Episode 173: The Lake of Rage
On the very next moring, Sora, Kairi, the Pokémon, and the Alolan nine all headed towards Mahogany Town for Sora's upcoming Gym battle, but first, they have decided to set off to see the Lake of Rage, in which memory serves to be said to have been formed by rampaging Gyarados long ago. Just as the group were making their way, a trainer had ventured through the woods and he grumbles to himself. The group took notice of him and how he was sulking.
"Hey, are you okay?" Sora asked.
"If you must know, some trainer I battled against just called my Pokémon weak and pathetic. Can you believe the nerve of that guy? I have never been so insulted!" The trainer said.
"What? He said that to you? What a jerk," Sora said.
"Yes, yes! That's what I called him, but he just smudges me and walks away just like that," the trainer scowled. "That guy is so rude, he could make a Primeape smile."
"Sorry to hear that," Sora said.
"Don't be, because I didn't wanna trouble you with it, even after you asked; but it was considerate of you to ask," the trainer said. "I have pretty cool Pokémon and the way he battled is proof of how awesome he is."
"I feel the same way for all of my other Pokémon. I'd be proud of them even if they don't win," Sora said. The trainer then got an idea.
"Hey! How about you have a battle with me? The name's Ron," he introduced himself.
"And I'm Sora," Sora introduced as well. "How do you wanna do this?"
"Let's make it three on three," Ron suggested. "All I'm asking is for you to bring your A-game!"
"And you've got it!" Sora said. Both trainers took out their Pokéballs and got ready to battle each other. Kairi and the Alolan nine watched on as they were rooting for Sora to win. Ron threw his Pokéball forward.
"Go! Nidoran!" Ron shouted. A male Nidoran enters the battle and his ears all risen. Sora threw the Pokéball forward as he made his first choice.
"Go! Pineco!" Sora shoued as Pineco enters the battle. "Wanna go first, Ron?"
"My pleasure, Sora. Nidoran! Start things up with Horn Attack!" Ron ordered. Nidoran charges towards Pineco with his horn glowing blue and headed for the pinecone-like Pokémon.
"Pineco! Protect!" Sora ordered. Pineco forms a protective barrier and the attack bounces off. "Now use Rapid Spin!" Pineco spins around like a top and heads towards Nidoran.
"Dodge and use Peck!" Ron ordered. Nidoran avoids Pineco and lands a hit onto Pineco, dealing some heavy damage. "That was great, Nidoran! Now use Poison Jab!" Nidoran charges towards Pineco to deliever a poisonous jab onto Pineco. Sora had to think fast.
"Pineco! Protect!" Sora ordered. Pineco formed a protective barrier once again and the attack bounces off again. Now use Bug Bite!" Pineco heads right towrds Pineco and delievered a bite onto the poison pin Pokémon. "Now use Rapid Spin!" Pineco spins around once again and lands a finishing blow onto Nidoran. He fell to the ground beaten. "You did a great job raising your Pokémon right, Ron. The way you battled is living proof of that." Ron smiled to how kind that compliment sounded.
"Thanks Sora," Ron said, happily. "You have no idea how much that means to me." He calls back his Nidoran and pulls out another Pokéball and threw it. "Go for it, Nidorino!" The Pokéball opens and Nidorino makes his enterance and skids the dirt. Sora calls back his Pineco and pulls out another Pokéball.
"Go for it, Larvitar!" Sora shouted. Larvitar enters the battle ready to battle against Nidorino.
"So, using a Ground Type Pokémon against my Nidorino are you? My Nidorino is more than a match for your Larvitar," Ron said. "Nidorino! Drill Run!" Nidorino charges towards Larvitar, spinning around like a drill.
"Larvitar! Rock Slide!" Sora ordered. Larvitar forms rocks and sends them right towards Nidorino. Nidorino got hit by the rocks, but shook it off like it was nothing. "Now use Dark Pulse!" Larvitar fired Dark Pulse to strike at the evolved poison pin Pokémon, but Ron wasn't gonna have that.
"Nidorino! Dodge and use Smart Strike!" Ron ordered. Nidorino charges towards Larvitar with his horn glowing silver and lands a heavy blow onto Larvitar. He took a lot of damage, but he wasn't gonna go down that easily. Larvitar lets out a loud cry as he started to evolve. Sora, Kairi, the Alolan nine, Pikachu, the Pichu, and Togepi were shocked to see Larvitar evolving.
"Larvitar is evolving!" Illima stated. Larvitar is now a Pupitar. Sora was proud to see his newly evolved Pupitar, so he wanted to see through to the end.
"Pupitar! Use Rock Slide!" Sora ordered. Pupitar fired Rock Slide towards Nidorino, but he just avoided the rocks just as fast as they were coming.
"Nidorino! Smart Strike again!" Ron ordered. Nidorino charges towards Pupitar and lands another heavy hit, knocking him out. Sora went over to Pupitar and picked him him up in his arms.
"You okay, Pupitar?" Sora asked.
"Pupi," Pupitar responded.
"You should rest up for a while. You've earned it," Sora said, calling Pupitar back inside his Pokéball. Ron calls back Nidorino and he pulls out another Pokéball and held it in his hand.
"Now! Go forth! Nidoking!" Ron shouted. The Pokéball opens and Nidoking roars upon entry. Sora threw his Pokéball.
"Go! Heracross!" Sora shouted. The Pokéball opens and Heracross is let out. As soon as Hercross is let out, he starts helping himself to some tree sap from a nearby tree. "Heracross! This isn't snack time! It's time for battling!" Heracross got back into position to battle. "Heracross! Get started with Megahorn!"
"Nidoking! Megahorn!" Ron ordered.
Both Heracross and Nidoking charges towards each other and they clash their horns into each other, locked into each other, not backing off for a second. Heracross had proven to be stronger when he overpowered Nidoking. Nidoking fell to the ground and rolled on his belly.
"Heracross must have gotten some luster just by suckling on the sap from Professor Oak's trees for so long," Sora said in his thoughts. He ordered, "Heracross! Brick Break!" Heracross charged towards Nidoking and struck him hard.
"Nidoking! Ice Punch!" Ron ordered. Nidoking emits ice and headed towards the beetle Pokémon to land the punch.
"Heracross! Vacuum Wave!" Sora ordered. Heracross crossed his arms and they glowed white. Heracross and opened and sent a blade of air towards Nidoking. The attack strikes Nidoking hard. The drill Pokémon and fell on his back, knocked out.
"No way! I lost!" Ron exclaimed. He ran up tp Nidoking. "Not again! I lost again! And Nidoking lost the same way as I battled against that red-head!" Sora calls back Heracross and walked over to Ron and smiled.
"That was a pretty good battle. Your Nidoking really did put up a great fight," Sora said. Ron smiled and shook his hand.
"Thanks Sora. Your Pokémon are pretty awesome; just like you are," Ron said.
Ron said his goodbyes to the group and took his leave. The group continued onward towards the Lake of Rage. Once they arrived. Once they came, they saw a lake unlike anything they had seen before.
"This is it. The Lake of Rage," Lana said.
"The lake we heard all about," Sora said.
They all stared into the water and suddenly a Gyarados emerged from the water. This Gyarados was red. The group were surprised to witness a red Gyarados.
"Is that what I think it is?" Kiawe asked.
"A red Gyarados?!" Kairi questioned.
Sora stared into the red Gyarados and he figured something like that would worth adding to his team. He looked over to Pikachu.
"What do you say, Pikachu? You up for it?" Sora asked his partner.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded.
"Okay Pikachu! Go!" Sora said. Kairi and the Alolan nine weren't surprised to hear Sora is planning to catch this unique Pokémon. Pikachu charged towards the red Gyarados and it had taken notice to the mouse Pokémon. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired Thunderbolt and the attack had shocked the red atrocious Pokémo, causing some damage. The red Gyarados fired Dragon Pulse right at Pikachu and it hits him hard. "Pikachu! Fire Electro Ball!" Pikachu forms a ball of electricity and sends it towards the Gyarados, causing more damage. The red Gyarados came at Pikachu with an Ice Fang and Pikachu manages to dodge it. The Red Gyarados then fired Flamethrower right at Pikachu. "Dodge it, Pikachu!" Pikachu manages to dodge Flamethrower. Unknown to the group, Lance had come to the scene and he was caught off guard at the sight of a Red Gyarados.
"Incredible," Lance said said in his thoughts. His sights then shifted to the group and he recognized them. "Sora! And those other kids from Viridian City! What are they doing here?"
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt! Full power!" Sora ordered. Pikachu fired a powerful Thunderbolt and it shocks the red Gyarados clean, making it fall in the water. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw it at the Red Gyarados. The Pokéball wobbles around and around very violently. Sora, Kairi, and the Alolan nine waited anxiously for the catch to be successful. Stars swirls around the Pokéball confirming that the catch was successful. Sora's Pokédex starts buzzing asking him if he wants to keep Gyarados or send it to Professor Oak's lab. Sora chose to keep Gyarados in exchange for Meltan. "Got me a red Gyarados." Sora smiled proudly and he turned to face his friends to see a look on Illima's face. "Illima? What's wrong?"
"I think it's strange," Illima stated, stroking his chin.
"What do you mean, Illima?" Kairi asked concerned.
"From I had heard about this lake, it is said that it is occupied mostly by Magikarp, but there aren't any now," Illima pointed out.
"The Lake of Rage was formed by Gyarados a long time ago," Hapu pointed out.
"Indeed, but they laid their eggs and they hatched into Magikarp, creating a first generation; but right now the Magikarp had all evolved into Gyarados and they appear to be acting strange," Illima said. More Gyarados had appeared and they all have been acting strangely. It was exactly what the Normal Type trainer said.
"Then, my worst fears had been realized," Lance said from behind. The group all turned to see him after so long.
"Lance? Funny seeing you here," Sora said.
"I could say the same, Sora," Lance agreed. "But, I must ask what are you doing here?"
"We only came here to check out the lake and when we got here, a red Gyarados came out and-" Sora explained before Lance cut him off by raising his hand.
"I know; I was watching. I was amazed by the way you had captured the red Gyarados. But, the reason I am here is because of a strange radio signal," Lance explained.
"Strange radio signal?" Sophocles asked.
"Yes. I had heard rumors about these signals going on for quite some time. Apprently, the signals had only been affecting the Magikarp, forcing them to evolve into Gyarados; like the one you saw and captured," Lance explained.
"Why is this happening?" Kairi asked.
"I'm afraid I don't know. But, I do have my suspicions about who is behind this," Lance said.
"And if you know who is doing this, then where is whoever is doing this hiding out?" Kiawe asked.
"I believe the perpetrators are hiding somewhere in Mahogany Town," Lance answered.
"Mahohany Town?" Sora asked.
"Yes. And now, I see what is going on, I will investigate this matter thoroughly," Lance said.
"Is there anything we can do to help out, Lance?" Acerola asked.
"No. I don't want to put any of you at risk," Lance said.
"We can handle ourselves just fine, Lance!" Mallow said.
"Yeah!" Mina agreed.
"We thwarted Team Rocket back in the Slowpoke Well and we captured our share of Ultra Beasts, so the least you can do is let us come along!" Sora argued.
"I appreciate your good intentions, Sora, but I cannot let you do this!" Lance argued back.
"We can have a better shot if we all work together! The Magikarp and the Gyarados in the lake are suffering and we have a common goal to pull the plug on whoever's doing this to make them suffer like this! And you're probably thinking that it's not a game and you're right, it's not! But, this is a team effort! Even Lance of the Elite Four can't win on his own!" Sora stated. Lance looked into Sora's eyes and saw how determind and serious he sounded. He remembered the battle with Hayner and how much potential he had back then. He smiled as he relented.
"Okay Sora. You've convincced me," Lance said, rubbing his head. "And you're right, nobody wins everything alone; not even me." Sora turned to his girlfirend and their travel companions and they were all on board.
"Looks like we're all in," Lana said.
"The idea of making Pokémon suffer is unforgivable, so we'll right this wrong!" Lillie stated.
"Then, let's go! Everyone to Mahogany Town!" Sora stated.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.
"Pichu!" The Pichu added.
Lance took out his Pokéball and calls out his Dragonite and he climbed on its back and flew to Mahogany Town and the group all raced to Mahogany Town to meet with Lance. As the group all raced towards Mahogany Town, Ethan comes and he sees Sora and his friends.
"Hey! Sora!" Ethan greeted.
"Ethan! Hey! No time to talk!" Sora stated.
"What's the rush?!" Ethan asked. "Hey! Wait up!" Ethan ran along with the group.
"If you're going to come along with us, then you're welcome to come along! We'll explain on the way!" Sora said.
Meanwhile, in a store right in town, underneath, Jessie, James, and Meowth had been briefed about what was going on and they were given grunt work, cleaning the toilets for one thing.
"I can't believe we have to scrub the toilets just like the last time," Jessie groaned.
"At least it's not as bad as last time," James said.
"Just less messy than the last time," Meowth added.
"Wobbufett," Wobbufett said.
"Just between you and me, I rather be digging for seashells for the boss rather than cleaning up toilets," Jessie said.
"At least we would get some sun," James said. Napolean sticks his head in the bathroom.
"What did I tell you three about talking in there?!" Napolean exclaimed. "If you're gonna move something, then move your arms, not your mouths!" Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbufett continued cleaning the toilets as fast as he could go. "Idiots." He walked away as Jessie, James, and Meowth stuck out their tongues.
"Just who does that nerdy twig think he is, ordering us around like that?" Jessie questioned.
"I would like to smack those thick glasses right off of his goofy face" Meowth said.
"Same here," James said. "The same for that creepy hunchback Rasputin."
Over to the surface, two men who happens to be members of Team Rocket were tending to some customers, maintaining cover. One of them wore a blue vest and wore round sunglasses.
"Thank you and please come back anytime," the man in the sunglasses said. The customers took their leave and they managed to drop the act. He sighs. "Thought they never leave."
"Same here," the other man said. "We get people coming in from left to right, I
worry about them finding our secret stairway."
"As long as we keep them away from the back wall, then we should be alright," the first man said. The two men talked among themselve when suddenly, Lance and his Dragonnite had appeared in the store.
"Customer," the second man whispered. The first man took his spot in the register.
"Welcome, sir. How can we be of service today?" The first man asked with a false smile. Lance wasn't smiling at all.
Back outside, Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, Togepi, the Pichu, and the Alolan nine all explained to Ethan about the current situation involving a radio broadcast affecting the Magikarp and Gyarados living in the Lake of Rage. Ethan was shocked to hear that.
"Anyway, why are you heading to the Lake of Rage?" Sora asked.
"I had already earned a Badge from Pryce after battling him, but I was heading up to the lake hearing rumors of a red Gyarados, but sounds like you beat me to it. Now I know a small part of what's going on, I guess we'll have to work together," Ethan said.
"Then let's get there fast!" Hapu said.
Not needing to be told a second time, the group hightailed it to Mahogany Town and soon as they got there, they saw smoke coming from a distance. Some of the people were worried that there might be some trouble. Sora knew there was just one source of it.
"Lance," Sora said to himself. The group raced to the source to find a store in ruins. Lance and his Dragonite had were battling a Machamp.
"Dragonite! Hyper Beam!" Lance ordered. Dragon fired Hyper Beam, knocking out the superpower Pokémon. Lance turned to the group.
"Sora! You came just in time!" Lance said.
"Lance! What's going on?" Sora asked.
"These men are members of Team Rocket. I interrogated them through battle!" Lance explained. The group were shocked to hear that it was Team Rocket up to their old tricks again. Sora turned to see the first man and his Alakazam beaten in battle. "They told me there is a secret stairway here in this shop." Lance and the young trainers went to the spot where the first man told them about the stairway and Lance had opned it.
"Is this it?" Acerola asked.
"It is. We should split up to cover more ground," Lance suggested.
"Right!" Sora said, nodding.
"I'm heading in first by myself. The rest of you run a series of distractions," Lance instructed.
"Got it!" Kiawe said.
"Let's do this!" Lana said.
Lance went on ahead inside. Sora, Kairi, Ethan, and the Alolan nine decided to split up as well. Sora, Kairi, and Ethan went on as a team as Lillie, Mallow, and Lana went on as another team. Kiawe, Sophocles, and Illima went on as an all boys team as Acerola, Mina, and Hapu went on ahead.
Sora, Kairi, Ethan, and the Pokémon went in and they went pass a Persian statue, unaware of it having glass eyes. Somewhere in the secret base, some Team Rocket members were on break when they spotted the groups on the security monitors.
"Intruder alert!" The Team Rocket grunt warned.
"How did those kids get in here?!" Another grunt exclaimed.
"Who cares? Let's get rid of them!" A third grunt said. Genghis and Kahnnie recognized the couple very unfondly.
"It's those two kids from the Slowpoke Well!" Kahnnie hissed.
"It's payback time, Kahnnie!" Genghis said.
Genghis, Kahnnie, and several more of the grunts had charged into battle to deal with with the intruders. Sora, Kairi, Ethan, Pikachu, Togepi, and the Pichu had made it deep inside the place only to be stopped by Genghis and Kahnnie.
"Stop right there!" Kahnnie called out. The couple saw two familiar Team Rocket members with dismay on their faces.
"Those two," Sora growled.
"I told you we'll remember our last encounter when we met the last time, brats," Genghis said.
"And I said, you'll pay for getting in Team Rocket's way," Kahnnie added.
"We didn't forget about you two," Sora said.
"And we're not going to let you get away with hurting Pokémon!" Kairi added. Genghis and Kahnnie each took out a Pokéball and got ready to throw it as did Sora and Kairi. Both Team Rocket memebrs their Pokéballs.
"Go! Muk!" Genghis shouted.
"I choose you, Salazzle!" Kahnnie also shouted.
Genghis had let out an Alolan Muk and Kahnnie had let out a Salazzle. The couple threw their own Pokéballs.
"Go in there, Pupitar!" Sora shouted.
"Go! Seel!" Kairi shouted.
Pupitar and Seel both enter the battle against the Team Rocket trained Pokémon.
"Muk! Use Poison Fang!" Genghis ordered.
"Salazzle! You use Fire Lash!" Kahnnie ordered.
Muk charges towards its opponents with its fangs emitting poison and Salazzle comes towards her opponents with her tail emitting fire and brought it down like a whip.
"Pupitar! Rock Slide!" Sora ordered.
"Seel! Use Headbutt!" Kairi ordered.
Pupitar fired Rock Slide, hitting both of Muk and Salazzle. Seel landed a Headbutt on Salazzle.
"Muk! Use Sludge Bomb!" Genghis ordered.
"Salazzle! Use Shadow Claw!" Kahnnie ordered.
Muk fired Sludge Bomb and Salazzle came at Seel with her shadowy claws.
"Pupitar! Crunch!" Sora ordered.
"Seel! Aurora Beam!" Kairi ordered.
Pupitar creates a yellow aura shaped like a set of teeth and bit Muk on the arm. Seel fires Aurora Beam, striking Salazzle hard.
Meanwhile over to Lillie, Mallow, and Lana, they were dealing with some Team Rocket grunts and had Tsareena, Corsola, and Snowy battling against them. The grunts had a Hitmontop, a Machoke, and an Ursaring to deal with them.
Over to the Alolan boys, they had Bewear, Charizard, Turtonator, and Vikavolt out to battle against some grunts. The grunts had a Scizor, a Pinsir, and an Ariados to battle against them.
Acerola, Mina, and Hapu were dealing with some more grunts as they had sent out Gengar, Shiinotic, and Mudsdale to deal with a Houndour, a Sneasel, and an Octillery.
"Attack!" The grunts ordered their Pokémon. The Team Rocket trained Pokémon all attacked the Alolan nine's Pokémon, but they were quickly overpowered and brought down.
"You damn brats!" One of the grunts snarled.
They all retreated after taking a serious beating. Over to Lance, he and his Dragonite had made their way through, and he got challenged by several Team Rocket grunts, only to be beaten senseless by his Dragonite.
Over to Sora and Kairi's battle, the couple continued the battle as Salazzle came at Pupitar with Fire Lash and Muk came at Seel with Poison Fang.
"Seel! Aurora Beam!" Kairi ordered.
"Pupitar! Dark Pulse!" Sora ordered.
Pupitar fired Dark Pulse and Seel threw an Ice Ball right at Muk and Salazzle and both took a pretty bad hit.
"Muk! You use Fire Punch!" Genghis ordered.
"Salazzle! You use Dragon Pulse!" Kahnnie ordered.
Muk came at Pupitar with its fist emitting fire and Salazzle fired Dragon Pulse to strike their opponents.
"Dodge it!" Sora and Kairi called out. The couple's Pokémon avoided the attacks; giving Kairi an idea.
"Sora, I'm going to need you to follow my lead," Kairi said. Getting the message, Sora smiled.
"Got it," Sora said.
"Seel! Surf!" Kairi ordered.
"Pupitar! Ride on Seel!" Sora called out.
Pupitar rode on Seel's baack like a surboard as Seel calls forth water and sends it right at Muk and Salazzle. Both Pokémon got hit by the attack and washed Genghis and Kahnnie along with them.
"No!" Kahnnie cried.
"Not again!" Genghis exclaimed.
They soon lost unconscious as did the Pokémon with them.
"Now that's taken care of, let's move on," Kairi said.
"Right," Sora and Ethan agreed and took off, leaving behind Genghis and Kahnnie. Several minutes later, Silver had come down to Team Rocket's HQ.
"I warned Team Rocket to stay out of my way. And now they're going to find out the hard way what happens when they mess with me," Silver snarled.
(Flashback)
Not too long ago, Silver was wondering in the woods, looking for strong Pokémon to search for and he managed to run into members of Team Rocket instead; one is is buffed and wore a Team Rocket vest along with a couple of grunts.
"Looks like we got ourselves a visitor," the man said. Silver glared at the Team Rocket members and scoffed.
"Team Rocket. I am not impressed," Silver said as he began to walk away.
"Don't you dare walk away from me!" The large man barked at him.
"Tyson!" One of the grunts said.
"Don't let that kid get away!" Tyson instructed, but Silver took out a Pokéball and threw it in the air. It opens and his Feraligatr emerged from it.
"Destroy them," Silver ordered. Feraligatr attacks them with Hydro Pump. Tyson dodges out of the way and took out two Pokéballs to battle Feraligatr. They opened and let out two Fearow.
"Fearow! Hyper Beam!" Tyson ordered. The Fearow fired their Hyper Beam attacks right at Feraligatr, but he easily dodged the attacks and fired another Hydro Pump, knocking both Fearow out. "Dam brat!" Tyson went over to Silver to grab him, but Feraligatr stopped him by grabbing him and slamming on the ground. Silver walked up to him.
"I warned some of your people to stay out of the way," Silver said. "Now I'm going to destroy my father's ambitions along with this stupid plan; whatever it is."
"Your father?" Tyson asked confused. He then quickly realized something. "Wait a minute! Are you the boss's kid?!"
"Feraligatr! Give him a good tossing," Silver ordered. Feraligatr tosses him into the woods and he lands in front of Officer Jenny's patrol car and several squad cars.. She saw the letter on his uniform.
"Team Rocket!" Officer Jenny eclaimed. She and a bunch of police officers pointed their guns at him. "You are under arrest!" Tyson growls in anger having to be arrested.
(Back to the present)
"Luckily I followed the smoke here to find them. I will destroy Team Rocket for ignoring my warning; and now those weaklings will all suffer my wrath; the same for that spiky-haired trainer if I see him here," Silver said to himself.
Sora, Kairi, and Ethan battled their way through the hideout, taking out several Team Rocket grunts. Napolean comes out to hear the sounds.
"What is going on out here?" Napolean asked.
"We have intruders, sir!" A grunt said.
"What? How did they find us?" Napolean asked. Rasputin cackled as he hoped it was Riku who had shown up.
"The boy with the Eevee is here. Revenge is in my grasp," Rasputin said in his thoughts. He steps out to search for Riku. Naploean goes and investigates the situation only to find Sora, Kairi, Ethan, and the Pokémon.
"Hey! What are you doing in here?" Napolean asked in a demanding tone.
"Pulling the plug on your little project," Sora said.
"I won't let you do that, kid! You can't mess with Team Rocket and get away with it!" Napolean said, taking out a Pokéball. "Go! Meowth!" The Pokéball opens and lets out his Meowth. Sora was caught off guard when he saw this different Meowth. He took out his Pokédex and used it to scan this cat Pokémon.
Meowth Galarian Form, the Scratch Cat Pokémon
Type: Steel
Living with a savage, seafaring people has toughened this Pokémon's body so much that parts of it have turned to iron. These daring Pokémon have coins on their heads which is black as night. The coins had become harder, and harder coins garner more respect even among Kantonian and Alolan Meowth.
"Riku mentioned battling a Galarian Meowth before," Sora remembered. "Why are you doing this?"
"Just because, kid. And now you have stumbled on our operation, there's no way for you three to go," Napolean said.
"We'll see about that," Sora said. He turned to Pikachu. "You ready for this, Pikachu?"
"Pika," Pikachu nodded. Kairi took out a Pokéball to battle Napolean.
"You can count me in too," Kairi said as she threw her Pokéball. "Go! Elekid!" Elekid enters the battle, spinning her arms. Ethan takes out a Pokéball, joining the battle.
"Not sitting on the sidelines!" Ethan proclaimed. "Go! Ampharos!" The Pokéball opens and Ampharos enters the battle.
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered.
"Elekid! Thunder Shock!" Kairi ordered.
"Ampharos! Use Shock Wave!" Ethan ordered.
The three Electric Types fired their electric attacks. The Galarian Meowth avoided the attacks, but Ampharos's Shock Wave followed the Galarian Meowth and hits it on the mark.
"Thunder Punch!" Kairi ordered. Elekid lands an electrified punch on the savage cat Pokémon. Napolean growled with anger and frustration.
"Meowth! Metal Claw!" Napolean ordered. Meowth's claws glows metallicly and headed towards Elekid.
"Iron Tail!" Sora ordered. Pikachu swung his tail at Meowth and it goes flying into a wall, but it bounced off of it. "Pikachu! Quick Attack!" Pikachu charged towards Meowth with tremendous speed and lands a hit.
"Ampharos! Fire Punch!" Ethan ordered. Ampharos's fist emits fire and lands hits the cat Pokémon.
"Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu strikes Meowth hard with a strong electric hit. "Now use Electro Ball!" Pikachu forms a ball of electricity and sends it towards Meowth, but it slices through it like a melon, but Elekid comes up behind Meowth.
"Elekid! Low Kick!" Kairi ordered. Elekid kicks Meowth and hits the ground. "Now use Thunder Punch!" Elekid lands an electrified punch and this knocks out his Meowth.
"Dang!" Napolean Exclaimed. He calls back his Meowth and scowls at the young trainers. "You won this round, but I'll have the edge on you next time." Napolean fled.
Meanwhile over to Lance, he ran into Rasputin and he sighs in disappointment.
"You're not the boy I have battled back in the Slowpoke Well. I will say that I am disappointed, but at the same time, I am honored to meet Lance of the Elite Four. I don't doubt how skillful a trainer you are," Rasputin said. Lance didn't answer and he glares right at him. "I may have not a chance for revenge, but I can prove my power by defeating you."
"Are you done?" Lance asked.
"Is that your response? Are you done?" Rasputin repeated.
"Why would you do such a thing here?" Lance asked.
"To control Pokémon evolution," Rasputin answered.
"What?" Lance asked.
"Yes. Team Rocket will soon decide when and why when a Pokémon evolves. We call it 'Project R'; short for Project Revolution," Rasputin explained.
"That is interferring with Nature! I won't allow it!" Lance proclaimed.
"What you allow does not concern me," Rasputin said. He took out an Ultra Ball and threw it. "I choose you, Tyranitar!" The Ultra Ball opens and Tyranitar roars upon entry. Lance turns to Dragonite.
"Go Dragonite," Lance said. Dragonite nods and enters battle against Rasputin's Tyranitar.
"Dragonite! Thunder Punch!" Lance ordered.
"Tyranitar! Crunch!" Rasputin ordered.
Dragonite's fist emits electricity and Tyranitar runs towards Dragonite to land a bite onto Dragonite. Tyranitar got close enough to bite Dragonite good, but Dragonite was too fast and lands a hit onto Tyranitar.
"Dragonite! Use Hyper Beam!" Lance ordered.
"Tyranitar! You use Hyper Beam too!" Rapsutin ordered.
Both Dragonite and Tyranitar fired Hyper Beam and both had held on, blasting their attacks and then the collided attacks results into an explosion.
Deeper in the base, Ariana and Petrel were observing the secruity monitors.
"Lance is one thing, but those children are something else," Arianna said.
"Those kids had caused trouble for us back in Azalea Town; and seeing how skilled they are, it's no wonder Proton had a hard time with them," Petrel said.
"I can say not," Ariana said. "Those children have real spunk and I can give them that."
"Should we deal with them, Ariana?" Petrel asked.
"No. We'll just send more grunts down and have them tire those brats out," Ariana said.
Petrel smiled wickedly and hoped everything would come together smoothly.
"You kids shall not interfere with Team Rocket's ambitions," Petrel said in his thoughts.
In different sections, the Alolan nine had beaten many of the Team Rocket Pokémon and managed to learn some things about their operations.
Over to Lance, the battle continued on, but Tyranitar had taken some serious damage from Dragonite's attacks, and none had hit the dragon Pokémon once.
"Dragonite! Dark Pulse!" Rasputin ordered.
"Dragonite! Dragon Pulse!" Lance ordered.
Dragonite sends Dragon Pulse and it cancels out Tyranitar's Dark Pulse and sends it land right on Rasputin.
"Foiled again!" Rasputin snarled. Lance walked up to Rasputin.
"Answer me. Where is the source of the signal? How are you sending out that broadcast?" Lance asked. Rasputin gritted his teeth and accepts defeat.
Sora, Kairi, Ethan, and the Pokémon met up with the Alolan nine who had made it through.
"Sora! Kairi! Ethan!" Lillie said.
"Guys," Sora said. "You guys made a dent on Team Rocket."
"Same to you," Illima said.
"Now let's find out how Team Rocket is doing this and shut them down," Sora said.
"Right," Kairi and the Alolan nine agreed and set off to find Lance.
And speak of the devil, Lance and his Dragonite had learned of the source of the transmission, but before he could go further, he is interrupted by Silver.
"Hey you!" Silver barked out. Lance stopped and turned to see the red haired trainer. "You're Lance of the Elite Four, aren't you?"
"I don't have time to chat! I have come to shut this place down before any more Pokémon suffers!" Lance said.
"I don't care about that!" Silver said and that struck a cord with the Dragon Type trainer. "I only care about getting stronger! Eliminating Team Rocket is only a mere stepping stone compared to defeating you in battle!"
"Do you really believe you can become stronger just by defeating me?" Lance questioned.
"I do! And I am challenging you into a battle! All six of mine against all six of yours!" Silver challenged.
"This is a waste of time!" Lance proclaimed.
"You're not a coward are you? You're not afraid to battle me are you? ARE YOU?!" Silver shouted making the whole room echo. Lance sighs.
"Perhaps you will find out first hand," Lance said. "Show me everything you possess." Lance's Dragonite took its place in battle as Silver takes out a Pokéball and threw it in the air to let out his Feraligatr.
Meanwhile, Jessie, James, and Meowth had just finished the last of the toilets.
"I feel even dirtier than a Grimer," James groaned.
"Me too," Meowth said.
"At least it's over and done with," Jessie said.
Their despair then turned to joy when they saw Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, Togepi, the Pichu, and the Alolan nine along with Ethan.
"It's them! The twerps!" Meowth said happily.
"It looks like things are finally starting to go our way!" James said.
"Just when things were gloomy as a Gloom. good fortune smiles on us!" Jessie said.
"And that means Pikachu is up for grabs!" James stated.
"And Togepi and those Pichu too!" Jessie added. Wobbufett popped up out of his Pokéball.
"Wobbufett!" Wobbufett added.
They followed the group through the hideout, but unknown to them, they were still being watched on the monitors.
"Those kids are better than Proton said they were," Petrel said.
"It looks that way," Ariana agreed.
"I guess I'll have to do the heavy lifting after all," Petrel said. "Don't wait up." He leaves the room to deal with Sora and his friends.
"Just don't be careless, Petrel," Ariana said to herself.
Over to Lance and Silver, Lance's Dragonite had taken down Silver's Venusaur like it wasn't a problem. Silver growled with anger having to see his Pokémon fall and Lance not losing a single one.
"I assembled the strongest team possible and I still lose?! How is it that I end up with such weak Pokémon?!" Silver yelled.
"Your Pokémon did a splendid job, the problem was not them; the problem was you," Lance said.
"What?! What is that supposed to mean?!" Silver yelled.
"You should be able to work well with your Pokémon, but instead you had pushed them them beyond their limitations," Lance explained. "You treat them as they were your tools for war. Pokémon are not tools for war; they are living creatures. The way you battle and the way you treated your Pokémon is proof of that. There is a trainer you should be taking notes from." Silver didn't like how that came out. He heard Sora say something like that before.
"So, you're just another bleeding-heart trainer, just like that one trainer I know," Silver snarled.
"I don't know why you would think Pokémon are nothing but tools and accessories, but you should love and care about your Pokémon more. That is how the unity of trainers and their Pokémon should be," Lance told Silver. "Now, if you excuse me, I have a mission to complete." Lance took his leave of Silver, leaving him to sulk.
"I don;t believe it. Could Lance be right? Am I so angry that I'm taking my frustration out on everybody I meet; especially my Pokémon? No! He may be strong, but he's weak-hearted. I am strong and I will show everyone how strong I really am!" Silver vowed in his thoughts.
Over to Sora and his friends, they were going further when they were greeted by Jessie, James, and Meowth.
"Not you morons again!" Sora snapped at them.
"What do you want now?" Ethan asked.
"Prepare for trouble, what do you think?" Jessie started.
"Make it double and let our motto sink!" James added with a rhyme.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! That's right!"
"Wobbufett!"
"And now we have the formalities out of the way, just be good little brats and hand over all of your Pokémon," Jessie said.
"The day I give you Pikachu is the day when Swinub flies," Sora said. "Besides, if you want Pikachu, then you'll have to take him by force."
"I couldn't agree more," James said. He and Jessie each took out a Pokéball and prepared for battle.
"If by force is what you want, then by force is what you're going to get!" Jessie added. She threw her Pokéball. "Go Arbok!"
"Go for it, Victreebel!" James shouted as James threw his Pokéball only to end up being chomped by the fly catcher Pokémon once again. "Why must we go through this everytime?!" Sora took out a Pokéball.
"Go! Gyarados!" Sora shouted. Stars swirls around Gyarados and roars. "Gyarados! Flamethrower!" Gyarados fired Flamethrower right at Arbok and Victreebel and burning James in the process. Kairi took out a Pokéball and threw it.
"Go! Bounsweet!" Kairi called out.
"Bounsweet!" Bounsweet chirped.
"Bounsweet! Sweet Scent!" Kairi ordered. Bounsweet let out a sweet smelling scent and Team Rocket became immobilzed by the Sweet Scent. Even Wobbufett was affected.
"Really nice, Kairi!" Sora compimented.
"Thanks Sora!" Kairi said.
"Gyarados! Dragon Pulse!" Sora ordered. Gyarados fired Dragon Pulse and sends Team Rocket sending them flying, crashing through the ceiling.
"Team rocket-" Jessie started.
"-is-" James added.
"-blasting off again!" Meowth finished.
They went flying in the sky and a star twinkles in the distance.
"Good job, Gyarados," Sora said, calling Gyarados back inside its Pokéball. "Glad that's out of the way."
"Yeah. Good riddance," Mina said.
"Now let's find Lance and see what he had learned," Kairi said.
"Not necessary," Lance said, walking up to the group. "I had learned what they are planning to do."
"What did you learn, Lance?" Lillie asked.
"Team Rocket is planning to control Pokémon evolution, upsetting the balance of nature; and I know how they're doing it," Lance said.
"WHAT?!" Sora, Kairi, and the Alolan nine exclaimed.
"The Magikarp in the Lake of Rage is a start," Lance said.
"Is there no line they can't cross?!" Sora exclaimed.
"We have to put a stop to it now," Lance said.
"Not if I have any say in the matter," Petrel said. The turned to see Petrel coming right towards them. "It was entertaining watching your battles closely, but the party is over."
"And who are you?" Sora hissed.
"The name's Petrel; and in case you haven't figured it out, I'm one of the four top executives of Team Rocket," Petrel said.
"You're an executive of Team Rocket?!" Sora exclaimed.
"That's right, kid. In fact, my colleague Ariana is here as well. Also, Proton had told us about how you had defeated him in battle; I thought it was humiliating having to lose to a bunch of kids," Petrel said almost laughing. "I would be too embarrassed to show my face around everyone if I were him."
"Underestimating us is a big mistake. Just ask some of your flunkies," Sora said.
"I'm no pushover like those lower level goons," Petrel said. "And I can prove it to you!" Petrel takes out all six of his Pokéballs to deal with them. "Koffing! Weezing! Go!" The Pokéballs opens to let out five Koffing and one Weezing.
"Not man enough for a fair fight?" Sora taunted, sounding like Elfman.
"I don't play fair, kid; I play rough," Petrel said. "Koffing! Weezing! Sludge!" Weezing and the Koffing fired Sludge right at the group, but Dragonite flew at them and took them down without a problem. "What?! My Koffing and my Weezing taken down with one hit?!"
"Now if you would be so kind, step aside," Lance said. "Everything else beyond this point is on you." Weezing manages to float back up.
"Ha! My Weezing isn't going down that easily, Lance!" Petrel said. Lance turns to Sora.
"Sora, you and all of your friends head to the source of the broadcast; I'll keep him occupied," Lance whispered.
"Sure. Where is it?" Sora asked, also whispering.
"Deeper below. You'll find the main source there. And hurry before it's too late," Lance instructed. Sora nodded as he and his friends went off to find the source.
"Hey! Get back here!" Petrel shouted.
"Let them go! You wish to prove your power to me, don't you? I am giving you the chance to do it," Lance said. Petrel grinned evilly and anxious to achieve his dream."
"An opportunity to battle the Great Lance is too great an opportunity to pass up," Petrel said. "This is going to be fun."
Back over to Ariana, she had been observing the young trainers and knew where they were heading.
"Dammit Petrel! You let those kids slip right through your fingers!" Ariana growled. "They're heading right for the source! I'll have to deal with them myself; and deal with Lance once I'm finished with those children."
Sora, Kairi, Ethan, Pikachu, Togepi, the Pichu, and the Alolan nine made it down to the source of the broadcast; it turns out they were using the electricity from the Electrode to do it.
"Are they using Electrode for their operation?" Sophocles asked.
"It looks like it," Hapu said.
"Yeah," Mina said.
"Now, we just have to pull the plug on their little project now," Sora said.
"I don't think so," a woman's called out from behind. The group turned to see Ariana glaring at them. "That fool Petrel was supposed to deal with you like he said he would; but at least I can clean up this mess for him."
"You're that Ariana Petrel just told us about," Lillie said.
"I am. And like Petrel and Proton, I'm one of the four top executives of Team Rocket," Ariana said. "And now the formalities are over and done with, I will personally give such a lecture about interfering with the affairs of adults." Kairi stepped up.
"I can take you on, you witch!" Kairi challenged. Ariana laughed.
"Isn't this cute? A little girl is challenging me?" Ariana asked laughing. "Oh, this is going to be most enjoyable since you're going to be the first." Kairi turned to her boyfriend.
"Sora, I'll deal with her, you get those Electrode," Kairi said.
"Take her down," Sora said. He and the others went off to free the Electrode as Kairi took out a Pokéball to battle Ariana. She did the same thing.
"Go! Murkrow!" Ariana shouted.
"Go for it, Raichu!" Kairi shouted.
The Pokéballs opens as both Pokémon had entered the battle.
"Murkrow! Night Shade!" Ariana ordered. Murkrow fires Night Shade from its eyes.
"Raichu! Dodge with Quick Attack!" Kairi ordered. Raichu ran across the floor as Murkrow fired Night Shade only to miss.
"Murkrow! Pursuit!" Ariana ordered. Murkrow quickly flies towards Raichu and lands a hit on the mouse Pokémon. "Now use Shadow Ball!" Murkrow forms a shadowy ball and sends it to Raichu.
"Raichu! Dodge and use Thunderbolt!" Kairi ordered. Raichu avoids Murkrow's Shadow Ball.
Down below, Professor Sebastian and his fellow scientists were monitoring the Electrode's electric levels when suddenly, flames comes bursting through the doors, catching the scientists off guard.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Professor Sebastian exclaimed.
"Your science project is over," Kiawe said.
"You cannot be serious," Professor Sebastian scoffed only receiving a shock from Togedemaru.
"We are," Sophocles said. Hapu takes out her Heavy Ball and uses it to call out her Onix. Stars swirls around the rock snake Pokémon upon entry.
"Onix! Take this place down!" Hapu instructed. Onix slams into the lab, making the scientists retreat. Ethan turned to his Typhlosion and Sora turned to his Pikachu and both Pokémon nodded and destroyed the laboratory.
Back over to Lance, Petrel's Weezing had been defeated, much to the executive's dismay.
"Damn! I never stood a chance!" Petrel exclaimed. He calls back his Weezing and runs off. "I am so gone!" Lance and his Dragonite head down to the direction Sora had gone off. Back to Kairi and Ariana, the battle raged on as Raichu and Murkrow were neck-and-neck.
"Murkrow! Shadow Ball!" Ariana ordered.
"Dodge and use Thunder Punch!" Kairi ordered. Raichu had avoided Shadow Ball just when it was close for a hit. Raichu's fist emits electricity and lands an electrifying punch on the crow-like Pokémon. Ariana calls back her Murkrow and takes out two more Pokéballs at her disposal.
"Impressive, girl, but let's see how you handle two at once," Ariana said. "Arbok! Vileplume! Go!" The Pokéballs opens and both of her Poison Type Pokémon had entered the battle.
"If it's a double battle you want, then that's what you're going to get!" Kairi said, taking out another Pokéball. "Go! Rockruff!" The Pokéball opens and her Rockruff barks upon entry. "Raichu! Thunderbolt on Arbok! Rockruff! Rock Throw on Vileplume!" Raichu and Rockruff fired their attacks right at their opponents.
"Arbok! Vileplume! Dodge and use Sludge Bomb!" Ariana ordered. Both poisonous Pokémon fired Sludge Bomb right at their opponents, but they had dodged the attacks. "Fire it again!" Arbok and Vileplume fired their attacks right at the mouse and puppy Pokémon. One of the attacks struck Rockruff, but it wasn't going to take her down.
"Rockruff! Rock Throw again!" Kairi ordered. Rockruff fired Rock Throw and it struck the cobra and flower Pokémon.
"Vileplume! Razor Leaf!" Ariana ordered. Vilplume fired Razor Leaf and the attack struck both Raichu and Rockruff hard.
"Raichu! Seismic Toss!" Kairi ordered. Raichu grabs Arbok and gives it a toss to the ground after doing a roll in the air. "Rockruff! Bite!" Rockruff landed a bite on Vilplume's leg.
"You'll pay for that, brat! Vilplume! Arbok! Sludge Bomb!" Ariana ordered. Arbok and Vilplume fired Sludge Bomb again.
"Dodge it!" Kairi called out. Both Raichu and Rockruff dodged Arbok's and Vilplume's Sludge Bomb attacks. "Rockruff! Tackle! Raichu! Quick Attack!" Rockruff rams into Arbok and Raichu rams into Vileplume. "Seismic Toss on Vilplume!" Raichu grabs Vilplume by the hands and swings the flower Pokémon around in the air before giving her a toss right into Arbok, knocking the both of them out.
"No! I lost to some little girl?!" Ariana screamed. She calls back both her Arbok and Vilplume. "I won't forget this, girl." She takes off.
Kairi went to join her friends, but before she got to move forward, Lance had approached from behind. Lance had been watching the battle closely he was impressed by her skills.
"Lance," Kairi said. "Have you been watching long?"
"Yes. And I was impressed by your skills. But, now is not the time," Lance said.
"Right," Kairi agreed. "Sora and the others should already be finished freeing the Electrode by now."
"Let's go," Lance said. Kairi nodded in agreement and went with the Dragon Type trainer.
Over to Sora, Ethan, and the Alolan nine, all of the scientists had been tied up, especially Professor Sebastian. Togedemaru had used her Lightning Rod ability to absorb the electricity coming off the Electrode. Charizard, Turtonator, and the two Typhlosion had torn the probes apart. By the time they were done, Kairi and Lance had come to the scene.
"Good of you to come along, but we already smashed all the sciencey stuff and all the computers," Sora explained.
"All of my research, ruined! My life's work had all been for nothing! My dream of controlling a Pokémon's evolution is still now only fantasy!" Professor Sebastian said.
"And that's how it's going to stay," Illima said.
"I trust your mission to liberate the Electrode was successful?" Lance asked. He got his answer when all of the ball Pokémon had rolled their way to freedom. "That answers that."
"Just glad the broadcast had been terminated. The Lake of Rage should be going back to normal by now," Lana said.
"It should. Team Rocket's plan had failed and the balance of nature has been restored before things had escalated," Lance said. Lance turned to Sora.
"Sora," Lance spoke.
"Yeah?" Sora asked.
"That red Gyarados you captured earlier. I have a request to ask of you," Lance said.
"Um, sure. What is it that you want me to do?" Sora asked.
"I want you to promise me that you won't treat the red Gyarados any different from any of the other Pokémon you have at your disposal," Lance requested.
"I promise. You can guarantee that I will treat Gyarados the same way I treat my other Pokémon," Sora vowed. "You can count on me." Lance smiled and rubbed Sora's spiky hair.
"I know you will," Lance said proudly.
Nearly a half hour later, the Mahogany Town police had arrived and arrested some of the Team Rocket grunts and all of the scientists taking role for their part of the project. And now Professor Sebastian was going to be facing severe charges for all of his illegal researches. Lance had left afterwards to the Kanto region to meet with his colleagues.
Sora, Kairi, and the Alolan nine said their goodbyes to Ethan as he heads off for Blackthorn City for his next Gym battle and Sora prepares for his imminent Gym battle. While Pikachu, Togepi, and the other Pokémon had gotten their rest after a long grueling day of battling, the couple and their friends celebrated their victory with a feast.
"Here's to us! And to the Pokémon who would have suffered from Team Rocket's machine; if we hadn't trashed it," Sora proclaimed.
"I'll eat to that," Sophocles said as he took a bite of a French fry.
"I just can't believe they would do such a thing like that," Mallow said.
"Me neither," Acerola said.
"Me neither," Mina added.
"And let's hear it for Kairi for taking down that witch Ariana down several notches," Hapu said. That made her blush. Sora puts his arm around her shoulder.
"I second that," Sora said, kissing her on the lips. She in turn kisses him back. The Alolan girls had swooned at the sight, wondering how much of the romance they missed since being in Equestria. The couple held their kiss for a few seconds before parting lips. "I never lost faith in you for a second; and I'm not going to ever."
"Oh Sora," Kairi said, lovingly. She plants another kiss on his lips.
"Hey lovebirds! Are you going to be kissing for the whole meal?" Kiawe asked, before earning a kick from Hapu.
"Shut up, Kiawe," Hapu hissed.
The couple went back to eating their meal as Kairi had fed some of hers to Sora, making the hearts of the Alolan girls melt.
Meanwhile in an undisclosed location," Pretel, Ariana, and some of the remaining grunts had returned. Napoleon and Rasputin had followed the grunts as they entered the room.
"Our plan to control Pokémon evolution has been flushed down the shitter all because of those meddling kids!" Ariana snarled.
"At least I got to battle with a trainer even tougher than that girl," Pretel said laughing, earning a hateful glare from the female executive. Pretel stopped laughing when he froze in place. "I'll be quiet now, if that makes you feel better."
"We just need to step up our game the next time we see them again," Arianna said.
"Hell yeah we will," Pretel said.
"And when that happens, we shouldn't underestimate them. They had foiled our ambitions in Lavender Town, Azalea Town, the Whirl Islands, and Mahogany Town; but things will be very different," Ariana said.
The two Team Rocket executives went to join the rest of their colleagues as Rasputin and Napoleon went with the grunts.
Back at the Pokémon Center, after the trainers had been given back their Pokémon, they had headed off to bed since Sora needs an early start for tomorrow. Sora stayed awake, thinking about his newest Pokémon. He did promise Lance to treat the red Gyarados like he treats his other Pokémon. Kairi noticed her boyfriend still awake.
"Okay Sora?" Kairi asked.
"I'm fine. Just thinking about my new red Gyarados. I just wonder if I could easily handle him just like Pikachu and all the others," Sora said.
"You're going to be just fine, Sora. You did make that promise to Lance," Kairi reminded her boyfriend.
"Yeah, but what if he won't obey me?" Sora asked with concern.
"You shouldn't give on Gyarados; you never gave up on your other Pokémon," Kairi assured him. Before Sora could say more, she places her finger on his lips. "No more doubts. Just go to sleep, because we don't want you falling asleep during your match tomorrow." Sora smiled and hugged his girlfriend tightly.
"You're right. I shouldn't be doubting myself. Thanks for that, Kairi," Sora said. She giggled.
"Anytime," Kairi said. "Now, how about a goodnight kiss?" Not wasting time, he obliges her with a passionate kiss and fell asleep as soon as their lips departed. The couple had fallen asleep with warm and loving smiles.
Sora now had his seventh Johto Gym battle coming up and he has to keep his cool if he wants to win it. How will Sora be able to handle it? Will Sora win it or will he be frozen in place? Just wait and see in the next chapter.