The Canterlot City Tag Battle competition was off to a rousing start with our heroes and several others in the fray when Sky discovered his Tag Battle partner was to be none other than Sunset! Though a complete mismatch at first glance, this most unusual team and Pikachu and Chimchar battled fiercely despite their many disagreements to gain a decisive first-round victory! But that was then, and one question remains: What will become of Sky and Sunset now?

It was nighttime, and some training was happening in the nearby woods beside the stadium.

"Noctowl, Air Slash!" instructed Sky.

The owl spread its wings out as it shot out its attack. Standing opposite it was the rest of Sky's Pokémon as they all stood their ground. They saw the attack coming and waited. At the last second, they all ducked out of the way, and safety landed.

"Nice job! And that's just how I want you guys to battle in the second round!" said Sky.

The Pokémon gave a response to their Trainer as Noctowl was hovering in the air. The small bird then noticed something in the distance as an attack was shot upward.

"What's that?" asked Sky as he saw it.

At the Pokémon Center, the rest of the gang and competitors were shown as they were getting their Pokémon taken care of and resting themselves.

"So a Pokémon's potential ability is greatly influenced by the quality of its relationship with its Trainer, which is evidenced by otherwise unthinkable displays of power in their moves and abilities!" said Twilight to her Espeon as the Pokémon gave a happy response to her Trainer.

"Uhm, I... like Goomy too," Spike said, as the boy was dumbfounded by what his sister said as he sat across from her.

"You'll never understand it, Spike," scoffed Twilight, as only her Espeon appreciated sophisticated conversations like this.

"So, how are my kids doing?" asked Night Light as he appeared before them.

"Hi, Dad! Thanks for the Pokémon," said Spike as he held out the Pokéball with both hands.

"No problem, son," said Night Light as he bent down and rubbed the small boy's head. "By the way, Twily. I managed to find it."

Night Light gave his daughter a Pokéball as Twilight was giddy like a schoolgirl. The girl had asked her father to search for something, and it turned out he was able to find it.

"Thanks, Dad," said Twilight as she hugged her father, as did Spike.

"Anything for my kids," said Night Light as he hugged his children. "Come on, your mother's waiting for us."

With that, the two siblings and their father left the Pokémon Center as they were heading home for the night. As for the others, they would spend the night at the Pokémon Center, so they said goodbye and would see them in the morning.

"Sky, where are you, sugarcube?" said Applejack as she looked for the boy.

The country girl passed some trees as she was looking for her friend. Something was happening in the woods from where the attack shot into the air. Chimchar was shown standing before some Pokémon and Sunset.

"Jolteon, use Discharge! Machamp, Focus Blast! Fletching, Razor Wind!" instructed Sunset to the rest of her Pokémon.

They all responded as they began to prepare their attacks and fired. Chimchar saw the attacks coming as it stood its ground and showed no fear.

"Chimchar, Flame Wheel!" ordered Sunset.

Chimchar let out a prideful cry before turning into its attack. The other attacks came and collided with the Flame Wheel, but Chimchar was able to block it with its attack as it began to ramp up. At that moment, heading toward them was Sky as the boy went exploring to see what caused that attack and saw Sunset training with her Pokémon.

"Hey, Sunset, what's going on here?" asked the boy.

She didn't answer but merely glanced at her rival from the corner of her eye before returning to Chimchar and giving a command.

"Flamethrower!" said the girl.

Chimchar stopped spinning, opened its mouth, and fired a stream of fire. It was more powerful as it zoomed past Sunset, hit Sky directly in the chest, and pushed him back. The chimp was slightly concerned about hitting the human as Sky sat up.

"Ow, my head," said the boy as he rubbed it. "That was awesome, Chimchar. You just keep getting stronger."

Chimpchar responded happily to the praise it was getting from the boy. Sunset approached her Pokémon and bent down.

"Stellar work, as always. Here you go," said Sunset as she handed her Pokémon a special treat for doing a good job.

"So, you're also training?" said Sky.

"It's none of your business," scoffed Sunset.

"Yes, it is! We're a Tag Team!" said Sky as he stood up.

"Your point?" stated Sunset as she crossed her arms.

"I still don't understand why you'd entered this thing!" said the boy.

"Of course, you wouldn't! See, the fact is, this contest allows me to give my Pokémon some combat experience," said the girl.

"What do you mean by that?!" said Applejack.

"Aj!" said Sky as he turned to see the country gal walking toward them.

The farm girl had discovered Sunset and Sky just a few moments ago and heard them going at each other.

"Don't you think that's rude to everybody else in the competition!" said the farm girl.

"It's true. Country folk and hillbillys really are stupid!" said Sunset.

"Why I outta!" shouted Applejack, ready to punch Sunset if Sky didn't grab her arm and hold her back. Seeing why Sky hated her, the girl was looking to get her hands on Sunset.

"See, I need my Pokémon to be in situations where the battle is fierce. Because when you're in the heat of battle, that's where you see if you have what it takes to survive. You see if you have what it takes to win. You learn things about yourself." stated Sunset.

"Why?" said Sky, as he managed to get Applejack to calm down. "What would have happened if Chimchar lost?"

"Then it's a simple case that I need a stronger Pokémon," answered Sunset.

"That's crazy! If you're so content with strengthening your Pokémon, you must improve their strong points!" stated Sky.

"Oh, please! If you spend a second improving a Pokémon's strong points is like babying a spoiled brat," explained Sunset. "They're never gonna learn if you don't emphasize who's in charge. If they don't see that you're in control and making all the decisions."

"There are other ways to get stronger! You don't have to do it the hard way!" said Sky.

"Maybe for you, but for me, I have no choice," said Sunset as she called back all of her Pokémon and began to walk away.

"That girl is something else," said Applejack as she glared at Sunset's retreating figure.

The next day came as the second day of the Tag Battle competition was underway. After the exchange between Sunset and Sky, it was even more telling that both still weren't on the same page.

"It's Tag Battle day two! With a sizzling second round! We've had 24 hours for our teams to get comfortable and really lock in sync. And I can guarantee this audience that Trainers and Pokémon will push each other to even greater heights!" said Mayor Mare.

As she said this, a montage of battles flew by as the tournament continued. One of those was Sunset and Sky, as they were using Buizel and Machamp as they ran into similar problems yesterday. They somehow managed to win their battle despite being at each other's throats.

"The next battle will now commence!" said Mayor Mare.

"Snivy, you're up to bat!" shouted Rainbow as she threw her Pokéball.

"Delcatty, show them your elegance!" said Rarity.

The two called on their Pokémon as their opponents had selected a Houndour and a Teddiursa.

"Houndour, the Dark Pokémon. Houndour shows extreme loyalty to its Trainer or packs, eagerly cooperating as a team. Its cries may sound eerie, but it's using them to communicate with friends."

"Teddiursa, the Little Bear Pokémon. Teddiursa changes the flavor of its honey-soaked paws by incorporating different kinds of berries and pollen."

"A Normal type, and a Dark/Fire type. Rainbow might have trouble with that Houndour," said Silverbolt.

"Well, she can take care of herself," said Applejack.

"Battle begin!"

"Snivy, use Leaf Storm!" instructed Rainbow.

"Snivy!" shouted the Pokémon as she called on a storm of leaves to appear before shooting them forward.

"Houndour, Flamethrower!" instructed the Pokémon's Trainer.

Houndour gave a growl before opening his mouth and firing a stream of fire. The flames engulfed the leaves as they were burnt up.

"Teddiursa, use Fake Tears!" said the Pokémon's Trainer.

Teediursa then sat down and began to fake cry as tears poured out of its eyes. Snivy landed beside Delcatty. Both then were surrounded by an aura for a moment before it disappeared.

"What's Fake Tears?" asked the country girl as she looked on.

"Fake Tears is a move that lowers the target's special defense," answered Silverbolt.

"Rarity, do something!" shouted Rainbow.

"Don't tell me what to do!" responded the fashionista, as she didn't appreciate the girl yelling and bossing her around.

"Houndour. Use Bite!"

The small canine began to run forward as its mouth was open, ready to bite down on its targets.

"Dodge it!" shouted both girls as they returned to their Pokémon and ordered them to move out of the way.

Snivy and Delcatty leaped at the last second as Houndour missed both targets.

"Delcatty, Sing!" instructed Rarity.

"Snivy, Vine Whip on Teddiursa!" said Rainbow.

The chromatic-haired girl sought to cover her partner by distracting their other foe.

"Teddiursa, Fury Swipes!" shouted the woman.

The small teddy had its claws grow slightly longer as it was now combating Rainbow's Snivy; the small serpent stepped forward while swinging the vines around its neck. The two were exchanging blows which left Delcatty to deal with Houndour.

Delcatty was approaching the sleeping pup as Rarity was about to give it a command when...

"Sleeptalk!"

Houndour stood up, still asleep, as it opened its mouth, and shot out a Flamethrower attack. Delcatty saw it and was caught off guard by the sudden move as it was pushed back by the fire and tumbled along the ground, having some scuffs and burns along its fur.

"Delcatty!" shouted Rarity at seeing her Pokémon.

"What's Sleeptalk?" asked Fluttershy as she and Twilight were in the waiting area as their battle would be next.

"Sleeptalk allows a Pokémon to use one of its other moves while asleep. And don't forget, because Teddiursa used Fake Tears earlier, it lowered Delcatty's special defense. So that Flamethrower from Houndour dealt even more damage." said the bookworm.

Houndour then began to yawn as it opened its eyes and looked around. It noticed Delcatty slowly getting up as it growled.

"Bite, Houndour!" instructed his Trainer.

Houndour charged ahead and sank its jaws into Delcatty; the feline let out a painful cry as it felt the power behind its foe clamping down on it.

"Delcatty!" screamed Rarity as her Pokémon was in trouble.

"You got to be kidding me," muttered Rainbow. "Snivy, go help Delcatty with Leaf Blade!"

The serpent stopped its Vine Whip barrage with Teddiursa as it turned and began to run to aid its ally. She closed in and leaped into the air as she spun head over heels with its tail glowing and was looking to come down on Houndour to release its hold on Delcatty.

"Teddiursa, Metal Claw!" shouted the woman.

The small bear ran as it leaped in between Snivy and Houndour. The small bear had one claw extended and covered in a metal coating as it blocked the Leaf Blade from Snivy. Rainbow and Snivy were stunned to see that the Pokémon had blocked their attempt to help their partners.

Meanwhile, Houndour held Delcatty tightly with its mouth clamped around itself. It tried to wiggle free, but the grip was too strong.

"Delcatty, use Iron Tail!" said Rarity in a panic.

The feline struggled but managed to flick its tail close to Houndour's face as it shined. A couple quick whips to its face caused Houndour to close its eyes to protect them, and soon it let go of the feline and stumbled back. Delcatty now had some breathing room as behind Houndour, Snivy was still trying to push past Teddiursa's Metal Claw with its Leaf Blade.

"Delcatty, Blizzard!" instructed Rarity.

Delcatty meowed before opening her mouth and shooting a cold air stream toward its foe.

"Dodge it!"

"Look out!"

Both Trainers warned their Pokémon as Teddiursa and Houndour did as instructed. They moved out of the way as Snivy was hit by the cold air and took massive damage as it cried.

"Rarity, what the hell are you doing?!" yelled Rainbow as she put her hands on the fashionista to get her to look at her and glare.

"Get your hands off of me!" shouted the girl.

"Flamethrower!"

Houndour's Trainer took advantage of Rainbow arguing with Rarity for accidentally hitting her Snivy. The small pup opened its mouth to fire another stream of fire as it collided with Snivy, who took even more damage.

"Teddiursa, use Low Kick!"

The small bear ran forward as it lifted one of its stubby legs for a kick. It caught Delcatty as the feline was sent back and crashed into Snivy as both were engulfed in the Flamethrower and crashed. The sound of them crashing was heard as a creator was shown.

"Snivy and Delcatty are unable to battle!" said the official.

"No!" said Rainbow.

"Delcatty!" screamed Rarity as she rushed toward her Pokémon.

The fashionista held her Pokémon in her arms as Delcatty let out a soft meow. It began to lick her hands as to say it was sorry. Rarity merely smiled while Rainbow called back her Snivy and yelled angrily. The screen showed their portraits as they were greyed out, signaling they had lost and were out of the competition.

"Shit!" yelled Rainbow as she kicked over an empty barrel and began to stomp on it.

"Rainbow's such a sore loser," said Applejack as she smiled, seeing the girl throw a temper tantrum for being the first ones knocked out.

"You can say that again," smiled Silverbolt as he enjoyed seeing Dash having her ego bruised just a little bit.

"Rarity, this is all your fault!" yelled the chromatic-haired girl to her former partner.

"I beg your pardon!" responded the fashionista.

"We lost because of you! I had to cover your ass because you couldn't handle your target!"

"I beg to differ!"

The two continued arguing as Silverbolt and Applejack merely shook their heads.

"I knew I should have a better partner!".

"I take offense to that, Rainbow!"

The two continued their heated debate as it got to the point where Aj and Silverbolt had to step in and make sure a catfight didn't break out. Soon the announcement for the next match was heard as it involved some more of their friends.

"Time for the final battle of the day!" said Night Light as everyone turned to look at the field.

On the field on one side were Pinkie and Spike, and facing them were none other than Fluttershy and Twilight. Having won their previous bouts, both teams were set to face each other, as whoever won would go on to the quarterfinals.

"Ready, Spike!" asked Pinkie.

"Yeah," said Spike as he glanced at his older sister on the other side.

Never thought I'd be facing my sister. Time to show her I can take care of myself.

Twilight quickly glanced over to her father as she could only imagine what he must be thinking about seeing his two kids fight against each other. But Night Light had a smile on his face as he was looking forward to seeing what his children could do.

"You know the plan, Fluttershy?" asked Twilight.

"Maybe," said the girl, still unhappy about facing her friends.

"Show your Pokémon!" said the ref.

"Goomy, let's go!"

"Slurpuff, let's have some fun!"

"Eevee, help me, please!"

All three Pokémon appeared before their Trainers. Twilight was shown lifting a Pokéball as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She then threw it.

"Lend me your assistance!" shouted the bookworm.

The ball was thrown, and out came her Pokémon. It resembled a robotic spider. It had a light blue disc-shaped body with two red eyes and a large X in the center of its face. Each of its four legs was outfitted with three short claws.

"Meta!" shouted the Pokémon.

"What is that?!" said Applejack, the farm girl in awe by what Pokémon Twilight had as she pulled out her Pokédex.

"Metagross, the Iron Leg Pokémon. Metagross is formed when two Metang combine. It is physically and mentally intimidating; it can easily pin a foe underneath its massive steel body, and its four brains perform complicated calculations in the blink of an eye."

"Sounds like a powerful Pokémon," said Rainbow.

"It is," confirmed Silverbolt.

"Battle begin!" shouted the official.

"Goomy, Rain Dance!" instructed Spike.

"Goo!" said the small slug.

"And Goomy has set up the Rain Dance just like before," said Mayor Mare as she called the play-by-play of what Spike told his Pokémon to do. Rain clouds formed as they covered the field above and began to drizzle.

"Slurpuff, Energy Ball!" said Pinkie.

Slurpuff obeyed its Trainer's command as it opened its mouth to form a ball of green energy. It then shot forward as it was heading toward its foe.

"Metagross, Psychic!"

The large metal Pokémon heard the girl's command as its eyes glowed and the X in the center of its face. The ball of energy coming at them stopped as Metagross controlled it. With a flick of its power, it flung the ball away into the field's wall as it made a loud thud and noise.

"Meta!" shouted the Pokémon.

"You weren't kidding, sugar. That's power," said Aj as she was in awe of seeing Twilight command her Pokémon to deflect Pinkie's attack like it was nothing.

"Goomy, Dragon Pulse!" said Spike.

"Move!" said Twilight as Metagross moved out of the way, but Eevee was hit as Fluttershy was too slow in calling her command.

Eevee let out a cry as it was hit; it flew through the air before being picked out and set gently on its feet. The fox looked as Metagross used its Psychic to catch its ally.

"Eevee," said the fox Pokémon as she thanked its partner.

"You good, Fluttershy?" asked Twilight to her shy friend.

The girl merely nodded.

"Good, now come on, I need your help!" exclaimed Twilight as she turned her attention back to the battle.

"Slurpuff, use Fairy Wind!"

"Eevee, Swift!"

Slurpuff made a wind of sparkling dust fly forward as Eevee leaped into the air and flicked its tail as yellow stars shot out. The stars made contact with the wind as it held off the attack and made the wind disburse in all directions.

"Muddy Water!" instructed Spike.

"Metagross, Iron Defense!" said Twilight.

The small slug had mud under it before shooting in a straight beam. Metagross had the X in its face shine as it stood over Eevee and took the attack head-on. The attack spread out as it did little to nothing to the giant metal Pokémon. As the attack ceased, the rain clouds above the field soon stopped. They rolled away as sunlight peeked through, and the field was normal.

"And Rain Dance has ended!" said Night Light.

"Eevee, Shadow Ball on Goomy!" instructed Fluttershy.

Eevee took a few steps forward and opened its mouth. A ball of dark energy formed before it shot forward.

"Slurpuff, Cotton Guard!"

Pinkie commanded her Pokémon to step in front of Goomy as it began to embed itself in a layer of cotton. The attack connected with Slurpuff but could stand its ground and tank the hit from Eevee as the cotton on its body began fading.

"Thanks, Pinkie! Goomy, let's use Bide!" said Spike.

The small slug began to glow as he concentrated.

"Slurpuff cover Goomy and use Flamethrower!" said Pinkie.

"Eevee, Dig!" said Fluttershy as she instructed her Pokémon to avoid the attack.

"Metagross, Meteor Mash!" shouted Twilight.

Metagross hurled itself forward as it surrounded itself in an aura. The meteor-like punch pushed through the Flamethrower coming from Slurpuff as Metagross bashed into the giant creampuff; it let out a painful cry before tumbling along the dirt. Metagross glowed with a different color outline for a moment as it disappeared.

At the same time, the ground before Goomy began to open up as Eevee came out and used its tail to smack the slug. Goomy was sent soaring through the air as it was still using Bide before it landed. The small slug willed itself to get up as it finished charging its attack. It let loose as it shot a beam of energy toward its opponents.

"Metagross!" shouted Twilight.

The large metal Pokémon used one of its legs to cover Eevee as it tanked the attack and kept the small fox safe. The Bide attack from Goomy was more powerful than expected as Metagross grunted. The attack continued as Metagross willed itself to endure it as it skidded back a bit. Soon the attack ended as Metagross managed to stand its ground, as there were scuffs along its body.

"Hyper Beam!" shouted Twilight.

"Meta!" yelled Metagross as it opened its mouth and began to charge its attack.

The giant metal Pokémon finished powering up and let loose a powerful attack. The orange beam shot forward as it was heading for Goomy, as the small slug saw the attack just moments before it made contact. A cloud of black smoke occurred the moment Metagross' attack made contact. Once it died down, there was Goomy on the ground.

"Goomy!" shouted Spike.

"Goomy is unable to battle!" said the official as Twilight knocked her brother and his Pokémon out in one shot.

"Wow!" said Rarity.

"That Meteor Mash that Twilight used earlier gave her a boost."

"What do you mean?" asked Rainbow to Silverbolt.

"Meteor Mash has the additional effect where it may sometimes raise a Pokémon's attack stat. Coupled with how powerful Hyper Beam is, no doubt Goomy would be hit with a KO." stated the boy.

"Slurpuff, Flamethrower."

"Eevee, Dig."

The fox began to burrow itself into the ground. The creampuff huffed and puffed before letting loose its Flamethrower attack. It made contact with Metagross, and the Pokémon had no choice but to let it connect as it was dealing massive damage.

"Since Twilight had Metagross use Hyper Beam, it can't move. So Pinkie did a smart play in launching her attack, and an effective one at that," stated Silverbolt.

Slurpuff was dealing big damage to its opponent as the ground below it rumbled. It shifted to look down as, at that moment, Eevee came out and did a backflip, making its tail contact the creampuff. It got Slurpuff to stop its attack as it stumbled back. Metagross shook itself as it recovered its strength and could move again.

"Metagross, Pyschic!"

Metagross had its eyes, and face glowed as it got ahold of Slurpuff. The giant creampuff was helpless as it was lifted into the air. With a snap of her fingers, Metagross dropped and slammed the creampuff straight down. The impact made a small crater in the field, and a veil of smoke clouds appeared. They soon disbursed as it revealed Slurpuff, who was in the hole it created with swirls in its eyes.

"Slurpuff is unable to battle. That means the victors are Eevee and Metagross. Moving onto the next round is Fluttershy and Twilight!" said the ref as he pointed in their direction.

"We did it! Nice work, Fluttershy!" said Twilight; her shy friend was a bit frightened but soon smiled as the bookworm gave her a warm hug.

Pinkie and Spike bent down to look at their fallen Pokémon. The pink-haired girl smiled as her Slurpuff got up and felt sad. Pinkie rubbed its head and offered a Pokémon snack to cheer up her pal. Spike bent down and saw his Goomy.

"Sorry," said the boy as he failed the Pokémon his father had given him for the tournament.

"Eevee," said the fox as she stood on her hind legs and planted her front paws on Metagross' face. The small Pokémon was saying thank you to its friend.

"Meta," responded the giant metal Pokémon as he nodded.

"And so, after another long day of battling, here are the teams that remain!" said Mayor Mare as she turned behind to look at the giant screen that was shown.

On it were the remaining competitors: Silverbolt and Applejack, Fluttershy and Twilight, and Sky and Sunset. These pairs were now in the Tag Battle Competition quarterfinals as the tournament bracket was shown, revealing what matchups would take place tomorrow.

"Just three more wins, and we'll be the winners," said Silverbolt as he looked at the screen before looking at Aj.

"We got this, sugarcube," assured the country girl to her partner.

Twilight assured Fluttershy that all would be well as they were this close to winning. However, it was a different atmosphere for another pair.

"Stay out of my way. I'm not about to let you screw this up for me!" shouted Sunset as she pointed at Sky.

"You're the one who's gonna screw us over!" responded the boy. "Let's not forget, I'm the one who got us our latest win. If anything, I'm the one carrying this team!"

"You couldn't even carry my bags!" responded Sunset as she and Sky glared.

Each teen had their Pokémon all out and standing by their side. Sky was shown with his Pikachu, Buizel, Turtwig, and Noctowl, all glaring at Sunset, who was accompanied by her Chimchar, Machamp, Fletchling, and Jolteon. The Pokémon could feel the anger emitting from their Trainers as it translated to them also being angry and staring down their foes. Sky and Sunset had their foreheads against each other as they growled with their Pokémon sizing each other up and letting out taunts to each other.

The attitude the humans were feeling translated to their Pokémon as they all wanted to beat the hell out of each other. The disdain they had resonated as one wondered how much longer Sky and Sunset could coexist in a sense before either one of them or both decided to turn on the other. Once more, the hate and rivalry between the two continued to grow and fuel them.

Author's Note: And the tournament continues to rage on. And it seems we now have some of our characters out. Not to mention, Twilight having the addition of a powerful Pokémon. If that's any indication of what kind of Pokémon her family grows, it adds more to the fact that Shining Armor is the strongest Gym Leader and that Night Light was someone to not mess around with when he was Gym Leader before he handed it over. However, it seems the unholy alliance between Sky and Sunset is still there as the two show just how different they are when it comes to raising Pokémon.