Episode 207: Taming of the Shroomish
After strolling through the Petalburg Forest, Sora, Kairi, and Pikachu had finally made their way out of the forest and made their way to an urban city. Sora checked his PokéNav and found they have arrived in a town called Rinshin Town.
"It's good that we have finally reached a city. It's the first one we've hit since Petalburg City," Sora said.
"You are so right, Sora. It was so nice traveling in the forest, but there's nothing wrong with making a stop in the city," Kairi said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"How about we take a stroll around the town since we just here," Kairi suggested. Sora grins.
"Just looking for an excuse to go on a date, right?" Sora asked in a cheeky expression. Kairi giggled.
"So, you've caught me. But there isn't anything wrong with it, is there?" Kairi asked innocently. Sora chuckled.
"No, there isn't. What should we do first?" Sora asked. Both of Sora and Kairi's stomachs growled and felt embarrased since they were both hungry. "Something to eat first?"
"I was thinking of a good burger place," Kairi suggested.
"Good idea. I was in a mood for a hamburger anyway," Sora said.
"Me too," Kairi said.
The couple had went off to find a fast food resturant for a good hamburger and start off their date, but they made a stop to a local Pokémon Center to drop off their Pokémon with the exception of Pikachu. Sora knew a fast food outing isn't exactly a romantic idea to eat, but Kairi didn't mind. Unaware of the couple, a small mushroom-like Pokémon watching them from a nearby alley. It is mainly brown above its waist, apart from a few large green spots, and a green underbelly with two round feet. Its waist appears to be flared similar to a skirt. It has a heavy unibrow, a triangular mouth and it looks like it's angry. This Pokémon is known as Shroomish.
The couple had made their way to a hamburger place and placed an order for their meal. They both waited for their meal waited for their meal to arrive in which was done in six minutes.
"Here you go, kids," the fast food employee said.
"Thanks," Sora said as he and Kairi had taken what they ordered. The couple enjoyed their meal to their heart's content when a couple of girls had noticed Sora, Kairi, and Pikachu sitting across from them.
"Look! It's Sora Ketchum; the Pokémon League Champion of Kanto and Johto," one of the girls said.
"I heard he was here in the Hoenn region. Do you think he's going for a Gym Badge in Rustboro City?" THe second girl asked.
"Most likely. It is the nearest Gym around here, besides the one in Petalburg City," the first girl said.
"Do you think you should ask for his autograph?" The second girl asked.
"Why don't you go first?" The first girl asked.
"No, it was your idea, you go first," the second girl said.
"No, you go on first," the first girl said.
The two girls ended up arguing over who is gonna have to go first. By the time they decided that they should go first, they turned to see Sora, Kairi, and Pikachu were already gone. They spent the whole time they were there arguing over who was gonna go first.
"We waited too long," the girls both said.
The couple went on with their date as Kairi had done a little shopping for some new clothes just to pose for Sora. Once again, no matter what kind of clothing she wore, she'd look good in all of them in his eyes.
"Like what you see, Sora?" Kairi asked wearing a purple shirt with blue jeans.
"Oh I do, Kairi. You look great in all of them," Sora said, making Kairi blush.
"Sora," Kairi said very lovingly. She went over to him and hugged him tight and he hugged her back. The couple enjoyed their date for a couple of hours before they made a stop to buy some medicines and some ingredients needed to make Pokémon food and among other things. "Now we have everything we need to last us for a while, we should make our way back to the Pokémon Center to pick them up."
"Great idea, Kairi. Nurse Joy probably has them at full shape by now anyway. Let's head on down and get them," Sora said. The couple made their way back to the Pokémon Center when they spotted a couple of familiar faces. "May? Max?" The siblings turned to see the couple and the mouse Pokémon.
"Sora! Kairi! What are you doing here?" May asked.
"Just here to pick up our Pokémon before we take off to Rustboro City," Sora said. Kairi wraps her arm around his.
"Just after we had our date," Kairi added. She kissed him on the cheek as Max rolled his eyes.
"And getting what we need," Sora said. "Ingredients for Pokémon food, also some medicines and some human food to last us for a while. Also, some other accessories." May looked over to the Pokémon related stuff.
"You mean trainers spend money on this stuff?" May asked.
"That's stuff you should consider, May," Max said. May puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "Every good trainer should be properly prepared for such emergencies."
"May, won't you cut me a break? I'm just starting out!" May snapped at her brother. Before an argument could get started, Sora had stepped in.
"Okay, knock it off. Arguing isn't gonna do anything for us," Sora said. He turned to May. "So, how is everything with Brendan since the last time we saw him?" May blushed as Max adjustes his glasses while grinning.
"He's doing good so far. I only saw him a couple of days ago. He wanted me to give you his regards when I see you," May said.
"Sounds like Brendan is doing okay for himself," Sora said. He and Kairi went up to Nurse Joy and picked up their Pokémon as Max was wondering what Pokémon Sora has caught since the last time. Kairi and May decided to talk for a little while. May wanted to talk with Kairi.
"What Pokémon did you catch when you left?" Max asked, getting excited. Sora chuckled as he took his Pokéballs.
"How about I show you?" Sora suggested. He tosses them up in the air and lets out Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, Mudbray, and Grubbin. "I also caught a Taillow and a Slakoth since we came to Hoenn."
"Wow! That is so cool, Sora. What Pokémon did Kairi catch?" Max asked.
"A Plusle and a Minun; and she could tell you that they're both girls," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu nodded.
"Kairi could tell if they're girls?" Max asked, raising a brow.
"She can. Kairi could tell if a Pokémon when they're a boy or a girl just by looking at one," Sora said as he calls back his team. "That is something she's always had in her whole life."
"I wish I could be able to tell them apart from the ones that don't have certain things on them," Max said in an envious tone. Sora chuckled. Over to the girls, May wanted to speak with Kairi.
"So May. What did you want to talk to me about?" Kairi asked.
"For one thing, I wanted to know why you're traveling with Sora in the first place? It's not because you love him right?" May asked.
"Well, yes it is. Like I already told you, I loved Sora from the day we met. Another reason is I wanted to see what was beyond the city I was born in and before my grandma raised me. If I hadn't gone with Sora, I wouldn't be who I am now and I wouldn't have found my parents again," Kairi said. May blinked twice when Kairi said those things. "My grandma encouraged me to go on just so I could get to know Sora and I'm glad she did. She told me I had to follow my heart and see where it'll lead me."
"Wow, I never thought of that way," May said.
"How about you, May? Why did you want to be a Pokémon trainer?" Kairi asked. May sighed.
"The reason I wanted to talk to you is, I didn't want to be a trainer in the first place. The thing is, I'm not into Pokémon like Max and Brendan are. I only told my parents I wanted to be a trainer because I wanted to see the world. And now I have Torchic with me, I don't know what I got planned ahead of me," May said. Kairi could tell May is having problems adjusting to being a trainer. But she had something to say that'll help her.
"I know you'll find your own path, May," Kairi said. May turned to her. "You just need to try hard to find it."
"But what is my path?" May asked.
"I don't know exactly, but you should follow your heart and you'll know it. Trust me, I know from experience. If you work hard with your Pokémon, then they'll work hard with you," Kairi said. May didn't know how to respond, but it really stuck with her.
"Thank you, Kairi," May said.
"Anytime, May," Kairi said.
Meanwhile, over to an old mansion somewhere in the town, a crew of manual laborers were working on tearing down, but there some doubt that filled the air.
"Say, did you hear about what happened to Fred?" One of the workers asked.
"Yeah, I heard he tried to demolish the dining room when something scared the living daylights out of him," another worker said.
"You don't think it's a ghost, do you?" The first worker asked.
"That's what the rumors are saying. Fred's the fifth guy to quit this week," the second worker said.
"Can't really blame him. Charlie, Bob, Doug, Al, and now Fred. I think they all had the right idea to quit," the first worker said. Just then the foreman came out.
"Hey! Quit beating your gums and get back to work the both of you! The boss wants this place torn down and we're already behind schedule as it is!" The foreman yelled.
Back to the Pokémon Center, Sora had stepped out to do some training for his Gym battle when Pikachu suddenly hears something. His ears perked up.
"Pika?" Pikachu asked. Sora looked over to his partner.
"What do you hear, Pikachu?" Sora asked. Pikachu went to the source and the boys had followed him. Pikachu stopped and pointed to what he heard.
"Pika!" Pikachu said, pointing to something. Sora and Max both saw it was a Shroomish and a barrel that was knocked over.
"Is that what you heard, Pikachu?" Sora asked.
"Pika," Pikachu said. Max's face lit up at the sight of the mushroom-like Pokémon.
"Wow! It's a Shroomish!" Max said, excitedly.
"Never seen one of those before," Sora said.
"What? You mean you've never seen a Shroomish before?" Max asked.
"No, because you can't find those in Kanto or Johto. I should know, because Kairi and I went all over the place," Sora said. "If Mallow were here, she would like to have one of those." Max looked right at him.
"Who's Mallow?" Max asked.
"Mallow was one of the friends we were traveling with. She specializes with Grass Type Pokémon. Her family owns a resturant on Akala Island. I wonder how her brother's wedding is going," Sora said.
"Was she asked to be a Gym Leader by Professor Kukui?" Max asked.
"Yes. And after all of our time together, I can imagine how good she's getting as a Gym Leader, especially the training we used to do," Sora said.
Back inside the Pokémon Center, the girls heard a couple of people talking about something.
"What do you mean cursed?" A male voice asked. The girls turned to see a teenaged boy and a teenaged girl talking.
"You mean you haven't heard the news? Everybody is talking about it," the teenaged girl said. May instantly got interested.
"Did you say cursed?" May asked.
"Acerola would act the same way if she were here," Kairi said in her thoughts.
"Well, you see, there's a big old mansion in town called 'The Green Lodge' and it's just up ahead," the teenaged girl answered.
"Go on, go on!" May said eagerly.
"There's a bunch of workers there right now tearing the place apart, including the forest in the courtyard. Their saying that whole place is cursed!" The teenaged girl explained.
"Really?" May asked.
"There hasn't been a soul living there for years, but people keep saying that they're seeing things moving around inside. The workers keep finding fresh footprints in the halls all the time. And some workers say when they go inside, the can't breathe, or they real confused, or they pass out," the teenaged girl said. Kairi wasn't buying that it was cursed. It sounded like there might be some Pokémon living in the mansion and not a ghost. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from that haunted mansion!"
"A haunted mansion, huh? I mean how awesome is that?" May asked.
Back outside, Sora and Max slowly approach the Shroomish, not wanting to scare it. The Shroomish saw the boys coming.
"I can't believe how lucky we are to find a Shroomish already," Max said as Sora took out his Pokédex to can the Shroomish.
"Okay, Dexdette. Do your thing," Sora said.
Shroomish, the Mushroom Pokémon
Type: Grass
Shroomish live in damp soil in the dark depths of forests. They are often found keeping still under fallen leaves. This Pokémon feeds on compost that is made up of fallen, rotted leaves. If Shroomish senses danger, it shakes its body and scatters spores from the top of its head.
"It sure doesn't look happy," Max said.
"Maybe it's hungry. It's a good thing Kairi gave me a can of her special Pokémon food to feed Pikachu and the others later," Sora said, taking out the can.
"Kairi really made that?" Max asked.
"Kairi has a natural gift when it comes to Pokémon. Isn't that right, Pikachu?" Sora asked his partner.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.
"Do you think it'll be okay if I feed Shroomish with it?" Max asked.
"Just as long you don't try to catch it, then it should be okay," Sora said, handing Max some of the Pokémon food.
"You don't have to worry, Sora. You can trust me," Max said. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with making a new friend right?"
"Nothing wrong at all," Sora said.
"Okay, so here I go, then," Max said, bending down, but Shroomish stares at him hotly. "Hi Shroomish. How you're doing?" Max held out a handful of Pokémon food. "I've got some yummy Pokémon food for you. So, my name's Max, and I want us to be friends." Shroomish grits its teeth and then fires Stun Spore at the boys.
"Stun Spore! Run!" Sora yelled as he grabbed Max and ran him into safety. The boys ran out of range as the Shroomish kept firing Stun Spore. "Okay, that didn't work." He sighs. "It's a good thing Hapu isn't here, because she would give me such a kick for letting you do that." May starts to drag Kairi outside.
"Come on, Kairi! That haunted mansion isn't going to check itself out!" May said.
"Come on, May! You can't be serious!" Kairi argued.
"Kairi?" Sora asked and she turned to her boyfriend. "What are you two up to?"
"May is assisting that we check out a haunted mansion. You?" Kairi asked.
"Keeping ourselves from getting Stun Spored," Sora said. Before Kairi could ask what he meant, May dragged her harder.
"Whoa!" Kairi yelped. "I'll see you later, I guess," Kairi said.
"Yeah, you too," Sora said. After waiting for a few moments, they checked back in the alleyway to see if the Shroomish has calmed down.
"It looks like Shroomish is done using Stun Spore," Max said.
"Good thing. Because I have the same idea, but I have a different approach," Sora said, taking out a piece of paper from his backpack and pours some of Kairi's Pokémon food on it. "But it'll be a good idea if you stay here at a safe distance, just in case." Sora slowly walked over to the Shroomish, being careful not to set it off. "Okay, no sudden movements or else it'll just fire Stun Spore again." He slolwly bends down. "Hey there, Shroomish. You hungry? Have some of this."
"Shroomish," the Shroomish said.
"Don't worry. It's good," Sora said.
"Pika," Pikachu said, climbing off of Sora's shoulder and ate a piece to show it's safe to eat. The Shroomish was skeptical, but ate some. Shroomish's eyes got wide and started to wolf it down.
"Figured it would work. And I knew you'd like it. I've got some more, so eat as much as you want," Sora said.
Max just snuffed at Sora's efforts.
"Big deal, I could have gotten Shroomish to eat if I used Kairi's Pokémon food," Max said.
"And get Stun Spored in the process," Sora said. Max stuck his tongue at Sora and then he realized something.
"Wait a minute! There's something strange about this!" Max said.
"Strange how?" Sora asked.
"Don't Shroomish nomrally live in the forest?" Max asked.
"You know something, you were right to point that out. It must have wondered in the city without knowing what it was doing or maybe it's got a trainer and doesn't know where it is," Sora guessed. "Shroomish must be lost either way." He turned to Max. "We should take it right to the Pokémon Center and see if its trainer is inside looking for it."
"Yeah," Max said, reaching in his pocket. "Okay, here." Max took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around the tip of its head. "Take this. There. You look great!" The mushroom Pokémon is so pleased by the gift Max has given it. Sora smiled.
"Kairi would be impressed. It looks like it likes your present a lot," Sora said. "Now, let's get a move on."
"Come on, Shroomish, let's go," Max said, picking up the mushroom Pokémon and went in the Pokémon Center to see who does the Shroomish belongs to.
Over to the girls, they're heading right to the haunted mansion with May dragging Kairi by the arm.
"Do we really have to go and see it?" Kairi asked.
"Why are you getting cold feet, Kairi? Don't you do these sort of things all the time?" May asked.
"Yes, but this is kinda crazy," Kairi said. She sighs. "Of course, Acerola would do the same thing to me if she were still with us, but Sophocles would be scared out of his wits when it came to ghosts." May blinked twice.
"Acerola? Sophocles? Who are they?" May asked.
"They were some of the friends we were with in our travels. Sophocles is a boy uses Electric Type Pokémon and is a girl who uses Ghost Type Pokémon. Sora and I have been wondering how they're doing right now," Kairi said.
"I'm sure they're doing fine. And they'll be thinking the same about you and Sora," May said. That made Kairi smile.
"You're right, May. They probably have their Gyms done by now. Also, they probably have a handful of trainers challenging them into battles right now," Kairi guessed.
With that said, the girls proceeded with their trip to the haunted mansion, and as for the boys, they had no luck finding out who the Shroomish belonged to.
"Man, that's every trainer in it, and not one of them owns this Shroomish," Sora said.
"Maybe, its trainer is probably out in town looking for it," Max said.
"It's worth a shot. Let's get a move on," Sora said.
"Pika, Pika," Pikachu said. They went off to find out who the Shroomish belongs to and maybe have much better luck.
Over to the girls, they have arrived they had finally arrived to the mansion.
"Look at that. So old and run-down," May said.
"And Sophocles would say 'so creepy,'" Kairi said. May giggled.
"Can't wait to see the inside!" May said, heading for the old house.
"May, wait!" Kairi called out, following her. It didn't take long before the boys were coming by.
"Check out that old mansion," Sora said.
"Pika," Pikachu said.
"Nice place to live if you've got a bolt to your neck," Sora said in a Frakenstein voice. That made Max laugh as Sora added in the Frakenstein growl and did the walk. They both stopped laughing as they stopped to look at it.
"The garden is just as big as a whole forest," Max said.
"Shroomish," the Shroomish said sadly. They both turned to the mushroom Pokémon.
"What's the matter, Shroomish?" Sora asked.
"Is there something about the mansion scaring you?" Max asked. The Shroomish jumps out of his arms and ran towards the mansion.
"Pika!" Pikachu called out.
"What's gotten into it?" Max asked.
"No idea, but we should go after it," Sora said.
"Okay," Max said as they begin to follow the Shroomish to the mansion. Over to the girls, they have a look around.
"Wow, they really let this place go, didn't they? All sorts of things could happen in a strange place like this," May said.
"I don't think we should be here, May. Also, Sora and Max are probably worried about us and they're probably out looking for us right now," Kairi said.
"Shroom, Shroom, Shroom, Shroom, Shroom!" The Shroomish said, running as fast as its little feet could carry it and jumped into a broken window.
"What was that Pokémon?" May asked.
"I think it was a Shroomish. My grandma told me about those before when I was little," Kairi said.
"Shroomish!" Max called out. The girls to see the boys. "Wait up!"
"Come back here!" Sora also called out. The boys stopped in their tracks when they saw the girls.
"Sora," Kairi said.
"And Max," May added.
"Girls. You didn't see a Shroomish go by here, did you?" Sora asked.
"We did," Kairi said. "He went in through that window."
"Hey you kids!" A new male voice called out. It belonged to a young man with blue hair and blue eyes, wearing a lime green shirt under a green vest and wore a grayish-brown pair of pants and brown shoes. "You are not supposed to be here! Didn't you see the signs?" He walked up to them. "We are tearing down the forests here, so it's too dangerous!"
"Sorry to barge in here," Sora said.
"Sora and I were only following a Shroomish," Max said and the young man raised a brow.
"Shroomish? Did you say a Shroomish?" The young man asked.
"Yes he did," Sora said.
"That is impossible, because there hasn't been any Shroomish in these parts in years," the young man said.
"Well, there sure was one around here. And Max and I saw it as clearly as we see you," Sora said.
"But there is no way it could have been a Shroomish," the young man said.
"May and I saw one just a little while ago," Kairi said.
"It's true. And if you're saying that they're aren't any Shroomish here, then it sounds very weird," May said.
"And I'm going to guess there were some around here before, right?" Sora asked.
"Uh-huh. There were a lot of them in this town. This mansion once belonged to my grandfather. And when I was little, I used to play with the Shroomish whenever I came over. But as the town kept getting bigger, and more buildings were being built, all the forests were slowly disappearing. Eventually, my grandfather passed away and all of the Shroomish had left. The town council decided that the mansion is to be destroyed to make room for new buildings. And then, when demolishing had begun, these strange these begun happening," the young man explained. "I only came by to see how are things are going, but I have heard a sum of workers have quit."
"Strange things?" Sora asked.
"You think it's a ghost or something?" May asked.
"I don't think it's a ghost," Kairi said. "It's possible that there are Pokémon inside the place and they're saying they're not moving," Kairi guessed.
"What makes you think that, Kairi?" May asked.
"Pokémon have an act of being stubborn just like people do. For one thing, some of the workers getting sick; I'm sure it's a Pokémon that's using Stun Spore or Poison Powder. That's what makes me say that," Kairi said.
"Like I said, it's impossible," the young man said. He turned to the boys. "Are you boys sure you saw a Shroomish go inside?"
"Like I said, we saw one as clearly as we see you," Sora said.
"Well, if that's the case, then I'm gonna have a look inside just to be sure," the young man said.
"And we should go with you just to prove it to you," Sora said.
The group entered the mansion to search for the Shroomish. The young man introduced as Alex was skeptical, but he had to be sure once an for all.
"Wow, this is exciting," May said all giddy.
"Here, Shroomish, Shroomish, Shroomish. We know you're in here somewhere," Sora said.
"There isn't any signs of it here. We should check some of the other rooms," Alex said.
"Good idea," Sora said.
"We can start by checking out that room over there," Kairi suggested, pointing to the door ahead of them.
"Good thinking," Sora said. They went to the room ahead of them as May and Max opened the door and saw the Shroomish from before and he was shivering with fright.
"Shroomish! There you are!" Max said.
"Wow! You were right! There is a Shroomish here!" Alex said.
"Told you," Sora said.
"Pika," Piachu said.
A few more Shroomish and they huddled with the first one they saw also shivering with fright.
"Look, there's a whole bunch more," Max said.
"Wow Kairi. You were right about there being more than one," Sora said. "And so much for the trainer theory. Also, they're pretty scared about something."
"You're right and I think I know what's been scaring them," Kairi said. "Shroomish normally live in the forest, right?"
"Yes, but it looks like more and more of the forest is being cut down. They must have moved in the mansion," Alex said.
"And now since the masnion is being cut down, where will they all go?" May asked.
"That's a pretty good question, May," Kairi said.
"Pika, Pi," Pikachu said.
Alex turned his head and he sees an old photograph of him as a little boy playing on a swing with a Shroomish on his lap and his grandfather smiling warmly, holding another Shroomish in his arms.
"Look at that," Alex said. Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, May, and Max all turned to see the photograph.
"Is that you with your grandfather when you were little?" Max asked.
"Yes, that is me," Alex admitted.
"It looks to me that you were both fond of Shroomish," Kairi said.
"Yes, we sure were," Alex said.
Just then, out from the ground, an explosion is heard and they all turned to see what caused it. It was a whole bunch of small, whitish, insectoid Pokémon. They all have a pointed snout, a thin stripe that dips in a V-shaped pattern between their eyes, and two whisker-like antennae on their faces. Their eyes are black with green iris-like rings inside.They all have a pair of small, green wings. Its hind legs are white, but the forelegs are brown and have sharp claws.
"What the?!" Sora exclaimed.
"Those are Nincada!" Max said.
"Nincada?" Sora asked, taking out his Pokédex and scanned them.
Nincada, the Trainee Pokémon
Type: Bug/Ground
Nincada lives underground. It uses its sharp claws to carve the roots of trees and absorb moisture and nutrients. This Pokémon can't withstand bright sunlight so avoids it.
"What are they doing here?" Kairi asked.
They must be looking for some foraging grounds," Alex pointed out.
"But Nincada normally live underground!" Max said.
"Yes, but they came here since it's dark," Alex said.
"Since they're Ground Types, none of Pikachu's, Plusle's, or Minun's Electric Type attacks will make them flinch. I think Mudkip will be the choice," Sora said, taking his Pokéball. "Go for it, Mudkip!" The Pokéball opens and Mudkip awaits Sora's instructions. Kairi decided to get in the action too when the Shroomish decided to take a stand before she got a chance to do so.
"SHROOMISH! SHROOM!" The Shroomish bellowed. Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, May, Max, and Alex all turned to look at the Shroomish.
"What's with them?" May asked.
"I have a feeling that we're about to find out," Sora said. And find out they did when a whole bunch of Shroomish had stormed into the same room, astounding the group. "Whoa! Shroomish!"
"They've all moved in the mansion!" Alex said.
"And they'll be battling against all of those Nincada!" Max said. The Nincada began their assault by swiping right at the Shroomish while they were some of the Shroomish that fought back against the Nincada. Some of the Nincada became surrounded with a pink aura and hurls the attack at the mushroom Pokémon. "Wow! Those Nincada had just fired Secret Power!"
The Shroomish fired Stun Spore right at the Nincada and many of them have become paralyzed by the powdered attack.
"Yikes! Stun Spore!" Kairi excalimed.
"Everyone out!" Alex shouted. Sora, Kairi, May, and Max didn't need to be told twice and they ran as fast as they could to avoid being paralyzed by Shroomish's Stun Spore. They all started panting, feeling glad it hadn't hit them.
"That was so close," May panted.
"It was bad enough to get paralyzed by Stun Spore just once, but twice is just too many," Sora also panted.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said. He remembered when Sora and Kiawe accidentally ended up being paralyzed by a Vileplume's Stun Spore and along with TK and Davis as well.
"Shroomish were unlikely, but all those Nincada moving right in was unexpected," Alex said.
"Same here. Even with those workers here, they'll end up having such a hard time with them," Kairi said.
"And just when those Shroomish were just defending their home," May said.
"I still can't get over how many Shroomish are still inside of that mansion," Alex said.
Max looked to the Shroomish with the handkerchief and he could only feel sad for him.
"You know something? I don't think the Shroomish were scared at all. I think they're in pain," Max guessed.
"In pain? What in the world made you think that?" Alex asked.
"I just know, because I'm friends with them too. Just like with you and they told me," Max said.
"So, you're saying they just want to play with Alex again just like when he was a kid," Sora said.
"Yeah, I am. They want to live here with you and be happy," Max said. Alex looked at Shroomish and saw how sad he looked and he didn't doubt the other Shroomish were feeling the same thing.
"I would like that too," Alex said.
"Shroomish," the Shroomish said.
Back to the Nincada, many of them were flustered and many of them began to evolve. Some of the Nincada evolved into a small, cicada-like Pokémon with two pairs of wings. Their bodies are mostly black with accents of yellow and gray. Most of their heads are yellow, but there is a solid band of black between their gleaming red eyes. The band expands into a circular pattern on their foreheads, between two pointed crests on the sides of its head. The underside of their heads are gray and segmented, making them somewhat resemble a veil. On their backs is a patch of black with a stretch of yellow, shaped like an upside down letter Y. Most of their carapace and abdomen is black, but there is a ring of yellow near the tip. Their gray insectoid arms extend from its chests, and usually have their small, yellow claws turned inward. There is a similar pair of back legs. They have large, veined wings with triangular, red tipping. Suddenly appearing with them resembeles a cicada's shed exoskeleton. Their bodies are light brown, but the abdomen is gray. They have four protrusions on their underside instead of legs; the top pair is brown, while the lower is gray. There are round protrusions on the side of their heads with narrow slits for eyes. Two lines encircle their abdomens and a white halo floats above their heads. They all have pair of tattered wings divided into three wingtips on their backs. A hole between their wings reveals that their bodies are completely hollow and dark, as it possesses no internal organs. Those would be Ninjask and Shedinja.
The cicada-like Pokémon began to buzz and float up to launch their second attack. Alex holds the Shroomish in his hands.
"Shroomish, please forgive me. I'm sorry to abandon you all," Alex said.
"Please, don't tear down their home," Max pleaded. "Without the mansion, where would they all go?"
"Max is right. It's all they have left," Sora said.
"And when the mansion is gone, then they'll be homeless," Kairi said.
"I'm sorry," Alex said. "It's too late to stop the construction." Everyone suddenly hears buzzing all around them.
"Do you hear that buzzing?" May asked.
"Yes I do. And they're all around us," Sora said. The Ninjask and Shedinja all hovered all around them.
"Ninjask and Shedinja!" Max said.
"Where did they just come from?" May asked. Sora took out his Pokédex and used it to scan the Ninjask and Shedinja.
Ninjask, the Ninja Pokémon
An evolved form of Nincada
Type: Bug/Flying
Ninjask moves around at such a high speed that it cannot be seen, even while its crying can be clearly heard. For that reason, this Pokémon was long believed to be invisible.
Shedinja, the Shed Pokémon
An evolved form of Nincada
Type: Bug/Ghost
Shedinja's hard body doesn't move—not even a twitch. In fact, its body appears to be merely a hollow shell. It is believed that this Pokémon will steal the spirit of anyone peering into its hollow body from its back.
"I figured those Nincada evolved," Sora said.
"You think they want payback for that Stun Spore?" May asked.
"Yeah, and at us us with them," Sora said. He looked over to his partner. "Okay Pikachu! Thunderbolt at them!"
"Pika," Pikachu nodded. Pikachu fired Thunderbolt and it went right for the Ninjask while one of the Shedinja flew in and blocked the attack. Pikachu's Thunderbolt didn't even phase the Shedinja much to Sora and Kairi's surprise.
"What just happened?" Sora asked.
"It's Shedinja's Wonder Guard! It protects them from any attacks except for those Shedinja are weak against," Max said. Sora got an idea on hos to deal with the Shedinja. He turned to May.
"May! I'm going to need your help here!" Sora said. May was shocked to hear when Sora said he needed help.
What? Me?" May asked.
"Your Torchic can help out my Torchic deal with the Shedinja! And the other Pokémon can deal with the Ninjask," Sora said. He turned to Kairi. "So, we'll need Plusle and Minun for this one." Kairi liked what her boyfriend has planned.
"Okay!" Kairi said, taking oout her two Pokéballs. "Plusle! Minun! Come out to play!" Plusle and Minun both came out at once to battle the Ninjask. Sora and May both took out their Pokéballs and threw them.
"Go! Torchic!" Sora and May shouted. Both TOrchic came out as May's Torchic looked over to Sora's Torchic and he just smiled nervously at him. Sora's Torchic just nodded, telling him to be ready.
"Torchic! Use Ember on the Shedinja!" Sora ordered.
"Torchic! You use Ember too!" May ordered.
Both Torchic fired Ember and it struck the Shedinja, instantly knocking them out, but the Ninjask flew in to attack the Fire Type Pokémon.
"Mudkip! Water Gun!" Sora ordered. Mudkip fired Water Gun and the water attack soaked the Ninjask and kept them at bay.
"Plusle! Minun! Use Discharge!" Kairi ordered. Both of Plusle and Minun discharge electricity and it shocks some of the Ninjask, but more kept coming. A few of the Ninjask aims at the mansion and fires Shadow Ball at the walls, hoping it would force them out. And it did force out the Shroomish; now they had the mushroom Pokémon where they wanted them and moved in to launch their revenge. The Shroomish fired Stun Spore, only for the Ninjask to flap their wings faster and faster, to keep the Stun Spore from reaching them. The Shroomish ended up being paralyzed themselves.
"No! The Shroomish are in trouble!" Alex gasped. He ran to help them.
"Alex! No!" Sora called out.
"They'll just attack you too!" Kairi also called out.
"They're already doing that anyway!" Alex said. One of the Ninjask moved in to deliever the first blow with one of its claws and then Alex took the hit instead. The Shroomish all gasped at the sight, especially the Shroomish with the handkerchief. Alex's love for the Shroomish knew no bounds and they all saw that. The other Shroomish saw that as well and they all fired Leech Seed at the Ninjask and they sapped them of their energy. The two Torchic keep firing Ember and knocks out the Shedinja, one after the other, Until there was only one left. Knowing, it was gonna lose, the Shedinja floated away to safety. Sora's Torchic snorted at the cowardly Pokémon.
"Wimp." - Sora's Torchic subtitle.
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu fired Thunderbolt and shocks the remaining Ninjask. Having enough, the Ninjask all picked up the Shedinja and retreated in the opposite direction. "Looks like we've proved our point."
"Sure did," Kairi agreed.
Alex was proud how the Shroomish was able to work together as he tried to get back up. He knew there was no other way to make the Shroomish move, so he was given a new idea. His injury got the best of him. Sora ran up to him.
"Don't move so much! You're hurt!" Sora said. Kairi, May, Max, and the Pokémon all went up to Alex.
"So, will you still tear down the mansion?" Max asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," Alex solely said.
"But you can't!" Kairi pleaded. "They won't have anyplace to live once it's gone!" Alex smiled and slowly stood up despite his injury.
"Don't worry. I'm going to replant all the trees and plants, to make a brand new forest. Make it the way it was before the mansion was even here," Alex said. Max's face lit up.
"That's a great idea!" Max said. "Thank you!"
"And we'll be able to play just like we used to," Alex promised. The Shroomish liked the idea very much. With that settled, the couple and the siblings said their goodbyes to Alex and the Shroomish as they all continued on their way to Rustboro City.
"I'm just glad everything worked out in the end," May said.
"Me too. The mansion may be going down, but at least they'll have a new forest to live in, so everybody is happy," Sora said.
As the sun was setting, the couple and the siblings face each other with smiles on their faces.
"I guess this is where we say goodbye, right?" May asked.
"Just for now. We'll see you in Rustboro City," Sora said.
"He's right. And I'm sure Brendan will be there too," Kairi said. May smiled at the thought of seeing Brendan again and Max grins as he sees his sister's face getting red. "We'll be sure to tell him you said hi when we see him before that."
"I would appreciate it," May said.
"Well, until then," Sora said, waving goodbye to May and Max. They all went their seperate ways and continued on their way to Rustboro City. Kairi could only hope for the best for May to find her path and see where it will lead her. What could the future have in store for her? The answers will come even further ahead after the next chapter.