Episode 139: The Case of the Missing Fire Stones
Night came for the Pokémon Center and the trainers inside. As they all slept, only Sora and Kairi were awake. They both step outside with Togepi still sleeping along with the Pichu.
"You sure you want to be out with me this late, Kairi? I don't want you getting into trouble because of me," Sora said.
"That's my problem. If one of us gets into trouble, then the both of us should be in trouble. My mom and grandma pretty much did the same thing, I think," Kairi said.
"Okay, good point. But still. I-" Sora's words were cut when Kairi placed her finger at his lips.
"Like I said, it's my problem. And besides, we should do things together, Sora," Kairi said.
"We do things together all the time," Sora pointed out.
"I know. But, it includes this thing," Kairi said. Sora laughs, knowing she was absolutely right.
"Okay, okay. I guess you can do some training with us too," Sora offered.
"Thanks, but I think I like to watch you train," Kairi said.
"Okay," Sora said. Sora got outside and he let out Bayleef, Quilava, Totodile, Mamoswine, and Gligar to train. Gligar yawns upon being let out. His team all look at Sora and he chuckles a bit nervously. "I know it's very late, but we should be on our toes. So what do you say? You guys game?" All of his Pokémon nodded despite being tired. "Great! Let's do this! Pikachu! You're sparring with Quilava, Totodile, you're sparring with Gligar, and Bayleef, you're sparring with Mamoswine. Is everybody clear?" The Pokémon all nod. "Okay! Go!" Pikachu and Quilava work well on their speed, while Gligar flew up in the air, avoiding Totodile's Water Gun, and Bayleef and Mamoswine get locked into close combat. Mamoswine appears to have the edge due to his size, but she wasn't going to back away just because Mamoswine is bigger than she is.
Kairi watched Sora's Pokémon work so hard and she could easily see how his Pokémon are all working hard.
"This is going so well, Sora," Kairi said.
"Tell me something I don't already know," Sora said.
"I would, but I don't know what to tell you," Kairi joked. That made Sora laugh.
"Very funny," Sora said. The Pokémon continued on with their training. Gligar was getting faster and Totodile was getting fierce with aiming Water Gun, but Gligar had dodged each hit. Sora quickly noticed how Totodile was getting sharp with Water Gun. "Hey Totodile! Take it easy! It's only training." Totodile did stop firing when he started to evolve. "Totodile?" Sora stared at awe.
"Totodile is evolving!" Kairi cheered. Sora smiled as the other Pokémon stopped sparring and saw Totodile evolve. He was now a Croconaw. The newly evolved crocodilian Pokémon started to flex his muscles.
"Way to go, Totodile, I mean, Croconaw! I knew you would evolve sooner or later," Sora said. He hugged his newly evolved Pokémon.
"Croconaw!" The newly evolved Croconaw said. "Naw. Croco, Croconaw." Croconaw hugs Sora back.
"I am so very proud of you, Croconaw. Can't wait to see you in action the next time we battle," Sora said. Coroconaw felt fired up hearing that from him. Sora calls back all of his Pokémon and he and his girlfriend went back to bed.
The very next morning, Sora, Kairi, the Alolan nine, and the Pokémon stood outside the Pokémon Center saying goodbye to their friends for now.
"It was great to see you again, Sora," Ethan said.
"You too, Ethan. If you wanna have a battle the next time we cross paths, just don't expect me to pull any punches with you," Sora said. Ethan smiled to his friend and rival.
"I won't pull any punches with you either," Ethan said.
"And don't you guys be strangers now," Kris said.
"The same for you, Kris. Lyra," Lana said.
The three trainers took their leave as Sora, Kairi, the Alolan nine, and the Pokémon waved goodbye to their friends. The group took their leave and continued on towards Olivine City for Sora's next Gym battle.
Just as the kept going, the group are approached by a dark skinned boy wearing a yellow basbeball cap.
"Are you by chance Sora Ketchum from Pallet Town back in the Kanto region?" The boy asked.
"That'll be me," Sora responded.
"I have come to challenge you into a battle! The both of us uses three Pokémon each!" The boy challenged. Sora knew an opportunity to witness his Croconaw's toughness when he saw one.
"Okay. You are so on," Sora accepted the challenge. They both took out a Pokéball.
"I'll make the first move! Flareon! Go!" The boy shouted throwing his Pokéball. The Pokéball opens and his Flareon is a tad smaller than normal.
"A Flareon. And I know which one to use! Croconaw! Go!" Sora threw his Pokéball and it lets out his Croconaw, flexing his muscles. The Alolan nine were surprised to see Totodile had evolved.
"Did Totodile evolve? I don't remember that happening when we battled Team Rocket!" Kiawe pointed out.
"It was last night," Kairi admitted. "I would know, because I was with him."
"Why am I not surprised?" Kiawe asked with a little hint of sarcasm, without realizing it.
"Oh come on. Sarcasm, Kiawe? Really?" Mallow scoffed him.
"Did it sound sarcastic?" Kiawe asked. The Grass Type trainer nodded.
"You can have the first move," the boy offered.
"Thanks. Croconaw! Water Gun!" Sora ordered. Croconaw fired a much stronger Water Gun right at the Fire Eeveelution.
"Flareon! Dodge and use Ember!" The boy ordered. The tiny Flareon dodges the Water Gun and fired Ember right at the crocodile Pokémon. The attack landed a hit. "That was very good! Now use Quick Attack!" Flareon darted towards Croconaw like a bullet, hitting him in the gut.
"Try using Scratch!" Sora called out. Croconaw moved in and gave Flareon a scratch on the side. "Now use Bite!" Croconaw landed a bite on Flareon's tail, making it yelp.
"Flareon! You use Bite too!" The boy ordered. Flareon bit Croconaw on the arm. Flareon's bite was pretty good, but Croconaw still held its tail in his mouth.
"Okay Croconaw! Give Flareon a toss!" Sora said. Croconaw did give the flame Pokémon a toss alright. A toss right next to its trainer.
"Flareon! Are you okay?" The boy asked.
"Flareon," Flareon responded sadly.
"You did your best. You'll do better next time," he said, calling back his fallen Pokémon. "That was a great battle, Sora. Now let's see how you handle my next one." He pulls out another Pokéball. "Your turn, Sandslash!" The Pokéball lets out an Alolan Sandslash and it clangs its claws together.
"An Alolan Sandlash. This just makes this even more fun," Sora said. He calls back his Croconaw and pulls out another Pokéball. "Okay Quilava! Go for it!" Sora threw his Pokéball and Quilava enters the battle with flames flaring.
"Quilava should have the advantage since that Sandslash is an Ice Type and a Steel Type. Then again, That Sandslash looks pretty tough," Lillie said.
"I'm with Lillie," Kairi said. "I'm getting the chills just looking at him. That Sandslash's claws look sharp enough to slash through a boulder. The same can be said for his spines."
"Sanslash! Slash!" The boy ordered. Sandlash headed towards Quilava and moved his claws to swipe at the volcano Pokémon.
"Dodge and with Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Quilava dodges Sandlash's claws with ease. "Now use Flamethrower!" Quilava fired Flamthrower at the Alolan Sandslash.
"Dodge with Dig!" The boy ordered. Sandslash dug into the ground to avoid Quilava's Flamethrower.
"Be careful, Quilava. Sandslash will jump out at any moment," Sora told his Pokémon. Quilava looked around, waiting for the Alolan mouse Pokémon to make its move. Sandslash comes behind Quilava. "Behind you!" Too late! Sandslash lands a hit on Quilava.
"Now use Icicle Crash!" The boy ordered. Sandslash's spins glows turquoise and icicles shoot out and they fall right towards Quilava.
"Try to avoid it!" Sora called out. Quilava did his best to avoid Icicle Crash, but the icicles were coming too fast. They were slowing it down. Quialva's eyes glows red and the flames burns intensly. Quilava curlls into a ball and his body is covered by fire and plows through the icicles. Quilava rolls right into Sandslash. "No way."
"Quilava just learned to use Flame Wheel," Lillie said.
"Yes. And now things are going to be too hot to handle," Illima said.
"That was awesome, Quilava! One more Flame Wheel!" Sora ordered. Quilava curls into a ball and surrounds his body with fire. Quilava rolls right into the Alolan Sandslash once again, earning a knockout.
"No way! Sandslash!" The boy exclaimed. Sora and Quilava both high five each other for the victory.
"Excellent job, Quilava! You did great!" Sora said.
The boy called back his Sandslash and pulled out a Premier Ball.
"You're even better than I thought. Now I wanna see how you handle my next one," the boy said. He threw the Premier Ball. "Go for it Fearow!" The Premier Ball lets out a Fearow. It let out a loud cry upon entry. Sora would have gone with Pikachu, but he decided to go with Gligar for this one. He took out Gligar's Pokéball and threw it.
"Go for it, Gligar!" Sora shouted. Gligar is let out of his Pokéball with the Razor Fang around his neck.
Kairi knew he was planning to have Gligar evolve into a Gliscor for his next Gym battle.
"Fearow! Start things up with Drill Peck!" The boy ordered. Fearow spun around like a drill and headed towards the fly scorpion Pokémon.
"Gligar! Dodge and use Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Gligar avoided Fearow's beak and darted right into the bird Pokémon. "Now use Slash!" Gligar swiped his pincer on Fearow. The beak Pokémon fell towards the ground, but it quickly regained its balance and got back in the air.
"Not too bad, Sora! You're even better than I thought! Fearow! Sky Attack!" The boy ordered. Fearow's body glows white, preparing for an attack.
"Get ready, Gligar. Move when it feels right," Sora told Gligar. He stood his ground and waited for the right moment to dodge. Fearow charges towards Gligar to land a devastating hit. Gligar stood his ground and waited for Fearow to get closer. Just when Fearow was close enough, Gligar got onto Fearow's back and rode the bird Pokémon like a cowboy. "Yee-haw! Riding Gligar!"
"Shake Gligar off your back!" The boy called out. Fearow tries to shake off Gligar, but he just held on with his claws around his neck. Fearow flies around and around. Kairi, Togepi, the Pichu, and the Alolan nine moved their heads, following the movements Fearow was making.
"Is anyone getting dizzy just watching this? I know I am," Sophocles said.
"I think I'm starting to," Lana said.
"Pichu," the Spiky-eared Pichu said.
"Pichu," the Shiny Pichu said.
"That's great! Get off and use X-Scissor!" Sora ordered. Gligar jumps off of Fearow and delievers X-Scissor right onto Fearow, sending it straight down to the ground like a lawn dart. Fearow lands beak first right into the ground.
"No way! You're even better than I thought!" The boy exclaimed. He calls back his Fearow and walks up to Sora to congraculate him. "Not too bad. You really gave me a run for my money."
"Thanks. You gave me quite a battle," Sora said.
With that settled, the trainers parted ways and the group continued on with their journey. Night came for the group and the stopped to camp for the night. Kairi was setting up to make a ramen dinner while Sora and Kiawe decided to do some sparring before they eat. Sora had sent out Gligar while Kiawe had sent out Turtonator.
"You ready for this, Sora?" Kiawe asked.
"You know I am, Kiawe. Show me what you've got!" Sora dared him.
"Pika!" Pikachu said.
"Don't I always?" Kiawe asked. Okay Turtonator! You ready?" Kiawe asked.
"Turtonator!" The blast turtle Pokémon replied.
"That's the spirit, buddy! Get ready!" Kiawe said.
"Be careful of Turtonator's shell spikes! They'll explode when you make contact!" Sora warned Gligar. He nods to his trainer's warning and readied himself. The two trainers and Pokémon looked at each other like it was a standoff. "Gligar! Quick Attack!" Gligar dashed right towards Turtonator, but Kiawe saw it coming.
"Turtonator! Shell Trap!" Kiawe ordered. Turtonator quickly turned and his shell spikes started to glow. Sora winced to what he saw.
"Gligar! Pull up!" Sora called out. Gligar headed straight up just before he could touch the spikes on Turtonator's shell. The spikes stops glowing. "Thought you had me, didn't you?"
"Can't blame a guy for trying, Sora. Okay, Turtonator! Flamethrower!" Kiawe ordered. Turtonator fired Flamethrower and it hit Gligar on the spot. "Great! Now use Dragon Tail!" Turtonator's tail glowed turquoise and swung it to hit Gligar when he reached his level. But Gligar dodged it quickly.
"Nice dodge! Now use Slash!" Sora called out. Gligar swung his pincer at Turtonator's head, but he ducks his head inside his shell. "Okay, that's cheating."
"Oh, come on, Sora. That's the defense that a turtle Pokémon like Turtonator has," Kiawe said. Turtonator pokes his head back out. "Okay! Now use Focus Blast!" Turtonator forms a ball of energy and hurls it at Gligar, but he quickly dodges the attack. Sora had to think of a plan fast. Kiawe's weapon is his shell, and it hits him on the face.
"Gligar! Use Slash! Aim for the under part of the shell!" Sora called out. Gligar headed right for the under part of the shell and swiped his pincer at it. Turtonator steps back.
"Don't take that laying down! Just use Shell Trap when Gligar tries it again!" Kiawe told his partner. Turtonator nodded and waited for Gligar to try it.
"Gligar! Slash again! But this time, go around!" Sora called out. Gligar obeyed, but the Razor Fang started to glow. The same for Gligar when he started to evolve. Sora and Kiawe were awestruck by the sight. Gligar was now a Gliscor. The newly evolved Gliscor did go around the blast turtle Pokémon, and he struck the underside of the shell, but a dark aura emitted from Gliscor's claw. "That was Night Slash!"
"Gliscor must have learned it after evolving!" Kiawe guessed.
Sora knew Kiawe was right. Gligar didn't know Night Slash before evolving. He quickly realized Gliscor was now big enough to lift up Turtonator in the air. He figured Gliscor can grab the blast turtle Pokémon by the tail and lift him up and then, drop him to the ground.
"Gliscor! Give Turtonator a lift! But grab him by the tail!" Sora called out.
Gliscor did grab Turtonator by the tail and flew up. Kiawe didn't know what to think when he saw Gliscor do that to him.
"Turtonator! Try to shake yourself loose!" Kiawe called out. Turtonator tried to do that, but Gliscor was unphased by Turtonator's movements. Turtonator then tried to use Shell Trap again. Sora wondered what might happen if Turtonator landed on the back of the shell.
"Okay Gliscor! Drop Turtonator!" Sora called out. Gliscor dropped Turtonator and he landed on his back, resulting in an explosion. That creates a crater bigger than he was, but Sora and Kiawe were almost blown away by the blast. Turtonator lands on his back again. Kiawe ran right towards his fallen partner.
"You okay, Turtonator?" Kiawe asked.
"Turtona," Turtonator nodded.
"Don't sweat it. You always do your best. And I can't for anything more of you," Kiawe said. Turtonator is fortunate to have a good trainer like Kiawe. "That wasn't too bad, Sora. Gotta hand it to you, I totaly forgot about the Razor Fang Gligar was holding."
"Thanks Kiawe. I didn't forget about the bond you and Turtonator have since we first met," Sora said. Kiawe was very lucky to have a friend like Sora. The two trainers and their Pokémon rejoined the group, just in time for Kairi to get done with the ramen.
"Here you go, boys. Soup's on," Kairi said.
"Thanks Kairi," Kiawe said.
"No matter how many I tell you this, your cooking's the best," Sora said. That made her smile to hear him say that.
Everyone drifted off to sleep a couple of hours later. Gliscor slept upside down wrapping his tail around a tree branch like an opossum. But he was more like a bat.
A few days later, the group were walking down a rocky path, taking a shortcut to get to Olivine City and to reach for his next Gym battle.
"Everyone. I don't like how unstable those boulders look. They look like they could fall over at any moment," Lillie said.
"Lillie's right. We better get through here fast!" Hapu agreed.
"Let's get a move on!" Sora said.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blows Sora grabs Kairi, while Pikachu placed Togepi and the two Pichu in Sora's backpack to keep them safe. Then Sora, Kairi, and the Alolan nine started to run off, but the wind is so strong that the boulders. The group froze in place, only for a pack of Arcanine to come along and save them. Two of the Arcanine had people riding on them.
The two people riding two of the Arcanine happens to be a teenage girl with light purple hair, weaing a dark blue shirt showing a little of her navel also wearing an orange-red pair of pants, held by a belt and red shoes; and the other is a boy with dark purple hair, wearing a red shirt under an orange jacket yellow pants and green shoes.
"Are you all okay?" The girl asked the group.
"Yeah. We would have been pancakes if you haven't shown up," Sora said.
"Yes. Thanks so much for saving us," Kairi said.
"It's no problem. We're just glad that you're all in one piece," the girl said.
"And you were lucky we were in the area," the boy said. "And it was a good thing too."
"My name is Ramona and this guy here is my little brother, Keegan," she introduced.
"Keegan at your service," Keegan said.
"I'm Sora Ketchum. And this is my girlfriend Kairi," he introduced, putting his arm around Kairi's shoulder.
"Hi," Kairi greeted.
"I'm Lillie."
"I am Illima."
"I'm Mallow."
"My name's Kiawe."
"I'm Lana."
"The name's Sophocles."
"I'm Acerola."
"Mina."
"And I'm Hapu."
"Pika," Pikachu said.
"Toge, Togepi!" Togepi chirped.
"Pichu," the Shiny Pichu chirped.
"Pichu, Pi," the Spiky-eared Pichu chirped.
Sora looked over to the Arcanine and he remembers his Arcanine.
"These are some pretty impressive Arcanine. They kinda remind me of my Arcanine," Sora said.
"That's pretty much the same way for me," Kairi added.
"You have an Arcanine of your own?" Keegan asked.
"Yeah, I do," Sora answered. "And I can tell you, the Growlithe he used to be was full of so much energy." Sora turned to Kairi with a smile. "Remember how affectionate he was towards you?" Kairi giggled at the memory.
"How can I forget? Growlithe was more into girls than boys. And when you tripped and one of your Fire Stones flew out, he just thought you were playing fetch. And I still remember how jealous Kiawe got when that happened," Kairi said, teasing the Fire Type trainer.
"I can hear you, you know!" Kiawe exclaimed.
Sora and Kairi shared a laugh at Kiawe's expense.
"And I thought Lana got jealous of me for having a Pokémon as amazing as a Lapras and a Primarina," Sora joked.
"Hey!" Lana pouted.
"Just kidding, Lana," Sora said.
"Putting all jokes and memories aside, I think I saw some Fire Stones not too far from here," Acerola said.
"Well," Keegan said, taking out a blue bag on the pouch on the Arcanine he was riding on. "I have some in here." He opens the bag and shows the group the Fire Stones. "See?"
"Whoa," Mina said.
"Took the words out of my mouth, Mina. I've seen Fire Stones before, but I never seen this much before," Sora said.
"Nor have I," Illima said. "Are you by chance collecting them, trading them, or selling them?"
"No, but you're right to think that, Illima. These Fire Stones are the prizes they're gonna give to the winner of the big competition," Keegan said.
"What competition?" Mallow asked.
"It's a competition for Fire Type Pokémon. And it's been held in a town on the other side of these mountains. And it's being held tomorrow," Keegan said.
"That makes a lot of sense for a Fire Stone to be given as a prize for a Fire Type tournament," Lillie said.
"My brother and I have delivery business, so we transport all kinds of cargo from town to town and village to village using our Arcanine," Ramona said.
"And Acanine is a perfect Pokémon to have since it's well known for their awesome speed," Kiawe said. "The way they run, it has been longed believed that they can be flying." Kiawe's eyes filled with tears of joy.
"Kiawe's right. It does sound interesting," Kairi said.
"Maybe we can travel together. Where are you guys heading for?" Ramona asked.
"We're on our way to Olivine City. I'm challenging the Gym Leader there," Sora said.
"Olivine City? It's in the direction we're going," Keegan said. "Ramona, we can get them there a whole lot faster."
"You're right, Keegan," Ramona agreed. "That is you don't mind riding on one of the Arcanine."
"Not a problem. Kairi and I can share one," Sora said.
"I have my Mudsdale," Hapu said.
"Don't be a stick in the mud, Hapu! Arcanine are much faster," Acerola said.
"Yeah," Mina said.
"And it'll be loads of fun," Acerola said.
The group rode on Acanine and they enjoyed the ride since it was more majestic than they could dream of. Hapu still didn't feel right about riding on other Pokémon than she was used to, but she knew Acerola was right about Arcanine being faster.
Sora and Kairi shared one. Lillie shared one with Ramona, Kiawe shared one with Keegan, Illima shared one with Sophocles, Mallow shared one with Lana, Acerola shared one with Mina, and Hapu rode one by herself.
"You enjoying this Kairi?" Sora asked his girlfriend.
"I know you are," Kairi answered.
"You're right! I am!" Sora said.
"Let's speed it up just a little," Keegan said.
"This part is going a little faster too, Lillie," Ramona said.
"Okay," Lillie said.
"Okay, Arcanine! Step on it!" Ramona said. All of the Arcanine ran a little faster and the group enjoyed the ride; especially Sora.
"WHOOO!" Sora shouted.
As the Arcanine ran, Hapu held on as best as she can, trying to keep herself from falling off the canine Pokémon's back.
The group made a stop for a break. Sora and Kairi brushed the fur on Arcanine and they found the brushing to their liking.
"You're pretty good at brushing," Keegan said.
"I had a little help," Sora said. He took a glance over to Kairi who is continuing brushing one of the Arcanine's fur.
"Gotta hand it to you, Sora, you are so lucky to have a girlfriend like her. I mean, she's so very pretty," Keegan said.
"She is," Sora said lovingly. He turns to Keegan with a stern look on his face. "Don't get any ideas about her, Keegan."
"Don't worry about it. I won't make any moves on her. Did she teach you how to brush?" Keegan asked.
"She did. It was a while back. I kinda remember it like it was yesterday," Sora said.
(Flashback)
"It was before we met Lillie and the others and when I was just starting out. I was watching Kairi brushing Pikachu's fur and I saw how he liked it so much," Sora narrated.
"Chu, chu, CHA!" Pikachu beamed. Kairi brushed Pikachu's fur and he smiles happily feeling the brush.
"Do you like that, Pikachu? Does it feel so good?" Kairi asked.
"Pik, Pika, Pikachu," Pikachu said happily.
Sora polished his Pokéballs and at the same time, he eyed Kairi brushing Pikachu's fur.
"Pikachu seems to be very happy," Sora said.
"Well, Pikachu's fur needs to be cleaned and groomed on a regular basis, otherwise his fur might get rough and messy," Kairi said.
"I guess taking care of Pokémon isn't as easy as I thought," Sora said. Kairi stopped brushing Pikachu and handed him the brush.
"How about you give it a try," Kairi suggested.
"Really?" Sora asked.
"Consider it a way of learning about caring for Pokémon," Kairi said.
"You sure?" Sora asked, unsure.
"You'll do fine. trust me," Kairi said. She handed Pikachu to Sora. He started to brush Pikachu's fur, but he didn't do it the way Kairi did and he did too rough.
"Pika! PI! PIKA!" Pikachu exclaimed.
"Calm down, Pikachu! Take it easy!" Sora said.
"PIKACHU!" Pikachu gave a shock to Sora and he screamed between the shocks. He falls to the ground with his hair in a Bart Simpson hair-style.
"Cool man," Sora said in the after shock.
"Okay, I was wrong," Kairi said.
"Well, the reason that happened is I never brushed any Pokémon fur before and when I was handed the brush, I did it way too hard and rough," Sora narrated. "She showed me how it was done. Whenever I screwed up, Pikachu shocked me again. That kept up, until I got the hang of it. Pikachu didn't shock me for it."
"Well done, grasshopper," Kairi said in a joke. That made Sora laugh.
(Flashback ends)
Sora and Keegan both laughed at the memory.
"I got better with it ever since. Kairi taught me so much about taking care of Pokémon," Sora said.
"I can tell you enjoyed riding on Arcanine when we were on the run," Keegan said.
"Yeah. At least it went better than when I first rode on my Tauros," Sora said.
"What do you mean?" Keegan asked.
"Well, my Tauros didn't really like me much at first. Hapu taught me some things about riding Pokémon. It took me a few hours to get the hang of it," Sora explained.
Sora remembered the hard time he would have trying to ride on Tauros's back for the first time. He remembered how painful it was when Tauros bucked him off his back. But he managed to get the hang of it.
"Must have been hard," Keegan said.
"It sure was. And that is no bull," Sora said. That made Keegan laugh.
Not too far, three teenage boys are watching them. One is tall and bulky, and he a blue and stripped shirt with a purple vest over it; also blue jeans and black shoes; one is tall and slim and he wore a levender shirt and small purplish glasses, and dark blue jeans and maroon shoes, and one is the shortest one of them all and he wore a dark yellow shirt and blue shorts. The bulky one has big black spiky hair and his tied with a ponytail, the slim one has pointy brown hair and the short one has whitish blue hair and he appears to be like a ghost. The short one appears to be the leade of the group.
"You see what I see, boys?" The short boy asked in a grim tone.
"Yeah I do," the slim boy said in a cockney english accent.
"Those are the chumps we were told about," the bulky one said.
"And they're the ones who has the haul of Fire Stones. And it'll be a shame to rob them after all the hard work they did," the short one said. He then started laughing. "But I'm not feeling it one little bit."
The other two teens laughed along with their leader.
"So Bonz. How are we gonna swipe em?" The bulky teen asked.
"We can have our Pokémon do the job for us, Zygor," Bonz answered. "And I know just the right one for the job." He took out a Pokéball and threw it up in the air. The Pokéball opens and lets out a Murkrow. "Okay Murkrow. Go and swipe that bag." He pulls out a bag that is similar to the one with the Fire Stones. "And replace it with this." Murkrow grabs it with its beak and silently fluttered over to the bag, being careful not to draw attention. Murkrow got to the Fire Stones and switched the bags. Once it was in place, Murkrow took flight, but left a black feather behind. Murkrow flew back to Bonz. He takes the bag and checks out the contents. "Excellent work, Murkrow." He feeds it a piece of jerky.
"This is great! We got em!" The slim teen said.
"Sid's right! Those losers won't know we switched the Fire Stones for the rocks inside it!" Zygor said.
"Not until we want them to know; and it'll be too late!" Bonz said. "Let's go before they see us."
The three teens took off with their haul. Not too long, Sora has sent over Mamoswine for Poipole and Kairi had sent Shuckle for Miltank.
"There! The exchange is complete," Kairi said, handing Sora his Pokédex.
"Sure is," Sora took out his Beast Ball and threw it to let out Poipole.
"Poi, Poi!" Poipole chirped.
"Hey Poipole! I bet you would like to have some fun," Sora said.
"Poipole, Poi!" Poipole chirped.
"Is that why you had Poipole brought over here?" Kairi asked her boyfriend. Sora sheepishly smiled.
"Pretty much," Sora said.
"I guess I can go with that," Kairi said.
Poipole floated around and started having some fun. Ramona and Keegan were amazed to see a Pokémon they never seen before.
"What kind of Pokémon is this?" Ramona asked.
"I don't know," Keegan said. Poipole floated right over to the blue bag and saw a black feather. It picked up the feather.
"Poi? Poipole Poi," Poipole chirped. Poipole floated over to Sora and tickled its trainer with it. Sora laughed upon being tickled.
"Hey! Cut that out!" Sora laughed uproariously. Poipole kept tickling and tickling him. Keegan went over to the bag and he quickly noticed something amiss.
"Huh?" Keegan asked. He opened the bag and saw a bunch of rocks wrapped with newspapers and screamed in horror. Ramona, Illima, Acerola, and Mina went over to Keegan. The rest of the group did as well.
"What's wrong, Keegan?" Ramona asked her brother.
"The Fire Stones has been stolen!" Keegan said. He shows the rocks to his sister.
"Oh no! How could this have happened?!" Ramona exclaimed.
"And who would do such a thing?" Lillie asked.
"Someone very greedy. That's who," Hapu said.
"Hapu's right. And that fits Team Rocket's description perfectly," Kiawe said.
"Or maybe somebody else," Sora said. He took the feather from the Ultra Beast's hands. "Whoever took the Fire Stones has a bird Pokémon with black feathers."
Sora handed Lillie the feather and she examined it.
"I think this feather belongs to a Murkrow. I can tell just looking at it," Lillie said.
"Whoever did it won't get away with this," Sora said. "We should find who did it and take them back."
"We can take them back ourselves, Sora. We don't want you to go through any trouble for us," Keegan said.
"It's the least we can do. You saved our lives from that rock slide; so it's only fair that we pay you back by getting the Fire Stones back for the competition," Sora told Keegan.
"He's right, Keegan. We can work better together and get them before they get too far," Ramona said. Keegan knew his sister was right. They can have better luck if there were more in numbers than just the two of them.
"Then, let's get started," Keegan said. He took the feather from Lillie and he held in front of the Arcanine to sniff. "Get the scent." The canine Pokémon sniffed the black plume and they led them to where the thieves have been hiding. They found prints on the dirt. All of the Arcanine barks to the group. "They found something!" The group went over to where the Arcanine had sniffed and saw the prints.
"So, it happens to be three people spying on us," Sophocles said.
"And they look pretty fresh too," Mina said.
"We should follow them. They can't be too far," Keegan said.
"Good idea," Ramona said. She gestures one of the Arcanine to come. It sniffs the ground. Once it got a whiff, the group got on their backs once again and rode off to pursue the thieves.
Not too far, Bonz, Zygor, and Sid were laughing among each other, feeling proud of their accomplishment.
"Man! I can't believe how easy that was!" Sid said.
"Yeah! We let some losers do the work for us and then take 'em when they ain't lookin," Zygor said.
"It feels just like the good ol days back when we ran with Team Skull," Sid said. "Remember?"
"How could I forget? We were the bigest and the most badass gang in all of Alola. That was until some silver-haired punk and his Eevee came along and ruined everything!" Bonz exclaimed.
"Yeah! Boss Guzma and big sister Plumeria didn't take any shit from anybody! And when I do find that punk who flushed our reputation down the crapper, I'll ring his scrawny little neck! The same for that little fuzz ball!" Zygor said, slamming his fist into his hand.
"I know the feeling, Zygor. But ever since we came to Johto, we've been making ourselves known here," Bonz said.
"You got that right, Bonz. We did an excellent job of stealing and the coppers here are a bunch of jokers," Sid said. Zygor chuckled.
"Those pigs couldn't even catch a cold," Zygor said between laughs.
The Arcanine eventually caught up with the three thugs and surrounded them.
"Gotcha, you thieves!" Kiawe said.
"You better hand over those Fire Stones right now!" Sora said to them.
"Oh yeah? What are ya gonna do if we don't?" Zygor taunted.
"Battle us right now and find out," Sora dared them.
"You heard him, guys. If he wants a battle, then he's going to have a battle," Bonz said. Bonz took out his Pokéballs, as did his goons. "Marowak! Golbat! Murkrow! Go!" The Pokéballs lets out his three Pokémon. Bonz's Marowak was a tad more aggressive than Kiawe's Marowak.
"Rapidash! Salandit! Magmar! Go!" Sid said throwing his Pokéballs. They let out his chosen Pokémon for the battle.
"Machoke! Fearow! Muk! Go get 'em!" Zygor shouted throwing his Pokéballs. His Machoke, Fearow, and Alolan Muk is sent out to battle. Sora took out his Beast Ball and Pokéball to battle.
"Gliscor! Poipole! Go!" The two balls open and his Gliscor and Poipole enter the battle. He turns to Pikachu. "You help out too, Pikachu!" His partner nodded in agreement. Kairi gets out her own Pokéballs to assist her boyfriend.
"Cubone! Raichu! Ledian! Go!" Kairi said. Raichu, Cubone, and Ledian joins Sora's Pokémon. Sophocles decides to join the battle as well.
"Not letting you two hog all the fun!" Sophocles stated, taking out his three Pokéballs. "Vikavolt! Flaaffy! Voltorb! Go!" Vikavolt, Flaaffy, and Voltorb are unleashed and sparked upon entry.
"This'll be fun," Sid said.
"Then, let's have fun," Bonz said.
"I like the sound of that! Machoke! Brick Break on that Cubone! Fearow! Drill Run on Raichu! Muk! Poison Fang on Ledian!"
"Rapidash! Flame Charge on Voltorb! Salandit! Overheat on Vikavolt! Magmar! Fire Punch on Flaaffy!" Sid ordered.
"Leftovers are fine by me! Golbat! Crunch on Pikachu! Murkrow! Dark Pulse on Gliscor! Marowak! Shadow Bone on that thing!" Bonz ordered.
"Dodge!" Sora, Kairi, and Sophocles called out.
All of the thug's Pokémon went right for their opponent's Pokémon. Golbat dove down to give Pikachu a bite, but he just dodges the attack. Murkrow fires Dark Pulse, but Gliscor blocks it with his tail. Marowak performs Shadow Bone, but Poipole floats around.
Machoke moves in to give Cubone a chop on the head, but the lonely Pokémon narrwoly avoids the attack. Fearow dove towards Raichu, but the mouse Pokémon dodges it the same way Pikachu dodged Golbat. Muk moved to deliver a poisonous bite on Ledian, but Ledian flew up in the air, and Muk bit the soil instead.
"Gliscor! Night Slash on Marowak! Pikachu! Electro Ball on Murkrow! Poipole! Dragon Pulse on Golbat!" Sora ordered. Gliscor's claw emits a dark aura and swiped right at Marowak, landing a hit. Pikachu forms a ball of electricity and sends it to Murkrow, but the crow Pokémon dodges it. Poipole fires Dragon Pulse right at Golbat. It tries to avoid it, but the attack came too fast.
"Cubone! Bonemerang on Muk! Ledian! Mach Punch on Machoke! Raichu! Thunderbolt Fearow!" Kairi ordered. Cubone threw her bone and it struck Muk hard. Ledian landed a punch on Machoke, and Raichu gave Fearow quite a shock with his Thunderbolt.
"Voltorb! Rollout on Rapidash! Flaaffy! Shock Wave on Magmar! Vikavolt! Signal Beam on Salandit!" Sophocles ordered. Vikavolt fired Signal Beam right on spot on Salandit, Voltorb rolled straight into Rapidash, and Flaaffy sends out Shock Wave, hitting Magmar clean.
"Pikachu! Quick Attack on Murkrow!" Sora ordered.
"Murkrow! Steel Wing!" Bonz ordered. Both Pokémon headed right towards each other. Pikachu ran towards Murkrow, as it flew towards Pikachu. He watched Murkrow's wings carefully and struck the black avarian Pokémon right in the under belly.
"Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu fired Thunderbolt right at Murkrow to land a hit.
"Murkrow! Double Team!" Bonz ordered. Murkrow made several images of itself and they spread around. The Thunderbolt phases through one of them, but that was a fake. "Now use Dark Pulse!" Murkrow and the duplicates all fired Dark Pulse and they all struck Pikachu. "Dark Pulse again! Aim it at Gliscor!" Gliscor was quickly surrounded by the Murkrow swarm and they all fired Dark Pulse, hitting Gliscor hard.
"Muk! Sludge Bomb!" Zygore ordered. Muk fired Sludge Bomb right at Raichu, Cudone, and Ledian, covering them up with sludge.
"Hey guys, how about we have a Hyper Beam blast?" Sid suggested.
"Oh, hell yeah! That's sounds loads of fun!" Zygore said.
"Took the words right out of my mouth. Golbat!" Bonz called out.
"Fearow!" Zygore called out.
"Rapidash!" Sid called out.
"Hyper Beam!" The three punks ordered. The three Pokémon fired a powerful beam of energy and they combined their attack. Poipole managed to avoid it, but Pikachu and the other battling Pokémon weren't so lucky.
"Pikachu! Gliscor!" Sora gasped.
"Cubone! Ledian! Raichu!" Kairi also gasped.
"Flaaffy! Vikavolt! Voltorb!" Sophocles also gasped.
All of the Pokémon are seen laying on the ground, beaten from that Hyper Beam. All of the Pokémon battling, except for Poipole as it floated down to its comrades.
"It looks like we missed one," Sid said.
"That puny little thing won't get away from us again," Zygor said.
"You got that right! Let's gang up on it!" Sid suggested.
"All of you! Target that purple thingy," Bonz ordered. All of the opposing Pokémon set their sights on Poipole. The purple Ultra Beast avoided the onslaught of the brutal Pokémon as best as it could, but it got hit by Golbat, Fearow, and Murkrow. Marowak, Rapidash, Magmar, and Salandit quickly surrounds it. Seeing enough, Ramona and Keegan steps right in.
"Arcanine! Flame Charge!" Ramona ordered. All of the Arcanine charged right at the thug's Pokémon. It knocked out only Murkrow, Machoke, and Rapidash. The rest are still standing, refusing to call it quits.
"Nine against one isn't a fair fight!" Keegan said to them.
"Well, we don't do fair, kid! We only do nasty!" Bonz countered.
"And nobody is going to get in our way," Sid said.
"And not espcially your orange furballs," Zygor taunted.
"Why do you even want our Fire Stone? Why not just go and find some yourselves?" Keegan asked.
"We don't like to get our hands dirty," Zygor said. "It's only fun when someone else just finds them first and then swipe their hardwork from them."
Sora, Kairi, and the Alolan nine didn't like that response one bit.
"Now I'm seeing a pattern," Sora said. "You're not only greedy, but you're also lazy! You steal the very items they worked for and then pull this off!"
"This act is unforgivable!" Illima said.
"Cry us a river, dweebs," Zygor taunted.
"We only do it, because it makes us feel good," Sid said. Bonz dangles the bag right in front of them teasingly.
"And if you want them back, then you'll have to get them back by force," Bonz dared them. "If you can."
"Gladly! Arcanine! Get that bag back!" Ramona ordered. The Arcanine she rode on charged right at the thugs to get it back. Bonz nods to Marowak who just strikes it with a Shadow Bonne. Golbat hits it with a, Air Cutter, Salandit hits it with Dragon Rage, and Magmar gives Arcanine a Fire Punch. "Arcanine!"
"That was a dirty trick!" Keegan called out. He ran towards them to get the bag from them.
"Keegan!" Ramona called out to him.
"Keegan! Come back!" Sora also called out.
"We worked hard to find those Fire Stones and we're not letting you take that away from us!" Keegan said. Fearow pelts him to the side with its wing. Keegan hits a tree, breaking his arm. Ramona gasped to what she saw. That made Sora angry now.
"You bastards have done it now!" Sora yelled in an enraged tone. "Poipole! Dragon Pulse!"
"Poi!" Poipole cried. It's body glowed in a deeper shade of purple and fired a powerful Dragon Pulse right at Fearow, knocking it out. Poipole let's out a loud cry when it started to evolve. Everyone gasped in awe to what they were seeing.
"Poipole?" Kairi asked.
"What's going on?" Ramona questioned.
"It's Poipole! It's evolving!" Hapu said.
"Pika," Pikachu said amazed.
"Toge, Toge," Togepi chirped.
"Pichu," the two Pichu chirped.
Poipole had now become Naganadel. The newly evolved Naganadel lets out a loud roar once it has finished evolving.
"Nagandel," Sora said in disbeleif.
"How did Poipole evolve just now?" Lillie asked.
"I think I know. Poipole must have sensed Sora's anger and it became Poipole's anger. Hearing his voice must have caused Poipole to evolve," Kiawe answered.
"I think you are correct, Kiawe," Illima said.
"Naganedel," Sora said. Sora was amazed to see his newly evolved Naganadel and it looks back at him. The trainer and Pokémon stared into each other's eyes and they nod to each other. "Okay! Let's do this!" Nagandel roars back. Sora checked his Pokédex and saw what attacks it now learned after evolving. "Naganedel! Thunderbolt!" Nagandel fired Thunderbolt right towards the opposing Pokémon and it hit both Golbat and Marowak.
"Marowak! Golbat!" Bonz exclaimed. He growls in anger. "Get them!"
"Got it!" Sid said.
"Leave that punk to us!" Zygor added. "Muk! Sludge Bomb!"
"Magmar! Flamethroweer! Salandit! Flamethrower!" Sid ordered.
The remaining Pokémon fired their attacks at the newly evolved Ultra Beast, but Naganedel has sent out another Dragon Pulse and sends it right towards them, cutting through their own attacks. The attack sends Salandit flying and landed on its back.
"That was great, Naganedel! Now use Dragon Claw!" Sora ordered. Naganedel's claws glows dark purple and they swipe right at the Alolan Muk and sets its sights on Magmar. The spitfire Pokémon shakes in fear of the Ultra Beast. It runs right behind Sid, sucking on its thumb.
"Get back in there!" Sid said. He tried to drag Magmar by the tail, but it just refused to budge. "Come on! Come on!" Naganedel went up to the three punks and floated right in front of Bonz. He just stared at the Ultra Beast and saw an enraged look in its eyes. It swiped the bag from the trio's leader and floated right back to the group, giving the bag back to Ramona.
"You guys are in serious trouble now! You stole the Fire Stones from us and then you hurt my little brother! I can never forgive you for this! Now you're going to pay for it right through your noses!" Ramona said. "Arcanine! Flame Charge!"
Arcanine charged right towards the thugs and their Pokémon, sending them flying in the air just like Team Rocket.
"WE WILL REMEMBER THIS!" The three punks called out.
"And that's that," Ramona said. Keegan rubs his arm, feeling hurt. "Keegan! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, sis. I don't think it's hurt that bad," Keegan reassured his sister. She wasn't buying it, so she poked his arm. "OUCH!"
"You are hurt," Ramona said.
"I'm fine. We just need to get the Fire Stone over to the town as soon as possible," Keegan said. Ramona smiled and nodded.
"You're right, Keegan. Let's get going," Ramona said.
The group made it to the town, and the grand marshal of the competition sat on the front desk waiting for the delievery.
"Did somebody order some Fire Stones?" Keegan opened with a joke.
"Because that's what we have," Ramona added.
"Good! You've made it," the grand marshall said. "I was starting to worry that you weren't going to make it on time for the competition. You didn't have any problems, did you?"
"Nothing we couldn't handle on our own," Ramona said, leaving out the theft of the stones.
"Us and the Arcanine, right sis?" Keegan asked.
"Right, bro," Ramona said.
Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, Togepi, the Pichu, and the Alolan nine smiled, feeling proud of their accomplishments. The siblings made a trip to the town doctor, and it turns out Keegan just has a bad sprang on his arm, but it'll heal up in a matter of days. The group made it outside of town.
"Thanks so much for getting the Fire Stones back for us," Keegan said. "We wouldn't have gotten them here in time if it weren't for you."
"You don't need to thank us, Keegan. We were just glad to help out," Sora said.
"And we're also glad to hear that you're okay," Kairi said.
"I really hate to say goodbye, but I know you have to continue on with your journey," Ramona said.
"We do too, but who knows? We might meet again at some point," Hapu said.
"Yeah," Mina said.
With that said, the group said their goodbyes to the siblings and continued on with their journey and right towards their destination at Olivine City.