After our heroes arrived in Hayseed Junction, they went to the Hayseed Gym, run by Mage Meadowbrook. The Grass-type Gym Leader showcased her skills as she took on Applejack in a fierce battle. Despite a rough start and how innovatively she had her Pokémon use their moves, Applejack was able to mount a comeback and secure herself the Swamp Badge. Now… all eyes turn to Sky to see if he'll join Aj or if his attempt to win his third badge will be halted.
"Wow! So this is what a badge looks like?" said Spike as he was holding the badge that Aj won.
"I'm amazed that you were able to pull it off, darling," stated Rarity as she gave the farmer her dues.
"Well, I can't take all the credit. Boltund was the one that won," said the country gal as she looked to her side, where her dog sat. Boltund barked and stood on its hind legs to lick her face. "Down, boy!" giggled Aj.
Her Pokémon obeyed as it sat on its hind; Applejack got up from her seat and set down a bowl full of food before the canine.
"As promised, extra food for you," said Aj as she bent down and petted her dog's head.
Boltund barked as it licked her face once more before furiously chowing down on the mountain of food its trainer gave it to restore its energy. Applejack smiled before standing up and sitting back at the table where the others were as they saw how happy Boltund was due to its tail wagging. While the others were at a nearby cafe, Sky was currently at the Pokémon Center as he was contacting Celestia.
"So you finally made it to the Hayseed Gym. Then you must be prepared to take on Meadowbrook."
"I am. After seeing Aj battle, I'm more pumped up for my fight," said the boy as he spoke with the Pokémon professor.
"And I assume you'll be using Noctowl and Fletchling?" asked Celestia. "Just remember, Sky. Type advantage doesn't always mean you'll win."
"I know what you mean. When I first ran into Meadowbrook, she beat me even when I used Fletchling," said Sky as he recalled his first encounter with the Gym Leader in the forest.
"Well, Meadowbrook is a seasoned Gym Leader. She can make her Pokémon use their moves in ways you wouldn't think."
"I found that out due to Aj's battle."
"Just do your best; I'm sure the rest will work out."
"I will, thanks, Professor," said the teen as he ended the video call.
The boy retrieved his Pokémon from the nurse as he looked to find his friends. As he exited the building, he got a good look around the town. Despite being in a swampy environment, he saw how the town was decorated beautifully with lush greenery.
"There sure are a lot of Grass-type Pokémon here," said Sky as he saw a variety of Pokémon that would hang out in forests, meadows, and other grassy terrains. "Vileplume, Jumpluff, Budew, even an Exeggutor."
"Indeed it is."
Sky turned around as he heard a voice and was surprised to see Meadowbrook. The Gym Leader was on the back of her Gogoat as she held some bags.
"Meadowbrook."
"Surprised to run into you so soon, Sky," smiled the woman. "Say, I could use your assistance."
"Sure," said the boy, willing to help the healer.
"Great, hop on!" said Meadowbrook as Sky got on the back of Gogoat and sat behind the Gym Leader. She handed him the bag she was holding and instructed Gogoat to move as it trotted along the road.
The pair soon arrived at the Gym as they got off and began to head inside. The pair made their way to an open door, and Sky was introduced to the woman's garden, which was full of many plants.
"Wow. You… grew all this?" asked Sky as he took it all in.
"Well, not just me. I have my assistants who help me. Plus, my mother. When I was young, I often helped her in this garden. Little did I know that it would become a part of me." said Meadowbrook as she went to some plants and had small clippers to cut off some limbs from her plants and tiny trees.
"Want to try?" asked the Gym Leader.
After spending some time with Meadowbrook and her garden, Sky returned to the Pokémon Center just as nightfall happened. The others asked where he was, to which he told them. The group was getting ready for bed as they were all in their room.
"So, Sky, what do you plan to do for your Gym Battle tomorrow?" asked Spike.
"I'm not really sure," said the teen as he sat on his bed with crossed arms as he was thinking. "Based on Aj's battle, she used Grovyle, Roserade, and Gogoat. Each was difficult on its own."
"No kidding, she used her Pokémon in ways that suited her environment," said Twilight.
"Yeah, I gotta figure out a strategy," said Sky as he laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering how he would win against Meadowbrook.
The crack of dawn came as the sun's tips could barely be seen over the horizon. A yawn was heard as Applejack sat up in bed and stretched. Being a farmer her whole life, the country gal was used to waking up at this time as she rubbed her eyes. She looked about and was surprised to see that nearly all the beds were occupied by her friends except one. The bed across from her was empty, and the blanket was tossed off.
"Where's Sky?" asked the girl.
The boy was currently up and about as he was fully dressed. He'd gotten up earlier as his excitement and desire for his Gym Battle was too much to handle. Sky was shown running about with his Pokémon as they were looking to get hyped.
"The day of our Hayseed Gym battle's finally here!" said Sky to all his Pokémon beside him. "Let's give it all we got!" The boy's Pokémon responded to their trainer as they were encouraged to keep running as they picked up the pace.
The group was coming to a bend as Applejack watched from their room's balcony. The country gal had her hair down, swaying by the gentle morning breeze as she looked at her friend. Seeing his drive and passion for wanting to win and training alongside his Pokémon made the girl smile and emit a warm feeling deep inside.
"He's really determined. He's gonna need it," said the country gal as she turned to see the rising sun come up over the horizon as she bathed in its warm light.
Sky also noticed the sun rising as he turned and halted, to which his Pokémon did the same. Both Fletchling and Noctowl perched on his shoulders as the other three stood by his side and gazed at the morning star. Taking in the light and warmth of the sun, they could feel that today would be a great day.
"All right! Let's win our Gym battle for sure!" declared Sky as he fist pumped toward the sun's direction, to which his Pokémon agreed.
Once the others awoke and had breakfast, the group made their way to the Gym. Soon, all five were standing in front of the same building as yesterday, with Sky up front as he stared it down.
"It's finally time. Time for me to get my third Gym badge!" said the boy.
"We'll be rootin' you on, sugarcube," said Applejack.
"Ditto," said Rarity as Twilight and Spike nodded.
"Let's do this!" smiled Sky.
Upon entering, one of Meadowbrook's assistants spotted them and guided them to where her boss was. Meadowbrook was in her garden that she showed Sky before as she was tending to some plants.
"Miss."
The Gym Leader turned to see one of her employees as she noticed the others with her.
"Oh, you finally made it," smiled the woman.
"Meadowbrook! I wanna have our battle right away, please?" said Sky as he was fired up and couldn't contain his excitement.
"You've arrived just in time. Good!" chuckled Meadowbrook as she patted the boy's shoulder before turning around and walking away.
"Huh? Wait, Meadowbrook?" called out Sky.
The group was also confused by the Gym Leader's antics as they watched her walk off. Inside a tree was a giant tree hole that Meadowbrook had converted into a room. Books aligned the back on several bookshelves, and a giant tree stump in the center served as a table.
"I was given this delicious tea as a gift," said Meadowbrook to the kids as another assistant brought them cups on a tray and set them before the group.
"No offense, but I really wanted to have our Gym battle just as soon as we got here," said Sky as he looked at the tea to see his reflection on the liquid's surface.
"No need to rush. Let's take it easy," said Meadowbrook. "Have some tea with an old lady, won't you?"
"I guess. But… I'll say, you don't look that old," said the boy, as Meadowbrook still looked young for her age.
"I appreciate the compliment," said the Gym Leader as she blew on her tea before taking a sip.
"It's simply divine," said Rarity as she sipped the tea.
"Tea breaks are always so calming and relaxing," said Meadowbrook as she enjoyed the peace and quiet and the company of having tea with others.
"It was great. Thanks," said Spike as he finished his cup.
"Now, can we battle?" asked Sky as he stood up after finishing his tea and looked at the Gym Leader.
"It would be wonderful if all of you helped me tend to my garden. Won't you?" said Meadowbrook.
Sky groaned as he really wanted to battle. So, the kids all got to work on helping Meadowbrook and her assistants to tend to her garden. Rarity, Spike, and Twilight had watering cans and were watering some of the nearby berry bushes, while Applejack was currently digging some holes to plant some baby trees. As for Sky, he was bent down next to Meadowbrook as he was pulling some weeds out to make way for more seedlings. Meadowbrook had some clippers as she cut some hedge and looked over at Sky.
"Oh, man. I wanna have a battle now!" groaned the boy as he was curiously yanking the weeds in front of him without a care in the world. His groaning amplified as he took it out on the weeds and pulled it out like a manic.
"No, no!" said Meadowbrook as she saw what the boy was doing and got his attention, "Sky, you mustn't yank the weeds out so carelessly."
"Wha?" questioned the teen.
"Look closely," said the Gym Leader as she bent down beside the boy and used her hands to push apart some of the weeds in front of them to reveal some small saplings that were growing among them. "See?"
Sky looked as he saw the tiny buds and was surprised to see them as he nearly hurt them with all his yanking.
"If you get all caught up with the things that are right in front of you, you may lose sight of what's important," said Meadowbrook as they stared at the tiny saplings.
"Lose sight of what's important," echoed the boy.
"You see, the first thing you need to do is calm your mind. If you observe closely with a calm mind, you'll be able to discern the important things. Especially during Gym battles." stated the healer as she gently removed the weeds near the saplings without hurting them.
"Right! I get it now!" said Sky as he took a moment to take in what the Gym Leader was saying as he smiled at her, which she returned.
"I'm glad you do," responded Meadowbrook as she stood up. "So, how about that Gym battle of ours?"
"You mean it?" said the boy, standing up as Meadowbrook nodded. "Great! Thanks a lot!" The teen bowed to thank the woman for finally agreeing to battle him.
Everyone was now rounded up as they returned to the arena for the upcoming match. The girls and Spike looked on as they were a tad bit nervous if their friend had devised a plan to win. Based on the confident look on the boy's face, it seemed he wasn't sweating it.
"The Hayseed Gym battle between Sky, the challenger, and Meadowbrook, the Hayseed Gym Leader, will now begin. This will be a three-on-three battle, and it'll be over when one side cannot continue. Furthermore, only the challenger is allowed substitutions. Now then… reveal your first Pokémon!" announced one of Meadowbrook's assistants.
"It's time to blossom, Shiftry!"
"Shiftry!" said the Pokémon that appeared.
A bipedal Pokémon with a wicked, creepy appearance stood before the group. Most of its body was brown, save for the leafy fans it held, its eyes and the inside of its ears, and its flowing white mane.
"She's using a different Pokémon?" said Spike.
"Shiftry, the Wicked Pokémon, and the evolved form of Nuzleaf. It lives quietly in the deep forest. It is said to create chilly winter winds with the fans it holds."
"Why isn't she using Grovyle?" wondered Sky as he put his Pokédex away.
"Expecting my Pokémon from yesterday!" said Meadowbrook, as she knew what the boy was thinking. "See, I was testing you. You probably have your strategy all figured out and which Pokémon you will use, am I right? Well, here at the Hayseed Swamp, my strategy is to switch up which Pokémon I use."
"She what?" said Rarity.
"I keep my opponents on their toes by never using the same Pokémon back to back. To throw off any sneaky challengers trying to study my tactics."
"That's not good," said Twilight, knowing that Sky was expecting to face the Pokémon that Aj faced yesterday, and now, hearing that Meadowbrook switched out her entire team just threw a wrench in the boy's plans.
"So… Sky. What are you going to do now?" taunted the Gym Leader.
The boy merely looked at the woman as he pulled out a Pokéball.
"Turtwig, I choose you!" said Sky.
"Twig!" said the Pokémon as it appeared.
"So, you still want to fight? Very well," mumbled Meadowbrook.
"Battle begin!" said Meadowbrook's assistant.
"Then here we go!" said Sky as Turtwig gave a determined sound. "Now, Turtwig, Tackle!"
"Dodge it, quick!" said Meadowbrook.
Turtwig took off as it was charging straight for Shiftry. The Pokémon heard Meadowbrook's command as it quickly moved out of the way.
"Now, Razor Leaf!"
Turtwig turned around and fired off its attack, but Shiftry was just moving side to side with blinding speed as it jumped high into the air to avoid Turtwig's latest attack before landing behind the small Pokémon with a smirk.
"That Shiftry sure is fast!" said Sky as he took note of its speed.
"Watch what happens in the sun!" stated Meadowbrook.
The scene panned upward from the battle to show the sun piercing down as Meadowbrook pushed a remote that caused the glass ceiling to retract and allow the rays to enter the Gym.
"The brighter the sun, the faster Shiftry gets!" explained the Gym Leader.
"Is that true?" asked Spike.
"It's a special ability Shiftry can use, called Chlorophyll!" said Twilight.
"Now for the perfect move on a sunny day, Solar Beam!" instructed Meadowbrook.
Shiftry powered up as it fired a concentrated beam of pure sun energy at its foe.
"Dodge!" shouted Sky as Turtwig avoided the blast with ease.
Turtwig leaped into the air and found itself positioned above his foe.
Solar Beam takes time to charge up, so they can't fire again right away!
"Now, Turtwig! Use Razor Leaf!" said Sky as he took his chance to launch an attack while his opponent recharged. His Pokémon heard the command and fired two rows of leaves at its opponent.
"Solar Beam!" said Meadowbrook.
Shifty immediately fired another powerful beam of sun energy despite just using it a second ago, as it didn't need to recharge. It shocked both Sky and Turtwig as the attack got rid of the Razor Leaf and smacked Turtwing in the air as he tumbled to the floor in pain.
"Turtwig!" shouted Sky.
"Keep it up with Leaf Blade!" stated Meadowbrook, not allowing Sky a chance to recover.
Shifty gave a sound as the leaves on its fingers turned into one single green blade that glowed as he rushed forward his downed foe.
"Turtwig, return!" shouted the boy as he quickly called back his Pokémon.
Turtwig was getting to his feet as the red light hit him, and he disappeared just as Shifty was about to make contact. The Leaf Blade hit the ground, making some dirt pick up before he jumped back and stood before Meadowbrook; Shiftry made a defiant sound while staring down the teen.
"Sky, you've made a wise choice! In the past, you probably would've battled until your Pokémon had collapsed in a heap! My, have you grown!" said Meadowbrook with a slight sass in her voice, as evidenced by Sky's expression of him gritting his teeth.
"That was a close one!" said Rarity as she nearly knocked over her egg container from how Sky was doing.
"If you take that kind of speed and power, add the bright sun… You've got the formula for one tough opponent!" said Twilight as she looked upward momentarily, knowing that Meadowbrook's strategy was working out. "Meadowbrook sure threw Sky off by changing her lineup."
"Noctowl! I choose you!" shouted the boy as he called on his second Pokémon.
"Just because you choose a Pokémon that's a good match-up doesn't mean you're gonna win!" said Meadowbrook with a smirk. "All right, Shifty, use Solar Beam!"
With the power of the bright sun, Shifty fired off its attack within seconds as it headed toward its foe.
"Dodge it, then use Sky Attack!" said the teen.
The owl avoided the blast as it flapped out of the way before going in for a dive. It surrounded itself with power as it spread its wings out and looked to hit its foe.
"Dodge it!" said Meadowbrook as Shiftry moved out of the way with time to spare. "Okay, Solar Beam once more!"
Shiftry made a sound as he began to charge up and was about to fire off his attack. But just as he looked to shoot it off, it then disappeared. That surprised the Pokémon and the woman as they looked up at the sun. It seemed a couple of clouds had rolled by as a few were blocking the sun.
"Oh, no! The sun!"
"No sun means it'll take longer for Shiftry to charge!" said Twilight as the clouds that appeared proved to be a miracle for Sky.
"Well, you can't trust the weather, right?" said Meadowbrook as she laughed off this unfortunate predicament, forcing her to change gears in her strategy. "Shiftry! Switch to Magical Leaf!"
Shiftry threw its arms out as sharp glowing leaves began to make their way toward Noctowl.
"No time to dodge, Noctowl! Up!" instructed Sky.
The Pokémon turned to look at his trainer with a questioning look but trusted the boy as he did what was asked. He quickly changed his direction in flight and shot straight upward. The Magical Leaf followed the bird as Noctowl flew toward the opening and out of the Gym. The attack was still tracking its target as Noctowl ascended higher and higher. It soon reached an altitude that was way ahead of the Magical Leaf that it couldn't keep up and soon disappeared, to which Meadowbrook and Shiftry let out frustrated looks.
"Hey! Noctowl's out of range!" said Spike as they looked upward.
"Hurry and attack, sugarcube!"
"Noctowl! Come down nice and slow!" said the boy.
Meadowbrook was confused by Sky's call, as even Shiftry was concerned. Noctowl let out a focused sound as it descended with its wings spread out gently. Even the others were surprised that Sky ordered his Pokémon not to rush down and attack as he allowed Meadowbrook a chance to recover.
"What's the deal? Why ain't he attacking?" asked Applejack.
At that moment, the clouds blocking the sun began to move slowly.
"Alright! Noctowl, Sky Attack, now!" said the teen.
Noctowl gave a sound as it began to dive.
"Shiftry, dodge it, and go for the counter!" instructed the Gym Leader, which her Pokémon understood.
Noctowl was shown coming down as it had its wings spread out. However, just as the clouds left and revealed the sun, it shined so brightly that Shifty, looking directly toward the giant ball of burning gas, was temporarily blinded by the sudden light that entered its vision as it raised a hand to its face.
"Way to go!" said Sky to Noctowl as his plan worked to blind Meadowbrook's Pokémon momentarily by getting them to focus directly on Noctowl descending.
Noctowl then made contact with Shiftry, causing a giant cloud to pick up and erupt. Shifty was launched back as it tumbled to the ground from the super-effective move.
"Now, Air Slash!" shouted Sky.
Noctowl put its wings together, focusing on making a giant sphere of wind. Once it gathered all the concentration needed to make the thing, he then launched it forward just as Shiftry got to his feet and saw the orb coming at him, to which his eyes widened. A second later, it made contact and caused a clear smokescreen to occur.
"Shiftry!" called out Meadowbrook.
"I think that might have done it!" said Spike as he seemed hopeful.
Once the smokescreen disappeared, Shiftry was shown on the ground as it was defeated.
"Shiftry is unable to battle! The winner is Noctowl!" said Meadowbrook's assistant as she pointed in Sky's direction.
"Good going, Noctowl!" said the teen to his owl, who let out a proud sound.
"Shiftry, return!" said Meadowbrook as she called back her Pokémon. "Thanks! Take a long rest!" The Gym Leader showed her Pokémon gratitude for its efforts before switching and pulling out a different Pokéball. "Well, Sky… you did it! Nice turnaround with the sun, too!"
"It's like you said. You can't trust the weather!" said the boy with a smile. "I learned that from you!"
"Oh, you heard me say that from there, huh? Good ears!" responded Meadowbrook with some sass in her voice. "Let's see if you continue to pay attention. It's time to blossom, Turtwig!"
The Gym Leader threw her Pokéball as she called on her Turtwig to battle, who appeared and felt confident.
"I had a feeling she'd used Turtwig," muttered Sky to himself.
"No surprise there," said Twilight, as she also had a feeling that Meadowbrook might have specifically chosen her Turtwig for this battle with Sky, given their last encounter.
Meadowbrook's Turtwig looked at Noctowl as the bird made a fierce, determined look.
"Noctowl, Sky Attack!" said the teen.
"Turtwig, dodge!" said the woman.
Noctowl took off with such speed as it was heading for its foe. However, Turtwig merely used its speed to sidestep with plenty of time to spare. It seemed it was already a repeat of their last battle, as Meadowbrook's Turtwig was too fast even for Noctowl.
"Keep using Sky Attack!" instructed the boy, hoping he could catch Meadowbrook's Turtig off guard.
"And dodge every one of them!" shouted Meadowbrook to her Pokémon confidently.
Noctowl did as he was told and tried to go after the small green Pokémon, but no matter how many times it tried, Meadowbrook's Turtwig evaded each fly-by with ease.
"Turtwig's too fast!" said Spike as they could see this was a losing effort for Sky to try to outspeed Meadowbrook's Pokémon.
"Sky, change it up! It's not workin'!" shouted Applejack as she could see this was only going to hurt the boy if he kept this up.
"Just keep using Sky Attack!" said Sky, as he had no other choice. It was a personal goal for the boy to defeat Meadowbrook's Turtwig.
"This is starting to get a little old," spoke Meadowbrook as she started to be disrespected by Sky's continuous attempts to amount to nothing.
On the field, Noctowl was trying to hit Turtwig with its Sky Attack still, but the Pokémon was avoiding them like they were nothing. Just then, the Gym Leader noticed something that caught her attention and made her gasp. All the Sky Attacks that Noctowl was launching seemed to be herding Turtwig in the direction that the bird wanted. As such, her Pokémon was being backed into a tree that had its stem split into two.
"Look out! It's a trap, Turtwig!" said the Gym Leader as she tried to warn her Pokémon.
But it was too late, as he was caught in the stem by the time Turtwig looked back. The Pokémon tried to wiggle free, but it couldn't as it was stuck.
"Turtwig!" shouted Meadowbrook at how her Pokémon looked helpless.
"I see what Sky was doing. Smart," said Twilight as she smiled at her friend's creative thinking.
"Turtwig's good and stuck now!" exclaimed Rarity.
"Now, Air Slash!" shouted the boy with intensity.
Noctowl spread its wings out as it sent out slashes of wind at the trapped Turtwig as it broke the tree in half pushed its foe out, and tumbled to the ground.
"Let's wrap this up! Sky Attack!" said Sky to Noctowl.
Noctowl wasted no time as it took off toward its foe, who was starting to stir and get up.
"Turtwig, Leech Seed!" instructed Meadowbrook.
The Pokémon heard that, pointed its twig at Noctowl, who was coming and fired a seed. The seed landed on the bird as it cracked open, and the vines around it began to suck out the energy of its foe. It stopped Noctowl in its tracks and winced in pain as the vines tightened, which Meadowbrook smiled.
"Use Tackle!" said the Gym Leader.
In the blink of an eye, Turtwig zoomed ahead and speared Noctowl back as it tumbled and crashed into a tree before sliding down at the base and letting out a defeated sound.
"Noctowl is unable to battle! Turtwig's the winner!" said Meadowbrook's assistant as she pointed at her boss.
"Awesome, Turtwig!" said Meadowbrook to her Pokémon, who made a proud noise.
"And things were going so well," said Rarity with a sad expression.
"That's why Meadowbrook's a Gym Leader. But I'm sure Sky's attacks have taken their toll," stated the bookworm as the boy was shown holding a Pokéball in his hand.
"You were great! And don't worry, we're gonna win this one!" said the boy to Noctowl. He then put it away before pulling out his second Pokémon. "All right, Turtwig, I choose you!"
For the second time in this fight, Sky called on his Turtwig as he knew who else wanted to settle the score with Meadowbrook just as much as him. The boy's Turtwig looked at Meadowbrook's Turtwig as the memories of their last fight came flooding to his mind and he put a serious look.
"I've been waiting for this little match-up! All right, Sky, ready when you are!" taunted Meadowbrook.
"I'm ready, all right. To win!" shouted the boy at the Gym Leader. "Turtwig! Tackle, let's go!" His Pokémon quickly charged forward as it wasted no time.
"Dodge it, and then use Leaf Storm!" instructed Meadowbrook.
Her Turtwig leaped out of the way of Sky's Turtwig as it then turned around in mid-air and landed. It then proceeded to launch its attack as leaves picked up around it before launching forward at its foe.
"Up the tree!" said the boy.
Turtwig continued its charge as it used its running momentum to climb the bark of the tree quickly, and just as it reached the top, it backflipped off, and the Leaf Storm missed it. Both Meadowbrook and her Turtwig let out worried looks as they saw Sky's Turtwig sail over them and land before the boy. Sky's Turtwig, upon landing, immediately pushed off and began to run circles around its foe in an attempt to confuse it. Meadowbrook's Turtwig remained still as it watched its opponent's movements, waiting to see what it did.
"Sky's Turtwig's is awfully fast as well!" said Rarity.
"You can tell Sky's not the only one who was to get payback," stated Aj.
"Sky, you don't win battles by running around in circles," the Gym Leader told the boy.
"Turtwig! Bite, let's go!" stated the teen as he launched his attack. Turtwig then ceased running as it was positioned behind its foe before leaping into the air and attempting to execute its sneak attack. "Do it!"
"Leech Seed, now!" smiled Meadowbrook, which changed Sky's expression.
The woman's Turtwig quickly turned as its head was lowered. The seed was fired from its twig and shot forward. The seed found its mark as it landed on Turtwig's forehead before it cracked open, and the vines came out to wrap around the target. It then squeezed as Sky's Turtwig felt pain as its energy was being zapped.
"Turtwig!" shouted Sky as he was concerned.
"It's the same as before!" said Twilight as this was playing out like their last battle.
Sky's Turtwig fell to the ground with its energy being zapped as it couldn't move. Meadowbrook expected that to be it, but the boy's Pokémon let out a defiant sound as it willed itself to stand up despite the sapping of its strength. It probably should have stayed down, but the thought of wanting to defeat its foe willed it to stand, as it wasn't ready to admit defeat. The Gym Leader saw the determination of her foe's Pokémon as she admired its heart.
"Wow, you're really hanging in this time, aren't you, Turtwig?" said the Gym Leader to the boy's Pokémon as she sensed its feelings. "But… I wonder how long you can last?" the smile on the woman turned to a smirk as she knew even with its determined mind state, it would eventually succumb.
"I gotta stop this, or we'll lose," said Sky. "Turtwig! Synthesis, quick!"
Turtwig heard Sky's command as the twig on its head started to glow as it began to collect the sun's rays to heal itself.
"Like that's gonna work!" mocked Meadowbrook. "Turtwig, use Leaf Storm!"
Her Turtwig collected its attack as the leaves circled around it. It then lowered its head, commanding them to fly toward its foe.
"Quick! Jump and dodge it!" instructed Sky.
The boy's Turtwig was still recovering with Synthesis as it saw the attack and did what he was asked of. He leaped back and was positioned directly in front of the sun as it amped up the healing power and process of Synthesis. It restored its vitality much quicker due to where it was positioned in front of the sun as it landed, and the boy's Pokémon removed some of the scuff marks along its body. However, the vines from the Leech Seed still remained wrapped around its body.
"Great! Turtwig's all healed up!" said the teen; Meadowbrook didn't like that, as evidenced by her gritting her teeth.
"Razor Leaf!" said the boy.
Sky's Turtwig launched his attack in waves; it confused Meadowbrook's Turtwig as it couldn't keep track and was then hit by one of the waves. It let out a painful sound as it was sent flying back and tumbled on the floor as Sky's Turtwig landed in front of it.
"Turtwig, Tackle, let's go!" said the boy.
"Turtwig, use Tackle as well!" shouted Meadowbrook.
Both Turtwigs charged ahead at full speed. Each looked to deliver a critical hit to the other as they got closer and closer. Soon, the pair met as they caused a cloud to happen. Nobody could see what was happening as the dust began to settle and revealed the final image. Both Meadowbrook and Sky's Turtwigs were pushed back from the collision of their moves as they each had scuff marks along their bodies. The pair of Pokémon stood before their respective trainer as they eyed each other. Each was panting hard as the attack took a lot out of them.
Sky's Turtwig was shown as it struggled to remain standing before it let out a sound and started to lean over. That shocked Sky and the others as Meadowbrook's Turtwig had a smug smile, seeing that it outlasted its foe. However… it then felt something as it couldn't stand anymore and collapsed to the ground. Sky's Turtwig managed to catch itself before it fell over as it remained standing.
"Turtwig, no!" said Meadowbrook at seeing her fallen comrade.
"The Gym Leader's Turtwig is unable to battle! So the challenger's Turtwig wins!" said Meadowbrook's assistant as she pointed in Sky's direction.
"Turtwig! You were great!" said Sky to his buddy as they finally got their win over Meadowbrook and hers.
The small green Pokémon let out a proud sound for defeating its foe.
"Sky, I'm really impressed with the bond you have with your Pokémon," said Meadowbrook as she called back her Pokémon. "And for being able to adjust to my surprise strategy on the fly. But don't forget, you still have some more work to do if you want to earn that badge!"
"I know! And I can't think of anything else I want to do!" responded the teen.
"I'm glad that Sky and Turtwig managed to turn that around!" stated Rarity.
"Yeah, but that Leech Seed is still in play," said Twilight as Turtwig still had its energy being sucked by the Leech Seed that Meadowbrook landed as it was already panting even harder than before. "If this drags on, that could be a real problem."
"Now… I've saved my strongest Pokémon just for you, Sky," said Meadowbrook as the boy showed he was worthy of being crushed by it. "It's time to blossom… Venusaur!"
A large, amphibian-like Pokémon appeared. Its skin was a light turquoise color, as it appeared rough and scaly, with bumps here and there. On its back was a fully bloomed gigantic flower containing multiple colors. The Pokémon let out a bellowing sound that echoed around the room, causing Rarity to cover her ears.
"That's a big boy!" exclaimed Spike at how huge Venusaur was compared to Sky's Turtwig.
"Venusaur, the Seed Pokémon, and the evolved form of Ivysaur. Its plant blooms when it absorbs solar energy. It stays on the move to seek sunlight. A bewitching aroma wafts from its flower. The fragrance becalms those engaged in battle."
"This is gonna be tough," muttered Sky as he put his Pokédex away. "Let's get this over quick! Razor Leaf, Turtwig!"
The Pokémon leaped into the air and flung its twig about as its attack shot out. The leaves headed toward Venusaur as Meadowbrook didn't even bother calling out an attack. The large Pokémon tanked the hit as the other leaves hit the ground around it, creating a smokescreen. Turtwig landed as he looked on, expecting some damage to its foe, but was shocked alongside Sky to see that Venusaur didn't seem unfazed by their move.
"Okay, switch to Tackle!" said the teen.
"Sludge Bomb!"
Venusaur growled as it then fired a mudball from its mouth. It made contact with Turtwig, who was charging at it and was flung back in pain. It landed on the ground with a thud and let out a defeated sound.
"Turtwig!" shouted Sky.
"Turtwig is unable to battle. The winner is Venusaur!" said Meadowbrook's assistant, pointing to the Gym Leader.
"Venusaur!" echoed the Pokémon as it loudly cried out for victory.
"That Venusaur is packing some power," stated Spike.
"No wonder Meadowbrook saved it for last," stated Twilight.
"And so we come to the final battle. So, Sky… which Pokémon are you going to choose to fall?" asked Meadowbrook.
The boy gripped his last Pokéball tightly, feeling Meadowbrook's comments getting to him.
"Fletchling! I choose you!" shouted Sky.
"Ling!" said the small robin as it appeared.
"Is that really the best he can do?" asked Spike.
"Fletchling is too small. Venusaur can crush it under one of its feet," stated Rarity as they felt like Sky was going to fight an uphill battle.
"Let's hope he knows what he's doing," stated Twilight.
The small robin looked up to see its massive foe, who held a mocking smile and chuckled. To Venusaur, it could merely blow in the direction of the small bird and would topple over. Fletchling did admit it was fearful of a much larger foe and felt slight nerves starting to kick up.
"Don't worry, Fletchling! You can do this!" shouted Sky, showing support to his Pokémon.
The small robin looked at its trainer as Sky stood there with a smile. The Pokémon's mind then flashed as he was changed to Sunset; the girl looked disappointed with it as she growled.
"You'd better win or else!" shouted Sunset as her words echoed in the Pokémon's mind before she disappeared back to Sky.
The Pokémon still hadn't gotten over the girl as he couldn't help but feel how it let Sunset down.
"Fletchling, Double Team!" instructed Sky.
The Pokémon did what the boy asked as he flew back and made copies of himself before rushing forward.
"Mow them down with Vine Whip!" said Meadowbrook.
Venusaur made two vines emerge from the flower on its back as it began to whack and swat away at all the copies of Fletchling. It didn't take long before the real one was left as the vines went for it.
"Fletching into the trees!" said Sky as his Pokémon avoided the vines initially and took to the trees.
"Petal Blizzard!" said Meadowbrook.
Venusaur made the petals from its flower and started to circle them before launching them forward into the trees. Fletchling, using its small size and the branches, was able to take cover and quickly move before the next attack could be launched as it continued to take cover.
"Fletchling's fast!" said Spike at how the small Pokémon was zipping among the trees that Venusaur couldn't keep up.
"And being surrounded by all those trees, Fletchling's not so easy to hit!" said Twilight.
"Grab it!" said Meadowbrook.
"Don't get caught by Venusaur's vines!" said the boy.
Fletchling was using its small size and speed to avoid the vines, and he did several loop-de-loops before finding a quick window through which to escape and heading toward the larger foe.
"Fletchling, Steel Wing!" said Sky as the robin had its tiny wings glow before being covered in a metal coating.
"Sludge Bomb!" said Meadowbrook as Venusaur fired several mud bombs at the tiny bird; it avoided them all before flying by and clipping Venusaur.
The tiny bird looked at the larger foe with a determined look as Venusaur shook the attack off before turning its head to look at the robin.
"Double Team!" said Sky.
Fletchling quickly made copies of itself as it began to surround Venusaur.
"Well, that sure is an impressive Double Team. Show'em the power of your Petal Blizzard!" stated Meadowbrook.
Venusaur made the petals from the flower on its back go flying in all directions. A tornado of petals blew all around the larger amphibian-like Pokémon as it took out the copies of Fletchling. Soon only the real Fletchling was left as it was positioned in Venusaur's blind spot.
"Use Razor Wind!" said Sky.
Fletchling then shot out buzzsaws of wind at the larger Pokémon as it was pelted while the small robin rotated around it to increase maximum coverage.
"Grab it!"
"Fletchling, Double Team!"
The small bird quickly made more copies of itself as Venusaur launched out its vines to mow down the fakes to find the real one.
"No matter how many times you use that move, it won't work!" declared Meadowbrook.
Venusaur cleared out the Double Team as it spotted Fletchling and had its vines grab a hold of the small robin. Fletchling was caught as it tried to break free from the grip of its much larger foe.
"Fletchling!" shouted Sky as he could see his Pokémon struggling to get loose. "Use Razor Wind."
"Slam it down!" shouted Meadowbrook.
Fletchling was about to execute its attack when Venusaur slammed the tiny robin to the ground as it still held the Pokémon. It lifted the bird up to see it still struggling.
"Again!" shouted Meadowbrook.
Venusaur slammed Fletchling over its head and onto the ground before lifting it up.
"Again!" shouted Meadowbrook.
Once more, Venusaur slammed Fletchling hard to the ground as it winced in pain. The Gym Leader kept shouting her orders as Venusaur was whiplashing Fletchling nonstop repeatedly against the ground as it was pounding the life out of the tiny robin.
"Fletchling!" shouted Sky as he was helpless and could only watch his tiny Pokémon being manhandled by the larger foe.
"I can't watch this anymore," winced Rarity as she covered her mouth and looked away; the girl felt sorry as she was witnessing a murder happen before her eyes.
The others also felt the pain of what they were watching as it was a massacre. Every slam that Venusaur pummeled Fletchling into the ground echoed for all to hear. Sky was being forced to watch the dissection of his Pokémon as the larger Pokémon was smacking it around.
"Fletchling!" yelled Sky as Venusaur delivered its latest slam.
Dust picked up from the spot where the small robin was spiked. The vines from Venusaur then moved as it was shown lifting the lifeless Pokémon into the air. All types of bruises covered Fletchling's body as its wings hung by its side to show how weak it was. The sight of his Pokémon being held up got Sky to gasp as he saw the tiny bird.
"It doesn't have to end this way, Sky. A trainer's responsibility is to look out for the health and well-being of their Pokémon. You can't win." said Meadowbrook as she stared down the teen. "Surrender, and I'll show you mercy."
The boy eyed his Pokémon as he could see how badly hurt Fletchling was. He knew what Meadowbrook was saying as despite how much he wanted to continue fighting and win his third badge, he had to think about his Pokémon's health. And right now, Fletchling wasn't in the best of conditions as Venusaur's Vine Whip was holding it up. Sky contemplated on whether he should agree to Meadowbrook's terms; Fletchling started to open its eyes as its vision was fuzzy slowly. It saw Venusaur in front of it and tilted its head to look back at its trainer. Sky was shown reaching for Fletchling's Pokéball as he could see the boy was about to forfeit the match.
"What's it gonna be?" asked Meadowbrook as she eyed the teen.
"I… I… I…" Sky struggled to get the words he wanted to say out as he found it to be difficult. "Fletchling… Razor Wind!"
"Ling," said the robin as it heard the boy's command.
"I tried," sighed Meadowbrook as it looked like she would have to deal the killing blow to Fletchling to end this fight. "Finish it!"
Venusaur lifted the tiny robin up high as it looked to deliver one final slam to end the battle.
"Fletchling!" screamed Sky.
The bird heard his cry as its eyes shot wide open. Just as Venusaur was about to finish it off, it raised its wings and quickly launched its Razor Wind attack; it pelted the larger Pokémon directly in the face as it grunted and took the hit full on. Venusaur let go of the small robin as Fletchling flapped its wings to get some distance as the vines rubbed its face to shake off the sudden attack.
"Seems Fletchling still wants to fight!" said Applejack.
"Double Team!"
Fletchling made copies of itself as this time there was way more than before as they surrounded Venusaur from every angle.
"Is it just me or am I seeing more copies of Fletchling?" asked Spike as he noticed the change in the bird's move.
"That Double Team seems to be getting better the more Fletchling battles!" stated Twilight. She also saw the change in the Pokémon's demeanor as it being fired off seemed to up its power.
"Petal Blizzard!" instructed Meadowbrook as Venusaur shot out a blizzard of its flower petals to remove the many Fletchlings that surrounded it.
"Steel Wing, let's go!" said Sky.
"Ling!" cried out Fletchling as it quickly went into a dive and shot straight for Venusaur; it made contact with the Pokémon's front legs with a fly-by, and it winced in pain.
"Vine Whip!" yelled Meadowbrook.
Venusaur launched its vines as Fletchling looked to escape but was caught by one of the vines wrapping around its midsection and trapping its wings. Venusaur pulled the small robin to its face as it growled angrily at it to which Fletchling was trying to get away but couldn't.
"Man, what am I gonna do?" questioned Sky as he could see Fletchling was in dire need.
"My Pokémon and I win because we believe in each other a hundred percent!" declared Meadowbrook to the teen as it held Fletchling up high as if preparing to execute its final attack.
"I believe in my Pokémon, too. Of course, I believe in Fletchling! But… but at this rate… at this rate, it looks like…" Sky could feel the pressure getting to him as it seemed there was no way for them to win. They had tried to hit their best shot, which wasn't good enough to topple Venusaur and Meadowbrook.
It seemed this really was the final hurrah for both Sky and Fletchling as their victory would go up in smoke. Just as the boy was ready to surrender, a thought crossed his mind.
You see, the first thing you need to do is calm your mind. If you observe closely with a calm mind, you'll be able to discern the important things: especially during Gym battles.
"That's it!" muttered Sky as he recalled Meadowbrook's advice earlier. "Hey, Fletchling! Everything's okay! I promise you there's no way we're gonna lose this battle!"
"Ling?" said the Pokémon as it looked at its trainer.
"It's over!" said Meadowbrook.
"Fletchling, use Peck on the vines!" stated Sky.
Fletchling had its beak glow before it began to peck at the vines holding it. It was jackhammering the vines, causing Venusaur to feel it and loosen its grip as it stung a bit. That was enough for the small robin to break free as it soared into the air.
"Solar Beam!" said Meadowbrook.
Venusaur began to absorb the sunlight beaming down as the flower on its back began to charge up and glow.
"Fletchling, dive toward them!" said Sky.
"What?!" said the others.
Fletchling heard the boy's command as it tucked its wings in and dove headfirst at Venusaur.
"Fire!" yelled Meadowbrook.
Venusaur finished charging as it immediately fired off its attack. The concentrated beam of energy headed toward the small robin, who was still heading toward the attack. Everyone was on the edge of their seat as they wondered what Sky was cooking up. Closer and closer Fletchling got to the Solar Beam attack as it was seconds away from connecting.
"Fletchling, barrel roll!"
The small bird quickly rolled to the side as it avoided and went under the attack before spreading its wings and gliding toward Venusaur. Given how fast they were going, Meadowbrook and the Pokémon were stunned by Fletchling having enough time to avoid their attack.
"Double Team!" shouted Sky.
"Ling!" cried out the Pokémon as it made the largest number of copies so far as they completely covered the field and around Venusaur.
"Take them all out with Vine Whip!" said Meadowbrook.
Venusaur began to swing its vines about and mowed down the fakes. The two vines then found the real one and headed toward the small robin.
"Fletchling, evasive maneuvers!"
"Don't let it get away!" said the Gym Leader.
The small robin began to do several barrel rolls and loop-de-loops to avoid the vines trying to grab it. All in a blur, Fletchling was using its speed not to let Venusaur's vines get close. Soon the vines from Venusaur's began to entangle with each other as they were tied in a knot.
"Oh, no!" gasped Meadowbrook as Venusaur was stunned to see it trapped itself.
"Great work, Fletchling! Steel Wing!" said Sky.
Fletchling let out a cry as its wings glowed before being encased in a metal coating. It launched forward and did several fly-bys as Venusaur couldn't retract its vines due to them being tied up and stuck in the air.
"Double Team!"
"Petal Blizzard!"
Fletchling made several copies of itself to surround Venusaur as the larger Pokémon was about to take out the latest wave of fakes.
"Razor Wing, full power!" shouted Sky.
The fakes all complied as they began to charge up and throw out buzzsaws of wind at their target. The petals that Venusaur launched were immediately blown away and rendered useless as the smaller attacks all piled on into an overwhelming force as it pelted the larger Pokémon from all sides as it couldn't defend itself.
"Venusaur!" shouted Meadowbrook as the fakes disappeared.
Venusaur winced and grunted in pain as the multiple Razor Wind attacks proved to be super effective on the larger Pokémon. It shook its head and saw Fletchling coming straight as it had a determined look.
"Steel Wing!" declared Sky while throwing his fist out.
"Ling!" shouted Fletchling as it flew straight toward Venusaur. A second later, a silhouette was shown zipping by with a straight line behind it.
The silhouette returned back to its original color as Fletchling flew by Venusaur who let out a cry as an explosion occurred. The small robin turned in mid-flight to look at its foe as the smoke soon cleared. Once it did, there laid Venusaur on the ground, its legs spread out as it let out a defeated sound.
"Venusaur is unable to battle. Fletchling is the winner! Which means the victor is Sky, the challenger!" said Meadowbrook's assistant as she pointed in the boy's direction.
"All right, we did it!" shouted the boy as he raised his fist in the air.
"Ling," said Fletchling as he landed in front of the boy, who bent down to look at his tiny Pokémon.
"You were awesome, Fletchling. I told you we were gonna win," said the boy as the Pokémon looked at his trainer with hope in his eyes. The small robin couldn't contain its feelings as it flew into Sky's chest. He laughed and hugged his Pokémon for a job well done.
"They did it… they won!" said Spike, as he had to admit that he didn't think Sky and Fletchling could pull it off.
"Venusaur, my friend. You were great," spoke Meadowbrook softly as she petted her Pokémon's head who felt a bit bad it lost.
The Gym Leader had a smile on her face as she called back her Pokémon and stood up. She looked over at Sky as Fletchling was now perched on his shoulder as the small robin was rubbing the side of his face to show his affection.
"Seems you did pay attention, Sky. I'm proud of you and your Pokémon."
"Great work, you two!" said Applejack as the others slowly approached the boy and his Pokémon while giving polite claps.
"Couldn't have done it without Fletchling. You did it, bud. You won your first Gym battle!" said Sky to his Pokémon as Fletchling felt a sense of pride and happiness that it was able to make its trainer happy with its performance.
"Well, that last move was fantastic!" said Meadowbrook as she made her presence known with her assistant behind her.
"It's all because of the things you taught me. You said if I got too caught up with the things in front of me, I'd lose sight of what's important. And that's why I decided to use Double Team as a battling tool. To raise my little plant." stated Sky.
"You got me," chuckled Meadowbrook as she reached behind her to grab the badge that her assistant was holding and presented it to the teen. "And as proof of your victory here. The Swamp Badge."
"Thank you so much," said Sky as he took the badge from the woman. "All right! I just got the Swamp Badge!" proclaimed the boy as he held his trophy up high.
"Congrats, sugar!"
"That was an awesome battle!" said Spike.
"Every time I witness one of your battles, I'm impressed," said Twilight.
"Thanks, guys," smiled the boy to his friends. He then pulled out his badge case as he opened it, and placed his latest badge next to his other two. "That's badge #3."
"You're almost halfway there," said Rarity.
"So, where are you heading to next?" asked Meadowbrook.
"Mt. Aries!" proclaimed Sky.
"Excellent choice. No doubt the Gym Leader there will be even tougher. And since it's not that far from here, you'll be there in no time." stated Meadowbrook.
"And once I win my fourth badge, I'll be one step closer to entering the League!" said Sky as he looked upward with a smile.
Author's Note: Talk about a true battle of David versus Goliath near the end between Fletchling and Venusaur. After a fierce battle against Meadowbrook, Sky has won his third Equestrian Gym badge! It's like they say, it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. And we see Meadowbrook's strategy in that she constantly changes her lineup due to how many Grass-type Pokemon she has to throw off her opponents. And no doubt, the remaining Gym Leaders will have their own unique strategies that our heroes will have to overcome.