Because our heroes had arrived at the Gym just after Sunset, Sky and the others had to wait for their turn to challenge the Rockhoof, the Gym Leader, by watching Sunset's challenge first! Our hero and his friends witnessed Sunset using her Pokémon in an unusually creative way, without concern for their types, and managing to win the coveted Rubble Badge. But now, the curtain is about to come up on Sky's friends and his Gym Battle challenges!

A familiar jingle was heard as the Chansey running the local Pokémon Center presented a tray full of Pokéballs. Sunset took them as she thanked the Pokémon and put them away. As she was starting to walk, she heard something. As it turns out, it was Sky, along with the girls, as he had his Pokémon out.

"Okay, I know you all want to get out of this place as soon as you can, but you gotta settle down," said Sky to his team as it seemed they were itching to battle.

"You're not the only one!" said Rainbow as she managed to calm her team of Pokémon as they were ready to rumble.

"Remember, out of all the Pokémon you both have, Grass and Water-types are good for battling a Rock-type," said Twilight.

"So that means, Buizel and Turtwig are gonna be my go-to Pokémon," said Sky as he looked at the pair as they gave confident responses.

"Which means, Snivy. It's your time to be the MVP!" said Rainbow to her Pokémon.

"Snivy, Snivy!" said the Pokémon as she put her hands on her hips and responded confidently that she would lead the males to victory for Rainbow.

"And Aj, for you, it would be Shroomish and Heracross since a Bug-type does pretty well against Ground-type Pokémon," informed Twilight.

"Heh, right, heh," responded Applejack as she had slight hesitation in her voice.

"Then I think we're all set!" said Sky as he and his Pokémon were ready.

"One thing I will say when I observed Sunset battling yesterday. Her battle with Rockhoof is that her speed made up a huge part of the secret to her victory. Of course, her choice of moves was important too, but I think that amazing speed put her over the top!" said Twilight.

Sky now took a moment to think as he crossed his arms. The boy recalled Sunset's battle as he remembered how Sunset used Jolteon's running speed, Fletchling's flying speed, and Chimchar's digging speed to help in defeating Rockhoof's Pokémon.

"So do I," responded Sky, "The thing is, what do we do?"

"Now, that should be a no-brainer. Just imitate me!" said Sunset as she made her presence known.

"Sunset!" said Sky as the pair looked at each other, and once again, the bad blood was beginning to boil between the two rivals. "I'd never do what you do! I wouldn't force my Pokémon to battle the way you do!"

"Then you're pathetic. I thought you wanted to win!" fired Sunset back.

"I do, but not how you do it!" shouted Sky.

"Then you'll always be a loser!" said Sunset as she began to walk. "News flash, there's a reason why nice guys like you finish last! Cause you don't have it takes."

With that, Sunset exited the Pokémon Center. Sky stood there as he glared at the door as if he could see Sunset through it.

"She'll never beat me again!" muttered Sky to himself. "All right, let's show Sunset that there are other ways to win a battle than how she does it!"

Sky's Pokémon responded to their trainer as they felt inspired and motivated.

"Everything okay, Fluttershy?" said Twilight to her friend.

"Yeah, I guess... there are just different kinds of trainers. And how they do things. I wonder what Sunset's Pokémon think of her." said the girl as she wished she could have a moment to talk with them to see how they felt about the girl.

Soon the girls and Sky all made it to the Gym where they entered, and awaiting them was Rockhoof.

"Welcome back, kids!" said Rockhoof. "I trust all of you had a good night's rest."

"You bet, and I'm ready for our battle, Rockhoof!" said Sky.

"Hold on, Sky. I want to battle first!"

"Rainbow, I said this ain't about your ego, so move aside!" stated Sky.

Soon both teens put their foreheads to each other as they growled.

"Settle down, don't worry. I'll have a chance to battle with all of you. Normally I would be down at the quarry with the rest of my workers, digging in the mines. But since I have quite the number of challengers, I've got plenty of time to battle all of you. I'll take one of you three right now, and in the evening, I'll take on another one. And tomorrow morning, I'll battle the last one." stated Rockhoof.

"Then I'm first!" shouted Sky and Rainbow as they kept their foreheads mashed against one another.

"Alright, settle down. To make things fair, I'll pick who I'll battle first. So, the first one to battle will be... you!" said Rockhoof as he pointed his finger at Applejack.

"M-ME!?" said Aj as that decision totally caught her off guard.

"Oh, come on!" shouted Rainbow as she was now happy.

"Nice, Aj. This'll be your first battle. Aren't you excited?" said Sky as despite not being picked to go first, he was happy that Applejack got the chance.

"Y-Yeah, excited," the farm girl said, still a bit nervous about battling.

Soon they all made their way to the field. Sky and the rest of the girls were in the stands as Applejack and Rockhoof were on the field. Rainbow was still throwing a temper tantrum about not battling first, but soon the battle was starting as one of Rockhoof's assistants appeared on the podium.

"The Gym Battle between Applejack the challenger and Rockhoof the Gym Leader will begin. This will be a 3-on-3 battle, and the battle will be over when one side's Pokémon cannot compete. Furthermore, only the challenger will be allowed any and all substitutions. Let the battle begin!"

"Hippowdon, stand your ground!" shouted Rockhoof.

"Hippowdon!" cried the Pokémon as it landed with a thud.

'What the hay? Why is he startin' with Hippowdon?" said Applejack as she was now very unprepared.

"Why would Rockhoof start with his strongest Pokémon first?" asked Fluttershy as she thought that being the ace Pokémon of the Gym Leader, he would have saved it for last.

"By switching up the order of his Pokémon, Rockhoof's testing Applejack's reaction to surprise situations. It's a technique that Gym Leaders use. My brother does it all the time." said Twilight.

"Wow, hope Applejack will be okay," said Fluttershy.

"Okay, not how I pictured I'd start. All I have to worry about is Hippowdon's power and speed."

"And which Pokémon have you chosen?" asked Rockhoof.

"Shroomish, lend me yer strength!" said Applejack as she threw her Pokéball.

"Shroomish!" said the mushroom as it appeared.

"Shroomish, use Speed Bomb!"

"Hippowdon, Iron Head!"

Shroomish got on top of one of the mounds as it fired off its attack. Meanwhile, Hippowdon was charging forward as it was engulfed in its attack. The attack from Shroomish hit the hippo, but he charged through it like it was nothing and collided with the tiny mushroom, destroying the mound it was on.

"Shroom!" cried out Shroomish.

"I knew Hippowdon had such power, but it moved so fast!" said Rainbow.

"Yeah, well, when its legs aren't hurt, it seems it too can move about the field," said Twilight as she was also surprised by how fast the large hippo moved.

"Shroomish, get up!" said Applejack as her Pokémon reached its feet. "Alright, Stun Spore!"

"Hippowdon, Sandstorm!" instructed Rockhoof.

The large hippo blew a huge wind over the field as the sand on its back shot out and spread across the field. Aj's Stun Spore dissipated as the sand kicked up. Shroomish stood its ground, but it couldn't see where its foe was. Soon a huge shadow appeared behind the mushroom.

"Shroomish, look out!" shouted Applejack.

"Iron Head!" said Rockhoof as the large hippo emerged from the sand and collided head first with the small Pokémon.

"Shroomish!" cried out the Pokémon as he was flung into Aj's arms as the girl fell. Aj sat up as Shroomish had swirls in its eyes.

"Shroomish is unable to battle! The winner is Hippowdon!"

"Shroomish tried its best," said Fluttershy in a defeated tone.

"Hippowdon has the special ability: Sand Force. It raises the attack of Ground, Rock, and Steel-type moves when a sandstorm occurs. That's why Rockhoof had Hippowdon set up Sandstorm so that he could boost his Pokémon's power and knock out Shroomish in one blow." said Twilight.

"Thanks, little guy," said Applejack as she recalled her Shroomish in her arms.

"At least it allowed Aj to check how Hippowdon moves when it's not injured, which you can be sure she'll remember from here on out!"

"Okay, Applejack. Have you decided on your next Pokémon?" said Rockhoof.

"Donphan, lend me yer strength!" shouted Aj as she went with her partner Pokémon.

"Donphan!" said the elephant Pokémon as it appeared.

"Guess Aj is going to try to match power with power," said Fluttershy.

"Yeah, but that alone isn't going to do much," said Sky.

Donphan looked at the large hippo as it seemed it wasn't backing down.

"Donphan, use Rollout!"

"Hippowdon, Iron Head!"

Donphan jumped and turned itself into a ball as it rolled forward. Hippowdon charged forward as it also seemed to be quick.

"Oh no! Shroomish's Seed Bomb should have worn Hippowdon down!" said Twilight as she thought that would have weakened the Pokémon.

Both Pokémon's attacks met in the middle. Upon contact, both Pokémon were pushed back as the test of strength was at a stalemate.

"Hippowdon, Dig!"

"Donphan, use Hidden Power!"

Hippowdon began burrowing itself into the ground as Donphan made small orbs of energy around it. The elephant shot them forward as Hippowdon emerged but barely missed its target as Donphan got out of the way. The orbs flew and collided with Hippowdon as he skidded toward Rockhoof.

"Excellent! A well-placed hit!" commended Rockhoof. "Now, Iron Head!"

Hippowdon quickly took off as it collided with Donphan, who was thrown through the air.

"Donphan! Those attacks! How am I going to deal with those!" said the farm girl as she was now concerned.

"This is tough! Hippowdon's power and speed keep Applejack from doing much of anything!" said Twilight.

"Iron Head, again!" stated Rockhoof.

"Donphan, Hyper Beam!" said Aj.

Donphan had its mouth open as a powerful beam formed. It then shot it out as it collided with Hippowdon and managed to overpower the attack. Hippowdon skidded along the ground, but it still didn't fall.

"That should have put Hippowdon away! But it's still standing there!" stated Applejack.

"I can't believe that after all this time, Hippowdon can still keep battling like that!" said Rainbow.

"Donphan, return!" said Applejack as she recalled her Pokémon.

"Smart move, on Aj's part. After using Hyper Beam, Donphan can't move. So switching was her best bet." said Twilight.

"So, who's your third Pokémon?" asked Rockhoof.

"Heracross, lend me your strength!" said Aj as she threw her Pokéball.

"Hippowdon, Iron Head!"

"Heracross, Megahorn!"

Once more, both trainers gave their commands to their Pokémon as they collided. Heracross managed to hold its own against Hippowdon as they were pushed back.

"Focus Punch!" instructed Aj.

Heracross immediately pushed forward and flew toward Hippowdon. Heracross then began to have one of its arms glow as it delivered a good hard right to Hippowdon's face as it was effective.

"Focus Punch, back to back!" said Applejack as she started to get into the rhythm of battling.

Heracross began to deliver jabs to Hippowdon as it pushed back the large hippo with each punch to the face as it turned from the impact of the Focus Punches that were being dealt with. Hippowdon was taking heavy damage as it looked like it was about to go down.

"Hippowdon, Fire Fang!"

"What?!" said Applejack and everybody else.

Hippowdon caught one of Heracross' arms with its mouth. Soon fire began to form as it burned Heracross, who felt pain. The bug Pokémon stumbled a bit as the fire wore off.

"Okay, that was unexpected!" said Rainbow.

"As a Gym Leader, you expect your opponent to have a type-advantage against you," said Rockhoof as he was prepared for Heracross.

"Heracross, you okay?" asked Aj.

"Heracross!" said the beetle as it didn't let the move it took diminish its fighting spirit.

"Good, use Bullet Seed!"

Heracross then fired several rounds of seeds as Hippowdon took it head-on with its head turning. Using that distraction, Heracross managed to hover toward the large hippo.

"Focus Punch!" shouted Applejack.

Heracross had its right arm glow as it let out a cry. It made contact with Hippowdon's head as the ground under it cracked and made a hole. Dust appeared as small chunks of rocks were flung in all directions. Soon it ended as there was Hippowdon on its stomach with eye swirls.

"Hippowdon is unable to battle! The winner is Heracross!"

"Alright, she did it!" said Fluttershy as she let out a cheer on Aj, finally managing to take out Hippowdon.

"But don't forget, Rockhoof has 2 Pokémon he hasn't brought out yet," said Sky.

"Hippowdon, rock solid! You really toughed it out!" said Rockhoof as he recalled his Pokémon.

"Glad that's over with. We went through way too much to defeat just one Pokémon!" said Applejack.

"All right, Applejack! It's time for my second Pokémon! Let's go!" said Rockhoof as he threw his Pokéball and revealed Onix.

"I'm gonna stick with Heracross," stated Applejack to Rockhoof. "Now, use Bullet Seed!"

"Dodge then Double-Edge!"

Heracross stood on one of the mounds and began to fire a barrage of seeds. Onix quickly moved to the side as Aj's attack missed. Onix then emerged as its body glowed and took out the mound that Heracross was on as the Pokémon was caught in the attack. He skidded along the ground as soon Heracross came to a stop and was defeated.

"Heracross is unable to battle! The winner is Onix!"

"No way! With one hit?!" said Rainbow.

"I guess Hippowdon must have done much more damage than we expected to Heracross," said Twilight.

"Heracross, good job," said Aj as she recalled her Pokémon. "It's all up to you. Donphan, lend me yer strength!"

"Donphan!" said the Pokémon as it emerged.

"I know it's your last Pokémon, but I'm not going to go easy on you!" said Rockhoof.

"Right," nodded Aj as she took a deep breath. "Donphan, Rollout!"

"Slam!"

Donphan ran and turned himself into a ball that rolled at high speed. Onix intercepted by having its tail glow and slammed it against Donphan as the pair were locked. Both attacks pushed the Pokémon back as they skidded along the ground. Donphan may have held strong, but it winced a bit in pain.

"It's a good matchup, but I'm afraid Donphan has pretty much reached the limit," said Twilight.

"Double-Edge!"

"Donphan, use Hidden Power on the field!" said Applejack.

Donphan had the energy orbs circle it before being shot out. They all collided with the ground as it created a split in the field. Onix was initiating the order issued by Rockhoof, soon pummeled by rocks flying through the air. When Aj had Donphan use Hidden Power on the field and split it open, some piece flew as Onix charged into them as it sustained pain and caused it to halt its attack.

"Those rocks have slowed Onix!" said Sky as he felt this was Aj's chance.

"Donphan, Rollout!" stated Applejack.

Donphan quickly ran as it turned into a ball and rolled. It was heading toward Onix, who still felt the effects of the rocks colliding with it.

"Use Screech Attack!" shouted Rockhoof.

Onix soon broke free from its stun and lowered its head. It opened its mouth as a high-pitch screech was heard and shot out. It fully stopped Donphan in its tracks as the Pokémon uncurled from its Rollout and struggled to move. Applejack shouted to her Pokémon to hang out, but Onix soon put more power behind its Screech as it sent Donphan flying and crashed into a nearby rock mound. Once the dust settled, there was Donphan with swirls.

"Donphan is unable to battle! Onix is the winner, so the victory goes to Rockhoof, the Gym Leader!"

Applejack stood there as she heard the announcement. Her face was stunned and devasted as reality sank in.

"Onix, great work!" said Rockhoof as he patted his Pokémon's side. Applejack kept her head down with her hat hiding her eyes as she recalled Donphan.

"So that's it... it's over," said Fluttershy. She and the other girls all had sad looks at seeing Aj fail. Sky kept a cool expression as he looked at the farm girl and could only imagine what was going through her mind.

"Excellent work," said Rockhoof as he gave some praise to Aj for the battle.

The girl didn't answer but with a simple nod, still having her face hidden by her hat. Rockhoof soon made it to where Sky was.

"Well, Sky. It seems we might be able to have our battle a bit earlier than expected. Care to battle this afternoon, once Hippowdon and Onix heal up?" asked Rockhoof.

"Actually... can we still do it later in the evening," asked Sky as out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aj walk out of the room as he could faintly hear the sound of tears. "There's... something I need to do."

"Very well, then. I'll see you later this evening," said Rockhoof as he went to get his team healed and prepared.

"Applejack," was all Sky said.

The farm girl was in her temporary room at the Pokémon Center. Seems the loss to Rockhoof affected her in a way she didn't think was possible. To think, a country gal like her, someone born and raised on the farm. Someone who went through way worse stuff, and... this is what got her to break down in tears. Sniffling could be heard as the girl had her face burrowed into her pillow.

"Applejack, are you okay?" said the person knocking on the door. "Applejack, it's me, Twilight. We just want to make sure you're okay."

Twilight stood on the other side as she'd been trying her attempt at getting their friend to come out. The bookworm didn't get a response as she thought it best to leave. She returned to the main floor as the others were waiting for her.

"Well?" asked Sky, leaning against a support pillar with his arms crossed.

"Nothing," said Twilight. "I guess she's still stung by her loss."

"Well, Sky, care to try?" asked Rainbow.

"If she wasn't going to answer to any of you girls, what makes you think she'll answer to me? Look, we all feel bad for Aj losing her Gym Battle. But there's nothing we can do but wait till she comes out on her own accord. Till then, we support her nonetheless." said Sky.

"Right. Well, you best get ready for your turn," said Twilight.

"And make sure you don't make the same stupid mistakes as your girlfriend!" said Sunset.

The teens all turned in the direction of the bacon-haired girl standing.

"What you say about Applejack?!" growled Sky as he didn't like that Sunset was disrespecting her.

"Sky, calm down!" said the others as they had to restrain him.

"Heh, I make your skin crawl whenever we're in the same room. Nice to see that I'm an important part of your life," mocked the girl at how she had this effect on the boy, constantly thinking about her. "As I was saying, as long as you don't make the same dumbass decisions as that hillbilly did, you should have no problem."

"What did you call, Aj?!" shouted Sky as he didn't like that Sunset was trying to take cheap shots at the girl, knowing she was down in the dumps and couldn't be here to defend herself.

The girls continued to struggle as they had to pull their companion back. Sunset chuckled as she stepped forward and placed her hand on Sky's cheek.

"I never realized how much fun you were. It's cute," smiled Sunset as she stroked the boy's cheek for a few moments. The girl turned around as she did a hair flip, hitting Sky in the face. She began to walk before stopping, "I definitely looking forward to seeing what you can do tonight."

"Oh, believe me, Sunset. You'll definitely see what I got planned," stated Sky with a scowl as the girl was already leaving through the doors.

Once they made sure Sunset was gone, the girls let go of Sky as he seemed to also have calmed down. From there, the boy began to put in extra training as he didn't have much time before his battle.

The sun was setting on the village as the time for Sky's Gym Battle was nearing. The girls helped their friend in training for Rockhoof's hard-hitting style. During this whole time, Applejack still didn't leave her room. The others went ahead as Sky stuck behind to do something.

"Okay," said Sky as he took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock. "Um, hey, Applejack. It's me, Sky. Um, I... I... just wanted to let you know that my Gym Battle is about to start. The girls will be watching, and we hope you'll be there. Aj?"

The boy didn't get a response. On the inside, Applejack had stopped crying a few hours ago, but her face was still buried into the pillow.

"Aj? Applejack?" called out Sky but got no response. "I get it, then. If you don't want to come, I'm not gonna force you. I just... just hope that you'll cheer for me. And I'll... dedicate my win to you."

Sky waited a few moments to see if anything would happen. A few moments occurred with nothing happening. The boy sighed as he turned and left for his battle.

Sky arrived at the Gym's entrance as he stepped through the front doors. The girls were all waiting for him; they asked if he had any luck convincing their country friend to leave her room, but he shook his head. However, Sky couldn't worry about that as he had to think of the bigger picture. Rockhoof was waiting for Sky as he was already on the field.

"Hope your Pokémon are rested and ready to rumble!" stated Rockhoof as he planted his shovel into the ground next to him.

"You bet!" declared the boy to the Gym Leader, "Get a load of this Sunset! Some real battling!" said Sky to himself as he saw the bacon-haired girl leaning against the railing of the stands as she was far away from the others.

"The Gym Battle between Sky the challenger and Rockhoof the Gym Leader is about to begin! Each side will have the use of 3 Pokémon, and the battle is over when all of either side's Pokémon are defeated! In addition, only the challenger is allowed to make any substitutions!"

"Sky's first Gym Battle is here," said Twilight.

"Good luck!" said Fluttershy as she showed her support for her friend.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Rhyhorn, stand your ground!" stated Rockhoof as he called out his first Pokémon.

"Doesn't matter what you start with. I'll take them down one at a time!" said Sky confidently. "Now, Buizel, I choose you!"

"Bui!" said the Pokémon as it appeared with its arms crossed.

"A Buizel, that should be a good matchup for Rock-type Pokémon," said Rockhoof.

"Let's begin! Buizel, use Water Gun!"

Buizel had water form in its mouth as it shot a stream forward with power.

"Rhyhorn, Stone Edge!"

Rhyhorn made stones circle its body before launching them. It collided with the stream of water that was shooting out from Buizel's mouth. Both attacks met in the middle as each had its own power. However, it didn't last long as Buizel's Water Gun attack managed to overpower Rhyhorn's Stone Edge and hit the rhino in the face.

"Rhyhorn!" said Rockhoof as he saw his Pokémon being pushed in front of him. "I must say that Buizel is powerful!"

"How'd you like that, Sunset?!" said Sky as he looked at the girl.

"Pfft," said the girl as she wasn't impressed by the boy.

"Grr! Fine! Buizel, Aqua Jet!"

Buizel surrounded itself in a stream of water as it rocketed into the air and was heading toward Rhyhorn.

"Rhyhorn, Megahorn!" stated Rockhoof.

Rhyhorn made the tiny horn on its nose grow bigger as it collided with Buizel, who came down. Once more, it was another test of strength as both Pokémon tried to gain the upper hand. Soon Rhyhorn pushed Buizel to the side as the weasel Pokémon skidded along the ground with his paw on the ground to make it slow down much faster.

"Now, Sonic Boom!"

Buizel heard Sky's command as he managed to skid behind Rhyhorn and leaped into the air. Its twin tails glowed before it unleashed its attack that made contact with the rhino.

"Earthquake!"

Rhyhorn slammed its front legs onto the ground as the entire field began to shake. Buizel felt the ground below begin to shake as it wobbled. Soon it was hit and shot into the air as it gave a painful cry. Buizel soon crashed into the ground back to Sky's field side.

"Buizel, are you okay?!" said the boy as his Pokémon took a big hit from that move.

"Bui!" grunted the Pokémon as it slowly sat up.

"Rock Blast!"

Rhyhorn wasted no time as it executed its next move. Large boulders appeared on the tip of its nose and fired forward. Buizel didn't have time to react as they all crashed into the Pokémon.

"Gees, Rockhoof didn't allow Buizel anytime to react," said Rainbow.

"Well, he has to keep up the pressure. Cause if he allows Buizel to get one more good hit in, he'll be in trouble," stated Twilight.

"Buizel, can you still fight?" asked Sky as he saw the Pokémon on a knee.

"Bui!" grunted Buizel as it wasn't backing down.

"Glad to hear! Now, Aqua Jet!"

"Megahorn!"

Both Pokémon gave a cry as they rallied themselves. Rhyhorn charged forward with amazing speed as Buizel rocketed off the ground. Within seconds both met in the middle for another clash. This one proved more powerful as a giant wind blew over the field upon impact. The girl all covered up, as did both Sky and Rockhoof. It soon ended as there stood Buizel with some scuffs along its body, and in front was Rhyhorn on its stomach.

"Rhyhorn is unable to battle! The winner is Buizel!"

"Yeah! Nice work, Buizel!" shouted Sky to his Pokémon.

"Bui, Bui!" said the Pokémon as he raised his paw at Sky to do a fist pump.

"Rhyhorn, rock solid," said Rockhoof as he recalled his Pokémon. "Very good, old friend. Now then, Onix! Stand your ground!"

He tossed his Pokéball as it revealed his second Pokémon. Onix emerged as it roared and stared down Buizel.

"Buizel, return!" said Sky. "Get some rest, bud. I'm gonna need you soon. Alright, Noctowl, I choose you!"

The owl appeared as it gave a sound and hovered above Sky. Despite being smaller, Noctowl wasn't backing down from Onix as the larger Pokémon gave a growl.

"Why would Sky switch out Buizel? Doesn't he know that Noctowl won't do much damage against Onix?" said Rainbow.

"I guess he must be saving Buizel for later. Keep in mind, even though it took down Rhyhorn, it did take some massive damage. Not to mention, you've seen how powerful Hippowdon is. Sky is probably trying to maximize Turtwig and Buizel for Rockhoof's last Pokémon. So he's probably going to count on Noctowl's flying speed to help defeat Onix." said Twilight.

"Noctowl, Air Slash!"

Noctowl made a wind sphere appear before quickly firing at Onix. The large Pokémon merely tanked the hit as it barely left anything.

"Come on, Sky. Flying-type moves won't work much on my Pokémon. Onix, Double-Edge!"

"Ready, Noctowl!" said Sky to his Pokémon as it began to charge straight into Onix.

The girls and Sunset were all confused as to what Sky was doing. Noctowl was heading straight for Onix as it was about to connect.

"Now spin!" instructed the boy.

Noctowl tucked its wings and rotated its body as it created a wind pressure that allowed it to move ever so slightly out of Onix's path. Both the Pokémon and Rockhoof were amazed by what they saw as they dodged Double-Edge perfectly.

"Brilliant! Noctowl's spinning creates a lot of wind pressure, acting like a dodging cushion! And the stronger and faster we are, the more effective their move is!" said Rockhoof as he was impressed by the boy's ability to be creative.

"Now, use Hypnosis!"

Noctowl stretched out its wings to stop and turn around. Its eyes began to glow as a beam headed for Onix.

"Onix, use Slam on the ground!" said Rockhoof.

Onix moved its tail and slammed it as pieces of rock and dirt created a veil that blocked the Hypnosis' line of sight. Soon Onix's tail emerged from the rubble and smacked Noctowl into one of the mounds on the field.

"Noctowl, no!" shouted Sky.

"But, how did Onix throw out that move as quickly as it did from creating that veil?" asked Fluttershy.

"I don't know, but I think Onix got faster since its last battle with Sunset," said Twilight.

"I'm not a Gym Leader simply because I sit down and relax to wait for my next challenger, Sky. I've been training hard with Onix in between battles. You may have dodged Double-Edge, but there's more to deal with than that in this Gym!" said Rockhoof. "Onix! Use Stealth Rock!"

Onix roared as stone pillars appeared. They flew toward Sky's field side and embedded themselves into the ground. Rockhoof added more pressure on the boy as he managed to take care of his substitutions.

"Shit!" said Sky.

"So, Sky, what will you do?" taunted Rockhoof.

"Win, that's what! Noctowl!" shouted the boy.

Noctowl emerged from colliding into the ground as it soared and gave a rallied screech.

"Sky Attack!"

"Double-Edge!"

Both Pokémon charged forward, each executing a powerful attack. The collision was a powerful one. Another wind effect was created.

"Noctowl, use Air Slash!"

"Onix, Screech Attack!"

Onix opened its mouth and let out a high-pitched attack. It encountered the Air Slash and quickly got rid of it. Noctowl was still flying toward Onix as it felt the attack but pushed forward. It soon flew up to Onix's head as it circled around.

"Hypnosis!" shouted Sky.

With the owl close to Onix's face, the attack didn't take long to hit the larger Pokémon as it yawned. Soon Onix closed his eyes and fell asleep, standing up.

"Now Extrasensory!"

"Is Sky trying to have Noctowl lift Onix?" said Rainbow as she felt the owl couldn't do that.

Noctowl's eyes glowed as a beam shot out, but not at Onix. But rather at the small rocks that were scattered along the field. The owl lifted one before flinging it at Onix, who was sound asleep. Soon more rocks were thrown as Onix was taking damage while napping.

"I get it. Noctowl is using the scattered rocks along the field to damage Onix. Smart thinking on Sky's part."

"Sky Attack!" shouted the boy.

Noctowl engulfed itself as it headed toward the sleeping Onix. The Pokémon collided with Onix's face as a smokescreen appeared. Onix soon fell to the floor as it was defeated.

"Onix is unable to battle! The winner is Noctowl!"

"Great work, Noctowl!" said Sky.

"Onix, return! You did excellent, friend. Well, Sky, it seems I'm down to my last Pokémon. Get ready!" stated Rockhoof as he showed his final Pokéball. "Hippowdon, stand your ground!"

Rockhoof's final Pokémon was revealed as it gave a roar.

"Rockhoof's final Pokémon is here," said Sky as he could tell the real battle was about to begin.

"Seems like Sky is just moments away from winning," said Fluttershy.

"I wouldn't say Sky is winning just yet. Both Noctowl and Buizel have taken serious damage from their respective battle. And Rockhoof's final Pokémon hasn't battled yet. Sky is still operating at a disadvantage." said Twilight.

"I'm gonna stick with Noctowl. Use Air Slash!"

"Hippowdon, Sandstorm!" stated Rockhoof.

Hippowdon soon kicked the sand on its back as the wind blew over the field. Within seconds, a huge sandstorm covered the entire field as it initially blocked Sky and the girl's field of vision. Noctowl's attack was blown away as the owl struggled to fly.

"Iron Head!" shouted Rockhoof.

Hippowdon charged forward and leaped a few meters into the air as it collided with Noctowl. The small bird was knocked to the ground as he had swirls for eyes.

"Noctowl is unable to battle! Hippowdon is the winner!"

"One attack?" said Fluttershy.

"Remember, Hippowdon's ability. Its attacks get stronger during a sandstorm, and Onix's Screech Attack lowered Noctowl's defense," said Twilight.

"Yeah, well, that Sandstorm is still going," said Rainbow.

"Noctowl, return! Thanks a lot, bud; get a good rest. Alright, Buizel, I choose you!"

"Bui!" said the Pokémon as he appeared.

"Did you forget?" smirked Rockhoof.

Stone pillars appeared around Buizel before colliding with it. The smoke soon cleared as the Pokémon was panting from the damage it took.

"Right, I forgot," said Sky.

"Stealth Rock adds more pressure to Sky," said Rainbow; all the while, Sunset was smiling at the boy's downfall.

"Buizel, Water Gun!"

"Iron Head!"

Buizel quickly fired off a stream of water from its mouth. Hippowdon charged ahead as it took the attack head-on but pushed through it. Soon the large hippo bashed itself into Buizel, who was flung back.

"Buizel, Aqua Jet!"

Buizel rose, surrounded itself in a stream of water, and rocketed toward its target.

"Dig, Hippowdon!"

Hippowdon burrowed itself into the ground just as Buizel came down and missed its mark. The ground began to shake as Buizel was again flung into the air.

"Water Gun!" instructed Sky.

Buizel was still in the air as it heard Sky's command. He managed to fire off his attack as it hit Hippowdon in the face, propelling the Pokémon to go higher into the air.

"Hippowdon, Iron Head!" shouted Rockhoof as his Pokémon ran forward.

"Buizel, get down, quick!" shouted Sky as he realized what Rockhoof was doing.

Buizel was now descending. It was about to land safely as Hippowdon was charging and jumped a few meters off the ground and collided with the Pokémon who crashed. A hole was created as there laid Buizel with swirls for eyes.

"Buizel is unable to battle! The winner is Hippowdon!"

"No!" said Fluttershy.

"Now, Sky is done to Turtwig," said Twilight.

"That Sandstorm made a huge difference," said Rainbow as Hippowdon managed to even the odds all within a few moves.

The sandstorm that blew over the field stopped as Sky recalled Buizel.

"Thanks, Buizel. You battled hard," said Sky as he reached for his final Pokéball.

Sky looked at his Pokéball as slight worry and doubt began to settle. He looked at Hippowdon, using its leg to dig into the ground as if ready to charge. He then looked over at Sunset as the girl was smiling evilly as it seemed she was about to be proven right.

Do I have what it takes?

The doors to the gym's entrance were shown as a pair of feet stepped through.

I'm almost there, but Hippowdon is so strong. Everything lies in this last battle. But do I have what it takes?

Everybody could see Sky was talking with himself as he struggled with his inner thoughts. Soon a voice was heard.

"Come on, sugarcube! Don't tell me you're startin' to get cold feet at this point!"

"Huh?" said the boy as he looked in the direction of the voice. Standing there was none other than Applejack.

"Applejack?!" said the girls as they were surprised to see the girl.

The country gal tipped her hat as she walked to the stands where her friends were.

"What are you doing here?" asked Fluttershy.

"What else? Supportin' a friend," said the farm girl as she turned in Sky's direction and looked at the boy.

For Sky, he saw Aj's smile as he felt touched that she decided to come and cheer him on in one of his toughest fights.

"Thanks, Aj," muttered Sky to the girl.

"Win this, sugar," muttered the country gal.

"Pathetic," said Sunset as she felt like vomiting from what she saw between the pair.

Aj's right. I have to win; my future depends on it. Okay, here we go. Turtwig, it's all up to you, bud.

Sky stood there as he took a deep breath. The boy opened his eyes as he looked at his Pokéball. He then reached into his shirt and pulled out his necklace.

"Mom, Dad, give me strength," said Sky, kissing it before putting it back into his shirt. "Turtwig! I choose you!"

"Twig!" said the Pokémon as it appeared.

Once more, Stealth Rock took effect as they collided and damaged the small Pokémon. Turtwig soon landed as it panted a bit.

"So, it all comes down to this," said Rockhoof as he, too, knew that there would only be one left standing after the end of this fight.

"And that's going to be us! Turtwig, Razor Leaf!"

Turtwig began to execute its attack as it spun backward. The row of leaves was heading straight for Hippowdon.

"Hippowdon, Dig!"

Hippowdon heard Rockhoof's command as it began to burrow into the ground.

"Turtwig, start running!" instructed Sky as his Pokémon took off.

"Well, now! That might be the fastest Turtwig I've ever seen!" said Rockhoof with a smile.

"I hate to admit it, but Turtwig's speed really improved," said Sunset as she recalled her battle with Sky.

Turtwig was zooming about the field as it also jumped from mound to mound, not once slowing down. Turtwig jumped to a mound as it began t shake. Emerging was Hippowdon as Turtwig jumped out of its way.

"Razor Leaf!" shouted Sky as Turtwig made its attack and landed a good blow on the large hippo.

"Iron Head!"

The largo hippo began to charge forward as Turtwig halted its barrage.

"Turtwig, run towards it!" said Sky.

The girls were all stunned as Turtwig was heading in the direction of Hippowdon and its attack. They were about to meet when Turtwig leaped into the air and began to curl itself into a ball as it rolled above Hippowdon's head and onto its backside.

"He did the same thing with Noctowl. Only this time, he has Turtwig spin head over heels which also works as a dodge," said Twilight as she and the others were impressed.

"Clever move, Sky. But don't think it'll work. Hippowdon, throw Turtwig off!" said Rockhoof as the largo hippo was bending its body as it was getting ready to launch the Pokémon when it reached its backside.

"Turtwig, bite Hippowdon's tail!"

Turtwig heard Sky's attack; before Hippowdon could launch it, it uncurled and attached its mouth to Hippowdon's small tail. The largo hippo felt the pain from a sensitive part of its body as the jaws of Turtwig were cinched in.

"Now give it a toss!" instructed Sky.

Turtwig then began to use the momentum, and with one great heave, it threw Hippowdon into some nearby mounds as it crashed.

"What the fuck?!" shouted Rainbow. "Did Turtwig just throw Hippowdon?"

"I guess big things come in small packages," Applejack said.

"Razor Leaf!" shouted Sky.

"Sandstorm!" said Rockhoof.

Hippowdon shook off being thrown as the sand on its back began to blow. The sand picked up as it blew across the entire field. It managed to repel the Razor Leaf from Turtwig as it stopped and went with the flow of the wind.

"Turtwig, Tackle!" shouted Sky.

Turtwig took off, not letting the sandstorm get to it as it charged forward.

"Hippowdon, prepare to intercept!" said Rockhoof.

Hippowdon saw Turtwig jump as it used its mouth to catch the small thing. Turtwig struggled to break free as it waved its legs about.

"Fire Fang!"

Hippowdon's mouth made flames appear as Turtwig felt the attack and let out a pained cry as it was tossed.

"Turtwig!" shouted Sky as he saw his Pokémon on the ground and struggling to move. "Turtwig, get up!" The boy tried to rally his Pokémon to stand, but Turtwig was in pain from Hippowdon's attack.

Sunset merely got up from leaning and began to make her exit. The girl felt she had seen enough and didn't want to stick around anymore. Sky saw the girl starting to leave as he growled. The footsteps of Sunset could be heard as Turtwig's eyes shot open. It then stood up, took a confident position, and screamed into the air. Sunset heard and looked as she gasped. Everybody else did the same; Turtwig screamed while its body was glowing in a green aura.

"What's happening?" said Fluttershy.

"Turtwig's ability: Overgrow. Like Chimchar with Blaze, Overgrow boosts Turtwig's grass attacks when its endurance is low," said Twilight.

"A Pokémon defending its trainer is truly a sight to see," said Rockhoof.

Turtwig stopped glowing as it felt the temporary extra boost. Sunset soon made her way back to leaning on the railing as she wanted to see how things would play out.

"I need to find a way to defeat Hippowdon, now! Wait... that's it!" said Sky as he got an idea. "Turtwig! Use Razor Leaf while you run!"

"Twig!" shouted the Pokémon as it spammed Razor Leaf while running without hesitation.

"Turtwig's too far away for that! Now Hippowdon, Sandstorm!" instructed Rockhoof.

"Keep using Razor Leaf! Don't let up!" said Sky.

The leaves from Turtwig were being blown in the wind. They were flying about as some fell in front of the small Pokémon. It created a camouflage of sorts as Rockhoof was starting to lose sight of the Pokémon.

"I see. Hippowdon, use Iron Head and charge forward!" said Rockhoof as he was hoping to have his Pokémon ram into Turtwig before it could do anything to get behind it.

"Turtwig, you know what to do. Stop and do a revolting jump!"

"Not this time! Hippowdon leap into the air!" said Rockhoof as he saw that Turtwig was trying to flip over like before.

Hippowdon leaped a few meters off the ground as it expected to hit Turtwig. But to his and Rockhoof's surprise, they found Turtwig spinning on the ground as he tricked both of them. Turtwig came to a stop as he was positioned directly below them.

"Sky did the same thing to me when we battled," said Applejack as the boy managed to initiate the same strategy on Rockhoof.

"Great, Turtwig. Now, Razor Leaf! Full Blast!" shouted Sky.

Turtwig cried as it let loose a barrage of Razor Leaf on Hippowdon. The hippo felt the attack, especially cause it was powered up by Turtwig's ability as it was being propelled upwards.

"Augh! Hippowdon!" shouted Rockhoof as he was horrified at seeing his Pokémon come crashing down.

"Hippowdon is unable to battle! The winner is Turtwig! And the victor goes to the challenger, Sky!" said Rockhoof's assistant.

"We did it!" shouted Sky as he rushed onto the field and to Turtwig. "Great job, Turtwig!"

"Turtwig!" said the Pokémon as it jumped into his arms.

"He did it!" said Fluttershy as the girls all smiled and clapped at Sky's performance.

Sunset was already getting up and leaving as only Sky noticed her. The boy stood up as she stopped to glance over her shoulder. The look in both trainers still told the story. Sunset did a quick hair flip as she went on her way.

It was now later as Sky, and the girls were outside. Rockhoof stood in front of him with his assistant behind him.

"Here you go, Sky. Proof of your victory, the Rubble Badge."

"Thanks!" said the boy as he picked up the badge. "Alright, we just got the Rubble Badge!" The boy shouted as his Pokémon all gave a hearty response. The teen then pulled out his badge case and put the thing in. Sky relished as he took the first step in his long road to the Equestrian League.

Author's Note: It seems Sky was able to secure his first badge, and maybe showed Sunset a thing or two about battling. However, let's not forget, Applejack failed to win her battle. So the question now remains, how will Aj bounce back or if she will? Next chapter will be another Gym Battle but also will have a second story going on at the same time. As always, leave a review expressing your thoughts and comments.