Episode 320: Dawn Of A New Era!
About a couple of hours had came and went as Sora, Kairi, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Pikachu, Angel, Meowth, and Dawn came across a Buneary. Dawn was going to make her move into capturing the rabbit Pokémon as her first.
"Another Pokémon of Sinnoh," Ventus said. "So cool."
"And very cute," Kairi cooed.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"So, what does the Pokédex says about Buneary?" Sora asked, taking out his Pokédex and scanned the rabbit Pokémon.
Buneary, the Rabbit Pokémon
Type: Normal
Its ears are always rolled up. They can be forcefully extended to shatter even a large boulder. When it senses danger, it perks up its ears. On cold nights, it sleeps with its head tucked into its fur.
"That's a good way to keep warm," Sora said. "He looked right at Dawn. "Okay, Dawn. Are you ready to make your ever catch?"
"I am so psyched! Here we go!" Dawn said, taking out her Pokéball, but it was still small.
"Dawn, you need to make it bigger first!" Kairi said. Dawn realized her mistake. "You better hurry brefore Buneary gets away!"
"Alright, I'm ready now!" Dawn said, getting the Pokéball ready. "Go, Pokéball!" Dawn just threw the Pokéball. But she just threw it at Ventus.
"Watch out!" Terra said. Terra tackles Ventus to the ground.
"Oops! Sorry!" Dawn apologized.
"It's okay, Dawn. No one was hurt," Terra said. Buneary gets away. Piplup tries to warn Dawn.
"Piplup, Piplup, Piplup!" Piplup said.
"What's wrong, Piplup?" Dawn asked.
"Piplup is saying, Buneary got away," Meowth said.
Dawn turned to to see the rabbit Pokémon was gone. She sighed, "Oh, this is just great. My chance to make my very first catch and I let it slip right through my fingers."
"It's okay, Dawn. You did your best. You can't expect to win the race just by taking the first step," Kairi said. "That is something a certain someone would know." She leers right at Sora. He knew what his girlfriend was referring to.
"Say, Sora, if you don't mind me asking, what was the first Pokémon you ever caught?" Dawn asked curiously.
"The first one I caught was a Caterpie," Sora said.
"Really? A Caterpie?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah. It was in Viridian Forest when I first got started. You remember that, Kairi?" Sora asked. Kairi giggled.
"I remember how cute he was," Kairi said.
"So, Kairi, what was the first Pokémon you ever caught?" Dawn asked. Kairi smiled.
"The first Pokémon I caught was a Jigglypuff. I remember how she would doodle on our faces when we fell asleep when she sang her song," Kairi said.
"Don't remind me," Meowth said. "I had a nightmare about that first experience from that first meeting with that powder puff." Sora looked right at him.
"You remember that we were enemies back then, right?" Sora reminded the scratch Pokémon.
"Again, don't bring that up!" Meowth said.
"Just remembering it how it was," Sora said. Pikachu laughed at him as Meowth glares at the mouse Pokémon.
"Don't you laugh, Pikachu. You wouldn't be laughing if you were in my fur," Meowth said.
"Okay, settle down. Sorry to bring it up, Meowth. If it makes you feel better we won't talk about that anymore, okay?" Sora asked.
"I'd appreciate that very much," Meowth said.
"Anyway, getting to you, Dawn, you did your best. And Kairi's right, you can't expect to get it right the first time. I sure didn't," Sora said. "I got better about it since I got started."
"Say, I heard you refer Caterpie as a him instead of it. How could you tell if a Pokémon is a boy or a girl?" Dawn asked.
"I can tell just by looking at them. Pokémon are like people, they can have certain mannerisms to say they're boys or girls. And in case you're wondering, your Piplup is a boy," Kairi said. Dawn looked at the penguin Pokémon and nodded to confirm it.
"Wow, I had no idea you were a boy Piplup," Dawn said.
"Piplup!" Piplup said.
"And what about Turtwig and Chimchar?" Dawn asked.
"They're boys too. The same with Paul's Pokémon," Kairi said.
"I had no idea there were people who could tell the difference," Dawn said.
The sun suddenly got brighter, catching the group's attention.
"Hey, what's that?" Ventus asked.
"I don't know, but we should check it out," Terra suggested.
"I was about to suggest that anyway. Let's go," Sora said.
They all rushed to where it was coming from upon arriving, they saw a battle going on. It was between Lucas and his Turtwig against a Budew and a tall young man with light skin, shoulder-length black hair, and blue eyes, one of which is always covered by his hair. His outfit consists of a green hat and a green cape held together by a red gem and blue cravat, over a blue vest, off-white shirt, grey trousers, and black boots. He is al wearing a brown shoulder bag, and carries a golden harp shaped like a Mew.
"Lucas!" Dawn said with surprise.
"Turtwig! Use Bite!" Lucas ordered. Turtwig lunged himself towards Budew ready to bite the bud Pokémon.
"Budew, please use Stun Spore," the young man said. Budew sprinkles Stun Spore onto the turtle-like Pokémon. Turtwig was now paralyzed. He sang, Now, use Solar Beam!" Budew fires Solar Beam and struck Turtwig, earning a knockout.
"Turtwig!" Lucas ran up to his fallen partner. He helps the tiny leaf Pokémon up. "Are you okay, Turtwig?"
"Turtwig," Turtwig said weakly, feeling sad for losing.
"Don't sweat it. You did your best, buddy," Lucas said. Turtwig feels better about losing.
"A wonderful battle," the young man said.
"Thanks a lot. You did a great job with that Budew of yours," Lucas said.
"Your Turtwig has spirit. I can see why you are determined for your quest for the Sinnoh Pokémon Leagues," the young man said. He notices the group watching on. "It appears our battle has attracted attention." Lucas turned to see some familiar faces.
"Sora, Kairii, Dawn! And the rest!" Lucas said.
"Hey Lucas! Thought we bump into you sooner or later," Sora said.
"Friends of yours?" The young man asked.
"Yeah. The guy with the brown spiky hair is Sora, his girlfriend Kairi, and his cousin Ven. The big guy is Terra and the girl with the blue hair is Aqua. And the girl in the hat is Dawn," Lucas introduced.
"A pleasure," the young man said, bowing his head. "I am Nando. A Pokémon Bard. And this is my Budew. We have traveled all over, bringing joy to all."
"I thought you were a bard by the way you're dressed. I just never met one before until now," Terra said.
"What's a bard?" Ventus asked.
"Bards are poets are singers. From what I heard about them, they sang songs in honor of someone's heroics," Terra said.
"That is correct. Are any of you on a quest for the Sinnoh Pokémon League?" Nando asked.
"Well, Sora is. Dawn and I are on our own quests for the Sinnoh Pokémon Contests," Kairi said.
"That's right," Dawn said.
"I see. Then a Contest battle for the each of you it is," Nando said.
"Say, would it be okay if I can have a battle with you too, Nando?" Dawn asked.
"If it pleases you. I shall be using my Budew," Nando said.
"Great!" Dawn said.
"Remember, Dawn, this will be your battle as a trainer, so don't get carried away," Kairi said.
"No need to worry, Kairi! I got this in the bag!" Dawn said.
"Again with that saying," Aqua said.
"You and me both, bluebird," Meowth said.
Dawn and Nando got ready for the upcoming battle to begin. This is going to be the first Pokémon battle Dawn has ever had. Kairi remembered the first battle she had ever entered in, and it was her Jigglypuff against a Wigglytuff. She had to admit, her Wigglytuff was much more stronger than Jigglypuff since it was common knowledge that Wigglytuff is the evolved form of Jigglypuff.
"This should be exiting," Ventus said.
"Since Nando is going with Budew, then her Piplup's going to have quite a hard time with Budew since it's a Grass Type," Aqua said.
"You're right, Aqua. Dawn's not gonna find it easy as she's about to find out," Sora said.
Dawn was confident to win her first ever battle. Dawn figured Budew was exhausted from the battle with Turtwig and maybe Piplup will knock down what Lucas and Turtwig set up. She takes out Piplup's Pokéball and threw it.
"Okay, Piplup! Spotlight!" Dawn called out. Piplup makes his entry to have his very first battle.
"You may have the first attack," Nando offered.
"Thank you," Dawn said. "Piplup! Use Peck, let's go!" Piplup charges right at Budew.
"Please, dodge it," Nando said. Budew avoids Piplup's Peck by jumping out of the, much to her shock.
"What happened?!" Dawn gasped.
"That Budew is fast!" Ventus said.
"Please, Bullet Seed," Nando ordered. Budew fires Bullet Seed right at the penguin Pokémon.
"Dodge it, Piplup!" Dawn called out. Piplup dodges Budew's Bullet Seed attack. :All right, my turn! Piplup! Use Bubble Beam!" Piplup fires Bubble Beam right at the bulb Pokémon to deal some heavy damage. The bubbles struck Budew on the mark, making an explosion. "Alright!" Nando chuckles much to Dawn's shock. Budew was still standing even after taking Bubble Beam. "But how? That was a direct hit!"
"Budew is taking that like it was nothing," Aqua said.
"So, that's it. Budew took that Bubble Beam on purpose. It even used the smoke from the explosion," Terra said.
"Solar Beam if you please," Nando ordered. Dawn was confident to finish this now.
"I know it takes time for Solar Beam to fire. Piplup! Use Peck, now!" Dawn ordered. Piplup charges right at Budew to win the battle, but Solar Beam was already fully charged.
"Please fire now," Nando ordered. Budew fires Solar Beam right at Piplup, knocking him out completely.
"Piplup!" Dawn gasped as she went to help Piplup up. "Oh, my Piplup!"
"It appears our battle is over," Nando said.
"But, how did they do Solar Beam so fast?" Dawn asked.
"I think it was Sunny still in play," Meowth said.
"Meowth is right. Nando used it in our battle to finish me off," Lucas said.
"Right. Sunny Day raises a Fire Type attack, but also it causes Solar Beam or Solar Blade to come out early on to hit," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"I see. I'm so sorry, Piplup," Dawn said.
"Piplup, Piplup," Piplup said in a reassuring manner.
"Dawn, I wouldn't have guessed it was your first battle, you were so good," Nando complimented. Dawn was moved by the bard's kind words.
"Wow, that's such a nice thing to say. Thank you," Dawn said.
"You can count on it was a good experience," Terra said.
"It sure was," Aqua agreed.
"Those two really know how to battle," Kairi said. "And you too, Dawn. It'll help you get even stronger."
"Yeah!" Dawn agreed.
"Piplup, Piplup!" Piplup added.
"I'm off. Best of luck," Nando bid farewell.
Sora, Kairi, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Pikachu, Angel, Meowth, and Lucas, and Dawn were continuing their walk through the forest as the sun was setting. Dawn was still depressed she couldn't catch a single Pokémon of her own.
"Oh man, I can't catch a Pokémon and I can't win a battle," Dawn said.
"If it makes you feel better, that's the same with me. I lost to some guy with a Chimchar," Lucas said. Sora turned to Lucas.
"Did he happen to smile like this?" Sora asked, imitating Paul's expression, earning a laugh from Ventus.
"Come to think of it, I did. He said it I was pathetic and I should just cut my loss and give up. Why? You know him?" Lucas asked.
"Yeah we did," Sora said.
"Sora battled him and whooped him," Ventus said. Dawn stepped in.
"I hate to to bring rain to this parade, but we were talking about my problem here!" Dawn said.
"Don't sweat it, Dawn. We'll just have a nice dinner, get a good night's sleep, and be off tomorrow," Sora said.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu said.
Good night's sleep? How do you get that without a bed?" Dawn asked, surprised.
"Pokémon Center. And that reminds me. Isn't there one just nearby?' Sora asked.
"There is," Terra said, looking in a guidebook of Sinnoh. "And it's not far from here."
"Really? Hooray! A real bed in a room!" Dawn cheered happily. "I can join civilization again!"
"We can sure use a rest for the night," Aqua said. "Especially you, Ventus."
"Ah, Aqua, I'm not a baby!" Ventus said.
"No buts, young man! You can stay up as late as you want when you're old enough!" Aqua said.
"She's right, Ven. We're all gonna hit the sack early because we have to get an early start in the morning," Sora said.
"So, why is Ven with you in the first place?" Lucas asked.
"Because he wanted to see the Sinnoh region and meet some new Pokémon. Aqua was against it at first, but his parents were cool with it as long as Sora and Kairi are watching him. So, we got permission from our parents, telling us it was okay, since we'll be watching him if they're not around," Terra explained.
"That makes sense," Lucas said, understanding.
"Just how are you cousins, becuase you look more like brothers to me," Dawn said.
"I thought the same thing at first," Meowth said.
"Well, the thing is, my mom and his dad are brother and sister, so that makes us cousins. Also, my dad and his dad were best friends," Sora said. He suddenly remembered the battle with the N. Tropies and the Brotherhood of Darkness about his Aura. He shook it off when he remembered the objective. "Uh, we should head for the Pokémon Center before it gets too dark."
"Right," Kairi said.
"Let's get moving," Meowth said.
"Right behind you. Come on, Ven," Terra said.
"Coming," Ventus said.
Sora, Kairi, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Pikachu, Angel, Meowth, Lucas, and Dawn all head for the Pokémon Center before the sky turned completely dark. They were greeted by the Nurse Joy operating there.
"Good evening, Nurse Joy," Everyone greeted.
"Good evening. Welcome to the Pokémon Center," Nurse Joy greeted back.
"Nurse Joy, you think we can have out Pokémon rest?" Sora asked, taking four of his Pokéballs, same as Kairi. Lucas and Dawn did the same thing.
"Of course. I'll have them fixed up in no time," Nurse Joy said.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy," everyone said. "Oh, by the way. Which one of you is named Sora?" Sora raised his hand.
"That'll be me," Sora answered. She turned to him.
"You have a phone call. He claims to be a friend of yours," Nurse Joy said.
"Huh? A friend? Who is it?" Dawn asked.
"One way to find out," Sora said. He picked up the phone. "Okay, I'm here. Who is calling me?" The picture phone shows Riku on the screen.
"Hey, Sora. I was wondering when you were going to get there," Riku said.
"Hey Riku. Haven't seen you since we left," Sora said.
"Who's he?" Dawn asked.
"That's Riku. He's a friend of ours. We first met him during our first journey in Kanto," Kairi said.
"Kairi, Ven, Terra, Aqua, hope you're doing good too. Same to Pikachu and Angel," Riku said.
"Hey, I'm right here too, ya know!" Meowth said.
"Force of habit, Meowth," Riku said. He noticed two more trainers there. "And who are they?"
"My name is Lucas," Lucas introduced himself.
"And I'm Dawn. It's nice to meet you," Dawn greeted.
"Right back at you. So, how are things in Sinnoh?" Riku asked.
"Things are going great. I caught a Starly and Kairi caught a Bidoof," Sora said.
"Thought as much," Riku said. "Where are you right now?"
"We're in a Pokémon Center on our way to Jubilife City. Kairi and Dawn are going to be part of a Pokémon Contest taking place there," Aqua said.
"No surprise here. And what about you, Sora? Anything planned for your first Gym battle?" Riku asked.
"Well, I found out that I'll be up against Rock Types on the first round, so Grass and Water since Rustboro City. What about you? Where are you right now?" Sora asked.
"We're on a boat heading for the Sinnoh region too. Naminé and I will meet up with you soon enough," Riku said.
"Just Eevee again?" Sora asked.
"Eevee is sleeping right now, but I brought my Incineroar, Lycanroc, and Dusknoir with me as well," Riku said.
"Thought it was just him, but okay," Sora said.
"Tell Naminé that we said hi," Kairi added.
"I will. You two give any trainer down there hell!" Riku said.
"You know we will, Riku," Sora said. Riku smiled as he did a screen fist bump to one another. "See you when we see you, Riku."
"You too, guys. Lucas Dawn, good luck to you too," Riku said, hanging up. Sora smiled as he got to talk to his friend and rival.
"He seems nice," Dawn said.
"He is. Riku has been my friend and rival since we met. I battled him and I lost. That's how we met some of our old traveling companions," Sora said.
"Really?' Dawn asked.
"Yes. They all came down from the Alola region to see Riku again. Riku is from there as well," Kairi said.
"Wow, I am so envious that he came from a tropical paradise," Dawn said.
"But, who's Naminé?" Lucas asked.
"She's Riku's girlfriend. We met her when we were in Porta Vista visiting Ven and his parents. That was when we met Terra and Aqua too," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Sora said.
"Excuse me. Have any of you registered for the Sinnoh Pokémon League? You'll need to," Nurse Joy said.
"Ooh! We better get going right away!" Lucas said. Sora and Lucas both registered to participate in the Sinnoh Pokémon League. It took a few seconds to do so. Her Chansey and Blissey returned with their Pokéballs.
"Here you two go. You're all set," Nurse Joy said, handing them back their Pokédexes.
"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy," Lucas said.
"It was a good thing you reminded us," Sora said. Just then, Barry comes running in.
"Nurse! My Chimchar needs some healing!" Barry exclaimed.
"Of course," Nurse Joy said, taking Chimchar's Pokéball. "I'll let you know if your Chimchar is fit. But have you registered for the Sinnoh Pokémon League? If you haven't yet, I can do that right now." Barry's face loit up.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Barry said, handing her his Pokédex.
"So, Barry, catch any Pokémon yet?" Lucas asked. He saw Sora, Kairi, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Pikachu, Angel, Meowth, Lucas, and Dawn.
"Hey guys. Funny running into you here. What are you doing here?" Barry asked.
"Same as you, Barry Healing our Pokémon. And getting some rest," Lucas said. "Didn't answer my question."
"Nope. Not as easy as I thought. I kept messing up," Barry said.
"Dawn and I are in the same boat," Lucas said, earning a glare from Dawn. "What?"
"Nurse Joy!" A boy's voice spoke. They turned to see three trainers with a Chimchar and two others. One is a tortoise-like Pokémon with a large, yellow shell that covers the back, head and short tail. It also has two large bushes that sprout nuts and there are three brown stripes on the shell. Its lower jaw is yellow and has triangle shaped on its cheeks. The other one is a penguin-like Pokémon that has two large wings that are about half the length of Piplup. On its head is a yellow crown that lies above the eyes. the Pokémon's chubby torso is a light blue with four white spots, two on each side. The feet of this Pokémon are more webbed than Piplup's and are yellow. Its fins are tipped with light blue. It also has a dark blue tail in the shape of a fin. "Would you take care of our Pokémon?" Ventus was getting exicted in seein them.
"Wow! Look at that! A Chimchar!" Ventus said happily. "And what about those two?"
"That one there is a Grotle, Turtwig's evolved form. And that one is a Prinplup, Piplup's evolved form," Lucas said.
"My Turtwig evolved into a Grotle yesterday," The boy said.
"The same for my Piplup," the girl added. sora took out his Pokédex and scanned the both of them.
Grotle, the Grove Pokémon
The evolved form of Turtwig
Type: Grass
It lives along water in forests. In the daytime, it leaves the forest to sunbathe its treed shell. It knows where pure water wells up. It carries fellow Pokémon there on its back.
Prinplup, the Penguin Pokémon
The evolved form of Piplup
Type: Water
It lives a solitary life. Its wings deliver wicked blows that can snap even the thickest of trees. All Prinplup believes that it is the most important one of all.
"That's two Sinnoh starter evolved forms," Sora said. "And they all look pretty tough."
"Thanks a lot," the boy with the Grotle said.
"I'm still working on getting my Chimchar to evolve into a Monferno," the boy with the Chimchar said.
"Good luck with that," Sora said.
"Well, well, well, we meet again," a familar voice spoke. They all turned to see Nando.
"Hey, Nando!" Sora said.
"Who's he?" Barry asked.
"He's a trainer we met today. A Pokémon Bard named Nando," Kairi said.
"It seems fate is kind to us all," Nando said.
"Are you staying at the center too?" Dawn asked.
"No, there are things for me ponder elsewhere," Nando said as Nurse Joy walked in with Budew.
"Here you go. Your Budew is one hundred percent perfect," Nurse Joy said.
"I am in your debt," Nando said. He takes his Budew in his arms. "Now that Budew is well, I bid you good evening." The bard takes his leave of the Pokémon Center.
"What's he pondering about?" Barry asked.
"Nando devides his interests equally between Gym battles and Contests," Nurse Joy said. "I think he's trying to decide the two."
"Yeah? With a strong Budew like his, he should always choose Gym battles," Lucas said.
"No way! It's Contests!" Dawn stepped in.
"Sorry, but Gym battles are the way to go!" Lucas argued.
"He should choose Contests!" Dawn argued back. The two of them argued over which one Nando should participate in.
"Oh boy," Sora and Kairi said.
"Pika," Pikachu said.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"Sora, you agree with me that Gym battles are the way to go, right?" Lucas asked. Sora knew he was being dragged into their argument.
"Kairi, Contests are the best, don't you think? " Dawn asked.
"Don't just bring them into your fight!" Aqua said. They weren't listening as they dragged the couple with them. Pikachu and Angel both went with them as Meowth, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, and Barry stayed behind.
"Should we go after them?" Barry asked.
"I think they'll be okay," Meowth said.
"He's right. Sora and Kairi will get them to stop arguing soon enough," Terra said.
The four trainers and the two Pokémon were going through the woods as the moon is the only light they could see.
"Nobody's here," Lucas said.
"That's weird. Wonder where Nando went?" Dawn asked.
"We could find out tomorrow, because we could use a rest back at the Pokémon Center," Sora said.
"Pika, Pika," Pikachu said.
"I'm with him. It's getting very dark out here," Kairi said.
"Eevee," Angel said as she cuddles up to Pikachu.
"Piplup!" A Piplup called out in a rather gruff voice. They all turned to see the Piplup standing there. "Piplup, Pip!"
"A Piplup!" Lucas said.
"Looks bigger than my Piplup," Dawn said.
"What's is he doing out here?" Kairi asked. The Piplup walked up to Sora and pointed his flipper at him.
"Piplup, Pip, Pip, Piplup, Pip! " The Piplup said in a challenging tone.
"Um, are you challenging me?" Sora asked.
"Pip," the Piplup nodded.
"Okay, I can take up on your challenge, Piplup," Sora said. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw it. "Go for it, Grookey! His Grookey comes out and bangs the ground with his stick. Lucas and Dawn were amazed at how they're seeing a Pokémon they had never seen before.
"Wow, first a Scorbunny, now a Grookey! So awesome and cute!" Dawn said.
"Sora made a smart move, because his Grookey is a Grass Type Pokémon," Lucas said.
"Grookey! Branch Poke!" Sora ordered. "Grookey lunges at the Piplup with his stick. The Piplup just jumps out of the way and smacks Grookey hard with his flipper. Grookey fell backwards and got back up on his feet.
"That was Pound! And it was a pretty strong one too," Kairi said. The Piplup comes at Grookey with Peck.
"Dodge and use Razor Leaf!" Sora ordered. Grookey dodged and sends out Razor Leaf, but the Piplup dodges Razor Leaf again. Sora was impressed by both of his speed and strength. "Grookey! Use Scratch!" Grookey heads right the Piplup and scratches the penguin Pokémon. That got the Piplup angry and pecks at Grookey. The Piplup fired a Hydro Pump right at the grass monkey Pokémon. "Grookey! Dodge it! Quick!" Grookey jumped in the air to avoid Hydro Pump, but it was too powerful and came too fast for him to dodge. "Grookey!"
"Pika!" Pikachu gasped.
The Piplup stopped firing and saw Grookey was down. But he wasn't out because Grookey got back up and was ready to keep on going. Grookey's body gave off a green aura.
"Why is Grookey glowing like that?" Dawn asked.
"It's Overgrow," Kairi said. Lucas and Dawn looked right at her.
"What's Overgrow?" Dawn asked.
"Overgrow is an ability that Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Treecko, Turtwig, Rowlet, Grookey, and their evolved forms all have. When their stamina is low, the power of their Grass Type attacks gets much stronger than normal," Kairi explained.
"Eevee," Angel said.
"So cool, I had no idea my Turtwig had such an awesome ability," Lucas said.
"Man, that Piplup is so much stronger than he looks; especially with that Hydro Pump. I can always respect a Pokémon with spirit like that," Sora said. "Grookey! Razor Leaf!" Sora fired a much stronger Razor Leaf again and again. Razor Leaf eventually hits its mark onto the Piplup. The penguin Pokémon had taken a blow with Razor Leaf. "Move in with Branch Poke!" Grookey lunges at the Piplup and lands a successful hit. The Piplup fell on his back. Sora took out a Pokéball and threw. The penguin Pokémon flows right inside and the Pokéball wobbles around and around. Stars swirls around the Pokéball confirming the catch. Sora's Pokémon Box activates and it asks him i he wants to keep his new Piplup with him or send him to Professor Oak's lab. Sora chose to keep his new Piplup by exchanging Starly. Sora takes the Pokéball containing his latest catch. Lucas was at awe for witnessing Sora's battling skills.
"Wow, he's even more awesome in real life," Lucas said.
"I saw that first hand when he battled Paul and won," Dawn said. "But shouldn't we be heading back to the Pokémon Center right about now?"
"It's too dark to head back now. We'll have to wait until morning because we'll never know what we'll run into," Sora said.
"What?! You mean camp out here?!" Dawn exclaimed.
"We really don't have a choice at this point. Of course, that wouldn't be an issue if a certain pair of someones didn't drag us against our will and in the middle of the night just to settle a meaningless argument," Kairi said, glaring right at Lucas and Dawn. The both looked right at the ground.
"Sorry," Lucas and Dawn apologized.
"The damage is already done. And besides, we're used to this kind of thing. We'll have to set up camp right here," Sora said.
"No need, friends," Nando said, appearing before them. "I was having a pleasant evening when I heard a sound. I came here to investigate it when I found you. I was watching your battle and I was very impressed by your skills, Sora."
"Thank you, Nando," Sora said. "Sorry if we bothered you."
"No apology is needed, but may I ask why are you here in this late hour?" Nando asked.
"The thing is, we're looking for you," Lucas said.
"Me? Why?" Nando asked.
"It's like this," Sora said.
Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, Angel, Lucas, and Dawn went with the Bard to his camp stating that he heard about how he's devided on which on to choose.
"You're correct. I'm feeling torn between choosing between Contests or Gy, battles," Nando said.
"But Budew's so strong, just perfect for the Gym," Lucas said.
"No way! Budew's movves were made for the Contests," Dawn said.
"Guys, it should be Nando's choice to choose," Sora said.
"He's right. It's not fair for Nando if you choose for him," Kairi added.
"If I enter the Sinnoh Pokémon League, I need to win battles in each of eight Gym locations which gives me eight badges. On the other hand, in order to appear in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, I have to win a Contest in each of five arenas, which will give me five ribbons," Nando stated.
"You got it right exactly," Kairi said.
"Whatever you choose is fine. Besides, I don't have anything against Pokémon Contests," Sora said.
"Also, I've been with Sora watching his Gym battles before I started entering Pokémon Contests," Kairi said.
"Then, why did you enter a Contest in the first place?" Dawn asked.
"I just entered because it sounded fun. And I won my very first Contest Ribbon when we were in the Hoenn region," Kairi said.
"I see. But if you be silent for a moment, and you shall hear the forest singing," Nando said. Sora, Kairi, Lucas,and Dawn all looked at the bard.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Dawn asked.
The sounds of the forest Pokémon can be heard. Among the Pokémon living in the woods, are bipedal, bug-like Pokémon. The majority of its body is red with a streak down its front and black cape-like marking on its back. Its head is encircled with a flat, white structure similar to a collar. A female has a bigger collar than a male. Two hard, black antennae with curled tips are connected to the head by a dark red segment. A similar dark red segment forms this Pokémon's nose, and it has small, black hands and were in the trees as they sang. Buneary were on the forest floor as they also sang their song. Six Burmy were hanging from the trees as they all sang their own song. Two Gastly, a Duskull, and a Misreavus sang as a small band of Chingling, Chimecho, Hoothoot, and Noctowl were also singing. Wooper and Quagsire were also signing. All of the Pokémon were all singing songs in the forest. Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, Angel, Lucas, and Dawn were listening to the forest singing.
"Wow, you were right, I can hear it," Kairi said.
"It's so beautiful," Dawn said.
"Eevee," Angel said. Pikachu placed his arm around her.
"It's gorgeous. I never noticed it before. Now I'll always hear it," Dawn said.
"Sleeping outside's not so bad, isn't it?" Lucas asked his crush.
"Yeah," Dawn said.
"I think it's a good thing we're out here because we get to hear it for ourselves," Sora said.
"Me too. Ven, Terra, and Aqua would have loved it," Kairi said.
"Too bad they had to miss it," Sora said. Sora looked right up to the moon. "Kairi, you remember the day we met? When we both saw Ho-Oh flying over us?" Lucas and Dawn were confused by what Sora claimed.
"Yes I do. It was a beautiful sight to see, espeacially the rainbow trail left behind," Kairi said.
"Dawn, we saw something like that back at Lake Verity?" Lucas asked. This catches the couple's attention.
"Yes we did. And Barry too. Professor Rowan mentioned it was probably Mespirit. It was the most incredible thing I have ever seen in my life," Dawn said.
"What is usually hidden, you now have the eyes with which to see," Nando said, paying his harp. "The forests song allows it to be, a gift for you and me. Let our hearts be grateful that the mysterious world of night Pokémon shows itself ever so selflessly." Sora was curious about his skills as a trainer after seeing Dawn's and partly of Lucas's.
"Say, Nando, how about you have a battle with me tomorrow?" Sora asked.
"The honor would be all mine," Nando said. On the very next morning, Sora and Nando got into position for their battle. Sora thought about using Scorbunny, but he decided to use his Grookey against Budew after a good night's sleep. Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Meowth, and Barry were sitting beside Kairi, Lucas, and Dawn.
"I'm ready when you are, Nando," Sora said.
"You have the honor," Nando said.
"Okay, Grookey! Let's go! Branch Poke!" Sora ordered.
"Key!" Grookey said. Grookey went right towards Budew to poke it.
"Budew, Bullet Seed, if you please," Nando ordered. Budew fires Bullet Seed right at the chimp Pokémon. Grookey avoids Bullet Seed and lands a poke onto Budew.
"Wow, a clean hit!" Barry said.
"Please, Mega Drain," Nando ordered. Budew lets out a stream of green energy and it saps Grookey's stamina. Budew recovers from Grookey's Branch Poke.
"How did Budew heal?" Dawn asked.
"It was because of Mega Drain. Mega Drain is much like Absorb, but much stronger than that. It saps a Pokémon's stamina and uses it to heals the user," Aqua said.
"Grookey! Razor Leaf! Let's go!" Sora ordered. Grookey gets back up and fires Razor Leaf right at the bud Pokémon. Budew takes the hit of Grookey's Razor Leaf attack. "That's the way, Grookey!" Budew wasn't going to go down that easily, so it began to evolve.
"Why is Budew glowing like that? Is it using Solar Beam?" Dawn asked.
"No! Budew's evolving!" Ventus said. Budew had finished evolving into a Roselia.
"Awesome, I never seen a Pokémon evolve before!" Dawn said at awe.
"An interesting development to say the least. Rosela! Sunny Day, please!" Nando ordered. Roselia raises both of its roses and the sun grew brighter. Sora knew what that meant. Nando was going to use Solar Beam. "Now if you please, Solar Beam." Roselia fires a powerful Solar Beam.
"Brace yourself!" Sora called out.
"Fire please," Nando said. Roselia fires at Grookey, determined to finish this fast.
"Grookey! Jump to dodge it!" Sora called out. Grookey jumps to avoid Solar Beam. "Now, use Acrobatics!" Grookey performs some acrobatic moves and lands a heavy blow onto the thorn Pokémon. Roselia fell onto the ground, beaten.
"Dear Roselia!" Nando gasped.
"Well, that's the end. It seems we lost," Nando said.
"Good job, Grookey," Sora said as the grass monkey Pokémon went up to Sora.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu said. Nando picks up Roselia in his arms.
"A brilliant effort. You deserve a nice long rest," Nando said kindly. He calls Roselia back inside its Pokéball. "You have my thanks, Sora."
"You're welcome, Nando," Sora said.
"I finally know what I must do," Nando said.
"Whatever you decide should be okay with us. Right, Lucas, Dawn?" Sora asked, looking at the two beginning trainers.
"Yes," Lucas and Dawn said.
"What will you do now?" Kairi asked.
"I decided to do both," Nando said.
"Both?!" Sora, Kairi, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Lucas, Dawn, Barry, and Meowth exclaimed.
"I enjoyed battling the three of you so much, I wouldn't dream up giving up on either one of them. And so for now, I bod you farewell 'til we meet again," Nando said.
"'Til we meet again," Sora said.
"I'm looking forward in seeing you in a Contest, Nando," Kairi said.
"Best of luck on your path," Terra said.
With that said, they all parted ways with the bard and continued on towards Jubilife City for Kairi and Dawn's Contest. Lucas was more inspired by Sora's battling skills after seeing him catch his own Piplup, so he decided to try again. Dawn and Barry decided the same thing, leaving Sora, Kairi, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Pikachu, Angel, and Meowth along the way. They made a stop as they noticed something happening.
"Guys! What's that?" Ventus asked, pointing to Sora's backpack. Sora took the egg out of his backback and saw the egg getting ready to hatch.
"The egg! It's about to hatch!" Sora said.
"Pika!" Pikachu said.
"Eevee!" Angel also said.
The eggs gave one last flash as the egg has successfully hatched. The newborn Pokémon is black and blue and has the similar appearance to Sorrel's Lucario. Its legs and torso are colored black while its head, lower body and tail are blue. It has large, rounded bumps on the backs of its forepaws, placed in a similar fashion to Lucario's spikes. The Pokémon also has a black "mask" with two black appendages on either side, and red eyes.
"Wow, so cool!" Ventus said. The newborn Pokémon looked around and right at Sora. "What is it?"
"I know what it is. It's a Riolu," Aqua said. "I never seen one before."
"Riolu, hub?" Sora asked. He took out his Pokédex and scanned it.
Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon
Type: Fighting
Its body is lithe yet powerful. It can crest three mountains and cross two canyons in one night. The aura that emanates from its body intensifies to alert others if it is afraid or sad.
"So, that's what was inside the egg. It was this little guy," Sora said. Riolu kept looking right at Sora, mostly at his aura. Riolu places its hands onto Sora's leg and smiles. Sora smiles back and took out the Pokéball that came with it. He held it before Riolu. "How about it? How would be like to be a part of the team?" Riolu accepted and flows inside the Pokéball. Sora didn't know what it was that the other trainers just gave up on the egg and send it away to Kanto. But Sora knew Riolu was lucky to have anew trainer like Sora.