandshrew, then up at the two powerful looking Pokémon. And after a few seconds, he turned to Sandshrew and held out his Pokeball, "Maybe this is for the best." He returned the Mouse Pokémon before turning back to the man, "Which one are you gonna trade me?"

"Which one do you want?" He asked as Sandbar glanced between the pair, then pointing at one.

"The Volthor." The man nodded and returned both Pokémon before the two went to a trade machine.

"Alright," the man placed his Pokeball down, "You ready?"

Sandbar looked at the Pokeball containing his friend before taking a deep breath and placing it on the machine, "Goodbye Sandshrew." He turned to the machine before staring at the man, "Can I-"

"Go ahead," he replied, Sandbar nodding as he took one final breath, pulling the lever down before turning to the screen, but then-

"What's that!" The man yelled, pointing to something behind Sandbar as the machine sucked up the Pokeballs.

"What?" He asked, spinning around before not seeing anything.

"Oh," the man chuckled, "Nevermind. I thought I saw something." As he said that, the trade completed and the Pokeballs were dropped in the opposite bowl they were in before. "Whelp," he took the ball, "Trade's completed. Thanks kid. I promise I'll take really good care of your Sandshrew."

"Yeah," Sandbar took his Pokeball, "And I'll-" he stopped when he looked up and saw the man was already gone, vanished like smoke. "Huh?"





Flash and the others had finally managed to get away from that horde of trade happy nut-jobs. It hadn't been until they ran into an Officer Hard Case that they got rid of them, the police man threatening to arrest them for harassment, allowing them all to return to the area without fear of being strong armed into giving away their Pokémon. "Glad that's sorted out," Flash sighed as he sat down on a bench.

"At least now we shouldn't have to worry about those psychos bothering us again," Twilight added as she sat next to him. "Now we can finally rest."

Rainbow nodded and looked around, "I wonder if we can find Sandbar and get that battle..."

The rest stared at the town, seeing no sign of the boy. "Looks like he went home," Fluttershy commented, "I hope he and Sandshrew are able to get a little more self confidence." The others all chuckled at this, making her turn to them, "What?"

"Nothing," Twilight replied, "It's just...coming from you, that's kind funny." The others nodded as Fluttershy blushed, only to then spot someone a few feet away.

"Look," they all turned to where she was pointing, seeing Sandbar walking through the crowd while staring at his Pokeball.

"Sandbar!" He turned to them as they ran over. "Sorry about ditching you earlier," Rainbow told him. "Still up for a battle? Like I said, I'll teach you a thing or two if you and Sandshrew impress me."

"Thanks," Sandbar nodded, "But I don't need any pointers now." He tried to smile, but showed a half-frown, "Because I traded Sandshrew."

"WHAT!" The group screamed in absolute shock, Flash walking up and putting his hands on Sandbar's shoulders. "What do you mean you traded him?! You guys seemed so close."

"Yeah," Sandbar looked down at the Pokeball. "But someone made me realize it was better if I let them train Sandshrew while I start winning battles with a more powerful Pokémon, so I traded him for a Volthor."

"That doesn't make any sense," Twilight added, "Why would training with someone else be any different from training with you?"

"I don't know the first thing about training a Pokémon, and the guy that took Sandshrew's an expert. So of course Sandshrew will get stronger faster with him."

"That might be true," Cadance responded while shaking her head, "But getting stronger and learning are two very different things." Sandbar raised an eyebrow at this, "The training you two would have done might have been slow, but you would have learned and grown as a trainer through that experience. You and Sandshrew would have made mistakes and have to overcome those mistakes, but that would have allowed you to grow closer to one another."

"She's right," Flash chimed in. "You think I knew what I was doing when I first got Springer?" Springer shook his head, agreeing with Flash. "I was hopeless. It took forever for me to learn what I needed to do to be a good trainer." He kneeled down and patted Springer on the head, "But learning to be a good trainer was what helped me and Springer go from being just friends to the best of friends and partners."

"Riolu!" Springer cheered before Flash scratched him behind the ear.

Sandbar sighed as he looked down at his Pokeball, feeling a tear start to appear in his eye. He wanted Sandshrew back. "But it's too late. I've already traded him, and that guy is probably long gone by now."

"We'll find him," Rainbow declared, "And when we do, we'll get him to trade Sandshrew back."

The others all nodded, only for Spike to speak up, "But can we have a look at that Volthor first? I've never seen one before." Sandbar nodded and held out his Pokeball, which opened up. But instead of a large red light to come out, a small beam appeared, revealing the Pokémon Sandbar had traded for.

"Weedle," the Hairy Bug Pokémon said as the trainers all went wide-eyed.

"I'm no expert..." Rainbow muttered out, "But I don't think that's what a Volthor's suppose to look like." Sandbar was just as confused, but then remembered back to when they traded. The man had made him look away from the screen when they traded, making his eyes grow even wider.

"No..." he whispered, "He tricked me! He switched the Pokeball!"

"Now that's just uncool." Rainbow growled as she took out two Pokeballs, the others doing the same.

"Skyler!"

"Owlicious!"

"Flitanium!"

"Wondor and Gliscor!" They threw them upward, unleashing the five Flying-types, Rainbow turning to Sandbar. "What did this guy look like?" Sandbar quickly relayed the appearance of the man who stole his partner, the Flying-types then taking to the air.

"Don't worry," Doc told him. "They'll find him. And when they do, we'll get Sandshrew back."

"Yeah," Sandbar looked away, "But will Sandshrew even want to be my Pokémon again? I threw him away so easily! He probably hates me..."

"Don't say that," Fluttershy added as she patted his shoulder, "You made a mistake. If you tell Sandshrew you're sorry, I know he'll forgive you." Sandbar looked up at her with a glum frown, now knowing all he could do was hope she was right and be willing to accept whatever judgement Sandshrew was willing to pass on him.





Meanwhile...

Near the forest Flash and the others had passed through, the man known as Double Cross smiled as he and his two Pokémon made their way. "Man," he took out the Pokeball containing Sandshrew, "What an easy scam. I was hoping we'd get something a little better, but this'll do." He chuckled at the ball, "You shouldn't take that much work to train up and evolve. Then I can trade you for something else, maybe a Camerupt or an Absol. Or maybe, if you prove useful, I'll keep you around for myself. You could learn dig, so that might come in handy. Digging pitfall traps should be a lot easier." He and his Pokémon laughed, not noticing a pair of Pokémon flying above them.

Wondor and Gliscor were hovering above, glaring at the man as they saw he matched the description. Gliscor told Wondor to go get the others while it began to glide down.

"Door," Wondor wished him good luck before heading back to the town while Gliscor kept his glide. Luckily, the wind today was pretty good, allowing him to keep its elevation. However, a few minutes later, the man and his Pokémon grew closer to a more condensed part of the forest.

"Gly!" It yelled, its mind going to the one choice Rainbow would tell him to do if she was there. "Gly Gliscor!" It dived down and shot past the three, creating a gust of wind that almost knocked them off their feet. Gliscor then spun around and roared, "GLY!" It slammed its tail into the ground, causing it to shake, Double and Volthor getting knocked off balance while Sagic wasn't effected.

"What the-" Double yelped before looking up and seeing the Gliscor, now balanced on its tail while snapping its pincers open and shut. "I don't know why you're here, but you just made a big mistake." Volthor hopped to its feet at this as Sagic joined it, "I think I'll take you for myself. Even if you belong to someone, I think I'll find a way to get you into another Pokeball. GO!"

The two Pokémon charged, Volthor being the first to reach Gliscor as it swung its hammer at it. "GLY!" Gliscor used its spring-like tail to shoot itself up, dodging the hammer as Sagic pointed its staff at him.

"Eerie Spell!" Double yelled as Sagic fired a blast of magical power that struck Gliscor, knocking it out of the sky. "Heavy Slam!" Volthor charged and swung its hammer down, smacking Gliscor's stomach and smashing him into the ground.

"GLY!" He screamed before being knocked away, "Gliscor!" It stayed on the ground, wincing in pain while Double laughed.

"HA! Two easy catches in one day!" He shined a toothy grin, "Now you're mine!"

"I don't think so!" He turned to the sudden voice, now seeing a group running, one of them being Sandbar. "Give Sandshrew back!" Flash yelled, as Springer and Wondor got into a battle stance.

"Now why would I do that?" He chuckled as Sagic and Volthor stood in front of him, Flash taking out his Pokedex at this.

Name: Sagic
Category: Sage Pokémon
Type: Psychic
Info: The evolved form of Magitual. Legend says that a Magitual that lives for a thousand years can become a great magician that has mastered all forms of magic. Legend also says that this Pokemon's wisdom is perused by all philosophers.

Name: Volthor
Category: Thundering Pokémon
Type: Electric
Info: The evolved form of Thoray. When it swings its mighty hammer, it can unleash a storm of lighting, which will rain down from the skies and strike the tallest thing around.

"Pretty impressive, wouldn't you say?" Double laughed, "I wasn't lying before about being a good trainer."

"But you did lie about what Pokémon you gave Sandbar," Cadance pointed to the Weedle he was holding. "Trade them back right now."

"No thanks. Besides, it's not like it's a crime to swap which Pokémon you're offering to trade. He just wasn't paying good enough attention."

"If you won't give him Sandshrew back," Doc took out a Pokeball. "Then we'll take it back."

"You can try," Double snapped his fingers and his Pokémon charged, "Psybeam and Thunder!" They both raised their weapons and unleashed their respective attacks, both heading straight for Springer and Wondor.

"Crystardian!" Cadance threw her Pokeball, "Protect!" In a flash of light, the Rock Psychic-type appeared and used its crystal to create a force-field that blocked both attacks. This allowed Springer and Wondor to charge as Twilight, Doc and Fluttershy threw their Pokeballs.

"Shine/Lairon/Harry!" The three Pokémon appeared, landing on the field while Gliscor picked itself up and flew over to Rainbow. Double Cross stared at all the Pokémon, smirking at the sight.

"Nice. After this, I think I'll take these too! Go!" He pointed ahead, "Take 'em out!" Sagic and Volthor split up, taking on several opponents at once. Volthor found itself facing Springer, Lairon, Gliscor and Shine while Sagic's opponents were Wondor, Crystardian, Peewee and Harry. "Eerie Spell and Volt Breaker!"

"Sage!" Sagic held up its staff and fired the magical blast while Volthor's hammer sparked with lightning.

"Protect!" Cadance yelled as Crystardian created a barrier, blocking Sagic's attack. At the same time, Volthor slammed its hammer into the ground, creating a crack filled with lightning.

"Block it!" Rainbow ordered as Gliscor flew down and slammed its tail in front of the crack, causing the lightning to shoot out and hit it. Being a Ground-type, it didn't feel anything. "Now use X-Scissor!" Gliscor shot up and slashed Volthor, causing it to stagger back as Springer ran up while Lairon and Shine were ordered to unleash a Flash Cannon and Psybeam.

"VOL!" It yelled as both attacks hit it dead on, only to Springer about to reach him. "THOR!" It tried to swing its hammer at him, but Springer leapt onto the weapon.

"Drain Punch!" Springer hopped off the top of the hammer and threw his fist into its face, making it cry out.

At the same time, Sagic wasn't doing much better. "Crush Claw!" Fluttershy yelled as the Grizzor charged, slashing at the wizard as it used Reflect to dodge. But as it did this, Peewee and Crystardian moved in close.

"Dragonbreath/Flame Burst!" They fired their attacks, both flying through the Reflect and striking Sagic, causing an explosion that knocked it back while Wondor flew up.

"Brave Bird!" The Marvel Pokémon dived down as its body burst into flames, spreading its wings next as the flames turned blue. Before Sagic could react, it was slammed by the attack, knocking it flying along with Volthor.

Double growled as his Pokémon fell, hissing as he stared at the army of opponents he was now facing. "Fine," he took out a Pokeball, "You want Sandshrew?! I'll give you Sandshrew!" He threw the ball into the air and in a flash, the Ground-type appeared.

Sandbar gasped and ran up, "Sandshrew!" But he stopped when Sandshrew raised its claws.

"Careful," Double chuckled, "Sandshrew's not yours anymore. It obeys me now." Sandbar's eyes shrank at this, looking down at his former Pokémon. And by the look on Sandshrew's face, it wasn't happy to see him. He then glanced back at the others, seeing them all smiling and nodding.

Sandbar took a deep breath before turning back to Sandshrew. "Listen Sandshrew...I'm sorry." He said as he started to lean down, "I...I never should have traded you. I thought I was helping you by giving you to someone else, but the truth is I was just pushing you away so I could have a stronger Pokémon." He looked down at the ground at this, "And...I was wrong. I don't want a stronger Pokémon. I want my friend back." He fell to his knees next, tears beginning to appear, "I have no right to say this, but I want you back. I was an idiot to toss you away and I'm sorry." He closed his eyes at this, "And I would do anything for the chance to be your trainer again."

Sandshrew stared at Sandbar, only to hear Double suddenly start laughing. "Oh, that's cute." They all turned to him, "But you seem to be forgetting that I'm Sandshrew's trainer now. Even if it wanted to be your Pokémon again, it's mine. And there's nothing any of you can do to change that. Sandshrew," it glanced back at him, "Use your scratch attack on this fool." Sandshrew went wide-eyed at this, turning back to his former trainer.

He and Sandbar locked eyes at this, the Mouse Pokémon readying its claws while the others prepared to stop it. But as they stared at one another, Sandshrew seeing tears going down his face, they both started to remember their past. They remembered meeting in the very forest they were next too, Sandbar having got his foot caught in a Diglett hole and being unable to get it out until Sandshrew appeared and dug him out. They remembered returning to Sandbar's house and enjoying cupcakes together, becoming close friends with his father agreeing to catch Sandshrew until he was old enough to train him. The days playing together on the playground or in the woods, enjoying every minute of it. And then the look on the other one's face before Sandbar traded Sandshrew away. Both were a look of sorrow at never being able to see each other again.

And now, Sandshrew stared at its friend's face, seeing tears drop to the ground. And that made something inside Sandshrew click.

"Hey!" It heard Double Cross yell, "What's the deal?! I said use Scratch!" He held up the Pokeball, "This means your mine, so do as I say!"

But as he yelled this, Sandshrew turned to Double and leapt at him, its claws glowing before they extended to five times their normal length. "SAND!" It roared before slashing at the ball, hitting it with enough power to create three large trenches in the metal.

"What?!" He cried as he staggered back, now staring at the damaged Pokeball. As he did this, it sparked several times before suddenly exploding in his hand. "AAARRRGGHHH!" He screamed as the metal fell out of his hand, Sandshrew now glowing for a second before the light exploded off of him.

"What happened?" Spike asked as Cadance showed a big smile.

"Sandshrew used Slash. And it destroyed its Pokeball."

Twilight turned to Sandbar, "That means he's wild." Sandbar turned to her with wide eyes, "Don't you see? It freed itself so it could be caught by you again."

"It forgives you," Fluttershy added.

"Really?" Sandbar turned to Sandshrew as it turned to him, a smile on its face. "Do you really wanna come with me again?" Sandshrew nodded back, but a growling from Double Cross made they all look back up at the dirtbag.

"You little twerp!" He yelled as his Pokémon picked themselves up, "That Sandshrew's mine! Get them!" The three charged at this, but the others were faster.

"Extreme Speed!"

"Aerial Ace!" Rainbow called out, Springer running up while Gliscor flew up and then divebombed, creating a slipstream as it drew close to the ground.

"RI/SCOR!" They roared as Springer kicked Volthor and Gliscor V-turned to slam into Sagic. Both flew back and crashed into Double, knocking him over.

"Ahh!" He screeched as he tried to pick himself up. "GET OFF ME!"

"Let's send this guy packing!" Flash told the others, the group nodding back. Even the Weedle Sandbar had gotten crawled onto the ground, ready to battle.

"Really?" He asked, getting a nod from it. "Alright then," he turned to Sandshrew. "You ready?" He nodded as well as everyone got into a line, Rainbow deciding to get things started.

"Gliscor!" She yelled as the flying scorpion leapt up, "Use Earthquake!"

"GLY!" It flew down and slammed its tail into the ground, sending shockwaves at the three. The blow knocked the trio into the air, the ground shaking that hard. "Now guys!"

"Aura Sphere!"

"Dazzling Gleam!"

"Flash Cannon!"

"Dragon Breath!"

"Power Gem!"

"Hyper Beam!"

"And you two use Poison Sting!" The barrage of seven attacks were launched in the three, causing a massive explosion that sent Double Cross as his two Pokémon flying into the air and disappearing into the horizon.

Everyone smiled at the sight, happy that the dirtbag was gone. "So long," Flash waved him off.

"Let's hope he learned his lesson from that," Cadance added as Sandbar turned back to Sandshrew.

He kneeled down and looked him in the eyes, "Are you sure you want to come back to me?" Sandshrew nodded back, a happy smile still on its face. "Oh....thank you so much. I'm so sorry I did that."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Twilight chimed in, "You messed up, but you were able to make it right and you've learned from this mistake. Right?" Sandbar nodded back, "Then everything's fine. And honestly, I can't think of a better person Sandshrew could have as a trainer."

"Really?"

"She's right," Doc responded, "After all, Sandshrew learned Slash and damaged a Pokeball. That's not something any old Pokémon can do. Most Pokeballs are designed to be nearly indestructible, so being able to break one, and with a Slash attack no less, shows just how well trained Sandshrew is."

Sandbar smiled at this and turned to Sandshrew before taking out a new Pokeball. "Alright, let's make a promise. That no matter what, we'll always stick together and keep trying no matter what. And one day, I know we'll reach the top!" Sandshrew nodded and with a smile, it leaned up and tapped its head onto the ball.

It opened up and sucked the Mouse Pokémon inside with a flash of red, the ball closing and dinging without a single shake. Sandbar smiled before letting Sandshrew back out, the Mouse Pokémon leaping into his arms, both giving each other a huge hug. At the same time, the Weedle crawled up onto Sandbar's shoulder, Sandbar patting him next before introducing him to Sandshrew, telling him that he was their new friend. Sandshrew greeted him back, Sandbar telling the insect he would train him as well, promising to make him evolve into a Beedrill someday.





When the gang returned the town, they found that the trading meet had finally ended. The machines had been removed, and the madness was over. "Today sure got crazy," Flash sighed, the group nodding before beginning to head for a good night's rest at the Pokémon Center.

"But before that," Rainbow turned to Sandbar, "You and I still have a battle to wage." Sandbar gasped before nodding back, the two running to the battlefield with Gliscor and Sandshrew ready to duke it out. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be!" Sandbar called back before Doc announced a start to the battle. The two Ground-types charged at one another, ready to see which was stronger. The group's arrival in the small town was certainly an interesting one, meeting friends new and old. Only time will tell what other adventures await them. As the journey continues.
> Balancing the Score
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continuing their journey to the Crystal Empire, the group had arrived in a large bustling city. They saw it was packed, now having trouble walking down the street without getting separated. "Man..." Spike grumbled, "This place is lively."

"Certainly is," Doc added before turning to Twilight. "What's this city called again?"

"Err..." Twilight looked down at her journal, "Splash-Splash-Splash Town."

"That's...kind of a weird name," Flash chimed in, "And I wouldn't really call this a town." As he said that, they heard a whistle, all turning to see an Officer Hard Case running down the street with an Umbreon beside him, blowing his whistle as he ran up to a bunch of lampposts.

"Get down from there!" He yelled, making everyone look up to see a guy and a Passimian balancing on two of the lampposts.

"Come on man!" The guy barked back, "We gotta train for the tournament."

"I don't care!" Hard roared, "Get down from there or you'll be spending the tournament in jail!" The man sighed before he and his Pokémon leapt off the lamppost, landing and walking away, making Hard moan, "Geez...every year."

"Excuse me?" Hard Case turned to see Flash and his friends, "Did I hear something about a tournament?"

"Yup," the officer sighed, "The Balance Battle Tournament. It's been a tradition here in Splash-Splash-Splash Town for years."

"Balance Battle?" Spike replied, "Never heard of it."

"Basically, the Pokémon battle atop tall poles and any Pokémon that falls off is out of the match." He pointed down the street. "If you're interested, the stadium where it takes place is in that direction. You should get a better idea of it if you see it yourself." With that, the policeman walked off while Flash turned to the stadium.

"You wanna go enter, don't you?" Twilight responded at the eager expression on Flash's face.

"Heck yeah I do!" Flash cheered before turning to Springer. "What do you say bud?"

"RIOLU!" Springer added as they both then ran off, the others barely managing to keep up. They soon found the stadium in the center of town, heading in as they saw it wasn't as full. The place was no different from Hoof Town or Hoofington city, the only difference being the size. They saw that the battlefield was huge, sporting a large glass box. It was four times the size of a regular battlefield and about fifteen meters in height, with a trainer's podium five meters up on either side that was right outside the glass box. The remaining ten meters was open air, allowing any flying Pokémon room to maneuver. Everything below the trainer podium was filled with long round poles, and while the box was only fifteen meters tall, the actual battle field was twenty meters tall, the remaining five meters went underground. A red line was painted around the point where the battlefield dropped under the ground, and at the very bottom of the pit was a cushioned floor.

They tried to look inside the box, but then spotted a screen showing footage of the inside. Within it, an Accelgor and Monferno were battling by jumping from pole to pole. "Mach Punch!" Monferno ran up and jabbed Accelgor, knocking it off the poles. The others watched as Accelgor stopped itself just before falling under the red line, then shooting back up.

"Focus Blast!" Its trainer yelled as Accelgor created a sphere of energy, throwing it back at the monkey. However, as Monferno leapt back to dodge, the shockwave of the blast made the poles wobble, making it lose balance and fall off. It cried out as it tried to grab another pole, but couldn't before falling under the red line.

"YES!" Accelgor's trainer cheered.

"I see," Cadance commented, "So if you fall under the red line, you lose."

Flash shined a huge grin at the sight, "Oh yeah! I gotta compete!" He turned to run back inside, the others following him.

But as he ran to the reception desk, he came to a sudden stop. The others quickly catching up saw him stop, going to his side as Twilight saw what had stopped him. "Lightning?"

The teen known as Lightning Blitz spun around at the voice, only to growl, "Oh...its you."

"You're competing in this too?" Spike asked, with Lightning not replying as he glared at Flash.

"Hey Lightning," Flash whispered, his voice stumbling as Twilight saw a shiver go down Flash's spine, "So...how have you been?"

"Perfect." Lightning chuckled, "But I'm surprised to see you here. I thought for sure after I beat you in the tournament, you finally realized what a worthless trainer you are. After all, we all know proper battles aren't your thing. All of Equestria knows that...and you even failed at the Manehatten City Contest."

Flash flinched at that. "You saw?"

"Everyone saw, loser. You got butt handed to you, as usual. So what, planning to become a Balance Battle Trainer now that your hopes of entering the Equestria League and contests are up in smoke?"

Flash's eyes narrowed at this, "Hey! I'm still planning to enter the Equestria League. I'm only one badge away from getting in."

"Ha!" Lightning laughed, "You must be joking! There's no way someone as weak as you has seven badges." In response, Flash quickly took his badge case out, making Lightning laugh again, "Oh please, those have to be fake."

"They're not!" Flash yelled, "I won them fair and square!"

"You mean you got on your knees and begged the gym leaders to give them to you." Lightning replied, "Talk about of waste of time. We all know you'll never beat me, so why bother?" He then signed his name before walking away, Flash just staring at his back.

"So that was Lightning?" Cadance asked, getting a nod from the others. "Strange. He's nothing like his grandfather...he never had an ego that big."

"Its the size of a Wailord," Spike grumbled, "And he's the worst."

It was here Twilight saw the face Flash was wearing. It was a mix of anger and hesitation, only for her to see his hand was shaking. "Hey," she put her hand on his shoulder, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," he barely responded, "Just...trying to figure out who I should use in the match." He moved over to the desk and received an entry form, seeing he needed to enter three Pokémon. Taking a closer look at the rules, he learned it was actually a triple battle, meaning he had to use all three Pokémon at once. "Alright, Springer's pretty agile, so he shouldn't have much trouble. Skyler can just fly above the poles and the last one...Viper."

"Viper?" Doc asked.

"Prongs and Astro properly wouldn't do to well, and between Riptide and Viper, Viper's the better choice for this kind of thing." They all nodded as Flash wrote the three down before handing it in. At the same time, Twilight still noticed how shaky his hands were.

"Flash..." she whispered as her friend took another Pokeball and held it out to her.

"You mind letting Astro sit with you during the battle? I'm betting he'll wanna watch."

"Sure," Twilight took the Pokeball, but continued to stare at him. "Flash, if you're worried about Lightning-"

"I'm fine," he interrupted, his voice shaking, "He might have beaten me before, but this time it'll be different." He then gave her a small smile, only to walk away as she let out a sigh.

"You're obviously not fine." She whispered, "Oh Flash..."





A little later...

The crowd cheered as the first round of the Balance Battle Tournament began. Twilight and the others were watching from the crowd, Astro in Twilight's lap. They turned to the commentator's box as the man known as Present Mic appeared, "WAZZ-UP!" He yelled into the mic, "It's great to be here today! Splash-Splash-Splash Town's annual Balance Battle Tournament is about to begin! Sixteen competitors will compete for the title of champion." He pointed at the battle box. "And to earn that title, they must defeat their opponents by knocking them off the poles and into the defeat zone under the red line. In couldn't be simpler!"

The crowd cheered as Twilight glanced at the others. "It might seem simple, but it'll probably be a lot harder than we think." They all nodded in agreement before looking up at the screen, now seeing the sixteen faces and who they were paired up against for the first round. They saw Flash was in the first pair and then saw Lightning was the very last pair.

"Looks like Flash won't face off against him unless they both make it to the finals," Cadance commented.

"Again?" Spike asked, "That's what happened in the Battle Tournament."

"Hopefully this time it won't end the same way," Twilight added, "I don't think Flash can take another loss from him."

"Is it that bad?" Cadance replied, only to see a huge frown on Twilight's face while the boys just nodded. "Oh wow. What did he do?"

"The loss was so bad that...he pushed us all away, including his Pokémon." Twilight barely replied, Cadance now going wide-eyed at this. Her memories of the last few days with the boy came to mind, seeing how much he loved his Pokémon and thinking how he could push them away seemed unthinkable.

"Lightning's the worst." Spike grumbled as crossed his arms.

And as Cadance stared at Twilight, seeing her stare at Flash with an increasing worried frown, Present Mic spoke up, "Let's meet our first contestants! In the red corner, Marigold!" From out of the hallway, a green skinned girl with orange hair walked out while waving to the crowd. "And in the blue corner, Flash Sentry!"

Inside the hallway, Flash began to make his way with Springer beside him. But as he did, he felt his arm still shake. 'Stop!' He grabbed his arm, wincing as he did this, 'Stop shaking! You're not fighting Lightning yet.' But as he told his mind that, the memories of his Pokémon, all beaten from their last battle with Lightning, flowed through his head as the trainer just laughed at him.

But as his mind did this, Springer turned to him, "Ri!" Flash barely reacted to the Riolu, Springer then grabbing his leg to get his attention. And as Flash turned to him, even though he couldn't speak Riolu, he understood what Springer said next. "Snap out of it! We've got a battle to win." Flash didn't reply, just staring at him with a weak frown, making Springer growl, "Flash...if you don't think we can win, what do you think Skyler and Viper are gonna think?! Don't you trust them?!"

Flash sighed and looked away, "I do trust them. It's just-"

"Just nothing! We're winning, or we're gonna die trying!" Springer ran ahead him before yelling, "Come on! Don't be a wimp and get going!"

Flash watched as his Pokémon went ahead, only to smack the sides of his head, "He's right. I can do this. Even if I can't beat Lightning, I'm still gonna try my best against everyone else I'm up against." He then ran up to the podium, the stand lifting up before stopping at the start of the glass. He then saw a drawer with three Pokeball holes in it.

"Trainers!" Mic announced, "Place your Pokémon into the dispenser tray."

The two put their Pokeballs down onto it, Flash only placing two on before turning to Springer. "Ready?" He held up his Premier-Ball and Springer nodded, Flash firing the red energy that sucked him inside before placing it down on the tray and shutting it as quickly as possible.

A slot opened up and from it revealed three holes, a red burst of energy shooting out of each. They hit poles and took shape, Springer reappearing along with Viper and Skyler. Meanwhile, Marigold did the same, her Pokémon revealing to be Carnivine, Whimsicott, and Jumpluff. The three Grass-types took to the air as Present Mic spoke up.

"Are both trainers ready?" They nodded, "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Bullet Seed!" Marigold ordered as Carnivine and Jumpluff started shooting a barrage of seeds.

"Flamethrower!" Flash yelled, Viper unleashing a stream of fire that incinerated the Bullet Seeds. "Now, Extreme Speed and Aerial Ace!" Springer and Skyler shot ahead, Springer leaping at Jumpluff while Skyler V-dived at Carnivine. The two attacks struck, knocking both back while Whimsicott flew up high.

"Solarbeam!" The horns on its head began to glow as it heard this command.

"Another Flamethrower!" The Vipeacon shot the fire and hit Whimsicott before it could finish charging, burning it badly. "Aura Sphere!" Springer leapt up above Whimsicott, throwing the orb at the Grass Fairy-type. The sphere slammed into it and exploded, the force of the explosion pushing it straight down.

The other two tried to save it, but Skyler shot past them both and beat his wings. "Tore!" He roared as a gust of wind blew them back, allowing Whimsicott to fall below the red line.

Mic: "Whimsicott is out! That's one point to Flash!"

"Now for the other two points!" Flash added as the Grass-types attacked.

"Vine Whip!" Carnivine tried to slam Skyler with a pair of vines, but Springer appeared and grabbed one of the vines before it could reach them. Viper then appeared, having slithered between the poles, and grabbed another in his teeth.

"Tornado Burst!" Skyler flew up and started spinning, forming the tornado that shot at Carnivine. It tried to pull itself free, but Springer and Viper held it tight. Skyler then flew out of the tornado, slamming into Carnivine as the others let it go. This sent it flying until it slammed into Jumpluff, both smashing into the glass before sliding down the wall, quickly falling past the red line.

Mic: "It's over! Flash Sentry will advance to the second round!"

The crowd cheered as Marigold sighed, an opening now appearing in either side of the box that lead to a tunnel the Pokémon could head up to get out. Flash's friends cheered louder than anyone, "Way to go!" Spike screamed while Cadance turned to them.

"He shouldn't get cocky yet. There's still three more rounds to go." They nodded in agreement as Flash's elevator retracted, his Pokémon leaving the box. Meanwhile, up on one of the highest podiums, Lightning was watching the battle with the most bored expression on his face.





The competition continued throughout the day, with one match occurring right after the other. The first round ended within the hour, the second round beginning almost immediately afterward. Flash managed to win that round as well, without losing a single Pokémon, then followed it up be winning the third round and getting to the finals without losing a team member either. He had them work together constantly, one match having Springer ride Skyler so he could reach a full flying team of Corviknight, Pidgeot, and Noctowl while Viper stayed below, using Flamethrower to push down the birds once they were knocked out of the air.

But at the other end of the board, Lightning was dominating his opponents as well. The Pokémon he used were Gorillamp, Pitchawk and Frostoak, with Gorillamp standing on either two or four poles at a time with its feet and hands while Pitchawk flew above and Frostoak used its high agility to leap from pole to pole. However, he was shown to use a different method, his Pokémon not even bothering with teaming up. Instead, all his Pokémon picked one opponent and beat them to an inch of being knocked out before they fell off the poles.

Currently, Lightning was in the third round against a trainer with a Simisage, Simisear and Simipour.

"Use Thunder, Blizzard and Shadow Ball!" Gorillamp unleashed a bolt of lightning while Frostoak pulled down its mask and breathed a burst of cold air. This was followed by Pitchawk firing a sphere of dark energy, the three attacks hitting the monkeys dead-on. Swirls appeared in their eyes as they were slammed into the glass in front of their trainer, then falling like rocks into the defeat zone.

"It's OVER!" Mic yelled as the crowd clapped, "With that, Lightning Blitz will be moving onto the final round. He'll face off against Flash Sentry for the title of champion!"

Everyone looked up at the screen and saw the two's faces appear on it, Lightning rolling his eyes as Flash stared at the image, now feeling a shiver run down his spine. Memories of the last time he fought Lightning continued to rage through his mind. The images of each of his Pokémon on the ground unconscious flashing in front of his eyes, with the memory of Riptide's defeat making his heart clench.

"Hey." He was pulled from his thoughts as Twilight grabbed his shoulder, making him turn to her and see a huge frown on his face, "You okay?"

"I'm...fine," he muttered out, only to feel Twilight squeeze his shoulder, making him flinch. He then saw her glare at him, making him sigh, "Alright...I'm not fine."

"We know." Twilight replied.

"You're worried about facing him, aren't you?" Doc added.

"It's just...I can't help it. I wanted more than anything to battle him again. But now that it's actually happening..." He looked away, "I...I don't think I can take losing to him again. You saw what happened to me after losing to him and then losing Hopper."

The others exchanged glances, Twilight then gripping him again, making him turn to her, "Flash...you are not gonna let that jerk get under your skin."

"She's right," Spike nodded, "You're not gonna lose to him."

"You've trained hard," Doc continued, "And you believe in your Pokémon. Not only that, you guys have one advantage over him that he can't overcome in this kind of battle compared to regular ones." Flash turned to him, Doc showing a smirk, "His Pokémon might be strong, but they're not a team. Think back to the last three matches he's done."

Flash glanced back at the field, watching Lightning walk away as he got his Pokeballs from the stand. Memories of the battles went through his head, making him remember that Lightning did no teamwork. They just fought on their own, the best their teamwork got being staying out of each other's way.

Flash looked down at Springer, who smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"Huh. I guess you're right." Flash barely replied, only to feel Twilight pat his shoulder.

"Just remember Flash, if at any point you feel overwhelmed, just remember what I told you at the Pokerus Trainer Ground."

Flash nodded back, only to then notice someone was missing, "Hey, where's Cadance?"

"Bathroom," Twilight responded.





Meanwhile...

Lightning was walking down the hallway leading to the medic area. As he did this, he saw the door of a bathroom open in front of him, revealing Cadance as she turned to him. "Oh," she slowly said, "Hello."

"Hello," he hissed, giving her a long stare.

Cadance raised an eyebrow at this, only to put her hands on her hips, "What? Like what you see?"

Lightning just glared back, ignoring her question as he asked, "You're Shining Armor's wife, right?"

Cadance leaned slightly back at this, "So what if I am? I don't see why that's any of your business."

"I want you to give him a message."

"Oh?" Cadance raised an eyebrow again, "And what would this message be?"

"Tell him the one that will dethrone him is drawing near. I will make him pay for disgracing my family."

"What do you mean by that?" Cadance asked while crossing her arms.

Lightning's glare started to become a scowl as he replied, "He has no right to be champion." Lightning pointed at himself, "I'm just one badge away from entering the Equestria League. And when that happens, I'll crush everyone in my way and face off against him in the finals. And then, I'll defeat him. I'll beat his Pokémon into the dirt, making them pay for ever fighting my gramps' Pokémon." Cadance let out a giggle at this, "Hey! What's so funny?!"

"You really think you can defeat Shining Armor?"

"I know I can," Lightning hissed, "I won the Battle Tournament. The number of times I've lost a battle I can count on one hand. My Pokémon are all the best of their species, and trained to perfection. Who else could possibly defeat him? Only someone who is just like him, but better."

Cadance shook her head at this, "You really think you and Shining are the same?"

"I'm better," Lightning repeated. "I've mimicked all the strengths he has, and avoided all of his mistakes."

Cadance raised an eyebrow at this, "Mistakes?"

"Treating Pokémon like friends. Its pathetic. That kind of thinking will only make them soft and weak. Shining Armor has some of the most powerful Pokémon in Equestria, but he treats them like pets."

"He treats them with respect," Cadance corrected. "You should try it some times."

"Why? So I can lose just like my gramps? No thanks." Lightning pointed at himself again, "I'm the best there is, meaning I know my method works."

Cadance let out a sigh at this, shaking her head again, "Do what you want. But be warned. As you are now, you could defeat a thousand trainers, but still not beat a single one of Shining's Pokémon." She then did a slight shrug, "I've seen a lot of trainers who want to take Shining's title from him, but none of them have what it takes to surpass him." She let out a chuckle at this, "At least...that's what I thought."

Lightning raised an eyebrow at this, "Oh? What do you mean by that?"

"Let's just say...I think I found someone who could take him on."

"If its not me, then you're just delusional." Lightning replied while crossing his arms.

"I wouldn't say that. After all, you're about to face off against him in a few minutes."

Lightning's eyes went wide at this, only to for his face to light up in pure red anger, "Him?! Seriously?!"

"Absolutely. Why, are you scared of him?"

"Scared?! HA! You must be joking!" Lightning laughed, "He's a loser, a worthless nobody that I've beat time and time again! I keep showing everyone he's nothing but a joke, and he has no right to be a trainer!"

"Flash has every right to be a trainer." Cadance replied, crossing her arms as Lightning's outburst. "And you won't beat him here. This is a very different battle than a normal trainer battle."

"I'll beat him, just like I beat him at everything else! I'll prove yet again that he's nothing but a worthless loser!" He then shined the biggest grin at the woman, "Just like I'll do to Shining Armor!"

Cadance shook her head one last time before walking past him, "Good luck with that."





The crowd cheered as the two trainers walking onto the field, Present Mic speaking up, "It's time for the final match of the Balance Battle tournament!" The crowd continued to scream as the elevators carried the finalists onto the battlefield, Flash and Lightning staring one another down as they got into position. "Our finalists, Flash Sentry and Lightning Blitz! Both trainers faced difficult opposition to get to this point, but only one can earn victory here today. Which one shall it be?"

"I don't see why he's asking this. Its obvious who's going to win." Lightning groaned as he placed his Pokeballs into the dispenser. "Shame really. I was hoping for more of a challenge in this final match." Flash said nothing as he put his Pokeballs in. "But instead, I have a nobody as my final opponent. Someone everyone seems to think will be the next champion, but I know the truth." He pushed the drawer, the Pokeballs now opening to let out his three Pokémon.

"Gore!" Gorillamp beat its chest.

"Hawk!" Pitchawk flew up high.

"Frost!" Frostoak balanced on one of the poles and crossed its arms.

Flash felt a sudden chill, his whole body shaking. But as this happened, he shook his head, "No...stop. I...I can do this." he turned to Springer. "Ready bud?"

"Ri!" Springer nodded before Flash returned him to his Pokeball, putting it into the dispenser and closing it as fast as he could. In a flash of light, Springer, Skyler and Viper appeared within the box.

"Lightning!" Flash yelled, "You've beaten me before. I admit you were stronger than me in the Battle Tournament, and you might still be stronger then me now." Lightning smirked at this, "But that won't stop me from challenging you. Because the only way I'll ever truly lose to you is if I accept it and give up. And I won't do that." He pointed at Lightning. "Even if I lose today, I'll keep trying until I finally beat you. And I know I will one day beat you!"

Lightning laughed, "Keep telling yourself that!" He then waved his hand at this, "After I beat you today, I'm done with you. This will be our final battle, and after you lose, I'll never accept another battle with you again." Flash growled at this, only for Lightning to laugh at him again, "Why would I?! The only way I'll ever get stronger is by battling strong trainers, and you're the weakest trainer I've ever faced! I have nothing to gain beating a loser like you."

Flash felt his teeth grinding in his mouth, not replying as his Pokémon all glared at the trainer. Lightning just kept laughing, Flash growling as he stared at Lightning. 'I have to win. Even if this isn't a real battle...I gotta win.'

Present Mic stood up, "Are both trainers ready?" They nodded, the Pokémon getting into a battle stance. "Then let the battle...BEGIN!"

"THUNDER!" Lightning screamed before Flash could give a command. Gorillamp roared as it stood on two of the poles and slammed its fists together, causing them to spark. It then thrust both fists forward, unleashing a powerful thunderbolt that shot across the box.

"Dodge it!" Flash yelled, his three Pokémon leaping away. Viper slithered between the poles while Springer landed on Skyler, the Tornavian flying straight up. But as they did this, Pitchawk appeared in front of it.

"Shadow Ball!" The hooded bird squawked as it opened its mouth, creating a ball of dark energy.

"Aura Sphere!" Flash countered, Springer firing his own orb attack. The two collided, an explosion of dust coming next as the smoke filled the box, which Skyler and Springer flew into. Pitchawk waited for them to fly out the other side, only to see the bird charge right at him.

"Pitch!" Pitchawk avoided his attack, Skyler flying past him before spinning around. But as he did this, Pitchawk now saw Skyler's back was missing its rider. "Hawk!"

"RI!" Pitchawk spun around and saw Springer falling right on top of him.

"Drain Punch!" Springer slammed his fist into Pitchawk, making it cry out as it sent flying down. And as it fell toward the defeat zone, it spread its wings to stop itself.

Mic: "And Flash draws first blood! But was that his only lucky shot, or is it just the first of many hits?"

As this happened, Viper finally reached Frostoak from below. The Ice-type had been watching the air battle, not noticing Viper until it got within striking range. "Flamethrower!" Viper unleashed the burst of fire, Frostoak barely managing to leap away.

"Ice Shard!" Lightning ordered as Frostoak landed, creating and throwing a kunai of ice back. The snake wrapped the top half of its body around a post, allowing it to flick its tail around and deflect the ice, only for Gorillamp to appear above him. "Now, Thunder Punch!" Gorillamp reached out and grabbed the tail, pulling it away from the pole. It then swung him up and released his tail before punching him.

"VI!" He cried as he was thrown through the air, the lightning surging around him. He was unable to grab a pole, only for Skyler to swoop in and grab the snake.

"Tore!" He yelled as he pulled Viper back up, the Vipeacon hissing his thanks as Springer hopped over the poles, charging at Frostoak.

"Double Team!" Flash called out, Frostoak growling as Springer suddenly multiplied. The army of Riolu jumped all around the place, distracting Lightning's Pokémon while Skyler flew Viper down and let him coil around a pole.

"Enough of this!" Lightning screeched, "Blizzard!" Frostoak grabbed its mouth cover as it breathed in, then pulled it down as he fired a blast of freezing wind across the field, hitting the Springer army. One by one, the Riolu vanished until the real one was hit.

"Ri!" He cried as he was knocked back, attempting to land on one of the posts, only to lose his balance. "RIO!" He fell, his friends gasping, only to reach out and grab the pole and dig his claws into them.

"Ha!" Lightning cheered, "One down." He pointed at Springer. "Shadow Ball and Thunder!" A dark energy sphere along with a blast of lightning came next, both heading for Springer as he tried to pull himself up.

"Ri!" Springer flinched at the sight.

"Flamethrower!" Viper breathed a stream of fire, blocking the Thunder attack while Skyler got between Springer and the Shadow Ball. The Ghost-type attack struck, but did nothing due to it hitting the Normal-type. "Steel Wing!" Skyler shot up and slashed at Pitchawk, making it scream in pain as Springer pulled himself up onto the pole.

Lightning let out a bored sigh, "Typical. Your Pokémon are so weak that they need to rely on others to save them. Why do you even bother?"

"It's called teamwork." Flash barked back, "It's kinda the whole point of this tournament. Trusting in one another to save you when things get bad. And that's why I'm gonna beat you. Because unlike your Pokémon, mine are more than just strangers that happen to have the same trainer." Springer turned to give Viper and Skyler a thumbs up as the two smiled back. "They're teammates...partners...friends!" He pointed at Lightning, "This is why you're gonna lose this. Because it's not three on three, its three against one. Because even if your Pokémon have two others on the field, they can't trust them to help in a pinch. Something my Pokémon can do without a doubt."

The three nodded while Lightning just rolled his eyes. "And that's why you're weak. My Pokémon don't need to trust in anyone. They're strong enough on their own. And with me giving them commands, nothing will stop them!" The three let out their own cries of agreement and charged, Pitchawk and Skyler taking to the air as Springer and Gorillamp ran up to one another while Frostoak ran circles around Viper.

"Thunder Punch, Brick Break and Night Slash!" Gorillamp clenched its fists and started swinging them at Springer while Frostoak tired to hit Viper with a karate chop as Pitchawk's wings began to glow purple.

"Aura Sphere, Crunch and Steel Wing!" Springer avoided the fists as he formed the orb in his paws, firing it right at Gorillamp's face. While this happened, Viper allowed Frostoak to land the Brick Break on his head, flinching at the pain before reaching out and biting its leg hard. And as Frostoak cried out in pain, Skyler's wings shined as he began dueling Pitchawk in midair.

Viper then threw Frostoak, who managed to right himself in mid air, barely landing on a pole. "Ice Shard!" Frostoak threw another frozen kunai, only for Flash to yell out another command.

"Flamethrower!" Viper unleashed the fire stream, melting the kunai as the flames reached Frostoak, forcing it to leap back so the fire hit the pole instead. Flash growled at this, only to see the post the Flamethrower hit now glowing with smoke coming off it.

"Wait..." He slowly felt a plan forming in his head. "I got it! Time to thin the herd! Springer, Skyler, get ready!" The two nodded and disengaged as Viper waited for his order. "Flamethrower, and aim for the poles!"

"Vipe..." Viper took a deep breath, "CON!" The fire shot out of his mouth and swept across the field, Springer leaping up and landing on Skyler's back to avoid the flames.

As they did this, Lightning's Pokémon blinked at the sight, only for Frostoak to realize what was happening. It landed on one of the poles the Flamethrower had just hit, only to suddenly cry out as its foot was burned. "Frost!" He screamed, leaping to another pole while trying to cool down his foot. "FROST!" He yelped as he landed on another burning pole.

"Incredible! He's heating up the poles so Lightning's Pokémon can't get their footing!" Twilight gasped, Astro cheering with joy in her arms.

Cadance then looked up at Springer, who was safe from the heat thanks to Skyler. "Smart."

Lightning growled as he watched both Frostoak and Gorillamp leap around trying to find a good pole. "STOP PANICKING AND STOP THAT THING!" He roared before looking up at Pitchawk, "Shadow Ball now!" The hooded bird fired the orb at Viper, only for Skyler to fly into the ball.

"Tore!" He yelled as the Ghost-type attack puffed into nothingness while Springer leapt off his back.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer fired his own orb attack at Pitchawk, blasting it back and making it slam into the glass of the box before the Riolu landed on Skyler again. It was at this point Viper had to stop using Flamethrower to catch his breath, though the poles were still too hot to touch.

Frostoak now unable to take any more heat, it saw Pitchawk flying above it, the Snow Cloak Pokémon leaping up and landing on its back. "Pitch!" it cried at the new weight, causing it to stagger around in midair. The bird began to yell at Frostoak to get off, but Frostoak told it to carry it until the poles cooled down.

"Gorillamp!" the Current Pokémon yelled at them to stop arguing, only to turn to see Springer and Skyler charging at him, "Gore!"

"Thunder!" Springer heard this and saw Gorillamp charging its attack, the Riolu telling Skyler to take down the others while he dealt with it.

"Ri!" He leapt off his back as Flash gave a command.

"Aura Sphere and Tornado Burst!" Springer formed the orb and fired at the same time as Gorillamp, the two attacks colliding and cancelling one another out. This allowed Skyler to start spinning and form the wind drill, flying straight for Pitchawk and Frostoak.

The two saw the attack, both about to attempt to deal with it. But when Pitchawk moved, Frostoak lost its balance and accidently grabbed its wings. "HAWK!" It cried, then twitched in a way that knocked Frostoak off its back.

And at this moment, Skyler exploded out of the tornado. "TORE!" He roared as he slammed into Frostoak, smacking him straight into the glass.

"Frost!" He cried before gravity pulled him down, dropping into the defeat zone.

Mic: "Frostoak is out!"

The crowd cheered while Lightning and his remaining Pokémon growled, Flash and his team all smiling. "I did it," Flash whispered. "And I can do it again!"

Lightning's eyes went red at this, "Enough of this!" He yelled as Gorillamp stood tall. "Use Thunder, MAXIMUM BLAST!"

"GORE!" It slammed its fist together as Pitchawk flew down and got behind it, "RILL!" The lightning surged around it until it swung its arms around. "AAAAAAMP!" The electricity exploded out of it, now flying out in all directions.

"GUYS!" Flash yelled as he watched them trying to get away. Springer and Viper took Pitchawk's idea and ducked below the poles, but Skyler couldn't do that with his larger size, the lightning striking him down.

"TORE!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as he was blasted with a million volts of electricity, his friends gasping at the sight. And when the lightning dissolved, Skyler fell like a rock.

"Skyler!" Flash cried, Viper and Springer rushing to save him.

"Shadow Ball!" Pitchawk flew up from under the poles and fired a pair of Shadow Balls, forcing Springer and Viper to leap back, Skyler now falling below the red line and hitting the cushioned floor.

Mic: "Tornavian is out!"

The crowd cheered while Flash's friends frowned, Lightning giving Flash a huge grin. "See? That's the problem with teamwork. A single loss can ruin everything. Like a house of cards, the whole thing will eventually collapse in on itself." Lightning then let out a small chuckle as he pointed at Springer. "That's why only the weak use it! The strong don't need anything like that! Pitchawk, use Sky Attack and end this!"

"HAWK!" Pitchawk flew straight up as its body began to glowed, Springer hopping back at this.

"Flamethrower!" Viper took a deep breath, only for the poles to suddenly shake. He turned to the cause, which was Gorillamp as it charged while jumping from one pole to another.

"Heavy Slam!" Gorillamp's body glowed as it threw itself at Viper, tackling him instantly.

"Vi!" He cried as he was knocked back, falling toward the defeat zone. But he managed to wrap the end of his tail around the pole and use it to swing himself up just as Pitchawk charged at Springer.

"Double Team!" Springer barely managed to duplicate himself before Pitchawk could hit him, the Dark Flying-type flying through three of the Springers, making them all vanish. "Aura Sphere and Poison Fang!" The real Springer turned to Gorillamp and launched his orb attack while Viper swung around again and let go to send himself flying.

"VI!" He cried as he tackled Pitchawk in midair before wrapping his body around it. "PEE-CON!" He thrust his fangs into the bird and injected the venom, making Pitchawk cry out.

"You got this buddy! Pyro Coil!" Viper let its fangs go of the bird before pulling the end of his tail around and biting onto it, then breathed fire down the tube. The flames of his body ignited at full blaze before the pair were consumed by an explosion.

"PITCH!" It screamed as it was burned alive, the bird trying to flap its wings while also staying conscious. Seeing this, Viper smiled at the sight before uncoiling to hop off the bird. But as he did this-

"THUNDER!" Everyone turned to Gorillamp as it slammed its fists together, pointing at Springer...only to suddenly switch and fire the thunderbolt right at Viper and Pitchawk.

The two couldn't escape as the lightning struck them both, electrifying them. "PITCHAWK/VIPEACON!" They both cried as Pitchawk's wings completely failed, causing them both to fall. They shot past the top of the poles and Springer gasped at Viper's lack of movement, the Vipeacon not attempting to let go of Pitchawk as they fell past the red line.

Mic: "WOW! Lightning eliminated Vipeacon, but took his own Pokémon out in the process. Talk about harsh."

Flash turned to glare at Lightning, "You attacked your Pokémon?!" Lightning just smiled back. "Why?!"

"He was gonna get knocked out anyway. There was no point to keeping him in the battle." Lightning shrugged, not even looking down at his unconscious Pitchawk that Viper was pulling himself free of. "Why are you so surprised? Didn't you say this whole thing was about teamwork? After all, isn't teamwork all about taking one of the team?"

"Not like that!" Flash barked back.

"Whatever. Pitchawk served his purpose." Lightning chuckled, "All that matters is that the battle's now one on one. You can't beat me now." And as he said those words, Flash saw the grin on Lightning's face grow. It was the same one at the battle tournament, the grin when he had Gorillamp beat Riptide senseless, laughing at every moment. Flash could feel a shiver go down his spine, realizing what this meant with Springer going against the ape.

"Brick Break!" Gorillamp charged at Springer instantly getting close as it started wildly swinging its arms around.

"Dodge it!" Flash yelled as Springer leapt up, avoiding Gorillamp's attack before hopping to another pole.

"That won't save you!" Lightning countered, "Use Heavy Slam on the wall!" Gorillamp leapt over to the side of the battlefield as its body glowed, then swung its arms into the glass. The entire place, including the poles began to shake, making Springer trip.

"Ri!" He cried as he fell off one of the poles, barely managing to grab another one before swinging up.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer fired the attack at Gorillamp, but it spun around and punched the attack. And as it imploded on its fist, the gorilla just stood there with a grin. Despite this, Flash then yelled, "Now use Drain Punch!"

"RIO!" Springer ran from one pole to another, about to get close to Gorillamp.

"THUNDER!" Gorillamp unleashed the thunderbolts, the lightning shooting out wildly. Springer was forced to leap back, dodging the bolts, only to go right above the gorilla. The two glared at one another as they both readied their next attacks, their trainers screaming out at the same time.

"AURA SPHERE/THUNDER PUNCH!" Springer formed the orb as he fell toward Gorillamp, who clutched his fist as it sparked. The two threw their fists forward, Springer thrusting the orb into Gorillamp's fist. The two attacks pushed against one another for several seconds, only for Springer's attack to give out, exploding in his face.

"RI!" He cried as the shockwave sent him flying into the window right in front of Flash. The force of the impact shook Flash's podium, knocking him back.

"WHOA!" He yelped as he fell onto his back while Springer fell between the poles. Everyone gasped as they watched him fall, many closing their eyes. But after a few seconds, they opened them again when they didn't hear Present Mic announce Lightning was the winner.

Looking up at the screen, they saw Springer had thrown his arms and leg out in all directions and grabbed a different pole to keep himself up. His tail was millimeters from hitting the red line. And as he struggled to slowly pull himself up, Lightning stared over at Flash's podium but the teen remained on the ground.

He chuckled to himself, "To think, she said you might be the one to surpass the champion." Flash wondered who he was talking about while listening to him. "But that's impossible. You're nothing. Even if you somehow could defeat me, which isn't possible, you're a million light-years from even being close to beating him. Shining Armor's power is like nothing you could comprehend." He remembered back to the battle where Shining defeated Grand, remembered how powerful his Pokémon. Their strength had been something he both hated seeing and wanted for himself, something that beat Grand. A power he trained mercilessly to attain for himself. "That kind of power is far beyond a weakling like you."

As Flash tried to sit himself up, his mouth began to say he was right. But as he got up, his eyes glanced over at the stands. There, sitting with his newest Pokémon, was Twilight Sparkle. A look of pure worry was on her face, but it morphed into something else as he stared at her. It was the kind face she gave him on that day as a certain memory flew into his head.





"Because your Pokémon have another kind of strength. One which doesn't have any limits." She placed her hand on his chest, "Their hearts. The body might have limits, but the heart and soul of a Pokémon can grow to an infinite amount."





Flash slowly pushed himself back to his feet. "You're right, I'm not as strong as you or Shining. I don't have the same kind of power you have." Lightning shined a huge grin at this, about to reply until Flash said, "But that's fine."

"What?"

"I don't want to have the same kind of power as you two," Flash was now on his knees. "Because I wanna grow stronger as myself. I respect Shining Armor, but I don't want to be a carbon copy of him. I've learned on my travels that there are many different ways to be strong. Twilight...Spike and Doc...they all helped me grow into who I am today. And it's not just them."

Memories of all his friends, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Trixie, Sunset and so many more. "It's thanks to them that I know I can grow stronger without having to follow the same path as Shining or any other champion." He then pushed himself back to full height, "Me and my Pokémon can grow stronger by being the best us we can be!" As he said that, Springer pulled himself up and stood tall as Flash spoke up. "I will surpass Shining Armor in my own way!"

"RIOLU!" Springer added as Lightning let out a long sigh.

"What nonsense. You really don't get it, do you?!" He pointed at Springer, "I'm telling you its pointless!" Gorillamp roared as it beat its chest, "Heavy Slam!"

Springer clinched up as Gorillamp charged, now hearing Flash give his order. "Double Team!" Before Gorillamp could reach him, Springer multiplied and evaded the attack, their opponents now seeing a group of Springers running around.

"Thunder!" Lightning yelled, "Wipe them out now!" Gorillamp unleashed the electrical surge that shot out in all directions, causing the Riolu to vanish until only one remained right behind him.

"Extreme Speed!" Blue lightning sparked around Springer as slammed his foot into Gorillamp's head, then leapt back before it could counter. He then flew up to the top of the box and kicked off it, shooting back and hitting Gorillamp again before leaping over to a wall and repeating the process. Everyone watched as Springer morphed into a blur, bouncing all around the place while hitting Gorillamp from all directions. Gorillamp tried to counter, but wasn't fast enough as Springer kept hitting him.

"So fast," Spike gasped.

"That's the way!" Twilight cheered as Springer gave one final punch to Gorillamp's chest before leaping back and landing in front of Flash.

Gorillamp groaned in pain as it staggered back, barely able to stay balanced on the poles while Lightning's smile finally vanished, only to be replaced by a glare, "This doesn't make any sense...there's no way that little weakling could do that!" His glare went over to Flash, "You're not this strong!"

Flash just shined a big grin, "This is our power. One we draw from our hearts. The power of Flash Sentry!" Springer nodded as he was given his next command. "Aura Sphere!"

"Ri!" Springer created the orb and fired it, Gorillamp throwing a punch to block it. The attack connected and exploded, Gorillamp's fist getting blown back slightly as smoke came off it.

"Double Aura Sphere!" Springer created to orbs and fired, shooting one right after the other. Gorillamp could only cross its arms as they both collided, exploding and making it cry out. "Super Aura Sphere!" Springer created a single orb and put as much power as he could into it, making it grow until it was almost as big as him.

"RIOLU!" He roared as he threw the Super Aura Sphere at Gorillamp, the attack colliding and now pushing him back.

"GORE!" It yelped as it almost fell back, only to grip a pole and swing itself upward.

"Double Team, then Aura Sphere and finally Drain Punch!" Springer knew what he wanted and created four copies, the five leaping straight up. The clones created two Aura Spheres and thrust them toward Springer, hitting the bottom of his feet and propelling him forward.

"RIO!" He pulled his fist back as he shot toward Gorillamp, then threw it forward. "LUUUUUU!" The fist connected with his face, and with a mighty explosion of force, the two were blown in different directions.

The entire box shook, both Flash and Lightning struggling to stay up. Then, as the smoke from the explosion began to clear, everyone saw Gorillamp had fallen into the defeat zone.

"Ri..." Springer moaned as he barely held onto the tip of a pole.

Mic: "IT'S OVER! Flash Sentry is the winner and champion of the Balance Battle Tournament!"

The crowd cheered, with nobody cheering louder than Flash's friends. "HE DID IT!" Spike and Doc screamed as they hugged one another, jumping up and down. Twilight smiled the biggest smile she could while Cadance had a look of pride on her face.

Down on the battlefield, Flash just stared at the box before glancing at Lightning. The teen was shaking, a red fire in his eyes. But that didn't enter Flash's mind as his mouth moved and said, "I won..." Lightning took a deep breath at this before his elevator descended, Flash's face showing nothing but shock before exclaiming, "I WON!" He then heard a cry of cheers, turning to Springer now on top of the pole and down at Skyler and Viper in the defeat zone. "No...we won! You guys were awesome!"

"Rio/Tore/Vi!" They cheered before Springer jumped down. Flash opened the hatch at this, the three getting back to his trainer before he hugged them all.

"Thank you so much!" he cried as he felt tears go down his face.

But as he said this, he heard movement at the other end of the box. He turned to see Lightning returning his Pokémon. Flash wanted to say something, but before he could, a large crowd appeared around him. Present Mic was amongst them, wanting to interview Flash, allowing Lightning to leave. And after this, Flash found himself standing atop a large podium, being handed a special medal as he and his Pokémon's pictures were taken.





Once the celebrations were over, Flash and the gang headed to the city's Pokémon Center. As they made their way there, Flash continued to stare at the medal around his neck. The biggest grin was on his face, staring at the proof he could beat Lightning, even if it was in an unofficial battle.

"That thing looks great," Spike commented, "So cool."

"And you earned it," Doc added, "That was some battle you had."

"Thanks guys," Flash replied as they reached the center. But before they could head inside, the doors opened to show a certain teen, "Lightning?"

The pair stared at each other for several seconds, everyone glancing between the two. That is, till Lightning spoke up, "You beat me," he slowly said, Flash going wide-eyed at the words, "So what?"

"Huh?" Flash asked.

"Fine, I'll admit you were able to beat me in a silly game. Doesn't change anything."

"Sure it does!" Twilight chimed in, "Flash won!"

"Because he knocked my Pokémon off a pole," Lightning barked back, "He didn't knock any of my Pokémon out. If it had been a real battle, we all know mine would have come out ahead." He just gave a small shrug, "I guess you do have some talent for Balance Battles. Maybe one day this'll become a real sport. But we both know the truth. You're still a worthless loser who trains weaklings."

"I'm not a loser!" Flash yelled, "I'm gonna become the Champion of the Equestria League!"

"Sure you will," Lightning laughed before shaking his head, "Don't you get it already?! You'll never beat me, no matter how hard you try." He then walked past him, "Next time we battle, your Pokémon won't have one another to back each other up. You can't use some weakling tactic like teamwork to win." He pointed to himself, "It'll be one on one, and when that happens, I'll win without even trying, just like when I beat Shining Armor." With that, he laughed as he marched away, the others just staring at him as he left.

"Geez," Spike sighed, "Still a jerk."

"I guess we shouldn't have expected him to change after just one loss," Doc added, "He's not gonna be convinced until he finally loses in an all out battle."

"I'll do it." Flash replied as he clutched his medal. "He's right that this win wasn't a big victory. But it's still a win. One small step on my way to finally beating him once and for all." He turned to Springer. "The next time we face off against him, we'll fight him head-on. No holding back or fear. Right bud?"

"Ri!" Springer nodded before hopping onto his shoulder, both hugging. They may have beaten Lightning, but they were still a long way off from proving themselves the better trainers. They still had much to learn and a lot of training to do. But one day, they would face off against Lightning again and finally overcome him. As the journey continues.
> Smooze Move
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fresh off Flash's victory at the Balance Battle Tournament, the group are still in Splash-Splash-Splash Town. Intending to leave later that day, the group had stopped at the city's local park for a picnic lunch, Spike licking his lips at the large assortment of food laid out on the picnic blanket. "This looks delicious. Where to start?"

"You can start by helping with the Pokémon Food," Twilight chimed in as she and Flash put a bowl down. Spike rolled his eyes at this as Doc and Cadance walked over carrying plates of different sandwiches.

"Alright," Flash stood up, "I think that's everything."

"Then let's get this going," Twilight took out two Pokeballs before throwing them, Shine and Owlicious now appearing.

"Lunch time!" Doc added as he let out Flitanium and Lairon.

"Come on out, guys!" Flash threw his five Pokeballs up, Skyler, Riptide, Prongs, Viper and Astro now landing beside Springer, Peewee also joining them. They all licked their lips, ready to get started...only for Cadance to leap in front of them.

"Hold it!" She yelled before pointing to the side. The Pokémon turned to see a tap and drain. "Before we eat, we all need to wash our hands. Eating off the ground doesn't mean you don't still need table manners." The Pokémon all frowned by did as they were told, moving over and getting in line.

Spike laughed at this before reaching to grab a sandwich, but then Cadance grabbed him by the ear. "You too mister." Spike cried out in pain as he was pulled over to the tap, Flash and Doc laughing as they followed.

"Now I can see where you learned to handle him," Flash joked to Twilight.

"I took very clear notes when she was babysitting me," Twilight giggled as they all got in line, now washing their hands, Viper quickly realising he didn't have any to wash, and that he hated water. Then, when the first group finished washing up, they ran back to their picnic. But when they got there, they were greeted by a horrifying sight.

The bowls of Pokémon food were gone. "RIOLU?!" Springer screamed as he, Astro, Peewee and Viper stared down at where their food had previously been. They then looked over at the picnic blanket and found the plates of food were gone too.

"What the-?" Flash yelped as he saw the sight, "Where'd the food go?!"

They all glanced around, but saw not a crumb nor crust. "NOOOOO!" Spike cried as he fell to his knees, his eyes comically tearing up. "It's all gone!"

"But where did it go?" Twilight asked, "A whole picnic just can't up and disappear."

"The only explanation is that someone took it," Doc added, the statement hitting Spike's ears. His tears quickly evaporated as fire appeared in his eyes, the child standing back up and clenching his fists.

"When I find out who it was, they're gonna be sorry!" The Pokémon roared in total agreement, ready to use their strongest attacks on the culprit.

"Now hang on. Let's not go overboard." Twilight chimed in as she walked in front of the angry Pokémon and child.

As this happened, Cadance stared at the picnic table, only to smell something. Turning to the smell, she saw a small amount of smoke in the edge of her vision. Turning to it, she saw it was coming from the ground, off of a small splodge of green...mucus. "Hmm?" She picked up a stick off the ground and used it to pick up the green stuff.

"What's that?" Flash asked.

"I don't know," Cadance replied, looking back at the ground and seeing it was now burnt and the stick was slowly growing shorter. "But whatever it is, it's acidic."

This made the others step back as Twilight continued, "But where did it come from?" But as she said this, more smoke appeared behind a nearby bush. Turning to it, they saw more slime as they walked over to the shrubbery.

"I think we might have found a trail to our culprit," Cadance finished as they walked past the bush, now finding some more slime on the ground behind it. They kept following the trail for about five minutes, only to find something new. It was a large pile of green slime that wobbled back and forth like a plate of jelly. It didn't have eyes, but it did have some kind of gap between the slime to give it the appearance of having a mouth.

"What is that thing?" Spike asked with his tongue sticking out, "Yuck!"

Doc just blinked at the sight, "For once, I don't know. I've never seen anything like it."

"I...think I know what it is," Twilight started. "But I've only read about it in books." She turned to Cadance, "Is that a Smooze?"

"Yup," Cadance nodded, "But this is the first I've seen of one too." Flash took out his Pokedex at this.

Name: Smooze
Category: Oozing Pokémon
Type: Poison/Dark
Info: Made of an unidentifiable substance, it doesn't eat, and instead seeks out anything made of gold, silver or platinum. Absorbing too much at once will cause it to grow too large to control.

"That's pretty weird," Flash replied before pointing to the ground next to the Smooze. "Hey, look!" The others followed and saw it was one of their plates...or half of one. "So this thing did steal our food."

"But why?" Twilight asked while the others growled at the Pokémon, "The Pokedex said it doesn't eat."

"Well, it seems this one does," Spike hissed as the Smooze moved over to the half dissolved plate and sucked it into its body. The plate floated within it for several seconds before breaking apart and vanishing. "And it's gonna pay for taking my lunch!"

"Ri!" Springer nodded, about to charge before Cadance held her arm out.

"Wait! Don't forget, that thing's a Poison-type. And since it can dissolve a plate, I don't want to think what it can do to the flesh." The Pokémon all gulped at this, only for Flitanium and Lairon to leap out of the bushes.

"Just leave this to us." Doc laughed as he joined them, "Poison-type attacks can't hurt Steel-types." The Smooze turned to them as Doc pointed at it. "Alright guys, let's take it down!" The two nodded and charged.

"Smooze!" It roared before opening its 'mouth' and shooting out several balls of green slime.

"I think that's an Acid attack!" Cadance yelped.

"Steel Wing and Metal Claw!" The two's appendages glowed as they swung them, hitting the balls of green slime. But as soon as they did, both went wide-eyed and leapt back.

"FLY/LAIR!" They cried, their wings and claws smoking while Doc gasped, now seeing the acid somehow doing damage.

"How?! Unless...does that thing have Corrosion?" They all turned to Twilight, who just shrugged.

"I don't know. The books I read about them didn't have a lot of details." Doc growled before turning to his Pokémon and holding up their Pokeballs.

"Alright, return!" The pair were sucked inside while Smooze stared at them...if it could stare. "Now what?"

"Let's try some ranged attacks," Flash hopped out of the bushes with Springer, Astro, Prongs and Viper. "Go guys! Aura Sphere, Dragon Rage, Energy Ball and Flamethrower!" The four roared as they unleashed their attacks in the slime creature's direction.

But before the attacks got there, the Smooze simply morphed its body. Holes appeared in the pile of slime that the four attacks simply flew through, instead hitting the trees behind it and causing them to be knocked over and catch fire. This made Flash quickly tell Riptide and Skyler to put it out, the Smooze laughing at the sight.

"Nothing's working!" Twilight cried, only for a new noise to sound out. It was the roar of an engine.

They spun around to see a white van coming up to them. It then turned to do a skidding stop only feet from the group, the side door sliding open a moment later. From it, a tall lanky man with white skin, brown hair, black glasses and bucked teeth leapt out. His face was covered in zits and he was wearing a white shirt and brown vest with a green bowtie. He stared at the Smooze with a growl, the others now seeing something on his back that looked like it was from Ghostbusters. It had a long tube connecting it to something inside the van.

"Gizmo?" Cadance asked as the others stared at the man as he got closer to the slime-ball.

"Alright, you overgrown pile of snot." He pulling out a vacuum nozzle, which was connected to the device on his back. "This time, you're mine!" Smooze turned to him and unleashed several blasts of acid. "Not this time! Boomax!" From out of the van, a Pokémon they recognised as one their friend Vinyl had leapt out and jumped in front of Gizmo. "Boomburst!"

"BOOM!" It yelled as it unleashed blasts of sound that struck the Acid, pushing them upward before the slime suddenly faded into nothingness.

"What just happened?" Spike asked.

"The Acid must not last too long when it leaves the Smooze's body," Cadance guessed as Gizmo pulled a cord on the device, making it rev as he pointed the nozzle at Smooze.

"You're mine!" He pulled the trigger and a powerful suction occurred, pulling some of the Smooze toward it. The Oozing Pokémon tried to escape, only to be sucked into the nozzle. "Now I've gotcha!" Everyone watched as more and more of the Smooze was sucked up, travelling through the nozzle and into the machine on his back, and then through the tube leading into the van. The Smooze let out several cries, trying to pull away or making its body bubble and sizzle.

"Don't bother," Gizmo responded, "I made sure you can't burn through it this time." Eventually, the whole Smooze was sucked into the nozzle, pulled into the machine before getting sent to the van. A few seconds after this, Gizmo let go of the trigger and fell to his knees. "Phew," he whispered before turning to Boomax, "We finally did it."

"Boom!" Boomax's eyes made it look like it was smiling.

"You certainly don't disappoint when it comes to being showy, do you Gizmo?" The man looked up at Cadance, going wide-eyed.

"Cadance?!" he stood up, "What are you doing here?!"

"Just passing through," Cadance gestured to the others. "This is my sister and brother." The others waved, giving their introductions.

"Nice to meet you," Gizmo replied.

"So...how do you two know each other?" Twilight asked next.

Cadance let out a small laugh, "Gizmo and I have been friends since our journeying days. He's actually one of Shining's old rivals. Similar to what Flash has with Rainbow Dash."

The others nodded at this, Gizmo now speaking up, "It's nice to meet you all," He pushed his glasses up before gesturing to his Pokémon. "And this is my partner, Boomax." Boomax let out some interesting sounds as Flash took out his Pokedex, unable to believe he forgot to scan it the last time he saw it.

Name: Boomax
Category: Subwoofer Pokémon
Type: Steel/Normal
Info: The evolved form of Soundrop. Its sonic blasts are three times stronger than its pre-evolution. It can link itself to computers and play any sound files on it.

Cadance smiled at the machine. "Hello again Boomax. It's nice to see you again." Boomax let out a happy chime in response. "So Gizmo, what's the deal with that Smooze anyway?"

Gizmo sighed and looked down at the ground, "That thing showed up a few months ago. I was passing by at the time when I heard about it. For some reason, this particular Smooze decided it liked dissolving anything it could get its slimy mits on. At first, it only ate stuff like trash and other stray pieces of metal....but then it started targeting bigger more important things. Park benches, street lights, fire hydrants and anything else." He adjusted his glasses. "I decided to look into it and found it after a little searching. But when Boomax and I battled it, I was amazed to find its Poison attacks actually hurt him."

"So what's with the gear?" Spike asked, pointing to the backpack and tubing.

"Well, I first tried catching it with a Pokeball," Gizmo replied, "But every time I threw one, it either made holes in its body for it to fly through, or caught the ball and dissolved it. That's why I had to get a little extreme." They all headed to the van and looked inside, where another big machine could be seen. "I built these machines using the best materials I could find. This thing is able to eat platinum and other strong metals, so finding something it couldn't eat through wasn't easy."

"Well, at least all your hard work wasn't in vain," Cadance chuckled, "So what are you going to do with it now?"

"Oh, I have a lot of plans for it." Gizmo climbed into the van. "First I'm going to find a way to get it in a Pokeball. Once it's inside the Pokeball, it won't be able to eat its way out. Then I'll start working on figuring out why it came here and why it doesn't seem bothered by eating other things instead of rare metals." He patted the machine, but in doing so an echoing sound filled the air, making Gizmo go wide-eyed.

"That didn't sound like it was full to Smooze," Spike pointed out as Gizmo inspected the machine.

He circled it but found no holes, only to tip the machine over to reveal the bottom. The bottom had a large hole in it, along with another hole that could be seen on the floor of the van. "OH COME ON!" He fell to his knees as the others looked under the van and spotted a trail of bunt grass leading to a sewer drain.

"It's gone underground," Twilight commented as Gizmo picked himself up.

"That's usually its MO. Dropping into the water of the sewer so it doesn't leave a trail."

"I guess it's back to the drawing board with your device," Doc added.

"The design isn't the problem. It's the materials!" Gizmo groaned, "This was the strongest metal I could get! If this doesn't work, nothing will. It can eat freaking platinum for crying out loud. How am I supposed to contain that?" The others shrugged while Gizmo sat back and sighed. "Maybe we should go back to my place and try to come up with a new strategy." They nodded in agreement as he moved over to start the van. But before he did, he stopped as he remembered the damage done to the thing. "Actually, why don't we walk? It's not that far." They nodded again and all got out of the van.

They walked through the town for about fifteen minutes before arriving at an area filled with storage units, the group travelling through the valley of metal lockers until they found the one Gizmo was looking for. "Here we are." He unlocked the place, opening to reveal a messy lab-like assortment with a small cot bed in the corner. "Sorry the place is a mess."

They stared at the place with raised eyebrows, "When you said your place..." Cadance picked up a stack of papers off a stool, "I was thinking an actual place."

"Sorry," Gizmo sighed. "I didn't expect to spend so long here. When catching it in the traditional sense didn't work, I realized I couldn't stay in the Pokémon Center. I needed someplace I could work on catching it without problems. I only expected to stay here a week...but..."

"This Smooze is majorly tricky," Flash finished with Gizmo nodding.

Twilight stared at the place, seeing tons of failed devices, books on Smooze and other slime-like Pokémon, and even a map on the wall of what she assumed was the city with multiple pins in it. "What's this?" She asked, Gizmo moving over and sticking a pin in a spot on the map that was the park they were just in.

"I've catalogued all the sightings of the Smooze. My plan was to try and find a pattern and use it to locate where it's home was...but there doesn't appear to be a pattern. I'm not even sure it has a home." He moaned as he sat on a large stack of books, "I'm completely out of ideas on how to stop this thing. Maybe I should just give up."

"No way!" Flash chimed in, "We can't let that thing run loose! There's gotta be some way to stop it."

"Maybe one of your old plans can still work," Doc suggested, "It could be that they just need a little tinkering." He looked around again, now noticing a small beaker with a familiar green slime. The strangest part of it was that the slime appeared to be...moving. "Hey," he picked it up, "What's this?"

"Oh, it's just a sample of the Smooze I managed to get a hold of. Unlike other pieces of the Smooze, this one seems to remain and not evaporate under heat or any other substance." He got up as Boomax leapt onto the table. "I was trying to see if I could find a particular sound frequency that might effect the Smooze and prevent it from moving so fluidly." Boomax unleashed a low sound that hit the beaker, making the liquid bubble and shake. "But so far, I haven't found anything that might have that effect."

"There has to be some way to stop it," Cadance whispered, only to see Twilight stare at the green slime with squinting eyes. But before any of them could say anything, a nearby computer began to beep.

"What's that?" Spike asked as Gizmo ran over to it and started typing.

"I set up this computer to monitor the city's communications and pick up certain key words that could mean the Smooze. It's name, green slime, living snot, all that." He looked it over, only to go wide-eyed, "Not good! The Smooze has shown up in the busiest sector of town. It's never gone someplace that populated before."

"We've gotta get over there before it eats an entire building or something!" Flash added, the group nodding back. But as they ran out of the storage unit, Twilight stayed still as she stared at the beaker of slime.

"Twilight?" She turned to Cadance, "Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Twilight replied before taking out a Pokeball. In a flash, Shine appeared. "Go with Flash and help them out as best you can. Your Pastel Veil should come in handy." Shine nodded and galloped out of the room as Cadance raised an eyebrow.

"What's going on?"

"I think I might know what this is," Twilight replied while holding up the beaker, "But I'll need to run a few tests." She turned to her sister-in-law, "Wanna give me a hand?" Cadance smiled and nodded, the two quickly getting to work with what Gizmo had while the rest ran into town.





Flash and the others had managed to get to the area the Smooze was spotted, only to find it almost completely deserted. All there was was several trainers, including Officer Hard Case, who appeared to be battling the Smooze. "Dark Pulse!" The police officer ordered his Umbreon, the Pokémon firing a barrage of energy rings,while other trainers launched their attacks. But the Smooze easily dodged them or absorbed the attacks with its gelatinous body.

Several other trainers were standing beside their downed Pokémon, many being poisoned. "Not good," Flash whispered before turning to Shine. "Think you can help them?" She nodded and started galloping around, her horn glowing while unleashing waves of different colored lights, healing the poisoned Pokémon. But as she did this, the Smooze opened up its mouth and started shooting out blasts of green slime. Everyone around it started jumping back, dodging the now melting surroundings.

"Springer!" Flash pointed at it, "Aura Sphere!"

"Ri!" Springer fired the orb, only for the Smooze to turn to him and its entire body appeared to melt into a puddle, allowing the Aura Sphere to fly over it.

"It just used Acid Armor," Gizmo added, "Not good." The Smooze returned to normal as Officer Hard Case ran over to them.

"Listen to me." He pointed to one of the buildings behind them. "Whatever happens, we cannot allow it inside that building."

"Why?" Spike asked as Smooze fired another volley of Acid around.

"That building is a research facility. It contains multiple different kinds of metal from all over the world. There's even a special metal that was just delivered there today from the Sinnoh Region. Apparently, it was discovered during an expedition to some place called the...Distortion...zone?"

Hearing this made Gizmo's eyes go wide. "That's why it's here!" he gasped, "Even if it doesn't mind eating non precious metals, it probably still enjoys them. It must have...sensed of smelled it or what it uses to figure out where it is!"

"So what do we do?" Spike asked, "we can't keep it away forever."

"Just catch it!" One of the trainers yelled before throwing a Pokeball, but the Smooze just created a hole that the ball flew through, hitting the ground before the slime creature slithered over and began to consume the device. "Oh, come on!"

"That's not gonna work," Gizmo sighed, only to go wide-eyed, "Or maybe it could!" He glanced around at the trainers. "Everyone, surround it!" They turned to him. "If we all throw our Pokeballs at it at the same time, one of them has to connect!" They all nodded and began to run around the Oozing Pokémon. "Alright," Gizmo held a Pokeball up and the others did the same. "On three! One...two...THREE!"

"POKEBALL!" Everyone yelled, "GO!" They threw the orbs at the Smooze, all about to reach it at the same time. But before it could be struck, the Smooze appeared to tense its body up before firing green slime-balls out in every direction. The projectiles hit the Pokeballs, which opened up and unleashed the red energy around the slime-balls. But seconds after that happened, they exploded off the slime, all falling down before the Smooze absorbed them into its body.

"What just happened?"

"Pokeballs are only able to capture Pokémon," Doc explained. "When those slime-balls left the Smooze, they stopped being Pokémon, so the balls couldn't captured them."

Flash let out a long sigh, "For something with no visible brain, this thing's smarter than it looks."

The Smooze then began to get covered by purple a strange purple lightning that flew into where its mouth was and formed an orb of dark energy. It let out a roar next, the ball exploding out of its mouth. The sphere flew through the air, a hissing sound being heard as it shot toward Flash and the others.

"Look out!" Flash yelped as they jumped out of the way, the ball hitting the ground behind them.

"That was Snarl," Doc gasped as the Smooze's mouth began to rotate around the rest of its body, firing a barrage of energy blasts.

"Dog gone it!" Hard Case growled, "There has to be some way to beat this thing!"

"Poison and Dark is a really good type combo," Gizmo grumbled, "And with that Corrosion ability, its even more dangerous."

"It has to have some kind of weakness," Spike added.

Gizmo nodded, "Just one. Ground-types."

Hearing this, Hard Case turned to the trainers. "Listen, does anyone here have a Ground-type?" They all shook their heads, "Do you at least have a Pokémon that more any Ground-types attack?" Again, they shook their heads, making him sigh, "So much for that idea."

"There has to be something we can do..." Flash mumbled, staring at the gooey beast just stare at them, "Darn it. If only Twilight or Cadance were here. They'd think of something..."





Back at Gizmo's lab...

The dup were now wearing goggles and had their hair up as they did a few tests on the slime sample Gizmo had. "Alright," Twilight picked up a stray bolt and held it over the beaker. "Test number three." She dropped the bolt into the slime and they watched it float in place for several moments before it slowly started to melt, soon vanishing into the mixture that began to grow.

"Amazing..." Cadance whispered. "The evidence just keeps piling up and up. I'm surprised Gizmo didn't realize what it was before."

"Sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to see something that should have been completely obvious. I mean, it's not like he had any previous knowledge on the subject. Smooze wasn't even mentioned in the theory I read about. Heck, I might not even be right about this."

"Well, if your are right, it would explain why the Smooze got so much more aggressive." She picked up a nail and held it over the beaker, dropping it in before it dissolved like the bolt. "Yup. That's just more evidence." She took a Pokeball next, "But if we really want to confirm our theory, there's only one way to do that." Twilight nodded back, adjusting her glasses as she stared at the lab equipment.

"Alright. But let me try one more thing Cadance."

"Okay."





Meanwhile...

Back at the battle, the boys were still trying to figure out a way to stop the Smooze. "Aura Sphere!" Flash yelled as Springer fired his orb attack at the Smooze, but the slime pile simply created a hole in its body, letting the ball go right through. At the same time, Doc, Tockwork, Spike, Peewee and Shine readied their attacks.

"Zap Cannon!" Tockwork pointed its gun arm at the Smooze and fired an electrified orb, only for the Smooze to suddenly shake its body from side to side before morphing into a C-shape to dodge the sphere.

"Dragon Rage and Dazzling Gleam!" Peewee and Shine unleashed their attacks at the Smooze, which used Acid Armor to evade them. "Come on! Just let us hit you already!"

Meanwhile, Gizmo and Hard Case were helping the people evacuate from the building the Smooze was targeting. "Come on! Come on! Come on!" Hard Case yelled as the people ran out in swarms, only to see a scientist leading some workers as they carried large stacks of metal toward a large vault. "What are you doing?!"

The scientist turned to the police officer, "We can't leave these things to be consumed by that creature if it gets in here! We have to make sure they're safe!"

"He's right," Gizmo added as he glanced into the vault and saw multiple gems and metals inside. Gold, silver, platinum, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds and pearls, and it the center of the room was a large pile of metal ore that had been transported to Equestria from the Sinnoh Region. "If that thing gets even one of these things, it could grow too large to ever stop."

"Fine..." Hard Case groaned, "But hurry up! We can't keep that thing back!" The scientist nodded as the last worker placed a gem down on a shelf before running out, the scientist hitting a button on a keypad next to it. The vault door slammed shut, several locking sounds now filling the air.

"There," the scientist responded. "Now it's completely sealed."

"Hopefully," Gizmo added, "That Smooze is able to eat through platinum. This door might not be enough to stop it."

"All the more reason to stop that thing once and for all." Hard Case turned to the door, but when he opened it, he let out a yelp, "WHOA!" He pulled the door closed, seconds before a slime-ball slammed into it and began melting the glass. "Before it melts my entire city." He and Umbreon ran outside at this, just in time to see the Smooze now firing Acid balls out in every direction.

Flash, Doc, Spike and their Pokémon managed to avoid the Acid, but several other Pokémon were now getting hit. Their trainers had had enough and returned them before running off, leaving just the six men and their Pokémon to battle the Smooze. Several people had also stayed behind after evacuating the building, wanting to watch them battle. But they would soon regret this decision when the Smooze's Acid attacks flew up and hit parts of the building above them, melting off sections as the rest began to fall off.

"Look out!" Doc yelled as Tockwork turned to fire its Zap Cannon at a large piece of rubble, making it explode into pebbles. At the same time, Shine used her psychic abilities to grab some of the falling pieces of metal and rock, letting the people run away.

As this happened, Flash pulled out his Pokeballs. "Skyler, Riptide, Steel Wing and Aqua Break!" He threw the Pokeballs and unleashed his Tornavian and Reptidal, the two leaping into the air as Skyler's wings glowed and Riptide drew his water sword. With several slashes, the debris was sliced into pieces before harmlessly fell to the ground.

Flash smirked at this, only to notice something splash onto his shoe. Looking down, he went wide-eyed as he saw the side of the Smooze, using Acid Armor, sliding along the ground between his legs. "GYAH!" He leapt away, quickly stomping his feet on the ground to get the acid off before it started eating his shoes.

The others heard this cry and turned to see the Smooze going for the building. "Stop it!" Doc yelled, Tockwork preparing to fire another Zap Cannon. Riptide and Skyler also planned to attack, but before the three could, the Smooze fired Acid at them. The slime-balls hit the three, making them cry out as they were poisoned, Shine now having to gallop over to use Pastel Vail to heal them.

Once she did this, Flash and Doc returned them so they could rest. This left the Smooze with very little to stop it, only to for Gizmo and Boomax to run between it and the door. "Boomax!" Gizmo pointed at it, "Boomburst!"

"BOOM!" It yelled as sound exploded out of the speakers. But the slime used Acid Armor to dodge again before firing a slime-ball at Boomax. "MAX!" It cried in pain as it was struck in the face, getting knocked onto its back as Gizmo ran over to it.

"Boomax!" He cried, seeing the acid eat away at its metal. He quickly ripped the sleeves of his shirt off and used it to wipe the acid away, hissing as some drops got on his hands and burned them. As this happened, the Smooze slithered past them, now heading for the vault.

"NO!" The scientist screamed as the others ran up to the building. But before they could do anything, Smooze uses Acid Armor to melt into a fat pile of slime that slid along the ground, squeezing through the almost non-existent gap in the door. It took a few seconds, but soon the whole thing managed to get through and was inside the safe.

"NO!" One of the scientists yelled as he ran to the door, trying to open it. But before he could, something happened. Inside the room, the Smooze rebuilt itself and looked around the place to see everything it could gobble up and enjoy. It then turned to the door and shot several Acid attacks, hitting the gap between it and the wall, causing them to melt and mix together before cooling to form a welded seal. It then turned back to the treasure then started its feast.





"It's no good," the scientist whimpered, "It's sealed in."

"Not for long," Flash took out a Pokeball. "Viper, I choose you!" He threw the ball, revealing the Vipeacon. "Use Flamethrower and melt your way through the door!"

"Vip!" Viper unleashed a burst of fire at the metal door, slowing trying to melt it.

"This won't work," Gizmo told Flash as he returned Boomax. "That door was built to be incredibly strong and withstand extreme heat. It'll take a while until it starts to melt."

As he said this, the room around them began shaking. "What's that?" Spike asked, only for another to shake to occur, "An earthquake?!"

"I don't think so," Gizmo gulped as he slowly turned back to the vault. Viper had stopped using Flamethrower, only for the group to now notice several cracks appearing on the wall around it.

"Oh no..." the gym leader whispered before turning to the other. "RUN!" And as they began to sprint, getting to the door, the wall exploded, propelling the group flying out of the building. The vault's door flew above them as they fell over, freeing the contents of the vault as a tidalwave of green slime shot out of the room. Everything it could get its slimy hands on was absorbed into its mass, dissolving as it began to grow larger and larger.

Everyone outside the building saw this, now going wide-eyed as more green slime began to fill the building as the Smooze's body expanded. "How big is that thing gonna get?" Spike asked, turning to the smarter members of their group.

"Honestly...who knows?!" Gizmo replied, "If the metal in that vault was really pure, it could make enough of itself to fill five swimming pools. Maybe even more." As he said that, the glass doors that the slime was being pushed against began to crack and break.

"We need to get out of here," Officer Hard Case announced. "Get to higher ground." They nodded before they and their Pokémon ran into the building across from the one Smooze was in. They ran to the nearest elevator, calling it as the sound of breaking glass filled the air. The elevator arrived and they all got inside, Flash returning Viper and Shine choosing to go up the stairs. Hitting the button for roof, they were lifted up to the roof, clambering out a second later.

Running over to the edge, they looked down at the street and were greeted to the sight of an entire street filled with green slime and growing more by the second. The Smooze's huge body slithered down the road and had already completely engulfed the base of the building...and the building had began to shrink, the humans and their Pokémon all now realizing the Smooze was consuming it. The building began to shake at this, parts from the top of the construct breaking off and splashing down into other sections of the Smooze's body. Soon, it was an entire river of green that were turning the streets into canals.

"This is really bad," Flash gulped, "That thing is gobbling up everything except the kitchen sink." He then noticed something floating down the river. "Oh, wait. There it is."

Gizmo sighed, putting his head in his hands. "If this keeps up, the entire city will be consumed!" They all grimaced at this as Spike now saw the Smooze's slime heading toward their building.

"Oh no! We're trapped!" The others looked down, now seeing their mistake. And as Shine arrived at the top, they started trying to come up with a plan.

"We can use our Flying-types to escape," Flash suggested.

"Then what?" Doc asked, "We need to find a way to stop that thing!"

"It may be time to accept it can't be stopped," Gizmo replied, "I hate to admit it, but I've exhausted every idea I have."

"Then we need to evacuate the city," Hard Case sighed, "I'm afraid this may be the end for Splash-Splash-Splash Town."

"Maybe not!" The men looked up at the female voice, her friends knowing it was the one belonging to Twilight. "Up here!" They all saw Owlicious carrying Twilight and Cadance on his back. He flew down and the two jumped off, landing on the roof, "We know what's going on."

Cadance nodded and took out a Pokeball, "There's a reason this Smooze is so aggressive. It's because its scared for its child."

"Child?" Gizmo yelped before the Pokeball opened, a red light taking shape to reveal another Smooze. But this one wasn't even as big as Springer, it was barely the size of a basketball. "Where did that thing come from?!"

"It was the beaker of slime you had in your lab," Twilight replied while adjusting her glasses, "There's a reason it didn't disappear like the other slime. It was a Smooze that hadn't fully developed yet."

"It was Twilight who figured it out," Cadance added, "She remembered a theory about certain genderless Pokémon who reproduce asexually. And since Smooze are amorphous, it would make sense that they would do something like that. My best guess is that the first Smooze produced this one from itself, but was planning to keep it close so it could feed it scraps to make it big enough to survive on its own."

"But they must have gotten separated when I tried to catch it," Gizmo gasped, "That's why it got so much more aggressive. And without being fed, it couldn't grow stronger or even communicate to make me realise it was alive."

Twilight nodded at this, "It wasn't able to eat through your glass container, but bits of metal worked fine. Once we gave it enough, it grew and was finally able to move on its own." The baby Smooze wobbled and waved as it moved over to the edge of the building and climbed up onto the ledge. It stared down at the bigger Smooze, clearly recognising its daddy.

"So what do we do now?" Spike asked, "Show the big guy his little friend and hope he calms down?"

"I don't think that'll work," Gizmo replied, "With their size difference, the bigger Smooze probably won't even notice the little one."

"So we gotta find a way to shrink it down before it can be shown the little Smooze?" Doc chimed in, Gizmo staring over the side of the building at the ever expanding ocean of slime. "How?"

"I believe I know a way to return it to normal," Gizmo slowly said, "But..."

"But what?"

"It would require the Smooze to be inside a Pokeball. And as we've all seen, that's not possible."

Flash frowned at this, only to walk up to the side and point at the slime, "Springer." The Riolu hopped up to the edge, "Fire an Aura Sphere into it."

Springer nodded and thrust the orb, "Ri!" The sphere hit the slime, causing it to explode, making a tiny section of the ocean to be displaced, only for it quickly return to normal.

"Maybe we can catch it," Flash told the others. "At that size, I bet it can't defend itself as easily. Bigger Pokémon are usually more clumsy."

Twilight nodded again, "That's definitely true. And with all the other things falling into it from above, one little Pokeball will likely go unnoticed."

"Great," Hard Case exclaimed, "Then let's try it!" Gizmo took out a Pokeball before stepping onto the edge of the building.

"I've waited a long time for this," he told the Smooze before holding the Pokeball up. "You're mine. Pokeball, GO!" The ball fell toward the slime, everyone watching with baited breath as it drew closer to the Smooze. They feared the Pokémon would do something to stop the ball...only for the ball just hit it.

The Pokeball opened up, releasing the red energy that began to surround the slime ocean. But before it could suck the Smooze inside, the energy field suddenly exploded, the Pokeball falling into the Smooze's body and dissolved like all the other Pokeballs. They all sighed as Gizmo got down, "It's too big! The Pokeball can't create an energy field big enough to encase it!"

The group all grimaced at this, only for Cadance's eyes to go wide, "Wait," he reached into her bag and pulled something out, "What if we use this?" They all turned to her, now seeing a strange looking Pokeball with a grey top and blue bubbles.

"Is that a Heavy-Ball?" Gizmo took it, "Where'd you get this?"

"Same place I got the Love-Ball I carry my Crystardian around in," Cadance giggled, "Met a man who dresses like a Slowpoke and has some serious back issues."

The others raised an eyebrow at this, but were interrupted by Spike asking, "What's a Heavy-Ball?"

"It's a Pokeball designed to catch large Pokémon," Twilight replied.

"It can create a larger and more powerful energy field than a standard Pokeball," Doc continued. "Which means it might be able to catch the Smooze."

"Let's hope so," he turned to the Smooze and threw it, "Go Heavy-Ball!" The ball hit the Smooze like the Pokeball before it, opening up and unleashing the red energy that surrounded the slime ocean. Everyone preyed to Arceus and even the great Helix, hoping it would work this time.

Seconds passed as more of the Smooze was surrounded by the energy. But then, the Smooze's entire body turned red and was sucked into the ball. They gasped in relief as the ball slammed shut and fell to the ground, then started wiggling. And as it began to shake side to side, it slowly came to a stop as it made the telltale flash of it locking into place. The Smooze...was caught.

"YES!" They all cheered as Gizmo fell back in relief. "You did it," Cadance added, Gizmo nodding with a sigh.

"Yeah...now I gotta get it back to normal size."





Luckily, the Pokémon Center hadn't been destroyed in the rampage, and Gizmo was able to use their transporter system. He was fiddling around with the device, Doc, Twilight and Cadance helping him after he explained the process. Flash wasn't sure what they was gonna do, but overheard that it involved filtering out something during the transport process. Whatever it was, hopefully it would work.

"Alright," he closed the panel, "that should do it." He took out the Heavy-Ball, "You guys ready?" They all nodded as Gizmo placed the ball down on the transport pad, then activated it. "Transporting....now!" He hit the switch and lightning shot down from the machine and struck the ball, causing it to de-materialize before the lightning was sucked back into the machine.

The other machine then lit up and unleashed the lightning, which hit the pad and caused the Pokeball to appear. Once that happened, the machine switched off and Gizmo moved over to pick up the Heavy-Ball.

"Well, here we go."

"We're right behind yah!" He heard Flash yell, now turning to see all his friends on the other side of the room, hiding behind an upturned table. "Just uh...getting ready if it's still huge."

The others nodded as Gizmo sighed. "Alright," he held out the Pokeball, "Come on out!" The ball opened and the energy shot out, everyone bracing themselves as it took form. But after a few seconds, they weren't swept away by green slime and opened their eyes. They saw Gizmo and the Smooze in the middle of the room, now back to the size it was the first time they saw it.

"Phew," Spike sighed in relief as the baby Smooze slithered out from behind the table. The adult one smiled seeing it and the two hugged...kinda.

Gizmo smiled at this, both Smooze turning to him. "I'm sorry I took you two away from one another. But I promise, I'll make it up to you." He glanced to the bigger Smooze. "You can't stay in this city, but I'll find you a place to call home. Somewhere you and your spawn won't be disturbed. Is that alright?" The Smooze stared at him for a moment before nodding, Gizmo nodding back while the others moved over to him.

"Great work Gizmo," Cadance added, "Now the city can live in peace without worry of being swallowed alive."

Gizmo nodded again, "But I couldn't have done it without all of your help." He bowed to them all, "thank you all for helping me finally put an end to this." The others all nodded and told him not to worry about it. They were just happy the city got out of the disaster with only minor damage.

Their final day in Splash-Splash-Splash Town had been an interesting one for sure. And now, with their goal of the Crystal Empire still on the horizon, one can only wonder what crazy situation the group will find themselves in next. As the journey continues
> Love, Pokémon Style
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dragon Rage!" Flash yelled as Astro unleashed a blast of blue fire, hitting its opponent across the field.

"Hip!" The Hypno cried, staggering back from the blow. Astro smirked as he heard his friends yelling out cries of encouragement off at the side.

Continuing their journey to the Crystal Empire, the group had left Splash-Splash-Splash Town and are now back on the road. They had been travelling for two days and were now in a forest, where they had run into a trainer they challenged Flash to a battle.

"Get up Hypno!" the trainer yelled as the Hypnosis Pokémon picked itself up. "Now, use Brick Break!" Hypno charged at this, using its empty hand to karate chop Astro.

"Dodge it!" Flash ordered, the Starvern leaping to the side, "Now, Shadow Ball!"

"Star!" Astro fired the orb of dark energy, hitting the Hypno in the face. It cried out as it staggered back, about to fall over now.

At the same time, on the main road that ran through the forest, a limo was rolling along. Riding inside was a rather short man with red skin whose body was almost completely round, wearing fancy robes and a Georgian wig on his head. The man was polishing a Luxury-Ball when suddenly, a shockwave flew out from the trees and hit the limo.

"WHOA!" He yelped as the car swerved, dropping the Luxury-Ball. He quickly recovered and looked out the window, seeing smoke coming up from behind the trees. "Driver, stop!" The limo screeched to a halt, the man leaping out and moving rather quickly for a man his size. He zipped through the trees, stopping at the field the battle was happening a few seconds later.

"Headbutt!" Hypno charged, Astro leaping straight up before landing on the Psychic-type's head, everyone watching knowing what was about to happen.

"Use Bite!" Astro bit down on the Hypno, making it cry out as it tried to remove the Starvern. But as this happened, Astro just bit down harder, Hypno screaming at this.

"Hip!" It cried before falling over, spirals appearing in its eyes as Astro hopped down, Doc now making the call.

"Hypno is unable to battle. Astro is the winner!" Flash cheered at this as Astro ran up to him, hopping into his arms. As he did this, the other trainer returned Hypno. He and Flash then shook hands before the trainer left to get his Pokémon healed.

"Way to go Flash," Twilight commented.

"Thanks," Flash replied, "But it was Astro who did all the work." He put Astro down and patting his head, "Great work!"

"Star!" Astro cheered before leaping up and biting Flash on the head, the teen crying out while the others laughed, now that it was Astro's way of showing affection.

"Marvelous!" The group froze at the sound of the new voice, turning to see the round man, "Truly a marvelous battle."

"Err...thanks," Flash replied as he pulled Astro off his head. "Not to be rude, but who are you?"

"Yes, yes, introductions. I am the benevolent Baron Von Babbelon. Owner of the Babbelon Estate that's not to far from here. Might I ask your names?"

"Flash," the teen responded before gesturing to his Pokémon. "And these as Springer and Astro."

"Ri/Star!"

"I'm Twilight. And this is my little brother."

"Spike. And this is Peewee."

"Terra!"

"You can call me Doc."

"And I'm Professor Cadance."

"Charmed to meet you all," the Baron added before returning his focus on Flash. "You appear to be quite the skilled trainer, my boy."

"I uh...I do okay," Flash replied, scratching the back of his head.

"Might I ask, are you on a journey to enter the Equestria League?"

"Yup. And I'm actually one badge away from it."

"You are a strong trainer. And can you tell me...how old are you?"

"Err..." Flash closed his eyes to think for a second. "I'll be seventeen in about two weeks." The group went wide-eyed at this, all not knowing his birthday was coming up.

"Seventeen? That's brilliant! You're just the trainer I was looking for."

"For what?" Spike asked, the baron turning to him.

"A special tournament that I'm holding on my estate for powerful young trainers. And your friend would be the perfect entry." He crossed his arms at this, letting out a grumble, "Although, this will make the number an uneven fifteen. I'll need to find someone to make it sixteen." He turned to Doc, "Are you interested in entering? And are you any good?"

"I'm a Gym Leader," Doc replied, "I'd say that counts as good."

"What about Twilight?" Cadance pointed to her sister, "Maybe she could enter."

"I'm afraid not," the baron replied, shaking his head, "This tournament is for male trainers only."

This made the group exchange glances, only for Flash to shrug, "Well, I'm always down for a tournament. Where do I sign up?"

"Just follow me. I'll give us all a lift back to my estate." He headed back to the trees, the others following. Moments later, they were all riding in a limo down the road, which thankfully was going in the direction they were heading. They spent twenty minutes enjoy tea and crumpets until they turned off the main road and reached a large gate that was connected to a twenty foot high wall that went off in both directions, soon passing through it, only to find they were still in a wooded area.

"Hey mister," Spike spoke up. "How much further is this place?"

"Oh, we've almost reached the end of the driveway."

"Huh." Twilight put her tea down, "Seems like we passed by the main gate about half an hour ago." As she said this, Flash looked out the window.

"WOW!" He gasped, getting their attention. They looked out the window, all being greeted by the sight of a giant building at the end of the driveway. "Look at that!"

"It's huge!" Spike yelped as Doc nodded in agreement.

"I've seen shopping malls that were smaller than this place." Cadance added, the woman turning away to see a garden that surrounded it. There she saw a yellow skinned teen with green hair, wearing glasses and overalls along with a hat. He glanced over at the car as it passed, his eyes following it.

As the car got closer to the mansion, they saw a bunch male trainers standing in front of the building. The limo came to a stop before the baron stepped out first, Flash and the others following as he tunred to them. "Please, wait with the other competitors while I head inside for a moment." They nodded and joined the group as Babbelon moved through the crowd and walked up the steps until he reached the front door, a butler bowing as he opened the door.

When Babbelon was gone, the other trainers turned to them, "So the old man found another trainer to add to my competition," one of them grumbled.

"You don't even look old enough for the prize," another pointed to Spike.

"I'm not competing!" Spike told him, "He is!" He pointed to Flash, the others now giving him death glares.

"Whatever," another trainer growled, "Just stay out my way. That prize is mine! She and I belong together!"

"She?" Cadance asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No way you're winning!" another trainer yelled, "This tournament is mine! Living in a big mansion like this is the kinda life I deserve."

The group looked at each other at this, Flash about to ask what they were talking about before the doors opened and the baron walked out. With him was a taller woman of around eighteen years old. She had pale skin and beautiful red hair while wearing a long dress and gloves that went up to her elbows.

"Gentlemen," the baron announced, "My I present my beautiful daughter, Lady Purity Babbelon."

The woman grabbed her dress and did a small bow, "A pleasure to meet you all." The men all called out, trying to get her attention until the baron raised his hand.

"If you all wish to all know my daughter better, then you'd better win my tournament. The rules are simple. You will all select one Pokémon and do battle. Whoever is the last trainer standing will earn the prize."

Flash then raised his hand, "You still haven't told me what the prize for winning this is."

The baron laughed while the other trainers went wide-eyed at this, "Why, what else? The winner of this tournament will win the hand of my daughter."

"WHAT?!" Twilight almost screamed while Doc and Cadance's eyes shrank at this.

Flash and Spike just blinked at this, Spike asking, "Why would he want some other person's hand? It's not like she can just take it off."

"She's talking about her hand in marriage," Cadance replied, "As in, Flash will need to marry his daughter if he wins."

"Oh..." the boys both said in unison, nodding at the same time. That is, till a bunch of cobwebs inside the gears in Flash's brain were ripped apart as the cogs began to move, "Wait..." Flash slowly said before yelling, "WHAT?! Marriage?!"

The baron laughed at this, "Along with becoming her husband, you will also become my heir to the Babbelon estate. Quite the accomplishment, wouldn't you agre?"

"I think there's been a misunderstanding," Flash instantly responded, "I'm really not looking for a wife."

"Nonsense!" the baron chuckled, "You'll make an excellent husband if you win! The same goes for all of you. And you won't have to give up your dream of entering the Equestria League. In fact, I encourage it!" He then waved at the whole group, "If you all wish to leave, go ahead. But for those hoping to enter and win, be in the back garden's battlefield in half-an-hour."

With that, the baron and his daughter turned to enter the mansion once again. But before she disappeared inside, Purity glanced over at the treeline. Cadance saw this and followed her gaze, seeing the man she had seen earlier standing beside a tree. After a few seconds, Purity went inside, the man now returning his focus to the trees.

"So...." Flash slowly commented, "This didn't work out. Should we get going? We'll probably be able to make it back to the front gate by tomorrow night." The others nodded, all turning away as the other trainers smirked as they watched them go.

Twilight shook her head at this, sighing, "I mean, honestly. Whoever heard of using a tournament to decide who your daughter marries?!"

"Actually," Cadance turned to her, "That style of marriage isn't uncommon. Though it hasn't been a well known thing for over three centuries."

"Exactly," Twilight deadpanned, "This is the modern day. What kind of idiot decides his daughter's fate with a tournament? What does beating someone in a battle have to do with proving they'd make her happy?!"

"He doesn't care about any of that." The four turned to the voice, Cadance seeing it was the man she had spotted earlier. He was pushing a wheelbarrow full of branches, coming to a stop by them, "All he wants is someone who's a great trainer and battler."

"Why?" Spike asked.

"The baron's always been obsessed with battling, and even tried to enter the Equestria League when he was younger. But he couldn't even earn one badge. It made him obsessed with finding a way to immortalize himself. That's where Purity came in."

"I think I get where this is going," Doc chimed in, "He tried to make her into a powerful trainer, right?"

The man nodded. "Ever since she could pick up a Pokeball, he's tried to make her into a battling master. But Purity just never had the skill." He let out a hum at this, "Though actually...she does have the skill. But she hates battling. She hates seeing Pokémon get hurt."

"You seem to know a lot about this family for a gardener?" Twilight replied with a eyebrow.

"That's because I grew up here," he responded, "My name is Tender Care and my father was the groundskeeper before me."

Hearing this made everything fall into place for Cadance, a smile appearing on her lips. "So that's it! You and Purity grew up together." She crossed her arms, "That explains the look you gave her." Tender went wide-eyed at this, making Cadance giggle as she continued, "Let me guess. You used to play together and over time, you grew to love her. Oh, the number of times I've heard that old story. Always lovely to hear."

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Tender yelped, glancing away as his face began to turn red.

"Don't give me that. You like Purity, don't you?" Tender said nothing, making Cadance lean in with a huge smirk, "So sweet. I always love seeing two people in love."

Tender looked away at this, "Even if that's true, it doesn't matter. Purity's gonna end up marrying one of those trainers in the tournament. All so her father can have a son-in-law or a grandchild that can be a champion Pokémon Trainer..."

"Doesn't Purity have a say in any of this?" Twilight asked, "It's her future her father's deciding. Shouldn't she get a say in it?"

Tender sighed and shook his head. "Purity's always been like that. She's to...meek to go against her father." He stared down at the wheelbarrow as he began to walk away, "Now I'll have to spend the rest of my life watching her with another man, having his children while all I can do is watch and make sure the kids have a beautiful garden to play in."

"You could just admit that you like her," Spike chimed in.

Tender let out a low chuckle, "All that would do is get me fired. The baron would never let me be in a relationship with his daughter. He wants a powerful trainer to be his son-in-law."

Everyone shared a glance at this, frowning before Flash spoke up, "What if you prove it to him?" They all turned to the teen. "The baron said he was gonna try and get someone to make it an even sixteen. You could be that sixteenth trainer. And if you win, you'll get the chance to be with Purity. The baron's not gonna say no to you if you win against all the trainers he scouted."

"But...I don't know the first thing about battling," Tender replied.

"Do you have any Pokémon?" Twilight asked.

"I have one, but it was my father's. I've never used it in a battle before."

"It's better than not trying at all," Spike told him.

Doc nodded at this, "Even if you lose, at least you'll be able to say you tried. And that might get Purity's attention."

Tender flinched at this, Cadance now crossing her arms at this as she walked up between Tender and the others, "I say you should just tell Purity how you feel and let her decide for herself. She isn't a prize to be won, you know."

"But even if I did that, the baron would never let me near her again."

"And you shouldn't let that stop you." Twilight added, pointing at him now. "You love her, so go compete and get her!"

"I...I..." Tender glanced away at this, "I mean....I know you're right, but..." He rubbed his arm as he let out a sigh, "Would the baron even let me join the contest?"

"Oh, don't worry about that." Flash chimed in, "I have a plan." The others turned to him, most gulping as they saw the smile on his face.





A few minutes later...

The tournament was about to begin. In the back garden of the mansion, a battlefield was laid out with the baron and his daughter watching from a platform to the side of the field that connected to a staircase leading up to the house and two other staircases leading to either side of the battlefield. On that battlefield, the trainers all gathered. Only Flash was missing from the group.

"I see Mr. Sentry chose to refuse my invitation," the baron sighed, "Oh well. At least it keeps things simpler. Let's-"

"Wait!" They all turned to see Flash, Springer and Astro running around the side of the house. "Sorry I'm late. But I'd like to take part in the contest."

The baron let out a boisterous laugh, "Of course you would! Who wouldn't want to compete for such an amazing prize?"

Flash held up a hand. "Before we start, there's someone else here that would like to compete. He's a friend of mine I managed to contact in time." Everyone blinked at this before Flash pointed behind himself. "Introducing the amazing masked trainer!"

Everyone now saw a man in overalls, wearing a zorro mask and black cape. The sight made Purity silently gasp, Tender blushing behind the mask. "The masked trainer?" The baron raised an eyebrow, Tender expecting to get laughed at any second. But then, "It's nice to meet you." Tender anime fell, quickly recovering as the baron turned to Flash, "My I ask why you summoned him?"

"Well, I remembered you wanted strong trainers, and old masky here's the strongest I know." He moved over and put an arm on Tender's shoulder. "We've battled tons of times and I've only managed to beat him in about a third of our matches."

Tender did a quick nod, the baron chuckling, "Excellent. If Mr. Sentry think's you're strong, I'm sure you are." He then tilted his head, "But do you have to wear that mask?"

Twilight walked up at this, "He'd prefer to keep his identity a secret unless he manages to win the contest. That way, if he loses, he doesn't have to show anyone who he is."

The baron stared at Tender at this, only to shrug, "Very well." They all inwardly sighed in relief as the baron turned to his butler, "Add their names to the hat." The butler nodded and took out two pieces of paper, writing on them before dropping them in a hat another servant was holding. "Alright. We'll start by selecting who will be facing off against who. Each match will be randomly selected, so you don't have time to prepare." The servant held the hat up to Purity, "My daughter will be the one to select the trainers competing."

Purity nodded and reached into the hat, taking out to slips of paper. She called out the names, two trainers stepping up while the others moved over to a seating area. The two sent out their Pokémon, one having a Volemming and the other having a Cauldrula. And after the Cauldrula trainer won, Purity took out two more slips of paper, a second battle happening before going to the third as she commented, "Shady Ghoul," Purity read as a goth-looking guy stood up. She then reached into the hat and pulled out another name, "And the masked trainer."

Tender's eyes shrank at this, only to feel Doc place a hand on his shoulder. "You can do this. Just do you best." Tender nodded and got up, the others watching him head over to the battlefield with Shady. "What do you guys think?"

"This could go either way," Twilight whispered.

"It kinda depends on what Pokémon they use," Flash added, only to frown, "Wait...did he actually tell us what Pokémon he has?" They all shook their heads. "We didn't think this through, did we?"

"You didn't." Cadance deadpanned, making Flash grumble at her.

"Trainers," the baron called out, "Bring out your Pokémon."

"Ghouwail!" Shady through his Pokeball, "Go!" The ball flew through the air, a gray ghostly Pokémon with black hair that wore a black cloak soon appearing.

"Wail," it said as it floated in place.

"A Ghost-type," Cadance whispered, "That could be tricky."

"Here's hoping he's not using a Normal or Fighting-type," Spike added as they turned to Tender.

The masked man stared at the Pokeball in his hand and took a deep breath, then glanced over at Purity. "For her," he whispered before pulling the ball back. "Venomega!" He threw it, "I choose you!" The ball shot through the air before opening up, revealing the Pokémon inside. It was a giant lizard that was over twelve feet in height. It looked like a giant version of a Frillace, only now its body was partly black. Its head, chest, arms, legs, back and the top part of its tail were black while its neck, stomach and the bottom part of its tail were purple. The area around its mouth was also purple along with its frills, all of them huge and had three of them. The two were on the sides of its head along with one on the back. Because of this, when it opened them, it looked like a complete circle with a slice cut out on the bottom. The frills had an outline that was black and the bottom edges of the side frills had a black extension sticking out that made the black outline take on the shape of the omega symbol. The back of its arms each had a jagged blade on them, which pointed down its arm. Finally, on the tip of its tail was a black claw-like appendage that was almost shaped like the omega symbol and had a pair of injector needles on the ends.

The Pokémon looked around before letting out a hiss and extending its tongue, which was incredibly long. Tender's new friends all gasped at the sight, Twilight whispering, "No way...he has that thing?"

In response, Flash took out his Pokedex.

Name: Venomega
Category: Venom Pokémon
Type: Poison/Dark
Info: The evolved form of Frillace. Its entire body can secrete toxins, which it uses for both offence and defense. Its tongue can stretch over fifteen feet in length.

"I thought he said he never battled before?" Spike asked in a quiet tone.

"He said it originally belonged to his father," Doc added, "Perhaps he was a trainer."

"Are both trainers ready?" Baron asked, the two nodding. "Then battle begin!"

"Shadow Punch!" Shady yelled, Ghouwail charging with a glowing fist.

"Um..." Tender stuttered out, Venomega glancing back at him, "Maybe..." Before he could say anything, Ghouwail threw its fist, the energy flying off to form a fist as it hit Venomega. The Pokémon growled at this, Tender now remembering one of its moves.

"Night Daze!" Venomega recovered as its arms became surrounded by a crimson aura.

"Ven!" It raised its arms before slamming them into the ground, "OMEGA!" The aura exploded off him and formed a dome around its body, which quickly expanded and struck Ghouwail.

"Brilliant!" the baron clapped, "He knew Shadow Punch couldn't be dodged, so he let it hit so he could fire Night Daze off at close range! Good show!"

Tender nodded as the opponent gave his next command. "Charge Beam!" The Ghouwail's body began to spark with energy, making Tender gasp as he remembered another move.

"Err...dodge it, then use Poison Jab!" Ghouwail unleashed the lightning blast, but Venomega side-stepped as it swung its tail around. The claws on the end of it latched onto the Ghost-type and dug in hard as they glowed purple, making Ghouwail cry out in pain.

"Ghostly Wail!" Ghouwail opened its mouth to summon a mighty scream, making everyone cover their ears. Venomega was also hit, but being Dark-type wasn't effected too badly.

"Ahh!" Tender yelped, "This hurts a real bunch!"

Venomega miss-heard this, now thinking he heard Crunch. "Ven!" It pulled the Ghouwail closer and released it from its tail, only to open its mouth and bite down on the Ghost-type.

"WAIL!" It cried, stopping the Ghostly Wail. After biting into it a few more seconds, Venomega threw it out of its mouth.

"Come on!" Shady yelled as Ghouwail fell to the floor while Tender rubbed his ears. "Use Hex!" Ghouwail picked itself up and its eyes began to glow. But in that moment, Tender remembered Venomega's final attack.

"Cross Poison!" Venomega charged as Ghouwail formed an orb of dark blue energy, its arm blades glowing now purple. Ghouwail fired the Hex, but Venomega spun around to deflect it with its tail, then crossed its arms as it spun back to face it.

"Ven!" It swung its arms, slashing at Ghouwail in an X formation. The blow knocked it flying, eyes now turning to spirals as it hit the dirt.

"Ghouwail is unable to battle!" the baron announced. "Venomega and the masked trainer are the winners!"

His friends cheered as Tender just stared at Venomega, "I...I actually did it." He looked up at the Pokémon, both now smiling at each other, "Thanks. I knew dad trained you well, but I didn't know it was this well." Venomega gave him a thumbs up, but Tender returned him, then looked over at Purity.

She smiled back at him, making Tender smile back. But as soon as he turned away, Purity's face went to a frown, Cadance now staring up at her. Her eyes watched Purity now go up and say something to her father before walking away as the trainer Tender defeated returned his Ghouwail and began to make his way around the house. Cadance followed Purity, now seeing the woman change directions and follow the trainer around the side of the building before a minute later, she returned.

After Tender's match, there were two more battles before Flash got called up. Despite not wanting to win the contest, Flash refused to simply give up and make a fool of himself. As such, he and Astro had every intention of winning this match. Their opponent was a trainer with an Eelektross, who they managed to beat after a few minutes.

"Phew," Flash rubbed his head. "I might not wanna win, but this is some good training for Astro."

The battles continued, with Flash and Tender both doing surprisingly well. They both moved onto the second round, and found their opponents were Pokémon they had little trouble defeating.

"Dragon Rage!" Flash yelled as Astro shot the blue fire at his opponent's Nidorino. The Poison Pin Pokémon cried out as it was knocked back, soon falling over with spirals in its eyes.

"Nidorino is unable to battle!" the baron exclaimed, "Starvern wins!"

"Psybeam!" Tender's opponent ordered as his Starmie fired a blast of psychic energy from its gem, completely forgetting Venomega was part Dark-type. The poisonous lizard opened its thrills and used them to block the attack as Tender gave his final command.

"Night Daze!" He commanded, Venomega creating the dome around it and unleashing a blast into the starfish. The blow made it go flying back, but managed to catch itself mid-air with its psychic abilities.

"Rapid Spin!" Starmie began to gyrate and fly toward Venomega like a shuriken.

"Block it, then use Poison Jab!" All of Tender's previous nerves appeared to have vanished as Venomega crossed its arms and blocked Starmie before reaching out with its tail and grabbing the starfish. It then thrust the Mysterious Pokémon into the ground, stabbing it with its tail claws, making it cry in pain. Its normally glowing gem started flashing before going completely dead, signalling its defeat.

"Starmie is unable to battle," the baron announced. "Venomega is the winner!" The trainer returned Starmie and walked off, Cadance keeping an eye on Purity. She quickly pulled out two more names before excusing herself again, Cadance seeing a repeat of her appearing to head toward the house but then changing direction and chasing after the defeated opponent before returning a minute or so later.

As this happened, the final battle of the second round began as Flash and Tender talked on the sidelines. They agreed that if the two faced off in the next or final round, Flash and Astro would pretend to try and beat them, but Flash would then give Astro a signal to take a dive. However, the pair did not face off in the semi-final round. Tender was paired up against an opponent that used an Exploud.

"Hyper Voice!" The Loud Noise Pokémon roared, firing a powerful soundwave that struck Venomega, knocking it back

"Oh no," Tender yelped, his eyes shaking as he watched Venomega stagger. That is, till his eyes shifted to Purity, "Purity..." he glanced back at Venomega, "Right...I...I can't lose." He did a big gulp before whispering, "I have to win for her." Exploud charged next, ready to use a Fire Punch. "Dodge it, then use Poison Jab!" Venomega managed to side-step the Fire Punch and jumped around the Exploud, raising its tail and stabbing it into the creature.

"EX!" It screamed in pain, staggering back. But before it or its trainer could counter, purple lightning sparked around the beast, making it cry out, "P-LOUD!"

"Ouch!" the baron chuckled, "Now it's been poisoned. The trainer has a time limit." He turned to Purity, "Isn't this exciting?"

"Yes father," she nodded with a smile that anyone other than the baron could see was forced.

"Use Crunch!" Exploud's trainer yelled, Exploud now trying to bite Venomega. The Venom Pokémon quickly backpedaled, evading the bites with ease.

"You use Crunch!" Tender countered, Venomega running behind Exploud and biting into its tail. Exploud roared in pain while Venomega threw it around, sending the large hulk flying. Exploud crashed at this, seconds before the poison kicked in.

"Come on!" Exploud's trainer exclaimed, "Get up and use Screech!" Exploud closed its mouth and suddenly unleashed a loud noise out of the holes in its head, the high-pitched noise making everyone covering their ears. This included Venomega, who covered its ears as Exploud charged at him, "Fire Punch!"

"Venomega!" Tender yelled, but the poison lizard didn't hear him.

"EX!" It threw an ignited punch at Venomega's stomach, making it stagger back.

"Again!" The trainer screamed.

"Night Daze!" Tender countered, hoping this would work. Venomega slammed its fist into the ground, forming the dome that acted as a shield as Exploud threw its burning punch. The attacks collided, Exploud being knocked back by the shock before getting zapped by the poison. "Now, Cross Poison!" Venomega then took this opportunity to get in close and cross its arms, now swinging them around to slash at Exploud.

"EXPLOUD!" It roared in pain, staggering back. Cadance could tell that had been a critical hit, causing the Loud Noise Pokémon to stumble before falling over with spirals in her eyes.

"Exploud is unable to battle!" the baron announced. "The winner is Venomega! The masked trainer will be heading to the finals." Tender smiled at this, giving out a long sigh before glancing over to nod at Flash.

Cadance focused on Purity as she watched the trainer return Exploud and walk off, turning to her father and saying something to him. He looked at her, almost worried as he spoke. Cadance tried to read his lips, but could only guess he was asking if she felt alright. Purity nodded and walked off, Cadance watching her head toward the house before standing up, "Bathroom," she announced before turning to Flash. "Good luck." Flash saluted as she walked off, keeping her eyes on Purity.

The young woman once again turned to rush around the side of the house, Cadance following after her. Walking around the side of the building, Cadance saw Purity standing several feet away. There, she was talking to the trainer Tender had just defeated. She handed the man a Pecha and Sitrus Berry, the man taking the berries and gave her a curtsy thank you before heading off, Purity sighing as he vanished into the trees and heading for the main road.

"That's a very nice thing you did," Purity turned to see Cadance walking up, "Does your father know you're giving his produce away?"

Purity shook her head. "No...I suggested it, but he said that giving losers something like that will only keep them weak." She sighed, "So much violence in the world..."

"Pokémon Battles aren't for everyone," Cadance added, "But your father enjoys them, so I guess that's what matters."

She hoped Purity wouldn't say anything, only for her to reply, "Yes. That is all that matters."

Cadance let out a sigh, "I noticed you only disappear after the masked trainer's battles. Are his opponents the only ones that matter?"

Purity grimaced at this, trying to look away, "I...I don't know. It just...doesn't feel right to have Tender battling."

"So you know it's Tender?"

"You'd have to be an idiot to not know its him." They both chuckled at this. "Why is he doing this? He's never been a fighter. His skills have always been about creation, not destruction." She looked out at the vast estate, filled with plants and trees that Tender had made and nurtured.

"You know why he's doing this." Purity slowly turned to her, "What other reason would he enter this tournament...but for you." Purity looked down at this, making her bit her lips as Cadance continued, "You know about his feelings, don't you?"

Purity did a small nod. "Yes. I realized he loved me years ago. It wasn't too hard to figure out."

"And you?" Cadance asked, "What are your feeling towards him." The lady kept looking away, her face now slowly turning red. Cadance's eyes narrowed at this, "If that's the case, why let your father find you a husband when you clearly know who you want to be with?"

"Because...Tender never tried to show me he loved me," Purity replied in a slow mutter, "I've...I've been waiting for the time when he could confess to me, but he never did."

This made Cadance let out a sigh, shaking her head, "Who said it has to be the men who do all the confessing?" She crossed her arms, "I'm the one who asked my husband out. Besides, Tender doesn't think he has a chance with you." Purity turned to her. "Since you don't seem able to say no to your father, he believes confessing would be pointless unless he could get your father to acknowledge him as a worthy man. That's why he's entered this contest."

Purity remained silent at this, still showing a blush...but also showed a long frown.

"Skorupi is unable to battle!" The two heard the baron announce, making them walk around the corner and see Astro standing over the downed Scorpion Pokémon. "With that, Flash Sentry moves onto the final battle against the masked trainer!"

Cadance turned to Purity. "Well, now that it's only him and Flash, I guess your relationship is assured since Flash'll be taking a dive. Tender will be victorious and your father will happily let you two marry one another." She then pointed at Purity. "But ask yourself this: Do you really want your relationship to be built on a lie? And do you really want your future to be something forced upon you instead of something you pick?" Purity backpedaled at this, squirming at this. Her mouth didn't move as Cadance sighed again before turning away, "I know standing up to your parents is hard...but it's your life, and you should have a say in it." With that, she walked back to the battleground, Purity now staring at the woman before glancing at Tender.





It wasn't long till the final battle started. Flash and Tender stood on either side of the battlefield, Flash kneeling down to talk to Astro. "Okay bud. This is as far as we go. We don't wanna win this match, but we gotta make it look like we tried so Tender looks good for beating us. Think you can do that?"

"Star," Astro nodded before walking onto the battlefield and glaring at the opponent.

Meanwhile, Tender was staring at his Pokeball before glancing at the baron. Purity chose this moment to return, now seeing the frown on her face, no long even able to force a smile at what was happening. He knew she didn't like any of this, but could only look away and sigh, "Venomega!" He threw the ball, "Let's do this!" The ball opened up, revealing the Venom Pokémon.

"OMEGA!" It roared, making the ground shake as it prepared for battle.

"Ooh!" the baron rubbed his hands together, "I can just tell this is gonna be a good one. Are both trainers ready?" Flash and Tender nodded. "Well then, battle...BEGIN!"

"Dragon Rage!" Flash called out first, causing Astro to open his mouth and unleash a blast of blue fire.

"Block it, then use Night Daze!" Venomega crossed its arms as the flames struck it, grunting as the aura began to form around its arms.

"Ven!" It swung its arms, making the Dragon Rage explode off it before slamming its fists into the ground, "OMEGA!" The dome formed and exploded outward, hitting Astro.

"Star!" He cried as he fell back, Venomega now retracting its arms before charging.

"Cross Poison!"

"Dodge it!" Flash yelled, Astro jumping back to his feet as Venomega crossed its arms. With a roar, he leapt to the side as Venomega unleashed the X-shaped poison blast, dodging it before hopping back again, evading another Cross Poison. "Shadow Ball!"

"Star!" Astor fired the energy orb, but Venomega simple swung its arms and slashed the ball away with its arm blade. "Vern?"

"Ha! That's the way!" Tender laughed before pointing at him, "Slash him, and then use Poison Jab!" Venomega swung its arm around, trying to slice at Astro, but the Starvern leapt back with ease. This was what Tender wanted though, as Venomega's tail shot around and grabbed him in its claw.

"Star!" He yelped as he was lifted into the air, the claws then glowing as they stabbed into him. "STARVERN!"

"Astro!" Flash yelled while Purity flinched away from looking. "Dragon Rage!" Astro fought through the pain and pointed his mouth at Venomega's tail before unleashing a burst of blue fire, hitting the tail.

"VEN!" It cried, dropping Astro in pain.

"Now, use Bite!" Astro bit down hard on the area that his Dragon Rage has struck, making Venomega scream.

"Omega!" The Venom Pokémon roared as it swung its tail around, eventually throwing Astro off and straight up into the air.

"Cross Poison!" As Astro began to fall, Venomega crossed its arms, firing a X-shaped venom blast.

"STAR!" He yelped as the attack landed and exploded, causing Astro to fly across the battlefield, soon hitting the ground before skidding across the dirt.

"YES!" Tender cheered, unable to believe he was actually winning. 'Maybe after Purity and I get married, I should try and enter the Equestria League. I'm clearly a natural.'

"Oh boy," Cadance whispered with a grimace, "I know that look. It's going to his head."

The others nodded as Twilight spoke up, "Astro might be strong, but he's still a long way off from being Flash's strongest Pokémon. If he used Springer, Riptide or any of his other Pokémon, this battle wouldn't be so easy."

Tender watched as Astro began to pick himself up, now pointing at the dragon, "Night Daze!" Venomega's arms became surrounded by the aura again, the lizard raising them up before slamming them into the ground.

Astro watched and energy dome formed as he stood tall. "Dragon Rage!" Astro took a deep breath and as soon as the dome exploded, he fired the blue flames right at the energy. They soon collided, pushing against each other as the Night Daze slowly pushed back against the Dragon Rage. But before it could reach Astro, the attack dissipated.

"Grr..." Tender growled, "Use Poison Jab!" Venomega tried to raise its tail, but then flinched as it fell to the ground. "Come on Venomega! Poison Jab!" Venomega tried again, but it's tail just wouldn't move.

"It's no good!" Flash chimed in, "We made sure to put its tail out of commission with that earlier Dragon Rage and Bite combo!" He pointed at Venomega, "Shadow Ball!" Astro fired the orb at Venomega, hitting the lizard right in the face. "Again!" Astro shot another ball, hitting the now staggering Poison-Type. "One more time!"

As Astro charged another, Tender countered. "Cross Poison!" Venomega slashed the air and fired the X as Astro fired the Shadow Ball. The two attacks collided, exploding between the two with Venomega running into the now forming dust cloud. "Now, use Poison Jab and actually do it this time!"

Purity's heart clenched at hearing him yell at his Pokémon, fully flinching and looking away.

"Astro," Flash told his Starvern, "Be-" He couldn't finish as a flash of two eyes filled the smoke cloud, which faded to reveal Venomega standing right in front of Astro. "Dodge it!" Astro tried to run, but Venomega fought the pain in its tail and lifted it up before grabbing Astro.

"STAR!" He cried as he was lifted, then stabbed by the poison claws. "Starvern!"

"Astro!" Flash yelled.

"Slam it into the ground!" Venomega did just that, throwing its tail around before letting Astro go. He crashed into the dirt, the sight making both Flash flinch.

Venomega then leapt back as Astro laid out on the ground, the group waiting to see if that was it. Flash had decided it was when Astro opened his eyes and tried to stand up, Flash would gave the signal.

As Astro pushed himself to his feet, he heard a gentle noise and saw Flash was tapping his foot. That was the signal to tell him to take a dive, which Astro understood. "Star!" He pretended to feel immense pain before falling over, making it look like he was down for the count.

"Astro!" Flash yelled, "Are you alright?! Get up!"

Flash's friends stood up at this, Twilight choosing to play along. "I think that's it," she told him. "Astro can't go on."

The baron stared at the Starvern, only for his eyes to narrow, "Starvern can still battle." Everyone went wide-eyed at this, "It's still conscious, so it can still battle. Continue the match."

"Father-" Purity tried to say, but he raised his hand at her.

"Showing mercy to an opponent will only lead to one's own defeat. I will not have a son-in-law that stumbles at the final hurdle." He turned to Tender, "Finish it or forfeit the match." Tender stared up at the baron, only to glance back at Astro. The Starvern remained down, despite its possible impending attack. He then looked up at Flash, seeing him grimace at him.

And finally, he turned to Purity, but his gaze was caught by the baron. The look that the man was giving him told him that he wasn't kidding. He had to attack, or lose his chance with the woman he loved. "Venomega!" The lizard turned to him, "Attack!" Venomega blinked at him at this, but Tender's gaze made it look back at Astro. The pair locked eyes, Venomega hissing an apology before charging.

"ASTRO!" Twilight and the others screamed.

"Stop!" Flash hollered, fumbling for his Pokeball to return Astro. But he wouldn't make it as Venomega got closer to Astro and raised its arm blade. Astro could only brace himself for the inevitable, while Tender just stared at the situation as time seemed to slow down.

He looked up at the people that had tried to help him, fear on their faces now. No doubt they would hate him for this, but his mind told him he had to do it. But then, his gaze shifted over to Purity, now seeing tears forming in her eyes. They locked gazes at this, the girl now turning away.

And the sight made his mind come to a stop. 'Wait. This isn't right. I'm trying to save Purity from being forced into a marriage with someone she can't stand. But if I do this, I'll be no different from those people.'

"What am I doing?" He asked himself as Venomega began to thrust its blade down, "STOP!"

Venomega managed to pull itself to a stop just before it could stab the dragon. The Starvern continued to flinch for a second or two, then cracked his eye open and saw the blade inches from his face. "Star..." he sighed in relief as he almost fainted.

Everyone turned to Tender as he fell to his knees, reaching up and ripping the mask off his face. "Tender?!" The baron yelped, "You were the masked trainer?!" The gardener did a slow nod. "You...you tricked me!" Those watching rolled their eyes, thinking it was his own fault for not seeing through such an obvious disguise. That is, till the baron growled, "And what's worse, you did it for no reason. You could have won, but instead you threw your victory away."

"I know...but I couldn't do it." He looked up at him, "I won't change who I am just to prove myself to you. Your obsession with having a super-strong son-in-law almost turned me into something I'm not!" He turned to Venomega as it moved over to him, the gardener reaching up and patting him on the snout. "I'm sorry I pushed you. I hope I didn't do any permanent damage to your tail."

"Ven," Venomega replied before licking his face to show its affection.

Tender laughed before turning to the others, seeing Flash pick up Astro. "I'm sorry I went so far."

"Don't worry about it," Flash chuckled, "No harm done." Astro let out a roar of agreement while the others nodded. "But it's too bad you had to forfeit the match."

"Which makes you the winner," the baron chimed in, the group turning to see him and Purity walking up. "Which means you will marry my daughter when you come of age. Until then, keep training hard and I'm sure you'll win the Equestria League."

Twilight went pale at this, Cadance trying to hide a giggle as she saw the panic on the girl's face as Flash spoke up. "No thank you," he waved the man off. "I'm not gonna get engaged to someone I don't know," he turned to Purity. "No offense, but I don't think you're my type."

"It's alright," Purity replied with a calm nod.

The baron's jaw dropped at this, "You're passing up the chance to be married to such a beautiful girl?! And becoming the heir of this whole estate?! Are you insane?!" Flash just shrugged, making the baron groan. "Great! That means I'll need to set up a whole new tournament! I hope the trainers that lost will be willing to come back..."

"There is no need for that father," Purity added, making the baron turn to her, "I have already chosen the man I wish to marry." This made everyone but Cadance go wide-eyed, the girl then walking up to Tender. And then she gave the biggest smile Tender had ever seen from her.

"Me?!" He asked as he pointed to himself, "But I'm-"

"The only man whose has ever cared about me for me, and not my looks, wealth or connections." She held out her hands, "I always hoped you would one day confess to loving me. And entering this contest was as good as one. So...will you do me the honor of being my husband?"

Tender's eyes began to form, only to reach out and take her hands. "Yes. I'd want nothing more."

Everyone smiled at this...except the baron as he stuttered out, "But...he...you can't..."

"Father," Purity turned to him, "I've decided. Tender is the only man I'll ever marry, and if you can't accept that, then tough." She then glared at him with a glare that the baron hadn't seen in a while. And he knew he wouldn't be talking her out of this as she continued, "This is my life, and I'll decide who I want as my husband. And even if you refuse to give us your blessing, I don't care." She pointed at him, "We'll leave this estate if that's what it takes to be together." Tender nodded at this.

The baron stared at them, only to let out a long sigh, "Very well. If that's what you wish, then so be it." He turned away, grumbling before looking back at them, "Tender, you had best take excellent care of my daughter. You've shown you can be a strong battler, but even if you chose not to battle, you must still protect her no matter what."

"I will sir." With that, the baron headed inside while the others sighed in relief. Once he was gone, they all turned to Tender and Purity as they looked at one another. He was about to say something, but before he could, she grabbed his cheeks and pulled him toward her.

Flash and the others all cheered and applauded.





Everything after that was a blur, the group congratulating the pair while Purity offered them the chance to stay at the mansion. And while it was a tempting offer, they decided against it, knowing they would need a lot of time to just leave the baron's land. Thankfully, Purity offered them a lift to the front gate, with the new couple joining them until they finally arrived at the entrance.

"Well, this was fun." Flash commented as they got out of the car.

"Thank you," Tender said as he placed a hand around Purity's waist. "For everything you've done."

"Don't mention it," Twilight replied, "We're just happy everything worked out for you two." They nodded back and promised Flash they would cheer for him in the Equestria League. With that final goodbye, the group headed away from the Babbelon Estate.

"Man..." Flash sighed, "That was an insane experience."

The others nodded in agreement as Doc added, "Especially since you almost got yourself engaged."

Spike chuckled at this while Twilight rolled her eyes, only for her brother to ask, "You said Purity wasn't your type." Flash turned to him. "So what is your type?"

This made everyone turn to him, Flash blinking at the teen before replying, "Hmmm..." Flash then did a shrug. "Not sure. Guess I'll know what kind of girl I like when I actually meet her."

"Oh brother..." Springer sighed, facepawing while no one understood his words, not even Flash. The group meeting with the Baron von Babbelon had been an interesting one to say the least. And with the Crystal Empire drawing ever closer, one can only wonder what adventures await them. As the journey continues.
> The Grand Mountain Mystery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continuing their journey to the Crystal Empire, the group now reaching the edge of the forest. And as they found themselves leaving it, they saw a line of mountains that went further than any of them could see in both directions. "Wow..." Spike whispered, "That's a lot of mountains."

"And that line of mountains is only one of many," Cadance sighed, "We'll need to get past them if we want to get to the Crystal Empire. But first," she reached into her bag and took out a pair of binoculars, "Hmm....there!" She pointed at one of the mountains, "There's a Pokémon Center at the base of the mountain. It also acts as a store where we can get the items we need to traverse the mountains."

The others nodded, the group following Cadance as she took the lead. It took them the better half of the day to reach the center, the mountains behind it getting more intimidating with every mile they crossed. And when they reached the Center, the sun was beginning to set.

"Hello?" Twilight asked as they entered the building. "Anyone here?"

From out of the back room, Nurse Redheart stepped out. "Hello, welcome to the Pokémon Center. What can I do for you today?"

"We're planning on scaling the mountains tomorrow," Cadance replied, "Is it okay if you make sure our Pokémon are ready for the trek?" Redheart nodded and summoned a Chansey, which came in pushing a cart full of Pokeball trays that they loaded up. Once the Chansey left, Cadance continued, "Is it true you also sell more weather resistant clothing here?"

The nurse nodded and directed them to a nearby room. Inside, they found rows upon rows of different clothing that looks perfect for scaling cold frozen mountains. "Please, pick out whatever you need." Nurse Redheart commented while they began looking for stuff.

"I won't need much, right?" Flash asked the others before gesturing to his current clothing, "I could probably get by with just this."

Twilight shook her head, "I'd grab a scarf and maybe some gloves." Flash nodded and grabbed a red scarf and gloves that also came with a wool hat.

He soon headed out, waiting ten minutes before Spike and Doc showed up. Spike had zipped his jacket up, and was now wearing blue pants instead of shorts and had a green puffball hat. Doc looked almost exactly the same except he and Spike had both traded their normal shoes in for strong boots, and he also had gloves and a scarf on.

The three were now sitting on a bench, waiting on the girls as Nurse Redheart returned with their Pokémon. "What's taking so long?" Spike moaned as he scratched Peewee's underbelly.

The sun was now completely set as Flash and Astro had a tug of war with his toy bone. "You know how girls are when it comes to clothes, Spike."

"But its taking so long!"

Doc shook his head, "Well, we'll just have to-"

"What do you think?" The boys looked up at the sudden voice, now seeing the girls sporting completely new looks. Cadance was now wearing a purple fur jacket with blue thermal leggings under her skirt. Meanwhile, Twilight was wearing a blue jacket over purple clothing with blackish-blue leggings and blue boots, and both were wearing pink earmuffs.

"It took you that long to find that?!" Spike yelped, Twilight and Cadance rolling their eyes.

"Boys..." Cadance whispered before Doc and Flash handed them their Pokeballs. "Anyways, we should start working on finding the best route to get to the train station."

Spike sighed, "Why couldn't the station be on this side of the mountain range?!"

"Sorry, but its not." Cadance replied as she removed her earmuffs. "There's gonna be a series of tunnels that cut through the mountains that they can lay train tracks down. But they haven't gotten to that yet, so for now, we'll have to get through the mountains on foot."

They nodded, but before Twilight could take out her journal, the doors behind them opened and a voice they recognized spoke up, "That was close." Flash's head shot up at this, his eyes shrinking at this, "Good thing we got back here before it got too dark."

His face paled as he turned around, now seeing Grand Hoof, former Champion of Equestria. He was now walking in with a brown skinned man with black hair wearing bulky red clothing and a miner's hat.

"Flash?" Grand asked before chuckling, "It's good to see you my boy." He walked up to the teen, Flash shivering as Grand looked him over, "You've certainly changed since the last time I saw you. Very nice look." Flash slowly nodded back, not responding while Grand turned to the others. "Twilight, Spike and Time Tuner. It's great to see you all as well."

"Hey Grand." Twilight replied, turning to Cadance as she was about to introduce her.

"Grand!" she moved over to hug him, "It's so great to see you again."

"And you," he embraced her back. "It's been a while."

The group exchanged glances at this, Flash staying still and now looking away as Doc asked, "So, what are you doing here?"

Grand let out a sigh at this, "Nothing good, unfortunately. I'm here because there have been rumors of Team Shadow activity in the area." This made everyone go wide-eyed, now remembering their encounter with them in the Grand Desert. "We can't be sure, but they may be on the hunt for an ancient tomb located in one of these mountains."

"Another ancient tomb?" Twilight asked. "First the Hidden Temple, now this? This isn't good."

"Indeed," the man with Grand nodded, the former champion gesturing to him.

"This is Rocky Road. He's an archaeologist who's been searching for this tomb for a long time."

Rocky tipped his hat to the group as he sat down. "I have reason to believe that the tomb is on one of the mountains. In fact, it's the mouth right behind this center. If I'm right, then there may be a treasure trove waiting to be found within its heart. Unknown relics and other objects of historical significance, hidden for a millennia."

"And you think Team Shadow's after one of those items?" Doc asked, the two nodding.

"What the heck are they after?" Spike added, "Why are criminals interested in old tombs?"

"There's only one way to find out," Grand replied, "Capture some of their members and make them talk. That's why I'm here. To help Rocky find the tomb, and capture any Team Shadow lowlifes that try and cause problems."

"Well, you're not gonna be alone," Twilight responded before turning to the others, "We can help them find the tomb and stop Team Shadow, right?"

"YEAH!" Spike and Doc cheered while Cadance grimaced at them.

"Are you sure about this? It sounds dangerous."

"Maybe," Doc replied, "But we can't let Team Shadow just get away with whatever they want."

"We're gonna take them down!" Spike punched his fist into his hands, "Right Flash?" They all turned to Flash, the teen still looking away, only for Spike to repeat, "Right?"

Flash snapped to attention, "Right. We'll find that tomb and make them regret ever messing with us."

"That's the spirit," Grand nodded. "Alright, then tomorrow we'll head up the mountain and start from where we left off."

"Then we'd better get some sleep," Flash responded as he got up and gestured to his Pokémon, the two soon leaving the room as the rest stared at the fleeing teen.

And as this happened, a pair of individuals glanced into the window the center. "Great..." one of them groaned, "Like this wasn't hard enough with the old geezer around."

"We have to find a way to get rid of them," the other added, "If we don't, we'll never achieve our mission." The two stood up, allowing the light of the Center to reveal their identities as Team Shadow Grunts. "Our leader has given us express orders to find this tomb. We cannot fail him." The other nodded and ran into the darkness, heading into the mountains.





The next morning...

As soon as the sun was up, Flash and his team left the Pokémon Center. It took over an hour to get to the trail that lead up to the path they needed, another hour passing as they climbed the path. As this happened, they found an area with a large flat rock-face that appeared to circle the entire mountain.

"This is it," Rocky commented, "If my research is correct, the entrance to the tomb should be somewhere around here." He moved over to the rock-face, the others seeing several pegs that had been hammered into the wall with red ribbons tied around the ends.

"What are those?" Twilight asked.

"These pegs tell me what parts of the wall I've checked," Rocky replied as they strolled down the path. Twilight counted thirty-eight pegs, spaced six feet apart. "Somewhere on this wall, a hidden entrance exists. It's just a matter of finding it." He then took out a Pokeball, "Thoray, come on out!"

The ball opened up, a humanoid Pokémon standing at around four and a half feet appearing. It looked like an older version of Electhor, its body being the same black and yellow combo, only larger and more muscular. Its helmet was also larger, with the horns being replaced with a pair of wings. Poking out from under the helmet was a short amount of hair and the front of its chest also had four metal disks that were fitted in a square pattern. It had a small red cape, which was tied around its neck. The mallet was also replaced with a square metal hammer with a foot long wooden handle.

"Whose that's Pokémon?" Flash added while taking out his Pokedex.

Name: Thoray
Category: Thundering Pokémon
Type: Electric
Info: The evolved form of Electhor. Its hammer is made from a mysterious alloy. Though it can absorb and store electricity, it is not conductive.

"Thoray is my excavation partner," Rocky replied, handing Thoray a peg that the Pokémon took before moving until it was six feet away from the last peg, then used its mallet to slam the peg into the rock. They waited at this, only for nothing to happen, causing Rocky to tie a red ribbon around it before handing Thoray another peg.

"So this is what you've been doing this whole time?" Flash asked, "Slamming pegs into the wall?"

"Archaeology is all about trial and error," Rocky responded, "Sometimes your research sends you to the right spot, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes it can only give you a rough idea of where it is. When that happens, you just gotta grit your teeth and keep looking until you either find something, or there's no stone left unturned."

"So what do we do?" Spike asked, Grand turning to them.

"We'll stake out the area and try to locate those Shadow grunts. If they're here, they might be searching for the tomb as well. I suggest we travel in teams of two."

"Good idea," Flash instantly replied, "How about Spike and I go this way?" He grabbed Spike by the back of his jacket and pulled him away, Peewee and Springer following as everyone raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"Oookay," Grand slowly said, "Then who wants to help me patrol the other path?"

"I'll go," Twilight volunteered before turning to Doc and Cadance. "Maybe you two should stay and help Rocky search for the entrance."

"Good idea. Plus, it's probably not a good idea to leave him alone. If he finds the entrance on his own, those Team Shadow Goons could sneak up on him." Doc commented before Twilight and Grand headed off on patrol.

And as they split up, on a higher ridge was the two Team Shadow Grunts, one whispering, "Perfect. They just made it so much easier to take 'em down."

"Who should we take down first?" The other one asked, his partner scratching his chin in response.

"Hmm...let's split up and take them both down at the same time. Then we can focus on those last two. Once they're gone, that archaeologist will be easy to subdue and force 'em find the tomb for us." They both shook hands, shining big grins at the same time.





Flash, Spike, Springer and Peewee had been walking for ten minutes, heading down the path around the mountain. As they did this, Flash had Springer riding on top of his shoulders. "Find anything, bud?" He asked, the Riolu closing his eyes before opening them later, shaking his head, "Figures," he groaned, "They gotta be around here somewhere."

"Question," Spike raised a hand, "What do we do if we find these guys? The last time we met them, we didn't exactly have them on the ropes. If it hadn't been for Owlicious, we probably would have been in serious trouble."

"We'll be fine," Flash replied, "Our Pokémon are stronger now and we have Grand and Cadance with us."

"We had Shining with us last time and they still managed to get away with whatever it was in the Hidden Temple."

Flash shook his head, "Its fine. I'm not gonna let them get away this time," Flash punched his fist into his hand. "I'm gonna take down any Shadow Grunt I find." This made Spike raise an eyebrow, the two continuing through the mountain path.

As they did this, one of the grunts looked down at them before turning to a large group of rocks on the ledge above them before shining a big grin, "Perfect."





Meanwhile...

Twilight and Grand were now going down the opposite path, Grand turning to the teen, "Twilight?" the girl glanced back at him, "Do you know what's going on with Flash?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well...he won't look at me. Did I do something wrong?"

Twilight blinked at his comment, only to let out a hum as she replied, "Huh. Yeah...he's definitely acting strange. He's probably hiding something."

"Really?" Grand asked, "How can you tell?"

"After all the time we've spent together, it's not hard to tell what he's thinking." Twilight did a small sigh at this, "Though...its kinda like what happened earlier, but not as bad."

"What do you mean?" Grand responded.

"Oh, he avoids people when he feels like he's failed at something." Twilight put a finger to her chin at this, "That or something is eating him up."

Grand raised an eyebrow at this, "Why avoid me though? What did I do?"

Twilight did a small shrug, "Not sure. Though if he is avoiding you..." A certain thought entered her head, making her grimace, "Then again, I think I know why he's avoiding you."

"Why?"

"He uh...well, he failed you." Twilight replied, turning to the former champion. "Remember?"

"Oh." Grand slowly said, his face paling as he added, "I see. I didn't hurt the lad asking that, did I?"

Twilight saw the frown on his face, her brain thinking about a lie before shaking her head as she slowly responded, "It didn't help. After the Battle Tournament, Flash...didn't take losing to Lightning well."

Her words hit him, making him frown as he asked, "How bad was it?"

Twilight glanced away at this, "Well, right after he lost, Hopper left his team and...he started pushing his Pokémon a little too hard. Like...almost abusive levels of pushing, and he started to become like..."

"Like Lightning?"

Twilight nodded back. "It was really bad. He pushed everyone away, thinking he had to break his Pokémon." Twilight looked back at Grand, showing a slight glare despite trying to show a worried frown, "Lightning really hurt him."

"I see..." Grand sighed, glancing away, "I should have never asked him to save Lightning, shouldn't I?"

Twilight did a small nod, "You did put a bit too much pressure on him."

"And now he's avoiding me." Grand looked back at her, "Would Flash take it that far?"

Twilight nodded again. "Anything concerning Lightning happens to...eat at him. A lot. Its not as bad as it used to be, but Lightning's still done a lot." She scratched the side of her head at this, "That and Flash doesn't like letting others down, so he probably doesn't want to confront you. I know I would want to avoid Celestia if I failed to do something she asked me to do."

Grand let out a long sigh at this, but before he could say anything to apologize, a sudden rumble went under their feet. "Hmm?! What's happening?!" He asked as both him and Twilight ran to the wall, not wanting to fall over the edge as the ground shook.

"Earthquake?" Twilight asked, knowing those were possible on mountains, but very rare.

And as they did this, they didn't notice the figure right above them. "That's it Donphan," the shadow grunt smirked as the Armor Pokémon beside him continued to slam its feet into the ground. "Keep using Earthquake until this entire part of the mountain collapses!" And as he said that, the rocks beneath the two's feet began to crack,

"We need to get out of here!" Grand yelled, Twilight nodding and pushing off the wall to run back the way they came. No sooner had they done this, the spot they were standing on broke off the side of the mountain, all now falling to the ground. The two kept running as fast as they could, the crumbling ledge behind them breaking apart.

"We're not gonna get away from it in time!" Twilight screamed.

"Of all the times to not bring a Flying-type," Grand grumbled, the statement making Twilight gasp as she took out a Pokeball.

"Owlicious!" She threw the ball, her Owlolar now appearing. "HELP!" As she said that, the ground beneath them broke apart, the pair screaming as the owl turned to them. The Pokémon sent out a Psychic attack grabbing both in mid-air before pulling them onto his back.

And as the owl began to fly away, Twilight let out a long sigh, "Phew. That was close." She patted Owlicious on the head, "Thanks for the save."

Owlicious hooted while Grand stared at the mountain that had almost killed them. "I don't think that was an accident." Twilight turned to him, "Have him fly higher." Twilight nodded and Owlicious flew them up, only to find nothing. That is, till Grand pointed to a section of the rock that was cracked in two places, "There! I think Team Shadow know we're here."

"So they tried to get rid of us before we became a problem," Twilight replied, "Flash and Spike might be in danger."

"Then we need to find them," Grand retorted with Twilight nodding, Owlicious flying back to the main work site.





On the other side of the mountain...

Flash, Spike and their Pokémon were still going down the path, the Shadow Grunt now ahead of them. He stared down at the group as they got into range of the rocks before turning to his Primeape beside him. "Alright, get ready to use Strength." The monkey punched its fists together as its body began to glow. "And...now!" Primeape turned to the rocks and with all its strength, thrust its fists into the boulders. The push knocked the rocks into a domino effect, the whole pile rolling forward and over the edge of the cliff.

Flash had his eyes peeled, only to feel a sudden shaking. A small pebble fell in front of him, making him slowly glance up as he felt the ground continue to rumble. An the sight made him gasp, as now a barrage of boulders came tumbling down.

"RUN!" He yelled, all four quickly sprinting back the way they came. They ran as fast as they could, the rocks crashing and breaking to pieces as they hit the ground, "Hurry!"

Spike glanced back, now seeing the rocks hitting the floor just a few feet away as he yelped, "We're not gonna make it!"

"No, we're not!" Flash added as he pulled out a Pokeball. "Riptide, come out and use Aqua Break!" He threw the ball upward, Reptidal now appearing.

"Rep!" He roared as he formed a pair of water swords, now slashing the closer falling rocks. Springer added by firing several Aura Spheres, knocking the boulders back. And as they pushed the volley of rocks back, the rumbling starting to stop as the slowed down.

"That was close," Flash whispered before turning to Springer and Riptide. "Nice work you two." They both nodded and gave a thumbs up, Flash then looking up at the cliffs above, "I don't think that was a natural rockslide."

"You think someone tried to crush us?" Spike asked, getting a nod from Flash.

"We should tell the others. Come on." They cut into another sprint, soon reaching Rocky, Doc and Cadance as they were now about a hundred feet from where they had left them. "Guys, we got a problem."

"We have a problem!" He suddenly heard Grand yell, making him look up to see him and Twilight flying down on Owlicious. "Those Shadow Grunts are trying to off us."

"We were almost shaken off the side of the mountain!" Twilight exclaimed as Owlicious landed.

"We were almost buried under some rubble," Spike added, making the others grimace.

"Maybe you should hold off the expedition," Cadance told Rocky. "At least until you can get some more security." Rocky frowned at her, only to let out a sigh.

"Fine. Come on Thoray. Finish that peg and-"

"Thor?" the Pokémon asked as he pushed his hammer into the peg, now feeling little resistance. He then tapped it, a new ringing sound coming out.

"That sounds hollow." Rocky commented, "That means there's a space behind that point." He put his ear to the wall and knocked at it. "Definitely. There's something behind this."

"You mean you found it?" Spike asked.

"Looks like it," Rocky chuckled, "If we can get through this piece of rock..."

"Allow us," Flash chimed in as he turned to Riptide. "Rock Smash!" Riptide nodded, his legs glowing as he ran up and slammed his foot into the wall below the peg. The rock-face cracked, soon spreading along the wall as they broke apart. This revealed a dark passageway that went so far into the mountain that no light showed the end.

"The entrance to the hidden tomb," Rocky whispered, the thoughts of postponing the expedition flying out of his head as him and Thoray suddenly ran in.

"Rocky! Wait!" Grand yelled as he tried to follow him, Flash following next along with the others.

And as this happened, the two Shadow Grunts growled at the sight, "Oh, come on! If we only managed to get rid of those other guys, that scientist would be leading us into the tomb right now!"

"We'll just have to follow them," the other added, "Once they find the treasure, we'll simply trap them inside. Then in a week or so, we'll come back and they'll be so weak from hunger they won't be able to stop us."

"Nice idea. Let's do it!" They both shook hands again, soon climbing down the rocks.





The was now blinded by the darkness, Rocky activating his head-light while Doc reached into his bag and pulled out several glow-sticks that had string around them so the group could wear them like necklaces. Putting them on, they headed further into the darkness, soon coming to a new impasse. It was a triple path, the tunnel splitting off into three directions, all filled with darkness.

"So...which way do we go?" Spike asked, Rocky now glancing at all three.

"Hmmm...I'm not sure. There's no clues here. All of these tunnels could lead to the tomb, or just one. Maybe none of them lead to it. The only way to find out is to travel through them."

"Then let's go!" Flash exclaimed before running down the middle one.

"Flash!" Grand yelped as he ran after him, "Wait a minute. This could be-" He didn't finish as the tunnel around them began to shake, "Trapped." Before they or anyone else could do anything, something shot down from the roof, blocking them from the group.

"GUYS!" Twilight cried as they now saw a large steel door between them, the group quickly trying to lift the door. But a clicking sound rang out, signifying it had locked itself. "Metal? Mechanical locks? How old is this tomb?!"

Rocky turned to her. "It's supposed to be the tomb of the last Emperor of the Crystal Empire." This made Cadance go wide-eyed as he continued, "That kingdom was supposed to be highly advanced." He then noticed writing on the metal, squinting his eyes, "What's this?"

Cadance walked up to it, "Wait...I recognize this." She reached into her bag and took out a book, opening it up to show the same writing that was on the door. "This is a Crystal Empire tomb. This writing is from the empire."

"Can you translate it?" Doc asked, Cadance doing a small nod.

"Just give me a minute..."

"Flash!" Twilight cried, "Grand! Can you hear us?!"

"Yeah!" Flash called back, "But barely..."

"What happened?" Grand added.

"You must have set off some kind of sensor," Doc replied, "Those Crystal Emperors must have been well ahead of the curve. Can you see anything in there?"

"It's really dark," Flash held his glow-stick up before staring at the door, "Wait a minute, there's something written on the door." He described the shapes carved into the metal, which were the same images on the other side that Cadance began to decipher.

"Alright..." she slowly said, "This is telling whoever's reading it that the first to reach the treasure will become its worthy owner and those that don't will be at that owner's mercy."

"What does that mean?" Spike asked, Twilight humming at this.

"I think that if we go into another one of the tunnels, they'll close too. And they won't unlock unless we reach the treasure room...which means it's possible it'll only unlock for the first people to reach it. But I'm betting there'll be a button or something that'll let them open those tunnels."

"But we can't be for sure," Grand added.

"What other choice do we have?" Twilight asked before turning to one of the tunnels. "Let's go. We'll meet you guys in the treasure room and let you out if we get there first."

"Alright," Flash nodded, "Just be careful."

"Same with you two," Twilight responded before she, Cadance, Doc, Spike, Springer Peewee and Riptide headed into another tunnel. As soon as they did, a metal wall flew down, sealing them inside.

"Come on," Grand told him as he began to walk down the tunnel. "Let's get there as soon as possible. I have a bad feeling about this."

And as they began to walk into the darkness, the Team Shadow Grunts appeared, shining huge grins as one commented, "This is perfect. If we get to that treasure room first, we won't have too fight them at all."

"We can just seal them in their tunnels," the other laughed before they headed down the one remaining tunnel, soon sealing themselves inside. The race was on.





In the first tunnel...

Flash and Grand carefully strolled down the path, tiptoeing as Grand watched Flash slowly take the lead. And as they did this, Grand spoke up, "Flash."

"Yeah?" the teen replied, looking back at the former champion, only to glance away, "What's uh...what's up?"

"I need to talk to you."

Flash bit his lip at this, "Um...sure. What do you wanna talk about?"

Grand stared at the teen, seeing Flash now unable to look at him in the eye. Letting out a sigh, he slowly said, "I...talked to Twilight, and she believes you're hiding something from me."

"Me?!" Flash yelped before looking back at Grand, "I'm not hiding anything. I just want us to get through this tomb and-"

"WATCH OUT!" Grand suddenly yelled, the ground disappearing right before Flash's feet. The teen yelped before Grand grabbed his back, pulling him back before both stumbled and fell over. Both let out groans at this, Grand asking, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Flash responded as both stood up. "Sorry about that." The two glanced down, now seeing there was a curved staircase under them, "Looks like the tomb's deeper underground."

"Yup. Just watch your footing." Flash nodded, both beginning to descend the stairs. But as they did this, Grand said, "Flash...about the Battle Tournament." Flash flinched at this, "I just wanted to say-"

"I'm sorry." Flash blurted out, his tone lowering as he continued, "I'm sorry I failed you. I couldn't beat him and then I thought I could maybe make it up for you with helping with this, but...I just keep failing-"

"Stop." Grand interrupted, making Flash look back at him as they both came to a stop on the stairs. "Don't. Its my fault you lost."

"What? But you didn't-"

Grand shook his head, the sight making Flash's words mumble out, "Before you fought Lightning at the tournament, I confronted him. I...I tried to help him, make him understand he couldn't continue the path he's going down." Grand let out a long sigh, "But as I thought about it after he beat you...I just made things worse. By asking him to stop pursuing power, it made him want it more. It was something no one in that tournament could stop, even if he did lose. He was already gone."

"Grand..." Flash whispered, seeing the huge frown form on the former champion's face.

The old man then stared down at the floor, "It wasn't right to ask you to save him. We had just met, and he's my grandson. I should have stopped him at the start." He put his hand to forehead and clenched it, "I just...I didn't see it till it was too late. I didn't understand why he chose that path. I should have known it was my fault, my loss to Shining Armor." He glanced away at this, "That's why I thought that maybe being beaten by someone his own age would show him what he needed to do."

"Oh...yeah, I get ya." Flash replied, letting out a sigh, "I just wish I hadn't failed you."

"You didn't fail me." Grand responded, "Lightning...he's lost to me now. I just didn't realize he was lost to me before that tournament. In fact, I think I lost him the moment I lost to Shining Armor." Grand closed his eyes at this, "Perhaps I should have put him in his place when we first met Flash, but...I was just too soft on him."

"Maybe. I mean...I kinda fought him at a different kind of battle and won and it didn't do anything." Flash added, making Grand raise an eyebrow. That is, till he saw Flash take a deep breath, the teen staring at Grand with narrowed eyes. "But I'm not gonna give up. I promised you I'd beat him, and I'm gonna keep that promise. And not because I made you that promise, but because I need to show him he's wrong." He took out a Pokeball, holding it up, "He said the way I raised my Pokémon made them weak, but I refuse to believe that. I won't let that become the true way of training Pokémon. If Lightning becomes champion, it'll just make younger kids think they should treat their Pokémon the same way..." He looked away at this, "And I know what it does. I...I can't let that happen."

Grand let out a small chuckle, "I knew I liked you for a reason. Come on, let's keep going." Flash nodded, both now going back down the stairs. And as they did this, Grand added, "Flash...I want you to promise me something else though."

"What?"

"Don't let beating Lightning become an obsession." Flash raised an eyebrow at this, "Twilight told me what happened after you lost. You lost sight of what matters, just like him." Grand glanced back at him, "Please don't do that."

"I won't. I already promised someone else that."

"I figured." Grand replied, "After all, winning isn't what matters when battling. It might be the aim of the battles, but not the most important thing. Its a game. And what's the most important thing about games?"

"They're supposed to be fun," Flash answered, both chuckling as they reached the end of the stairs. And as they did this, they saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

"Look!" Grand began to run, Flash following as they went into the light. And as they got there, they found themselves now in a tunnel that went into a large chamber. It was big enough to fit a house inside, round in shape with torches lining the walls that had crystals on the ends instead of flames. The crystals were emitting a light, illuminating the room. There were two other holes in the wall besides the one they came through, and no sooner had they walked in that metal doors came down, sealing them in.

But as this happened, they saw that in the center of the tomb was a large stone coffin with the statue of a sleeping man on top, though he probably wasn't snoozing. And around the coffin was the hidden treasure. "Books?" Flash asked, moving over to pick one of them up. Despite possibly being a thousand years old, it was in remarkably good shape.

Grand moved over to the sealed tunnels, now seeing a kind of button next to them. He pushed the button on one tunnel and it opened back up, Grand glancing down and now seeing their friends. "Seems Twilight was right, though they must in the other one tunnel."

As he moved over to the other door, Flash put the book down and looked up, now seeing a painting on the wall that showed the image of a blue heart-shaped object that was broken in half by some kind of black spear. The image also showed a kind of energy exploding out of the heart when it was split in two. "What's this about?"

"FLASH!" He spun around, now seeing his friends coming out of the tunnel a few seconds after Grand opened it.

"Hey guys!"

"You okay?" Twilight asked, getting a nod back from Flash.

"Hey! Where's the treasure?!" Spike suddenly yelled, Flash turning to him and gesturing to the books, "Books?! Where's the gold, jewels and cool looking artefacts?"

"Are you insane?" Rocky yelped, "This is the greatest treasure of them all." He took one of the books and opened it up, "These books hold many secrets of ancient times. They may even hold the secret to the Crystal Empire's great technological advancements before it was lost."

Cadance and Twilight nodded, the professor then noticing something on the coffin. "What's this?" She then saw a book in the hands of the statue. She reached out and carefully pulled it free, seeing it was some kind of diary as she opened it up, "Hmm...maybe this'll help us understand why the city was abandoned," she whispered as the others looked up at the mural.

"What is that thing?" Spike asked, pointing to the painting.

"I'm not sure," Doc replied, "Looks like a spear that's being stabbed into a heart."

"Kind of graphic," Twilight grimaced, only for two more people to suddenly run up to the room.

"A-ha!" One of them yelled, making them turn to see it was a pair of Team Shadow grunts. "We...win," he commented, only to go wide-eyed as he saw the full group already in the chamber. "Uh-oh."

"So, you are here." Grand growled, taking a Pokeball out, "How many more of you are here? You Shadows usually travel in large groups of at least five or more, so where are the rest of your pals?!" The two glanced at each other for a second, making Grand raise an eyebrow, "Wait...its not just you two, is it? What, did the rest of your team take a vacation?"

"Like we need anyone else!" one of the grunts barked back, before pointing at himself, "Our leader specifically assigned us to find this tomb and acquire its treasures." He then stared at the room, "So where is it? The gold, the jewels, the rare items that can be sold to fund our team! Where is it?!"

"You're looking at it," Flash picked up a book, "Ancient writings from the Crystal Empire."

The grunts went wide-eyed, making one of them yelp, "What?! That means...its a library! Our team can't make money with this!"

"Our leader won't be happy," the other gulped while Grand chuckled.

"So you know who your team's leader is," he walked in front of the group, "Good. Then you two will be coming with me to answer a few questions."

The pair backpedaled, "I-I-I don't think so! You're not taking us in, and you can't fool us either," he let out a hiss, clenching his fists, "There's real treasure here, you're just hiding it!" He took out a Pokeball, "And we won't stop until it's ours! Primeape!" He threw the ball, the hairy arm and legged furball soon appearing.

"Donphan!" The other yelled as he threw his Pokeball, summoning the tire based elephant.

The others got into a battle-stance, but Rocky let out a yelp, "No! If we battle we could end up destroying the books."

"Flash and I will handle the battling," Grand replied as he turned to the teen, both nodding. "You all make sure the books stay safe." They nodded and Grand threw his Pokeball, "Hariyama!"

In a flash, the sumo Pokémon appeared. "Hari!" It yelled as it landed in front of Grand.

"Riptide, you're up!"

"Tidal!" Riptide ran over to Hariyama's side, the two nodding to each other.

"You won't beat us! Use Rollout!" Donphan rolled into its tire form and charged at the two.

"Block it with Force Palm!" Hariyama thrust its palm, unleashing a burst of wind that struck the Donphan back.

"Mega Punch!" Primeape charged with a glowing fist, but Riptide got between it and Hariyama.

"Aqua Tail!" Riptide spun around as his tail was wrapped in water, using it to knock Primeape's fist away, making the monkey stagger. "Now, Rock Smash!" Riptide then thrust a glowing leg into it, smacking it away.

"Prime!" It cried, Donphan now racing past the ape.

"This'll shake you up!" The Shadow Grunt yelled, "Earthquake!" Donphan roared and it leapt up, then slammed its feet into the ground. The entire cave began to shake, causing tiny pieces of the ceiling to break off.

"Are you nuts?!" Twilight yelled, "That move will bring the whole place down!"

"And bury you losers!" The Shadow Grunt laughed. "And then we'll get the treasure!"

"No you won't! It'll bury you as well!" Doc countered, "And even if you could escape up the tunnel, that would probably cave in as well." The grunts blinked at this, their laughter stopping as Doc added, "You two clearly didn't get into Team Shadow because of your staggering intellect."

"Shut up!" One of them yelled before pointing ahead, "Stone Edge!" Primeape slammed its fists together before punching the ground, causing it to unleash a line of rocks that shot out of the ground. Riptide and Hariyama dodged the oncoming attack, only for the rocks to go for the books.

"NO!" Rocky screamed as Cadance threw her Love-Ball.

"Crystardian, Protect!" The Crystal and Rock Pokémon appeared, using its crystals to create a forcefield that blocked the Stone Edge, protecting the books.

"Ice Punch!" Flash called out next.

"Hidden Power!" As Riptide clenched his fist, Donphan glowed and the light flew off to form spheres of energy. It roared as the spheres shot toward Riptide, who easily ducked under the spheres before slamming his fist into the elephant.

"DON!" It cried, staggering back as part of its trunk suddenly froze over.

"Strength!" Primeape charged at Riptide, ready to slam him with all its might. But before it could reach him, Hariyama jumped between them.

"Stone Edge!" Hariyama thrust its glowing fist into the ground and caused a large stone to shoot out and block Primeape's punch, breaking the stone apart. "Knock-Off!" Hariyama raised its fist and threw it down, conking it on the head.

"PRIME!" It screamed in pain, staggering back while Riptide charged at Donphan.

"Rock Smash!" Riptide's legs began to glow as Donphan managed to break the ice off its trunk.

"Defense Curl!" Donphan quickly rolled itself up, seconds before Riptide slammed his feet into it. Donphan was knocked flying, but remained curled up. "Rollout!" Donphan began to spin as it landed on the ground, ready to go from the Water-Type.

"Dodge it!" Flash yelled, Riptide jumping straight up. Donphan rolled beneath him, now going straight for the books and coffin. "Look out!"

"Springer!" Twilight exclaimed as the Riolu leapt between the Donphan and its targets. He let out a bark as he used Drain Punch to smash the spinning wheel, which ground him to a halt before knocking him flying back.

"Aqua Tail!" Riptide leapt at Donphan, swinging its water covered appendage into it. Donphan cried out as it was knocked back again, landing near Hariyama and Primeape.

"Mega Punch/Force Palm!" The two Fighting-types threw their attacks, Primeape barely able to push against the sumo Pokémon.

"Just give it up!" Flash added as Donphan began to get up, "Even if you beat Riptide and Hariyama, we've got other Pokémon to use."

Grand nodded in agreement. "You can't win this. We outnumber and out-skill you. You're done." The grunt growled at this, only for Grand to continue, "Make it easier for you and give up. Tell us everything you know about Team Shadow and you might get off with a light sentence."

"I'll never betray out team!" The shadow grunt barked back, "I'd rather bury myself before I let you get in my team's way! Donphan...EARTHQUAKE!" Donphan hesitated for a moment, but then did as commanded and smashed its feet into the ground. This made the cavern violently shake, causing them all to cry out. The walls even began to crack apart, specifically the mural wall.

"We've gotta stop him before he brings the whole mountain down!" Grand yelled.

"Riptide, use Aqua Break!" Riptide nodded and with as much balance as he could, he leapt straight up into the air. There, he wasn't bothered by the shaking, now bringing his hands together to draw his sword.

"Rep!" He roared as fell toward Donphan while holding the sword back-handed, "REPTIDAL!" With that, he swung the blade, smacking Donphan flying back, hitting the wall with a thud as swirls appeared in its eyes.

"Donphan!" The grunt cried, his partner growling at this as he saw Donphan get returned.

"You'll pay for that, you-"

"Knock-Off!" Grand interrupted, Primeape turning to see the sumo inches away, raising its fist before slamming it down on its head. The monkey screamed in pain as Hariyama then backhanded it, Primeape being smacked into the air. "Now Flash!"

"Aqua Tail!" Riptide leapt up and swung his water covered tail down, slamming into Primeape. It smashed into the floor, spirals appearing in its eyes.

With both their Pokémon down and out, the grunts' jaws hit the floor before seeing the group now all glaring at them. The grunt returned his Primeape as they began to backpedal, only for Flash to say, "Springer, Extreme Speed!"

The Riolu suddenly vanished, practically teleporting behind the criminals. "RIOLU!" He roared, swinging his legs and dealing a kick to each of their heads. They both cried out in pain, falling unconscious while moaning in pain.

"We did it," Flash commented, "Good job Springer."

"Ri." Springer gave him a thumbs up.

"Alright." Grand chuckled as he pulled out some ropes from his backpack, "Let's keep these two out of trouble when they wake up."

But as he said that, the cracks formed on the mural by the earlier Earthquake increased before part of the wall broke apart. They turned to this, Rocky gasping. "The mural!" But as the rocks fell off, they saw something beyond the wall. Another tunnel. "Huh?"

They all shared a glance before walking up to it, now going wide-eyed as they saw another room. It was filled with treasure, golden coins, silver cups, bronze trinkets and tons of gems. Large chests filled the area, showing even more treasure while they also saw a doorway on the other side of the room.

They went through it and found another tunnel, this one lit by more crystal torches, which they followed for about ten minutes until they came to a dead end. But before they could turn back, Rocky noticed a small light, seeing that the wall was actually a large boulder. "Thoray, smash it!"

"Thor!" It nodded before using its hammer, hitting it with enough force to shatter it in one blow. The rock now gone revealed a tunnel straight to the outside, the group now finding themselves surrounded by mountains in front and behind them. The tomb had allowed them to go straight through the mountain to the other side.

"Awesome," Spike whispered, the others nodding in agreement. They went back in, now seeing Grand finishing tying up the grunts as they came around.

"Well, looks like we owe you our thanks." Grand chuckled, "Not only did you help us find more treasure, you also helped us find an easier way out of this tomb."

The grunt let out a low laugh, "You're...welcome?"

"Don't suppose this means you'll let us go?" The other asked, only for Grand to shake his head. "Figures."

Everything after that was a blur, Grand and Rocky soon contacting their colleagues. Police and archaeologists would soon be arriving at the mountain to claim their prize as Flash and his friends had saved themselves a trip up one of the mountains.

"Perfect," Cadance commented as she and Twilight checked the map. "There's a pathway close by that we can use to circumvent the second road of mountains. After that, we'll be two mountains away from the train station."

"Great," Twilight replied, "That means we're almost at the Empire."

"I look forward to seeing you all there," Rocky told them. "Once the books and relics have been properly gathered and catalogued, we'll prepare to transport them to the Empire at your earliest convenience."

Cadance nodded back, "They did originate from there. Only right that they be returned there." She then looked down at the diary she had recovered, "Is it okay if I take this? I might be able to translate it and learn why the city was abandoned."

"Sure."

While this happened, Flash and Grand were watching over the grunts. "Come on," Grand sighed, "You'll be saving yourself a lot of trouble if you just tell us who your leader is."

"Never!" one of them replied, "We'll never tell! Our leader is a great man who will remake this region! Betraying him would be betraying Equestria's future!"

"So it's a male who runs Team Shadow," Grand smirked while the grunts hissed back.

"That's all you're getting from us," the other grunt added.

Grand shook his head before turning to Flash. "Don't worry. We'll get them to talk."

"I know you will," Flash replied before Grand put a hand on his shoulder.

"You did well down there. You should be proud." Flash nodded back, "And just remember what we talked about. And know that I'll be rooting for you the whole time."

Flash nodded again, "Thank you. I will."

"I know you will." Grand chuckled before glancing back at the grunts. "There's just one thing I don't understand."

"What's that?"

"Why did Team Shadow entrust such an important task to these two? They're clearly low level grunts, so why were they picked to fulfil this mission?"

Flash scratched the back of his head at this before joking, "Good point. Think recruitment isn't going well for Team Shadow? Maybe being evil doesn't pay the bills as much these days."

Grand laughed at this, the grunts growling at them as the authorities soon came to take them away.





Somewhere else in Equestria...

In a dark office, the leader of Team Shadow sat staring at a computer. Sombra let out a low hum as the screen changed, only for a knock on the door to ring out, "Enter." Doom Raizer stepped into the room, a frown on his face as Sombra turned to him, "Problem?"

"Do you remember those two you sent on that fool's errand? It seems they actually managed to find the tomb."

This made Sombra raise an eyebrow. "Oh? Seems fools can find things if they try hard enough."

"Not quite." Doom sighed, "They...got captured by the former champion."

"Ah. That makes more sense." Sombra chuckled, "And here I thought the legends about that tomb were just that. Who would have thought it was actually real."

"What should we do?" Doom asked, "If those two talk-"

"They won't. They might be idiots, but they're loyal idiots. Besides, we have bigger issues to worry about." He turned the computer around, Doom's eyes going wide at this.

"Is that-"

"Yes. Just got confirmation of it," Sombra nodded as he spun the computer back, "Now that we know where it is, all we have to do is acquire it and we'll have everything we need to achieve our goals." He then glance back up at Doom, "Except for the altar."

Doom nodded back, "I think we might have a possible lead on its location, and it's not too far from the Empire. We believe it might be at Mount Tartarus." Sombra raised an eyebrow, "But it's a big mountain, and might take some time to find what we're looking for."

"Just find it," Sombra grumbled as he stood up, "Chrysalis is preparing for the retrieval mission and I think I should also go and make sure everything goes smoothly. I do have a standing invitation from Professor Cadance. Might as well see the legendary city before it gets destroyed." They both chuckled at this, the two slowly heading out of the room. They may have lost two of their numbers, but they were far from defeated, and Equestria was far from safe. As the journey continues
> Quest for the Dragonheart Orb
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continuing their journey to the Crystal Empire, the group were now at a pass that would allow them to circle around one of the bigger mountains without needing to climb it. And as they made their way around the natural landmark, the sight of yet another mountain caught their attention...with another, this one covered in snow. The sight made them sigh despite a train station being beyond it.

"Geez," Spike rubbed his hands together, "Is it just me, or is this place getting colder by the second?" Peewee let out a roar of agreement, blowing out a quick stream of fire that heated the air in front of them before they passed through it. "Ah...thanks bud."

The others just shivered at this, glad they had got the warm clothes from the Pokémon Center. "And we haven't even gotten to the snowy areas yet," Twilight added as she stared up at the mountain they were about to climb.

"Well, you'd better get used to the snow," Cadance chuckled, "Between the Crystal Empire and Mt. Tartarus, there's a lot of snow between the two. There's gonna be half-buried trees in snow and frozen lakes, not to mention the Ice-type Pokémon that call the area home."

The others grimaced at this, Doc now asking, "You and Shining did this journey, didn't you?" Cadance nodded back. "And that was before you had the Crystal Empire to rest at..."

"And the Train Station was also just being built," Cadance added.

"Why is there a train station out here anyway?" Spike yelped as they arrived at a hundred and ten degree path that they had to climb up, Flash being the first and helping Twilight up.

"It's to connect the resort to the airport," Cadance replied with everyone turning to her. "Did I forget to mention that?" They all nodded as Spike was pulled up the path. "Well, there's a ski resort a few miles away from the Crystal Empire. It was nearing completion when Shining and I were there, but the area isn't great for flights, so they had to build the airport a good distance away. That's why they had to make a train station to ferry people between them. When we discovered the empire, it was an obvious idea to add more tracks to the existing line."

"How far is the resort from the empire?" Twilight asked as Cadance began to climb up, followed by Doc.

"I'd say it's about a third of the way between the Empire and Mt. Tartarus." The others grimaced at this, now hearing how far they still had to go...only for a boom to suddenly ring out, the mountain path now shaking.

"What was that?!" Spike yelped.

"Look!" Twilight pointed over at a nearby ridge, the others turning to see smoke floating up, "I think there might be a battle going on."

"Only one way to find out!" Flash began to run for the ridge, his friends following. It wasn't long till they reached it, now climbing up the side of a hill before seeing a pair of Pokémon they all recognized duking it out.

One was the Flame Lizard Pokémon Blazard, who was facing off against the Burrowing Pokémon Burroworm. Currently, the Burroworm's horn spike glowed before firing rocks at Blazard. The lizard leapt from side to side, evading the attacks as it got closer.

And as it did this, a voice called out. "Slash!" They watched as Blazard ran up and swung its claws at Burroworm, hitting it dead-on the face. They then turned to the voice's owner, only for it to be someone nearly all of them recognized.

"It's Heath!" Spike gasped as Heath Burns gave his partner another command.

Cadance turned to them, "You know him?"

"He's a friend," Doc replied, "We've helped him out before, and I faced off against him in the Hoof Cup. But what's he doing here?"

And as that question came out, they turned back to the battle. Burroworm had dug under the ground, preventing Blazard from being able to attack as Heath stared at the field, "Don't stay in one place! Stay on the move so it can't find you!" Blazard nodded and started running around, only for the ground to explode at his feet.

"Blaze!" He cried as he was knocked back, the Burroworm then slamming into him before slithering away.

"You okay?" Blazard nodded as he hopped back onto his feet, "Then use Flamethrower!" Blazard took a deep breath and exhaled the blast of fire, only for the worm to dodge by digging down.

"Burrow!" It roared as it popped out a hole, using Rock Throw at Blazard next.

"Iron Tail!" The lizard spun around and smashed his tail into the rocks, breaking them to pieces. "Now, use Dragon Pulse!" Blazard took a deep breath and fired a dragon-shaped laser blast. But as it got close, the Burrowing Pokémon dodged by digging again. "Oh, come on!"

As this happened, Blazard chose to stay where he was this time, knowing Burroworm could find him when he moved. He stood there, unmoving before feeling a small shake at his feet. Leaping back, the ground exploded as Burroworm flew out.

"Slash!" Blazard swung his claws into Burroworm, knocking it back, "That's it!" Heath cheered as Burroworm landed, Blazard charging as it tried to do the attack again. But as it did this, the worm began to glow.

"Burrow!" it roared as sand began to appear around the worm, spiraling into a vortex that slammed into Blazard, making it scream in pain.

"What the heck is that move?!" Spike yelped.

"Sand Tomb," Twilight responded as Blazard began to get scratched by the sand. "If Heath doesn't do something, Blazard's in big trouble."

"Flamethrower!" Heath yelled, Blazard breathing fire at Burroworm. But the sand that still swirled around him stopped the flames, snuffing them out as Heath cried, "No!"

He then saw Burroworm preparing to use Rock Throw again, stuttering out as he tried to a say a command until-

"Aura Sphere!" A ball of blue energy flew into Burroworm, exploding when it struck, making the Ground-type cry out and fall over.

Heath and Blazard turned to the origin of the attack, now spotting Flash and Springer sliding down the hill. "Flash?" He glanced up, now seeing the others, "Guys!" Before he could ask what was going on, Springer fired another Aura Sphere and struck the sand vortex. It exploded, freeing Blazard as the lizard fell to his knees.

At this moment, Burroworm picked itself up and saw the new opponents. It then noticed the others coming down the hill, letting out a hiss before digging again, this time vanishing as it continued to go underground.

His opponent now gone, Heath turned to the others. "Thanks. Not that we needed it, but help's always appreciated."

"You're welcome," Flash laughed as he crossed his arms.

As he said this, Doc took off his bag, foraging inside of it and pulling out a Super Potion. "Here," he offered to Heath.

"Thanks," He replied before turning to Cadance, "Oh...hello. Name's Heath."

"Cadance," she smiled back, "That's was quite a difficult match you found yourself in."

"Yeah. Blazard and I had just gotten down of the ridge up ahead when that Burroworm attacked out of nowhere. We tried to run, but we couldn't get away." He got down onto his knees and started spraying Blazard, "Finally decided we had to fight, but you saw how that went."

"So what are you doing here?" Spike asked as Heath sprayed the Super Potion Blazard's back, making him flinch.

"We're on a quest," Heath replied, "A quest for a legendary artifact that will allow Blazard to evolve."

This made everyone raise eyebrows, Cadance now chiming in, "You're searching for the Dragonheart Orb." Heath nodded while the others exchanged glances.

"The what?" Flash asked.

"The Dragonheart Orb is an item that'll boost the power of a Pokémon's Fire and Dragon-type attacks, but it'll also allow a Blazard to evolve into Blazegon."

"And you're looking for it?" Twilight added, getting another nod from him and Blazard.

He then turned to the mountain they were at the base off, the others following his gaze. "According to legend, the Dragonheart Orb can be found at the top of this mountain. But to get there, you have to find a cave entrance that'll lead you up the mountain. And on our way up, we have to pass through a series of trails that'll test you and your Blazard to see if you're truly worthy of it. The trail of friendship, wisdom and courage. Only when we pass all three trials will the orb be awarded to us."

"What's with this mountain range holding hidden tombs and sacred treasures?" Spike asked as Heath turned to him, "What, did someone advertise it or something? Come hid your valuable treasure in one of our premium mountain hideouts! Redecorate it with all the death traps and trials you can think of!" The others laughed as Blazard finished healing and stood up.

"So, you really want Blazard to evolve?" Doc asked, "You remember the trouble you had the last time he evolved."

"We do," Heath replied before patting Blazard on the head. "But that won't happen this time. We've been through a lot together since then, and I'm sure we'll be ready for whatever changes Blazard goes through." Blazard nodded and gaze a happy roar as Heath turned to them. "So what about you guys?"

"We're on our way to the Crystal Empire," Flash responded, Heath tilting his head at this, "Its a long story. But if you want, we could come with and help you out. I'd love to see Blazard evolve into Blazegon." The others all nodded in agreement at this.

"I don't know," Heath frowned as he crossed his arms. "Blazard and I are supposed to complete this test on our own. If we had you guys helping us, that might disqualify us from being worthy."

"We promise we won't get in your way," Twilight countered, "We'll just give...moral support." The others nodded again, Heath biting his lip at the sight, only to nod back.

"Alright, but only moral support. Follow me." He spun around, gesturing them to follow. And as they began their search for the cave, something appeared a distance away. It was the Burroworm, watching them from behind a large rock.

When they disappeared, it began to burrow once more. It dug straight down, deep under the mountain until it came out through the ceiling of a large chamber. It calmly fell down, swirling around until it landed right side up, then looked through the darkness. With it's ability to see through vibrations, it could sense another individual at the back of the chamber and started talking in its own language.

"Another challenger has arrived to take on the trials. But this time, they are accompanied by others who seek the orb as well. What do you wish to do?" He waited for the large figure to respond, Burroworm looking straight up near the top of the dark chamber.

Then, a pair of bright red eyes opened and illuminated the darkness. Then a second pair appeared, followed by a third. They stared down at the Burroworm as it waited for an answer. "Watch them and see what they do. If the challenger is helped by them in any way during the first two trials, we will eliminate them. If they do not help, then we shall allow them to attempt the final trial." Burroworm nodded back before digging back underground, leaving the six-eyed figure to stare up at the ceiling. "How will this challenger overcome the obstacles in front of them? Only time will tell..."





Back outside...

Flash and the others were still searching, knowing that they could him locate the entrance wasn't against the rules, they had Skyler, Peewee, Owlicious and Flitanium fly around the mountain. "See anything?" Heath asked Flash, who was standing on a higher up ledge with Springer.

"Nope!" Flash called back, "Not seeing any kind of cave!"

Heath sighed at this. "Darn it! It could be on the other side of the mountain for all we know." But as he said this, they heard a hooting sound, looking up to see Owlicious and Peewee.

"Find anything?" Twilight asked, getting a nod from the dragon before the pair flew back around. They began to follow, Skyler and Flitanium meeting up with them as Peewee and Owlicious lead them to a section of the mountain. There, they found an opening into a cave, the six and their Pokémon staring into the cave, seeing it was a large tunnel.

"Blazard," Heath told his Pokémon, "Give us a quick burn." Blazard nodded before spitting a fireball out of his mouth into the cave, the flames shooting a good thirty feet before hitting the back. But the illumination made them realize the tunnel actually curved upwards. "This is it."

Doc reached into his bag and pulled out some glow-sticks, illuminating and passing them around. "These should help us see." They all nodded and each began to head inside, filling the tunnel. But as they entered, three more heads popped up in the distance, watching them walk inside.

"Great," Big Score sighed, "Its those blasted kids again! What, do they have a tracker on us or something?!"

"Maybe we should forget about this score boss?" Rickashay asked, but Score shook his head.

"No way! I'm not gonna let those snot nose do-gooders scare me out of a payday! Especially one like this. The Dragonheart Orb is so rare that this might be the very last one to exist. Collectors will pay a fortune to get their hands on it." He looked back at the mountain's top, "It's obvious what we've gotta do." His cronies followed his gaze, the three staring up at the cloud covered mountain. "Beat them to the prize and make off with it before they even know we're there. And I know exactly how we're gonna do it."





Inside the mountain...

The explorers had been climbing up the passageway for several minutes, their leg muscles beginning to ache from the strain. "How much longer?" Spike moaned, not getting a response. And as they continued, they found that the ground beneath them was beginning to straight out. A minute later, they were back to walking down a straight passage.

"We must be getting close to the first trial," Heath groaned, "And if we want the orb, we need to pass it on our own." Blazard nodded while the others remembered their promise. If it was a puzzle, they couldn't tell him the answer even if they knew. If it was a physical challenge, they had to let them pass or fail it on their own. All they could do was give support and maybe a little advice here and there.

They soon found themselves at the end of the hallway, arriving at a wall with a small doorway that they had to pass through one at a time. Stepping into the room, they found it was so dark that their glow-sticks weren't much use. But then, the walls around them lit up, now seeing torches lighting.

The room was a long corridor that had some kind of puzzle on the ground. They were all standing on a flat piece of ground, and in front of them were two cobblestone paths, divided by a thin piece of rock. Each path had rows of four cobblestone lines, Twilight counting twelve rows. Each cobblestone was just big enough to fit a pair of feet on and upon closer inspection, the cobblestones all had the same image carved into them. That of a triangle with a line running through it.

"What is all this?" Spike asked as they stared down at the two paths, then to the very end of the room. There they saw another section of flat earth between the path and the wall, but that wall didn't have a door. "How are we supposed to get out?"

"I don't know," Heath hummed while Doc stared at the cobblestone path.

"This has to be one of the trials," he replied, "It's possible there's a door we can open on the other side."

"But how do we get to the other side?" Flash asked as Springer tried to step onto one of the cobblestones, only to be stopped by Blazard.

"Ri?" Springer asked the Pokémon, only to get a shake of the head from Blazard.

"Blazard's right," Cadance chimed in, "We shouldn't do anything until we're sure how to get through this trial."

It was then Twilight noticed that one of the front cobblestones had a mark different from the other. This one had a circle with an X running through it. "Look!" She pointed to it, then at the other row and saw another of the four stones with the same mark. Then another and another. "Each row has a stone with a mark that's different from the others." She glanced over at the other path and saw the same thing, with the location of the stones being the exact opposite of the other. It was like the paths were mirror images.

"Huh?" Heath tilted his head, only to turn to his Pokémon, "Blazard," he glanced at his trainer, "Get in front of the other path." He did so, Heath moving in front of the first path. "Now, on three. We both step onto the stone at the same time. Ready?" Blazard nodded. "Alright. One...two...THREE!" They both stepped onto the stone, the cobbles moving down. This caused a clicking sound followed by a grinding, the lot looking over at the far wall and seeing a section of it slide upward to make a gap of a few inches. "It worked."

This made Cadance snap her fingers, "Oh! This is the trial of friendship. It's testing how in-sync the two of you are."

"So every time they step on the right stone, the door opens a little?" Spike asked, with Cadance nodding.

"But they need to step on it at the same time. Be out of sync or step on the wrong stone..."

"Then we can't be out of sync!" Heath interrupted, now staring at the next row and saw the mark they needed, Blazard doing the same. "Alright. One...two...three!" They stepped over to the stone and the door opened a little, then spotted the next stone. "One...two...three!" They repeated the action, soon jumping from stone to stone, both landing on them at the same time. But on the eighth row, Blazard's tail accidentally hit the cobble behind him, causing the door to start sliding down.

"Quick!" Heath cried as they leapt onto the next stone together, Blazard keeping his tail safely raised. This caused the door to stop, slowly sliding back up. They both managed to get past the last three rows without incident, the pair now jumping onto the final stone and raising the door completely before walking onto the floor. "We did it!"

"BLAZE!" His Pokémon cheered before they turned to the others.

"So what do we do?" Spike asked, "Do we have to use the path as well?" He was about to step onto the rocks, but Twilight pulled him away.

"I have a better idea," she told him before taking out a Pokeball. In a flash of light, Owlicious appeared and hovered above the pathway. "Can you use Psychic to lift us over to the other side?" Owlicious nodded and with a flash of his eyes, they all began to float over. The five landed next to Heath and Blazard, Twilight thanking Owlicious before returning him.

"Smart move," Cadance told her before they turned to the door, now staring at another large tunnel. "Now we're one trial closer to the orb." They all nodded and began to run up the tunnel.

They had been so focused on the puzzle, they didn't see a pair of eyes that had been watching them. The Burroworm from earlier had been watching from a hole in the roof, the worm pulling back and slithering through a tunnel. Heath had passed the test fair and square, so it didn't have to eliminate him just yet. But there were still two trials left.





Meanwhile...

Score and his cronies were making their own way up the mountain. They had pulled out their ever faithful balloon and was using it to fly up the side, "Ha!" The greedy crook laughed, "Those idiots! Why work harder when you can work smarter?!" He patted the sides of the balloon as they entered the clouds. "This way, we'll reach the top before them and skip all those silly trials."

They soon left the clouds, now staring at the top of the mountain, which was what they had expected. But when they floated above it, they found themselves staring at nothing but rock.

"What?!" Score yelped as the balloon floated down and landed, allowing him to jump out.

"Shouldn't there be a legendary artifact here?" Rickashay asked, Score now patting the ground to locate some kind of hidden hatch or button, but there wasn't one.

"If the orb isn't here...then where is it?"





The group had been travelling for a good while now, the tunnel now getting so dark that their glow-sticks weren't being much help. And as they continued downward, Springer felt something wet, "Ri?" The others heard this, all looking down and saw Springer had stepped into a tiny stream of water that was originating from straight ahead.

"Why's there water here?" Spike asked, the others shrugging. They continued on, the stream changing from a light trickle into a thin slide. And with every few feet, the stream got bigger, soon splitting into two streams that went in a Y-formation. And following the streams, they found that they went to a dead-end.

"What?" Heath ran up and placed his hand on the wall, but it remained where it was. "No way! Why'd it stop?!"

"Maybe we took a wrong turn?" Flash suggested as he looked back.

"How?" Twilight asked, "There weren't any other tunnels were could go down."

"There has to be something we're missing," Doc added, walking up as the light from his glow-stick hit the wall, illuminating it just enough for Cadance to spot something.

"Look," she pointed, the group now seeing a wall carving that was the same triangle line marking from the previous trial, and underneath it at the floor was a tiny hole that the water from one of the steams was flowing out of. They then glanced to the left and spotted another section with the circle X marking that had another hole.

"Wait..." Heath walked up to the circle X wall and tapped it, hearing a low sound. He did the same with the other wall and heard the same noise. "They're both hollow."

"So we just gotta break through them?" Spike asked as Blazard moved up to Heath.

"I think we're only meant to break one," Doc pointed out. "Look at the water. I'm betting one of those walls has a lot more hidden behind it. Break the wrong one...and we'll get swept away."

They all went wide-eyed at this, Heath turning back to the walls. "So I have to pick correctly, or put my swimming skills to the test." The others gulped and stepped away from the wall, Heath's eyes shifting left to right. "Alright..." He placed a hand on the wall and stared at the symbols, then turned to the one with the triangle. "This one meant danger last time. So it must mean danger this time." He turned to the other wall, "So that means this way's the safe path. Blazard, use Iron Tail."

"Blaze!" He nodded before moving up, raising his tail as it began to glow.

The others watched, but just as Blazard pulled his tail back, Heath's eyes went wide. "WAIT!" Blazard stopped seconds before swinging his tail, all glancing back at Heath as he placed a hand on the circle marking, "These trials are meant to protect the orb from those who are unworthy." He commented before turning to the other marking. "This must be the trial of wisdom. An unwise person wouldn't question a mark that's kept them safe before." He pointed at the triangle marking, "This is the correct way." He turned to Blazard, "You trust me?"

"Blaze," he nodded before moving over to the wall.

"You sure about this?" Spike asked, "if you're wrong-"

"I know I'm not," Heath assured them. "Blazard, Iron Tail!" Blazard pulled his glowing tail back, then swung it.

"BLAZARD!" He roared as his tail struck the wall, causing it to crack and break. They all flinched, afraid for a barrage of water to come...only for the wall to fall apart, bursting out a cloud of dust. And when the fog settled, a tunnel was revealed. They all breathed a sigh of relief before they stared down at the ground, seeing the stream of water originated from another hole in the wall between this tunnel and the one that Heath had almost unclogged.

"That was close," Doc sighed, "If you had been a second slower figuring it out, we would have all been taking a ride of the worlds most dangerous water slide."

Cadance patted Heath on the shoulder, "You just passed the trial of wisdom."

Heath nodded back before looking up the tunnel, "Come on." He began to run up it, the others following. And as they went in, the Burroworm was watching from the roof. Heath had passed the trial alone again, meaning it was time to bring in the big guns. And as it slithered upward, the Burroworm figured this next test was one they wouldn't pass so easily.





Heath and his friends continued down the tunnel, now going up a diagonal passage. And as they headed upward, the darkness around them was slowly growing thinner, Twilight gasping, "Look!" she pointed ahead, everyone now seeing a speck of light ahead of them. That speck grew as they got closer, now knowing it could be only one thing.

"Come on!" Heath yelled as he ran ahead, Blazard right behind him. They all ran as fast as they could, feeling a gentle breeze sweep through the passageway. And as they got there, they jumped through the light, only to find themselves outside. They weren't at the top like they thought they'd be, and instead were in an another section of the mountain. The place looked like someone had used a giant ice-cream scope to remove a section out of the side of the mountain, forming a giant opening.

"Careful," Twilight told Spike as he looked over the edge, "You could fall." Spike nodded and pulled back while Heath and Blazard glanced around.

"Is this really where the Dragonheart Orb is supposed to be?" He asked, only seeing a wall of the cave was filled with giant holes.

"Hey," Flash pointed at the very back of the cave, "Look!" The others followed his finger and stared into the darkness of the cave, their eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. It was a large rock sticking out of the wall, which had been carved to resemble the shape of a head. Though it looked like Blazard, Heath realized it was actually a Blazegon.

"You think the orb's in there?" Spike chimed in.

"Only one way to find out," Heath then turned to his partner. "You ready, bud?" Blazard nodded and the two began to walk toward it, only for the ground to start shaking. The group began to stumble, most grabbing the walls as the wall suddenly exploded, filling the cave with dust. They all coughed at this, struggling to breathe while Heath stared at the cloud, now seeing a giant snake-like shadow filling it.

When the dust settled, it revealed a giant serpentine Pokémon. It looked like a Douburrow, only it was three times the size. And instead of two large heads, it had three, all having bright green eyes and a forward pointing head-spike similar to an Excadrill's. Its body was brown with orange spikes running down the three long necks, an orange spike covering tube at the area just below where they joined into one. After that tube, an orange stripe ran down its front with black lines on the front. The triple-headed beast let out a unified roar, causing the top of the mountain to shake.

"Whoa!" Spike yelped, "What is that thing?!"

"A Hydraworm!" Cadance screamed as Flash took out his Pokedex.

Name: Hydraworm
Category: Triple Worm Pokémon
Type: Ground/Dragon
Info: The evolved form of Douburrow. It digs by linking its three heads and spinning in a drill-like fashion. Unlike its prevolutions, each head has its own brain, which often times end up squabbling.

"That's not good," Doc gulped.

"What's a Hydraworm doing here?!" Twilight added, Heath's eyes shrinking at this.

"We've only completed two of the great trials..." he whispered, "We completed friendship and wisdom, but not the trial of courage." He looked up at the Hydraworm, "Are you the guardian of the Dragonheart Orb?" Hydraworm nodded back, even moving the tip of its tail to push down on the back of the stone Blazegon head. Doing so caused the mouth to open, revealing something inside. It was a round orb made of red glass that was filled with some kind of energy. On the front of the orb was a black symbol that represented some kind of dragon.

"So to get the orb, you have to beat that thing?" Flash asked, Heath nodding. "Make sense. Going up against something like that on your own's gonna take guts."

"Exactly." Blazard stepped up, ready to do battle against the giant triple-headed earth worm. At the same time, Hydraworm's hissed as they prepared for battle. "Let's go! Use Slash!" Blazard leapt up as his claws began to glow, then swung them at Hydraworm's tubed chest.

The worm barely flinched at this, two of its necks then swinging down as the drill blades on the heads began to glow green. "That's Duel Chop!" Twilight cried out, one of the heads slamming the drill blade into Blazard.

"Blaze!" He yelped as he was knocked back, only to be smacked by the other glowing blade, "ZARD!"

"Blazard!" Heath screamed as the Hydraworm brought its three heads together, their chins touching and allowing the drill blades to come together and form a full drill. Then to everyone's shock, the three necks began to spin, the whole thing spinning while the tube remained still. The spinning necks built up speed before curving down, now aiming right at Blazard.

"It's using Drill Run!" Cadance told him.

"Blazard, use Flamethrower!" Blazard took a deep breath before unleashing a burst of fire, hitting the drill head-on. But the attack did nothing, Hydraworm pushing through before hitting Blazard, throwing him back.

"This isn't going well," Flash gulped while the others nodded in agreement. They then saw Hydraworm continue to spin its drill-heads and slam into the ground, allowing it to cut through the rock and disappear underground. "What just happened?"

"Did it run away?" Spike added.

"it's using Dig," Doc commented, "Heath, be careful." Heath nodded as Blazard stood up, the pair glancing around, but seeing no sign of Hydraworm. That is, till the ground below the flame lizard began to shake.

"MOVE!" Heath yelled, Blazard just managing to leap to the side before the ground exploded, the Hydraworm now shooting straight up. "Quick, use Dragon Pulse!" Blazard rolled onto his back and took a deep breath, then roared as a dragon-shaped burst of energy shot out of its mouth.

"ZARD!" He roared as the attack went for Hydraworm, which pulled its heads apart seconds before the blast exploded against the middle one's head.

"HIGH!" It cried, but the other two turned to one another and nodded before swinging their heads around to use Duel Chop.

"Look out!" Heath yelped, Blazard now seeing the two attacks coming for him. "Counter with Iron Tail!"

"Blaze!" Blazard swung his tail back, the tail blocking the first head's blade, only for the second one to slam into his back. "BLAZARD!"

"This isn't going well," Twilight gulped.

"Blazard's attacks aren't strong enough," Cadance chimed in, "Dragon Pulse did some damage, but not enough to make this battle even."

"Hydraworm must have a weakness!" Spike added.

Doc shook his head, "Other than Dragon-Type attacks, he would need something like...Ice-types. A type of attack Blazard can't learn."

Heath ran over to Blazard and helped him up. "You okay?" Blazard slowly nodded, "There's gotta be a way to beat this thing." Blazard then walked in front of his trainer, the Hydraworm's three heads now glaring at him as they opened their mouths, fire forming within them. "Look out!" Blazard watched as the three heads shot out fireballs, which merged together into one big blast. "Dragon Pulse!"

"Blazard!" He fired the dragon-shaped energy, striking the fireball and making it explode. The smoke filled the cave, blocking everyone's sight. And as the fog faded, the Hydraworm was nowhere in sight.

"Where'd it go?" Heath asked, only to go wide-eyed, "No! It used Dig!" But he was too late, the ground beneath Blazard now exploding and launching him upward, "NO!"

Blazard cried out as the spinning drills dug into him, only to try and smack him down, but the lizard suddenly grabbed onto the tube on its body. "Blaze!" He yelled, surprising the Hydraworm while Heath smirked.

"That's the way! Now, Dragon Pulse!" Blazard took a deep breath shot the energy at Hydraworm's central neck, making it flinch while the other two heads curled around to try and get him off. But whenever they got close, Blazard shot another Dragon Pulse at them. They all cried out, screaming before turning to nod at one another.

"Another Dragon Pulse!" Heath told Blazard. But as he fired at the left head, Flash's eyes went wide as he saw the heads got together.

"Heath!" He yelled, "Get Blazard out of there!" Heath heard this, only to now see the heads spinning before going straight for the ground.

"Oh no..." he whispered. "Get off of there!" He yelled, but it was too late. Blazard was pulled underground with Hydraworm. "BLAZARD!" The others gasped as the lizard was yanked through the ground, the Pokémon still holding onto the worm as it dug. The rock and dirt dug out of the way was thrown behind the drilling heads, slamming into Blazard as it continued to hold.

But as this happened, Hydraworm dug up against and exploded out of the mountain inside the cave. Blazard finally lost his grip at this, getting thrown upward as Hydraworm swung its tail around and smashed it into Blazard. "BLAZE!"

"NO!" Heath yelled as he ran up, managing to get between Blazard and the ground. "Augh!" He yelped as the Fire-type collided with him, knocking him to the ground.

"HEATH!" The others yelled as they ran to him, Heath letting out a groan, "You okay?!"

"I'm fine..." he moaned before looking down at the Pokémon in his lap. "Blazard, are you okay?" Blazard let out a groan as he opened his eyes and nodded, but when he pushed himself out of his lap, his legs gave out, falling over as Heath caught him, "Blazard!"

"Blaz…" the Pokémon moaned, both now looking up to see Hydraworm staring down at them.

"We can't win this," he commented, "Hydraworm's too strong." The others wanted to argue, but they looked up and saw that Hydraworm was barely scratched compared to the beaten up Blazard. Heath stood up and stepped between Blazard and Hydraworm, "We forfeit." This made Hydraworm lean back slightly as he continued, "There's no way we can beat you. I'd rather admit defeat than let my friend get any more injured than he already is." He looked down, "I gues...we're not ready for the Dragonheart Orb." He then glanced back up, "But we'll keep training and come back when we are!"

Hydraworm continued to stare at them for a moment, then the three heads appeared to smile. The group blinked at this, only to see Hydraworm use its tail to once again open the stone head revealing the treasure. It slithered aside, as if to say that Heath could take it. "What are you doing?"

"I think..." Twilight added, "I think it's saying you passed the test."

"But...we lost." Heath gasped, "How could we have passed?!"

As he asked this, Cadance let out a giggle, making Heath turn to her, "Don't forget Heath, this isn't a trial of strength. It's a trial of courage. You had the courage to stand up and face an opponent that's vastly stronger than you. That's something many trainers have." Flash and the others nodded at this. "But there's another type of courage that only an exceptional few have. The courage to swallow one's pride and stand down when they know an opponent is stronger than them. Because admitting we're weaker then somebody else, even if it's obvious, can be one of the most terrifying things to do."

Heath turned to Hydraworm, as if asking if that was true. The triple-headed Pokémon nodded, then gestured with its head to the orb. Heath turned to the others, who all nodded as well, only to get up and walk over to the stone head and picked up the orb. He could feel a strange warmth as he held it, then turned back to Blazard. Several feet from his friend, he turned to Hydraworm again. "Are you sure?"

"Worm," they all nodded one last time. Heath took a deep breath back before turning to Blazard. "We did it bud!"

"Blaze!" he cheered, about to reach out and grab it. But as he did this, a long metal cable with a three pronged claw shot out of nowhere. "Blaze?!" He yelped as the claw grabbed the orb, yanking it out of Heath's hands.

"HEY!" he yelped as the others saw the orb get pulled to the opening of the cave.

There, they saw a balloon floating in front of it with three familiar individuals standing inside. "You guys again?!" Flash yelled as the three laughed, Score holding the gun that had shot the cable.

"Thanks for helping us find this place!" He guffawed as he took the orb, "All that battling lit it up like a signal flare. And now, the Dragonheart Orb is mine."

"Who are those three?!" Cadance asked.

"They're crooks!" Twilight growled, "They love stealing whatever they think might fetch them a quick buck."

"And that's exactly what this bad boy will fetch us," Score added before the balloon began to float away, "And now, we'll be taking our leave."

"NO!" Heath cried as they flew out of range, Hydraworm now glaring at them before drilling into the ground. "COME BACK HERE!"

"No thanks!" Score laughed, only to hear the sound of rocks exploding around them. "Huh?"

"Err...boss?" He looked up to see the Hydraworm bursting out of the mountain side, jumping out to attack them. "Orders?!"

"Relax," he replied before pressing a button on a remote. The bottom of the basket then opened up and unleash a bunch of metal cables, all of them instantly wrapping around the Hydraworm's body. Each cable wrapped around each of its necks, along with one around the middle of its body and the end of its tail.

"Hydraworm!" Heath cried as he watched the Ground Dragon-type struggle, now trying to slash at the cables with its drill-blades.

"Ha!" Score cackled, "Forget it, big guy! Those cables are the hardest thing you'll ever find. Just sit back and wait until we find someone to sell you too." He hit another button, this one causing a pair of thrusters to appear from the sides of the basket, which fired and began to push them further up.

"They're getting away!" Flash yelled, reaching for his Pokeball. "I gotta use Skyler!"

"No time!" Heath barked back as Blazard jumped in front of him, "Ready?" He nodded, "Then use Flamethrower!" Before anyone could ask what they were doing, Blazard faced the ground and unleashed a stream of fire. Heath grabbed on, the two then rocketing into the air.

"HEATH!" They yelped as they saw the two fly toward the balloon.

"What the heck?! He's nuts!" Rickashay screamed as they got closer, Heath then leaping off Blazard.

He landed on the basket while Blazard grabbed onto one of the cables holding Hydraworm. The tripled-headed Pokémon saw this and smirked as Blazard tried to burn through the cables with Flamethrower, Heath then grabbing the Dragonheart Orb. "Give it!"

"NO!" Score pulled back on the orb, "It's ours. And get off our balloon! No free rides!" Rickashay and Boulder would have helped, but the two's fight over the orb caused the balloon basket to swing, knocking both off balance. But as this happened, Score's grasp on the orb began to slip as his hands grew sweaty. "I said...GET OFF!" He yanked the orb back, only for it slip from his hands.

"Gyah!" Heath cried as he was suddenly yanked back, causing him to slip off the edge of the basket. "WHOA!" He yelped as he began to fall, shooting past Blazard and Hydraworm. The two saw this and gasped, along with Heath's friends.

"HEATH!" They all yelled as Blazard let go of the cable and jumped after him without thinking. "BLAZARD!" They watched as the two fell through the air, no one able to help them as they plummeted.

Heath groaned as he opened his eyes, only to gasp as he saw Blazard fall after him. "BLAZARD!" The lizard roared at him, trying to reach him faster. But even if he could, it wouldn't help.

But as they fell, Heath looked down at the object in his hands, the Dragonheart Orb. "That's it!" He exclaimed before pulling his arm back, "Quick, the Dragonheart Orb! GRAB IT!" He threw the orb at Blazard, the Pokémon catching it in both hands, causing him to explode with light. Heath watched him grow and change shape, becoming almost five meters in length as the light began to fade and reveal his new form.

He looked like a larger version of Blazard, but now his arms were like that of a bat's wings. But instead of a membrane, fire could be seen between the appendages. Its orange skin was now a dark red and the claws on its wings were now larger. The fins on the side of its head were now replaced with large curved blades, and on the tip of its tail, a large yellow bludgeon could be seen. "Blaze!" He roared as he angled himself and shot down, managing to reach Heath and get under him before spreading his blazing wings. "BLAZEGON!"

"Wow," Heath whispered as his new Pokémon began to fly up, catching his trainer as everyone saw both shoot up above them. Everyone marvelled at the sight before them, the crooks going wide-eyed at the sight of the giant flaming dragon. "You're gonna let Hydraworm go right now!" Heath yelled as Blazegon roared.

"Or what?" Score asked, only for the dragon to take a deep breath.

"BLAZE!" He screeched before a burst of fire struck the cables holding Hydraworm, causing them to heat up and slowly melt.

"WHAT!?" The three screamed, "That's impossible!"

But before they could do anything, Blazegon up as his bludgeon tail began to glow. "ZEGON!" The tail smashed into the basket, knocking it back, causing Hydraworm to swing as the cables snapped. The triple-headed Pokémon fell toward the mountain, bringing its heads together and drilling into the side for safety.

"Nice one bud," Heath patted his head while the criminals glared at him. "Now, let's end this!" Blazegon nodded and flew up to the basket.

"There's gotta be something here to stop that thing!" Score yelped as he pulled out a box in the basket and started throwing random junk behind him, including a book, chessboard and a rubber-ducky, but found nothing of use. This allowed Blazegon to reach them, using its feet claws to Slash at the balloon, "Oh great." The balloon started losing air, now dropping as Blazegon flew beneath it.

"Dragon Pulse!" Blazegon took a deep breath before firing the dragon-shaped laser out of his mouth, which struck the basket and sent it flying into the sky. The criminals could only scream as they rocketed upward, disappearing in a flash of light.

"Oh dear!" Cadance gasped, "I hope they're alright."

"Eh, don't worry about it. They're used to it," Flash added as Blazegon flew down and landed in front of them. "Dude," he told Heath as he hopped off the Pokémon, "That was awesome."

"I know," Heath nodded before turning to his newly evolved Blazegon. "You're amazing." Blazegon smirked while Flash took out his Pokedex.

Name: Blazegon
Category: Flame Dragon Pokémon
Type: Fire/Dragon
Info: The evolved form of Blazard. When a Blazard thinks it is worthy, it will seek out the legendary Dragonheart Orb to allow it to undergo the final evolution into Blazegon. Despite it wings being made out of fire, it can still fly.

"It's so...powerful," Twilight whispered.

"And you were able to save Hydraworm," Doc pointed out before the ground began to shake. Seconds later, Hydraworm exploded out the ground, dividing its heads before smiling down at them.

"Hydraworm!" Heath waved at it, "Thank you. If you hadn't have given us the orb, we wouldn't have been able to get out of that." Hydraworm nodded before turning to the now empty shrine.

"So what are you gonna do now?" Spike asked it, "You were supposed to guard the Dragonheart Orb, but now that it's gone." Heath and Flash were about to suggest it go with them, but before they could, a Burroworm came out of one of the holes Hydraworm had made. And it had another Dragonheart Orb wrapped around the end of its tail.

"What?!" Twilight yelped, "There's another one?!" Hydraworm laughed before picking up the orb and placing it in the mouth of the statue. "Where did...how did...why do?" The two Ground-types now laughed before Hydraworm began to drill its way back underground, the Burroworm leaping into the hole after it. "WAIT!" But they were already gone, likely off to wherever it was they kept the spare Dragonheart Orbs. "This is so confusing." The others laughed, now telling Twilight to not think about it too much. And as soon as Twilight calmed down, Blazegon gave everyone a lift, flying them down to the base of the mountain.

"Over there!" Cadance said as they flew down, looking up at the snow covered mountain that still laid ahead of them. Blazegon landed on a flat piece of land between the mountain they were just on and the last one before the train station. They all got off as Cadance looked at the map. "Yup. There's a pass that'll let us get around the mountain. And that's where we'll find the train station."

"Great!" Flash cheered. "Next stop, the Crystal Empire!"

"I'd give you guys another lift if we could," Heath told them from atop Blazegon. "But I doubt the cold is something Blazegon would want to be near."

"That's fine," Twilight replied, "You've already gotten us a lot further then we could have gotten on our own." Heath nodded and was about to take off, only for Flash to speak up.

"Hey, Heath!" He turned to him. "Before you go, how about a battle? I'd love to see how well I stack up against your Blazegon."

Heath shook his head with a smirk, "No thanks. Actually, tell you what...how about we save our battle for the Equestria League? Then we can go all out with everything on the line." Flash nodded back, saying he agreed. "Good. Well," Blazegon prepared to take off, "I'll see you guys around." The others nodded and stepped back as Blazegon began to beat its wings, spreading embers as it flew up into the sky.

They waved goodbye to their friends as they both disappeared, off to find their next big adventure. And once they were gone, Flash and his friends began to make their way toward the pass. They had enjoyed yet another amazing adventure, and now they were only a train ride away from the Crystal Empire. Would they be able to relax, or have their adventures only just begun? The journey continues
> Getting Back On Track
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With their journey to the Crystal Empire nearing completion, the group was now trodding through the snow, on their way to the train station.

"Ahh!" Spike cried as the snow slammed into his face, "So...cold!" He teeth chattered while Peewee crawled into his jacket, trying to keep them both warm.

"How much further?" Flash asked Twilight, who could barely see with her glasses fogged up.

"I don't know!" She called back as they pulled themselves up over a ridge, only to glance down and see a orange light glowing in the blinding snow. "What's that?"

It was coming from the base of the mountain, Doc taking out a pair of binoculars before seeing what looked like a small airport area just big enough for a small jet to land on. Beside it was a building that had a large platform, along with a train track.

"That's it!" He yelled, "The station!" Everyone sighed in relief and began to head down, the warm light acting like the end in sight, ready to relax and let the train do the rest of the work.

Within an hour, they finally reached the airport and found it was fenced off. The snow in this area wasn't as heavy as up on the mountain, allowing them to see more than two feet in front of their face. They walked around the fence, finding an opening and quickly running to a tunnel that was connected station to the airport.

Walking inside, they all let out moans as a wave of heat struck them. They quickly shut the door before heading inside, soon finding the station's main hub. The group now saw it was like your run of the mill train station, benches along the walls, magazine racks and a glassed off ticket counter. And behind that counter was a slightly overweight man wearing a white shirt under a blue vest...and was currently fast asleep.

"Hello?" Cadance said, but the man remained dead to the world. She walked up to the counter and knocked at the glass, "Excuse me!"

"Who? What? Where? Why?" The man yelped as he shot up, turning to the group, "Oh!" He let out a long yawn and rubbed his eyes, "Welcome. Sorry for that."

"It's fine," Cadance replied, "We were wondering when the train to the Crystal Empire will be arriving."

"The Crystal Empire?" the man responded, blinking at the woman before saying, "I'm afraid that train is strictly off limits to all but those with special access passes."

"You mean like this?" Cadance took out a card with her face on it, which she pushed through the gap in the glass. The man took it and his eyes went wide.

"My apologizes professor," he instantly replied before turning to the clock. "The train should-" He stopped, now staring at the clock with blinking eyes.

"Problem?" Flash asked as the ticket man turned back to them.

"The train should have been here an hour ago." This made everyone raise eyebrows, the man sighing, "This isn't the first time I've fallen asleep here, but usually the train's arrival wakes me up. If I've been asleep this long..."

"The train didn't show up," Doc finished, the man nodding before reaching under the counter and taking out a radio.

"Station one to Crystal Express. Crystal Express, please reply." He waited for a moment, but the radio only gave the static reply. "Come in Crystal Express!" Again, no reply. "That can't be good."

"Has the Crystal Express ever been late?" Twilight asked, "If it's a new line, it'll probably take time for them to get used to their schedule."

The man shook his head, "No, the train's never been late. It's driver's like clockwork." He hummed for a moment, "it's possible they had to stay at the empire for something. That would explain why the radio isn't reaching."

"So you're saying to just wait?" Spike asked, the man nodding again before telling them that he would continue to try and contact them. Seeing this, the group took a seat on one of the nearby benches and waited, Cadance taking out the journal she had found in the hidden tomb they had discovered with Rocky along with the book she could use to translate it.

Twilight grabbed a magazine while Doc decided to head out onto the platform, Flash and Spike deciding to follow him. It was still snowing, but the roof over the platform gave them a little protection. "Why are we out here?" Spike asked as Doc looked down at the platform.

"I wanna see how they organize the train," Doc replied as he followed the platform and saw it split into two. One line continued straight ahead while the other curved slightly to the left before going straight again. Eventually, both lines connected to a turntable. "Ah, that's how it works."

"How what works?"

"The train comes down the tracks and stops at the platform. Once the passengers are unloaded, the train goes down one of those two lines and unhooks the coaches before using the turntable to turn around. Then it uses the other track to drive ahead of the coaches before coupling back up again to pull it back down the tracks. I'm betting there's an identical setup on the other end."

"Huh," Spike imagined this and nodded, "That's actually pretty cool."

Flash nodded in agreement. "Hopefully we'll be able to see that happen soon enough." A chilling wind swept over them next, making them shiver and run back inside the station, where the ticket man was still trying to contact the train.

"Now I'm really getting worried." he grumbled, "The train's never been this late, and even if it was, they would have sent a message to me."

"Is there any way you can get in contact with the Crystal Empire?" Cadance asked as she put the books away. "They said they were going to try and get a communication system online when I left."

"I can send an email," he replied. "But it could be hours before someone on the other side sees it. The radio's the only direct communication method I have here. The only other way to find out anything about the city is to actually go to the Empire."

"Well, we can't really do that without a train," Twilight added. She then noticed  a look appear on the man's face. "Are you saying there's a way to get to the empire without the train?"

"There's one," he replied, "Well...two." They exchanged glances at this, hearing the hesitation in his voice. This was confirmed when the man took them outside and showed them a shed that housed a pair of dirt bikes.

"You can't be serious," Flash told him.

"These were used to help in the line's construction," he responded, "They have special tires that'll let you blow through the snow as long as its not too deep or frozen over." Flash and Doc walked over to the bikes and looked them over, seeing they were fully fueled and with a turn of the key they revved up.

"Okay...this could work." Doc commented before noticing some spotted helmets, knee and shoulder-pads and goggles that were apparently resistant to fogging up or freezing over.

They suited up, Springer climbing in front of Flash as Twilight asked, "You sure this is a good idea?"

"We're just going to make sure everything's okay," Flash replied, "It's not like we'll be in any danger or anything. What's the worst that could happen?"

"You crash," Twilight instantly chimed, "Or get attacked by a wild Pokémon, or accidently find yourself getting caught in an avalanche, or-"

"We'll be fine," Flash interrupted, revving the engine as the bike shot out into the snow. Doc followed after him, the pair now driving onto the tracks.

"Remember to turn right at the track split!" The ticket man yelled before the two disappeared into the snow, "Oh, I hope they heard me..."

"I'm sure they did," Cadance chuckled before noticing Twilight crossing her arms, along frown on her face, "Hey, relax....I'm sure they'll be fine. Even if there is something out there that might try and attack them, they shouldn't have too much trouble fighting it off."

"Yeah!" Spike added, "Flash is one of the strongest trainers ever! With his Pokémon, there isn't gonna be a thing out there that could pose a threat to them!"

"Unless it takes them by surprise and attacks before either of them has a chance to counter it." The three sighed, Cadance knowing Twilight was likely overthinking the situation.

"Tell you what, why don't you come help me finish translating the journal?" Cadance told her. "I'm sure that'll keep your mind off this until they get back." Twilight nodded and headed back into the station, the ticket man turning to Cadance.

"Is she okay? She seemed a little upset by that other guy leaving."

Cadance shined a big grin at this, "She's just worried. And understandable. Even if she doesn't realize it yet, it's only natural for her to worry about the someone she cares about."

The man hummed at this, only for Spike to speak up, "Why wouldn't she realize it? Of course she cares about Flash." Cadance laughed with a shake of her head before going inside, the man following while Spike and Peewee shared a glance. "Am I missing something?" Peewee just shrugged and told him to go back inside, Spike doing that while wishing he could have gone with Flash and Doc.





The pair and Springer continued to ride down the tracks, glad the snow in the area hadn't gotten too deep so their bikes could roll through. They soon found themselves about to ride into a canyon with two large walls on either side, one wall having a group of trees atop it. Doc was riding ahead and signalled Flash to stop, Flash asking, "What's up?"

"It might be a good idea to push our bikes through this. The sound might cause snow to come loose on the top of the canyon walls and cause an avalanche." Flash nodded and got off, Springer staying on so he didn't have to trod through the waist high snow...waist high for him.

They pushed their bikes through the canyon, both staring at the two walls, "See anything that might make the train to stop or go back?"

Doc shook his head, "No. But that doesn't mean its not there."

Flash nodded and turned to Springer, "Make sure to keep your senses out buddy. If you pick up anything, make sure to let us know." Springer nodded with a bark as the boys kept pushing the bikes, the Riolu closing his eyes as they trudged through.

They continued through the canyon, but even as they got halfway, there was no sign of anything. But as they did this, up in the trees beside the canyon, movement caused the branches to shift and crack. The noise was picked up by Springer's ears, making him zero in on the area with his aura, "RI!" He pointed upward, the boys following his gaze.

"Pick something up?" Springer nodded, the trio now staring up at the trees. They continued watching, but the trees remained still, Springer now losing a lock on the aura.

After a minute, Doc continued to push the bike, "Well, whatever it was, it seems to be gone now. Come on, We don't want to be out here to long." Flash agreed and pushed the bike up until they reached the end of the canyon. Once there, they got back on, revving the engines as they left.

But at the very top of the canyon, a pair of eyes stared out from the trees, glaring at the fleeing figures. A look growl came next, the being now making the trees shake once more.





Back at the station...

"What's this section? Twilight as she pointed at a part of the text, Cadance glancing at it before looking back at another book.

"I'm not sure," she replied, "That image doesn't have a translation in this book. But I think it's something about a...spear of some kind."

Twilight blinked at this, thinking back to the tomb. She opened her mouth to tell Cadance, only for the sound of doors opening rang out. They turned around to see a group of people running into the station, all moving over to the ticket booth. Spike soon found himself pinned against the wall by the number of people while Twilight and Cadance had to pull their legs in close.

"Who are all these people?!" Spike groaned.

"My guess? They're probably heading to the ski resort." Cadance responded.

"That could be a problem," Twilight added as the ticket master spoke up.

"Everyone, please listen. Your train may be late." This caused a loud moan from the people as he continued, "The cause is being investigated, but for now, please stay calm and we can get everything sorted out." The crowd instead decided to yell at him, all asking for their train tickets while Twilight looked out at the tracks, a frown gracing her face.

Cadance saw this and smirked, "I'm sure the Crystal Express will show up with Flash any moment now."

"I hope you're right."

Cadance nodded and waited a few seconds before saying, "You really care about Flash, don't you?"

Twilight blinked at her words, Spike also hearing it as Twilight spun around and said, "Of course. Why wouldn't I?" She then saw the big smile Cadance was showing, making her raise an eyebrow, "What?"

Cadance giggled at her response before shaking her head, "Oh...nevermind." She glanced back at the book, Twilight and Spike staring at her before shrugging. It wasn't long till they got back to work, though it was now more difficult with the now lack of space they had. And as they did this, Twilight's eyes glanced back at the tracks again and again, wondering how Flash was doing.





Meanwhile...

Flash and Doc continued to ride through the mountains, now arriving at an area of the track that split in two. One went around a mountain in front of them, while the other went the other way.

"Which way did he say to go?" Flash asked, glancing between the two.

"Right," Doc replied, both now riding the right track. A few minutes in, they found the mountain pass getting narrower, just wide enough that the train could still get through, but the pair now chose to ride single file. Trees could be seen to their left and right, atop raised areas of snow covered earth about a meter high. And as they turned around a bend, they came across something that made them pull to a sudden stop: A dead-end.

Stopping their bikes and killing the engine, they stared at the dead-end, now seeing that they were at the base of a small mountain, more like a large hill, that was covered in snow and trees. They stared at the tracks and saw they went straight ahead, disappearing through a large mound of snow that leaned against the front of the mountain.

"It's a tunnel," Doc commented as they got off their bikes. Flash walked up the mound of snow, getting to the top before digging, his fingers soon brushing against something. Pulling the snow free, it revealed the top of a stone arch.

"Definitely a tunnel," Flash added before turning to Doc. "You think this is what caused the train to be late?"

"Only way to find out. We need to clear the tunnel." Doc replied, Flash coming down with a big grin.

"Easy. Leave it to me." he took out a Pokeball. "Viper, I choose you." The ball opened and in a flash, the Vipeacon appeared.

"Vi!" He hissed before shivering, quickly letting his fire flow to keep him warm.

"Sorry, but we need your help." He pointed at the tunnel, "Can you use Flamethrower to clear this?" Viper gave him a smirk that said, 'Who you asking?' and then took a deep breath before shooting out a streaming of fire. Within seconds it melted, uncovering the tunnel. "Nice one bud."

The snake let out a happy hiss before all four walked inside, only to find everything inside was completely pitch black.

"Hello?" Doc called out, "Anyone here?" There was no response, Viper then taking a second to spit out a fireball that illuminated the tunnel. The light lasted a second, but it was enough for them to see. "The train!" Halfway down the long tunnel, a stream train could be seen. It was silver in color and had a snow plough on the front, the train looking like it was made out of crystal itself. Behind it, five long coaches of different colors were saddled to the back.

"So that's it," Flash turned back to the entrance. "The train's late because the tunnel was blocked."

"But why is it still here?" Doc asked before moving around the engine. "Shouldn't it have just reversed and headed back to the empire?" But as he said that, he saw that there was no light at the end of the tunnel. "Unless both ends are blocked off..."

"Both?" Flash replied, "What are the chances that could happen?"

"I don't know," Doc shrugged, "But if the train's been stuck here since entering the tunnel, the fact that none of the people riding it have called out is very concerning."

Flash nodded before both moved to the cab of the engine, only to see it was empty. They went to the coach next, now reaching out for the door. But as he tried to open it, he felt the chilling bite of a cold door handle, "Urgh...its stuck!" He turned to his Vipeacon, "Viper!" He nodded and slithered up, the flames around his neck exploding and heating the air around the door. Within a minute, the door had defrosted and Flash was able to open it. And as they did, they were greeted to a very worrying sight.

Three men and a woman were sitting on the ground, all looking like they were asleep. The four were surrounding a Pokémon Flash had never seen before, but looked an awful lot like a Pyroom. This one was bigger, roughly three and a half feet tall. It almost looked humanoid with the stem now looking like a head with an actual yellow body beneath it. It was wearing a red diaper-like clothing around its waist and it had the same feet as Pyroom, also having arms, but instead of hands on the ends, it had round orbs like its mushroom head that were also red with white spots. Like the humans, this Pokémon appeared to be asleep, but had a pained expression on its face.

"Whose that Pokémon?" Flash asked as he took out his Pokedex.

Name: Mushroast
Category: Spicy Pokémon
Type: Fire/Grass
Info: The evolved form of Pyroom. It has an internal flame sack in its head. When angered or threatened, it will unleash a wildfire that burns anything around it.

Doc then leaned down and put his hand on one of the humans, grimacing at this, "They're ice cold."

"Viper!" Flash called out, Viper nodding and igniting his entire body's fire holes. Heat filled the air, quickly warming the coach, making the five sleeping occupants stop shivering before their eyes began to open.

"What?!" The woman yelped, "What's happening?!" She opened her eyes, now looking up at the pair, "Who are you?!"

"Flash Sentry. And this is Springer and Viper."

"Ri/Vi."

"You can call me Doc. We came to see why the train was so late, and found you trapped inside this tunnel. What happened?"

"I wish I knew," one of the men replied, "We drove into the tunnel and by the time we realized it was blocked, the whole train was inside. We pulled to a stop and before we could reverse, the other end was suddenly blocked off too." He then turned to the Mushroast, "You okay buddy?"

"Mush," it moaned as the man picked him up.

"Poor thing," the woman added, "He tried to melt the snow, but every time we got close to being free, more snow would come down and block it off again. Eventually, he ran out of steam and couldn't even build up enough heat to keep us all warm."

Flash and Doc exchanged a glance, "We...didn't have that problem."

Doc let out a hum, "Maybe because we melted the snow from the outside?" Flash shrugged back, making Doc look back at the others, "I suppose that doesn't matter. Let's get you all out of here. Think you can get this train running again?"

The woman turned to Viper, "If your Vipeacon is willing to start the fire." Viper nodded as they all got up. "I'm Emily by the way, the train's driver." They nodded, Viper's flames showing she was a green skinned woman with black hair. She then gestured to the others, first pointing to the red skinned man with black hair that was holding Mushroast. "That's James, my fireman." She then gestured to a blue skinned man with black hair, "This is the ticket-man, Edward." He nodded before she gestured to a brown skinned man with gray hair. "And this is our train's snack vendor, Toby."

After saying their hellos, Emily, Flash, Viper and James headed to the engine. Once there, James started shovelling coal into the firebox. "We're ready," he said as Viper pointed his mouth into the box.

"Vee...KEN!" He unleashed a blast of fire, filling the box seconds before James shut it, allowing the coal to ignite and start creating heat.

"That's it!" Emily exclaimed, "The engine's starting to heat up!" She then grimaced as a thought went into her head, "I just hope the water in the engine hasn't frozen. It could take a while for it to heat up and become steam again."

And as they were getting the engine going, Doc was looking over Mushroast. "He's fine," he assured the others. "Just tired. Probably best he stick near Viper until he's strong enough to make his own heat." They nodded back before Doc and Mushroast headed out. As they did this, Doc stared at the exit of the tunnel. And as he did, he swore he saw some movement. "What was that?"

Flash turned to him from the engine, "You okay?"

"I thought I saw something," Doc replied.

"Saw what?" Flash asked, but Doc just shrugged.

"Whatever it is will have to wait," Emily told them as smoke began to escape the train's funnel. "We've got steam. Let's get out of here." Doc nodded and was about to climb up, only to go back down.

"Wait!" he lifted Mushroast onto the cab and then ran toward the exit.

"Where are you going?!" Flash asked.

"We left our bikes near the track! If I don't move then, the train will crash into them." Emily nodded as Doc ran out the hole in the tunnel and saw the bikes. He quickly pushed one of them far from the tracks. But as he returned to move the other one, he felt a shiver down his spine.

"Hmm?" he muttered before spinning around, only to gasp. He leapt to the side, a large chunk of ice now flying down and smashing into the bike. "WHOA!" He yelped, his voice echoing into the tunnel and catching his friend's attention.

"Doc?" Flash turned to the tunnel and jumped down to run for the exit.

Back outside, Doc was laying in the snow, then rolling over to see his destroyed bike. He glanced back up and saw the cause of the bike's destruction. "Frostorge..." Up on the ledge to the side of the tracks, the giant Ice-type stared down at Doc with a loud hiss. The Bigfoot Pokémon then leapt up before coming crashing down, its feet on either side of the tracks.

"Frost!" It roared before turning to the tunnel and letting out another roar, a large cloud appearing above it.

"That's...Avalanche!" Doc gasped as he got up and yelled to the others, "GET OUT OF THERE!" Flash heard this, but before he could reach the exit, the clouds opened up and a blast of snow shot out. Raining down, the entrance was instantly blocked by another pile of snow.

"So that's it," Doc added as he picked himself up. "That's how the tunnel was sealed before." He saw the Frostorge turn to him with a long glare.

"Frost!" It opened its mouth as another chunk of ice appeared, then fired it at Doc. He leapt out of the way, the Ice Shard hitting the ground and exploding. Doc looked up at the other bike, only for Frostorge to fire another Ice Shard and hit the bike.

The machine exploded and knocked Doc flying back, crying out as he hit the ground. "Augh!" He groaned as one of his Pokeballs rolled free, Frostorge now summoning another Ice Shard. But as he did this, Doc saw the Pokeball and kicked it, unsure if it actually had a Pokémon in it. The ball opened up, releasing the red energy that faded to reveal Flitanium. "Nice! Steel Wing!"

"Fly!" It squawked before charging at Frostorge, slashing him with its extendable wing. The blow made the Bigfoot groan, staggering back before roaring again, the cloud reappearing and unleashing a barrage of snow at Flitanium. Both he and Doc quickly found themselves getting buried, Doc unable to think as everything up to his knees were freezing.

Flitanium quickly took to the air and flew over to grab Doc's shoulders, lifting him up out of the snow. "Thanks," he told him before looking down at Frostorge as it continued to roar at them. Glancing at the tunnel, he let out a sigh, "No choice. Flitanium, get us back to the station." Flitanium squawked and changed directions, Doc frowning as he watched the tunnel move further away. "Sorry Flash, but I'm gonna need help if I wanna save you. Just hold on."





"Oh come on!" Flash yelled as he pushed against the snow that now blocked the tunnel exit.

"What happened?" Emily asked, only to see the tunnel now blocked again, "Oh no..."

"I don't know," Flash growled, "This snow happened after Doc said something about a...Frost..." His eyes went wide, "A Frostorge. That's what Doc said."

"A Frostorge?!" Edward yelped before gulping, "That would explain why the tunnel's been blocked."

"That Frostorge trapped us in here!" James cried, Toby grimacing.

"Not for long!" Flash told them before glancing at Viper, "Flamethrower!"

"Vi!" Viper took a deep breath before exhaling a large stream of fire, instantly melting the snow wall. Everyone smiled at the sight, only to go wide-eyed as they saw something appear in the soggy snow hole.

"Frostorge!" Flash yelled, seeing the Ice Dark-Type standing where the hole was.

"Frost!" It roared before the cloud appeared above it again, causing the snow to crash down and fill the hole.

"Hey!" Flash exclaimed as Viper started using Flamethrower again, melting the snow. But on the other side of the wall, Frostorge was continuing to use Avalanche on the other side. This happened again, the Fire and Ice moves going back and forth before going into a perfect harmony, with the wall neither melting or increasing in size. But eventually, Viper had to stop and catch his breath whilst Frostorge kept freezing the tunnel.

"We're trapped!" Toby screamed, now looking like he was about to cry.

Flash let out a sigh, telling Viper to stop. He then glanced back at the others, "Don't panic. Doc's still out there. I'm sure he's on his way to get help. We'll just have to hold out until then." They all nodded, Viper still gasping for breath. Seeing this, Flash turned to Mushroast, the Pokémon still down. "I just hope Doc hurries..."





Back at the station again...

A train had finally arrived, but this one wasn't from the Crystal Empire, instead being the Ski Resort. Twilight, Spike and Cadance watched as the recent arrivals clambered into the coaches before the whistle blew and the train pulled away. "At least now there's more room." Spike commented as he sat back on a bench and stretched out his legs.

Twilight just stared at the fleeing train, showing a glum frown. Cadance then slung her arm around her, "Don't worry, I'm sure the Crystal Express with show up with Flash any moment now."

"You said that earlier," Twilight replied while still staring at the tracks.

"And I'll keep saying it until it happens. Just relax, will you?" Twilight rolled her eyes and turned away, only to hear a voice.

"HEY!" She glanced up at the sound, now seeing Doc flying down with Flitanium. He looked absolutely drenched and frozen, Flitanium gliding over as they landed and Doc almost collapsed. "We got a big problem!" They took him inside to heat up, Peewee using his fire attacks to warm and dry him as he explained everything.

"A Frostorge?!" Cadance asked, "What's a Frostorge doing so far down the mountain? They usually make their homes in caves near its top."

"Well this one decided to live near the base and is determined not to let that train out of the tunnel. And now Flash and his Pokémon are trapped with all the train staff."

"It would explain why they didn't pick up," the ticket master added, "The radio signal probably couldn't get through the mountain."

"So what do we do?" Spike asked, Twilight adjusting her glasses at this.

"Obviously, we're gonna go save them and stop that Frostorge." They all nodded, the ticket master promising to contract the Crystal Empire and tell them what had happened. The four then walked into the snow, Twilight letting out Owlicious and Shine.

She leapt onto her Rapidash while Cadance and Spike climbed aboard her Owlolar. Flitanium grabbed Doc's shoulders and the two Flying-types took to the air again, Shine now galloping through the snow. The four all stared down at the tracks, each thinking about the inevitable battle they were gonna have with Frostorge.

"Hold on Flash," Twilight whispered as Shine used her Psychic abilities to keep them from falling through the snow. "We'll be there soon."





Back in the tunnel...

Viper was still trying to heat the train up as best he could. "Vi..." he hissed as he ignited his body, filling the train coach with heat. The humans all sighed as the cold was temporarily driven away while Mushroast scarfed down a packet of crisps. Viper then cut the flames as Springer passed him his own packet.

"That's it Viper," Flash told him. "You and Mushroast need to eat as much as you can. Us being hungry is a lot better than you being hungry and unable to make any fire."

Emily nodded, "You too Mushroast. How you feeling?"

"Mush," it replied before taking a deep breath and letting out a burst of fire that filled the coach.

Emily nodded again as Toby shivered and turned to Flash, "How much longer do you think your friends will be?"

"There'll be here," Flash responded before turning to Springer and seeing him shake, "But maybe it'll be better to have you in your Pokeball." Springer turned to his and shook his head, "Springer..."

"Ri!" Springer barked back, instead rubbing his paws together to keep warm.

Flash shook his head and sighed before asking, "Why is that Frostorge doing this?"

"Who knows," Edward replied, "Maybe it just doesn't like the sound of the train?"

"It does make a lot of noise when it comes out of the tunnel," Emily added, "Maybe Frostorge lives near here and can't get any peace."

"We've been doing this route for almost two months," Toby pointed out. "Why is it only complaining now?"

Flash was about to reply, only to see Viper's flames now growing even weaker. "Come on guys," he shivered before turning to the blocked tunnel exit. "Hurry up..."





Outside the tunnel...

The Frostorge was now staring at the cave, squinting its eyes at the snow. It knew at the first sign of the snow melting, it would use Avalanche to block it up again. But as it did this, he turned to the tree covered ridge to its right, staring at the trees with a low hum. For a moment, it swore it saw a dim flash of light, making it smile. However, that smile quickly faded when it heard a noise coming from behind it.

Turning around, it was greeted with the sight of Twilight riding Shine while Owlicious and Flitanium flew down carrying the others. "Remember us?" Doc asked while Flitanium squawked, Frostorge glaring at them and preparing to use Avalanche.

But before it could, Twilight and Shine galloped up as the teen yelled, "Mystical Fire!" Shine quickly carved a flaming circle before shooting a blast of fire. The missile slammed into the Frostorge, exploding and pushing the Bigfoot Pokémon back.

"Frost!" It roared as Flitanium flew up next.

"Air Slash!" He extended his wings and gave them one mighty flap, launching a blade of air. But before it could hit, the Ice Dark-type clutched its fist as it glowed white. It threw the punch into Air Slash, dispelling it before opening its mouth and forming an Ice Shard. The beast then fired it at Flitanium, the Steel Flying-Type barely managing to dodge it, only for it scratch his wing.

"Tay!" He flinched while Owlicious flew overhead.

"Can't we help?" Spike asked, Owlicious hooting in agreement.

"I'm afraid Owlicious won't be much help," Cadance replied, "His Psychic attacks will do nothing, and his Flying-type moves will do next to nothing." They frowned while watching the others fighting back, Doc and Twilight leaping from their Pokémon as they charged to do battle.

And while this happened, Flash could hear the sounds of a battle. "I think my friends are here!" He got up and despite still being cold, he ran out the coach with his Pokémon following. They ran up to the wall, listening for Twilight's voice before turning to Viper, "This is our chance! While it's distracted, burn it down buddy!"

"Vi," Viper nodded before taking a deep breath. "Vee...CON!" He unleashed a stream of fire at the snow. It started to melt, but before it was even halfway through, the stream stopped. "Vi..." he started panting as his flame went out.

"Viper!" He leaned down to his Pokemon, seeing the snake lean down. "Oh buddy...I'm sorry I pushed you." He glanced back at the snow, "Darn it. There's gotta be some other way to get out of here without bringing the place down on us..."





"Body Slam!" Twilight ordered, Shine leaping at the beast.

Seeing this, Frostorge prepared an Ice Shard, but Doc then yelled, "Iron Head!" Moving much faster than the other two, Flitanium shot down and slammed his head into Frostorge. It roared while staggering back, allowing Shine to smash her hooves into its face. Frostorge cried out and threw a Mega Punch, hitting Shine and knocking her back before using Ice Shard to hit Flitanium.

And as this happened, Owlicious continued to fly above as Cadance turned to the tunnel. "I have an idea. Owlicious?" it glanced back at her, "Use Psychic to unblock the tunnel and free the others."

Owlicious nodded and turned back to the tunnel, his eyes glowing along with the snow. The pile began to shake and slowly unclog itself from the tunnel, only for Frostorge to turn to the cave. He saw the snow moving, growling before looking up at Owlicious.

"FROSTORGE!" It roared at the top of its voice, an extra large Ice Shard appearing in its mouth before firing it at the Owlolar.

"Look out!" Spike yelped, Owlicious dropping the snow and beginning evasive maneuvers. He dodged the large Ice Shard, but Frostorge then fired several more, these hitting his wing.

"OWL!" He screamed before starting to tumble, Spike and Cadance now holding on for dear life. The others saw this and gasped, Owlicious now beginning to fall, the four crashing into the nearby trees.

"NO!" Twilight cried, only to turn and glare at Frostorge. She went wide-eyed for just a second, now seeing a sad frown on the beast's face, only for the teen to growl, "Dazzling Gleam!" She yelled as the pony unleashed a blast of rainbow light, hitting Frostorge all over.

"Steel Wing!" Flitanium flew down with glowing wings, slashing them into Frostorge. But as the Bigfoot Pokémon staggered back from the blow, it let out a roar, causing a cloud to appear above it that started expelling snow.

"Fly!" He yelped as he felt the frozen water slam down onto him, causing several parts of his body to freeze over. "Tay..." he whimpered as he tried to move his wings, but the hinge was stuck.

"Look out!" Doc yelled, Flitanium looking up in time to see Frostorge throw a punch, smacking the bird flying. Twilight then ordered Shine to use Mystical Fire again, hitting the Pokémon again before glancing back at the trees.





Over in the frozen forest, Cadance, Spike, Owlicious and Peewee all groaned as they began to pull themselves up out of the snow. "You okay?" Cadance asked the others, getting moans in response. Cadance stood up and dusted the snow off of her, then saw a flash of light through the trees that came from the battlefield. "Come on. We have to help the others."

Spike nodded and pushed himself up, only to look up as he saw another flash of light. This one wasn't from the battlefield, instead coming from the branches of the tree. "Did you see that?" Cadance turned to him with a raised eyebrow, only to see another glimmer of light.

"Now I did." She glanced at the tree, now seeing another light to her left. Then on her right and another at the very corner of her vision. The pair kept spinning around as they saw more and more light coming from the trees...only for a light to hit the ground.

"Hmm?" Cadance whispered as she saw a branch next to where the light had come from, looking up to see it had crashed into the snow. Walking up to it, she reached down to brush it away, revealing the source of the light.

At first, they thought it was a snowball. But then, they noticed it had a face and three spikes coming out of it. "A Snocicle?" Spike asked as Cadance picked the little guy up.

"Hello there," she replied, only to see Snocicle let out a whimper. She shined a calm smile at it, "Don't worry. We're not here to hurt you." The Snocicle blinked at her, only for its body to start glowing.

"What's it doing?" Spike asked, Cadance humming before looking up at the trees.

As she did this, several flashes of light occurred. "Could it be?" She stood up as more lights began to glow, "That would explain a lot." Spike blinked at her, only for Cadance to hand him the Snocicle, "I know what's going on."





"Air Slash!" Flitanium fired a wind blade while Shine unleashed another Dazzling Gleam, both attack slamming into it. Frostorge crossed its arms and endured the attack, then swung them apart before a ring of lights appeared around it that morphed into rocks.

"That's Stone Edge!" Twilight yelped before Frostorge fired them, the rocks slamming into Flitanium and Shine. "NO!"

And as this happened, Flash could hear this friends in trouble. "Ragh!" He yelled, punching the wall. "If only we were out there! We could help!"

Viper heard this, slithering up to his trainer, "Vi!" He took several deep breathes. "Vi..." he tried to build up as much fire, only to feel his flames still be almost silent. as he could.

"Mush!" He turned to Mushroast, the Spicy Pokémon showing a determined glare. Viper nodded back, Flash turning to them before smirking.

"You'll help us?" he asked the Mushroast, the Pokémon nodding back. "Nice. If you work together, you might be able to do it." He turned to the wall, grabbing a rock and sticking it into the snow barrier. "Both of you, fire at this spot." They nodded and each took deep breaths, building up as much power as they could.

"VI/Mush...PEACON/ROAST!" Both fired at the spot Flash had pointed out, hitting the rock and melting the snow. Within seconds, they both felt themselves growing close to stopping, but neither allowed themselves too.

Outside, Frostorge kept firing attacks at its opponents, now noticing the snow melting. At least, not until it was too late. "Frost?" He turned to see steam coming off the wall, which slowly began to melt. It prepared to use another Avalanche, only for Flitanium to use Iron Head, slamming into its back. "FROST!" it yelped, the snow wall now fully melting, the group then running out of the cave.

"WE'RE FREE!" Emily joyfully screamed.

"Fresh air!" James cheered before a growl made them turn to Frostorge, who was picking itself up.

"You wanna go?" Flash asked, "That's fine with us." Springer cracked his knuckles while Viper snapped his jaws, Flitanium and Shine getting behind them. "Let's go ugly!"

Frostorge growled under its breath, about to charge as it let out a roar. "Frost-"

"EVERYONE STOP!" yelled a sudden voice, making everyone turn to see Cadance and Spike up on the ridge, Spike holding something in his hands.

"A Snocicle?" Twilight said as she saw the Pokémon in Spike's hands. The Snocicle then floated out of Spike's grip, heading down to Frostorge, circling it while speaking to the evolved form as it landed on Frostorge's finger.

"What's going on?" Flash asked as Cadance and Spike slid down the wall.

"There's a reason Frostorge's been attacking, and why it stopped the train." Cadance pointed back up at the trees that ran along the ridge. "Those trees are filled with Snocicle, who are all about to evolve." To prove her point, the Snocicle glowed for a second before it died down. A similar light could then be seen coming from the trees. "I once read that Snocicle need to remain absolutely still for a time before they evolve. But if the train were to fly out of that tunnel..."

"The wind it generates would be enough to lift them into the air," Twilight added.

Cadance nodded and turned to Frostorge, moving over to it while the Bigfoot Pokémon. "I'm guessing that area is somewhere that the Snocicle have gone to evolve for many years now." Frostorge nodded, Cadance humming in agreement, "I'm guessing building the train track so close to this area has messed with the natural cycle of the land."

The group exchanged glances at this, Emily asking, "So...what do we do? Do we have to move the train-line? There isn't another area around he that can support one that doesn't involve a massive detour."

Cadance frowned at this, only for Doc to speak up. "How often does this migration happen?" Everyone turned to Frostorge, who frowned before holding up a finger. "One...once a year." Frostorge nodded. "Then I don't see why the train can't stay. If we just have a little warning, then neither side can cause each other issue."

"I get it," Twilight nodded. "If the train line is told the Snocicle are there, then they can stop the trains until they evolve."

"And I'm guessing the evolution only takes a day," Flash guessed with Frostorge nodding. "So once a year, the trains stop for the day so the Snocicle can evolve. I don't see how that can't work."

"What do you say, Frostorge?" Emily asked. "If we wait for the Snocicle to all evolve, will you let us keep running our train?" Frostorge glared at her, only to turn to the Snocicle. It nodded back, making Frostorge to give it a glum frown, only to nod back.

"Frost." it replied, nodding again as the others smiled.

And so, the conflict having been resolved, Frostorge allowed them to melt away the snow trapping the train. As they did this, the others headed up the ridge to return the Snocicle back to the tree. "There you go," Spike put the Snocicle on a branch, the Pokémon smiling back before getting comfy.

Everyone glanced around at the Snocicle filling the trees, happy they hadn't ruined their special day. They all stayed quiet as they watched them rest and gather their strength, until finally they all began to glow and keep glowing. "It's happening!" Twilight cheered as the Snocicle began to grow and change shape, the branches holding them all breaking.

They fell down, most crashing with many loud thuds as the light from the evolution began to fade to reveal a bunch of Stompice standing where the Snocicle had landed. "Stomp!" They all cheered, happily jumping from side to side.

Frostorge even smiled and moved over to congratulate the newly evolved Stompice before turning to the others, nodding as if to say thanks. They all nodded back before Frostorge turned back to the Stompice, gesturing for them to follow, the group doing so as Frostorge lead them further into the woods.

"Where do you think they're going?" Spike asked his sisters.

"Stompice and Frostorge make their homes atop mountains," Cadance glanced around and saw all the snowy mountain range. "This place is perfect for them. They'll live here happily, as long as we human continue to respect nature." They all nodded, remembering that this world didn't just belong to them. It also belonged to the Pokémon, who had every right to be there as them.





A little later...

"Well," the ticket master laughed when they got back to the station, "You all certainly had an adventure."

"We sure did," Flash replied, "It was crazy."

"But we've all come out of it a little wiser," Doc added, "Now we know about the Snocicle's migration, the train can run along that area without causing issue as long as we don't disturb them."

"I'll make sure to mark this time of year when we get to the empire," Cadance chimed in, "It might be the same day, but it'll probably be better to have this entire week be the time to watch out." The others nodded as Emily walked into the station.

"We're all fueled up and ready to go," she told them. "Ready to finally see the Crystal Empire?"

"You kidding? Of course we are!" Flash cheered, the rest doing the same as they ran into the first coach as the train's whistle blew. And as they got comfortable, the train pulled away and headed down the tracks.

Everyone watched as the snowy environment flew past them, the train weaving between the mountains. Now that they weren't freezing, they were able to enjoy the beautiful sights around them, soon arriving back at the tunnel the train had been trapped in.

"Look!" Twilight gasped, making everyone look out the window and stare up at the ridge. There the Frostorge and Stompice were staring down at them. They saw Frostorge staring at them, only for the train to enter the tunnel without issue. They all sighed in relief as they left the tunnel, happy nothing else bad had happened.

Toby came around and offered snacks, the group happily taking some and enjoying them as the train continued through the mountain range. And as the train rolled between another pair of mountains, Cadance gestured to the others to come over to the window.

"There it is," she whispered, the others following her gaze, "The ice mountain." It was exactly as she said. A mountain that from a distance, looked like it was entirely covered by snow. But instead, it was made of ice that protected the city and all those within it. If it had been snowing, which Cadance said it usually was, then the entire thing would be almost invincible.

And within that mountain, the long lost Crystal Empire was waiting for them.

They continued to marvel at the sight until the train rolled toward a smaller mountain that stood in front of the ice mountain. By looking ahead, they saw there was a large opening in the side that had the tracks running into it. They could only sit there in excitement as the train rolled into the tunnel, the darkness overtaking them.

"Glad to see they managed to fix it up," Cadance chuckled, "This tunnel was a complete wreck when we first found it." Everyone else saw that the tunnel looked like a perfectly sculptured passageway that appeared brand new, though they guessed that it actually was.

Then the train shot out of the tunnel, a blinding light hitting their eyes. And when their eyes adjusted, they were met with the most beautiful sight they had every seen. They were inside the ice mountain, which was as hollow as Cadance had told them, and they could actually see the outside word as the sun shined down and illuminated the place. But the real incredible sight was the city that the mountain was guarding.

As Cadance had told them, it was a city made entirely out of crystal. A ring of normal earth, which was covered in grass, that surrounded a round crystal ground. Built atop the crystal floor were hundreds of houses made entirely out of different colored crystals, and in the very center of the city, a large castle that had been carved out of a beautiful silver crystal spire.

Cadance smiled at the sight and then looked back at her friends, who were staring at the city in absolute amazement. "Yeah, that's the expression I had when I first saw this place. I think that's the expression everyone has."

"It's beautiful..." Twilight whispered while the others just nodded in agreement. They had all expected it to be beautiful, but actually seeing it in person made them realize they had far underestimated the sight of it. They could only stare in amazement as the train rolled closer toward it, the group wondering what they would see when the train stopped and they could get out and explore it themselves. Only time would tell what adventures were awaiting them in the Crystal Empire. As the journey continues.
> The Crystal Empire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The  Crystal Empire. The long lost and nearly forgotten kingdom of Equestria that had been missing for over a thousand years.

But now the empire had been found, Flash and his friends now getting to be some of the first people allowed to see it in real life. Currently, they were standing on the newly built train station platform of the empire. The Crystal Express they had been riding had turned back around, but would not be leaving the station, for the little mishap they had had now made so much time past that it was the last service of the day.

However, the Empire's newest inhabitants didn't know or ask, all too amazed by the wondrous sight of the city in front of them. "It's...so beautiful," Twilight whispered.

"It sure is," Flash nodded before hearing movement behind them, all turning to see Emily, Edward, James, Toby and Mushroast climbing off the train.

"Well, this is it," Emily replied, "Thanks for helping us out earlier."

"No problem," Doc added, "Are you heading to the city?"

"Not yet," Edward responded, "We need to do some maintenance on the express before heading home."

"Then I guess this is it," Twilight continued, "I hope we get to meet one another again."

"Same here," Emily finished before the five and their Pokémon climbed off the platform and headed for the city. There was a road leading from the station to the crystal city, the group enjoying the sight of it. And as they drew closer to the crystal road of the empire, they spotted a pair of people standing on the street.

"Professor Celestia!" Twilight cheered, running to her mentor before realizing who was with her. "Professor Luna?!" The others ran up as well, Twilight now hugging Celestia.

"Hello Twilight," Celestia chuckled, "I'm glad to see you got here safe."

Luna giggled as well, "We received word that something happened with the train. We were about to head out ourselves when we were told everything had been resolved." She smirked as she crossed her arms, "I'm guessing you bunch had something to do with it?" They didn't need to answer, instead just giving a look that they gave her every detail. "Silly question."

"What are you guys doing here?" Flash asked, Celestia laughing again.

"You think we'd miss the chance to come see the long lost city of crystal? When we heard you were all heading here, we both grabbed the next plane over."

Twilight smiled, only to glance around. "Is Sunset here?"

Celestia shook her head, "No. I needed someone to keep the lab running while I'm here." She placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder, "But she told me about the run in she had with you before. I guess seeing Ray evolve was pretty interesting."

Twilight nodded back before looking down at the ground, now seeing that she, Flash, Spike, Doc and Cadance were still on the normal road while Celestia and Luna stood on the crystal road. Cadance walked up to the professors, standing beside them as she asked, "You coming?"

The four and their Pokémon shared a glance as they stood in line, then nodded before taking a deep breath and doing a single step forward. They felt their feet hit the crystal ground, the group smiling as they had now completed their journey to the Crystal Empire.

"Come along then," Celestia told them, "There's a lot to see and I bet you're all excited to see it."

"We sure are," Flash replied before letting out a yawn. "But we're also exhausted." The others nodded, Spike moaning in agreement.

Celestia laughed, her hand covering her mouth. "We thought you might be tired, so we set up some rooms for you at the castle. We can start the tour tomorrow when you're more awake for it."

None of them argued with that, the three professors now leading them into the city. They headed through the crystal street, marveling at the buildings that had been made entirely out of gemstones. Several different people in scientist get-ups could be seen walking around, carrying books or laptops as they moved.

"This place is amazing," Twilight whispered, "It's hard to believe this was hidden from the world for so long."

"No kidding." Spike added, "Think Rarity would go crazy in a place like this?"

"Probably. She loves fashion, so this place would be right up her alley." Flash replied.

It was here that they heard a clunking sound, now turning to see a particular Pokémon walk out from between two buildings. "A Guardroid?" Spike asked, the robotic Pokémon marching in front of them before going wide-eyed, the Robotic Pokémon now glaring at them before raising its fists to attack.

"Guard!" It roared, the others gasping as they backpedaled. They saw Guardroid was staring at them and their Pokémon, Guardroid's shoulder cannons now powering up to fire a Flash Cannon.

"Wait!" Cadance leapt in front of them, "Override! Code G eight z ten!" The Guardroid let out several clicks before lowering its arms, powering down its cannons.

Cadance let out a long sigh while Twilight turned to her, "What the heck was that?!"

"Sorry. The Guardroid were brought in as a security system for the empire. We needed to make sure nobody tried to steal anything, so we had them programmed to apprehend anyone who's not in their database." She glared at the Guardroid, "Please summon Androrg to this location."

The Guardroid nodded and started making mechanical sounds along with several beeps, its eyes disappearing inside its hood. After a few moments, the sounds stopped and the eyes returned, only for the sound of heavy footsteps to ring out. They turned to the noise, now seeing a Pokémon most had never seen before. The being was a strange fusion of man and machine. It looked like a human male who had had robot parts graphed onto it. Currently, only its mouth, left forearm and its entire right leg apart from its knee was visible. The rest was hidden under silver metal, and its hands had long metallic fingers, though the right hand was made of black metal, and its chest had a large chest-piece that looked like it folded down to open.

"What is that thing?" Spike asked with a slight gulp, Flash now taking out his Pokedex.

Name: Androrg
Category: Bio-Mech Pokémon
Type: Steel
Info: The evolved form of Guardroid. Part machine, part organism, this Pokémon's mechanical brain can solve an equation five times faster than the latest super computer.

"This Androrg's connected to the Guardroid's defense system, and is the only one that can alter it," Cadance explained as Androrg reached them. "Hello again."

"Drog," it nodded before turning to the new members of the group. "Drog?"

"Yes, please scan them and add them to the database."

"An," it nodded again before robotically stepping in front of Flash. It stared down at him before its eyes glowed blue, then shot out a blue laser that hit Flash's chest and extended into a blue line.

"Stay still," Cadance told him before the line flew up and down his entire body. Androrg let out  beep before moving over to Twilight. "Now that you're in the system, you can walk around without having to worry about the Guardroid."

"That's good," Flash replied as Androrg finished scanning Twilight and did the same to Spike and Doc. It then scanned Springer and Peewee before heading off, the others watching it leave.

"So what's it gonna do now?" Flash asked.

"It'll just patrol the city and check on the Guardroid. If any break down or remain in one location for too long, it'll go investigate and fix it. Trust me, these Pokémon are the ultimate security force." The others nodded and headed down the street, now not stopped by any of the Guardroid that passed by them. Eventually, they arrived at the castle they had seen at the start.

"Beautiful..." Twilight whispered.

"Wait until you see the inside," Celestia giggled as she walked up to the doorway. Opening it, they found a flight of stairs that they went up until they reached an entrance into a large hallway.

"Just think," Cadance commented, "These halls once housed the rulers of the entire Equestria Region."

"Until they were lost," Luna added, "Have you figured out why the city was abandoned so long ago?"

Cadance shook her head, "No, but I think I might have a clue." She reached into her bag and pulled out the journal that they had found in the ancient tomb. "This book was written by the Empire's last ruler. I haven't been able to decode the whole thing, but I'm sure that when I do, I'll have all the answers I'm looking for."

They all nodded as they reached a particular set of doors, which Cadance pushed open. They all looked inside, now seeing it was a big room with a red carpet leading to a large throne at the back of the room, with another doorway at the side that led out to a balcony that overlooked the city. Windows could also been seen, making them all realize this room took up most of an entire floor.

"Welcome to the throne room," Cadance commented, "This is going to be our main research area." She then gestured to a large table, which had a nice spread of food. They all took a seat and began eating up, Celestia and Luna asking about their adventures up to this point. They explained everything that had happened since the Battle Tournament, both the good and the bad, with the professors nodding as they seemed to be impressed by everything they heard.

"It's clear you've all been having quite the adventure," Celestia replied, "And now you're only one badge away from the Equestria League."

"And I'm gonna get that badge at Dragonia City," Flash responded.

"Then you'll have to be careful," Luna grimaced, "I faced off against the Dragonia City Gym Leader when I went on my journey, and I barely managed to pull out a win."

Flash nodded. "Cadance said Shining lost to this guy as well. That's why I wanna test myself against him!"

The others chuckled back, Twilight then turning to Cadance. "You said this room was gonna be the main research area. It sounds like you plan on turning this place into a full on laboratory."

Cadance shined a big grin as she grabbed a sandwich and took a bite, swallowing before she spoke up, "That's exactly what I intend to do. Why wouldn't I? I am the last known descendant of this castle's original owner, plus I found the place, so I can do what I want with it." She glanced around at this, "This city is so full of history that I could spend the rest of my life researching it and barely scratch the surface of the mysteries it holds. And maybe one day, the Crystal Empire can become an official city. One with its own gym, and maybe even be the spot where a future Equestria League is hosted."

The others smiled at this, liking the idea of such a beautiful place becoming more well know. "That's a wonderful idea," Celestia added, "Honestly, if the city hadn't been abandoned, it's likely it would have become Equestria's Capital instead of Canterlot City."

The others nodded in agreement, all wondering how the city would look in five to ten years. Would many of the houses be occupied by people other than the scientists studying the city? Would kids that live there one day come to the castle so Cadance could give them a Starter Pokémon? Maybe a future League Champion would be born in the city.

It was here that something happened that took many of the castle's inhabitant's by surprise. The light steaming in from outside began to change color, causing them to get up and walk up to the windows. The ice mountain that surrounded the city had gone from being a clear bluish white color to a deep orange, bathing the city in an orange light and making the place look an entirely different kind of beautiful than it had been before. "What's happening?" Spike asked, making Cadance laugh before moving over to the window and pointing upward.

They followed her finger and saw a bright orange in the distance. "Sunset. All the light streaming into the city comes from the sun, even through the near constant snow that rains down on it. And at sunset..."

"That light changes," Twilight added.

"Exactly. So even through we're inside a giant ice construct, we're still a part of the natural earth cycle."

"Fascinating," Doc replied before Spike let out a loud yawn.

Cadance giggled at this, "I think it's time we all got some sleep. We've got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow. You all wanna be well rested so you can appreciate the city's wonder." The others nodded as Luna headed over to the door, soon showing them where they would be sleeping.

Cadance and Celestia remained in the throne room, Celestia continuing to enjoy a bit of the food and drink while Cadance sat down opposite her. "So...how did it go?" Cadance raised an eyebrow at this, "Don't give me that look. The whole reason you invited them on this trip was so you could see how much Twilight's grown. So how did that go?"

Cadance smiled as she reached for a cup, "I was a little worried at first, but Twilight surprised me. Her battling skills aren't perfect, but they're far from being pitiful." She took a sip and sighed, "I think Mysticorn was right to pick Twilight."

"I do too," Celestia nodded. "So you're alright with Twilight possibly being on the front lines when whatever the Legendaries are worried about comes to be?"

"I am. But I also can't help but worry. Just because she's strong doesn't mean something can't go wrong."

"Agreed. But there's not much we can do about that. Since we don't know what's going to happen, all we can do is try and prepare them the best we can."





Outside the Crystal Empire's ice mountain as the sun was setting, a group of individuals were on a mountain next to the one housing the city. They were all wearing the same clothing, Team Shadow. And leading the group was none other then Commander Chrysalis, "Report!" She ordered a grunt that was staring through a pair of binoculars.

The grunt turned to her with a big frown. "I'm afraid that there's still no way to safely enter the city without being caught. The Guardroid security force continue to keep their routes random. There's no way to map out where they'll be and when."

"Idiots!" Chrysalis growled before taking the binoculars from him, staring deep into them. "If we can't get in there, we won't be able to plant the program!" The binoculars weren't just run of the mill seeing devices. They were built to allow her to see through the ice, now getting a proper look at the city. "We don't even know for absolute sure if what we're looking for is in there. We can't perform a full on assault until we're sure if it's there and where it's located. But to do that, we need to get someone inside to investigate, and we can't do that whilst those robots are stomping around ready to attack anyone they don't recognize!"

"Comander!" Another grunt yelled, making her turn to him. "A communication has just come through for you. It's...him."

Chrysalis' eyes went wide before running into a nearby tent, throwing open the flaps to see a bunch of grunts inside. "OUT!" They quickly scrambled out, Chrysalis now strolling over to a desk with a laptop. She sat down, pressing a button that caused the image of a man to appear. "Sombra," she nodded her head.

Sombra stared back at her, his camera shaking. "How goes the plans to infiltrate the city?"

"Slowly. Their security system isn't making it easy. We have a plan to neutralize it...but said plan requires getting passed it first."

"Go on." Chrysalis explained the situation and Sombra smiled, chuckling next, "I think I can help with your little scheme. I'm on my way to the Crystal Empire right now." This made Chrysalis go wide-eyed, now realizing the camera's shaking was from the vehicle he was in. "Send me the program. I will install it and at the same time, confirm whether our suspicions are correct. If they are, I'll contact you."

"Understood," Chrysalis responded before typing away at the laptop. Several windows appeared with different types of coding until one with a progress bar appeared. "There. It's transmitting now, but I'm afraid you'll need to physically attach the implant for the program to infect."

"No problem," Sombra assured her as the transfer completed. "I have it. Get ready to mobilize. We'll acquire the item if it's the last thing we do."

Chrysalis nodded before the screen went blank, a smile now appearing on her face. "Soon team Shadow will rule over all of Equestria." She laughed before getting up to leave the tent, "I can't wait..."





The next morning...

As soon as the sun was up and shining through the icy sky, everyone was up, dressed and having breakfast. The professors weren't with them, but had left a message telling them to meet at the entrance once they were well-fed. So the four and all their Pokémon quickly chowed down before running to the entrance.

"Wrong way," Twilight told Spike when he headed down a hallway, "The entrance is this way."

Spike glanced back at her, "This place is really confusing."

"Not really," Twilight replied while adjusting her glasses with a smirk, "You just have to remember your path."

"Yeah yeah..." Spike grumbled as they got to the stairs, soon seeing Celestia and Luna.

"Good morning," Celestia responded when she saw them. "Have a good night's sleep?"

"One of the best," Flash told her. "Those Crystal Emperians sure knew how to make a good bed."

The others nodded as Twilight asked, "Where's Cadance?"

"She got up extra early," Luna replied, "She's been gone for a while, so it makes sense she would want to see if her team managed to locate any new artifacts."

"Did they?"

"Oh, did they ever!" They turned to see Cadance walking up with a huge grin, "You won't believe all the amazing things that they found while I was away!"

"Like what?" Twilight asked next, Cadance giggling in response.

"All in good time. But there's something else I think you'll want to see first. I got a very special message from the train station this morning."

"From who?"

"Me." They all turned to the voice, gasping as they saw two people they recognized. One was a gray skinned man with black hair and red eyes, wearing his normal suit and tie. It was Sombra with a big smile on his face. However, the group turned to the other, some exclaiming at the sight.

"SHINING!" Twilight and Spike screamed as they ran over to their older brother, hugging the champion.

"Hey!" Shining chuckled as he hugged them back, "Long time no see!" They pulled apart and smiled at one another, "You two are looking well." He then turned to Flash and Doc, "You guys too."

Flash scratched the back of his head, "Thanks. So...what are you doing here?"

Shining shined a big grin at this, "When I learned that my wife, brother and sister were all gonna be here, I had to come. Plus, it gives me an excuse to finally check out this ancient city for myself."

Cadance crossed her arms with a cocked eyebrow, "Oh? I'm an excuse, am I?" Shining gave her a smile back, making Cadance giggle before they turned to Sombra.

"It's good to see you all again," the businessman stated. "I wasn't expecting to see you here of all places."

"We weren't expecting to see you here either," Doc replied, "What brings you to the Crystal Empire?"

"Sombra was the one who financed my expedition to find the empire," Cadance chimed in, "He's always been interested in Equestria's Ancient myths and legends."

Sombra nodded, "And the Crystal Empire's one I've had a grave interest in for many years. Believe it or not, my ancestors actually originated from the Crystal Empire, just like Professor Cadance." This made them all go wide-eyed, making him chuckle, "We weren't rulers like her family, just simple citizens that had to abandon the city for some unknown reason."

"That would explain why you have such an interest in the city," Celestia added.

"But how do you know you're ancestors came from here?" Luna asked, "I seem to remember you once telling me you lost your parents when you were very young."

Everyone exchanged glances at this, the group were about to tell Luna they shouldn't ask something so personal, only for Sombra to given them a...sombre smile. "That is also true." He turned away and stared at the city, a longing look in his eyes, "My parents both descended from refuges of the Crystal Empire, who had both built a small business empire. When I was just a baby, they took me with them on a business trip. We were travelling by helicopter when it flew into an electrical storm, which caused it to crash. People found the wreckage, locating my parents and the pilot. None of them survived...and I was nowhere to be found."

Everyone frowned at this, Spike then asking, "What happened to you?"

Twilight was about to smack him for asking something so blunt, only for Sombra to continue, "I was discovered by a group of Absol, who had sensed the crash and rushed to prevent it. They were too late, but they managed to pull me from the wreckage before it was too late. They took me in and looked after me."

The others blinked at this, Flash adding, "Wait...you're saying you were raised...by Pokémon?"

Sombra nodded, "Yes. For the first few years of my life. I was twelve when a group of humans found me and the Absol. My adoptive family urged me to go with my own kind and eventually, I relented and went with the strange group of people. I was taken to the police, who managed to figure out who I was thanks to DNA." He chuckled at his next words, "It was quite a shock for the rest of my family when they discovered I was alive."

"Fitting in with humans again must have been hard," Twilight told him.

"It had its difficulties, but I adapted. And now look at me, standing where my ancestors once stood." He spread his arms out at this, only to glance back at the city, "If only my parents could see me now..."

It was at this moment a Guardroid walked up to them, only to notice Shining and Sombra and a repeat of the previous day occurred. "Whoa!" Cadance yelped as the Guardroid got into a battle stance, "Override! Code G eight z ten!" The Guardroid stopped itself from attacking, the Androrg coming up a second later as Cadance asked it, "Please scan these two into the system."

"Androrg," it nodded before turning to Shining and scanning him.

"Quite an impressive system you have here professor," Sombra told Cadance. "Very efficient." It was then that Androrg turned to him, scanning the man like it had Shining. Once it was done, Sombra moved over to pat Androrg on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work. You're all that stands between horrid thieves and the many precious artifacts hidden within this city."

Androrg nodded and turned to leave, Sombra glancing back at the others, "Well...shall we move on? I'm excited to see as much of the city as possible."

The others nodded and Cadance began to lead them away. And as they went the other way, the Androrg continued to patrol the city, completely unaware of a small coin-like instrument that was attached to its shoulder like a magnet. A quiet click noise came next, lighting up for just a second.





Meanwhile...

"Yes!" Chrysalis exclaimed as she saw a message popping up. "The malware is being uploaded...its finally time!" she turned to run out the tent and glare at the grunts around her. "Phase one has been completed. It's time to move onto phase two!"

"YES COMMANDER!" They all yelled before running off, leaving Chrysalis to smile as she turned to the ice mountain.

"Soon it'll be all ours..."





Back inside the empire, Cadance began showing them all around the city. "I think you'll be impressed with what I'm going to show you," she told them. "Some of the stuff here are rarer than what most museums have."

"Great..." Spike sighed as he scratched Peewee's head, "I get to spend the whole day looking at old pots and paintings." Twilight took this moment to flick his ear, "Ow!"

Cadance laughed at this before gesturing them inside a building, "I think you'll be more than impressed with what we have here." They walked in, now seeing the place was set up like a makeshift lab. Two scientists were working on something on the ground, with looked like a crystal slab with squares on the inside that got smaller and smaller every time.

"Are those what I think they are?" Sombra asked with wide eyes.

"That depends," Cadance smirked. "What do you think they are?"

Twilight leaned down, squinting her eyes, "Is this...a warp tile?" Cadance smiled with a nod, Twilight, Doc and Sombra going wide-eyed while Flash and Spike tilted their heads.

"How is that possible?!" Doc asked, "That technology is only fairly new! How can one be here?!"

"It appears the ancient Crystal Emperians were quite advanced," Cadance replied, "They managed to discover the secrets behind it centuries before anyone else."

"What's a warp tile?" The youngest of the group asked.

"Yeah," Flash spoke up, "I'm a little confused about this too."

"They're teleporters," Twilight responded, "Devices that can transport anything placed on it someplace else."

"Really?" Flash asked, Twilight nodding. "So...its like the Pokémon trading machine?"

"In a way. It's a two-way system," Cadance answered, "This warp tile is connected to another tile, and when you step on it, you're transported to the other tile. This particular model appears to work by mimicking the Pokémon move, Teleport."

"This is incredible," Sombra whispered, "To think, this city had technology that wouldn't be figured out again for hundreds of years..."

Cadance nodded. "It is incredible. Although, it's not really technology. The Crystal Empire's power came from Pokémon. It's very likely this city was where the first Pokémon Trainers of Equestria were born. By working together with Pokémon, they were able to advance beyond anyone else at the time."

"How?" Spike asked before Cadance reached down and opened the top of the warp tile, taking something out of it. It was a small round crystal that was glowing with a multitude of different lights.

"What's that?" Flash added as Cadance put it back in.

"It's a gemstone filled with Infinity Energy."

"Infinity Energy?!" Twilight gasped, "But that's..." She turned to Celestia, "Isn't that the energy that allows Pokémon to Mega Evolve?"

Celestia nodded, "Yes, but its more than that. Infinity Energy is the very life force of Pokémon, which they use to power their abilities." She turned to the rest, "Haven't you ever wondered how Springer is able to create an Aura Sphere or use Double Team?"

Flash raised an eyebrow, "I...guess. I just thought he could do it cuz he's a Riolu."

Luna giggled at his response, "No Flash, he does it by manipulating his Infinity Energy. It's also what allows Electric Pokémon to generate their Electricity, Fire-types to use their Fire attacks, and even Dragon and Fairy-types to use moves of their types and a few others. As long as they have Infinity Energy, they can use their moves."

"The ancient Crystal Emperians knew this and figured out a way to manipulate Infinity Energy." Cadance continued, "The gem inside the warp tile, inside all of the warp tile, was created by sealing the Infinity Energy used during the move Teleport inside one gemstone and breaking it in half. That created a unseen quantum passage between the two new gems, which the warp tile allows people to pass through."

"Fascinating," Sombra muttered, Cadance now shutting the slab.

"Does anyone want to give it a try?" she asked, "There's something on the other side of the city that you might want to see."

"Oooh!" Spike ran up, "Me! Me! Me!" He was about to step onto the panel, but Cadance was quick to grab him.

"Hang on there. If you're going to use the tile, Peewee can't be on your shoulder. They might have been advanced, but the warp tiles still have limits. Unless he's in his Pokeball, it not safe for Peewee to be with you during transport. Who knows what might happen when you come out the other side."

Spike and Peewee gulped before the Terragon got off his shoulder, allowing Spike to step onto the tile as it lit up. The next thing they knew, light shot out of the tile and spiralled around Spike, engulfing the boy. The light kept spinning until it was sucked inside of the tile, which stopped glowing seconds later.

"He's gone!" Flash yelped.

"He's fine," Cadance assured him. "Like I said before, the tile will simply spit him out on the other side."

Twilight walked onto the tile next, the process being repeated. When she was gone, Peewee did the same and also vanished. "My turn," Flash hopped onto the tile with Springer behind him. The light shot out the tile, spiraling around, only for Flash to now feel himself uncontrollable spinning, "WHOA!" he yelled as the spinning continued, only for the light to vanish and spit him out of the other tile. The teen then stumbled out, spirals in his eyes. "So...dizzy..."

"We all are." He turned to see six Twilights, four Spikes and two Peewees, all looking slightly sick as they leaned against a nearby wall.

The tile then glowed again, Springer now staggering out. "Ri..." he moaned as he staggered over to Flash. The others soon followed suit, all in different states of dizziness. Cadance was the last to step out, not looking at all disorientated.

"Yeah...I probably should have warned you about that. The warp tile takes a little getting used to."

"We noticed," Shining moaned as he stood up straight. "So what was it you wanted to show us?" Cadance laughed before leading them out of the building that the tile had been located in. She then pointed straight ahead and everyone saw what looked like an ancient church or temple standing at the end of the street.

"That was what we believe to be a site where the people of the empire payed tribute to Alicormony, thanking it for giving them the city and the ice mountain that protects it. It was sealed up when I left the empire, but it's been opened up now, and there's something inside that you'll all want to see."

The group exchanged glances, soon rushing up to the building. They quickly noticed its doors weren't made of crystal, instead being made out of metal, and appeared to be a keypad and hand scanner on the walls next to them. "We've chosen to make this the main vault for all the city's precious artifacts," Cadance explained as she placed her hand on the scanner whilst typing into the keypad. "For that reason, we decided to replace the temple's old doors with more modern ones." She finished entering the code and pulled her hand from the scanner, the doors now opening.

As they did this, the building was filled with light that originated from crystal lamps on the wall, these similar to the ones they found in the tomb with Rocky. It looked just like a church, large crystal pillars keeping the roof up and pews that were also made of crystal. The walls were covered in six stain glass windows, with each one having a different Pokémon on it. "Hey," Spike pointed at one of the windows, "Look!" They turned and saw it was a Pokémon they all knew well.

"It's Eclixie!" Twilight gasped as they stared at the wing eared Pokémon, the window having three versions of it, one of it in its daytime form, while the others had its nighttime form and between form.

"You know that Pokémon?" Sombra asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Know it? We met it." Flash replied, "We've even helped it escape from a madman named Mechano." He turned to the others, "Say...whatever happened to that guy?"

They all shrugged, Sombra now leaning up to the teens, "Hold on there...you've met Eclixie?"

"They've actually met many legendaries," Celestia chimed in, "When they helped Eclixie, they also saw Alicormony and Dischaos." Sombra glanced back at Celestia, his eyes growing even wider, "And then there's that Pokémon," she pointed to the window next to Eclixie's and everyone saw a familiar legendary they had met only a few short months ago.

"Sirenity..." Flash whispered. "It's here too." He then turned to the window next to it, "Huh. I don't know that Pokémon." The others turned to it and saw it was a minotaur horse Pokémon, which had a red minotaur half and black horse half that was wearing a black sleeveless vest. The horns on its head were long, black and curved, and it had a white mane, beard and tail.

"What is that?" Twilight asked.

"Centirek," Celestia replied, "Another Legendary Pokémon. It was said that this creature knows only destruction and greed, and will attempt to destroy anything it sees while stealing the power of any who stand against it. Legend speaks of it appearing only twice. The first time, it was defeated by Alicormony and Dischaos. The second time, it was apparently defeated by a human."

"A human?!" Flash yelped, "How did that work?"

"It's a very unusual story," she giggled, "But its best left for another time. For now, I think you'll be more interested in the windows on the other side of the temple." They turned around and saw the three windows adorning the opposite wall, showing more familiar figures.

Flash's attention was on the window closest to the door, which showed the image of an equine Pokémon. Its fur was sky blue and its mane and tail were like clouds. It had similar hair around its legs, just before the hooves. And the most amazing thing of note were the large sets of wings that adorned it back.

Twilight's vision was on the central window, which showed another equine Pokémon that had a large horn. Its fur was dark purple and covered in stars, moons and swirls he assumed represented galaxies. Its mane and tail were a mixture of silver and gold, while its horn looked more like a red cutlass blade.

Doc blinked at the final window, this one having an equine Pokémon that looked much bulkier than the others. Its fur was bright orange while its mane and tail were brown. It appeared to be wearing armor made entirely out of rocks around its chest, head and and legs starting just below the knee.

The three Pokémon were all posed in a way that made the three windows look like one image split apart. The backgrounds appeared the same, and the three looked like they were moving towards them. The central one looking head on whilst the the door-side one was pivoted slightly to the right and the other pivoted slightly to the left. The trio stared at the windows, unable to take their eyes away from the Pokémon portrayed on the glass.

"Are these...what I think they are?" Twilight asked Celestia, who smiled and nodded.

"Yes. These images are of the three Heralds of Alicormony. Horsearth, who fights against any opponent with an unbreakable will. Pegasoar, who's noble heart pushes it to protect anyone no matter the danger to itself or whether they are good or bad. And Mysticorn, who tackles any challenge with a calm mind and logical view. Alone, they travel the land helping in any way they can, but when a great danger is appears, they will find those they see as worthy to help them."

"And apparently," Luna added, "The three of you have been considered worthy."

Sombra turned to her. "Are you saying these three have all seen these Legendaries?"

"Only one each," Spike chimed in, Sombra turning to him before glancing back at the three.

"I was the first one to see mine," Flash pointed to himself, "It happened on the day I started my journey, just outside of Canterlot. It was only for a second, but I'd never forget something like that."

"I saw mine at Hoof Town," Doc replied, "It was sunset and I was barely able to see it properly because of the light. But now that I'm looking at this, I'm sure it's what I saw."

"And I saw the last one at Hoofington City," Twilight finished, "It was nighttime, but I saw it out on the lake."

Sombra hummed at this, "Strange...it can't be a coincidence." They all turned to him, Sombra focusing on Flash. "You said you saw Pegasoar before your journey began?" Flash nodded before Sombra turned to the others, "What about you? Did you all see the legends before you met Flash, or after?"

"After," Twilight and Doc replied in unison.

"What are you saying?" Celestia asked next, Sombra now turning to the window.

"I'm only curious about why these three were chosen. Is it simply a coincidence that they are all travelling together and were chosen by the three heralds, or were Twilight and Doc chosen because they were travelling with one that a herald chose?" The two trainers in question turned to one another, now seeing Sombra turn back to them, now staring at Flash, "Or maybe it's the opposite. Maybe fate brought the three of you together because you were all the chosen ones of heralds." He crossed his arms at that, "Though...that's just a theory. It is strange to hear this many coincidences, especially since you told me you met these other legendaries."

Flash turned to Twilight and Doc, "You really think it was destiny or something that caused us all to travel together?"

Twilight shrugged at this. "No idea. But whether it was destiny or not, I'm glad we all came together."

"Same here," Doc nodded, "I know I wouldn't have grown as much as I have if I had been travelling alone." Spike nodded at this, making Flash smirk back while the others smiled at the sight.

"But speaking of destiny," Shining spoke up before the others turned to him. "Maybe it's also why you guys keep running into Team Shadow."

This made everyone go wide-eyed, Sombra slightly flinching at his words as Twilight asked, "What do you mean?"

"Think about it Twily. Fillydelphia, the Grand Desert, and the situation Grand told about in that tomb. Three times Team Shadow showed up and tried to pull something. It can't just be luck that you were all there at the exact same time as them."

"You think something is guiding these three to be there?" Celestia asked, Shining just shrugging.

"It's possible."

Flash spoke up next, "So...you're saying that wherever we are, Team Shadow will likely show up to cause trouble?" This made everyone grimace, Sombra now watching their expressions as he slowly put his hand in one of his pockets.

"Wait...why would Team Shadow even show up here?" Spike asked. "I mean, this place is pretty cool, but..."

"We don't even know what Team Shadow is after," Twilight finished. "When we first met them, they were trying to steal Pokémon from Fillydelphia. Then we met them when they found the Hidden Temple."

"And they took something from the temple," Flash reminded them. "Whatever it is, it has to be dangerous."

"They appear to be interested in Equestria's ancient past," Shining chimed in, "They seem to be looking for something that can allow them power over all. Artifacts they think will make them so strong, nothing and nobody will be able to stand against them."

Hearing this, Cadance let out a gasp, the group turning to her as she suddenly ran down to the end of the temple. "Cadance? What's wrong?"

"There might be something here that team Shadow wants." This made all of them grimace, the group following her as they entered a new room. There they found an altar that was made of crystals, and on top of it were a pair of metal briefcases. "These were found when the temple was opened up." She walked behind the alter and started unlocking them. "My team locked them away until I got back."

"They had briefcases a thousand years ago?" Spike asked, only to get a flick on the ear from both his siblings. "Ow!"

"It's what's inside the briefcases that are so important." She opened the cases up and spun them around, everyone now leaning in and seeing them. In one had a long staff made out of a strange black crystal. It was roughly four feet in length, and on one end was an anchor shaped appendage that made it look like a giant spear. In the other was an artifact that made Sombra's eyes go wide. It was a blue crystal that was round on one side and had a zigzagged shape running down the flat of the other.

They stared at the objects, Twilight being the first to speak up, "What are these things?"

"We're not sure," Cadance sighed before taking the blue crystal out of the case, "According to my team, these items were found on this altar together. Whatever they are, they must be a great importance if the temple was sealed up to keep them out of harm's way."

Flash stared at the spear in the case, reaching out his hand before glancing up at Cadance. She nodded back, the teen then picking up the spear before looking it over, only to turn to the rock. A flash of memory shined in his head, making him say, "Wait...I've seen this before." Everyone raised an eyebrow at this, only for Flash to turn to Shining, "Could you hold that rock for Cadance so she can get a better look?"

Shining nodded and took the rock from Cadance, who moved over to the others, then held it up. They all watched as Flash stepped up next to Shining and held the spear's head next to the rock. "What are you doing?" Twilight asked.

"Don't you see it?" Flash replied before turning to them, getting a shake of the head from Twilight. "Alright, imagine another rock on the other side of the spear and flip it around." They did so, and when the mental image appeared, the group gasped, a memory of when they were in the tomb now shining in their brains.

"It's a Heart..." Spike gasped.

"Of course! We saw that image in a Crystal Empire tomb..." Cadance told the others, "It showed a spear breaking a heart in half."

"So you're saying this rock is just one half of a...Crystal Heart?" Luna asked, getting a nod from Cadance.

"Yeah. And that's a good name for it." Cadance replied.

"Hang on. Where's the other half?" Celestia added as Flash and Shining put the relics down. "If this Crystal Heart was so important that they made it a temple and tomb mural showing it, then why not keep the two halves together?"

"That is a good question." Sombra chimed in, "Maybe it was stolen before the empire was lost."

"Or maybe they were separated on purpose," Luna theorized. "Maybe the Crystal Heart on its own was so dangerous that they decided to hide it someplace...though where would they hide it?"

They all exchanged glances at this, Twilight closing her eyes at this as her mind flashed back to Team Shadow. "The Hidden Temple..." they turned to her as she opened her eyes, "It was built to hide a treasure that could destroy Equestria if placed in the wrong hands. If the Crystal Emperians were able to create Warp Tiles, making what we found in that place can't be that much harder."

"She's right," Shining nodded. "But if the Hidden Temple did hold the other side of the Crystal Heart...that means Team Shadow already has it."

"And they'll be coming for this one," Celestia added, making everyone grimace.

But before they could go further, Sombra spoke up, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is all just speculation. The Heart Fragment could be out in the snow around the empire for all we know."

"Heart Fragment?" Luna asked before nodding, "Huh. That's a good name too. And you're right. We shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"But we also shouldn't dismiss this possibility," Celestia told her. "For now, we should think about upping the security until we're sure what Team Shadow is after."

"Good idea," Sombra nodded as he carefully fiddled with the watch on his wrist. "Can never have too much security." He pressed a tiny button as the watch face pointed at the Heart Fragment, an invisible laser flying out and running over to the artifact. And once it finished, he pressed another button a small smile tried to creep onto his face.





Up on the mountain, Chrysalis heard a beeping sound coming from her wrist, pulling her sleeve up to reveal a watch similar to Sombra's. It suddenly projected an image of the Heart Fragment, her eyes going wide. "It's here..." She gasped before hearing another beep, this one coming from a computer.

She glanced at it, now seeing the upload was complete. "Time to begin phase two." She pressed several buttons before walking out the tent, the computer now carrying out new commands. And the screen showed one thing, deleting the entire security clearance list and replacing it with an entirely new one.





Back inside the city, the Guardroid were marching past some scientists as they made their way to a lab they had set up. But as they did this, the Guardroid stopped and turned to the scientists, their eyes now turning red. The scientists glanced back at it, only to go wide-eyed as the Guardroid got into a fighting stance and charged up their shoulder cannons.

"Guardroid?" One of them asked, "What are you doing?" The Guardroid didn't answer, instead firing a Flash Cannon attack.





KABOOM!

The ground shook at this, making the group gasp as they felt the ground under them rumble. "What was that?" Celestia yelped as they turned to the doorway, Cadance putting the Heart Fragment and Shadow Spear back into their cases.

"Probably trouble." Shining commented as they ran out of the temple, only to now see several smoke columns flying into the air. "What the...what's going on?" he asked before noticing a bunch of Guardroid marching in front of the temple, the robotic Pokémon coming to a stop before turning to them. They then got into a battle stance as they began to charge up Flash Cannons.

"What are you doing?!" Cadance yelled, "Override! Code G eight z ten!" The Guardroid didn't respond, their attacks continuing to charge. "STOP!"

"Springer!" Flash added, his Riolu leaping up and using Double Team.

"RIO!" He roared as he multiplied, then using Aura Sphere on each of the Guardroids. This knocked them back, all now firing their attacks straight up, the attacks luckily losing power before hitting the ice ceiling.

As Springer landed on the ground and reverted back to being singular riolu, Shining turned to the others, "Let's got out of here before they get up." They nodded and all ran off, the Guardroid now pushing themselves back up. But they only got halfway down the street before they found themselves running into another group of Guardroid. But this time, they weren't alone.

"Androrg!" Cadance cried as the Bio-Mech Pokémon walked out from between the Guardroid, "You've got to stop them! They've gone nuts!"

But as she said this, Androrg's eyes now glowed red, raising its arm as its black hand began to spin, lightning exploding out of the spinning drill-like weapon. "That's Electro Blade!" Celestia yelped before Androrg swung its arm, causing a blade of electricity to shoot off the spinning hand and fly toward them.

They all leapt back, just in time to evade the attack as it struck the ground, an explosion now knocking them off their feet by force. And as they landed, they let out groans and they tried to get up, now seeing the Androrg and Guardroid marching at them, preparing new attacks. The sight made them all go wide-eyed, Androrg pointing his blade right at Flash. Things were about to get a lot worse
> Crystal Siege
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Having arrived at the Crystal Empire, the group had enjoyed themselves by learning much about the long lost city and its many mysteries. That is, till they now found themselves under attack by its own security team. Now surrounded by Guardroid, its leader Androrg stared down at them.

"Androrg!" Cadance yelped, "Stop this! What's wrong with you?!" Androrg didn't reply, instead raising its arm again as the hand began to spin and spark with electricity.

"Galladin!" Shining took out his Pokeball and threw it, "Iron Defense!" The ball opened to reveal the Pokémon between Cadance and Androrg.

"Gall!" It roared as it raised its glowing shield arms, Androrg's blade of lightning clanging into the shield, only to absorb the blow, "Din..."

Shining turned to his wife. "Whatever's happened to them, we're not gonna figure it out while they're attacking us." The Guardroid all began charging up their Flash Cannon attacks at this, "We're gonna need to take them down before we can find a way to help them."

Cadance and the others nodded as all but Flash, Spike and Sombra took out their Pokeballs.

"Crystardian!"

"Shine!"

"Lairon!"

"Suncess!"

"Primoon!" They threw the balls as they yelled together, "GO!" The balls opened and in a flash of red light, the five Pokémon appeared and took battle stances alongside Springer and Galladin. Peewee jumped down off Spike's shoulder as well, all just as the Guardroid all fired their Flash Cannons.

"Protect!" Cadance ordered as Crystardian flew up and used its crystals to form a shield in front of them, blocking the Flash Cannons.

And as the attack hit the barrier, it stood against the blow, only to stop just as the force-field began to vanish. As it did this, Suncess and Primoon let out a light that formed a barrier of night and day energy around them. Flash turned to Sombra at this, "Aren't you gonna help? Don't you have that Tyrandark?"

Sombra just shook his head, "I'm afraid I didn't bring any of my Pokémon with me." As he said that, Androrg charged at the group, Galladin leaping in front of him as he used Iron Defense to block the Bullet Punch.

"Gall!" He roared, not even being pushed back.

"Sacred Sword!" Shining commanded, Galladin pushing Androrg back before raising his other arm and extending a glowing light blue blade. He swung the sword into Androrg's chest, making it cry out as it staggered back. But as it did this, the Guardroid began to charge at the Galladin.

"Aura Sphere!" Flash added, Springer leaping up and firing an orb at a Guardroid. It hit the machine and exploded, Springer landing as Flash ordered, "Double Team!" The Guardroid all raised their arms as they saw Springer suddenly multiply into an army that equally matched theirs's. The Guardroid then fired gears from their arms, hitting the clones, but not the original as the other trainers began to speak up.

"Mystical Fire/Incinerate/Flash Cannon/Flame Burst/Sun Burst/Moon Burst" The others all fired their attacks, hitting the Guardroid around the remaining Springer clones, blasting them back.

"Aura Sphere...BARRAGE!" The Riolu all brought their paws together and formed a tiny sphere, then charging and slamming them into the Guardroid.

Androrg saw this and despite not being in its right might right now, its programming made it want to protect the Guardroid. So after jumping back to avoid Galladin's sword, its chest-plate folded down to reveal a pair of cannon-like devices. Those cannons began to light up as it prepared to use Flash Cannon, Androrg leaning back as Springer leapt up.

"ANDRORG!" It roared as the Flash Cannon exploded, striking the Springer cloud, destroying them all before they could use their tiny Aura Spheres on the Guardroid.

"RIOLU!" The real Springer screamed as he was blasted by the attack, getting thrown back and smashing into the ground in front of Flash.

"Springer!" He cried as he ran up and helped him, "You okay?" Springer gave a positive bark as Flash glanced up at Androrg, its chest closing up. "Man, that thing's strong."

"This isn't gonna be easy," Shining grumbled as Galladin charged at Androrg again. "Slash!" As Galladin swung his sword around, Androrg's hand spun and formed a lightning blade. The blades collided, the two pushing against one another as Shining nodded, "That's it! Keep that thing occupied until we take care of the Guardroid!"

As he said that, both Suncess and Primoon charged ahead, "Mach Punch!" The sisters yelled as their Pokémon both leapt at a pair of Guardroid, throwing a punch right into their chests. The Guardroid staggered back at this, only to fire their jetpacks, taking to the air. But as they tried to get away, they found themselves facing Peewee and Crystardian.

"Dragon Rage!"

"Terra...GONE!" Peewee roared out a stream of blue fire, burning into Guardroid's metal. But as they were struck, they began to charge up a Flash Cannon from their shoulders.

"Psychic!" Cadance commanded, Crystardian's head gem glowing pink along with the Guardroid. Seconds before the machines fired their attacks, they were suddenly turned to face one another.

Boom!

Their Flash Cannons struck one another, causing an explosion that knocked them back, only for Crystardian to use its Psychic to keep them from crashing into the ground. But they were down for the count, their eye lights vanishing at this.

"Psybeam!" Twilight yelled as Shine shot a rainbow of light from her horn, hitting a trio of Guardroid back while another dodged the attack, only to bonk into Larion.

"Metal Claw!" Lairon's claws began to glow as he grabbed the machine before thrusting it to the ground, Guardroid crying out at this.

"LAIR!" Lairon roared as he lifted the Guardroid and swung it around, "LAIRON!" The Guardroid was sent hurtling a second later, toppling into another Guardroid before hitting a third like a stack of dominoes.

"Strike!" Doc arm pumped before seeing some more Guardroid all opening their arm compartments to fire Gear Grind again.

"Extreme Speed, then Drain Punch!" Springer's body sparked with blue lightning, speeding up as the his fist began glowing green. He quickly punched one of the Guardroid, knocking it down before speeding over to punch another Guardroid, and another and another.

"RIOLU!" He roared as he slammed into the last one, draining its energy as he did this. He then landed several feet behind Androrg, the machine not noticing him as he was busy throwing Bullet Punches into Galladin's shield. "Ri..." he formed a small Aura Sphere and fired it at Androrg. "Riolu!" The orb struck the back of its leg, causing Androrg's stance to buckle.

"Sacred Sword!" Galladin lowered his shield and held out both arms, which each extended a blade. The knight Pokémon then swung them both, slashing at the machine in a flurry of blows. And after the fifth cut, he jumped up and planted a kick into Androrg's chest.

"An!" It cried as it was knocked over, falling onto its back as Galladin turned to Springer and gave him a thumbs up. Springer returned to compliment as everyone else blasted the last few Guardroid with long distance attacks, the robots staggering back in response.

"Let's try this again!" Flash told Springer, "Double Team!" Springer multiplied himself, the clones all doubling as Androrg picked itself up, only for Galladin to slam his foot down on its chest plate, preventing it from using Flash Cannon.

"Now! Aura Sphere Barrage!" The Springer army charged, forming tiny orbs between their paws before thrusting them into the Guardroids' chests.

KABOOM!

They all exploded, knocking the Guardroid back. And as they did this, they all flopped over, their eyes no longer glowing.

"ANDRORG!" The Bio-Mech Pokémon cried as it pushed Galladin off, pushing its back to its knees as three voices rang out.

"Mystical Fire/Incinerate/Flame Burst!" Shine, Peewee and Crystardian all shot a blast of fire at the Androrg, an explosion consuming it. And as smoke faded a few moments later, the Androrg could be seen with its arms raised to cover its head.

"An..." It groaned, its body swaying side to side. The machine slowly pushed itself to its feet, only to fall back, making the crystal ground shake as it hit the dirt, its eyes closing at the same time.

With the last of their attackers knocked out, everyone sighed in relief before Flash turned to his partner, "Nice work bud." Springer gave a thumbs up as Shining said the same to Galladin, everyone else also doing that to their Pokémon.

"Now that we're out of danger," Spike turned to the others. "Can someone please tell me what the heck just happened?! Why did Androrg and the Guardroid attack us?"

"I wish I knew," Cadance added as she walked over to Androrg.

"Careful!" Twilight told her, "It could attack again!"

"Maybe, but we need to figure out how what happened to them." She kneeled down beside the Bio-Mech Pokémon and glanced it over, only seeing the damage from the battle and nothing else. Frowning at this, she turned to the others, "Help me turn him over." Shining, Flash and Doc moved over and lifted the heavy Pokémon onto its side, Cadance now noticing something attached to the back of Androrg's shoulder.

"Hello..." she reached over and pulled it off, "What do we have here?" Twilight and the professors moved up, now seeing the coin-shaped device.

"It appears to be some kind of micro chip," Luna commented.

"So that's what caused Androrg to go nuts?" Spike asked before Doc took the device and turned it over in his hands.

"I don't think so," he replied, "It appears to be more like a software injection device. It uploads whatever data it's carrying into whatever it's attached too."

"So I'm guessing that means Androrg wasn't cured when you removed it," Twilight asked.

"I'm afraid so," Doc responded, "Whatever was uploaded into Androrg will probably be bedded in deep into its systems."

"We'll need to see what software was uploaded before we can attempt to undo it," Celestia told them before reaching into her bag and taking out a small laptop. "This should be able to scan the device."

Sombra glanced back at the temple at this before looking up at the ceiling of the mountain protecting them from the elements. "We shouldn't be out here. If any more Guardroid show up, they'll attack before we figure out what's happening." He pointed to a building several streets away, "We should hide someplace the Guardroid won't be to closely guarding."

"He's right," Cadance nodded before standing up, "Follow me. I think I know where we can hide out!" The others nodded and followed her away from the temple, leaving Androrg and its minions out cold. And as they did this, Sombra used his watch to take an image of the temple and smirked.





Outside the city...

Helicopters had now appeared from behind the mountains, now flying over the ice mountain that housed the city. Once above the construct, the doors opened to reveal Chrysalis and several grunts. "Time to begin phase three!" She yelled before the grunts nodded and jumped out of the copters, all falling toward the ice mountain while a rope connected them to the vehicle. That same rope slowed them down enough to land on the ice safely while taking out power tools and began carving through the ice.

Chrysalis watched as her subordinates slowly formed holes in the ice, big enough for a human to jump through. She then stared down into the city, only for a beeping sound to ring out. The woman glanced down at her watch, which showed the image of the temple.

"So..." she chuckled, "That's where are target is. Excellent."





Back inside the empire...

They had now arrived at another street, Twilight, Sombra and the professors now inside a building while Flash, Doc, Spike, Shining and their Pokémon were on the lookout for any other Guardroid.

"Alright..." Celestia put her laptop on a table and opened it up. A small device on the side popped open, revealing it to be a flat screen as Cadance placed the device they had found on Androrg. "Let's find out what the heck this thing is."

The screen began to run a light over the device as the boys remained outside. Peewee was up in the air, sniffing the air, only to hear a bunch of loud footsteps. "Terra!" He yelped before flying down, "Terragon!"

"Hide!" Spike cried, Shining jumping into the house the girls and Sombra were in while the others hid in the alleyways between the houses. They all stayed as quiet, Flash glancing around the corner and seeing a single Guardroid march in front of the street's entrance. It turned in their direction and Flash pulled back out of sight, the Pokémon glancing around before walking away.

"That was close," Shining sighed in relief, "Good thing Peewee was able to warn us." The Terragon smiled as Spike scratched him under the chin. Shining then turned to the girls, "Any luck figuring out what that thing is?"

Celestia glared at her laptop, the scan now finishing as she declared, "Got it. This thing is big. Its filled with files..." She began to open several folders, only to frown as she read through the information, "That's not good." Everyone shared a glance at this as she continued, "It's some kind of malware that infiltrated the security systems and deleted the entire security list."

"That explains why the Guardroid attacked us," Cadance added, "They're directly linked to that system. If they see anyone not on the list, they're programmed to attack without question unless they hear the override. But Androrg shouldn't have been affected."

"There's more," Celestia sighed as she clicked her mouse several times, opening another file, "It also uploaded a virus, cutting off Androrg's emotions and biological systems from his mechanical ones. Without the organic systems, it's only running on the inorganic systems like the Guardroid. That means it can't fight against its programming."

Flash and Spike looked at each other, their brains barely keeping up as Spike then asked, "So uh...what do we do?"

"The only way to solve this is if Androrg scans us again," Cadance replied, "And without its organic systems, it's not gonna think to do that. It'll attack anything that's not a Guardroid."

They all frowned at this, Flash chiming in, "Wait...this sounds really hard to do. How did this happen?"

"Someone put this device on Androrg," Cadance responded, "Someone who wanted to take down the defense systems and get us out of the way. But who could of done it?"

As this question was asked, Sombra took in inward breath. A small bead of sweat appeared in his brow, the man showing the straightest face he could. That is, till Twilight spoke up, "There's only one way I can think that this happened." Everyone turned to her, Sombra's eyes slightly squinting as she continued, "Someone must have snuck the device onto Androrg last night, when it was dark. Or took it by surprise and knocked it out before putting it on."

"But why? Why do all this?" Spike asked, only to hear Celestia gasp, making everyone turn to her.

Flash then commented, "I'm not gonna like what you're about to say, am I?"

"Nope. The device didn't delete the security system."

"Why not? Wouldn't it be easier to get rid of that?" Twilight responded.

"Yes...unless you have different plans." Celestia sighed, turning to laptop around for the others to view, "It swapped it with another security system. One that means Androrg and the Guardroid won't attack certain people."

"Which people?" Flash asked right before they saw the list, now seeing it was a bunch of different people that were all wearing the same clothes. "Those are..."

"Team Shadow," Shining growled, only for a certain image to appear. A woman that wasn't in Team Shadow clothes.

"That's Chrysalis!" Twilight gasped, "She's a commander in Team Shadow, like Doom Raizer!"

"I know her," Celestia replied, "I met her a few times during my Pokémon journey. She was strong. So strong that she got to become a Gym Leader...until she was impeached."

"So Team Shadow were the ones that planted that device on Androrg?" Spike asked, everyone else nodding. "But why?"

As he asked this, everyone went wide-eyed at his question, their brains going to the same thought as Flash chimed in, "What were we talking about right before this all started?"

"They're going after the Heart Fragment!" Cadance gasped, the group quickly running out of the building. But as they began to make their way, they saw a large number of Guardroid now walking down the street back to the temple.

"We don't have time for these things!" Flash growled as he and Springer prepared for battle, only for Celestia to run in front of him.

"Hold on! You guys need to get to the temple."

"Celestia and I will handle these things," Luna added, the group all nodding as Cadance turned to her Crystardian.

"Use Psychic and fly us over those things!" Crystardian's gems began to glow, everyone except the professors and their Pokémon shining as they flew into the air. They began to float over the Guardroid, all preparing to fire their backpack jets.

"Sun/Moon Burst!" The sisters yelled as their Pokémon fired a barrage of pink and blue energy spheres, striking the robots, knocking them back. This allowed Crystardian to continue floating the others over, all landing on the other side, "Go!" Celestia exclaimed, the group now running off. "You ready sister?"

"I'm ready," Luna nodded as the Guardroid picked themselves up. As they did this, both Suncess and Primoon's abilities activated. The dome appeared around them, giving it the appearance of being both day and night. "Primoon, Mach Punch!" Primoon slammed a fist into a Guardroid, knocking it back into two others.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Suncess leapt straight up as her body began to glow a rainbow of colors, the light forming into a sphere around her body as she charged at her opponent. When she slammed into a Guardroid, the light exploded off her body and blinded the Guardroid.

Primoon had her eyes closed, the light fading she was able to open them again. "Foul Play!" Primoon charged at a Guardroid and kicked its legs out from under it, then shot over to another Guardroid and threw a kick into its head, knocking it into another. It was here it hopped onto another, getting on its back and reaching into its opening to mess with the insides. She then jumped off as the Guardroid's jets exploded, shooting it into the air as it flew out of control.

Meanwhile, Celestia gave Suncess her next command, "Solarbeam!" Suncess brought her hands together before a small ball of light formed, slowly growing larger.

A Guardroid charged at her at this, but Primoon used Mach Punch to keep it in place until Suncess finished the attack. "SUN!" She roared as she fired the beam, hitting the Guardroid as Primoon leapt out of the way.

The Guardroid was blasted back, Primoon then rolling back to its feet. "Future Sight!" She raised her hands into the air as a ball of blue sparking light appeared between them.

"Prim!" She thrust her hands up, sending the ball up before it seemed to phase out of sight. Celestia and Luna turned to one another, nodding before hearing more footsteps, now seeing another group of Guardroid appear.

"How many of these things are there?" Luna asked.

"More than we might be able to handle," Celestia told her before taking out a Pokeball. "But we don't need to beat them. Just hold them off until the others can figure out a way to stop them. Champagoon!" She threw the Pokeball, her Dragon Fighting-type now appearing in a flash.

"CHAMP!" It roared as it landed.

"Right," Luna took out two Pokeballs, "Slumberam and Tantabagot!" She threw them upward, now revealing the two bovidae Pokémon.

"Slumber!"

"Tant!" The two then turned to the Guardroid around them. The two sister ordered the attacks for their Pokémon and stayed back to back, not wanting to be taken by surprise. All the while, hoping their friends had gotten to the temple by now, ready to stop Team Shadow.





The sections of the roof had finally given way, creating holes big enough for a person to jump through. Chrysalis went through first, the woman suspended by a rope as she was lowered down into the city. She glanced around, gasping, "Beautiful..." From her height, she could see it all. And within seconds, she saw the building Sombra had sent her a picture of. "There it is!" She pointed to it, the other grunts now descending as she glared at the rest, "Everyone, we have eyes on the target. Get ready." She took out a Pokeball before throwing it, "Skullvoc!"

The ball fell through the air and opened up, a Pokémon that appeared to be a larger version of Skulerror, but with several changes. It now looked like a metal armored human with a metal tail instead of legs, its height from its head to the tip of its tail being about twelve feet. Its chest armor was purple while the skeleton body beneath was silver colored, its silver skull face surrounded by a purple helmet with spikes on it. Its arms ended with the same metal scorpion claws, only now they were purple. Its bat wings were now huge, and the stinger on the end of its tail had been replaced with a large silver club covered in yellow spikes. From out of its tail, six spindly insect legs made of purple could be seen with yellow spikes on the end of them. Lastly, yellow gems could be seen on the armor where its waist became the tail, as well as its chest armor and its forehead.

"SKULL!" It roared as Chrysalis released the rope, falling as Skullvoc grabbed her, using its legs to wrap around her and fly her back into the air.

"Skullvoc!" The other grunts threw their Pokeballs, multiple copies of the skeleton Pokémon appearing and grabbing their trainers in the same way.

They all then flew down, Chrysalis now seeing the Guardroid attacking anything that moved. "Perfect."





Flash and the others continued to run through the city, avoiding the Guardroid as best they could. And as they got closer to the temple, only to find more Guardroid marching out from the alleyways.

"I'll handle these guys!" Doc yelled as he jumped to the front of the group, "You guys just get to the temple." They nodded and ran down another alleyway, leaving Doc alone with four Guardroid.

"Incinerate!" Doc heard before a blast of fire hit one of them, knocking it off its feet. He turned to see Spike and Peewee, both smirking.

Doc nodded back and took out his other three Pokeballs. "Higear, Tockwork, Flitanium, LET'S GO!" He threw them into the air and in a flash, his three other Steel-types appeared, all standing beside Lairon. Peewee landed on Tockwork's head as the other three Guardroid attacked.

The three all began to form Zap Cannons, which were both powerful but highly unfocused. "Air Slash!" Doc commanded Flitanium, who pulled his wings back before flapping them. The Guardroids fired their attacks, right as Flitanium unleashed the air blade that flew into the Zap Cannons and collided with them. They exploded, a safe distance away as Doc ordered his other Pokémon, "Gyro Ball, Bullet Punch and Body Slam!"

"High!" Higear began to spin like a buzzsaw, smashing into one of its evolved forms while Tockwork suddenly sped up and threw its clawed fist into another Guardroid. Lairon then leapt at another Guardroid, curling itself up before slamming his back into three of the Guardroid. The five machines fell back whie the other Guardroid charged.

The group then ignited their jet-packs, flying above as they raised their arms as slots opened up, now shooting out gears at Doc and Spike. "Peewee/Flitanium!" They yelled as their Pokémon flew between them and the oncoming Gear Grind attacks. "Dragon Rage/Steel Wing!" Peewee unloaded a blast of blue fire that struck several gears, melting them as Flitanium extended its wings and swung them around to deflect the remaining metal blades.

"Now!" Spike added as the Guardroid tried to fly away, "Incinerate!"

Peewee took a deep breath. "Terra...GONE!" He roared as the flaming missile exploded out of his mouth, slamming into one of the Guardroid, blasting it toward the ground. The sight made the other Guardroid stare at the dragon, not seeing Flitanium fly up.

"Iron Head!" The bird's head glowed as he headbutted one of the Guardroid, knocking it back as the other Guardroid fired another Gear Grind attack. But Flitanium dodged the gears and flew straight up, "Drill Peck!" Flitanium began to spin and morphed into a tornado that struck another Guardroid, knocking it down as well.

As this was going on, Doc glanced to the side, noticing Flash, Shining, Twilight, Cadance and Sombra just now getting out of sight from a nearby alleyway. "Good luck guys." He turned back to the battle as one of the Guardroid they had knocked down got back up to punch Tockwork, making Doc order, "Overclock!"

"Tock!" The gears on its body began to spin, increasing its attack and speed, Tockwork now avoiding the punch and slamming the Guardroid with its own attack.

"Rock Slide!" Lairon let out a roar as the portals appeared above him, causing rocks to rain down upon the Guardroid. They began firing Flash Cannon attacks, blasting as many rocks as they could, only for Higear, Tockwork, Flitanium and Peewee to charge at them.

"Wing Attack!" Peewee's wings shined as he accelerated, remembering back to the Battle Tournament and aiming for the joints as he slashed at them.

"Guard!" It cried while Higear, Tockwork and Flitanium got up close to their opponents.

"Slam, Iron Head and Overclock!" Higear grabbed one of the Guardroid and despite the size difference, was able to spin it around and pull its evolved form over it before slamming the machine into the ground.

At the same time, Flitanium smashed his metal helmet into the Guardroid's chest while Tockwork's gears spun again, speeding and powering it up. With a single powerful punch, the Guardroid was knocked to the ground along with its friends.

Doc smirked at the sight, only to glance up and see a group of Pokémon flying above them. He then noticed those Pokémon were carrying something in their insectoid legs. Something that appeared very human like and all wearing the same type of clothing.

"Team Shadow!" Spike turned to him before following his line of sight, seeing the Skullvoc above them. "Looks like we were right about them going after the relics."

"So what do we do?" Spike asked. "We have to help the others!"

Doc shook his head with a sigh, "We handle what's in front of us. Only then can we help the others stop them. Until then, we'll just have to hope they can hold out without us."





The others had got back to the temple, passing by the still unconscious Androrg and Guardroid. They headed inside, their Pokémon standing watch outside as Cadance reached the altar first, only to sigh in relief. "Good...they're still here."

"But not for long," Shining added as she shut the Shadow Spear's case. "We need to get them somewhere more secure before Team Shadow shows up." Cadance nodded and shut the Heart Fragment's case. "Alright guys," he turned to the others. "Go make sure the cost is clear. We don't want the Guardroid and Androrg to see us running outside with the cases. Especially if they think we're thieves."

The three nodded before turning to head back out, Flash, Twilight and Sombra now seeing that the streets were clear. But as they did this, Flash looked up and gasped, "Look!" Twilight and Sombra followed his gaze, now seeing the Skullvoc all carrying the Team Shadow minions. "What are those things?"

"Skullvoc," Twilight gulped, "Very dangerous Pokémon." Flash took out his Pokedex at this.

Name: Skullvoc
Category: Havoc Pokémon
Type: Ghost/Flying
Info: The evolved form of Skulerror. This Pokémon is drawn to destruction and chaos. It is said that if this Pokémon appears, then mayhem is sure to follow.

"Sounds like the kind of Pokémon Team Shadow would use," Flash growled as he put his Pokedex away. In that moment, the Skullvoc had reached them, releasing the humans they were holding. One by one, the Team Shadow members fell, all landing with varying levels of poise.

At the front of the group was Chrysalis, shining a big smirk as she calmly sauntered forward. "Well, well, well, well, well. I had heard the champion was here along with the professors of the region, but I didn't think I'd run into the brats that helped my no good sons stop my attempts to retrieve my Pokémon. I heard you also caused some issues for my friend Doom in the Grand Desert, though you also ended up helping him in that situation."

"Well this isn't gonna be like that time," Flash told her as Springer let out a bark of agreement. "This time, we're taking you down and putting you away for good!"

"Oh, I don't think so." Chrysalis snapped her fingers and the Skullvoc flew down, all snapping their claws in response. "Our Skullvoc can easily fly fight through you and grab the cases holding our target.

Twilight went wide-eyed at this, only to turn to the door controls. She hit a button on it, the metal doors swinging closed and slamming shut. "Nice try!" She barked back as the system began to lock, "But now the cases are locked inside. Even if your Skullvoc can get through the walls, they won't be able to make the cases intangible."

Chrysalis's eyes narrowed at this, "Annoying twerp. Skullvoc, ATTACK!"

"SKULL!" The Ghost Flying-types roared as they charged, Flash, Twilight and their Pokémon standing firm while Sombra stepped back. The Skullvoc all opened their bony mouths as Shadow Balls began to form.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Twilight ordered, Shine now illuminating her horn.

"Rapid...DASH!" She neighed as the light exploded off her horn, forming a laser that she swung around to hit the Shadow Balls as they fired. The attacks then exploded, all right in the Skullvoc's faces. This caused them to be knocked back, only for one to charge at her, ready to use Vice Grip, only for Galladin to appear and raise his shield to use Iron Defense. The claw grabbed the shield, but couldn't do any damage as Galladin used his other arm to extend his sword, which glowed purple before it slashed the Skullvoc away.

"Nice one!" Flash cheered, only to see more Skullvoc charging from up above.

"Ri!" Springer yelled, jumping up to use Aura Sphere.

"No Springer!" Flash responded, "None of your attacks will work against a Ghost-type!"

"RI!" Springer groaned as the Skullvoc got in close, only for Flash to take out a pair of Pokeballs.

"Skyler, Astro, I CHOOSE YOU!" He threw the balls into the air, the Pokeballs opening to unleash the Tornavian and Starvern. "Steel Wing and Dragon Rage!" Skyler shot up and slashed at the Skullvoc while Astro spat out a barrage of blue fire.

"SKULL!" The Skullvoc cried as the fire pushed them back before Skyler struck them.

"Aerial Ace!" Skyler dive-bombed the opponents, smashing into them at incredible speed. He knocked each Skullvoc down, one after another as he barreled through them. "YEAH!" Flash cheered while Skyler smirked, only for some Skullvoc started to fly after him.

"Mystical Fire!" Twilight ordered, Shine shooting blasts of flames at the approaching Ghost-types. They struck the Skullvoc, pushing some back, but others managed to continue. This was when Galladin shot up and used Night Slash, cutting them all down. But with his slower speed, he couldn't get to all of them. "I don't think so!" Twilight took out a Pokeball and threw it into the air, "Owlicious!" In a flash, the Owlolar appeared and took flight. "Mind Force!"

"Owl!" He hooted as he glowed, then beat his wings to fire the attack. It struck one of the Skullvoc, but another kept coming.

"Time for something new," Flash smirked before pointing at the Skullvoc. "Use Crunch!" Astro leapt at the Skullvoc, landing just behind its back before opening his mouth.

"Star!" He then bit down on the neck, the force causing an explosion that made Skullvoc cry out.

Twilight turned to Flash in shock, "He learned it?!"

Flash smirked back, "We did a little practicing last night before heading to bed. That rubber bone really helped him power up his jaw muscles." Twilight smiled back before glancing at the door behind them.

"Hold on," she told her brother and sister-in-law. "We'll keep them away from you."

Inside, Shining was listening at the door while Cadance held both the cases in her hands. "We can't just sit around in here."

"Twilight locked us in to keep the relics safe," Cadance told him. "We shouldn't do anything that makes her efforts worthless."

"But what does she expect us to do from in here?" Shining asked. "At least if I were out there, I could help."

"But you being in here means the relics have another defense if Team Shadow get past them and the door. And if they do manage that, at least Flash and Twilight will have tired them to the point that they won't stand a chance against you."

"Maybe...but there's still a lot of them. And Chrysalis was a Gym Leader, so beating them won't be easy. Plus, the Guardroid might show up and start helping them."

Cadance sighed at this, only for a bulb to go off in her head, "I might have an idea." She reached into her bag and pulled out a small laptop.

"Do you professors always carry a small laptop with you wherever you go?"

"Any scientist worth their salt has the right equipment for when the situation calls for it." She started typing away, logging into the same server Celestia's laptop was using. "It's possible I can undo what Team Shadow did to the Guardroid. If we can get them back on our side, that might help us turn the tables."

"Alright," Shining nodded, "Then get to work." He looked down at the cases, "And leave protecting the relics to me."





"Tornado Burst!" Flash yelled as Skyler spun into a tornado, heading straight into a group of Skullvoc.

"Dazzling Gleam and Psychic!" Shine's horn glowed before exploding with light, the laser hitting several Skullvoc and blasting them back. Meanwhile, Owlicious' eyes glowed along with several Skullvoc as they were all slammed into one another as hard as possible. This was when Skyler exploded out of the tornado, smashing into them.

As this happened, Chrysalis growled along with the rest of the Team Shadow grunts. "Enough of this. Skullvoc, use Phantom Force!" The Skullvoc on the ground heard that and the gems on their foreheads glowed, causing portals to form beneath them. They phased into the portals and vanished, leaving the other Skullvoc to all fire Shadow Balls at them.

"Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball!" Springer and Astro shot multiple spheres into the air, slamming into the balls, all exploding while Skyler, Shine, Owlicious and Galladin charged. "Steel Wing!"

"Psybeam and Sky Attack!" Skyler slashed at a Skullvoc as Shine unleashed a blast of rainbow colored light, Owlicious flying straight up as Galladin used Night Slash. Flash smirked at this, only to then notice several portals behind Springer, Astro, Shine and Galladin.

"Guys, MOVE!" The Pokémon turned to him and when they did, they saw the portals. Seconds later, the Skullvoc that used Phantom Force all leapt out, all slashing at them.

Galladin was able to bring his shield up in time, but the others weren't so lucky. "RI/STAR/RAP!" They were all knocked back by the Skullvoc, who let out hisses of victory. But before they could attack again, Owlicious shot down with a fully glowing body.

"OWL!" He slammed into one of the Skullvoc, then smacked it away before tackling two more. "Owlolar!" He hooted before flying straight back up, the others picking themselves up as Galladin pushed his Skullvoc away before hitting it with Night Slash.

"Augh!" Chrysalis growled, "I'm done with this!" She took out another Pokeball and threw it, "Queensect!" In a flash, the black Bug Pokémon appeared.

"Queen," it hissed before staring down at them, "Queensect!"

"Bug Buzz!" Queensect spread its wings and took flight, its horn beginning to vibrate and send out red shockwaves at Shine and Owlicious. It struck the two Psychic types, making them cry out as the horrible sound attacked their ears.

"Drain Punch!" Flash ordered as Springer leapt onto Skyler before hopping off the bird and throwing a Drain Punch into Queensect's face.

"Yes!" Flash arm pumped, "Now Springer can actually fight against something."

"Just be careful," Sombra told him. "That Queensect's gonna be powerful."

"Yeah, I know." Flash replied as his mind flashed back to the battle in Fillydelphia. If it hadn't been for Viper learning Flamethrower, they might have been in trouble. "But I'm a lot stronger than I was back then. Springer," he pointed at Queensect, "Aura Sphere!"

"Ri!" Springer roared as he brought his paws together and began to form a sphere.

"Copycat!" Queensect opened its mouth as the orb Springer was making also appeared there. Both it and Springer fired their attacks, both clashing as an explosion rang out. The blows rocked the temple, only for Queensect to charge down as Chrysalis yelled, "Giga Drain!"

"Queen!" Queensect's horn glowed before it fired out a green light.

"Oh no, you don't! Double Team!" Springer multiplied on command, the Giga Drain hitting one of the fakes and causing it to vanish. The rest of the Riolu clones began to run around, the Queensect and Skullvoc now glancing around at the Riolu army.

Chrysalis frowned, her eyes now landing on Sombra. The two stared at one another for a second, then Sombra nodded. She nodded back and reached behind her, pressing a button on her watch.





Over where Androrg and its Guardroid were laying, still deactivated and completely still, Androrg's eyes suddenly shot open, now glowing red. The Guardroid followed suit and all woke up, their eyes also glowing red. And it wasn't just there.

"Mach Punch!" Celestia and Luna yelled, their Pokémon punching another Guardroid in the face while Champagoon slammed one in the head with Brick Break before the two ram Pokémon knocked their opponents out with Dark Pulse and Extrasensory.

"I think that's all of them," Luna sighed in relief. "Now we can go help-" her voice stopped as the Guardroid all stood up again, "Oh, come on!"

"They should have all gone into shut down and stasis mode," Celestia added as they picked themselves up. "Something must have reactivated them." The Guardroid turned to them and all began to fire Flash Cannons, forcing Celestia to turn to her sister, "Try putting them to sleep!"

Luna nodded back, "Hypnosis!" Both Slumberam and Tantabagot leapt up, Slumberam's helmet gem glowing along with Tantabagot's eyes. The light then shot off and hit the machines, causing them to deactivate and slump over while still standing.

The sisters smiled at this, but that smile vanished when the Guardroid began to power up again. "Something's forcing them to reactive. And that could be a problem."

"It means they won't stop no matter how much damage they take." Luna gasped, "If we don't stop this, they could be irreversibly damaged."





Doc and Spike were also in the same situation, Spike yelling, "Incinerate!" Peewee fired a flaming missile at a Guardroid, knocking it over.

"Gear Grind, Zap Cannon, Iron Head and Metal Claw!" Flitanium and Lairon charged while Higear and Tockwork attacked from a distance. Higear sent its gear hands flying at one of them while Tockwork pointed its gun arm at another and fired. The attacks struck, knocking both down as Flitanium and Lairon ran past them.

"FLY!" The metal bird smashed its head into a Guardroid and knocked it back while Lairon's claws glowed, slashing at a pair of Guardroid. They both fell over, leaving only one Guardroid left.

"Dragon Rage!" Peewee unloaded a blast of blue fire, hitting Guardroid in the face. And while it wasn't enough to damage the machine Pokémon enough to defeat it, it allowed the overclocked Tockwork to get in close.

"Bullet Punch!" With one powerful strike to the chest, the robot was thrown back, its eyes vanishing as it shut down, just like the others. Doc and Spike sighed in relief, only for the Guardroid to activate again.

"What the heck!?" Spike yelped as the Pokémon got back into a battle stance.

"This isn't good." Doc commented.





"Slam and Shadow Ball!" Queensect shot down and crushed a Springer clone under its hooves while the Skullvoc all fired orbs at the others.

All but one of them were destroyed when the attacks hit, that one leaping back before the Shadow Ball hit the ground, causing an explosion. "Ri!" He cried, being thrown upward before spinning around and firing an Aura Sphere, hitting Queensect and knocking it back as Skyler caught him.

As Queensect fell down, the others took the chance to attack. "Mystical Fire and Peck!"

"Shadow Ball!" Astro fired his dark energy ball and struck a Skullvoc while Shine drew a circle of fire before shooting a projectile. Owlicious charged at this, his beak glowing and extending while Galladin ran up beside him.

"OWL!" It roared as it pecked a Skullvoc while Galladin used Iron Defense to block a Skullvoc when it tried to use Knock-Off by slamming its mace tail into him. Once he deflected that attack, Galladin used Night Slash to send the beast flying.

It was here that Flash noticed the Skullvoc were mostly unconscious, a smirk appearing on his face. "Looks like you're running out of troops." He pointed at Chrysalis as she glanced around, "Why not make things easy on yourself and give up? Then maybe you can cut a deal and only spend a few years in prison."

Chrysalis just chuckled back, "Oh, I don't think so." Flash raised an eyebrow, only to then hear a crackling sound. He turned to it, just in time to see a blade of lightning shoot through the air and hit Skyler in the wing.

"TORE!" He squawked before falling, Springer losing his grip on the bird as both fell with a thud.

"GUYS!" Flash cried before turning to where the attack came from, only to gasp, "Androrg?!" Twilight and their Pokémon turned to see the Bio-Mech Pokémon marching up, the Guardroid following behind.

Chrysalis laughed at the sight as she, the grunts and their Pokémon all stepped back, allowing the city's security force to walk in front of them. Androrg and the Guardroid turned to the trainers, its eyes no longer finding Flash and the others' faces in their databases.

"AN!" The cyborg roared while the Guardroid all got into a battle stance, their shoulder cannons lighting up as they began to build power. Androrg then raised its arms and began to spin its hand, now sparking it with lightning. "ANDRORG!"

"GUARDROID!" They machines fired Flash Cannons while Androrg swung its arm, unleashing the Electro Blade. The attacks shot right at them, the group quickly jumping out of the way. Flash, Springer, Astro and Galladin leapt to the right while Twilight, Sombra and Shine leapt to the left. Owlicious grabbed Skyler and pulled him into the air, allowing the attacks to fly past them and hit the metal doors blocking the temple.

KABOOM!

Inside the temple, Shining and Cadance yelped as the doors exploded. They flinched at the door flying over them, thankfully missing them and skidding along the floor. The champion quickly turned to the exit, now seeing a single figure begin to saunter inside.

Outside the temple, Flash and his friends were all coughing up a storm from the smoke from the explosion. And as they began to pick themselves up, they heard a stomping sound, turning to see the Guardroid had formed two lines. One was in front of him, Springer, Astro and Galladin while another was in front of Twilight, Sombra and Shine.

The lines allowed Crysalis and the Shadow Grunts to calmly walk between them, the woman chuckling as she reached Shining and Cadance, "Hello champion, Professor Cadenza." She then pointed at the cases standing at Shining's feet. "Why don't you make things easy and give me the Heart Fragment?"

"I don't think so," Shining told her as the Queensect and Skullvoc walked up behind them. "We know you're up to something with the Crystal Heart, and we won't let you get away with them."

"Now now, champion," Chrysalis giggled, "We really have no desire for excessive violence. Just give us the Heart Fragment and we'll be on our way."

"Not on your life!" Shining took out a pair of Pokeballs, "You're not getting any more of Equestria's treasures!" With that, he threw the balls. He knew the odds were against them, but he wouldn't allow Team Shadow to do what they want. But the question was, would they be able to stop them, or will Team Shadow be able to complete their evil plans? Stay tuned.
> Crystal War
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Team Shadow had seized control of the Crystal Empire, using a virus to make the Androrg and Guardroid attack those they were meant to be guarding. Flash and his friend were now on the defensive, protecting themselves while trying to keep the Crystal Heart Fragment out of Team Shadow's reach. But now, Team Shadow had breached the Crystal Temple, Flash, Twilight and their Pokémon now stuck outside with Androrg and Guardroid with only Shining and Cadance standing between commander Chrysalis and their objective.

"Now now, champion," Chrysalis giggled, "We really have no desire for excessive violence. Just give us the Heart Fragment and we'll be on our way."

"Not on your life!" Shining took out a pair of Pokeballs, "You're not getting any more of Equestria's treasures!" With that, he threw the balls, a mighty flash of red making two new Pokémon appear.

"Lock!" The River Dwelling Pokémon Lokelpie neighed as it tapped its hooves on the ground.

"Oak!" The Grand Tree Pokémon Oaking roared as it punched its wooden fists together. Chrysalis raised an eyebrow as her Queensect and the Skullvoc moved in front of her while Cadance's Crystardian floated down.

"Last chance to surrender!" Shining called out.

"I don't think so," Chrysalis replied, "Queensect, Bug Buzz! Skullvoc, Shadow Ball!" The group leapt up, Queensect firing the annoying soundwaves from its horn while the skeletal Pokémon created the orbs of dark energy.

"Protect!" Cadance countered while hiding behind the altar and continuing to type away at the computer she was on. Crystardian used its gems to create a shield, blocking the multiple attacks.

"Leaf Storm and Ice Beam!" Oaking swung its head, causing a powerful gust of wind to explode and send a barrage of leaves while Lokelpie opened its mouth and fired a blast of blue lightning. The lightning struck the Skullvoc, causing them to slowly freeze over while the Leaf Storm struck Queensect, pushing it back.

Chrysalis growled at this, the Skullvoc all falling due to their frozen wings while Queensect was pushed into the ceiling. The insect quickly pulled itself out of the crystal roof and flew down, the Skullvoc trying to free their frozen parts just as Shining gave his next command.

"Tsunami Surge!" Lokelpie's eyes glowed before it put its fins to the ground, causing a wall of water to appear between it and their opponents.

"Lock!" It roared before waving its wing-like fins, causing the wall to turn into a wave. Chrysalis gasped as she braced herself, the grunts now trying to run away, only for the wave to catch them, washing them out the doorway.

Outside, Flash, Twilight and their Pokémon were all battling against the Guardroid. Galladin and Androrg were facing off, the knight blocking its Electro Blade and Flash Cannons with his shields before trying to slash at it with his blades.

"Aura Sphere, Shadow Ball and Steel Wing!" Springer and Astro fired their differently colored orbs while Skyler flew down and slashed at a Guardroid.

"Mystical Fire and Mind Force!" Shine shot a flaming rocket while Owlicious' body glowed before he beat his wings, the light hitting one of the Guardroid. The attacks collided, pushing the Guardroid back, only for several more to charge at them.

In that moment, a wave of water shot out of the temple. Cries were following as everyone turned to see Chrysalis and the rest of the Shadow Grunts being thrown out of the building, the group slamming into the ground with a loud splash. "Augh!" Chrysalis yelped as she picked herself up, waving her arms around to try to get the water off.

The others turned to see Shining and his Pokémon step out of the temple, carrying the cases holding the relics in his hands. "Shining!" Twilight gasped, only to jump back as a Guardroid attacked her with a Bullet Punch. Shine leapt in front of her before spinning around to buck the machine away.

Shining glanced around and nodded while one of the Skullvoc took to the air, creating a Shadow Ball. He then turned to Lokelpie, "Use Starlight Flurry!" Lokelpie leapt up, avoiding the Shadow Ball as its body began to glow. The light flew off and formed star shapes, which Lokelpie sent flying with a beat of its fins.

The stars morphed into lasers that rained down on the Skullvoc, striking it several times. It was here that Lokelpie landed as Shining gave it its next command. "Ice Beam!"

"Lock!" It exclaimed as it opened its mouth, unleashing a burst of blue lightning that struck several Guardroid, freezing them into place. Queensect then picked itself up and charged at Lokelpie, ready to use Giga Drain. But before it could, Oaking leapt in front of it.

"Wood Hammer!" Oaking raised its arm before its fist was surrounded by a green aura, which then morphed into the shape of a hammer.

"Oak!" He roared as he swung it down, Queensect barely managing to leap back as the hammer struck the ground with enough force to make the area shake. "Oaking!" It stood tall and glared at Queensect.

As this happened, Shining turned to Sombra. The man had managed to stay out of the Guardroid's sight, Shining running over to him as Lokelpie used Tsunami Surge to push the Guardroid away. "Here!" He held out the cases, "You need to get these away from here!"

"What?!" Sombra yelped, "Why me?!"

"We need to keep them away from the temple," he replied, "Cadance needs time to try and undo what Team Shadow did to Androrg, and she can't do that whilst a battle's happening outside." A Skullvoc then appeared in front of them, charging as it crossed its claws to use X-Scissor. "Aqua Jet!"

"LOCK!" Lokelpie surrounded itself with water as it tackled the Skullvoc head on. The collision caused them both to separate, Lokelpie exploding out of the water while spinning like a top to smack the Skullvoc in the face with its seashell-shaped tail.

Shining turned back to Sombra, "RUN!" Sombra didn't need to be told twice and took the cases, running off as Chrysalis smirked at the sight.

"After him!" She yelled at the grunts, who summoned their Skullvoc back to grab and fly them over the battle. But before they could-

"Leaf Storm!" Shining ordered, causing Oaking to swing its head around and create a powerful gale of wind. The gust struck the Skullvoc, knocking them back as Shining added, "Ice Beam!" Lokelpie fired the blue lightning and struck all the Skullvoc again, freezing many of them.

With their only means of getting past now gone, Team Shadow found themselves blocked off from Sombra as Flash, Twilight and their Pokémon ran over to Shining and stood by him. "No matter what, we need them to keep them from getting past us."

The others nodded, but as they did this, a shattering sound filled the air and they saw that the Guardroid had broken free. A bunch were using their jet-packs to fly, shooting past them. "Oh great!" Flash growled, "So much for that!"

Chrysalis's grin increased as she ran up to her Queensect, the commander dodging Oaking's attack as it tried to grab her. She leapt back as its hand slammed into the ground, then ran straight up its arm before leaping off its shoulder. "Bye, bye!" She laughed as Queensect flew up and grabbed her, "Bug Buzz!" The Bug Dark-type fired soundwaves from its horn, hitting Skyler and Owlicious. This made them flinch, allowing Chrysalis to fly past them.

"NO!" Shining yelled.

Twilight turned to the Guardroid now marching up to them, as the Skullvoc were beginning to break free, only to glance over to her brother, "Shining, go help Sombra!"

"She's right! Twilight and I will hold these guys back!" Flash added, Shining turning to them for a second. He showed a grimace, only to nod as he ran off, Lokelpie and Oaking following him while Galladin stayed behind as it continued to hold Androrg off.

"Ha!" A Shadow Grunt laughed, "Big mistake! Without the Champion to save you, this is gonna end really badly."

"Yeah..." Flash nodded before taking out three Pokeballs, "For you! Riptide, Prongs, Viper...I CHOOSE YOU!" He threw the balls upward, the Reptidal, Stagrowth and Vipeacon now appearing in front of him. The three quickly got into a battle stance as they saw the outfits their opponents were wearing. "Alright guys! Let's take 'em down!" They all roared in agreement and charged, Twilight taking them moment to glance back at Shining before looking at the direction where Spike and Doc would be in the city.





"Incinerate!" Spike ordered as Peewee shot his flaming bullet at the Guardroid, knocking the machine back. At the same time, Higear used Gear Grind on another Guardroid while Flitanium used Drill Peck and Lairon hit another with Body Slam.

The trainers stared at the Pokémon, seeing them try to pick themselves up, only to fall back down. "I think they've finally hit their limit," Doc sighed as he saw how badly their metal bodies were dented. "I just hope the damage they took wasn't too extreme."

"Let's just get out of here before they try and pick themselves back up," Spike replied, Doc nodding as the two turned to leave, only to go wide-eyed.

"Look out!" He tackled Spike to the ground, seconds before a flurry of Shadow Balls shot over their heads and hit the ground behind them. The two rolled away, only to now see some Shadow Grunts flying down.

"You're not going anywhere," one yelled before his Skullvoc fired another Shadow Ball.

"Gear Grind and Zap Cannon!" Higear and Tockwork fired their attacks, the Gear Grind cutting through the Shadow Ball before the orb flew at Skullvoc. The skeletal Pokémon avoided the attack as they flew down, dropping their trainers while Doc and Spike's Pokémon stood around them.

"Let's do this," the grunt laughed as he cracked his knuckles. Spike and Doc shared a glance, nodding as the Guardroid also began to come back online and try to pick themselves up.

"That's not good."

"Don't worry Spike, we can do this." Doc responded as he stared at the enemies, "We just have to preserve."





In another section of the city...

Celestia and Luna now found themselves surrounded by Shadow Grunts along with the Guardroids. "Air Cutter!" One of them yelled as several Skullvoc beat their wings, sending air blades at Champagoon, the Fighting Dragon-type flinching at the blows.

"Extrasensory and Dark Pulse!" Luna added as both Slumberam and Tantabagot floated up and fired their attacks, hitting the Ghost Flying-types.

As this happened, Celestia saw her Suncess having trouble fighting against the Guardroid. "Suncess!" The Fairy-type turned to her as she took out a marble sized orb, "Catch!" She threw it, Suncess grabbing it as the Sun Pokémon suddenly started glowing as it grew taller. The light then faded to reveal her in her Solar Flare Forme, complete with new clothes and armor.

"Sun!" It roared as a Guardroid charged at her.

"Mach Punch!" Suncess dodged the Bullet Punch and threw her own super speed punch, her added Fighting-type now powering it up.

"Guard!" It cried as it was thrown back.

"Primoon!" Luna took out her own marble and threw it, the Moon Pokémon catching it and transforming in a flash of dark light. Entering her Full Moon Forme, the Dark and now Fighting-type leapt up to avoid a Flash Cannon. "Foul Play!" She flew down and slashed her foot into the Guardroid.

"Prim!" She yelled as she jumped away before turning to the other Guardroid. But before Luna could call out the next order, a portal appeared in the sky, now unleashing a blast of light that struck the Guardroid. The Future Sight she had fired earlier knocked the machine back, freeing Primoon to focus on the opponents above them.

"We won't let you get away with the crimes you've committed!" Luna exclaimed.

"And even if you do beat us," Celestia continued, "Our friends will make you pay." The grunts just laughed as they saw the sisters stand side by side.

"You won't beat us!" the grunts barked back, "Just give up!"

"We'll never give up!" Luna replied, Celestia nodding in agreement.

"Twilight..." Celestia whispered, "I hope you and the others are okay."





"Aqua Break!" Flash ordered as Riptide formed a water blade, slashing into a Guardroid instantly. The machine cried out as it staggered back, only for another Guardroid to appear. "Pyro Coil!"

"Vip!" Viper slithered up and wrapped its body around the machine's body before biting down on his tail and breathing fire into it. His entire body exploded, consuming the Guardroid in flames.

"Shadow Ball!" The grunts ordered as their Skullvoc fired the dark energy orbs. But Astro quickly breathed blue fire in a line, causing the balls to explode before they made contact.

"Energy Ball, rapid fire!" Prongs began firing nature spheres, knocking all the Skullvoc back.

As this happened, several Guardroid roared, "Guard!" Their arms opening up to unleash their gears.

"Psychic!" Twilight ordered, Owlicious using his mental abilities to stop the gears.

"Drain Punch, Aerial Ace, Rock Smash, Body Slam, Flamethrower and Shadow Ball!" Viper and Astro exhaled their differently colored flames at the Guardroid, stopping them from countering as Springer, Skyler, Riptide and Prongs got in close.

"RI/TORE/REP/STAG!" They roared as they smashed into the Guardroid, the machines flying over the Skullvoc as they charged at the group, only for Owlicious to throw the gears at them.

"Yes!" Twilight cheered as the Skullvoc were hit, only for one to dodge the gears and tried to use X-Scissor on the girl, but before it could hit, Shine pushed Twilight out of the way.

"DASH!" She neighed in pain as the blow hit.

"SHINE!" Twilight cried as she ran over to her Rapidash, only for the Skullvoc to try another X-Scissor. It was here that Shine's horn began to glow a strange blue light, "Shine?" She asked her Rapidash, who was now facing the approaching Skullvoc.

"Dash!" She neighed before leaping to the side, pushing Twilight while also avoiding the attack. She then charged as the light coming from her horn formed a forcefield around her head, using this to smash into the Skullvoc, sending it flying back.

"Wow," Twilight whispered, "That was...Zen Headbutt!"

As this happened, Flash pointed at an approaching Guardroid, "Aura Sphere!" Springer thrust the blue orb into the Guardroid, knocking it back, only for a Skullvoc to charge at him.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Twilight commanded, Shine firing a shining laser at the Skullvoc. The blow knocked it into three more Skullvoc, all falling back just as several Guardroid marched up at the same time. "Grr...enough of this! Owlicious, use Psychic!"

"Owl!" The Owlolar hooted as it grabbed the robots in its mental energy and lifted them up.

"Steel Wing, Rock Smash, Bounce, Flamethrower and Dragon Rage!" Viper and Astro breathed their differently colored flames at two of the Guardroid while Skyler, Riptide and Prongs shot toward the other three.

"TORE/REP/STAG!" They roared as they slashed, kicked and stomped the machines, Owlicious then throwing them away.

"Nice one guys!" Flash cheered as the Skullvoc picked themselves up. "Let's finish this!" Skyler took that as his cue, the Tornavian flying down as his trainer ordered, "Giga Impact!"

"TORE!" He squawked, dashing as purple and yellow energy appeared around him to form a meteor. The Skullvoc glanced up at this, now seeing oncoming super move, "TORNAVIAN!" The meteor ripped through the Skullvoc, sending them all flying.

"SKULL!" They all cried as they smashed into the crystal buildings around them, the light of the Giga Impact beginning to fade to reveal an exhausted Skyler.

"Nice work bud," Flash told his Tornavian before turning to the others, only to see the Shadow Grunts charging themselves at Twilight, "Twilight, watch out!"

"Psychic!" Twilight ordered, Owlicious grabbing the criminals and lifting them up. The grunts all cried out as they tried to squirm, "Throw 'em!" She yelled as they were sent hurtling, crashing into some buildings as well.

"Yes!" Flash cheered as they all slumped over, the Skullvoc and Guardroid with them. "Alright, let's go help Shining and Sombra."

"But what about Galladin?" Twilight asked, turning to Shining's ace as he battled against Androrg.

"Gall!" The knight yelled as he leapt back, avoiding another Electro Blade before jumping up and slamming its foot into Androrg's chest. As the cyborg staggered back, Galladin turned back to them, "Galladin!"

"He can handle himself!" Flash replied, "Come on. Before they all wake up and we're back to square one." He ran off, Twilight and the Pokémon following after him.

And as they left, Androrg charged and tried to punch Galladin. He raised his shield, blocking the attack before leaping back. Androrg charged again, Galladin hopping back more and more, now slowly leading Androrg away from the temple.





Inside the temple...

Cadance was now typing away, hiding under the temple's altar. Crystardian continued to protect her, planning to warn her if it saw the Guardroid or Team Shadow appear. "Come on," she whispered as she looked through the coding. "There has to be someway to undo what they did. If I can't, we'll never be able to stop Androrg."

"Star!" She heard her Pokémon call out, making her gasp and quickly zip behind one of the pillars.

"Where'd they go?" She heard a Shadow Grunt call out.

"Who knows," another yelled. "But they're obviously not here. We need to go find commander Chrysalis and help her out." The others all gave calls of agreement and she soon heard footsteps, followed by heavy metal footsteps of the Guardroid. After a minute or so, the sound disappeared, Cadance peeking out with her laptop.

"Shining," she whispered, "Twilight...everyone...please be safe."





Meanwhile...

Shining was still chasing down Chrysalis as she went after Sombra. Despite running as fast as he could, he was barely keeping up with her as she flew on her Queensect. "Ice Beam!" Lokelpie fired the blue lightning from its mouth, finally striking the Bug-type's wing.

"Queen!" It flinched before flailing, Chrysalis growling as she leapt off and rolled on the ground as her Pokémon crashed.

"Augh!" She groaned before pushing herself back to her feet, now seeing Shining and his Pokémon staring at her, "You don't know when to quit, do you? If you weren't married, I'd think you'd had a thing for me."

The champion cringed at this, shaking his head before asking, "What do you plan to do with the Heart Fragments? What does the combined Crystal Heart do?"

"Let me get that case and I'll show you," Chrysalis chuckled as Queensect picked itself up. It quickly ran in front of Chrysalis, its trainer about to run as the bug stared Shining down. But before she could move, Shining returned Oaking and threw the ball over her, the Pokémon appearing in front of the woman. Now stuck with an opponent on both sides, Chrysalis let out a long sigh, "Alright...seems we'll have to do this the hard way." She turned to Shining with a big smirk, "Let's brawl. Time to see what kind of champion you really are."





In another part of the city...

Sombra had jumped into a house, now staring at the cases in his hand. "Blast it. I need to find one of my teammates and hand this over now. Then we'll have everything we need..."

But as he said that, a stomping sound made him turn to a nearby window, now seeing a trio of Guardroid marching down the street. They then turned to him, getting into a battle stance.

"You really wanna get between me and my goal?" He asked before taking out a Pokeball. The Guardroid all fired their Flash Cannons, Sombra quickly leaping to the side before throwing the ball. In a flash, the Pokémon known as Tyrandark appeared. "Big mistake."

"TIE!" The Dark-type yelled before charging at them.





"Din!" Galladin screamed as he was thrown out of an alleyway into the wall of a building, Androrg walking out next. He had lead the machine two streets away now, the Pokémon panting as it did this.

"Drorg," the machine said as it opened its chest and charged up a Flash Cannon. Galladin pushed itself back up, staring at the incoming attack as it let out a sigh.

BOOM!

The laser struck the building behind Galladin, kicking up a bunch of dust...and settling to show a hole in the wall. But Galladin was nowhere in sight. Androrg then glaned down, now seeing a bunch of metal armor laying on the floor.

"Galar!" The cyborg spun around, only to suddenly find something slam into its chest, Androrg crying out as it was knocked off its feet. When it hit the ground, it then saw Galladin now wearing only its thinnest armor, a smirk on its lips as it raised its Sacred Sword.

But before he could do anything, lasers rained down from the sky and blasted the knight away. "GALL!" He cried as he knocked away, Androrg picking itself up as a pair of Guardroid flew down. They grabbed the bigger machine by the shoulders before lifting it into the air. "Galladin!" The knight yelled, telling them to get back here, but the three Steel-types vanished above the buildings. "Din..." he swore before running off, now knowing it would retrieve it's armor later.





Meanwhile again...

"Flamethrower!" Flash yelled as his Pokémon unleashed a torrent of fire that struck three Guardroids. "Now, Drain Punch, Rock Smash and Bounce!" Springer, Riptide and Prongs charged, slamming into the three as they were unable to defend thanks to the Flamethrower.

And as they fell, Twilight turned to Flash, "There's no end of these things and we still need to find Sombra!"

"I know." Flash grumbled, only to turn to one of his Pokémon, "I got an idea. Springer, can you locate Sombra?" Springer nodded and closed his eyes, letting his aura extend. After a few seconds, he located an aura he recognized as Sombra's...and another aura that disappeared a moment later.

"Ri?" He opened his eyes, blinking.

"Find something?" Springer nodded and lead them down one of the alleyways, the group vanishing as the Guardroid tried to get up.





"Starlight Flurry!" Shining ordered as Lokelpie leapt up and fired a star barrage at Queensect.

"Dodge it, then use Copycat!" Queensect leapt back as light formed around it, which exploded off as stars came for Lokelpie. The Water-type cried out as it was blasted back, only for Oaking to use Hammer Arm. "Bug Buzz!" Queensect spun around and fired the soundwave from its horn, hitting Oaking and making it freeze in place.

Chrysalis smirked at this, only to see the Pokémon barely flinching from the attacks. "Not enough..." she grumbled before turning and going wide-eyed as she saw something: A Warp Tile. "Perfect." She turned to Queensect and held up her Pokeball, "Return!"

"What are you-HEY!" Shining yelped as he saw her run away, only for Chrysalis to reach the tile and throw something behind her. Shining saw it and hit the floor, just as he saw Chrysalis wave goodbye.

"Later handsome!" she laughed as she vanished just as Shining leapt back as the device she threw hit zero and exploded.

KABOOM!

The explosion caused the buildings on either side of the tile to break apart, burying the transporter as Shining felt himself be flung out of the alleyway. Letting out a groan next, he glanced back up and whispered, "Damn it..."





In yet another part of the city...

Sombra continued down a street, having disposed of the Guardroid and now trying to find someone to 'lose' the cases too. And just as he turned a corner, he suddenly found the ground in front of him exploding as a Shadow Ball struck it. He then glanced up, now seeing a trio of Shadow Grunts flying down.

"Alright gramps," whoever was under the hood yelled, "Just hand over the cases and nobody gets hurt."

Sombra gripped the case, spinning around before seeing a few more grunts now appear behind him, all now surrounding him. He let out a long sigh at this, "Alright..." he held up the cases, "Take 'em." The lead grunt smirked and flew down, grabbing the cases.

"We've got them!" The grunt cheered, "We did it!" The others grunts cheered as well, Sombra holding back from yelling at them until-

"Flamethrower!" A blast of fire struck the Skullvoc's back, making the grunt scream as the cases flew out of his hands. Sombra's eyes went wide as he turned to see Flash, Twilight and their Pokémon running up, both teens managing to catch the cases before they hit the ground.

"You okay Sombra?" Twilight asked, Sombra quickly running up to them.

"Yes." he replied, "Thank goodness you got here in time."

"Thank Springer," Flash chuckled, "He's the one that managed to track you down." Springer barked with a thumbs up, Sombra giving a smile back.

"Hey!" They turned to the grunts, all landing as one yelled, "Those cases belong to us!"

"Come and take 'em then," Flash barked back as their Pokémon got ready to battle. "We're not gonna let you take these relics."

"Do you really think you can stop us?" a new voice said, making them turn to see Chrysalis. "You kids might be strong, but you can't possibly stop all of us." As she said that, more and more Shadow Grunts stepped out from the alleyways or flew down.

"We're surrounded," Twilight whispered. "What do we do?"

Flash grimaced at this, "I got an idea...but we'll have to fight for a bit."

"Alright. What's the idea?"

"This." He glanced down at his Pokémon, "Springer, Astro, Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball, straight up!" The two nodded and fired their attacks into the air, the orbs smashing into each other and causing a large firework-like explosion. An explosion that would catch the attention of almost everyone in the city as Flash turned to Chrysalis, "Now we don't have to stop you. We just have to hold you back until Shining and the others get here."

Chrysalis growled at this, only to hold her fingers up. "Seems you don't know your place." She snapped her fingers, only for a scream to ring out. They all turned to see another Skullvoc, this one having phased through the ground and grabbing Sombra.

"Ahhh!" Sombra screamed as Skullvoc gripped him before floating upward.

"Sombra!" Flash gasped, Skyler about to charge in to save him. But before he could, the Skullvoc brought a claw up to Sombra's neck. "Skyler, stand down!" His Tornavian came to a stop, the Skullvoc chuckling as it kept Sombra tightly held.

Chrysalis let out a roaring laugh, "See? There really is no point in fighting us. Either give us the case, or Mr. Business up there will be cut into enough pieces to fit into a doggy bag."

"You're despicable!" Twilight barked back, holding the case close to her chest.

"Call me what you like, it doesn't matter to me. As long as we get results, our leader doesn't care what actions we take. Now..." she held out her hand, "Give me the relics."

The teens shared a glance, only for Sombra to let out another scream of pain. Turning to him, seeing Skullvoc clench its grip on him, they both let out a sigh. "Alright...you win." He held up the case, "Let him go and you can have these stupid relics."

"Give them to me first," Chrysalis told him. "Then we'll let him go." They sighed and moved up, inching closer as slowly as possible. And as they reached Chrysalis and held out their hands, the woman was about to grab the case and-

"Ice Beam!" A blue bolt of lightning shot out from between two of the buildings, striking the Skullvoc holding Sombra in the back. The freezing chill it felt caused it to drop Sombra, the man now falling as the voice called out again. "Leaf Storm!"

A gust of wind blew out and hit Sombra, slowing him down until he reached the ground. Chrysalis gasped at this and tried to grab the cases, but Flash and Twilight pulled away. They hopped back as Shining and his Pokémon ran out from the two houses and stood next to them. "Great timing BBBFF."

"Just glad I made it," Shining replied before glaring at Chrysalis. "It's over." Their Pokémon all got into a battle stance, the champion doing a count and realizing their Pokémon outnumbered Team Shadows. "We have you outnumbered and outgunned."

Chrysalis shook her head in response, "Oh, I don't think so." In that moment, an Electro Blade flew at them, all barely managing to duck under the sword. Turning back, they saw Androrg and some Guardroid.

"Oh, come on!" Flash barked back, "What's it gonna take to stop these things?!" Androrg opened its chest and fired Flash Cannon, the Guardroid doing the same. Flash and Twilight both flinched at this oncoming attack, but it never came.

"GALL!" They saw Galladin land between, using his blades to block the attack. But in his unarmored state, the Steel Fighting-type found himself skidding back, soon pushing him as the attack came to an end.

"Galladin!" Twilight gasped as she watched the Pokémon fall over, only for something to shoot out of the ground right in front of her. "Ahhh!" She yelped as a Skullvoc tried to swipe at her, making her lose her grip on the case.

"Twilight!" Flash yelped as he saw the Skullvoc hook the case's hand with its leg and fly away, not noticing a Guardroid fire a Flash Cannon at him.

"RIOLU!" Springer yelled as he leapt at Flash and pushed him down, the Flash Cannon flying over them. But the jolt caused Flash to lose his grip on the case, causing it to go flying...right into Chrysalis's hands.

"Oh?" she giggled as she caught the case just as the Skullvoc dropped the other one into her other hand. "How thoughtful." She spun around as the teens picked themselves up. "Well, this has been fun, but I should really get going. Have fun dealing with your little metal friends."

With that, she ran off, the Shadow Grunts around her following suit. "STOP!" Flash yelled, only for some Guardroid to appear in front of them. "Get out of our way! She's the intruder! She's gonna get away with the relics!" But the Guardroid refused to listen, now launching their Gear Grind attacks in response.

And as this happened, Chrysalis simply laughed as she ran up to the holes they had made in the ice mountain. She then spoke into her watch, "All units, targets acquired! Begin escape phase!" All over the city, the goons heard this and followed suit.





"Hey!" Spike yelled as the grunts suddenly ran away, their Pokémon following them. "Get back here!" But he as said this, the Guardroid continued to attack them. "Oh, come on!"





"Cowards!" Luna added as she and Celestia watched their opponents leave. "That's right! Run when you realize you're beat!"

"They're hardly beaten," Celestia reminded her as Champagoon took down another Guardroid. "They could almost keep this up indefinitely." She then saw the Guardroid she had just beaten pick itself up, "They must have what they're after."

Luna nodded as Primoon knocked down another Guardroid. "If we can't find a way to stop these things, we're in trouble."





Meanwhile, at that exact same moment...

"Come on," Cadance told herself as the steams of number scrolled across the screen. Her fingers ached from all the typing, only to hear a Guardroid suddenly march into the temple. "Oh no," she whispered as her Crystardian flew down and blocked the machine's view of her. "No...I just need a few more seconds!"

"Star!" her Pokémon yelled as Guardroid fired a Flash Cannon, hitting its Protect.

"Almost..." She whispered before a string of code suddenly flashed green, "GOT IT!" She exclaimed, quickly hitting the enter key. The computer then sent a wireless signal out to Androrg. The signal flew out of the temple and travelled at light-speed, soon reaching the Bio-Mech Pokémon.

And as it was locked in battle with Galladin, trying to use Electro Blade on the knight, the signal hit its drives. "An?" It stopped as the decoded virus began to eat away at the one currently infesting its hard drive, its eyes slowly changing from red to their normal color. As this happened, its organic parts began to synchronize with its inorganic parts, allowing it to see its security system was wrong. "Androrg!" It called out, making everyone turn to it. It glanced around, seeing the Guardroid attacking the people it remembered scanning into the system.

"Star!" Astro cried as a Flash Cannon knocked him into a Guardroid as it pulled its fists back. "Vern!" He flinched as the machine threw the punch, but that attack never came. "Star?" He opened his eyes to see Guardroid had stopped its attack inches from him.

The same was true for the other Guardroid all over the city.

"What's going on?" Spike asked as the Guardroid stopped attacking.

"The others must have found a way to undo what Team Shadow did," Celestia added as the Guardroid started to walk away.

"Did Androrg do this?" Twilight asked as they all turned to the Pokémon in question, the machine smiling back and using its robot hand to give a thumbs up. It had used the security list showing Team Shadow and changed its title, asking the Guardroid to now attack only that list.

"Nice work Androrg," Shining chuckled, "Glad to see you're back to normal."

"An." Androrg nodded back.

"Let's go get Team Shadow!" Flash yelled, quickly running off with his Pokémon behind him. Twilight and her team followed suit, along with the Guardroid and Sombra.

"Wait!" Shining called out, but he was ignored as they ran away.





Chrysalis ran as fast as she could, her grunts not far behind. A giant grin graced her face as she stared down at her prizes, knowing their leader would reward her for a job well done. But as several more of her grunts joined her, they spotted a group of Guardroid standing in their way. "Out of the way!" She called out, "We have to get these priceless artifacts someplace safe before those intruders catch up!"

She glared at the machines, ready to see them move...only for their shoulders cannons to begin to glow. "Guard!" They all roared.

"What?!" She yelped, skidding to a stop, "What are you-" The Guardroid fired a Flash Cannon before she could finish, forcing the criminals to duck down to avoid the attack. "What the heck?!" Again, the Guardroid fired, forcing her to evade as she whispered, "Don't tell me..." She stood up as Queensect jumped in front of her, "Did the virus get removed?!"

"That's right!" They all spun around at this, now seeing Flash, Twilight and all but Shining's Pokémon running up to them. "Now you're definitely outnumbered." He came to a stop as Androrg ordered the Guardroid the fan out, circling the criminals.

"We can take 'em!" A grunt told Chrysalis, "We'll hold them off and you make a run for it."

"Oh, I don't think so!" They turned to see Champagoon fly up from behind a building, Celestia and Luna hanging from its feet. A squawk then made them turn to see Flitanium carrying Doc, Spike hanging from Higear as their Pokémon floated down, along with more Guardroid appearing.

"Hand over the cases," Flash demanded as Springer formed an Aura Sphere.

"I don't think so," she held the cases up. "You wouldn't dare attack us. If you do, you'd risk damaging these relics."

"They've survived everything you've thrown at us," Twilight replied, "I'm sure they'll survive a few more bumps." Everyone else nodded and all took a step forward, Chrysalis grimacing as she then saw Shining and his Pokémon arrive with Sombra.

But before she could even think of surrendering, the Skullvoc suddenly all phased out of the ground, all grabbing Team Shadow in their legs and lifted them upward. "HEY!" Flash yelled as Springer threw his Aura Sphere, but Queensect flew in front of Chrysalis, using Bug Buzz to destroy the orb.

The Guardroid all fired their Flash Cannons next, but the Skullvoc used Shadow Ball to block them. "Stop them!" Celestia added as Champagoon flew after them, Skyler, Flitanium, Owlicious and Peewee flying off as well. They quickly closed the gap, but more Skullvoc appeared, all firing Shadow Balls or X-Scissors to stop them. The Pokémon were all forced back by the barrage, allowing Team Shadow to get to the hole in the ice mountain they had originally come through, the helicopters still hovering in place with the ropes.

Chrysalis passed one of the cases to a Shadow Grunt and used her free hand to grab the rope, which was retracted back up into the flying vehicle. Once she and the other grunt were safely aboard, she returned her Skullvoc and Queensect. This repeated several times until all the Shadow Grunts were back on their helicopters, returning their Pokémon before the chopper flew off.





With Team Shadow gone, Flash growled before falling to the ground. "I can't believe this!" He punched the ground, "I can't believe we let them get away again!"

"It's not your fault," Twilight chimed in, "We all failed to stop them."

Sombra turned to Shining, a look of shame on his face. "Forgive me. You trusted me to keep the cases safe, but in the end, I was the reason they were taken."

But then he saw the look on Shining's face, one of confidence as the last member of Team Shadow disappeared through the holes in the roof. "Don't worry about it. They may think they won, but they're far from victorious." Sombra, Flash and the others all raised an eyebrow at this, only for Shining to continue talking.





Up in the helicopter, Chrysalis and her goons were sitting back as the vehicle sent them away from the city.

"It might have been harder than we thought, but in the end, we completed our goal." She grabbed the case at her feet and pulled out a small pen-like device, which she pointed at the case's locks before pressing a button on the side. The device shot a laser that melted through the locks, allowing the case to open. "Now we have everything we need to-" She didn't get to finish as she opened the case, her eyes going wide. "No..."

Inside the case...was nothing. The foam out-cut that should have held the Heart Fragment was complete empty, with nothing in it but a piece of paper that showed a cartoon sketch of Shining sticking his tongue out, the words: 'fooled ya' written above it.

"No!" She slammed the case shut and grabbed the other one, melting through it and seeing it to was completely empty as well. "NOOOOOOOOOO!"





"The case was empty?!" Celestia gasped, Shining nodding back with crossed arms.

"But...then where are they?!" Luna asked, "Ancient relics don't just disappear."

"They never left the temple," Shining replied before gesturing them to follow. And as they made their way through the now criminal free city, they saw that some of the buildings had been damaged in the attack. The Guardroid were all looking rather worse for wear, and the scientists they had previously attacked now looked exhausted from the situation.

And as they arrived back at the temple, they found Cadance behind the altar with the Heart Fragment and Shadow Spear resting on it. "They're here!" Twilight exclaimed, running over to the relic, seeing they weren't damaged, "But...how did-"

"We removed them from the cases before Chrysalis got into the temple," Cadance replied, "We hid them somewhere else, so there was no way Team Shadow could get away with them."

Spike raised an eyebrow at this, "So we spent all that time protecting the cases even though we didn't need to?! We could have just let them have the cases and they would have left!"

Shining rolled his eyes, "We needed to give Cadance enough time to override the virus Team Shadow had planted on Androrg. If we had just given them the cases, they would have gone but then come back once they realized they were empty. Only this time, they probably would have ripped the city apart looking for the relics and Cadance wouldn't have been able to cure Androrg. Trust me, playing keep away with the cases as long as possible was for the best."

The others nodded, happy they managed to pull off the trick they didn't know they were playing. Team Shadow might have escaped, but at least they left empty handed. And even with all the damage the Guardroid had received, the criminals wouldn't likely be coming back to try and swipe the relics any time soon.

"We shouldn't relax just yet," Celestia added, "We now know Team Shadow is after the Heart Fragment. And now that they know they don't have it, they'll be back."

"Maybe we should move the Heart Fragment someplace more secure," Sombra suggested, "My company has a large vault that's almost impregnable. There's no way they'll get it there."

"Not a bad suggestion, but we can't do that," Cadance responded, shaking her head. "They might know it's here, but for all we know, moving it could put the relic in even more danger."

"She's right," Luna chimed in, "They could attack the train or any of the transports we intend to use. The Heart Fragment is safer here as long as we add some more security levels. They were able to sneak that virus chip onto Androrg before, so they may try and do it again."

Cadance nodded. "At least if that happens, I'll understand the program better and be able to rewrite it faster." The others all nodded back, Sombra doing his best to not growl under his breath.

Everything after that was a slight blur.

The Guardroid started to get fixed up, and the other Pokémon were all looked over and treated. Despite the intense battles they all went through, none had sustained any serious injuries. The holes that Team Shadow had made became a worry, but that worry soon faded when Celestia and Champagoon flew up to examine and find they were already starting to freeze back over. Whether this was a natural cause or something left by Alicormony would probably remain a mystery for a long time.

And as the day came to an end and as the sun began to set, everyone headed over to the train station. Despite the insanity that had occurred, the train and its riders were all unharmed. This meant Sombra could leave, only being able to get away from his company for a day.

"Are you sure you have to go?" Celestia asked him as the train's engine began to warm up. "It could be dangerous."

"Team Shadow might attack and take you hostage," Twilight added, "They did it before and it worked, so they might try it again."

"Don't worry," Sombra assured them. "I'm fairly confident Team Shadow won't do anything to try and hurt me."

"Maybe I should go with you," Shining chimed in, "Just to be safe."

Sombra shook his head as he stepped onto the train's carriage. "No, you're needed here. Until those new security measures are installed, you're the best defense those relics can hope for."

"If you're sure?" Sombra nodded before turning to Flash and his friends.

"Well my friends, you've certainly shown me you're not to be taken likely. Fighting off an evil team is one thing, but your encounters with so many legendaries proves you're something important." The train began to blow, "I look forward to seeing what happens with you in the future."

Flash, Twilight, Doc and Spike all nodded as Sombra fully climbed into the train. They all waved goodbye as the train began to pull away, the group seeing Sombra sitting in the carraige with a smile on his face. But no sooner did the train disappear into the tunnel, Sombra's smile vanished as he pulled his sleeve up to reveal his watch. It projected a screen that was static for several seconds, only to change to a grimacing Chrysalis.

"Sir..." she gulped, "I'm afraid things haven't gone...quite to plan. They-"

"Tricked you into thinking you had the relics so that you would waste your time while they found a way to undo our hack of the Androrg," he finished, Chrysalis slowly nodding back. Sombra let out a sigh at this, "Seems we're now at an impasse."

"We'll find a way to fix this. We'll undertake another assault on the city."

"No," Sombra shook his head, "This attack has only made them more alert. They expect another attack and without the Guardroid under our control, we can't guarantee a successful operation."

"So what do we do?" She asked, Sombra leaning back as he rubbed his temple and forehead.

"We'll have to forget about the Heart Fragment for now. Give them time to lower their guard. Until then, we'll focus on finding the alter. Head to Mount Tartarus and help Doom with the expedition. If he's right, we can grab the Heart Fragment once the place is under our full control."

"Understood," Chrysalis nodded. "I promise, I won't fail you again."

"Be sure that you don't," he hissed before switching off the device, "I'm surrounded by imbeciles. Doom, you better have some good news for me the next time we talk."





Mount Tartarus...

Doom Raizer stared out at snowy terrain that stood near the base of the mountain, the criminal amazed at the difference in environments that were so close together. Despite it being snow covered on this side of the mountain, the mountain itself and the area beyond it was dry as a bone.

This was mainly due to the large number of volcanoes that could be found on the other side of Mount Tartarus, which heated the land and kept the place completely snow-free. And as he turned away from the snowy wonderland behind him, he saw the multiple Team Shadow grunts working. They had Pokémon like Sandshrew, Excadrill, Diggersby and many of the Rhyhorn line, all cutting through the rock and digging away at the mountain.

Skullvoc and their pre-evolutions were also flying around the place, carrying buckets that were either empty or filled with the rocks that had been dug away from the sight. The ones filled with rocks were being flown down to the base of the mountain, while the empty ones were being dropped so the Shadow Grunts could fill them.

"How's it going?" Doom asked one of the grunt, the hooded figure turning to him.

"I'm sorry to say sir, but we've been unable to find the entrance or anything that might lead us to discovering the entrance."

"Well keep searching!" Doom almost yelled, the grunts all nodding and running off as he turned to the mountain's peak. "You're here somewhere. And I'll find you, no matter what." He continued to stare at the peak, only for his eyes to catch some movement. "What?" He squinted his eyes at this, seeing something fly through the air, only for the figure to vanish.

Blinking at this, he let out a sigh before shrugging, "I need a vacation. All this stress is making me see things." He turned back to his men, his mind going back to the sight one last time before talking to another grunt over the mission.





Up above the mountain, camouflaged within the blue sky, the Legendary Pokémon known as Pegasoar flew down.

As he approached the peak, he saw something standing atop the mountain. It was the Legendary Pokémon Horsearth, who had gotten there before Pegasoar. And as the flying Legendary descended, a flash of light occurred beside the Earth-type, fading to reveal the Psychic-type known as Mysticorn.

Pegasoar landed and the three Legends of Equestria all turned to the base of the mountain. They were done watching as Equestria fell into peril. Now they would take action, ready to stop Team Shadow before it was too late. For this was the duty bestowed upon them by the Legendary that had created them.

Team Shadow's assault on the Crystal Empire had been a perilous event, with luck being the only thing that made it a failure. But now, what will the evil does attempt next for their heinous schemes. And will our heroes be able to stop them. Find out, as the journey continues.
> Shrieking a Difficult Lesson
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been several days since Team Shadow had invaded the Crystal Empire. In that time, there had been no other attempts to steal the relics or take control of the security system. Androrg and the Guardroid had all been completely restored to full factory settings and security system reinstalled, all ready to defend the empire.

Currently, Twilight and Doc were in the throne room with Cadance, helping the young professor design some new firewall systems. "The code looks good," Doc commented as his eyes skimmed over the screen, "Yup. I think this'll work perfectly."

"Then let's not wait to upload it," Cadance replied before he shut the laptop and handed it too her. "We'll have Androrg check it out, and if he thinks it's fine, he can upload it to the rest of the Guardroid."

Twilight and Doc nodded before they left the throne room, now searching for the machine in question. When they walked out of the castle, they saw the Guardroid helping fix up the last remaining damage their rampage had caused. The crystal structures were easily repairable, with simple glue being all they need since the city didn't have to worry about things like rain or snow affecting the building's design.

But before any of them could start searching for Androrg, they spotted Celestia and Luna down the street. The two professors were setting up some photography lamps with satellite dishes in place of the lights. And as the three drew closer, they saw the satellites were pointed at a warp tile. "Hey!" Twilight spoke up, "What are you all working on?"

Celestia turned to her, "Just a little something we thought might be interesting to look into."

"We think we've found a way to hack these warp tiles," Luna added, "We've done a few tests and everything seems to be working perfectly, so we're about to do a long distance test."

Celestia moved over to a laptop on a small table next to one of the satellites, "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," a familiar female voice replied.

"Alright," Celestia pressed a few buttons, "Power on." The satellites began to glow before they shot lasers at the warp tile, the tile now shining. After a few seconds, it began to expel the same light it normally did. It formed a column that domed at the top, with something appearing within it.

A person appeared within the column, spinning around as they materialized. Twilight spotted a blur of red and yellow on their head, making her smile as she saw the light disappear. The person was now spinning, shaking her head as Sunset Shimmer now walked off the warp tile. "Ugh...that wasn't pleasant." she moaned as she almost fell over, Celestia catching her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," the girl shook her head again, "But that was a serious rush. Almost too much."

"Sunset!" She turned to Twilight, the two hugging each other tightly. "I can't believe you're here!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She chuckled as she pulled away, "With this warp tile, I can finally come and check out the Crystal Empire and be back at the lab in time to feed the Pokémon before they get too rowdy."

As this happened, Cadance turned to Celestia, "How'd you do this?"

"Well, the warp tile already had everything needed to create a link to another place," Celestia responded, "We just removed the stone that acted as its power source and location anchor, then we replaced it with these modulators." She patted the satellites, "These powered the tiles and connected them to the global transport system."

"Which means we can transport anyone here from any place with a transporter system," Luna continued, "It requires the transporter to be altered slightly, but anyone with a basic understanding of engineering can do it."

"Yup," Sunset nodded, "I was able to modify it easily." She then turned to look at the empire. "Amazing..." she whispered. "Celestia sent me pictures, but seeing it in person is even more amazing."

And as she said that, a Guardroid marched past her. Twilight, Doc and Cadance panicked at the sight, only for the machine to glance at her and walk away. Celestia chuckled at their expressions as she chimed in, "I made sure to upload Sunset's data into Androrg's system before we attempted to bring her over."

The others sighed in relief, only for Androrg to appear, walking up to them. It looked perfectly fine despite the amount of damage it had acquired the other day. "Androrg!" Cadance exclaimed, catching the Bio-Mech Pokémon's attention. "We have some new firewalls that we want you to test out. If it works, you can upload it to the rest of the Guardroid."

"Androrg," it nodded before kneeling down. Cadance moved behind it and pulled out one of the wires connecting its head to its body before plugging in a wire from her laptop.

"Uploading now," she whispered before pressing a button on the machine. The screen beeped several times before showing a progress bar, slowly moving as she stared at the system.

As they waited, Twilight turned to Sunset, "So what do you want to see first? We've got a lot to show you before tomorrow."

"What's happening tomorrow?" Sunset asked.

"We're heading out." Doc replied, "It's a long trek to Dragonia City, and the weather outside is supposed to be rather calm tomorrow."

"You're heading to Dragonia City?" Sunset asked with raised eyebrows, "That's pretty far, isn't it?"

"Flash wants to challenge the gym leader there," Twilight shrugged, "He's only one badge away from entering the league after all."

"Impressive," Sunset nodded, "Say, where is Flash anyways?" The others replied by pointing toward a building several streets away, the second largest in the city between the castle and temple.





The Crystal Empire's stadium was located behind the castle, being almost as big as the Hoofington City's stadium. Like all the other buildings in the city, it was made entirely out of crystal, its walls, seats and columns all made out of different colored gems, though the playing field was full of grass, and even had a dirt battlefield in the center.

It was believed by those who were studying the city that this stadium was likely where Equestria's first Pokémon battles took place, Flash and his Pokémon now there. "Steel Wing and Aqua Break!" Skyler flew down with glowing wings, charging at Riptide as the lizard formed a water sword, slashing at the wings in a single clash. "Bounce and Poison Fang!" In another section, Prongs began jumping around Viper as the snake tried to follow his movements.

"Stag!" Prongs tried to body-check Viper, but he moved his serpentine body out of the way before snapping at Prongs, the Grass-type hopping back just in time.

"Dragon Rage and Extreme Speed!" Astro unleashed a blast of blue fire at Springer, but the Riolu easily zipped around, about to kick Astro as the dragon, ducked under the blow.

"Ri!" Springer spun around, trying to hit him with his leg again. However, Astro pulled back, the Riolu's toes almost touching him.

"Double Team and Shadow Ball!" Springer leapt back, multiplying into an army of Riolu that encircled the Starvern.

"Star?" Astro replied, his eyes darting around at the army as the Springers crossed their arms. "Starvern!" Astro turned to fire a Shadow Ball at one of the Riolu, who went wide-eyed and leapt straight up as the orb flew under him. The other Riolu vanished, the real Springer then landing.

"Wow!" Flash laughed, "Nice work Astro." The Starvern smirked, pointing at his nose. "Heh. I didn't think your sense of smell was that strong. Impressive."

"They're all impressive." Flash and his Pokémon turned to the voice, now seeing Shining up in the front row of the lowest stands. "I can tell by just looking at them. Your Pokémon have all grown really strong since the last time we battled."

Flash blinked at this, the memories of his whole team getting decimated by Shining's Galladin alone. "Um...thanks," Flash barely responded, "But we've still got a long way to go." He turned to his Pokémon. "We might be only one badge away from entering the league, but there's still a lot we need to learn before then."

"That's a good attitude," Shining chuckled, "No matter how strong you are, you should always be striving to get stronger."

"True," Flash nodded, "But how much stronger could you get? You're the champion."

"Just because I'm champion doesn't mean there aren't ways I can get stronger. Even if I'm the strongest trainer in Equestria, there's bound to be someone out there that's stronger than me. There are other champions in other regions, and I might one day end up meeting and battling against them. If I don't train, I won't stand a chance."

"I...guess that's true."

"Besides," Shining pointed at Flash's Pokémon, "You can always learn new stuff just by training different Pokémon. I'm betting each of your Pokémon have helped you learn something new and important that helped you become the person you are today."

Flash turned back to his team, all six nodding back at him. "Yeah, they did. I wouldn't be anything without them."

"That's good." Shining nodded. "But one day, you might catch a new Pokémon and it'll help you learn something new about yourself. I know that's happened to me. Even after I became champion, I kept learning thanks to the Pokémon I met and what they taught me." Flash wanted to ask about what Pokémon Shining had caught after becoming champion, but then remembered he got Ankyload and taught it to control its power along with the Douburrow back from the Grand Desert.

"You might be right about that," Flash sighed, "But I think for now, I'd like to focus on training the Pokémon I already have and focus on learning whatever I can from them. I might meet a new Pokémon I wanna catch, but I'm happy with the ones I already have."

"That's fine," Shining replied, "And you were right that you and your Pokémon all have a lot to learn. There's one Pokémon in particular that still has a major weakness you'll need to find a way to overcome if you ever want to think about becoming champion."

Flash and his Pokémon all raised an eyebrow at this, the seven glancing at each other. Shining then leapt down, walking onto the field as the Pokémon all subconsciously got into a line as the champion approached. He stopped in front of Astro, the Starvern blinking up at him.

But before Flash could make the excuses that Astro was the youngest, Shining walked over to Viper. The Vipeacon glared back at him, but Shining then moved over to Prongs, Riptide, Skyler and finally stopping at the sixth Pokémon.

"Ri?" Springer tilted his head.

"Springer?" Flash asked, "Springer has the weakness? He's one of my strongest Pokémon."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't have weaknesses your opponent can exploit," Shining countered, "And it's a real big weakness. One you need to overcome before it's even a possibility that you could become champion."

"What is it?" Flash asked, his lip slightly trembling.

Shining chuckled back at this, seeing the fear now appear on Flash's face. He smirked and crossed his arms, "How about we have a battle?" Flash's eyes went wide at this. "One on one. You and Springer versus me and one of my Pokémon. I think it'll be easier to show you what you need to do instead of just telling you. What do you say?"

Flash and Springer shared a glance, both nodding as he replied, "Alright! You're on!"





Meanwhile...

Twilight had just finished telling Sunset everything that had happened since they last ran into each other. "Wow," Sunset whispered, "Things are never boring with you guys, are they?"

Twilight nodded, "What can I say? We know how to have a good time." They both laughed, only to see Spike and Peewee walking up. "Spike? I thought you were watching Flash train."

"I was," Spike replied, "But just watching got boring, so we snuck out when he wasn't looking and decided to explore the city by ourselves."

"I told you not to do that," Twilight crossed her arms, "What if you had gotten lost?!"

"How?" Spike asked before pointing at the castle, "I have a pretty easy place to head to if I get turned around." Twilight sighed, shaking her head and rubbing her eyes behind her glasses.

"Done!" They heard Cadance call out, turning to see her unplug the cable from Androrg's head and replacing the one she pulled out earlier. "The firewall's one hundred percent installed. How's it feel?" They all saw Androrg's face go blank, the cyborg testing out its new defenses by trying to break through them itself.

After a minute, the Bio-Mech Pokémon turned back to Cadance. "Androrg!" It exclaimed before uploading the system to all the other Guardroid. All over the city, the machines stopped for a moment as their systems integrated the new software, only to start back up and continue like nothing had happened.

"And with that, our security system is now ten times better."

"Meaning Team Shadow will have a harder time getting in to try and steal the relics," Doc added.

"And even if they did get in here, with out new transporter method, we could teleport the items someplace safe before they even got close to them."

Celestia nodded in agreement, "We should set one of these up in the temple to be extra safe." The others all nodded, only for another sound to ring out.

"TORE!" They all looked up, now hearing the squawk of Flash's Tornavian as he landed beside them.

"Hello Skyler, is something wrong?" Skyler started squawking, pointing his wing toward the stadium. "Did something happen to Flash?" Skyler didn't say anything, instead taking off as Twilight turned to the others, "Come on!"

The group followed Skyler, quickly getting to the stadium field. There they saw Flash, Springer and Shining at the battlefield while Flash's other Pokémon stood a ways off, Skyler landing next to them.

"Huh?" Spike asked as they moved over, "Are those two battling?"

"It looks like it," Cadance nodded. "But why?"

Flash turned to them. "Shining wants to help me and Springer find out a weakness we have."

This made them all raise eyebrows, only for Shining to speak up, "It's a big weakness," he took out a Pokeball. "One I noticed during the Team Shadow incident." Flash tilted his head at this as he continued, "Don't get me wrong, you did amazing during that situation. But there was still one small problem you had. I didn't see it, but I heard it and you need to find a way to overcome that failing before you're ready to take me on in the League."

"But what is it?" Flash asked.

"This! Banshriek!" He threw the ball, "Stand strong!" The ball unleashed a red light, soon fading to reveal Shining's Pokémon.

It looked like a larger Ghouwail, being roughly five and a half feet in height. Its body was grey in color, though they could only see its face, uppers arms and lower half. The lower half was a tail-like appendage that floated above the ground, and it was dressed in a black sleeveless dress that covered its entire chest and stomach, but opened up at the legs to show its tail. The dress had several tears in them and around its arms and between its hands and elbows were black wraps of cloth that hung down at the ends and had several tears as well. On its hands were a quartet of razor sharp claws and around its waist was a gray mental belt with small spikes while its eyes were pure white with no pupils. Its hair was black and long, flowing down its back with two locks framing its face. "Ban," it spoke as it floated up, "Banshriek!" It then let out a high pitched cry that forced everyone except Cadance and Shining to cover their ears.

"What is that thing?!" Flash yelped as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Banshriek
Category: Scream Pokémon
Type: Ghost
Info: The evolved form of Ghouwail. This Pokémon hates loud noise, so it drowns them out with its own. It prefers living in abandoned buildings where noise is rare.

"A Ghost-type?!" Flash gasped, he and Springer glancing at one another. "But that means..."

"None of Springer's attacks are gonna work on it," Twilight finished, Celestia, Luna and Cadance blinking at this.

"That's not fair!" Spike called out, "You should let Flash pick a different Pokémon." Flash's other Pokémon all cried out in agreement, Astro and Skyler trying to catch Flash's attention so he would pick them.

"Why?" Shining asked, "If I did that, he wouldn't learn anything." Flash raised an eyebrow as Shining turned to him. "Flash, every time you find yourself up against a Ghost-type, what do you and Springer do?"

"We...Springer holds back and I let one of my other Pokémon battle it." The other Pokémon nodded.

"Exactly. That is a smart decision, just like when an Electric or Dragon-type that only knows moves of that type come up against a type that's immune to it, the smart thing to do is switch Pokémon. But you shouldn't let that be your only option."

"What other options do I have?" Flash asked, Shining just smirking.

"Let's see if you can figure it out yourself. The battle begins...NOW!" As soon as he said that, Banshriek charged at Springer as the champion commanded, "Shadow Claw!"

"Ban!" It roared as its hands were surrounded by a dark aura that took the shape of giant claws.

"Dodge it!" Flash countered, Springer leaping back as Banshriek slashed at him. But the Scream Pokémon was relentless, just slashing as Springer kept jumping back. "Double Team!" The Riolu slammed his paws together, a army of himself appearing as Banshriek came to a stop. "Ha! Can't hit me if you don't know which one's Springer."

"You sure about that?" Shining asked as Banshriek took a deep breath, "Ghostly Wail!"

"Ban...SHRIEK!" It screamed, unleashing another powerful soundwave that echoed throughout the battlefield, this one sounding like nails on a chalkboard.

"RIOLU!" The real Springer cried, covering his ears as his clones all vanished. The others listening did the same, only Skyler not being affected by the attack.

"Springer!" Flash yelled over the sound of the scream, "Aura Sphere!" Springer barely managed to hear him, but did as he was told and brought his hands together to form the sphere and fire it. The attack shot at Banshriek, who kept screaming as it reached. But instead of exploding, the orb simply phased through her.

"Flash!" Twilight yelped, "Fighting-type moves won't work against Ghost-types! You know this!"

"But what choice does he have?" Sunset asked, "It's not like Springer knows any moves that can actually hurt that thing."

It was here that Banshriek stopped screaming, only for Shining to order, "Shadow Claw!" Springer looked up to see the specter coming at him with glowing claws.

"Extreme Speed!" Springer's body sparked as he vanished, seconds before Banshriek could hit him. He then reappeared behind it and then zipped to a different area, soon zooming around in a flurry of blue lightning.

"Ri!" He yelled before charging straight through Banshriek, his entire body phasing right through. "Rio!" He ungracefully fell and rolled on the ground, Banshriek spinning around.

"Sucker Punch!" As Springer pushed himself back to his feet to attack again, Banshriek forming a fist.

"RI!" He yelped as he felt Banshriek throw a punch into his gut, knocking the wind out of him.

"Springer!" Flash yelped, seeing his partner fall over. The sight made him go wide-eyed before closing his eyes, "Come on...Shining thinks there's a way to fight back, but what is it?"

"Come on Flash," Shining told him, "Think about it. What could you do to help Springer overcome a Ghost-type?" But Flash didn't respond, making the champion shake his head, "Alright...what if Riptide found himself up against a Grass-type?" The Pokémon in question raised an eyebrow at this.

"That's different. Riptide's attacks actually hit Grass-types."

"But none of them are really strong against it."

"No," Flash shook his head, "He has Ice Punch." As he said this, something clicked in his brain. "Wait..."

"Now you get it," Shining nodded. "Springer only knows Fighting and Normal-type moves, but those aren't the only moves he can learn." Springer pricked up his ears at this, "Shadow Claw, Blaze Kick, even moves like Thunder Punch...did you never think to teach Springer a move like that?" Flash didn't answer, "Between the time I gave you Springer and the day you started your journey, did you ever wonder what you'd do if you ran into a Ghost-type?"

"Not...really. I have other Pokémon."

"I know. But this is something every trainer with Normal, Fighting, Electric, Ghost, Psychic, Ground, Poison and Dragon-types should consider. Because while you could usually swap your Pokémon out, what if that's not an option? Like this situation. This is a one on one battle, so you're not allowed to swap your Pokémon. And what if in the league, you find yourself with only Springer left to battle with and your opponent sends out a Ghost-type?"

"I'd have no way to beat them..." Flash barely replied.

"Exactly," Shining nodded, "And what if your opponent used Mean Look or something to lock Springer into the battle? You'd be done for. The rest of your Pokémon all have one move that they're weak too or that's completely immune to their base type. But you and Springer have been slacking in that department. Drain Punch, Aura Sphere, Extreme Speed and Double Team are all powerful moves, but they're completely worthless against Ghost-types."

"You're...you're right," Flash sighed, looking down at the floor. "We have been slacking."

"Ri..."

"So what do you wanna do?" Shining asked, "Forfeit, or keep trying to battle despite having no way of winning?"

Flash blinked at this, looking up at Springer as they both stared at each other. And as they did this, Springer nodded back at him. "Alright. I got it." Springer spun around at this, facing the Pokémon again. "We're gonna keep fighting. Even if none of our moves work, there has to be some way to beat Banshriek."

"We'll see," Shining replied as Banshriek flew down, "Shadow Claw!" Banshriek slashed at Springer, the Riolu hopping back while getting nicked in the shoulder.

"Aura Sphere toward the ground!" Springer thrust a ball down into the battlefield, causing the ground to explode and sending dirt and dust flying in all directions. "Now, Double Team!" As the dirt faded, it revealed an army of Springer that were circling around Banshriek. "Keep moving!" The Riolu all began to run around, making the Ghost-type dart his eyes around in confusion.

"Fly straight up, then use Ghostly Wail!" Banshriek shot up, taking a deep breath as everyone covered their ears.

"BANSHRIEK!" The Scream Pokémon wailed at the top of its lungs, the sound waves reverberating down and hitting all the Riolu. They all flinched and covered their ears, one by one vanishing until only Springer remained.

"Shadow Claw!" Banshriek shot down with glowing claws and as Springer's ears were still ringing, not noticing as the Pokémon slashed into him.

"RIO!" He cried, flying off his feet before hitting the ground with a thud.

"SPRINGER!" Flash yelled as the others flinched at the sight, Flash's other Pokémon grimacing at the sight of their team's leader.

"Ri..." Springer groaned as he pushed himself up, scraping his paws through the dirt as he clutched them into a fist. Everyone watched as he got up, slumping over in pain while wheezing in exhaustion.

"Springer.." Flash whispered, only for Shining to speak up.

"I'm afraid this is where it ends," He pointed at Springer. "Shadow Claw!" Banshriek summoned the energy claws and charged, ready to use the finishing blow on Springer.

"Aura Sphere!" Flash countered, Springer trying to summon the sphere in his paws. But the orb was unsteady, fading and glitching as Flash saw this and closed his eyes. "Springer..." He let out a long breath, reaching out to him as their auras connected. Flash could feel Springer's frustration at not being able to hurt Banshriek, but could also feel his drive to find a way to win. 'We can do it Springer.' The Aura Sphere solidified as he thought this, 'Because we're a team. And even if we've messed up before, we can use that mistake to get better. Even if things seem impossible...'

"We won't stop trying to push past that wall!" Flash exclaimed as he and Springer raised their arms, blocking the Shadow Claw at the very last second.

"Ban?" She watched as the orb then started pulsing and flexing around, changing form as it turned into a tube-like shape that grew longer as Springer gripped it in his paws. And at the end, two bumps appeared side by side to give it a specific shape.

"Ri!" Springer opened his eyes, gasping at the new sight, Flash doing the same. Springer appeared to be holding a giant bone made out of blue energy. Then, Banshriek tried to slash Springer with its other claw, but the Riolu shifted the bone, blocking the attack. "RIOLU!" He barked before swinging the bone, smashing it into Banshriek's face.

"Bansh!" The ghost cried as it was thrown back, sliding along the ground before using its arms to push itself back up.

The others were also wide-eyed. "Springer just...hit it," Spike gasped, "How?!"

"Springer just used a new move," Doc replied, "I don't know how, but he managed to use Bone Rush." Springer glanced down at his new weapon, Flash also staring at it.

"Bone...Rush?"

"It's a Ground-type move!" Twilight called out, "It can hit Ghost-types!"

"Bone Rush..." Flash repeated before a smirk appeared on his lips. "Alright Springer!"

"Talk about timing," Luna chimed in. "Learning a move that allows him to hit Ghost-types, just as Shining was trying to teach them about doing that exact thing."

Celestia chuckled at this, crossing her arms as she watched the Riolu spin the bone around. "I guess when Springer realized his major flaw, he managed to dig deep and find just the move needed to overcome it."

"What's more surprising is the fact he managed to learn Bone Rush at all," Cadance added, "That's a move Riolu can't normally learn."

"But Lucario can," Sunset pointed out, "And since he can already use Aura Sphere and Extreme Speed, I guess it's not insane to say Springer could learn any move his evolved form can use."

Flash's other Pokémon also cheered, only for Shining to call out another command. "Sucker Punch!" Banshriek charged at the Riolu, ready to sock Springer in the gut again.

"RIO!" He spun the Bone Rush around, blocking the punch before pushing Banshriek back. "RIOLU!" He spun the bone again, smacking Banshriek in the face.

"Alright!" Flash cheered, "But let's not let Bone Rush be the only move we use! Extreme Speed!" Springer's body sparked as he charged at the Ghost-Type, zigzagging around as Banshriek recovered.

"RI!" He suddenly appeared right above the Ghost-type, right leg raised ready to slam it down into its head.

Banshriek smirked and simply let the attack fly down, only for Flash to yell, "Bone Rush!" Springer pulled the leg back and pulled his paws apart, creating another energy bone that he thrust into Banshriek's chest.

"BAN!" It cried, falling back as the bone hit it with another thrust.

"Haha!" Flash cheered as Springer landed in front of him, spinning his Bone Rush around with almost near mastery despite only having learned it. "This is awesome! I wonder what combos I could make with this new move?" He imagined Springer combining Bone Rush and Aura Sphere like using a baseball bat, then imagined thirty Springers using Bone Rush and smirked, "Let's do that. Springer...Double Team!"

"RI!" Springer yelled, throwing his Bone Rush upward as he tried to summon his doppelgangers...only for nothing to happen. "Ri?"

"What's wrong?" Flash asked, "Use Double Team!" Springer tried again, but nothing happened. "Springer?"

"Sucker Punch!" They both turned to see Banshriek suddenly warp over and slam a fist into his stomach, Springer crying out as he was thrown back.

"Springer!" He gasped as his Riolu landed in front of him, "Why isn't...wait." His eyes went wide, "Don't tell me."

The others all sighed, Celestia being the one to state the obvious. "I guess Flash was so excited about Springer learning Bone Rush that he forgot that it meant he had to forget another move."

"So Springer can't use Double Team any more?" Spike asked, getting a nod from the others.

"Which means he also can't use Aura Sphere Barrage," Doc pointed out, "Or any other trick he came up with using Double Team."

"Aw man!" Flash moaned before taking a deep breath, "Eh, its fine. It's a small price to pay in exchange for being able to hit Ghost-types. We'll just need to learn to rethink our strategies."

"And while you do that, Banshriek and I will take you down." Shining pointed at Banshriek, "Ghastly Wail!" Banshriek took a deep breath before unleashing the sonic blast, the wave hitting Springer and the others.

"RIOLU!" Springer cried, closing his eyes. "RI!" Springer charged despite this as Flash called out to him.

"Bone Rush!" Springer formed a bone in hand and broke it in half, causing the pieces to morph into two bones. He threw one of the bones like a javelin, hitting Banshriek in the gut and making it stop screaming as Springer leapt straight up. "Do it!"

"RI!" Springer extended his other, swinging it around like a baseball bat and hitting Banshriek in the face.

"Bansh!" It cried as it hit the ground, Springer landing a few feet away. "Banshriek!"

It quickly pushed itself up, while Shining smirked. "You may be able to hit Ghosts now, but there's still a lot you need to think about overcoming before you can feel safe."

"Like what?" Flash asked, Shining just chuckling back.

"Like losing the one move that makes it possible to hurt them. Banshriek, Disable!" Banshriek spun around and shot a glare at Springer, its eyes turning from white to a glowing blue. That light then struck Springer, making him cry out as he suddenly found himself unable to move.

"Springer!" Flash cried, seeing his partner freeze up, "What is this?"

"Its Disable. Stops your Pokémon from moving for a few seconds." Banshriek's eyes stopped glowing as it charged. "It'll allow us to hit him you Shadow Claw!" Banshriek swung its claws into Springer, knocking him flying again.

"Lu!" His back slammed into the ground, the Disable light vanishing.

"You okay?" Flash asked, Springer quickly jumping back to his feet and nodding. "Alright. Then let's hit it back with Bone Rush!"

"RI!" Springer put his paws together and pulled them apart...only for nothing to happen. "Ri?" He tried again, but nothing happened. "Rio?"

"What's wrong?"

"Disable has another effect," he turned to Shining. "It blocks your Pokémon from using the last move it used. So your Bone Rush is gone and Springer can't hit Banshriek any more."

"You gotta be kidding me!" Flash yelped.

"Time to end this!" Shining snapped his fingers, "Banshriek...Ghastly Wail!" Banshriek flew up to Springer and took a deep breath.

"Aura Sphere at the ground!" Springer fired the orb at the floor, making it explode right in front of Banshriek. But the Ghost-type simply phased through the debris and got right up close to Springer, "SPRINGER!"

"BANSHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIK!" The Ghost-type unleashed the loudest scream yet, hitting Springer point blank. The Fighting-type felt the incredible G-Force pushing him back, knocking him flying off his feet.

"RIOLU!" He screamed, his body zooming over the field. The sight made Flash go wide-eyed as he saw his Pokémon coming straight for him.

"Springer!" Flash yelped as the Riolu slammed into his stomach. "Gyah!" The two went flying, hitting the nearby wall as a pair of screams rang out.

"FLASH!" Their friends yelled as they ran over to them, circling around him as Banshriek floated over to Shining. "You okay?" Twilight asked as Flash sat himself up.

"I'm okay," he groaned while rubbing his head, only to glance down at Springer, "You okay bud?"

"Ri," Springer opened his eyes and blinked for a second, only to slump over as his eyes were replaced with spirals.

"Looks like he's down for the count," Celestia grimaced, Flash letting out a sigh.

Shining thanked Banshriek for the hard work before returning it to its Pokeball, then moved over to the others. "You did well, but you've still got a ways to go."

Flash nodded as Shining helped him up, "But now we at least have a move that'll do some damage against Ghost-types." He looked down at Springer in his arms. "And once we learn to properly work Bone Rush into our battle stance, I'm sure we'll do better next time."

"I think so too," Shining replied, "And when you're ready, I'll be waiting to take you on."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Ri?" Springer moaned as he woke up, Flash looking down at him.

"Hey bud." Springer blinked his eyes at this, only to go wide-eyed. But before he could react, Flash patted his head, "Don't worry Springer. We might have lost, but we can take this loss and learn from it."

"Ri," Springer nodded before leaping out of Flash's arms. Despite being injured, he managed to stand and bring his paws together. Everyone watched as Springer pulled them apart, creating a Bone Rush that he began swinging around.

"That's the way, bud." But as Springer thrust the staff, they saw him flinch. "But uh...maybe wait until you're properly healed up before doing too much practicing."

And as Cadance began administering Hyper Potions to him, Flash and his other Pokémon began training once again. Viper and Skyler sparred against one another while Prongs and Astro did the same. Riptide began practicing some sword swipes and once Springer felt well enough to join in, the Reptidal began showing him moves he could use his Bone Rush with.

It wasn't long till the sun began to set, the two now sparring against one another. Springer was able to do quite well with his new move, using what Riptide had shown him coupled with a few natural moves he was able to figure out. And by the time Flash called a stop to the training, Springer along with the rest of his team were exhausted, but satisfied with the progress they had all made.

But as this happened, Flash thought back to what Shining said. Even if he did one day achieved the rank of champion, he wouldn't be satisfied with it. He would have to keep training, no matter how strong he got, to keep testing out new combos and strategies, pushing his Pokémon and himself to their absolute limit. And even then, he knew he might end up catching new Pokémon and using them to learn to be a better trainer. For as strong as he could make his Pokémon, it was his Pokémon that made him far stronger, smarter, wiser and an even better person.





The next day...

As soon as the sun rose the next day, Flash, Twilight, Doc and Spike all suited themselves up in their winter gear, packing everything they would need for their extra long voyage to Dragonia City. Once they were ready, Cadance lead everyone out of the city, toward the edge of the empire.

"Why are we going this way?" Spike asked, only to get a smirk from Cadance.

"The train isn't the only way in and out of the city. We discovered a tunnel that leads under the ice mountain and goes right under one of the surrounding mountains before popping you out on the other side, pointing directly at Mount Tartarus. As long as you guys go straight, you should reach the mountain in a couple of days."

They walked along the grassy area between the mountain, then coming to a cave that had several scientists and digging Pokémon there. There were Alolan Sandslash and Machoke, the Ice-types digging through the icy rocks while the Fighting-Types were carrying the destroyed rocks away.

"Is it open?" Cadance asked the scientist, who nodded and gestured to the tunnel. They turned and saw some lamps sticking out the walls, illuminating the passageway for as far as they could see down it until it curved back up.

Cadance then turned to Twilight and her friends, "Well, this is it."

"It was great having you travel with us," Twilight replied before the pair hugged one another. "I'm gonna miss having you there with us."

"Me too," Cadance chuckled before pulling away, "But I've got work that needs to be done here, and you've still got a lot of adventuring you need to do out there." Twilight nodded and Cadance moved over to Spike and pulled him into a hug, "Be good."

"I will," he hugged her back before she pulled away and turned to Flash and Doc.

"Look after them." They both nodded before turning to the rest of their friends, enjoying farewells with each of them. Shining hugged his siblings and gave the guys a handshake, while Sunset and the professors each gave them a hug. And when the final goodbyes were given, the four and their Pokémon headed down into the tunnel.

And once they were out of ear contact, Cadance placed her head on Shining's shoulder. "So, what do you think? Will Flash be the one to topple you from your mighty perch?"

Shining chuckled at this, "He still has a ways to go. He's strong and even managed to overcome the weakness I showed him, but there's one final piece of the puzzle he's missing before he's ready. Something that can't be taught, only learned." He then slung his arm around Cadance, "But he'll get there. And when he does, I can't wait to go all out against him."

"But does he stand a chance against you?" Cadance asked, "Not that I want you to lose. Though I will admit, there are a few things your title as champion gets in the way of." She placed a hand on her stomach, which Shining didn't notice.

"I can't just give my title away. It needs to be won by someone worthy. But who knows, that might just be Flash. After all," they turned to one another, "He's just as big a loser as I was at his age." Cadance laughed at this before they both took one final glance into the cave, and walked away.





Flash and others strutted through the passageway, which wasn't like the one the train used. Instead of being surrounded in bricks that assured them it wouldn't collapse, the walls were made of nothing but mud and the occasional root. The six travelling through it all silently agreed to not make a noise, fearing that any noise could make it collapse.

And after three minutes, they reached the bottom of the passage, heading along a straightway for an hour next. They found they were likely beneath the mountain surrounding the ice structure, the passage then curving upward before reaching an exit. It was here that they saw a twinkle of light in the distance, the group running up as they found the earth and dirt around them morph into rock. Now seeing they weren't in the lowest section of the mountain now, they got to the mouth of the cave...and get hit by a burst of freezing cold wind.

"Gyah!" Spike shivered as Peewee crawled into his chest, "So cold..." The others nodded, glad they were wearing warm clothing. They pushed through the chilly wind being funneled into the cave and reached the exit, stepping out and finding themselves in a forest, three Cubchoos walking past them as they got to the treeline.

The group began to trudge through the snow, going through the trees and snow. The ice mountain behind them soon disappeared, the forest they were in showing how thick it was. It didn't help that they saw several Snorunts running around, Twilight warning them that that meant a Glalie could come around and make trouble.

"Its fine Twilight." Flash told them. "This might be the toughest challenge we've faced yet, but we can do it. Once we get to Dragonia City, our journey will almost be over."

"What are you gonna do when you get your last badge?" Spike asked before almost tripping up in the snow.

"Hopefully, the place will have an airport or something, and we can just get a plane to wherever the Equestria League is taking place. If it doesn't..."

"Then we might have to trek back to the Empire and catch a train to that airport," Twilight guessed, Spike letting out a moan.

"Let's just focus on getting to Dragonia first," Doc added, "Like Flash said, this might be our toughest journey yet. The snow around here is one thing, but Mount Tartarus in another. That place is supposed to have the strongest wild Pokémon in all of Equestria. We're not likely to get over it without a fight."

"We can do it," Flash assured him. "After all, together there's nothing we can't do. We made it through the Ghastly Gorge, the Everfree Forest, the Grand Desert and Foal Mountain. We've faced one super strong opponent and insane situation after another and always came out on top because we worked together." He held out his hand and the others all smiled before placing their hands on top of his. "Together, we're unstoppable."

"YEAH!" The others cheered before throwing their hands up.

Their adventures in the Crystal Empire had certainly been exciting, and now with Mount Tartarus and Dragonia City as their next destination, the adventure was far from over. No matter what challenges they faced, they would overcome them together. As the journey continues.
> Well Sled
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With their adventure in the Crystal Empire behind them, the group had begun their journey to Dragonia City to find Flash's final Equestria League Gym Challenge. Having left the city by travelling through an underground tunnel, they were now pointed straight at Mount Tartarus. But to get there, they would need to journey through a snowy wonderland, complete with constant frigid cold that tried to freeze them to their very bones. And as they trudged through the snow, the group began to go slower for a certain reason.

"Fire!" Spike yelled as he threw a snowball, hitting Flash in the back on the head.

"Ow!" He yelped, spinning around to Spike, "Oh, you're in for it now!" He grabbed a pile of snow in his hands before compacting it into a ball and letting it rip. "Take that!"

"Terra!" Peewee roared as he fired an Incinerate attack, melting the ball.

"Hey! That's not fair!"

"All's fair in war!" Spike laughed before making another snowball. But before he could throw it, Twilight grabbed his wrist and pulled the snowball out of his hand. "Hey!"

"No snowball fights!" Twilight growled, "This isn't the right environment for that kind of thing."

"Its snowing! Of course its good time to do that."

"No, its not." Doc added, "You should listen to her. It's okay to play when you're near a warm house where you can use to dry off, heat up and change clothes. But in this environment, a snowball fight's just asking for hypothermia."

"But-"

"No." Twilight interrupted before turning to Flash glaring at Spike, "And don't you start either."

Flash crossed his arms and replied, "Fine." He spun around, the group restarting their trek. They had been walking for almost four hours now, and as it drew close to noon, they began to feel themselves getting hungry, and they didn't appear to be anywhere close to the edge of the forest.

But as they went through another section, they found themselves in a clearing. They stepped out of one line of trees and found a good fifty feet of open snowy field before another line of trees could be seen. Glancing around, they saw a line of treeless snow going up a forty degree hill that curved to the right to their left and another line of clear ground that when down another hill to the right.

"Huh," Twilight hummed, "That's strange." She turned to Doc, "You think this could be a natural occurrence?"

"It's possible...but unlikely."

"It kinda looks like a race track," Spike pointed out.

"Who would be racing all the way out here?" Flash asked, only to hear a scraping sound echo throughout the forest. "You hear that?"

"Yeah. It sounds like-"

"GANGWAY!" A female voice yelled, making them turn to see a pair of sleds suddenly appear around the corner, now shooting down at them. They all leapt out of the way, just in time to avoid the sleds. "Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" She yelped, the girl and the Pokémon behind her being thrown off the sled and sent hurtling into the air. But before they could crash into one of the trees.

"Powder Snow!" The second sled's driver yelled as another Pokémon leapt off the sled.

Flash and the others saw the Pokémon, seeing it was a Frostoak, who pulled down its scarf and unleashed a burst of snowy wind. The attack hit the first rider and her Pokémon, a Magitual, and pushed them away from the trees. They fell toward the second slope, but the Powder Snow quickly created a large pile.

"WHOA!" She cried as she and Magitual hit the snow, protecting both as they crashed.

The second sled came to a more controlled stop on the flat pieces of snow, the driver getting up. They turned to him and saw he was a young man around Doc's age, with white skin and white hair that was wearing a white and blue winter jacket, blue pants and a purple hat and scarf with a trio of snowflakes on the end of it. He removed the goggles he was wearing, his Frostoak landing next to him. "You okay Trixie?"

"Trixie?!" The four asked in unison before turning to the pile of snow, only to see their blue skinned friend pop out of the snow. She was wearing a blue winter jacket with a purple scarf and gloves along with a green hat. The girl also appeared to be wearing her normal clothes beneath the jacket, though she had a pair of white tights on.

"Trixie's okay," she moaned as Magitual helped her up, only to turn to the group, "Oh hey. Long time no see."

"Yeah," Twilight nodded as they walked up to her, "Are you okay? That looked like quite a wipe-out."

"Trixie's had worse," she groaned, "Though thanks to you guys, her victory was just ruined."

"Victory?" Spike asked before glancing over at the sleds.

"She's talking about the race we were having," the other boy chimed in, "Nice to meet you all. I'm Double Diamond." He then gestured to his Pokémon, "And this is Frostoak."

"Frost," it waved back as they did the same and all gave their normal introductions.

"So this is a sled racing course?" Twilight asked as she stared at the slope.

"Yup," Double nodded, "It's one of the resort's less difficult courses. Perfect for beginners."

"Hmmm...so this must connect to the ski resort Cadance told us about." Twilight commented, "I almost forgot about it."

Flash then turned to Trixie, "So does that mean you're staying at the resort?"

"That's right," Trixie nodded. "I won first place at a raffle, which was an all expenses payed ski vacation. I thought it would be a nice treat for myself after winning my seventh badge."

"You've got seven badges now too?" Twilight asked, smirking. "That's just like Flash. We're actually heading toward the city with his last badge right now."

"Cool," Trixie chuckled, "Then I guess I'll see you at the league."

"We'll see," Flash nodded before looking down at the sled. "So this is what you're using to hit the powder? Would have thought you'd be skiing or snowboarding."

"That was the idea," Trixie sighed, "But then I heard about the competition."

"Competition?" Flash asked, his head instantly darting back to her.

"Oh dear," Twilight shook her head.

"Why don't we head back to the resort and I'll explain everything there," Double suggested, the group nodding in agreement. They soon headed up the slope and found a pair of snowmobiles waiting for them. "Oh," he turned to them, "I don't think we're all going to fit."

"No problem," Trixie smirked, "I have an idea."

Five minutes later...

"Wooooo!" Trixie and Flash exclaimed as they and their Pokémon were pulled through the snow on the sleds. Double and Doc were riding the snowmobiles, Twilight and Spike riding behind them while they pulled the sleds. They soon spotted a large mansion one hill over, which was surrounded by multiple snowy mountains. Taking a closer look, they saw each mountain was covered by little dots that were moving down the sides, along with ski lifts that headed up the mountains.

They continued to drive through the snow, riding down the large hill they were on before heading back up to the mansion. As they headed up, they saw several people skiing, snowboarding and sledding down the hill. Some were alone, but others had Pokémon with them.

When they reached the mansion, Double and Doc killed the engines and turned to the side, the sleds sliding past them...until it hit the end of the tether. "WHOA!" Flash and Trixie yelped as they were thrown off the sleds, hitting the snow along with Springer and Magitual.

The rest laughed as the four slowly got up. They then headed inside the mansion and suddenly found themselves in an oven. The place was incredibly hot, a sharp contrast to the outside as Double Diamond led them over to a wall that had a bunch of photos, each showing a bunch of different people holding a trophy with their Pokémon. They were also holding up a kind of stone, which was light blue and had a snowflake picture on it.

"Is that an Ice Stone?" Twilight asked, Double nodding.

"It's the prize in the Avalanche Sled Race."

"Avalanche Sled Race?" Doc asked, "Sounds...safe." Double laughed and led them over to another frame on the very edge of the wall. As they did this, each picture looked older than the last and eventually they reached a group that was black and white. And on the very end of the wall, a frame with a newspaper's front page could be seen.


ROGLACIER SAVES TRAVELER FROM AVALANCHE


"The traveler in the headline was the man who first built this resort," Double explained, "He went out to explore the area when he got caught in a blizzard. He was trapped wandering around the place, but then a Roglacier that lived in the area saved him.

"Roglacier?" Flash took out his Pokedex and typed the name into it. A few seconds later, the image of a humanoid Pokémon appeared onscreen. It looked like a larger version of a Frostoak, with the same white skin, ice covered claws, and icicle feet. It's blue cloak was now more of a snow poncho and had the same white snowflake patterns. Its hood was up and a long blue scarf was wrapped around it, covering its mouth and trailing over it shoulders and down to just behind the knee.

Name: Roglacier
Category: Snow Wanderer Pokémon
Type: Ice/Fighting
Info: The evolved form of Frostoak. Even in the coldest of environments, it feels nothing. It wanders the frosty mountains and sometimes comes to the rescue of lost travelers.

"And that's exactly what happened," Double chimed in, "The Roglacier took him to a cave it knew about and eventually, the blizzard died down. When it did, they began to head down the mountain....only for an avalanche to happen." Their eyes went wide at this, "To save them, the Roglacier used its ice attacks to create a sled. They used it to slide down the mountain and outrun the avalanche."

"I get it," Twilight added, "So the sled race is to honor that Roglacier that saved his life."

"Exactly," he nodded, "And the prize for winning the race is an Ice Stone."

"Because it's that stone that allows Frostoak to evolve into Roglacier," Doc continued, "Interesting. So when is this race?"

"The day after tomorrow," Double replied, "And if you want, I'm willing to bet there's still a few spots left. The rules are that you have to race down the mountain with one of your Pokémon, just like how the race was first created."

"Awesome!" Flash cheered before turning to the others, "You guys in?"

"Heck yeah!" Spike added, only for Double to shake his head.

"Sorry kid. The age limit is sixteen years or older." Spike's eyes went wide at this, only to growl and complain. Twilight calming him down a second later, they all decided to enter. Luckily, they managed to get three of the remaining four spots.

They went outside next, Flash now grabbing an orange sled while Doc got a dark blue one and Twilight picked a purple one. "Alright," Double told them, "Let's start by getting you used to riding in the sled with your Pokémon."

Springer, Owlicious and Higear all hopped into the sleds, Flash sliding into the sled and grabbing the steering wheel, "Ready bud?"

"Ri!" Springer nodded as Double used his foot to push them over the edge of the cliff.

"WHOA!" He yelped, instantly picking up speed.

"Remember the brake!" Double yelled, Flash looking down and seeing a pedal by his right foot. He hit it and something popped down from under the sled, slowing it down slightly as they reached the bottom of the hill and came to a stop. "Nice." He turned to the others, "Who's next?"

Twilight got in the sled and Owlicious got behind her. "Ready?" He nodded and Double pushed her over the edge, the sled picking up a lot more speed thanks to Owlicious' higher weight. "Brake, brake, brake!" She used it, but the sled didn't slow down fast enough, Owlicious opening his wings to slow them down even more.

"Not bad," Double told her once they were at the bottom. "But be careful about using wings. Flying's not allowed in this race."

Twilight nodded as Doc and Higear got into place. "Allons-y!" He exclaimed as Double pushed him over, he and Higear flying down the side of the hill at double the speed Flash and Springer. "Geronimo!"

"Wow!" Spike gapspd as they watched them go, "Talk about fast." As they reached the bottom of the hill, Doc applied the brakes....only to keep going and they even flew up another hill and stopped a third of the way up.

"Uh oh," he gulped before they began to slide backwards. "Stop, stop, stop, stop!" They soon came to one, right at the bottom of the hill. "I'm gonna have to watch our speed and calculate how long it takes to brake at different speeds."

"Smart idea," Twilight chuckled, "You don't wanna accidently crash into something because you couldn't brake in time." As she said that, Trixie and Magitual slid down and came to a perfect stop.

"Yes!" Trixie exclaimed, "I'm getting the hang of this."

"There's still a long way to go before you're ready to win that race," Double added, the group agreeing before spending the rest of the day practising. They all managed to get the hang of breaking, and then moved on to turning.

"WHOA!" Flash yelped as he turned to hard, his sled flipping over and throwing the two into the snow. "Ow."

"Ri..." Springer pulled himself out of the snow and shook himself.

"You turned too hard," Double commented, "You need to gradually turn, or you'll keep doing that." Flash nodded and tried again, only to flip his sled again. Twilight managed to get hers to turn, Owlicious once again using his wings to help keep them stable. Doc also had difficulty turning without flipping over due to his increased speed.

"YAH!" They both cried as they were thrown off the sled, the pair quickly pulling themselves out of the snow. Doc then made sure Higear didn't freeze up from the cold water getting into his system.

"Careful," Trixie turned her sled carefully, managing to keep herself and Magitual from being thrown off. Eventually, they got to the angle they wanted, and managed to slide vertically down the slope. They kept training for a few more hours and as the sun grew close to the horizon, each managed to pull of a turn and brake without being thrown from their sleds.

"You all did great," Double told them. "I think tomorrow you'll be able to do some of the more advanced moves you'll need to know for the race."

"Great," Flash smirked, "That Ice Stone is as good as mine."

"I wouldn't go that far," Double replied, "Some of the racers in this have years of experience sledding, and even they'll have trouble."

"Have you been in the race before?" Twilight asked as they entered the lodge.

"This'll be my third race," Double responded, "But I've run that course a hundred times before. I really wanna win it this year."

"That makes sense," Doc added, "I'm guessing you wanna win the Ice Stone so Frostoak can evolve."

"Yup. The two of us love sledding, along with snowboarding and skiing. The creator of the race has been our idol."

"Frost," Frostoak nodded.

Spike tilted his head at this, "If you know this course so well, how'd you lose the last two years?"

"Well, the first year, I didn't know the course so well and I went the wrong way. Last year, another racer lost control and crashed into us. But this year, we have a plan for every obstacle we face." He then strode off, heading to the cafeteria. Each shared a glance, wondering what kind of obstacles they would be facing as they followed Double.





The next day...

"Alright," Double commented as they arrived at the top of a rather large hill. "Yesterday, you learned the basics of sledding, but now it's time to learn what it takes to survive in the Avalanche Sled Race." He pointed down the slope and they saw a line of poles in the snow roughly ten feet across. "Watch and learn."

He got in his sled and pushed it, he and Frostoak shooting down the slope towards the pole. Seconds before they reached the first pole, Double turned and the sled moved to the left of the pole. He then changed direction, the sled sliding between the first and second pole to slid past it's right side, the sled continuing to zigzag over and over again until they reached the bottom of the hill, passing the last pole.

He got out of the sled next as he yelled, "See? Now you try!"

Flash was the first to try, and he managed to get past the first pole, but he accidently ran over the second and slid out of control away from the poles. Doc was next, and when he tried to turn between the poles, he lost control and flipped the sled over. Twilight followed, Owlicious able to slow them down with his wings, but he spread them too far and they ended up hitting the to poles. Trixie went last and got past the first two poles, only to turn the wheel too much and went spinning out of control.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" She cried before Frostoak leapt over and grabbed the sled, pulling it to a stop.

Double laughed at this, Trixie growling at him as they headed back up the hill to try again. They spent two hours trying to master the technique, eventually managing to get it down enough that Double stated they would be able to survive. He then moved them onto other tricks, such as turning a hundred and eighty degrees without losing control of flipping over. They then moved onto jumps, moving over to a ski jump.

"WHOOO!!" Flash exclaimed as he and Springer shot off the end of the ramp, soon landing as their sled almost went out of control.

"Nice," Double responded him before turning to Trixie. "Now you try it." Trixie nodded before she and Magitual flew down the ramp, shooting off the edge.

"Yeah!" She screamed, but then felt the sled moving to far forward. "No, no, no!" She and Magitual were then thrown from the sled, crashing into several feet of snow. They pulled themselves up and heard laughter, making her glare up at Double. "Not funny."

"Sorry," Double helped her up, "I'm just remembering back to when I first started sledding. Frostoak and I wiped out all the time."

"Really?" Flash asked.

"Of course. At one point, I thought maybe I should just give up and admit I wasn't meant to be a sledder. But then I thought back to my idol and asked what he'd have done if he let doubt stop him from trying to escape the avalanche. He wouldn't have survived, and this lodge and race never would have come about."

"Maybe," Trixie huffed, "But there's a difference between racing for your life and racing for a prize."

"Maybe, but the focus is the same. Believe in yourself and nothing can stop you, even a wave of snow planning to bury you. So I kept trying and eventually, I grew into the expert snow surfer you see before you. Now," he pointed back at the jump, "Ready to try again?"

They all nodded and headed back up to the top of the slope. They kept trying again and again, getting a little better each time. The entire day was spent practising the different sled techniques, the sun soon going down. By then, the four competitors and their Pokémon were exhausted and ached all over, but they knew they were ready to at least try.





The next day...

Cheers filled the air as a huge crowd of people waited for the start of the race. Atop the mountain course, Flash, Twilight, Doc, Trixie, and Double were there with their sleds. There were several other people there with their Pokémon, including a Lickitung, Granbull, Huntail, Cubchoo, Espurr, Sizzlipede and Starider. The twelve competitors waited as the multiple Glalie and Cryogonal were getting into place. Each one had a camera affixed them, allowing for perfect picture for all those wanting to watch on TV and at the ski lodge.

Spike was watching from inside, sitting on a couch with Peewee and several other people. They all stared at the lodge's giant TV, "Good luck guys."

"Welcome fans," a Glalie carrying a speaker system floated above the competitors, the announcer's voice coming through it, "We're here at the two hundred and fifteenth Avalanche Sled Race. Once again, our competitors will race down the mountain in an attempt to reach the finish line before anyone else. Though it isn't that easy." As he said that, the competitors all looked down at their wrists, staring at a bracelet with five lights: Red, blue, yellow green and pink. "Along the course are a series of checkpoints. When a competitor gets within twenty five feet of these checkpoints, one of the lights on their bracelet will light up. The winner will be whoever crosses the finish line first with all five lights illuminated."

"So just missing one checkpoint could mean game over," Doc added, "You'd have to stop and trudge back up to the checkpoint, possibly losing whatever advantage you had."

"Competitors, get to the start line." The twelve moved over to the edge of the slope, which had twelve metal cage gates. They placed their sleds inside the metal gates and got on board, their Pokémon getting on as well. Once they were in place, the backs of the cages closed before they began to rotate. Soon, all the sleds were pointing down the slope, the metal door now being the only thing preventing their slide down the mountain.

Double turned to the others, "Good luck. Let's have a good race." Flash and his friends nodded, along with two of the other competitors, but the others didn't respond, just glaring at the slope ahead.

"In ten, nine, eight-" Everyone sat in place, not daring to move, gripping their sleds anxiously as the countdown continued, "Two, one...GOOOOO!" The metal cages opened up, the racers now flying out. The twelves sleds all shot down the mountain, all perfectly in line with one another. But after a few seconds, several of them began to pull ahead.

One was Doc thanks to Higear's weight, "That's it!" He cheered to his Pokémon helped him speed up.

"Looks like Time Tuner has taken the lead using the old strategy of using weight to pick up speed. That might help him on the straight, but he'll soon find that more weight means less easy turns. But what's this?!"

"SIZZLE!" Sizzlipede and its trainer suddenly rocketed ahead, the Bug Fire-type using Flamethrower behind the sled to push it forward.

"That's the way!" The trainer exclaimed as he shot past Doc and Higear, "Later losers!"

"Wow! Blast Burner has shot ahead and taken the lead using his Sizzlipede's flames to push himself ahead. But he might find that strategy backfiring as they are about to pass the first checkpoint and reach the mountain's first obstacle."

"YEAH!" Blast Burner added as they shot past the checkpoint, which was a tall post with a pink light on the top of it. As he passed it, the pink light on his bracelet lit up, only to reach the obstacle the announcer mentioned. It was a piece of the mountain that had grown over another piece of the mountain, creating a wave-shaped construct that hung a good twenty feet over the rest of the mountain. This made it into a ramp-like obstacle, which Blast Burner and Sizzlipede shot up.

"WHOA!" Blast screamed as the sled went flying off, but due to Sizzlipede's Flamethrower, the sled's front was pushed down and sent into a spin. "No! No! No! No! No! NOOO!" Was all he could say before he and Sizzlipede crashed into the snow, digging a trench through it and not stopping until they were buried a good five foot.

"Ouch, that had to hurt! Can Blast Burner pick himself up before the others pass him?" In that moment, Doc and the trainers of Lickitung, Granbull and Huntail shot past the checkpoint. They then flew up the ramp and into the air, all managing to stay balanced.

But when the Granbull trainer's sled landed, the movement caused her to accidently turn the steering wheel. "GYAH!" She cried as the sled was sent spinning out of control, soon tipping over. "Augh!"

Spike flinched at the sight before seeing Double pass the checkpoint, followed by Flash, Trixie and then Twilight. "Ice Beam!" Double yelled before Frostoak leapt off the sled, Double applying the brake to slow down.

"FROST!" The Snow Cloak Pokémon fired the blue lightning, hitting the edge of the ramp and creating another slope that went down to the ground. Double's braking prevented him from flying off the edge, instead sliding down the ramp as Frostoak landed behind him.

"Great work!" He exclaimed while Frostoak smirked behind its mask.

"Ready bud?" Flash asked, getting a bark of agreement as they shot off the ramp and into the air. Their speed allowed them to catch up to Double as he reached the end of the ice ramp. "We can do this!" He landed and while he was shaky, he managed to stay on his sled. "YES!"

Trixie was next, following Double's plan and slowing down as she and Magitual headed up to slope. She mistimed it slightly, causing her sled to stop exactly at the top. "Hey!" She yelped, both she and Magitual trying to shuffle forward.

As they did this, Twilight and Owlicious shot up the ramp and flew off the edge. "NOW!" She yelled, Owlicious spreading his wings and grabbing the sides of the sled. This caused them to begin gliding towards the ground in a much more controlled manner than the others.

Back at the lodge, Spike smirked at this, but heard several people complaining.

"Isn't that cheating?"

"There's gotta be a rule against flying."

"No way that's fair."

"Let me take a look at the rules here," the announcer chimed in as he checked a book. "Ah! Flying is forbidden, but gliding is allowed. As long as Owlolar doesn't beat its wings, it'll be fine." And as this happened, Owlicious didn't beat his wings. The pair instead glided down, and he even pulled them in seconds before they hit the ground, allowing them to safely land without any loss of speed.

At the same time, Trixie and Magitual managed to push themselves over the edge and slide down the ice ramp. "Finally! Dark Pulse!" Magitual pointed its staff behind itself, creating a bunch of dark energy rings that destroyed the ramp, preventing anyone else from using it.

Several of the remaining competitors soon shot into the air, the Huntail and Starider sled landing while Espurr used its psychic powers to keep them steady. But the Cubchoo sled began to turn and hit the ground at an angle, digging into the snow and throwing the pair off. It was at this moment that Blast Burn and Sizzlipede pulled themselves out of the snow, Sizzlipede shivering after the snow extinguished its fire.





"As our competitors head to the second checkpoint, it's Time Turner in first place, followed by Taste Tester and Double Diamond's in third. And what lies between them and the second checkpoint, you ask?"

The TV screen changed to show a large cluster of trees, the Glalie filming it flying into them and revealing a post with a green light in the very center of the forest. "Aw man," Spike groaned. "There's no way to get close enough to that thing without going through the trees."

"We might be seeing a couple of crashes," one of the crowd added as the screen changed to show Doc approaching the trees.

"We need to slow down!" Doc yelled as he hit the brake.

"You snooze, you lose!" Taste Tester cried as he shot past him and into the trees. He began steering left to right, barely missing the trees. "YEAH!" He then spotted the checkpoint a ways off, "Lickitung!" The Licking Pokémon extended its tongue and wrapped it around a tree, using it to whirl them around until they were pointed toward the checkpoint. Doc, Double and Flash right behind him, going slower but still managing to keep up as he shot past the post and lit up his green light.

"YES!" He cheered, only to see a group of trees that were to close together to slide between. "GYAH!" He tried to turn, but his picked up speed caused him to slam into the far left tree.

Everyone watching flinched at the sight, then seeing Doc, Double and Flash slide past the checkpoint while avoiding the three trees. Twilight and Trixie weren't far behind, also managing to avoid hitting the trees while the Huntail trainer clipped one of the trees and lost control as well. As he crashed, the Espurr trainer shot past while using its Psychic powers to keep them away from the trees. The Starider was also able to avoid them, the Star Spider Pokémon using its webs to move around the trees the same way Lickitung had used its tongue, though at lower speed.

Back at the lodge, everyone watched and waited to see who would be the first out of the treeline.

"And now in the lead is...Double Diamond!" The sledder flew out of the trees, his experience now helping him as he easily dodged the trees. Doc came next, followed by Flash as they left the forest.

"Go guys!" Spike cheered as the three slid away, Twilight and Trixie not far behind them. "Yeah TWILIGHT!" Espurr and Starider followed behind as they approached the next obstacle they would need to navigate.

"Our racers are heading for the bump field," The field was filled with compact snow piles that were almost impossible to break through with a sled. Their shapes were purposely made that if you hit one, you would be catapulted into the air. And in the middle of it was another post, this one with a yellow light. "Will they attempt to go around them, over them, or something else?"

"Ice Beam!" Double yelled as Frostoak stood up.

"FROST!" He roared, unleashing the lightning that created an ice road with inch high walls that went between the bumps, the sled sliding onto it as Frostoak continuously forged it.

"Who needs to go around it when we can go straight through it! Springer, Aura Sphere!" Flash added.

"RI!" Springer jumped onto the front of the sled, firing an orb at a bump and smashing it to pieces, and then fired another at the one behind it. This allowed Flash and Springer to simply slide forward without issue, allowing them to shoot pass Double.

"Angle of lift off, plus wind-speed and current weight." Doc whispered before turning to drive toward one of the boulders, reaching it at great speed and shooting up it to take off. Those watching gasped at the sight, only to see him tilt the sled forward as he began to fall. "Touchdown!" He yelled as he landed on another boulder and slid down it without issue. "That's the way!" He then spotted another bump and yelled, "Gear Grind!"

"HIGH!" Higear threw its hands at the boulder, cutting it half as the sled slid up it, but only flying a few feet before landing between two boulders.

Their strategies allowed Flash and Doc to take the lead over Double, both reaching the checkpoint as their yellow lights illuminated. Twilight and Trixie then reached the field. "Our time to shine!" Twilight added as she and Owlicious accelerated and shot up the bump as fast as they could, soaring through the air.

Trixie spotted Flash's path and decided to use it, picking up speed. "Psyshock!" Magitual pointed its staff behind them and fired a blast of psychic energy, which struck the snow piles, causing them to explode and rain snow down on the path.

"NOW!" Twilight then yelled as they began to fall down, Owlicious grabbing the sides of the sled and opening his wings. They glided past the checkpoint, only to land and hit another bump, flying back up and landing again with ease.

Meanwhile, the Espurr and Starider sledders entered the field. Unfortunately, Starider couldn't use its webs to navigate the fields, and Espurr was beginning to tire from its overuse of psychic powers. As such, their trainers just tried to clear the field themselves. But when they hit bumps to zoom up into the air...each aimed for the same one and met mid-flight.





"OW!" Everyone in the lodge yelped as they flinched at the sight of the impact.

"That had to hurt." The screen changed to show Twilight land outside the field, following Flash and Doc down the slope with Double, Trixie now bringing up the rear. "Wow! Double has gone from first place, to second, to last. Now, as they head toward the fourth checkpoint, will he be able to make up the distance?"

The blue checkpoint was before a large wall that was forty foot high and covered in holes. The holes lead to tunnels that went straight through the mountain and came out in different points, meaning going through the wrong hole meant the racers would shoot out miles away from the next checkpoint.

"Which way to you think, bud?" Springer glanced at all the holes and smirked before pointing at one.

"Ri!"

"Alright!" Flash exclaimed as he pointed the sled at one of the holes and shot past the checkpoint, his blue light turning on before they entered the hole. "WOO!"

It was here that Twilight and Doc reached the checkpoint, both choosing their own holes, "Haha!" Twilight laughed as she and Owlicious glided down the tunnel, even managing to do a loop.

"Geronimo!" Doc added as he and Higear found themselves on a zigzagging path.

Trixie and Double soon arrived at the checkpoint and flew pass it, Trixie heading into the same hole Flash went into while Double smirked. "Ice Beam!" Frostoak once again unleashed the blue lightning, forming a ramp that shot them into one of the higher up holes. "YEAH!"

"The racers have selected their chosen holes. We have camera waiting at each of the exits, so that we can see who will be coming out where." Spike and everyone else watched anxiously, all hoping their chosen racer would be the one to come out of the best exit.





"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Doc yelped as the sled reached an area of the tunnel covered in bumps.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Twilight cried as she and Owlicious went down a spiraling downward cave.

"Which way?!" Flash asked as he and Springer spotted a fork in the tunnel ahead, Springer unable to reply fast enough. "Aaah!" Flash turned left and shot down that tunnel, two minutes later Trixie and Magitual now arriving.

"Left or right?"

"Mag...itch!" He pointed right and Trixie headed in that direction.

Meanwhile, Double and Frostoak glided down the tunnel with a smirk on their lips. They then shot out of the end of the tunnel, finding themselves in a large chamber. Behind them were a wall of holes, multiple tunnels leading out,with only one of them being the one that lead right to the final checkpoint.

And as he flew for it, he heard a voice. "WHOA!" He looked back and saw Flash and Springer shooting out of a tunnel and hitting the snow next to him.

"Look out below!" Twilight yelled as she and Owlicious shot out a hole ten feet up, the Owlolar gliding them down.

"Allons-y!" Doc and Higear shot out of another hole and landed along with Twilight.

"AAAHHH!" Trixie screamed as she suddenly shot up out of a hole in the ground, landing as on the far side and looking around to see the others in line with her. They were all neck and neck, and only one lead out. "Hey!" She yelled, pointing at Double. "You know which holes to go through because you've done this before, don't you?!" Double shrugged back. "Well not this time! Magitual, Smokescreen!"

"Magi!" Magitual opened its cloak and unleashed a cloud of smog, filling the entire chamber.

"TRIXIE!" They cried, everyone now blinded. They began to swerve around, all now consumed by the smoke. And when the cloud faded, the chamber was completely empty.





Everyone continued to watch the exits on the TV, the announcer speaking up, "Looks like someone's coming out of an exit. But was it the right one?" They stared at the screen, the Cryogonal floating up from the mouth of the cave.

"YEAH!" Flash cheered as he shot out of a hole....only to see he and Springer were on flat ground. "No, no, NO!" He yelped as the sled slid along the ground, soon coming to a stop. "Aw c'mon!"

"Looks like Flash Sentry is out of the running. Oh, there's another racer exiting another hole." The screen changed to show Twilight shooting out of a hole, only to find herself heading towards a cliff-face.

"AHHH!" She cried as they went over the edge, Owlicious spreading his wings, but couldn't grab the sled in time. Twilight also lost her grip of the sled and the two began to fall, only for Owlicious to grab her as the sled fell off the cliff. "Aww..." she moaned as she stared down at the sled, glancing back up next to see the cliff now above them.

"Twilight Sparkle is out of the race. There's no way she can get up there in time without flying."

"Ah...Shiinotic," Spike snapped his fingers while the screen changed to show another exit.

"YES!" Doc cheered as he and Higear flew out, only to notice they were going upward. The hole they used actually pointed back up the mountain, meaning the sled slowed to a stop before it began to move backward. "NOOOOO!" They yelled as they fell back into the cave.

"Ouch, too bad. He'll be trapped in a vicious cycle until he finds a way to stop. But he still might be able to win if the others didn't pick the right hole."

The screen changed to show another hole, this one Spike guessed was the proper exit, as someone appeared out of it. "WHOO-HOO!" Trixie screamed as she and Magitual shot out and hit the snow, the two heading for the final checkpoint. At the same time, Double and Frostoak appeared out of the mountain.

The hole they were in was close to Trixie's, but was pointing away from the finish line, and instead pointed to a bunch of trees. "WHOA!" He yelped, trying to avoid them but eventually clipped one of the trees and spinning out of control. "AAAAAUUUGGGGHHHHH!" They both screamed before eventually being thrown from the sled, catapulting into a tree.

"OW! Too bad for Double. Looks like Ms. Lulamoon will be-" The announcer stopped when he noticed something, Double glancing back at this. The scream he made had caused the snow on the hill above him to shake and come loose, which now caused them to roll down...and form an avalanche.

"Oh no..." he whispered, "RUN FROSTOAK!"

The two began to make a run for it, Double glancing to his Pokémon as an idea rang out in his head. "Frostoak!" The Ice-type turned to him, "Use Ice Beam and make a sled!" Frostoak nodded and pulled down its scarf to fire the lightning, creating the best sled it could.

It was more of an ice slab with a curved front, but Double would take it. Frostoak climbed on and Double pushed the ice forward, then hopping on as it began to pick up speed. It slid down the hill, the snow right behind them as they tried their best to escape.

"WOW! Double Diamond is reliving the tale of the first Avalanche Sled Race. But will he be able to escape it?" Spike was wide-eyed as he watched, now seeing the avalanche coming for both Double and Trixie now.

Trixie had heard the avalanche, now glancing back and saw Double about to be devoured by the rampage of snow. "Oh no." She quickly hit the breaks of the sled, pulling it to a stop.

"What are you doing?" Double asked as she got up and took out a Pokeball.

"Slowking, go!" The ball opened and in a flash, a large pink Pokémon with a shell crown appeared. "Use Psychic!"

"Slow!" Slowking's eyes glowed as it held its hands up, creating a mental energy barrier that stopped the oncoming snow. But with every second, more snow slammed into it. "Slowking!" it flinched, now feeling the pressure of the frozen water.

"You can do it!" Trixie yelled as Double and Frostoak slid past them. Double then pulled the sled to the side, causing it to stop as he and Frostoak got off.

"You can't hold it back forever!" He told her.

"Well, what else are we supposed to do?!" Trixie asked as she pointed at the snow, "We can't let it get too close to the mansion!"

"I know," Double replied, only for another lightbulb to appear in his head as he turned to his Pokémon, "That could work. Frostoak!" The Ice-type turned to him as he cupped his hands. "Use Ice Beam and freeze the snow in place!"

"Frost!" He nodded and ran up to leap into Double's hand. As soon as he did, Double threw him high, "FROSTOAK!" With that, the blue lightning shot out of its mouth, hitting the snow pile right behind where Slowking was holding it back. It swept across the snow and began to freeze it in place, even freezing the snow beneath the avalanche, creating an ice block that was half buried beneath the snow, keeping it from sliding free.

He managed to create a good twenty foot wall of ice before falling back down, Double catching him and throwing him back up as he fired again.

"Incredible," the announcer gasped. "Trixie and Double are working together to stop the avalanche." The crowd cheered at this, as the pair continued to make a wall strong enough to hold back the snow.

"One last time!" Double exclaimed, throwing Frostoak before he fired another Ice Beam. The wall formed at this attack was enough, Slowking releasing the remaining snow. It then began to fall, hitting the wall, building up behind it and forming a triangular shape that caused the rest of the snow to slide around and over the edge, but enough to go away from the lodge.

"We did it!" Trixie cheered, she and Double high-fiving as Frostoak and Magitual did the same. "Thanks Slowking," she told the Royal Pokémon. It nodded as she returned it, leaving her, Double and their partners alone on the slope. "Now what?"

"Now we finish the race," Double replied, he and Frostoak going to their ice sled while Trixie grabbed hers. "Ready?"

"Ready," she nodded, "On three."

Double nodded as they stared at the finish line, seeing the final checkpoint several meters in front of it. "One...two...THREE!" They both pushed the sleds, leaping in as they began to pick up speed.

Everyone in the lodge watched the two go down the hill, now neck and neck as the announcer said, "It's anyone's game at this point." They watched as Double pulled forward, but the sled drifted slightly to the side. "Double's in the lead, but his ice sled will be difficult to steer. He may end up missing the checkpoint entirely."

"Come on!" Double yelled as he stuck his foot out and slowed himself down, now turning as Trixie shot ahead.

"Hahaa!" She cheered, she and Magitual reaching the checkpoint first, their red light lighting up.

Double quickly approached the checkpoint, holding his arm out, the red light lighting up. "YES!" He pulled his arm back before he and Frostoak got as close to the sled as possible, trying to make themselves more aerodynamic. "COME ON!" They sped up and began to catch up to Trixie, who saw this and tried to do the same.

The audience watched on the edge of the seats, Double pulling up to Trixie as the pair were now neck and neck. They approached the finish line, both moving straight as the pair felt the force of the wind on their faces. As this happened, Double's sled began to crack from the force. He could feel the treads beginning to rock beneath him, one now snapping off.

"Ahh!" He yelped as he felt the edge dig into the snow, but then tilted to the right to balance it. And as he did this, he kept his speed, only to feel the other front tread cracking.

And as the two got within inches of the finish line, they both made one final attempt to speed up...only to cross the finish line.

"IT'S OVER!" The announcer exclaimed, right as the second tread of Double's sled broke off.

"WHOA!" He and Frostoak yelped as they were thrown from the sled, hitting the snow as Trixie came to a stop.

"Double!" She and Magitual got up and ran over to him, sighing in relief when they saw them get up. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," he groaned, "Who won?" He and Trixie turned to a big screen at the side of the race track, which changed to show an image of the two from above. It then zoomed in to show whose sled had crossed first, though it was only by a few inches. And the winner was-

"Double Diamond!" The announcer screamed, "Double Diamond and his Frostoak were the first to cross the finish line with all five lights lit up! They are the winners!"

"YEAH!" Double cheered as he and Frostoak jumped on the spot, Trixie letting out a sigh, but smiling all the same before turning to him.

"Congrats," she held out a hand and Double happily shook it before the people in the lodge walked out to congratulate the winner. And when the rest of the racers returned from the mountain, they all cheered for Double as he was placed up on a podium with Frostoak and handed a trophy.

"Congratulations," the announcer said as he passed the trophy onto Double. He then reached into his pocket and took out a box. "And of course, your prize."

Double took the box and opened it up, seeing the Ice Stone sitting inside. He took it out and turned to Frostoak, who looked up at him as he knelt down. "Ready?" Frostoak nodded before Double gave him the stone. As soon as the Snow Cloak Pokémon's hands grasped the stone, it lit up and Frostoak followed suit. Everyone watched as his form grew to just over five feet, the light then fading to reveal the Roglacier.

"Row," he looked himself over and Double could see he was smiling under his scarf. Everyone cheered at this, happy to see the Pokémon that inspired this great race. Once Roglacier got over his evolution, the people headed back into the lodge to enjoy a party being thrown to celebrate the race for both the competitors and winners of the contest.





The following morning after a fun night of enjoyment, Flash, Twilight, Doc and Spike all prepared to head out.

Double had gotten them a pair of snowmobiles, and with Flash and Trixie on sleds behind them, he lead them along the snowy trail until they reached a more flattened area on the edge of the ski resort's border. Off in the distance, Mount Tartarus stood proudly. According to the people in the lodge, it was roughly a week's walk to the mountain with light snow, which meant all they needed was decent weather to get there in time.

"Well," Twilight commented once they got off, "I guess this is as far as you can take us."

Double nodded. "Any further and we wouldn't have enough fuel to get back. It was fun racing you all. If you ever want a rematch, you know where to find me."

They all nodded before turning to Trixie, "You staying?"

"I've still got two more days of free vacation to enjoy," Trixie replied, "Then I'm off to get my last badge." She turned to Flash, "So I'll be seeing you at the league." Flash smirked and after giving her a nod, the four and their Pokémon now beginning to trod through the snow. Trixie, Double and Roglacier waved them off before turning the snow-bikes around and zooming away.

The group then turned to the far off mountain, their sights set firmly on the city nestled behind it. Their brief stop at the ski resort had been fun, but now it was time to focus on their next destination. To carefully wade across the desert of snow and avoid any danger it might throw in their direction. As the journey continues.
> Tribes and Tribulations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continuing their journey to Dragonia City, site of Flash's final Equestria Gym Challenge, the group was still making their way through the snowy wilderness between the Crystal Empire and Mount Tartarus. They had been travelling for three days and had covered about half the distance to the mountain, currently walking through a section of the land that they had been warned about. A place filled with snow covered holes, traps for people to easily fall through.

"WHOA!" Spike yelped as he walked over a snow covered trap, Flash and Twilight quickly grabbing him by the arms before he could fully fall in. "Thanks."

"We need to be careful," Doc added, "If we're not, we could end up walking over a pit large enough to catch all of us."

"Well it's not like there's any signs to tell us where the snow's deep," Flash chimed in, Springer walking ahead of him, only to suddenly go through the snow with just his ears now being visible. "Hang on buddy!" Flash kneeled down and thrust his arm into the snow, shivering at the cold as he grabbed Springer's fur and pulled him out by the scruff of the neck. "You okay bud?"

"Ri..." Springer shivered, his fur now soaked to the bone.

Once they managed to get most of the snow off of him, Peewee using Incinerate to dry him off, Springer chose to ride on Flash's shoulders piggyback style. Meanwhile, Doc took an extra long length of rope out of his bag. "Here." He tied one end of the rope around his waist and handed it to Spike, who tied himself up before giving it to Twilight. She did the same and handed the remaining end to Flash. "Now if one of us falls through the snow, we can pull them out with the rope."

"Nice thinking," Twilight replied, only to glance up and frown, "Though that might not be our only worry. I don't like the look of those snow clouds." The others followed her gaze, now seeing a large number of dark clouds.

"I'm with you there," Doc sighed, "I think we're about to be in the middle of a blizzard. Maybe it would be best to set up the tent and wait it out." The others nodded and quickly began to get their tent out. But as they started to set it up, the dark clouds blew closer, only for a beastly wind to hit the snow and clouds, pushing them toward the group.

"Ahhh!" Spike cried as some snow flew up the back of his hoodie, "COLD!"

"Just get the tent up and we'll be fine," Twilight told him over the roar of the wind. But as she pushed the tent's line into the snow, a powerful gust blew past and pulled the line free. "NO!" She tried to grab it, but another gust pushed the line high into the air.

The boys had tried burrowing their lines in the snow, but it just wasn't strong enough, the lines flying out due to another gust. Flash and Doc grabbed the two lines and tried to push them back into the snow, but in that moment, the wind hit the yet to be raised tent and pushed it into the air.

"NOOO!" They all cried, Flash and Doc holding onto the lines and trying to pull it back down. Twilight and Spike grabbed the lines as well, pulling as hard as they could. "We can't lose this!" Twilight yelled, "There's no way we're gonna be able to get the other tent out before we freeze to death!"

"PULL!" Flash roared, the four pulling as Springer and Peewee even grabbed the lines, but the wind was just too strong. They could feel the lines rubbing against their hands, their gloves the only thing protecting them from rope burn. And one last super gust, the lines were yanked from their hands, making them all cry out as the tent went flying into the darkness of the clouds.

"NOW WHAT?" Spike yelled, needing to do so as the wind drowned out anything quieter then that.

"ANYONE KNOW HOW TO MAKE AN IGLOO?" Doc asked, the group shaking their heads. "THEN OUR ONLY HOPE IS TO FIND SOME KIND OF CAVE!" They nodded and began to trod through the blinding snow, still connected to one another by the rope.

And with every second, the temperature fell more and more. They all tried to keep themselves as warm as possible, but the deadly cold was just too much. After they had been walking for an hour, the snow became too much for one of them.

"Unnn..." Spike moaned before falling over, the rope tugging the others, signalling Flash and Twilight as they turned to Spike.

"SPIKE!" They all yelled, running over as Doc trudged up and now saw him in the blinding blizzard. "Spike..." Twilight said as she pulled him out of the snow, "Spike, wake up!"

"Come on!" Flash added as Peewee fell out of Spike's hoodie, the teen catching the Dragon-type and finding he was ice cold. "Wake up!"

"Return him!" Doc told Twilight, who quickly put the Terragon back in its Pokeball. "We need to find shelter, NOW!"

"But there's nothing around!" Flash barked back, the three then continuing to run through the snow. But as they did this, Twilight slumped over, falling face first until an arm grabbed her. "Twilight!" Flash yelled as he pulled on her, only for Doc to step on a snow covered hole, making him trip.

"Whoa!" He yelped, falling forward with Spike in his arms. Flash glanced up at this, seeing Doc trying to pick himself up, only to stagger.

"Come on Doc. I can't carry you all."

"Ri!" Springer chimed in as he hopped down and tried to help Doc, "Riolu!" He smacked the gym leader, telling him to stay awake.

"GUYS!" Flash yelled, but they wouldn't respond, Doc now fully slumping over. "Please, WAKE UP!" As he yelled this, he felt himself start to fall over, only to see Springer hug himself while sinking into the snow. "Springer..." he saw his partner frown back at him, making him sigh, "Sorry bud."

"Ri?" Springer asked, only to see Flash point his Pokeball at him. "RIOLU!" Was all he could say before the red light hit him and he was sucked inside, Flash quickly shrinking the ball down before Springer could get out. "I know you don't like it bud, but this'll keep you safe."

He then turned to the others, grimacing as he saw the group was all knocked out. "I can't carry you all..." He glanced down at the snow, "I have no clue how to make an igloo, but I've gotta try." With that, he started digging into the snow, trying to compact them together to make snow bricks. His gloves soon became soaked, making his hands go numb while the snow bricks crumbled no matter how hard he tried to make them. And as he did this, he felt himself beginning to drift off. "No," he whispered, "I have to...have to...stay..." With that, he fell over, his eyes trying to glance up at the group one last time as he whispered, "I'm...sorry."

But as he lose himself, his eyes squinted as he stared above his friends. Within his pupils, he saw a...shape. Unable to tell what it was, but he could mutter out, "Please...please...help us." He lifted his hand up, only to fall over and pass out.

And as he lay in the snow, the figure came close enough for him to see. It was a Pokémon, a pig-like creature similar in appearance to a Tepig, only this one was covered in a thin layer of blue and white fur. Its legs and underbelly were white, while the rest of its body was ice blue and spiky at the back. The bottom half of its head was white while its forehead, ears, between its eyes and its entire snout were ice blue and the tips of its feet were blue while its tail was white and had a blue ball on the end of it.

The Pokémon stared at the unconscious humans laying in the snow and tilted its head, "Fridge?" It oinked before sniffing at Flash. It then pushed him over, rolling him onto his back. "Fridglet." It moved over to the others and did the same, all while trying to get them to wake up.

It was here that it's ears twitched and it turned the way it had come from. "FRIDGE!" It cried at the top of its voice, echoing through the snow. A moment later, several other figures appeared from the snow. They were a quartet of humanoids, two appearing much smaller then the others, all appearing bulky and moving with large footsteps.

The figures stared them over, the Pokémon that called them looking up at the group. Several moments later, the new figures picked the travellers up and threw them over their shoulders. "Fridglet," it cheered before running off into the snow with the others following after it.





"Uhh…" Flash moaned, his lips smacking as his eyes began to open. The teen blinked, only to feel something prick the back of his neck and hands. He let out a groan as his eyes focused, only to see he was staring at a ceiling made entirely of straw. He then felt under himself, finding he was laying in some kind of bed packed with straw. "What the-" He sat up at this, glancing around with wide eyes.

"Where am I?" he asked as he stared around, now seeing he was a mud hut. Someone had taken large trees trunks and branches, stacked them into a house shape and filled the gaps with mud and straw. The ground was...ground, along with a large rug laid out, though it looked like it had been crafted by a master rug maker.

He saw several more beds around the room, all made with wooden frames and filled with straw...and laying in them were his friends. "Guys!" He pushed himself to his feet, only to fall over, "Augh!" He hit the dirt, making him flinch before trying to get back up, trying to stagger over to Twilight's bed before grabbing her arm. "Come on," he shook her. "Please be alright."

"She fine." Flash's head spun around at this, turning to see a creamed skinned girl with brown hair that was in two long braided pigtails that were so long that they almost reached her feet. She was wearing a thick dark brown top with white fur around the neck and light brown pants, with a green sash running around her front. She had walked through a doorway in the mud-hut, which had previously been covered by a red blanket. "But she need rest, same as you."

"Errr...okay." Flash slumped beside Twilight at this, now staring at the girl, only to see she was carrying a bunch of familiar clothing...his clothing. "Wait," he looked down and saw he was dressed in a shirt and pants combo similar to the girl's. He then glanced over at the others, seeing them all wearing the same. The only thing of theirs they were wearing were their shoes.

"We sorry," the girl chimed in, "Your clothes wet, so we had to take them off."

"We?" Flash asked, "Wait...where are we?"

The girl smiled as she stepped aside, though she almost tripped over her hair, and gestured to the door. Flash slowly walked over, glancing outside and seeing he was in an entire village of mud-huts. Countless houses, surrounded by a large circle of wooden posts that made up a giant wall. There were multiple people, all dressed the same as them, who were talk and bulky...even the women and kids. Many of them were wearing hats on their heads with large horns on the sides. "Welcome to Yona's village. I...Yona."

"Yona?" Flash asked, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Flash." She nodded back as he continued, "Did you save us from the blizzard?"

"That right!" Flash leapt on the spot, turning to see one of the tallest and bulkiest members of the village heading their way. He was also dressed in a long blue, brown and gold cloak, and had a horned helmet with stylized gold accents and a long mane of orange and brown hair that seemed to cover his eyes, and wrapped around the sides of his head to join together at his chin, giving him a bearded look. "We find you sleeping in snow. Not smart place to sleep."

Flash frowned at this, "We weren't sleeping. We got caught in the blizzard and our tent was blown away. We tried to find shelter, but we passed out."

"Lucky you found by Fridglet," the man replied, "One minute too late and you be buried under snow forever."

"Yeah..." Flash sighed, now imagining what he would like after being frozen solid. "Wait...what's a Fridglet?"

"Fridge!" He turned to see a pig Pokémon, multiple of them running around, playing with one another and the children. "I'm guessing that's a Fridglet?" The two nodded as Flash reached for his Pokedex, only to get nothing. "Oh yeah. Not my clothes. You didn't happen to find anything in my pocket when you were drying my clothes, did you?"

"Mean this?" The man asked as he reached into his cloak and took out his Pokedex.

"That's it," Flash nodded before taking the device and scanning Fridglet.

Name: Fridglet
Category: Snow Pig Pokémon
Type: Ice
Info: Its main food source is a special kind of truffle that only grows in snowy mountains. To find them, it uses its incredibly powerful sense of smell to detect them below the snow's surface.

Yona was wide-eyed at this, leaning over to Flash while almost tripping over her long hair. "Magic talky box," the girl gasped, making Flash raise an eyebrow.

"What?" He asked, "No. It's just technology." But as he said this, he glanced back at the village, staring at the mud huts, "Right..."

"Ignore his toy," the man told Yona. "We not use those things. They make us weak. Make us forget what we know about the world around us."

"Huh," Flash added, "I don't supposed you guys have our Pokémon, do you? They should have been inside red and white balls we were carrying."

"We know what Pokeballs are," the man growled, "That one piece of tech we allow in this village." He reached inside and took out a strange looking Pokeball. It looked like a normal one, but instead of a metal bottom, it was made of wood and instead of a button, it had a latch over the front and what appeared to be a metal hole in the top.

"That's a Pokeball?" Flash asked as the man handed it to him. "Never seen anything like it. So...low tech."

"Ancestor learn to craft it long ago in distant land. Making one is right of passage for all members of tribe."

"Cool," Flash handed it back to him. "So...where are our Pokeballs?"

"We took them to make sure Pokémon not injured in blizzard," he replied, "They fine and all happy you not hurt. Riolu very worried before. Kept crying about you." Flash frowned at this as he continued, "They currently at food hut. We take you to them." Flash nodded at this, only to hear another voice.

"Flash?" He glanced back and saw Twilight, Spike and Doc step outside, "What's going on? Where are we?"

"Why are we dressed like this?" Spike added.

"And where are our Pokémon?" Doc finished just as Flash walked up to them.

"It's okay guys." He gestured to the others, "They saved us from the blizzard, and our clothes are being cleaned, and they said our Pokémon are all okay." He pointed to the girl, "This is Yona."

"Hello," the girl smiled back as he gestured to the man.

"And this is...err...sorry, didn't actually catch your name."

"Rutherford," the man responded, "Chief of village."

"Right," Flash nodded, "Rutherford. They're gonna take us to our Pokémon." The three nodded and thanked the two before they all headed over to nearby hut, stepping inside to find Springer, Peewee, Astro, Riptide, Prongs and Viper eating out of bowls. "Guys!"

"Ri?" Springer looked up and saw his trainer, quickly leaping into his arms. "RIOLU!"

"Hey Springer!" He hugged him back, patting him on the back of the head. "Sorry I made you worry."

"Rio," Springer barked, telling him it was okay. The other Pokémon ran over next, Peewee hugging Spike while the rest tackled Flash.

"Where are the others?" Twilight asked, only for Yona to move over holding a basket of Pokeballs.

"We feed bigger Pokémon first. Not all fit in food hut...and unable to feed shiny metal ones."

"Yes...Tockwork and Higear don't eat." Doc commented as he took his Pokeballs, their stomachs growling as Twilight did the same.

"Hungry?"

"Starving," Spike replied.

"Sit," Rutherford told them, "We bring food."

"Thank you," Doc nodded before sitting down. "You're too kind."

"All who brave these harsh lands have my respect," Rutherford sat with them. "Speak. What bring you here?"

"We're heading to a city beyond the mountains," Twilight replied, "Where our friend can compete in a challenge."

"Ahh," Rutherford nodded, "Badge challenge." Flash nodded back as Yona and a few others walked in carrying wooden boards with bread and juice on them. "We rarely see those brave enough to make travel to Dragonia City."

"One part bravery, one part foolishness." Flash turned to the others, "I'm sorry guys. I brought you out here and we almost froze to death."

The others shook their heads, Twilight chiming in, "It was our choice."

"You don't have to apologize," Doc added, "Who wouldn't want to test themselves out against who's supposed to be the most powerful Gym Leader in the region?"

Flash frowned at this, only for Rutherford to speak up, "It in past. Do not dwell. Only focus on what is to come in future."

"Maybe...but I still feel bad." He then ripped apart his bread loaf and took a bite, only to be met with the most flavourful taste in the world. There was some kind of berry baked into the bread, giving it an amazingly sweet taste. "Wow," he whispered once he swallowed, "What is this?"

"Buckle Berry Bread," Yona replied, "Best thing in all Equestria."

The others took a bite, gasping as Twilight added, "Delicious. I've never heard of Buckle Berries."

"Very rare," Rutherford replied. "Only grow in snowy land. Grow all year round."

"Incredible," Doc gasped, "I can't believe the rest of the world doesn't know about it."

"Well, I guess if this village doesn't normally communicate with outsiders-" Twilight's words were interrupted by Rutherford.

"No, tribe have yearly interaction with outside world." This made them go wide-eyed, "We have trade agreement with special group. They give us medicine and parts needed to make Pokeballs, we give them hard to find item that they can't find anywhere else."

"What item? The berries?"

"No. Truffles."

"Truffles?"

"Only place in Equestria truffles grow," Yona replied, "We use Fridglet and Boaraurora to find them."

"Boaraurora?" Flash asked.

"The evolved form of Fridglet," Doc chimed in, "So you hunt for truffles and trade them with this group?" They nodded as they finished their food. "How long has this arrangement been going on?"

"Many moons," Rutherford responded, "Many year ago, we meet man heading for Dragonia City like you. We help him and he learned of the truffles we harvest. At time, we almost out of Pokeballs ancestor created and did not know how to make device used by them. Man left and month later, new man arrived explaining to be first man's brother. Leader of big company, willing to give Pokeball device in exchange for truffles. We agree and has been good agreement since."

"Cool," Spike chimed in, "So you guys hunt for truffles and give them to this guy?"

"Not all truffles," Rutherford replied, "About half of yearly harvest."

"I'd love to see how you farm them," Twilight added.

"Yona show you," Yona cheered.

"Yona is soon to attempt catch of first Pokémon," Rutherford added, "Big event for her."

"That does sound interesting," Doc finished as a woman stepped into the hut and whispered into Rutherford's ear.

"Ah. Clothes ready. You can change into them if like."

"Yes please," Twilight nodded before blushing, "No offense," she began to scratched her back. "But these clothes are kinda itchy."

Rutherford laughed at this. "Weak skin. Normal clothes too soft. That why cold almost got you." The others laughed at this as they headed out of the hut, spotting a new Pokémon as they did so.

This one looked similar to Fridglet, but it now stood hunched over on two feet. It had less fur on its body, its pork belly now revealed along with its hands and chest. The features were all dirt brown in color while the rest of its body was covered in white and blue fur. Its waist, flank and legs were white while its arms, shoulders and neck were ice blue. Its head was similar to Fridglet, but its nose was now much smaller and it had a pair of long tusks coming out the sides of its mouth. These tusks appeared to be made entirely out of ice and was walking through the village, several others walking with it.

"I'm guessing that a Boaraurora," Flash commented as he pulled out his Pokedex.

Name: Boaraurora
Category: Snow Pig Pokémon
Type: Ice/Ground
Info: The evolved form of Fridglet. Its sense of smell is significantly weaker then its prevolution's, but its new physical strength makes up for it. You can often find a tag team of Fridglet and Boaraurora hunting, with Fridglet sniffing out the truffles and Boaraurora digging them up.

"That thing does look tough," Spike chuckled as they headed over to where they had woken up. They looked inside and spotted their clothes on the beds, the boys letting Twilight in to change first before doing so themselves. When they were back in their normal clothes, they only then realized that night was about to fall.

Rutherford led them over to a large stone circle surrounding a massive bonfire, where they sat around. "Friends!" Rutherford called out, getting everyone's attention. "Today, we welcome new friends to our village. Flash, Twilight, Doc and Spike!" The villagers all cheered, stomping their feet on the ground to cause a mighty applause. The ones in question all smiled and waved as the stomping finally came to a stop. "New friends. We curious to hear your many adventures up to this day. Please, tell us of your journey." The four smiled and happily obliged, telling the people many of their amazing adventures.

The tribe were all on the edge of their seat as Flash explained his many gym matches, Twilight retelling their time with legends such as Eclixie and Sirenity, Doc recounting the many obstacles they had overcome, and Spike flamboyantly stating how they vanquished many evils.

By the time they ran out of stories to tell, night was upon them, all ready to go to sleep. That is, till Rutherford said, "You not sleep yet. You miss best things about life in village."

They raised an eyebrow at this, only for a bright light to shine out above them. "Wow!" Spike gasped as they looked up and saw a river of light that flowed through the night's sky.

"An aurora," Twilight whispered.

"Beautiful," Flash finished.

"Boooooaaaaar." yelled a new noise, making them turn to see the many Boaraurora of the village looking up at the lights in the sky, all crying out in a rhythmic way. They all said the same words, the sound gentle and flowing in a perfect echo.

"They're singing," Twilight gasped.

"Boaraurora always sing to the night fire," Yona replied, "It most beautiful thing in all world." They couldn't deny it, amazed at this as they saw around the warming fire, surrounded by kind people and watching an amazing light show.It made one appreciate everything, kinda making almost freezing to death worth it. And so they all sat there, listening to the sound of the Boaraurora as they sang. And when they stopped, the entire village headed off to bed and slept peacefully due to being calmed by the soothing music.





The next day...

As soon as the sun was up the next morning, everyone in the village was up and got to work. Flash and his friends were each given a basket that could be worn like a backpack, the group leaving the village with Yona along with some adults and a few Fridglet and Boaraurora. They quickly found that the village was situated on a large hill, all needing to be careful not to slip in the snow and roll down, Yona having to grab the ends of her hair and hold them up, so as to not trip.

Once at the bottom of the hill, they headed to a large forest a mile or so away, only to find this was when the truffle and buckle berry gathering began. "Fridge..." Fridglet sniffed the ground as they followed it through the snowy woods. "Fridglet."

"I can't believe Fridglet can smell the truffles through...how much snow are we standing on?" Twilight turned to Yona, who shrugged before holding her arms about as wide as Springer was tall. "Two feet."

"That's one heck of a snozz," Flash commented before a stream of light shot out of his belt and hit the ground. The red light took shape and faded, revealing his Starvern.

"Star!" Astro smiled before his feet dug into the ground, causing a cold shiver to run up his entire body. "STARVERN!" Astro leapt up and hugged Flash's face, "Star!"

"Yes," Flash groaned, "I know it's cold. That's why you should have stayed in your Pokeball." The others laughed as Flash pulled him off his face, Astro then leaping out of his arms and landing on Springer.

"Ri!" The Riolu cried as he staggered under Astro's weight, only for the Starvern to start sniffing.

"I get it," Twilight added, "Astro wants to try and find a truffle."

"Well, he does have a pretty good nose," Flash stated as Springer started to carry him. The Starvern kept sniffing the ground as best he could, but found nothing...mainly due to not knowing what a truffle smelled like.

"Fridge!" One of them cried, catching everyone's attention. They moved over to it as the snow pig dug an X in the snow, the Boaraurora gathering around and quickly beginning to dig in the snow. Everyone moved back as the snow went flying, the boars making their way down to the frozen ground.

"Boar!" They roared as their fingers started glowing, the group slashing at the ground.

"Wow," Twilight whispered, "They're using Metal Claw."

"That's a move Fridglet can't learn," Doc chimed in, "That must be part of why they're the only ones that can dig the truffles up."

And as they did this, they carved away the frozen ground to reveal a small black plant. "That's a truffle?" Spike asked, "Doesn't look edible."

Doc chuckled at this, "Trust me, it is. Most restaurants charge a fortune for meals including these things." One of the adults took the truffle from Boaraurora, Astro leaning up and sniffing it to get a grasp of its scent, then put it in the basket on his back.

Once that was done, they covered the hole back up and started searching for another one. A few minutes later, they found another one and dug it up, this one being a bush full of blue blackberries. "Are these buckle berries?" Twilight asked, Yona nodding before they started picking them.

The bush had so many that they were able to fill an entire basket with berries from it. As this happened, the Fridglet and Boaraurora managed to find several more truffles along with some wood they could use for fire, and after an hour, they found something very special. They had reached an area in the middle of the woods where the trees canopy was incredibly thick, causing the snow to get thinner until they were standing on just grass. It was a grass circle surrounded by trees and in the center of the circle stood a single smaller tree that had a round hedge of leaves and some kind of red fruit growing out of it.

"No way," Twilight gasped, "Its an Apricorn tree."

"Apricorn?" Flash asked, Twilight nodding.

"Its a special type of tree that grow in the Johto region, though I read that long ago they could be found in many other regions. They produce a special kind of nut that can be used to make Pokeballs."

"Yup," Yona nodded. "This tree planted by ancestor that brought first Pokeballs here. We come and pick fruit when we want a new one." She moved over to it, almost tripping again, Spike noticing something as she did this.

"Anyone else getting a Pokeball design from it?" The others raised an eyebrow at this, then squatting down to Spike's height and seeing there were two circles on the tree that did give it a Pokeball look.

Yona then reached the tree and looked it over, as if judging the many apricorns hanging from the branches. And after a minute, she reached out and grabbed one before pulling it free of the branch. "Now Yona make her own Pokeball and catch her own Fridglet."

"So how exactly do you make a Pokeball out of that thing?" Spike asked as Yona reached him while staring at the apricorn.

"It very difficult," she told him. "One mistake make thing worthless. That why Yona been practicing hard so she make perfect Pokeball." As she said that, an oinking sound caught their attention, making them turn to the noise...only to see it wasn't a Fridglet or Boaraurora. Instead, it was a brown ball of fur with a pink nose.

"Swine," it whispered as it walked past them.

"Awww...its a Swinub," Twilight giggled, "I didn't know those lived around here."

Yona nodded. "Swinub and Piloswine strong wild Pokémon. That what Yona catch when Pokeball is ready."

"I thought you were gonna catch a Fridglet?" Spike asked, Yona shaking her head.

"Tribe breed Fridglet. Yona make two Pokeballs and use one to catch baby Fridglet. Then use other to catch Swinub."

As she said this, they heard a crashing sound suddenly fill the air. "What was that?" Flash asked before Yona turned to run toward the sound, the others following. They soon reached the edge of the forest, now spotting what caused the sound.

"PILO!!" A Piloswine charged and tackled a tree, causing it to be pulled from the ground and topple over. This caused a loud crashing sound, the villagers coming up and next and carrying the lumber over to a wooden sled tied to another Piloswine.

"We use Piloswine to help with heavy lifting and battling Pokémon that attack village."

"Do a lot of Pokémon attack your village?" Twilight asked, Yona shaking her head.

"No. But better safe than sorry."

"Makes sense," Flash nodded as he watched the Piloswine pull the sled full of tree logs across the snow without issue. He then remembered what Piloswine evolved into, only to shine a big grin, "Say...does anyone in your village have a Mamoswine? I'd love to battle against one of those."

Yona nodded back, "Chief Rutherford have Mamoswine. Strongest Pokémon in tribe. He might battle you if ask nicely."

Flash smirked at this and rubbed his hands together, the rest following the sled pulling Piloswine back to the village, arriving there just as the snow began to fall. It wasn't as heavy as the blizzard that had almost killed them, but they still decided to stay inside. Yona lead them to one of the larger huts, this one actually made out of large pieces of stone.

When they stepped inside, they found that the place was a forge with a large kilm at the back, and several blacksmith instruments around the place. "Is this where you're gonna make your Pokeball?" Doc asked, interested in seeing an old fashioned Pokeball being created.

"Yup," Yona nodded again, "You can watch, but no help."

"Understood," Flash replied as Yona began to thrown wood into the kilm.

"Can we at least help you light the fire?" Spike asked, Yona nodding as Peewee shot a fireball into the kilm and lit the wood. She waited for the flames to grow hot, the group suddenly feeling the temperature in the room rise. Once hot enough, she used a pair of metal tweezers to hold the apricorn before putting it into the kilm. They watched as the red sphere heated up, the process taking almost a half hour before Yona removed the apricorn and placed it in a metal vice.

Once it was tightly in place, she put a bucket under the apricorn and then took out a metal drill. She placed it on the top of the ball and started turning it, drilling into the apricorn with incredible effort. It then jerked downward, indicating she had broken through into an empty space. She pulled the drill out and turned the ball around, the six watching all seeing a strange substance pour out of the apricorn and into the bucket. As it poured out, Yona drilled into the bottom and made another hole perfectly opposite the first.

As she did this, the substance finished pouring into the bucket and she quickly picked it up and carried it over to a table with two stone blocks, which were actually four stones that were pushed together by another two vices. She poured the liquid into holes in the top, using all the substance and moving away to focus back on the apricorn. It had cooled down enough for her to remove it from the vice and place it down on another table. There she picked up a very sharp looking knife which she used to carve a line around the sphere that cut deep into it, the watchers taking a closer look and realizing the apricorn had turned into a metallic surface. And once she made a perfect circle around the orb, she placed a chisel into the gap before hitting the top with a hammer. This split the orb in two, creating a pair of domes with holes on the top.

"Now we add the machine," Yona explained before reaching into her sash and removing a device along with four more domes that were made of wood. She placed the devices inside the metal dome, with a tube sticking out of the hole, then screwed something onto the tube to make the vent. Once that was done, she moved over to the stones and opened the vice, allowing her to take out what the substance had become. A pair of metal rings that split using a hinge.

She took them over to the work bench and connected them to the apricorns, then attached the wooden domes to the bottom to create the Pokeball Flash had seen Rutherford hold. All they were missing were the latches, which Yona pulled out of her pocket to connect to the front.

"Yona finished," she smiled before holding the newly made Pokeballs up.

"Amazing. I can't believe a young child was able to make something like that," Doc gasped as Yona lifted the blanket blocking the exit, letting the heat out.

"Now Yona catch Fridglet and Swinub." They walked out of the hut and saw Rutherford waiting for them, the snow having stopped falling. She held up the Pokeballs and Rutherford looked them over, smiling with a nod.

"Yona make good Pokeball," he handed it back to her. "Ready for next step." Yona nodded back and Rutherford led them over to an area of the village near the wall, where a large pen could be found. Inside the pen was a bunch of Fridglet, by the looks of them, they were newly hatched and uncaught.

"So you get to pick any Fridglet and it's yours?" Spike asked, Yona shaking her head.

"Yona no pick. Fridglet pick Yona."

"How's that work?" Spike asked, only for Yona to leap over the fence and walk up to the Fridglet. She caught their attention, and when she did, Yona sat down and stared at them. "What's she doing?"

"Everybody have unique scent," Rutherford replied, "Fridglet can smell that. If don't like, won't go near."

"So Yona has to wait for a Fridglet that likes her smell?" Twilight asked, Rutherford nodding as they turned to watch. Yona smiled at all the Fridglet, who just stared at her for a moment. Then, they started sniffing the air. Three of them instantly cringed, moving away while four others stared at her. But one quickly smiled and ran up to her.

"Fridglet!" it exclaimed as it leapt into her lap, Yona smiling and hugging it as it rubbed its face against her.

"Hello," she laughed as the pig's fur tickled her. She then pulled back and smiled, "Want come with Yona?" Fridglet nodded back, clearly happy to be allowed out of the pen. Yona then put it down and got up before taking out one of her Pokeballs, gently throwing it at the Fridglet.

It opened and sucked the Pokémon inside, everyone watching as the ball wiggled for a few moment before the top let out a puff of steam to signify it was caught. "Yona did it!" She cheered before turning back and jumping over the fence, only to land on her ponytail and trip. "WHOA!"

The others flinched as she crashed, running to help her up. When they did this, Twilight decided to do something about her hair and grabbed the end of one. She then wrapped it into a loop and used a ribbon she had in her bag to tie it up, then did the same with her other one. Yona saw this and gasped, loving this new hairstyle and thanking Twilight with a hug.

"Now Yona ready to truly catch first Pokémon! Go out and find Swinub! Battle and catch!"

She nodded and opened up her Pokeball, letting Fridglet out before picking it up. "Yona make tribe proud. With Fridglet, we smash any Swinub that we find."

"Good," Rutherford nodded. "But must remember important lesson before can catch Swinub." Yona raised an eyebrow at this, "In battle, power least important. Trust in partners what should be most important, with courage needed to overcome any wall. When scared, take deep breath and then smash fear."

Yona blinked at this, tilting her head before nodding. She turned to the exit of the village and strode out, Flash and the others following after her. "Are you sure you wanna do this now?" Flash asked, "You and Fridglet just met. Don't you wanna spend some time getting to know him before throwing the little guy into a battle?"

"Yona and Fridglet bond through battle," she replied as Fridglet smiled. "That how tribe befriend Fridglet and Boaraurora."

"If you're sure," Twilight added, "Well, we'll come with you and cheer the two of you on." Yona nodded again as they headed out of the village and down the hill, Fridglet leaping out of her arms and running around in the deep snow.

And as they reached the bottom, Flash took out his Pokedex and scanned Fridglet. "Alright...the moves it knows are Tackle, Ice Shard, Odour Sleuth and Aurora Beam."

"Those are some pretty good moves," Doc chimed in, "As long as the Swinub isn't to strong, you should do pretty well against it."

They then got to the forest from before, Yona having Fridglet start sniffing the air to try and find a Swinub. But she soon learned that wasn't going to work, since Fridglet didn't know what Swinub smelt like. Instead, they decided to blindly search, only for Twilight to suggest going someplace with a lot of food since the Swinub would likely be around there. They agreed and headed for an area that hadn't been picked clean earlier, eventually finding buckle berry bushes...but there was no sign of a Swinub.

"So where do you think they are?" Spike asked, only for the sound of rustling to catch their attention and make them turn to see something shoot out of the bush.

"Swine!" A Swinub leapt out and landed in front of them. "Swinub."

"There it is," Twilight turned to Yona. "Now's your chance."

Yona nodded and stepped forward, catching the Pokémon's attention. "Swinub," she took out a Pokeball, "Battle me!" The Swinub seemed to understand this and got into a battle stance, Fridglet running in front of Yona and getting into its own fighting stance. The two snow pigs stared one another down, prepared to duke it out.

"Swine!" Swinub roared before breathing out of its nose, causing a jet of mist to fly out and fill the woods.

"What's happening?" Spike asked.

"It's Mist," Doc replied as Yona tried to see through it.

Years of living in a snow filled environment had keened her eyes, letting her see the Swinub trying to make a break for it. "There!" She pointed, "Tackle!"

"Fridglet!" Her Pokémon charged into the mist and slammed into something, the group hearing Swinub cry out as it was thrown back. The Mist suddenly vanished to reveal the Swinub on the ground while Fridglet leapt back.

"Ice Shard!" Fridglet opened its mouth and created a small clump of ice, the Swinub growling at this.

"Swine!" It roared before creating its own ice clump, firing it at the same time as Fridglet. The two attacks collided, breaking apart as Swinub charged it's next attack. "Swine!" It began to glow and light flew off it to form a sphere in front of it.

"A Swinub that knows Ancient Power?!" Twilight gasped as Swinub fired the attack.

"Yona, be careful!" Flash yelled, but it was too late as the Ancient Power hit Fridglet head on.

"Fridge!" It cried before slamming into a tree, Yona gasping at this.

"No!" She ran over to it, only for Fridglet to quickly push itself back up and glare at Swinub, who seemed to want keep battling now. "Tackle!" Fridglet charged at this, which Swinub then unleashed another cloud of mist, blinding it.

"Fridge!" It skidded to a halt in front of the cloud.

"Left!" Yona ordered, Fridglet turning to the left.

However, as it did this, something smacked its face, "FRIDGE!" It yelped as the object struck it in the face, knocking it back. When it tried to open its eyes, it found something had glued them together. "Fridge?" The others saw it was a bunch of mud, which had been fired by Swinub's Mud-Slap attack.

"Fridglet!" Yona cried, starting to panic as the mist faded to reveal Swinub, who was about to use another Ancient Power.

"Yona!" Flash called out, "You've gotta stay calm. If you panic, so will your Pokémon."

"He's right," Twilight nodded. "Fridglet's counting on you. You have to direct him, or there's no way you'll win."

"Remember what Rutherford told you," Doc finished.

As she heard this, his words echoed through her head: "In battle, power least important. Trust in partners what should be most important, with courage needed to overcome any wall. When scared, take deep breath and then smash fear."

"Be brave," she told herself as she saw Swinub fire the attack at the still blind Fridglet. She took a deep breath and yelled, "Jump right!" Fridglet heard this and did so, the Ancient Power barely missing. It was in that moment Yona remembered one of Fridglet's other attacks, "Odor Sleuth!"

"Fridge!" Fridglet sniffed the air and suddenly caught Swinub's scent.

"Tackle!" Fridglet charged into Swinub, knocking it back as Yona pointed at the pig, "Now, Aurora Beam!" Everyone watched as Fridglet leapt up, taking a deep breath before breathing out its nose.

"FRIDGE!" From its nostrils, two beams of rainbow light exploded out and merged into one. The beam shot across the battlefield, slamming Swinub before it could pick itself up, Swinub crying out as it was knocked back once again. When the light of the attack faded, Swinub was down, looking close to defeat.

"Now Yona!" Twilight added, Yona nodding as she took out her last Pokeball.

"This it," she commented before pulling her arm back. "You mine! Pokeball...GO!" She threw the steampunk Pokeball toward Swinub as it picked itself up, the device bouncing off its head before opening up and engulfing the Swinub inside. The Pokeball slammed shut and fell to the ground, everyone watching as it wobbled once...twice...three times. Then, from out of the top, a puff of steam shot out the hole. Swinub was caught.

Yona let out a gasp, "Yona did it!" She cheered as she leapt up and down in joy, Fridglet then walking up to the Pokeball and poking it. The others applauded her as she moved over and picked up the Pokeball.

"Well done Yona," Twilight smiled.

"You were great," Flash agreed.

"Thank you. Yona only win thanks to you."

"Don't mention it," Doc added.

"We're happy we could help," Spike finished.

With that, the five and their Pokémon headed out of the forest. And as they did this, Springer's ears caught something. "Ri?" They twitched and he turned around, catching the other's attention.

"Springer?" Flash asked, "What's up?" Springer didn't reply, instead charging into the trees. "Hey!" Flash followed after him, the others on their tail. They ran for about a minute before Springer stopped, everyone gasping at what he had found.

"Our tent!" Spike yelled, seeing the tent they had lost hanging from a tree and blowing in the wind. Doc and Flash worked to get it down.

"It's in perfect condition," Doc commented, "Not sure how, but it looks like it wasn't damaged at all." The others smiled, happy they had retrieved their lost equipment. They quickly packed it up, soon returning to the village afterward.

"Yona!" Rutherford cheered, "You return!"

Yona nodded before holding up her Pokeball, "With Swinub in hand." The tribe all cheered hearing this, Yona turning to the others. "But she couldn't do it without friends."

Rutherford nodded and turned to Flash and the others, "We give thanks for all you do."

"No problem," Flash replied, "After all, we owe you way more." Rutherford nodded, but then said something Flash had been hoping he would say.

"If there anything we do for you, all need do is ask."

"Well..." Flash smirked as he said this, "I was kinda hoping...maybe I could battle you." Rutherford raised an eyebrow at this, "Yona said your Mamoswine is the strongest Pokémon around. I'd love to test my strength against it. What do you say?" The response he got was the exact one he had been hoping for.

Rutherford let out a might bellow, a smile etched on his face. "Battle you I will. We love good battle, and facing new opponent gets us riled up." The rest of the village all cheered, eager to see a battle between the chief and their new friends. "But be warned," Rutherford took out his Pokeball. "Battle won't be easy. Mamoswine and I smash you!"

"We'll see," Flash laughed as he took out his own Pokeball. "Let's brawl!"

They headed back down the hill and into an empty field of snow, "Mamoswine," Rutherford threw his Pokeball, "SMASH HIM!"

"Riptide!" Flash replied, "I choose you!" The massive pig and water reptile appeared between the two, Flash only now seeing how big and imposing the creature really was. "Ready Riptide?"

"Tidal!" Riptide got into a battle stance.

"Looking forward to this," Rutherford chuckled as Mamoswine stomped its feet on the ground. "GO!"

"GO!" Flash repeated as both Riptide and Mamoswine charged, ready to duke it out in a no holds barred battle. Everyone watched with excitement, not daring to blink for fear of missing something cool. This would be a battle of epic proportions.





The next day...

As soon as the sun was up, Rutherford and Yona lead the group through the snowy outer lands. They soon reached an area close to where they had originally found the passed out travelers, the sight of Mount Tartarus in the distance.

"This where we leave you," Rutherford said, "We wish you luck on your travels."

"Much luck," Yona added.

"Thanks," Flash replied, "I'll be sure to give the next Gym Leader an extra tough time. I have to after how our battle ended." Rutherford nodded as Yona ran up and hugged Flash. She then hugged Twilight, Doc, Spike and the Pokémon. Springer and Peewee suddenly found themselves getting nearly squeezed to death, but hugged back none the less. Once the goodbyes were all given, the four trainers began to head toward Mount Tartarus once again. Their surprise visit to the winter village had been dangerous, but it had been a happy one. And with Mount Tartarus so close, one could only wonder what adventures await them next.





In an area near the base of Mount Tartarus, far from the snowy biome, a lone Absol was wandering the mountains, looking for shelter.

It then noticed a cave, glancing inside before walking in. But before it could get far, it felt a tingle down its spine, making it leap back. As it did this, the spot it had been standing on was suddenly struck by a blue sphere of energy.

"Ab?" Absol stared into the cave and saw a humanoid figure, its arm raised while glaring at it. The lights of its red eyes filled the cave, allowing the Absol to see a long scar that ran over the eye. The figure then let out a growl.

"Loo...cario."
> Springer's Destiny
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continuing their journey to Dragonia City, site of Flash's final Gym Challenge, the group had arrived at the base of mount Tartarus. Their journey across the snowy wasteland had been a difficult one, but now they were at the mountain, free of snow.

The blanket of frozen water had vanished a half mile from the mountain, making Spike comment, "It's warm." He placed a hand on the ground, Springer doing the same while Peewee jumped down and laid himself out against the rock of the mountain.

"There must be a heat source nearby," Doc chimed in, "Probably an underground volcano or something. The heat probably doesn't extend to the area that's covered in snow."

"Equestria has some crazy climates," Flash added as he stared up at the mountain, "Huge deserts, massive canyons, and a snowless mountain north of a winter wonderland. What crazy forces of nature made this region?"

"I guess that's what happens when two legendary Pokémon battle one another every thousand years. It's possible the area after Mount Tartarus was once snow covered, but the two's battle caused the environment to change and open up a few magma vents."

"Or maybe it was Alicormony's heralds," Doc countered, "When we were at the Crystal Empire, Luna told me an old legend spoke of how the three had the power the control the weather. Maybe one of them decided to put a volcano next to a snow biome just for a laugh."

Everyone chuckled at this as they looked up at the mountain, Spike asking, "We're really gonna climb this?"

"Yup. Once we're over this, it'll be a straight shot to Dragonia City." Twilight replied as she stared at her journal.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Flash asked before gesturing to them, "Let's see how far up we can get before nightfall!" The others nodded and they began their trek, finding a trail that led up the mountain. They travelled upward for about an hour, the trail being rather easy to climb since it was only slightly elevated.

They then looked up at Mount Tartarus, seeing it was a mountain covered in multiple peaks. Their plan was to climb up to the between of the two shortest peaks and climb down from there, all hoping that that area didn't have any steep drops on the other side. They soon reached an area of the mountain that was relatively flat, a good half mile or so before it sloped up again. As they arrived, Doc saw that the sun was dangerously close to touching the top of the mountain to their left.

"Maybe we should set up camp here for the night?" He suggested, the others agreeing and all taking off their bags to prepare setting up camp, Twilight taking out the last pieces of wood they had/

"Let's hope we can make it to the top tomorrow. I'd like to spend as few nights as possible without a campfire." She sighed, only for Doc to pull out a close to empty water bottle. "Oh no..."

"I knew we should have refilled them with snow," Spike added, the others rolling their eyes before Flash grabbed the bottles.

"I'll look around for a spring or something. There has to be at least one on this mountain." They nodded and Flash walked off, Springer following him as the others continued to set up camp.





Further up the mountain inside a cave, a lone figure sat in the darkness eating an Oran Berry.

They finished off most of it and threw it away before leaning its back against the wall. But as it did this, the black appendages on the back of its head suddenly flared up. This made it's eyes shoot open before growling, the figure picking itself up. "Car..." it hissed before walking up to the mouth of the cave.





Flash and Springer had spent about twenty minutes on the hunt for a spring, only to find nothing. "Ri..." Springer sighed as he sniffed the air.

"Anything?" Flash asked, Springer shaking his head. "Great. We don't have much time buddy...and I don't wanna trek through this place in the dark." Springer nodded back, "Guess we'll have to look for water tomorrow." He turned to head back, only to notice Springer wasn't besides him. "Bud?"

He turned around, only to see Springer staring up at the mountain. "Something wrong bud?" Springer didn't respond, just staring in the distance, "Springer? What's wrong?" But as he asked this, Springer suddenly shot off. "Springer!" Flash ran after him, the pair racing up the mountain pass as the teen tried to catch up. However, Springer was moving as fast as he possibly could, easily staying ahead of his trainer. He spent five minutes chasing after his partner, the pair travelling further up the mountain until Flash heard something. Water.

"Did he find a spring?" The teen asked as he saw Springer jump onto the top of a slope, Flash quickly climbing up after him. And as he got there, his eyes went wide. "Riolu?"

Springer had found a water source, a gently flowing stream of blue liquid coming out of a hole in a rock that flew down into a small pool of water. But it was what was drinking from that pool that stole Flash's attention. Riolu that looked exactly like Springer, were all taking drinks from the lake. Some where using their paws as cups while others simply put their mouths into the water and sucked it up. Flash tried to count, but kept losing track with all the moving they did. At best, he assumed there were between fifteen and twenty Riolu.

"Ri..." he heard Springer whisper.

Flash turned to him, seeing a stare he had never seen on the Riolu's face, "Springer?" The Pokémon didn't reply, making Flash squint at him, only to see he was giving a look...of recognition. "Wait..." he glanced back at the Riolu, "Are they..."

"Ri?" One of the Riolu's head suddenly shot up, staring at the two, "Rio!" The other Riolu glanced up as well, all wide-eyed at the sight, only for the first Riolu to gasp and run up with a giant grin on his face. "RIOLU!"

"RI!" Springer cheered as he leapt off the ledge, sliding down. The other Riolu held up his paw at this, Springer running up to him before holding up his own paw and pressing it against the other's. Flash watched as the paws started glowing, only for the Riolu to pull away.

"RI!" He then hugged Springer, who embraced him back as the other Riolu crowded around Springer.

"No way..." Flash gasped, "That's Springer's old pack. What are they doing here?" He blinked at the sight, only for another thought to enter his head, "Wait...shouldn't they have all evolved by now?" He watched as Springer continued to be hugged, Springer smiling back at them before they spoke to each other in their own language.

But then he noticed Springer frown, only to gasp before he leapt at the Riolu next to him. Springer tackled the Riolu, only for an explosion to hit the ground where they were. "Springer!" Flash yelled, seeing what he knew as an Aura Sphere hitting the area.

Springer and his friend rolled along the dirt at this, only for Springer to hop back to his feet. And as he glared at where the Aura Sphere had come from, he saw a new Pokémon. It was standing atop a taller ledge, the now visible moon to its back. A Lucario.

"No way," Flash whispered. "Is that..." Before he could finish his question, the Lucario leapt up and landed in front of Springer. The sight made Flash see a scar run down over his left eye, the teen's mind going back to the day he met Springer, remembering Squiron giving a Lucario a slash over that eye. "Oh no...that's the one that-"

"Ri..." Springer growled, clenching his paws at the sight.

"Car," Lucario hissed back as he stared at Springer. "Loo, Lucario!"

"Ri!" Springer yipped back, "Rio ri!"

"CAR!" Lucario created another Aura Sphere and fired, Springer crossing his arms and taking the blow.

"Springer!" Flash yelled as he saw Springer get hit back, quickly jumping off the ledge and sliding down toward his friend. And as he did this, he saw why Springer hadn't dodged. If he had, the Riolu behind him would have been hit. "You okay, bud?" He picked Springer up and the Riolu nodded, only for a growl to make them look up at Lucario.

The Aura Pokémon stared at Flash, Lucario raising a paw as a trio of blades that were over a foot long appeared on its paws. He pointed it at the pair, Flash gulping as he stood up. "We don't want any trouble. Just let us go and we'll be all good." However, Lucario just charged at the teen, Flash gasping as he had to jump away, "WHOA! Seriously?!"

"Car!" It roared before turning to the Riolu, "CARIO!" The Riolu all flinched, only to nod before holding up their paws. Orbs of air appeared between them before exploding into beams of wind, all flying at Flash. The teen went wide-eyed at this, but Springer quickly leapt in front of him, firing an Aura Sphere. The orb hit what Flash guessed was Vacuum Wave, causing them to explode before reaching them.

Flash sighed in relief, only to see Lucario appear from out of the smoke. "CAR!" He screeched, another Aura Sphere in paw before thrusting it into Springer.

"RIO!" He cried, being thrown into Flash and knocking him off his feet.

"Ahh!" He yelped, both sliding back as Lucario formed a pair of Metal Claws. Flash came to a stop at this, only to look up and see a look of pure blood lust in the Pokémon's eyes. But as the Lucario prepared to attack...its body suddenly froze, "Huh?"

"Car?" Lucario asked before feeling itself being lifted into the air, then thrown back, "CARIO!" It cried as it slammed into the ground.

"What the heck?!" Flash said before hearing a hooting sound, looking up to see an Owlolar. "Owlicious!" He cheered as the Flying-type flew down and grabbed him in his talons, lifting him up and flying the pair away before Lucario could attack.

Springer glanced back at the group, seeing Lucario pick itself up. It glared up at them...only for Springer to gasp at the next thing it did. It turned to the nearest Riolu and backhanded it, the spike on its paw hitting the Riolu on the cheek. It fell over as the others just quivered at the sight of the Lucario.

And as the owl took them away, Springer could only growl at the sight vanishing from his eyes. in fear.





Once they got back to the camp, Twilight having sent Owlicious due to how long they were taking, and then Flash explained everything that happened.

"You really met Springer's old pack?" Twilight asked with wide eyes, Flash nodding back.

"And you're sure that Lucario was the same one that attacked Springer all those years ago?" Doc added, Flash nodding again.

"It had a scar from the cut Shining's Squiron gave it over the eye. And the way Springer and it were glaring at each other...its him."

"Man..." Spike whispered, "That's rough." They then turned to Springer, the Riolu sitting away while staring up at the mountain. His eyes blanking gazed ahead, thinking about his days with the pack. He remembered his hatching, travelling the region, playing and training with the other Riolus...and learning Aura Sphere. But that memory made him relive another one, one that made him growl.





"LOOK OUT!"

Springer spun around when he heard the voice, just in time to see the Lucario use Force Palm right into his chest. "Ahhh!" He cried as he was thrown back, slamming into the rock. A large crack appeared as he slumped slightly over, pain surging through his body. But as it started to fall, the Lucario grabbed and pinned him to the boulder.

He laughed as he raised his other paw, a familiar blue orb appearing in it before quickly growing. Springer eyes went wide at this, but couldn't as he yelled, "No! Stop!"

But Lucario kept laughing as the orb grew, Flash still trying to run up to the duo, but it was too late. "Now...BEGONE!" The Lucario thrust the sphere into Springer's chest, pushing him deeper into the rock.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" He screamed as he was stuck between a rock and the spiraling ball of aura. And as the cracks on the rock grew, it slowly began to shatter until-

SMASH!!!

The rock gave way, Springer now flying through it.





'I...I still can't get over it.' Springer thought back, only to let out a hum. 'Although...I guess it wasn't all bad.' His mind then flashed back to meeting Flash and becoming his partner, something he absolutely loved. A part of him wondered if Lucario did him a favor.

"Springer?" He turned to see Flash staring at him. "You okay?" Springer didn't reply, instead glancing away as Flash sat down beside him. "I know seeing your old pack was a surprise," Springer nodded. "And I guess seeing Lucario stirred up a lot of old resentment." Springer nodded again. "But you shouldn't let that upset you. They might have been your pack once, but that was a long time again. And remember...they abandoned you."

"Ri..." Springer sighed as he put his chin into his arms. He didn't blame them for that. That Lucario was terrifying and not against taking his anger out of others, "Riolu..." his fists clenched as he hissed, wondering how many other Riolu he had hurt like Springer.

"Rio!" Springer stood up and glared at the mountain, Flash raising an eyebrow.

"Springer?" He then saw the look in his partner's eyes and nodded, "I get it. You wanna settle the score with that Lucario." Springer nodded back. "Alright." Flash stood up while the others gathered around him. "If that's what you need to do, then we won't stop you. And we'll be there to help you in any way possible."

"Ri!" Springer replied before starting to stride up the mountain.

"Wait, we're going now?" Spike yelped, "Aren't we gonna wait until morning?"

"I guess he doesn't wanna wait," Twilight chuckled.

Flash sighed, "I think this is about more then just getting even." The others turned to him. "I think he wants to take Lucario down to help the other Riolu."

"I see," Twilight hummed. "I guess that makes sense. They may have left him, but they're still his family."

"Yeah," Flash nodded. But as they followed Springer up the mountain, a thought came into his head. 'There's no way Lucario will change after being beaten. The only way to protect the Riolu from him is dethroning him. But if that happens...' Flash shook his head at this. 'No...don't think about that. I gotta help Springer.'





The group continued up the mountain, Springer leading them as he followed a trail of aura. They soon got to an area that was shaped like a large U-shaped canyon with high walls on all sides but the entrance they used. When they walked in, they saw the Riolu pack sleeping on the ground, shivering while they also saw a cave at the back of the canyon.

Inside there, Lucario was laying back with a content smile...only to feel Springer's aura. He glanced up, only to hear Springer roar, "RIOLU!"

Outside, Springer stared at the cave with fire in his eyes. He knew it was big enough for the whole pack, but Lucario kept it all for himself. And while this happened, the other Riolus woke up and barked at him, telling him to leave before he got hurt. But Springer just stood there as his tormentor walked out of the cave.

"So that's him?" Spike asked, Flash nodding.

"He sure looks strong," Twilight gulped.

"Springer's stronger." They watched as Lucario walked past the Riolu and stared Springer down, the two eyeing one another.

Lucario then smirked as he spoke in his language, "I thought you'd show up again. Wanna take your revenge for what happened so long ago?"

"No," Springer shook his head, "This has nothing to do with vengeance." He pointed at Lucario with his claws, "I'm doing this for the others."

This made Lucario tilt his head, "What are you talking about?"

"I've seen how you treat them. They don't deserve the way you treat them. They need a real leader. That's why I'm taking you down!"

"You?" Lucario asked before laughing, "Please. How's a tiny Riolu like you supposed to beat me?"

"I might not be evolved, but I've faced plenty of strong opponents since you threw me away. I'm a hundred times stronger than the last time you saw me." He cracked his knuckles, "And this is more than just a test of strength. Unlike you, I have a good reason to win. And that's why you can't beat me."

Lucario laughed again, "Where did you learn all this dribble?" He glanced back at Flash, "From that pathetic human?"

"Yes!" Springer barked back, "And he's not pathetic. He's a million times the leader you could ever dream to be! And his training's what's made me strong enough to beat you!"

Lucario chuckled back, "Oh? Let's test that then. My power, which I acquired without anyone's help, verses your puny friendship and training from that stupid human." He got into a fighting stance, Springer doing the same.

"Alright," Flash stepped up, "Let's-" He stopped when Springer held up a paw, telling him no. Springer glanced back and shook his head, making Flash blink before nodding, "Alright. You got this bud. We'll be cheering from the sidelines."

"Beat that guy!" Spike added.

"We believe in you!" Twilight cheered.

"Show him why you earned my badge single-handedly," Doc yelled as Flash watched him look back at Lucario.

Springer and Lucario glared one another down, Springer's friends and the rest of the Riolu watching for the first move to be made, as if it was something out of a western.

And then, one shot forward. "RIOLU!" Springer roared, ninja running as fast as he could toward his enemy.

"Car!" Lucario formed an Aura Sphere and fired it, but the Riolu's body sparked with lightning as he suddenly disappeared before the Aura Sphere made contact.

"Ri!" He appeared right above Lucario and fired an axe kick down at Lucario's head, only for the scarred beast to duck down and cause the foot to fly past his head.

"LUCARIO!" His paw spikes morphed into a pair of foot long claws, swinging them upward. But before he could make contact, Springer formed a Bone Rush that blocked the claws, only to leap back. "CAR!" Lucario took a deep breath before launching a dragon-shaped blast of energy.

"RI!" Springer fired an Aura Sphere, striking Lucario's Dragon Pulse, causing an explosion that filled the air.

And when the smoke faded, Springer was missing. Lucario reached out with his aura, locking onto Springer before yelling, "Loo!" He swung his leg back, hitting Springer's gut just as he charged at Lucario with Extreme Speed.

"RI!" He cried as the wind was knocked out of him, his body hitting the dirt.

"Springer!" Flash gasped, only for Springer to roll back to his feet. But as he did this, Lucario charged with a ready Metal Claw.

"Ri!" Springer yelled as he clutched his fists, zipping up to Lucario as the scarred Aura Pokémon swung its claws. "Riolu!" he ducked under the blades before slamming a Drain Punch into Lucario's face, only to hit him with another in the chest.

"Car!" It screeched before opening its mouth and firing a point blank Dragon Pulse, Springer getting knocked back by the blow.

"RIO!" He cried as he was blown away, his friends gasping at the sight until he spun around in midair. "RI!" He then created an Aura Sphere and fired it, Lucario just shredding it with his claws.

Springer landed next, forming a Bone Breaker as Lucario roared, "CARIO!" He fired several Aura Spheres at Springer, the Riolu spinning his bone staff, knocking them all away.

"RIO!" Springer zipped up to Lucario, smacking him with the bone weapon with a flurry of blows. But as he felt this, Lucario suddenly hopped back while forming a very large Aura Sphere.

"Look out!" Flash yelled as Springer held up his Bone Rush, the attacks colliding and causing everything around Springer to shake.

"Riiiii," he moaned as he felt the attack push against his bone shield. He could feel his feet slowly skidding along the ground, only to give one last push and repelled it away.

"Loo!" Lucario charged at this, slashing through the Bone Rush before swinging the other claw at Springer's chest.

"RI!" He cried as he was thrown back, feeling his back now hit a large rock behind him. He planted his feet into the rock as he activated Extreme Speed, shooting off at tremendous speed before clutching his now glowing green fist. "RIOLU!" He threw his Drain Punch into Lucario's face, his evolved form screamed as it was knocked back as some of his energy drained away.

"Car!" He growled, digging his feet into the ground to skid to a stop. "Loo, car!" He formed an Aura Spheres in each paw and then thrust one at the ground, causing it to explode, throwing large chunks of rock into the air. "CARIO!" He threw the other orb, hitting one of the rocks, exploding and unleashing a powerful blast of force that sent the others rocketing toward the Riolu.

"SPRINGER!" His friends gasped as he formed a Bone Rush and snapped it in half, forming a pair of energy bones that he swung around to deflect the rocks. The rocks were either smashed or knocked them away, but a few scratched him as he did this.

Meanwhile, Lucario formed an Aura Sphere and pumped it up to be three times its normal size. And as Springer destroyed the last rock, he fired the orb. "RIO!" He yelped when he saw it coming, crossing the bones to block the sphere, pushing him back as he yelled, "RIO...LU!" He swung his bones apart, destroying the orb.

"LOOK OUT!" He heard Flash yell and looked up, his eyes going wide at the sight of Lucario charging with his fist pulled back.

"Loo...CAR!" He slammed his fist into Springer's chest, then pulled his other arm back before firing it at Springer's face. He threw another punch, then a kick, punch, kick, kick, punch and so on, each attack growing faster and faster by the second. Everyone watched in horror as they saw Lucario use Close Combat on Springer.

The Riolu couldn't keep up with the attack to block or dodge it, Lucario finally ending the onslaught by jumping behind Springer and unleashing the strongest, fastest, punch it could to his back. "RIO!" He howled in pain as he was sent flying across the area, skidding along the ground before stopping face down in the dirt.

"SPRINGER!" Everyone screamed.

"Car car car! Car car car!" Lucario laughed, everyone watching as Springer tried to push himself back up, only to slump over. That is, till Lucario walked up and put his foot on Springer's head, pushing him down into the dirt. "That's right," he spoke to his former pack-mate in his own language. "Stay down in the dirt. It's where you belong."

"No," Springer moaned, trying to get up again, only for Lucarioi to kick him in the chest, "Ri!" He was thrown onto his back, Lucario laughing again before placing his foot on Springer's chest.

"Face it. You were never better than me. But even though that was obvious, you tried to prove you were. Even though you were nothing special, you convinced yourself you were."

"I never thought I was special," Springer groaned as he placed his paws on Lucario's foot. "I just wanted to be the best I could be."

"Well your best was pathetic," Lucario replied as he pushed his foot down, "Even though you managed to learn Aura Sphere, that proved nothing! You're nothing!" He held up a paw and an Aura Sphere appeared above it, "You're not the first Riolu in this pack to learn that move." The others went wide-eyed at this, seeing Lucario's grin fill with bloodlust. "Just because you learned it, it doesn't mean you have any right to take leadership away from me."

"I never wanted to be the leader," Springer moaned, "You just got it into your head that I did." He tried to push Lucario off, but he pushed down again.

"You were never worthy of that role!" Lucario barked, "You're too soft. You're nothing but a failure." Springer heard this and after another failed attempt to push Lucario off of him, his grip started to go loose, Lucario smiling back, "That's right. Just let this happen. Realise that you have no right to be a leader, you are nothing!"

He raised his paw, ready to thrust the Aura Sphere, only for a voice to call out, "DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!" Everyone turned to Flash, "I don't know what he's telling you, but he's wrong! Whatever lies he's screaming at you, ignore them! You're the best and I won't let you believe you're anything else!"

"That's right!" Twilight added, "You're so much better then him. I mean, look at how he leads." She pointed to the other Riolu and Springer glanced at them, fear plastered on every face. "He leads through fear! You lead through respect!"

"And that's why you're gonna beat this guy!" Doc continued, "Because you care about these guys!"

"So kick his butt already!" Spike yelled as Lucario growled.

It was then that five red lights exploded off of Flash, his other Pokémon appearing besides him. "You can do it!" Astro roared.

"Show him why you're our leader!" Prongs neighed. "Not because you were Flash's first Pokémon."

"But because we trust you!" Riptide yelled.

"You're not allowed to lose to such a weakling," Viper hissed.

Skyler nodded. "Don't forget, he's the one who made you unable to evolve. And we all know why he did that. Because he was scared of you!"

"Be quiet!" Lucario growled back, "I'm not scared of this weakling!"

"Remember Springer," Flash stepped up, "Remember everything you've been through since the day we've met! All the dangers you've encountered, all the enemies you've fought, all the opponents you've battled and beaten. Opponents this guy would cower at the sight of, and you're one of 'em! He was so scared of you that he thought the only way to stop you from being a threat was to stop you from evolving! Are you really gonna let a wimp like that beat you?!"

"ENOUGH! I'm not scared of this nothing! I am the greatest Lucario that has ever lived!" Lucario growled as he held up his Aura Sphere, "I'll show you, you pathetic human!" He threw the orb, only for his Pokémon to easily shield the blast.

"FLASH!" Springer gasped, only to glare back up at Lucario. "You won't get away with that!" Lucario smirked as he looked back at Springer, only to get hit in the face with a tiny Aura Sphere. The blow knocked him back, Springer then using his tail to sweep Lucario's other leg, toppling him over as Springer began to roll away.

"My friends are right. There's no way I'll listen to anything you tell me." Lucario growled as he saw Springer stand up. "You're wrong. I am special, because my friends believe I am. And I believe them way more than I believe you." He pointed at Lucario. "I'm done letting you push the others around. You may be evolved, but that doesn't mean you deserve to be leader!"

"Be quiet!" Lucario growled. "You can't beat me. Try and you'll only be asking for more pain!"

"Maybe," Springer smirked, "But I'll happily take that pain if it means taking you down. You've pushed us around for the last time. Now," he charged at this, "IT'S TIME SOMEONE SHOWED YOU WHAT A REAL LEADER IS!" Lucario ran up as well and created a Metal Claw, slashing at Springer as the Riolu blocked with a Bone Rush, deflecting it back before spinning it into Lucario's stomach.

"Loo!" He yelped, only for the bone to then hit his face, "CARIO!"

"Yeah!" Flash yelled as the others cheered, "Do it Springer!" Lucario then leapt back and took a deep breath before firing Dragon Pulse, "Look out!"

Springer saw the attack coming and reshaped the bone into an Aura Sphere, firing it at the Dragon Pulse, causing it to explode. He then used Extreme Speed to shoot through the smoke, tackling Lucario before kicking off his chest. Lucario growled at this and formed an Aura Sphere, firing it at Springer, but the Riolu used Extreme Speed and dodged it, only to get hit by another Aura Sphere.

And as Springer got hit, Lucario charged to use Close Combat. But as he tried to throw a punch, Springer dodged the first punch...and the second punch, then the kick, kick, punch combo. When he did this, he clutched his fist and threw a glowing punch into Lucario and making him cry out as Springer absorbed more energy.

"Did that punch seem to do a lot more damage then before?" Spike asked, Twilight nodding.

"Close Combat is a powerful move, but it lowers the user's defenses. Meaning they become an easy target if they use it too much."

"Get him, Springer!" Flash yelled as his partner charged, Lucario picking itself up as the other Riolu watched. And as the pair traded blows, they couldn't believe what was happening. Their leader was actually being challenged, appearing to be on the ropes.

"CARIO!" The Aura Pokémon howled before launching another Dragon Pulse, but Springer responded by forming an Aura Sphere in each paw before slamming them together, pointed them toward the ground, creating a powerful gust of wind to explode out and pushed Springer harmlessly into the air.

The wind slowed hit the Dragon Pulse, Springer now flying over the attack and then throwing a Bone Rush at Lucario. The aura weapon hit him in the face, making him cry out as Springer landed on the ground in front of him. The evolved Fighting-type staggered back, only to form another Aura Sphere. "I'm ending this!"

"My words exactly," Springer replied before forming his own Aura Sphere. The pair glared at each other and pushed as much energy as they could into the attack. And as everyone watched with baited breath, they both charged.

"RI/CAR!" They screamed at one another as they thrust the two orbs into one another, the colliding forces unleashing a shockwave that exploded out in every direction. Flash, his friends and the Riolu all felt the force hit them, making them stagger back a few feet.

"Springer!" Flash yelled, opening his eyes through the wind and staring at his partner as he and Lucario continued to push at one another. "Come on! You can do it!"

And as Springer felt himself begin to lose power, his Aura Sphere begin to shrink, he felt a suddenly feeling of warmth wash over him, glancing back at Flash and the others. The looks in their eyes filled him with more confidence, seeing nothing but belief in them. He then glanced over at the Riolu, seeing them all mentally cheer him on, his eyes locking with the Riolu he knew the longest. Everyone believed in him, and he wasn't gonna let their belief be for nothing.

"Car?" Lucario asked as Springer's Aura Sphere stopped shrinking and began to grow again, reaching its original size and then continuing to grow. "Impossible!" He roared as the Aura Sphere became twice the size of his, "That's not possible!"

"Maybe for you," Springer barked back, "But I'm not you! Because I have friends supporting me!" He pumped even more power into his attack, the orb growing to the same size as him. "And now it's time for you to go down!"

Lucario growled and attempted to expand his attack, only for his orb to grow...and become unstable and explode in his face, "Car!" He yelped as the Aura Sphere vanished, meaning there was nothing between him and Springer's attack.

"RIOLU!" Springer roared as he thrust the giant orb, Lucario attempting to stop the attack with his bare paws.

"Loo!" He cried as the Aura Sphere smashed into his body, pushing him back before hitting the wall behind him. "LUCARIO!" He screamed as the Aura Sphere pinned him against the rock, burning him as it grinded against his fur.

KABOOM!

Everyone flinched as the Aura Sphere exploded, unleashing a shockwave that knocked them all off their feet. The blast lasted several long seconds, only to fade as they all opened their eyes. to see Lucario. The jackal Pokémon was still pinned against the rock wall, actually having been pushed into the rock itself, burn marks covering its body and swirls in its eyes. It then slumped over, falling to the ground with a thud.

The mountain was silent as everyone stared at the sight. Springer had beaten Lucario.

"Ri?" Springer asked as he let the information sink in, then smiling as he cheered, "RIOLU!"

"Springer!" Flash yelled as he ran up to Springer, the Riolu leaping into his arms, the two hugging one another tightly. "You did it!"

"RI!" Springer yipped back.

"You were so awesome," Spike added.

"I knew you could do it," Twilight continued while Doc nodded.

"Now you can finally let go of what happened in the past." Springer nodded back as Flash let him down, Springer turning to the others and seeing his friends smiling at him. But before they could celebrate, movement made them turn to see Lucario pick itself up.

"Car," it growled, its body sparking as he tried to summon some aura.

"Give it up," Flash responded, "You lost." Lucario let out several roars, telling them in his own language he was far from beaten. He turned to the Riolu and ordered them to attack, but they all remained in place.

"CAR!" He howled, "LUCARIO!"

"Face it," Twilight told him. "Losing to Springer has lost you their respect. Not that you had any." Springer walked up in front of the other Riolu, "They're not gonna follow you any more."

"Loo," Lucario growled, only to see Springer smirk with folded arms. "LUCARIO!" He charged, ready to use Metal Claw. But before he could get close, Springer's friend jumped up as a sphere of wind appeared in his paw.

"RIOLU!" He roared before thrusting the sphere, the orb exploding to form a beam of wind hit Lucario, smacking him back.

"Car?" He gasped as he felt the blow, only for another Riolu to walk up. Then another and another, all glaring at the Lucario.

"They're not gonna let you push them around any more," Flash told the Lucario. "Give it up!"

"CARIO!" It roared before charging again, the claws aimed right at Springer. But before he could reach him, Springer fired an Aura Sphere while the others fired their Vacuum Waves. The beams slammed into the Aura Sphere, pushing it at super speed, smashing into Lucario and causing an explosion that sent Lucario flying.

Everyone watched as the Aura Pokémon was sent hurtling through the air, soon hitting the dirt, bouncing several times against the rocky surface before coming to an stop. They all watched him lay there for a few moments, then shakily picked himself up. Once back on his feet, he glared up at Springer and the Riolu before turning away. Everyone watched as Lucario walked away, clearly accepting his defeat and dethronement. He disappeared down the mountain trail, not looking back as he vanished. Everyone just stood there, waiting to see if he would suddenly attack again...only for nothing to happen.

And as this happened, one of the Riolu jumped up and cheered. This was followed by the others, Springer starting to cheer last. But once they finished cheering, they all turned to Springer. The Riolu stared at his pack-mates, seeing each of them smiling. "Ri?"

"Rio," his friend bowed in respect, followed by another and another until they were all bowing.

"What are they doing?" Spike asked.

"I...I think they see Springer as their new leader," Twilight whispered, Flash's eyes shrinking as Doc nodded at this.

"That makes sense. He did just dethrone the last leader, so I guess they expect him to take over." Flash let this information sink in as he stared at Springer, who was happily smiling as he spoke to all the Riolu around him.

'He's so happy.' Flash thought, 'He finally did it...'

"Flash," Twilight said, Flash turning to her, "You must be so proud of him. Being able to beat a Lucario is hard enough, but doing so when you're its pre-evolution is even harder."

"Just goes to show how well he trained Springer," Doc chuckled while Twilight and Spike nodded.

But as this happened, Flash turned back to Springer, seeing him hug the other Riolu. His mind told him that he couldn't live without Springer in his life...but he knew better. 'I can't be selfish. For Springer.' He took a deep breath, "I have to."

"Have to what?" Spike asked as Twilight, Doc and Flash's other Pokémon looked at him. They watched as he stared at Springer, a frown appearing on his face as he turned away.

"Flash?" Twilight asked, "Are you okay?" He didn't respond, instead walking away as the others watched him go. They soon started to follow him as Springer was too focused on his pack-mates to notice them leave. They followed Flash down the mountain, all the while asking what was wrong. But it wasn't until they got back to the camp that Flash explained what he planned on doing. "What?!" Twilight cried once he was done, "You're leaving Springer?!"

"That's right," Flash nodded as he made sure the fire was out and picked up his bag.

"Flash...that's crazy! Why would you leave Springer when he's one of your strongest Pokémon?!"

"My mind's made up," Flash told him before turning to the rest of his team. "You guys saw how happy Springer was with the rest of the Riolu. Don't forget, those guys were his friends before any of us. They probably all hatched together. Of course Springer would want to go back to them."

"But that was a long time ago," Doc told him. "You and Springer have been through way more together. You care about one another."

"And it's because I care that I have to do this," Flash replied, "Besides...its fine. I mean, its like with Hopper. He's happy here."

"But you're just going to leave without so much as a goodbye?!" Twilight yelled, "How can you do that?!"

She then saw the look on Flash's face, one of pure shame and regret, "I hate leaving him like this, but it's the only way. If Springer knew what I was doing, he might follow me. He's way too loyal to think about what's best for him. This is for the best."

The others grimaced at this, only for Doc to say, "Well, you better think of something else." He pointed behind Flash, the group following his gaze to see Springer standing at the top of the ledge looking down at them.

"Ri?" He tilted his head.

"Springer..." Twilight whispered as she looked away, Spike cringing at this. As this happened, Flash just stared at his oldest friend, trying to summon words as Springer leapt down and walked up to him.

And as he got closer, Flash took a deep breath, "Springer," he kneeled down, placing a hand on his oldest friend's shoulder, "I'm leaving, but you need to stay here."

"Rio?" Springer blinked at this. "Rio ri?"

"This...this is where you belong. With the rest of the Riolu." He patted Springer on the head. "I'm sure that's why you and I met. So you could grow strong enough to beat Lucario and take over as leader. And now that you are, you don't need to stay with me any more."

"Ri!" Springer's eyes went wide, now knowing what Flash meant.

But before he could say anything, Flash patted him on the head again, his gaze now not meeting Springer's. "I hope we can meet again someday, but for now...this is goodbye." With that, he stood up and walked past Springer. The Riolu just stood there, unable to respond. He glanced at the others, Flash's friends and other Pokémon all frowning.

He then heard Flash's footsteps and spun around, seeing the teen walk further away. "RIOLU!" He ran after him, but Flash simply picked up the pace.

But when Springer grew close to catching up, he cried out, "JUST STOP!" Springer did as he commanded as Flash yelled, "Don't make this any harder than it has to be. The Riolu all need you, and you need them. You'll never be as happy with me then you will be with your own kind. So just...GOODBYE!" With that, he began to run away as fast as he could.

"RIOLU!"

"GOODBYE!" This made Springer stop again, the Riolu standing there and watching him disappear up the mountain pass.

"FLASH!" Twilight screamed as she, Spike, Doc and Flash's other Pokémon ran past Springer. Skyler, Riptide, Prongs, Viper and Astro stopped for a moment, all turning to Springer with long frowns.

And after a few seconds, Riptide turned to chase after his trainer, Skyler and Prongs following him with Viper at the back. Astro remained, still looking at the Pokémon that had been like a big brother to him. Then he let out one final tiny roar. "Goodbye." With that, the teary eyed Starvern ran after the others, leaving Springer alone.





Flash continued to run as fast as he could, his eyes beginning to fill with tears. Sorrow washed over him at the thought of never seeing his best friend again, the tears now falling free as he let this all sink in. 'Springer was my very first Pokémon.'

Despite not wanting to, he started thinking back to all the times he had shared with Springer. The day he first met him in the woods outside his hometown. Saving him from Lucario and helping Shining bring him to the Pokémon Center. Becoming friends with the Riolu and giving him a name, causing Shining to leave Springer in his care. The days as a kid that he spent training and playing with the Riolu, strengthening their bond and teamwork together.

Travelling to Canterlot together and seeing Pegasoar together, their first battle against Lightning and his Chimplug. Helping save Canterlot City when Champagoon went on a rampage, battling and catching Skyler together. Fighting Doc and working together to beat him and earn the Gear Badge, cooking Poke-Muffs with him and taking on Team Shadow in Fillydelphia City. Fighting against Solid Stone's Machamp and against Scar inside Ghastly Gorge. Facing off against Shining Armor and Galladin and competing together in the Hoof Cup.

Saving Hopper together and helping train him to be the best king he could be. Protecting Twilight and Shine from that psycho Piedoom. Fighting against Team Shadow in the Grand Desert and Hidden Temple along with the giant Douburrow and escaping the underground labyrinth together. Competing at the Hoofington Battle Tournament and working with Hopper to save his home.

And finally training in the Pokérus training grounds and competing in the Manehatten Pokémon Contest together. And even the most recent events, like fighting against Team Shadow and Shining in the Crystal Empire, the sled race and a million other memories he couldn't forget. All the amazing times he had had with his best friends. Times he would never have again.

'This is for the best,' he mentally stated as he came to a stop, "I guess." He caught his breath, only for the rest of his friends to reach him.

"Flash!" Twilight yelled as they came to a stop behind him. "Please think about what you're doing."

"I have thought about what I'm doing," Flash replied, keeping his back turned away while staring at the ground, "This is the best thing for Springer. Before, he never had a choice. Lucario threw him out of the pack and he had to stay with me because Shining caught him. But now that he has a chance to stay with his real family, so it would be wrong of me to keep him from them. This...this is for the best."

Everyone frowned at this, hearing the despair in his voice. They all just stood there in silence, the sun now beginning to rise above the horizon and creep over the rocks of the mountain around them. But as it did, a shadow was cast to the left of Flash. This shadow was a shape they all recognized, causing them to gasp.

Flash heard this and turned around, his eyes to catching a glimpse of the shadow and following it back to its source. There, standing atop a large hill with the sun behind it, was a Riolu. "Sp...Springer?" Springer was smiling down at him, Flash feeling his heart break as he thought his friend was going to simply say goodbye and leave. That thought intensified when the other Riolu suddenly appeared from over the hill as well.

But then, Springer turned to his pack and his friend moved up to him. "Ri," he told Springer, "Ri riolu."

"Ri?" Springer asked, his friend nodding before holding up his paw. Springer smiled before holding up his and pressing it against his friend's, the paws glowing for several moments before they pulled apart. As they did this, the rest of the Riolu all crying out.

"RIOLU!" They yelled together, holding up an arm and pumping it up and down. "RIO...LU! RIO...LU! RIO...LU! RIO...LU!"

Meanwhile, everyone at the top of the hill just stared at the Riolu. "What do you think they're doing?" Twilight asked, Spike and Flash shrugging.

"I think they might be cheering." Doc replied.

"Cheering?" Spike asked, Doc nodding back.

"For Flash...and for Springer." Flash's eyes went wide as he heard this, turning back to the cheering Riolu.

Springer stared at his former pack and smiled the happiest smile he had ever made, tears filling his eyes as he thanked them all. Then, he turned back to his true family and ran as fast as he could. His eyes locked squarely on Flash. The teen just stared at the approaching Riolu, feeling his heart about to burst with joy. Tears filled his eyes as his best friend got closer. "Springer..."

"RIOLU RI!" He yelled before leaping, Flash holding out his arms.

"SPRINGER!" He screamed at the top of his voice, the Riolu hit his chest and he wrapped his arms around him. "Springer..." He fell to his knees and hugged him as tight as possible, then pulled back as he looked him in the eyes. "Are you sure?" Springer stared back at him, a smile on his face as Twilight walked up to them.

"Flash," he turned to her, "You said Springer never had a choice before. Well now he does, and he picked you."

The others nodded as Doc spoke up, "You two have been through way too much to simply throw it all away." He gestured to the Twilight and Spike. "After all, a family isn't just something you're born into. It's also the friends who stood with you." He then gestured to Flash's other Pokémon, "The ones who fought by your side." Flash smiled at this and stood up, Springer still in his arms. "You'll be there for them, and they'll be there for you." They turned to the Riolu, then to the mountain they had to cross. "For the battles that are yet to come..."





Higher up the mountain, Doom and Chrysalis were standing in front of a large wall. "You sure it's behind there?" Chrysalis asked as Doom held up a scanner device, which beeped.

"It's here," he replied before turning to his Scrapummel. "You know what to do." It nodded before turning to the wall and charging, roaring as it threw a punch into the wall, causing it to crack and break, soon shattering to pieces. And when the wall fell to the ground, it revealed a large hole hidden behind it that lead inside the mountain. "Found it."

They both glanced inside the hole, now seeing a much larger tunnel behind the wall. "This is it," Chrysalis whispered. "The Altar of Summons."
> Altar of Summons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Crystal Empire

It had been over a week since Twilight and her friends had left the Crystal Empire. In that time, Shining and the professors had all been trying to secure the empire even more while enjoying the many wonders and mysteries of the city. Celestia and Luna with Sunset's help had been doing more tests on the transporter and warp tiles, trying to get a system for transporting equipment. In the throne room of the castle, which now acted as Cadance's lab, the youngest professor was hard at work, her computer busy scanning the journal she had found in the other ruin. And as she did this, she read over what had already been translated. "Fascinating."

"What's fascinating?" She turned to see Shining Armor walk in, "Find anything interesting?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Cadance replied as she glanced back at the computer. "There's a passage in the journal talking about the process of using the Crystal Heart to summon either Alicormony, Dischaos or both."

"Really?" Shining asked with a raised eyebrow, "Sounds like something Team Shadow would be interested in. How does it work?"

"Well, it can't just be done anywhere here. According to the journal, the Crystal Heart needs to be taken to a special location called the Altar of Summons."

"The Altar of Summons?"

"That's what it says. Apparently, it was built by the Ancient Crystal Emperians so that they could safely summon the Legendaries when needed."

"Why would they need that?"

"Not sure. All the journal says is that the altar was built at an area where an opening in the world appeared."

"An opening in the world?"

"I assume it's summoning similar to an Ultra Wormhole. A tear in the fabric of space." She crossed her arms at this, closing her eyes, "Alicormony has the power to open portals to its own world all by itself. Same with Dischaos. Alicormony is the one who was said to have created the Crystal Heart, so the relic likely has the power to open portals as well...but it's probably on a much weaker scale, which is why it needs all the help it can get."

"So the altar was built on a dimensional weak-spot?" Shining asked, Cadance nodded.

"Which allows the Crystal Heart to open a portal there." She pressed a button on the keyboard and the screen changed to show the image of a crude drawing showing people riding on the backs of horse-like Pokémon. One had a horn and another had wings, making Shining realize they were the heralds of Alicormony. The human riding Pegasoar appeared to be holding the Crystal Heart, which had several lines coming off. She then pressed another button and the image changed to show the same crudely drawn people standing around some kind of isosceles trapezoid that had the Crystal Heart on top of it. "My guess is that these three would show themselves to worthy individuals and task them with using the Crystal Heart to summon their master."

"So they would take the Heart to this Altar of Summons?" Shining asked, Cadance nodding, "Then they opened a portal using a tear in the world and summon the Legendaries when needed?"

"Exactly." She responded, "But it doesn't say anything about where the Altar of Summons is."

"I'm guessing it has to be at least near here," Shining told her. "It would make sense the place would be close by since they would need to get the Crystal Heart there in a hurry if need be."

"Unless they had some way to fast travel there," Cadance pointed out. "Maybe they first invented the Warp Tiles so they could get to the altar as fast as possible. Or maybe the heralds have some way to travel there incredibly fast."

"I guess that's possible," Shining added, "Though it sounds like we need to find the altar before Team Shadow. If we can get that, they would have less of a chance to summon the Legendaries." Cadance nodded back before typing on the computer, Shining turning to the window, "Hmmm...Flash and the others should be there by now. Hopefully nothing happens that puts them in danger."





Mount Tartarus...

Near the top of the mountain's highest peak, Team Shadow's Commanders were staring into the opening entrance of a large tunnel leading into the mountain's hidden secret.

"This is it," Chrysalis whispered. "The Altar of Summons." She grabbed a flashlight, illuminating the passage to see it was big enough to fit a truck. When Doom stepped in, she turned to the entryway and focused on the grunt that was about to do the same. "Get to work on removing the rest of this rock. I want this passageway open as much as possible before our leader arrives."

"Yes ma'am!" He replied before running off, several more grunts going into the tunnel. These ones were carrying metal cases or pushing carts full of equipment into the tunnel, Chrysalis taking one case and opening it up to reveal the Heart Fragment.

"According to legend, this should allow us entry into the altar without problem."

"That legend was talking about the whole Crystal Heart," Doom chimed in, "And since you failed to acquire the other Heart Fragment, we're one piece short. You sure this'll be enough to grant us access?"

"I'm sure," Chrysalis nodded. "And even if its not, we have some of the finest equipment in Equestria. We'll find a way in, even if the key doesn't fit in the lock." With that, the criminals began their way into the tunnel, taking the liberty of planting torches into the wall to illuminate the area. It was time to find the altar.





On a different part of the mountain, Flash, Twilight, Spike, Doc and their Pokémon were still climbing, Spike asking Flash something as the older teen helped him Spike over a rock, "Any idea which Pokémon you're gonna use in your Gym Match?"

"Not sure," Flash replied, "I guess it depends on what Pokémon the gym leader uses."

"Well, Dragonia City was created by a group of draconids," Twilight chimed in, "So it would make sense that they would use Dragon-type Pokémon."

"So I need Pokémon good against Dragon-types," Flash responded, humming to himself as his brain's gears slowly turned, "So...Riptide and Astro are my best bet."

"Is Astro a good idea?" Doc asked next, "He's still relatively inexperienced, and this Gym Leader is supposed to be the toughest one in the whole region."

"And it's not just Dragon-types you might be facing," Twilight added, "If they're another type, like fire or rock, Riptide's Ice Punch won't be as effective."

Flash sighed and shook his head, "Um...why don't I wait and see what I'm up against and I'll figure out what to do for the battle." The others nodded, only for them to look up at a section of the path, seeing it having been blocked by a large boulder. "Now what?"

"Allow me," Doc took out a Pokeball. "Lairon, come out and use Metal Claw!" The ball opened up and in a flash, the Iron Armor Pokémon appeared.

"LAIRON!" It roared before swinging its claws, shattering the rock. Path clear, the dinosaur Pokémon turning to them as Doc walked up and patted his head.

"Nice work. We might need to break a few more rocks. You okay staying out and helping for a bit?" Lairon nodded and turned to walk ahead, the group soon following.

They eventually reached an inclined part of the mountain that was at a fifty degree angle. Spike looked ahead, gasping as he saw a edge, "We're almost there!" He cheered as Lairon used Metal Claw to dig into the rock, creating climbing holes for the others to us. "Once we're up this this part, we'll have conquered the hard part of the mountain!"

"Don't be so sure," Doc replied as Lairon reached the top, "It's a scientific fact that climbing up a mountain is actually the easy part. Climbing down is a lot harder."

Spike raised an eyebrow at this as Flash followed Doc up, "How the heck does that work?"

"It's complicated," Twilight sighed as Flash finished climbing, "But just remember to be extra careful when we start climbing down it."

"I will," Spike nodded as he reached the top. "But honestly, I still think the easy part's behind us." But as he said that and they got to top, he was greeted with the sight...of more mountain. "Oh, come on!"

The road ahead of them was another area of flat land, with a large pile of boulders a few feet away while leading to another path up a more vertical area that ended at what seemed to be the peak.

"It just keeps going!"

"Suck it up," Twilight replied as she gestured to her brother to follow, "It's a mountain. They're usually like this."

"This was supposed to be the smallest of the mountain's peaks!" He whined, "Why couldn't there be a path that cuts straight through this thing?!"

"I guess this mountain doesn't get enough foot traffic to make something like that worth making," Twilight added, "But maybe we should rest up for a bit."

The others nodded in agreement, about to take off their bags, only for Springer to let out a bark. "Ri!" His ears perked up, Flash turning to him as the Pokémon stared at the boulder pile.

"What's up bud?" He asked, Springer then grabbing the bottom of his jacket and pulling it. He pointed to the boulders, Flash staring at the rocks. "What is it?"

"Flash? What's going-" Twilight asked, only to see the rocks start to move. They all froze as they watched the boulders begin to move in unison, one appearing to be connected to the other. Then they straightened out, revealing a serpentine Pokémon made up of fifteen large round boulders with a large horn on its head.

"Onix..." Doc gulped as the rock snake turned to them.

"ROOOOOR!" It roared at the top of its voice, shaking the ground around them. The others backpedaled at this, Springer and Lairon running in front of them. And as they did this, Onix opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of yellow energy.

"Its using Dragon Breath!" Twilight gasped.

"Flash Cannon!" Doc countered, Lairon opening his mouth and firing his own laser attack, the two beams hitting one another. And when the attacks negated each other, Onix let out another roar as Doc commented, "This could be bad."





Back in the cave...

Chrysalis, Doom and the rest of their squad continued into the tunnel, the passage barely changing as they kept going. "How much longer is this gonna take?" Doom grumbled as a grunt hammered another lamp into the wall.

"Sir," Doom turned to the grunt, "I'm afraid that was our last lamp."

"Great..." he pointed his flashlight down the passageway. "Like this wasn't hard enough already." But as he said that, he saw his light hit something blocking the path. "What's that?" They moved up to it, out of the lamp's light and saw it was a large wall.

"It's...a doorway," Chrysalis replied, "It's the entrance to the Altar of Summons!" They glanced up at the wall, seeing it was almost ten meters high. It was made of metal, and was arch shaped with a line running down the middle where the two doors split.

"So this is our last obstacle before we can enter the chamber," Doom chuckled before gesturting to his Scrapummel, "Do it." Scrapummel nodded before charging and body checking the door, only for the metal to stay put and push Scrapummel back. "Ooookay," Doom sighed, "Do we have a plan B?"

Chrysalis didn't reply, instead lifting her torch up over the metal. It showed a depiction of someone holding the Crystal Heart. "I wonder," she lowered her torch and took out the Heart Fragment, holding it up to the door...and waited.

A minute or so later, Doom rolled his eyes, "It's not working. We need the other fragment."

"Maybe," Chrysalis replied as she began to put the fragment away, only for the relic to glow a soft pink aura. "Wait...its happening!" The relic's light grew at this, soon getting so bright that the light of their flashlights was overpowered, the tunnel now completely enveloped by pink light. And as that light hit the door, a clicking sound rang out before more clicks filled the air, the Shadow Generals all backpedaling at the sight.

"It's happening," Doom rubbed his hands together. "The Altar of Summons will be opened to us!" And as he said that, the doors began to open. They slowly creaked open, a super loud scrapping noise filling the room. Clearly, this old doorway needed a touch of oil.

The doors then completely opened, allowing them to see the next room as the light from the Heart Fragment died down. They illuminated their flashlights again, pointing them inside as they walked in. The room was massive and circular, with a C-shaped channel of water that ran along the edge of the chamber and stopped just before the doorway. The channels were being fed the water by smaller channels that led to the center of the chamber where a giant four sided pyramid that had it's top cut off could be seen. The pyramid was made entirely out of clear blue crystal, and had several holes in the side where the water was running from. The side of the pyramid pointing the doorway had a flight of stairs, which led all the way to the top.

"We finally found it." Chrysalis whispered as they began to descend the staircase. "Now all we need is the final piece of the Crystal Heart."

But as they placed their feet onto the first crystal step, the pyramid let out an invisible signal, one they didn't notice.





Up on the mountain's stop, the three Legendary's eyes opened. "They found it," Pegasoar growled.

"Then we have no choice," Mysticorn added.

"But to stop them, once and for all." Horsearth finished before leaping off the side of the mountain while Pegasoar took to the air and Mysticorn's horn began to glow. Horsearth landed on the mountain's rocky surface and slid down the side, its hooves carving grooves into the rock as Mysticorn began teleporting down the mountain, soon reaching a certain height of the mountain at the same time Horsearth slid down it.





Back in the Altar of Summons, Doom and Chrysalis reached the top of the crystal construct, now seeing a podium in the middle with a groove on it.

"Who wants to bet this is where the Crystal Heart goes?" Chrysalis asked, Doom smirking.

"Suckers bet." He then took the Heart Fragment before moving up to the podium.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" She watched him place the Heart Fragment onto the podium, the bottom part fitting perfectly into the groove, only to almost tip over due to the other missing fragment. "Careful!" She cried as he caught it. "If you break that, Master Sombra will tear you apart!"

"Relax," he replied, rolling his eyes, "Besides, we need to test out how much power this thing still has. No better time than right now." Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at this, "Don't give me that look. This fragment was able to open the door, so it still has power within it."

"What does that have to do with this?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Doom barked before holding the fragment up, "It's possible we can open a portal with just this fragment." Chrysalis' eyes went wide at this. "Of course, we won't be able to summon the Legendaries, but we may be able to summon something weaker."

"Are you nuts?!" Chrysalis screamed, "You wanna try and summon something here without master Sombra's permission?"

"Think of it like this. We need to figure out if this altar can still work as a summoning point. It's been a thousand years since it was last used. For all we know, the dimensional tear sealed itself up. You really wanna have Master Sombra arrive, only to discover we can't summon the Legendaries?"

Chrysalis opened her mouth, only to sigh, "Well...I guess you have a point. Fine. We'll run a test and try to summon something." She turned to the others, "But set up the energy traps. I don't want whatever we summon to run rampant and destroy this place." The grunts nodded and got to work, removing the equipment from the cases they brought with them. "This just better not come back to bite us in the foot."





"Drain Punch!" Flash yelled as Springer thrust his fist into the Onix's head, smacking it away while draining its energy.

"Roah!" It yelped as Springer jumped back, Lairon charging in next as Doc ordered Metal Claw. The dino slashed into the giant rock snake, pushing it back even more before Springer fired an Aura Sphere. Both blows knocked the snake more and more, roaring in pain as Doc pointed at the Pokémon's head.

"Metal Claw!" Doc ordered as Lairon up, his claws glowing as he swung them into the Rock Ground-type's center rocks.

"Extreme Speed!" Springer's body sparked as he sped up, almost warping over to Onix. He swung his leg downward, axe-kicking the snake...only for Springer to yelp as his feet slammed into the hard rock head.

"Ri!" Springer flinched, his foot turning red as he grabbed it hopped on one foot. "Ri!" But as he did this, Onix swung the end of its tail, smacking the Riolu head-on. "RIO!" He cried as he was smacked away, making him going flying.

"Springer!" Flash gasped as Onix prepared to fire another Dragon Breath.

"Rock Slide!" Doc commanded, Lairon letting out a roar as the portals appeared above Onix. Large rocks began to fall out of them, smashing into the Onix.

"Roooaaar!" It cried out as the rocks bounced off its head and body, letting Springer get back up.

"Nice one Doc," Flash responded, Doc nodding back as the last rock fell. "Now, let's knock this guy out! Aura Sphere!" Springer created an orb of energy, throwing it into Onix. But as it came for the Rock Snake, Onix's eyes narrowed, and its body suddenly began to spark with blue lightning.

"It's using Rock Polish!" Twilight yelped as the Aura Sphere slammed into Onix's head. An explosion came next, but the Rock-type pushed through the pain and charged at them, sprinting at full speed. "Rock Polish raises a Pokémon's speed! Be careful!" Flash and Doc nodded as Onix reached their Pokémon and raised its tail, ready to use Slam on the pair.

"Bone Rush!" Flash countered, Springer leaping on Lairon before creating a large bone staff that he raised up as Onix brought its tail down. The Bone Rush blocked it, Springer feeling his feet grind through the dirt as Onix's tail pushed him down.

"Flash Cannon!" Lairon opened its mouth and fired the energy laser, hitting Onix head on as an explosion consumed them.

"Roooaaar!" It roared, slithering back as it fell down.

"That's the way!" Flash cheered, "Now get in close and use Drain Punch!" Springer hopped onto Larion before leaping off, clenching his fist. But as he did this, Onix glared at Springer before the rocks on its body began to rotate.

"What's it doing?" Spike asked, only for Doc to gasp as he saw something appear from between Onix's segments.

"Flash! Pull Springer back, now!" But before he could do so, Onix let out a roar as millions of tiny rock specks began to swirl around it, forming a spiralling wall of sand that Springer found himself flying into.

"RI!" He yelped as the sand buffeted him, scratching him up and throwing him to the side.

"Springer!" Flash gasped as his Riolu fell back, Onix turning to Springer and preparing to use Dragon Breath. "No!"

"Lair!" Lairon yelled as he hopped between the two, taking the Dragon Breath. And as it hit him, he stood his ground, allowing the attack to bounce off as Springer picked himself up.

"That's the way!" Doc cheered, "That attack won't do a thing to a Steel-Type!" And as the Dragon Breath began to power down, he pointed at the Onix, "Flash Cannon!" Lairon fired his laser again, cutting through the sand before smacking Onix in the face, causing the Sandstorm to slow down.

"LAIRON!" He roared, making Onix grown back before trying to use Slam on him. But as the tail slammed into Lairon, the Iron Armor Pokémon just took it before grabbing the tail in his jaws. "Lair!" Onix went wide-eyed at this, only to feel Lairon pull at him, dragging the rock snake.

Before Onix new what was happening, Lairon swung his head around, spinning the snake before letting ago, "ROOOAAAR!" It cried as it went flying, out of the Sandstorm just as Springer formed an Aura Sphere.

"RIOLU!" He howled before throwing the orb, the Aura Sphere exploding on impact as the Rock Snake fell toward the ground. And as it hit the dirt, Lairon ran out of the fading Sandstorm.

"Metal Claw!" Doc yelled, Lairon's claws glowing as he leapt at the snake. And in a flash of light, Lairon shot past Onix, landing on the ground behind it. A second later, Onix let out a scream, feeling the slash cut through the rocks. It roared in pain as Lairon and Springer took a defensive stance, ready for anything.

And as they waited, Onix picked itself up. It slowly spun around, glaring at the two as it began to pant. But as he did this, it let out a low hiss before slithering away, shoving its head into the mountain and tunneling away. The sight made the group let out sighs of relief, Doc now patting Lairon, "Great work."

"Lair!" He replied before rubbing his head into Doc, the gym leader laughing.

"Wow! Lairon's a serious tank!" Spike cheered, "He took that Dragon Breath and ploughed through the Sandstorm like they were nothing!"

Twilight giggled at this, "Well, he is a Rock and Steel-type. Those types aren't affected by Sandstorm." She then turned to Lairon, "But you're right that Lairon's still a tank."

"Yeah," Doc patted him again, "You've got a will of pure steel. I can always trust you to be our shield when times are tough." Lairon nodded back, only to lick his trainer.

While this happened, Flash and Springer stared down at the hole the Onix had made. "That's not good." He turned to the others, "Let's get out of here. Last time we went mountain climbing and found angry Pokémon, they usually came in a group."

"I don't know about that." Twilight replied, "Onix aren't known for groups...but the tunnels they make are perfect for other cave-dwelling Pokémon." She pulled out her journal, tapping it, "Let's see if I can find something to get us out of here."





Back inside the Altar of Summons...

Chrysalis, Doom and the grunts were close to finished setting up the equipment they needed. On the ground, Doom and the grunts had set up several satellite dishes that were pointing up at a forty five degree angle. These were special devices that they would use to capture the Legendaries and weaken them enough to use a Pokeball on. Energy Traps.

"Done," he commented before wiping his brow. He turned to the monument, only to notice something on the wall. "Huh?" He moved over and brushed his hand on the rock, sweeping away the dust, only to reveal a minor groove embedded in the rock. The grove went up the wall until it hit a ring-shaped grove before going up the wall again and into another pattern.

He glanced around and found most of the wall was covered in these interconnected patterns. "Wonder what these are all for?"

As he did this, Chrysalis was up on the pyramid monument. She was setting up similar satellite devices, only hers were on large poles that had been tapped to the crystal pyramid. They were all pointing at the podium, ready to fire at it once the heart was in place.

"I have to admit," she chuckled as Doom began to climb the stairs. "He might have been a few screws short of a toolbox, but Mechano really knew what he was doing when he built these devices. Shame he couldn't be here to see the final product in action."

Doom just shrugged back, "He'd just want to take all the credit. Now," he took out a roll of tape and pulled it out, "Ready to get the Heart Fragment in place?" Chrysalis nodded and opened the case, the half heart-shaped crystal staring back at them.





Meanwhile...

The Shadow Grunts were now removing the outer wall, a Rhyperior drilling at the rock. The boulders fell at this, which was picked up by a bunch of Machop and Geodude. They plopped them into buckets that were carried away by a Skullimor, Skulerror or Skullvoc while the grunts kept an eye out for any non Team Shadow Pokémon that might show up tp start trouble.

And as they did this, three fairly powerful Pokémon were about to do that. Before anyone could notice, something crashed into the rocky ground of the mountain. Half the mountain shook from the impact, a large dust cloud filling the area as it knocked the grunts over. And as they recovered, they saw the cause of the shaking: Horsearth.

The Legendary growled at the criminals, only for a flash of light to appear beside it and a gust of wind shot down from above. This signaled the arrival or Pegasoar and Mysticorn, the three standing flank to flank and glaring at their enemies.

"SOAR/SURF/CORN!" They all roared together, unleashing a series of attacks before the Shadow Grunts could react. Pegasoar flapped its wings and created a powerful gust of wind that swirled into a tornado, threatening to suck the criminals and their Pokémon inside. As this happened, Mysticorn's horn glowed as a light formed into a pink ball of energy that exploded into a pink laser that cut the surrounding Pokémon down. Finally, Horsearth's body glowed brown as it leapt onto its back hooves before slamming them down, causing the whole place to shake.

The combo of Hurricane, Luster Purge and Magnitude struck every enemy around them, taking them all out in an instant. The battle had not lasted for even a minute, the trio glaring at the easy victory before them. And as this happened, they turned to the entrance of the tunnel, running inside as Pegasoar flew ahead while Mysticorn and Horsearth galloped down the passageway, the unicorn Pokémon igniting its horn to light the way.





Back in the Altar of Summons...

Chrysalis put the Heart Fragment over the podium, slowly descending it down before feeling her feet shake. "Hmm?"

"Commander!" a grunt yelled, making her turn to see her subordinates backpedal from the doorway.

"Something's coming..." Chrysalis whispered as she quickly put the Heart Fragment back in the case.

"Scrapummel!" Doom ordered his Fighting-type, the jacket wearing Pokémon hopping in front of him just as a light exploded through the doors.

"PEG/MIST/HORSE!" The Heralds of Alicormony neighed as they crashed into the room, now glaring at the criminals.

"No way!" Doom gasped, "I never thought they'd be here."

"I guess we should have suspected they would show up eventually," Chrysalis added as she took out her Pokeball. "Excellent. We'll take them down now and we won't have to worry about them getting in our way later."

She threw the Pokeball, her Queensect appearing beside Scrapummel while the Shadow Grunts summoned their Skullvoc. The three heralds growled at them, all staring at each other, waiting on who would take the first move. And then, one of the Skullvoc charged.

"X-Scissor!" A grunt barked as Skullvoc tried to slash at Mysticorn, only for Mysticorn to leap back.

"Corn!" The unicorn fired a Luster Purge, hitting Skullvoc and knocking it flying into a wall.

"Surf!" Horsearth opened its mouth as an orange energy ball appeared, firing the attack at one of the Skullvoc, causing it to fall to the ground before firing more at the remaining Skullvoc.

And as they all fell, only two remained in the air, but Pegasoar charged at them, "Soar!" It spread its glowing wings, turning hard as iron before the winged horse shot past the two at blinding speed. Once it was behind the two, the pair suddenly flinched as the pain caught up with them, making them crash with a thud.

"Luster Purge, Smack Down and Steel Wing," Doom gulped, "They're not legendary for nothing."

"Enough of this!" Chrysalis pointed at Mysticorn, "Bug Buzz!" Queensect spread its wings, its horn vibrating as it sent out red shockwaves at Mysticorn. The Psychic-type flinched at the attack, but quickly hopped to the side as her horn started to shine, only for Chrysalis to roll her eyes, "Please. Against a Dark-type, your Luster Purge is useless."

Pegasoar flew down at this, charging at the bug just as Scrapummel leapt in front of it. "Time for something new!" Doom declared, "Thunder Punch!" Scrapummel pulled its fist back as lightning began to surge around it.

"Peg!" Pegasoar spread its wings and beat them as hard as it could, causing feathers to fly right at Scrapummel. They hit the Street Fighter Pokémon as it threw its fist forward, creating a cushion between it and Pegasoar as the attack landed. "Soar!" It cried, but not as much pain as it would have suffered had it not used Feather Dance.

"Shadow Ball!" The grunts yelled as their downed Skullvoc all created the spheres of dark energy, all firing them at Horsearth. The Earth Pony Pokémon braced itself, the attacks colliding with its body. But as it hit, its body glowed brown again. It began to use Magnitude, only for Mysticorn to neigh, telling it to not do this in this small chamber. Nodding at this, its aura switched to a bright orange color.

"Surf!" It roared before galloping at the nearest Skullvoc and slamming its hooves into it.

"Skull!" It cried, making it scream in pain. And as it was crushed under the hooves, Horsearth turned to another Skullvoc, doing the same to it.

"High Horsepower?" A Shadow Grunt yelped, "But how?! They're Flying-types!"

"It used Smack Down," Chrysalis told them, "That nullifies that immunity for a while." As she said that, Queensect tried to use Slam on Mysticorn. The Mystic Horn Pokémon leapt back, its horn now glowing and extending, "That's Megahorn. If that's the case..." She commented to herself as Mysticorn charged, "Copycat!"

Queensect watched as Mysticorn drew closer and then thrust its extended horn, "Queen!" It staggered back, only to summon the same kind of horn at Mysticorn, "Queensect!" It roared before swinging the horn, slashing at Mysticorn.

"MIST!" It neighed as it stumbled back, only to swing its horn down, both locking in place.

"Beat Up!" Scrapummel threw another punch at Pegasoar, hitting it in the head, then another into its chest before spinning around and thrusting its foot into the Soaring Wing Pokémon's side.

"Soar!" It cried as it staggered back, only to charge at Scrapummel again. And as it did this, it leapt up, Mysticorn doing a similar thing when Queensect tried to stab it, only for both to bring their front hooves together before falling onto their opponents.

Queensect and Scrapummel both flinched in pain as the double Body Slam pushed them back. And before they could counter, the pair hopped off, Pegasoar spreading its wings while Mysticorn's eyes glowed purple. It's horn then glowed and formed a purple orb that exploded, launching a Luster Purge attack at Queensect.

The Dark Bug-type smirked, simply standing there as the attack approached, only for Chrysalis to scream, "Dodge it!" Queensect tilted its head at this, jumping to the side, only to get grazed by the attack.

"Sect!"

"Be careful! It's using Miracle Eye." Queensect nodded as Mysticorn fired several more Luster Purge attacks, Queensect blocking it using Bug Buzz.

Meanwhile, Horsearth fired several Smack Down attacks at the once again flying Skullvoc, only for Pegasoar to beat its wings and use Hurricane on Scrapummel. "Scrap!" The Fighting-type cried as the tornado formed around it, the wind slicing into its skin.

"Get out of there!" Doom roared, Scrapummel bracing itself and charging through the wind wall. But as he got out, Pegasoar swooped down at him. "Quick! Use Circle Throw!" Scrapummel reached out as a Steel Wing slammed into him, making it yelp before spinning and throwing Pegasoar over his back.

"PEG!" It cried as it rolled along the ground, flinching in pain as Scrapummel straightened itself out.

"Thunder Punch!" Scrapummel charged, clenching its fist while Pegasoar spread its wings and used Feather Dance to create a cloud of feathers between the pair. Scrapummel broke through, throwing the punch as the feathers covered the Pokémon.

"Soar!" It yelped, only to fire another Hurricane that blasted Scrapummel away. At the same time, Mysticorn and Horsearth unleashed a Luster Purge and Smack Down. But to Team Shadow's surprise, Mysticorn fired it at the Skullvoc while the Smack Down struck Queensect and sent it flying away from Mysticorn.

And as this happened, the three Legendaries all ran over to one another's side, now standing flank to flank again. The three stared their opponents down, ready to fire a new barrage of attacks. The sight made Chrysalis and Doom glanced at each other, Doom commenting, "We're not winning this. We need to do something."

As he said that, a Skullvoc charged at them, only to be instantly knocked out by a combo of Smack Down and Luster Purge. The sight made Chrysalis grimace, only to glance back at her equipment. "I think I have an idea." Doom turned to her with a raised eyebrow, now seeing the woman typing something on her holo-screen. "Keep them distracted until I give the signal. Queensect, obey Doom for now!" Doom and the Pokémon nodded and turned back to the battle as Scrapummel and Queensect picked themselves up.

"Giga Drain and Close Combat!" The two Pokémon launched their attacks, Scrapummel charging at Horsearth while Queensect's horn fired a blast of green energy at Mysticorn. Horsearth countered with Smack Down, but Scrapummel simply punched the orb into nothingness before it began wailing on Horsearth. Mysticorn fired a Luster Purge and the two beam attacks struck one another, the energies now pushing against one another.

Pegasoar saw this, only for several Skullvoc to fly down, all trying to do Night Slash attacks. The legendary flapped his wings, backpedaling before unleashing a Hurricane on the group, knocking them all back. As this happened, Scrapummel threw a punch at Horsearth's head, but the earth pony ducked and then spun around and bucked the street fighter into the air. At the same time, the Luster Purge began to overpower the Giga Drain, pushing it back at Queensect. The Bug-type gasped, but couldn't move as the attack hit and blasted Queensect upwards.

"SOAR!" Pegasoar as he met them in the air, beating its wings and unleashing a powerful tornado that struck the two, spinning them into a wall.

Doom watched his and Chrysalis' Pokémon crash while Pegasoar landed next to its teammates. As the pair and the Skullvoc got up and charged again, he turned to Chrysalis. "Any time now!" He exclaimed as Horsearth used Body Slam on Scrapummel.

"Almost done!" She barked back as Mysticorn used Megahorn on Queensect while Pegasoar using Feather Dance to block the Skullvoc's attacks. "And...GOT IT!" She hit the holographic button and when she did, the energy traps powered up and began to spark with lightning. A new image appeared on the holo-screen, showing the view from one of the machine's point of view. She moved it so the camera was pointed at Pegasoar, Chrysalis smirking. "Smile." She pressed the button and from the satellite dish, a beam of red energy exploded out and struck Pegasoar.

"SOAR!" It neighed as the red energy wrapped around its body, causing it tense up.

Mysticorn and Horsearth saw this and gasped, Horsearth charging at the satellite. But before it could reach it, another energy trap fired a beam that struck it head on. "SURF!" It cried, feeling its body stop moving.

Mysticorn growled at this, attempting to use Luster Purge on the machines. But then Queensect and Scrapummel attacked, firing Bug Buzz and Beat Up. The Legendary hopped back, dodging both attacks, but then an energy trap hit her as well, freezing it in place as well.

The three Legendaries squirmed as the energy cages now surrounded their bodies, zapping them with a surge of pain. And as they tried to resist, they found that all they could do was let out a mighty cry, one that echoed throughout the rocks of the mountain around them.





"Huh?" Flash, Twilight and Doc said, their bodies tensing up. The sight made Spike and their Pokémon turn to them.

"What's up?" Spike asked, while the three glanced around, not saying anything as huge frowns appeared on their faces. "Guys?"

"I'm...not sure," Twilight replied, shivering on the spot. "I suddenly got this really ominous feeling. Like something really bad just happened."

The boys nodded in agreement, Flash biting his lip, "I don't know about you guys, but I swear I could hear someone calling out for help. But it was only a whisper in the back of my head. Do you all feel that?"

"I...think so."

"Huh. Weird."

"We can't have all imagined it," Doc added, "But what the heck could it be?"

"No idea." Flash finished while glancing up at the ceiling, "It does feel really close though..."





With their opponents dealt with, the members of Team Shadow smirked before turning back to the pyramid. "Now that that mess is over, let's get to work." Chrysalis grumbled as the others nodded. Chrysalis and Doom headed up to the top of the monument, Chrysalis then placing the Heart Fragment into the slot while Doom used some tape to keep it in place. The pair turned to one another and nodded, stepping off the monument as Chrysalis started staring at the watch on her wrist.

"Starting power up sequence." She activated the device and a holographic image appeared, the woman typing away. As she did this, the machines situated around the monument activated, all now sparking around the satellite dishes. Down below, the three heralds saw this and their eyes went wide, all three squirming against the machine.

"How much longer?" Doom asked while Chrysalis continued to stare at the holo-screen.

"Power will reach optimal efficiency in five, four, three, two...ONE!" As soon as she said that, the machines unleashed a ray of rainbow colored lightning into the center of the monument. They all hit the Heart Fragment at the same time, causing it to glow, the light from the relic suddenly beginning to envelope the podium and turn it to the same bright pink color as it. That light also transferred into the water flowing into the channels, which slowly turned pink as well.

The entire channels started glowing at this, the walls of the chamber now reacting. The light began to spread from the water and into the patterns carved into the walls, making them glow the same pinkish light. The grunts watched as the chamber filled with light, seeing every single pattern illuminate...only for a loud sound to ring out.

It sound like machinery, moving and operating with the sound of clicks, whirls and creaks. They blinked at this, only for the entire chamber to start shaking, "WHAT'S HAPPENING!" Doom yelled as the two both bent down to not be thrown off the monument.

Chrysalis' watch beeped, the reactor scale on it activating, "No idea. I'm not sure if this is connected to the summoning..." She glanced up with a grimace on her face, "But the whole mountain's shaking."

"All of it?!" Doom yelped.





Meanwhile...

"Earthquake!" Spike screamed as their group began to feel the ground shake, Twilight grabbing him as they looked around. They then heard a loud crashing sound, glancing up to see a rock above had broken loose and was now falling toward them.

"Move!" Flash yelled as they jumped to the side, the rock rolling past them. But then another boulder broke apart, Larion jumping in front of this one.

"Flash Cannon!" Doc commanded, Lairon opening his mouth and firing the light blast. The rock was shattered at this, only for more rocks to fall. Doc then pointed ahead at a cave a little ways away, "In there!" The others nodded, all running into the cave as the earthquake continued, Lairon blasting any rocks that tried to crush them as they leapt inside.





Back in the Altar of Summons, a new light made Team Shadow to look up at the ceiling. The light was coming in from a hole that had appeared in the roof that was growing, making them think the chamber was splitting apart. But as they began to backpedal from this, Chrysalis told them to it was too perfectly round for that, the rest following her lead till they saw what it really was.

"A sky light." Doom turned to her, "This chamber opens up when the Crystal Heart is placed in it because...because the tear has to be above the mountain."

And as he said this, the hole completely opened, stopping the shaking in the mountain just as the Heart Fragment reacted. The purple light was suddenly sucked back out of the wall, out of the water and out of the monument. The Heart Fragment sucked it all inside before it started floating, ripping the tape off and hovering above the podium. It then started spinning, slowly before moving faster and faster with each passing second.

The light coming off the relic grew brighter as well, soon reaching its peak and exploding off the Heart Fragment and into the air. It shot through the skylight, hitting the clouds and exploding. This light illuminated the sky above the mountain, allowing all those on it to see it. All the Pokémon there came out, flying out to watch the light as the people in the cave noticed a purple glow appearing from outside, but unable to fully see it.

"What's that?" Spike asked, but Twilight stopped him before he could walk after the light.

"Whatever it is can wait. We need to stay still until the aftershocks are done." Spike grumbled at this, crossing his arms as the group stayed put.

Back in the chamber, Doom and Chrysalis continued to watch as the pillar of light formed a spiraling cloud of the purple light, which glowed brighter by the second. But before they could think about shutting the system off, the light suddenly cut out.

"What?!" Doom yelped before glancing back at the Chrystal heart, only to see it stop glowing and fall back onto the podium. "What happened?"

Chrysalis stared up at the spiraling pink cloud, which remained for a second before the energy began to break apart and rained down upon the mountain. "It appears the Heart Fragment wasn't enough to form a fully functioning portal. But the fact that all happened proved this place is still functioning as a summoning point."

Doom nodded before walking up to the Heart Fragment, "So all we need in the other piece."

"Most likely. But before that happens, we should focus on ensuring this area is ready for us to summon them." She spun around, now beginning to walk down the steps with a smirk on his face. "Oh," she glanced back at him, "And you have to contact Master Sombra and tell him we might have revealed ourselves because you were curious."

"What?!" Doom yelled, "Why?!"

"A massive light just shot into the sky, moron. If anyone was on the mountain, they will have noticed that. Now go call him."

Doom gulped at this, sweat pouring down his face as he pulled out his phone, "Oh...if only it had summoned something..."





Down below the surface of the mountain, one of its ancient tunnels began to rumble. The energy from the Heart Fragment began to ran down the mountain and began to phase through the rock, the particles floating in place and slowly congealing together second by second. And after a few minutes, the energy began to swirl and morph into a single form.

Within minutes, the swirling energy created a pink disk-like construct that began to shine. Then the light from the center began to retract and turn it into a ring, only to show inside the ring was a large cave. It was filled with bright orange light and a steaming mist that filled the entire chamber on the other side of the portal. And within seconds, the cause of the orange light flowed out.

Lava flooded into the cavern, melting the rock around it as it headed down the tunnel. And as this happened, something else came out of the portal. A large brown, yellow and silver foot made out of molten rock with four silver toes forming an X formation on the foot hit the ground. It reached out of the portal, stomping into the lave that flowed out of the portal. Another foot came through before all four feet walked out of the wormhole.

Team Shadow might have failed to summon the Legendary they had been aiming for, but they managed to summon something else. And now, Mount Tartarus was about to face an obstacle that might be too much for it. As the journey continues.
> A Lava Serious Situation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Within the Altar of Summons, the members of Team Shadow were still setting the place up, getting lights fixed while putting up equipment around the walls. As this happened, they had others busy monitoring the condition of their newest captives. Pegasoar, Horsearth and Mysticorn all continued to struggle against the energy trap, only to no avail as they evil ones around them continued to work.

Meanwhile, the commanders of Team Shadow were outside the temple, now in a tent they had set up on the mountainside. Inside, they were standing in front of a computer...which showed the face of one very angry man.

"You tried to summon the legendaries yourself?!" Sombra roared, making the pair flinch as they stood to attention.

"It was Doom's idea," Chrysalis replied.

"And you clearly agreed with him!" Sombra barked back. "How incompetent are you two?! Surely you couldn't believe you could summon those two like that! You just put our whole operation at risk!"

"We weren't trying to summon those two," Doom muttered out, "We were just making sure the altar itself still worked as a summoning point. We didn't want you to come all the way here, only to discover the altar was useless."

Sombra let out a hiss at this, now seeing sweat pour down Doom's face. And with a heaving sigh, he did a small nod, "Very well," they both sighed in relief. "Since you discovered the altar and were able to capture the three heralds, I'll overlook this disobedience just this once. Now, what were the results of your attempted summons?"

Chrysalis chose to speak at this, "The altar works. We were able to activate it and form a portal....but it vanished before it could completely form. If we want to complete the ritual, we'll need both pieces of the Crystal Heart."

"Which means we need to attack the Crystal Empire again," Sombra growled as he leaned back in his chair, "Another setback...very well. We'll leave that until I arrive to inspect the altar myself. I should be able to get there in a couple of days. Make sure you're not discovered before then. We've come too far to be stopped now." The pair nodded back, "Good. Sombra out." With that, the computer switched off. Screen blank, the commanders both collapsed onto chairs, gasping for air.

"That was too close," Chrysalis whimpered before turning to Doom. "Just be glad he decided to be lenient."

"You worry too much," Doom replied, waving his hand, "Now come on. We've got a lot of work to do to make sure everything's ready for his arrival."

They got up and left the tent, Chrysalis then commenting, "It's a miracle you didn't accidently summon something that could destroy the altar. The portal might not have been able to break into another dimension, but it might have been able to connect two places in this dimension. What would you have done if we had accidently pulled a Groudon onto the altar?"

"Like that would have happened. Even if a portal opened up, what are the odds there'd be Legendary Pokémon waiting on the other side?"





Meanwhile...

Down below the mountain, in one of the many tunnels that had been created by the wild Onix that lived there was now glowing a bright red. It was from a Pokémon that Mount Tartarus had never seen before. A four-legged spider-like creature whose body was mostly brown, with yellow spots here and there along its body, the spots made entirely of metal. It also had metal around its legs, and had four claws on the end of its feet. Its face was also covered by a metal mask, while its lower-jaw had a series of iron teeth around it.

The Legendary Pokémon known as Heatran, crawled through the rock tunnel. With every step that it took, the rocks around it began to melt. It made its way through the passageway, its eyes darting around at the unfamiliar place.

And it was angry. It would find a way out of this cold place, and if it couldn't, it was make whoever brought it here pay.





In a cave near the top of the two smallest peaks, Flash, Twilight, Doc, Spike and their Pokémon were sitting at the back of the cave. "How much longer do we have to stay in here?" Spike asked his sister, about to get up, only for her to pull him back.

"Until we're sure there aren't gonna be any aftershocks," she replied, only for another boulder to roll by the mouth of the cave, "See? That could have hit you if you had left."

"We should probably have Lairon go out first once we're sure it's safe," Doc added as he turned to the metal dinosaur, patting him on the head, "He's the one least likely to get hurt if a rock hits him." He then let out a long sigh, "I just don't get how there could have been an earthquake. I've never heard of this area being prone to them."

"Maybe it wasn't a natural earthquake," Flash guessed. "It could have been made by a Pokémon. I'm guessing an Onix could learn that move."

"It definitely can. Or it could have been the move Magnitude." Twilight chimed in, "Or one could have been digging beneath us. Either way, we need to get off this mountain as fast as possible."

The others nodded, Spike about to get up again, only for another boulder to roll past the cave again. And as this happened, another one of the larger boulders came loose, now rolling into several more large rocks. This caused them to come free and soon enough, a massive rock slide occurred. Lairon chose this moment to exit the cave, only to gasp as he saw the oncoming rock slide. "LAIR!" He yelped as he ran back inside.

"What's wrong?" Doc asked, only to feel another shake, "Oh no." Everyone bunched together as the rocks rolled past the cave, some now rolling into the cave.

"Lairon!" The Iron Armor Pokémon jumped in front of everyone and began slashing at the rocks, crushing them with Metal Claw. But as he did this, some of the rocks bounced up and slammed into the top of the cave's entrance. This caused cracks to appear along the rock, growing larger until they could no longer support their own weight.

Before anyone could figure out what was going on, the roof of the cave collapsed. It shattered at the front of the cave, the back remaining intact as a few bits of dust fell upon those hiding. And when the shaking stopped, everyone opened their eyes to find themselves in pitch darkness. Doc quickly reached into his coat and took out a small flashlight, which he turned it on and pointed it at the cave's exit...only to find nothing but rocks.

"What the heck happened?" Spike asked, "Are we trapped?"

"I think so." Twilight gulped, "This isn't good."

"Think we can dig our way out?" Flash added.

Doc shook his head, "I doubt it. Take a closer look." They squinted their eyes at the rock wall, "See? The rocks have all been wedged together, one rock squeezing the other into place. We take out just one of those rocks-"

"The whole thing'll come crashing down on top of us," Flash finished, "Great. Now what do we do?"

"We need to think of something," Twilight sighed, "We don't have much air in here." They all glanced at each other, only for Lairon to move to the back of the cave. Years of living in an environment like this had taught the Iron Armor Pokémon a thing or two.

"Lair," he began tapping his head against the wall, only to move to a different area and do the same. He did this again and again, only to gasp, "Lairon!" He glanced back at the others, "Lair, lairon!"

"Lairon?" Doc asked, "What are you-" He stopped when Lairon opened his mouth and charged up a Flash Cannon, "WAIT!"

But it was too late. Lairon fired the laser, hitting the wall as it then exploded. Everyone froze, ready for the cave to collapse...only for a cloud of dust to consume them before some light to appear, revealing a large hole in the side of the wall.

"No way." Flash said as he walked up to the hole, now seeing another tunnel, "How'd he know this was here?"

"He did used to live in a mountain," Doc replied, "He could probably tell that was there from the moment we stepped into this cave."

Lairon nodded, showing a cocky grin. And as he did this, Twilight walked up and took a deep breath, smiling when she did. "The air's not stale."

"I didn't know you were an air connoisseur," Spike laughed as Twilight rolled her eyes.

"What I mean is, the air's fresh. That means it hasn't been in here long, so there must be another way out of this tunnel."

"So we can get out of here?" Flash asked, Twilight giving him a nod.

"If we can find out where the air is coming from, we can use it to get out. And even if it's just a ten inch hole, we can make it bigger and escape."

They all nodded at this, Doc then reaching down and grabbing some dirt off the ground. "Let's see if we can't find a breeze." He threw the dirt into the air, everyone watching as it floated in place for a moment before slowly beginning to fall, "Okay...no breeze."

They glanced down at both ends of the tunnel, Flash then noticing the tunnel was on a slight angle and pointed in the upward direction. "I say that way," he commented as he pointed to the path.

"Why that way?" Twilight asked.

"Well I think this leads up the mountain."

"It might also lead into the mountain," Doc countered, "We're trying to get out, not go further in."

"Although," Twilight added, "It's possible this tunnel could lead to an exit on the other side of the mountain. We could use it to cut through the mountain instead of having to go over it."

"I'm down for that," Spike chimed in.

Doc sighed and shook his head, "Alright. Let's just make sure we mark our way through the tunnel. That way if we run into a dead end or something, we can find out way back to this spot. Lairon."

"Lair?"

"Use Metal Claw and etch an X into the ground here." Lairon nodded and did just that. "Good. Let's get going." The group started to walk through the tunnel at this, stopping every now and again to try and pick up a breeze...but still found no sign of an exit. The tunnel then evened out and they spent a good few minute heading straight. And after about thirty minutes of travelling, they found themselves arriving at a large chamber that split the path into four.

"Which way do we go now?" Spike asked as Lairon used Metal Claw to make an arrow.

"I guess we just have to pick one at random and hope it's the right one," Doc replied before Flash perform eeny meeny miny moe. Once they picked a tunnel, they started heading down it...only to regret their decision as the tunnel began to head down while temperature in the tunnel began to raise.

"Geez," Flash unzipped his jacket, "Anyone else starting to get warm?"

"Yup," Twilight took off her earmuffs, undid her scarf and took off her jacket. "I knew I should have changed back to my normal gear when we got to the mountain."

"It is weird though," Doc added, "We've been heading upwards for a while, so the mountain should be getting colder. Unless this tunnel is connected to a thermal vent or something."

"I just hope we find a way out soon," Spike took off his gloves and removed his hat. "I'm sweating like a Pignite."

Hearing this, Flash snapped his fingers, "I know!" He took out a Pokeball, "Riptide!" The ball opened up and unleashed a red light, revealing the tidalwave Pokémon.

"Tidal?" He turned to his trainer, only to pant as he felt the heat of the place.

"Riptide, do you think you could use your Ice Punch to freeze the walls so we don't cook to death?"

"Rep," he nodded before turning to the nearest wall and clutching his fist. "Rep...TIDAL!" He threw the punch as it glowed blue, causing the wall to instantly freeze over. He then hit the opposite wall and repeated the process, freezing it up. The ice spread a good twenty feet in both directions, turning both walls into ice covered freezer units.

"Better?" Flash asked the others, who all gave quick nods.

"Way better," Spike sighed as he moved closer to the wall. But when he did, he noticed the ice was already starting to melt. "Seriously? How hot is this place?"

"Let's just see if it gets any cooler further in," Twilight told him after placing her jacket, gloves, scarf and earmuffs into her bag. "If it gets too hot, we'll head back the other way."

They nodded and continued down the tunnel, the heat once again returning. The group kept going for about fifteen minutes, the heat still rising before Flash pulled off his jacket, "That's it!" he yelped, "I can't take it anymore! We gotta go back!"

"I agree." Doc sighed as he wiped his brow, "With how hot this place is getting, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out there's a-WHOA!" He yelled as he suddenly disappeared into the floor, making the others gasp as they turned to see a hole in the floor.

"DOC!" They ran over and saw the hole was bit more than a few feet deep...and they now couldn't see because Doc was holding the flashlight.

"Ri," Springer created an Aura Sphere and held it up. The light from the attack allowed them to look down into the tunnel, only to see it shifted to the side and morphed into a slide leading straight down.

"DOC!" Twilight exclaimed, "Can you hear us?"

"Say something!" Flash added.

"I'm okay!" His voice echoed back up, "A little scratched up, but I'll survive."

"Can you climb back up?" Twilight asked next.

"I don't think so. I think I fell a few good feet..."

"Well hold on," Flash replied, "We'll find a way to get you back up. Do you know how long the tunnel is?"

"Longer than any piece of rope we have, I'm sure of it."

"Maybe we should come down after you?" Twilight added.

"Don't," he responded, "There a chance this tunnel doesn't have a way out. If that's the case, we'll all be trapped down here."

"Well we can't just leave you down there," Spike finished, only for Larion to jump down the hole, "Lairon!" They all cried as the Iron Armor Pokémon fell, using his claws to keep from getting to much speed.

"Lairon?" He asked as his Pokémon appeared atop the hole, "How'd you-"

"Lairon!" The dinosaur told him before dropping his back half over the rock, Doc now seeing him asking him to grab his tail.

"Alright," Doc grabbed Lairon's tail, Lairon soon climbing upward. But as they began to go up, he suddenly felt an intense heat fill the room. "Huh?" He then glanced back, only to go wide-eyed as he saw something new appear at the corner of the tunnel: Lava.

"Lairon," he let go of Lairon's tail and dropped down, Lairon glancing back as he saw the lava as well. Now knowing that they couldn't climb up fast enough, Doc told him, "We have to run!" Lairon let go of the wall and landed beside him, the pair turning to the opposite direction before running as fast as they could.

And as they ran, Flash called out to him, "Doc? You okay?"

But there was no response, only for Spike to pull on the neck of his hoodie, "Hey guys, why is it getting hotter?" The answer came when a bright red light filled the chamber, all of it coming from the hole, making them now see a certain bubbling liquid.

"LAVA!" Twilight screamed as they all leapt back from the hole, "We need to run!" But before they did, Riptide punched the ground in front of the hole, causing it to completely freeze over.

"Will that work?" Flash asked, Twilight shaking her head.

"If the ice lasts long enough for the lava to cool, then it should. But with new lava being pushed into it, I doubt it'll cool."

"Then we run!" Flash finished as they all began to do just that.





Meanwhile...

The Gym Leader and his Pokémon ran as fast as they could, the lava hot on their heels. They soon came to chamber with several exits, Doc's eyes darting between them all before screaming, "THAT ONE!" The two went into full sprint mode, finding this tunnel to be rather flat, letting the lave easily spread into the place. "Oh, come on!"

"Lair!" Lairon roared as his eyes began to glow, "LAIRON!" A portal then appeared in the ceiling behind them, a series of rocks falling out and beginning to form a wall of boulders.

"Rock Slide?" Doc gasped, "Of course!" He watched as the rocks pilled up and formed a wall between them and the lava, stopping it in its tracks. "Way to go Lairon!" The Iron Armor Pokémon smirked at the praise before stopping the Rock Slide. Deciding to not see if the wall would hold, the pair headed further into the tunnel. And as they did this, they found the passageway lead down, only to find it curve around and head in the direction they had just come from.

"Hopefully this leads up to where the others are." But as he said that, a light and surge of heat caught his attention, making him look ahead at the now straightening out tunnel. "Don't tell me..."

He slowly walked up to the end of the tunnel, only to go wide-eyed as he entered a massive chamber. A chamber that was actually an old Onix nest, being a large dome-like building with multiple tunnels lining the walls. Almost every tunnel on the ground had lava flowing into them, Doc's tunnel surviving as it was about five feet off the ground. The lava was even flowing into a large pool in the center.

"Great," he sighed, "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"DOC!" He and Lairon looked up, hearing Flash's voice before seeing his friends standing on a ledge ten feet above them.

"You're alright!" Twilight added, "Thank goodness."

"We were worried about you," Spike continued, "Luckily, Springer was able to sense you. You alright?"

"We're fine," Doc replied, "Though we barely managed to outrun a lava flow."

"Where'd this lava come from?" Twilight asked as she stared down at the pool, "Could Mt Tartarus be a volcano?" The others shrugged, only to hear a new sound. It was loud whistle, making them glance around.

"You guys hear that?" Spike asked, the group turning to where the sound was coming from, seeing it was another hole about five meters off the ground and right below a ledge that was connected to where Flash and the others were standing.

"A breeze," Doc whispered, "That tunnel must lead to an exit." The others nodded and began to move around the ledge, intending to jump down into that tunnel. But as they did this, Doc knew he would need to find another way to it due to being blocked by several lava streams.

"Lairon!" He turned to his Pokémon, the metal dinosaur stepping up and using Rock Slide. The rocks fell down, landing in front of their tunnel as they began to form a path. Boulders soon began to block the lava, causing it to stop in place and create a clear path for them. Once the path was halfway to the hole, Doc and Lairon started to walk along the path.

"Nice work Lairon!" The metal dinosaur smiled as he prepared to summon some more rocks.

From the center of the lava pool, a series of fireballs exploded out and struck the rocks as they flew out of the portal. The rocks exploded, making everyone gasp before glancing down at the lava, "What the heck was that?" Flash asked, only for something to suddenly float out of the lava.

"A Heatran?!" Twilight screamed as she saw the magma spider walk out of the pool, glaring at the group, "What's a Heatran doing here?!" She got her answer when the Lava Dome Pokémon opened its mouth and prepared to fire its signature move.

"Getting mad!" Flash yelled as he saw who Heatran was aiming at, "Doc! Look out!" Doc saw the Magma Storm coming, flinching at the sight as Larion opened his mouth.

"LAIRON!" He fired a Flash Cannon, hitting the fireball and causing it to harmlessly explode. Once that happened, Lairon leapt off the rock path and onto one of the clear bits in the chamber. "Lair! Lairon!"

"He, Heatran!" The magma spider roared back, the pair yelling at one another. That is, till Heatran decided to fire another Magma Storm attack.

"Lairon!" Doc yelped as his partner leapt to the side, avoiding the attack.

"Lair!" He fired another Flash Cannon, but the attack simply hit Heatran and bounced off it. "Lair?"

"Not good," Twilight gulped, "Lairon's at a major disadvantage against Heatran. And its a legendary."

"But he can still win, right?" Spike asked.

Heatran charged at this, its metal fangs now glowing as he began to use Crunch on Lairon. "Dodge it!" Doc yelled, Lairon trying to do so, only for Heatran to chomp down on Lairon's leg as he tried to jump back.

"Lair!" He cried as Heatran bit him before throwing him upward.

"NO!" Doc gasped, only to see Larion falling right on top of Heatran. "Wait...that's it! Use Body Slam!" Lairon curled himself up, spinning as he crashed right into Heatran.

The legendary flinched at this, the intense weight of Lairon's Heavy Metal body doing some damage. It let out a mighty roar, shaking as he tried to throw him off, Lairon then flying off and landing on his feet where there was no lava. Heatran's body then glowed golden, slamming its foot into the ground and creating a bunch of golden glowing cracks that went under Larion before exploding.

"LAIRON!" He cried as the two-times effective move shot him flying, the force also pushing him over to a spot that had lava flowing over it.

"NO!" Doc screamed, his brain going into overdrive as he tried to think up something. "Um...I know! Use Flash Cannon! The force can push you out of the way!" Lairon opened his eyes and his mouth, firing the beam of light that hit the lava covered ground. After a few seconds, the beam pushed Lairon away from the lava, now landing on the ground next to it. "You okay?"

"Lair," Lairon nodded before turning back to Heatran. He then fired another Flash Cannon, but Heatran leapt over it with ease, making every gasp.

"Whoa!" Spike yelped as Heatran spun in the air and attached itself to the wall, the Lava Dome Pokémon crawling along it as fire began to leak from his mouth. "It can stick to walls?!"

"Apparently," Twilight gulped as she saw the Pokémon open its mouth, flames pouring out before firing a bunch of magma projectiles along with a cloud of black smog. The rockets shot out in every direction, Doc needing to jump behind some rocks while the others pinned themselves against the wall as the magma hit the rocks around them.

They then saw one projectile coming for them, but Riptide jumped up and roared, "Rep!" He formed a pair of water swords, cutting the attack in half with one slice.

And as Riptide did this, Lairon fired another Flash Cannon at Heatran, hitting it in the back. "Heat!" It cried, the damage doing very little, but enough to make it lose its grip on the wall. "HEATRAN!" It yelped before falling into the lava, instantly disappearing in the bubbling glowing liquid.

"That's not good." Doc gulped, seeing a ton of bubbles start to appear in the lava. "We need to get out of here, now!" Flash nodded and lead the others over to the area above the hole leading out, Riptide quickly jumping down and landing in the tunnel.

"Come on!" Flash told the others before grabbing Spike and carefully lowering him down, Riptide helping him. But before anyone else could get down, the lava pool exploded as Heatran leapt up to the side of the chamber's wall.

"HEAT!" It roared before firing a Magma Storm. The others gasped, only for a bunch of rocks to fly down from the ceiling, blocking the flames.

"Lairon!" The Iron Armor Pokémon exclaimed.

"Nice one!" Doc added as Heatran turned to him, "Look out!" Lairon watched as Heatran hopped off the wall, his teeth glowing as he began to use Crunch.

"Lair!" Lairon countered as his claws began to glow, Heatran landing and thrusting its head as Lairon hopped back, dodging the Crunch before using Metal Claw on its face. However, the steel mask covering Heatran's face just made the claws barely scratch him.

"HEATRAN!" It then opened its mouth and unleashed another Magma Storm, hitting Lairon point blank.

"LAIRON!" He roared as the flames pushed him back, slamming him into some rocks. But as he hit this, Heatran unleashed another Magma Storm, this one in the form of a continuous stream that constantly buffeted Lairon's body.

"NO!" Doc cried as the others gasped, seeing Lairon be burned alive by the Legendary flames. "STOP IT!"

The Iron Armor Pokémon could now feel himself beginning to slip into unconsciousness. And as this happened, he imagined Doc trying to fight Heatran off with his other Pokémon, the mental images of Higear, Tockwork and Flitanium being struck by Magma Storm flowing through his head. He knew what that meant. And as the last bits of his consciousness began to slip away, Doc's voice echoed through his head, "You've got a will of pure steel. I can always trust you to be our shield when times are tough."

Lairon's eyes shot open, his steel will hardening as he began to pick himself. 'I won't...let you...hurt them!' He mentally screamed before standing tall, "LAIRON!" He roared at the top of his voice, seconds before his entire body exploded with light. Everyone gasped as they watched the light block the flames, Heatran stopping as the Iron Armor Pokémon's shining body began to grow and morph into something new.

"Lairon," Doc whispered as he watched Lairon evolve.

Heatran was just as amazed by the sight, its opponent now growing and becoming bipedal. And as it did this, the transformation completed and the light faded to reveal a new Iron Armor Pokémon. The metal dinosaur stood tall and roared at the top of his voice, "AGGRON!" The chamber shook, Aggron then turning to smile back at Doc.

"Ag...Aggron," he whispered before grinning. "Fantastic."

Heatran glared at its much larger opponent, "Heatran!" It barked before unleashing another Magma Storm attack. But Aggron swung his arm at this, deflecting the flames away, barely a burn mark remaining from the blow.

"Aggron!" The metal dinosaur roared before opening its mouth and firing a laser, this blast knocking Heatran back.

"Alright!" Doc cheered as Heatran got back up, its body glowing, "Oh no...here comes Earth Power!" They watched as Heatran slammed the ground and created another gold glowing crack, only for Aggron leap up as the crack exploded. Everyone watched as Aggron took to the air and crossed his arms, right as a light appeared around him.

"Wait...is that-" Doc tried to say as Aggron unfolded his arms and fell at blinding speed. Like a meteor, he crashed into Heatran with enough force that it send out a shockwave, making the chamber shake and pushed the lava to the back of the cave. Heatran cried out as it was crushed under Aggron's mighty weight, Doc's jaw dropping at the sight, "Aggron just used Heavy Slam."

"That's great!" Twilight cheered, "That move's power increases with the weight of the user. And with Aggron's Heavy Metal Ability, it's power's gonna be off the charts!"

"Awesome!" Spike added, only to then feel another shake, making them turn to see the lava that was pushed back now turning into an almost tidalwave. "Uh-oh."

"Doc!" Flash yelled, "You need to get out of there!"

Doc nodded back, "Aggron! We've gotta go!" Aggron pushed itself off of Heatran and made his way over to Doc as fast as he could, picking his trainer up and running over to the others. He placed Doc on his head, stretching him up just enough for Doc to reach the others.

"Grab on!" Flash responded as he reached out his hand, Doc grabbing his arm and pulling him onto the ledge with the others.

"Thanks." Doc replied before turning to Aggron and took out his Pokeball. "Return." But as he tried to do that, Heatran suddenly slammed into the wall beside them. "WHOA!" He yelped, now seeing the Legendary open its mouth to blast them with Magma Storm. But before it could-

"AGGRON!" The Iron Armor Pokémon fired a Flash Cannon, knocking Heatran back again. And after he did this, he turned to the others and fired another Flash Cannon, hitting the roof and causing it to break apart, Flash's eyes going wide and grabbing Doc.

"Look out!" He pulled Doc back as the ceiling fell apart, rocks soon blocking the entrance.

"AGGRON!" Doc screamed, only for Flash and the others to pull him back more as the tunnel began to collapse, "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Back in the chamber, Aggron turned back to Heatran as it picked itself up. In that moment, the lava wave hit Heatran and flowed over him. "Aggron!" He roared, using Rock Slide to summon a bunch of rocks that slammed into the ground in front of him, forming a C-shaped wall. He slammed his claws into the rocks as the lava hit them, splitting into two streams while also pushing against the wall. "Ag..." he groaned at the pushing force he was fighting against as Heatran leapt out of the lava and clung to the ceiling. It glared down at Aggron and prepared another Magma Storm attack, Aggron staring back at him.





Flash and the others kept running, staying just one step ahead of the collapsing tunnel. And as they did this, they saw a light in the distance and doubled their speed. The rock slide began to slow down as they sped up, soon reaching the light at the end of the tunnel and jumping out of it into a blanket of fresh air. Barely five seconds after they left, the hole they just escaped through collapsed and filled with rocks.

In that moment, their legs gave out, all flopping over as they panted to get the oxygen they had lost. But then, Doc turned back to the caved-in tunnel, "No...Aggron."

He slowly got up and walked over to the wall, placing his hand on it as he whispered, "No...no..."

The others glanced at each other, Twilight taking the initiative as she pushed herself to her feet and moved over to Doc. She placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry."

"I let him down," he replied, "I should have returned him quicker."

Twilight sighed and shook her head, "If you had, Heatran would have attacked us and probably followed us all the way outside. Aggron saved us."

"I just...I just wish I could have saved him as well." He felt himself beginning to tear up, but those tears vanished when he heard something.

"Doc," Twilight started, only for Doc to hold up a hand. "I know this is hard, but-"

"Shush," Doc whispered, "Be quiet."

"Doc-"

"I can hear something." The others raised an eyebrow at this, only to stay quiet...and hear a low booming sound. It happened over and over, making the rocks blocking the tunnel shake.

"What's that?"

"It's coming from back there," Doc replied as another boom made several rocks roll off the pile. They backpedaled from the wall, just in time before-

BOOM!

The tunnel's entrance exploded, rocks flying as the cause let out a mighty roar. "AGGRON!" Doc's eyes went wide when he saw his Pokémon stagger out, falling over at this.

"AGGRON!" He ran over and threw his arms around his neck, Aggron smiling. "You're okay!" His tears spilled freely, then pulled back. "I'm sorry I left you behind." Aggron shook his head, telling Doc in his own language that he was the one that made Doc leave.

"Hey," they turned to Flash, "What happened to Heatran?" Aggron just shrugged back, making everyone glance at each other at this. "Anyone still wondering why that thing was here?"

"I am..." Twilight responded, "But I have feeling we might not find out."





Back in the tunnels, Heatran huffed as it made its way through the passageway.

Aggron's attempt to succeed had caused the chamber it was trying to make its home collapse, meaning now the magma spider had to find someplace else it could turn into a comfortable living space. But no matter how much lava it created to fill the place, it wouldn't be able to compete with its true home.

But then, as it turned a corner, it caught sight of something familiar. From the ceiling, familiar purple lights appeared, the energy that had dissipated from the portal that had brought it here now beginning to come together, swirling around to form yet another portal. Second by second, it grew larger, only to reveal a familiar sight on the other side of the portal.

Heatran's eyes went wide when it saw lava beginning to spin out of the portal and cover the ground. "HEATRAN!" It cheered as it charged into the portal, returning to the place it called home. Not ten seconds after it was through, the portal de-stabilized once again and vanished. Whether it was just coincidence that the portal opened up then or something else, there would be no answer.

All that mattered was Heatran was back where it belonged.





"I'm gonna have to message Celestia about this," Twilight sighed, "I'm sure she'd be interested in hearing about Heatran appearing here."

"I'm sure she will," Doc nodded before turning to Aggron. "I'm just happy you're alright. More than alright. Look at you..." Aggron did just that, flexing his fingers, and testing how well he could stand on just two feet and even reached up to feel his horns.

"Aggron..." he chuckled, loving his new form.

"Can you imagine using him in a Gym Battle?" Flash asked, "If you had busted out something like this during our match, I don't think I'd have been able to win against you back then."

"Maybe," Doc nodded as he patted Aggron's leg, "Though I'll probably hold off on using him in some Gym Battles." Aggron raised an eyebrow at this, "It wouldn't really be fair to use such a strong Pokémon against trainers that are just starting out."

"I get it," Twilight replied, "So you're gonna decide which Pokémon you use depending on how experienced the trainers challenging you are."

"Exactly," Doc nodded before patting Aggron again. "Since starting this journey, I've seen how many Gym Leaders run their gyms. The Pokémon they train and what rules they use in their Gym Matches. If I just keep using two Pokémon in my gym, no matter how strong the opponent is, I'll end up looking like the weakest Gym Leader in Equestria." He chuckled at this, "I can't have that."

"So what are you gonna do?" Spike asked, "How are you gonna decide how many Pokémon to use against an opponent?"

Doc nodded back at this, "Simple. If the challenger has two badges or less, I'll just use Higear and Tockwork. If they have five or less, I'll use them and Flitanium. And if they have more than five, I'll use Aggron." He turned to the Iron Armor Pokémon, "If they have six or more, then they'll be worth your time."

"Aggron!" The metal dinosaur roared in agreement, looking forward to meeting the challenging trainers.

The others laughed at this, Spike even making a mental note to leave Doc's Gym last when he became a trainer. And as this happened, a grumbling sound suddenly filled the air, making them all turn to the source. "Ri..." Springer clutched his stomach and chuckled.

"It's been a pretty long day," Flash sighed.

"A really long day," Twilight added, "But at least we managed to get out of the mountain before we ran out of supplies." She turned back at the mountain, only to gasp as she saw where the sun was, "No way."

"What?"

"We didn't just escape the mountain. We came out on the opposite side of the one we entered from." Their eyes went wide at this, only to turn and see the new mountain path. It was rather flat, the group running over to the edge and gasping as they saw a large plot of land covered in hundreds of houses and other buildings.

"Dragonia City," Flash whispered before looking beyond it. A mile or so from the edge of the city was what appeared to be a large body of water. They couldn't tell if it was a massive lake or part of the ocean, but they saw several islands and a bunch of mountains in the distance.

"Amazing," Twilight gasped.

"We finally made it," Doc added.

"AWESOME!" Spike cheered, "Let's get down there! I don't know about you, but I want a hot bath and a comfy bed to sleep in!" The others all nodded and quickly began to head down the side of the mountain, glad that their little trip through the mountain had spit them out relatively close to the bottom of the mountain.

When they finally reached the base, the sun was beginning to set, just having barely enough light to get a good look at the city as they entered it. The city wasn't exactly modern looking, its buildings made out of very simple stone work with all the metal sections of the city looking very rusty. The people of the city were also rustic, all in rugged clothes that looked out of an apocalypse movie, covered in rips and tears, and everyone wearing angry faces. They soon passed by a fenced off area that appeared to be acting as a battlefield, a pair of teens now battling against one another.

One was using a Rookaco while the other was using a Blazegon. "Flamethrower!" The trainer controlling Blazegon yelled, a cream skinned teen with orange hair that had red streaks around his ears that wore an orange shirt under a red jacket. His Blazegon fired the flame attack, striking Rookaco head-on, making it cry out as it was knocked back.

"HEY!" Rookaco's trainer cried, "You gonna let him do that to you?" Rookaco picked itself up, "Brick Break!" Rookaco leapt up and flew for Blazegon, trying to karate chop it, but Blazegon dodged the attack with ease.

"Dragon Tail!" Blazegon swung its tail down, the bludgeon on the end of it glowing.

"BLAZE!" It roared before smashing it into Rookaco, hitting the ground with a mighty crash, creating a dust cloud. When the dust cloud vanished, Rookaco could be seen laying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"YEAH!" The teen cheered as Blazegon landed in front of him, several other teens running over.

"Way to go, Garble!"

"That's why you're number one!"

"You the man!"

"I know," the teen named Garble returned his Blazegon before turning to leave the fenced off area. As he did, he pushed past Flash and the others and knocked Spike over.

"WHOA!" He cried as he hit the ground, Peewee landing on his head and asking if he was okay. "Ow..."

"Watch it, loser." Spike turned to glare at Garble as he smirked back at him, then walked off while Twilight helped Spike up.

"Well that was rude," Twilight stated as the teens cheering for Garble ran after him.

"I get the feeling that attitude is common around her," Doc added as they stared at everyone around them, seeing glares everywhere.

"Sorry about that." said another voice, making them turn to see a teen whose age was somewhere between Spike and Twilight's. Her skin was the same as Garble, and her hair was purple, the teen wearing a black top under an orange jacket with blue pants and brown boots. "Garble can be kind of a jerk when his ego's being stroked."

"I noticed," Spike huffed as he brushed himself off.

"You guys new around here?" The girl asked.

"We just got here," Flash replied, "We're hoping to find the Pokémon Center."

"Figured." She pointed down the street. "It's that way. First left then the next right after that and you can't miss it." With that, she turned to walk off with her hands in her pockets.

"Thank you," Twilight responded.

"Whatever," she called back before vanishing around a corner. Once she was gone, the group all headed in the direction she mentioned, eventually finding the Pokémon Center, only to find it looked rather modern compared to the other buildings.

Walking inside, they found the place was almost completely empty. The only one in the room was a Wigglytuff, who smiled and waved at them before heading into the back room. A minute later, a Nurse Redheart stepped out into the reception area. "Welcome. How can I help you today?"

Twilight spoke up at this, "We'd like some rooms, please." She nodded before Twilight, Doc and Flash took out their Pokeballs. "And can you take a look at our Pokémon please? They've been through a lot to help us get here." Nurse Redheart nodded before Wigglytuff pushed a cart out for them to put the Pokeballs on. Springer and Peewee followed the two into the back room while Twilight went off to change into her normal clothing.

As this happened, Flash sat down and looked up to see a TV on the wall. The box's screen changed to show a reporter outside a building he didn't recognize, only to recognize the teen standing next to her, making him snarl, "Lightning..."

Doc and Spike turned to the TV and spotted the trainer in question as the woman he was with spoke into her microphone, "I'm here with Lightning Blitz, who has just earned his eighth Equestria League badge. Do you have any comments?"

But as Lightning opened his mouth, Flash didn't hear his words, instead pulling out his Badge Case. He opened it up and stared at the seven badges he had already earned, then down at the last empty slot. "It won't be empty for long," he growled before closing the case and turning back to the TV. "Watch out Lightning. I'll be at the league, and when I meet you there, I'm taking you down."

Spike and Doc saw the anger on Flash's face, yet also seeing new confidence as well. Their journey to Dragonia City had been fraught with much peril and adventure, but now that they were there, the true challenge had only just begun. Will Flash be able to claim victory at the Gym and earn his final Equestria Gym Badge? Find out...as the journey continues
> The Gauntlet of Fire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Having arrived at Dragonia City, the group were outside the Pokémon Center, preparing for Flash's final Gym Battle. "Alright gang!" Flash told his Pokémon, "You all ready to take on the toughest Gym Leader in all of Equestria?!"

"RIO/TORE/TIDAL/STAG/VI/STAR!" The six cheered.

"They're all looking pumped," Spike commented.

"Of course," Twilight added, "This is all that's standing between Flash and the Equestria League. And since this Gym Leader was even able to give Shining a run for his money, of course Flash and his Pokémon will be excited."

Doc nodded in agreement. "The tougher the opponent, the more pumped Flash gets."

As he said that, Astro ran over to Flash, "Star! Star, starvern!" He bonked his head into Flash's leg, making him look down and pick him up.

"What's up Astro?" He asked, "Let me guess. You want to be in the Gym Battle?"

Astro nodded as the others moved over to them, "If it is a Dragon-type Gym, a Dragon-type like Astro would be a good choice."

"But Astro's still fairly inexperienced," Doc added, "Are we sure this is a good idea?"

They turned to Flash, who was looking Astro over. "You really wanna be in this match?" Astro nodded, "And you'll give it one hundred percent effort?" Astro nodded again, making Flash shine a huge grin, "Then how can I say no?"

Astro cheered before jumping out of his hands and running over to the edge of the field, telling them they should go now. Flash returned all but him and Springer before they headed for the Gym. Twilight had gotten directions from Nurse Redheart, the group heading through the town as Astro was excitedly ran ahead, Springer and Peewee going with him to make sure he didn't get lost.

"Star!" He cheered, "Starvern!"

"Relax," Springer told him, "You're not gonna be any use if you exhaust yourself before the battle."

"I'll be fine!" Astro replied before running around a corner, "Augh!" He yelped, falling back as he bonked into something.

"Hey!" He glanced up and saw it was a trainer glaring down at him, "What's your problem?!"

Springer and Peewee came next, recognizing the trainer as Garble. He wasn't alone, as several other trainers were around him as Springer bowed in apology and Peewee making Astro do the same thing.

"Huh," Garble chuckled, "What do we have here? A couple of shrimps that think they're tough?!"

"Look at that Terragon," one of his friends pointed at Peewee. "It's pint sized compared to normal ones." Everyone laughed at this, Peewee, Springer and Astro glaring back at them as Flash and the others turned the corner.

"Guys?" Flash asked before noticing the teens, "Is something up?"

"Is that your Starvern?" Garble asked, Flash nodding. "Well it ran into me."

"Oh, sorry. Astro gets a little excited sometimes." He picked Astro up, "Say your sorry." However, Astro just growled at the teen, making Flash say, "Hey! Say you're sorry!"

Garble rolled his eyes at this, only to see Peewee crawl onto Spike's shoulder. "Hey, look at this! No wonder the little guy's so puny. His trainer's a total short stack as well."

The others all laughed at this, Spike glaring back at him as Twilight, "That's not very nice."

"Newsflash four-eyes, I don't do nice. Being nice if for wimps. Nobody will respect you if they think they can walk all over you."

"They also won't respect you if you treat them that way."

"What do you know?!" Garble barked back while pointing at himself, "I'm one of the toughest trainers in Dragonia and I'm respected by everybody." Those around him all nodded in agreement, making the others roll their eyes. "If you don't believe me, why don't I show you? Right now, Pokémon battle!"

Flash shook his head at this, "Normally I would, but I don't wanna tire out my Pokémon before my Gym Match."

This caused the teens to all start laughing. "You?!" Garble guffawed, "You're gonna challenge Torch?!"

"Torch?" Flash asked, "Is that's the Gym Leader's name?"

"You don't even know?" This made them all laugh again, making Garble just wave his hand at him, "If you don't even know that, you won't stand a chance against him. Do yourself a favor and go back to whatever weakling town you came from."

"Hey!" Twilight barked back, "You can't just say that! Flash might not know who this Torch guy is, but he's already earned seven Badges."

"Oh, big whoop. I bet all the leaders he beat were total wimps." This made Doc glare at him as he continued, "And if he's so great, then why's he wussing out against me? Bet his Pokémon are all lame as well. Let me guess, you're actually just a loser with a bunch of fake badges."

The group began to laugh again, Flash growling as he took out a Pokeball. Astro leapt out of his hands as he yelled, "Fine! You wanna battle, let's battle!"

Garble smirked and took out a Pokeball, only to stop when a loud sound suddenly rang out. It was from a tannoy system, the feedback making everyone flinch. Then, a gruff voice filled the air, "Citizens of Dragonia City!" Garble and his friends tensed up at this, making Flash and the others raise an eyebrow. "Everyone in the city will report to the Gym! Anyone who isn't there by noon will not be forgiven!" With that, the system switched off and the teens began to ran off.

"Hey!" Flash yelled, "Come back here! What about the battle?!"

"Are you nuts?!" Garble exclaimed, "I'm not risking Torch's wrath to wipe out a wimp like you!" With that, they all ran off, making Flash glance back his friends before they heard what sounded like a stampede. Within seconds, every building on the street opened up and somebody rushed out of it, not even bothering to lock up.

Flash and the others soon plastered themselves to a wall to prevent getting trampled as Twilight asked, "What the heck is going on?!"

"No idea." Doc replied, "Should we follow them?"

"He said that was Torch's voice." Flash responded, "So...probably."

They soon found an opening and joined the crowd, all heading toward the edge of the city, near the cliffs overlooking a large body of water. There they spotted a large tower-like building modelled after a dragon with large wings coming out the sides and a dragonic head surrounding the entrance. In front of the building was a giant pit that had stone step-like stones surrounding it, giving it the impression of a colosseum, along with a large battlefield inside.

They glanced around and saw what appeared to be the entire city's population sitting in the stone steps, soon finding the only empty seats by Garble and his friends. Beside them was the girl they met yesterday, who had a Charmander on her lap. They moved down and and when Garble saw them, he growled and tried to push the girl beside him to fill the space. But she pushed back, allowing them to sit down.

"Thanks," Spike told her, "I'm Spike by the way."

"Whatever," she replied, "Name's Smolder." She then pointed to the bigger teen, "And this is my brother."

"We've met," Garble hissed, making Smolder raise an eyebrow while the others rolled their eyes, only for a loud noise to ring out.

A large rock carried by an extra large Druddigon fell into the center of the battlefield, two people sitting on it. Sitting cross-legged on the top was a large bulky man that stood at around ten feet, with dark blue skin wearing a black army tank top and combat pants. His hair was a mixture of dark red and orange, with a pair of thick dreads running down the side of his head that were white at the roots and turned red and then brown near the end.

On the rock next to him was a teenage girl with light blue skin, wearing a green crop top with black v's running down it under a light blue leather hooded jacket and blue ripped jeans. Her hair was dark blue, but had a pair of white tips on either side of her face.

"Who's that?" Spike asked, Garble rolling his eyes.

"Duh. That's Torch, the Gym Leader."

"No," Spike pointed to the girl, "Next to him." They all turned to the girl, who looked both tough and pretty at the same time.

"That's his daughter, Ember." Garble pointed at him, "I wouldn't even look at her if I were you. Unless you want Torch's Druddigon to eat you."

Spike gulped at this as Torch spoke up. "Trainers of Dragonia City, hear me!" His voice echoed through the city. "I have been Gym Leader for longer than many of you can remember, and my reign has been extraordinary!" He stopped for a second, silence embracing the crowd before he yelled, "AGREE WITH ME!"

The crowd went pale before cheering, "TORCH! TORCH! TORCH! TORCH!"

Torch grinned at this as he continued, "However, I have decided my time as Gym Leader has come to an end. It is time for a new Leader to step up and fill my shoes. Sad, I know." Silence filled the air again at this, "BE SAD!" This caused the crowd to start fake crying, "This is why I have summoned you! To compete for the title of Gym Leader...in the Gauntlet of Fire!"

This caused a mass wave of cheering to fill the air, Flash's eyes going wide, "A new Gym Leader?!" He slumped over in his seat, "Couldn't he have waited a week or so to retire?! Now I'm gonna have to face some newbie for my final Gym Badge." As he said this, Ember walked up and held out a large scroll. She unfurled it to show the image of a staff with a red gem on the end.

"This is my official Sceptre Badge. The one from which all other Sceptre Badges are modelled after. It is what gives a Gym Leader their title."

Spike turned to Doc, "is that true?" Doc nodded and reached into his Pocket, taking out a Gear Badge.

"Yup. This is mine. These badges are made from a special material, which only the Pokémon League possess."

Torch stood up and pointed to the body of water, an island that sat upon it with a mountain in the middle. "Whomever has the strength and fortitude to retrieve the badge from the heart of the flame-cano in the Dragon's Nest will be crowned the Gym Leader!"

"Isn't that a little excessive?" Twilight asked, "I doubt the Equestria League would approve."

Doc shrugged at this, "Gym Leaders pretty much have free reign to decide their successor however they want."

Torch sat down at this, "The winner will be awarded the Gym and all the Pokémon currently inside will be transferred to them. I have trained them all well and any one of them would give even the Champion's Pokémon a run for their money." This made grins appear on every face, only for Torch to raise a hand, "But be warned. The Gauntlet is dangerous, for I designed it myself! Only the trainers whose Dragon-types have my Druddigon's ferocity, strength, and determination will be able to finish. We will gather at the cliff in one hour to begin the Gauntlet!"

The trainers all cheered and began to get up and head off to prepare, Spike standing up and staring over at the Dragon-type Gym. "So anyone could become Gym Leader? Even if they only have one Pokémon?"

"Ha!" Garble laughed, "You're dreaming if you think you could win this and be Gym Leader. Besides," he pointed at Peewee, "Like that shrimp could ever be classed as a real Dragon-type." With that, he poked Spike in the head. "Do yourself a favor and leave the cool stuff to trainers who are actually strong." He pushed Spike next, making him fall back, rolling rolling down multiple steps.

"Augh!" He cried as he hit the ground and continued to roll right up to Torch.

"Huh?" The Gym Leader looked down at him and raised an eyebrow, "What do we have here?"

"Oh," Spike replied as he pushed himself back to his feet. "Hi. Name's Spike. Sorry about that."

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the Gauntlet?" Torch asked, "This isn't a test you can win without seriously preparing."

Spike shook his head at this, "Oh, I'm not competing. I'm not even a trainer yet." Peewee landed on his shoulder at this, making Torch raise an eyebrow. "This is my sister's Pokémon. But he will be my starter when I'm old enough." Torch's eyes narrowed at this as Spike began to backpedal, "So if you'll excuse me..."

"I didn't say you could leave!" Torch almost roared, making Spike go ridged as his friends began to run up to him.

But before they could get there, Ember walked up to Spike, "Leave him alone dad. Look at him." She ruffled his hair, "He's just a runt. Besides, he doesn't even wanna compete. Let him go."

Torch glared at him, only to smile, "He and his Terragon are rather tiny, heh-heh. I could squish him with my pinky finger." He chuckled, Spike nervously chuckling as well, only for Torch to growl at him, "That wasn't a joke! It was a fact. When I want you to laugh, I will say BE AMUSED!"

"Right," Spike nodded, "Sorry..."

Torch let out a sigh, "Very well then. Be on your way."

"Thank you!" He sighed in relief before turning to Ember, "And thank you." He and Peewee shot her the guns, Ember rolling her eyes as Spike walked off. She then turned to walk off as well, only for Torch to reach out and grab her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To prepare for the Gauntlet."

Torch growled at this. "No, you're not. You're not much bigger than that runt I just let go!"

"But I'm smarter than most of these boulderheads and you know it!" Ember replied as she shook off his hand, "And I've trained tons of Dragon-types that are just as strong as your Druddigon."

Torch shook his head at this, "Being smart won't help you win this Gauntlet! It was designed for a big, strong Dragon-type to win, because it takes a big, strong Dragon-type to be a Gym Leader! Besides, I SAID NO!"

Ember let out a hiss before spinning around, walking away as she muttered, "I hate when he does that!"

Everyone watched her stride off, Spike and the others heading up the steps and back to town. "Looks like I'll have to wait for my Gym Battle," Flash sighed before turning to the others. "Wanna head back to the Pokémon Center and wait to see who the new leader is?"

They all nodded back, Spike then asking to go to the bathroom. They found a public one down the street a second later, Spike saying, "I'll be back in a minute." He went into the closest stall, Peewee flying onto the top to give Spike some privacy. But just as the teen finished and was about to head out, the door opened and somebody walked in. Peewee saw it was Garble and his friends, the little dragon jumping onto Spike's head.

"I can't wait," one of Garble's friends exclaimed, "When I'm Gym Leader, I'm gonna have it so that my challenger has to beat every one of my Pokémon without losing one of theirs. If even one of their Pokémon faints, they lose."

"Well I'm gonna ban all Ice, Fairy and Dragon-types," another one stated, "Let's see how well they do without any super effective Pokémon to use."

"You guys are all idiots," he heard Garble say. "Even with those rules, there's still a chance the challenger will beat you. When I become the Gym Leader, I'll use six of Torch's strongest Pokémon and have it be that the challenger will only be allowed one Pokémon and ban Ice, Fairy and Dragon-Types. That way there will be no way they'll be able to ever beat me. Then I'll go down in history as Equestria's undefeated Gym Leader!" The teens all laughed at this as they did their business before leaving.

"This is bad," Spike told Peewee, "If any of them wins, Flash is gonna be in serious trouble. And what if the League finds out?! They might end up closing the Gym down!"

The thought of no Dragon-type Gym in Equestria didn't sit right with him, only for Peewee to hop off his head, "Terra!"

"What is it?"

"Terra! Terra Terragon!" Peewee replied before flexing his arms.

"You serious? You wanna enter?" Peewee nodded, Spike blinking at him. The idea of him becoming a Gym Leader instantly entered his head, making him think about the many Dragon-type Pokémon. That was his dream. "Alright, it's settled. I'm gonna enter the Gauntlet of Fire." Peewee roared in agreement, both running out of the bathroom.





Several minutes later...

Flash and friends were waiting outside the bathroom, wondering what was taking Spike so long. "I hope he didn't fall in," Flash laughed while Twilight rolled her eyes.

"I'll go look for him." Doc headed inside, "Spike?" He glanced around, but nobody answered, "Anyone here?" He checked all the stalls, only to find nothing. "Weird." He walked out, "He's not in there."

"Then where'd he go?" Flash asked, the group soon searching through the city.

It wasn't long till they found that most people weren't willing to help, twenty minutes soon passing. "Where is he?" Twilight whispered while Springer tried to locate his aura. But there were so many new auras around him, he couldn't find the two. That is, till they spotted Smolder walking down a nearby street.

"Hey!" Flash called out to her, Smolder and her Charmander turning to them. "You seen Spike anywhere?"

"Spike?" Smolder asked, "Do you mean your little friend?" They nodded, "I spotted him running back to the gym earlier."

"Why would he go there?" Twilight asked.

"Well, he does love Dragon-types," Flash pointed out. "Maybe he wanted to see all of them up close."

"I guess..." Twilight responded, only for a gear to move in her brain, making her facepalm, "Spike, you idiot."





At the cliffs that looked over the lake, the many Dragon-type trainers stood with their Pokémon, waiting for the challenge to begin. Many trainers were actually wearing metal armor designed around dragons, while others like Garble were simply wearing their normal clothes.

Torch had moved a rock on the cliff, sitting on it cross-legged. The Gauntlet was about to begin, only to raise an eyebrow as he saw a certain someone walk up to the other competitors. "You?" He asked as Spike and Peewee turned to him, "You're competing?"

"Why not?" He replied, "You said anyone with a Dragon-type could compete." He gestured to Peewee, "I have a Dragon-type."

"Terra!" He roared, only for a barrage of laugher to ring out. The only one who didn't laugh was one of the trainers wearing gold armor, who simply closed their arms.

"Oh please," Garble told him. "I'd hardly call that thing a dragon."

Peewee glared back at him while Torch shrugged, "Any Dragon-type trainer may be allowed to compete. But be warned," he gestured to the island in the center of the lake. "Travelling to the Dragon's Nest is only one of many challenges that await you in your search for the Sceptre Badge." As he said this, he looked down at his pocket watch, "It is time! The Gauntlet of Fire has now began! May the strongest trainer stand victorious over the others!" His Druddigon let out a roar and shot up a Flamethrower, causing the trainers to let out their Dragon-types and climb onto them.

Dragons of all kinds soon flew the sky, Noivern, Altaria, Garchomp, Dragapult, Flygon and many more. The trainer in the golden armor let out a Champagoon that wasn't like any other Spike had seen, being green in color in stead of blue, and it let out some sparkles as it appeared. "Champ!" It roared as the teen leapt onto its back while Garble let out his Blazegon before turn to Spike.

"Good luck," he held out a hand that Spike was about to take. But then he pulled it back, "Just kidding. I hope you lose."

As he said that, his Blazegon whacked him with its tail, knocking him over the cliff. "Ahhhhh!" He cried before hitting the water, Garble laughing as he got on the dragon and flew off. Spike then surfaced and spat out some water, "Thanks Garble!" He growled, "I was thinking of swimming anyway." But as he said that, he saw how far away the island was, only to turn and see something floating in the water. Some wood and a long vine. "Yeah, that'll work."

As he did this, Twilight and the others arrived at the cliff and saw Spike in the water. "Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, "What are you doing?!"

Spike didn't seem to hear this and she sighed, Flash taking out his Pokeball. "I'll have Riptide get him." But before he could throw it-

"Hold it!" They turned to Torch, his Druddigon growling at them. "Any attempt to mess with a Gauntlet participant will result in a life ban from my gym."

The teen's eyes went wide hearing this, Twilight then glaring at him, "Are you serious?! Wait...why would you let a little kid compete in such a dangerous event?! He's not even a trainer yet!"

"He has a Dragon-type willing to help him and the courage to take on this challenge. Trainer or not, he can still compete." The others sighed at this, then were distracted when they heard Spike let out a holler. They looked down and saw Spike skimming along the water, cheering as he was pulled by Peewee. He had used the wood as a surfboard, Peewee flying ahead with the vine in his mouth as Spike held onto it.

But as he did this, a Gyrados suddenly exploded out of the water. Spike gasped at this, only to see Gyrados glaring up at the sky. It let out a might roar before firing a Hydro Pump attack, which struck one of the Dragonair in the sky and knocked both it and its rider out of the air. Another Gyrados then came out, then another and another.

Peewee was able to pull Spike around the Gyrados, the pair not even on the bigger Pokémon's radar as more and more dragon were knocked out of the sky. One of the Gyrados shot out of the water and tried to blast Gable's Blazegon, the fire dragon quickly pulling back, only for its tail to then collide with another Dragon-type's head.

This dragon was the shiny Champagoon, the hit causing it to start falling, "No!" The rider yelped as they tried to wake it up, but the Champagoon didn't respond as they hit the water and both began to sink.

Spike saw this and gasped, seeing the trainer being pulled under the water by their armor. "He's gonna drown!" He yelled before letting go of the vine and diving. But as he did this, he saw something green fill the water. The green was coming from the Champagoon, who he now realised was only painted green. He then noticed a Pokeball in the trainer's hand, but the trainer didn't appear conscious at the moment. He swam down and took the ball, which he saw was in a Contest Ball Capsule, and returned the Dragon-type before grabbing the trainer and pulling them up to the surface.

He gasped as he and the trainer hit the surface, "Peewee!" The Terragon flew down and lowered the vine, Spike grabbing it and allowing Peewee to pull them toward the island. It took a lot longer with the added weight, but they soon arrived at the island, Spike now pulling the trainer to shore.

Once there, he was about to try to do CPR, only for the trainer to begin to cough, "Hey, are you okay?" He asked, then grabbing the helmet before gasping as he took it off the trainer, "Ember!"

Torch's daughter sat up while still coughing, then turned to glare at him. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Err...helping?" Spike replied before holding out her Pokeball. "I had to return your Champagoon to save you. Sorry." The girl swiped the Pokeball before letting the now blue Champagoon out.

Spike raised an eyebrow at this, only to show her a smile. But as he did this, Ember snarled at him, "Look, I don't know what scheme you're playing, but if you think saving me will get you anything-"

"I didn't save you to get something in return," he replied. "I just...didn't want you to drown."

"Whatever," she turned away, "I have a Gauntlet to win."

"But I thought your dad-"

"I don't care what he said!" She almost yelled back, only to then hear a squawk. They both looked up and saw Flash, Twilight and Doc flying to the island on their Flying-types. "What are they doing here?"

"Making sure Spike is alright," Flash responded as the three landed. "We had to sneak away from Torch and go the long way around."

Twilight stared at her brother with her hands on her hips, Spike and Peewee gulping. "Hey...sis."

"What were you thinking?!" She screamed, "This challenge is too much for you! You're not even a trainer!"

"Sorry..." Spike muttered out, "But I had too. I heard what Garble's planning to do if he won and I couldn't let that happen. He's gonna make his gym challenges six on one. I couldn't let Flash face those odds."

This made the others blink, glancing at each other at the sound of the idea. But before they could reply, a loud scream made them look up and see a Garchomp getting smashed by a large boulder. They then spotted another boulder flying off of the mountain and hitting a Flygon, then turning to see a bunch of Rhyperior on a ledge of the mountain. The Drill Pokémon fired a Rock Wrecker attack, which flew through the air and struck Garble and Blazegon.

"WHOA!" The teen yelped as both fell, hitting the sand. As this happened, Flash, Twilight and Doc running to hide while Ember put her helmet back on. Blazegon had accidently landed on him, making him cry out as he tried to push the dragon off of him. He then glanced up and saw Spike, showing a big frown, "Help me."

Spike hesitated for a moment, only to sigh. He and Peewee pushed Blazegon along with Garble, lifting it up enough to allow Garble to pull himself free.

"Ha!" he laughed, "Knew you'd do it." He flicked Spike's forehead, "You're too soft. That's why you'll never be a Gym Leader." He then kicked a bunch of sand at him, Spike coughing as Peewee used his wings to get the sand off.

"You're welcome."

"For what?" Garble asked, "I didn't say thank you."

"That jerk," Flash let out before slapping a hand over his mouth. Garble turned to the rock they were hiding behind, raising an eyebrow. But as they happened, Ember walked up and leaned against the rock.

"You got a problem?" She asked, trying to deepen her voice.

Garble hissed at her, only to lean in and asked, "Wait...have we met before?"

"She's my...old neighbor." Spike suddenly chimed in, making Garble glare at him, "Sandy...Rock-Beach."

Garble glanced back at Ember, only for a scream to ring out, making him look up to see the Rhyperior firing rocks again. "Stupid Rhyperior." He turned to Spike, "But I've wasted enough time making small talk." He laughed, flicking Spike on the head again. "Get lost!" He then turned to Blazegon, "GET UP!" The Dragon-type heard this and began to move, slightly flinching from the earlier damage. "Come on!" He climbed onto his back, "Fly!"

Blazegon began to flap his wings, slightly shaking as he did this. And as he left, Ember turned to Spike. "Why did you cover for me?" She took off her helmet, "You could have had one less competitor."

"I could ask you the same thing," Spike pointed out, "You could have told Garble about my friends." Peewee then flew onto her shoulder and rubbed his face into hers, Ember grumbling as Spike laughed at the sight. But before she could do anything, a scream made her look up and see another trainer and their Dragon-type get knocked out of the sky.

"Yikes," Ember flinched, "That looks rough. But..." She put the helmet on again, "That's what makes it a challenge."

"Are you kidding?" Spike replied as the others came out of hiding, "Those boulders are huge." He then turned back to Ember, "Hey. What if we worked together?" Ember raised an eyebrow at this. "You fly me up there and Peewee and I will help you look out for boulders. Like two extra pairs of eyes."

Ember blinked at his idea, only to stare at Spike's huge smile on his face. "Why are you suddenly so trusting of me?"

Spike tilted his head at this, "Why wouldn't I be? You didn't tell on me and you do seem different to the other Dragon-type users in Dragonia."

"Well...I guess." Ember responded, "Alright little fella, I guess your plan makes sense." She turned to her Champagoon and he nodded back, "Let's do it."

"Really?! Great! It's a deal." He held out his hand, Ember shaking it.

"Just so you know, this doesn't mean we're gonna pick flowers or exchange necklaces or whatever it is you do when you think you've made a friend." Spike nodded before turning to Twilight as she stared behind the rock, seeing her nod, telling him it was okay before he hopped onto the Champagoon.

"Good luck," Flash told him.

"We'll meet you at the top," Doc added.

"Ri, rio ri."

Ember sat on Champagoon's neck as he took to the air, Spike holding onto her side. The four soon zipped up the mountain, Spike and Peewee kept an eye out for rocks coming from behind. Champagoon dodged one oncoming rock, then another. In that moment, Spike spotted one flying toward them from the behind.

"Pull up!" Champagoon did so, dodging the rock before another came for him from the front.

"Brick Break!" Ember yelled, Champagoon's hand glowing before he smashed the rock with a single chop.

"Behind you!" Ember was about to pull up, but two more rocks appeared above them and blocked their escape. Spike saw this and added, "Dragonbreath!"

"TERRA!" Peewee fired the blue flames and struck the rock, pushing it back enough for the rock to miss them.

"Wow," Ember whispered, "That's a lot of power for such a small Terragon." She wasn't the only one who saw this, as Garble was flying close by, wide-eyed at the sight before shaking his head and spotting a cave near the top of the mountain.

"Move!" He ordered, Blazegon flying down to the cave. Champagoon charged down as well, only for a bunch of rocks came for him, the Fighting Dragon-type shattering a few before doing a barrel-roll. Ember suddenly felt her helmet fall of her head, falling down to the ocean before she could grab it.

"Blast it!" She growled as they then landed at the entrance of the cave.

"So what do we do now?" Spike asked the older teen, the pair getting off of Champagoon.

"I think we go through there." They watched as a Galvern and Altaria flew into the cave, only for a massive column of fire to suddenly explode out of the mouth. A moment later, the two flew back out looking extra crispy. 

"Geez," they turned to the voice and spotted Flash, Twilight and Doc hiding behind a rock. "That looks dangerous."

Ember went wide-eyed, only to shake her head and turned to her partner. "Listen Spike, I wouldn't have made it this far without you. So I guess, if you want to, we could keep working together." She quickly glanced around before crossing her arms, "I mean, just until we get through that tunnel."

Spike smirked and gave her a thumbs up. "Okay!" Peewee roared in agreement before the four ran into the cave.

"We'll be right behind you!" Twilight told them in a hushed voice.

They soon made their way through the tunnel, now finding a chamber where a bunch of trainers were stuck fighting a group of Duraludon. The Pokémon were all using Stone Edge, making large rocks shoot out of the ground and ceiling. Several Dragons and their trainers had already attempted to get past, but most were knocked out or pushed back.

Spike and Ember shared a glance before nodding, the pair climbing onto Champagoon and flying into the horde of rocks. With Ember, Spike and Peewee keeping an eye out, Champagoon zipped past them all, while Garble and Blazegon attempted, but kept getting hit by the rocks. "Augh!" He cried as a pair shot up and sandwiched them. They struggled to escape, all while Spike and Ember reached the exit and got off of Champagoon.

As they got there, Ember had to return Champagoon due to how small the tunnel was. There, they found a bunch of crystal spikes that were shooting in and out of holes in the wall. "How the heck does that work?" Spike asked, only for Peewee to look up and roar. The two now saw a bunch of Noibat, whose eyes were glowing as they used Psychic to make the spikes move. "Oh."

"Come on!" Ember replied as she ran in, Spike right behind her. He followed her as she quickly zipped around the spikes while Peewee flew around them. As Spike landed after jumping over a crystal, he saw one shoot out of the ceiling straight for Ember, the boy gasping before tackling her.

Ember looked back and saw the crystal, then turned to Spike as he picked himself up. They smiled at one another, not noticing Garble appear behind them before the crystals attacked him.





Spike and Ember soon reached the end of the tunnel, now walking into a large chamber that was covered in lava pools. They were standing on a platform, connected to several bridges that lead into multiple different tunnels.

"You made it!" The pair turned to see Spike's friends peeking out from behind a bunch of rocks. "That's good. We were starting to get worried."

"About us?" Spike asked before letting out a scoff, "Oh please. That tunnel was cake!" But then he actually thought back to what he and Ember had gone through and let out a dizzying groan before falling over.

As he hit the ground, Ember raised an eyebrow. "Wait, how did you guys get through?"

But before anyone could explain, the mountain shook. "What's happening?!" Flash asked, everyone they grabbed each other.

"Micro-Eruption!" Ember screamed as she got low to the ground, the others copying her, though Springer wasn't fast enough.

"RI, RI!" He cried as he staggered back over the edge of the platform, falling toward one of the lava pools.

"SPRINGER!" They all yelled as Spike pulled his arm back, which had Peewee on it. "GO!" He threw Peewee and the Terragon shot down with his claws at the ready.

"TERRA!" He roared grabbing Springer inches before reaching the lava pool. Everyone gasped at seeing this, Ember amazed such a little Pokémon was able to lift Springer up like that. Peewee then flew Springer back up, only for a column of lava to fly straight up where the pair had been.

"Springer!" Flash cheered as Peewee dropped Springer into his arms, the teen hugging him tightly before turning to Spike and Peewee. "Thanks guys."

Spike smirked as he scratched Peewee under the chin. "It was nothing."

"Nothing?" He turned to Ember, the girl's eyes now wide, "You and your Terragon just risked everything to save him! And they're putting themselves in danger just to support you!"

"Well, that's just what friends do. Heck, we're more than just friends." He shined a big grin at this, "We're family!"

"Family?" Ember asked, raising an eyebrow at the word.

"Yeah. I mean, don't you care about your family's Pokémon? Like your dad's Druddigon? Wouldn't you want to help it if it needed it?"

"I guess," Ember rubbed her arm. "But my dad's so strong that he doesn't need any help."

"Everyone needs help sometimes," Twilight responded, "Like the way you and Spike helped one another."

"Doesn't that mean you're weak?"

"Not at all." Doc replied while shaking his head, "It's not a sign of weakness. Friends help friends. That's just the way the world works."

"Not in this part of the world," Ember countered, "Here, it's everybody for themselves."

"Sounds lonely," Flash pointed out. "And untrue. After all, you wouldn't have gotten anywhere without Champagoon. Can you honestly say he's not your friend?"

Ember blinked at the suggestion, glancing down at her Pokeball. As she did this, Spike moved over to her, "We should keep going. We're almost at the badge. Together, we'll-"

"No!" Ember stepped away and unleashed Champagoon, then turned back to him. "We were only helping each other get through the tunnel, and now we're through the tunnel, so that's it."

"Huh?" Spike raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Ember pointed at him, "There's only one winner, one Sceptre Badge, and one Gym Leader. So I guess it's every trainer for themselves."

"Oh..." Spike replied, "But what about working together as friends?"

"Maybe if we were in wherever you're from," she replied before climbing onto Champagoon. "But like I said, Dragonia Trainers doesn't do friendship."

With that, Champagoon flew off, leaving a frowning Spike before making his way across the bridge on foot, the others following. After a few minutes, they arrived at a bridge filled crevasse full of holes leading into different tunnels. But Spike barely noticed this as he walked across a bridge, "I can't believe Ember ditched me."

"Maybe you're better off," Doc chimed in, "She was only looking out for herself. Seems she's like those others from earlier."

"She's not though." Spike turned to them, "I know it. She saved me, even when she didn't have to. I don't care what she says, that makes us friends." With that, he began to march into one of the tunnels, the others following...only to find themselves coming out at a crevasse like the one they were in before. Spike then ran into another tunnel, only to come out the crevasse again. He picked another tunnel and soon found himself heading down, only to reach the bridge-filled chamber again.

"Is it just me, or have we seen this crevasse three times already?"

Spike glanced around, scratching his head, "It's kinda hard to tell. They all look the same." He then turned to another tunnel, only to see it shining a bright light. "Except for that one! Look!" He ran over to the tunnel, now seeing the rocks that made up the walls around this hole were a different color to the others.

And as they walked in, they found themselves in a giant chamber full of stalagmites and stalactites, a large winding bridge also there that lead to a raised podium that had a bunch of crystals sticking out of it. And among those crystals, the Sceptre Badge sat.

"We made it!" Spike cheered as he walked onto the bridge, "I can't believe I'm the only one to make it this far!"

"You're not!" Spike spun around and gasped when he saw Garble enter the chamber with his Blazegon behind him. Flash, Twilight and Doc quickly zipped behind some rocks as Garble approached, "And I'm not losing to a weakling like you!"

"BLAZE!" The fire dragon roared before taking to the air.

"Flamethrower!" Blazegon unleashed a burst of fire at Spike, Peewee quickly taking to the air and firing a Dragonbreath back. The two attacks pushed against one another, but the Blazegon's attack overpowered Peewee's.

"Peewee!" Spike cried as his partner got knocked back, falling over from the blow.

And as Spike picked him up, Garble just laughed, "Face it shrimp, you'll never we worthy of being a Gym Leader. Being a Gym Leader means being the strongest around. That's why only I'm worthy, because I'm the strongest!"

"As if!" Spike barked back, "You're the furthest thing from a Gym Leader!" He helped Peewee up as he continued, "I've been through a lot since leaving home. I'm met tons of trainers and tons of Gym Leaders, and I've seen what it truly means to be one. True Gym Leaders aren't just strong. They care for their Pokémon. They protect those that can't protect themselves. They help the trainers that challenge them, helping them learn and grow so that they can be the best trainers they can be. It's not about constantly winning matches. It's about making sure only worthy trainers are able to enter the Equestria League. And from what I've seen, you're none of those things. That's why you'll never by a Gym Leader!"

Spike's friends all smiled at this, glad the young boy had learned so much since the start of their journey. That is, till Garble began to growl at him, "Nice speech, but it means nothing." Blazegon flew up and grabbed Spike, lifting him up and holding him over the pit of pointy rocks. "It's not up to you. The next Gym Leader is whoever gets the badge first. And that'll be me."

"We have to do something!" Doc gasped.

"Screw getting banned," Flash added before taking out a Pokeball. "I'll pick my friend over a badge any day."

But just as he was about to throw the ball, Twilight grabbed his arm, "Wait! Look!" She pointed toward the tunnel, all now seeing a familiar Dragon-type.

"Focus Blast!" Ember yelled as Champagoon created a sphere of energy and fired it, hitting Blazegon in the back. The blow made it drop Spike and Peewee, everyone gasping as they fell, but then Ember flew down and he landed in her arms.

"Ember!" He cheered as they flew back up, "I thought it was everyone for themselves!" They then landed between Garble and the crystals. "Why did you save me?!"

"That's what friends do!" Ember responded as they jumped off Champagoon. "And I am. I mean, we are. I never should have left you back there. Augh!" she cried in frustration, "Please don't make me talk about my feelings!"

"Raaah!" They turned to Garble as he charged at them with Blazegon behind him. Champagoon took to the air and the two began to fight while Garble threw a punch at Spike. But as this happened, Ember caught the punch before countering with her own, knocking Garble off his feet. "Blaugh!"

"Spike, get the badge!" Spike nodded and ran for he crystal as Garble got back up and tackled Ember. And as this happened, Champagoon's body glowed before the light covered his head, neck and wings.

"Wyvern Wing?" Flash asked as Champagoon beat its wings, knocking Blazegon back.

But as this happened, Garble pinned Ember to the ground, making her cry out. This made Champagoon turn to her, Blazegon using this to use Dragon Tail and hit Champagoon in the chest, knocking it back before unleashing a Flamethrower.

"Champ!" He yelped while Ember tried to push Garble off. The cries made Spike and Peewee stop and glance back, seeing them both in trouble.

"Peewee!" He threw his Terragon at Champagoon, which leapt onto Garble's back and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"Terra!" Peewee roared as he fired a Dragonbreath into Blazegon's head, but it barely did anything. As this happened, Spike leapt at Garble, pushing him off Ember. He then grabbed Spike's neck, throwing the teen back while Blazegon grabbed Peewee and threw him down before bludgeoning him with Dragon Tail.

Spike and Peewee cried out as they were hit, Spike now rolling off the bridge before grabbing the edge. And as this happened, Peewee tried to pick himself up as Blazegon glared down at him.

Ember tackled Garble this time, both now wrestling as Garble growled, "I'm sick and tired of you two helping each other! Dragonia Trainers don't do helping!"

"These trainers do!" Ember grunted before she started spinning them both, then throwing Garble away. He cried out as fell back, Ember getting back up before running over to the Spike.

And as she helped him up, Spike saw Blazegon used Stomp on Peewee. "NO!" He screamed as Peewee got slammed into the dirt. But as a second Stomp happened, Blazegon pinned him down with his foot as Spike yelled, "PEEWEE, YOU CAN BEAT HIM!" The dragon turned to him, seeing Spike glare at him, "He might be bigger, but you're stronger and braver!" Peewee's little eyes went wide at these words as Spike continued, "You've never let being smaller then others stop you before. You've faced any challenge head on, no matter its size. Your body might be small, but your heart's the size of a Wailord. NOW BEAT HIM!"

"HA!" Garble laughed as he got up, "There's no way a weakling tiny shrimp like that will ever beat my awesome Pokémon!"

But as he continued to laugh, Spike's words rang out in Peewee's head as Blazegon was about to use Stomp on him again. As it happened, Peewee's chest began to glow, making everyone stare at him as Garble muttered out, "What the? What's that?!"

"No way," Ember gasped, Peewee opening his mouth as a sphere of energy appeared within it. "That's Draco Meteor!" Everyone gasped at hearing this, Spike standing there frozen at those words.

"Terra," the orb grew almost as large as he was, "GONE!" He roared before the sphere exploded out of him, slamming into Blazegon's chest, making its eyes go wide as it was sent flying upward until-

KABOOM!

The sphere exploded and shot Blazegon into a nearby wall, only for the dragon to flop over as swirls appeared in his eyes. Energy then rained down from the Draco Meteor, destroying anything it touched as it broke through the bridge, separating Spike and Ember from Garble.

Champagoon and Spike's friends all took cover near the entrance as the last of the meteors crashed into the ground, the attack now coming to an end. "So much power," Flash whispered, only to then hear voices coming from the tunnel. The three hid again, just in time for several more Dragon trainers to arrive and see what had happened to the chamber.

"No way," Garble whispered as he watched his Blazegon fall down in front of him, "There's no way that little shrimp could learn that move. I've never been able to teach it to mine."

Ember smirked at this. "That just proves that Spike is a more worthy Gym Leader then you'll ever be." Garble turned to glare at her, then noticed what Spike was doing. To prove Ember's point, he had climbed onto the crystals and found the badge sitting in a crystal bowl. He smiled before reaching down and picking it up, turning to the chamber and holding it up to show that the new Gym Leader had been crowned.

"You..." Garble growled, "But...that makes you-"

"The Gym Leader," Ember finished with a chuckle, "Gym Leader Spike." Garble's face twisted at this, only to see Peewee land on Spike's shoulder and let out a burst of fire. Garble hissed at the sight, only to glance over at his Blazegon...who was now laying on the ground, swirls in the eyes and his tongue flopped out.

"I'll get you back for this!" He yelled before returning his Pokémon and running away, pushing past the newly arrived trainers as Spike climbed down off the Crystals.

Ember laughed as she turned back to him, "Gym Leader Spike. Has a nice ring to it." It was then that Spike grabbed her hand and placed the badge into it.

"Gym Leader Ember sounds even better."

"What?" She looked down at her hand, "No. You're the Gym Leader now."

"The Gym Leader is whoever brings the badge back to your father! Besides, you'll make a great Gym Leader. I was just doing this to make sure Flash and the other challengers get a fair match. But I know you'll be fair and willing to help teach those that challenge you when they need your help."

Ember glanced back down at the badge before blinking at him, "You sure? I mean, you do realize what that means, right?"

"Absolutely," Spike nodded. "I'm not ready to be a Gym Leader yet. I'm not even a real Trainer right now." Peewee rubbed his head into Spike's cheek. "I still have a lot to learn. I wanna go out on my own journey and collect my own badges. Then, maybe, I'll be ready to be a Gym Leader."

Ember smiled and nodded. "Alright. But do me a favor. When you're out on your own journey, come back here and challenge me to a battle." Spike nodded back, then jumped up and wrapped his arms around her waist. "What are you doing?!" She asked with her arms raised.

"It's called a hug!" Spike replied, Ember raising an eyebrow.

"Oh...um, okay. I don't know if I like it, but...okay." She patted him on the head as Spike hugged her tighter, Spike's friends silently chuckling at the sight.





Back in Dragonia city, Torch had moved his rock back onto the battlefield and was waiting for the winner to arrive. It was here that he noticed a glinting and looked up, seeing the source of the light was the sun reflection coming off the Sceptre Badge. And the one holding it was none other than his daughter, flying down on her Champagoon with the other competitors behind her.

"Ember?!" He yelped as she landed and got off her Dragon-type, "You?!"

Ember confidently strode up to her father. "I know you didn't think I could do it, but I did."

Torch growled at this, getting off the rock and marching to glare down at her. "I expressly told you not to do it, because you're not-"

"I'm not big and strong." Ember replied as she moved her face within inches of his. "I know. But you know what? I won anyway. So maybe it takes more than just being big and strong to be a good Gym Leader." Torch pulled back and glanced around, seeing the other Dragon trainers all nodding in agreement with her.

Torch growled at this, only to turn to Druddigon. Unlike the beefy man, Druddigon had known for a long time that the girl was a worthy candidate. It had watched her grow up and train many Dragon-types, making each of them powerful in their own right. It simply nodded at its trainer, Torch appearing to accept this before turning to his daughter.

"I was wrong, Ember. You might not be big, but you are strong and smart, and perhaps that counts for more than I thought. And you will make an excellent Gym Leader."

Ember smiled at this. "Thanks, dad." She then turned to the Dragon-type trainers all around them. "AGREE WITH HIM!" The trainers all went wide-eyed at this, only for Ember to giggle, "Just kidding! That's not gonna be my thing."

This caused Torch to laugh, his bellows rocking the rocks around him. "Citizens of Dragonia City, hear me! I present to you our new Gym Leader, EMBER!" The people all cheered as Ember waved back to them. It was then that the people called for a celebration, each looking forward to a party that commemorated the crowning of their new Gym Leader.

And up on some nearby rocks, Flash and the others were all watching with a smile. "You did great Spike," Twilight told her little brother with a ruffle of his hair.

"Thanks," Spike replied before scratching Peewee under the chin. "It was an insane adventure, but it was worth it. Not only does the Gym have a proper leader, but Peewee was able to learn Draco Meteor."

"Terra!"

Doc nodded at this, "Speaking as a Gym Leader myself, I'm sure Ember will grow into a great one."

Flash nodded as well, only for them to see Ember walk up to them, "Hey! You guys aren't gonna sneak away before the party's started, are you?"

"No way," Spike responded, "Who doesn't love a good party?!"

Ember nodded before turning to Flash, "Spike said you came here looking for a Gym Battle."

"Yeah," Flash replied while scratching the back of his head, "I was hoping to face your dad since he's supposed to be the strongest Gym Leader in Equestria...but it looks like that ain't happening."

Ember shrugged at this, "Well, I doubt I'm the strongest Gym Leader. But if you still wanna match, how about you stop by the Gym tomorrow?"

Flash's eyes went wide at hearing this, "Seriously?"

"Sure," Ember chuckled, "As thanks to Spike for all his help, I'll let you be my premier battle." She then lightly punched Flash in the chest. "But you better be ready. I might not be as tough as my dad, but take me lightly and you'll be sorry." Flash nodded back, then turned to Springer as he nodded as well.

It might not be the Gym Leader they were after, but they would still give this match everything they had. For the chance to enter the Equestria League and prove himself the strongest, he would go all out. The Gauntlet of Fire had been an insane trial, but this was the real test. Would Flash pass it, or was this where his Equestrian Journey ended? Find out, as the journey continues.
> Clash of Dragons, The Final Gym Battle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day had arrived. Flash's final Equestria League Gym Battle was about to start, and despite the party they had enjoyed, Flash had spent most of the previous day preparing for this moment. Currently, Springer and Astro were by his side, he and his friends now making their way to the Dragonia City Gym.

Everyone in town was also going there, wanting to see their new Gym Leader's first battle in the role. "This is it," Twilight told Flash as the gym came into view. "You ready for this?"

"As I'll ever be," Flash sighed, thinking about the previous day, remembering Ember's Champagoon in action. "She's tough, but she's new. That's what makes this interesting."

The others nodded, Springer and Astro letting out growls of agreement as they reached the pit-like stadium. The seats were completely full, the residents sitting and talking amongst themselves. But then they went silent as everyone spotted Flash standing at the top of the stairs. He stared down at the battlefield and saw Ember, Torch and Smolder. Ember looked up at him and smirked as Flash and his friends headed down the steps.

When they reached the bottom, Flash yelled, "I am Flash Sentry, and I challenge the Leader of the Dragonia City Gym to a battle for its badge!"

Ember shined a big grin at this, "And I, the new Dragonia City Gym Leader, accept your challenge!"

The crowd cheered as Torch moved over to some of the only remaining seats with Flash's friends sitting beside him. "You're not refereeing the match?" Twilight asked the former Gym Leader.

"No," Torch replied, "Smolder asked Ember to start training her last night. Ember agreed, but told Smolder she had to help in the Gym. So she'll be acting as the ref."

As this happened, Flash and Ember walked up to their spots, Springer and Astro on either side of Flash while Smolder moved up to the center podium. "Alright, the Gym battle between the challenger Flash, and Ember the Gym Leader, will now begin! Each side will use four Pokémon, and the battle will be over when all of either sides' Pokémon are unable to fight. Plus, only the challenger can substitute Pokémon."

"I see she's using the same rules that I always used," Torch laughed, "I'm interested to see what her strategy will be."

"Wait...wouldn't you know?" Spike asked him, "You trained the Pokémon she's using, right?"

Torch shook his head in response, "No, she wanted to use the Pokémon she had trained. Only then will she be truly be the Gym Leader."

The others nodded as Smolder continued, "Trainers, reveal your first Pokémon."

Ember took out a Pokeball. "Dragons, the most majestic of Pokémon. Masters of the elements and creators of storms. If you wanna win against me, you'll have to be just as mighty as any dragon! Now show me that might! Terragon, let's rage!" She threw the Pokeball and unleashed a Terragon, which was twice the size of Peewee and was the same light blue as Ember's skin, with dark blue spines and white horns along with a medium blue on the membrane of its wings.

"TERRA!" It roared, letting out a mighty burst of blue fire.

"Wow..." Spike whispered, "She's got a Terragon as well."

"Only hers isn't micro-sized," Torch joked while Spike glared at him.

"Alright then!" Flash threw a Pokeball up before pulling the ball back. "Viper, I choose you!" The ball flew through the air and opened up, his Vipeacon now appearing.

"VI!" He hissed.

"Viper?" Doc asked, "Interesting choice."

"Shouldn't he use Riptide?" Spike asked Twilight, "He has a four-times effective move against Terragon."

"He may be planning to use Riptide later," Twilight pointed out.

"Vipeacon verses Terragon. Are both trainers ready?" They nodded, Smolder raising now her arms. "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Use Inferno!" Ember yelled, Terragon taking a deep breath before roaring out a stream of blue fire.

"Block it with Flamethrower!" Flash replied, Viper unleashing his own fire steam, meeting the Inferno attack head-on. They pushed against one another before exploding, the smoke filling the battlefield, only to quickly fade due to the outside wind. "Now use Poison Fang!"

"Vi!" Viper used his body like a giant spring and shot into the air, reaching Terragon and wrapping his body around it before it could fly away.

"Terra!" It roared in pain as glowing purple fangs bit into him, making him fall like a rock. Viper kept his grip as he continued to bind the dragon, only for Ember to give an order.

"Crunch!" Terragon quickly bit into Viper, the pair sinking their teeth into one another until they both had to let go. "Now, use Dual Wingbeat!" Terragon leapt up before swooping down with glowing wings.

"Vi!" He exclaimed as he slashed into Viper, then swinging around to do it again.

"Flamethrower!" Viper opened his mouth as flames shot out, hitting the charging Terragon and knocking him back. "Alright!"

"Inferno!" Terragon spun around, taking back to the air as he fired the blue fire from its mouth. However, the Vipeacon easily slithered out of the way, dodging three fireballs.

"Flamethrower!" Viper unleashed another blast of fire that struck the fourth fireball, causing an explosion that Terragon then flew into.

"Dual Wingbeat!" Terragon shot out and slashed Viper twice, only for Viper to thrust his tail out to wrap around Terragon.

"Poison Fang!" Viper quickly bit down into Terragon's tail, making it roar in pain as the poison was injected into him.

"Get out of there!" Ember yelled, "Inferno!" But before Terragon could fire the attack, Viper swung his body around and threw Terragon away.

"TERRA!" It roared before crashing into the ground, groaning as it quickly hopped back to its feet. But as it did this, it flinched as purple lightning appeared around it.

"Poisoned?!" Ember gasped.

"Nice one," Flash cheered, "Now, Flamethrower!" Viper fired another blast of fire, but Terragon took to the sky, barely dodging the flames as the poison flared again.

"That poison's a problem," Ember grumbled, "No choice, I'm gonna have to go all out. Terragon," it swooped back down at Viper, "Outrage!"

"TERRA!" Terragon's eyes glowed red, a light appearing around it as it reached Viper. It then slashed its claws at Viper, only to strike again and again, making Viper hiss with every blow taken. That is, till the poison surged again.

"Vi!" He swung his tail around, gripping the Terragon before throwing him away. The dragon hit the ground, rolling away before hopping back on its feet. But as it did this, its eyes were still glowing...only to start stumbling back and forth.

"What's wrong with it?" Spike asked.

"The downside of Outrage," Torch sighed as Viper slithered up to Terragon. "It confuses the user."

"Flamethrower!" Flash ordered, Viper unleashing a blast of fire right at Terragon's face.

"Dodge it!" Ember cried, but Terragon didn't hear her.

"Terra!" It screamed as the Flamethrower consumed it just as the poison flared up again.

"Let's finish this!" Flash cheered as Viper slithered up again, only for Terragon to turn to it.

"Inferno!" This time, Terragon did hear her, roaring out a blast of blue fire. However, the snake simply pushed through the flames, tackling the Terragon and wrapping his body around it again. And as it tried to move, the confusion poison combo took effect again.

"Now, PYRO COIL!"

"VIPE!" Viper took a breath before biting onto the end of his tail, "CON!" The flames shot into the tube and ignited his entire body, causing an explosion that filled the battlefield with smoke and fire. Everyone flinched at the heat, only for the smoke to quickly fade. And as it did, it showed Viper dropping the Terragon as spirals appeared in its eyes.

"Terragon is unable to battle," Smolder declared, "Vipeacon is the winner."

"Yes!" Spike cheered, "One down!"

"Don't get overexcited," Torch instantly responded, "The battle is far from over."

"Return," Ember held out the Pokeball and sucked Terragon back inside, "You did well." She then swapped out her Pokeballs. "You've got some skills, I'll give you that. And your Vipeacon's well trained."

"Thanks," Flash nodded.

"But let's see what happens when he's forced to fight fire with fire. Blazegon," she threw the Pokeball, "Let's rage!" The ball flew through the air, opening to reveal the fire dragon as it let out a wave of heat.

"Blazegon…." Flash grimaced, "This could be tricky."

"Viper's fire-moves aren't gonna do much against it," Twilight added.

Doc nodded. "He'll have to rely on Crunch and Poison Fang."

"Are both trainer's ready?" Smolder asked, getting a nod from them. "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"FLAMETHROWER!" Both trainers ordered, their Pokémon unleashing bursts of fire. The flames met in the middle of the battlefield, pushing each other before Viper's began to push Blazegon's back. "Alright!" Flash cheered as their Flamethrower got close to Blazegon, who then stopped its attack.

As this happened, Twilight's eyes went wide. "Flash, it's a trap!" But it was too late, as the flames struck Blazegon. And instead of hurting the fire dragon, the flames were sucked into its wings, causing the flames they were made from to flare.

"What just happened?" Spike asked.

"An ability Blazegon can have," Twilight replied, "Flash Fire."

"Your friend is in trouble!" Torch laughed, "Now its Fire-type attacks will be even stronger!"

As he said that, Blazegon dove for Viper. "Slash!" Blazegon spun around and slashed at Viper with its foot-claws, making Viper hiss as he was knocked back. But as it began to fly back up, Flash gave his next command.

"Crunch!" Viper thrust his neck out at this, biting into the tail of the dragon just before it could escape. This caused Blazegon to lift Viper into the air, allowing the Vipeacon to swing his body up and wrapped it around the tail. "Now, Poison Fang!"

"VI!" Viper let go of the tail before biting into it again, this time injecting his poison.

"Shake it off, then use Dragon Rush!" Blazegon swung its body around, flicking its tail. The motion threw Viper off as the dragon let out a roar.

"BLAZE!" Blue energy surrounded it, the dragon charging down at the falling snake before it could react.

"VI!" He hissed as he was thrown toward the ground.

"Use Flamethrower at the ground!" Viper glanced down and breathed fire, the force slowing him down and creating a cloud of smoke that he fell into.

"Don't think a little fog will save you!" Ember barked back, "Blazegon, Flare Blitz!"

"BLAZEGON!" The dragon's body burst into flames, made more powerful thanks to Flash Fire as it shot down into the smoke. The force of the attack caused the smoke to vanish, revealing Viper seconds before Blazegon slammed into him.

"VI!" He cried, getting hit by Blazegon's wing.

"Poison Fang!" Flash ordered, Viper quickly biting down onto its wing and injecting more venom. Blazegon flinched at this, only to beat its wing to throw Viper off.

"Slash!" As Viper was sent flying, Blazegon swung its talons around and sliced at Viper's face. But as Viper fell back, Blazegon flinched again, this time with purple lightning sparking around it. "Not again!"

"Yes!" Flash cheered as Viper landed.

"Dragon Rush!" Ember exclaimed, Blazegon charging at Viper while energy wrapped around its body.

"Flamethrower at the ground again!" Viper did so, this time pushing himself straight up to dodge the attack. And as Blazegon flew under him, Viper cut the flames and fell toward the dragon. "Crunch!" Viper landed at the base of its tail and wrapped his body around it before biting down hard, making Blazegon flinch.

"Get it off!" Ember yelled, Blazegon swinging its tail around again. And as he did this, he took to the air and did a midair roll, knocking Viper.

"VI!" He cried as he hit the floor, Blazegon then flinching from the poison again.

"Viper!" Flash yelled as Blazegon flew up next before diving at the Vipeacon.

"Flare Blitz!" Blazegon's body exploded into flames again, Viper still recovering before glancing up. His eyes went wide as he saw what was coming for him.

"VI!" Was all he could cry before the fire dragon slammed into him, causing an explosion that filled the battlefield. A second later, Blazegon flew out of the smoke, blowing it away to reveal Viper laid out on the ground. "Vi..." He moaned, his eyes now replaced with swirls.

"Vipeacon is unable to battle," Smolder declared as the Fire Dragon-type landed. "Blazegon is the winner." Ember smirked at this, only to grimace when the poison flared again.

"That could be a problem in the next battle."

"Return Viper!" Flash held out his Pokeball and recalled him, "You did great. Take a good rest." He replaced the Pokeball with another. "Alright Ember. Your Blazegon's strong, but lets see how it fairs against the Ocean's Champion! Riptide," he threw the ball, "I choose you!"

In a flash of red, the Reptidal appeared. "Tidal!" He roared as he landed, arms crossed and ready for battle.

"A Reptidal?" Ember responded with a raised eyebrow, "Interesting. Let's see how it's gonna stand against Blazegon."

"Are both trainers ready?" Smolder asked, the pair nodding. "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Flamethrower!" Ember ordered, Blazegon unleashing another stream of fire.

"Aqua Break!" Flash countered, Riptide quickly forming a large water sword that it cut the Flamethrower in half. A cloud of steam formed from the sword, surrounding Riptide while Blazegon took to the air.

"Fly down and use Dragon Rush!" Blazegon shot down at the steam cloud, the energy forming around its body. But to its surprise, Riptide leapt out of the cloud as Flash gave his command.

"Ice Punch!" Riptide clutched his fist and slammed it into the dragon's head. The energies of the two attacks collided before exploding, knocking the pair back.

"Slash!" Ember yelled, Blazegon recovering before charging at Riptide.

"Rock Smash!" Flash ordered, Riptide's legs glowing as he started break-dancing to swing his legs around. Both Pokémon's attacks collided, Riptide managing to kick Blazegon's claws away before kicking it in the stomach with his other foot.

"Blaze!" It cried out, stumbling back...only for the poison to surge, making it flinch again.

"Aqua Tail!" Riptide leapt up and spun his tail as it was surrounded by water.

"TIDAL!" He swung his tail into Blazegon's head, making it cry out in pain as Riptide then leapt back to a safe distance.

"Ice Punch!" Riptide charged at this command just as the fire dragon began to pick itself up.

"Flamethrower!" Blazegon unleashed a burst of fire that struck Riptide before he could get close, the Reptidal managing to endure the flames, but his Ice Punch vanished. "Now, Dragon Rush!" Blazegon leapt up as he was surrounded by energy as Riptide shrugged off the last of the fire.

"Aqua Break!" Riptide formed a large water sword and swung it into Blazegon as the Dragon Rush slammed into him. The pair pushed against one another, only for Riptide to leap up, hopping over Blazegon as Flash yelled, "Aqua Break, multi-slash!"

"TIDAL!" Riptide broke his sword in half as he landed on the dragon's back, then started slashing at Blazegon's back again and again.

"BLAZE!" It cried, then spun around so it was flying upside down, Riptide falling off. He rolled along the ground, but managed to get back to his feet as Blazegon flew up, only for the poison to surge again.

"Let's end this!" Ember screamed as Blazegon fought through the pain and flew as high as it could. "Now, Flare Blitz!" Blazegon's body exploded before it shot down at Riptide like a burning meteor.

"Block it with Aqua Break!" Riptide formed another pair of water swords, which he swung together and thrust forward as the flaming dragon slammed into it.

"BLAZE/REP!" They both roared as they pushed against one another, only for Riptide to swing his blades apart. "TIDAL!" He swiped the blades in a cross formation, blasting Blazegon back as the flames around it vanished.

It then flew up, trying to flare his wings to recover, only for the poison to surge again. This was followed with the dragon crashing into the dirt.

"Ice Punch!" Flash ordered as Riptide charged with a clutched fist.

"Flamethrower!" Ember countered, Blazegon managing to pick itself up and breathe a stream of fire. The Reptidal flew into the flames, but forced his way through and managed to keep his Ice Punch active.

"REP!" He threw his fist into the Blazegon's face, "TIDAL!" The punch slammed into Blazegon, the fire dragon crying out as it was sent flying back. As this happened, Riptide hopped back, only for his body to suddenly ignite. "TIDAL!"

"Riptide!" Flash cried as his friends flinched.

"Ouch," Doc flinched, "Looks like that Flamethrower burned him."

"That could be a problem," Twilight added before they turned to Ember's Pokémon. "But what about Blazegon?" The fire dragon tried to get up, only to slump over with swirly eyes.

"Blaze," it moaned as Smolder raised a hand.

"Blazegon is unable to battle! Reptidal is the winner!"

"Half way done." Spike commented as Ember returned Blazegon. "And hopefully, Riptide can beat the last two."

"Don't be so sure," Torch responded, "Ember might be a new Gym Leader, but she's hardly gonna let her first Gym Battle be so one-sided."

"That was a tough match," Ember told Blazegon's Pokeball. "Take a break and I'll do the rest." She replaced her Pokeballs, "That Ice Punch is gonna be trouble, but it's nothing we can't handle. Galvern, let's rage!" She threw the Pokeball and unleashed the black and yellow galaxy Pokémon.

"GALVERN!" It roared, swinging its claws around.

"A Galvern," Flash whispered before looking down at his Starvern. "Pay attention Astro. That's what you'll look like someday."

"Star..." Astro whispered as he stared at the dragon.

"Are both trainers ready?" Smolder asked, the pair nodding. "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Dark Pulse!" Ember ordered, Galvern opening its mouth to unleash a roar. As it did, a stream of dark energy rings shot out and flew for Riptide.

"Dodge it!" Flash replied, Riptide leaping to the side. "Now, get up close and use Rock Smash!" Riptide charged at this, his legs beginning to glow.

"Dragon Pulse!" Galvern opened its mouth and fired a dragon-shaped laser beam, the laser instantly hitting Riptide.

"TIDAL!" He cried as he was blasted back. And as Riptide flew back, Galvern spread his wings and took flight, Astro staring at him as Riptide picked himself up.

"Dark Pulse again!" Galvern fired the energy rings, the attack about to hit Riptide.

"Deflect it with Aqua Break!" Flash ordered, Riptide creating the twin swords and using them to slash the rings away. And as he did this, Galvern flew down.

"Dragon Claw!" Galvern's star-shaped gauntlet and claws glowed with green dragonic energy, the galaxy dragon landing in front of the Ocean's Champion before slashing at him. Riptide managed to block it with his sword, the two now fencing with one another, only for Riptide's body to explode into fire again, the burn status causing him to freeze in place.

Galvern then smacked Riptide away, making Flash scream, "Riptide!"

"Dragon Pulse!" Galvern fired the dragon laser again, Riptide hopping back onto his feet before doing several backflips, dodging the laser.

"Rock Smash!" Riptide then charged at the dragon, suddenly getting to him before Galvern could react.

"TIDE!" He spun around and thrust his foot into Galvern's head, making it cry out.

"Now, Ice Punch!" Riptide threw a punch next, but Galvern quickly raised its arm, using its star-gauntlet to block the punch. But when it did, ice appeared around the gauntlet and made Galvern flinch. Galvern then hopped back, trying to break the ice on its gauntlet. But before Flash could give Riptide another order, his Reptidal's body burst into flames.

"Riptide!"

"Dragon Pulse!" Galvern fired another laser, striking Riptide as the flames vanished. Riptide cried out as he was sent skidding across the ground, making Flash flinch.

"You okay?" Flash asked as Galvern broke the ice off its arm.

"Dragon Claw!" Flash watched as Galvern's claws glowed green as he charged at Riptide.

"Dodge it!" Riptide jumped to his feet and hopped back, seconds before Galvern tried to slash at him. "Now, Aqua Tail!" Riptide swung his water covered tail around into Galvern's head.

"Crunch!" Galvern pulled back and managed to move its head around Riptide's tail before biting down on it.

"TIDAL!" Riptide hollered, only for Galvern began to swing him around by his tail. "Rep!" He cried as he was thrown up before slamming him down into the dirt, "Tide!"

"Riptide!" Flash gasped, seeing Galvern pull Riptide up again. "Rock Smash!" Riptide fought through the pain and thrust his glowing foot into Galvern's face, making it let Riptide go. The Reptidal was thrown straight up from the blow, Galvern rubbing its face in pain. "Now, ICE PUNCH!"

"Tidal!" Riptide began to fall toward Galvern, clenching his fist as Galvern raised its arms and blocked the attack with its star-guards.

"Gal!" Galvern cried out, flinching in pain from the ice, only to swing its arms apart to throw Riptide back.

"Dark Pulse!" As Riptide hit the ground, Galvern opened its mouth and fired the energy rings. And as Riptide tried to get up, the energy rings hit him.

"REP!" He screamed as the attack then exploded, covering Riptide in a cloud of smoke.

"RIPTIDE!" Flash gasped as he watched the fog begin to fade, revealing Riptide now laying on the floor. "You okay?" Everyone watched as Riptide tried to pick himself up, only for his body to burst into flames again, causing him to slump over, "Riptide!"

"Tidal!" He moaned, his eyes being replaced by swirls.

"Reptidal is unable to battle!" Smolder declared, "Galvern is the winner!"

Flash sighed at this and took out his Pokeball, "You did well bud," he returned him to the ball. "Take a good rest." As Riptide was pulled back into the Pokeball, his friends grimaced at the sight.

"What now?" Spike asked, "Riptide was his best bet against Ember."

"This isn't over yet," Twilight responded, "Flash's other Pokémon still have a chance."

Doc nodded as Flash turned to Springer, kneeling down, "You ready bud?" Springer nodded back, "Alright." He stood up and pointed to the battlefield. "Then Springer, I choose you!"

"Ri!" Springer ran onto the field and got into a battle-stance, Ember staring at the Riolu. She didn't know why, but something about this Riolu felt different. However, her Galvern didn't seem to think that, growling at the little Pokémon.

"Riolu verses Galvern. Are both trainers ready?" They nodded, "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Dragon Pulse!" Galvern unleashed the dragon-shaped energy, Springer tensing up at the sight.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer created the orb and fired it, surprising everyone as the orb struck the laser and caused it to explode. "Now, Extreme Speed!" Before Galvern could react, Springer's body exploded with blue lightning before disappearing.

"RI!" Springer suddenly appeared in front of Galvern and slammed his foot into its chest, making it stagger back. Galvern then tried to bite him, only for Springer to vanish and hit him again.

"GAL!" It roared as Springer hit three more times before spreading its wings and taking to the air.

"Dragon Pulse!" Galvern fired the laser at Springer, but the Riolu sprinted across the battlefield, the laser following him but not getting close. When Galvern stopped to take a breath, Flash gave his next command.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer fired an orb, but Galvern flew to the side, dodging the sphere, "Again, rapid blast!" Springer formed an Aura Sphere in each paw and threw them again and again.

"Dodge it!" Ember yelled, Galvern still flapping around to avoid the blasts. And as it did this, Astro watched how its wings moved and tried to copy it with his tiny ones. "Dark Pulse!" Galvern fired another steam of energy rings, blocking Springer's Aura Sphere before flying down through the smoke that formed from the collision. "Now, Dragon Claw!"

"Galvern!" It shot out the other side with glowing claws, striking Springer.

"RI!" He cried, getting thrown back. And as he hit the ground, Galvern swung its other claw, only for Springer to roll back, dodging the swipe.

"Drain Punch!" As Galvern slashed at the ground, Springer leapt up and punched Galvern's head. The dragon staggered back, clutching its head in pain.

"Wow," Spike commented, "That looks like it took a lot of damage."

Twilight nodded. "Galvern took a lot of hits from Aqua Break and Rock Smash. Those attacks can lower the opponent's Defense if they land."

"Riptide's helping, even after being beaten." Doc finished as Torch let out a hum, remembering the Poison status Viper had left on Blazegon.

"You okay?" Ember asked, Galvern lowering its head and nodding. "Alright then! Dragon Pulse!" Galvern fired the laser at Springer, Flash countering with his next command.

"Bone Rush!" Springer formed the energy staff and swung it into the laser, deflecting it before charging at Galvern.

"Dragon Claw!" Galvern's claws glowed as he swung it at the charging Riolu, only for Springer to use his Bone Rush to pole-vault. "What?" Galvern's claw slammed into the ground as Springer's staff faded.

"Aura Sphere!" As Galvern pulled its claw out of the ground, it looked up to see Springer fire his orb at the dragon's head.

"GAL!" It screamed.

"Dragon Pulse!" Once again, Galvern fired the laser at Springer, the Riolu unable to dodge in midair, so he simply crossed his arms to block the blast.

"RIO!" He was thrown back, hitting the floor next as he flinched, looking like that had been a critical hit.

"Springer!" Flash gasped as Galvern spread its wings and took to the air. Astro glanced at Springer, but then focused back on Galvern as Springer picked himself up, "That's it!"

In that moment, Ember called out another command, "Dark Pulse!"

He looked up, Galvern preparing to fire the rings again before Flash ordered, "Extreme Speed!" Springer disappeared in another flash of blue lightning, making Galvern halt its attack. And when Springer reappeared, it fired the energy rings. But Springer vanished again, this time using his speed to leap up.

"RIO...LU!" He swung his foot straight up and struck Galvern in the head, making it cry out as its head shot back.

"GAL!" It yelped as he fell back, hitting the ground with a thud as Springer rolled through the air and landed perfectly.

"Drain Punch!" Flash added, Springer running up and thrusting his glowing fist into Galvern's head.

"GALVERN!" It screamed, Springer sucking a ton of energy out of the dragon. And as the blow finished, Galvern's eyes turned into spirals and slumped over.

"Galvern is unable to battle!" Smolder declared, "Riolu is the winner!"

"Yes!" Flash cheered as Springer gave him a thumbs up.

"And then there was one!" Spike cheered.

"But don't forget who that one is," Twilight chimed in as Ember returned Galvern. Everyone grimaced at that, knowing this next battle might be the hardest.

"Good work Galvern," Ember told the ball before replacing it with another. "This is it. It's all on you." She looked up at Springer, knowing Flash still had one Pokémon left. "I know you can do this. Let's do this, together. Champagoon," she threw the Pokeball, "Let's rage!"

The ball flew through the air and opened up, unleashing the red energy that revealed her pseudo-legendary. "CHAMPAGOON!" The Fighting Dragon-type roared before glaring down at Springer, the Riolu grinning back.

"You can do it Springer!" Flash added. "Let's do this!"

"Champagoon verses Riolu!" Smolder yelled, "Are both trainers ready?!" They nodded, Smolder raising her arms up, "Then battle...BEGIN!"

"Focus Blast!" Champagoon put his claws together to form the orange sphere of energy, which he pulled back before throwing like a baseball.

"Extreme Speed!" Flash called out, Springer zipping past the ball as lightning sparked around him.

"RI!" He roared as he thrust his foot into Champagoon's stomach, the dragon flinching as he was slightly pushed back.

"Scale Shot!" Champagoon raised its tail as it glowed, then swung it around to unleash a bunch of scale-shaped energy bullets in all directions. Springer gasped as he leapt back, only for one scale to hit him in the face.

"Rio!" He yelped as he fell back as Champagoon spread his wings and took to the air. Springer then glanced up at the flying Champagoon as Flash gave his next command.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer formed the orb and fired, the blast go straight for Champagoon.

"Brick Break!" Champagoon swung its glowing claws into the orb, causing it to explode as the Dragon-type flew through the smoke and reached Springer as he picked himself up.

"Bone Rush!" Springer quickly formed the staff, blocking Champagoon's karate chop, only to see the attack make the staff begin to crack.

"Another Brick Break!" Champagoon raised its other hand and swung it down, Springer trying to block it, only to be hit in the head instead.

"RIO!" He cried, staggering back and clutching his head as Champagoon spun around and slammed his tail into the Riolu. "RI!" He was thrown back now, rolling on the ground before hopping back onto his feet.

"Back in the air!" Ember ordered as Champagoon shot up and spread his wings, "Can't let him land a Drain Punch, so use Focus Blast!"

"Aura Sphere!" Springer countered with his own sphere attack, firing it at the Focus Blast before both exploded. "Now, Extreme Speed!" Springer once again began shooting around the battlefield, increasing his momentum before taking a single leap, getting right up to Champagoon. "Drain Punch!"

"Rio!" Springer clenched his fist, the green light appearing around it.

"Wyvern Wing!" Champagoon's body was suddenly wrapped in dragon-shaped energy, which exploded off his body.

"RI!" Springer cried as the blast slammed into him, causing an explosion that sent him rocketing back toward the ground. "RIOLU!" He smashed into the ground, making everyone flinch at the sight.

"Springer!" Flash gasped, Astro also flinching at the sight while Champagoon flew down. Springer picked himself up at this, a bit wobbly but standing tall. "You okay?" Springer nodded as Champagoon landed, Ember calling out her next move.

"Scale Shot!" Champagoon raised his tail as Springer began to charge at the dragon.

"Bone Rush!" As Champagoon swung his tail and fired the energy scales, Springer formed his bone staff and began spinning it around in front of him. The scales went flying off the bone, deflecting every one of them as he got close.

"Ri!" Springer broke the Bone Rush in half and swung them like swords, Champagoon crying out as he was hit with a barrage of slashes. And as he felt this, the dragon flared his wings as he tried to fly away.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer dissolved the bones and fired the sphere, only for Champagoon to spin around and use his tail to smack the attack away.

"Focus Blast, multi-shot!" Champagoon began firing a barrage of orange energy spheres, Springer now running across the arena in response.

"Hey..." Flash gulped, "That's just like-"

"Yup," Ember laughed, "I decided to take a leaf out of your book."

Flash growled as Champagoon fired another Focus Blast, only for Springer to come to a stop. "Well, let me show you another trick! Springer, Aura Clap!" Springer formed two Aura Spheres and slammed them together, the force of the explosion unleashing a shockwave that struck the Focus Blast right back at Champagoon.

"Champ?" the dragon yelped before ducking under the Focus Blast, only for it explode behind him. "Goon!" The force pushed him down, Springer running up with a clenched fist.

"Drain Punch!" Springer leapt up, ready to strike Champagoon. But before he could reach him, Ember called out her attack.

"Brick Break, toward the ground!" Champagoon raised his arm and quickly swung his glowing hand into the ground, smashing into it with enough force that rocks went flying between him and Springer.

"Ri!" Springer gasped as he a rock smacked his face, the Riolu then kicking the next chunk that came for him. But as he swatted the rocks away, Champagoon took to the air again.

"Wyvern Wing!" Springer looked up as Champagoon's body was surrounded by energy, Champagoon then swooping down at Riolu.

"Rio?" As all Springer could say before Champagoon suddenly smashed his wing into him, "LOO!" He yelped as he was thrown back, hitting the ground before rolling on it for a few seconds.

"SPRINGER!"

Springer remained motionless for a moment, then glanced up. He tried to push himself up, only to slump back down as his eyes turned into spirals. "Rio..."

"Riolu is unable to battle!" Smolder declared as Flash ran onto the battlefield. "The winner is Champagoon!"

Everyone grimaced as Flash picked Springer up.

"That's not good," Twilight gulped.

"Flash is down to only one Pokémon now," Doc added, "And I have a feeling I know which one he'll pick." They watched as Flash moved Springer back over to the podium, then set him down as Astro ran to his side.

"Don't worry bud. We're not out of this yet." Springer let out a moan as Flash stood up and turned to Champagoon, who just glared at him, his breath not even heavy. 'Champagoon's tough. No wonder Ember kept it back until now. If I wanna beat it, I'm gonna have to hit it hard and fast.'

"Star..." Flash looked down at Astro, who was staring up at him. The teen locked eyes with the little dragon, seeing his tail wag as he knew he was wanting a chance to prove himself.

"You wanna fight, don't ya!"

"Star!" Astro barked back, nodding as well.

Flash nodded back, a smile appearing on his face. "Alright! Let's do this!" He pointed to the battlefield. "Astro, I choose you!"

"Star!" Astro ran out to the field, shocking Ember and the other trainers watching.

"He's using that shrimp?!" Someone the others recognized as Garble's friend cried out, "What a let down!" The others moaned in agreement, Ember frowning at the sight.

"Is that really what you wanna do?" Ember asked, "You know that puts you at a huge disadvantage, right?"

"Maybe," Flash replied, "But I trust Astro. He wants to battle and is gonna put everything on the line. So why shouldn't I trust him and pick him to battle? He may be small, but you saw yourself just how powerful a small Pokémon can be."

Ember raised an eyebrow at this before remembering what had happened in the Dragon's Nest. She then shrugged, "Alright then. But don't say I didn't warn ya!" She turned to Smolder and nodded, the teen nodding back.

"Starvern verses Champagoon. Battle...BEGIN!"

"Scale Shot!" Ember yelled, Champagoon raising his tail before swinging it. The scales flew across the arena, Astro quickly running around to dodge the projectiles.

"Dragon Rage!" Astro let out a blast of blue flames, Champagoon crossing his arms to block the flames. But as he lowered them a second later, Astro was gone, "Leer!" Champagoon blinked at this, only to feel something land on his head before Astro's face appeared in front of his, giving him a glare that made him flinch. "Shadow Ball!"

"Star...VERN!" Astro fired the sphere of dark energy at Champagoon's face, making it stagger as Astro leapt off him.

"Huh." Ember commented, "Impressive. The little guy is fast." Champagoon then recovered and spread his wings, "But speed is nothing if you can't hit us. Champagoon, in the air!" Champagoon took to the sky, flying out of range of any of Astro's attacks. "Now, Focus Blast!"

"Champ!" He brought his claws together, creating an orange sphere of energy.

"Dodge it!" Astro leapt back as the sphere struck the ground and exploded, the shockwave knocking Astro off his feet.

"Star!" He yelped as he was sent rolling around, "Starvern..." his eyes spun as he got back up.

"Brick Break!" Champagoon swung down, his glowing claw ready to karate chop Astro. But the Star Dragon quickly rolled to the side, causing Champagoon to hit the ground and make it shake instead.

"Leer!" Champagoon turned to Astro, just in time to see the little dragon jump at him and give another death glare.

Champagoon flinched a little, only to spin around and slam his tail into Astro. "STAR!" Astro was sent hurtling across the battlefield, only to land on his feet as he skidded to a stop.

"Shadow Ball!"

"Focus Blast!" The orange sphere appeared in his claws and he waited until the Shadow Ball got close, then fired. The orbs connected and pushed against one another, allowing Champagoon to take to the air before they exploded. The smoke filled the air and Astro quickly ran into it, protecting it from view. "Hiding's no good if you can't see where Champagoon is."

"We might not be able to see," Flash countered, "But Astro's smell is second to none." He pointed at Champagoon, "Dragon Rage!" Seconds later, the blue fire shot out of the smoke and hit Champagoon in the wing, making him flinch before forcing the Dragon Fighting-type to glide down to the ground, allowing Astro's second move, "Crunch!"

Champagoon saw this and tried counter with a swing of the tail, but Astro leapt over it before landing on his back, "Star!" He bit down as hard as possible onto his wing, making Champagoon wince in pain as Astro held on as tightly as possible.

"That's the way!" Flash yelled, only to see Ember smile.

"Big mistake!" She replied before pointing at Champagoon, "Wyvern Wing!" Flash's eyes went wide as the light appeared around Champagoon, which then exploded into the dragon cloak with Astro hit by the light.

"STAR!" He cried as he body was burned, Champagoon then spinning around and firing the attack into the air. Astro was pushed up along with it before it exploded.

"ASTRO!" Flash screamed, his friends gasping as they watched Astro fall to the ground.

"Let's end this!" Ember added, "Brick Break!" Champagoon ran up to where Astro was gonna land and swung his claw, hitting Astro head on with a karate chop.

"STARVERN!" He yelped as he was thrown across the battlefield again before crashing, rolling several times before coming to a stop. Everyone watched as Astro lay there, barely moving from the blows.

"Come on Astro!" Spike yelled, "You can't go down like that! You've only been hit twice!"

"But those two moves were super effective and came from an incredibly strong opponent," Twilight pointed out as she watched Astro try to pick himself up. "I'm afraid this might be the end."

"Come on Astro," Flash whispered as Springer watched him to push himself up before falling back down.

Ember sighed and shook her head. "He put up a good fight, but I think this might be the end." Champagoon nodded in agreement, though Astro had earned his respect. Smolder was also ready to call the match as Ember added, "Even if he manages to get up, one last hit will likely knock him down for good."

"Then we just won't let you hit us," Flash responded, "I believe in Astro. I've seen him grow since he was an egg and he's always given it everything he has. Even against an opponent that he shouldn't stand a chance against, he'll stand against it and find a way to win!"

"Rio!" Springer nodded in agreement, pushing himself up. He had seen much of Astro's growth, his hatching and learning to work with them. Learning his concentration and protecting the Breezie from Ekans. Defeating Morgrem and proving himself, even managing to stand with them against Team Shadow. Springer knew he was proud to call him a member of their team. "Rio ri!" Springer cheered, telling Astro to stand up.

It was here that four flashes of light shot off of Flash, taking shape to reveal his other Pokémon. Skyler and Prongs cried out to him, telling him he could do it and that they were with him. Riptide and Viper, despite their injuries, did the same and told Astro he could win.

"Flash's Pokémon are cheering for him?" Torch asked with slightly wide eyes.

"Of course," Twilight nodded. "Because they're more then just Astro's teammates." Torch turned to her, "They're something greater. His family."

Doc nodded, "They were there when he hatched. They helped him when he was in trouble, and they showed him what it means to be strong. Even if they're different species, they're a closer family than most actual families."

Torch raised both eyebrows before turning back to Flash, who was staring at Astro as he heard his family's cheers. The dragon began to push himself up.

"We believe in you Astro!" Flash cheered. "I know you can win this! So get up and let's BEAT HER!"

"STARVERN!" He let out a mighty roar as he got to his feet, only to feel a new strength flow through him. And before Flash and Ember could give a command, his body exploded with light.

Everyone went wide-eyed at this, Flash's eyes growing the most as he gasped, "Astro?" He watched as Astro grew larger and began to stand on two legs, his front claws extending and becoming more dexterous. The little wings on his back grew larger and his tail extended, the light soon fading to reveal his new form.

It was a Galvern, but not like the one Ember had used. In place of black, his body and wings were light blue. The new Dragon-type swung its clawed star-gauntlets around before letting out a mighty roar. "GALVERN!" He exclaimed, shaking the battlefield.

"Wow!" Spike cheered, "Astro evolved!"

"Amazing..." Torch whispered. "I've never seen a Pokémon evolve during a Gym Battle before."

Twilight smiled as Flash took out his Pokedex. "Astro heard the words of encouragement from his friends and it allowed him to dig deep and find new strength. This is why Flash has been able to get so many badges."

"Awesome," Flash cheered as he scanned Astro, "Looks like evolving gave you a new move."

"Gal!" Astro roared as Ember chuckled at the sight.

"Just because your Starvern evolved doesn't mean it can beat Champagoon." She pointed at Astro, "He's still taken a lot of damage. One more hit and its all over!"

Flash and Astro smirked back, "Then we won't let you hit us."

"We'll see about that," Ember replied before turning to Champagoon. "Up in the air!" The pseudo-legendary took off and flew up higher then Astro's Shadow Ball and Dragon Rage could reach. "Now what are you gonna do?" She got her answer when Astro spread his wings, "Don't tell me-"

"Vern!" Astro leapt up and beat his wings, propelling him up to Champagoon.

"It just evolved and it can already fly?!" Ember gasped, only to see Astro get close to Champagoon. "Focus Blast! Now!" Champagoon created an orange sphere and fired it, only for Astro to barrel-roll out of the way.

"Seriously?!" Smolder added.

"Again! Multiple Focus Blast!" Champagoon created more spheres and started throwing them, but Astro easily dodged each one. But as it did this, Ember watched Astro an went wide-eyed, "Wait....those movements are just like...my Galvern. Don't tell me...was it watching how mine flew and figured out how to fly from that?!"

"Looks like it," Flash laughed as Astro dodged another Focus Blast. "Thanks for the flying lesson!" He pointed up at Astro, "Shadow Ball!"

"Gal!" Astro opened his mouth and created a sphere that was double the size he would make as a Starvern, "GALVERN!" The orb flew at Champagoon, the Fighting Dragon crossing his arms to block it.

After feeling the orb push him back, Ember rang out a command, "Brick Break!" Champagoon then charged with a glowing claw, but Astro swung back, letting the chop barely clip him. "Now use Wyvern Wing!" Champagoon summoned the energy around him, firing the dragon shaped blast at Astro next.

"Dragon Rage!" Astro roared as the blue fire shot out and struck the Wyvern Wing, not stopping it, but slowing it down enough for Astro to fly out of range. He appeared above Champagoon and dived at him, "Crunch!" Appearing behind Champagoon, Astro wrapped his arms around him and bit down on his wing.

"Champ!" He cried as the two fell, Champagoon squirming in his tight grip. It wasn't until they were near the ground that Astro released him, kicking him into the dirt.

Everyone watched as Champagoon began to slide across the ground, only for Ember to call out an attack. "Scale Shot!" As Champagoon continued to slide, he swung his tail and unleashed several scales. They flew through the air and struck Astro, making him cry out as Champagoon picked himself up. "Focus Blast!"

"Champ!"

"Shadow Ball!" Astro landed and shook his head from the scale hitting him before taking a deep breath and firing the sphere, both attacks colliding. An explosion came next, the smoke blinding Astro, only for him to sniff the air and catch Champagoon's scent moving closer.

"Brick Break!" Champagoon exploded out of the smoke and swung his glowing hand into Astro, only for the Galvern to raise his star-shaped gauntlets and block the attack. Despite this, he still felt some damage and was pushed down.

"Gal..."

"Astro!" Flash yelled, "Time to test out your new move! Dragon Claw!" Astro's eyes shot open as his gauntlet glowed, a bluish-green aura appearing around them.

"Gal!" He roared before swinging his arms apart, knocking Champagoon off. "GALVERN!" He then swung his claws into Champagoon's chest.

The dragon screamed in pain, staggering back as Ember ordered, "Back in the air!" Champagoon flared his wings before taking off, Astro following after him. "Focus Blast!"

"Shadow Ball!" The two sphere attacks flew at one another again, exploding as both dragons flew away from the smoke.

"Scale Shot/Dragon Rage!" Champagoon swung his tail, firing the scales as Astro unleashed the blue fire, destroying them before they got close. "Brick Break/Crunch!" The two charged at one another, Astro managing to avoid the karate chops while Champagoon used his feet to push Astro's chest to keep him from biting him. He then pushed Astro back and flew down to the ground, Astro following after him. They danced around one another, firing Shadow Balls, Focus Blasts, Dragon Rages and Scale Shots at one another, only for the other to avoid or deflect the attack.

"Dragon Rage/Focus Blast!" They fired the attacks, both colliding and exploding as the two were push back to the ground. They slammed their feet into the dirt, both skidding back before glaring at each other, their trainers doing the same with smirks on their lips.

"Let's finish this!" The trainers exclaimed in unison, "Dragon Claw/Wyvern Wing!"

"GAL/CHAMP!" They roared as Astro's claws were surrounded by the light, Champagoon's upper body being wrapped in dragonic energy. The two then charged at one another, flying just above the ground as fast as they could. And as they reached one another, Astro swung his claw just as Champagoon slashed at him with his wing. "VERN/GOON!"

A flash of light filled the battlefield, blinding everyone for a second. And when it faded, they saw both Astro and Champagoon standing back to back with their attacks still active. Everyone watched with baited breath as they saw both attacks begin to fade. Then, both Pokémon began to fall. Everyone gasped at this, Flash and his Pokémon crying out to Astro.

Hearing this made Astro thrust one of his feet down, stopping himself from falling. As for Champagoon, he instead slumped over, his whole body falling down as his eyes were replaced with spirals. "Champ..."

Everyone turned back to Astro, waiting to see if he would fall too. But as he began to stagger over, he thrust his foot down again, keeping his balance before letting out a roar. "GALVERN!"

The entire audience gasped at the sight as Smolder made the announcement.

"Champagoon is unable to battle! Galvern is the winner. All of Ember's Pokémon have been defeated. That means the winner of the battle is...FLASH SENTRY!"

"YES!" Flash cheered at the top of his lungs, his friends and several of the people watching all began to applaud. He and his team ran over to Astro, throwing his arms round his neck. "YOU DID IT ASTRO!" The rest of his Pokémon cheered as well, making Astro let out a happy roar back.

Ember moved over to Champagoon and crouched down, patting him on the head. "You did amazing. Thanks." She returned Champagoon as Torch moved over to her, Ember turning to her father. "Well?"

Torch showed her a blank face, only to nod, "That was some impressive battling. You may have lost, but you gave that lad a real run for his money. That match was truly worthy of being called a Gym Battle." Ember smiled back before turning to Flash, whose friends were congratulating him.

"I can't believe you evolved," Twilight told Astro as she patted his head. "You were amazing."

"He sure was." Flash turned to Ember as she walked up to him, "You've trained this not so little anymore guy well. Heck, you've trained all your Pokémon well."

"Thanks," Flash replied while scratching the back of his head.

"No, thank you. Thanks for making my first Gym Battle one I'll never forget." Flash nodded back as Ember reached into her pocket and took out a very familiar object.

"As proof that you won here at the Dragonia City Gym, I present you with this: The Sceptre Badge."

Flash and his team all shined a huge grin as he took the badge, now holding it up for all to see. "Alright! I just won...THE SCEPTRE BADGE!"

"RIOLU/TORNAVIAN/REPTIDAL/STAGROWTH/VIPEACON/GALVERN!" His Pokémon cheered as everyone else began clapping, Flash now putting it in his badge case. All eight badges slots were now full, meaning only one thing.

"You can finally enter the Equestria League," Twilight commented.

Flash nodded back as he stared at the badges, each one an accomplishment to what he had been through and how much he had grown. Seeing them all together made his heart feel like it was about to explode. But then, a thought occurred to him. "Wait..." he turned to Twilight, "Where is the Equestria League?"

Twilight laughed at this, "Where else? Canterlot City."

Torch nodded as he crossed his arms. "And the competition will begin in six weeks."

"Six weeks?!" Spike yelped before turning to his friends. "How the heck are we supposed to get to Canterlot in that little amount of time?!"

"Simple," Doc replied, "We'll head back to the Crystal Empire."

Twilight nodded in agreement, "They were able to transport Sunset there from Canterlot, so the reverse must be true too."

"Sweet," Flash responded before turning to his team. "Alright guys, we might have gotten eight badges, but we're still a long way from being ready for the league. So from this moment on, every spare moment will be spent training. You with me!?"

"RI/TORE/REP/STAG/VI/GAL!" They all cheered back. Now that Flash had all eight Gym Badges, his goals were clear. Train with everything he had to prepare for the upcoming league, knowing that the opponents he would face would be just as powerful as any Gym Leader. But would he be able to beat them? Only time would tell, as the journey continues.
> Gathering Shadows
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Destruction, devastation, despair. Those were just a few of the words Flash could use to describe their current situation.

As he stood in the snow filled land outside the mountain containing the Crystal Empire, he stared at his friends now laid out in the snow. All were covered in snow and bruises, all moaning in pain. His Pokémon, friends and their Pokémon, along with Sunset, the professor sisters, their Pokémon and, of course, the Gym Leaders he had faced were laid out beside them.

And as he saw this, he glanced up and saw the cause. A massive humanoid figure, its true form hidden by the snow as its eyes glowed dark red, each arm showing a claw-like appendage that had its own set of eyes, which glowed either pink or yellow.

"Come on guys," he groaned as he pushed himself up. "We can't let him win." The others moaned as they glanced up at the figure, most barely moving as the figure raised one of their arms as a sphere of pink energy appeared within the claw. The sight made Flash go wide-eyed, "No...is this the end?"





One day ago...

Within the city of Dragonia's Pokémon Center, Flash and all his friends were at the reception desk. The Gym Battle yesterday was all anyone was talking about in the city, all talking about the fight and the surprise evolution of the challenger's final Pokémon. It had been a Gym Battle that wouldn't be forgotten in a hurry, ending with the challenger earning his final badge.

And thus, the group was now preparing for their long trip back to the Crystal Empire...though it was only three of them preparing.

"Haha!" Flash laughed as he polished the new addition to his badge collection. Once he was sure the Sceptre Badge was nice and shiny, he placed it back inside with the other seven, staring at them like a love-struck kid. "So beautiful..."

Twilight let out a sigh, "Okay Flash, we get it! You're happy you got all eight badges! But if you don't want them to be wasted, you should help us pack up so we can head out tomorrow!"

"Yeah!" Spike nodded, "You barely helped when we were shopping earlier!"

Flash turned to them, "I carried a bag."

"One bag," Doc countered, "We had to carry two." Flash glared back at him at this, "At least make sure you've got your stuff sorted. We've got a long trip tomorrow. We probably won't be able to find another shortcut through the mountain like we did on the way here, so if we wanna get over it as fast as possible, we're gonna need to start our journey very early."

"Fine..." Flash closed his badge case and zipped it back up before reaching for his bag. "Can't let a guy enjoy this victory, can you?" The others laughed as he got up and began sorting through everything he needed, the rest doing the same. And as they did this, he let out a groan, "Here's hoping nothing too crazy happens getting back there."





Meanwhile, on Mount Tartarus...

The members of Team Shadow were still getting things ready for their boss, Chrysalis smiling as she stared at the opening of the cave leading into the Altar of Summons. It had been completely excavated, the grunts now doing the finishing touches as she commented, "Perfect," she turned to Doom as he walked out of the cave, "How are our guests doing?"

"They're still struggling," Doom chuckled, "You have to hand it to them, they've got grit and determination. Not that it'll help 'em get out."

Chrysalis nodded back, only for the sound of chopper blades to ring out. They turned to see the a certain flying vehicle in the distance, now in front of the setting sun as it flew down with a large container under it. Both smiled at the helicopter, both running over to where they had set up a chopper landing-pad.

The flattest most open piece of the mountain had been cleared off, a grunt waving a pair of glow-sticks up at the helicopter and signaling where to place the container. It did so before a bunch of grunts climbed off the container and unhooked it from the helicopter, the machine then getting signals where to land.

As the commanders arrived, the chopper set down, the blades now stopping along with the engine as the door opened, stepping out the leader of Team Shadow: Sombra.

He turned to his commanders, a smirk appearing on his face. "Is everything ready?" The pair nodded, "Show me." They nodded again, both leading the way while the other grunts around them stood to attention. And as they got to the entrance, Sombra stared up at it with wide eyes, "So this is it. The place where my ancestors intended to use the Crystal Heart to summon the Legendaries and take control of them."

"It would have worked if Professor Cadance's ancestors hadn't gotten in the way," Chrysalis chimed in.

Sombra sighed and shook his head, "Indeed. Because of them, my ancestors were forced to use the Shadow Spear to destroy the heart. If they hadn't gotten in the way, the empire wouldn't have had to be abandoned and eventually lost." He began to head inside. "But now, history will correct itself."

The commanders followed him, the group now arriving at a doorway that Chrysalis walked up and took out a remote for. Pressing a button on it, the doors began to open up to allow Sombra inside. He shined a huge grin as he now saw the Altar of Summons. "Spectacular," he whispered as he walked up to it, only to glance to the side and see three Pokémon trapped within their energy cages.

Pegasoar, Mysticorn and Horsearth continued to squirm, only to look up at Sombra. The man slowly walked over to them, the sight making them shiver as they began to sense something from him: Pain, hatred, anger, suffering. All culminating into a single essence: Evil.

"Hello there," he leaned down as his grin grew, "I had hoped I'd get the chance to meet you three one day. I expected it to happen after I gained control over your master, but..." The three growled at him at that. "It seems you chose to come to me. Excellent."

"Peg!" Pegasoar neighed, the energy cage surging as he tried to move.

Sombra shook his head, "Now now…don't hurt yourself. I'll need you in perfect health when we begin our conquest of Equestria." The three hissed at him, clearly saying they would never help him. "Oh, you will help me. After all, you're sworn to follow any command Alicormony gives you. Once it is under my command, you'll have no choice but to accept me as your lord and master. And together, we will make right the injustice done upon my family a thousand years ago!"

With that, he turned back to the altar, "So, this is where we will summon them?" The commanders nodded as Sombra walked up to the crystal pyramid and placed his hand on the side. "Exquisite."

"But also useless without the other heart fragment," Chrysalis added, "Do we have a plan for getting it?"

"We do." Sombra replied, "I've come up with something that should work. Keeping my cover during the last invasion was beneficial since Celestia and the other professors have been informing me about all their breakthroughs in the city. "

"Great," Doom added, "So what's the plan?"

Sombra gestured to them to follow, all heading back out of the cave, "I brought some equipment that should help us get any annoyances out of the way. It'll take some time to set up, but once that's done, the Crystal Empire won't know what hit it."

The pair laughed at this, the heralds turned to one another. "What do we do?" Horsearth asked in their language. "If we don't do something, they'll be able to do whatever insane plan they've concocted without anyone to stand against them!"

Pegasoar sighed and tried to shake his head, "We have no choice. We'll need to rely on the trainers we chose." He glanced over at Mysticorn, "You think you can connect us?"

Mysticorn nodded back, "It'll take some time, but I should be able to." With that, she closed her eyes. Her horn slowly began to radiate a soft glow, which none of the remaining grunts in the chamber noticed. That glow moved over to Pegasoar and Horsearth, the pair closing their eyes and concentrating.

Together, the three tried to reach out to the trainers they had chosen. They knew they would help in their time of need. They wouldn't have been worth picking if they hadn't.





A few hours later...

Back in Dragonia City, Flash and his friends were all in bed and fast asleep. Springer was curled up beside Flash, while Peewee was sleeping on Spike's raising and lowering stomach as he let out some low snores. And as they did this, Flash, Twilight and Doc were not showing comfortable slumber. The trio were each rolling from side to side, each letting out different grunts and groans as they began to dream.

And as this happened, Flash opened his eyes, blinking as he found himself in a black void, "What the?" He glanced around, only to see two blurry figures, both solidifying into Twilight and Doc, "Guys!"

"Flash?" Twilight asked.

"What's going on?" Doc added, only for a trio of blurry figures to appear in front of them.

"We have summoned you here." They squinted at the trio, only for things to clear up.

"Pegasoar?!" Flash gasped.

"Mysticorn?" Twilight whispered.

"Horsearth?!" Doc raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

"We apologize," Mysticorn replied, "We have summoned your consciousnesses here to ask for your help."

"Our help?"

"Yes. Team Shadow has captured us." Horsearth responded, making the three teens go wide-eyed, "We attempted to stop them from summoning our master and the other who we were sworn to battle against, but they were able to trap us with their technology."

Pegasoar nodded, "And this has allowed them to carry on with their insane plans without worry. What's worse, their leader intends to use us and the other Legendaries to try and conquer Equestria."

"You've met their leader?" Flash asked, "Who is it? Can you tell us?"

"We can do better then that," Mysticorn replied before a sphere light appeared between them, the trainers looking in and seeing a cave, "These are my memories of when we met him."

In that moment, someone they all knew stepped into the light's view. "Sombra?" Twilight gasped, the three all wide-eyed before seeing Chrysalis and Doom appear behind him as he spoke up.

"Hello there." A large grin that made the teens all feel a shiver go down their spines appeared on his face, "I had hoped I'd get the chance to one day meet the three of you. I expected it to happen after I gained control over your master, but...it seems you chose to come to me. Excellent."

"He's Team Shadow's leader?" Flash asked, "Sombra?"

"Now now...don't hurt yourself," Sombra then said, "I'll need you in perfect health when we begin our conquest of Equestria."

"Never!" Mysticorn's voice exclaimed.

"Not on your life!" Horsearth roared.

"When the Distortion World freezes over!" Pegasoar finished.

"Oh, you will help me. After all, you're sworn to follow any command Alicormony gives you. Once it is under my command, you'll have no choice but to accept me as your lord and master. And together, we will make right the injustice done upon my family a thousand years ago!"

With that, the light vanished, the trainers just sitting there in utter shock. "Sombra..." Flash whispered, "He...he tricked us all."

"I can't believe he's the leader of those horrible people," Twilight added.

"We have to tell Shining Armor!" Doc yelled, "Now!"

"Yes, we agree as well." Horsearth nodded, "But before that, we need your help to escape."

"You need us to go there, right? Tell us where it is! We'll save you!" Flash replied, his nodding, only for the legendaries to shake their heads.

"There's no time for that," Pegasoar replied, "We hate to ask you this, but we need you to give us your energy."

The three raised an eyebrow at this, only for Mysticorn to chime in, "If you're willing, I can transfer some of your energy into us. It should allow us to break free and escape our cages. Though, it may leave you exhausted for a while, so I understand if-"

"Do it!" Flash interrupted.

Twilight nodded again, "Yeah! Take our energy! You being free is worth us being tired."

"Don't worry about us," Doc finished, "Take whatever you need."

The three heralds of Alicormony smiled at them before Mysticorn's horn glowed. "Thank you," she replied before her horn unleashed a trio of energy blasts. They struck the three, the trainers all crying out as they felt their strength being sucked out, only for the dream world to fade away.





Back in Mount Tartarus, a grunt in charge of guarding the Legendaries raised an eyebrow as he saw a light come off the three. "Huh? What are you up to now?" He then saw Pegasoar glow blue, Mysticorn glow purple, and Horsearth glow brown. "What are you-" He reached for a Pokeball, only for the Mysticorn to glare up at him.

BLAM!

A blast flew out of her horn, striking the satellites forming the cages, causing them to shortciruit. The energy disappeared for a second, but Pegasoar spread his wings and unleashed a blast of wind that knocked the machines away. The three landed at this, Horsearth then turning and firing a barrage of Smack Down attacks at the grunt.

"BLAUGH!" he yelped before two other grunts ran up and took out Pokeballs. "Don't let them escape!" one yelled as another grabbed the device that shut the door and pressed it.

But as the ancient doors began to close, the legendaries suddenly shot through the door, Pegasoar being first and turning back to use Hurricane. The wind pushed the doors back, stopping them long enough for Mysticorn and Horsearth to run through.

"NO!" The lead grunt of the group exclaimed before the door then shut them out. "Oh no...the boss is gonna kill us..."





Meanwhile again...

Back in Dragonia, Flash, Twilight and Doc all let out gasps, making Spike, Springer and Peewee wake up. The three turned to them, now seeing nothing but shock on their faces.

"What?" Spike asked as he saw the three turn to one another, "What's up? What's wrong?"

"Guys?" Twilight asked, "Did you have the same dream as me?"

"With Horsearth and the other legendaries?" Doc replied.

"And where they said Sombra was the leader of team Shadow?" Flash finished, Twilight and Doc nodding back, "That was no dream, was it?" He threw the covers off of him, about to get off his bed, only for his legs to suddenly give out. "Augh!" He yelped, falling to the floor instantly.

"Flash!" Spike gasped, the other two trying to get out of bed, only for Twilight and Doc to collapse as well. Spike turned to them as Springer started panicking, now sensing so little aura from his trainer. As this happened, Spike asked, "What's wrong with you all?"

"Looks like our energy really was drained," Doc moaned.

"I guess that just proves it wasn't just a dream," Twilight added, "Which means everything they told us was real."

"We need to tell Shining and the others. Now." Flash groaned as he tried to get up. "Darn it...I can't move."

"I'm on it." Twilight moaned as she took out her journal from her bag. Spike watched as she began panting as she tried to type in it, "Dear Professor Celestia..."

"Will someone please tell me what the heck's going on?!"





Outside the cave, Sombra was instructing his troops on the plan.

"Once the transporters have been set up, we'll send the bombs in before transporting our troops in to grab the Heart Fragment." Doom then held up a beach ball-sized orb that had a line running around the middle like a Pokeball. "This is one of these bombs. Once we have them-"

"COMMANDER!" One of their radios suddenly yelled, making everyone turn to Chrysalis as she grabbed it.

"What?" She asked, only for the grunt to not reply, the ground beneath them suddenly shaking, "What the-" She tried to say, only to turn to the tunnel as she recognized the vibrations, "Oh no."

"Just what is going-" Sombra said, only for Pegasoar to shoot out of the tunnel, unleashing a Hurricane attack before any of the grunts could do anything. Mysticorn and Horsearth then arrived and fired Luster Purges and Smack Downs, knocking away the rest of the grunts.

"What are they doing here?! How did they get out?!" Sombra yelled as Chrysalis grabbed the case holding the Heart Fragment.

"Come on!" Doom took out his Pokeball, "Let's get these things back in their cages where they belong!" But as he said that, Horsearth turned to the cave entrance and used Smack Down. The energy sphere struck the top of the cave, making it crack apart.

"NO!" Sombra screeched, onlyl for the rocks to break apart, all falling down to block the entrance to the cave. "NOOOOOOOO!"

And as the last boulder fell, Pegasoar shot into the air while Mysticorn ran over to Horsearth, the pair then vanishing in a flash of light. Sombra's eyes went red at this, his whole from shaking as the others saw this, "RAAAAAHHHHH!"





An hour after they had awakened and contacted those in the Crystal Empire, Flash, Twilight and Doc had recovered enough to at least stand and get a few caffeinated beverages into themselves. They were now on the phone with Shining and the professors in the Crystal Empire, all shocked by what the trio had to say.

"Sombra?" Shining asked, "You can't be serious."

"I wish we weren't," Twilight replied, "But it's true. Sombra is the leader of Team Shadow, and he's close to achieving their goal."

Cadance grimaced at this, "They must have discovered the Altar of Summons. This is really bad."

"Do you know if the Legendaries were able to escape after they took your energy?" Luna asked next, the three shaking their heads. "Blast it. Then we're completely blind in this situation."

"We'll need to focus on that later," Celestia added, "Right now, I want the four of you back here in the Crystal Empire. Then we can focus on making sure Sombra and Team Shadow are brought to justice."

"But it'll take ages to get back there," Spike pointed out, "By then, Sombra and his goons might have finished whatever they're doing."

"Maybe not," Luna chimed in, "Don't forget, we discovered a way to transport people here over vast distances. Doc," the gym leader stepped in front of the screen, "Do you remember how to reconfigure the Pokémon transporters to connect them to the warp tiles here?"

"Yes," Doc nodded. "I'll get to work on them right away."

With that, he ran over to the nearest transporter device and began making the alterations. As he did this, Flash and the others continued to talk about what they had learned. "To think Sombra was the one behind all the trouble Team Shadow has caused Equestria." Celestia sighed, "And we've been feeding him information this whole time."

Cadance looked just as upset. "He was the one who paid for my expedition to find the Crystal Empire. For all I know, we've been funded on dirty money...and it was all so he could find the city and know where the Heart Fragment was."

"This does explain where Team Shadow's funding is coming from," Shining grumbled, shaking his head.

"But why would he do this?" Sunset asked. "What would he have to gain from trying to capture Legendary Pokémon?"

Flash chimed in at this, "According to Pegasoar and the others, he's planning to use them to conquer Equestria."

Twilight nodded. "He also said something about an injustice done upon his family a thousand years ago." He turned to Cadance, "Didn't he say his family first came from the Crystal Empire?"





Within the Crystal Castle, Cadance got up and moved over to a nearby table and grabbed the journal. "I wonder..."

"Wonder what?" Twilight asked, only to see Cadance hold up the journal they discovered in the ancient ruins. "Have you been able to decipher it?"

"Most of it," Cadance replied, "Some of it's still a mystery, but I've been able to figure out a good deal about it. One chapter talks about a revolt that occurred right before the city was evacuated." She sat back down in front of the screen. "It says that one of the more powerful families in the city, a side-branch of the royal family, became unhappy about their standing in the empire. They attempted to oppress the commoners of the city, but the royal family banished them in response. This caused them to rebel and try and take the Crystal Heart, planning to use it to summon the Legendaries and conquer by force."

"And you think Sombra's this branch family's descendant?" Shining asked, Cadance nodding back.

"I thought he said his family were just common citizens." Spike added, "Was he lying?"

"Possibly," Celestia responded, "But this is all hypothetical until we get some hard evidence. We'll look into it more when you get here."

"Which will be sooner rather than later."





They turned to see Doc patting the side of the transporter. "It'll be ready to go in just a few minutes. Better get ready."

The group nodded and ran back to their rooms, gathering everything they didn't wanna leave behind before turning to the reception. Doc made the final adjustment before turning the funnel, pointing it toward Flash as he put his bag on, "You ready?" Flash nodded, "Professor?"

"We're all set here," Celestia replied, Doc nodding before powering up the device, the energy within charging up before shooting out lightning. It struck Flash as the teen flinched, but he didn't feel anything. And as he opened his eyes, he found himself completely surrounded by a rainbow of light, only to feel himself beginning to spin.

"WHOA!" He yelped as he spun faster and faster, only to slow down as the light started to fade. As it did this, he saw he was no longer in the Pokémon Center, instead now seeing the Crystal Castle's throne room as he wobbled off the warp tile.

Shining ran up and grabbed the teen, "You okay?"

Flash nodded back, "I'm okay...but my stomach might not be."

They all chuckled as Twilight asked through the computer, "Did Flash arrive safely?" Sunset assured her that he was, Springer following next before Spike, Peewee, Twilight and finally Doc appeared. With the six back in the Crystal Empire, they all smiled at Shining, Sunset and the professors.

"Good," Celestia commented before turning to the window that pointed toward Mount Tartarus. "Now we can focus on stopping Sombra."





Back at Team Shadow's mountain headquarters, Sombra let out a growl as he stared at all the damage caused by the herald's escape. Pegasoar's Hurricane attack had destroyed most of their equipment, but luckily, the transporters Sombra had brought with him had survived unscathed.

"I want this equipment back up and fully functioning," he yelled, his grunts shivering at the sight of his fury, "NOW!"

The group ran away, the man then turning back to the blocked off cave entrance, now seeing Doom's Scrapummel and several other strong Pokémon working to unblock the cave. As Chrysalis moved up to him, he spoke without looking at her. "How did they escape?! The energy traps were supposed to drain almost all their energy. If they failed to work on those three, how can we hope to use them against Alicormony and Dischaos?"

"We won't be able to know until we get back in there and study them," Chrysalis replied in a whispering tone, "But...it's possible they were able to escape using an energy from an outside source."

"What energy source?" Sombra turned to her, "What else could they possibly use?!"

"I...don't know." She responded, whimpering as he saw Sombra scowled at her, "There's still a lot we don't know about these Legendaries. Ancient texts and unproved theories can only get us so far."

Sombra glanced back at the cave, "Reset the energy traps I brought. I wants them fifty percent more powerful."

Chrysalis went wide-eyed at this, "Master...if we make them too strong, we could end up doing permanent damage!"

Sombra began to walk off as he replied, "We don't make them strong enough, they'll just break out again. Do it."

Chrysalis nodded back before turning to where the energy traps were being kept. As she did this, she let out a whimper, "Oh...I hope this works."





Several hours later...

As the sun began to rise above the mountains outside the Crystal Empire, Flash and the others left the castle after he, Twilight and Doc managed to get some more rest to re-energies themselves. Now, they were heading to the Crystal Temple where the Heart Fragment was being kept.

"There's no doubt Sombra will make another attempt to steal the Heart Fragment soon," Celestia commented, "We need to move it somewhere they won't be able to find it."

"I'm just glad we didn't fall for Sombra's trick after the last time Team Shadow attacked," Luna pointed out as a Guardroid walked past them. "If we had, we would have ended up giving Sombra the last thing he needs to achieve his twisted schemes."

"Well, we need to move it somewhere he won't be able to find it," Cadance added as the temple came into view. "But where? And how do we move it safely without Team Shadow finding out and attacking the transport?"

"Simple," Sunset replied, all turning to her as she pointed to the warp tile they were currently walking past, "We move it the same way I've been going back and forth between here and the lab."

"You mean use the warp tile?" Twilight asked, Sunset nodding. "That's...brilliant."

Celestia nodded as well, "We can teleport it back to the lab and then have it transported somewhere safe and remote."

"Not a bad idea." Shining chuckled, "By the time Sombra or any of his goons finds out where it is, it'll be safely locked up until we can bring Team Shadow to justice."

The others smiled as they arrived at the temple, Flash gasping as he saw someone standing in front of the building, "Grand?!"

The former champion ran up to them, "Flash! Good to see you." He patted the teen's shoulder, "I'm guessing this means you managed to get your last Gym Badge?"

Flash nodded back, only to say, "I'll uh...tell you about it later. What are you doing here?"

"I said I would be coming to the Empire once we had everything sorted at the tomb. Rocky Road and I arrived here a week ago. I've been helping with security ever since." He turned to the rest, only to see nothing but frowns, "What's wrong?"

"Sorry Grand, with everything that's happened, I forgot to inform you." Celestia replied, only for the rest grimace as they began to explain everything that they had learn. And as they did this, Grand's eyes went from concern, to surprise, and finally to angry.

"Sombra..." he hissed, "I always thought there was something strange about him. He had this...dark aura around him. Like his kind and friendly persona was just a mask he was wearing. I never said anything because I didn't have any proof and a lot of people liked him." He shook his head, "Should have trusted my gut."

"Don't blame yourself," Shining responded, "Sombra had us all fooled."

"So what's the plan?" Grand asked.

"We're gonna move the Heart Fragment," Celestia explained, "We're gonna take it to Canterlot and then move it someplace safely out of the way."

Grand nodded at this, "I'll go with it. I'm sure the Pokémon League will be willing to help keep it safe. We have a lot of Gym Leaders willing to help take Team Shadow down. I just hope none of them decide to side with Sombra once we tell the world who he really is. He's spent a lot of time making friends over the last few years."

The others nodded back as Cadance went to open the new security doors that had been built. But as she did this, a nearby warp tile lit up, making them turn and see a light shoot out, only for something not human to take shape. Staring at the tile, a bunch of large orbs suddenly appeared, all flying out and rolling in multiple different directions. And as this happened, the tiles all over the Crystal Empire did the same, littering the empire with the spheres.

"What's that?" Spike asked, only for one of the orbs to roll up to them. It then began to beep, their eyes all going wide at this.

"MOVE!" Grand yelled as they turned to run away, the beeping growing more and more rapid. And then, it became one long flat-line.

Everyone flinched and braced themselves...only for nothing to happen.

"Aren't we supposed to be blowing up?" Spike asked.

"Don't jinx it," Twilight replied before turning to the bombs. The devices continued to let out the annoying beep, but nothing happened.

"A dud?" Flash asked, only for Doc to walk up to it. But as he did this, the device stopped beeping. Then, it suddenly popped open, the top section jutting up a few inches before a bunch of nozzles folded out from the gap. A second later, the nozzles unleashed a blast of orange mist. Everyone gasped as the mist filled the air, the group unable to stop themselves from breathing it in. And as they did this, they felt every muscle in their bodies freeze up.

"AUGH!" Flash yelped as he felt his legs give way, causing him to fall along with the others.

"What's...happening?" Spike coughed out.

"I think...it's...Stun Spore," Twilight groaned. "But...it's much...more...potent." Shining glanced up at the other orbs, seeing them all spewing out the orange mist,.

"How?" He asked, "How did...they...do this?"

Celestia went wide-eyed at this, "Oh no..." she moaned, "I...gave Sombra...the specs...for our warp tile...control system."

The others went wide-eyed at this as well, knowing what this meant. The warp tile began to glow again, a humanoid figure appearing within the light. And as it faded, the figure walked out and let out a laugh they all recognized. "Chrysalis..." Cadance growled as the woman that now stood over them, wearing a large gas-mask.

"Hello everybody," she laughed before walking around them, "Wish I could stay and chat, but I'm a very busy woman and I have a lot to do." She opened the metal case she was carrying and pulled out a device, which she threw at the temple's security doors. It stuck and Chrysalis removed a metal stick with a button, which she pressed.

KABOOM!

The doors were blown off their hinges, Chrysalis laughing at the sight. "You won't get away with this!" Cadance yelled as Chrysalis walked into the temple, "Androrg and the Guardroid will have heard that explosion! They'll be on their way!"

But then, Chrysalis turned back to her, smirking under her mask, "I doubt that. The Stun Spore was specially made for them."





In another part of the city, Androrg fell to his knees, now letting out several coughs. His biological systems were starting to be effected by the Stun Spore, causing him to freeze up.

The Guardroid were having just as many issues, the Stun Spore affecting their motors. Like sand in an engine, the dust had been sucked into their bodies and started messing with the gears.

"An...drog," the Bio-Mech Pokémon groaned before he fell over.





"Last time, we attacked your technology. It didn't work, so we decided to switch things up and take you down a different way."

She turned to walk off, only for Flash to moan out, "I'm guessing...this was...Sombra's...idea."

She froze up and turned to him, "What did just you say?"

"We know...he's...your leader," Twilight coughed out, "The heralds...showed us...who he...really is."

Chrysalis was happy they couldn't see her face, since they would see her looking terrified. She froze up, only to take a deep breath and reply, "Yes, this was his idea. An excellent idea, clearly. And I refuse to let one of his plans fail again." The group watched her run to the temple as thought back to the last time Team Shadow attacked, now remembering Sombra patting Androrg on the spot they would later find the device that hacked him, all feeling stupid for not seeing it sooner.

Once Chrysalis was out of sight, Cadance tried to turn her head to Shining. "Can you...reach my...Pokeball?" The way the pair had fallen, Cadance had her back to him and his arm had fallen near her belt. He reached out and managed to get two fingers onto the Pokeball and unhook it.

"Grah," he winced as the ball slipped from his fingers and rolled away...only to hit its button and enlarge.

"Crystardian!" Cadance yelled, causing the ball to shake before bursting open and reveal the ancient Pokémon of the Crystal Empire.

"Crys..." it replied while hovering over them.

"Quick," she yelped as the Stun Spore began to form around it, "Crystal Cleansing!" Crystardian's gems began to glow, sucking the Stun Spore in them. After a few seconds, everyone felt something being pulled out of their bodies, now feeling they could now move.

"What's happening?" Twilight asked.

"A new move that only Crystardian can use," Cadance responded as she sat up. "It allows him to heal himself and any surrounding Pokémon of Paralysis, Poison and Sleep Status conditions." Once the Stun Spore around them was sucked inside, she looked up at Crystardian. "Circle the area and absorb as much of this stuff as you can." Crystardian did as told and began floating in a circle, sucking up the Stun Spore.

Meanwhile, the others picked themselves up, all turning to the temple. But as they did this, they found themselves stumbling, barely moving as Spike fell over again. "Hey!" He called out, "Wait up! My foot fell asleep."

Inside the temple, Chrysalis placed the Heart Fragment into the case and shut it. She then grabbed the Shadow Spear from off the alter. "You won't be stopping anything this time," she told it before turning to the doorway, only to see Shining, Grand and Flash standing there, "What the-how are you standing?!"

"Your Stun Spore's been neutralized," Shining told her as he and Grand took out their Pokeballs.

"Not completely by the looks of things," she chuckled as Springer moved in front of them, his form shaking as he did this, "Probably have a few specks of dust still floating around."

"Not enough to stop us," Grand replied as he and Shining held out their Pokeballs. In a flash of light, Galladin and Hariyama appeared next to Springer. "Give up."

"Sure..." she held out both the spear and the case holding the Heart Fragment, "NOT!" She threw the spear at the window depicting Horsearth and shattered it, the males gasping as she ran to and jumped through the opening.

"Guys!" Flash yelled to the others, pointing around the building. Twilight, Celestia and Luna staggered over, now seeing her pulling the spear out of the ground.

"Goodbye," she waved before running to the warp tile. But before she could reach it, a blast of fire shot in front of her, making her turn to see Spike and Doc with Peewee, the dragon having just fired an Incinerate attack, "You guys really don't give up, do you?"

Cadance was the one to reply, "Not when it comes to stopping criminals from hurting innocent Pokémon just because they have some lunatic power fantasy."

"Oh please," Chrysalis laughed. "How is this any different from you all catching your Pokémon? All we're doing is setting our sights a little higher than most people."

"The difference is you're trying to upset the balance of nature," Celestia responded, "You intend to hurt others with those Pokémon, forcing them to bow to you or accept undeserved punishment."

"I don't have time to argue philosophy with nobodies," Chrysalis spat as she took out her Pokeball, Queensect soon appearing above her. "Bug Buzz!" Queensect unleashed a wide-range shockwave that struck the group, making them cry out as they covered their ears. Chrysalis ran for the warp tile again, only for Springer to fire an Aura Sphere at Queensect.

"QUEEN!" It cried as it was thrown back, the buzzing coming to a stop just as Chrysalis reached the warp tile.

"Stop!" Shining yelled as Galladin ran up to stop her, but Queensect recovered from the Aura Sphere.

"Queen!" It roared as it fired off a Giga Drain attack, stopping Galladin as it raised its shield. Chrysalis then threw the Shadow Spear upward before reaching into her jacket and taking out a bunch of pellets, which she threw back at them. The pellets hit the ground and exploded, unleashing black smoke everywhere.

Chrysalis caught the Shadow Spear and put the case under her arm before holding up her Pokeball, returning Queensect as she stepped on the warp tile. "Hariyama!" She heard Grand yell as the smoke began to get waved away by the sumo's massive hands.

But as the smoke vanished, everyone saw Chrysalis standing on the warp tile she had appeared from. "This has been a blast," she cackled as the light began to engulf her. "Later!" With that, she disappeared as the others charged at the tile.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Shining roared as the light vanished, everyone coming to a stop as they saw what had happened. Team Shadow had won.





Back at Mount Tartarus...

Sombra stared at their multiple transporters around him, all of them inactive as the grunts stood around holding rope and nets. Then, one of the transporters activated and began firing out energy, the grunts pointing their weapons at the light.

But as the person appeared, the grunts backpedaled as they saw her standing happily with the case and Shadow Spear in hand. "Switch 'em off!" Sombra ordered, the grunts deactivating the transporters. "I'm assuming this means your mission was successful." Chrysalis pulled off her gas-mask, only to show Sombra a large frown, "What?! What's wrong?!"

"I was able to get both items," she replied as she handed the Shadow Spear to another grunt before holding the case out. "But...we have a problem."

Sombra quickly opened the case and saw the Heart Fragment laying in it, "This is it...what's the problem?"

"I don't know how, but they know you're our leader."

Sombra's eyes went wide at this, the man slamming the case shut as he glared up at her. "How?!" He hissed, Chrysalis remaining silent as she didn't want to repeat herself. He then turned away, his eyes scanning over the many grunts that were with them. He knew many of them were discovering he was their leader right here and now, but he also knew that none would be foolish enough to give that information away. And after a second, he let out a sigh, "It doesn't matter."

"Sir?" Chrysalis asked.

"I was going to reveal myself to the world eventually anyway. This just speeds the process up." He walked away with the Heart Fragment, "Now we have to succeed or else I'll lose everything." The grunts all nodded as Sombra turned back to the blocked off cave and saw that it was almost half cleared. "It won't be long now..."





Back in the Crystal Empire, the group was outside the temple. "I can't believe she did this," Cadance picked up a shard of the broken window Chrysalis had smashed during her escape. "Survived over a thousand years, and now...it's completely destroyed."

"Just goes to show how little she and her team care about Equestria's past," Grand chimed in, "If it can't help them in their goals, it's useless."

"They're more concerned about Equestria's future," Shining pointed out. "A future where they're ruling over the land and forcing everyone to serve them or be destroyed."

"Which is why we have to find them!" Spike finished, the others nodding before they turned to Celestia and the others, all around the warp tile as they some computers hooked up to it, "Anything?"

Twilight sighed as she looked up from the computer. "No. We can't find any signal that might help us locate where Chrysalis had come from or gone too. Whatever they used to do it, they've clearly switched it off now."

"So we can't follow them?"

"It appears so. I'm afraid we have no idea where they are or where they took the Heart Fragment. But now that they have both pieces, as well as the location of the Altar of Summons, it's only a matter of time before they attempt to summon the Legendaries. And without knowing their location, we can't stop them."

"So...we failed?" Spike asked, everyone grimacing at the question.

But as this happened, Shining let out a growl and punched his fist into his palm, "I can't believe this. Is there really nothing we can do?!"

Again, nobody replied...only for a trio of bright lights to appear in the distance. They turned to the lights, seeing one was blue, one purple and one orange. They stared at the lights as they came down the mountain before somehow passing through the ice and appearing on the other side. And as they did this, Flash, Twilight and Doc all sensed something. Everyone watched as the three lights shot across the city, the purple light reaching them first before being joined by the other two. They shot down and struck the ground, the light exploding off blinding the trainers and their Pokémon.

When the light finally faded, everyone slowly opened their eyes...only for them to grow much wider when they saw the source.

"Peg!" Pegasoar neighed as he, Mysticorn and Horsearth stood upon the Crystal Empire's street. Everyone simply stared at them, unable to respond.

Flash was the first to recover, the teen slowly moving up to Pegasoar and holding a hand out. "Is this real?" He asked as he held his hand a few inches from Pegasoar's face. After a few seconds, Pegasoar closed the gap and pushed its head into his hand. Flash breathed a sigh or relief and started petting Pegasoar while Twilight and Doc moved over to do the same with Mysticorn and Horsearth.

"Incredible," Twilight whispered as she stroked Mysticorn's mane.

"Unbelievable," Doc added as his hand brushed down Horsearth's side.

"Amazing. I can't believe the heralds of Alicormony are really here," Luna gasped.

"But why are they here?" Grand asked, only to get an answer when the three lowered themselves enough to be mounted. "Wait...are they asking you to go with them?"

"Of course!" Celestia clapped, "They must know where the Altar of Summons is! If that's the case, then they know where Team Shadow are." The three chosen trainers shared a glance before all nodding. But anyone could say anything, the three leapt up onto the Legendary's backs.

"Wait!" Cadance yelped, "You guys can't face Team Shadow on your own."

"Maybe not," Twilight replied, "But we can hold them off long enough for you guys to catch up."

"Don't be reckless," Luna countered, "Sombra's a powerful trainer. If he sees you as a threat, I'd worry what he might do to you."

The three shook their heads at this, Flash responding, "The heralds chose us for a reason," Springer then sat in front of him as he continued, "And I'm not gonna let their trust in me be unfounded." The others nodded. "I'll stop Team Shadow from summoning the legendaries and hold them off until you guys get there."

The three professors stared at the trio with hesitation while Grand and Shining saw the conviction in their eyes, both nodding as Grand spoke up, "Alright..." He reached into his pocket and pulled something out, "But take this." He threw something at Flash, the teen catching it and seeing it was a coin-like device with a small light on it. "It's a tracer. That should help us track you to Team Shadow."

The others nodded and Flash pocketed it before the heralds turned around, only for Spike to suddenly jump up and sit on Mysticorn with Twilight. "I'm coming too." The others turned to him. "I might not have been chosen, but I'm a member of this team as well! There's no way you're leaving me behind."

"Terra!" Peewee roared in agreement as he climbed into Spike's hoodie. The others chuckled at this before nodding in agreement.

"Alright," Flash turned back to them, "We'll hold them off as long as we can. Let's just hope it's not too late." With that, Pegasoar spread his wings and leapt into the air, Mysticorn and Horsearth now galloping down the street at incredible speed.

Everyone watched the three move through the city, and within a minute, they reached the edge of the city and began running through the grass. "Guys?" Spike asked, "How are we gonna get through the ice wall?"

The heralds began to glow in response, the colors from before appeared and the light spread around those riding them. And as they drew closer to the ice wall, Mysticorn and Horsearth leapt up while Pegasoar flew straight at the wall. Everyone braced themselves, only to feel nothing as the light let them fly through with no issue, getting to the other side, the light vanishing as they came out completely untouched.

"Whoa..." Flash gasped as the legendaries began to sprint again. "Awesome."

Back in the city, Celestia and the others frowned at the sight, "Now what?" Cadance asked, "Are we just supposed to follow them?"

Everyone shared a glance, only for Celestia to snap her fingers, "I know what to do. Sunset, follow me!" The girl nodded as the two ran off, Grand then turning to the other professors.

"Luna, I've got an idea to help even the odds. Mind giving me a hand?" She nodded and the two sprinted off as well, Shining and Cadance following them. As they did this, Shining turned to where he siblings and their friends had disappeared from. "Be careful guys. Who knows what Sombra's planning."





Within his tent, Sombra as now busy changing clothes. He was changing into the armor he had shown his commanders once before, but this one was even more enhanced.

He slipped on an arm braces on and fastened it up, doing the same before getting into his metal boots. Then he pulled a red cape off of a nearby table and slung it over his shoulders to connect it into place. And finally, he turned to a glass case that held a metal crown. The metal was silver in color, and had two horns sticking out of each side that was the same color while a large red horn was sticking out the front.

He opened the glass case and took the crown out, placing it on his head.

Armor set complete, he turned to leave the tent with a grin on his face. "Nothing's going to stop me from taking my rightful place. Not the heralds, not Shining Armor, not even those silly children." The grunts turned and went wide-eyed before bowing in respect to their future king. "My ambition for a new, united Equestria will be accomplished on this very spot. When the legendaries are in my grasp, I will become all powerful."

The grunts cheered at this as Sombra turned to the cave, now completely open as he began to walk inside. But as he did this, the ones chosen to stand against them were heading to them right now. The three heralds and their riders all glared at the mountain, ready to do whatever it took to protect Equestria from the one that wanted to subjugate it. But could they stop Team Shadow and save Equestria before it's too late? Find out, as the journey continues
> Light Against Shadows
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Team Shadow now had everything needed to summon the Legendaries and take control of them. Within the cave, the grunts were setting up new energy cages, Doom commenting as he looked them over, "They're almost set." He turned to Sombra, "The modifications you asked for have been put in. The energy drain is now fifty percent more potent."

"Good," Sombra nodded as he moved up to the crystal pyramid. "The cages will drain as much of their energy as possible without doing any permanent damage. And once they're weak enough, I'll capture them in Pokeballs and they'll be mine to do with as I please." A grin began to form on his face, "Nobody will be able to stop me."

Doom did a small gulp at this, "Um...sir?" Sombra slowly turned to him. "I don't mean to be impertinent, but what if this doesn't work?" Sombra raised an eyebrow. "It's just that...the Crystal Heart has been broken in two for over a thousand years. One half was enough to open this place up and slightly power it, but what if they don't have enough power to do what we want?"

Sombra responded by reaching into his cape, then pulled something out a small book, "You know what this is?"

"A book?"

"Yes. It's a book I...acquired from the Bales Town Library. It is one of the few books that have information on the Crystal Heart."

"What does it say?" Doom asked, Sombra opening it up.

"Mostly stuff you've already been informed about. But there is one thing that very few know. That the Crystal Heart kept itself charged by absorbing Infinity Energy."

"Infinity Energy?" Doom replied, "You mean...the stuff that lets Pokémon Mega Evolve?"

"That's the most well known use of it, but Pokémon use this power all the time. In their moves, abilities, and even when they evolve. They simply give off a smaller amount the same way humans give off heat and other mild energies. The Crystal Heart absorbed the Infinity Energy of the Pokémon around it. I wouldn't be surprised if the city had some big battle tournament every now and then to help charge it up."

"So we can recharge the Crystal Heart with battling?" Doom asked, "But won't the energy just leak out of it when it's charged?"

"Not exactly. I'm positive that if we bombard it with enough Infinity Energy, the Crystal Heart will be able to repair itself. A passage in the book did say that it was able to repair small scratches and cracks. I'm betting all it needs is the right amount of energy to recombine."

"But where are we supposed to get that much energy?" Doom asked, only to hear the sound of wheels on rock before turning to see Chrysalis and some grunts walk in pushing several barrel-sized batteries. "Are those?"

"Energy containers filled with Infinity Energy," Chrysalis nodded, "Mercilessly collected from multiple Pokémon battles our grunts have had between missions. This much energy would be able to power Canterlot City for a week. It must be enough to repair the Crystal Heart."

"We're about to find out," Sombra responded before turning to the pyramid. "Let's get to work."





Meanwhile...

In the snowy wonderland that existed between Mount Tartarus and the Crystal Empire, the three Heralds of Alicormony shot across the land. Horsearth was galloping across the land at incredible speed, the Legendary somehow moving over to snow without leaving any prints. Pegasoar flew several feet above while Mysticorn appeared to be levitating several inches off the snow while still making the galloping motion.

Sitting on the herald's backs were their chosen trainers, and Spike, who were each looking straight ahead. They were each having trouble with their vision, the force of the wind hitting their faces.

"Ri..." Springer blinked to get the tears to fall out of his eyes. "Rio..."

"I know bud," Flash replied, "Just stick with it. I'm sure we're almost there."

"Does anyone even know where the heck we're going?" Spike asked from behind Twilight, the others shrugging back. "Great."

"Mysticorn and the others know where the Alter of Summons is," Twilight told him, "We just have to trust them...and at the speed they're going, it probably won't be to long until we get there."

"Good," Flash nodded, "Let's stop Team Shadow!"

"But I thought we were supposed to be holding them off until Shining and the others get here?" Spike asked, only to go wide-eyed, "Wait, how are they gonna follow us? It took us days to get this far from the empire last time and I don't remember them having a helicopter or anything like that back there!"

"I'm sure they'll find a way," Doc chimed in, "Celestia, Luna and Cadance aren't called professors for nothing. And Shining, Grand and Sunset are there with them. As long as they know where we are, then they'll find a way to get to use quickly." He turned to Flash, "Just make sure you don't loose the tracer Grand gave you."

Flash nodded, putting his hand on the pocket holding the device. "Yeah..." He stared back at the mountain, "Let's do this."





Back at the empire...

Sunset and Cadance were hard at work repairing the damage that had been done to the Guardroid and Androrg during the attack. They had small air wands, using them to blow away the dust that had locked their joints up.

"There," Cadance commented as she shut the section of a Guardroid's arm, "How's that? Feel any better?" The Guardroid began to move its arm, then nodded, "Good. Now you stay out of trouble." The Guardroid nodded again before turning to leave as another Guardroid struggled to step up in front of her.

"Aw..." Sunset sighed as she shoved her arm into a Guardroid's open chest as far as it would go while blowing air into it. "How deep did this Stun Spore get?"

Cadance turned to her and her eyes went wide, "Don't put your arm in there like that!" Sunset pulled her arm out to ask why, only to hear the sound of gears suddenly moving.

"Oh." Sunset replied, Cadance rolling her eyes as they got back to work. And as another Guardroid walked up, she let outa a sigh, "Oh...I hope you're alright Twilight."

Up in the Crystal Castle, Shining was watching a computer that was logged onto the tracer's signal, the dot now moving over a digital map while Grand and Luna were at a video phone. "Thanks Thorax," Grand told the Bug-type trainer. "I know you're busy-"

"I'm never too busy for this," Thorax replied, "If my mother's there, then it's the only thing that's important to me." Grand nodded as Luna finished writing down the instructions Thorax would need to reset his personal transporter so it could get him to the Crystal Empire.

"Alright. We're sending the instructions to you now." Luna hit the button and emailed the file, Grand waiting a few seconds as Thorax pressed something on his computer. "You get it?"

"Yup." Thorax read over the instructions, "Doesn't look too complicated. I'll send them to my brother as well. Pharynx will definitely wanna help."

"He's not with you?"

"He had to travel to Trottingham to pick up some parts we need to fix a broken security system here."

"Well let me know when you're ready to transport yourself," Grand responded before hanging up. "One down. Let's hope the others are just as willing to help."

"They're the Gym Leaders of Equestria," Shining chimed in, "It's their duty to answer the call when summoned to protect the region. They'll help. I just hope they can follow the directions as well as Thorax can."

Grand nodded before turning to the computer. "Any idea where they are yet?" Shining began to zoom out the map, only for them all to see the same thing.

"Mount Tartarus..." Shining whispered. "So either the Altar of Summons is there, or in Dragonia City. Either way, we have a basic idea of where Team Shadow is."

"But not a confirmed one," Luna added, "We'll have to wait until they stop moving to be sure. And even then, we won't be able to do anything until my sister gets back." She turned to Grand, "For now, we need to focus on gathering allies." Grand nodded, setting up another call as Shining turned back to the screen.

"I should have gone with them." He muttered as he stared at the image of the mountain on screen, "Sombra...why are you doing this?"





In the Altar of Summons, Sombra stood atop the pyramid with Doom and Chrysalis. The Team Shadow Commanders were busy attaching cables into ports situated along the arms of his armor. The cables went off his arms and down to the floor below them, then over the edge of the pyramid and down to the cave floor before connecting to the top of the large batteries the team had with them.

"You sure this is safe?" Doom asked as he screwed the last battery into his arm.

"More than safe," Sombra replied, "This suit was specially designed for this very purpose. We have that pirate poser to thank for testing out the original prototype and giving us the data we needed to complete it. Now I'll be able to harness the Infinity Energy and safely direct it into the Heart Fragments without worry of harm."

"We're ready," Chrysalis told him, Sombra nodding as the commanders headed down the steps of the pyramid, focusing back on Sombra as he looked down at the twin cases at his feet.

He kneeled down and opened the cases, the Heart Fragments sitting within them. "Do it." Chrysalis and Doom hesitated for a moment, gulping before nodding, then turning to their grunts. They nodded again and the grunts each pressed a button on the sides of the batteries.

In that moment, they began to glow as the Infinity Energy trapped within began to freely flowing into the cables. It slithered along the metal cables before finally reaching Sombra and flowing into his armor. And no sooner did it do that, Sombra's eyes went wide. "GYAAAAAAAH!" He fell to his knees, causing everyone to gasp.

"Switch it off!" Chrysalis cried.

"NO!" Sombra yelled, "Leave it!" He let out another cry of pain, only to glare at them with angry red eyes, "I...can handle it. The suit protects me from serious harm, but there was bound to be some pain."

With that, he began to slowly move, grabbing a Heart Fragment with a low gasp of pain. As soon as his hands grasped the two pieces, the energy flowed out of his hands and into the broken relic. Both pieces slowly began to glow at this, the energy flowing into every nook and cranny of the two pieces. He then picked himself up, his balance a little off, and held them high. As he did this, the energy reached the other sides of the Heart Fragments, were they had originally broken from, and began to leak out.

Sombra saw this and shined a pain-filled grin, "Now, let the Crystal Heart be REBORN!" With that, he slammed the two pieces together, both perfectly connecting into a full heart-shape. A brilliant burst of light came next, which filled the cave and blinded everyone within it.





As they continued to draw close to their target, the Herald's heads all shot up. "What's up?" Flash asked Pegasoar, only to suddenly find the Pokémon picking up even more speed. "WHOA!" He barely managed to hold on, the others doing the same. "What's wrong?!"

"They must have felt something," Twilight replied, "It must be Team Shadow."

"Are we too late?" Spike asked, "Did Team Shadow summon them?"

"Hard to say," Doc added as he squinted his eyes, "But I think I know where the Altar of Summons is." The others forced their eyes open and followed his gaze, the sight of a familiar mountain coming into view.

"Mount Tartarus," Flash whispered, "Of course that's where the Altar of Summons is."

"And that's were we'll find Team Shadow," Twilight finished, "I just hope we're not too late."





Sombra continued to groan as he directed the Infinity Energy into the Heart, feeling every second like the thing was about blow itself apart. It was like holding two north pole magnets together, the pair appearing to only want to be anywhere except where the other was.

But as he did this, he glanced down and saw the two halves were merging together. The crack slowly began to disappear from the bottom, "It's working!" He laughed as he watched the two halves slowly combine.

His followers all smiled, only for Chrysalis to turn to the batteries. Her eyes went wide as she saw the screens show the amount of Infinity Energy they had left...and each showed below five percent. "Oh no..." she whispered before looking back at Sombra. "Please let it almost be finished."

However, the heart wasn't even half fused. And as the crack microscopically disappeared, more and more Infinity Energy flowed through...till the batteries all hit zero. The light from the cables stopped glowing, the last of it sparking out of Sombra's armor and into the heart.

"What?!" He roared as he felt the flow of the energy cease, "What's happening?!"

"We've run out of energy!" Chrysalis yelled back, "Please tell me the Heart is repaired!"

Sombra turned back to the Heart and growled as the last of the energy flowed into it, the crack stopping its repair process exactly halfway up.

"Damn it!" He exclaimed before letting go of the relic and pulling the cables out of his arms. "I can't believe all that energy wasn't enough to fix it completely!"

His voice made them all tremble, Sombra turning to walk down the stairs as Doom chimed in, "We can get more power. Let's just do some battles to gather more energy."

"It took us months to get that much energy!" Sombra growled before holding up his hand and opening it, the palm of his hand now projecting a hologram. "And from what my suit was able to scan, the Infinity Energy we've been able to gather was very weak."

"Weak?!" Doom asked, "But its months of energy!"

"Infinity Energy isn't like other energies," Sombra replied, "A single volt of it won't always hold the same amount of power. It all depends on the Pokémon generating it. The Pokémon we used produced very weak Infinity Energy. Even my Tyrandark, no matter how powerful it is, can't generate that much energy quickly."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Chrysalis added, "If we don't find a way to generate the Energy we need fast, the champion and his friends will eventually track us down."

"Relax," Doom responded, "There's no way those guys will be able to find us."

"Sir!" A grunt ran into the chamber, "We have a problem!"

"What is it?!" Sombra hissed.

"One of our proximity detectors picked up something approaching from the south. Whatever it is, it's moving fast and heading straight for us."

This made them all go wide-eyed, the group running up to the equipment as Sombra grabbed a grunt at one of the computers, "What's happening?! What is coming for us?!"

"W-w-we d-d-don't know yet, sir." the grunt stuttered out, "W-w-we've sent out a drone to see what it is. It should be arriving at the area-" He stopped when the screen switched on, the drone they had sent having picked up what the sensors had found. Sombra and his commanders stared at the screen, all growling as they saw the Heralds of Alicormony travelling along the snowy land toward the mountain...and also noticing the people on the Pokémon's backs.

"It's those annoying twerps again," Chrysalis hissed.

"What is it with them?" Doom added, "Why have they always gotta show up when we're working?!"

"They were chosen by the Heralds," the pair turned to Sombra as he growled, "Each of them was chosen to stand beside the Legendaries and help them whenever their master is in need. Destiny has made them our mortal enemies."

"Then their destiny ends here," Chrysalis replied, "If they try anything, we'll simply capture them and retake the Heralds for ourselves."

Doom nodded, cracking his knuckles. "Then we'll make sure those fools won't ever get in our way ever again."

Chrysalis turned to the crowd of grunts behind her, "Tell me boys, what will you do if they get in our way?" They all responded by taking out their Pokeballs. "Good."

"Indeed...but its not enough." Sombra commented as he pointed to his army, "In the helicopter, you'll find some items that I want you to put on and bring here. We'll hold them off until then." The grunts nodded and ran off, Sombra turning back to the screen. "My friends, you made a big mistake coming here. But you also made it, so you'll get to be one of the few people to have the honor of seeing me acquire the power needed to conquer all of Equestria."





At the base of the mountain, the three Heralds and their riders glared at the mountain. "So the Altar of Summons is straight up?" Flash asked, Pegasoar nodding in reply. "Then let's not wait around any more." He took out his Pokeballs, Twilight and Doc doing the same thing. "This is it guys. We either stop Team Shadow now, or all of Equestria will be destroyed by them. I'm not about to let that happen. Are you guys?"

"No way!" Twilight yelled.

"Let's take 'em down!" Spike cheered.

"And stop whatever insane plans they have," Doc finished.

"Then let's do this." He enlarged his Pokeballs. "Skyler, Riptide, Prongs, Viper and Astro-"

"Higear, Flitanium-"

"Owlicious-"

"I CHOOSE YOU!" They threw the Pokeballs into the air and unleashed their Pokémon, the group letting out their cries as the flyers grabbed the non-flyers and took to the air. Springer leapt off of Pegasoar and landed on Skyler's back, the Tornavian carrying Riptide in his talons. Flitanium caught Higear while Owlicious grabbed Viper, Astro holding Prongs by the back before they shot straight up into the air with the legendaries, Mysticorn using her psychic powers to lift Horsearth as they aimed for the top.

As they did this, they saw a group of grunts waiting for them on a ledge. With them were a bunch of Skullimor, Scrapow, Geckoxic and Shadusk.

"Aura Sphere, Energy Ball, Flamethrower and Shadow Ball!"

"Gear Grind/Incinerate!" Springer, Prongs, Viper, Astro, Higear and Peewee all fired their attacks, knocking the incoming Pokémon away. The grunts growled at this, about to bring out more Pokémon, but then Pegasoar beat its wings, unleashing a blast of wind that pushed the Team Shadow underlings into the air.

The heroes then shot past them, the grunts falling back after this, some even falling over the edge and rolling down the side of the mountain. A minute later, they saw several more ledges above them that also had grunts and their Pokémon, these being a bunch of Skulerror, Scrapound, Frillace and Shadusk.

"Tidal!" Riptide yelled as Skyler zoomed ahead, shooting past the ledge, Springer leaping from his back while Riptide was released. Both landed and began battling against the Team Shadow Grunts. "Rep!" He made an Aqua Break and slashed it into two Skulerror, instantly taking them down.

"Ri!" Springer used Extreme Speed at this, slamming into the Shadusk before firing several Aura Spheres at the Frillace.

"Tore!" Skyler circled and dive-bombed at the Scrapound, hitting them all with his Aerial Ace attack.

"Get them!" The lead Grunt yelled, the group charging at the team. But before they could even reach them, Springer formed a Bone Rush staff and swung it downward, sweeping their feet and knocking them all down.

"Rep!" Riptide punched the ground with Ice Punch, causing it to freeze over and locking the grunts in place.

And as the others flew up to them, the battle was already over. Springer and Riptide were lifted back into the air by Skyler, all flying straight up as Pegasoar let out a neigh.

"I think we're almost there!" Flash yelled, the others nodding. But as they did this, they glanced up and saw a sudden barrage of Shadow Balls, Sludge Bombs and other long range attacks.

"Incoming!" Doc exclaimed as they group began to start evasive actions, managing to avoid most as they got to another ledge. There they found more Team Shadow grunts staring up at them, their Pokémon ready for battle while also seeing many pieces of machinery scattered along a flat area.

"Look!" Twilight pointed to the entrance of the cave before looking at Mysticorn, "Is that the entrance to the Altar of Summons?" Mysticorn nodded while Flash growled at the sight of a certain someone coming out of the cave.

"Sombra," he hissed before he and Pegasoar shot down with his Pokémon. "This ends here and now!" The others followed after him, the Flying-types dropping the Pokémon they were carrying. "Let's do it guys!"

"RI/TORE/REP/STAG/VI/GAL!" His Pokémon roared as Springer, Riptide, Prongs and Viper landed while Skyler and Astro hovered above them with Pegasoar.

Sombra smirked as he watched them fly down, holding up his arm as the grunts and their Pokémon got into a battle stance. Then, he threw his arm down and pointed at the invaders. "ATTACK!" With that, the grunts and their Pokémon charged while Flash's side did the same, Twilight, Spike and Doc leaping off the Legendaries as they took out their Pokeballs.

"Shine/Tockwork and Aggron...GO!" The Pokeballs flew up and released the last three Pokémon. Aggron let out a mighty roar as Shine stopped her hooves and Tockwork raised his gun. "Aggron!" Doc yelled as the many Skullvoc in the air charged, "Rock Slide!"

"Aggron!" The metal dinosaur roared as the multiple portals appeared around his head, causing rocks to come flying down into the Ghost Flying-types.

At the same time, Horsearth fired a barrage of Smack Downs, coupling it with the Rock Slide, forcing all the Flying-types to fall as Springer charged in, "Use Bone Rush!"

"Rio!" Springer yelled as he formed the energy staff and spun it, slamming it into the multiple Skullvoc that littered the battlefield. The skeletal Pokémon cried out in pain, most being thrown back.

At the same time, several Frillace, Scrapound and Shadusk ran after the Riolu, only for Skyler, Viper and Prongs to jump in front of them. "Now, Tornado Burst, Flamethrower and Bounce!"

"Vi!" Viper unleashed a burst of fire, which struck the Frillace while Skyler began to spin around in the air and form a tornado. Skyler then exploded out of the twister, shooting past the Scrapound so fast that the wind sent them all flying. Prongs then started jumping around, slamming his hooves into the Shadusk one after the other.

Higear and Flitanium were flying over the battlefield, facing off against several more Skullvoc. "Gear Grind and Steel Wing, GO!" Higear fired its gear hands, the pair smashing into the Skullvoc and bouncing off one just to hit another. They did this several times before flying back to Higear.

"FLY!" Flitanium roared as his metal wings began to glow, the bird shooting through the Skullvoc, slicing them before the final Skullvoc dodged the bird.

It prepared to attack back with Shadow Ball, only for something to appear behind it, "Skull?" It turned to see a Shiny Galvern.

"Crunch!" Flash ordered his newly evolved Dragon-type, the Galaxy Pokémon letting out a roar.

"Gal!" Astro bit down on the Ghost Flying-type with a mighty chomp.

"Skull!" It cried, Astro swinging it away next, crashing into the ground beside a bunch of Frillace and Scrapound.

They were staring off against Twilight as she, Owlicious and Shine battled on. "Dazzling Gleam!" She ordered her Galarian Rapidash, whose horn lit up before unleashing a blinding ray of light. It struck the Scrapound, making them all cry out as the fairy light burned their skin. The Frillace were able to withstand the light, only to see Owlicious charging at them. "Use Psychic!"

"Frill!" They all yelped, now feeling themselves get lifted into the air. Owlicious then started throwing them around, making them crash into each others as Shine stopped using Dazzling Gleam.

"SUCKER PUNCH!" The grunts commanding them all screamed as their Pokémon charged, only for Owlicious to throw the Frillace down toward them. Their instincts kicked in and they threw their punches as soon as the Frillace appeared in front of them.

"FRILL!" They all cried as they were punched in the gut, back, head and elsewhere. The Scrapound all flinched at this, pulling back before purple lightning surged around them, all now poisoned by the Frillace's Poison Point Ability.

Twilight laughed at this as she pointed ahead, "We've got you now! Mystical Fire!" The Rapidash neighed as her horn ignited, now firing a barrage of fire blasts that knocked the Scrapound back, "Yes!" She cheered, only to hear the sound of sarcastic clapping.

She looked up and saw Chrysalis slowly walking down, her Queensect behind her. "Not bad. But you'll have to do a lot better if you wanna stop us."

"We'll see," Twilight replied, "You still owe my sister for the damage you did to that window!"

Chrysalis cackled at this, "I'm friends with the future ruler of Equestria! I think I can afford it."

"He won't be ruler if we have anything to do with it!" Twilight barked as Shine galloped straight for Chrysalis. But before she could get close, Queensect got between them and they locked horns, both glaring as they pushed against each other. As this happened, Owlicious focused entirely on the Scrapound and Frillace, leaving Twilight to help Shine. The Rapidash and Queensect leapt back at this, the trainers also glaring at each other as they began to yell their commands.

And in another section of the battlefield, Riptide and Peewee were fighting off several more Skullvoc and a few Shadusk. "Tidal!" He roared as he swung his leg, striking the Shadusk with a Rock Smash, then leapt straight up to avoid a Shadow Claw before whipping an Aqua Tail around to knock them away.

As this happened, Peewee was flying around, firing Incinerates as Spike watched him dodging the Skullvocs. He glanced around, thinking about using Draco Meteor, only to realize if it misfired, it could cause an avalanche. "Darn it...what do I do?"

"X-Scissor!" He heard a grunt yell, a Skullvoc charging while slashing its claws in an X-shape, only for Peewee to duck under the attack.

"Bite!" Peewee bit down on the end of Skullvoc's spine-like tail, the Ghost Flying-type flinching in pain before Peewee used all his strength to spin it around, letting go of the Skullvoc as it began falling down.

"Rep!" Riptide yelled as he leapt up and pulled his fist back. As Skullvoc began to recover, it saw Riptide as he threw an Ice Punch into its face, making it cry out before it was sent flying as its head began to be encased in ice.

Riptide began to land at this, only to see Scrapummel running up as Doom ordered, "Thunder Punch!" The Fighting Dark-type pulled his hand back as it sparked with lightning.

But before it could reach Riptide, "Psywave!" A blast of psychic energy hit the ground in front of Scrapummel, making it hop back as the lightning faded off his fist.

Doc and Tockwork stepped in front of Scrapummel, Doom also moving up to his Fighting-type, "You think you can beat us?!" Doom asked, "I thought you were smart. A Fighting Dark-type against a Steel Psychic-type?! You'll be road kill!"

"We'll see about that!" Doc replied before turning to Spike and the Pokémon with him. "We'll handle this guy." Spike nodded and turning to the grunts as Doc pointed at Doom. "Let's go! Tockwork, Overclock!" Tockwork's gears spun before he charged, managing to close the gap between him and Scrapummel before thrusting a fist into its chest.

Scrapummel flinched at this, only for Doom to order a Close Combat attack, "Scrap!" It charged at this, ready to deal an all-out assault.

"Zap Cannon!" Tockwork pointed his gun at Scrapummel, the energy sphere appearing at the tip. As Scrapummel got closer, Tockwork fired and the street fighter barely managed to jump to the side to avoid it. "Bullet Punch!"

Scrapummel picked itself up, only for Tockwork to close to gap between them, punching its face. The Pokémon staggered back, Tockwork ready to strike again as Doc's Aggron smacked away the Shadusk around them.

Springer was near Aggron, using Extreme Speed to dodge the many Shadow Claws from the Shadusks. "Ri!" He roared as he used Aggron as a spring board, "Rio!" He clenched his fist and threw a Drain Punch as the first Shadusk he reached, "LOO!"

Shadusk fell back as Springer hit the ground, seeing multiple other Shadusk around him along with more Frillace, Scrapound and Skullvoc. But as this happened, Skyler, Prongs and Viper all appeared, firing their long range attacks while Syler shot down and used Giga Impact, knocking out the rest.

Flash grinned at the sight, running through the battlefield until a Skullvoc appeared in front of him. "Skull!" It screamed, raising its claws, only for Pegasoar to swoop in and smash it with a Steel Wing attack. "Voc!" It exclaimed as it was sent crashing into another Skullvoc.

"Nice!" Flash cheered as he saw the legendary knock another away, then spotting Horsearth and Mysticorn racing around the battlefield, using Smack Down and Miracle Eye on the Pokémon that had immunises to their side's attacks.

"Bug Buzz!" Chrysalis yelled as the Bug-type's horn unleashed powerful soundwaves that struck Shine, making her flinch. But as this happened, Mysticorn fired a Luster Purge attack, hitting the bug in the side, cutting the Bug Buzz.

"Quick!" Twilight pointed at Shine, "Mystic Fire!" Shine neighed before shooting the flaming missile, causing a cry of pain from the Queensect when it was struck in the face.

Chrysalis growled at this, Twilight smiling back before glancing to the side, now seeing Flash charge through the battlefield, Pegasoar above him. It used Hurricane and blew a bunch of grunts and their Pokémon away, allowing Flash to get to the cave entrance. He saw Sombra up there, only for two grunts to run up to him. "Out of my way!" Flash barked before ducking under one of the grunt's punches, following this with a kick to the grunt's stomach. The teen then caught the other grunt's fist and used it to swing him over and slam him into the ground. And as he did this, he turned to Sombra and yelled, "Why are you doing this?! Trying to capture the Legendaries, even though you know that'll throw Equestria completely out of whack!"

Sombra laughed at his question, "I am simply doing what all humans have done throughout history. Don't you remember what I said at Jubilee's Ranch?" As he said this, Flash's mind went back to that moment.

"For centuries, humans had to live in fear of Pokémon. They were so powerful and we were just...weak. All we could do was bow to their whims, praying they wouldn't see fit to destroy us. Because of this, we humans invented Pokeballs so mankind would have the power to claim Pokémon as their own. Now, we're able to reshape the world the way we see. And those with the strongest Pokémon have the most say about how that world is shaped."

Sombra then raised his hand, "The strong dictate how the world spins. Those without power are left forgotten and forced to suffer at the whim of those with it." He clenched his hand into a fist, "And I refuse to be the one without power."

"So you're willing to let others suffer just so you don't have to feel scared?!"

"No one has to suffer," Sombra replied while shaking his head, "As long as they stay out of my way, they can live happy lives with no fear of being hurt. Sure, they'll have to follow the occasional demand every now and then, but other than that, Equestria will come out of this situation better off."

"How'd you come to that conclusion?" Doc asked as Tockwork used Zap Cannon to make Scrapummel leap back.

"Simple. Unlike the current heads of this region, I won't be weak. I'll do what needs to be done to keep this place safe. I'll make sure all crime is abolished and punish those that try to break my laws in a way that'll make it impossible for them to repeat their offense." Sombra raised both of his hands at this, opened palms as he shined a huge grin, "Equestria will be a land without crime, without pain, without turmoil."

"Without free will," Twilight countered, "Making it so people are so scared to make a mistake and anger you, you'll only harm Equestria! Nobody will ever try and break the mold, meaning the region won't be able to innovate or try something new. You're happy to let that happen?!"

"If it keeps the region safe, I don't see what the problem is. Besides, nobody says people can't try and innovate. They'd just need to run everything they do by me first."

"Sound boring," Spike replied as Peewee used Wing Attack on a Scrapound that tried to charge at him. "What makes you think you deserve to run Equestria?! What, will people have to ask what color shirt they're allowed to wear while you're at it?!"

"Maybe," Sombra chuckled, "Absolute security requires absolute control from a single person."

"But why should you be that person?" Flash asked as Pegasoar blew away the grunts around him, "Just because you were rich enough to fund a crime gang, you think you can be ruler of Equestria?!"

"Of course," Sombra responded, "I would have been king of Equestria anyways had my ancestors not been cheated out of the position."

"Your ancestors were only the branch of the royal family," Twilight chimed in, "And you were banished for being cruel! I'd hardly say that's a legitimate qualification to be ruler."

"Whatever," Sombra growled, "The simple fact is that the nothing is going to stop me from taking what is rightfully mine."

"Wrong!" Flash yelled as Springer launched an Aura Sphere that knocked down several Shadusk. "We're gonna stop you, right here, right now!" The others nodded, but Sombra just smirked as some of his grunts ran up to him.

"Oh, I don't think so." He snapped his fingers, the members of Team Shadow then returning their Pokémon.

"Huh? What are you doing?!" Flash asked.

"Giving up?" Spike added.

"Hardly," Chrysalis replied while returning Queensect. "We just don't want our Pokémon to get hurt."

And before they could ask what that meant, a scream rang out, "RIOLU!" Springer cried, covering his ears and falling to the ground in pain. This was followed by the rest of the Pokémon, all crying out as they fell over. Even the legendaries fell, thrashing around as their heads felt like they were going to explode.

Flash was about to ask what was wrong, only to turn and see several grunts wearing metal backpacks. "Oh no." Each one had a long metal arm coming out the top that pointed up before pointing forward, a satellite dish on the end of them. "Don't tell me..."

"I see you're familiar with my little device," Sombra chuckled, "I guess you were in the Grand Desert when the prototypes were being used. I've perfected the design since then, making them portable and able to cause just as much pain as the full sized ones." The grunts turned the dial on their arms, which made their Pokémon cry out even more. "You have two choices. Surrender and return your Pokémon, or see how long it takes before they have an aneurysm."

Flash and his friends growled at them, Twilight being the one to state what they were all thinking. "You're a monster."

"Hardly," Sombra replied, "I just don't wish to waste my time fighting a pointless battle. Now, what will you choose?"

Flash glared back at the man, only to let out a long sigh, "Do it guys." He took out his Pokeballs and returned his team, Astro and Skyler, Viper and Prongs. Riptide and Springer turned to him, trying to tell him not to, only for another wave of pain to hit them, making Flash return them as well. "I'm sorry." Doc and Twilight returned their Pokémon, Spike hugging Peewee until he was sucked back into the ball.

And once they were all returned, the grunts walked over with cases that they placed the Pokeballs in. At the same time, other grunts ran over to the legendaries with some energy traps and activated them. Once again, the three equines were struck by energy blasts that wrapped around their bodies and lifted them up as it began to drain away their power.

"Don't hurt them!" Flash yelled, only for Doom to walk over punch him in the gut. "AUGH!"

"FLASH!" His friends gasped as Flash fell over, only to see Doom hit him again. "Stop that!" Twilight screamed, only for Doom to hit him one more time.

"That's for trying to ruin our plans brat." He yanked Flash back up, more grunts coming up and tying Flash's hands behind his back. As this happened, the others' hands were tied behind their back. And once they were all bound and the Legendaries were dealt with, the grunts wearing the backpacks switched them off.

The Legendaries squirmed as this happened, Sombra smirking at the sight as he gestured to a few more grunts, "Bring them inside and keep them under full watch." He spun around and began to walk inside, "It is time for me to take my rightful place in Equestria."





"They haven't moved from that spot in a while," Shining commented as he pointed at the spot on the screen. "That's gotta be where Team Shadow are."

"I hope you're right," Luna replied, "But we're not gonna be able to get to them unless we find a quick way there. What's taking my sister so long?" As she asked that, the dot on the screen suddenly disappeared.

"What just happened?! Where'd it go?!" Shining yelled.

Grand grimaced at this, "The tracer's signal is really strong. Only someplace with a lot of interference would be able to block it. If they're at Mount Tartarus, then they must have gone inside the mountain. That's the only way."





They followed Team Shadow through the tunnel, now reaching the doors leading into the altar. Everyone stepped inside and the captives were all wide-eyed as they saw the crystal pyramid, only for Flash to notice something leaning against one side of the pyramid: The Shadow Spear.

But the others spotted something at the very top, the group gasping as they saw the half repaired relic sitting atop the podium.

"The Crystal Heart!" Twilight cried.

"Half repaired thanks to our efforts," Sombra chuckled. "But it's not yet completed. Luckily, we have what we need right here."

He turned to Flash, the teen raising an eyebrow at this, "What the heck do you want from me?" Flash asked, only to notice a grunt walk in with some video equipment.

"Are you sure about this?" Doom asked as Sombra nodded back.

"Yes." The grunt held up the camera and another was holding up a satellite that was connected to the camera and a laptop, the grunt holding it typing away until the screen lit up.

"We're ready." The camera grunt held the camera up and pointed it at Sombra, Chrysalis and Doom standing behind him. "Signal is now being broadcast to all networks around Equestria."

And as he said this, every single TV screen in the region suddenly found itself going static. Confusing those watching, the screen then came back on, showing Sombra with his commanders standing behind him. "Greetings Equestria, many of you probably know me as Sombra, head of Equestria's large business conglomeration. But there's is something you don't know about me. That I...am the founder, and leader of Team Shadow."





At the Crystal Empire, Sunset and Cadance had arrived at the throne room as saw the others working. They were about to ask how everything was going, only for Luna to get a text. "It's from Celestia," she stated before reading it. "Turn on the TV?" The others raised an eyebrow before going to their laptop and switching to a channel.

And when the computer switched onto it, they were met by the sight of Sombra in his armor. "What?!" Shining yelped, "What is that?!"

"From the shadows of Equestria, my team has been hunting for a means of which to gain ultimate power. We've plundered Equestria's ancient past and discovered lost truths that many believed were simply legend. And now we have everything we need." The camera view shifted to show the rest of the Altar of Summons, though their captives remained behind the camera, allowing all of Equestria to see the ancient tomb.

Then it focused on the crystal pyramid, Cadance's eyes going wide. It zoomed in next to the top of the pyramid as Sombra stepped up to it. There she saw the item she always hoped she would get to see. "The Crystal Heart....he fixed it." She whispered till she saw the crack. "Almost."





"This ancient relic was once used by the people of the Crystal Empire to summon the mighty Legendaries whenever the region was in need of them. Through foolishness on its leadership's side, the relic was broken and then hidden away. But now my team and I have recovered the fragments and are ever so close to completing it."

Everyone in the region watching went wide-eyed at this, now hearing what Sombra wished to do. And as he said this, he placed a hand on the relic. "Alas, the power I acquired to repair it wasn't enough. But to my great fortune, someone here has just what I need to do that." In that moment, the camera shifted around and pointed at Flash and the others.





"NO!" Shining and the others yelled, their eyes going wide at seeing their friends and family in mortal danger.

They weren't the only ones sacred. The many friends that Flash and the others had met throughout their journeys became terrified at the sight. Rainbow shook in anger as Fluttershy looked like she was about to cry, Applejack growling as Rarity was about to faint. Both Pinkie and Trixie were horrified as well, but one in particular was shaking his head.

"That idiot." Lightning grumbled as he stared at the screen, "Why is he there?!"





Sombra pointed at Flash, "Release him." Flash suddenly felt his bindings being cut before he was shoved forward.

"Hey!" He yelled, staggering as Sombra took out his Pokeball and it opened up. In a flash of red light, Tyrandark appeared at the bottom of the pyramid and stood tall. It flexed its claws and turned to Flash, its cape flowing with the movement. "What are you planning?" He asked Sombra, the man smiling as before gesturing to the grunt holding one of the Pokeball cases.

He nodded and the grunt ran over to Flash and held the case open, showing the teen all his Pokeballs.

"Here's what's gonna happen." Sombra pointed to Flash, "You and I will battle." Flash went wide-eyed at this, "All of your Pokémon against my Tyrandark."

"Seriously?" Flash gasped, "Why would you..." His words faded out as he remembered just how powerful Tyrandark was, only to see Sombra point at the Crystal Heart.

"You see Mr. Sentry, during your little tussle against my subordinate, I noticed your Pokémon all produced very powerful Infinity Energy. You've obviously trained them all well."

"So?!" Flash barked back, "What does that have to do with you challenging me?!"

"I would have thought it was obvious. You are I will battle, and I'll be collecting all the Infinity Energy you produce. If you're able to defeat my Tyrandark before the Crystal Heart is repaired, then I'll let you and your friends walk out of here without issue. But if you can't defeat Tyrandark before I've collected enough Infinity Energy to fix it, then you lose and I'm free to summon my Legendaries."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this, "What?! Why would I help you?! Heck, why should I?! Shining and my friends all know where we are, and they're probably on their way here! Why should I-"

He didn't get to finish as he suddenly heard Twilight's cry. The teen turned to see a Skullvoc wrapping its skeletal body around her, opening its claws to hold around her neck. Doc and Spike also found themselves in similar situations, the three now all about to have their necks sliced.

"Well..." Sombra chuckled, "If you refuse to help me, then I really have no other reason to keep the four of you around. And if you're right about the champion and others are on their way, then we'll have to pack up in a hurry. Meaning you won't have long to realize your mistake. So then...what will it be?"

Flash glared back at him before glanced at his friends, the group shaking their heads. But as one of the Skullvoc squeezed their necks tight, Flash let out a sigh, "FINE!" He grabbed his Pokeballs from out of the case and threw them, the six opening and revealing his team.

Springer was the first to appear, with Riptide and Skyler behind him. Then, Astro appeared with Prongs and Viper on either side behind Riptide and Skyler. The six Pokémon and their trainer glared at Tyrandark and the maniac behind him. All of Equestria was glued to their TV screens, watching as a trainer that many knew and liked stare down what was probably the most evilest man in the Region. And if he didn't win, all of Equestria may very well be doomed. Could Flash win and save the region? Only time would tell, as the journey continues.
> Gathering Lights
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The whole of Equestria were glued to their TV screens, watching as a battle raged. The competitors were the recently revealed leader of the evil Team Shadow, Sombra, who was facing off against Flash Sentry and his entire team of Pokémon. And if Flash didn't win, then Sombra might get his hands on the Legendaries of Equestria.

"Let's go guys!" Flash yelled, Springer letting out a howl as he charged with Riptide, Prongs and Viper behind him. Skyler and Astro took to the air, the pair quickly flying behind Tyrandark. The Shadow Tyrant didn't even look at them, instead just staring at the Pokémon charging at him, "Drain Punch!"

"Ri!" Springer roared as he leapt with a glowing fist.

"Haze." Tyrandark's cape came alive and wrapped around it, Springer's fist making contact, only for the Dark-type to explode into a cloud of black mist.

"Ri?" Springer asked, the black cloud flying past him and his teammates before forming again just as Sombra gave another order.

"Shadow Claw!" Tyrandark's hands glowed as a cloak of dark energy wrapped around them, the armored figure then suddenly flying past the four Pokémon.

"RI/TIDE/STAG/VI!" They yelped as they felt a sudden slashing sensation, knocking them all back.

"Guys!" Flash cried, only to hear Skyler's squawking as the Flying-type shot down. "Alright! Steel Wing!" The Tornavian's wings glowed as he prepared to slash at his opponent, but Tyrandark just glared up at the bird.

"Sucker Punch!" As Skyler reached him, he then found his wing somehow phased through its body.

"Tore?" He asked, only for the shadowy body to reconfigure and smack him in the back, "NAY!" He yelped as he thrown into the dirt, Tyrandark pulling his fist back to hit him a second time till-

"Gal!" Astro roared.

"Dragon Rage!" Astro opened his mouth, a blue flame now illuminating the chamber as it shot down at Tyrandark. The Pokémon leapt back at this, only for the flames to singe its shoulder, making it flinch. "It didn't pass through..." Flash whispered as he watched the scene, "That's it!"

"Phantom Force!" Sombra yelled, Tyrandark landing on the ground before its body melted into a shadow.

Astro glanced around as the others picked themselves up, the shadow vanishing into the cracks of the ground. "Stay sharp!" Flash told them, "It's still here." In that moment, he saw his Reptidal's shadow begin to move, "Riptide!" The Water Lizard heard this and jumped away, only for Tyrandark to shoot out and slash him.

"REP!" He flinched while Tyrandark leapt back.

"Springer, look at me!" The Riolu turned to him and saw Flash thrust his arm forward, "Use Aura Sphere!" Springer formed the orb before charging at Tyrandark. The Pokémon just stared at the attack, standing its ground as Springer got close. But as this happened, Flash called out another command, "Viper, use Flamethrower into the air!"

Tyrandark's eyes went wide as Viper took a deep breath before shooting a stream of fire upward. This illuminated the chamber, chasing away the shadows just as Springer thrust the Aura Sphere into Tyrandark's chest.

"TIE!" It roared as the orb exploded, throwing it back.

"What happened?" Doom asked from the side.

Flash smirked at Sombra, who raised an eyebrow. "Don't think I didn't remember about your Tyrandark's Shadow Cloak. In a dark area like this, hitting it's almost impossible...unless you light it up."

Sombra just shrugged at this, "Not bad." As he said that, he stared at his gauntlet's projections, now seeing the Infinity Energy levels building up. "But one shot isn't going to be enough to beat me."

"Maybe not, but this is far from over! Riptide, Prongs!" The two charged as Astro took to the air. "Dragon Rage, Rock Smash and Horn Leech!" Astro breathed the blue fire, once again illuminating the cavern as the two starters began their attacks.

"Rep/Stag!" They roared as they launched their attacks, Riptide swinging his leg into Tyrandark, who blocked it with its arm while Prongs thrust his glowing antlers into its stomach.

"Haze!" As Prongs tried to stab him, Tyrandark exploded into smoke that flew passed through the pair. "Shadow Claw!" As he reformed behind them, the Pokémon slashed them with ease, knocking both back.

"Dragon Claw, Aerial Ace and Extreme Speed!" Astro flew down with glowing claws while Skyler went low as Springer's body started to form lightning around it. "Flamethrower!" Once again, Viper unleashed the fire that kept the chamber lit up, preventing Shadow Cloak from activating.

"Haze!" Tyrandark's cape wrapped around it before it exploded into mist, the three's attacks going right through.

"Energy Ball!" Flash yelled, Prongs neighing as he fired the green sphere at the cloud, but it simply flew through it as well, "Oh, come on!"

"Flash!" Twilight exclaimed, Flash turning to her, "Gas is the least stable form of matter. There's no way that thing can keep that form up!" She then cried out as the Skullvoc holding her tightened its claws. "You can outlast him!"

Flash turned back to the fight at this, Tyrandark reforming at the moment. But before Flash could do anything, Sombra let out a command, "Phantom Force!" The Dark-type melted into the ground, going straight for Viper this time.

However, Springer's aura made him turn to the snake, locking onto it as he yelped, "RIOLU!"

Viper heard this, about to slither away just as another voice called out, "Ran!" The Shadow Tyrant leapt out of the darkness, grabbing Viper around the neck. But as he did this, Viper just smiled before wrapping his body around Tyrandark's arm.

"Pyro Coil!" Viper pulled its tail end up to his head and bit onto the tube before breathing in, causing him to explode in flames.

"DARK!" It roared in pain before melting into the shadows to escape, Sombra just staring at his gauntlets.

"That's it..." He whispered as the energy levels rose, "Keep going...don't hold back!"

Tyrandark rematerialized at this, only to find Springer, Astro and Prongs standing in a triangle around it. "Energy Ball, Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball!"

The three formed the orbs and quickly shot them at the Shadow Tyrant, "Haze!" The Dark-type swung its cloak around itself before turning into smoke, the attacks flying through. But as they did this, the cloud twitched, forcing Tyrandark to re-assemble itself. And as it did this, Skyler and Riptide leapt at the Pokémon.

"Aqua Break and Steel Wing!" The two slashed at the monster, making it cry out as it slumped over. "YES!"

But as Flash cheered, Sombra shined a huge grin on his face. That last move had caused a serious spike in the readings. "Excellent." He turned back to the battle, "Haze again!" Tyrandark wrapped its cloak around itself before it spun on the spot, morphing into a cloud that kept spinning, forming a black tornado that Flash's team all backpedaled from.

Springer tried to sense the Pokémon's aura, but the whole tornado brimmed with it. And the next thing they knew, the tornado's sucking force began to pull them in, "Ri!" Springer yelped as he tried to run, only to feel it pull at him.

"Guys!" Flash cried seconds before the six were pulled into the darkness. "NO!" He heard their cries of pain as they were thrown around and around, Flash running at the tornado at this.

"FLASH NO!" Twilight and the others screamed as he got close to it, only for the tornado to explode. He gasped as Springer suddenly slammed into him, he and his Pokémon all being thrown back. Everyone watching, his friends and all of Equestria flinched at the sight as the seven of them were all laid out.

And as this happened, Tyrandark reformed at the base of the pyramid. It was panting, but Sombra just shook his head as he stared at his gauntlets. "How disappointing. I suppose that Lightning Blitz that beat you at the tournament was right. You are nothing, a weakling unworthy of being chosen by the heralds." He tapped a few buttons on the gauntlet, "I had hoped you'd last long enough to get me the energy I needed...but it seems I miscalculated."

A low growl came next, making Sombra glance up to see Flash now standing, "You miscalculated nothing. My Pokémon and I aren't gonna let you win!" His team all groaned as they began to push themselves up, "We're not gonna lose, and we're not gonna let you capture the Legendaries." He glanced over at the heralds, all still trapped within the energy traps. "I swear it! You're going down!"

"Oh please," Sombra waved his hand at this, "Like I'd let a boy who knows nothing about the world stop me. I have seen your strength, and its nothing. Just another ignorant child who thinks they can play hero. It's time you woke up and realized the truth. The world isn't some fairy tale place where the good guys always win. In this world, only the strong survive, and that's why I'll capture the strongest Pokémon in the world. With them, no one will challenge me and all of Equestria will bow to me. For I, am truly strong."

Almost everyone watching all went wide-eyed at this, only for Flash to speak up, "You're pathetic." Sombra's eyes narrowed at this, "You only want to be strong to force people to do what you want."

Sombra chuckled as he watched Flash stumble on the spot, "Oh? And what other reason is there to be strong? If power isn't meant to be used to make things go the way you want it, then what's the point of it? What other reason is there to be strong?"

As he said that, those words echoed through Flash's head. "A reason...to be strong." His mind flashed back to when he had lost to Thorax and what Doc had told him. About how chasing strength without a reason was meaningless. Since then, he had thought about the reason he had wanted to be strong whenever he had a spare moment. But as Sombra asked this, a click went off in his head, "There's...lot of reasons."

"Oh?" Sombra asked, "And tell me...what would that be?"

Flash stood tall at this, meeting Sombra's gaze with a hard stare. "I've been all over this region, and I've met lots of different trainers, each of them strong in their own unique way. And you wanna know something?! The strongest of all those trainers were the ones trying to be strong for others."

Sombra raised an eyebrow at this, Flash now thinking back to his friends. Applejack and Grand, "Trainers who grew strong so that they could keep their families safe." Trixie and Pinkie, "Trainers who grew strong to spread cheer and joy to those who have none." Rainbow and Rarity, "Trainers that grew strong so they can test themselves and help others reach their best." Fluttershy and Shining, "And trainers who grew strong because they wanted to protect those that can't protect themselves."

Many other trainers filled his mind, all strong in so many ways. All for those they cared about. All over the region, the people that had met Flash smiled, knowing who he was talking about. And as this happened, Flash then pointed at Sombra, "That's what true strength is! And that's why your strength is completely hollow. Because as long as you only care about yourself, you can never grow strong enough to beat those with actually good intentions. That's why villains like you always lose. Because when you go up against people with true strength, your power will crumble to dust!"

Sombra's smile faded, now replaced with an annoyed glare. "That's a nice sentiment kid, but stuff like that is only true in children's shows. And the last I checked, this is no children's show." Tyrandark raised its claws at this, both now glowing with energy. "This is the real world. And in the real world, strength is only earned by those willing to do whatever it takes to acquire it!" He then snapped his fingers, "Destroy him!"

The Dark-type charged at the teen, Flash going wide-eyed at the sight. But just as the claw came for him, a familiar blue canine appeared, blocking it with an energy bone. "RI!" Springer roared, feeling himself getting pushed back a few inches, but managing to stand firm. "RIOLU!" He called to the others, Tyrandark now sensing an oncoming attack.

Actually, he sensed several attacks. He pulled away from Springer, only to be greeted by the sight of Skyler, Riptide, Prongs, Viper and Astro leaping at him with Steel Wing, Aqua Break, Horn Leech, Poison Fang and Dragon Claw.

"Haze!" Sombra yelled, Tyrandark exploding into smoke again and spinning into a tornado. But before it could pull them in-

"Tornado Burst!" Skyler shot straight up and started spinning, morphing into his own tornado that struck the black one. The smoke was soon sucked into the vortex, pulling Skyler as he flew around the tornado. The winds then exploded at this, making the smoke fly out everywhere.

The other Pokémon stared at the sight, Springer reaching out his aura, only to point at one of the clouds, "Ri!" Riptide followed his paw and leapt at the cloud.

"Ice Punch!" Riptide pulled his fist back as the cloud began to form the body of Tyrandark, its arms and legs not there. The Shadow Tyrant tried to summon the other clouds to it, but Riptide's teammates were ready.

"Tore/Stag/Con/Vern!" The four used Aerial Ace, Energy Ball, Flamethrower and Dragon Claw on the other clouds, ripping them apart and stopping them from reaching Tyrandark.

"REP!" Riptide hit the Dark-type, causing it to cry out as it was thrown back, its chest now beginning to freeze over. It was here that the clouds reached it, reshaping its arms and legs. As it did this, Sombra looked back at the gauntlets, seeing another spike.

"Yes..."

"Ri!" Springer charged, leaping at the recovering Tyrandark.

"Phantom Force!" Tyrandark melted into the ground, disappearing into the shadows.

But as he did this, Riolu closed his eyes and reached out with his aura. And as he did this, his eyes turned to a section of the ground, "Ri!" Viper unleashed a Flamethrower at this, illuminating that spot and chased all but a single shadow circle away. "RIOLU!" He yelled as the shadow tried to escape.

"Get him!" Flash cheered, "Extreme Speed!" Springer charged with lightning around his body, illuminating the area even more. He chased after the shadow as it tried to run away, everyone barely managing to follow them. Whenever Springer got close, the shadow changed direction, but Springer kept up with it.

And just as Tyrandark was about to change direction for the fifth time, Springer shot off to the spot it was about to turn to. As this happened, it ran into Springer. "RAN!" It yelped from within its shadow, trying to turn away again, only for Springer to thrust his paw into the shadow...and it went through, making everyone go wide-eyed.

"Rio!" Springer pulled his arm back, the paw being pulled out of the shadows along with Tyrandark's cape. "Rio...LU!" With one great yank, Springer threw Tyrandark out of the shadows and into the air.

"NOW GUYS!" Flash exclaimed, both Viper and Astro unleashing their fire attacks while Riptide, Skyler and Prongs leapt up. Tyrandark tried to use Haze, but was struck by the Flamethrower and Dragon Rage before he could, only to then be hit by a Rock Smash, Steel Wing and Bounce attack.

"TYRAN!" He screamed while Springer swung his arms around as they glowed blue. He then brought them together and the light formed an Aura Sphere, which he shot at Tyrandark. It exploded into the air, filling the chamber with a bright light that blinded everyone.

"Raaah!" Sombra cried at the light, but then heard a beeping noise. He glanced down at his gauntlets, forcing his eyes open through the light. And as the light faded, everyone in the chamber saw Tyrandark fall over. There were no spirals in his eyes, but he was close as Flash's Pokémon prepared for another round.

But as they did this, laughter filled the chamber. Everyone looked up at Sombra, the man cackling as he raised both arms up, "Good! Very good!" He then pointed at Tyrandark, the Pokémon turning to him. "Excellent work my friend." A section of his gauntlet opened up and fired a mist that struck Tyrandark. "You got me exactly what I needed."

"Ran..." When the mist faded, Tyrandark turned back to them full grin, Doc now gasping as he realized the mist must have been a Super Potion. They then looked up and saw Sombra turn to the Crystal Heart.

"Finally," he laughed as he raised his arms again, "Finally, I have what I need!" Flash's eyes went wide at this, only for Tyrandark to shoot past his team, knocking them all down before reaching Flash, punching the teen in the gut.

"GYAH!" He cried as he was thrown across the area.

"FLASH!" His friends screamed, Sombra laughing before raising his hands, both now glowing from the collected Infinity Energy. He then slammed them into the Crystal Heart, the energy now repairing the relic again. And as this happened, it unleashed a bright light, the podium under him now glowing as well.

The light then spread to the water flowing out, causing the channel around the edges to glow, followed by the markings along the wall. "Yes!" Doom cheered, "That's it!"

Flash groaned as he sat up, his Pokémon all getting up again before they charged at Tyrandark. As they did, the markings finished glowing before the entire chamber started shaking, everyone glancing around before the skylight began to slowly open, all now realizing what was going to happen next.

And as this happened, Sombra released the Crystal Heart, showing it was now completely repaired. It continued to fill the room with light, making Tyrandark unable to use his ability as the skylight continued to open.

"LEGENDARIEIS OF EQUESTRIA!" Sombra chanted, "COME TO ME AND FULFILL THE PURPOSE YOU WERE GIVEN LIFE FOR!"

In that moment, the skylight completely opened, the light now sucked out of the wall, out of the water and out of the monument. As the chamber was again dropped into darkness, making Tyrandark able to avoid the attacks again, the Crystal Heart absorbed it all before it started floating above the podium. Then, it started spinning around, picking up speed.

"What's happening?" Spike asked, Twilight and Doc grimacing at the sight. The light coming off the relic grew brighter, soon reaching its peak and exploding off the Crystal Heart. It shot through the skylight, hitting the clouds and exploding, the light then illuminating the sky above the mountain.

All over Equestria, people watched as the light began to spiral into a purple cloud that slowly grew larger by the second.





Back in the Crystal Empire, Shining and the others continued to frown as they watched this happen.

"We have to do something!" Cadance exclaimed.

"We're hundreds of miles away from them." Shining growl in frustration, only for a noise to ring out. They turned to see the warp tiles suddenly activate, the energy spiralling as a figure appeared.

"Sister!" Luna yelled as Celestia walked off the tile, "Where have you been?!"

"Gathering some friends that should help us," she responded before taking out several Pokeballs. "But if we want to help them, we're gonna need reinforcements." In that moment, the phone started beeping, Grand taking it before seeing several messages.

"Reinforcements are on the way."





Back in the altar, everyone continued to watch as the cloud grew larger before splitting in two, slowly morphing into a new form. And as this happened, a pair of portals could now be seen floating above the mountain. Sombra smiled at this, all soon seeing something begin to appear within.

The first was Alicormony, the celestial equine Pokémon gracefully appearing, only for Dischaos to come next, slithering through the sky. Both Pokémon noticed one another and looked like they were about to do battle, only to stare down at the mountain.

"YES!" Sombra cheered as the two flew down, "COME TO ME!"

"NO!" Flash screamed, "FLY AWAY! Get out of-blaugh!"

He was stopped by Doom, the man punching him in the face. The teen fell over before Doom slammed his foot into Flash's face, "Shut up, you pathetic brat!" He then turned to the grunts wearing the metal backpacks, "DO IT!" The grunts nodded and activated the machines, causing shockwaves to explode out and fill the chamber. This caused Flash's Pokémon, Tyrandark and the Legendaries to all scream in pain, most falling over at this.

"Stop it!" Twilight cried as several grunts ran over and placed energy traps down near the Legendaries.

"NO!" Doc added as the devices activated, striking the two and wrapping them up with bursts of energy.

Flash moaned as he squinted his eyes open at this, only to see the Legendary Pokémon trapped while the grunts continued to fire the energy waves. "NO! You can't-"

"I said shut up!" Doom yelled as he pushed his foot down on Flash's face, "We've won! So shut up and watch us conquer your worthless region!"

Flash squirmed as he tried to move, now feeling it was close to begging them to stop. But before he could do anything, a bright flash of light suddenly appear in the middle of area...only for nothing to come out of it. The light just faded after this, only for one of the grunts to turn to the pack of the one next to him. A small round device was flashing, the others turning to it before realizing what was happening as all their packs all began to flash.

BOOM!

All the backpacks exploded, knocking them all off their feet. The soundwaves stopped at this, allowing the Pokémon to recover. "What's happening?!" Chrysalis yelped, only to see Flash's Pokémon start to pick themselves up. "No!"

Tyrandark also recovered, quickly charging at Springer with a Shadow Claw. Springer saw this and gasped, crossing his arms and closing his eyes as the claw came for him...only for the sound of clanging metal to fill the air.

"Ri?" Springer opened his eyes, only to now see the back of Shining's ace Pokémon.

"Din!" Galladin roared as he blocked the Shadow Claw with his shield, then pushing Tyrandark back.

"Galladin?!" Flash asked, "How did-"

POW!

"Blaugh!" Doom yelped as Shining appeared, punching the man off the teen.

"Nice work Galladin." Shining commented before helping Flash up, "Sorry I'm late."

"Shining!" Twilight exclaimed, only to choke as the Skullvoc tightened its grip on her. But before they could do anything, there was another flash of light that appeared around her, Doc and Spike. And when it faded, the three were gone.

"GUYS!" Flash gasped, only for Shining to pat his shoulder.

"Relax. They're fine."

"But-"

"You!" Sombra suddenly yelled, making them both turn to the glaring tyrant, "You destroyed the soundwave generators!"

"Not exactly." Shining chuckled as another flash of light occurred, this one happening in front of the grunts holding the other Pokeball cases. Before they could do anything, the cases were magically pulled from their grasp.

"HEY!" They yelped as the cases flew into the light, which faded away as Shining laughed.

"What's happening?" Flash asked, only to see Shining shine the biggest grin.

"Oh, its quite simple. Well, Celestia's a pretty accomplished trainer. And in her time, she's caught a bunch of Pokémon. Many of which-" There were several more flashes of light, this time fading to reveal Twilight, Spike and Doc, along with Cadance, Celestia, Luna, Sunset and Grand...and a bunch of Psychic-types, such as Abra, Natu, Ralts and Elgyem. "Know the move Teleport."

"Oh please, like that matters..." Sombra waved his hand, "You're too late champion. I've already captured the Legendaries, and you're all outnumbered." The grunts, Doom and Chrysalis took out their Pokeballs, ready to do battle.

"We might be outnumbered," Shining replied as the others took out their Pokeballs. "But you're outmatched! Besides, we're not as outnumbered as you think. NOW!"

Suddenly, a red shockwave and orange energy sphere shot down from the sky, striking the energy traps holding Alicormony and Dischaos. The machines exploded, the Legendaries now free. "WHAT?!" Sombra screamed as he glanced up, now seeing three Pokémon flying in from the skylight.

"Ember!" Spike cheered, "Thorax!"

"Spitfire!" Flash added as he saw the three Gym Leaders flew down.

"Sup," Spitfire smirked back while Thorax glared at his mother. And before anyone could do anything, several more flashes shined out around them, three more Pokémon and their trainers appearing.

"Hola!" Tidal called out as he stood next to his Lokelpie.

"Sorry to barge in!" Granny Smith added as her Timbark growled.

"But we'll be freeing these Pokémon now," Maud finished while her Spikorn dug its feet into the ground. Seconds later, it charged with Rock Rush and struck one of the energy traps. Lokelpie and Timbark fired an Ice Beam and Dark Pulse at the other two, destroying them to free the Heralds.

The Shadow Grunts all growled at this, some now running for the doors, only to be met by a charging Stampalo. "YEEEEE-HAA!" Braeburn cheered while riding atop it, shattering through the doors. He then skidded to a stop and locked eyes with the others. The two groups of individuals all leapt to one side of the chamber each, with only Alicormony and Dischaos remaining on the ground.

"How the heck did these guys get here?!" Flash asked.

"Grand sent out a message to all the gym leaders and they responded."

"Seein' yah kids in trouble got use kickin' it in-ta high gear," Granny laughed.

Tidal nodded at this, "We got our transporters fixed up to send us to the Crystal Empire, and here we are."

"Hey!" Ember cracked her knuckles, "We gonna stand around here all day, or are we gonna crack some heads?!"

Spitfire grinned and pumped her fists together, "Couldn't have said it better myself."

"Let's take these guys down," Maud deadpanned.

"Chrysalis is mine," Thorax added.

"I'll lend you a hand," Twilight responded as she let her Pokémon out of their balls.

"I got Doom!" Doc threw his Pokeballs into the air and unleashed all but Aggron. Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Sunset and Grand all let out their Pokémon, Suncess, Primoon, Crystardian, Ray and Hariyama appearing side by side.

Flash and his Pokémon stared at Sombra, the grunts and commanders unleashing their Pokémon. He then turned to Shining, "Let's end this." Shining nodded back before the pair pointed at the criminals, "ATTACK!" With that, the two army of Pokémon charged.

Skyler, Astro, Peewee, Owlicious, Flitanium, Champagoon, Wondor and Pegasoar all took to the air, all battling against the many Skullvoc filling the chamber. Back on the ground, Riptide, Prongs, Viper, Higear, Spikorn, Timbark, Stampelo and Lokelpie dealt with the many Shadusk, Frillace and Scrapound that met them.

Kingsect and Shine galloped toward Queensect, ready to take her down while Tockwork and Scrapummel clashed. And at the same time, Springer created a Bone Rush as he stood next to Galladin, both staring Tyrandark down.

"Tie!" It roared before melting into a shadow.

"Flash!" Shining called out, Flash nodding back.

"Springer, use your aura and track it down!" Springer closed his eyes, only to form an aura sphere.

"RI!" He turned to his right and fired, hitting the Tyrandark as it appeared out of the darkness. The orb struck the Pokémon in the chest, slowing it down just as Galladin charged at the monster.

"Sacred Sword!" The knight summoned its blades, slashing Tyrandark twice. The blow made it cry out with pain, Springer then leaping over Galladin.

"Drain Punch!" Springer pulled its fist back, ready to hit it with a green glowing punch.

"Haze!" Tyrandark's cape wrapped around it before the Dark-type exploded into its shadow cloud form, Springer going right through the fog. The cloud then shot for Galladin, reforming as Sombra ordered, "Shadow Claw!"

"Iron Defense!" Galladin raised his shield, Tyrandark's claws slashing against them, but doing no damage. "Now, Slash!" Galladin pushed Tyrandark off, the slicing the Shadow Tyrant Pokémon three times with his blade before it phased into the darkness.

"You..." Sombra growled as he saw his Pokémon retreat back before glaring at the duo. "You will pay for doing this."

"Thunder Punch!" Doom roared, his Scrapummel tightening a fist as it sparked.

"Overclock!" Tockwork's gears on its arms spun around, speeding it up as it dodged thee punch. "Now, Zap Cannon!" The electro sphere appeared on the tip of his gun, which he quickly fired. However, the un-accurate attack shot pass it and instead hit a nearby Skullvoc.

"Giga Drain!" Chrysalis yelled as her Queensect fired a blast of green energy, which struck Shine and made her neigh in pain as her energy was siphoned away. But as this happened, Kingsect flew down and used its horns to cut the energy rope.

"Horn Charge!" Kingsect charged with glowing horns, stabbing them into Queensect. He then threw the bug back, the attack's secondary effect now happening as the bug landed. Queensect was now stumbling, its eyes closing as it began to fall asleep.

"Dang it!" Chrysalis barked, "Snap out of it!"

"Shine!" Twilight yelped as the Rapidash picked itself up, "You okay?" Shine neighed back before turning back at Queensect. "Alright, then use Mystical Fire!"

"Rapid..." Shine's horn exploded with fire, "DASH!" The flames struck the bug, the flames spreading across its entire body. Twilight smiled at this, only to notice Mysticorn blast several Frillace back with a Luster Purge before turning to Queensect.

"Mist!" She neighed before her eyes began to glow, then firing off beams of energy that struck Queensect the second the flames extinguished. As Queensect was hit by this, Mysticorn turned to Scrapummel and Tockwork as the Fighting-type grabbed the clock and used Circle Throw to slam it into the ground.

"That's the way!" Doom cheered as Scrapummel prepared to use Beat Up, only to be struck by the same Miracle Eye that Queensect had been struck by.

And when this happened, Tockwork got up and pointed its gun at its chest, "Psywave!" Psychic immunity gone, Tockwork's gun charged with energy before striking the street fighter in the chest. Scrapummel screamed out in pain as it staggered back. And as this happened, Mysticorn turned away to watch the other fights, smiling at the sight before her.

"Shockwave!" Maud told Spikorn, its entire body sparking with lightning before exploding off and hitting several Shadusk.

"Wood Hammer!" Granny added as Timbark leapt and brought its tail down into the head of a Scrapound.

"Flame Charge!" Braeburn commanded Stampalo, the bison exploding in flames before smashing through a bunch of Shadusk, sending them all flying.

"Shadow Ball!" Several grunts ordered their Skullvoc, the Ghost Flying-types firing the spheres at Champagoon. But before they could reach him, Wondor flew around and tackled every orb. They exploded against him, but the Normal-type was unphased.

"Brave Bird!" Spitfire yelled, the Wonder Pokémon's body igniting into blue flames before shooting through the Ghost-types.

"Ice Beam!" Tidal exclaimed as Lokelpie fired the blue lightning at some Shadusk and Frillace, hitting their lower halves and freezing them in place. "Now, Brine!"

"Lock!" It neighed before unleashing a blast of water that struck the trapped Pokémon, blasting them out of the ice.

Tidal smirked as he watched them fall into some nearby water, "Agradecido that I couldn't fit Leviapent in here. It would have been much worse for you." As he said that, several more Skullvoc appeared behind him, about to use X-Scissor-

"Wyvern Wing!" A Champagoon slammed into them, knocking them away as Ember cheered, "Nice!"

And as the Skullvoc tried to recover, they were then struck by a Tornado Burst, Sky Attack, Incinerate, Dragon Claw and Steel Wing courtesy of Skyler, Owlicious, Peewee, Astro and Flitanium. The attacks slammed into them, only for Horsearth to fire its Smack Down attacks to finish them off.

Meanwhile, Pegasoar flew over to the still downed Legendaries. "Master," he spoke in his own language, "You must be okay."

"Pegasoar," the Harmony Pokémon whispered, "I'm sorry. That device stole much of my strength." They turned to Dischaos and saw it was in the same shape, "We haven't been able to recover much since the last time we were here in the human world."

Pegasoar thought back to the time they were talking about, the situation with that scientist months ago. "Hey!" Pegasoar turned to see several grunts and the Scrapound charging at them, "Get away from our weapons!" This made Pegasoar growl before spreading his wings, then beat them fast enough to unleash a blast of wind that knocked all the criminals and Pokémon back.

"Don't worry," Pegasoar turned back to them, "We'll save you. I promise."

At this, he took to the air and continued to battle against the Skullvoc in the air. And back on the ground, the others continued to battle as well, "Rep!" Riptide roared as he used Rock Smash to smack several Shadusk back.

"Stag!" Prongs slammed his horns into the Scrapound, pushing it into another, then another and another before instantly stopping and sending them all flying.

"VI!" Viper yelled, unleashing a blast of fire that struck the Frillace, pushing them back into Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Sunset, the three battling back to back against their opponents.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Suncess leapt and formed a rainbow energy blast, firing it at some Shadusk.

"Moon Burst!" Primoon threw a sphere of dark energy, which struck some lone Frillace.

"Power Gem!" Cadance added as Crystardian fired beams of light from its floating gems, hitting a collection of Scrapound, Shadusk and Frillace, all getting blasted back by the triple attacks.

"Fire Punch!" Sunset exclaimed as her Alpha Solarmander thrust a blazing first into a Scrapound, then leaping back and landing in front of Sunset. "Nice one." She smiled before turning to the others.

"Zen Headbutt!" Twilight yelled, Shine's horn glowing before she charged to smash her head into Queensect.

"Copycat!" Queensect focused on Shine, its horn then glowing the same color before it shot ahead. Both formed a force-field around their heads before they slammed into one another, trying to overpower the other. But as they locked horns, Kingsect flew above them.

"Slam!" Kingsect slammed its front hooves into Queensect's back, making it cry out, causing the Zen Headbutt to stop as Shine pushed through and headbutted Queensect.

"Yes!" Twilight cheered, "Now, Mystical Fire!" Shine swung her horn around and fired a blazing missile, striking Queensect for even more damage.

"Use Bullet Punch!" Doc said as Tockwork shot ahead, moving faster thanks to using Overclock. And before Scrapummel could react, the Steel-type thrust a fist into its stomach, making it cry out.

"Circle Throw!" Scrapummel fought through the pain and grabbed Tockwork's arm, then fell back to throw him over. Tockwork cried as he went flying, crashing into Owlicious. But as the bird was hit, it turned and suddenly grabbed Tockwork in his Psychic attack.

He expected Tockwork to thank him, but instead Tockwork pointed his gun at Owlicious before firing a Psywave. That attack then shot over his shoulder and Owlicious heard a cry of pain, making him turn to see a Skullvoc get struck by it. "Owl," he thanked him before throwing the Tockwork at Scrapummel.

As he fell, Tockwork turned to the Fighting-type before pointing the gun at him. "Zap Cannon!" The Clockwork Pokémon created the electro sphere and fired it, the Pokémon crossing its arms and braced itself as the attack struck.

"Scrap!" It yelped, feeling the lightning sparking through it as it staggered back just as Tockwork landed. Doc smirked at this before turning to the rest of the area, now seeing the Team Shadow's numbers dwindling.

"This is it." Doc commented as he glared back at Doc, "Just a little more..."

Meanwhile, Flash and Shining continued to battle against Tyrandark, who just couldn't handle fighting both Springer and Galladin. "Extreme Speed!" Flash ordered, Springer zipping around the room as he struck Tyrandark several times.

"Tie!" It melted into a shadow and Springer flew through it, only for Galladin to appear as soon as it reconfigured itself.

"Sacred Sword!" Shining commanded, the knight swinging the blade with a downward slash, striking Tyrandark before it could become a shadow again. It cried out in pain before falling over, only for Springer to fire an Aura Sphere, hitting the Pokémon in the back.

"Yes!" Flash cheered, only for something to shine in the corner of his eye. It was the Shadow Spear, still leaning against the side of the pyramid. The teen turned to Shining, "Can you take care of this fight?"

"Sure. Why?" Shining replied, only for Flash to suddenly run off. The teen headed straight for the spear, only for several Skullvoc, Shadusk and Frillace to appear. They all fired several attacks, Flash jumping to the side before a barrage of attacks from the gym leader Pokémon to appear. And as the grunts' Pokémon where struck, the grunts then ran up to the teen, but Flash was one step ahead.

"Got it!" He yelled as got to the spear, holding it up.

Sombra saw this and growled, "STOP HIM!" Three more Skullvoc flew down to try and attack him, but Flash then swung the spear.

"I don't think so!" He roared as the weapon's head knocked their claws away. "Guys!" Skyler, Astro and Owlicious shot down at the trio and struck them with a Steel Wing, Dragon Claw and Peck attack, knocking them down as Flash run back to Shining.

Sombra glared at the sight, only for the sound of his Tyrandark falling thanks to the two Fighting-types filled the air. He then noticed the Legendaries were almost back up, making him hiss before turning back to the others.

"Ri/Gall!" Springer and Galladin both roared as they struck Tyrandark with a Drain Punch and Slash attack.

"Gah," he growled as he saw his Pokémon stagger back, now falling to its knees. HE turned to Flash and yelled, "Don't think you've won!" he then began to march down the stairs. "Even if you beat me, I'll find a way to get what I want! My pursuit of the ultimate power will not be stopped!"

"I don't think so," Flash barked back, "I told you, your strength is hollow! And until you realize that, you'll never have any true power!"

"Yes yes," Sombra replied while rolling his eyes while Tyrandark used Phantom Force. "The power that can only be attained for others. How quaint...and naive. Tell me, what's your reason for being strong? You talk a big game, but how can you be sure your strength isn't just as hollow?"

Shining turned to Flash, wondering what he was gonna say back, only to see Flash shine a giant grin as he responded, "You know, if you had asked me that before now, I wouldn't have been able to answer. But seeing all this and thinking back to everything I've seen and learned on my journey, I know exactly what my reason to be strong is."

"Oh?" Sombra asked, Flash nodding.

"This world is full of so many kind people, all with dreams and ambitions they want to fulfil. Many of those dreams are great and will help Equestria when fulfilled." His eyes then turned hard, "But then there are dreams like yours. Ones that are selfish and will only harm this great region. And you know what?!" He pointed the spear at Sombra, "I'M GONNA MAKE SURE IT NEVER COMES TRUE!" His Pokémon all cheered in agreement, each knocking down the opponent they were battling.

"Ri!" Springer spun around and used a Bone Rush to block Tyrandark as it came out of the shadows, only to form an Aura Sphere and slammed it into the shadow tyrant's stomach.

Flash smiled at this as he turned back to Sombra. "That's my reason. I'll become strong so I can make sure only good dreams come true. And anyone who tries to harm Equestria in order to live out some kind of mad power fantasy, WILL HAVE TO ANSWER TO ME!"

As he said that, Kingsect unleashed a Bug Buzz that struck Queensect, distracting it long enough for Shine to fire a Dazzling Gleam that caused incredible damage. Meanwhile, Tockwork dodges a Close Combat using Overclock before pointing its gun arm at Scrapummel.

"Zap Cannon!" Tockwork created the lightning sphere and thrust the gun barrel into the Fighting-type before launching it point blank, the sphere exploding upon impact and sending Scrapummel flying back. Both Scrapummel and Queensect hit the ground at this, spirals now appearing in their eyes.

"Springer/Galladin!" Flash and Shining yelled as their Pokémon charged, "AURA SPHERE/SACRED SWORD!" The two summoned their weapons while Tyrandark tried to melt into the shadows, but Springer used his aura to lock onto his physical form.

"RI!" He roared, reaching into the shadow and yanking Tyrandark back out as Galladin then slashed them.

"RAN!" It screamed as it was thrown back, Springer letting go and leaping back. As he did this, he increased the size of the Aura Sphere to its maximum before thrusting it down.

KABOOM!

The sphere struck Tyrandark and exploded, filling the room with light, making everyone turn to the battle. They saw Springer land next to Tyrandark, the light fading to reveal the Tyrandark. The Shadow Tyrant Pokémon stood there, bruises and blows all over his body. He began to try to summon a claw, only for his legs to give out before falling onto its back upon the crystal stairs of the pyramid.

"NOOOOO!" Sombra yelled, seeing the spirals now appear in his Pokémon's eyes. He then glanced around and saw all his other grunts surrendering, their spirits broken the minute they saw their three strongest members lose.

"It's over Sombra," he turned back to Shining as he and Flash moved up with their Pokémon. "Give up and come with us, or we'll be forced to make you stop."

Sombra growled as the other trainers turned to him, the heralds and legendaries glaring at the one that tried to make them his puppets. "No...NO!" he roared, "I...I AM WORTHY!" With that, he turned to run back up the pyramid. Flash and Shining tried to run after him, only for Sombra to get to the Crystal Heart. "No...I refuse to lose. As long as I have this, I can start again." With that, he grabbed onto the Crystal Heart and picked it up. But as soon as his hands touched the relic...something happened.

The crystal suddenly changed color, its light blue slowly changing to a reddish black color. The crystal then unleashed a wave of cold sensation, one that filled the entire cave and filled everyone with a deep sense of dread. But for Sombra, he didn't feel anything except joy. And as he raised it up, he went wide-eyed as he saw something new. The Crystal Heart started firing out blasts of red and black lightning, hitting the walls and ground, making them explode. Everyone started screaming at the sight, including Sombra.

"What is..." Sombra grumbled as he tried to let the Crystal Heart go, but it was like his hands were glued to it. And every second, he felt the energy it was unleashing flow into him. He spun around and turned to everyone, "What...is...happening to-"

And in that moment, the energy struck two things in the chamber. Everyone turned to see Alicormony and Dischaos had both been struck, the energy beginning to wrap around them and suspended the Legendaries into the air. The Heralds gasped at this, only for more lightning to rain down around them, forcing the three back. And as this happened, another bolt struck Sombra's Tyrandark and lifted it up as well.

As this happened, the energy completely enveloped them and the Pokémon found themselves de-materializing before the energy was sucked back into the relic from once it came.

"What just happened?" Spike asked.

"They were absorbed," Twilight whispered, "Just like a Pokeball." It was here that Sombra let out another scream, causing them to look back at him as the energy stopped exploding outward. Instead, it began to squarely assault Sombra. The Crystal Heart then started growing crystals around his hands, the same darkly colored crystals that the Heart now looked like, which completely encased his hands and started growing up his arms. Within seconds, his entire form was sealed inside a human-shaped crystal statue.

"SOMBRA!" Chrysalis and Doom screamed, both trying to run up to the pyramid. But before they could reach him, the statue began to glow and the light exploded off of it. The two were blinded and forced to step back, all covering their eyes along with everyone else.

Only Flash was able to see through, the teen using the Shadow Spear to block it. This cause the weapon to become transparent and let him look to the altar through the light like a pair of sunglasses. It was here that he saw the Sombra statue start growing more and more crystals from it. Eventually, the humanoid shape gave shape for a round sphere of crystals that were growing larger by the second. It grew more by the second, Flash eventually seeing the sides growing close to the walls and roof.

"Everybody out!" Flash yelled, the others gasping and doing as they were told. They ran for the doorway, all rushing out of the chamber, the last person leaving seconds before the crystal cluster began to push against the walls and make them break apart. The chamber and tunnel began to collapse, those running to escape barely managing to keep ahead of the cave-in without getting crushed. And when they reached the exit, most managed to escape with only the last few people and Pokémon needing to jump for it.

"What happened?" Spike asked as they got out of the cave, only for the light to radiate again, this time above them, "Oh, come on!" He exclaimed while covering his eyes, Flash using the Shadow Spear again as he then saw the gem cluster find its way out of the mountain before floating above it.

The item flew over their heads next, Flash following it as the cluster stopped several feet away from the side of the mountain and remained there. Then, the crystals started growing again, becoming larger and larger every second. And when it came to a stop, the sphere began to take shape.

Flash blinked at the sight, only to see the crystals began to make something he recognized as a human chest and torso. It was followed by shoulders forming on the sides and legs growing out of the bottom before a head began to form, though it was more like a helmet. And as it formed, Flash's gasped out, "Tyrandark?"

The giant crystal version of Sombra's ace monster appeared in the air, though it had a few major differences to it. First was that in its chest was the Crystal Heart, still glowing its darkish color. The second noticeable change were its arms, which formed to something different to Tyrandark's arms. Instead, the crystal arms took the shape of the Legendaries, Flash now being reminded of those old robot combiner shows, as it was like the bodies of the Legendaries had been glued to the sides of Tyrandark. Its right arm was Alicormony, who was missing its mane, tail and legs but still had its wings. Dischaos was the left arm, with its arms and legs missing as well. Their heads were forming a pair of claw-like hands with their horns still visible.

And as the creation of this behemoth completed itself, the light began to die down, allowing everyone else to see what had been created. They were all completely horrified by the sight of the giant, which stood at around twenty to twenty-five meters in height, floating in the air next to the mountain. And as the light fully vanished, the eye-sections on the head and arms all lit up to reveal it was awake.

"What...is that?!" Ember asked, the smartest members of the group now connecting the dots.

"I don't know how," Celestia replied, "But the Crystal Heart created that using the Pokémon it absorbed as a template."

"What about Sombra?" Chrysalis asked next.

And in that moment, the giant began to move, only to stare down at Flash. The Alicormony arm raised up at this, pointing itself at the teen before a ball of light appeared in its mouth. And before anyone could do anything, it exploded and sent the energy straight for the teen.

Flash held up the spear at this, flinching as the beam came for him until-

"FLASH!" He heard Shining's voice before the champion tackled him out of the way of the blast, seconds before the laser struck the ground and made a large chunk of the mountain explode. "AHHHHH!"

Flash hit the ground, his hands barely holding onto the spear. And as he tried to recover, a scream of pain rang out, "SHINING!" He turned to see Twilight and Spike running over to Shining, the champion now covered in rocks. The blast had sent them smashing into him, half burying him.

"Oh no..." he whispered before picking himself up and running over to him. "SHINING!" He then saw Shining was unconscious, his head bleeding. "NO!" He then turned back to the titan, glaring at the sight.

"We have to get out of here!" Celestia screamed before the teleporting Pokémon began to grab hold of large groups of people and started teleporting them. Even Doom and Chrysalis, who Thorax had tied up using his Starider's webbing, were forced to be teleported away alongside their grunts.

And as the titan pointed its Alicormony arm at Flash again, an Abra appeared beside them and teleported the group away. Eventually, the entire mountain was abandoned and all that was left was the floating titan. It remained there for a minute or so, as if contemplating something. Then it turned away from the mountain and focused to the far-off mountain that held the Crystal Empire. The behemoth started heading for the ancient city, only to find it couldn't float more than a few meters off the ground, heading down the mountain until it reached the base and began floating for the city.

Team Shadow's objectives might have been stopped, but now Equestria faces an even deadly threat. One that may not be stoppable. Only time would tell whether or not Equestria had a future, or if nothing but destruction and conquest awaited it. As the journey continues
> Equestria's Harmony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the snowy woodlands between the Crystal Empire and Mount Tartarus, it seemed to be a fairly peaceful time. The Ice-types were enjoying their day to day lives, unaware of the incoming danger. From the mighty mountain overlooking the area, a large figure floated over the land and moved toward the great encased city. This figure was the mighty crystal titan that had been born when Sombra, Tyrandark, Alicormony and Dischaos were absorbed by the Crystal Heart, now flying for the Crystal Empire.

And as it flew over, it didn't notice a small drone flying behind it. It was nothing more than a bug to the behemoth, buzzing about without being noticed as it recorded images of the titan and sent back to a certain computer.

"Just look at that thing," Sunset whispered as she, Celestia, Luna and Grand watched the titan on the computer connected to the drone while sitting in the corridor outside the throne room.

"To think the Crystal Heart could create something so...evil," Grand sigh as he felt the malevolence radiating off it, "I don't know how Sombra corrupted it, but it's clear that that thing's not gonna stop until it gets what it wants."

"But what does it want?" Luna asked.

"Sombra was the one who was absorbed first," Celestia told her sister. "So that means that thing must be fueled using his mind as the primary controller. So it wants what Sombra wants. To conquer Equestria."

"You really think so?" Sunset responded.

"It's just a theory," she replied. "But from what I've seen, that would be a reasonable idea."

"Great," Grand growled. "So we've got a psychotic monstrosity on the loose and we're down our strongest member."

They all turned to the doors where the others were waiting. Inside the throne-room, Shining was being seen by the best medics they had, the others standing off to the side as they did their work. As this happened, the doctor walked away from the bandaged up champion and turned to Cadance. "He'll be okay. He was lucky that none of these injuries were fatal. He'll need some time, but he should make a full recovery in a week or two."

Everyone sighed in relief, as the doctor walked out of the room before they ran over to Shining, "Are you sure you're okay?" Twilight asked her brother, who moaned as he opened his eyes.

"I've felt better, but I'll live." He turned to them. "Right now, you guys need to focus on stopping that giant lawn ornament."

"How?!" Spike asked, "That thing's huge, and it has the power of Equestria's strongest Legends. Even with all the Gym Leaders, how the heck are we supposed to stop that thing?!"

"I hate to admit it, but I'm not sure we can." Doc added, "We need more power."

This made everyone exchange glances, all showing frowns as Shining turned to Flash, who had kept away from the others. The look he was wearing wasn't one of fear, but shame. "Flash," the teen glanced up, "It's up to you now. You need to lead everyone against this thing."

Flash's eyes went wide hearing that, "What?!" He walked up at this, "What are you talking about?! I can't lead everyone. Grand...Celestia or...one of the Gym Leaders. They're the ones that should lead us."

"No..." Shining shook his head, "You were chosen by Pegasoar. I can't think of anything that makes you better qualified."

"You...you don't believe that. What if he made a mistake?" Flash's friends all turned to him, seeing the fear on Flash's face.

But as they began to respond, Shining spoke up, "Could you guys give us some time alone?" They all nodded and headed out the door, Twilight stopping for a moment to place a hand on his shoulder, Flash nodding to her before she walked away. "Flash...Pegasoar didn't make a mistake."

"But I got you hurt."

"Were you the one that fired a blast at me?" Flash shook his head, "Then it wasn't your fault. I don't know why Sombra chose to try and hit you, but it's not your fault. Right now, you need to focus on stopping Sombra before he causes any more harm. And no matter what you think, I know you have what it takes to lead them and stop him."

"But how? He's got the power of the Crystal Heart and the two Legendaries. How am we supposed to stand up to something that power?!" Shining didn't reply, instead flinching in pain. The sight made Flash growl and shake his head, "Raaah! I don't wanna say it...but beating him might be impossible! With all that power, he can beat anyone!"

"You're right," Shining told him. "He can beat anyone." Flash grimaced at this, "But not...ever...ever..." Shining then stopped, slowly closing his eyes before a small snore came out.

"Shining? What did you..." Flash muttered out, wondering what Shining meant. Seeing this, he walked out of the room and found Springer and his friends waiting for him. Everyone was there, the Gym Leaders, professors, Grand...everyone. And they were all watching as the titan moved closer to the empire.

"So?" Ember asked, "What do we do?"

"We have to stop that thing before it gets here," Doc replied.

"How?" Braeburn asked.

Granny sighed, "Even if we all used every Pokémon we have, we still wouldn't stand a chance against that thing."

"You sound like you want us to give up," Maud told her.

"We can't do that," Tidal chimed in, "Equestria's counting on us."

"But what are we supposed to do against something that strong?" Thorax asked as everyone continued to argue. Some suggested evacuation while others suggested fighting that thing head on. And some suggested waiting to see if the titan lost power, all slowly getting louder and louder.

As they did this, Flash stood there and listened to them quarrelling. He saw the confusion and chaos, making him grip the side of his head. And as this happened, Cadance grabbed his shoulder, making him glance up at her, "Cadance?"

"What's wrong Flash?"

"I uh..." He looked away at this, "I don't think I can do this. I can't take Shining's place."

Cadance shook her head at this, "Flash, Shining believes in you." Flash glanced back at her, "He believes you're someone worthy of standing in his place."

"Worthy, sure. But am I ready? How will I ever know if I'm ready?"

"You never really know," Cadance told him. "Shining doubted he could be a good champion when he first took up the mantle, but he didn't let that stop him. He had no way of knowing for sure whether he could do this or not, but he took a leap of faith. That's all it is Flash. A leap of faith." She then leaned down to his level, "Do you wanna know what Shining told me about you once?" Flash looked up and nodded, "He said that you're just a big a loser as he was at your age."

"What?" Flash asked, "He called me a...loser?"

Cadance nodded back, "That's not what you think it means. Shining calling someone a loser means that they just hate to lose. Its not a insult when it comes from him."

"Oh..."

"Ri." Springer chimed in, making him turn to his Pokémon as they all gathered around and gave him a nod. They believed in him, just like Shining.

He then looked out a nearby window and spotted the three heralds, all still outside and resting. Pegasoar looked up at him at this, the pair locking eyes. They stared at one another for several seconds, the sight causing Flash to slowly feel calmer.

And as this happened, he turned back to the everyone else, "Everybody...STOP!" They all stopped and turned to him, Flash now standing tall with his Pokémon gathered around him. "We can't keep arguing like this. We need a way to take Sombra down."

"But how?" Sunset asked.

"I...I don't know," Flash replied before walked up to them, "But look who we have here. Some of the best trainers in Equestria, all right here. Gym Leaders, professors, a former champion...and other incredibly skilled trainers. If we can't stop Sombra, nothing will."

"That still doesn't answer the question," Luna added, "Even with this many of us, we still won't be able to stand up against Sombra."

"He could beat anybody," Spike sighed as he fell to the floor and curled up.

And as he saw the teen do this, a click went off in Flash's head. "That's it," he whispered. "That's what he meant." Flash then turned back to the group, "Do we still have the stuff that let Sombra broadcast my battle?" Celestia nodded back, "Good. I have an idea."





All over Equestria, the people had been waiting in front of the televisions that had shown them the battle between Flash and Sombra. This was then cut when Flash hadn't been able to stop Sombra from summoning the Legendaries and Shining now appearing. Now, the screens were dark, all not knowing if Team Shadow had won or not.

But as they waited, the screen began to show a new image: Flash.

"Is it on?" He asked someone off screen, then nodded. "Alright," he turned to the camera, "People of Equestria, you need to listen to me. My name is Flash Sentry, and I'm sending this message to ask for your help." Every trainer in Equestria's ears perked up at this. "You all saw what happened. Sombra summoned Alicormony and Dischaos. His plan was to capture and use them to conquer Equestria, but something went wrong." He looked back at the person off screen and nodded.

A moment later, the screen changed to show an image that shocked the entire region. A giant humanoid figure moving through the snowy wasteland.

"That's Sombra. Somehow, the Crystal Heart was able to fuse him with his Tyrandark and the Legendaries. And now he's on his way to the Crystal Empire, likely planning to conquer it with his new power." The screen changed back to Flash. "Shining Armor has been injured and...well, I'm sure that if he was here, he'd be saying the same thing I'm about to say. Sombra thinks that the power he has now can let him beat anyone, and after seeing it with my own eyes...I have to agree." He stared downward at this, "Sombra can beat anyone."

Everyone in the region gasped at this, Flash's friends all gulping as they saw he had lost hope. As this happened, Lightning rolled his eyes at the screen, "Of course that loser would give up. How pathetic."

But then, Flash lifted his head as his face as he showed a giant smile as he exclaimed, "But he can't beat everyone." This statement made all but one go wide-eyed in the region as he continued, "Trainers of Equestria! I'm asking for your help. Right now, instructions are being sent out to every Pokémon Center in the Region. These instructions will show you how to reconfigure the Pokémon Transporters so that they can work as teleporters to bring you to the Crystal Empire." This made the trainers all gasp as Flash added, "Sombra thinks he's stronger than the entire region. But I say his power isn't even one percent of what Equestria has when it works together. So please, help me."

All over the region, people with technical skills were moving over to the center, grabbing the instructions sent to Nurse Redheart while the trainers began preparing their strongest Pokémon.

"I intend to hold Sombra back for as long as possible. Me and the Gym Leaders of Equestria." The Gym Leaders stepped into view of the camera, all looking ready for a fight. "But the more trainers we have, the better. Let's show Sombra why trying to conquer our home was the biggest mistake he ever made!"





"Oh yeah!" Rainbow cheered as she spun her Pokeball around on her finger. "We're with you, Flash!"

Fluttershy nodded as she turned to Angel, who nodded back before getting into a boxing stance. "We'll protect Equestria and all its Pokémon."





"Sombra's not destroyin' my home," Applejack growled, "For all our friends an families."

"Agreed. We'll stop him," Rarity added.





"Let's do this!" Pinkie exclaimed, causing all the trainers in the Center with her to cheer.





"You'll obviously need Trixie's help," she chuckled before flicking her Pokeball up and catching it.





"I'm going," Sonata told her sisters.

"So are we," Adagio replied whilst Aria nodded.





"You ready Pidgeot?" Cloud Chaser asked, her partner nodding as he spread his wings. "Don't worry Flash, we're coming to help."





"Can't let Flash have all the glory," Timber commented.





"Wings up," Soarin told his Staraptor. "We're taking no prisoners."

"Star!"





In the Dragon Kingdom, Hopper was staring at the image of his trainer on screen. He then turned to Drayce, the kingdom's Kai nodding. "I understand. Ryu. Kaida."

"Got it," Ryu nodded before patting Hopper's head. "Don't worry, we'll help Flash just like how he helped us."





Lightning continued to stare at the image of Flash, a frown on his lips. "Of course a weakling like you need others to help you." He let out a sigh, "Guess I'll just have to show Equestria what a real champion can do before beating Shining Armor." With that, he turned to the transporter as someone was already started working on it. "Hurry it up! Get that thing ready or else!"





Flash let out a long breath as the professors deactivated the equipment they were wearing. "Do you think that did it?" He asked as Twilight walked up to him.

"I'm sure it did," she replied, "Anyone who saw that and doesn't decide to help are fools."

"Now for the hard part," Doc added, "Holding Sombra off long enough for everyone to arrive." Flash nodded before he turned to the professors while several scientists took the equipment away.

"Someone needs to stay here and make sure the people coming arrive safely."

"I'll do that," Cadance responded, "I don't want to leave Shining."

Grand walked up at this, "I'll stay too. Someone needs to show the trainers where to go once they arrive. Besides, we need some kind of safety net here in case you guys can't hold Sombra off long enough." The others nodded before Flash led them all outside, where the heralds were all waiting.

He also spotted the many Team Shadow grunts, including Chrysalis and Doom, all tied up using String Shot. He then turned to Pegasoar, "You ready?" Pegasoar nodded and got down, the others doing the same, allowing their chosen trainers to climb on. "Then let's get going! For Equestria!"

"FOR EQUESTRIA!" They all cheered before heading off.





The mighty titan continued to float toward the Crystal Empire, its massive size allowing it to cross a mile of land in only a minute or two. As it did this, its target had now came into view in only a few hours. But as it got closer, something flew out of the forest between it and the mountain. It was Pegasoar, carrying Flash and Springer on its back with Astro and Skyler flying up with it. The Pokémon of Spitfire, Thorax and Ember were also there, carrying their trainers up above the forest while Mysticorn and Horsearth ran out of the trees with their chosen humans on their back, followed by the rest of the professors, Gym Leaders, Sunset and the Pokémon of Flash, Twilight and Doc.

"This ends here!" Flash yelled as Pegasoar charged at the titan, "Let's do this thing!" With that, Springer fired an Aura Sphere while Astro, Prongs and Viper launched their own ranged attacks. At the same time, Shine, Peewee, Higear and Tockwork did the same, along with Ray, Suncess, Primoon Leviapent and Champagoon. The multiple attacks slammed into the titan, the giant not appearing even phased as its crystal structure began to crack as Riptide, Skyler, Owlicious, Flitanium, Aggron, Kingsect, Spikorn, Timbark, Stampalo and Wondor all charged at it.

"Rock Smash and Steel Wing!"

"Sky Attack!"

"Drill Peck and Heavy Slam!"

"Horn Charge!"

"Rock Rush!"

"Wood Hammer!"

"Double Edge!"

"Superpower!"

The ten Pokémon all fired their attacks at the titan's legs, only for it to swing its legs back, making them all leap back as the giant shrugged off the attacks. At the same time, the Heralds and their riders charged, Flash and Pegasoar flying up to the head as Pegasoar thrust its hooves into one of its eyes. Springer took this chance to leap off thrust a Drain Punch into the other eye, blinding it before falling back and letting Flash catch him.

Meanwhile, Mysticorn and Horsearth galloped around the sightless titan and fired Luster Purge and Smack Down attacks at it from every direction. But the titan lifted its feet up, creating a wave of wind and snow that struck them and several other Pokémon around them. "GYAH/WHOA!" Doc and Twilight yelped as they were thrown from their steeds while the Pokémon were knocked back.

The titan swung an arm at this, missing the flying Legendary, but creating by a powerful gust of wind that buffeted it. Pegasoar started to fight against it, only for the giant to point one of its arms at it before a laser came out.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Flash cried as Pegasoar barely dodged the laser, the attack pushing Flash off the legendary. Skyler then swooped up and grabbed him, Astro managing to grab Pegasoar while Springer landed on the Dragon-type's head. "Thanks guys!"

They all flew down as the titan turned to them, now showing its eyes had somehow been repaired. "Oh, come on!" Flash growled as the titan raised both hands, firing two more lasers before swinging them around, drawing a pair of lines that caused explosions of snow around them. "Aura Sphere, Energy, Flamethrower and Dragon Rage!" His Pokémon fired their attacks, pushing the snow back while the rest did the same, pushing all the frozen liquid back.

And as they saw their attacks fade, all they saw was that the area around them had been damaged, the titan's body already healed as it stood above them. But as this happened, the drone from earlier continued to watch as this all happened.





Cadance and Grand sighed as they watched their friends struggle against the monster. "This isn't good."

"Don't worry," Grand responded, "They can do this. We have to believe in them." As he said that, a stray energy blast hit the drone, the screen instantly blacking out.

"No!" Cadance cried, smacking the screen before slumping over, "Now we can't even see what's happening..." She glanced away from the computer, "They can't keep going forever. They need help." As she said that, the phone began to ring, showing a bunch of messages coming through. "It's from Pokémon Centers all over Equestria."

"What are they saying?" Grand asked, Cadance smiling after this.

"People are ready to transport themselves." Grand chuckled as Cadance activated the warp-tiles, the machines firing energy at the tile as it powered up. She then sent a message to one of the centers, telling them to come through.

The warp tile then turned on, a single figure appearing within it. And as the light began to fade, the figure spinning before everyone's eyes went wide.

"You?!" Cadance gasped as the figure walked off of the tile.

"Hey gramps." Grand said nothing as a slight smirk appeared on his lips.





"Solar Blade!" Sunset yelled as Ray was carried up by Skyler. The Alpha Solarmander held up its hands as they glowed, the light exploding into a blade. Skyler dropped the Fire-type and dive-bombed, using Giga Impact as Ray swung the blade down, only for the titan to raise its arms to block both attacks.

"Now guys!" Flash told his team. "FIRE!" The others all launched their long range attacks, Riptide running up with an Aqua Tail. They all struck, knocking the titan back, allowing the others to get in close. But as they hit it, the crystals forming its body repaired themselves.

The titan then swung its arms, knocking both Skyler and Ray away before stomping his foot down. An earthquake came next, pushing everyone off balance, leaving only the few Pokémon in the sky. Pegasoar, Peewee, Owlicious, Higear Flitanium and Kingsect all fired their long range attacks while Wondor and Champagoon charged with their strongest physical attacks.

The titan staggered back upon impact, allowing the others on the ground to recover, only for a pair of lasers flew across the sky, forcing the flyers back.

"Spike!" Twilight turned to her brother, "Get Peewee to use Draco Meteor!"

"Are you nuts?!" Spike asked, "That's way to dangerous to use with so many-"

"Just do it!" Twilight yelled as Owlicious spread his wings.

"Ahhh!" Spike turned back to the titan, "Draco Meteor!" Peewee heard this and began to build up the energy within him.

"Terra...GON!" He roared before firing the super sphere, which shot up and exploded above the titan's head. But only a few hit the giant, the rest going for the others before Twilight pointed to the sky.

"Psychic!" Owlicious's eyes glowed at this, the meteors now shining before all changing direction and then hit the titan. The giant raised its arms at this, feeling the hits push it back once more. "Now guys!"

"Everyone! Attack! Give it everything you've got!" Flash exclaimed, the Pokémon charging while others fired from a distance, attacking the legs and waist. Meanwhile, its top half was bombarded by the meteors, everyone watching as more cracks began to appear on the monstrosity's body. The Pokémon refused to let up, attacking again and again as the last of the meteors slammed down on the titan. After this, they leapt back as they saw the entire thing was now covered in cracks.

They all panted from the onslaught they had unleashed, Celestia then yelling, "Come on! Let's hit it with another volley!" The others nodded, only for the eyes on the titan's head and arms to start glowing, the light starting to shine like crazy.

"What's happening?" Sunset asked just before the titan swung its arms around, unleashing a powerful blast of energy shot around everywhere, shockwaves and explosions suddenly consuming the area.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone screamed as they were sent flying back before getting bombarded by destroyed pieces of earth, rock and wood, or burnt by the lasers and hot wind that blew them away.

And as the force of the explosion began to clear, only Flash got up. He let out a moan and pushed himself up, only to glance around. Destruction, devastation, despair. Those were just a few of the words Flash could use to describe their current situation.

He then noticed his friends, all laid out in the snow while covered in bruises and moaning in pain. His Pokémon, friends and their Pokémon, along with Sunset, the professor sisters, their Pokémon and the Gym Leaders he had faced were laid out beside them. He looked back up, now seeing the snow fall on him and the massive humanoid above him.

"Come on guys," he groaned, "We...we can't let him win." The others moaned as they glanced up at the titan, most barely moving as the crystal construct raised the Alicormony arm as a sphere of pink energy appeared within the mouth. The sight made Flash go wide-eyed, "No...is this the end?"

And in that moment, the orb exploded into a laser that shot right at Flash.

None of his Pokémon were able to get up, Flash now seeing the laser coming for him. And as it came, he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

"THUNDER!"

Flash's eyes shot open, a powerful bolt of lightning striking the laser. The two forces clashed, pushing against another before exploding, filling the air with smoke. The teen spun around and saw two figures walking through the cloud. "I knew you couldn't handle this."

Flash's eyes went wide at the voice as the smoke cleared, "Lightning?" he whispered at the teen and his Gorillamp.

Lightning just stood there, starting at the rock titan. "Huh. He doesn't look too tough. I could probably take him down without their help."

The fog then faded to reveal Grand with his Hariyama, only for more to appear from out of the trees. Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie and Trixie. They and their Pokémon stood tall as they moved up, followed by others. Timber, Gloriosa, Sonata and her sisters, Derpy and Heath. Even people they had only met once or twice such as Micro Chips, Sandalwood, Spark Plug, Shady Forest, Fancy Pants, Fleur, Ceder, Zecora, Strongheart and her father.

"Guys..." He gasped, "You came..."

"Of course we came," Rainbow replied, "You asked for our help."

"And we couldn't leave our friends hangin," Applejack added, the others nodding.

"And we're not the only ones," Rarity continued, "Your words touched all of Equestria's hearts." As she said that, more trainers and their Pokémon stepped out from the trees, one they had never seen before along with trainers like Officer Hard Case and Nurse Redheart

"It's like you said," Fluttershy chimed in, "Sombra might be able to beat anyone."

"But he can't beat everyone!" Pinkie cheered.

"We're here to save our home," Trixie finished as the Pokémon belonging to Nurse Redheart began to use their healing moves. Ones like Softboil, Heal Pulse and other remedy attacks as they all hit Flash and his friends, healing them and their Pokémon.

"Ri?" Springer yelped as he got up, feeling his wounds vanish.

And as this happened, Sombra prepared another blast. But before he could fire, a bunch of Flying-types shot out of the trees, lead by Cloud Clipper as her Pidgeot fired off a Hurricane attack. Alongside her was Soarin and his Staraptor, Gilda and her Mandibuzz, Torch and his Druddigon, and many others.

"Wow." Flash whispered before spotting a certain flying trio, "HOPPER?!"

"Dran!" The Skeidran cheered before turning to Sombra. "SKEIDRAN!" He roared as he fired a Wyvern Wing while Ryu and Kaida used Boomburst and Ice Beam. The other flying Pokémon unleashed their own attacks, causing Sombra to stagger back.

"You okay?" Pinkie asked as she helped her sister up.

"I'm fine," Maud replied.

"I can't believe you're all here," Luna told Trixie and those around her.

"And there's more to come," Grand replied, "Cadance stayed behind to make sure those coming late know where to go." As he said that, Sombra began to swat at the Flying-types, all flying back as the titan unleashed blasts from both its hands. But several Pokémon used Protect, Barrier, Light Screen and other defensive moves, making a massive shield that reflected the laser away.

When the smoke cleared, the shield vanished to reveal Sombra staring down at a massive army of trainers and their Pokémon, Flash at the front, "Now do you get it?!" The teen yelled before holding out his arms. "This is the force you're facing! A force that'll stop at nothing to protect its home from psychos like you!" The crowd cheered as the titan simply stood there, several people getting the feeling if it was trying to growl.

Flash turned to back to the army, all thought of defeat vanishing as he saw how serious they were. "Alright!" He turned back to Sombra, "FOR EQUESTRIA!" The crowd exploded before they charged, an army of Pokémon all firing attacks at the titan. Before it could react, the beast was bombarded with fire, lightning, wind, psychic energy and whatever else a Pokémon could battle with.

"Rio!" Springer yelled as he formed an Aura Sphere, throwing it along with several other orb attacks at the same time. They all slammed into the titan, the behemoth staggering back while several Flying-types shot past it and slashed it with Steel Wings, Wing Attacks, Duel Wingbeats and others.

"Stone Edge!" Rainbow exclaimed as Tank summoned and fired a barrage of rocks.

"Boomburst/Ice Beam!" Ryu and Kaida ordered as their Dragon-types unleashed the long range attacks, Hopper also using Extreme Speed to strike the titan.

This got the monster to react, the giant now swinging its arms to swat them out of the sky. It then noticed a large flock of Flying-types and pointed the Dischaos arm, unleashing another laser.

"Scatter!" Cloud cried, causing them to split up, though some were still struck.

Near the giant's feet, Lightning and Gorillamp reached it along with several other Electric trainers. "THUNDER!" He roared, Gorillamp letting out a scream as electricity blasted off it and flew up the titan. Several other Electric-type attacks were also fired, hitting the giant.

"Power Gem!" He heard Rarity yell, Opal and her gem sibling Pokémon unleashing the red energy beams that struck the titan's knees. This made it start to lose balance, falling to its knees as Sunset and Applejack ran around it.

"Dragon Pulse!" Sunset ordered Ray, the Pokémon firing the dragon-shaped blast at the titan's back.

Applejack with her Redog and evolved Bloomberg watched as the titan tried to push itself back to its feet. "Wood Hammer and Wild Charge!" Winona's body began to spark before she charged, exploding into an electric bullet. At the same time, Bloomberg ran up with a glowing fist, the two hitting the back leg and knocking it off balance again.

As this happened, more Pokémon unleashed their long range attacks, slamming everything into the giant. At the same time, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Gummy, Angel, Bloxx, and Harry to ran for the head.

"Ice Beam!" Pinkie cheered, Gummy jumping off her head and unleashing the blue lightning, hitting the ground that formed a ramp of ice that led up to the behemoth's head. "Now, use Brick Break!"

"Crush Claw and Hi-Jump Kick!"

The Bloxx, Bunounce and Grizzor went up the ice ramp, flying up to the giant rock head and smashing their fist, foot and claws into it. Several cracks and slashes were formed on its face, making the beast cry out as it pushed itself back up. It then slammed its legs down, creating a wave of snow that shot out in a circle.

The trainers all gasped, only for Flash to yell, "Flamethrower and Dragon Rage!" Viper and Astro unleashed blasts of fire, striking he snow and melting the wall.

"Incinerate!" Spike added, Peewee unleashing a fireball that also evaporated the incoming snow.

"FLAMETHROWER!" Many other Fire-type users, including Sunset, Rarity and Heath ordered as their Pokémon blasted the snow. Steam filled the air until it faded away, revealing the titan standing tall as it pointed an arm at them, preparing another laser.

Mysticorn quickly jumped up and shot a Luster Purge, slowing the laser, only to get pushed back as Twilight commanded, "Dazzling Gleam!"

Shine fired the Fairy-type energy blast as Depry then said, "Psybeam!" Her Swirlutz then unleashed a beam from its eye.

"Dark Pulse!" Trixie continued, her newly evolved Sagic firing a stream of energy rings from its staff. They struck the blast alongside the Luster Purge, pushing it back and slamming into the titan, causing it stagger back as the attacks exploded against it.

"Yes!" Flash cheered, seeing the many Pokémon continue to unleash barrage after barrage of attacks. But no matter how much the titan was struck, it wasn't enough. Whenever a piece of crystal was broken, a new piece grew back to replace it almost instantly. "No...there's gotta be some way to take this thing down once and for all."





In the Crystal Empire, Cadance waited for the next person to come through the transporter, only for nothing to come through. "Is that the last of them?" She asked while turning to her still injured husband.

She let out a sigh before moving over to the table holding her journal and the Shadow Spear. As she picked it up, her mind went back to when Sombra had attacked Flash and hurt Shining...only for something to spark in her mind.

"Wait...why did he do that? Why attack Flash? Unless..." She squinted at the spear before opening the journal, only to go wide-eyed as she went to a certain passage, "That's it. Just like the tomb showed..." She picked the Spear up, "This is how we can stop Sombra."

"Then what are we waiting for?" She spun around at the voice, now finding Shining sitting up. "Let's go help our friends."





"Terror Root/Leech Seed!" Rarity, Applejack, Granny and several other Grass-type trainers yelled as their Pokémon glowed and fired seeds from their bodies.

The ground shook at this, giant roots coming out next as they wrapped around the giant's legs. The seeds also landed and broke apart, wrapping around the titan and tying it up. "That got him!" Applejack cheered, seeing the behemoth beginning to lose balance.

But before it could fall, the horn on the Alicormony head began to glow before more crystals appeared. The crystals extended and it swung its arm, cutting through the roots and vines.

"Oh, come on!" Rainbow exclaimed from Tank's back. "What's it gonna take to make this thing go down?!"

Twilight turned to Spike, "Ready?"

Spike nodded back before pointing to the sky, "Peewee, use Draco Meteor!" Peewee leapt up as his chest glowed, letting out a mighty roar before the sphere of energy shot out his mouth, shooting above the titan before exploding into multiple meteors.

"Psychic!" Twilight told Owlicious, the bird using his psychic abilities to grab and throw the meteors at the giant. The titan saw it coming, pointing its arms up and firing multiple blasts to stop them.

"Let's go while its distracted!" Flash yelled as he and his team charged, "Aura Sphere, Energy Ball, Flamethrower and Shadow Ball!" Four of his Pokémon fired the attacks, slamming into the legs of the giant.

"Hammer Arm/Force Palm!" Lightning and Grand yelled as Gorillamp and Hariyama charged.

"Steel Wing and Heavy Slam!" Doc ordered Flitanium and Aggron.

"Moon/Sun Burst!" The sisters exclaimed as their Pokémon launched their sphere attacks.

"Dragon Tail!" Heath screamed as he and Blazegon flew down at the legs.

"Close Combat!" Soarin ordered Staraptor, leaping off it as it flew toward the titan.

"Horn Charge/Rock Rush/Flame Charge/Brave Bird/Hydro Pump/Brick Break!" The Gym Leaders yelled as their aces charged, Leviapent unleashing a blast of water from its mouth. The heralds also attacked, Pegasoar with Steel Wing, Mysticorn with Luster Purge and Horsearth with Smack Down. Many others such as Derpy, Sonata and her sisters, Spark Plug, Micro Chips and Sandalwood also did the same.

"Aqua Break and Steel Wing!" Flash added as Riptide and Skyler joined the others, all reaching the legs of the titan, attacking it with as much force, speed and precision that they could. And while the giant was busy with the meteors, it was helpless against the onslaught from below. Everyone watched as the crystals that made up its legs were broken more and more, hoping this would finally fall...only for the Crystal Heart on its chest start to glow.

"What's happening?" Spike asked as the light grew brighter, then exploded off of the relic and down at the ground like a laser. And as it struck, the ground exploded.

KABOOM!

The shockwave flew across the field, knocking everyone back before getting covered in snow. And as this happened, the titan shot down the last of the meteors, its arms lowering as it looked back down at the people. The figure then lifted one of its legs, the broken piece giving out as the limb fell off, only to be replaced with a growing new one. This was followed by the other leg, the titan already back to perfect condition. And then, it reached down and picked up the broken legs.

Flash groaned as he picked himself up, finding the blast had sent him to the edge of the forest. And as he looked back at the titan and wiped his face, he saw the giant holding its broken legs and the two glared at one another. That is, till it pulled the leg back before throwing it.

His eyes went wide at the sight, unable to move as others around him were just now recovering. And as the leg flew through the air, spinning as it came for the teen, he closed his eyes again as the leg came for him.

"GALLADIN!" Flash's eyes opened at the sound, now seeing the crystal get cut into a million tiny pieces before safely raining down. As they did this, Shining's Galladin landed in front of him in its Armor Drop state.

"Whoa...." Flash gasped before hearing a stomping sound coming through the trees. He turned around now seeing an Ankyload with two people on its back, "Shining! Cadance!" He slowly got up as Ankyload came to a stop, Flash now seeing Shining, who still wasn't back to perfect health. "What are you doing here?!"

"I'm the champion," Shining replied with a smile. "You think I'd miss this?" He then held something out. "Besides, somebody had to bring this."

Flash saw it was the Shadow Spear, only for Shining to throw over to him. "The Shadow Spear?"

"This is why Sombra tried to blast you at the mountain," Cadance responded, "He wasn't after you, he was after the Shadow Spear. It's the only thing that can stop him." Flash's eyes went wide at this as she continued, "I figured it out. Sombra's ancestors used it to break the Crystal Heart in half a thousand years ago, which means we can use it to break the Heart again. If that happens, that titan will lose power."

Flash stared down at the spear, then turned to the titan as it fired a blast of energy that knocked several flying Pokémon away. His eyes zoomed in on the area of the chest, where the Crystal Heart was now brightly glowing. "So we need to thrust this thing into its chest and break the Heart again?"

"It's the only way," Shining added, "Normally, I'd do it myself. But right now, I'm not in the best condition for it."

"Then shouldn't Grand or one of the Gym Leaders do it?" Flash asked as he looked back at Shining. But as he said these words, he saw a look in the man's eyes that told him only one thing: Faith.

"Flash, you were chosen by one of the heralds. To me, there's no one more qualified to do this." Shining replied, Cadance nodding agreement, "Besides, you were the one that brought all these trainers together. It seems only fair that you be the one that takes Sombra down."

Flash stared at the spear for a few seconds, then looked up at Shining and nodded. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't! Now go get that monster!" Flash nodded again before turning back to the titan, running ahead as Shining and Cadance watched him go. "You can do this."

As if sensing the spear's presence, the titan turned to Flash. The reaction was instant, swinging its arms around wildly as it fired multiple blasts and kicked its legs around to swat away anyone nearby. The kicks also unleashed a powerful wave of wind, which created a tidal wave of snow headed straight for Flash.

But before it could hit him, Pegasoar shot down with Springer on its back. "Peg!" Using Hurricane, it unleashed a blast of wind that struck the snow wave, stopping it in its place. And before either could overpower the other, Springer leapt off his back.

"RI!" He roared, firing an Aura Sphere at the area of the wave in front of Flash. The orb struck the wall and exploded, sending the snow flying.

"Thanks guys!" Flash replied before jumping onto Pegasoar's back, "You gotta get me up to the heart!" Pegasoar nodded and spread its wings, then shot into the air. They were soon joined by another flock of Flying-types and their trainers, including Cloud, Rainbow, Spitfire and Hopper. "Cover me!" He held up the spear, "I'm ending this!"

They nodded before the flock charged at the titan. The crystal beast saw this and let out a roar, pointing both its arms at them before charging up twin blasts. "HURRICANE!" Many of the trainers yelled, their Flying-types unleashing blasts of wind at the titan.

But as this struck, Sombra fired the beams, the twin lasers merging into one that shot straight at Flash. And as it came for him, Hopper, Astro and Skyler appeared.

"DRAN/TORE/GAL!" They roared as Hopper covered himself in Wyvern Wing, Skyler spun into a tornado and Astro thrust a Dragon Claw attack forward. The three slammed into the energy beam, pushing it back before cutting it in half. "Sky/Naive/Vern!" They cheered as Pegasoar flew through, Flash and his Pokémon smiling at one another until he shot out of range and focused back on Sombra.

The titan held its arm up, trying to swat Pegasoar away, only to be suddenly struck by flames, water, and electricity. Flash looked down and saw Viper, Spike, Rarity, Pinkie, Sunset and Heath standing there with their Pokémon. This was followed by Thorax leading a bunch of Bug-type trainers into the air, the Bugs all using String Shot, Sticky Web and other such moves to tie the raised arm up. Within seconds, the arm was wrapped up as Ember flew up with several other Pokémon, including Owlicious and Flitanium, all grabbing the string and pulling the arm down toward the ground.

He then glanced to the other side of the titan, where Twilight, Trixie, Fluttershy, Derpy, Celestia and Luna were standing with that Pokémon. Mysticorn was also there, the Legend using its psychic powers to grab the other arm of the titan. "Psychic!" Twilight, Trixie and Derpy exclaimed, causing their Psychic-types to use their abilities to grab the titan's other hand and hold it in place.

"Crush Claw!" Fluttershy commanded.

"Mach Punch!" The professor sisters ordered as Harry, Suncess and Primoon charged and slammed their attacks into the arm, causing several cracks to appear. helping the Psychic-types keep the arm pinned.

Rarity then ran up to Applejack, Granny Smith and several others with Grass-types were standing, Herbarald running with her. "Terror Root/Leech Seed!" The Grass-types all cried out, several firing seeds at the giant while others made giant roots shoot out of the ground. Roots and vines wrapped around its legs, making it lose balance again as it tried to move its arms.

Meanwhile, Riptide, Prongs, Horsearth Grand, Maud, Tidal, Hariyama, Spikorn and Leviapent ran behind the titan. "Hydro Pump/Rock Blast!" The Gym leaders exclaimed, their Pokémon firing at the titan's legs. Prongs also used Energy Ball while Horsearth fired Smack Down, the attacks striking the back of the giant's legs, causing them to crack and weaken.

"Rep!" Riptide formed an Aqua Break as he charged.

"Harry!" Hariyama leapt up and pulled its palm back, thrusting it into the back of the knee as Riptide slashed at the other one with his sword. This caused the titan to finally lose balance, falling to its knees while its arms continued to be pulled down.

And as Flash approached, he raised the spear. But before he could reach it, the titan pulled with all its strength and ripped the webbing holding its arm, swinging the arm straight for Flash.

"Heavy Slam!" Gorillamp appeared and slammed into the arm, knocking it back with ease. The gorilla then thrust its fist down, breaking the titan's arm to pieces with a single blow.

And as this happened, Aggron, Stampalo, Druddigon and many others ran up next. Some fired blasts at the titan's chest while Aggron, Stampalo and Druddigon leapt up and slammed into the monster's chest, giving Flash the perfect view of the heart.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" Lightning screamed, "DO IT ALREADY!"

"Take him down!" Doc yelled.

"DO IT!" Twilight and Spike added.

"FLASH!" Everyone else cheered.

"GOOOOO!" He yelled as Pegasoar charged straight for the heart. But as they got closer, the Crystal Heart began to glow, making Flash go wide-eyed, "LOOK OUT!" As soon as he said that, the heart unleashed a beam of energy that shot straight at them.

But before it could hit, Pegasoar bucked the two off of it and used its wings to blast the pair at the titan before the laser struck the legendary. A scream of pain could be heard as Flash looked back, seeing the Pokémon hit the snow with a thud.

"PEGASOAR!" Flash cried before glaring back at the titan, "That's it!" He raised the spear, "You're not hurting anyone...EVER AGAIN!" With that, he threw the spear at the heart with everything he had.

Everyone watched as the spear shot through the air, about to hit the heart. But as it got close, the heart glowed again as the spear got within inches of it, and fired another beam that struck the weapon, stopping it in place. Time froze as the spear and whatever power it possessed, was able to push against the beam...only to begin to waver.

Flash gasped at this, only to hear Springer yell, "RIOLU!" He turned to his partner, the pair locking eyes and Flash nodding back.

"Let's do this!" Springer fell toward him as Flash pulled his legs back, then swung it forward. "GO!" He leg slammed into Springer, the Riolu positioning himself so his feet hit Flash's legs. The two pushed off one another, shooting Springer upward as he formed an Aura Sphere in his paws.

"Rio!" He roared, reaching the spear and thrusting the orb. The Aura Sphere slammed into the back of the weapon, giving it another jolt of momentum, letting it push through the energy. The two crystals pushed against one another, the heart and the one wielding it continuing to try and protect themselves.

But as this happened, the spear began to break through. Within seconds, it pierced the heart, causing it to crack right down the middle. And after this, the crack completed and the heart's energy exploded outward. Everyone in the area was completely blinded next as the light from the heart shot down and unleashed a shockwave that blew them all back. This included Flash and Springer, the pair flying into the snow with nobody to catch them.

And as the light blazed from the spear reaching the heart, it did it for a full minute, only for the light to fade. As it did this, everyone picked themselves up in time to hear the sound of cracking crystals, making them look up and see the titan's body begin to break apart. The cracks formed in the battle grew larger, only for it start to crumble. And as it fell apart, the titan began to unleash red energy that flew up before splitting into three. They materialized into the forms of Alicormony, Dischaos and Tyrandark, all beaten and battered.

The titan then crumbled into a large pile of crystals, causing everyone to cheer and scream in joy. They had done it. They had won.

"Yeah!" Rainbow cheered, "Take that, you lunatic!"

"Victory party!" Pinkie screamed, she and her Pokémon all beginning to dance.

But as they did this, Twilight turned to the group, "Wait...where's Flash and Springer?!"

Everyone else went wide-eyed at this, only for Lightning and his Gorillamp to walk up to a section of snow that had been piled up due to the shockwave. He stared at it for a moment, then reached inside and pulled out a certain someone. It was Flash, which Gorillamp then yanked out Springer, the ape dropping him down next to Flash. As it did this, the pair let out a moan, opening their eyes to see a frowning Lightning.

"What...happened?" Flash groaned out.

Lightning continued to frown. "By some miracle, a loser like you actually managed to beat the guy. Though, I could have done it without the help."

As he said that, the titan's remains began to move before Sombra pushed the rocks off of him. He let out a gasp as he pulled himself free, the armor he had been wearing broken up. Multiple Officer Hard Cases ran over at this, their Eeveelution Partners all growling at him. But as Sombra began to move out of the pile, his eyes went blank as he slumped over, losing conscious.

Flash sighed at this, showing a small smile. It was over. They had won.

He then turned to Lightning, seeing the teen staring at Alicormony and Dischaos. "What now? You gonna try and capture them or something?"

"Usually, I would. They deserve to be with me, a real trainer." Lightning replied before growling, "But given how many people here would probably get in my way, its not worth the effort." He let out a long hiss, "Whatever, I'm done here. Don't expect me to save your butt a third time."

He began to walk off at this as Flash pushed himself back to his feet. "I'll see you at the league. And this time...I'm gonna win." Lightning stopped for a moment, only to continue with Gorillamp. The teen watched him disappear into the trees, likely heading back to the empire.

Flash stayed there for a second, only to hear his friend's voices. "FLASH!" He turned to see the rest of his Pokémon running up along with Twilight and all his friends. "You did it!" Twilight exclaimed before jumping at him, the two hugging one another as Flash fell into the snow. The others smiled at this as the pair sat up, then pulled apart, Twilight slightly blushing just as Flash's Pokémon ran over to hug him as well.

"Thanks guys," Flash replied, "I couldn't have done it without everyone's help."

"Either way, you should be proud." Celestia added before turning to the army of trainers and Pokémon, "You all should be. Thanks to everyone, Equestria has survived another catastrophe. And I'm sure the Legendaries are thankful."

The group turned to the freed Legendaries, the pair now standing up. They stared out at the large group and after a moment or so, they nodded, everyone able to tell they were thankful. A moment later, the two spread their wings and took to the air, Dischaos flying straight up as a portal appeared in the sky and it flew through it. But Alicormony remained hovering in the air. As it did, its horn began to glow and unleash waves of golden energy.

The energy flowed over the army, all now feeling their injuries begin to vanish. "Thank you," they suddenly heard echo in their heads. "All of you."

"Telepathy..." Twilight gasped.

"It is clear from this event that Equestria has many evil beings within it. But the good that fills it far outnumbers the evil. I'm glad to see I can trust my home's future in good hands. Thank you, my little Pokémon, and the many trainers that partner with them. I'm sure you can handle any problem that might arise." Once she said that, the light from her horn vanished and she flew up, a portal appearing above her and she flew in, vanishing while her heralds picked themselves up.

Flash saw this and ran up to them, "Pegasoar!" The Pokémon turned to him, "Thank you...for believing in me."

"Yeah," Twilight smiled at Mysticorn, "And thank you for doing so much to protect Equestria."

Doc nodded at Horsearth, "If you ever need any help...don't even hesitate to ask." The three Legendaries stared at them, then smiled and nodded. They then moved forward and placed their heads closer to the three, who all reached up and petted them. After a few moments, they pulled back and turned away. Then, Pegasoar shot into the air while Horsearth began to gallop away and Mysticorn teleported away. The three were gone like the wind, disappearing before anyone could ask where they were going.

They all knew that if Equestria ever needed them again, the heralds would be ready to fight against any evil that showed its face. And if they needed help, their chosen trainers were ready to step up to the mark.





Everything after that was a major blur to Flash and the rest of his friends. They all returned to the Crystal Empire, Sombra rejoining his team as they were all prepared to be transported to a temporary prison to await trial. Flash would never forget Sombra's mad ravings when he was carted away, swearing vengeance and that his dream would never be stopped.

The relics had been recovered, and it was decided to split the Heart Fragments up again, one being placed in a museum on the other side of Equestria while the other and Shadow Spear remained in the Crystal Empire.

After that, the trainers used the teleporters to return to the centers they had come from. The last to return were Flash's friends, who thanked Flash for his hard work and getting all of Equestria to help. That and Hopper, who wanted to stay with Flash a bit longer, the dragon wanting to properly meet Astro and was also surprised at the evolved Shine. After that, Pinkie gave him a majorly tight hug, Rainbow and Applejack offering him a fist bump and Rarity even giving him a kiss on the cheek before they vanished through the transporter.

Flash then left the Crystal Castle, watching the sun begin to set. The sight made him think everything that had happened between the dream Pegasoar had him experience and right now felt like something that would take a month to complete, but it had actually only been a single day.

"You okay?" Flash turned to see a fully healed Shining.

"Yeah," he nodded before looking back at the sun, "Just...staring at what we almost lost. If we hadn't beaten him, we'd be seeing this sight while bowing down to Sombra." Shining nodded and leaned against the castle leg beside him. "It was a close one."

"But you did it, and you should be proud. Cadance told me how you managed to rally everybody, and how you were able to inspire all of Equestria to come and help. You were amazing."

"Thanks," Flash replied, trying to hide a smile, "A part of me wants to think I did just as good as you would have in that situation, but another part tells me you would have done something differently."

"You're right, I would have." Flash turned to him, "I never would have thought to use that equipment to contact all of Equestria and have them transport here. But you did, and that helped save Equestria." He gave Flash a nod, "You saved the day because you were being you, and that's what a real champion does. They do what they think is right. They don't try to copy what others before them did."

Flash smiled back at that, "So what you're saying is I shouldn't try to be just like you, but be the best me that I can be?"

Shining nodded, Flash's smile increasing before a voice called out to them, "Flash!" They turned to see Twilight, "You coming? We need to get going."

"You heading to Canterlot?" Shining asked.

"Yeah," Flash replied, "But I think I'll go the long way." Shining raised an eyebrow at this. "I'm thinking of heading somewhere close to Canterlot, but not actually in it. Know anywhere in particular that might be good?"

"Hmmm...there is one place. It's in the opposite direction of Trottingham, which is probably why you never saw it before. Between it and Canterlot is a pretty amazing place you should check out. I think you'll enjoy it."

The two then walked inside, the pair talking about the location as they got a transporter ready. It had been one heck of a ride, but Equestria was finally safe. Team Shadow had been crushed, and the Legendaries were safe. Now Flash and his friends can focus on training, the upcoming Equestria League being on everybody's mind. But the ultimate question was, who will win and have the chance to challenge Shining for his title? Find out...as the journey continues.
> Trailer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


THE FUTURE...IS NOW!




Horizon City, a great metropolis built within a large crater. North of it was a small mountain that overlooked the city, in its side was a cave with an ancient temple inside.




HARMONY...HAS BEEN FORGED!




The tour guide lead them through the building, "Here are Horizon Incorporated, our vision is to make the world a better place using the power of Pokémon and all their mighty abilities."




AND DESTINIES...HAVE BEEN LINKED!




Flash stood there with wide eyes, gasping as he saw who was on the battlefield, "Lightning..."




THIS YEAR!




Flash and his friends marveled at the sight of the city, now seeing the people and Pokémon working so well together.




MEET NEW FRIENDS AND NEW ENEMIES!




"Name's Starlight Glimmer," the girl their age replied as the younger one handed her a file.



"Call me Sunburst," he responded before pushing his glasses up.




SEE WHAT COULD BE THE FUTURE!




"Did he just...fuse...with a Pokémon?" Twilight asked as they stared at the human-Sandslash Hybrid.




AND WITNESS THE RETURN OF AN EVIL LONG SINCE FORGOTTEN BY EQUESTRIA!




"Is that what I think it is?" Flash asked as the group walked over to the back of the temple, all staring at a giant statue of a Pokémon they had only seen before in stained glass.



"That's the Legendary Cataclysmic Pokémon."

"Centirek," Twilight whispered with wide eyes.




DESTRUCTION!




Everyone screamed as they ran for the exit of the temple, dodging the falling debris from the collapsing roof.



People screamed as a building exploded, many Pokémon doing their best to blast the falling rubble. But as they did this, the shadow of the explosion's cause illuminated the dust filled street, a pair of bright red eyes beginning to glare at them.




DEVASTATION!




"What have I done?!" Starlight asked as she saw the now destroyed city.



The sight of Alicormony and Dischaos falling to the evil Pokémon's feet made everyone go wide-eyed. They were utterly helpless, everyone knowing that if they fell, then nothing could stop this thing.




AND A DANGER THAT THREATENS THE VERY SAFETY OF THE REGION!




Sunburst turned to the others, "If we don't stop that thing here and now, it'll only grow more powerful. If that happens, nothing's gonna be able to stop it."



Doc's eyes went wide as he watched his Pokémon slump over, drained as they hit the ground, "No...its too strong."




TO SAVE THEIR HOME!




"We're not giving up!" Flash roared as he and Springer charged.




THEY MUST PUSH BEYOND THEIR LIMITS!




The Thunder and Hyper Beam attacks connected, pushing against one another. Despite the Hyper Beam being charged with the power of so many Pokémon, the Thunder refused to give up and kept pushing.




AND BITTER RIVALS...




Flash turned to where the Thunder had come from, eyes wide as he saw Lightning Blitz and Gorillamp.




MUST STAND UNITED!




The two teens and their Pokémon stood side by side, staring down the mighty opponent. They were the only thing standing between it and enough power to destroy all of Equestria. They couldn't let that happen.




THEIR ONLY CHANCE AT VICTORY!




"I will beat you!" Lightning screamed as he leapt away from the Hyper Beam, the attack hitting the ground before exploding.



"We will save...EVERYBODY!" Flash yelled as the Aura Sphere was thrown at the beast's face.




WILL BE TO FIGHT TOGETHER!




"LIGHTNING!" Flash screamed as the teen went flying past him.

Lightning forced his eyes open as he then yelled, "GET HIM!" Before he disappeared into the dust.




POKEMON, THE MOVIE!
RIVAL AND DARKNESS!




Everyone watched in shock as the Master-Ball opened up and sucked the Legendary inside, snapping shut before hitting the ground. There was no way...




Coming, 4/9/2021

> The Beginning of the End
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Canterlot City was full of noise and cheers, followed by the puffing sounds of smoke bombs exploding in the sky. The reason for all this commotion was a simple one: The Equestria League was about to begin. Once a year, every year, the strongest trainers of Equestria would gather to compete in the tournament. Only those with at least eight badges would be allowed to enter, with each round whittling down the competition until only one remained, that one being allowed to challenge Equestria's champion, claiming his title should they find a way to defeat him.

Currently, the city was enjoying an exciting little festival as they waited for the tournament to begin. Multiple booths were currently open, owners selling their wares and trinkets to any coming to watch the tournament.

And that was where Spike wanted to be right now, instead being stuck in his backyard, watching as his friend Flash trained with his Pokémon. "Aqua Break and Bone Rush!" Flash yelled as Springer and Riptide charged at each other with their weapons. At the same time, Skyler and Prongs were zipping around the garden. "Energy Ball and Steel Wing!"

"Stag!" Prongs roared as he fired a sphere at Skyler, who swung around and slashed the orb with his wing.

At the same time, Viper and Astro were staring one another down. "You ready?" Flash asked them, the Vipeacon and Galvern nodding. "Then use Flamethrower and Dragon Rage!" Both Pokémon unleashed their differently colored fires, both striking one another and pushing each other back in a perfect balance of power. And when they stopped, Astro huffed and turned to Flash.

"Gal!" He barked, Flash smirking.

"You sure?" Astro nodded, "Then let's do this. Just focus and remember what the Technical Manual said. Control your dragonic power and let it out in a single stream." Astro nodded again and pointed his head up into the air. "Now...Dragon Pulse!"

"Gal!" He opened his mouth as it began to glow, then fired a burst of energy straight up. The energy took the form of a dragon and flew straight up, exploding with enough force to make the trees around them shake. And when the smoke cleared, Astro smiled as his trainer cheered.

"YEAH!" He exclaimed, leaping up before running over to Astro. "You did it!"

"Gal!" Astro cheered while the rest of his Pokémon applauded.

"I knew all that training would pay off." In that moment, he heard clapping and turned to see Twilight standing by the back door, having watched Astro's newest attack.

"You did it," she commented, "Great work."

"Thanks," Flash replied while rubbing the back of his head. "But Astro's the one who did all the hard work."

Twilight nodded as she walked into the garden. "Still, that's gonna come in real handy during the tournament." Flash nodded back while Spike picked himself up.

"Come on guys, don't you think you've trained enough?! Why don't we go check out the festival?!" Twilight turned to Flash and saw a frown on his face, only to give him a smile.

"I think Spike's right. If you train to much, you're gonna be exhausted by the time the tournament begins and that'll make it all a waste."

Flash glanced back to his team, all showing signs they were tired and let out a sigh, "Alright." Spike let out a cheer as Flash returned all but Springer before the three headed off. And as they made their way through Twilight's house, they walked out of the backdoor just in time to see Doc walking up the street.

"Hey!" He waved, "You guys heading out?"

"Yeah!" Spike nodded excitedly, "we're gonna go check out the League's festival! You in?"

Doc had been spending the last few days since their arrival in Canterlot conversing with some of his workers back in Trottingham. Once the tournament was over, he would be relocating there to run his gym and factories, but until then, he had been telling the higher-ups that had been running the factories everything he had learned during his travels and what he intended to implement once he got back.

"Sure," Doc replied, "I could use a break. What do you wanna check out first?"

"Let's just look around and see what they have," Twilight responded as they began to walk into the city, now spotting several trainers with their Pokémon that were showing off their badges to one another.

"And this one I got from the Fillydelphia Gym," a boy told a girl. "Thorax's Kingsect was tough, but my Magby was able to take it down."

"I won this one from the Baltimare Gym," a girl told her friend. "My Lapras walked through all of Maud's Pokémon."

"Wow," Spike whistled, "There are a lot of trainers here."

"They've all come to prove themselves," Twilight commented, "But in the end, only one's gonna have the chance to face off against Shining."

They then reached a more crowded area, now seeing many people playing games and eating food. Flash and his friends were amazed as the amount of people, more they had ever seen compared to any event from before. "Amazing..." Flash whispered, only for a voice to ring out behind them.

The group turned to see Sunset running up to them, "Guys!" They all smiled at her as she reached them, "Glad I ran into you before you got into the crowd."

"You wanna join us?" Twilight asked, Sunset nodding, "We figured you'd be with Celestia or Luna."

"They left the lab earlier," Sunset replied, "I'm not sure for what though."

"Flash!" They spun around again, now seeing Rainbow and Fluttershy walking up to them, "You're here! Nice!"

"You know it!" Flash and Rainbow high-fived while Fluttershy greeted the others. "I'm guessing that means you're competing?"

"You have to ask?" Rainbow laughed before taking out her badge case, "Check it out." She opened the case and showed off eight badges, the last being the Cloudsdale City's Flight Badge.

"You beat Spitfire?"

"You bet. It wasn't easy, but I managed to pull it off."

"Nice."

"Hey ya'll!" They turned around again as another voice rang out, now seeing Applejack and Rarity. "Ah was hopin' ta see ya'll here."

"It's great to see you all again darlings," Rarity added, "It feels like only yesterday that we were all together last, standing in that snowy field, doing battle against that monster."

They all nodded, the group now glancing around to see if they could find anyone else they knew. The group then spotted Pinkie Pie and Trixie, the magician and her Pokémon performing a magic act while Pinkie was making a bunch of balloon animals for the little kids. Trixie was the first to spot them and smiled with a wave, but kept doing her magic show while Pinkie ran over to them.

"Guys!" She exclaimed while jumping up and down, "Whee!" She sprinted over to the group, bouncing on her feet like they were made of jelly. "YAY! You're all here!"

"You doubted us?" Rainbow asked, "Of course we're here! There's no place else we should be at this time of year!"

"This is certainly going to be an interesting competition," Fluttershy chimed in, "Every trainer here has their own version of strength, formed from the many adventures they've had since the start of their journeys." They all nodded in agreement, now making their way through the town while telling each other about what they had been up to since they last saw one another.

"You fought another Legendary?" Rainbow gasped, getting a nod from Flash. "No way."

"It's true," Twilight sighed, "And I can tell you that it wasn't an easy fight. He barely managed to beat that thing. I can't believe how many we've ran into over this trip..."

Flash grimaced at this, "Yeah...and I wasn't the only one that beat it. There was someone else with me that...helped me get close enough to land the finishing blow."

"Who?" Pinkie asked, Flash flinching at the question. That is, till he looked back at the crowd...and saw the person in question.

"Him." Everyone turned to see Lightning Blitz, standing in the middle of the street eating an ice cream while listening to his music. He didn't notice them, now disappearing into the crowd as the others went slack-jawed.

"You can't be serious," Rainbow added, Flash shrugging as the others nodded.

"It's true," Twilight sighed.

"I know it's hard to believe," Doc continued, "But it's true." The others then asked if they were lying, but the four went into more detail about their adventures in Horizon City. As they did this, they reached the main road of Canterlot, now seeing a massive wall of people standing on the very edge of the pavement.

"What's going on here?" Twilight asked as they tried to walk through the crowd, only to glance down at the road.

"A parade!" Pinkie cheered as they watched multiple Pokémon-themed floats drive past them. Some were of different Pokémon families, including one with all three Equestrian starter evolutions. Between the floats were a bunch of performers, including fire dancers that were spinning burning sticks around alongside some Alolan Marowak, a dance team of Galarian Mr. Mime and Mr. Rime, and even a bunch of people dressed like every single member of the Pikachu club.

"Awesome!" Spike added, all now watching the parade with wonder in their eyes. It continued for another thirty minutes, then began to peter out. But despite the floats growing less extravagant and the performers being less epic, the people remained on the side.

"Here he comes!" A man told a kid on his shoulders, "Watch closely or you won't see the flame."

"What flame?" Flash asked, only to see a bus slowly rolling up the street. And running ahead of it was an athletic man wearing a white shirt and running shorts. In his hand, he was holding a large bronze torch that had a burning flame in the basin. For some strange reason, simply looking at the fire made a strange feeling wash over Flash. Even though it was far away, he could feel its warmth. And glancing at the others, he saw they seemed to have the same expression he wore.

The torch-bearer ran past them next, Rainbow asking the question everyone was wondering. "What's so special about that flame?"

Twilight smiled at this, "It's special because it's said to be the flame of every Legendary Fire-type. Moltres, Ho-Oh, Groudon, Heatran, Reshiram, Victini, Volcarona and who knows what else. The chairman of the Pokémon League is said to have collected those flames and kept them burning for decades. And that flames was used by lighting a torch with all of them."

"It's the symbol of the league," Doc continued, "The flame is placed in a large pot and continues to burn until the final day of the tournament, when it's extinguished."

"Wow..." Flash whispered, "A flame made from every legendary Fire-type in existence. Imagine the power it must have."

"Ri," Springer nodded from on Flash's shoulder.

And as the bus drove passed, people started cheering as they saw atop the bus the champion, Shining Armor. Cadance, Celestia and Luna were sitting on seats behind him, the Champion of Equestria standing proud with his coat flapping in the wind as his arms were crossed. He smiled at the crowd, but also had a air of seriousness around him, all trainers knowing he was sending a message without saying a word.

I intend to be standing here next year. Think you can change my plans?

As the bus passed them, the people behind it started following it, Flash and his friends doing the same. They followed it to another part of the city, now seeing a building on a flat outcrop of a mountain overlooking the city. The sections of the city right next to the wall of this mountain were a bunch of houses, storage facilities and even an airport. But in the very center of the wall, there was a gated off area that was only open at one particular time of year. The League.

Beyond the gates was a section of land with two areas. The first was a large train station, which had a monorail that seemed to lead up the mountain. The next was a flight of stairs, leading up to a large plateau that was located in front of a massive door built into the side of the mountain.

The bus stopped at the front of the stairs as the torch-bearer ran up them while the people of Equestria gathered around the plateau. Flash looked around and spotted several trainers he knew from his journey, now seeing Heath Burns, Vinyl Scratch, Micro Chips, Sandalwood and even Spark Plug.

Shining and the professors stepped off the bus, along with a man that looked like santa who was wearing a red jumper and a blue baseball cap. They headed up the staircase, now reaching the top, where the torch-bearer was standing in front of a giant bronze bowl. The man held the torch out and Shining took it, a smile on his lips as he said something to the man they couldn't hear. The man walked away as Shining turned to the crowd while holding up the torch.

"Let the lighting of this mighty flame signify the start of the greatest Equestria League of its history! Let the flames light a fire in your soul and push you past your limits!" With that, he turned to the bowl and placed the tip of the torch inside. A moment later, the flames spread inside the bowl and he pulled his arm away before a mighty fire filled it.

The people cheered at the sight as a bunch of Flying-types were suddenly unleashed. Each one grabbed a strong rope and began pulling the bowl into the air, lifting it higher.

"Where are they taking it?" Rainbow asked, Twilight giving her a chuckle as she took out her journal. A moment later, she showed them all an image on the screen. It was a mountain top, which was completely flat, and had a giant stadium located on it. The stadium looked large enough to fit a small town within it, and outside the stadium were several smaller domes connected to it by tube-like hallways.

"This is Canterlot Stadium. It's where the league is being held. I think this is the eighth stadium to be built since the League started being held here."

She would have said more, but the santa lookalike then spoke up, "All trainers registered for the league, make sure you are here by noon tomorrow for the first round of the tournament. Anyone not standing atop this platform by then will be disqualified!"

With that, the man walked away and the people started to disperse. "So we've gotta be here for the first round?" Flash asked, "I wonder why."

"It's possible they'll bring you all up together," Rarity replied, "Give you some kind of grand entrance to celebrate getting into the league."

"I doubt it," Doc shook his head, "Its probably for some other reason."

They all then began to make their way out of the gated area, only for another voice to ring out, "Well, well, well. Long time no see." They all spun around and went wide-eyed.

It was Timber Spruce, looking exactly the same as he had the last time they all saw him, smiling at the group as Gloriosa Daisy appeared behind him. "It's so good to see you all," she stated, "I'm glad to see you all managed to make it here."

"We're glad to see you too...." Twilight replied while Flash glared at Timber, only for Twilight to ask, "Does this mean what I think it means?"

"Yup," Timber gave her a smirk as he flicked the front of his hair out of his eyes, "I'm competing in the league. Managed to get all eight badges no problem. Didn't lose a single battle, and heck, didn't even lose a single Pokémon in some of them. I guess I'm just that good."

"Well don't go getting to overconfident. All the trainers here managed to win at least eight gym badges." Flash instantly responded.

"Maybe," Timber chuckled, "But I bet they didn't make winning look as good as I did. This league's gonna be a piece of cake. I'm gonna end up steamrolling through the tournament without a problem."

"Oh please." Another voice said, all turning to see someone no one was smiling about, It was Lightning, who was now ice cream-less and had his headphones down. "Talking like that's just begging to be beaten before the tournaments even gotten started. Not like you'll win anyways."

"Really?" Flash asked, "I seem to remember you saying something very similar...every single time I've met you."

The others nodded with smirks as Lightning just rolled his eyes. "And I meant every word of it. There's a difference between over-exaggerating and telling the truth. Besides, just because I said that doesn't mean I don't take any opponent seriously. Even the weakest trainer in the world could win against a real trainer if their opponent underestimated them enough to allow them a lucky shot. I made that mistake once before and I don't intend to make it again."

Flash went wide-eyed at those words, only for Lightning to add, "But that means nothing to me. Unlike you losers, I'm serious. I will win, so I suggest you all just give up and go home. None of you are real trainers anyways."

"Hey! You take that back!" Rainbow barked. "We're all trainers and we deserve to be here!"

"No, you don't." Lightning replied before turning around, "Later losers."

He began to walk off, Rainbow growling at the sight, "That jerk..."

"But he is right," Doc sighed, "This tournament isn't something to take lightly. You only have one chance in this tournament. One false move and all your dreams will go up in smoke."

"Nah," Timber instantly responded, "That guy's just being over-dramatic. This tournament will be a cake walk. You'll see." With that, he walked ahead before turning to the others. "Come on. Let's enjoy ourselves a bit more before we have to rest up for the night."

Everyone nodded in agreement before grabbing something to eat and drink, some enjoying the many games and booths set up there. But as they did, they heard someone speak up. "Look!"

They turned to see a pair of individuals, Ember and Thorax, the two Gym Leaders conversing about something as they walked. "Guys!" Spike ran up, catching the pair's attention.

"Hey shrimp," Ember chuckled as Thorax smiled.

"Good to see you again Spike. You doing well?"

"I'm doing great," Spike replied, "Since when have you two been friends?"

"Well, we of course met in the Crystal Empire," Thorax responded, "Then after that, we just kept conversing with one another over the phone. Turns out, we have a lot in common."

Ember nodded, then noticed Flash and smirked, "Well, if it isn't my first challenger." She pointed at Flash, "You better not embarrass yourself. The whole of Dragonia's gonna be watching, and you looking like an idiot will make me look bad for losing to you."

"Geez, no pressure." Flash chuckled, Ember laughing before she and Thorax left the group, who quickly found out they weren't the only Gym Leaders in Canterlot. Pinkie soon spotted Maud and ran over to give her a massive hug, Maud responding by patting the girl on the head.

After that, they ran into a pair of Gym Leaders that Flash didn't know but Rainbow and Applejack appeared to recognize, the pair talking to them as the others enjoyed more of the festival. Tidal then appeared, looking as cheerful as he always did and giving them all a heart-filled hug. Granny Smith showed up next, with Apple Bloom and Big Mac. The girl raced over to her sister, the pair hugging one another tightly as Braeburn also appeared and greeted his extended family with a happy smile. Finally, Spitfire made herself known, Rainbow happy to see her, but didn't treat it like a big event. Fluttershy explained that Spitfire had flown the pair here after Rainbow won her badge, making them all understand.

Over the next few hours, the trainers, Gym Leaders and their Pokémon all enjoyed themselves. And as the day continued to march on, the festival grew more intense, only for the sun to go down and fireworks filled the sky. Everyone was in awe at the sight, all happy they got to see it.

But after this, they decided to head to their chosen places of rest to get a good night's sleep. Many of the trainers had been given free accommodation once they registered, though Flash hadn't needed this. Twilight's parents had invited him and Doc to stay while the tournament was in full swing, something Flash was more then happy to accept.

The four and Twilight's parents were soon in the living room, all enjoying some hot chocolate and laughing as the four travelers told the two about their adventures. This had turned into a bit of a ritual since arriving in Canterlot, the four explaining everything they had gone through since Flash, Twilight and Spike left the city.

"You really thought he was dead?" Night Light asked as they told him about their journey through the Ghastly Gorge and how they met Solid Stone. They all nodded and he let out a laugh, "I'm sure that must have been a big surprise."

They nodded in agreement, as Velvet took a sip from her cup. "It's still hard to believe you four have been through so much since you left. But I can tell just by looking at you that you've all changed. Both mentally and physically." She reached over and poked Twilight's arm, making her go ow as she laughed. "You're no longer my noodley armed daughter."

This caused everyone to laugh, but also take a closer look at Twilight's arms. She had put on a bit of muscle since she had left, enough to show she was physically fit. And she wasn't the only one. The months of travelling over different difficult terrains had morphed the four into strong young individuals that could probably run a marathon without much issues. And as much as they had grown psychically, mentally they had grown a hundred times more.

"You've all got this air of maturity to you," Night Light added, "When I'm looking at you three, I'm not seeing a bunch of kids. I'm seeing a group of well rounded adults that are ready to take on the world." They all smiled, "But don't think you've reached the pinnacle of maturity. There's always room to grow."

It was here they all finished off their coco. And when that was done, they all headed off to bed. Tomorrow would be a big day, and not just for Flash.





Meanwhile...

Up atop the mountain that housed the large stadium, Shining Armor was sitting in one of the seats of the massive colosseum. He was staring at the battlefield, the same battlefield he had once stood upon. Memories of his battle with Grand Hoof flowed through his mind, remembering just how excited, nervous and overjoyed he had been in that battle. For the past six years, he had managed to defend his title as champion, now wondering if he would be able to defend a seventh time.

"Looking forward to seeing who you'll be facing?" Shining turned to see the man he had stolen the championship from. Grand Hoof smiled at the younger man, Shining nodding back as Grand sat down beside him. "You do this every time the league is about to begin?"

"No..." Shining replied, "This is the first time." He then heard Grand chuckle, "You think that's funny?"

"A little. I did the same thing before the League that you beat me in." Shining raised an eyebrow at this, Grand now turning to stare at the battlefield. "I held my title for ten years, and planned to hold it another year, but before that contest began...I got a strange feeling. I came out here and sat down to stare at the battlefield....and the strangest feeling came over me. I...I felt it would be the last time I did so as a champion."

"And you think I'm the same?" Shining asked, "You think I'm gonna lose to whoever wins the league?"

Grand chuckled again, "Every champion's reign has a time limit. How long that limit is depends on you and your opponent. But we both know a lot of the trainers that are competing this year are some of the best Equestria has seen in a long time. When you started making the rounds during the Gym Challenge, I heard a lot about you. And when I met you, I knew you were someone who had the potential to defeat me." He got up out of his chair, "We both know there are trainers in this tournament with that same potential."

Shining nodded as he stood up, "You're talking about Flash." But Grand didn't reply, making Shining go wide-eyed, "Wait...you don't mean Lightning, do you?" Grand glanced away at this, Shining then adding, "Grand...Cadance told me about Lightning. He-"

"Honestly...I don't know." Grand interrupted, "I'm...I'm afraid about this competition." He turned back to Shining, "I don't know how this will go. It's possible Flash and Lightning could both be defeated in the first round...or either could be your opponent. And even if they fall, that doesn't mean your rule is safe. There are others with just as much skill and ability this time. Only one thing is absolutely guaranteed." He looked back at the field, "This Equestria League is gonna be one for the ages."

Shining followed his gaze, both now staring at the battlefield, knowing what this all meant. "Well if they wanna beat me, they'd better be ready for the battle of their lives." Shining took out a Pokeball, "Cause I'm not going down without a fight."





At the same time, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance were all together at the first's lab. The three were sitting around a table covered in multiple folders, all of them containing details on everything the three had been studying over the last year, a good chunk of it being what Cadance had managed to retrieve from the Crystal Empire.

"It's gonna take a year just to go over all this," Luna sighed as she picked up a folder.

Celestia let out a chuckle, "It's certainly been an interesting year to say the least." She turned to her sister and former apprentice, "Look at everything that's happened since the last league. Twilight went out on her journey. I got a new assistant. Cadance found the Crystal Empire she's been searching for since she was a child..."

"Only because I was being helped by an evil organization," Cadance pointed out. "And my research was being used to help them try and achieve their wicked goals. That kinda takes out a bit of the thrill of discovery."

"What happened can't be helped," Luna told her, "What matters now is trying to find a way to make some good out of the bad. Team Shadow might have helped you find the city, but you were the one that did all the hard work. You shouldn't be any less proud of that."

Cadance nodded as Celestia picked up another folder, "And now Equestria has a new city it can look forward to one day making a true member of the Region. Heck, maybe one day it'll be allowed to house the Equestria League instead of Canterlot. Had history played out differently, it would have from the start."

"Maybe...but we've still got a long way to go before that can happen. I have a lot of work to do to get the city integrated with Equestria. And I may need some help with it."

"Maybe Twilight could help," Luna chimed in, "I'm sure she'd be happy to lend you a hand and it might be a good experience for her."

"True," Celestia nodded, "I haven't considered what she would likely do once the Equestria League is over. Her journey has pretty much come to an end, but her adventure has only just begun."

"I might have another idea if she's not interested in helping with the Crystal Empire," Luna responded, "Ever heard of Project Mew?"

Celestia and Cadance's eyes went wide, "You want Twilight to become a chaser?"

Luna shrugged, "I don't think it's a bad idea. She's grown a lot since I first met her, and I think she'd be up for the task. She'd be able to travel to multiple different area and perform tasks that could help the world and the scientific community. I think it's something you should at least consider suggesting to her."

Celestia sat back at this, rubbing her chin in thought. Cadance watched this, now thinking about her own time with Twilight while she was on her journey, seeing how the girl had changed. They then glanced at each other, almost reading each others' thoughts as one thing came to their mind: They would need to ask her first.





Back at Twilight house, Flash was fast asleep on the floor of Spike's room.

Or at least, he was trying to sleep. But no matter how much he moved around or got comfortable, he couldn't seem to drift off. The constant snoring of Spike, Springer and Peewee filled the air, Flash letting out a sigh as he tried to drift off. And as he did this, he soon gave up and decided to carefully get up and slowly leave the room. Grabbing his jacket, he headed downstairs, quietly moving through the living room where Doc was sleeping on the couch and heading out the doorway.

Once out, he simply stood there for a moment and looked up at the sky. He stayed still, trying to think of something to do, unable to think of anything as he just stood there.

"Can't sleep?" Flash jumped and spun around, seeing Twilight standing by the door with a smile on her lips.

"Yeah," Flash nodded, "I guess I'm just too excited to get any sleep."

"You're probably not the only one." Twilight responded while walking up to him, "I bet everyone competing in the league is just as nervous and excited." Flash nodded and the pair stood there for a moment, only for Twilight to ask, "Why don't we go for a walk? It might clear your head and help you walk off all that excitement."

"Sure." Flash replied as the pair began to make there way down the dark street through the city.

They walked in silence, but it was a comfortable silence.





At the same time, Lightning Blitz was standing on the battlefield of one of the city's Pokémon Centers. Standing in front of him were all six of his Pokémon, the strongest ones he had found throughout his journey and had all been trained to the very limit.

"Listen up," Lightning hissed, "This is it. Everything we've done up until this moment has been for this." He started walking along their line, the group standing to attention, "I picked you all because you're the strongest Pokémon I found. And so far, none of you have made me regret considering you that." The six knew that was the closest they would likely get to a complement. "And now it's time to prove to the world that we're the strongest around."

"Gore!" Gorillamp roared, beating his chest as the rest roared in agreement.

That is, till Lightning glared at them, making them go silent. "I won't allow failure. All that's left is to show everyone the power I have obtained! The power of a true trainer!" The group nodded back before he turned around, now staring up at the sky, "This is it...I'll show that old geezer I'm right. I'll make Shining Armor pay for what he did to my family by showing them all what a true champion is!"





Twilight and Flash continued their nighttime stroll, the light of the streetlamps being the only thing illuminating the pair. They were still in comfortable silence, though both were wondering what words they should say. That is, till Twilight spoke up, "Are you sure you're okay? I know you're probably a little nervous."

"More than a little," Flash slowly replied, "But...I'm not gonna let that stop me. If I let my nerves get the better of me after everything I've been through, then I wouldn't deserve to stand in the Equestria League. I'm gonna go out there tomorrow and give it everything I've got. And no matter who I'm up against, I'll fight them like I would against any Gym Leader. Because Lightning was right."

"He is?!" Twilight went wide-eyed.

"I can't get overconfident. If I do, I'll just be asking to get taken down. I've gotta think ahead, plan and counter anything that's thrown at me instead of just powering through like I used to. I mean, this is the big leagues." As he said this, he heard a giggle, making him turn to the girl, "What?"

"Nothing," she chuckled, "It's just...I remember when we first met that you hated making battle plans. What was that saying your grandmother said? 'Make a plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go wrong, throw away the plan.' And then you said that the easiest way to throw a plan away is to never have one to begin with."

Flash slightly blushed as he glanced away, "Well...I've grown up a lot since then. Getting your butt routinely handed to you tends to make that happen." Twilight laughed again and nodded, the pair arriving at a nearby park. "But..." He slowly glanced over at her, "I uh...I doubt I would have grown as much as I have if I didn't have you there to help teach me." Twilight saw this as Flash added, "So...thanks."

Those words made her cheeks turn the slightest tinge of red before she replied, "You're welcome. And um..." She glanced away at this, "Thanks. You also taught me just as much as I taught you."

"Really? I thought you caught onto battling really easily. Like, I was done teaching you in like the first two weeks."

Twilight giggled again, "I guess that's true." She then looked up at the skies, the park's dim lights allowing the stars to become visible. "But its more than that. I used to think that simply reading about something could make you an expert. It wasn't until Celestia made me travel with you that I realized that not everything could be learned from a book. Only real world experience can make what a person learns from books worth knowing."

Flash nodded back as they walked up to a fountain, a Seaking statue atop it that was shooting water out of its mouth. And as they went up to it, they both thought back to all the adventures they had had together since meeting at Celestia's Research Lab. They hadn't always gotten along, Twilight yelling at Flash for falling asleep in her lectures, and Twilight constantly freezing up when Flash tried to tell her to improvise in battles. But despite this, their friendship had grown.

And as they sat down at the fountain, a night-time groundskeeper strolled by pushing a cart with a radio. He came to a stop, now working on a flowerbed as a certain song began to play. The pair listened to the lyrics and smiled, having a light feeling that whoever played it had done so especially for the pair to listen to.

But as they listened, Twilight suddenly started wearing a frown. "What's wrong?"

Twilight glanced over at him, an unsure expression appearing on his lips. "If...if you lose the league, what'll you do then?" Flash's eyes went wide at this, blinking at her as he glanced away.

"That's...a good question." he replied, his mind now going back over his entire journey with the goal of winning the Equestria League. He had stumbled several times, often wondering if he could possibly accomplish that goal...but the idea of what he would do if he lost had never occurred to him. "I...I don't know. I never really thought about it."

"Me neither," Twilight sighed as the song came to an end. "Not until now anyway." She stood up at this before slowly turning to him, "Will you attempt the league again?"

"I'm not sure. I mean...I used the badges for the register, so I would have to collect another eight badges from around Equestria again if I fail..."

Twilight grimaced at this, "Honestly, I don't think you could learn anything else from training in Equestria again." Flash glanced up at her, "It's like dad said: There's always room to grow, and I still think you have a lot to learn. But unless you become Champion, you probably won't be able to learn anything else here in Equestria."

"Yeah," Flash nodded before standing up, "You're right."

"So what'll you do?" Twilight asked, "Go to another region?"

"Maybe," Flash shrugged, "I've heard that Sinnoh and Kalos are nice regions to visit."

"But you'd be on your own," Twilight pointed out, "I mean...Doc's heading back to Trottingham and...and I've got my work with Professor Celestia. She might have been fine with me travelling around Equestria, but I don't think she'd let me travel to another Region. That means Spike would also have to stay here. You'd be all alone."

"Huh." Flash muttered, crossing his arms, "I guess I would be. Though I'd still have Springer and all my other Pokémon."

Twilight nodded. "Do you think you would find someone else to travel with?"

"I guess I could," Flash responded, only to smirk at her, "But I don't think it'll be that easy. Friends like you guys aren't so easily replaced."

Twilight chuckled at this, only to frown, "Even so, we might not get to see each other again for a really long time."

Now Flash frowned, glancing away again, "Yeah...maybe." Twilight flinched as tears began an escape attempt from her eyes, "But that doesn't mean we'll stop being friends, right?" Twilight looked up at him and nodded, Flash giving her a warm smile. "It doesn't matter how far we are apart, we'll always be connected. After everything we've done together, how could we not be?" He placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder, "And it's not like I'll never see you again. We can talk on the phone and I'll come back whenever I can. Besides, I'll need someone I trust to look after all the new Pokémon I'd catch in those regions."

Twilight laughed at this, rubbing her eyes behind her glasses to get rid of the tears. "Always looking on the bright side."

Flash gave her another smirk before looking away. "But you know what, I'm not gonna need to go to another region." He looked up at the sky, "Because I'm gonna win the Equestria League." He continued to stare up at the sky, at the many stars that filled it. In that moment, eight particular stars seemed to shined extra brightly, making Flash remember something.

Twilight watched as Flash took out his badge case and opened it up, "What is it?"

"Its everything." Flash showed her the case, "Each of these badges is a memory. Proof that I can do anything and beat anyone as long as my Pokémon and I trust in one another and give it our all."

The Gear Badge, Springer using a Force Palm to fire an Aura Sphere into Tockwork. The Swarm Badge, Viper unleashing a Flamethrower onto Kingsect. The Geode Badge, Riptide leaping into the air and slamming Spikorn with a Rock Smash. The Harvest Badge, Skyler dive-bombing at Timbark and using Aerial Ace to take it down. The Dust Badge, Prongs and Stampalo slamming into one another to create a massive dust cloud. The Flight Badge, Hopper using Dragon Tail to smash Wondor into the ground. The Tsunami Badge, Riptide slashing at Leviapent with his Aqua Break. And the Sceptre Badge, Astro and Champagoon clashing their Dragon Claw and Wyvern Wing attacks against one another.

Those were only some of the moments of his journey that stood out, but there were still so many more. Everything from the day he first entered Canterlot to right now, had shaped him into the trainer he was today. The trainer that would win the Equestria League and become champion.

Twilight watched as he shut his case and smiled at her, "I'm gonna win the league. Even if it seems impossible, I know I can do it. Because I have the best Pokémon in the world on my side, and the best friends cheering me on."

Hearing this made Twilight's heart swell, the teen smiling back as the blush on her face returned. She brushed her hair away from her face and nodded, believing every word he had said. The two then decided to head home, their excitement, nerves and stress both vanishing after their conversation. All they could do now was focus on the present. If they needed to plan for the future, they would do so after they knew what path their lives would lead.





The next day...

Canterlot was once again in an uproar as the citizens and visitors of the city waited anxiously for the tournament to begin. Up atop the mountain, inside the giant stadium that was built upon it, many people who had managed to get seats were now waiting, including Twilight, Spike, Doc, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie and Gloriosa, all who were sitting in the stands along with others such as Octavia, Derpy and so many more.

Up in one of the boxes, the gym leaders Flash had faced were all gathered. There were a few other gym leaders there, but others were also located in other boxes. The eight Flash had faced were all sitting together, each familiar with one another thanks to their meeting during the Team Shadow incident.

Celestia, Luna and Cadance were in another box, the three planning to act as the announcers along with the pro. And nearby on a large couch beside a santa-lookalike, was Shining Armor. The champion sat dignified, but was actually excited about how this tournament would turn out.

The stadium's ruckus was then broken by the sound of a familiar voice. "WHAT IS UP MY POKE-FANS?!" Present Mic exclaimed as he suddenly appeared in the center of the stadium. Everyone went silent as they stared down at him, "Welcome to the two hundred and eighteenth Equestria League tournament! I don't know about you all, but I think we're in for a seriously rocking ride! WHO'S WITH ME?!"

The crowed cheered and yelled in agreement, Mic rocking his head up and down. He then pointed to a large screen located on a back wall. "Why don't we take a look at the trainers that will be attempting to dethrone our beloved champion this year?!" The screen switched on to reveal an image being taken by a Rotom Drone, the image now showing the plateau at the base of the mountain.





On the plateau, all the trainers were gathered there. They had all been told to come here at this exact time, now all waiting, Flash standing beside Springer. He stared around, now seeing both trainers he did and didn't recognize. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were conversing while Trixie was talking to Cedar and Bulk Biceps was showing off his muscles to Micro Chips and Sandalwood. Sugarcoat was there, talking to a yellow skinned girl with hair that was different shades of blue that was wearing shades on her head. Spark Plug was talking to a trainer Flash didn't know, while Vinyl and Heath were also chatting. Flash also spotted Timber, chatting away to a girl who was blushing before noticing Thunderbass and Sweet Dreams also conversing. Inky Rose was also there, standing alone.

Then Flash's eyes landed on Lightning, who was also standing alone. To most people, Lightning would appear to be his normal moody self. But Flash saw something in his eyes. Something he never thought he would see from Lightning: Excitement.

In that moment, a voice echoed out from the speakers, "ALRIGHT TRAINERS!" Present Mic exclaimed, "IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO SHOW THE WORLD WHICH OF YOU IS THE BEST OF THE BEST! DON'T GO GIVING US ANY LESS THEN YOUR ALL!"

With that, the sound cut out before a new sound filled the air. Everyone turned to the giant doors built into the side of the mountain, both opening as the trainers began to walk up to it. None knew what laid beyond those doors, but they knew that whatever was awaiting them was something only the strongest trainers could overcome.

Everything came down to this. Everything they had experienced. Every challenge they had faced. Every lesson they had learned. It would all be put to the test. As the journey...continues.
> Racing to the League
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Equestria League had begun and the number of trainers planning to complete in the tournament was well into the triple digits. They were all now gathered at the plateau, and when the doors opened, they all began to file into the side of the mountain. Many were expecting some large ceremony and an elevator to lift them up into the stadium before they learned who their first match was. And up in the stadium, everyone watched the megascreen as the Rotom Drone showed images of the trainers entering the cave. "What's going on?" Spike asked, all turning to Doc, expecting him to know since he was a Gym Leader. But the Trottingham City trainer simply smiled and kept his mouth shut.

It was then that the megascreen changed to show the inside of the cave, looking down at the many trainers that were gathering inside. All were just as confused as they stood in a large round chamber with multiple metal doors lining the walls and opposite the entrance was a large screen. "What the heck's going on?" Rainbow asked, the others just shrugging back.

But then, the screen burst into life as Present Mic appeared on it, "What's UUUUUP!" The man screamed, his voice echoing through the chamber and forcing everyone to cover their ears. "I bet you're all wondering what's going on right now, huh?!"

"Just a little," somebody Flash didn't know replied, the rest nodding.

"Well you see, we have a little problem. There are just so many of you trainers, that if we tried to give each of you the chance to compete in the main stadium the first round would take forever. So, we've gotta trim the fat...so to speak."

"You're doing a preliminary round?!" Another trainer asked, Mic giving them all a nod.

"So some of us won't git ta battle in the stadium?" Applejack asked, Mic nodding again. "Well this just bites."

"Now now, this tournament is for the best of the best. You've all proven you're the best, so now we've gotta find the best out of all of you."

"And how exactly do we do that?" Timber asked next.

Present Mic smiled his usual toothy grin, which filled up the entire screen. "Well for that, we've gotta go to our special guest commentators." With that, he pulled away and the camera changed to show Celestia, Luna and Cadance sitting together.

"The rules are quite simple," Celestia commented, "Currently there are a hundred and twenty eight trainers. So in order to gain a spot in the actual tournament, you must make your way up to the stadium."

Luna nodded, "The mountain is divided into four levels, with the very last level being the top. There are also several passageways and tunnels leading in many different directions. Your task is to make your way through these tunnels and find the passageways leading to the stadium."

Cadance continued, "There are only sixty four passageways leading up to the second level, and each passageway can only be used once. Once it's used, it'll be sealed up and made unusable."

"So getting from the first level to the second one will cut our numbers in half?" Rainbow gasped, most going wide-eyed at this.

Celestia nodded again, "There are thirty two passageways leading from the second level to the third, and sixteen leading from the third to the final level. The sixteen trainers that arrive to the stadium will be allowed to compete in the victory tournament."

The trainers started murmuring at this, Rainbow shining a grin at the idea since she knew she was fast, only for one trainer to let out a roar, "THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" Lightning yelled, "This is supposed to be a battle tournament, not a foot race! How do you expect to find the best trainer in Equestria if you run the risk of knocking them out of the contest because they can't run particularly fast?! What, you couldn't think that we could do a multi-day battle tournament?!" Many other trainers starting murmuring in agreement at this, but the professors didn't flinch to his uproar.

"Don't worry," Celestia responded, "This is more than just a foot race." The screen then changed to show a cartoon version of the maze, with a cartoon version of Shining Armor and his Galladin running through it until he came to a door.

Cadance continued to explain at this, "When you reach a door, you'll see a light located above it. If the light is red, it means the door has already been used. But if the door is green, it's free for use." The cartoon Shining then stepped up to one of two pillars with a button on it. "But to use it, you must win entry."

Luna then nodded at this, "Each trainer will select one Pokémon to travel through the maze with them. When they reach an unused door, they'll hit the button and wait." In that moment, a cartoon version of Grand and Hariyama appeared and hit the other button. "When another trainer arrives and hits the button, a battle will begin." Hariyama and Galladin charged at one another, a cartoon smoke cloud appearing before disappearing to show Galladin victorious over a downed Hariyama. The sight made Lightning hiss in anger, clenching his fists as Luna continued, "The winner of the battle will be allowed to use the door." Shining and Galladin rushed into the door, which shut behind them. "And the losing trainer can either give up, or attempt to find another door in time. But once all the doors on the floor have been used, those still on that level will be eliminated."

The camera turned back to Celestia. "Other than that, there's only one rule left. No attacking trainers or Pokémon outside of battles."

The trainers all shared glances at this, now realizing this game was a mix of speed, skill and luck. The hallmark requirements of being a great trainer.





"I don't like this," Spike gulped.

"What do you mean?" Pinkie asked, "This sounds like so much fun! I wish I could play..."

"But what if Rainbow and the others get eliminated?" Fluttershy asked with a big frown, "And what if they end up getting paired against one another? It'd be okay battling in the actual tournament, but in a prelim like this..."

"We'll just have to hope it doesn't come to that," Rarity sighed.

Twilight nodded. "And even if they do end up facing off, they all knew this could happen when they arrived. All we can do is watch and see who ends up coming out on top."

They all nodded as Present Mic took control of the camera again, "Alright trainers! Time to pick your Pokémon!" Everyone watched the screen as the trainers took out their Pokeballs and tried to decide who to use in this prelim. When the camera focused on Flash, he already had his partner out and was giving the Riolu a fist bump.

"We can do this bud," he told the Riolu as Springer nodded from his shoulder.

Flash then looked around, now seeing Rainbow had chosen Hawlucha while Applejack let out Winona. Trixie sent out Girafarig and Timber unleashed his Breloom. Micro Chips chose Boomax, Sandalwood chose a Leavanny, Heath chose a Houndoom, Vinyl chose her Palpitoad, Bulk chose Throh, Sugarcoat chose Grimsnarl, and Spark Plug chose Volemming.

He turned to see Lightning had brought out his Roglacier, clearly having decided to choose speed over power. That was the plan most people had chosen, though a few had picked Pokémon like Golem, Torkoal and even a Tyranitar. Flash stared at the giant dinosaur and then looked over at the metal doors, wondering if the Pseudo-Legend could fit through.

And once the last trainer chose his partner, which was a Seaking that was flopping around on the ground, Present Mic smirked on screen, "Alright then! I think it's time we get this party started. I wanna see a nice clean race: No underhanded tactics, unless you're a Dark-type, and try not to tread over anyone. The paperwork for that's a nightmare."

He waited for a laugh, but the only one who did so was Pinkie. When her sole laughter calmed down, the man readjusted his shades, "Anyways, let's get down to business. Equestria League, Preliminary Round, begins in ten, nine, eight-" Everyone turned to the metal doors as they began to retract upward into the wall, "Two...one...GO!"

With that, the madness began as all the trainers bolted for the nearest doorway. Some of the trainers leapt onto the backs of their Pokémon, Trixie hopping on her Girafarig and was the first to reach one of the doors, allowing her to go at full speed. The rest of the trainers weren't so lucky, all beginning to file into different tunnels. The Tyranitar trainer blocked up an entire tunnel, forcing all those behind him to stop and wait or try their luck with another tunnel.





All over the stadium, people were now watching with baited breath as the trainers worked their way through the tunnels. Shining was sitting on the couch, continuing to look dignified as he stared at the trainers trying to make it to the stadium. "Come on," he whispered, "Make a good challenge for me."

Up at the top of the stands, Grand was leaning against a pillar, watching just as closely as everyone else. "Now we'll see which of you is really worthy of standing on this stage." The screen then changed to show one tunnel in particular, which had four trainers running through it.





Flash and Springer were among a group that chose the far right entry way, the people running with him being Rainbow, Heath and Lightning. The one teen glanced back at them, only to shine a big grin on with his Roglacier. "Blizzard!" He yelled, Roglacier shooting ahead a good ten feet before leaping and pulling down his scarf.

"GLACIER!" He roared before unleashing a stream of cold air, which struck the tunnel roof and started forming a wall of ice.

Lightning laughed as the trainer slid under the wall before it completely sealed the tunnel. "HEY!" Rainbow yelped as they all skidded to a halt, "That's gotta be against the rules!"

"Later losers!"

Flash went over the rules in his head, but none of the professors had said blocking the opponent's way wasn't allowed. "We gotta find a way through!"

"Flamethrower!" Heath yelled as his Houndoom unleashed a burst of fire, which hit the ice wall and made it begin to melt...very slowly. "A little help?"

Flash and Rainbow nodded before pointing at the wall. "Aura Sphere/Brick Break!" As Houndoom stopped to catch his breath, Springer fired the orb of spirit energy while Hawlucha charged. The sphere struck the partly melted wall and caused the weakened structure to crack, allowing Hawlucha to break through with a swift karate chop of his wing.

The ice crumbled to large blocks, opening up the passageway. But this lost time had allowed Lightning to disappear ahead, the three now running through, only to find the tunnel had split into three. They each glanced at one another and nodded before splitting up.





Meanwhile...

Trixie continued to ride Girafarig down her tunnel, hitting the end before galloping out of the passage and into a large domed chamber. And on one side of the chamber was a large metal door with a glowing green light above it.

"Yes!" She cheered before noticing two pillars, each with a button on it. She leapt off Girafarig's back and pressed it, a beeping sound filling the air.

Up in the stadium, the megascreen changed to show Trixie at the podium. "Looks like we have our first competitor for the next level!" Mic exclaimed as Trixie's friends cheered, "But will she be able to win her way up the mountain?"

And as this happened, a boy with a Toxicroak ran into the chamber and hit the button. As the room beeped again, several trainers arrived in time to see Girafarig and Toxicroak charge at one another.

"Cross Poison!" He yelled as Toxicroak crossed its arms and swung them, creating the X-shaped blade of poison.

"Dodge it!" Trixie ordered, Girafarig leaping to the side. "Now, Psybeam!" From Girafarig's antlers, a blast of psychic energy exploded off and struck Toxicroak. The Fighting Poison-type cried out as it staggered back. "Now, Zen Headbutt!" As it recovered, Girafarig galloped forward as a blue light appeared around it. The next thing Toxicroak knew, it was being thrown back with its mind now being scrambled.

"Yeah!" Spike cheered as they watched Toxicroak hit the dirt, only for the screen to cut in half.

"And we have another door being claimed!" Mic roared as the screen showed Lightning standing at one of the doors, his opponent being a girl with an Altaria. "If you want to watch this battle on its own, or any of the others, then please look under your seats."

Everyone did so and pulled out a tablet that was connected to the seats by a cord. The tablets switched on, only to see Altaria already almost down due to a single Ice Punch. Twilight then flicked the screen and it switched to show Trixie, the girl double tapping it to make it into a window so she could watch while flicking through the rest until she found Flash.





Flash and Springer had arrived at a chamber, where a trainer and his Stompice were waiting. Three others trainers all arrived at the same time, all running for the button...only for Flash to get to it first. "Yes!" He exclaimed as Springer ran up to the Stompice while the other trainers ran off to find another door.

Flash's friends cheered as they watched the two do battle, Springer's higher speed and typing proofing useful at the moment. That is, till Present Mic called out. "And we have our first trainer heading up to the second level!"

Lightning was now walking through the doorway, everyone now seeing Altaria on the ground, both wings frozen and its body covered in bruises. "That certainly didn't take long," Luna commented as more and more battles for the doors began.

Rainbow and Hawlucha faced off against a Machoke, Applejack and Winona battled a Slumberam, while Heath and Houndoom went up against a Herbarald. Timber and Breloom fought against a Beedrill and many more were fighting just as hard. And it wasn't long before Trixie managed to defeat her opponent.

"Signal Beam!" Girafarig fired the laser, striking down the Toxicroak. "YES!" She cheered as the door opened, the magician leaping onto Girafarig's back and galloping off.

"Aura Sphere!" Flash yelled, Springer thrusting the orb into Stompice and blasting it back. "Oh yeah!" Flash and Springer high-fived as the Stompice hit the floor with spirals in its eyes.

Every other minute, another trainer won their match and was able to get up to the next level. But the time it took to find a door and win the battle had given those that won their matches quickly a serious head start. Lightning and Roglacier were now running through, only to hit a folk in the road. "Oh great..." Lightning growled, "Left or right?" His eyes shifted from side to side, Roglacier doing the same.

"Glay," he pointed at the left one, Lightning raising an eyebrow.

"Might as well." He grumbled as they ran down before getting to a chamber with a free door. He pressed the button and got into position. "Now we wait."

More trainers were making their way through the chambers, some finding free doors that had no other trainers. But as time went on, more and more found themselves arriving at doors with trainers already there.

"Finally!" Lightning hissed as a trainer and his Golem rolled into the chamber and hit the button, Roglacier charging at the Pokémon. "Ice Punch!" Golem could barely react as Roglacier's ice cold punch instantly hit him, making it flinch a little.

"Rock Blast!" The rocky section above Golem glowed before exploding off it, all going for Roglacier. But the Ice-type just zipped around, dodging each one before a rock hit its shoulder.

"Row!" he flinched, making it skid back.

"What are you doing?! Shake it off! Use Hail!" Lightning roared, Roglacier bringing its hands together and forming an ice ball. It threw upward, exploding into a large cloud near the ceiling. The cloud began to unleash a bunch of hail, filling the chamber with a sheet of ice.

Golem moaned at the cold, its trainer wrapping his arms around him. "Rollout!" Golem rolled up at this, quickly spinning quickly toward Roglacier. But before it could land, Roglacier vanished.





"Where'd it go?" Pinkie asked as Roglacier appeared behind Golem and used Close Combat.

"It's Snow Cloak, Roglacier's ability." Doc replied, "In hail, it's evasive abilities become second to none." The others then saw it smack Golem away, easily beating it. They then switched to Rainbow and Applejack battling their opponents, only to also see Trixie going up against a Banette who only seemed knew Ghost-type attacks, making the fight an easy one for her. As for Micro and Sandalwood, they were running side by side, arriving at a chamber together and finding a trainer already there, Micro taking them on while Sandalwood kept searching.

And as for Flash and Springer, the pair were doing battle with a Bisharp. "Extreme Speed!" Springer began to dodge all of Bisharp's slash attacks, now getting behind it, "Aura Sphere!" The Riolu formed the orb and tried to thrust it into Bisharp's back.

"X-Scissor!" The trainer exclaimed, Bisharp spinning around and crossing its arms. The Aura Sphere slammed into the arms, but Bisharp then swung them apart, negating the attack before slashing Springer in an X-shape.

"Ri!" Springer fell back and was forced to do several flips to land on his feet.

"Guillotine!" Flash went wide-eyed at this, now seeing the blades on Bisharp's elbows glow light blue before extending until they were almost as long as Bisharp was tall.

"Bone Rush!" Springer formed the staff and spun it around as Bisharp tried to slash him. That is, till Springer managed to deflect the blades and knock Bisharp off balance. "Drain Punch!" Springer thrust his fist into the Bisharp, making it cry out as it energy was drained away.

Everyone watched as Bisharp fell back, spirals now appearing in its eyes. "Yes!" Spike cheered as the doors opened up for Flash and Springer. And as they swiped through the other screens, they found Lightning, Rainbow, Applejack and many more trainers heading up to the third level.

"The trainers are getting higher and higher!" Mic exclaimed, "They've reached the final hurdle before reaching the stadium. Only one more door stands between them and being able to compete here in the Equestria League." He turned to the professors, "Any thoughts about the battles so far?"

Celestia smiled back, "This is still anyone's battle."

Luna nodded in agreement, "Many of the trainers who have made it this far got that way because their opponent's Pokémon were ones they had an advantage over." The screen changed to show the Tyranitar trainer climbing up the tunnel to the third level, Micro and Heath also heading to that level while Trixie had just beaten her opponent.

"Some might still have that luck for their next opponents," Cadance chimed in, "But others will likely find this final hurdle to be to much for them. Only time will tell."





Flash and Springer reached the third level and ran as hard as they could, panting from all the running and battles. "We're almost there bud," he told Springer, "Just one more fight and we've got this."

"Rio!" Springer nodded as they came to a fork in the tunnel.

"Left or right?" Flash asked, Springer moaning before running down one, Flash following after him. "Right it is!" And as they went, they soon found themselves going upwards. "Geez," Flash sighed, "This is starting to get steep."





At the same time, Lightning and Roglacier came to the end of their tunnel, now finding a free door that hadn't been claimed by anyone.

"Perfect," Lightning laughed as he hit the button. "Now this tournament is over. The winner's just been decided." As he said that, the sound of footsteps made him turn back to see Sandalwood and Micro rush into the chamber. "And here's my ticket out of this farce. So which of you is gonna be stupid enough to take me on?"

The pair shared a glance, both remembering the last time they fought him, only for a voice to yell, "I'll take you on!" They turned to another tunnel and spotted a trainer with his Primeape. The trainer slammed the button as Primeape leapt in front of him.

"Come on!" Micro said as he and Sandalwood ran away, only to hear a loud thud. They glanced back to see Primeape now slammed into the tunnel's walls, the Pokémon already almost beat. The sight made them run even faster as they turned back to the tunnel.





Flash and Springer had been running for a while, both now worrying as they hadn't found a chamber or even an opening into another passage. And as they turned a corner, they skidded to a stop. "WHOA!" Flash yelped, barely managing to keep himself from running face first into a wall.

"No!" Flash yelled as he now saw the dead-end.

"RI!" Springer cried while those in the stadium who saw this all gasped.

"OH!" Mic exclaimed, "I can barely watch! Flash Sentry, the boy who helped save Equestria, has hit a dead end! Now he'll have to go all the way back, losing precious time."

"This it the worst!" Spike yelled, "Why did Flash go that way?!"

"We can't dwell on that," Twilight sighed, "All we can do now is hope Flash can get back and find a proper door before it's too late." And as the duo began to run back, she flicked to another screen, showing Rainbow fighting for her own chance to get through a doorway.

"Brick Break!" Rainbow ordered as Hawlucha slammed an Electabuzz in the gut. The Electric-type staggered back, as Thunderbass pointed at Hawlucha.

"Thunderbolt!" Electabuzz roared as it unleashed a blast of lightning, only for the Fighting Flying-type to leap over the attack.

"Flying Press!" Hawlucha spread his wings and dived down at Electabuzz, tackling the Electric Pokémon with a mighty blow before leaping back to safety.

As this happened, Applejack was now in another chamber for another battle. "Quick Attack!" She commanded Winona as the dog zipped around the battlefield, avoiding Air Cutters from an opposing Swoobat. She then leapt up and slammed the Courting Pokémon, knocking it back.

"Swoo!" It moaned as it hit the ground, Winona landing in front of Applejack.

"Now," she pointed at Swoobat, "Wild Charge!" Winona howled as her entire body started sparking with lightning, the Ground-type charging at the Swoobat as it picked itself up.

"Shadow Ball!" Swoobat fired the sphere of dark energy, but Winona leapt over it as the lightning formed a cocoon around her.

"RED!" She roared as she slammed into Swoobat, making it cry out, Winona also being hit by the recoil.

Swoobat moaned as it hit the wall, only for its trainer to yell, "Roost!" Swoobat wrapped its wings around its body and glowed, Applejack smirking at the sight.

"Now, Sand Strike!" Winona let out another howl, causing a cloud of sand to appear around her. The sand swirled around her as she then tackled Swoobat, the attack now making sand fly into its eyes of the bat.





Flash and Springer had managed to get back to where they had started, now fearing that all the doorways might be used up. They ran as fast as they could, now passing through a chamber where Micro Chips was battling a trainer with a Torkoal, the fire tortoise unleashing a flamethrower that Boomax deflected with a Hyper Voice.

Flash and Springer then headed into another tunnel, zigzagging through it before reaching the chamber. "Signal Beam!" He heard as Trixie's Girafarig fired a blast of...bug energy. It struck a Liepard, sending it flying before it did several flips through the air and landed perfectly. "Not bad," Trixie chuckled before noticing Flash and Springer. "What are you doing standing around?! You've got a door to find!"

Flash nodded and ran off, leaving Trixie to look back at the battle. "Night Slash!" The opposing trainer yelled as the Liepard charged with glowing black claws.

"Dodge it!" Trixie barked back, Girafarig hopping away before Trixie added, "Now use Psybeam and aim for the ground!" Girafarig fired the blast from its antenna, hitting the ground in front of Liepard and exploding. The force of the explosion knocked the cat flying back, making it cry out again.





"Not a bad plan," Luna commented, "Psychic Attacks might not effect Dark-types, but can still be of use if wielded correctly."

"Indeed," Celestia nodded, "Quite a smart maneuver."

As she said that, the doors of the stadium began to open, everyone turning to it as Mic spoke up, "Let's give a round of applause for the trainer that made it here first!" The trainer and his Pokémon walked onto the field with a grin, "LIGHTNING BLITZ!" The arrogant teen came to a stop in the center of the stadium as the crowd cheered for him.

He shined the biggest grin as he saw he was the first there, "Naturally." He turned to Roglacier, seeing he was now panting, "Good work, I guess." He held up his Pokeball and returned him, Roglacier nodding at his trainer as he was sucked inside.

"But what's this?" Mic went on, "Seems we have some more trainers making their way in here!"

Everyone turned to the entryway as two girls rushed in and yelled, "MADE IT!" Rainbow and Applejack ran out with their Pokémon, only to see Lightning there with a bored stare. "Grrr...can't believe we lost to that guy."

Applejack placed a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "We'll make up for it in dah tournament." Rainbow nodded and turned back to the megascreen, seeing the many trainers still battling.





Trixie and Girafarig was still battling against Liepard while Heath and Houndoom were clashing against a Golduck. Vinyl and Palpitoad were fighting against a Grattle, Spark Plug and Volemming against a Donphan while Micro and Boomax fought against a Scrapound that had blue skin instead of orange.

Other trainers were still hunting for a usable door, as shown when Flash ran into the chamber that Spark was fighting in. "Blizzard!" He yelled as Volemming leapt to the side to avoid Donphan's Take Down. Flash and Springer ran out of the room at this, just as the electric rodent unleashed a barrage of frigidly cold air at the ground elephant.

As they ran through another tunnel, they spotted Sandalwood and Leavanny running out of a passageway and into an usable door with one trainer already waiting alongside his Tyranitar. "Dang it!" Flash yelled when he saw Sandalwood hit the button, "We're running out of time!"

"And doors," Springer added despite Flash not understanding him.





"Come on Flash!" Spike complained as Trixie and Heath ran into the stadium.

Fluttershy let out a long gulp, "If he doesn't find a door and someone to battle...he'll be knocked out of the contest."

They all frowned as they watched their friend continue to run through the tunnels in search of a free door. As he did this, more trainers stepped out into the stadium. "Ten spaces remain!" Present Mic announced while Flash ran into a room and saw Sugarcoat and Grimsnarl stand over a defeated trainer before entering through the doors. "Make that nine."

Flash ran back at this as Micro Chips then walked into the stadium.

"Eight spaces still remain."





Flash and Springer growled as entered another chamber and finding a door with a red light. "Damn it! That's the fourth one!"

"Ri..."

"We still have a chance," Flash told him as they entered another tunnel. "I doubt they would just leave us running around if all the doors were used up." They turned left at a fork, the pair hearing someone else coming down the other side. "I'm not gonna let my chance slip by me! I can do this!"

A minute later, the pair ran out of the tunnel and found themselves in another chamber. And this one had a door...with a green light.

"YES!" Flash roared as he ran up and slammed his hand down on the button.





Back in the stadium, everyone looked up when the megascreen suddenly switched to reveal Flash and Springer standing at the final door.

"YES!" Rainbow cheered as his friends all did the same, Lightning snarling at the sight of the stadium all cheering.

"Don't be too excited," Doc chimed in, "He still has to win this fight."

"But who's his opponent gonna be?" Spike asked, none of the others answering...only for someone to enter the chamber, the sight making several go wide-eyed.





"I was hoping you'd be one of the people I beat to get to the league," Timber chuckled as he and Breloom walked out into the chamber and pressed down the button. As he said that, a voice echoed through the mountain.

"The final door has been claimed!" Mic announced, "All trainers still searching for the doors...better luck next year."

Flash and Timber went wide-eyed at this before Timber laughed, "Looks like I was just in time. True luck is with me!"

Breloom then stepped forward, Springer doing the same. The four stared one another down, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Come on Flash," Spike whispered as Sandalwood and Spark Plug entered the stadium, showing this would could be the final match.

"You can do it Timber," Gloriosa prayed.

And as the battle began, Lightning growled at the sight as he saw everyone focusing on that battle, so many cheers happening for Flash. "This makes me sick." He hissed under his breath, "I can't wait to show these idiots what a true trainer is."





"RI!" Springer roared as charged at the opposing Pokémon.

"Mach Punch!" Breloom pulled its fist back before throwing it, the arm suddenly extending at incredible speed and length. It came straight for Springer's face, only for Flash to let out a command.

"Extreme Speed!" The lightning appeared around Springer and everything slowed to a crawl, minus Breloom's stretching arm which was now moving at normal speed. Springer quickly sidestepped the attack before grabbing the Breloom's arm, then used it to pull himself forward.

"Brell?" The Grass-type yelped as Springer lived up to his name and sprung toward him, lifting his foot up and slamming it into the Mushroom Pokémon's face. "BRELOOM!"

Flash smirked as Timber growled, Springer bouncing off Breloom's face as the Grass-type staggered back. "Aura Sphere!" Flash yelled, Springer forming the orb in midair before sending it flying at Breloom.

"Energy Ball!" Breloom fired its own sphere of energy, the two attacks striking one another only a few feet from Breloom. The explosion that came next filled the chamber, making Timber and Breloom cough while Flash lifted his jacket to cover his mouth. "Where is he?" Timber asked as he now saw nothing but smoke.

"Bone Rush!" He then heard Flash command.





Gloriosa blinked at the sight as the camera changed to infra red in order to see through the smoke. And as it did this, Springer's form ran through the smoke right for Breloom. "How can he see?"

"He can't," Twilight giggled, "He's following Breloom's aura." Springer formed the energy bone and slammed it into Breloom, making it cry out before attempting to swing a punch at Springer. But the Riolu just hopped back, hitting the Pokémon in the side next as Breloom started swinging wildly.

It was at this moment that the smoke was beginning to fade, allowing Breloom a better view as the camera switched back to normal. But before Breloom could attack, Springer ran into the remaining cloud of smoke.

"Poison Jab!" Breloom threw his fist at the smoke cloud, the arm stretching as the red claws glowed purple. But when it flew into the cloud, it felt nothing.

"Brell?" It asked as it retracted the arm, which caused the cloud to vanish and reveal Springer wasn't there.

"Above you!" Timber told it, Breloom looking up to see a now leaping Springer.

"Drain Punch!" Springer pulled his fist back as it glowed, letting out a loud howl as he threw his fist into the hat of Breloom. The Grass-type cried out as it was drained away, Springer feeling it flow into him. But as he did this, he breathed in and felt something enter his nose and mouth.

"Ri?" He asked as he pulled back and used Breloom's hat as a springboard, leaping off and landing in front of Flash. But as he did, he began to stagger around.

"Springer?! What's-" He didn't finish as his partner fell to the ground, asleep. "No way!"

Timber saw this and laughed, "Ha! Looks like you forgot about Breloom's Effect Spore!" Flash growled at this, only to see Breloom about to attack his Pokémon.





"Talk about bad luck!" Present Mic commented, "Flash seemed to have this battle in the bag."

"Now he has two choices," Luna added, "Forfeit or let his Pokémon take a beating."

"Timber wouldn't attack a sleeping opponent," Cadance asked, "Would he?" She got her answer when Timber yelled out an attack.

"Energy Ball!" Everyone watched as Breloom fired the sphere of energy, slamming into the still sleeping Springer. It sent the Riolu flying, still not waking up as Timber added, "Mach Punch!"

"Brell!" He roared, extending his arm again and hitting Springer right in the gut. The Riolu didn't let out a single cry, even when he crashed into the ground and rolled along the floor.

"Springer!" Flash gasped while his friends flinched.

"That's not fair!" Spike added, "How is this legal! Springer can't defend himself!"

"It's an allowed tactic," Twilight sighed, "It might not be exactly honorable, but Timber's not breaking any rules."

"Count Flash lucky," Doc chimed in, "In some contest, being asleep is considered the same as being knocked out. If Flash can get Springer to wake up, he still has a chance."

As he said this, another new trainer walked in, showing Flash and Timber were the only trainers left bidding for a spot. And as they turned back to the battle, Breloom fired another Energy ball in Springer's direction.

"Oh..." Fluttershy looked close to crying, "I hope he wakes up soon."

"This battle's no fun," Pinkie added.





"Poison Jab!" Timber ordered as Breloom picked Springer up by the back of the neck. He then pulled his arm back as his fingers glowed purple.

"LOOM!" He slammed it into Springer's stomach, letting him go and sending the Riolu flying.

Flash flinched as Springer hit the ground, hating every second of this. Every instinct was telling him to give up and stop Springer's beating, but he knew Springer would never forgive him or himself if he did that.

"Energy Ball!" Breloom fired the attack, hitting Springer again. The sight made Flash flinch, only for an idea to pop into his head.

"That's it!" He whispered before closing his eyes, "Come on Springer..." He took a deep breath, trying to sense Springer through his aura...only to feel a small warm sensation. "Come on bud. Get up."

Timber saw this and smirked, "Giving up? Good idea! I'll end this quickly for you! Breloom, Double-Edge!" Breloom glowed orange as he charged, ready to body check the sleeping Riolu.

"Wake up," Flash continued to tell him through their connection. "Wake up..." Unbeknownst to him, Springer's eyes and claws began to twitch. "Wake up!" And as Breloom got within inches of him, Springer's eyes shot open.

"BRELL!" Breloom crashed into the wall, causing the room to shake as a large dust cloud kicked up.

Timber smiled at this sight, only to hear Breloom cry out. "Huh?" Breloom staggered out of the fog, looking like he had just run into a brick wall...and Springer had vanished. "What?!"

"RIOLU!" The three glanced up to see Springer, the Riolu having leapt up at the last moment.

"YES!" Flash cheered as Springer landed, only to see his partner had still taken a lot of damage. "You okay?" Springer, despite looking like he was having a hard time standing up, threw a thumbs up at him without looking. "Nice! Let's do this bud!"

"Oh no you don't!" Timber pointed at Flash, "I will beat you this time! Energy Ball!"

Breloom fired the green orb at Springer, only for Flash to order him to use Extreme Speed. "RI!" Springer exploded off of where he stood, the Energy Ball hitting the ground as he started zipping around the room. Breloom tried to follow him as he bounced off of one wall and flew over to bounce off another, only for the Riolu to suddenly appear in front of him. "RIOLU!" He thrust a foot into Breloom's chest, making it cry out before getting sent flying.

Flash smirked at the sight, only to now remember the Effect Spore. He then saw Breloom skid to a stop, but no spores had hit Springer this time.

"Poison Jab!" Timber yelled, "Rapid fire!"

"BRELL!" The Grass-type roared as its hands glowed purple before thrusting the arm forward. But Springer ducked under the stretched attack, only for Breloom to pull back and fire its other fist. Springer dodged again, but Breloom kept alternating between them, increasing speed as both arms flew across the room.

"RI!" Springer cried as a jab struck his shoulder, making him stagger back.

"Springer!" Flash gasped, only to see Breloom pull back for another jab. "Springer, Bone Rush baton!" Springer's eyes shot open and he acted fast, bringing his paws together as Breloom fired his fist. Springer formed the energy bone and started spinning it around, the fist hitting it and getting deflected back. Breloom winced in pain, then started rapidly jabbing at Springer again. But Springer quickly ripped the bone into two and spun them both around, the Riolu managing to practically create a shield around him that Breloom's fists hit.





"Ha!" Braeburn laughed as he saw this, "That Flash! Always comin up with a wild idea."

"It's working though," Thorax added as Springer deflected a Poison Jab and then threw his clubs at Breloom, hitting it on the head. "Flash might be the one coming up with the harebrained schemes, but his Pokémon should take some credit for actually managing to pull them off."

"Just shows how well trained they are," Granny chuckled as the others nodded.

"Yeah Flash!" Spike cheered as Breloom fired another Energy Ball, the Riolu throwing an Aura Sphere back to protect himself.

And as the smoke of the two attacks filled the air, Gloriosa began to worry since Springer had the edge in zero visibility. "Come on Timber...you can do it."





The green haired teen smirked at this, "You're not the only one that can come up with crazy combos! Breloom," he pointed at his Pokémon, "Mach Punch Tornado!" Breloom's eyes shined before it held its arms out in a T-shape.

"Brell!" He swung the arms around, spinning like a top on the tip of his toes, turning himself into a mini tornado. This also caused its arms to swing around the chamber, having extended to about ten feet and acting like a buzzsaw.

Springer had heard Timber's order, blinking as he tried to use aura to sense where Breloom was, but couldn't get a lock on...except for the arms. He found them to be quite big now, making him duck down, "Ri!" He pulled his head back just as a fist sailed inches over his face. As he got back up, he now saw what Breloom was doing. He then focused his aura on Flash, the pair still connected from earlier, and tried to send the mental image to him.

"Message received good buddy," he pointed ahead, "Aura Sphere!"

Springer stayed low to the ground and formed the sphere before firing, dispelling the smoke. The camera could now see the fight, everyone in the stadium now watching the sphere reached Breloom, hitting the top's tip and exploding.

"BRELL!" Breloom screamed as he was knocked off balance, staggering back as it was now dizzy from the constant spinning. Springer used this time to jump back to his feet and charged ahead as Flash gave the command.

"Drain Punch!" Springer thrust the glowing fist into Breloom's stomach, making it cry out as it was thrown back. But it managed to fight through the pain and dizziness as Timber gave his order.

"Mach Punch!" And as Springer was leaping back, Breloom threw his extendo-arm forward, socking the Riolu in the face.

"Riolu!" He cried, getting thrown back and hitting the ground at the same time as Breloom. Both Pokémon slid back a few feet before getting back up, both panting as they glared at each other.

Their trainers did the same as they pointed at each other, "Aura Sphere/Energy Ball!" Both teens roared, their Pokémon forming the spheres and firing them.

The attacks shot through the chamber and as they collided, both stood still in a grinding, pulsing force...only for the attacks to no longer take it anymore. An explosion with enough force to knock everyone down came next, the blast hitting the camera in the chamber.





Unbeknownst to the trainers, the megascreen suddenly died and the screen turned to static. The people watching all cried out at this, Present Mic pulling at his collar, "Uh...sorry folks! Looks like we're having a few...technical difficulties at the moment." In his box, Mic cut off his microphone and turned to a phone, calling up the engineers...only for nothing to happen.

"Come on!" Spike growled as a minute or so passed, "What's taking so long?!"

"We're missing the battle!" Pinkie added.

"Timber..." Gloriosa whispered, "Please be okay..."

Twilight turned to her with a long frown, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath. Unlike Gloriosa, she thought about Flash and Springer and started to recreate a smile. She knew she didn't need to worry. She knew they would be okay.

Another minute passed and there was still no change with the picture. But then Lightning, who was now leaning against the entrance to the stadium, heard the sound of footsteps coming up the tunnel. The trainer pushed away from the wall, Trixie seeing this and elbowed Rainbow, and then Applejack. Soon, everyone turned to the tunnel, including the audience as Mic spoke up.

"Looks like we're about to find out who the final trainers is." Everyone stared at the tunnel exit, all sitting on the edge of their seats. And as the sound grew louder, the two reached the end of the tunnel. "And the final trainer battling in the Equestria League is...FLASH SENTRY!"

Flash and Springer gasped as they reached the end of the tunnel, the sound of cheers assaulting their ears. It seemed everyone in the stadium had gotten their wish in him winning, Flash's friends on the ground all cheering as well as they ran over.

"You had us worried," Rainbow laughed.

"Ah'm guessing Timber hadn't taken losin' well?" Applejack asked, Flash nodding in agreement. Up in the stands, Gloriosa sighed as she sat back in her chair.

"I'm sorry Gloriosa," Twilight chimed in, "But Timber did really well."

Gloriosa stayed quiet for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Back on the ground, the sixteen remaining trainers all formed a line. They looked up at the megascreen as their images appeared on it. "And there you have it Equestria!" Present Mic cheered, "The sixteen trainers strong enough, fast enough and lucky enough to make it here to the Equestria League! One of these lucky trainers will win the right to face off against Shining Armor and attempt to take the title of champion from him! Now the ultimate question is, who will it be?"

All sixteen trainers all gave each other a smirk and mentally told them. 'Me.'

"Now it's time to start whittling the competition down." Mic picked up a button, "Let's see who'll be facing who in the upcoming tournament." With that, he pressed the thing and the cards flipped around before they started shuffling. As they did, Mic placed the button down in front of Celestia. "Ladies."

Celestia, Luna and Cadance all shared a nod and placed their hands together before thrusting them down. With that, the cards stopped shuffling and paired off against one another to form two lines of eight. They then flipped, revealing who was facing who.


Match One
Rainbow Dash V Bulk Biceps


"YEAH!" The bulky teen cheered while Rainbow smirked, giving the guy a thumbs up before telling him to bring it on.


Match Two
Sugarcoat V Cedar


Sugarcoat pushed her glasses up and let out a conceded chuckle while Cedar tried to look strong and not show how nervous he was.


Match Three
Norman V Indigo Zap


"WOOOOO!" Indigo exclaimed, sticking both hands into the air and banging her head like a rocker. "Let's rock!"


Match Four
Lightning Blitz V Spark Plug


Spark's eyes went wide at this before turning to Lightning Blitz, only to be greeted by the teen's death stare.


Match Five
Micro Chips V Bright Idea


Both trainers turned to one another, Flash getting the feeling they were sizing each other up and doing millions of calculations in their heads.


Match Six
Applejack V Vinyl


"Yeehaw!" Applejack tipped her hat at Vinyl, "Let's give it our all!"

"Don't know any other way," Vinyl laughed, "Just don't feel too bad when my Pokémon's sick beats knock you out of the contest!"


Match Seven
Heath Burns V Sandalwood


Heath and Sandalwood smiled at one another, nodding as Flash watched, knowing heath likely had his match in the bag. He then turned to the final two cards, but already knew who it was that would be on them.


Match Eight
Flash Sentry V Trixie Lulamoon


"So we're up against Trixie." Springer nodded before giving one another a smirk, "A tough opponent right off the bat. Nice." They spun around at this as a certain someone walked up to them.

"So it looks like the great and powerful Trixie's first victory will be against Equestria's newest hero."

"Let's give it our all," he held out a hand and Trixie happily shook it.

"Let's."

And so, amidst a formidable group of trainers, the Canterlot City Equestria League has begun. The excitement and anticipation was contagious, as Flash's latest challenge on the road to become a Pokémon Champion has begun. As the journey continues.
> One Last Trick Up My Sleeve
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Canterlot City was still in a frenzy of excitement as the preliminary round of the Equestria League came to an end. Every TV around was showing a rerun of the race through the mountain and the sixteen competitors that had made it. One of those competitors was currently enjoying a celebratory milkshake with his friends at a café. On the table in front of him, he had five Pokeballs and one Premier-Ball sitting there, "My first opponent is Trixie," Flash reminded himself. "And the first round is three on three. So the question is, which three am I going to use?"

"Well, we know what Trixie uses," Doc told him as he finished his shake. "Psychic-types." He sat back, "So Dark, Bug and Ghost-type Pokémon will give you a good advantage."

"Right," Flash nodded before picking up a Pokeball, "So Astro's my best bet."

"Ri ri," Springer chimed in after finishing his donut.

"Maybe," Twilight sipped on her shake, "But it's not smart to think she only uses Psychic-types. Remember, she has a Hattrem, and that's party Fairy-type. That'll mean Astro will have a disadvantage against it."

Flash crossed his arms at this, only for Spike to speak up, "Plus she knows your team," He then stuffed a donut in his mouth, Peewee putting in two in his, "She must have six Pokémon, but I can only remember four that she's used."

"So she could pull out something I've never seen before," Flash grimaced before putting the Pokeball down, "I need to figure the best plan against of Trixie...hmm..."

Twilight smiled at him, glad her teaching him after all this time had truly paid off. He was thinking strategy, thinking back to his battles he had seen Trixie do. Most of the time, she liked using tricks and surprise attacks that threw their opponents off guard. And as those thoughts flowed through his head, he noticed somebody walk into the café with his own milkshake. "Lightning..." he slowly said as the teen appeared, "Figured you'd be off training."

Lightning took another slurp of his shake, "Can't train on an empty stomach." He then turned to Flash, "Cut it a little close, huh? Figures a loser like you would get lost."

Flash shrugged, "I took a wrong turn and ended up in a dead end. Could have happened to anyone. Even you." Flash prepared for Lightning to respond...only he didn't, making him continue, "So...you already pick your Pokémon for tomorrow?"

"Of course," Lightning replied, "I'll have no trouble beating that loser."

"If you say so," Flash responded, "Honestly, I'm hoping Trixie gives me a tough match." Lightning glared at him that said he thought he was crazy. "What? What's the point of any of this if you're not having fun."

The statement made Lightning hiss before crushing the shake in his hand. "This isn't something that's supposed to be fun. It's a serious competition, for serious trainers."

"I am serious," Flash smirked, "But what's the point of doing anything if you can't have fun doing it."

"You're pathetic." Lightning growled before spinning around, "If you think like that, then you deserve to lose."

He then walked away, throwing the shake into a can with a swift flick of the hand. And as he disappeared, Twilight commented, "Wow. You actually got under his skin."

"I've been getting under his skin since the day I met him," Flash slurped up the last of his milkshake. "Right now, I'm just gonna focus on which Pokémon to use against Trixie." He turned to Twilight, "Help me out, would ya?"

She nodded back before they glanced back at the Pokeballs.





At the same time, Trixie was at the Pokémon Center. She was sitting at one of the television phones, sighing as she talked to her father. "So you managed to get into the top sixteen," he spat on the other line. "I guess congratulations are in order."

"Thanks," Trixie groaned, "But it's gonna get a lot harder from here. Especially since my first opponent is Flash Sentry."

"The boy that fought against Sombra and inspired the whole of Equestria to rally against him. Yes, I guess battling him is a lost cause." Trixie narrowed her eyes at him, "I saw him battle and his skills are top notch. Especially since he made it into the top two in both the Hoof Cup and Battle Tournament. Maybe it would be best to forfeit and save yourself the embarrassment."

"I can still win," Trixie hissed back, "And I intend to. You might not have any faith in me, but I have faith in myself." Her father raised an eyebrow. "You didn't think I'd make it as a trainer, but here I am in the Equestria League. So excuse me if I think nothing you say has any meaning."

"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow, "Very well. If you truly think you can beat him, then so be it. Don't come crying to me if you lose."

"I won't be crying," she replied, "If I win, I'll be happy. And if I lose, I won't put myself down. Because I know I did great." And before her father could say anything else, she hung up. Once the screen went dead, she sighed and sat back, only to turn and see a certain woman walk up, "Luna?"

The professor smiled at the girl, "Sorry to eavesdrop on you."

Trixie shook her head, "No, it's fine. But...I'm guessing you heard that?"

Luna nodded, "And I'm very proud to see how much you've grown. I'm sure you'll give us an incredible battle tomorrow."

"Thanks," Trixie responded before glancing away, "But it's pretty obvious Flash will be the winner."

"You never know that. You might be surprised by what you can do, especially when you give it your all. You're a smart girl, and as long as you believe you can win, it's possible." Trixie looked back at her with wide eyes, "And even if you don't win, you'll still have done something very few trainers manage to do: Make it to the Equestria League. And that's something to be proud of."

"Yeah..." Trixie nodded, "Yeah, you're right." She stood up, "I'm gonna give Flash a battle he'll never forget. I just need to think of a plan." She put a finger to her chin, only to smirk, "Yeah...that's sure to take him by surprise."

"Oh? Gotta scheme cooking up?" Trixie nodded and looked like she was about to tell her, only for Luna to hold up a hand, "Hold on. I'd much rather see it in effect tomorrow. Don't ruin the surprise for me." Trixie giggled and thanked Luna before heading off, the woman smiling as she headed up to her room in order to talk to the Pokémon she would be using. "She'll go far, that one."





The next day...

Screams filled the air as the people sitting in the seats of the stadium cheered for the start of the first round.

Twilight and her friends were sitting together while the professors and Gym Leaders were where they were the previous day. In a moment, the screen switched on to reveal Present Mic, "WAS-UPPPPP!" He exclaimed to the audience, "Welcome Poke-fans! Today's a big day, as the first round of the Equestria League is about to begin!" The screen changed to show the trainers that would be battling that day. "These sixteen trainers have worked hard to make it here today! And now, we'll be cutting their numbers down to a respectable eight! But who will those eight be?!"





Inside the stadium, Flash, Lightning and all the other trainers were sitting in their own private rooms. The rooms had a single couch, table and TV to watch the battles on. Some sat their patiently, others stuffing their faces with the snacks they found on the table.

Flash and Springer watched the TV closely, since their match would be the final one of the day. "This is it," he told Springer. "The big day is here."

"Ri," Springer nodded.





"Now it's time for the first match!" Mic yelled as the first two trainers came out, Rainbow and Bulk Biceps. The crowd cheered as they walked onto the outstretched metal planks that hung over the side of an empty pit.

A minute later, gears could be heard as the battlefield rose up to reveal it was covered in rocks and a stream. A Rotom Drone flew down to explain the rules of it being a three on three, Rainbow and Bulk nodding. Everyone watched as Bulk was chosen to let out his first Pokémon, a Throh.

"YAY!" Pinkie cheered, "Good luck Throh!" The others turned to her, raising an eyebrow since she had been cheering for Rainbow a minute ago, "What? I helped hatch him!"

In that moment, Rainbow let out her Pokémon: A Talonflame.

The Rotom Drone uploaded the two Pokémon into its system and allowed the battle to start, Mic giving them the countdown before the two Pokémon charged.

It was a tough battle, Rainbow appearing in trouble a few times. Talonflame managed to defeat Throh and do serious damage to his next Pokémon, a Machamp, but was eventually taken down. Rainbow then sent out Wondor and managed to knock it out, Bulk replacing it with a Conkeldurr. But it wasn't enough and Rainbow claimed victory.

The crowd cheered as they returned their Pokémon and gave one another a fist pump, thanking each other for the great battle. And over the next few hours, six more battles raged as seriously epic moments rang out. A Yanmega fighting against a Grimsnarl, a Slaking getting struck by a Toxtricity's electric rhythm attacks. There was an Androrg wiping out a Grizzor with a single attack while a Volthor used its hammer to hit a home run with an Electrob. A Flapple then had an aerial battle against a Noivern along with a Magmortar blasting a Torterra with a super strong fire attack.

The battles were all hard fought, the winning trainers all leaving with their heads held high while the losers remained as dignified as possible.

Mic: "What a bunch of amazing battles so far. Wouldn't you agree Professors?"

Celestia: "Indeed. The trainers should all be proud at how well they trained their Pokémon."

Luna: "That last battle was certainly an interesting one."

Cadance: "And hopefully the rest of the battles in the tournament will be just as great."

Up in the stands, Twilight and the others were all wide-eyed at the battles. "I knew this was gonna be awesome!" Rainbow cheered, she and Applejack having joined the others once their matches were over.

"We gotta watch 'em carefully," Applejack chimed in, "We'll probably be battling one of these trainers eventually." Rainbow nodded as they looked back at the battlefield and the tunnels the trainers were going to come through.





Inside her waiting room, Trixie sat on the couch, shaking like a leaf. She knew her match was next, and despite how prepared she was, she knew she was incredibly nervous.

"I can do this," she told herself. "I can do this." She took out a Pokeball, "I'm not the same showoff I once was. I'm a real trainer and I'm gonna go out there and give everyone a show they'll never forget." In that moment, there was a knock at the door and a worker told her it was time.





"Ready bud?" Flash asked when he got the same message, getting a nod from Springer. "Alright," he stood up, "Let's do this thing." He walked out of the room and down the hallway, toward his first battle of the Equestria League. "Get ready Trixie. I'm bringing my A-game."





"And now, let's meet the final contestants of the day! In the blue corner, she's the magician trainer that's never without a trick to turn the tables: Trixie...LULAMOON!" The crowd cheered as Trixie walked onto the platform, waving as she reached the end of the platform. "And in the red corner, he's the flashy young hero of Equestria that's hoping to claim victory here today. It's Flash...SENTRY!"

The crowd cheered again, this one three times as hard as Flash walked out onto the red platform with Springer. He waved at the crowd, smiling when he spotted his friends. He then reached the end of the plank and stared at his opponent, he and Trixie locking eyes and nodding.

"TrixieT" he called out, "Let's give these people a show they'll never forget!"

Trixie giggled back, "Of course. Putting on a show is what I excel at." As she said that, a Rotom Drone flew down and stopped right above the pit. It looked at the pair before projecting a holographic screen with Flash and Trixie on it, along with three squares that had Pokeballs inside them.

"The battle between Trixie Lulamoon and Flash Sentry is about to begin," it said, "The battle will be a three on three battle and only when all three of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle will it be over." When it finished that, the sound of gears and mechanisms filled the air. Everybody looked down as the battlefield and raised up from under the ground.

"Time to see what field our trainers will need to conquer in order to advance the next round of the tournament." The battlefield appeared and showed a collection of different trees, including oak, elm, birch, rowan and juniper. The trees were so thick that it covered the entire top, people now having to use the stadium tablets and megascreen to see the field. It was just like they expected, a bunch of trees covering almost ever square inch of it. The only open piece of flooring was a pathway leading from Flash's podium to Trixie's. "It's the Forest Field!"

"An interesting one to say the least," Celestia commented, "The question is how will they handle maneuvering around the trees if they are forced into them."

Luna nodded in agreement, "It's possible they'll use small Pokémon, or ones with high agility. If they have any."

"It all depends on what Pokémon the first trainer will use," Cadance added, "That choice will decide how this battle turns out in the long run."

"My thoughts exactly!" Mic finished, "So without further ado, let's decide who'll be choosing their Pokémon first!" On the megascreen, a wheel divided into four red and four blue sections appeared, "Now, let's spin...that...WHEEL!" With that, the sections of the wheel began to light up and spin around in an anti-clockwise fashion. "Ladies..." The three professors all pressed the button and the light slowed down before coming to a stop on the blue section. "Looks like it's Ms. Lulamoon who'll be choosing first! What Pokémon will she chose?!"

Trixie smirked as she took out a Pokeball. "This is it! The Great and Powerful Pokémon of the Great and Powerful Trixie! Slowking, it's show time!" The Pokeball flew through the air and opened up, unleashing the red energy that soon revealed the Royal Pokémon.

"Slowking!" the Water Psychic-type yelled as its arms were held behind its back.

"It's Slowking!" Mic exclaimed, "A strong opponent to be sure. How will Flash respond?"

"Slowking?" Flash hummed before smirking, "Alright." He took out his Pokeball, "I'm counting on you." He pulled back. "Astro, I choose you!" In a flash of light, the Galvern appeared in the air with a flurry of sparkles.

"GALVERN!" He roared as he flew up as high as he could before hitting the roof of trees. He saw Slowking and grinned while the people gasped at the sight of the shiny Pokémon.

"Galvern!" Mic cheered, "An equally powerful Pokémon! What are your thoughts, professors?"

"Galvern has the type advantage," Luna pointed out, "But as shown yesterday, Trixie knows how to work around that."

Celestia nodded. "I'm interested in seeing how these two choose to enact their strategies with these Pokémon."

Trixie smiled at this, "I knew he'd pick Galvern. Though I thought he'd wait to use him until last."

Flash slammed his fist into his palm, "Only trusting in Astro's typing would be stupid. I'm also trusting Astro's guts." The Galvern roared again while the stadium cheered in excitement. "Let's do this bud!"

"Alright!" Mic called out, "Then let's get this battle started! Rotom..." The drone flew above the battlefield and projected another screen. "In three...two...ONE! BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Astro!" Flash pointed at Slowking, "Dragon Pulse!" Astro took a deep breath, then unleashed a blast of dragon-shaped energy right at the Slowking.

"Psychic!" Trixie replied, Slowking's eyes beginning to glow.

"Slowking." The Dragon Pulse reached it, only to suddenly curve upward before turning back to Astro.

"What?" Flash yelped as the attack struck Astro, knocking him back.

"What happened?" Spike asked.

"Slowking used Psychic to change Dragon Pulse's trajectory," Twilight gasped, "Incredible." She turned to Trixie, now seeing the confidence appear on her face. "Oh no...be careful Flash."

The teen smirked as Astro picked himself up, "She's not messing around." Astro growled at this, "Well neither are we. Astro, Shadow Ball!" Astro opened his mouth and fired the sphere of dark energy.

"Power Gem!" Slowking placed its hands on its head as the gem on its crown began to glow before firing a beam of red light that struck the Shadow Ball, making it explode. But as this happened, Astro quickly flew into the cloud, suddenly appearing in front of Slowking in just a split-second.

"Crunch!" Flash yelled, Astro opening his large mouth and flying sideways.

"GAL!" He latched his mouth around Slowking's body and bit down, Slowking moaning in pain before Galvern leapt up, flying until they reached the roof of the canopy.

"Ice Beam!" Trixie countered, Slowking opening its mouth and unleashing a blast of icy blue lightning that struck Astro on the back.

"Gal!" Astro let Slowking go, the Pokémon showing no expression as it fell.

"Use Psychic on one of the branches!" Slowking's eyes glowed again and the closest thick branch snapped off a tree and flew over to it, Slowking spinning around until its feet were plastered on it. Flash watched as Slowking flew around on the branch like it was surfing through the air.

Mic: "Wow! Hang ten dudes!"

Luna: "Ha! Looks like you don't need wings to fly after all."

They watched as Slowking surfed through the air and flew up to Astro, "Power Gem, rapid fire!" Slowking leapt off the branch and began firing beams of light from its head, which Astro began to barrel-roll around.

"Shadow Ball Barrage!" Flash called out, Astro spitting out one Shadow Ball after the other to stop the Power Gem. The attacks collided and exploded, the force making the trees shake and sending leaves scattering everywhere. As they did this, Astro flew into the smoke cloud. "Now, Dragon Claw!"

Slowking was now falling to the ground, trying to sense where Astro was coming from. But before it could locate him, Astro shot out of the fog, "GALVERN!" He roared as energy appeared around his claws.

"SLOW!" Slowking cried as it was slashed down the front and thrown to the ground, slamming into the leaf covered battlefield as Astro flew up again.

"Nice! Now use Dragon Pulse!" As Slowking began to pick himself up, Astro took a deep breath and unleashed a blast of energy in the Royal Pokémon's direction. The laser shot down as reached Slowking, Trixie knowing there wasn't time for a Psychic.

"Power Gem!" Slowking fired the red beam from its crown jewel, striking the Dragon Pulse. However, the beam merely slowed it down, the attack still striking Slowking. The Water Psychic-type was thrown back, only to hear its trainer yell, "Ice Beam!" He fired the blue lightning upward, smacking Astro right in the head.

"GAL!" He screamed in pain as the icy force made every nerve in his body scream. Slowking then hit the ground, cutting his attack as Astro slammed into the floor as well.

"Astro!" Flash cried, Springer crying out as well. This made Astro open his eyes before scrambling to his feet and glaring at the Slowking. "Shadow Ball...Barrage!"

"VERN!" Astro launched a volley of dark energy spheres.

"Use Psychic and protect yourself with the trees!" Trixie exclaimed, Slowking mentally pulling branches off the trees and forming a shield of wood between it and the Shadow Balls. They struck the branches, causing them to shatter upon impact while Astro flew in close.

"Careful Astro!" Flash told him as the last of the wood was blasted to splinters.

"Ice Beam!" Slowking fired the blue lightning, but Flash's warning made the Dragon-type fly straight up, dodging the attack as the Ice Beam trailed behind him and froze the trees solid.

"Shadow Ball!" Astro fired the sphere at the Pokémon, Slowking stopping the Ice Beam to try to defend itself, only to still get hit.

It cried out as it was knocked back again, Astro then swooping back down. "Power Gem!" Slowking rolled onto its back and fired a beam of light, but Astro raised the star-shaped gauntlets covering his claws and used them to shield himself as he got closer.

"Dragon Pulse!" Astro swung his arms down to deflect the last Power Gem, then fired the dragon laser from his mouth. He was only a couple feet from Slowking, the Water Psychic-type unable to protect itself as the attack exploded into its chest.

"SLOW!" It screamed as it was sent flying back, crashing into a tree.

"NO!" Trixie gasped as saw her Pokémon just twitching in a branch filled mess.

"Finish this with Dragon Claw!" Astro charged at this, his claws surrounded by energy as Slowking tried to move.

"No other choice. Slowking, TRICK ROOM!" This statement caused many who heard it to gasp as Slowking's eyes glowed.

"SLOW!" He roared, the light shooting off his body and flying up through the canopy. A moment later, Astro shot past Slowking and slashed him. In a flash, he was behind the Water Psychic-type with his claws pointed forward. "Slow..." Slowking moaned before falling back with spirals in his eyes.

"Slowking is unable to battle!" the Rotom Drone announced, "Galvern is the winner!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, claps all around due to the incredible battle they had just seen.

Mic: "An impressive first fight. But what was that move Trixie used before Slowking went down?"

Celestia: "It was Trick Room. And it can be dangerous if she plays it right."

"What's Trick Room?" Spike asked as Trixie returned Slowking. As she did, the entire battlefield was suddenly surrounded by a large dome of light. "What was that?"

"Trick Room," Twilight gulped, "It's a move that can warp space and time, making it so that really slow Pokémon are super fast and vice versa."

"Astro's pretty fast," Rainbow replied, "So does that mean he's slow now?" Twilight nodded back.

"But why would Trixie play that move when Slowking was about to be beaten?" Rarity asked, the others shrugging as they glanced back at the battlefield.

"You were great Slowking," Trixie smiled at her Pokeball before replacing it. "Now I can take down Flash's best weapon without worry."

Flash glanced around as the Trick Room appeared again, then at Astro who was now panting. "Gotta be careful. Trixie's not gonna take this loss lying down."

"Hatterene!" Trixie threw the Pokeball, "It's show time!" In a flash of red, a Pokémon with hair so long it covered everything but her face appeared. The Pokémon opened her eyes and levitated itself off the ground, moving gracefully through the field.

"Hatterene?" Flash pulled out his Pokedex, quickly scanning it. "Its a Fairy-Type. Gotta be careful." He looked back up at the field, "Shadow Ball Astro!"

"Gal!" Astro fired the orb, Flash noticing it took a little longer than usual. The sphere went for Hatterene, and the Pokémon remained where it was as it got closer. But as it was about to make contact, Hatterene vanished.

"What?!" Flash yelped as the Shadow Ball exploded against the ground, "Did it teleport?"

"Magical Leaf!" Trixie called out as Hatterene suddenly appeared behind Astro.

"Behind you!" Flash yelled as Astro turned around just in time to see Hatterene pick the leaves up off the ground with her psychic powers. Those leaves glowed and shot forward, slamming into the dragon. "Astro!"

"What happened?!" Pinkie asked, "How did Hatterene disappear like that?"

"Hatterene's one of the slowest Pokémon known," Doc grimaced, "But put it in a Trick Room..."

"And it suddenly becomes the fastest," Twilight whispered while looking at Flash's shocked face. "So that's why Trixie used it when Slowking was about to fall. If she had done it sooner, Flash would have caught on and it's the element of surprise that she was going for."

Mic: "Trixie's giving us a surprising show for sure. Using her previous loss to her advantage."

Cadance: "But Flash is far from beaten. He can still turn this around."

And as Astro picked himself up, Hatterene used her powers to lift the leaves off the ground and flew around him at incredible speed. "Shadow Ball!" Astro spotted Hatterene and fired, but the Psychic Fairy-type vanished before it could land and he only knocked down a tree. "Again!" Astro fired again, only to hit down another tree. "Rapid blast!"

"GAL!" Astro roared, firing in every direction. Slowly, the forest was getting levelled by his attacks, but it did little to stop Hatterene. That was until one random blast exploded right behind where Hatterene had floated too. The explosion struck the Pokémon, knocking it forward into Astro.

"Yes! Use Crunch!" Astro lunged and sunk his teeth into Hatterene's waist.

"HAT!" Hatterene screamed, only to glare down at the dragon and swatted it with her hair.

"Gal!" He growled, but kept holding on.

"Throw it into the air!" Flash yelled, Astro hearing this and flaring his wings. He then started spinning around as he flew upward, trying to get Hatterene dizzy before letting go. "Now use Shadow Ball!" The orb formed in his mouth and fired at Hatterene, who continued to spin around in the air.

"Psycho Cut!" Hatterene suddenly stopped itself in the air before swinging its hair lock, a light shooting off it and forming a crescent blade. The blade sliced into the Shadow Ball, making it explode and fill the air with smoke.

Astro was about to fly into the cloud, but it suddenly dispersed when something shot down. He barely had time to react as Hatterene appeared before she vanished, the Dragon-type then feeling something wrap around his body. "Gal?" He glanced back and found he had been tied up by strands of hair. Hatterene now stood behind him, its locks having split and were now holding him in place.

"Astro!" Flash gasped as he tried to get free, "Shadow Ball!" Astro opened his mouth to try and fire the sphere behind him, but then the strands shot up and wrapped around his mouth to clamp it shut. "Not good."

"Finish this! Draining Kiss!" Hatterene turned Astro around before planting a kiss on Astro's head.

The Dragon-type groaned through his closed mouth as his body began to glow red. Everyone watched as a yellow orb of energy suddenly flew off him and into Hatterene, Astro's body going limp at this.

"ASTRO!" Flash screamed as Hatterene gently placed him on the ground and unwrapped its hair. Astro just lay there, his eyes now spirals as the Rotom Drone flew down.

"Galvern is unable to battle. Hatterene wins." The crowd cheered again as Flash returned Astro to his Pokeball.

Mic: "Trixie's little stunt certainly took Flash by surprise. Now he's lost his best weapon against her."

Cadance: "Maybe, but that doesn't mean he's out of options yet. They're both even now, so this battle could go either way."

Luna: "True, plus the little damage Galvern did to Hatterene was likely undone by the Draining Kiss."

Celestia: "So basically, this is now a two on two with both Pokémon starting off fresh."

"Thanks for the great work bud," Flash told the Pokeball before returning it to his belt and taking out a new one. "Your Trick Room was a shock, but I don't fall for the same trick twice." He held the Pokeball out, "This battle's far from over. Viper!" He pulled it back before throwing it, "I choose you!"

The Pokeball opened up and in a flash of red, the Vipeacon appeared. "Vi!" He hissed, blowing steam from his nostrils.

Mic: "Vipeacon. Interesting choice."

Celestia: "Clearly going for its Poison-type advantage over Fairy."

"Flamethrower!" Flash called out instantly, Viper twisting his body around and unleashing a torrent of flames that filled the air. Everyone gasped at this as Hatterene flew around to avoid the ribbon of fire. But despite not hitting the Pokémon, the flames did hit something else. The trees were all set ablaze, even the ones that were previously frozen, the branches and leaves all burning brightly. This shocked everyone in the stadium as embers flew around the place.

Mic: "Don't worry folks. We have measures in place to make sure this fire doesn't spread past the battlefield. You'll all be safe."

"What are you doing?!" Trixie yelped.

"Turning the field to my advantage," he replied, Trixie now seeing Hatterene needing to slow down to avoid any falling piece of burning trees. Viper just smiled at this, the flaming parts simply bouncing off him. "Now, use Crunch!" Viper slithered up and leapt at the Pokémon as Hatterene tried to get away from a falling burning branch.

"HAT!" it screamed as Viper wrapped itself around her and squeezed tightly. The Silent Pokémon winced, the only free part of it being the long ponytail coming off its hat-like head.

"Hatterene, use Psychic!" Hatterene's eyes widened before they glowed, Viper glowing along with them. The next thing the Fire Poison-type knew, he was being pulled off Hatterene and thrown away.

"VI!" He yelped, Hatterene breathing a sigh of relief as the squeezing pressure vanished.

"Flamethrower!" Flash yelled, Viper opening his mouth that pointing at Hatterene before unleashing a blast of fire. She vanished at this thanks to Trick Room, only to singe herself on a nearby burning tree.

"Psycho Cut!" She fought through the heat and swung her hair, firing a blast of psychic energy.

"Flamethrower!" Viper unleashed another flame stream and hit the Psycho Cut, the attack slowing it down, but couldn't stop it all the way.

"VI!" He cried as the attack slammed into him, sending him flying into a bunch of fallen ash.

"Draining Kiss!" Trixie ordered, Hatterene flying down ready to plant her lips on Viper. But as she got into range, Viper's eyes shot open and he slithered away.

"Pyro Coil!" Flash commanded with Viper flicking his tail around and quickly constricting Hatterene, holding his body tightly to hers. Trixie tried to give a Psychic command, but Viper bit onto the end of his tail and breathed fire into it. Within seconds, his entire body burst into flames, consuming Hatterene.

"REEEEEENE!" She cried from within the fireball as more of the trees began to fall. And after this, Viper leapt out of the fire and landed on a log as the flames vanished, revealing a panting Hatterene.

"You okay?" Trixie asked, Hatterene taking a deep breath before floating back up. "Alright, use Psycho Cut!" Hatterene fired a blade of psychic power, but Viper side-slithered to dodge it, "Again!" She fired another, only to miss again, "Multi-shot!" Again and again, Hatterene swung her hair around and whipped the psychic energy at Viper.

The Vipeacon hissed as it did everything to avoid the attacks, only for one to strike him. "Vi!" Trixie smirked as Viper was knocked back, about to call for a Psychic-

"HAT!" Hatterene burst into flames for a moment.

"Hatterene!" She gasped as she saw what just happened, "No..."

Cadance: "Looks like that Pyro Coil caused a burn status. This isn't looking good for Trixie."

Luna: "Now she's fighting with a time limit."

The burn allowed Viper to pick himself up, then slithered up to Hatterene. "Poison Fang!" Flash yelled, Viper leaping at the Psychic Fairy-type and sank his fangs into her, the Pokémon crying out as the toxins were injected into her body.

"Psychic!" Trixie exclaimed, Hatterene pulling Viper off of her. But before she could do anything else, the burn effect kicked in again. "No!"

"Flamethrower!" Flash yelled, Viper firing another burst of fire. But before it could land, Hatterene vanished thanks to Trick Room, this time easily getting away thanks to the flames now gone due to most of them being burned away.

"Psycho Cut!" Hatterene appeared behind Viper and swung her hair, the blade slamming into him.

Viper cried out as he knocked into a burnt stump, only for Hatterene's burn status to kick in. She cried out, allowing Viper to recover as Flash commanded, "Poison Fang!" Viper thrust his head forward and managed to bite Hatterene around where the knee would be, making her scream.

"Draining Kiss!" Hatterene quickly leaned down and kissed Viper before he could pull away. He let go of her right as he started glowing red, the yellow energy ball flying out of him in that second and into Hatterene, restoring her as she took to the air.

"Flamethrower!"

"Psychic!" Before the flames reached her, Hatterene used her mental powers to grab the fireball and curved it back at the snake.

"VI!" He cried as the flames hit him, only for the burn to also strike Hatterene.

"HAAAAT!"

Mic: "Geez, this match is so even that I can't tell who's gonna win."

Luna: "But aren't those the best kind to watch."

"Flamethrower/Psycho Cut!" The trainers yelled once their Pokémon recovered, the pair firing the attacks. The psychic blade hit the fire stream and cut through it, slowing the attack down just enough for Viper to leap out of the way. "Psychic!"

"VI!" Viper yelped as he was suddenly lifted off the ground, Hatterene getting ready to slam him into the ground.

"Flamethrower and aim for the ground!" Viper spat the fire down, causing the ash on the floor to pick up, covering Hatterene and making it cry out as the hot ashes got into its hair and eyes. Viper landed at this as Hatterene shook the ash off of her, only to burst into flames again.

"Poison Fang!"

"Magical Leaf!" Trixie exclaimed as Viper tried to reach Hatterene, the Pokémon sending a cloud of mystically charged leaves at the snake. He pushed through them before biting down into Hatterene's shoulder.

"HAAAT!" She screamed, but quickly used her clawed pigtail to slap Viper on the head, knocking him off.

"Draining Kiss!" Hatterene used her hair to grab him and kiss him. Viper cried out as his energy was drained away, only to pull his head up to her face.

"Flamethrower!"

"VI!" Viper unleashed the fire attack at point blank, making her cry out as she released him. He fell to the floor, panting as Hatterene staggered back before they both glared at each other.

"PSYCHO CUT/FLAMETHROWER!" Viper and Hatterene built up as much power as they could before launching their attacks at one another. But just as the Psycho Cut came for the snake, Hatterene exploded into flames.

"HAAAAT!" She cried while her attack struck the flames and cut right through. Viper saw this and tried to leap out of the way, but his body slipped on some ash, only for the attack to strike.

"VI!" Everyone watched as he was blasted back, skidding across the ground before coming to a stop, his eyes replaced by spirals. A moment later, the flames around Hatterene disappeared and she floated down, only to flop over with spirals in her eyes as well.

Every eye went wide at the sight of this as the Rotom Drone flew down. "Vipeacon and Hatterene are both unable to battle! The match is a draw!"

This statement caused not cheers, but murmurs as they all glanced at each other, unable to tell what they should do.

Mic: "Well...that was certainly unexpected."

Celestia: "Indeed. Both Pokémon gave it their all and were able to use their skill and abilities in interesting ways."

"A draw..." Spike moaned as Flash and Trixie returned their Pokémon. "So now they've only got one Pokémon each?"

"Yup," Rainbow nodded. "And that means this is the final battle."

"Oh dear..." Fluttershy shivered, "My nerves can't take this. Seeing them battling each other is hard enough, but all these crazy tricks they're pulling is making it even worse."

"Agreed." Rarity sighed, "But this is to be expected. They both managed to make it here, so of course they won't wanna go down without a fight."

The others nodded, Flash smiling at Viper's Pokeball, "Don't worry bud. You've got nothing to be ashamed of." He put the ball away as Trixie replaced her Pokeball. "So this is it," he told her, "One last fight for all the marbles."

"That's right." Trixie threw up her Pokeball and caught it, "And I'm sure this battle will be the hardest one of all." They both grinned at each other. "But let's have some fun. Sagic," she threw the ball, "it's show time!" In a flash of light, the ancient magician Pokémon appeared.

"Sage," it exclaimed as it started floating in the air.

"Sagic. Should have known. Alright..." He took out a Pokeball and stared at the battlefield's burnt remains of the trees. "Probably would have been better to have you fight when the forest was still up, but I know you can handle this battle. After all..." He smirked at the ball, "You're the prince of the forest." He pulled the ball back, "Prongs, I choose you!" He threw the ball and in a flash, the Stagrowth appeared.

"STAG!" He neighed, landing on the ash covered ground and smirking at the Sagic.

Mic: "Sagic against Stagrowth. That's an interesting match. And now, the final battle is on!"

"GO!" Flash cheered as Prongs charged at Sagic, the sorcerer raising his staff. "Stay out of his line of fire!"

"Dark Pulse!" Trixie yelled, Sagic unleashing a stream of energy rings. Prongs side-stepped this, only for the Trick Room to shine out over the stage.

"Energy Ball!" Prongs fired the orb instantly, Sagic unable to respond as it retracted its wand.

"Sage!" Trixie's Pokémon cried out as it was hit, only to keep floating as Prongs raced around the battlefield, "Sagic!"

"That's the way!" Trixie exclaimed, "Use Double Team!" As Prongs ran up to Sagic, it suddenly multiplied into ten.

"Stag?"

"Confusion!" The Sagic all pointed their staffs at Prongs, all glowing as one of them unleashed a blast of psychic energy. It struck Prongs, making him cry out. And as he staggered around at this, the Sagic started swapping places with one another.

"Oh come on," Flash moaned as he tried to follow the real one.

"Step right up, step right up," Trixie laughed, "Pick the right Sagic and win a prize! Pick the wrong one and get pulverized!" Flash growled at this, his eyes darting around, only for Trixie to say, "Now, Eerie Spell!" Suddenly, the Sagic stopped and lifted their staffs. A moment later, one of them was surrounded by multiple spheres of purple energy before firing thetm at Prongs.

"STAG!" He cried as they slammed into and around him, causing several explosions that knocked him staggering back. He looked up at the Sagic that had fired, but once again the clones flew around each other.

"Energy Ball 'em all!" Prongs fired the spheres again and again, attempting to hit the Sagic army, but they were moving so fast that he only managed to hit one. "Damn it!" He hissed as the Trick Room appeared again. "I gotta do something about this room," he whispered, "But how do I...wait." He shined a small grin, "It's worth a try. Prongs, fire an Energy Ball straight up!"

"Stag?" Prongs asked back, Flash nodding at him. "Growth!"

"What's he doing?" Spike asked as Prongs formed the sphere.

"I'm not sure," Twilight hummed, Prongs launching the attack. Everyone watched this, only to go wide-eyed when the attack struck something and exploded...and then saw the Trick Room appear and shake.

"YES!" Flash cheered, "I knew it! Prongs, use Energy Ball and break through the barrier!" Prongs smirked and did just that, firing again and again.

Twilight clapped at this, "Brilliant! He's trying to get rid of Trick Room!"

The rest of his friends cheered, only for Trixie to point at Prongs, "Nice try, but I won't let you! Sagic, use Dark Pulse!" The sorcerer fired a stream of energy rings, the Stagrowth barely managing to leap out of the way before firing another energy ball at the dome, this one making a crack.

Flash smirked, but then Trixie ordered an Eerie Spell. "Use Bounce to get out of there!" Prongs dashed forward at this, only to spot the real Sagic forming the orbs.

"Stag!" He roared before putting all his strength into his legs and leaping up, managing to fly between three of the orbs and reached Sagic. The Pokémon gasped at this, but Prongs managed to reach him before it could react. "STAGROWTH!" He slammed his hooves into him before bouncing off, Sagic now flying back as Prongs flew up to the cracked dome.

"Horn Leech!" Prongs' horns glowed as he thrust them into a cracked section of the Trick Room, the energy field vibrating as more cracks appeared. And soon enough, the entire room shattered like glass.

Mic: "Trick Room is down!"

Cadance: "Amazing strategy! Now Stagrowth will have the speed advantage."

And as this happened, Sagic suddenly felt its body getting much heavier, even its fakes now beginning to slow down. "Energy Ball Barrage!" As he fell to earth, Prongs fired another volley of green spheres. Each attack hit one of the clones, making them fade until only to original remained.

Sagic glared at this as Prongs landed, Trixie then ordering, "Dark Pulse!" It began to fire the attack, but Prongs vanished before it could even start. Sagic soon fired after that, but Prongs easily dodged the attack. He was now just a green blur to the magician.

"Body Slam!" Suddenly, Prongs appeared in front of Sagic before he leapt up. With a mighty roar, he thrust his hooves down and slammed them into the sorcerer.

"Sage!" It cried, flying back before pointing its staff at Prongs.

"Eerie Spell!" He fired the energy spheres at Prongs, four of the six managing to slam into him and blasting the deer back. Both Pokémon hit the ground, though Prongs just spun back to his feet instantly.

"Energy Ball!" Prongs fired the sphere at Sagic, hitting the magician as it tried to get up, knocking it back again.

"Double Team!" It raised its staff as multiple copies appeared, one getting hit by a second Energy Ball before they all floated back into the air. "Now, Confusion!" One fired the psychic wave in Prongs' direction, the Forest Antler Pokémon side-stepping the attack, only for the clones to start shuffling around. "Eerie Spell!"

"Bounce!" As the real Sagic fired the attack, Prongs began to leap around the place, dodging all but one part of the attack, only having it hit his shoulder. He then tackled a fake, dissolving it before zipping right through four more. And as he did this, Flash pointed at the last Sagic on the field. "There you are. Energy Ball!"

"Dark Pulse!" The ring stream was launched and struck the Energy Ball, causing an explosion that Prongs ran right into.

"Horn Leech!" Before Sagic could react, Prongs shot out of the cloud and leapt up with glowing horns, the stag then thrusting them into Sagic's chest.

"SAGE!" It screamed as it was sent flying back, skidding along the ground as its staff flew out of its gasp, rolling close to the edge of the field. Prongs then landed, glowing from the energy he managed to pilfer from the magic user before scraping his hoof along the ground. He lowered his head, ready to charge at Sagic as it picked itself up.

"Get your staff!" Trixie cried, knowing Sagic couldn't use its attacks without it.

"Body Slam!" Prongs charged at Sagic as it ran to where its staff fell, but Prongs was faster. Knowing it couldn't reach the staff, Sagic spun around and braced its arms in front of its chest. The next thing it knew, Prongs smashed his head into it, knocking it flying again. He hit the ground with a thud, Flash ordering a Bounce attack at the same time. But as this happened, Prongs saw that Sagic had landed next to his staff.

"Eerie Spell!" Sagic picked the staff up and pointed it at Prongs, then fired the energy spheres. They struck the mid-Bounce Prongs, blasting him back.

Prongs then landed on his hooves, sliding to a stop as both began to pant. They glared back at each other, the deer charging as Sagic fired another attack. Prongs leapt over it before firing an Energy Ball, Sagic deflecting it with a swing of his staff.

And as this happened, Trixie just stared at the battle. 'Flash's Pokémon are stronger,' she mentally told herself. 'If this keeps up, Sagic will eventually go down.' She shook her head as she began to smile, 'But that's okay. Just because I'm probably gonna lose doesn't mean I'll stop trying.'

She then remembered how she used to be before meeting Flash and his friends, how she was always trying to get the attention of others. But after meeting Twilight and their first duel, then journeying with them after her badge case was stolen and seeing them put others before themselves, she had learned that acting selfishly wasn't going to get her what she wanted. This in turn went to her remembering her meeting with Luna, the professor showing her that she could stand out without being the only thing in the world that needed to be seen...and then remembering her father and his stoic attitude, an attitude she refused to inherit.

And now here she was, giving it everything she had. And no matter what, she would hang her head proudly at the end of this battle. "Double Team!" Sagic multiplied again, dodging an Energy Ball. "Now, Confusion!"

"Dodge it!" Flash yelled, Prongs leaping away just in time. "Energy Ball Barrage!" Unleashing a volley of orbs, Prongs dispelled the Double Teams in a single stream, only the original dodging the attacks.

"Dark Pulse!" Trixie ordered, Sagic firing a burst of energy rings. But Prongs didn't dodge it, instead charging straight ahead as Flash called out to him.

"HORN LEECH!" His horns glowed as he reached the energy rings. He slammed into them and pushed through, now right at Sagic. "GOOOOO!" He roared, Prongs leaping through the last energy ring before slamming his horns into Sagic, unleashing a powerful burst of light.

Everyone flinched at this, forced to close their eyes at the light. And as it faded just a second later, they looked back at the battlefield. Both Prongs and Sagic now stood on the floor, heavily panting as they stared each other down. That is, till one fell over. "Sage!" Sagic hit the dirt, his staff rolling away as his eyes were now replaced by spirals.

Trixie's eyes went wide as the Rotom Drone flew down. "Sagic is unable to battle." It flew up above the stadium, showing the hologram of the battle screen with all of Trixie's Pokémon knocked out. "All three of Trixie Lulamoon's Pokémon unable to battle. The winner of the match is Flash Sentry!"

The crowd exploded into applause as Flash took a deep breath and bent over to place his hands on his knees. "That...was intense." A smile appeared on his lips, the teen glad his battle wasn't an easy one. He then heard hoofsteps and looked up to see Prongs, trotting over and neighing. "Nice work bud," he scratched him behind the ear before glancing over at Trixie.

The girl had moved over to Sagic and held him up. "Thank you," she said, Sagic giving a sad nod in return. She put him back into his ball before taking a deep breath. And as she did this, Flash walked up and stretched out a hand.

"Great battle."

"Yeah," Trixie giggled as she shook it, "It was. Thanks for making my Equestria League time such a rush." The pair smiled at one another while Present Mic spoke up.

"Flash might have been the winner, but let's all give a round of applause for the girl that made him work for it: Trixie Lulamoon!" The crowd cheered again, Trixie glancing back at the audience as they began yelling her name. The sight made her gasp, tears coming down her eyes. That is, till Flash patted her on the shoulder before they and his Pokémon left the stadium.

And as they left, Flash's picture appeared on the megascreen. It then joined the pictures of Rainbow, Sugarcoat, Indigo, Lightning, Micro, Applejack and Heath, the eight contestants that had claimed victory today. The crowd gave them all a cheer as the next match-ups were decided, tomorrow's battles appearing to be even better than today's.





That evening...

As the sun began to set, Flash and most of his friends at Professor Celestia's lab. There, the Pokémon Flash, Applejack and Rainbow had used that day were all enjoying a specially made dinner to celebrate their good work.

"There you go," Flash handed Astro a bowl. "Eat up bud. You deserve it."

"Gall!" He happily roared before he started eating while everyone was talking about the day's battle.

"That Trick Room stunt was really amazing," Twilight told Trixie. "If Flash hadn't been able to get rid of it, it's likely you would have won."

"Yeah...oh well." Trixie sighed before Luna stepped over to pat her shoulder.

"So, any idea what you'll do now?"

"Not really," she replied, "I'll need some time to think about it."

Luna nodded. "Well, if you need something to do after the league until you come up with something, I could always use some help with my research. I tend to end up in some seriously dangerous places and could use a strong trainer to help me out whenever I get into trouble."

Trixie's eyes went wide at this, stars appearing within them. And as they began to talk about this idea, Flash, Rainbow and Applejack tapped glasses. "Good luck in the next match," he told the girls.

"You too," they replied before taking a drink. As they did, they thought over their battles and what they could have done differently. But it didn't matter now, though it might help in their next battle. With the Equestria League's first round behind them, they now had to focus on the rounds beyond, knowing each battle would be harder than the last. After all, this was just the start of the insanity that was the league. As the journey continues.
> A Sky Full of Lightning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Astro, Dragon Pulse!" Flash yelled as his Galvern unleashed a blast of dragon-shaped energy at Heath's Blazegon. The attack struck the Fire Dragon-type and exploded, knocking it back into the battlefield, which was a dirt battlefield covered in metal shapes. The crowd cheered as Blazegon hit the dirt, sliding along it until it crashed into a metal statue of a Snivy.

The Equestria League's second round was in full swing, both Flash and Heath battling in order to claim the final spot in Semi-Finals. Currently, Heath was down to his last Pokémon while Flash still had two.

"Flamethrower!" Heath barked, Blazegon taking a deep breath before firing a powerful blast of fire at Astro.

"Use Dragon Claw and deflect it!" Flash ordered, Astro's claws glowing as he swung them into the fire. The flames shot across the battlefield and hit several statues instead, causing them to melt.

Up in the stands, Flash's friends kept cheering, "Go Flash!" Rainbow exclaimed, "You got this!"

"Just one more win and you're in the Semi-Finals!" Trixie added as Flash called for a Shadow Ball attack.

"Gal!" Astro roared as it unleashed a sphere of dark energy.

"Dragon Hammer!" The Flame Dragon Pokémon swung its tail as the large club on the end of it glowed. The club struck the Shadow Ball, deflecting it upward before it exploded. "Now, charge in with a Slash!"

"Block it!" Blazegon zipped up to Astro, the shiny using the star-shaped gauntlets on his arms to block the opponent's claws and talons.

Mic: "Those two appear to be an even match of both speed and strength. One can only wonder which will manage to get the upper hand."

"Fire Blast!" Blazegon leapt back and took a deep breath before unleashing a massive fireball. The attack went straight for Astro, the attack suddenly morphing into a flaming kanji, which struck the Dark Dragon-type before its body was wrapped in flames.

Cadance: "Ouch! That's gotta hurt."

Luna: "Dragons are resistant to Fire-type attacks, so he shouldn't be too badly damaged."

Astro shook off the flames at this, panting as Flash ordered, "Dragon Pulse!" The dragon fired the laser, but Blazegon flew up to avoid the attack, then charged straight down.

"Spin, then use Flamethrower!" Blazegon brought his wings in before letting out a blast of fire that began to spiral around it. This caused the Fire Dragon-type to morph into a flaming drill, heading straight for Astro.

"Look out!" Flash gasped, Springer howling for him to move. Astro tried to dodge, but Blazegon flew past him, slamming into the Galvern's wing.

"Vern!" He flinched, forcing him to fall to ground, but managed to land on his feet.

"Fire Blast!" Heath commanded, Blazegon spitting out the fireball that morphed into the kanji.

"Dragon Claw!" Flash ordered, Astro's claws glowing as he thrust them into the fire attack, making it explode. The flames shot all over the field, hitting the metal objects as they melted even more.

Heath saw this and noticed Astro was just a step away from a puddle of hot metal. "Flamethrower, and aim for the statues!" Blazegon didn't hesitate and launched the stream of fire, which struck the metal statues. Everyone watched as the metal began to heat up and melt, raising the temperature in the battlefield.

Mic: "I guess Heath's not a big art fan. Those statues aren't my best work I'll admit-"

Luna: "I don't think he's destroying them because he doesn't like them."

The melted metal began to pool around Astro now, the Galvern looking like he was beginning to sweat. He spread his wings and leapt up, flying as high up as he could get to escape the cloud of heat. But Blazegon was waiting for him as he flew downward.

"Slash!"

"Blaze!" Blazegon flew in close, ready to attack as the Galaxy Pokémon raised up his gauntlets.

"Switch to Dragon Hammer!" Blazegon spun around and swung its glowing tail, the dragon flapping back to not get hit in the head, only to get struck in the chest.

"Gal!" He cried, his body about to plummet, only to grab Blazegon's tail and pull it down with him.

"Astro/Blazegon!" The trainers gasped, both Dragon-types now falling toward the metal covered ground. But Blazegon managed to slow their fall with its wings, allowing Astro to recover as he spread his. "Crunch!" Flash then ordered, Astro's eyes focusing back up at the dragon.

"Gal...VERN!" He reached over and bit down onto Blazegon's tail, making it flinch as he flew up, pulled Astro along with him.

"Now throw it!" Astro began to spin, only for Heath to let out a command.

"Flamethrower!" Blazegon turned to Astro and managed to unleash a blast of fire right into his face, Astro flinching and letting go of the tail. "Now, Dragon Hammer!" Before Astro could react, Blazegon swung its now glowing tail down, smashing into Astro's head.

"GAL!" The Dark Dragon-type was smacked downward, plummeting for the pool of metal.

"Astro!" Flash gasped, "RETURN!" He held up his Pokeball and the red beam hit him seconds before he crashed into the metal, getting sucked safely inside. He sighed in relief, "It's okay bud. You did great."

Celestia: "Flash made the right call there. Astro would have been seriously hurt if he had landed in that molten pool, not to mention possibly trapped."

Luna: "Now we've gotta wonder how he plans to win this battle. His Tornavian was already knocked out earlier, so all he's got left is his Reptidal."

Cadance: "I doubt Riptide will last long surrounded by molten metal. Plus, he already took damage taking out Heath's Magmortar and Darmanitan."

Mic: "So what will Flash do? Give up, or try to find a way to fix this."

"Try?" Flash smirked before replacing his Pokeball. "I will. Riptide," he threw the ball, "I choose you!" In a flash, the water reptile appeared and landed on one of the only spots of the field not covered in liquid metal. And before Riptide could even get a chance to feel the heat, "Aqua Break! On the ground!"

"Rep!" Riptide formed the water sword and held it up high, trying to make it as big as possible. "REPTIDAL!" He swung it down, slamming the ground, causing a massive wave of steam to shoot into the air.

Mic: "What's this?"

Blazegon's eyes went wide, the steam now covering the entire battlefield. Everyone watched with baited breath at this, the steam soon clearing as it revealed the pool had been cooled into a solid mass or lumpy metal. Riptide stood atop it, smirking up at Blazegon. The crowd began to cheer next, unable to believe Flash actually did that.

Celestia: "Incredible, Managing to cool the entire battlefield with a single attack."

"That won't help you! Fire Blast!" Heath called out, Blazegon shooting out the flaming kanji at the ground.

"Aqua Tail!" Flash ordered, Riptide running along the metal field before leaping off the end of a large lump. As he did this, water wrapped around his tail as he spun around and hit the kanji, extinguishing it with a single blow. "Now, Aqua Break!"

"Rep!" Riptide formed the sword and while Blazegon was still above him, he managed to throw it like a javelin. "Tidal!"

"Blaze!" Blazegon cried as the attack slammed into it, making the Flame Dragon Pokémon begin to fall. But before it could crash, it flared its wings, correcting itself just above the ground as Riptide ran toward it.

"Flamethrower!" Blazegon unleashed the fire stream, only for Riptide to leap over the flames.

"Rock Smash!" As Riptide spun up above the Dragon-type, his legs glowing as he swung them down, axe-kicking the dragon in the head.

"Blaze!" It roared in pain as Riptide forced it's head to crash into the ground. The Pokémon then leapt back, but quickly had to do a wild acrobat spin to escape from a spot of metal that had been heated up from the Flamethrower. "Gon..." Blazegon growled as it picked itself up.

"Slash!" Blazegon charged at this, managing to reach Riptide instantly as tried to attack him. But as it did this, Riptide just hopped back, dodging the first slash before blocking the second one. The blow made it stagger back, trying to keep its footing.

"Ice Punch!" Flash countered, Riptide ducking under Blazegon's third claw strike before throwing a freezing cold punch. The blow hit instantly, causing Blazegon to flinch as Heath called out to it.

"Dragon Hammer!" Blazegon leapt up and swung its hammer tail down next.

"Aqua Break!" Riptide formed the sword and cut it in half, then crossed them to block the club. The attack had enough force to push Riptide to his knees, but he kept the water steady as he pushed the tail back.

"Rep...TIDAL!" He pushed his arms up and knocked the tail back, leading it to slam into Blazegon's stomach and knock it back as well.

"Aqua Tail!" Riptide's tail swirled in water as it charged at the now staggering dragon.

"Flamethrower!" Blazegon opened his mouth, flames spewing everywhere. However, Riptide spun around, his water covered tail going straight into the fire. This caused a massive steam cloud to form, blinding everyone for a moment as Blazegon used this time to pick itself up, but Riptide ran right through the fog.

Thanks to his goggles, he saw right through the steam long enough to locate Blazegon before they fogged up and blinded him. "AQUA BREAK!" Closing his eyes, Riptide formed the sword as he charged right at the dragon.

The steam cleared just in time for everyone to see Riptide disappear in front of Blazegon before several blue streams shot around its body. Riptide then appeared behind the Fire Dragon-type, moving his sword in a way that made it look like he was sheaving it as he turned back to his opponent.

Blazegon let out a moan as it moved from left the right, then crashed straight down into the ground. Everyone stared at it, now seeing spirals in his eyes as the Rotom Drone flew down. "Blazegon is unable to battle. Reptidal is the winner. All three of Heath's Pokémon are unable to battle. The winner of the match is Flash Sentry!" The crowd exploded into cheers, Flash and Springer both jumping up excitedly.

"Riptide!" Flash ran up to the Pokémon, jumping over some cooled metal puddles to get to the Reptidal. "You did it!" Riptide cheered as they wrapped their arms around one another while Heath moved over to Blazegon.

"You were amazing, my old friend." He patted the Pokémon on the head before helping him up, Blazegon letting out a small moan, "We might have lost, but we gave it our all and have nothing to be ashamed off."

"Blaze," he whispered before Heath held up his Pokeball.

"Get a good rest. You deserve a treat later." The Flame Dragon nodded before he was sucked back inside the Pokeball, Heath taking a deep breath as he stood up and turned to Flash. "Well, this is it for me." He held up a hand, "Good luck in the rest of the tournament."

"Thanks," Flash replied before shaking his hand. "And thanks for the great match. I promise I won't let your loss be in vain."

"You better." Heath laughed before they spun around, Heath returning to his red podium before leaving while Flash stayed on the blue podium and looked up at the megascreen. Everyone else did the same and watched as Flash's image joined the other four semi-finalists. Rainbow Dash, Lightning Blitz, Applejack and Flash all stared at their images as Present Mic spoke up.

"Now that we have our four winning trainers, it's time to see who will be facing who in tomorrow's Semi-Final Rounds!" With that, the images flipped over and began shuffling around one another. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as they watched it, only for the images to pair off and flip over again.


Match One
Rainbow Dash V Lightning Blitz

Match Two
Flash Sentry V Applejack


Flash turned to the stadium and locked eyes with Applejack, the cowgirl smiling at him before tipping her hat. Smiles were now on both faces, ready for a good match. But as they thought this, Rainbow was now glancing around for Lightning, but didn't see him. Despite this, she let out a long gulp, her brain going over the fact that she had to beat him to get to the finals. "I'm gonna do it," she whispered to herself. "I am gonna beat that jerk, no matter what."





A little later...

The group of friends were now at the Pokémon Center, all getting their Pokémon healed up.

"Alright," Twilight told the three battling trainers, "Every fight from this point on is six on six, so the three of you'll be in for a pretty tough match."

Spike turned to them, "Any ideas which Pokémon you'll start with?"

"Nope." Flash shook his head before putting his cheek in his hand, "there's too many..." He turned to Twilight, "What do you call them? Varr...varin..."

"Variables?" She asked, Flash snapping his fingers.

"Yeah, that word. With the fields being anything and the choice of who picks their Pokémon first..."

"It'd be foolish to try and decide which Pokémon to pick first," Rarity chimed in, "If you picked a Grass-type but find you're on a field made of ice or something, your entire plan gets thrown out the window."

Doc nodded at this, "The best you can do is try and determine what Pokémon would be the best choice to use on a particular field, then you'll have some idea of what to do."

"Maybe you're right," Flash nodded, "Augh!" he began to rub the sides of his head, "All this planning is frying my brain!"

"Don't forget what I told you growing up." Flash's head spun around at the sound of that voice. "Make a plan. Execute the plan. Expect the plan to go wrong. Throw away the plan." They all turned around now, all seeing a late aged woman in a track suit.

"Gran!" Flash gasped before running over to the woman.

"Flash!" She chuckled before hugging him, the pair pulling apart a second later, "Let me get a look at you. We didn't really have a chance to talk at the Crystal Empire..." She giggled at the sight, "My word, you look so different. More...mature."

As she said that, Rarity moved over to Twilight, "Who is that woman?"

"That's Flash's grandmother, Cloud Clipper."

"She also used to be the Cloudsdale City Gym Leader before Spitfire," Rainbow added, "She's awesome."

"I can't believe you're here," Flash said next, the woman shaking her head.

"You think I'd miss this? No, I'm gonna be here in person to see my grandson compete. I just wish I could have arrived in time for the first three rounds."

"Well, you're here now," Twilight told her, "So now Flash has more reason not to lose."

"Though that is what's gonna happen," Applejack smirked, "Sorry, but ah'm not gonna let maself be beaten so easy like."

"Sounds good to me." Flash replied before slamming his fist into his palm, "Let's give our all."

"Let's."





Meanwhile, in another part of the city...

"Thunder Punch and Electro Blade!" Androrg's hand spun as it fired a blade of electricity at Gorillamp, the ape punching the attack. "More power!" He turned to see Pitchawk and Roglacier battling against one another, Pitchawk attempting to slash at the ice ninja, only to constantly hit cold air. "Faster!" He then heard Thrashark and Venomega wrestling, the sight making him snarl, "That's not good enough! Stop holding back!"

"You're pushing them too hard." Lightning froze at the sudden voice, only for his face to clench in rage as he slowly turned to see Grand Hoof standing next to a tree.

"What do you want?" he hissed.

"Is it so wrong for a grandfather to come and see how his grandson is doing?"

Lightning huffed and looked away, "Go away. I'm busy."

"I can see that," Grand told him. "But you should let them rest. They fought hard today, and will be fighting even harder tomorrow. There's only so much the body can take."

"Shut up. Tomorrow's fight is gonna be a cakewalk. Its just another one of those losers." He stared at Gorillamp as it slammed Androrg into the ground with a mighty blow, "I'm training them so they'll destroy Shining Armor, not some weakling."

"Lightning...you're-"

"I don't need you to lecture me," Lightning interrupted, "I've gotten along perfectly fine without you."

"I'm not trying to lecture you," Grand growled, "If you just listen to me, you would know I'm not." Lightning turned back to him, now seeing a long frown on the old man's face, "I'm sorry Lightning. I didn't know this would happen to you...and I've come to terms with who you are. I know I can't change you, no matter how much I want to." He then pointed at the field behind the teen, "But I care about your Pokémon." Lightning glanced back at them, the six panting and groaning as they kept fighting each other. "You can't expect them to keep up like this. Eventually, they'll hit their limit and be unable to take any more. And when that happens, it's possible the damage will be irreversible."

"I know what I'm doing," Lightning spat, "I know how far they can go, and I won't stop until I'm satisfied with them." He looked back at Grand, a long glare in his eyes, "I won't go soft on them like you did. I will become champion."

Grand sighed and shook his head, "Fine. I understand." He turned away, "I've tried to reach out to you and help, but you reject me every time. I...I can't keep doing this to myself." He glanced back at Lightning. "When you wanna put what happened in the past, you know where to find me. But until then," he began to walk off. "I wash my hands of you."

Lightning remained silent at this, the sound of his grandfather's footsteps now being the only sound that filled the air. And as they faded into the air, Lightning felt his entire body shaking. The feeling made him close his eyes, clenching up for a second. But as he reopened his eyes, he saw his Pokémon all staring at him. The sight made him whisper, "Get back to work." He looked away as they began to train again, Lightning now staring at the ground. "Blasted old man...why can't you see I'm right?!"





When the sun went down and the city's noise almost died down, the streets were now almost completely empty. Several stores were still open, including a café that Spitfire was sitting at. She was sipping on a cup of hot chocolate, glancing up to see Cloud step out of the darkness. "Sorry I'm late."

Spitfire chuckled at the sight, "It's fine. Wasn't doing anything important." Cloud sat down, the waiter coming out and taking her order. "So, this league's turning out to be pretty impressive."

"Indeed," Cloud nodded, "The battles have all been amazing. But I bet I can tell who you've been focusing on the most."

Spitfire smirked as she took another sip of her drink, "Rainbow's come a long way. I think she's ready to start training for it, if she'll accept."

"Are you waiting until after the tournament?" Cloud asked, Spitfire nodding back.

"If she ends up winning the whole thing and even beating Shining, she won't need me. But I'll be ready to offer her the chance if she falls short. Even if she loses, she's proven herself worthy of becoming my apprentice."

"I see. Though of what I've seen of her opponent, this next match might be her hardest yet." Cloud replied as the waiter arrived with her drink.

"No kidding." Spitfire responded as she leaned back. "But I have faith she'll do well."

Cloud chuckled at her words, knowing that she didn't know Rainbow as well as Spitfire, but she had seen enough to know the kind of girl she was. It reminded her of herself at the age, same when she first met Spitfire at Rainbow's age, knowing that was one of the reasons she took her under her wing.

"So what about you?" Spitfire asked, "I'm guessing I know who you're routing for in this tournament."

"I'd be a pretty lousy grandmother if I didn't." She took a sip of her drink. "When Flash left home, I never thought he'd become this good this quickly. His grandfather and I had to miss out one league because we weren't able to collect the badges in time. But he managed to gather all eight in the space of a year and still had time to save the world."

"Yeah." Spitfire laughed, "Who'd have thought the reason I got to become a Gym Leader so early would grow into such a powerful trainer?" She then thought back to her Gym Battle with Flash and the strength all his Pokémon possessed, only for them to now be even stronger.

"Hard to believe, but my grandson's grown a lot since leaving home. And I know for a fact it's thanks to all the friends he's made during this trip." She thought back to the group she had seen Flash with before along with all the people that had answered his call for help against Sombra.

"The boy's a natural leader," Spitfire replied, "If by some miracle he's able to become Champion, Equestria will be in good hands." Cloud smiled and nodded, the two women continuing to talk late into the night.





The next day...

The air was filled with cheers and excited cries as the people watching today's battle were taking their seats. This included Flash and Applejack, the pair having chosen to sit in the stands to watch Rainbow's battle since there would be an hour between the end of it and the start of their's.

"Go Rainbow!" Pinkie exclaimed while swinging around a pair of pom-poms.

"Oh," Fluttershy shivered, "I'm so nervous."

"This isn't gonna be easy," Flash sighed, "But Rainbow's got this."

They all nodded, now waiting as Cloud walked up to them and sat down before glancing over at the Gym Leader's box.

"So," Ember asked the other leaders as they sat down, "Who do you think has this match in the bag?"

"Well ah've battled Lightning," Braeburn replied, "That kid's got skills, and he's a beast to fight. Rainbow seems mighty strong, but ah'm gonna have to put my money on him. You guys?"

"I've battled Rainbow," Thorax commented, "She was a pretty tough opponent, even though I was the first Gym Leader she battled. She's got some serious skills, even more so now." The other Gym Leaders remained silent, each of them deciding to wait for the battle to start before deciding.





Rainbow was inside her waiting room, a Pokeball jingling in her hands as she did a series of deep breaths. "You can do this...you can do this. You can beat that arrogant jerk." she told herself, "Just...stay calm."

But despite this, she saw the ball jiggling in her palm, only for it to suddenly open. A second later, Tank appeared, standing up and staring at her, "Soar..."

"Tank?" Rainbow stared at the Soartoise, their eyes locking. Tank then raised one of his fins, placing it on her head, patting her head. She giggled as she showed a small smile, "You're right." She stood up, "I've got nothing to worry about. Because we're awesome, no matter who we're up against."

"Soar," Tank nodded back.

"Right. Let's do this." She held up her Pokeball and returned the turtle. As she did this, the door opened and the worker told her it was time. She nodded and stepped out of the room, heading down the hallway and onto the field. And as she did this, she could hear Present Mic speak up.

"WAZ-UUUUUP!" He exclaimed, "Welcome to today's Semi-Final Battle! Only two places are up for grabs today, and we have four amazing trainers bidding to take them! So you know what that means! They're gonna have to battle it out to claim victory in a full-on battle!"

The crowd cheered at this as Rainbow walked onto the platform.

"Let's meet today's competitors: In the red corner, she's the girl with limits as high as the sky: Rainbow...DASH!" The crowd cheered as Rainbow struck a pose, everyone clapping back. "And in the blue corner, he dominated his last two opponents without losing a single Pokémon! Will he be able to make that three times in a row? It's Lightning...BLITZ!"

The crowd cheered again, Lightning gritting his teeth as he reached the end of the podium. He then saw Rainbow glaring at him, only for Lightning to let out a long sigh, showing an expression Rainbow could only read as him not even acknowledging her existence.

"Ladies," Mic spoke up, "What are your opinions on today's battle?"

"It's too early to say anything yet," Celestia replied, "There's still a lot about this battle that has yet to be determined."

Luna nodded in agreement, "These two trainers have very different styles of battle. Rainbow's all about speed while Lightning relies on power. Both are a dangerous skill to wield if you know how to use them."

Cadance shook her head, "I think speed has strength topped in this situation. After all, it doesn't matter how strong your attacks are if they don't land."

As she said that, the Rotom Drone flew down and hovered above the pit. "The battle between Rainbow Dash and Lightning Blitz is about to begin," it chimed in, "The battle will be a full six on six battle, and when three of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle, there will be a temporary break and the battlefield will change. Only when all of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle will the battle be over." As it said that, the sound of gears and mechanisms filled the air, everybody looking down as the battlefield and raised up from under the ground.

"What battlefield will these two be facing off against one first?" The field came into view and revealed a snowy wonderland with rocks of different sizes, the sight making Lightning just now show a bit of expression while Rainbow darted her eyes around, trying to examine everything. "It's the snow-rock field, a newer battlefield for the Equestria League. How will this effect what Pokémon our contestants chose to battle with?"

Celestia: "This battlefield may give Rainbow the advantage. Since all of her Pokémon can fly, she doesn't have to worry about getting caught in the snow."

Cadance: "True, though if they're knocked down into it, she might be in trouble. Anything can happen here."

Luna: "That's true. Lightning's Pokémon all have a lot of psychical strength, so I wouldn't be surprised if they've been trained to block out feeling the cold."

"Do you guys think Rainbow has a chance?" Spike asked, his friends all frowning as they continued to watch. "Is that a no?"

"It's hard to say," Cloud responded, "Like the professors said, anything can happen here." As she said that, the light wheel appeared on the megascreen. Everyone watched as the wheel began to spin, skipping from red to blue until the professors pressed the button. After a few moments, the wheel slowed to a stop on the red section.

Mic: "With that, Rainbow Dash will be the first one to select her Pokémon! So whose it gonna be?!"

Rainbow smirked as she took out a Pokeball, "I don't care how tough you are, I'm taking you down! Movine, take flight!" She threw the ball upward, the leaf moth Pokémon soon appearing.

"Mow," it called out as it flew high above the snow field.

"Tch," Lightning chuckled before shaking his head, "That's what you chose to try and beat me?! I feel insulted. Then again, you are just a loser." He took out a Pokeball. "Let me show you a real Flying-type. Pitchawk, Battle Ready!" He threw the ball and in a flash, the hood-wearing bird of prey flew above the field.

"Pitch!" He squawked.

Mic: "Pitchawk versus Movine. A battle of the Flying-types."

Celestia: "Movine will be weak against Flying attacks, but strong against Dark attacks. This could go either way."

"Agreed. Now, Rotom!" The drone projected the screen, showing the countdown. "Let's get this battle started. In three...two...OOOOOOONE! BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Shadow Ball!" Lightning yelled, Pitchawk quickly forming a sphere of dark energy before firing it at Movine.

"Vine Whip!" Movine extended its tendrils and whipped one around, hitting the Shadow Ball away. "Air Slash!" With a single beat of its leaf-shaped wings, it sent a crescent blade of wind out next.

"Dodge it!" Lightning ordered, Pitchawk pulling his wings in and spinning. The blade shot past his closed in wing, evading it as it wings began to glow. "Night Slash!"

"Hawk!" He squawked as he flew up and slashed at Movine, sending it flying back. The Bug Flying-type barely managed to keep itself from hitting the ground, flaring its wings before pushing itself back into the air.

"Silver Wind!" Flying back up, Movine unleashed a pollen-lased gust of wind.

"Aerial Ace!" Pitchawk dove right into the wind, letting the pollen blades slam into it. Picking up speed, Pitchawk then arced upward, slamming into Movine as the slipstream appeared around it.

"VINE!" Movine cried as it was knocked back again.

"Vine Whip!" Rainbow commanded, Movine spreading its wings and firing a tendril at Pitchawk. And before the bird could react, the vines wrapped around its wings and feet.

"Pitch!" Pitchawk yelped, "Pitchawk!"

"Yes!" Rainbow cheered, "Now use Solarbeam!" With that, Movine's wings began to glow as they took in the sunlight.

"Oh dear. I hope that works," Fluttershy whispered.

Twilight nodded, "If Pitchawk can't escape, it'll get blasted by one of the strongest Grass-type attacks point blank. Even a Flying-type wouldn't be able to handle that."

Cloud shook her head, "But until that happens, Movine's at Pitchawk's mercy. Even being tied up, that thing's gonna be a problem."

"Shadow Ball!" They heard Lightning roar, the Pitchawk opening its mouth and charging up an energy sphere. But just as it was about to fire, Movine shifted its vines and jolted Pitchawk. This sent the Shadow Ball sailing over Movine's head.

"Ha!" Rainbow laughed, "Not so tough now, are ya?!"

Lightning growled at this, pointing at the bird, "Shadow Ball, multiple blasts! NOW!" Pitchawk began firing sphere after sphere, Movine jolting it around every moment while the Solarbeam continued to charge.

But as it did this, one of the Shadow Balls struck Movine's tendril, making it flinch. The vine loosened instantly, Pitchawk's wing pulling free before swinging it around to strike the other one. With both wings free, Pitchawk shot straight up at Movine. "Fire!" Rainbow exclaimed, Movine unleashing its Solarbeam right at Pitchawk.

"Shadow Ball!" Lightning repeated, Pitchawk firing the attack into the energy beam. It split the Solarbeam, allowing Pitchawk to get right through. "Aerial Ace!" And as it reached Movine, the slipstream appeared around it before the Dark Flying-type V-turned upward and smashed into Movine.

"Mow!" It screamed, the bug now falling straight into the field, skidding across the snow before slamming into a rock.

"Movine!" Rainbow cried as the moth tried to move, Pitchawk laughing as it flew down and landed on one of the rocks. He shot a devious glared at Movine as the moth pulled itself up onto one of the rocks. "Use Silver Wind!"

"Mow!" Movine beat its wings, firing the pollen filled wind.

"Pitch!" The Flying-type leapt off the rock, flying right over the pollen stream.

Lightning smirked, "Time to end this. Pitchawk, Sky Attack!" Pitchawk squawked as he flew higher, his body starting to glow and build up energy. As he did this, Movine shook the cold water off its wings and took to the air.

"Big mistake!" Rainbow yelled "Until that attack hits, your Pitchawk is a sitting duck!"

Celestia: "She's right. But Lightning wouldn't have chosen that move if he didn't believe Pitchawk could withstand anything Rainbow threw at it."

Cadance: "Let's see if Rainbow can prove him wrong."

"Air Slash!" Movine fired the blades of wind at Pitchawk, every one slamming into the Flying-type flinch. But Pitchawk continued to build energy as Rainbow pointed at the bird, "Don't stop! Vine Whip!" Swinging its tendrils around, Movine began slamming them into Pitchawk. Two, three, four times.

"Pitch!" He hissed with each hit as it fought through the pain.

"Silver Wind!" The pollinated gust was now launched at the Pitchawk, only for the Dark Flying-type's eyes to shoot wide open.

"PITCHAWK!" He roared before shooting down, right into the gust. "Pitch!" It pushed through the wind and reached its target, "HAWK!"

"MOW!" Movine cried as it was struck, instantly slamming into one of the field's rocks before bouncing off it and landing in the snow.

"Movine!" Rainbow cried as the Rotom Drone flew down and scanned the Bug Flying-type.

"Movine is unable to battle. Pitchawk is the winner." The crowd cheered at this, Rainbow's friends not cheering as Mic spoke up.

"With that, the first Pokémon of the day goes down." Rainbow returned Movine, "But I'm sure Rainbow's now out for blood."

Celestia: "She needs to find a way to make this battlefield work to her advantage. If she can."

"Nice work Movine," Rainbow told the Pokeball. "I promise I'll get him back for that." She replaced the Pokeball and glared at Lightning. "This isn't over yet." She held out the Pokeball, "I'm only starting to show you the power of Flying-types. Hawlucha, take flight!" She threw it and in a flash, the Wrestling Pokémon appeared and landed on one of the rocks.

"Yes!" Flash cheered, "Now Rainbow has the Type advantage against Lightning's Dark-type."

"Brick Break!" Rainbow yelled, Hawlucha leaping forward to chop the Dark-type.

"In the air!" Lightning barked, Pitchawk leaping to avoid the Brick Break. Hawlucha tried to follow, only for Lightning to call out, "Shadow Ball!"

"Pitch!" Pitchawk fired the sphere, but Hawlucha leapt off a rock to dodge the attack.

"Aerial Ace!" Pitchawk shot down, the slipstream appearing around it.

"X-Scissor!" Rainbow countered, Hawlucha leaping forward and crossing its wings. The two attacks struck one another head-on, both pushing until the clash knocked the duo back, both landing into a rock. "Alright, now use-" She stopped when Lightning held up his Pokeball and returned Pitchawk, "Seriously?!"

Mic: "Lightning's making a sudden substitution."

Luna: "He must have determined fighting with Pitchawk wouldn't be a risk worth taking. Smart move."

Cadance: "But which Pokémon is he going to send out instead?"

"Gorillamp," Lightning threw his Pokeball, "Battle Ready!" The ball flew through the air and in a flash, the giant metal covered gorilla appeared in the snow.

"GORILLAMP!" He roared, beating his fists into his chest.

"Oh geez," Rainbow gulped, "Use Flying Press!" Hawlucha ran through the snow and used a rock as a springboard, leaping high above Gorillamp.

"Luch!" It roared as it spread its wings and began to fly straight down, light wrapping around it as it drew closer. "Cha!"

"Thunder Punch!" Lightning ordered, Gorillamp's fist sparking as he pulled it back. And as Hawlucha got closer, the Electric Steel-type thrust it upward, smashing it into the opponent's stomach.

"Cha!" Hawlucha was knocked flying, skidding through the snow a second later.

"Thunder!" Gorillamp let out a screech as electrical energy began to spark from the metal areas of his body, building up power until he unleashed a powerful thunderbolt. The lightning swept across the field, melting the snow to reveal grass underneath as it made its way for Hawlucha.

Hawlucha was pushing itself back to its feet when the attack came, the Fighting Flying-type seeing this and going wide eyed. "Get out of there!" Rainbow cried, Hawlucha leaping to the side just in time to avoid the electrical blast. "Quick, get in close and use Brick Break!"

"Ha!" It shot forward, its wings glowing as it reached Gorillamp. He karate chopped the giant ape, hitting it in the stomach with enough force to knock it staggering back. "Lucha!" He used Brick Break three more times, pushing Gorillamp again and again.

"What are you doing?! Get that weakling off you! Hammer Arm!" Lightning screamed, Gorillamp's arms beginning to glow.

"GORE!" With a mighty swing, he charged forward and struck Hawlucha with a lariat. Hawlucha squawked in pain as the force on its neck blasted the Fighting Flying-type backward, slamming him through a rock. It moaned as he hit the ground, skidding along the dirt.

"Heavy Slam!" Hawlucha looked up and saw the gorilla coming just as Rainbow called out to the Wrestling Pokémon.

"X-Scissor!" Hawlucha thrust its arms forward and crossed them as Gorrilamp slammed its arms downward. The two attacks slammed into one another, the force sending the remaining snow around them flying away.

The two pushed against one another, only for Hawlucha to leap back, "Cha!" It cried, pulling back as Gorillamp's arms then slammed into the ground...and the fists sunk into the earth.

"Brick Break!" Rainbow yelled, Hawlucha using the nearest rock to bounce off of with glowing wings.

Gorillamp tried to pull its arms out, only to find itself unable to move. But Hawlucha flew closer, Lightning smirked. "Hammer Arm!" Gorrilamp smiled as light began to glow out from the cracks, Rainbow gasping as the sight.

"Get out of there!" She screamed, but it was too late.

"GORILLAMP!" The ape roared as the ground started cracking apart, soon exploding when he pulled his arms out. The explosion was so powerful that it sent rocks and dirt flying everywhere, the rubble instantly hitting Hawlucha.

"HAWLUCHA!" Rainbow cried.

"Thunder Punch!" Lightning yelled, Gorrilamp running up with a electric fist. And before Hawlucha could react, Gorillamp slammed its fist down onto Hawlucha's head, smacking it into the ground.

"CHA!" It roared in pain, the ground now cracking beneath it while the electricity surged through its body.

Everyone watched in shock as Gorillamp slammed another Thunder Punch into Hawlucha, spirals appearing in its eyes as the ape prepared a third just as the Rotom Drone flew down, sounding an alarm. The gorilla growled at the machine, only for the Rotom to announce, "Hawlucha is unable to battle. The winner is Gorillamp."

Rainbow's friends sighed as Spike exclaimed, "Aw, come on! That's not fair! Lightning's gonna keep swapping out his team whenever Rainbow uses a Pokémon with an advantage."

"That's a normal and very good strategy," Cloud pointed out, "It's one of the risks you run into when you only use one type of Pokémon. Rainbow knows this and hopefully, she has a plan to overcome Gorillamp."

"I hope you're right," Twilight grimaced, "If Rainbow loses a third Pokémon, she's gonna be in serious trouble."

Up in the Gym Leader box, Spitfire was watching the match closer than anyone else. "Come on Rainbow. You can do this. Don't let that guy beat you so easily."

Rainbow stared at Hawlucha's Pokeball, then out at the battlefield where Gorillamp was standing. She saw Lightning smirk...but it was a bored smirk, the sight making her blood boil. "You think you'll win just because you're two Pokémon ahead?!" She replaced her Pokeball, "Don't get cocky! You might have the advantage against most of my team with that thing, but I've got one Pokémon your Electric Steel-type's gonna hate! Gliscor!" She pulled her arm back, "Take flight!"

The ball flew into the air and opened up, unleashing the Ground Flying-type. "Gliscor!" It roared while gliding down onto one of the remaining rocks.

"Nice!" Flash cheered, "Gliscor is a good match up against Gorillamp."

"But what if Lightning changes his Pokémon again?" Spike asked, Rainbow appearing to be thinking the same thing.

"Quick, use Earthquake!" Gliscor hissed as he leapt up, then swung his tail straight down into the ground. This caused the entire stadium to shake, almost rocking everyone out of their seats.

"Gore!" Gorillamp yelped as the earth hit him, only for Gliscor to charge right at him.

"X-Scissor!" Gliscor pulled its claws back before slashing at Gorillamp in an X-formation. Gorillamp staggered back at this, only for Lightning to yell out a command.

"Hammer Arm!" Gorillamp swung its arm and lariated the Fang Scorpion Pokémon just as it finished the X-Scissor. The glider was pushed back before grabbing a rock with it claw to stop itself.

"Heavy Slam!" Gorilla leapt at the bat, Glilscor opening its wings to jump back just as the ape slammed its fists down, smashing the rock. However, the impact created a gust, pushing Gliscor back.

"Earthquake!" Rainbow called out, Gliscor flying in a circle before closing its wings and diving downward.

"Hammer Arm!" Lightning ordered, Gorillamp swinging one of his fists to try and backhand Gliscor. But the Fang Scorpion flapped back, dodging the attack before slamming its tail into the ground, creating another powerful quake that Gorillamp was at the center of.

"GORE!" He cried as the ground slammed into him, feeling his four times weakness to the attack.

Mic: "Yikes! Looks like Lightning will be the one losing the next Pokémon. Those attacks are looking painful."

"That's it Rainbow," Spitfire whispered, "Take him down. This is your chance."

"Finish it with Giga Impact!" Rainbow yelled, Gliscor extending its tail before catapulting itself at the ape, an energy slipstream appearing around it.

Mic: "Oh, this attack will probably leave a mark. What will Lightning do?"

"Brace yourself!" Lightning roared, Gorillamp looking up at the incoming comet. It let out a roar and stood tall before crossing its arms right as the Giga Impact struck. The impact shook the stadium, Gorillamp being pushed back as he dug his feet into the ground. He felt his feet grind into the dirt, a dust cloud covering both Pokémon next.

Mic: "Aw man. Everyone is on the edge of their seat as they wait to see whether or not Gorillamp was able to withstand that intense attack."

A moment later, Gliscor leapt out of the dust cloud and landed on a rock. It was panting, its body needing to recharge after using such a strong attack. But as this happened, the dust cloud faded...and showed Gorillamp was still standing strong.

"Rill," he growled, his body now all bruised up.

"No way," Rainbow whispered, Lightning laughing at the sight.

"HA! I knew that weakling wouldn't do a thing to Gorillamp! Now, let's finish this with Hammer Arm."

Gorillamp charged at this, Gliscor unable to escape due to the Giga Impact's effect. "GORE!" He swung an arm into Gliscor's face, blasting it upward. Gliscor cried out in pain as it was sent into the sky, gravity quickly taking hold as it began to fall. And as it fell, it tried to open its wings, but they were still frozen.

"Heavy Slam!" Gorillamp leapt up at this and slammed both fists into Gliscor, knocking it flying into a rock. He moaned as he slid to the ground, Lightning grinning at the sight. "Finish it! Another Heavy Slam!"

Gorillamp charged again, only for Gliscor's eyes to shoot open and leapt up into the air. "Gly!" He roared, showing he was back to being battle ready.

"Nice!" Rainbow cheered, "Let's do another Earth-"

"Return!" Lightning interrupted as he recalled Gorillamp. "Rest up. I'll need you again later."

"What the-come on man!" Rainbow yelled, "Do you have any faith in your Pokémon?!"

Lightning gave her a stare like she was insane, "Having faith in your Pokémon is pointless if they can't win. I'm not gonna just sit there and let a weakling like you use something cheap like Earthquake."

Celestia: "He's got a point. Gorillamp probably couldn't take another Earthquake like it took that Giga Impact."

Lightning took out another Pokeball. "Besides, I now know how your Gliscor fights, and I'll beat you without even trying. Roglacier, Battle Ready!"

He threw the Pokeball and in a flash of light, Roglacier appeared on one of the rocks. "Row..." it whispered as it took the usual ninja stance.

"An Ice-type..." Rainbow growled, "Doesn't matter. We can still win. Gliscor, use X-Scissor!" Gliscor leapt up as its wings spread before charging at it with glowing claws. But as it tired to do this, Roglacier hopped right over the Pokémon and landed on Gliscor's back.

"Ice Punch!" Before Gliscor could react, Roglacier swung its fist down, striking its back. Gliscor let out a cry, the force knocking it into the dirt before sliding across the grassy field. As it did this, Roglacier leapt off it and Lightning gave his next command. "Hail!"

"Glay..." Roglacier brought his hands together and formed an ice ball, which he threw upward before exploding into a large cloud. As Gliscor pushed itself back to its feet, the cloud began to unleash the ice, the sudden drop in temperature causing Gliscor to shiver.

But when Gliscor looked up at Roglacier, the Ice Fighting-type seemed to vanish in the mist. "Snow Cloak," Rainbow gasped, "Not good."

"Not for you," Lightning chuckled, "Roglacier, use Ice Punch!" As Gliscor glanced around, something suddenly appeared next to it and gave the Ground Flying-type a sock to the face before disappearing. The impact sent a cold chill down Gliscor's spine. "Again, multiple strikes!"

"Gly?" Gliscor yelped before it was hit in the back, knocking it around before it was jabbed in the chest. "Scor!" Realising it couldn't stay in the snow storm, Gliscor leapt onto its tail. Another punch, this one to its stomach, landed before it shot upward, only to feel the Hail strike its body.

"Hold on Gliscor!" Rainbow yelled.

"Blizzard!" Roglacier appeared on one of the rocks and pulled down his scarf, letting out a mighty breath as a stream of freezing cold air shot up. The wind hit the Gliscor, pushing it up into the cloud.

The Blizzard then began to freeze the cloud solid, trapping Gliscor inside. "NO!" Rainbow cried as the cloud began to fall down onto the battlefield. But before anyone could worry, the ice block began to crack and break apart, shattering into hundreds of ice blocks that slammed into the battlefield. Roglacier began to leap from one rock to another, climbing higher so as to not be buried under the ice. And when the last ice cube hit the ground, Roglacier landed on top of the pile.

Everyone in the crowd were wide-eyed at the sight, only for the bottom of the ice pile to begin to shift and shake before a particular Pokémon pulled itself out. "Gly..." Gliscor moaned as it dragged itself out of the ice. Its body appeared frosty in places, its body barely moving.

"You okay?" Rainbow asked as Gliscor pushed itself to its feet. It turned to Rainbow and gave her a smile, only to fall over with spirals in its eyes. "Gliscor!"

The Rotom Drone flew down and looked Gliscor over. "Gliscor is unable to battle. The winner is Roglacier."

Rainbow flinched at hearing this, Lightning's grin returning and getting bigger. "Gliscor..." she held up her Pokeball, "Return."

The orb sucked the Ground Flying-type back inside while Rotom spoke up, "Three of Rainbow Dash's Pokémon have been eliminated. As such, there shall be a short break while the field is changed." Lightning held up his Pokeball and returned Roglacier, the field lowering itself into the pit at the same time.

"Poor Rainbow," Pinkie commented as her hair deflated, "She's down three to nothing."

"Oh, I'm worried," Rarity muttered, "If she doesn't find a way to turn things around, she'll be in trouble. And losing three Pokémon in a row must have shaken her confidence."

"Don't worry." They all turned to Fluttershy as she stared down at the battlefield. "Rainbow won't give up so easily. And it doesn't matter if it ends up being six against one. She'll keep pushing and find a way to win."

The others blinked at her before turning back to the field. When they did, they saw Rainbow Dash standing tall. She didn't show worry or nervousness about losing half her team. There was confidence and strength on her face.

"You're right," Flash added, "Rainbow's strong. No matter what challenges she faces, she's gonna find a way to overcome them." The others nodded as the sound of the field being elevated filled the air.

"Time to see which field the rest of this battle will be taking place on," Mic chimed in as the field was revealed to be your average battlefield, like one you would find behind any Pokémon Center. "It's a Dirt Battlefield. And oldy but a goody. Now, bring out your Pokémon!"

"Alright!" Rainbow took her Pokeball out, "Talonflame, take flight!" She threw the ball and in a flash, the fire hawk appeared.

"Talon!" It squawked while beating its wings, causing embers to fly off it.

Rainbow smirked before turning to Lightning, "So what are you gonna do? Send out Roglacier, or Gorillamp! Go ahead! I'm not scared of them!"

Lightning shook his head at this, "You should be. You'll never beat any of them." He took out a Pokeball. "Let's just finish this boring battle already. Thrashark, Battle Ready!" He threw the ball and it opened up to reveal the Sea Predator Pokémon.

"Thrash!" It growled while staring up at Talonflame, the two Pokémon glaring one another down.

Rainbow and Lightning's Equestria League battle was only just beginning. And despite Rainbow's disadvantage, she still had every intention of winning. But only time would tell if she would be able to overcome Lightning once and for all. As the journey continues.
> Rainbow Ascends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The battle between Rainbow Dash and Lightning Blitz was in full swing. Currently, Rainbow had lost three of her Pokémon while Lightning still had all six of his, both now battling on a dirt battlefield as their Talonflame and Thrashark began to duke it out.

"Use Steel Wing!" Rainbow commanded, Talonflame's wings glowing as it shot down to slash at Thrashark.

"Crunch!" Lightning ordered, Thrashark opening his mouth. A moment later, Talonflame slammed its wing into the shark's face and pushed him back, but before the bird could fly away, Thrashark managed to bite down on the wing.

"Talon!" It squawked as the fangs gripped the wing before Thrashark began to swing its head around.

"Flare Blitz!" Rainbow yelled, Talonflame fighting through the pain as it let out a roar before its entire body erupted. The fire filled Thrashark's mouth, making it spit the bird out, Talonflame then flapping away. "Again!" Still aflame, Talonflame dived down at Thrashark, slamming into him again.

"THRASH!" Thrashark was knocked back, but showed it was easily pushing through the pain while Talonflame began to flinch, feeling the effects of the recoil damage.

Up in stands, Rainbow's friends were sill cheering her on. "Yeah Rainbow!" Spike exclaimed, "Beat that guy!"

Mic: "Man, this fight is heating up. Though I gotta say, Lightning Blitz's strength has proven to be almost overwhelming. Can Rainbow find a way to turn the tides of the battle?"

"Aqua Jet!" Thrashark leapt up as water wrapped around his body, propelling him up at the bird, tackling him midair.

"Flame!" It squawked as it was knocked down to the dirt, only to shift its body and pull in its wings so it went into a nose-dive.

"Aerial Ace!" Seconds before Talonflame hit the ground, it spread its wings and pulled itself upward.

"Talon!" The slipstream appeared around it before the bird slammed into Thrashark, making it cry out as it was sent flying. Talonflame spun around next, flying up high as Thrashark skid across the ground.

"Another Steel Wing!" Talonflame dived down at this, its wings glowing as Thrashark got back on its feet.

"Tsunami Surge!" Water exploded from around the shark, turning into a wave. The wave came for Talonflame as it flew close to the ground, the bird looking up at the giant wall of water. It picked up speed and tried to dive straight into the water, only for the wave to push it back.

"Ouch," Flash flinched as he saw Talonflame get washed back. "That had to hurt."

"That wall's strong," Twilight sighed, "Even if Talonflame was moving fast enough, there was no way to break through it."

"A move like Drill Peck might work on it though," Doc pointed out, Flash humming at the suggestion.

And as Talonflame pushed itself back to its feet, shaking its entire body to get rid of the water, Thrashark charged as Lightning pointed at the bird. "Ice Fang!"

"Steel Wing!" Talonflame glared up at Thrashark, who thrust his head forward with blue fangs, only for Talonflame to quickly jump back with glowing wings, the Scorching Pokémon then slashing at Thrashark's head. It spun around next, slashing him with its other wing.

"Talon!" Talonflame then swung both wings downward and slashed at Thrashark in a cross formation. "FLAME!" Thrashark flinched at these attacks, Talonflame leaping up next.

"Tsunami Surge!" Lightning ordered, Thrashark summoning a large wave at the Talonflame. But the Fire Flying-type managed to get higher than the wave, flying to safety, only for Talonflame to flinch in pain. It turned to its wings, seeing both now had scratches and bruises running along them.

Mic: "Is it just me, or is Talonflame looking a little worse for wear?"

Celestia: "I'm afraid it's likely suffering from the effects of Thrashark's ability: Rough Skin."

Mic: "Rough Skin?"

Luna: "It's an ability that causes damage to the opponent whenever they attack Thrashark with a Physical Attack."

Cadance: "And since all of Talonflame's attacks appear to by Physical, it'll take damage no matter what it does."

Rainbow heard this and growled, "That's not good...but I gotta take Thrashark down." She glanced back at her bird, Talonflane nodding to her, "Got it. Talonflame, use Steel Wing!"

Talonflame dived down at this, only for Lightning to order, "Aqua Jet!"

"Thrash!" Thrashark was surrounded by water and shot up, Talonflame diving down at this.

"Flame!" The bird roared as it shifted just as Thrashark came up, spiraling around the water bullet before shooting back up, "Talonflame!" The Scorching Pokémon circled around and dived down aiming for the back of Thrashark. "Flame!" It slashed at Thrashark, but the Steel Wing bounced off the water spiralling around the shark.

"Ice Fang!" Suddenly, the water exploded off the Thrashark and the Sea Predator thrust his head forward. Before Talonflame could escape, Thrashark bit down on its wings, unleashing the freezing energy directly into the appendage.

"TALON!" Both fell to the ground and crashed into the battlefield, kicking up a cloud of smoke. And when the dust settled, Talonflame was still struggling to escape Thrashark's grip. "Flame!" The bird was scratching at the shark with its talons and slapping its other wing on his head. "Talonflame!"

"That's it!" Lightning laughed, "Struggle! That's all you can do against me! A pointless struggle, you worthless loser!"

Rainbow glared at him, "Struggling against something stronger is never pointless! As long as we never give up, even when something's a struggle, there's always a way to prevail!" She pointed at Talonflame, "Flare Blitz!"

"TALON!" The bird's body exploded, the flames once again filling Thrashark's mouth, forcing it to spit the bird out. Talonflame flew back at this before slamming its body into the shark's face. The crowd cheered as Thrashark was knocked back, Rainbow's friends cheering louder than anyone.





"That's my slugger!" Bow Hothoof cheered in Cloudsdale. He and Windy Whistles were holding a party to celebrate Rainbow's guaranteed victory, now staring at a TV while wearing clothes designed around Rainbow's face and hair.

"Show that boy what real battling's all about!" Windy added as they watched as Talonflame fly upward. "Now hit'em with your best attack!"





In another town, Soarin Skies and his Staraptor were watching the battle as well.

"Come on Rainbow," he told her, "You can do this." Staraptor squawked in agreement, the pair seeing Talonflame dive as Rainbow ordered another Steel Wing. "If anyone can pull this off, you can."

"Star!"





"Grrrr...stop cheering for a loser!" Lightning hissed before pointing at his Pokémon, "Block that Steel Wing!" Thrashark crossed its arms as the Talonflame slammed its wing into him, pushing Thrashark back a few inches. The Flying-type quickly pulled back at this, Rainbow now seeing Talonflame wasn't going too last much longer.

"It's now or never!" She yelled, Talonflame flying up high. "Let's go! Brave Bird!" Talonflame spun in the air before diving down, its body now wrapped in flames.

"Talon!" It roared as it flew down at Thrashark, then spread its wings as the flames turned blue. "FLAME!"

"Aqua Jet!" Thrashark was surrounded by spiralling water as it propelled itself off the ground, flying straight at Talonflame. Everyone watched as the two drew closer, only to slam into each other with enough force that it sent out a shockwave that made everyone cover their eyes.

Smoke and steam filled the air, hiding the results. And then the cloud faded, revealing Thrashark laying on the ground panting. He was still conscious, pushing himself to his feet as Talonflame came into view.

"Flame," the bird moaned as it lay on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

Everyone in the crowd gasped as the Rotom Drone flew down and scanned the bird. "Talonflame is unable to battle. The winner is Thrashark."

Mic: "Ouch! With that, the score stands at two to six. Things aren't looking good for Rainbow."

Rainbow held up a Pokeball and returned Talonflame while Lightning returned the tired Thrashark. "You did great," she told the ball, "Even with the type disadvantage." She put the Pokeball away before looking up at Lightning, seeing a bored grin on his face, "Grrr…I'm not done yet!" She took out another Pokeball. "Wondor, take flight!" She threw the Pokeball into the air and in a flash, the Pokémon she had raised from an egg appeared.

"Wondor!" It squawked.

Lightning let out a yawn, "Another Flying-type, what a surprise." He took out a Pokeball, "I don't even have to try anymore...though I wasn't trying in the first place. Let's end this already. Gorillamp, Battle Ready!" He threw the Pokeball upward and the electric ape came out next.

"GORE!" He roared, beating his chest. He then looked up at Wondor, smirking while the bird glared at him.

"Thunder!" Gorillamp charged up his attack and fired it, the bird quickly shifting to the side, dodging the attack.

"Crush Claw!" Rainbow yelled, Wondor flying down as its claws began to glow. But when it slashed at the ape, Gorillamp raised one of his metal gauntlets, blocking the attack with ease. "Quick! Get out of there!" Gorillamp reached out to try and grab Wondor, but the bird flapped back.

"Thunder!" Gorillamp unleashed a blast of lightning again, but Wondor flapped above the attack. He kept firing bolts at Wondor, but the bird ducked, dived and barrel-rolled around.

"Brave Bird!" Wondor flew down as its body was consumed by fire, which turned blue as the Flying-type accelerated and slammed into Gorillamp. The ape roared as it was knocked staggering back, about to slam his fist down on the Wondor. But the bird just flapped backward, instantly dodging the attack before taking to the air. "That's the way! He can't catch you!"

Lightning rolled his eyes at this, "Tch. How pointless. I know all I need now." He held up a Pokeball. "Return!" A red beam hit Gorillamp, absorbing it back into his Pokeball.

Mic: "Lightning Blitz making a sudden withdrawal of his Pokémon."

Luna: "He must have realized Wondor's speed would be too much for Gorillamp. He'll need a faster Pokémon to take Wondor down now."

Cadance: "But which Pokémon will that be?"

"Roglacier!" Lightning threw another Pokeball, "Battle Ready!" The ball flew up and unleashed the ice ninja onto the battlefield.

"Row," he growled, his body barely showing the damage from his battle with Rainbow's Gliscor.

"Nice try," Rainbow barked back, "But against Wondor, your Roglacier doesn't stand a chance!" She pointed at the Snow Wanderer Pokémon, "Aerial Ace!" Wondor flew down, picking up speed and forming the slipstream.

"Blizzard!" Lightning ordered once Wondor flew close to the ground, Roglacier pulling its scarf down and unleashing a burst of cold air. But Wondor barrel-rolled out of the way of the attack, not slowing down at all before slamming into Roglacier.

The Ice Fighting-type yelped as it was knocked back, skidding the ground while Wondor flew back up. "Yes!" Rainbow cheered, "Now, use Crush Claw!"

"Ice Punch!" As Wondor flew down with glowing claws, Roglacier instantly got back on its feet and clutched his fist as they began to brightly glow. The ninja swung the jab at the bird, only for Wondor to side-step and then thrust its claws. But as this happened, Roglacier just backpedaled, dodging the claw attack. It tried to punch the bird again, but Wondor ducked under it before thrusting an uppercutting Crust Claw.

"Row!" Roglacier cried as the Crush Claw slashed its body, knocking it back.

"YES! Now use Superpower!" As Roglacier staggered back, Wondor charged with now orange glowing claws, grabbing the Ice Fighting-type by the neck and flew into the air.

"Won..." It then circled around and flicked its claws around, "DOOR!" Roglacier was sent flying into the ground, letting out a scream of pain.

"ROW!"

"What are you doing?! Get up and use Hail!" Lightning barked, Rainbow's eyes glowing wide as Roglacier glanced upward and brought his hands together and formed the ice ball. And before she could give a command, the Hail was fired into the sky.

"Won!" Wondor dodged the ice ball, but it then exploded and formed a cloud above the battlefield.

Mic: "Once again, the Hail weather has been put into play."

Cadance: "Now Roglacier's Snow Cloak ability will make hitting it almost impossible."

Wondor stared down at Roglacier, who suddenly started to phase in and out of existence while the Hail began to float down and slam into it. "Door!" It cried as the tiny bombs hit its back and wings, exploding on contact and sending a chilling pain through it.

"Quick Wondor," Rainbow called out. "Use Aerial Ace!" The bird circled around and dived down, its eyes focusing as Roglacier came in and out of visual range. 'Trying to escape is impossible. Aerial Ace is a move that can't miss!'

Lightning just stared at the charging bird, seeing it soon skim along the ground as Roglacier appeared, "Blizzard!" Rainbow and Wondor's eyes went wide, Roglacier pulling his scarf down and unleashing another burst of frozen air.

"Look out!" Rainbow gasped, but it was too late. The Blizzard attack slammed into Wondor and sent it flying back, the bird crying out in pain as parts of its wings started frosting over. "Wondor!" The Normal Flying-type hit the ground and skidded along it, coming to a stop while the hail continued to batter him.

"Ice Punch!" Lightning ordered, Roglacier charging with a frozen fist, disappearing before appearing right on top of Wondor.

"Crush Claw!" The Wonder Pokémon swung its claws up, trying to slash at Roglacier, but the Snow Wanderer disappeared, the attack now going through an afterimage.

"Row!" The real one yelled as it appeared behind Wondor, hitting it in the back.

"Door!" It squawked in pain, only for the hail to hit him.

Mic: "This isn't looking good for Rainbow. The Hail is turning this from a battle into a game of hide and seek. A game Wondor is losing."

Rainbow growled at the sight, "Darn it. I gotta get rid of that-" Her words came to a stop as she glanced up at the cloud, remembering the earlier battle. Freezing that cloud had removed the hail, making her smirk, "Yeah...that could work."

"Close Combat!" Roglacier charged at Wondor, but Rainbow pointed upward.

"Wondor, use Brave Bird and fly straight up!" As Roglacier leapt at Wondor, the bird leapt into the air, flying into the cloud as flames appeared around the Pokémon.

Mic: "What's Rainbow thinking?"

Celestia: "I think...yes. Very clever."

Before Celestia could explain, Wondor shot into the cloud after getting buffeted by several hailstones. Then, the fire around it turned blue and Wondor beat its wings. The flames shot off its body and out into a wave, causing the cloud to vanish. "WONDOR!" The bird roared when it was revealed, the crowd cheering at the amazing display.

Mic: "WOW! Rainbow managed to get rid of the Hail with a single move!"

As this happened, the overcast vanished as Roglacier stopped phasing out of existence. Rainbow smirked at this and pointed at the Ice Fighting-type. "BRAVE BIRD!" Wondor once again shot down, its body bursting into fire as it dived for Roglacier.

"Blizzard!" Roglacier fired the frosty wind from its mouth, but before it struck, Wondor spread its wings and the flames turned blue. It slammed into the Blizzard, and despite the pain, it pushed through the chilling winds and rammed Roglacier.

"ROW!" The Ice-type yelped as it was blasted back by the explosion, a smoke cloud covering the two for a moment until Wondor flew out of it.

"Door!" It squawked, blue lightning sparking around its body to show the recoil it had suffered from the attack. A moment later, the smoke faded to show Roglacier on the ground with spirals in his eyes.

"YES!" Rainbow cheered as the crowd applauded, the Rotom Drone flying down to scan Roglacier and determine what everyone already knew.

"Roglacier is unable to battle. Wondor is the winner." The crowd cheered again, Lightning holding out his Pokeball and returned the Ice Fighting-type.

Mic: "Incredible! Rainbow managed to defeat one of Lightning's Pokémon and break his streak! The score now stands at Lightning five, Rainbow two."

"Way to go Rainbow!" Pinkie cheered.

"But this battle's far from over," Twilight gulped before looking over at Lightning. "I mean, look at him." They all then saw a smirk on Lightning's face. One that showed that he didn't care he had lost a Pokémon.

"You win one battle and you think you've got this in the bag?" Lightning laughed, "You really are a loser."

"What was that?!" Rainbow barked back, "I'll beat the rest of your team, just you watch!"

"HA!" Lightning guffawed, "You weakling! You think you can beat me?!" He pointed a finger at Rainbow, "You don't deserve to be a trainer. Heck, you don't deserve to be here." He then shrugged, "Then again, you're also an idiot, so I don't even know why I'm telling you this."

"Hey! I'm not stupid! If I was, I wouldn't have thought up that move to destroy your Hail attack!"

Lightning shook his head, "No, you're an idiot. I mean, you didn't even notice I didn't stop you from destroying the Hail."

"Wha…" Rainbow barely said, only to see a malicious grin appear on Lightning's face.

"Did it not occur to you that I would gladly sacrifice Roglacier?" Rainbow went wide-eyed at this, Lightning chuckling at her expression. "He served his purpose. A true trainer would understand that. I mean, look at the weakling you call your Pokémon." Rainbow turned to Wondor, seeing nothing but exhaustion on its face, its wings all bruised up. "You may have beaten Roglacier, but that thing is no threat. Not like it was in the first place. You just made this even easier for me."

"You..."

"I would tell you to give up." Lightning interrupted, "But you're an idiot, so I know you won't. Let's just finish this boring battle already." Lightning took out a Pokeball. "Gorillamp, Battle Ready!" He threw the ball and in a flash, the giant ape reappeared. "Good luck dodging our attacks now! This battle's mine!"

"We'll see about that!" Rainbow barked back, "Aerial Ace!" Wondor took to the air at this command, the slipstream wrapping around it.

"Won!" It roared as it swooped down.

"Heavy Slam!" Gorillamp raised his arms as Wondor flew in close, only to swing them down.

"DOOR!" Wondor cried as the fists hit its back, slamming it into the ground. Gorillamp then lifted his arms up and prepared to thrust them down again.

"Dodge it!" Wondor barely pushed itself back up and leapt to the side, the second Heavy Slam missing by inches. "Superpower!" Gorillamp turned to see Wondor leap at him, claws glowing.

"Hammer Arm!" The Pokémon's arm glowed as he swung it, blocking the Superpower attack before pushing Wondor away. "Now, Thunder Punch!" Gorillamp then pulled back an electrified fist before thrusting it into Wondor's chest.

The bird screamed as it was tazed into oblivion, the Flying-type knowing this would likely be enough to knock it out. But it refused to go down, Rainbow yelling, "Superpower!" Wondor pulled away from the fist and grabbed the ape in its talons, using the last of its strength to pull Gorillamp up.

The ape was incredibly heavy, but Wondor let out a mighty cry swung Gorillamp around before smashing it into the ground. "DOOR/GORE!" They both cried, only for Wondor to fly straight up. But before it could get away, Gorillamp slammed his fists together.

"THUNDER!" Lightning roared, Gorillamp thrusting both fists straight up. Everyone watched as the lightning exploded off of Gorillamp and shot toward Wondor, who was too exhausted to properly dodge...and then the thunderbolt struck the bird.

"WONDOR!" It squawked in agony, every nerve in its body now electrified. Lightning laughed at the sight as the bird flee like a rock, Gorillamp picking himself up at the same time. And when Wondor landed, it laid there unmoving with swirls in his eyes.

"Wondor!" Rainbow cried as the Rotom Drone flew down to scan it.

"Wondor is unable to battle. Gorillamp wins." The crowd did a low cheer as Rainbow sighed, holding up her Pokeball and returning the bird.

Mic: "Well, this is it ladies and gentlemen. Rainbow Dash is down to her very last Pokémon while Lightning still has five remaining."

Luna: "However, almost all of Lightning's Pokémon have battled and taken damage. I wouldn't be willing to call this match decided yet."

Celestia: "Indeed. Rainbow's final Pokémon will be starting out fresh, while Lightning's are almost all exhausted."

The crowd continued to cheer, but many didn't seem to have their optimism. They all believed Rainbow was doomed and keeping this battle going was just cruel. Rainbow herself was starting to feel worried as she looked down at her Pokeball. "Maybe I should surrender..." She glanced up at Lightning, seeing the smirk on him and Gorillamp's face, showing triumphant faces...and yet, there was boredom in their eyes. As if they knew they had won and knew Rainbow's last Pokémon would just be something they would lazily have to get through. The sight made her remember what she had said earlier about struggling. "I..."

"DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP RAINBOW!" Rainbow's head shot up and she looked over at Fluttershy, who was standing now. "I've known you our entire life and you've never quit, even when it's the smart thing to do. You keep pushing, keep trying and keep fighting until you can't no more. You never give up while there's still a chance. And you're not giving up now!" The rest of the crowd had quietened down hearing this, Fluttershy not at all embarrassed about being the center of attention.

Then, Cloud stood up. "YOU CAN DO IT!" she screamed, "YOU CAN BEAT HIM!"

"DON'T YA DARE GO GIVIN' UP NOW!" Applejack hollered.

"FIGHT!" Rarity, Pinkie, Twilight, Spike, Trixie and Doc yelled.

"GO ON RAINBOW!" Flash stood up, "SHOW HIM WHAT A REAL TRAINER LOOKS LIKE!"

The rest of the crowd started cheering for her as well, all calling out to give her support. Rainbow stared at all her friends, feeling close to tears at all this. She then looked over at the Gym Leader's box and locked eyes with Spitfire. The pair stared at one another intently, the Gym Leader smiling before nodding.

The sight filled Rainbow with pride, the girl turning to Lightning before pointing at him. "I won't give up! My friends are right! Giving up before something's completely decided isn't my style. I fight to the last breath, no matter what obstacles stand in my way. If there's a wall blocking me from my goal, I'll keep pushing until it crumbles!" She held her Pokeball up. "I'm putting everything I have into this one last chance. My starter, partner and best friend. And no matter what, we'll fly past the clouds and into the stratosphere. TANK!" She threw the ball, "TAKE FLIGHT!"

The ball flew through the air and opened up, unleashing a bright red light that took shape to reveal the giant terrapin. "SOARTOISE!" Tank roared at the top of his lungs before retracting his head and spinning his rotor limbs, which pushed him up into the air high above Gorillamp.

Lightning rolled his eyes at the sight, "How pointless. I guess we're doing this now. At least try and make this battle interesting for me. This has been the most boring battle yet." He pointed at Tank, "Thunder!" Gorillamp roared as the electricity surged around him, the ape thrusting his arms and unleashing a wave of lightning.

"Dodge it!" Rainbow yelled, Tank shooting to the side and causing the thunderbolt to shoot past him. "Now, Hurricane!"

"Soar!" Tank increased the spin of his rotors and pumped out a bunch of air from his chest vents, causing a powerful blast of wind to spiral out and form a tornado. That tornado shot down at Gorillamp, slamming into the ape as it crossed his arms to protect his face while digging his feet into the ground.

"Ahh!" Lightning cried, forced to do the same and protect his face, preventing him from seeing Tank dive down at Gorillamp. "Use Thunder!"

"Gore!" Gorillamp unleashed a blast of lightning upward, but it flew by Tank as the Soartoise got close and cut the power to his attack, the wind fading as Tank appeared right above Gorillamp.

"Stone Edge!" Rainbow ordered, Tank now being surrounded by two rings of stones.

"Soar!" The Soartoise fired the rocks at Gorillamp, the jagged shards slamming into him.

"Rill!" Gorillamp roared with every hit, but pushed through the pain and thrust his arms out. "Rillamp!" Tank suddenly found his vents being grabbed, Gorillamp spinning him around several times before slamming him into the ground.

"Soar!" He flinched, then opened his eyes to see Gorillamp raising his arms.

"Heavy Slam!" Gorillamp slammed both down into Tank's chest, making the turtle scream. "Again!" Gorillamp pulled his fist back before doing the same attack again, "Again!"

Gorillamp raised his arms again, only for Rainbow to yell, "Hurricane!" Tank unleashed another powerful blast of air, striking Gorillamp in the face. It staggered back, allowing Tank to roll onto his front.

"Hammer Arm!" Gorillamp charged back at the Pokémon, his arms glowing as he raised them high.

"Iron Defense!" Tank pointed his shell at Gorillamp and braced himself, his shell glowing seconds before the Hammer Arm hit it. Tank moaned as he was thrown down, face planting with the dirt ground. "Get out of there!" Before Gorillamp to could hit him again, Tank shifted into flight mode and pushed off the ground. He hovered for several seconds before flying away from Gorillamp.

"Thunder!" Gorillamp charged his lightning and fired, the bolt striking Tank.

"SOAR!" Tank cried before hitting the ground, bouncing several times before managing to land on his feet.

"Now, Thunder Punch!" Gorillamp charged again, this time with an electrified fist.

"Stone Edge!" Summoning the rocks again, Tank sent them flying. Gorillamp quickly threw his fists into the rocks, smashing them apart despite the pain. He then got close to Tank, who spun around as he anticipated Rainbow's next command. "Iron Defense!"

"Gore!" Gorillamp hit its fist into Tank, the force knocking him forward as he felt himself getting tazed, only to spin around.

"Hurricane!" A blast of air exploded out of Tank's chest, knocking Gorillamp back. Tank leapt up next, Gorillamp trying to get its footing.

"Thunder!" Once again, Gorillamp charged up a powerful surge of energy while Tank remained up in the air.

"Stone Edge!" At Gorillamp unleashed the thunderbolt, Tank summoned the jagged stones and shot them into the Thunder attack. The bolts shattered the rocks, slowing it down enough for Tank to avoid it.

The Stone Edge then hailed down on Gorillamp, making it roar in pain. "Hammer Arm!" Gorillamp swung its fists upward, deflecting the rocks with the metal covered sections of his arms. But several rocks still slashed at him, making him flinch as Tank flew down.

"Body Slam!" Tank picked up as much speed as possible as he flew straight down. And as Gorillamp deflected the final rock, Tank got in close and spun around. The back of his shell smashed into Gorillamp, knocking the ape back, pinning him under Tank.

"Grab it!" Gorillamp grabbed Tank around the shell, "THUNDER!" Everyone in the crowd gasped as Gorillamp took a deep breath and charged up the power.

"GORILLAMP!" The ape roared as the light exploded off of him and into Tank, who had quickly withdrawn into his shell. This did little to help as Tank felt his insides getting burned by the electricity.

"SOARTOISE!" He cried out in pain, Rainbow flinching at this while everyone else looked away.

Lightning shined a big grin at this before shaking his head, "Too easy."

"Gore!" Gorillamp then ran out of electricity and released Tank, who fell to the floor and barely managed to land on his feet. He staggered back at this, looking like he was gonna fall over any moment.

Mic: "This could be it folks. Soartoise may end up going down here and now."

Fluttershy covered her eyes, not wanting to see Tank fall. Gorillamp simply smirked at the Soartoise, just chuckling at the fumbling tortoise. Lightning looked up at Rainbow with a grin, only to raise an eyebrow as she stared triumphantly at him.

"Stone Edge!" Suddenly, Tank spun around as the circle of stones appeared around his body. Lightning's eyes went wide as Tank fired the rocks right at Gorillamp, the Electric Steel-type suddenly getting bombarded.

"It can still fight?! Impossible!" Lightning yelled as Fluttershy opened her fingers to let herself see the battle taking place.

"It'll take more than that to take me down!" Rainbow barked as Tank took to the air again, "Hurricane!" As Gorillamp stagger back, Tank unleashed a powerful tornado that struck the ape. Then, despite physics saying it should be impossible, the tornado curved upward and threw Gorillamp up into the air.

"Thunder!" Lightning roared, Gorillamp charging up his electrical power. However, the last Thunder attack had used up all of Gorillamp's reserves. "What are you doing?! Use-"

"Body Slam!" Rainbow ordered, Tank quickly slamming Gorillamp with the back of his shell.

Gorillamp grunted in pain, but tried to grab the sides of Tank's shell in order to blast him again. But before he could, Tank spun around in the air and slapped the Pokémon in the face. The blow knocked Gorillamp back, only for the ape to fire out a Thunder attack.

"RILLAMP!" The thunderbolt exploded off of him, but the flying tortoise just shifted to the side, dodging the attack. "Gore!" Gorillamp cried out as he slammed into the ground, Tank taking this chance to fly down.

"Let's finish this! Stone Edge!" Before Gorillamp could get up, Tank got in close and summoned the rocks. Gorillamp had just enough time to look up and see the rocks coming, only for the stones to slam into the ape at high speed. A dust cloud came next, the crowd on the edge of their seats as the fog slowly began to vanish...and reveal a still standing Gorillamp.

"Seriously?" Rainbow yelped, Lightning laughing at the sight.

"HA! Like that weakling could beat Gorillamp!" He pointed at Tank, "Use-"

"Amp..." Gorillamp moaned out before falling back, spirals now appearing in its eyes.

"WHAT?!" Lightning yelped as the Rotom Drone flew down and scanned Gorillamp.

"Gorillamp is unable to battle. Soartoise is the winner." The crowd cheered at this while Mic laughed.

Mic: "With that, Lightning is down to four Pokémon! An impressive display from Soartoise."

Celestia: "Praise should also go to Rainbow's other Pokémon, Gliscor and Wondor amongst them. The damage they did to Gorillamp was likely a big help in pushing him to the edge enough for Tank to finish him."

Luna: "True teamwork on display."

Cadance: "Hopefully, their efforts against Lightning's Pokémon will also allow Rainbow to catch up."

Lightning returned Gorillamp, growling at this, "Seriously?! I have to waste this much time with this weakling?!" He glanced up to see Tank landing in front of Rainbow, only to see it panting. "Whatever. I've done enough damage to that thing to win this." He then glared up at Rainbow, "You do realize you're only delaying the inevitable, right?"

"No way!" Rainbow barked, "You might still have more Pokémon, but I'm gonna keep pushing no matter what. So bring out your next Pokémon so Tank and I can take it down as well!"

"Oh, I'll bring it out." He took out a Dive-Ball, "But the only Pokémon that's going down is yours!" He threw the ball and in a flash, Thrashark appeared on the battlefield.

"Thrash!" He roared, standing tall despite the bruises on his body from the earlier battle.

Mic: "Thrashark verses Soartoise. Professors, how do figure this match-up?"

Cadance: "Not good for Rainbow. Aqua Jet, Tsunami Surge and Ice Fang are moves that'll do some serious damage to Tank. If Rainbow isn't careful, this could be the final battle."

Luna: "And let's not forget Thrashark's Rough Skin. That'll make it dangerous to use Physical Moves."

"Aqua Jet!" Lightning yelled before anyone else could talk, the Sea Predator quickly surrounding itself in water before shooting toward Tank.

"Dodge it!" Rainbow countered, Tank flying upward to make the Aqua Jet sail past him. "Now, Stone Edge!" Jagged stones appeared around him, the rubble then flying at Thrashark, but the shark just zigzagged around with his Aqua Jet to dodge every single attack.

"Tsunami Surge!" Thrashark flew up as the water exploded off of him, only to seemingly bend it into a wave that he threw at Tank, slamming the tortoise into the ground.

"Soar!" He cried, hitting the dirt while Thrashark landed beside it.

"Ice Fang!" Thrashark opened its mouth, glowing blue fangs showing as he prepared to munch down on the Rock Flying-type.

"Iron Defense!" Tank rolled onto his front as his shell glowed, seconds before Thrashark bit down. The bite sent a chilling freeze through Tank's body, making him cry out.

"Soar!" His entire body shivered, only to swing a flipper to slap Thrashark away. He pushed himself up to his feet after this, moving around to warm himself up.

"Quick! Into the air!" Tank leapt up and took flight while Thrashark shook his head to recover from the slap.

"Aqua Jet!" Everyone watched as Thrashark leap up as well, morphing into a water rocket.

"Hurricane!" Tank spun his rotors as fast as he could while expelling the wind from his chest, unleashing the strongest tornado he could make. The wind struck the Aqua Jet, forcing it to stop in midair, everyone watching the two attacks struggle against one another.

"Wow..." Spike whispered, "They're even."

"For now," Twilight sighed, "But this battle is far from over. Hopefully, Tank can outlast Thrashark and push it back."

But as she said that, the tornado began to slow as the Aqua Jet pushed upward and slammed Tank in the chest. "Soar!" He cried as he was knocked back, Thrashark falling to the ground while the Soartoise barely managed to keep himself hovering. He flew back at this, trying to get a better distance by flying high above the stadium.

Mic: "Neither side is giving an inch with an explosion of skilful moves! It's impossible to tell who will be able to pull ahead."

"Stone Edge!" Rainbow yelled, Tank unleashing a stone bullet barrage.

"Tsunami Surge!" A wall of water exploded out of the ground, Thrashark using it to shield himself from the rocks. They slammed into the water, slowing down as Thrashark easily deflected them.

"Body Slam!" Rainbow called out, Tank shooting down into the water wall. He slammed his shell into Thrashark, knocking it flying out of the water as Thrashark's Rough Skin had no effect on Tank thanks to his shell.

"Counter with Aqua Jet!" Before Tank to fly back, Thrashark recovered before shooting off the ground and smashed his water covered body into Tank. "Now, Crunch!" He then broke out of the water and bit down on Tank's flipper.

"SOAR!" Tank cried out as Thrashark continued to bite down. Tank tried slamming his other flipper into his face, but Thrashark kept biting until they landed on the ground. It was then he started spinning around, pulling Tank around with him before releasing Tank, the tortoise flying off a few meters before crashing. Tank continued to cry out as he cradled his flipper, Lightning smiling at the sight.

"Take off!" Rainbow yelled, Tank then trying to spin his appendages, only to discover he couldn't. When he straightened his bitten flipper, he suddenly felt a wave of pain wash through him. "Tank!" She gasped, seeing him stop and clutch his flipper again. "No..."

Mic: "Ouch! Thrashark's Crunch did some serious damage to Soartoise's rotor arm. Looks like he won't be flying anywhere for a while."

Luna: "That's probably what Lightning was planning when he ordered Thrashark to use that attack."

Cadance: "Without his ability to fly, Soartoise is in serious trouble."

Thrashark charged in at this, leaping to bite Tank, only for Tank to stagger back on his stumpy feet. And as Thrashark tried to bite him, Tank smacked him back with his flipper, making the shark backpedal before Lightning called out, "Aqua Jet!"

"Iron Defense!" Thrashark charged with water morphing around him as Tank spun around, his shell glowing as the Sea Predator slammed into him. "Stone Edge!" Tank stumbled on his feet before spinning around and summoning a rings of stones.

"Tsunami Surge!" As the rocks were sent flying, Thrashark summoned the water all and pushed it forward. The Stone Edge bullets flew into the water, slowing them down as Thrashark began to easily evade the rubble. But as this happened, the water of the wave hit Tank, pushing him back.

"Soar!" He screamed as he was washed back before skidding along the ground and landing on his back. "Toise..." he moaned before trying to roll onto his back. But he couldn't. The pain was too much to get some good momentum. And as this happened, Thrashark walked up, his fangs chomping up and down with a big grin on his face.

"Tank!" Rainbow cried, her best friend and partner continuing to struggle. "It's no good. We can't win this without you being able to fly or use Hurricane."

"Ice Fang!" Lightning ordered, Thrashark's fangs beginning to glow.

"I've never asked you to do anything I knew you couldn't do," Rainbow told the Rock Flying-type. "And now Tank, I need you to spin your propellers!" The Soartoise heard this and closed his eyes, the Air Tortoise Pokémon extending his limbs, combining his legs and spinning for all he was worth. His flipper still hurt, but he endured it at Thrashark drew closer. "HURRICANE!"

"SOAR!" Tank roared before the tornado exploded off of his chest, shooting into the air and striking Thrashark. The Sea Predator's eyes went wide as he felt himself being pushed back, making him flail around. He was then thrown upward, unable to move as he was sent flying.

"Yes!" Rainbow cheered as Tank rolled to the side enough for the hurricane to push him to the right way up, allowing him to fly, "Nice one! Now use Stone Edge!"

"Soar!" Tank summoned the rocks and sent them flying at Thrashark, Lightning ordering him to use Tsunami Surge. But the shark wasn't fast enough, the rocks bombarding him with sharp debris.

Mic: "Wow! Talk about a quick turn around! It looked like Rainbow was in trouble, but now she's got Thrashark on the defensive."

Celestia: "Just goes to show what happens when you don't give up."

"Yeah!" Spike cheered, "GO RAINBOW!"

"You got this!" Flash called out as Lightning ordered Aqua Jet, only for Tank to shift to the right, dodging the attack.

"That's the way!" Twilight cheered. "Play to your strengths! Hit fast and hit a bunch of times!" Her friends kept calling out, Cloud smiling at the sight.

"The winds are always changing," the former gym leader told the girl as she watched the battle. "When they come to an obstacle, they find a way to get passed it. If pushing through it doesn't work, they go over or under it. The winds are unpredictable. And a true Flying-type trainer must be just as unpredictable."

"Rainbow's showing a lot of guts," Thorax chuckled, "I'm glad to see she's grown so much since I battled her."

"She's got gumption," Granny Smith laughed, "I'll give her that."

Spitfire smiled as she watched Rainbow fight with everything she had, proud of the trainer she had become. "She's ready." As she said that, Rainbow ordered another Hurricane attack to counter a Tsunami Surge.

"Soar!" Tank spun his rotors and unleashed the spinning burst of air, which struck the wave. The wind drilled through the water and dispersed it, surprising Flash and her friends as Tank shot forward.

"Now, Body Slam!"

"Aqua Jet!" As Tank tried to smash his shell into Thrashark, the shark shot into the air and the Soartoise found himself hitting nothing but a column of water. And as he pulled himself to a stop, Thrashark curved around and charged at him.

"Stone Edge!" Tank fired the rocks at the Aqua Jet, the stones slamming into Thrashark. But as the rubble hit it, the shark just continued to push through and slammed into Tank. The Soartoise cried out as he was thrown back, but quickly recovered by flipping over and landing on his feet. He then took to the air again while Thrashark prepared for the next attack.

"Soar/Thrash!" They both roared, Tank charging as he was preparing to slice into Thrashark like a buzzsaw.

The shark saw this and stood his ground, spreading his arms in a way that cried 'come at be bro!' And as Tank got in close, Thrashark thrust his arms forward and slammed them into the whirling blade. Everyone watched as the blade grind against Thrashark's claws, the shark wincing in pain as he held on. And as he did this, the spinning slowed down despite how much Tank tried to keep them going...only for them to come to a stop, and everyone saw Tank's flippers were now trapped in Thrashark's claws.

"Soar!" Tank yelped against the grip, but couldn't move. Thrashark smirked at this, Lightning smiling along with him.

"Let's end this," he told the shark. "Tsunami...Surge!"

"THRASH!" He roared as the water appeared and smashed into Tank, but wasn't thrown back as Thrashark held onto him. The high pressure water hit Tank at point blank rang, making it scream before Thrashark let him go, pushing him flying across the battlefield.

And as Tank skid across the ground, Lightning gave his next command. "Ice Fang!" Tank spun around and tried to slap Thrashark away, but the Sea Predator instantly got up to him and thrust his head forward.

"THRASH!" He roared before sinking his glowing teeth into Tank's shoulder. Tank cried out as, to everyone's horror, ice began to form from where Thrashark bit him. It spread out in every direction of his body until he was completely trapped within the ice.

"TANK!" Rainbow screamed as Thrashark let him go. He shined a giant grin before spinning around and slamming the ice block with his tail. The sound of shattering glass filled the air as Tank fell back, breaking out of the ice upon contact with the ground. And as his face was revealed, a pair of spirals had now replaced his eyes, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Everyone's eyes went wide as the Rotom Drone flew down and scanned the Air Tortoise Pokémon, beeping until he determined what everyone knew. "Soartoise is unable to battle. The winner is Thrashark." It then flew up above the battlefield. "All of Rainbow Dash's Pokémon are now unable to battle. And so the winner of the battle is Lightning Blitz." This caused much of the crowd to cheer as Mic spoke up.

"And there you have it folks. Lightning Blitz will be moving onto the finals of the tournament while Rainbow Dash will be packing up and heading home. But let's not forget the amazing fight she put up in this incredible match!" The crowd cheered again, calling out Rainbow's name with joy.

The girl barely noticed though, instead running over to Tank. "You okay?" She asked, pushing him up to his feet. Tank let out a few moans, but managed to fight through it before turning to smile at Rainbow.

"Soar..."

Rainbow gave the Soartoise a hug. "You were awesome. Thanks."

"Soar." Tank moaned before Rainbow looked up to see Lightning return his Pokémon. He showed her a big confident smirk before walking away, the sight making her growl before standing up and returning Tank.

"Poor Rainbow," Twilight sighed as Flash stood up.

"We should go see if she's okay," he told them, the group nodding as they all got up and headed for the hallway Rainbow was now walking toward. And they weren't the only ones.





"Where are you going?" Tidal asked Spitfire as she got up and headed for the doorway.

The Cloudsdale Gym Leader stayed still for a moment, only to glance back, "There's something important I need to do. I'll be back before the next match." With that, she walked out of the room and headed down the stairway leading toward the public section of the stadium.





Rainbow was slowly making her way through the hallway, only to come to a stop. Losing was one thing, and being so easily beaten was another, but losing like that to Lightning was all she could take. "AHHHHH!" She screeched, turning to punch a wall. All this resulted in was a loud smacking sound and pain for Rainbow. She took several deep breaths, only to hit it again, making it scream in pain.

And after she did this, she slumped down, feeling tears about to appear under her eyes. But as she did this, her brain made speak out a single question, "What do I do now?"

"Rainbow?" The girl turned to the voice, now seeing all her friends standing at the end of the hallway, Fluttershy at the front, "Are you okay?"

Rainbow tried to put on a brave face, only for it to instantly break apart, "Yeah, I'm...no." She sniffed, "I'm not." She glanced away, trying to hide her face, "I lost. This sucks!"

The others frowned at this, only for Cloud to walk past Fluttershy. Rainbow looked up at the woman with puffy eyes, Cloud placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. You battled bravely, and even when things went bad, you never gave up and pushed on. You've brought pride to Flying-type Trainers everywhere." She pulled Rainbow into a hug and Rainbow kept sniffing before hugging back.

"Thanks," she whispered before pulling back, "But...I still lost. Now what am I supposed to do? I wanted to be champion and...now I can't. What do I do?"

"I have a suggestion." They all jumped at the voice and spun around, spotting Spitfire standing behind Rainbow's friends. The Gym Leader walked past them as Rainbow tried to dry the tears from her eyes. "Cloud's right. You did bring pride to all Flying-type Trainers. And none are more proud than me." Rainbow went wide-eyed at this as Cloud stepped aside, Spitfire looking down at the girl. "And I've got a proposal for you." She placed a hand on Rainbow's shoulder, "Come back to Cloudsdale with me."

Rainbow blinked at this, "What?"

"Come back to Cloudsdale City with me," Spitfire repeated, "I want you to become my apprentice. To train under me and improve your skills."

Rainbow's jaw dropped, almost hitting the floor. But before she could agree, a thought appeared in her head that made her eyes go wide again. "But wait...if I become your apprentice, won't that mean I'll one day become-"

Spitfire nodded back, "I've known for a while that you would be the perfect Cloudsdale Gym Leader." The other's eyes went wide at this, "You have every quality needed to become a great Gym Leader. All you lacked was experience, and now you've acquired more than enough of that. So what do you say? Will you join me as my apprentice?"

Rainbow stared at her for a moment, then turning to the others and saw them all furiously nodding. She glanced back at Cloud and she simply smiled, showing Rainbow she had her blessing. Rainbow couldn't stop herself from smiling as she turned back to Spitfire, nodding furiously. "Heck yeah! I'm in!"

Spitfire chuckled at this as the others ran over to congratulate Rainbow. "This is great!" Twilight exclaimed, "You definitely deserve it."

Rainbow nodded, then turned to Flash and Applejack. "It's all on you two now. You've gotta beat Lightning. Take that jerk down!"

The pair nodded before turning to one another. Flash and Applejack stared each other down, both knowing they were in for one heck of a battle. Only one could make it to the finals, where Lightning was waiting. But which of them would he be facing off against? Only time would tell. As the journey continues.
> Ice Ice Battle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The battle between Rainbow and Lightning had come to an end, Lightning having come out on top. Now the crowd waited for the second semi-final battle of Flash and Applejack, all excited to see who would win. Inside the stadium, Flash stood at the entrance of tunnel leading out to his battlefield, Twilight, Spike, Doc and Cloud were there with him.

"You ready?" Twilight asked, Flash nodding.

"This is gonna be a hard battle," Doc added, "You sure you're up for it?"

Flash smirked at this, "I've got Springer," he gestured to his Riolu. "And all my other Pokémon. As long as I've got them, I can do anything." The others smiled back, only for Flash to continue, "But you're right about this being a hard battle. Applejack's tough. If I make even one mistake, I'll be out of this match."

"Then don't make a mistake," Spike finished as Peewee let out a roar. Flash turned back and nodded, the group giving him a high-five before Flash and Springer headed down the tunnel.

"Good luck," his grandmother told him. He waved back at them, but kept his eyes focused on what was in front of him. 





At the other tunnel, Applejack was standing there, taking several deep breaths.

"Applejack!" She turned to the voice and saw Applebloom, Mac and Granny Smith walking up to her. Applejack smiled at the sight of her family as Applebloom said, "Yer gonna win, ain't ya?" Applebloom let out a chuckle, "Ya'll win and show all of Equestria why the Applewood Gym has the best trainers!"

"Aw," Applejack patted the girl on the head, "Thanks sis. But this match ain't gonna be easy. Flash is one of the toughest trainers around. He didn't make it this far cause of his winnin' personality."

"It doesn't matter," Applebloom replied, "Ya'll still gonna win!"

"Eeyup," Mac added, Applejack laughing at her siblings before turning to Granny Smith.

The elderly Gym Leader smiled at her, stepping up and placing a hand on Applejack's shoulder. "You've grown so much since you and Rarity left home. And no matter what, win or lose, ah'm proud to call yah mah granddaughter."

Applejack felt like crying, "Thanks Granny."

She nodded back. "Now go out there and show the world what the Apple family can do. And if yah win all the way to becomin' champion, don't worry about it. The Applewood Gym will be fine while yah go around savin the world."

Applejack nodded, only to shake her head, "Win or lose, ah'm still gonna take up the gym and protect it. No matter what." Granny Smith chuckled back before Applejack spun around and walked away. "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" Applebloom called back before the three headed off to take their seats. And as she made her way down the tunnel, Applejack thought back on her journey so far, of all the battles, her Pokémon and the many rivals that had pushed her to improve herself.

And now she was up against her greatest obstacle to date. "Git ready Flash. If ya'll wanna face Lightnin' in the finals, yah gotta go through me."





The crowd cheered as Present Mic's face appeared on the screen. "WAS-UUUUUP!" He exclaimed, "That last battle sure was one none of us can forget! And now it's time to see who'll be joining Lightning in the final round! Let's give a big round of applause for the two Trainers that'll be battling it out for that final spot. In the blue section, he's the hotshot trainer that can always leave you guessing: Flash...SENTRY!"

The crowd cheered as Flash and Springer appeared, waving to them and spotting his friends as they sat down at their seats. "You ready for this bud?"

"Ri!" Springer replied.

"And in the red corner, she may seem like a simple farm girl, but her fighting skills are far from basic! It the high rolling cowgirl herself: APPLEJACK!" Once again, the crowd cheered as Applejack walked out and waved to the audience.

"Go Applejack!" Applebloom yelled at the top of her voice, "You got this! Go! Go! Go!"

Up in the Gym Leader box, Granny Smith arrived just in time, Tidal turning to her, "You raised a strong trainer senorita Smith. She was certainly a tough opponent when we faced off."

Granny Smith laughed at this, "Ah merely showed her the basics of trainin'. She took what ah taught her and made those lessons her own. All her victories are her's alone along with any and all accomplishments she has." She stared down at Applejack as she reached the end of the platform. "Good luck deary. Yah have my support."

Applejack and Flash stared one another down, both smiling as they knew this would be the end of the journey for one of them. "This is it Flash," Applejack told him. "It's you and me, with dah winner goin' on ta face Lightnin'."

Flash nodded. "And no matter what, I'm gonna be the one to face him." Applejack chuckled at this while Flash rubbed his nose. "You're strong, I know that. I remember when we first battled one another at your cousin's farm. That match was a draw, but it sure was a fun match."

"Well ah ain't settlin' for another draw this time." She pointed at Flash, "Ah'm gonna take yah down. Then ah'm takin' down Lightnin' and Shinin'!"

"Ha! You can try, but its not gonna be that easy. After all, there's only one way to really settle this."

"By battlin'!" Applejack cheered as the Rotom Drone flew down and hovered above the pit.

"The battle between Flash Sentry and Applejack is about to begin," it chimed in, "The battle will be a full six on six battle, and when three of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle, there will be a temporary break and the battlefield will change. Only when all of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle will the battle be over." As it said that, the sound of gears and mechanisms filled the air, everybody looking down as the battlefield raised up.

"And now we'll see which battlefield our contestants with be facing off on." With that, the battlefield was revealed to be a field covered entirely of ice. It was like a giant skating rink, with ice covered rocks located in certain spots. "The ice field, another oldy but a goody. On this field, the Pokémon will have next to no grip. If they're not careful, they could end up sliding right out of the battlefield."

"Great," Applejack gulped. "That's not good for me."

"So what do you guys think?" Rainbow asked up in the stands. "An ice Field...is that gonna give one of them an advantage or not?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Twilight replied before turning to Rarity, "Has Applejack ever fought on a field like this?"

Rarity shook her head. "Not that I'm aware of. Applejack's usually avoided ice covered fields."

"That could be a problem for her," Doc added, "But Flash hasn't had that much experience on ice fields either. The closest is his battle with Tidal, but that wasn't exactly a full ice field like this one."

"This could go either way," Cloud finished.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how this field forces the two of them to adapt their usual play style," Ember commented, "It's little tests like this that made the Equestria League such a challenge." The other leaders nodded back.

In that moment, the Rotom Drone projected the battle screen and showed the red and blue wheel. Everyone watched as the wheel began to spin, skipping from red to blue until the professors pressed the button. After a few moments, the wheel slowed to a stop on the red section.

Mic: "With that, Applejack will be the first one to select her Pokémon! So who's it gonna be?!"

Applejack took a deep breath as she stared at the field, nodding before taking out a Pokeball. "Alright Flash, time ta show yah how ah got this far. No matter the challenge, mah Pokémon can dig deep and push past their limits! Daisyjo," she threw the ball, "Take root!" In a flash of light, the Cattle Pokémon appeared.

"Grattle!" The cow mooed as she landed on the icy field, but quickly started loosing balance and almost fell on its face.

"Applejack has chosen a Grattle," Mic announced, "An interesting choice for this field, but I'm looking forward to seeing what she's planning."

"What is she planning?" Spike asked while turning to the others.

"I think she's hoping to use Daisyjo's weight," Twilight replied, "The heavier something is, the more it's pushed down onto the ground, meaning the better grip it'll have. Since the field is solid ice, she won't have to worry about breaking through it."

"How do you think Flash is gonna compete against it?" Trixie asked as they turned back to the field.

"Not bad," Flash smirked as he took out a Pokeball. "But let's see how well you do against this: Skyler," he threw the Pokeball, "I choose you!" The ball flew into the air and opened up, soon revealing his Tornavian.

"Tore!" Skyler squawked as he flew above the field before landing on one of the rocks, using his talons to grip into the ice, "Tornavian!"

"It's Grattle verses Tornavian!" Mic exclaimed.

Celestia hummed at this, "Based on typing, we'd have to give Flash the advantage. But there's more to a battle than a Pokémon's type. If Applejack has a plan to deal with Tornavian, this battle could go either way." Luna and Cadance both nodded.

"There's only one way to see which Pokémon will defeat the other in a battle, and that's to actually see them fight. Rotom!" The drone projected the holographic screen, showing the numbers that began to count down. "Let's get this battle started. In three...two...OOOOOOONE! BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Go Skyler!" Flash yelled, his Tornavian leaping off the rock. "Start with Steel Wing!"

"Counter it with Grass Knot!" Applejack ordered, Daisyjo letting out a moo as beams of light exploded out of her horns and struck the icy ground. The next thing everyone knew, several long blades of grass shot out from under the ice and wrapped around Skyler's legs.

"Tore?" He yelped as he was pulled down, slamming into the ice. "Nave!" He quickly turned to the Grass Knots and used his Steel Wing to cut through them, but this allowed Daisyjo to get in close.

"Seed Bomb!" Once she was within a few feet, the Grattle took a deep breath before firing a large seed from her mouth. The projectile hit Skyler's face, making him cry out as he was knocked sliding back into one of the rocks.

"Tore!" He flinched, only to hop back onto his feet and spread his wings before taking off.

"That's the way bud! Now use Tornado Burst!" Skyler spun around and formed a tornado, flying down at Grattle before exploding. Skyler was catapulted forward, the attack increasing his attack state as he slammed into the Grass-type.

"GRATTLE!" Daisyjo mooed as she was blasted back, skidding along the ground until she dug her hooves into the ice.

"Seed Bomb!" Daisyjo fired the seed bullet from her mouth, but Skyler's increased speed allowed him to easily side-step from the attack. "Rapid fire!" Now the Grattle started firing Seed Bombs one after another, but Skyler just flew up, dodging each one with ease.

"Aerial Ace!" Skyler dived down and built up speed, continuing to avoid the flying seeds as he got in close.

"TORE!" He roared, V-turning as he reached the ground and slamming into Daisyjo's chin. The blow knocked Daisyjo back, soon crashing into one of the rocks in front of Applejack.

"You okay?" She asked her, Daisyjo flinching as it managed to push herself away from the rock and stand tall. "Don't worry. We can do this."

"Steel Wing!"

"Horn Leech!" Daisyjo charged, her horn glowing as Skyler got close. But as he tried to cut with his wings, she leapt to the side and slid over to a rock before kicking off it.

"GRATTLE!" She roared, ice skating forward and leaping upward before Skyler could escape. The Tornavian cried out as he was stabbed by the horns, his energy now getting drained away.

"Tornado Burst!" Flash ordered, Skyler spinning as he flapped out of Daisyjo's reach while forming the tornado.

"Seed Bomb!" Applejack yelled, Daisyjo firing the projectile at the tornado, but the seed simply bounced off the spiraling form of wind.

"TORNAVIAN!" Skyler exploded out of the tornado and shot down at Grattle, "TORE!" He slammed into the cow, blasting her through one of the rocks.

Mic: "Ouch! That had to hurt!"

Celestia: "Indeed. If it wasn't for Grattle's high defenses and stamina, the battle would likely be over by now."

"Grat..." Daisyjo moaned as she pushed herself back to her feet.

Applejack frowned at the sight, 'If ah don't do somethin, Daisyjo's not gonna last much longer. I gotta find a way to do some big damage.' She glanced around, only for a bulb to go off in her head, "That's it! Daisyjo, dash forward!" The Grattle ran ahead, skating along the icy battlefield.

"Aerial Ace!" Skyler circled around and flew into a dive, shooting towards the ground while picking up as much speed as possible.

"Ah got ya now! Grass Knot!" As Skyler reached the ground, Daisyjo fired the beams of light from her horns and hit the field. And before Skyler could fly away, blades of grass shot out and wrapped around his legs again.

"TORE!" He squawked as he crashed into the ground, Daisyjo now skating up to one of the rocks.

"Now jump!" Applejack yelled, Daisyjo sliding up the rock and leaping off it like a ramp. The people watching gasped, Flash and Springer both wide-eyed as Daisyjo flew above Skyler before gravity took hold and pulled the cow down toward the Tornavian. "Horn Leech!" Daisyjo pointed her horns at Skyler, now glowing and extending.

"Get out of there!" Flash cried, Springer howling at Skyler to get rid of the Grass Knot. "Steel Wing!"

Once again, Skyler's wings glowed as he slashed through the super strong blades of grass. But by the time both his feet were free, Daisyjo had reached him. "Grat/Tore!" They both exclaimed as Daisyjo slammed into him, causing a small explosion.

"Skyler!" Flash screamed.

And as the dust cloud began to clear, it revealed Skyler now stuck between Daisyjo's horns. He cried out as he tried to move, but the cow kept draining his energy. "Tore!"

Luna: "Looks like Tornavian's struck between a cow and a hard place."

Cadance: "Horn Leech won't be draining much away, but if he doesn't get out of there soon, it could be a problem."

"Get out of there, Skyler!" Spike yelled.

"He can't," Twilight added, "He's trapped."

"So what's gonna happen?" Pinkie asked.

"Use Steel Wing and push yourself free!" Skyler grunted at this, but his wings quickly glowed as he pulled them apart. This caused the horns to start to bend, hurting Daisyjo. The Grattle cut the power after a few seconds, unable to take the strain. Her horns reverted back to normal size, allowing Skyler flap back before spreading his still glowing wings.

"TORE!" He roared as he slashed at Daisyjo several times, making her stagger back.

"Seed Bomb!" Daisyjo fired the seeds again, but Skyler flapped back and upward, dodging all but one, the last seed hitting the bird in the chest.

"Tornado Burst!" Quickly recovering, Skyler began to spin and form the wind drill. The tornado curved around and barely missed the ground, flying just above it and heading toward Daisyjo.

"Horn Leech!" The Grattle charged as her horns grew again. But before she could attempt to break through the tornado, it exploded and Skyler accelerated right into Daisyjo.

"GRATTLE!" She fell back, hitting her head on a rock while Skyler flew back up.

"Let's finish this! Use Giga Impact!" Skyler rotated around and dived, the spiraling energy forming around him as he headed for Daisyjo.

"Not so fast!" Applejack barked back, "You use Giga Impact as well!" Daisyjo picked herself up and turned to Skyler, then charging along the ice. As she did this, a spiral of energy formed around her. Daisyjo eventually reached a rock and skated up it, shooting off the end. The two Giga Impacts drew closer at this, their power increasing every second. Everyone braced at the incoming attacks, knowing this was gonna be a big impact. And as the two attacks collided, it unleashed a powerful shockwave that rattled the stadium, the blow probably being enough to shatter the glass had it not been triple reinforced.

Flash, Springer and Applejack were almost knocked back by the shockwave, all three barely holding on. And when the explosion began to die down, they all looked back and saw a smoke cloud filling the area. It slowly faded, only to show Skyler panting heavily on a rock while Daisyjo was doing something different.

"Grattle…" she moaned as she lay on the ground with spirals in her eyes.

"NOOO!" Applejack screamed as the Rotom Drone flew down to scan her.

"Grattle is unable to battle. The winner is Tornavian." The crowd cheered at this as Applejack returned her Grattle, only for Flash to also hold up his Pokeball.

"Return Skyler!" The beam hit the bird and sucked him back into the Pokeball.

Mic: "Flash's Tornavian managed to claim victory over Grattle, but Flash is now switching him out for another Pokémon."

Celestia: "He must want to avoid the danger of Giga Impact's drawbacks. It would have had to recharge after using it, making Tornavian a sitting duck."

"You were awesome bud," Flash told the ball, "Take a break. I'll need you again later." He put the ball away and turned to Springer, "You ready bud?"

"Riolu!" Springer cheered before hopping onto the ice, easily skating along it with ease.

"Springer, huh?" Applejack chuckled as she took out a Pokeball. "Alright then, let's do this girl! Winona!" She threw the Pokeball into the air, the ball opening up and unleashing the Redog.

Winona barked at Springer, the two canines staring each other down. "Nice!" Flash laughed before pointing at the Redog, "Aura Sphere!" Springer leapt up at this, forming the ball in his paws.

"Dodge it!" Winona hopped to the side as the Aura Sphere was thrown, dodging the ball, only for the dog to start slipping along the ground.

"Red!" She cried as her legs flailed around.

"Drain Punch!" Springer skated up at this, his fist now glowing.

"Wild Charge!" As Springer got close, Winona's body exploded with electricity and Springer came to a stop. Winona picked herself up and charged, attempting to body-check the Riolu, but Springer spun like a top, quickly side-stepping the charging dog. And as he did this, Winona began slipping along the ice again.

Mic: "Yow! Redog's not having much luck on this icy surface."

Cadance: "A Ground-type would naturally have a hard time on this kind of battlefield. Applejack needs to make a plan to fix this or she'll be in trouble."

"Bone Rush!" Flash ordered, Springer forming the energy bone as he skated up to the dog.

"Sand Strike!" Applejack countered, Winona picking herself up and quickly shaking her body. Dust flew off her coat and swirled around her, the dog charging next.

"RED!" She roared, Springer quickly raising his staff to block the attack. Winona slammed into him, her paws hitting the Bone Rush, and both began to slide back. But as they did this, the sand around Winona flew up and hit Springer's eyes.

"RI!" He cried out, feeling himself getting blinded as they slammed into one of the rocks. Winona then leapt back, landing on another rock, while Springer tried to rub his eyes.

"You okay?" Flash asked, but Springer didn't reply, "Not good."

"Quick Attack!" Applejack commanded, Winona leaping off the rock and onto another one. The rock's weren't as slippery as the field, allowing her to pick up speed.

"Get out of there!" Flash yelled, Springer using his aura to locate Winona and leap to the side to avoid her. "Aura Sphere!" As Springer slid along the ground, he formed a ball of energy and fired it where he last sensed Winona's aura.

"RED!" She howled as the attack slammed into her, knocking her back before she slid along the ground.

Flash smirked at this, only to see Springer sill rubbing his eyes. "Springer, come on back!" Springer heard this and ran over to him by following his aura, Flash patting his head when he got there. "Sorry bud, but until your eyes clear, we can't risk you out there. On an icy battlefield with rocks you can't sense, you need your sight." Springer nodded back as Flash took out a Pokeball. "Riptide," he threw it, "I choose you!"

The ball flew up and opened, soon revealing his Reptidal. "Rep!" Riptide landed on a rock, his lizard feet allowing him to stick to even the iciest of surfaces. "Tidal!"

Applejack glared at the Pokémon, "Don't think just cause he's a Water-type yer gonna win. Did yah fig-get mah Winona's moves? Wild Charge!"

The Redog charged at this, her body exploding with electricity. "Dodge it!" Riptide ran up and leapt over the charging Redog, doing several flips through the air before landing on the ground. "Now use Aqua Break!" Riptide formed the sword and charged, reaching Winona as she slid to a stop as the Wild Charge's energy dissipated.

"REP!" He swung the blade into Winona, the dog howling in pain before getting knocked flying back.

"Winona!" She gasped, her Redog barely managing to spin around and land on her feet. "Quick, use Sand Strike!" She jumped onto a rock, the sand coming loose and swirling around her before she charged at Riptide.

"Ice Punch!" Riptide pulled his fist back, but Winona was faster. She slammed into Riptide's chest, the sand around her flying into his face. But Riptide's eyes were protected by his goggle-like visor, the sand just sliding off it.

"Tidal!" He swung his knee up and struck Winona in the stomach, knocking her back before he threw his icy fist into the chest. Winona cried out as she was knocked back, the cold doing serious damage to her.

"Red!" She crashed into the ground and slid along it, Riptide landing with ease.

"Aqua Tail!" Riptide leapt up as his tail was surrounded by water, ready to slam it into Winona. But before he could, Applejack held up her Pokeball.

"Return!" The beam struck Winona and sucked her back into the ball, causing the Aqua Tail to smash the ice covered ground, cracking it. "Good girl. Take a rest till later."

Mic: "Applejack makes a quick withdraw and saves her Redog from what might have been a fatal blow. But what will she send out instead?"

"Flapple!" Applejack threw her Pokeball, "Take Root!" The ball opened up and in a flash, the apple wearing dragon appeared.

"Flap," he hissed, "Flap Flapple."

"A Flapple?" Flash asked before closing his eyes, "Shoot, what type was it? It was a...Grass and Dragon-type." He glanced back at Riptide, "Sure you can handle it?" Riptide nodded back and gave him a thumbs up, "Alright then." He pointed at Flapple, "Use Aqua Break!"

Riptide charged as he formed the sword in his hands, only for Applejack to call out, "Protect!" Flapple suddenly curled itself up to look like an apple as a sphere of energy formed around it. Riptide slashed at the sphere, but his Aqua Break just bounced off it. "Now, Dragon Pulse!"

"Flap!" Flapple opened up and unleashed a dragon-shaped pulse of energy, blasting Riptide back. He cried out as he flew back, sliding along the ground before using his tail to flip himself back to his feet.

"Rock Smash!" Riptide charged again, and despite Flapple trying to escape into the sky, he leapt up off a nearby rock and reached him in seconds.

"Tidal!" He swung his legs into Flapple, smacking him back down. But before it could hit the ice, it managed to catch itself and stop inches off the ground.

"Air Slash!" Applejack ordered, Flapple beating its wings and unleashing blades of wind up at Riptide.

"Counter with Aqua Break!" Riptide formed two swords and started swinging them, cutting the Air Slashes in half before they could hit him.

"Tidal!" He then swung it at Flapple, hitting it on the head.

"Ice Punch!" Riptide pulled his fist back, cold energy forming around it.

"Protect!" Flapple closed up as the energy shield formed around it, Riptide's attack bouncing off again. "Now, Air Slash!" Flapple quickly unfurled and started beating its wings, unleashing the blades of air that slammed into Riptide.

"Tidal!" He cried, staggering back as Flapple took to the air.

"Use Grav Apple!" Flapple dived down and picked up speed before closing up, the speed turning it into an apple-shaped meteor.

"Look out!" Flash yelled, Riptide quickly crossing his arms and bracing himself as the Apple Wing Pokémon slammed into him.

"TIDAL!" He screamed, getting blasted back while Flapple was thrown back as well. He slid along the ice until he hit a rock, the blow making him moan, "Rep..."

"Not good," Flash gulped as Flapple flew back up.

"Alright!" Applejack pointed to Riptide, "Use Dragon Pulse!" Flapple unleashed the dragon-shaped energy, the attack going straight for the downed Riptide.

"Rep..." Riptide tried to get up, but the ice made him slip. Flash saw this, only for a bulb to go off in his head.

"Use Aqua Break on the ground!" Riptide heard this and did it without hesitation, forming the sword and raising it high before swinging it downward with as much force as he could manage. The sword smashed into the ice, shattering it as large blocks of ice went flying up above the Reptidal. The Dragon Pulse slammed into the ice and caused the blocks to explode, sending shards of ice flying everywhere. Riptide easily swatted the ice away, but the shards hit Flapple like a vicious storm.

"Flap!" It cried as one struck its wings, then another and another. "Flap, Flapple!"

"Ice Punch!" Before Flapple could react, Riptide leapt up slammed a freezing cold fist into Flapple's chest. It cried out as it was knocked back, its left wing freezing over as it smashed into a rock.

"Flapple!" It hissed in pain, falling to the icy ground while Riptide landed.

"Aqua Break!" Riptide formed the sword and slid up to Flapple.

"Protect!" Flapple tried to close itself up, but the ice prevented this from happening. The shield appeared, but it wasn't very strong as Riptide slashed at it, the shield flickering at the blow.

"Keep using Aqua Break!" Riptide slashed at the shield again and again, the Protect getting weaker with every blow. Then, after the fifth attack, the shield completely shattered. "Now do it!" Riptide swung his blade down, but Flapple suddenly shifted and moved its frozen wing so it was struck by the sword.

The ice on it shattered, Applejack then yelling, "Air Slash!" Before Riptide could react, Flapple unleashed the air blades, hitting him in the chest. And as the Reptidal staggered back, Flapple took to the air. "Grav Apple!" It dived down and rolled itself up, building incredible speed as it flew for Riptide.

"Counter it with Ice Punch!" Riptide pulled his fist back before throwing the freezing cold attack straight into the Grav Apple. The two attack collided, an explosion coming next as it knocked both Pokémon flying back.

"Rep!" Riptide yelped as he slid across the ice, but came to a stop as he kept his ground, clutching the hand he had punched with. Meanwhile, Flapple hit the ice and rolled several time before coming to a stop. It then unfolded itself, spirals in its eyes as the Rotom Drone flew down.

"Flapple is unable to battle. The winner is Reptidal." The crowd cheered at this, Flash and Applejack's friends cheering even louder. The only one not cheering was Applebloom, the girl slumping in her seat.

"That's two Pokémon she's lost," she turned to Big Mac. "What if she loses?"

Big Mac patted her on the shoulder, "Don't worry. Applejack might be down, but she's far from out." They looked back at the battlefield, "Just look at her." Applebloom now saw both Flash and Applejack return their Pokémon, Applebloom seeing the grin on Applejack's lips.

"Great work Flapple," she told it as Flash replaced Riptide's Pokeball. "Ah'm not out yet."

"I know. Astro," Flash threw the ball upward, "I choose you!" A brilliant flash of light came next as his Galvern appeared.

"Gal!" He roared, though the chill of the ground made him gasp, jumping foot to foot until he took off. "Galvern..."

Applejack smirked at this and took out one of her Pokeballs. "I got this," she chuckled before throwing it. "Clobberoo, take root!" The ball flew up and revealed her Clobberoo.

"Clob!" The kangaroo threw several punches and a kick, "Clobberoo!" Flash and Astro grimaced at the sight of the Pokémon.

Mic: "Galvern against Clobberoo. What are your thoughts professors?"

Celestia: "Clobberoo has the advantage, but this battle could still go either way."

Luna: "I'm just impressed Clobberoo is able to stand on the ground without slipping. They're not known for their strong footwork."

"Dragon Pulse!" Flash commanded, Astro quickly unleashing the dragon-shaped blast of energy.

"Bounce!" Clobberoo leapt straight up, dodging the dragon-laser and flying him right up to Astro. "Now, Rolling Kick!" Before Astro could react, Clobberoo swung its leg into Astro's face.

"Gal!" Astro cried as he was knocked down, only to flare his wings, stopping himself as Clobberoo landed.

"Dragon Claw!" Astro zoomed ahead, claws glowing as Clobberoo got into a defensive boxing stance. Astro began to slash at him at this, only for Clobberoo to duck, dive, weave and even lean backwards at ninety degrees.

"Blaze Kick!" Clobberoo thrusted a foot next, which burst into flames as it hit Astro's shoulder. The Galvern flinched, only to slash his claw right at Clobberoo, pushing the Fighting-type back, but Clobberoo quickly tried to stay on its feet. But as it did this, its feet began to slip and slide.

"Shadow Ball!" Astro took flight again as he fired the sphere from his mouth, straight for the slipping Clobberoo.

"Dodge it!" Applejack ordered, Clobberoo trying to move, only for the Shadow Ball to hit square in the chest. "Clobberoo!" Applejack gasped as her Pokémon was knocked back again, only to see Clobberoo was staggering toward a rock, "Use Bounce on the rock!"

"Clob!" Clobberoo glanced back before spinning around midair and planting its feet into the rock. "Clobberoo!" It shot off and flew into the air, soaring toward Astro.

"Hi-Jump Kick!" As Clobberoo got in close, it swung its leg around as its knee began to glow. Before Astro could react, it slammed the knee into the dragon's chest.

"GALVERN!" He cried as the blow knocked him down, the dragon crashing into the ice as Clobberoo landed in front of him.

Astro then pushed himself up onto one knee as Flash yelled, "Shadow Ball!" Astro began firing a barrage of spheres, Clobberoo trying to skate around the orbs. And as he side-stepped two balls, the third hit his shoulder.

"Clob!" It staggered back, Astro flapping his wings as he got back into the air.

"Now, Dragon Claw!" Astro's claws glowed as Clobberoo regained its balance, only for Astro to swooped down and smack him in the face.

"Rolling Kick!" Clobberoo skidded his feet to a stop from the last blow, turning to see Astro flying down to use Dragon Claw again. But as he did this, Clobberoo leapt up and slammed a foot right into Astro's face. He flinched at the blow, only for Flash to call out his next attack.

"Dragon Pulse!" Before Clobberoo could land, Astro opened his mouth and fired the dragon-shaped energy blast right into the Fighting-type.

"CLOBBER!" It hit the ice with a thud, sliding along it while Astro landed. "Roo!" Clobberoo flicked its tail and spun around, landing on its feet as it slid up to a rock.

"Use Bounce, and aim for Astro's wing!" Clobberoo rushed the rock as a springboard as he bounced off it, but Flash yelled out another command.

"Dragon Claw!" Astro swung his claws at the charging Clobberoo, but the Fighting-type was able to shift position in midair and fly over the attack.

"ROO!" Clobberoo then thrust its foot into Astro's wing, making the Dark Dragon-type wince as he felt the limb controlling the wing take serious damage. He staggered back, only to spin around and smack Clobberoo with his tail. Clobberoo was sent sliding away, allowing Astro to try and move his wing to fly, only to flinch.

"Astro!" Flash cried, Springer howling at him to move.

"Blaze Kick, rapid fire!" Applejack yelled, Clobberoo leaping off another rock. Before Astro could do anything, the Fighting-type got in close and somehow balanced on its tail. As it did, both feet exploded and Clobberoo started slamming them into Astro again and again.

"GAL!" He screamed at the burning sensation he was feeling, only to leap away and force his wings to open so he could fly, managing to get into the air. But as he did this, Clobberoo slid over to one of the rocks.

"DO IT!" Applejack ordered, Clobberoo leaping off the rock. "HI-JUMP KICK!"

"Shadow Ball!" Astro fired the sphere at approaching Clobberoo, but it suddenly spun around used its tail to deflect it. The ball exploded behind Clobberoo and pushed it toward Astro even faster.

"CLOBBER!" It roared before sinking its knee into Astro, making him cry out as both fell to the ground. Astro was smashed into the icy field, the ice around him cracking on impact as Clobberoo landed in front of Applejack.

The Rotom Drone flew down toward Astro, now seeing the spirals in his eyes. "Galvern is unable to battle. The winner is Clobberoo!"

"YEAH! Way to go Applejack!" Applebloom screamed as Flash returned Astro, "Now beat the rest of that guy's Pokémon!"

"You did great Astro. Now take a good rest." He put the ball away and turned to Springer, "How're your eyes bud?" Springer yipped a happy response, his eyes having become sand free since the start of Astro's battle. "Alright then. Springer, I choose you!"

"RIOLU!" Springer leapt onto the battlefield, staring down the fellow Fighting-type.

Mic: "Well, looks like we'll be having a Fighting-type showdown."

Cadance: "This is certainly going to be a fun match to watch. Riolu has shown he can easily navigate the ice, but Clobberoo certainly shown true power despite his limited options on the field."

Luna: "Indeed. Who will win? Riolu's quick and decisive movements, or Clobberoo's full force all-out attacks."

Celestia: "Only time will tell."

"Blaze Kick!" Applejack ordered, Clobberoo charging with heated up feet, melting the ice it stepped on.

"Bone Rush!" Springer formed the energy bone and the two collided, Clobberoo swinging a pair of blazing feet while Springer used the staff to block them.

"Clob!" Clobberoo ducked under Springer's attempt to hit it on the head, then spun around and swept its tail under his feet.

"Ri!" Springer yelped as he fell over, his Bone Rush vanishing. Clobberoo quickly spun around and thrusting its foot into Springer's chest. "LOO!" Springer was knocked back, sliding along the ground before hitting a rock. "Ri..." he grumbled as he picked himself up, only to be engulfed by flames, "RIOLU!"

Mic: "Ouch! Looks like that Blaze Kick left a burn effect."

Celestia: "That could be problematic for Flash."

"Aura Sphere!" Flash yelled as the flames vanished, Springer firing the orb. It shot across the battlefield, too fast for Clobberoo to avoid, and exploded against him. He cried out as he was knocked back, Springer then skating across the ice.

"Drain Punch!" Springer got in close with a glowing fist, slamming it into Clobberoo's chest. The blow knocked it back, draining away its power, only for Springer to burst into flames. "Springer!"

"Bounce!" Applejack called out, Clobberoo sliding over to a rock before springboarding off it. And as the flames vanished from Springer, he suddenly found himself slammed in the chest by Clobberoo's feet.

"Ri!" He yelped, staggering back before planting his feet and a paw on the ground, using his claws to dig into the ice. "Riolu!"

"Nice!" Flash cheered as Clobberoo charged again. "Use the rocks for an Extreme Speed!" Springer quickly leapt up onto one of the rocks, the blue lightning beginning to surge around his body. He then shot off the rock, hopping from one rock to another to pick up speed.

"Rio!" He suddenly appeared in front of Clobberoo and swung a kick into its face, Clobberoo crying out. But as the blow hit, the Burn effect kicked in again. "LOO!"

"Not good," Twilight commented, "If Flash doesn't find a way to end this quickly, Springer's gonna burn out. Literally."

"He needs to keep using Drain Punch," Spike added, "Just keep sapping away Clobberoo's energy and use it to heal himself."

"But Applejack knows using that move would be beneficial," Rarity chimed in, "So she and Clobberoo will be expecting it. The only way a move like that will work is if it takes them by surprise."

Cloud nodded in agreement as they stared at the battle, Clobberoo picking itself up and turning back to Springer, who was now panting. Both were trying to stand strong, their trainers calling out to them next.

"Aura Sphere/Rolling Kick!" Clobberoo charged as Springer formed the orb. But as he fired it, Clobberoo simply leapt over the Aura Sphere, then started spinning around.

"Bone Rush!" Springer formed the staff and spun it around, blocking the Rolling Kick with a quick swipe. "Do it!" Springer pushed Clobberoo back at this, only to try and slam the staff into its head, but Clobberoo leapt back until it hit a rock.

"Hi-Jump Kick!" Clobberoo leapt straight up and spun around, gravity taking hold almost instantly.

"Clob!" It thrust its knees, ready to slam it into Springer.

"Extreme Speed!" Springer disappeared in a burst of blue lightning, jumping back and causing Clobberoo to miss. This caused his Hi-Jump Kick to hit the ground, the Mega Kick Pokémon's eyes going wide.

"Clob!" It cried, pulling back and holding its now injured knee in its hands.

Mic: "Ouch! That had to hurt!"

Luna: "That's the risk you take with Hi-Jump Kick. Miss and your Pokémon gets injured."

"You okay?" Applejack asked, but Clobberoo didn't get the chance to reply.

"Drain Punch!" Springer, still sped up by the momentum of the Extreme Speed, suddenly appeared and slammed a fist into Clobberoo's gut. It cried out as it was thrown back, the energy going right into Springer. "Nice! Now use Aura Sphere!"

"Ri!" Springer began to form the orb, only to be consumed by fire again. "RIOLU!"

Clobberoo took this moment to pick itself up, Applejack calling out to it. "If you can, use Bounce!" Clobberoo ran over to a rock, staggering while its knee hurt as it hopped onto the rock. Springing off it, it spun in the air into a ball, heading for Springer as the flames vanished.

"Clobber...ROO!" Before Springer could react, the foot slammed into his chest, knocking him back.

"LOO!" He cried out, breaking through a rock as he was sent flying, only to slide over to the area of broken ice that Riptide had created, falling into the icy pit. "Riolu?" he asked as he picked himself up, soon trying to climb out, but slipped on the icy edges, "Ri!"

"Not good," Flash gasped as Clobberoo bounced forward.

Mic: "Looks like Riolu is in trouble."

Cadance: "He can't climb out, and the hole's too big to jump out of."

Springer leapt up as high as he could go, but he was just short of the edge of the hole. Meanwhile, Clobberoo was getting closer, Flash staring at the situation, 'Come on...gotta find a way to get him out of there!'

"Hi-Jump Kick!" Applejack called out, Clobberoo leaping upward while pointing its knee. "No escaping this time!"

"Springer!" Flash yelped, now seeing the attack about to come down on his Pokémon. The sight made him go wide-eyed before yelling, "I got it! Make an Aura Sphere and hold it up!"

Springer quickly formed the ball, holding it up as Clobberoo was about to hit him with its knee. The attack flew into the Aura Sphere, causing it to explode. Both Pokémon cried out as they were blasted back, slamming into the walls of the hole.

"Springer/Clobberoo!" The trainers screamed, only for the smoke to clear and show both Pokémon leaning against the wall.

Mic: "Wow. I can't believe they both survived that."

Celestia: "Though I doubt either of them have very much left in the tank after that."

"Springer!" Flash called out, "Get out of the hole! Use Clobberoo!" Springer nodded and pushed himself off the wall, the kangaroo getting up and trying to knock him away with its tail. But Springer leapt over it and then used Clobberoo's back as a springboard.

"RIOLU!" He leapt over the edge, soon touching the icy field, only for the burn to activate again. "Ri!"

"Use Bounce to get out of there!" Clobberoo bounced up once...twice...three times and found itself up above the hole, landing on the edge and then leaping at Springer.

"Bone Rush!" As the flames vanished, Springer formed the staff and held it up to block Clobberoo's attempt to stomp on his face. The Mega Kick Pokémon then leapt back, Springer sliding back as well before the two charged at each other.

"Blaze Kick!" Clobberoo's feet exploded as the two began to swing their attacks at one another, the flaming feet and energy bone now colliding. And as they pushed each other, Springer spun the bone and smacked Clobberoo in the face before the kangaroo slammed its foot into the Riolu's chest.

"Clob/Ri!" They both cried as they were knocked back, both slamming into rocks.

"Aura Sphere/Hi-Jump Kick!" Clobberoo leapt up as Springer formed the ball of energy, then threw it at Clobberoo. However, the kangaroo spun and deflected it with its tail before thrusting its knee forward. "Another Aura Sphere!" Springer formed the ball, but before he could fire it-

Clob!" Clobberoo slammed its knee into Springer, knocking him flying back.

"RIO!" Springer screamed, only to throw the orb right at Clobberoo's face. The attack exploded, knocking Clobberoo straight off his feet. At the same time, Riolu hit the ice, sliding straight into a rock, only to be consumed by flames. "RIOLU!" He cried out at the top of his lungs, his legs giving out as he slumped over. And at the same time, Clobberoo tried to get up from the previous blow, only to fall over.

"SPRINGER/CLOBBEROO!" Their trainers screamed as the Rotom Drone flew down, now seeing they both had swirls in their eyes.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle. This match is a draw!" The crowd gasped at this, Flash and Applejack both wide-eyed at the sight.

Mic: "Incredible! Both Pokémon are down for the count!"

Luna: "I must admit, they both gave it their all and fought to their heart's content. An admiral display."

Flash ran over to grab Springer and Applejack returned Clobberoo to its Pokeball. "It's okay bud," he stepped off the field. "You were awesome." He placed Springer at a safe distance from the edge of the platform, sitting him against the glass tube, then turned back to the field as the Rotom Drone spoke up.

"Three of Applejack's Pokémon have been eliminated. As such, there shall be a short break while the field is changed." The ice covered field retracted into the pit, the audience now whispering about the battles they had just seen.

"This is getting intense." Rainbow sighed. "Neither of them is giving an inch..." She slumped down at this, "Darn it...I want a battle like that!"

"But Applejack's one Pokémon down," Applebloom added.

"Maybe," Twilight replied, "But Riptide and Skyler have both taken damage, while Applejack's other three Pokémon are relatively unharmed...though Winona did take some damage. This could still go either way."

"This break could change everything," Doc continued, "After seeing how things have gone, the two might have to switch up their strategy. For all we know, Applejack might end up winning the next few battles without losing another Pokémon."

"Eeyup," Mac nodded as the break came to an end.

"Time to see which field our competitors will be ending the battle on now," Present Mic called out as the battlefield was raised up. The field was a flat plane of grass with no rocks, rivers or any other obstacles. It was just a simple field of grass. "It's the grass battlefield. Another old favorite."

"ALRIGHT!" Applejack cheered, "Now that's more like it!"

Flash sighed at this, "Figures. But just because you're on a field you're comfortable with, doesn't mean you have the advantage!" He took out a Pokeball, "Let me show you! Viper!" He threw the Pokeball, "I choose you!" The ball opened up and in a burst of light, Flash's Fire Poison-type appeared.

"Vi!" Viper hissed as he fell to the ground, "Vipeacon!"

Mic: "Flash has chosen his Vipeacon. Probably his best type to use against Applejack given her preference for Grass-types."

Celestia: "Maybe, but Grass-types aren't the only thing Applejack has."

"Ah knew he'd use Viper eventually," Applejack responded, "But that's fine." She took out a Pokeball, "Ah've got just the Pokémon ta take it out." She pulled the ball back, "Ludicolo, Take Root!"

She threw the ball and it opened to reveal a pineapple-shaped Pokémon wearing a sombrero. "Ludi..." it said before it started dancing, "Ludicolo!"

Mic: "Applejack has chosen Ludicolo. An excellent choice against a Fire-type like Vipeacon. This battle's certainly gonna be fun to watch now."

"Ha!" Flash laughed, "Your Ludicolo might be resistant to our fire attacks, but don't forget Viper's part Poison-type. Besides, Fire-type attacks will still do some damage."

"Yah sure about that?" Applejack chuckled, Flash raising an eyebrow as she pointed at the sky. "Ludicolo, use Rain Dance." Flash's eyes went wide as Ludicolo started dancing around, a dark cloud now beginning to form above them.

"Not good," Flash gulped as the cloud covered the entire battlefield, rain soon hitting the ground as Viper hissed, the snake hating being out in the rain.

Luna: "Rain Dance. A move that causes it to rain, making Water attacks more powerful and weakening the power of Fire-type attacks. An excellent plan."

Mic: "How's Flash gonna battle in this weather?"

"Let me show you!" Flash replied, "Viper, Flamethrower!" With that, Viper let out a mighty roar and unleashed a blast of fire.

Flash and Applejack's battle has been an exciting one, and while Flash holds an advantage, the match could go either way. Only one could actually win and earn a place in the finals, but who that would be was anyone's guess. You'll just have to stay tuned to find out. As the journey continues.
> Applejack Blossoms
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The battle between Flash and Applejack continued on the rain covered grass battlefield, Viper now unleashing a Flamethrower at Ludicolo. The rain was causing the flames to steam up, weakening the fire stream.

"Hydro Pump!" Applejack ordered. Ludicolo taking a deep breath before firing a powerful spray of water. It struck the Flamethrower head on, fire and water colliding as they created a powerful cloud of steam.

Eventually, the Hydro Pump pushed the Flamethrower back, threatening to hit Viper. "Dodge it!" Flash yelled, Viper cutting his attack and leaping to the side. The water struck the grassy field as Viper slithered away, disappearing into the mist.

Mic: "Vipeacon's fire attack got stopped cold. If Flash doesn't find a way to deal with this rain, he's gonna be in some serious trouble."

"Poison Fang!" Flash commanded as Viper shot out of the mist. Before Ludicolo could react, he tackled the Water Grass-type and wrapped his body around his large circular form.

"VI!" Viper bit down upon Ludicolo's shoulder, making him cry out as the poison was injected. Ludicolo then grabbed the snake, pulling him off and throwing him back. "Con!" Viper hit the wet ground, flinching as he felt the water begin to cover his body. He quickly got up and ignited the flames on him, but the rain made steam hiss off his body.

"Hydro Pump!" Applejack yelled, Ludicolo unleashing the water blast. Viper jumped to the side, dodging the attack.

"Use Crunch!" He leapt at the Ludicolo, thrusting his head into Ludicolo's shoulder, making him cry out.

"Get it off yah!" Applejack yelped, Ludicolo spinning around at this. He then swung Viper's tail around and grabbed it, pulling before throwing Viper away again.

"Vi!" He cried as he hit the ground. "Vipe!"

"You okay?" Flash asked as Viper picked himself up, nodding back at his trainer. "Alright." He pointed at Ludicolo, "Then use Flamethrower!"

"CON!" Viper unleashed the fire stream, but the rain made it almost useless. Ludicolo only had to hold up his hands to block it, the force of the attack barely doing anything.

"No..." Flash whispered as Viper stopped his attack. In that moment, Ludicolo was ordered to use Hydro Pump. "Move!" Flash barked, Viper leaping to the side and avoiding the attack again, but a large splash of water flew onto Viper and he flinched.

"Flash!" Twilight yelled out from the stadium. "You gotta get Viper out of there before it's too late!"

Flash heard this and sighed as he then heard Applejack call for another Hydro Pump. "Viper," he held up his Pokeball, "Return!" The beam shot out and hit Viper, sucking him back inside. "Don't worry, you'll fight again." He put the ball away, "But that rain is to annoying..." He took another Pokeball out, "Skyler!" He threw it, "I choose you!" In a flash, his Tornavian appeared and took to the air.

Mic: "Flash subs out Vipeacon for Tornavian! Will this battle be as lopsided as the other?"

"Ice Beam!" Applejack ordered, Ludicolo opening his bill before bolt of blue lightning shot out of it. Skyler flared its wings and spun, dodging the lightning.

"Aerial Ace!" A slipstream appeared around the bird as it dove down next, V-turning and slamming into the Carefree Pokémon in the chest. Ludicolo cried out as he was knocked back, The Water Grass-type fell over, struggling to get back up and having to roll around like a turtle. "Steel Wing!"

Applejack watched as Skyler dived again, his wings glowing while Ludicolo continued to struggle. "Quick, Hydro Pump straight down!" Ludicolo didn't hesitate and fired the water, the force pushing him off the ground and causing Skyler's attack to miss. And as Ludicolo flew into the air, Applejack called out again, "Ice Beam!"

"Colo!" As Skyler flew under him, Ludicolo launched the blue lightning and struck Skyler's back.

"TORE!" He squawked in pain, but pushed through it as Ludicolo landed on its feet. As it did this, the downpour from the rain began to slow as the dark clouds started to fade.

Mic: "Looks like that's it for the Rain Dance's effects. But will it be sunny skies from here on out?"

As the clouds completely vanished, Skyler flew up again, "Use Tornado Burst!" Applejack watched as Skyler began to spin, morphing into a drill.

"Hydro Pump!" Ludicolo fired the water blast, which struck the tornado, but the wind spiral began to drill into it. Then, the tornado exploded and the water was knocked away.

"TORNAVIAN!" He roared as he dove and slammed into Ludicolo, making the Carefree Pokémon cry out as it was knocked back. But as Skyler flew back up, Ludicolo rolled back onto his feet.

"Seed Bomb!" Ludicolo fired the grassy projectile right up at Skyler, almost instantly hitting the bird.

"Steel Wing!" Skyler swung a glowing wing and slashed the seed in half, barely losing any speed and he dived down. "Again!" Before Ludicolo could stop him, Skyler slashed at him with his wing, knocking Ludicolo back again.

"Seed Bomb! Rapid Fire!" Ludicolo unleashed several bullets from his mouth, Skyler continuing to use his wings to deflect them, only for one to hit his shoulder.

"Tore," he winced.

"Hydro Pump!" Before Skyler could recover, Ludicolo fired the high-pressure water from his mouth. Skyler cried out as the water him him, only to roll out of the stream and spread his wings. "Ice Beam!" The icy lightning exploded out of Ludicolo's mouth again, but Skyler barrel-rolled again, dodging it.

"Aerial Ace!" The Tornavian dived down and slammed into Ludicolo, but this blow wasn't enough to knock it off its feet.

"Use Rain Dance!" Flash's eyes went wide as Ludicolo began dancing again, the rain cloud forming above their heads.

"Can't let that start again," he looked up at Skyler. "Giga Impact!" Skyler quickly dived again, the energy swirling around him as he charged at Ludicolo. The Grass Water-type saw this coming and knew he couldn't finish the Rain Dance in time, stopping the attack as he tried to dodge.

But it was too late. Skyler slammed into him, an explosion coming next. "LUDI!" He screamed as he was knocked flying off his feet, bouncing off the ground several times after this. "Colo..." he moaned as he came to a stop and showed spirals in his eyes.

"Ludicolo!" Applejack cried as the Rotom Drone flew down to scan him.

"Ludicolo is unable to battle. Tornavian is the winner." The crowd cheered as Applejack returned Ludicolo.

"That was a quick battle," Rainbow commented.

"Flash using Giga Impact was a desperate move though," Doc added, "Now Skyler's gonna need to recharge while Applejack's Pokémon can attack freely." As he said that, Applejack took out a Pokeball.

"Winona," she threw it, "Come on out girl!" In a flash, her Redog appeared.

"Red!" She barked as she landed on the wet grass.

Mic: "Applejack chooses a Ground-type to go up against a Flying-type. An odd strategy."

Cadance: "I think she's planning to use Tornavian's weakened state to her advantage."

"Wild Charge!" The Wandering Pokémon charged, her body sparking with electricity. Skyler tried to move, but couldn't as Winona slammed into him, the lightning surging into the bird.

"Skyler!" Flash cried as Skyler was knocked back. Winona let out a howl as her body still sparked, Flash yelling, "You okay?!" Skyler rolled onto his feet and nodded. "Alright!" Flash replied, only to feel a paw hit his foot. He glanced down to see Springer had come around. "Don't worry bud, we're still in this. Skyler, use Steel Wing!"

"Tore!" Skyler took to the air, gliding as he approached Winona.

"Use Quick Attack ta dodge it!" Winona side-stepped at this, Skyler slashing at Winona with his wing. Winona easily dodged it before spinning and slamming her head into Skyler's side.

"Tore!" He cried as he hit back.

"Tornado Burst!" Skyler spun around and morphed into the air drill, shooting straight for Winona.

"Wild Charge!" Applejack countered, Winona now summoning the lightning. The two attacks barreled towards one another, Winona now surrounded by an electric cloak while Skyler exploded out of the tornado.

"TORE/RED!" They roared as they both crashed into one another, the impact knocking both back. Skyler's body was consumed by electricity while Winona slid across the ground.

"Skyler!" Flash gasped as his Tornavian flinched, his body sparking. "You okay?" After a few seconds, Skyler beat his wings and the last of the lightning broke off of him. "Alright," he turned to Winona as she picked herself up. "No choice." He pointed at her, "Use Giga Impact!"

"Tore!" Skyler flew upward at this before diving down as energy spiraled around him. "Tornavian!"

Winona turned to the oncoming attack, only for Applejack to yell, "Use Dig!" Flash's eyes went wide as Winona instantly dove into the dirt, disappearing seconds before Skyler's attack would have hit. Instead, the Giga Impact simply sailed over the hole.

Celestia: "Genius plan. Even though Dig won't effect a Flying-type, using it to dodge a powerful attack is brilliant."

Luna: "And now Tornavian won't be able to move, making him a sitting duck."

Skyler landed at this, unable to move. And as this happened, Winona leapt out of the ground as Applejack ordered, "Wild Charge!" Winona charged as lightning sparked around her, Skyler trying his best to move, but his body refused.

"REDOG!" She roared as she slammed into him, the lightning exploding off the dog.

"TORNAVIAN!" Skyler cried as he was zapped, Flash and Springer both gasping as Winona hopped away, Skyler flopping over at this. "Tore..." he moaned as spirals appeared in his eyes.

"Skyler, no!"

The Rotom Drone flew down and scanned him. "Tornavian is unable to battle, Redog is the winner." Flash sighed and returned Skyler while Winona happily ran over to Applejack.

"Good girl. Ah knew yah could do it."

Mic: "Now Flash has lost half his team. Will Applejack be able to beat his next Pokémon and even the score?"

"Not gonna happen." He took out a Pokeball and tossed it upward, "This battle's far from over." He caught it with a flick of the wrist, "Prongs!" Flash threw the ball, "I choose you!" The ball flew up and opened to reveal the Grass-type stag Pokémon.

"Stagrowth!" He roared as he stomped his hooves onto the ground. He then glared at Winona, both smiling along with their trainers and Twilight, Doc, Spike and Rarity.

"Of course," Rarity giggled, "I should have known this match-up would occur."

"What do you mean?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight turned to them, "The first time these two battled, it was Prongs vs Winona." She glanced back at the field, "That battle ended in a draw...but now I'm curious to see who comes out on top this time."

"Use Energy Ball!" Flash ordered, Prongs quickly forming and firing the sphere of nature power.

"Use Dig!" Winona dove down, the Energy Ball sailing over the hole. "That's it!" Flash frowned at the sight, only to tell Prongs to dash, the Stagrowth running around at this.

A moment later, the ground in front of him exploded and the Redog leapt out of the ground. "Dodge it!" Prongs hopped back, dodging the dog's attack. "Energy Ball!" He fired again, but Applejack ordered another dig, Winona escaping again. "Oh, come on!"

The ground exploded after this, Winona poking her head out. Prongs saw this and charged, but the Redog dived back down. Another hole opened up after this, Winona appearing and diving again a second later. This kept happening again and again until the battle was covered in holes.

"What do you think this is, Whack-a-Diglett?" Flash yelled, his face getting red in anger as Prongs kept running around.

"Do it now!" Applejack suddenly said, "Use Sand Strike!" Prongs had just hopped to another hole, only for the five holes closest to him began to unleash clouds of sand.

"Get out of there!" Flash replied, Prongs running away, only for Winona to shoot out of one of the non-sand spitting holes.

"RED!" She barked, her body surrounded by the sand as she slammed into Prongs. The attack made Prongs cry out, the sand hitting the deer's eyes.

"NO!" Flash cried as Prongs was knocked back. And before they could counter, Winona leapt back into the holes. "Prongs!" The Stagrowth staggered and shook his head, trying to get the dirt out of his eyes, but nothing removed his blinded status.

"Alright!" Applejack smirked, "Use Quick Attack!"

With that, Winona hopped out of a hole and slammed into Prongs. "Stag!" Prongs yelped, stumbling back before swinging his horns around. However, Winona leapt into a nearby hole.

"Again!" Winona came out again, knocking Prongs in the side. The Stagrowth tried to kick the dog back, but Winona dived down again.

"Augh!" Flash growled as he stared at the field, seeing Winona easily hop from hole to hole. He then saw Prongs begin to panic, his lack of sight and inability to locate Winona now making him pounce around randomly. "Prongs!" He called out, "Calm down!" Prongs stopped at this, "I know you can't see. But you've got more than just your eyes to sense things. Don't forget, you're the prince of the forest. And I bet in the forest, you couldn't always see everything around you."

"Stag..." Prongs slowly replied, taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes, his ears twitching as his other senses took over, blocking out the sound of the crowd around him and focusing on the battlefield.

"Do you think Prongs can find Winona?" Spike asked Twilight.

"I...I don't know." She responded as Prong's head twitched and turned. Then, from behind him, Winona leapt out of a hole.

"Wild Charge!" Winona barked as she charged, her body being surrounded by electrical energy. And as she drew closer to Prongs, the stag's ears twitched as he heard the sound of lightning crackling.

"Stag!" He spun around as Flash called out a command.

"Use Bounce!" Prongs leapt upward, Winona flying under him. "Now, Energy Ball!" Prongs quickly fired the orb in the direction of the crackling, the attack slamming into the dog.

She yelped as she sent flying, the attack's nature energy surging through her. The dog barked as she slid across the ground, Prongs landing and hearing Winona hit the dirt, the sound of splashing from the Rain Dance's downpour making him smirk. "Stag!"

"Alright!" Flash cheered, "Go get her! Body Slam!" Prongs charged at this, heading straight for Winona. "Hole!" Prongs leapt up at this, going over one of Winona's Dig holes. "Left, right, left!" Every time Prongs was about to fall into a hole, Flash called out and he jumped to the side. "Do it!"

Winona looked up, just in time to see Prongs jump onto his back hooves before slamming his front hooves into her. "RED!" She howled at the impact, Prongs smacking the dog away, only to hop back and one of his back hooves hit the edge of a Dig hole.

The ground broke away, Prongs yelping as he felt his hoof fall back. "Stag!" He staggered at this, barely managing to use his other legs to leap back, but this made his leg bend at a funny angle. "Stagrowth!"

"Quick attack!" Applejack ordered, Winona pushing herself to her feet and charging at the staggering deer.

"Look out!" Flash exclaimed as Prongs regained his footing as Winona reached him. "Horn Leech!" Prongs heard the paws on the wet grass and swung his horns. But Winona's increased speed let the dog leap over his horns and deer. She then landed behind him and spun around without losing any momentum, slamming the deer's side at this.

"Stag!"

"Wild Charge!" Applejack countered, Winona not losing any speed as her body was surrounded by electricity. Prongs winced as he pushed himself back to his feet, barely seeing Winona charging at him.

"GO PRONGS! Use Horn Leech!" Prongs' horns glowed again as he charged as well. The two Pokémon ran with their heads low, ready to collide. But at the last moment, Winona shot to the side and Prongs missed her completely.

"RED!" She then pivoted and slammed into Prongs' side, the Stagrowth's lack of sight making it impossible for the deer to register her change in direction fast enough.

"Stag!" He skid across the ground, the side of his face grinding against the wet grass of the battlefield. But as this happened, Prongs felt something change. "Growth?"

"That's the way Winona!" Applejack cheered, "Now use Quick Attack!" Winona's electrical energy vanished as the dog charged again. And as the Stagrowth picked himself up, he turned to the dog...and his left eye was open.

"Red?" She yelped as Prongs sprinted at the dog.

"Yes! Use Bounce!" Prongs leapt over Winona, the dog missing its attack while Prongs spotted where he was gonna land and saw a hole, only to spread his legs so they landed around it.

Mic: "It looks like Stagrowth was able to wash to sand from his eye. But how?"

Celestia: "Hmmm...looks like Applejack's own strategy backfired on her. The rain wet the grass, so when Prongs slid along it, his eye was cleaned up."

Luna: "Applejack better think of something fast or they'll be in trouble."

"Energy Ball!" Prongs fired the sphere of energy at Winona, hitting and exploding against the dog, sending the canine flying.

"Jump into a hole!" Applejack cried, Winona rolling along the ground before jumping into the nearest hole. Prongs stared at the field at this, closing his eyes again as he thought back to when he was blind. He picked up vibrations coming from the ground, and heard the sounds of paws on the ground. "Sand Strike!"

"Dodge it using Bounce!" From one of the holes, Winona exploded out and charged at Prongs while being surrounded by sand. But before she could make contact, Prongs leapt to the side and she ended up hitting nothing.

"Stag!" He roared as he spun around and slammed his hooves into Winona. She whined as she was sent flying, but managed to re-position herself midair and land on her paws. But as she skidded to a stop, she let out a howl before charging forward. "GROWTH!" Prongs did the same and the pair began picking up speed as they ran across the battlefield.

"Horn Leech/Wild Charge!" They both ordered as their Pokémon prepared their attacks, Prongs' horns glowing while Winona's body was surrounded by lightning. The two ran at max velocity and crashed into one another, the impact creating and explosion that consumed the two and blasted them back.

"Stag!" Prongs cried as he hit the ground skidding, only for one of his legs to slip into a hole. "Growth!"

"Red!" Winona landed and skidded to a stop, not falling into any hole. She glared at Prongs, who pulled his leg out of the hole, and prepared to charge. But before she could, the recoil from her Wild Charge finally sank it. "Dog!" She yelped before slumping over, eyes turning to spirals.

"Winona!" Applejack screamed as the the Rotom Drone flew down before going back up.

"Redog is unable to battle. Stagrowth is the winner." The crowd cheered at this as Applejack returned Winona.

Mic: "Now Applejack is down to only one Pokémon while Flash still has three. This isn't looking good for the plucky farm girl."

Celestia: "Numbers aren't everything. Don't forget, Flash's three remaining Pokémon have all taken damage. Applejack's final Pokémon will be starting off fresh, and if its the right Pokémon, Flash's exhausted team might not be able to keep up."

"Ya'll did great girl," Applejack said at her starter Pokémon and held it to her chest. "Ah'm so proud of yah." She then put her Pokeball away before turning to Prongs, smiling at the Grass-type. "Ya'll sure have trained that guy well. Yah make us Grass-type lovers proud."

Flash shined a grin, "Thanks. That means a lot coming from you. But don't think giving me a complement will make us go easy on you."

Applejack smirked and took out a Pokeball. "Wouldn't dream of it. And if ah'm gonna win, it's gonna be by beatin' yah at yer best. And that's what's gonna happen. Ah'm gonna win." She held up her Pokeball, "Ah'm puttin' all mah faith in this last Pokémon. Ah believe in him. Bloomberg!" She threw the Pokeball, "Take Root!"

The Pokeball opened up and unleashed a swirl of red energy that took form of a tall tree-like Pokémon. "ORCHARD!" The Orchardacre roared as he stood tall.

"Bloomberg..." Flash smirked as he remembered the Pipple that had once leapt into Applejack's arms. "He sure has grown." He turned to Prongs, "You ready?" Prongs nodded. "Then let's do this!"

"Oh yeah!" Applejack exclaimed before pointing at the battlefield, "Use Leaf Storm!" Bloomberg quickly pulled his arms back as the leaves around his hands began to glow, then swung them. Before Prongs could react, a powerful gust of wind exploded off of Bloomberg and the leaves on his hands were sent flying with it.

Prongs' eyes went wide and he quickly braced himself, the gale slashing into him. "Stag..." he grunted as his skin was given multiple paper-cuts.

Mic: "Ouch. That looks like it hurts."

Cadance: "Though a Grass-type attack, no matter how powerful, shouldn't do much damage against another Grass-type."

Celestia: "I think that attack was more about distracting Prongs than it was causing damage."

"Now use Poison Jab!" Bloomberg charged as Prongs was still a little off balance after the gale. As he approached, his branch-like fingers began to spiral together to form a single barky point that started glowing. "GO!"

"Acre!" He roared as he thrust the attack forward.

"Dodge it!" Prongs leapt back, the Poison Jab hitting the ground instead. He then ran up Bloomberg's arm, leaping off his shoulder. "Energy Ball!" Prongs spun through the air and formed the sphere, firing it at the tree.

Bloomberg spun and blocked the attack with one of his arms, the sphere exploding but doing little damage. "Slam!" Before Prongs could land, Bloomberg's front roots shot down and dug into the ground. And as Prongs' hooves hit the dirt, the roots shot out of one of Winona's holes and wrapped around Prong's back legs.

"Stag!" He cried as he was suddenly pulled upward, only to flung into the ground. "STAGROWTH!"

Bloomberg then retracted his roots before charging as Applejack commanded, "Poison Jab!" Prongs began to pick himself up at this, only for Bloomberg to reach him and quickly thrust his glowing spiked hand into his side.

"STAG!" Prongs cried, feeling the poison being injected into him. He quickly swung his hooves and leapt back as Flash ordered him to use Energy Ball. "Stagrowth!" He fired the attack hitting the tree right in the face, causing him to stagger back until he fell into one of Winona's holes.

"Horn Leech!" Prongs charged at this, his horns glowing as he approached Bloomberg. The tree was trying to pull himself out of the hole, but he seemed to be stuck.

"Slam!" Applejack countered, Bloomberg reacting quickly and sending his vines into the ground. And before Prongs could reach him, the roots exploded out of the ground and struck the deer in the stomach.

"Stag!" He yelped as he was knocked back, his horn's glow fading. And at this moment, Bloomberg managed to pull himself out of the hole and stood back at full height.

"Go! Get him!" Bloomberg charged at this, Prongs still staggering back, "Use Wood Hammer!" As Bloomberg got in close, he raised his arm and his fingers began to stretch and form a hammer shape that began to glow.

"ACRE!" He roared as he swung the attack downward right as Prongs swung his head around.

"Stag!" He roared as the hammer slammed into his antlers, which managed to absorb some of the impact and keep him from being blasted back off his feet.

"Yes!" Flash cheered, "Quick, use Energy Ball!" The Grass-type formed the sphere and fired it into Bloomberg's face, the attack knocking him staggering back. "Again!" Prongs fired another one, but Bloomberg managed to block this one with its arms.

"Use Slam!"

"Orchard!" Bloomberg yelled as his roots shot out again, instantly appearing and wrapping around Prongs. It then yanked him upward, only to slam him back down into the ground.

"Stag!" he screamed as the roots flung the deer around.

Mic: "Ow! That had to hurt!"

"Oh no..." Spike gulped, "Flash and Prongs are in serious trouble."

"How can something that big move so fast?" Rainbow asked as Rarity turned to her.

"Applejack and Bloomberg have worked on his agility and speed since the day he evolved. They knew their opponents would assume their style of fighting relied of strength and minimal movement, so they knew they would be surprised by his quickness."

"Energy Ball!" They heard Flash command, looking back at the battlefield to see Prongs once again on his hooves. "Rapid fire!" Prongs started launching the attacks again and again, but Bloomberg crossed his arms, blocking every blow.

"Leaf Storm!" Bloomberg swung his arms apart and unleashed a wave of leaf-laced wind, which struck Prongs and pushed him into the air.

"Stag!" He cried out as he was lifted upward, the leaves slashing against his body. As this was happened, Bloomberg charged and got under Prongs as the wind died down and he began to fall.

"Poison Jab!" Applejack yelled, Bloomberg's hands forming the poisonous spike.

"Prongs!" Flash yelped before a bulb went off in his head, "Use Bounce!" As Bloomberg thrust his attack, Prongs opened his eyes and managed to spin in midair. This caused him to narrowly dodge the attack before thrusting his hooves into Bloomberg's arm. He safely shot away at this, Bloomberg staggering back as Prongs landed, "Now use Energy Ball!"

"STAG!" Prongs fired the orb at Bloomberg's back, the attack exploding against the tree.

"Slam!" Bloomberg injected his roots into the ground again, steadying himself as they headed for Prongs. The Stagrowth began to run, zigzagging around as the roots exploded out of the ground or holes, only for one to shoot out from his right. That eye was still covered in sand, the attack now surprising him as it wrapped around his neck.

"Stag!" He tried to pull himself free, only for another root to wrap around the barrel of his body and lift him upward.

"Prongs! Use Energy Ball!" Prongs fired at the root, causing Bloomberg to flinch, but he didn't let Prongs go. The root flicked Prongs around several times, building up speed before throwing him downward.

"GROWTH!" He cried as he was smashed into the battlefield, moaning as Bloomberg retracted his roots back. The Stagrowth continued to moan as he pushed himself back to his feet, his legs wobbling at this.

"You can do it Prongs!" Flash cheered, Springer crying out in agreement. "I believe in you!" Hearing this made Prongs stand tall, pushing himself to his hooves.

"STAGROWTH!" He roared, staring Bloomberg down.

"LET'S END THIS!" Flash and Applejack yelled as their Pokémon charged. "Horn Leech!" Prongs' antlers glowed at this, ready to stab Bloomberg and steal his energy. But before he could, Bloomberg leapt straight up.

"Leaf Storm!" Once Prongs was right under him, Bloomberg swung his arms and unleashed a burst of air. The leaves slammed into the deer, pushing him down as Bloomberg began to fall. "Wood Hammer!" His arm formed into a hammer and with the assist of gravity, he came crashing down and slammed Prongs in the head.

"STAG!" He cried, having used his horns to block the attack.

"Acre!" Bloomberg pulled his hammer free, then swung his arm and slammed it into Prongs' chest.

"STAGROWTH!" He cried as he was blown back, Bloomberg charging after him. Prongs slid across the ground, his hooves skidding in the dirt as Flash called out to him. "Energy Ball!"

"Poison Jab!" Applejack countered, Bloomberg spiraling his fingers together as Prongs formed the orb. He fired it, but Bloomberg quickly thrust his arm forward and stabbed into the ball. The sphere exploded, Bloomberg charging right through and stabbing into Prongs before he could escape.

"PRONGS!" Flash screamed as his Stagrowth roared out in pain. Everyone watched as Bloomberg pulled his arm back, their eyes on Prongs as he stood there swaying. And before Flash could give an order, he slumped over to his side.

"Stag..." he moaned as spirals appeared in his eyes. Flash and Springer cried out at this as the Rotom Drone flew down and scanned him.

"Stagrowth is unable to battle. Orchardacre is the winner." Flash let out a sigh while the crowd cheered, then stared at Applejack as she wiped her brow.

Mic: "Now Flash is down to two Pokémon. This battle's getting better and better by the second."

Cadance: "Flash might have one Pokémon more, but one of them is at a severe type disadvantage, and is still tired after its battle again Applejack's Redog and Flapple."

Luna: "So it's clear which Pokémon Flash will have to rely on, which isn't good for Applejack."

"You did great Prongs," Flash said as he returned his Pokémon. "Take a good rest." He turned to Applejack as he replaced his Pokeball, "You're certainly not holding anything back." He let out a laugh, "Man this is fun."

"It sure is," Applejack chuckled back. "Probably way more fun then ah'm gonna have when ah take on Lightnin'."

"Dream on," Flash took out a Pokeball. "I'm gonna be the one to battle that guy. Your Bloomberg might be strong, but I've got my own super strong Pokémon, and this one's the perfect opponent against him. Viper!" He threw the Pokeball, "I CHOOSE YOU!" In a flash of light, the Fire Poison-type appeared from out of the ball.

"Vi!" He hissed as he landed, which was still slightly wet from the rain. He flinched at this, only to ignore it as he turned to focus on Bloomberg. At least the rain was gone.

"This is it," Twilight gulped, "If Flash and Viper can't beat Bloomberg here, Flash is gonna be in trouble."

"You really think Riptide would have trouble against Bloomberg?" Spike asked, Doc turning to him.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. He has his Ice Punch attack, but it's like Cadance said. He took a lot of damage when he battled against both Flapple and Winona. One good Wood Hammer might be all it takes."

"So Flash has to win this with Viper or it could all be over," Rainbow commented.

"Exactly," Cloud nodded. "The outcome of the match may very well be decided during this battle." They all turned back to the battlefield, the two trainers staring one another down before Flash called out the first command.

"Flamethrower!" Viper quickly unleashed a burst of fire.

"Dodge it!" The Orchardacre leapt over the flames. "Now use Leaf Storm!" As Bloomberg fell, he swung his arms to fire the leaf filled wind at the snake.. The leaves began slashing past Viper, the snake wincing at the million little paper cuts he was getting. "That's it!"

"Don't count us out yet!" Flash barked back, "Viper, use Poison Fang!" Viper charged at this, his fangs glowing purple as he leapt at Bloomberg. But before he could bite him, Bloomberg side-stepped the snake.

"Slam!" Bloomberg's sent its root feet into the ground and they exploded out of the grass where Viper had landed. Before he could react, the roots wrapped around his tail and pulled him upward.

"Vi!" He hissed as he was yanked across the field, soon landing with a thud. "CON!"

"Viper!" Flash gasped as Bloomberg recoiled his roots, "Be strong Viper! You can do it!" The Vipeacon hissed as he rolled over and picked himself up, now staring daggers at Bloomberg who gave him a 'come on' gesture. "Oh, it's so on!"

"Bring it!" Applejack replied as Viper charged. "Use Leaf Storm!" Bloomberg swung his arms again, the leaf gale coming next.

"Flamethrower!" Viper unleashed the blazing steam of fire, instantly burning up the leaves but forming a small fire tornado in the center of the field. A fire tornado that Viper leapt into, shooting out the other side right in front of Bloomberg.

"Wood Hammer!" Bloomberg morphed his fingers into a glowing hammer-shape, but his first swing missed the ducking snake, which quickly wrapped itself on Bloomberg's arm.

"Pyro Coil!" Viper wrapped his body around the limb several times before biting onto the end of his tail, causing his body to explode with fire.

"ACRE!" Bloomberg cried as the flames consumed him, the tree swinging his arm around next. But Viper managed to hold on, Bloomberg now screamed as his arm burned.

Mic: "Ouch! That's gotta hurt! If Applejack doesn't do something soon, her Orchardacre will be burnt to a crisp!"

Luna: "Unfortunately, none of its moves would likely help remove Vipeacon without causing more problems for it."

And as they said this, the fire went out and Viper released his tail as Bloomberg swung his arm up. This allowed him to slide off of Bloomberg's arm, the snake flying upward before landing in a curled stance. As this happened, Applejack saw Bloomberg's roots give out, the tree now clutching his burnt arm.

"No..." Applejack whispered, 'This ain't good. It's clear Bloomberg ain't gonna last much longer.' Disappointment washed over her when she thought this, as she now realized she was likely going to lose this battle. 'But it doesn't mean ah gotta give up,' she stood up straight. "Anything can happen, so ah'm sticking in this till the very end! Bloomberg!" Her Orchardacre stood tall, "Let's go!"

"ORCHARD!" Bloomberg charged, Flash grinning at the sight.

"That's it Applejack! This'd be no fun if you just gave up. You give it your all, and I'll give it mine! Viper!"

"VI!" The snake slithered forward, the two now ready to clash as those in the stands watched with bated breath.

"Wow," Doc chuckled, "There's something about this battle. It's like...the air's filled with some kind of strange energy."

Cloud smiled and nodded as Viper unleashed a Flamethrower, only for Bloomberg to leap over it. "This is what happens when two equally powerful trainers fight while also respecting the strength of their opponent." Bloomberg grabbed Viper in his roots and slammed him into the ground, then tossed him into the air. "Just look at their faces." Everyone turned to see both Flash and Applejack grinning like idiots. "They're having fun, and both know that no matter who wins, they'll stay friends." Everyone smiled at this, now feeling the excitement in the air.

"Flamethrower!" Viper unleashed the fire blast.

"Leaf Storm!" Bloomberg swung his arms, the leaves now flying into the Flamethrower. Once again, a fiery vortex was formed and Viper leapt into it, but Applejack was ready. "Fire another Leaf Storm right at it!" Once again, Bloomberg unleashed the leaf-filled wind right at the fire tornado. And as Viper leapt out, he was bombarded with the leaves.

"VI!" He cried out, only to still fall right in front of Bloomberg.

"That's the way!" Flash yelled, "Use Poison Fang!"

"Slam!" Bloomberg's roots shot into the ground, but Viper slithered from side to side, dodging each root. He then jumped at the tree, instantly wrapping his body around Bloomberg.

"VI!" His fangs glowed as he bit down into Bloomberg, making the tree scream as the poison was injected into his bark.

"Wood Hammer!" Bloomberg summoned the hammer at this, grabbing the snake and yanking him off before slamming the hammer down.

"DAY!" The hammer smashed Viper's head, only to smack him away with another swing, "CAR!" He roared as the snake was sent flying back, Bloomberg then panting at the sight.

"Use Leaf Storm!"

"Dodge it and use Flamethrower!" The Grass-type gale was sent flying toward Viper, but he side-slithered before unleashing a fire stream. It struck Bloomberg, pushing him back as his roots dug into the ground and started tearing up the grass. "Again!" Viper fired another Flamethrower, but this time Bloomberg leapt to the side.

"That's it!" Applejack countered, "Keep it up and don't let another one hit yah. Eventually, he'll run out of fire power!" As she said this, Viper kept launching flamethrowers, but Bloomberg side-stepped each one.

Mic: "Wow! It looked like Vipeacon had this match in the bag, but now I can't figure out which one will land the final assault."

Luna: "If Orchardacre can stay untouched until Vipeacon's fire runs out, it's possible Applejack will have this battle nailed. The only question is, can Flash find a way to hit it before Vipeacon goes empty?"

Flash stared at his Pokémon, the snake panting as it fired another stream of flames. He then glared at the tree, seeing it dance as it dodged each flame with ease, only to glance down at the ground...and see one of the holes Winona had made during her battle with Prongs. Blinking at this, his eyes went wide, "That's it!" He pointed at the hole closest to Viper, "Use Flamethrower and launch it into that hole!"

Viper stopped for a second, only to glance over to the hole and take a deep breath, "Vi...PEA-COOOON!" He shot the Flamethrower into the hole, the audience all staring at the sight with raised eyebrows. But before they could question what was going on, the ground beneath the Pokémon's feet began to shake, moments before columns of flames exploded out of every hole in the stadium. They shot up a good twenty feet, burning away almost all of the grass.

Mic: "Sweet mother of Arceus! I never thought I'd see this!"

Celestia: "He's using Applejack's previous strategy against her. Ingenious!"

"YES!" Twilight cheered, "That's the way! Go Flash!" The others cheered on just as loudly, some for Flash and some for Applejack. But no matter who cheered, they had agreed this battle was awesome regardless of who was gonna win.

"Orch!" Bloomberg cried as he dodged a fire column, only for his shoulder to hit another, "Acre!"

"Hold on Bloomberg!" Applejack yelled, only to gasp, "LOOK OUT!" Bloomberg spun around just in time to see Viper leap out of a fire column.

"Do it!" Flash commanded as Viper landed on Bloomberg and wrapped himself around the tree's body. "PYRO COIL!" Viper locked himself by biting the end of his tail, and breathed the last of his fire power inside.

"VIPEACON!" With that, his body exploded into flames, the fire wrapping around Bloomberg.

"ORCHARDACRE!" He screamed as he was burned alive. Everyone in the audience gasped at the sight. And as the flames blazed, they saw the two turn into a column of fire before Viper uncoiled himself and leapt off the tree. As he landed, his tongue stretched out as he panted, the Orchardacre behind him now swaying from side to side.

"Bloomberg!" Applejack cried, only to see began to fall over, "NOOOO!"

"Acre!" Bloomberg moaned as he hit the ground, his eyes replaced by spirals. The crowd gasped again as the Rotom Drone flew down and scanned him.

"Orchardacre is unable to battle. The winner is Vipeacon. All of Applejack's Pokémon are now unable to battle. And so, the winner of the battle is Flash Sentry!" This caused the crowd to explode with applause as Mic spoke up.

"IT'S OVER! Flash Sentry has claimed victory in this battle and will be moving onto the final round."

"YEAH!" Flash exclaimed before running over to Viper, "You did it bud!" Viper smiled back at him, only to go limp before Flash caught and hugged him. "Thank you! You were amazing!" He turned to Springer, then took out his Pokeballs. "You all were." Springer and Viper smiled while his Pokeballs wiggled.

At the same time, Applejack walked over to Bloomberg and patted him on the side of the trunk. "Ah'm proud of yah," she told him before taking out her Pokeballs. "Ya'll did amazin'. Even though we lost, ah've no regrets." She took out her Pokeball and returned Bloomberg while Flash, Viper and Springer all went up to her. "Ah guess in dah end, the better trainer won." She held out a hand and Flash smiled before taking it.

"But you didn't make it easy for me. Thanks. I can feel that me and my Pokémon got stronger because of this battle."

"Good," Applejack chuckled before glaring at the trainer, "Because yer gonna need as much strength as yah can muster to take Lightnin' down." Flash nodded back, the pair then walking back to their platforms as the battlefield descended into the pit. And as it did this, the crowd continued to cheer while Flash and Applejack's friends got out of their seats. At the same time, Granny Smith picked herself up and headed for the doorway. It was time to do something she had been waiting a long time to do, and she couldn't think of a better moment than right now.





Applejack made her way through the tunnel, a smile on her lips despite having lost. As she did this, the girl arrived at the exit of the tunnel, only to hear a voice coming from a nearby TV. "We're here with Equestria League finalist, Flash Sentry." She glanced up and saw Flash along with a reporter, Flash slightly shaking while being interviewed. "So tell us, how did you find today's battle? Did it go as you expected, or were there times you were worried you would lose?"

"I thought I was gonna lose a bunch of times," Flash replied as he scratched his head. "Applejack's super tough, so beating her wasn't easy. But I had faith in my Pokémon, and they didn't let me down."

Applejack smiled at this, only to hear another voice. "Applejack!" She turned to see Applebloom and her friends running over, Applebloom at the head of the pack and quickly leaping over to hug her. "I'm sorry."

"Now don't go sayin' silly things," Applejack chuckled, "Ah lost, and that's not your fault. And it's okay." Applebloom looked up at her at this, "Ah might have lost, but ah gave it mah all and ah've got nothing to be ashamed off. If ah had ta lose, ah'm glad it was ta a worthy trainer like Flash." The rest of her friends gathered around her at this, all telling her how amazing her battle was before looking up at the TV, smiling as Flash stumbled on his words.

And as they laughed at something he said, a new voice spoke up, "Applejack." They turned to see Granny Smith, "Ya'll did well out there." Applejack smiled as she saw her grandmother walk up, "It's clear ya'll trained yer team well, and know how to react when something unexpected happens." She reached into her pocket and took something out, "And that's why ah know ah can trust you with this."

Applejack held out her hand as Granny Smith placed an object into it, the teen holding it up and gasping. It was the Harvest Badge, but something about this badge seemed...different.

"That's the Official Harvest Badge," Doc whispered, the others going wide-eyed.

"Wait..." Rainbow spoke up, "Are you saying that Applejack-"

"That's right," Granny Smith nodded, "As of this moment, Applejack is now the official Leader of the Applewood City Gym." Their jaws all dropped, Applejack just staring at the badge in silence. Tears swelled up in her face, Granny chuckled before pulling her into a hug. The others all smiled at this, loving this tender moment. And once the hug came to an end, they gathered around Applejack and congratulated her on a job well done.

They then headed toward the main hall of the stadium, where Flash and Springer were waiting. "Hey!" He called out, only to see Applejack's teary eyes and the happy looks on everyone's faces. "Did I miss something?"

Before anyone could answer, the nearby TV changed to show Present Mic's face. "Well ladies and gentlemen, it's been a heck of an Equestria League so far. Each battle has been better then the last. But now, we have only two competitors left." The screen changed to show Flash and Lightning's faces, everyone smiling at this whilst Flash looked serious. "Only one of these two trainers will advance and face off against Shining Armor for the chance to win the title of Equestria League Champion. Who will it be?"

"It's finally happening," Spike gulped, "Flash versus Lightning."

"Yeah," Twilight nodded, "And this time, it's winner take all." Everyone turned to Flash, only to see a big smile on his face.

"This is perfect," he told them. "Ever since the start of my journey, Lightning and I have been connected by something. Call it fate or whatever, we've been heading to this moment, even if it's on a different path." He pointed to himself, only to see something in the corner of his eye. It was Lightning, walking out of the stadium's doors. Flash's grin slightly grew at this, "And now it all comes down to this. One final battle, and the winner takes all. I will beat him." The others nodded, the group soon walking away.

And as they did this, they didn't notice Shining Armor watching from another corridor. He stared at Flash before spinning around and seeing Lightning walking away. "So it's Flash versus Lightning," he whispered to himself, "Both are definitely the strongest trainers in this competition, but for very different reasons." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Now, which of you is going to joining me on the battlefield? With all out ruthless power win the day, or will the power of friendship prove itself superior?" He smirked, "I can't wait to find out."





That night...

Flash and Sunset were walking through Professor Celestia's laboratory, both shining big smiles. "Thanks for looking after him for me," Flash told Sunset.

"Sure," Sunset nodded. "And don't worry, I'll make sure he gets to watch the whole battle."

"Thanks." Flash replied just as Twilight walked into the room.

"Flash," they turned to her, "He's here." Flash nodded back before they ran up to the exit. Outside he found Doc, Spike and Celestia staring at the sky, three objects soon appearing in the light of the moon.

"About time..." Flash chuckled as the trio flew down, the teen staring at the central flyer. "Hopper."

"Sky," the King of Dragons roared as he saw Flash, "Skeidran!"
> A Finals Confrontation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The whole of Equestria was waiting with baited breath as the finals of the Equestria League Competition was moments from beginning. It had been a long road, but now it was time for Flash Sentry and Lightning Blitz to face off. Only one would be able to claim victory and earn the chance to face Shining for the title of champion.

It was here that the megascreen activated and Present Mic appeared, "WAZ-UUUUUP!" He yelled into the microphone, "Well, this has certainly been an amazing tournament ladies and gents, but all good things must come to an end. So now, let's welcome the two trainers who have overcome many obstacles to get here! In the Blue Corner, the wild trainer who puts his faith in his Pokémon and is rarely ever disappointed, Flash...SENTRY!"

The crowd cheered as Flash and Springer stepped out onto the blue podium, the two waving at the crowd as they moved to the edge. He then spotted his friends, smiling when he saw Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Trixie dressed like cheerleaders.

"And in the Red Corner, power is his thing and it hasn't steered him wrong yet. Give it up for the mega muscled trainer that is, Lightning...BLITZ!" The crowd also cheered as Lightning walked out onto the field, a long deep stare on his face. When he reached the end of the platform, he and Flash locked eyes.

"This is it," Twilight commented, "Flash versus Lightning with everything on the line."

"Oh man..." Spike gulped, "I've been waiting for this." He stood up, "Beat that jerk Flash! This is what all that training's been for!" Flash nodded as his mind was brought back to the previous night.





Last Night...

"Iron Tail!" Flash yelled, Hopper flying up as he swung his glowing tail.

"Gal!" Astro roared as he used Dragon Claw to block the attack, both pushing against one another before backing off. "Now use Wyvern Wing!"

"Sky!" Hopper roared as his upper body was suddenly suddenly surrounded by energy, the Proto-Dragon Pokémon flying straight for Astro. The Galvern retorted by firing a Dragon Pulse, but Hopper easily barrel-rolled around the dragon laser before beating his wings, causing the energy to fly off him.

"Vern!" Astro fired another Dragon Pulse, the two attacks colliding above a battlefield outside Professor Celestia's lab, exploding and causing a mighty shockwave.

"Wow..." Flash whispered as Hopper flew into the cloud. "Time to try something new! Aerial Ace!" From out of the cloud, Hopper emerged and flew down at Astro. The Galvern's claws glowed as he shot up while Hopper spun around and swung his foot. His talons collided with Astro's claws, the impact knocking both Pokémon back.

"Sky/Gal!" They both cried as they fell and skidded along the battlefield. A moment later, Astro charged as he tried to use Crunch on Hopper.

"Extreme Speed!" Flash commanded, Hopper beginning to glow. He then leapt over Astro, moving so fast that the Dark Dragon-type didn't have time to react as Hopper landed and quickly spun around, "Iron Tail!"

"Dran!" He swiped his glowing tail at Astro's head, but Astro quickly raised his star-shaped gauntlet and blocked the tail. But the blow pushed him back, the two then taking to the air again as they began soaring around.

"That's the way!" Flash cheered as the pair seemed even.

Off to the side, Twilight, Doc, Sunset, Spike, Ryu and Kaida were watching the battle, along with Shine, who came out of her Pokeball by herself to watch her old friend. "Wow..." Twilight whispered, "Hopper's gotten even stronger since the last time we saw him."

"Rapid..." Shine added.

"Of course," Ryu smirked, "He's the King of Dragons. He's gotta stay strong to keep the peace. I've trained him well."

Sunset smiled at this, "I can't believe the Dragon Kingdom actually exists. I always thought it was just a legend."

"Oh no, it's a real place." Kaida chimed in, "Protected by the mighty Kai, who helped train the strongest Skeidran of all. That Skeidran, who wears a special mark on his head, is known as the King of Dragons."

Sunset nodded, turning to Ryu. "And you were the one that was supposed to train Hopper?" Ryu nodded, "But Flash ended up with him instead, huh? That must have made you mad."

"It...did at first." Ryu sighed as he looked away, only to glance back up at Hopper, "But I quickly came to realize that Flash training Hopper was the right thing to do. I doubt I'd have been able to train and teach him the way Flash had." The others nodded back, "Besides, I'll have the chance to train my own King of Dragons soon enough."

This statement caused everyone to freeze, Flash's next battle command dying in his throat. They all turned to Ryu and Kaida, who just chuckled at their expressions, "You don't mean..." Doc couldn't even finish the question, but the two Draconids nodded.

"Princess laid an egg a week ago," Kaida giggled, "Oh, you should have heard the cheers the villagers let out when we found those two curled around it that morning."

"Hopper's gonna be a dad?!" Spike asked with wide eyes, "But...he's like not even a year old!"

"Dran!" Hopper roared as he landed in front of Flash. The teen smiled as he moved up and scratched Hopper on the head.

"That's amazing bud," he said while Springer let out a yip of agreement. But then, Flash turned to Ryu. "But...is it a good idea for him to be here? I mean, what if his egg hatches while he's here? It's not right for him to miss that."

"Don't worry," Kaida replied, "Hoppin eggs take a real long time to hatch. Hopper spent three months in his egg before he was taken."

Ryu nodded in agreement, "And besides, it was Princess who told Hopper to come."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this, "Really?"

"Oh yes. She knew Hopper really wanted to help you win this battle, so she told him to come. Everyone in the Dragon Kingdom is planning to watch the battle tomorrow."

"Wow..." Flash glanced back at Hopper, patting the dragon. "Guess you've really become king, haven't ya?"





Meanwhile, inside the lab, Rarity was looking over Fluttershy, Trixie and Pinkie. The four were all in cheerleader outfits that she had designed, the fashionista knowing that Flash was gonna need all the help he could get. "How does it feel girls?" She asked as the three looked themselves over. "Not too restrictive, I hope?"

"No way!" Pinkie exclaimed as he leapt up and down, laughing as she shook her pom-poms. "These are great!"

Trixie nodded back, but Fluttershy was trying to hide her face behind her pom-poms. "Um...why am I a part of this?"

"Because darling, you look absolutely adorable in that outfit, and Flash needs as much support as possible. Besides..." she walked over to move Fluttershy's arms, waving them around. "See? I think this is a great way to show the world how far you've come since you started your journey. Show everyone how strong you are now."

Fluttershy stared down at the pom-poms, then gave a strong smile and started waving them around on her own. Soon, all four girls were dancing around like a real cheerleading squad. As they did this, Rainbow and Applejack both walked into the room, having just arrived after being interviewed by the press, who had gotten wind of their Gym Leader situations and wanted to ask several questions.

"Hey girls!" Rainbow said as she saw how they were dressed. "Wow. You look awesome." Applejack nodded in agreement, the girls all smiling before they headed outside. When they did this, they heard Twilight talking to Flash.

"Your Pokémon are all in top shape." Twilight commented, "But are you sure this is gonna be enough? After all, this is Lightning we're talking about. That guy doesn't go down so easily."

"Yeah, I know. This is probably gonna be my toughest battle ever." He reached over and patted Springer, who was sitting on Hopper's back. He thought back to all the battles he and Lightning had had. Again and again, Lightning had knocked him down, belittled him and tried to make him feel like he and his team were worthless. And with every loss, the pain of it hurt more and more. "Lightning doesn't give up. He just keeps pushing, no matter what obstacle gets in his way. He blasts it away with all the power he has under his control."

"Yeah," Rainbow crossed her arms, "I hate the guy, but I gotta admit he's got skill."

"How do you think he got so strong?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight sighed at this, "Lightning's always pushing the limits of his Pokémon. Plus the fact he selectively chose his team, only catching Pokémon he believed were worth having. He probably could have caught way more Pokémon if he wanted to, but instead he only chose the six he has now. That means they're the strongest he could find."

"And catching them was only the start," Doc continued, "He trains them tirelessly, forcing them past the point of breaking so they could reach the highest possible percent of power."

"That sounds horrible," Fluttershy hid behind her pom-poms.

"It is. I've seen what it does to your Pokémon personally..." Flash sighed, "But you can't argue with the results. Each and every one of his Pokémon have the power to probably take down any Gym Leader's best Pokémon. And there's more to Lightning then just pure power." They turned to him with raised eyebrows, "Lightning might not lose often, but when he does, he learns from it."

Applejack scoffed at this, "From what ah've seen, all he does is moan and make excuses."

"That might be true," Twilight replied, "But that does explain why he's so strong. He doesn't let a chance to improve himself go by."

"Then how are you gonna beat him?" Sunset asked, the group now frowning at Flash.

He continued to pet his Pokémon, only to slowly say, "After I lost to Lightning, I wasn't in a good place. I'm even ashamed to admit that I started acting like Lightning, pushing my team way too much." Everyone grimaced at this, "But then, someone helped me realize something." He turned to smile at Twilight. "That Lightning's way of training has a limit. That no matter how much you push a Pokémon to their physical peak, there's only so much strength you can get from that. But my Pokémon have a strength that Lightning's doesn't. One that has no limit."

Twilight nodded, "Their hearts."

Flash nodded again, taking out four more Pokeballs and throwing them into the air. In a flash, Skyler, Riptide, Prongs and Viper appeared. They all moved over to the rest of Flash's Pokémon, the teen smiling at them before turning back to his friends. "I don't know if my Pokémon can match Lightning's team in terms of raw power, but there's one thing that they all have that his will never be able to get the way he trains them. Guts, determination, and a true desire to get stronger for that sake. Lightning and his team only wanna get stronger just for the sake of winning. We wanna get stronger to test ourselves and..." He smiled as one last line flew through his head, "To protect those that can't protect themselves." He turned to them, "That's another thing we have that Lightning doesn't. A reason to be strong, just like Shining Armor."

The others smiled at this, Doc speaking up, "Lightning was wondering why it was you who got picked by Pegasoar. Even if you weren't the strongest trainer in the world, Pegasoar could tell you had the heart of a champion."

"Yeah," Flash nodded before looking up at the sky. "I don't know what tomorrow's gonna bring, but I do know that no matter what happens, I'll protect Equestria." He glanced back at the others, "Even if Lightning wins and becomes champion, I'll help protect this region no matter what threatens it." The others smiled back, only for Flash to add, "But I'm still gonna win. Because no matter what I'm up against," he stared at all his Pokémon, "As long as I've got these guys on my side, I know I can stand up to any challenge no matter how strong my opponent is. We're gonna win and show Lightning why he was an idiot for ever thinking were were losers. Right guys?"

"RI/TORE/REP/STAG/VI/SKY/GAL!" They all cheered, all looking forward to the chance to beat Lightning once and for all. Even Astro, who wouldn't be taking part in the battle, was gonna cheer for his teammates and support them no matter what.

But the Pokémon that was looking forward to this battle the most was Riptide, the Reptidal thinking back to the day he first met Lightning at this very lab. Where Lightning had called him weak, worthless and several other things, Flash hadn't believe that and had taken Riptide under his wing, training him to the best of his ability and trusting him in multiple battles. He then remembered the two battles he had had against Lightning and Gorillamp, both times failing and letting Flash down. "Tidal..." he clenched his fist as he thought back to those times.

Flash smiled at the seven and held out a fist, "Let's go out there and show all of Equestria what makes us so great!" They all cheered again and brought their fists, hooves and tail in to show their teamwork. Everyone watching smiled and cheered, all soon leaving the lab as they prepared for tomorrow.

But as they left, they didn't notice Lightning leaning against the wall around the corner of the lab. He was laughing to himself as he said, "Power of the heart?! Don't make me laugh!" He shook his head, "The heart does nothing but make you weak. Feelings will just make you hesitate to do what it takes to win."

He pushed himself off the wall and walked away. "That worthless loser...why can't he realize he'll never amount to anything! I showed him time and time again that he's nothing! Just like gramps is now..." He growled as he began to think back to what Flash had accomplished, getting so much praise, "I'm superior to him in every way!"

He clenched his fists as he stared up at the sky, his mind going back to the one day that ruined everything. The day Grand lost to Shining Armor. The memory made him sick to his stomach, hissing as he looked down at his hands and clenched them, "Why am I even thinking about that loser?! The real enemy is Shining Armor! I'll make him pay for what he's done to my family...and when I'm done beating both these weaklings, everyone will know that I'm the best trainer, and I got there with my own power! Not through something as pathetic as friendship or the heart...but with power, just like a real trainer."





The Present...

Everyone watched as the Rotom Drone flew down over the pit. "The battle between Flash Sentry and Lightning Blitz is about to begin," it announced, "The battle will be a full six on six battle, and when three of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle, there will be a temporary break and the battlefield will change. Only when all of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to fight will the battle be over." As it said that, the sound of gears and mechanisms filled the air, everybody looking down as the battlefield raised up.

"Time to see what battlefield our competitors will be fighting on first." The field was revealed to be a giant sand pit, with the only bit of solid ground being a round podium in the middle of the field with the Pokeball logo on it. "It's the sand field, a dangerous field to battle in. If the trainer isn't careful, he'll get himself stuck with nowhere to run."

Doc smiled at the sight, "Flash has battled on sand plenty of times. This shouldn't cause too many issues for him."

"But Lightning's also trained in this terrain," Twilight pointed out, "They're probably even in this regard."

"Alright!" Pinkie turned to the other cheerleader girls, "Let's cheer with all our hearts!" The others nodded and started waving their pom-poms around.

In that moment, the Rotom Drone projected the battle screen and showed the red and blue wheel. Everyone watched as the wheel began to spin, skipping from red to blue until the professors pressed the button. After a few moments, the wheel slowed to a stop on the blue section.

"With that, Flash Sentry will be the one to select his first Pokémon! Which one will he choose?"

"Nice," Flash looked down at Springer, "Ready to start things off bud?"

"Riolu!" Springer exclaimed before running out onto the battlefield while Lightning took out a Pokeball.

"Androrg!" He threw the ball, "Battle Ready!" The ball opened up and the Bio-Mech Pokémon appeared, landing so hard that a cloud of sand flew up. And when it faded, the Steel-type was standing ready and let out a roar.

"It's Riolu verses Androrg!" Mic turned to the professors, "Ladies, how do you think this battle will turn out given what we know?"

Celestia smiled at this, "I was there when these two trainers began their journey. Their first official battle was against one another, and I can see they've both come far since that day. I'm certain this battle will be like none we've seen given how well they know each other."

Luna nodded, "The last time these two battled, it wasn't exactly an even match up. All I'm wondering is if this battle will be different from their last one."

Up in the box, Shining Armor's eyes went between the two, remembering the two's last battle and how Lightning had absolutely destroyed Flash. "Will things be any different this time?"

Grand Hoof stared at the field, his hands trembling as he whispered, "Flash...Lightning...it all comes down to this. This is all my fault." His eyes turned to his grandson, "If Lightning wins here, his mindset could be set in stone. I don't want to rely on Shining. Lightning's heart is wrapped in hatred against him..." He glanced back at Flash, "Please win Flash. You have too."

"The moment has arrived everybody," Mic cheered, "The final battle of the two hundred and eighteenth Equestria League. Rotom!" The drone projected the holographic screen, showing the numbers that began to count down. "Let's get this battle started! In three...two...OOOOOOONE! BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Androrg!" Lightning pointed at Springer, "Go!" Androrg instantly shot across the field as Lightning gave his first command, "Use Bullet Punch!" He clenched his fist at this, the sand now making a dust trail behind him.

"Counter it head on with Drain Punch!" Springer charged ahead, he and Androrg meeting head on and throwing their punches at one another. Both attacks collided, only for Androrg to slowly push him back.

"Ri!" Springer then leapt back, Androrg's punch coming to a stop.

Mic: "And the battle begins with an even bout of Bullet and Drain Punch! Where will the battle go from here?!"

"Use Metal Sound!" Lightning ordered, Androrg raising his black hand and started spinning it. A powerful screeching sound filled the stadium, the soundwave hitting Springer's ears, making him stop dead in his tracks.

"RIOLU!" He screamed, trying to cover his ears the best he could.

"Terra!" Peewee cried, covering his eyes and trying to hide in Spike's hoodie.

"Peewee!" Spike yelped, also covering the Dragon-type's ears. "What's wrong?" The others turned to the dragon, then to Springer.

"Metal Sound is a move that lowers the target's Special Defense," Doc chimed in, "And if Peewee can hear it from up here, it must be super strong for Springer."

"That's not good," Applejack gulped.

"Springer!" Flash yelled through the noise, trying to connect to Springer's aura. "Use Aura Sphere!" Springer sensed this and quickly uncovered his ears before forming and firing the sphere. The orb struck Androrg in the chest, knocking it back while cancelling Metal Sound. "Now, Bone Rush!"

"Rio!" Springer charged as he formed the energy staff in his paws.

"Flash Cannon!" His chest plate opened up to reveal the twin laser holes, both lighting up.

"ANDRORG!" He roared before firing the concentrated light out. The Riolu's eyes went wide as he came to a stop and spun the staff around. The laser struck it, pushing Springer back as he kept blocking the laser.

Mics: "Riolu is showing incredible grit and determination."

Cadance: "But it's starting to look like Androrg has him out powered."

"Extreme Speed!" Springer's body began to spark as he suddenly turned into a blur, teleporting around the field while leaving behind nothing but a cloud of sand.

Lightning's eyes darted around the battlefield, only to yell, "Electro Blade, eight o'clock!" Androrg suddenly spun around as his hand sparked with lightning.

"Androrg!" The lightning blade exploded off his hand and flew to a spot, right as Springer appeared there.

"Ri?" He asked before the attack hit him, "RIOLU!"

"Springer!" Flash gasped as the Riolu was sent across the field.

"How pathetic." Lightning spat, "That movement was so predictable I could see its pattern a mile away." He saw Flash growl at him, "What, you didn't know? Figures you didn't since you never evolved him. He's nothing, just like you!"

Flash glared at the teen, not responding to his insults. Instead, as he issued a command, "Aura Sphere!" Springer quickly fired the orb and began to run around Androrg, the Steel-type swinging his arm and deflecting the attack. The Aura Sphere behind him as Springer skidded to a stop in front of Flash. "It's too dangerous for you to keep going bud. Come on back for now."

"Ri," Springer nodded and jumped back several times until he was off the field.

Mic: "As the battle just seemed to be warming up, Flash chooses to switch his Pokémon."

"Nice work bud," he patted him on the head. "Take a break for now." Springer nodded as Flash turned back to the battle.

"I wonder why Flash chose to switch?" Rarity asked .

"He must have decided to change up his strategy," Cloud replied as Flash took out a Pokeball.

"Viper!" Flash threw it, "I choose you!" In a flash of light, Flash's Vipeacon appeared and landed on the sandy ground.

"Vi!" He hissed, glaring at Androrg.

"Huh. Now there's deja vu," Twilight commented, "Those two battled before."

"Oh yeah," Doc nodded, "Viper won despite Higear's Heatproof ability." They all stared at the battlefield now. "I wonder if things are gonna be different this time."

"Electro Blade!" Androrg swung its spinning hand and fired the blade of electrical energy, Viper just smirking at the attack.

"Flamethrower!" Viper leapt over the Electro Blade and took a deep breath. And with a mighty roar, he unleashed a powerful burst of fire. Androrg saw this coming and raised his arms, doing his best to block the fire blast, but the Flamethrower engulfed his entire body.

"ANDRORG!" He roared as his metal body was super-heated, the flames slowly disappearing as Viper landed.

"Use Bullet Punch!" Androrg charged at this, the Bio-Mech reaching Viper and slamming into him. Viper cried out as he was knocked flying back, soon rolling along the sand. "Again!"

As Viper picked himself up, Androrg charged to punch him again. But before the Steel-type could get in close, Viper swung his tail through the sand, kicking up a wall of sand at the Pokémon. Androrg's eyes went wide as he flew through it before yelping and covering his eyes, "Androrg!"

Mic: "Oh! Vipeacon showing impressive ingenuity by using the field and Androrg's own attack against it!"

Celestia: "Now, how will Flash use this opportunity?"

"Pyro Coil!" Flash ordered, Viper leaping up and wrapping his body around Androrg. And as he wiped the last of the sand from his eyes, Viper blew into his tail and his entire body exploded, turning both into a giant flaming torch.

"ANDRORG!" He screamed as his body was burned, Viper quickly unravelling himself before leaping out of the flames. And as he landed, the fire around Androrg vanished to show he was still standing. He panted at this, Lightning smirking at his resilience...only for his body to explode again.

"What?!" Lightning screeched while the audience cheered.

Mic: "Ouch! Looks like that Pyro Coil left a nasty burn effect!"

Flash's friends all cheered, "Way to go!" Twilight screamed, "That's the way!" The others began to say the same thing as Androrg's body stopped burning and fell to one knee.

Cadance: "This isn't gonna be good for Lightning. If he doesn't switch out, his Androrg won't last much longer."

Lightning wasn't listening to Cadance, instead pointing at Androrg. "What are you doing?! Use Electro Blade!"

"Flamethrower!" Viper unleashed the fire stream as Androrg swung his spinning hand around and fired the electrical slash. The attack struck the Flamethrower and cut through it, striking Viper instantly.

"Now, Flash Cannon!" Androrg's chest opened up and fired the laser as Viper picked himself up.

"Roll!" Flash yelled, Viper straightening his body out and rolling away from the laser as it hit the ground. But as Androrg began to fire again, the burn flared up.

"Drorg!" He roared in pain as Viper stopped rolling.

"Flamethrower!" He fired out another fire stream, this one hitting Androrg. The Pokémon staggered back at this as Viper slithered up to it, "Now use Crunch!" Viper surged forward as Androrg tried to swat him away, but he dived down and bit into his leg.

"ANDRORG!" He screamed, feeling the metal of his leg buckle.

"Get it off you with Electro Blade!" Lightning countered, Androrg raising the blade of lightning, but Viper quickly let go of Androrg and wrapped his body around his.

"Pyro Coil!" Viper bit down on his tail and breathed in, creating the fiery explosion that consumed them both.

"ANDRORG!" The Bio-Mech Pokémon cried from within the fire, only for Viper to instantly leap away and land in front of Flash. And when the flames faded, Androrg stood there limply. "An..." he moaned as he swayed, "Androrg." He then fell over, crashing into the sand with spirals in his eyes.

Everyone gasped as the Rotom Drone flew down and scanned the Steel-type. "Androrg is unable to battle. Viper is the winner!" The crowd cheered as Lightning returned Androrg, the teen just showing a blank stare.

Mic: "And Flash Sentry gets the first win of the match."

"Yeah!" Flash cheered, "You did it bud!" Viper glanced back and smirked, Flash then hearing his friends cheer.

"Way to go guys!" Spike added.

"You show that jerk who the boss is!" Rainbow hollered.

"It's still early," Doc grimaced, "This battle is just getting started. We can't let Flash winning the first match make him feel overconfident."

The others turned to him, frowning just as Lightning took out a Dive-Ball. "Thrashark," he threw it, "Battle Ready!" In a flash, the giant shark-like Pokémon appeared and let out a might roar that kicked up sand.

"Thrashark..." Flash whispered before holding up his Pokeball, "Viper, return!" It fired the beam at Viper and sucked him back into the ball. "Take a rest. I'll need you again later."

"Smart move," Rarity commented, "Against a Water-type, Viper would be in trouble."

"So who's he gonna use next?" Trixie asked as Flash replaced his Pokeball.

"Prongs," he threw the ball, "I choose you!" In a flash, the orb unleashed his Stagrowth, the deer landing and smiling to see the Thrashark was his opponent.





In the lab, Sunset was watching the battle on the couch with Astro standing behind her.

"Gal!" The Galvern roared at the screen, "Gal galvern!" Sunset giggled at his enthusiasm, patting his head.

"That's the spirit." She glanced back at the screen, "Come on Flash..."





"Tsunami Surge!" Thrashark summoned a large wave, soon sending the wall of water at Prongs.

"Use Bounce!" Flash called out, Prongs putting as much force into his legs as possible. And with a mighty roar, he leapt over the wave, "Now, Energy Ball!"

"Stag!" Prongs formed the orb and sent it flying, the Sea Predator crossing his arms as the orb slammed into them and exploded. The energy ball zapped Thrashark, making him flinch.

"Aqua Jet!" Thrashark shook his body before it was surrounded by water, exploding off the ground as he flew for Prongs.

"THRASH!" He roared as Prongs just glared at him.

"Horn Leech!" Prong's horns began to glow as Thrashark drew closer, only to thrust them into Thrashark. The two attacks collided with tremendous force, pushing the sand around them. A few moments later, both Prongs and Thrashark were thrown back, the deer skidding along the ground with his hooves, "Body Slam!"

"Stag!" Prongs charged at this, Thrashark now skidding to a stop.

"Hold..." Lightning called out, "Hold..." Thrashark stood still, waiting as Prongs got in close. But instead of slamming into Thrashark, Prongs leapt to the side and ran around Thrashark. But as this happened, Lightning just smirked as he saw Prong's movement kick up trails of sand. "Now!" He exclaimed, "Tsunami Surge!"

"THRASH!" Thrashark thrust his arms up, a circle of water exploding around him before shooting off in all directions. As he did this, Prongs was slammed headfirst into the wave.

"Stag!" He moaned as he was knocked back, now rolling through the damp sand. "Growth." As he pushed himself back up, Thrashark ran up to him.

"Ice Fang!" Thrashark's teeth glowed blue as he thrust his head down, Prongs trying to escape, but his leg was bitten into.

"Stag!" He cried as he felt the cold energy rush through him.

"Prongs!" Flash gasped, "Quick, fire an Energy Ball at Thrashark's face!" Prongs opened his mouth, charging up the attack before letting it rip. The sphere struck Trashark's face, causing him to flinch and let Prongs go. He staggered back, Prongs then hopping away, only to flinch from the damage of the Ice Fang.

"Aqua Jet!" Lightning ordered, Thrashark shooting off the ground as water surrounded him.

"Use Horn Leech!" Prongs charged again, this time slower than normal as his antlers glowed. The two attacks collided, Prongs doing his best to try and drain away Thrashark's energy, but the Aqua Jet pushed him back.

"Ice Fang!" Lightning roared, Thrashark exploding out of the water as his fangs glowed. And before Prongs could react, he thrust his head and bit down onto his back.

"STAG!" He cried as his spine now felt a chilling sensation.

"PRONGS!" Flash yelped as Thrashark threw him upward before smacking the deer with his tail. Prongs cried out as he was knocked back and skidded along the ground, Flash now seeing Prong's back being covered in ice. "Not good. Prongs," he held up his Pokeball, "Return." Flash sucked his Pokémon back inside his Pokeball. "It's alright. Take a break for now."

"That was close," Twilight whispered, "If Flash hadn't returned him, I don't think Prongs would have lasted much longer."

"Who do you think he'll use next?" Trixie asked.

"Maybe Springer?" Rainbow guesses, "Since Thrashark's part Dark-type."

"Possibly," Doc replied as Flash took out another Pokeball. "Or possibly not."

"Skyler!" Flash threw the Pokeball, "I choose you!" The ball sailed into the air, soon revealing his Tornavian.

"Tore!" He squawked as he looked down at Thrashark.

Mic: "And Flash's fourth Pokémon is Tornavian."

Lightning laughed at this, "Really?! You remember what happened to your little friend that loves flyers, right?" Flash just glared at him, not responding, "What, you really think you have an advantage just because your Pokémon can fly?"

"There's more to my plan than that," Flash slowly said before pointing at his Pokémon, "Let me show you! Skyler, use Steel Wing!" Skyler circled around and dived at Thrashark, his wings glowing as he drew closer.

"Use Crunch!" Lightning ordered, Thrashark opening his mouth. As Skyler got in close, he thrust his head forward, but Skyler pulled back, dodging the attack as Thrashark's fangs snapped shut.

"TORE!" He roared as he slashed his wings into Thrashark's head, smacking him back before flying away.

"Don't let him get away! Aqua Jet!" Thrashark was surrounded by water and blasted off, shooting straight up at Skyler.

"Aerial Ace!" Skyler dived in response, heading straight down at the Aqua Jet using shark. The two attacks collided, blasting both Pokémon back. The collision made both start to fall, but Flash let out a command, "Tornado Burst!" Hearing this, Skyler's eyes shot open and he started spinning around, creating a tornado that curved him away from the ground.

Thrashark then landed with a thud, letting out a yelp of pain. "Get up!" Lightning screeched, Thrashark quickly pushing himself back to his feet. But before he could fully regain his balance, Skyler exploded out of the tornado and slammed into Thrashark.

"THRASH!" He cried, staggering back while Skyler flew right back up. And as he did, Skyler began to flinch.

Mic: "It appears Thrashark's Rough Skin ability is taking effect."

Celestia: "Flash needs to be careful with the Physical Attacks that he uses."

Luna: "Except his Tornavian only knows Physical Attacks."

"Skyler!" Flash called out, his Tornavian hovering down in front of him. "You alright?" Skyler nodded, "Can you keep going?" Again, Skyler nodded. "Alright. Then use Steel Wing!"

"Ice Fang!" Lightning yelled as Skyler charged, his wings glowing while Thrashark's fangs turned blue.

"Thrash/Tore!" They both roared as Skyler slashed a wing into Thrashark's head, but the Water Dark-type fought through the pain and snapped his jaws around Skyler's wing. "Nay!" He cried, flinching in pain before swinging his other wing around and slashing at Thrashark.

"Shar!" He yelped, opening his mouth and allowing Skyler to pull himself free. He took to the air and shook his bitten wing, shaking off a little bit of ice.

"Skyler!" Flash yelled, "Stay strong!"

"Aqua Jet!" Thrashark leapt up in a burst of water, Skyler trying to glide away, but Thrashark's water bullet curved in the air.

"Dodge it!" Flash exclaimed, Skyler trying to fly away as Thrashark curved around in midair. "Evasive maneuvers!"

"Tore!" Skyler flew up higher, the Aqua Jet on his tail. The two played an aerial game of cat and mouse, Skyler doing his best to stay ahead of Thrashark while randomly shifting directions whenever he could. But Thrashark managed to keep up...only for his water to start running out.

"Thrash!" Thrashark hissed as the water around him started to fade.

"Now, Aerial Ace!" Skyler suddenly spun around and dived at Thrashark as the last of the water vanished.

"Crunch!" As Skyler got closer, Thrashark opened his mouth wide. But as he thrust his head forward, the Tornavian spun himself a few inches out to the side and Thrashark missed.

"Tore!" He then spread his wings and slammed into Thrashark, smacking him into the ground. He waved his arms wildly as he crashed into the sandy battlefield, the pit's displaced surface barely enough to cushion his fall.

"Yeah!" Spike cheered, "That's the way Flash!" Peewee roared in agreement while the others all loudly clapped.

"These battles are certainly entertaining," Tidal chuckled while the other Gym Leaders all nodded.

"Lightning appears to be losing ground compared to all the other matches," Thorax commented, "But I have a feeling he's not gonna be thrown off his game this easily..."

Up at the top of the stands, Grand frowned at the sight, "Careful Flash. Lightning's just waiting for you to make a mistake. Don't go getting cocky." As he said that, Thrashark pushed itself back up and glared at Skyler, who was now flying high above the battlefield.

Lightning stood straight, Flash now seeing him calculating what move was best for him. "I'm starting to get bored of this," he yawned, "Tsunami Surge!" Thrashark summoned the wall of water, putting everything he had into the attack and making it as large as possible.

Flash stared at the attack, only for a memory to shine in his head. The conversation between Twilight and Doc during Rainbow's battle.

"That wall's strong," Twilight sighed, "Even if Talonflame was moving fast enough, there was no way to break through it."

"A move like Drill Peck might work on it though," Doc pointed out, Flash humming at the suggestion.

"That's it!" He exclaimed as he pointed at the wall of water, "Use Tornado Burst and make it the strongest one you can muster!" Skyler flew up higher before diving down while spinning. Picking up as much speed as possible, Skyler formed the tornado around him and curved toward Thrashark's water wall.

"Now you're just grasping for straws. Pathetic." Lightning pointed at the bird, "DO IT!" Thrashark thrusting his attack upward, sending the water crashing toward Skyler.

Everyone expected Skyler to break out of the tornado and escape, but then Flash called out. "Keep going! Faster!" Skyler kept spinning inside the tornado, the wind's tip then slamming into the wave.

Mic: "Geez, what's Flash thinking?! His Tornavian's gonna get swept away!"

"Get out of there!" Kaida screamed, the rest all gasping at Flash's boneheaded move. But as they began to yell at him, the saw something: The water was actually being pushed away from the tornado.

"No way," Spike whispered.

"What's happening?" Rainbow asked as Cloud's eyes went wide.

"Of course!" She exclaimed as the tornado was now surrounded by the water, "BRILLIANT!" The others all just stared in confusion as Flash pointed ahead.

"DO IT!" In that second, the wave was ripped apart as the tornado exploded, sending out a burst of wind that pushed the Tsunami Surge away. Time seemed to stop as Skyler could now be seen at the center of the explosion, staring Thrashark down.

Then, time sped back up as Skyler charged into Thrashark, "TORNAVIAN!" He roared as he shot past the Sea Predator at blinding speed, appearing behind Thrashark while the Water Dark-type tried to react, only for the pain from Skyler's attack to catch up with him.

"THRASHARK!" He screamed as he was blasted back, slamming into the ground like a meteor.

"YES!" Flash cheered as Lightning grinded his teeth.

"What are you doing?! Get up already!" He ordered, Thrashark rolling onto his front feet. But as he did this, Skyler shot down at blinding speed.

"Giga Impact!" Skyler was now surrounded by a slipstream of energy, blocking him from view as he drew closer to his opponent. Thrashark looked up, only to instantly feel Skyler's attack smash into him.

"THRASH!" The shark roared in pain, the attack kicking up another cloud of sand.

"Tore!" Skyler exclaimed as he then flew out of the dust cloud, everyone gasping at the sight. The bird slowly glided around, its movements rather stiff thanks to the effects of the Giga Impact. He hovered to the ground at this, the smoke cloud beginning to fade.

And when it did, Thrashark was revealed to be laying on the ground with spirals in its eyes. The crowd gasped again as the Rotom Drone flew down and scanned it. "Thrashark is unable to battle. The winner is Tornavian." The crowd exploded into cheers.

Mic: "Thrashark has been eliminated. I'm sure nobody expected to see this. Lightning is down to four Pokémon while Flash still has all six of his."

"Alright," Flash cheered, "That was an awesome job bud!"

"Tore," Skyler panted while his friends cheered.

"Amazing!" Trixie exclaimed, "Flash beat two of Lightning's Pokémon in a row."

"Don't get cocky," Ryu chimed in, "Flash might have won, but it took two of his Pokémon to do it. Lightning's wearing his team down."

"Maybe," Twilight replied, "But Flash is starting to build momentum. If he can keep this up, it'll be helpful in the long run."

They watched as Lightning returned Thrashark and Flash took a deep breath, "Can't afford to get cocky. Lightning's not gonna take losing two Pokémon in a row." He stared is opponent down, only to see Lightning still wear a bored expression on his face, "That's not good. Why isn't he surprised?" A chill went down the teen's spine as he whispered, "Don't tell me that Androrg and Thrashark losing might be part of his strategy?"

Lightning looked at the Pokeball he had just taken out, then slowly looked up at Flash. "I was right about you. I've gauged your power, determined your limits...and I now know without a doubt that you will never beat me." He did a slight shrug, "Not like I didn't know that anyways. You are just a worthless loser." He pulled the Pokeball back. "Venomega, battle Ready!" He threw the ball and it opened to reveal the Venom Pokémon.

"VENO!" He roared, clanging the blades on the back of his arms together while its tail claw snapped open and shut. "NO...MEGA!"

Celestia: "A Venomega. A dangerous Pokémon to be sure."

Luna: "Flash is gonna have to be careful. If he's not, I wouldn't wanna be any of his Pokémon."

Mic: "YEAH! This is gonna be WILD!"

"Cross Poison!" Lightning ordered, Venomega charging as the blades on the backs on his arms glowed purple while crossing his arms.

"Get out of there!" Fluttershy gasped as Skyler didn't move.

"He can't!" Applejack added.

"Omega!" Venomega swung his arms apart and unleashed a purple burst of poisonous energy, hitting the bird instantly.

"TORE!" He cried, the blow knocking him back. "Nay...vian."

"Skyler!" Flash cried out, Springer yelling as well. He then saw Venomega charging again, "Get out of there!" He watched as Skyler picked himself up, moaning in pain as Venomega got in close.

"Crunch!" Venomega opened his mouth and thrust his head forward.

"Tore!" Skyler yelped, managing to push himself back, dodging the snapping jaws. Venomega's fangs smashed together as his head was close to the ground, Skyler using this opening to jump on it. "Tornavian!" He leapt straight up, using Venomega's head as a springboard.

"Ven!" Venomega lifted his head to try and bite down on Skyler, but the Flying-type got away.

"Yes!" Flash cheered, "Quick, use Steel Wing!" Without losing any speed, Skyler circled back around and charged as his wings began to glow.

"Cross Poison!" Lightning ordered, Venomega swinging his arms and firing the poisonous energy X, but Skyler managed to barrel-roll around it. And with a mighty squawk, he slashed Venomega in the stomach. Venomega cried out, but then thrust his tail upward.

And as Skyler tried to get away, he found himself suddenly grabbed around the sides by Venomega's tail claw. "Tore!"

"Get out of there!" Flash excalimed, but it was too late.

"Brutal Swing!" Lightning yelled, Venomega beginning to spin around and around. Skyler cried out as he felt himself getting dizzy, only for the Flying-type to be thrown flying across the field and into the sand.

"Tore!" He squawked in pain while Venomega just laughed.

Cadance: "Venomega's showing some incredible strength. No doubt, Lightning has trained it well."

"Steel Wing!" Flash ordered, Skyler charging and swinging his wings into Venomega's face. The Poison Dark-type cried out as he staggered back, allowing Skyler to leap into the air. "Tornado Burst!"

"Tore!" Skyler formed the tornado around him and charged at Venomega, who just glared at him while opening his frills to hiss.

"Use Venoshock!" Venomega opened his mouth and formed the sphere of purple energy, which grew larger by the second. But before the attack could be completed, Skyler exploded out of the tornado and accelerated to slam into the Venom Pokémon.

"Meg!" He cried as he was knocked back, but the orb flew out and hit the bird. An explosion came next, zapping Skyler and making him scream in pain.

"You can do it Skyler!" Flash cheered as Venomega regained his footing. "Aerial Ace!" Skyler shook off the energy zapping him and dive-bombed Venomega, flying faster and faster as the slipstream formed around him.

"Cross Poison!" Venomega swung his arms and fired the purple X, but Skyler barrel-rolled again, dodging the attack before slamming into Venomega.

"Ven!" He staggered back as Skyler flew up. But before either trainer could think to give an attack, Skyler suddenly cried out as purple lightning surged around him.

"Skyler!" Flash gasped, "Poison?!" Springer let out a confused whine, only for Flash to go wide-eyed, "Could that be Venomega's ability?!"

Celestia: "Poison Point. An ability that can cause a Pokémon that touches Venomega to become poisoned. Flash might be in trouble here."

Skyler fought against the pain, but the poison flowing through him made him feel sluggish and lightheaded. "Skyler!" Flash called out to him, "I know you can do this! Use Tornado Burst!"

"Tore!" Skyler shot down and started spinning, forming the tornado as he flew for Venomega like a mighty drill.

"Cross Poison!" The Poison Dark-type fired the energy X at the tornado, but the attack drilled through the X before it could do any real damage. And as it drew closer to Venomega, the vortex exploded and Skyler shot forward. "Grab it!"

"VEN!" Venomega quickly leaned down and Skyler shot over it, the Tornavian's eyes going wide at this. And before he could react, Venomega's tail shot up and slammed into his chest.

"Tore!" He cried as the claws wrapped around him, locking him in place and even pinning his wings to his side.

Mic: "Once again, Venomega has Tornavian in its clutches and is holding on tight. How will Flash try and get out of this?"

"Skyler!" Flash gasped as he watched his Tornavian struggle, only to then be zapped by the poison. "Not good..." His brain went over what he was seeing, only to remember his battle against Applejack's Grattle. "Quick, use Steel Wing!" Skyler squawked as his wings glowed and he tried to push the claws apart. But as he did this, Venomega tightened his grip.

"Venoshock!" Venomega formed the sphere of energy, everyone going wide-eyed.

"Oh no," Twilight gulped. "Venoshock does double the damage if the opponent's already poisoned!"

"Flash!" Rainbow screamed, "You gotta get Skyler out of there!"

"Hurry!" Pinkie yelled, but it was too late as the bird was suddenly swung upward as Venomega sphere was fully charged.

"Tore!" He cried as the purple sphere hit the bird, exploding a second later, "TORNAVIAN!" His scream ran out across the stadium as the energy surged around his body and zapped him. And as this happened, the bird began to fall toward the ground and-

"Brutal Swing!" Venomega thrust his tail claw, grabbing the bird and slamming him into the sand before throwing him away, Skyler squawking as he tasted sandy dirt.

"Skyler!" Flash gasped, "Can you get up?" Skyler moaned as he pushed himself back to his feet, standing shakily but glaring Venomega down. "That's the way!" But as he said this, Flash whispered to himself, "Skyler not gonna last much longer, especially with that poison."

But before he could decide whether or not to return him, Lightning yelled out an order, "Cross Poison!" Venomega fired the poisonous X, the bird taking flight and barely dodged it, only to get struck by the poison again. "Now, use Venoshock!"

Venomega fired the energy sphere out of his mouth, the Tornavian seeing it coming, but his body was still feeling the bite from the poison. And before he could react, the sphere struck his body and exploded. "TORE!" He screamed as his body gave out, everyone gasping as he fell like a rock and hit the ground while spirals appeared in his eyes.

"SKYLER!" Flash cried as the Rotom Drone flew down.

"Tornavian is unable to battle. Venomega wins."

Mic: "And Flash is down one Pokémon."

Luna: "That Poison Point didn't make things easy for him."

"Skyler, return." Flash held out his Pokeball and sucked the unconscious bird back inside. "It's okay. You were awesome and I'm proud of you." He then turned to Venomega, going through his team in his head.

"Flash is gonna need to be careful with who he picks," Twilight mumbled, "Pick the wrong Pokémon and he might find himself in a tough situation."

The others nodded and Flash took out a Pokeball. "Viper, I choose you!" In a flash, his Vipeacon appeared, the two soon glaring at each other.

Mic: "Flash's chosen Pokémon is Vipeacon. A smart choice."

Celestia: "Indeed. Since he's a Poison-type, he can't be poisoned."

Cadance: "Is it just me, or are those two giving each other the stink eye?"

"They are," Doc nodded, "And it's obvious why." Spike and Twilight nodded as Doc told the others, "Those two were enemies before Lightning even caught it. Back when it was a Geckoxic, they had a run in and ended up fighting against each another."

"Then Lightning caught him and the two have hated one another ever since."

"I see," Cloud replied, "This could be interesting."

But as they looked back at the battle, no one saw the small smirk appearing on Lightning's face. Only his grandfather saw it, Grand going wide-eyed as he whispered, "No...don't tell me that's Lightning's plan..." He slumped down in his seat as he let out a sigh. "Guess I'll have to rely on Shining. Flash...has already lost."


To be continued...

> A Real Rival Rousing Fight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the Equestria League Finals unfolded at Canterlot City, the battle between Flash and his long time rival Lightning raged on. Flash and his team had managed to eliminate Lightning's first two Pokémon, Androrg and Thrashark, early in the match, but Lightning was not deterred, and came roaring back with his third Pokémon: Venomega. With it, he defeated Skyler and now Flash and Viper were going head to head with this mighty Poison-type.

"Flamethrower!" Flash yelled, Viper unleashing the fire blast. But as the flames came for Venomega, he just braced himself before charging into the fire.

"Used Brutal Swing!" Lightning ordered, Venomega leaping out of the flames and swinging his tail down at Viper. However, the snake cut the Flamethrower and slithered back, only for Venomega's second swing to grab Viper's tail.

"Con!" He hissed as he was yanked before Venomega spun him around before slamming him into the sandy ground. And before Viper could react, Venomega tightened his grip on his tail and pulled him again.

"Viper!" Flash gasped as Viper was thrown next, landing a few feet away. "You okay?" Viper hissed as he pushed himself up, then nodded his head. "Alright." He pointed at Venomega, "Use Flamethrower again!"

"Vi!" He launched another fire attack, but Venomega leapt to the side.

"Cross Poison!" Venomega crossed his arms as the blades glowed, then swung them as he fired a X-shaped blast of poisonous energy. It hit Viper directly, pushing him back.

Celestia: "Vipeacon may be immune to being poisoned, but that doesn't mean Poison-type attacks won't work on him."

Luna: "Though the attacks won't be as effective as they would be on other Pokémon."

Viper shook his head at the blow, only for Venomega to charge up at him, "Use Crunch!" Before Viper had the chance to escape, Venomega thrust his head into the back of Viper's neck.

"Vi!" He hissed as Venomega lifted him up and squeezed him. He felt himself tearing up at the pain, only to whip his tail up and wrap it around Venomega's neck, squeezing and forcing Venomega to let him go.

"Oh yeah!" Flash cheered, "That's the way! Now," he pointed at Viper, "Pyro Coil!" Viper swung the rest of his body around and bit down onto the tube on his tail.

"Vi...PEACON!" His entire body exploded into fire, consuming Venomega.

"VENO!" He roared as his body was roasted, only to reach up with his tail and grab Viper's body. Using as much strength as he could muster, Venomega pried Viper off of him and the flames died down.

Mic: "Incredible! Venomega managed to pull his opponent off of him while being both choked and burned!"

Cadance: "That Venomega doesn't mess around."

"Brutal Swing!" Venomega swung his tail again, spinning Viper around before slamming him into the sand.

"VI!" He cried as a sand cloud was formed, Venomega laughing at the sight.

"Flamethrower!" A blast of fire shot out of the cloud, striking Venomega in the chest. Viper then slithered out of the cloud as Flash called out, "Do it!"

"Vi!" Viper swung his tail and threw a bunch of sand into Venomega's face, blinding him the same way he had blinded Androrg.

Mic: "Once again, Flash uses the terrain to his advantage. Will this be the deciding factor of this battle?"

"Use Crunch!" Flash yelled, Viper leaping and biting on Venomega's leg. The lizard winced at this, only to use his tail to grab Viper to try and pull him off. Viper felt the pull, trying to stay on, only to look up and see Venomega's tongue extend out and wipe his eyes clean of the sand. The sight made him lose his grip on Venomega's leg, the Poison Dark-type then yanking him upward.

"Brutal Swing!" Before Viper could try to wrap his body around the tail, Venomega spun him around again before letting go.

"Vi!" He cried as he was sent flying, crashing and rolling along the sand as Venomega ran after him.

"Viper, get out of there buddy!" But as Viper tried to get up, Venomega spun around and kicked up a cloud of sand, smacking the sand into Viper's eyes.

"VI!" He hissed as the sand hit him, blinding the snake.

"He's right in front of you!" Flash ordered. "Quick, Flamethrower!" Viper opened his mouth, firing the flames as Venomega leapt back before ducking under the fire. He then swung his tail around, grabbing Viper by the throat.

"Brutal Swing!" Lightning ordered, Venomega spinning him again before slamming him into the sand. This was followed by another yank before he spun the snake again, this time letting go.

"VIPER!" Flash screamed as his Vipeacon was sent hurtling into the air, only for him to hear Lightning give his final command.

"Cross Poison!" Venomega crossed his blades before swinging them apart, unleashing the X-shaped poison blast and hit Viper head-on.

"VI!" He screamed as he was hit, only to fall like a rock. And as the sand embraced him, he let out a moan as his eyes turned to spirals, "Peacon..."

"Viper!" Flash cried as the Rotom Drone flew down and scanned him.

"Vipeacon is unable to battle. The winner is Venomega." The crowd began to cheer as Mic spoke up.

Mic: "Now Flash is down two Pokémon, leaving both sides with only four Pokémon left."

"Alright," Flash held up his Pokeball. "Viper, come on back." Returning his fire snake, he stared at his Pokeball and smiled. "You were great. Take a beak and leave the rest of this to us."

"Aw man..." Spike sighed, "How's he gonna beat that?! That Venomega's super tough!"

"Lightning must have trained it extra hard," Doc commented, "And I'm willing to bet Viper's battle against Androrg left him more exhausted then we realized."

"So who's Flash gonna use next?" Pinkie asked, the group now seeing him carefully take out his next Pokeball.

"He needs speed," Rainbow added, "Someone fast who can out speed Venomega. The thing's so big that it has a hard time moving around fast."

"Maybe," Cloud shook her head, "But with its tail, it doesn't need to be fast. Even if Flash can somehow get behind it, Venomega's tail can catch them if they're not careful."

"Prongs!" Flash threw the Pokeball, "I choose you!" Everyone's eyes went wide as they watched the Pokeball fly up and reveal Flash's Stagrowth.

Mic: "Flash chose a Grass-type? That's a dangerous choice considering Venomega's powerful Poison-type attacks."

Celestia: "Maybe. But with it's speed, it might not matter."

"But Prongs took a lot of damage from Thrashark," Fluttershy gulped, "And he's still frozen." The ice Thrashark had bitten into Prongs was still there, slowing his movements.

"Flash wouldn't have picked Prongs if he didn't think he could beat Venomega," Twilight added, "He's up to something."

"Go Prongs!" Flash ordered as his Stagrowth charged, Venomega just glaring at him. But before either Pokémon could get to close to one another, Prongs suddenly shot off to the side, zipping to the lizard's eight o'clock. Venomega spun to see him, only for Prongs to race around him.

"Ven," Venomega growled as he tried to lock onto Prongs' location, but the Forest Antler Pokémon continued to zip around.

"Use Energy Ball!" Prongs came to a stop and formed the attack before firing, the sphere exploding into Venomega's back. The lizard cried out at this as Prongs started running again. "Again!" Flash yelled as Prongs reappeared in front of Venomega and fired another blast.

"Meg!" Venomega hissed as the attack slammed into his face, knocking him back.

"One more time!" Prongs disappeared as Venomega regained his footing, the stag zipping behind the lizard, "Do it!" He came to a stop and charged up another Energy Ball.

"Venoshock!" The Poison Dark-type spun around and fired his own sphere, both attacks colliding before an explosion shook the area. Venomega charged at this, the shockwave of the explosion doing nothing to it while Prongs was knocked off balance. "Cross Poison!" Venomega swung his blades, firing the X-shaped attack at Prongs pointblank.

"Growth!" He screamed, the deer sliding through the sand from the blow.

"You okay?" Flash asked as Prongs began to pick himself up, then flinched as purple lightning began to surge around him. "Not again!" The crowd gasped as Lightning laughed.

Mic: "Looks like another of Flash's Pokémon has been poisoned."

Luna: "At least it wasn't caused by Poison Point this time."

Up in the stands, Grand sighed and shook his head, "Flash keeps falling for every trap. He needs to get Prongs out of there." He glanced over at Lightning, "I have to admit, Lightning's made sure to not show any opening. He's become so powerful...just how far is pushing his Pokémon to do this?"

Flash grimaced at this, only for the Stagrowth to glance back at him. When their eyes met, Flash did a small nod, "Alright. At least I don't have to worry about Poison Point." He pointed at Venomega, "Horn Leech!"

"Stag!" Prongs charged as his antlers glowed and thrust them into Venomega's stomach, causing the Venom Pokémon's eyes to go wide before being drained. Prongs' hooves scraped through the sand as he tried to push Venomega back, only for the lizard to easily shove him back.

"Brutal Swing!" Venomega reached down and grabbed Prongs by the horns, then lifted him up above his head. He cried out as he tried to kick Venomega, only for his hooves to miss, "DO IT!"

"VENO!" Venomega spun on his heel and swung Prongs, letting him go and sending him flying.

"STAG!" He cried before crashing, wincing as he broke through a pile of sand and rolled to a stop. He quickly stood up and shook the sand off of him, only to be struck by the poison. "GROWTH!"

"This isn't looking good," Rarity gulped.

"Flash has to do something quick," Trixie added.





"Come on Flash," Sunset sighed as Astro watched with big puppy dog eyes.

"Gal!" he cried, "Gal galvern!"





Mic: "Is this going to be Stagrowth's end, or will Flash have a plan to save him?"

"Energy Ball!" Flash ordered, Prongs firing the sphere. But the Poison Dark-type simply swatted the attack away, causing it to explode behind him. "Not good. Prongs, use Body Slam!" Prongs charged and like the start of the battle, started darting around.

Like before, Venomega couldn't keep up, only for Lightning to roll his eyes, "Oh please. You're just a predictable as that weakling Riolu. Spin and sweep your tail!"

Venomega slammed his tail into the sandy ground before spinning a full three sixty, a large cloud of sand covering him just as Prongs charged. "Stag?" His eyes went wide, only to quickly shut them before flying into the sand cloud.

He came to a stop next, only for Venomega to turn to the deer, "Get out of there!" Flash cried, Prongs about to turn around to run, only for the Poison to kick in.

"Cross Poison!" Venomega swung his arms, firing the poisonous energy blast. It slammed Prongs in the back, knocking him out of the cloud. "Venoshock!"

"Veno..." The lizard formed the sphere in front of his mouth and fired it just as the Forest Antler Pokémon hit the sand.

"PRONGS!" Flash screamed as the orb hit his Pokémon, unleashing a blow that the poison doubled in power. And when the energy dissipated, Prongs just stood there swaying for a second before slumping over.

"Stag..." he moaned as spirals formed in his eyes and the Rotom Drone flew down to scan him.

"Stagrowth is unable to battle. The winner is Venomega." The crowd all gasped at this, barely any cheers happening. There was nothing but shock as they saw the full battle swing in Lightning's direction which incredible ease, only for Rotom to speak up, "Three of Flash's Pokémon have been eliminated. As such, there shall be a short break while the field is changed." As soon as Flash and Lightning their Pokémon, the sand covered field retracted into the pit,

Mic: "I have to admit, that Venomega was one tough cookie."

Celestia: "It's strength is no joke. If Flash can't find a way to beat it, he's gonna be in serious trouble during the second half of this battle."

"Come on Flash!" Spike yelled, "Get the lead out! You can't let things end like this!"

"I'm starting to get worried..." Rarity sighed, "It's looking like Flash can't keep up with Lightning's raw power."

Twilight shook his head at this, "We can't think like that. Flash needs our support, now more than ever." She looked down at the field. "Losing three Pokémon in a row is bound to shake his confidence. If we start thinking that he can't win, he will as well." She turned to the others, "The only way he's got a chance is if he knows we believe in him." They all nodded and looked back to the field, now screaming words of encouragement at Flash.

But the teen barely noticed these cries, instead seeing the giant grin on Lightning's face, "What?! Something funny?!"

"Absolutely!" Lightning laughed, "I mean, just look at how unbelievably pathetic you are." Flash growled at this, Lightning letting out a yawn next, "You know, I was actually expecting something out of this fight after our encounter in Horizon City...but I was wrong. So wrong." He shined a big grin at this, "You seriously thought you had the edge on me because you beat Androrg and Thrashark, but that's all because you don't understand how to be true trainer."

"What was that?!" Flash barked back.

"You heard me." Lightning instantly replied, "Those two were sacrifices. Their goal was to tire out your team and let me gauge how strong they really are. And I have to say...you're still just a worthless loser."

"What'd you just say?!"

Lightning shook his head at this, "You know, I expected more from the guy that supposedly saved Equestria four times," Lightning cackled, "But I guess those first two threats weren't as dangerous as your friend Twilight led me to believe. They must have been lies, because I now know that if I hadn't been there, Equestria would be toast. In fact, you have no right to be a hero or the badges you have! Your whole team is pathetic, and its all because of you!"

"Shut up Lightning! I won't let you insult my team like that!"

Lightning just cocked an eyebrow at this, "Oh come on, you know its true. After all, I know exactly what your problem is: You only ever focus on the now."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"During your battle with Androrg and Thrashark, you only focused on how to beat them and not which of my Pokémon were coming next. Now you've exhausted your team switching around while I kept my best for last." He pointed at Flash as he said these next words, "That's the difference between you and me. I plan for everything while you just sit there and think you can just believe your Pokémon will win. That's why you're nothing but a false hero!" He pointed to himself next, "I'm a true trainer and not a loser like you! That...is why I'll always win!" As he said that, the sound of the battlefield raising filled the air.

Mic: "Now we'll get a look at the field that one of these two will finish their Equestria League journey on. What will it be?"

The new battlefield revealed itself as a large mountain sticking up from one side, which was mainly a series of large rocks that struck together to form the mountain, which had multiple flat surfaces to give it a stair-like vibe. From out of the largest rock was a bunch of water being sprayed out, running down the side of the mountain to form a waterfall. In the center of the battlefield was a flat path of rock connecting Flash's platform to Lightning's, and the waterfall fell into a groove dug into the center of the path and formed a river, which in turn lead to a large pool on the other side.

Mic: "It's a rock and water field."

Cadance: "Those different environments will surely allow for some interesting fights."

Flash glared at Lightning as he continued their conversation, "Yeah, looking ahead hasn't always been my strong suit. But focusing on the here and now isn't a weakness."

"Ri," Springer nodded as he took out a Pokeball.

"I think ahead sometimes, when I need to. But not being able to adapt is way worse than not having a plan. That's just how I roll." He pointed at the teen, "So bring it on! I'm still gonna take you down and win this. Because if I can't beat you here and now, then there's no way I'll stand a chance against Shining Armor. That's why I'm gonna win this!"

Lightning just shook his head again, "Just give up already. You'll never beat me. You're a loser...and all losers do is lose." He then shined a big grin, "But go ahead and try. I'll just leave you in the dust like I always do."

"We'll see about that!" Flash threw the ball, "Hopper, I choose you!" The ball flew up and unleashed the Skeidran. Hopper let out a roar as he spread his wings and took to the air, the crowd gasping at the sight. Many that had seen the Battle Tournament remembered Hopper while others were shocked at this newcomer to this Equestria League.

Mic: "And Flash's fifth Pokémon is Skeidran, a powerful choice indeed."





In the land of dragons, everyone was in the main hall watching a new TV they had gotten strictly for this moment. Drayce, Scylla, Princess, Titan and Mercy were more excited than anyone else as they saw the Dragon King appear, ready to battle the trainer that defeated him and bring honor to their land.

"You can do it Hopper," Drayce whispered, "Show everyone in Equestria the power of the Dragon King." The three Skeidran all roared at this, Princess glancing down at the egg she was currently holding. Even though it couldn't see him, she knew the child inside would be cheering for its father.





"Pitchawk!" Lightning threw the ball into the air, "Battle Ready!" The ball opened up to reveal his Dark Flying-type, the bird letting out a squawk as he took to the air.

Mic: "It looks like it's going to be air to air combat, as Lightning's chosen Pokémon is Pitchawk!"

Luna: "In speed, I'd have to give Hopper the advantage. But in manoeuvrability, I think Pitchawk has the edge."

Pitchawk flew up and glared at Hopper, who growled back as Flash gave his first command. "Iron Tail!" Hopper charged at this, quickly closing the gab between them before swinging down his glowing tail.

"Night Slash!" Pitchawk's wing began to glow as he swung it into the tail. The two pushed against one another, only to knock each other back.

"Extreme Speed!" Hopper began to shine as this command hit his ears, only to vanish in the Picthawk's eyes. And before he could react, Hopper was right on top of the bird before slamming his foot down.

"Hawk!" He cried as he was knocked spiraling towards the ground, only to flare his wings and recover.

"Wyvern Wing!" Hopper's body becoming surrounded by the dragonic energy, roaring as he beat his wings and fired the attack at the bird.

"Shadow Ball!" Pitchawk formed a sphere of dark energy at the tip of his beak, which exploded off and hit the Wyvern Wing. The two attacks collided and exploded, creating a smoke cloud that Pitchawk quickly shot into. "Now, Night Slash!" Before Hopper could react, Pitchawk shot out the other side and smashed his wing into his head.

"Sky!" He cried as he was knocked back as Pitchawk then flew straight up.

"Use Aerial Ace!" Hopper spread his wings, slowing his descent as he landed on the nearby rock pile. He then kicked off, springing back into the air and shooting straight for Pitchawk.

"Dran!" He swung his foot and kicked Pitchawk in the head, knocking him back.

"Wyvern Wing!" The energy formed around him again, soon firing as Pitchawk managed to correct himself midair.

"Shadow Ball!" Pitchawk fired the orb at this, both attacks colliding and making another smoke cloud. This one consumed Pitchawk as Hopper remained a safe distance away. "Sky Attack!" Hopper flew around the outer edge of the cloud, waiting to see when Pitchawk would attack...only for the Dark Flying-type to not appear.

"Sky?"

"Look out Hopper!" Flash yelled, "Sky Attack's a really strong move!"

Twilight grimaced at this, "Normally, using it would mean yourself at risk of attack until it's ready to fire. But with that smoke cloud protecting him..."

"Pitchawk's safe," Rainbow finished as the smoke began to clear to reveal a glowing Pitchawk.

"Quick! Use Iron Tail!" Hopper charged at this, his tail glowing. But when he spun it around, Pitchawk suddenly shot back, dodging the attack.

"Pitch!" He roared before thrusting forward and tackling Hopper, "PITCHAWK!"

"Sky!" Hopper cried as he was knocked back, both colliding with a rock wall that caused another dust cloud to appear. A few moments later, Pitchawk flew out of the cloud while Hopper stayed, laying on one of the rock ledges with several rocks that had fallen around him, some even landing on his wings.

"Hopper!" Flash gasped as his Skeidran pushed itself to its feet.

Mic: "Ouch. That attack looks like it really hurt. I guess in an aerial battle, maneuverability is more important than speed."

Flash sighed and held up a Pokeball. "Hopper, return!" The beam struck the Skeidran and pulled him back inside the ball, Flash frowning as he stared at the sphere. "Rest up. I promise you'll have the chance to pay them back."

"Aw man..." Spike moaned, "Hopper's big return ended like that?!"

"Don't count Hopper out just yet," Ryu told them. "He'll be back and with a vengeance."

Cloud shook her head, "Maybe...but against a strong Flying-type like that, Flash is gonna have his work cut out for him. With Skyler out, he doesn't have a lot of options left."

They all watched as Flash took out a Pokeball. "Riptide!" He threw it, "I choose you!" In a flash, the water lizard appeared on the battlefield.

Mic: "And Flash's final Pokémon is Reptidal. An interesting choice given the typing on his opponent."

"Reptidal!" he roared, only to hear the sounds of laughter, turning to see a cackling Lightning.

"So...the prodigal failure has returned!" Lightning guffawed, "I know you're a loser, but I at least thought you would learn and get rid of that weakling!" He shook his head, "Now I know without a doubt I've won if that's your final Pokémon. I don't even have to try anymore." He let out a long yawn, "Its too bad though...I'm sure Gorillamp would have loved to make it the golden three."

Riptide growled back, only for Flash to speak up, "Don't listen to him bud. It's time to show him just how powerful you've become." Riptide nodded before locking eyes on Pitchawk, the two glaring one another down hard. "Aqua Break!"

"Tidal!" Riptide roared as he charged, forming a sword as Pitchawk dived down at him.

"Aerial Ace!" As Pitchawk got in close, he spun around to skewer the lizard on his beak, only for Riptide to use his sword to block the attack, then pushed Pitchawk back before slashing him.

"Pitch!" He cried as he was knocked back, only to flare his wings to stabilize himself.

"Night Slash!" Riptide tried to slash at Pitchawk again, but the Dark Flying-type spun around him and cut the lizard's back with a glowing wing.

"Rep!"

"Riptide!" Flash gasped, only to see Pitchawk take to the air, "When it comes back around, get ready to hit him with Ice Punch!"

"Rep!" Riptide turned to Pitchawk, but it didn't dive again.

"Shadow Ball!" Pitchawk formed the sphere and fired, the lizard's eyes going wide as he crossed his arms. The attack exploded off of him, knocking him staggering back. "Now, Aerial Ace!"

"Ice Punch!" As Pitchawk dove down and slammed into him, Riptide flinched at the blow, only to raise his now glowing fist.

"TIDAL!" He swung it down into Pitchawk's back, making him squawk as he was thrown back. The bird hit the ground rolling, only to hop onto his feet instantly.

"Shadow Ball!" Pitchawk fired a smaller than normal dark sphere and struck Riptide in the face, making him cry out. "Again!"

"Hawk!" He charged up another Shadow Ball, only for Flash to let out another command.

"Aqua Tail!" Riptide spun his tail around and deflected the Shadow Ball with a strike of water, Pitchawk then taking to the sky. Now out of reach, Riptide did the only thing he could think of and began to climb up the rock pile.

"Night Slash!" As Riptide was halfway up the rocks, Pitchawk dived down with glowing wings.

"Aqua Break!" Riptide stopped on the rocks and turned to Pitchawk, forming a sword and holding it up seconds before Pitchawk made contact. The sword collided with Pitchawk's wing, only for Riptide to break his sword in half and smack the bird away.

"Pitch!" it yelped, flapping its wings back.

"What are you doing?! He's wide open! Use Shadow Ball!" The bird fired another sphere, striking the area above Riptide, causing bits of rock to break off.

"Rep!" He gasped before leaping away from the rock pile.

"Aerial Ace!"

"HAWK!" The bird squawked as he dove down and slammed into Riptide, making him cry out as he was knocked into the rock pile. He then slumped down before falling into the water, moaning as he laid in it and slowly drifted towards the lake.

"Riptide!" Flash gasped, only to see Riptide roll onto his back in the water.

"Sky Attack!" He heard Lightning command, making him look up to see Pitchawk's body begin to glow. Riptide blinked at the sight, only to glance at the incoming lake.

"HAWK!" Pitchawk roared as he began to dive down, only for Riptide to leap into the lake, sinking instantly into its depths. This forced Pitchawk to pull up and skim along the surface, trying to locate the water lizard.

"Running scared?" Lightning laughed, "Figures that weakling would."

"Nope. Riptide's just catching his breath." He pointed at Pitchawk, "Aqua Break!" As Pitchawk's Sky Attack faded, the water of the lake exploded as Riptide shot out.

"REPTIDAL!" He screeched with sword in hand. Before Pitchawk could react, Riptide slashed him down, only for the bird to barrel-roll away from the attack before flying back up.

"Shadow Ball!" Pitchawk fired the orb, Riptide diving back down, only for the blast to push the water back. It pushed the lizard to the edge of the pool, making Lightning yell, "Now, Aerial Ace!" Pitchawk dived down, picking up speed as the slipstream appeared around him.

"Rock Smash!" Riptide charged as his legs glowed, the two Pokémon colliding with one another. Riptide slammed his foot into Pitchawk's chest, pushing the charging bird back.

"Tidal!" He yelped as Pitchawk's tackle completed itself, knocking him back before the bird flew back up.

"Night Slash!" Pitchawk quickly dived again before Riptide could recover, reaching him as his wings glowed. The bird let out a squawk and started slashing violently as Riptide, hitting him two, three, four times.

"Aqua Tail!" Flash called out, Riptide quickly leaping backwards before swinging his tail around and smashing it into Pitchawk. The bird squawked, but managed to land without falling over and leaping away from Riptide.

"Shadow Ball!" Pitchawk fired the attack and struck Riptide before he could respond, the water lizard hissing as it exploded and knocked him off his feet. Pitchawk then rushed forward before beating his wings and taking off into the air.

And as Pitchawk got above the rock pile, Riptide pushed himself to his feet while Lightning called out, "Sky Attack!" He looked up and saw Pitchawk begin to glow again.

"Rock Smash!" Flash ordered, Riptide climbing up the rock pile as fast as he could. When he reached the top, he used both legs and his tail to catapult himself into the air.

"Rep!" He roared as he got close to Pitchawk, his legs glowing. And as he was about to shoot past the bird, he swung around in the air. "REPTIDAL!" Kicking Pitchawk as hard as possible, he sent the bird tumbling towards the ground, now crashing into the stream.

"What are you doing?! Get out of there!" Lightning screamed, Pitchawk trying to move in the pushing water as Riptide fell.

"Ice Punch!" Riptide pulled his fist back before landing, thrusting it down into the water. The attack instantly froze every bit of water, making everyone in the audience gasp. Pitchawk now found himself trapped, his entire bottom half now in the ice along with one of his wings.

"Hawk!" He cried, trying to move but being able to do nothing against the ice hold the frozen water had on him. He started pecking at the ice, but it did nothing to help.

"Now, use Rock Smash!" Flash exclaimed, Riptide's legs glowing as he charged at the bird.

"Shadow Ball!" Lightning ordered, Pitchawk firing the dark sphere. But Riptide leapt over the attack with ease, the orb striking the rocks behind him as he spun through the air.

"Rep!" He then thrust his foot into Pitchawk's chest, "TIDAL!" The force of the impact made Pitchawk squawk in pain, blasting him through the ice. The entire frozen stream and lake shattered, releasing the water beneath it as Pitchawk was knocked into the lake.

Everyone watched as Riptide land in the steam, only for Pitchawk to float up to the surface with spirals in his eyes. "Pitch..." he moaned as the Rotom Drone flew down to scan him.

"Pitchawk is unable to battle. Reptidal is the winner." Everyone cheered at this, as Lightning quickly returned the bird.

Mic: "And Reptidal's Rock Smash puts an end to Pitchawk's command of the skies. Both sides have only three Pokémon left, so it's unknown who will be claiming victory now."

Flash's friends all smiled as they watched Riptide move over to him. "Now everything's even," Pinkie clapped, the others nodding and cheering.

"Flash can't relax yet," Doc grimaced, "His Pokémon have all taken damage and Lightning still has two left that are going into this battle fresh. Anything could happen."

Flash looked Riptide over and held up his Pokeball. "Alright bud. Come back and take a break for now." He returned him, only to glance up at Lightning...and see nothing on his face. No frustration or anger, just a blank bored stare.

And with that, Lightning took out a Pokeball. "Roglacier!" He threw it, "Battle Ready!" Everyone watched as the Ice Fighting-type appeared from out of the sphere, landing by the edge of the river before leaping onto one of the rocks.

"Row..." he whispered, "Roglacier."

"An Ice-type," Flash smirked before turning to Springer. "Ready to do this bud?"

"Ri!" Springer nodded before running out onto the battlefield, he and Roglacier staring one another down.

Mic: "It's Riolu verses Roglacier."

Luna: "This isn't the first time these two have battled. They faced off against one another in the Battle Tournament."

Celestia: "That's right. In that battle, Springer won. But how will things turn out this time?"

"Use Hail!" Lightning roared before Flash could say anything, Roglacier firing an orb of ice into the air.

"Extreme Speed!" Flash commanded, Springer charging at blinding speed. He then disappeared and before the orb could release its Hail, Riolu reappeared and thrust his foot into Roglacier's stomach.

"Row!" He screamed as he knocked off the rock. And as he fell, the ice ball exploded and began to form a cloud above them. Springer looked up and saw the hail beginning to fall, only for the ice to explode against him.

"Riolu!"

"Drain Punch!" Flash yelled, Springer shaking for a bit before leaping at Roglacier. But as he threw a punch, the Ice-type suddenly vanished and Springer ended him hitting nothing but cold air.

"Ri?"

Celestia: "Roglacier's Snow Cloak has kicked in, making it almost impossible for Springer to land a hit."

"Ice Punch!" Lightning countered, Roglacier appearing behind Springer and preparing a freezing cold fist into the back on his head. But before anyone could give Springer a warning, the Riolu jumped to the side, Roglacier's attack missing.

"Ri!" He laughed, Roglacier going wide-eyed at this.

"Row?" Roglacier barely said before Springer spun around and kicked him in the face, knocking the Pokémon back. "Row!"

"What the heck?! What just happened?!" Lightning yelled.

"Simple. I'm planning ahead by focusing on the here and now." Flash laughed, Lightning hissing at him in response. Flash then shrugged as he added, "Oh, come on Lightning. I know your team as well, and I knew you would use Snow Cloak right off the bat." He pointed to Springer, "That's why I brought Springer. He can see him thanks to his aura. No matter where Roglacier hides, Springer'll track him with ease!" Flash's finger switched to Roglacier as it recovered, "Now, use Aura Sphere!"

"Rio..." Springer formed the orb and threw it, "LU!" Roglacier tried to activate his Snow Cloak, but the blast struck before he could disappear.

"Glay!" He cried, stumbling back for a second before activating Snow Cloak. The Pokémon vanished a second later, Springer seeing this and closing his eyes.

Springer took a deep breath at this, only to spin around as Roglacier appeared in front of him. "Blizzard!" Lightning ordered, Roglacier pulling its scarf down and unleashing a blast of freezing cold air.

"RI!" Springer held up his arms to protect his face, the wind slamming into him as Roglacier vanished again.

"Use Extreme Speed!" Springer's body sparked at this, vanishing mid-way through the Blizzard. He ran to one of the rocks, dashing straight up as Roglacier appeared on it as well, the two soon racing upward.

"Close Combat/Bone Rush!" As they reached the top, both Pokémon prepared their attacks. Springer formed the energy bone as Roglacier leapt and threw a flurry of punchs. But as Springer spun his staff around to block the attacks, Roglacier's first punch smacked him in the face.

"Ri!" He was knocked back at this before Roglacier punched him in the chest. "Rio!" He fell off the rock at this, hitting the edge of another before crashing into the stream, Roglacier now staring down at him from the top.

"Time to pay you back for earlier," Lightning cackled, "Use Ice Punch on the waterfall!"

Everyone gasped as Roglacier leapt down to the base of the waterfall, his fist glowing blue. "Springer!" Flash yelled, "Get out of there!" Springer let out a moan as he tried to stand in the water, only for Roglacier to slam his fist into the water. And as the ice came for the Riolu, Flash yelled another order, "Springer, use Aura Sphere on the ice!"

"Ri!" Springer barked as he made and thrust the orb, the sphere instantly cutting through the ice. It then ripped its way up stream, only to explode.

"Row!" Roglacier gasped as the ice from the explosion cut into him.

"Drain Punch!" Springer quickly cut into a sprint at this, leaping out of the water.

"Ri/Glay!" They both cried as Springer thrust a energy sucking fist into Roglacier's stomach. The Pokémon was now knocked flying across the field, only for a piece of hail to smack Springer in the face.

And as Roglacier flew through the air, he began to spin and landed on a rock just as Springer got out of the stream. But as Springer began to charge at him, Lightning let out an order, "Use Blizzard on the rocks!" Roglacier unleashed a burst of freezing cold air, now freezing the stones that Springer was about to run over.

"Ri!" Springer yelped as he slipped on one of the frozen rocks, only to quickly flail his legs around before getting stable. "Riolu..."

"Ice Punch!" Roglacier landed on the frozen rock and skated over, his fist now freezing over.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer fired an orb at this, but Roglacier phased out of existence for a moment, the attack flying through him. "Scan him and do it again!"

"Ri!" Springer closed his eyes before firing another sphere, this one just a few degrees to the left.

"Row!" Roglacier yelped as he was knocked back, his freezing fist dissipating just as a piece of hail hit Springer in the face.

"Ri!" He cried, the Riolu's feet now sliding across the ice.

Flash frowned at the sight, only to see Roglacier disappear again with Snow Cloak. "Shoot...even with Springer's aura, its not enough. Gotta get rid of that Hail attack...wait, that's it!" He pointed to the sky, "Springer, use Aura Sphere and aim it straight up!" Springer instantly did what he was told, throwing an orb right into the hail cloud.

Mic: "What could Flash be up to?"

The answer came when the sphere struck the cloud and exploded, causing a powerful wind that pushed it away and dispersed the weather effect. "What?" Lightning whispered as the crowd began to cheer, only for the teen to point at Springer, "He's open! Use Blizzard!"

"Row!" Roglacier pulled his scarf down and unleashed a burst of freezing wind, instantly blasting into Springer.

"Ri!" Springer cried as he tried to protect his face, only to find his body becoming ridged. Ice began to form around him and within seconds, Springer was completely frozen solid.

"SPRINGER!" Flash screamed.

"That's Lightning," Grand sighed, "Never missing a beat. He knew Flash was expecting him to be thrown off when Hail was removed and turned it to his advantage."

"Flash!" Twilight cried, "You gotta get Springer out of there!"

"But how?" Spike asked, "Springer can't move or do...anything."

"Close Combat!" Lightning ordered, Roglacier charging at full speed.

And as he got closer, Flash went wide-eyed at the sight, only for a bulb to go off in his head. He closed his eyes and connected to his partner, quickly giving him instructions, "Springer, concentrate your aura around you, then blast it outward!" Everyone watched as Springer's frozen body suddenly began to glow, the ice shaking as Roglacieir got close. But as the first punch came, a mighty howl rang out.

"RIOLU!" The ice and aura exploded off him, a shockwave coming next as it slammed into Roglacier.

"Aura Sphere!" Flash yelled, Springer vanishing before reappearing in front of Roglacier. Within a split second, he thrust the attack into the Ice Fighting-type's chest.

"GLAY!" He screamed as the orb grinded into his stomach before exploding, "GLACIER!" He was thrown back, slamming into one of the rocks, causing the ice covering it to crack and break apart. "Row!" Were his last words before he fell to the ground, the hunks of ice falling onto him.

Everyone gasped as they saw the ice bury him, only for Roglacier's head to pop out. He slowly got up, moaning as he pushed the ice off him...only to fall flat on his face. Spirals appeared on his eyes as the Rotom Drone flew down. "Roglacier is unable to battle. Riolu is the winner."

Mic: "And Roglacier is down, once again giving Flash the lead!"

"Nice one Springer!" Applejack cheered, the audience now cheering even louder, "That hail didn't slow yah down one bit!" The others nodded as Lightning returned Roglacier. "Now there's only two Pokémon left."

"Maybe," Twilight gulped, "But it's which two that I'm worried about."

"Venomega and Gorillamp," Doc added, "Possibly Lightning's best Pokémon. And Gorillamp's still completely undamaged. Look at Springer." Everyone now saw that the Fighting-type was heavily panting, barely standing as he let out a long breath.

"Be careful Flash..." Kaida commented.

"Come back and take a break bud." Springer nodded and ran back to him, everyone turning to Lightning. His expression was the same as ever when he lost a Pokémon in the battle. There was no panic, no fear. Just a blank, bored face.

Mic: "And as Flash recalls Riolu, everyone is anxious to see what Lightning will be using next."

"Venomega," Lightning threw his Pokeball, "Battle Ready!" In a flash, the large venomous lizard appeared back on the field. He let out a mighty roar as he saw the new battlefield, everyone grimacing as Flash took out his Pokeball.

"Hopper!" He threw the ball, "I choose you!" Hopper appeared and quickly spread his wings, taking to the air and soaring high above the battlefield. Ryu and Kaida smiled, only to see Hopper land as his wings flinched from flight.

Mic: "Skeidran's looking a little unsteady. Clearly, his last match against Pitchawk did some serious damage."

Flash ignored the comment, only to see Lightning smirk again. The sight made him want to growl, 'This isn't good. Lightning knows he has the advantage...but I know how Venomega fights. The only one who even has a chance of beating it is Hopper.'

But before he could give Hopper an order, Lightning called out to Venomega, "Cross Poison!" Venomega swung his blades, unleashing the toxic X.

"Quick Hopper, up!" Hopper leapt straight up and spread his wings, the Cross Poison sailing under him.

Mic: "Skeidran's airborne and the Cross Poison misses its mark."

Applejack bit her lip at this, "Hopper can dodge Cross Poisons all day till the Miltank comes home, but if he get in close for an Aerial Ace or Extreme Speed attack, he'll get caught in Venomega's grip."

"Wyvern Wing!" Flash yelled, Hopper's body now surrounded by dragonic energy that exploded off him.

"Venoshock!" Lightning ordered, Venomega forming the sphere and firing it straight into the Wyvern Wing's trajectory. The two attacks collided, causing an explosion that pushed Hopper back.

Celestia: "Both attacks appear about even. This could be trouble for Flash if he has to rely on Hopper's physical attacks."

Flash pointed ahead, knowing he had to face the fear of Poison Point, "Let's go Hopper! Extreme Speed!" Hopper let out a roar as he shot into the smoke, which masked the glow now coming off his body.

Venomega stared up at the cloud, only to see Hopper explode out of the side of the cloud and shot around until he was right next to Venomega. "Sky!" He roared as he slammed his entire body into the lizard, knocking it staggering back. But before Venomega could react, Hopper disappeared and reappeared on Venomega's other side. "Dran!" He swung his wing into the lizard, knocking it away.

"Iron Tail!" Not losing any speed, Hopper's tail glowed as he began to spin into the lizard.

"Block it!" Venomega braced crossed his arms at this, just in time as Hopper slammed the tail down.

"SKY/VEN!" Both cried as Hopper's tail smashed into the lizard, pushing Venomega back.

"Yes!" Flash cheered as Hopper then took to the air, only for his body to be zapped by purple lightning, making him cry out before crashing into the lake. "Hopper!"

"HA!" Lightning laughed, "You fell for it again!" The teen shined the biggest grin as he saw Flash go wide-eyed at his Pokemon now poisoned, "You just make it too easy!"

Hopper moaned as he pulled himself through the water, dragging onto shore as Venomega ran up to him. Both glared at each other, only for Venomega to shine a giant smile. "Let's finish this already. Venoshock, multiple blasts!" Venomega started firing one purple sphere after another, Hopper quickly flaring his wings before taking to the sky. Orb after orb flew after him, the dragon now dodging each one before the poison surged again.

"Sky!" He flinched, only to spin just as a Venoshock flew past him.

"Come on Hopper!" Kaida screamed, "Do this for Princess and everyone else back home who's watching!"

Hopper heard this, going wide-eyed before flaring his wings and letting out a roar, "SKEIDRAN!"

"That's the way!" Flash cheered, "Use Aerial Ace!" Hopper spun around and dived bombed for Venomega, Lightning then ordering to use Venoshock again. The lizard fired off multiple spheres, but Hopper slipped past each one with ease.

"Skeidran!" He exclaimed as he landed and swung his foot into Venomega's jaw.

"VEN!" He hissed as he was knocked back, only to thrust his tail and grab Hopper's foot.

"Sky!"

"Brutal Swing!" Venomega yanked Hopper back, only to lift him over and spun him around before letting him go.

"SKY!" he screamed as he was flung into a rock pile. And as the rubble buried him, the poison surged again, "SKEIDRAN!"

Celestia: "This looks bad. If Flash doesn't do something, Hopper might end up going down."

"Come on Hopper!" Ryu yelled, "You can do this!" The rest of Hopper's friends all cheered, along with those in the Dragon Kingdom. "We believe in you!"

And as those words hit Lightning's ears, he rolled his eyes, "Finish this with Venoshock!" Venomega began to form the orb in his mouth, making it grow bigger and bigger by the second.

"Hopper!" Flash screamed, Springer howling at him to get out of there. Venomega then fired the attack, the orb now hurtling for the rock pile, "HOPPER!" As that scream hit the Skeidran's ears, the attack struck and exploded.

The crowd gasped at this, Lightning and Venomega just smirking, only for something to fly right out of the smoke. "YES!" Flash cheered along with the crowd, Hopper reappearing in the air, "Get him! Use Extreme Speed!" Hopper accelerated down at this, preparing to slam into Venomega.

"Crunch!" The lizard thrust his head forward at this, but the Skeidran suddenly vanished in a blur of motion. The next thing Venomega knew, he was getting tackled in the back, the King of Dragons then smacking him with his foot as Lightning yelled, "Venoshock!"

"OMEGA!" Venomega spun around and fired the orb, but Hopper vanished again.

"Iron Tail!" Hopper reappeared to the Poison Dark-type's side, Venomega then feeling a massive tail slam into his face.

And as he staggered back, Lightning let out another command, "Cross Poison!" Venomega quickly slashed the air, an X-shape flying out and hitting Hopper. The dragon stumbled back at this, only to feel the poison surge again.

"Shake it off and use Wyvern Wing!" Hopper shook his body before the energy appeared on his body, soon firing it out of his wings.

"Venoshock!" He fired the orb, both attack striking and exploding. And as a smoke cloud formed, Hopper quickly flew into it.

"Aerial Ace!" Hopper shot out of the cloud, uppercutting his claw into Venomega before slamming him in the stomach with his tail. But as he did this, the poison kicked in again.

"Enough of this!" Lightning yelled, "Stop getting hit! Just grab it and use Brutal Swing!" Venomega hissed as he thrust his tail, Hopper trying to take to the air as he still felt the poison hurt him.

"Push him back with Wyvern Wing!" Hopper roared as the energy formed and shot off of him.

"Venoshock!" For the third time, Venomega fired the orb and struck the attack. Another explosion filled the air and once again, Hopper flew into the cloud.

"Now, another Wyvern Wing at max power!" Hopper exploded out of the cloud, covered in the dragonic energy. But instead of it flying off of him, he continued to wear it as he charged at Venomega.

Lightning knew this attack couldn't be countered with Brutal Swing and pointed ahead, "Cross Poison!" Venomega charged, crossing his arms as his blades glowed. And as he and Hopper got within striking distance, he swung them apart and created the X-shaped toxic blast.

"MEGA/SKY!" They roared as their attacks collided with such force that the explosion rocked the entire battlefield, filling the air with smoke. Everyone closed their eyes for a second as the felt the shockwave, only to glance back as the smoke cloud began to consume everything. And as the smoke began to fade, two trainers stared into cloud, ready for what came next.


To be continued...

> A Shocking Final Showdown
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Equestria League Finals battle between Flash and Lightning was still raging, Flash ahead three Pokémon to two. But as smoke filled the battlefield, Flash's Skeidran and Lightning's Venomega had clashed inside. The audience waited with baited breath, only for the fog to clear...and one Pokémon was still on his feet.

"Sky!" Hopper roared as he stood tall, Flash cheering as the rest of the smoke cleared and revealed Venomega...on the ground.

"Ven..." he moaned as swirls replaced his eyes.

The Rotom Drone flew down and scanned the Poison Dark-type, confirming what everyone already knew. "Venomega is unable to battle. The winner is Skeidran."

Mic: "Venomega is down! That leaves Lightning with only one Pokémon remaining!"

The crowd cheered as Lightning returned Venomega, Flash's friends up in the stands overjoyed, "Yeah!" Spike clapped, "Go Flash!"

"And then there was one," Rarity added, the rest cheering except Twilight, Doc and Cloud.

Doc turned to them, "Flash might have more Pokémon, but they're all exhausted. Don't forget, Lightning's last Pokémon is starting off fresh. He might have to beat three Pokémon to win, but that won't matter if they're all running on empty."

"Plus Hopper's been poisoned," Twilight continued, "If Flash isn't careful, he could still lose."

Cloud nodded in agreement, now seeing Hopper begin to slowly walk over to him. "Alright kiddo, what's your plan for this final leg of the battle?"

Flash patted Hopper on the head, "You did great out there...but you sure you can keep going? You can take a break if you want." Hopper shook his head and turned back to the battlefield, roaring as he stared Lightning down. "Alright bud! Go get 'em!"

"Sky!" He roared before taking to the air, Lightning shaking his head.

"What an idiot," he spat before taking out his Pokeball. "Let me show you what happens when you fight a real Pokémon. Gorillamp, Battle Ready!"

In a flash, Lightning's final Pokémon appeared. "GORILLAMP!" He roared, beating his chest as electricity surged out of him, zapping everything around him.

Mic: "And Lightning's final Pokémon is Gorillamp! This is definitely one of his most powerful Pokémon."

Celestia: "This could be trouble for Flash given that two of his remaining Pokémon are weak to Electric attacks."

Cadance: "Hopper's also been poisoned, so that's also something he'll need to worry about."

Luna: "This battle could really go either way."

"No, this battle is already done. Thunder!" Lightning yelled, Gorillamp roaring again as he fired a bolt of electrical power. The lightning shot straight for Hopper, who spun in mid-air to dodge it before diving down.

"Iron Tail!" Hopper swooped down and slashed at the ape, knocking him slightly back.

"Thunder Punch!" Gorillamp swung a quick fist, only for Hopper to hop away. But as he did this, he was suddenly struck by Poison.

"Sky!" He cried, causing him to flinch.

"Heavy Slam!" Gorillamp leapt and thrust his full weight into Hopper, knocking him back until he slammed into the rock wall behind him. "Now, Thunder!"

Gorillamp charged up the attack as Hopper peeled himself off the wall. "Get out of there!" Flash cried, Hopper leaping away before the Thunder struck the rock pile, making the rubble explode as Hopper landed on another pile. "Quick, Wyvern Wing!"

"Sky!" Hopper was surrounded by the dragonic energy and with a beat of his wings, the attack was sent flying into Gorillamp. But as this happened, Hopper was struck again with poison just as Gorillamp pushed through the Wyvern Wing with ease.

"Hammer Arm!" He charged and slammed both arms into the side of the rock pile, the blow causing the entire thing to shake, knocking the pained Hopper off balance.

"Hopper!" Flash gasped as his Skeidran fell, but quickly spread his wings as he got close to Gorillamp. "Aerial Ace!" As Gorillamp prepared to smash him to pieces with Hammer Arm, Hopper accelerated and landed before slashing at him with his claws.

"Gore!" He cried as he was hit, only for Hopper to fly back up.

"Extreme Speed!" Hopper zipped down at Gorillamp, zigzagging to pick up as much speed as possible. Gorillamp saw this and braced himself as Hopper dived down.

"Gore!" He roared, holding his arms out wide as if to say 'come at me bro.' And as Hopper put as much power into the attack, he crashed into Gorillamp at full speed. Gorillamp winced as Hopper pushed him back, but he dug his feet into the ground before closing his arms around Hopper's body.

"Dran?" He mumbled as he tried to escape the ape's grip.

"Thunder!" Lighting ordered as Gorillamp built up a ton of electrical energy.

"Get out of there! Iron Tail!" Hopper's tail glowed as he started slamming it into Gorillamp, but the ape refused to let go. "Hopper!"

"GORILLAMP!" The Electric Steel-type roared, the lightning exploding off of him and into Hopper.

"SKEIDRAN!" He screamed as every nerve in his body was assaulted by the electrical power. He tried to move, but he couldn't get out of Gorillamp's iron grip. And when the ape let Hopper go, the electricity still zapping him. "Sky..." Hopper moaned as the lightning stopped, standing still for several moments, everyone wincing at the sight. Despite this, Hopper tried to stand up, only for the poison to strike again. "Skeidran..."

The Pokémon slumped over at this, spirals now in his eyes. The Rotom Drone then flew down and scanned him. "Skeidran is unable to battle. Gorillamp is the winner." The crowd cheered as Flash held up his Pokeball.

Mic: "Skeidran is down and now, Flash will need to relay on his other two Pokémon if he wants to claim victory in this battle."

Cadance: "I have a fair idea which Pokémon he'll pick next. The question is, can he win?"

"I can't believe Hopper lost," Kaida sighed as Ryu placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him and saw a smile on his face.

"He might have lost, but he was able to do some serious damage to Lightning's team. I think that's something worth being proud of." Kaida nodded back, Ryu then glancing back at Lightning, "I must say, Hopper showed me how much he doesn't like this Lightning trainer...and I can see why. Either way, I know the Dragon Kingdom would be proud of him. He did well."

"You did great Hopper," Flash told the Skeidran inside his Pokeball. "Don't worry, I'm not giving up yet." He turned back to the battlefield as Springer hopped in front of him, "It's time bud. You ready to go?"

"Ri!" Springer nodded before charging into the field.

Mic: "And Flash chooses Riolu, likely hoping to overwhelm Gorillamp with speed over power."

As if proving Mic correct, Flash called out to Springer. "Extreme Speed!" The Riolu was wrapped in lightning as he shot across the battlefield. In the blink of an eye, he was right next to Gorillamp and quickly slammed a foot into his chest.

"Gore!" Gorillamp moaned as he staggered back, Springer zipping over to a rock pile and using his Extreme Speed to leap off it.

"Aura Sphere!" As Gorillamp regained his footing, Springer formed the orb and fired it at the ape. But Gorillamp quickly leapt to the side, only for Springer to land behind him. "Drain Punch!"

"Hammer Arm!" Gorillamp swung his arm at the Riolu, both fists hitting each other. But as they clashed, Gorillamp pushed Springer back as Lightning yelled, "Thunder!"

"Gorillamp!" He roared as he let loose a blast of lightning, Springer managing to regain his footing just in time to brace himself as the bolt struck him.

"RI!" He cried, the blast hitting him so hard that it caused the rock around him to burn.

Luna: "That had to hurt. It was a direct hit from a very powerful attack."

Celestia: "Is this it?"

"RIOLU!" Springer screamed, swinging his arms apart as the lightning flew off him. His body was smoking at this, but he remained standing as Flash smirked.

"Bone Rush!" Springer charged and formed the bone-shaped staff, which he split in two before slamming one into Gorillamp's leg. Gorillamp flinched at this, only for Springer to swing the other into Gorillamp's chest and then leapt up to strike at his shoulder.

Cadance: "Nice one. Against an Electric Steel-type like Gorillamp, a Ground-type attack will do a lot of damage."

"That's the way!" Twilight cheered, "Hit him hard and hit him fast." The others nodded as Gorillamp raised his arms.

"Heavy Slam!" He swung his arms down, Springer crossing his bones to block, the impact sending a shockwave through his body. "Now, Thunder Punch!" Gorillamp suddenly swung his leg into Springer seconds after his Heavy Slam, knocking the Riolu flying.

"Gore!" He pulled his fist back and thrust it up, hitting Springer in the chest again with a jolt of electricity.

"Springer!" Flash gasped as he saw Springer go flying, only to see his Riolu spin in midair before landing, "Aura Sphere!" As Springer landed, he formed the sphere and fired it, the attack instantly hitting Gorillamp. "Now, use Extreme Speed!"

Springer charged again, the blue energy surging around him as he got in close. "Gore!" Gorillamp yelped as Springer slammed a fist into the ape's chest, only to then be struck in the shoulder. This was followed by his leg, back, arm and waist. Every bit of his body was getting struck by random blows.

"Thunder in every direction!" Gorillamp roared as he unleashed a blast of lightning outward, making Springer leap back to dodge the attack.

"Bone Rush!" Flash called out, Springer forming the staff in his paws and spinning it. The lightning bolt struck the staff, only to bounce off it. "GO!" He charged again, the lightning continuing to be deflected by the bone.

"Ri!" He exclaimed as he slammed the bone staff into Gorillamp's chest, making him cry out as stopped his Thunder. He then smacked the ape twice, only for Gorillamp to let out another roar.

"Hammer Arm!" Gorillamp swung one of his arms and backhanded the staff, knocking it flying out of Springers paws. He then swung his other arm, striking Springer in a lariat, the force knocking the wind out of Springer.

"RI!" Springer cried as he was sent flying and landed in the stream, getting washed down it and almost being thrown into the lake until he managed to grab onto a ledge and pull himself up. "Riolu..." he moaned before getting up and shaking the water out of his fur.

He stood tall and saw Gorillamp just glare at him, both locking eyes as their trainers yelled, "Thunder Punch/Aura Sphere!" The two braced themselves and brought their paws/hands up, Gorillamp's becoming electrified while Springer formed his best attack above his. Both powered up until they were at maximum, the pair continuing to lock eyes as they did.

Mic: "Both Pokémon seem to be going for what could be their final attack. It all comes down to this!"

Celestia: "Even a draw could be life changing, since Flash will still have one Pokémon left."

As she said that, the two charged at each other. Everyone watched with baited breath as the two drew closer, their attacks pulsing with energy. They were suddenly all reminded of the last time they had seen this, which had ended with Springer's loss.

"Gore/Ri!" They screamed as they got within striking distance and thrust their attacks, "RILLAMP/RIO!" The attacks struck, appearing to be in a deadlock as the Pokémon continued to push forward. But as they did this, one of the attacks began to overcome the other. Springer's Aura Sphere suddenly exploded, sending out a shockwave that struck Gorillamp and knocked him flying back. He crashed into the ground and skidded along it, Springer jumping back before getting into a runner's start pose.

"Drain Punch!" Springer charged again, but Lightning was ready.

"Hammer Arm, on the ground!" Gorillamp hopped back up and thrust his arms down, making the ground in front of him explode. Rocks shot up at this, Springer coming to a stop as he tried to hop back to dodge the rubble, only for Gorillamp to suddenly grab him with his giant hands.

"Ri!" He yelped as he was lifted up, Flash's eyes going wide at this.

"Springer!"

"Flash..." Grand winced, "No..."

"Thunder!" Gorillamp roared as he unleashed a powerful charge of lightning, the bolt zapping Springer. The Riolu began to thrash around, Lightning laughing before yelling the command again as the thunder kept zapping the Riolu...only for Gorillamp to throw the Pokémon away a second later.

"Ri..." he moaned as he hit the dirt, the Riolu then trying to get back up...only to slump over. "Riolu..." spirals appeared in his eyes as he faceplanted the ground, the Rotom Drone flying down.

"Riolu is unable to battle. The winner is Gorillamp."

Mic: "Number five's out. Meaning Flash's only remaining Pokémon is Reptidal."

Everyone in the stands frowned, barely any cheers happening after seeing the brutal display. "Springer tried as hard as he could," Rainbow mumbled out as everyone else nodded.

"If Springer hadn't taken so much damage already, the battle would have been more even." Doc commented, "Now Flash's only hope is Riptide."

Everyone else grimaced at this, only for Twilight to speak up, "Don't worry. Riptide might be at a disadvantage, but Flash believes in him, and that means he has a chance." They all turned to her, now seeing the giant confident smile on her face. It made them all smile and nod, soon looking back to see Flash pick Springer up off the battlefield.

"You were awesome bud," Flash said as he returned to his podium and placed Springer down.

"Ri," he moaned as he pushed himself to a sitting position. He looked up at Flash and saw he didn't look worried, the trainer shining a big grin.

"Don't worry. I promise this battle isn't over yet." Springer slowly nodded back as Flash turned to look at the megascreen, at all the Pokémon he had struggled to beat up until this point. "Lightning's team's definitely tough." He then took out his Pokeball, "But we're just as strong. Riptide, it's all up to you." He felt the ball wiggle in his grasp, making him smirk. "Alright." He turned to his opponent, "Hey Lightning! Truth is, your strategy made all the difference...even though my numbers looked better."

"Of course it did." Lightning spat, "This battle is over, so just give up and admit that you're nothing but a worthless loser."

"I don't think so." Flash held up his Pokeball, "I'm just getting started! It's time to show you the true power of me and my Pokémon! Riptide," he threw the ball, "I CHOOSE YOU!" The ball flew into the air and in a flash, the Tidalwave Pokémon appeared.

"REPTIDAL!" He roared as he appeared.

Mic: "And now it's a critical moment in the battle, as Reptidal faces off against Gorillamp."

Luna: "If we were focusing squarely on type, I'd say Gorillamp has the advantage. But if this battle has told us anything, it's that anything is possible."

"Oh please, like that piece of garbage could do anything worth while." Lightning hissed, "I can't believe I have to waste my time with this." He pointed ahead, "Thunder!"

"GORE!" Gorillamp began charging up powerful before letting the thunder fly.

"Dodge it!" Riptide leapt up, the lightning bolt striking the ground and exploding. "Quick, use Rock Smash!" Riptide fell down and kicked off a rock wall before spinning around and smacking the ape with a glowing foot.

"Gore!" He yelped, only for Lightning to give a command.

"Thunder Punch!" Gorillamp swung a clenched fist into Riptide's stomach, making him cry out as he was blasted back. But as the water lizard managed to land on his feet, Gorillamp charged up to him. "Hammer Arm!"

"Aqua Break!" Riptide formed his sword and used it to defend against Gorillamp, his arms slamming into the sword. "Now, Rock Smash!" Gorillamp found his attack suddenly lunge forward as Riptide cancelled the blade, knocking the ape off balance before Riptide spun around and swung a pair of glowing feet into his stomach.

"Gore!" He cried as he went staggering back, only to see Riptide back to the stream behind him. Seeing this, the ape began to build up electrical energy.

Lightning saw this and knew Gorillamp had an idea, "Thunder!" Gorillamp roared as he unleashed a thunderbolt, only for it fly over Riptide.

"Tidal?" He asked as he followed the bolt, only to hit the nearby pool. His eyes widened as he remembered he was standing in a stream connected to that pool, trying to leap away before his tail that was still in the water got shocked. "TIDAL!" He cried as he was electrified, his whole body screaming as he fell into the water.

"Riptide!"

"Thunder Punch!" Gorillamp stomped over to him, his charged fist ready to taze Riptide. But just as he was about to get in close-

"Aqua Tail!" Riptide swung his tail and whipped Gorillamp's legs with a spiral of water, knocking the ape off his feet. The lizard then spun and got back onto his feet. "Rock Smash, back to back!"

"Rep!" As Gorillamp picked himself up, Riptide thrust his foot into his stomach again. He then swung another one and smashed Gorillamp in the head before doing a cartwheel and uppercutting the ape in the jaw.

"RILL!" The electric type yelped as he was knocked back, skidding along the ground as Riptide started doing backflips to get some distance. The ape panted at this, growling as he got back on his feet.

Mic: "Gorillamp isn't looking to great. Could it be drawing close to defeat?"

Luna: "Well, think of the attacks its had to endure. Both Rock Smash and Aqua Break can possibly lower the defenze of the Pokémon hit by it. With all the times Gorillamp's been struck, its normally tank-like defense must be way down."

"Yeah Flash!" Spike cheered, "Take him down!" The others all cheered as well, but Cloud, Doc and Twilight all frowned, seeing no worry on Lightning's face.

"Let's end this bud!" Flash yelled as he pointed at Gorillamp, "Use Ice Punch!"

Riptide roared as he charged, now seeing the Electric Steel-type making no motion to try and dodge. The sight made Riptide smirk as he got close, only for Gorillamp to suddenly side-step the attack. "Rep!" He gasped before feeling Gorillamp reach out and grab his wrist in his large hand. "Tidal!" He yelped, only for Gorillamp to swing him around and grab his other wrist in his other hand.

Mic: "Gorillamp has Reptidal in his grasp and is holding on tight!"

Everyone gasped at this, Lightning laughing at the sight. "HA! You fell for it again!"

"No..." Grand sighed, having seen the move coming from the start.

"Riptide!" Flash exclaimed as Gorillamp held the Reptidal up. Riptide kicked and squirmed, but Gorillamp wouldn't let go.

"Its just too easy." Lightning chuckled and snapped his fingers, "End this! THUNDER!" Everyone went wide-eyed as Gorillamp started charging up his electrical energy to the point of overload as Riptide continued to squirm.

"Gore...Rill...AMP!" He screamed as the electricity exploded out of him and into Riptide, everyone now watching in horror as Riptide began to scream.

"REPTIDAL!"

Mic: "Ouch! Reptidal's seriously getting pummeled by that Thunder!"

Celestia: "This could be the end."

"Riptide!" Flash cried, Springer also doing the same. At the lab, Astro looked away at the sight while wincing.

"No..." Pinkie whimpered.

"Is...is this really the end?" Trixie added.

Twilight wanted to say it wasn't, but seeing how powerful that attack was, she couldn't for the life of her figure out how Riptide could survive it. "Flash..."

Then Gorillamp's electrical output ended, releasing Riptide with a giant grin on his face as Lightning laughed at the sight. There was pure joy on the teen's face, his expression being the only one of happiness as everyone grimaced at the now smoking water lizard. Riptide fell to like a rock, his legs trying to get back up as he staggered. And as he tried to stand and walk, he gave out and fell into the nearby stream.

Mic: "REPTIDAL IS DOWN!"

"No..." Spike whispered.

"It...it can't be," Applejack gasped as Fluttershy began to cry.

Twilight turned to Flash, seeing him stare at Riptide in shock while Lightning just spat and turned away from the battle. "I guess that's it. Pathetic. Then again, what was I expecting?! You're just a worthless loser after all." Gorillamp laughed at this before spinning around, the Rotom Drone flying down.

"No! Get up!" Flash screamed.

"Ri!" Springer added.

"Come on bud! We believe in you!" Flash continued, only for the Rotom Drone to hover over his Pokémon. "Riptide!"

"Reptidal is-" The machine began to announce...only to come to a stop. Lightning heard this and turned to raise an eyebrow. Riptide had rolled onto his front and pulled himself to his knees, only for his knees to give out, falling back into the water. "Reptidal is unable-"

"Rep!" Riptide suddenly yelled, making the Rotom shut up as he got to his knees, only to falter again as he tried to stand up.

The sight made Lightning growl, turning to the Rotom Drone, "HEY! What do you think you're doing?! This so called match is over! Declare me the winner already!"

The drone turned to him and replied, "I have not confirmed-"

"Shut up and declare me the winner already!" Lightning screeched before pointing at Riptide, "That thing is done! Declare me the winner or-"

"Oh, shut up!" Flash barked, making Lightning turn to glare at him.

"What did you just say?!"

"You heard me." Flash responded before pointing at Riptide, "We're not done here." He then pointed to himself, "I will beat you Lightning."

"You already lost. Again." Lightning spat, "You're a loser, and a false hero. Why bother trying when you'll always lose?!"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Flash countered, "It doesn't matter how many times you knock us down. We'll never stop pushing ourselves, even to the limit. That's the power of my Pokémon. I believe in them, and that let's us smash every barrier in our way!"

Lightning scowled at this, "Oh please, that's just a bunch of weakling talk." He pointed to Gorillamp, "See that? That's real power from a real Pokémon, and not something like feelings or believing." He then pointed to Riptide, "You're just like that failure, a nothing. So just stay down like you're supposed to!"

Flash shined the biggest grin at those words, "Newsflash, ask anyone and they'll tell you that I never do what I'm supposed to!" Riptide struggled to push himself up as Flash continued, "No matter how impossible it seems, when the odds are against us, my Pokémon and I keep pushing until the very end. We support each other and help whenever we can. That's why we'll win! You might be fighting Riptide alone, but you're facing all seven of us!" As he said that, Riptide pushed himself up and stood tall in the water.

"REPTIDAL!" He roared, everyone cheering at both Flash's speech and the sight.

Mic: "Reptidal is back with a vengeance! But with all of the damage the Water-type's take, will he be able to hold on much longer?"

"GO FLASH!" His friends all cheered, Astro roaring happily at the lab.

"We're supporting you too!" Twilight screamed, "It's not just the seven of you!"

"Its all of us!" Spike added.

"Now fight!" Cloud continued, "Fight and win! Show everyone the right way to train Pokémon!"

Up in the box, Shining smiled down at him. "That's the way. Sometimes the best way to get stronger is to simply have the guts to never give up." He then gave Flash a serious look, "But will it be enough?"

Grand wasn't smiling though, he just sighed as he stared at his grandson, seeing the anger pour out of the teen. He shook his head, knowing why this was happening. And as it did, Lightning glared at Riptide as he hissed, "Why are they cheering?! There's no point! You've already lost!" His entire body began to shake, "This isn't right. Why can't they see...why can't they see that you're just a nothing?!" He pointed at Gorillamp, "Finish this already! Thunder!"

Gorillamp charged himself up and fired the blast of energy, but the water lizard quickly side-stepped the attack. "Rock Smash!" Riptide charged next, slamming both legs into Gorillamp's stomach. The ape cried out as he staggered back, Riptide leaping back before shooting forward to repeat the attack.

"Hammer Arm!" Before Riptide could react, Gorillamp spun his arm into him, the back hand sending Riptide flying back, only to spin in the air and land on his feet. But he quickly fell to his knees, Lightning smirking at the sight.

"How pathetic! Just face the facts and give up." He gestured to Riptide, "See?! He's-"

"Oh, stop it. You're boring me." Flash interrupted before faking a yawn, Riptide hopping to his feet at this. "Hey Riptide, show this geek what'cha got!"

"Tidal!" He roared before charging at Gorillamp again.

Flash clenched his fists and pointed at Lightning. "This is for all the Pokémon you ever called weak, pathetic and worthless! Riptide, Aqua Break!" Riptide formed the sword in his hand and leapt at Gorillamp, who attempted to slam his fist into Riptide, but the water lizard quickly spun around his fist, "Now you'll see how this game is supposed to be played!"

"TIDAL!" He screeched as he slashed into Gorillamp, knocking the ape back.

"What are you doing?!" Lightning screamed, Gorillamp quickly stopping his stagger as Lightning added, "Thunder!" Gorillamp roared as he let the electrical blast fly, hitting the ground and causing it to explode. Rocks began to fly everywhere, all coming for both Pokémon.

"Rock Smash/Hammer Arm!" Both trainers commanded as their Pokémon started smashing the rocks apart that got to close to them, "Now use Thunder!" Lightning ordered, a blast of electricity coming next that flew into the rocks and caused them to explode. The force of the explosion knocked both Pokémon back, the two skidding into their trainers while the remaining rocks fell to the ground around them.

"Are you okay?" Flash asked Riptide, who nodded as he stood tall. "Good! Let's kick his butt!"

Gorillamp did the same as Lightning got up, his face twisting in anger, "You're really starting to get on my nerves, Sentry." Flash smirked back, though he was panting from the excitement of it. "You may think you have a chance to beat me, but you've never had a chance." He began to growl, "You're constantly getting in my way, and my patience is at an end!" But as he yelled this, Flash just continued to show that smile, making Lightning go red in the face, "You are a thorn in my side and I have had enough of you!" He pointed at him as Gorillamp beat his chest, "I'M GOING TO DESTROY YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME, SENTRY?!?!?!"

The crowd all flinched at this, Grand facepalming and groaning as Trixie turned to the others. "If you ask me, I think Lightning has a few control issues."

Doc just shrugged, "It's obvious Flash is getting under his skin and throwing him off his game."

"Uh-huh," Flash nodded with a constant smirk. "Now that you've vented, what's say we finish this?"

"SHUT UP!" Lightning screamed, "GORILLAMP, TEAR HIM APART WITH THUNDER PUNCH!"

"Go Riptide! Use Ice Punch!" Flash countered, both charging at each other.

"Thunder Punch!" Gorillamp charged as well, both about to sock one another. But as they got within striking range and started throwing punches, both dodged the other, only to do it again and again.

"Change to Rock Smash!" Flash yelled as Riptide leaned back to avoid the electric punch, then turned that into a back-flip as he swung his foot up and smacked Gorillamp's head.

"Gore!" the ape staggered back as Lightning ordered him to use Hammer Arm. He brought his arms up and slammed them into the ground, creating an earthquake that sent a fissure flying for Riptide.

"Dodge it!" Flash countered, Riptide leaping over the exploding ground. "Aqua Tail!" He swung his tail down and water whipped Gorillamp, pushing him back again.

Up in the stands, everyone watched the two duking it out. And as they did, they couldn't help but feel something. "I've seen a lot of battles between these two," Twilight told the rest. "But something about this moment feels...different." They all nodded, feeling the same thing.

"I think it's because they're finally battling as equals," Doc added, "Before, Lightning always saw Flash as just a nuisance or something to test his strength against or to prove a point. But now, Lightning is being forced to take Flash seriously because to do anything else would mean possibly losing." Riptide leapt back to avoid a Heavy Slam, the Reptidal crouching down and swinging his sword to try and slice at Gorillamp.

"Oh..." Rarity whispered, "This is so crazy. I don't think I can stand to watch it anymore!"

"This is more than just a battle over the Equestria League trophy," Cloud continued, "Now, it's personal."

"Yeah," Rainbow nodded as Riptide leapt and used Rock Smash into Gorillamp's chest. "I've never seen two battlers more even."

"It comes down ta a battle of stamina," Applejack commented as Gorillamp used Hammer Arm to blast Riptide away.

"I still have faith in Flash to win," Twilight finished as Ice and Thunder Punch collided. "I know he can do it."

"Attack!" Lightning roared, Gorillamp knocking Riptide away again. "Beat him now!"

Trixie nodded at this, "We can only hope you're right!"

Riptide and Gorillamp both panted as they found themselves standing again, both staring one another down. They glared at each other, their eyes purely locked, just like their trainers. The teens were glaring and heavily panting...only for Flash to start laughing. Hearing this, Lightning's eye twitched.

"What...is so funny?!"

Flash pulled in his laughter, "Relax dude. This is fun."

"Say what?!" He screeched, his eyes twitching.

"I'm just saying. Even though this battle is like...totally intense, it can be a real blast. I mean, after all, its just a game."

Lightning's eyes shrunk at this before he growled, "This is no game. It's my life."

Flash shined the biggest grin, "Well your life is about to change. Riptide!" His Reptidal stood strong, "Aqua Break!" He charged and formed his sword.

"Hammer Arm!" Gorillamp's arms glowed as he swung and struck a loose rock. The Reptidal slashed the rock in half, only for Gorillamp to leap up, "Heavy Slam!"

Riptide saw Gorillamp about to fall down on him, the Reptidal quickly leaping back. "Tidal!" he yelled as Gorillamp slammed his fists down into the ground and creating an earthquake as the rocky floor was broken apart.

"Thunder!" The ape roared as the lightning exploded off of him and shot into the air, forming a massive storm cloud that spiraled above Riptide before unleashing the thunderbolt down.

"Block it!" Riptide used his sword and struck the lightning, deflecting it and sending it crashing into the ground around him. The battlefield exploded, causing a circle of fire that terrified those watching. But when the fire died out, Riptide still stood with sword in hand.

"Gore?" Gorillamp asked with wide eyes, Lightning blinking at the sight.

"You can't keep us down," Flash told the shocked Lightning. "No matter how many times we fall, we get back up stronger than ever! That's the difference between you and me. You learn from a loss, and we grow from it!" Riptide nodded as Flash pointed at Gorillamp, "GO!"

"TIDAL!" He roared as he charged through the fire toward Gorillamp, the ape charging as well as Lightning called out a command.

"THUNDER PUNCH!" Gorillamp's fist electrified, putting as much energy as possible into the attack. The two Pokémon got within striking distance and as Gorillamp threw his punch, Riptide's legs bent and he fell into a knee slide.

"GORE/TIDAL!" They both screamed as a flash of light filled the air, blinding everyone.

Mic: "I can't see!"

"Who won?!" Spike asked as the light began to fade and they now saw the battlefield. They were now greeted to the sight of Riptide and Gorillamp standing back to back. Riptide was on his knees with his sword held in front of him while Gorillamp stood post punch.

Nobody breathed as they waited to see what would happen next, only to see Riptide's sword splash apart and let out a cry of pain. He began to sway, slumping to a knee as the lizard started using his arms to keep him up as sparks of lightning surged around him.

Lightning smirked at this, but then glanced up to Flash and saw a big grin on his face.

"Rill," Gorillamp moaned, Lightning looking back at his Pokémon. Sparks began to fly off his arm and his neck armor. "Gore...rill...GORE!" He groaned as a massive electrical explosion flew off him. He continued to stagger at this, Riptide now pushing himself to his feet. They both spun around and stared each one another down, locking eyes as if having a mental conversation. Then, Gorillamp smirked before saying something only Riptide could hear. "Not bad." With that, he fell face first into the ground. Everyone gasped as they saw his eyes turned to spirals, the Rotom Drone flying down to scan him.

"Gorillamp is unable to battle. The winner is Reptidal. All six of Lightning Blitz's Pokémon are unable to battle. So the winner of the battle is Flash Sentry!" The stadium went completely silent as the fact that had just been stated sank in. Flash just stood there, his jaw dropping until Present Mic broke the silence.

"IT'S OVER!" The crowd exploded into cheers at this, "Flash Sentry has claimed victory over Lightning Blitz! Through many tough obstacles and powerful opponents, he now stands at the top of the Equestria League as its new winner!"

Up in the stands, Flash's friends were all close to tears. "I can't believe it!" Spike called out, "He actually did it!"

"He won!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"And he beat Lightning," Doc chuckled, Twilight's face now pouring down tears.

"You did it," she giggled, wiping her eyes, "You actually did it." But as she stared at Flash, she saw he could hardly believe it himself.

Flash just stood there, his mind replaying the words he had just heard Present Mic say. "I did it...I did it..." he whispered. "I won. And I beat...Lightning." Joy like nothing he had ever felt filled his heart as his entire body shook. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore and he leapt up into the air, "I WON THE EQUESTRIA LEAGUE!"

"RIOLU!" Springer cheered as he leapt into Flash's arms, Flash hugging him tightly.

"We did it bud! We finally did it!" he cheered before turning to see Riptide walking over to him. "You did it." Riptide smiled and nodded, "You actually beat Lightning and Gorillamp."

"Tidal," Riptide chuckled before suddenly falling over. He would have hit the dirt, but Flash and Springer quickly caught the lizard. "Wow." Riptide smiled up at them as they put his arm around Flash's shoulder, helping him stay upright. "Careful. You've been through a lot. Better take a break."

"Rep," he moaned before Flash held up a Pokeball and returned him.

"Again, thank you." Flash said before taking out all his Pokeballs and stared at them with pride. "You're all the best. I couldn't have asked for a better team." A tear ran down his eyes as the Pokeballs all shook in agreement, the Pokémon inside all thinking they couldn't have asked for a better trainer. Flash then put them all away, his smile never wavering as he turned back to his now defeated rival.

Lightning was just standing there, looking like his mind had been cut into two. "No..." he whispered before glancing over at the Rotom Drone. The image of Flash's face over the word winner stared back at him, "This...isn't right." He turned back to Flash, "I'm the strongest. I'm supposed to win. I...I'm supposed to win and beat Shining Armor. I...I was supposed to..."

He continued to mutter as Gorillamp slowly pushed himself up, the ape staggering over to Lightning with his head down, clearly expecting to see a wrathful look on his face. "Gore," he said once close enough, but Lightning didn't respond. The teen didn't know what to say or do. Instead, he took out Gorillamp's Pokeball and held it up, his confused mind making him say something he had never said before.

"Th-thank you...for battling so hard." Gorillamp went wide-eyed at this, only for the beam to hit him. He and Lightning locked eyes for a moment before the ape disappeared, both knowing that something had happened to the teenage trainer.

And once he was completely returned, Lightning turned to Flash and the two stared at one another for a moment...only for Lightning to spin around and began to leave. "Wait!" Flash yelled, about to run over the field, but it then retracted before he could, blocking the teen as the destroyed battlefield disappeared. All he could do was watch as Lightning disappeared down the hallway.

Up in the stands, Grand watched his grandson leave. He could tell, even from where he stood, that Lightning's entire worldview had just been shattered. "I'm sorry Lightning," he sighed as the boy disappeared, "But this is for the best. Now hopefully, you'll learn what it truly means to be a trainer." He turned back to Flash and smiled, the teen now waving his arms around to the many cheering fans. "Thank you. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."





A little while later, Flash was standing in the middle of the battlefield. It was now a flat area with a large podium in the center of it. In the middle of the podium was Flash, along with all seven of his Pokémon. Sunset had sent Astro over to share in the joy of Flash's victory, the eight of them all happily allowing Celestia, Luna, or Cadance to place medals around their necks. Once that was done, Shining stepped up while holding a large trophy.

"Well done Flash," he told the teen before holding out the trophy. Flash smiled as he took it and allowed his whole team to take a closer look at it, Flash then holding it up as the audience started cheering again. Photographs were soon being taken and reporters were trying to get closer to ask him questions.

But Flash wasn't concerned about that. All that mattered to him was that he had managed to win the Equestria League, and now, he had a chance to battle Shining Armor once again. But despite the joy he felt, he still wished he could have talk to Lightning one last time.





Later that evening...

As the sun began to set, Twilight was back at Professor Celestia's laboratory. She was in the backyard, where all of Flash's Pokémon, minus Springer, were resting. They were covered in bandages and carefully enjoying their favorite food, Astro being the only one not bandaged up but was happily telling them how awesome they were.

"That's it," she giggled as she watched them eat. "You all enjoy yourselves. You've all earned it."

They smiled as Ryu and Kaida arrived, both carrying tubes of something. "Here," Kaida opened the tube and dug her hands into it before pulling out a strange powder. "This should help with recovery." They started sprinkling the powder onto their food, "It's made from special herbs you can only find in the Dragon Kingdom."

"Interesting..." Twilight commented before the door opened, the rest of her friends walking in.

"Hey Twilight," Rainbow smirked, "You seen Flash anywhere?"

Twilight shook her head. "Sorry, I haven't seen him in a while."

"Rats," Rainbow crossed her arms, "I wanted to congratulate him, but I haven't been able to find him anywhere."

"Where do you think he went?" Fluttershy asked, only to hear a laugh coming from the side, making them turn to see Shining leaning against a wall around the corner with Cadance.

"If you're looking for Flash, he went off to find Lightning." The others went wide-eyed, Shining chuckling at their reactions, "You shouldn't be surprised. Those two have been connected since the start of their journey. I think Flash wants to settle things between them properly."

"Hard ta think Flash would want anythin' to do with that guy after finally beatin' him," Applejack grumbled.

"Yeah! That guy was super jerk!" Rainbow added.

"Maybe," Twilight nodded, "But that's just the kind of guy Flash is." She smiled before looking up at the sky, "hopefully Lightning will finally understand what he's been missing this whole time."





Flash and Springer were running through Canterlot, Springer's arms and legs wrapped in bandages while the people around them noticed and whispered amongst themselves that he was the guy that had won the league and was gonna battle the champion.

"You sure he's this way?" Flash asked Springer, who nodded as he continued to pick up Lightning's aura. The pair soon found themselves at the exit to the city, now spotting the person they were looking for. "Lightning!"

The teen stopped when he heard his name and slowly turned to see Flash standing there. The teen was heavily panting, his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"You...you're leaving?" He asked once he caught his breath.

Lightning just turned away, his voice low and hollow, "Of course I am. I lost, so there's no point in me staying here."

"Oh...I mean, I guess you're right." Flash replied, opening his mouth to continue...only to pause. Now that he was here, he wasn't sure why. He had no idea what he wanted to say, or why he would want to say it. Did he want Lightning to admit he was wrong and that Flash was right this whole time? That would be nice, but Flash didn't want it. And so, a simple question appeared in his head. "What are you gonna do now?"

Lightning had begun to walk away, only to stop again. "I don't know. For the first time in...a long time, I have no idea what the future holds for me." He reached for his belt and took out a Pokeball, which he held up and looked over. "For as long as I can remember, all I've cared about was winning and gaining as much power as I need. But when I needed it most, it failed me." He turned back to Flash, "And I lost to you."

Flash nodded back, "Power has its limits. No matter how much you train, there's only so much strength you can get out of a Pokémon." Lightning looked back down at his Pokeball, "But there are other ways to make a Pokémon strong."

"Heart..." Lightning whispered, remembering what he had heard Flash and his friends talk about last night. That thought made him flinch, only to glance away, "Maybe...maybe there's more to what you've been saying then I gave you credit for. Even though it sounds stupid." Flash smiled at hearing this, though he was having a hard time believing he actually was. "I guess it would be stupid of me not to at least try it, once at the very least."

"Yeah," Flash nodded, knowing he shouldn't ask Lightning to completely change his way, but Flash had a feeling that the door to a new life for Lightning had just been unlocked.

Lightning turned back to Flash, "I'll be back. And when I am, I'm gonna settle the score and beat you."

Flash smiled and crossed his arms, "I'll be waiting." He held out a hand, Lightning staring at it with a low stare. Then, he reached out and grasped Flash's hand. The two shook for a moment, their eyes locking with new understanding.

"Just because you beat me, don't think that means you'll have it easy from now on." He turned away, "Shining's not gonna go down without a fight."

"I know," Flash replied as he spun around as well, "But I'm gonna give it my all and trust in my Pokémon. That's the only way I know how to battle." With that, the two began to march away from one another. One towards his final heated battle, another to a whole new future. Only time would tell whether or not they would both make it to those destinations and what was awaiting them both there.

A minute or so later, Lightning was trekking through the forest when he saw someone new. It was Grand Hoof leaning against a tree with his back turned to Lightning. Clearly, he was waiting for the teen to pass him and Lightning wasn't sure what he was planning to say or do. Then, Grand glanced back at him.

"Come to gloat?" Lightning growled, not looking Grand in the eye.

"I came to see how you were doing," Grand replied as he spun around from behind the tree. "And to tell you...I am proud of you." Lightning went wide-eyed at this, only for Grand to continue, "Not many trainers can make it as far as you have, especially in their first year of training. But you've done better than I ever managed to at your age." Lightning couldn't respond, only able to stand there until Grand walked up and tapped his chest, "But don't think for a second I agreed with your methods or your attitude." Lightning cringed at this, only to see Grand sigh, "However...I'm still proud of how far you've come all on your own."

"I wasn't...really alone." Lightning once again took out his Pokeball, "I had...them."

"Oh? You're not angry with them?" Grand instantly chimed in, Lightning glancing back up and shook his head.

"No...I'm not." Lightning let out a long sigh, "But...I still have a lot to learn it seems."

"Yes," Grand nodded, "A lot to learn. But that's okay. You have plenty of time to learn it."

Lightning nodded, Grand surprised to see how sheepish the boy was looking. "I don't...suppose you'd be willing to teach me something?" Lightning knew he had no right to ask this, remembering that Grand had said he had washed his hands of him. But to his utter surprise, Grand just smirked and tapped his chest again.

"I might be able to show you a thing or two," he spun around, "If you can keep up." He began to walk off and Lightning did something he never felt himself do naturally. Smile. He then ran off after his grandfather, the pair disappearing into the forest.





Back in the city, Flash and Springer had returned to Professor Celestia's lab. When he got there, he found his friends and his Pokémon. They all smiled at him as he patted his team on the head, only to notice Shining Armor was there.

"Well kid," he chuckled, "This is it. You against me, winner takes all."

Flash nodded back and stood up, "I'm ready."

"No, you're not," Shining instantly replied before pointing to his team, "Your Pokémon are in no fit state to beat me. Luckily, the battle's not gonna be for a while. They need to make sure the stadium didn't get damaged from all the battling that happened during the tournament...so you have a little while to rest up and prepare. Just...don't go expecting to take me down so easily. Got it?"

"Got it," Flash nodded before turning to his team. "This is it guys. Once you're all rested and recovered, we'll start training with everything we've got!" He held up a fist, "You all ready?"

"RIO/TORE/TIDAL/STAG/CON/SKY/GAL!" They cheered, everyone smiling and excited to see how the battle would turn out. There was a lot of time between now and then, time Flash would no doubt be using to train his team to their absolute zenith. Shining might appear to be an unstoppable obstacle, but if Flash's battle with Lightning had proven anything, it was that he and his team could defeat any obstacle as long as they stuck together. Would Flash and his Pokémon claim victory, or are their hopes to become Equestria's new champions nothing more than a pipe dream? Only time would tell, as the journey continues.
> The Ties That Bind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Canterlot City was still buzzing from the Equestria League battles that had taken place a few days ago. The tournament had been insane, and the winner of the contest was none other than the hero of Equestria: Flash Sentry. He and his team had overcome every battle thrown at him, and now he had the chance to earn the title of Equestria League Champion.

The battle would have happened tomorrow...but the stadium's maintenance had found that there had been some serious damage caused by all the intense stress the battlefields had undergone during the fights. While this meant the battle had to be delayed, it also meant that the challengers had more time to prepare.

In Professor Celestia's garden, Flash's Pokémon were now taking their bandages off. They had been completely healed from the battle with Lightning, and were ready to start training. "Yup," Twilight commented as Riptide raised his legs without any pain, "You're good to go."

"So's Prongs and Skyler," Sunset added.

"Hopper's ready for action too," Kaida giggled as the King of Dragons spread his wings and roared.

As he did this, Spike frowned at them. "Are you sure you can't stay a little longer? Flash would love it if Hopper got to see his battle with Shining in person."

"Sorry kiddo," Ryu chimed in, "But we've already stayed longer than we expected. The Dragon Kingdom needs its ruler back, and I'm sure Princess is starting to miss him." Hopper nodded back, showing a small blush, "We've got a long way to go, so we'll need to head out soon if we wanna get back before nightfall."

"Well, I guess this'll be goodbye." The group turned to see Flash and Doc at the doorway, Doc holding Flash's backpack as he moved over to them. Flash and Ryu smiled at one another and high-fived, "Thanks for bringing Hopper over."

"No problem," Ryu replied, "I now see why Hopper so wanted to come and fight Lightning." He turned to see Flash's bag, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah..." Flash scratched the back of his head. "Me and the rest of my Pokémon are heading out for a training trip in the woods. It's just gonna be the seven of us training our butts off until it's time for my match against Shining."

"Why?" Spike asked, "Can't you train here in Canterlot? There's plenty of places for it, and you'd get to sleep in a real bed instead of camping out."

Flash sighed and shrugged, "Yeah...but every time I step outside, some reporter shows up and asks me a bunch of questions. I'll never get anything done at that rate."

Twilight nodded, "Its something that happens a lot. In fact, most Equestria League winners have that problem. Last year, the guy who won was so busy having interview after interview that he didn't spend a moment training and Shining completely crushed him."

"I am not letting that happen to me," Flash deadpanned, "So, I'm gonna sneak out of the city and go train in the woods."

"And your camping gear's all set and ready for you," Doc gave him his backpack, Flash taking it and nodding.

"Alright gang." He held up his Pokeballs, "Time to get going. We've got a lot of training to do, and not a lot of time to get it done in." They all nodded and were sucked into their balls, Flash putting them away as Twilight stepped up next to him.

"Here," she held out her journal. "Celestia will know when the stadium's ready for battle. I'll ask her to let me know and when she does, I'll message you on this."

"Got it. Thanks." Flash replied before placing the journal in his bag. As he put it on, Springer hopped onto his shoulder, the two soon making their way around the side of lab.

However, when they got onto the main street, they found themselves being ambushed, "Flash Sentry!" One of thirty reporters and camera-workers ran over, "What's your strategy for dealing with Shining Armor?"

"WHOA!" Flash yelped as the paparazzi instantly appearing in front of him.

"Are you worried that Shining Armor knows everything about you from watching your previous battles?!"

"Have you considered swapping your Pokémon with ones he hasn't seen?!"

"What do you say to the people who say you've been using Rare Candies on your Pokémon and have been using more than the recommended daily amount?!"

"Is it true you spent some time travelling with Shining Armor's wife?! What's the story there?!"

"Ahhhh!" Flash yelled as he tried to backpedal, the reporters yelling more and more at him. But as he did this, Rainbow, Applejack and Cloud suddenly appeared.

"Back off yah vultures!" Applejack barked.

"Flash has more important things to do than deal with you guys!" Rainbow added as they started pushing the paparazzi back. Suddenly, Pinkie appeared with Fluttershy, Rarity and Trixie. In her hands was something that looked like a bazooka.

"Lock and load!"

"Flash!" Cloud yelled, Flash turning to his grandma, "Get out of here!" Flash nodded as Pinkie fired the bazooka, making a blast of smoke and confetti. The reporters yelped as they were blinded by the fog, only for it to fade and saw that Flash, Hopper, Ryu and Kaida were gone.

"Where'd they go?" A reporter asked, only another one looked up.

"There!" The others glanced upward and saw three Pokémon appear in the sky, a Skeidran, Noivern and Dragonair all flying away. "Come on!" He ran off, "We gotta catch him and get the answers we need!" The crowd ran after the flying trio, Flash's friends sighing as they watched the paparazzi try to catch them.

"Good luck Flash," Twilight smiled.





The three flew to the edge of the city as fast as they could, the people below seeing them thinking they were nothing but a stray Chickling trio. And as they arrived at the edge of Canterlot, they all changed direction and headed around the outer edge of the city. "Thanks for the lift Hopper," Flash commented as his Skeidran roared back, telling him it was fine.

"Why are we flying around the city?" Kaida asked next.

"Those reporters think Flash is heading in the direction they saw him fly off," Ryu replied, "But the forest he's gonna train in is actually in the other direction."

"Exactly," Flash added, "And by the time they get to the edge of the city, I'll be on the other side and free to train to my heart's content."

It wasn't long till they reached that end, landing and staying low in the forest for a few minutes. "Sky," Hopper said as he touched down and allowed Flash and Springer to jump off his back.

"Thanks for everything Hopper," Flash scratched him behind the ear. "Now you'd better get going before Princess has both our hides."

"Dran," Hopper nodded, only to put a claw on Flash's shoulder and pull him and Springer in for a hug. The two embraced back, doing so for a minute until the pulled apart. "SKEIDRAN!" Hopper then roared, telling Flash to do his best before turning to get a running start. He raced across the field before taking to the sky, Flash and Springer laughing as they watched him, Ryu and Kaida following him. They waved him off as the three became nothing more than blips in the sky, leaving the duo alone in the woods.

They both continued to stare at the last spot they had seen their friend before Flash took a deep breath. "Okay." He turned to Springer, "Let's get to work." Springer nodded as Flash took out his Pokeballs and threw them into the air. In a flash, Skyler, Riptide, Prongs, Viper and Astro appeared, "Alright gang!" He cheered, "It's go time!" The others all cheered in agreement before the seven headed into the woods.

Twenty minutes later, they came across an area that was clear of trees, completely flat with zero rocks. The perfect place for them to set up camp. "Alright," Flash took his bag off, "The first thing we need is wood." They nodded and once Flash put his bag down, they began to look around. They began to pick up loose twigs and broken branches, and after about fifteen minutes, they had enough and returned to the site. Flash, Springer, Riptide, Prongs, Viper and Astro piled the wood together and nodded at their handwork.

"That should be enough for the next few days." Flash commented before glancing around. "Hey, where's Skyler?"

The others began to look around, unable to find the Tornavian anywhere. But just before Flash could call out to him-

"TORE!" They glanced up and saw Skyler fly into the clearing.

"What's wrong?" Skyler swung around and flew back the way, the others following after him. It wasn't long till they reached where he was going, now going wide-eyed as a large tree that had falled over.

"Chop!" A Chopmunk cried, staring at something underneath the tree.

The oak had fallen atop a hole in the ground, blocking anyone from getting in or out. Flash heard several cries coming from it, "Your friends are trapped?" He ran over to the Chopmunk, who looked up at him before focusing back on the hole. "Can't you just cut through it?"

"Chop," Chopmunk tried to bite into the wood, but its super strong teeth weren't able to get through the bark.

"Too tough, huh?" Flash frowned, "Alright, let's try and move it." The seven went up to the tree and began to push, but found it was too heavy, "Nevermind." Flash glanced back at his Pokemon, only to point at Riptide, "Use Aqua Break." Riptide nodded and formed a sword, the Ocean Champion stepping up and raising his weapon high before slicing downward.

"Tidal!" He yelled as the sword hit the wood above the hole, the water splashing off but leaving a nice chunk cut out of the wood. He formed another sword and slashed at it again, the cut growing bigger. He continued doing this for several minutes until the three's trunk was cut halfway through.

"Alright," Flash chimed in, "Now use Rock Smash on that cut." Riptide dispelled his sword and took several steps back, "Get away from the exit."

Once he heard the Chopmunks inside scuttle away, he nodded and Riptide charged in. "Rep!" His legs glowing as he leapt, "TIDAL!" He swung his feet down and smashed into the tree's cut, the force causing the rest of the trunk to split.

"Yes!" Flash cheered along with his team. They all pushed on the two sides, which were now movable, and unblocked the exit to the Chopmunk hole. The Normal-type ran into its home, returning a moment later with four more Chopmunk, one its size and three smaller ones. They all happily squeaked at them, Flash chuckling back. "Happy to help." He turned to the tree and suddenly had an idea, causing him to smirk. "You mind if we take this?" The Chopmunk nodded before heading back into their hole.

"Ri?" Springer asked him, Flash moving over to the bed.

"Alright guys, let's get to work. This thing's gonna come in majorly handy."

They all raised an eyebrow at this, only for him to point at the tree.

A bit later...

After much effort and hard work, they managed to cut the fallen tree into several large pieces. There were now ten six foot long logs that they quickly started rolling back to their campsite. Once there, they arranged the logs into a rectangle that was two by three.

"Now we just need some leaves."

The group soon started shaking, body slamming and rattling the nearby trees so that the leaves came loose. Springer used Extreme Speed to grab them and throw them into the rectangle, the group not stopping until the whole things was packed full of leaves.

"There," Flash smirked as they stared at their creation, "A pretty good bed if I have to say so myself."

The others nodded and looked forward to sleeping in it, Astro not bothering to wait. "Gal!" He leapt and cannon-balled onto the bed, the force causing the leaves to be thrown up and rained down upon them.

"Ri/Tore/Rep/Stag/Vi!" The others cried at the youngest of the group, the dragon sheepishly blushing and poking his claws together.

"Hey," Flash held up his hands, "let's relax. Astro's just a little exited, right?" He turned to the dragon and he nodded, "And he's sorry." Astro's nods grew faster, "So let's just put it behind us and pick the leaves up." The others sighed but decided to let it go and they all started picking up the leaves and filling the bed once again. A few minutes later, the bed was repaired. "There. Now as long as we're careful, it shouldn't happen again."

"Gal," Astro nodded, promising to be careful next time.

With their campground sorted, the seven decided to explore the surrounding area to find some good places to train. They found a rocky area, an area with a steady flowing river, and even a cliff.

"Stag," he then heard Prongs cry out, turning to his Stagrowth and saw he was staring up at a tree filled with Oran Berries. The Grass-type licked his lips and Flash had to agree before turning to see another tree that had some Cheri Berries, and another that had Rawst Berries. He continued to look around, now seeing a giant supply of food that made his stomach happily growl.

"Who wants some berries?" They all raised their arms, or tail in Viper's case, and then started getting to work. Prongs slammed his hooves into one of the trees, making it shake and causing the berries to fall. Skyler caught them on his back, landing and letting the others remove the berries before he and Astro flew back up.

This time, Riptide struck the tree and knocked the berries loose. Both Skyler and Astro caught them before Springer used a Bone Rush to hit another tree. Several times they did this until they had enough berries to feast for a week.

"Nice work guys," Flash cheered as he started picking up the berries they had gathered. The others followed suit and soon enough, they were all walking back to their campsite while weighing down with their hard gathered earns. By the time they got there, the sun was beginning to set. Flash moved over to his backpack and took out a sheet, the trainer flipping it up before laying it down on the ground. "We'll keep the berries on this so they don't get dirty." The Pokémon nodded and started carefully placing their food down onto the canvas.

With the sun already half set, Flash decided they needed a good campfire. Grabbing the best sticks they had in their collection while the others dug a small round pit, they surrounded it with rocks and finishing it before Flash had selected his sticks.

"Alright," he carefully arranged them and turned to his Vipeacon, "Viper, let her rip." Viper nodded and after taking a deep breath, unleashed a powerful blast of fire. "WAIT!" But it was too late.

The fire struck the sticks and completely engulfed them, unleashing a cloud of smoke that consumed them. Flash and his Pokémon cried out as they worked to fan the smoke away, all coughing as it cloud began to fade. And when it did, they saw there was nothing but ashes filling the pit.

"Rep!" Riptide cried, glaring at Viper, who glared back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Flash yelled as he and Springer got between the two, "Let's relax. That was probably my fault. If I heard someone tell me to let her rip, I'd probably unleash a blast of fire too." Riptide rolled his eyes as Viper smirked, Flash quickly gathering more wood and putting them into the pit. "Alright," he turned to Viper, "A small blast this time."

Viper nodded and after taking a deep breath, he let out a tiny fireball into the pit. It hit the sticks and they caught fire, Flash quickly puffing on it to make sure enough air was getting to it. Soon enough, they had a roaring campfire and everyone cheered happily.

And once the sun was completely set, Flash and his Pokémon sat around the campfire enjoying their meal. As they ate, Flash looked around at his team before smiling and looking up at the stars. "You know, sitting here like this, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic." The Pokémon raised an eyebrow at this, making Flash smirk. "You guys remember how we all met?" Now they began smiling as Flash turned to Springer. "I sure do. Like when I met you Springer. I was just a little kid and barely knew the first thing about Pokémon. Then one day, I went into the forest and saw you."

"Ri," Springer nodded, that day had been both the worst and best day of his life.

"You were so strong. Strong enough to even learn Aura Sphere when Riolu can't normal do that. So strong that the leader of your pack felt threatened and slammed you into a massive Everstone, preventing you from evolving forever." Flash then patted the Riolu, "But Shining caught you and gave you to me." Springer smiled back, "We've been best friends and partners ever since. And together, we've proven you're just as strong as any Lucario."

"Ri," Springer nodded before Flash turned to another Pokémon.

"Skyler, when we met, you were a Chickling who hadn't even learned to fly yet." Skyler nodded. "I caught you, and together we got your feet off the ground. Now look at you, an awesome Tornavian that's strong enough for even Ghost-types to be no match for."

"Tore," Skyler happily spread his wings as Flash turned to his Water-type.

"Riptide, when I met you, you were still a little Aquana." Riptide smiled at this, as he too remembered the day he met Flash. "We met at Professor Celestia's Lab and Lightning went off about how much of a weakling you were. But I could tell you could be something awesome if given the chance. And you proved it when you helped me stop Champagoon and saved a Chopmunk from a flood. We've been through a lot since then, and have had a lot of setbacks, but every time you fell, you got back up stronger than ever. And now look at you: You're the Ocean Champion."

Riptide smiled and gave him a thumbs up, Flash turning to his Grass-type.

"Prongs, when we met, you absolutely hated me. In fact, you hated pretty much every trainer that went through your forest. You were its prince and you were awesome even then. I'm glad I was able to convince you to join me and ever since then, you've bailed me out of one jam after another." He then got an idea and smirked. "I don't think it's right to call you the prince of the forest any more." Prongs raised an eyebrow at this, "I'd say you're now the king of the forest."

"Stag," Prongs chuckled at the name, Flash then turning to his Fire-type, who callously munched on a berry.

"Viper, you gave me a whole lot of trouble when we first met. Even after I caught you, you still kept trying to do your own thing. But eventually the two of us managed to find some common ground and now, you're the best Fire-type I could have asked for."

"Vi," Viper smirked a coy smile and kept eating as Flash turned to his final Pokémon.

"And Astro. I'm so glad the people of the Dragon Kingdom entrusted your egg to me." Astro smiled as Flash began to pet his head, "When you hatched, you wouldn't listen to a thing I said and kept wandering off whenever you saw something you were interested in. Not to mention all the bites you kept giving me." Astro laughed at this. "But you slowly started to settle down and grew into a really strong Pokémon. Now look at you, you're a super powerful Galvern that even took down a Gym Leader's best Pokémon."

"Gal!" Astro cheered as Flash leaned back and looked up at the stars once again. "A lot sure has happened since I left home. There've been great times and bad times. Tough times and times I thought I couldn't go on." He looked back down at them, "But I never gave up because I had you guys there with me. And no matter what threat we faced, we stayed strong and never backed down. And because of that, we have the chance to beat Shining Armor and become Equestria's new champions."

"RIO/TORE/TIDAL/GROWTH/CON/VERN!" The others cheered as they finished their meal before going to bed.

The next morning, the seven got up, ate and got to work. Flash watched as Skyler and Astro flew overhead, Skyler's wings glowing as he practiced his Steel Wing attack. On the ground, Riptide and Springer were clashing with their weapon attacks while Prongs was jumping around Viper as he breathed fire.

The entire day went like this, though they did stop every hour or so to rest and catch their breath along with meals. When night time came, they all slept in the leaf log bed they had made together. Those that wanted warmth were curled up next to Viper and Skyler, the lot snoring the way in which boys usually do.

This continued over the next few days, the seven training in different areas of the woods. Some area with rocks, other areas with ponds and streams. At one point, Flash accidently walked off a cliff and it was up to his team to save him. They certainly laughed at his expense when that was over.

By the end of the fourth day, the group were exhausted in a good way, now knowing they were truly stronger. "Oh yeah," Flash commented as they walked back to their campsite. "I can tell. Shining Armor's gonna be in for a tough time tomorrow."

His Pokémon nodded, though the seven knew they couldn't risk getting cocky. They then arrived at their campsite and were looking forward to another peaceful night under the stars, only for a crackle of thunder to fill the air and made them look upward. They had been so busy with training that they hadn't noticed the dark clouds that had appeared above them, all looking ready to unleash a torrent of rain down upon them.

"Great..." Flash gulped while Viper looked terrified.

The teen tried to think of what to do, knowing they couldn't get to the city in time before the rain. He grabbed his bag, pulling out Twilight's journal and opening up the map section. Luckily for him, this area had been well documented and the map showed a cave not far from their location.

"Come on!" Flash threw his bag over his back, Riptide quickly tying up the sheet holding their remaining berries and threw it over his. "This way!" They ran through the forest as the sounds of the thunder grew stronger, the group hoping beyond hope that they could reach the cave before the rain started.

No dice.

The heavens opened up and the downpour began, showering the seven as they raced through the trees. "Vi!" Viper cried as the water made him flinch, Skyler and Astro then flying above him. "Con," he thanked them as they shielded him from the rain.

After a few minutes of searching, they found the cave and ran inside. It wasn't a large cave, but it was big enough for them all to fit inside and be protected from the weather. "Finally..." Flash took off his jacket and flapped the rain off of it, Springer and Skyler both shaking to get the water out of their fur and feathers. Astro didn't seem too upset about being wet, but was still glad he was out of the rain. The only ones who seemed happy to be in the rain were Riptide and Prongs, the pair taking the space closest to the exit so the others remained as dry as possible.

"Vi!" Viper unleashed a Flamethrower, using it to heat the cave and get rid of any excess water that may have gotten into the cave. Flash held his jacket close to the fire, allowing it to completely dry before he put it back on.

"Well..." he leaned against the wall and slid down it, "Looks like we're staying here tonight." The others nodded and tried to get comfortable, now feeling water logged. "Great...I hope Twilight and the others aren't out in this."





Celestia's Lab...

Twilight stared out the window, frowning as she watched the rain fly down and smack the windows. Spike, Doc and Sunset walked up to her, soon watching the rain as well. "You worrying about Flash?" Her brother asked.

"Not really," Twilight replied, "I know his Pokémon will keep him safe...but knowing him, he'll get stuck in this. I just hope he's okay cuz I doubt the league will postpone his match with Shining until he gets better, so he'd have to either forfeit or try and win despite being sick."

Doc laughed at this, "Flash would probably wanna battle even if he had a hundred and twenty degree fever." This made the others laugh as they stepped away from the window to make sure the Pokémon in the garden were okay. Luckily, Celestia's garden had a retractable roof that she put up to keep them dry when it did rain.

They looked out the back and saw Peewee, Shine, Owlicious, Higear, Tockwork, Flitanium and Aggron all happily resting and completely dry despite the bad weather outside. Hopefully, Flash would be just as comfortable wherever he managed to find to sleep that night.

"Twilight," they turned to Celestia as she and Luna walked into the room. "I just got a message from your journal." She raised an eyebrow, clearly not knowing that Twilight had lent Flash the device.

Twilight's eyes went wide hearing this, "What did it say?!"

"I don't know. I didn't open it yet." She took something out of her pocket, a Holo-Caster, then clicked the button to switch it on. The screen appeared as a hologram and after a few more clicks, the message sent my Twilight's journal appeared. "Here we are." She showed them the message and they all smiled as they read it.



Found a cave to spend the night in. I'll be fine. Tell Twilight she can un-clench.



Twilight's face turned red, making everyone laugh while she crossed her arms, "Last time I worry about him."

"No, I don't think it will be." Sunset added, causing another round of laughter as Twilight rolled her eyes. She asked to borrow Celestia's Holo-Caster and the professor nodded, Twilight taking the device and typing away at it.





Flash and his team calmly sat in the cave, listening to the rhythmic pattering of the rain on the cave's roof. Then that rhythm was interrupt by a beep, coming from the journal. He opened it up and read the message, instantly reading it and laughing at the words.



Jerk. You're lucky I'm not there right now. Have you at least gotten some training done?



"Yes," he said out loud as he typed, "And everyone's looking great. I'm probably not gonna be any more prepared for the battle than I already am." He hit send and sat back as a crash of thunder filled the air alongside a flash of lightning. After a minute, the journal pinged again.



That's good. Celestia seems to think the arena will be ready by tomorrow. I'll message you if that's true. Just in case, better get a good night's sleep. Don't wanna be exhausted when you face Shining.



Flash smirked and replied with an OK, then shut the journal and put it back in his bag. And as he did this, he thought about Shining Armor and wondered if the Champion was doing any last minute training. No doubt he didn't get to remain champion this long by slacking off on his training.





Meanwhile...

At an indoor battle arena, Shining Armor and Galladin were currently battling it out against Cadance and her Crystardian.

"Sacred Sword!" He yelled, Galladin charging and slashing at the Psychic Rock-type with his glowing sword.

"Power Gem!" She countered, Crystardian flying up as the crystal drones that were connected to it detached and shot down for Galladin. The Steel Fighting-type dodged one, then deflected another before leaping over the third. "Flame Burst!"

"Star!" Crystardian roared as a fireball exploded from its eye, Galladin raising his shield in response before Shining even gave an order.

"Iron Defense!" The metal glowed as the flames struck, Galladin not being pushed back an inch and quickly charging as Crystardian flew down. "Night Slash!" With one mighty slash of a purple glowing blade, Crystardian was sent flying back, crashing into the ground. It skidded across the battlefield before finally stopping in front of Cadance, the professor's eyes going wide.

"You okay?" She asked, kneeling down to look the Protector Pokémon over. "I think maybe that should be it for the battle."

Shining nodded and thanked Galladin before returning him, then walked over to his wife while pulling out a Hyper Potion. He kneeled down and sprayed the Psychic Rock-type, who cried at the stinging but it quickly passed along with the pain. "There you go." Crystardian's eye no longer gave off a look of pain as it began to float back into the air, Cadance holding out her Pokeball and returning it.

"You're in top form," Cadance said as the pair walked over to a bench and sat down. "Beating you isn't going to be easy."

"You're right," Shining nodded. "But Flash isn't gonna just lay down and let me beat the snot out of his Pokémon. This battle's gonna be tough no matter how strong I am."

Cadance smiled at this, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted Flash to beat you or something." Shining smirked back as Cadance raised an eyebrow, "You do?"

"No. I don't want Flash to beat me," Shining replied while shaking his head, "I love being champion...but I know I can't be it forever. Though to be honest, I was more worried when Grand told me about Lightning, and what I saw with Lightning in the league...he was right to be worried. But that's over now thanks to Flash winning, and if I had to give up my title to somebody, I think Flash would be a pretty good trainer to give it to."

"So you want Flash to win, but you're not gonna make it easy for him?"

"Exactly," Shining nodded again, "If Flash wants to be champion, he's gotta prove he's up to the task. Not just to me, but to all of Equestria."

"Well, I hope he wins," Cadance responded, Shining raising an eyebrow at this before she put a hand to his chin, "With him as the champion, you won't have to go off to a bunch of unknown places for weeks at a time. You can stay with me and help with my research."

"Oh," Shining groaned, "Hooray." Cadance smacked him on the shoulder, "Hey! You know I'm kidding! Though research was never really my strong suit..."

"Well, you don't have to just help with research. I'm sure there's plenty of things you could do in the Crystal Empire. We still have one of the Heart Fragments and the Shadow Spear. I'd like to think nobody would be stupid enough to try and take them again, but you never know. We need a strong trainer to keep them safe." Shining nodded again, "And maybe you could make your own Gym or something in the empire. You never know."

"Tempting...though if I do end up losing, I think I'd like to take some time off as a trainer."

"Really? But you love being a trainer."

"I know. Its not forever. Just a few years or so. Give my Pokémon some time to enjoy life without needing to constantly be ready to battle at the drop of the hat." He then shined a big grin, "Maybe I can focus my attention on raising something other than a Pokémon."

Cadance's eyes went wide at this, only to pull him into a hug, Shining holding her tight. The pair kissed a second later, only for Cadance to put a finger on his lips, "Now I'll be rooting for Flash even more." Shining laughed at this, Cadance soon joining in.

And after a few minutes, Shining went over to a nearby window and stared into the night, "Flash, you better bring your all when we face off. I know you have what it takes, but the time has come to show everyone that. I know you can do it."





Flash shivered as he sat there in the cave, him and his Pokémon eating the last of the berries they had gathered. He bit into a Rawst Berry and instantly felt a warmth flow through him, the teen glad he had saved some of these. Nothing beat away the cold like a berry with the power to cure the Frozen Status. The rest of his team were all gathered around him, Springer siting right beside him with Viper coiled in front, Skyler and Astro on either side while Riptide and Prongs sat the furthest back.

Once they had all finished their food, Flash tried to get comfortable and go to sleep. But even though the cave was dry, the lumpy rock wasn't comfortable, his Pokémon soon trying to help him. Viper was the first, slithering over to Flash and coiling behind his back. "Viper?" He asked as the Vipeacon did this, Springer then jumping onto his lap and pushing him back so he leaned against Viper. "Springer?" Astro then lifted his tail and placed it on top of Viper's back, giving Flash a comfortable pillow to rest his head on. "Astro?" Skyler hopped over and raised his wings so that they covered Flash's chest, Springer adjusting his head so it was hidden under the wing. "Skyler?" Riptide and Prongs walked over and leaned against Viper and Skyler to keep them both protected from any stray rain that flew into the cover. "Riptide...Prongs?" Finally, Viper radiated heat from his body. Not enough to cause a flame, but enough to keep Flash and the others warm. They were all huddled up together, the sight making Flash well up tears, "My...my friends."

The teen quickly wrapped his arms around Springer and held him tightly. "Thank you. All of you. You guys really are the best." His Pokémon happily called back that he was also the best, the seven snuggling closer to one another.

And as Flash soon fell asleep, he dreamed about everything he and his Pokémon had been through. The many challenges, obstacles, and strong opponents they had overcome. It hadn't been easy, but they had managed to stand tall against them because they were together. No doubt there would be many other challenges waiting, but as long as they stood together, nothing would stop them.





The next morning...

The dark clouds from the night before had completely vanished, allowing the light of the raising sun to shine brightly into the forest. The water still covering the trees and the grass reflected the light, causing it to shine right into the cave and hit Flash in the face. He flinched at this, his eyes slowly opening as he glanced down and saw his Pokémon all huddled around him to keep their trainer warm.

"Guys..." he started shaking them, "It's morning." The Pokémon start to respond, all opening their eyes. They glanced around, now seeing he was right and got up, all stretching themselves out. Flash let out a yawn and reached for his bag, pulling it open and staring at the pocket for food...and it was empty. "Looks like that's the end of our camping trip." He then grabbed Twilight's journal, a light glowing off it. "Twilight must have sent me something..."

His eyes darted over the words and read aloud, "The battlefield's completed inspection and will be ready for Shining and us whenever we're up for it." He looked up at his team, all standing tall in response. "Nice. We're ready." He quickly sent a message back to Twilight, telling her he and his team were on their way back. "Let's go." They all nodded and once Flash had packed everything into his bag, they left the cave and began to make their way for Canterlot.

It didn't take long for them to get to the edge of the forest, arriving at an area that was atop a hill that gave them all a great view of the city. Flash smiled at the sight, seeing it was the same place he and Springer had been the first time they had come to Canterlot. A lot had happened since that day, and Flash wasn't the same naive boy he had been back then.

"Ri," Springer's ears flickered, making his teammates look down at him.

"What's up?" Springer replied by turning back into the forest and running down into the trees, "Springer!" Flash and his Pokémon raced after the wayward Riolu, a noise soon hitting Flash's ears that brought back many memories. "Water?" The sound of a running stream grew louder at this as Springer began to slow down.

And after a minute or so of running, the seven arrived at the destination Springer had been seeking out. It was an average sized lake with a river running into it, a layer of mist coming off the water. A place Flash and Springer had been too only once, but they would never ever forget. "This is..." Flash walked up and placed his hand in the water, "Where we met Pegasoar for the first time."

Springer stepped up next to Flash, the trainer turning to see him staring at the other side of the lake. Flash followed his eyes and went wide-eyed as he whispered, "Pegasoar..."

Standing on the far side of the lake, his form previously obscured by the now fading mist, was the Legendary Flying-type. The winged horse Pokémon was staring back at Flash, who slowly stood up without taking his eyes off the Legendary. "It's you."

"Soar," Pegasoar nodded. Flash remained completely still, unable to do anything but think back to that day. And as he did, something clicked in his mind.

"It was you." Pegasoar tilted its head as he continued, "If you hadn't shown yourself to me that day, I would have gotten to Professor Celestia's Lab a lot sooner. I would have been registered for the Pokémon League and left before Lightning arrived." He smiled at the Legendary. "It's thanks to you that my rivalry with Lightning started. It's thanks to you that I battled him, stayed in Canterlot overnight and helped save Champagoon. You're the reason Celestia trusted me to look after Twilight, so I could journey with her and Spike. Everything I've done since I met you, everything I've learned and done...it's all thanks to you."

"Peg," the Soaring Wing Pokémon spread its wings and calmly flew over to Flash. The teen backpedaled as the Pokémon landed in front of him, Flash smiling as he carefully reached out and started petting Pegasoar's mane.

"Thank you, for helping me become the trainer I am today." Pegasoar nodded. "You chose me to be your champion because you saw something in me. I'm glad I was able to live up to your expectations." Pegasoar nodded again as Flash thought about every time he had helped someone or saved some part of Equestria. "If I become Champion, I promise I'll do whatever it takes to keep this region safe. Heck, even if I don't, I'll still do it." He glanced around at this, the teen thinking back to all the incredible places he had seen on his journey. "Equestria is an amazing place, and no matter what, I won't let anyone or anything hurt it." He turned to Pegasoar, "I'll keep it safe."

Pegasoar smiled and with one final nod, he flared his wings. Flash and his team stepped aside, allowing Pegasoar open range to start running, galloping along the grassy terrain before leaping upward, spreading his wings and taking to the sky. The seven watched as the Legendary flew away and disappeared into the clouds, Flash smiling every second.

"I promise," he repeated. "Equestria will remain safe as long as I'm around."





Back in Canterlot, Twilight, Doc and Spike were standing at the city's entrance waiting for Flash to return. The Equestria League representatives had contacted them that morning, asking if Flash would be ready to battle the next day. Fearing they would force Flash to forfeit if they said no, Twilight had agreed and now they needed to get Flash back to the city. Luckily, Flash had sent a message to them saying he was on their way.

"What's taking him so long?" Spike asked, pacing side to side in front of the city entrance. It was clear he had taken on some of Twilight's bad qualities while Twilight calmly stood there.

"Relax Spike. He has all day to get back here. There's plenty of time before we have to-" She stopped and smiled, making Spike and Doc turn to her.

The pair followed her glance and saw seven figures making their way up to them. Flash led the group, Springer and Riptide on either side of him with Prongs and Viper on the outer line while Skyler and Astro flew above them.

"Flash!" Spike cheered, Peewee happily roaring as the seven reached them. "We were worried you weren't gonna get here!"

"Um...thanks?" Flash laughed, "Nice to know you have so much faith in me."

Twilight stepped up and glanced over Flash's team, smiling at the sight before raising an eyebrow at the teen, "I hope you weren't messing around out there."

"Nope," Flash replied, "We pushed ourselves as much as possible."

"Well, you'd better spend the rest of the day resting up," Doc responded, "We don't want you losing tomorrow because you exhausted yourself by training to much." Flash nodded in agreement, then noticed something behind his friends. The others spun around, now seeing Shining, Cadance, Celestia and Luna all making their way up to them.

Flash and his Pokémon walked past his friends, Shining now stopping in front of him and staring down the young challenger. Their eyes locked before flickering to the teen's Pokémon. It was clear just from looking at them that the six were even stronger than when they had beaten Lightning.

"Alright," he nodded, "I'll see you on the battlefield." He turned to walk away, "Don't be late." Flash nodded and Shining left with the professors, the seven standing firm together. Everyone who saw this knew Flash was gonna be in for the fight of his life.

"This is gonna be awesome," Spike chuckled.

Doc nodded, "They're probably two of the strongest trainers Equestria has ever seen. A battle against them is gonna be the fight of the decade."

Twilight giggled before patting Flash's shoulder, the teen turning to her as she winked at him, "I know you can do it."





The next day...

All of Equestria was hyped beyond belief, every street in every town empty as their residents were now all sitting in front of the nearest television. In the stadium itself, Twilight, Doc, Spike, Cloud, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Trixie and even Sunset were sitting in the stands, the Gym Leaders also in their box and the professors were in the commentators' booth.

Inside his waiting room, Flash and Springer sat. He spent his time calmly polishing his Pokeballs, the only thing he could think of to calm his nerves. He slowly rubbed Springer's Premier-Ball and pulled the cloth away to see it shine in the light, making him smirk as he held the ball up to the Riolu. "What do you think?"

"Ri..." Springer nodded as he saw himself in the Pokeball's reflection. Flash chuckled and put the ball down next to the others, all of which looked brand spanking new. But before he could think of something else to keep himself busy, the door knocked and opened to show a stadium worker.

"It's time." Flash nodded, collected his Pokeballs and stepped out of the room with Springer.

This was it. The final battle to determine Flash's future. Would it end in his victory, or crushing defeat? Only time would tell. As the journey...continues.
> Stand and Fight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"WAZ-UUUUUP!" Present Mic yelled to the entire audience. "Well, this is it folks! We've had an amazing Equestria League this year, but now it's time for the closing event. The battle to determine whether or not we'll be getting a new champion!"

Up in the stands, Twilight and the rest of Flash's friends were all cheering, ready to see the start of the match.

"Let's welcome this year's hopeful challenger. He's faced many powerful opponents leading up to this point, and now he hopes to claim victory one last time and earn the title of Equestria League Champion. Please welcome to the stage, Flash...SENTRY!"

The crowd cheered as Flash and Springer stepped onto the red podium, smiling as they waved at the crowd. He turned to his friends, all nodding at him before he looked back at the cameras, realizing the whole of Equestria was watching him.





In a town several miles away from Canterlot in the town's Pokémon Center, a bunch of trainers were watching the battle unfold on the center's tv. As this happened, Derpy gave Nurse Redheart a package before her Swirlutz tugged at her pant leg, the girl soon watching the match with her Pokémon.





In Fillydelphia, Pharynx and Ocellus were in the gym watching. Ocellus was patting a Grubirth calmly while Pharynx had his Kingsect bring in an extra tv to show the other Pokémon there the match.





On the edge of the Ghastly Gorge, Solid Stone was watching a small tv, amazed the kid he let pass through the gorge had survived and had also won the Equestria League.





In the Baltimare's Pokémon Center, Cheese Sandwich and his Bloxx all watched the battle.

Pinkie and Maud's family were also watching. Despite their rather dull expressions, they were excited to see if the trainer that beat their daughter could win against the champion.





In a large mansion somewhere in the countryside, Fancy Pants and Fleur were watching a large TV while their Persian and Furfrou sat beside them.





Over at Camp Everfree, Gloriosa and Timber had returned to the camp after Timber lost. Glorisa had to drag Timber to the tv, the teen still angry about what had happened. This was followed by his Breloom helping Glorisa get Timber on the couch to watch the match.





Speed Demon, Track Starr, Manectric and Arcanine were also watching. They were hoping that Hopper would be in this battle, but would be fine if Flash just won the whole thing.





At Cherry Hill Ranch, Cherry Jubilee and her Scrapound worker watched eagerly. They had been shocked when they learned about Sombra's true self and how Flash had led the charge to defeat him. Now here he was, trying to stand as Equestria's strongest.





In a town just outside the Grand Desert, a teen and his Shadusk stepped out of the police station. They had just been released from their imprisonment for good behavior and were eager to start their new life off on the right foot, all the while wondering what the ones who had put them on this path were doing.





In Appaloosa, Thunderhooves and Strongheart were watching along with the rest of their tribe as the teen who helped Thunderhooves see the good in modern technology took the stage.





In Cloudsdale, Rainbow and Fluttershy's parents were watching. Bow and Windy had been upset when Rainbow was beaten, but were glad her friend was able to avenge her and was now preparing to take on the Champion.





In the Dragon Kingdom, Hopper watched the TV closely along with Princess, Ryu and Kaida. They were all rooting for Flash, the other dragon Pokémon around them all cheering and roaring.





At the Pokérus Training Grounds, Swift Knuckles sat on the floor, watching as Flash took the stage. Clearly, he had taken what he had learned there to heart.





Over in Vocanctus, Terramar and Silverstream watched as the winner of the Ocean Champions tournament prepared for battle. In another city, Wingill and his Reptidal Fin were also watching, both growling at the screen.





Over in Manehatten, Coco and Fee-Fee watched from their store. Though Springer wasn't wearing the clothes she had given him, she knew he was still feeling the confidence they gave him.





Poindexter and his Smooze were watching from his lab, Poindexter trying to figure out if Flash had a mathematical chance at defeating Shining. But his research only threw up a fifty-fifty percent chance.





On his estate, Baron Von Babbelon was watching the match with his daughter and son-in-law.





In another town, Sonata and her sisters watched the battle. "Come on," she whispered, "I know you can do it." She was practically vibrating on her seat, "You can win." Her sisters giggled at her, their Popplios all cheering with Sonata.





Finally, Lightning, Grand and their Pokemon were all watching from a Center in the woods. Grand smiled while Lightning was simply watching stoically.





Back in the stadium, trainers who had lost in the tournament were also waiting. Heath, Micro, Sandalwood, Sugarcoat and so many more couldn't wait to see if Flash could actually pull this victory off. Many had high hopes while others were sceptical, and a few believed that Shining Armor was gonna crush the would-be upstart. But only time would tell as the lights suddenly switch off and bathed everyone in darkness before a single spotlight illuminated the blue podium.

"And now!" Present Mic continued as a figure began to walk out of the darkness, "Let's welcome to the stage a man who needs no introduction. Planning to protect his title for a seventh year in a row, the all mighty knight that stands for truth, justice and the Equestrian way. Our champion. Shining...ARMOR!"

The crowd loudly cheered as Shining stepped into the light and headed up the podium. As he did, his coat fluttered in the wind while he stared at his opponent. A smile could be seen on his face as he and Flash locked eyes.

"Alright kid...you did it. You pushed yourself beyond your limits and faced your own shortcomings to get to this point. In face of the losses you've suffered on the road getting to this point, you took those defeats and used them as motivation to get stronger. Gone is the naive, fool-hearty kid I once saw stand up to a murderous Lucario. Now stands before me a confident, strong, kind man who has defeated gym after gym with the friends he has made." He reached the end of his podium and looked Flash over. "I'll confess, part of me wants to lose to you right now." He shook his head, "But no...that would be pity. And you don't deserve that type of disrespect. So...I will go all out." He slowly raised his hand up as he talked. "I will do my very best to crush you and your Pokemon. Why?" He then dropped his arm and pointed at Flash so fast Flash felt the wind come off it, "Because you...have earned...my...RESPECT!" With that, fireworks exploded out of the podium beside him and filled the stadium with light.

The crowd cheered as the last of the fireworks went off, the lights coming back on as Flash said, "Thanks Shining. And you're right, I don't want your pity. If I'm gonna win this battle, is gonna be after I beat you at your best with my own strength." Shining laughed back and nodded, Rotom Drone flying down and hovered above the pit.

"The battle between Flash Sentry and Shining Armor is about to begin," it chimed in, "The battle will be a full six on six battle, and when three of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle, there will be a temporary break and the battlefield will change. Only when all of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle will the battle be over." As it said that, the sound of gears and mechanisms filled the air, everybody looking down as the battlefield raised up.

"It's time to see which of two battlefields our future champion will be battling on." With that, the battlefield was revealed to be one covered by a grassy terrain. But that wasn't all, as multiple pools of water could be seen in several different locations. "It's the grass and water field. It'll be interesting to see which what this choice of terrain will do to the battler's strategy."

"That's a good battlefield for Riptide and Prongs," Rarity commented.

"But Viper will have trouble with the water," Twilight pointed out, "Flash'll probably choose to keep him back until after the field change if he can help it."

"Skyler and Astro probably won't have much issue here," Cloud added, "It all depends on what Pokémon Shining Armor has brought to the party."

They all nodded and looked back at the field, as Shining took out a Pokeball. "Alright Flash," he enlarged it. "Time to show you what being a champion is all about. You might think you stand a chance with all the training you've done, but if you think that means you'll get an easy win, then you don't stand a ghost of a chance." With that, he threw the Pokeball. In a burst of red light, the Ghost-type Banshriek appeared and floated above the battlefield.

"Ban," it wailed while hovering above a pool of water.

"Banshriek," Flash whispered as Springer growled. He remembered their last match against Banshriek and how bad it had gone. Springer might have learned Bone Rush then, but they had still lost.

Flash turned to him and shook his head, "Sorry bud. I know you wanna even the score after last time, but with everything going on, I think we should go with our team's ghost buster." Springer turned to nod at him, knowing the battle was more important than his pride. "Alright then!" He took out a Pokeball, "Let's do this! Skyler, I choose you!" He threw the ball into the air and his Tornavian appeared, taking to the sky.

"TORE!" He swirled in the air, stopping and glaring over at Banshriek.

Mic: "It's Tornavian verses Banshriek."

Celestia: "An excellent choice by Flash, given his Tornavian's immunity to Banshriek's best moves."

Cadance: "But Shining will be used to facing off against opponents with a type advantage. Flash shouldn't take this battle lightly."

Luna: "This match will either prove why Shining gained the championship title, or show how far Flash has grown as a trainer. Either way, it'll be a sight to behold."

"Indeed!" Present Mic stood up. "This is it, the championship match! The winner will be crowned the strongest trainer in Equestria, and the loser will be part of history and have their head held high. Rotom!" The drone projected the holographic screen, showing the numbers that began to count down. "Let's get this battle started. In three...two...OOOOOOONE! BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Steel Wing!" Flash ordered as Skyler charged, his wings glowing bright as he zeroed in on Banshriek.

"Sucker Punch!" Suddenly, Banshriek teleported across the field and threw its ghostly fist right into Skyler's chest. The bird squawked as he was knocked back, falling back before flaring his wings and flying back up.

Luna: "Flash calls out the first move, but it's Shining who lands the first hit. Showing that even with a type disadvantage, the right move can make all the difference."

"Aerial Ace!" Flash added, Skyler flying up before dive-bombing.

"Dark Pulse!" Banshriek pulled one of its hands into its oversized sleeve before pointing it at Skyler, a stream of dark energy rings exploding out at the Flying-type.

"Tore!" Skyler spun mid-air and dodged the attack, shooting past Banshriek before curving upward and slamming into the Ghost-type. Banshriek cried out as it was knocked back, Skyler flapping away next as Banshriek stopped itself above one of the pools.

"Steel Wing!" Skyler dived again, his wings glowing. But as he reached the pool and skimmed along the surface, Shining called out another attack.

"Ghostly Wail!" This surprised everyone, as they knew that attack wouldn't hurt Skyler.

"Ban...SHRIEK!" The Ghost-type wailed, unleashed another powerful soundwave that echoed throughout the battlefield. Almost everyone covered their ears, though Skyler didn't seem to even hear the cry. However, the soundwaves struck the water on the pool and caused it to be send it flying towards Skyler in the form of a massive wave.

"Tore?" Skyler asked as he saw the wave, "Nay!" He was struck by the wave, pushing him down as his Steel Wing faded.

"Skyler!" Flash gasped as Banshriek stopped screaming. A moment later, the water broke and Skyler could be seen flopping around in the water. Clearly, the Flying-type wasn't built for swimming. "You gotta get out of there!"

"Too late," Shining yelled, "Dark Pulse!" Banshriek fired the energy rings again, the stream hitting the water and making it explode. Skyler cried out as he was blasted out of the water, only to crash into the dirt.

"No!" Flash cried, Springer yipping at his teammate to get up. And as Skyler began to struggle to his feet, Banshriek flew in close to him. "Steel Wing!" As Banshriek got within striking range, Skyler spun around and slashed at it with his wings.

"Shriek!"

"Shadow Claw, on the ground!" Banshriek's razor-like claws glowed as it spun around and hit the ground, which had turned muddy thanks to the water blasted out of the nearby pool. The mud flew into the air and hit Skyler in the eyes, making the bird squawk as he staggered back. "Now use Dark Pulse!"

"Ban!" Banshriek flew around Skyler and launched the dark rings from its sleeve, about to hit the bird as it tried to get the mud out of his eyes.

"Get out of there!" Flash told Skyler, only for the Dark Pulse to slam into his back.

"TORE!" He was blasted into one of the pools, stopping just before he fell into the water. Flash grimaced at this, only for a bulb to go off in his head...and then Shining gave the command he had been hoping for.

"Another Dark Pulse!" Banshriek flew up and fired the attack, which shot straight for Skyler.

"Fly straight up!" Skyler heard this and with all his strength, he kicked off the ground and took to the air. The Dark Pulse hit the water, causing it to explode and sending a burst of the liquid into the air. "Now look down!" Skyler did and ended up getting a face full of water.

Everyone watched as the water washed away the mud, allowing Skyler to open his eyes, "Tore!" he cheered.

Mic: "Wow. Talk about impressive. Flash managed to turn his opponent's attack to his advantage and clean his Pokémon's eyes."

Celestia: "Sometimes, the best way to win a fight is to let your opponent defeat themselves."

Flash pointed at Banshriek, "Use Aerial Ace!" Skyler dived down for Banshriek, instantly slamming into the ghost.

"Tore/Ban!" They both screamed, the blow sending the Scream Pokémon flying back.

"Now, Tornado Burst!" Skyler began to spin into the tornado as Banshriek recovered while floating over to one of the pools.

"Shadow Claw!" Shining ordered, Banshriek summoning the energy around its razor blade fingers. It then slammed both hands into the pool as Skyler exploded out of the tornado. The energy of the Shadow Claw caused the water to evaporate, creating a cloud of steam around Banshriek that Skyler flew into. This allowed Banshriek to dodge the attack, Skyler unable to see. He flew out of the steam and found himself skimming along the ground, only to hear Shining call out again.

"Dark Pulse!" Banshriek appeared above Skyler and fired the energy rings from its sleeves, hitting Skyler in the back.

"TORNAVIAN!" He yelped as he was flung into the ground, the rings pounding him.

Mic: "Ouch! That bombardment's gotta hurt!"

Luna: "Skyler needs to find a way to escape the attack. The way he's pinned down has him trapped."

Cadance: "If Flash doesn't find a way to get him out of there soon, he's gonna be in trouble."

The dark rings stopped at this, Banshriek floating away from Skyler. The bird tried to push himself up at this, but he appeared to be having trouble lifting his own weight. "Come on Skyler!" Flash called out, "You can do it!" Skyler tried, but he just couldn't lift himself up.

"This could be the end of Skyler," Twilight gulped.

Flash watched as Skyler appeared helpless, only to take a deep breath, "Skyler, get up! You're stronger than this! You've always pushed yourself, ever since the first day we met. You've aimed for the sky again and again, and you've pushed passed your limits and reached your goals!" Skyler heard this and looked up at his trainer, seeing the grin on his face, "I believe in you Skyler. Do you believe in yourself?"

Skyler replied by pushing himself back to his feet and spreading his wings. "TORNAVIAN!"

Mic: "Tornavian is back up and looking ready to do some serious damage!"

Cadance: "Flash's belief in his Pokémon sure is inspiring."

"Steel Wing!" Flash ordered, Skyler leaping into the air.

"Dark Pulse!" Shining countered as Banshriek unleashed the dark energy rings, but Skyler spun in the air, dodging the attack as his wings glowed. And with a mighty cry, he swooped down and started slashing at the Scream Pokémon again and again. Banshriek cried out with every hit, only to yank away after a fifth blow.

"Tornado Burst!" Shining watched as Skyler flew up and began to spin.

"Sucker Punch!" Banshriek shot up as the tornado exploded, Skyler dashing out as Banshriek suddenly faded out of existence for a single moment as Skyler flew past him. A moment later, Banshriek appeared and tried to punch him in the back, but Skyler barrel-rolled out of the way, not losing any momentum from the Tornado Burst and circling around to tackle the ghost head on.

"Ban!" The ghost yelped as he was knocked into one of the pools, Skyler following after him.

"Shadow Claw!" As it skimmed along the water, Banshriek slashed at it with the energy claws and created another steam cloud.

"Aerial Ace!" Skyler accelerated and flew into the cloud as Banshriek flew up out of it. But before Shining could order another attack, Skyler shot out of the top of the cloud.

"TORE!" He roared as he slammed into Banshriek.

"Finish this!" Flash called out, his next two words shocking almost everyone in the audience. "Giga Impact!"

"Is he nuts?!" Rainbow yelped as Skyler flew straight up, circling around before dive-bombing, "That attack's not gonna hurt it!"

"It'll just phase right through it," Sunset added as the energy slipstream appeared around Skyler. However, Banshriek just stood there, staring at the bird as he charged at him.

"Flash!" Pinkie continued, "Don't do it!"

"You'll leave yourself open to an attack!" Fluttershy finished, Twilight, Spike and Doc all smiling and sharing a look that told one another they weren't gonna ruin the surprise for everyone.

Mic: "Flash seems to have forgotten that Normal-type attacks are useless against Ghost-types. Not the type of mistake you'd expect to see from someone attempting to steal the title of champion."

Celestia: "Maybe..."

Luna: "Or maybe Flash knows something we don't."

Shining frowned as he watched Skyler rocket closer towards Banshriek. "Flash, I expected more from you. You normally wouldn't make such a rookie mistake." He glanced down at Flash and saw him smiling, making him grimace, "Which means this isn't a mistake! Banshriek, get out of there!"

"Ban?" The Ghost-type asked, looking back up at the oncoming Giga Impact. But before it could try and escape, the meteor slammed into it. And instead of phasing through it like Banshriek expected, the Scream Pokémon was blasted back by force. "BANSHRIEK!" It cried out before hitting the ground and skidding along it until it fell into one of the pools.

Everyone in the stadium gasped at this, more so when Banshriek floated to the surface of the pool with swirls in its eyes. The Rotom Drone flew down and scanned the Ghost-type as Skyler glided down and landed in front of Flash.

"Banshriek is unable to battle. Tornavian is the winner." The crowd was absolutely stunned, many unable to process what had just happened before cheers came out of their mouths. Shining returned his Pokémon, while Mic asked what everyone was wondering.

Mic: "What...just happened?"

Celestia: "Banshriek was beaten using Giga Impact."

Mic: "But how?"

Luna: "Hmm...I would assume it was likely Tornavian's ability: Scrappy, which allows Normal and Fighting-type attacks to hit Ghost-types."

Cadance: "Shining realized this, but not fast enough to save Banshriek. Flash certainly pulled the wool over everyone's eyes."

Mic: "Indeed. And now Flash has taken the first win of the match."

"Alright!" Spike cheered, "Way to go Flash!"

"He certainly had me worried there," Rarity sighed, "But I should have known Flash wouldn't make such a basic error." They all nodded as Flash took out a Pokeball.

"Take a break for now bud," he told Skyler before pulling him back inside the ball. As he did, Shining took out another Pokeball.

"Alright Flash," he threw it into the air and caught it. "I'll admit you caught me by surprise there. But I don't fall for the same trick twice. You were able to handle Banshriek's speed, but can you handle a more defensive battle style? Ankyload!" He threw the ball, "Stand strong!" In a flash, the giant Fossil Pokémon appeared.

"Key!" It roared, stomping his feet onto the ground.

Mic: "Shining's second Pokémon is Ankyload! Talk about a powerhouse!"

Luna: "Personal story: I was actually the one to revive that Ankyload back as an Armadiload. It soon evolved and went on a rampage that I barely managed to stop with the help of the very same trainer now battling Ankyload. Afterwards, I sent it to Shining because I knew the champion would be able to teach it to control itself in this new world. Glad to see I was right."

Celestia: "Flash is gonna need something tough if he wants to beat such a powerful Armadiload."

"Alright," Flash turned to his Riolu, "You're up Springer!" He nodded and ran out onto the field, ready to do battle.

Mic: "It's Ankyload verses Riolu. Big and strong against small and quick. Which will claim victory?"

"Aura Sphere!" Flash yelled, Springer firing the orb at the dinosaur...who just stood there.

"Tail Hammer!" It spun around with a glowing tail, the mace on the end hitting the orb and exploding.

"Bone Rush!" Springer formed the bone staff and leapt at Ankyload, landing on his shell and started swinging his weapon.

"Ri!" He roared, hitting the shell in several different places, causing scratches to appear. But before he could do anything else, Ankyload started bucking like a bronco, throwing him off, "Rio!" He hit the floor, his staff remaining intact as Ankyload raised a foot.

"Body Slam!" Ankyload slammed his foot down, but Springer managed to roll onto his back and use his staff to block it. The Riolu winced at the force as he felt the dinosaur push down on him.

"Get out of there!" Flash added, Springer putting some extra effort into pushing Ankyload back. And with one solid heave, the foot came off him and he managed to roll out from under it just in time. "Now, Aura Sphere!" He fired the orb and it struck Ankyload in the face, but the Rock Steel-type just walked through the attack.

"Ancient Power!" Ankyload glowed before a light flew off him and formed an orb, which it shot toward Springer.

"RI!" Springer yelped as he was blasted back, Ankyload charging as he hit the dirt.

"Heavy Slam!" Leaping onto its back feet, Ankyload prepared to smash both feet into Springer, only for the Riolu to roll away just in time.

"Extreme Speed!" Springer got to his feet before shooting off, lightning sparking around him as he circled the dinosaur and started repeatedly slamming a fist or foot into him. But the Fossil Pokémon didn't even seem phased, Springer charging and preparing to slam his foot into Ankyload's side.

"Block it!" Ankyload shifted his body so Springer hit its shell. "Tail Hammer!" As Springer bounced off the hard surface, Ankyload swung its tail and smacked the Riolu.

"RIOLU!" Springer screamed as he was sent flying over a pond.

"Springer!" Flash cried as he bounced along the battlefield, moaning when he came to a stop.

"This isn't good," Twilight gulped, "That was probably a critical hit."

"That Ankyload's got major power," Rainbow added.

"You gotta be careful Flash!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Springer!" Flash called out, "Come on back bud." Springer pushed himself back to his feet and rushed back over to Flash, who patted him on the head. "It's alright. Take a break for now and be ready for later." Springer nodded as Flash took out a Pokeball, "Now then. Astro," he threw it, "I choose you!"

Everyone watched as the Dragon Dark-type appeared on the field, then took to the air. "Galvern!"

Mic: "Flash switches Riolu for Galvern. Will it be able to do what its teammate couldn't?"

"Dragon Pulse!" Astro open his mouth and launched the dragon-shaped laser at the Fossil Pokemon...who just stood there.

"Ancient Power!" Ankyload formed the light sphere and fired it, hitting the Dragon Pulse and causing an explosion. But Astro quickly flew into the smoke, Flash calling for a Dragon Claw attack as he flew out of the fog.

"Gal!" His claws glowed as he slashed into Ankyload, but the dinosaur spun around, the claw hitting the shell.

"Sorry Flash," Shining chuckled while shaking his head, "But Ankyload's shell is so hard that nothing'll get through it." He pointed at his Pokémon, "Tail Hammer!" Ankyload swung his tail and smacked Astro in the head.

"GAL!" He cried as he was knocked back, Ankyload smirking. Astro staggered but stayed on his feet, shaking his head before turning back to Ankyload. Preparing to slash at him, he growled before seeing that the Fossil Pokémon had vanished. "Gal?"

"No way!" He heard Flash cry, right as the sun appeared to be blocked out. Astro looked up and saw that the thing that blocked the sun...was Ankyload. "It can jump that high?!"

"Heavy Slam!" Shining ordered as Ankyload fell down and belly-flopped into Astro.

"Gal!" Astro yelped as he barely managed to hold his gauntlets up to block, catching the giant Pokémon...only to find himself struggling under its weight. "Vern..." one of his legs gave out, now falling onto one knee.

"Astro!" Flash gasped, Springer crying out to him.

"This is bad," Twilight gulped, "Ankyload's so heavy that there's no way Astro can lift it."

"Flash has to find a way to get it off of him and fast," Doc added, "But how?"

Flash blinked at the sight, only to gasp, "That's it!" He pointed at Astro, "Dragon Pulse!" Astro, struggling under the weight, opened his mouth and unleashed the dragonic energy and it fired into Ankyload's stomach.

"Ank!" Ankyload roared as it felt the force push it upward, giving Astro the extra leverage he needed to throw it off before taking to the air.

Mic: "Impressive! Despite Ankyload's weight, Galvern was able to escape from under it."

Cadance: "But I can't imagine Galvern got out of that unscathed."

"Shadow Ball, multiple blasts!" Flash commanded as Astro began firing the orbs of dark energy, all raining down on Ankyload. But the Iron Shell Pokémon used its armored back to defend against them as Shining gave his own order.

"Ancient Power!" As the last Shadow Ball struck it, Ankyload summoned the light and fired the sphere, hitting Astro in the wing.

"Gal!" He cried as he fell down, barely managing to glide away from a pond and landing on its edge.

"Tail Hammer!" Shining ordered, Ankyload charging as Astro tried to pick himself up.

"KYLO!" It roared before spinning around and smashing its mace into Astro's chest, the Dragon Dark-type crying out as he was sent flying back into the pool.

"Mic: "OUCH! That had to hurt! And I'm not sure Galvern can swim."

"Astro!" Flash cried as his Pokémon thrashed around in the water, giving him no other choice. "Return!" He sucked his Galvern back into the ball as Ankyload stomped its feet on the ground. "You did great, but I think I know how to take this thing down." He took out a Pokeball and quickly threw it. "Viper, I choose you!" The fire snake appeared and landed on the ground, staring warily at the water around him.

Celestia: "Interesting choice to switch out Galvern with his Vipeacon."

Luna: "Indeed. Ankyload's Steel-typing will make it immune to Poison, while the Rock-typing with protect it somewhat from Fire."

"What's Flash thinking?" Rainbow asked, "Viper's gonna have a really hard time against Ankyload."

"And the water coverin' the field ain't gonna help him much," Applejack added, everybody frowning in agreement, but Twilight turned to give them a reassuring look.

"Flash must have a plan. We just have to believe he can do it." They turned to her, then nodded in agreement as Flash called out his attack.

"Flamethrower!" Viper unleashed a blast of fire in Ankyload's direction, the ancient Pokémon quickly turning so the fire struck its tough shell. As this happened, Viper slithered up to it. "Now use Pyro Coil!" Viper leapt and wrapped around the giant's front right leg, biting onto the end of his tail, unleashing a burst of fire into it. This caused his body to ignite, burning away at Ankyload's leg.

"LOAD!" He roared before Viper leapt off, landing a good distance away while Ankyload's leg continued to burn. "Ank!" It stomped it on the ground several times until the flames went out, though everyone could still see the burn marks on it.

"You okay?" Shining asked, getting a nod from Ankyload. "Alright," he turned to see Viper slithering up again, "Tail Hammer!" Ankyload charged at this, only to stumble due to the leg's injury. It got in close to Viper and swung its glowing tail, but Viper yanked his body back, dodging the mace.

"Flamethrower, and aim for its other leg!" Viper flipped back like a spring and hissed as he unleashed a burst of fire, which struck Ankyload's back left leg, making it flinch.

"Of course!" Doc cheered, "Flash is trying to slow Ankyload down. If it hurts to walk, Ankyload's not gonna be able to throw its bulky weight around. That's why Flash picked Viper." The others smiled when they realized Doc was right, watching as Viper slithered all around Ankyload as the Rock Steel-type tried to hit him with its tail, but couldn't move fast enough.

"Smart move Flash," Twilight cheered as Viper leapt onto Ankyload's back.

"Flamethrower!" Viper quickly unleashing a burst of fire that struck the back of Ankyload's head, the Fossil Pokémon roaring in pain before glaring back at him.

"Heavy Slam!" Shining yelled, Ankyload pushing through its pain and thrusting itself back onto its back feet before falling toward the ground with its shell pointed downward.

"Vi!" Viper hissed as he tried to leap off, but it was too late as the shell came crashing down on top of him. "PEACON!" Luckily, none of the spikes on Ankyload's back pressed into him, but he was still forced to endure ten tons of pressure on him.

"Viper!" Flash gasped as Ankyload rolled back onto its feet and got off the snake. Viper hissed as he pushed himself up, the attack appearing to have done a lot of damage. "You alright?"

"Vi?" Viper nodded as Shining smirked.

"You shouldn't get too cocky," he told the teen, "Your strategy was good, but it's not flawless." He pointed at Viper, "Ancient Power!" Ankyload roared as the energy surrounded it, then flew off to form the sphere.

"Dodge it!" Viper leapt to the side, seconds before the orb struck the ground and exploded.

"Vi!" He yelped, getting hit by the shockwave and knocked back to the edge of one of the pools. Seeing this, Viper panicked and pushed himself away before Ankyload could try and knock him in it.

"Body Slam!" Ankyload stomped toward Viper, the ground and pool shaking with every step, arriving right above the Vipeacon before raising its foot to slam it down. Viper tried to escape, but wasn't able to slither away before the end of his tail was stomped on.

"Vi!" He cried, his eyes filling with tears, but he fought through the pain and turned to Ankyload.

"Crunch!" Viper thrust his head and bit into the area of Ankyload's leg that wasn't covered in armor. Ankyload flinched, causing it to loosen its hold on Viper's tail, pulling the snake free. "Flamethrower!" Before Ankyload could pull back, Viper unleashed a blast of fire right into its face. The Fossil Pokémon roared at the flames, only for Shining to give a command.

"Tail Hammer!" Ankyload spun around and swung its mace-tipped tail, Viper not being able to cut the power to his Flamethrower in time to avoid it.

"VI!" He cried as he was slammed into the air and thrown back, unfortunately landing in one of the pools.

"Viper!" Flash gasped, Viper thrashing around as the water was like acid to him. He then pulled himself up and out of it, but he was soaking wet and heavily panting.

Mic: "That dip can't have done him any favors."

Celestia: "I'd be surprised if Viper can even ignite his flame right now."

Viper tried to ignite his back fire, but all he got was some puffs of smoke. "Viper!" Flash gasped as Ankyload began to stomp over to him, "Flamethrower!" Viper tried to shoot out the fire, but again all he got was smoke. "No!"

"Body Slam!" Viper leapt to the side to avoid Ankyload trying to crush him under its foot, barely managing to escape.

"Viper!" Flash yelled out, "Come on! You've always been stubborn. It's one of the reasons I decided to catch you when we first met! You never let anything get in your way. Even if there should have been no possible way to beat someone or do something, you kept going until you won! You have the strength to stand your ground against any opponent." As he said that, Shining called out for Ankyload to use Ancient Power. "I know you can beat this guy! You just have to dig deep and find that fiery determination that drew me to you!"

"KYLO!" The dinosaur fired the orb.

"Viper!" Flash screamed, "Flamethrower!" Viper went wide-eyed at Flash's words, only to close his eyes and felt a new heat suddenly surge through him. His eyes shot open as the flames appeared around his body.

"VIPEACON!" He hissed before unleashing a blast of fire, striking the Ancient Power and pushing it back.

"Ank?" Ankyload cried as its attack was thrown back at it, the sphere exploding in his face before the flames blasted his entire body. His entire form was now burning, Viper slithering up to him. And as the flames faded, Viper got between its front legs and shot under the dinosaur.

"Heavy Slam!" Ankyload jumped up, ready to crush Viper beneath its bulk, but the snake leapt away, the belly-flop just hitting the ground and making it shake. This allowed Viper to leap for Ankyload's tail.

"Crunch!" Viper bit down on the mace, Ankyload flinching, but getting ready to smash Viper with its tail. But before it could, Viper was ready. "FLING IT!" Viper, to everyone's utter amazement, was actually able to pull Ankyload around by its tail. And before the Fossil Pokémon could get up, Viper began to swing it around and around.

Mic: "WOW! How on earth is Vipeacon swinging something so heavy?!"

Luna: "Flash did say he was stubborn. I guess even the laws of physics aren't enough to slow him down."

Finally, Viper let go and Ankyload was sent flying into the air. The giant Pokémon tried to position itself, but all it could do was flail around until gravity took hold and pulled it back toward the ground. "FLAMETHROWER!"

Viper hissed as he unleashed one final burst of fire, striking Ankyload. The speed of Ankyload's fall had doubled the force of the Flamethrower's impact, causing a major explosion that rocked the battlefield. A few seconds later, Ankyload hit the dirt, which made it shake when it hit the grass. The smoke coming off its body made it hard to see its condition, but after a few moments, the cloud cleared to reveal it.

"Ank..." it moaned as its laid on the ground with spirals in its eyes. The Rotom Drone flew down and scanned it, then flew up above the battlefield.

"Ankyload is unable to battle. Vipeacon is the winner." The crowd cheered as Viper took a deep sigh of relief.

Mic: "Impressive. Despite all the odds, Flash was able to overcome his Pokémon's weakness and get a win against another of Shining's Pokémon. He is now two for two."

Cadance: "Maybe, but that's what happened against Lightning, and we all saw what happened back then."

"She's right," Twilight nodded as Shining returned Ankyload. "Flash might have won, but it took three of his Pokémon to do so. If he's not careful, he'll exhaust them before getting to the rest of Shining's team."

"Maybe Flash and Viper can beat the next one without switching out," Trixie pointed out.

"I don't think so," Fluttershy added, "Look at Viper." They stared at the Fire Poison-type, seeing him panting, "That fall it took into the water can't have been good for him."

"And I doubt Shining will make this next match easy for him," Sunset continued, "He'll probably pick a Pokémon with a type advantage against Viper."

"Maybe," Doc shrugged, "But a type advantage isn't always a deciding factor."

"Alright Flash," Shining held up his next Pokeball. "You wanna play hardball. Well, the kid gloves are off. Lokelpie," he threw the ball, "Stand strong!" The ball flew through the air, unleashing the energy that shot into the nearest pool of water.

After a moment, the water exploded and the River Dwelling Pokémon flew out, "Kelp!" It neighed before landing on the grass in front of the pool.

Flash gulped as he stared at the opposing Pokémon. "Lokelpie's a Water-type, but its also a Fairy-type." A smile began to form, "And Fairy-types are weak against Poison attacks." He turned to his Vipeacon, "You up to keep fighting?" Viper glanced back and nodded.

Mic: "Flash Sentry, choosing to keep his Vipeacon in the battle. Will that decision pay off, or will he be regretting it later?"

Luna: "Flash is right about the Poison-typing being an advantage. But whether or not he can execute his strategy is another story entirely."

Cadance: "Shining knows about Lokelpie's weakness to that type. He wouldn't have picked it if he didn't have faith it could win."

"Flamethrower!" Flash yelled, Viper quickly unleashing a blast of fire.

"Dive!" Shining countered, Lokelpie back-flipping into the water. The fire shot overhead and completely missed, Viper staring at the pool, only for a pool behind Viper to explode.

"They're connected?!" Flash yelped, not realizing that every pool was linked to an underground tunnel system.

"Ice Beam!" Shining ordered, Lokelpie quickly firing a blast of blue lightning from its mouth. It slammed into Viper's back, the Fire-type hissing at the cold running through him.

"Kelp!" Lokelpie then dived back down as Viper turned to the pools around him.

"Starlight Flurry!" The pool to Viper's left exploded, Lokelpie flying out of it as its body began to glow. The light flew off and formed star shapes, all flying for Viper with a of Lokelpie's fins.

"Flamethrower!" Flash yelled, Viper unleashing a blast of fire. It struck the stars and pushed them back before hitting Lokelpie, making the River Dwelling Pokémon flinch as it was pushed away from the pool. Viper then slithered around the pool, heading straight for Lokelpie.

"Tsunami Surge!" Shining ordered, Lokelpie picking itself up before its eyes glowed. Putting its fins to the ground, Lokelpie caused a wall of water to appear between it and their opponent.

"Lock!" It roared before waving its wing-like fins, causing the wall to turn into a wave.

"Flamethrower towards the ground!" Not sparing a moment, Viper fired the flames into the grassy battlefield. Frying the grass, he was pushed upward and flew over the wave. As he did this, he saw Lokelpie dragging itself toward the nearest pool.

"VI!" He roared, using his Flamethrower to push himself down into Lokelpie, tackling it.

"Yes!" Flash cheered, "Now use Poison Fang!" The snake quickly bit into Lokelpie's tail, injecting poison as the water horse neighed in pain.

"Aqua Jet!" Before Viper could escape, Lokelpie's body was suddenly surrounded by water and they both shot into the air.

Viper hissed in pain and released Lokelpie, falling to the ground and hitting the grass bouncing as Lokelpie broke out of the water. It fell down, its tail flinching from the Poison Fang. And as it landed, it suddenly cried out as purple lightning sparked around it. "Yes!" Flash cheered, happy to see he got lucky with a poisoning.

Mic: "Interesting. How will Flash use this development?"

Luna: "If he's smart, he'll play defensive and let it wear Lokelpie out."

Celestia: "But not trying to fight back leaves him open to being taken down before the poison can take it down."

"Tsunami Surge!" Another water wall, larger than the last one, appeared and was sent flying for Viper with a wave of a tail. The fire snake saw this, seeing he couldn't fly over it like before. Flash knew this as well and realized there was only one hope.

"Flamethrower, straight ahead!" Viper let out a roar and unleashed the fire stream, striking the wave, causing it to steam up. The water slammed down onto him, making him cry out as he was sent flying back, crashing into the dirt as the water soaked the grass.

"Vi," he hissed in pain before getting up.

"I'm amazed he was able to survive that," Rarity whispered.

"Talk about guts," Rainbow chuckled.

"It wasn't just guts," Sunset added, "That Flamethrower weakened the attack just enough. But I doubt Viper's gonna last much longer." As she said this, Lokelpie was struck by the poison.

"Quick!" Flash yelled, Viper slithering towards his opponent, "Poison Fang!" He leapt as his fangs started glowing, only for Lokelpie to leap back.

"Vi!" Viper snapped his fangs closed, trying to bite Lokelpie's tail, but missing by inches.

"Aqua Jet!" Shining countered, Lokelpie now surrounded by water as it shot away. And before Viper could react, he was slammed by the water rocket, knocking it back. He cried out as he hit the ground, rolling around several times before coming to a stop.

"Vi," he moaned as he slumped over, his eyes turning to spirals as the Rotom Drone flew down.

"Vipeacon is unable to battle. Lokelpie is the winner." The crowd cheered at Shining's first win of the match, Lokelpie diving into the nearest pool and swimming under the field until it reached the one in front of Shining. As it did, it flinched at the poison.

Mic: "With that, Shining Armor brings the score to five against four."

Luna: "Vipeacon was able to poison it, so that's something."

"Return Viper," he held up his Pokeball and sucked his Pokémon inside. "Thanks for the hard work," he put his Pokeball away. "I promise your efforts won't be in vain." He then took out another Pokeball, "Time to get the advantage back onto my side! Prongs!" He threw the ball into the air, "I choose you!" Everyone watched as the ball opened up, the Stagrowth appearing.

"Stag!" He roared, landing on the grass and staring down Lokelpie.

"Huh," Tidal chuckled from the Gym Leader's box, "Deja vu." The others gave him a puzzled look. "That Stagrowth battled my Lokelpie during Flash's gym battle against me. It managed to win that time, but this battle might not be so easy."

"Indeed," Granny nodded. "A different battlefield against a trainer with a very different way of fightin'. Who knows how this match'll turn out?"

"What do ya'h guys think?" Applejack asked as the Pokémon and trainers prepared themselves.

"I don't know," Pinkie tilted her head, "But I think Flash can win this."

"Prongs beat a Lokelpie before," Spike pointed out.

"Doesn't mean he'll beat this one?" Doc added, "Not every Pokémon is the same. And if that Lokelpie's on the Champion's title defense team, you can bet it's probably a much higher level than Tidal's Lokelpie."

"Energy Ball!" Flash yelled, Prongs quickly opening his mouth and forming the sphere of power before firing it. Lokelpie leapt up and dodged the attack before diving into a pool, Prongs frowning as he looked around. "Don't stay in the same place! Run!"

"Stag!" He nodded before prancing cross the meadow, keeping away from the pools and not stopping for a second.

"Oh?" Shining smirked, "Think you're safe as long as you keep moving?"

"Your Lokelpie might be the best in the water, but when it's on dry land, it's as helpless as a fish."

"You wanna bet?" Shining chuckled before pointing at one of the pools. "Time to enter a winter wonderland. Lokelpie, Ice Beam!" Lokelpie suddenly shot out of the pool he pointed to, neighing as the blue sphere appeared.

Lightning shot out of it and struck the ground, completely freezing it. "What?!" Flash yelped as more and more of the grass was covered in ice. Lokelpie landed on an ice patch and started sliding along it, continuing to freeze the field as Prongs slowly found himself with less and less stable ground. Within a minute, the entire battlefield was a skating rink.

Mic: "Incredible! Shining Armor has completely transformed the field, and it's causing havoc for Stagrowth!"

Prongs was now sliding around, slipping as he tried to move his four legs around. As this happened, Lokelpie had no issue maneuvering. "Aqua Jet!" Lokelpie picked up speed and leapt into the air, now surrounded by water.

"Bounce!" Prongs tried to pick up momentum and leap up, only to slip on the ice.

"Stag!" He growled seconds before Lokelpie slammed into it. "STAGROWTH!" He was sent flying back, hitting and sliding along the ice. He drifted to the edge of a pool as Lokelpie broke out of the water, only for the poison to flare up and make it flinch.

"Energy Ball!" Flash yelled, Prongs stumbling to his feet and firing the sphere. The attack struck the Water Fairy-type and exploded, knocking it back.

"Stag," he moaned before charged, slamming the ice so hard his hooves that it broke through, stopping him from slipping.

And as Lokelpie picked itself up, Prongs got in close. "Horn Leech!" He swung his horns down, slamming them into Lokelpie and making the River Dwelling Pokémon cry out as its energy was drained before getting flung away.

"Aqua Jet!" As Lokelpie fell, it straightened up and started spinning as the water that surrounded it. It then curved around and missed the ground, instead pointing itself towards Prongs.

"Energy Ball!" Prongs fired the sphere, but Lokelpie dodged it while not losing any speed. "Again, rapid blast!" Prongs fired again and again, but every Energy Ball was avoided as Lokelpie got in close. "Dodge it!" Prongs barely managed to leap to the side, causing the Aqua Jet to miss entirely.

"Ice Beam!" Lokelpie exploded out of the water and while still in midair, spun around and unleashed the blue lightning, striking Prongs head on.

"STAG!" He yelped, feeling the freezing energy flow through him.

"Prongs!" Flash gasped, only for Lokelpie to stop using Ice Beam due to poison flaring up. "You okay?" He asked his Pokémon, Prongs nodding. But when he tried to move, he suddenly found he couldn't.

"Stag?" He looked down, only for his eyes to go wide to see his legs were frozen to the field. Everything below the knees was trapped.

"That's not good," Twilight gulped as Prongs tried to break free.

Cadance: "Stagrowth is locked in place and can't escape. That means Lokelpie will be free to attack."

Lokelpie leapt into a pool and jumped out one behind Prongs a moment later. "Starlight Flurry!" The stars formed around the Water-type and fired, Prongs continuing to pull at his bonds, but having no luck. And as the stars started slamming into him, he cried out in pain as the stars made sure to not hit the ice.

"Stag!"

"Use Energy Ball!" Flash yelled, Prongs forming the sphere. He pointed it at the ground and let it fly, the ball hitting the ground and exploding...but nothing happened. "Prongs!"

"Ice Beam!" Shining added, Lokelpie firing the icy lightning and hitting Prongs again.

"STAG!" He cried, only for Lokelpie to suddenly be struck by the poison. The two panted at this, Prongs almost about to fall had he not been frozen in place.

"Prongs..." Flash whispered before taking a deep breath and yelling, "No matter how strong a Pokémon you went up against, you always did it if it was to help a friend! The loyalty you show to those you care about is like nothing I've ever seen! And when you find someone you wanna help, nothing stops you! And now...I need your help. I need you to dig deep and keep fighting!"

"Another Ice Beam!" Shining exclaimed, Lokelpie leaping and firing the blue lightning.

"PRONGS!" Flash screamed at the top of his lungs, Prongs' eyes shooting open.

New strength flowed through him as he pushed himself upward with all his might. And to everyone's surprise, the ice shattered as he leapt, "STAG!" He cried, the Ice Beam hitting the ground and doing nothing.

"YES!" Flash cheered along with the crowd, Shining smirking at the Pokémon's will.

"Not bad," he nodded. "Aqua Jet!" Lokelpie took to the air at this, charging at the deer. But before it could get close, Prongs spun around.

"Horn Leech!" Prongs swung his glowing antlers, smashing them into Lokelpie as the Water-type slammed into him. Prongs felt himself slide back on the ice, but managed to drain away some energy before both knocked each other back.

Lokelpie then dived into a nearby pool as Prongs slid along the ground, his eyes shifting around trying to locate him. "Starlight Flurry!" Lokelpie shot out of a pool and fired several stars, striking Prongs in the side, only for Lokelpie to be struck by the poison before falling back into the water.

Prongs glanced around, only for the water in a nearby pool splashed from displacement. "Stag!" He yelled, turning to it and charging as the water exploded and Lokelpie flew out.

"Energy Ball/Ice Beam!" Flash and Shining commanded, Prongs now close to the pool. Lokelpie fired the lightning as the Stagrowth formed the sphere and fired it. The Ice Beam struck the Energy Ball, the two attacks merging together and causing a large sphere of green and blue energy..

"This isn't gonna end well," Doc gulped as the sphere began to now grow to the size of a Snorlax before-

KABOOM!

The orb exploded and created a burst of smoke and light, consuming both Prongs and Lokelpie before filling the entire battlefield. Flash and Shining were both buffeted by the shockwave, feeling themselves be pushed back. "PRONGS!" Flash screamed as he stared at the smoke, only to see nothing.


To be continued...

> The Battle Rages On
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flash's long awaited battle against Shining Armor had finally begun. He had managed to win the first two battles of the six on six match despite losing Viper to Shining's Lokelpie. However, Flash believed that Prongs could take on the River Dwelling Pokémon, but a combination of Ice Beam and Energy Ball proved to be explosive, leaving the stadium's battlefield shrouded in smoke. Now the anxious spectators were waiting to discover which Pokémon had triumphed.

Mic: "The smoke still hasn't cleared from those two tremendous attacks. But in a moment, we'll see who the winner is."

And as the fog faded, it showed Prongs laid out on the battlefield with swirls in his eyes. This made Flash and his friends gasp, only for Lokelpie to appear, floating in its pool in the same state as Prongs.

The Rotom Drone flew down and scanned them. "Lokelpie and Stagrowth are both unable to battle! The match is a draw!"

Mic: "What a shocker! Both Pokémon are down and out!"

Celestia: "Lokelpie's battle with Viper and the poison that was left likely didn't help, while Prongs getting hit multiple times by Ice Beam were what drove him to go down."

"Prongs," Flash held up his Pokeball, "Return!" He sucked his Grass-type back into the ball and smiled at it, "You were great. Thank you. Take a rest while I deal with the rest."

"Lokelpie, return." Shining did the same and smiled at his ball, "Good work. You've earned a good rest."

Luna: "Flash might not have won that round, but Lokelpie was the third Pokémon of Shining's that he's beat."

Mic: "That's right! Which means there will now be a time out while the field is changed."

Cadance: "Well, this is the first. No trainer has ever managed to have more Pokémon than Shining during this point in the match. Usually, it's the challenger with three loses."

Celestia: "Indeed. Even if Flash loses, he'll still go down in the record books."

The field descended back into the pit, Flash now taking a deep breath. "Ri?" Flash looked down at Springer, who was giving him a frown.

"Don't worry bud. I'm fine." He turned back to Shining, 'I can't let myself get overconfident. Shining's probably keeping his best team members for last.'

Shining took out a particular Pokeball and studied it. "Soon my friend. Soon." He smirked at Flash, "Let's wear him out a little more before we bring out the big guns."

"My word," Rarity sighed, "All this battle action has my nerves on overload."

"But this match is so cool!" Spike exclaimed, "I can't wait to see where they'll be battling next!"

Twilight nodded in agreement as Cloud turned to her, "Worried?"

Twilight shook her head, "No. Flash has played this match pretty perfectly so far. He's had a few slip-ups, but I doubt that's gonna continue." She looked back at the battlefield, "The real battle starts now." As she said that, the stadium began to vibrate as the new field was lifted into view. And instead of an overly complicated battlefield, everyone was looking at a simple one you would see at any Pokémon Center.

Mic: "And we have a classic dirt battlefield! Nothing like the oldies to mark such an occasion. Now, which Pokémon will our competitors use?!"

Shining took out a Pokeball and enlarged it. "Oaking," he threw the ball, "Stand strong!" In a flash, the tree-man Pokémon appeared on the battlefield and stood tall.

"Oak!" he roared.

"Oaking," he whispered, reaching for Skyler's ball, "No...I need him for later." He took out a different ball, "Astro, I choose you!" In a flash of light and sparkles, the Dark Dragon-type appeared and spread his wings.

"GALVERN!" He roared, only to glare at the Oaking, "Gal!"

Mic: "Oaking against Galvern. Will Galvern be able to keep up despite the injuries it took in its previous bought with Ankyload?"

"Go Astro! Dragon Claw!" The dragon charged with glowing claws as Shining smiled at the oncoming attack.

"Wood Hammer!" Oaking raised its arm before its fist was surrounded by a green aura, which then morphed into the shape of a hammer. He swung it as Astro slashed at him, the two attacks colliding with a shockwave that sent the pair flying back. "Now, Terror Root!"

"Oak!" Oaking's eyes glowed as the ground shook, seconds before massive roots exploded out of the ground.

"Cut'em up!" Astro started slashing at the roots with Dragon Claw, chopping them into bite-sized pieces. "Shadow Ball!" Astro opened his mouth and fired out the dark sphere, instantly hitting Oaking. "Get him!" He took to the air at this, immediately getting up into Oaking's face. "Crunch!"

"Slam!" As Astro tried to bite at Oaking, the Grass-type side-stepped and the dragon flew past him. Oaking then grabbed Astro's tail and with all its might, spun him around until flinging him into the dirt.

"Gal!" He cried.

"Now, Use Wood Hammer!" Before Astro could react, Oaking raised its arm as the energy formed the hammer shape.

"Astro!" Flash yelped, Astro raising his star-gauntlets to block it. The impact still rang through him, making him wince, but barely any damage was done. "Yes!"

Mic: "Whoa. Galvern just managed to survive a powerful point-blank attack."

"Dragon Pulse!" Astro pushed Oaking's arm away and fired the dragon-shaped laser into the tree, knocking it back as Astro got up and took to the air.

"Solarbeam!" Shining ordered as Oaking's leafy hairdo began to glow while.

"Solarbeam now?" Applejack asked, "Risky play."

"This might be the opening Flash needs," Sunset added.

"Go Flash!" Spike, Rainbow and Pinkie all yelled as Flash nodded his head.

"Astro!" He pointed at the Galaxy Pokémon, "Dragon Claw!" Astro dived down, his claws glowing as he flew for Oaking.

Celestia: "Will Astro be able to take Oaking down before Solarbeam finishes charging?"

Luna: "If he can't, he could be in a lot of trouble."

"GAL!" Astro roared as he slashed at Oaking, the Grand Tree Pokémon crossing its arms and bracing as the attack landed. He staggered back, but his Solarbeam kept charging.

"Throw him!" Flash yelled, Astro quickly grabbing Oaking by the arm and spinning it around before tossing it upward. Oaking began to flail in air, only to spin around and point at the ground.

"OAK!" It roared as a beam of energy exploded out of its mouth, the Galvern's eyes going wide as it slammed into him and caused an explosion.

"ASTRO!" Flash cried as he watched the smoke cloud consume the dragon. And before anyone could see what happened, Flash screamed into the fog, "Don't let that stop you buddy! You're one of the most determined Pokémon I know. Whenever there's something that you want, you don't stop until you've got it! Whether it's checking out something you've never seen before or helping those that need it, you always pull through if it's what you want. And I know you wanna win this match!" The smoke began to fade as Flash saw a lump on the ground, "ASTRO!"

The cloud faded completely and revealed Astro, looking badly beaten but still standing as he let out a roar, "GAL!"

Mic: "Galvern is up!"

The crowd cheered as Oaking landed, it and Astro staring one another down as Flash and Shining smirked. "This isn't over yet," Shining commented as Astro took to the air, "Terror Root!" The roots shot out of the ground and flew for Astro, the dragon spinning around them before one slapped him in the face.

"Vern!" He cried, hitting the ground and sliding along it until he dug his claws into the battlefield.

"Astro!" Flash yelled as Springer howled, "Dragon Pulse!" Astro fired the laser and it sliced through the roots before slamming into Oaking and exploding.

"OAK!" It screamed as it staggered back, the roots falling limp as Astro got back up.

"Dragon Claw!" Astro charged with shining claws, only for Oaking to stand tall.

"Terror Root!" Its eyes glowed again and the roots came back to life, only for the Galvern to shred right through them before they got even close.

"GALVERN!" He roared before swinging them with all his might, slashing at Oaking with enough force that it sent him flying.

Mic: "That Dragon Claw hits its mark and Oaking goes flying!"

The Grand Tree Pokémon crashed into the ground and slid along it for several seconds, only to go limp as its eyes turned to spirals. "Oak..." The Rotom Drone flew down and scanned it.

"Oaking is unable to battle. Galvern wins." The crowd cheered as Shining returned his Pokémon.

"Way to go Flash!" Applejack cheered, "You too Astro!"

"He's certainly come a long way," Sunset chuckled as she turned to Twilight. "Hard to believe that's the same egg Flash was carrying around before." Twilight just nodded back.

"Astro might have won," Doc added, "But look at him." They glanced back at the dragon, seeing him heavily panting, "That match seriously wore him out."

"Come back a take a break," Flash returned him and looked down at the ball. "Just one more before Galladin." He glanced back up at the champion, only to see a new ball already in his hand, "But what's it gonna be?"

"Hydraworm!" Shining threw the Pokeball, "Stand strong!" In a flash, a giant three-headed sand worm appeared. It swung its three massive heads around as it let out a mighty cry.

"HYDRA!" The three heads roared in unison, everyone in the stadium gulping at the sight.

Spike turned to Twilight and Doc, "You don't think that's-"

"The same Douburrow that Shining caught in the Grand Desert?" Twilight whimpered out, "I think it is. And since it's evolved, it's clear Shining's trained it up hard."

"What's Flash gonna use against something like that?!" Trixie yelped, Fluttershy quivering.

"It's so big and...scary looking."

"COME ON FLASH!" Pinkie cheered, "You can beat it!"

Flash stared at the Ground Dragon-type before glancing down at his remaining Pokeballs, 'Astro's still reeling from the last battle. I doubt Skyler could even scratch that thing, which just leaves me with Springer and Riptide.' He nodded several times before taking out his Pokeball. "Riptide!" He threw the ball, "I choose you!" In a burst of red energy, the Tidalwave Pokémon appeared.

"Rep," he looked up at Hydraworm. For most Pokémon, seeing something that big and mean-looking would be terrifying, the Reptidal wasn't scared. "Tidal."

Mic: "Reptidal. Interesting choice. Against a Ground Dragon-type, his Water-type attacks will do neutral damage."

Celestia: "But he doesn't just know Water-type attacks."

"Rock Smash!" Flash ordered, Riptide charging with glowing legs.

"Tri-Attack!" All three heads got close as their mouths opened, one filling with fire, the other with lightning and the other with ice.

"Tidal!" He swung his foot into Hydraworm's central neck, making its middle head flinch. But the other two heads turned to him and fired a blast of fire and ice. They struck Riptide and he was blasted back, flinching as he fell while the middle head fired lightning at him.

Luckily, Riptide spun around and landed before leaping away from the third attack. "Aqua Break!" The Water-type drew his sword and jumped up at the worm.

"Earth Power!" Its body glowed as it slammed its tail down, causing the ground to shake and break apart. Riptide had to sidestep as a pillar of earth shot out in front of him, several more appearing and allowing Riptide to use them like a staircase.

"Rep!" He swung his sword and slashed Hydraworm down the middle, "TIDAL!"

"Draw!" Its three heads flinched, but it quickly swung its tail around and slammed it into Riptide. He flinched as he was knocked flying as the battlefield returned to its previous state.

Mic: "Riptide might be fast, but Hydraworm's got a lot of power behind it. This could go either way."

"Dragon Pulse!" Shining yelled as the middle head opened its mouth and unleashed the laser.

"Aqua Break!" Riptide formed the sword and used it to slice the laser down the middle, though he still flinched from the heat of the attack. And when it finished, Riptide wobbled as his Aqua Break splashed away. "You okay?"

"Tidal."

"Use Crunch!" All three heads charged, their mouths open and fangs glowing as they prepared to bite down on the lizard.

"Get out of there!" Flash told him, Riptide taking a deep breath before leaping to the side to avoid the right head's attempt to bite down on him. He then spun to the left to avoid the left head and leapt straight up to dodge the center, "Rock Smash!" Riptide's leg glowed and as he fell toward the center head, swinging it up and down next.

"DRAW!" The Ground Dragon-type cried as it was struck, the blow's vibrations causing its entire head to shake. As this happened, the other two heads turned to glare at Riptide as he started running down the center's neck.

"Dragon Pulse!" The right and left heads opened their mouth and fired the dragon-shaped lasers, though the split effort of them both doing so caused the attack to look smaller than the middle's one.

"Dodge it!" Flash ordered, Riptide leaping straight up. The two lasers struck one another and exploded, unleashing a shockwave that blasted Riptide flying.

"Crunch!" Before Riptide could react, the center head shot up and grabbed him in its jaw.

"REP!" He cried as the fangs dug into him, his entire right side trapped within the beast's mouth. The other two heads lifted themselves up and glared at Riptide, ready to attack if he managed to free himself.

"Riptide!" Flash gasped as Hydraworm bit down again.

Mic: "Reptidal is trapped and taking some serious damage!"

Luna: "And the other two heads are ready to blast him if he escapes."

Cadance: "This isn't good for Flash."

"Come on Flash!" Twilight called out, "You've gotta find a way to get Riptide out of there."

Riptide was squeezed even harder at this, making his friends flinch as Trixie asked, "How's he supposed to escape something like that?"

Flash grimaced at this, seeing Riptide punch and kick at Hydraworm's face with no success. "There's gotta be a way to get him out of there..." Then, a bulb went off in his head. "That's it!" Flash called out to Riptide, "Use Ice Punch inside its mouth!"

"Rep?" Riptide yelped before nodding and clutching his fist, an icy mist soon filling Hydraworm's mouth. The Ground Dragon-type flinched at the freezing temperature, causing its grip on Riptide to slack. "Tidal!" Riptide then pulled his freezing fist out before slamming it into the top of Hydraworm's mouth.

"DRAW!" It roared, opening its mouth wide and allowing Riptide to roll out of it.

The other two heads tried to get him, but he grabbed hold of the middle head's chin and swung himself around to avoid their strikes. "Aqua Tail!" As he fell down, he swung his tail around and slammed the water into the other two heads. This allowed him to escape by sliding down its body and jumping off the end of its tail. "Nice one!" Flash cheered as Riptide landed in front of him, Hydraworm turning to glare at him with all three heads.

"It's not over yet!" Shining countered, "Hydraworm, use Earth Power!" The triple headed worm raised its tail and slammed it down into the ground, causing the earth around Riptide to shake and break apart. Several fissures appeared as pieces of rock shot up to try and slam into him.

"Move!" Flash ordered, Riptide quickly running away, but a chunk of rock smacked his side, making him stagger back, his foot falling into a crack. The crack closed in on him before he could get it out, trapping the lizard.

"Dragon Pulse!" The three mouths opened up and split the energy between them before firing three dragon-shaped lasers.

"Aqua Break!" Flash ordered, Riptide creating a pair of swords. He tried to deflect the three attacks, but was only able to protect himself against two of them while the third slammed into him.

"REP!" He cried as he was blasted out of the ground and into the air, soon crashing into the dirt.

"Tri-Attack!" Shining yelled before Riptide could recover, Hydraworm opening its mouth and charging up the energy before letting it fly.

"Get out of there!" Flash screamed, but it was too late. The attacks slammed into Riptide, exploding into a tornado of the three elements.

"TIDAL!" Riptide cried as he was frozen, burned and zapped in different parts of his body. He began to scream at this, unable to move as the three element vortex's force locked him in place.

Mic: "Wow. Reptidal is trapped in that Tri-Attack, and doesn't look to be able to escape."

Celestia: "This could be bad for Flash. The longer Riptide's in there, the more likely he could be struck by one of the status effects it can incur."

"Riptide!" Flash excalimed, his Reptidal continuing to stand there shielding his head with his arms as bolts of lightning, chunks of hail and fireballs slammed into him. "Come on, snap out of it!" But Riptide simply stood still, Springer calling out to him with no luck while Flash took a deep breath. "We've been through so much together, and you've been working so hard to get stronger! Well now's the time to step up and prove it! Time to show everyone what you're made of! Let's go!"

Riptide slowly lowered his arms and opened his eyes, glancing back at his trainer as a reflection of Flash appeared in his eye.

"RIPTIDE!" Riptide closed his eyes, which then shot open as the Reptidal swung his arms.

"REPTIDAL!" He roared, spinning around to unleash a wind with his tail that pushed the tornado away, allowing the water starter to leap out of the vortex.

Mic: "Reptidal is back in the battle and looking ready to end it!"

Cadance: "But with all of the damage Riptide's taken, can he beat Hydraworm?"

"Earth Power!" Shining ordered, Hydraworm slamming its tail into the ground and causing the battlefield to break apart again. But Riptide began leaping around, keeping ahead of the destruction as he got closer to Hydraworm.

"Aqua Break!" Riptide formed his sword and used it to cut through several falling rocks before leaping at Hydraworm.

"Tidal!" He roared as he spun around, slashing his sword into the center neck. It flinched at this while the other two tried to get him, but he landed on the ground and backflipped to avoid them. He then swung his sword to slash at the pair, making them cry out in pain as well.

"Dragon Pulse!" The middle head fired the attack, hitting the ground and making it explode. The shockwave from it knocked Riptide upward, only for the lizard to position himself so that he was falling straight for Hydraworm.

"Crunch!" The three heads shot up at him, fangs ready.

"Rock Smash!" Riptide's legs glowed and he spun around, twirling in the air and round housing the first head that got close to him before uppercutting the second with a kick to the chin and finally stomping both feet to push the two apart. Riptide backflipped several times at this, landing and sliding along the ground while Hydraworm's heads glared at him. "Finish this with Ice Punch!"

"Tidal!"

"Dragon Pulse!" All three heads fired a laser at the charging Riptide, the three merging together to form a dragon-shape that barrelled down on the water lizard. But Riptide leapt over the laser, which hit the ground and exploded, its force catapulting Riptide at the worm.

"Rep!" Riptide pulled his fist back as he reached Hydraworm, "TIDAL!" With that, his punch slammed into the area where the three necks merged. The force knocked the Ground Dragon-type back, ice now forming around Hydraworm's body.

Within seconds, the giant Pokémon was sealed within a large block of ice. Riptide kicked off of it, the ice then breaking and shattering. "Draw!" The three heads cried as the whole thing fell over, spirals appearing in its eyes as Riptide landed, his legs wobbling despite staying upright.

Rotom Drone flew down and scanned the Triple Worm Pokémon. "Hydraworm is unable to battle. Reptidal is the winner."

Mic: "Reptidal takes Hydraworm down, meaning Shining now only has one Pokémon remaining!"

Celestia: "But this battle has tired out every single one of Flash's Pokémon."

Luna: "And Shining's kept his best Pokémon for last."

Cadance: "This battle's still anyone's guess. Even with Shining down one to four."

"Return!" Shining held out his Pokeball and sucked Hydraworm back inside. "Thank you." He then smiled at Flash. "You've done well. Pushing me to this point." Flash nodded back, only to see Shining's smirk turn to a grin, "But now you have to face your ultimate challenge." He took out a Pokeball, "And this one won't go down so easily."

"Here it comes..." Flash whispered as Shining held the ball up, Riptide and Springer standing ready for what was coming.

"Galladin!" He threw it, "STAND STRONG!" And sure enough, a flash of light signaled the reveal of Shining's ace. The knight in armor appeared, staring Riptide down.

"Gall," he whispered before summoning his swords, "Galladin."

Mic: "There it is. Galladin. This Pokémon has gotten Shining out of many tricky jams. Will it be enough to defeat Flash and defend his champion title?"

"Use Slash!" Shining ordered, Galladin raising his swords as he charged, every step making the ground shake.

"Counter with Aqua Break!" Flash countered, Riptide drawing his sword and breaking it in two before charging as well. The pair reached one another and swung their blades, the metal and water swords clashing for a second before bouncing off. They swung their other weapon next, now getting the same results before both continued to clash, neither side seeming to give an inch. But after a few swings, the four blades became locked together with Riptide and Galladin pushing against each other.

However, Galladin's strength then pushed Riptide back, "Tide," he groaned as the blades drew closer to his face.

"Back off!" Flash told him, Riptide letting the force of Galladin's attack push him out of the blade's range before jumping back. "Galladin's too strong to go head-to-head! We gotta fight with your speed and agility."

"Tidal!" Riptide dispelled his swords at this.

"Night Slash!" Galladin's blades glowed purple as he slashed at Riptide, but the Reptidal leapt over him.

"Rock Smash!" Riptide landed behind Galladin and spun his leg around to kick him, Galladin spinning around and blocked it with his shield, but the impact pushing him back.

"Tidal!" Before Galladin could block again, Riptide thrust his foot to the side, hitting Galladin's chest and knocked him back.

"Sacred Sword!" As Riptide landed the blow, Galladin raised his blade.

"Gall!" Galladin slashed at Riptide's chest, the Reptidal flinching beofre getting knocked back. And before he could recover, Galladin charged with his other sword.

"Aqua Break!" As Galladin swung his sword down, Riptide drew his blade, blocking it inches from his face. "Aqua Tail!" Before Galladin could push down, Riptide's tail was covered in water and he swung it into Galladin's legs.

"GALL!" The knight yelped as he was knocked off balance, allowing Riptide to hop back.

Mic: "Some quick thinking there allowed Reptidal to escape."

Celestia: "But by the looks of things, Galladin has Riptide beat when it comes to power. Flash can dance around him all he wants, but unless he gets a solid hit in..."

Luna: "Galladin will end up winning this bout in the end."

"Rock Smash!" Riptide leapt as his legs glowed, but Galladin regained his footing just in time.

"Iron Defense!" As Riptide tried to thrust a foot down, Galladin raised his now glowing shields. Riptide's attack collided with the shields and Galladin was pushed a step back, only to swing his arms apart to launch Riptide away. "Slash!" Galladin charged at this as Riptide landed, Galladin hitting the lizard before he could escape.

"Tide!" He cried as he was sent staggering back. Galladin tried to slash him again, but Riptide managed to leap away, now doing several back-flips to get out of range.

"Aqua Break!" Riptide formed the sword and charged again, Galladin doing the same as they drew closer to one another. "You can do it Riptide!"

"Take it down!" Shining yelled as Galladin prepared himself. "Iron Defense!" He raised his shields again and used them to block every single one of Riptide's slashes, the metal barely scratched as Riptide jumped around the Fighting Steel-type in an attempt to get passed his defenses. "Night Slash!"

"Gall!" Galladin blocked another attack and pushed Riptide back before un-sheaving a purple glowing blade. This slash knocked Riptide's water sword out of his hands, only to then slice down the lizard's chest.

"Tidal!" He screamed before Galladin leapt and planted a foot into Riptide's stomach, knocking him back. "Rep!" The lizard began to skid across the ground, only to use his tail to flip himself back around to land on his feet.

"Ice Punch!" Riptide leapt and threw a freezing punch, but the knight raised his shield again. Riptide flinched as his attack slammed into the metal, a lay of frost covering the shield but doing no damage to Galladin. "Rock Smash!"

"Rep!" Riptide swung his leg up, but it was blocked by Galladin's other shield. And before Flash could think to order another attack using Riptide's free fist, Galladin pulled his head back and slammed it into Riptide's face. "TIDAL!"

"Sacred Sword!" Galladin raised both blades as they glowed blue Riptide clutched his head, only to glance up and see Galladin swing his blade down. The blow slammed him back, Riptide skidding across the dirt again as Galladin charged at him.

"Aqua Break!" Riptide hopped back to his feet and drew his sword, blocking the first slash, and then the second.

"Tidal!" Acting fast, he ducked under the blades and slashed Galladin's stomach.

"Gall!" The knight staggered back, but Shining yelled out another order.

"Do it now. Sacred Sword!" Galladin raised both blades and brought them together, the blue glow merging into an even greater light as it swung both blades downward. A shining blue shockwave came next, Riptide's eyes glowing wide as he tried to use his sword to block it.

"Rep!" He held the blade out and the shockwave struck it, the force making Riptide flinch...only to explode. "TIDAL!"

"RIPTIDE!" Flash cried as the cloud consumed the lizard, only for it to fade and reveal Riptide on the ground with spirals in his eyes. "No!" Rotom Drone flew down and scanned him.

"Reptidal is unable to battle. Galladin is the winner."

"Ouch," Doc grimaced, "That was hard to watch."

"But Riptide managed to get some hits in," Rainbow added as Flash returned his Pokémon, "That's gotta count for something."

"You're right," Cloud nodded. "But Galladin barely looks like it broke a sweat against Riptide."

"I hope Flash knows what he's doin'," Applejack finished.

"Thanks Riptide," Flash put the ball away. "Don't worry. We're not done yet." He took out another Pokeball as he stared Galladin down, "My team and I are far from beat. Skyler!" He threw the ball, "I choose you!" In a flash, the Tornavian appeared and took to the air above the stadium.

"Tore!" He squawked.

Cadance: "A Flying-type. Not a bad choice to use against Galladin, but he's had to compete with them before."

Mic: "Will Tornavian be able to overcome Shining's ace? Let's find out!"

"Aerial Ace!" Flash yelled, Skyler flying straight up before spinning around and diving. The Flying-type picked up speed, the slipstream appearing around him.

"Iron Defense!" Shining called out, Galladin quickly raising his shields as they glowed. Skyler V-turned and tried to tackle Galladin, but ended up slamming into the shield, bouncing off with no damage. "Now, used Slash!"

"Gall!" Galladin ran forward and unleashed a blade, the Gallent Knight Pokémon quickly spinning around and slashing at the Tornavian.

"TORE!" He yelped as he was knocked back, but managed to spread his wings and keep himself upright as Galladin prepared to slash him again.

"Steel Wing!" Skyler's wings glowed as his wing clashed with Galladin's blade, only for the knight to smack him back with a second blow.

"Nay!" Skyler cried as he was pushed away, only to fly as Galladin stared at him.

"I've gotta find a way past its defenses," Flash told himself, only for a bulb to go off in his head, "Skyler, use Tornado Burst!" Skyler began to spin and form the tornado, which shot for Galladin before exploding.

"TORE!" Skyler squawked as he charged.

"Iron Defense!" Shining countered, Galladin raising its shields as they glowed. Skyler flew down and slammed into them, but Galladin didn't even budge as he was pushed back. "Slash!" Galladin thrust his blade at this, but the bird quickly flew back.

"Another Tornado Burst!" Everyone watched as the Tornavian repeated the attack and formed the tornado.

"Iron Defense!" Galladin raised his shields again, only for Skyler to slam into him before flying back up.

"Tornado Burst, again!"

"What's he thinking?" Rarity asked as Skyler spun around again, "That attack's not gonna get through Galladin's defenses." The others nodded in agreement as Galladin kept its shield up and Skyler bounced off once again before Flash called for another Tornado Burst.

"Maybe..." Twilight whispered, "Maybe he's not trying to beat Galladin with this attack."

And as Galladin kept his guard up as Skyler slammed into him, this blow pushed him back and knocked Skyler to the ground. "Night Slash!" Galladin summoned his blades as they glowed and swung them at Skyler, but the Tornavian suddenly vanished in a blur. "What?!"

"That's it!" Flash cheered, "Now, use Steel Wing!" Another blur signaled Skyler appearing behind Galladin, his wings glowing as he slashed at him. The attack struck the knight in the back, making him flinch as he staggered forward. And before Galladin could attempt to react, the bird vanished again.

Mic: "Whoa! That's some speed!"

Celestia: "Of course. That's why Flash kept using Tornado Burst. The attack has an added effect of increasing the user's speed."

Luna: "Now Skyler's too fast for Galladin to hit."

"Alright!" Spike cheered, "That's the way Flash!"

"Speed and power!" Rainbow added, "That's the way Flying-types fight!"

"Aerial Ace!" Flash commanded, Skyler diving down so fast Galladin could barely keep up.

"Counter with Night Slash!" As Skyler flew into range, Galladin slashed at him with his sword, but Skyler barrel-rolled away before slamming into Galladin.

"TORE/GALL!" They screeched as Galladin was knocked back and Skyler flew up a second later.

"Not bad," Shining told Flash. "I'll admit your Tornavian's fast. But even the fastest attacks will do next to nothing against Galladin. If you wanna win, you'll need something big."

Flash frowned at this, only to stare at his Pokémon and saw it was panting compared to Galladin. "Then let's do this! Giga Impact!" Skyler flew up and dived down, the energy forming around him as he began to rocket toward Galladin.

Mic: "Flash is attempting to end this with Tornavian's best attack!"

Celestia: "Shining is right about this probably being the only move of Skyler's that can do enough damage to break Galladin's defenses, but..."

Luna: "If Galladin survives, Skyler will be open to an attack."

Everyone watched as the meteor flew down for Galladin, who didn't even try to escape and retracted his swords. "Iron Defense!" Galladin raised both shields and held them together, the light from them shining brightly as Skyler's attack got closer. Galladin braced himself and dug his feet in tight as the attack finally struck, the shockwaves coming off the Giga Impact making the ground around him shake. The meteor slammed into the shields and began battering against the Gallent Knight's armor, the ground behind him ripping up as he was pushed back and formed two large trenches. Then, an explosion consumed them both.

"Skyler/Galladin!" Flash and Shining cried as smoke filled the stadium. Everyone watched as the fog began to settle until-

"Tore!" Skyler squawked as he flew out, forced to glide to the ground and land before turning to the smoke cloud.

"Come on..." Flash whispered as the smoke began to fade. And when it did, Galladin was revealed to still be standing. "No!" Flash couldn't believe he had survived, Galladin's armor not even appearing scratched.

"Nice try, but not good enough." He pointed as Skyler, "Use Slash and take him down!" Galladin charged at this, blades extending as Skyler remained frozen in place by a lack of energy.

"Galla..." He got within range and swung his blade, "DIN!" In a flash, Galladin appeared behind Skyler with his sword pointed forward.

"TORNAVIAN!" Skyler then cried as he felt the pain of the attack, his body giving out as spirals replaced his eyes before the Rotom Drone flew down.

"Tornavian is unable to battle. Galladin is the winner."

Mic: "Wow! Two Pokémon in a row and Galladin barely seems phased by all the damaged that it's taken."

The crowd gasped as they saw Flash return Skyler, Twilight, Doc and Spike all getting flashbacks to the last time the pair of them battled. "This isn't looking good," Sunset sighed.

"We can't lose hope yet," Fluttershy added.

Rarity nodded. "Even if Galladin looks fine, it's still taking damage. Flash just needs to get one good hit in."

"But can he get that hit in?" Cloud asked with a slight grimace, "Come on Flash. You need to start thinking outside the box."

"Sorry Skyler," Flash told the Tornavian before staring at Galladin, the knight calmly standing there. "This is going from bad to worse." He took out a Pokeball, "I hate that I have to do this, but...Astro," he threw the ball, "I choose you!" The ball opened and in a flash of light and sparkles, the Galvern appeared.

"Gal!" He roared before staring at Galladin. "Vern."

Mic: "Galvern comes back out for another battle. But against Galladin, will it stand a chance?"

Luna: "Flash might be using it to widdle down Galladin's energy so that Springer will have a better chance at beating him."

Celestia: "Maybe, but that doesn't really seem like Flash's style."

Cadance: "He believes Astro has what it takes to win. The only question is...can he?"

Flash saw Astro panting, clearly still tired from his last two matches. "I know you can do this bud," he assured him as Galladin charged, "Into the air!" Astro spread his wings and took to the skies, flying out of Galladin's range before the knight could attack. "Now use Shadow Ball!"

"Gal!" Astro opened his mouth and formed the sphere, "VERN!" It fired, going for Galladin as his friends smiled. Iron Defense only protected against physical attacks, not special like Shadow Ball until-

"Night Slash!" Galladin swung his blade and cut the Shadow Ball in half, the two pieces flying in different directions and exploding a good distance away.

"Dragon Pulse!"

"GALVERN!" Astro roared as the dragon-shaped laser flew out of his mouth.

"Sacred Sword!" Galladin brought both blades up as they glowed, the light merging as he swung them down and cut the Dragon Pulse right down the middle without taking any damage. But as this happened, the light from the attacks blinded him for a moment, only for Astro to appear right in front of him.

"Dragon Claw!" Astro slashed as Galladin before the knight could raise his shields, his claws grinding against the Fighting-type's chest and knocking back. "Shadow Ball!" Astro then fired the sphere, Galladin barely able to raise his left arm to shield himself as it exploded against him.

"Sacred Sword!" Galladin then swung his right arm around and slashed at Astro, the blow making the dragon flinch. "Slash!"

"Get out of there!" Astro staggered back as Galladin charged, ready to slice at him again. But Astro used his tail to kick himself into the air, the shiny Pokémon flying straight up and out of Galladin's range. "Dragon Pulse!"

"GALVERN!" The dragon laser fired from his mouth, but the knight managed to leap out of the way with the attack just grazing his shoulder.

"Night Slash!" Galladin swung his sword and a purple light flew off it, turning into a crescent blade that struck the dragon.

"GAL!" He flinched, his wings stopping their flapping for a second as he began to fall.

"Recover and use Dragon Claw!" And as Galladin charged in, Astro flared his wings, stopping himself as his claws began to glow.

"Iron Defense!" Galladin raised his shields just in time to block the claws, the two Pokémon pushing against one another. "Now, Sacred Sword!" The light from Galladin's shields faded as his blades extended, the knight swinging his arms apart and slashing at Astro in an X formation.

"Gal!" He screamed as he was knocked back.

"Slash!" Before Astro could escape, Galladin slashed at his wing. He roared in pain, spinning to slam his tail into Galladin and knocking him back.

"Quick bud!" Flash called out, "Into the air!" Astro tried to take off, but when he leapt into the air, his wing suddenly flinched, pain rushing through him.

"VERN!"

Mic: "Ouch! Looks like that Slash attack damaged Galvern's wing so that it can't take off."

Cadance: "Which is what Shining was aiming for. Pokémon that can fly have a serious disadvantage when forced to remain on the ground."

"Sacred Sword!" Shining called out, Galladin charging with his blade again. Astro then raised his star-shaped gauntlets and blocked the attack, his feet grinding into the dirt as the knight pushed him back.

"Shadow Ball!" Flash ordered as Astro opened his mouth and fired the attack point blank, but Galladin managed to duck under it, the orb flying over his shoulder. "Crunch!" Astro thrust his head to bite into Galladin's shoulder, but the knight retracted his sword and raised his shield so Astro bit it instead.

"Throw it!" Shining ordered, Galladin quickly spinning on the spot and throwing Astro away.

"GAL!" He cried, losing his grip on Galladin's arm as the knight extended his blade.

"Sacred Sword!" Galladin's blades glowed and the light combined, Astro moaning as he looked up at the Fighting-type.

"Dragon Pulse!" Before Galladin could swing the swords down, Astro roared and unleashed the dragonic laser. It struck the knight and blasted him back, allowing Astro to roll back onto his feet. "Dragon Claw!"

"GO!" Shining yelled, Galladin pulling his blades apart as the Sacred Sword continued to charge. The pair met in the middle of the battlefield, both attacks clashing head on. Again and again they struck, neither giving an inch as they blocked each other. But then, Astro kicked himself into the air, managing to hover as Galladin slashed where he once was, missing and falling off balance until Astro fell down.

"Gal!" He roared, slashing his claws downward and knocking Galladin back as his metal was scratched by the impact. The crowd cheered at this as Galladin steadied himself.

"Finish this!" Shining ordered, Galladin charging again.

"You too, Astro!" Flash called out, "Dragon Pulse!" Building as much energy as he could, Astro roared and unleashed the largest Dragon Pulse anyone had ever seen. The dragon-shaped laser exploded out of his mouth, looking like it had enough power to blast a mountain in half.

But Galladin was not scared as Shining exclaimed, "Sacred Sword!" Crossing both blades, Galladin rushed into the laser and began to push through it. The crowd gasped at this as the Fighting Steel-type broke out through the other side of the attack.

His armor was smoking, but he forced himself forward and slashed Astro with both swords. "GALLADIN!" He roared as the attack slammed into Astro, the dragon screaming in pain.

"GALVERN!" His body froze in place before falling back, hitting the ground with spirals in his eyes. Flash and Springer called out to him, but the Rotom Drone flew down instantly.

"Galvern is unable to battle. Galladin is the winner."

Mic: "Galvern gave its all, but even its stubborn will was no match for the power of Shining's ace. Galladin has taken down three of Flash's Pokémon in a row, and now both trainers are down to their last Pokémon."

"I'm proud of you Astro," he told the Pokeball before putting it away. "You did great." He then turned to his final fighter, Springer looking ready to battle, "I guess it's up to you and me bud."

"Ri!" he nodded before calmly walking out onto the battlefield. He and Galladin stared one another down as the crowd began to cheer.

Mic: "Flash sends out Riolu, his last Pokémon. Will it be able to overcome Galladin, or will Shining Armor defend his title once again?"

"This is it," Twilight whispered. "The final battle."

Cloud sighed, "I had a feeling it would end this way. Flash...Shining...Springer...and Galladin. Those four have been connected since the day they first met. And now, the title of Champion will be determined by them." Everyone watched anxiously as the two Fighting-types prepared for battle. Time seemed to slow as they waited for their trainers to make their first command.

Flash and Shining locked eyes, both taking a deep breath to ready themselves...and began. "Aura Sphere/Slash!" Springer formed the orb in his hands and fired it as Galladin charged with his blade.

"Gall!" He sliced at the sphere and cut it in half, both sides exploding as he got in close.

"Bone Rush!" Springer spun his paws on the spot and formed his staff, holding it up just in time to block Galladin's attack.

"Night Slash!" Galladin's other blade extended and slashed at Springer, but he leapt back before breaking his staff in half.

"RI!" Springer charged and swung both bones, he and Galladin dual wielding against one another, only for Springer to push past the knight and thrusted his weapon into Galladin's stomach.

"Gall!" It staggered back as Springer threw his weapons away.

"Aura Sphere!" Quickly forming the ball, the Riolu fired it at his opponent.

"Iron Defense!" Galladin raised his shields as they glowed, the orb slamming into them and exploding. Galladin flinched at this, but managed to keep his footing. But when he lowered his shields, Springer had vanished.

"Extreme Speed!" Springer suddenly started teleporting around Galladin, moving faster than the eye could see. And before Galladin could catch up, the Riolu appeared and slammed a foot into his chest.

"RIO!" He cried, knocking Galladin back before vanishing again.

"Now, use Drain Punch!" Springer, still sped up from his Extreme Speed, appeared in front of Galladin and in the blink of an eye, his glowing fist was suddenly thrusted into Galladin's chest.

"GALL!" He cried was he was blasted back, carving a pair of foot long trenches into the ground as he slid to a stop while his energy was drained. Springer smiled as he felt himself heal a little, the crowd cheering agian.

Mic: "I can't believe what I'm seeing! Riolu is running circles around Galladin!"

Celestia: "His speed is just too much for it to handle."

Luna: "Flash might actually win."

Shining chuckled at this, "I'm impressed, but don't think you've won yet." He turned to Galladin, who stood tall and stared Springer down. "It's time. Let's show them why we've stayed Champions for so long!"

"Gall!" Galladin roared and much to Flash's chagrin, his shields and heavier armor began to fall off. Within seconds, only the lightest of its metal parts remained. "GALLADIN!"

Cadance: "There it is. Armor Drop. Galladin's defense have been lost, but its speed and attack power is now greater than ever before."

"Sacred Sword!" Shining yelled, both Galladin's blades extending with a bright blue glow. And before Springer could think, the Gallent Knight Pokémon shot ahead and slashed him with both blades.

"RIO!" He cried as he was thrown back from the blow, hitting the ground rolling, but managed to just jump back to his feet.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer launched his attack, but Galladin side-stepped it as he got in close.

"Slash!" Within seconds, Galladin was once again in range and sliced his swords into Springer's chest. The Riolu screamed at this, only to side-step from Galladin's second attack.

"Bone Rush!" He formed the staff and used it to block another Slash before attempting to hit Galladin, but Shining's ace quickly backpedaled before swinging his foot into Springer's paw, knocking the bone out of its grasp.

"Night Slash!" Before Springer could react from this, Galladin spun around and slashed Springer again.

"RIO!" Springer screamed, everyone watching flinching at the sight as he fell back. They all realized that had to be a critical hit, Springer hitting the ground and rolling around.

"Springer!" Flash cried as his partner laid on the ground, Galladin walking up to him, "Come on! Get up!" Springer got onto all fours and started pushing himself up, only to barely move, "Springer..."

"This doesn't look good," Trixie gulped.

"Galladin's just too strong," Doc added.

"COME ON FLASH!" Rainbow, Spike, Pinkie and Applejack exclaimed, Twilight staring at him, worry now appearing on her face.

"Please," she whispered, "Please keep fighting."

"Is that really all you've got Flash?" Shining asked, "After coming so far, is this really the limit of your strength?" Flash stared at Springer, the Riolu trying again to stand, but falling over. Flash closed his eyes and tried to reach out to Springer, their auras flaring as they connected.

"Come on Springer," he told him, "You've gotten us both out of jams, time and time again. And no matter how bad things were looking, you've always been able to come up with a winning move and you know it." As he said that, the pair started glowing through their aura connection, Springer feeling new strength flowing through him. "Dig deep bud! You can do it." Their eyes both shot open, "SPRINGER!"

"RIOLU!" Springer roared as he shot up to his feet, the light shining even brighter around his body.

Mic: "Riolu is up!"

The crowd cheered as Springer charged, both he and Flash moving exactly the same as the teen yelled, "Aura Sphere!" Springer formed the orb and thrust it into Galladin's chest. The Gallent Knight flinched as the attack exploded, knocking him back as Springer leapt into the air. "Bone Rush!"

"Sacred Sword!" Shining countered, both Pokémon summoning their weapons. Springer swung his down, but Galladin blocked it with his and pushed Springer back before charging and striking Springer several times in the arms and legs.

"Ri/Augh!" Springer and Flash cried, the crowd gasping when they saw Flash hold his arm in the place Springer had been hit. His friends quickly realized that Flash was feeling the same pain Springer was through their link, but Flash then let out a command, "Extreme Speed!" Springer zipped ahead at this, circling around Galladin before appearing right above him. Both he and Flash raised their legs up before swinging them down, Springer hitting Galladin in the head.

"Night Slash!" And as Springer finished his blow, Galladin recovered and slashed at the Riolu, striking him in the chest. Springer went flying back at this, him and Flash flinching as the trainer called out a command.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer formed the orb and threw it downward.

"Iron Defense!" Galladin crossed his arms, the little metal he had on him shining as the sphere slammed into him and exploded. Smoke covered him as Springer landed on the ground.

"Another Aura Sphere!" Springer charged and formed the orb in his paw. But as he got close, Galladin swept his arms around and pushed the smoke away.

"Sacred Sword with everything you have!" Both Galladin's blades glowed and when he lifted his arms up, the light from them merged to form one giant blade that went about thirty feet up. "GO!"

"GALLADIN!" The Gallent Knight swung his arms down, the blade falling down for Springer as he stopped in his tracks.

"RI!" Springer held the orb up to block the sword as it slammed into him. The two attacks pushed at one another, Springer and Flash flinching at the heat...only for the Aura Sphere to not be able to take it anymore until-

KABOOM!

It exploded, filling the stadium with smoke that engulfed both Pokémon. Everyone gasped at this, only for a scream to make them jerk their heads to a certain individual.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH!" Flash screamed, the teen then going limp as everyone gasped as he fell to his knees.

"FLASH!" His friends cried just as the smoke cleared, Galladin still standing despite panting.

Then, Springer was revealed, on his knees and head down just like Flash. Everyone gasped again at the sight, now seeing Flash and Springer's connection caused the teen to feel all the damage the Riolu had taken from the attack. Now they were both sitting there, looking ready to fall over any moment.

"FLASH!" Twilight screamed, "Get up!"

But Flash didn't react. He just sat there on his knees, not responding.

"Is he breathing?" Fluttershy asked.

"Someone call an ambulance!" Rainbow yelled as the rest of the crowd began murmuring. And as they stared at the battlefield, seeing the two not responding, it begged only one question: Had Flash lost? Was his Equestria League journey at an end? What would this mean for his future? A million questions were being asked and nobody had an answer. All they knew was that Flash and Springer were down and possibly, they weren't getting up.


To be continued...

> We Are the Champions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

All over Equestria, the people of the region were wide-eyed as they watched their TVs. It showed the image of two figures, a trainer and his ever faithful Pokémon partner. Flash Sentry and his Riolu Springer were both kneeling on the ground with their heads down as their opponents, Shining Armor and Galladin, stared at them in shock.

Mic: "I can't believe it! After this intense battle, both Flash and his Riolu appear unconscious. I can't tell if they're actually knocked out or if something else has happened, but this doesn't look good for them."

The Rotom Drone flew down and started scanning Springer, his systems unable to determine what was wrong.

"Is Flash okay?" Spike slowly asked.

"He was so powerful..." Applejack whispered, "He was only one step away from achievin' his dream."

Doc shook his head and sighed, "I suppose this time...his opponent was just too strong."

Sunset nodded in agreement, "Flash and Springer were connected through their auras. Their link was so strong that Flash felt everything Springer felt. It's a double-edged sword. The shock must have been too much for him to handle."

"So what happens now?" Trixie asked.

"Did Flash lose?" Pinkie added as they all turned to Twilight. The girl had gone surprisingly quiet as she stared down at the field.

"Please," she whispered, "Please get up."

In that moment, the Rotom Drone flew up. "I have just received an update from the league officials. They have decreed that if Riolu does not stand up in the next five minutes, he will be deemed unable to battle and the match will end in Shining Armor's victory."

The crowd started murmuring at this as Rotom projected a screen that showed a five minute countdown. Everyone then started yelling at Flash and Springer, telling them to get up. But no matter what happened, he didn't respond.

"Flash!" Rainbow screeched, "Get your lazy backside up already!"

"You can't let it end like this!" Fluttershy screamed.

"Get up darling!" Rarity cried.

"Flash!" Cloud yelled to her grandson, "Don't let everything you've been through be a waste!" But Flash remained unconscious, the teen simply kneeling there dead to the world. "Flash..."

From their booth, the professors grimaced as Celestia whispered, "Flash...come on. Where's that fighting spirit that's gotten you so far before?"

Luna looked away in pain. "I guess...even Flash has his limits."

Cadance looked close to tears as the countdown hit four minutes. "I can't look."

From his vantage point, Shining Armor stared down at the boy he had given his Riolu to so long ago. "This isn't like you. Giving up so easily. That's not the trainer I've come to respect." Flash remained unchanged, "Are you really gonna let everything you've worked for end here and now!?"

Galladin stared at the Riolu it had beaten, disappointed that their battle would end so suddenly. "Gall," he called out, "Gal Galladin!" Springer just knelt there, looking like a strong breeze was all that stood between him and falling to the ground completely.

The crowd's yells almost deafened one another out, with no one voice able to be distinguished over the other. That was until one particular person spoke up. "SPRINGER!" Everyone around her turned to Twilight as she stood up and screamed at the top of her lungs. "YOU HAVE TO STAND UP!" She turned to the trainer. "FLASH! STAND UP! PLEASE!" There was still no response. "You wanna be the Equestria League Champion, don't you?! The very best, like no one ever was! I know you can still win this match!" Flash just kept staring at the ground, nobody able to tell if his eyes were open or not. "The Flash I know would never give up! He doesn't give up until the very end!"

"Twilight..." Shining whispered as he heard his sister call out to him.

"Did you know that your dream isn't just yours?! Your dream is also my dream too!!!" She turned to the Riolu, then back at Flash. "It's also Springer's, and the people who've supported you up until now! And the rest of your Pokémon!" Though Flash couldn't feel it, the Pokeballs on his belt began to shake. His team were all too exhausted to break out as they continued to move, "Only you can fulfil our dream! So please, for all of us, for me...stand up! Flash...FLASH!" She closed her eyes and began to pray, her heart telling her Flash could hear her if she did so. "Get up."





All Flash could see was darkness. He didn't know where he was and how he got there, the last thing he remembered being his battle against Shining before feeling intense pain. And now here he was, unable to tell which way was up. He felt like he was floating in pure black water, his body unable to move as he felt something more. It was an intense pressure, and it was getting stronger. He could feel the darkness about to crush him, turn the teen into nothingness. And as he floated, he started hearing a voice. His voice, only it was darker, harsher, filled with contempt and anger.

"Useless. You will never fulfil your destiny. Failure. All of this time, you've wasted your life."

"Flash..." he heard a new voice. One he had only heard before, not too long ago.

"Spring...Springer?" He tried to reach out, only to feel the darkness push him. He held out his hand, but felt nothing. "Springer...don't go."

"Why bother? You know you cannot win. It's time to give up. To let yourself be consumed by what you know is true. You are nothing." The dark voice roared, Flash wincing in pain as he began to close his eyes, feeling the last of his consciousness begin to fade.

"NO!" Screamed a voice, something suddenly grabbing the teen's hand before pulling him through the darkness. Within seconds, the pressure around him vanished and he was able to open his eyes. He was almost blinded by a light, pulling him into a white void. The darkness was gone, behind him as he looked up and saw he wasn't alone.

It was Twilight, floating and holding his hand. "Please," she looked close to tears, "Please don't give up."

"Twilight..." he whispered, "I'm...I'm sorry." He looked down, as a dark void started reaching out with shadowy tendrils. "I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't...I couldn't beat him."

"It's not over yet," Twilight replied, "Don't let yourself fall into despair. Because no matter what, you're amazing." She pulled him close, hugging him as the dark shadows receded. "I've seen everything you've been through. Been there since the very beginning. I've seen how you've grown, how you've fought to get stronger and helped others when you had no reason to help them. You helped me grow too. More than I ever thought possible. I know now that even if you're not with me, I can do amazing things."

"Twilight," he whispered as a smile appeared in his lips.

"So get back up," Twilight added, "And remember, you're not the only one in this fight either." And as she said that, she began to fade away and disappear. Flash wanted to ask what she meant by that, but then his eyes fell upon another in the voice with him.

"Springer?"

"Flash," Springer smiled from about twenty feet away, "You are the trainer I've chosen." As he said that, images began to appear around him, showing the many memories between the two. Memories of the day they had first met. Meeting in the forest, Flash protecting him and the pair bonding in the hospital. "Since the day we met, I knew you and I were meant to be together." Flash went wide-eyed as he saw the images of their time together. So many memories that listing them all would take a lifetime. "You've given me so much support, trusted me with so much and been there to help me stand when I fall." With that, Springer held out his paw. "I've always trusted my judgement...but I trust you more."

"Springer," Flash whispered before holding out his hand. As he did, the pair started glowing.





Everyone watched as the countdown hit its final minute, many fearing that this was it. But as the clock began to go into that last minute, Flash and Springer began to move.

"No way," Rainbow gasped as the pair moved in sync. One leg lifted itself up and pushed its foot into the ground, both now going up into standing height.

"Flash," Twilight whispered, only for everyone to go wide-eyed as the pair began to glow.





The light flew off their hands and connected between them as Springer kept talking. "As long as we're together, I know there's no limit to what we can do. No opponent we can't beat. No evil we can't stop. Because we're the ultimate team. You...me...and all of our friends."

Flash's eyes went wide, only to shine a huge grin. And as he did this, the dark void behind him completely vanished. All the doubt and despair was gone.

"Yeah," he nodded before the pair started floating towards one another. "Let's go Springer!" As they drew closer, the light around them grew brighter. "As long as we're together, the both of us..." They finally grasped hands as the light became blinding, but it didn't hurt Flash. "...until the very end. We'll keep fighting. Keep pushing. Keep going and become...and become..."





Before anyone in the stadium could ask what the light was, Flash and Springer jerked as their eyes shot open. "STRONGER!"

"RIOLU!" Springer exclaimed as the light exploded off of them both, filling the entire stadium and shooting into the air as a massive pillar of light. The light gave off a wave that shook the place, everyone now being blinded by the light but refusing to close their eyes in case they missed anything.

"What's happening?!" Spike yelped.

"I...I don't know," Twilight replued, "Flash..."

Down on the battlefield, Galladin was just as blind as everyone else. But he could sense Springer approaching, though something seemed...different. "Drain Punch!" He then saw the figure now radiating the blinding light...and he was growing.

Before he could react, a sudden powerful force slammed into his chest. "Galladin!" He screamed as he was knocked flying back, his energy now being sapped away. And before he could try to counter, he was struck again, and again and again and again. The hits weren't hard, but every one of them sapped away more and more of his energy.

Then, the figure leapt up and kicked off him, the light exploding off him to reveal the figure. It was a four foot high blue, black and yellow jackal-like creature standing on two legs with black cascade badge-shaped appendages and had spikes coming off the back of its paws and chest.

"Lu..." the new opponent growled as the light died down to reveal him to the world, "LUCARIO!"

Everyone in the stands and watching the TV were now wide-eyed, all gasping as Mic exclaimed, "INCREDIBLE! It looked like Flash and Riolu were down for the count, but now they're back and to the absolute shock of the crowd, Riolu has evolved into Lucario! This is unbelievable!"

"You have no idea how right you are..." Celestia whispered, 'Somehow, Flash and Springer's bond is so strong that it was able to overwhelm the power of the Everstone energy and allow Springer to evolve. I...I can't believe how strong they've become.'

"Springer evolved?" Spike yelped, "But how?!" He turned to Twilight, "I thought Springer couldn't evolve. The Everstone energy."

Twilight just shook her head at this while Cloud laughed and said some things defy explanation. But it was clear that Flash and Springer's bond had grown to do the impossible, now gaining this new level of power.

"She's right," Doc nodded. "Springer was pretty powerful before, but now that he's evolved, all of his abilities will have skyrocketed."

They stared down at Flash and Springer as the newly evolved Lucario looked himself over and smiled at his new form. Shining, who had been quiet during this time, smirked at Flash and nodded, "Well Flash, you certainly know how to surprise us. I sure wasn't expecting something like this to happen."

"Thanks Shining." He pointed at the champion, "Springer and I are ready for whatever you throw at us." He clutched his hand into a fist, "When we're together, there's nothing we can't do. And that includes beating you right here, right now!"

Shining smirked at this, "Then come and prove it. Show me that you and Springer deserve to stand at the top of the Equestria League."

"With pleasure!" Flash cheered as Springer charged, "Bone Rush!" The Lucario formed the staff and broke it in half as Galladin stood tall.

"Sacred Sword!" The two Pokémon met in the center of the field and started dual wielding their respective attacks. Both clashed at the same time, Springer's being a little bit shorter, but they appeared to be on a more even level. Galladin held up both blades and swung them down, but Springer crossed his bones and used them to block the attack. He wasn't even pushed back a centimeter, the two Fighting Steel-type's heads inches from one another.

After a few seconds, the pair pushed away from one another. But as he skidded back, Springer threw the bones at Galladin. He managed to use his Sacred Sword to deflect one, but another struck him in the shoulder, knocking the Pokémon back.

"Drain Punch!" Springer leapt and pulled his fist back.

"Night Slash!" Galladin spun around at this, firing a purple glowing blade, striking Springer in the stomach.

"Car!" He roared as he hit the ground, only to suddenly be surrounded by a yellow light. "CARIO!" The crowd blinked at this, some noticing the spikes on his chest and arms glowing longer.

Mic: "Is that a new move?"

Celestia: "No, it's an ability called Justified. Springer must have gained it when he evolved."

Cadance: "Every time Springer gets hit by a Dark-type move, his Attack strength will grow stronger."

"That's a rare ability for a Lucario to have," Sunset added, "But then again, what else is new for those two."

"Extreme Speed!" Springer was surrounded by the blue lightning as he began teleporting all around Galladin, the knight unable to hit the speed demon. "Do it!" Springer appeared and swung his leg into the Gallant Knight's head.

Galladin staggered back as Springer continued to warp all around him, then appeared above him ready to deal an axe kick to his head. "Iron Defense!" Despite not wearing his shields, Galladin raised his arms and swords to defend himself. Springer's kick struck the side of Galladin's blade, bouncing off it. "Slash!" Galladin swung his arms apart, knocking Springer away before slashing at the Lucario.

"Car!" He flinched.

"Drain Punch!" Before Galladin could react, Springer pulled his fist back and punched him in the chest to drain away his energy. Both Pokémon leapt back at this, landing a good distance away as Flash gave his next command. "Aura Sphere!"

"Loo," Springer brought his paws together and formed the sphere, then spun on the spot. "LUCARIO!" He threw the orb like a bowling ball, the attack skimming above the ground as it headed for Galladin.

"Sacred Sword!" Shining ordered, Galladin bringing both blades together as they glowed before swinging down and hitting the ground. The attack caused the ground to break apart, the energy from the blades flying through the fissure. When it reached the Aura Sphere, it exploded, shaking the ground as Springer's attack was nullified. And as the smoke faded, the four stared one another down and smiled. Then, trainers started chuckling which breaking out into full-on laughter.

Mic: "They're laughing? Why?"

Celestia: "Just shows how much fun they're having. As Flash said in his last battle, this is a game. What's the point in putting so much effort into it if you're not gonna enjoy yourself?"

Shining was the first to stop laughing, though he did let a few chuckles through. "I...I gotta say, this has been one of the toughest battles I've ever been in."

"Same," Flash nodded, "And I'm glad it's against you Shining."

"Couldn't have said it better myself. Flash, even if you lose, I hope you'll continue to protect Equestria with me. Hopefully one day, I'll be able to pass on the torch to you." Flash nodded again, "You might be cocky, sarcastic and even act a little stupid at times, but you're definitely one of the best trainers Equestria has ever given rise too. And if I lose, you'll be considered the best and I know you'll make me proud."

"Thanks Shining," Flash replied, "And I'm definitely gonna win. Right Springer?"

"Car!" Springer nodded.

"Well then get ready," Shining responded, "Cause we're gonna throw everything we have at you!"

"Bring it!" Flash cheered, "We'll take whatever you dish out and send it back to you a hundred times over! GO SPRINGER!"

"GALLADIN!" The two Fighting Steel-types charged at one another, "Slash!" Galladin swung his swords, but Springer leapt straight up and over the knight.

"Aura Sphere!" Springer formed the orb and fired it, the attack hitting Galladin in the back. He staggered back at this as Springer landed and rolled to his feet. "Bone Rush!" Springer charged, but Galladin regained his footing and spun around.

'I gotta do it. It might power Springer up, but that means he'll get through Springer's attacks.' "Night Slash!" Galladin swung his blade and unleashed the purple crescent energy blade, which Springer raised his arms to defend. It struck Springer and exploded, stopping him for a second as the aura appeared around him and his spikes grew.

"Car!" He formed the bone in his hands, which he started spinning around, "CARIO!" He swung it at Galladin, but the knight blocked it with one of his blades.

"Sacred Sword!" The blade glowed and he swung it back, the sword knocking Springer back.

"RIO!" He roared, staggering back as Galladin raised both blades above his head before bringing them downward. But Springer's raised his arms up and used the spikes on their backs to block the attack. "Lucario!" He thrust them up, knocking Galladin off balance before he leapt forward and sank both feet into his chest.

"GALL!" Galladin cried as Springer pushed off him.

"Extreme Speed!" Springer started rapidly throwing punches and kicks into the knight, but Galladin began to hop back, narrowly avoiding the strikes. He then leapt back as Flash gave his next command, "Bone Rush!"

"Slash!"

Both blades clashed, only for Galladin to instantly spin around and use his blades to swipe at Springer's legs.

"Car!" The Lucario tripped over at this, Galladin then slamming his foot down onto his stomach.

"Oh no," Twilight gasped as Shining gave his next order.

"Sacred Sword!" Galladin raised his swords, only for Springer to vanish. "What?! Where'd he go?! That couldn't have been Double Team..." He then realized that Springer must have still been sped up by Extreme Speed, Galladin only pinning an afterimage of him. "But then where's the real Springer?"

He, Galladin and the crowd all glanced around, but saw no sign of the Lucario. He had just...vanished. Shining turned to Flash, who didn't look at all worried as he raised his arm up high with his fingers positioned like they were holding a ball. As he did, a bright light suddenly appeared above the stadium and everyone looked up. The source of the light was a massive sphere of blue energy, growing larger and larger with every second.

As they watched it grow, Flash closed his eyes and began to speak. "All of our dreams." The teen was still glowing, brighter than ever before. The light surrounded his other Pokeballs, connecting those inside to him and Springer so that they could all share their energy. "We're putting all of our thoughts." The sphere grew so large and bright that it now hurt just to look at it. "All of our hopes!" Shining looked down at him, seeing he was still in the same pose as he opened his eyes. "Into this one final strike!"

Shining and Galladin looked up and despite the pain of the light, they were both able to see him. Springer, somehow floating high above the stadium, in the same pose Flash was in as he held the largest Aura Sphere ever seen above his head. "Loo-car!" He roared, ready to fire whenever Flash gave the command.

Mic: "What's going on?! How is Lucario able to create an Aura Sphere that large?!"

Celestia: "Honestly, I gave up trying to expect logic to ever work when it came to those two a long time ago."

All over the stadium, people cried out in many different emotions. Awe, wonder, horror and so many more. Their friends were all smiling with joy, knowing that to summon an attack that strong meant that the two of them had truly become the very best...like no one ever was.

"This is the final blow for our dreams!" Flash yelled as Springer put the last bit of effort into his attack. "Springer, let's end this with an old favorite!"

"Flash!" Twilight exclaimed.

"YOU CAN DO IT!" His other friends screamed as Shining just stared at the sight, "WIN!!!!!!"

"Aura Sphere!" Flash yelled before taking a deep breath. "BARRAAAAAAGE!!!!!" The massive Aura Sphere exploded into a thousand normal sized Aura Spheres, Lucario now somehow raining them down toward the ground.

Shining and Galladin both gasped seeing this, Shining calling out to his Pokémon. "Sacred Sword!" Galladin swung his blades around wildly, slashing at every single Aura Sphere that got close to him. The others smashed into the ground around him, trapping him in one place and forcing him to defend himself...only for it to be too much.

"Gall!" He yelped as one struck his shoulder, "Din!" Another struck his arm, then his chest, leg, shoulder, knee, elbow, chest. "GALLADIN!" He slammed his Sacred Swords together and swung them, unleashing an energy blade that struck the Aura Spheres and caused them to explode like fireworks.

However, something flew through the smoke and fell towards Galladin. Springer.

"DO IT!" Flash yelled as Springer held one final Aura Sphere in his paws, pulling it back as Galladin tried to move. But the last Sacred Sword had sapped his strength, unable to react as Springer thrust the Aura Sphere, "SPRINGER!"

"LUCARIO!" Galladin raised his sword at this, the force of the energy inside the Aura Sphere now hitting him.

KABOOOOOOOOOOM!

The stadium shook as the explosion rocked the battlefield, sending out shockwaves that flew up and pinned everyone into their seats as they closed their eyes to avoid the light. Many cried out in fear, some believing the stadium was gonna be ripped apart by the attack. But after a minute or so, they found themselves able to move once again.

Twilight opened her eyes and looked down at the battlefield, forcing herself to her feet as she stared into the smoke that now filled the stadium. "What just happened?" The others began to recover and stared at the field as well, worried they were gonna end up seeing Springer on the ground again.

Mic: "I...I can't see anything. What's going on? Do we have a winner?"

The Rotom Drone flew down, trying to get a scan of the field as the crowd began to murmur. But then the cloud of smoke began to fade. The first to be seen was Galladin, looking battered and bruised, but still standing. Springer then appeared, also standing though looking just as badly beaten. Flash and Shining were seen next, both panting and looking as beaten up as their Pokémon.

All four were staring at the opposing individual, all locked in that moment. But then Shining smiled before whispering something only Flash seemed to hear, "Well done." With that, Galladin fell to the floor, the crowd gasping as the Rotom Drone flew down and scanned him.

"Galladin is unable to battle. The winner is Lucario. All six of Shining Armor's Pokémon are unable to battle. So the winner of the battle and new Champion of Equestria is...FLASH SENTRY!" That statement caused the entire stadium to explode into cheers, along with everyone else in the region.

Mic: "IT'S OVER! After a heated battle I'm sure no one will ever forget, Flash Sentry has claimed victory over Shining Armor and won the coveted title of Equestria League Champion!"

All over Equestria, screams of excitement and joy filled the air. And back in the stadium, nobody was cheering louder then Flash's friends and family.

"I can't believe he did it!" Spike cheered, "He won! He actually won!"

"Heck yeah he won!" Rainbow added.

"YAY FLASH!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"This is so great," Fluttershy looked ready to cry. "I wanted Flash more than anyone to win this and he did."

"No other outcome would have felt right," Applejack nodded.

Rarity was also close to tears, the girl trying not to ruin her makeup as she wiped them. "Now he can hold his head up high and tell the world he is Equestria's greatest trainer."

Sunset and Trixie nodded, cheering for Flash as well while Cloud was holding back her tears. "You did it. Your grandfather, your parents and the whole rest of our family would be so proud. I know I am."

Doc smiled at Flash, remembering back to when they first met and he had to bail him out of a rough situation. "It's hard to believe you're even the same kid." He shook his head. "No, because you're not the same kid. You've grown and matured a lot since back then, and I'm glad I got to see you become the champion you are now."

Twilight remained quiet, though she was close to tears herself as she stared at the boy who had just beaten her brother. Words could not express what she was feeling right now. "Flash..."

Flash's brain was completely fried. Every time he tried to process the information, it stalled and he had to reboot. But eventually, the realization sank in. "We did it. We actually did it." He turned to Springer, his instant reflex being to look down, only to see his partner's waist and looked up into the Lucario's eyes. Springer wasn't a Riolu anymore. He had finally managed to achieve his evolved form despite the energy that had been forced into him so long ago.

"Springer..." he whispered before breaking out in a smile. Springer did the same and the pair broke out into a run, Springer leaping at the taller trainer. "SPRINGER!" He cheered as they wrapped their arms around one another, hugging until Springer's new weight overwhelmed Flash. "Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" He fell over, the pair continuing to hug for a second until Springer got off him and he sat up and really looked the Fighting Steel-type over. "Wow, look at you! You're actually a Lucario!"

"Car!" Springer nodded as he looked himself over and smirked at his new body. This fact was still sinking in as well, "Lucario!" He held out his paw and Flash happily accepted, allowing Springer to pull him up to his feet. And when they stood, the pair high-fived before pumping fists and laughing.

Meanwhile, Shining had moved over to Galladin and helped him sit up. "You did great old friend," he said to the Gallent Knight Pokémon. He turned to Flash and Springer, smiling at the pair and nodding. "Now we can leave the region in their hands without needing to worry."

"Gall," he nodded, "Galladin." Shining smirked and held up his Pokeball, telling him to take a long rest before returning him and the armor pieces he had dropped earlier. With that done, Shining turned back to Flash and Springer.

The pair stopped celebrating at this as Shining held out a hand. "Congratulations Flash. You've proven without a doubt that you deserve to be responsible for protecting Equestria. Pegasoar was right to choose you."

Flash smiled and grabbed his hand, "Thanks Shining."

The pair shook as the crowd cheered, Shining continuing to speak, "But if you ever need any help with something, feel free to ask. Even if I'm not the champion anymore, I still wanna do my part in protecting my home." Flash nodded before the two turned towards the cheering crowd, waving at them as Mic spoke up.

Mic: "And thus, the Equestria League has come to a conclusion, and this year's is sure to be one nobody will ever forget. It's the end of an era."

Celestia: "But the start of a new one."

Mic: "Indeed. Now why don't we go down and have our new champion address his subjects?" The Rotom Drone flew down and started recording Flash, who gulped as he tried to think of something to say. Luckily, Shining was there to save him.

"Sorry everyone," he told the camera, "But Flash and I have someplace to be. I'm afraid you'll have to wait until we get back to hear what Flash has to say." Before Mic could ask what he meant, the field retracted and Shining, Flash and Springer slowly descended into the darkness.

"Wait!" Mic yelped, "Where are they going?!" He turned to the professors, but found two of them were now missing. "Hey, where'd Celestia and Luna go?" Cadance shrugged, clearly trying to hide a smirk.

"What's going on?" Spike asked Twilight, "Where'd Flash and Shining go?"

"I don't know," Twilight hummed, "But...wait, I remember something like this happening before. When Shining beat Grand, the two of them disappeared for a bit after the battle."

"Where'd they go?" Rainbow asked, but Twilight just shrugged.

"I don't know. I asked after the match, but Shining just played coy. I remembered being really annoyed that he wouldn't tell me, but then after his victory party, I completely forgot."

Pinkie gasped when she said that. "Victory party?!" She got up, "I can't believe I forgot to plan a victory party for Flash!"

"And what would you be planning if Flash had lost?" Cloud asked, only for Pinkie to shine a big grin.

"A 'sorry you lost but you were still awesome' party, duh! Now, I gotta get going to get everything ready!"

She then zipped past them as Applejack asked, "How the heck are yah gonna throw him a party now?"

Pinkie just gave her a look that said 'do not doubt my party power' before she left and the others turned back to the field. "I still wanna know where Flash went," Trixie added, the others nodding in agreement, but then Twilight happened to glance over at Cloud and saw her smiling.

"Do you know where they're going?" The others turned to the former Gym Leader.

"I don't know for sure, but I've been around long enough to hear rumours." They all raised an eyebrow at this. "There is said to be a place so sacred that only Equestria's Champion, former Champions and a select few are allowed to see it."





Flash and Springer looked around, watching as the battlefield they were on continued to go lower into the mountain. They went so low that Flash was amazed there was room for this along with all the underground tunnels he had previously run through.

"Where are we going?" He finally asked Shining, but his predecessor simply smiled a knowing smirk.

"You'll see. Just be patient." And as he said this, the battlefield came a stop, Shining turned to one of the walls, Flash and Lucario following his gaze and saw a large set of mechanical double doors standing in front of the wall. Both had Pokeball images marked into the metal.

"What's that?" He asked, feeling a sense of awe at the sight of them.

"The entrance to the Hall of Fame." Flash turned to the voice and spotted Celestia and Luna, both walking in from another door off to the side. "A place of great renown."

Luna nodded. "Only the best of the best are permitted to enter these halls. Celestia and I are a rare exception. Normally, the only people allowed in here are Champions and former Champions. And now, that includes you."

Celestia stepped over to Springer and kneeled down to look the Lucario in the eye. "Just look at you. So strong now." She patted the jackal on the head and the canine growled happily as she scratched behind the ear. She then turned to Flash, "And you've grown so much since the day you first walked through my door. I'm very proud of how far you've come."

"Thanks."

"Well," Shining told them, "It's time." Before Flash could ask what he was talking about, the man stepped up to the doors as a scanner device appeared out of the wall. It unleashed a green light that hit Shining and rolled over his body, beeping after a second before retracting. Moments later, the doors began to slowly open into a tunnel. They all walked in, seeing it was a long hallway that shared the same design as the doors. The floor had a line of Pokeballs on it while the walls had the same beautiful patterns. At the end of the hallway, a pair of doors just like the ones at the entrance could be seen. They all walked down the hallway, and as they did, Flash noticed something.

Pillars that lined the walls on either side, each pillar had a different shape engraved into it. It was only when he recognized the shape of a gear on one pillar that he realized he was looking at the badges that were official and accepted in the Equestria League. Along with the Gear Badge, he saw the Harvest Badge, Dust Badge and a few more that he recognized from his friends showing their's off. Flash and Springer were so focused on the badge images that they almost ran into the door, Shining being the only reason they didn't run face first into it. "This is it," the former champion told him as the doors scanned him like the others. Once that was done, they opened as well.

"Wow," Flash whispered as he saw a room made of blue marble that was so shiny that Flash felt like he was standing on a mirror. The walls were bright yellow and a bunch of framed pictures could be seen lining it. Compared to the size of the walls, the number of pictures only took up about a tenth of the walls. A red carpet could be seen on the ground, leading from the door to a metal desk in front of the back wall, and the back wall had a large screen that almost took up the whole wall.

"Welcome," Shining commented, "To the Hall of Fame."

"This place is incredible," Flash gasped, Shining chuckling at this.

"Yeah, I had the same expression when Grand brought me in here." Flash stepped off the carpet and looked at one of the pictures, seeing a man in his late twenties surrounded by a Timbark, Frostorge, Slumberam, Volthor, Mushroast and Aquapphire. He then saw many other trainers, all with different Pokémon that looked incredibly powerful. All former trainers that had once held the title of Champion.

"Here is where we honor those that have proven themselves worthy of the title Champion," Celestia added when they returned to the carpet. They moved aside and Flash spotted a metal circle in front of a table that had six slots in it.

"Flash Sentry," Shining spoke up, "You have proven yourself to be strong, kind, resilient and many other virtues that make a great Equestria League Champion. And now you stand here, ready to take on responsibilities that come with this most noble of titles. Equestria's future is now in your hands." He pointed to the table. "Place your Pokémon in the slots and step inside the circle."

Flash did as he was told, taking out his Pokeballs and placing them onto the table. When only one slot was left, Flash took out Springer's Premier-Ball and turned to the Lucario. He knew the Aura Pokémon didn't like being inside his ball, but the Lucario gave his trainer a thumbs up, not a hint of fear in his eyes.

Flash smiled and returned Springer before placing him in the slot, the teen stepping back into the circle. As he did this, it and the table lit up with the light flowing over Flash and the Pokeballs. Moments later, the back screen activated and Flash's image appeared in the center.

Flash wasn't sure how, but the machine had put him into the coolest pose he could think of. Flash was standing tall with a hand out, a Pokeball in his hand. Then, Springer appeared in front of Flash. He was posing the way he would if he was forming an Aura Sphere, the attack actually being between his paws, which meant he only obstructed Flash's legs and waist.

A moment later, Skyler appeared behind Flash with his wings spread. The trainer's head obstructed only his tail as Skyler's claws were primed between his shoulders. Then, Riptide appeared to Flash's left holding an Aqua Break in a backhanded grip while Prongs appeared to Flash's right in a ready to charge stance that had his antlers primed. To Prong's right, Viper appeared with his body coiling around the Stagrowth's legs with his flames extended and a burst of fire flying out of his mouth. And finally to Riptide's left, Astro appeared with his wings and claws spread and his mouth open wide like he was letting out a roar.

This image was the coolest thing Flash had ever seen, made even cooler when he saw the Gym Badges he had won through his travels lining the edge of the image. Below Flash's feet, words appeared that cemented all of his accomplishments:


Equestria League Champion, Flash Sentry, and his Team of Pokémon.


The date and time of Flash's victory appeared below it, forever immortalising his achievement. Celestia then stepped up. "Congratulations," she told him. "You and your Pokémon are now and forever members of the Hall of Fame."

"Wow," Flash turned back to the board and stared at the image of his own face. As he did, he scratched the back of his head. "Are...you sure it's okay for someone like me to be a Pokémon League Champion?"

"Oh come now," Luna chuckled, "You fought well and with great honor to achieve what you have."

Shining nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Be proud of that."

Flash smiled and nodded, "Right..." He glanced around, now seeing all the people who had won their way to this spot. Those who now trusted the protection of their region to him. "I won't bring shame to the title of Equestria League Champion." He took one final look at the screen showing him and his team and nodded. This was what he wanted, and this was what he had earned.





After they returned from the hall of fame, the press had a field day. He was pulled into a room of the stadium and sat down, looking out at a large crowd of reporters who asked question after question. Flash tried to answer them all the best he could, though a few questions he found himself stumped until Shining spoke up. And after three hours of questions, which made him question how the heck can there be enough questions to fill that much time, the conference came to an end and the new champion was able to leave the place.

He left the stadium and rode down the mountain, where he found a limo waiting for him. He, Springer, Shining, Celestia and Luna got in, Flash wondering where they were going. "My lab, of course." Celestia giggled, Flash raising an eyebrow at this. He knew the answer should have been obvious, but he still felt like he was being kept in the dark about something.

"Where are Twilight and the others?"

"At the lab," Luna replied, "You didn't expect them to wait at the stadium for three hours, did you?" Flash shook his head as the limo pulled into the lab's street. "This has certainly been an interesting day. No doubt the rest of the week, heck the next month, will be just as interesting."

"Just be careful," Shining added, "People will take a while to get used to you as the new champion. All it's gonna take is one slip up and they'll lose all respect for you. So for the next few weeks, try not to do anything stupid."

"Thanks..." Flash deadpanned as the car came to a stop, "That makes me feel so much better." They all stepped out of the limo and looked up at the lab, Flash expecting to see his friends waiting for him outside...but they were nowhere in sight.

He turned to the others and saw they were waiting for him to go ahead, Flash raising an eyebrow but deciding to go inside. And as he walked in, he found the place didn't have any lights on. But before he could do anything, the lights switched on and both he and Springer were blinded for a second before they heard a bunch of voices cry out.

"SURPRISE!" They opened their eyes and found all their friends, including the gym leaders, all firing party poppers. "CONGRATULATIONS!" They all yelled, Flash looking up and seeing a banner on the wall that said: 'Congrats on becoming the new champion!'

Twilight, Spike and Doc ran up at this, Twilight throwing her arms around him to hug the teen. "You did it!"

"Heck yeah you did!" Spike cheered as he and Flash high-fived, Doc stepping up and giving the trainer a fist bump. "You had us scared there."

"Yeah!" Rainbow nodded. "When you collapsed like that, we thought you were dead man."

"Please don't ever scare us like that again," Rarity added, Flash nodding and promising he wouldn't as the Gym Leaders stepped up next.

"You sure made us proud to have lost to you!" Tidal laughed, "You'll make a great champion. And if you ever need help with anything, we'll all be there to land you our support amigo."

The other Gym Leaders nodded, Flash happily smiling before taking out his Pokeballs and throwing them into the air. In a flash, his Pokémon all appeared. They looked a lot better after the hours of rest they had had since the battle. "We did it guys! We're Equestria's Champions!"

"CAR/TORE/REP/STAG/VI/GAL!" They all cheered.

"I'm proud of you all," Flash continued, "But just because we won, that doesn't mean it's the end of our training." They nodded back, "We're the champions now, and that means people will be looking to us for help whenever they need it. So we can't go laying around on the job. We've gotta keep training as hard as we can so that no matter what threats we come up against, we can stand tall against them. You with me?"

"CAR/TORE/REP/STAG/VI/GAL!"

The others cheered as well, all stating they would be ready to help if Flash ever needed it. Flash smiled and thanked them, then looked over at a nearby table and saw a bunch of food. "Well, I don't know about you, but after the day I've had, I'm starving." He threw his fist into the air, "LET'S GETTING TO CELEBRATING!"

"YEAH!" Everyone cheered before getting down to having some fun. Within minutes, the plates of food were highly diminished and Pinkie turned on some music. It was some of the best songs ever as people started bobbing their heads to it as they slowly broke into groups and started talking about Flash's journey.

Each of the gym leaders had chosen to talk about their battles with Flash and how he won their badge. "And just when it seemed like I was gonna win, his Reptidal pulls out it's Torrent Ability to power himself up."

"Then he fired an Energy Ball right at the ground, kicking up a large cloud of sand that covered Stampalo and caused his Flame Charge to die out."

"I thought I had him beat when Tockwork blinded Springer," Doc told Rarity and Fluttershy. "But then Flash did something completely Flash-like. He had Springer connect his aura to him and used that to direct him. That sure threw me for a loop."

Others were also talking about adventures they had with Flash, Applejack telling them about how Riptide evolved and she caught her Lombre. Pinkie was telling those that would listen how Flash and Springer saved them from dehydration in Ghastly Gorge while Sunset was telling them about how Flash and Springer saved Eclixie from Mechano's machine.

Flash was starting the feel embarrassed by all the praise he was getting, the teen finishing the last of his food before sneaking out the front door to get some air. And when he thought he got away scott free, someone began to silently follow him. And as he got outside, he took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. Despite the lights of the city, the stars were still shining brightly in the sky. The sight alone calmed Flash's heart, the teen still having a hard time believing his journey was at an end. And now, a new journey was beginning for him. One that may end up shaping the future of Equestria.

"Beautiful night." Flash turned to see Twilight standing by the door, smiling at him before slowly making her way over. Once they were side by side, they looked back up at the stars and Flash was reminded of the night before the league when they did the same in the park. "I know I've said this, but congratulations." She turned to smile at him, "I'm glad you were able to win."

"Thanks. I'll admit though, things got hairy there for a moment."

"Yeah," Twilight nodded, "Rainbow was right. When you fell to your knees, we all began to think the worst." She nudged hsi side, "But you pulled through, just like I thought you would."

"Thanks to you," Flash replied, only for Twilight to raise an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well...you'd think I'm crazy."

"Please...don't think so little of me." She giggled, "I've known you were crazy since the day I first met you." Flash laughed back at this as she added, "What happened?"

Flash sighed and began to explain what had happened when he was unconscious, Twilight amazed when he told her about seeing her. "So do you remember any of that, or was it really just in my head?"

Twilight shrugged back, "I don't know. There was a moment I was praying for you to wake up. The next thing I knew, I blacked out for a moment then I came to you were up on your feet."

"Wow..." Flash whispered.

"Do you think I somehow connected to Springer and that allowed me to connect to you?"

"Maybe," Flash nodded, "Or maybe the two of us just found a way to connect by ourselves." He turned to her. "After everything we've been through, I wouldn't be surprised if we somehow did something like that without realizing it." Twilight nodded with a smile. "Besides," he looked up at the stars, "You've always been my light." Twilight blushed at this. "Since the day we met, you've helped me stay on the right path. The only reason I've become worthy of being the champion was because of everything you helped me learn."

"Flash..." Twilight whispered as her heart began to beat a thousand times a minute. As she did, her hand slowly moved over and eventually touched his. Flash went wide-eyed at this, but didn't pull his hand away. He let Twilight place her hand inside his and wrapped it around hers, the pair then turning to one another and staring into the other's eyes.

"You're my light too," Twilight said, only for the teen boy to reflexively move up to her and press his lips onto hers. He heard Twilight gasp against them, but she didn't pull away. She squeezed his hand tighter as she started to kiss him back, lifting her free hand up to touch his cheek. The pair continued to kiss like this for about a minute before pulling away, the still blushing Twilight staring up into Flash's eyes while continuing to hold his hand tightly. "That was nice," she whispered.

Flash smiled and nodded back. He would have kissed her again, but before he could, the entire sky was filled with light and sound. They looked up and saw a firework fly into the air, exploding and taking the shape of a Pikachu's face. The lab's doors opened up and the others ran outside, all in awe at the sight of the fireworks as they flew into the sky and exploded into the shapes of different Pokémon. Some took the shape of different Pokeballs while others became the faces of a Thawn, Hisscor and Aquana. The fireworks show lasted a long time, the rest of Flash's friends and Pokémon gathering around him and Twilight as they watched.

As they did this, Flash swung an arm around Twilight and pulled her close. Twilight smiled and put her head on his shoulder, completely ignoring the looks everyone else was giving them. All they cared about was what was happening in the here and now. But as the fireworks display came to an end, everyone couldn't help but wonder what the future held for all of them.

Where would walking their individual paths lead them in their lives with their Pokémon? Only time would tell, as the journey...concludes.
> Lives Full of Harmony and Chaos
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three years had passed since the defeat of Team Shadow. Three years since Shining Armor fell to Flash Sentry and lost his title of champion to him. Three years of relative peace.

In Canterlot City, the lab of Professor Celestia was full of activity. Inside, three sixteen year-olds had just arrived, all patiently waiting for the person in charge to arrive at the lobby. One of the teens, a white skinned boy with blue hair and blue eyes, looked around and spotted a couple of pictures on the wall.

"Hey," he told the others, "I think that's the champion." The other two, a red skinned boy with orange hair and yellow tips along with a cream colored girl with green hair, moved over to see the picture the boy was looking at.

"You're right," the red skinned boy nodded, "That's totally the champion." He smirked and punched his fist into his palm, "And I'm gonna be the one to take his title!"

"Well, you'll be in for a tough battle." The three turned to see a twenty year old woman wearing a lab coat enter the room. She had purple skin, purple and pink hair along with a pair of glasses over her eyes. "Flash Sentry went through a lot to earn that title. He's not gonna give it up without a fight."

"Well I'm still gonna win!" the boy replied, "Just you watch! I'll be the best trainer Equestria's ever seen!"

The woman chuckled at this. "Well before you can become the best trainer ever, you have to actually become a trainer. So please, follow me." They nodded before the four headed further into the building, soon arriving at the laboratory that was filled with machines and shelves full of different Pokeballs. "Since you already sent your info ahead, I was able to load up your Pokedex before you got here." She took out a trio of familiar looking devices, one red, one blue and one green.

"Thanks Professor Twilight," the girl said as she took the green dex while the boys also took the dexes that were their colors.

"That's what I'm here for," Twilight giggled as she moved over to a table that had a trio of Pokeballs on it. "And now, to introduce you to your new partners." She picked up the far left Pokeball and threw it, "First there's Thawn!" In a flash, the tiny grass deer appeared. And when it did, they saw it was fast asleep. "Oh deer," Twilight laughed, "Excuse him. He likes to nap."

The boys frowned at that, but the girl smiled. "That just means he'll be well rested when it's time to battle." She kneeled down and scratched Thawn behind the ear, causing the Grass-type to neigh happily as he opened his eyes. "Hey there."

Twilight then picked up the middle Pokeball. "We also have Hisscor!" She threw the Pokeball and in a flash, the snake Pokémon appeared, letting out a super hot burst of fire.

"Wow!" the red skinned boy smirked, "Now that's a hotblooded Pokémon." Hisscor smirked up at him as Twilight picked up the last Pokeball.

"And of course, there's Aquana!" She threw it and in a flash, the water lizard appeared. When it saw the others, Aquana blushed and rushed to hide behind Twilight's leg. "Sorry. She's a little shy around new people."

The blue haired boy smiled before kneeling down. "Hey, it's okay." He held out his hand, "I'm not gonna hurt you." He waited patiently as Aquana looked around Twilight's leg and stared at him, the teen smiling warmly at her. After a few seconds, she slowly came out and took his hand in hers. "That's it," he calmly patted her on the head. "See? We can be friends."

Twilight smiled as she watched the three teens each get close to one of the starters. "Well, I guess I don't have to ask who wants which Pokémon." The trainers picked up the starters as Twilight handed each of them their new partner's Pokeball. "Well, now you're all trainers. But that means you're responsible for them. I don't wanna hear that any of you did anything to hurt them. They're putting their trust in you, and so am I, understand?" They all nodded and returned their new teammates to their Pokeballs. Once that was done, she handed them each some empty Pokeballs.

They all accepted the items and thanked her, only to rush out of the lab. Twilight laughed at the sight before making her way through the lab, knowing it was lunch time and the Pokémon would be wanting their meals. But as she did this, she was stopped by a message that had just come through the computer. She then saw it was from her mentor. Celestia and Sunset were off on an exploratory trip while Luna and Trixie were off searching for several more fossils that could help determine what types of Pokémon once lived in ancient Equestria.

She gave the message a quick read, only to see nothing important. With this, she went off to feed the Pokémon, only to pass by a wall that was covered in pictures. And as she made her way through it, she couldn't help but wonder what all of her friends were doing at that very moment. She spotted one of her, Flash, Spike, Doc and their Pokémon, the young researcher smiling as she thought about their adventures together.

"I should give Doc a call when we're not busy and see how he's doing."





Trottingham City...

Time Turner was now working hard on a new creation, something that should help improve life in Equestria for all. That is, till T.A.R.D.I.S' voice spoke out to him. "You have a visitor at the entrance." Doc nodded and put his invention down before getting up, opening the door to the sight of a certain girl.

"Hello Derpy."

"Hi," the girl replied before holding out a box, "Delivery." Doc smiled and took the box, opening it up to take a look inside and see a certain part.

"Perfect," he nodded. "Now I can my get invention finished." He turned to Derpy and smiled, "Wanna come in for a drink? You must have some crazy story about getting here." Derpy laughed at this, only for another voice to call out to them.

"Excuse me." They turned to see a young woman walking up, "Is this the Trottingham City Gym?"

"It is," Doc responded, "Are you here to challenge me?" The girl nodded and Doc turned to Derpy, "Sorry. Can't turn a challenge down."

"It's fine," she told him. "I'm not heading back until tomorrow, so I can stick around and watch your battle before we catch up."

"Excellent." He turned to the challenger, "Follow me." The three walked inside, the gym leader then asking, "Do you have any badges?"

"Um...I have six."

"Six, huh?" Doc stepped over to the podium before turning to her with a smile. "Then to acquire your seventh badge, you'll need to defeat four of my Pokémon using four of yours. Understand?" The girl nodded before Doc took out a Pokeball. "But I warn you, this won't be an easy match. I once travelled and trained beside the best trainer in all of Equestria." He turned to a nearby wall, which had a picture showing him and his friends. "If you wanna win, you'll need to be able to strategize extensively, but also be able to think on the fly if your plan doesn't work out. Think you can do that?"

The girl did a slight gulp before taking out her Pokeball. "Yes."

Doc smirked at this, "Then prepare to face the greatest challenge you've ever faced!" He threw the Pokeball into the air, unleashing his partner inside.





Back at the lab, Twilight pushed a cart full of dishes out of the building.

"Lunch-time!" She called out to the lab's Pokémon, "Hey, hey, hey!" She yelped as they began to run up to her, "Everyone, calm down." Before the Pokémon could leap and tackle the cart, the whole thing suddenly began to float into the air out of their gasp. "Thanks Owlicious."

Up above everyone else, the Owlolar hooted as he kept the food out of arms reach with his psychic powers. "Rap," Shine the Galarian Rapidash trotted up to Twilight. She stroked her mane as Shine's horn glowed, causing several bowls to float off the cart and to the Pokémon whose names were on the bowls.

"Good girl Shine," Twilight said as the Rapidash continued to distribute the bowls. "Just leave the bowls in the cart and I'll come get them when you're done."

The Pokémon nodded and Twilight turned back to the lab. As she did this, one of the many phones that filled the building began to ring. She moved over to the machine and accepted the call, the screen coming to life to reveal Twilight's brother. "Hey BBBFF, how's things in the Crystal Empire?"

"Great as always," Shining replied, "Just checking in on my favorite little sister."

"I'm your only little sister," Twilight giggled, "So, heard anything from Spike lately?"

"Not for a couple of weeks," Shining responded, "But I'm sure he's just enjoying his journey. He'll probably call once he's won his next badge like he always does."

"True," Twilight nodded, "And I do know which gym that'll be since he's planning to beat the same ones Flash beat."

"That so?" Shining asked with a smirk. "Then I guess it won't be too long before he shows up here on his way to Dragonia." Twilight nodded again, "So which gym do you think he's facing right now?"





Applewood City's Sweet Apple Acres...

"Grattle!" The Grazing Pokémon cried as it was sent flying, skidding along the ground until it came to a stop in front of Applejack. The Gym Leader looked down at the Grass-type, seeing spirals in its eyes.

"Grattle is unable to battle," Big Mac announced. "Stegoliath is the winner." Applejack looked up at the large Fossil Pokémon, then to the trainer standing behind it.

The sixteen-year-old Spike smiled from where he stood, his Terragon Peewee happily watching from his shoulder. "Not bad Spike," she returned Grattle as Stegoliath turned to smile at him.

"Thanks. Stegoliath is a real hard worker when it comes to Gym Battles."

"Steg!" It roared in agreement as Applejack took out another Pokeball.

"Well, we ain't out of this match yet. If yah want the Harvest Badge, yah better be ready to bring yer A game. Bloomberg!" She threw the Pokeball into the air, unleashing the giant tree Pokémon. It roared as it swung its arms around, ready to defend its home no matter what. "Bloomberg, it's up ta yah now. Think yah can take down Stegoliath and his Terragon?"

"Orch," he nodded while Spike turned to Peewee.

Both of them smiled as Stegoliath charged, ready to defeat Bloomberg and earn his train another Gym Badge.





"Well he's not gonna be in for an easy battle," Shining told Twilight. After all, Applejack managed to get into the top four three years ago. And no doubt her battle skills have improved since then."

Twilight nodded again, "But Spike hasn't exactly been loafing around these last three years. Ever since Flash won the Equestria League, Spike's been working hard so that one day he can face him in the Equestria League himself."

"Is that Twilight?" A woman called out, "There's someone here I'm sure wants to say hello." With that, Cadance stepped into view of the screen while holding a child of about one to two years old. "Say hi Flurry." The baby laughed and waved her arms around, Twilight laughing back.

"Hey Flurry," she waved back, "You being a good girl for your mommy and daddy?" The baby laughed again before looking around, trying to see if someone else was there.

"I think she wants to know where a certain pseudo-uncle is," Cadance replied.

"I'm sorry Flurry. I'm afraid he's not here right now." The baby frowned at this. "He's off...somewhere, stopping bad guys from doing bad things to and with Pokémon. But don't worry. When he gets back, I promise I'll make him call you and say hello right away." The baby laughed at this, happy with that promise.

The group continued talking for a few more minutes, only for Twilight to need to get back to work. "Talk to you again soon Twily," Shining smiled.

Twilight nodded. "Will do. Love you."





When the screen went blank, Shining and Cadance turned to their little girl as she laughed. They stared at the castle that had become Cadance's lab and their home, the place where Flurry had been born and would be raised. One day she would probably leave it for her own Equestria journey and return a powerful trainer, maybe even a future champion.

"Alright Flurry," Cadance lifted her daughter up. "What type of Pokémon do you want to learn about today?"

"Fair!" Flurry cried out, making Cadance laugh.

"Fairy it is," she nodded before taking her to her room, going to the many books on different Pokémon in her nursery, full of pictures and information that any child with an interest in the subject could understand. By the time Flurry was old enough to become a trainer, she would already know everything there was on the subject. But as her aunt would often say, reading about something could never compare to experiencing it firsthand.

Cadance turned to Shining. "You coming?"

"I'll catch up," Shining replied before going over to a window. now seeing Guardroid and Androrg outside, all of them busy protecting the Crystal Empire while the researchers continued their work. In the three years since its unearthing, much of the Crystal Empire had been studied. But even so, there was still a lot that was still unknown. Many of the researchers had left to pursue other projects, but those that remain would carry on the research for years to come.

Shining hoped that soon the Crystal Empire could start seeing some new residents arriving in the next years, which would begin to long process of the empire becoming an official city of Equestria. He then saw Galladin on one of the streets, the Fighting Steel-type practicing his sword slashes. Despite no longer being Champions, Shining and his Pokémon still trained, wanting to be ready for anything. Flash had grown into a confident Champion, but there would possibly be one day that Flash would require help, and Shining intended to be ready.

And maybe when Flurry was older and ready to start her journey, he would look into getting back into the Equestria League. Only this time, he would be the one handing out the badges. A good way to get the Crystal Empire some foot traffic was having its very own league gym.

A man could dream.





Twilight had collected the food dishes and was now heading back to the lab to start on her research. But as she did, she arrived at the picture wall. Pictures full of her and her friends. She smiled at the sight of them, knowing that each of her friends were doing amazing in their lives.

And as she stared at the pictures, she couldn't help but wonder what each of them were doing at that very moment.





In an unknown forest someplace, the sound of many engines filled the air. A group of trainers on motorcycles shot through the forest, the riders screaming and hollering. "Get back here!" One of them yelled as their bike went flying over a fallen tree. "You're ours!"

"We've got a few nice trainers for you. Well, rich ones anyway." They were chasing a group of Pokémon through the forest, the group full of creatures like Teddiursa, Larvitar, Happiny and other Pokémon that were hard to find in the wild. They were running as fast as they could as the bikers laughed.

"Air Slash!" They heard one of the bikers yell as a Scyther leapt up and fired a blade of wind over them. "You can't run forever!"

And as they chased the Pokémon, a sign appeared in the woods that they and the Pokémon didn't have time to read. One even knocked it down, covering the sign in mud.


Swee- ---ther San---ary
No Ca---ing Allowed


A minute or so later, one of the hunter's Houndoom unleashed a Fire Blast, causing the ground to explode. This knocked the Teddiursa and Larvitar flying until they crashed into the dirt, allowing the bikers to get surround them. "You're mine now!" One of them laughed before throwing an Ultraball. It flew for the Larvitar and hit it, only to bounce off, "What?"

Another rider threw his Ultraball and hit the Teddiursa, but it didn't do anything either. "What the heck?!"

"Are they broken?" A rider asked, taking out his Scyther's Pokeball and using it to return the Bug-type before letting it back out. "Ours are working." The Larvitar and Teddiursa picked themselves up before running off. "We can't let them get away."

"But our Pokeballs aren't working!"

"That's because this area is a no catching zone." The riders turned to a voice along with the Pokémon they were chasing, only to see a twenty-year-old woman with pink hair, yellow skin and a stern expression. Beside her was a Bunounce, Grizzor and Breezie, "You are now in the confines of Sweet Feather Sanctuary." She turned to smile at the Pokémon, "A place where all wild Pokémon are welcome to stay without fear of being captured."

The men growled at this, "What gives you the right to do this?!"

"This is my land," Fluttershy replied, "And I have every right to do whatever I want. Including putting up devices that make a special field that completely nullifies the effects of any Pokeball not already registered to a particular Pokémon."

"Something like that exists?" A biker yelped as Grizzor and Bunounce stepped in front of their trainer, "Eh, who cares?! Let's just grab the Pokémon and take them out of this place! Then we can catch'em!"

"No," Fluttershy growled, "Because this place is under our protection. And no Pokémon that wants to be safe will ever have to worry about being hunted again!" The Scyther and Houndoom charged, but Angel and Harry met them, Angel leaping up and using Bounce on Scyther, knocking it into one of the trees. Houndoom used Flamethrower, but Harry used his claws to snuff out the fire before it could set any of the trees aflame. He then slashed at Houndoom with Crush Claws, knocking it out instantly.

The hunters gasped and returned to pair, then took out some more Pokeballs. But before they could throw them, a bunch of sticky stuff hit their hands and encased them in some kind of cocoon. They all went wide-eyed at this, only to see Seabreeze flying above them. They tried swatting him away, but the little Pokémon was too small and quick to catch. All they could do was watch if fly back to Fluttershy, as she gave them a warning look. "Leave. And never come back!"

The hunters growled before kicking their bikes into gear and rode away. Fluttershy sighed at this, knowing they would be back, but she had them on cameras that were set up in the sanctuary, ready to send the images to the local authorities so they would know who to look out for. And as the hunters were gone, Fluttershy turned to see the Larvitar and Teddiursa from before hiding behind a tree. Both leaned around to stare at her and she smiled. "Hello." She kneeled down and held out her hands, "No need to be afraid. I won't hurt you." She patiently sat and waited for the pair, who continued to stare at her from behind the tree.

They looked over at the other Pokémon and they nodded at them, the pair coming out from behind the tree and slowly reaching Fluttershy. And when they got close enough, they stared at Fluttershy's hands before sniffing them. After a few more seconds, they smiled and allowed Fluttershy to pet them.

"That's it. No need to be afraid. I'm here to help you." She looked them both in the eyes. "Would you like to go someplace you'll be safe?" Both nodded and she stood up, "Alright then. Let's go home."

She and her Pokémon lead them through the forest, Larvitar and Teddiursa both walking close to the girl until they arrived at an area of trees. As they got closer, they heard many sounds of joy and excitement from multiple types of Pokémon before pushing through some trees.

"Welcome to Sweet Feather Sanctuary." She gestured to the area around them, showing off different environments for every type of Pokémon. Large lakes and rivers for aquatic Pokémon, rocks and caves for those that found those areas homey. Several pits of sand for Pokémon that enjoyed digging and burrowing, and a few areas that had climbing and playground equipment for the few that enjoyed those kinds of things.

The place was chocked full of all kinds of Pokémon, each area being inhabited by species that found it too their liking. It truly was a Pokémon Paradise. The pair even spotted some of the Pokémon they had been fleeing from the hunters with, all enjoying different locations like it was their one and only home.

"Lar/Ted," the pair whispered in awe as Fluttershy laughed and patted them both on the head.

"Don't worry. You can go wherever you want and have fun. Nobody's gonna hurt you here. You can stay as long as you want to. If you wanna stay forever, you'll be welcome." The Pokémon gasped at hearing this. "But just so you know, I won't be the only trainer here." This made them tilt their heads, "Trainers are welcome to come and see this place, and even leave their Pokémon for a while if they like it here. But the trainers aren't allowed to catch you without your say so. If you ever meet a trainer you want to be caught by, you can go with them if you want. It's your decision."

Both Pokémon liked the sound of that. The pair were open to the idea of being caught and trained, if the trainer was worthy. And if they stayed here, they could have the choice to pick their trainer instead of the other way around.

"LARVITAR! TEDDIURSA!" They both cried in joy before rushing over to the rocks, Fluttershy giggling as she watched them go.

"Another group of Pokémon safe from those that would wish to do them harm." Angel, Harry and Seabreeze moved up to her, Seabreeze landing on her head happily while Fluttershy scratched Harry under the chin and patted Angel on the head. "Thank you for making my dream come true and helping protect this place." The three cried out happily, glad they could help her and the many Pokémon looking for a safe place to lay their head.

And as they did this, a light caught their attention and made them look over to a bunch of trees. There, many Metapod, Cascoon and Silcoon had been resting but now they were beginning to unleash a light as they all shed their chrysalis and morphed into their final forms.

The newly born Butterfree, Dustox and Beautifly all took to the air and flew over to Fluttershy, circling around her and her Pokémon. She smiled, happily nodding at them all. "I'm glad you all managed to evolve." They all called out to her, happy too. "Hard to believe you were all hatched here only a few months ago. Now you're all grown up and ready to see the world." They called out again, telling her it was only because of her safe sanctuary that they were able to grow strong enough to do this. "Well," Fluttershy wiped a tear from her eye, "Good luck out there. I wish you all the best of luck. And if you ever feel homesick, just know that you'll always be welcome here."

The Bug-types all danced around happily before taking to the air, flying further and further away until they looked like nothing but a cloud that disappeared over the treeline. Fluttershy's expression was a mix of joy and sadness, the girl wiping a tear away before turning to the others.

"Well, we should go see if there's anything the other Pokémon need." Her team nodded and they headed off to the many areas that made up their home, happy their dream was being fulfilled.





Cloudsdale...

Within the city's gym, two trainers and their Pokémon were doing battle. "Stone Edge!" Rainbow commnaded as Tank unleashed a barrage of rocks at Spitfire's Wondor.

"Nice try Rainbow," Spitfire replied, "But not good enough. Use Feather Dance!" Wondor flapped its wings and unleashed a bunch of feathers, creating a cloud that the stones bounced off of. Spitfire smirked at this, but then turned to her apprentice and saw her smiling. "What?"

"Do it Tank!" She cheered, Spitfire looking up to Soartoise was now gone. "Body Slam!"

Spitfire went wide-eyed as she saw Tank hover over Wondor, the wind making it fly stopping as it dropped down. 'She used the Stone Edge and Feather Dance as a smokescreen!' Before she could give an order, Tank slammed into Wondor and knocked it down until both Pokémon crashed into the ground. The gym shook and when the dust from it cleared, Tank was laying on Wondor and the Flying-type was one hundred percent knocked out.

"Wondor is unable to battle!" Misty Fly announced, "Soartoise and Rainbow are the winners!"

Spitfire blinked at this before laughing, "Well I'll be," she returned Wondor. "Never thought you'd get the drop on me like that. Not bad Crash."

Rainbow blushed at the use of the name she had gotten due to a mild accident on her first week under Spitfire's training. "Thanks," she scratched the back of her head.

"I'm surprised you used such a tactic," Spitfire added, "I never thought I'd managed to beat the idea of using anything except speed and force into your head."

"Well, I realized that just doing that's gonna make me predictable," Rainbow replied, "If I'm gonna be a strong Gym Leader, I gotta be hard to read. If trainers hear that I only use speed and strength, they'll always focus on using a strategy to get around that. But if I change things up and start acting all sneaky like that, they'll do the same."

Spitfire giggled as she walked over to her, "So you're gonna change up your strategy? Sometimes you'll focus on put power, while other times you'll use skill and misdirection?"

Rainbow nodded. "And heck, maybe I can shake things up even more sometimes. Use power with one Pokémon and skill with another. Then mix it up and swap which Pokémon use which strategy."

Spitfire chuckled at this, "That way there'll never be a trainer that can predict you. Heck, if a trainer comes for a rematch, only to find you using a different strategy, they'll be completely thrown for a loop. I like the sound of that." She patted Rainbow on the shoulder, "You've sure come a long way since I first took you under my wing. Maybe it's time for you to take the lead in our formation." Rainbow's eyes went wide at this, "Maybe." She smirked, "Show me how you intend to perfect this random style change of yours. Then I'll consider it being time to leave this place to you."

Rainbow smiled and nodded, as Spitfire turned to walk off. And when she was gone, Rainbow took a breath to steady her heart. As she did this, she turned to Spitfire's battle podium and imagined herself there. "Almost...I'm almost there."

"Hey!" She spun around at the voice, only to see Soarin Skies standing there with his hands in his pockets, smiling down at the trainer. "Sorry, didn't wanna disturb you and your mentor's little talk." He pointed to the exit, "Wanna go grab a bite to eat? You're probably hungry after winning that match."

Rainbow smirked, "Starving." Soarin chuckled back and jumped over the barrier, landing on the ground beside Rainbow before they headed for the exit. Both began laughing at something said as they looked forward to a fun day out.





Baltimare City...

A long line of people were outside a particular building. Inside, multiple glass counters and displays holding a variety of different sweet treats were on display. Cakes, muffins, cheesecakes, cookies and so many more. Several Pokémon were busy minding the counter, those including a Wigglytuff, Mallowmarch, Alcreamie and a Gumigator.

"Wig," Wigglytuff put several cupcakes into a box and held it out to the person that had ordered them.

"Thank you," she replied before handing the money over. Wigglytuff nodded as she left, the Balloon Pokémon turning to Gummy, who was manning the register. The toothless Pokémon opened the register, allowing Wigglytuff to put the money inside before he pushed the drawer closed.

Mallowmarsh walked in holding more boxes of goodies while Alcreamie was squirting some whipped cream on a milkshake another customer had ordered. "Man, this place is great!" The one who ordered the milkshake said as he took it, then looked around. "But where's the owner? I doubt Pokémon would be able to open a store like this all on their own."

The Pokémon all smiled as they looked over at the door leading to the kitchen, which had a door at the back leading out to the store's battlefield. On the battlefield, Miss Pinkamena Diane Pie was in the middle of a match with her Bloxx. "Block Buster!" She exclaimed as the lego gorilla's arms morphed into cannons that started firing blocks towards a purple rhino bunny.

"Mega Punch!" The Nidoking's owner yelled as his Pokémon charged, punching at the air with powerful swings. It then tried to punch Bloxx, but the gorilla slammed its fists into the ground and extended its arms to push it upwards into the air.

"Brick Break!" Pinkie cheered, Bloxx retracting its arms and raising them high before swinging one down to karate chop Nidoking's head. The Drill Pokémon cried out as it staggered back, only to flop over with spirals in its eyes.

"NO!"

Pinkie laughed as she walked over to Bloxx and patted him on the head. "Don't worry," she told the trainer. "What matters is having fun. And that battle was a lot of fun."

"Thanks," he replied, "Gotta admit, this city is a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I heard there was a Rock Pokémon sanctuary here run by a bunch of really boring people."

Pinkie waved her hand, "I wouldn't say my family's boring. They just enjoy themselves in their own way." The trainer's eyes went wide at this before quickly returning his Pokémon and running off in embarrassment, leaving Pinkie and Bloxx to laugh as they returned to the bakery. And as they did, they started hearing music that sounded familiar. Pinkie smiled and rushed to the front of the store, now seeing Cheese Sandwich and his band of Bloxx all entertaining the people on the street while he played his accordion. She laughed at the funny things the Bloxx did to make the little kids in the audience laugh while Cheese sang a funny song. Clearly, everyone there was having a great time.

Baltimare City had truly become a place where anyone and everyone could enjoy themselves in their own way, be it human or Pokémon. Pinkie had accomplished her dream, but it wasn't one she could just leave. She would need to constantly be working on new ways to make people have fun. And no matter what, she would fulfil that self-appointed duty.





Manehattan...

The store that used to be run by Suri Polomare had lost a lot of its business and had closed down. In its place, another boutique appeared, one whose business had only grown over the last few years. "There," Coco smiled as she tied a red ribbon around the neck of an Lillipup, "How does that look?"

"Lil," Lillipup looked at itself in the mirror and smiled. "Lillipup!" It happily leapt up and down before running over to its trainer, who looked it over and smiled.

"Oh, you look gorgeous," she picked the Lillipup up, "I love your work my dear. You always know just how to bring out the best aspects of a Pokémon."

"Of course," Coco nodded. "The job of a stylist like me is to highlight the natural beauty of a Pokémon, but not allow the fashion to overshadow them."

"Thank you. Say, where's your partner? Her works is just as lovely as yours. Off winning another contest?"

"Not this time," Coco giggled, "In fact, I think she'll be on any minute." The woman wondered what she meant before Coco went behind the cash register counter and took out a remote, the young woman then pointing it at a TV and switching it on. "Fee-Fee. It's time." A moment later, a beautiful Milotic slithered into the room.

Coco clicked onto a channel that had a talk show on it, where a man was talking to the audience. "My next guest has really been making waves in the Pokémon world. She's a Coordinator who has earned four contest ribbons and is a favourite to win Equestria's first Grand Festival later this year. Please give a warm welcome to Miss Rarity!" The audience cheered as a white skinned woman in a fancy dress with a large hat appeared on screen and sat on the sofa next to the man's desk.

"Thank you darling," she replied as the pair began talking about her four contest victories, three of which had been earlier that year, along with her work in the Pokémon fashion industry.

"I've been hearing rumors you've actually been invited to do some fashion work in a strange new region. Is that true. and if so, what's the region called?"

"The Region's name is Pasio and yes, I have been contacted by certain individuals there who want my help designing a new range of fashions for the trainers that are competing there. These new fashions will allow those trainers and their Pokémon to connect in a way that has never been seen before."

"Fascinating. What's this new range called?"

"The project I'm going to be working on has yet to be given a proper name. But for now, it's known as Project Sygna." Coco smiled, interested in seeing what this project would eventually reveal with Rarity's skill and ability behind the designs. Only time would tell.





Up in the mountains, Luna and Trixie were hiking through the snow. "What kind of ancient Pokémon could have lived this high up?" Trixie asked as they both pulled themselves over a large line of rocks sticking out of the snow.

"You'd be surprised," Luna replied, "Millions of years ago, this mountain was actually underwater." She stared at the rock she had just climbed over and smiled as she swept away some of the snow, revealing a shape in the rock's surface. "See?" Trixie stared at the rock and noticed the swirling shape. "A helix fossil."

"Amazing..." Trixie gasped as they began to take it out, the girl now wondering what else could be found so high up. Perhaps something that had never been seen before.





Celestia and Sunset were at an archaeological dig of an ancient city that they believed to be a settlement of the Crystal Empire's fleeing populous. It was here that Sunset carefully brushed away some of the dirt to reveal an ancient china pot. "Wow. I've got another one."

"Excellent," Celestia responded, "I'm sure you can excavate it without much issue." Sunset nodded as Ray walked over with a tray for her to place the item in when she got it out.

"Are you sure we'll find something really amazing here?" Sunset asked as she continued to brush away the dirt.

"I'm sure of it," Celestia replied as she stared at the dig site, a large field full of holes, which had many people doing the same as Sunset. "This place is believed to have been in existence during the days when capturing Pokémon had just began. It's possible that an ancient Pokeball could be buried right beneath our feet. We just have to keep looking for it." Sunset nodded and got back to work while Celestia marched over to see what else they could find.





The Dragon Kingdom...

Within the underground cavern, the Draconids and their Dragon-types were all enjoying their happy lives. Only for the sound of a Flygon and Salamence to fill the air. The two roared at one another, neither backing down from a large piece of fruit that was on the ground. They looked ready to start brawling, only for something to shoot down and land between them. "SKEIDRAN!" Hopper, the King of Dragons, roared at the pair. The two stopped and backed off, not wanting to mess with their ruler.

Hopper then threw something at the pair of them. A piece of fruit half the size of the one they had been fighting over. He then used Iron Tail and split that fruit in two, throwing a half to each of them. It along with the other fruit was more than enough for the pair, who looked happy and flew off with their meal. Hopper sighed at this, flying away next as he went to the glowing crystal in the center of the cavern. Standing atop it was Princess, Ryu, Kaida and their Dragon-types. He landed next to Princess and smiled at what was on her head, a trio of Hoppin. One leapt onto his head, Hopper chuckled up at his son.

This one, his first born, was sporting the same birthmark he did. One day, Hopper would pass control of these lands to his offspring and he knew the kingdom would be in good claws.





Twilight pulled away from the picture of her main friends and saw several other pictures of people she knew, all of which were also living great lives.





In Vocanctus, Sonata, Aria and Adagio were all preparing for the Voice of the Ocean Festival with their Primarinas. The event was going to be in a couple of weeks and they had also scheduled an Equestria wide concert, their first tour that would start a week after the festival and end a month before the next one. This tour would surely help them become more widely known outside of Equestria and Sonata had already sent tickets to her friends in Canterlot for VIP passes to the concert that would be happening there.





In another part of Equestria, three young girls were travelling together. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were walking down the road, each of them having an Eevee walking beside them.

The trio had just begun their own Pokémon journey and were looking forward to the adventures they were gonna have. Each of them had a string around their necks, which had a different Evolution Stone tied around the end of them. Scootaloo had a Thunder Stone, Sweetie had a Shiny Stone and Applebloom had a Leaf Stone. The trio and their Eevee laughed at something one of them said, all looking ahead and wondering what crazy situation they were gonna get into.





In another part of Equestria, a group of six were in a meadow somewhere.

"Slash!" A boy named Sandbar exclaimed as his Sandslash charged, trying to slash his opponent's Braviary. But the bird flew up to avoid it and soared around as his trainer called out to him.

"Wing Attack!" Gallus yelled, the bird diving down, ready to slash at Sandslash.

Off to the side, Ocellus, Silverstream, Yona and Smolder were watching and waiting to have their battles. No doubt this match was gonna be a fun one, but they were just as keen to battle themselves.





Other trainers that had been friends with Equestria's Champion were continuing their adventures as well, but not just in Equestria.

In the Unova Region, Vinyl Scratch and Octavia were enjoying themselves. The pair were in Virbank City, Vinyl planning on battling the Gym Leader there while also listening to her rocking music.

In the Hoenn Region, Micro Chips and Sandalwood had just arrived at Mauville City. The pair were amazed by the shopping mall-like city while also looking forward to visiting places like Fortree and other cities in the region that were either connected to nature or amazing technological areas.

In the Kanto Region, Heath Burns and his Blazegon were atop the volcano of Cinnabar Island. There, they were doing battle against Blaine and his Magmortar to earn the Volcano Badge.





Back in Equestria, at the illustrious Camp Everfree, Gloriosa and Timber were welcoming some new campers to the place.

"You're gonna have an amazing time here at Camp," Gloriosa told them. "And hopefully, you'll learn a lot about Pokémon and the different ways they live."

"Who knows," Timber chuckled, "You might even become good enough to enter the Equestria League. You know, I was in the league once." He gave them a smug expression while the kids went wide-eyed.

"Really?" One asked.

"Oh," another excalimed, "I remember you. You weren't in the league."

"Yes, I was!"

"No," he shook his head, "I saw you. You lost in the qualifier to the Champion. He beat you with his ace like it was nothing." This made the other kids gasp, their amazement for Timber vanishing as they started asking questions about the Champion.

"I heard he saved an entire city from being flooded."

"I heard he threw a spear into the heart of a rock monster and made it shatter."

"Well I heard he defeated a monster that stole the power of Legendaries using only his bare hands."

Timber growled under his breath as the kids continued to praise the trainer that knocked him out of the league. "Just you wait Flash," he hissed, "I'll beat you and prove I'm better than everyone else." Gloriosa rolled her eyes. He said that every time someone mentioned Flash's name.





In a mountainous area of Equestria, two trainers and their Pokémon were doing battle. One was an Arcanine while the other was a Gorillamp. The Arcanine trainer, a woman, pointed at the dog. "Flamethrower!" The Legendary Pokémon roared as it unleashed a blast of flame toward Gorillamp, who blocked it using its arms and bracing itself.

The other trainer, a figure in a brown cloak, said nothing as the flames battered against the Gorillamp. Then, the Current Pokémon roared as he swung his arms and dispelled the flames. "Thunder Punch!" Gorillamp charged and before Arcanine could react, got in close and slammed an electrified fist right into it.

Arcanine howled as it was thrown back, its eyes turning to swirls as its trainer cried out in shock. As this happened, a strong gust of wind blew and pushed the hood of the cloak off the figure to reveal themselves as Lightning Blitz. His hair had grown long and wild, but there was something different in his eyes from the time he had lost in the Equestria League.

"I'll remember this," the trainer growled before she returned Arcanine and ran off. As she did this, Lightning walked over and laid a hand on Gorillamp's shoulder.

"You did good," he told the Electric Steel-type. Gorillamp turned to smile back at him, Lightning giving him a small but noticeable smile in return. Lightning then looked up at the sky, a cloud taking a shape similar to a certain rival of his. "But this still isn't enough. We need to grow stronger if we ever want to defeat him."

"Rill," Gorillamp nodded as he too noticed the cloud. Staring up at it, both trainer and Pokémon thought back to their loss all those years ago. Since then, they had been training in new and inventive ways in a hope of growing stronger. One day they would battle him again, and when they did, they would show him how much they had changed since that day.

"Just wait Sentry. I haven't changed my plans. I'm still gonna become Champion. Only this time, I'm gonna become one the right way."





In a rocky area of the Equestria Region, multiple Flying-types were soaring through the sky. The skyscraper sized rocks sticking out of the ground caused the wind to be funneled through them and increase in power, allowing the birds to fly faster with little need to waste energy flapping. Pidgeot, Staraptor, Wingust, Swallow and many more were flying in a flock through the rocks. They had just entered a small valley that all Flying-types used, only for something unexpected to happen.

Stuck between the two rocks, a giant net was waiting for them. The Flying-type's eyes went wide as they tried to pull away, but the powerful winds were stopping them from escaping. All they could do was enjoy the ride, until they crashed into the net and were pinned to it. The birds cried out, unable to get away as the sound of laughter made them look up to see a trio of criminals and their Pokémon on one of the rocks. Big Score, Rickashay and Boulder where staring down at them, Score laughing his head off as he watched the birds try to pull themselves free.

"Another big haul lads!" Score turned to look behind his lackeys, where a bunch of cages were sitting. Inside the cages were multiple Flying-types, ranging from the smallest Hoothoot to the largest Fearow. They all looked defeated, clearly believing their freedom had been lost. "I'm sure we can find some good buyers for these Flying-types. And if we can't..." He laughed, "We'll just pluck'em and go into business selling feather dusters." The birds shivered in fear, all of them thinking they were gonna spend the rest of their days producing the stuffing in pillows. "Alright. Let's get those ones in the net caged up and get the heck out of here before someone comes by."

"Hey boss," Rickashay pointed at something a ways off. "Looks like another Flying-type's coming."

"Alright," Score smirked, "One more for the road." They watched as the Flying-type got closer, only for it get within sight of the net, only to start spinning. "What's it doing?"

The bird continued to spin, the wind spiraling around its body to form a tornado-like drill. It then shot into the net and Score's eyes went wide when he realized what it was doing. "NO!" He cried as the drill struck the net and shredded it to bits, freeing the trapped Flying-types before it exploded. The trio then saw that the Flying-type was a Tornavian. "Oh no. Not him!"

Suddenly, something appeared above them and blocked out the sun. They turned to it and saw a dragonoid shape with star-shapes on its hands and head. "Gal!" It roared before diving down and swinging its claws. ripping the cages to pieces, freeing the Flying-types. "Galvern!"

"We're in trouble," Rickashay gulped as the Galvern unleashed a Dragon Pulse that made to ground at their feet explode. This knocked them off the side, making them all scream as they fell to the ground. Luckily, a strong gust of wind hit them a few feet off the ground and slowed them down enough so crashing into it didn't cause...too much damage. They all moaned as they pushed themselves up to their feet, only to find the Tornavian and Galvern flying down along with the now freed Flying-types. They all glared at the three, who took out their Pokeballs.

"You wanna play hard ball?" Score asked before throwing the sphere, "Come and get some then!" In a flash, his Piedoom appeared alongside Stalorn and Frostorge. The three roared as Piedoom drew his swords, only for new Pokémon to appear. From out of nowhere, a Reptidal appeared and swung his Aqua Break to block Piedoom's sword. At the same time, a Stagrowth smashed his glowing horns into Stalorn while a Vipeacon appeared and unleashed a blast of fire at Frostorge.

"Ahh!" Score cried as their Pokémon were knocked back, now knowing for sure that this was the work of his sworn enemy.

"How many times are you gonna need to get beaten before you get the message?" The three looked up at a twenty foot high rock, where the Champion of Equestria was standing with his trusty Lucario. "Crime doesn't pay and as long as I'm Champion Score. You won't get away with hurting Pokémon for your own profit."

"Car!" The Lucario roared in agreement as the Tornavian, Reptidal, Stagrowth and Vipeacon stepped in front of the rocks.

The three crooks glared up at the seven as they looked like an unstoppable force of nature. "I'll be nice and give you the option to surrender. Be smart and take it."

"I got a better idea! We take you down and never have to deal with you again!" He pointed at him, "GO!"

Their Pokémon charged, Flash smirking as Skyler, Riptide, Prongs, Viper and Astro charged as well. He then turned to Springer, "Ready bud?" Springer nodded back before the pair leapt off the rock into battle, yelling as they joined the fray.





Twilight was now looking through some documents while also enjoying a calming cup of green tea. She was then pulled from her thoughts by the sound of the phone ringing again, the young researcher getting up and heading to the closest one. She answered the call and smiled when she saw who it was. "Hey you."

"Hey," Flash smiled back, "How's my favorite Pokémon expert?" Twilight giggled at this, "Well, I managed to track down Score and his gang. Up to their old tricks as usual."

"Well I hope you managed to actually catch them this time," Twilight told her boyfriend, "It's kind of counterproductive to blast them off every time."

"Relax..."





Flash looked over at the police van that had several Officer Hard Cases pushing the tied-up Score, Rickashay and Boulder into it. The criminals turned to glare at him through the doors, which were then slammed shut in their faces before the vehicle drove off. Flash smirked as the vehicle vanished into the distance. "I don't think we'll need to worry about them for a good while." He turned back to Twilight, "I'm gonna start heading back to Canterlot. As long as nothing comes up, I'll be back soon."

Twilight nodded, "Good. You haven't taken me out in a month and a half. Hope you're ready to take me on an extra special date to make up for it."

Flash laughed at this, "I'll come up with something. Just watch."

Twilight let out a giggle, "I love you."

Flash shined a big grin at this, "Love you too. I gotta get going if I wanna make it back as soon as possible." Twilight nodded and after a few more moments of smiling at one another, Flash cut the call and turned to his partner. Springer had been leaning against the power-line the phone was connected to, "Ready to go?"

"Car," he nodded before the two fist-bumped and began walking down the road. The pair marched side by side, smiles on their lips at everything that was happening in their life. There was no doubt that Flash had a pretty amazing life, full of amazing friends and amazing memories that he had on his journeys through the region. No matter what happened next, the pair would be ready to fight for Equestria and those that lived in it. They would help forge a great future in the world. In the world...of Pokémon.