First Round - Phoenix vs Party Queen
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Pokémon: Rainbow League

First Round - Phoenix vs Party Queen

Finally, the day had come. After waiting and scheming for what had felt like an eternity, it was time that everyone came together. Each of them played every possible scenario in their heads and some even picked up meditation. It wasn't just mental preparation however. Some of our friends decided to train their bodies as well to get them pumped up for this day.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were the first to arrive at Sunset's house, followed by Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy and finally Rarity and Silver.

"This is gonna be the most epic thing we've ever done. Screw those demons and sirens", Rainbow Dash proclaimed.

"I'm just a bit uneasy, because we don't know if there could be any drawbacks. I basically thought of the arena to test the limits of my powers. Not to mention that I'm gonna let a complete stranger into my brain", Sunset answered.

"I'm telling you, Silver's a nice guy. Maybe a bit awkward and anti-social, but fun once he's comfortable around you", Pinkie assured her, yet it didn't make Sunset feel all that better. At least he was kind enough to give them a hint at his Team with his T-Shirt, which had three gecko-like creatures on it.

"Anyway, I tested the whole summoning-thing and it seems that the Pokémon you create are not just your imagination. You don't actually control them, but they see you as their trainer. They'll basically behave how we would imagine them to behave if they were actually real", Sunset explained before Twilight spoke up.

"Alright you guys. Each of you, please draw a number. 1 and 2, 3 and 4 and so on will fight against each other." Twilight handed them a hat with snippets inside of them. This was the end result:

Sunset
Pinkie Pie
Silver Screen
Twilight
Applejack
Rainbow Dash
Fluttershy
Rarity

"So, shall we begin?"

They all found themselves inside Sunset's Colusseum. They still couldn't believe what she was capable of, yet Silver was the least impressed out of all of them. They took their seats in the front row and gazed upon the two contestants staring each other down. When they realized there was no referee, Silver jumped down and took the job, seeing as he was the least likely to take sides.

"This will be a 3-on-3 match. Both contestants are allowed to switch their Pokémon out at any given moment. The battle is over, when all 3 Pokémon of one side are incapable of fighting or one of the contestants throws in the towel. Each team is allowed to have one mega-evolved Pokémon during this match. The Pokémon are confined to whichever move they can learn naturally or via TM/HM. The level on which the move is learned is irrelevant. Sunset Shimmer, do you understand the rules?" She answered with a sharp "Yes". "Pinkie Pie, do you understand the rules?" She just nodded. "Then ... BEGIN!"

Both of them were quick to throw their first Pokéballs.

"Lycanroc, come on out!"

"Slurpuff, I chose you."

Out of Sunsets Pokéball materialized a sand-brown wolf-like quadruped. Lycanroc's Midday-Form.

"That's quite unexpected", Fluttershy commented.

"Why? Lycanroc is fast and has a tricky moveset", Rainbow answered her. "Sunset is smart enough to draw out its potential."

"Y'all better not forget Pinkie's imagination and creativity. If Sunset oversees one thing it could mean goodnight Sally."

Sunset was the first to make a move.

"Lycanroc, Stealth Rocks!" Her first point of action was to set up. After her command, several rocks appeared and floated around her Pokémon and scattered across the field. Pinkie took a moment to observe where they landed, all the while sporting a cocky grin on he face.

"Nice move. Now, my turn. Slurpuff, Energy Ball." Pinkie's Slurpuff conjured a ball of green energy from its mouth and shot it straight at Lycanroc, which it dodged on Sunset's command, before sprinting at its opponent.

"Use Accelerock!" With that, Lycanroc sprinted forward even faster ready to hit its opponent with the jagged rocks on its neck. But Pinkie had something else in store.

"Slurpuff, quick, use Cotton Guard." Threads and clumps of cotton formed around Lycanroc's target, partly shieldig it from the impact. "Use another Energy Ball!" This time, Lycanroc was left defenseless against the attack, as it tumbled across the dirt of the arena, before swifly getting up again.

"Wow, Pinkie is doing better than I thought", Rarity commented. "Considering her opponent, of course."

"Yeah. She's usually more the casual player. I never took her for much of a battler", Twilight answered. "Could it be that we've been underestemating her?"

"Ah just hope that Sunset takes her seriously."

"She is", Rainbow said. "She started by setting up traps for Pinkie and then continued with an attack to see how Pinkie would react. This is just a test phase. Besides, she must've noticed Pinkie's expression by now. That's the face of someone who's gonna put up a fight."

"Slurpuff, be on your guard and use Fairy Wind on my command", Pinkie instructed her Pokémon.

"What is she planning?", Sunset thought. "I need to keep my distance." "Lycanroc, Stone Edge!", she then commanded. Her Pokémon let out a howl and multiple stone pillars rose from the ground. One after another until it reached Slurpuff.

"Now. Aim it on the ground."

Just as the last pillar was colliding with the pink blob, it let out a strong gust of sparkly mist derectly on its top. Before the pillar could explode, Slurpuff used both the force of its opponents, as well as its own attack to launch itself into the air.

"Wait. WHAT?", Sunset screamed. "How could she have known about my attack? Did she see the-" The realization hit Sunset like a flaming semi-truck.

"Next, you're gonna say: 'You're using your Pinkie sense, aren't you?'"

"You're using your Pinkie sense, aren't you?" Sunset's breath got caught in her throat. How was she gonna win if her opponent could predict her moves before she even thought of them?

"Now, Slurpuff, Energy Ball Barrage." Her Pokémon, still falling from the skys, unleashed countless balls of energy, which rained down onto the arena. Lycanroc tried its best to dodge them, but to no prevail, as it got hit several times. A huge cloud of dust covered the field as Slurpuff finally came close to the ground.
"Now use Cotton Guard to soften your landing." It worked. Kinda. It still took some damage, but not nearly enough to make it faint. It was still standing. Same thing could not be said for Lycanroc as the dust finally dispersed.

"Lycanroc is unable to battle. Slurpuff is the winner", Silver declaired, before Sunset called it back into its ball.

"This is bad. I need to crush her predictions. And I need something to push straight through her defense too. I got it." "Drapion, I chose you." Out of the ball came a giant purple scorpion. "First, use Toxic Spikes." Hundreds of venomous crowsfeet scattered across the arena. Another set-up move. "Now, run that cupcake into the ground." With that, her Drapion hauled straight for the pink puffball.

"This is bad. Slurpuff, try throwing it off balance with Energy Ball." It aimed at Drapion's feet, but it did absolutely nothing, except whirl up some dust, through which Drapion came dashing through. And with the Toxic Spikes on the ground, it had nowhere to run.

"Now, Drapion, Cross Poison." Sunset's Pokémon raised both its arms, which came crashing down on Slurpuff in the shape of an X. Though, due to its increased defenses, it wasn't quite finished yet. "Finish it with Fell Stinger." Drapion shot a thin needle from the back of its tail and landed a direct hit on Slurpuff. A few seconds of silence filled the arena.

"Slurpuff is unable to battle. Drapion is the winner."

Sunset's idea worked. Whether Pinkie could read her next move or not didn't matter when she could not prevent it. Type advantage against Fairy and Grass, combined with the fact that Slurpuff couldn't move around because of the Toxic Spikes left Pinkie no choice but to take the attack. But even then, her cocky grin didn't waver.

"Nice job, but let's see how you handle this. Steelix, get out here." Sunset had to admit that the sight of a gigantic snake made of Steel did frighten her quite a bit. Its typing also rendered the Toxic Spikes useless and Stealth Rocks only did a tiny bit damage.

"Now, Steelix, let's start with a Sand Storm." The spines on Steelix's body started to rotate, releasing a seemingly endless amout of sand into the arena, while also whirling it up. This truely was a Sand Storm worthy of a desert.

Sunset tried her damnest to keep the sand from getting into her eyes, while her Pokémon took damage from those tiny sandkorns. It wasn't much, but soon it would make quite the difference. But they weren't the only ones struggling with the wind. Even the spectators had to cover their eyes.

A few moments later, a huge rumble could be felt in the arena, as if an earthquake suddenly erupted. Sunset, who had gotten used to the wind by then, decided to take a peek onto the battlefield. Her opponent was gone.

"Oh no, Drapion, it used Dig. Don't stay in one spot. You've got to keep moving." What she demanded from her purple arachnoid was definitely more challenging than it sounded like. The sand didn't obscure its vision too much, but the force of the wind did make moving more difficult than it should've been.

Not that it really made a difference, because right then, Pinkie's Steelix erupted from the ground again, trapping Drapion inside its mouth. Sunset had to think of something. Fast. Then, an idea hit her like an electric surge.

"Next, you'll try to get your Pokémon free by using Fire Fang", Pinkie predicted.

"Yeah, so what if I will? Drapion, Fire Fang", Pinkie's words of mockery agitated Sunset.

"I'll do this. Steelix, release it." On her command, Steelix let go of the purple arachnid, but, surprising even to Pinkie Pie, it still managed to bite the metallic snake's lower jaw with its blazing teeth.

"Yeah, that's it. Don't let go." Her Pokémons jaws clenched even tighter around the steel serpent, which desperately tried to shake it off.

"Use Dig again", Pinkie instructed and her Pokémon followed the order. Drapion failed to move out of the way in time and was struck with the full force of Steelix once more going underground. An experience that it could not handle.

"Drapion is unable to battle. Steelix is the winner."

This was Sunset's last chance. Pinkie has had the upper hand this entire fight. Her last Pokémon had to defeat two of Pinkie's, her incredibly defensive Steelix and another, which she had no idea of what it could be. She had to throw her ace into the ring.

"It's all or nothing. Blaziken, flame on." From her last Pokéball came the most fierce example of flaming poultry any of the girls had ever seen. Not that it was a surprise.

"If I'm lucky, Blaziken should move fast enough so that even her Pinkie sense won't keep up. But even so, I hope it can maneuver around those 4 giant holes in the field." Sunset took a moment to study the layout of the field. Her Toxic Spikes were blown away by Pinkie's first Sand Storm, but she still had her Stealth Rocks. Then, she began to look at the holes Pinkie made. Two of them coincidentally on her side. One close and on her left, the other further away on her right."I got it."

"Okay, Steelix, show her your Divine Sand Storm", Pinkie commanded, once more releasing copious amounts of sand onto the field, much more than before. So much than nobody present had a clear view of the field. "If she does what I think she's gonna do, this'll be over quick. Now sweep it away with Iron Tail."

Steelix's tail began to glow in a metallic shimmer. Due to its size, it was able to sweep almost all the way across Sunset's half of the field. After the attack was over, the Sand Storm faded and the only Pokémon you could see on the field was Steelix. Everyone waited a couple of seconds, before Pinkie spoke again.

"You really thought jumping in the hole was gonna help you. You fell right into my trap." Sunset was a bit irritated by how into it Pinkie had gotten. She was not messing around. "Steelix use Dragon Breath on the hole that connects to that one over there." Pinkie was convinced she knew which hole to pick. There was only one that Blaziken could've made it to in time.

Steelix did as ordered and fired a blast of red energy into the hole. A blast which came out as a gigantic, firry pillar on the other side. Everyone waited. The intensity was overwhelming. So much so that a pink-haired animal lover started to scream from the stands.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE. SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING." It took the combind efforts of Applejack and Rainbow Dash to subdue their friend, but it did get both opponents into a talking mood, both of them smirking to the other.

"What's the matter? Did my last attack paralyze your Blaziken? Is that why it hasn't come out yet?"

"You're gettin' really cocky there, missy. Don't you think a blast that big should have blown it out?". That actually got Pinkie thinking. And the more she thought about it, the more nervous she got. "I think it's time, Blaziken. Use Flame Charge again." Suddenly, Blaziken rushed out of the tunnel. The other tunnel that Pinkie dismissed before. Sunset had Blaziken use Flame Charge before to get to the other hole.

Blaziken jumped out of the hole with such force that it easily reached the height of Steelix's head, to which it rushed with an alarming speed. Still shocked, Steelix had no way of dodging Sunset's next attack.

"Blaziken, Blaze Kick on its lower jaw." Steelix received a full on hit with Blaziken's firry foot. It almost fell to the ground, but could catch itself before falling for real.

"Steelix, are you alright?", Pinkie asked her Pokémon, which only shook its head to shake off that blow.

"Time to finish this. Blaziken, Sky Uppercut." Its strong legs allowed it to jump and run on Steelix's body, striking the same spot one last time. The metallic serpent fell for good and the arena was filled with the war cry of the victor.

"Steelix is unable to battle. Blaziken is the winner."

"Do you have any idea who's gonna win this?" Fluttershy threw the question into the room.

"Well, there's one thing Ah know sure as sugar. That bein' that I have no clue whatsoever. What about you, Rainbow?" The athlete pretty much exuded a confident aura and even let out a little huff as she was asked.

"You mean, 'Who I think is gonna face me in the finale?', right?"

"Don't you forget about me", Twilight stepped in with a pouty face, a little offended that Rainbow Dash made it sound like she wasn't part of the equasion. Her gaze then slipped to her soon-to-be opponent on the edge of the arena below. She originally planned on getting a read on him during this match. Talk to him, maybe find out what his preferences are, do some psychological warfare. But not only did he have to volunteer as referee, so she couldn't talk to him, but his expression hasn't changed from blank during the entire battle. It made her feel more that a bit uneasy.

Pinkie called Steelix back into its ball. It seemed like that last series of attacks downed her. She took a few seconds to look at the ball in her hands, before calling out to Sunset.

"Thank you, Sunset." The human in question was a bit taken aback by her words. "I'm usually so good at the games that I must've gotten overconfident. Sheesh, I must've sounded as like a total jerk."

"It's okay, Pinkie. I know how your emotions can get the best of you. No big deal."

"However," she clenched her fingers even tighter around her next Pokéball. "This time, I'm gonna be more careful. Absol, show them the true power of the sixth sense." Pinkies last Pokémon was Absol then. The Disaster-Pokémon let out a loud roar as it materialized in the arena. After taking damage from Lycanroc's Stealth Rocks, Pinkie was quick to begin.

"I don't wanna wait any longer. Absol, use Future Sight." On Pinkie's command, Absol summoned various balls of pink energy, which then disappeared into various portals.

"Then I just gotta beat you before it comes back. Blaziken, Blaze Kick, as hard as you can", Sunset ordered. Her Pokémon rushed at its opponent at full speed, but Pinkie made Absol use Detect. Blaziken tried and tried its hardest to get a hit in, but Absol could dodge every single one of its kicks. They waited. Waited until Blaziken tripped and gave the opening for the next attack.

"Psycho Cut!"

Blaziken was struck by the full force of Absol's blade made of psychic energy. It was super effective. But not enough to keep Blaziken down for long. This was the first bit of damage it had received after all.

Sunset needed to think. Detect was sure to fail eventually, but with Future Sight still being a threat, she couldn't risk dragging the battle out. If only she knew when the attack would hit. And then Sunset got her third surge of brilliance that day.

"Blaziken, use Flame Charge", she ordered.

"You keep using Detect. We're gonna drag this out until Future Sight hits." Absol did as she said and Sunset kept on attacking.

"Flame Charge! Flame Charge! Again! And Again!"

Absol dodged every single one of their attacks. The thought that Sunset might be getting desperate crossed her mind, but that idea was quickly dismissed when she heard how much confidence Sunset put into yelling "Flame Charge" once again. Then it happened.

Absol was prepared for a head on collision from Blaziken and moved its head away to dodge once again. Shocked Absol and its master had to realize that Blaziken managed to graze its face with the last attack. Shaken, it dropped the Detect, but the Pinkie sense was still active.

"It's gonna come from behind", she screamed, although too late. Absol could not react fast enough. It received the full force of a firy punch to the back of its head. It recovered from it shortly though.

"Seems my plan worked out. Even if you know what's coming, that information is useless when we're too fast for you to dodge", Sunset exclaimed confidently, arms crossed and head held high.

"Don't you get too full of yourself now." Pinkie suggenly grabbed the bow she wears on the side of her dress (apparently, it's detachable) and stuck it in her hair as a pin. Sunset noticed something different about that bow. Sewn into the middle of it, there as a small, sparkling gem. A Key Stone. "WE HAVEN'T SHOWN YOU EVERYTHING YET!"

The stone began shining as bright as a spotlight and emitting powerful waves of energy. This energy resonated with Absol's Mega-Stone on its foreleg. As they finally synched up, Absol's body transformed. The fluff on its back grew into a glorious wing-like formation. The hair in its head grew and gave it an emo hairstyle. Its horn changed form, but it wasn't the only one who changed.

Pinkie, too, was engulfed in a mysterious light, as it faded, her friends could see how her clothes morphed into a white and blue striped top with a bow on her chest, a miniskirt plastered with candy pieces (that nearly made Rarity faint with how short it was) and the bow on her head transformed into a little hat. Pinkie Pie was transforming into a Magical Girl.

As both their transformations concluded, her friends in the audience were wondering why this happened. Rarity noticed how it was similar to the dress she designed for prom night. Sunset on the other hand either didn't notice or care.

"Amazing. I can only imagine that she got so into it that she transformed along with her Pokémon. Such a thing would only be able here, in the Mind Scape", Twilight theorized.

Pinkie Pie was going on the offensive now. She started with another Psycho Cut, which Blaziken was able to dodge just in time. With her enemy flustered, Absol moved in and attacked rigorously with Night Slash. Again and again. Despite its increased Speed, Blaziken was exhausted from attacking relentlessly before. If it could just catch its breath.

Then, it got hit. A Night Slash right into its abdomen.

Blaziken tumbled across the arena. It layed on the ground. Silver almost announced Sunset's Pokémon to have been defeated, but then it moved again.

"Come on, come on. I know you can do this." After Sunset's words of encouragement, her Pokémon stood again.

"Thank you for the fight, Sunset. Battling someone as smart as you was a real challenge. But I sense that your time is up. Or should I say 'I see it in your futute." As if on cue, Absol's Future Sight appeared again. The pink energy balls flew straight towards Blaziken.

"Next you're gonna say 'I'll get you for this, Pinkie.'"

"I'll get you for this, Pinkie. Groan, god dammit." The Future Sight hit. A massive cloud of dust erupted from the impact. It was over. Pinkie won. Or so she thought.

"chuckle" Across the battle field, Sunset still stood high and mighty, arms crossed. Her opponent's giggling startled Pinkie.

"What's so funny?" The dust cloud flew apart. There was nothing hidden inside. No Blaziken to be seen. "What? There's no way Blaziken doged that one. It could barely move before." The sight, or lack there of, of her opponent frightened her.

"Well, Pinkie, or should I call you Moon Pie with those clothes on?" Only now, did Pinkie notice her change in attire. "You see, Blaziken wasn't nearly as beaten up as you thought it was. It was all a sharade. It simply needed to catch its breath and this little play gave it just enough time to recover", Sunset explained. There was still a bit of her old self inside her. The trickster. The manipulator.

"But I guess you're wondering where my trusted Blaziken is, am I right?" Pinkie was too shocked to answer. The sight of its master's unease even made her Absol jittery. "Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie. You haven't learned from your mistakes before. So close to victory that it is pretty much in your grasp. And then you just get sloppy. You don't listen to your Pinkie sense anymore and blindly trust your eyes and ears, it's a shame. Even now, you're letting me distract you with a monologue." Now it was Pinkie's breath that was caught in her throat.

"You'll lose today, Pinkie Pie. All because you didn't keep your eye on the birdie", Sunset raised her finger to the sky, right at her Blaziken diving down from the heavens. The sight was too much for Pinkie and Absol. Both of them stood there paralyzed. "Now Blaziken, let's finish this. BRAVE BIRD ATTACK."

Blaziken picked up even more speed, so much that it created a flaming aura around itself. Faster, faster, until ...

CRASH

The others didn't even have to wait for the dust to settle. The victor was clear.

"Absol is unable to battle. Blaziken is the winner. Therefore Sunset Shimmer wins the first match."