Pokémon and Ponies

#77-Twilight vs Sunset (The Pokemon Festival Part 5)

Manehattan 10:20

"Cut!" Pinkie Pie screeched as she held a megaphone in her hooves. Her amped voice caused some ponies to freeze in place. This was because these ponies were assisting Pinkie Pie with her Pokestar Studios film. "Give it more fluff. It'll look way more satisfying when landing on it!"

"Ow..." The ponies rubbed their ears after being blasted with that booming sound from Pinkie Pie.

"I could get used to being a director." She laid back on a chair, adjusting some neat black sunglasses she found in the prop box. She took in the glorious sunlight as she watched the ponies help make her movie for her while she gave out instructions, advice and directed them.

"Spinda?" Spinda popped out of her mane, watching the movie being made.

"Just you wait, Spinda. This'll be a movie to remember. I hope I get famous in the Pokemon World too." Pinkie grinned as she rocked back and forth on the chair.

"Spin!"

But while this was all going down, from the corner of her eye, she spotted Ash and Twilight walking by as she gained the idea of involving them in their movie. "Oh! Twilight! Ash!"

"Hm?" They both turned to face her.

"Do you wanna help me out with my movie?!"

"Sorry, Pinkie Pie," Twilight replied. "But I'm kinda searching for a Pokemon battle right. We can help you out later if that's okay with you."

"Sure is! Have fun with your battle!" Pinkie waved. They would help her out later on but first, they had to find somepony to battle.

They wouldn't have to search for too long since a majority of the trainers here are battle-orientated or at least are interested in battles. Mostly due to the existence of the Equestria Leauge.

One of which was a very close friend to Twilight who only frequently comes to Manehattan to fulfil her role as a Gym Leader. And luckily, that same friend had also decided to take part in a battle and was also their first Pokemon Festival.

That was, of course, Sunset Shimmer, who was alongside the Canterlot Royal Family and the Dazzlings. They immediately spotted Twilight and Ash in their vision as both Sunset and Twilight let out wide smiles.

"Sunset!"

"Twilight!"

The two of them were pleased to see each other once more as they both embraced with a warm hug. "It's great to see you here! During the festival too!"

"I know right?" Sunset grinned. "It's my first one too! Oh, Hey Ash! Good to see you too."

"Great to see you too, Sunset." Ash gave a thumbs up.

"Pikachu!"

"This is getting a bit too crowded for me..." Adagio winced.

"Well since it's your first Pokemon Festival, you've got a lot to look forward too! Just look at all the attractions here." Twilight moved her hoof around. "Take your pick."

"Actually, Twilight. I was just looking for a Pokemon Battle. Or rather, Princess Celestia wants to see me battle as a Gym Leader."

"I certainly do." Celestia nodded.

"Battle?" Twilight gasped before realizing how perfect this moment was. "Oh! The same goes for me. I'm looking for a Pokemon battle too. But for a different reason."

"Hm. Hold on..." Celestia said to herself as she sparked an idea. "I think I see a golden opportunity here." She walked up to her two students.

"You do?" They both said whilst looking up at their teacher.

"I certainly do. A little evil part in me would like to see you two battle against each other. If that is something you can consider."

"Oh..." They both nodded gently before realizing that this was the perfect opportunity since they were both in search of the same thing right now. And with them being close friends, it only made sense that they would test each other out as trainers. At least, in the context of Pokemon.

Seeing that this opportunity was right in their faces, they decided to agree on battling against each other with one final nod. It had been settled.


And there was only one place where they could battle. The Manehattan Gym which Sunset Shimmer normally occupies. A perfect place for their battle to take place. It wasn't being used for any attractions so it was for free to use.

But before they started throwing Pokemon moves at each other, Twilight requested that she had some time to prepare. She wanted to make sure that she had a battle strategy that would guide her to victory.

So she had a chat with her Pokemon, coming up with ways to work around Sunset Shimmer's Pokemon. She's already seen her battle against Rainbow Dash before so she knows what she's up against and what to expect.

"Alright, you four. Let's go over this one more time." She spoke with her Pokemon, still preparing for the Gym Battle.

In the meantime, while Ash and the others were sitting down, Adagio stood up from the seats as she saw this as an opportunity to leave while Sunset Shimmer was about to have a battle.

"Once they start their little battle, we're leaving you two," Adagio said.

"We are?" Sonata turned to her.

"Why?" Aria asked.

"Because I personally don't want her following me around just because she doesn't trust me with this." Adagio took out the jar from her mane. "This was supposed to be between the both of us anyway."

"Oh...isn't that..." Celestia and Luna both recognized the jar that Adagio was holding up with her magic. They had indeed seen it before. "The Magic Siphoning Jar?!"

"Yeah, this. You two know it?"

"Know it? We have been searching for it for years!" Luna stood up.

"We thought we had lost it when a creature of Everfree attacked us. How did you manage to find it, Adagio?"

"Oh. Some old sales pony gave this to me." Adagio twirled the jar around. "I guess it makes sense on why it would be lost now that I think about it..."

"Well, at least it's here now." Luna went over to Adagio. "You may return it to us."

"Sorry. I can't do that." Adagio pulled the jar away from Luna.

"I beg your pardon?" Luna jerked back.

"I need this jar for something important one day. I'll give it back when I've done my job with it."

"Important, you say?" Celestia raised an eyebrow. "What do you possibly mean by that?"

"Well-"

"Adagio's gonna suck up Empress Twilight's magic with the jar and use it against Ghetsis to stop him for good!" Sonata revealed everything by sliding in-between them.

"...Thank you, Sonata." Adagio sighed. "Yes. It's to stop both of them. Ghetsis is way too dangerous. And the only way we can stop him is by gathering up all the alicorn magic Empress Twilight has stolen. Even Ghetsis won't be able to handle that much. So I won't give it up until I've dealt with both of them."

"It's also why Sunset Shimmer's here. She doesn't trust Adagio so she's sticking to her like glue for 2 months until the invasion happens." Aria explained.

"I'm sorry, did you say invasion?" Eventide scrunched his eyes.

"Oh yeah!" Sonata was about to ramble on again. "There's gonna be a super big invasion in just 2 months! Queen Pyrestar's already made a plan that's gonna work out in 2 months too!"

"...Uh-huh..." Celestia, Luna, Sunlight and Eventide nodded while Ash and his Pokemon were frozen in shock. And Empress Twilight. Who exactly is that?"

"Some random Twilight from another universe or something." Aria shrugged. "She's been teaming up with Ghetsis and has stolen a bunch of alicorn magic. Apparently."

"Is that who that was we saw?" Eventide thought back to when he and Sunlight were still in the Ambrosial Plane where they were able to oversee all of Equestria. They remembered seeing Adagio speaking to Empress Twilight when she first arrived at this universe so she wasn't a complete mystery to them.

"Then we'll have to prepare ourselves too, won't we?" Luna looked up at her older sister.

"Obviously," Celestia replied. "This concerns us as well. It is an invasion after all. And this Empress Twilight...This is my first time hearing about her."

"Same. We don't know a ton about her except for Adagio since she's been around her before." Aria shook her head. "All we know from Adagio's words is that she owns a massive empire and has some protege named L-Luster Dawn I think?"

"Queen Pyrestar will let you know the whole thing!" Sonata waved her hooves.

"You get it now? I'll be able to take out two birds with one stone with this jar." Adagio raised the jar. "Plus there's a plan involving it. So it's staying with me."

"That jar is not your property, Adagio Dazzle. You shall-" Luna narrowed her eyes, raising her voice, but Celestia stopped her little sister.

"Adagio. You would enjoy it if Sunset Shimmer was out of your hair, wouldn't you?" Celestia asked.

"I'd love it..." Adagio groaned. "That way I wouldn't have to put up with her for 2 months."

"And you're using the jar to stop a larger threat too..." Celestia nodded.

"And after that, I won't need this jar anymore. Nothing but trouble anyway. But apparently, I'm not trustworthy to her. Eugh." Adagio stuck her tongue out while having a grimace.

"Then, you'll have to have Sunset Shimmer truly witness your resolve." Celestia smiled.

"Say what now?" Adagio raised an eyebrow.

"Adagio. I trust you." Celestia put her hoof around Adagio's neck.

"Wait...You really trust me with this jar?" Adagio's pupils shrunk.

"I certainly do." She nodded. "While I can't say the same for Luna and especially Twilight, I'll put my faith in you to do the right thing." Celestia was truly trustworthy of Adagio. And to an extent, so were Eventide and Sunlight. They decided to put their faith in her as well since they could see how genuine Adagio was being.

"Nice, Celestia." Ash gave a thumbs up. "If you'll put your faith in her, then I will too."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed along with Ash's Pokemon.

"All of you..." Adagio scooted back. "Even after all I've done you...really trust me?"

"We both wanna protect what we love, right?" Ash said.

"Pika!"

"Alright! We're ready!" Twilight exclaimed as she and her Pokemon separated from their group huddle. "Let's do this, Sunset Shimmer."

"Oh, finally, it's starting!" Ash grinned as he and his Pokemon leaned forward.

"Pika-Pikachu!"

"Oh!" Sonata hopped off the seats, landing on the battlefield. "I'll be the referee! Me! Uh...how do they start things off." She thought to herself as Aria was the one who explained the rules for her.

"They use whatever number of Pokemon they've got on their team and if all Pokemon on one team faints the other team wins," Aria explained.

"Oh, right. What she said. Twilight's got 4. Are you gonna use 4 as well, Sunny?"

"Sure am. I've got one Pokemon who's been itching to battle for a while now." Sunset looked at a Great Ball that she had in her bag.

"Four huh? That's fine. That will give all my Pokemon a chance to battle." Twilight said.

The two students of Celestia stood on their respective sides. Twilight went right while Sunset went left. Twilight's Pokemon stood beside her while all of Sunset's Pokemon were inside their Poke Balls.

"Alright, you two! Choose your first Pokemon!" Sonata exclaimed.

"We'll fight Fire with Fire. Ninetales, go!"

"Ninetales!" Ninetales was up first as the Fox Pokemon lunged over Twilight as his body was blazing with fire outlining him.

"Ninetales, huh? That's pretty intimidating. But I've got an answer to that with my own fox. Braixen!" Sunset also sent out her own Fox Pokemon in the form of Braixen.

"Braixen!"

"Ooh..." Sonata looked at the two Fire Pokemon who were both coincidentally foxes. "Okay then...Wait. Sunny, are you allowed to substitute in this?"

"Even though I'll be battling as a Gym Leader...I kinda do wanna switch out so I'll substitute in this." Sunset nodded.

"Got it! Battle Start!" Sonata gave the call to start.

"Let's use your new move, Ninetales! Extrasensory!"

"Ninetales...!" Ninetales's eyes illuminated up, showing a dazzling gold and purple glow that emanated from them. He then released a rainbow-coloured beam from his eyes.

"Braixen! Use Psybeam!"

"Braix!" Braixen pulled out the stick in her tail, waving it about. Sparks of purple energy flew out of the stick as she pointed it forward with a streaky blue beam that had pink circles bursting out.

The two Psychic beams had clashed, entering a small struggle as they were shaking about from contact. They were evenly matched as they cancelled each other out, causing a purple explosion of psychic energy.

"Let's move in! Use Quick Attack!"

"Tales!" The Fox Pokemon bolted forward as a white and silver trail is created behind him. He was moving so fast that he was disappearing and reappearing consecutively while moving through the smoke at blinding speeds, appearing in front of Braixen in an instant.

"Braixen?!" The Fox Pokemon gasped as her fellow Fire-Type tackled her before Sunset could give a command, showing just how fast Ninetales was. "Xen!" Braixen was knocked back by Quick Attack as she slid on the floor.

"You alright, Braixen?!"

"Braixen!" Braxien stood up tall as she adjusted her tail, gripping her stick with vigour.

"Great. Then in that case...let's show Ninetales some love. Use Attract!"

"Braixen..." Braixen was ready to use her ace in the hole. Attract. She spun around before winking at Ninetales, sending multiple pink hearts to fly and surround Ninetales like a tornado.

"Nine? Nine?" Ninetales looked around him.

"This is what I was waiting for..." Twilight smirked. "Burn them away, Ninetales!"

"Nine...Tales!" By using the fire within him, Ninetales summoned a pillar of fire that erupted from his body, burning the pink hearts away into ash.

"Braixen?!" Braxien gasped.

"Oh!" Sunset jerked back."

"You won't swoon Ninetales that easily!" Twilight grinned. "I was there when you battled Rainbow Dash after all. So I've come up with a way to deal with all of your Pokemon."

"Hmph. We'll see. Return, for now, Braixen." Sunset returned Braixen to her Poke Ball. "I'll make sure that Attract lands next time. Then there's no way we'll lose this. You're up next, Fletchinder!" Up next was Fletchinder as Sunset used her magic to launch the Poke Ball upwards.

"Fletchinder!"

"Use Aerial Ace, quick!"

"Chinder!" Fletchinder dived down at his opponent as he flapped his wings once. Once he did, he moved so fast he became a blur with a clear aura around him.

"Quick Attack!"

"Nine!" Ninetales used a speedy move himself by using Quick Attack once more to also become a blur. Both Pokemon were moving at high speeds as their heads clashed against each other.

Once they did, Ninetales and Fletchinder entered a back and forth clash with Quick Attack and Aerial Ace. Their heads continuously met with small shockwaves coming out every single time.

Fletchinder ascended into the sky to build up more speed as he dived down towards his fellow Fire-Type. But Ninetales played it smart as he didn't rush in for another head clash. Instead, he used Quick Attack to evade Fletchinder, juking the Ember Pokemon.

"Chin?!" Fletchinder's eyes widened as the speed he had built up a few seconds ago came back to bite him as he took a pretty hard hit on the floor by accident. "Fletch!"

"Ninetales!" With Fletchinder distracted, the Fox Pokemon moved in, slamming himself into the Ember Pokemon.

"Chinder!" Fletchinder was sent flying from that Quick Attack as he spun around in the air.

"Fletchinder! Flame Charge, quick!"

"Fletch!" Fletchinder quickly recovered midair as he ignited himself with fire surrounding his body. With a burst of speed, Flethcinder charged towards his fellow Fire-Type with a trail of fire following behind.

But this is what Twilight was expecting as she didn't even give a command to Ninetales at all. She just stood there along with the Fox Pokemon.

But there was a reason for this.

Not because Ninetales resists fire. But because of his ability. Once Fletchinder got close enough, Ninetales's body glowed red as he was suddenly absorbing all the heat from Fletchinder's Flame Charge.

Fletchinder noticed that his fiery aura had been absorbed as he no longer had flames surrounding his body at all. Instead, it had all been pulled into Ninetales.

"What the?!" Sunset gasped, confused about what just happened. "What happened to Flame Charge?!"

"That's a good question. What actually happened?" Aria wondered.

"It's Ninetales's ability, Flash Fire!" Ash exclaimed. "Flash Fire absorbs heat from its surroundings or Fire attacks that hit it, powering up its Fire-type attacks."

"It does what now?!" Sunset had heard this as she grimaced.

"It's our turn now! Mystical Fire!"

"Tales..." Ninetales summoned an orb of fire that gaped out of his mouth as the orb was increasing in size.

"Not bad, Twilight. But it isn't over yet! Use Double Team!"

"Fletch! Fletch!" Flethcinder still had ways to work around his opponent. The Ember Pokemon's body glowed white, creating multiple copies of himself that filled the air, throwing Ninetales off guard.

"Nine?"

"Focus, Ninetales! Blast them all!"

"Ninetales!" Ninetales unleashed Mystical Fire as a red-orange stream of fire burst out of the orb. As Mystical Fire raced forward, Ninetales moved his head around, causing Mystical Fire to move as well by his will.

The clones of Fletchinder were being burned away by the moving stream of fire as Ninetales was searching for the real Fletchinder.

"Now, Fletchinder! Aerial Ace!"

"Chin!" The real Fletchinder was revealed as the last of the clones had been burnt away by Mystical Fire. Fletchinder evaded Mystical Fire by ascending to the sky with a white aura surrounding his body. He then dived down with a burst of speed as he was aiming straight for Ninetales's stomach.

"Here he comes...Extrasensory!"

"Tales!" Ninetales ceased Mystical Fire as he quickly switched to Extrasensory next. A blast of psychic energy came out of his mouth as it made direct contact with Fletchinder and his Aerial Ace.

"Fl-Fletchin!" Fletchinder was trying to break through Extrasensory as he was pushing himself with Aerial Ace.

"Nine...Tales!" But Ninetales proved to have the superior power overall as he added some extra Oomph to his attack. The Extrasensory grew in size, overpowering Fletchinder's Aerial Ace as the Ember Pokemon was engulfed by the large blast of psychic energy.

Afterwards, a purple and gold explosion occurred due to the aftermath of Extrasensory as Fletchinder was seen falling from the smoke. That Extrasensory hit like a truck and it really showed since Fletchinder tumbled on the floor. He wasn't able to withstand it as he had fainted.

"Fletchin..."

"Fletchinder's down and out! Twilight wins!" Sonata announced.

"Yes! Excellent work, Ninetales!" Twilight jumped for joy as all her other Pokemon cheered for their fellow teammate.

"Nine-Ninetales."

"Return, Fletchinder." Sunset returned Fletchinder to his Poke Ball. "You did good, pal. That Flash Fire's gonna be a problem...Unless..."

"Come back, for now, Ninetales."

"Tales." Ninetales returned to Twilight as a switch was about to happen.

"She might choose either Braixen or Litleo next. Or maybe that fourth Pokemon she hasn't shown yet." Twilight said. "Minccy. You'll go next, alright?"

"Cinccino!" Twilight's Cinccino was chosen next as she ran forward, lifting her fur.

"Cinccino...Then I guess it's a good enough time to use you. Go! Volcarona!" She used her magic to send out her hidden Pokemon which was none other than the Sun Pokemon Volcarona.

"Volcarona!"

"Oh! Who's this?" Twilight gawked as she quickly took out her Pokedex for this one.

"Volcarona. The Sun Pokemon. This Pokémon emerges from a cocoon formed of raging flames. Ancient murals depict Volcarona as a deity of fire. When volcanic ash darkened the atmosphere, it is said that Volcarona's fire provided a replacement for the sun. As it flies, it scatters its flaming scales. It was feared by ancient people, who referred to it as The Rage of the Sun. It appeared during a bitterly cold winter and saved Pokémon from freezing."

"A deity, huh?" Twilight placed her Pokedex back. "Pokemon lore is just so interesting!" She squeed.

"Ccino!" Minccy told Twilight to focus.

"Oh, right!" Twilight snapped out of it as she began talking to herself. "If we use Tri Attack, the burn effect won't work on Volcarona. But Paralyze and Freeze might."

"Volcarona! Use Quiver Dance!"

"Vol!" Using its signature move, Volcarona's body began to glow white. She then started dancing around, leaving behind afterimages of herself. Her attack, special attack, special defence and speed had just risen.

"Okay..." Twilight bit her lip. "Use Tri Attack, Minccy!"

"Ccino...!" Minccy raised her arms as she charged an orb of energy above her head, all with different colours. The beam was then fired with three different elements mixed inside of them as Twilight was hoping to freeze or paralyze Volcarona.

"Charge through with Wild Charge, Volcarona!"

"Caro!" The Sun Pokemon forcefully propelled herself towards Tri Attack while surrounded in bright gold electricity with white static around it.

Volcarona smashed into Tri Attack head-on without any worry of being frozen or paralyzed. In fact, her Wild Charge was so powerful that it broke through Tri Attack as Volcarona was now heading straight for Minccy.

"Cinccino?!"

"Uh oh! Dodge it, quick, Minccy!" Twilight gasped.

But it was too late. At a breakneck speed, Volcarona smashed into the Scarf Pokemon with Wild Charge at full-force. When she made contact with Wild Charge, the electricity around her gathered where Volcarona collided with Minccy, forming into a white orb of sparkling energy, which then exploded.

Volcarona took some recoil damage from Wild Charge as she was sent flying. But not as hard as Minccy who was launched like a rocket after being hit by it.

"Cci!"

"Minccy!" Twilight exclaimed as she saw her partner fall from above, worried that she might have fainted. Luckily, the Scarf Pokemon was still able to battle as she used her soft scarf to land safely on the floor.

"Ccin! Cinccino!" She growled.

"Phew..." Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "Alright. If we attack up close we should be fine. Quiver Dance doesn't raise physical defence thankfully. Minccy! Use Aqua Tail!"

"Ccino!" The Scarf Pokemon's tail glowed light blue as she spun it around. When she did, a spiral of water emerged spiralling around her tail. Minccy flipped towards Volcarona as she started swinging her tail as if it were a vicious wave in a raging storm.

"Psychic!"

"Vol!" Volcarona immediately stopped Minccy in her tracks by using Psychic to hold her in place as the Sun Pokemon's eyes flashed blue.

"C-Ci!? Ccino?!"

"Volca!" Volcarona then slammed Minccy on the ground with her Psychic hold, causing the floor to slightly shake.

"CinccI!"

"Not good!" Twilight growled, realizing that Psychic was going to be a major problem as she was trying to figure out how to break free of this. Then she thought of a fairly risky approach. "Get up close to Volcarona!"

"Cinccino!" The Scarf Pokemon did just that. She lunged towards Volcarona, waiting for Twilight's next command.

"Try Tri Attack one more time!"

"Ccino...!" A second attempt at Tri Attack was made. She was hoping to get one of the status effects off this time as she fired the triple coloured beam of elements towards the Sun Pokemon.

"Fire Blast through it!"

"Volca...! Rona!" Volcarona released a powerful stream of red-yellow fire that formed in front of her at her opponent. As the flame travelled at Tri Attack, the front of the flame forms into a 大-shaped blast.

The two attacks collided, but it was clear which one was superior in power. Volcarona was already powerful when it comes to Special Attacks. But with Quiver Dance and a move as powerful as Fire Blast, it didn't come as a surprise when Fire Blast engulfed Tri Attack completely.

With Tri Attack consumed, Minccy's eyes widened as before she knew it, she had been hit by Fire Blast, becoming engulfed in the raging flames. A destructive blast of fire happened afterwards, causing a bit of a shockwave that almost blew everyone back, just from how powerful it was.

Twilight and Sunset both covered their eyes as the smoke was starting to clear. Twilight gasped as she herself knew that there was no way that Minccy would be able to withstand an attack that violent.

She's a glass cannon, so getting hit by something like that was bound to make her faint. But surprisingly, when the smoke vanished, Minccy was still standing.

"Ccino...Ccino..." She breathed in and out as she had one eye closed with scratches and burn marks all over her.

"No way!" Sunset screeched.

"Vol?!"

"Minccy! You're okay!" Twilight let out a wide smile.

"What durability..." Luna's eyes widened.

"Mhm." Celestia and the others nodded in agreement.

"Alright, Minccy! Let's get it one more go! This time, use Quick Attack!"

"Cin...Cinccino..." Suddenly an orange glow emanated around the Scarf Pokemon's body as sparks were flying out. This was an indication that a new move had been learned.

"Oh! What move is this?!" Twilight took out her dex to see what she could've learned.

"Focus Blast. A Fighting-Type move. The user heightens its mental focus and unleashes its power."

"Amazing! Alright! Use Focus Blast, Minccy!"

"Cin...Cin...Cinccino." But unfortunately, Minccy eventually gave out as she fell to the ground, fainting finally.

"Cinccino or...Minccy is done for! Volcarona wins this one!" Sonata exclaimed.

It was now even between the two. They had both lost one Pokemon.

"Alright. We're still safe, Volcarona." Sunset said.

"Caro."

"Minccy..." Twilight walked up to the fainted Scarf Pokemon, picking her up. "You tried your best. And you learned a new move too."

"Ccino..." She whimpered.

"Get some rest, okay?" She brought Minccy over to the seats, placing her down next to Aria.

"We're even now, Twilight," Sunset spoke. "Ready to see what else my Pokemon are capable of?"

"This isn't over yet, Sunset." Twilight flew back. "There's still a lot my Pokemon have to offer. Eve. You're up."

"Espeon!" Up next was Eve as she ran forward with her gem glowing. The battle between Twilight and Sunset was only just beginning at this point.


Hunter J's secret base. 11:00

That same secluded lake with the small buildings still had the ponies who lived there turned into stone thanks to Pokemon Hunter J.

They've been stuck like this since yesterday and they're most likely going to be stuck forever. All because J needed a place to make her base of operations, especially in this new world.

However, at the moment, J wasn't present here. She had currently left to continue her dirty deeds as her base was now completely silent with the water of the lake producing calm and relaxing sounds. But these sounds would be perfect if the ponies and Pokemon weren't suffering as petrified statues.

J hid them in one house and that house belonged to a pegasus. She made sure to lock the door so that no one would ever find these statues in her base which was basically this entire small village with the lake. But with J gone for the moment, new faces arrived at the secluded town. Or rather, familiar faces.

Chrysalis and her changelings had arrived at the secluded town.

They were searching desperately for a new home after their hive had been obliterated by Draco Meteor. Their journey led them here. Chrysalis saw how silent and quiet this small village was. She believed with how small it was, she would be able to impersonate herself as a random pony and live here.

She wasn't going to live peacefully with the ponies as she was aiming at feeding on their love to fuel herself. The same can be said for the changelings as well. They were lucky that during their journey, they didn't run into anything that would endanger them. No creature of the Everfree or a random Pokemon attacked them. So their safe journey was the only good thing that has happened to them in a while.

However, upon further investigation, Chrysalis noticed that there was nopony in sight at all. She looked in the windows to see that each house was empty and quiet. There weren't even any Pokemon. She was a bit nervous about this. She and the changelings explored this small village to see if there was at least one pony here that they could be aware of.

But their search was pointless since all of them were gone. Or rather, placed in one room and locked up. Seeing that it was empty and quiet, Chrysalis determined that this would be the place to make their new hideout. It was no hive, that's for sure. But it had to do. She couldn't just build a hive after all.

Chrysalis declared this place as their new home. For now.

The absolute silence that filled this village is what made Chrysalis decide. She wasn't a fan of the lush green grassland and beautiful lake but she would have to put up with it.

Manehattan Gym. 11:02

The battle between Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer continues.

Currently, both of them have lost one Pokemon each. Twilight's Cinccino and Sunset's Fletchinder. The score was even. Now it was Twilight's Espeon vs Sunset's Volcarona.

"Espeon..."

"Volcarona..."

The two Pokemon were eyeing each other down, anticipating the commands of their trainers. Twilight was thinking of a way to approach Volcarona since it was so powerful and so far had a lot of variety with its moves.

"The only Bug move she has is Quiver Dance... but not attacking ones." Twilight thought to herself. "None of my Pokemon are really threatened by any of her moves...But still..."

"Why are they not moving, exactly?" Luna asked Celestia.

"Twilight and Sunset are both assessing the situation right now," Celestia explained. "One of the few things they both have in common, I've noticed."

"That Volcarona's got a lot of stuff to deal with her Pokemon, doesn't it?" Aria said.

"Yeah, but only Psychic and Fire Blast won't work on Absol and Ninetales," Ash replied.

"Pikachu." Pikachu nodded.

"Alright...I know what I can do." Twilight smiled.

"Hey uh...Are you two gonna continue battling or what?" Sonata asked them.

"Yeah, we will. Eve! Use Dazzling Gleam and fire it up!"

"Espeon!" The Sun Pokemon became surrounded in a rainbow-coloured sphere as she sent multi-coloured rays into the air instead of directly towards Volcarona since Dazzling Gleam is originally a physical move.

"What's she planning?" Sunset Shimmer looked up. She saw how the rainbow rays covered the ceiling before raining down from above. Then, she realized that this was a bombardment attack instead of a direct head-on attack. "Not good...Dodge them quick!"

"Volca!" An attempt was made to dodge the raining rainbow-rays. Volcarona's speed had already been increased thanks to Quiver Dance. So there was a chance of her dodging these raining Dazzling Gleams successfully.

Volcarona flapped her wings ferociously, evading the rays of Dazzling Gleam with a beautiful dance. It almost looked like she was performing yet another Quiver Dance.

As the rays were evaded, they hit the ground, creating large rainbow smoke clouds upon contact. These smoke clouds continued to form each time a Dazzling Gleam fell by missing Volcarona.

However, this is what Twilight wanted. If all of the Dazzling Gleams didn't hit Volcarona in the end, she would still have something to bank on. And indeed, none of them hit the Bug-Fire-Type so it was time for her second plan to be put into action.

As the rain of Dazzling Gleams came to an end, rainbow smoke clouds filled the battlefield, obstructing the vision of Volcarona and Sunset Shimmer both.

"Can you see them, Volcarona?" Sunset asked her partner.

"Rona..." Volcarona navigated her eyes across the field but she couldn't spot Eve so far.

"I can't see a thing either." Eventide narrowed his eyes, trying to find the Psychic-Type.

"Using the smoke as a means of camouflaging is a perfect way to keep your opponent on their feet!" Sunlight clapped her hooves together. "Or in this case...stinger?"

"Quick Attack!" Twilight suddenly yelled.

"Espeon!" Suddenly, out of the smoke, Eve appeared moving at lightning-speeds under Twilight's command. Volcarona gasped as she had been tackled by her fellow Sun Pokemon.

"Caro!" Volcarona had been knocked back. But Eve didn't stop there. She was going for another Quick Attack as she became masked in the smoke of rainbows.

"That's what she was up to!" Sunset realized. "Ascend, Volcarona!"

"Vol!" Volcarona shook her head as she flapped her wings ferociously, ascending into the air as she avoided the second Quick Attack in time.

"Espeon?" Eve looked up as she faded into the smoke of rainbows.

With Volcarona being high above the air, she could get a better view of the battlefield. She was able to spot Eve's silhouette inside the rainbow smoke, moving around with Quick Attack. While Sunset couldn't see it since she was on ground level, Volcarona certainly could.

"This is risky but...Fire Blast!"

"Volca!" Volcarona summoned a stream of red-yellow fire that was shaped like an 大. The large blast of fire could be seen by Eve who was still masking herself in the smoke.

She used Quick Attack to cleverly evade the Fire Blast while remaining in the rainbow smoke. However, once Fire Blast hit the floor, it caused an explosion so violent that it obliterated the rainbow smoke in one go with a furious flame.

With the smoke gone, Eve had finally been revealed as she was no longer being masked by the rainbow smoke thanks to Fire Blast.

"Eon?"

"There you are! Psychic!"

"Caro..." Volcarona's eyes flashed gold as she sent out a light blue beam of invisible Psychic energy from her body.

"I don't think so. Psybeam!

"Esp!" Eve countered with her own Psychic move by shooting Psybeam from the gem on her forehead.

The two beams of Psychic energy clashed as they entered a struggle. This time, they didn't cancel each other out at all. Both of them were fighting for dominance in a beam struggle.

"Vol...Volcorona...!"

"Esp...Espeon...!"

"Oooh!" Sonata gawked as she was eager to see who would come out on top in this struggle with her head moving from left to right rapidly. "Oh!"

"Come on, Volcarona!" Sunset exclaimed. "You can do it!"

"Push through, Eve!" Twilight bellowed as the rest of her Pokemon were cheering for their teammate.

"Esp...! Espeon...!" Eve's legs were jittering back as she was struggling to overcome this struggle. The same could be said for Volcarona. Despite Quiver Dance boosting her special attack, Eve was still very formidable.

Both of their beams were growing in size as the entire gym was lighting with purple and blue energy flowing all over the place, showing how intense their struggle was.

But only one of them could come out victorious. And that was Eve. She ended up winning the struggle with her eyes flashing blue as her Psybeam grew to a size that was larger than Volcarona's Psychic. The enlarged Psybeam engulfed the Psychic along with Volcarona.

"Vol!" Volcarona didn't take too much damage from Psybeam since she was part Bug but it certainly did knock her back due to a psychic explosion.

"Oh! Volcarona!" Sunset gasped.

"Now charge in with Dazzling Gleam!"

"Espeon!" Eve created a rainbow coloured sphere around her body as she lunged forward with a dazzling shine coming out of the sphere.

"Fire Blast!"

"Carona!" Volcarona quickly recovered as she immediately summoned a destructive blast of fire instead of charging it up. Eve was right in front of her face so the moment she fired Fire Blast, both Dazzling Gleam and Fire Blast collided, causing a violent and furious explosion that blew both Pokemon back.

Both Sun Pokemon tumbled on the floor after that explosion knocked them away as both their trainers gasped, hoping that their Pokemon were alright.

"Eve! Are you okay?!"

"You alright, Volcarona?!"

"Espeon..." Eve stood up from the floor, shaking her head as she was still standing even after an explosion that fierce. However, there was a downside to this.

Eve now had a burn effect after Fire Blast hit her directly as a burst of fire engulfed her body for a moment, causing Eve to yell in pain.

"Rats! Burn effect...!" Twilight stomped her hoof on the floor.

Luckily for Volcarona, she didn't get any status conditions since Dazzling Gleam doesn't have any. Plus, she resisted Fairy so she immediately got back up. "Volca."

"This doesn't look too good..." Twilight grumbled. "Eve can't take much more."

"Absol!" Absol went up to Twilight suddenly. "Sol!"

"Huh, Absol?" She looked over at him.

"Ab. Absol!" Absol was requesting that Twilight should swap Eve out for him.

"You want to swap?"

"Sol." He nodded.

"Esp!" But Eve refused. She wanted to win this by herself without anyone weakening her opponents for her. Absol respected her choice so he backed away.

"Alright, Eve. It's all you!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Espeon!"

"I thought she would've switched out by now..." Sunset was impressed. "This is getting me excited. Let's keep this up, Volcarona!"

"Vol."

"Psybeam and Dazzling Gleam won't do a thing. So we're going all-in for this one. Eve! Use Quick Attack, repeatedly! And don't stop!"

"Espeon!" Espeon was going to use just one move continuously without end in hopes of knocking Volcarona out. Moving at lightning-speeds and becoming a blur, the Sun Pokemon approached her fellow Sun Pokemon.

"Ascend and use Quiver Dance!"

"Volca!" Volcarona ascended to the sky, avoiding Eve's Quick Attack. Once she did, she did a mystical dance in the air, once again, raising her Special Attack, Special Defence, and Speed all at once. She was now stronger than ever. However, her physical defence remained the same since Quiver Dance does not raise it all except for everything else.

"Now use Fire Blast!"

"Ca!" Volcarona was about to fire a stream of flames towards Eve but the Psychic-Type kept moving around without staying in place whatsoever.

Using Quick Attack, she was disappearing and reappearing all over the battlefield without any signs of stopping. This was a bit tricky for Volcarona to follow but she released the attack anyway in hopes of landing a hit.

But unfortunately, she missed as Fire Blast hit the battlefield without making contact with Eve. With an explosion emerging, Eve used the smoke to her advantage, moving in and out of it.

However, because of the burn condition, Eve was slowly taking damage every single time, even when running all over the place. But she didn't let that stop her as she kept on dashing about.

"Ca...Ca...Volca." Volcarona was finding it hard to keep up with her.

"Keep firing Fire Blast!" Sunset commanded.

"Volcarona!" Perhaps the better way to hit Eve was to continuously fire attacks to try and catch her. And that's what Volcarona did. She repeatedly unleashed Fire Blasts that formed in front of her, trying her best to hit Eve who was on the run.

The Fire Blasts rained down from above, exploding repeatedly as the entire battle was being covered in smoke at this point. This was only making Volcarona's vision worse as she was starting to get tired.

"Volca...Volca..." She breathed in and out as she had no success in landing Fire Blast.

"Espeon!" Finally, Eve decided to strike as she poured all of her strength into this next Quick Attack. She leapt from the floor with a burst of speed so gallant and powerful that it almost looked like Giga Impact.

She had picked up so much speed from all that running to a point where it was nigh-impossible to keep track of her. Especially for Volcarona who was exhausted.

Eve smashed into Volcarona with all her might, creating a powerful shockwave that flew across the gym. Eve gained a bit of a concussion after that powerful hit as Volcarona was sent flying so far that she hit the ceiling.

"Ca!" The Sun Pokemon gasped upon impact!

"Oh, no! Volcarona!" Sunset screeched.

"Volca..." With that hard impact on the ceiling, the Bug-Fire-Type fell from above with her eyes closed. Eve watched as her fellow Sun Pokemon descended from above while spinning. Volcarona hit the floor, tumbling for a small bit. She didn't get back up which meant only one thing. She had fainted.

"Volcarona..."

"Owch!" Sonata winced. "Volcarona's been squashed! Eve wins!"

But the moment Sonata declared victory for Eve, one final burst of fire surrounded the Psychic-Type as Eve suddenly fell over, fainting as well. The Burn condition did her in.

"Espeon..."

"Oh." Sonata winced. "Eve's also out! Which means uh...Double knockout! Which means the score's even! I think."

"Aw! Double knockout?!" Both Twilight and Sunset groaned, raising their heads.

"Stupid burn effect..." Twilight grizzled her teeth as she flew over to Eve. "Well done, Eve. Sorry that you ended up getting a burn."

"Espeon." Eve licked Twilight's face.

"Return, Volcarona." Sunset returned Volcarona. "Thanks for getting that burn on Espeon. Really saved us from having a disadvantage. You know, Twilight! Using only 3 moves with your Pokemon and still coming out on top is no small feat!"

"Yeah. I could've used Double Team in that instance but I didn't think about it." She laughed nervously.

"But do all of your Pokemon have Quick Attack?" Sunset asked.

"Oh, uh...about that." Twilight scrunched her face. "My Pokemon don't exactly have the most versatile moveset out there."

"They don't?" Sunset jerked back.

"Uh..." Twilight turned around.

"Hold on." Sunset Shimmer pulled out her Pokedex to see what Twilight's Pokemon were capable of. She soon came to find out that only two of them have a full moveset and each moveset had one consistent move that kept showing up.

"Espeon. The Sun Pokemon. Psybeam. Quick Attack. Double Team. Dazzling Gleam.

"Ninetales. The Fox Pokemon. Extrasensory. Quick Attack. Mystical Fire. Incinerate."

"Absol. The Disaster Pokemon. Dark Pulse. Quick Attack. Night Slash."

"Cinccino. The Scarf Pokemon. Tri Attack. Quick Attack. Aqua Tail."

"...Oh." Sunset's eyes widened. "All of them have Quick Attack?"

"Ehehehe..." Twilight squeed. "Gotta have Priority, ya know. But I swear I'll give them all new moves eventually! I was thinking of giving Ninetales Wonder Room."

"Nine?" Ninetales, who was licking his paw, looked up after hearing that.

"You work on that. As for my Pokemon, we've got a lot of variety." Sunset took out her next Poke Ball. "It's your turn again! Braixen!" Out came Braixen for the second time.

"Braixen!"

"Braixen again, huh? Do you wanna go up against her again, Ninetales? Or should we give Absol a shot?"

"Tales!" Ninetales offered to go against his fellow Fox Pokemon once more as he dashed forward.

"Oh, we're still going?" Sonata shot up. "Okay then!"

"If you're thinking about trying to land Attract again, we'll just burn those hearts up, Sunset!" said Twilight.

"We'll see..." Sunset grinned. "We've got a lot more to offer. "Braixen, use Psybeam"

"Braix!" Braixen pulled her stick out of her tail as she pointed it at her fellow Fox Pokemon. From the stick, a peculiar ray of psychic energy burst out, racing towards Ninetales.

"Dodge it with Quick Attack!"

"Nine!" Ninetales's body was outlined with a silver aura as he used Quick Attack to dash to the side, avoiding Psybeam. Not only did he avoid it, but he also rushed in with Quick Attack, tackling Braixen and knocking her back.

"Xien!" Braixen whimpered as she skidded on the floor.

"Now use Extrasensory!"

"Tales!" Ninetales followed up with a second attack by shooting a beam of psychic energy from his eyes as Braixen watched it approach her.

"Psybeam, again!"

"Braixen!" Braixen held her stick out to try and counter Extrasensory but it was too late. Ninetales's move had connected before Braixen could pull it off, further knocking Braixen back and harming her more. "Braix!"

"She's really getting aggressive with Ninetales, isn't she?" Aria said.

"Twilight's trying to end this battle quick from the looks of it." Ash noticed.

"Pika."

"Alright, Ninetales! Looking good!" Twilight and her Pokemon cheered for Ninetales.

"Ninetales!"

"Braixen..." Braixen puffed her cheeks as she saw how she was getting outplayed by Ninetales. Which didn't sit well with her. So far, Ninetales was proving to be the superior Fire-Type who was also classified as the Fox Pokemon. She was getting frustrated to a point where her fur was lighting up with fire.

"Keep your cool, Braixen" Sunset calmed her down. "Let's try something new! Run forward while using Shock Wave!"

"Xien!" A new approach was made. Instead of standing in one spot and attacking, Braixen held her stick out and ran towards Ninetales while charging a blast of rapid electricity.

"She's getting up close?!" Twilight gasped. "Ninetales! Blast her away with Extrasensory!"

"Tales!" Ninetales stood up tall as he fired a rainbow-coloured beam from his eyes. The moment he did that, Braixen unleashed Shock Wave from her stick as it clashed with Extrasensory.

But things were different. Because Braixen was running towards the attack while firing Shock Wave, she was actually able to slightly push Extrasensory back. However, Extrasensory was still strong enough to match as she was trying to also keep her footing while in a beam struggle.

"X-Xien...!" Braixen used both of her hands to hold her stick as she was slowly pushing Extrasensory back.

"Nine...!" Ninetales wasn't about to let himself get bested. So he started to walk forward himself while firing Extrasensory. Very soon, both attacks were getting smaller in length with both Pokemon getting closer to each other.

"Oh, they're getting close to each other!" Aria stood up.

"If those two attacks meet at such a short distance..." Sunlight shuddered.

"Braixen..." Braixen was losing her footing as she couldn't keep this up for long. Her grip on her stick was weakening as the distance between her fellow Fire-Type was diminishing. "Xien...!"

It was very clear which Pokemon was superior in power. Ninetales was just a cut above Braixen. Unfortunately for Braixen, she wasn't able to match Ninetales's superior special attack as Extrasensory was eating Shock Wave entirely. She closed her eyes, waiting for the attack to finish her off.

But Sunset was betting on this as she let out a small smirk.

"Now! Attract!"

"B-Braix...Xien!" By opening one eye, Braixen sent a stream of hearts forward while still holding back Extrasensory. This is what Sunset Shimmer was planning. She did say that eventually, she would get Attract off on Ninetales.

And with Ninetales focused on using Extrasensory, his eyes were exposed to the hearts as he had finally become infatuated as his pupils shifted into hearts. "Nine?!"

"Uh oh!" Twilight gasped.

"Yes! It worked! Now, go Braxien!"

"Braxien!" With Ninetales infatuated, Braixen was able to push Extrasensory back. The two moves were equal in power as an explosion occurred, blowing the two Fox Pokemon back. But now things were different.

Ninetales was now madly in love with Braixen as he was wagging his tails back and forth repeatedly. "Tales! Ninetales!" He wasn't in his right mind at all at the moment.

"So that's why she wanted Braixen to get close..." Twilight sighed.

"Told you we'd get it off, Twilight." said a proud Sunset Shimmer.

"Braxien." Braxien crossed her arms, also feeling proud of herself.

"Alright. Well played. Ninetales, Re-"

"Nine!" Twilight couldn't finish her sentence because Ninetales suddenly dashed towards Braixen out of nowhere, kicking up a ton of smoke from his speed.

"X-Xien?!" Naturally, Braxien was surprised as she witnessed Ninetales coming her way. She saw how huge his heart-shaped pupils were as she made a run for it.

"Ninetales!" Very soon, Ninetales was in hot pursuit of Braixen as he was chasing her down, running across the entire battlefield.

"Ah! Ninetales!" Twilight gasped. "Stop!"

"Oh." Sunset made a poker face. "Usually they just stand around and take hits but...I didn't take this into account."

"Ninetales come back!" Twilight called for Ninetales to return. But he didn't return. He was too madly in love with Braixen to attack her.

"Braix!" Unfortunately for Braixen, this all backfired on her heavily since Ninetales was naturally faster than her. So it didn't take long for him to catch up which terrified Braixen since it seemed that she couldn't outrun him no matter how fast she ran.

"Pokemon battles certainly have many unique scenarios, don't they?" Celestia said as everyone nodded, agreeing with her.

"Braix!" Braxien jumped onto the seats as a means of getting away from Ninetales. But of course, Ninetales jumped onto the seats as well, continuing to pursue her. "Xien!"

"Wait...we can use this..." Twilight came up with a brilliant idea. "If Ninetales wants to get close to Braixen then so be it. Quick Attack!"

"Nine!" That was a command that Ninetales could get around since it involved getting close to Braixen. With a burst of speed, Ninetales bolted off the ground as he lunged towards Braixen.

"Braixen?!" Braxien looked back to see Ninetales right in front of her face. Before she knew it, Ninetales's head smashed into hers, creating a heavy collision as both Braixen and Ninetales were sent flying back. But Braixen certainly had the larger knockback.

And that knockback was enough to seal the deal as Braixen tumbled on the seats, finally fainting after a long and hard battle.

"Braixen..."

"Oh!" Sonata walked up to the seats to see Braixen's condition. With those swirly eyes, it was clear that she was done for. "Braixen's finished! Ninetales wins!"

"Ninetales..." When Ninetales's head smashed into Braixen's head it actually knocked him out of the Attract due to how powerful the impact was. "Ninetales?!"

"That's why it's always best to improvise!" Twilight grinned as Sunset's jaw dropped.

The odds were now in Twilight's favour. She had 2 Pokemon remaining, whilst Sunset was down to just one. Her Litleo, who was essentially her ace and strongest Pokemon despite being the smallest of the rest of her Pokemon.

"Return, Braixen." Sunset returned Braixen to her ball. "Sorry that the Attract backfired. Get some rest."

"Hm." Luna raised her head. "This is where Twilight Sparkle will experience a true challenge with Sunset's next Pokemon."

"Really? But I thought you aced the Gym, Luna?" said Ash.

"Pika?"

"I did. I effortlessly defeated her Braixen and Fletchinder. But her Litleo is a force to be reckoned with. It knows how to keep you on your hooves."

"We've seen it from the Ambrosial Plane." Sunlight spoke. "How can something so adorable be so lethal?"

"Never underestimate your opponent dear." Eventide placed her hoof around Sunlight. "No matter what their appearance may be."

"Just one Pokemon left...Litleo..." Twilight said to herself.

"Here goes." Sunset looked at Litleo's Poke Ball. "Let's show Twilight what we can really do. Go! Litleo!" She tossed the Poke Ball forward, sending out the Lion Cub Pokemon.

"Litleo!"

"There he is." Twilight grinned. "Let's keep this up, Ninetales! Extrasensory!"

"Ninetales!" Ninetales's eyes widened after being freed from Attract as he was ready to continue battling. He cocked his head back before unleashing a mighty beam of psychic energy forward.

"Let's go, Litleo! Charge through it with Strength!"

"Leo!" The Lion Cub Pokemon's body became surrounded by a red aura as his body seemed to grow larger. Litleo bolted forward with pure power surrounding his body.

This raw strength was enough to let Litleo charge through Extrasensory as if it was nothing. He ran at mediocre speeds but exhibited raw power.

"Nine?!" A surprised Ninetales was shocked that Litleo could effortlessly charge through Extrasensory like that. Litleo let out a mighty roar as he smashed his head onto Ninetales with Strength, dealing some devastating damage. "T-Tales!" Ninetales's eyes widened as he was sent flying from that Strength.

"Now! Use Crunch!"

"Lit!" Litleo's battling style was vastly different from his teammates. He was aggressive and unrelenting compared to his friends. Litleo ran after Ninetales with his teeth being embedded with a dark aura.

"Quick, Ninetales! Recover and use Quick Attack!"

"...Nine!" Ninetales opened his eyes as he was able to successfully recover by veering on the ground. He then became surrounded in a silver light, using Quick Attack to boost himself forward.

Both Pokemon were approaching each other with Ninetales moving faster than Litleo. The Fox Pokemon smashed into the Lion Cub Pokemon, causing a seismic wave to fly across the battlefield.

But even with a hit that powerful, Litleo did not fly back as expected despite his small body. Instead, he was able to keep his footing as he bit onto Ninetales's fur.

"Tales?!" Ninetales gasped as his fur had been hit with an explosion of dark energy occurring after Crunch made contact with him.

It was Ninetales who was sent flying once more. Not Litleo. Ninetales could barely keep his balance after that Crunch bit into him.

"Ninetales! Extrasensory!"

"Smash it with Strength!"

"Nine!" Ninetales could see that things were getting aggressive as Litleo was proving to be a challenge. Ninetales quickly let out an instant Extrasensory that was a bit weaker since it was faster and less focused.

"Litleo!" Litleo, yet again, surprised everyone with how fierce and formidable he was by smashing his head into the beam of psychic energy with Strength. Upon contact, Extrasensory had imploded on itself from the sheer power Litleo was showing off.

"No way!" Twilight gasped.

"So much pressure is being put on Ninetales!" Celestia stood up.

"This is exactly what I had to deal with." Luna narrowed her eyes. "That Litleo is too fierce for his own good. His strength is almost otherworldly in a sense."

"There's more where that came from! Go crazy with Bulldoze!" Sunset Shimmer stood up in a bipedal position as she allowed Litleo to go ballistic with his attacks.

"Leo!" And that's what he did. Litleo's body became surrounded in an orange aura as he stood on his hind legs. He then stomped his front two feet on the floor, creating an orange ring of aura pulsating from where he stomped, causing the floor and entire gym to shake. Fierce white shockwaves then crashed towards Ninetales.

"Dodge it, Ninetales!"

"N-Nine!" Ninetales winced as he attempted to dodge this Ground-Type move. He tried to run away, but the shockwaves were everywhere, making it impossible to escape. The destructive shockwaves eventually engulfed Ninetales. "Nine!

"Ninetales!" Twilight bellowed as she witnessed her Pokemon fly into the air by the sheer force of the shockwaves.

"Jump and use Strength!"

"Leo!" Litleo hit the floor with Strength, launching himself into the air with the amount of power he exhibited. He then continued his attack as he was above Ninetales.

"Tales?!"

"Ninetales! Quick! Use Quick Attack to dash down!"

"Nine...tales!" Ninetales, with haste, turned around, using Quick Attack to dash back down to the ground, escaping from Litleo.

"You won't get away! Combine Bulldoze with Strength!"

"Litleo!" Litleo fell from above as he continued to put pressure on his opponent. The moment his paws hit the floor, he combined Strength with Bulldoze, creating an even larger array of shockwaves that raced towards Ninetales.

There was no way he could work around an attack this devastating. The mighty shockwaves engulfed the entire battlefield, covering the Fox Pokemon entirely.

Twilight closed her eyes as she could hear the explosion going off, knowing that Ninetales took some serious damage after that. But she was hoping he was still standing.

But once she opened her eyes, Ninetales was seen flying out of the smoke, rolling on the floor. He wasn't getting back up after that. Not at all. He had finally fainted.

"Ninetales..."

"Holy moly..." Sonata went up to Ninetales. "He's definitely out! Litleo won that one!"

"Ah..." A perplexed Twilight was speechless. The last time she saw Litleo battle, he wasn't that aggressive and ferocious. "Huh..."

"That's how it's done." Sunset crossed her hooves together as if she was still in the human world.

"Leo!"

"That was a bit one-sided," Adagio said. "But you know...this is actually a lot of fun to watch..." She smiled. "I could get used to these Pokemon battles."

"Now it's just down to one Pokemon each!" Ash was getting excited as he sat up.

"Pikachu!"

"Ninetales?" Ninetales looked back at Twilight who flew over to him.

"Nice job, Ninetales." She helped him up. "Sorry. But I didn't expect Litleo to be so fierce...He definitely wasn't like this with Rainbow Dash."

"Tales."

"Absol. Sol-Sol." Absol ran over as he didn't need Twilight to tell him that he was up next. "Sol!" He growled at Litleo who growled back at him.

"Leo!"

As Twilight placed Ninetales on the seats next to Eve and Minccy, it all came down to just Absol and Litleo. And in a sense, Absol is potentially just as fierce as Litleo. They're both aggressive when it comes to battling so this battle was already bound to be fast-paced and fierce.

"Alright, Absol. This will be our first real battle together." Twilight said. "Are you ready?"

"Absol!" He nodded.

But the moment Absol and Twilight prepared themselves for battle, Twilight suddenly got the vision of the Mega Evolution symbol once more as well as Absol.

It was just like their first meeting and during the Darkest Day as even the headaches had returned. But they weren't as violent. This time, the headaches were more akin to normal headaches that are just annoying instead of frustratingly painful.

"That vision again..." Twilight breathed in and out slowly. "Don't lose focus, Twilight."

"Alright, you two. Last battle. Let's go!" Sonata gave the call for the last battle to begin.

"Litleo! Use Strength!"

"Leo!" Litleo was the first to approach his opponent as that same red aura surrounded his body with his size slightly increasing.

"Here he comes! Use Night Slash Absol!"

"Sol!" Absol bolted forward with his horn lighting up with a dark aura around it. Once both Pokemon approached each other, their attacks had clashed with Absol's horn colliding with Litleo's paw.

"Leo!"

Both Pokemon were fighting for dominance by pushing their horn and paw forward. However, Absols's naturally amazing attack power allowed him to gain the upper hand as he pushed Litleo back, beating out Strength. "Absol!"

"Again!" Sunset commanded.

"Leo!" Litleo slid on the floor as he ran back at Absol, going for Strength yet again. Absol kept Night Slash up as both he and Litleo began going back and forth with Strength and Night Slash.

Each time Litleo's paws collided with Absol's horn, the floor beneath them was slowly shattering with each hit, showing that things were already getting destructive early on.

Litleo raised both of his paws, going for an overhead smash. But Absol, without Twilight's command, used Quick Attack to evade the incoming overhead as he zipped to the side. He then lunged forward, slashing his horn onto Litleo's back.

"Lit!" Litleo winced as he was knocked back.

"Block with Strength!"

"Leo!" When Absol rushed in for another Night Slash mixed with Quick Attack, Litleo used Strength to block the next hit as his paws were on Absol's horn. Absol growled as he used Quick Attack to force himself back.

"Is it me...or is Absol acting on his own?" Aria noticed.

"Ah." Eventide nodded. "I've noticed it as well. Twilight Sparkle hasn't given out another command yet. Absol seems to be truly acting on his own accord."

"Sol!" Absol went in for another attack as he lunged in the air, getting ready to slash Litleo from above.

"Calm down, Absol!" Twilight yelled as she noticed that Absol was getting a bit too greedy with his attacks.

"Ab?" Absol listened to Twilight as he ceased his attack, landing down as he looked at the Lion Cub Pokemon with menacing eyes. If Twilight hadn't told him to stop, Absol would've kept on attacking ruthlessly.

"He's just as wild as Litleo..." Sunset pulled back. "Litleo! Use Overheat!"

"Lit...Leo!" The Lion Cub Pokemon's body glowed red as fire then surrounded his body. Litleo then unleashed a big stream of fire from his body at Absol.

"Use Dark Pulse!"

"Absol!" Absol returned the favour by opening his mouth as he then fired a beam of black and purple circles from inside his mouth.

Dark Pulse and Overheat cancelled each other out but instead of waiting for Twilight to say something, Absol took the opportunity to use Quick Attack while there was smoke covering the battlefield.

"Sol!" Absol used Quick Attack, dashing through the smoke as he smashed into Litleo with blinding speed.

"L-Leo!"

"Hey! Cheap shot buddy!" Sunset growled.

"Absol!" Twilight gasped. "Oh...Why does he keep acting on his own?"

"Alright! If that's how you're going to play then we won't pull any punches! Litleo! Strength at full power!"

"Litleo!" Litleo was going all-in for this next attack. He poured all of his power into his body as he ran forward, going straight for a devastating headbutt.

"Let's capitalize! Jump and use Dark Pulse!"

"Absol!" Instead of charging in and clashing with Litleo like usual, the Disaster Pokemon jumped into the air, charging up a Dark Pulse in the process.

"Leo!" Litleo looked up to see that he was about to be met with a blast of dark energy. But he wasn't about to let that happen. He kept Strength active as he stood firmly on the ground, waiting for Absol to fire.

And when Absol did fire Dark Pulse with a large dark beam falling from above, Litleo gathered all of his strength into his head as he headbutted the Dark Pulse directly.

The contact between Dark Pulse and Strength created a new outcome. In which, a potent shockwave flowed through Dark Pulse, hitting Absol out of the air. "S-Sol!"

But there were repercussions for Litleo. Headbutting Dark Pulse left his head a bit injured due to direct contact with it. Litleo can sometimes get a bit carried away with his headbutts.

Litleo unfortunately, was a Glass Cannon. Like Pikachu. He's a hard hitter but his defence is lacking severely. As such, he fell on his back, feeling a bit dizzy.

"Ab!" Absol recovered from the ground as he was ready to attack Litleo with Night Slash.

"Absol, don't!" Twilight stopped him from attacking without order.

"Sol?" Absol turned to face her.

"Don't rush in like that. Wait for my command."

"Absol."

"You doing okay, Litleo?"

"Leo..." Litleo stood up, shaking his head.

"Let's finish this with all we have! Bulldoze, go!"

"Leo!" Litleo smashed his paws on the floor, sending potent white shockwaves towards the disaster Pokemon. If Ninetales couldn't avoid this then Absol surely couldn't avoid them either.

"This is risky but...Rush through with Quick Attack!"

"Ab!" Absol was ready to take the risk of charging through the shockwaves of Bulldoze. His body was outlined in a silver light as he bolted forward, bracing for impact.

When he came across the first shockwave, his body was consumed entirely by it as it was a direct hit. He couldn't just power through something that potent. Not at all. As a result, he was blown back by Bulldoze.

But yet again, without heeding Twilight's commands and waiting, Absol rushed in with Quick Attack after being hit by Bulldoze. Seeing Absol approach him made Litleo gasp as he was tackled by Absol who moved at blinding-speeds.

"Leo!"

"Overheat!"

"Litleo!" Litleo, rolled on the floor as he immediately recovered, jumping into the air as he fired a stream of concentrated fire forward.

"Dark Pulse!"

"Sol!" Yet again, Dark Pulse and Overheat clashed with both attacks imploding on each other. But when the attacks cancelled each other and a smoke cloud formed, Absol randomly fired a Dark Pulse without letting Twilight say anything.

"Why does he keep acting on his own...?" Twilight said to herself.

"Blow it back with Strength!"

"Litleo!" Litleo smashed his paws on Dark Pulse with Strength, destroying it completely.

"Let's finish this!" Both Twilight and Sunset yelled.

"Use Night Slash!"

"Finish it with Overheat!"

"Absol!" Absol charged in while Litleo stood in one spot. A stream of deadly fire came out Litleo's mouth as Absol's horn had clashed with the stream head-on.

There was now a struggle between the two. Absol was trying to push through Overheat with Night Slash while Litleo was trying his best to engulf Absol.

Absol's horn was being burned by Overheat since he himself was trying to push through it. Absol winced as he could feel the heat flow through his horn as his body was also sweating.

But Litleo wasn't looking too great either. His little body meant that he couldn't keep this up for much longer. He was still a cub at the end of the day.

Because of this, Absol was able to overcome Overheat by sliding his horn through the stream of fire with Night Slash. Absol actually managed to cut Overheat in half as he slashed past Litleo in the process. Overheat, which was now split in half, scattered across the battlefield as Litleo could feel Night Slash pierce right through him.

"L-Leo!" An aftershock happened once Litleo had been hit by Night Slash. It felt like 10 blades cutting him at once as his eyes widened with a shockwave coming out. That final Night Slash was enough to put an end to this as Litleo had fallen over, fainting. "Lit...Litleo..."

"Litleo is out cold! Absol wins! Oh wait...that's like 4 Pokemon gone. Then that means...Twilight wins!" Sonata made the call.

"Oh, finally it's over..." Twilight sighed as she sat down, exhausted.

"Aw!" Sunset groaned.

"How enjoyable!" Celestia flew up, enjoying that battle from start to finish. "Having this battle happen is one of the best decisions I've made so far!"

"Thank goodness that I did not have to experience this myself..." Luna let out a powerful sigh of relief.

"Great work, Absol but...please don't rush in and attack without my word." Twilight pleaded.

"Sol."

"Good job, Litleo." Sunset went over to the Lion Cub Pokemon. "Maybe we'll win next time, buddy."

"L-Leo..." Litleo was glad that Sunset was proud of him. He was a bit upset that his little body meant that he had a ton of limitations and couldn't continue battling for much longer. He wished he could evolve into a Pyroar already.

"An amazing battle you two!" Celestia teleported in between Twilight and Sunset. "I can see that you two are truly formidable Pokemon trainers!"

"Thank you, Princess Celestia." Twilight said. "I won't lie, I got a bit nervous back there. Going up against a Gym Leader who's also in the Equestria League."

"Yeah but uh...Your Absol seemed to keep attacking without you saying a word at times." Sunset pointed out.

"Yeah, I know." Twilight nodded. "I guess because Absol's been in the wild for so long his instincts just kick in?"

"That usually does happen at times." Celestia chimed in. "But besides that, you two enjoyed yourselves, didn't you?"

"Sure did!" Twilight and Sunset both said.

"This just makes me wanna battle again...!" Ash grit his teeth as he was psyched up from seeing that battle.

"Pikachu?"

"That was pretty fun..." Adagio smiled. "But, I actually wanted Sunset Shimmer to win that one."

"You enjoying yourself now, Adagio?" Aria asked.

"Yes. I'll admit it." Adagio gave in. "I could get used to these 2 weeks."

"Kricketot!"


Their Gym Battle had ended. And despite how intense and long it was, the 4th day was still in its early stages. In fact, it was currently 12:00.

Barely any time had really passed, showing just how slow and relaxed the 4th day was. No matter what they do, this day will take its time. Although, it was hard to tell if the next days would be at this pace.

Pinkie Pie had just finished making her movie with the ponies she was working with at the Pokestar Studios attraction. Although, the ponies were exhausted since they worked so hard.

"This'll really catch em!" Pinkie looked at the film reel in her hooves.

"Spinda!"

Pinkie then spotted Ash, Twilight and the others, seeing that they had finished their little battle as they were walking by the attraction.

"Oh! Did you finish your battle, Twilight?" Pinkie asked.

"Sure did." Twilight nodded as she patted Absol's horn. But she quickly gained a burn on her hooves since Absol's horn was still smoking from Overheat. "Ow!"

"Sorry we couldn't help you with your film, Pinkie." Ash went up to her.

"Pssh, that's fine." She flailed her hooves. "Besides. I was planning on making a second just now! Wanna help out with this one?"

The ponies quickly heard that Pinkie was making a second one as they all immediately dashed off, not wanting to go through that torture again.

"Oh! Sunset! I didn't know you were here!" Pinkie dashed over to Sunset.

"Yeah. My first festival too and-"

"Well if it's your first then you've gotta start with this! It'll be a real blast!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"This? I can't make a movie." Sunset shook her head. "I don't have that much experience anyway."

"No need to worry. I can teach you everything I've learned just now." Pinkie Pie grinned. Although it was a grin that would make anyone worried.

The 4th day is now in the afternoon stages. The Festival is not yet close to ending. But who's keeping track anyway? It's all too much fun to even notice how slow time was moving as the journey continues.