Episode 161: Nerves Of Steelix
Melody had sailed through the ocean to reach the mainland for a few hours and it was worth the wait; but Kazu and Kenta ended up being seasick during the cruise. And Impidimp took advantage of it.
"Ugh, we only been out here for a few hours and I'm more seasick than ever," Kenta groaned.
"Even with Impidimp maing our seasickness worse," Kazu groaned. Impidimp took out a peanut butter and sardine sandwich and waved it around and around. Not only that, but sandwiches that also had pickles with onions, octopus tentacles, and all sorts of disgusting and moldy things. Their faces turns green and they spewed on the side. Impidimp laughs at their predicament and ate one of the sandwiches. The wily Pokémon kept laughing as it chewed its sandwich and then started to regret eating it, since it was making the imp-like Pokémon sick and heaved along with them.
Pikachu and the Pichu watched the two boys and Impidimp as Pikachu gives them a lesson on teasing.
"What you two have just saw was Impidimp getting a taste of his own medicine. Not only he teased them into making them more sick, but he then got his comeuppance for it." - Pikachu subtitle.
"You do realize I can hear you, don't you?!" Impidimp subtitle. His cheeks puffs up and he heaves some more. The Pichu laughs at the Dark and Fairy Type Pokémon having to be as sick as ever.
"Okay, stop laughing at Impidimp. It isn't right to laugh at someone's misfortune like that; especially when they deserve it." - Pikachu subtitle.
"But the face he makes is funny." - Spiky-eared Pichu subtitle.
"It went from pink to green." - Shiny Pichu subtitle.
"Come on, you two. Leave Impidimp alone and come on. Besides, you're not getting out of my sight since you two are still grounded for coming into Ultra Space without me knowing." - Pikachu subtitle.
Unknown to anyone, Natu had snuck aboard and she didn't want to be left out of the group. Natu wanted to be with Sora even though she slept in back at the Pokémon Center and finally caught up with them despite having such small wings.
Over to Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Naminé, Eevee played with Togepi and Azurill to keep them entertained for a bit and while the kids talked for a bit. Sora was sharing a story about him and Lana competing in the Whirl Cup and how Sora had won it.
"Gotta hand it to you, Sora; it's no surprise to me that you would win it. I would say the same for Lana if she won," Riku said.
"And it was pretty sporty of you to give Lana your prize, even after winning it," Naminé said.
"Yeah. I'm not gonna lie, she gave me everything she got when we ended up battling each other. And I did the same thing with her," Sora said.
"She did the same thing with me when she and I had our practice battle," Kairi stated.
"I don't doubt it. You had Togepi ever since he was just an egg and you got pretty good when you started to catch your own Pokémon," Naminé said. She looked over to Sora. "I was wondering about what moves Azurill has."
"I did check and saw that she knows how to use Bubble, Water Gun, Water Sport, and Charm. Azurill will get better with some practice," Sora said.
"Naminé and I had a talk about that ourselves. But, she feels that Azurill is still too little to start battling. I didn't wanna argue about it, but I knew she's not going to stay too little forever," Riku said.
Naminé knew her boyfriend was right, but she just didn't want to see Azurill getting hurt, because she's just a baby. The boat eventually made it to Olivine City and the group saw Janina on the shore waiting for them.
"Sora!" Janina called out to him.
"Hey Janina!" Sora called out. The boat had made its way to the port and they all got off to meet with her. They all got the younger girl. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Janina. Hope we didn't take too long to come back."
"You didn't. But, I was surprised when Riku and Naminé left for Ogi Island after that black thing came out and battled Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres," Janina said.
"How is Jasmine doing? And is Sparkle doing okay?" Kairi asked.
"Sparkle is doing great, thanks to you. And Jasmine has been looking forward to battling you since then," Janina said.
"Well then, we should get some training done and to make up for the time lost since heading to Cianwood City," Sora said. He took out the Pokéballs containing Quilava, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and Donphan. He threw them up in the air and his chosen Pokémon had come out. "Okay you, guys. I know I said this the last time, but your opponents are going to be Steel Types and you should be in top shape for the battle to come. Quilava, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Donphan. You guys up for it?" The four Pokémon nods in confirment. "Thought so! Now let's go for it!" Sora and his Pokémon had trained hard for the battle against Jasmine and he wanted them to be ready for anything Jasmine can throw at her. Kairi, Riku, Naminé, Eevee, Azurill, the Alolan nine, Takato, Henry, Rika, Jeri, Kazu Kenta, Guil, Impidimp, and Melody watched him train hard for the upcoming battle. Natu fluttered her way to the group and she was mighty impressed by how hard they were training. Sora took a small break as did Quilava and Donphan while Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee kept training. Kairi walked up to her boyfriend and gave him a towel and a bottle of water.
"Thirsty Sora?" Kairi asked.
"Very," Sora said, taking a drink of the water she handed him. "Aah! That hits the spot. I really needed that." He wiped off some sweat.
"Well, you were working up a sweat ever since we came back to the mainland," Kairi said. She petted Donphan and he takes her hand in his trunk. Kairi giggled happily remembering how playful Donphan is when he was just a little Phanpy. And she could imagine how proud his parents must be when they see that their baby isn't a baby anymore.
"Natu!" The Natu chiped. Natu fluttered her way to the couple, and it caught the whole group off. They looked down and saw Natu looking at him.
"Hey, I know you. I thought you decided to stay behind. Did you come all this way just to be with me?" Sora asked. Natu nodded. "Okay Natu. But, let's make it official. Both Sora and Natu got into position to battle. Sora has chosen Pikachu to battle the Psychic Type bird Pokémon. "Okay Natu, give me everything you've got. Don't hold back either."
"Pika," Pikachu said.
"Natu!" Natu chirped.
"I can't believe that little Natu came all this way just to be with Sora. Until now I had forgotten all about it," Kiawe said.
"I'm pretty amazed myself, Kiawe. I think Natu must have saw how well Sora works with his Pokémon and she wants to prove herself that she can get stronger by becoming Sora's Pokémon," Illima said.
"Okay Pikachu! Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Pikachu ran towards Natu and it naturally dodges and moves in with Peck. "Dodge it!" Pikachu dodges Natu's beak. "Now fire Thunderbolt!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted, firing Thunderbolt. Natu created several images of herself and avoids Pikachu's attack. Natu and the duplicates moves in using Zen Headbutt and they all strike Pikachu hard.
"Pikachu!" Sora called out. "Focus and you can find the real one!" Pikachu shuts his eyes and he listens for Natu's movements. Pikachu listened very carefully and he heard a small flutter. Pikachu had figured that none of the other duplicates made the identical sound and that was how he knew that was the real Natu. Pikachu used Quick Attack and he landed a hit on Natu and the duplicates all disappeared. "Okay Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Pikachu gave Natu a pretty good shock and she became paralyzed. Natu's abilitiy Synchronize kicked in to pass the paralysis to him, but he's immuned to it since being an Electric Type Pokémon.
Passing by, Brock saw Sora and the rest of the group and he smiles having to see him and Kairi again after so long. Brock wore long-sleeved orange shirt with black lining over a black v-neck shirt and green pants.
"Sora," Brock said.
"That was great Pikachu!" Sora praised his partner. He took out a Pokéball and threw it right at the paralyzed Natu. Natu flows inside and the Pokéball wobbles around for a bit before stars swirls around the Pokéball confirming the catch. Sora's Pokédex starts buzzing asking him if he wants to keep Natu with him or send her to Professor Oak's lab. Sora chose to keep Natu in exchange for Meltan. Sora takes the Pokéball containing his newest Pokémon. He smiles. "Welcome to the team, Natu."
"That was a pretty good catch, Sora," Janina said.
"She's right. Natu is going to go far with you as a trainer," Hapu said.
"I think you're right. We should get her healed up and have the others checked in," Sora said. Everyone agreed and he called back Hitmonlee, Donphan, Hitmonchan, and Quilava to be checked in. Before they could go further, Sora and Kairi spotted a familiar face; Brock. The Alolan nine all remembered meeting Brock, but it wasn't the Brock they met before.
"Hey Sora! Hi Kairi. Long time no see," Brock greeted.
"Hey Brock," Sora greeted back.
"It's been a long time," Kairi added. "How have you been since we last saw you?"
"Things are going pretty good; but, my mom is the same as ever. Gotta hand it to you, Sora, I was surprised to hear that you became a Pokémon League champion," Brock said. He smiles at the couple. "Just how has everything been going between the two of you?"
Sora and Kairi could tell Brock teasing them, but they didn't care who knew they were together.
"It's a pretty long story, Brocky," Sora said, putting his arm around Kairi's shoulder.
As the group headed right towards the Pokémon Center, they shared some stories about their adventures and when Sora and Kairi became a couple. They even introduced Riku and his girlfriend and his old classmates along with Takato and his friends. Brock laughed having to hear it. Sora and Kairi had left out the time they met the Brock from Ash's world and their dealings with the Shadow Empire.
"I knew you were such a pair from the moment we met," Brock laughed. "My brothers and sisters are going to be so sad when they hear that you two are spoken for each other." Brock laughed again.
"Anyway, what brings you down here in Johto?" Sora asked.
"I pretty much came down here to take a break for a while," Brock said.
"But, what about the Gym?" Riku asked.
"My brother Forrest is running it for me until I get back," Brock said. "So, I have been doing some travels here in the Johto region to get my head together." Brock takes out a small book that reads: "Brock's Book of Very Pretty Girls."
"What's the book?" Naminé asked in a deapan tone.
"Oh, it's a little something I have been studying up on. So, I came down here to meet the prettiest Gym Leaders in Johto. First was Whitney, then there's Claire. And now it's Jasmine!" Brock said flipping into Jasmine's pages in the book. Sora chuckled a bit.
"Now that's the Brock I know," Sora said in a whisper.
"Always going out of his just to meet pretty girls," Kairi said, laughing.
"What do you mean by that, even though I'm seeing the obvious?" Riku asked.
"Brock kinda goes gaga for girls. Brock's brothers and sisters were chips off the Brock when they had shown interest in us," Sora said.
Riku imagined seeing minature versions of Brock and how they would come on to Naminé since being a pretty girl. Then female versions of Brock coming onto him seeing how much a pretty boy Riku is. He couldn't help but feel scared of the possibility.
"Oh boy," Riku said in his thoughts.
Everyone arrived at the Pokémon Center and Janina speaks with Sora just when they get in.
"I'm going to let Jasmine know you came just so she can ready," Janina told him.
"Thanks for doing that, Janina. Just tell her that I'm looking forward to it," Sora said.
"I will. I'll see you at the Gym," Janina said. She takes off and heads for the Gym to inform Jasmine. Sora wanted her to give him everything she can throw at him.
Inside the Pokémon Center, Brock took a look at Impidimp and he became intrested in it.
"I am pretty curious about how you came across an Impidimp. They don't live in the Johto region," Brock pointed out.
"To be completely honest, Brock, we have no idea how he got here, but it just started following us around for a while and then we just got used to having it with us after a little while," Henry said.
"You mean Impidimp just going everywhere with you?" Brock asked.
"That's one way of putting it," Takato said. "But, it was pretty was a real pain when it started to play pranks on us." Brock understood what he meant and he heard some stories of Impidimp and how mischievous they can be; apart to how they feed on the negativity of humans and Pokémon.
Sora came bac and he picked up his Pokémon from Nurse Joy.
"Your Pokémon are doing incredibly well. I wish you luck in your upcoming Gym battle," Nurse Joy said.
"Thanks, Nurse Joy," Sora said, taking his Pokémon back.
"It was my pleasure," Nurse Joy said.
Brock appeared right in front of Nurse Joy and took her by the hands.
"I think it'll be a pleasure that you would have such a romantic outing with me. I'm sure that someone as beautiful as you would love to have a romantic dinner for two in a resturant somewhere," Brock wooed her. Luckily for Sora, he manages to learn something from the alternate Misty and drags him by the ear.
"She's just gonna have to take a raincheck on that dinner since it won't be for two," Sora said, dragging him away.
"Ow! My ear!" Brock cried.
Kairi giggled rembering how the otherworldly Misty would pull Brock by his ear to keep him in line. Kairi had to bet her money that her world's Misty did the same thing whenever Brock meets some girl and falls head over heels for.
Upon reaching the Olivine City Gym, Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, Togepi, the Pichu, the Alolan nine, Takato, Henry, Rika, Jeri, Kazu, Kenta, Guil, Impidimp, Melody, and Brock had come to the Gym and he is fully prepared for anything Jasmine can throw his way.
The group entered the Gym and a smile forms on Jasmine's face as she sees Sora enter the Gym.
"Sora. I have been looking forward to this. I hope that you're ready for what I'm about to give you, Sora," Jasmine said.
"And I hope you're ready for what's coming your way, Jasmine," Sora said.
"Just so you know, just because you helped me out by getting the medicine for Sparkle doesn't mean that I'm going to go easy on you," Jasmine warned him.
"I don't want you to go easy on me," Sora said.
Sora and Jasmine took their positions to battle as Kairi and the others took their seats in the bleechers. Janina is serving as the referee for the duration of the battle.
"The battle between the Gym Leader, Jasmine, and the challenger, Sora Ketchum is about to begin! Both trainers will be using four Pokémon each! Only the challenger is allowed to switch Pokémon! The battle will be over when all four of either the challenger's or the Gym Leader's Pokémon is unable to continue! Let the battle begin!" Janina announced. Jasmine makes the first choice bringing out a Pokéball.
"Go! Magnemite!" Jasmine shouted when she threw her Pokéball. Magnemite enters the battle. Sora takes out Quilava's Pokéball.
"Go! Quilava!" Sora shouted. Quilava enters the battle against Jasmine's Magnemite.
"Good call for Sora to use a Fire Type Pokémon right off the bat; especially that they have an edge over Steel Type Pokémon like Magnemite," Brok said.
"I'm with Brock. Sora does have the Type advantage, but I think I'm concerned about how Jasmine deals with that," Riku said.
"Eevee," Eevee said.
"Magnemite! Begin with Shock Wave!" Jasmine ordered. Magnemite sends out a blue jolt of electricity and it strikes Quilava since it can't be dodged.
"Quilava! Flame Wheel!" Sora ordered. Quilava rolls into a ball of fire and heads right towards the magnet Pokémon. Jasmine saw that coming.
"Magnemite! Double Team!" Jasmine ordered. Magnemite created several images and Quilava misses his mark. "Now use Magnet Bomb!" Magnemite's body surrounded by sparks of light blue electricity. Its magnets then flash light blue, firing multiple light blue orbs of energy from them at Quilava. The attack lands a hit, sending it back
"Talk about a shaky start. Jasmine must have taught Magnemite Double Team to make it difficult for any challenger with Fire Type Pokémon to hit. Jasmine was fully prepared," Illima said.
"That's our local Gym Leader. She never did easy for anybody," Melody said.
"I just hope Sora can make a comeback and soon," Sophocles said.
"Hang in there, Quilava. Try using Flamethrower!" Sora ordered. Quilava fired Flamethrower and the attack missed, hitting a mirror image instead. "Keep firing Flamethrower!" Quilava kept firing Flamethrower and each one had missed.
"Okay Magnemite! Magnet Bomb again!" Jasmine ordered. Magnemite fired Magnet Bomb and the attack pelts Quilava hard. Sora knew he wasn't going to last long if this kept up, so he calls back Quilava and takes out Hitmonchan's Pokéball.
"It's your turn now, Hitmonchan!" Sora shouted. Hitmonchan punches the air upon entry.
"I'm impressed, Sora. It's clever of you to have a Fighting Type Pokémon as a backup against my Steel Types. But, it won't help you out here," Jasmine said.
"Like I haven't heard that one before," Sora said. "Hitmonchan! Use Mach Punch!" Hitmonchan moved with amazing speed and he landed a powerful punch on Magnemite and the punch attack makes contact and sends Magnemite right into a wall, making the dupicates disappear. Magnemite skids down the wall knocked out.
"Magnemite is unable to battle. Hitmonchan wins!" Janina announced.
"One down, three to go," Kazu said.
"Yeah, but it's just getting started," Kiawe said.
"And it's gonna get much harder as the battle keeps going," Hapu said.
"Yeah," Mina said.
Jasmine calls back her fallen Magnemite and she smiled.
"Don't worry about it, Magnemite. You did a good job. You deserve a good rest," Jasmine said. She looked over to Sora. "Riku did say that you were good. "I wanna see how well you handle my next one." She takes out her next Pokéball and threw it. "Go! Magneton!" Her Magneton enters the battle floating around in the air.
"Jasmine's next Pokémon is a Magneton," Jeri said.
"Magneton iss much stronger than Magnemite. And it looks like it'll last much longer than Magnemite did," Brock said.
"Same here. Let's see how he handles this one," Riku said.
"Hitmonchan! Mach Punch!" Sora ordered. Hitmonchan dashed towards Magneton with lightning speed to land a hit on the magnet Pokémon; Jasmine saw that coming.
"Magneton! Dodge it!" Jasmine called out. Magneton dodges Hitmonchan's Mach Punch with some speed of its own.
"Did you see that?" Acerola asked.
"Magneton just dodged Hitmonchan's Mach Punch like it was nothing," Mallow said.
"Just how fast is that Magneton, anyway?" Kenta asked.
"Pretty fast," Mina said.
"Faster than Magnemite," Lana said.
"Alright Magneton! Thunderbolt!" Jasmine ordered. Magneton sends out Thunderbolt from its magnets and sends it right to the punching Pokémon.
"Hitmonchan! Dodge it!" Sora called out. Hitmonchan ran across the battlefield to avoid Magneton's Electric attack. Magneton kept firing its Thunderbolt as Hitmonchan kept running.
"What is Sora doing?" Jeri asked.
"I think he's having Hitmonchan jog around the battlefield, maybe," Takato said.
"No. He's getting Magneton to chase him around with Thunderbolt," Kairi said.
"Why would he do that, Kairi?" Naminé asked.
What do you mean by that anyway?" Kazu asked.
"Sora knows Magneton is too fast to attack directly, so he's going to have Magneton chase him by guiding Thunderbolt after him," Kairi said.
"That makes sense. He's trying to tire it out," Riku said.
"Magneton! Thunderbolt! Aim for the feet!" Jasmine ordered. Magneton fired Thunderbolt and it struck him by the feet, making him trip Hitmonchan falls on his back.
"Looks like Jasmine wasn't gonna have that," Takato said.
"No kidding. She only watched for Hitmonchan's movements and struck," Rika said.
"Magneton! Magnet Bomb!" Jasmine ordered. Magneton fired Magnet Bomb and the attack bombards Hitmonchan before he had a chance to dodge the attack.
"Hitmknchan!" Sora gasped. Hitmonchan was hurt, but he manages to stand on his feet and he was determined to win the battle.
"Hitmonchan wants to keep going?" Rika asked.
"That's what it looks like," Brock said. "Hitmonchan isn't ready to throw in the towel just yet."
"That's what I think too," Kairi said. She knew Hitmonchan wasdoing better than when Sora battled Whitney; but, she didn't doubt how tough Jasmine's Magneton was. "Come on, Sora. I know you can do it."
"Alright Magneton. Finish it with Mirror Shot!" Jasmine ordered. Magneton's eyes glows white and points its magnets at Hitmonchan. Its body becomes surrounded by a light blue aura. The aura then forms into a light blue orb of energy in front of Magneton's Magnemite bodies. Magneton then fires the orb at the punching Pokémon to land a hit. The orb comes its way towards Hitmonchan. Sora had an idea on how to stop it.
"Hitmonchan! Stop that attack with Thunder Punch!" Sora ordered. Everyone watching the battle were confused by what he told Hitmonchan to do. Hitmonchan blocks the move with his Thunder Punch. THe electrified punch sends Mirror Shot back and the attack came too fast for Magneton to dodge, but not to block.
"Magneton! Block it with Thunderbolt!" asmine ordered. Magneton blocks Mirror Shot with its electric attack and the ball explodes. Everyone shieled their eyes from the smoke and braced themselves feeling the tremor of Mirror Shot.
"I wasn't expecting that to happen," Lillie said.
"Man, that was so epic!" Kazu shouted with excitement.
"And booming," Kenta said, putting his finger in his ear to get his hearing back.
"A booming shot attack," Lana said.
"That wasn't bad, Sora," Jasmine complemented him. "Not many of my challengers could have thought of that like you just did."
"Thanks Jasmine. I'm really getting into this," Sora said.
"So am I," Jasmine said. "Magneton! Mirror Shot again!" Magneton was tired from blocking its own attack and the explosion. Sora saw an opportunity to strike. "Hitmonchan! Mach Punch!" Hitmonchan dashed towards Magneton and landed a punch on Magneton, dealing a heavy blow. "Now use Fire Punch!" Hitmonchan's boxing glove emitted fire and landed a fiery punch on Magneton, dealing even more heavy damage and it falls to the ground, beaten.
"Magneton is unable to battle! Hitmonchan wins!" Janina announced.
"That makes two," Takato said.
"Yeah," Mina agreed.
"I wonder what powerhouse she has in store for him," Henry said.
"I think we're about to find out," Naminé said. Jasmine takes out her third Pokéball after she calls back her fallen Magneton.
"Go! Magnezone!" Jasmine shouted. The Pokéball opens and a Magneton is let out. The magnets sparkles upon entry. Sora saw how tired his Hitmonchan is from that battle with Magneton, so he takes out his Pokéball.
"Return, Hitmonchan," Sora said, calling Hitmonchan back. He pulls out Hitmonlee's Pokéball and threw it. "Come on out, Hitmonlee!" The Pokéball opens and Hitmonlee kicks the air making an enterance.
"So, it's another Fighting Type against my Steel Type Pokémon," Jasmine said. "Let's see if your Hitmonlee can kick it like your Hitmonchan did."
"You'll see. Hitmonlee! Blaze Kick!" Sora ordered. Hitmonlee's leg emits fire and comes right at the magnet area Pokémon.
"Magnezone! Dodge it!" Jasmine called out. Magnezone hovers like a UFO and Hitmonlee's Blaze Kick misses. "Now use Lock-On!" Magnezone's eyes glows red and then sends a bullseye onto Hitmonlee.
"HItmonlee! HIgh Jump Kick!" Sora ordered.
"Sora knows that High Jump Kick is gonna hurt Hitmonlee when he misses, right?" Kiawe asked.
"He knows the risk. And he wouldn't use it if he didn't know the risk," Illima said.
Hitmonlee dives his foot down towards Magnezone to land a hit and hoping that he won't miss. Hitmonlee landed a successful kick, but Magnezone was still floating.
"Magnezone! Zap Cannon!" Jasmine ordered. Magnezone releases a yellow beam of electricity from its red pupil and sends it right at Hitmonlee. The attack strikes Hitmonlee and he falls on his back.
"Hitmonlee!" Sora called out. Hitmonlee stand back up and kicks the air. Something was up.
"Wait a minute. Doesn't Zap Cannon paralyze a Pokémon when it hits?" Rika asked.
"Normally it does. But, Sora's Hitmonlee must have the ability called Limber," Brock said.
"That's right. Pokémon with Limber cannot be paralyzed," Lillie said.
"Jasmine must have known that, but presumed Hitmonlee had Reckless as an Ability instead," Henry said.
"But, I wonder how much longer will Hitmonlee last against that Magnezone," Kairi said. She held Togepi tight. Hitmonlee looked at his opponent and it was surprised to see that it wasn't paralyzed by Zap Cannon. Jasmine shared that surprise.
"I didn't think your HItmonlee had Limber, Sora. But, it's not going to stop my Magneton so easily," Jasmine said.
"Show me more, Jasmine!" Sora dared the Steel Type Gym Leader. She smirked.
"I plan to. Magnezone! Zap Cannon again!" Jasmine ordered. Magnezone fired Zap Cannon again.
"That Zap Cannon will only follow Hitmonlee around as long as Lock-On is play," Sora said in his thoughts. An idea popped in his head and he remembered the trick he pulled on Misty when he was collecting Badges in Kanto. "That's it! I'll do the same with Zap Cannon like I did with Swift!" He spoke out loud, "Hitmonlee! Run around the battlefield. Hitmonlee obeys and runs around the battlefield. Just as he planned, the Zap Cannon follows the kicking Pokémon around. Jasmine was caught off guard by what he was doing.
"Why did he order his Hitmonlee to run around? What is he planning to do?" Jasmine asked.
Kairi, Riku, and the Alolan nine all saw this move before while Naminé, Melody, Takato, Henry, Rika, Jeri, Kazu, Kenta, and Brock were caught off guard when they saw this.
"What is he doing?" Rika asked.
"You don't think maybe he's trying to be funny?" Jeri guessed.
"No. He's using Jasmine's attack against her," Kairi said. Naminé, Melody, the six kids and the Charmeleon all looked at her.
"Using Zap Cannon against Jasmine? How?" Melody asked.
"Sora used that trick before on Misty and Riku way back, and that was with Swift," Kairi said.
"She's right. He must have figured how the weakness to using Lock-On and Zap Cannon and he's using it to his advantage. To be honest, I wasn't sure why would try that move when I first battled him," Riku said.
The Alolan nine remembered the battle well. THey had to admit, they were at a loss at first, but as time went on, they have seen him pull all sorts of tricks.
Hitmonlee kept running with Magnezone's Zap Cannon quickly gaining on him. Hitmonlee had to put this to bed and soon. He jamups over Magnezone and Zap Cannon follows him, but Hitmonlee kicks the Zap Cannon right into the magnet area Pokémon and took the damage it would given to its opponent. Jasmine gasped at the sight.
"Magnezone! No!" Jasmine gasped.
"That was great, Hitmonlee! Now use Rolling Kick!" Sora ordered. Hitmonlee performed a roundhouse kick and gave Magnezone a good kick on the side. Magnezone fell to the ground. It struggled to get back up, but it didn't have enough juice to keep going and it gave up and fell back down in exhaustion.
"Magnezone is unable to battle! Hitmonlee wins!" Janina announced. Jasmine smiled and calls back her fallen Magnezone.
"That was mighty impressive, Sora. You are just full of surprises; more so than any challenger I have ever had. But, my last Pokémon is going to be very hard for you to handle," Jasmine said with a guarantee.
"I'm ready for anything you can dish out, Jasmine!" Sora said.
"I don't doubt it," Jasmine said, taking out her last Pokéball. "The Pokémon I'm sending out is the strongest one I've got! Go forth, my friend! Show your beauty and your power! Steelix!" The young Gym Leader threw her Pokéball and it lets out a Steelix. Jasmine's Steelix has one tooth on the outer jaw on each side. Sora figured Jasmine had a pretty strong Pokémon like Steelix waiting to come out and he knew it sat in the sidelines long enough.
"I thought she saved the best for last," Sora said in his thoughts. "I can bet all my money this Steelix is much stronger than the one those Team Rocket guys had and that Steelix was a toughie."
"So, Jasmine's last Pokémon is a Steelix," Kiawe said.
"Jasmine's signature Pokémon. There's no doubt in my mind she trained her Steelix well for this battle," Brock said. Brock was amazed by Sora's battling skills and he saw how much stronger he had gotten since their battle back in Peweter City. Brock spoke in his thoughts, "He's really come a long way since our battle." He smiles.
Sora saw how exhausted Hitmonlee was after all that running he did; Sora decided to call back Hitmonlee just to play it safe.
"Okay Hitmonlee, you should take a break right now," Sora said, calling back Hitmonlee. He pulls out Donphan's Pokéball and threw it. "Okay Donphan! Go right in there!" The Pokéball opens and Donphan trumpets upon entry.
"You really came prepared; using Fire, Fighting, and now Ground Type Pokémon against my Steel Type Pokémon. Just like I said before; you're going to have a hard time trying to take down my Steelix," Jasmine said.
"Care to prove it?" Sora asked.
"I'll show you why. Steelix! Ice Fang!" Jasmine ordered. Steelix moved in with its fangs emitting ice and headed for the elephant Pokémon.
"Donphan! Dodge and use Rollout!" Sora ordered. Donphan rolled into a ball and avoided Steelix's attack. Donphan rolled right into Steelix, but it blocks Donphan's attack with its tail.
"Steelix! Bind!" Jasmine ordered. Steelix wraps its body around Donphan, making it difficult for Donphan to move around, making him struggle.
"That Steelix has Donphan in a real bind; no pun intended," Takato said.
"Ice Fang must be how Jasmine deals with Ground Types. But, I'm more concerned about what other surprises she has in store for Sora," Brock said.
"Same with me," Illima said.
"Donphan! Horn Attack!" Sora ordered. Donphan tried to get loose to attack, but Steelix kept holding on.
"Steelix! Iron Tail!" Jasmine ordered. Steelix swung its tail giving off a metallic glow and smacks Donphan hard. She wasn't done yet. "Okay Steelix! Ice Fang!" Steelix moves in towards Donphan and delievers an icy bite and it knocks Donphan out.
"Donphan is unable to battle! Steelix wins!" Janina announced.
"She finally takes down one of Sora's Pokémon," Acerola said.
"Man, I have a feeling that it's going to be another one of those battles," Sophocles said.
"I think you're right, Sophocles," Mallow agreed.
"Sora is going to have his hands full," Lana said. He calls back Donphan and takes out Hitmonlee's Pokéball.
"I know you're tired from battling that Magnezone, but I don't have a choice here," Sora said. He threw his Pokéball. "Okay Hitmonlee! Back to action!" Hitmonlee comes back out and he is panting from the last time he battled.
"So, you're sending your Hitmonlee back to play, huh? I wonder how long it can last against Steelix," Jasmine said. "Steelix! Ice Fang!" Steelix moves in to deliever an icy bite on the kicking Pokémon.
"Hitmonlee! HIgh Jump Kick!" Sora ordered. Hitmonlee jumps in the air and dove down to give a kick to the iron snake Pokémon. But much to dismay to Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, and even to Hitmonlee, he missed and he makes a crash landing. Hitmonlee rubs his legs after making the crash.
"Steelix! Iron Tail!" Jasmine ordered. Steelix swung its metallic tail at Hitmonlee before he could regain his balance. Hitmonlee falls on his back losing the fight.
"Hitmonlee is unable to battle! Steelix wins!" Janina announced.
"And that makes two in Jasmine's favor," Kiawe said.
"And if this keeps up, Jasmine might just win this," Kazu said.
"It's only down to Quilava and HItmonchan left," Jeri said.
"Which one is he going to send out?" Riku asked. Sora calls back his Hitmonlee.
"You battled hard, Hitmonlee. You derve a good rest," Sora said. He takes out Hitmonchan's Pokéball and threw it. "Back to action, Hitmonchan!" Hitmonchan re-enters the battle ready to battle the larger Pokémon. "Hitmonchan! Fire Punch!" Hitmonchan charges towards Steelix to deliever a feiry punch on it.
"Steelix! Didge with Dig!" Jasmine ordered. Steelix burrows underground and Hitmonchan misses his mark. The punching Pokémon looks around. Sora knew Steelix will make an appearence at any moment. "Keep your guard up! Steelix will come back out at any moment!" Hitmonchan nods and kept his wits up.
"Sora," Kairi said in her thoughts.
Hitmonchan kept looking around for any signs of Steelix. The ground shakes and Steelix comes out of the ground, and gives Hitmonchan a smack with its tail before he had enough time react.
"Alright Steelix! Finish it with Iron Tail!" Jasmine ordered. Steelix smacks Hitmonchan with Iron Tail. The force of Iron Tail knocks the punching Pokémon out.
"Hitmonchan is unable to battle! Steelix wins!" Janina announced.
"Now both has one left to use," Riku said.
"This could be anyone's match now," Henry said.
Sora calls back Hitmonchan and takes out Quilava's Pokéball.
"Okay Quilava! Back to action!" Sora shouted. Quilava re-enters the battle. Sora figured Quilava was still softened from the Magnet Bomb bombardment he took, but he knew Quilava had recovered a little.
"This is it. The final round," Riku said.
"Vee," Eevee agreed.
Kairi only hoped for the best. Sora and Quilava stared at the iron snake Pokémon and he knew Steelix had half the advantage being a Ground Type; but he had to keep his head in the game.
"Steelix! Ice Fang!" Jasmine ordered. Steelix lunged right towards Quilava with its jaws emitting ice.
"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Sora called out. Quilava avoids the icy bite using his speed. Steelix kept trying to land a hit on the volcano Pokémon, but Quilava was too fast.
"Stop Quilava with your Iron Tail!" Jasmine ordered. Steelix slams its tail to the ground and Quilava is caught in the force of the attack. "Now use Bind!" Steelix wraps its tail around Quilava and puts the squeeze on him.
"Quilava!" Sora called out. Steelix kept squeezing Quilava in tight bind. Quilava struggled to get free. Sora quickly thought of something; he just hoped it works. "Quilava! Flamethrower!" Quilava struggled to use Flamethrower. He just had to aim it just right. He turned his head to the tail and fired Flamethrower. The fire attack strikes Steelix, forcing it to let go. Quilava lands on his feet and breathes in some air. "Now use Flame Wheel!" Quilava rolled into a fireball and rolled right into Steelix. Quilava stopped rolling and started to evolve.
Everyone were amazed to witness Quilava's evolution. Kairi was especially captivated by Quilava's evolution. She smiled at the sight.
"What is going on?" Kenta asked.
"Quilava is evolving!" Brock said.
"I was not expecting this," Melody said.
Sora was amazed to see his Quilava evolving and he had evolved into a Typhlosion. Flames flares up his neck as he lets out a loud cry.
"Typhlosion," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
Sora's newly evolved Pokémon turned to him and nodded to his trainer. Sora nodded back to his Typhlosion.
"Let's put an end to this battle, Typhlosion!" Sora said. "Typhlosion! Flame Wheel!" Typhlosion rooled into a ball of fire once again, but much larger, just because he just evolved and headed right for Jasmine's Steelix.
"Steelix! Block it Iron Tail!" Jasmine ordered. Steelix swung its tail and struck the volcano Pokémon, hitting Typhlosion and injuring itself.
"Flamethrower!" Sora ordered. Typhlosion fired Flamethrower and heads right towards the iron snake Pokémon. Jasmine wasn't going to have that.
"Steelix! Dig!" Jasmine ordered. Steelix dug into the ground making Flamethrower miss. After waiting a few seconds, Steelix came out and came up behind Typhlosion.
"Typhlosion! Behind you!" Sora shouted. Typhlosion turned to see Steelix and struck Typhlosion on the shoulder. The volcano Pokémon stood his ground. "Typhlosion! Flamethrower again!" Typhlosion fired Flamethrower, but Steelix digs underground again. Steelix pops out of the ground and again and again, but Typlhosion loses track of Steelix every time he gets it in his sights. Sora said in his thoughts, "I need to keep my head in the game. Steeelix will just keep coming out of the ground until Typhlosion gets warn out. How am I gonna get Steelix stay still?" He looked at the holes and he gets an idea. "The holes. That's it!" Sora spoke out loud, "Typhlosion! Flamethrower again! But this time, aim it for one of the holes!" Typhlosion fires Flamethrower right in a hole.
Everyone were confused by what Sora had in mind; everyone except for Kairi and Riku.
"He's going for the hole? Why?" Melody asked.
"I think I know. Sora knew he couldn't get to land a hit just as long as Steelix dodges any Fire Type attack. But, he found the weakness to that," Riku said.
"He's making it too hot for Steelix to handle; too hot even for Steelix. And when it does get hot enough, she'll have no choice but to come up," Kairi said.
Typhlosion kept firing into the hole and flames erupted from the ground, making the Gym scorching hot. Sora and Jasmine were starting to sweat from the heat. Janina wiped off some sweat as she kept her eye on the battle.
The extreme heat forces Steelix to emerge from underground and her body is red from the heat and is steaming. Sora and Typhlosion stood their ground as they prepared for what Steelix has coming for them; but, she wasn't moving, so Steelix fell to the ground Steelix was knocked out.
"Steelix is unable to battle! Typhlosion wins! The victory goes to Sora Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Janina announced.
"I knew he would win it," Riku said.
"Same here," Kairi added. Rika just looked at her with a serious face.
"You're only saying that because he's your boyfriend," Rika stated. Kairi didn't care she said; that because nothing was going to displace her pride. Jasmine smiles and calls back her Steelix.
"You fought hard, Steelix. You deserve a good rest," Jasmine said. She and Janina walked over to Sora who hi-fived Typhlosion for the win. "That was a great battle, Sora. I can't say that I have ever had a more challengeing challenger as you."
"Thanks Jasmine. You put up a great fight," Sora said.
"Thanks. I'll have to say, using that Flamethrower underground to force my Steelix to resurface was genius. And to let everyone know that you won the battle, I'm giving you the Mineral Badge," Jasmine said, holding a badge that is a steel-colored octagon. Sora accepts his badge and smiles.
"Six down, two to go," Sora said. He takes out his badge case and places it in his Badge Case. Everyone steps outside of the Gym along with Jasmine and Janina. Brock tried to ask Jasmine out on a date, but, she turned him down, making him sulk in the corner. Sora and Kairi just shook their headds, not surprised by the results. Riku just felt embarrassed for the Pewter City Gym Leader and Naminé just felt sorry for him.
"Before you go, Sora, I would I like to tell you where your next Gym challenge is gonna take you," Jasmine said.
"So, where is the next at?" Sora asked.
"The next Gym is in Mahogany Town. It's just east of here," Jasmine said pointing to the east. "The Gym Leader over there is more experienced than the rest of us Gym Leaders here in Johto. And he's nothing to sneeze at."
"Neither am I," Sora said. "I'm going to give it my best."
"I know you will," Jasmine said.
Everyone left for the Pokémon Center, except for Melody because she had to take off for home.
"It was a real blast hanging with you. And whenever you're in my neck of the woods again, you know where to start looking," Melody said.
"We'll keep that in mind," Sora said.
"Oh and Kairi, and you too, Naminé. I would like to have some girl talk, if you don't mind," Melody said, taking both girls by the arms.
"What do you wanna talk about, Melody?" Naminé asked.
"Just to tell you to keep your boyfriends with you at all times, or else, someone like me might just steal them away. I mean, both are pretty handsome stallions you have there," Melody said. Naminé got jealous when she heard Melody say that. She didn't like it when other girls came onto her boyfriend like that. She knew how Kairi felt.
"I'll do exactly that," Naminé said.
"Ditto," Kairi added.
With that said, Melody left the group as they headed for the Pokémon Center to heal up from that battle. As they got into the Pokémon Center, Kairi and Naminé were talking among each other about something. Sora and Riku were with their partners waiting for Sora's Pokémon to make a full recovery. The girls approaches their boyfriendsalong with their Pokémon in their arms. Both had grins on their faces.
"Something up, girls?" Riku asked.
"Yeah, why are you looking at us like that?" Sora asked.
"Well boys, Kairi and I have been talking. Since we're all couples here, we thought of an idea that should sound like loads of fun," Naminé said.
"Fun for all four of us anyway," Kairi added.
"Toge, Toge," Togepi chirped.
"Azu, Azurill, Azu," Azurill chirped.
Sora and Riku blinked twice, not knowing what they meant by that. They then looked at eah other and to their partners who had the same grins as their significant others.
"What?" The boys asked.
"We were thinking that we should double date sometime," Kairi proposed.
"It's just, we never got to do things toether before and to get to know each other outside the Pokémon journey," Naminé added.
"And I would like to have some fun with other girls for a change," Kairi said. Sora was to speak up when she interrupted her boyfriend. "Not counting the times with Lillie and the other girls since they were with us; with the exception of that one time."
"She's got you there, Sora," Riku said. Sora glared at the silver-haired trainer
"You two went on dates didn't you?" Sora asked. Riku chuckledat the question.
"Plenty. And I can't tell you how many boxes I had to carry, I thought I was gonna get buried alive; that and she seems to wear the same white dress," Riku whispered to the spiky-haired trainer. "But, it's all worth it. I mean, if you can endure it, I can."
"Yeah. You would," Sora said. He looked over to his girlfirend and to Riku's girlfriend. He forms an idea in his head. "How about we put up a double date the next time we see each other? So, no Pokémon battles, just the four of us."
"I can deal with that," Riku said.
"I like the sound of that idea, Sora," Naminé seconded that motion.
"I'm sure we'll have a blast," Kairi added.
They all made a vow to go on a double date the next time they shall meet. They all sealed the deal with hands in a circle. The two couples have made themselves a pact.
On the very next morning, Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, Togepi, the Pichu, and the Alolan nine have departed from the Pokémon Center and set off for Mahogany Town for Sora's seventh Johto Gym challenge. The group said their goodbyes to their friends and went on with their journey.
Sora now has six Badges since arriving in the Johto region and now he just needs to win two more to enter the Johto region's Pokémon League. What other adventures awaits them on the way over? You will have to wait and see.