Pokémon and Ponies

#52-Speed Is Key

Rainbow Dash's Fourth Gym Battle has arrived. Located in Fillydelphia, this gym is all about speed. So quick Pokemon are bound to be apart of this gym.

The group arrived at Fillydelphia, standing before the dome-shaped gym. Rainbow Dash has had plenty of time to train her Pokemon so that they're up for this.

"Okay. I'm ready." Rainbow Dash shook her head, pumping herself up.

"Just relax, Rainbow Dash," Twilight spoke. You've had all this time and a few weeks to prepare, so you're more than ready to take this gym on."

"You're right. Let's go." Rainbow Dash opened the door with her hooves, revealing the inside of the gym. The appearance it had was full of slides and ramps. They were everywhere. On the walls, ceiling and floor. Not only that but there were skid marks everywhere as if something fast had skidded on them whilst moving. This was definitely a gym about speed. And standing there was the gym leader.

Zecora.

"Zecora?!" They all shouted.

"Surprised by this, I can see. The fourth gym leader...that is me."

"But how come? You're okay with leaving your hut?" Fluttershy said.

"BigTime Ben recommended me this role. There is shame in leaving your comfort zone."

"I'd never take you for a Pokemon trainer, Zecora. Let alone a Gym Leader." Rarity commented.

"I too can have fun, Rarity. The Pokemon I have are fast, that is a certainty."

"Hold on...Zecora always talks in rhymes...which means that before she even gets to attack, my Pokemon can get some hits in while she's trying to finish her rhyme!" Rainbow Dash thought as she rubbed her hooves together. "This is gonna the be the easiest gym badge I've ever earned yet!"

"I can see that you are acting brash. An unwise decision against somepony you have yet to face, Rainbow Dash." Zecora smiled as she walked to the other side, already preparing herself for the battle.

"We'll see about that." Rainbow Dash flew forward, standing at her side of the arena. Ash and the others took their seats, ready to watch this go down. The referee pony walked forward, looking at the two.

"The battle between Challenger Rainbow Dash and Gym Leader Zecora will be a 4 on 4. The battle will be over once four Pokemon on one side are all unable to battle. Only the challenger is allowed to substitute for this challenge."

"Fine by me. I'm gonna make sure this isn't a repeat of Sunset Shimmer. I'll start off with you. Go! Whirlipede!" Rainbow Dash started off with Whirlipede, hoping to have a speed advantage with the move speed boost.

"My first Pokemon is a great example of being fast. I shall send you out, Ninjask." Zecora sent out her first Pokemon, Ninjask.

"Nin!"

"Check this one out..." Rainbow Dash took out her Pokedex.

"Ninjask. The Ninja Pokemon. Ninjask moves around at such a high speed that it cannot be seen, even while its crying can be clearly heard. For that reason, this Pokémon was long believed to be invisible. Hearing its distinctive cries for too long induces a headache. Because of this quality, this Pokémon is said to be one that puts the Trainer's abilities to the test. It congregates around tree sap."

"Woah. She's not kidding when she says it's fast. It's so quick it's invisible..." Rainbow uttered. "But I'm banking on Speed Boost to help me through this." She still had confidence. And she still believed that Zecora's rhyming would end up being her downfall in a match.

"Battle start!"

"I always love to get the first hit off! Whirlipede! Let's start off strong with Rollout!" Rainbow made the first move as always. Whirlipede started to pick up speed as it raced towards Ninjask. She was sure that Zecora couldn't act fast due to her rhyming...but she was in for a surprise.

Ninjask had ended up intercepting Rollout by using Fury Cutter. And this was done without Zecora making any commands at all. Ninjask's bug hands clashed with Whirlipede as they both cancelled each other out, proving to be equal in strength.

"What the? She didn't even say anything." Rainbow Dash said.

"I can see you're surprised by how that was done. Allow me to tell you something that is a guaranteed stun. I have been learning about Pokemon involved many days and weeks. I ended up learning about their instincts and how to use it as a technique. My Pokemon and I bonded on a mystical level. Although it did have its fair share of disapproval."

"Amazing...Zecora and her Pokemon are bonded on a mystical level?" Twilight spoke.

"Not the first time," Ash said as they all looked at him. "There are some trainers that can connect with their Pokemon with their minds. Most of the time its Psychic-Types. But when they do connect with them, they can give off commands without even saying it."

"So that means...Zecora's talking without rhymes in her mind, and speaking rhymes with her mouth." Twilight responded. "Once I evolve my Eevee into an Espeon, I'm definitely going to try and achieve that."

"Mind stuff isn't gonna stop me. I've still got Whirlipede's Speed Boost on my side!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Venoshock!" Whirlipede shot out toxic venom towards Ninjask. The Ninja Pokemon avoided it by flying into the air, as it was moving much faster this time. Ninjask then struck Whirlipede with Aerial Ace, dealing some big damage.

"Your Whirlipede is not the only one with Speed Boost, you see. Ninjask naturally has it and some of my other mons to a degree."

"It has it too?! Oh...this is gonna be a problem. Whirlipede! Pin Missile, rapidly!" Whirlipede shot out missiles of sharp pins towards its fellow Bug-Type.

Ninjask looked back at Zecora as she nodded her head. The Ninja Pokemon used Fury Cutter to knock the missiles back at Whirlipede. The Curlipede Pokemon took its own pins, dealing damage to it as Ninjask came flying in with Aerial Ace.

"Iron Defense, quick!" Whirlipede reacted quickly as well, enveloping its body with steel energy. Aerial Ace still hit its mark, but the damage was nullified a small bit. "Come back for now Whirlipede." Rainbow returned her Whirlipede, knowing that it's already taking too much damage now. So a break was needed.

"Feeling overwhelmed at the first few minutes, are we? There's more where that came from, I can guarantee."

"I'm not gonna let it be a repeat of the last gym. Let's go! Luxio!" Next up was Luxio. Electric-Types are always a good choice for fast Pokemon.

"Luxio!

"Alright, Luxio! You're new to gym battles, but I know you'll do great here! Let's go with Wild Charge!" Luxio's body was engulfed in an electric energy field as it charged forward. Ninjask saw this coming as it flew up in the air to avoid it. Ninjask had then flown back down, going straight for an X Scissor. "Use Wild Charge again!" Rainbow saw this as an opportunity. Ninjask are Pokemon that are mostly used to getting up close and personal. So Luxio charged at Ninjask, hitting in the Ninja Pokemon square in the face with its own. Zecora gasped as Ninjask was sent rocketing through the area, crashing down, but not out yet.

"Nin!"

"Awesome! Now use Discharge!" Rainbow Dash was about to follow up. Luxio stomped its paws on the floor, causing an electric discharge to spread across the room. Ninjask's eyes opened up as it had suddenly gotten faster thanks to Speed Boost. It could hear Zecora telling it to use its fabled invisibility speed. So that's what it did. Flying up and avoiding Discharge, Ninjask started to dash around, moving at even greater speeds, more than Rainbow Dash expected.

It was moving so fast that it was living up to its dex entry of it being invisible. Luxio couldn't keep up with it at all. All it saw were afterimages and blurs just passing by it. The Ninja Pokemon was circling around it while flying. Even Rainbow Dash was struggling to keep up with it. She had never seen anyone move that fast other than her. But she could still see it moving around.

After all, Ninjask is the second-fastest Pokemon in existence.

"That speed is ludicrous! Luxio! U-" Before she could finish her sentence, Ninjask struck Luxio with Fury Cutter. The amount of speed it picked up was so great that a weak move like Fury Cutter was strong enough to launch Luxio. "Oh, no Luxio!" Ninjask followed up. It chased after Luxio, hitting with Fury Cutter over and over again. Very soon, Luxio was being smacked around like a pinball. Each time it looked like it was about to hit the ground, Ninjask flew down and knocked it back up, and each time went high up, Ninjask flew up and knocked it back down, and the cycle kept repeating. Rainbow Dash was stumped. She was struggling with finding a way to break this cycle. Shinx was getting punished left and right, taking all those hits.

"If you will not make your move, then you will not have a gym badge to prove." Zecora commented.

Rainbow Dash put her hooves on her head, thinking and thinking. She didn't want to lose horribly like Sunset Shimmer, so she had to do something. That's when it hit. A risky strategy that would require a fast reaction time for her Pokemon.

"Luxio! Discharge in the air!" She gave off the command, but Ninjask kept hitting Luxio all over the place. "Don't let it get to you! Unleash it!" Even though it was getting punished by Fury Cutter, the Spark Pokemon unleashed all of its energy right after the previous hit. This gave it a small amount of time to shock Ninjask once it got too close. Ninjask was finally hit, and it felt all that electricity hit. Luxio only needed that 0.1 second moment of freedom. After all, not even Ninjask, the second-fastest Pokemon in existence can stop electricity. And as a bonus, Discharge managed to paralyze Ninjask, which made Zecora gasp in shock. "YES! Now use Ice Fang!" Luxio dealt the next hit by chomping on Ninjask's wings with its icy fangs. Ninjask couldn't avoid it in time due to the paralysis, and this caused the nimble and fast Ninja Pokemon to fall and faint.

"Ninja..."

"Ninjask is unable to battle! Luxio wins!"

The Spark Pokemon landed back down, breathing in and out as the aggressive Fury Cutter assault was finally over.

"Lux..."

"Awesome job, Luxio!" Rainbow Dash cheered.

"Phew. That was aggressive." Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "The speed in this gym is no joke. I'm actually terrified of what might be next."

"See that? Even stuff that moves faster than I can see won't stop me! Your move Zecora." Rainbow Dash had a smug grin.

"The next one will indeed puzzle your thoughts. Come on out, Whimsicott." Her next choice was the Windveiled Pokemon.

"Whimsi!"

"A Whimsicott? Heh. I battled one back at the festival. This thing's speed ain't all that."

"Speed is not just its speciality. Allow me to speak with a Solar Beam." The first command that Zecora spoke was Solar Beam. Whimiscott was gathering up all the solar energy from the sun, but it would take a while. And this gave Rainbow Dash all the time in the world to strike. But maybe not with Luxio.

"Return Luxio. You deserve to take a break." She returned Luxio and immediately sent out Whirlipede for some major poison damage. "Now Whirlipede! Venoshock!" Whirlipede was about to drench Whimsicott, but the Windveiled Pokemon had already gathered enough sunlight. Celestia was in her favour today. And just like that, she unleashed a powerful green beam of solar energy that raced towards Whirlipede! The Curlipede Pokemon took the hit as an explosion of green energy occurred after the impact.

Whirlipede was still standing thanks to its type-advantage, but the damage had been dealt for sure. Whirlipede still continued its attack by shooting venom towards Whimsicott. The Grass-Fairy-Type flew over the venom, making sure to not get taken out in one hit. It then unleashed Gust, whipping a strong gust of wind towards Whirlipede.

"Dodge it!" The Curlipede Pokemon rolled out of the way, avoiding Gust, but Whimsicott started to chase it down. Whimsicott unleashed a continuous barrage of Gusts that were constantly hitting the floor. Wind pressures were formed around the arena, blowing Rainbow Dash's and Zecora's manes. Whirlipede managed to avoid the gusts, and with Speed Boost, it was starting to outpace Whimsicott. Zecora saw how fast Whirlipede was moving and realise that she wasn't getting anywhere. So she looked at Whimsicott and it looked back at her, nodding.

Whimsicott utilized what it does best, spreading cotton everywhere. It flew all over the gym, leaving its cotton on the floor and even on the ramps and slides. Whimsicott always leave balls of cotton every time they pick up speed. Soon there was cotton everywhere on the floor, and this proved to be an issue for Whirlipede since it ended up crashing into one of the cotton while rolling.

"Whirl!" Making contact with it cause Whirlipede to lose balance as the cotton vanished.

"Oh no, Whirlipede!" Whirlipede was getting hit by cotton, no matter where it went. Every time a piece of cotton knocked it back, it kept making contact with the next one. Now Whirlipede was experiencing the same thing Luxio felt. Smacked around like a pinball but with fairy cotton this time. Rainbow Dash saw an odd opportunity though. Despite her Pokemon being smacked around by cotton, the more it hit them, the fewer cotton was left on the field. "That's it...Whirlipede! Roll forward!" Whirlipede opened its eyes as it managed to roll into space where there was no cotton, freeing it from the assault.

Whimsicott however, caught Whirlipede off guard by firing a Gust at it. The Gust hit its mark, blowing Whirlipede back as it crashed into the ramps. But this knockback was somewhat of a blessing, as Whirlipede was rolling on the ramps. With its perfectly circular body, it rolled on the ramps effortlessly. Rainbow Dash took this opportunity as well. This time she wasn't going to let Whimsicott get the better of her. "Pin Missile!" As Whirlipede was on the ramps, moving, it fired pins towards Whimisicott. The Windveiled Pokemon only managed to avoid a few of them as the rest hit their mark.

Whirlipede's speed had increased greatly and was at its top speed thanks to all that Speed Boost. Soon, Whimsicott was taking all the Pin Missles. And no matter what, it couldn't move out of the way. Whirlipede was too fast, so it could fire Pin Missiles for days. Eventually, Zecora realised that throwing attacks wouldn't work, so she made her Whimsicott go for a move that can change the course of this battle in one go.

Tailwind. Whimsicott had taken all the pins, but it was able to kick up a powerful Tailwind by harnessing its Fairy magic. Tailwind changed everything. Now the speed was in favour of Whimsicott. And this made able to avoid the pins, now being much faster than Whirlipede.

"Oh come on! Tailwind?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"The wind blows in our favour. Now say farewell to your victory, for it is mine to savour." Zecora said.

"I won't let this get the best of me! Whirlipede! Iron Defense!" Rainbow Dash went on the defensive side this time. Whirlipede was engulfed by steel energy as its defence had been greatly increased. Now it was time to strike. "Get up close and person and use Pin Missile!" Whirlipede was on the move once more, but this time, it wasn't moving as fast. Instead, Whimsicott was faster now. And to Rainbow Dash's surprise, it was headed straight for Whirlipede. The reason being is because it was aiming to use Gust at a much closer distance. And it did just that. Whirlipede was hit straight in the face with Gust as Whimsicott effortlessly avoided all the Pin Missiles. This Gust was enough to finally knock Whirlipede out, making it faint.

"Whirlipede is unable to battle! Whimsicott wins!"

"Down that one goes. And with Tailwind, my speed grows."

"Aw...you did good Whirlipede. Return." Rainbow Dash sighed, returning her Pokemon. "That Tailwind's gonna be a problem. And I can't bring out Altaria for a Pokemon like Whimsicott. So I'm gonna have Braviary take this one!" Next up was Braviary. Once that Pokeball was tossed forward, the Valiant Pokemon erupted with a mighty cry.

"BRAV!"

"Alright, Braviary! Let's not hold anything back! Go wild!"

"Braviary!"

"Head in with Steel Wing!" Braviary used its newest move, Steel Wing. Its wings gained hard steel energy around them as it flew forward. Whimsicott did the same, but it flew back, trying to get its distance from Braviary. But to its surprise and Zecora, Braviary was outpacing it. It's like Tailwind wasn't slowing it down at all.

Whimsicott sent some cotton balls forward to try and slow it down, but Braviary cut right through it with Steel Wing. Whimsicott gasped as before it and Zecora knew it, Braviary struck it right in the gut. The impact was so immense that it caused a wind pressure that rocketed Whimsicott towards Zecora. Zecora felt her Pokemon crash into her as it fainted.

"Whimsicott is unable to battle! Braviary wins!"

"Holy moly! That was intense!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"It didn't even care about Tailwind. Amazing." Fluttershy commented.

This was Braviary's recent Gym Battle in a while after it evolved from a Rufflet. And its immense strength had shown just how far it had come. It was here to carry its trainer to victory, no matter what.

"What strength. The force it wields is great. But this isn't over yet. Just you wait." Zecora got back up, sending her Pokemon back into its ball. The next Pokemon she sent out was a Weavile. Another Pokemon that was quick on its feet.

"Weavile!"

"Weavile, huh? I've got just the move that can take care of it. Braviary! Get in close and use Superpower!" Rainbow Dash outstretched her hoof, sending her Braviary forward. Braviary's wings and claws were enveloped in intense raging energy. One hit from it and the result would be devastating. Weavile was already ahead of Braviary as it jumped over Braviary, avoiding the Super Power. The Sharp Claw Pokemon then used Ice Beam on the slides and ramps. The reason being is because Zecora had planned for Weavile to skate on the ice to pick up more speed. Braviary turned around to see the Dark-Ice-Type skating about. "That's so cool!" Rainbow Dash was in awe but she snapped out of it. "Fly towards Weavile and use Superpower one more time!" A second attempt at Superpower was made. Braviary swooped towards Weavile who was skating about.

Weavile smirked, leaping over Braviary as it looked down at the Valiant Pokemon. And then, it struck Braviary on the back with a Dark Pulse, sending the Valiant Pokemon down to the ground. A smoke cloud emerged from the hit, but Braviary quickly got back up, blowing the smoke away by spreading its wings.

"Good! Use Brave Bird!" Braviary took the skies, surrounding itself with brave energy. Weavile, who was still airborne had responded to this by unleashing an Ice Beam. "Dodge it!" Braviary swiftly avoided the Ice Beam as it hit the floor instead, turning it all into ice. Braviary managed to get a good hit on Weavile with Brave Bird. That one hit was enough to launch Weavile higher into the skies. "Now finish it with Superpower!" Rainbow was planning to end this quickly by having Braviary deal devastating hit. The Valiant Pokemon zoomed towards its opponent, but Weavile and Zecora weren't done yet.

The Sharp Claw Pokemon turned the tables by using Double Team. It split itself into afterimages, making Braviary hit one of them and missing the real one. With its guard down, Weavile then used Night Slash but swinging its sharp claws at Braviary's back. The impact of it was critical as Braviary definitely felt all that damage. Weavile landed back down on the icy floor, looking up at Braviary.

"It seems our Pokemon are both even in speed. This will be a great battle indeed."

"Yeah. One that I'm gonna win!" Rainbow Dash declared as she stomped her hoof on the icy floor, breaking some of the ice on it. Both Pokemon and trainers were dead set on winning this. And with their Pokemon so far seeming to be equal in both speed and strength, there's no telling the outcome.

The Gym Battle continues.

Rainbow Dash so far was putting up a great fight. She's managed to take out two of Zecora's Pokemon. Ninjask and Whimsicott. But she's also suffered some drawbacks. Luxio has taken a considerable amount of damage from Ninjask's Fury Cutter assault and Whirlipede ended up fainting by Whimsicott's antics. Now the last two Pokemon remaining who are in top condition were Rainbow's Braviary who was out first, her Altaria who hadn't battled yet and for Zecora it was her Weavile and one other Pokemon in her arsenal. Zecora was proving to be a tough trainer since she doesn't say the commands, knowing that the rhyming would slow things down for her. Instead, she communicates with her Pokemon a mystical level, so Rainbow Dash won't be able to hear the commands, only see the moves. Right now it was Braviary vs Weavile.

"If I can get Superpower to land just once, that Weavile's a goner. But I'm gonna need to make sure I don't get hit by that Ice Beam of Dark Pulse...Okay, Braviary! Fly down and use Steel Wing!" Rainbow Dash went for Steel Wing instead of Superpower. Her plan was to make sure that Braviary gets every opportunity to reach Weavile without getting hit by any ranged attacks. And just as she thought, Weavile went straight for a ranged attack. Dark Pulse was fired towards the Valiant Pokemon. "Dodge it and fly forward!" Braviary avoided Dark Pulse thanks to its sharp instincts and it indeed got close to Weavile, who was now in striking distance. "Now change it into Superpower!" Braviary switched up from Steel Wing into Superpower. It looked like Weavile was about to get taken out, but the Sharp Claw Pokemon and Zecora already suspected this.

Once more, Double Team was activated. Braviary, unable to tell the difference between the real one and the afterimages, only ended up hitting the fakes. And that gave Weavile an opportunity to strike once more as it fired Ice Beam out of its hands. The beam of cold ice made contact as it ended up freezing Braviary, making it fall with ice-encased around it.

"Oh, no Braviary!" Rainbow Dash cried out. Braviary was frozen solid. Trapped within the ice. Weavile had landed back on the ground, seeing its opponent frozen in place. Now it had even more opportunities to attack.

"That's not fair! He's frozen solid!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"The freeze status effect is possibly the most effective one." Twilight commented.

Rainbow Dash knew that freeze was a pain to deal with, but she wasn't a stranger to this. There are ways out of situations like this. "Braviary! Use Superpower to break out!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. Her voice reached through Braviary. The Valiant Pokemon could sense her drive to win. And coupled with the hidden Bond Phenomenon hidden in both of them, Braviary started to draw in all that intense energy. The ice it was frozen in was emanating an orange and red light. Zecora and Weavile took a closer look to see what was going on. And just like that, Braviary broke out of the ice, causing a strong wind pressure as there were shards of ice flying everywhere. They even hit Weavile in the face and the wind even knocked it back a bit.

"Braviary!"

"Awesome! Now we're back in business! Let's continue to go crazy with Superpower! Head on!" Rainbow wasted no time, and neither did Braviary. The Valiant Pokemon took to the skies, heading towards the agile Weavile. The Sharp Claw Pokemon had fired another Ice Beam in hopes of freezing Braviary again, but the Normal-Flying-Type was smart enough to know not to fall for the same trick again as it flew over the beam, without Rainbow Dash even saying anything. Braviary finally hit its mark with Superpower. And just like Rainbow Dash theorized, it was indeed a move that would really put the hurt on Weavile. The sheer raw power behind it perplexed Weavile, launching it so far at such speeds that it crashed into the walls, causing cracks to form around it. Weavile fell from the cracked wall as rubble fell with it.

But to her surprise and the rest of the group and Braviary, Weavile was still up. Despite taking all that immense Superpower damage, it was still standing, but it definitely felt all that impact.

"How come?! Superpower should've taken it out in one go!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"I suspected a move like that to come by. So I trained this Weavile's defence to an all-time high." Zecora explained. "I've seen how you battle, and I've learned enough. Now it's time for me to cut loose and get rough." Zecora this entire time has just been holding back a bit. She had been observing Rainbow Dash's battle style to see how she plays. And she can tell that Rainbow is the type of trainer that focuses mostly on vigor and fortitude. That was her main weakness. She's too aggressive.

"Cut loose? You mean you weren't taking it seriously?! Braviary! Keep your guard up!"

"Braviary." He looked back at her, nodding his head.

Weavile had stopped holding back now as well. As if it wasn't tricky to deal with before. It ran towards Braviary while sliding on the icy floor. Braviary spread its wings, prepared for whatever may come its way.

"Hit it with Steel Wing!" Braviary's wings turned to steel as he swung them forward. Weavile ducked the wings by lowering its body while skating on the floor. It hopped on Braviary's back all of a sudden. "What the?! Braviary shake it off!" Braviary attempted to shake it off, but Weavile gripped onto its back with all its might. To make matters worse, Weavile dug its sharp claws in Braviary, so it wasn't getting off any time soon. Braviary winced at the claws digging into him. "Fly up!" The Valiant Pokemon then took the skies, bringing Weavile with it. Weavile wasn't just on Braviary's back to hang around. It had fired an Ice Beam from its claws, sending the cold beam through Braviary.

Braviary felt the Ice Beam surge through his body. Thankfully, he didn't freeze this time. But Ice Beam still dealt its damage. Braviary kept flying up and up until he reached the highest point of the gym. "Now fly down at top speed with Brave Bird!" A strange command, but Braviary went for it anyways. Rainbow Dash's plan was to smash Weavile down on the cold icy floor, that way it would definitely get off. But Zecora knew what she was up to, so Weavile hopped off Braviary's back, avoiding the imminent crash. Braviary felt nothing on its back, realising that Weavile was off. It stopped its movements, exiting out of Brave Bird. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh of relief. That one instance with Weavile was risky.

"Weavile..."

"Braviary..."

The two Pokemon were eyeing each other down. Rainbow Dash saw how things were turning out. Braviary was fast but Weavile had a slight advantage due to its small body allowing it to move at agile speeds. She felt like continuing like this wouldn't get here anywhere. "Return for now Braviary." She returned Braviary, letting it rest for a bit. "That Weavile's a threat. Braviary's only really good at up close and personal stuff. So I'll battle with my own distance as well. Go! Luxio!" Luxio was up next. Still pretty damaged after its previous battle against Ninjask, but it still had some energy left in it.

"Lux!"

"Keep your distance! Use Discharge!" Rainbow Dash continued without any breaks. Luxio stomped its paws on the icy floor, sending a discharge of electricity towards Weavile. The Sharp Claw Pokemon jumped over the Discharge, barely avoiding it. Even Weavile has trouble keeping up with electricity. "One more time!" Luxio went for another Discharge. This threw Weavile off course. It had just jumped over the last Discharge, and now it had nowhere else to land but on the floor. It made contact with Discharge, feeling all the electricity shock its nimble body. "Awesome! Now get in Wild Charge!" A follow-up, Luxio had engulfed itself in an electrical field, running towards Weavile. And with the floor full of ice, this speed was increased. Weavile fired an Ice Beam towards Luxio in retaliation. "Slide to the left!" Luxio manoeuvred its body on the ice, avoiding Ice Beam by sliding to the left. Weavile went for another move, this time it was Dark Pulse. "Slide to the right!" Rainbow Dash gave a similar command, but this time to the right. Luxio had finally gotten close enough, hitting Weavile dead on.

The force of it rocketed the Sharp Claw Pokemon back as it rolled on the icy floor. Luxio had taken all that recoil damage from Wild Charge. But all that damage wasn't enough. Weavile was still up.

"Still standing?! What's this Weavile made out of? Alright! Luxio! Discharge one more time!" Luxio was about to scatter Discharge once more, but Weavile took the air with a might leap, firing a Dark Pulse directly at Luxio. This dark wave made contact, sending the Spark Pokemon flying back. Luxio hit the ground, rolling on it. All that damage was too much for it to handle...so it had fainted.

"Luxio is unable to battle! Weavile wins!"

"Darn...So close. You did good Luxio. Come back." She returned her Pokemon back to its ball. This was a fast battle indeed. WIth Zecora not speaking the commands, it felt like Rainbow Dash was battling against a Wild Pokemon instead of a trainer. But that made it all the more difficult. Because she can't hear what commands Zecora's going to say, she can't find a way around it. Her only option is to watch the Pokemon perform the moves. But so far, that's been difficult as well. Since most of the moves are quick and can be released in an instant with barely any buildup. "It isn't over yet...let's see how far you've come. Go! Altaria!" The next Pokemon who was still fresh and healthy. Altaria.

"Taria!"

"I gotta say, Zecora. It wasn't smart of me to underestimate you just because I thought your rhyming would end up giving me this match easily. But now that I know how crafty you are, I won't underestimate you anymore."

"Glad to hear that, Rainbow Dash. Now let us continue this Pokemon clash."

"Right! Altaria! Dragon Pulse!" Rainbow Dash started off strong with the mighty Dragon Pulse. Altaria gathered all that draconic energy in its mouth, firing a shockwave of dragon energy towards Weavile. Zecora and Weavile knew that Dragon moves won't do much against Ice-Types, but they couldn't risk it. So Weavile used Double Team to avoid the beam. "We're not falling for that again! Altaria! Use Disarming Voice!" The Humming Pokemon utilized its beautiful soprano voice by singing an enchanting song that caused a powerful sound wave of Fairy energy to blow the afterimages away. This even managed to hit the real Weavile, revealing it to Rainbow Dash. "There you are! Get in there with Sky Attack!" Altaria no longer had Fury Attack at its disposal. Now it had moves that can really put the hurt on others.

The Humming Pokemon took the skies, locking its eyes at Weavile. But Weavile wasn't about to let itself go down the next turn. It fired an Ice Beam upwards at Altaria. "Now go!" Rainbow Dash gave the command the moment, Ice Beam as released. Altaria narrowed its eyes as it flew underneath the Ice Beam while initiating Sky Attack. It wasn't the fastest Pokemon in this gym, but it could still hit hard if it ever made contact with any other Pokemon. Weavile jumped over Altaria, avoiding the Sky Attack. It raised its claws up, ready to fire another Ice Beam. "You fire back with your own Ice Beam!" Altaria turned around quickly, shooting a cold beam from its mouth.

Both Ice Beams made contact, pushing against each other. The struggle between the two was fierce. It was hard to tell which one was stronger. All of this ice eventually ended up causing the room to gain a chill. Whether it was from the icy floor or the constant firing of Ice Beams. Either way, it was freezing. The group watching felt the chill as they were freezing from this. Even Rainbow Dash and Zecora felt cold.

Finally, the two beams cancelled each other out. Weavile landed down on the floor, breathing in and out. Despite how fast it may be, it still has stamina. And Rainbow Dash saw that stamina leaking and gave off a smirk. "Let's finish it with Disarming Voice!" Altaria was ready to finally take Weavile out with one mighty song. Weavile was prepared to stop it by using Ice Beam, but because it's tired itself so much from the constant moving against the previous Pokemon, it was charging Ice Beam a bit slower. But that gave Altaria enough time to unleash her song. The pink fairy sound waves reached Weavile, engulfing him in its melodic fury. The sound reached Weavile's ears as it couldn't take it anymore. The song had stopped and Weavile fell to its knees, fainting.

"Wea..."

"Weavile is unable to battle! Altaria wins!"

"YES!" Rainbow Dash flew up in joy. So did Altaria, who went over to hug Rainbow Dash, covering her with its cloudy wings. "Okay! Knock it off Altaria!"

"Whew. This battle sure is an aggressive one." Applejack let out a sigh of relief, slumping back on the seats with her hat on her stomach.

"Yeah. It's definitely fast-paced for sure." Spike replied.

"Zecora's got only one Pokemon left. How fast is this one gonna be?"


"I am impressed by how you've managed to outspeed me." Zecora held out her final Pokeball, narrowing her eyes. "But you will not get past my ace, you shall see!" She tossed the Pokeball, sending out her ace Pokemon

Zebstrika.

"A Zebstrika?!" Rainbow Dash was shocked. She already knew how fast a Zebstrika is and now she's facing one in battle. They were capable of keeping up with a Pokemon as fast as Rapidash, so their speed was no joke. Not only that, but its an Electric-Type, so two of her Pokemon are gonna have a tough time against this one. "No time to panic. Alright..." Altaria. Dragon Pulse!" Rainbow Dash kept it together as her Pokemon was about to blast away.

Zebstrika had already made the first move though. It easily outsped Altaria by using the move Thunder. Rapid strikes of lightning flew out of its body as its mane started to glow. The lightning came falling from above like a thunderstorm. Altaria was hit by some of them, feeling the damage.

"Oh no, Altaria!" Altaria was brought back down to the ground thanks to Thunder. The lightning bolts even destroyed bits of the icy floor due to how powerful they were. "Use Ice Beam" Altaria quickly got up, firing an Ice Beam forward. Zebstrika was on the move, galloping forward as it easily avoided Ice Beam. It got right up in Altaria's face, using the move Shock Wave. This move was so grand that no matter where you were in the room, it will hit you, making it an unavoidable move.

"Taria!"

"Grr..." Rainbow grit her teeth. Zebstrika was proving to be much more aggressive than the others. "Disarming Voice! Quick!" Altaria managed to push Zebstrika back with Disarming Voice, but it wasn't enough. Zebstrika immediately powered through the sound waves by retaliating with Flame Charge. Its body was engulfed in flames, galloping at Altara and burning away the sound waves in the process, something that took Rainbow Dash back. Zebstrika charged into Altaria, making it feel all that fire as its speed was increased. As if it wasn't fast enough already.

"Zeb!"

"Not yet! Dragon Pulse!" Altaria opened its mouth, sending a draconic shockwave forward. Zebstrika looked up at the Dragon Pulse, easily stopping it with Shock Wave. Zebstrika's proved to be much more potent as it cancelled out the pulse. "Ice Beam!" Altaria had continued its ranged assault by unleashing Ice Beam. Zebstrika galloped forward avoiding it. The Thunderbolt Pokemon was now underneath Altaria, summoning Thunder from above.

Altaria was hit with Thunder from underneath, feeling all those volts punish it. Whilst it let out a cry, falling to the ground, Zebstrika dealt a follow-up attack by turning around and bucking the Humming Pokemon far back towards a ramp. This Pokemon was more upfront with its attacks. Altaria, who was laying on the ramp, severely hurt, let out a wince.

"Altaria! Are you okay?!"

"Taria..." Altaria had one eye closed as its body was full of scratches. But it was still up and ready. It wasn't about to let itself go down so quickly. "Altaria!"

"Awesome! Now fly up and fire Dragon Pulse, repeatedly!" Altaria took the skies, preparing for a barrage of Dragon Pulses. Zebstrika looked back at Zecora as they both nodded their heads. Zebstrika's mane started to glow, shooting lightning out of it. The Thunderbolt Pokemon began running, avoiding all the Dragon Pulses that were coming it's way. Each time they missed, the icy floor would break apart, causing chunks of ice to fly all over the place. Altaria kept up the assault of Dragon Pulses, but Zebstrika kept on outpacing them all. It wasn't getting tired anytime soon. After all, they're rivals to Rapidash.

"Zeb...strika!" It had finally retaliated by summoning Thunder from above once more. Altaria looked up to see a lightning bolt rain down on her. She couldn't avoid it in time, and Rainbow Dash couldn't give off the command in time, so it took all that damage. This would be the time where Altaria would finally faint, but it was hanging on. Thanks to its Dragon typing and its drive to help Rainbow Dash win this.

"Altaria! Dragon Pulse! Full power!" Altaria gathered up all its remaining strength, bringing in all that draconic energy to let out a behemoth of an attack. She actually managed to release it as the dragon-shaped beam was headed straight for Zebstrika. The Thunderbolt Pokemon looked unphased by the attack racing towards it, as if it wasn't even slightly worried.

And it had no reason to be. Because to everyone's surprise, Zebstrika had eradicated the pulse by using Shock Wave, proving that the energy that it outputs far exceeds that of Altaria's. The Shock Wave expanded, filling the entire gym as Altaria saw the wave of electricity heading her way. And she couldn't avoid it, so she took the damage. The force of 20,000 volts punished her, making the Humming Pokemon fall down to the ground, fainting.

"Alta..."

"Altaria is unable to battle! Zebstrika wins!"

"Poor Altaria. She didn't stand a chance against Zebstrika." Fluttershy said.

"Just how fierce is that Pokemon?" Twilight spoke.

Rainbow Dash flew over to Altaria, looking at her fainted Pokemon as it looked back at her. "You did great Altaria. You didn't let me down at all in this battle. You really have grown." She hugged her Pokemon. "Now get some rest." She then returned her back into her ball. It was now time for the final Pokemon to seal the deal. "I'm counting on you. Braviary!"

Braviary came back out. It was Rainbow Dash's strongest Pokemon and her final hope. If Braviary can't get past Zebstrika, then it's game over.

"Zebstrika!"

"Braviary!"

The two Pokemon were sizing each other up. Zebstrika knew that even with the type advantage, Braviary is a fierce Pokemon to be up against since it is a fellow Unova Pokemon. And Braviary knew that Zebstrika was a threat with all that speed and Electric-Type moves at its disposal. These were both Rainbow Dash's and Zecora's ace Pokemon.

Rainbow Dash let out a small gulp. Reason being, she had just realised how far she's come. Starting out as a small Pokemon trainer to a somewhat seasoned trainer is a long leap in skill. She knows that eventually, she'll be battling against trainers even more skilled and powerful than Zecora. But for the meantime, if she can get past her, then she'll be ready to continue her goal towards the Pokemon League.

"It all comes down to this. Braviary! Brave Bird!" Braviary started off, as usual, surrounding itself in brave energy. Zebstrika's mane started to give off lightning as it unleashed Shock Wave. "Breakthrough it!" Rainbow Dash was going to power through Shock Wave It may be a super-effective move on Braviary, but the Valiant Pokemon wasn't going to let that stop it. It felt the force of Shock Wave shock it, stopping it in its tracks for a bit. Braviary opened up its eyes, continuing to fly forward. Even if Shock Wave was unleashed, Braviary could continue to move once it was finished. And he was quick enough to strike Zebstrika with Brave Bird, just managing to reach it.

The Thunderbolt Pokemon finally took another hit, sliding back on the remaining ice. Zebstrika was about to go for another Shock Wave. It was the most useful move right now. "Use Superpower!" Braviary flew behind Zebstrika, ready to strike with Superpower, but Shock Wave had already been unleashed. Braviary felt Shock Wave pulse through its body as it was sent flying back.

"Oh, dear! Braviary can't do anything against Shock Wave!" Fluttershy gasped, leaning forward.

"And it can't fly high enough to get a faraway distance from it. The ceiling isn't high enough." Rarity commented.

Rainbow Dash was sweating. This was the hardest obstacle to overcome so far. But she couldn't let her fears get the best of her. If she was going to make it to the top, she would have to find a way around even the most impossible scenarios.

"We aren't finished yet! Braviary use Superpower on the ground!" Rainbow Dash was up to her antics once more. Braviary had smashed its wings and talons on the ground. Why? Because Superpower was powerful enough to not only shake the floor in order to throw Zebstrika off-balance, but it also caused a majority of the ground to crack. Not only that, but the ramps and slides were affected as well, breaking apart as they fell on the ground, scattering everywhere. The referee gasped as the entire arena was a mess now.

Why did Rainbow Dash do this? Zecora had no idea. Zebstrika continued to battle on by preparing another Shock Wave.

"Hide behind the fallen ramps!" Now Rainbow Dash's strategy had made sense. Braviary flew over to the fallen ramps, hiding behind them as the Shock Wave travelled across the room, but not through the ramps. Rainbow had purposely used Superpower to give Braviary some rubble to hide behind in order to avoid Shock Wave. Zecora had realised it as well.

"An impressive strategy, I must say. You've found a way past my Shock Wave." Zecora commented.

"That's not all! We're just getting started!"

Zebstrika ran towards the ramps that Braviary was hiding behind by using Flame Charge. It was going to smash right through them.

"Braviary! Steel Wing on the ramps!" Braviary turned its wings to steel as it struck the ramps. It sent them flying towards Zebstrika, causing it to slow down as it avoided the ramps. Rainbow Dash was using the entire arena to her advantage. Braviary kept hitting the ramps, sending them towards Zebstrika. The Thunderbolt Pokemon was doing its best to try and avoid them, but some had actually made contact, stopping it in its tracks. "NOW! Superpower!" Braviary flew out of its hiding spot, heading towards a slowed down Zebstrika. Before the Electric-Type knew it, Superpower had made contact with its face, sending it back.

"Zeb!" Zebstrika shook its head, going for Shock Wave one more time! Braviary flew back towards its hiding spot, but a bit of Shock Wave grazed its talons. Rainbow Dash knew that she couldn't keep hiding behind the ramp rubble for long. So she had to improvise.

"Braviary! Grab one of the ramps with your talon and keep it there!" She gave off another command that confused Zecora. Braviary dug its sharp claws on a ramp, flying up with it. "Now! Head in with Superpower!" Braviary charged forward whilst having the ramp in front of it. Zebstrika yet again went for Shock Wave. But this time, it didn't do anything. Because the ramp was protecting Braviary like a shield, rendering Shock Wave useless right now.

"Brav!" The Valiant Pokemon spun around, slamming its wings at Zebstrika with Superpower."

Zecora knew that Shock Wave wasn't going to be useful right now. So it was time to switch things up. She made Zebstrika used Flame Charge instead, in hopes of melting away the ramp. The Thunderbolt Pokemon galloped onwards with flames around it, ready to smash into the ramp.

"Fly up!" Braviary avoided Zebstrika's attack by soaring into the air. "Now toss the ramp and charge forward with Steel Wing!" Braviary gave up its shield by tossing it towards Zebstrika. The Thunderbolt Pokemon moved out of the way, as the ramp dug into the ground. This was a good distraction as Braviary came flying in with Steel Wing. Zebstrika was about to unleash Shockwave one more time, as the two Pokemon were incredibly close to each other.

It was about to a close call. If either move lands, it could be a guaranteed faint. And in the blink of an eye an explosion of two forms of energy occurred. The force of both attacks caused it as everypony felt the pressure, shockwave force of the explosion, A huge smoke cloud formed, filling the entire arena where the two Pokemon were. The referee was sent flying back as Rainbow Dash and Zecora stood firm on the floor with their manes blowing.

The smoke was finally clearing, Everyone leaned forward to see the result. As it all settled down, what could be see was Braviary's wings making contact with Zebstrika's mane. To their surprise, Braviary stopped Shock Wave by letting all the electricity go on Braviary's Steel Wing. It had absorbed it all due to metal being a great conductor of electricity. And only that, Steel Wing, while not being very effective, was actually the finishing blow. Zebstrika had already taken a considerable amount of damage thanks to the ramps and Superpower, and Steel Wing was just enough damage to seal the deal as Zebstrika fell to the ground and Braviary flew back, taking in a deep breath.

"Zeb..."

The referee recovered, shaking his head as he went over to see the result.

"Zebstrika is unable to battle! Braviary wins! Which means the victor is the Challenger Rainbow Dash!"

"BRAVIARY!" The Valiant Pokemon let out a victory cry as Rainbow Dash jumped for joy.

"YES! WOOHOO!" She flew around, leaving rainbow trails around. Her friends let out a sigh of relief as it was finally over.

Zecora let out a smile. She enjoyed the battle even though she lost. And she was glad that Rainbow Dash managed to overcome her Zebstrika as she returned it to her ball. The zebra walked over to Rainbow Dash to lend her the badge. "A million congraluations on your victory. You are the first pony who has proven that they were match for both Zebstrika and me. Now I present you your reward. Take it, and increase your trainer record." Zecora held out the next badge. The Velocity Badge.

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash took the badge from Zecora's hoof, holding it high. "I did it! We did it!" Rainbow Dash hugged her Pokemon.

"Bravi!"

"I gotta tell ya...these gym battles are getting tougher and tougher, aren't they?" Applejack said.

"I know. It's got me a bit terrified, but pumped too! I can't explain it." Rainbow grinned.

"It's the rush of a Pokemon battle that gets the blood pumping." Ash explained.

"Pikachu!"

"I shall be returning back to my hut back at Everfree. The fancy buildings and lights here are just not for me." said Zecora.

"Let's all head home together. I think we could use a rest after today." Twilight uttered.

With Rainbow Dash's fourth gym badge obtained, the battles from here onward are only going to get much more intense, difficult and aggressive. But with her team growing stronger and with more experience to be earned, the road to the Pokemon League no longer seems like an impossible goal, as the journey continues.