It's another bright and beautiful day for our heroes as they continue their journey toward Sky and Applejack's next challenge. Today, the road twists and turns through rugged mountain terrain, leading our group straight to adventure.

"So, Rarity, are you excited to know what's inside that egg of yours?" asked Twilight.

"A little. I can only imagine how gorgeous whatever Pokémon is waiting to be hatched," said Rarity as she looked at the container that held her prize.

"Alright, y'all! Ready to head out!" said Applejack as she and Sky had just finished packing their stuff.

"All set!" responded Twilight as she slipped on her backpack.

Once everyone was ready, the group returned to the road and continued their trek on the path. The teens and Spike had been on the road quite a bit as they descended the mountain trail. It was all quiet when suddenly.

"Stop!"

The kids heard that as they turned, and to their surprise, a Houndoom was shown running toward the group.

"Look! It's a Houndoom!" stated Sky.

They all stepped to the side as the Pokémon ran past them.

"Houndoom! Wait! Come back!" said the Pokémon's trainer as he appeared in front of the kids and was exhausted from all the running he did trying to get his Pokémon back.

The kids looked at Houndoom as it continued on the path. However, they also noticed that up ahead on the path was an elderly man with a walking stick as he was in the direct line of sight of the Pokémon's rampage.

"That's man's in trouble!" said Sky as they all began to run.

Houndoom was still on its rampage charge as the old man the kids spotted was getting closer and closer in its sight. The elderly person turned his head as he saw the Pokémon approaching him. He was about to do something when...

"Sir! Look out!" shouted Sky as he approached the old man and stood before him. "Turtwig! I choose you!" The boy pulled out one of his Pokéballs and threw it as out came his Pokémon.

"Twig!" said Turtwig as he appeared.

"Hmm. I am interested to see how you will use that Pokémon," stated the old man to the teen as he was curious how Turtwig's smaller size and type disadvantage could take down Houndoom.

"Quick, Turtwig, use your Razor Leaf and stop that Houndoom in its tracks!" instructed Sky, not paying much attention to what the old man said and more focused on the incoming threat.

Turtwig gave a confident response as it began to charge while throwing out its Razor Leaf attack. Houndoom merely lowered its head to tank the hit as it slowly began to lose some speed but was still coming.

"Clever," muttered the old man.

"Watch out, sir. This is still dangerous," stated Sky to the old person.

Houndoom managed to put the brakes on as it looked at Turtwig, seemingly a bit angry at the smaller Pokémon for what it did to him. It growled and clawed at the ground as it prepared to fight. It shot a Flamethrower attack. Turtwig managed to evade it easily, as Houndoom was now charging at its foe.

"Okay, Turtwig, stand your ground and then dodge it when I say," instructed Sky to his Pokémon.

"Twig!" said the small green Pokémon with a nod.

He stood in place as he awaited Sky's command. Houndoom was charging at full speed as it was getting closer and closer. Yet, despite getting so close, Turtwig remained still as it waited for its trainer to say when to move.

"Dodge it!" shouted Sky.

In the blink of an eye, Turtwig slid under Houndoom's legs. The Pokémon was so surprised to see its target slip under that it didn't pay attention to its front as when it lifted its head, it came face first with a tree and smacked into it. The Pokémon had a dizzy face before it fell and was unconscious.

"Nice work, Turtwig! I knew you could do it!" shouted Sky to his Pokémon.

"Turtwig!" said the Pokémon with a prideful smile.

The boy picked up his Pokémon, hugged it, and held it high. The old man watched the pair as his interest in Sky and his Pokémon grew. He had a small smile creep onto his face; just then, the girls, Spike, and Houndoom's trainer managed to catch up as they appeared before them.

"That was great, sugarcube!" said Aj.

"Thanks a lot," said Houndoom's trainer as he approached his Pokémon. "We were practicing some moves when my Houndoom was stung by a Beedrill," stated the young man as he recalled his Pokémon.

"Happy to help," said Sky.

"Right, take care!" said the trainer as he waved goodbye to the kids and went on his way.

The kids returned the gesture as the old man finally spoke up.

"Excellent!" stated the elderly person. "You've trained that Turtwig of yours exceptionally well, young man."

"Thanks," said Sky.

"If you're interested in Pokémon, I may have a job for you," said the old man.

"Huh?" said the entire group of kids, unsure what the old man meant. Even Turtwig was confused.

The old man led the group to a not-too-far building. Upon first glance, it looked like an ancient building that samurai and imperial nobles used to live in. The group was at the front door, taking in the structure and surroundings.

"Well, this is it," said the old man.

"It's very nice," said Applejack as she scratched her head.

"Love the ancient architecture!" said Twilight as she admired how historical a building like this might be.

"Lovely aesthetic. It matches all the cherry blossoms trees around," said Rarity, giving her fashionista expert opinion on the place.

"It's old."

"Spike!" shouted Twilight to her little brother for calling the old man's place that.

"What?" said the kid.

Before Twilight could scold her annoying brother, they soon heard some sounds. They appeared to be fighting noises, followed by someone shouting.

"Four and one and two and..."

"What're those voices?" asked Sky.

"Hmm... That's my granddaughter's foolish idea of Pokémon training," said the old man as he lowered his head and responded disapprovingly.

"Foolish?" said Applejack.

"Our home has been an honored training school for fighting Pokémon for centuries. It's a dojo. Just like a martial arts dojo." stated the old man.

"I never heard of a Pokémon dojo before," responded Rarity as she looked at the symbol on the front of the door.

"Before any schools or Battle Chauteas, or even Battle Club Fights, dojos were the first forms of people coming in and challenging to see just how strong their Pokémon could be," said Twilight. "Especially Fighting-type Pokémon."

"Wow," said Sky with a smile.

Inside the courtyard, a group of kids and their Fighting Pokémon were all mimicking and copying the moves of their instructor and her Pokémon. The instructor was none other than the old man's granddaughter; she was clapping her hands in time to match the rhythm of their kicks. The kids saw this and let out excitement as Applejack pulled out her Pokédex to scan the Pokémon in front of the old man's granddaughter.

"Poliwrath, the Tadpole Pokémon and the evolved form of Poliwhirl. Its body is solid muscle. When swimming through cold areas, Poliwrath uses its impressive arms to smash through drift ice and plow forward."

"Sounds strong," commented the farm girl.

"Alright, everyone. Pay attention!" said the girl who was the instructor as she clapped her hands to get the kids' attention. "It's important to make your attacks graceful. Now watch as Poliwrath demonstrates the proper form. Poliwrath?"

The girl looked over at her Pokémon as it began to bounce on its feet like it was preparing to box. It then began to throw out some left and right punches while still bouncing on its feet, never once losing its form while throwing fists.

"Now, finish it up!" said the girl as she instructed her Pokémon to hit the wooden dummy in front of it.

Poliwrath punched the dummy rapidly as its fists flew faster than anybody could blink.

"Wow! Look at that!" said Spike.

"I've never seen anything like that before," stated Twilight, impressed by Poliwrath's actions.

"Hmm. It's a complete joke," stated the old man as he glared at his granddaughter.

The others heard that as they looked at the elderly man with confused looks.

"It's a disgrace what she does," stated the old man.

"Okay, nice work, everybody! See you tomorrow, bye!" said the girl, dismissing her class and waving goodbye.

The kids waved back as they talked about how intense their class was. Soon, they and their Pokémon noticed the girl's grandfather as they bowed respectfully. The man just opened and closed his eyes in his response.

"Good day, sir!" said the kids upon bowing as they left with their Fighting Pokémon.

"So, why did they bow to you?" asked Spike.

"Because I am the Shihan of this dojo," replied the old man.

"Shihan? Doesn't that mean something?" asked Sky.

"A Shihan is the master of a dojo," explained Twilight.

"Hey, Grandpa!" said the girl as she approached her grandfather with her Poliwrath.

"Everyone, this is my granddaughter, Chloe. Chloe, this is Sky. He'll be serving as my replacement."

"Huh?!" said all the teens as they looked at the older man.

"Replacement?! Hold on. I never agreed to"

"Grandpa! You can't be serious?" stated Chloe as she addressed her grandfather. "I'm the one who's going to take over as Shihan! It's been my dream since I was little!"

"Ha! I would never hand that title over to you," laughed the old man to his own granddaughter.

"Why not? What does he have that you think would make him a good Shihan?!" yelled Chloe as she pointed at Sky and growled at the boy, looking to take away her dream.

"A Shihan must teach the traditional ways of battle. You only like to teach about being flashing when performing moves," stated the old man.

"That's not true, Grandpa! I'm teaching Pokémon how to be winners!" stated Chloe as she defended herself to her grandfather.

"If they're hoping to win a muscle fitness contest," scoffed the old man.

"How can you say that?!" shouted Chloe.

"Um, I don't want to make things worse. But maybe there's another way to settle this. A compromise, perhaps." stated Sky.

"Alright then. If you want to be the one to take over, then beat me in a Pokémon battle!" stated Chloe as she looked at the boy.

"Hold on! I never said I wanted to take over!" said Sky as he tried to defuse the situation and inform the girl that he wasn't here to take over, as her grandfather proclaimed.

"Come on, send out one of your fighting Pokémon!" stated Chloe, ready to throw down and show Sky what she could do.

"But I don't have any fighting Pokémon!" responded Sky.

"See! How do you expect someone like him to take over the dojo if he doesn't even have any fighting Pokémon!" said the girl to her grandfather.

"I don't expect anything!" responded the teen.

"He may not have any fighting Pokémon, but he does have others," stated Chloe's grandfather. "From what I saw with his Turtwig, it stands to reason that his other Pokémon are just as capable of holding their own as any fighting Pokémon would."

"You're expecting him to fight with a non-fighting Pokémon?" said the girl to her grandfather.

"His Pokémon display many traits of a fighter. Perhaps even more than your Poliwrath!" scoffed Chloe's grandfather as he looked at his granddaughter.

Chloe took offense to her grandfather and how he was disrespecting her and her Pokémon.

"Poliwrath and I can beat this kid and any of his Pokémon any given time!" declared Chloe, looking to stand up for herself. "You said your name was Sky, right? Well, get ready to battle!"

"But I don't want to battle!" said Sky.

"Um, excuse me?"

A voice was heard as everybody turned their heads. Standing by the entrance to the dojo was a man with a small bag slung over his left shoulder. He began to walk in and make his presence known.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything. But I was wondering if the Shihan of this dojo was present?" asked the man.

"And who may you be?" asked Chloe's grandfather.

"My name is Clive. And I wondered if this dojo's Shihan would allow me to battle with them."

"And what is the reasoning?" asked the old man.

"See, I dream of one day opening my own dojo. But I want to prove that I have what it takes. So I made a vow to myself that I would go around and challenge all the Shihans of their dojos; so far, I've beaten six dojos. I believe that once I've beaten every dojo, that will prove that I'm ready to open up one of my own." stated Clive.

"I see," stated Chloe's grandfather.

"So, I come here looking for a challenge."

"Well, if it's a battle you want, then I will accept your challenge," stated Chloe's grandfather. "However, it would be too much if I asked that we have our battle tomorrow."

"Not at all. I look forward to a good fight," said Clive as he bowed and showed Chloe's grandfather the proper respect before turning and exiting the dojo.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you!" stated Chloe as she pointed a finger at Sky and glared before going after her grandfather.

"I was just trying to help," said the boy, but the girl was already walking away.

"I have a feeling this is going to be rough," said Twilight to the others.

The group was invited inside by Chloe's grandfather, and they sat in the main room of the dojo. They were served some green tea and treated to some snacks by one of the assistants. Right now, Chloe was talking with her grandfather as she wanted him to do something.

"Grandpa, let me prove that I have what it takes to be the Shihan of this dojo by letting me battle in tomorrow's match!" stated the girl as she wanted to prove herself to her grandfather after all his comments about her.

"I'm afraid you have no chance of winning with the way you battle," scoffed Chloe's grandfather as he sipped his tea.

"What are you talking about?" asked Chloe.

"No offense, sir. But isn't that kinda harsh," said Applejack.

"You need training! Proper training! None of that silly training you teach the others!" shouted Chloe's grandfather as he stood up and looked down at his granddaughter.

"And what would you say is proper training?" responded Chloe.

"Sky, perhaps you could demonstrate some of your techniques to my granddaughter?"

"Huh?" said Chloe, looking at the boy across from her.

"I don't think I... well..."

"Believe me, it would do well for the reputation of this dojo," stated the old man.

"Alright, but let's just see who teaches who," said Chloe, looking forward to showing her grandfather and Sky just how wrong they were.

Soon, the group was outside on the battlefield. The moon was high above as the two teens prepared to fight.

"Alright, this battle will be a three-on-three. No time limit," stated Twilight as she would ref this training match. "Now reveal your first Pokémon."

"Let's go, Mankey!" shouted Chloe as she called on her first Pokémon, a small, monkey-like Pokémon. It was mostly tan, with a round body, long limbs, and a tail. It had a pig nose, pointy ears, and medium-length fur. It also had triangular eyes with red irises.

"What's that?" asked Spike as Applejack pulled her Pokédex out.

"Mankey, the Pig Monkey Pokémon. An agile Pokémon that lives in trees. It angers easily and will not hesitate to attack anything."

"I'm not trying to replace you or anything!" said Sky.

"Just bring out your Pokémon already!" shouted Chloe, not wanting to listen to the boy.

Sky sighed as he pulled out a Pokéball before tossing it. Emerged his Noctowl as it hovered before his trainer and prepared to fight.

"Begin!" said Twilight.

"Mankey, Fury Swipes!" instructed Chloe.

"Noctowl, dodge it!" said Sky.

The Pig Monkey ran toward the owl as it began to throw its paws out to strike Noctowl; however, the bird could detect and evade the attacks its opponent threw as it flew up into the air where its foe couldn't reach it.

"Noctowl, Extrasensory!"

The owl tapped into his psychic powers as he got a hold of the Pig Monkey before it was flung back. Mankey tumbled along the dirt as Noctowl was shown diving and spreading its wings at the last second as it literally soared inches above the grass; the bird was heading toward its foe with a keen determination.

"Air Slash!"

Noctowl shot out several slashes of wind as they collided with Mankey, who took massive damage. The Pokémon was struggling to barely stand after taking the hits dead on as Noctowl was shown flying back around as it spotted its foe out of the corner of its eye.

"Sky Attack!" instructed the boy.

Noctowl gave a response as it dove again. It was encased in an aura as it headed toward the Pig Monkey quickly; moments later, it collided with the Pokémon and knocked it to the ground as it was defeated.

"Mankey is unable to battle!" said Twilight.

"Mankey, return!" said Chloe as she called back her Pokémon.

"Nice work, Noctowl," said Sky as his bird landed on his shoulder before he recalled his Pokémon back into his ball.

"Hmm."

Chloe's grandfather was examining the battle, hoping this would help open her granddaughter's eyes.

"Bring out your second Pokémon," said Twilight.

"Mienfoo, get ready to fight!" shouted Chloe as she selected her next Pokémon and threw out its ball.

"Mienfoo!" said the Pokémon as it appeared.

"Mienfoo, the Martial Arts Pokémon. A well-trained Mienfoo can chop with its arms more than 100 times in one minute. Though small, its temperament is fierce. Any creature approaching Mienfoo carelessly will be greeted with a flurry of graceful attacks."

"Pikachu, I choose you!" said Sky as he selected his second Pokémon.

The yellow rodent appeared as he took his position before its trainer. The mouse stared down the bipedal ferret as they could sense the other's fighting spirit.

"Mienfoo, Swift!"

"Pikachu, dodge it!"

Mienfoo made several stars appear before it as they were then launched forward toward the yellow rodent; hearing the call of his trainer, Pikachu was using his speed and agility to avoid and leap over any of the stars coming at him while he kept on moving not to allow its opponent a chance to strike.

"Force Palm!" shouted Chloe.

The ferret quickly vanished as Pikachu leaped over the last barrage of stars. It landed and reappeared before it; in the blink of an eye was Mienfoo. The Pokémon smiled as it brought its paw down.

"Iron Tail to block!" shouted Sky quickly.

On cue, Pikachu turned its body to angle its tail to make contact with the paw of Mienfoo as it avoided the paw touching its body to execute its attack. The attack still happened, pushing both Pokémon back a few feet, with Pikachu skidding to a halt as it returned to face forward.

"It blocked that quick!?" said Chloe, amazed that Sky could command Pikachu to block her lightning-fast reflex within those seconds.

"Nice work, bud!" said Sky to his Pokémon.

"Let's see you dodge this. Meinfoo, High Jump Kick!" shouted Chloe in annoyance.

"Meinfoo!" shouted the bipedal weasel as it leaped high into the air and had one of its knees glow.

Pikachu looked up and saw its foe coming down faster than it could react as the knee of the Pokémon made contact with the rodent and knocked it down. The yellow mouse tumbled along the ground as it stopped by Sky's feet.

"Pikachu, are you okay?" asked Sky to his Pokémon as it struggled to reach its feet.

"Meinfoo, keep on the pressure. High Jump Kick!" shouted Chloe.

"Pikachu, look out!" shouted Sky.

The rodent got to his feet and shook his head. He looked up as Meinfoo was already above him, its knee ready to strike again. It didn't have enough time to move or dodge the attack.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail and smack it on the ground to catapult yourself!" instructed Sky.

Pikachu began to twist itself as its tail had a metal coating and smacked it as hard as it could on the ground. The momentum caused the rodent to be sent upward, as Sky predicted, as it avoided Meinfoo's High Jump Kick at the last second. The bipedal ferret was shocked to see the yellow mouse avoid its attack and go upward as its knee made contact with the ground. The Pokémon then felt pain as its knee had a bruise for missing its target.

"What happened?" asked Spike.

"High Jump Kick is a risky move. If it misses its target, the user takes damage," explained Twilight.

"Do it!" shouted Sky.

"Huh?" said Chloe and Meinfoo.

The pair looked up as coming down above Meinfoo was Pikachu. The rodent was diving head first as it twisted its body to angle its tail to come down. Pikachu still had its Iron Tail attack as it made contact with the top of Meinfoo, dealt serious damage, and sent the weasel tumbling back.

"Meinfoo!" said Chloe, worried for her Pokémon.

"Finish it with Volt Tackle!" said Sky.

Pikachu landed and immediately took off as it encased itself in electricity. Meinfoo was getting to its feet as it looked up and was speared by the yellow rodent. The ferret felt the attack in its midsection as a small explosion occurred; Pikachu skidded back toward Sky, did a somersault, and landed on his feet with small electricity coursing through its body as recoil damage. The black smoke soon cleared up as Meinfoo was on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Meinfoo is unable to battle. The winner is Pikachu!" said Twilight.

"Meinfoo!" said Chloe as she hurried herself to her Pokémon.

"Great work, bud," said Sky as Pikachu climbed up his arm and nuzzled his cheek against his trainer.

"I'm not gonna let him take this away from me!" said Chloe as seeing how Sky was laughing with Pikachu made it feel like the boy was mocking her and telling her he would be her replacement.

"One final battle," said Twilight as Sky recalled Pikachu and pulled out another Pokéball.

"Poliwrath!" said Chloe, as she was down to her last Pokémon.

"Turtwig, I choose you!"

Both Pokémon appeared as they took their positions before their trainers and prepared for one final fight.

"Maybe this will teach you," muttered Chloe's grandfather.

"Turtwig, Razor Leaf!" instructed Sky.

"Poliwrath, Hydro Pump!" said Chloe.

Both attacks were shot out as they met in the middle; the power was at a standstill as neither Pokémon let up.

"Turtwig, get in there and use Bite!" instructed Sky.

Turtwig let up from its attack as it ducked under the Hydro Pump and ran.

"It can do that?" said Chloe, surprised by Sky's Pokémon and how they responded to his call.

Turtwig kept low while running as it used its speed to close the distance between him and his foe.

"Poliwrath, use Close Combat!" said the girl.

Poliwrath ceased his Hydro Pump and had its fists glow. Turtwig jumped as Poliwrath sidestepped; the small green Pokémon landed and turned as Poliwrath threw its fists.

"Turtwig, evasive manuveurs!" said Sky.

Turtwig halted and quickly turned around as Poliwrath began to throw some kicks and fists. The small green creature was hopping back and ducking its head as it was trying to avoid being hit by any one of Poliwrath's limbs; Poliwrath was moving its limbs so fast that any other normal Pokémon would have had difficulty avoiding it, but for Turtwig, while he was constantly dodging, he managed to stay under pressure and keep up with his dodges.

"Turtwig, on your left!" said Sky.

Turtwig sensed a fist coming from Poliwrath as he ducked.

"On your right!"

The small green Pokémon heard his trainer's command as he saw one of Poliwrath's legs coming to sweep him; he jumped at the last second to avoid it.

"On your left!" shouted the boy.

Turtwig, while in the air from jumping, saw the fist in front of him as he somersaulted back to avoid the punch.

"Now, Tackle!"

Turtwig landed and immediately pushed off. He tilted his head and angled it as he speared Poliwrath in its bull-eyes chest. The Pokémon felt the attack and fell back.

"No way! It dodged all my attacks!" said Chloe.

"Turtwig, Tackle once more!" instructed Sky.

Turtwig began to run toward Poliwrath as it was downed.

"Poliwrath, Dynamic Punch!" shouted Chloe.

The girl's Pokémon shook itself as it quickly got to its feet and had its right fist glow. Turtwig was coming at it full speed as Poliwrath reeled its fist back and prepared to thrust it forward. Turtwig jumped as Poliwrath threw his fist; the small green-shelled creature did a head-over-heel somersault as it avoided its foe's attack. Turtwig landed as Poliwrath quickly turned to attack.

"Bite it!" shouted Sky.

Turtwig turned and opened its mouth as it caught the fist. It bit down and stopped the Dynamic Punch.

"It stopped it?" shouted Chloe at what she was seeing.

"Time for a swing!" smiled Sky.

Turtwig then spun in a circle as it still held onto Poliwrath. The larger Pokémon was shocked as it spun at such velocity that it was getting a headache. Turtwig, showing off his strength, began to swing his foe while still holding on as they formed a small tornado. Soon, Turtwig released his grip on its foe and sent Poliwrath flying. The Pokémon let out some cries as it collided back first into a tree and slumped against the base.

"Poliwrath!" shouted Chloe as she rushed toward her Pokémon.

"That's it!" shouted the girl's grandfather as he decided to call the match there. "Enough! It's clear Sky and his Pokémon are the stronger team!"

"Uh, we must've gotten lucky," said the boy, trying to downplay his skills in their match against Chloe.

The girl didn't seem to buy that as she looked at her Poliwrath and its weakened state as tears formed. The girl recalled her Pokémon and quickly got up and ran as far away as possible. Sky looked to call out to her, but she was gone. Her grandfather was standing there with his eyes closed and arms crossed as it was clear his granddaughter didn't have what it took to be a Shihan.

Some stones were shown skipping along a pond as it left ripples in its wake. Sitting on the bank was Chloe as the girl had looked to escape for some alone time; she arrived at the peaceful pond and lulled over her battle with Sky. The teen wanted to prove to her grandfather that she took her role seriously and wanted to become Shihan after her grandfather stepped down. But based on her performance and how Sky beat every single one of her Pokémon, it seems her grandfather might have been right about her training methods and should just let the boy take over.

A sound was heard just as the girl was about to return to her room. A rustling from the nearby bushes occurred as stepping out of it was Turtwig. The small green Pokémon looked at the girl, rushed over to her, and smiled.

"So this is where you've been?" said Sky.

"If you're here to tell me that you're gonna replace me, then-"

"I'm not here for that. Listen, I'm not here to replace or take your spot, Chloe. I'm not here because your grandfather said so. I got my own dream, and that's entering the Equestrian League." said Sky as he told the girl.

He picked up a stone by his feet and tossed it up and down before throwing it. The stone just fell into the water, leaving a ripple. Sky grunted as he picked up another stone and attempted to skip it as the same thing happened.

"You're throwing it like it's a Pokéball. Place the stone between your thumb and middle finger. Also, angle it at 20 degrees." said Chloe as she approached Sky and grabbed his hand. The girl adjusted his arm and the stone as she showed him.

With his new form, Sky attempted to skip the stone. He threw it, and with Chloe's help, he got the stone to skip three times on the surface before it sank.

"Nice!" said Sky, proud that he finally got that down.

He picked up another stone; he assumed the same position as before and managed to skip the stone, this time getting four hops. Chloe smiled as she picked up a stone, and soon, the pair were having a small contest between the two to get the most skips. They threw various stones, resulting in many ripples on the water's surface as the girl smiled. Sky threw his latest stone as hard as he could; it skipped seven times and nearly reached the other end of the pond before sinking underneath the water's surface.

"Say, Sky? Can you tell me your secret? How do you win?" asked Chloe. "How were you able to dodge my Poliwrath's Close Combat?"

"Well... it's kind of hard to say exactly. Isn't it, Turtwig?" said the boy as he looked at his Pokémon by his feet. His Pokémon agreed as it responded.

"Please, I need to know," asked Chloe.

"It's simple," said Chloe's grandfather as he emerged from behind a tree. "It's because Sky and his Pokémon are a team."

"But we're a team, too," said Chloe.

"Simply because a Pokémon and the person who trained it are battling the same opponent, it does not mean they are truly a team. While getting up close to your opponent is an effective combat strategy, it does leave you vulnerable to a counterattack. A wise trainer knows when to attack and when to back off."

"I... I never thought of that," said Chloe as she put her head down. The girl recalled her battle with Sky and how the boy commanded his Pokémon to attack and when to pull back to avoid her attacks. "Maybe... you're right."

"Young people think they're always right. All you cared about was having your Pokémon dance and prance like they're in a show!" stated Chloe's grandfather. "Your attacks look strong, but if you don't work with your Pokémon as a team, you will fail, and you will never be Shihan!"

Chloe gasped as she took in the words of her grandfather.

"Sky may not be the best, but when it comes to working with his Pokémon, he leagues above you!"

"I'm sorry," said Chloe as she fell to her knees and put her head down. Her Poliwrath appeared out of its Pokéball as it noticed its trainer was sad. "Forgive me, Poliwrath. I lost sight of what it means to be a team. Maybe I'm just not meant to be a Shihan."

The girl's Pokémon placed a hand on her back and patted it to support her. It gave a supportive and concerned response as Chloe lifted her head to look at her partner.

"Would you please give me one more chance?" asked Chloe to her Pokémon. "I promise this time, we'll be a real team."

Poliwrath gave his response, and it made a happy expression. It made the girl smile, knowing she had a wonderful friend in her Pokémon. She then looked at Sky and stood up to face the boy.

"Sky, would you and your Pokémon help us train some more?"

"It'd be my pleasure," responded the teen. "We'll train all night if we have to."

"Great, and don't hold back!" said the girl as both rushed back to the field, leaving Chloe's grandfather alone as he watched them leave.

The two teens were back on the field as Chloe had her Poliwrath before her. Meanwhile, Sky stood on the opposite end with Turtwig by his feet, but the boy wouldn't use him.

"I'll be using this Pokémon. Buizel, I choose you!" shouted Sky as he called upon one of his other Pokémon.

"Bui, Bui!" said the weasel as he appeared before his trainer.

"Okay, let's get started!" said Chloe.

"Buizel, Water Gun!" instructed Sky.

Buizel reeled its head back as it opened its mouth and shot out a powerful stream of water.

"Poliwrath, counter with Hydro Pump!" said Chloe.

Poliwrath made its own water burst shoot out as it collided with Buizel's attack. The two attacks met in the middle, as a stalemate followed.

"Buizel, use Aqua Jet!"

The weasel surrounded itself in a stream of water as it rocketed off the ground and zoomed toward Poliwrath.

"Counter with Dynamic Punch!" said Chloe.

Poliwrath charged up its left fist as it reeled it back; Buizel was closing in as the Pokémon thrust his arm out, and his fist made contact with the Aqua Jet. A standstill occurred as Poliwrath held back its foe; just as Buizel was about to break through, Poliwrath willed itself, put more power behind its punch, and knocked the Pokémon away as he tumbled through the ground.

"Great job, Poliwrath!" said Chloe to her Pokémon.

"Poliwrath!" said the Pokémon, taking pride that he could fend off his opponent.

"Buizel, are you okay?" asked Sky.

Buizel groaned as he struggled to stand. The weasel managed to get up as he glared at Poliwrath with an intense stare. Soon, something began to happen as Buizel's arms were down, and a small blue orb began to form. The small sphere soon got bigger and bigger as it shined blue; everybody noticed this as Buizel cried and threw the sphere with all its might. The blue orb hit Poliwrath; it sent the Pokémon back as it tumbled to the ground.

"Buizel!" said Sky. The Pokémon was also surprised by what he just did as he looked at his paws. "What move was that?"

"That was Water Pulse!" said Chloe as Poliwrath got up to its feet. Despite taking the full force of Buizel's attack, it didn't do that much damage.

"Awesome. Buizel, you learned a new move!" said Sky with a smile, as Buizel also seemed to like it.

"Even with a new move, don't think we'll take this lying down! Poliwrath, Ice Punch!"

"Buizel, Water Pulse!"

Both Pokémon let loose their attacks as they caused a rumbling.

Morning came as the entire group was gathered. Clive had shown up at the entrance, standing on the field. As Twilight was the referee, Chloe's grandfather and the others stood off to the side.

"This scheduled match will feature the challenger, Clive, against Chloe, who represents her grandfather in this match. This is a one-on-one match. No time limit. Reveal your Pokémon." said the bookworm.

"Sawk! Let's go!" said Clive as he called on his Pokémon. Out appeared a humanoid Pokémon with blue skin. He sported a light blue Gi, a traditional uniform for training and contests in many martial arts. He had two, three-toed feet and a very big, bushy eyebrow on the left side of his face.

"What's that thing?" asked Rarity as she was seated at the nearby table with her egg container in front of her.

"I have no idea," said Spike, who was eating a sandwich.

"Sawk, the Karate Pokémon. If you see a Sawk training in the mountains in its single-minded pursuit of strength, it's best to pass by quietly."

"Sounds like a strong Pokémon," said Applejack as she put her Pokédex away.

"Alright, Poliwrath. You're on!" shouted Chloe as she brought out her Pokémon.

"Poliwrath!"

"Come on, Chloe. Time to put all that training we did to use," muttered Sky as he stood up and watched the battle.

"Battle begin!" instructed Twilight.

"Sawk, Bulk Up!" stated Clive.

Sawk tightened its belt around its waists as it powered up.

"What does that do?" asked Rarity.

"Bulk Up is a move that boosts the user's attack and defense," explained Twilight.

"Keep focus, Poliwrath. Use Hydro Pump!" said Chloe as her Pokémon fired a stream of water at its foe.

"Block it!" said Clive.

Sawk put its arms in front of it, taking the water attack head-on. The water spread out around Sawk as it did very little as it smirked.

"Poliwrath, use Dynamic Punch!" instructed Chloe.

"Sawk, counter with Karate Chop!" said Clive.

Poliwrath rushed forward as it reeled its fist back. It glowed with power before it thrust its arm out and looked to make contact with its foe, but Sawk used his Karate Chop to deflect and block that attack.

"Use Low Sweep!"

"Jump!"

Sawk quickly tried to sweep Poliwrath from under, but Chloe saw it and ordered her Pokémon to jump up as they avoided the attack. Poliwrath leaped back near Chloe as they saw Sawk running toward them.

"Use Close Combat!" said the girl as Poliwrath ran toward its foe.

"Poliwrath can't defend itself when it's attacking! Sawk, block it, and then launch your own Close Combat!" instructed Clive.

The blue humanoid Pokémon nodded as he leaped into the air and came down with a diving kick, which Poliwrath sidestepped. Soon, the water Pokémon began to throw fists and kicks as Sawk was ducking and evading its Close Combat attempts. It then began to block each of its limbs, went on the offensive, and launched its own Close Combat. Poliwrath was keeping track of the punches being thrown by its opponent as it was holding its ground.

Chloe focused on being one with her Poliwrath to understand the battle flow better. Watching her closely was Sky and her grandfather as they awaited to see if all the extra training she had with the boy was now being put to use.

"It's coming from the right!" shouted Chloe. Poliwrath heard that as it raised one of its arms to block Sawks's attack. "Now the left!" Poliwrath quickly transitioned to block another fist. "The right again!" Poliwrath extended a leg out to block the punch.

"Sawk, use Low Sweep and knock it off balance!" said Clive.

"Poliwrath, use Ice Punch on the ground before you!"

Poliwrath quickly aimed one of its fists and punched the ground as it made the area in front of it turn into ice. Sawk was unprepared for it; when it set foot on the slippy surface, it lost its balance and failed to connect with the Low Sweep.

"Now, Poliwrath, use Close Combat!" said Chloe.

Poliwrath then began to close in the distance as it let its fists fly. It delivered punches and kicks that made contact with Sawk; the Pokémon had its face turning from the blow of the punches as it was knocked to the floor.

"Follow it up with Dynamic Punch!" shouted the girl.

Poliwrath then had its left fist glow as it got brighter and brighter. Soon, it built up enough power as it let loose and threw its arm out, and the fist caused Sawk's face to turn to its right as it was sent flying back and into a tree. The Pokémon groaned as it sat at the tree's base with swirls in its eyes.

"Sawk cannot continue. Poliwrath wins!" said Twilight.

"Oh yeah!" said Chloe as she jumped for joy at her winning. "We did it!"

"I never expected an attack like that," said Clive as he recalled his Pokémon. "I thank you for this battle."

"Hmm, you are gracious in defeat. I do not doubt that you will have a fine dojo yourself one day," said Chloe's grandfather to the young man.

"Thank you," bowed Clive as he turned to leave.

"Nice work, Chloe," said Sky as he approached the girl.

"Thanks, Sky. But I couldn't have done it without your help. And... I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

"Ah, don't mention it."

"I still have a lot to learn, but I'm still going to work toward my goal of being a Shihan."

"I have no doubt you'll achieve your dream."

"Thanks. And I know you'll do the same. Good luck in the Equestrian League."

"I will," said Sky, giving the girl a thumbs up before she kissed his cheek.

"Consider that a gift," said Chloe, winking at the boy.

"Thank you, Sky, for helping my granddaughter learn a lesson."

"Sky, hurry up!" shouted Applejack as he turned to see them all by the exit.

"Thanks for everything. Bye!" said the boy as he waved goodbye and turned to catch up with the others.

As they departed, Chloe and her grandfather waved goodbye to the boy and the group. The group waved collectively as they were back on track, following the path to Hayseed Swamp.

Author's Note: The journey for this group takes them to see a Pokemon dojo. Along with a lesson in being able to work together with your Pokemon to become one to truly get progress. And in the process, Sky's Buizel has learned a new move and the gang is getting closer to the next gym which happens to be in Hayseed Swamp which should give you a clue as to who the Gym Leader might be. Plus, there's the mystery of the egg that Rarity still holds.