On their way to their next gym battle, our heroes have stopped in Canterlot City, home of Twilight Sparkle. After a long peaceful night, they were all gathered around the dining table as it was...
"Breakfast!" shouted Spike.
"Hope you're all hungry," said Velvet. "I made everything. Pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, french toast, oatmeal..."
The woman continued as she described every meal on the table. Spike, Sky, Rarity, and Applejack were all seated as they couldn't take their eyes off the massive feast before them. The teens were offered to stay the night by Velvet and Night Light as they had plenty of room.
"And last but not least, for my baby boy... homemade croissants," said Velvet as she pulled out a fresh tray from the oven.
The lovely scent steamed off the pastries as they filled the kitchen with its delicious scent.
"I can't wait any longer!" said Sky as his stomach was growling.
"Let's eat!" said Applejack as the kids filled their plates with as much food as possible.
"Now, don't be shy. There's plenty to go around," smiled Velvet, seeing her son and her daughter's friends enjoying her cooking.
Twilight entered the kitchen as she had her tablet in hand.
"Nice of you to join us, sweetie. You're just in time," said Velvet.
"Hey, Twilight," said Sky with a mouth full of food before swallowing it in one gulp. "What are you reading?"
"Check this out! There's gonna be a tag tournament battle being held today!" said the girl as she flipped her tablet over to show the others. "It says here Trainers from all walks of life can enter their Pokémon to compete in a tournament and work with someone."
"Huh, says there's even a prize," noted Applejack as she read through.
"That's not all. Guess who's gonna be hosting it," said Twilight with excitement.
"Seems I can't even tell my own surprise," stated Night Light as he made his presence known.
"Oh, hi, Dad. Sorry," responded Twilight as she smiled sheepishly.
"It's alright, sweetie," said Night Light as he kissed her forehead before heading over to his seat; he sat down and received a prepped plate from Velvet as he kissed her.
"So, Dad, are you really gonna be hosting this tag battle tournament?" asked Spike as he leaned in.
"Yup. Mayor Mare has asked me to oversee the entire thing. Given that Shining Armor isn't here and that I was the former Canterlot City Gym Leader, she figured it would help get some eyes on the tournament and our city," said Night Light as he grabbed his mug of coffee and took a sip.
"That's truly a wonderful opportunity," said Rarity. "What an honor!"
"It is," said Night Light.
"So... Twilight, seeing as how this tag battle is today... any chance maybe, they'll let..."
"Funny you should ask. It says here the tag battle tournament is welcome to any and all. The only rule is that you just need a Pokémon that you own." said Twilight as she showed it was an open registration.
"Alright, well, I know what I'm doing. Who else wants to enter?" asked Sky as he stood up from his chair.
"Sounds like it might be fun. Sure," said Applejack.
"Count me in," said Twilight. "Rarity?"
"I don't know," said the girl, not fully interested in battling.
"There is a special prize for the team that wins," said Night Light.
"Well... when you put it like that," stated the fashionista as she was now interested in the prize.
"I wanna join you guys!" said Spike.
"Sorry, Spike. You can't. The rules state you must own a Pokémon of your own," said Twilight.
"Oh man!" groaned the boy as he wanted to participate in this tag battle contest.
"Maybe there is a way," said Night Light as that got the attention of everybody.
"Honey," said Velvet as she touched her husband's shoulder.
"It's alright, dear. I was hoping to give this to you for your birthday, but I'd figured now is as good a time as any," said Night Light as he reached into his pocket. The man pulled out a Pokéball as he placed it on the table.
The kids were now at the registration as Night Light had offered to take them there. After filling out their names and the Pokémon they were allowed to use, they were soon given a number card.
"What's this for?" asked Sky as he received his number card.
"You'll see. For now, hold onto that until the starting announcement has been made. Make sure you don't lose it." instructed the staff woman to the kids.
Soon everyone who registered was now in Canterlot Stadium as tons of people had gathered to watch this event. All the trainers registered for the event were on the stadium floor as they were looking at the massive number of people who would watch them. They didn't wait any longer as soon the mayor of the city, Mayor Mare, appeared. The woman adjusted her speckles before walking to the podium to address the contestants.
"Welcome to the Tag Battle!" said the woman as the crowd made some noise. "And for most contestants, welcome to our beloved Canterlot City. The most popular and busiest city in all of the Equestrian region. And now let me introduce to you someone well-known throughout this city. He's the former Canterlot City Gym Leader and father of the current Gym Leader; please give a warm applause to Mr. Night Light!"
"Hi, Dad!" shouted Spike and Twilight as they shouted and waved at their father as he came out despite him probably not hearing them over the sound of the crowd.
Night Light came to a standing ovation as he waved to everyone in the crowd and the contestants. He saw his kids and their friends as he waved in their general direction to address his children before walking toward the podium. Mayor Mare shook his hand as she stepped off and allowed the man to give the starting announcement.
"Alright, now I know how excited everyone is to be competing today. This event is often held in Canterlot City, and I doubt today's event will be remembered. With that being said, I say we get ready for some action!" stated Night Light as the crowd responded to his declaration with a roar.
"It's just like the Pokémon League," said Twilight as they noticed how the atmosphere matched that event.
"I can't wait to get this going!" said Sky, excited to engage in fun battles.
"One thing that I enjoy about this Tag Battle is that it involves working together, not just the Trainers. Pokémon to Pokémon and person to person! Bringing them all together is what this Tag Battle is truly about!" said Night Light. "This stadium will burn with that spirit for the next few days!"
More sounds erupted for Night Light.
"Now, I want you to make sure you have your registration cards," said Night Light as everyone before him looked at the number card they had received when they signed up. "Now, behind me, on the screen, you'll see you'll find everyone's card numbers listed. Look for your number and the number right next to yours! This will be your tag team partner throughout the competition!"
"I got number 11," said Sky.
"15," said Twilight.
"21," stated Spike.
"35," spoke Aj.
"All right then, time to see who's who!" said Mayor Mare as she pushed a button next to the mic.
The button began to randomize as the number cards were all flipped over and shuffled. Soon they were all spread out and flipped back to the front as everyone's number was mixed. The contestants all looked to the screen as they saw their number, the number they would be partners with, and what block they would be competing in to indicate when they would be going on.
"Look at that, I'm in the A Block! I'm one of the first to battle!" said Applejack.
"Looks, I'm D Block," said Rarity.
"C Block," said Spike.
"And I'm in the F Block," spoke Twilight. "What about you, Sky?"
"Z Block," said the boy as he was near the tail end of the huge list.
"Now, using the numbers as a guide, find your tag team partner!" said Night Light.
The contestants began moving about the field, holding their number cards high and shouting.
"Uh, I'm number 21. I'm trying to locate number 34!" shouted Spike as the small boy held his card up high, trying to navigate the sea of people a bit taller than him and avoid getting buried.
"Let's see... Where's number 1?" asked Applejack as she looked around for her partner.
"Well, well... didn't expect to run into you... Number 35."
Applejack heard a voice as she turned her head. To her surprise, she couldn't believe who her partner was.
"Howdy, Applejack."
"I don't believe it, Silverbolt. Well, I'll be!" said the girl as she approached her friend and punched his arm; he flinched from how strong the girl was. "Fancy meeting you here."
"Yeah, ow! Likewise," groaned the boy as he rubbed his arm.
"So what are you doing here?" asked the country girl.
"Well, it's not just me," said the boy.
"Number 34?" asked Spike as he freed himself from a huge crowd and fell to the ground on his face.
"Hey there, partner! So do you wanna play tag with me?"
The boy lifted his head as he saw a blur of pink.
"Hi there, I'm Pinkie Pie!" said the girl as she lifted him up and began to shake her hand.
"Nice to meet you!" said Spike as his arm was moving up and down by Pinkie as he had no control over it.
Pinkie soon let him go as Spike had to get his other arm to stop him from moving on its own.
"Everything okay, Spike?" asked Twilight as she approached her brother.
"Hi, Twilight!"
"Hey, Pinkie."
"You know her, sis?" asked Spike.
"Yup. Spike, meet Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie, this is my little brother, Spike," said the bookworm.
"So you also decided to enter the contest? Ooh, I can't wait to work together," said Pinkie as Spike wasn't sure if he should be excited or happy to be Pinkie's partner.
"Speaking of which, Fluttershy. Come on out and meet my brother," said Twilight as the shy girl appeared from behind the girl who was her partner for the event.
"Oh, come on!" shouted Rainbow as her voice was picked up by Spike and the girls. "You have got to be kidding me!"
"How rude!" responded Rarity, as it seemed she had the unfortunate luck of teaming with the rowdy girl. "This is most unfortunate for me."
"For you? What about me?!" stated Rainbow, as she wanted a partner that could win for sure.
It seemed old friends were coming together for this special Tag Battle event. However...
"Everyone's got their partner except me!" said Sky, still searching for his. "So, where the hell is mine?"
"Of course, you had to be the number 11 out of everyone!"
"Yup! And I'm ready to win!" said Sky as he turned to face his partner with a smile.
However, when he saw who his partner was, his smile immediately dropped. Standing there was Sky's partner and their bacon-colored hair.
"Hey, Sunset!" growled Sky.
The girl also growled as she stared at the boy she was being forced to tag with. Rivals glaring at each other, the feeling they had of wanting to destroy each other was there and about to blow at any minute. It seemed the others also noticed as they saw the two rivals staring a hole at each other.
"What do you know? It's Sunset," said Twilight.
"Talk about the luck of the draw," stated Rarity, as it seemed that Sky and Sunset would have to work together, if possible.
"Who's that?" asked Silverbolt.
"That's Sunset Shimmer, sugarcube. She and Sky are rivals to the core. They despise each other."
"More like hate," said Twilight, as that seemed to describe better how both trainers felt toward the other.
"Out of all the shit luck! Seems I have no choice!" said Sunset as she crumpled up her number card. "Just stay the hell out of my way! Got it!"
"Hold on! That's no way to talk to your Tag Battle partner!" said Sky, as he was willing to work with the girl on this. "Besides, make sure you don't get in my way, and I'll carry this team on my back!"
"Oh, yeah, you guys were right. They hate each other," said Silverbolt as he could see the rivalry between the pair from those few words.
Sky kept glaring at Sunset before Night Light began to address the contestants.
"In a Tag Battle, the real key to success is to create the spirit of partnership between Trainers and their Pokémon!" said Night Light. "To learn to rely on each other truly! And so, to the team that emerges victorious, we will award an item that will deepen the connection between you even more!
"Our grand prize!" said Mayor Mare as she presented a box and flipped it open to reveal what was inside. "This special ribbon will be the award to our Tag Battle winners!"
"All right, Trainers! By now, you've all found your Tag Battle partners! As you all know, the battle festivities don't commence until this afternoon. So you have until then to practice with your partner!" instructed Night Light.
And so, the pairs all left to discuss their strategy. However, Sky looked at Sunset as the girl crossed her arms while staring down the teen. The question of whether these two rivals could coexist was about to be put to the test.
It was now later as the Tag Battle was about to begin.
"Alright, now... beginning things off will be the groups in the A Block!" said Night Light. "And here are the rules! Each Trainer is allowed to use one Pokémon, with no time limit! There will be no substitutions. Whichever team ends up unable to battle is defeated! Then tomorrow, the winners advance to the second round battles! Now today, our first battle will be A Block! So, it's off to the Pokémon battlefield?"
"Ready, Applejack?" asked Silverbolt.
"Ready, sugar," said the country girl as she nodded to her partner.
"Greninja, time for us to show them what it's all about!" said Silverbolt.
"Donphan, lend me yer strength!" stated Aj.
"Tauros, let's go!" said the girl facing them.
"Grovyle!" shouted the man who was her partner.
All four Pokémon appeared as they looked ready to battle.
"Alright, battle begin!" shouted Night Light.
"Donphan, Rollout!" instructed Applejack.
"Tauros, Zen Headbutt!" said the girl.
Donphan began to run before leaping, turning into a ball, and rolling at even faster speeds. Tauros was also charging forward with its head aimed at the incoming Donphan. The pair collided as they were now being held in place. As the test of strength was happening, Grovyle was shown leaping from behind as it was looking to take advantage.
"Grovyle, Leaf Blade!" said the man.
"Greninja, Aerial Ace!" said Silverbolt.
Grovyle had the leaves on its arms turned into blades as it sought to bring them down on a vulnerable Donphan. However, Greninja quickly leaped into action as it blocked one of the Leaf Blades with one of its limbs to protect its comrade. Greninja then alternated its legs and arms while blocking Grovyle's Leaf Blade attempts as they were pushed back. At the same time, Donphan and Tauros were pushed back as their test of strength ended in a draw, and they skidded back.
"Thanks for covering for me, Bolt," said the farm girl.
"No sweat, we're partners," stated the boy.
"Tauros, Blizzard!" said the small girl.
"Donphan, Hidden Power!" said Applejack.
Tauros opened its mouth as bits of snow and wind began to blow. Donphan made energy orbs circle its body before they shot forward and collided with the Blizzard attack.
"Grovyle, Bullet Seed on Greninja!" instructed the man to his Pokémon.
"Double Team!" said Silverbolt.
Greninja quickly made duplicates of itself that spread across the field. Grovyle opened its mouth and began rapidly shooting seeds at all the Greninjas in its sight. Once all the copies were taken care of, Grovyle looked around, hoping to find the real one, but it was nowhere to be seen. He then looked up as there was Greninja ready to strike.
"Water Shuriken!"
Greninja heard Silverbolt's command as he threw out several ninja-throwing stars made of water as they collided with Grovyle. While not too effective, they had some power behind them as the gecko tumbled along the ground.
"Tauros, use Wild Charge on Greninja!" said the girl as her bull turned its attention to helping its partner.
Tauros charged at full speed as Greninja was too slow and was hit by the bull and its electric charge as it tumbled back.
"You okay, Greninja?" asked Silverbolt to his Pokémon.
The Pokémon gave a response as he got to his feet.
"Tauros, Wild Charge again!" said the small girl.
"Ice Beam!" shouted Silverbolt.
Tauros was charging at the frog with electricity flowing through it. Greninja concentrated and then thrust its webbed fingers out as a beam of ice was shot. It encapsulated Tauros as seconds later, the bull was frozen solid in its tracks.
"Waa!" said the girl, surprised to see her Pokémon in a block of ice.
"Applejack!"
"Right," said the girl to her partner, "Donphan, Hyper Beam!"
Donphan heard the command as he opened his mouth to charge its attack. It let loose a powerful beam that headed toward the ice statue of Tauros as it collided and made a smoke explosion occur. Pieces of ice flew about the field; seconds later, when it cleared out, Tauros was on the ground as it was defeated.
"No, Tauros!" said the girl.
"Tauros is unable to battle!" said the ref.
"Grovyle, take advantage of Donphan and use Leaf Blade!" said the girl's partner.
Grovyle was now charging ahead as it knew Donphan had to take some time to recharge from Hyper Beam and couldn't move for a while. That meant it was the perfect time to strike.
"Greninja, Aerial Ace!" said Silverbolt.
Greninja then teleported in front of Donphan as it once again blocked Grovyle's attempts to attack. The frog was doing all it could to protect its comrade while its defenses were down as soon it delivered a kick from its Aerial Ace that caught Grovlye in the face and sent it back, tumbling.
"Double Team!"
Greninja leaped into the air as it made copies of itself. Grovyle sat on the ground as he saw the many versions of its foe just before it was about to attack.
"Water Shruiken!"
Greninja heard Bolt's command as all the copies pulled out a water ninja-throwing star and threw it at their foe. All the stars were coming at Grovyle as it had no escape and all connected. The dust cleared, and there was Grovyle, who lay on the ground and was also defeated.
"Grovyle!" shouted the man.
"Grovyle is unable to battle. The victors are Donphan and Greninja!" said the ref, pointing to Silverbolt and Applejack.
"Alright!" shouted Applejack as she celebrated that she and Silverbolt won. "Thanks for covering mah back, partner." Applejack slapped his back as he flinched forward.
"No... problem," responded the boy as he rubbed his back to ease some of his pain when Aj did that.
Their friends had been watching from the side as they saw how effective the pair were in their battle.
"Seems Aj and Bolt are like a well-oiled machine," said Twilight.
"You know we should be doing that too, Sunset," said Sky as he turned to address his partner.
The boy suddenly fell as fire almost hit his head. The fire came from Sunset's Chimchar as the girl instructed it to use Flamethrower to see its power as the small chimp inadvertently aimed in the boy's direction.
"Darn, it missed," said the girl.
"Hey! What was that for?" shouted Sky.
"Take that as a warning to not get in my way," said Sunset. "Not bad, Chimchar," said Sunset to her Pokémon as the small chimp smiled at her.
"Chimchar, huh? Wow, that's a powerful Flamethrower," smiled Sky as the small chimp responded happily to the boy's comment. "Maybe we can help you to increase its power."
"Please... we don't need your help!" stated Sunset.
"This is a Tag Battle! That means we work together to win!" stated Sky as he got in the girl's face.
"It's all about you, isn't it?" responded Sunset.
"What's that?!" growled the teen.
By Sky's side was his Turtwig as he taunted Chimchar. The small chimp wouldn't let that side as he now glared at the small green creature. Both Sky and Sunset glared at each other as they were shown reaching for the rest of their Pokémon. It seems both weren't caring about working as a team as they were looking to battle each other right here and now and get themselves disqualified.
"Sounds like you might forget the purpose of this competition," said Applejack as Sunset and Sky looked at the girl and Silverbolt as they just got off the field.
"Aj's right. The fact is that both Trainers and Pokémon must constantly think about each other in a Tag Battle!" stated Silverbolt.
"Ph! Whatever. Let's go, Chimchar!" said Sunset to her Pokémon as she began to leave with her Pokémon.
"I'm wondering why Sunset even entered this contest," said Sky.
"She has her reasons, Sky. Best not to get into them," said Twilight.
"I guess," stated the boy as the next few matches occurred.
"Our fiery first round moves onto the B Block!" said Night Light.
"Alright, Gummy! Time for some fun!" shouted Pinkie.
"Let's go!" shouted Spike.
"Scyther!"
"Koffing!"
Pinkie and Spike's opponent's called out their Pokémon as the girl called out her newly caught Totodile. As for Spike, he was using the Pokémon that his father had given him before the match. A small gooey slug-like Pokémon appeared. Its body was purple, the top half a lighter shade than the underside. It had two feeler-like horns atop its head, tiny black eyes, and a wide mouth with a green spot on either cheek.
"Since we did Pinkie get a Totodile," said Applejack as she pulled out her Pokédex to aim at the Pokémon Spike was using.
"She got it during our latest adventure when we were taking a cooking class," answered Rainbow. "Since when did your little brother get a Pokémon, Twi?"
"My father gave it to him so he could participate."
"Goomy, the Soft Tissue Pokémon. The slimy membrane that covers Goomy's body provides it with protection. Partly by keeping others away, because touching it is really gross! It stays in the shade to keep itself from drying out."
"Battle begin!" said the ref.
"Goomy, Rain Dance!" said Spike.
"Goomy!" said the small slug as the entire field had a giant rain cloud appear; seconds later, it began to pour.
"Koffing, Thunderbolt!" said their opponent.
The Pokémon charged up and let loose some electricity.
"Totodile, Water Gun!" shouted Pinkie.
The small croc opened its mouth and fired a burst of water at the oncoming electricity. The two attacks met as normally the water would have been weaker, but thanks to the Rain Dance that Spike had Goomy set up, it boosted Totodile's water attacks as it allowed the Water Gun to be equal in power to Koffing's Thunderbolt.
"Scyther, X-Scissor on Goomy!" said the woman's partner.
Scyther had its sharp claws glow as it flew toward the small slug.
"Bide!" said Spike as he told his Pokémon to use one of the moves he was informed about by his father.
The small slug closed his eyes as he took the attack head-on and felt pain while being flung back. He tumbled as its body glowed a bit before dying down.
"Koffing, Gyro Ball!" said the other woman.
Koffing followed Scyther's lead as it began to spin rapidly and was heading toward Goomy. The slug saw the attack as it took its full contact and tumbled again on the floor.
"You okay, Spike?" asked Pinkie, seeing that Goomy was being targeted for being so small.
"Goomy?" asked Spike.
The small Pokémon responded as its body finished glowing and opened its mouth. All the energy and damage it took from Scyther and Koffing was now coming into effect as Goomy opened his mouth. A white beam shot toward the pair as Scyther got out of the way, leaving Koffing wide open as the attack made contact. When it cleared out, a smoke explosion occurred as Koffing lay on the ground with swirls.
"Koffing is unable to battle!" said the ref.
"What just happened?" asked Spike, totally confused.
"What was that, sugarcube?" asked Aj to Twilight.
"That was Bide. My brother doesn't know what he did cause my dad didn't tell him what the move does. Essentially, Bide has the user endure damage, and then it returns it with double the power." explained Twilight.
"Well, it worked. Sort of," said Rarity.
"Scyther, Metal Claw!" said the woman as she targeted Goomy, who was weak from using its Bide attack.
"Totodile, Ice Beam!" shouted Pinkie.
Scyther took off as its claws were covered in a metal coating. As it was about to contact the slug, Totodile appeared as it bounced off its partner and opened its mouth. A beam of ice shot out and immediately affected the bug. Soon it turned into a block of ice that slammed on the field; it crumbled, and Scyther was defeated.
"Scyther is unable to battle. The victors are Goomy and Totodile!" said the ref, pointing at Pinkie and Spike.
"We won!" shouted Pinkie as she grabbed Spike's hands and began to spin the boy as he was unprepared for the post-celebration spin.
"Well, at least he made it past the first round," stated Twilight, smiling that her little brother had won his round.
The ensuing battles occurred one by one. Each of our heroes successfully won their first-round battles as they were all moving on to the next round. Soon it was time for the day's final battle, and as it so happened, it was none other than Sunset and Sky's Tag Battle. The two were still not keen on working as a team, and their test of whether they could coexist was about to occur.
"The time has come for the last of the final first-round battles: the Z Block! I'm sure that in this case, last is certainly not least!" said Night Light.
"Okay, Pikachu! I choose you!" shouted Sky as he threw his Pokéball.
"Chimchar, show no mercy!" shouted Sunset as she selected her Pokémon to use.
"Go!" shouted their opponents as they threw out their Pokémon.
A periwinkle Pokémon that resembles a deep sea fish appeared. There were spots of yellow on its tail and head. On top of its head were two glowing organs that allowed it to see into a deep, aquatic habitat. Next to it was a wolverine-like Pokémon with a mane of spiky flames around its neck.
"What are those Pokémon?" said Rainbow as she pulled out her Pokédex.
"Lanturn, the Light Pokémon and the evolved form of Chinchou. With the bright light from its antenna, Lanturn can blind and daze its opponent, then attack with electricity before it recovers. At night, the lights of many Lanturn shine through the dark ocean like stars."
"Typhlosion, the Volcano Pokémon and the evolved form of Quilava. The heat shimmer given off by Typhlosion's flames serves to conceal the Pokémon's movements. It can unleash a fiery explosion to scorch everything around it."
"This is gonna be interesting," said Silverbolt.
"How so?" asked Rarity.
"Cause Lanturn is a Water/Electric type, so while Pikachu's moves won't have that much of an effect, it can seriously damage Chimchar. And with Typhlosion being a Fire-type, Chimchar's attacks won't do much either."
"Either way, it seems to be an equal battle from where it stands. But that can change," said Twilight.
"Get ready, Sunset. This could be tough!" said Sky.
"Don't tell me what to do!" said the girl as both glared at each other.
"If we thought the Pokémon matchups weren't good, it seems the Trainers are even worst," said Twilight, as they all saw the pair already not getting along.
"Now then, battle begin!" shouted the ref.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Typholosion!" instructed Sky.
"You idiot!" shouted Sunset.
"Lanturn, intercept it!" said its Trainer.
Lanturn quickly moved as Pikachu released his attack. The Thunderbolt traveled as Lanturn quickly intercepted it and tanked the hit for its comrade. And just like that, the fish smiled as the electricity it felt ran through its body like it was nothing.
"Now, Lanturn, use Facade!" shouted the man.
The fish swam forward after taking the electric attack from the yellow mouse and collided with it. Pikachu was sent flying back and hit the ground before getting to its feet as bruises were already along its body.
"Pikachu, are you okay?" asked Sky to his Pokémon as it gave a response.
"I didn't think you could get any dumber," scoffed Sunset.
"What?!" glared Sky as he looked at her.
"Lanturn's special ability. The same as my Jolteon!" answered the bacon-haired girl.
"Huh? You mean?" said the boy as he now put together what she was saying.
"Shouldn't Pikachu's Thunderbolt do some damage to Lanturn, given its part Water-typing?" asked Fluttershy.
"No... because of Lanturn's special ability," said Twilight as she had a realization.
"What ability?" asked Spike.
"Lanturn's ability is Volt Absorb! So any electric attacks Lanturn suffers will heal it instead. So it doesn't matter if it's part water because electricity won't affect it." said Twilight.
"Well, that sucks!" said Rainbow.
"Hate to say it, but I'm afraid Pikachu's out of commission," said Silverbolt.
"Forget it. I'll do this myself!" growled Sunset.
"Give me a break! I don't care what you say. I'm in this Tag Battle, too!" responded Sky.
"Typhlosion, Lava Plume!" instructed the man's partner.
The wolverine Pokémon heard the command from its Trainer and slammed its front hands to the ground as it erupted, and a huge burst of fire and smoke began to spread. Lanturn was caught in the explosion as it wasn't phased.
"What happened to the field?" asked Pinkie.
"Lava Plume's a move that hits everyone in the area!" said Twilight.
"Isn't that bad for your partner?" asked Fluttershy.
"Yeah, but remember. Lanturn's part Water-type so that move won't deal too much damage to it. In other words, that was a very smart play by Sky and Sunset's opponents."
Chimchar and Pikachu stared forward as the smoke was coming toward them.
"Chimchar! Let's go!" shouted Sunset as she began to make her move.
The small chimp looked back at Sunset with a worried look but gave a consent response. He then began to run forward before leaping into the air and looking to go into the smoke.
"What's Sunset doing? Even if Chimchar is a Fire-type, this much fire's gonna cause major damage!" said Rainbow.
"I think that's what she wants," said Twilight.
"Pikachu, dodge it quick!" shouted Sky as the yellow rodent leaped into the air above the smoke just as it was about to envelop him.
"And that Lava Plume engulfs Chimchar completely!" stated Mayor Mare as she commented on what was happening with the Pokémon by Sunset's command.
However, what wasn't seen was that the flame on Chimchar's body began to grow and burn brighter. Sunset sensed it as she smiled.
"Chimchar, Flamethrower!"
Chimchar let out a cry as he opened his mouth, and instead of its usual Flamethrower, this one was much more powerful and bigger as the fire around it seemed to boost its strength.
"Woah!" said Sky, amazed by what he saw.
"Sunset's using that Lava Plume to power up Chimchar's Flamethrower!" said Twilight as everyone was stunned.
Chimchar's attack pierced through the smoke of Lava Plume and was headed for Lanturn. The Pokémon merely stood there as it tanked the hit. Chimchar was stunned to see the Pokémon taking it without flinching.
"Facade, go!" shouted the man to his Pokémon.
Lanturn burst through the Flamethrower and charged at Chimchar, and sent the small chimp flying back. Chimchar landed on its feet as Lanturn was coming at it, which Sunset didn't like as by the expression on her face.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail now!" shouted Sky.
Pikachu was falling down after it jumped as it had its tail glowing. The yellow mouse then twisted his body and spun head over heels so that its tail came down on Lanturn as the Pokémon felt that attack to its head.
"Wow, talk about an assist," said Rainbow.
"Typhlosion, Protect!"
"Lanturn, use Surf!"
Typhlosion made a protective barrier around it as behind it was Lanturn, who was riding the wave as it was heading toward its opponents. The huge tidal wave washed over Typhlosion, and thanks to its barrier, it could stay safe from any damage it would have taken from its partner using Surf.
"Look out!" shouted Fluttershy as she tried to warn Sky and Sunset.
"Chimchar, Flame Wheel!" shouted Sunset.
"Sunset, what the hell are you doing? You're gonna make us lose!" shouted the boy at hearing the girl command her Pokémon to dive headfirst into the huge, dangerous wave coming at them.
Chimchar obeyed Sunset's command as it turned into a flaming wheel. Even Pikachu was trying to warn its ally that it was dangerous as Chimchar spun in place, waiting for Sunset's call to go in.
"Now this is interesting, using Flame Wheel to battle that Surf!" said Mayor Mare as even she was surprised to see Sunset call out that move to her Pokémon.
"Sunset!" shouted Sky.
"Stay out of this!" yelled Sunset, not enjoying his trying to change her mind about what she was planning.
Sky looked as he was wondering what to do. Just then, an idea came into his head.
"I got it! Pikachu, use Iron Tail and cut straight through!" shouted Sky.
Pikachu nodded as he leaped into the air and spun. Its tail glowed, and the small rodent rotated in a ball as its tail cut through the water. The impact it left created a trail that moved upward, and soon the entire wave was sliced in half as it disappeared. Sunset quickly called to Chimchar to stop its Flame Wheel as Pikachu, still having Iron Tail, could catch Lanturn coming down from its wave and slam its tail on its head. The fish felt it and crashed to the ground below as it lay there.
"What a move! Pikachu covered Chimchar and scored a direct K.O.!" said Mayor Mare.
"Lanturn's unable to battle!" said the ref.
"Creative on Sky's part, I'll give him that," said Rainbow.
"Now, Pikachu, Volt Tackle!" instructed the boy.
Pikachu began to take off at high speed, surrounded by a wave of electricity and heading toward Typhlosion.
"Chimchar, use Dig!" instructed Sunset. The small chimp quickly jumped into the ground below and burrowed itself.
"Typhlosion, Flame Charge!" instructed its Trainer.
The wolverine charged ahead, covered in flame as it collided with Pikachu headfirst.
"It's an even match!" said Mayor Mare as both Pokémon stood still.
Just then, below the two Pokémon colliding, the ground began to open up. Chimchar appeared as Typhlosion noticed the small chimp at the last second before it leaped up and delivered an uppercut with its fist to its chin. The attack caused Typhlosion to stumble before it fell down, and it, too, was defeated.
"Typhlosion's unable to battle! Pikachu and Chimchar are the winners!" said the ref.
"Wow, what a bout!" said Night Light. "And that means moving on to the next round will be Sunset and Sky!"
Pikachu and Chimchar were smiling as the pair looked at each other. The two gave each other a quick thumbs up.
"Good work," said Pikachu.
"You as well," said Chimchar as he gave props to his ally.
Just then, Sunset approached them as the small chimp looked at its Trainer. The girl had a simple look while seeing her Pokémon.
"Excellent work, Chimchar," said Sunset, as she was happy her Pokémon won, despite her not showing it.
"I'm glad they won, but it certainly wasn't the greatest example of teamwork," said Fluttershy.
"Regardless, they won based on their separate efforts," said Twilight.
"They may have survived today, but that may be it," said Silverbolt.
On the field, Sky and Sunset were still glaring at each other. Not even he was happy about them moving on to the next round, as all he could do was stare at the girl and vice versa.
"Look, from now on, keep your nose out of my business and my Pokémon!" threatened Sunset.
"Just get off it!" shouted Sky. "Face it! We work as a team! That's what partners do!"
The two butted their foreheads against each other as they growled. The two were giving off the vibe of two animals wanting to kill each other. The bad blood between the Trainers was fully displayed for Sky's friends to see. It was an unlikely team, but Sunset and Sky pulled off an impressive victory! Not to mention the others as well. With the field now beginning to narrow, the question still remains: Who will rise to the top of the Tag Battle championship?
Author's Note: It seems our heroes have decided to have some fun and enter Canterlot City's Tag Battle Tournament. And what surprises awaited them. Running into their friends who also happen to be passing by, unfortunately, in the case of Sky, it seems he has to work with the one person he can't stand. None other than Sunset. They say opposites attract, but I doubt there'll be any kind of coexistence between them as all they care about is ripping each other to shreds. If they want to win, they need to find a way to work together. Easier said than done. As always, leave a review expressing your thoughts and comments.